SEE YOURSELF HIGHLY FAVORED

The sweltering Egyptian Sun blazes down on the bustling market. The distinctive scent of aromatic spices wafts over the countless rows of merchants calling out there wares and treasures brought hear from far and wide... Everything, from the intricate creations of precious metals to livestock, has a price in fact, a slave can be yours for 20 pieces of silver...
Amid this hustle and bustle in the main square by the fountain stands a young man of about 17 years old, his neck and his hands bound firmly with coarse ropes. From the rope burns across his wrist and around his neck, you can tell that the merchants have not been kind as they hurried to reach the market in time to put their prize on display...The young man is dazed from so many days off walking. His legs keep buckling beneath him, his arms are weary from the constant tugging and his mouth is parched from the dry desert winds. He is in a foreign land where people speak in an incomprehensible tongue. With nothing to his name, not even a loincloth to cover his modesty, he is bound and displayed, completely naked. In a short while he would be inspected like an animal against his will, and sold into a lifetime of slavery.

- Joseph Prince, Unmerited Favor

I spoke this past week on being Highly Favored and most people would say the young man described above does NOT look HIGHLY FAVORED!  We could all agree that if that's favor, I don't want it! But the Bible says God Himself called this young man, Joseph, a successful man! (Genesis 39)

Joseph was so successful he wound up in JAIL! 

20 So Joseph..was there in the jail. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. (Genesis 39:20-21)

Why did God ever call this guy successful or favored?! Didn't God see what was happening to poor Joseph? Didn't He care that this innocent man was IN THE FIGHT OF HIS LIFE?

Maybe you're in the fight of your life like Joseph...if you can relate to getting one raw deal after another then there's good news for you: Joseph's story took an incredible turn and he went on to be second in command over the nation of Egypt!  And just like Joseph, God calls YOU successful and favored!  

God's favor isn't based on what you've done or even your circumstances, it's based on what Jesus did on the cross! Jesus paid the high price for your FAVOR, BLESSING, RIGHTEOUSNESS, HOLINESS and more when He died on that cross! There's nothing you need to do to get these things.  Because of Jesus, God went ahead and gave them to you! And even if you do something stupid, you still have them!  If God's favor was based on your own hard work and achievements then His favor would only be temporary but David says, "His FAVOR lasts a lifetime" in Psalms 30!  

When you're in the fight of your life, begin to look for God's FAVOR! Choose to see where God is blessing you! Maybe all you can see is that you seem to get a good parking spot wherever you go. Thank God for that parking spot, as insignificant as it may seem, and soon you will begin to see more and more of these "coincidences" happen for your good! Because it's not just believing for the sake of being positive, it's believing what God promised YOU! Believe what God says! God can work with your belief: it's called faith and faith is what you "see" spiritually. 

God knows your circumstances. God cares for you and wants the best for you! Sometimes God works quickly, sometimes He works slowly but either way He ALWAYS has a plan for your life and that plan is called HIGHLY FAVORED! So take the first step into this world of blessing:  begin to see yourself as highly favored...because you are!

You're Blessed--Now What?

We say we live in a blessed nation. We say our children are a blessing.  The Bible says God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. My family feels blessed when I'm under the influence of caffeine. And can we just say "blessed" in a single syllable or do we have to say "bless-ed" in two syllables, olde-english style? What's all this blessing about?

God has clearly stated some radical promises for all who believe in Him: they will become great, be honored, have a certain brand of celebrity associated with their name, and everyone on the earth will feel the benefits of just being around these people! (Genesis 12:2-3) Pretty incredible! That's where I want to live!

I don't know about you, but I'm not exactly bursting with joy and rainbows and lollipops first thing in the morning...I need a little reminder of just how bless-ed I am!

It's my sneaky suspicion that we all need that reminder. So where do we find this? In the morning news or out of an equally-groggy family member's mouth?!? Yah, sounds stupid...but that's what we do! Actually, it would be helpful to study "blessings" in the Bible. So like a good pastor, I've studied it out for you (thanks, Google) and here's some stuff for you to say to you that lines up with what the Bible says about you:

God supplies all my needs (Philippians 4:19)

God gives me what I need when I need it (2 Corinthians 9:8)

I am a generous person and God is generous to me (Luke 6:38)

I am content and emotionally stable (Philippians 4:7)

I don't need to fear or worry, God gives me strength and help (Isaiah 41:10)

God will make something good out of my life (Philippians 1:6)

God sees the good in me (Jude 1:24)

I am difficult to offend (Galatians 5:1)

I appreciate people and they appreciate me (Isaiah 58:10)

Jesus put every answer I need inside of me (James 5:17)

Did you notice how good you feel after reading that? I have about 40 of these that I say to myself daily. I encourage you to start with these and add any other promises that encourage you to be all that God made you to be!

Bottom line: Don't exclude yourself from what God has included you in!  Don't let your feelings or some momentarily thoughtless friend or, worse yet, an enemy tell you who you are! BELIEVE what God says about you! Believe you're BLESSED!

