Friday, Feb 13, 2009

2/13 - Getting equipped

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Now there was some production. I had to crack the whip to catch up on my work. I did pretty good. I got the bulletin done, did power point for both services, finished Discovery Class 2 and published Growing Together to the internet. Bill was out back working with the backhoe. It looks really good. He stopped in to talk about the construction process. Carl dropped off his bbqer – I helped him get it off the truck. John and Colleen stopped by and we practiced for a few hours on music. Ken dropped by looking for some short sheet rock screws. Then it was off to work out and visit Doris. They don’t know what the cause of her heart and lung problems are. Then we went to Bible Study and had some good lively discussions.

Today is February 13, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. TWG is a complete turn of events; it is a 180 degree turn around. God is changing us and turning us around as a community. This is not business as usual, this is life transforming, this is spiritual, this is essential.

Today's Scripture reading is Joshua 20; Psalm 145; Luke 4:1-28
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 2Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The power to change your life… it’s in the Word. But it’s not for everyone. It’s only for the man or woman of God. If you really want to have your life changed, you need to trust Jesus as Savior, and then decide that you want to become a man of God. Only those committed to the proposition that life is about God and God is life can really be transformed. If you are a Christian hob nobber, or you just want to test the water with your big toe, but don’t ever dive in, you can expect about a little finger worth of transformation. Many of us give five dollars on Sunday and that’s about as much supernatural satisfaction as we can get for a few bucks. If you really want change, you need to give all of yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s when the Word can change us. There are two amazing results that will happen to you. #1 You will be complete. You will become a “whole person,” a person made whole. Another way of saying it is that you will become mature. There’s nothing better than being “all there.” #2 You will be equipped. You will be equipped to face any difficulty that life throws at you and you will have the tools to tackle any task laid before you. There is nothing you won’t be able to handle… because God’s Word will equip you. But the main joy of equipping is that you will be able to accomplish any mission God gives you. I hear people say, “I could NEVER do that! I’m not a teacher, leader, organizer, people person, kid person… etc.” NON-SENSE! God says he’ll equip you for EVERY GOOD WORK. That means if God calls you to a ministry, he’ll enable you to do it. I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me. So quit making excuses and get to the ministry! If there’s a need laid before you, there’s the power to accomplish it. If not… you haven’t let the Word change your life! And that’s a primary problem that you and I need to solve right now!

Dear Lord, I submit to your leadership. I’ll do what you want me to do, I’ll say what you want me to say, I’ll go where you want me to go. I know that with Christ I can do all things. Give me a mission and I’ll do it with all my heart!

Brethren, I do not think I have made it yet; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:50 AM |   

Thursday, Feb 12, 2009

TWG - February 12, 2009 - Avantage from the Word

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An un-ordinary day in the life of Pastor Dennis – as usual. I was still working on Discovery Class II this morning when Carl dropped in. He’s been working on the internet and stuff. Ben stopped by to pick up some materials from me. We went out to watch Bill and Jim playing with the backhoe. John and Colleen said they were going to try to stop in for music practice, but couldn’t make it. Then I ran to lunch with Susan, Ken, Evie and Isaiah. While I was out Phil dropped by some materials for an upcoming Film Festival presented by KGRV and Mike Ruyle dropped off some stuff on a seminar on Islam at Melrose Community Church. When I got back I helped Carl work on the network and then I got Awana ready. Then it was time to pick up kids and what a blast we had at Awana!

