Phoenix Community of Atlanta

Attention

“Look at me! Look at me!” All of us have said that at one time or another in our lives. Whether we were a child or an adult there is something inside of us that wants other people to notice us. We want them to see our ability, giftedness, looks or other skills and affirm us. Being the center of attention makes us feel good and we need to be the center of attention sometimes but not all the time. If we want people to see God at work in our lives then He needs to be the center of attention and get credit when credit is due Him. And the Holy Spirit does just that in each believer’s life.

Read Acts 2:14-33.

The Holy Spirit draws attention to the Savior. Notice that Peter did not focus on the unique happening that had just taken place but turned the crowd’s attention to the message of Jesus and their need for repentance. Likewise, the Holy Spirit does not draw attention to Himself but to the Savior. And when He fills your life, He radically increases your ability to share the Gospel with others.

When we understand that submitting to the Holy Spirit’s leading in us brings God glory then it no longer becomes important to be the center of attention. Actually, that need is fulfilled by knowing you have been used by God to show others His love for them. And this brings satisfaction that no amount of attention could ever bring you.

Think about it: Have you been trying to get the attention in your life that is due God? How can you change that by submitting to the Holy Spirit in your life?

- Jeff Bagwell

Decide. Commit. Transform.

Fill’er Up!

I have a problem with my wife’s driving. It’s not her driving skills, speeding or safe driving record. I have problem with her leaving the car on empty most of the time. It seems like most of the time when I have to drive her car the gas tank is on E. I personally believe she tries to see how far she can drive the car on empty before the gas runs out. I, on the other hand, prefer to not push my luck and keep the tank from reaching empty. As a matter of fact, I feel more confident and safe driving when the gas tank is full. There is just something inside me that experiences peace knowing the tank is full and I am not going to run out of gas. It’s funny but God has designed Christ followers to experience confidence and peace when they are filled with the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit fills all believers. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit was given only to a select few to perform specific tasks. Acts chapter 2 indicates a change in that pattern. The Holy Spirit was poured out on all believers in the house that day in Acts 2:4 and the Spirit continued to be present in each of their lives from that day forward. This outpouring of the Holy Spirit was used by God to establish the church and to spread the message of the Gospel around the world as told in Acts 2:39.

Take a moment and read Acts 2. God has given you the power of the Holy Spirit not to feel something but do something. Ask God in prayer to show you how to share His Spirit He has filled you with. Then do with confidence what God has filled you to do in mind and spirit. And don’t forget… you are filled with all the Holy Spirit you need to accomplish what God has gifted and led you to do.

Something to think about: What is God leading me to do or say that I have been unwilling to act on? By embracing the fact that the Holy Spirit fills me with the confidence I need to obey God, am I going to act on the Spirit’s leading? Why or why not?

- Jeff Bagwell

Decide. Commit. Transform.

God’s Spirit Will Empower Your Witness

Read Acts 1:1-8.

One of the greatest things the Holy Spirit wants to do in the life of a believer is empower his or her witness. The word for power in verse 8 comes from the Greek word dunamis, from which we get the words dynamite, dynamic and dynamo. God didn’t give us the power of the Holy Spirit to feel something, but to accomplish something.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit’s power acts like dynamite in our lives, blasting us with zeal, jolting us out of complacency, and motivating us to greater spiritual growth. At other times God’s Spirit is like a dynamic, generating power that will help us live from day to day at a level we could not achieve on our own. We need to remember the encouraging words the apostle Paul gave to young Timothy:

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.

(2 Timothy 1:7)

Are you timid in your witness for Christ? Is it hard for you to speak up for what you believe? Then you need to tap in to that power he has made available to you through the Holy Spirit. God’s Holy Spirit will give you an added dimension of boldness, power and persuasiveness in your witness that you have never experienced before.

- Jeff Bagwell

Decide. Commit. Transform.

I’ve Got The Power

“The Power” is an electronic pop hit song by the German music group Snap! from their album World Power. It was released in January 1990 and reached number-one in the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, as well as the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play and Hot Rap charts. It is particularly known for its hook “I’ve got the power!”. Perhaps this lyrical phrase was the most memorable part of the song because as humans each of us has a core need to be empowered in our lives.

You know a great thing about being a Christ Follower is that we are empowered. God’s Holy Spirit has empowered us for the rest of our lives. Read what it says in Luke 24:49:

And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.

In this verse, Jesus describes the dynamic empowering of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This is what the early Christians experienced in Acts chapter 2, and it dramatically emboldened their witness for Jesus Christ. This power is available to believers today, for Scripture says of the giving of His Spirit:

This promise is to you, and to your children, and even to the Gentiles – all who have been called by the Lord our God.

Acts 2:39

God has given you His Power through His Holy Spirit. So what’s stopping you from doing what you know God is leading you to do in your heart? God is empowering you to do it! Trust the Holy Spirit’s leading in your life and obey what God is asking you to do today. After all, you’ve “got the power”.

