Breakfast of Champions - Friday May 29th

Welcome to another Friday fry up.

 

Psalm 103: 1-4 (NKJV)

Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
² Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: ³ Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, ⁴ Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies,

 

 Another great benefit, the King of Kings crowns you with 2 incredible things.

 

1.       Loving kindness – not judgment, wrath and disappointment these were all poured upon His Son at the cross as He hung there on our behalf.  Remember we are now qualified by Christ to live continually in the benefits of the divine exchange of the cross.  He took what was rightfully ours and gave us what was rightfully His.

 

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV)

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

 

2.       Tender mercies – continual undeserved goodness and grace towards us from the hand of a gentle and loving Father.  The perfect work of the cross put the Father’s crown of delight upon our heads as well as upon the head of His beloved Son.  His heart is again turned towards you to do you good.

 

Different Bible translations put it the following ways:

 

The Message:

 He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.

 

The Amplified:

Who beautifies, dignifies, and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy;

·         He has made all things beautiful - Ecclesiastes 3:11

·         He has restored our dignity

·         He has crowned us with love, kindness, and mercy

 

Take time to think about that today and go into the weekend praising Him because He did not have to do this but rather He chose to!

 

Bless you, have a great weekend!

 

Andy

 

 

A devotional by Pastor Andy Elmes to inspire you with a godly thought to start your day well. God’s word is indeed the breakfast of champions.

 

Great Big Life

Empowering People

 

Andy Elmes

Pastor & Leadership Coach

 

UK Office:

PO BOX 240

Southsea

PO2 7YE.

 

+ 44 (0) 2392 342592

andy@greatbiglife.co.uk

www.greatbiglife.co.uk

 

 

Breakfast of Champions - Thursday May 28th

Morning Champion.

 

Don’t be a Victim of Benefit Fraud!

 

Don’t let the con man of your salvation (Satan) rip you off from receiving the benefits that are rightly yours in Christ. How does he do that?   Through the daily use of an ever- effective and favourite tool  he has called ignorance.  Don’t fall for it rather discover and know what God has qualified you to be entitled to. Ignorance is not bliss but it is a thief to the life of people who are entitled to so much.

 

Psalm 103: 1-4 (NKJV)

Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
² Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: ³ Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, ⁴ Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies,

 

1.       Forgives all your sins

2.       Heals all your diseases

 

Benefit Three – Redeems your life from destruction!

 

To redeem is to “buy back”. A good example of this would be someone returning to a pawn shop to pay for and be reunited with an item that they had left while borrowing cash in a time of need.

 

When you redeem something you bring it back to yourself by legal means something that once belonged to you that you may have lost or had stolen.

 

Remember in the beginning (Genesis) we were made by God to belong to God and were destined to be friends of God and not slaves.  The story of Genesis then reveals that we were stolen from God through the foolishness of Adam.  Humanity was sold out to another owner.  We legally, because of Adam’s sin and disobedience, became the property of the father of sin, Satan.  The good news of the Gospel is that we have been purchased back!  The price for the redemption of humanity was set and it was “the blood and life of God’s only beloved Son”.  What an expensive costly price!  God loved us so much that He paid the price for our redemption (re-purchase) and bought us back to Himself, redeeming our lives from destruction.

 

Redemption is a benefit you do not want to forget about and that is why the Bible instructs us, “let the redeemed of the Lord say so”.

 

Psalm 107: 2 (NKJV)

Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,

 

Wow, what a great benefit.  He made you and bought you back to Himself.  Think about that.  That makes you “twice His” so don’t be defrauded by any lesser gospel.

 

Have a great day.

 

Andy

 

 

A devotional by Pastor Andy Elmes to inspire you with a godly thought to start your day well. God’s word is indeed the breakfast of champions.

 

Great Big Life

Empowering People

 

Andy Elmes

Pastor & Leadership Coach

 

UK Office:

PO BOX 240

Southsea

PO2 7YE.

 

+ 44 (0) 2392 342592

andy@greatbiglife.co.uk

www.greatbiglife.co.uk

 

 

Breakfast of Champions - Wednesday 27th May

Good morning, Champion.  Here is breakfast

 

Are you living on benefits?

 

We are living in a time when the statement ” benefit entitlement”  is commonly used and understood. The government offer many ever- changing types of benefits and credits to people with varying income and family situations.

 

It is sadly amazing that many people, especially older people, miss out on so much because they do not know what benefits they are entitled too.  Sadly, many Christians do the same thing and they live average lives or struggle when they should not because they do not have an understanding or no one has ever informed them of their kingdom benefit entitlements.

