Breakfast of Champions: Friday 26th February

Good morning, Champion - here's your friday fry up!

Faith is a response

Matthew 4:18-20 (NKJV)
And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

Again, let us consider the power our responses have by considering the response of these young men who started the day as fishermen and ended the day as disciples of Jesus who would change the world.

What was it that changed their whole lives in a moment? Yes, it was about God making His intentions known to them, but it was equally about them responding in faith to God's word and stepping out into the unknown. Faith is a due response and remember, it is a response that always brings God pleasure (Hebrews 11:6).

So for them it was a day like any other. They are busy doing what they had always done when Jesus turns up and drops God's divine intention for their lives into their laps. There is no two-day seminar with PowerPoint and Q & A over an evening meal - just a single moment where a response was needed to activate a brand new life offer. They could have turned to Him and said, "That's great, but a bit scary, thanks, but no thanks", and Jesus would have turned and walked on. They didn't do that but instead they perceived that this was a God moment and responded to it with faith, not reason, and went with it. Remember, this is exactly what Abraham and so many of the Bible heroes did. Abraham was also living a normal everyday life when God's intentions turned up out of nowhere and he had a choice whether or not to respond to them correctly – a whole new life started for him as he stepped out by faith into a whole new, mapless pilgrimage of faith.

God's intentions will always come to pass and if you say "No" He will use someone else. The annoying thing about this is that you get to see it happen and have to deal with the fact that it could have been you because that was your offer. Don't miss your God moments. I believe that God prepares our hearts for these moments of challenge prior to His arrival. We do not know what is going to happen but we know something is about to. Make sure you are ready, like the disciples and Abraham, for God to arrive out of nowhere and offer you some of His great intentions. Make sure that you are not like the rich young ruler who thought he was ready for his moment but when it came, he was not. He couldn't see beyond his present life of riches and privilege to that bigger, unseen life that Jesus was offering. When you, by faith, respond correctly to God, you always end up with more than what you imagined or came for.

Let's finish today by thinking again of the returning leper

Luke 17:19
Then He said to him, "Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you."

Champion, look at this: he never came to get saved. He was a Samaritan and he came to get healed. He left healed and saved. When you respond correctly to God, you don't just leave with what you came for but also with what you never believed was possible!

RSVP. You will be glad you did.

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Thursday 25th February

Good morning, Champion. Let's carry on with our thoughts on response and the need for us to be responding to God correctly.

It's about your response not His intentions

Luke 1:37-38
"For with God nothing will be impossible." Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

Yesterday we shared on the importance of responding to God's Word and how that, when we give response to it rather than just read it, we can release its potential and power into our lives and situations. So much about walking in our God-given destiny is about us responding correctly with due or correct response to God and His word. You walking in God's plan for your life is more about your response than His intentions. Understand that God's intentions for you are settled. He is not confused (Jeremiah 29:11), but the fact is that His intentions for us are activated in our lives when we respond to Him correctly. The Bible is a big old catalogue of people's responses that allows us to see the fruit of the lives of people who responded to God both correctly and incorrectly. Their responses should inspire us with ours. Let's look at one.

Mary
She is a young teenage girl when God appears in her life and makes His intentions known: "I want to bring the Saviour of the world through your life". This was a big shock for her, but notice that she did not become pregnant with "the God plan" till the moment she responded with that great statement: "Let it be to me according to Your word." It was after she made that response that she became pregnant with "the God plan". God did not violate her and He won't violate you. He let's you know His intentions and waits for your response to activate them. Just like with Mary, God has a whole bunch of stuff He wants to "get to the earth" and He is looking for someone like you to bring them here through - will that be you today? Will you allow your life to be the womb that God can use to birth something great?

All the great christian heroes we read of are just people like you and me that heard the heart of God and, like Mary, realised that nothing is impossible for God, and then had the courage to say, "Let it be to me according to your word (intentions)".

Mother Theresa's great response saved thousands of children from poverty and death – that was a God plan.

Reinhard Bonnke's great response saw millions of Africans saved and set free – that was a God plan.

How about you? What is God saying about His intentions for your life and how are you going to respond to what He wants to do through you? I pray that you will respond as Mary did. Let your response be, "Let it be, use me!". When you pray that kind of prayer anything can happen and it probably will because, as the verse said, when we like Mary ask, "How can this be?", He responds, "Nothing is impossible for Me!".

God bless you and have a great day.

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Wednesday 24th February

Good morning, Champ.

God's word is waiting for you to respond

Luke 17:11–17 (The Message)
It happened that as he made his way toward Jerusalem, he crossed over the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men, all lepers, met him. They kept their distance but raised their voices, calling out, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" Taking a good look at them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." They went, and while still on their way, became clean.

