Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Good morning, Champion. “Pride ain’t no friend of yours” James 4:5-6 (NKJV) Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (The Message) It's common knowledge that "God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble." It is good for us to remember that pride is no friend to our life or destiny. It will cause you to know the resistance of God’s hand rather than the lifting grace of it. I don’t know about you but I do not want to live my life with God resisting me, but I certainly want to experience His daily grace assisting me. The key is very simple: keep pride out of your heart and life. Instead let humility (not false humility) reign throughout the corridors of your being. Pride and arrogance are the forerunners to stuff we really do not want. Proverbs 16:18-19 (NKJV) Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. There is nothing wrong in taking a healthy pride in what you do but that is so different to the unhealthy pride that tries to stand arrogantly in the face of God and His wisdom, “knowing better”. Remember, it was pride that deceived Satan concerning who he really was and was the doorway to him getting kicked out of heaven. Satan had a pretty good job – he was head worship leader, given the privilege of reflecting the worship of heaven towards God. Sadly, one day he decided he did not want to pass it on but own it himself. It was that very moment that destruction came to collect him! May we all today again purpose to walk humbly before our God, not being scared to celebrate who He has made us to be but ever conscious of what we would be without Him! Bless you, Andy

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Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Good morning, Champion. “Pride ain’t no friend of yours” James 4:5-6 (NKJV) Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (The Message) It's common knowledge that "God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble." It is good for us to remember that pride is no friend to our life or destiny. It will cause you to know the resistance of God’s hand rather than the lifting grace of it. I don’t know about you but I do not want to live my life with God resisting me, but I certainly want to experience His daily grace assisting me. The key is very simple: keep pride out of your heart and life. Instead let humility (not false humility) reign throughout the corridors of your being. Pride and arrogance are the forerunners to stuff we really do not want. Proverbs 16:18-19 (NKJV) Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. There is nothing wrong in taking a healthy pride in what you do but that is so different to the unhealthy pride that tries to stand arrogantly in the face of God and His wisdom, “knowing better”. Remember, it was pride that deceived Satan concerning who he really was and was the doorway to him getting kicked out of heaven. Satan had a pretty good job – he was head worship leader, given the privilege of reflecting the worship of heaven towards God. Sadly, one day he decided he did not want to pass it on but own it himself. It was that very moment that destruction came to collect him! May we all today again purpose to walk humbly before our God, not being scared to celebrate who He has made us to be but ever conscious of what we would be without Him! Bless you, Andy

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Andy Elmes; Breakfast of Champions

Good morning, Champion. 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 you, “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 her 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 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 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.

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Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Good morning, Champion.

Live in your revealed identity

Hebrews 11:23-24 (NKJV)

By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command. By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.

The life of Moses makes for an interesting read. It’s another one of those God-inspired life adventures.

 

Moses is born to parents who are Levites, a part of Israel; as a baby, to save him from Pharaoh's child-murdering plans, his parents set him afloat in a basket on the Nile, strategically aiming him for the courts of Pharaoh. Pharaoh’s daughter finds him and raises him as her own. He grows up in the household and kingdom of Egypt thinking that this was his true identity, living by their ways and beliefs; although, I believe he always sensed all was not right and something deep inside of Him never sat completely well with it, always feeling a little different.

 

One day someone reveals to him that he is actually not an Egyptian but a part of Israel, God's people. He discovers the nurse that cared for him was actually his real mother – wow, what a day that must have been! Now he has a choice to make: he has been raised as one person but that is not who he really is. He makes the choice to stand up as the person he really is and his life goes in a whole new direction.

 

When you read this account there are things that we can relate to. Each of us has been raised in a kingdom to which we thought we belonged; daily we joined in with all its ways and beliefs. Then one day we find out we actually belong to God and were separated by what Adam did at the dawn of time. When we realise this fact we then have a choice, as Moses did: do we keep on acting and living in accordance with the life we were raised in or do we step out and decide to be, from this point on, who we really are?

 

If we stand up and live according to our true identity our lives too will take a new direction. Yes, it may even attract persecution and cause challenge, but at the end of the day, like Moses, you will know you are now being the person that you really are, not the one you were raised to be.

 

God is your real Father, and through Jesus you have been re-united. Be who you really are – like Moses, refuse to be called any longer what you are not.

 

God bless,

 

Andy

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Kings Generation: December ENews

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Stolen Childhood: Laila Bevan

http://www.stolenchildhood.co.uk/HOME.html

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Breakfast of Champions: Andy Elmes

Good morning, Champion. Faith takes you beyond 1 Kings 17:12-14 (NIV) As surely as the LORD your God lives," she replied, "I don't have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die." Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.' " Reading this account is eye-opening. Imagine if a prophet or evangelist today treated a widow in distress like this. It would be all over the papers the next morning with headlines like, “Greedy Evangelist Eats Widows Last Morsel of Food”.   The brief overview of this account is this: the prophet goes to this woman to get food because God sends him there specifically.   When he gets there he finds this widow getting ready to make one last meal for her and her son, after which she had resolved to starve to death through lack – thank God He had a better plan than that.   She tells Elijah of her “seemingly little bit” and he says to cook it up and release it from her hand into his life and it would supernaturally multiply for her – now, in her great need, and long after he had gone”.  She had to make the choice to place her faith in the words of the prophet of God and not in the very real evidence of her present experience. When she released her “seemingly small bit” the miracle happened. The lesson here is that with both her and the disciples, with their miracle of the bread and fish, they saw the miracle increase come when they were willing to let go of something that did not seem enough.   When exactly did the miracle happen in the hands of the disciples in Luke 19? It was not when they held the bread because that would have crushed them under a mountain of bread and fish, but it was when they let it go and released it in faith!   Don’t see things as small. See them as seed for mighty miracles when God is on the case.   Faith to you today; He is the same today as He has always been, let go of something that does not seem big enough and watch what happens.

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Andy Elmes: breakfast of champions

Good morning, Champion. Faith takes you beyond 1 Kings 17:12-14 (NIV) As surely as the LORD your God lives," she replied, "I don't have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die." Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.' " Reading this account is eye-opening. Imagine if a prophet or evangelist today treated a widow in distress like this. It would be all over the papers the next morning with headlines like, “Greedy Evangelist Eats Widows Last Morsel of Food”.   The brief overview of this account is this: the prophet goes to this woman to get food because God sends him there specifically.   When he gets there he finds this widow getting ready to make one last meal for her and her son, after which she had resolved to starve to death through lack – thank God He had a better plan than that.   She tells Elijah of her “seemingly little bit” and he says to cook it up and release it from her hand into his life and it would supernaturally multiply for her – now, in her great need, and long after he had gone”.  She had to make the choice to place her faith in the words of the prophet of God and not in the very real evidence of her present experience. When she released her “seemingly small bit” the miracle happened. The lesson here is that with both her and the disciples, with their miracle of the bread and fish, they saw the miracle increase come when they were willing to let go of something that did not seem enough.   When exactly did the miracle happen in the hands of the disciples in Luke 19? It was not when they held the bread because that would have crushed them under a mountain of bread and fish, but it was when they let it go and released it in faith!   Don’t see things as small. See them as seed for mighty miracles when God is on the case.   Faith to you today; He is the same today as He has always been, let go of something that does not seem big enough and watch what happens.