 

There was a tax office media campaign recently that simply said, “Do you know what benefits you are entitled too?”  That is my question to you today.

Here is a document from Heaven concerning your benefit entitlements today and as they advise, do not forget them!

 

Psalm 103:1–4 (NIV)

Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. ² Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- ³ who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,

 

Benefit one: He forgives ALL your sins.

 

What an eternal benefit this is. Notice it does not say some or past one’s, but all. Jesus died for all of your sins -- past present and future. His one-time payment (sacrifice) has qualified you for the benefits of justification and total forgiveness so that you can stand before your God today holy and blameless with your chin held high.   What a great benefit. Don’t go forgetting that one today!

 

Benefit two: He heals all of your diseases.

 

Here is another great benefit. Again, notice the absence of the word some, it again uses the all inclusive word “all”. As well as making payment for your sins He also made total payment for your healing so that you can arise out of every sickness and infirmity by faith in His promise. Don’t go forgetting that one either.

 

Remember these benefits were not cheap and they cost a lot to make available. The good news is another man (Jesus), paid the taxes to release these needed benefits to us.  Thank you Jesus!

 

Bless you and have a great day.

 

Andy

 

 

A devotional by Pastor Andy Elmes to inspire you with a godly thought to start your day well. God’s word is indeed the breakfast of champions.

 

Great Big Life

Empowering People

 

Andy Elmes

Pastor & Leadership Coach

 

UK Office:

PO BOX 240

Southsea

PO2 7YE.

 

+ 44 (0) 2392 342592

andy@greatbiglife.co.uk

www.greatbiglife.co.uk

 

 

Breakfast of Champions - Tuesday 26th May

Good morning, today a true story to inspire you.

 

A little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was 'too crowded.'  'I can't go to Sunday School,' she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by.  Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday school class. The child was so happy that they found room for her, and she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.

Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings. Her parents called for the kindhearted pastor who had befriended their daughter to handle the final arrangements.  As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled red purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump.

Inside was found 57 cents and a note, scribbled in childish handwriting, which read: 'This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School.'  For two years she had saved for this offering of love.  When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion.  He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building.

But the story does not end there...

A newspaper learned of the story and published It. It was read by a wealthy realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands.  When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered to sell it to the little church for 57 cents.

Church members made large donations. Checks came from far and wide. 
Within five years the little girl's gift had increased to $250,000.00--a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century). Her unselfish love had paid large dividends.

When you are in the city of Philadelphia , look up Temple Baptist Church , with a seating capacity of 3,300. And be sure to visit Temple University, where thousands of students are educated.  Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of beautiful children, built so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time.  In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history. Alongside of it is a portrait of her kind pastor, Dr. Russell H. Conwell, author of the book, 'Acres of Diamonds'.

This is a true story, which goes to show WHAT GOD CAN DO WITH 57 CENTS.

Hey guys don’t underestimate what you giving can create.

Andy

 

A devotional by Pastor Andy Elmes to inspire you with a godly thought to start your day well. God’s word is indeed the breakfast of champions.

 

Great Big Life

Empowering People

 

Andy Elmes

Pastor & Leadership Coach

 

UK Office:

PO BOX 240

Southsea

PO2 7YE.

 

+ 44 (0) 2392 342592

andy@greatbiglife.co.uk

www.greatbiglife.co.uk

 

 

Breakfast of Champions - Friday May 22nd

Good Morning, welcome to your Friday fry up.

 

Matthew 5: 20 (NKJV)

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

 

• If you are not experienced concerning the New Covenant established by Christ these are daunting verses that would make you think “how on earth can I match them or their righteousness?”
• It would also leave you thinking “I have no chance of entering the kingdom of God, I cannot equal the religious performance of the Pharisee and scribe”.

Good news (the gospel)

If you have placed your faith in Jesus as your Lord and saviour you have not just equalled it but actually abundantly exceeded it.

 

Remember

The key is to remember that there are two covenants  which represent two types of righteousness, man-made and God made.  We do not stand as the Pharisee did and still sadly does in a man-made performance based righteousness,  rather with a righteousness which is inherent (achieved and given by God).

 

Our righteousness is the result of faith, faith placed in the perfect redeeming  finished work of another, Jesus.

 

Today our righteousness (that which is by faith) exceeds that of the Pharisee qualifying us perfectly for justification and entrance into the kingdom of God, because it is based not on our daily performance or ability to keep the law of Moses but on the performance and of Jesus to justify, when we stand in this righteousness we stand secure, forgiven and excepted.

