BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT

“‘Blessed are the poor in spirit’ means: 
‘Blessed is the man who has realized his own utter helplessness, and who has put his whole trust in God.’ If a man has realized his own utter helplessness, and has put his whole trust in God, there will enter into his life two things which are opposite sides of the same thing. He will become completely detached from things, for he will know that things have not got it in them to bring happiness or security; and he will become completely attached to God, for he will know that God alone can bring him help, and hope, and strength. The man who is poor in spirit is the man who has realized that things mean nothing, and that God means everything.”
William Barclay

WE ARE ON iTUNES!

We are excited to announce that we are officially on iTunes! You can catch us at http://freedomlifeag.podomatic.com/ and subscribe to us. We would love for you to spread the word. Its a FREE audio podcast and a great way to share the love of God to friends and family in a relevant way. You can find out more about our church at www.freedomlifeag.com.  Thank you for all your support and thank you to Amy Barto for all her help in making this happen.

-Pastor Tony

TRULY FREE

Would you consider yourself a free person? On what basis would you make your evaluation? What would you say makes a free person? After years of ministry I am convinced that there are sometimes more people in prison that are free then those who are walking around as prisoners on the loose. Those who are in prison often have less opportunities to be tempted but we however, feel as if freedom is our chance to "do what we want." There is much deception in that frame of mind.

These questions force us to define what we mean by freedom. Truly free people have four ingredients of liberty.

1. They have dealt with the past and are free from incriminating memories of failure.
2. They have experienced forgiveness which has extricated them from self-condemnation.
3. They have been released from the bonds of compulsive patterns.
4. They have been emancipated from dependence on the opinions and criticism of people.

From these basic elements flows the freedom to accept and love ourselves, give affirmation and esteem to others, and live with confidence concerning the future. This quality of freedom comes only from fellowship with Christ. Yet I am painfully aware that there are many Christians who believe in Christ, but who are not free. How can we be free?

The world and believers need to experience the dynamic of the cross. Only the power of the cross can grant us our personal liberation from the failures of the past and the disturbing memories of what might have been. The power of the cross also can grant us freedom from being unsettled by the criticism of others who demand we live up to their standards.

It is when we experience such release we are on our way to being unlocked from the prisons of the past and enabled to breathe the fresh air of our deliverance.

Remember this truth: Failure is an event, not a person.

-Tony Cruz

Ten Spiritual Leadership Realities

Doug Clay – Assistant Superintendent of the A/G – shares these ten spiritual leadership realities:

1. It’s lonely to lead
2. Success can be dangerous
3. It’s hardest at home
4. Authenticity is essential
5. It’s painful to obey
6. Disappointment is part of it
7. It’s attitude that matters
8. Integrity eclipses image
9. It starts and ends with humility
10. Anointing is non-negotiable

STOP TRYING TO WIN ARGUEMENTS

 

by Jon Walker

"I beg you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to stop arguing among yourselves. Let there be real harmony so that there won't be splits in the church. I plead with you to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose." – 1 Corinthians 1:10 (Living Bible)

Stop trying to win arguments.

Instead, make it your goal to love those who disagree with you. Go for the love, not the win. Jesus tells us love will always win; he guaranteed that when he walked out of the tomb.

When you find yourself in an argument with other believers, use these biblical guidelines for getting along:

Let mercy guide your response (Proverbs 3:3-6). In a conflict, most of us say we only want what's fair, but God's approach isn't about being fair. It's about grace and mercy (Romans 5:8).

Let God determine the truth (2 Corinthians 13:8). The truth is not determined by your thoughts or feelings (1 John 4:1) or the opinions of others. Truth is what God says it is; he is the sole authority for interpreting any situation (2 Corinthians 10:5).

The Bible says we shouldn't rely on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5), that what appears to be right to us may very well be wrong (Proverbs 14:12).

Look for God's presence (Matthew 28:20). Satan wants us to believe we're in the battle alone. Follow the example of the young shepherd boy, David, who believed God was in the fight and that the battle belonged to the Lord (1 Samuel 17:47).

Look for the conflict's true source (Ephesians 6:12). According to God's Word, we're really not fighting other people; our real enemy is Satan and his "unseen spiritual forces of wickedness."

Lay down human weapons (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). When we try to meet our own needs, working independently of God, we tend to use what the Apostle Paul called weapons of the flesh. These include: manipulation, gossip, slander, ridicule, threats, blame, nagging, deception, and silence. When we use them, we end up in an "evil for evil" cycle, and that's like trying to fight a skunk with "stink" – everybody loses!

Learn to use spiritual weapons (2 Corinthians 10:4). The Bible tells us that prayer is a powerful spiritual weapon. After we put on the whole armor of God, we're to "pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18 NIV).

As seen at http://www.purposedriven.com/blogs/dailyhope/index.html?contentid=11052

THE MEN’S THESAURUS

When a man says: "IT'S A GUY THING"
He means: "There is no rational thought pattern connected with this, and you have no chance at all of making it logical"

When a man says "UH HUH, SURE HONEY,” or “YES, DEAR"
He means: Absolutely nothing – It’s a conditioned response.

When a man says ’’IT WOULD TAKE TOO LONG TO EXPLAIN"
He means: "I have no idea how it works"

When a man says "TAKE A BREAK, HONEY. YOU ARE WORKING TOO HARD’’
He means: "I can’t hear the game over the vacuum cleaner"

When a man says ’THAT’S INTERESTING DEAR.’
He means: "I have no idea what you just said"

When a man says "YOU KNOW HOW BAD MY MEMORY IS."
He means: " I can remember theme songs, scores and stats of multiple teams in professional sports – but I forgot your birthday"

When a man says ’OH, DON’T FUSS, I JUST CUT MYSELF. IT’S NO BIG DEAL"
He means: "I have actually severed a limb, but I will bleed to death before I admit I’m hurt"

When a man says ’I CAN’T FIND IT.’’
He means: "It didn’t fall into my outstretched hand, so I have no idea"

When a man says “I HEARD YOU.”
He means: "I haven’t the foggiest clue what you just said and I am hoping desperately that I can fake it well enough so that you’ll not notice”

When a man says "YOU LOOK TERRIFIC!"
He means: "Oh please don’t try on one more outfit, I’m starving."

When a man says "I’M NOT LOST. I KNOW EXACTLY WHERE WE ARE.’’
He means: "No one will ever see us alive again."

7 THINGS YOU'LL NEVER HEAR YOUR DAD SAY

7. I notice all your friends have a hostile attitude–I like that!

6. Well now that you’re 13, Princess, I want you to start dating older guys.

5. No son of mine is going to live under this roof without an earring!

4. Why do you want to get a job? I’ve got plenty of money for you to spend!

3. Your mother and I are going away for the weekend–you might want to consider throwing a party.

2. Here’s my credit card and the keys to my car–now, GO CRAZY!

1. Well, looks like I’m lost–I guess I’ll have to stop and ask for directions!