God's Spoken Ways: Recent Episodes
Rev. Dr. Cecil E. Barry
If you desire for Dr. Cecil E. Barry to speak at your event or service, please contact him at godsspokenways@gmail.com
What Is Faith – The issue is not do we have faith; we show faith every day. We have faith in the things of the world, in ourselves, in our knowledge, in others, and some of us even have faith in God. The question is not do we have faith, the question is, what are we placing our faith in? We will experience trouble when we misplace our faith in the wrong person or in the wrong thing. If our faith is wavering, all we do for God will be in vain. It’s not tithing God desires, but a faithful tither. It’s not suffering God seeks, but someone with the faith to suffer for God. It’s not trouble God is looking for, but faith that goes through a storm. Faith in God is not about us talking about faith, it is us demonstrating our faith is in God the Father and Christ Jesus alone.
Come As You Are – is a teaching about remembering how we came to Jesus. Many times, we get a little lost, we get caught up in religion and forget the condition we were in when we came to Jesus. We start believing we came to the Lord, already saved. We forget how bad things were when we came to the Lord. We have been saved and pulled out of darkness through God’s grace and mercy. We came with all our sickness, addiction, troubles, pain, and brokenness. We came as we were, and the Lord transformed our mind, body, and soul. All Christ wants from us, is for us to come as we are, without any religious traditions, and the Spirit of the Lord will teach us the ways of God. The Lord says, come to me, all you are weary, and I will give you rest.
The Impossible – When we are young, we believe all things are possible for us, anything we put in our hearts and minds we can do, we can achieve it, it can come true. As we get older, we come to understand that some things are bigger than us and require help from others. As we connect with Christ Jesus, and start to pattern our lives after him, we start to understand what is only possible with God. We come to understand even more that there are many things impossible for us, but nothing is impossible for God, all things are possible with the Lord. We must grow our faith so; it's not based on circumstances and situations in our lives. Our faith must mature, so whether in good times or bad, we believe all things are possible with God. In every situation, we believe, we have faith, that through Christ, we have eternal life with God, and he saves us from every situation in life, including death. Nothing is too hard for God, we must believe, we must have faith.
Fully Tested – Not many of us like being tested. To show that we are competent in the things we speak of, sometimes we must go through a time of testing, where we show ourselves approved, in life and with God. It’s one thing to say we know God’s Word, to speak God’s Word to others to encourage them and to correct and teach. It’s another for God to put us through a time of testing to show we are fully tested and humble, and we put into practice what he has taught us before we share it with others. No one likes to be tested, but through learning, applying, testing, enduring, and overcoming, we can grow and mature in our faith in God the Father and Christ Jesus. We ask God to test us, to correct our ways, so we show ourselves approved and can make it home, into God’s kingdom.
Arm Of God – Is there anything the Lord cannot do? Is the arm of the Lord too short to save? Is there anything we have done, if we repent, the Lord will not forgive, and restore us? Is there anything too hard for God? If we believe this is true, why are we still depending on ourselves and others to save us? Why do we live our lives as though the arm of the Lord is not strong enough to save us? As if there are places the arm of the Lord cannot reach. Nothing is hidden from God’s eyes; nothing is too broken that God cannot fix. We cannot save ourselves by taking up arms and living through falsehood. We must allow the truth and love of God to guide us, we must always live based on the Word of God, and not by what we believe. In the loving arms of Christ Jesus, we are protected from all harm, for this is a promise from God. The arm of the Lord is mighty to save, powerful to deliver, and abounding in love. Let us live under the loving arm of Jesus, every day, in all that we do, so God the Father and Christ Jesus receive all the glory and honor, and our lives are blessed by God.
Anointing Power – As we continue our journey to reach the place of maturity that the Lord is calling us, a step we must take in our lives is to become anointed servants of God. Not many are willing to go this far in their faith because it means living a life totally devoted to God. Why is it important we receive an anointing from the Lord? It is the anointing of God that allows those who are chosen to walk with God’s power and be protected from the devil’s schemes. God’s anointing keeps his servant focused on their godly purpose and allows them to walk in the power of God’s anointing. Not so we gain riches for ourselves, but so we are changed and grow in the knowledge of God, and others come to know that the power of God is still at work in the world. The Lord chose us to be anointed servants of God, we must obey, so God’s power is manifested in the world.
Temple Of God – Once we were a temple of the world, everything we did made us a product of the world. We treated our bodies as an instrument of sin, teaching our bodies to love the sinful pleasures of this life. When we give ourselves over to God, it includes our body, mind, spirit, and soul. Just like our behaviors begin to change under the influence of the Spirit, our bodies undergo a spiritual transformation as well. God not only wants us to become priests of Christ Jesus but for our bodies to become a temple of God. The Lord will remove all that is bad in us and make us into a temple that gives God praise. One this shines in the light and breaks through the darkness. We cannot fake our way through, we will be tested, and we will have to prove that we are truly a temple of God, ready to serve in the Kingdom of God. Through the storms, through the fire, if we endure, we will be a temple of God that cannot be broken, formed steadfast in the body of Christ Jesus. We must live as a temple of God for the remainder of our lives, never seeking darkness, and never leaving God’s presence. A temple that shines on a hill, for all to see.
