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April 2008 - “I Will Always Take Care of You” Here is an excerpt from my new book, “What Did He Say About Me?” (Soon to be released) Day 12 Daily Scripture Recently I had to go into the hospital for some testing on a mass I found just beneath my sternum/abdomen area. To be honest, I had some fear issues concerning this mass. On my way there, I called my friend Jill and just asked her to pray for me as she knew the “fear of the unknown” I was experiencing. I had just talked with her the night before at church, about my medical concern. As I walked in the door of the hospital I was greeted with scripture that declares that healing shall spring forth and the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. I don’t get extremely emotional, especially in public, but here I was walking into the hospital with my paperwork and standing in the line to register for this CT scan I was about to undergo and tears began to flow. I tried endlessly to wipe them away without anyone noticing. I tried to just pass it off as “I have something in my eye” to my onlookers. As I waited to go into the financial office where they take all your insurance information, I found a secluded place and called my Aunt Rosemary and asked her to pray for me. My little pager that the hospital gives you while you’re waiting began to light up, so I had to end my conversation with her on the phone. I completed the registering process and was walking to yet another area for blood work. As I walked, I heard the Lord whisper to me “I will always take care of you.” I began to cry again – this time at least with tissue in hand. As the nurse was drawing my blood, the tears began to flow and she just looked at me and said, have faith in Jesus – He knows what’s going on. I just smiled! After she was done, I had to wait 45 minutes for them to get my lab results back to see if they could proceed with the CT scan. They test your creatine levels to be sure your kidneys can handle the contrast they inject you with. So as I waited again, I heard the Lord whisper, “I will always take care of you.” He was melting my heart with His love and great care of me. Then my phone rang. I answered and it was my dear friend Kimberly on the other end. She had no idea what I was going through at that moment. She asked me some advice on something and God confirmed some things to her and then she just began talking about some apples that had fallen off of a tree in her yard and how she saw these beautiful birds eating from them. She said that she was reminded of the scripture about God’s concern for even a sparrow. I had to laugh and then I shared with her about my current circumstance. It was so awesome how God just showed up for both of us confirming some things in both of our lives at the same time! God amazes me! We ended our conversation just as my pager went off again. I headed back for my CT scan. As I prepared, I just said “God, I trust you.” As I was lying on the table and they were preparing to run the IV, I just kept saying under my breath, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.” I literally felt Jesus cradle my head in His arms against His chest. It was the most amazing feeling to sense His presence tangibly in that capacity. As I left the hospital, I felt a peace! God had confirmed it greatly during this 4 hour process. Later that day, my daughter and I went to exchange some cat food at a local retail store. As we were coming out I saw this bird laying helplessly right outside the door. It was breathing heavy and was terrified. I handed my purse along with some items we had just purchased, to my daughter. I bent down to pick up this bird. My daughter said, “Mom its wing is broken.” Apparently it must have flown into the window. I went and sat on a bench with this bird in my hand and told Mikayla to call our vet’s office to find out how to splint a broken wing. This poor bird’s wing was just hanging there. She ran to my car to get my cell phone to make the call. As she came back, I lifted this poor bird’s wing and just began to pray. By this time, my daughter had Jennifer, our vet tech, on the phone getting instructions. I wasn’t prepared for what happened next. As I prayed, I literally saw the wing move back into place! My daughter and I had eyes as big as saucers! The bird hopped out of my hands peacefully. It began walking around normally; just checking us out wondering what just happened. It reminded me of our daily scripture, the one that had been a defining scripture just hours before on the phone with Kimberly. God once again confirmed in a tangible way, His great care and concern for me! His promise of healing in His wings!! Only God can give us this promise! During this whole bird ordeal my aunt had called and left a message on my voice mail. In her message she said how she had asked that God just give me a hug. Immediately, I remembered that hug that Jesus gave me while I was getting ready for my CT scan. God did nothing but confirm His promise to me! He did it in huge ways! He has great love, care and concern for every single one of His children. Maybe you are experiencing fear of the unknown, just as I was. Let me just encourage you to trust God! He’s there for you. He demonstrated His great care and concern for even a bird, just as His Word says and at the same time, demonstrated healing to confirm His promise to me! God will always take care of you, if you let Him! ----- December 2007 - “It’s Better To Give, Than Receive” by Kristin Keen –Missionary to India through Word Made Flesh “It’s better to give than receive.” I am sure these words will be heard over and over this holiday season; after all it’s the season of giving. But, I can’t help to think sometimes that Jesus would tell us something different…like it’s just as important to receive as it is to give. I am writing that statement above full aware of how heretical I might sound, but let me explain. As I get to know Jesus more and more, and get a little older; I am keenly aware of my brokenness. I am keenly aware of the places in my life where I try to earn love. I am aware of the place in my life where I believe I am unlovable. These are the places that get me into trouble. These are the places in my life where I can’t receive God’s love. When I read the Bible, it’s pretty clear that God’s love is a gift…He gave His only Son; the gift of God is eternal life; grace is a gift of God –not by works; God first loved us, etc. I feel that my job as a Christian is to accept it, believe it, and make it part of me. My job is to receive love. It sounds so simple, but yet that is my calling. It’s to sit in a place where Jesus can wash my feet to show me the extent of His love. It’s this Christmas season that I need to be open enough to receiving the gift of Jesus. My work is to remember not to feel guilty when I understand that His love is freely given. God wants to give and my job is to receive. It doesn’t make me selfish, it makes me complete. So, my prayer for you all; my amazing supportive, generous, life-giving friends and family is this: that you allow yourselves to receive Jesus this Christmas. To stand in awe that God sent His Son for us. I pray that you and I will be able to receive that proof of love down in the depths of our souls. I have a new blog: jesusripsmyfaceoff.blogspot.com Love in Christ, Kristin Keen Below is a message from Tammy Dahl –Director of “Out of Exile Ministries” Kristin is one of the missionaries that OOE supports! She is an amazing woman that has an incredible heart and passion for God! We would like to encourage you to support her mission work as well. Your money would be well invested in the Kingdom of God and bear much fruit! You can send your support to: Word Made Flesh Please enclose a letter specifying