Responding correctly, or being responsible - 'response – able' - even affects our relationship and experience with God's Word (the Bible). You can choose to treat the Bible like any other old book and get nothing more than information from it, or you can treat it like God's ever-living Word, relevant to every situation you may face, and get the revelation and wisdom for life from it that God wants you to have. God's Word was always meant to be responded to. Remember what James said of our response to God's Word: "Don't just be a hearer of it but a doer". When we respond with faith to what we read we activate its incredible potential in our life and daily destinies.

Have you ever wondered why there are so many 'Amen's' in the Bible?

Amen is a Hebrew word. It is itself simply a statement of response. Amen means, "so be it, it is sure, yes I agree, or if you're from Portsmouth, bring it on right here, right now." It's an activating statement. Like the phone call that activates the potential of your newly-delivered credit card so it is with your 'amen' to what you read. The Bible requires a response from you when you read it if you want to release what's in it for your life and situations.

Today, don't just read the Bible, have a conversation with it. When you read a promise of God that is applicable to your situation release that promise with a response: "Yes, Father, in Jesus name that promise is yes and amen to my life too." There are over 8,000 promises that are 'yes and amen' to you but they remain words on the page till you release them with a faith-filled response. Today, read the Word and release your response: AMEN – "so be it, it is certain, bring it on!"

So today again make the decision to respond to God, respond to the people God has given you and respond to His word as living truth waiting to be activated for your life. If the lepers had not responded to Jesus' words and instruction, but just sat there and listened, nothing would have happened. It was when they responded by doing what He said that their miracle was released.

Have a great day.

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Tuesday 23rd February

Good morning, Champion.

Being responsive keeps things alive

Luke 17:15–19 (The Message)
One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus' feet, so grateful. He couldn't thank him enough - and he was a Samaritan. Jesus said, "Were not ten healed? Where are the nine? Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?" Then he said to him, "Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you."

We are looking at responsibility, our "ability to respond correctly".

Being responsive is vital for all of the relationships in our life if we want them to be all that they were designed to be, especially our relationship with God. He wants a responsive relationship with us. It was never meant to be a quiet, one-way road but rather a daily interwoven relationship, with us responding to Him and Him responding back – that's Christianity.

Other relationships in our world need us to remain responsive too. For example, as a pastor I deal with an element of marital breakdown. The sad thing is many marriages break down simply because one or both parties involved stop responding with "due response". Every healthy marriage starts with what resembles a picture of 'volcanic' response: a man and a woman stand at the front of a church, like Lady Guinevere and Prince Charming, with no shortage of desire or response taking place! At the reception that follows the atmosphere is charged with the thought of responses yet to come (God designed it that way). The day is filled with excitement, expectation and joy-filled responses by both parties. Sadly, for many, if you were to press fast forward to about ten years down the road, you get the picture of a man behind his newspaper at the kitchen table giving automated responses to his wife, who is desperately wanting back the response and attention from that 'responsive stallion' she once knew. Instead she hears the automated statements from behind a paper - "that's good, dear", "sounds nice, dear" - and the vibrancy of the marriage has begun to fade.

Good news! If he was to suddenly realise what had happened and remember what he once had - and the promises that were made, and dreams they started their journey with - and that morning, with fresh revelation, he walked past the paper, spun her around, looked her in the eyes and sang to her their favourite love song, that marriage would begin to come alive again, instantly! Remember, all we added back into it was this thing called response!

When we respond correctly things come alive and stay alive, and greater things are attracted to our lives. This principle covers every relationship we face on our journey of life. It is relevant to our children, family and friendships. Make sure you remain responsive and watch how things stay fresh and vibrant.

God bless, have a great day (men, go sing to your wife).

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Monday 22nd February

Good morning, Champion.

The power of response

Luke 17:11–17 (The Message)
It happened that as He made His way toward Jerusalem, He crossed over the border between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, ten men, all lepers, met Him. They kept their distance but raised their voices, calling out, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" Taking a good look at them, He said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." They went, and while still on their way, became clean. One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus' feet, so grateful. He couldn't thank Him enough - and he was a Samaritan. Jesus said, "Were not ten healed? Where are the nine? Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?" Then He said to him, "Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you."

In this account we can learn some great lessons concerning the power of response in our lives and hopefully be challenged concerning developing our personal responsibility or "ability to respond".

In this passage we see 3 responses, and all of them are amazing:

First, Jesus' response to the need of these 10 men: leprosy had taken away their lives and shut their worlds down both physically and socially. Jesus steps in and miraculously gives them their lives back - Jesus was responsive to their cry for help. The next response we see is the response of the one who returned; he was a Samaritan, which meant, out of the 10 that were healed, he would have been considered the least likely one to come back to say thanks. You can hear the gratefulness and passion in his responsive words of thanks. But it's the final one which really caught my attention and that was the lack of response from the nine who had all received miracles that day from Jesus as well as the Samaritan.

