Our Mission To love all people at all times and lead them into a new life in Christ.
Our Vision To be a church that will be multicultural and generational, having a lasting impact on the people to whom we minister.
To see the gospel extend beyond the walls of our church through various outreaches.
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“Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord God, ‘That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, And from north to east; They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, But shall not find it.” Amos 8:11-12
This portion of Scripture from Amos depicts a situation in which people are desperate to find a way of life that makes sense to them. In verses 13 and 14 that follow it says they will seek out other Gods or other human sources of knowledge. They will seek human wisdom as the source of truth. As it says in Romans chapter one, they will believe the lie. There will be much confusion about who and what to believe and “knowledge will increase”. Mankind has a common trait no matter who they are or where they live. They seem to know that there is a source of wisdom bigger than them that is available to anyone who can “happen” to find it.
Most people believe there is a standard of truth that gives the correct answers to all the important questions of life. No one has or can ever have all the answers about every subject of study. But everyone inwardly desires to know, “Who am I? What is my purpose? And Where am I going?” Therefore, everyone adopts a standard by which they live their lives. I have decided to make the Bible my standard thereby living by the Word of God. To live by the Word I must know the Word. To know the Word I must lay aside any human ideas I may have and allow the Word of God to renew my mind (Romans 12:2). To know the Word of God I must “know the Word of God”. Is this double talk? No, it gives understanding to John 1:1, 14. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” You can’t know the Word without knowing Jesus Christ because He is the Word. Christianity is not believing in a doctrine or theology. It is a relationship with a person, Jesus Christ. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” That is our challenge. Can you live up to it?
“And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs. The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright—words of truth. The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” Eccl. 12:9-14
The writer was trying to get over the point that there is so much information available to us that it is impossible to know everything there is to know. He is not saying that too much study is wearisome because of study itself. He is implying that there is so much information, much of which is false, that it is important to study and give attention to the right things. There are so many books that have been written that contain only useless information. His conclusion is that it isn’t important to learn everything but the right things. He finishes his discourse by telling us that if it doesn’t begin and end with God it is useless. “The reverential fear and respect of God is the beginning of knowledge.” Prov. 1:7 Therefore, it is up to us to choose the truth. If we are genuine Christians, God’s Word is the truth. So, accept it and stand on it.
You are kidding me. I did not know that. Really, she does. Well, what qualifications does she have. She doesn’t look like one. Oh! She must have really changed from how I use to know her. These are responses I have heard over the years when people find out I am a minister, you know, stand behind a pulpit and preach.
I am not sure what a preacher is suppose to look like. The “really are you kidding me responses” I choose to take as compliments. Qualifications–well I do have one certificate from International Seminary taught by the best Pastor Gerald Reliford. Qualifications–I do have a lot of life experiences. A life filled with wrong choices, hurt, disappointment, abuse, religion. But if I had no certificate, no degree hanging on my office wall, no life experiences, I would still be qualified. Because first and foremost I am daughter of God. Not because of anything I have done or not done. Qualified? -Yes, because of His amazing grace.
1 Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.”
Grace is what He has done and faith is what I do to receive what He has already done for me. Grace and faith go hand in hand. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
Acts 4:32-33 “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.”
The common theme that seems to run through the book of Acts is unity-accord. Unity means, “the state of being one or united-the quality of being one in spirit, sentiment, purpose, etc.” The word accord means “to make agree or harmonize to be in agreement or harmony”. These words were used as “begin one in spirit, purpose, or aim.
Why did the early church have such power? They all were of “one heart and soul.” They knew their purpose-to bring the gospel to all people. Each one had a different task but they were all unified for the purpose. All the believers shared in this unity. Not just the leaders or the apostles.
I remember reading a story about a little one year old girl that became lost in an open field with grass and weeds waist high. Once her family realized she was missing they immediately formed a search team to began searching for her. Realizing the weeds were taller than her they knew this would be a difficult task. They all scattered out and went in different directions. But to no avail. Finally, just before dusk one of the people in the group offered a suggestion, “Let’s link arms and walk together side by side up and down the field to see if that helps.” In no time the little girl was located all because the people came together as one.