that you would like your funds to go to Kristin Keen. Thank you and have a Merry Christmas!! TDahl ----- November 2007 - “Protecting Our Children’s Hearts” By Tammy Dahl This past week certainly has been an adventure as a parent! My daughter had homecoming this week and included in the normal routines of homecoming, was a dance that she would be attending. Throughout the week of preparations, questions included things like “Mom, how should I wear my hair?” to my insightful advice of “Mikayla, you can’t buy those shoes, they are too high!” During the course of questions – came the big question: “Mom can I dance with boys?” The question hit my brain like a freight train along with several rewinds and playbacks of the question that was just posed to me. It is here I thought to myself – the time is here, sadly, but right on schedule! I came back with a solid “No.” Then she proceeded to tell me how many other parents allow their daughter’s to dance with boys, etc. My answer was still a solid no. My explanation of “Mikayla, you are only twelve” was not acceptable to her. A few days passed and once again the question arose! I told her that it was not open for discussion as my mind was not going to be changed and she had a fit! She began to say “why can’t you just listen to me?” In other words, what she was really trying to say is “why can’t I try to talk you into it?” I explained to her that it was my job as a parent to protect her heart and at twelve years old, there were many years ahead of protection coming, so it wasn’t open for discussion – I wasn’t changing my mind or my heart on this. That night she went to bed angry with me. I didn’t receive my goodnight kiss or hug. No cuddles were even an option in her book. I was the stupidest mom in the whole world according to her mindset that night. My little heart was breaking – yet I knew I needed to stand my ground on this one. In the morning, I had a little girl come crawling into bed with me with her big eyes just looking at me. What a beautiful moment! I looked at her and said, are you still mad? The emotion of anger had subsided within her, yet I knew she had a lack of understanding. Now, was my time to talk with her and give her a solid explanation because her emotions were now decompressed enough to be open to listen. My explanation went something like this: “Mikayla, God gave me a huge responsibility when He gave you to me. He told me to love you and protect you. It is my job to protect your heart until your old enough to know how to protect it yourself. Our hearts are very fragile and they are easily moved with emotion, because we are girls! I want you to someday be able to give your husband, the man that God chooses for you, a great and priceless gift. The gift will be an unwounded heart!!! Someday you will be old enough to make your own decisions, but until that day comes, I need to build a solid foundation in your heart and teach you how to protect your heart, so you know how to make the right decisions, not just know what the right decision is! You are only twelve and it would be irresponsible of me to think that you dancing with a boy would be harmless to your heart. I hope you understand honey – Mommy is only doing what God has instructed me to do. I love you very much.” Mikayla looked at me and said, “Mom I’m really sorry I got so mad at you and I do understand.” We cuddled and hugged and laughed. A priceless moment between a mother and a daughter: simply and awesomely priceless! Moms, Dads – we have a huge responsibility. I know it’s incredibly important to teach your kids about abstinence. There are enough programs out there that scare the heck out of our kids. Fear is not a good tactic as far as I’m concerned. Parents, sex starts in the heart! It’s the little foxes that spoil the vine. If we allow our children’s hearts to be exposed to the little things – the big things will eventually come and they will not know how to deal with it. Teach your son’s HOW to protect the girls in their life and teach your daughter’s HOW to protect their heart. Listen, we cannot change the makeup of a man. He is destined to pursue the princess. God built him that way! We cannot change the makeup of a woman. She is destined to respond to the prince. Yet, we need to teach our boys how to be a prince worthy of response and we need to teach our girls how to identify a prince worthy of her response. Twelve years old is not the time of pursuit and response. It is the time of building a foundation in their hearts so they can become who God destined them to be. Get a revelation here – our children don’t need to know why they are the way they are, they will figure that out. They need to be taught who they are as children of God, as well as the responsibility they have in that identity. We, as responsible parents, need to allow them the time to mature in those areas and not be the ones to rob them of the very things we are trying to teach them. Would you give your twelve year old a car and say you are not old enough to drive, but go ahead and practice and drive yourself to school? NO! There is a time of teaching them to be responsible and how to handle the responsibility. If that is the case for driving, why shouldn’t it be even more so the case for the handling of our hearts? You don’t tell your kids “you are not ready for dating” but then allow them to practice in the meantime. It’s time to teach our kids the how’s in life, not just the why’s! We have a huge responsibility to our children. And you know what, we may do everything right and they still make the wrong decisions when they get older, but at least you know that you invested in the foundation of their heart and made it sure and strong. God can heal the wounds of wrong decisions, but we as parents need to be looking at the big picture, not just the daily moments. It’s the moments that create the big picture. What are we investing? ----- October 2007 - "God: Your Safe Place" by John Paul Jackson Do you ever get that sinking, restless feeling that seems to weigh more than you do, or at least as much? It’s like an alien parasite. It attaches itself to you, often without your awareness, and before you know it, you’re wallowing under its weight, stumbling around as the life is sucked out of you. With God at Your Back, You Cannot Fail Trust God and Not Your Feelings © 2007 John Paul Jackson, Streams Ministries International. All rights reserved. This article may be freely distributed electronically as long as no changes whatsoever are made to the contents. Every copy must contain appropriate attribution that includes the Streams Ministries website, www.streamsministries.com. ----- September 2007 – "The Heart, A Sacred Place by Tammy Dahl Proverbs 4:23 AMP Keep and Guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life. ----- August 2007 - "Abortion: Where is the Church?" by Gena Duran This journey began when a group of women and I began raising abortion-awareness in Lake County Florida; there was a serious need for a crisis pregnancy center. We naturally figured the “churches” would offer the most help. They are full of Christians after all, and ‘healing women who have suffered abortions’ would surely be something the church would prioritize. Well let me enlighten you, dear readers…they did not. To our utter surprise we couldn’t believe how many churches would not respond. We realized that abortion is a huge issue and perceived as the ultimate sin but NO ONE wanted to talk about it. And yet we have no idea how much abortion is affecting our walk with the Lord. I’m not just talking about the act of abortion; I’m talking about the ignoring of it. We keep talking about healing in our land and we don’t even experience healing in our churches. Statistics say that one out of every THREE (it used to be four) women/girls, have