Help Your Kids Love Their Enemies

What do you train your kids to think about and do about their enemies? Do they have enemies? Are your kids to affirm everyone?  Jesus gives parents and teachers surprising guidelines in the Sermon on the Mount.  Listen to learn more.

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Help Your Children Go the Extra Mile ini 2019

What is the last nice thing you did for someone who isn't nice to you?  Make sure to set your new year goal to do more. Listen to Jesus' encouragement for you as you train your children.

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The Best Christmas Gift to a Child is a Great Marriage

What do kids need the most this Christmas? One great need is a close example of sacrificial love found in a Christian marriage.  Can you give it to your children? Or can you find a school or church to help?  Listen to Christ's words about marriage from the Sermon on the Mount to bless you and your children.

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Is it settled? Training our Children This Christmas to Figure it Out Themselves

Have you been sued?  Do you think suing is the best solution to most disagreements?  Listen to Jesus' perspective and how to help teach your children how to settle matters without calling in an authority.

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Loving God is Loving Your Family This Christmas

Does it sound like Christmas when you open your mouth?  What do you sound like when you talk to and about your family? Do you sound loving and happy and wonderful? Do you sound pained and hateful? Listen to Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount to help us speak God's way with our family...

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Stuck In Your Comfort Zone

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Christmas is here!
With Christmas comes the end of one year and the beginning of a new year.  Like hanging a new calendar for the new year, the beginning of a new year is the traditional time to evaluate our lives and commit to making some changes.
What were your New Year's Resolutions for 2018?
How long did they last before you gave up on them?
Have you learned that lesson and don't even set them anymore?

Let's look at this from another angle for 2019:
What is something that you have always wanted to accomplish, but have never given it a serious effort?
What is the biggest challenge you are facing in your marriage, profession, and personal character?
What would your life look like next Christmas if you...

1. Developed the courage to chase you life-long dream?
2. Face that big challenge that is keeping you from having the marriage of your dreams?
3. Stepped out and pursued your passion instead of just settling for a paycheck?
4. Attacked that "thing" that you really need to change about yourself (get back into shape, stop looking at porn, stop drinking, spend more time reading the Bible every week, etc.)?

Does that short list seem intimidating, or even impossible?  It isn't.  You will never completely turn your life around in one year, but it doesn't take an entire year to start replacing bad habits with good habits, either.  The key is to START!

There is a simple Success Formula that can help you get started and keep you going once you are in motion towards becoming the ideal you.  

Define--Learn--Do

Define

The first thing you need to do is to write down the answer to each of the 4 questions above, each on its own sheet of paper.

Be specific.  Give each one lots of thought and lots of detail.  The more detailed the better.

1. What is your dream?  What does your life look like when you get it?  What does it mean to the world when you get your dream?  Who do you have to become to get your dream?  Who do you have to serve?
2. What is your vision of the perfect marriage?  How do you feel every time you think about, or see you spouse?  How can you serve your spouse better?  What if you stopped thinking about your own needs and hurts so much, and focused entirely on serving your spouse's needs and stopped hurting her/him so much?
3. What are you passionate about?  How can you best use that passion to serve others, especially Jesus?  Is there already a company or organization that exists where you could maximize your passions and gifts, or do you need to step out and start something totally new that doesn't exist yet?
4. What is that one vice that you really hate about yourself?  Can you defeat it on your own, or do you need to get some help?  How is this one character failure negatively impacting every aspect of your life?  What would it feel like to be free of the grip it currently has on your life?

These questions are to help you get started.  This is what I meant when I wrote, "Be specific.  Give each one lots of thought and lots of detail.  The more detailed the better."  Don't limit yourself to these questions, but recognize that this is something you need to spend some time on.  Don't be intimidated by the process, but don't just breeze through it either.  The more effort you put into this step, the easier and more successful the next two steps will be.

The "Define" step is critical.  Until you truly define what you want your life to look like and commit to putting it down on paper, nothing in your life will change for the better (with the exception of the rare "happy accident").  This Success Formula is a mere 3-step process.  If you don't have the character and work ethic to do just 3 things, then success isn't in the cards for you.  I know that right about now some of you are making excuses to yourself why you aren't even going to attempt this.  That's why I titled this article STUCK In Your Comfort Zone.  

You're not where you are in life because it's where you want to be (although you have chosen it).  You're there because you've gotten lazy and complacent.  You give more time to making excuses and justifying your failures than you do setting goals and chasing them.  When is the last time you actually set a goal?

This is the way you change all of that.  This is the way you break out of your Comfort Zone and begin to realize the incredible potential God has placed in you from your conception.  This is how you live your God-given purpose!  

There is also one other thing to keep in mind here:

You can't do any of this on your own.  You will daily need to lean on God for His help and guidance.  Remember, according to St. Paul "...you have been called according to His purpose."  It's ultimately not our own purpose we seek to accomplish, but His.  The ultimate goal is to glorify Him, not ourselves.  This is actually one of the reasons to begin this process- it helps us to realize how feeble we all are, and how much we need the Lord God Almighty who created each and every one of us.

Learn

Congratulations!  You have made it to step two.  For some of you, this step may be the most challenging because you just took the time to clearly define what you want your life to look like at the end of 2019, but now what?  If you already knew how to have the life you wanted- you would already have the life you want.  Make sense?