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Black Tie Ball 2010

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How do you get up from an all time low: Andy Elmes

Good morning, Champion. How do you get out of an all-time low? Genesis 39:20-21 (NIV) Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; He showed him kindness and granted him favour in the eyes of the prison warden. I was listening to the radio on the way to the office and heard a band called The Wanted singing today’s title in a song; they asked this question: “How do you get out of an all time low?" They then sang about a whole lot of things that would not help you, but never mentioned the One who would, Jesus. Listen, when you are in an “low time” God is there and really is your 'very present help in time of need' (Psalm 46:1). Think about Joseph. Here we see him sitting in prison when he had done nothing wrong, but also we see he was not alone. Read it again: both the Lord and His grace were present. Remember Joseph's story? His journey had started with big God-given dreams and promises, and almost straight away he woke up in a low – abandoned in a pit – because his brothers could not handle what God had promised. But as you read on you see God’s favour kept lifting him up and moving him forwards. Here we now see Joseph in a prison – he could have thought, “What is this about, what about the dreams?” In some ways this was an 'all-time low' for him. Yet he was not crushed or disappointed – why? Because he knew something that I am going to share with you. Here it is: this was just one chapter in a very, very good book – not the best chapter, granted, but like the other chapters it would come and it would go. He knew that God had promised him that the story would end looking a lot different to a prison cell; he trusted God above what he was feeling or currently experiencing (that’s faith). Champion, that is what we all need to do when we find ourselves in 'an all-time low'. Remember, God and His favour are present with us and that this is just a single chapter in a very good book (your life). We then turn a couple of pages in Joseph's life-story and he is no longer in a prison but instead the Prime Minister of the nation, saving the brothers who abandoned him in that earlier chapter of life. That’s God, my friend; if you keep believing He will keep moving you to the next and better chapter. Remember, His plans are to prosper you, to give you a hope and a future (Jer 29:11), but that does not mean that sometimes the road or route is not a little bumpy! God bless, Andy

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Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Good morning. It really is, because God is for you! Here’s breakfast. Don’t forget your keys! Matthew 16:19 (NIV) I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. The promise Jesus made to Peter was a promise not just for the Church that was around then, but for the one that is still alive and well today: us! After Jesus rose from the dead, He delivered on the promise and gave the keys of the Kingdom to the Church, and we hold those keys and have the power to open and close things on earth and in heaven. They are keys with a great purpose which enable and empower us to close (bind) things on earth and in heaven, and open (loose) things as well. My challenge this morning is simple: are you tolerating stuff that you don’t need to, simply because you won’t pick up your keys and use them? If so, pick up the keys today, my friend, and begin to use them effectively. Jesus restored our right to rule and reign and have righteous dominion on the earth. God originally gave that right to Adam, but Adam sold out through His disobedience. Jesus, two thousand years ago, through His obedience won that right back for us and has delivered it to us. He gave those keys to us to use and not to sit on the sideboard, so pick them up! Those God-given keys that are in our possession have the power to release things from heaven to the earth and to your life. Read how The Message puts the verse we read: "And that's not all. You will have complete and free access to God's kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven." Don’t leave home without your keys, and have a great day. Andy

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Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Take control of your heart activity

John 14:27 (NKJV)

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

When walking by faith you have to control the activity of your heart. When you are walking towards a God-given promise, as we said, most times without a clue how God is going to do what He has promised, a lot of different emotions can happen in the internal world of your life. Your heart is a very important part of your life – naturally if it fails then nothing else really matters. So it is with our unseen heart: that place of emotions where reasoning occurs, that place were either faith or fear can reside.

 

This verse is all about peace – more specifically, the peace of God. That peace which is more powerful and superior than any other. Notice Jesus said, like His righteousness, He gives it – which means we do not have to fear that its continued presence is down to our performance. It is a gift given to remain. Notice what Jesus says next: because you now have His peace you can and should now take control of the activity of your heart. Make sure the activity is not fear-based but rather faith-based. When there is faith-based activity in your heart then you ward off the side effects that come with such things as fear, things like anxiety and worry that actually have the potential to shorten your days.

 

Jesus specifically speaks of not letting your heart do certain things. Wow! That means that you actually have a controlling role concerning it's daily activity. Okay, firstly Jesus says, "Don’t let your heart be troubled or upset". Remember, we walk by faith and not by sight, which means we should not be moved or distressed by what we may see. Rather we should be stable, despite the changing landscapes, because of what we believe. Secondly He says, "Don't let or allow your heart to be afraid or scared". Again, according to Jesus, you have the right to chose this, not your circumstances. Choose to banish the things that strive to produce fearfulness – you cannot afford to be full of fear, rather full of faith.

 

Okay it’s down to you! Christ is in you, which means your peace is going nowhere on your journey of faith. But now you must choose what are you going to let your heart do during the journey.

 

God bless,

 

Andy

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Youth Conference: London

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Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Good morning, Champion.

Faith leaves the how to God!

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

When learning about faith, with the desire to let it further develop in your life, you soon discover that it is simply a matter of trust; not a matter of trust when you know how everything is going to happen, rather an issue of trusting when you have no understanding or idea of how God is going to make what He has promised you come about. Being human we always want to know the how or, put another way, the specific route to the destination that God has promised us. But most of the time that is not how God operates because He is wanting us to operate in faith. Faith itself is the substance and does not need to be accompanied with physical evidence (Hebrews 11:1).

When you study the life of Abraham you see how God operates in faith. When you gain the understanding of this it enables you to understand how to walk by faith with Him. At the start of Abraham's journey, God steps into His settled, secure world and says, “I have so much more for you”. When Abraham enquires concerning the route to this great destination all God says is, "Leave where you are at and go that way". No map, no sat nav, no co-ordinates, no idea of what was around the corner, or where the next corner was! Yet Abraham chose not to lean on his understanding but rather trust the promise and the Promise Giver. As he stepped forward toward the promise the route began to be revealed: at every bend he experienced the favour and goodness of God, and one day he arrived at the place God had promised. If you are waiting for the route, a map or for that moment you fully understand what God is asking you to do, my friend you may have a long wait. God is looking for those in this generation that will receive the promises He gives and walk in accordance to them, even when the how cannot be understood or does not make sense to your understanding. That’s faith.

What has God promised you? What is delaying you setting off on the journey towards it? Are you waiting for God to release the how: how is God going to make that happen, how is God going to provide, how is God going to open those doors we would need open?

There are never any shortage of hows with the faith walk, but faith is to entrust the hows to the God who has promised you a greater destination.

