Day 4 - Defeat death and receive eternal life

When the day comes that our natural bodies expire and we pass from this life to the next we will be faced with two paths based on our choices here on earth, life or death. Many people struggle with the assurance that when they die they will spend eternity it heaven. I've seen many people wrestle with their salvation because they've sinned or didn't pray or did something they shouldn't have and I want to offer some ways to know that you are saved and that you have eternal life.

First, when we sin it does not disqualify us from spending eternity in heaven. Even though we feel separated from God for the moment that doesn't mean we will be separated from God for eternity. When we sin we need to ask forgiveness and move on, not "get saved" again.

Through the Cross Jesus has defeated death and provided for us as a free gift, eternal life! All we have to do is believe that He is the Son of God and that God raised Him from the dead and confess with our mouths that He is Lord and we will be saved (Romans 10:9) or have eternal life. The next step is discipleship. Salvation is free, it costs you nothing.

Whether or not you have eternal life is based upon belief. Do you believe that Jesus is Lord? Do you believe He is the Son of God? Deuteronomy 30:19 says that God has put before us the choice; life or death... then it says choose life. Eternal life is your choice.

How to know you are saved and have eternal life:

• Do you believe? Have you prayed to God, told Him that you need Jesus in your life and that you turn your life over to Him? If so then you are saved.
• Do your actions believe? Are you beginning to look like Christ? This doesn't mean you are perfect, but you are day by day growing closer to God and dealing with weaknesses in your life through the Cross. This is what it means to become a disciple.
• Do you feel God's presence in your life? The presence of God, The Holy Spirit, is our guarantee that we have been saved. If you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life then you are saved and you have eternal life.
  
• Ask God for the peace and the assurance that your eternal destiny is secure.
• Stand upon the Word. Romans 10:9, John 5:24, 6:40, 47 all talk about believing and having eternal life. Believe and receive the free gift offered to you today!
  

If you believe, you are beginning to live like a disciple and you feel the presence of God, you have eternal life. It is a promise from God to you!

If you've never asked Jesus into your life pray this prayer and believe. Afterwards tell someone. The bible tells that if we confess Jesus before men and He will confess us before the Father. You can email, or send a comment, it won't be published or tell a friend that is a Christ follower.

Pray:

Jesus I ask you to come into my life. Forgive me for rejecting you with the way I've lived my life. Forgive me of my sin. I believe in my heart and I confess with my mouth that you are Lord and that God raised you from the dead. I need you. I turn my life over to you today. Make me your disciple. In your name I pray. Amen!

Day 3 - Overcoming fear, anxiety and worry

Throughout the bible we are commanded by the likes of Jesus, Paul, Peter and others to walk in faith. To live a life of faith. In fact the Word promises that if we live by faith we will have everything we need (Matthew 6:25-34). However, the opposite of faith is fear and I have found that it is much easier to live in fear than faith. It's easier to worry than to rest and believe God has it all taken care of.

We worry about what we are going to wear, how we are going to pay for this, will I get a date for prom. We worry about family, friends, finances, and on and on and on. You name it and somebody worries about it. Yet worrying about these things will not bring the results you desire. In fact when you worry that something is going to happen or not happen often it does or doesn't. We've got to walk by faith and stand upon the Word of God.

I love Philippians 4:6 in the New Living Translation; it says, "Don't worry about anything, instead pray." In other words what are you worrying about. That fear, that anxiety is not of God, for He will not give you fear and worry, but power, love and a sound mind. Living a life of worry and in fear is no life at all. Here are some ways to overcome worry, fear and anxiety.

• Pray! When you begin to worry or have fear pray until it goes away. 1 Peter 5:7 says to give God your burdens, your worries. Pray to God and give your worries to Him. The greatest weapon we have against fear and worry is prayer!
  
• Read the Word! All throughout the bible there are promises in scriptures to help you through your situation. Find the promise, believe it and let it be the anchor that holds you steady during the storm of fear and worry.
• Get prayer! Go to your Reach Team leader (if you don't have one, find one), or another person full of faith and have them pray for you. Let them encourage you with prayer and the Word. Sometimes we need reassurance from others that it's all going to work out.

There is no reason for you to live a life of fear, anxiety and worry. Proverbs 28:1 tells us that the righteous are as bold as a lion. If you have Christ in your life, you are walking in forgiveness and freedom from guilt, condemnation and your sinful nature you are righteous and therefore have nothing to worry about or fear. Through the Cross Jesus offers you a life of peace and faith, not fear, worry and anxiety.

