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Blessed Insurance

January 6, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

I’ve been bailed out by an insurance company many times. Homeowner’s insurance for the damage caused by a falling tree, medical insurance for surgery, auto insurance for car wrecks.

But here’s the thing about insurance: It’s only helpful after you’ve had a problem.

Workman’s comp is good after you’ve been injured
Auto insurance is good after you’ve smashed your car
Health insurance is good after you’re sick
Life insurance is good after you’re dead

Sadly, many people treat God like an insurance policy. They try to handle their lives themselves, and then after they’re beat-up, tossed around, and kicked to the curb they pray that God’s insurance will bail them out. It’s like they’ve changed the words of the old hymn to, “Blessed insurance, Jesus is mine!”

God desires for us to have a blessed assurance! He wants us to know His love and involvement in our lives every single day. Look at the assurance in these verses—

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him. (1 John 5:13-15)

If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (John 15:7)

The Bible isn’t just a book to be read, it’s a book to be prayed. Get His Word in you, and stay immersed in His Word, and watch how your prayers change. You don’t have to wait for prayer to be your insurance policy, but you can live every day in a blessed assurance that God is for you.

Read the Bible, pray the Bible, and watch God do amazing things!

I will be continuing our series on prayer—If You Will Ask—this Sunday at 10:30am. Please join me!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: assurance, Bible, Calvary Assembly of God, confidence, God's love, insurance, Jesus Christ, prayer, promise. 2 Comments »

God Answers Prayer

January 5, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Here are the quotes I used this morning in my message on prayer.

“Our Lord in His teaching regarding prayer never once referred to unanswered prayer; He said God always answers prayer.” —Oswald Chambers

“Trust is not a belief that God can bless, that He will bless, but that He does bless, here and now. Trust always operates in the present tense. Hope looks toward the future. Trust looks to the present. Hope expects. Trust possesses. Trust receives what prayer acquires.” —E.M. Bounds

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible, E.M. Bounds, hope, Jesus Christ, Oswald Chambers, prayer, trust. Leave a Comment »

Book Reviews From 2013

January 4, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Here are the books I read and reviewed in 2013. Click a title to read the review…

10 People Every Christian Should Know

A Harmony Of The Gospels

Andrew Murray Daily Reader

Dear Abba

Decision Points

Did The Resurrection Happen … Really?

God’s Favorite Place On Earth

God’s Workmanship

Habitudes

He Shall Glorify Me

I Never Thought I’d See The Day

If Thou Wilt Be Perfect

Knocking At God’s Door

Love To The Uttermost

One Year Book Of Personal Prayer

Outliers

Plastic Donuts

Pouring Holy Water On Strange Fire

Promotion

Raising Your Child To Love God

Seven Men

Smith Wigglesworth On Healing

Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn

Stopping Words That Hurt

The 13th Resolution

The Baptism With The Holy Spirit

The Bare Facts

The Five Levels Of Leadership

The Highest Good

The Hobbit

The Man Who Knew Too Much

The Purpose Of Christmas

The Ragamuffin Gospel

The Reagan Diaries

The Secrets Of Intercessory Prayer

Things We Couldn’t Say

Understanding Sexting

Unfinished

Unstoppable

Visioneering

Who Do You Think You Are?

You Don’t Need A Title To Be A Leader

For my book reviews of 2011 click here, and for 2012’s list click here.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: A.T. Robertson, Andrew Murray, Andy Braner, Andy Stanley, apologetic, autobiography, baptism, Bible study, biography, book review, Brennan Manning, Charles Sheldon, Craig Groeschel, David Jeremiah, David Wilkerson, Diet Eman, Dr. Tim Elmore, Easter, Eric Metaxas, fiction, Frank Viola, G.K. Chesterton, George W. Bush, gossip, healing, Holocaust, Holy Spirit, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jack Hayford, Jeff Anderson, Jesus Christ, John MacArthur, John Maxwell, John Piper, Josh McDowell, Josh Shook, Judah Smith, Ken Davis, kids, leadership, Leonard Sweet, literature, Malcolm Gladwell, Mario Escobar, Mark Batterson, Mark Driscoll, Mark Sanborn, memoir, men, Michael Sedler, money, Nazi, Nick Vujicic, offering, Oswald Chambers, parenting, pastoring, Pope Francis, prayer, public speaking, R.A. Torrey, resurrection, Richard Stearns, Ronald Reagan, Ryan Shook, sexting, sexual purity, sexuality, sexually-transmitted disease, Smith Wigglesworth, social media, theology, tithe, vision casting, Warren Wiersbe, World Vision. 9 Comments »