Read Luke 24:44-49 and close your time in prayer.

- Jeff Bagwell

Decide. Commit. Transform.

Inside Out

I Googled the phrase “inside out” today and found something interesting. Every search result for this phrase had to do with inner change that made for a better life or way to improve the lives of others. Whether it was a song, program, ministry, business or project, every search result was about positive life change that starts on the inside and works its way out. It shouldn’t surprise me because that’s the way God works. The Holy Spirit is about changing you from the inside out.

Let’s take a moment to read some Scripture starting with John 14:15-17, then John 3:5 and ending with Romans 8:16.

When we ask Christ to forgive our sins the Bible says God’s presence come into our lives by the Holy Spirit. There is a preposition that can be found in John 14:17 describing this process: “because He lives with you now and later will be in you”. The Holy Spirit moves in to our lives and sets up residence.

First, He produces salvation in our hearts. Jesus said “No one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of… the Spirit” (John 3:5). Second, He assures us that we have done the right thing. Scripture tells us, “For His Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us we are God’s children” (Romans 8:16). He gives us the inner knowledge that Christ is living in us. Now He can begin changing us from the inside out and develop the new nature within us.

Take a moment to think about the fact that God lives inside of you. How will this truth change the way you live your life today? This week? This year?

- Jeff Bagwell

Decide. Commit. Transform.

How Does the Holy Spirit Work in Our Lives?

You have probably heard a pastor or priest make the statement “in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit“. Most of us understand that the Father refers to God and that Jesus is the Son of God but the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit can be difficult to understand and even recognize in our own life. So what is the Holy Spirit and how does the Spirit work in our lives?

John 16:5-8 reveals that God will send His Spirit to “convince the world of its sin and of God’s righteousness“. Verse 7 refers to the Holy Spirit as Counselor. You could also describe the Holy Spirit as Comforter, Encourager or Advocate. Use any of these descriptions that best help you understand but either way, the Holy Spirit is God at work in our world after Jesus’ ascension to Heaven.

So now that we know the Holy Spirit is God’s presence in our world today how does His Spirit work in our lives? Let’s go back to John 16:7 to see one of several ways the Holy Spirit works in our lives. “But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come.” The actual original Greek word used for Advocate is Paraclete. The first part of the word Para refers to how God’s Spirit works with each of us as non-believers. Prior to placing our faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit worked to convict us of our sin and reveal that Jesus Christ was the answer to our sin problem. Some want to rationalize this as just our conscience but the Holy Spirit has the power to open our eyes to our terminally sinful condition, exposing our lack of righteousness so that we will see the need to turn our lives over to Jesus Christ.

God’s Holy Spirit does more than just convict non-believers of sin. We will learn about the other ways as we read through this week’s devotions. But before we wrap this devotional time up open your Bible and read the following verses:

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will bet in you.

~ John 14:16-17

…but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

~ John 16:5-11

Think back to the moments leading up to trusting Christ as your Lord and Savior. How were you convicted of your sin? Can you see the Holy Spirit’s presence in those moments? Recognition of the Holy Spirit in our past will help us to recognize and follow the Spirit’s leading in our present and future.

- Jeff Bagwell

Decide. Commit. Transform.

Whenever we go through a crisis in our life, we always seem to come out of it changed. Sometimes crisis, such as abuse, loss of a child, or loss of a spouse causes such deep hurt, pain, and trauma that professional counseling with a Godly counselor is crucial for healing and wholeness.

Though we think of crisis being a disaster or trauma of some sort, crisis can also come in the way of great achievement. Winning the championship game, getting the big promotion, or landing the big client can bring about crisis. There are television specials and even reality shows about the people that win the lottery and how their lives were drastically altered when their “ship came in.” Many of these people would tell you their ship was named the Titanic!

Crisis of belief causes us to change as well. These are the times in life when the most important things in life seem to be on the line like our popularity status in high school, our college career, choosing our mate, our house, our job, our marriage, etc. Truth is whenever God speaks to our hearts in an undeniable way we are thrust into a Crisis of Belief. We ask this crucial question; “Is it Worth it?” We begin weighing the pros and cons of living a sold out, No-Compromise life with God.

After God had blessed Daniel’s faithfulness with the whole diet thing, here came another Crisis of Belief, but this one had life and death implications. This time the king had a dream and wanted his wise guys to tell him the dream and if they told him what he had dreamed he knew they would be wise enough to interpret the dream. The risk if they answered wrong? Being cut into pieces! Since none of Nebuchadnezzar’s wise men could tell him the dream he had dreamt he was going to put them all to death, including the Hebrew men led by Daniel. Read Daniel’s response to this in Daniel 2:14-19a:

When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.

Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision.