That's the enigma the LEARN step unravels.  This step is built on another simple 3-step process:  READ--LISTEN--ASSOCIATE.  Albert Einstein said, "You can't fix your current problems with the same level of thinking that created them."  This actually makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

Up to this point we have all made, what we felt at the time, to be the best choices.  The problem is that time has proven how unwise too many of those choices were.  If we were able to go back in time 10 or 20 years, there are numerous choices that we would make differently based on what we know now.  

This is ultimately the advantage that READ--LISTEN--ASSOCIATE gives us.  It allows us to learn from people throughout the ages to make better decisions today.

Reading is the crucial key to this whole process, and to any real education and personal growth.  Reading is the way that we make permanent and lasting changes within ourselves.  Once you have done the DEFINE step, reading is the how to start putting it together.  Books are a true blessing from God.  Good books are the collection of human wisdom from thousands of years ago to the present age.  Everything we need to know about turning our DEFINE into reality is written in a book someplace.  You just need to find it.  

Reading is the foundation of all great education and great learning.  Any reading program must start with the Bible.  God's Word is the foundation of all wisdom and our ultimate purpose- How we can  best serve Jesus.

After the Bible, I would suggest the Antioch Academy's TOP 50 Booklist to get your reading program started.

Listening is the next component to learning.  You have to find a quality audio training program that you can plug into every day.  You need to listen to at least 3-5 personal development audios every day.  This is essential for your education and growth.  

Audios are versatile.  You can listen to them while you're driving.  You can listen while you're working out.  You can listen while you are doing anything else.  This is a huge advantage over reading.  You can listen to an audio anytime, anywhere.  It's what Rob Robson calls NET learning- No Extra Time.  Listening to quality audios is something you can do while you're doing the stuff you are already doing.  Simple!  Easy!  So what are you waiting for?  Need some suggestions for this too?  Okay.

• Downloadable Audios from the Antioch Academy for Christian Discipleship
• Rascal Radio (from LIFE Leadership)
• Christ for Disciplers podcast

The final piece is Associate.  There are a couple of ways to accomplish this piece.

1. Leadership Challenge Groups
2. Mentor/Coaching
3. Accountability Partner
4. Seminars and Classes
5. Small Group Bible study

The purpose of association is to help you get uncomfortable with being the "old" you.  Good association will encourage you to keep working at your plan.  It will help you see your victory in the victories of others.  Good association will help you kill bad habits by spending more time with positive people who will encourage you.  The power of association is often underestimated when it comes to making changes in our lives, big or small.  

This is ultimately what church is all about.  It's a regular meeting of like minded individuals who encourage each other and worship God together.  There's a reason the Bible tells us not to give up meeting together.  Friends, family, and mentors are all a blessing from God.  We need to get around positive, like-minded people often to help us recharge our batteries and re-energize us for the daily pursuit of our purpose.

Finally, a mentor/coach/accountability partner is crucial.  We have to have someone that we can meet with and talk to who has more results in life than we do.  We need someone who can see our struggles from the outside and help us to re-frame our situation.  Their advice and perspective is priceless.  Having a mentor is a huge shortcut in the process of change.  Finding someone who is truly qualified to mentor you can be a challenge, but it is worth all the effort it takes to do so.  Fortunately, the old saying, "When the student is ready, the teacher appears", has more truth to it than most people realize.  When you commit to your journey of changing yourself and your associations, the right person to mentor you will show up when you least expect it.  Keep your eyes and ears open!

DO

Finally, how do you put it all together?
At the LEARN step you are starting to do some things, but don't get fooled by that activity.  The DO step is about actually working on your plan.  This is the piece that takes courage.  This is where you ask for help, have those difficult conversations, discipline yourself to kill bad habits and work to form new good habits.
This is where you do the physical work of changing.
Orrin Woodward has developed a 4-step process for change and growth called Plan-Do-Check-Adjsut (PDCA).  This is the process that you will learn to master, because it is the process to change and grow in anything.

Plan

Once you have defined what you want to change, and what you want the outcome to look like, you need to make a gameplan.  This is made up of small goals and the steps you are going to take to achieve them.

Your big goal is what you want to achieve by the end of 2019.  In order to get there, you have to break that big goal down into 30-day goals.  This is where you define the specific tasks that must be accomplished by the end of this month to keep moving you towards your BIG goal.

DO

This step is pretty simple: DO your plan!

CHECK

This is the step where you take an honest look at what you have been doing.  Recognize what's working and what isn't.  Don't fall into the trap of looking at the results of your work to support what you already thought.  You need to be honest about your results.  It's okay if things didn't work out the way you thought they would.
Maybe your plan is solid- you just have to get better at doing it.  Where do you need to develop and improve skill sets?  One of the reasons why many of the things you are doing are outside of your comfort zone is because you aren't very good at them.  As your skills increase, so will your comfort level and effectiveness.

It will also be helpful for you to think through this step with your mentor.  This is a place where he will see things that you don't, and he can offer another perspective on the feedback you are getting from doing your plan.

Adjust

That brings us to the final step- ADJUST.  This is where you take your feedback from the CHECK step and make the necessary adjustments to your plan.  Then it's just a matter of running the PDCA process for another 30 days...for the next 12 months.  You will PDCA your way to a brand new you for next Christmas.  Let that be your Christmas present to yourself, and the world, next year.

I don't know if that seems too easy to be true, or if it sounds like way too much work to even get started; but you can be sure of one thing:  If you do nothing to change in 2019, nothing will change for the better in 2019!

Beat the New Year's rush and get started today!

Merry Christmas!

