Category Archives: Discipleship

Live with Confidence!

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images-8All of us at some point lose our confidence. It could be through a hurtful comment, unwarranted criticism, unrealised dreams, disappointing performance or overwhelming circumstances.

Truth is, we don’t have to stay in that place of insecurity and doubt. We can live with confidence in every arena of life regardless of how life may look right now. It comes back to our convictions in God and his Word in our lives.

I find such confidence from knowing that God has spoken into my heart specific things for the details of my life. I can live with a fresh and joyful outlook on life because I know that God is for me and not against me. I can enjoy each day knowing that God has already gone before me and made a way even if I can’t see it nor understand it all.

Confidence comes from knowing God and who you are in Him! Leonard Ravenhill once said, ‘He who is intimate with God will never be intimidated by man.’ How can man or circumstance be intimidating when we come into a deep realisation of who our Father really is.

My prayer for you is that you would know the hope to which God has called you and you would encounter the reality of who God is at the core of your being. Out of that place of revelation you can live with an abundance of humble confidence.

The Oracle!

Don’t Miss Your Miracle!

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IMG_1483Genesis 28:16 ‘Surely, the Lord is in this place and I did not know it. How awesome is this place.’

Too many of us are always thinking about what we lack rather than what we already possess. It’s so easy in our culture to allow lack and discontentment to rule our lives rather than thanksgiving and gratitude.

Could it be that you are right in the middle of your miracle unfolding before you but because you are so distracted by your perception of lack, you are, unfortunately, missing out?

In the bible, Jacob, son of Isaac, was on the adventure of his life but it took a dream from God to wake him up to the fact that he was in the middle of a miracle, the Promised Land.

What does God have to do in your life to wake you up to the truth that his presence is with you and that your miracle is unfolding before you? Never judge your life by circumstance alone but realise that there is more happening behind the scenes than what you can see with your natural eyes.

The Oracle!

The Devil is a Liar!

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From Genesis 3, back at the beginning of creation, the devil has been lying and casting doubt on the truth of God’s Word in our lives. His strategy hasn’t changed and he’s still undermining people’s faith with his constant condemnation, negativity and hopelessness.

Satan’s whole agenda is to steal, kill and destroy anything that resembles the life of God’s Spirit in you and at work in our world. Never has there been a more important era of human history than now to know, think and speak God’s truth about ourselves. We are bombarded daily with hundreds of mixed messages. Deciphering God’s truth can be a challenge without being intentional.

Satan is an anchor that is always pulling you back down from heading out into the adventure that God invites all of us onto. If you entertain the negative thoughts, words and opinions that weigh you down too long, it will become your new norm and limit your capacity to believe for God’s impossible to work in your world.

The challenge is if we haven’t undergone a renewed mindset then we don’t so easily distinguish between the lies of the enemy and our own thoughts. The truth of God’s Word really does set us free and we need to immerse ourselves in a daily diet of God’s truth so that we will not be conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Pay attention to the messages you entertain in your brain and heart on a daily basis. As you think, so you are. What negative self-limiting ideas have you allowed to preoccupy your thinking? It’s time to uproot and replace with God’s truth!

The Oracle!

Never Give Up!

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triathlon_1Galatians 6:9 ‘Don’t grow weary in doing good, for in due season you’ll reap, if you don’t lose heart.’

I’ve been thinking a lot about this verse in recent days. The reason is I’m training to compete in the Melbourne Ironman Triathlon in 2014. It’s a gruelling multi-sport, one day event that is filled with weeping and gnashing of teeth as competitors complete a 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and 42km marathon run just to finish you off.

Each day that I train for this event, as well as several half-Ironman races leading up to the big kahuna, I constantly have to keep coming back to this verse and remind myself to never give up. Every time I swim, bike, run, lift weights, eat healthy and focus on recovery, I have to keep the big picture in mind and remember that although I may endure pain and suffering for a moment, the end result of crossing that finish line is well worth it.

The Psalmist said it like this, ‘Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning.’

The Apostle Paul in several of his letters used athletic imagery to point to spiritual principles relevant to all of us in the race of faith. Perhaps the most famous words Paul used in this context is 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. In summary Paul calls us to run the race of faith to win… Don’t run merely to finish but finish well. To do so requires focus and discipline, no matter what discouragement or temptation comes our way.