Dangerous HOPE

To live is to wait.  Waiting doesn't sound like living, it sounds like the enemy of living! But let’s face it, we’re usually waiting expectantly (impatiently!) for something. Waiting to grow up. Waiting  to graduate. Waiting to meet the right person. Waiting to get promoted. Waiting to get married. Waiting  to buy a house. Waiting to have a baby. Waiting for our spouse to notice us again. Waiting for our prodigal child to return. Waiting for traffic. Waiting for Christmas…

In these situations, we hope. Hope sounds like such a good, kind word.  Something our Moms would say in an encouraging tone. It sounds so…hopeful.

I was living in hope for something…for a long time… and I was still waiting…and other people began to get what I had been patiently hoping for…and I was still waiting empty handed…and finally, it begins to feel too dangerous to hope.

I felt a bit like a fool. A little bit duped by my own heart. I was disappointed. And embarrassed.  And so it seemed like the safest thing to do was give up hope. “It’s not smart to live with that much hope,” I reasoned, “I’ll just protect myself by expecting less.”  I even Christianized this thought by reassuring myself that my life is part of God’s plan, I’m just along for the ride, it’s all in His hands so I don’t want to  interfere. My new motto was Give Up ‘Til He Shows Up.

But guess what: when we expect nothing that’s just what we’re gonna get: NOTHING! Waiting without hope is basically waiting for nothing. IT’S POINTLESS TO WAIT WITHOUT HOPE!!! God made us to have hope.

Protecting myself from Hope was protecting myself from the very thing that was going to give me the strength to keep going! People die when hope is lost. Hope is what gives us the strength to try harder. Hope is what makes us get up again, take a chance, challenge our fears and expect a win! Hope circulates faith and dreams and expectation into every situation we face in life.  God shows up in our hope. He partners with our Faith. He wants us to BELIEVE!

Miracles happen when someone believes, even as much as a mustard seed!

Have you been waiting so long that YOU gave up hope? Maybe you didn't even realize that you gave up until you heard your own sarcastic comment about your situation. Take off the armor that’s only protecting you from the good God wants to do on your behalf. Embrace hope! Change your words to HOPE! Change your prayers to HOPE! Change your fear to HOPE! Change your actions to HOPE! Change your lifestyle to HOPE! Partner with what God wants to do with your life and LIVE IN HOPE!

Isaiah 40:31

but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

Deeply Loved

Here's our highlights from our NEW SERIES: BORN LUCKY!

You're BORN LUCKY because you're LOVED

I am deeply loved                          

God's love isn't like any relationship we'll ever experience. It's not like your spouse's love, your child's love for you, not even your Mama's love: God's love is unconditional! He loves us when we do it great, He loves us when we blow it big time, He loves us before we ever thought about loving Him! God's love doesn't depend on our abilities or talents: He just loves us!

When love is lost, go find it!

If I lose my keys, I turn my house upside down to find them. And I know they'll turn up.  When I notice my love for Jesus is fading, I go and look for it! I don't settle for a half-hearted relationship. I go find it by asking God for His help and I remember ON PURPOSE the times I knew His love.  I remember the victories He's already given me! I remember the moments He came through for me! I think about the little coincidences in my life that can't be explained without the OVERWHELMING LOVE OF JESUS! His love can be found which will remind me of my love for Him! But sometimes I'm unaware my love has faded. How do I know if my love for God is fading?

Your love is slipping away when you can't throw a party

Religion hates parties! Religious people aren't happy on the inside so it's always too much work to party!  God loves a party and throws on for even the smallest accomplishment in our lives! When we feel that we're never good enough, never do enough, never have enough, it's time to remind ourselves of that unconditional love for us that never leaves us alone! And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39

Lovers will always out work workers

When we realize the depth of God's crazy, intoxicating love for us we want to give back to Him! We're more dedicated, more tenacious, and more joyful as we work FROM the love we have for God than we would ever be working just to do a "religious duty". 

 Ephesians 3:17-18

  I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love; and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God's children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high his love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves, though it is so great that you will never see the end of it or fully know or understand it. And so at last you will be filled up with God himself. 

See you on Sunday as we look at another way we're BORN LUCKY when we're part of God's family!

Fusion After Party!!!

This past weekend, Pastor Heidi talked about the power of words and thoughts...and horror movies:) Check it out:

• God created the universe, the world & everything in it just from speaking.  We're made in His image so when we speak, we're creating something--it’s not trees or a mountains but we create an attitude, an atmosphere--with just words.

• Horror movies have creepy music, but if the music switched to happy music, the movie wouldn't be so creepy.
  That background music in movies is just like our thoughts: if we think positive then our perspective changes and that changes everything. Try
  going through a bad situation with a good attitude! You'll be able to see solutions and get perspective...and maybe even confuse the people around you...Regardless, you'll see answers!

