When Dick Fosbury failed to clear 5 feet as a sophomore in high school, he began a search to find a better way to high jump.  The result, the Fosbury Flop, propelled him to great things in track.  The athlete who could not clear 5 feet became an olympic gold medalist who could jump over 7’4”.  What would have happened to Fosbury had he done it the way everyone else did?

 

The same could be said for Tom Brady.  An unathletic, weak-armed, and undersold quarterback from Michigan, Brady had done nothing but win.  Still, no one was too impressed with his lack of physical abilities.  That did not stop Tom Brady from developing into the greatest quarterback of all time.  He simply did not do what everybody else was doing.  He found things to push him harder.  What would have happened to Brady had he done it the way everyone else did?

 

I think we all know the answer.

 

2 Corinthians 10  5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

 

Here is some advice about FITTING IN……….

Don’t Do It!

 

Fitting is exactly the opposite of what you should be doing.  You should be asking God to lead your life in the direction where He has you going.  And most of the time, it is not always the popular, or status quo, route.

 

You were not built to “fit in” or “join in” or “follow” … You were built to lead.

 

Jesus not only emphasizes leadership and plowing your own path, He demands it.

 

Not HALF IN.

Not, “TEST THE WATER”, IN.

Not, “ONLY WHEN IT WORKS”, IN.

ALL IN.

 

In Revelation 3, He tells the Church of Laodicea (which you can visit in Turkey) that He was about to “spit them out of his mouth because they were luke warm”.

 

Jesus walked on the earth and died on the cross to free a people.  He asked that we “pick up our cross and follow Him daily”. DAILY.  He wanted a movement of disciples to change the world in mighty ways, and to some degrees, we have.

 

But He is calling on a new generation.

 

It is a generation that includes you…..and me.

 

It is a generation that is called to love, but not necessarily fit in with, all.

 

It is a generation of TRUE BELIEVERS.

 

Are you stuck in a rut?  Or feeling like you don’t fit well with others?  Or wondering why you feel so differently?

 

It might be God telling you He wants to launch you into something amazing.

Be willing to go along for the ride.  Because fitting in with God is the best thing that you could ever do.

 

Father,

Drive My World

Turn Me Into Something Great

Lead Me In The Way Everlasting

Lead Me To The Cross

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8SZuUM3HLY

 

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

 

 

2 Corinthians 10  5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Father,

I Am No Longer A Slave To Fear

I Am A Child Of God

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDnA_coA168

 

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

 

It doesn’t take long to build a narrative on a foundation of lies.  That is certainly what Paul did as he walked into Syria with the intention of punishing and even killing Christians.  In the Name of God, Paul was going to kill those who dared to follow him.

 

I certainly don’t write this to condemn Paul.  I write it because we too can be deceived. And Paul was deceived.

 

God has given us many tools to avoid deception.  He has given us His Word. He has given us counsel.  And He has given us the Holy Spirit.  But in order to use a tool, we must pick it up.

 

And in order to walk out the call that God has for us, we must align our thoughts with His.

 

And so I am staying on the verse that we had last week:

 

2 Corinthians 10  5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

 

How can we avoid listening to thoughts that don’t belong in our heads?  How can we avoid listening to the enemy?  The thoughts that bring death are spoken every day as we go into the world, they are embedded in the cultural norms, and they are communicated in social media.

 

More than ever, we must ask God to change our hearts.  We must ask Him to cover us in His thoughts, to fully dwell in us and in all that we do.

 

Psalm 145  18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

 

God’s plan is simple.

 

Give Him EVERYTHING.

 

And as you give Him everything—then call on Him in truth.  And scripture promises that He will be there for you in all that you need.

 

Today is the day.

 

Jesus gives us eyes to see and ears to hear.

He gives us hope and future.

He saves the best for now, and never returns void on His promises.

 

He sits on the right hand of the Father and rules over the nations.

He owns the cattle on a thousand hills.

He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

 

He is the great counselor and the first and the last.

He is the high priest in the line of Melchizedek.

 

In Him, you are never alone.

 

Surround yourself with people who Honor the Lord.

Surround your eyes with scripture……and memorize it.

Surround your soul with the Holy Spirit, that He might influence and lead your life.

 

Father,

Bring Your Spirit now.

Bathe us in your love and lead our hearts and minds.

Let evil look like evil, and let good look like good.

Fill us with Faith, and Hope, and Love.

Give us the strength to carry out the call.

Lead us in your way for ever more.

In Jesus Name, Amen.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUrlV6uR7rQ

 

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

 

As I reflected on today’s writing, I thought about the many battles that shaped our world today.

 

The battle of Midway, a naval battle that shaped the war in the Pacific during World War II.

