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Category Archives: Spiritual Walk

God as Choreographer

God as Choreographer

We’re currently going through the epistle of 1 Peter. In my last post, I talked about making sure the glory goes to God. Today I’ll continue with that thought.

In this verse Peter is telling us that when we speak, we should speak as God Himself speaking. He literally tells us that when we serve, our words are originating from the force of which God is the dance-leader.

Peter actually uses the Greek word for choreographer, in speaking about God. Think about it. God is the great universal Choreographer.

I encourage you, then you pray for sick, when they’re healed, they go and evangelize the lost. It’s like one great dance.

We all need to be involved in God’s choreography. Instead, we sit back and wait for others to do the work of the Lord. Think about what the Nutcracker Suite would be like with only three dancers. Then we complain, “God isn’t blessing this church.”

God gives grace and choreographs His will to be accomplished on earth. We do the performance, and God gets the glory in everything through Christ. The Lord receives glory, dominion, power, and strength forever and ever.

If you remember from a previous post, we are the administrators of God’s grace. Allowing God to use us in His choreography is a big part of this.

Paul understood the truth of this teaching.

Do you hear what the apostle is saying here? It’s in the administration of God’s grace that He gives me His grace. But, more importantly, the grace He gives me is actually for you.

I would be doing a grave disservice to God if I failed to pass on that grace. Unfortunately, we do that all the time. We either don’t follow through with what God is doing in us, or we ignore His calling altogether.

Much of the grace God gives to us is for someone else. I heard a great preacher once say, “God always blesses you with someone else in mind!” We need to live with that truth before us.

Always remember that God is the great Choreographer. It’s up to us to be a part of what He’s doing in this generation. Don’t be left out of the blessing; join the dance!!!

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on September 24, 2025 in Ministry, Power of God, Spiritual Walk

 

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For God’s Glory

For God’s Glory

As we continue through the book of 1 Peter, he is exhorting us about the characteristics of Christian leaders. Actually, I believe that all Christians are called to some form of leadership. Now, Peter gets into a subject that’s important for us to hear.

We sometimes get the impression that it doesn’t matter what people think about us. After all, “I’ll live the way I want. I don’t care what you think about me.” As Christian leaders, we have to be careful about that attitude.

Whatever we say or do should be praiseworthy. Of course, that in itself can bring on another set of problems.

We all like to be praised. When we accomplish something worthwhile, we expect people to notice and appreciate us. It makes us feel good about ourselves. There’s nothing wrong with accepting praise for a job well done.

The problem we get into, is wanting to keep it ALL for ourselves. If we live independent of God, then we don’t have to give Him any praise. The fact is that my wisdom isn’t good enough. My strength will never overcome all the obstacles before me. I need to rely upon God.

So, there are the two ditches on the side of our path. Not caring at all about how we affect people or living for praise. Either way, we miss out on God’s best. I need to learn to live with the knowledge that my life and my words represent someone other than myself.

I belong to Christ. I’m a citizen of the Kingdom of God. I’m an ambassador for a realm that’s beyond this world. As such, I can’t allow myself to pick up the attitudes of this world.

When I spend time in the presence of the Lord, I begin to live on a higher level. Then, when someone is touched by my words, I can’t take the credit for it. God gets the glory.

When I do something sacrificial that my flesh would have never agreed to apart from God’s prompting, He gets the praise for it.

We should seek to live our lives in such a way that God receives continual praise. This requires us to spend time with Him, meditating on His Word, and listening to His Spirit.

Yes, there will still be things that we’re praised for, but our goal should be for the Lord to receive most of the glory for how we live. In that way our lives will be a continual testimony to the greatness of our God.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on September 22, 2025 in Leadership, Ministry, Revival, Spiritual Walk

 

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The Forms of Love

The Forms of Love

As we continue through 1 Peter, he’s now giving us the exhortations that develop leadership character in our walk with the Lord. In my last post, I talked about the ability to pray effectively. Now Peter moves forward.

Now the apostle talks about something that’s above all. Before you do anything else, you must learn to love. That’s the agape love of God. It’s the non-emotional choice to positively participate in the lives of others.

But more than that, as leaders, we must love deeply. This means that it must be done intently, fervently, and without ceasing. As believers, we must learn to love one another.

This will be the greatest need of the church as we get further into the last days. This means not just showing love by our words. There must be a willingness to participate in each other’s lives.