On That Day – What is our understanding regarding the return of Christ Jesus? Do we believe that he is coming? Will it be a day of gladness and joy or a day of fire and brimstone? What is our understanding of what will happen just before and after Christ returns? When Christ returns, how sure are we that he will welcome us into God’s Kingdom? The time of our salvation is now. The time is now to accept God’s plan for renewing our lives. We must make our salvation sure. We want to be ready for the day of the Lord, doing all we can to stand ready. Nothing on earth can compare to the great reward Christ Jesus has in his hand. We must overcome, be victorious in Christ, cover others in prayer, and help save others, so there is great faith on that day. Now is the time, today is the day to start getting ready for that day. Let nothing stop you, God must find us faithful, living in love and peace, and following his Son Christ Jesus.
Our Calling – God wants everyone to be saved; he calls for all of us to come. But he knows we will not all come, he knows not all of us are going to obey, and not all of us are going to remain faithful to the end. Some he calls to be leaders, and others to be a guide. Some he calls to boldly speak his Word, and some he calls to show the power of his Spirit. There are many ways in which the Lord decides to call each one of us. We have a purpose in the Lord, but we don’t all have the same calling. For it is the Lord who calls us to do his will and for his purpose, and not our own. This is key to understanding God’s Calling on a person’s life. God’s calling is not something we can makeup, it’s not something we can choose. The Lord calls us to take part in his plan, to bring him glory, and help save his people. It’s a calling that changes our direction and tests our beliefs. It’s a calling that will test our faith and obedience to God. When God calls, the question is will we answer? Are we willing to allow the Lord to lead and guide us into his will and ways, even if it causes us to suffer, or experience loss? If we are faithful to our calling, the Lord will do some amazing things through us, and many will be touched by what God does through us. We were created for God’s purpose.
Sent By God – We live in dangerous times; many are bringing forth that which God spoke about regarding falsehood that would enter the world, as it is occurring today. People are misrepresenting themselves at all levels in society today. From the everyday person, who tells lies about who they are and what they have done, to the minister who teaches lies to get their followers to give them their money, to top government officials who spread lies and false theories to mislead a nation. Coming to believe in God’s Word and Truth is becoming more difficult amidst all the lies and false teachings. To avoid being misled and being hurt by those who spread lies and falsehoods, we must seek the Lord for ourselves and only listen to those who are sent by God and who live their lives as a person serving God and not themselves. If we don’t know God’s Word for ourselves, we can be easily deceived, and not able to discern a person sent by God from all the false teachers in the world. We must do our part, and come to know God’s Word, so we can be sent by God, or come to know those sent by God, so we mature in Christ. Only that which comes from God can ensure our salvation and eternal life with God the Father and Christ Jesus
Made New – We all came from the world, that is not the question. The question is, where will we end up? Many know a change is needed but are we willing to allow change to take place, to take hold in us? The way we live, talk, act, and carry ourselves, is it of a mature Christian? Many are not willing to be made new through Christ Jesus, or willing to go all the way in obeying God. But I am here to share with you that is not going to cut it with God. Look, the Lord wants all of us or none of us. It’s not up to us how much we are willing to change to please God. He wants all or none. He wants us to experience a new beginning, a fresh start with him through his Son Christ Jesus. Which of us is willing to allow God through Christ to make us new, to give us a fresh start, to complete his work in us? Jesus came to give us a fresh start; we must continue and allow the work of the Spirit to reach completion in us. We must keep our eyes towards heaven, we must keep our feet grounded in God’s Word. We must keep our minds stayed on Jesus and remain faithful to God. So, when all things are made new, we will be standing in God’s Kingdom, giving him all praise, honor, and glory.
God’s Solvency – In our minds and in our faith, we must remember, God does not need us, we need God. God is solvent, he is complete, and he does not need anything or anyone. What he desires is to have those who love him, come before him, so he can bless and protect those who believe in him and put their faith in him. Everything is created by God, if it was not for the Lord, we would not exist. If it was not for the Lord, we could not have children, a spouse, or a family. If it was not for the Lord, there would be no night and day. Without God, we could do nothing. Our life is in his hands, without him, there is no us. There is a need within us, that only a solvent God can satisfy. There is a longing within us, that only a loving God can fill. There is nothing that God needs, there is everything God is willing to give to those who place their faith, hope, and trust in him and his Son. God is solvent, all things fit into his hands, he is greater than all, and he is all we need for life.
God’s House – As the world keeps turning and changing, we must continue to respect and honor God’s House. I am not talking about church leaders, I am talking about how we approach God’s House, about how we need to show reverence to that which is meant to be Holy to God and us. The purpose of God’s House is not for us to come to just pay tithes and offerings and be entertained. It is meant to be a place where we can learn of the Lord, a place we can seek forgiveness and repentance for our sins. It is meant to be a place of prayer, where God’s Spirit dwells, and we see a movement of God. What we do the moment we enter God’s house, into his presents, must be pleasing to God. If we honor God’s house, he will bless, protect, and deliver us from all harm. Christ will welcome us all into God’s kingdom.