Unity – walking together as one for the same common purpose. John 12:32 Jesus said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”
The prophet Habakkuk got a glimpse of God’s glory. Habakkuk 3:3-4 …..”His splendor and majesty covers the heavens. And the earth is full of His praise. His brightness is like the sunlight; He has [bright] rays flashing from His hand, And there [in the sun like splendor] is the hiding place of His power”.
Ezekiel got a glimpse of God’s glory. Ezekiel 1:26-28 “And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about”. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.
The nation of Israel got a glimpse of God’s glory when God came down to meet them on Mount Sinai. Exodus 24:17 The sight of the glory of The Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount.
This was all Old Testament what has this to have to do with us as New Testament believers. The good news it has everything to do with us as New Testament believers!
We read in Romans 6:4 that “Jesus was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father”. That same power, that same glory that Ezekiel the Israelites and Habakkuk saw, came on the scene after the Crucifixion. It was the same power that split the curtain in the Temple from the top to the bottom when Jesus dies. That same power, that same glory flashed into the pit of hell and raise Him up and stripped satan of his dominion
The day of Pentecost 120 believers were praying in the upper room in Jerusalem the power and the glory of the Lord fell. Acts 2:2-4 That was the day those believers got totally immersed in the Spirit of glory. That day those believers got totally immersed in the Spirit of glory. Those believers were so filled with the glory of God they began to speak a heavenly language. They went out and started turning the world upside down for Jesus. They preached the gospel and saw miracles signs and wonders followed.
Habakkuk 2:14 “But [the time is coming when] the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
The glory that the Old Testament people saw is not coming down but the fire and the glory is coming out of us as New Testament believers. We are the temples of God’s glory in the earth.
A Prophetic Word to New Life July 2016 – Pastor Jim Childs
You must purpose not to settle as you experience a new wave of my glory, learn to ride the waves of my Spirit that is blowing afresh upon this house, releasing vision and revelation.
The word purpose means determination, persistence, perseverance, commitment. Settle means to remain which means to stay, to linger. I want to encourage us as sons and daughters of God to be a body of determine purposed. Not lingering where we are at. But continue to pursue God at all cost. This glory is not new but the glory that we are experiencing is new to us. A new wave of glory. We have not been this way before.
John 17:21-22….. that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—
We have been given the glory that was given to Jesus. The glory belongs to us because it belongs to Jesus and what belongs to Jesus belongs to us.
Isaiah 40:5 “And the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one-I in them and you in me-so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:22-23
The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is designed for God’s “glory”. We as Sons and Daughters of God are equipped to grow and go from glory to glory. I believe we are living in the days that we are will continue to see as the Word declares in Hagigah 2:9, “the glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former… Numbers 14:21 “Truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord”.
As His Sons and Daughters we are God’s legal entrance point upon the earth. We are His glory carriers in the earth.
What is this glory? Exodus 33:18 Moses asked: Please, show me Your glory. The Hebrew word for “glory” used by Moses in this instance was kabowd. It is defined by Strong’s Bible Dictionary as “the weight of something, figuratively in a good sense.” It’s definition also speaks of splendor, abundance, and honor. Moses was asking, “Show me Yourself in all Your splendor.” God’s response: “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you.” Exodus 33:19 Goodness in the Hebrew means good in the widest sense.
We see then that the glory of the Lord is everything that makes God, God. All His characteristics, authority, power, wisdom—literally the immeasurable weight and magnitude of God—are contained within God’s glory. Nothing is hidden or held back!
According to John 17:22-23 we as His Sons and Daughters have been given this glory (God’s goodness) to show forth to the world. Gods goodness-all who He is.