Think about the figures for a minute. Only 10% of the miracle responded in a way fitting with what had happened. Only one in ten responded appropriately for what had happened to them (basically, given their lives back). Were they evil men? I don't think so. I think they just swiftly got back into their previously normal lives that their illness had separated them from, and forgot to respond correctly by coming back to Jesus and saying thanks. They understood what it was to respond when in need (they called out to Him, "Master have mercy on us!") but they just forgot to respond correctly when God answered their cry. Champion, always make sure you say thanks!

Let's make sure that we are responsive to God when we should be. Also, in our other relationships, and in life itself, being responsive will always bring increase into your world and make things that you have even more fruitful. My observation and experience has been that both God and life give 'stuff' to responsive people. Let's make sure that today we are responding correctly to the people and the situations that we should be.

Bless you and have a great (responsive) day,

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Friday 19th February

Good morning, Champion.

Use what's in your hand

Often when God asks you to do something for Him you look at what you presently have in your life and wonder to yourself, "How is that ever going to happen?" In this account of Moses we see the great Moses feel the same. God had just called him to go face to face with Pharaoh and to command him to release the whole nation of Israel who were the slaves of the land. Moses, along with His speech problem, thinks, "Okay, what tools are you giving me God because what I have and what I own right now in my life is not enough to pull that task off?" Look at God's response to him.

Exodus 4:1-5 (NKJV)
Then Moses answered and said, "But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, 'The LORD has not appeared to you.'" So the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" He said, "A rod." And He said, "Cast it on the ground." So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.Then the LORD said to Moses, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail" (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), "that they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you."

Moses was probably looking for a 'new download' or some military equipment, or at the very least a helicopter? God's response was, "What's in your hand?" In that statement God said a whole lot to Moses and to us:

First of all, you have everything you need to do everything that God has called you to do in your life. Don't wait for a 'divine download', just let Him empower what you already have and are, and then watch with amazement at what you can do. Moses had carried that rod around for years leading sheep with it, but he never saw it the way that God did. I bet he never imagined it could do tricks and part oceans at crucial moments. We need to realise that, like Moses, we too sometimes underestimate everyday things in our life and we all need to dare to see everyday things with the same potential and imagination that God does.

The truth is that it was just a rod made of wood, cousin to the branch, uncle to the toothpick; but when God empowered it then it was able to assist Moses to deliver a nation. When you allow God to use the everyday things in your life you too will be amazed at what they are really able to do. Stop looking at what you think you have not got and begin to commit to Him daily what you do! Don't live life waiting for a package that could come - begin to look afresh at what God has already given you in the light of its potential with God's touch on it. He has blessed each and every one of us with different gifts, abilities and talents. Bring them again to Him today and let Him turn what looks to you like a stick into something that impacts lives and situations.

Remember the account of the disciples when they met the crippled man at Gate Beautiful? He asked them for money but they responded, "Silver and gold have we none, but such as we have we will give to you". Don't spend your life looking at what you don't have but let God do something supernatural with what you do have. With such as you have make a difference in the world!

I remember when I was first saved I used to look at all the educated and eloquent speakers and ministers and then I would look at me, uneducated and unpolished in comparison. But one day I stopped comparing myself and looking at what was not there and gave God what I had for Him to use. I remember the exact prayer: "God, all I have is a big mouth and a vivid imagination, they are yours to use". I am sure you will agree He took those sticks and empowered them and they are very effective for His kingdom today.

What's in your hand today? Offer it to God and watch what happens next!

Bless you,

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Thursday 18th February

Good Morning Champion IT'S NOT WHAT YOU KNOW BUT WHO YOU KNOW Matthew 7:20-23 (NKJV) Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord" shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice
lawlessness!'

Wow, here's a nice sobering thought for our breakfast together this morning.
It gives us a couple of good home truths that should certainly motivate us
to check our priorities concerning the importance of who God is to us versus
the importance of what we do for Him. When it comes to "entering the kingdom
of heaven" this verse teaches us that the most important thing is not what
you have been doing (even if it felt really important and looked impressive)
but who you have been knowing.
Remember we are called "human beings" not "human doings". First of all we
are called to "BE". What we are meant to be? Simply, friends of God.
It is then out of our knowing Him that we naturally live out the will of His
Father in what we daily do, but notice the vital thing or first thing is
always the knowing of Him. This can be really hard when you have been raised
in a "works based" world that focuses so much on doing. Such a world chooses
to know us by our doing rather than our being. We have to dare to cross over
and live in a kingdom where knowing and being are of greater value and
importance.

Notice the cry of the people in these verses. Look at the language they use
to try and convince Him of their rights, "didn't we do this and didn't we do
that". Jesus then turns and says, "Get out of here you workers of
lawlessness." The real scary bit is when you read what they had been doing,
because you see it was actually the works of ministry! What can we learn
from this? Everything we do for Him must flow out of our knowing of Him
otherwise it is of no worth to Him. Even if we deceive ourselves that it is
of great worth or meaning, it is actually worthless.

So, today champ, top of the list, know Jesus more! Move to second and third
place all the stuff you do even if it is prophesying, casting out demons and
working wonders and re-focus on the One who it is all about. He remains the
beginning and the end and everything in the middle. Invest good time in
knowing Him and that really will be time well spent. Remember this when it
is time to go through the gates of heaven. It's not what you know or what
you have done that will matter but who you have known and been known by. As
the Apostle Paul once said so well, "That I may know you".

Bless you
Andy

Breakfast of Champions: Tuesday 16th February

Good morning, Champion.

Trust, Lean and Acknowledge

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Here is yet another classic promise of God for our lives: God promises that He will direct our paths. Anyone else out there really desire the reality of this on a daily basis - God Almighty daily guiding you as you walk the pathways of life? Maybe you would say, "God never directs my paths, Andy"? Let's look at that a bit closer. I believe that, before we start accusing God of not following through, out of courtesy we need to ask ourselves if we have done (followed through) on the three things that He asks us to do first?

Trust
Are you trusting in the Lord with all your heart, or are you trusting Him with some of it while trusting in other things too, in case He doesn't come through? God is looking for us to walk in faith with Him daily, to place all of our trust in Him without having the 'just in case' back up plans or safety nets that make us feel more comfortable.

Lean
Are you leaning on God concerning the things that don't make much sense? Or are you trying to work it all out according to your limited understanding and what makes perfect sense to you? Remember, we are dealing with a God that lives outside of the boundaries of what we call possible and impossible. He is able to do anything at anytime with anyone. Make sure you're leaning on Him and His promises and not your mere ability to process or reason things! Remember, He has not asked you to be reasonable (able to reason) but faithful (full of faith).

Acknowledge
Are you including Him in the different areas or sections of your life, and in each and every situation you may be facing? Or are you doing DIY (doing it yourself) and living daily outside of His council and wisdom with certain things? As I have said before, your life is like a big old pizza, and as a pizza has different slices so do our lives: relational, financial, emotional, etc. God wants you to include wisdom and His lordship in all the slices of your life, not just selected ones.

These are three big questions to ask yourself but I believe, when we take time to make sure that we are truly trusting, leaning and acknowledging, it is then that we will know the guiding and leading of the Lord on a daily basis, and He causes us to walk on pleasant, prosperous pathways!

God bless,

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Monday 15th February

Good morning, Champion - let's round these thoughts on pilgrimage off.

Be a patient pilgrim

Psalm 84:5-7 (NKJV)
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

We have spent a chunk of time looking at these verses, and hopefully they have inspired you concerning the pilgrimage of your life. As I said yesterday, we are often in a hurry when God is not; we cannot make a slow-cooking God live in our too often microwave way of doing things. Pilgrimage (journeying with God) produces many things when God is the author of it: if it is a delay or opposition sent to slow you down by man or satan then kick that thing out the way and charge on through in Jesus' name, but if it is a journey ordained by God learn to smell the flowers and find the value in the whole road trip.

The journey will create appreciation, it will also create faith as you continually trust in God while still on route. When we talk of faith we should always look around for its best friend, patience. I like faith more and would like to hang out with it on its own! The problem is that God most often sends them as a team, because patience produces a lot too - and together they produce greatness. Let's think about the power of patience this morning (the art of waiting for something).

Galatians 5:22–23 (NIV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Remember, patience is a fruit of the Spirit not a gift - it is grown, rather than given. Like any fruit it grows slowly, not suddenly appears.

Hebrews 6:12 (NIV)
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

The Bible tells us to imitate people of faith and patience, not just faith but those who can trust God and wait for His perfect timing. When we choose to walk in faith and patience we will inherit everything God has promised. Remember, God works in the delay and the things He has promised are so worth waiting for. Keep away from shortcuts that produce look-a-likes, and hang out for the genuine which comes from the very hand of God. Hey, to be honest with you patience was never my favorite fruit - I would have loved for God to give it to me as an instant download! Trouble is, He would not. Why? Because He knows that patience does us good, and when we have it and mix it with our faith incredible things start to happen.

Bless you; I pray you have a great week and you experience great things. Keep dreaming big, keep journeying with Him and may patience be grown in each of us in greater measure.

HIS TIMING IS ALWAYS PERFECT!

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Friday 12th February

Good morning, Champion, and thanks for your feedback – glad you're enjoying. Let's carry on with our thoughts on pilgrimage - journeying with God

Journeying produces appreciation

Psalm 84:5-7 (NKJV)
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pool. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

So blessing (happiness, empowerment to prosper) remains upon the one who journeys, not the one who thinks they have arrived, parked and refuses to move anymore! We love the destination and the arriving bit. God loves the journey just as much, because in the journey He does a whole lot of stuff in us which is always good for our long-term life. He is looking at the book of your life, not your present chapter. Let's face it, when it comes to the promises of God and seeing them manifest in our lives we are all like a bunch of kids in the back of the car on the way to a summer holiday.

Independent of whether we are on route to Torquay or Disneyland the question that comes from the kids in the back is always the same. Come on, you know it; you have either heard it or were the one that said it when you were younger. Yeah, that's the one: "ARE WE THERE YET?" Kids do not appreciate journeys: they like instant arrivals! Meanwhile, the parent is enjoying the journey (except for the kids keeping on) and the journey is actually producing patience and appreciation in the life of the kids (when they finally get there they will love it).

God has promised we will arrive, and arrive we will, but we, like the kids in a car, need to remember that God is not in a hurry. He knows that the journey can produce a whole lot of good and effective stuff in us that would never be produced if we had a Tardis-type experience (instant arrival) with our destinies. It is often on the journey that we learn and gain valuable things like appreciation. When you have journeyed toward somewhere you really appreciate it when you get there. One common example would be if you save up for something: you appreciate it a lot more than if you put it on the credit card! Journeying towards something really does cause appreciation and value.

Another would be relationships: when you take time to journey towards each new season of relationship with someone, you appreciate the journey a whole lot more than if you try to get engaged, married and with child in the first week. My journeying with Gina for the last seventeen years has created incredible appreciation for her. For me, I think of our church building. We have journeyed towards it in faith now for twelve years and we know that one day we will have it and it will be awesome. You'd better believe when we do we will take such good care of it. One reason being, for the last twelve years we have set up and broken down everything needed for our meetings. I have seen other pastors inherit buildings with no effort and they never look after them. Not us; when we get it we will take care of it. Why? The journey to it caused appreciation for it in us. What are you journeying towards? Are you in a hurry when God is not?

Keep looking forward to the promised destination but take time to enjoy the journey too - chances are you may not walk this way again? More power to you as you choose to live another God-filled day.

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Wednesday 10th February

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Here's breakfast, hope your hungry

=JOURNEYING WITH GOD=

Psalm 84: 5-7 (NKJV)
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on
pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place
of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools 7 They go from
strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

We spent time with this one yesterday and established that blessed (happy,
empowered to prosper) is the person that sets their hearts on pilgrimage or
journeying, especially those whose heart is set on a continual journeying
with the Lord Jesus. Every Journey especially a life-long one (remember we
journey till we stand before Him in Zion) will experience different seasons,
some fun some not so much fun some happy and some sad, every real life
journey has all of these moments and so many more.

This verse then says a strange statement that caught my attention "as they
pass through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs" I wondered
where Baca was and after a short search discovered that no one really knows
where this valley was but most live by the interpretation rather than a
physical place, its most common interpretation is "valley of weeping". We
all at one time or another on our pilgrimage will go through valleys or
"times of weeping" but God promises as we journey (stay) with Him through
these seasons He will cause them to be places of refreshing springs.
When you walk daily with Jesus he causes life and joy to break out in the
saddest or seemingly driest places, he causes rivers to flow in what are the
dessert times of our life. He does not call us to avoid or by-pass these
valleys but walks with us through them remember He promised "I will never
leave you of forsake you" He is not a "good time God" only there for the
good bits rather he remains a good God in all the seasons we experience on
this pilgrimage called life. Remember David in Psalm 23 said "though I walk
through the valley" He included valleys in His great pilgrimage with God
Psalm, because he knew we all go through them!

If you are in a valley today remember champion you are not alone He is with
you and will turn that place to into a place of springs, if you are not in a
valley remember it for the next time you find yourself going into or through
one. It says when they (those on pilgrimage) pass through these valleys they
make them places of springs remember Christianity is not just about Jesus
doing in our lives but us doing in other people's too, when we find someone
in a valley of weeping let's make sure that we allow Christ in us and Christ
through us make their presently tough experience a place of springs, knowing
you should make their tough times better not worse!

He is the God that causes springs to flow in dry places with us, in us and
through us!

God Bless
Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Wednesday 10th February

Here's breakfast, hope you're hungry

=JOURNEYING WITH GOD=

Psalm 84:5-7 (NKJV) Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

We spent time with this one yesterday and established that blessed (happy, empowered to prosper) is the person that sets their hearts on pilgrimage or journeying, especially those whose heart is set on a continual journeying with the Lord Jesus. Every journey, especially a life-long one (remember we journey till we stand before Him in Zion), will experience different seasons: some fun, some not so much fun, some happy and some sad. Every real life journey has all of these moments and so many more.

This verse then makes a strange statement that caught my attention: "as they pass through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs". I wondered where Baca was and after a short search discovered that no one really knows where this valley was, but most live by the interpretation rather than a physical place: its most common interpretation is 'valley of weeping'. We all, at one time or another on our pilgrimage, will go through valleys or 'times of weeping' but God promises, as we journey (stay) with Him through these seasons, He will cause them to be places of refreshing springs.

When you walk daily with Jesus He causes life and joy to break out in the saddest or seemingly driest places. He causes rivers to flow in what are the dessert times of our life. He does not call us to avoid or by-pass these valleys but walks with us through them - remember He promised "I will never leave you of forsake you". He is not a 'good-time God', only there for the good bits. Rather He remains a good God in all the seasons we experience on this pilgrimage called life. Remember, David in Psalm 23 said, "though I walk through the valley". He included valleys in his great 'pilgrimage with God' Psalm because he knew we all go through them!

If you are in a valley today remember, Champion, you are not alone - He is with you and will turn that place to into a place of springs. If you are not in a valley remember it for the next time you find yourself going into or through one. It says when they (those on pilgrimage) pass through these valleys they make them places of springs. Remember, Christianity is not just about Jesus doing in our lives but us doing in other people's too: when we find someone in a valley of weeping let's make sure that we allow Christ in us and Christ through us to make their presently tough experience a place of springs, knowing you should make their tough times better, not worse!

He is the God that causes springs to flow in dry places with us, in us and through us!

God bless,

Andy ==============================================

Breakfast of Champions: Tuesday 9th February

Good morning champions, here's some breakfast for you.

=BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO?=

Psalm 84: 5-7 (NKJV) Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

I have been thinking of these verses a lot recently and have been considering how pilgrimage effects so many areas of our lives, also how it is not a bad thing but more often than not, a God designed thing for our lives. Here are some thoughts for you.

What is it to pilgrimage you may ask? The word pilgrimage means "to journey" so when God speaks of pilgrimage in this Psalm He is saying blessed is the person who sets His heart on journeying and that is so true, especially when it comes to our walk or journeying with God. Blessed (daily) is the person who sets His heart on journeying with the Lord. Other faiths in the world have a spiritual pilgrimage mentality but theirs are always to physical places and landmarks like Mecca and Lourdes, but it is not to be that way for us. Our pilgrimage is to a person, the person of Jesus, ever towards a deeper relationship with Him.

Christianity is not meant to be something or somewhere you totally arrive at instantly. In one way, yes, in the fact that when we believe we receive from God everything we are going to get (of His fullness we have received, John 1:16). But in another way, no, because we are called to spend the rest of our days (till we appear before him in Zion) journeying into everything He has given us, to understanding and embracing all that He has done and given to us in Christ. God wants us to "keep on movin". We are not to be parked vehicles, but ever-moving ones that walk, like Abraham, into all the promises and intentions of God for our lives.

So, our pilgrimage (journey) does not end when we reach a historical landmark because if it did, how sad would that be. You would be left thinking, "What next?" No, God commits to walk with us each and every day on this pilgrimage that He has called us to and every day it gets better and better. It's when we set our hearts to journey with the Lord that we learn all that we need to and He is revealed to us so we know Him closer and more intimately as the miles of our days pass by. Think about those 2 disciples that walked with the freshly risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24). For some reason Jesus had not allowed them to recognize Him, but appeared as someone they did not know. It was as they walked (journeyed) with Him that He made the mysteries of the scripture easily understood and then it was during the journey that He revealed Himself to them. As we set our hearts to journey with the Lord He helps us to daily understand His mysteries and daily reveals Himself to us as He did to them and He causes our hearts to burn within us as there's did.

Today, take another great step on this pilgrimage that will last your lifetime that He has called you to walk. Don't live like you have arrived but keep on moving ever forwards into new things with Him.

God Bless,

Andy

Breakfast of Champions: Monday 8th February

Good morning, Champion.

When you pray (cont'd), speak the language that pleases Him

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to Godmust believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

It's true that we enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise, but we attract and keep His attention with _faith_.

God loves faith, He takes pleasure in His people approaching Him with confidence knowing the righteousness that is there in Christ, daily placing child-like trust in Him. The Bible never encourages us to come to Him in prayer whining or moaning or letting Him know how big your problem is. God takes pleasure when we come to Him agreeing with Him concerning the answer to what He has promised about what we're going through.

_Dad you said!_
Every parent likely hears this statement on a regular basis from their children - you make a promise or agree to do something and then forget you made it but your kids don't, right? No, when you least expect it you suddenly here those famous words, "Dad, you said!". What's happening is they are holding you to your word because they know your integrity is at stake. To any parent this can be so annoying, but guess what: God actually wants us to do this to Him. He does not mind or get offended when we quote His word or promises back to Him. He actually invites us to because everything He will ever do is found in the boundaries of His given word. When you pray in faith you pray in accordance to what He has already promised you in and through Christ.