Today is February 12, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. We are doing something of eternal significance. We are redeeming the time. That is one of the basic premises of TWG. We believe that what we do every day is so important that we must do the important things each day. That is why we read the word every Day

Today's Scripture reading is Joshua 19:24-51; Psalm 144; Luke 3
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 2Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

How will God’s Word change your life? In so many ways! But you must be committed to it. You must decide that God’s Word is Truth! You must believe that its words are binding on your life. When you bind yourself to the Word, the Word binds itself to you. It becomes profitable for the man or woman of God. This is the edge that Christians have over the rest of the World. We have an advantage. But the advantage is not in us, it’s in our commitment to the Word. There are four ways the Word transforms us. #1 Doctrine. Doctrines are the right, true and sound teachings of the Word. The Bible teaches and instructs us about the ways of God. Most people wander around guessing what is right and what is wrong, but we KNOW the Truth if we are instructed from the Word. If you live a lie, your life is headed for shipwreck. The closer you can get your life to line up with the truth the more successful your life will be. #2 Reproof. Reproof means to rebuke error leading to a confession and conviction of sin. It means to convince you of what is wrong in your life so that you can steer away from it. Change is tough, but with the Holy Bible advantage plan, there’s hope! #3 Correction. But the Bible doesn’t leave you “slain in guilt and conviction.” It aims to restore you. That’s what correction is all about. Correction is how to get right. We all know instinctively that we are sinners, we don’t all know the way to fix the problems that come from our sin. #4 Instruction in righteousness. This is the application of doctrine. Doctrines tell us the truth, instruction in righteousness tells us how to put it into practice. This is how to stay right and get better and better every day in every way. Righteousness is the stable state of a person as he ought to be. It’s as good as we can get… mature, right with God from head to heart. To summarize we might say Doctrine what is RIGHT. Reproof is what is NOT right. Correction is how to GET right. And Instruction in righteousness is how to STAY right and become righter and righter. It may not be good English, but it is wonderful theology. That’s why we can say “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Dear Father thank you for Jesus the living Word who transforms my life. And thank you for the Holy Spirit who convicts me of sin, righteousness and judgment. And thank you for the written Word that You use to transform my mind. Help me to line my life up with the Word of God.

For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:36 AM |   

Wednesday, Feb 11, 2009

TWG - February 11, 2009 - The Power of The Word

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Now that was a day! I’m telling you! It was as busy and packed as the day was long! Things were hopping. I worked on Discovery Class 2 as much as I could. Carl & Sonja stopped in to tell me that the internet was down… so we worked on it for a few hours without any success. Susan came in and asked, “do you have the men’s retreat stuff ready for me?” So I changed gears and helped her get the mailing ready. Ben came by to talk about taping and texturing… about that time the copier went on the fritz! I’m starting to feel the squeeze. Then Evie called. Her internet wasn’t working. I ran over there to give her a hand. I couldn’t get it to work. Dana called to invite me to some cool Italian dinner! Sadly I had to take a rain check. Cami called. Folks looking for our rental called. DCWisp called about our internet problem. Doris called to say she was in the hospital. Pray for her. Other folks called. The White House called! (or not). Then I ran to work out and to men’s meeting where Ken called, and after that… I finally got the internet fixed! Harrah! I hope.

Today is February 11, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. You are part of a devotional community where we put Christ first and our commitment is to spend time with each other and Time with God every day.

Today's Scripture reading is Joshua 19:1-23; Psalm 143; Luke 2:21-52
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 2Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

So you want more faith? You want to be a solid rock undisturbed by the wild hurricanes of life? You want to have peace in the storm? Joy in the dark and dreary days of endless clouds and pelting rain? Hope when everything around you has dried up and turned to a parched desert? Here’s how to get it. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. The Word of God, unlike your words or my words, has SUPERNATURAL POWER to change your life! The Word is where transformation is found. All Scripture, to the very words and even the way the words are used is given by inspiration of God. That means that they are “God breathed.” Imagine an explorer on a sailboat before the seas were charted. He has decided to cast his fortunes to the wind and see where it takes him. He hoists his sail and the wind begins to gently blow. Today he heads east, tomorrow he sails south. Wherever the wind takes him he goes… and one day he wakes up to see land on the horizon! Land Ho! He always knew there was something out there, he just didn’t know where to find it. He has just discovered a new world! That is similar to the writers of the New Testament. They hoisted their quills to the wind and let the words they wrote sail wherever the Spirit led them. God literally “breathed” His words into the holy men of old and they wrote in their own words, exactly what God wanted written. The man of faith and stability believes that. We believe that God is so powerful and wise that He has no trouble communicating with us, and he has. The Bible is God’s Word! God’s love letter to us! God’s very breath! And God’s Words are so powerful that all He ever had to do was speak a word and it came to pass… “God SAID, let there be light, and there was light!” God created the universe with mere words! Not mere words, His Word! And His Word packs the same power now as it did then. Speak it! Say it out loud! Memorize it! Believe it! God’s Word will change your life!

