Breakfast of Champions: Monday 31st May

Good morning, Champion.

Prosperity works best when it has a godly purpose

Psalm 122:9 (NIV)
For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.

Why are you seeking prosperity?

I have discovered that prosperity is a great thing when it has great purpose attached to it. When people seek prosperity but have no purpose for it, other than self-gratification, it is then that it so often all goes wrong. There is nothing wrong with prosperity,
it just needs a good purpose. It functions at its best when it has purpose, especially when it has a godly one.

What better sake or purpose is there for seeking prosperity for than the house of God. To me this is the greatest reason to seek it. The house of the Lord, the "local Church", is God's master plan for changing the world one life at a time. When we bless it we bless far, far beyond its four walls.

When you purpose in your heart that you will seek prosperity with the intention not only to enlarge your life but primarily to bless God's house, you set yourself up to be blessed indeed. God will position you where you need to be for that desire to be fulfilled on an ongoing basis.

Prosperity needs a purpose; a reason for being. God will release wealth and prosperity when you have the establishment of what He values embedded in your heart and desires. Always remember, we may work hard and have brilliant entrepreneurial capabilities for creating great success by our skills but at the end of the day, without God, we would be nothing.

Deuteronomy 8:17-19 (NKJV)
Then you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.' And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Why are you seeking prosperity today? You may have a list of "whys" all good and valid, but do yourself a favor and make sure you have "the house of the Lord" on that list.

Bless you.

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Friday 28th May

Good morning, Champion.

Be a Believing Believer!

I want to further challenge you concerning being a believing believer. It is our belief in God and His promises which causes everything He has intended for us to manifest for us.

The epicentre of our believing is of course to be in Jesus. As we daily choose to believe in Him, and in all that He accomplished for us through His perfect finished work, we see the release of all we need to fulfil our lives and destinies.

John 6:28-29 (NKJV)
Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."

The question was simple and sincere, "What shall we do?" The answer was simply profound: "… believe in Him whom He (God) sent." Here we see the work that God requires from us is to believe in Jesus! This can so grind against our works-based, performance-driven, factory setting that says that everything we see produced is always in accordance to what we do or have done. Jesus reminds us here again that, as new creations in Him, we are not human doings but human beings. Our responsibility is to be the believers He has called us to be, and through our faith see the incredible things He has promised come into being and fulfilment.

As you read through the Gospels and witness Jesus doing incredible things for people – most of whom were not religious synagogue attenders – you see many times before releasing the miracle He would ask the same thing: "Do you believe I can?" Believing in Him is the most powerful thing that we can do. It produces more than we could ever produce in our own ability and leaves us humbled in the presence of a great and mighty God who calls us His child.

Let's make the decision today to be busy with the work that God desires from us, which is to be found believing in the One He sent. He is our Saviour, Healer, Provider and so much more.

Bless you,

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Thursday 27th May

Good morning, Champ.

Get rid of your Ifs, Buts and Maybe's!

Mark 9:22-24 (NIV)
"From childhood," he answered. "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." "If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

Jesus comes across this man who had a very desperate situation with his son who was being demonically tormented. He asks about the situation and the man fills him in with all the history of the problem, then says to Jesus, "If you can do anything, please do". Jesus had great compassion for this man and his son and helps them, but before He does, He focuses in on one of the words the man had used in his request: that word was "If". When you read this account, this is the moment that you would see Jesus look over the top of His glasses, if He had worn them, and say slowly, "Sorry, did you say if?"!

Jesus then shares an eternal truth with the desperate man – all things are possible to those who believe! The man then immediately responds with honesty and great sincerity, saying, "I do believe but I know there is room for improvement. Please help me with that!"

Look at this same verse in The Message translation:

Mark 9:23–24 (The Message)
Jesus said, "If? There are no 'ifs' among believers. Anything can happen." No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, "Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!"

What a great statement, there are no "ifs" among believers, as we journey with the Lord (christianity) we should be ever losing our "if's" and discovering our "I believes". There is a massive problem if we have more "ifs" and "buts" now than when we started!

We often refer to ourselves as believers and, that being the case, it is fundamental that we remind ourselves what believers do: they believe! Here's the question: are you believing? Are you a believing believer? What I love about this account is that there is room for honesty. If you still struggle with "Ifs" and "buts", why not do as this man did and ask the Lord to help you, because there are no ifs with Him – He will!

