Elevate Your Day with Andi and Brian Hale

Find Your People Day 3 of 5

We Are at War
Find Your People, Day 3
By Jennie Allen
Read by Andi and Brian Hale
So if this plan is so good for us, why don’t we just prioritize this plan, fight for this plan, and make this plan unfold every day of our lives?
Two words: the enemy.
If deep, loving, intimate connection is God’s goal, then the enemy might hate nothing more than for you and me to enjoy deep, loving, intimate connection!
No wonder it feels like every aspect of our lives is stacked against our connection to other people.
It is.
The Bible warns us, “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
We are called to be a community of people, on a mission, delighting in God, delighting in each other, redeemed and reconciling the world, inviting them into this family.
Yes, community is to encourage you.
Yes, it is to comfort you.
Yes, it is to fight for you.
But ultimately community is meant to open the doors wide to every person on earth and invite them into a family that exists forever with God.
And so of course the enemy wants to divide us. He wants to see us fighting against each other rather than for each other.
We must understand the war we’re in. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians, “we are not ignorant of [Satan’s] designs” (2 Corinthians 2:11). Satan knows that we have no better defensive weapon in life than having the people who love God rally around us, fight for us, and fight with us.
So how the heck are we supposed to fight terrifying stats of loneliness, the devil and his plan to sabotage connection, and the fundamental way that society is set up, and instead build what God cares most about?
You know the saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.”
Well, it takes a village to create a full and thriving life for us adults too.
But this village living will not happen by accident. We’ll have to build a new life.
God, sometimes I feel as if my circumstances and our culture and my past hurts make it impossible for me to have a real connection with others. But I know that You are greater than the enemy who is in the world! Show me how to fight for the relationships You want me to have. Amen.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
EPHESIANS 6:10‭-‬13
in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
2 CORINTHIANS 2:11
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
1 PETER 5:8
 

Find Your People Day 2 of 5

The Center of Our Affections
By Jennie Allen
Read by Andi and Brian Hale
The fact that we were made in the image of God, who is relationship, means our longing for healthy, mutually submissive, supportive, interdependent relationships aren’t simply us craving something good for us, like vegetables or vitamins; we are craving the fundamental reason we were created. We weren’t just built for community; we were built because of it. Woven into the fiber of our souls is a pattern for experiencing an intimate relationship with God and then expressing that love in our families and communities and churches.
How arrogant are we to think that even though the God of the universe exists in a community, our little fragile finite selves can survive without it!
But here is where we go wrong. We look to people to complete and fill what only God was meant to fill. This is the primary reason we all are so unhappy with each other. We have put our hope in imperfect people. But that hope can be answered only in God Himself. Eternity was set in our hearts, Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, which means only a relationship with an eternal God can fill our hearts.
If God is in the center of our relational circle, we will be fulfilled, and out of that fulfillment, we can bless others. But if people are in the center of our relational circle, we end up pulling on others to meet needs that they can’t ever fully meet.
Jesus said it clearest. When asked to name the greatest commandment, He said all the commandments could be boiled down to this: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39).
When you have God in the right place, at the center of your affections, you will more likely get people right. Your relationship with God comes first, and that relationship is meant to send you into loving others.
God, forgive me for so often valuing others’ opinions of me more than what You think of me. For putting hope in things and relationships that can never satisfy me like You can because they were never meant to. I want You to be the center of my life so that I can love others well. Amen.
for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
PSALM 107:9
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
ECCLESIASTES 3:11
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
MATTHEW 22:36‭-‬39
 

Find Your People Day 1 of 5

By Jennie Allen
Read by Andi and Brian Hale
Loneliness. Do you feel it too? That sinking feeling that you aren’t seen, you aren’t known, and you are on your own to face whatever difficult thing life is throwing at you. Do you ever wonder if maybe you’re the only person who feels this alone? You aren’t, by the way.
You aren’t alone in feeling alone.
I struggle with loneliness more than I like to admit. I’m not good at being needy. I’m needy, just not good at admitting it. And that has consistently damaged my relationships.
I’ve hurt people.
They’ve hurt me.
I have failed my friends. Some have forgiven me, and some have walked away. While I’m doing better than I used to, I’m far from perfect in this area. And yet I’m going to keep working at it. Because the more I look into the why of our neediness and the problem of our loneliness, the more convinced I am that at our core we are made to be fully known and fully loved. Loved and known regularly and over time by family members, close friends, mentors, coworkers. God built us for deep connection to be part of our day-in, day-out lives, not just once in a while in the presence of a paid therapist.
In fact, God existed in a relationship with Himself before any of us were here. It’s called the Trinity. God is one, and God is three.
Scripture says that the Son exists to glorify the Father and that the Father exists to glorify the Son. It says that the Spirit exists to glorify them both. (See John 16-17.) What that means is that they help each other, they promote each other, they serve each other, and they love each other. What’s more, this exchange has been going on for all eternity.
It means that our God has been relational forever. It means that He created us out of a relationship for a relationship—and not a relationship that is surface level or self-seeking. No, the relationship He has in mind for us is a sacrificial, intimate, moment-by-moment connection.
Relational. It’s who we are because it’s who God is.
God, I need You! And I need others around me. You created me for You and You created me for relationships. What connections are you calling me to today? Amen.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
GENESIS 1:1‭-‬2
And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
JOHN 17:5
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
COLOSSIANS 1:15‭-‬17

