The other day at work a certain manager got recognition and praise from our CEO. As I was hearing the praises being piled on this person I couldn’t help but to think of who should have really received the praise. There was someone else in the company that did the behind the scenes work and made his manager look great. I waited to see if this manager would mention the people who did all the work to make him look good…he never mentioned this person. (now this person is not me, just in case you’re wondering).

But as I processed this whole situation it got me to think about what kind of person are we? Are we the person who gets the praise and receives it regardless if we had anything to do with it? Are we the person that makes others look good? Now many of us including myself wants to be the person that gets the glory, it’s just in our nature. But there is a special breed of person who loves to make others look good. Here is one example in the bible.

Andrew: John 1:40  Andrew was responsible for bringing his brother Peter to Christ. He found the messiah and immediately brought him to God.  Andrew worked behind the scenes and later on in the bible his brother Peter would be used in a greater capacity than Andrew. You might be the person that brings in the next leader of our fellowship, or the next great preacher, or the best song leader your church has ever had.

John 6:8-9  Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother spoke up, 9 “here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish…”

Andrew first came to Christ then brought Peter, but in this scripture they mention Andrew as Peters brother, the guy is already being demoted. But Andrew didn’t care he spoke up and over 5,000 were fed. Now when we talk about the story the person that gets the glory is Jesus of course, but then its the little boy. Very few mention Andrew. But this is the way he likes it. He makes others look good. Andrew did the behind the scenes work, he searched for this boy and when the time came he was ready to fix a problem.

So again do we enjoy making others look good? After the whole scene unfolded at work I went over to the forgotten employee and told him that he did a great job of making his manager look good, He smiled and didn’t say much but thank you. When praise finally comes your way a real servant just smiles and moves on.

Good morning ITW: Today we have guest Jack Ortega of NH Ventura joining us! Let’s give him a warm welcome!

Anybody out there know that man or woman in your church with all sorts of potential? The one who has God given gifts deep down inside of them they aren’t using. Instead they’re just going through the motions of going to church. Maybe they’re not even serving God, but rather filling a seat while everybody else labors and toils away for the Kingdom. Sound familiar? Perhaps you have that person in your church right now, today. And all this time you ask yourself, “What are they waiting for?” Or maybe you’ve asked God, “Why have you wasted those gifts on that person? They’re not even using them!” Over the years I’ve met that person. I’ve gotten to know that person. That person was me.

Before I continue I must say this, I am not God’s gift to the church. I believe each and every one of us has been given gifts to benefit and bless our local church and each of us has to find out where we fit in with those gifts. What I am trying to say though is I went through a period in my life where I know my gifts and potential were being wasted. I went through a period of several years in my life where all I did was go to church. I wasn’t serving God. I didn’t shoulder any of the burdens. Didn’t help out at all. Nor did I want to.

So how did I make it through that time? It was only by the grace of God. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:10,”But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.” (ESV) However there was more. During that entire time my Pastor never gave up on me. Never pressured me. Never told me how wrong I was to be wasting my gifts. He simply waited me out until I’d had enough. As a matter of fact he started to give me responsibility in the church. Nothing big. I wasn’t preaching or leading ministry but to me it didn’t matter. I only knew that based on my present condition I didn’t deserve even to do the least of things.

So to those who may be looking at wasted potential, don’t give up! Instead listen closely and you may hear the voice of God speaking this one simple word, “Enough.” Once you hear the word, don’t delay. God may only come calling one last time. To our pastors, I’m sure you have seen me in your church. You may even be thinking of someone right now that fits this description and all this time you’ve wondered, “When will they get it?” I simply ask this, don’t give up on us. We may be closer than you think.

God Bless,

Jack Ortega

New Harvest Ventura

To view the intro installment of this series click here and for last week’s post click here.

Today we’ll look at the “Man-pleaser.”

Lets look again at our series text -

Paul tells the Galatians

“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10 NIV)

Paul had some strong words for the believers in Galatia – he was addressing them concerning their walking away from the faith.

Following his strong, but loving, words to them he assured them that he was out to please God – that was the motivation of his writing them.

He said “Am I trying to Win the approval of Human Beings?” – I think this exemplifies was a man-pleaser looks like; someone who aims to please and win the approval of men and women while sacrificing their approval from God.

It needn’t be said, but just to be clear, God is not telling us to blatantly disregard other people around us to only focus on God – no. We have to be a good example and as much as is possible live in peace with men (Romans 12:18) – but when we are in a place of having to obey God when it means we might offend others – we have to obey God.

That is where Paul was – he had to tell the Galatians the truth.