Thursdays With Oswald—God Is Love

January 2, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Oswald Chambers. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Oswald” in the search box to read more entries.

God Is Love

In the future, when trial and difficulties await you, do not be fearful, whatever and whoever you may lose faith in, let not this faith slip from you—God is Love; whisper it not only to your heart in its hour of darkness, but here in your corner of God’s earth and man’s great city, live in the belief of it; preach it by your sweetened, chastened, happy life; sing it in consecrated moments of peaceful joy….

The world does not bid you sing, but God does. Song is the sign of an unburdened heart; then sing your songs of love unbidden, ever rising higher and higher into a fuller conception of the greatest, grandest fact on the stage of Time—God is Love.

From The Love Of God

Here’s to a new year filled with a greater revelation in your heart of God’s amazing love! May 2014 be full of your love songs to the Greatest Love Of All!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: difficulties, faith, God's love, love song, New Year, Oswald Chambers, peace, singing, trials. Leave a Comment »

Week Of Prayer

January 1, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

I love beginning the year with prayer. We talk about prayer, and most importantly we set aside lots of time to pray.

In addition to our Sunday series on prayer—If You Will Ask—we will be having a special prayer focus each day next week. You can download our prayer guide here → Week of prayer guides ←

The church building will be open for prayer Sunday from 5-6pm and Monday through Friday from 5:30-6:30pm. If you are able to join us, we would love to have you come pray with us. If not physically, please join your prayers with ours each day next week as you pray from home, work or school.

Pray, without ceasing pray, your Captain gives the word; His summons cheerfully obey, and call upon the Lord: To God your every want in instant prayer display; pray always: pray, and never faint; pray, without ceasing, pray.

In fellowship, alone, to God with faith draw near; approach His courts, besiege His throne with all the power of prayer: His mercy now implore, and now show forth His praise; in shouts, our silent awe, adore His miracles of grace. —Charles Wesley

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Calvary Assembly of God, Charles Wesley, prayer, week of prayer. Leave a Comment »

Now More Than Ever

January 1, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

I am very challenged by this quote, and it is one I will attempt to live out this year.

Tozer

“Now more than at any other time in generations, the believer is in a position to go on the offensive. The world is lost on a wide sea, and Christians alone know the way to the desired haven. While things were going well, the world scorned them with their Bible and hymns, but now the world needs them desperately, and it needs that despised Bible, too. For in the Bible, and there only, is found the chart to tell us where we are going on this rough and unknown ocean. The day when Christians should meekly apologize is over—they can get the world’s attention not by trying to please, but by boldly declaring the truth of divine revelation. They can make themselves heard not by compromise, but by taking the affirmative and sturdily declaring, ‘Thus saith the Lord.’” —A.W. Tozer

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: A.W. Tozer, Bible, Christian, God's Word, hope, love, Scripture. Leave a Comment »

If You Will Ask

December 31, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

Prayer is powerful. Ask anyone who has ever had answer from God in prayer, and they will quickly tell you just how valuable and powerful that prayer was to them.

With that in mind here’s a simple question: why don’t we pray more? It seems like prayer is often the thing we turn to when everything else we have tried has failed. Or we pray after we have messed something up, instead of before we attempted it.

The Bible says this—

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (1 John 5:14, emphasis added)

Notice that key qualifier: IF we will ask there is an incredible confidence in God’s answer.