That’s how the world will know we’re His disciples. Not loving by emotion, but by our actions.

Peter tells us that this is because love covers over a multitude of sins. Sin is missing the mark. You can miss the mark in a lot of things. But if you’re known for your love – it covers a lot of the other areas where YOU miss it.

Along those same lines, Peter tells us…

This concept of hospitality is important for us as believers. It seems to be a lost art in the body of Christ. He literally says we must be alien lovers. That’s the word the Greeks used for being fond of guests.

The Lord wants us to learn to become hospitable. For too long we viewed the church as “that building.” I see a trend taking place. Because of world events, the church is moving back into homes.

There have been burnings, attacks, and anger. Many times, we’re labeled as “Right-wing extremists”.

Look at the early church. According to Acts 2, believers devoted themselves to teaching and fellowship.

Notice how Peter says they met together in their homes – without grumbling.

“I’ll let people in my house, but I won’t be happy about it.”

In actuality, the house owner receives a special blessing. Hospitality is a big way that we can show love to one another.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 

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Sober Prayers

Sober Prayers

We’ve been going through Peter’s first epistle to the church. He laid the groundwork for living a victorious Christian walk. Now the apostle transitions to his main subject.

In this new section of Scripture, Peter gives us a glimpse into what the church needs to be like in the last days.

He literally tells us that the point everything is aimed at is approaching. If it was approaching back then, it’s now upon us.

This calls for a different level of living. He’s now showing us what Christians need to be like in the last days (right now!). We cannot get away with things the church used to do.

First, we’re told to be clear-minded or what the KJV calls a sound mind. That Greek word is actually a compound word. It’s saved and mind together. So, we are to operate with a saved mind.

The Apostle Paul tells us the same thing.

He tells us that we’re not given a spirit of timidity, but a saved mind. He uses the same word that’s in 1 Peter. I believe that they’re both talking about having our mind renewed by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.

Getting back to 1 Peter, we’re also told to be self-controlled. This is an important thing to understand. What Peter actually wrote was don’t be drunk. In the context of this verse, I believe he’s not talking about alcohol, but not being drunk by the world.

It’s all about being able to pray effectively. You won’t be able to pray correctly unless you have a saved mind and you’re not distracted by the world. You can’t give in to all the attractions of society around you.

“O God, I NEED that new, big screen TV!”. That’s most likely a drunken prayer.

“Bring souls into Your kingdom” or “Strengthen us for the battle” are prayers that come from a renewed mind.

Remember, Peter is writing this letter to train leaders for the body of Christ. These issues are not about whether you’re save or not. It’s about how deep you want to go in the Lord.

We need to desire to follow the Holy Spirit as far as He wants to lead us. Keep moving forward in your walk with the Lord.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on September 15, 2025 in Leadership, Prayer, Revival, Spiritual Walk

 

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Our Righteous Witness

Our Righteous Witness

We’re continuing our walk through 1 Peter. He’s been teaching about having a change of attitude by the renewing of your mind.

Peter now appeals to our spiritual experience. He tells us that we’ve spent enough time trying to accomplish what the Pagans are doing. We found out that it doesn’t work. All of that sinful lifestyle leads nowhere.

He uses some clear descriptions that sound very close to home in our generation. Peter talks about out of control desires, too much wine, letting loose, drinking bouts, and unlawful image worship. That’s how the world views having a good time. I let loose on the weekend, destroying my body, then feeling like dirt on Monday.

It should be different for us as believers. If you remember from the end of chapter 3, we’ve cried out to God. Through baptism we craved and demanded a good conscience before God. Our life has been totally renovated.

The world thinks we’re crazy for not running after these things. He literally says that it’s alien to them. It’s strange that we don’t want to rush together with them into the same excess of unsavedness.

So, they speak evil of you. That’s because your lifestyle of radical righteousness convicts them. They realize that their lifestyle is only providing a temporary happiness.

This is what should fuel our evangelistic burden for the lost. Everyone will go before God in judgment. I believe that this knowledge is built into our DNA as humans.

And this verse gives us some insight into what Christ was doing while His body rested in the grave. First, Jesus went into hell and proclaimed to the unrighteous dead. Then, He preached the good news to the righteous dead. After proclaiming His triumph over death, Christ lead them out victoriously.

