Christian Foundations looks at times ‘When I Don’t Desire God’

 So it is possible to be a Stewart but not be following where Jesus is!  Down that path is ‘burnout’ – whether tithingyou’re a music leader, a home group leader, MOPS or even a pastor!   True servanthood is about using His gifts to us versus striving in a church system to build another’s kingdom here on earth. 

You can be involved in all the right acts of being a Christian: tithing, going to meetings, Sunday school and all the other related activities, and still be caught in legalism and judgement.  It’s  then that God’s love and grace can seem far away.

7/41 Do You Like Jesus, But Not the Church?

As we continue with the theme of Burnout in the Church, the following is an interesting Book Review – but careful, not all agree with his theme!

“I always have a stack of books to read on my bookshelf. Right now, it numbers a dozen deep, but just yesterday one book came in from Amazon and I picked it up immediately. It jumped right over the waiting list.

“It’s called ‘They Like Jesus But Not the Church’ by Dan Kimball.

7/40 Avoiding Burnout in True Stewardship Christian Foundations

chains6So far in our discussion on the growth from Slave to Steward, we have discussed the basics on who and what the Holy Spirit does in our walk with God and the importance of learning to hear His voice.  These are two of the very basic foundations for being a Steward.  All of these topics are very important when we start the progression into true Stewardship. 

Next we looked at one of the biggest blocks to growth and health in following Jesus – the Occult.  Then we ventured into Personal Spiritual Warfare and Curses and blessings.

7/39 What about the Blessings and Curses in Christian Foundations?

man with suitcases 2As we saw earlier, what we think about a situation controls us, not what actually happened. That is, the past cannot affect us in the natural – now.  However, when it comes to the spiritual world, what happens to us today can have its roots in the past.

So what do we mean by Curses and blessings?

A ‘curse’ is the unbreakable or unstoppable result when some sin or iniquity is committed. It is the consequence that follows us when unrepentant actions by ourselves, or others, have offended God.  A blessing also has unstoppable consequences from having God’s favour in some way.

7/38 Part two: Personal Spiritual Warfare in Christian Foundations

 God’s Plan before time began: WE ARE AT WAR!

groupOnce there was only one Spirit Being, we call ‘God’.  God’s Great Plan began in the spiritual dimension first.  We are designed to live in a spiritual as well as physical world.  There is only one spiritual world with two kingdoms (Ephesians 2:2, Matthew 6:33).  Satan and his demons are real (Matthew 4:10).

The battle is fought in the spiritual dimension first and then manifests in the physical/emotional realm.  The results are either health or dis-ease.  Much of the pain and illness we experience is because we have broken God’s basic spiritual principles.  Much of pain and sickness is the result of lifestyle: Susan’s migraines.

7/36 Christian Foundations asks ‘Why Hear God?’

diary  As we continue with our series on Slave to Bride of Christ. we want to spend another post on the need to hear from our Creator.  So why hear God?  Weren’t we born with a brain to be able to think for ourselves?  Why do we need this outside direction when we are living our life in the here and now?  Why do we need to involved even listening to God?

A. Of course, because God created us to have relationship with Him, He expects us to do our part.  Ignoring this for a moment, what can YOU get out of hearing God?