Romans 12:1-3 (MSG)
1 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.
2 Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
3 I'm speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it's important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
You want to know what really chaps my hide. That Christians say, “I am a Christian and I am going to serve God my way! So quit preaching at me”. Alternatively, how about the one I heard a few months ago “I want to serve God because I want to not because you tell me to”. It like they have the mentality that being a Christian is a game and not for eternity! I know that we all must come to the decision to serve Jesus on our own but you know its kind of like the person in the burning building being rescued by a fireman and telling him “get away from me I want to leave the building because I want to leave not because you are telling me to”.
You see in our culture today we think that it is ok to do what we want and what feels good to us as long as we do it in Jesus name it makes us ok, and a Christian. However, being a Christian is much more than running your mouth and saying the words “I am a Christian” It is work. That is a concept that is almost a lost art. Jesus said to the Pharisees:
Matthew 15:8-9 (KJV)
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
You see you can get diarrhea of the mouth and say that you are a Christian and not all the Imodium and Pepto-Bismol will help only works:
James 2:19-26 (MSG)
19 Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That's just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them?
20 Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?
21 Wasn't our ancestor Abraham "made right with God by works" when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar?
22 Isn't it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are "works of faith"?
23 The full meaning of "believe" in the Scripture sentence, "Abraham believed God and was set right with God," includes his action. It's that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named "God's friend."
24 Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?
25 The same with Rahab, the Jericho harlot. Wasn't her action in hiding God's spies and helping them escape—that seamless unity of believing and doing—what counted with God?
26 The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse.
We as believers need to step up to the level that God desires for all His children and quit making lame excuses for why we continue to live for the devil and try and wear the title Christian. Do you have constant drama, turmoil, and accidents in your life? Is everything that you are doing seeming to go south? The Bible says to consider your ways. Do you think that it just might be possible that God really does know what He is doing in your life? Then why are you still trying to run your life and do not surrender it to God. However, if you are not serious about it quit using His sons name to justify your shortcomings and rebellion against God’s plan. He is not intrusive He will let you ruin your life if that is your desire. When you are done making a mess of your life you always remember there is always forgiveness and grace. Jesus came not to condemn but to save you.

What a night I had last night! God spoke over me in a mighty way and confirmed what He has already told me, which I really needed. As I have properly called in the blessings of God in my life, I am, overtaken with His provision for me. Just this last week God has provided four months of my mortgage payment and as if that was not enough, he provided four months of office rent for Pastor Kimbyr. I know that I am more important than a birds or the lilies (Matthew 6:25-34). God has been moving mightily in The Church at 14th Ave.’s Pastoral staff and me, and I know He wants to move in you that way also. So how do we experience this kind of supernatural power moving on our behalf? You get real and start putting God first in everything of life God should be first. You must obey His commandments, do not make excuses of why you break them, and REPENT for breaking them. Command the devil to get his hands off your finances and lose your angels to bring in the money and to persuade people to give to you. However, do not think you can fool God! You may fool your Pastor, family, friends, church members but God knows all things there is no fooling God! Get real with God and He will be real with you. What I am saying is, QUIT BEING A FAKE, AND SERVE GOD WITH YOUR WHOLE HEART! Every time you deviate from your walk with God, you are giving Him a bad reputation in our community. Why would you do that to someone who loves you so much? Think about it.

I am not sure about you but this last year 2008 sure has been a year of growing and learning for me. Praise God. I have really been seeking to find a closer relationship with God this last year. I looked in working on the church building did not find it. Going to special meetings did not find it. Talked to mentors did not find it. You see even a Pastor can get a little turned around at times if we do not keep in the Word and Spirit. All of us can become so hung up on finding that close relationship with God that we fail to realize He is going around with us the whole time saying “I am here, excuse me I am right here”. In addition, we say “God can you move out of my way because I am looking for you and you keep getting in my way”. I know this sounds silly however; it is very true at times. I was sitting in a meeting with Pastor Nancy Dufresne speaking and she said, “The Spirit has already given you the answers before you needed them. You just got to listen to your spirit to hear those answers”. O.K. Pastor Patrick that is just great now how do I get to hear my spirit better. Well, I am glad you asked. Pastor Nancy also answered that question for me she said, “Pray in the Holy Spirit more”. Well there we have it just plain as day a “simple answer” for a complicated quest. Oh yeah, did I mention that she said that also. You see, we need not to neglect the simple part of our relationship with God, speaking to Him. If I spoke with my wife as much as the average Christian speaks to God, I am sad to say we most likely would not be married. You see the most important part of a relationship with God also is the easiest, talking to Him. No, I do not mean asking Him, I mean communicate with Him. We are so busy asking God for things we forget to thank Him and give Him Praise just for being God. He desires our Praise, I do not know about you but that is not a very big request compared to what He has done for us. You see if you really love someone, you speak with him or her. Not only do you speak with them you will do the things that please them, even over what you would like to do. You see my wife gives me a great example of that every day. She is constantly doing thing to please me, even though I know she would rather do something else or go to a different place. She loves me so much that she sacrifices her wants and desires to fulfill mine. (I am so blessed, thank you Lord for my wife Kimbyr). You see that is how a person treats someone they love very much. This is how everyone should be towards God. Are You?