Sanctified Life – We must always believe and have faith in God, His Word, Son, and Spirit. We must apply God’s Word to our lives and live by it. We must not change, add, or modify God’s Word. We don’t use God’s Word to gain riches for ourselves. We must always seek the Lord and live by the truth, not allowing ourselves to be deceived. We must work with all our hearts not to sin. We must seek to do God’s Will, always. We must grow spiritually, for God is Spirit. We must love God and others, as we love ourselves, and give as it has been given to us. If we do these things, being called by God, he will sanctify us through and through. God wants all who receive his Spirit to be sanctified by it. Being sanctified is not so we can boast, but so the full measure of Christ Jesus is made complete in us, and we are found worthy of entering God’s sanctuary. Worthy of seeing the throne of God and seeing the Lord face to face. Our sanctification must be real, it cannot be fake, for the Lord knows the workings of our hearts. We are sanctified so we can do God’s Will, faithfully follow Christ, be led by the Spirit, and sanctified by God
have tried drinking from worldly riches, but we are still thirsty. We have tried drinking from worldly knowledge, but we are still hungry. We have tried drinking from worldly pleasure, but we are unsatisfied. We tried to bless ourselves, working things out on own, working long hours and days, but we are still in want. We think once we become rich, we will be satisfied. We think, once we have houses, businesses, children, cars, and money; we won’t be thirsty. But we are still in want, we are still thirsty, and we are still hungry. God did not create us, so we live thirsty, hungry, never being satisfied. God created us to be content, to receive so we are not in want, and to enjoy his increase. The Lord created a way for us not to be hungry or thirsty, to be a source of overflow. There is only one source that can quench our thirst, that gives us what we need, so we thirst no more. Only after drinking from the living water that flows from Christ, are we satisfied. It’s only after we have taken in all Christ has to offer, we hunger no more, we thirst no longer. In God all things are fulfilled through Christ Jesus
Swept Clean – Have you ever had something that you loved and cared for, but it would not stay clean? You do everything you can to care for it, to protect it. But no matter what you do, it always gets dirty again. Before sending his Son into the world, that is how God saw mankind. No matter what God did to teach us the right path, the easy road to keep us clean, we always chose the longer and harder path, the one that ensures we come out dirty, and covered in sin. God’s desire is for his children to be swept clean and to remain clean. This is not easy; it is much easier to pretend we have been swept clean. Pretending only works on humans, it does not work on God. The more we allow the Spirit to clean us up, the easier it will be to live in Christ Jesus and receive from God. We are being swept clean and made holy, so we can enter God’s kingdom and have eternal life. Being swept clean is a lifelong journey, don’t make it harder than it needs to be. If we draw closer to God, he will draw closer to us.
Seeing As God Sees – We are so much alike, yet different in every way. It takes a God to be able to deal with all our differences. Not one person on this planet thinks alike, we all have our different views, beliefs, and forms of truth. The Lord knows the more we stay away from his Word, Son, and Spirit, the more we would see things differently. Not only would we see ourselves differently, but we will also see God differently. God sees our heart clearly, without our life in Christ, the reflection God sees is a person with a heart of stone. But in Christ Jesus, our heart is changed, thus our reflection is changed, to a person who is loving, kind, gentle, forgiving, shows mercy, giving, honors, and glorifies God. When God sees our life as a reflection of Christ Jesus, we are good in his sight. In Christ, we see ourselves as God sees us, holy and righteous, a Child of God, a faithful servant of God.
Guard Over Yourself – In today’s world, there is much fear, though we know in Christ, we should not fear or worry about anything. Life can and does throw us curves, the devil is working hard to destroy us, and our faith is being tested every day. While leaning on the loving arms of Christ Jesus, we will experience tremendous pressure in our life. It’s important we guard over ourselves, so we are not defeated by weakness and sin. God the Father through Christ Jesus protects us along our spiritual journey, his mighty hand guards over our lives and hearts. We have a part to play in guarding over our mind, body, heart, spirit, and soul so we are always connected to Christ Jesus. It is in Christ Jesus, that God places a hedge of protection around us, so our life is guarded by his power. God is not going to stop us if we open the door and allow sin to enter in. We must remain in Christ, stop sinning, so our lives are guarded by God.
Breaking Faith – is a teaching about how we need to continue in our faith and stop breaking faith with God every time a situation comes up in our lives. Many times, after we come to know God the Father and our Lord Christ Jesus, we start doing good things, and we have a desire to serve. But life seems to always cause us to take a different path than what God has called us into. Unfortunately, the only way we can take another path is by breaking God’s Word, or breaking faith with God. God has called us to do good, but we break faith so we can participate in doing wrong. God calls us to treat each other right, but we desire to mistreat, to show favoritism, to discriminate, to hate, or seek revenge; thus, we break faith with God. We must overcome and seek the Will of God so we can stop breaking God’s Word, stop breaking faith with God, so we are continually blessed by the Lord. We must learn to remain faithful even in difficult situations.
