“These are the stages of the people of Israel, when they went out of the land of Egypt by their companies under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. Moses wrote down their starting places, stage by stage, by command of the Lord, and these are their stages according to their starting places.” Numbers 33:1-2 (ESV) What if you begin to journal your journey with God? Whether you have been walking with God for a few months, a few years, or several decades, consider journaling your journey with God. There are two components to include. Write down the major spiritual markers in your life such as your conversion, baptism, and other major decisions the Lord guided you to make. Describe some of the moments in your walk with God when you encountered His Presence in a special way. Another component to journaling your journey with God is the daily discipline of writing about the overflow of your time alone with God. For example, as you have your daily quiet time, write down a verse from your Bible that God used to speak to you that particular morning. Make some general observations about that verse and then write down a specific application that you sense God wants you to incorporate into your life. You may choose to even write down your prayer. This daily discipline will help you focus and it will give you a permanent record of your journey with God. Moses wrote down the specific stages of the journey he was on with the people of Israel. He specifically identified their starting places. The consistent theme was, “They set out from…” Moses was intentional about recording their journey with God and we are benefiting now from what Moses wrote down then. Others may one day benefit from what you write down. Without question, others will benefit from your intentional discipline of walking with God and journaling your journey with God. Riding HIS Wave, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Category: Journey
Categories
Journey with God
“And when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before.” Joshua 4:18 (ESV) The Christian life is a life of faith. To be a fully devoted follower of Christ, your life with be marked by a journey of faith. Faith is taking God at His Word and entrusting your life to His care. As you walk in daily dependency upon the Lord, you will discover the joy of seeing God at work and seizing opportunities to join God in His activity. Crossing the Jordan River on dry ground was a tremendous experience of faith for the priests carrying the ark. They remained in the middle of the river while the children of Israel passed through on dry ground. Once the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place. God had worked a miracle and involved the people in the process! Continue to walk in faith. Sometimes your journey will be as clear as crystal, but at other times the way may appear foggy. You will experience seasons of high spiritual energy and focus and at other times, you will experience seasons of uncertainty. That’s part of the faith journey! The scenery changes and the pace shifts from time to time. Don’t get so fixated on the destination that you miss the God-moments along the way. Enjoy the process of knowing and obeying God. Enjoy the journey. God has some Jordan’s for you to cross. He will turn your obstacles into opportunities for you to see His glory and for your faith to be exercised. Obey what you know! Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” Hebrews 11:8 (ESV) Is it possible to obey God and not know where you are going? God told Abraham to leave and go to a place that God would show him and Abraham went (Gen. 12:1-4). Even though he didn’t know where he was going, by faith Abraham obeyed God. He was willing to take God at His word and launch into the unknown and the unfamiliar. Sometimes God will unveil the details of your journey and at other times God will simply ask you to step out and trust Him with the details. You may not be able to see very far into the future God has for you. But, you can trust God every step of the way. Will you obey what God has already revealed to you? Obey and go based on what you know, then God will show you what’s next. Live from faith to faith. Walking with God is like walking down a trail in the woods at night with a flashlight. You can only see a few feet in front of you, but as you move forward the light illuminates a portion of the path that was not visible to you. As you walk with God, He illuminates the path He wants you to take. God will not mislead you. Walk closely to Him and listen for the echo of His whisper. Spend time in His Word and in prayer. Seek godly counsel from a person who walks in the Spirit and who cares about you and your future. God will speak through His word, through circumstances, and through other believers as you seek His next step for your life. Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“One day Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.’ So they got into a boat and set out.” Luke 8:22 (NIV) God will get you to the other side. His plan for you is personal. God designed you with His purpose in mind. You are not an accident. Before you were born, God knew you (Jer. 1:5). You are here at this very moment because God ordained your existence. God has a special plan for your life that includes your past, present, and future. God’s plan factors in your choices. You are not an impersonal robotic creature. You are a personal relational being with the purpose of God in your heart. God knows you by name and even the hairs upon your head are numbered (Luke 12:7). God’s plan for you is eternal. There’s more in store than what you see in the here and now. God has placed eternity in your heart to position you for eternal life (Eccles. 3:11). Your life goes beyond the grave. God’s plan for you extends beyond the immediate and includes eternal life. As you receive the gift of eternal life by faith, your forever is changed. Heaven becomes the place where you will live with God forever. The disciples responded to Jesus by getting into a boat and setting out. Jesus said, “Let’s go over to the other side.” Jesus did not say, “Let’s see if we can make it to the other side.” When Jesus is in your boat, there’s nothing to fear. Jesus will get you to the destination safely and right on time. Enjoy the journey! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“These are the stages of the people of Israel, when they went out of the land of Egypt by their companies under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. 2 Moses wrote down their starting places, stage by stage, by command of the Lord, and these are their stages according to their starting places.” Numbers 33:1-2 (ESV) What if you begin to journal your journey with God? Whether you have been walking with God for a few months, a few years, or several decades, consider journaling your journey with God. There are two components to include. Write down the major spiritual markers in your life such as your conversion, baptism, and other major decisions the Lord guided you to make. Describe some of the moments in your walk with God when you encountered His Presence in a special way. Another component to journaling your journey with God is the daily discipline of writing about the overflow of your time alone with God. For example, as you have your daily quiet time, write down a verse from your Bible that God used to speak to you that particular morning. Make some general observations about that verse and then write down a specific application that you sense God wants you to incorporate into your life. You may choose to even write down your prayer. This daily discipline will help you focus and it will give you a permanent record of your journey with God. Moses wrote down the specific stages of the journey he was on with the people of Israel. He specifically identified their starting places. The consistent theme was, “They set out from…” Moses was intentional about recording their journey with God and we are benefiting now from what Moses wrote down then. Others may one day benefit from what you write down. Without question, others will benefit from your intentional discipline of walking with God and journaling your journey with God. Chronological Bible Reading Plan: (Day 68: Numbers 33-34) Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“One day Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.’ So they got into a boat and set out.” Luke 8:22 (NIV) God will get you to the other side. His plan for you is personal. God designed you with His purpose in mind. You are not an accident. Before you were born, God knew you (Jer. 1:5). You are here at this very moment because God ordained your existence. God has a special plan for your life that includes your past, present, and future. God’s plan factors in your choices. You are not an impersonal robotic creature. You are a personal relational being with the purpose of God in your heart. God knows you by name and even the hairs upon your head are numbered (Luke 12:7). God’s plan for you is eternal. There’s more in store than what you see in the here and now. God has placed eternity in your heart to position you for eternal life (Eccl. 3:11). Your life goes beyond the grave. God’s plan for you extends beyond the immediate and includes eternal life. As you receive the gift of eternal life by faith, your forever is changed. Heaven becomes the place where you will live with God forever. The disciples responded to Jesus by getting into a boat and setting out. Jesus said, “Let’s go over to the other side.” Jesus did not say, “Let’s see if we can make it to the other side.” When Jesus is in your boat, there’s nothing to fear. Jesus will get you to the destination safely and right on time. Enjoy the journey! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Categories
Journey with God
“And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before.” Josh 4:18 (NIV) The Christian life is a life of faith. To be a fully devoted follower of Christ, your life with be marked by a journey of faith. Faith is taking God at His Word and entrusting your life to His care. As you walk in daily dependency upon the Lord, you will discover the joy of seeing God at work and seizing opportunities to join God in His activity. Crossing the Jordan River on dry ground was a tremendous experience of faith for the priests carrying the ark. They remained in the middle of the river while the children of Israel passed through on dry ground. Once the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place. God had worked a miracle and involved the people in the process! Continue to walk in faith. Sometimes your journey will be as clear as crystal, but at other times the way may appear foggy. You will experience seasons of high spiritual energy and focus and at other times, you will experience seasons of uncertainty. That’s part of the faith journey! The scenery changes and the pace shifts from time to time. Don’t get so fixated on the destination that you miss the God-moments along the way. Enjoy the process of knowing and obeying God. Enjoy the journey. God has some Jordan’s for you to cross. He will turn your obstacles into opportunities for you to see His glory and for your faith to be exercised. Obey what you know! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.” Heb 11:8 (NIV) Is it possible to obey God and not know where you are going? God told Abraham to leave and go to a place that God would show him and Abraham went (Gen. 12:1-4). Even though he didn’t know where he was going, by faith Abraham obeyed God. He was willing to take God at His word and launch into the unknown and the unfamiliar. Sometimes God will unveil the details of your journey and at other times God will simply ask you to step out and trust Him with the details. You may not be able to see very far into the future God has for you. But, you can trust God every step of the way. Will you obey what God has already revealed to you? Obey and go based on what you know, then God will show you what’s next. Live from faith to faith. Walking with God is like walking down a trail in the woods at night with a flashlight. You can only see a few feet in front of you, but as you move forward the light illuminates a portion of the path that was not visible to you. As you walk with God, He illuminates the path He wants you to take. God will not mislead you. Walk closely to Him and listen for the echo of His whisper. Spend time in His Word and in prayer. Seek godly counsel from a person who walks in the Spirit and who cares about you and your future. God will speak through His word, through circumstances, and through other believers as you seek His next step for your life. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before.” Josh 4:18 (NIV) The Christian life is a life of faith. To be a fully devoted follower of Christ, your life with be marked by a journey of faith. Faith is taking God at His Word and entrusting your life to His care. As you walk in daily dependency upon the Lord, you will discover the joy of seeing God at work and seizing opportunities to join God in His activity. Crossing the Jordan River on dry ground was a tremendous experience of faith for the priests carrying the ark. They remained in the middle of the river while the children of Israel passed through on dry ground. Once the priests came up out of the river carrying the Ark of the Covenant, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place. God had worked a miracle and involved the people in the process! Continue to walk in faith. Sometimes your journey will be as clear as crystal, but at other times the way may appear foggy. You will experience seasons of high spiritual energy and focus and at other times, you will experience seasons of uncertainty. That’s part of the faith journey! The scenery changes and the pace shifts from time to time. Don’t get so fixated on the destination that you miss the God-moments along the way. Enjoy the process of knowing and obeying God. Enjoy the journey. God has some Jordan’s for you to cross. He will turn your obstacles into opportunities for you to see His glory and for your faith to be exercised. Obey what you know! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Categories
Joining God (3)
“Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” Acts 11:25-26 (NIV) Why did Barnabas need Saul? It would have made more sense for Barnabas to go back to Jerusalem and get Nicolas, one of the early deacons who happened to be from Antioch. Instead, Barnabas searched with intensity to locate Saul in order to bring Saul into the journey of what God was doing in the church in Antioch. Barnabas was very familiar with the calling God placed on Saul’s life. “But the Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.’” Acts 9:15-16 (NIV) “When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.” Acts 9:26-27 (NIV) Barnabas included Saul in God’s activity in the church in Antioch. Partnering in ministry, Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers for a whole year (Acts 11:26). Can you imagine sitting under the teaching of Barnabas and Saul for a year? The Christian life is not a solo flight. God wants you to bring others into the journey. Right now there are people in your sphere of influence who would benefit greatly by joining God in His redemptive activity as a result of your invitation. Be willing to search for them just as Barnabas searched for Saul. We do better together! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor