Breakfast of Champions: Friday 30th April

Here's your Friday fry-up!

Caution, God at Work

Philippians 1:6 (Amplified Bible)
And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.

The Apostle Paul was convinced, and you need to be also, that God is at work in you today, and will continue working until He finishes what He started. Get convinced about that because He is not fickle and He always finishes and completes what He starts.

Have you ever driven down the road and seen road workers working on or in a hole in the road? Often they have some fencing up to protect them from oncoming vehicles, and normally there is a sign that says, "Caution, men at work". Well, Champion, know today there is a fence of protection around your life and a big sign that says, "Rejoice, God at work"! He has promised to keep working on us right up to the day of our collection and all we need to do is stay yielded to Him. Keep letting Him have the access He needs to what He needs on the hole He may be working on. Yielded and submitted is all He needs you to be for Him to work with you. He is aiming at full completion and nothing less. God is not into momentary patching up. He is into making all things new. Why not daily thank Him for the ongoing transformation of your life that is the result of His Word and His Spirit at work within you, when you feel it and when you don't.

Two thoughts for you:
1. Don't be harder on yourself than He is! Live to be a disciple but don't be too hard on yourself; remember, you are a work in progress. Take a breath and enjoy the journey. Let's face it: you are probably not where you want to be, you are further on than you were when you started! He knows what needs to be worked on next so the best thing you can do is rejoice and yield.

2. Don't be too hard on others! Remember, they are God's workmanship and, like you, they too are a work in progress. He is busy on them just as He is busy on you. When you think this way it causes you to walk with grace. Let's dare to treat others with the same grace, mercy and patience that God treats us with "daily".

Have a great day and remember: REJOICE, GOD AT WORK – even when you can't feel it!

God bless ya,

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

Unsubscribe andy791.gbl01@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=959d22e910&c=e5862a110e

Breakfast of Champions: Thursday 29th April

Good morning, Champion.

Where's the profit?

Mark 8:36-37 (NKJV)
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Jesus asks two questions in this verse. This is a verse that is very relevant to the headlines in the paper that so often appear, headlines that tell of another famous or wealthy person passing away. I think of the sudden death of people like the pop genius Michael Jackson, a man who seemed to the world to have everything that others wanted but, it seems, did not really enjoy them or count them as what he needed for a successful life. The truth remains concerning the applause, the fame, and the money that none of these things could be compared as a good exchange for his eternal soul. We can of course hope that he had an encounter with God in his last days because the thought of a lost eternity is just so very sad. There are just no words to express the horrors of such a fate.

Question One
What will it profit you if you manage to gain the whole world yet lose your soul?

Short term success (this life alone) is really not success at all. God wants our lives to have influence and success here on earth but also, and more importantly, success that goes beyond the grave. To one day stand in eternity before God, justified and forgiven by the perfect work of Christ, is man's greatest success and nothing you can earn or achieve in this realm of life could ever be a good exchange for that. To hear the Father say to you, "Well done, good and faithful servant", is the accolade above all others.

Life lesson: Live to experience the promised success of God in this life but also live in the light of eternity, knowing that all of us one day will pass from what we know to what we have not yet experienced (heaven for the believer). What may profit us here could leave us bankrupt there!

Question two:
What will a man give in exchange for his soul?

The answer is nothing! No thing is that valuable and don't ever be deceived by momentary wealth, success, or fame because they are never enough to qualify for the exchange of your saved, redeemed, God-forgiven soul.

Live for more than the momentary success this life can offer. Live to know the eternal prosperity available only in Christ!

Mark 8:36-37 (The Message)
What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?

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

Unsubscribe andy791.gbl01@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage1.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=959d22e910&c=5c4ea35181

Breakfast of Champions: Wednesday 28th April

It's breakfast time!

Be open hearted toward need

1 John 3:16-18 (NKJV)
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

I can remember the first time I went on mission to the Philippines – this verse impacted me in such a profound way and indeed I am always reminded of it each and every time that I go on mission. While travelling throughout the more rural areas of the Philippines you constantly come across need. People needing things and needing help, you then have a choice: do you shut your heart so that you do not feel their need – and you do not have to take responsibility for it – or do you keep your heart open and allow the pain and suffering of others to affect you, to affect you in a way that you end up doing something, even if it seems incredibly small, to help them?

I believe God wants His people to have healthy, open hearts concerning the needs of others. Notice how many times Jesus Himself was "moved by compassion" througout the gospels. In this verse it specifically speaks of the needs of our brothers. I believe that is referring to those who are people of God and a part of the same global family as us. What an awesome thought – when you said yes to Jesus you became a part of a worldwide family. Even if we don't see it like that God does, and I believe He wants us to care for each member of that family as we would for each member of our natural one. Wow, what a challenge this is, especially when there is seemingly no end to the people in need of help!