Dear Living Word. I Believe You! I trust You with all my heart, soul and mind. I want your Word to transform my life. I will read it, say it out loud and memorize it. I know that it will change me into Your image!

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:52 AM |   

Tuesday, Feb 10, 2009

TWG - February 10, 2009 - Need Faith?

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I got a late start yesterday, or so it seems. But I was busy with Ben finishing the sheetrock. He came out to tape and texture it. It looks great. I also built another short wall. Now I need to put in a door. I ran to Lowes and there was Ken. We had a nice long talk. Good to see him. Later in the day I went to work out with Kyle & Marcia and when I got home, Susan looked really tired. But dinner was great! Then it was one of my few quiet evenings at home. That’s all folks, really!

Today is February 10, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. This is your invitation to take one step forward every day in your relationship with Christ. We invite you to do something unbelievably radical. We invite you to deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Jesus

Today's Scripture reading is J Joshua 18; Psalm 142; Luke 2:1-20
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 1Timothy 3:9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

Not everyone has faith… or should I say not everyone has faith in The Faith. Every one of us believes in something. It could be faith in me, faith in science, or it could be faith in God. It is the faith in God thing that we want to talk about. That’s where the statement “not everyone has faith” comes in. Trust is a difficult commodity for some people. It’s difficult for them to let go and let God. They just can’t seem to do it. Either there’s too much anxiety, too much confusion or too many unanswered questions. I’ve literally seen people squirm with anxiety when it comes to trusting God. As they sit in my office looking for answers, their eyes swell to the size of a deer in caught in your headlights! They glance furtively around the room as if looking for an escape, their knuckles are clenched and white, they can’t sit still… FEAR is oozing out of every pore. It is a mystery to them HOW to have faith. They want to have it but when you tell them to let go, THEY HANG ON! A quality of maturity is that you have learned to let go and trust the Lord Jesus for all the needs of your life… and not just for a while, or just in the good times, but at all times. You have learned to hold fast to the truth always. Your mind has a grasp on it. You own your faith and your faith owns you. If you want to get your knuckles around something, hold on to faith! There are two twin truths which must be grasped and applied for this to happen well. #1 You MUST take God at His Word. To the world and to some Christians, the truths of God’s word are a mystery… but that is because they are spiritually discerned. If you don’t get it, it’s because you need to trust. Faith leads to spiritual understanding, and understanding leads to more faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the World of God. If you don’t believe that every word in the Good Book is true, you will have no end of problems with faith in God. Settle the issue now! Determine that you will trust the trustworthy God regardless of what you don’t understand. If you trust him he will one day explain to you what you are unable to grasp. But if you don’t’ trust him, you’ll never grasp it. #2 You must maintain a clear conscience. Faith works best when it is placed into a clean vessel. That is the only time it works well. It doesn’t work well at all when the vessel is cracked and guilt-ridden. If you say you believe one way and live another, you are an unstable person. If you don’t notice it today, you’ll experience it soon. If you continue to live an ungodly lifestyle, guess what? You’ll soon justify your sin and soon you will change your faith. You WILL eventually come to believe that your sin is OK! That’s because you are not capable of believing two conflicting ideas. It will drive you crazy. But so will believing a lie! So you want to grow up? Maintain a cleansed conscience – confess your sins regularly and hold to the truth. If you uphold the truth, the truth will hold you up!