Have a great day.

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Wednesday 26th May

Good morning, Champion.

Bask in the Bigness of God (who happens to be the creator of the universe)

Genesis 15: 3-5 (NIV)
And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir." Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars – if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

I think we all know this great account, where God promises Abraham children and descendants too numerous to count.

To Abraham God's promise looked physically impossible because his wife had always been barren, and also because of the stage of life they were both at. Their bodies were well beyond the age of being able to produce children naturally. They needed a miracle if this was to ever happen.

Abraham was busy looking at how big the problem or challenge was, and look what God does; He steps into Abraham's doubts and invites him outside. Why? Because He knew that Abraham just needed a perception adjustment. He just needed to spend a moment basking in God's bigness. Abraham goes outside and God instructs him to look up into the unpolluted sky, and he sees stars so numerous he could not even begin to count them. It was probably then that the penny dropped: the One who had promised the child was the One who had set each of those stars into place. At that moment God became bigger than the seemingly impossible challenge for him, and his faith arose.

As he basked in the bigness of God under the open heaven every big challenge he faced became very small.

Hey Champ, if you are having trouble believing for something big, do what God invited Abraham to do and go out in your garden tonight and look up. See the stars filling the universe and remind yourself, as you bask in His bigness, that the One who promised you victory made all that you can see!

Have a great day,

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Tuesday 25th May

Good morning, Champion.

Bask in the bigness of God

Acts 9:40 (NIV)
Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.

This was a very serious situation, where Peter had been called to raise a woman named Tabitha from the dead. This was "need a miracle" territory! Notice what he did before he dealt with or even faced the problem – he prayed! Then he turned and dealt with the miracle-needing situation.

Before he looked at the seemingly impossible mountain, he spent time "basking in the bigness" of his God, who says that all things are possible to those who believe. This empowered him with the confidence to turn around, look at the situation full on, and do what was seemingly impossible.

Hey Champion, when you find yourself in a time of challenge or a moment when you are needing a miracle here is some good advice someone once gave me: the very first thing you need to do is take time to bask in the bigness of God. This will enable you, as it did Peter, to correct your perception concerning how big problems and situations really are, and also remind you how B.I.G your G.O.D is in the moment of challenge.

When you take time to bask in the bigness of God everything else is reduced to its true beatable size. The reality is that when you are needing or desiring a miracle you have the choice to bask in the bigness of one of two things: either the problem, or the God who is bigger than any problem – your choice. You have to choose one as you cannot bask in the bigness of both.

Bask, as Peter did, in the bigness of God!

Have a great day.

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Monday 24th May

Good morning, Champion.

He is willing and able!

Ephesians 3:20 (NKJV)
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.

Nice quick thought this morning:

He is able to do! We need to continually remain conscious of the fact that our God is able.

· He is not subject to the things that limit us. He is free and outside of the restraints we so often know as normal, and the fact is He can do anything, for anyone and at anytime. Live ready for Him to do something awesome for you!

· He is willing and able. It is important to know that both of these ingredients are His. If He was just willing that would not be enough. For example, I could be willing to give you a million pounds but if I was not able to then nothing would change for you except you being blessed by my good intentions. God is willing – remember when the leper came to Jesus and said, "Lord if you are willing I can be healed", and Jesus replied, "I am willing". Today He says that same thing to you in your need or situation.

· He has all ability to do whatever is needed for you! We live on a globe He made, in a universe He formed. When we pray we must remember that He does not live in a four bedroom house down the road – He holds the universe (that which man has only partially been able to discover) in the span of His Hand.

So today, when you pray (speak to God), speak to Him knowing that He is both willing and able. When you understand those two realities anything can happen – it is like mixing two chemicals that react when connected.

Today the God who formed the universe by His words is able to do for you, and is willing to do for you!

Bless you, have a great day!

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Friday 21st May

Good morning, Champion – welcome to the weekend!

Death of the Hypocrite

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

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

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

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

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

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Thursday 20th May

Good morning, Champion.

What are God's purposes for this week?

Acts 13:36-37
For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed. But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.

The Bible reveals all of the purposes of God for those who are looking for them. Among those purposes there are His continual ones; for instance, He ever wants to destroy the works of the devil, and He loves to restore people to relationship with Him and mend broken people.