had an abortion. Wake up Christians! That number applies to your church too. It is the ultimate best kept secret!!! Guess what? Church-going-women who know the Lord have had or are still having abortions. Abortion carries such guilt and shame, robbing you of having a life of abundance—the life the Lord promises. Why is it that women won’t tell their very own church family that they need healing from an abortion? And let’s not forget the men who have also been hurt by a partner’s abortion. Think about this: if there were an alter call at your church this Sunday and the pastor said, “If you or your partner has ever experienced an abortion, please come down the center isle so I can pray for you.” How many do you think would run to the front? I want to tell you Jesus is calling out right now. He is standing with open arms and a loving, forgiving heart and He wants you to run to him so together you can be healed and set free. ----- December 2006 - “My Baby Jesus” by Beth A. Bennett When I got to work this morning, I noticed that the baby Jesus was missing from our Nativity scene. I became really upset because first and foremost, it was baby Jesus! Second of all, you can’t just go out and purchase a baby Jesus for the Nativity. I walked inside the office feeling angry about the person that took our baby Jesus. I asked the Lord to forgive me. I said "Lord, if they really needed a baby Jesus, then bless them, but if not, Lord, I pray that you convict their heart." Whatever happens, I want my baby Jesus back! What good is the nativity scene without baby Jesus? He is the focus point of the whole scene!!! Well, my boss and I were discussing the matter and he didn't want me to make a police report. He said that we would never get our baby Jesus back and told me to just pack up the rest of the pieces and put them in storage. About that time, the phone rang. He picked it up and it was the police asking him if we were missing a baby Jesus. My boss just sat there with his mouth hanging open and then answered,,, "yes, we are missing a baby Jesus." Well, they said they had 3 of them and we could come and get ours. My boss told me to go pick him up so I could "coddle" him because I was so upset. I don't mean any disrespect about this, however it struck me as quite hilarious - when I got to the police station they said "come on back and identify your baby Jesus!” There they were, 3 baby Jesus’ lined up on the counter!! I picked mine up! I called the police station and asked how they knew we were missing one. Apparently when they found them last night, they had driven around and noticed we were missing ours. They don't have a clue who the other 2 belong to. As I was driving back to the office with my baby Jesus with me, something came up in my spirit. Looking at the Nativity scene without baby Jesus held no meaning to me!!! The focus of the scene, Jesus, was missing!!! Just like in our lives at times. We lose our focus, we take our eyes off of Jesus. We don't mean to, but we put other things before Him! Our families, our jobs, our circumstances and our worries! You get the picture! What I am reminded of is that Jesus never chooses to leave the "scene!!!" We allow Him to be pushed to the sideline. We have to get our priorities in order and regain our focus on Him, our loving Father and Savior. It is my prayer today that we remember what this season is about. May we remember as we wrap our gifts, that the greatest gift of all came wrapped in a manager. I love you all!! Have a very Merry Christmas! Love, Beth Ann **Beth Bennett is the assistant director of Out of Exile Ministries. -----“The Love Factor” - February 2006 I’m reminded of the incredible love that God has for me when Valentine’s day approaches. You see, I have a beautiful little (not so little anymore) girl who will turn eleven years old on Valentine’s. She was God’s arrow of love that hit my heart of stone and melted it eleven years ago. Oh, the incredible fear I had when I was pregnant with her. How was I going to care for a little one, when I could barely care for myself, let alone at that time being an emotional mess. Those 9 months of pregnancy couldn’t even have begun to prepare me for the life I was about to experience. At 3 months of pregnancy, I left the abusive relationship I was in to go and live with a Christian family. I remember it like it was yesterday. I left him at about 10:00 pm, barefoot and pregnant. A pastor had shared with me the scripture Jeremiah 29:11-14 and it came alive in my heart at that very moment, giving me the courage to leave that night. I stayed with a friend that night and the next day, I drove to my new home. I showed up on the doorstep about noon on August 17, 1994. I knocked carefully with huge reservation in my heart, mainly because of the fear of the unknown. The questions ran through my mind like a whirlwind. Will this family like me? Will I get beat up with scripture? Will I be told how awful I am? It was a horrible fear. A fear I was about to be totally released from. The door opened and this gracious woman immediately gave me one of the warmest hugs. I was taken back a little, but the tears began to flow from my eyes. We sat on the couch with a glass of water she had given me, while her husband unloaded my car. My new home was with a family that knew Jesus!! That day began a journey that changed my life forever. The foundation I got from living there was absolutely priceless. I saw people love with their actions rather than their words. Here I sit, nearly eleven and a half years later thanking God once again for His incredible care and the wonderful gift He gave me in my daughter Mikayla. She is so amazing. I always say she has inherited only the good qualities of her dad and I. She has my boldness and confidence with her dad’s charisma and personality. She was the arrow God used in my life to love me when I couldn’t love myself. She pointed me towards God and through her love I realized what an amazing loving God we serve. I wanted to talk this month about “The Love Factor.” Obviously I’m talking about the love of God. In last month’s message, I shared on “The Fear Factor” and so if you haven’t studied that out you may want to go back as both of these messages go together. You hear so many conflicting messages about the Gospel. Some say God’s gonna get you. Some say if you sow 1,000.00 then God will heal you. Some say God can’t bless you if you do anything wrong. I even hear Christian’s against Christian’s telling them that God will see to it that their taken care of if they do something wrong to another. I see people wanting to believe so they think well that man or woman hears from God because look how blessed they are, so if I do what they say I’ll be blessed. Usually, 9 times out of 10 money is always the factor that is presented to get God to move mightily on your behalf, so the hurting sister or brother gives out of their “emotional” need with no purpose because they were manipulated. I see it happen all the time! God’s people are being deceived. Now don’t get me wrong, I believe in giving. However, I believe that you should know what your sowing your seed into. For example, ask for the budget of the ministry. See where the majority of those funds are going Find out if that ministry is giving to other ministries, etc. You are probably asking yourself, what does this have to do with the love factor? Can I tell you something that is really going to break your heart? Did you know that people have been manipulated for so long that they think honestly have been deceived into thinking that it’s love. Think about it for a moment. Do you honestly think that you have to pay God to bless (love) you? Think about that for a moment. People have been deceived so much that they think things from God are His love, rather than a byproduct