 

He has qualified you to stand before Him and to enter into His kingdom again today, that’s something to smile about.

 

Bless you big time

Andy

 

A devotional by Pastor Andy Elmes to inspire you with a godly thought to start your day well. God’s word is indeed the breakfast of champions.

 

Great Big Life

Empowering People

 

Andy Elmes

Pastor & Leadership Coach

 

UK Office:

PO BOX 240

Southsea

PO2 7YE.

 

+ 44 (0) 2392 342592

andy@greatbiglife.co.uk

www.greatbiglife.co.uk

 

 

Breakfast of Champions - Thursday 21st May

Good morning and here is breakfast once again. Sorry for delays the last couple of days.

 

Death of the Hypocrite

Matthew 23:25-26 (NIV) "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. ²⁶Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

·         In these verses we can see that Jesus really had a problem with certain Pharisees that were living like hypocrites.  People who were saying they believed one thing but their lives announced they actually believed another. They would tell people to do things yet they did not have any intention of doing them themselves. They would concentrate on how things looked externally but took no regard for how things were internally.

 

·         If we are honest there can still be the potential of a hypocrite in us all. Don’t get me wrong, the old you before you knew Christ is very dead, yet old ways of thinking and reacting can still have the potential to resurface sometimes. Ever heard yourself giving advice to others when inside you knew you were not applying it to your own life anymore?  I know I have. Ever put a nice show on so that people would think one thing about you when in reality things were much different?

 

·         As we walk with Jesus our lives should become ever more authentic and by that I mean that what we say we believe matches more and more with what we daily live out. I know I have not arrived. How about you? Yet, I am committed to make sure the death of the hypocrite is an ongoing reality in my life.  May I ever be taking the medicine (advice and wisdom) I am prescribing to others. The Holy Ghost is so good at helping us with this.

The new creation in Christ is not a hypocrite but the real deal, a person of integrity who has one life that matches inside and out. That is us today so let’s live it out.

 

Andy

 

A devotional by Pastor Andy Elmes to inspire you with a godly thought to start your day well. God’s word is indeed the breakfast of champions.

 

Great Big Life

Empowering People

 

Andy Elmes

Pastor & Leadership Coach

 

UK Office:

PO BOX 240

Southsea

PO2 7YE.

 

+ 44 (0) 2392 342592

andy@greatbiglife.co.uk

www.greatbiglife.co.uk

 

 

Breakfast of Champions - Appologies

Hello everyone, just wanted to say sorry for the lack of breakfast over last few days.

You should have just got Friday’s.  I wrote it on the plane to Tucson on Thursday, when I got to Tucson my email system stopped? So I could not send any till now.  I now have it up and running again so things should be fine again now.

 

Bless ya

Andy

 

A devotional by Pastor Andy Elmes to inspire you with a godly thought to start your day well. God’s word is indeed the breakfast of champions.

 

Great Big Life

Empowering People

 

Andy Elmes

Pastor & Leadership Coach

 

UK Office:

PO BOX 240

Southsea

PO2 7YE.

 

+ 44 (0) 2392 342592

andy@greatbiglife.co.uk

www.greatbiglife.co.uk

 

 

Breakfast of Champions - Friday

Morning Champion, welcome to the start of another great weekend.

 

I am writing this on my way to Arizona, I am presently at 38000 feet (Closer to God then normal) and don’t have Gina to help me with my grammar mistakes so take it as it comes today.

 

I want you to think again today about the potential of God’s word in your life, as we said yesterday we do not live by bread (natural food) alone but by every word that comes from God.

 

His word is so powerful in your life make sure that you are putting it in and topping it up on a regular basis in a disciplined (not religious) way, it is the bread we eat!

 

His word helps us to see where and what next?

 

Psalm 119: 105 (NIV)

 

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

 

·         Make sure that you are letting His word be that lamp and guiding light in your life, how by believing it and applying it to your daily journey.

His word is powerful – filled with power

Ecclesiastes 8:4 (NKJV)

Where the word of a king is, there is power; And who may say to him, “What are you doing?”

·         Think about that for a moment, where the Kings word is there is power, if His word is in your life that means there is power there, when you speak Gods word into or over a situation there is power there.  When you use Gods word when giving advice or council there is power there.

Make sure today you are speaking the word of the king over your life and your situation, because where the word of a king is there is power.

 

Have a great weekend, believe God for impossible things

 

Andy

 

 

A devotional by Pastor Andy Elmes to inspire you with a godly thought to start your day well. God’s word is indeed the breakfast of champions.