God bless,

Andy

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Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Good morning, Champion. Bread to eat and seed to sow 2 Corinthians 9:10–11 (NIV) Now he who supplies seed to the Sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. Here we see a two-fold promise for those whose hearts are set on sowing in life. God will provide bread to eat and seed to sow! God does not want to just provide for you what you need for your daily life (bread) but He wants to entrust you with seed so that you can: 1. Sow for your future: like a wise farmer you do not need to be subject to others determining what your harvest in life will look like, but rather you can plan what your harvest will look like yourself by using your God-given seed with wisdom and faith. 2. Sow into the purposes of His kingdom and the lives of others to create a harvest for kingdom purposes, not just your own benefit. Believe God today not just for bread (daily provision) but also for seed to sow (future harvest). He gives seed to the sower God is not fooled. He can see when the heart of a person is set on sowing, and He promises that He will provide seed for that person to sow. Make sure today that your heart is set on sowing, not just getting daily bread. Then you can, with faith and confidence, wait for a delivery of seed from the Divine Supplier. It is very important to remember when God gives you seed that its purpose is different in your life than bread. Make sure you do not eat it or treat it as daily provision, but rather you view it as seed and get it into fertile ground as quickly as you can so that you can get that future harvest started straight away. Never eat your seed! If a farmer was to eat his seed you would call him a fool because he would be sentencing himself to a future of lack. He gives bread to eat and seed to sow. Today, with a grateful heart, thank God for both the bread He provides, for your provision today, and the seed He provides for you to sow, which is all about your future. And remember, God promises that He will increase the store of the sower so that he can be positioned to sow on every occasion. What occasion do you want to sow into? Thank the One who gives seed to the sower today and wait for that delivery. Have a great day. Andy

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Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Good morning, Champion.

Give us our daily bread

Matthew 4:3-4 (NIV)
The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'

Remember today that we do not live by natural bread (food) alone, but it is God’s every word coming into our lives that causes us to grow in our true strength and potential.

Natural bread (food) profits the natural man but is unable to give the needed nutrition and fibre that your spirit craves for. Only God’s Word will satisfy that inner appetite. That Bible you own contains the living words of God. Each sentence, thought, and principle is power-packed and able to produce in you, and through you, incredible things. Make sure you take time to daily eat the bread of God, not just the bread of man.

Don’t try and live by natural things alone. Jesus said that a man cannot do that because he needs the words of God to be all that he was designed for and destined to be.

Ever heard the term “GIGO”? It stands for “garbage in, garbage out”. Listen, when you make sure you have a daily input of divine bread – which is God’s Word, the Bible – you change that principle to a more positive reality, which is “God in, God out”. You will experience life and power coming from you at every corner, and not garbage.

Jesus demonstrated the power of the Word of God when He was tempted by Satan in a time of physical weakness. In times of trouble or temptation you too will have the answer because you would have digested it earlier. Champion, take time to regularly eat the bread that God has given, and when you do you are fit for life.

I pray you ever fall in love with the Word of God and may God give you today your daily bread!

Andy

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Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Life is a Garden

Genesis 8:22 (NIV)

As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.

This verse is a reminder of the timeless promise made to Noah after the flood, on that first morning of a whole new beginning. As we read it let us remember that it is an eternal principle that is still very much in motion today and not a momentary promise exclusive to Noah.

 

I want to inspire you today by reminding you that the eternal principle of sowing and reaping affects every area of our daily life, and when we remember this it can help us to cultivate harvests in our future that we can look forward to.

 

Life really is a garden and when you treat it like one, being mindful of what you are sowing, it can be a great place to be and call home.

 

"As long as the earth remains" – tap your foot on the floor: if it is still there, then this eternal principle established for our good is still in motion.

 

Another earth day is waiting for you to join in with it and yesterday you joined in even without thinking about it. As with gravity, there is no choice and no day off for this planet; and what a man sows, that will he reap!

 

Many experience the negative harvests produced by this principle because what they sow is not good seed; but we, the believers, should understand the workings of this promise and daily use it to produce harvests that are worth having and fun to run through when grown.

 

Seed-time and harvest affects every border and lawn of the garden of your life. If you want to bring some changes somewhere in the garden then consider what you are sowing there, and if you want carrots then plant carrots. What you sow into your relationships each and every day will determine what you harvest from them. This is a sobering thought for anyone who has a dream of greatness in the relationships of their life.

 

This is just one part of your life so take time to think what you’re sowing. Will you want the harvest of your actions? Hopefully most of your responses will be "Yes"; but if not, then do something about the seed you're using today.

 

Bless you,

 

Andy

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Next Generation: Breakfast of Champions

It’s about the next generation, too

Matthew 21:1-3 (NIV)

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.

We have been looking at this great account of Jesus sending His disciples to loose a donkey for the purpose of carrying Him into Jerusalem. We saw how He chose a donkey over a stallion as he is looking for faithfulness, not ego. We also considered how, like the donkey, we have not just been loosed to be free but rather that we would also have the privilege of carrying Him to all the places He now wants to go.

 

One other thing that I notice when I read this account in Matthew is that Jesus sent the disciples to loose and bring to Him not just the donkey but its young colt also. When I thought about this I saw something very significant relating to us and the next generation which is following us. God is not just looking at releasing faithful carriers for this generation through us but He is also passionate about the next one too. I believe true success is when we allow Him to loose our lives and use them for His kingdom purpose but also that we bring the next generation to Him too; that we take the time to raise them up to love and serve Him as we have decided to do. Again, it’s that principle of 'monkey see, monkey do' – when we allow the next generation (colts) to watch us carry and serve the Lord we will inspire them to do the same: we raise up an army to follow in our tracks.

 

Jesus wants us and them. It’s our responsibility to let the children and young people in our world find Jesus and His purposes while they are young, raising them up in the way they will go so when they get old they don’t depart (Proverbs 22:6). We should be protecting them from all the religious cobwebs we had to beat our way through to find Him, carrying them on our shoulders so they can see further than us.

 

Whether you are a parent, grandparent, children's or youth worker, remember and be inspired today that your influence over those 'colts' in your world is powerful. Make sure that you are influencing them toward Jesus, just as you are running after Him for yourself. We are God's masterplan for this moment, they are His masterplan for the moments that follow ours.