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Isaiah 60:1-2
Arise, Arise, there is a new day dawning
Look behold I AM doing a new thing
Let go of the old and embrace the new
For it is in the new my blessings flow
No room, no room in the old wineskin
Make room, yes make room for the fresh wine from Heaven
It is flowing freely, will you receive
Come and draw near to Me
For it is my heart I want you to see
No longer be held back of how you want things to be
When things of life don’t work out as you had expected
When things turn a wrong direction
When my promises to you seem long in coming
Don’t allow the spirit of discouragement to steal your joy
Seek me and you will find the way
Oh I say to my Sons and Daughters I will indeed show you the way
For I AM the Way Maker
Don’t allow the dread of tomorrow steal your joy of today
Rest in my Presence, rest in my Peace
For in due season you will reap if you do not lose heart
…..for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10
David endured everything from wrestling a bear and a lion, to fighting a giant, to escaping the wrath of a wicked king, to seeing his own son die, to losing the respect of his wife, to having his own children to try and kill him, and more. This man, through it all, still wanted what God had for him.
In Psalms 27:13 David said, “I would have fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living”. In other words, I would have lost hope, I would not have made it, I would have given up if it had not been for the fact that I “believed” God was going to show me His goodness and delivered me out of this.
As I began to read this over and over, I began to see what David was really saying–”I won’t faint if it had not been for the Lord giving goodness, but if it had not been for the fact I believed I would see his goodness.” It is in what we believe! God’s goodness is already there in our situation. He is goodness! It is His desire to give us good things.
Whatever you are going through right now, whatever the circumstance you must believe that God is already there to go through it with you. You must believe and see beyond your current state and see yourself victorious. Just as He was with David in every situation, just as He was with the four Hebrew boys in the furnace, just as He was with Daniel in the lion’s den, just as He was with Pastor Jerry in all he went through in the last few years, just as He is with Vivian and Bobby, just as He is with Brad and Ashley. Whatever you are facing right now believe that He is goodness in the midst.
Don’t be disappointed just because the breakthrough has not happened yet. In the meantime of whatever you are going through keep believing, keep trusting, keep praising one day at a time.
Proverbs 13:12 (Message Bible) “Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heart sick. But a sudden good break can turn life around”.
WHAT ABOUT SUFFERING? Andrew Wommack
God has been misrepresented as causing the tragedy in our world, and I believe that is the number one reason people are not seeking relationship with Him. If you think God is causing the problems in your life, then you’ll want to keep Him at arm’s length–even if you are a Christian. It’s a natural response to try to avoid people and situations that might hurt you. But God isn’t causing the suffering in our world. In fact, God has nothing to do with it.
God loves you, and He desires good things for you, but experiencing the love of God passes mere knowledge about His love (Ephesians 3:19). Once you understand how good God is and begin having a real relationship with Him, you open yourself to receiving His love and being filled with all the fullness of God. The blessings of God will come upon you and overtake you, and it will cause everything to work out for good in your life.
John 10:10 “The thief cometh not but for to steal, kill, and destroy. But I am come, that ye might have life and have it more abundantly.”
Eph. 3:19-20 “…to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”
In First Kings, chapter 18, the Samaritans had been in a great famine. No rain, no crops, no food. The land of Israel has been in a three and one-half year drought. The nation is in a desperate condition.
The prophet Elijah showed up and said to King Ahab, “Go eat and drink, for I hear the sound of the abundance of rain!” (1 Kings 18:41) When he said that, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The rain-Elijah knew rain was coming. How does one hear what he does not see? By the ear of faith. The ear of faith hears and sees what the eye of flesh cannot hear or see. There was no sign of rain at all, yet Elijah chose to believe what he heard in his spirit in spite of what he saw. With his eyes he saw drought, famine and barrenness, but in his spirit man he heard the sound of the abundance of rain. He heard in his spirit the sound of what was coming-rain. Now it was time to pray through what he had heard.
1 Kings 18:42-44 Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he crouched down to the earth and put his face between his knees, and he said to his servant, “Go up, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” Elijah said, “Go back” seven times. And at the seventh time the servant said, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And Elijah said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the rain shower does not stop you.
Elijah was not moved by what was outside of himself. He was moved by what was inside of him-the Word of God.
I have heard in the deepest of my spirit church it is raining and we are to step into the overflow. Stop looking at what is around you and don’t allow that to move you. Be moved by the Word. The Word of the Lord stands forever.
