Bumps

      

'These trials will show that your faith is genuine...' 1 Peter 1:7 NLT

Part of my message yesterday was on being a overcomer in life. We read scripture and understand it, but its oh so hard to live it out sometimes. Living out our faith when the bumps hit is the biggest test on the road to walking the victorious life. Sometimes we look around to gauge how other people's faith is compared to ours. It is impossible to tell by looking at a person how much faith they have. Compare your faith to a covered bucket of water; you only discover how much is inside when somebody bumps it. Likewise, when life bumps you, you spill out what you are full of. Maybe you took a financial hit in the last few years: bump! What spilled out, fear or faith? Maybe you, or a loved one, received bad news from the doctor and you're going for tests: bump! What splashed over the side? Dreading the worst or trusting God for the best? People can't tell by looking at you how much faith you have, but they can tell by listening to you. In life, bumps are going to happen. You will be tested. And the purpose of the test is not just to reveal your faith, but to refine it. God doesn't test your faith in order to know how much you have, He already knows. No, He tests your faith so that you can know - and start strengthening it. Stop and consider the hardest thing that's going on in your life right now, then ask yourself, 'Is this situation decreasing my faith or increasing it?' The Bible says: 'These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold - though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.' (1 Peter 1:7 NLT) You are loved!

Winning Your Personal War With Satan (5)

     

'...Wash your hands, you sinners...' James 4:8 NIV

Today I will finish with our thoughts on spiritual warfare. James 4:8 says,'Wash your hands, you sinners.' The moment you 'come near to God,' you become aware of your condition. Notice, God doesn't demand you wash your hands before He will respond to you! All your attempts at self-improvement won't work. Why? Because His grace is the only basis on which He can relate to you (Ephesians 2:89). God points to your defeat zones not to condemn you, but to cleanse you. He knows that dirty hands enable Satan to accuse you before Him so He tells you to wash your hands, 'and do not give the devil a foothold.' (Ephesians 4:27 NIV) Once you've confessed your sins and been cleansed, you can look Satan in the eye and say, 'No ground; not even an inch!' James continues, '...Purify your hearts, you doubleminded.' (James 4:8 NIV) Your heart is like a hard drive; it's where you store things. 'It is with your heart that you believe...' (Romans 10:10 NIV) Your heart generates and stores your beliefs, constructive and destructive. Once you form a belief you begin to live it out good or bad. If you allow double mindedness in- you begin to do things you know that's wrong, yet think you can get away with it. How can you overcome the enemy with a heart full of wrong beliefs and a double mind? It isn't by turning over a new leaf'? It's by coming before God and saying, 'Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a steadfast spirit within me.' (Psalm 51:10 NKJV) When you pray that way, God will cleanse you, clothe you with power, and cause you to walk in victory. You are loved!

Winning Your Personal War With Satan (4)

    

'Come near to God and He will come near to you...' James 4:8 NIV

Resisting the devil is imperative, but it is not the endgame. Think about this for a moment because it's really pretty simple: 'Come near to God and He will come near to you.' Satan's goal is to drive a wedge between you and God, so how do you keep him from doing it? By closing the gap between you and God! There are three things that make or break us in our daily battles walking this journey of faith:  (1) We Distance ourselves from God unconsciously... You become preoccupied, self-centered, or overcommitted. Before you know it, prayer is limited to grace said over meals, Bible reading to the pastor's sermon text, and worship to a Sunday morning interlude.  The writer of Hebrews says '...Pay more careful attention, therefore, to what [you] have heard, so that [you] do not drift away.' (Hebrews 2:1 NIV) Distancing is a subtle drift, not a sudden dash. (2) Distancing from God is dangerous... Satan's goal is to separate you from God and His blessing. Like a soldier in enemy territory who's cut off, you become an easy target. The Bible says, 'If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.' (Ecclesiastes 4:10 NLT) (3) Distancing from God is a choice... But it's your choice, never God's! He says, '...I will never leave you, nor forsake you.' (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV) Whatever your circumstances, He remains faithful. 'When you pass through the waters...the fire...I am with you...' (Isaiah 43:2-5 NIV) What's God's part? 'He will come near to you.' Take one step in His direction and He will close the gap, embrace, secure, and enable you '...to stand against the wiles of the devil.' (Ephesians 6:11 NKJV) So put on the whole armor of God! You are loved... 

Winning Your Personal War With Satan (3)

'...Resist the devil...he will flee from you.' James 4:7 KJV

Just a reminder to our parents of teenagers, that tonight is Youth Group here @CFW. I hope you'll make spiritual discipleship a priority in your children's lives...starts @6:45 @CFW...Also Men's Conference (May 17-18) early Registration deadline is this Sunday; $57 early bird special.

Yesterday we looked at applying self-control to our daily lives. That seems funny to put it that way but once you become self-controlled, alert, and submitted to God, your next step must be to: 'Resist the devil...he will flee from you' When you are properly aligned with Jesus, His power and authority are behind you and at your disposal. Then when you act or speak you do so, not on your own, but as His representative. Think about it this way; when a police officer orders you to stop because you're driving too fast, the entire force of the law comes into operation. If you refuse to stop you are taking on the whole police force, the court, bringing down the full weight of their combined authority on your head. Some of you understand this totally because you've put this to the test. Others have never had the full authority of the law on them and so its harder to understand. In some ways it's also harder to understand in the spiritual realm. Think about this for a moment; as long as that policeman is aligned with and submitted to those who are over him when he speaks and acts - they speak and act through him. Are you getting the idea? In God's Kingdom the submitted life represents the King. So when you speak and act according to God's will, He speaks and acts through you. Even Satan cannot break this chain of command! Nor can he withstand it. 'Behold, I give you the authority...over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.' (Luke 10:19 NKJV) When you are submitted to God you can resist the devil as Jesus did when He said, 'Away from Me, Satan! For it is written: "Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only." Then the devil left Him.' (Matthew 4:1011 NIV) And when you speak those same words to the devil, '...he will flee from you.' (James 4:7 KJV) You are loved... 