 

God bless,

 

Andy

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Breakfast of Champions: Andy Elmes

Good morning, Champion – time for your Friday fry-up! Loosed for a purpose Matthew 21:1–2 (NKJV) Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me". Let's stay on the theme of the donkey. Notice what Jesus said to His disciples when He commissioned them to go and get Him a vehicle for entering the great city of Jerusalem: “Loose it and bring it to me”. The story records that the disciples found the donkey tied up just as Jesus had said and indeed loosed it and brought it to Him. That day everything changed for that donkey – probably all it had known up to that day was walking around in circles tied to a pole, stopping every now and then to eat hay and look at a world he could not go into because of his captivity. Here’s a thought: Jesus never loosed the donkey because He liked donkeys and wanted to release it so it could enjoy its freedom – He loosed it for a purpose. It was given its freedom so that it could carry the presence of God (Jesus) where He needed to go. Wow! What a day that was for that donkey; from being bound to a pole to being a carrier of a move of God (Jesus). You have probably worked out my comparison, right? Each of us are like that donkey. We were tied up to sin and stuff, bound and not free, then Jesus sent His message of freedom and liberated us from the captivity we knew. But you need to understand that, like that donkey, it is not just about your freedom. It’s great that you're set free but what now? The best bit is that Jesus wants to ride upon your life, as He did that donkey, to bring His message of freedom and spirit of life to the other places where it is so needed. I don’t want to be a free donkey, running around a field doing my own thing. I am so grateful for the freedom He has given me, grateful enough to offer that freedom back to Him for His plans and intentions. How about you? It was for freedom that Christ has set you free, but that freedom also had a kingdom-transporting purpose to it. Will you be freed, or freed and brought to Him for His purposes? Andy

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Breakfast of Champions: Andy Elmes

Good morning, Champion. Wanna increase the size of your world? Proverbs 11:24 (The Message) The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. Here’s some great wisdom for those wanting a life that just gets larger and larger as the years go by, ending up somewhere incredible and blessed. The key is real simple too: choose to live generously! Do you want your world (life) to get bigger and bigger, or smaller and smaller? How are you going to choose to live to make your desired life a reality? Today's verse does not say 'your finances', it says 'your world'. Obviously your world (life) is more than your financial success, right? Your world involves your health, relationships, influence and so much more. In every section of your life you have the opportunity daily to be generous; the choice to be generous or stingy belongs only to you! Generosity can be manifested through every bit of who we are and the life we live; with our words we can be generous – encouraging people – or stingy – never speaking words life or hope, but rather gossip and critisism. With our time we can be generous or stingy: we can spend it on ourselves or choose to spend it on and for others too. With our finances and the resources of our life we can be generous, giving and lending where we can, or we can be stingy and live a self-benefiting, self-preserving existence. In every section of what makes your world unique to you you have the choice to be generous or mean. I dont know about you but I don’t want the inheritance of the stingy, with a life that gets smaller and smaller. Finally, this really isn’t a matter of faith but one of choice: it may take faith to be as generous as you really want to but the choice to be generous, rather than stingy, is the daily first step. Hey Champion, give something away today, I dare you! Imagine if everyone that reads this devotional deliberately gave something special away to someone else today – that would be a fun wave we would create together and send into the ocean of life and need. Money, time, encouragement: you choose, one or all of them – but be generous, knowing that as you do God promises your world will get bigger. God bless! Andy

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Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Good morning, Champion – welcome to a new week!

Live shameless

Romans 1:16 (NKJV)

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

Make the quality decision today to live without shame concerning who God is to you and what He has done for you.

 

I have been ashamed at times of certain things in my life, such as my behaviour, the missing of key moments, hypocrisy, etc., but I am not ashamed of Jesus and His Gospel (good news).

 

I am sometimes ashamed of some of those who call themselves Christians in our nation, who seem to love compromise and foolish behaviour. They endeavour to try and make a holy God fit with a sinful lifestyle, and that can never be a perfect match; but I am not ashamed of Jesus and His gospel (good news).

 

When it comes to Jesus and what He has done, I want to live a life that knows no shame: a life that declares His power – how about you?

 

Christianity is not a religion to me, but a person and a message; a person, and a message, that has the potential to save absolutely anyone who dares to believe, independent of what culture or background or ethnicity or position they are from.

 

Let’s not be ashamed of the message, or a shame to it. Let us always remember that it is not a message of law and performance but one of grace, mercy, and faith. It does not leave those who believe condemned and guilt-ridden but saved and righteous (justified).

 

Let us stand up again today for the One who stood up for us: Jesus.

 

Live shameless concerning your love for Him and the truth of the good news He brings.

 

Andy

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Infusion October 22nd 2010 w: Special Guests- Flow Dem

via youtube.com

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Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Good morning, Champion.

The grace of the Father qualifies the undeserving

Luke 15:21–24 (NIV)
The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

Here we see the powerful moment of reunion between the child who went astray and the father who had eagerly awaited his return.

This was a parable (story) that Jesus used to reveal to the pharisee the true heart of His Father towards those who had gone astray or lost their way. On the son's return, instead of walking back into extreme discipline, judgement and deserved punishment which when you read what he had done was a valid entitlement, we see him walk back into the welcoming arms of a father whose heart was set on restoration and reinstatement.

Notice the son is not deceived or deluded concerning what he deserves. He flat out says, “I am not worthy, I deserve nothing, not even what was mine through birth”. Now notice the father's response: he totally ignores his son! Why? He knew the needed work had been done in the life of his son and that the son's humble return confirmed the reality of this. Instead he turns to his servant and orders that his son be re-clothed with a robe (righteousness), a ring (authority), and sandals (evidence he was a son not a slave, like he had set his heart to be).

Think about it: the son deserved nothing, all he had done had disqualified him of any right or inheritance. Yet the father showered him in grace (undeserved, unmerited, unearned favour), and grace was what had restored the boy's life and given dignity back to the one who was not worthy.

This is our common story – we all like sheep had gone astray yet, like this returning son, when we approached God the Father, desperate for help, we also did not receive what we deserved – that’s mercy – but rather what we never dreamed possible – grace. Remember, Champion – you being established and repositioned as a righteous heir and son or daughter is all about His grace and mercy, not your ability. Make sure you love Him for that.

Enjoy His grace again today, because by it we all stand!

Andy

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Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Worship is a lifestyle we live, not an event we attend

2 Samuel 12:20 (NKJV)

So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate.

What a great account of David worshipping not from a mountain top, but from a valley!

 

Worship is something we choose to do in every season of life and most of us, when we were first saved, learned to worship when everything was going well but often we would stop when it looked like things were not going well. When we grow up in God we learn to be all-season worshippers.

 

You have to fully understand what had just happened in this verse for you to see the power of David's worship on this occasion. This is moments after the child he had had by his affair with Bathsheba had died. He had spent a long time fasting and crying out to God to save the child he had produced in sin, but the child died. The servants were scared to tell him of the child’s death, fearing his reaction, but they were surprised by his response when they did. He did not go into a rage but rather rose, washed, and went to God’s house and worshipped.

 

He was an all-season worshipper. Even though things did not go as he wanted, he still worshipped; and that’s a big challenge, isn’t it? What do you do when things don’t turn out like you think they should?

 

David worshipped because his trust was in the Lord. He fully trusted God even beyond what he knew or could reason. When you trust God, worship flows through every season – when things make sense, and when they don’t.

