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Glenn was born and raised in a Christian home, gave his life to Christ at the age of seven and was baptized in the Holy Spirit at nineteen. At the age of eight, Glenn sufferred a neurological injury in a baseball game that nearly took his life. He spent months in hospital and in a wheelchair with his left side completely paralyzed. Glenn had to learn to walk again and God the healer and restorer was there !
Ironically, baseball is still his favorite sport - Edmonton Oilers also get special attention. Glenn is a pepsi guy and a heavy drinker of iced tea. He loves a game of flag football, frisbee tag, ping pong or Wii.
Glenn has an incredible passion for music and although he has limited mobility in his left hand, he plays an awesome keyboard.
Glenn has been married to his childhood friend Mary for 22 years now They have two children - Matt and Becky and two absolutely spoiled dogs Chester and Baylie.
Glenn has a huge love for God and His Word and a big heart and love for teens. Glenn holds credentials with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada and is thrilled to be used by God in Pastoral teen ministry with the giftings he has been blessed with. Glenn also runs the Admitting department of a hospital.
His favorite sayings: "You are a custom designed masterpiece made BY God - made FOR God.
'If I can trust my Awesome God with today, can I not trust Him with my every tomorrow ?"
"What God has accomplished FOR YOU, He wants to accomplish THROUGH YOU."
"Discover your giftings then go for it !! "
Some of us run our lives a lot like a computer screen. We click, scroll, copy, paste.... you name it. We flip from one window to another depending on our mood or whatever catches our eye. We put things in files; school in one, church in another. We put our contacts into neat little catagories. We arrange life's little task bar at the bottom of our daily screen, going from one file to the next not really seeing how it all fits together.
The Bible is pretty clear about not flipping randomly between two ways of living. Jesus paid heaven's highest price - His own life - to set us free from bondage. How many people today live in a world of indifference, not caring about the fact that being a Christian is serious business. You don't get to show up at school in cool-mode, and then switch over to godly-mode on a whim.
When you slip through that invisible wall between life and school do you morph into another creature ? Do you shut down the standards and practices of a godly life in order to settle into the " school expectations ?"
There always seems to be that guy or girl who is stylin' his or her " Christian gear" for their youth group but has their math binder or online profile covered with something else that tells a very different story. This is not God's way. This is not the way He designed us.
Living all out hardcore for God doesn't just happen through sheer willpower or good intentions. It takes humility of spirit with a blend of bravery. Plug into a solid, mature Christian who cares about you and who wil " call you out" on your behavior. And most of all, when you have ten different windows open on your task bar, make sure God is the designer of your operating system.
Our family
(I'm not grumpy - it was just really bright !)
Mary
"Taking a breather in between patients"
Beck Matt
18 20
Matt and Dad
"Chester"
"Baylie"
Dad and Beck
Pray for Your Youth Pastor
Sometimes it's easy for Christian teens to worry about school, friends, pleasing their parents, and more. It becomes easy to take those people providing you with support for granted. This is a good week to think about the youth pastors that help guide you through your faith. Maybe spend some time praying for their needs. After all, these are the people selflessly giving you their time, energy, and support. Sometimes they may struggle with being your Godly example. Sometimes they run out of patience or don't really feel like being responsible. Yet there they are, offering advice, taking you places, and being your strength when you need it most. It takes a special kind of person to be a youth pastor, so lets offer those special people some blessings this week through our prayers!
Thank you, Lord, for putting my youth Pastor into my life. He/she provides me with so much love and support, and I know that he/she make many sacrifices in order to be there for me. I ask you, Lord, to provide for him/her emotionally and physically so that they can continue to do your will in my life and the lives of the other students in the church. I ask you, Lord, to continue to put a burden on his/her heart for those that need them most and to direct their path so that your will is done. Let them know that they are loved and blessed. In Your Name, Amen
Thank you for visiting our website. I pray that it will truly be a blessing to you.
We'd be honored if you add us to your favorites and come back often.
(don't forget to sign the guest book .
If we can be of further ministry assistance to you, please feel free to contact us, I'd love to hear from you !
Blessings !
Pastor Glenn
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Pastor Glenn's teen sermon notes
Please forgive any spelling or grammar !
Thursday August 28, 2008
“Faith Reality”
Hebrew 11:1
"Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it."
What exactly is faith?
Faith is not:
- Wishful thinking
- Accepting some kind of “ traditional beliefs that someone cooked up
- A good guess about what is true.
Faith is simply taking God at his word
It’s having total and complete confidence that what God has said is 100% true. Faith is total loyalty to him no matter what.
FAITH IS A REALITY – THE REAL THING – THE GENUINE ARTICLE
Through the power of the Holy Spirit working within you, faith actually moves things and makes things happen.
In short, 2 words describe faith:
1.) Confidence
2.) Certainty
Both of them have to have a secure beginning and a secure ending point.
The beginning point of faith - believes in God’s character – he is who he says he is.
The end point – believes in God’s promises – he will do what he says. We believe that God will fulfill his promises even though we don’t see those promises happening right now.
When you find a promise in God’s Word – CLAIM IT – It’s yours!!!! GOD PUT IT THERE FOR YOU!!!
Even though we can’t physically see God, he says that he’s here with us on earth. He wants to live in us. Even though we can’t always sense it, God’s presence is here and it’s stronger than anything else around us that we can see.
What we see here everyday is not the full picture – not even close
As you grow more in your understanding of reality – who God is, you start to see your earthly surroundings and happenings through eyes of faith– we see things through “God’s glasses”. Faith itself proves that what is unseen is real.
2 Corinthian 5:7 “Walk by faith not by sight”
Guys, Faith is more than a belief in God, it’s also a way of life – A lifestyle of faith.
Faith is planting your feet on the truth of what reality actually is and standing strong even when life doesn’t match up.
No matter what storms you’re facing in life – at school, within your family, where you work, in a friendship/relationship …., the reality is this: God is good and He’s working for good. He’s not going to ditch you no matter how bad or how hard life gets. HE’S GOT YOUR BACK!
HE’S IN TOTAL CONTROL – ALWAYS HAS BEEN, ALWAYS WILL BE.
God is bigger than anyone or anything you will ever face in your entire lifetime.
When you’re stressing out because life doesn’t look like you want it to, remember that YOU CAN’T HAVE FAITH WHEN YOU SEE ALL THE ANSWERS. Faith is being certain of what you can’t see.
Hebrews 11:6 “Without faith, it is impossible to please God.”
Believing that God exists is only the beginning. Even the demons believe that much (James 2:19-20)
God will not settle for just an acknowledgement of his existence. GOD WANTS A PERSONAL, DYNAMIC LIFE-TRANSFORMING RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU. HE WANTS YOU TO KNOW HIM – EXPERIENCE HIM.
Why is so hard to actually see what’s going on?
When God made humans He made us in in His image so we could relate to Him. Because of the thing called sin that the Bible says we’re all born with, human beings are separated from God. We’re broken; you and I aren’t as God intended us to be.
When we start see that spiritual realm of by faith we can start to bridge that gap that is there between us and God.
In the Old Testament there was a guy named Abraham. He saw what was invisible and what he saw changed the course of history.
Hebrews 11:8-12
It was by faith Abraham obeyed God’s call to go to another place God promised to give him. He left his own country, not knowing where he was to go. 9 It was by faith that he lived like a foreigner in the country God promised to give him. He lived in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who had received that same promise from God. 10 Abraham was waiting for the city nthat has real foundations—the city planned and built by God.
11 He was too old to have children, and Sarah could not have children. It was by faith that Abraham was made able to become a father, because he trusted God to do what he had promised. n 12 this man was so old he was almost dead, but from him came as many descendants as there are stars in the sky. Like the sand on the seashore, they could not be counted.
An example of a lack of faith
Read Mark 4:35-41
Jesus was in a boat with “the guys” and a storm comes up ….
The disciples are freaking out because they think they’re going to sink. Think about it – they’ve got God himself in their boat with them and they think they’re going to sink – Duh
Jesus gets up, tells the wind and waves to stop and they’re all amazed.
Do you and I have a role in growing our faith – No, we just maintain it.
If you want to water your faith well, focus on God, get into His presence, worship Him, and just be completely awestruck and blown away by Him.
If you don’t know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord – never actually stepped up and given your heart and life to Him, you can do it right here, right now – tonight.
Thursday September 18, 2008
“I DROPPED THE BALL ….. AGAIN!”
Romans 7:15
“I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I can’t. I do what I don’t want to do – what I hate.”
Not only is our entire world a totally messed up disaster, following Jesus gets pretty messy too.
We can have the best intentions
- Love everybody, Go hard after God, live for Him, and serve Him “I’m going to come to youth church every week, read my Bible, pray, not get mad, clean up my act, lay it all down for God – be a super Christian.
But most of the time, we blow it – we drop the ball.
Only Jesus Christ can change your heart and your life, only Jesus can give you real peace, purpose and satisfaction.
One of the most important steps of being a Jesus-follower is admitting that you don’t have it all figured out – you don’t have it all together.
We’re all a bit messed up and none of us are always going to do a stellar job of following Jesus.
The Apostle Paul (who wrote a huge part of the New Testament – super preacher of all time guy) really struggled with his messiness. He wanted to follow God but he kept messing up.
Following God is messy because we have that thing called sin that we’re all born with, God is sinless and holy, and when you’re serving God, you’re being conformed / changed into His image. Our imperfection runs into His perfection all over the place.
Following God is messy because becoming godly is a process. It happens gradually, not with the snap of a finger. There’s shaping and refining involved (like the metal worker who heats the metal at incredibly high temperatures until he can see his own reflection in it). A lot of time, the process isn’t fun; sometimes it hurts to stretch and change – BUT IF WE’RE GOING TO FOLLOW GOD – IT HAS TO HAPPEN.
We might even feel like an “unfinished failure/ complete loser because we struggle with the same thing over and over again. Does a little acorn go into the ground and immediately become a huge oak tree? no is that little acorn a failure NO.
Just like that tiny acorn going from a seedling to a sapling to a small oak tree to a huge strong oak tree, along that process they’re exactly what they’re supposed to be. God uses every single step in our process of growing more and more like Him. Every time we have a success or failure a right word or a wrong word we can learn something new about ourselves and about God. God knows that you’re in a process, He knows that you’re not perfect.
THE POINT IS, CONTINUE TO BE OBEDIENT TO HIM, CONTINUE ON IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM NO MATTER WHAT. The next time you mess up, go to step one – GET BACK TO BEING FAITHFUL.
Philippians 1:6 “ God began doing a good work in you, and will continue it to completion when Jesus Christ comes again.
GOD IS NOT FINISHED WITH YOU YET !!!!!!!!!!!!
Walk with Him, honor Him and allow Him do work in you.
Don’t give up – ever. Admit your sin to God, instead of saying “I may as well forget this whole God thing, I can’t do it. Say “Okay God, I know you’ll give me another chance. God give please forgive me and give me the grace and strength to really live for you.
God’s heart for you is this:
“A deep relationship is the way I want to connect with you, I want you to draw super close to me, let me teach you, open your heart up to me so that I can pour in truth and wisdom through My Spirit. Spend some quality time with me so that I can teach you my ways – living by them will bring good things. Be willing to hear what I have to say. The wisdom I give you will keep you from getting burned by bad decisions. Be moldable and teachable and I’ll shave off some of your rough spots that have landed you in places of pain.”
