About CORE VALUES

“So what’s the BIG DEAL with CORE VALUES?” you may ask.  To tell you the truth, I didn’t really get it myself, until I had been leading the church for a few years and found out that there are some basic truths and values that people NEED to get, understand, and apply to their lives in order to get the results their looking for.  There is no doubt about it, GREAT IS THE REWARD OF LIVING GODLY, NOT ONLY IN THIS LIFE, BUT IN THE LIFE TO COME!!

So here’s the deal, I was praying one night and the Holy Spirit started to speak to me, and said this:

“The church (Dunamis Church) you’ve started is a church of signs, wonders, and miracles, and power.  The root system is the core values I’ve given you.”

God had previously been speaking to me about Psalm 1 in the Bible, which says the following in the first 3 verses:

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful:
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

I had read the above many times and always known this was an awesome promise from the Lord, but never before did it come so alive to me as when God began to speak to me about 10 CORE VALUES being the root system of every believer.  You see, many times in scripture God relates to people to trees, figuratively speaking of course J  It is a fact that trees drink massive amounts of water to stay green and flourishing and vibrant, some up to 20 or 30 gallons of water each day!  No one ever says to a tree, “You selfish tree, why are you drinking so much water?”  No one says that because they understand a tree needs water to flourish, JUST AS YOU, AS A BELIEVER, NEED MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD TO FLOURISH!

I have recognized that the presence of God, the Holy Spirit, is not simply a feeling.  But as water to my thirsty body keeps my body alive, the presence of God to my thirsty spirit keep my spirit alive!  Water keeps me alive physically, and the Holy Spirit keeps me alive spiritually!

So God spoke to me regarding 10 areas of life, that as we individually and corporately press into these areas more and more, we will bear more and more fruit, see more and more people come to Christ, see more and more people healed and set free from sickness and pain and vices.  Also we will get stronger and stronger, bigger and bigger, and show forth the glory of God to our generation.

So with the illustration above as an example, I encourage you to start to delve into these 10 CORE VALUES that God has endowed on Dunamis Church, and start to grow in God.  Also please take a look at the corresponding video to get an even greater grasp on what we are talking about.

CORE VALUES:

1. Obedience: Radical Obedience to the Voice of the Holy Spirit
2. Be Yourself: Understanding Your Identity in Christ
3. Get Hungry: Developing a Deep Hunger and Thirst for the Presence of God
4. Generosity: Cultivating a Generous Lifestyle and Radical Giving of Tithes and Offerings
5. Physical Health: Eating Nutritious Foods and Getting Proper Rest and Exercise
6. Spiritual Covering: Understanding and Receiving God’s Delegated Authority
7. Relationships: Function Properly and Healthily in Every Relationship
8. Impartation and Spiritual Gifts: Valuing the 5-fold Ministry
9. The Importance of Forgiveness and Healing of the Heart and Soul
10. Having Fun: The Joy of the Lord IS Strength!

Imagine you as a tree, and each of the above CORE VALUES as a root to your tree.  The more you pay attention to and strengthen each root, the deeper that root will grow, and the more Holy Spirit (water) you will be able to ‘suck up’.