You can do it!  Yes You Can!  With God's help you can do all things!

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

This is such a great promise in scripture!  Our lives count to God, God would like for us to be productive lights in this dark world.  God did not save you to place you on the shelf, He saved you to get you off the shelf and into the action!

God's Holy Word reveals to us here that we can do ALL THINGS!  But HOW you might ask?  'Through Christ who strengthens you.'  That is the HOW!  Christ will do it through you!

"for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Philippians 2:13

Isn't that wonderful!

It is His good pleasure to work in us and through us!

So get off the shelf and into the mix of God's great plan for you!

study: Matthew 28:16-20, Philippians 2:12-18

apply: step out in faith with the Lord today, He will strengthen you to do all things with/for Him!

p.s. please email me your testimony of how God used you!!!! to mark@calvaryofcolumbus.com

Everyone has struggles, worries, dilemmas which can explode to anxiety.  What is the best way to deal with these things...

Paul writes this in Philippians 4:6-7, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

We learn here from Paul we do not have to be anxious! BUT HOW?  He answers by saying, "in everything by prayer..."  The Lord wants us to simply come to Him with all of our issues, questions, decisions etc.  Come to Him in prayer, and be thankful!  Let God know your requests!  This is the number one stress reliever!  He then teaches us that as we pray and seek Him in all things He will give us an unfathomable peace that comes from Him!

Next, Paul instructs us to think on certain things, they are listed here in the next verse, take a look at this in several versions to give you a better idea of what He desires for us to be focussing on rather than getting anxious!

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."  Philippians 4:8 NKJV

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."  KJV

^"Finally, brethren, ^(A)whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." NASB

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." NLT 

Therefore, don't be anxious, pray about it and change your focus from your worry to these things!  You truly will be blessed!

Know that God hears your prayers and desires to answer them, as you wait for Him to answer think on these things!

study: read Philippians 4:2-9 and Matthew 7:7-12, I Peter 5:7

apply: when worry arises, pray, trust God and think about Godly things rather than your worry!

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it, cried the Psalmist in 118:24. 

REJOICE! This word is a verb that means to be glad!  Paul says in Philippians 4:4...

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say rejoice."

As Jesus was teaching the disciples about Abiding in Him the night of His arrest, He said 'These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full." (John 15:11)

Joy according to Galatians 5:22 is a fruit of the Spirit!

So, rejoice in the Lord, take Joy in your life with Christ.  Remember that when all else fails, when things seem to be crumbling down before you, when nothing seems to make sense... REJOICE in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!

Nehemiah said that the joy of the Lord was his strength!

Let God's joy be your strength... You are the Lord's, He loves you, He cares for you, He has a plan for you, He is preparing a place for you... TAKE JOY...

"In His presence is fullness of joy, and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore!"

study: John 15, I John 1:1-4

apply: Practice taking Joy in the Lord and rejoicing through all things!

Planet Earth is not our home!  We are just passing though...

"For our citizenship is in Heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ..."

Philippians 3:20

As believers in the Lord Jesus, we must understand that this is not where we will spend the rest of our lives.  As Christ-ians our lives are eternal and we will spend eternity in heaven with Jesus!  Earth is not our final destination!

As aliens on this earth passing though, we have a purpose and a goal!  We are called by God to love and worship our Heavenly Father and to love others!  We have a mission which is to see others reconciled to God as a part of the great comission which we were commanded to disciple others. 

Another main directive that we learn from Paul in this verse is to 'eagerly wait for the Savior!"  We are to dilligently, carefully persevere in waiting for Jesus! 

So we are to have the heavenly perspective here on earth!  As you love Him, share Him, become more like Him and eagerly wait for Him... you will see your life bloom and prosper as you live for Him!

study: Matthew 22, Matthew 28, Revelation 21-22

apply: keep a heavenly perspective as you walk with God today!

to listen to marks teaching http://sermon.net/spplayer/client/17827

Even the Apostle Paul did not have all things together! Matter of fact He says...

"Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me."  Phillipians 3:12

Paul realized the fact that he was a work in progress. He realizes that Jesus has a work for him to accomplish, there is a reason that Jesus apprehended him as His own and Paul wants to fulfill that!

Paul was reflecting on his past life but more importantly looking forward to His future hope that lies within Jesus Christ!  We see this as he wrote in the next two verses, " Brethren I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do forgetting those things which are behindand 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."  Paul forgets what was behind and looks forward to the goal, and the goal is Jesus!

So what do we learn from Paul here?  One thing we learn is that he was at 'point a' what he used to be and he desires to get to 'point b' which is to be with Jesus in heaven! The only conclusion on how to get there according to this passage is to 'press on.'

The Lord wants us all to 'press on ,' in Him!  This means to simply keep running the race to win, keep on keepin' on!

study: Phillipians 3:1-16

apply: decide to press on in Jesus, get up, grow, learn, mover forward in Jesus!

listen to mark's sermons online at http://sermon.net/spplayer/client/17827