Tim Blevins http://timblevins.com Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:05:46 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Food for Strength http://timblevins.com/2012/02/17/food-for-strength/ http://timblevins.com/2012/02/17/food-for-strength/#comments Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:05:46 +0000 Tim Blevins http://timblevins.com/?p=1421 John 4:34 My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.

Jesus said he gained strength from doing the will of God. Jesus ministered from strength and gained more as he continued to do ministry.

There is a difference between being physically tired and being spiritually tired. On Sunday’s after preaching three services I am physically tired but my spirit man is strengthened. I have learned though that when my physical body is tired, my spirit life is vulnerable to the flesh and the attacks of the enemy.

Many times our biggest battles blindside us right after a huge spiritual event like a mission trip or a conference. When our flesh is weak we allow ourselves to be more open to demonic attacks.

Since beginning 3 services this month I have decided to prepare for Sunday afternoon recovery. I will be alert to the enemies tactics as well this Sunday, I plan on spending a few minutes in private worship and rest in order to be renewed.

Jesus withdrew from the crowds to be strengthen too.

]]> http://timblevins.com/2012/02/17/food-for-strength/feed/ 0 Heavenly Talk http://timblevins.com/2012/02/17/heavenly-talk/ http://timblevins.com/2012/02/17/heavenly-talk/#comments Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:54:36 +0000 Tim Blevins http://timblevins.com/?p=1419 John 3:12 But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things?

There must be a difference between earthly talk and heavenly talk.

Have you ever been around someone who intrigues your interest about spiritual or heavenly things? I know I have. They speak about the good things of God, they share a current testimony from an adventure with God, they have a new revelation from scripture or a fresh Word from the Lord. In other words, they are full and bubbling over with all that God is doing in their life.

Being heavenly minded doesn’t make us no earthly good. It makes us earthly influencers for the Kingdom. You don’t have to talk about heavenly things 24/7 but it sure aught to be a part of your conversation everyday.

When your Walk with God is fresh and alive your conversation will reflect it.

I have also been around Christians that rarely talk about heavenly things. I love sports too but I also love to hear all that God is doing through people.

So the next time you are hanging out with friends, be sure to talk about what God is doing in your life. You will be an encourager if you do. People need to hear it!

]]> http://timblevins.com/2012/02/17/heavenly-talk/feed/ 0 Shift to the 3rd http://timblevins.com/video/shift-to-the-3rd/ http://timblevins.com/video/shift-to-the-3rd/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:49:47 +0000 Tim Blevins http://timblevins.com/?post_type=video&p=1417 Attention Life Community Church.  This Sunday we are adding the 3rd service.  We now have services at 9am, 11am and 1pm!  We are asking 100 people to shift from the 11am service to the 1pm service to make room for more guests in the 11am service as well as we need you to be at the 1pm service to serve and welcome the new guests at this service.  Well that sentence is a little run together but you get the point.

This weekend we are launching a new sermon series called Increasing Faith.  See you Sunday.  Its going to be a great day at Lifecc!

]]> http://timblevins.com/video/shift-to-the-3rd/feed/ 0 Are You Fasting? http://timblevins.com/2012/01/19/are-you-fasting/ http://timblevins.com/2012/01/19/are-you-fasting/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:57:32 +0000 Tim Blevins http://timblevins.com/?p=1415 Each January for the last 6 years our church has participated in a 21 day corporate fast.  Today is day 11 of our fast.  Just over half way there.  I thought this would be a good time to post about some of my experiences while fasting in order to help you get through the middle season of your fast.

Fasting is the voluntary abstinence from particular aspects of life in order to seek deep dimensions of fellowship and blessings with God.  I have learned a lot about fasting from Jentezen Franklin and now Stovall Weems who has put out a book about it but I think I have learned more through participation.  If you have never fasted then you should begin a fast sometime soon.  Matthew 6: 16 says, “When you fast…”  not “If you fast”.

Following are just a few things I have learned over the past few years.