“These are the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.” Leviticus 27:34
“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.” Galatians 2:16
“For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:3,4
To fully explain the difference in walking by the law and living by grace would take more time and space than I have available. One of the greatest blockages to freedom from condemnation (Romans 8:1) as a Christian is from not using the law lawfully. Under the Law of Moses man tried to live by the law but no one could do it. Man was never right with God by keeping the law. It was the blood sacrifices that covered his sins. The law was given to show man that he needed a savior. Under the Law everything was unholy, even the Holy Place, until it was covered by the blood of atonement offered by the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. Nothing made the unclean clean but the blood of the sacrifice.
Jesus Christ coming as the Messiah (Savior) did not do away with the law but fulfilled it. He kept it totally and completely by His sinless life. Jesus is the law of the Spirit of life that replaced the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2) We are now free from the condemnation that is the result of our inability to keep the letter of the law. The life of Jesus Christ in us is now that which makes us one with God. It is not our effort to keep the law which we will never be able to keep. Our peace with God rests completely on our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior. Walking by the Spirit is trust in Christ only for salvation. Walking according to the flesh is not walking sinfully but rather trusting your ability to keep the commandments to make yourself right with God. As Paul would say, “Wake up! It won’t happen.” Only Christ in you is your hope of glory.”
“Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father…” (Rev. 1:5-6). “Thou…hast redeemed us unto God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:9-10).
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter
Our position in the earth now is one of kings and priest. Each Christian is both a king and a priest. We are both because a king has authority, but a priest has access. “Royal Priesthood is the combination of those two office.” All the earth is God’s and he is raising up a Kingly Priesthood to reign in migh, spirit power and authority. The kingly nature that has been given to us is not so we control other people but to see others reconciled to God. We have as Christians been given the ministry of reconciliation.
We, in the Church, are a peculiar people”, a separate body and unique. We, the Church, are BOTH KINGS AND PRIESTS, a “ROYAL PRIESTHOOD” We are therefore are different a very unique and distinctive and people!
This world is not our home. We are not suppose to be fitting in.
A MINISTER OF THE GOOD NEWS
THERE WAS A COUPLE NAME LAURE AND THERA
CHILDREN THEY DID DESIRE BUT TOLD THEY NEVER WOULD HAVE
THE FATHER PRAYED FOR A SON WHO WOULD BE PREACHER OF THE GOOD NEWS
GOD GRANTED HIS REQUEST AND A SON WAS BORN THEY NAMED HIM GERALD WAYNE
HIS PARENTS TOOK HIM TO CHURCH FAITHFULLY FOR GOD WAS FIRST IN ALL THEY DID
SCHOOL HE DID ATTEND AND EXCELLED IN HIS STUDIES FOR A TEACHER HE WANTED TO BE
GOD HAD A PLAN AND IT BEGAN TO UNFOLD AS HE ANSWERED THE CALL TO BE A MINISTER OF THE GOOD NEWS INSTEAD
NEVER ONCE LOOKING BACK MAKING A MARK IN HISTORY AS A FAITHFUL MAN OF GOD
MANY TIMES THE ENEMY CAME WITH PHYSICAL ATTACKS WANTING TO PUT TO SILENCE THE VOICE THAT PROCLAIMED THE GOOD NEWS
A STANDARD OF TRUTH WAS RAISED GOD’S WORD DID PREVAIL
HE STANDS NOW AS A WARRIOR OF THE FAITH
AN EXAMPLE TO THOSE NEAR AND FAR OF GOD’S WONDERFUL GRACE
TODAY PASTOR JERRY IS CELEBRATING HIS 70TH BIRTHDAY. WITH WHAT HE HAS BEEN THROUGH THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS WE CAN SAY TODAY IS INDEED A DAY OF CELEBRATION!! WHAT A BLESSING HE HAS BEEN TO SO MANY PEOPLE THROUGH THE YEARS. I HAVE SEEN THE FAITHFULNESS, INTEGRITY AND CHARACTER OF THIS MAN. HE BELIEVES THE WORD OF GOD TO BE EXACTLY WHAT IT IS – “THE WORD OF GOD”. SOMETIMES WE DON’T KNOW THE IMPACT WE HAVE ON PEOPLE’S LIVES. I HAVE BEEN A WITNESS TO SO MANY LIVES THAT HAVE BEEN CHANGED THROUGH HIS MINISTRY.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY PASTOR JERRY”. WE LOVE YOU AND PRAY YOU ARE BLESSED WITH MANY MORE YEARS.
