Tag: presence

Monday Kfirst Kickstart: #Empowered week 1 “Third Wheel”

Today I want to give you a place to start your week. It’s Monday and in the wake of a great weekend and a workweek ahead, sometimes you just need a “kickstart” to get focused.  So grab some coffee let’s start a great week together.

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We kicked off a new series in our Kfirst community that focuses on the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. And our series began with a focus upon four words out of Acts 1:4, “you heard from me.” We wanted to look at Jesus words regarding the Holy Spirit. (Click here for yesterday’s notes.) “I believe in the Holy Spirit” is more than a theological statement. It is a personal declaration.

As we began our look at the empowerment of the church in Acts, we started with a teaching on the Holy Spirit. Our desire was to establish that the Holy Spirit isn’t a “third wheel” (superfluous) to a believer’s life but essential to us.

So we looked at the words of Jesus to see who the Holy Spirit is.

  1. The Holy Spirit is a someONE not a someTHING. John 14:17
  2. The Holy Spirit is God. Matthew 28:19
  3. The Holy Spirit is involved in every step of salvation. John 3:5, John 16:8
  4. The Holy Spirit is our comforter. John 14:16
  5. The Holy Spirit is our helper. John 14:16
  6. The Holy Spirit points toward Jesus. John 15:26
  7. The Holy Spirit is our source of power. Acts 1:8

As a believer in Jesus, we have an uninterruptible power supply that is available without measure. And that power is found in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

This week, would you find some time engaging in prayer and asking the Holy Spirit to do a work WITH you, IN you, and UPON you? Would you allow Him to do a brand new work in your life outside of your comfort zone. Remember, the Holy Spirit will not make your problems go away, but will empower you to face your problems in God’s strength.

Also, don’t forget to join us EACH SUNDAY NIGHT for our “Encounter Nights” as we move into times of worship and prayer together to see our lives “Empowered” with the Holy Spirit’s presence.

Love you all. We’ll see you next week.

BTW: Here’s the new song that we used on Sunday morning.

Monday Kfirst Kickstart: Leveling Your Soul #Playlist

Today I want to give you a place to start your week. It’s Monday, and sometimes in the wake of a great weekend and long workweek ahead, you just need a “kickstart” to get focused.  So grab some coffee let’s start a great week together. 

Loved the day we at Kfirst yesterday. We continued our series “Playlist“as we looked at Psalm 131 (Read Psalm 131) as we put our focus on the pride we all deal with. It’s never an easy thing to deal with. That why Charles Spurgeon said of Psalm 131, 

 “It is one of the shortest Psalms to read, but one of the longest to learn.”

I’ll admit, yesterday’s message was working hard on me up till the service and has been pounding on my heart since.  I’ve been asking the Holy Spirit to give me greater revelation of the areas of my life where I am letting pride in. I mean, let’s all admit: Pride is a struggle for all of us. And, like carbon monoxide, it’s been a silent killer that goes undetected. It’s for that reason we said, 

Your pride will want to wrestle your vision aways from you to distract what Christ wants to do in you and through you. This natural and gradual inclination has no desire to co-exist with a move of God in your life. It wants to destroy anything God has built. That’s why we take pride seriously. 

The Psalmist did. And his answer for leveling his soul when pride wanted to throw him off was to be in the presence of God “like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.” So this week, would you take a couple Next Steps from Psalm 131?

  1. Spend time in the presence of God. Be in His presence just to seek His face without worrying about asking anything of Him. Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Find a time to worship the Lord on your own. Get into the Word of God. If you need a reading plan to start, use this link from our youversion sermon notes. 
  2. Practice the AAA.
    • Admission. 
      • Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see where pride has crept in.
    • Accountability. 
      • Who is a trusted person in your life you can confess pride to and who will help you overcome pride?
    • Actively pursuing humility. 
      • Two of the greatest ways to pursue humility: 
        • Worship. I know some who can worship without music. If you need some, here’s one of my favorite playlists right now: River Valley Worship
        • Serving. When you get beyond your pride and serve others, you both cultivate the character of Jesus and show the world who He is. 

Love you all.  See you on Sunday. 

BTW: Here’s a song to put on your #Playlist this week: 

2 Minute Devo: Ecclesiastes Day 4

September is all about diving into the book of Ecclesiastes.  Watch the devo and read the scripture for today:

 

Ecclesiastes7:14

In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.

2 Minute Devo: “The presence of Joy” Acts 16:16-34

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September is our journey through the 2 minute series called “Restoring Joy”.  I want to invite you to join me as we. It’s as simple as viewing  the vlog and reading the passage for the day.  Today’s passage is Acts 16:16-34:

Acts 16:16-34

16 As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit ofdivination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us,crying out, “These men are servants[a] of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

19 But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas anddragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21 Theyadvocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. 23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, andeveryone’s bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”29 And the jailer[b] called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.