  1. We can never forget about God’s grace.  It is our nature to fall into a system of merit and think in terms of achievement and rewards.  The reality is that there isn’t anything we can do to get more of God’s love and there isn’t anything we can do to get less of His love.  Fasting isn’t about impressing God or twisting his arm to recognize how good of a Christian we are.  Fasting is simply removing worldly distractions in order to seek deeper dimensions with God.  Jesus’ grace was enough to change our position with God.  Our efforts are not required.
  2. I have learned a lot about my weaknesses.  When you begin to fast; eliminating sugars, caffeine, breads and meats, your body brings to the surface all of its impurities and toxins.  Naturally our body will trap toxins and chemicals found in those foods and hold them until we eliminate them for a period of time.  The results are headaches, bad breath, stomach pains, dizziness, weird sleep patterns, skin rashes and even mouth blisters.  All of the bad stuff is coming to the surface.  The same effect happens to us spiritually during a fast.  Our weakness and strongholds begin to surface.  For the most part, Christians have learned to cover over our weaknesses but during a fast we are confronted with ourselves.  It turns out we are looking in the mirror at our real selves.  Questions like, “Do I really trust God?” or “Will I serve Him even if I’m hurting?” or “Will I remain obedient to this fast when I really don’t want to?”   The weaknesses are in there, inside everyone one of us.  The question is whether or not you are ready to confront them and gain the victory over them.
  3. I have learned more about God’s forgiveness.  Why?  Because during a fast I see my weakness and I experience failures.  Many of us fail in different ways during a fast.  Everything from bad attitudes, emotional outburst, temper outbreaks, eating things we shouldn’t, falling to various temptations and simply giving up.  If you, like me have missed the mark then take no time for self-guilt.  Don’t allow the devil to hold you down.  Thank the Lord for His forgiveness and get right back up and begin again.  Don’t get discouraged but rather be encouraged in that now you know an area to work on and be encouraged because now you have a new appreciation for God’s forgiveness.
  4. Fasting is not about food.  It is very easy to get so focused on what you are and are not eating that you lose the real focus, which is seeking Jesus.  One way to determine if you are getting more focused on food is to listen to what you are talking about.  If you seem to be talking about food more than anything else then you may need to refocus. Fasting without a true focus on Jesus is just a miserable diet.
  5. Immature  fasters can become prideful.  We tend to feel like we are doing more or are really serving God better than other people when we fast.  Fasting does not make us “super saints.”  It does not make us better than another.  True fasting should produce humility due to the fact we are becoming more aware of our weakness and our growing appreciation of our need for Jesus.
  6. The devil hates it when we fast. The last thing he wants is for you to become fired up about serving the Lord.  Fasting will fire up your spirit life therefore the enemy will send troubles your way to try to keep you from becoming the man or woman of God that you were destine to be.  So be ready to overcome his tactics by pressing in more to the presence of the Lord.
  7. Fasting knocks our props out.  We live in a culture of props and stimulants.  We can’t get our day started without a cup of coffee or 3.  We need cokes and sweet teas to enjoy our meals and most of us are hooked on TV and games.  Fasting is eliminating those things that have us propped up to either energize, comfort or entertain us in order to depend on God for our strength.  Fasting is a vacation from self.  Imagine your life now being fueled by the Holy Spirit rather than trappings of the world.

 

These are just a few of things I have learned.  If you are fasting then I am praying for you to gain great strength from the Lord.

]]> http://timblevins.com/2012/01/19/are-you-fasting/feed/ 0 Fun Picture from this Sunday http://timblevins.com/2012/01/15/fun-picture-from-this-sunday/ http://timblevins.com/2012/01/15/fun-picture-from-this-sunday/#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 01:57:07 +0000 Tim Blevins http://timblevins.com/?p=1409 The picture is slightly misleading to the size of the church because of the panoramic view but it is a fact that the church was packed out today.  We had our highest attendance ever today which was exciting.  People were actually having to sit on the floor because we totally ran out of chairs.  We are launching our 3rd service on Feb 5 to help make room for more people.  Also, we will have the overflow room ready by this coming Sunday as well so keep coming and inviting your friends.  My highlight of the day was when the church erupted into celebration when a hand went up to show their decision to follow christ.

Great job Lifecc.  You rock! 