Day 2 - Deliverance from sin and temptation

The number one thing we will struggle with in our Christian life is sin and temptation. Temptation is the vehicle that drives us to the end of the road which is sin and sin always leads us to a dead end, leaving us crippled to be who we desire to be. Sin entices us, looking like its going to be fun and when we go over to sins house, it beats us down, leaving us broken and ashamed. Sin always promises us a good time, but costs us more that we are willing to pay in the end. So in order for us to grow and become who God has called us to be we have got to overcome sin and temptation in our life.

Jesus was tempted like we are and did not give in, so we have power through the cross to overcome temptation and kick sin in the butt! Paul writes in Romans 7:15-25 about the sinful nature. In all of us there is something inside that pulls us towards sin. Even though we want to do what is right we find ourselves drawn to sin and ultimately falling into it. That is the sinful nature and we have to overcome it.

My favorite scripture in dealing with sin and the sinful nature is Galatians 2:20. Jesus overcame temptation and did not sin, so if we follow Galatians 2:20 we also will follow in his footsteps. This verse is all about the sinful nature dying and Christ coming alive in us. "It is no longer I (my old sinful nature) that lives, but Christ (the power to overcome) that lives in me." You don't have to be a prisoner to sin and temptation any longer. Through the Cross there is freedom.

Here are some ways to overcome sin and temptation in your life:

• Repent for all your past mistakes. Repentance removes the stain of sin in our life, allowing us to get up and walk away.
  
• Pray for it every day. Jesus commanded in his model prayer that we recognize we are tempted and ask God to not let us yield to temptation.
• Pray Galatians 2:20 over your life. Say, "I am crucified with Christ, it is no longer (inert your name) who lives but Christ who lives in me." Everyday you have got to crucify the sinful nature that lives in you. List your weaknesses by name. I crucify anger, I crucify lust, I crucify gossip, I crucify depression, etc...
  
• Flee temptation! Don't walk right up to temptation, give it a shove and ask it show me what you've got. You will get knocked down! Instead run from it. Don't put yourself in places you could be tempted.
  
• Believe the promise that God will not allow you to be tempted beyond what He has given you the strength to handle and He makes a way out. (1 Cor. 10:13)
• Receive forgiveness for your past mistakes and don't allow guilt or condemnation to drag you back into your former state.
  

Day 1 - Freedom from guilt and condemnation

One of the number one reasons we do not overcome sin and weakness in our lives is we still feel guilty or what the bible calls condemnation for those things we've done. Guilt will hold you back and rob you from the destiny God has placed in your life. Today because of what Jesus did on the cross you can be free of all guilt and condemnation. In fact God wants you free of guilt so that you can life a life of peace and freedom.

I love what David says in Psalm 32:5 NLT, "Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the Lord." And you forgave me! ALL MY GUILT IS GONE.

Here are some steps to getting free from guilt:

• Confess your sins. Tell God, He already knows anyways, what you've done and that you are sorry for it. Ask for forgiveness. If we do this according 1 John 1:9, God is faithful to gives us what we ask for... forgiveness!
  
• Confess your sins to a leader in your life (parent, youth leader, pastor, mentor) James 5:16 tells us that when we confess to each other we are healed. Healed from what? The guilt and weight of our mistakes. It also says that then our prayers become effective because we are righteous and we can overcome much.
• Walk it out. Many people are forgiven and free, but thoughts creep into their minds about their past and they begin to choose to feel guilty and they allow the devil to heap condemnation on them. When you feel guilty for something you've already repented for declare the Word. Say out loud if you have to "I've confessed my sins, so I am forgiven, I am in Christ, so I do not accept this condemnation!" Don't receive it!
• Go and sin no more. Now that you've confessed and are forgiven, don't do it again. Walk in the power God has given you over sin. Not falling into it again will help you no longer feel guilty. Do like Jesus said to the woman who was about to be stoned for her mistakes and Jesus forgave her, "Woman your sins are forgiven you, now go and sin no more."
  
• Believe the promise of His Word. You have to believe that when God says you are forgiven and that your guilt is gone it is. I love this scripture, Psalm 103:12, David writes, "He has removed our sins as far from us as teh east is from the west." Your sins, your past failures and mistakes are gone, erased by the blood of Jesus. Now believe it and walk it out!