Invest time in God’s Word and in prayer. Be completely open and honest with Him about absolutely everything and BE COMPLETELY COMMITTED TO YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.
When we sin – mess up – drop the ball, we feel a lot of guilt and some of that guilt is legitimate. GOD WANTS US TO UNDERSTAND THAT DISOBEDIENCE IS WRONG but a lot of us heap piles of guilt upon ourselves. Guilt that comes from us not meeting our own expectations of perfection- THAT GUILT DOESN’T COME FROM HIM.
Learning anything involves some missteps. Learning to drive, playing soccer …..
There are times when we get it wrong. We crash. Nobody starts the learning process and says “ok I better do this without messing up.” Instead, we learn from our failures.
God knows that you and I are in a process. Nothing shocks or surprises Him – nothing ever occurs to God.
So, not ever messing up / sinning as we follow God is not exactly the point. THE POINT IS TO CONTINUE TO BE OBEDIENT TO HIM.
Philippians 1:6 “God began doing a good work in you, and I am sure he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again.
GOD IS THE ONE WORKING ON YOU, He’s active in you He’s doing a work in you and as long as you walk in faithfulness and obedience to Him, He’s going to get you where He wants you to be.
When you mess up – just get back to being faithful.
THE WAY THAT GOD CALLS YOU TO LIVE IS ALWAYS THE BEST WAY.
You can’t “fix yourself” or force yourself through the process. YOUR JOB IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IS TO ALWAYS DO THE NEXT RIGHT THING. AND LET GOD HANDLE YOUR GROWTH.
You don’t have to try to tie up all the loose ends of yourself. Just keep faithfully investing your energy, your time, your effort and your heart in your relationship with Him.
The process of becoming what God wants you to be is very personal.
God wants us to look like Jesus but that means different reflections of him within each of us. My process will look different from yours and the same goes for other Christians around you.
Remember, this is a relationship between you and Jesus – He’s not going anywhere. He knew that you and I need a lot of work.
NO MATTER HOW MESSED UP YOU ARE OR HAVE BEEN YOU DON’T HAVE TO TRY TO FIGURE IT ALL OUT AND TRY TO MANIPULATE YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES OR
CONTROL THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU. Allow God to be the one who does ALL the work – HIS WAY AND IN HIS TIMING.
NO MATTER WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU – GO TO YOUR AWESOME GOD
THAT’S THE RIGHT RESPONSE – IT’S THE ONLY WAY TO GO.
IF YOU’RE COMPLETELY OVERWHELMED BY IT ALL – AND FEEL LIKE RUNNING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION – RUN TO GOD – IT’S THE ONLY WAY TO GO.
God wants you home – That’s His cry. As your loving heavenly Father, that’s His heart.
Thursday September 26, 2008
“GRACE – NO STRINGS”
Thursday September 25, 2008
Ephesians 2:8
“I mean that you have been saved by grace through believing. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. 9 It was not the result of your own efforts, so you cannot brag about it.
Maybe you’ve kinda heard the word “grace” thrown around some. “Amazing Grace”…. How sweet the sound…Before they chow down, some people “ say grace”
Have you ever thought “ I’f I’m really good, God will love me more, if I clean up my language, get my act together, help old ladies across the street, …. Really try hard at school, just be a great person that everbody likes. I’ll stop doing ….. and I won’t do …. And I won’t go …. God will accept me.” ??? I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING
FACT IS THIS: GOD’S LOVE FOR US ISN’T BASED ON WHAT WE DO OR DON’T DO.
It’s completely and totally about what He did for you and what he did for me.
It’s God’s incredible gift to you and to me and it’s called “GRACE.”
The absolutely amazing thing about God’s grace is that he gives it to us even though we don’t even deserve it. Because of His grace, God made it possible for you and I to be in good standing with Him.
When someone gives you a gift do you say “ awesome, thank you – um how much do I owe you for it ?”
The right response to a gift is “THANK YOU”.
Yet how many people are out there trying to “work” their way to God.
We can’t earn our way, we can’t try to “pay back” God for what He’s done for us.
The grace of God is the source of salvation; faith is the channel, not the cause.
The whole concept of “GRACE” is hard to swallow because the world doesn’t work that way – it just doesn’t
NOTHING COMES FOR FREE.
GRACE is not the way of the world bit it’s God’s way and IT’S THE ONLY WAY.
THERE ARE NO STRINGS ATTACHED TO GOD’S ACCEPTANCE OF YOU THROUIGH GRACE.
Illustration:
“Ever since Andrea learned from her youth pastor about God’s acceptance of her through his grace, she’s been doing whatever she wants – no matter what. Smokin up, drinking, playing the guys – whatever.
Last weekend, the parents of one of her friends went away and their daughter decided to through a huge pool party. Andrea was a little hesitant to go because she knew that the pool water would be the only non-alcoholic drink there.
A lot of her friends would be there who weren’t Christians but she professed that she was one. “Hey” she reasoned, “God accepts me , His opinion of me isn’t going to be affected by one little party. Who really gives a rip what everyone else thinks ? The next morning, her head was swimming, but it wasn’t from the pool.
Galatians 5:13 “God called you to be free, but do not use your freedom as an excuse to do what pleases your sinful self”
Romans 6:1-2 So do you think we should continue sinning so that God will give us even more grace? 2 No! We died to our old sinful lives, so how can we continue living with sin?
Titus 2:14 “ Jesus gave his life to free us from every kind of sin , to cleanse us and make us his very own people, totally committed to doing what is right.”
ANYBODY WHO SEES GRACE AS A BLANK CHEQUE TO GO FOR THE GUSTO AND SIN AND DO WHATEVER – HAS MISSED THE POINT OF GRACE COMPLETELY.
Jesus paid the debt for our sin. We were given grace so that we could be free from sin
SIN IS THE ENEMY - SIN IS LETHAL – IT WILL KILL YOU – EMOTIONALLY, PHYSICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY – IT WILL WIPEYOU OUT AND SEPARATE YOU FOREVER FROM GOD.
Anybody who does whatever they want and ignore God’s Word is not only abusing grace, they’re also going to end up bruised, scarred, and missing out on the blessings God has for them.
There are consequences for every action and decision we make. When we step outside the boundaries that God lays out for us in His Word, the consequences are deadly. God knows what will hurt you, bring you pain and ultimately destroy you. That’s why He put those boundaries there – because He loves you, not to cramp your style.
Jesus died in your place to set you free. Using grace as an excuse to sin is like being rescued from eating out of a garbage dumpster in some alley, to a seven course dinner at a 5 star restaurant, only to demand that you want to go back and eat out of the dumpster again.
When you sin / mess up, call it what it is. It’s all right to call sin what it is, but extend God’s grace. God always wants the person who messed up to come to Him. WHEN YOU SIN, NEVER QUESTION WHETHER GOD WANTS YOU BACK. NEVER QUESTION WHETHER HE’LL ACCEPT YOU IF YOU TURN TO HIM. Go to God, talk to Him about it, confess it all to Him and TURN FROM IT. Thank Him for the fact that even though you made some bad choices He still loves you. Ask Him to help you keep focused and following the path He’s laid out for you – HE WILL !
GOD LOVES YOU SO MUCH AND HE PAVED THE WAY HOME FOR YOU THROUGH GRACE.
“ Fill er up”
October 16, 2008
Have you ever had a day or a week that was so busy that at the end of it you’re just completely bagged? You’re ready to like totally crash for a week or two.
Have you ever wondered what a day for God must be like?
2 Peter 3:8 tells us that “To the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day”.
Every second, God is multitasking. He’s running his entire universe, He’s leading massive armies of angels, being worshipped, listening to prayers, answering prayers, living inside the heart of every genuine born again Spirit filled Christian, . He’s like working on a bazillion things simultaneously!!
There’s something else that He wants to do. That awesome God wants to breathe into you, fill you, and draw you into his presence. How does that grab you?
The fact is, THAT’S WHY HE MADE YOU, THAT’S WHTY YOU’RE BREATHING HIS AIR AND WALKING AROUND ON HIS PLANET.
Snow mobiles run on gas, cell phones run on batteries, wood stoves burn wood, puppies run on puppy chow – you get the idea.
You are a custom designed masterpiece, made BY God, made FOR God.
When God knitted you together and built you inside your mother, He specifically wove and spun you and “custom designed” YOU to be fueled by Him!
2 Corinthians 4:6-7
Talks about us as being spiritual treasures in jars of clay.
“We have this treasure from God, but we are like clay jars that hold the treasure. This shows that the great power is from God, not from us”.
YOU AND I ARE CONTAINERS THAT GOD WANTS TO FILL
Jesus put it this way in John 7: 37-39
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 If anyone believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from that person’s heart, as the Scripture says.” 39 Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit.
God says that if you come to Him, He will tank you up. He will pour Himself into you. That’s His mission, that’s His heart for you. That’s why He made you.
People who aren’t Christians (have never given their heart and life to Jesus Christ) operate apart from God every single day. People can function apart from God, but they’re not really living. They are spiritually blind. They’re only surviving. They are detached from God. The life that was meant to flow from Him to them just isn’t there. They are detached, there’s no connection – no relationship. PEOPLE WHO LIVE APART FROM GOD ARE ONLY A SHADOW OF WHO THEY WERE MEANT TO BE. One day, they will stand alone before God (as we all will) and be accountable.
A genuine, born again, Spirit filled Christian on the other hand is the complete opposite. There’s a spark there, there’s a fired up passion for God and for the things of God (WHICH ARE THE ONLY THINGS THAT REALLY MATTER AT THE END OF THE DAY WHEN YOU STAND ALONE BEFORE HIM))
When God is breathing His life into you every day, when you’re walking in the flow of the power of the Holy Spirit, when, you’re completely surrendered to Him, tanked up, topped off and abiding/ living/attached to Him, God pours in wholeness, completeness, and real purpose. He also gives you the fruit of the Spirit
(Gal 5:22-23)
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.
“THE INNER WORKING OF GOD PRODUCING OUTWARD EVEDENCE”
BEING FILLED UP WITH GOD IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JUST EXISTING AND REALLY LIVING. IT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AND EMPTY LIFE AND AN ABUNDANT, FULFILLING LIFE.
Being filled up with God doesn’t mean that life is perfect and easy all the time -
It does mean that it’s deep and it’s full.
When you’re completely full of God, there’s no room for all the sewage our sick world wants to pump your way and destroy your life.
God’s desire, His heart is to pour himself into you until you’re absolutely overflowing in Him.
How does God fill you up?
He fills you up through your relationship with Him. You and I were created for relationship. We are “relational beings”.
We were made to share life experiences, conversations, good times, insights, adventures, the good and the bad and the ugly with other people.
You never get really close to one person if you segregate yourself into one little group, you need to get out there to have a real “heart to heart”.
It’s exactly the same with God. You and I need one on one time with God – we have to – God is well aware that there are some days when life is crazy busy. If you’re crazy busy and you don’t have time - MAKE TIME,ARRANGE YOUR SCHEDULE FOR HIM. BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT IT. THAT MAY SOMETIMES MEAN SAYING “NO” TO SOMETHING OR SOMEONE ELSE. TIME OUT ALONE WITH GOD ON A REGULARY DAILY BASIS IS ABSOLUTELY KEY FOR YOUR SURVIVAL. Learn to recognize the voice of God and who He is through His Word. Everything He wants you to know is there.