Jason Fredrick

For Us And For Our Children -- Is a Rule a Rule?

Is living 99% for your God enough?  Most think it is more than enough -- but Jesus disagrees.  He calls us to strive for Him and to train our kids to do the same.

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You and Your Children Getting a Bit Salty this Christmas?

Do you stand out from those around you that aren’t Christians?  Do your Children? If someone tried to convict you of being Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you?  God calls us to be noticeable and notice. Listen for God’s encouragement...

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To Be Called Children of God

How would your children answer if asked, “Who are you?”  Trained to say I’m a child of God loved and saved by Jesus… but do they know, feel and act that.

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What's On the Inside of Our Children Lasts

It is good to be concerned about our children’s academics and activities, but how do we change what is on the inside?  The inside is what will last for the rest of their lives and for eternity. Listen for ideas...

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Blessed by the Best

Jesus lets us know where true Christmas blessings come from -- from God's working on our spirit and heart.

Continue to train the spirit of your children to ready them for God's daily and eternal blessings.

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Sit Down With Your Family and Jesus

Jesus came at Christmas to spend time with us.  When many people gathered to meet with Jesus, he delivered what is called the Sermon on the Mount and taught his followers how to live a thankful life of discipleship.

This Christmas season we take time for our family to spend time with Jesus and listening to Jesus best know sermon is a great way to do it.

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Use Gifts to Train the Next Generation

The Magi gave gifts to Jesus and his family.  We train our children and set the example of how to give gifts of thanks to our God who has given us everything.

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Will Education Exclude Your Children from Jesus?

Jesus did not come just for poor, uneducated, Jewish shepherds.  The educated Magi also were part of God's plan.

We might fear if our children get to educated that their education may not be compatible with following Jesus.  Instead we need to act and solidify the biblical worldview of our children and disciple them as well as we educate them on God's world.

We want the next generation that follows Jesus to have all the tools God has supplied them with ready to use for God's kingdom.

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Teach Your Children to Count on Promises

When the Magi visited Jesus, Herod simply had to look in the Bible to see where God promised he would be born.  God kept his detailed promises by how he sent Jesus.  In fact there are so many promises in the Old Testament that Jesus fulfilled that the odds that any one would do so make it virtually impossible.

As we get ready for Christmas, we marvel at how God kept his promises and we look forward to God keeping his promises to bless our children and deliver this world.  We strive to train our children to trust God's promises by teaching them they can trust our promises.

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Who in Your Family is Disturbed?

Herod was disturbed and ready for violence when he heard someone might put Jesus as king ahead of him. Still today we and our children will face those that are threatened by Jesus and threaten because of Jesus.  We need to train the next generation to be ready.

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God is Always Working

The Magi in Matthew 2 hold lots of mysteries, but we do know that God did the work to get them the message so they could worship Jesus.  God still often works in little ways that we cannot see to build his kingdom.  The little things we do for our children are examples of how God may do big, visible things in the future.

We need to train our children to see the quiet little things of life are the normal way that God does most of his amazing work through and to us.

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Give it Up For Jesus

Joseph sacrificed to be the "father" of Jesus.  He sets the example for fathers today to sacrifice for their families.

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Believe the Unbelievable Because It's True

Joseph believed the message that his bride to be, Mary, was pregnant by the Holy Spirit.  God asks us to believe this core truth of Christianity that Jesus is true God and true man at the same time.

We disciple the next generation by training them that following Jesus means not expecting what God tells us to make sense.

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That's A Bad Suprise

Joseph showed good character, grace and faith in the difficult situation of hearing his bride to be, Mary, was pregnant.  He did the right thing.

That pattern is one to learn from for fathers and parents and one to train our children for.

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Who's Your Daddy?

Most Americans don't know more than three generations back from them.  The Bible records 52 generations for Jesus making sure we know he was a real person who came as a fulfillment of God's promises.

We strive to train the next generation so that if the world lasts 52 more generations, the message of Jesus will still be shared.

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God So Loved the World...He Promised a Savior

Have you ever made a promise to someone?
How well did you keep your promise?

Has anyone ever promised something to you?
How well did they keep their promise?

We have all made promises that we didn't keep; just as we have all had people make promises to us that were broken.  Fortunately, God is faithful and He keeps EVERY promise that He has ever made.

When Adam and Eve fell into sin in the Garden of Eden God cursed the serpent, then Eve, and then Adam; but in that process He also gave the first promise of a Savior:

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel." -Genesis 3:15

God didn't fulfill that promise right away.  This initial promise was made around 4000 B.C.  Through those 4000 years God continually renewed His covenant (promise) with His people.

From Noah to Abraham to Jacob to Moses to David, and many in between and after.  Even in the final centuries of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah God continued to be faithful to that promise.  The prophet Isaiah foretold of the virgin birth around 700 B.C:

Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign:  "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." -Isaiah 7:14

Then around 4 or 5 B.C., an angel appeared to a lowly maiden.  She was just an ordinary girl.  She would still be among the multitudes of unknown people who have walked the earth before us had God not chosen her to fulfill His promise:

The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored!  The Lord is with you."

"Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.  You will be with child and will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." -Luke 1:28-33

So here in the first chapter of Luke we see God finally giving a set time when He would fulfill this promise.  Notice how when he first made the promise He never told anyone when it would be fulfilled.  He just said that it would happen.  For thousands of years, people were saved by their faith in this promise.  They believed  God would send a Savior who would redeem all people from their sins.

