Perception

How do you see the world? With all the influences surrounding us in our everyday lives, it’s so easy to get off track with how you see yourself. The real question is: Do you see yourself the way God sees you?

The word perception means “receiving, collecting, action of taking possession, apprehension with the mind or senses.” So, it’s just natural to gain knowledge by what you perceive. You become aware of something through your senses.

The best kind of perception is knowing that God loves you! When you believe that you are special and that God created you, that He is pleased with you, that you have worth just because He made you, then all other situations are small compared to that.

Look at the story of the woman at the well in John 4. Jesus met this woman, naming all the things she was facing, and giving her a way out. Jesus worked through the barriers that this woman was struggling with and facing. Rejection, sorrow, and religion…all areas that this woman had experienced a negative side of and yet Jesus was able to heal this in her. He chose her to spread the good news and the Bible says that many believed.

Jesus wants to reveal Himself to us today! He heals those who have been rejected, those who have experienced debilitating sorrow, those who have been hurt by religion.

Whatever you need in this life, God knew it in advance. He has prepared you and is a giving you what you need for such a time as this.

-Pastor

Easter

Someone must die…

The punishment for sin was death. Everyone was guilty. Someone had to sacrifice. We celebrate it every year, but what made it truly special?

Jesus.

Jesus died to deal with who you were; He was raised to make you something completely different.

His death provided mercy and forgiveness.

His resurrection provided grace and becoming a new creation. The sacrifice in a moment. The gift of a lifetime. Barabbas. The man who escaped death. The man who was guilty and deserved to die. Set free. Because of Jesus.

Barabbas was guilty. He was scheduled to be put to death. Then the unthinkable happened. Jesus took Barabbas’ place, giving him life and freedom. Someone who didn’t deserve it. Saved. Us.

We were just like Barabbas. Guilty and deserving of death, according to our sins. Jesus, the true Son of the Father, took our place, so that we can also become sons of the Father. He sacrificed everything for us, to give us everything. Jesus wrote out

His “will” and our names were on it! We inherited healing, deliverance, freedom from the curse, blessings and forgiveness.

Because His sacrifice is perfect and He is perfect, we who are in Christ, have perfect standing forever before God! When God looks at you, he doesn’t see your sins. He doesn’t see your past. He sees you through the perfect blood that His Son shed. You are worthy. Worthy to be loved and accepted by our Heavenly Father. Never having to worry about falling short or not measuring up. You have perfect standing before Him forever. Easter. A beautifully written story about the gift of a lifetime, freely given to both me and you.

-Pastor

Imagine That

Did you know that you can can nurture HOPE through your imagination?

Imagination is the process or power of forming a mental image of something not real or present. Your creativity and the ability to invent is linked to your imagination.

How do you see yourself?

How do you see your finances?

How do you see your future?

The world and social media are trying to mold your image.

Numbers 13:33 (NKJV) says, “‘There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.’”

Are you allowing others to tell you who you are and what you are capable of?

Mark 9:23 (NKJV) says, “Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.’”

“Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results…”

― James Allen,

“Let a man radically alter his thoughts, and he will be astonished at the rapid transformation it will effect in the material conditions of his life.”

― James Allen, As a Man Thinketh

“As a man thinks in his heart, that’s the way he will be, and that’s what he will get.” (Proverbs 23:7).

People should be speaking words of hope. We should be the instruments of HOPE to the world! God’s favor overrides everything else, including your current situation and circumstances. If you believe that, it will change the way you think. This will help us in what we hope for, which has a ripple effect on our imagination. We can alter our life by the way we think, by the way we see ourselves!

Einstein said imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge can be great, but imagination can be even greater. Make a daily demand on your creativity.

Everything great started as someone's daydream. All people of action are first dreamers.

Genesis 11:6 (AMPC) says, “And the Lord said, ‘Behold, they are one people and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do, and now nothing they have imagined they can do will be impossible for them.’”

The wonder of imagination is this: it has the power to light its own fire. Unlike an airplane, your imagination can take off day or night in any kind of circumstances. Let it fly!

A genius is someone who shoots at a target no one else sees and hits it. “We are told never to cross a bridge till we come to it, but this world is owned by people who have crossed bridges; in their imagination far ahead of the crowd.” We should observe the future and act before it occurs.

One day Michelangelo saw a block of marble which the owner said was of no value. “It is valuable to me”; said Michelangelo. “There is an angel imprisoned in it, and I must set it free.”

Other people may be smarter, better educated or more experienced than you, but no single person has a monopoly on dreams, desires, or ambition.