It's again an issue of love – the verse says that 'he who shuts his heart to the needs of his brother is void of God's love in his life'. That's a very hard statement but a good one, good enough to awaken us all to be more open-hearted. Obviously you can't do everything; I always leave the mission field wishing I could have done more, but I always do what I can. And hey, if we all do that we will together get a lot done.

Finally, it's not just about the mission field far away, is it. Around us all daily there is no shortage of people in very real need. Let us make sure our hearts are open to them. If you can do something to bless others in need, do it – as you do you manifest the love of God that is in you.

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

Unsubscribe andy791.gbl01@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=959d22e910&c=4136767c45

Breakfast of Champions: Tuesday 27th April

Good morning, Champion!

You can't do what's been done!

Isaiah 53:4-6 (NKJV)
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

I recently witnessed probably the most horrific religion-related sight I have ever seen. During the Easter weekend I was travelling with my missions team to the mountain region of northern Luzon, in the Philippines. We passed through so many villages, but in one particular village our truck was held up because of an Easter procession that was taking place. As we looked out of the window we could not believe what we saw. Many grown men were whipping themselves with rope until their backs were bleeding – without exaggeration, blood was splattering everywhere because of the passion they were doing it with. Other men were carrying crosses, and I was informed that later that afternoon they would allow themselves to be nailed to them as everybody watched. The sight was so brutal to behold.

What were they doing? Sadly, what religion had told them to. Instead of hearing the good news of a gospel based in the finished work of Christ, they had heard or been sold a religious one that put the total emphasis on them getting God to like them or tolerate them based on their performance. The sad thing was, these men were so sincere but yet so sincerely wrong. If jesus had physically been with us, imagine how upset and angered He would have been. I believe He would have jumped out of the truck and said something to them so simple yet profound: "Stop it, you are wasting your time. You do not need to do that because I did it all for you two thousand years ago, so you would not have to! You can't do what has been done already."

Another sad reality is, if they really want to replace what Jesus did to make God like them, they would need to not stop at the nailing but go all the way – killing themselves – because His life spent was the payment that purchased our righteousness (rightstanding with God).

Seeing this made me so angry with religion, with its other gospel that makes people's lives worse not better. It also made me think: how often do we do things to make God love us when the truth for us is that, because of what Jesus bore two thousand years ago on our behalf, HE ALREADY DOES!

Like the man who spent the whole day emptying his shed looking for his pencil only to find it behind his ear, we must realise what we already have and what has already been completed for us.

Live in His finished sacrifice.

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

Unsubscribe andy791.l1fe@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=d7462e1fd5&c=dded0e68cc

Breakfast of Champions: Monday 26th April

Good morning, Champion.

Live ready, not afraid

2 Timothy 3:1–3 (NIV)
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

Matthew 24:6-8 (NIV)
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Sounds a bit like today, right? These verses are good for reminding us all where in history, and indeed God's plans, we are presently located. When you read through the list of "end times evidences" you would have to do it with your eyes closed to not see the day and time we are presently in. Also, when you have a good look around at what is happening in and around Israel, at the rise in Muslim and Islamic rights and even with the radical changes to climate, all these things send out a very real call to the dozing Christian: "WAKE UP".

These very real prophetic sign posts, set into position many years ago, should not produce fear in the heart of the believer but rather motivation; they should motivate us to make the knowing of Jesus the greatest priority in our lives, to making His Good news known to all men before His return, to living as the kingdom people He has called us to be in our generation.

Notice that Matthew writes, "When you see these things, don't be alarmed (afraid); they are the starting contractions to the coming of something great", or should we say someone great. He does not say, "Freak out, get scared, and give yourself a heart attack with fear and worry", but that we should realise, with soberness, the hour in which we are living. I don't know about you but these verses awaken me to the destiny I have to live and the true purpose for why I am alive now.

Don't let present day life, with all its distractions, keep you from knowing the hour at hand. Don't let the comfort of modern life coax you into the restful sleep of apathetic living. Rather, awaken your heart and be alert knowing that, as with a birthing mother when the contractions begin, the process has started, there is no going back, only an imminent arrival. Live ready, Champion, for the return of the King.

Don't be afraid, live ready! Bless you,

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

Unsubscribe andy791.l1fe@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=d7462e1fd5&c=a79af6c15e

Breakfast of Champions: Friday 23rd April

Time for your Friday fry-up!

