Press On with Aaron Rios

Persistently Pursue His Presence - as we leave 2020 behind an head into a new year do not sink into stagnation, complacency or the mindset of "well, I guess this is it".

Persistently pursue his presence, his vision, his goals, and plans for you and your family!

Favor Grows, as intimacy grows. Greater favor = Greater intimacy.
Do you need God's favor in your life? You need Greater intimacy with God.

Reading from: Numbers 13:25-33

An 'af·front' is defined as -  an action or remark that causes outrage or offense.

- We are living in a sensitive time, where people’s feelings are easily offended by not merely another person's action - but by the perception of an action, political affiliation, or perceived inherent traits and systems.

- All of the adversities of today are striking at the root of the greatest matter ever-present before humanity - that is, bringing people to the saving knowledge of Jesus.

-The affronts we face are distractions - I wonder if you can see it? It doesn’t mean that the matters at hand are not of grave importance - they are, but none are more valuable than the matter of the heart being reconciled back to God.

There is power in crying out to Jesus - Some of you are not experiencing the fullness, because your keeping your mouths shut - when you ought to be crying out! This is the lesson we learn from blind Bartimeaus, as we examine Luke 18:35-43.

I Pray

Ephesians 1:18

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people

 

We often are not experiencing the fullness, because of our lack of understanding of how to pray

Prayer is a function and activity that involves and includes the fullness of God.

change a·gent

/CHānj/ /ˈājənt/

1. Chemical that disrupts the static and causes a new byproduct to rise from what was previously there

Acts 1:8

⁸ but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.”

 

 

 

 

In this episode, we discuss a Jewish boy and the decisions he made that led him to the pigpen, in the familiar story of the prodigal son which we find in Luke 15. No one ever plans for ruin. No one wakes up in the morning and says “today is the day I’ll wreck my life”. What would drive us detach from the ‘fathers house’, or in our language, our marriages, friendships, church environment, or literal homes, wish our pasts “dead”, and seek to better ourselves? Perhaps the relationships and circumstances are not meeting expectations? Do not let the older brothers in your life run you form the presence of the father.

Many of us want the manifest promises of God but not necessarily the price associated. We point to the cross of Jesus and receive what He has done, but what happens next?

God is calling us into new experiences and new expressions of his grace, but to arrive, we must journey. It's in the journey where new stories, new testimonies are birthed.

What was in Jerusalem? The cross. This is the purpose and the point of it all. You and I.

In all of our day-to-day activities, we cannot lose sight of the main thing - the Cross. What have you set your face towards?

If your purpose is "meeting a need" then you will get burnt out because you cannot meet everyone's need. If your purpose is based on how people 'respond', you are going to get hurt, struggle with bitterness, and feel ineffective at times.
If your purpose is based solely on people, then you will never be content or feel a sense of fulfillment.

But, if your focus is Christ...

When facing any and every conflict, we really only have two options in our response - the path of righteousness, and the path of unrighteousness. Sounds simple, but we get caught up and sidelined by the details of the, "He Said -She Said"… What are the things that convolute our ability to recognize this is the right path - let me stick to it?

I submit the greatest adversity in recognizing the RIGHTEOUS RESPONSE is our self.

James 4:1

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?

Will you be able to take the path that leads to the "RIGHTEOUS RESPONSE" - you can if you make Christ the goal.