Running the race of faith requires us to get over our petty excuses and focus ourselves on seeing the race God has called us to right through to the very end. Everyone at some point thinks and feels like quitting and sadly some of us do and spend years living with the pain of regret. Don’t give into your flesh but stay the course. It will be worth it in the end, even if you’ve got to grit your teeth and push yourself through the discomfort.

God’s watching and perhaps your refusal to never give up could lead to your finest hour.

The Oracle!

Live in the Bullseye!

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Don’t live on the periphery of what God has put you on the planet for. Live in the Bullseye. Too many of us settle for far too less than what God intended for us.

Imagine a blank A4 piece of paper folded a dozen or more times into a very small square and placed in your pocket. You carry it around with you day after day, year after year until finally you die. Imagine standing before Jesus and he has in his hand that little screwed up and folded up piece of A4 paper in his hand. Jesus then proceeds to unwrap the tiny A4 square piece of paper until it’s completely unfolded to a full piece of paper.

He looks at you in love and says to you, ‘You settled for this little square corner of life, when I called you to stretch, grow and live and contribute far more than you could have imagined.’ How do you think you might feel in that moment. If you’re anything like me, you’re probably thinking, ‘Oh Crap’.

The pain of regret is the worst pain of all. It’s never too late to change. It’s never too late to pursue that dream. It’s never too late to say sorry or forgive or believe again. But you’ve got to make a decision to stop living on the periphery and start living in the bullseye of what God has really called you to.

The Oracle!

There are no shortcuts with God!

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Screen-Shot-2012-04-02-at-10.54.09-AMGod’s saved you, loves you and favours you BUT he is not into letting you take shortcuts at the expense of your character and relationship with him. Too many of us presume upon God’s grace and see it as a license to get away with stuff that others are accountable for.

Thank God for his grace, favour and love but don’t think this means you don’t have to take practical responsibility for your life, health, relationships, finances and work.

We are living in a day and age where, unfortunately, some people walk around with a victim mentality, misunderstanding God’s role in their lives, blaming others for their circumstances and in a quandary as to why life isn’t working out as they expect.

Unfortunately, some believers fall prey to this mindset and their lives downward spiral to the point of spiritual paralysis. Life is always moving in one of two directions, towards God or away from God. Interrupt negative momentum in your life by thinking of yourself and life with sober judgment.

Stop making excuses as to why you can’t do something and take responsibility to change the theme of your life. God’s grace is there to empower you. His word is there to fuel your faith and His Spirit is there to sustain you across the finish line of whatever it is you are pursuing in Him.

The Oracle!

A Grateful Heart

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One of the greatest diseases in our society is discontentment. It’s rampant and hides insidiously in human hearts and more overtly in our choices in life.

The quickest way to misery is to focus on everything you don’t have rather than what you do have. The advertising industry preys upon our discontentment and simply presents us with multiple options to satisfy our yearning. Discontentment is the product of an ungrateful heart. It leads to a feeling of lack rather than a feeling of abundance.

I heard someone once say that the first key to prosperity is a grateful heart. A grateful heart leads to a life of abundance and overflow. Sit back and reflect on what God has already blessed you with. Breath in your lungs, energy in your body, sunshine, rain, seasons, friends, family, houses, cars, church family, jobs, careers, ministries, opportunities, morning and evening.

You’ve got to make a decision in life, whether you’re going to live from what you lack or from what you already have in front of you. There is a place for discontentment when it comes from a God inspired desire to grow and stretch but other than that Godliness with contentment is great gain.

I want to encourage you to cultivate a grateful heart and live a life of abundance and overflow.

The Oracle!

Ministry Begins at Home!

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DSCF0345_2‘He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church.’ (1 Timothy 3:4-5)

Family is a gift from God and yet it is the most often neglected and abused entrustment in our lives. I think God takes how we treat our families far more seriously than we even appreciate. We are often focusing on ambitions external to our family relationships and justify the pursuit of them at the expense of treating our loved ones with true sacrificial love and respect.

God’s wisdom for public ministry begins with private victory. This means you’re only as good in public as your family life is in private. It lacks integrity when you treat other people better than you treat your own spouse and kids. Could it be that God withholds blessing in the public arena because of the immaturity we react with in our private lives?

1 Peter 3:7 says, ‘Husbands live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honour to the woman… so that your prayers may not be hindered.’ 