 

Great Big Life

Empowering People

 

Andy Elmes

Pastor & Leadership Coach

 

UK Office:

PO BOX 240

Southsea

PO2 7YE.

 

+ 44 (0) 2392 342592

andy@greatbiglife.co.uk

www.greatbiglife.co.uk

 

 

Breakfast of Champions - Thursday 14th May

Good morning. Breakfast is served.

 

Matthew 4: 3 - 4 (NIV)

The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'

 

·         Remember today we do not live by natural bread (food) alone, but it is God’s every word coming into our lives that causes us to grow in our true strength and potential.

 

·         Natural bread (food) profits the natural man but is unable to give the needed nutrition and fiber that your Spirit craves for. Only God’s Word will satisfy that inner appetite.

 

·         That Bible you own contains the living words of God. Each sentence, thought, and principle is power-packed and able to produce in you and through you incredible things. Make sure you take time to daily eat the bread of God not just the bread of man.

 

·         Don’t try and live by natural things alone. Jesus said that a man cannot do that because he needs the words of God to be all that he was designed and destined to be.

 

Ever heard the term “GIGO”.  It stands for “garbage in garbage out”. Listen, when you make sure you have a daily input of divine bread which is God’s Word, The Bible, you change that principle to a more positive reality which is “God in God out”. You will experience life and power coming from you at every corner and not garbage.

 

Jesus demonstrated the power of the Word of God when  tempted by Satan in a time of physical weakness.  In times of trouble or temptation you too will have the answer because you would have digested it earlier. Champions take time to regularly eat the bread that God has given and when they do they are fit for life.

 

I pray you ever fall in love with the Word of God and may God give you today your daily bread!

 

Andy

 

(On my way to Tucson, Arizona.  If breakfast comes at strange times you now know why, keep me in your prayers)

 

 

A devotional by Pastor Andy Elmes to inspire you with a godly thought to start your day well. God’s word is indeed the breakfast of champions.

 

Great Big Life

Empowering People

 

Andy Elmes

Pastor & Leadership Coach

 

UK Office:

PO BOX 240

Southsea

PO2 7YE.

 

+ 44 (0) 2392 342592

andy@greatbiglife.co.uk

www.greatbiglife.co.uk

 

 

Breakfast of Champions - Wedenesday 13th May

Good morning champion.

 

Welcome to another day where you can live and function in the God-established eternal principle of seedtime and harvest. What you sow you will reap.

 

Galatians 6:7 (NKJV)

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

 

·         For me the key word in this verse is whatever because it declares that the principle includes whatever you sow in absolutely any area of your life. It is effective across every inch of the landscape of our existence.

 

Think about this, the eternal principle of sowing and reaping is relevant today in:

 

1.       Your health and fitness

2.       Your finances and wealth

3.       Your relationships

4.       And especially your spiritual relationship with your Creator

 

These are to name just a couple of areas. With these areas and any others, we can be certain that what we put in always effects what we get out.  Think about the area of worship in your life. If you put your energy and passion into worshipping God it is amazing what you will get out of it, while the person standing next to you not entering in can leave the same experience with nothing

 

·         Look at that same verse from the Message translation:

 

Galatians 6:7-8 (Message)

Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.

 

Let us today again be motivated to make sure:

1.       We are sowing throughout the garden of our life and that we are not mocking God and deceiving ourselves. We should be actively partaking in this dynamic principle.

2.       We are happy with the seed we are using – that we are not going to end up with harvests of weeds but of wheat!

 

And finally, I love the last part of that verse about responding to God.  Let our hearts ever be tender enough to hear the voice of the Lord calling us to sow and when we do hear Him may we be courageous enough to respond to it even when it does not seem to make sense.

 

Bless you.

 

 

Andy

 

 

A devotional by Pastor Andy Elmes to inspire you with a godly thought to start your day well. God’s word is indeed the breakfast of champions.

 

Great Big Life

Empowering People

 

Andy Elmes

Pastor & Leadership Coach

 

UK Office:

PO BOX 240

Southsea

PO2 7YE.

 

+ 44 (0) 2392 342592

andy@greatbiglife.co.uk

www.greatbiglife.co.uk

 

 

Breakfast of Champions - Tuesday May 12th

Good morning.  Breakfast is served

 

Life is a Garden

I want to inspire you today by reminding you that the eternal principle of sowing and reaping effects every area of our daily life and when we remember this it can help us to cultivate harvests in our future that we want and can look forward to.

