1. What’s the most important decision you need to make this year?

2. What’s one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?

3. What’s one thing you could do this year to enrich the spiritual legacy you will leave to your children and grandchildren?

4. What’s the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?

5. In what area of your life do you most need change, and what will you do about it this year?

6. What area of your life most needs simplifying, and what’s one way you could simplify in that area?

7. What habit would you most like to establish this year?

8. Who do you most want to encourage this year?

9. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?

10. What single blessing from God do you want to seek most earnestly this year?

• Pray God would strengthen her relationship with Him
• Pray she would be a woman of integrity and Godly character
• Pray she would be passionately in love with Jesus
• Pray she would have a heart of contentment
• Pray she would be a woman of prayer
• Pray she would be a woman of courage
• Pray she would be a woman of inner beauty
• Pray she would guard her heart and mind
• Pray she would not depend on her circumstances for happiness, but only on Christ
• Pray she would have strength in the midst of her busy schedule
• Pray she would be renewed daily by the Holy Spirit
• Pray she would get her identity from Christ and not seek it from the world
• Pray she would have daily wisdom
• Pray she would delight in God’s Word
• Pray she would not become discouraged
• Pray she would be used greatly by God
• Pray she would be secure in her God and in her husband
• Pray her fears and insecurities would be removed
• Pray God would bless the work of her hands
• Pray God would bless her with physical health and strength
• Pray God would bless her with physical, emotional, and spiritual protection
• Pray God would guide her as she cares for the children

• Baptized two people yesterday.  Both clearly declared that they have become followers of Jesus.
• An international student attended our service yesterday.  It was their first time to ever be in a church service.
• A friend who is really struggling in his life has attended services for three weeks in a row.  God is working in his life.
• Our fall semester of Community groups begins this week.  We have more people signed up than ever before.
• Our leaders attended our quarterly church transformation meeting on Saturday.  It was powerful!  Our hearts are united and filled with vision.
• New people are attending FT every week and are getting connected.
• More volunteers are serving now than ever before.
• The exterior of our church is being remodeled with new windows and paint.
• A miracle financial donation is making it possible for us to get a new digital LED church sign.
• We interviewed a potential youth pastor this past week.  Praying for God’s direction!
• My wife and kids love me!
• I’m headed out right now to have breakfast with my wife.
• That’s all for now, but that’s pretty good for a Monday!

Now that school has started back up, we have jumped back into our morning devotions. I love this 10 minutes every morning with my children. I share a short passage of scripture, usually just two or three verses and talk about how it applies to our lives, then I pray over them. I think it just might be the most important 10 minutes of their day. Our kids are bombarded with secular ideas, philosophies, and opinions every day. It’s my job as a father to help them build their lives on a foundation of truth.

Do my kids always pay attention? No. Are they sleepy? Yes. Do I have to work to draw them in? Yes. But I believe this consistent form of discipleship will pay off in the long run. In fact, my first ministry is to my family. How can I reach Los Angeles for Christ and lose my family? I’m praying that my kids will follow Christ for their entire lives, and for that to happen I’ve got to invest my time into them.

I’ve been thinking lately about questions that hold us accountable, even in prayer. Here’s a short list of potential questions we can ask while praying.

• What has God be saying to me about my relationship with him?
• What area of my spiritual life should I pray about?
• Who in my life needs prayer today?
• What non-believer should I pray about today?
• What needs do I have that I should bring before the Lord?
• Have I prayed for my pastor, church, fellow believers?

We live in a time of mass confusion as to what it means to be a man or a woman?  I’ve been concerned for a long time for young adults who are growing up in our society of broken homes, and sometimes lack clear role models.  If the church doesn’t speak clearly to the issue of biblical manhood and womanhood, how will this generation know the characteristics God has given and expects for men and women?  How we define manhood will have major implications on how we view life, how we behave, and how we treat others around us.

I am in the middle of a two-part series on biblical manhood and womanhood at FTC.  I thought I would post some additional material on this subject.  Here are some characteristics that I believe turn boys into men.  It’s from a great article by Dr. Albert Mohler (link at the bottom).

1. Spiritual maturity sufficient to be a responsible husband and father.

2. Personal maturity sufficient to be a responsible husband and father.

3. Economic maturity sufficient to hold an adult job and handle money.

4. Physical maturity sufficient to work and protect a family.

5. Sexual maturity sufficient to marry and fulfill God’s purposes.

6. Moral maturity sufficient to lead as example of righteousness.

7. Ethical maturity sufficient to make responsible decisions.

8. Worldview maturity sufficient to understand what is really important.

9. Relational maturity sufficient to understand and respect others.

10. Social maturity sufficient to make a contribution to society.

11. Verbal maturity sufficient to communicate and articulate as a man.

12. Character maturity sufficient to demonstrate courage under fire.

13. Biblical maturity sufficient to lead at some level in the church.

Credit: Dr. Albert Mohler – Click here to read the entire article.