For us, we are saved by the faith that Jesus is the Savior; that He has redeemed us from the power of sin, death, and hell.  We no longer have to trust a promise of a future Savior.  That promise has been fulfilled, we just need to believe it.  We just need to believe that Jesus fulfilled that promise exactly as the Bible tells us:

• He was born of a virgin.
• He lived a perfect, sinless life as a real human being.
• He died on the cross to pay the penalty for all sin:  for every sin, of every person, of all time (past, present, and future).
• Jesus conquered death for us on Easter morning when He raised from the dead, in the flesh, and ascended into heaven where He lives and reigns for all eternity.

We no longer await the fulfillment of God's promise to send a Savior, but He has given us a promise that we do look forward to being fulfilled:  Jesus Christ is coming back again to judge the world and to take us to heaven to live and reign with Him for all eternity.  And to that we say, "Come, Lord Jesus!  Amen!"

God bless 

Jason Fredrick

Who are Your Children Related to?

Jesus' birth is history and we teach it to our children as history - history they are connected to.  They are connected to Jesus not only the by impact of his arrival but also by their DNA.

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God Always Blesses His Children

God blessed his children and punished Pharaoh and his army.

God by grace and the work of Jesus blesses all of his children.

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God is Between You and Your Problems

God was a pillar of fire and cloud between his children and evil Pharaoh and his army.  They could see it and still struggled with fear.

We cannot normally see God protecting us but because of Jesus and because of his promises we know he is there.

We need to help our children know God is there with them at all times.

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Be Still

As God's children saw Pharaoh coming toward them with his army, they were afraid and sarcastic.  God promised to deliver them and told them to be still and let him handle it.

We and our children are easily fearful when we see real danger coming at us.  We need to look to God and be still to have courage to thrive in this life.

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Evil is Relentless

Ever think you cannot get a break?  Evil pursues us as shown by how Pharaoh pursued God's children.  But God will pursue us longer and harder and will pursue our children longer and harder.

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The Stupidity of Sinful Habits

Proverbs 26:11

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

This bit of wisdom really paints a picture, doesn't it?

Every time you return to your addictive, sinful habit, you are the dog.

Have you ever seen a dog puke a pile, and then come back a few minutes later and lick it up?  This is what you and I look like to God every time we return to pornography, or cigarettes, or cocaine, or gambling, or shopping, or junk food, or...you name it.  You know what yours is.  

I will share one of mine with you.  Pornography.  Pornography is a temptation I have to battle almost every day.  The challenges with pornography are that it's so easy to access in our internet age and also that it is so prevalent in our culture today.  "Sex sells".  Maybe it is so prevalent because it is so easy to get.

For me, the challenge is very difficult because of how young I was when I was first exposed to pornography.  I was somewhere between 10 and 12 years old.  There is never a good time for someone to be exposed to the depravity of pornography, but 12 years old is way too young.  I was way too immature, spiritually and emotionally.  One exposure was all it took for me.  It grabbed ahold of me and dominated my life for the next 20 years!  Being so immature, I didn't even begin to battle it until I was introduced to Leadership Development at age 32.  Before then I lived my life entirely for myself.  The entire decade of my twenties was marred by sex addiction.  It was the primary motivator for most of my daily choices.  I would go almost anywhere, anytime to indulge.    

The problem with any addiction or compulsive behavior is the damage it leaves in its wake.  I hurt a lot of people in those 20 years, caring about nobody but myself.  The number of damaged and destroyed relationships from that time is almost uncountable; none of us can ever really know the exponential damage of the ripple effect.  I do know that I hurt my family daily in those years.  The shame and guilt of my "secret sin" robbed me of my self-confidence and self-esteem.  I hated myself, and everybody around me paid the price.  I was argumentative.  I swore constantly.  I would say mean and hurtful words to anybody at anytime.  

Like I said before, at age 32 God threw me a lifeline.  He brought Leadership Development into my life.  That turned out to be the tool He used to bring me out of all of that.  Today, 10 years after starting my Leadership journey, I am married; I have an incredible son; and all of my relationships are better and stronger than at any time in my life.

In my teens and twenties God let me go my own way- daily returning to my folly.

In my thirties and forties He has brought me back to the path that I was supposed to be the whole time.  My life has literally been that of "The Lost Son" (Luke 15:11-31).  

The Takeaways

The first takeaway from my story is: God is Faithful.  He was always with me, always watching over me.  It is only by His grace that I am not demon-possessed or suffering eternal judgment in hell.  It is only by His grace that I was able to leave behind that life of selfishness and depravity.

Secondly, persistent sin destroys.  Because of my willful, sinful, selfish lifestyle I faced several years of demonic attack.  Also, I think I have made it clear that I hurt countless people and destroyed relationships.  The same is true for you.  Your "secret sin" that you think that no one knows about is ravaging the people who love you most.  Whether either of you realizes it or not, it is.  By you daily returning to your folly you are playing with fire.  The people who will be burned the worst are the people you claim to love the most.

Finally, you can put your folly behind you.  God loves all of His children, including you.  In fact, He loves you so much that He sent His son, Jesus, to pay the price for ALL of your sins.  He is powerful enough to pull you out of the pit you have fallen into.  He wants to help you, stop resisting Him!  You will never be totally free of the temptations, Satan knows our weaknesses; but God is powerful enough to help us resist Satan's  lies and temptations.