When you go one on one with God, the same as any other relationship – you grow in that relationship, you cultivate intimacy. You get a piece of His heart, you start to get His thoughts, feel His feelings. Be totally honest with Him; tell Him what you’re afraid of, what you’re all worked up over, what you’re ticked off about. Thank Him for who He is and what He’s done for you. LAY IT all DOWN ALREADY, TELL HIM WHATS UP.
Guys, I’m talking the genuine thing here YOU AND THE OWNER AND THE CREATER OF THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE. THE ONE WHO’S AIR YOU BREATH, THE ONE WHO LETS YOU WALK AROUND ON HIS PLANET. YOU AND HE IN RELATIONSHIP!!!!!!!!! AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!
Here’s the thing, God doesn’t want to just fill you up on the way to class or to get you through next week. THE KEY TO STAYING CONNECTED TO HIM IS A DAILY WALK, A DAILY EXPERIENCE A DAILY GROWING AND MATURING IN HIM – THAT’S GOD’S HEART FOR YOU RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW TONIGHT. Get into His Word – ask Him for a guided tour, allow Him to pour the stuff He’s made of into you. Pull up a chair and go one on one. You’ll both absolutely love it. It might seem a bit awkward at first, but it’s like building a relationship with anyone. You grow more comfortable over time You’re simply talking to Him, hearing from Him- through His Word and through His Spirit.
NOT SPENDING QUALITY TIME WITH GOD IS ACTUALLY COUNTERPRODUCTIVE. YOU CAN PRODUCE A TON OF USELESS STUFF BY NOT BEING IN GOD’S PRESENCE AND FILLING UP WITH HIM.
WHEN YOU PLUG INTO HIM, YOU PRODUCE THINGS OF ETERNAL KINGDOM VALUE
THAT’S WHAT COUNTS !!
There’s no big “ who hoo” formula - You and Him, hanging out. Just chilling with the king of the universe.
IF YOU KNOW JESUS, THAT’S THE KIND OF RELATIONSHIP YOU CAN HAVE !!!
If you’re not all fired up,” passioned up” for God – you need to seriously look at whether you even have a relationship with Him at all. And you need to get it reight with God right here right now, because the Bible says “now is the time” and tomorrow ( or 5 minutes from now for that matter ) hold no guarantees for you.
THAT’S SERIOUS BUSINESSS - BUT THAT’S REALITY,
Who means serious business with God right here, right now tonight ??
“Transformation”
November 6, 2008
God is always working to make you and I more Like Jesus. That’s why you and I are on God’s planet and breathing His air – to become more like Jesus! It’s not all about me; it’s not all about you. It’s all about HIM.
Fact is, the world we live in is corrupt, full of sin, sick and totally messed up. So, how do we live in this world? Do we all need to go and cloister ourselves in a monastery somewhere? Live in a
Little plastic “Christian bubble”?? We live in the world, we work here, we go to school, we do sports and stuff, chill with our friends …
Romans 12:2
“Do not conform and longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
John 15:19 Jesus says “ I have chosen you out of this world.
A Genuine Born Again Christian is in this world, but not of this world.
You have heavenly citizenship – this is just a test run for your eternity -
S0, what’s so different as God works in us ? One main thing is you start to see the world from God’s perspective. You look at people differently, you have a different filter on your mouth when you talk to people. You don’t want to do the same things they do or go the same places they go. You look at the same media, but you look at it and listen to it through a different lens. You still have the same routines – crawl out of bed in the morning, brush your teeth, down your breakfast, but you see things more as looking after your body – the house of the Holy Spirit.
As you spend more time with God, He’s putting more and more of Himself into you. He’s growing the fruit in you (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self control.) Characteristics of Jesus ! – Galatians 5:22
God gives you His strength, His power, His authority, a sense of what’s true He’ll teach you who you are and what’s really going on in the world around you.
Because of what God is building into you, your view of a lot of things will be different. Your idea about what fun is will be different, Your definition of success will be different. He’ll show you what does and what doesn’t line up with His Word. If something doesn’t line up – STAY AWAY FROM IT. NO ONE OR NO THING IS WORTH RISKING YOUR WALK WITH GOD FOR OR YOUR ETERNITY FOR.
Because God is changing your view of things, some things that you used to do will change. As He teaches you to see things in the right context, certain things won’t seem so appealing anymore. You’ll see things that conflict with what He has put in you and you’ll lose interest in the former things. YOU CAN PUT A “ GOD-SPIN ON EVERYTHING.
Being holy and set apart for God doesn’t mean shutting yourself off completely from the world.
God didn’t make two worlds and say “ok, my guys stay in this one and the rest of you are over here.””
God wants you and I to live out His life in us right smack in the middle of this sick, messed up planet. We are being “set apart” for God but it doesn’t mean taken away. Guys, YOU AND I ARE HERE TO INFLENCE OUR WORLD. WHAT KIND OF AN INFLUENCE ARE YOU ? HOW WELL DO YOU REPRESENT JESUS CHRIST. ?
Matthew 5: 13-16
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its salty taste, it cannot be made salty again. It is good for nothing, except to be thrown out and walked on.
14 “You are the light that gives light to the world. A city that is built on a hill cannot be hidden.15 And people don’t hide a light under a bowl. They put it on a lamp stand so the light shines for all the people in the house. 16 In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in heaven.
Because we live in our everyday world, all that we call “normal life” is also a big part of our life of faith, sin is the only part that isn’t. Your faith has to be involved in absolutely everything you do.
You can do your homework to the glory of God, you can help clean up around the house for the glory of God, play badminton to the glory of God… you get the idea.
Whether we do things sinfully or whether we do them in a way that honors God (and brings out God-colors), it all has a lot to do with motive
Here’s the thing - IF YOUR MOTIVES ARE IN ORDER, IT’LL CLEAR UP A WHOLE LOAD OF QUESTIONS LIKE “SHOULD I DO THIS, OR NOT, SHOULD I GO HERE OR NOT, SHOUD I AS A CHRISTIAN BE DOING THIS OR GOING HERE , OR NOT.
If it’s wrong, you won’t be motivated to do it.
WE NEED TO CHECK OUR MOTIVES. CHECK IN WITH GOD ON A REGULAR BASIS TO SEE HOW YOU’RE DOING AND WHAT YOU’RE DOING.
YOUR HEART IS BEHIND WHAT YOU’RE DOING MATTERS TO HIM.
DO YOU HAVE A HEART AFTER GOD ?
We’ve got a lot of freedom out there to do like a bazillion different things
BUT WITH FREEDOM COMES RESPONSIBILITY
Music, movies, video games, and the internet - we have freedom to choose what we look at and what we listen to (what we pump into our brains).
Computer rule – garbage in – garbage out. What’s your brain feeding on ?
The entertainment world influences your heart and your mind more that you can imagine. WE ARE MOULDABLE AND IT WILL MOULD YOU.
There’s a ton of sewage out there that will take you down and ultimately destroy you and separate you from a Holy God. Be careful; be wise about what you let in.
Something might not be tempting one day or week, but incredibly tempting down the road a bit.
If you’re a creative /artsy or musical type, how do you express yourself? Is it in a God honoring way?
Some of our culture’s spin on fashion is anything but God honoring. Do you dress in a way that brings honor to God? Remember, as a Christian, you represent Him.
In the area of competition. There’s a God honoring way to do sports that goes beyond just being a “good sportsman.”
As a Christian, you don’t need to be scared of these situations or even necessarily avoid them but –YOU DO NEED TO BE EXTREMLY CAREFUL AND AWARE.
Sometimes avoidance may be the right way to go, other times, it’s being shrewd, KNOWING WHAT YOU’RE GETTING INTO/ WHO YOU’RE GETTING INVOLVED WITH – AND DRAW YOUR LINES BEFORE YOU PROCEED.
You are in a process – God is working on you. As you walk through this world, you may have to remove yourself from ungodly influences until God matures you in certain areas. That may doing less of one thing, cutting a relationship loose that isn’t honoring to God and is holding you back in your walk with God.
As God works on you and matures you, you’ll be able to identify the influences you’re exposed to.
Jesus is our ultimate example. He hung out with some pretty hardcore nasty types but he was not negatively affected - why?
- He was 1000 % strong in who he was and what he was doing – he was and he is God.
We can’t be that invincible. We can only overcome this sick messed up world we live in
Through the empowering of the Holy Spirit.
ALLOW HIM TO BE YOUR NAVIGATOR, TALK TO HIM ALWAYS AND ABOUT EVERYTHING.
Don’t ever use the cop out “oh, that’s against my religion”. Give it to them straight,
“I’m a Christian, so I don’t do that, I don’t go there.” Have the integrity and the guts to stand up as a son or daughter of God.
In closing, here are a few pointers for you;
-Let a solid, mature Christian into your life, let them speak into your life. If you don’t want to share something with them, there’s a pretty good chance there’s something up in that area.
- Don’t ever ignore the Holy Spirit, hear Him, listen to Him, and walk in obedience to Him.
- Do a heart check frequently. Ask yourself “why do I want to do this? (“Just because” is not an answer). Ask yourself “What will this grow in me?” (What you feed will grow)
- Know what or who pushes your buttons and never put yourself in an extra tempting situation.
Bottom line is this: YOU WILL EITHER CONFORM TO THE WORLD OR YOU WILL CONFORM TO GOD – NO INBETWEEN
I pray that you will make the right choice.
Pastor Glenn
HOT OFF THE PRESS!
Whether you're a brand new baby Christian or if you've been serving God for a while, I pray that this teaching will encourage you and stregthen you in your faith.
Use it as a resource as you grow in your walk with God.
”Hey, I’m a believer now !”
I’ve accepted Jesus as my Savior and Lord… now what ??
Whether you are new to knowing God personally or are looking for a deeper walk with Him, this one’s for you !
Knowing Jesus Christ is the most exciting relationship you can have. It is the beginning of a life of tremendous adventure with an all-loving, all-powerful God.
The Christian life, as God intended it, is a vital, personal relationship with God. It’s not about religion, it’s all about Him and what HE HAS DONE FOR US.
There are four simple points that concisely explain all a person needs to know to begin a new life in Christ. A brief review of these will help us as we look at some principles of growing in your relationship with Christ:
1: God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.
2: Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God's love and plan for his life.
3: Jesus Christ is God's only provision for man's sin. God invested the greatest most precious thing in His entire universe for you and for me – His Son’s life. Through Him and only Him, you can know and experience God's love and plan for your life.
4: We must individually and personally receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives.
No one else on the planet can make that decision for you..
You are a brand new baby Christian adopted into God’s family
Ephesians 1:5
“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons (daughters) through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will.
Predestination : Romans 8:29 “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”
Ephesians 1:11 “ In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.”
“Foreknowledge” means that in eternity past, God purposed to love the human race through his Son Jesus . I t was settled before God even built our planet.
He sees and knows absolutely everything from eternity past forward endlessly into eternity to come.
Because he knows and sees it all, in eternity past he knew who would and would not be saved. A bazillion years ago, he knew that a seven year old, curly headed little guy named Glenn at the age of 7 would invite Jesus into his heart as Savior and Lord on February 10, 1971. (That’ my birthday because on February 10, 1971 I really started to live. )
Matthew 18:14: “In the same way, your Father in heaven does not want any of these little children to be lost.
2 Peter 3:9 “ He is not willing than any should perish, but all come to repentance.”
The reason there’s people burning in hell right now is because of their own stupid choice - they turned down God’s plan of salvation for them – threw Jesus’ sacrificial death back in God’s face and said , NO THANKS.