Today is your day for freedom from guilt and condemnation. Jesus paid for your freedom on the cross, now receive it and no longer be held captive by it! Your destiny is too important for you not to walk in freedom!

GRID Prayer and Reading Plan

The following are seven victories that the cross brings to us. This week read (I recommend the New Living Translation, but any will do) and pray about these victories that you might see them in your life! Check my blog TravisWarren.com for a little devotional everyday; also if you have questions about the material call your group leader or comment on the blog and you will have an answer. We will discuss this next week at GRID.

Day 1 Freedom from guilt and condemnation. Read these scriptures and pray for forgiveness, forgive others that have hurt you and ask God to free you from the guilt of your mistakes and any condemnation. – Romans 8:1, 2; 1 John 1:9; Psalm 32:5; Matthew 6:14-15;

Day 2 Deliverance from oppression of the devil which is sin and temptation or our sinful nature. Read these scriptures and pray for freedom from sin, weakness and temptation. – Ephesians 2:1-5; Galatians 2:20; Romans 7:15-25; Matthew 6:13; 1 Corinthians 10:13

Day 3 Overcome anxiety and fear. Read these scriptures and pray to overcome anxiety and fear. – 1 John 4:18; Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:7; 2 Timothy 1:7; Matthew 6:25-34; Isaiah 41:10

Day 4 Defeat death and eternal life. Read these scriptures; pray that you would know that God has given you eternal life! – Romans 6:23; John 10:10; John 5:24; Romans 10:9-10; John 6:40, 47; 1 John 5:12

Day 5 Forgiveness through repentance – Read these scriptures and ask for forgiveness and receive it. – Ephesians 1:7; 1 John 1:9; 2 Peter 3:9; Isaiah 1:18; Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 8:12; Psalm 32:1, 5; James 5:16

Day 6 Victory over the devil – Read these scriptures and pray for victory in areas of your life that you need it. – 1 John 3:8; 1 John 5:4; 1 John 2:12-14; Revelation 12:11; James 4:7; 1 Corinthians 15:57

Day 7 Healing Read these scriptures and pray for healing in your body, mind, heart, soul, wherever it is needed. – 1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:1-5; Jeremiah 17:14, 33:6; Psalm 30:2, 107:20; Acts 4:30.

Schools Out For Summer

Friday June 13th 6-11pm Schools Out For Summer... LEGIT!!! We had our party to kick off summer and leave school behind. It was an incredible night with somewhere near 100 people hanging out.

We had a BBQ, Sumo Suits, Four person jousting, human foosball, video games, a 10 minute message on evangelism with a couple of salvations and a scavenger hunt. It was an incredible night with tons of fun.

The event was put on by our incredible volunteers here at the church. I had very little to do with any of it! Great job all!

Here are some pictures and captions and a video I made:


Landooooooonnnnn!!!


Ladies

Cook meat son!

Batman!

My beautiful wife getting ready to sumo!

More ladies

More ladies... this is what happens when a girl takes all the photos :-)

SUMO!!!

Winners of the scavenger hunt and $50

Here is a highlight video and my first try at editing a video:

To the interns!

I'm so proud of all of you. I'm sorry I couldn't be there and that it took so long for this to work! Here is a short clip to you...

FOLLOW ME.... on twitter that is.

Ever wonder what it's like to be a youth pastor? Or how about, what would Travis do (wwtd)? That sounds like a cool bracelet idea... I'll have to talk to my marketing agent ;-). Well now you can have the answer to those questions. Click on this link, create an account and follow me on twitter. To follow me click here.

DISCLAIMER - if you want to get a text every time I update you can but be forewarned... if you do not have unlimited texts the chances of you going over with me twittering is very high :-).

Guam Snapshots

From June 14th to June 22nd I embarked on my first journey to preach at a camp for a whole week. It has always been a dream of mine to travel and speak and I had a great time. We were actually the first group to visit this church with the sole purpose of ministering to them. It was an incredible honor and there was great unity! The power of God and His presence were so powerful at the camp. We saw kids who didn't want to be there the 1st day, crying out for more of God the last. I am still getting messages for the students about what God did and is doing in their life. It was an amazing trip with too many stories to tell. With that in mind here are some photos, videos and snapshots from each day.

Saturday June 14th

• Fell asleep at 2am
• Woke up at 4:30am, grabbed my stuff and met Terryl, Kat, and Tim at the church.
• Drove to the airport
• Boarded flight to Hawaii at 8pm.. 5 hr flight
• Slept for a couple of hours
• Met a Christian couple celebrating their 25th anniversary. They own a huge onion farm in Quincy, WA and supply Fred Meyer with onions. Pretty cool!
  
