Choose to Please God

Now am I trying to win the favor of men, or of God? Do I seek to please men? If I were still seeking popularity with men, I should not be a bond servant of Christ (the Messiah).
— Galatians 1:10
 
The apostle Paul said that in his ministry he had to choose between pleasing men and pleasing God. That is a choice you also must make.

If your goal is to build a name for yourself and win favor with people, it will cause you to live in fear of man rather than in fear of God.

For years I tried to build my own reputation among believers by striving to win the favor of men. But through bitter experience I learned I was submitting to a sort of slavery to people. God helped me realize I could only be truly free in Him.

If you are trying to build your reputation with people, it’s time to give up all your own human efforts and simply trust God. He will give you supernatural favor with the people that are right for you.


From the book Ending Your Day Right: Devotions for Each Evening of the Year by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2004 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.  

TGIF!!!

Good Friday Ladies,   I hope each of you had a great week, and hopefully will find some time to rest and catch up with family and good families.  To finish our latest series with Friday's with Beth in what's God's Plan for You, please see below for the final two videos.

Part 5 of 6

Part 6 of 6

Have a blessed weekend.

God's Purpose for You - Part Three & Four

It's Friday's with Beth on our Season's Blog.  Have a blessed weekend, and can't wait to see each of you on Sunday! 

Part Three

Part Four

Be Yourself

Its Monday!!  We hope each of you were able to attend service on Sunday.  Don't forget to look to the right of this blog to learn about important events. Have a blessed week. 

Today's Devotion by Joyce Meyer

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
— 1 Corinthians 15:10 NKJV

A person without confidence is like an airplane sitting on a runway with empty fuel tanks. The plane has the ability to fly, but without some fuel, it’s not getting off the ground. Confidence is our fuel. Our confidence, our belief that we can succeed, gets us started and helps us finish every challenge we tackle in life. Without confidence, a woman will live in fear and never feel fulfilled.

Confidence allows us to face life with boldness, openness, and honesty. It enables us to live without worry and to feel safe. It enables us to live authentically. We don’t have to pretend to be somebody we’re not, because we are secure in who we are—even if we’re different from those around us. I firmly believe that confidence gives us permission to be different, to be unique. God has created every person in a unique way, yet most people spend their lives trying to be like someone else—and feeling miserable as a result. Trust me on this: God will never help you be some other person. He wants you to be you!
  
Lord, I want to be able to say confidently that by Your grace I am what am. I confess that Your grace has never been in vain in my life, and I ask You for more grace. Amen.

From the book The Confident Woman: Devotions for Each Day of the Year by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2011 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.  

God's Purpose for You - Part One & Two

TGIF!!! The weekend is here and I hope each one of you stays warm this weekend. The weather this week has been soooo cold, and I am cheering for Saturday and Sunday because the temperature may actually get in the 40s!!! Woohoo!!

As for our weekend devotion, we're going to kick-start a three week series called "God's Purpose for You".  Many of us set goals at the beginning of the year to make changes to our lives, and a common resolution is to Grow Closer to the Lord, Serve in a Ministry, Get More Involved at Church,  etc. This series by Beth Moore will take us on a journey through the Bible to find what God's purpose is for each of us. This series will take place over the next three Fridays, so remember to stop back by next Friday for parts 3 & 4! 

Have a blessed weekend, and ENJOY!!!

Part One

Part Two

Wordless Worshipful Wednesday

The #1 Way to Start Your Day

It's the start of the second week of the year, and what a great devotion to start our week than the following topic: The #1 Way to Start Your Day!!! Also, on Sunday Pastor Vogel sang the song "Jesus Paid it All", and we've listed below for you to listen throughout the week. Have a blessed week!!!

The #1 Way to Start Your Day!!!
by: Joyce Meyer

God wants us to have joy in the midst of our ordinary, everyday life—even on the worst days of our life.

It took me a lot of years to figure this out, but I now know that the very best way to start my day is by giving thanks to God for what He’s done for me, and asking Him how I can be a blessing to other people.