BUT, YOU’VE BEEN ADOPTED INTO GOD’S FAMILY
Welcome to the family!
“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow in your salvation.” 1 Peter 2:2
“Newborns don’t chow down on Big Maccs”
The Word of God entered your spirit as you
received Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life. The
real you (your spirit) was born again. That means
you’re now a new creation in Christ, - clean record with your Father God which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
This process started an immediate change in your
mind and body.
However, to continue the process of change you
must put away your old habits and learn how to
walk in your new life with God by starting your day
with the Father in prayer
Just a simple prayer of praise and thanksgiving helps
to build your fellowship with God. Thank Him for His love, confidence (faith),
patience, and loving kindness, peace, healing power, and safety from all dangers,
mercy, wisdom and guidance for this day. THANK HIM FOR WHO HE IS AMEN.
Daily read the Word of God. Just like your natural body needs food, your spirit
man needs to be fed the Word of God. Start your reading in the Bible with the
New Testament: the books of John, then Acts (which demonstrates the miracle
working power of the Holy Spirit) and from the book of Romans up to Revelation
which reveals the Lord’s instruction to you and tells you what belongs to you
because Jesus is now your Lord.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH
OTHER FULL GOSPEL BELIEVERS (HEBREWS 10:25) WHO ARE
TAUGHT THE WORD OF GOD, LINE UPON LINE, BY ANOINTED
TEACHERS.
Now that you have taken a public stand for Christ, you will be a prime
target for the devil. He will try to steal away your victory and your profession
of faith by sending circumstances and people to ridicule and harass
you. Don’t be moved by what you see, what you hear, or what you feel.
Salvation is never based on feelings, but on facts.
The fact of the matter is found in Ephesians 2:8-9 “ I mean that you have been saved by grace through believing. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. 9 It was not the result of your own efforts, so you cannot brag about it.
Grace is an expression of God’s goodness toward us, even though we do
not deserve it. It can be best expressed by saying, “We receive God’s riches
at Christ’s expense.” This grace is the basis of our salvation. In salvation,
men who deserve to go to hell obtain heaven. This cannot be
explained apart from God’s grace. Salvation is based totally on what God
has done for us, not what we do for God. It is fact not feeling.
We can see a good illustration of this in Genesis 2:17.
“But you must not eat the fruit from the tree which gives the knowledge of good and evil. If you ever eat fruit from that tree, you will die!”
God gave Adam a commandment in the Garden of Eden, not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil; and if he ate of it, he would surely die. We
know that Adam did eat: “Sin came into the world because of what one man did, and with sin came death. This is why everyone must die” We start to die the second we’re born. (Romans 5:12) Through no fault of your own, you are automatically a sinner. But God loved us so much, He did not leave us in this sinful state.
He instituted a solution which is found in John 3:16: “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life.”
If you were the only person on earth that needed salvation, God still
would have sent Jesus! Thank God for His love. According to Acts 4:12,
“Jesus is the only One who can save people. No one else in the world is able to save us.”
It is not in the name of Elisha Muhammed, Hare Krishna,
Sun Myung Moon, but only in the matchless Name of Jesus that man can
be saved.
The word salvation is translated from the Greek word SOTERIA, and it
means deliverance, safety, preservation, soundness and healing. When we
receive Jesus as the Lord of our lives, we receive God’s total package of love.
Saved by Grace, Not by Feelings
-2-
Now that we have seen the need for a Savior and the solution to the
sin problem, applying the solution is as easy as acting on Roman 10:8-
10: “This is what the Scripture says: “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.” n That is the teaching of faith that we are telling. 9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved. 10 We believe with our hearts, and so we are made right with God. And we declare with our mouths that we believe, and so we are saved.”
The word confess means to “say.” This is what you say: “I now take
Jesus for my Savior. I believe, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I
believe that He died for me on the cross, bearing my sins for me. I
believe that He “rose” and is alive today. Dear Lord Jesus, come into my
heart and save me now. For I believe with my heart, therefore, I say with
my mouth, Jesus Christ is my personal Lord and Savior and I am born
again.”
You have a right to receive this gift. “But to all who did accept him and believe in him he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12).
You are instantly born again by the
Spirit of God the moment you ask him to be your personal Lord and
Savior.
Scripture References
John 3:1-21
Acts 4:12
Galatians 2:19, 20
Romans 1:16
Titus 2:11
Philippians 2:9-11
II Peter 1:2
Acts 20:32
-3- WATER BAPTISM
A Command from God
Not a suggestion or an option
Biblical Baptism is a public identification of your faith
Definition: Baptize (baptizio) means to place into, submerge, soak, drench, etc.
Water Baptism doesn’t save you any more than taking a shower does.
Putting a baby in a frilly gown and sprinkling water on his/her head DOES NOT SAVE YOU.
No where in the Bible does it talk about sprinkling babies. The Bible does speak of dedicating babies, but baptism is for and only for – the genuine born again Christian.
Baptism is an outward sign of the inward grace of salvation.
The believer’s water baptism (or, being baptized into Christ) is a dramatization or “acting out” of the believer’s “immersion” or identification with Jesus in His death and resurrection
baptism is important as an illustration of spiritual reality, but it does not make that reality come to pass. If someone has not spiritually died and risen with Jesus, all the baptisms in the world will not accomplish it for them.
Baptism expresses faith the way a word expresses an idea.
It represents
that we have died to sin and self, and we live new lives through Him.
When you are placed into the water you identify with His death; when you
come up out of the water you identify with His resurrection. This is your
witness to the world: “I now belong to Jesus!” (Romans 6:3-7). “I’m leaving the old behind ( it’s dead) and I’m moving forward 100% hardcore for Jesus Christ
Did you forget that all of us became part of Christ when we were baptized? We shared his death in our baptism. 4 When we were baptized, we were buried with Christ and shared his death. So, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the wonderful power of the Father, we also can live a new life.
5 Christ died, and we have been joined with him by dying too. So we will also be joined with him by rising from the dead as he did. 6 We know that our old life died with Christ on the cross so that our sinful selves would have no power over us and we would not be slaves to sin. 7 Anyone who has died is made free from sin’s control.
Water baptism is a symbol of the spiritual union of Christ and the believer. When a person trusts Christ, he or she is incorporated into, united to, Jesus Christ, which includes being united to His death. Jesus’ death becomes our death. Christian baptism makes these spiritual realities vivid.
You can’t die and rise again without it changing your life. The believer has a real (although spiritual) death and resurrection with Jesus Christ.
Water is a
type of the Word – water cleanses dirt like the Word cleanses sin.
Scripture References
Ephesians 5:25-26
John 15:3
John 6:63
The formula used for water baptism
is “in The Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
and in the Name of Jesus” (Matthew 28:19-20). So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Because the Lord looks at the heart, and He has commanded us to
walk in love, we will not divide the body over this matter. Jesus Christ
is the perfect representation of the Father and the Holy Ghost and He
is not divided.
-4-
You Are Not the Same Anymore
When you become a genuine Christian you will notice an intense
desire to associate with other Christians. This is vital for your Christian
growth. You will want and need to be around people who love the Lord and can
help you grow in the faith and knowledge of our Lord & Savior, Jesus
Christ.
Don’t misunderstand – you cannot isolate yourself from people. But it
is imperative that you choose friends and associates who are born again
and filled with His spirit.
You are not the same anymore! You are a brand new species that has
never existed before!
II Corinthians 5:17: If anyone belongs to Christ, there is a new creation. The old things have gone; everything is made new!
A believer’s life should change, because he or she is being transformed into the likeness of Christ (3:18). Instead of living for oneself, a believer lives for Christ (v. 15). Instead of evaluating others with the values of the world, a believer looks at this world through the eyes of faith (v. 16).
As a result of this transformation your old friends will think that you
are strange because you walk around with a silly grin on your face all the
time.
They may even call you a “holy rollin Bible thumper” – who cares !!!!
YOU REPRESENT JESUS CHRIST – Step up and represent Him well.
They will find it offensive when you say things like “Praise the
Lord,” or when you talk about Jesus.
You will find that their “dirty jokes” and “off-colored remarks” are no
longer funny but repulsive. They will either decide they don’t want you
around anymore or give their hearts to the Lord. Wow! What a testimony!
Proverbs 27:19 TLB
“A mirror reflects a man’s face, but what he is really like is shown by
the kind of friends he chooses.”
Scripture References
Proverbs 1:10 I Corinthians 6:19, 20
Proverbs 25:26 II Corinthians 6:14, 16-18
I Corinthians 10:21 Proverbs 12:26
Galatians 2:4-5 Ephesians 5:11
-5-
When I Make a Mistake, What Then?
As we grow in the knowledge of God, sometimes we make mistakes
along the way. Your Heavenly Father has made a provision in His Word
for these errors or shortcomings.
He is not a “big bad judge” waiting for you to make a mistake, so He
can throw you away! He is our loving Heavenly Father Who will forgive
when asked.
(I John 1:9). But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done.
For a genuine Born Again sin is the exception not the rule
My dear children, I write this letter to you so you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a helper in the presence of the Father—Jesus Christ, the One who does what is right. 2 He died in our place to take away our sins, and not only our sins but the sins of all people.
repent is a word of great hope. It says “You don’t have to continue the way you’ve been going, you can turn to God,” something many people desperately want.
To repent does not mean to feel sorry, but it means to change one’s mind or direction
(I John 2:1).
Many times when a person sins they turn away from God by staying
home from church, stop praying or stop reading the Bible. No, run to
God and confess your sins, and He will forgive you. Satan wants you to
isolate yourself so he can wipe you out. He’s a thief and he comes to
steal the Word of God from your heart.
So when you sin, don’t wait a minute, a day, a week, or a month. Stop
right where you are and confess your sin to God; He will not only forgive
your sin, but He acts as though it never happened.
In the Old Testament (Psalm 103:12) it says that God removes our
transgression (sin from us) and He remembers them no more. In the
New Testament Jesus taught that those who owned up to their sin could
find forgiveness, while those who were blinded to their sin would be left
in it (John 9:41).
Thank God for His love and long suffering toward us!
Scripture References
Mark 4:14-20
I Corinthians 10:13
John 10:10, 11
-6-
Another Gift of God!
READ ACTS 2
Now that you are born again, there is another gift God has for us! It’s
called the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the gift of speaking in tongues.
He is the promise. Jesus said, in Luke 24:49, Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city 4of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
This promise is unto you, and to your children. Just like salvation, the Holy
Spirit upon is a gift.
(Acts 2:38). Then Peter said to them, i“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the 2remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and jto your children, and kto all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.
You cannot work for a gift. You just receive by asking. Ask and it shall
be given. If you asked for the Holy Spirit to be upon you today, you shall
receive what you asked for according to Luke 11:9, 10 & 13.
When we receive the Holy Spirit upon, we are fully equipped with the
power to spread the good news and be effective witnesses for Christ.
(Acts 1:8). But you shall receive power lwhen the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and myou shall be 3witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and nSamaria, and to the oend of the earth.”
You must do the speaking; the Holy Spirit will never make you do anything.
In Acts 2:4, it states “they” were filled with the Holy Ghost, and
began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. It is
not all you. It is not all the Holy Spirit. It is a joint effort between you and
the Spirit of God.