A man-pleaser will aim to conserve his or her ‘image’ and ‘reputation’ as a nice fun-loving person – while sacrificing obedience to God.

Example – speaking the Truth.

It can involve addressing someones lifestyle and decisions being sinful. Do we strive to keep ‘good-standing’ with someone to not offend them; or speak the truth.

Man-pleasers are characterized as follows:

• Not speaking the truth in order to not offend.
• Afraid to go against  the grain and call something wrong.
• Desire to stay ‘cool’ with one’s social circle of friends and not do what is right when everyone else is doing something wrong.
• Not willing to separate one’s self from a sinful influences so you don’t get singled-out.
• Not telling someone the truth when they ask your true opinion about something.
• Etc, etc.

There is a fallacy concerning ‘man-pleasing.’

On the surface it seems easy to be a man-pleaser because you might think you keep everyone happy around you. But there will be a lack of fulfillment and health of your spirit when choosing people over God. We were created by Him to please Him and inner peace and fulfillment come when we do this. Don’t be deceived. The easy way may seem best in the beginning; but it will only make things harder in the end.

Know this that only the Truth will set people free – and we are ambassador’s of God’s truth. It is our responsibility to speak it. By speaking God’s truth lives will be touched, transformed, changed and impacted for Christ.

Truth that brings change.

Have you ever been at a place in your life where everything just seemed to be at a stand still? No matter how hard you try to do everything you know to do as a Christian, it just seems like nothing works. Throughout my 15 years of service to the Lord I can say that there has been many times when I have felt this way with my relationship with God, I often relate this feeling to an old lawn mower that i have in my backyard, no matter how hard I pull the rope to start the engine nothing works all I get is a little putter and then it dies out (crazy mower I just can’t figure it out) But relating this to our spiritual walk, there has been some things that I have learned to help me get back on track. Here thy are.

Consider your heart:
To the believer there is nothing more important than the condition of your heart.

Proverbs 4:23
Guard your heart more than anything else,because the source of your life flows from it.

We are constantly being bombarded by the artillery of this world and need to be honest about the effects that it can have on your life. Be cautious of what you allow in your heart.

Consider your priorities:
There is one word that comes to mind when I think about the topic of priority and that word is HECTIC HECTIC HECTIC ( ok that’s one word three times ) this is what may of our day’s consists of, school, work, kids, church, wife, sports, free time and the list goes on and on. All of these things are manageable when we prioritize them God’s way and that is by putting Him “GOD” first I have found this to be the greatest key to a successful relationship with Him. Love Him with everything you have.

Matthew 6:33
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Consider your purpose:
This is the reason that I titled this post “we where meant to live for so much more”
One thing that will lead to a boring and stagnate Christianity is when you live without a God given purpose. Read this quote to help you understand where I’m coming from.

” You where made by God and for God and until you understand that, life will never make sense”.

Life will never make sense if you never consider you purpose in this world you were created by God on purpose and for a purpose. I believe God wants to reveal that purpose more then you will ever know.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. (1 John 3:16 NIV)

A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for a time of adversity. (Proverbs 17:17 NIV)

I’m so thankful for he special people my heavenly Father put in my life!
My wife: loving me unconditionally(You got what I need)
My Daughter: our special connection( that only we know) unique
My son: crazy, funny, and very loving(Corn-nutts)..Ha!
There’s so many more Special people that I can put up I’d be here all night, You know who you are

I just had to put this down on paper..I’ve been thinking of these heaven sent people and what it means to be a real Friend, to be there through thick and thin, with love, hugs, kisses, a shoulder, a ear whatever it is, whatever I need, they are there…

Man I’m BLESSED!Beyond BLESSED!

This is what a FRIEND is or BFF! If you know what i’m talking about or have these types of Friends in your life please leave a comment..Send a SHOUT OUT to those who fit this BFF..

1. Friends Forgive. Friends don’t bring up old dirt and gossip about each other. They forgive and seek forgiveness with transparency and humility.

“Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.” Proverbs 17:9

2. Friends love unconditionally! They are there for you when you need them most, not just when it’s convenient.

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” Proverbs 17:17

3. Friends have your back! Loyalty is vital to friendship. There’s no such thing as a “frenemy”.

“There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24

4. Friends tell you the truth. Even when it’s hard to hear, friends will speak the truth in love.

“An honest answer is a sign of true friendship.“ Proverbs 24:26

5. Friends make each other better!

“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Proverbs 27:17

6. Friends communicate openly.

“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 14:15

For part 1 of my series on Reputations, click here:  http://wp.me/pcf5M-T2

Today, let’s look at what a Bad Reputation looks like. A Reputation is defined as: The estimation in which a person or thing is held, especially by the community or the public generally. A component of the identity as defined by others.