Blameless and Righteous – teaches about how God is calling for us to go deeper into his Word, so we are enlightened by his Spirit. We think that which has been spoken, does not apply to us today. If we are honest with ourselves, we know there are many things we need to overcome so we are useful to God. We heard the call, now we need to draw closer. At first, we tried to ignore the call from the Lord. Then we came a little closer, but we still played in darkness. The Lord kept calling us to come closer, which required us to accept changes within ourselves. He wants more from us; he wants to teach us how we can have a blameless and righteous life in him. Only through Christ Jesus, and our belief and faith in him, can lead us to the righteousness of God, so it is within us through the Spirit. This is the life the Father is calling us all into through his Son Christ Jesus. It’s a life that gives glory and honor to God the Father and Christ Jesus. It is a life, that is bound by God in Christ. It is a life that is blameless and righteous in the sight of God
God’s Rest – is a teaching about how the world keeps turning, we keep running, and when do we get a chance to rest? Through Christ Jesus, we are offered many things from God. Some we desire such as riches, possessions, and houses on a hill. Others we only think about as an afterthought, such as peace, love, freedom, and rest. But if we don’t have the latter, we will not enjoy the former. In what God offers us, it all comes down to getting to a place in the Lord, where our lives are at peace, and our bodies can be at rest. After doing all we can do in serving the Lord, what we long for in the end is plenty of peace, love, and rest for our souls. A time will come when our labor will no longer feel like work, but a part of who we are in Christ Jesus. At some point, we will rest from our labor, and go to rest with the Lord. God’s rest is not just about this life, it’s about our present life, and the life to come. God’s rest will forever cover us. Our life will be at peace, our souls will be at rest in Christ, and we will be raised to eternal life.
Judging – As we continue to grow in our faith and be changed along the way, there are things that we use to do, that we must ensure we no longer do. For some of us, this list can be quite long, for others, the transformation may not be as dramatic. No matter if our list is short or long, there are some common things we must all work to overcome. One item on all our lists is for us to learn not to judge one another. To be open, seek to understand others, knowing they do not operate or think the same as we do. We must work on our faith, so we can walk in salvation on the day of Judgement, so we hear the Lord say, “Well done good and faithful servant”. Let’s live our lives in Christ Jesus, so the day of judgment is not a dark and terrible day for us. Let it be a day where we pass through judgment because we repent of our sins, and we stopped passing judgment on others. We placed our trust, hope, and faith in God, and he saved us. We honor you Lord, knowing we will give an account of every act done after coming to know you and for every judgment we made. We confess; we repent; because you are the only one who has paid the price to judge the world.
What Matters – What we do, and how we think, are determined by what matters to us. Where we spend our finances, and where we spend our time, depends on what is important to us. When it comes to God, the same is true. How much time we spend praying, seeking the Lord, reading God’s Word, growing spiritually, and doing what pleases God, is based on what matters to us. Here is where the problem begins, the Lord has already told us that our thoughts and ways are not like His. So, what matters to us is different than what matters to God, which causes us to be indifferent to God, and we do what does not please God. This is the reason living in Christ and by the Spirit matters. When we come to Christ, an area we struggle in is, putting God first. We have been taught to only think about what is important to us, to only work on achieving what matters to us. When we give our lives to God through Christ all of this must change. It cannot be about what we want and desire, it must be about what matters to God. God created us and gave us life, if we put the Lord first, he will take care of all our needs. We don’t have to place things ahead of God, in Christ we have all we need. Only God matters, only God’s Will is important.
A Blameless Walk – When God introduced this teaching to me, I thought this was an impossible task for me. How can a human walk blamelessly before God? The Lord said let me teach you, then share what I have spoken with others. Everyone God calls, he calls for the person to take a spiritual journey with him that leads the person to a righteous and blameless walk. Some do not get there because of their desires, sins, motives, and plans. But for those who follow Jesus, their journey will change into a blameless walk before God. It’s a long road, we cannot get there quickly or on our own, but we can get there with guidance and help from God. God is being patient, giving us time to examine our lives and seek him. We must straighten our walk, so our spiritual journey leads us to a blameless walk before God. Every step we take toward God is a step toward a blameless walk. A step toward truth, towards justice, towards faith, towards hope, and towards God’s love leads us to a blameless walk before God.
Brothers And Sisters – is about how as Christians we understand that we must love our brothers and sisters, the question is who are our brothers and sisters, and how should we treat them? We must learn to love one another as commanded. From the beginning, God sought to have a family of believers, who develop deep and caring relationships with the Lord and each other. Treating each other as brothers and sisters is what is missing today in us being Christian and in our churches. Only in Christ, can we put aside our differences, and treat each other the same, as God the Father and Christ Jesus treat us. Love does not hate, love does not harm, and love is not angry. If we say we are a Christian, a child of God, a believer in Christ Jesus, then we must love all who are in Christ Jesus. Though we may look different in the world, we look the same to God. If you love God the Father and Christ Jesus and are seeking to do God’s Will, you are my brother and sister in the Lord, and I love you.
Giving God Our Best – What does it mean to give God our best? Is our best what we decide, or is it what God requires of us? If it’s the latter, do we give God our best day in and day out? God wants us to give him our best. If we want to be blessed with the best from God, then we must be willing to give God our best. Giving God our best is not easy; we have so many plans for ourselves. We cannot give to God, to others, and achieve the plans we have. This is the point God is making. Are we willing to give our best to God and others all the time? God wants the best from us, are we willing to give it? We must want God’s best, over the things of the world. We must desire to not just experience God’s best in this life, but also in the life to come. God wants us to experience his best, so we praise, worship, and glorify his name. God wants nothing but the best for us, can we receive it, are we willing to give God our best and share with others, so we receive God’s best through Christ? As the saying goes, the best is yet to come.
