“This Moses whom they disowned, saying, `WHO MADE YOU A RULER AND A JUDGE?’ is the one whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush. This man led them out, performing wonders and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the wilderness for forty years. This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, `GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN.’ This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you. Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but repudiated him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt, SAYING TO AARON, `MAKE FOR US GODS WHO WILL GO BEFORE US; FOR THIS MOSES WHO LED US OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT-WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM.’ At that time they made a calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. But God turned away and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, `IT WAS NOT TO ME THAT YOU OFFERED VICTIMS AND SACRIFICES FORTY YEARS IN THE WILDERNESS, WAS IT, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL? YOU ALSO TOOK ALONG THE TABERNACLE OF MOLOCH AND THE STAR OF THE GOD ROMPHA, THE IMAGES WHICH YOU MADE TO WORSHIP. I ALSO WILL REMOVE YOU BEYOND BABYLON.’ (Acts 7:35-43 NASB)

As I sit writing on my iPad this morning, I have been requested to grant several apps permission to track my location. It seems that everything these days wants permission to know where we are. Unfortunately, it is not as easy as it seems. Physical locations are not always congruent with where we are inwardly.

In his last words, Stephen, a deeply committed follower of Christ, challenged his accusers with their own history of disobedience. From Abraham to Moses he gave witness to God’s interaction with the people of God and their own unwillingness to heed His commands. In verses 35-43, Stephen recalls how Moses was called by God to lead the children of God, yet in their hearts they dismissed Moses as their leader.

Beyond their disregard for Moses’ leadership, and their fabrication of a golden calf, they people of God had turned back turned back to Egypt “in their hearts” (v.39). As I read these words, I felt the Holy Spirit requesting permission to determine the location of my heart. Where I am physically does not always coincide with where I am inwardly. This is seen especially in times of uncertainty or seasons of transition. By ‘default’ we will return to the place where we were last ‘settled’, even if it means returning to slavery.

Carefully, consider what’s happening in your heart today. Have you checked out on your leader and returned back to Egypt in your heart? Be careful to understand that God sends us unlikely leaders with undesirable pasts to lead us through uncomfortable situations in order that we may occupy unforeseen lands of opportunity

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Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend offer biblically based answers to these tough questions as they show us how to set healthy boundaries with our parents, our spouses, our children, our friends, our coworkers, and even ourselves.

Join us this week for and discover your biblically-defined boundaries. Wednesdays at 6 p.m.

When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.

Proverbs 29:2 (NLT)

Don’t forget, the deadline to register for the General Election is Monday, October 4th. If you have not registered already, click on this link and download WikiWiki Voters form. Be sure to have it postmarked by Monday, October 4th.

If you are already a registered voter, please take a moment to consider these resources to become better educated about your voting experience.

• 2010 General Election Candidate Survey
• 2010 Hawaii Election Countdown

Sundays at 10 a.m.

In my quiet time this morning I read the following excerpt from My Utmost for His Highest. It really ministered to me, so I thought I’d post it here.

Be blessed,

P.Allen

The sphere of exaltation

Jesus leadeth them up into a high mountain apart by themselves. Mark 9:2.

We have all had times on the mount, when we have seen things from God’s standpoint and have wanted to stay there; but God will never allow us to stay there. The test of our spiritual life is the power to descend; if we have power to rise only, something is wrong. It is a great thing to be on the mount with God, but a man only gets there in order that afterwards he may get down among the devil-possessed and lift them up. We are not built for the mountains and the dawns and aesthetic affinities, those are for moments of inspiration, that is all. We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is where we have to prove our mettle. Spiritual selfishness always wants repeated moments on the mount. We feel we could talk like angels and live like angels, if only we could stay on the mount. The times of exaltation are exceptional, they have their meaning in our life with God, but we must beware lest our spiritual selfishness wants to make them the only time.

We are apt to think that everything that happens is to be turned into useful teaching, it is to be turned into something better than teaching, viz., into character. The mount is not meant to teach us anything, it is meant to make us something. There is a great snare in asking—‘What is the use of it?’ In spiritual matters we can never calculate on that line. The moments on the mountain top are rare moments, and they are meant for something in God’s purpose.

Chambers, O. (1993). My utmost for his highest : Selections for the year (NIV edition.). Westwood, NJ: Barbour and Co.

If you’re interested in joining us for this study, email us at info@hilocog.org.

This month we will join Church of God congregations around the world, 32,000 strong, for a unified prayer effort – 30 Days of Prayer. The denominational emphasis coincides with a prayer initiative launched by other denominations in the United States – and the Awakening Alliance, the revival arm of Mission America. This initiative for the Church of God is being called: Days of Awakening – Days of Action.

Throughout the month, we will be posting resources for you and your family to maximize your participation in this prayer initiative. Below you will find a Prayer Guide that will assist you daily in your prayer time. Take a moment to peruse and download these items.

• Prayer Guide for September
• Ten Ways to Deepen Your Communion with God
• Praying With and For Your Kids

If you have any questions, feel free to email us at info@hilocog.org.