Isaiah 55:10-12 (NKJV)
For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

God promises that His word will not return without effect but that it would accomplish and prosper in our real life situations. God knows what you are going through; He is not after further information or facts from you, He is wanting for you to believe in what He is able to do and to come into agreement with His promise for what you may be facing, _especially_ when it does not make sense to you. Remember, Hebrews 11 teaches us that faith is the substance and evidence of things not seen; it is in itself all the evidence we need to stand with confidence in each and everything we may face.

God is pleased when we relate to Him with the language of faith, it attracts His attention and keeps it. So remember - if you want prayers that avail, come into His presence knowing your inherent righteousness, speaking back to Him faith filled words that are packed with the promises He has given you to live by and claim.

Bless you,

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Friday 5th February

Good morning, Champion

=WHEN YOU PRAY 'GET POSITIONED RIGHT'=

James 5:16b (NKJV)
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

We have been looking at developing effective, authentic prayer lives. We have defined prayer as simply communication and reminded ourselves that God wants us to be who we are and to avoid all religious performances. Today, let us consider the position we are to use when we pray. You will be glad to know I am not referring to being on your knees, laying on the floor or any other physical position, but rather your spiritual position. When you pray you need to pray from the position of righteousness (being righteous). I'm not talking of the stance of self-righteousness that holds for us no confidence at all, rather the position of "inherent righteousness" – that we have been made righteous by God. In Christ we have received the righteousness we need as a gift, not a wage or achievement. If we never deal with this simple yet profound truth we will never have confidence in our approach, and God wants us to have bold confidence when we come to pray (communicate).

Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV)
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Boldness or confidence can only be a reality when you know you stand before God forgiven of all sin and justified (made innocent in His sight). We can all have this confidence when we consider and believe the facts that our righteousness is not the result of our performance (law-based) but rather a free gift from God (grace-based). Jesus initiated a divine exchange when He hung on the cross two thousand years ago – everything we were (guilty, sinful, shamed) He took upon Himself, and everything He was (innocent, righteous) He gave to us. Sound too good to be true? Read it for yourself:

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV))
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

So stop trying to earn by imperfect performance that which has been given because of His perfect obedience and sacrifice. The righteousness that is needed to give us confidence to stand before God knowing we belong and are welcome comes only by placing faith in what Jesus accomplished on your behalf two thousand years ago. When we position ourselves in this righteousness that is outside of our efforts we stand in a righteousness that is not fallible or random but rather constant, and from this position we have confidence to approach God in prayer boldly in time of need, or anytime we want to, expectant of mercy and grace, not judgment!

THE KEY TO REMEMBER IS THAT THE ENTRANCE INTO AN EFFECTIVE PRAYER LIFE IS THROUGH THE CORRIDOR OF THE FINISHED WORK OF THE CROSS. WE ALWAYS BEGIN WHERE HE FINISHED! DON'T TRY TO DO WHAT HE ALREADY HAS – THAT IS A BIG WASTE OF TIME!

God bless,

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Thursday 4th February

Good morning, Champion

=WHEN YOU PRAY, 'FIND YOUR GROOVE'=

Matthew 6:5–8 (NIV)
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Our personal prayer life with our God should be exactly that: 'a personal thing'. So personal, in fact, that we realise and enjoy the fact that it will be different to other people's in certain ways, and this is OK! God wants your 'one-on-one time' with Him to be unique to you and Him, because then it will also have authenticity to it and not be some religious ceremony. He has made us all very different, which means the way we enjoy spending time with Him and communicating with Him is likely to differ from each other.

_It's a bit like dancing_
When it comes to dancing every person has to find their own style or groove. There are certain moves that you can imitate and we may have all in common but it is when you add the 'you' factor to your dancing that it truly becomes unique, alive and original (that may look good for some and bad for others!). Prayer is like this – we may do certain things in common because they work well for all but there should also be a personal touch to it, this is what makes it unique and real.

_Like buying a new suit_
When it comes to our prayer life the truth is that it is like a man getting himself a new suit: he can go for an 'off the peg' one from a department store, where you get one that kind of fits all people who are about your size and shape, or you can go for 'tailor made' where your suit is made to fit you perfectly and looks good on you when you're wearing it. I believe that your prayer life finds its fullest potential when it is 'tailor made' rather than having one just like someone else's. Prayer is the incredible privilege to discover and develop an intimate relationship with your God and Saviour that is unique and smells of authenticity – go for it. Designing a prayer life that is tailor made always fits much better than an 'off the peg' one ever will, and is far more enjoyable and natural to wear on a day-to-day basis.

Yes, be inspired by other people's methods and habits, but then take time to design your own prayer life. Answer some simple questions for yourself, like "When fits you best?", "Where do you find it easier to pray?", "Do you like a lot of worship?", "Do you read the Bible during?", "If you do, at the start or finish?". These are a few of the many questions you can ask if you really desire to design a prayer life you love to live in.