 

When my mum passed away I couldn’t understand why. It was not the result I wanted but one thing I did was take David’s example and, when I left the hospice, I went to the Lord and worshipped. Why? Because I trust Him and, like David, I know that it is in the place of worship that my heart and life are made strong again.

 

Everyone of us will go through the seasons of life, but don’t be a good-time worshipper only; resolve in your heart that, like David, you will worship Him on the mountain tops, in the valleys, and even in the wilderness. Worship displays your trust!

 

Have a great day,

 

Andy

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Infusion Event: October 22nd 2010

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Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Good morning, Champion. Shine your light 1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV)
 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. It’s good to remember and remind ourselves of who we are because, at the same moment, we are reminding ourselves who we are not any longer! Remember, we always live out of what we think. We first think, then we feel, then we behave; this is great if our thinking is correct and based on God’s word but if our thinking is wrong or warped that will always affect the behavior or output of our daily lives. Let’s look again in the mirror today and see our true identity: Chosen, Royal, Holy and His own special people. We also need to remember we have been called out of darkness and into His marvelous light! • Our lives are no longer darkness but light! We are no longer in the darkness that we once were, so we should never live like we are still there. • Our post code/zip code is now “marvelous light”; don’t let your enemy try and trick you to pilgrimage backwards to former darker places, but rather set your face ever forward, deeper into His brightness! • You were called out of darkness, so ever let darkness be a thing of your past (old creation). You are now a citizen of the light, so let His marvellous light shine through your life again today; whether in the work place, community or home let your light shine, be that city on a hill! Shine bright for God today in a dark world – the darker it gets the brighter our lives should become. You are called to shine, so SHINE! Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, that I am no longer a child of darkness but a child of light; You have delivered me from the power of darkness and translated my life into the Kingdom of the Son of Your love. Today, let Your light shine through my life; I do not want to live to blend in but to stand out. Help me to remember that the former ways of darkness are no longer my ways, they are the ways of a place I once knew but not the place that I now call Home; thank you that You have made me a child of the light. Amen Bless you – have a great day, and shine! Andy

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Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Good morning, Champion – welcome to a new week!

Deep-rooted confidence

Hebrews 10:35-36

Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.

Jesus revealed the devil as a thief (John 10:10). He was and will always be a stinking thief, intent on stealing from God's people. What do thieves do? Steal things. What is he ever wanting to steal from you and me? The answer is simple: everything that God has given us which is good.

 

• Our peace (that peace that passes all human understanding and guards our hearts in Christ)

 

• Our joy (that force beyond mere happiness that keeps us strong in even the hardest of times)

 

• Our revelation of righteousness – Oh how he ever longs to get us back into the grind of performance and works.

 

But I think the one he really, really wants is our confidence – why? Because Hebrews says it is of great reward.

 

He wants to snatch from under you your confidence in:

 

• Who you are – your God-given identity (he is the greatest identity thief of them all)

 

• What you can do – your God-given potential

 

• And what you can have or expect – your God-given expectations.

 

Your godly confidence is of great reward, because when with confidence you endure (just keep on going) you will inherit (come into possession) what God has promised you. If the devil can get you to cast away your confidence then he can stop you inheriting all that God has for you. Don’t let him!

 

Have you ever watched people walking around the shops? You can tell by how they hold and carry themselves those who have confidence and those who don’t. Those with confidence have their heads lifted and their shoulders back, and they walk with steps that say “I belong here”. That’s how God wants you to walk through this day; His word should cause you to lift your head up, put back your shoulders and face the day and all it holds with courage and boldness because, as with Joshua so it is with you, GOD IS WITH YOU!

 

Confidence does not need to be loud – it needs to be silently and deeply rooted!

 

Often quiet confidence has more power than loud confidence; that confidence that you have deep down that says, quietly yet firmly, "I know God is for me and His promises over me are yes and amen, I know that things may seem strange now but THEY WILL TURN AROUND FOR MY GOOD!"

 

Isaiah 30:15

For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: in returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.”

 

The world can only take away or take back from you what it gave you – that is why we do not live by worldly-given confidence but God's, because then when the world or the devil try to take or steal it we can say, “Get stuffed, you did not give it so you cannot take it away!”

 

Hold tight to the confidence you have from God today, be that hero He has called you to be because 'the Lord thy God is with you'!

 

Have a great weekend, Hero – live confident, get your head up, you’re a child of God not a pauper.

 

Andy

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Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

ood morning, Champion.

God’s three-part life restoration plan

Zephaniah 3:20 (NIV)

"At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes," says the LORD.

What a great restoration promise!

 

God made this three-part promise to His people many, many years ago; we read in the Old Testament that it was a promise originally spoken under an old “law-based” covenant. I believe that it is still a valid promise for you and me today and we should be even more excited about it than those it was original spoken to, because we receive it knowing we have a new and better agreement (covenant) with God, one based on faith and grace.

 

There are three distinct promises of restoration in this verse:

 

1. I will gather you and bring you home (redeemed and restored).

 

2. I will give you honour and praise in the earth (re-established).

 

3. I will restore your fortunes before your eyes (prospered).

 

Wow – this is a three-part plan you do not want to ignore! This is one of those promises that are worth learning inside out and upside down – make it such a part of you that you can recite It in twenty different translations, and even Hebrew!

 

Notice what the first step is: God says He will bring you back to Him. Listen, if you want the other two you have to first experience this one because it is the most important one to God.

 

If you have been away from Him, or drifted a bit in your relationship and seen stuff in your life go wrong, realise that first God restores “you and Him”, and then He will restore everything else. Don’t try and bypass step one, let God “bring you back to Him”, then see Him re-establish your life and name and then, as it says so well, you will watch as He restores your fortunes or, as it says in the amplified, “reverse your captivity”. The reverse of captivity is freedom and that is God's intention for your life. But remember, first He wants you back!

 

God bless,

 

Andy

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Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Carpe seasons

John 4:35 (NKJV)

Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

The journey (pilgrimage) of life is certainly a journey of different  seasons; the art of living well is to make sure that you live (squeeze the juice out of) each and every season, both sowing into and reaping from each and every one of them.

 

Being alive means that we will all walk through the various seasons of life. Here is a classic verse from the wisdom of Ecclesiastes to make you think this morning:

 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 (NKJV)

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted.

 

• If you get the chance, read the rest of this classic chapter to see the different types of seasons each and every one of us face as we journey through this thing called life.

 

• Like King David said in Psalm 37:25, we will all experience being young and being old and every season in between. I have met some older people that live in the regret of not being a teenager anymore and I have met younger people that can’t wait for a later season of life (like being married), but the problem is they are missing the one they are in – neither of these are good enough, love the season you’re in.

 

• You can’t always go back and re-live seasons gone but you can learn from them, and you really don’t want to fast forward to the ones in the future because when the ones you are in are gone, like flowers when they have flourished, they are gone.

 

The key for us all today is to carpe (seize) the one you’re in!