“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.” Matt. 24:21-25
“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour (when) your Lord is coming.” Matt. 24:42
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” II Peter 3:10-13
There are so many “end-time” Scriptures I cannot possibly quote them all. But, the end is coming; we don’t know when; and we need to be ready. Jesus Christ is our Messiah, and there is no other Savior. Science is not our savior. Environmentalists are not our savior. The simple fact is that man cannot save himself. He must trust God. The first Scripture above mentions an extinction level event where no flesh will be saved. We can’t stop it. We can’t change it. We can’t avoid it. Even science says it isn’t “if” but “when” it happens. We are to be ready! Where is your faith in the matter?
In April, 1863, in Columbus, Mississippi, after decorating graves of her two sons who died representing their beloved southland; an elderly woman walked to two mounds of dirt at the corner of the cemetery to place memorial flowers there also. “What are you doing?” friends shouted, “Those are the graves of two union soldiers.” Softly, that compassionate mother said, “I know. I also know that somewhere in the North, a mother or a young wife mourns for them as we do for ours.”
That compassionate action set in motion our celebration which has become known as Memorial Day. We honor the war dead once a year, but their sacrifice is evident every single day of the year! Today, we want to honor the memory of all those who have sacrificed their lives on the altar of freedom. Those thousands of sacrificed lives were not given in vain! Because of their sacrifice, we are free today and have the right to assemble ourselves together and worship our God in freedom.
For the child of God, Every Day Is Memorial Day. Today I want to put us in remembrance of another great Soldier and to remember the sacrifice He made. This great Soldier stepped onto a harsh battlefield of this world knowing that it would cost Him everything. He won a great victory, but at a terrible price. He gave His life, not for a nation, but for all humanity. His life was not a life given in vain, but the sacrifice of His life served to set free the captives of sin. This Great Soldier, “Jesus” who stepped out into this earth; commissioned by His Father to redeem people who were lost and without hope.
Ephesians 2:12 Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ——foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
He paid a debt He did not owe. I owed a debt I could not pay. I needed someone to wash my sins away. And now I sing a brand new song, Amazing Grace. Christ Jesus paid a debt, that I could never pay. He paid a debt at Calvary, He cleansed my soul and set me free. I’m glad that Jesus died and all my sins were erased. I can now sing a brand new song “Amazing Grace” all day long.
On the playground of the grade school I attended was a monkey bar. The only way you could get from one bar to the next one was to let go of the one you were holding on to. As little girl it sure seemed a long way from one bar to the next. I would hold on forever before reaching out to grab the next one because I was afraid of falling. Most of the time I would fall as I reached out to grab the next bar. But I knew I had to “let go” in order to go from one bar to the next. It was not until much practice and building up strength was I able to trust myself enough to let go and grab the second one. Each year I was getting stronger and stronger and not even realizing it, and by the time I was in the fourth grade, I had it mastered.
We become hoarders with things in our life that are holding us back from God’s best. We say things like, “I will deal with that hurt later; I will take care of that burden tomorrow; I will forgive that person later; I need that relationship even though it is toxic; I can’t forget my mistakes, my failures.” Soon we have a whole room of our mind filled with things that keep tripping us up and we wonder why.
There are many reasons people use as an excuse for not “letting go.” But the one thing that is a motivating factor behind it all is fear. The past is known. That is what is familiar even when it is holding us back from God’s best. The future is a question mark. It is the unknown territory. The what if’s
It’s so easy to try to hold onto things, you must trust that God has something better. What God has in store for you is never in the past. “LET IT GO” It is time to move on towards Him. He has so much more than those things that you are holding to on to because it is so familiar.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, and He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way.”
“But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.” 2 Thess. 3:3
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come.” 2 Tim. 3:1
There are many Scriptures that talk about end times. End times before the Lord’s return will consist of everything that is opposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Bible says for us to be reconciled to God. We are not told to be reconciled to the world but rather to turn aside from those who do not obey the Gospel of Christ.