Taste And See – is about how the world has a way of tricking us, getting us to think what it offers is good for us. It’s only till we suffer, be disappointed, and feel the hardness of life that we learn not everything in the world should be tasted. There are many things in the world we should never place our hand on, never allow into our thinking, never subject our minds and bodies to, and never accept as part of our behavior. From the start, we all seek good things in life, unfortunately, the world teaches us bad things as though they are good. We taste that which seems good but is bad for us and causes harm to us and others, instead of tasting the goodness of God, that saves, heals, and provides for our needs. If we taste and see how wonderful the love of Christ Jesus is. If we taste and see how merciful God is. If we taste and see how amazing the healing power of Christ is, we will never eat from the world again. We will only eat fruit that comes from God, spiritual food, that nourishes our soul. For in him and through him, we have all we need for life
The Father And Son – is about keeping the truth straight about God the Father and his Son Christ Jesus. Either we tend to deny the one, or we think they are the same. However, God’s Word teaches us that the Father taught Christ everything. It does not matter what we want to believe, what matters is what God has spoken and revealed. Christ Jesus came down from the Father to save the world, to grant us God’s Salvation. The Father did not come down in the flesh, Jesus did. What God’s Word says and teaches, we must believe, and trust in. We must believe the truth about the relationship that exists between the Father and the Son. We know Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. We know the Father has a throne, and Christ has a throne. We must keep the story straight about God the Father and our Lord Christ Jesus, so through the work of the Spirit we are united and held together in Christ Jesus
Never Alone – It’s interesting as Christians how we can fall into a state of feeling lonely, even though we have others around us. In most cases, loneliness comes from a disconnected relationship with someone, it could be our spouse, family, children, or even God. We get this feeling of not being part of that which we felt so connected to. God wants us to know, that if we develop a relationship with him and his Son, we are never alone. It is sin that separates us from God, and each other. God desires to have a relationship with each one of us through Christ Jesus. The Lord wants us to avoid loneliness, by being a part of his body, so in him, we have all that we need to never feel alone. Christ is coming to gather us all together with him. He sends the Spirit of God into our hearts, so we know we are never alone. In Christ, we have all that we need to have joy, peace, and love, so we never feel alone. We must live in him, to receive it. Being alone with God is not like being alone in the world, for he will never leave us, or forsake us
Walking With God – is about our journey to achieve all God has promised, we must walk in a way that allows us to mature in the things of God. We must have a strong desire to walk before God in love and truth. How we walk before God will determine the strength of our faith, and how mature we are in Christ Jesus. Walking with God will require a lot of us, as the Spirit teaches us how to be like Jesus in everything we do. If it was not for the blood of Christ Jesus, our walk would be in vain. If it was not for the grace of God, our walk would be in vain. God the Father has given us over to his Son so we can have life in him, be connected and walk with God. The path that leads to the Father requires us to undergo a spiritual transformation, so we are worthy of walking with God and entering his kingdom. Our walk with God must be real, it cannot be fake. Our walk must lead to God’s holiness, and not back to the world.
God At Work – scripture teaches us that the Father and the Son is always at work, always providing a way for those who love and fear God. We all have a part to play in carrying out God’s Work. Though the Lord could use a rock to do his will, he wants us to be useful in carrying out his plan to help and save his people. The work we do for God must be pleasing in his sight. The Lord gives us the Spirit so it can be at work in us, doing the Will of the Father. God is always at work, we need to make room for his work in our everyday lives, so his work brings everything together for his glory through his Son Christ Jesus. Do we live our lives as if we are working to serve God? Can others see God at work in us, changing us? God is at work all the time; all the time God is at work. Many souls need salvation, the Lord is always working to save.
Hearing From God – Being able to hear God is not as easy as it may sound. There are many things that deaden our ability to hear the Lord. There are many things that distort what we hear. As sin continues to increase, it makes it harder for us to hear the voice of the Lord, produces the wrong kind of desires, and makes us seek things contrary to what God is saying. Sin stops us from being able to hear from God. Christ Jesus still has his hand raised, speaking God’s truth so we can hear it. The Spirit is still working to lead, teach, and counsel God’s people into God’s Word and Ways. Many have become deaf, unable to hear, or unwilling to understand and do what thus says the Lord. We need to hear from God. We need to hear from God, so our children come to know him. Help us, Jesus, open our ears to God’s Word and truth. Help us, so the Spirit lives in our hearts. We want to hear and receive from God; his thoughts and ways are higher than ours. We must seek the voice of God, listen, pay attention, obey, put it into practice, and share it with others. So, we are all led by the voice of God.