Prayer should be first and continual. That’s why l like beginning each year with a renewed emphasis on prayer. This Sunday is part one in our series If You Will Ask, where we will be exploring the mind-blowing things God gives to His children who ask Him … things like insight, patience, power and initiative.

Please join me at 10:30am this Sunday as we begin our reinvigorating look at the power of prayer.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Calvary Assembly of God, confidence, God's power, prayer, sermon. Leave a Comment »

The 13th Resolution (book review)

December 31, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

Although The 13th Resolution was originally written by Charles Sheldon in 1928, it’s an excellent book to read (or re-read) if you are thinking about making New Year’s resolutions.

This book is short, but Sheldon’s writing quickly endears the Blaisdell family to us. We get to listen in as Mr. Blaisdell is reading his list of resolutions to his family. Some of the resolutions pertain just to him, and some involve the entire family. We then get to see a brief glimpse as these resolutions are put into effect in their first couple of days, but quickly the story jumps to the family gathering on New Year’s Day one year later. We hear the Blaisdells telling what changed over the past year, what resolutions stuck, and what resolutions flopped, but we are left to fill in the details of how that transpired.

You can read this book aloud to your family in less time that it would take to watch a sitcom on TV, and then see what sort of discussion it sparks in your home. Very enjoyable!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: book review, Charles Sheldon, family, literature, New Year, resolution, short story. 2 Comments »

It’s Good When God Says, “No, Never, Certainly Not!”

December 30, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

My friend, God is fully aware of the situation you are facing. He knows what is happening in your life. Here’s the good news—the great news: you are not going down, but you are going through!

“What does God want from you in your difficult time? He wants you to believe His Word—His promises! He wants you to fully trust that He is with you in your struggle. It does not matter if all hell is coming at you, His presence will never be taken from you, even in the midst of your fears and tears. No dart of the devil—no powerful attack against you—will destroy you. Your Father already has a plan of deliverance in place. God is waiting for you to cling to Him in blind trust. He wants you to be able to face all your ferocious temptations, and say, ‘I may not understand this but I know my Lord will not forsake me. I am trusting Him to see me through!’ … God is saying, ‘You’re not going down. I am with you through all of this! If you will just seek My face and trust Me, I will bring you through—because I am always with you!’” —David Wilkerson

In Hebrews 13:5 God says, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.”

But in English this isn’t quite strong enough. In this short phrase the Greek language uses five negatives. Let me try to state God’s words as they are literally written—

I will never, certainly not, by no means ever loosen My grip on you, and I will never, certainly not, by no means ever leave you behind, nor leave you helpless, nor leave you abandoned.

Commenting on this verse, Charles Spurgeon wrote—

“This priceless Scripture does not promise us exemption from trouble, but it does secure us against desertion. We may be called to traverse strange ways, but we shall always have our Lord’s company, assistance, and provision. … Come, my heart; if God says He will never leave you nor forsake you, be much in prayer for grace that you may never leave the Lord, nor even for a moment forsake His ways.”

Oh my, what a word of hope! God has not abandoned you, friend. In fact, the Bible makes it clear that He is close to the brokenhearted and the beat-up. He will never, certainly not, by no means ever leave you, so don’t leave Him but cling even more tightly to His unshakable promise!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible study, brokenhearted, Charles Spurgeon, David Wilkerson, God's presence, Hebrews, hope, prayer, trials. 4 Comments »

Year-End Review (2013 Edition)

December 24, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

The Apostle Peter wrote this to the church—

I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live. (2 Peter 1:12-13)

On the last Sunday of each calendar year I like to take time to remind myself and our congregation about what God has taught us in the year that has just past. This is not only healthy for us to remember together, but it is also beneficial for us to be able to step forward into the new year in unity.

If we don’t look back to remember where we’ve come from, it will be very hard for us to remember where we are going and why we are going there. And as an added bonus for those who weren’t with us for all of 2013, you will get caught up to speed with everyone else.

Please join me at 10:30am this Sunday as we not only review 2013, but we get a glimpse of what God wants to do in us and through us in 2014.