God has great purposes today concerning your life, and the rest of this week ahead He wants to do great things both in you and through you:

• In your life today? Let him have His way, and let the Holy Spirit minister to you the purposes and direction of the Father for your life. Have ears to hear.

• Through your life today? Submit your life to God as an ever-ready tool in His hand, and let him send you somewhere. Allow Him to put you in the right place at the right time.

It says that, after serving God's purposes, David died and was buried with his fathers and his body decayed. Because of the victory of Jesus we shall die physically, but never decay spiritually because eternity is now in us, and us in it. We shall all close our eyes one day to death but in a blink we shall open them to everlasting life with God through Christ Jesus. Jesus has spoilt the grave and defeated death for all who believe, and just as Christ did not see decay, neither shall we. The Bible says we shall receive a new body and we shall dwell together with Him forever.

Today, be inspired again to live in the light (knowledge) of eternity. You entered into it when you believed in Jesus and were born again. Have assurance that your life shall never end, Champion. In this opening chapter of eternity called 'the here and now', live for God, serve His purposes. Be conscious that, as the actor Russell Crowe said in the film the Gladiator, "What a man does in life echoes in eternity". May the echo of our lives be of the same quality as King David's, that we too served the Lord and His purposes in our generation!

God Bless

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Wednesday 19th May

Good morning, Champion.

Living for the purposes of Jesus

1 John 3:8b (NKJV)
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

We have been speaking about living with purpose, and what greater purpose is there than to live for God? The Bible reveals that we are now in Christ Jesus through faith. This being true, we need to carry daily the same common purposes in our life as He does in His. Think about it: we are in Christ, so what He thinks, we should think; whatever He is passionate about and sees purpose in, we should see passion and purpose in. Why? Because we are positioned in Him.

In today's verse we see one of the major purposes of Jesus is "to destroy the works of satan". We could call this purpose devil demolition. Jesus loves to daily tear down anything and everything that the devil has spent good time building up, and we should find fulfilment and satisfaction in doing the same.

• In people lives: let us be living daily to set other people free, be an agent of liberty.

• In our cities: living daily to see the downfall of satan's kingdom, and the advancement of the kingdom of our God. Be an ambassador of grace.

• In our world: living to take a stand for the truth of the Gospel. Stand tall for the One you love, and be a display-board of His truth and goodness to a desperately seeking world.

We read yesterday that King David served his generation. We are not called to serve any past generation, but we are called to the one we are in now. This is the one we can see changed as we daily live to serve the purposes of God in it. As we commit to do this we also affect the next generation, by giving them a great example and standard to follow as David did for us.

Live with purpose. Live for God!

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Tuesday 18th May

Good morning, Champion.

What's the purpose of your life?

Acts 13:36-37 (NIV)
For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed. But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.

There can be no greater testimony to a life well lived than this statement found in the book of Acts. Our days are like currency, precious coins kept in the purse of our existence. Our days, as with natural wealth, can be numbered in amount, though no man knows the amount each of us have left but God. When the coins (days) of our life are spent, they are spent – and there are no refunds. This sobering thought should motivate us to live with cause and passion. What is important is not to fear them being spent, but rather make sure we are investing each one of them wisely. When they are spent it is what was purchased or accomplished with them that determines their true worth or success. Let this motivate us all to spend them well.

Believers should not fear death because Christ has beaten it. Rather, death should inspire and motivate us to live our lives well and on purpose. Many people spend their lives living for purposes that have no benefit to anyone outside of themselves, and that carry no eternal significance or reward. In this life they may seem to have so much, but in the life to come they could find themselves bankrupt.

Mark 8:36

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

As followers of Jesus we have chosen something far better than living for riches, we have chosen to spend the currency of our days as David did, for the purposes of our God. As we daily do this we ever release the kingdom of God, changing people's lives for the better, and at the same time we get to live a life that is worth living.

Live on purpose – don't drift around like a boat on the ocean without an anchor, but walk with bold steps of divine purpose today. Live for Jesus and the advancement of His kingdom on the earth.

Live on purpose today, Champion.

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Monday 17th May

Good morning, Champion.

A never-ending story

John 14:12 (NIV)
I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

These great words, spoken by Jesus, endorse the fact that we can be expectant of great things happening through our lives in our generation. These promises were not just for the original disciples, to whom they were first spoken, but for all those future disciples who would put their faith in Jesus, through all the generations that were yet to come.