You are complete

Colossians 2:9-11 (NKJV)
For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

People who do not know God as their Creator and Lord strive daily to find completeness, to find wholeness. They regulary start new relationships looking for it, buy more stuff, attend more courses and normally, when they have done all of this, they still feel incomplete! This should never be the case for us – we should live from a revelation of our completeness and wholeness, that we are complete in Him. It is our union with Christ, and that alone, that has taken away from us all incompletness and made us complete in every way.

We should not strive, as those who do not know God, to be complete – rather realise that we already are, in Him.

The whole worldly system of advertising works on the basic premise of convincing people they lack something or need something else to be all they are meant to be. Magazines, adverts, TV and billboards daily send out the message to the consumer: "Buy this and you will be complete and acceptable". Don't get me wrong, it is nice to buy stuff, but our buying stuff should never be fueled by the thinking that our completeness is found in the obtaining of that stuff.

Christ alone has made us complete, by His death, burial and resurrection, and each of us should start each new day knowing that we are already complete in Him. When you understand this even the greatest advertising campaigns lose their grip on you. Especially when it comes to relationships in your life you should never strive thinking you will find your completeness from them – this can be so dangerous. The healthiest relationships I have witnessed are always when both people entered in knowing they were already complete in Christ. If you go into any kind of relationship feeling incomplete you can often begin to try to draw from the other person what they cannot give you, that which only God can. Yes, two become one when they are married, but that always works best when it is two complete people becoming one new one.

So think about that today – where do you need to stop trying to draw completeness from? Again, find it in Christ alone. What a wonderful way to start the day: complete!

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

Unsubscribe andy791.l1fe@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=d7462e1fd5&c=f4d89df9ad

Breakfast of Champions: Thursday 22nd April

Good morning, Champion.

First things first

Matthew 6:32-34 (NIV)
For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

It is not wrong to seek after certain things but you must always determine to make the greatest seeking in your life God's kingdom and His righteousness, to seek Him first. When you do God promises that everything else you need will be added to you by His hand.

The verses above start by giving us a warning of what we are not to be like: its says that we should not be like those who don't know God, who spend their lives, and often give there their lives, to obtain what they think they need to be complete in life. Rather, realise that you are already complete in Him and when you dedicate your life to seeking the King and His kingdom you actually live everyday from a starting point of completeness and success.

Read also "God knows both what we need and what we want", and as you make Him your greatest seek, He will go ahead and make sure that your life has everything it needs added to it. This gives us all the same common choice again today: will we spend our lives striving to get the stuff we think we need or will we make God our number one pursuit, and watch Him keep His promise and freely add to us all He knows we need?

Then it finishes with the important thought of not worrying. The way to end worry is to trust in God, trust Him concerning the unknown life you are yet to live. Each of us can enter into the next day with confidence rather than fear when we have made these promises our reality – "God, as I seek You first in my life, I trust You to add to me all that I have need of, whether that be material, relational or spiritual."

Hey Champion, don't kill yourself trying to get what God wants to freely add to you – just got ahead and seek Him first!

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

Unsubscribe andy791.l1fe@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=d7462e1fd5&c=0f1d684aa0

Breakfast of Champions: Wednesday 21st April

Good morning, Champion.

What would you do for your mates?

Mark 2:3-5 (NKJV)
Some men came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

This is a great account of Jesus healing a man and forgiving his sins. It is also a great account of the power of true friendship. These four friends had heard what Jesus was doing for people with impossible situations and made up their minds they were going to get their friend where he needed to be.

I experienced this type of friendship this week: the missions team I was part of was travelling back from the Philippines where we had been for two weeks. On the day of our return the volcano in Iceland decided to erupt and the air space over the UK was closed. We made it as far as Rome and had no way of returning to UK. Being away so long already meant that I really needed to be back for my family and for the church. I was sharing a hotel with many, many people in the same situation yet mine suddenly became very different because of the friends I have in my life who love me. One phone call triggered a 48-hour rescue mission from two of my friends. They took it on themselves to drive from Portsmouth to Rome (1250 miles), pick me and the team up and drive us back again. The people in the hotel were amazed that people we called friends would do this for us and the story of what they did for me has spread like wild fire, inspiring people to think,"What would you do for your friends?".

They did me a great favour but consider this man on a stretcher, who also had friends who would dare to rip a roof of to get their friend to Jesus. Like my friends, they knew the man's need and were he needed to be, and made it personal. Like these men we all have friends who need a touch from Jesus – let's be the type of friends who will put ourselves out to get people where they need to be, especially when it comes to bringing people to where they can meet Jesus and have their life changed by Him.