Dear Lord and Savior. Here and now, I confess my sins and shortcomings to you. Please cleanse my conscience and set me upon a stable path so that my life is not fragmented and shattered. Give me spiritual understanding so that I can grasp your truth and believe it!

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:48 AM |   

Monday, Feb 09, 2009

TWG - February 9, 2009 - The Four Loves

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Well here I am again. Let me tell you about my weekend. Saturday I ran to the dump and went to men’s breakfast. Had a great time. Love being with those guys. After that Susan and I hung sheetrock. Well, she put screws in the wall while I did the hanging. We had to run to Lowes to pick up two more sheets. I guess I miscalculated. Then it was two long sessions of music practice. Sunday was our first session of Discovery Class II. It was well attended and went by so fast, I could hardly believe it! Church was awesome. We talked about something none of us do too well – Maturity! Susan wasn’t feeling well Sunday afternoon, and that made me a bit blue. Then Sunday evening we had a great Awana meeting and right in the middle of it a renter called to say we had a busted pipe and a leak! When we got there we were relieved to discover it was only an overflowed toilet! Whew! Crisis averted. That gets you up to date on my slice of life.

Today is February 9, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. Together we are strong. As we walk though the word together we help each other grow.

Today's Scripture reading is Joshua 17; Psalm 141; Luke 1:26-80
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 1John 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Love. Some people love chocolate, others love dogs. When I was a kid we used to say, “then marry it!” Love has many shades of meaning. We may love chocolate, but we are not “in love” with it, or are we? And sometimes we think we are in love and it is just infatuation. There is a difference between love for lovers, love for family and friends, and love for stuff. The Greek language has 4 different words for love, and even that doesn’t do the idea justice. 1st there is “storge” or fondness. It is affectionate love. We are fond of our acquaintances and some family members. We like having them around and we demonstrate affection towards them. 2nd there is “phileo” or Friendship. This is a bond between people who have a common interest. It’s like a fraternity, a club, or a fellowship. 3rd there is “eros,” It is a lovers love that encompasses all the feelings and passions of two people in love. This is the love that is blind. 4th there is “agape” love. This is unconditional love. This is a sacrificial love. It puts the other person first. It is the kind of love that is pictured by a man who says of his wife, “she is queen in my house!” He delights in his beloved. This is the kind of love that Jesus gave when he said, “no greater love has any man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” It is a Christian virtue. So which of these four did John use in 1 John 2:15? Do not be fond of the word? Do not be friends with the world? Do not be in love with the world? Or Do not agape the world (make it your beloved)? It is the last and highest of all loves that he chose. Do not agape the world! This encompasses all the loves. Don’t put the world first, don’t be infatuated with it, don’t make friends with it, and don’t be affectionate toward it. When he says “don’t love the world,” what he means is to do the opposite of love! Treat it with suspicion, guardedness and even hostility. It is not your friend! The world system is an enemy and we must be on the guard against its intrusions into our value system. Your spiritual life depends on it!

Dear Father. Help me to love you and not to love the world system. Please guard my heart and mind against its incursions into my life. I need you and I must have your love. Please help me to demonstrate the highest love possible for you and your kingdom.

You are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people."

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:31 AM |   

Friday, Feb 06, 2009

TWG - February 6, 2009 - Lovin' the World

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Now, let’s see, what did I do yesterday? I know it was a busy day! I worked on the bulletin, announcements and men’s retreat. I spoke to John Gardin for a while on the phone about men’s retreat. We plan to meet today to talk some more. Bill and Jim were in as they have been lately working on the entryway. It looks great. Carl P stopped in to give me carpet samples. Now all we have to do is decide on which one. I spent quite a bit of time on the phone to pastors Mike Ruyle, Nate Shin, Stan Paoshel and Shelley Gayle about men’s retreat. Then I went to Bible Study. We had a great time… you should have been there! I put a picture of our Super bowl party group on the blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out. We’re all wearing our 3-D glasses

Today is February 6, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. TWG is a complete turn of events; it is a 180 degree turn around. God is changing us and turning us around as a community. This is not business as usual, this is life transforming, this is spiritual, this is essential.