 

The battle of Gettysburg, the results of which stirred Abraham Lincoln to the very depths of his soul…..inspiring him to write the Gettysburg Address on the back of an envelope.  And his speech is now written on the Lincoln Monument.

 

Battle of Stalingrad during World War II.  A war of attrition that ended up taking the lives of millions of people.

 

With all due respect, a battle is brewing in our communities that might be the most important in human history.  

 

It is the battle that brews in each of our minds.

 

I am not writing in hyperbole here…..it is a battle that is of colossal importance.  And each of us must step up and begin to war in ways that we never have before.

 

Children…..step up….and protect your parents.

Fathers…..wake up….and protect your daughters.

Sisters…..stand up….and protect your brothers.

Wives…..open up….and protect your husbands.

Friends…..hustle up….and protect your squad.

 

The enemy has launched an assault on the hearts and minds of millions—looking to sway their hearts and demolish their minds.

 

Via the internet, he has taken full assault on all of us to attack the very core of all of us.

 

When I was in high school, I had a friend who was beautiful in every way you could describe.

 

She was kind.  Patient. Loving.  Loyal. And physically, she was as attractive as anyone I knew.  And yet, the enemy had her convinced that she was overweight, that she was ugly, that she was worthless.

 

Before anyone knew what to do or how to help, she was gone.

 

The enemy had invaded her mind and demolished her worth.

 

As I reflected on this situation last week, God broke my heart.  He brought me back to that place in a way that broke me. And He has asked me to write this today.

 

And so I say, STAND UP.

 

STAND UP and speak the gospel.

 

Jesus did not die on a cross 2000 years ago so that we could sit in a peaceful meditative position and allow the enemy to wreak havoc on our society.  He died so that we might have life, and have it in abundance.

 

As Paul says to all of us:

2 Corinthians 10  5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

 

Think about that line:

Take Every Thought Captive

 

Take them captive!  Literally—throw them in prison and throw away the key.

 

Imagine if we released 100 hardened criminals into your city or neighborhood?

 

They would cast a shadow of fear over all who lived there and certainly change the dynamics of our everyday lives….

 

And yet….many of us do this very thing every day.

 

We do it when we do not control our thoughts.

 

I had not considered this principle until last week, and this verse that I had read and uttered hundreds of times began to come to life.

 

Think about it!

 

In the spiritual realm, Satan can wreak havoc without one action.  If he can, in fact, plant a thought in our head, then how we react can actually empower his evil.

 

Satan works at the speed of thought.

 

And what we do with a thought either cripples or empowers him.

 

Take your thoughts, and treat them like a hardened criminal.  Throw them in prison! Take them as your captive. And DO NOT LET THEM OUT UNLESS THEY ARE OBEDIENT TO CHRIST.

 

The more I think about this very simple principle the more I believe that we need to be doing this with all of our hearts.

 

How much do we worry about, or anticipate, or fear, or assume.

 

What would happen if we truly monitored our very thoughts?

I challenge you today to take your thoughts as your prisoners.  Lock them up and ask God to help you process them.

 

The Battle in front of us can be won.

 

It can be won with worship.

It can be won with love.

It can be won by a body of believers standing in unison.

 

Jesus is the only hope.  He activates things that we never thought we had.  He heals things that we thought could never be healed.  He loves people who are unlovable. He conquers kingdoms that are impenetrable.

 

He is, after all, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

 

Take Them Captive!

And then give this gospel to someone else–so they can do the same.

 

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

 

Jeremiah was 15 or 16 years old when God called him to a different life.  And he must have thought—I can’t do this!

 

But guess what?

 

That is the answer that ALL of us give.

 

The reality is:  We CAN do it.

 

It is true when we say:

I don’t have enough money … 

but He says:  “I own the cattle on a thousand hills”

I am too young … 

but He says:  “Do NOT LET ANYONE look down on you because you are young”

I am not a good speakers … 

but He says:  “I will give you the words”

 

No excuse you give is too great for you to put fear in the Creator of the Universe.  He is the Master of ALL THINGS….even you!

 

Joshua 1  4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;

I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

6 “Ah, Sovereign LORD ,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.”  7 But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD .

9 Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth.

 

Thank God Joshua listened to the call.  He has words of wisdom that I use EVERY DAY in my life.  And because He listened and responded to the call, he got to be a servant and leave a legacy.

 

Do you want to leave a legacy?

 

You must make a conscious choice to do what He has called you to do.  And it IS your choice. You can walk into what He has called or delay your own progress, your own life, your own legacy.

 

When Jesus told the rich young ruler to “sell everything and give it to the poor” he walked away sad because he was very rich, and he left his legacy that day.

 

Imagine if he would have done it?  Do you think that his life would have been a life of pain and poorness and insufficiency?