There were times in my life when I dreaded facing each day. All I could think about was my circumstances—wondering how Dave and I were going to pay the bills or get everything done that we needed to do. Sometimes I wanted to pull the covers over my head and just stay in bed.

I was so wrapped up in worry that I was missing the point: God had created a new day, and He wanted me to enjoy it.

Achieving an A+ Attitude
Every single day is filled with all kinds of situations that could upset you—things like losing your car keys or getting caught in a traffic jam. But you can choose to be at peace and in control.

God doesn’t necessarily create difficult situations for us, but He will use them to develop our character.

When you and I take our minds off ourselves and our circumstances, and put our focus on God and loving others, we are embracing an attitude that will bring honor to Him.

No matter what happens during our lifetime, we can be sure that God is working everything out for our good.

Setting Realistic Expectations
Another thing I’ve learned is that you cannot count on someone else to make you happy. You must take responsibility for your own happiness.

There was a time when I would feel sorry for myself if Dave went to play golf the day after one of our big conferences. I wanted him to go shopping or watch a movie with me. But God showed me that we have different ways of relaxing and unwinding.

By keeping our expectations of each other “real,” we can be free to do what we really enjoy.

Putting God and Others First
When you feel discouraged about yourself or your circumstances, remember that God made you and loves you just the way you are. He is leading you to where you’re supposed to be. And He is going to be with you every step of the way.

I encourage you to spend time each morning focusing on the good things God has done in your life. Think about the dangers and difficulties He’s brought you through, the ways He’s healed you and changed you, and how good it is to know He cares for you and hears your prayers.

When you learn to set your mind on God each morning, He’ll give you all the peace and joy you need to love others every single day of your life.

The Hair Brush

Good Friday Season Sisters!! To kick off the weekend, I wanted to share one of my favorite Beth Moore story's that happened right here in Knoxville.  Now I realize that many of you have heard this story; however, what a sweet reminder of God's goodness.

Have a blessed weekend.  See you Sunday!

Worship Wednesday

Good Wednesday Morning! Hope your week is going well and your New Year is off to a great start. We are half way through our week, and wanted to share some great music from the new Hillsong Chapel CD. Hoping that the Lord is doing mighty things in your life this week, and may the following songs bless your heart!

Have a blessed week!!!!

NorthStar on I-Tunes

What an incredible Sunday at NorthStar! The praise and worship, Pastor Cagle's encouraging and timely message, and the corporate prayer of lifting up the ones that mean so much to us  were all just incredible.   If you missed the service or would like to listen again then you're in luck!!!  Northstar's on I-Tunes!!  Visit the I-Tunes store and search for NorthStar and you will be able to view past sermons and subscribe to receive podcast updates!   

If you do not have an IPOD, IPAD, or IPHONE, then no problem.  You can also visit NorthStar's website to view the same sermons and messages.  Visit www.northstarknox.com. 

So, if you have to miss a Sunday, want to listen again, or you want to share the service with a friend you may access the sermon from the NorthStar website or get it as a podcast from iTunes.

Just another way to stay plugged into all the amazing things going on at NorthStar.

Have a blessed week!

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you,” declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 29:11-14a)

Sunday's Song - Behind the Music

Good Sunday Morning Season Sisters!!!  What a way to kick off the New Year than to worship and praise the Lord.  I hope each of you were able to join us this morning at NorthStar!  Wanted to share one of Chris Tomlin's new worship songs called "I Will Follow".  

Want to learn more?  Below is a Chris Tomlin's take on the song:


Chris Tomlin shares the story behind the song 'I Will Follow' from his new album And If Our God Is For Us...