Ten ways to deepen your communion with God:

1. Sit quietly. Enjoy the very real sense of His presence. Let him lead. Don’t rush the moment. Let his peace renew your soul.
2. Listen. Listen deeply. Tune your soul to His stillness. Listen to the rumblings of your own soul, and let God quiet your inner storms. Be still before Him. “God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer.” ~Mother Teresa
3. Yield to God’s action. Let him come near. Let him move around you, encircling you. Put yourself in a “Here am I!” position.
4. Let God speak. Avoid the temptation to break a holy silence. He may speak through scripture, through a life-experience, through the memory of some history you share with Him. Listen for any word the Spirit might bring.
5. Keep a prayer journal. Record your impressions and thoughts. Note scripture references. Write down promises you make to God and those you sensing him making to you. Make notes of action items – things you are led to do; and change points – things you are led to change.
6. The essence of the prayer relationship is love. Let God love you. And then, express your love to Him. Let Him lead with love. Let Him love first.
7. Take a walk. Drop everything. Go and get alone with God. Or, take a drive. No agenda. No list. Just a spontaneous encounter with God.
8. Then go to your secret place. Get your journal. Write. Record the fresh insights.
9. Sometimes you may find yourself at a parallel to some moment in Scripture. What is happening to you has happened to David or Paul, or some other Biblical character. Let the Bible give you language that expresses the depth of these encounters with God. The Psalms are especially helpful in cultivating our prayer vocabulary. Athanasius, the fourth-century Egyptian theologian said, “Scripture speaks to us; the Psalms speaks for us.”[1]
10. Sing. Shout joyfully. Dance. Celebrate his presence. Glorify him. Give voice to the deep sense of his presence. Be spontaneous. Be grateful to and for a God who pursues you.

Weep. Weep deeply over the wonderful grace of his embrace. Tears have a way of cleansing the soul. Weep joyfully. Weep over the wonder of why he loves you so.

Source: Prayer – the Heartbeat of the Church Resource Guide: P. Douglas Small (Pathway Press: Cleveland, TN; 2008), p. 23.

Praying With and For Your Kids

1. Praise God for his Creation. Pray spontaneous prayers of praise when nature’s beauty is so apparent. Point out rainbows and the colors and the fall, springtime flowers with the buzzing bees and the singing birds. Thank God for such a beautiful earth.

2. Point out answers to prayer and celebrate them with your children. Encourage them to share God ‘s answers to their prayers. When you entertain ministers and missionaries or praying Christians, have them share answers to prayer. Stories are the means by which we pass on God’s active work in history.

3. Bless your children. When your child is hurting, turn the situation into prayer time. They will never forget the association of pain and prayer. When you are wounded or in despair – pray! It is a life lesson. Bless them. Invite God into their difficulty. Lay gentle parental hands of love on them. Pronounce a Biblical Blessing over them. Read a passage of scripture to them, out of their Bible. Mark it. So they will remember it as a promise from the Lord.
   
   The Daily Blessing. Invoke Numbers 6:24–26 over your children. “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

4. Teach your children about the armor of God. Help them understand that life is a battle. But, we all have been given critical tools that assure us victory. (Eph. 6:10–18)

5. Establish a family worship time. Create a time when the whole family commits to be together. Worship. Sing. Read Scripture – do that systematically (through the Psalms, or the Gospels, or a Bible Story Book), share needs and pray for one another, take some principle and talk about its meaning. Do this at least once a week.

6. Lace prayer into family gatherings. Don’t just give a birthday gift and light candles, pray for the birthday child. Bless them. Ask God to guide their lives and help them make a difference in the world. Say, “We thank God for __________, a gift you gave to us. What a wonderful boy/girl s/he is – a gift to us, and a gift to the world.” Have them pray a prayer, “God, thank you for the gift of life … help me live my life to honor you …”
7. Pray for people in need – on the spot. Ask God to bless at an accident scene. Pray for the homeless you see on the street. When exposed to a problem on the television news – pray, then and there. Spontaneously. Teach your children to pray about everything. Prayer invites a compassionate heart. It keeps us tender. It reminds us that we should care. Life without prayer creates an insulated life that sees tragedies unfold and does nothing.

Make Holidays – Holy Days. Read the Christmas story at Christmas and take time to thank God for the greatest gift of all – the Christ child. Consider a family gift to God, and his work at Christmas. At thanksgiving, pray prayers of thanksgiving!

8. Prayer-walk your neighborhood. Take a family walk and pray all along the way. Bless the families that live in your neighborhood. Teach your children casual and informal prayer – under the open heaven, as they walk along. Get the video Prayerwalking for Kids from Joey and Fawn Parish.
9. Pray for City and National Leaders. The National Day of Prayer Task Force wants families to adopt a local, state, or national political leader. In doing so, the family commits to pray for and communicate with this leader for at least one year. Kits are available from NDOP at (800) 444-8828. There is also a wonderful video that teaches children about the 10/40 Window called The 10/40 Window for Children. It is available from Joey and Fawn Parish, 6673 Sora Street, Ventura, CA 93003.
10. Take your family to prayer events. When the church has a prayer meeting, take your children. When National Day of Prayer gatherings take place on the 1st Thursday of May, take your children. Other similar community prayer events include – PrayUSA!, Praying Through the Window, March for Jesus, the Global Day of Prayer, Meet Me At the Pole, September 11 Prayer Gatherings at the Courthouse, Meet Me At City-Hall. Encourage your children to take part in such prayer events.
11. Keep a family prayer journal. Record family answers to prayer. Significant spiritual experiences. Promises of God. Make a place for each child. Journal the spiritual experiences, even the struggles and the prayers you pray. What a gift that will make some day. Keep records of missionaries the family has committed to pray for. Make the connection between prayer and people coming to know God. Pray for neighbors. Pray for enemies. Let your kids hear you bless them.

Source: Prayer – the Heartbeat of the Church Resource Guide: P. Douglas Small (Pathway Press: Cleveland, TN; 2008), p. 43.

Thursday, August 19/26 @ 6 p.m.