 

I doubt it.  Heaven is described as having streets of gold because God lavishes riches upon us that we could never acquire on our own accord.  The rich young ruler walked away from riches that were beyond anything that he could comprehend.

 

And so I say to you:  

God Doesn’t Care About Your Resume

 

According to an old mentor of mine, Rod Olson, He is looking for the FATC.

 

The Faithful

The Available

The Teachable

The Committed

 

And all of us can do that.

 

We must simply RESPOND.

 

Respond

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkMDL-pyZOA

 

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

 

 

He is no fool who loses what he cannot keep to gain what he can not earn.

     Jim Elliott

 

I don’t know who Jim Elliott is—but I have always LOVED this quote.  And nothing could be more true.

 

YOU have a terminal disease.

YOU will not make it out of this life alive in the flesh.

YOU must confront the reality that you are either an accident or a beautifully designed organism with a heart, a conscience, and a destiny that is different than all other living things.

 

I recommend the book of John.  

 

Written by an uneducated fisherman turned author.

In a time where people were deeply punished for taking a stand.

In a place where he had no political, military, or economic power.

 

John 12  27 “Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name!” 

 

If what John said is true……Jesus chose YOU.

 

HE chose to go to the cross.

HE chose to forgive you.

HE wanted to create a place for you.

 

The disciples (including John) went ALL IN to make this book be known that you might read it.

 

You can’t keep your life.  It is not yours. It is either a random act of nature and you will soon be expired OR it belongs to God.

 

Who will you choose to Give It to?

 

Give It

He is no fool who loses what he cannot keep to gain what he can not earn.

     Jim Elliott

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kseRKxkq5iY

 

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

 

I want to depart from the Book of John and grab a verse from Luke today because the Lord has put it on my heart.

 

When religious leaders confronted Jesus, He told them the truth—and He told them what was right, and it cost Him His life.

 

Luke 10:25-37  25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”  27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”  28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”  29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”  30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’  36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”  37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”  Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

 

To use a Samaritan as your example of doing what was right had to be an incredible insult to the very people who were trying to trap Jesus.  And yet, Jesus was speaking the truth.

 

“Religiosity” and “looking good” were simply not what He was looking for…..He was looking for real people that wanted to seek Him with all that they had.

 

And so, He stood up to them in the midst of an evil plot to get rid of him….and it would ultimately cost Him His life.

 

His desire to save us far outweighed His desire to save Himself.

 

Jesus is easy to commit to, but sometimes hard to follow.  This is because He will ask us to do the same.

 

As He says in Micah 6:8

“He has showed you, O man, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

 

To ACT JUSTLY and to LOVE MERCY are impossible without Jesus.  So thank God He paid the cost Of Being Right.

 

 

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

After years of hard work trying to build a foundation in other people’s buildings, a pastor was given $100,000 of seed money to plant a church.

Excited about what was to come, he dreamed about the building they would use, the church they would build, and the souls they would save.

And then he was convicted by the Lord.  And it wasn’t what he wanted to hear. He was to give the money to a ministry setting up safe havens for pastors in India that were being prosecuted, even hunted.

Many times we are convicted by the Lord and we do not listen.  And the pastor had known that he was the same way. But in this case, he did listen.

After frustrating years of continuing to use borrowed buildings and renting, he began to doubt.  Had he truly heard from God and done the right thing?  When the frustrations of our own desires push us, we begin to question our faith.

     But he had done the right thing.  As he and his wife sat down to watch a movie years later, they saw the house that the money had built and watched the testimonies of the people he had helped, even saved.  As they sat and watched it play out, the pastor and his wife cried tears of joy.  They had heard God.  God had answered.  The kingdom had been built.  They had SPENT IT.

 

Mary might have thought the same thing.  She had lavished Jesus with an enormous amount of perfume.  And it probably did not “look” right. It might have even been an awkward scene—-a woman “wasting” money, perfume, and dignity in front of others.

And, of course, Judas saw it immediately.

 

John 12  2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor.  Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 

 

But what she did is the entire point of this writing.  When you find the One who can save your life, the One who can save your eternity, you realize that there is nothing else.

 

I want to encourage you today to snap out of it.

 

SNAP … OUT … OF … IT

 

We live in a rat race.  And in that race it is easy to be consumed, and distracted, and lost.  

 

But in Jesus …

     People are raised from the dead. 

     Lives are restored.

     Broken pieces are put back together.

 

He is no fool who loses what he cannot keep to gain what he can not earn.

     Jim Elliott

Spend It

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FHwdx5BIvc

 

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

As I began to journal and pray this Sunday morning in church, God showed me that others might need to pray it as well.

Father,

Restore me.

I have been delinquent and inconsistent.

I have been inconsiderate and distracted.

I have been without focus, without direction, and full of carnal politics but not spiritual love.

Release your love over me that I might live out the call you have put on my life.

 

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J