Good food for thought:
1. What would the friends in your life do for you? And what would you be willing to do for them?

2. Are there friends in your life who need you to make the effort to get them close to Jesus, even if it means ripping a roof off – are you willing to do that for them?

Special thanks to Wayne and Smudge, you are heros and my family thanks you.

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

Unsubscribe andy791.l1fe@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=d7462e1fd5&c=a13b4fe32e

Breakfast of Champions: Tuesday 20th April

Good morning Champion

What's your story?

Hebrews 11:1-2 (NKJV)
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

• Faith enabled the elders or "believers of old" to obtain a good testimony – "a good story" – and that same faith will enable us to do the same in our generation.

• The elders always had a good story to tell of what they had experienced a living God do through their everyday lives. These were stories of miracle provision, or people healed and restored, and of God making a way when there seemed to be no way.

• The good news is that you and I can have some good stories too. All you need to do is what the elders did, which was daily engage with God and His promises by faith (simple childlike trust). Hear what God says He can do in a situation and choose to agree with that, even if your current situation or circumstance disagrees.

• Imagine all the testimonies (stories) the disciples had and imagine what it was like when they got together or had coffee and shared the incredible stories of what they saw when they walked with Jesus, and also of what they continued to see once He had risen from the dead and empowered them by His indwelling presence.

• Good news! We too have the same Spirit living in us and we too daily come across seemingly impossible hurdles and apparent dead ends. We also have a choice concerning how we respond. Let's dare to start responding more by faith, because we also can have some great stories in our lives each and every week of what God has done.

Champion, declare this week a week of releasing your faith in a greater dimension. Let it be a week of realising that, no matter how big the challenge, if God is in it you can win it. Ask Gideon, Moses, Joshua, David or any of the other elders that went and got themselves a story! This week, go get a story of what God did for you and through you.

Blessings,

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

Unsubscribe andy791.l1fe@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=d7462e1fd5&c=a8baab4c4d

Breakfast of Champions: Monday 19th April

Welcome to a new week, Champion – here's breakfast!

Persistent faith pays off

Luke 18:8b (Amplified Bible)
However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [persistence in] faith on the earth?

Again, let me underline or contextualise this verse. It follows the parable of the persistent widow that was used by Jesus as an example concerning persistence in prayer.

He says that He is looking for faith in our lives. We need to be found not just living in what we know to be humanly possible but also with arms expectantly stretched forward to that which can only come from Him as a product of believing.

Have persistence in your faith. The lady in the parable got what she wanted because she:

• Knew what was rightfully hers to ask for. Know what is rightfully yours in Christ and don't be scared to be persistent in both your prayers and thanksgiving regarding it because God is not offended when we say, "You said . . . ".

• Had the gumption to stand there till it happened or was released. Remember, Jesus was using the parable of this woman to make a point, which was that we need to have faith that does not sit down and shut up when others do, but keeps going till the manifestation occurs.

Don't let time stop you believing for what you know God wants you to have. What if the persistent widow would have gone home after the first delay or denial? She would not have received what she had come for and rightfully deserved. The fact is, sometimes the things we are believing or asking for do not come by next-day delivery. When we have persistent faith we are willing to stand in faith for as long as it takes, knowing that even the patience we develop in the wait is godly gold in our lives.

Don't be put off by other people stories. This woman may have heard stories of how other people did not get anything when they asked the judge or were left disappointed, but she made the decision that she would not live in other people's experiences. Don't let other people's negative stories make you quit. Remember, faith allows each of us to be writing our own stories; stories of how God did incredible things through our everyday lives for His glory.

Will He find faith? Will He find persistent faith? Will He find people who know what is rightfully theirs and are not afraid to remain standing till they get it? The stand you need is simply the stand of faith!

Hey Champion, keep standing in faith knowing that our God is not like the corrupt, uncaring judge of the parable, but rather a Father who loves us with incredible passion and is for us.

Bless you,

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

Unsubscribe andy791.l1fe@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=d7462e1fd5&c=36f77413c5

Breakfast of Champions: Friday 16th April

Time for your Friday fry-up!

Let's give Jesus what He is looking for

Luke 18:8 (NKJV)
I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?

This great statement ends with a question mark, meaning that a response is desired. I want to challenge you, as this challenged me, by asking, "How will you answer that question in your life — will He find faith?"

If we hold this question in context we see that it follows the parable of the persistent widow, a story relaying the truth of what happens to a person when they refuse to sit down but rather make the choice to keep on keeping on for what they need and believe is rightfully theirs. Notice in the parable that Jesus did not rebuke the widow for being annoying; on the contrary, He portrayed her favorably for getting what she persisted for.

In this verse does He ask, "Will I find good management?"? Does He ask, "Will I find incredible wisdom?"? No! Both of those are very important and are necessities when building something well, but they are not what He asked if He would find. He wanted to know if He would find faith: people trusting Him and His promises in a child-like yet dynamic, world-shaking way.

We should all have a percentage or element of our life which represents what we can do and what we are capable of with the talents and abilities He has blessed us with. We should also all have a percentage of ourselves which tells us that in certain areas of our lives only God can cause change, growth or healing, or whatever it is we need to believe Him for. There will always be things in life that are beyond our power and capabilities, and it is with these things we are called to put our faith in God and believe that He is able to take care of us and, by faith, allow Him to move in those areas of your life.

Don't have your life all worked out according to what you can produce or achieve by your own ability, but rather have a big slice called faith where you declare, "I am believing God for the impossible!" It is then that we see our lives change from natural lives to supernatural ones.

What are you believing Him for these days? What impossible thing are you presently trusting Him for? If the answer is "nothing" then start to believe again and release your faith, because it is faith that He is looking for.

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

Unsubscribe andy791.l1fe@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=d7462e1fd5&c=9052dd343e

Breakfast of Champions: Thursday 15th April

Good morning, Champion.

Life in the wasted places

Isaiah 43:18-20 (NIV)
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

So this week we have decided that we will not live in the past any longer but rather the now that God is doing and the future He has promised. We will be people who live with a hunger to both perceive the new thing He is doing in our lives and to "go with it".

When we do, it will always cause a divinely orchestrated way to appear in the seemingly dead end desert times of our life, and God will show you a way forward where there seemed to be none. The promise for those who dare to live in the new thing is also that He makes streams flow in the wastelands or "wasted places" and they become no longer wasted but refreshed, vibrant and fittingly used for His purposes. Why? Because the promised streams of His life are now running through it, and everywhere the river of His life flows things come to life.

God loves to revive, renew and re-purpose wasted things, whether they be wasted lands, buildings, people or talents. When God turns up, waste becomes potential. Walk with God with a hunger for what He wants to do today and you will witness His power of transformation, changing wasted things into flourishing successful testimonies of grace.

Are there wastelands or "wasted areas" in your life? Commit them to the Lord today, allow Him access to them and you will be glad you did.

Have a great weekend, and remember God is doing a new thing so keep your eyes peeled for it!

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

Unsubscribe andy791.l1fe@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=d7462e1fd5&c=243368e5c7

Breakfast of Champions: Wednesday 14th April

Good morning, Champion.

Perceive, know and give heed

Isaiah 43:18-19 (Amplified Bible)
Do not [earnestly] remember the former things; neither consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Concerning the new thing that God is doing and "causing to spring forth", He asks us to do three things to relate to it:
• Perceive it
• Know it
• Give heed to it

Perceive it
According to the dictionary, to perceive is to "recognise, discern, envision, or understand". We need to make sure that we are at a point in our daily spirituality that we are able to sense and perceive what God is doing in a person's life or any given situation.

It would be a shame to miss the wave of something God was doing because our senses, or ability to discern "new things", where numb - maybe numbed from carnality or distraction. Make sure your "taste buds" for spiritual things are sharp and able to know the flavour of our God doing something new in your day.

We need to know it
Know when God is bringing a change of season. Jesus said to a crowd, mentioned in the Scripture below, that they knew how to discern natural changes like weather and then He rebuked them for not being able to sense or know when a spiritual change of season was at hand. Let's make sure we do not fall into the category of the ignorant, but stand with those who can feel the wind of change when it blows.

Luke 12:54 (NKJV)
He said to the crowd: "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'It's going to rain,' and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, 'It's going to be hot,' and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time?

Give heed
Finally He wants us to give heed to it – another way of putting that would be to be aware of it or live in accordance with it. Let's make sure we understand when God is doing something new and that we are passionate to be a part of it, and not bound to a previous moment. Choose to live in accordance with what He is doing today and not just what He has done.

God bless, and may you know God doing something new in your life today.

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

Unsubscribe andy791.l1fe@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=d7462e1fd5&c=d279a19dab

Breakfast of Champions: Tuesday 13th April

Good morning, Champion, and here's breakfast!

