Tory Farina

Live in POWER!

On Sunday I had so much more to say. The content is so exciting to talk about. Here is an undeveloped glimpse at what I had to leave out.

When you have been with Jesus...

You Will do miracles:

Peter and John healing the man-

Acts 3:6-7 Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”  Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.

Acts 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 

You Will have wisdom:

Knowledge is power... time with the Lord builds Wisdom and knowledge...

Jeremiah 31:33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

People will remark. Where did you get that wisdom? Knowledge? You will be able to respond, “It came from Daily times with the Lord.”

You Will be an encouragement to others:

Isaiah 50:4 The Master, God, has given me a well-taught tongue, So I know how to encourage tired people. 

Hurting people don’t need another cliché, they don’t need a pat on the back and an awkward sorry... they need people who will speak the Words of God over them and speak in faith and Victory!

You Will speak boldly...

Luke 12:11-12 “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”

You Will live by faith...

Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

When you read the word of God you will see that nothing is impossible and that God works best as the underdog when the clock is ticking down to the end. You will be able to stand firm in the midst of trial, uncertainty and doubt.

You will be able to stand against temptation and the enemy...

Jesus in the wilderness quotes Deuteronomy to stand against Satan and temptation.

You were meant To Walk in POWER! Strength and Victory! Paul speaks to this same concept when he speaks to the Ephesians... A church of people like you...

Ephesians 6:10-12 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

13-17 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

We were never meant to be on the defensive... The Christian who lives in retreat, defeated, disqualified is no threat to the enemy...

Whenever a revival began or a reformation, its epicenter was among common people who were ignited by the Word Of God.

Lets live in POWER! Lets live rooted in the word of God. Lets live in such a way that what we read becomes an expected outcome in our daily life.

Lets Live Our Potential!

Visualizing the Bible...

Check this out...

Named one of the best science images of 2008 by the National Geographic News, Visualizing the Bible "... brings to light the interconnected nature of one of the world's most familiar books." The bar graph that runs along the bottom represents all of the chapters in the Bible. Books alternate in color between white and light gray. The length of each bar denotes the number of verses in the chapter. Each of the 63,779 cross references found in the Bible is depicted by a single arc - the color corresponds to the distance between the two chapters, creating a rainbow-like effect.

This chart was created by Chris Harrison, a Ph.D. student in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, in collaboration with Christoph Römhild, a Lutheran Pastor. Chris won the Honorable Mention in the NSF's Science & Engineering 2008 Visualization Challenge.

Its beautiful to see how God interweaves his truth throughout over 40 authors.

Withdrawal...

Through the month of January you are not going to hear much from me. I am taking a season of withdrawal in my life. Last November, I felt that I needed to hone in the focus of my heart and mind for God to do something big in me. Last year He called me to lose 55 lbs., and I am so glad I followed through. The Lord fulfilled promises and answered prayers for both me and the church through my act of obedience. This year I feel like I need to clear out as many voices as I can that might be distracting me from clearly hearing the voice of God.

 

Jesus did this often. I always wonder why Jesus — fully God and fully man — even needed to pray, rest, and recharge. But if He did, then so do I. This has been a stressful season for me and mine. Elizabeth's pregnancy, Rapid church growth and Seven years of full time ministry has its cost. I feel like we are getting ready for something larger and greater than we have yet to experience. Jesus withdrew to rest, get stronger, hear from God, and have a fresh word for the people he was sent to lead. Moses went to the mountain top and came back luminous. Daniel prayed and fasted to break through impossible circumstances. I need more from God to live the life I am called to live and I want to withdraw to gather strength for greater things Yet to come!

 

Here is my plan...

 

• Read — I started a reading plan to go through the Gospels in 30 days. (You can do the same at www.youversion.com.) My goal is to study Jesus and His withdrawal moments — how and why He prayed.
• I am also reading “Leading On Empty” by Wayne Cordeiro- I feel like he is personally walking me through how to defragment my life. I am taking each chapter and walking through each chapter with Elizabeth and the Lord. What an AWSOME experience.
• Fast (check more out here)
• Food — This looks different for everyone some fast food totally, partially or fast a particular type of food. For me I am doing a combination of things.
• Media

-  I am cutting out as many secular non-worshipful voices as I can. Music, movies, magazines and books that do not point me to Jesus will be cut from my appetite this month. Television has been reduced to only News sources.

-  No blogs, no Facebook and NO Twitter — I am having withdrawals. This is almost painful, and I have had to break this a couple times because of Elizabeth's health crisis on Saturday, my need to get a couple numbers off of some profiles on my phone, and this blog post letting you know what’s up. It is also funny how my e-mail sends me Facebook updates and Facebook e-mails, so it’s like it will not leave me alone. I guess that means it is staying around a while.)

-  I also shut off the Push feature to my phone’s e-mail. I am now my e-mail’s master. I think that may stay longer than January.

