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Monthly Archives : August 2016

Believing God’s Promise To Overcome Temptation…1 Corinthians 10:13…Aug. 28 2016

            No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.  1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

 

          There are no new temptations in the world today.  Someone might say, “No one understands how hard it is to overcome my temptations.”  Truth is, there is someone that knows exactly how you feel.  Hebrews 4:15 (ESV) states, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”  Temptation has been a reality in every person’s life since the fall in the garden.  But there is a sweet promise, “God is faithful!”  He knows your abilities and limitations and will not allow Satan nor his demons to tempt you beyond those abilities.  I dare say God has more confidence in you…. than you do.  You say, “I can’t,” but God says, “in my strength you can.”  Philippians 4:13  informs us “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (ESV)  We were never designed to face temptation alone.  God can see well into your future and is able to see the path you need to take to avoid the temptations that would overtake you.  This is called your way of escape.  However, many times we don’t always acknowledge Him that He might direct our paths.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:6 KJV  It doesn’t mean we will never be tempted, but God knows you and will never lead you wrong.  Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. James 1:13 ESV   So why does temptation seem so hard to resist then?  The answer is in James 1:14 (ESV) “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires.”  When you set your mind on the thing of earth, your focus will not be on Christ.  (Read Colossians 3) Ultimately you find yourself making wrong choices and going down wrong paths missing you way of escape.  God does not want you to just exist in the Christian life but to endure by becoming victorious over temptation. “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.” (1 John 5:4 ESV.)

Have faith in God when facing temptation; He is faithful.

 

Because of His grace ~ Pastor David

Believe And Live Forever…. John 11: 25-26 August 14, 2016

  Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11: 25-26 ESV
 
        I love the way Jesus identifies Himself….“I AM”….. the resurrection and the life.”  This is significant because He identifies Himself as the only one/way.  Think about this for a moment. There is only one “you” in this world. When  introducing yourself, you say I am and then state your name. There may be  others who are identified by that name, but there is only one you. The question you must answer concerning Jesus is do you believe Him to be the one and only resurrection and life? Jesus warned us that others will come and say they are him….but are impostors. For many will come in my name saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. Matthew 24:5 ESV
 
        To believe is to live and never die. Physically you will die, but the soul will never die, and one day you will put on a new body. A body given to us by Jesus himself. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enabled him even to subject all things to himself. Philippians 3:20-21 ESV  While this is a comforting thought, the real blessing is…..we will be with Him, the one and only Savior of the world. Can you understand why Paul was torn between this world and going to be with Jesus? In Philippians 1:21-23 Paul said,“For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.”(ESV) Do you ever just think what it will be like someday? To see Him face to face. There are times just saying His name or thinking about Him brings me great comfort. I can only imagine what it will be like to be in His presence.  The one who loves and loved me so much that He came and died and conquered death by rising again. “O death where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55  The answer comes in verse 57 “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” ESV  Thank you Lord Jesus for being the …………I AM.
 
By His Grace…Celebrating life ~Pastor David

Believe And Worship John 9:38 August 7, 2016

He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped Him. John 9:38 ESV

The 38th verse shares the words and actions of a blind man who had received his sight by the works of Jesus.     “Lord I believe” …. and he worshiped Him.    The truth is that we were all blind before we experienced the work of Christ in our lives, maybe not physically but spiritually.   The question is how do you worship the One who gave you spiritual sight?  Let us imagine how this man who had received his sight physically might have worshiped.  The first thing he might have done was to admire the creation of all this world’s beauty.  The flowers that he could only smell before, now could be watched in awe.  THe sound of the wind through leaves on the trees now could be seen dancing on the limbs.  Perhaps his worship was the pleasure it brought God as observing a child discovering something for the first time.  How do you worship?  Has your Christina life become mundane, just a habit, or uneventful?  You may need the cataracts of the mundane and habit to be removed from your spiritual eyes.  Our focus needs to not be upon this world, but rather you many need to refocus on Christ.  What did you experience when you first became a Christian?  Perhaps the air you breathed seemed fresher, your rest of sleep sweeter, or the loads of life were lifted.  Maybe the thoughts on your mind were mostly of Christ and how much brighter He made life.  If you have lost this way of living and thinking, how do you regain this perspective and lifestyle?

BELIEVE!

Believe the promise:  For this I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor heights, nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-19 ESV

Believe the Truth:  Greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world.   1 John 4:4 ESV

Believe Forgiveness:  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us.  Ephesians 1:708 ESV

Let us believe and worship afresh the gift of spiritual sight that has been given to us!  If we see spiritually, we know we have reason to do so.

Because of His Grace ~ Pastor David

 

Bearing Fruit to Glorify God … John 15:8 … July 31, 2016
      By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. John 15:8 ESV
 
 
 
Glorifying God.
            We sing the  song, “In my Life Lord, be Glorified,” desiring God to do a work in our lives- A work that will magnify God making much of Him in each and everyday that we live.  I believe these two verses in Psalms could be a prayer every Christian prays.  Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.  I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. Psalm 86:11-12 ESV     
 
 
 
Bearing Fruit 
    What does it require to bear spiritual fruit? It requires pruning by God, so that you might produce more fruit.  If I were a plant and could feel pain, I can not imagine enjoying the pruning process.  Yet the process is necessary in order to bear more fruit.  The process of pruning at times can be painful in the Christian’s life.  God’s desire for you as a Christian is to bear fruit and may require God cutting away your self trust or dependence to grow in faith in Him. Think about this, in difficult times we pray, focus, and seek more guidance than when things are going well.  Could this be a pruning process intended to cause us to abide more in the vine…. Jesus?  I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. John 15:1-2 ESV  People, many times, observe a Christian going through difficult times which provides the unique opportunity to show that God really is the one for which they live.  It can be the very testimony that God would use to draw someone to Himself.  The evidence of fruit in your life is the presence of the Spirit.   ” But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control……” Galatians 5:22 ESV I believe this is how we glorify God by bearing these fruits of the Spirit.  Let me encourage you to desire the Lord be glorified in your life even if it requires pruning.   Sing boldly and with conviction , “In my life Lord, be glorified, be glorified today.”
 
 
 
Proof Of Discipleship
    I heard an interesting fact this week.  The Bible uses the word “Christian” only 3 times but the word “disciple” over 260 times.  A disciple is a person who follows Jesus and is a student of his teaching.  The word disciple is predominately found in the four Gospels and Acts.  The Gospels give an account of the times in which Jesus walked upon the earth and Acts of early church history.  This gives us new insight in following Jesus; we are to be His Disciples following, learning, and living with the evidence that we are His by action and not merely by name.  We may be quick to call ourselves Christians, but more importantly we should desire to be called disciples. Give evidence of the fact we are Christians.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35 ESV  
 
Because of His Grace ~ Pastor David