 

• So today learn from days gone by; love the ones you’re in and, with faith and expectancy, have excitement concerning the ones yet to come that are promised by God. Every season has something for you: make sure you harvest it out!

 

• To everything there is a season. There are seasons of age, seasons of relationship, seasons of ministry and business, seasons of everything. In them all there is a time to plant and a time to reap what was planted.

 

Here is some food for thought for you today as you consider the seasons that you are currently in:

• What season are you in today?

• Is it time to plant, or is it time to reap?

• Are you getting from this season everything that you should be and that is in the season to be had?

• What else do you need to do to enjoy and seize the season you are in?

 

God bless you; I pray that this season of your life prospers – don’t say, "In four months . . ." but make the decision to live large the life God has given you today!

 

Andy

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Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Good morning, hope this finds you well. Carpe Diem living John 4:35 (NKJV) 
Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! We have been looking at living outside of procrastination, living with a desire to harvest and seize what is in our world now. Too many people are waiting for what one day will come, we too need to remain in faith concerning the yet unseen of God in our future but also be the people that grab the day. We looked at relationships yesterday. Today I want to challenge you with opportunities. I believe God brings and offers opportunities to us all at different times and we have a choice to grab them – “carpe” – or let them pass us by. Live in such a way that with wisdom you seize opportunities, especially those which are authored and sent by God. At different times in the Bible you see God turn up and offer something, then you get to witness some who carpe the God-offer, and those who don’t. Think of Elisha, that moment when Elijah walked across the field and offered him his mantle. God's intention was clear, the choice was now his. He chose to burn his plow and step into his God opportunity; he could have chosen to keep on plowing. The disciples were fishing; they never saw Jesus coming but He had been watching them. Suddenly a God-opportunity comes out of nowhere: “Drop your nets and follow Me, and I will make you.” Again they had the choice to say, “No thanks, we like fishing”! But they seized the moment and stepped into their destiny. Sadly, the rich young ruler thought he was ready for his moment but when the cost was explained he really wasn’t. • God will always bring opportunity to you – some small, some large, some bigger than you could have ever imagined – make sure you are ready for the 'no warning' offer of God when it comes. • Let us all make the choice, like the wise virgins, to live ready – not just for the second coming of Christ but for those divine opportunities that suddenly come that need us to respond in faith not fear. • I believe He prepares you for these moments when you are not even noticing. I believe He had been working on the heart of Elisha prior to Elijah's arrival; He had been working in the hearts of the fishermen before the one-time offer came; He is working on our hearts now concerning future moments. Just as King David was prepared for his opportunity with Goliath while defeating lions and bears, so what you are getting victory with today is setting you up for golden opportunities that God is going to bring to you in your tomorrows. Live ready for God moments, because they come to us all! Andy

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Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Good morning, Champion. Carpe Vitam living John 4:35 (NKJV) 
Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! Know, enjoy and love what you have while you have it – don’t wait when until it is gone to appreciate it! We ended yesterday on the thought of relationships. Relationships are a gift in your life; always make sure you are appreciating or getting the most out of each of them. The fact is, as we said yesterday, not everyone that is in your life now will necessarily be there in the same way in a few years time. This is so worth thinking about. I hope that thought does not cause fear but rather a motivation that, in turn, will deliver you from the chance of any regrets “later on”. Parents/Grandparents: make the most of every stage of your children’s life and development. When they are through certain stages they are so often done with them and those stages are never repeated. Like flowers in a field, take the time to smell the daily scent of who they are and where they are at now in this thing called life. Remember, their lives are not like DVD players, so don’t live with your finger on fast forward or you will miss stuff. Don’t live as if there is a rewind, thinking you'll be able to see it all another time when you’re not so busy – you won’t! Keep your finger on play and enjoy “real-time” life playing out before you. Kids (however old you are): however many parents you have left, and no matter what age they are, make the choice to live in such a way that you carpe the juice out of those relationships, because the sad heritage for kids is that we all say goodbye to our parents one day and that is the right way round (hopefully there is the assurance of reuniting with them in the next leg of eternity). Again, it’s not about living with fear or regret but purposing in our hearts to get the most out of these relationships – not in four months time but now! As many of you know a couple of years my mum died of cancer. It was so fast; she went into a hospital with back pain and four weeks later died in a hospice. I loved my mum – she was a great mum and an inspiration and mentor to my faith in God. I remember sitting in that hospice day and night in those last few days, trying to get as many moments as I could with her and from her. The reality is the moments were always there for many years previously, it was not that I did not want them: I was busy; thinking back, maybe too busy? Maybe if I had that chance again I would be less busy – who knows? Make that phone call, arrange that visit, forgive, love – they're worth it! Also with friends – we all like to think that the friends who are close in our life now will always be there in that same way. The truth, though, is not many will be: marriage, great job offers and many other things come to put distance between close friendships. Some stay close for ever, but not all. Again, don’t live in the fear of people moving on because that is natural. Some move out of your life, to some degree or another, to make room for others to move in. Live to love, enjoy and harvest the best of who is in your world now! Thank God for emails and mobile phones, that even those who move are never that far away. Children, parents, family and friends – they are all gifts from God for you. Let’s all be inspired to get the most out of all these gifts while they are still in our possession. Busy is good: the hand of the diligent rules. But let’s make sure a part of our busy is special people. Bless ya, Andy

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You can build your Character: Andy Elmes

Good morning, Champion.

You can build on character

Acts 6:3 (Amplified Bible)
Therefore select out from among yourselves, brethren, seven men of good and attested character and repute, full of the [Holy] Spirit and wisdom, whom we may assign to look after this business and duty.

Here’s another great verse relevant to the importance of character development.

Here we see the early Church come to a point where they needed some staffing changes involving delegation. Some issues had arisen and some practical things to do with people care were not running as well as they should, so the disciples decided to enlarge their leadership team to make sure all was done well. Notice that, when they wrote the job description, right near the front was the need for good character, then came 'filled with Holy Ghost and wisdom'. They knew, as many employers have discovered since, that talent and gift are good but they can often be of no use if a person does not have good character. For example, you can be super-gifted but if you don’t turn up on time where you said you would or when you're needed to be what use is your great gift and talent to the moment?

Of course, the best deal is to have people who are gifted and talented and who also have character and integrity, so that they do what they say and don’t do what they know they shouldn’t. But if I had to pick one or the other I would go for character every time. You can teach people talents and skills but character is something they have developed, and it enables you to release responsibility knowing things will be done as they should, when they should – even when you're not looking!

If the disciples used this principle, and most employers do also, do you think God does? I do. I think when God is looking for someone to use He looks for the person of character, the person He can trust to do what He needs to be done over the person who can do it when they eventually get there in an “all-singing, all-dancing way”. Let's live to give God both – our talents and skills, but first of all good, solid character!