Today's Scripture reading is Joshua 16; Psalm 140; Luke 1:1-25
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 1John 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

The World: There are 197,060,800 square miles that comprise our planet… 71% of our world is covered by water! The Earth's crust contains over 2,000 different minerals. As of February 2009, the world's population is estimated to be about 6.75 billion. So when the Bible says, “Do not love the world” is it talking about the planet itself? The dirt below our feet? The 6.75 billion people on our world? None of the above. The Greek word for world is “cosmos.” From it we get words like cosmopolitan (common to the whole world, sophisticated) cosmology (a philosophical study of how we got here and what our place is here) and our English word cosmos which means our world or universe as an orderly system. We are not to love the world system. The world system is a set of philosophical ideas – some call it a “world view” that the educated or sophisticated in our world have adopted as “the facts of life.” Some examples… Evolution is a world view. So is hedonism (the pursuit of pleasure). As is materialism (he who dies with the most toys wins). And so are many religions. Many of these views synthesize and mix with each other to make up a person’s world view. If this is getting too complex, let me make it simple. Any idea or view or opinion that does not harmonize with God’s Word is of the “world system.” The world system is at odds with God’s system. You can’t honestly embrace both. It just won’t work. The one is at war with the other. There are three branches of the world system. #1 The flesh. The favorite saying of the flesh is “if it feels good, do it.” The lust of the flesh is hedonism – the love of pleasure resulting in immorality and abuse. We’ve got that. #2 The eyes. The lust of the eyes is materialism – the love of things. It’s jingle is “he who dies with the most toys wins.” #3 The ego. The pride of life is elitism. It expresses itself in education (I’m smarter than you) society (I’m better than you) politics (I’m more powerful than you) and many more. These are all things that the worldly wise man wants. But when it’s all over, and we pack up and go to our eternal home, not one little ounce of it will have meaning. It’s all going to go. All your pleasure, all your stuff, and all your accomplishments will evaporate like rain in death valley in August. Only one thing matters; the will of God. It will last forever. Just do it!

Dear Jesus, I need to love you! You are all that matters. You are all that will last. Help me to become so acquainted with Your Word that I come to know what is truth and what is error. Help me to reject the world and it’s system and instead love you with all my heart, soul and might.

We make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:30 AM |   

Thursday, Feb 05, 2009

TWG - February 5, 2009 - You are the Devil, and the Devil is Bad

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Yesterday was a busy work day. I worked on Power Point for Sunday’s services, worked on Men’s retreat, prepared Awana, got some stuff done for our upcoming banquet, and other administrative stuff. Mike from Melrose called to invite us to a seminar on Islam and a Good Friday Service. Bill and Jim were there at church working away all day long! Just as I was about to head home, the grandkids showed up. I gave hugs all around and then John drove in. We said our hello’s and Dave dropped by. What a busy time! Then I went to pick up some Awana kids. We had a great Awana… another high of 25 kids! I put a picture of a VW bus on the blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out. We passed a trio of them on I-5 and got a pic of this one while we were doing 55!