Trade in your old for His new

Isaiah 43:16–21 (The Message)
This is what God says, the God who builds a road right through the ocean, who carves a path through pounding waves, the God who summons horses and chariots and armies – they lie down and then can't get up; they're snuffed out like so many candles: "Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it?
There it is! I'm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands."

As we established yesterday, God's desire for us is to move on from the past, whether that past to you is a platform of failure and pain or one of victory and accolade. We still need to move on into the realm of what is next! We need to daily resolve that we will not live our lives desiring to be in moments that have passed but rather to be a part of the moment that now is.

Ever had a postcard from somewhere real nice that had the classic message written on it, "Wish you were here"? It is great that the sender thought of you, but the truth is you are not there and you will never be there for that sunset moment when the postcard photo was taken. The good news is you can be a part of the "what God is doing" postcard of today.

The Bible and the history books are like catalogues of great moments that happened that you were neither at or a part of. Plus, you don't own a Tardis (time machine) so you cannot go back to them! The good news is, God doesn't want you living to be in them: if He did then He was quite able to position you in both the time and location of their actual happening (Acts 17:25-27). The truth is God wants you alive today, to live for what He is doing today.

These verses say, "Look, I am doing a new thing", so today, trade in your desires to be back in a moment that has been and gone for the honour and excitement of being in a moment that, like an artist, God is still painting.

If you "make the trade" in the future, when people say, "Did you hear what God did in 2010?", you will be able to say, "I know, because I was there when it happened!" If you keep your heart set on moving with the God who does new things you can say that about every year of the rest of your life, because our God is always doing a new thing somewhere.

In your life today God is doing a new thing. Can't you feel it bursting out?

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

Unsubscribe andy791.l1fe@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=d7462e1fd5&c=2c47622812

Breakfast of Champions: Monday 12th April

Good morning, Champion, and welcome to a brand new week!

Forget former things

Isaiah 43:18-20 (NIV)
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.

Forget former things! It will cost you your future to live in the past and that is a far too expensive price to pay. If those former things were negative, then it is time to forget and move on. If those former things were positive, it is time to give thanks for them and move on to the great that God has for you next.

Make sure that you spend your life living for what God is doing now, not forever wandering down memory lane. Memory lane is great to visit every now and then but it is not where we live! To live there would cost you the weekly rental payments of your present and your future.

Isaiah instructs us to "not dwell on the past". Where are you dwelling today? Are you living in a moment that was or a moment that is unfolding? For a lot of you that are reading this today the past you need to leave behind or choose not to live in is a good one, but just because it is good does not mean that we make it our place of residence.

So let's stop living in past failures or victories and set our faces forward today to be a part of what God is doing right now. Remember that even yesterday was your past now.

What makes us step out of the moments that have gone with confidence and passion? When we have a revelation of the next bit of the verse, where God tells us that He is doing a new thing and He invites us to be a part of it, whatever it is and whatever it may look like.

Get hungry for the new thing that God is doing and that will cause you to let go of the old thing.

Have a great day.

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

Unsubscribe andy791.l1fe@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=d7462e1fd5&c=235e0eda51

Breakfast of Champions: Friday 9th April

Good morning, Champion.

The Planted will flourish

Psalm 92:13-14 (NKJV)
Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing.

The local church is "the House of the Lord", and God loves His Church. When you commit to let your life be planted in it you set yourself up to get blessed and to flourish throughout your life. Being planted means you are not popping in to visit anymore, but rather unpacking your cases and calling it home. In these verses God uses gardening terminology to help us to see how He desires for us to relate to His house, the local church. Notice that the promise of a flourishing life belongs to those who plant themselves in, and not those who casually visit.

Any gardener will tell you it is when a plant is un-potted and bedded into the soil of the flowerbed that it can begin to draw on the nutrients that the soil has to give. If you casually rest a potted plant in its pot on a flowerbed it cannot benefit from all the goodness the soil has for it. It is the same with how we relate to His house. We need to get planted in so that our roots can go down and spread out, to draw on the goodness of the ground.

Great promises for "The Planted"
• Your life shall continue to bear fruit and be "highly productive", even into old age.

• Your life will remain fresh, vibrant, and flourishing while others around you fade away.

The local church is, and will always be, God's divine flowerbed. Find a life-filled local church and plant yourself into it and you will see incredible growth in every area of your life. Plant your family into it and watch godly vibrancy and flourishing break out in them. Remember, a life-filled local church remains God's master plan for changing the world and it is the only thing He committed to build on the earth (Matthew 16:18).

Bless you, praying you have a great weekend. Get planted and stay planted.