of His love. They remain clueless about what God ‘s love really is all about. It’s all about planes, trains and automobile’s, when really in all reality those are just resources. I was once deceived and I guess that’s why it breaks my heart so much. When the “blessings” stop coming then the first thing we are led to believe is that God is disappointed in us and has stopped loving us. Our belief system has been so rooted and grounded in material things as being the love of God that we walk around performing for Him thinking that will keep the abundance of things coming. What a sad state of mind. Imagine this for a moment. You are in the presence of someone that you can totally let all those walls down and be yourself. You can cuss if you want. You can cry if you want. You can laugh if you want. You can just be silent if you choose. Imagine, that someone there with you and you’ve just shared every horrible thing in your life and that person doesn’t say a word, but literally throws their arms around you and gives you the biggest hug you’ve ever had in your whole life. This hug is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. It makes you feel accepted, treasured and loved unlike anything you’ve ever known of in your life. They know every awful detail of your life and they don’t even bring it up to you. Imagine that. Close your eyes and mentally put yourself there with that person for a few minutes. Come on, just do it. What did it feel like? Write it down….. Did you know that that is what it is like being in the presence of God!!!! We all put on masks for our friends. There are details in our lives that we wouldn’t share with anyone and unfortunately we’ve been lied to about God so we don’t’ run to Him either because we’ve been told that God can’t be in the midst of our sinful nature. If that is the truth, then why would God say that we were justified through Christ. Read it for yourself in Romans 5:1-8. God doesn’t look upon our sin because He can’t see it. It’s in the past!! He just sees Jesus. That’s why God will never bring up your past, He can’t! He doesn’t remember it. When we go to God in the midst of trouble, even if it’s trouble we’ve brought on ourselves, He will run to comfort us and then He will teach us if we let Him. He doesn’t bring up our failures, He brings up our future!!!! I really encourage you to purchase Darin Hufford’s book “The God’s Honest Truth.” That book is the best book I’ve read on the love of God. 2 Corinthians 3:11-18 Jesus fulfilled the law and the veil has been removed by His death, burial and resurrection. Why then are we still captive? Jesus paid a debt we could never repay and that is the beauty of His love and affection for us. God knew what He was getting when He got us. As we come alive to His love for us, we can’t help but love Him back. Yet, even if we don’t love Him, He still loves us. God does not love us to get something from us. He loves us to give us freedom and liberty to be who He created us to be. The “Love Factor” is just being able to be with God as we are so He can change us with His love into who He designed us to be. It’s all in His hands and it flows from His heart of love. Father I ask that you give those that read this such an incredible revelation and understanding of your heart. Your love reaches far and wide and has no end. Father we can never do anything to keep you from loving us because your love is unconditional. God in a world where everything is based on how we perform, I thank you that with you it’s never a performance. I thank you God that you love us and are passionate about us. God if we could only grasp the concept of that love. Give us new eyes to see and feel your heart. Thank you Jesus for your life and love that you freely gave because you knew the prize. We are your treasures! Help us to love others like you love God. I know that it is impossible until we get a hold of the truth of your love in your hearts and minds. We want your love so rooted and grounded in our hearts Father so we can walk in freedom. When you read those Valentine’s cards, think of them from God to you and capture an image in your mind of His awesome love. Happy Valentine’s Day!!! ----- "The Fear Factor" - January 2006 Happy New Year! I believe that 2006 is a year of destiny! I believe that many things will come to pass that many believers have been waiting on for many years. I want to warn my readers that this message may challenge you and you may even experience anger and call me a blasphemer. However, I must be obedient to God. I encourage you to stay with me though by reading the message in it’s entirety as well as studying the Word of God and asking God to reveal His heart to you. Let’s get started. This past October, God began to put some things on my heart for the new year. Spiritually, God has called me to focus on His unconditional love this year, both in my personal life and ministerially. Our actions follow our beliefs and unfortunately in the many circles, not all, but many in the body of Christ, I see and hear FEAR being used as “the” motivating factor to bring unbelievers to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. This saddens and grieves my heart immensely! God never uses fear to bring someone into the Kingdom, but unfortunately humans do! It is actually manipulation in it’s greatest form. As I was standing in front of my bathroom mirror getting ready yesterday, the Lord spoke to me and said “Tammy, what does fear cause someone to do?” That’s easy I said, it causes people to run. September 11th, 2001 was a defining day in our country. The American people were gripped with a paralyzing fear after the World Trade Center and the Pentagon was attacked. Thousands of lives were lost and the fear that paralyzed the United States literally affected everyone. I heard religious people blame God for that atrocity! God was mad at all the sin in this world and He was whirling His anger through terrorism. Anything God does will not produce fear in any way. In fact, He operates in peace! He doesn’t have evil or terrorism in Him! When the prophets began to speak about the New Orleans disaster prior to it happening, I believe God spoke to them, but if one’s belief system is rooted and grounded in gloom and doom, in other words fear, then whoever will prophecy out of that belief system. Thus, God getting blamed for a disaster He couldn’t have caused because He doesn’t have disaster to give! God spoke to give us a heads up to protect us. God was not in that storm and He didn’t control that storm. God gave dominion to man here in this earth (Read Genesis). The earth is bringing forth birthing pangs that will usher in the return of Jesus Christ! The Word says that even the rocks cry out. I have heard people say that they got cancer or some horrible disease because God was trying to teach them a lesson. WHAT? God says by Jesus’ stripes we WERE healed. God doesn’t have sickness to give. Unfortunate things happen in life but we need to cling to the life and promises of God’s Word and get it so rooted and grounded in our heart that our circumstances do not dictate our outcome! Pastor Allen Speegle says that if it ain’t good, it ain’t God! Now God can take those horrible circumstances and He will and turn them around for us and cause good to come out of our troubles. We then become stronger in our faith and trust in the only One we are called to trust! I then began to think about how many have chosen Christ out of fear. Stay with me here. Have you ever been to one of those Halloween productions at various churches. I think one of them is called Heaven’s Gates, Hell’s Flames. They basically walk you through people dying unexpectedly and because they hadn’t asked Jesus to come into their heart’s they were faced with eternal damnation to hell. Did you know