This is why the Gospel message is so important. The Lord wants no one to perish. He wants as many as possible to enter into the joy of His kingdom. We all have to do our part in accomplishing this mission.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on July 9, 2025 in Ministry, Spiritual Walk, The Gospel

 

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The Attitude of Change

The Attitude of Change

We’re studying through the first epistle of Peter. In my last post, I began talking about taking on the attitude of Christ.

Our lives will begin to change when we take on the attitude of Christ. That means taking on the Lord’s burden for the lost. The problem is that we’re afraid of what will change if we’re burdened with the same burden God has.

Peter literally writes that this happens because he that is burdened has stopped, paused from sin. Unfortunately, in many instances we like sin. We can’t see how we can enjoy life without it.

Also, we don’t want to be viewed as alien. We want to be accepted by the world. We want what the world is after. It’s all about our attitude.

The simple fact is that a change in attitude leads to change in direction. Taking on an attitude like Christ will lead us away from sin.

We spend so much time struggling to stop sin. But, according to the apostle, the way to defeat sin is to pick up a new attitude from Christ. Then sin will be on hold.

Peter then brings us to the result of all this. The original Greek of verse 2 tells us that taking on the attitude of Christ will cause you to reach the point where you no longer exist in the flesh lusting of men.

It’s having the attitude of Christ that overcomes the flesh. That’s because your mind is in control of the flesh. So, your flesh spends all its time trying to convince the mind to agree with him.

But, if your mind has an attitude like Christ, it will never agree. If your mind is burdened to fulfill the will of God, it doesn’t have time to listen to the flesh.

Peter’s conclusion is that an attitude like Christ leads us toward God’s will. So, how do you fulfill God’s will for your life? ATTITUDE!!!

The Apostle Paul said the same thing.

If you renew your mind to pick up His attitude, then you can test and approve God’s will. God’s will is not something you can know. It’s something you test and approve by faith.

So, if you want to see transformative change in your life, then you need to renew your mind by God’s Word. Only then will your life have a true change of direction.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on July 7, 2025 in Faith, Spiritual Walk, Word of God

 

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Armed With Attitude

Armed With Attitude

We’re continuing to go through the book of First Peter. In today’s post, I’ll start chapter 4. But we have to realize that this chapter cannot be taken all by itself. It rests completely upon the principles of Chapter 3.

In these two verses we see the key for living a radically righteous lifestyle. We talked about what this lifestyle looked like in chapter 3. Now, the apostle deals with how to obtain it.

Peter tells us that Christ was passionately burdened over us in the flesh. At least that’s what the original Greek wording means. He tells us that we must be armed with that same attitude.

So, to put it bluntly, you must be armed with attitude. The word, armed, is a military term. It means to be fitted with weaponry. When someone has an attitude, they can be dangerous.

It’s time for God’s people to be spiritually armed and dangerous. The question is; how do you arm yourself with attitude? The simple fact is that you pick up the attitudes of those you hang around with.

Jesus Christ is the great example for us to follow. He laid down His glory and took the role of a servant. What could motivate someone to do this? Attitude!!!

That’s why picking up the Lord’s attitude is so important.

We’re told throughout Scripture that this is God’s will for us.

The Lord wants our minds to have a new attitude. Literally, that word is wind. God wants to change the direction that the wind of our mind is blowing. He wants us to be burdened with the same thing that burdens Him.

That’s the attitude the Lord is looking for in us. He wants us to arm ourselves with the same burden that He has. It will totally renew our thought processes. Only then will we have an effective impact on the world around us.

I’ll continue this thought in my next post.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 

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Our Salvation

Our Salvation

In going through Peter’s first letter, my last post was about the once and for all victory of Christ. Today I want to continue that thought.

The Scripture is clear that there was a purpose for His death on the cross. Christ died in order that He might lead us toward God. But even though His flesh was killed, the Lord was resurrected by the Spirit.

That brought Him to a new place of ministry.

This is a very interesting portion of Scripture. I believe it’s talking about what Christ was doing while His body was in the grave for three days. He wasn’t just “sleeping.”

While the Lord was in the Spirit, He was actually preaching. It literally says that He was proclaiming something, but it wasn’t the Good News. There are important truths here that we need to see.

Christ was preaching to those who were willfully disobedient during the days of Noah. During that time, God was looking with expectation, as the ark was being prepared. It was the means of physical salvation for that generation.

This is what Peter is really trying to get us to think about. It’s how you view your salvation and baptism. Why did you come to Christ and receive the sacrament of baptism in water?

