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3 Reasons You Should Do Daily Devotions

[bra_dropcaps style="dropcap2"]1[/bra_dropcaps] YOU ARE A NEW CREATION - You are not a legalist, you are not a pharisee, you are not a religious zealot, you are a NEW CREATION! Many times we forget that we have what the pharisees did NOT have. We have the Holy Spirit. We have Christ in US, the hope of glory. We are not who we were, we are who God says we are. We do not worship a form or dogma. We worship a person, his name is Jesus and He made us brand new. Your heart is new, your spirit is washed in the blood and now its time to work on that MIND! Don’t think of daily devotion as a daily discipline but as daily renewal. Your body needs food, water, and rest. Your mind needs food, water, and rest. This comes by being in the word, seeking God and praising God.

If you met a hungry person who desperately needed food and water, what would you do? You would feed them! You would not pass them by out of a fear of obesity. In the same way, don’t be afraid to eat spiritually! If your heart is for Jesus than legalism will not be a problem.

[bra_dropcaps style="dropcap2"]2[/bra_dropcaps] YOUR NEXT LEVEL IS CONNECTED TO YOUR SPIRITUAL MATURITY- The writer in Hebrews chapter five,  tells us that he wanted to take them deeper but he could not because they were still on milk and could not digest meat yet. Don’t feel condemned if you are not ready for meat. BUT! You should want to grow so that when God wants to take you higher, He can!

[bra_dropcaps style="dropcap2"]3[/bra_dropcaps] YOU ARE THE PRODUCT OF YOUR FRIENDSHIPS - One man said, “show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.” Paul tells us “bad company corrupts good morals.” Ok, if this is true, than who should your best friend be? Who should your BFF be? JESUS! Our God is holy, love, patient, kind, joy, peace, pure, gentle, generous, and we could go on and on and on and on. Christianity is not behavioral modification. It is transformation! You hang with Jesus and you will become like Jesus. Sanctification is our soul (mind will and emotions) catching up with your spirit (that washed in the blood perfect new man in Christ). So Im saved, and Im being saved. Im holy, and Im being made holy. Im washed in the blood and my soul is being washed. Time with Jesus doesn’t make you more saved. It is reveals how saved you really are!

Breaking Mental Barriers

[bra_dropcaps style="dropcap1"]I[/bra_dropcaps]‘ll never forget driving in my car listening to a sermon (by a preacher I will not name) titled “Is it too late?” The premise of the message was that God is done with America and might just be done with you too. He talked about blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, trampling on the grace of God and getting to a place of no return with our sin. He reminded us that, “God will not strive with men forever.” Oh yah, I WAS SIXTEEN! I remember the dark cloud of condemnation that filled my car as I drove down I-25 from Albuquerque to my house in Belen. That day I believed a lie that would cripple my walk with God for years.

For the first time I believed God and I were enemies and that I was in trouble! Just two years prior, I felt life giving conviction and holy love when I got saved. This was nothing like that. I felt alone, cold, totally helpless and I began a journey of trying to please God with my good works. Anytime I would sin I would feel terrible. It was never because I was convicted but because I was reminded that I probably wasn’t saved and should just give up. No one talked to me about my raging hormones as a teenager, how to forgive others and myself and most importantly THE GOSPEL.

The Gospel? I had no clue. Justification by faith? Never heard of it! 2nd Corinthians 5? Galatians 3? Romans 8? John 3? The new birth? The book of Collosions? NOPE. I only knew Old Testament principles and a few out of context New Testament verses. Are those bad? Of course not! I just had no idea what happened on the cross or why the resurrection was important. I didn’t know that God’s love for me is WAY more important than my love for him.

Honestly, it wasn’t until I was twenty-six (yup, ten years later) that I had my first revelation of God’s love. It was teachings by Judah Smith, Joseph Prince and others that were helpful in my understanding of Jesus. Many are uncomfortable with “the grace message” but all I know is, it worked for me. I’ve never had more personal victory, loved people and God more and felt so loved by God. No theology is perfect but if a theology causes faith, worship and holiness, I am for it!

Recently, I felt like I had another defining moment as I was reading the life of Abraham. Genesis chapter twelve gives us the story of Gods initial conversation with Abram. God could have said A LOT in this conversation but he chose to reveal to Abram a part of his character and nature that I think we often ignore. He tells Abram,”I’m going to bless you, protect you, multiply you and make you a blessing.” (Make you like me). WOW.

As God was forming both a religion and a race of people, He felt it important in its foundation to establish his generosity, strength, creative power and ability to bless. If God thought it was important to share this with the man who would become the father of our faith; I believe it is important not only that we believe it but also preach it! God is good, period. There is no room for boasting about our goodness. Faith and grace are a gift.