that God doesn’t send anyone to hell? STAY WITH ME HERE….KEEP READING! God made the provision through His Son, Jesus Christ so we wouldn’t have to go to hell. I’ve been asked personally, how can a loving God send people to hell? At one time, I couldn’t answer that question, but can I give you a revelation here? People send themselves to hell! The power of that choice is in their own hands, not God’s!! God has given us a free will and the freedom to choose Him! People want to blame God for their own choices that bring destruction, no matter if it is earthly destruction or eternal destruction to hell. So what happens to those people that choose Jesus out of fear, well guess what, they go to heaven, but you know what? Chances are that they will never live the life that God intended them to live here on earth, because they can’t get close to their Creator because they FEAR Him!!! Fear causes them to run away from God, especially if they are not living right! It’s only God that can change a person, but religion teaches us to reject people if they aren’t living right or doing right whereas relationship produces the opposite! Years ago, I believed that you could lose your salvation, but as I studied the Word of God I asked myself if that is the case then wouldn’t God’s love for us be conditional? Wouldn’t it be a love based on PERFORMANCE? What an awful fear to have! People fall away from God because they feel they can’t run to Him in the midst of their failures! Recently, Pastor Thom Cooper at Family Bible Church preached a message that was so incredibly profound to me He preached on Luke 4:18 – The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. Can I break that scripture down for you? Spirit – The nature and character of God Thom used the illustration of Jesus feeding the 5000 families with the 5 loaves and 2 fishes. Jesus didn’t look at what He had in His hands. No, He looked up. He looked beyond the smoke screen. What is the smoke screen in your life today that is causing you to focus on your circumstances rather than what God says about that circumstance? You know what that smoke screen is? FEAR! Fear will always cause you to lose your peace, worry and fret about earthly circumstances. Yet, we have been given all things for life and godliness through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Look at the meaning of “poor”…Wow, how many people are thoroughly frightened because they fear they don’ measure up? The Word declares that Jesus is our righteousness! So my question to you is who are you gonna believe? Your life circumstances that are subject to change, or the God of the Universe who’s made every provision for you already? But you may say, “Tammy, I’m the one who’s made a mess of things, how can I expect God to help me?” Let me ask you to ponder this. Pastor Allen Speegle used this illustration a few years back. Let’s say you were really upset with your child about something and they were in their room thinking about it, you know how that is. Well, if that child all of a sudden started screaming out for help and was in pain, would you just sit on your big sofa and say to yourself, I can’t run to his or her rescue because they made a mistake? I don’t think so! You would bolt to help that child! Nothing would delay your response. Well, if we would do that, how much more would God, being a perfect parent and one who loves perfectly, run to us? John 17:1-4 Jesus is praying to the Father John 17:23 says…I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the WORLD may know that thou hast sent me, and hast LOVED THEM, as thou hast LOVED ME! WOW!!! Jesus only did what He saw the Father do! Jesus was the true representation of God’s nature and character. I’ve heard the expression that Jesus is up there pleading with God to not be angry with mankind. Let me tell you, God’s wrath and anger was settled in Jesus!! God will never be mad at you again! 2 Corinthians 3:18 declares…But we all, with open face (no obstacles that block our view and perception or view) beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory (our view and opinion of ourselves) to glory (God’s view and opinion of us), even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19…But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled (removed all enmity and hostility towards man) us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation (that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him). It was God personally present in Christ, reconciling and restoring the WORLD to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against men their trespasses (but CANCELLING them), and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor). GOD RECONCILED THE WORLD TO HIMSELF!! Has religion has raised a smoke screen of fear in your life? Do you think you have to have everything right in your life to go to God. I say to you today, choose to change “The Fear Factor” in your life to “The Relationship Factor!” John 10:10 – The thief comes only but to steal, kill, and destroy, BUT I have come that ye may have life and have it more abundantly till it overflows! Declare that 2006 will be your year of overflow!!! It’s a year of destiny!! ----- December 2005 - "The Glory of God" by Darin Hufford The term “The Glory of God” has been used frequently and rather loosely throughout our generation. It has become a catch phrase or a cliché that we use to describe a moving church service or worship experience. Every Pastor in America fondly recalls specific times where “The Glory of God fell on his congregation and lives were changed.” We hear about it so much, but we rarely contemplate exactly what “The Glory of God” is. What does it look like? How can we recognize it when it comes into the room? Is it something we can actually see while living here on earth? How can each of us experience the Glory of God in our everyday lives and know for sure that it’s there? I would like to submit to you the easiest way to actually see His Glory on a daily basis. Better yet I want to give you a way that others can see “The Glory of God” inside of you wherever you go! This morning my two and a half year old daughter Emma stumbled into our bedroom moments after she awoke and walked right into a title wave of “The Glory of God.” The moment her little fingers pried my eye lids open from a deep sleep and I recognized who it was laying on my chest and breathing on my face; my eyes lit up. When you love someone with all your heart, it causes your eyes to light up when they walk into the room. This “light” is the Glory of God! Remember, God is Love. His glory is only present when love is present. If you truly love, His Glory is inside of you and everyone around you sees it when you look at them. They will be drawn to it like little children. It’s a precious light that most people see from only one or two people in their entire lifetime. Being a “light in the darkness” is so much more than following the rules and setting a moral example to the world. It’s not about refusing to have a drink at a party as a witness to your friends, or insisting that your boss gives you Sundays off so you can go to church. It’s not about taking a stand against trick-or-treating or showing off your Bible in the break room. Being a “light in the darkness” is simply YOU LOVING PEOPLE and them beholding the light of that love in your eyes. There is simply no other way to show off His Glory in this world! ----- November 2005 - "God’s Will vs. God’s Plans" Recently, I have had the pleasure of getting to know Darin Hufford.
Darin has written two books that I highly recommend. In fact, both
of them are in my top 10 list. Those books are "The Relationship
Code" and "The God's Honest Truth." Both of these
books are available for purchase through www.darinhufford.com or www.outofexile.org.