Daniel handled the crisis in the same way he had been handling every crisis up to this point, by talking with his Heavenly Father. All the strength, wisdom and understanding he had up to this point was God given, therefore Daniel was prepared for this moment, and he nailed it! Transformation begins with a courageous step of faith on your part, but take heart because God is already where you are stepping ready to land your feet and steady your walk as you trust Him with your spiritual, physical, financial, emotional, and behavioral transformation! Build on today as we are all transforming together.

- Brian Holland

Decide. Commit. Transform.

Do you remember the scene in the movie Forrest Gump (available on YouTube – watch up until 4:00 minutes) when Forrest decides he wanted to go running? I think it hilarious that everyone wanted to interpret what Forrest was doing for him. Everyone wanted to try to pour Forrest’s actions into their own mold, and even wanted him and his running to be the center of their hope. Remember what happened when he decided to stop running? Everyone got mad because like so many causes before they had been let down. Ironically, Forrest never intended for anyone to join him. It was simply his way of dealing with grief.

Everyone is looking for something to believe in. Everyone wants their life to matter, and everyone wants to hitch their wagon to the right cause. This is one of the major factors at play in most men’s “Mid-Life Crisis.” It’s when most men get to within 15-20 years of retirement and they begin to ask if their life actually matters. School and marriage, children and houses, jobs and careers have come and gone and they are left wondering if it has meaning.

This leads us to today’s important question for a No-Compromise person like we read about in the book of Daniel. The question is, “What is your worth?” In other words, where do you say you find your value in life? What would you say is most important to you?

Here’s a little accountability: What do you think others who observe your behavior would say is most valuable to you? What about your spouse, your children, your classmates, or your co-workers?

Read Daniel 1:15-16:

At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.

I love that God not only took care of the young Hebrew men, but because of their gentle and humble boldness to live No-Compromise lives they changed the menu plan for all the fellas in the king’s court! They started a movement, and God got the credit!

Our willingness to follow God alone with humility, courage, and grace will become a Catalyst movement for those around us. They will definitely want to know what “Our Secret” is. Our answer will be the same as Daniel’s as he proclaimed in chapter 2:

Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said:
“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever;
    wisdom and power are his.
He changes times and seasons;
    he deposes kings and raises up others.
He gives wisdom to the wise
    and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
    he knows what lies in darkness,
    and light dwells with him.
I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors:
    You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
    you have made known to us the dream of the king.”

Now that’s something worth living for! If you’ve got questions, Praise God! He has answers!

- Brian Holland

Decide. Commit. Transform.

This week we took on the story of Daniel as we continued our 90 day transformation challenge. Daniel was a no-compromise sort of guy. He was known, sort of like Joseph, as a guy that was respectful, hard working, humble, and polite. It was never his intention to rock the boat by being flamboyant or overt, but make no mistake he was committed to living for God alone.

This past Sunday Ginney (my wife) was incredibly courageous by getting on a scale and weighing in front of the whole church. She challenged us all to be aware that past sin and shame only has power in secret and darkness. As Ginney has made a commitment to become healthier physically she read me a quote from Kate Holmes which says, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” While there is no way I’ll ever be skinny, nor do I want to be skinny per se, along with Ginney I do have a desire to become as healthy as God created me. So Ginney and I have adopted this motto for our eating, “Nothing tastes as good as HEALTHY feels.”

Daniel’s life motto might have been, “No momentary sin is worth compromising your relationship with God.” A perfect example of this is when Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were gonna be fed the food and drink from the King’s table, but Daniel knew that it was not prepared according to the law of God, and most of it had been pre-sacrificed to the idols of Babylon. In Daniel 1:8-10 it says:

“But Daniel determined that he would not defile himself by eating the king’s food or drinking his wine, so he asked the head of the palace staff to exempt him from the royal diet.”

Of course the steward was hesitant at first, but with respect and humility Daniel offered the steward an easy way to tell if God was in this or not. Daniel said, “Try us out for ten days on a simple diet of vegetables and water. Then compare us with the young men who eat from the royal menu. Make your decision on the basis of what you see.”

By this point in the Ps90X series you are probably aware of what Jeff, Greg, and I have been communicating… namely, “Where we are today is the sum of all of our previous choices.” The question is have you committed to the change needed in your spiritual, physical, emotional, and behavioral life so that you will know that you are living the best life for which you have been created?

If you are struggling with deciding to follow God today spiritually, emotionally, physically, and behaviorally you might be having a hard time with this next question, “What is worth?” Or another way to say it is, “Who is determining worth and value in your life?” God sees you as so valuable that He gave the highest priced ransom in history, His Son Jesus. He is fully committed to life with you, but only until you decide that God alone sets the value on your life and no one else, you will always feel like you are living less than fully committed to Him. So go ahead and decide to take God’s path today. Be a no-compromise person like Daniel!

- Brian Holland

Decide. Commit. Transform.