If you find yourself asking the questions, “What kind of reputation do I have?” You must look to see what others think of you. It’s funny because I don’t have to do much explaining to show you what a person with a bad reputation looks like. Recently we’ve all the public spectacle of Charlie Sheen. His poor choices cost him a TV Show, an audience that looked to him for entertainment. He lost it all.  Or even more recently, we see what took place with Lindsay Lohan. She started off as a great child star with great potential and expectations, but as she grew older, she got lost in the world of drugs and alcohol and was known for being completely unreliable in the TV and Film Industry.

A person with a bad reputation share these following characteristics:

1. Makes Poor choices – They are not considerate of others
2. Is Selfish – Only wants to take care of themselves
3. Is a flake – Does not follow through on their commitments
4. Is Stubborn – Will not listen to sound advice
5. Self-Righteous – Thinks they do no wrong

Do you know someone with a bad reputation? Sometimes before we look around, we need to start by looking in the mirror and see what areas of our life we can improve.

In Luke 19:1-10, we read the story of a man who had a bad reputation, his name was Zacchaeus, The Tax Collector. Zacchaeus was hated by his people because he would take advantage of them by cheating and deceiving his own people for their money. He was known as a crook. The story tells us Zacchaeus, a short little guy, saw Jesus walking into town with a large crowd, so he climbed up a tree to be able to get a better view of Jesus. Jesus looks at Zacchaeus and told him he wanted to have dinner at his place that evening. It’s interesting to me that Jesus would choose to hang out with a person who had a bad reputation. The story tells us that the crowd got upset and could not believe what Jesus was doing.

The encounter Zacchaeus had with Jesus was life changing. He dropped his bad reputation immediately. His change was instant: In Luke 19:8-9, Zacchaeus just stood there, a little stunned. He stammered apologetically, “Master, I give away half my income to the poor – and if I’m caught cheating, I pay four times the damages.” After this, Jesus goes on to say that salvation has come to Zacchaeus and reminds us that He came to find and restore the lost.

If you find yourself today, wondering how to change your bad reputation into a good one, I want you to be encouraged that Jesus is the one to make that happen. All it takes is one encounter with him. If you give your life to Jesus, and repent of your sinful ways, Jesus will restore your name and your reputation. It’s never too late to change your life.

George Zendejas –  Ignite The Foothills

To view the intro installment of this series that was posted last week click here.

Today we are going to look at what a “God Pleaser” looks like.

I will first start by saying the it is essential to fashion our lives as God-Pleasers in order to be used at full-capacity for God.

It is necessary for us to be God-Pleasers but the world around us will challenge us every step of the way to not live life as such. Society promotes Selfishness and self-pleasing lifestyles as necessary for us to be happy.

The scripture that epitomizes, in my opinion, what a God-Pleaser’s attitude should be is shown in the scripture that says:

“Matthew 26:39…“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.””

These words were spoken by our Savior Jesus Christ. The man who was and is God – the man who knew His Father intimately and perfectly – the man who lived selflessly.

You see where I’m going with this? Even Jesus had to fight through and be fully obedient to His Father when He would have liked to take another route – but He chose to please His Father.

We must do the same.

You and I are not going to ‘feel’ like being God-Pleasers. Of course when things are going easy and simple it is not difficult to be a God-Pleaser. But what about when God desires something from you that conflicts with ‘your’ plans? That is the moment of truth when you and I will choose to be a God-Pleaser or self-pleaser.

Here are some other scenarios:

When the Holy Spirit prompts you to give financially.

When you have to take the first step in making amends with your brother or sister.

When you have to give a word of encouragement to someone.

God is bringing someone to mind that needs a special visit because you haven’t seen them for some time.

Etc.
Etc.

In these times will we give ourselves to either be God-Pleasers or self-pleasers.

There is great blessing in being a God-Pleaser. The realm and dimension He’ll lead you in because of your obedience will be great. The capacity for how He’ll use your life will continue to grow as you strive to be a God-Pleaser.

Here is a scripture to write on the tablets of your Heart to help motivate you to be a God-Pleaser.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

Please-God, always.

I remember one of my first jobs straight out of high school I was working at the county recorder’s office which was ran by a prominent attorney that I admired. This older gentleman always had a smile on his face, from sun up, to sun down he was always grinning.

I think that added fuel to my curiosity. I wanted to interview him on his successes, especially the fact that he graduated from law school at an older age, but he was extremely busy so I never really had a chance to talk with him except an occasional hi and bye. To my amazement one day his secretary had scheduled for me to visit with him. I was so excited and for a day or two I jotted down all the questions that came to mind. I wanted to sound intelligent, and promising, but after entering his spacious office full of pristine law books I think I came off as an erratic nervous-wreck.