I am currently teaching through the Gifts of the Spirit, found in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 in our mid-week Bible study.  Last night our topic was prophesy.  I am struck by how much Paul desired to see the church used by God with the gift of prophesy.  He states that he would like everyone to speak in tongues, but he would rather see them prophesy (1 Cor. 14:5).  I don’t see much prophesy happening these days, at least in the circles I run in. 

I fear that we have seen prophesy so misused and abused that we are now tempted to quickly reject any word of prophesy that may come forth.  It seems that we rarely see the gift displayed in a way that is biblical, God-honoring, and encouraging to the body of Christ.  Most of us are wary of those who constantly go around saying, ”Thus Saith the Lord.”  But we need to be reminded that Paul said we should desire spiritual gifts, even the gift of prophesy (1 Cor. 14:1).

In our Bible study I shared 7 ways to test prophesy.  I’m sure there are more, but this will get us started.

1. Is the prophesy scriptural?  Does it line up with the “whole” of scripture?

2. Have you prayed about the prophesy?  What is God saying to you personally?

3. Do you have peace from God about the prophesy?  Make sure your motives are right.  Sometimes we don’t have a peace about something God has spoken to us because we don’t want to do what he is asking of us.  However, if your motives are right, the peace of God can be a great indicator of his will.

4. What is the fruit of the prophesy?  Does the word spoken inspire you towards repentace?  Does it cause you to love God more deeply?  Does it lead you to step out into evangelism?  Does it draw you into a deeper relationship with Christ?

5. Does the person prophesying display the fruit of the Spirit?  Take note of his/her personal life.  Matthew 7:15-21 gives a great caution about false prophets.

6. Does the person prophesying exalt God or themselves?  The proper use of the gifts should always bring glory to God.  They should also cause us to be filled with humility and be honored that God would use us.

7. If a prophesy given predicts future events/situations, do their prophesies come true?  All of them?  This is the ultimate test.

Here’s more material from my research for last Sunday’s message on “How to affair proof your marriage.”  All of us have had friends or family members who were struggling in their marriages.  Sometimes we are at a loss as to how to help them.  Here are a few tips.

1. Pray for them daily.  Believe that God hears and answers prayer.

2. Be a friend.  They really do need your support and encouragement.  Send them emails and cards.  Call to remind them you are praying.

3. Don’t allow them to unload every detail on you.  If it is a member of the opposite sex, refuse to listen to the details.  You want to protect your marriage and avoid an unnecessary emotional connection.

4. Encourage them to seek out pastoral counseling or professional Christian counseling.

5. Recommend great resources to bless them such as broadcast by Focus on the Family, and good books like “The Five Love Languages.”  Ask your pastor for resources he/she would suggest.

6. Don’t give advice.  You want to help, but your friend really needs advice from a pastor or counselor.

7. Encourage them to keep working on the problems and to not give up.  Frustration makes us want to quit and walk out, but we know God wants to restore them.

8. Help them find a Godly, older couple who have been married for many years to mentor them.

9. Encourage them to faithfully attend church services.  Satan always trys to get us to isolate ourselves when we are discouraged.

10. Recommend the couple attend a Marriage Encounter weekend.  www.agme.org

This week I’m posting bonus material from my research for last Sunday’s message called, “How to affair proof your marriage.  Today I want to include a strategy for fighting lust.  Lust has been defined as the irresponsible pursuit of sexual enjoyment.  A few years back I came across an article by Dr. John Piper with the acrostic “ANTHEM” and a strategy for fighting lust in our lives.  I encourage you to click on the link at the bottom of this post and read Piper’s full article.

A – AVOID as much as is possible and reasonable the sights and situations that arouse unfitting desire.

N – Say NO to every lustful thought within five seconds.  And say it with the authority of Jesus Christ.  “In the name of Jesus, NO!”

T – TURN the mind forcefully toward Christ as a superior satisfaction.

H – HOLD the promise and the pleasure of Christ firmly in your mind until it pushes the other images out.  “Fix your eyes on Jesus”  (Hebrews 3:1)

E – ENJOY a superior satisfaction.  Cultivate the capacities for pleasure in Christ.  One reason lust reigns in so many is that Christ has so little appeal.

M – MOVE into a useful activity away from idleness and other vulnerable behaviors.  Lust grows fast in the garden of leisure.

Read the full article by Dr. John Piper.

Yesterday I shared a message with our church called “How to affair proof your marriage.”  This week I’ll be posting more material on this subject from my research.  Here are 10 signs you could be headed toward adultery.

1. You share private matters with a person of the opposite sex before sharing them with your spouse.

2. You spend large amounts of time with this person.

3. You find more delight in being with this person than with your spouse.

4. You think this person understands you better than your spouse.

5. You are unwilling to hear the warnings of others and stubbornly maintaining this relationship.

6. You feel youthful or “high” around this person.

7. You develop romantic feelings for this person that you try to transfer to your spouse.

8. You are defensive when you try to keep from admitting you are into something wrong.  Instead, you accuse others of attacking you when they are really trying to warn you.

9. You look for opportunities to be with this person, away from the scrutiny of others.

10. You find reasons to avoid the wise counsel of friend.

Source: “Why Some Christians Commit Adultery” by John Sanford (Victory House, 1989).