God bless,

Andy

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Purpose on a Star Bucks Mug

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Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Good morning, Champion. It’s your character that “gets you out of there” Genesis 39:11-12 (NIV) One day he (Joseph) went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. Think of this crazy moment in the very colourful life of Joseph: after being sold as a slave by His brothers he is purchased by Potiphar; Potiphar sees “the hand of the Lord” on him and promotes him to the top so that Joseph is in the position of ruling over everything he owns. This man had given Joseph so much and such great opportunity. Then along comes what could have been “one of the perks” if he was a man of no honour or character – namely Potiphar's immoral wife. With hubby away she comes to seduce this handsome young key employee using the language of “you deserve it, and no-one will ever know”. What a great moment for Joseph: if he had no character, he could have had a ball and made a great ally! But Joseph did have character, and it says that “Joseph got up and ran!” That was his character leading his life. Why did he run? Maybe because he was conscious of his own inability and weakness, and did not want to see what would happen if his character was further chipped away at? Yes, she still set him up and accused him of rape, and he was imprisoned, but then one day the truth rises to the top and he rose again with it. Why? When you live with strong character and determine to be true to it then you set yourself up for great future. Despite those challenging moments you give God something He can mega bless and work with! Listen to the great character within his response to this lady “offering him apparent success”: "No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" Joseph Is a great role model. Let’s build lives that are sustained by great character – when you need to, RUN!

Posted via email from Heath Baxter

Andy Elmes

Good morning, Champion. Two healthy trees, not one Galatians 5:22 (NKJV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Ok, let’s talk about character and the need for its development today. As we daily walk with God we should be experiencing two things developing (growing) in our lives: we should be experiencing the gifts of the Spirit developing in and through our lives, and also the fruit of the Spirit. These are two very separate things and a healthy Christian always has the right amount of both! Remember, when we talk about the gifts of the Spirit as they are revealed in 1 Corinthians 12 we are talking about things that are given as gifts by God – we did nothing to get them. But when we speak about fruit we speak of things that are developed in our lives as we daily submit to, and walk in accordance with, God's ways. If the gifts and fruits of the spirit were Conifer trees standing at the front of the house of your life, would you have two healthy ones or would one be looking not so healthy? This world does not need to see any more gifted Christians, rather more God-gifted Christians who have great character too – people living lives where the fruit of the life of His Spirit now within is seen and experienced too. Recently we have seen too many headlines concerning celebrities and football players who have cheated on their wives and lived in ways they should not have – lifestyles not fitting well with their influential public roles. Often these are young men thrown into a fickle industry where, very quickly, they have fame, money and anything they wanted. Sadly, many times we see that they do not have the character to carry the gift or opportunity given and it all blows up into yet another embarrassing headline; we have seen this happen in ministry too, which does the advancement of Christianity no favours at all. Success needs to be judged more holistically – just because someone can kick a ball, sing or speak well does not mean they are successful! If the rest of their life has no character and is a mess then they are merely people with messed up lives who do a good job performing on the stage or kicking a ball on pitch. If you want true success, Champion, then be committed to developing both the gifts God gives you and the fruit that it is down to you to grow. Don’t worry, if you have the desire to then the Holy Spirit will help you all the way! Live to be a person with two healthy trees – gifts and fruit, talent and character. God can use that time and time again!

Posted via email from Heath Baxter

Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Good morning, Champion.

You are blessed so begin to act like it!

Galatians 3:13–14 (NIV)

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Good news, Champ: if you have placed your faith in Jesus as Lord and Saviour you are not cursed but blessed today! This verse tells us plainly that Jesus redeemed us – “purchased us out of” the curse – and has led us into an inheritance of blessing. His purpose in positioning Himself on the tree and settling the curse for us was to position us so that blessing and goodness could be our daily experience.

 

He became (past tense) the curse so that we should not have to be cursed (present tense). He that knew no sin, and was above any reproach that could attract a curse, positioned Himself where we stood in life. He took every curse upon Himself and settled it once and for all. Every curse was settled by His loving substitution. So if He took it all and we connect to His perfect completed work by faith, what is left for us? The blessings of God, because they are ours today in Christ!

 

Two things to remember:

1.   Every curse was paid for by His sacrificial act of love. No curse has authority over you when your life is positioned in Him. He paid the bill completely. No curse is greater than His finished work. Curses no longer have a landing pad on your life, Champ!

 

Proverbs 26:2 (NKJV)

Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, so a curse without cause shall not alight (land).

 

2.   As with everything in God our connection to participate in this great daily reality is simply faith. Believe the truth, confess the truth, and see the fruit of truth manifest in your life. Why not start to speak the truth again over your life today? Go on, Champion, speak out these powerful words: “I am blessed in Him, no curse can come upon me, today I expect again the manifestation of blessing in and through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen”.

 

Bless you,

 

Andy

Posted via email from Heath Baxter

Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Good morning, Champion. Keep your eyes on the One in front Hebrews 12:2 (The Message) Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! Champion, because Jesus both ran and finished His race we can now run and finish ours. We can be certain that, though our race seems tough at times, we will never have to run a race like He had to run and we will never experience the physical and emotional pain that He faced when He set His heart to cross that finishing line of redemption victoriously. It was His race that fashioned the very track of salvation we run upon today; a track of grace. It was His well-finished race that established for us an opportunity of having a finishing line that we could run towards and cross. When running a long-distance race it is always good to set your gaze upon someone in front, especially if they are a gold medal winner, and just keep running towards them. Make them your marker and the one who sets your pace. Jesus is a great marker so keep your eyes on Him, Champion, and as you do you can guarantee you will finish your race victoriously too. Don’t look to the left (the law) or the right (man’s opinion), and don’t look to see what other runners are doing lest you trip. No, keep your eyes on the winner and run in step with Him. Imitate Him and watch how He handled the hurdles of life, and jump them in the same way. Observe how He carried on when it was easier to quit, and do the same. Keep close to Him, avoid distractions, and finish well. He received a crown for a race run well, and so will you and I. Keep your eyes on He who began and finished! Bless you, Andy

Posted via email from Heath Baxter

Nexus Nights 1st October

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Posted via email from Heath Baxter

Andy Elmes

Good morning, Champ. Breakfast is served. You do not run alone! Hebrews 12:1 (NIV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. I have never been a long distance runner, but I imagine that any runner who runs long distance or cross country races must at times feel very alone. Even if others are taking part in the race, each runner faces their own personal challenges and they have to deal with the thoughts of quitting. A runner must overcome what is termed “the wall”, that moment when they think they have nothing left to give and feel their bodies begging them to stop. The runner endures pain as his or her body, with every new stride, gives its all to run the best race possible, and all this is done alone. It is as they cross the finishing line that they hear the cheers from the people who were supporting them and have been waiting for them to round the final corner. It would have been nice to have had some people cheering during the lonely bends of the race they had just run. Christianity is a race that we all run alone. Though we run towards the same finish line we all run a race that belongs to us. The race can get lonely and be full of challenges and we too can at times hit a wall and really want to stop, but it is then that we need to realize that we are not alone. The balconies of heaven are filled with the cheers of “Come on, you can do it!”, shouted from the believers who have gone before, those who ran their race to the finish and now cheer us on to both run and finish well as we carry the batton of the Gospel that they once held and ran with. If you are tired and at a loss for energy in your race of faith, hear the great crowd of witnesses again today – Paul, John, and Peter – as they shout from the balconies of Heaven, “Come on, don’t quit, you can do it”. Take a breath, cast off the stuff that has slowed you down and run the race that is marked out for you. The Message Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Bless you, Andy