Prov. 29:18 says, "Where there is no vision the people perish.” Not being a person of imagination causes your life to be less than it was intended to be.

A dream is one of the most exciting things there is. Your heart has eyes, which the brain knows nothing of. You are more than an empty bottle to be filled. You are a candle to be lit.

We can see ourselves on top and God will make sure to bring the right people to help get us there.

Light the fire of your imagination.

- Pastor

Hope in Desperate Times

God made us a people of hope. Hope is the belief that your future will be better than today, and you have the power to make it so.

Disappointments are always rooted in past experiences.

When something doesn’t work like you wanted it to work, it will become discouragement, if not dealt with. Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick.

It’s easy to be beaten down with everything that’s going on in life. "You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind.” The people of God should never be in a place where we are hopeless.

Your soul is where you need hope.

Psalm 42:11 (NKJV) says, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.”

The Word of God is more than enough to help us with hope in these times in dealing with COVID, shortages and all the craziness that’s going on in the world.

Abraham believed and hoped, even when there was no reason for hoping, and so became “the father of many nations.” How? His mind said, “I don’t know how, but I believe what the Word says.” He believed. He had hope.

Romans 15:13 (TPT) says, “Now may God, the inspiration and fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope!”

People who don’t have hope, believe they don’t have a future.

Remember these 3 things:

1. We were created to be a people of hope.

2. God’s hope will make a difference in your life no matter what is going on.

3. There is a way to cooperate with hope and to activate it.

Hope is seeing something you can’t see, which is imagination and a way of thinking. It can be nurtured and restored. Just like Abraham, WE can believe and so it will be.

HOPE!

-Pastor

Victory in 2022

Happy New Year! Are you ready for 2022? The past couple of years have held many challenges for so many of us. Sometimes it feels like we’re all alone in our struggles…like no one understands how we feel or what we’re going through. Just look at the Bible. Job had disappointments. Moses had disappointments. The children of Israel had disappointments. David had disappointments. See? You’re not alone!

So, what is the key ingredient, when it seems like you’re not having any victory, and nothing is working? FAITH! This becomes God’s time to shine! God likes producing victory when it seems impossible.

The enemy will try to stop you from expecting victory and one tool he will use against you is the force of disappointment. Disappointment is defined as “the frustration of expectancy.” The force of disappointment stops expectancy in our hearts. Repeated disappointment, if not dealt with, will become discouragement. Discouragement, if not dealt with, produces despair. When that happens, your promise becomes obsolete.

Despair is hopelessness. You no longer have the confidence of that promise.

Disappointments are always rooted in past experiences. When something doesn’t work out like you wanted it to, discouragement comes knocking at your door. If left unchecked, it can take root. You can take a page out of Paul’s book and PRESS FORWARD! Forget those things which are behind you!

Heb.13:5 (AMP) says, “For He, [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake, nor let you down (relax My hold on you). Assuredly not!”

When the enemy has your back up against the wall and you’re having a “Red Sea” experience like Moses, God will open it up and make a way for you to escape. Don’t disconnect from God. Know that He is with you and has not forgotten about you. The devil wants you to think that so you will disconnect yourself from God.

Keep trusting that God is with you.

Keep believing that God is faithful.

Faith does not deny the reality of difficulty; it declares the power of God in the face of the problem.

God says this, “You keep driving, I’ll see to it that you win!”

-Pastor

Coincidence on Christmas Day

Coincidence:

1. The state or fact of occupying the same relative position or area in space.

2. A sequence of events that although accidental seems to have been planned or arranged.

3. The occurrence of events that happen at the same time by accident but seem to have some connection.

Back in their time, it was forbidden for the sheep to be kept around towns because they didn’t want the cities to smell like feed lots. However, there was one type of sheep that they made an exception for: the Passover lambs for sacrifice. They were to be born in Bethlehem. So, the shepherds that were in Bethlehem saw every single Passover lamb. It was called the “lambing season” for sheep in Palestine.

Could it be a coincidence that Jesus, being the "lamb of the world," was born at the same time the Passover lambs were born? Jesus was born when the lambs were born, and he died when the Passover lamb was slaughtered on Nissan 14. Luke 2:12 (KJV) says, “And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

Feast of Lights: During this special feast another part of the Holy Convocation (rehearsal), was that from the Temple Mount rose a huge light, to light the night over Jerusalem.

In the court of the temple, there were 4 huge posts 75 feet tall. On top of each post were 4 oil lamps, huge vats of oil, with thick wicks made from the used undergarments of the priests. These undergarments were called “Swaddling cloths.” Remember, the Temple sat on top of Mount Moriah, so these lights would shine into every home, and every booth during this festival.