You supply your will, your vocal cords and your voice box. The Holy
Spirit will supply the manner of style by which you speak. If there is no
effort to speak on your part, the Holy Spirit cannot and will not supply the
utterance. Remember this is a team effort.
Now that we have reviewed the Scripture, it’s time for you to “receive.”
Now, say this prayer aloud to your Heavenly Father:
“Father, your Word says that the Holy Spirit is a gift. I do not work for Him;
All I do is receive Him. So Father, I receive, right now, as an act of my will and
my faith, the Holy Spirit with the Bible evidence of speaking with other
tongues.” Now, take a deep breath and begin to speak forth in your heavenly language.
Do not allow the enemy to tell you that you can’t pray in your heavenly
language, because you can. “You can do all things through Christ which
strengthens you.” (Philippians 4:13).
-7-
Knowing Who You Are in Christ
It is imperative that you understand who you are in Christ. To know
means to have knowledge of what has happened to you. You are a new
person in Christ.
Romans 8:15-17a
Verse 15For syou did not receive the spirit of bondage again tto fear, but you received the uSpirit of adoption by whom we cry out, v“Abba, 5Father.” 16 wThe Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then xheirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,
The Holy Spirit places you in God’s family, and now you have security
and a sense of belonging. Vs. 16: “The Spirit itself beareth witness
with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children then
heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.
In other words, you have the same rights and privileges as the real
Son. God does not love Jesus any more than He loves you! You are a
new creature in Christ Jesus. Old things are passed away; behold, all
things are become new. God made Jesus to be sin for us, who knew no
sin; that we might be made the righteousness (made right) of God in
Him. God bought us back from Satan with the Blood of his Son. We
stand justified and made right in His sight.
The fruit of righteousness is peace. Peace means a harmonious relationship.
Harmonious means well proportioned, balanced, agreeable.
The effect of righteousness is quietness and assurance forever. Take God
at His Word. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God (II Tim 3:16).
So decide to live a well proportioned, balanced, agreeable harmonious
life with God the Father. You are what the Bible says you are. You can
do what the Bible says you can do, and you have what the Bible says you
have. Shalom.
Scripture References
Romans 3:20-26 II Corinthians 5:17-21
Romans 8:1 James 3:18
I Corinthians 1:30 Isaiah 32:17
Galatians 3:28 Isaiah 9:6
Ephesians 2:4-6, 10, 14
-8-
You Will Need a Good Church Home
The foundation of any Christian life is the church. Church membership
is vitally important to your growth. You will grow spiritually as you hear
the Word of God and fellowship with believers who are strong in the
faith. Don’t be a bench warmer, get involved with serving in the many
activities that go on in the local church, Choosing a good church home
should be a matter of much prayer. Once you have found a church let the
Pastor’s vision of that church become a part of your vision as well. Then
pray to find your place in the church to help fulfill the vision.
Christianity is a way of life, not a religion. It is being part of a family,
which is the Body of Christ. As the children of God we can fellowship
with God. Fellowship includes prayer, praise and worship. One of the
ways we fellowship with Him is by singing praise unto God in the midst of
the church. When we lack fellowship we lack in our joy. A lack of fellowship
with God is the reason for Christian failure. Our joy will begin to
dwindle because our fellowship has ceased. No joy, no strength, because
the joy of the Lord is our strength. So we should not forsake the assembling
of ourselves together but enter into His presence with thanksgiving
and praise. It is good and pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity,
for where there is unity there is strength.
I Timothy 3:15 I John 1:3-7
Matthew 16:18,19 Nehemiah 8:10
John 14:6 Hebrews 2:12
Hebrews 10:25 Romans 8:35-39
Hebrews 12:23-29 Psalms 23
Psalms 100 Psalms 133
-9-
Things to Look For in a Church
1. Belief that salvation is by faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. It
is the work of grace, not human effort.
2. The Bible is the inspired Word of God from Genesis to Revelation.
3. Belief in a Triune God; God is eternally existent in three persons,
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
4. The imminent return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
5. Water Baptism.
6. Divine Healing.
7. The Holy Spirit Baptism.
8. Evangelism (make sure your church believes in and practices soul
winning).
Beware of Ministries That Deny
1. The Virgin Birth.
2. The Deity of Christ.
3. The Blood Atonement.
4. The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Christ.
5. The Bible as final and absolute authority and inspired Word of God.
6. Christ’s miracle – working power today!
Scripture References
Galatians 1:7-9 Mark 12:29
II Corinthians 11:14 Philippians 2:5-11
Philippians 3:18 I Thessalonians 4:13-18
I Timothy 4:12 Acts 1:5
Hebrews 1:2 James 5:13-16
Matthew 8:16-17
-10-
You Will Want to Begin a Daily, Regular
Prayer Life and Bible Reading!
Daily prayer is essential to succeed in your Christian walk. Prayer is
communicating with the God of creation, your Heavenly Father. As you
begin to seek God daily, you will be rewarded through understanding His
will for your life and the comfort and peace that His presence affords you.
Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for
he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder
of them that diligently seek him.” God, our Father, is a personal God.
He is interested in every intricate detail concerning your life. He wants
you as His child, to get to know Him in a personal way through prayer.
Our Heavenly Father has given us an invitation to come boldly unto
the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in
the time of need (Hebrews 4:16). As you accept His invitation to come
into His presence, Christianity stops being just a religion to you and
becomes what God meant it to be – a personal relationship with the One
Who created you and Who has given His all that you might be one with
Him.
Prayer is also praying God’s Word over the circumstances of your life,
putting God in remembrance of what He has said about your life. In
order to pray accurately, one must know what God’s Word says concerning
situations you face; therefore, daily Bible reading and meditation is
vital. Joshua 1:8 says, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy
mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest
observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt
make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success.” Here
God says keep His Word coming out of your mouth and in your thinking
and do what it says, and you will create prosperity for your life. Daily
Bible reading as well as prayer will keep you on the right track with God,
yourself, and others too. Who could resist such a glorious opportunity?
Scripture References
Ephesians 1:16-23
Ephesians 3:16-21
Colossians 1:9-13
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You Will Want to Watch Out for Common
Causes of Failure in the Christian Walk
Here is a list of the most common causes of failure in the
Christian’s life:
1. Lack of confidence in God and in His Word.
2. Not plunging ahead wholeheartedly, but dragging your feet.
3. A contrary desire.
4. Beginning to think about what you don’t have instead of all you do
have.
5. Failing to think in terms of God’s supply house, which is unlimited.
6. Lack of perseverance during the trials.
7. Wasting time on silly magazines, television shows, etc., instead of
using the extra time to get into God’s Word and good gospel books.
8. Selfishness.
9. Not desiring the will of God above all else in your life.
10. Flirting with the world and its amusements.
11. Pride.
12. Compromising your principles.
13. Lack of prayer, fellowship, and Bible reading.
14. Lack of witnessing.
15. Fear and uncertainty.
16. Poor choice of associates.
17. Laziness.
18. Materialism.
19. Looking for a short cut to spirituality.
20. Becoming negative minded.
21. Allowing Satan to distort your concept of God.
22. Putting anything ahead of Jesus.
23. Conforming to the world and its system and philosophies.
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24. Lack of vision and having no goals in your Christian life.
25. Lack of Bible knowledge with the Holy Spirit revealing the truths
to your heart.
26. Resentment of authority.
27. Security hang up.
28. Not expecting the return of Jesus for His Church.
29. Shunning responsibility – not becoming involved in Church activities,
etc.
30. Continuing in sin after Christ has set you free.
31. Unbelief in your thoughts, words, and actions.
32. Being self-deceived by (1) not being a doer of the Word and (2) not
talking like God talks. In other words, not speaking as though the
Word of God were really true.
33. Criticizing or downgrading a man of God.
34. Being unconcerned with people, particularly people who are hurting
in some way.
35. Instead of being a diligent seeker of God, being only a “casual
inquirer.”
Whenever you notice the victory being squeezed out of your Christian
experience, check this list over. You will most likely see where you have
been missing the mark.
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Healing
“My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let
them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”
Proverbs 4:20-22
Is Healing for All?
Psalm 107:20 says, “He (God) sent his word, and healed them, and
delivered them from their destructions.” Faith begins where the will of
God is known. You may have heard or even believed that healing isn’t
for everybody. God is not a respecter of persons. He
doesn’t pick and choose who should be healed and who should suffer.
Healing belongs to us. Listen folks, “Jesus went about all the earth
healing all manner of sickness and disease.” Therefore we can come
boldly to the throne of grace, to obtain mercy and find grace in the time
of need. If we want to know God’s will on any subject, let us read His
will, which is the Bible.
Scripture References
Matthew 4:23 Matthew 12:15 Isaiah 53:4-6
Ecclesiastes 7:17 Deuteronomy 7:15 Psalm 90:10
Hebrews 13:8 Exodus 15:26 Malachi 3:6
Luke 9:11 Hebrews 4:16 Acts 10:38
Healing Is God’s Will
God’s Word is medicine to our flesh. This does not mean we stop
going to the doctor or stop taking medicine. But we don’t depend totally
on doctors or medicine alone for our healing. If you’re taking medicine,
you should mix your faith with it and say, “I believe I receive my
healing in Jesus Name.” We should never throw the medicine away and
depend totally on confession, unless the Lord directs us to do so. Your
faith may not be developed to that level. It takes time to renew your
mind. Operate on your level of faith, daily confessing the Word, because
faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
The Bible says “Believers shall lay hands on the sick and they shall
recover.” If you’re a believer you qualify. That means you can lay hands
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on yourself. James 5:14 asked the question, “Is any sick among you? Let
them call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him,
anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” Verse 15 goes on to
say, “And prayer of faith shall save the sick.” Did you know death and
life are in the power of the tongue? God has promised us long life, but
we must obey His word to receive it.
Scripture References
III John 2 Isaiah 58:8 I Peter 2:24
Psalm 103:1-5 I John 5:14, 15 Jeremiah 30:17
Proverbs 18:21 Jeremiah 33:6 Psalm 30:2
Mark 16:18 Proverbs 16:24 Proverbs 17:22
Why Some People Fail to Receive
Why some people do not receive their healing can be several reasons.
Listed below are a few:
Doubt and Unbelief Tradition Sin
An Unforgiving Spirit Lack of Knowledge Bitterness
Fear Strife
If healing has not manifested in your life, search your heart by going
to God and give Him complete freedom and He will set you free.
Scripture References
Psalm 66:18 Joshua 1:8
James 1:5, 17, 22 Proverbs 4:23
Do Not Limit God
Healing is received by faith, through laying on of hands, gifts of healing,
special miracles, and by others praying. Always be available to
receive God’s best through whatever channel He uses.
Scripture References
Mark 1:40, 41 Psalm 34:19
Acts 19:11, 12 I Thessalonians 5:23
Philippians 2:13
January 8, 2009
“HEART CONNECTION”
Ephesians 1:4
“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
Who is God to me? What is God like? How do I envision Him?
Is He just some entity somewhere in outer space flipping switches that run His universe?
Does God feel distant and detached from you?
If you feel this way, this is for you!
Fact is, God’s heart is fully engaged and involved with you and I. God has laid His heart right out on the table.
God is completely entwined and intermeshed with you and me. God totally and completely loves you – just as you are!
God loves you with an AGAPE LOVE – unconditional, self-sacrificing, total and complete love. Love by choice
not just a sentimental whoo hoo fuzzy feeling
Why does God, the owner and creator of the entire universe love you and me? Because He has chosen to love you.