The book of Acts is really still an ongoing work with no real ending to it. Its chapters recording the exploits of the early believers may end in the Bible but they don't end in history because of the ongoing outworking of what God has continued to do though believers ever since. Why? Because the book may be called Acts of the Apostles but it would be better named the Acts of the Holy Spirit, moving through the lives of those who believe in Jesus (maybe that title is too long, right!). But that is the truth – the same Spirit that was in them is in those who believe in Jesus today. Who knows what chapter we're up to, but it's the same story!

Can I share with you one of the two greatest compliments ever given to me – given by my nine-year-old son, Ethan. We were driving to church one day and I asked if he loved God. He replied, "Yes, Dad, and I love you, Dad." He then stopped and thought, and then said, "You know, Dad, I was thinking – if ever they were to add another book to the Bible, you would be in it!" Wow, what a compliment, and my hope is that what he said would be true – hey, why not? The same Spirit that was given to the early Church has been given to us. They saw incredible things when they let Him flow through their lives and those things were recorded in a book, so if He is the same Spirit that is now in us, why shouldn't we see great things too? Though what we see may never be recorded in a book called the Bible we can know they are being recorded in heaven. Remember, Jesus said that greater things will you see. Get expectant.

Bless ya,

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: New CD set!

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Brand new audio set

Grand Designs audio set

Be inspired to develop a 'grand design' for how you communicate with God –
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Contains: 4 CDs

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If enjoy the Breakfast of Champions devotional you will love this CD set.

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listener to get a _grand design_ for building themselves an effective prayer
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Many have been so inspired by this set; why not join them and get fresh
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Breakfast of Champions: Friday 14th May

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

The Golden Rule

Matthew 7:12 (NIV)
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

This verse has been termed by many as The Golden Rule because it teaches us concerning the eternal principle of seed time and harvest. Remember, what we sow we will always reap, whether positive or negative in type or experience.

Notice that it does not say "In some things", or "in things you like", but rather in "everything" – so apply this wisdom on a daily basis to every area of your life.

Think about this golden rule again for a moment at the beginning of this brand new day, because it really is very good food for thought. Let's read it from another translation:

(NKJV)
Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

• The harvest of how people treat us is always in the seed of how we choose to treat others. Think about how you would like people to treat you today. Now ask that all-important question: "Is that how I am treating people?"

This life equation outworked is really very simple:
Need grace from people – give grace to people
Need generosity from people – be generous to people
Need forgiveness (if not today you may need it soon) – be forgiving

Isn't it wonderful that God puts the emphasis on kingdom-minded people to be the ones who make the first move. Let's choose to watch how we treat others today, then we can sit back with confidence and know what kind of harvest is coming our way.

Let's look at it put one final way:

(The Message)
Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behaviour: ask yourself what you want people to do for you and then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God's Law and Prophets and this is what you get.

Do the maths, add up everything that the law and prophets demanded and required, and its sum total will be fulfilled in this kingdom way of living.

Or put in chess terminology: your move first.

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Thursday 13th May

Good morning, Champion.

What are you hiding in your heart?

Psalm 119:10-12 (NIV)
I seek You with all my heart; do not let me stray from Your commands. I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.

The heart is a very important place in your life, because it is in the heart that we all have the potential to store and hide stuff. As with so many things this can be a negative or positive reality, depending on what each person is choosing to store or hide within theirs.

The writer declares that he has hidden God's word in his heart. Let's face it, there can be no better thing to both store and hide in your heart than the living word of God!

What's stored in your heart will eventually be heard on your lips and manifested in your life. Your heart is like the cistern of a toilet: when your life gets 'flushed' by the hand of circumstance or situation, what is in the heart comes out – often shocking or blessing those who may be watching at that moment.

Make sure today that you are storing God's word in your heart; as it says in Colossians, "let it dwell in you richly" (Colossians 3:16). Then, whenever you need wisdom or truth you will have a ready supply within your life. Just remember, we all have the potential to store and hide other stuff, so be honest with yourself and make sure you are not. Hey, if you need to have a good spring clean of the wardrobe or pantry of the heart, go ahead and do it. Let's not make our heart store what does not do it good – things like bitterness, unforgivness and envy can be easily hidden in the cloisters of your heart and remain unseen by others for years, but believe me those things, and others like them, are toxic and will do your heart no good at all. In fact they will slowly rot your heart, affecting even everything good that is sharing the storage area.