Knitted Together – is a teaching about how we are all held together by something. How we operate with each other shows what we believe holds us together or keeps us apart. Some believe love is the key that knits us all together, while others believe finance or race is what knits us together with others. When we are knitted together with others, we are willing to fight, even kill others who seem to threaten the group we are knitted together with. It’s important we have a right understanding about how we are knitted together, and with who, so we are knitted together with those who are right in God’s eyes. We are woven together with God’s Word, His Love, His Peace, His Strength, in His Authority so all things come together in Christ Jesus. There is one Father, one Lord, one Word, one faith, and one body. We must see ourselves woven together as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Spirit Of God – There is nothing like knowing the spirit of a person. We can pay attention to what someone says, but that seems to not always hold true. We can look at a person’s actions, but not all their actions tell the true story. If we come to know the spirit of a person, that is when we know the person's heart and intentions. It is by one’s spirit that we come to know what the person is about. This is true with mankind, and this is true with God. It is the reason from the beginning God has been willing to pour out his Spirit on mankind. God wants us to know him, to know of his Spirit, and the great love he has for us. We must be willing to let the Spirit of God through Christ have its way with us. The Spirit will go against our spirit, but if we can endure, not grieve the Spirit, not put out the Spirit’s fire within us, God’s Spirit will do some amazing things not only within us, but through our life in Christ. The Spirit of God will teach us how to love one another, how to be one in Christ, how to be part of the family of God
Honor And Glory – Which is better to give honor and glory, or to receive honor and glory for ourselves? If we apply the scripture that says it is better to give than to receive, then we would live our lives to give honor and glory to God for all the things he has done and will do in our lives. Many are raised to work hard to receive fame, honor, and glory for themselves. This is the sign that we have made it, that we are successful in life. Working to receive honor and glory is not bad within itself, what makes it bad is who we are trying to receive honor and glory for. The honor and glory we receive from the world, cannot compare to honor and glory that comes from God. What can we do without the Lord? It is God through Christ who gives us life, gives us abilities, saves us, supplies us with knowledge and strength. We cannot keep honor and glory for ourselves when it belongs to God. The Father and Christ Jesus is worthy of our honor, worthy of our glory, worthy of our praise, worthy of our worship. God deserves all the honor and glory.
God’s The Same – This teaching is about how God looks at us and the way we look at each other is very different. We have many differences that allow us to see and interact with each other differently. Many believe these differences are godly, which allows them to justify their actions whether they are just or unjust, loving or hateful. God is the same, he does not show favoritism. As Christians, we must ensure our thinking and understanding aligns with God. God wants things to be the same across his children, no matter the race, culture, or birthplace. We must see the things of God being the same for all who come to live for God. There is only one mankind, though there are different colors, sizes, shapes, we are all of mankind, thus God treats us as the same kind. Mankind likes to sow indifference, which allows them to create unjust laws and systems that oppress those who are not like their kind. But there is one human race, one mankind in the eyes of God. In Christ Jesus, we are all the same. There is one faith, one Lord, one God, we are all in Christ. We must do away with our indifference and love each other as one in Christ.
Holiness – I can confess, when I gave my life to Christ Jesus, I did not think the Lord was calling me into a life of holiness. I thought, once all my sins were washed away by the blood of Christ, I just needed to be a good person. Then the Lord started teaching me about his holiness, and his desire for a holy people of God. I did as many Christians do, I focused on what I was willing to change, not the high-level God has called all his children to live. As the Lord continued to teach me his word and ways, as I worked on maturing my faith, the subject of holiness would not go away. We do not think we can stop sinning or turn away from the ways of this world. For us to be with Christ, to see the Father, holiness is the only way. We are told in scripture, no one will see God without holiness. God is Holy, and we must become holy as we are called to be. We are not of this world, we are of the kingdom of God, a holy people of God. We must live our lives holy in Christ Jesus.
Bound By God – As we mature in our walk with God, we come to understand just how bound we were to things of the world that kept us from growing and maturing. We had to allow the Lord to break every chain, so our bond to things in the world is broken, and we wholeheartedly bind ourselves to God. It’s important we understand what bound us to the world, so we are free to serve the Lord. We bind ourselves to God, so we can do what pleases him, and not ourselves. God gives us free will, which allows us to determine what we will bind ourselves to, many try to bind themselves to things in the world, and things of God, but this makes us a lukewarm Christian. For us to receive all the Father desires to give us through Christ Jesus, we must be willing to be bound by God, his truth, his word, his thoughts, his ways, his plan, his Spirit, his Son, so we have eternal life with him.
Being Fulfilled – is about how each one of us has a desire to be fulfilled. We go through life trying to achieve a sense of fulfillment, so we can feel good about our life. For some, we achieve this level of comfort for a little while, then it disappears, for others we never get to experience it. Being fulfilled is a moving target for most of us. There are many personal things that make a person feel fulfilled, feeling loved, having peace in life, accomplishing our dreams, prosperity, or feeling happy about our lives. Being fulfilled is a combination of emotions, beliefs, and achievements. We are going backward, and not forward in Christ. We are trying to fulfill our lives without God. No matter how much we try, how much money we have. No matter how large our business is, whatever we have will never be enough, there remains an emptiness within us. There is only one way for us to be fulfilled, and that is through our life in Christ Jesus. In him, there is no emptiness, he is full of love, and a generous God.
In To Win – is teaching to remind us why we are seeking the Lord, why we are willing to believe and separate ourselves from the world to live for God. It must be clear to us, how we win to receive God’s Favor and win the prize that Christ Jesus holds in his hand for those who live their lives faithfully to God. We all desire to win. The most important thing we need to win is our Salvation. We came before the Lord to be accepted, now that we are in, we must run to win the prize the Lord promised. We must be in it to win! Working to achieve a lifelong journey will take every bit of ourselves to win, to overcome; to achieve victory. To win, we must be willing to go all the way, not just enter in the race. We want complete victory; to crossover the finish line and enter God’s kingdom. We are in it to win!!!
