Its Up to You!

Get the most out of your FLC Experience...

Every Sunday at FLC, family and guests come through our doors with some hope or desire for a better life.  We're all hoping and praying God does something supernatural to capture our hearts and turn our lives around.  Whether we're in complete trust and reliance on God or wondering if God can or will help us, we want our time at church to be impact-full.  We're praying for genuine transformation and life-change.

Here's what I know: no matter how friendly our greeters, how safe and fun our kids environments, how awesome our band, and inspiring the preaching; what you get out of your time at church has more to do with what YOU do than what the church does.  Your preparation and participation really make the difference.  Our focus is not entertaining you but experiencing God WITH you.

I've compiled a "to-do" list to help you get the most out of your experience at FLC:
1. SOAP during the week.  Our daily Bible reading plan focuses on our current message series.  You'll be ahead of the game with the inside scoop from God.
2. Invite/Bring a friend.  You'll get the vision of the church more when you bring an unchurched friend.
3. PRAY!  Pray for the FLC experiences during the week as well as when you drive to church every week.
4. Make room!  Come to the 9:30am experience if you're not bringing a friend.  Most guests come to the 11:15am experience and we've been setting out extra chairs almost every week.  You coming at 9:30am really makes a difference to build momentum at both experiences.
5. Arrive early.  You don't want to miss a thing!  We spend a lot of time praying and planning EVERY part of your experience EVERY week.
6. Get a seat as close to the front as possible.  I preach better when you're closer.  Seriously, it's harder to preach when I'm looking past empty seats to see your faces. (The front row is not sacred.)
7. Look for someone you don't know and be friendly.  If you're a Dream Team member or a regular attender than this is your house.  Be hospitable!
8. Invite people to sit with you...on the front row!
9. Participate!  Sing.  Clap.  Lift your hands.  Take notes.  Fill out your connection card.  Give.  Pray. Get in a Life Group.  Go through the Growth Track.

The real deal is that spiritual change does not happen through osmosis or by simply being at church.  Its up to you.  The more you put in the more you will get out of it.  Join with us and lets make FLC the most dynamic experience of your week.  Also, the more you put in the more others will get out of it, too.  Let's change the world!

Lifting people to Jesus with you.

Pastor Dan

Soul Therapy

We are currently in a series at Family Life called "Soul Therapy" where we are working on inside issues. Addiction, depression, anger, and insecurity are the internal struggles we will be defeating.

Check out today's #SOAP from Romans 6 and win the battle within!

S = "So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus." (Romans 6:11 NLT)

O = A big key to our victory over sin is a position of faith and vision. It's seeing ourselves having power to deny sin and believing that we are free from sin's hold. It's the thought that counts! Paul, by the Spirit of God, is telling us in his letter to the believers in Rome, that Jesus has broken sin's power over our lives. We must "consider" ourselves free. #ItsTheThoughtThatCounts If we're to have victory over sin, we must believe--constantly be thinking that we have power over sin.

A = The personal application of this #SOAP is to write this verse down on a 3x5 card, make it our phone's wallpaper, or print it out and put it on a bathroom mirror to be seen everyday. Memorize this verse and recite it when tempted or pressured to sin. Believe we are free from sin's hold even if it was just 5 minutes ago that we gave in to temptation. It's all about changing the way we think.

P = Father God, I pray right now for a clear mind to think Your thoughts about who I am as Your child. I ask that You help me to believe what Your Word says about me. I declare by the power of the blood of Jesus and the authority in His name that I have power over sin. I am free from sin's hold. Thank you for saving me and giving me victory in life.

This Sunday we will be tackling depression! Don't miss it!

Day 19 ~21 Days of Prayer & Fasting

Fasting Flourishes in Our Gratitude & Praise

Today's Daily Reading: Psalm chapter 56

David was a man full of gratitude and praise to God. Even in the midst of great trial, affliction, and sorrow. As David wrote Psalm 56, which is an actual song, he was a prisoner of the Philistines. He made strong declarations of faith that contradicted his current circumstances. He refused to allow his very real troubles to steal his unshakeable trust in God. Possibly tortured and most definitely neglected, David still confidently asks a question he already knows the answer to.