This is the definition of “perilous times” using the Greek word for perilous in the Spirit Filled Life Bible word wealth section (NKJV) “Perilous or (chalepos in Greek) means harsh, savage, difficult, dangerous, painful, fierce, grievous, hard to deal with. The word describes a society that is barren of virtue but abounding with vices.” Can you recognize any of this atmosphere in the world around you today? One only has to listen to the news and watch what is being promoted across the world to see there is a great falling away taking place.
The USA, a nation founded on the very principle of God and Jesus Christ, is now trying to silence the mere mention of Jesus. We are being asked to give up our faith in order to reconcile with our fellow man regardless of what he chooses to believe. Christian church leaders are trying to find common ground for Christians and Muslims to dialogue and try to compromise. Some use the term Chrislim to define a common ground. Why not use the term Muslimanity as well?
The truth is that there is no common ground on which they can meet. Muslims do not wish to understand Christianity. They wish to destroy it by killing the infidels (non-Muslims). There is only one reason Christians need to understand Islam and that is to show the love of Jesus Christ to them and see them reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.
The foundation of the Christian Gospel is Jesus Christ as Savior of mankind and there is no room for a believer to embrace any other teaching. We wrestle not with flesh and blood but against principalities and powers of the air and spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places. To compromise with evil is to damn your own soul. Stand firm in the faith and avoid the great falling away.
“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in Him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected (being brought to maturity) in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” I John 2:3-6 (NKJV)
One of the greatest obstacles in the Christian life is believing that I have to keep Jesus’ commandments as good as He did; because no matter how hard I try, I can’t manage to live up to His standards. No one can perform faultlessly by using human ability. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”( Rom. 3:23) Even the most perfect person you know cannot live up to God’s standards by his own effort. Therefore, comes into play God’s grace. Grace is not just God’s love and willingness to forgive our past, present, and future sins. It is the power to love and obey God’s word that takes up residence in the true believer. It is one thing to know what is right and wrong but a deeper experience to “know Him.” Grace is the power that causes the believer to have the desire to serve God because he loves God, and he knows God loves him.
One of the biggest lies of the devil is causing one to believe that because he does not live perfectly his relationship with Jesus is lacking something. The part of our relationship with God that depends on us is that we love Him and believe His word. Christ in us is the hope of glory. I can do nothing in my own strength, but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. You must believe in His power in you. That is where you get your strength to live. Stop trying to live up to the word of God and start believing God will give you the power you need. God loves you and wants to pick you up if you fall. Satan wants to knock you down and then condemn you because you fell. He then tells you how bad you are and how you have disappointed God and lost His love. You have to get over this kind of reaction or you will never be what God made you to be. God made you more than a conqueror! Start believing it and live like one. AMEN!!
Have you ever tried to forget something? You know that, “one thing”. The more you tried the harder it was. There was something said on TV, radio, a billboard sign that seem to remind you of what you were trying to forget. The enemy of our souls is the master of rewind. And whenever we give him the opportunity he will cause our minds to rewind to the past.
Paul tells in Philippians 3:13 …..but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead…. We will never be able live a peaceful life until we make peace with our past. Part of the process of maturing in our relationship with God is not allowing the past to be a stumbling block. Stop looking in the rearview mirror. How far do you think you would make it on the road driving if you were constantly looking in the rearview mirror.
Philippians 3:12-13 “ Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christ like] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet….. Paul seems to be saying, “Whatever strides I have made, whatever ground I’ve covered, I don’t consider myself done running. There is more race to run.” Paul says this as he is in Rome, he is in prison. He has already lived what we read about in the book of Acts. He has already been on several missionary journeys. Miracle after miracle, convert after convert, church plant after church plant. Paul goes on to talk about attitude in verse 14-15 “I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature [pursuing spiritual perfection] should have this attitude. And if in any respect you have a different attitude, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us stay true to what we have already attained”. What attitude was Paul talking about? The attitude of letting the past go and reaching for those things that God has ahead for us.
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