Breathing Room: Breathe Spiritually

1 Cor 6:12
Jn 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
What is your identity? What do you identify with most? Identity- the thing by which we identify with most.
Internal challenges- Gal 5:1
1. We are no longer slaves to our past. Guilt. Grace. Labels attach themselves securely to our souls, not to easily be removed. Jn 8:31b-32. The Truth will overcome the lies and labels. Truth is a person-Jesus Christ. We need to continuously commune with Jesus. 2 Cor 5:17. God has moved on from our past failures and sins, and so should we. God can use you. Phil 3:13. What or who is the loudest voice in your life?
2. You are no longer slaves to our present. Shame. Mercy. We can't serve both sin and God. Gal 5:16-17. Lie- you are not worthy because of where you are currently stuck. The day that He saved you, He knew you'd be stuck in this sin problem right here and right now. God's label over you is lasting, it's permanent.
3. You are no longer a slave to performance. Fear. Forgiveness. We can't earn or lose God's love through our performance. Eph 2:8-10 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." The more we make this life about us, the more we become suffocated by slavery. Christ AND me vs. Christ IN me.

Breathing Room: Breathing Financially

2300+ verses in scripture talk about money, 15% of Jesus' teachings were about money.
1 Cor 6:12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.

The lies:
1. We lack trust.
2. We've bought into the lies. Joy and contentment can be purchased
3. We're temporal/earthly focused.
4. Our hearts go unchecked.

The remedy:
Lk 12:32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.  Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
1. Trust God. Lk 12:32 God gives us everything we need and more. Tithing: Gen 14, 28; Lev 27:30; Num 18:25-28; Deut 14:22-24; 2 Chron 31:5-6; Mal 3; Mt 23:23; Lk 18:2.
2. Know, believe, and love the Truth. Lk 12:33a. Josh Becker book: The More of Less. Buy only things that have purpose in your life.
3. Maximize your treasure in heaven, not on earth. Lk 12:33.
4. Check your heart regularly. Allow God to check your heart. Ps 139:23 "Search me and know my anxious thoughts."
Lk 3:10-14 "What should we do then?” the crowd asked.  John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”  Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”  “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.  Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

Breathing Room: Technology

Build extra space in our lives so we are more in tune with His purposes, promises, and people.
The problem is not technology, the problem is the person using it. Whatever we feed will grow. 1 Cor 6:12.

Technology is a great servant, but not a good master. Technicolor can drain us mentally and spiritually. It can rob our attention away from God. Mt 22:37-39. It is difficult to serve God with our heart, soul and mind when we are distracted.

1. Technology robs us of a deeper relationship with God. The threat is to our soul. Ps 130:5-6, 63:1. Technology keeps us connected to the outer world, but disconnected to our inner lives. Lk 10:38-41. We need to take a breath, stop being so busy and rest (Be still, and know that I am God).

2. Technology robs us of a more purposeful and meaningful relationship with others. When we are distracted our view of God and our view of self becomes distorted. Fear of missing out on the world, makes us miss out on what is really happening around us in our lives.

What now? Practical steps:
1. Be honest with where you are.
2. Turn off notifications.
3. Track your phone usage. (Quality time app)
4. Put your phone in a different room.
5. Consider temporarily depriving yourself.
6. Practice stillness and silence often.

Regular stillness is necessary for living the purposeful, joyful, peaceful life to which God has called us. Mt 11:28-29 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

This Is Us: We are Faith Filled, Big Thinking, Bet the Farm Risk Takers

Eph 3:20-21 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
1. God's Plan- His Glory. Col 1. God does not do His work through us so people will think how awesome we are, but how awesome He is.
2. God's Power- His Sprit. Eph 3:16-18.
3. God's Provision- His More. Eph 3:29. We are a bunch of "dumb askers." Our asking and praying and thinking is too small. Expect unexpected things! Think of how God loves to hear the prayers of His people. Whatever we ask, God can do more.
   A. God's "more" will always point back to Him.
   B. God's "more" often comes through pain, suffering and hardship.
   C. God's greatest "more" is Himself. Our greatest need is a real encounter with God and salvation through Jesus. Ps 63:1-8 "You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.  I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.  Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.  I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.  I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.  On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.  Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.  I cling to you; your right hand upholds me."
Faith filled- it starts with faith, Heb 11:1, 6
Big thinking- Think bigger!!
Bet the farm risk takers- we are not called to a comfortable, safe, life. Our risk taking must always point to God, not us.

Easter

1. The history of death. Gen 2:16-17, 3:17-19; Rom 5:12, 3:23, 6:23.
2. The answer to death. Jesus. 1 Cor 15:20-21; Eph 2:4-5. He answered our sin problem with his death, and he answered our death problem with his Resurrection.
It's Sunday, but Monday's coming. How do we take the Resurrection of Easter into the other days off the week?
-Repent, turn from our sins. 1 Jn 1:9; Col 2:13. All. Forgiven. By. Jesus.
-Belief, Jn 3:16; Rom 10:9-10

This is Us: Generosity

We will lead the way with irrational generosity.
1. God doesn't need our money. Ps 50:7-12
2. Please, don't be foolish. Lk 12:15-21
3. Generosity is not something God wants FROM us, it's something God wants FOR us. 1 Tim 6:17-19, 6-9; Mt 6:19-21
4. Generosity is the sign of a changed heart. Lk 19:7-8
5. We will fund God's work with the generous cheerful, sacrificial, giving of God's people.
-generous: 2 Cor 9:6
-cheerful: 2 Cor 9:7
-sacrificial: 2 Cor 8:1-4
-irrational: Mk 12:41-44
Generosity is not about the size of the gift, it's about the heart.
6. God is the most generous giver of all time. Jn 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son

This is Us: Mission

1. We Live on Mission
Don't be a false advertiser of Jesus.
Mt 13:24-29, 36-43; Jn 3:16
2. If you are a follower of Jesus, you are called to be a missionary. We are all missionaries if we have placed our faith in Jesus.
3. Jesus lived on mission. Lk 5:29-32,19:7-10
4. Our mission is to boldly proclaim the story of Jesus. Acts 1:8; 2 Cor 5:11, 14, 17-21 "We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." v 20‭-‬21
5. Be bold, not weird. Acts 4:29-31 "Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” v29-30
6. What if we brought our friends to Jesus? What would happen? Lk 5:17-26