Today is February 5, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. We are doing something of eternal significance. We are redeeming the time. That is one of the basic premises of TWG. We believe that what we do every day is so important that we must do the important things each day. That is why we read the word every Day

Today's Scripture reading is Joshua 15:20-62; Psalm 139; Jude
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

My kids were once into ska music. One of the songs they liked to listen to was by the W’s called “The Devil is Bad.” It’s catchy chorus chanted, “You are the Devil and the Devil is bad, You are the Devil and the Devil is bad, You are the Devil and the Devil is bad… Why don't you just skidillydoo…” I’d sing it for you, but that might ruin the song forever. Be warned, the Devil is your adversary and you need to know how to defend against him. There are two simple principles every Christian ought to have down; #1 flee from temptation, #2 stand firm and resist the devil. If you are outwardly facing a temptation, RUN like the dickens! But if you are struggling with trial on the inside toughen up and play the man! The Devil must be resisted. To resist the enemy effectively you must be prepared for battle. Eph 6:11 instructs us to put on the full armor of God so we can STAND against the wiles of the Devil. If you are to stand your ground mentally and spiritually, you are going to need to armor up. That simply means being immersed in God’s Word, prayed up, having assurance of salvation and having complete faith in God. That will make you stand. James 4:7 gives us another requirement for resistance: SUBMIT to God. It is futile to attempt resistance without first submitting. If, in your disobedience to God, you’ve rejected His warnings and foolishly wandered into the lion’s den, your cries for help, while dangling from the Lion’s Mouth may or may not result in rescue. God may let you be mangled or beaten so that you will learn a hard lesson about rebellion. Sometimes it’s the only way we learn. A relative of mine facing difficulty wrote on his Facebook page, “Please, God, no more yelling, no more trips to the woodshed. Can't you see I'm black-and-blue, beat up badly in bones and soul? My mattress is soaked, soggy with tears.” The answer is to submit to God. Give in. Kneel down. Obey. 1 Peter 5:8 adds a third requirement for resistance; be SOBER and vigilant. That means to calmly keep on the lookout for surprise attacks. As a soldier if you give in to fear you will likely turn tail and run. Some people are full of anxiety and panic when we talk about the Devil. God says to be calm and be on the lookout. We can be composed if we are ready for the enemy especially when we come to realize that “greater is HE that is in you than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4 We are the children of God, and we can overcome him if we stand our ground and resist the Devil!

Dear Lord. I need your strength to resist the enemy. On my own I am helpless. Please help me when my mind and emotions are under assault. I need your strength and power to face the enemy. I commit myself to stand my ground, submit to you and be sober and watchful for any attack.

We walk by faith, not by sight.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:38 AM |   

Wednesday, Feb 04, 2009

TWG - February 4, 2009 - The Devil

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Now there was some excitement in my day! Back at work and loving it! In the morning I had a way too exciting counseling session! Bill and Jim were at church working on the entry way. Woah! It is looking good! Love it! Jayn and Opal stopped in to clean the kitchen! Awesome! Aaron and Rebecca came by to do some post-pre-marital counseling. That was a good time. In-between all that I spoke with Dr. John Gardin about men’s retreat. As usual, he’s off somewhere in the world having fun with Dana. And then I think I did some work too! I prepared for the Discovery class and spoke with Marcia about Awana and music. I think my sweet wife called once or twice. Wow, a lot happens when you go to work! Then last night I went to men’s meeting and as usual, if you missed it, you missed something great! I put a picture of Susan unscrewing my mom’s head at her house in Redding on the blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out. It’s cute.

Today is February 4, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. You are part of a devotional community where we put Christ first and our commitment is to spend time with each other and Time with God every day.

Today's Scripture reading is Joshua 15:1-19; Psalm 138; 2 Timothy 4
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 1 Timothy 3:6-7 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil

Let’s talk about the Devil! Who is the Devil? Some people believe the Devil exits and some do not. Some see him as an imaginary boogie man made up by superstitious folk to scare little kids into behaving. But the Bible is very clear on his existence. He is a real invisible enemy. The Devil is the title given to Lucifer an archangel who attempted to overthrow God. He failed and is now “fallen.” He is now the chief of demons, a dark angel who is a powerful, evil tempter of humankind. The word Devil means “accuser or slanderer.” His name fits him well. He not only accuses us before God, but he throws mental accusations directly at the mind. Among his many other names, a prominent one is Satan. The word Satan means “the adversary.” He is our enemy and antagonist. We must learn how to deal with this invisible enemy. I want to give you a few tips today. The first comes from Ephesians 4:27. “And do not give place to the Devil.” Some translate this verse, “Do not give the Devil an opportunity,” or “do not give the Devil a foothold.” The idea is that we must give no quarter to the enemy, not a square inch, not a fingernail nor a toehold. If we allow anger, bitterness, resentment, pride or hurt to fester it will provide a place for the Devil to work on us. He’ll set up shop and unpack his entire workshop of the cruelest implements of torture you can imagine. Every twisted emotion and doubt will be unleashed on you. If you give place to the Devil, there are two possible consequences you may face. The one; you may fall into the condemnation of the Devil. This comes about when you decide you’ve had enough and you are going to do your own thing. You know best and you are going to take matters into your own hands. Simply put this is rebellion against God. It is the danger of Pride and self importance. The second; you may fall into the snare of the Devil. That’s what happens when you act foolishly and sinfully. You fall right into the enemy’s trap. You have been suckered into sin and you will pay the price for it. People will wag their tongues and shake their heads at your shame. So deal with those issues immediately. Confess them and pray for forgiveness until you have flushed them out of your life! Then live at peace with God always. Stick with the love of Jesus and it will deliver you from temptation.

Dear Father in Heaven. Keep us from temptation. Deliver us from the Evil One. Help me not to give place to the Devil, not an opportunity, not even an inch. Here and now I confess my sins, any anger, resentment, pride or hurt I give to you.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:31 AM |   

Tuesday, Feb 03, 2009

TWG - February 3, 2009 - Good Neighbors

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Yesterday was another building day. It was “my day off.” I hung sheetrock while Susan was insulating. She did a fine job. I also hung a door. After that I worked out a bit with Kyle and Marcia, and then it was home again. I spent the evening doing finances. Oh what a joy. I got a letter from our tax accountant. It’s time to do taxes AGAIN! I just finished them didn’t I? That is all the excitement I can bear. I put a picture of the terrace I built for my mom at her house in Redding on the blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.

Today is February 3, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. This is your invitation to take one step forward every day in your relationship with Christ. We invite you to do something unbelievably radical. We invite you to deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Jesus

Today's Scripture reading is Joshua 14; Psalm 137; 2 Timothy 3
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from Colossians 4:3-6 3 pray for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, 4 that I may make it unmistakably clear, as I ought to. 5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Living in the world’s neighborhood takes some wisdom if you want to be a witness. We could keep to ourselves and live out our own insignificant lives in obscurity, but where’s the eternal reward in that? Or we could live carelessly, doing our own thing, without any interest in the neighbors, but that’s no better than the first idea! We have a mission. We have a calling to be a light to this dark world. We must live like it. How’s that done? As with any spiritual endeavor it begins in prayer. You pray for me, and I’ll pray for you. I guarantee that if you begin praying for opportunities to share the Good News, God will make it happen. I can think of several very specific prayer requests for this kind of neighborhood prayer. Pray first that God would open doors to your neighbor’s homes and open ears so they would want to hear God’s Word. And once those doors are open, you’ll need the sensitivity to the Spirit to be aware of the opportunity! Pray second that you will get an opportunity to share the good news and that you’ll be able to make it unmistakably clear. Pray third that you would live such a sensible life that your neighbors will be able to see the wisdom of godly living. That’s the best prelude to witnessing possible. Pray fourth that you would make the best use of your time so that when an opportunity arises you “have the time” to sit down over a leisurely cup of coffee and share the message. Pray fifth that your words will always be gracious, kind and inoffensive so that people trust that they can talk to you. Pray sixth that the Holy Spirit will give you the answers to their questions about God. Those are some powerfully impressive big prayer requests! But God delights to answer this kind of prayer. And he delights as much to know that you care enough about the kingdom to be praying it!