He has a true gift of communicating God's incredible love in such
an understandable way. If you are someone who struggles with the
whole God thing or you are someone who has been messed up by "religion," these
books will challenge you and set you free in many aspects. Always remember that God Loves You Unconditionally~ ----- October 2005 - "The Danger of Dating in Your Mind" by Carolyn McCulley – Author and Speaker Here’s a typical conversation between two single women: “ So how did it go with [insert guy’s name here] the
other night?” It felt like a date. That’s a phrase that should set off all kinds of alarm bells among single women. If it “feels” like a date, then no one has said it’s a date. It’s just two friends hanging out, but one of them wants more. In this scenario, the problem is that while the man may be clear in his own mind about his intentions (“just friends”), the woman is not. She’s hoping for more or “dating him in her mind.” This may seem like a harmless distraction, but it’s really not. I have a friend who once observed that our interactions with men should be like a peanut butter sandwich. No one likes to eat a sandwich where the peanut butter is all clumped up in one corner. We like our peanut butter to be evenly spread around. “So, honey, don’t get all clumped up in one corner, distracted by one guy,” she said. “Spread yourself around! Let him get clumped up around you!” We had a good laugh at that, but there’s much truth in this homespun advice. Because our churches often provide the context to get to know single men as friends, we women can start investing more significance in these interactions than is wise. We get all “clumped up” around one guy -- until he says something or does something to make us realize he’s not going to pursue. Then comes the disappointment. In our defense, I have observed when men go through all the motions of dating without declaring their intentions. I’ve seen men “try on” certain women and then fade away if there wasn’t enough spark to attract them to pursue. I’ve seen men hang out with women for years as extremely good friends, seemingly oblivious to the potential there, while the women struggle to guard their emotions and expectations. While I think we can become wiser about evaluating the men in these situations (which we’ll look at next time), all things start with our own hearts. Because I’ve been “clumped up” far more often than I’d like to admit, I’ve learned to discern the symptoms of this tendency in my life. Here are some questions I ask myself whenever I think I’m starting to “date someone in my mind”: • Do I talk about him a lot to other people? When we get stuck in a man’s orbit like this, typically we’re laying claims and forming attachments that are deadly to our spiritual growth and witness. Because these attachments are one-sided, when the relationship doesn’t occur in the way or time that we want we usually respond sinfully. Paul Tripp, author and biblical counselor, explains the pitfalls of this continuum in this way – desire leads to demand, which re-labels itself as a “need” and leads to expectation of fulfillment, which, when unmet, leads to disappointment, and thus ends in punishment. As he writes, “The objects of most of our desires are not evil. The problem is the way they tend to grow, and the control they come to exercise over our hearts. Desires are a part of human existence, but they must be held with an open hand. … The problem with desire is that in sinners it very quickly morphs into demand (‘I must’). Demand is the closing of my fists over a desire. Even though I may be unaware that I have done it, I have left my proper position of submission to God. I have decided that I must have what I have set my heart on and nothing can stand in the way. I am no longer comforted by God’s desire for me; I am threatened by it, because God’s will potentially stands in the way of my demand. … There is a direct relationship between expectation and disappointment, and much of our disappointment in relationships is not because people have actually wronged us, but because they have failed to meet our expectations.” When I first read that diagnosis (in his book "Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands"), I was stunned. That’s exactly what happens when I “date someone in my mind”! One sentence in particular screamed from the page: “There is a direct relationship between expectation and disappointment, and much of our disappointment in relationships is not because people have actually wronged us, but because they have failed to meet our expectations.” These are self-induced dings to our hearts! Even more seriously, these acts are seeds we are sowing to future conflict in our own marriages. No husband will meet all of our desires, so we should learn to protect our own hearts and minds in Christ Jesus by not indulging this cycle of idolatry. So how do we change? Here’s something I’ve been meditating on over the past year. The secret is in the worth of a woman with noble character. The Bible says she is “more precious than jewels.” Jewels aren’t out on the store’s front counter for every passerby to carelessly handle. Precious jewels are guarded in the vault, and are only brought out for consideration by a buyer who has demonstrated serious intentions and the wherewithal to purchase. Costume jewelry attracts casual inspection – and lots of it – by its cheap presentation. But because it’s not seen as valuable, it’s not treated as such. We don’t have to put our affections and ourselves on display. We can trust our heavenly Father to ward off the casual shoppers and only bring those with serious intentions to consider us. But you need to know that this will mean some “vault time.” While you’re in the dark, wondering when – and if – you will have a chance to sparkle for an appreciative buyer, you’ll be tested. During this time, keep in mind these three reminders: • Prayer: Take your petitions to God, for He’s the
only one who can change a man’s heart, and this brings His
peace to guard our own hearts. Paul Tripp outlined. When you find your fist closing over good desires and making them demands, stop. Open that clenched fist and hold that desire up in prayer (see point one again). We have to be very careful about guarding our own hearts. This is a wisdom issue. More importantly, it’s a worship issue. The real motivation for guarding our hearts is not to be able to hand our husbands a relatively unscathed heart on our wedding day, as important as that is. The real motivation for guarding our hearts is to preserve our trusting dependence on God with a peaceful spirit, whether we get married or not. It’s to keep a Scriptural imperative: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Carolyn McCulley handles church and ministry relations for Sovereign Grace Ministries and is a member of Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, MD. This column is adapted from her book, "Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye? Trusting God with a Hope Deferred." (Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.gnpcb.org). Carolyn welcomes your comments at info@carolynmcculley.com. Or visit her website (www.carolynmcculley.com) or blog (solofemininity.blogs.com). ----- September 2005 - "Hurricane Katrina" by Pastor Allen Speegle of Family Bible Church Sadly in the midst of the tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico many church leaders across America are already crying out judgment has begun… God has lifted his hand of protection… The sad part is not only is this untrue but it doesn’t offer any comfort and hope. I write this short article today because it is must that we who believe the message of God’s goodness do all we can to help people see that God is a GOOD God. Some common statements that we must combat are; It’s the beginning of judgment, Pray the wrath of God will be diverted, God allowed it, God’s hand of protection is being lifted and God is trying to get our attention. 3 Reasons We Know God Had Nothing to Do With It: 1. God is good and is not the creator of pain and suffering. James 1:16-17 (16) Do not err, my beloved brethren. (17) Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Psa.34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Good = beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, at ease,
favor, fine, glad, good gracious, joyful, kind, loving, merry,
pleasant, pleasure, precious, prosperity, ready, sweet, wealth,
welfare... I have often said if we did what God is accused of we would be
arrested and rightly so. Read and consider what Mat.5:39-44 says
when Jesus said whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek,
turn to him the other also. God gives us this instruction because
He knows that this principal works because He uses it himself.