When it comes to communicating with God let's all cast off the restraints, be ourselves and find our own groove. Remember, He wants authenticity not performance, reality rather than entertainment!

God bless,

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Wednesday 3rd February

Good morning, Champion

=WHEN YOU PRAY "BE YOURSELF"=

Matthew 6:5-15 (Message Bible)
And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production
either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping
for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat? "Here's what I want you to
do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before
God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will
shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. "The world is
full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of
formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you
want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are
dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need.

Hey Champion, let's talk about our personal prayer lives. Prayer can of
course take many forms or have differing expressions, it's a big subject.
Today I am not talking about your church prayer meetings or any other public
type prayer expressions, I am talking about your personal one, your
one-on-one time with your heavenly Father.

We should all have 'grand designs' concerning this and if we want to build
an effective, healthy prayer life with God then it is good to remind
ourselves of some real basic truths:

_Prayer is communication_
To me the true success of growing in your christianity lays in understanding
the fact that it is not a religion rather a relationship, a living
relationship with the creator of your life and lover of your soul, the One
who knows you and has always known and loved you. As with the development of
any other relationship in your life the key to your relationship with God
experiencing desired health and growth is dependent upon communication
(talking and listening). Just as a married couple will never grow correctly
together if they never communicated so it is with the relationship that you
have with God. It is vital that we are effectively communicating with Him
and allowing Him to communicate back so that this relationship we have begun
can ever be maturing and developing with greater confidence and intimacy.

God does not want you to impersonate someone else you saw pray well once! He
wants you to be you and believe me, He really can handle you being you.
Remember, God is not giving you points for a great performance – this is not
a talent show! – rather He desires to connect and communicate with you,
heart to heart.

When you read through the gospels you see that Jesus had a problem with the
performance and hypocrisy (pretense) of the pharisee, not the honest cries
of everyday folk. Be honest; God can handle the truth and can't be shocked
by you or how you may be feeling. Let him know what you love and hate, what
makes you happy and what causes you sadness. As with Jeremiah He has known
you from before you were born, He did not suddenly notice you when you got
saved. When we understand this we can throw away every dusty, wrong-fitting
costume that religion and ignorance have convinced us to stupidly wear.
Champion, God knows you, loves you and wants to spend time with you in two
way conversation – that is prayer.

God bless, go have a talk with your God!

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Tuesday 2nd February

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Good morning, Champion.

=IT REALLY IS AN ISSUE OF =_=WHATEVER=_

Welcome to another day where you have the opportunity to again live and
function in the God-established eternal principle of seedtime and harvest,
knowing confidently that what you choose to 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 and every area of your
life. It is effective across every square inch of the landscape of your
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 just a few very significant areas you need to purpose to sow well
in. With these areas and with all the others 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 harvest out of it,
while the person standing next to you not entering in can leave the exact
same worship experience with apparently nothing. Why? One sowed, the other
did not.

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 wisely throughout the entirety of the garden of our life,
and that we are not mocking God and deceiving ourselves. We should be
actively partaking in this dynamic principle on a daily basis.

2. We are happy with the seed we are using – that we are making sure that
we are not going to end up with a harvest of bitter weeds but instead the
finest wheat!

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
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Breakfast of Champions: Monday 1st February

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Good morning; breakfast is served.

=LIFE IS A GARDEN=

I want to inspire you today with this thought and remind you that the
eternal principle called 'sowing and reaping' effects every area of our
daily life. When we choose to remember this it can help us to cultivate
harvests in our future that we want and can indeed, with assurance, look
forwards to.

Life really is like a garden and when you treat it like one, being always
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 what was a whole new beginning. As we read it
lets remember that it is not a law but rather an eternal principle that is
still very much active and in motion today, and not a mere one-time-only
promise made exclusively to a man named Noah.

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."

It says "as long as the earth remains". Tap your foot on the floor – if it
is still there, then this eternal principle, established for our benefit, is
still very much in motion! The fertile ground of another day is waiting for
you to join in with it, sowing and harvesting all manner of things. As with
gravity, there is no choice and no days off from this principle and, as with
gravity, you can try to ignore that it exists but it will keep on producing
because God ordained it: "what a man sows that will he reap"!

Many sadly experience the negative harvests produced by this principle
because what they sow is not good seed; but we, the people of God, should
understand the workings of this promise and daily use it to produce harvests
that are worth having and fun to run through when fully grown. Seedtime and
harvest affects every border and lawn of the garden of your life. If you
want to bring some changes somewhere in your life-garden then consider what
you are sowing there. If you want carrots then don't plant cabbages, plant
carrots – every seed bears fruit according to its own kind.

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 small part
of your life so take time to think what you're sowing. Do you want the
harvest of your present actions or attitudes? Hopefully, most of your
responses will be,"Yes!", but if not then do something about the seed your
using today, because the seed you are sowing will determine the harvest one
day you will eat!

Bless you,

Andy
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