• Schedule — I am taking certain days off over the next month, during which I will be alone and without normal distractions so I can focus on the Lord and hear his voice with clarity.
• Journal — I am keeping a daily journal of thoughts, prayers, observations, revelations, and dreams.

(This is a goal and has already had to change a little. Let me first tell you that I live by the Spirit of the Law and not the Letter, meaning that even though I may say I am not going to do this or that, I may do it if I feel I need to for a good reason. I also am taking Sundays as a celebration day, meaning I am free to enjoy with my family whatever seems beneficial. This season is about reducing noise in my life and resetting my out of balance rhythm. It is not about a list of does or don’ts.)

 

I am expecting God to break through my life in tremendous ways. I am expecting Him to change me. I was not expecting how hard these first few days have been. Nor was I expecting how the enemy would try and distract me. I shouldn't have been surprised. He met Jesus in the wilderness before his ministry began.

 

My prayer is that I hear his voice like Adam and Eve did in the cool of the day in the Garden of Eden, or like Samuel did when God came to him in the night as a youth, or like the disciples did in the the Upper Room when the Holy Spirit came upon them with fresh power and boldness. My prayer is that I would have new strength and insight to lead the next five+ years with a freshness and sensitivity to the Lord.

 

What is the Lord drawing you to do? What’s your next step in your faith walk? It may not look much like mine, but that's OK. Start with where you are and go one more step.

 

I look forward to letting you know how it goes in a few weeks.

 

Live Your Potential!

 

Pastor Tory

Threads pt. 2...

What did they tell you to do, that after you gave in cost you BIG TIME?

I am amazed at the influence that the wrong people have on us. I think we are good at letting the people who tell us what we want to hear surround us and when someone tells us what we do not want to hear we tend to go get another opinion.

Saul dealt with this and the cost was incredible!!! Saul put is this way, "I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them." It cost him his kingdom and ultimately destroyed his family. All because the misdirection they gave him. He listened to what he wanted to hear instead of what he needed to hear. 

Check out the story in 1 Samuel 15... Who are you listening to?

Ill share a bit more about this Sunday.

 ²⁰ "But I did obey the LORD," Saul said. "I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. ²¹ The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal."  ²² But Samuel replied:
       "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
       as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD ?
       To obey is better than sacrifice,
       and to heed is better than the fat of rams.  ²³ For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
       and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
       Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
       he has rejected you as king."  ²⁴ Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned. I violated the LORD's command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them. ²⁵ Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the LORD."  ²⁶ But Samuel said to him, "I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you as king over Israel!"

Threads pt 1...

I am working on this last message and am finding more scripture on the subject of friends we should have than I can use Sunday. I will post some of it this week and would love your comments.

Ephesians 5  ¹Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children ²and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.  ³But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. ⁴Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. ⁵For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.^{[a] 6}Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. ⁷Therefore do not be partners with them.  ⁸For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰and find out what pleases the Lord. ¹¹Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹²For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. ¹³But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, ¹⁴for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:
   "Wake up, O sleeper,
      rise from the dead,
   and Christ will shine on you."  ¹⁵Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. ¹⁸Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. ¹⁹Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, ²⁰always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  ²¹Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Give thanks to the Lord...

I was S.O.A.P.ing this morning and read this in 1 Chronicles 16:7-34. David sets up a worship team to continuously praise god in front of the Arc of the covenant and this is how he taught the Levitt's to Worship the lord. I was challenged in my worship of the Lord. how much time I spend just worshiping, thanking, honoring, loving on God. I am practicing this today. Looking for every opportunity to just worship His goodness. Let your heart lift up Praise to the Lord today!

That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise to the Lord in this manner:
Give praise to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.

Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.
Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, you his servants, the descendants of Israel, his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.

He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.

He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings: "Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”
Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place.
Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him.

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!
Let the trees of the forest sing, let them sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Don't forget who you are...

I came across this in my notes last year. It is critical that we remember who we are in Christ. It will change how we live our lives.

Who I Am In Christ

		I am accepted...
	John 1:12	I am God's child.
	John 15:15	As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ.
	Romans 5:1	I have been justified.
	1 Corinthians 6:17	I am united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit.
	1 Corinthians 6:19-20	I have been bought with a price and I belong to God.
	1 Corinthians 12:27	I am a member of Christ's body.
	Ephesians 1:3-8	I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.
	Colossians 1:13-14	I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.
	Colossians 2:9-10	I am complete in Christ.
	Hebrews 4:14-16	I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.
		I am secure...
	Romans 8:1-2	I am free from condemnation.
	Romans 8:28	I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.
	Romans 8:31-39	I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God.
	2 Corinthians 1:21-22	I have been established, anointed and sealed by God.
	Colossians 3:1-4	I am hidden with Christ in God.
	Philippians 1:6	I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me.
	Philippians 3:20	I am a citizen of heaven.
	2 Timothy 1:7	I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.
	1 John 5:18	I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.
		I am significant...
	John 15:5	I am a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life.
	John 15:16	I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.
	1 Corinthians 3:16	I am God's temple.
	2 Corinthians 5:17-21	I am a minister of reconciliation for God.
	Ephesians 2:6	I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.
	Ephesians 2:10	I am God's workmanship.
	Ephesians 3:12	I may approach God with freedom and confidence.
	Philippians 4:13	I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

S.O.A.P....