"I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?" (Psalm 56:11 NLT)

Nothing! That was David's answer. Nothing can hurt me! David's trust and confidence in God's faithfulness produced his own personal faithfulness. It's like he's saying, "I know my schedule has changed and life is full of obstacles and trouble, but I'm not going to stop going to church. I'm not going to stop serving. I'm not going to stop worshipping God with every area of my life." David didn't shirk his commitments when life got rocky. He not only maintained his commitments, but he increased his level of buy-in in-spite of life's rocky road.

"I will fulfill my vows to you, O God, and will offer a sacrifice of thanks for your help. For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light." (Psalms 56:12-13 NLT)

My prayer for you on day 19 of 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting is that your relationship with God would not waver but would grow in strength. I call you stable in Jesus name! You're rooted and grounded in God's great love. May you become even more in love with Jesus and committed to His great will than ever before. Even in the face of any adversity.

Day 18 ~ 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting

Fasting and Prayer Defeats Doubt and Unbelief

Today's Daily Reading: Mark chapter 9

I believe. I just need help with unbelief! I believe God is all-powerful and all-loving. I just need help with all the uncertainty and doubtful confusing thoughts that distract me from faith. I believe God is my source and that He is a faithful provider. I just need help believing that when my bank account is low and I don't know how I'm going to make ends meet. I believe Jesus is the healer of physical pain and disease. I just need help with all the doubt and unbelief that's keeping me from receiving what God has for me. I need to defeat the doubt that's preventing me from rising up and telling the problem to go back to hell where it came from, in Jesus name!

Jesus encountered a father who's son was possessed by a demon. Nine of the disciples were unsuccessful at casting the demon out of the boy. Jesus shows up with Peter, James, and John after a powerful encounter with God. Jesus first words in Mark 9:19 were:

"O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.”

Jesus rebuked everyone in hearing distance because of their doubt and unbelief. "O FAITHLESS generating." He's basically saying, "when are you going to rise up in faith and do kingdom works?" He's preparing them for His physical absence. He's training them to be and act like Him since He won't be with them physically for much longer. His focus is removing doubt and unbelief.

We then see Jesus talking to the boy's father to remove doubt.

Mark 9:23-24 "Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Jesus then quickly does what the disciples were unable to do and casts the demon out of the boy. The boy is miraculously well and everyone rejoices...except for the disciples. They're kind of frustrated. They were saying all the right things. "Come out of that boy in the Name of Jesus!". But there was too much doubt and unbelief present. The doubt was outweighing the belief. They finally asked Jesus why they were unable to cast out the demon. His response is challenging.

Mark 9:29 NKJV "So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”

Interesting. Was Jesus talking about the demon or unbelief when He said, "this kind"? I'm totally leaning more to Jesus talking about unbelief because of all He said prior to casting the demon out. It's authority in the name of Jesus that defeats the enemy not prayer and fasting. Yet, prayer and fasting draws us closer to the Father. Prayer and fasting removes distractions to our faith. Prayer and fasting starves doubt and unbelief, and helps us realize the authority we've been given in Jesus Name. Doubt and unbelief come out...are driven out of our hearts and minds through prayer and fasting.

There are only 4 days left in our 21 day season of prayer and fasting. Press in like never before with a focus to grow your faith and defeat doubt! You are victorious! You are mighty! You are full of the power of God and the authority of Jesus! Don't let doubt keep you from believing and doing great and mighty deeds for God.

Day 16 ~ 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting

Fasting Brings Focus to the Real Issues.

Today's Daily Reading: Mark chapter 7

You're on the home stretch! Its our third and final week in our 21 days of prayer and fasting. Whether you began with us two weeks ago or whether you're finishing with us in our final days, the focus of fasting is all about impacting our heart (soul) and strengthening our spirit. Let's finish strong and get the most out of these final 6 days. God has something significant for you!