[bra_highlight style="highlight1"] God is good! [/bra_highlight] When we realize and receive His love for us, we will love, worship and obey Him. It is not too late for you! God has a plan for you and loves you. Let him break off every mental barrier and stronghold that is standing in the way of you knowing you are loved.

One Word.

[bra_dropcaps style="dropcap1"]A[/bra_dropcaps]few weeks ago, Shanen and I decided to drive to Arizona to attend a leadership conference. (Side note: It is important to attend conferences as pastors and leaders) We were in need of some refreshing and were expecting God connections and a word from the Lord. We got it! 

During one of the sessions, Kent Munsey preached and made a statement that has continued to encourage me and change me.

[bra_dropcaps style="dropcap3"]1.[/bra_dropcaps]ONE WORD FROM GOD CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING! This is why consistently being in the Word is important and why listening (Faith comes be HEARING) to teaching/preaching is not optional.

[bra_dropcaps style="dropcap3"]2.[/bra_dropcaps]Here is what he said that has really been helping me. Genesis 48 records the story of Joseph seeing his brothers for the first time since they had sold him into slavery. Verse 9 says something that could be as life changing for you as it was for me, [bra_highlight style="highlight1"]“He remembered the dreams he had”.[/bra_highlight] He chose not to remember the pain, the frustration, the pit, the prison, the hate or the jealousy. He chose to remember the promise, the dream and the plan of God. He would go on to say in chapter 50, “You meant it for evil, but God has done this for my good.”

I know that what I focus on will directly affect my life. I have to CHOOSE to remember the promises and dreams and CHOOSE to forgive and move on from every hurt or disappointment. I recently sent out a tweet that said, [bra_social_icons]twitter, http://twitter.com/jabinchavez [/bra_social_icons] ”Destiny is not always what you thought it was going to be but it is always better than you thought it would be.” 

No matter the disappointment or unanswered question, I have to go back to the prophetic words over my life, the gift He put in me and the original dream I was given. This keeps me faith filled and full of hope. I choose to look beyond my past and hold on to the Word He gave me.

In Jeremiah 20, Jeremiah has a very real talk with God and is at the point of giving up. He is mad at people, mad at God and probably even mad at himself. He tells God he wants to quit the ministry BUT he can’t… Why? Because there is a word in him that feels like fire in his bones and he can not contain it! I believe the original call/dream of Jeremiah was one that kept him through the darkest nights and lowest valleys. The dreams kept Joseph faithful in every situation and I know that Gods word and dream will keep you as well. Keep your eyes on Jesus. The storms will pass, seasons will change, nights will turn to morning and through it all, Jesus will be there.  

A New Season

[bra_dropcaps style="dropcap2"]O[/bra_dropcaps]n August 23rd, 2003 my life changed… I packed up my 1994 Honda Accord drove out of a small town in New Mexico and moved to Las Vegas. I thought I would be here for a few months but nine years later, here I am! As many of you know, I spent my first five and half years working with the worship and creative departments. Three and half years ago I was honored to add to that portfolio and become the Youth Pastor and Intern Director. The last three years have been a dream come true. God has done more then I could have ever imagined and I am so grateful for every opportunity He has given me. We have seen hundreds of youth and young adults come to Jesus, raised up leaders, and helped build ministries that will continue to go further faster. God is good!

I have experienced some major transitions in my life including… meeting Jesus, joining the ministry, moving to Vegas, getting married, becoming a pastor, and buying a house. Now, Shanen and I are entering into another exciting transition. Last September, I had dinner with Dr. Sam Chand that turned my world upside down! Chand shared with me that he felt like my next move was to travel full time. I was shocked! I never saw myself traveling full time. After a few weeks of conversations with my wife, my pastors, and close friends I realized God was up to something. We decided that finishing up the school year was important and that the transition would be best be done in the summer. So here we are! As of July first I will be traveling full time preaching, leading worship, and training worship leaders.

I will never be able to express how grateful I am to my Pastors Benny and Wendy Perez for sending us out into this new season. Pastor Benny has been behind this idea since day one and has given me the confidence to believe I can do this. My pastors have believed in us, trained us, given us every amazing opportunity possible and are now releasing us into this new season. We are beyond blessed.

Shanen and I are excited about our future and are grateful to everyone of you who have been our faithful and faith filled friends over the years.

The best is yet to come!

3 Things I Leared from Pastor Benny

[bra_dropcaps style="dropcap1"]I[/bra_dropcaps]t’s crazy to think I have now been in Vegas for eight years and seven months! No doubt the greatest moments of my life have all happened since God brought me here in August 2003. I wanted to give you three things (I could write down 300) that I have learned from my pastor, Benny Perez…

[bra_dropcaps style="dropcap3"]1.[/bra_dropcaps]God works it out. I have seen my Pastor wronged by some crazy people. Some saints, some sinners, some staff! He has always blessed, taken the heat in public, and trusted God. It has always paid off. I have seen so miracles in Pastor Benny’s life and I am convinced there is a connection. God said bless your enemies and I’ll bless you. God has proven that he is NOT a liar.