I still battle temptations to look at pornography, almost everyday, but now, I battle them instead of indulging in them.  God is powerful and God is love and can help you leave your folly behind.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit you can finally stop being the dog.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

God Turns Us Back

As God delivered his people in Exodus 14, he turned them back at first -- a bad looking move strategically.  But God knew what he was doing and would use this "bad" move for the good of his people.  Today, we assure our children that God knows what he is doing and if it appears we are regressing and God is turning us back, we can trust God to turn it for his glory and our good.

Check out this episode!

Thankful for Ministry to Children

Discipling Children for Jesus is serious business.  God threatens those who get in the way of his relationship with children and blesses that that bring them to him.

If you get to disciple children, give thanks to God for this trust and blessing.

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Thankful for Children Blessing Parents

God loves it when the hearts of parents are turned to their children.  When hearts are turned that direction they are ready for Jesus.

Parents and teachers are blessed to have children to focus on and are blessed by being placed in that relationship.  Give thanks for that!

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Thankful for the Presence of Children

We are thankful that children exist.  Having them be about 20% of the population keeps us focused on serving others.  Imagine a world with only 1% of the population being children or a world with no children.  Thank God he knows we need them.

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Thankful for the Faith of Children

We thank God for the faith of children -- that they have it and that we get to see it and are built up by it.

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Thankful for the Play of Children

This week we give thanks for children.  This episode thanks God for the play of children.

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Dealing With Death

God brought justice to the Egyptians with the Plague of the Firstborn.  That reality of death showed the Israelites how blessed they were by grace.

We today need to let our children know about and deal with death so they can appreciate the life they have in Jesus.

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Search For Sin

God had his people remove yeast that symbolized sin from their house to get ready for the passover.

Today the disciples we train need to be trained to look for sin and work to get rid of it.  

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Protect Your Household

When God came to bring death on Egypt, the blood of the lamb that the adults put on the door frame had God pass over their house.  Today adults are still the ones to lead in making sure the blood of the Lamb, Jesus is between their children and death.

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Have Annual Traditions

God set up the annual tradition of the Passover meal, so he people would remember how God saw the blood of the lamb and spared them from death.  Jesus set up the Last Supper from the Passover so his people would look back and see how his blood (as the Lamb of God) saves them from death.

We need to train the next generation to understand that picture.

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Your Children Have a Distinction

God called his children special.  He made a distinction between them and the Egyptians as he called them out of that country and slavery.  We need to teach our children they are special because God has called them that by the life and death and resurrection of Jesus.

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Finallly Let Them Have Their Way

After patient efforts, God finally plagued the Egyptians with darkness.  He would eventually let Pharaoh and his people have it their way.

As parents and teachers we are patient with children but finally we have to let them have it their way -- hoping they will return to us and God some day.

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God Wants Your Attention

God sent 10 plagues to try and get Pharaoh's attention so he would repent and save his people -- but Pharaoh stayed stubborn.

We normally pray for God to make our life easy but if God knows we or our children are straying we want him to do whatever it takes to get us back with him.

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Group Consequences are Never Good?

The Israelites suffered with the Egyptians for the first plagues.  God chose that to be a blessing for them all.  How does that guide us when it comes to group consequences for our kids or scholars?  When do we let the "innocent" suffer as part of the group?

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It is the Same

The magicians in Egypt tried to counterfeit God's signs but fell short.  Our kids can easily mistake the glory and happiness of this world for what God really wants them to have.  Our task is to help them see the difference.

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Outward Failure

God's plan for Moses and Aaron is that they would fail at first.  But through the plagues God would grant success.

When we help our children envision the future, we help them plan for God and trust him but be ready for short term failure -- like Moses and Jesus experienced.  God's success will come in the end!

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But My Kids Don't Listen To Me!

God told Moses to speak to Pharaoh even though Pharaoh did not want to and would not listen.

God tells all parents and teachers to keep sharing His message not matter how stubborn the audience is. He calls us to be more stubborn than they are.

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Ask the Lord, "Why" and What Will His Answer Be?

Moses questioned why he and others were struggling and the Lord did not appear to be keeping his promise.  God did not explain but simply shared his love and plan.

We may question why God allows different struggles and sufferings as we follow him.  God likely will not explain but supply his gospel message again and again.

Check out this episode!

If You Disciple Well There Will Be Push Back

Pharaoh not only said no to Moses but made things worse for the Hebrews.

When we do what God wants we will get push back from those around and those we are serving.

Check out this episode!

Rejoice When All is Well

Moses and Aaron and the people took time to celebrate when all was going well.  We celebrate with the children we love when there is a reason to.  Celebrate now -- don't wait!

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Win the Lost With LOVE

Proverbs 29:10

Bloodthirsty men hate a man of integrity and seek to kill the upright.

Bloodthirsty men hate.  Have you ever seen hatred?  Real, burning hatred makes men do unspeakable things.  Bloodthirsty men hate; and men who hate are bloodthirsty.  

Maybe no one has ever threatened your life, but has anyone ever tried to kill your reputation, or kill you emotionally?  In our society most of the attacks by bloodthirsty people are done with words.  Words hurt.  Words kill.  Words cut deep, and the scars last a lifetime.  Hateful words can destroy a life.  They certainly destroy relationships.  

Why do people hate?  In a society that preaches tolerance and that life is meaningless- that it doesn't matter what you believe or what you do, because when you die you die.  That's all there is-  Why do people even care enough about others to hate them?  Why do they even bother to take notice?

The apostle John answers this question in 1 John 3:12-13:

Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother.  And why did he murder him?  Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous.  Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.