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

Unsubscribe andy791.l1fe@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=d7462e1fd5&c=be347ee8e9

Breakfast of Champions: Thursday 8th April

Good morning, Champion.

Be true to the real You

We have looked at the man in James 1 who forgets what he looks like. Let us now look at the account and rewards of the man who sees himself in God's mirror and does not forget!

James 1:25 (NIV)
But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it — he will be blessed in what he does.

So the journey so far this week has reminded us to look into the mirror of God's Word on a daily basis to discover our true identity and what we are truly capable of from a "God's-eye" view. Then we must have the courage to live out what we learn, and live true to the identity we have found; it is then that our life takes on whole new divine dimensions.

It is then that the Bible promises that we will be blessed in what we do! What a great promise of reward. It does not say blessed in what you do in church but rather blessed throughout the entirety of your life. Why? Because the Bible speaks wisdom and truth to the entirety of your life not just the church-related bit!

So if you want to experience this promised blessing throughout your life always remember to do the four things this verse tells you to:

• Look intently into perfectly fulfilled law that brings freedom.

• Continue to do this and get an appetite for it.

• Don't forget what you have read or discovered.

• DO IT – take it from information to application.

The result: YOU WILL BE BLESSED.

Bless you,

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

Unsubscribe andy791.l1fe@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=d7462e1fd5&c=ad3afc5e21

Breakfast of Champions: Wednesday 7th April

Good morning, Champion, and welcome to another great day!

Don't forget what you look like

James 1:22-25 (The Message)
Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.

It is always good to remember that the Word of God does not just reveal God and what He is capable of but it also reveals you and let's you know of your true potential and capability. When we open the Bible we look into a divine mirror that gives us a true reflection or mirror image of who we truly are in Christ.

What James is encouraging us do is twofold:

Take time to look in the mirror to discover and affirm who you really are. Find your identity in God's opinion and turn away from looking into other temporal man-made mirrors that promise to tell you your "true identity" when they don't really know you. Find out who you are by gazing into your Maker's handbook.

Don't forget what you see. James said when you get the true picture of who you really are and what you are capable of in Christ, don't walk away and forget the image you beheld, but let it become your directing internal image and from that moment know yourself by it.

It is when we dare to read, remember, apply and "live out" what we see in God's Word concerning our lives that our lives are continually transformed into the likeness of Christ; also the original full potential dream of God for our being manifests. The challenge today is know what you look like and live in accordance and harmony with your divine reflection and not some cheap man-made one.

Bless you and live a great big life.

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

Unsubscribe andy791.l1fe@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=d7462e1fd5&c=abac385561

Breakfast of Champions: Tuesday 6th April

Good morning, Champion. Breakfast is served.

Take a step beyond information

James 1:22-25 (NKJV)
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

Why is it that there seem to be two types of Christians walking the earth: those who pray and read the Bible and seem to get next to nothing happen, and those who pray and read the Bible (same Bible) and it seems they get everything they pray for? Does God have favourites? If so, how do you become one?

Of course, God does not have favourites. To me the key to this dilemma is found with one simple, yet profound, key word and that word is application.

What James was saying to them, and is saying to us, is that it is not enough to "be a hearer" because all you do when you hear is gain information and knowledge. What we need to do is take another step further and commit to being "doers". These are people who, after reading, "gain understanding", then choose to apply what they have discovered in everyday life. To put it another way, they "put some flesh on it and live it out".

Example
I could be an expert concerning seat belts. I could study and find out everything there is to know about how they are made, how they work, and even draw diagrams of the first ever mechanism used for a seatbelt. Great, I would have "heard well". The bottom line is if I do not put it on when I drive and "apply what I have learned" then, if I crash, I will fly through the windscreen!

Every medicine or medical cream in your medicine cabinet says that it has to be applied before the benefit of the contents become a reality to your condition. In the same way the Word of God works in the life of the believer not when it is only read, but when it is read and then applied!

What eternal truth do you need to take a step beyond information with again today? Let us all purpose to apply God's eternally relevant wisdom and answers to every area of our lives.

Bless you.

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

Unsubscribe andy791.l1fe@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage1.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=d7462e1fd5&c=3b99934db9

Breakfast of Champions: Monday 5th April

Good morning, Champion.

His goodness will change your mind

Romans 2:4 (NKJV)
Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

Here's a lovely little nugget of truth to start the day with. It is the goodness of God that leads a person to repentance. Think about that. It's God's goodness that causes true repentance in our lives and not the use of fear, shame or guilt.