God is looking at how we treat those whom he has entrusted us with. We will never rise any higher than our faithfulness in the matters of our household. My ministry begins at home. If it doesn’t work at home then why would I hop onto a platform and tell anyone else to pursue something I’m not totally pursuing myself?

I want to leave a legacy to my children’s children that is of the highest order. I want them to see the consistency of my faith, my love, my hope and integrity and ultimately grow up in the healthiest, God-centered environment that I can provide. I reckon if we gave as much energy to the cultivating of our family unit that we often give to lesser things, the world would most definitely be a better place.

Join me in building strong families and watch what God does in every other arena of your life. The scriptures challenge us, ‘He who neglects his family is worse than an unbeliever.’ Don’t neglect your primary ministry, your household!

The Oracle!

What is your One Big Thing?

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onebigthingI’m reading a book titled ‘One Big Thing’ by insightful author Phil Cooke. It’s very helpful and provocative to say the least. I recommend it.

From reading it I’ve been challenged by these key ideas.

Clear away the distractions and focus on becoming exceptional at one big thing. Modern life is complex, overwhelming and distracting. A key recipe to emerging from the chaos surrounding you is to identify the one big thing you were born to be, do or accomplish. Doing this will narrow your focus and compel you to utilize your time more effectively for your core purpose.

Focusing on one big thing will ignite your passion. A person fully alive is the glory of God. You can’t be fully alive without passion. Passionate people produce extraordinary things and attract a following. People line up for those who are passionate and exceptional about their one big thing.

Think about whom you want to influence with your one big thing. Who you want to influence is a key to focusing your energies and efforts to maximise your one big thing. Your niche crowd could be mum’s, leaders, executives, average joe, athletes, aspiring actors or teenagers. No matter how life changing your one big thing is, without an audience, your message doesn’t matter.

Your one big thing is connected to what you’re actually good at, not what you want to be good at. Sometimes we get romantic notions about what we want to do but demonstrate no skill or grace in that area. Get brutally honest with yourself without putting yourself down because every one of us have something we can develop and excel at. Discover what it is and get working on it. The best way to get noticed for your work is to be incredible at one big thing.

We are all capable of being ok at many different things but I’m interested in what is the one big thing we can contribute to this world. Ignore the advice of the crowd and put all of your eggs in one basket. Master your craft.

The Oracle!

Prayer is not an event, it’s a lifestyle!

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kneeling_in_prayerPrayer is becoming the core instinct of my life. It’s my first response and my last thought. Prayer is something I have learned as a result of being positioned time and time again in situations where I had nothing else to rely upon except God.

Prayer is 2 way communication with God. It’s both talking and listening. It’s a dialogue, not just a monologue. Prayer is partnering with God. If we don’t, he won’t. God is sovereign but history recalls that he does limit himself to our prayers at times.

If there was one primary principle to accessing the supernatural power of God in my life, it’s daily prayer. The secret of the great generals of the faith throughout the ages has been the daily commitment to getting in God’s face and calling upon his name.

Prayer is not an event, it’s a lifestyle. Prayer is oxygen to our spirit. It is the air we breathe, not just the gasp we take when drowning under the pressures of life. Prayer is the supply line to the front lines of the spiritual battles we face in our lives. Paul said, ‘We don’t wrestle against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers of darkness in the heavenly realm (Eph 6).’ If the enemy can cut off the supply line to the front line, he can limit the firepower needed to overcome him.

The one concern of the devil is to stop Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayer-less toil, prayer-less study or prayer-less ministry. He laughs at our efforts, mocks at our wisdom but he trembles when we pray.

Prayer unveils and reveals. Prayer accesses God’s heart and mind giving you insight into His remedies to combat the challenges you face. With all of these benefits why wouldn’t you want to make prayer more central in your life?

A.W. Tozer once said, ‘The greatest key to prayer is simply praying.’

For all of our books on prayer, sermons about prayer and exhortations to pray, there comes a point when you simply must sit still and start praying.

Nothing will replace it and nothing compares to it. Prayer is multi-dimensional. Prayer is worship. Prayer is conversation. Prayer is fellowship with the Spirit. Prayer is clarifying. Prayer purges your soul of impurities. Prayer relaxes the body and stimulates your mind. Prayer unlocks the supernatural realm. Prayer is woven into the fabric of humanity and prayer is the master-key to relationship with God. It’s time to pray!

The Oracle!