The Sword & The Trowel – Ask (Nehemiah 2)

There is even a an entire section of religion that will absolutely fan this carnality into flame and then look to God as a means to get what you actually desire more than you desire him in the world. That's called the prosperity gospel and it is a backwards gospel. It's not the true gospel. Because listen, guys, Jesus didn't come just to help us fall more in love with the things of this fallen world. He came to rescue us from it and to meet all of the desires that we have in himself. [00:07:15] (36 seconds)  #RejectProsperityGospel

But listen, when he takes his rightful place as our priority, as our king, as our treasure, then everything else finds its rightful place. Then good things don't become ultimate things and those good things can now be leveraged for his kingdom and his glory. When he becomes your living hope and your ultimate priority and treasure, it changes everything. Now position, resources, relationships, they all become opportunities for stewarding a greater purpose. And when that happens, the world starts to notice. [00:08:08] (42 seconds)  #ChristFirstEverythingFollows

And so it's okay. But it's okay to pray for those things, but this is why we look to him first and prioritize him above all else. And so ultimately, the it seems crazy to pray for success in charades. Like, what? But at the same time, you you need to understand. Hear this. God's kingdom is not relegated to Sunday morning. If your life is fully submitted and all in with Jesus, then nothing in your life is out of bounds for his kingdom and glory. Nothing. None of it is ultimately trivial because like he's the king of all. [00:11:59] (38 seconds)  #KingdomEveryday

Have the lost around you heard your desire for redemption in the earth? Have they actually heard the gospel? Do they know what we're really about considering the reality of heaven and hell and salvation and God's kingdom? Or do they just think that your Christianity is just another means for living a more comfortable, disciplined, or impressive life? [00:14:51] (23 seconds)  #DoesYourLifeSpeakGospel

``That's what we see in the scriptures. This is the gospel. That God became a man, and he lived the life we couldn't live, and he died the death that we deserve to die because of the curse of sin. And it's an eternal damnation, and the only one with enough glory to pay for what we owed paid it and paid it in full at the cross. [00:24:45] (19 seconds)  #PaidInFullAtTheCross

We put our faith and our hope in what Christ did for us at the cross, and he fills us with his spirit. From the inside out, he transforms us, and he gives us a new identity, and he fills us with his own power and presence in order to accomplish his purpose. That's what we have. This is what we do. He holds the victory. But listen, guys, it requires we put the world on notice that not only does this world need a savior, he's come. He has come. God's calling his people to be thermostats, not just thermometers. [00:25:21] (34 seconds)  #ThermostatsNotThermometers

I just live my faith out loud. Like, serious. I'm like, I I if I'm at a game and I notice something about the goodness of God, I just start talking to people around me about the goodness of God. I just pretend they all know Jesus, and if they don't, they're about to. Like like like, you know, look at that sunset. God's such an artist. That's what I'm thinking. I just say it. Wow. No random doodle of Boardwalk. Like, am I getting to a conversation? Man, it's gonna be amazing to see what this ocean looks like when Jesus comes back. [00:32:13] (38 seconds)  #FaithOutLoud

So I prayed to the God of heaven. I I feel this I feel this was so deeply. Man, like, like, when you step out in faith and align with God's kingdom and great commission, and you're gonna find yourself in these kinds of relate relationships and situations. You're going to find yourself in this situation. Like, your life might not be on the line, but you will be able to feel the weight of eternity around you, and you know in that moment you need God's help. We call these arrow prayers. That's where he's like, he feels it. He asked him a question and he says, so I prayed. Like, these arrow prayers are like prayers in the midst of the battle, in the midst of the conversation, in mid stride. It's that prayer to God, like, God help me. God give me favor. God give me wisdom. God give me success. God save this person. Holy Spirit soften their heart. Draw their soul to yourself. Open their eyes. God. God, what are you doing here? Help me enter into the dialogue you've already been having with this person. God, go before me. [00:37:49] (67 seconds)  #ArrowPrayers