He doesn’t need our love – He has absolutely everything and isn’t needy. He doesn’t need our love;
Instead, HE WANTS YOUR LOVE. HE WANTS YOUR HEART
OUR AWESOME, INFINITE GOD HAS CHOSEN TO ALLOW YOU AND ME TO AFFECT HIM.
HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS ARE OFTEN PICTURES OF GOD REALITIES.
In the Bible, God uses human relationships to explain our relationship with Him;
Father and Child
Lord and servant
Friend and friend,
The closest kind of relationship –
Bridegroom and bride
Husband and wife
On a wedding day, a groom tells his bride that he loves her; he wants to spend the rest of his life with her,
He wants to “do life” with her. He wants to be with her through the good the bad and the ugly, successes, failures, hard times and celebration times. That bride will discover who he really is what makes him tick, what pushes his buttons, what makes him work.
GOD HAS PICKED YOU AND WANTS TO HAVE THAT CLOSE KIND OF RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU.
As “As the bridegroom is happy in his bride, So your God is happy with you”.
Isaiah 62:5
At this point, you may be thinking “what makes me so special? Why does God want that kind of relationship with me?
I’ve wondered that myself sometimes. I’m not exactly sure how all that even works – but it does, and that relationship with Him is actually lived out ever day.
Here’s a few chunks of the Bible to remind you about how God feels about you.
Hebrews 13:5,6
“I have always been there for you, and I always will be.”
Isaiah 43:2
“ I will walk with you forever. Even when your heart and mind are miles away, I will always be right beside you.”
Isaiah 46:4
“You will always be my own personal concern.”
Isaiah 54:10
“I love you. I always have, and I always will.”
When a husband or wife cheats on each other what they are saying is
“Even though I know you deeply and have gotten closer to you than anyone else, someone else has caught my eye. You are not enough and I want this other person more than you.”
It’s a choice someone has made to choose someone else for the most intimate things.
It’s a lot more than disobedience; it’s choosing another lover. It’s ultimate rejection.
Here’s the thing, when you and I rebel against a holy and just God, we’re doing exactly the same thing. Even though your relationship with Him cost Him His own Son’s life – we betray Him.
Whenever you sin, you’re looking for something to satisfy, something to fulfill you, to give you something you want. You’re choosing to give your heart to something other than God. You shatter Him – break His heart. You can’t pretend that He isn’t affected or doesn’t care – HE DOES.
Lay it all down before God tonight, all the hurt, all the pain, misunderstanding, all the garbage and all the “stuff” just lay it all down. Right here, right now right in front of your youth pastor and your youth group and before God. Don’t try to “fix things” then come to Him come now.
Do it right, start a new year and a new experience in God.
January 15th 2009
“HAS IT EVER “ CROSSED “ YOUR MIND
Have you ever really thought about it ?
Why did Jesus have to die, Why is His blood such a big deal?
If He actually sufferred the most inhumane, barbaric , and painful form of capital punishment in the known world, there’s gotta be a story there.
HOW DOES ALL OF THIS AFFECT MY LIFE AND IN YOUR LIFE – RIGHT NOW , IN 2009 ???
Revelation 12:7-9
And war broke out in heaven: lMichael and his angels fought mwith the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they 1did not prevail, nor was a place found for 2them in heaven any longer. 9 So nthe great dragon was cast out, othat serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, pwho deceives the whole world; qhe was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Michael is an archangel - HE’S THE REAL THING (Jude 9). According to Dan. 12:1, he is a special guardian angel for the nation of Israel. Apparently he commands an army of angels. Michael and the heavenly forces are victorious, making heaven off-limits to Satan and his demons.
Revelation 12 lays down a “ behind the scene” look at a real war that it actually going on right now.
There was a beautiful angel named Lucifer who stepped up an all out rebellion against God.
Lucifer was the angel in charge of all the musical worship directed to God, but he wanted worship, he wanted to be god. His rebellion involved one third of the angels and after a battle, God threw both him and his rebels down to earth.
Luke 10:18
“I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven
In the book of Genesis, we read the story of how Satan, in the form of a snake tempted our first parents – Adam and Eve into disobeying God and buying into his plan. God himself had given Adam and Eve authority of earth and everything in it. But by sinning against God and buying into the enemy’s plan, they turned that authority over to the enemy. That passed a death sentence on the entire human race. The enemy absolutely loved it. He started to run with it and
That’s why the Bible calls him the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the prince of this world, the god of this age.
1 John 5:19 “ The world around us is under the power and control of the evil one.”
That’s God’s picture of our totally messed up sick world.
Satan’s plan as it relates to us has worked pretty well so far. You and I are trapped under Satan’s power. We inherited it all from the beginning. We’re spiritually dead and separated from a Holy, Righteous and Just God. You live in an actual kingdom of darkness. Unless you decide to follow Jesus and give your heart and life to Him and go with God’s plan for you.
THE BIBLE DOESN’T SUGAR COAT ANYTHING – IT’S BRUTALLY HONEST AND SAYS IT EXACTLY LIKE IT IS.
Guys, it’s super important that you realize that you really are in a battle. That’s half the battle right there. You can’t win a fight if you’re clueless to the fact that you’re in one. You can’t take on the kingdom of darkness if you aren’t aware that there is one.
When Jesus went to the cross he not only suffered unimaginable physical pain, but he did some major business with God. He actually became sin for us and God punished for all of it.
Here’s the thing; When someone sins, someone has to die. When someone sins, the price is death.
For ethe wages of sin is death, but fthe 8gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
Bottom line is this – YOU’RE EITHER SERVING ONE MASTER OR THE OTHER – THERE’S NO SITTING ON THE FENCE – CAN’T SERVE BOTH.
EACH OF THE TWO MASTERS PAYS WITH THEIR OWN CURRENCY
THE CURRENCY FOR SIN IS DEATH
GOD’S CURRENCY IS ETERNAL LIFE. ( 42 times in the NT) HONESTLY AND OPENLY BEFORE GOD – WHO DO YOU SERVE ??
The enemy could think of no greater win than seeing Jesus killed – to him it was a sweet deal. Destroy God’s Son and win the war – game over.
THE PLAN TOTALLY BACKFIRED !!!!!!!
The death and resurrection of Jesus was his greateast defeat, he lost everything and Jesus won completely.
Jesus death on the cross is powerful – the most powerful thing in the entire universe. . It had the power to free every single person on the planet, past, present and future from sin and from Satan’s hold on them.
Because of what Jesus did on the cross for you and I, the war took a dramatic turn.
That death sentence for the human race was reversed for anyone who would believe, Satan’s claim to authority had been completely undone and his death sentence was finalized. Jesus disarmed him so that you could live.
It’s absolutely critical that you understand what Jesus did. If you don’t, the enemy will get you off track by deceiving you, by scaring you, by helping you to remember what a loser he became when Jesus took him down.
Remember these three points:
1.) Jesus neutralized the enemy
2.) Reversed any claims the enemy had on you
3.) He anhilated the power of death over you.
A Christian is not someone who cannot sin or who never sins, but someone who is no longer a slave to sin.
Guys, the Bible tells us that when you decide to just give it all up, lay it all down and follow Jesus, you actually become completely united with Him. It talks about being clothed with him – you actually put him on.
WHAT HAPPENED ON THE CROSS ALSO HAPPENED TO YOU. WHEN HE ROSE FROM THE GRAVE, THAT ALSO HAPPENED TO YOU.
In God’s eyes and Satan’s eyes, we actually died with Jesus and raised up with him.
What does that mean ? Everything the Enemy had against you, before you gave your heart and life
To Jesus Christ doesn’t apply to your new life in Jesus Christ. That sin that separated you from God is wiped out, washed away – completely and totally forgiven.
When Jesus was here on earth, he had a lot to say about being one with him. The enemy doesn’t want you to hear any of that. In fact he’ll throw things at you like “ Jesus may have overcome evil, but
You aren’t Jesus are you ? He was a special case; you’re not. God doesn’t see it that way and He doesn’t see you that way. He sees you united together with Jesus and sharing in the victory He had when he toasted the enemy. IF YOU KNOW JESUS XHRIST AS SAVIOR AND LORD, If you’re a genuine born again Spirit filled Christian, you have that same power and that same victory in you. Jesus literally lives inside of you and part of what He does living inside of you is take down the kingdom of darkness.
The enemy and his followers didn’t just give up when Jesus disarmed them . They got back in it . They’ll try to tear you down, discourage you, get you all rattled. they’ll trespass on you- GOD’S PRIVATE PROPERTY THAT HE BOUGHT WITH HIS SON’S LIIFE- they continue to mess up our world to make it worse than it already is. They have absolutely no intention of stopping . Guys, you and I need to step up , filled with Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit and take them down. We need to say enough is enough already.
Say I’m not taking this, I will not allow this to happen to me or to my family ( to my youth group family). I will not allow the ememy to mess up my friendships and relationships .
Ephesians 2:6
“He raised us up together, along with Christ and made us sit with him min the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus because we are one with him
A genuine, Born Again Christian is actually seated with Jesus. And where is he seated ?
In a place og honor at God’s right hand. THAT MEANS THAT IF YOU KNOW JESUS, YOU’RE SITTING IN A PLACE OF AUTHORITY RIGHT ALONG SIDE OF HIM!
Jesus is in the highest position in the universe – on the throne at the right hand of God.
Ephesians 1:22
“ God has put all things under the authority of Christ and gave him this authority for our benefit.”
JESUS IS THE ULTIMATE AUTHORITY OF THE SPIRITUAL REALM THAT YOU CAN’T SEE WITH YOUR EYES. TODAY, HE WANTS YOU AND I TO WALK AND LIVE AND MOVE IN THAT AUTHORITY AND POWER. IT’S ONLY WITH THAT POWER AND UNDER THAT AUTHORITY THAT WE DO SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS .
“Take authority and take down the enemy”
January 22, 2009
Ephesians 6:12
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against mprincipalities, against powers, against nthe rulers of 3the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
When you give your heart and life to Christ, you switch kingdoms. You go from darkness to light – from death to life.
The kingdom of darkness absolutely hates to lose any of its people. It will do anything to keep you from living fully and being completely committed to Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.
You and I need a plan to take down the enemy.
Here’s the deal:
Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, you have been totally set free from the power and authority of the enemy. God actually bought you out of that place and the price He paid was His own Son’s life and the blood that He shed. When you give your heart and life to Christ, when you accept Him as Lord and Savior of your life, Satan has absolutely no claim on you – NONE. All he can do is throw accusations, shame, and condemnation at you thinking that you’ll entertain those things enough to allow them to stick and mess up your walk with God.
SATANS ACCUSATIONS AGAINST YOU ARE NO LONGER VALID, WHY? BECAUSE JESUS TOOK HIM DOWN AT THE CROSS. AND TOOK HIM DOWN GOOD!!!!!
Doubt. Fear, depression, all that stuff … that is so not of God. That’s the enemy messin around on private property and HE HAS ABSOLUTELY NO RIGHT WHATSOEVER TO BE DOING IT.
Guys get this; Jesus not only paid the price for your sin and mine, but when Jesus rose from the dead, we were raised to life too. The death sentence you we born with is gone!!!!
Where is Jesus right now?
He’s in the highest position in the universe – at His Father’s right hand.
Ephesians 2:6-7 tells us that if you know Jesus, you’re seated right there with Him.