• Landed at 11am Hawaiian time
• Grabbed some Chinese food and Starbucks
• Boarded Flight to Guam at 2. 7 hr flight no sleep.
  
• Crossed the international date line it's now Sunday.

Sunday June 15th

• Landed in Guam at 5:40pm (12:40 am at home).
• We were met by a huge reception of people (see pic).

• Drove to hotel, changed, checked out their church, went to dinner.
• Fell asleep at 10:30pm (5:30 am Sunday Morning at home)
  

Monday June 16th

• Woke up at 8! (3pm Sunday at home)
• No jet lag yet!
  
• Packed up our hotel to prepare for camp.
• Picked up at noon to head to lunch then camp.
• 3pm drove into camp. It was on an airforce base so we had to pass security. Jets flying overhead all the time.
  
• Drove towards camp and saw the most breath taking view! See video.

• Helped set up sound and put my stuff in my tent.

• Ate the best dinner that night! Sashimi (raw fish) and a whole host of other Guam and Yap dishes. It was awesome!
• Service began at 8pm (3am Monday morning at home), helped with worship and shared my testimony that night.
• Took a shower because it is so hot and muggy.
• Fell asleep around 12:30 (7:30am at home) missed my wife like crazy!

Tuesday June 17th

• Woke up at 6am to this:

• Showered and had my quiet time down this path:

• Eggs and rice for breakfast. I was allergic to eggs as a kid and I still hate them, so rice for breakfast with finadeni (Guam's special sauce pronounced fin-a-denny and its awesome).
• Small group time at camp.

• Played a team game.
• Ate at Burger King for lunch, jets flying overhead... Crazy cool!
• Went to the beach to swim and play a little of this:
  

• Great dinner again! More Sashimi and finadeni!
• Service at 8pm! Felt a little tired before because of the sun. As soon as I took the stage to preach I was totally rejuvinated by the Holy Spirit.
• Spoke on making adjustments in your life. Great alter and prayer time. Lots of tears and decisions were made.
• Shower then bed around 1am (8am Tuesday morning at home)

Wednesday June 18th

• Woke up around 7am. Here is the view from my tent window:

• Shower and breakfast. Bacon, rice and... finadeni.
• Small group time!
• Another team game!
• Lunch
• Bowling - see pic

James and Paul - My friends from Guam

• By the way I bowled the highest score for the camp. Had to represent for Washington State!
• Dinner - one of my favorite times of the day ;-).
• Service at 8! Preached about having an encounter with God and the need for the baptism of the Holy Spirit because of the fire or boldness that comes with it.
  
• 8-10 kids got baptized in the Holy Spirit. Andrew was one of them then he began to pray for others to receive the same. It was incredibly awesome.
• Great alter time!
• Witnessed someone not with the camp nearly drown, but was saved by Paul the guy above on the right.
• Fell asleep around 2:30am.

Thursday June 19th

• Last full day of camp
• Great Quiet time and breakfast... rice and finadeni.
• Small groups
• Tropical storm rains.
• Students played a game in the rain and I took a nap for an hour.
• Played Volleyball after the nap in the pouring down rain... very cool!
• Had lunch
• Went to the beach and swam
• Dinner - Pizza, but I had fried fish that Paul caught, super tasty.
• Service at 8pm
• Tons of students gave testimonies of what God had done in their life - Highlight of the trip!
  
• Preached a message that God wants you to go from island to island on your journey and at each island you arrive at you have got to burn your canoe. Told the students it will be easy to go back to who you were before camp (the island you just left), so you have to burn your canoe.

• Had a burn barrel and a power time at the alter again.
• Andrew and Tim got rocked by prayer - Another huge highlight for me from the trip. I wanted these guys to have fun and get rocked by God.
  
• I got rocked by prayer
• I had the opportunity to prophesy into the lives of Pastor Kenny's leaders.
• I got to share some words of encouragement withe Pastor Kenny and Carmen.
• Couple of guys heard I liked fire, so they did a fire dance for me. I also tried it, but the video failed, so no footage. Here is a clip of one of them perfoming:

• That night was prank night and one of the kids was going to prank me with my arch nemesis, pictured below, but they announced no pranking Pastor Travis... Thank God!

Banana Spider! Super creepy.