Chris:

'The chorus of this song makes some pretty bold claims: Who you love, I’ll love. How you serve, I’ll serve. Where you go I’ll go. Even if I lose my life I’ll follow you. While those words might be a true expression of the heart, when we hear them coming out of our own mouths it should still be a little sobering. Are we really considering the implications of what we’re saying? Or are we just speaking with bravado the way the Apostle Peter did in his early days of following Jesus? After all, he was the brash one, the impulsive one who was always making those sorts of big, bold statements. He told Jesus things like “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” But when Jesus was arrested, those claims fell apart. Peter ran and hid and even renounced Jesus. Thankfully, that failure wasn’t the end of Peter’s story. In time, God’s grace and power would transform him into a man whose boldness was based on God’s strength rather than his own. But it cost him something to get to that point of understanding what following Jesus was really all about.

Mark chapter 8 contains what must have been one of the most difficult and pivotal points in Peter’s journey as a disciple, and it illuminates something about our own hearts as well. In this passage Jesus is explaining plainly to the twelve how he was soon going to have to suffer and die. Peter takes him aside and rebukes him for saying such things. Jesus responds with his shocking “Get behind me, Satan,” and then explains: “You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Then Jesus gathers the crowd around him and elaborates: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”

Jesus knew beforehand the road of suffering he would walk in faithful obedience. He was explaining God’s plan of redemption to his followers. But Peter—and probably the other disciples too—already had set in their own minds a different version of how God’s salvation for Israel was going to unfold. Most likely they were still dreaming of the day when Jesus—with the twelve of them on his right and his left commanding the thousands that would rally to their cause—would take up the sword to drive the Romans out of Jerusalem and restore all things to their rightful place. At the very least, the idea of a suffering and dying messiah wasn’t part of Peter’s plans. When he had signed up to follow the Christ, it certainly wasn’t for that.

That’s probably why Peter pulled his master aside and rebuked him for his talk of being humiliated and put to death. You have to wonder if Peter’s rebuke of Jesus was born out of fear. Because what Jesus was revealing was threatening the dream that Peter had invested his hope in. And yet, what Peter had in mind was not what God had in mind. How often do we find ourselves in similar positions—feeling disappointed, or angry or scared because God’s plans turned out to be something very different from our own expectations?

In time Peter did respond in the only way a disciple can, by laying down his own ambitions and embracing what it meant to truly follow. At the end he even willingly gave his life for Christ. But I think the hard work of divestment from the things and hopes and dreams of this world was already complete by the time Peter allowed himself to be nailed to a physical cross. I think the hardest step for Peter must have come the moment right after this conversation in Mark 8, because that was the moment he realized this business of being a disciple, of following Jesus, was not about seeing his own agenda accomplished and his own dreams fulfilled. It was about seeing them crucified, and surrendering them to God’s greater purposes instead.

Isn’t that still what it means for anyone to follow Jesus? It means that we lay down our own agendas and hopes and dreams, and faithfully obey day by day. It’s a daily dying to self—the crucifying of our own petty and self-centered desires so that we might more clearly reflect Christ to the people around us. In the end, it’s not about bravado and bold statements. It’s about simple, ongoing obedience to the words of our Lord. To say “I will follow” is really not so different from saying “Help me every hour to die to my own desires, Jesus, so that you can live more fully through me.”

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year Ladies!!!  It's 1-1-11, what a fun date!  Hope everyone had a GREAT Holiday Season.  Enjoy the devotion for today, it is a great way to kick off our new year.  Have a blessed Saturday, and see you tomorrow at NorthStar!

Do not [earnestly] remember the former things; neither consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing! — Isaiah 43:18-19

God created us to need new beginnings— places where we can release our faith and say, “This is a place of new beginnings for me, a place to have a fresh start.” The dawn of a new year is always a good time for a fresh start.

You can experience the abundant life Jesus says you can have, but it requires making a decision to let go of the past. Unless you refuse to go on the way you have been, no change will come. God wants to change things for you, but He is waiting for your total cooperation.

Seldom do your circumstances change without something first changing in you. So if you want to experience God’s “new thing” this year, release your faith right now and say, “This is a place of new beginnings for me.” Then watch for the results.

From the book Ending Your Day Right: Devotions for Each Evening of the Year by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2004 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.