Are You Experiencing God's Grace?

      

'Grace be unto you, and peace, from God...'
1 Corinthians 1:3 KJV

Several of Paul's epistles open with the words, 'Grace be unto you, and peace, from God.' That's because you cannot experience God's peace unless you first know how to receive His grace and walk in it. "You may say walking in grace is easy?" On the surface it may look like it. But unless you learn some principles to live by, it's really harder than you might think. There are three things about grace you need to understand: (a) it cannot be earned; (b) it is God doing for you what you cannot do for yourself; (c) it doesn't kick in until you stop struggling and trying to do it in your own strength. The Bible says, '...God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' (James 4:6 NIV) The 'humble' are those who admit their total inability to succeed without God's help, but the 'proud' are always trying to take the credit. They like to think it's their ability that gets the job done, so they have difficulty asking God for grace, and even more difficulty receiving it. Peter writes, 'Grow in grace...' (2 Peter 3:18 KJV) You only learn to trust God - by doing it! You grow in grace by taking God at His Word, counting on His gracious provision for each day, and His intervention in situations that are difficult or impossible for you. There will never be a day when you don't need God's grace. And if you are willing to acknowledge you need it and receive it by faith, there will be no shortage of it. 'For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favour upon favour and gift [heaped] upon gift.' (John 1:16 AMP) You are loved!

Covetousness (4)

   
'...Be content with such things as you have...' Hebrews 13:5 NKJV
 Thank you to everyone who made our Appreciation Sunday a success yesterday...There was a wonderful sweet Spirit as God walked amongst us. We appreciate and love our church family!

If your goals are God centered, He will help you to achieve them. But if you are asking Him for something just because your neighbor has it, you'll be disappointed. The Bible says, '...No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.' (Psalm 84:11 NAS) When God withholds something from you, trust Him; He knows what He's doing. God loves you too much to give you what you're not ready for, can't handle, doesn't fit into His plan for your life, or will end up draining your energies and maybe even destroying you. Please when I share this I mean this! God loves you so much He wouldn't throw things at you that you can't handle. When you covet something, and make it essential to your happiness, and beg God to give it to you, you're asking Him to replace Himself with something you consider more important. When you do this, God may allow you to experience the consequences Israel suffered. 'He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.' (Psalm 106:15 NKJV) Don't reach the end of your life only to look back with regret on a shattered marriage, children who've gone astray, a blighted conscience or the pain of realizing you missed out on God's best. Our problem is not that we don't want God; it's that we want God - plus - a house by the sea, an impressive career, a perfect spouse, or whatever catches our fancy. That's why Jesus said, '...Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.' (Luke 12:15 NKJV) Life is not built on things, it's built on relationships. And the first relationship you need to work on is your relationship with God. You are loved!

Covetousness (3)

'He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.' Psalm 106:15 NKJV

See if you recognise this pattern. As slaves in Egypt the Israelites pray, 'God, get us out of here!' So He does. Then in the wilderness, on their way to the Promised Land they say, 'God, we're going to die out here. We were better off in Egypt. At least there, we had all the food we wanted.' So God sends bread from Heaven. He even delivers it to their door. It was a diet so perfect that '...there was not one feeble person among [them].' (Psalm 105:37 KJV) Did that make them happy? No! They said, 'We're tired of this stuff, we want some prime rib.' So God says ok, '[I'll] give you meat, and you will eat it...until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it...' (Numbers 11:1820 NIV) Covetousness angers God because it is rooted in pride that says, 'I deserve better,' and ingratitude that says, 'I want something other than what You've blessed me with.' The saying goes, 'Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.' Because they thought something else could satisfy them in a way that God couldn't, 'He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.' With God, you can be satisfied with very little. Without Him, all your acquisitions and accomplishments will leave you empty. What are you coveting? Putting your life on hold for? Continually begging God for? Nothing is essential but God. Material things can never take His place. Jesus said, "Seek first the kingdom of God and all His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you." You don't need to chase after things, because His heart and desire is that you only have a heart for Him...you are loved...

Covetousness (2)

 

'You shall not covet...' Exodus 20:17 NKJV
      

  


This question has probably been asked throughout the ages; 
why do we keep giving in to sinful desires? For two reasons: (1) Because the new birth doesn't automatically do away with the old nature. Our natures are like two cars approaching crossroads at the same time, your old and new natures are always on a collision course. If you ever have played chicken as a kid you know what I mean. The goal in chicken is to ride towards another and see who chicken's out first. But with our spiritual natures they seem to want to collide and collide. It's a circle that only God can help you break. (2) Because if you dwell on a desire long enough, yielding is only a matter of time. Ever gone to your fridge when you weren't really hungry, but weren't really satisfied, sort of looking for something to grab you? As bad as that is, it's worse when you do it in life. It's like surfing the web of behavior options, looking for something to make you happier than you are at that particular moment. When you covet something, you embellish and empower it, making it more attractive and accessible. A one-night stand? You say, 'Nobody will ever know.' The Bible says, 'Do not be deceived; God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows, that also will he reap.' (Galatians 6:7 NKJV) As surely as a seed produces a harvest, your decisions will have consequences. Covetousness just maximises the desire while minimising the danger. It's impossible to dwell on a desire for any length of time without rationalising a way to get it. Like starting the countdown on the space shuttle, it's just a matter of time before you get liftoff. So if you're dwelling on it, set the clock; yielding is inevitable. What's the answer? Change your focus! 'Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.' (Romans 8:5 NKJV) You are loved...