What is Repentance?
The New Testament word used here for repentance is also the one most commonly used throughout the New Testament. It is the Greek word metanoia, which means "to change one's mind or thinking"! This is a very different meaning to the Old Testament Hebrew word used for repentance: nacham which means "to be mournfully sorrowful".

The type of repentance that God wants from us is the New Testament type. Yes, we may feel sorrowful when we have done something wrong but it should not stop there. We need to move on to do something about it by daring to change the way we think. Why? Because, it is when we change the way we think that we will change the way we live in a way that lasts.

A sorrowful response needs to be the porch way or entrance way into something much larger – namely a change of thinking toward that specific area of our life being highlighted by God at that moment.

What should it be that inspires us to "repent" to "change our thinking"? According to Romans 2:4 it is the goodness or kindness of God. Wow, imagine that God remains so good and kind toward us that, in response, we desire to change our thinking to bring it into alignment with His truth and His ways for our lives.

Today, don't have the expectation of fear, shame, and guilt coming from your Heavenly Father; rather a never-ending waterfall of His goodness and mercy. When it comes let it cause repentance that changes you beyond a momentary emotional response. Respond to His goodness with metanoia changing the way you think, because then you will change the way you live!

May you enjoy another day of God's goodness showered upon you. That'll change you!

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

Unsubscribe andy791.l1fe@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=d7462e1fd5&c=5fb9ab8d42

Breakfast of Champions: Friday 2nd April

Good morning – welcome to your Friday Fry-up!

A greater righteousness

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 you have, that was established by Christ for you, these are daunting verses that would make you think, "How on earth can I match them (the Pharisee) 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, can I?"

Good news (the gospel)
If you have placed your faith in Jesus as your Lord and saviour you have not just equalled it but have actually abundantly exceeded it.

Remember
The key is to remember that there are two covenants (agreements) which represent two types of righteousness: man-made and God-made. We do not stand as the Pharisee did, and still sadly does today, in a mere man-made performance-based righteousness. Rather, we stand with a righteousness which is inherent (achieved and given to us as a gift by God). Our righteousness is the result of faith, and faith alone; faith placed in the perfect, redeeming, finished work of another – Jesus. It is placed in the fact that everything He came to do and achieve two thousand years ago He did; not just did but completed perfectly.

Today our righteousness far exceeds that of the Pharisee because it is the righteousness of Christ given to us. It qualifies us to enter into the kingdom because it is based not on our daily varying performance or ability but on the perfect performance of Jesus to justify. When we stand in this righteousness we stand secure, forgiven and accepted.

He has qualified (done all the work for) you to stand before Him and to enter into His kingdom again today. Thanks be to Jesus, our righteousness revealed.

Bless you big time,

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

Unsubscribe andy791.l1fe@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=d7462e1fd5&c=116a6f4721

Breakfast of Champions: Thursday 1st April

Good morning, Champion.

Your words are seeds

Proverbs 18:21 (NKJV)
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit (harvest).

We have been speaking about not despising small things but rather walking conscious of the big harvests that can be produced by seemingly small seeds. Words are another thing in our lives that we can compare to seeds (seemingly small things), and the tongue is indeed a seed dispenser, daily casting and sowing seeds (words) into our world and the world of others.

As with all the other examples we have looked at, this too has a negative or positive reality depending on the words (seeds) we choose to speak! Proverbs teaches us that Death and Life are in the power of the tongue. Wow! Those are two very big and very different harvests. Which one do you want? Then sow the seed (speak the words) that will produce it.

Remember, as it is naturally so it is spiritually – every seed bears fruit after its own kind. Put carrot seeds in the ground and carrots will grow. You will never get a different harvest to the seed you choose to sow, and it is that way with our words (the seeds of our mouth). If you want to set yourself up for a harvest of life, not death, then speak words of life; govern what roles off of your lips on a daily basis. You do have the power to shut the gate!

It's not just about our world – our words have great impact in the life of others, so make sure your words are always seasoned with grace, faith and hope. Words that build up, not tear down, cause people to keep going and not quit.

Those seemingly small seeds called 'the words you choose to speak' have power in them to produce – what will you use yours to produce today?

Bless you,

Andy

Prayer request:
Today I am flying to the Philippines on a mission trip with a team of seven. We are ministering all over the country, especially rural areas, and believing to see many lives changed for Jesus. I covet your prayers over the next two weeks for protection, opportunity and that we would daily see God move! Thanks and don't worry – breakfast will keep being served.
==============================================

Unsubscribe andy791.l1fe@blogger.com from this list:
http://greatbiglife.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=25c0f3189b58b697b3da13e3c&id=943136c5b5&e=d7462e1fd5&c=c272dfa418