In a nut shell God never instructs us to live a 3. JESUS……………………….!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jesus came into this world for two reasons, one is whether the religious system of today accepts it or not Jesus became our sin and took our judgment and God is at peace with all mankind. Isa 54:9-10 says; For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee. The Message Bible says; For even if the mountains walk away and the hills fall to pieces, My love won't walk away from you, my covenant commitment of peace won't fall apart." The second reason was to show the world what God was like. Heb 1:3 says; The Son reflects God's own glory, and everything about him represents God exactly. The KJV says Jesus is the “express” image of God’s person. Webster defines express as to make known one’s opinions or feelings, a messenger sent to represent another, the reflection of character and mood. When Jesus walked the earth he said I only do and say what I see my Father do and say. He also said if you’ve seen me you’ve seen the Father. So again Jesus came to show us exactly what God the Father is like. If I want to understand how God feels and treats me and others all I have to do is read the gospels and see how Jesus treated people. For greater understanding concerning what I’ve briefly touched on listen to the message on our website at www.fambible.org I ministered on August 28th, 2005 titled "Not Guilty – The Gospel of Peace". Remember if it is not GOOD it can’t be God!!!! Allen ----- August 2005 - "Persistent Faith" Have you ever been so pumped up about something and find you are just bursting at the seams with excitement and anticipation? I have the perfect analogy. For my daughter’s spiritual birthday I decided to give her a cell phone. She has only been asking for a cell phone for 2 years now. Yet, 2 years ago, she would not have been ready to have such a responsibility. As I shared with her my decision to make this purchase she could barely contain herself enough to listen to the responsibilities that will go with her new gift. Yet, as she sat contained in the passenger seat of the car she held herself together (barely) to listen. Barely upon completing my last sentence, she burst forth with a loud SCREAM of excitement and was like “I love you, I love you, I love you.” She was bouncing up and down as much as she could as she was buckled tightly in the car. The seat belt had it’s purpose! The first thing Mikayla did was tell all her friends at church. She even wanted to give out her number and the phone hasn’t even been delivered yet. It was so fun to watch and to be completely honest with you, a little frustrating on my behalf because of her enormous energy that could not be contained. How many times has something so exciting happened in our lives that we go about telling everyone what were going to do, what we are getting or even better yet, what God said or promised us, We are so zealous to tell everyone about the exciting things that are happening. In and of itself there is nothing wrong with that at all. However, there is a flip side to this coin. That flip side is called TIME! In the waiting time, between the promise and the manifestation of the promise, our emotions can go through so many stages. It is during this time that we experience highs and lows. Bursts of excitement when we think we see something on the horizon to our dream coming true, or serious disappointments when what we see deceives us. There are also times of doubt and unbelief. Of course there is the ever so frequent thought that plagues us, “Did God really say?” Then there are those times that we simply give up on what God said and just choose not to believe because it’s just taking too long. I remember when my daughter began asking me for a cell phone. I would never tell her no you can’t get one, I just said, not yet. She would continue asking periodically and sometimes walk away with great disappointment. Yet, she always persisted. Just as we need to be persistent, even in waiting. Have you ever wondered why we give up when we have to wait too long or why we question if we really did hear God? Why is it that we question our beliefs instead of our doubts? Romans 8:32 AMP says...He who did not withhold or spare (even) His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all (other) things? God often times leads us by the desires of our hearts. He has placed passions within us to direct us toward our purpose. Just because we don’t see our desires manifest when we expect or want them to, doesn’t mean that God said NO. Let me pose the question once again. Why is it that we question our beliefs instead of our doubts? Hebrews 11:1 AMP says...Now Faith (This moment) is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things (we) hope for, being the proof of things (we) do not see and the conviction of their reality (faith) perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses.) The next time the thought crosses your mind...”Did you really hear God,” respond back with “The Word of God says that His sheep know His voice.” The bottom line is that in the waiting, we need to continue to persuade our hearts in the truth and knowledge of God. Who He is, What He says and build our beliefs more and more upon His Truth, not our facts. There is a big difference. When it seems your faith is weak, then refocus your faith. It’s not you that makes things come to pass. It is God! This past week I heard my pastor says something that astounded me. I was like...whoa that changes everything. Take a journey with me... Let’s say someone came into your church with no arms and no legs. Could your faith believe for those limbs to grow? I know mine couldn’t. Yet, if Jesus was standing there I could believe that His faith could believe it!! Maybe our confession should be, “God, I don’t have the faith to believe for this, but I know Jesus does and so I put my faith and trust in Him.” Have persistent faith in Jesus! I’ll close with this a brief look at Abraham’s faith. He left us a wonderful example when believing for things, even the impossible! Romans 4:16 AMP says...Therefore, (inheriting) the promise is the outcome of faith and depends (entirely) on faith, in order that it might be given as an act of grace (unmerited favor), to make it stable and valid and guaranteed to all his descendants-not only to the devotees and adherents of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is (thus) the father of us all. Vs. 20 - No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God. ----- March 2005 - Behold I Make All Things New - “The Resurrection” Revelation 21:5 – Then, He who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” When I think about the incredible miracle of the resurrection, it astounds me. When I think about the miracle of Christ all in itself, it is mind blowing. God’s plans absolutely fascinate me. His entire plan for humanity was wrapped up in Christ. Let’s take a look at and excerpt taken from the book “All About God In Christ” by Herbert Lockyer. In Galatians 4:4, Paul declares that “when the fullness of the time was, God set forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” Such a phrase describes the perfect humanity of our Lord and gives us His wondrous birth from the human standpoint. But on may ask the question: Why was Christ born of a woman? Well, there are one or two answers to such a question: As a fulfillment of Promise. The great redemption promise of Genesis 3:15 was: “It (the seed of the woman) shall bruise thy (the serpent’s) head.” Woman who was made a sinner by the serpent will produce One who will destroy the serpent’s power. And so in I Timothy 2:15, “She shall be saved through her (or the) child-bearing.” In the Old Testament there was the law of sin and death. Those laws were put into place to protect God’s people until it was time for Jesus to come and fulfill the redemption plan of God, that would literally take back what Satan had stolen in the garden of Eden. God planned the New Covenant from the foundations of the world, because He knew that man would fall and so He prepared the ultimate sacrifice. The shedding of His Son’s blood as an atonement for all. When Jesus came, He walked perfectly on this earth; He died on a cross and literally became the curse. He became our sin, He didn’t just take it upon Himself. He then rose again from the dead. When Jesus died and rose again, He defeated Satan once and for all. 100% irrevocable!!. The law of sin and death was eradicated, thus a new covenant was established that replaced the law of sin and death with grace, God’s unmerited (not earned) favor. In fact, if you study it out, when Jesus died on the cross and descended into hell, He brought freedom to those who believed on Him. - (1 Cor. 15:20 – Now is Christ indeed risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept.” Let’s look at Strong’s Concordance, #386 - The scriptures often speak of Christ’s resurrection with the phrase that is literally “resurrection out from among dead ones.” This is the wording in the first half of 1 Corinthians 15:12 and in other verses (see Acts 17:31; I Peter 1:3). When Scripture speaks of the resurrection in general, commonly the phrase is “a resurrection of dead ones.” This is the wording in the second half of I Corinthians 15:12 (see also 15:13, 42). In Romans 1:4, Christ’s resurrection is spoken of as “a resurrection of dead ones.” The same terminology is used in I Corinthians 15:21, where the Greek text literally reads: “For since through a man death came, so also through a Man came a resurrection of dead persons.” This shows that Christ’s resurrection included the resurrection of believers to eternal life. When He arose, many arose with Him, for they were united with Him in His resurrection (see Romans 6:4, 5; Eph. 2:6; Col. 3:1) The Bible says that God poured out ALL His anger and ALL His wrath out on Jesus and under the New Covenant of grace, He will never get mad at us again. In fact, if you have a religious bone in your body this will put a cramp in it - Did you know that everyone in this world is IN CHRIST? Now, I'm not saying they are saved and on their way to heaven. I mean that when God looks at this messed up world, all He sees is the new covenant by means of what Jesus did. He knows the evil and terrible circumstances down here, but because of the new covenant all He chooses to see is only through what Jesus did. He doesn't get angry at any of us. Now, when we step into asking Jesus to be the Lord of our lives and get saved we fall under a supernatural umbrella of protection if we are obedient. God doesn't call us to obey Him because He's some pompous, egotistical God. No, just as in the old covenant, He wants us to obey so that we have a good life. So we have everything, Jesus died to give us. We are supposed to be healthy and whole, we are supposed to be prosperous in every way, we are supposed to have life abundantly (John 10:10). Everything we need has been done in Jesus. It is so exciting!!!!! If Jesus had not risen from the dead, then the message of the gospel is futile. Jesus’ death on the cross secured our justification. When He was raised from the dead, God put His stamp of approval of Christ’s sacrifice for our sins. If Jesus had not risen from the dead, we would have no forgiveness of sin. When God looks at us, faults and all, He sees the perfection of Jesus Christ. He doesn’t condemn us, He loves us. Jesus suffered in our place! Have you ever questioned your identity? Have you ever questioned your worth? Have you ever wondered, does God love me? Have you ever accepted Christ and decided to exchange your identity with His? He exchanged His identity for us, so that we might have life! The mystery and miracle of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection is astounding. If you ever question what God thinks of you, not based on anything you do, but based on the obedience of Jesus Christ, just take a look at the exchange - • He was poor, that He might make us rich. Behold, I make all things new!! Jesus made it brand new for all
of us. We have a fresh start through the redemptive blood of Jesus.
What Jesus died to give us is truly a never ending list. Have you made the exchange? He’s waiting with arms open wide. If you would like to make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, just say this simple prayer. Lord Jesus, I need you! I want to make the exchange. I believe that you died on the cross for my sins and you were raised from the dead. Please come into my heart and be the leader of my life. Thank you God for sending your Son. In Jesus Name, Amen. If you said that prayer, please write to us and let us know. We would love to send you a little gift to help you begin your walk with God. It is the most amazing journey!! Be blessed this Easter season! ----- February 2005 - "A Safe Place to Fall" This month’s message I’m going to talk about something
that I’m becoming more passionate about everyday! I’m
going to talk about parenting. My daughter Mikayla is going to
be turning 10 years old on the 14th and I’m just so excited.
She has taught me so much about the mercy and grace of my Father
God. Her forgiving spirit and new mercy when I have dropped the
ball as a mother has inspired me. Lets look at verse 4 from the Amplified Bible II Timothy 3:15 AMP says TRUST, CONFIDENT, WISDOM AND GOODNESS!!!! Here are some keys – • Communicate with your child. Communication is not a monologue
it’s a dialogue. If you don’t have time to listen to
the little things and offer your input they won’t come to
you with the big things. Remember, children are a gift from the Lord!! Let’s treasure that gift!! ----- January 2005 - "When Jesus, the Savior becomes Jesus, Your Lord" - Part 2 Happy New Year! I can’t believe it’s 2005 already. Usually in the beginning of a new year everyone is making resolutions that eventually they will probably break, because they make decisions foolishly. Now some are really focused and they really do change their lives in some way because they remain committed to their decision. I find that many people want everything now and if they don’t get it, they try other ways and continue to fail rather than trying the right way and allowing Jesus to be the Lord of their decisions. When Jesus is the Lord of your decisions then the grace, His ability, comes alive to walk out the commitment it takes to fulfill the plan. Let’s review some things from last month’s message before we continue. Savior (Deliverer). One who saves, delivers, or preserves from
any evil or danger , whether physical or spiritual, temporal or
eternal; term applied both to people and to God. In the New Testament
however, it is never applied to people, but only to God and Christ.
Savior is preeminently the title of the Son. Let’s review the 7 keys: •Just be real. Tell God when you struggle! Stop trying to “fake
it till you make it.” It doesn’t work like that in
the kingdom of God. So now that we have reviewed, let’s continue. I want to talk about 3 important steps that you will need to take as you move ahead in your relationship with God. First, I want you to take some time and answer this question: Why do I believe what I believe? Is it because that is what you have heard? The answer to your question will reveal a lot to you. If why you believe what you believe, is just simply based on what someone has told you, or what the preacher has taught on Sunday, then this next step is something you will want to take some “discovery” time on. Key 8 • Make your relationship with God personal! He is a personal God!!! Here is an example: I’ve been mentoring a beautiful young lady for about the past year now. She has such awesome questions. They are so real and honest. Well, she recently asked me how to heal. Well it begins with building a trusting relationship with God. Here was “long” clip from part of my response to her. “I always say that someone has to have a starting place in building a relationship with God. How would you normally build a relationship with someone? You begin by talking with them and I'm sure you try to learn about them to find out what they like and what they don't like, and if you can trust them or not. It's the same with God. You don't just start out bang, trusting God like that. It's a process. It takes time. It also takes a decision on your part to start the process. Many people make decisions for Christ, but they fail to remain committed to that decision thus making it really difficult to build a relationship with Him. They think that they say the sinner's prayer and bang they are healed, set free, delivered, etc. The truth is, everything they need to be healed, set free and delivered comes into their lives the moment they ask Jesus to come into their heart, however it takes time to grow in the knowledge of what has been buried in the deepest part of their heart's and it takes time to operate in faith. It's kind of like a bank account. If you have a bank account with a hundred dollars in it but you don't have the account number, then you can withdraw the money. It doesn't mean that you don't have a bank account with a hundred dollars in it, it just means that you need more knowledge in how to withdraw it. That's the process with Christ. If you have a hard time believing God for 2.00 how are you going to believe Him for a million. See what I mean. It's hard for you to trust God, because you've never taken the steps required to see if you can. Your not going to wake up one day and boom trust God with all your heart, mind, and soul etc. It will take time! The problem today is that everybody wants everything now. They even get mad if they have |