Ultimately, people hate because of sin.  God is love, but sin separates us from God.  Because of sin, we are all naturally bent toward sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like (Galatians 5:19-21).  Without God we are incapable of love.  "This is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down His life for us." (1 John 3:16) and "We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).  It is only by the grace of God that we are not all "bloodthirsty men" who hate.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

When you see hatred, or are the victim of hatred, don't respond with hatred.  Jesus tells us to love our enemies.  Hateful people are to be pitied.  They are children of satan on their way to hell.  So don't respond to hatred with hatred.  Respond with love.  Let the love of Jesus shine through you in situations like this.  Love that hateful person enough to share Jesus with them.  God did not put you in that spot to justify that other person's hatred; He put you there to tell that person about what Jesus has done for him.  God wants all people to be saved.  It is our responsibility to respond to every difficult person and situation with love and God's Word.  Every act of hatred is our opportunity to win another soul for heaven, but the Holy Spirit can only work if we open our mouth tell that person, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Jesus died for the bloodthirsty just as He died for you and me.  It is the unbelievers who need to hear this message, believers already know it, and they will only hear it if you respond with love.

God bless

Jason Fredrick

What's Your Parental Blindspot?

Moses was sent by God to lead His people out of slavery, but he failed to have his son take a big step of discipleship.  Thankfully Moses' wife fixed the situation.

We need others (often spouses or teachers) to help us disciple the next generation and avoid our blindspots.

Check out this episode!

Send Someone Else to Disciple Your Children?

After God answered Moses excuses, he finally admitted he didn't want to go to do God's work.  God gave Moses a partner, his brother Aaron, to go with him.  We may be hesitant to do what God wants but he sends us family and others to be with us so we can bravely God where God is leading.  We are that initial partner with our children and then we aim to connect them with others who will be that needed friend to keep them walking God's way.

Check out this episode!

Do Not Let Our Children Run Away

Moses was afraid his people would not listen to his message.  When God gave him power to persuade, he was afraid of that power.  We need to help our children embrace the power God will work through them.

Check out this episode!

Connect Our Children to the God of the Burning Bush

Moses met God in power and as one who keeps his promises to his people.  That God is the same God we need to introduce and connect more and more to our children.

Check out this episode!

A Multi-Cultural Life is A Good Life

Moses added to his cultural diversity by moving to a foreign land and marrying a woman from a different people.  This helped form him into a leader who could navigate different cultures.  As disciplers we would be wise to help our disciples engage as many cultures as possible so they can lead where God wants them to go.

Check out this episode!

A Leader With No Followers?

Moses wanted to be a leader but was not ready until God prepared him.  God still prepares and calls people to lead others.  Parents and educators today need to train people to be leaders.

Check out this episode!

Cross Cultural Parenting

Moses was raised biculturally -- learning he was a Hebrew and who the LORD was from his mother, but legally being an Egyptian raised in Pharaoh's house and education.  God equipped him to change the world and get it ready for Jesus.  Today children discipled in more than one culture are uniquely equipped to serve Jesus into the future.

Check out this episode!

Piece of Life's Puzzle

God used many different people to spare Moses.  God still uses many different people today to save lives and connect people to eternal lives.  You are one of those pieces.  Thank God for the other pieces.

Check out this episode!

Boys Are Dangerous

Pharaoh told his people to kill all the boy Hebrews and to save the girls.  Why?  Because he was afraid of their potential.  Modern disciplers need to see boys as dangerous tools that God can use for his kingdom and train them for Jesus.

Check out this episode!

A Podcast Equipping Parents and Educators To Disciple the Next Generation

   
For years I have been looking for a solid podcast to get a daily dose of Jesus.  A couple of months ago when Pastor Steinberg decided to start producing Christ for Disciplers, I got really excited about the possibilities.  Once he started releasing episodes I was hooked! Now I start every day with breakfast and Christ for Disciplers.

Christ for Disciplers is now available in iTunes and Google Play, as well at Stitcher, Tune In, PodBean and Spotify.  Listeners can go to http://ChristForDisciplers.com for the direct feed or be directed to the different providers.

In just two months, over 1500 listeners have downloaded over fifty 600 second episodes.  Most listeners are from the USA but a number are from Australia, Germany, France, Zambia, Canada, Indonesia and a total of 24 other countries.

Take a listen.  Subscribe. Think of others that could benefit from this Podcast and share via text, email or social media.

There is no cost or advertisements, just a sharing of the Gospel applied to those in the role of discipleship.

After listening please share any thoughts, questions or comments with pastorsteinberg@gmail.com to help improve the program.

Take 600 seconds each day so Christ will not take second in your life or the life of the next generation!

Jason Fredrick

http://ChristForDisciplers.com

Be a Life-Long Learner

Proverbs 16:10

The lips of a king speak as an oracle, and his mouth should not betray justice.

An oracle is a person who delivers authoritative, wise, or highly regarded and influential pronouncements.

When Solomon says that a "king speaks as an oracle" he is revealing the great responsibility of holding a position of authority.  All of you reading this right now hold a position of authority somewhere.  If you are a parent, teacher, pastor, an older sibling, or over the age of 12; this proverb is for you.  We all have influence in this world.  The only question is:  Are you intentional about how you are influencing others?