Fasting, in its definition, is about adjusting diets, minimizing food intake, and removing certain foods altogether. With that said, simply focusing on food does not necessitate a "spiritual" fast. Food isn't the real issue. Food isn't the heart of the problem. If it was just about food being bad, we wouldn't call it "21 Days of Prayer & Fasting" but "21 Days of Dieting".

The focus in a spiritual fast is to get to the "heart" of the issue. Food feeds our flesh, and our flesh hates our soul (mind, will & emotions) and our spirit. Our flesh, when left uncontrolled will destroy us. Fasting food for the purpose of spiritual growth weakens our flesh. This enables us to uproot the real culprits in our soul (thoughts, choices and emotions), which in turn empowers our spirit man to be in control; which in turn controls our flesh. Did you get all that? I had to read it again after I wrote it. ;-)

Jesus said in Mark 7:15, 21-23 NLT, "It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart (soul). ” For from within, out of a person’s heart (soul = mind, will, and emotions), come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”

Jesus refers to the heart of our problems stemming from our soul. So here's what I want to challenge us to do today as we're fasting. Ask God to reveal certain ways of thinking that don't line up with His way of life. Ask for spiritual strength to break patterns of the will or choices that have been made that are damaging. Pray for supernatural help to overcome destructive emotions like depression, fear and anxiety. Get to the heart of the issues in your life and experience spiritual strength.

Day 12 ~ 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting

Fasting Fosters a Burden to Reach People for Jesus!

Today's Daily Reading: Daniel chapter 12

As the book of Daniel comes to a close he is given final instructions concerning the end of days.  The angel shares with Daniel that there will be great destruction and death.  He speaks of a final judgement where many will enter into eternal life while others will live in eternal disgrace.  There is then a glimmer of hope and an open window into the purpose for all mankind.

Daniel 12:3 says, "Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever."

Those who lead many to righteousness (right standing with God) will shine like the stars!  That's powerful.  That's your purpose.  It's my purpose.  We exist to know God and then to make Him known to the people in our lives.

Daniel lived a life of fasting and prayer.  It wasn't even an annual event for him.  It was a regular discipline that created a beautifully strong relationship with God.  The ultimate focus of that relationship was eternity and how to get as many people as possible to experience eternity with God.

That's the purpose of the church.  It's also the purpose of every single individual who considers them-self a Christ follower.  My prayer is that a burden to share Jesus would grow in you during our 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting and that you would reach many for Jesus.  When its all said and done, may you shine like the stars forever!

Day 11 ~ 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting

Fasting Produces Spiritual Strength & Effectiveness!

Today's Daily Reading: Daniel chapter 11

Daniel is being guided through the meaning of the vision he had while fasting and praying.  The vision was much about the end of all time and all that would take place in the last days.  Its easy to get lost in all the details and symbolism.  Daniel's vision was about the king of the north attacking the king of the south.  There are multiple wars and takeovers.  And there's also great violence and persecution against those who follow God as well.

Daniel receives insight concerning those who have deep roots in God; those who will not turn from God in time of trouble or fear.

Daniel 11:32-33 says, "But the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. And those of the people who understand shall instruct many."

Fasting draws us into a deep understanding of God.  It brings us close to Him and a spiritual strength and stamina is developed.  When we know God and His love for us, we are empowered to take great steps of faith.  We gain a confidence in God's authority and provision.  We trust God will protect us no matter what.  And with that sort of understanding in God we are propelled forward to accomplish great things for Him.

Daniel saw the children of God doing great exploits even in the midst of great opposition.  Pressure and opposition didn't determine their effectiveness.  Resistance didn't undermine their success.  Those who knew their God accomplished great things because they were empowered by their God.  They were also able to teach others and bring them along.

My prayer for you as you fast and pray is that you would know God more.  Your personal experiential knowledge of God will give you spiritual strength and you will be effective for the Kingdom of God.