(James 2:14-19)–Check it out
“For we all stumble in many things.”–James 3:2

Yea, okay so we screw up in life, too many times to count. That doesn’t change how our Savior feels about you. With Him all things are possible, even the impossible.

“See how great a forest a little fire kindles. And the tongue is fire.” James

Let the word spread like fire.

Do you faith?

I was listening to Hillsong’s “We are free” in my room and I was jammin’ sitting down but it wasn’t doing it’s justice. I had to get up and jump around because it was so freeing! I could feel freedom once I got up and did something about it. Speaking of freedom in Jesus Christ is something that has to be done with arms wide open with you standing up, no longer sitting, ready and willing to go to the next level with Him. You can only run towards the goal if you are standing up. Stand up and be free in Him, not in 10 minutes, not in a day, not in a few weeks, but be free…right now. Your freedom was expensive not free. Live free.

Truth: There is a spiritual battle over Truth in your life.
Truth: If you camp out in Truth it will set you free.
Truth: Romans 12:2
Truth: Something doesn’t have to feel good to be true.

The Truth will set you free.

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Who wants God to hear them? Forgive their sin? Heal their land?

“If my people”

1 Peter 1:18-19

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

Romans 1:5-6

Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. 6And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ

Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

In the Old Testament, the Israelites were God’s chosen people. The New Testament was reserved for believers.

“Humble themselves,” a definition:

• not proud or arrogant, modest
• having a feeling of inferiority
• to make meek

Luke 5:1-11

Fishers of men, when Simon Peter saw all the fish Jesus provided he fell at His feet in humility

Zephaniah 3:12

I will leave in your midst, a meek and humble people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD.

“And pray and seek my face”

So what exactly is prayer?

The Parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, Luke 18:9-14

Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Prayer changes us. It helps us see God’s will. IT is a time of communication with God. It’s a time in which we are seeking His guidance. We come humbly before Him to see the next step. We seek His encouragement for tough times. We seek Him for strength. We seek him for comfort. We seek Him to thank Him. We seek Him for help. We seek Him.

Malachi 3:3

He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness.

Jesus wants, desires, depends, and needs to hear from you. Do you want desire, depend, and need to hear from Him? He tells us to be consumed and in constant communication with Him. Pray. Stop. Seek. Supplication.

Stop what you are doing.

Seek and wait upon the Lord.

Humbly pray.

Does God listen?

Exodus 22:23

When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.

Proverbs 15:29

The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

Peter 3:12

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

How can He focus all is time on me?

Isaiah 55:8

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.

Can I ever ask for too much? Can I ask for anything?

John 3:22-23

Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases Him.

Matthew 6:8

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

Psalm 119:57

You are my portion, O LORD; I have promised to obey your words.

Does God ever get tired/annoyed with prayer?

Isaiah 40:28

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

Proverbs 15:8

The LORD detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him

What’s the best way to pray?

Mark 11:24-25

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins

When should I pray? How long should I pray?

Thessalonians 5:17

Pray continuously

Where should I pray?

Matthew 6:5-6

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

What do I do when God doesn’t answer my prayer?

Daniel 3:17-18

If we are thrown into the blazing furncace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.

Isaiah 55:8

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD

James 4:3

“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures”

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”

John 5:14-15

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him”

God always responds to our prayers and supplications. There are three possibilities:

• He says yes and gives what we ask.
• He says no and does not give what we ask.
• He also says wait. To wait is the most difficult of His answers because it takes time, and we do not like to wait.

He loves us, and as our Father, He always wants the best for us. Give Him praise and thanksgiving for how He answers your prayers even if you do not like it!

How come I always get distracted when I pray?

Spiritual Warfare.

How much is actually happening when I pray?

Matthew 6:8

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

Luke 22:42

Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

John 5:14-15

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

“Turn from their wicked ways”

Repent. Then change. You read your Bible. So what? Do you apply it to your life? You go to church or Chi Alpha or small group. Big deal. The important part, the part that actually matters is whether or not you are applying it to your life. What do you do after we sing our last song? We close in prayer. Then what?

Integrity. What’s your integrity of faith?

XA should not be where your worship starts and stops. It should not be where prayer starts and stops. Why do you do what you do? What’s your goal? The importance of this is not to amuse you or entertain you. It’s to make God’s Word relevant in your life. Its to ignite the fire in your life.

“then will I hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land”

Psalms 18:6

In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears.

Acts 13:38

“Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.

Chronicles 12:6-7

So the leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, “The LORD is righteous.” Now when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance. My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at the next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up.

He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot then she thought again about the verse that says: “He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith,”How do you know when the silver is fully refined?”

He smiled at her and answered,
“Oh, that’s easy — when I see my image in it.”

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

“Life is a coin. You can spend it any way you wish, but you can only spend it once.

(Found in a e-mail forward I received)

Think of a time when you were ecstatic, happier than you have ever been before.

Chances are that during that time you were doing something that you enjoyed, something you were passionate about?

Passionate.

Passionate?

Passion comes from the Latin word paserre which means “to suffer.” So, if you are passionate for something you are willing to suffer for it. If you are not willing to suffer for something you aren’t passionate about it.