Posted via email from Heath Baxter

Andy Elmes

Breakfast is served. Be an untangled soldier 2 Timothy 2:4 (NKJV) No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. Living to please the One who enlisted us by grace should be our greatest pursuit and desire. Let us remember that, as well as being God’s kids restored to son-ship by the obedience of His Son, we are also all a part of the Lord’s army and we fight a very real fight of faith, and the reality is that there are no de-militarized zones. There is a fight on right now, as you read this, for the soul of man. God has called each and every one of us to be a part of an army that daily pushes back unrighteousness, establishes justice, and delivers people from one kingdom (darkness) to another (light). The truth is we will never be as active or effective as His soldiers when we are distracted and entangled by other stuff. This is the plan of the enemy: to de-mobilize you and your potential by entangling you with the “cares of this life”. Let’s be honest, when it comes to the affairs of life we all have cares and responsibilities we need to keep busy with, but that is different to being entangled by them. Be careful, Champion, not to get entangled by things that will freeze your potential as an enlisted soldier. The devil is very cunning like a fox, and daily lays his nets out to try and entangle us; but our God is always one step ahead and if we follow close to Him He will always keep us from planned entanglement. What if you are entangled today, maybe by debts that need to be paid that weigh you down – disabling you, keeping you from marching as you desire to for the Lord. Well, I believe that God, in His mercy and grace, is ever ready to untangle us from that net and any other situations we can find ourselves in. Call on Him today to untangle you, and when He does be careful not to get tangled again. There is a war to be won and we are God’s enlisted soldiers! Bless you, Andy

Posted via email from Heath Baxter

Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Good morning, Champion. Your God will fight your fights 2 Chronicles 20:15-17 (NIV) He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.' " Hey Champion, if you are facing a big problem or a situation that makes you feel somewhat “out-numbered” draw your hope from these verses today. The promises of God to King Jehoshaphat are the same promises to you today in Christ. Here is some real good advice if you are facing something that needs a win : 1. Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of the vastness of the situation; just remember, your God is bigger! 2. Remember you’re a covenant kid. The battle is not yours it is God’s, and by faith tag Him and let Him in the wrestling ring of this situation or fight. 3. Remember, you will not have to do the fighting but you do need to turn up and position yourself for a win. Why turn up? You need to position yourself so you can see the deliverance of your God. You won’t be able to see how incredible God’s deliverance is if you're hiding behind a rock of fear. 4. Finally, we are reminded again not to let fear be the atmosphere of our lives or this present situation, but faith (child-like trust in God). Turn up for the fight knowing what your problem does not know – God Almighty is on your side and has made your fight His fight! Take these keys today and apply them to your situation, and as you do you will see that the God who was for King Jehoshaphat is the God who is for you, too. Go fight that battle and win it, without fighting! Bless you, Andy

Posted via email from Heath Baxter

Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Good morning, Champion. Be careful what and who you’re coupled too 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 (NIV) Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? Here we see a warning concerning certain associations in our lives. It is not a call to remove yourself from the world or the people in your world who don’t yet know Jesus; rather it is a warning concerning who you link your life to in partnership and covenant-type relationships. Our lives are often just like train carriages – we have the choice who we couple (join) them to. As with a train carriage you need to have wisdom concerning the coupling of relationships because the reality can so often be where they go so do you, especially if they have more steam or drive than you do! This, of course, is great news if the trains and carriages (relationships) you have coupled yourself to are heading for godly, pleasant places, but not so good if they are heading for certain derailment or a very serious crash. Make sure the people and relationships your life is joined to are going in God's direction. This will certainly produce a great harmony in the journey of your life. Imagine if two train carriages wanted to go in very different directions – this would cause a continual strain and stress between the two carriages. So it is when one life in a relationship wants to live God's way and the other does not – why bring that strain into your world when you do not need to? Couple (join) your life together with people that want to go in the same direction (after God). As I said at the start, this is not a warning or call to separate yourself from unsaved people – far from it. If you did, what hope would they have of finding or experiencing Christ? But it is a warning concerning those closer, daily-walk relationships we all have including such relationships as future marriages, business partnerships and those closer-to-heart friendships (those where the person's words can affect your decisions and choices). Be careful who you join (couple) your life to – ask the question, “Do you want to go where they are going?”. (note: This thought is by no means meant to make anyone who is currently in a marriage where one is saved and the other not feel condemned in anyway; may God's grace bring that unsaved party to full salvation. But it is a strong warning to those who are choosing future partners to make sure you have God in common) God bless, Andy

Posted via email from Heath Baxter

Andy Elmes: Breakfast of Champions

Good morning, Champion. Be careful what and who you’re coupled too 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 (NIV) Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? Here we see a warning concerning certain associations in our lives. It is not a call to remove yourself from the world or the people in your world who don’t yet know Jesus; rather it is a warning concerning who you link your life to in partnership and covenant-type relationships. Our lives are often just like train carriages – we have the choice who we couple (join) them to. As with a train carriage you need to have wisdom concerning the coupling of relationships because the reality can so often be where they go so do you, especially if they have more steam or drive than you do! This, of course, is great news if the trains and carriages (relationships) you have coupled yourself to are heading for godly, pleasant places, but not so good if they are heading for certain derailment or a very serious crash. Make sure the people and relationships your life is joined to are going in God's direction. This will certainly produce a great harmony in the journey of your life. Imagine if two train carriages wanted to go in very different directions – this would cause a continual strain and stress between the two carriages. So it is when one life in a relationship wants to live God's way and the other does not – why bring that strain into your world when you do not need to? Couple (join) your life together with people that want to go in the same direction (after God). As I said at the start, this is not a warning or call to separate yourself from unsaved people – far from it. If you did, what hope would they have of finding or experiencing Christ? But it is a warning concerning those closer, daily-walk relationships we all have including such relationships as future marriages, business partnerships and those closer-to-heart friendships (those where the person's words can affect your decisions and choices). Be careful who you join (couple) your life to – ask the question, “Do you want to go where they are going?”. (note: This thought is by no means meant to make anyone who is currently in a marriage where one is saved and the other not feel condemned in anyway; may God's grace bring that unsaved party to full salvation. But it is a strong warning to those who are choosing future partners to make sure you have God in common) God bless, Andy

Posted via email from Heath Baxter