As the writer knew, when we hide His word in our hearts it will keep us from sinning too. Why? Because we always live out of what we have stored in it – desires, ambitions and dreams are all birthed from what we allow to remain and hide in our heart. Every sin that we can commit, small or large, starts as an undealt-with seed-like thought in the mind that is then allowed to be stored and germinated in the heart. If you don't want a tree of sin in your life don't let its seedling grow in your heart. Rather, pack that heart with God's word and go ahead and watch what grows.

Bless ya,

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Wednesday 12th May

Good morning, Champion!

Who are you listening to?

Matthew 17: 2-5 (NKJV)
And He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!"

Jesus had taken three of His disciples – James, Peter and John – to this place on a high mountain where He transfigured before them. As if this was not enough to make a great memorable moment, Moses and Elijah pitch up. The three disciples start to think about making three tabernacles for the great men now present before them, completely missing the point that these great biblical icons were present for a reason: God the Father wanted to make a point!

Think about the three men present before the disciples, Elijah, Moses and Jesus. Moses represented the Law, then there was Elijah and he represented the prophets, and Jesus was God's one and only Son and represented God's new covenant masterplan. He was sent to be the sacrificial lamb who would restore the broken friendship between God and man.

Moses and Elijah where very important characters from the Old Testament, and vital figures concerning the Old Covenant. But notice what the Father said: "Here is my Son. Hear Him". On this day the Father validated the voice, leadership, and ministry of His Son Jesus. Why? Because He represented a new covenant and the soon-coming new day between God and man – a day when grace and mercy would reign where law and legalism once ruled.

Here's my question: who are you listening to and following today? Are you giving ear to the law and the prophets from the Old Testament, or the Messiah and Redeeming King from the New Testament? The old covenant had its place but was always destined to be replaced by the new, according to the desire and eternal plan of God.

Remember, Jesus is God's master plan today and He has a very different sound to that of the law and the prophets. The sound of God's master plan is one of freedom, reconciliation, and life. Make sure today, like John and Peter and James, you are "hearing Him".

Have a great day.

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Tuesday 11th May

Good morning, Champ!

Your smell affects others continued

Let's have one final look at these great verses to motivate ourselves concerning the fragrance or aroma of our lives. Yesterday we looked at the effect our lives have on the nose of God, and this morning let us finish by looking at the scent we carry in the nostrils of people we share our daily worlds with.

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (NIV)
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?

Two groups of people are mentioned in the above verses, and two distinctive smells. If we let them follow their natural order I think we may be able to see that God intended both smells to exist and play their part.

• Those who are being saved

Corinthians says that we are the smell of death among this group. Death? One way of looking at it could be that our lives should smell of the death we have experienced in Christ. When people (church folk) get to experience our aroma they should smell the scent of the death we have died in Christ on us. It is that divine death that separated us from everything we used to be and so liberating and enabling us to be the brand new creations we now are. They should smell the death of such things as selfishness, pride and other scents that were once common to us and also that there is a new creation smell to us now.

• Those who are perishing

Our aroma among the unsaved should be one of extreme life. When unsaved people get a whiff of us they should be overwhelmed by the scent of resurrection and new life that comes from every pore of who we are. Remember that through new birth (death, burial and resurrection) we have been made alive together with Him and so our lives should smell of life, not like the musty corridors of religion. Let's face it, the smell of life is so much better than the smell of death. Life is more likely to attract followers than that of death. What would you follow?

As we move forward to possess our day let us be conscious of the aroma our life is giving out to the world God has called us to change.

God bless you, Smelly!

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Monday 10th May

Good morning, Champion!

Your smell affects others

2 Corinthians 2:15-16 (NIV)
For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

The fragrance that comes from your life affects three people, according to Corinthians. Let's look at the first of these three this morning.

First of all, God smells you
"We are to God the aroma of Christ". How awesome is that – when God leans over and sniffs us living our everyday lives, He smells the incredible fragrance of the beauty and righteousness of His Son Jesus. You may say, "But you do not know what I did this week". My response is that you need to know that, according to God's word, your life is hidden (positioned in) Christ and when God smells you, He smells the fragrance of Jesus and of His finished perfect work of redemption.