 

• Life really is a garden and when you treat it like one, being mindful of what you are sowing, it can be a great place to be and call home.
• Let us remind ourselves of the timeless promise made to Noah after the flood on that first morning of a whole new beginning.  As we read it let us remember that it is an eternal principle that is still very much in motion today and not a momentary promise exclusive to Him.

Genesis 8: 22 (NIV)

As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."

 

• As long as the earth remains, tap your foot on the floor if it is still there, this eternal principle established for our good is still in motion.
• Another earth day is waiting for you to join in with it and yesterday you joined in even without thinking about it. As with gravity, there is no choice and no days off for this planet, and what a man sows that will he reap!
• Many experience the negative harvests produced by this principle because what they sow is not good seed, but we, the believers, should understand the workings of this promise and daily use it to produce harvests that are worth having and fun to run through when grown.
• Seedtime and harvest affects every border and lawn of the garden of your life. If you want to bring some changes somewhere in the garden then consider what you are sowing there and if you want carrots then plant carrots.

What you sow into your relationships each and every day will determine what you harvest from them. This is a sobering thought for anyone who has a dream of greatness in the relationships of their life.

 

This is just one part of your life so take time to think what you’re sowing. Will you want the harvest of your actions? Hopefully most of your responses will be,” Yes”, but if not, then do something about the seed your using today.

 

Bless you.

Andy

 

 

A devotional by Pastor Andy Elmes to inspire you with a godly thought to start your day well. God’s word is indeed the breakfast of champions.

 

Great Big Life

Empowering People

 

Andy Elmes

Pastor & Leadership Coach

 

UK Office:

PO BOX 240

Southsea

PO2 7YE.

 

+ 44 (0) 2392 342592

andy@greatbiglife.co.uk

www.greatbiglife.co.uk

 

 

Breakfast of Champions - Monday 11th May

Good morning champion.  Welcome to a brand new week.

 

2 Corinthians 9: 10 – 11 (NIV)

Now he who supplies seed to the Sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹ You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

 

·         Here we see a two-fold promise for those whose hearts are set on sowing in life. God will provide bread to eat and seed to sow!

·         God does not want to just provide for you what you need for your daily life (bread) but He wants to entrust you with seed so that you can:

 

1.     Sow for your future. Like a wise farmer you do not need to be subject to others determining what your harvest in life will look like but rather you can plan what your harvest will look like yourself by using your God-given seed with wisdom and faith.

 

2.     Sow into the purposes of His kingdom and the lives of others to create harvest for kingdom purposes not just your own benefit.

 

Believe God today not just for bread (daily provision) but also for seed to sow (future harvest).

 

He gives seed to the sower

·         God is not fooled. He can see when the heart of a person is set on sowing, and when He sees that, He promises that He will provide seed for that person to sow.  Make sure today your heart is set on sowing  not just getting daily bread and then you can, with faith and confidence, wait for a delivery of seed from the divine supplier.

·         It is very important to remember when God gives you seed that its purpose is different in your life than bread. So, make sure you do not eat it or treat it as daily provision but rather you view it as seed and get it into fertile ground as quickly as you can so that you can get that future harvest started straight away – never eat your seed!  If a farmer was to eat His seed you would call him a fool because he would be sentencing himself to a future of lack.

He gives bread to eat and seed to sow.

 

Today, with a grateful heart, thank God for both the bread He provides for your provision today and the seed He provides for you to sow which is all about your future.

 

And remember, God promises that He will increase the store of the sower so that he can be positioned to sow on every occasion. What occasion do you want to sow into?  Thank the One who gives seed to the sower today and wait for that delivery.

 

Have a great day.

 

Andy

 

Great new CD set out today called The Journey of Life.

In this new 5 part set recorded recently at Family Church I look at Psalm 84 and the pilgrimage of life-- “journeying with God”. Discover how God purposed for our lives to be a journey rather than an instant arrival because He does great things on the journey.  Order one today. This set will motivate you to see your life and its long term potential in a whole new way.

 

Can be ordered by ringing the office by phone  023 9266 2257 or email reception@family-church.org.uk

 

 

A devotional by Pastor Andy Elmes to inspire you with a godly thought to start your day well. God’s word is indeed the breakfast of champions.

 

Great Big Life

Empowering People

 

Andy Elmes

Pastor & Leadership Coach

 

UK Office:

PO BOX 240

Southsea

PO2 7YE.

 

+ 44 (0) 2392 342592

andy@greatbiglife.co.uk

www.greatbiglife.co.uk