Spiritual Vision - As Christians, we are called by God to enter his presence so we can see the things of God, and gain insight into what the Lord has planned for us and the world. This takes us having spiritual sight and receiving spiritual visions. For the Lord to reveal things to us, we must have spiritual sight to see the things of God clearly, see visions, and receive dreams. To receive spiritual vision and sight, we must have a strong connection to Christ Jesus. We need Spiritual vision and sight, so we not only see what the Lord plans for our lives, but we see what the Lord has for the lives of God’s people. Spiritual vision and sight, do not enrich our lives but enrich the lives of those who need God. We need to have spiritual vision and sight so we can see the things of God, get our eyes off the things of the world, so what we seek and do gives God glory.
Angels of God – is about understanding how Angels of God work and what their role is in bringing us closer to God. What do you think about angels, are they real, what do they do, do they really exist? It seems far from our mind that there are angels of God whose job is to minister and carry out the work of God. They do exist and have a purpose in heaven and on earth. You may ask the question do I need communication with an angel, and what should I expect from an encounter with an angel. Those are very good questions, so let’s understand the purpose and role of angels of God and for what reason would the Lord send an angel to minister and help us. Angels are beings who surround God’s throne, they are not a person who is head of a church, though at times they can take on human form. They are sent by God to lead and guide us into God’s Will in heaven and on earth. They are powerful and mighty, yet they work within the structure God has set up. When we have an experience with an Angel of God, we have a responsibility to listen, to learn, and follow what the angel is instructing us to do. They don’t come to tell of their own, they come speaking the words of God, to enlighten, to warn, to reveal God’s plan through Christ.
No More Me – is teaching how we must continue to make progress in growing and maturing our faith, so our attitude about things in the world becomes like Christ Jesus. As scripture teaches us, we must allow the work of the Spirit to continue ridding ourselves of things that displease God. We must reach a level of faith, where there is no more me, and our lives are complete in Christ Jesus. We must move beyond ourselves, beyond things we desire, to live our life for God. Our souls must cry out, no more me Lord, may my life be completely found in you to the glory of God. It's not easy to develop mature faith in God, it takes a level of devotion many are not willing to give these days. If we desire true riches from God, then we must be willing to let go of self and take hold of Christ Jesus. Our souls need to cry out every day, less of me Lord, and more of you. Help me Lord Jesus, so there is no more me, only you living in me.
Being Offended – Many things in life these days offends us, even God’s Word offends us based on our beliefs and religion. We have become people who are easily offended, we won’t take much from someone. God’s Word is intended to cut at the heart, to go deep to touch our very soul. It will offend us because the way we think, our desires, the way we think of ourselves and others, make us indifferent to God. We must become humble so nothing about God’s Word offends us, and we are not easily offended by others. The love of Christ Jesus residing on the inside of us makes us better and stronger. We can take on insults, being mistreated, spoken badly about, because that which falls on us, falls on Christ Jesus. God wants us to become a people who can handle those who oppose us because we know God is on our side, and his truth and ways are the only things that matter.
Spiritual Transformation – No matter how we look at it, living our lives in Christ Jesus is going to require us to change. Our desires, plans, heart, body, and mind must be spiritually transformed into the likeness of Christ Jesus. Many of us are willing to change a little for the Lord, but not many of us are willing to change in large degrees for God, so what God wants us to be is made complete. We are called to go through a spiritual transformation, so we are taught by the Spirit, make changes the Spirit is inspiring us to make, and take on the attitude of Christ. We have to allow the Lord to transform us, so our walk is peaceful, our words are kind, our response is loving, our hand is open, our heart is forgiving, our reaction towards others is compassionate, our mind is right with God, and our faith and belief in God is strong. We have to be spiritually transformed, so we are not religious-minded. We have to be spiritually transformed, so we are confident, we can make it into the kingdom of God.
Spiritual Discernment – is teaching about receiving discernment from God so we avoid false things of the world and religion and know the difference between sin and evil. Without spiritual discernment we are easily misled, how do we know the truth without spiritual discernment from God? We need the Lord to bless us with spiritual discernment so we have spiritual insight and understanding regarding God’s truth, word, will, and ways. We need spiritual discernment so we can hear and understand God’s Will and not our own and be led by the Spirit. We need discernment from God, so what we understand and believe comes from God. We can’t get together with others to write doctrine, teachings, theology to explain the things of God, it must come from God, within Christ, through the Word, and by the Spirit. We need the Spirit of God giving us discernment, so we have godly insight, grow, and mature in Christ Jesus. How do we get spiritual discernment, it comes from us growing and maturing in Christ Jesus and living a godly life.
Spiritual Battlefields – is about recognizing the battlefields that are warring within us, so we can mature and be victorious as Christ Jesus helps us fight the spiritual battles within us. There are many types of battlefields some are internal, and some are external. Jesus promised he would defeat the enemy, so we don’t have to worry about the external battles. The Lord teaches us that we need to overcome that which is battling and warring against our mind, body, heart, and soul. We need the Lord’s help, so we overcome our battles and come off the battlefield stronger, standing firm, praising and God. We have victory over fear, over worry, over selfishness, over greed, over lust, over anger and rage, over sexual immorality, victory over sin and death. Through Christ, we overcome every battle within us, so we walk completely free, and have victory in this life and the life to come. Thank you Jesus.