A great comparison is found in Genesis 27:27, in the account of when Isaac blesses his son Jacob instead of Esau. Isaac was blind by this time, and knew His sons by their touch and distinctive smells. Jacob, acting on the plan of His mother, wore the smell of His brother to get his father's blessing, and it was because of that smell that Isaac was convinced he was with Esau, not Jacob, and blessed him. (Read the account. It is a good read.)

Genesis 27:27 (NKJV)
And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: "Surely, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed".

The smell that is upon your life is the smell of the Son He loves and the field (life of His Son) that He has blessed. How awesome is that! When you approach God you smell like Jesus. Also you need to know that, unlike Jacob, this is not a con but rather an intention of God, because it is He who positioned you in Christ. Don't feel like a fraud, like Jacob did, because you're not. Your scent is the result of His intent and it is He that coated you in the Son of His delight.

Because of this you can again today approach the Father, knowing that His approval of you is established in Jesus. You can, as it invites us in Hebrews, "approach Him with boldness of faith."

Bless you today, and know that the Lord your God loves the smell of you.

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Friday 7th May

Good morning, Champion. Breakfast is served.

What Do You Smell Like? Continued

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (NIV)
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?

We should not have to struggle to daily release the sweet scent of Christ from our lives, but simply remember that it is the natural reaction of His life resident within us.

Again, look at the natural body as an example. The reality is that whatever is in you, or put into you, can play a large part concerning the odour that comes from you. Just recently I took Gina out to eat and I ate a very large chunk of garlic, without realising it was raw. By the end of the night it was manifesting its odour nicely from every pore in my skin and, by the next morning, had contaminated every inch of who I was – especially to my family who sadly had to experience my breath.

The fragrance of your life should be Christ-like in its scent simply because of two things:
• Jesus now lives in you. You are not a hotel He visits but rather His home (place of residence). He does not pop in and pop out when He feels like it but never leaves according to His promise. Christ in you is the hope of Glory but also so the source of the pleasing fragrance that comes from your life.
• You realise and accept that your life is now His home and, as you do, you daily yield and submit everything you are to Him. The fragrance of His life comes from every part or through every pore of who you are.

Also, while we talk about the principle of "what goes in effects what comes out", it is important that you be daily feeding your life the stuff that you want your life to be smelling of. For example, if you keep feeding your life the law of Moses then it will be the law of Moses that you smell of. Feed your life daily the truth and grace that comes through Jesus and you will love the way your life starts smelling, and so will others.

Bless you and consider again the One who has now become the very contents of your life. Let His life flow out of you again today.

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Thursday 6th May

Good morning, Champion. A personal question today:

What do you smell like?

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (NIV)
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?

A better way of saying smell would be to use the word fragrance or aroma. Paul's challenge to us is this: What aroma or fragrance is coming from our lives as we live them out daily?

God's plan was that our lives would "spread everywhere the fragrance of Him". Is that what your life smells like today? When people get a whiff of your life do they smell the scent of grace and the aroma of someone who knows Jesus?

This is a good challenge for each of us to consider and, as with many things, there is a natural and a spiritual reality to smells and people. We can compare them both to make a point.

All of us have experienced or been exposed to, at one time or another, a person passing us with a nice scent – maybe an expensive perfume or after shave. It's also very likely you have experienced the smell of someone passing near to you with bad BO (body odour). Have you ever sat in the same room or enclosed place with someone who removes their shoes and they have really unpleasantly cheesy smelling feet? Yep, we have all experienced both.

Naturally, our lives can release a smell or a fragrance that is either pleasing or not-so-pleasing to the senses of others, and spiritually this is a reality too. What does your Christianity smell of today. Smells are very interesting things. They can attract people or repel them depending on what type they are. When people encounter you do they smell the sweet perfume of knowing Jesus or the odour of religion, with all its various scents of law and legalism – or worse, the pungent stench of hypocrisy?

May our lives today release wherever we go that sweet aroma of Christ in us. May that smell attract people to follow Him.

Bless you. Be smelly in the right way!

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Wednesday 5th May

Good morning, Champion.

Be His ambassador in your world

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 (NIV)
All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us.

In these verses we see three very powerful things that should radically affect the way we see ourselves today. First, we are to realise that each of us are ministers and He has given to each and everyone of us the ministry of reconciliation. Next we see that each of us are His messengers and He has committed to us a very important message for the world. He actually desires that our lives would be a living message (living epistle or letter) of divine invitation of reconciliation to a lost world.