• The Apostle Paul calls this “renewing your mind” Romans 12:2

• Do you realize that our thoughts are spiritual?! (Ephesians 6:12) Our thoughts are part of the spirit-realm and if we pay attention to them, we’re winning a spiritual battle! We think our thoughts are private--that they can’t hurt anyone. Even though we can’t see our thoughts, they affect our actions.  They can even affect other people’s actions! It works like this: Is there someone in your life that you say all the right things and they even say all the right things back but for some reason that you can’t quite put your finger on, you have a negative feeling about them? That’s the spirit realm! Our thoughts are unseen but they still influence our actions and other's actions!

• I've been are focusing on thinking/talking positive for years and I still mess up! And that’s ok--being perfect is not the criteria for being a Christian! Jesus wants to help us talk and think positive!  All we have to do is ask! Jesus will help us in the struggle!

• So don't beat yourself up when you struggle! Everything good came from a struggle!  The Bible is full of people struggling(not full of perfect people)who went on to do amazing things! God doesn't have a problem that we’re not perfect. No, He uses this to remind us that with HIM all things are possible!  In moments of worry and freaking out, we come face to face with the truth: When we are utterly powerless, God is still powerful--powerful enough to help us through any storm! 

• Thinking on good things is how this all starts. When we think/talk positive we can see the struggle with the right perspective: ANY PROBLEM IN YOUR LIFE IS ONLY THERE SO JESUS CAN MAKE YOU STRONGER, BETTER, WISER, and FEARLESS!!!

Great Bible Verses to Think On:

Ephesians 4:29-32

When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need — words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will do good to those who listen to you. 30 And do not make the Holy Spirit sad. The Spirit is God's proof that you belong to him. God gave you the Spirit to show that God will make you free when the final day comes. 31 Do not be bitter or angry or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil. 32 Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ. NCV

Romans 12:2

be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will. NIV

Ephesians 6:12

Our fight is not against people on earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world's darkness, against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world.

NCV

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.

Have a GREAT WEEK!

Nate & Heidi Elznic

Pastors

The Fusion Church

10:30am Sundays

www.thefusionchurch.org

Take Back Your Abundant Life

Do you ever find yourself spending too much time & energy doing something that’s completely unproductive? No, I’m not talking about watching TV, I’m not even talking about all our hours on Facebook...I’m talking about our hamster wheel.  You know, when you focus on an unchangeable situation, blame all your problems on it, and the solution usually doesn't involve YOU changing as much as SOMEONE ELSE who needs to do the changing?  Maybe you want the government to change or your boss....for most married people, it’s their spouse.  Whoever it is, it’s never you!  Focusing on this problem person is your hamster wheel.

We can spend hours practicing conversations we’d like to have explaining how they need to change...or fill up journals or blogs categorizing their many faults...or steer every gossip session to how they wronged us.  Or just engage them in an old fashioned screaming match...however we cope with the injustice of them: that’s the hamster wheel going round & round.

Your hamster wheel serves a very critical life purpose: it’s designed to eat away your time & energy. the time you could use to write that novel or build that business or work on your PX90 Hollywood body...all that time is just wasted away as you roll the other person’s problems around in your mind, getting nowhere, fixing nothing...STEALING YOUR LIFE AWAY!

It’s time to get rid of the hamster wheel!  

Emancipate yourself from the enslaving habit of dwelling on other people’s faults!  We can’t change people.  The only person we can change is ourselves!  And I know it seems like their problem is so big and our problem is so small, but when we own our part & fix our small problem, we will see an actual change in the situation.  

So, what if we decided to be thankful for the government who provides running water & sewers that don’t spill out onto the streets? Or thankful for our boss who continues to employ us so we can pay for our homes & gas & food?  What if we were thankful for our spouse and we purposefully reminded ourselves of their strengths instead of their annoying little habits?  Wouldn’t this alone change our life?

The fact is, we have an enemy who wants to steal, kill & destroy...even if it’s using something as simple as a hamster wheel...but Jesus wants to give us an ABUNDANT LIFE.  Decide today to do your part: be thankful for the little things and Jesus will do His part: He will amaze you with how abundant your life can really be!

Do it today! Throw away the hamster wheel and get ready to take back your abundant life!

The TRUE STORY of the Power of Appreciation!

This is a true story of the power of appreciation.

It all started with a brave request: a wife asked her husband to list six things he believed she could do to become a better wife.  He was surprised by such a request and confided to a friend, "Honestly, it would have been easy for me to list six things I would like to change about her--she could have listed a thousand things she would like to change about me--but I didn't.  I said to her, "Let me think about it and give you an answer in the morning."

The next morning the man got up very early and called the florist and had them send six red roses to his wife with a note saying "I can't think of six things I'd like you to change. I love you the way you are."

When he arrived home that evening his wife greeted him with a big kiss at the door. The man was extremely glad he had not criticized her even though she had asked him to!

The next week, one of his wife's friends went out of her way to tell him what a great thing he had done for his wife, it was then that the man realized the power of appreciation!

APPRECIATION GETS RESULTS WHERE CRITICISM AND RIDICULE FAIL!

told by Dale Carnegie