“and raised us up together, and made us sit together min the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in mHis kindness toward us in Christ Jesus
The Whole Armor of God Ephesians 6
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 lPut on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the 2wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against mprincipalities, against powers, against nthe rulers of 3the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 oTherefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand pin the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, qhaving girded your waist with truth, rhaving put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 sand having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking tthe shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And utake the helmet of salvation, and vthe sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18
Full sermon in that verse alone!!!
Guys, you need the armor and you need every part of it because every part has an important function and it all works together to power you up in the face of any enemy attack. NHL players don’t wear headgear to protect their kneecaps; they wear helmets to protect against getting their brains rattled. You need total protection.
Every morning when you get up, you need to armor up. Not only do you need to put on your armor, you need to know how to use it and God’s Word will show you exactly how to do that
In the battle you’re in right now, you need to know that God’s heart is to draw you close to Him. God can use spiritual battles to complete your identity as His child.
How does that work?
When the enemy attacks you, if you allow those attacks to lead you to your Father God and stand in His truth
several things will happen;
1.) You learn more about who you are in God’s eyes
2.) You grow closer to Him.
3.) You grow closer to living deeper in victory like He wants you to.
4.) You become a much more lethal threat to the enemy and his kingdom of darkness.
When Satan attacks you, he’s the loser. Romans 8:28 comes into live action!
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those nwho are the called according to His purpose
You can also use God’s Word to take back territory that that enemy has jacked from you already. The more you get into God’s Word the more your confidence and faith in God is going to grow. He’s going to start showing you places and areas of your life where you haven’t been living in as much victory as He wants you. Talk to God about that and be open to everything He show and tells you.
Another major weapon we have is WORSHIP.
Focusing our hearts and thoughts on our God, telling Him how much we love Him, telling Him how great and awesome He is.
Here’s the thing. Whatever you focus on gets bigger in your own eyes and it’s all about that. If you focus on the enemy more than you focus on God. You’ll get all hung up on the enemy and start thinking, “ maybe this guy really can take me.”
When you’re all focused on God, when He’s the big picture, your faith builds up.
Bottom line guys is this;
Fighting spiritual battles / spiritual warfare isn’t really about having all your battle techniques down. It’s about having the biggest dad in the neighborhood – and knowing it. He’s in total control – always has and always will.
You need to remind the enemy that your Dad owns the hood.
“mess with my dad and you goin down !!!!
He loves you so much and He wants you to come to Him right now.
“Choose this day”
Joshua 24: 14- 18
Thursday February 19, 2009
Joshua – “Israeli ultimate warrior” He was a great leader who led major battles for God.
- Had seen the ten plagues that hit Egypt
- Saw the Passover when the death angel went through the country
- He saw God part the Red Sea
- He was an assistant to Moses. Climbed up Mt .Sinai with Moses when God gave them the 10 commandments.
The Isrealites could have made the trip to Caanan ( their promised land ) in about a week and a half – 10 days. But because they griped and complained and sinned again and again against God, they ended up wandering around in the desert for 40 years. Out of the original 2 million Isralis who left Egypt, Joshua was one of two Out of the original 2 million Isralis who left Egypt, Joshua was one of two who actually entered the promised land . Even Moses himself didn’t enter the promised land – he only got to look at it. . Joshua was an incredible man of God. He had an incredible love and devotion for God. He was a man of courage, faith, vision and loyalty. He was a man who spent a lot of time in God’s presence.
He had lived through the up’s and downs and hard times of the Isrealites as they wondered around in the desert. Eventhough God looked after them, did amazing miracles right in front of them , the Isrealis were always up and down in their relationship with God. One day, they’d be full boar for God then completely disobey Him the next. This went on and on and on ….
Joshua became their leader and one day he sits them down and gives them a pretty hardcore ciommand that still applies to you and I today. It’s not an option or a suggestion – it’s a command. When God lays down a command you better not only be listening up but you better obey the command – to the letter.
“ Faithfully Serve the Lord because he is our God. “
You need to put away all the garbage that you’ve allowed to pollute your life and drag you away from God. He asks them to make the ultimate decision.
“ CHOOSE THIS DAY WHO YOU ARE GOING TO SERVE.”
God is putting out that same message right now, to every single person here. Gus, God is saying “ it’s hardcore ecision time” THE CHOICE YOU MAKE WILL DETERMINE YOUR DESTINY.- YOUR ETERNITY. Who are you going to serve?
Are you going to honor me in all your ways in absolutely every area of your life , or are you going to go after everything that’s out there ?
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No one apart from Jesus Christ can love God or choose God’s way for their lives. Only when we belong to Jesus do we have the freedom to choose God’s path for our lives. He provides the supernatural power to ultimately choose good over evil or righteous living over selfish living. The choices you make TODAY reveals your heart, our character and whom we serve.
Choosing to serve the Lord is not always an easy decision. Sometimes it means going against the religious beliefs of your family. Other times peer pressure and the desire to "fit in" make us hesitant to declare openly our commitment to the Lord. Many people find it easiest to behave like a chameleon, changing colors to fit whatever group they happen to be with. But that only temporarily avoids making the hard decision.
Drink, smoke up, swear and get wasted when you’re with that crowd, morph into “Christian mode” when you hit the from door of the church.
Today, decide to take a stand. Whom will you serve? Will it be yourself? Will it be the gods sex drugs, rock n roll and all the other toxic waste out there that will kill you emotionally, physically and spiritually and ultimately separate you forever from a Holy and Righteous God ? Or will you choose the God who loves you? Making a decision for Christ may be hard, but it's a choice you will never regret.
In our lives if we get even close to Satan's side of the line we place ourselves in danger. The farther we go the more dangerous it becomes and the more difficult it is to come back from that steep slippery footing.
In Ephesian 4: The Apostle Paul says “ don’t give the enemy a foothold” Don’t even expose the tiniest crack in your life to the enemy because he will get in.
Be careful where you go, what you do, how you conduct yourself, how you talk. If anything, any activity, or anyone does’nt line up100% with God’s Word, don’t walk away from it – run from it – Don’t get involved. Don’t go there, stay away.
Friendships / relationships
This is a big one that comes in right about here, it’s also the place where a lot of people start tuning out.
LISTEN UP !!
So what kind of friends do you hang around?What kind of relationships do you have ?
Friends are GREAT !
Friends can help you!
Friends can comfort you!
Friends will do the things you like to do.
Friends certainly influence you whether you realize it or not.
Teens, you need to be especially careful when you choose friends, because - friends WILL influence.
If you’re hangin’ with someone or some people who aren’t 100% sold out for Jesus Christ, THEIR PRIORITIES ARE NOT GOD PRIORITIES.
As you sit here today in your cozy ROOTS Cellar with your youth family – WHERE ARE YOUR PRIORITIES ? ARE THEY GOD PRIORITIES. Do you serve God, do you live for him, do you have a hunger for the things of God ? Do you really have a heart after God – if you do, you’ll have a lifestyle that walk in obedience to and honors God.
"But their my best friend" you say!
"But I really like them!" they’re so nice, supportive, caring. Are their Priorities God Priorities?
"But they're really good looking! This just feels so good and so right.
Are their Priority God?
As Christians, your First responsibility is Not to yourself, Not to your Friends, but to God.
Does your Bible say in Mark 12:30 "And you shall love your Friends with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength"?
No! Your FIRST Responsibility is "to love God with all your heart". To love Him, to Serve Him and to follow Him – FIRST and always FIRST. . Yes you will love your friends, but God must have the Supreme place in all that you do. Including who you choose as friends!
God has called you to choose your friends wisely.
God has called you to walk godly and keep from sin.
Being a Christian is a high standard it’s a special calling. Scripture tells us to “ walk worthy of your calling.”
To step it up and serve Jesus will mean saying NO sometimes. I will will not go there or participate in that.
All my “friends” will be there, “everybody” is doing that. It’s just fun, it’s harmless, I’m only going to do it once, no bigee ”. … Being a Christian / someone who represents Jesus Christ has to say no. REMEMBER YOUR CALLING, REMEMBER THE STANDARD.
ve you ever prayed to God,
"Lord, what do you think of my friends? Please lead me toward friends that will encourage me to be closer to You God.
GULP ! AHH, Meeee pray THAT!
You need to choose friends that will lead you CLOSER to God. You may be thinking,
"Whoah, are you saying that my:
rebellious friends...
my friends that run towards and look for sin...
my friends that act ungoldy?"
Are you saying these friends are not good for me?
Let's answer that with Scripture:
1Cor. 5:6, "Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?"
What was happening in the Corithian church? The believers at Corinth thought they were doing pretty well spiritually because they could tolerate sin in their church. Yes, God has called us to "forgive one another". However, God never encourages the believers to except or tolerate out right sin in the "CAMP"! Paul goes on to say in 1Cor. 5 "cast out the leaven."
You all know what leaven or yeast does when it's placed in a ball of dough. It reacts with all the flour and ingredients around it. Just a pinch of yeast will eventually impact the whole ball of dough. In the same way Paul is teaching that a little sin from one person can and will impact others in the group.
There is certainly an issue of personal separation here.
Sinful actions in one often produce sinful actions in others!
God warns us in Prov. 13:20
"He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed."
Christian teen, God has called you to choose your friends wisely.
God has called you to walk godly and keep from sin.
So if your friend is ungoldy, if your friend influences you to sin...
You NEED to get away from that friend!
You Need to choose godly friends!
You Need to be with friends that will encourage you toward godliness.
Even if it means having to walk away from ungodly friends.
Friend, these things may be hard to hear at the moment, but you Need to hear them! I've given counsel to people before that were getting involved with the wrong people, but they wouldn't listen to the warnings! They told me "Oh, I'm OK! I'm not going to become like them!"
But that kind of thinking is ignoring the CLEAR teaching from God's Word. God says "a little leaven leavens the whole lump" meaning, the sins of one person WILL impact others. God also warns us that "bad company WILL corrupt your good morals." DON'T ignore God's Word in this area of your life!
Perhaps you're a friend that needs to repent because you've been a poor influence on a Christian brother or sister.
Maybe you need to apologize and ask forgiveness for being an ungodly friend.
It could be that you need to ask forgiveness for leading a friend astray.
maybe it's been a bad attitude...
or perhaps it's been immorality...
It could be your spiritual apathy... your - "I don't care attitude" that's been a bad influence on your friends.
Do the right thing and ask for forgiveness and get back on track spiritually. If you're a Christian teen, you have a responsibility for what you know from God's Word. Be a godly influence on all your friends.
So how do you go about developing godly friendships?
Ben Franklin said, "Be slow in choosing friends..."
That's a wise saying. You need to choose a friend that is Sensitive to sins, their own and yours. If they don't care about their own sins, THEN they're certainly Not going to care about your relationship with God.
Prov. 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
A godly friend is going to warn you when he sees you going astray.
A godly friend will really love you enough to point out your sin.
A godly friend will be concerned about your walk with God.
A godly friend will encourage you to be godly!
A godly friend will encourage you to be faithful to God.
Remember this, your goal as a Christian teenager is to become more and more like Jesus Christ. So choose friends that will help you toward that end.
Let us all choose this day to serve the Lord and stay on the Lord's side of the line. We must not try to live on the edge and tempt Satan to lure us over to his dangerous slippery side where we are constantly in danger of a tragic fall from which it is so difficult to return.
Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve: Joshua commands them to choose whom you will serve, not if you will serve. We will all serve someone - either the devil (intentionally or not), or the LORD. We really are not left the option of not serving anyone.
b. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD: Joshua, as a wise man, sees the situation sensibly - he makes the intelligent choice to say as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
The Bible makes it clear that GOD does not force acceptance of HIMSELF nor obedience to HIM but allows each human to decide whether to choose GOD or choose the devil. There are several Scriptures that say that precisely:
"And THE LORD GOD took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And THE LORD GOD commanded the man, ' of every tree of the Garden, thou mayest freely eat. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in that day that thou eatest of it, thou shalt surely die. " Genesis 2: 15-17
"And it shall come to pass if thou hearken diligently unto the voice of THE LORD thy GOD, to observe and to do all HIS Commandments which I command thee this day, that THE LORD thy GOD will set thee high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou hearken unto the voice of THE LORD thy GOD." . . and it shall come to pass if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of THE LORD thy GOD to observe to do all HIS Commandments and HIS statutes, which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee." Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 15
"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life; that both thou and thy seed may live, that thou mayest love THE LORD thy GOD and that thou mayest obey HIS voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto HIM; for HE is thy life and the length of thy days." Deuteronomy 30:19-20
"Now therefore fear THE LORD and serve HIM in sincerity and in truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt, and serve ye THE LORD. And if it seem evil unto you, to serve THE LORD, choose you this day,whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve THE LORD." Joshua 24: 14-15
"they chose new [false] gods; then was war in their gates; " Judges 5:8a
"Set the trumpet to thy mouth: he [the wicked] shall come as an eagle against the House of THE LORD, because they have transgressed MY COVENANT, and trespassed against MY law. . . they have set up Kings but not by ME; they have made Princes and I knew it not; of their silver and their gold have them made them idols; that they may be cut off. Thy calf O Samaria hath cast thee off; MINE anger is kindled against them. . . the workman made it; therefore it is not of GOD, but the calf of Samaria shall be broken in pieces; for they have sown the wind and they shall reap the whirlwind; it hath no stalk; the bud shall yield no meal, if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up. . . because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin, altars shall be unto him to sin. I have written to him the great things of MY law, but they counted it as a strange thing. They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of MINE offerings, and eat it; but THE LORD accepteth them not; now will HE remember their iniquity, and visit their sins; they shall return to Egypt. For Israel hath forgotten his MAKER and buildeth temples and Judah hath multiplied fenced cities; but I will send a fire upon his cities and it shall devour the palaces thereof. " Hosea 1,4,5a,6c,7,11,-14
"So Gad came to David and said unto him,'thus saith THE LORD, choose thee either three months famine or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while the sword of thy enemy overtaketh thee; " I Chronicles 21: 11-12a
"Then shall they call upon ME but I will not answer; they shall seek ME early, but they shall not find ME. For that they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of THE LORD; they would [have] none of MY counsel, they despised all MY reproof. Therefore shall they eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices; for the turning away of the simple shall slay them; and the properity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto ME, shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil." Proverbs 2: 28-33
"refuse the evil, and choose the good." Isaiah 15c
"For thus saith THE LORD unto the eunuchs that keep MY Sabbaths, and choose the things that please ME, and take hold of MY Covenants; even unto them, will I give in MINE house and within MY walls, a place and a Name better than of sons or daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. " Isaiah 56:4-5
"But ye are they that forsake THE LORD ,that forget MY Holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number. Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter, because when I called , ye did not answer; when I spake ye did not hear; but did evil before MINE eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted NOT. Therefore thus saith THE LORD, behold, MY servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry; behold MY servants shall drink but ye shall be thirsty; behold, MY servants shall rejoice but ye shall be ashamed. Behold, MY servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of grief." Isaiah 65: 11-14
JESUS said, 'he that is not with ME is against ME; " Matthew 12: 30a
"And JESUS knew their thoughts, and said unto them, 'every Kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every City or house divided against itself shall not stand. And if satan cast out satan, he is divided against himself, how then shall his kingdom stand?" Matthew 12: 25-26
JESUS said, 'if a man love ME, he will keep MY words and MY FATHER shall love him; and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." John 14:23
JESUS saith unto him, " I AM the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto THE FATHER but by ME." John 14:6
JESUS said, 'if ye abide in ME, and MY words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you. . . if ye keep MY commandments, ye shall abide in MY love, even as I have kept THE FATHER's Commandments, and abide in HIS love." John 15:7, 10
JESUS said, 'behold I stand at the door and knock; if any man will hear MY voice and open the door, I will come in to him; and will sup with him and he with ME." Revelation 3:20
JESUS said, 'and he that overcometh and keepeth MY works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations." Revelation 2: 26
Lookin’ Back
February 26, 2009
Every one of us has a history, we’ve all got a story
Today, we’re going to do some lookin’ back. Each one of us is going to nail down a better picture of who we are and who God is.
“ Hindsight is 20/20 “ But sometimes the best, most accurate way to take a serious look at our lives is lookin’ backwards.
Have you ever asked yourself “ how did I become who I am today ?” How did I end up right here, right now ?”
That’s a pretty big question, it’s also an important question.
Whether we’re old or young, every one of us can look back to different people, events, circumstances and situations. Some good, some bad. All those experiences were a combination of what moulded you, what shaped you and set your life here in a certain direction. Different people for good or bad, spoke into your life. Your passions, your personality and even your dreams and ambitions shaped you too.
Through it all, God has watched you and watched all those pieces of the puzzle that make up your life come together. Even before you really knew anything about God, He was working in your life, dropping little hints into you to speak to you and let you know that He was there.
At the same time, the enemy was out to take you down and he still is.
There’s two main reasons to look back
1.) To look at how the the enemy has ripped you off and what he stolen from you.
2.) To ask God to restore back to you everything the enemy has taken from you.
There’s a saying “ hurt people hurt people” and it’s so true. People who are broken themselves can break other people too. Throw the combination of events in a messed up
World in the mix = a recipe for pain , a whole lot of hurting and some nasty scarring too. During your life, your heart will take some major hits – guaranteed.
You can have a bazillion questions when someone you love decides to dist you or walk out of your life. “Am I loveable ? Will I ever be loved ?Does anyone really care ? …….
Horrible events shatter your world and absolutely nothing makes sense. It’s all just intense pain that never stops no matter what you do.
It’s important for you to understand something right here;
The pain from wounds you’ve taken can almost seem unbearable but WITH THAT PAIN, ALSO COMES A MESSAGE THAT THE ENEMY TRIES TO STICK ON YOU.
Your best friend dies in your arms after they got hit by a drunk driver – you start thinking
“This is God’s fault, He let this happen, and you start pulling away from God because the enemy has been messin with your head and you start thinking that maybe your God isn’t so awesome after all.
I had a friend in Toronto Ontario named Tom. One night after church, Tom and his girlfriend were driving home with some people from their youth group. Tom was making a left turn at a busy intersection. Instead of hitting the brake, he floored it. His girlfriend saw the vehicle coming at them and started screaming. That vehicle hit them and completely wrote off their car. She was killed instantly. To this day, Tom can still hear that scream.
Maybe a guy gets cut from the volleyball team tryouts and he’s all stressed that if he fails, he won’t be liked and he’ll have a big L on his forehead. He might jump head first into his academics to perform and get acceptance.
Think about the times you’ve been shredded and hurt. What did you believe at that time?
About Life ? About yourself ? about God ?.
THAT MESSAGE THAT TAGS ONTO YOUR PAIN IS ALWAYS A LIE. IT’S A LIE FROM THE DEVIL HIMSELF ABOUT GOD’S CHARACTER OR IT’S A LIE ABOUT WHO YOU ARE.
The enemy sees when you get hurt and he absolutely loves it because he can use them against you. He’ll try to rip open those scars and make those wounds even deeper by building up the lies they came with.
Guys, the devil is the father of lies and the master of deception - John 8:44
When you take a hit from this world and you’re hurt and absolutely crushed, there’s two things that have to happen for you to heal;
1.) You have to make a choice not to accept the lies that came with those wounds. Rest completely on God’s Word, because His Word is 100% truth.
You need to understand that there’s a whole lot more going on than you can actually see and no matter what that lie is - GOD IS FOR YOU NOT AGAINST YOU. He sees your hurt and He loves you more than you can imagine. God is totally crazy about YOU !!
Remember this; No matter who it’s coming from. If something you’re hearing doesn’t sound like Jesus would say it, DON’T BUY INTO IT – DON’T BELIEVE IT - EVER.
2.) To heal from wounds ( and this is a real bigee) – YOU HAVE TO FORGIVE WHOEVEVER HURT YOU.
If you don’t, bitterness, hatred and anger is going to stay in you, gnaw away at you, slice you up and it will kill you, just like shrapnel in a hand grenade.
Satan loves for those things to take root inside you. Don’t let him !!
Colossians 3:13
“Make allowance for eachother’s faults and forgive the person who hurts you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”
A forgiving spirit is an absolutely essential characteristic for someone who has been forgiven by Jesus Christ.
HE WENT ALL THE WAY FOR YOU – HE DIED THE MOST PAINFUL AND AGONIZING FORM OF CAPITAL PUNISMENT IN THE KNOWN WORLD SO YOU COULD BE FORGIVEN.
-Any time you get mad at someone and feel like you just want to give them a beat down – You need to start the process of forgiving.
If you’ve been hurt so bad that you keep reliving it over and over in your mind and you feel like someone has drop kicked you in the abs – You’ve probably never dealt with it – you need to forgive.
You have to heal from your wounds or they will affect you, change you and harden you
towards everyone including God.
Sometimes, we need to forgive other people, but sometimes, we need to forgive ourselves too. When you’ve messed up and sinned against God – go to Him, confess it to Him.
You need to give yourself a break. As far as God is concerned, you’re totally forgiven – washed clean by Jesus’ blood. IF THAT’S ENOUGH IN GOD’S EYES, IT SHOULD BE ENOUGH FOR YOU !
God and only God makes the call about your righteousness. WHEN HE SAYS YOU’RE FORGIVEN – YOU ARE.
You need to understand that God can use adversity to your benefit. That’s right, to your benefit.
In every awful situation, whether you were a victim of a broken world or someone else, of Satan or yourself. God can use the hard things in your past to grow new things.
God can restore what has been taken from you. No matter what comes your way, if you turn to God about them, God wins – you do too !
God uses adversity to purify us. Sometimes it takes the heat of trials to help separate out the impurities in our lives. Challenges can force us to examine our lives and look at what’s really important.
Adversity can also give us just the motivation we need to follow God’s plan. When you ask God for guidance and act in obedience to His Word, you’ll be amazed at what happens.
The trials of our lives also help grow our faith. Consider the muscles in your body. They are strengthened as they are stressed and pushed to the limit. Our faith is the same. The more it is tested, the stronger it becomes.
God also uses adversity to teach us perseverance, endurance, and character. Quality, strong people are always those who have come through the fire.
If you are in the midst of a struggle today, hang on. Keep steadfast in your faith, because your trials won’t last forever. And you will come out on the other side a better person, one who is better equipped to handle the strains and stresses each of us inevitably face.
Think about Joseph ( the Technicolor dream coat guy) He had to endure many trials in order to fulfill God’s divine plan for his life. He was tested and tried. He grew in wisdom and faith. And in the end, he was prepared and positioned to save his family and an entire nation!
So no matter what is going on in your life today, remember this: God always has your best interest at heart. He has not forgotten you. And He can be trusted with your future.