]]> http://timblevins.com/2012/01/15/fun-picture-from-this-sunday/feed/ 0 Boot Camp part 2 http://timblevins.com/video/boot-camp-part-2/ http://timblevins.com/video/boot-camp-part-2/#comments Sat, 14 Jan 2012 19:49:18 +0000 Tim Blevins http://timblevins.com/?post_type=video&p=1401 This is not as demanding as the military boot camp by any stretch of the imagination.  Fortunately for us, Jesus did the hard part; He took all of the punishment for us.  This series is about training disciples.  You are invited to join us this Sunday at either 9am or 11am.  We are the church in the Mall.

]]> http://timblevins.com/video/boot-camp-part-2/feed/ 0 If I Were the Devil… Part 6 http://timblevins.com/2012/01/12/if-i-were-the-devil-part-6/ http://timblevins.com/2012/01/12/if-i-were-the-devil-part-6/#comments Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:00:36 +0000 Tim Blevins http://timblevins.com/?p=1370 If I were the devil, I would be dreading 2012 because this is going to be a year when the body of Christ stands in more unity than ever before.  This is going to be a year when revival breaks out and countless numbers of people come to know Jesus as their savior.  This is going to be a year when the church walks in faith and power and we see supernatural miracles; cancer being healed, marriages being restored, bondages being broken and dreams being ignited.  This is going to be a year when a new generation of young men and women rise to the challenge of changing schools, cities, nations, churches and even pulling down strongholds that are hurting people through evil like human trafficking.

The devil may think he is making progress and it may appear that way but we see with our spiritual eyes that God is stronger and is on the move.

Therefore, If I were the devil I would increase my attacks on God’s people to try to counter the new move of God.

]]> http://timblevins.com/2012/01/12/if-i-were-the-devil-part-6/feed/ 0 If I Were the Devil… Part 5 http://timblevins.com/2012/01/11/if-i-were-the-devil-part-5/ http://timblevins.com/2012/01/11/if-i-were-the-devil-part-5/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:00:20 +0000 Tim Blevins http://timblevins.com/?p=1367 If I were the devil, I would attack people’s dreams by discouraging them through difficult situations in life.  I would watch their faith drop off the charts as people struggle through trials.  I would then try to convince Christians that God doesn’t move in supernatural ways and that they must settle for a powerless gospel.  I would show them that God is actually bringing suffering and judgment upon his people to make them stronger.  I would convince people that God doesn’t heal and break bondages in people’s lives anymore.  Over time I would corral the Christian into a harmless, passionless, and powerless walk with God rather than being men and women who rise to the front lines of the battle.  In a nutshell, I would turn Christianity into a lifeless, powerless walk with a distant God and teach them to put up with the way life is.

]]> http://timblevins.com/2012/01/11/if-i-were-the-devil-part-5/feed/ 0 If I were the Devil… Part 4 http://timblevins.com/2012/01/10/if-i-were-the-devil-part-4/ http://timblevins.com/2012/01/10/if-i-were-the-devil-part-4/#comments Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:00:28 +0000 Tim Blevins http://timblevins.com/?p=1365 If I were the devil I would get bright young people to go off to college and learn humanistic views that appear to discredit the Bible.  I would convince them that right and wrong are subjective and only wrong if you think it is wrong.  I would make sex, alcohol and drugs very accessible, especially now that they are out from under the protective covering of their families.  Then I would convince them that church doesn’t relate to their age group anymore.  And if I were the devil, I would know that when I have conquered this generation then I will soon be in control of business, school, government, the arts, entertainment and possibly some church leadership positions as well.  If I were the devil I would feel like have been doing pretty good in this area so far.

]]> http://timblevins.com/2012/01/10/if-i-were-the-devil-part-4/feed/ 0 Rusty and Dusty http://timblevins.com/video/rusty-and-dusty/ http://timblevins.com/video/rusty-and-dusty/#comments Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:00:13 +0000 Tim Blevins http://timblevins.com/?post_type=video&p=1398 Rusty and Dusty are two hilarious characters introducing Lifecc adding a 3rd service.  We were privileged to get to watch them this past Sunday.

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