It was obviously not the laying aside of dirt from the flesh. What it really is, is a demand, a craving for, a good conscience toward God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Along with that is the knowledge that all of creation is in obedience to Him.

Because of this, you can successfully face the trials of life. When you crave a good conscience toward God, then your expectation is in the Lord.

With that attitude, we must expect the move of God in our lives and situations.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on June 18, 2025 in Spiritual Walk, The Gospel

 

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Suffering for Doing Good

Suffering for Doing Good

We’re continuing to go through Peter’s first letter. The apostle is now going to talk about how to handle resistance from the world. It’s something we will all experience, even if we don’t live in an area with heavy persecution.

Remember, Peter’s goal is always to portray Christ to the world.

Peter asks us, who is it that will bring evil against you? He’s talking about any kind of evil, from injury to exasperation. This is especially true if you’re eager to do good.

The word he uses for eager is important for understanding this question. He’s literally saying if you become a Zealot for good. One thing we need to know is that this word, Zealot, referred to a group of Jews who were anti-Roman terrorists at that point in history.

This seems like an oxymoron. A terrorist for good. But I believe that’s from the world’s perspective.

We can see from this verse, that light terrorizes those who love darkness. That’s what happens when we live a “radically good” life. When someone acts in an evil way against us and we go out of our way to bless them.

So, Peter asks who would try to hurt you for that? Then, he thinks about his experience in this area.

What if you’re passionately burdened to do righteousness? Here’s what Peter has learned from his experiences.

First, you’re supremely blessed, well off, happy, fortunate. That’s the first and most important thing you need to know. That’s the basis for overcoming in spite of this resistance.

You had better prepare for this, just like Christ. Because we will all have to face these issues at some point.

The apostle starts by telling us to not be afraid or shaken. He lets us know that we don’t have to fear the things that frighten the world. And we’re not shaken by the things that toss them.

The world gets all upset and fearful about politics, the economy, and natural disasters. We must not give in to fear because we know who controls our life and our world.

This is one of the biggest areas we need to work on as Christians in our generation. When you see what’s taking place online and in social media, many times believers seem as stressed out as the world. We can’t be acting like people without the hope of Christ Jesus in us.

It’s time for us to start acting like Jesus is Lord and God is in control. Stop running around like the world and settle down to be accomplishing the will of the Father. Spend time in His presence to pick up His heartbeat. Then, do what you’re called to do.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 

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Pleasing God

Pleasing God

We’re now going through Peter’s first epistle. In my last post, I concluded with 1 Peter 3:12. In this verse the apostle is telling us why we must relate correctly with others in the church.

This is how the Lord operates. He wants to turn His eyes and ears toward us. Scripturally speaking, His eyes and ears are important. I want to look at that truth in today’s post.

I’ll start in the Old Testament.

When you talk about the eyes of the Lord, we’re not speaking of physical eyes that can only see what’s right in front of them. God sees everything, all at once. This verse is talking about the Lord’s desire to reward those who are fully committed to Him.

The Lord is for us. He’s not actively seeking to punish anyone. His greatest desire is for our blessing. He’s seeking those who have, by their faith and obedience, placed themselves in a position to receive this blessing.

Again, when we speak of the ears of God, we know that he hears everything. But, it’s His response to what He hears that we’re looking for.

The Lord is looking for faith. But it’s a faith that only comes from a knowledge of His will. When I spend time with the Holy Spirit, I learn God’s will. When I pray out that will, I know that I’m going to get an answer to that prayer.

However, there’s another side to this issue. Peter tells us that the Lord’s face is against those who make or do worthlessness. Literally – His face will be over you. He’s trying to get your attention.

It’s just like the Apostle Peter, when he denied the Lord during His trial. After Christ rose from the dead, He asked Peter three times, “Do you love Me?” He was getting Peter’s attention.

Paul made an important statement in one of his letters.

Paul’s desire was to be a follower of Christ who pleased God. We have to be careful about our view of things. God loves everyone, no matter who you are or what you’ve done. But, not everyone pleases God, or is approved of by Him.

That’s an important distinction. It begs the question; are you a God-pleaser? Are you grabbing His attention to pour out a blessing on your life? Or is the Lord trying to get your attention so you can get your life back on track with Him?

Be a God-pleaser. Grab His attention or He’ll try to get yours.

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on May 16, 2025 in Faith, Revival, Spiritual Walk

 

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