Ignite Church Thousand Oaks

*Holy Spirit (Part 2)* Join our Prayer, Praise, and Encouragement Facebook Group! Share with us your prayer requests and praise reports. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130941380575503/?ref=share Subscribe to our new Ignite Church Thousand Oaks YouTube Channel! Hit the Notifications Bell so you will be notified of our Livestreams.... Bit.ly/34sWMvT See more

TODAY- Community Prayer Walk- Sunday, November 1st at 2pm. 20+ churches have been invited to participate! Please reference Prayer Walk Information and Prayer Guide below. We hope to see you there! God Bless.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the worldthe lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of lifeis not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever (1 John 2:15-17).... Unbelievers are always looking at our lives, and what do they see? Do they see the same hatred, division, lack of sympathy, stubbornness, and self-seeking that is so prominent in the world? Or, do they see humility, gentleness, self-sacrificing, and compassion, which draws them into knowing HOW you can live your life the way you do? *Jesus has commanded us NOT to conform to this world, but to be transformed through the renewal of our minds in His word (Romans 12:2). Like fish pressing on through the torrents upstream, it does NOT come natural to us to live in a way that isn’t conformed to the traditions and culture of this world. The world follows after the way that seemeth right to a man, whose end is death (Proverbs 14:12). As Christians, we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people (1 Peter 2:9). We need to stand out amongst the many as the few that are called to live righteously in a world where doing so is critiqued and condemned.* Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:10). We don’t live righteously so that we can lift up our noise at those that don’t. That’s what the religious Pharisees did to Jesus Himself! No, we are called to live righteously so that God will be glorified through it; Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). **When our lives look different than the lives of those that do not believe in Jesus Christ, it is a testament to the God we serve. As the apostle Paul says, Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat (1 Corinthians 4:12-13). Let’s examine our hearts today and reflect upon areas of our lives where we may be looking a little too much like the world instead of like the One that came to save the world- JESUS!** Join us for our Facebook Livestream and YouTube Livestream services tomorrow at 10AM! Bit.ly/34sWMvT Follow us on instagram! https://www.instagram.com/ignitechurchto/ http://ignitechurches.org #ignitechurchthousandoaks #ignitethousandoaks #ignitechurches #sanctifiedsaturday #thenewnormal #loveinaction #JesusIsLord #TodayIsTheDayOfSalvation

Do we settle for less than what God has promised to us in His word? ‘If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! (Matthew 7:11). Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning (James 1:17).... *Sometimes, we settle because we don’t believe what God says concerning His heart towards those that love Him; all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). We settle because we feel unworthy, doubtful, and unsure. Other times, we settle because we are impatient. Or, we think we can do better than what God has planned for us; pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18). If we knew our Father had promised us a perfect gift, and through relationship we understood and trusted in the faithfulness of His character, would we choose to settle for less than what He’d promised? If we feel unworthy to receive perfect gifts from this Holy and Righteous God, we can turn it around into a praise for His glory- not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us (Titus 3:5). In the world, we work to earn what we deserve. In Christ, our filthy rags are exchanged for His robes of righteousness. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32). *Loving and knowing Jesus is the most perfect gift God has given us; it is eternal life (John 17:3). If you settle for less than the fullness of life that is found only in Christ, you miss out on the good plans that God has prepared for you (Jeremiah 29:11). *Remember that to settle is to turn away from the ever-flowing stream of life that is Christ and to sip up droplets of water instead. The only settling worth settling for is determining our hearts to be fixed on Christ alone, and abiding in His perfect love.* Join us for our Facebook Livestream and YouTube Livestream services on Sundays at 10AM! Bit.ly/34sWMvT Follow us on instagram! https://www.instagram.com/ignitechurchto/ http://ignitechurches.org #ignitechurchthousandoaks #ignitethousandoaks #ignitechurches #meditationmonday #thenewnormal #loveinaction

*Holy Spirit (Part 1)* Join our Prayer, Praise, and Encouragement Facebook Group! Share with us your prayer requests and praise reports. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1130941380575503/?ref=share Subscribe to our new Ignite Church Thousand Oaks YouTube Channel! Hit the Notifications Bell so you will be notified of our Livestreams.... Bit.ly/34sWMvT See more

Have you ever examined your heart and realized that you’ve been avoiding refinement in certain areas? Some old beliefs are still living there- areas where you haven’t yielded to Holy Spirit and let Him change the way that you think? **Most of us Christians that have had a true encounter with the living Spirit of God and given our lives to Jesus have seen a radical transformation; we’ve become the new creations that God’s word says we are (2 Corinthians 5:17). Many areas of o...ur former selves were crucified right then in the moment that we encountered God through His Spirit. We trusted His word above our past experiences. Our way of thinking was transformed through the renewing of our minds in His word, and we now live with the mind of Christ (Romans 12:2, 1 Cor. 2:16). We think through the filter of God’s living and active word, and it has changed everything about how we perceive life! Yet, some mindsets may not have been truly surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus yet. In His goodness, God reveals to us these areas where we haven’t let our minds be renewed in the word. Perhaps it is trusting God for finances when the outlook is bleak, or believing Him for healing when symptoms say otherwise, or longing for a spouse when no one is pursuing you. When left unchanged, these old mindsets can become strongholds of deception that hinder us from the all-consuming fire that is true intimacy with Jesus. We need to stop ignoring what God wants to change in us; stop scooting it under the rug and pretending that He doesn’t see it. How good is our Lord that He loves us enough to chastise us; to call us up to change? The God that made our hearts know how deceitful they can be if we are not relenting everything to Him. Don’t be deceived into protecting the old mindsets that have been crucified with Christ because you think that you still need them, that they’re shameful, or that they can’t possibly be changed. God can change them; the question is, will you let Him?** *Take some time today to examine your heart before the Lord and to listen to Him speak a word to you. How can we be encouraging one another in the body of Christ as we all pursue the same goal of Christ-likeness? Share with us your thoughts and comments below.* Join us for our Facebook Livestream and YouTube Livestream services tomorrow at 10AM! Bit.ly/34sWMvT Follow us on instagram! https://www.instagram.com/ignitechurchto/ http://ignitechurches.org #ignitechurchthousandoaks #ignitethousandoaks #ignitechurches #sanctifiedsaturday #thenewnormal #loveinaction