Most people want to hold the position of the king because all they see are the benefits and blessings of his success.  The problem is that few people want to do the heavy lifting of becoming worthy to be the king.  It is hard work to intentionally work on yourself.  It takes time, study, and hard work to develop the wisdom to lead effectively with love and justice.  Look at the definition of "oracle" above.  How many people do you know that meet those qualifications to be king.  Too many people don't care about justice.  All they care about is what they want, what benefits them personally.

Solomon makes it clear that with the blessing of authority comes great responsibility.  What are you currently doing to make sure that your lips are speaking wisdom and justice?
If your answer is, "uhhh" or "Nothing", then you are failing those who have been entrusted to your leadership.  If you are not reading, listening, and associating everyday with the intention of getting better, then you are taking your blessing of authority (leadership) for granted.

If your attitude is:  "The Holy Spirit will give me what I need when I need it", you are putting the Lord to the test.  It is true that the Holy Spirit can just give you the wisdom needed for your situation, but the reality is that the Holy Spirit generally, and almost always, works through a means.  He works through your hours of preparation.  He works through your daily Leadership Education (read, listen, associate).  The Holy Spirit gives wisdom and profound insights to those who are working at it through their daily self-directed education.  Being lazy in your education and study isn't faithfulness, it's arrogance. 

I encourage you not to put the Lord to the test.  Take responsibility for your life-long education and marvel at how He chooses to use you.  If you do this, you will be greatly blessed.

God bless
Jason Fredrick

Expect Others to Assume You Are Like Them

Joseph's brothers did not trust he had really forgiven them.  We need to practice forgiving others and continue to assure people so they trust our and God's forgiveness.

Check out this episode!

Bless Your Family Members

Joseph gave his brothers, who had sold him as a slave, blessings and riches.  His love probably confused them. We look to Jesus who blesses us despite our rebellion for power to love our children when they do not deserve it.

Check out this episode!

Make Time for Your Parents While There is Time

Joseph made sure to send for his father quickly.  Now is the time to spend with our parents, grandparents, children and grandchildren.

Check out this episode!

What a Difference 13 Years makes

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Key Elements of Being a Hungry Student, and a Wise Mentor

Proverbs 23:9

Do not speak to a fool, for he will scorn the wisdom of your words.

This statement is one that I have learned the truth of firsthand.  If you have ever tried to coach someone, or just give advice to someone who wasn't really interested in fixing their situation, then you also have most likely learned this firsthand.  This Proverb holds practical advice for both the mentor and the protege.

First, the protege is well to realize that he doesn't know everything.  That's the whole reason why he is mentoring with the person that he is.  I have made the mistake several times in my career of trying to coach someone who didn't actually want coaching.  They just wanted someone to listen to their complaining.  This is very frustrating, but it teaches  an important lesson:

Make sure that the person who has come to you seeking advice is truly seeking advice.  Complaining about a problem is not the same as seeking counsel.

Generally there are some tell-tale signs as to whether a person is genuinely seeking counsel or just looking for a willing ear for their complaining.  

• If your advice is being constantly contradicted, you are dealing with a complainer.
• If excuses are made why your advice can't be implemented, you are dealing with a complainer.
• If the individual is taking notes on what you are saying, you have a hungry student.
• If the individual is asking quality questions, you have a hungry student.
• If you refer books or audios and the titles are written down, you have a hungry student.
• If the person is trying to sell you on their excuses or line of thinking, you are dealing with a complainer.

On this point, the mentor should never presume to know everything about the situation.  A good mentor patiently asks quality questions to gain as full an understanding of the situation as possible.  Before giving any advice the mentor needs to ask enough questions in order to be able to make a proper diagnosis.  Mentoring should almost always begin with the mentor asking questions and the student talking.  It is only after the mentor has listened and gained an understanding of the situation is it his turn to talk.  The mentor who doesn't first listen is just as annoying as the student who doesn't listen.  Unfortunately, we have all probably experienced bad examples of this principle.  That's why it is so important for each of us to do this well.  We should all be a student and a mentor in different areas of our life, as well as at different stages of our life.

The hungry student is humble enough to learn the wisdom of the mentor.

The wise mentor is patient enough to learn who his student really is and to build that relationship.

No matter what your role is, keep reading, listening, and associating.  Always be voraciously learning and growing yourself.

The Lord bless you and keep you

Jason Fredrick

The Saddest of Times

Check out this episode!

When Groups Go Bad

Check out this episode!

Cut the Bragging

Check out this episode!

A Gift that Keeps on Taking

Check out this episode!

The Tale of the Tattling

Check out this episode!

The Joy of Saying "Mine"

Check out this episode!

Approach with Humility

Check out this episode!

Wrestle With God

Check out this episode!

Alone Time

Check out this episode!

Family Reunion

Check out this episode!

Say it Again

Check out this episode!

Love Your Kids But Not Too Much

Check out this episode!

Serve God in the Mundane

Check out this episode!

Trust God More Than Your Common Sense

Check out this episode!

Testing Means I Love You

Check out this episode!

God Promises to Reward the Faithful

Proverbs 3:9-10

Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;

then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

Have you ever heard anyone misquote 1 Timothy 6:10 by saying, "Money is the root of all evil"?  According to this Proverb, financial wealth is one of the ways God rewards faithful stewards.  Money is not evil.  Money is just money.  It's inanimate.  It can't do anything but sit there.  Let's take a quick look at what Paul actually wrote to Timothy:

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.  Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.- 1 Timothy 6:10

Money isn't evil.  Loving money is evil.  Greed is evil, it is idolatry.