Covetousness (1)

 

'Let your conduct be without covetousness...' Hebrews 13:5 NKJV

Covetousness begins with craving, and then evolves into conniving to get what you want. You know what I'm talking about. The thought comes in and you really don't need that thing; but the cravings move you to do what you know you shouldn't. It's amazing that the sin of covetousness hasn't changed much. Achan, Ahab, Ananias and Sapphira were willing to steal, lie or kill to get what they wanted. Hebrews says, 'Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."' This Scripture means that what you have in Christ is greater than whatever else you don't have! Covetousness is: (1) Wanting status but not wanting to serve; wanting control so that you can be at the center; wanting wealth strictly for yourself; wanting praise from others. (2) Wanting the right things but for the wrong reasons '...If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.' (1 Timothy 3:1 NKJV) Wanting to make an impact is a good thing, but you must want it for the right reasons. If you want it for personal recognition and power over others, that's covetousness. (3) Wanting the right things but at the wrong time. A young couple says, 'We love each other. We're going to get married in three months. But we want to sleep together now.' They want the right thing for the right reason, but they want it at the wrong time. That's covetousness. (4) Wanting the right things but in the wrong amount. Covetousness is wanting more than is required for your needs, and to fulfil God's purpose for your life. Understand this: More of anything other than God will never satisfy the longing for fulfilment He's placed within you. Only when you acknowledge that, will you find true and lasting happiness. You are loved...

His Compassions are new Everyday

'...His compassions...are new every morning...' Lamentations 3:2223 NIV

What's the first thing you think about when you get up in the morning? The first thing that came to my mind was a song we sang on Sunday. The presence of God filled my heart and I know everyday isn't the same. But how do you handle the things you are you going through? A hard time or moment that seemed to come out of know where? I was thinking about Israel today after I read a article on terrorists shooting missiles into homes. In Lamentations we read that things were so bad in Israel during Jeremiah's time that Jeremiah wrote a whole book about it. In a positive thinking, feel good world, that's not exactly a bestselling title. Jeremiah describes God's people as a 'widow' and a 'slave,' and says, 'All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies.' (Lamentations 1:2 NKJV) As you move through the book verse by verse, things just keep going from bad to worse as God's people reap what they have sown. Then suddenly in the middle of all his lamenting, when you think things can't get any worse, Jeremiah writes, 'Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.' (Lamentations 3:2223 NIV) Isn't that wonderful? God's love, compassion and faithfulness have been placed in an account that cannot be overdrawn, that you don't have to contribute to, and that'll last as long as you live. In a world that doesn't seem to care, where only the fittest survive, that's good to know. Next time somebody says to you, 'What's new?' tell them, 'God's love, compassion, and faithfulness.' The dictionary defines compassion as 'tenderness of heart that disposes a person to overlook injuries or to treat an offender better than he or she deserves.' So when you wake up each day, be like the lady who prayed, 'Lord, I'm glad Your mercies are new every morning, because I definitely used up all of yesterday's.' You are loved!

Sound Thinking

'God has...given us...a sound mind.' 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

Thank you everyone who made our Resurrection Service's a huge success yesterday. Both the Sunrise and 10am Services were filled with expectant hearts focused on Jesus. I wasn't feeling very good yesterday but I made it through with God's help.  
 
This morning I would like share on Sound Thinking. The Bible says, 'God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.' In order to improve your life you must change two things that are vital to your success: (1) Your thought processes.  Something's that I've found in people who are out of shape mentally are: 'People who are out of shape mentally usually fall victim to ideas and systems that are destructive to the human spirit... They have not taught themselves how to think, nor have they set themselves to the lifelong pursuit of the growth of the mind...so they grow dependent upon the thoughts and opinions of others. Rather than deal with ideas and issues, they reduce themselves to lives filled with rules, regulations and program's.' The moment you think you know it all, you've merely stopped thinking. (2) Your expectations. The story's told of a man who went to a fortune teller. She said to him, 'You'll be poor and miserable until you're fifty.' The man asked her, 'What will happen then?' She replied, 'Then you'll get used to it.' Now I don't advise going to a fortune teller, but be honest; how many successful people do you know who are apathetic and negative? None! Faith produces excitement, commitment, energy - characteristics that help you achieve success. If you'd like to possess these qualities then raise your expectation level and bring it into alignment with God's promises. '...Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.' (Mark 11:24 NKJV) Do you want to succeed where you've failed before? To become the person you always hoped to be? Don't start by changing your actions, start by changing your mind. Renew it daily with God's Word. Nothing you do will have as great an impact. You are loved...