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Leadership Development

Summer Prayer Challenge: Week 3 – PEACE

By Local FP Communities, Student Leaders, Leadership Development

The act of saying “yes” to Jesus causes the “fruit of the Spirit” to come through us! The third fruit we are focusing on is PEACE. Jesus brought peace into a world full of chaos, and He still desires to bring peace to hearts today. Trying to find our purpose and meaning in anything other than Jesus can lead to a life of worry and anxiety, because none of those things will ever give us a true sense of meaning and purpose.Peace copy

Challenge: Let’s pray that this week we would find our purpose in Jesus. In Matthew 28, Jesus gives His disciples their purpose. He tells them to go and make disciples. That command to make disciples still applies to us as Christians today!

Let’s also pray for the students who will be sharing about PEACE in their schools during the month three HOPE cycle.

// the Lord gives strength to His people, the Lord blesses His people with Peace – Psalm 29:11 //

Summer Prayer Challenge: Week 1 – LOVE

By Local FP Communities, First Priority Of America, Leadership Development

The act of saying “yes” to Jesus causes the “fruit of the Spirit” to come through us! And the first fruit we are focusing on is LOVE.Love Through Jesus we can love those around us even when we don’t want to.

Challenge: let’s pray that we would desire to grow in our own love for the Lord and that His love would shine through us and enable us to love others.

Let’s also pray for the students who will be sharing about LOVE in their schools during the month one HOPE cycle.

//“If I speak in the tongues of men or angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” – 1 Corinthians 13:1//

Grow Where God Has Planted You

By First Priority Of America, Leadership Development

Esther 4:14, New King James Version (NKJV)
14 “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Mordecai speaks truth to Esther and tells her she is there for a reason. If you are familiar with the story, you know that Esther had become Queen and Haman had plotted to have all the Jews killed. Mordecai gets wind of it and tells Esther if she does not act, it will be ruin for the Jews.

We have all been in a situation where we knew we were there for a reason. I believe God put each of us in certain places to accomplish His will and to be used by Him for such a time as this. I have found that everyday can be an adventure if we have the mindset of being in a place where we know God led us to.

I always hear of pastors that want to move on to somewhere else. They think the next church will be better, or, the change in staff and congregation will be more in alignment with them. GrowThe bottom line is this, grow where God has planted you. People are people and all of us have our hang-ups. Find YOUR place. You can still live the adventure. Stop trying to get to the greener grass on the other side of the fence. If you do that, you are missing the opportunity you have in front of you. If you think the grass you have under your feet is brown, and it’s better over there, water and fertilize where you stand and recognize you are there for such a time as this.

Living and Sharing the Gospel

By Leadership Development

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. 1 Peter 3:15

First Priority is a great topic! How do you share your faith outside of the FP conversation? Be intentional about conversations that can lead to hope and the God of Hope.

We should be different from the rest of the “world” (in a good way). God places us in the rarest of places to share our faith and to tell why we have hope. When we ask God to use us, we must be willing to share our faith (and sometimes about our sufferings) even when we are tired, or standing in line at the grocery store.

Every Christian needs to find a way to share their faith in everyday life. I believe God understands our personality types and He is sympathetic that we will not be “raging evangelists” all of the time in every circumstance. But, I also believe we are to be prepared to give an answer, or, a word for God, as often as we can. In a world that seems to have lost all hope, we have a hope. In a world that wants to politicize EVERYTHING, we have a reason for our HOPE.

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First Priority is the HOPE for students everywhere, and, Jesus is the HOPE for their parents and the school administrators. It is easy to tell people about hopeful things. What is the reason you have hope? You may firmly believe it is only because you know God is in control of your life and Jesus lives in your heart. But, how often do you have to give a reason for this hope? If you find you rarely have an opportunity to tell someone about the Lord, then ask God for opportunities to share about your hope and He will quickly provide them.

Our simple message is our hope through Christ. It’s not that complicated. Be a living lifestyle missionary this week.

Nancy and I are honored to serve with you,

Rick Forbus, PhD
President and CEO
First Priority of America

How to be Part of the First Priority Family

By Leadership Development

Being on the job as the President of First Priority for less than a month, I find that my excitement is increasing with every hour! Our national team has done an incredible job of taking me through “Boot Camp” to learn everything about the effectiveness of this vital school ministry. I’m still learning! As your new President, let me assure you of these commitments I’m making to you that are serving in the First Priority Family:

  1. My prayer time and Bible study is positioned to lift up FP every morning!
  2. I am leading our national staff to become better at everything that we do for you in the field. Excellence in everything!
  3. We have provided a world class Media Kit for you to direct prospects to on the fpofamerica.com website.
  4. I am “hitting the road” to meet with donors across the country to strengthen our financial abilities.

My challenge to you all who are already “aflame with the Gospel message” and enthusiastic about the ministry of FIRST PRIORITY:

  • Be intentional about expansion of clubs this year.
  • Be intentional about finding “Nehemiahs” that would be willing to start FP in a new region.
  • Be intentional about supporting First Priority of America.

One of the power verses we use as spiritual propulsion to do what we do in FP Clubs across the nation is John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Be encouraged and please email me with your ideas. rick@fpofamerica.com
Nancy and I are honored to serve with you,

Rick Forbus, PhD
President and CEO
First Priority of America