Lastly, God says that we are ambassadors. What a privilege that God has called you to be – a person who has the honor of representing Him and His kingdom wherever you go.

When an ambassador goes somewhere he carries a number of things from the king or kingdom he represents:
• His word or message (God has given you His message to share).
• His authority (God has given you His authority to bind and loose where needed).

When we go into our daily worlds again today, whether that be your work place or community, we need to remember that God has called us as ambassadors and that in every place we find ourselves we are to be His representatives, letting people know the goodness of our God and how incredible His kingdom is.

We are to carry His Word and represent Him in every place that He sends us – which actually is the whole world (The Great Commission) – but a good place to start today is your world, which is that daily place that is unique to you. This week walk again through the world He has sent you to armed with the knowledge that you have been called and that you carry a life-changing message. You are an ambassador carrying His Word and His authority.

Have a great week ambassador!

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Tuesday 4th May

Good morning, Champion.

The Kingdom is our message

Luke 9:1-3 (NIV)
When Jesus had called the Twelve together, He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and He sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

When people hear or meet us they should experience or hear the sound of the Gospel (good news) of the kingdom of God. Every other kingdom our lives might represent should be secondary to the one that reigns and will always remain when others fail. Notice that the message the first disciples were sent to preach was the message of the kingdom – we need to make sure that that is still our message today. Don't worry, it does not leave Jesus out or rob Him of anything, because wherever there is a kingdom there is a king, and as we share the message of the kingdom we share the message of its King and His rule and reign at the very same moment.

The message of the kingdom is a powerful message that releases people from contained living, from imprisonment through what they have known, from things that may have negatively defined them thus far on their life journey. The truth is, people always live out of what they have been exposed to through their life until something comes from outside of the 'containing bubble of experience' offering something new. The kingdom of God comes like a pathway with new, bigger and better options for all of humanity – but remember, you always have to leave somewhere to go somewhere new. That's why Jesus said that we have to repent – "think different" – to see His kingdom.

I love missions trips because they take people outside of everything they have known and experienced thus far in their lives to a bigger place of world experience. When they have seen and felt new things they can't go back to what they knew previously – it's too small now because their lives have come into a bigger place. People who have experienced abuse or man-made religion remain contained by its effect and impact until another option to live differently comes in like a pathway to break them free and take them to a better way of living. That is what the Gospel does: it comes into places of containment and imprisonment and sets people free to live in a bigger place, offering them a pathway to a bigger and better experience of both life and love.

So remember, we are to preach the kingdom – and as we do lives will be set free and liberated. The message we share is the invitation and new pathway for people to know a better life, a life bigger and better then they have ever experienced.

Andy
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Breakfast of Champions: Monday 3rd May

Good morning, Champion.

Don't just be a citizen – be an ambassador

Luke 17:20-22 (NIV)
Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."

Looking around at the condition of the world I am ever aware that this is the moment for something that represents God well to arise. I'm not talking about religion, that will be of no help at all, but rather God lovers – kingdom-minded, sold out people! People of all nationalities, cultures, denominational histories, that have the same King, kingdom and cause in common. People that want to represent God's kingdom well in the lives they live beyond two hours on a Sunday morning. People that carry God's kingdom wherever they go because they have realised they are now citizens of it and that it now lives in and through them.

Citizenship to the kingdom of God becomes yours only when you believe in Jesus and are born again.

John 3:3
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

So it is a citizenship right that, like so many natural ones, is yours by birth; but there is a difference with this citizenship – though you are born into your first one (natural, earthly) this one (the kingdom) is born into you, the residency is internal.

Our cities need people who are not just citizens (passport holders, entitled to heaven after death) but ambassadors (those who live it out) – there is a difference. I am very much a Brit. I have a British passport, and am also very British in how I act – wherever I happen to find myself in the world, the way I live out my life wherever I am reveals me as one, not just my legal documents. In the same way, may I not just have the passport or legal documents for God's kingdom but live daily like a citizen of it.

What are we doing when we are "doing Church"? Hopefully we are birthing, raising up and mobilising kingdom-minded people – people who know their true citizenship is to an eternal kingdom, to which they truly belong – one for which they live with all they are.

Bless you,

Andy
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