What does it really mean to be passionate? Jesus and passion go hand in hand. But why? What was He passionate for? He was passionate for YOU! We are the objects of His burning desire. His suffering and torture on the cross, that was a symbol of His passion for you. He was passionate for one thing and one thing only, for us to know Him. To know that He loves us. To know that there is a place in Heaven for us. His passion was and is for anyone and everyone that calls on His name can experience the glorious presence of God.

John 17:3 - Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Passion is born when you are willing to die for something you can’t live without. Jesus could not bear the thought of living for eternity without. So He he suffered. He endured excruciating physical, emotional, and mental pain and anguish for you. He went to the extreme and gave His Life on the cross, the most excruciating form of torture. In fact, the term excruciating is derived from crucifixion.

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. He gave His one and only Son. Can you imagine what He went through as He saw Jesus on the cross in excruciating pain? He wanted more than anything to save His son from that pain, but He knew it was the only way to save you and I.

Is it so much to ask for us to love the world. Why can’t we love the world so much that we suffer to fulfill the Great Commission? Is it really so tough that we can’t even tell someone about Jesus? So hard that we can’t seek Him with zeal and let others know what we live our lives for?

Ok, so what AM I supposed to be passionate about? How do I fit into this Great Commission?

We have been given instructions and we have been shown an example. Our instructions? Our Bible.

1 Corinthians 15:58  - Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain

How do you know the work of the Lord if you don’t know Him? And how can you know Him if you don’t talk to Him? And who are you going to talk to Him without a passion for prayer?

Our example? Jesus. He didn’t just talk the talk. He walked the walk.

The following is an expert from Jaeson Ma’s book The Blueprint: A Revolutionary Plan to Plant Missional Communities on Campus.

He showed us that this passion to pray is crucial. We approach the throne and enter into the presence of God when we pray. We have confidence in His grace that He will not turn us away but will embrace us with mercy. Jesus began His ministry in prayer and fasting.

Luke 3:21 - When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as He was praying, Heaven was opened.

Mark 1:35 - Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.

Luke 5:16 - But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Jesus prayed often through the day, through the night and early in the morning.

Luke 6:12 - One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.

Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethseman before His death on the cross.

Mark 14:32 - They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”

Jesus prayed while He was on the cross.

Luke 23:34 - Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up His clothes by casting lots.

Jesus is still praying right now at the mercy seat of God for the souls of mankind.

Hebrews 7:25 - Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them..

Jesus prayed and He continues to pray. His passion was a passion for prayer. Why? Because prayer was the channel that brought Jesus into intimacy with the Father. Jesus knows it is only prayer that will bring us into intimacy with the Father as well.

End Excerpt.

So a passion for prayer begets a passion to know Him. And a passion to know Him begets a passion to do His Will. And a passion to do His Will begets a passion for what He has a passion for. And His passion is a passion for everyone to know Him. He wants everyone to know of the gift of eternal life.

So Jesus is a good example, perfect in fact,  but He is the Son of God! How do we compare? How do we measure up to those standards?

In 1904 there was a man who did something about His passion for prayer. Evan Roberts woke up one night and had a meeting with God. This was a recurring event and after a month’s time he had a burning desire to share it with his church.

Being just a student, the pastor would only let him speak after the service. Evan was just eager to share his passion, so after the service him and the 17 other youth that stayed cried out to God for a revival in Wales. Within a short period of time the entire nation was changed. Hundreds of thousands of people gave their lives to Christ. Alcoholism stopped, bars shut down, crime rates were low, and even the profanity ceased. (I encourage you to look up some of the testimonials of the people involved in revival!)

You have been called to serve the Lord with zeal and fervor.

Romans 12:11-13 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

What are you going to do with this call?

You have been given a choice. In Romans 6 Paul talks wrote about being dead to sin and alive in Christ. Its where you reject the ways of this world and you wholeheartedly obey the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. It implies a choice. We can do it if we want. God wants us to be passion for Him and His Kingdom. But He has given us this choice and what He asks is that we are either hot or cold. He asks that we are passionate about something.

Revelation 3:16 - Because you are lukewarm neither hot nor col - I am about to spit you out of my mouth!

If you don’t have a passion worth dying for, you don’t have anything worth living for.

Think back to what you were thinking about before. That exciting moment in your life. Was it about something you were passionate for? What are your passions? Are you willing to suffer for them? Are you willing to fight for them? Suffer for them?  Die?

My hope for you is to truly realize how blessed each and everyone of us is - and to thank God daily for the blessings (as well as the trials) that he bestows on us.

Let’s not forget that without Jesus, we would be in a sad, dark, depressing world.  Through Him we have Hope, Faith, and Eternal Life.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.

- Psalm 107:1

Southwest Minnesota State University has a chapter of Chi Alpha present on the campus. So what exactly are we? Sometimes there aren’t enough words to describe XA, then at other times, those words won’t stick, because the face of Chi Alpha is a reflection of those involved, constantly changing and maturing. The question is not so much what is Chi Alpha, but who is Chi Alpha? We strive to welcome each and every person that comes. You are not just another nameless face at SMSU Chi Alpha. You are accepted no matter who you are, what your background is or what you’ve been through. We refuse to buy into the idea that any one person is better than the next.
ok, so who then?

We come from a lot of different backgrounds and that diversity makes Chi Alpha unique. But most of us have one thing in common. We are excited about what God’s doing in our lives and on our campus. He has been so good to us it makes us want to express our appreciation and love to Him in whatever way we can.