Dear Lord, fill me with Your Spirit; the Spirit of wisdom and grace so that I will be a great witness to the Good News! Please give me the sensitivity to know an opportunity when it is staring me right in the face and be a witness for you.

The Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 9:57 AM |   

Monday, Feb 02, 2009

TWG - February 2, 2009 - Bad Boys in Black Hats

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Well, my weekend with mom is up! I’m back home, and ready to go to work. We had a great time. If you are a member of our “ning” community at http://pinegrove.ning.com you can check out the pictures of the trip I took. I had some good ones. A cloud that looks like an exclamation point! A few pics of my mom in her home. We had a good time talking about the Word, working on computer and eating. She loves to eat. I also built her some steps and a terrace for planting. To do that we had to take a trip to Lowes and load down her Cadillac with about 1000 pounds of block! That is an amazing car. It has auto leveling and hardly dropped at all in back! Sunday we went to church with her in Lake Shasta and then it was home for the Super Bowl Party at Kyle & Marcia’s. We had a good time! It was a fun game even if the Steelers did win. I put a picture of the cloud on the blog at http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com. Check it out.

Today isFebruary 2, this is time with God, I’m Pastor Dennis - I’ve been waiting here for you. Welcome to our life transforming community. Together we are strong. As we walk though the word together we help each other grow.

Today's Scripture reading is Joshua 13; Psalm 136; 2 Timothy 2
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com

Today’s thought comes from 1 Corinthians 5:11-13 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person. 12 For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 13 But those who are outside God judges. Therefore "put away from yourselves the evil person."

Who do you hang around? The good guys with the white hats? Or the bad boys in the black hats? Wouldn’t it be nice if it was that easy! Let me give you a simple guideline to help you know who NOT to have in your social circle. Here it is: Don’t hang around with a person who calls himself a Christian but doesn’t live like it! “Oh yeah! I’m a Christian, and no, I’m not married to her! What for? I love her and that’s all that matters!” Is it? Paul says if they claim Christ but are sexually immoral say adieu. He says the same thing about the covetous person, the idol worshiper, the abusive person (reviler), the drunk, or a thief. So long, farewell, it's time to take our leave… goodbye! Good bye! Good byeeee! And the Von Trapps exit stage left. More trouble is caused for Christ and the church by so called “sinning saints” than any other thing. Our reputation is at stake! We can’t afford too much of that kind of reputation. People will drive by your church and say, “That’s where bubba the bad boy drunk goes to church! I would never in my life, ever walk through the doors of that church.” Now, I’m not talking about everyday sinners. We invite sinners of all kinds to church, because we want them saved. Every dirty rotten, theivin’, womanizing, homosexual, druggie, or corrupt individual is welcome to our church! Come on in, sit right down, baby let your hair hang down! We WANT you to hear the Gospel! We want you to come to know Christ! Welcome! But once you make a public profession of faith, join the movement and begin to advertise that you are Christian, that changes everything. The saints are supposed to be delivered and transformed! It isn’t that we expect people to be perfect, nor do we expect that they will ever rid themselves of all their problems as long as they shall live… We do however expect that Christ will SAVE them and begin the transforming process. If you repent of your sins and seek forgiveness, we have the 70 X 7 rule! Otherwise we have a different rule! Sorry Charlie, Church is for repentant Christ followers, not for the rebellious who call themselves Christians. In order to protect our reputation, sometimes we just have to ask folk to either repent or depart. I hate greasing up the back door, but sometimes you’ve just got to let her swing!

Dear Father. We are the community of the broken. All of us struggle with our sins. We want to overcome them. They badger us. We’re not perfect, but we are sad and sorry that we sin. We want to be just like you. Please empower us with your Spirit to live the overcomers life!

"And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ There they shall be called sons of the living God."

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 10:26 AM |