 [bra_dropcaps style="dropcap3"]2.[/bra_dropcaps] Personal devotion. If you are around Pastor Benny any amount of time you will hear him refer to his devotion time. “I was reading” “I was praying and…” “This morning I was praying and God spoke to me.” These are all constant phrases from my Pastor. I want them to be true of me too!

 [bra_dropcaps style="dropcap3"]3.[/bra_dropcaps]He makes altar calls. I know that sinners prayers and altar calls are not “IN” right now but we can’t ignore Romans 10, “Anyone who CALLS on the name of The Lord shall be saved”. Nothing fires up a congregation like seeing people stream to the altar to give their hearts to Jesus. Pastor Benny has never been ashamed and I pray by Gods grace, I wont be either.

Convictions

Lately I have been thinking about my life and what my “non-negotiables” are. These are those things that I hold dearly and need to practice in my life daily. Some areas I am MUCH stronger in than others but nonetheless these are areas I know I want to get stronger in or stay strong in. I have been asking the Lord to keep the important things, important. I figure if that happens, my life should basically work out! Some of this is ministry related some is personal.

#1: The Baptism of The Holy Spirit. I am more convinced than ever that we need the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will come upon us and give us POWER. Pretty simple… I personally believe that every believer can be baptized in the Spirit and speak in tongues just like the disciples did in Acts two. However, I am not here to debate that in this blog. As leaders and believers our reliance must be in God and not in our abilities. Jesus takes the personal responsibility to baptize YOU in The Holy Spirit! I think it is important to Him and should be to us as well. A great resource on this subject is The Holy Spirit Today by Dick Iverson.

#2: Daily Bible Reading. We must understand that there is a difference between discipline and the law. Many times we read the words of Paul in the epistles and every time we read that “we are no longer under the law” we think spiritual disciplines are no longer needed. We are no longer bound to the 613 Mosaic laws. We are now under the law of love. Love God, love people. EASY! Here is what I have found. When I am daily in the Word, I love God and love people! HELLO! Eat that book every day, it will change you. The word of God is the will of God and the will of God pleases God. So get His word/will IN YOU. 1^st John 5:13-15 in the NLT helps us understand this.

#3: God calls people YOUNG. Jesus called teenage disciples. Jeremiah and Samuel were kids, David, Timothy, Joshua and the list goes on and on! This is a constant haunting reality that I must take seriously! Every time I preach, lead worship, disciple, spend time with a young person I need to believe that it could be the day they hear the call! You never know what God is doing in the hearts of people. Don’t preach to people’s faces, preach to their spirits! Preach to their potential!

#4: Life is Short and Eternity is Long. I read a tweet yesterday that said “The day your life ends and eternity begins you will have a face to face conversation with Jesus”. According to Matthew 25, in the parable of the talents we will either hear Jesus say “Well done” or “depart from me”. I want to hear WELL DONE!!! I want to use every opportunity, talent, resource, and motivation of my heart for the glory of God. Lord, help us all.

#5: My Spirit, Soul and Body are all Connected. Simple huh? Not really… Every level of my life must be a priority TO ME. Recently I heard Wayne Cordeiro say, “that it is God, you, family, church. NOT, God, family church.”  I am taking my health seriously this year. Ill be thirty in 18 months. That freaks me out! Gotta be sharp in every area.

What I Learned from 17 Year Old Guys

Today I hung out with four seventeen year old guys and learned some cool things that I believe can help us as youth pastors…

#1: They’re NOT perfect. Hormones are raging, immaturity is high, and families are not super healthy. This can lead to some mistakes and that’s OK! Give students grace as they grow.  Never be quick to write anyone off and NEVER hold them to your standards. You are the leader and the example. Let them follow and understand they will not follow perfectly. The greatest key to their spiritual growth and to serving for the long haul is knowing they have someone to run to when they fail. And that’s YOU!

#2: No one is too COOL to have FUN. We talked for at least forty minutes about Sky Zone, dodge ball, and laughing about injuries they have had. I love that guys are so easily entertained talking about broken bones, shoulders popping out of socket, concussions, and pain in general! They asked for a guys night where we could play dodge ball, eat pizza, and have fun.  These guys are NOT the Screech type students. They are much more like AC Slater! Y’all remember them?

#3: They want relationship! As I said in my last blog, youth ministry is all about relationships. I invited one guy to hang out and he brought three others. Not because he invited them but because when they heard he was hanging with me they asked to come. Now, I am not that cool! They just want relationship that bad! Give your students time, respect, and attention. They will open up and draw close.

jsc