At High Point Church, My desire is that every believer would not just attend church on Sunday, but also receive from God daily out of His Word.  As we read God's words, we begin to see how God responds to things. Doing daily devotions re-patterns the way we think and transforms the spirit of the mind. Then when we face similar situations as Jesus did, we begin to respond in the same way. Journaling is an excellent way to both record and process what God has spoken to us. It's also a useful tool to use at a later time, to reflect on and review some of the 'gems' that you have received. Without writing them down, you may forget those blessings and some very important lessons! And while journaling is a very personal time with the Lord, you may want to share some of your daily journaling with your connection group or spouse. Through discussion, you may be able to look deeper into what God is speaking to you, gain new insight and even encourage others.
 
How to Journal- S.O.A.P.
You’ll need three items (Bible, Pen & Journal) or use a program like Youversion.com to store your journals and show you a daily reading plan.  Here is a simple way to journal every day! (Click here for a Download Soap 365 Daily Journal to aid you in your process.) Pray before you begin that the Word will Come alive!

S for Scripture-  Open your Bible to your reading for the day. Take time reading and allow God to speak to you. When you are done, look for a verse that particularly spoke to you that day, and write it in your journal. Don't know what to read? Try a daily reading plan. But remember the goal is change not quantity. Here is a screen shot from Youversion .com showing the daily reading plan

O for Observation- What do you think God is saying to you in this scripture? Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and reveal Jesus to you. Look for the one word or phrase that screams at you off the page.

A for Application- Personalize what you have read, by asking yourself how it applies to your life right now. Perhaps it is instruction, encouragement, a new promise, or corrections for a particular area of your life. Write how this scripture can apply to you today.

Here is another shot of a journal entry I did in Youversion.com

P for Prayer- This can be as simple as asking God to help you use this scripture, or it may be a greater insight on what He may be revealing to you. Remember, prayer is a two way conversation, so be sure to listen to what God has to say! Now, write it out.

Tell me how this goes for you? We as a staff are sharing every week our S.O.A.P.ing experience. Elizabeth have enjoyed asking each other what  the other is being challenged in. It is a great way to grow together!

Naked Truth Scriptures...

I wanted to give you the passages I used for my messages and a few extras during this series. The bible is our road map and our desire is to be lead by his word and not the words of the world around us. To live up to His standard and not down to the standard of this culture.

wk1- Gods Design...
Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.”

Gen 2:24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

Genesis 2:25  “The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.”

Proverbs 5:18-19 May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.  A loving doe, a graceful deer--may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love.

Hebrews 13:4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

1 Corinthians 6:15 “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!

(Acts 15:20; 1 Corinthians 5:1, 6:13,18, 10:8; 2 Corinthians 12:21; Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 5:3; Colossians 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Jude 7

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.  Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

wk2- Free From Shame...

1 Corinthians 6:16-20 There's more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, "The two become one." Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never "become one." There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for "becoming one" with another.

Mark 10:9 Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."

Psalm 32:5  Then I acknowledged my sin to you... I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD "— and you forgave the guilt of my sin. 

Ezekiel 36:25-27  “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities...  I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit in you...”

Hebrews 9:14  “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ…cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death…”

Isaiah 61:10 I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels.

Job 11:13-16  “Yet if you devote your heart to (God) and stretch out your hands to him, if you put away the sin that is in your hand and allow no evil to dwell in your tent, then you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and without fear. You will surely forget your trouble, recalling it only as waters gone by.”

wk3- Staying Clean in a Dirty World... (I want to thank Sy Rogers- I was aided greatly by his work as I prepared.)

Mathew 26:27-28 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Proverbs 28:13 He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Numbers 30:3-5 "When a young woman still living in her father's house makes a vow to the LORD or obligates herself by a pledge and her father hears about her vow or pledge but says nothing to her, then all her vows and every pledge by which she obligated herself will stand. But if her father forbids her when he hears about it, none of her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand; the LORD will release her because her father has forbidden her.

Hebrews 10:21-22  And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

John 13:12 "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

1 Corinthians 5:9-11...

I was preparing this weeks talk and came across this passage. Wow is it intense! Think about it. Process it and let it challenge you. I would love to hear your comments.

1 Corinthians 5:9-11 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

As Christ followers we are held to a higher standard. I think that sometimes we are so lulled to sleep by our culture that we think what is acceptable for them is acceptable for us. It is not. How are you living set apart, different, as a reflection of Jesus in your world? What areas do you need to develop self control in? What areas do you need to repent of? Lets Live our Potential in how we live this week.