We are told in this Proverb that if we use our wealth to honor God, He promises to bless us even more.

First of all, God is commanding faithful stewardship.  He wants our firstfruits, the very best of our production not the leftovers.  Have you ever heard the financial principle of "pay yourself first"?  Well, that's not Biblical.  The Biblical principle is "pay God first".  If you're not paying God first, then money has become an idol in your life and you are in danger of becoming one of the people Paul warns Timothy about in the verse above.

Paying God first means that you set aside a portion of your income immediately when you receive it.  The New Testament doesn't command a specific amount or percentage like the Old Testament (10%).  The most important part is that it is from your heart, it is given joyfully, and God gets His first.

Remember this:  Whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.  Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.- 1 Corinthians 9:6-8

This doesn't mean that you have to give money to a church.  Godly financial stewardship is simply this:  Set aside a portion of your income every pay period (whatever you have decided beforehand).  Give that money to support Christ's Church in some capacity:

• your local congregation
• a ministry whose mission is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ
• Chaplains in Schools
• Answers in Genesis
• a missionary to Africa
• Koine
• just pick a ministry that you believe in

Does God need your money?  No.  He graciously gives us this opportunity to show our love for Him, and our appreciation for all of our blessings by honoring this command.

Second, this is not saying what false teachers like Joel Osteen teach:  that if you give y God will reward you with 10 x y.  If you give faithfully and aren't rewarded with abundant financial wealth that isn't because your faith isn't strong enough,  it's because God decides how He will reward each of His children.  If your motivation for giving to Christ's Church is simply for the return, then your heart is corrupt and you have pierced yourself with many griefs.  

Guard your heart from this temptation.  Listen to Paul's warning:  For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.  

God promises to reward those who are faithful with their blessings.  Don't get caught in the trap of trying to dictate to God what that reward should be.  I promise He has something so much better planned than you could ever dream up on your own:  Eternal life in Heaven!

God bless you and keep you

Jason Fredrick  

Spiritual Blindness: The Causes and Cure

Proverbs 26:8

Like tying a stone in a sling is the giving of honor to a fool.

With this Proverb I think it is a good time to make sure that we understand Solomon's use of the word "fool".  In the book of Proverbs the fool is anyone who rejects God and His Word, or anyone who doesn't know God.
Wisdom is God's Word.
The wise refers to anyone who knows God and His Word and lives his life by it.

With that understanding, it makes this Proverb all the more impactful because the fool can be someone who is wise by the world's standards.  How much does the world love to celebrate and honor highly educated fools.  News shows can't get enough of them.  Let's look at a short list of fools that the world adores and loves (feel free to add more to the list):

• Steve Jobs
• Ray Kroc
• Elon Musk
• Jeff Bezos
• Charles Darwin
• Barack Obama
• Al Gore
• Hilary Clinton
• Steven Spielberg
• Stephen Hawking
• Karl Marx
• (Everyone on this list is someone that I personally have never seen or read anything by them, or about them, to make me believe that they are/were Christians.  Some on this list have devoted their entire lives to hating God and attacking His Word.  Feel free to correct me if you have evidence to the contrary.)

How's that for a list of who's who in hell (or currently on their way).  The sad thing is that all of the people on this list have either died hating God, or are "living" hating Him.  Fortunately, some on this list are still enjoying their time of grace, but that won't last forever.  Nor will yours last forever.  We will all have our day before the Righteous Judge.  

What an alluring trap worldly accolades and success can be.  We all want to be liked, successful, and honored by others.  It is a natural human tendency.  The problem comes when we start caring more about what the world thinks of us and less about what God thinks of us.  Problems arise when we lose sight of everything God has already given us and work harder and harder chasing after what the world offers us.  When we begin to suffer from that spiritual blindness Satan is right there to fan those flames of worldliness:  chase more money, do whatever you have to to gain more power and status, don't worry about your marriage your wife will never find out, you deserve it, and on and on go the lies.  The noose gets tighter and tighter until one day the floor drops out from under us and our whole world comes crashing down.  That's how it always ends for the fool, if not in this life definitely for all eternity in the next life.  Like a stone in a sling God launches the fool far far away from His presence for all eternity.

The solution to spiritual blindness and foolishness is actually quite simple:  God's Word.  It is by the daily reading of God's Word that we gain wisdom, real wisdom.  By reading and studying God's Word daily we stay focused on the most important thing in life:  JESUS!  All of God's Word guides us to Jesus, why we need Jesus, and what our loving Savior has done for us.  It is in God's Word that we are reminded that Jesus has done it all because we are incapable of doing anything for our own salvation.  

God's Word is where we learn that as offspring of Adam we are all filthy wretched sinners; that all of our best works are as filthy rags before the Lord; that we can do nothing to make up for our sins or earn forgiveness; that we cannot, on our own, choose Jesus to be our Savior.

God's Word is also where we find the answer to our wretched, sin-cursed condition.  That answer: Jesus.  It is Jesus, the Son of God, who humbled Himself to take on human flesh, live the perfect life that we cannot live, take the punishment for all of our sins by hanging on the cross, and then raising from the dead on the third day to win the victory over sin, death, and hell.  It is in God's Word that we learn that Jesus is "the way, the truth, and the life" and "that no one comes to the Father except through Him".

This is what all this means:

If you are wise, it is only by God's grace.

Most of the people in the world are fools.

We need to share Jesus with more people; not to save our country, but to save their souls.

Jesus is the only way to salvation and eternal life.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Jason Fredrick