• Fell asleep around 2:30... Still no jet lag. It was totally a God thing!
• The kids pranked each other all night. I don't think Andrew even went to bed.

Friday June 20th

• Up at 7:30am.
• Shower, Quiet time, breakfast... :-) rice and finadeni.
• Mad dash to break down camp.
• One last meeting and prayer.
• Group photo:

• Headed to church office to put stuff away.
• Grabbed lunch at Denny's? In Guam its actually edible and is in fact very good!
• Checked into our hotel. Pastor Kenny and Carmen put us up and the Hilton right on the beach! Thank PK and Carmen!
• Watched a lady run into Kenny's truck. No damage done and very funny!
  
• Hot Shower! All the showers at camp were cold
• Coffee for the first time in several days!
• 20 minute nap - I was exhausted, but couldn't sleep because I drank the coffee :-)
• Watched ninja warrior with Andrew. Very cool and funny show.
• At 7pm they picked us up for an after camp party with some of the leaders.
• Ate Lasagna, very, very good!
• Hung out with my peeps from Guam!
• Went spear fishing that night! - From a fun perspective this was the highlight of the trip.
• Shot a couple of fish, one was a parrot fish and they cleaned it, chopped it up and we ate it right on the beach Sashimi style!
• Andrew shot a blow fish. Here is a pic of the hunters and the blow fish:

• God to our Hotel around 4:30am

Saturday June 21st

• Up at 11am (6pm Friday night at home), great quiet time with God
• Filmed a video for the interns that graduated and couldn't get it posted online... grrr!
• Packed up our stuff and checked out of our room.
• Went to their church for a birthday party for one of their church members.
  
• Back to the hotel, we swam in the pool for awhile.
• Tiff and Kat took us to some cool places around the island. Sat on a cannon rodeo style:

• Went shopping at their mall
• Dropped by one of their elders house to pick up some stuff.
• Arrived at PK's house.
• Stayed up till 1:30am packing and getting ready to go home, then fell asleep.

Sunday June 22nd

• Woke up at 3:30 am to go to the airport.
• Tons of people saw us off at the airport. Gifts and hugs galore, oh and pictures too.
• Andrew got stopped at security for about 10 minutes :-).
• Flight left at 6:25 am (1:25 pm Saturday afternoon at home).
• Slept half the ride, watched movies the other half.
• Landed in Hawaii 5:40 pm Saturday June 21st... weird huh?
• Flight left 9:20 pm.
  
• Got a middle seat... lame... still i slept the whole way home, waking up to shift or move.
• Landed in Seattle at 5:50 am Sunday morning.
• Grabbed a grande soy caramel latte while I waited for my bags.
• Andrew's mom picked us up and drove us to the church.
• Went home, showered, unpacked a little, got dressed and went to church.
• Two great services that day! Dan Hudson spoke for GRID:

• CORRECTION: Forgot to mention I went to a local business that is owned by some incredible people in the church and dedicated it. It's called Angels among us! It's a dog grooming place in Monroe. Check it out if you have a dog, they do awesome work. Here is a pic of the ice sculpture at the grand opening.

• Went home and slept for about 20 minutes
• Hung out with my wife and my dogs.
• Headed to the church for the 93 days of Summer.
• Great service that night!
• Red Robin afterwards with a bunch of people.
• Home, bed, and sleep around 1am!

Monday June 23rd

• Day off!
• My Dad's birthday
  

PHEW! What an incredible week. It was so God ordained and powerful. I had an incredible time! No jet lag or anything there or back. Thank you Pastor Kenny and Carmen for making me and my team feel right at home. You guys are awesome.

It was a power packed and fun filled trip and hope to do it again someday. Next time I'm taking my wife for sure! Here's some more pictures of the incredible people I met:

Testing... Testing... 1,2,3... Hello is this thing on!

I feel like I've just took the stage, I'm trying to communicate something and the microphone is not on because it has been so long since my last post. Phew the last month has been crazy in a good way. Here's a snap shot.

• Attended Graduations
• Spoke at a Christian school graduation
• Had several birthday parties
• Schools Out for Summer
• Camp planning - 40 days left!
• Trip to Guam to speak at a camp for a week
  
• Trip to Waterville to speak at a youth camp
• Countless meetings!
• 3 day fast
• 93 days of Summer
  

It has been an awesome month with tons of breakthrough in my life! I will blog about a couple of these this week and get everyone caught up! Sorry for the technical difficulties :-)!