The first question was one on the legal subject of “due process.” He answered it logically, and concisely. So I referred back to my list that sat on my lap but all I could blurt out was, “So how did you do it?” He replied, “Do what?” I said, “You know accomplish so much even after being married and having kids and still being able to pass the bar exam and become such a successful attorney.” With that there was a long pause as he fell into deep thought and his smile momentarily left his face. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for some profound response, one that would bring enlightenment and encouragement to this young college student considering law but all he said was, “I just did it!” With that being said, he smiled again and I respectfully shook his hand, thanked him for his time and walked out.

I must admit I left his office disappointed that day his reply left me feeling like I had missed the game winning field-goal. Those four words played in my head over and over again. It sounded way too easy, but between those four little words there are millions of others. Words that he knew I would have to wrestle with in my own battles if I was to be successful. Words like, patience, perseverance and practice. He was fully cognizant that I left his office feeling puzzled but the more that I live life the more those four words make sense, the more that I breath the more meaningful they become he knew I would eventually figure out some things that he faced himself and conquered, maybe that’s why he always had a smile.

That fateful day he taught me that dreams require that we “JUST DO IT.”

Danny Casas Jr. is a pastor and youth speaker whose passion and message is found in the book of Malachi 4:6 “To see God turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers.” Since 2007, he has led New Harvest Christian Fellowship in the city of Porterville, California. Danny and his lovely wife Sabrina, live in Central, California. They have four children.  

About a month ago God opened doors for a new job for me. I really thought this was God because he opened up every door. I did not have to do anything but not mess it up. Out of 150 people I was chosen. This was a job that I have been wanting for 9 years, and quickly God was making it happen. I got a phone interview which went well, they said they would recommend me for the job. Then a face to face interview that went very well also. They said they would call in a couple of days. Well a week went by and no call. Finally I called them. They said I was number 3 on the list and that they would keep my application on file but no job.

I had made plans to be there because I really thought God was opening this door. But when the door closed I remember being angry. I questioned why God would tease me with this job. I mean he is the one who opened up the doors, I wasn’t looking for it. So I had many questions but for some reason I was angry.

I came across this story of Jonah, It is found in the book of Jonah Chapter 4. Jonah did not want to do what God wanted him to do. He had other plans and God came in and changed them. Jonah was so angry he asked God to take his life two times. God would bring him comfort then take it away and this got Jonah more angry. God asked him if it was right to be angry, and Jonah said “yes it sure is” (my translation).

Have you been there? Do you have the “right” to be angry with God. Did God promise you something and he has yet to deliver on the promise? Are you tired of waiting on God? Has God opened a door and right when your ready to walk in he quickly shuts the door? Well I was there. I was angry. Then God showed me the bigger picture for my life. That was not the job God wanted for me, he has something better. Peace suddenly came upon me and I never looked back at the job. Now I wish I can say God has since blessed me with my dream job. He has not done that…Yet! But the peace he gave me assured me that it is coming. Wait on God and remember that when God changes our plans its for the benefit of us and something far greater is coming.

You can you recap on: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Over the pass two and a half months we have been reviewing “When your world falls apart.” We have all been in this stage or in this stage now. Over the last couple of months my wife and I have been dealing with an illness that my daughter has since she has been 5 years old. She recently turned 11 years old and things seem to be getting worse then better. Two month ago we got some news were it felt like everything was caving in on us. It seemed that our world was falling apart.

We found ourselves:

1. Frustrated giving God our fear, our grief, our anger and unloading everything to God. Saying to God, “I know there is reason Lord but Why?” Remember God doesn’t owe us explanation.

2. We Directed our Pain to God’s Love to avoid being bitter at the situation. God is not mad at us; he has a reason so we had to give him our pain.

3. During this time we have done a lot of Waiting and Alone Time with God.

4. We have learned we can’t change what’s going on but we but We Can Change our lives by trusting God, by rejoicing even when our world is falling apart.

5. Giving God our Fears. The fears of will things ever get better. Will she ever get healed?

And lastly we understand that our GOD is going to “Restore our Lives!”

Step Six: Expect Jesus to Restore My Life

Jeremiah prayed.  Lamentations 5:21 “Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to you again! Give us back the joys we once had!”

When you let Jesus bring you back he will give you back.  When God brings you back to Jesus he will give you back the joy.

So today if anyone is going through something in your life Where Your World is Falling Apart, remember our God is in Control, Our God is Able, Trust in God.

Thanks for reading and Have a Bless Day!

Ruben Sandoval – Pastor of NHA