Hands and Feet Day 5 of 5

From Be the Hand and Feet by Nick Vujicic
Who did you bring with you?
Read by Andi and Brian Hale
I have this recurring dream that one day I will be standing before God, and He will ask me two questions. 
The first: “Do you know Me?”
The second: “Who did you bring with you? 
I think the first question is asked to establish a Christian identity. The second is to see if I’ve done what is the primary mission of all Christians on earth. 
‬‬ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
‭‭MATTHEW‬ ‭28:18‭-‬19‬ ‭ESV
In Matthew 28, the resurrected Jesus stood on a mountain in Galilee and commanded His followers to go forth and baptize all nations in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He also told us in Mark 16:15 to go into the world and proclaim the gospel to all of creation.
This direction from Jesus Christ, our risen Savior, is known as the Great Commission. I’ve made it my mission, and I encourage every Christian I meet and every church I visit to keep it as a central purpose each and every day. 
God’s not interested in numbers. He’s interested in souls. I believe our primary mission as Christians shouldn’t be to build the biggest churches and pack them with believers. Our goal is to reach the lost, the nonbelievers, and those who haven’t yet heard the good news. 
Nonbelievers are not coming to church, so we must go after them. We have to provide them with the information, motivation, and inspiration each step of the way. We can’t just lure them in and then expect them to stay engaged. We must give them all the support and encouragement necessary to build a solid and lasting foundation of faith. We must help them stay on the path throughout their lives.
We need to give the Holy Spirit a chance to guide us. We are instruments in His hands. Instead of focusing on our differences, we need to unite on common ground. Jesus saved us. He is Lord. There are lost people out there. We need to join forces as Christians and find ways to reach out to those lost souls and save them. We must go out to the four corners of the world and make disciples of them all. 
What is your church doing to make disciples? How would Nick’s call to live out the Great Commission change your day-to-day thoughts, words, and actions?

Hands and Feet Day 4 of 5

From Be the Hands and Feet by Nick Vujicic
A Mission to Love
Read by Andi and Brian Hale
Sometimes nonbelievers are experienced at debating. They want to test the authenticity of your beliefs. For natural opportunities to tell others about Jesus, you have to be prepared and knowledgeable on some level.
At the same time, don’t be fooled into thinking that God cannot use you even if you lack understanding of all aspects in the faith. When we first find Jesus in our lives, we get fired-up to tell everyone. That fire sometimes fades if we feel the need to be perfect and all-knowing of Scripture before we can share. 
My cousin Daniel and I have had many conversations about faith. He is one of the most knowledgeable, intelligent, and real people I know. And he always will tell you what he thinks. Some people debate because they like the debate. I don’t believe that’s Daniel’s reasoning. He thinks logically and asks why God doesn’t always show up at times we think He would, such as to alleviate famine and suffering. 
Daniel always brings up some fantastic points. We enjoy talking even when it gets heated. Our conversations always end in a hug and European cousin kisses on the cheek.
Daniel’s brother has told me that the fact that God didn’t give me limbs is one reason my family has doubts about God’s goodness. My cousin can’t accept that a loving God would “leave” me, His devoted follower, without arms and legs.
‬‬ I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
‭‭JOHN‬ ‭16:33‬ ‭ESV
I’ve tried to explain that the Bible clearly shows that pain, sickness, disabilities, suffering, and death came in after sin was instigated by Satan himself. Our broken pieces, hurts, and shame can be turned to good by God the Redeemer. God often uses those things that once seemed terrible to help others see the true hope, joy, love, and peace we can have through Him, even amid the storms. 
My mission is not to convert Daniel or anyone else. Instead, my mission is to love him and everyone as I encourage them to begin walking with Jesus. It’s not about failing Daniel; it’s actually about failing my heavenly Father when He says speak and I don’t. God’s love doesn’t change. All I want to do is serve Him and see others set free to find their true purpose, path, and freedom. 
Who is one person in your life right now who needs to know about Jesus? How could you bring up conversation with him or her?