Winning Your Personal War With Satan (2)

        
'Submit yourselves therefore to God...' James 4:7 KJV

One of the hardest things in life is bringing your mind under God's control. As a young believer I would constantly be in this fight; sometimes I'd win and other times I'd lose. Eventually I began to understand that being 'self-controlled and alert' to Satan's strategies empowers you to be proactive in your personal war with him (1 Peter 5:8 NIV). Listen because this next step is crucial. The art of war follows set rules of engagement. If you're losing more than winning, then you may have omitted this vital rule: 'Submit yourselves therefore to God.' Salvation doesn't enroll you in a club for the religious elite; it enlists you in the army of the Lord. And this war isn't just about you - it's also about your King, His rulership and authority, and who acknowledges it. Kingdom power is only given by the King to His subjects. To win this battle you must recognise your King and submit to Him. The Roman centurion who met Christ and asked for his help understood this. 'I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, "Go," and he goes; and that one, "Come,"' and he comes...' (Luke 7:8 NIV) He recognised that he, like Jesus, got his power by submitting to authority. Submitting yourself to Jesus is what gives you the power to battle Satan successfully. Don't hurl yourself into the battle. Instead, recognise Christ's authority and submit to it because it's the submitted life that overcomes. At the point of your temptation, seize the moment and surrender yourself to Jesus, the King of kings, who said, '...All authority has been given to Me in Heaven and on earth.' (Matthew 28:18 NKJV) Under His authority you discover that victory over Satan comes, '..."Not by [human] might nor by [human] power, but by My Spirit," says the Lord of hosts.' (Zechariah 4:6 NKJV) You are loved!

Winning Your Personal War With Satan (1)

     

'Be selfcontrolled and alert...' 1 Peter 5:8 NIV

I was thinking this morning as I was preparing my thought today that if we are to win the battle of renewing our minds as I shared yesterday; we also have to win the war with Satan. How do win the daily battles so we can be on track with God? Think about when nations decide to end a conflict, their leaders sign treaties that allow for the restoration of peaceful relations between them. Christ's death and resurrection defeated Satan fairly and squarely. Then Christ the victor '...ascended up on high, [and] He led captivity captive...' (Ephesians 4:8 KJV) He was welcomed back in Heaven as conqueror. But here on earth, no treaty was ever signed between Satan and God's people. You are still his target. He continues to be a thief who comes to '...steal, kill and destroy...' (John 10:10 TLB) He still '...prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.' (1 Peter 5:8 NIV) But Christ's victory on the cross has positioned you to walk in daily triumph over Satan. However, winning your personal war with the Accuser isn't a matter of brains or brawn; it's a spiritual battle and you can only win it by employing God's strategies for victory. Kind of like the formula I was sharing in Romans 12:1-2 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God--this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform 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." For the next few days let's look at some ways to renew yourself: 'Be self-controlled and alert...' (1 Peter 5:8 NIV) Being 'self-controlled' implies staying in charge of your emotions, thoughts, words, decisions and actions. It requires taking responsibility for your own life; not allowing people, circumstances or the devil to take the steering wheel from your hands and usurp your Power of Attorney to gain control. Being 'alert' means being conscious of your weaknesses and Satan's corresponding ploys. You can't afford to coast, run on autopilot, or go with the flow. Being alert exposes Satan's well laid strategies, enabling you to stop him dead in his tracks. You are loved...
  
 

Lazarus

     

'...If you would believe you would see the glory of God.' John 11:40 NKJV

Just a reminder that Missionary Allan Johnson is going to be with us this Sunday sharing his recent research on the book of Daniel and the prophesies that are tied to the stars and planets. I hope you make it a priority to come hear him share his work...

Can you imagine what the glory of God is going to be like? Jesus says in John 11:40 '...If you would believe you would see the glory of God.' Having a belief system in place that believes God for the impossible is for every believer. In the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, you'll notice three important principles: (1) Mary and Martha had a close relationship with Jesus before the crisis arose. When Jesus came to town, He stayed at their home and ate at their table. They were givers, not takers. You can't refuse to give God a minute of your time, an ounce of your energy or a cent of your money, then when trouble comes, say, 'Lord, why did You let this happen?' Jesus said, 'If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.' (John 15:7 NKJV) (2) Having a relationship with Jesus doesn't mean you won't have trouble But it does mean that you can go to Him with confidence in times of trouble. Yes, you must pay attention to your career and your family, but you must also pay attention to the most important relationship of all - the one you have with the Lord. '...If our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we obey His commands and do what pleases Him.' (1 John 3:2122 NIV) (3) When you bring Jesus into the situation, He will change it Lazarus was already dead and buried by the time Jesus got there. Humanly speaking, it was hopeless. But in moments like these God asks you, '...Is there anything too hard for Me?' (Jeremiah 32:27 NKJV) If your answer is 'No, Lord,' then your problem becomes an opportunity for Him to demonstrate His love and care for you. Will you put your trust in Him and Believe! You are loved...