Calvary Christian Church - Napa Valley

What does it mean to decree truth over a situation? This is how we can begin to be a blessing. Pray blessings that overshadow these other things—to replace the darkness that has overcome us. Read Isaiah 59 and 60: we bring light into darkness. We were meant to engage, and it happens; we were meant to engage. That’s what Papa would have us to do. We can begin to nullify and neutralize the effect of bad decisions and tough circumstances by making decrees of the solution over the situation...It is the responsibility of the church; it is the responsibility of the children of the Kingdom and the God of the Kingdom to make a difference and to engage.

When we fail to communicate boundaries, and establish them, and live in those boundaries, we feel like we’re no longer powerful. Well, that’s not the truth. We are powerful people; we’re not victims. And just because you’re a follower of Jesus—just because you’re a Christian—doesn’t mean you get to be a doormat. Sometimes we have this idea that, “I’m a Christian, so I’m going to do the Christian thing,” whatever that means. But, you’re not a doormat; you can say “No”; it’s OK.

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things” (Steve Jobs).

“Fear and love are enemies. They come from two opposing kingdoms. Fear comes from the devil, who would like nothing more than to keep you permanently disconnected and isolated. But love comes from God who is always working to heal and restore your connection with Him and other people, and bring you into healthy, live-giving relationships” (Danny Silk).

God shows us all throughout the Bible how He is not afraid of communicating with us...Sometimes it really does take courage to communicate, because there’s so many emotions involved...God is communicating with you; the Bible is Him communicating with you. God’s purposes and His plans always happen through the context of family...He wants to expand His kingdom and He’s going to do it through the context of family—in your family and in this church family; it’s always in the context of family.

Being a powerful person simply means that I take responsibility for my life. On a good day, I can only control me and no one else. And so the question we need to ask is, "How do I keep my love on?"...I believe in any relational interaction, it comes down to two core choices, or two functions that we act out of: either love or fear; every conversation, every thought, every pattern, every reaction is traced, I believe, to either love or fear.

Real, true, healthy relationships are based on the fact and the foundation that I continually choose you every day. Likability is conditional; “I like you” means that you make me happy today, you did something to please me today; but tomorrow I’m ticked off because you made me mad and I no longer want to be your friend...Healthy relationships are based on the fact that I choose you every single day. And it’s the foundation of the relationship that we have with God--that God has with us. John 15:16: Jesus said, “You didn’t choose me, but I chose you, and I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is the command: love each other.” Foundational...to every good, healthy, godly relationship is “I choose you.”

Most good things and most awesome things are really inconvenient. I was thinking about the most awesome views I’ve ever had of nature and of the world have all been on an inconvenient height; and the more strenuous height, the more off the beaten path it is, it seems like the more beautiful it is. The more inconvenient the location is, the greater it is. Jesus asks His followers to do amazingly inconvenient things. He tells the rich man, when the rich man comes and says, “I want to follow you,” He says, “Sell all your stuff, and then come back and follow Me.” He tells the guy that’s like, “Hey, Man, I’m totally on board, real quick, my dad just died and I just gotta bury him…”; and Jesus says, “Nope. Can’t follow Me if you go bury your dad. Let the dead bury the dead.”