The birth of Christ was announced to the Jewish shepherds by an angel, to the Gentile philosophers (Wise Men) by a star. God relayed the message in the way they were best acquainted with. God will always help you by getting the message to you in the perfect way that you will receive it. The main thing is to be willing, just as the Wise men and shepherds were willing.

The wise men followed the star, but you can only see the star at night time. Just because it’s a dark hour for you doesn’t mean that God is not working. Everyone has dark times in their life, but there will always be a start to get you to your destination. Jesus will be there waiting for you, just as he was for the wise men.

Just pray and ask God to open your eyes. He will show you how valuable, loved and accepted you truly are.

- Pastor

Old Versus New

Do you ever wonder why we have both the Old Testament and the New Testament? Why are they like night and day? Most people believe that God gave the Old Testament Law to show us what we needed to do to obtain relationship with Him.

But the Law was never intended to bring us into relationship with our heavenly Father. A wrong understanding of the purpose of the Old Testament Law leads to a misunderstanding of the nature of God.

So, why the Old Testament?

- It was intended to show us our sin and our need for God.

- It was given to show us how unholy we were so we would stop trying to earn salvation and just receive it as a gift by faith.

- It was to turn us from self-righteousness to a faith-righteousness that could only come through a Savior (Romans 10:3-4).

God never wanted us to have knowledge of good and evil. Why? Because we would always base our relationship on the principal of doing right and wrong. William Tyndale said, “The Law and the Gospel are two keys. The Law is the key that shutteth up all men under condemnation, and the Gospel is the key which opens the door and lets them out.”

The Law reveals sin but cannot do anything about it. If the Law worked, then faith would be irrelevant. Romans 4:14 (NLT) says, “If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary, and the promise is pointless.”

The Old Testament only proved that there was no possible way to keep all those laws. There are two kinds of righteousness:

1. Self-righteousness – is when you must do something or perform to “earn” your righteousness, which is what the Old Testament outlined.

2. Faith-righteousness – is when there is nothing you can do or perform, but you simply receive it as a gift, not something you have to earn, which is what was given through the salvation of Jesus Christ. Christians are no longer under the Law. THAT is why we have the New Testament. Romans 6:14 (NLT) says, “Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.” The Old Testament pointed us toward the need for a Savior. The New Testament points us toward a New Covenant, created though salvation. Jesus is our Salvation!

- Pastor

The Inner Voice

John 14:26 (NKJV) says, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”

The Holy Spirit is the “spirit of truth.” He is our helper, our counselor and our guide. He teaches us who we are and helps us fulfill God’s plan for our lives. This is why the Holy Spirit is so important! We need to know Him.

Some people think the Holy Spirit is only in us to convict us and make us feel guilty about things. But in reality, He is our encourager, our advocate, our intercessor; He leads us to a deeper knowledge of the truth and gives us divine strength when we need it.

Colossians 3:15 (GNB) says, “The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make; for it is to this peace that God has called you together in the one body. And be thankful.”

We see from this scripture that is actually by PEACE, that the Holy Spirit guides us and not by guilt or fear. The more you understand and are sensitive to your inner voice, the more you can cooperate with it.

He is there to comfort you and guide you. Just listen and follow!

- Pastor

The Grace of God

We need to keep our hearts sensitive to God. Jesus taught in such a way that if your heart is open, you will be in a place to grow and understand His message, But if you’re not teachable, you won’t understand.

We need to stay teachable, ever evolving and growing! 2 Peter 1:3–4 (TPT) says, “Everything we could ever need for life and complete devotion to God has already been deposited in us by his divine power. For all this was lavished upon us through the rich experience of knowing him who has called us by name and invited us to come to him through a glorious manifestation of his goodness.

As a result of this, he has given you magnificent promises that are beyond all price, so that through the power of these tremendous promises you can experience partnership with the divine nature, by which you have escaped the corrupt desires that are of the world.”

So, it’s in you! Everything you need is already in you. Change does not happen from the outside. When change happens in the heart, actions will take care of themselves. Your behavior will begin to change. Your body will work to create whatever you are believing in your heart. So, what are you believing?

How do you see yourself? You can work and put in the effort your entire life, but until you actually SEE yourself where you want to be and envision it as if it has already happened, you won’t arrive there.

We have to get our heart established in the love of God.

We have to get our heart established that we are righteous.

We have to get our heart established that we have been healed and made prosperous.

We have to get our heart established in the GRACE of God.

You can only do what you know, but as you remain teachable, the grace of God will help you to continue to learn!

-Pastor