Grateful – There are some things in life, we only come to understand after we have gone through an experience. Learning to be grateful is one of those things. I have found where there is pride, you will not find a grateful heart. Where there is no peace and love, you will not find a thankful spirit, only trouble, and blame. When we accepted Christ Jesus, the process of changing our hearts began. Scriptures teach us, the cares of life, worries, and the desire for riches will keep us from experiencing the newness God is offering us through Christ. We must have a new heart, so our life is full of gratitude and thankfulness to God. The Lord has been good to us, even amid all the death, hate, and violence in the world. The Father through Christ Jesus still has his hand raised looking for lives to save. When a soul calls out to the Lord, he reaches down and saves, brings us out of darkness, and into his wonderful light. The Father and Christ Jesus are worthy of our praise, worthy of our gratefulness, worthy of our thanks. There was no one else to save us, there was no one else to help us, it was the Lord who brought us through, let us be grateful to God. His mercy endures forever, his love is everlasting. We give you thanks Father God, we are so grateful Lord Jesus.
Anointed Life– is about being anointed by God and living an anointed life. It’s not something we take upon ourselves because we desire to be over others, or in a position of influence and power, or to become rich. Living an anointed life is a serious matter we should take seriously so many lives are changed by what God the Father and Christ Jesus accomplishes through us in helping save souls. God’s Word speaks of those who have a false or fake anointing that is not ordained by the Lord. If we know we have been called, ordained, and anointed by God, then we must live an anointed life with the Lord. It’s a lifelong work, whose purpose is to lead God’s people to God. Living an anointed life is about God, and not about us. Our anointing must be real, it cannot be counterfeit! It must come from God and not through worldly traditions and practices, but from God. God’s anointing flows from the Father, through Christ Jesus, through the Spirit, into us. It must remain in us, if we defile ourselves with the world, our anointing will be taken away. We must live an anointed life, to glorify God the Father and Christ Jesus, through our blameless walk before God
The Family Of God – Not many of us have an opportunity to decide which human family we are born into. We must accept the situation we have been given, whether good or bad. We don’t get to decide our family members, who our sisters and brothers are, who our parents are, whether good or bad. We don’t get to decide if our parents will show us love or not, to some extent if we will have good relationships with our brothers and sisters. We do not get to decide how they act or treat us. We do get to decide if we will remain part of the family, if we will show others love, and be a good member of the family or a bad one. We do get to decide if we will honor our parents and love our brothers and sisters. We do get to choose if we want to be part of the Family of God by accepting God’s Word, Son, and Spirit. We do get to decide if we will change and become an honorable member of the Family of God, or will the Lord have to throw us out. We do get to decide as a child of God, if we are going to love our brothers and sisters in Christ no matter their appearance or the color of their skin. We have all fallen short, now we can decide to show each other love, and show the world what it means to live as a part of God’s Family.
Everything Changes – This teaching is about the need to change, and changes that are coming. From the beginning, God created a plan to have a world filled with people he loves, and who loves him. A world where everything in God’s Word is kept and followed. In return, God would lavish prosperity on his people, they would live forever, he will be their God, and they would be his people. God did not want a people of puppets, but a people who chose to live and walk right before him. A people the Lord could visit and bestow his wonders and love upon. He gave mankind a choice, free will to choose. Mankind chose the world of sin, over God. From that point on, there was a need for everything to be changed, because God’s plan never fails. So once again God will change everything, make all things new. We must accept that which God is planning through Christ Jesus, even if it does not align with our desires, or what we think will happen. God the Father through Christ is going to make everything new, we must change now, so we are counted in that number that survive the change that is coming.
Spiritual Maturity – we are called by the Lord to mature in his will and way, we are called to be set apart for the Lord and not for ourselves. This requires growing to the point where we reach spiritual maturity through Christ Jesus. It’s not through our understanding, nor our interpretation of God’s Word that we mature. It’s through us believing, obeying, and following God Words that leads us into spiritual maturity by the Spirit. If we desire spiritual maturity with God, it’s about a righteous walk with Christ Jesus, were everything is laid bare. Freeing us from everything that is of the world so we can be one with the Lord, growing spiritually, so we reach maturity and can properly handle the things of God. We can then help others be well planted in Christ Jesus and grow spiritually as well.
Spiritual Sight – As we seek to become more and more spiritual along our journey, we must gain spiritual sight from the Lord along the way. Many things in this world could lead us away from God into blindness. It may come from outside the church, or it may come from within the church these days. Many struggle to see the difference between the world and the church because many things in the church are of the world, thus causing many to become blind while seeking God. Though called, many are missing spiritual sight that comes from God. We only see the shortcomings and faults in others, not within ourselves. We use God’s Word to condemn, not as a means of correcting, encouraging, and uplifting others. We must mature in the Lord, so we are not blind guides and blind teachers. God wants us to see his glory, so he sent his Son into the world, to be a light for those who are blind. Through the light of Christ Jesus, we can gain spiritual sight, so we clearly see the things of God, and we operate in the light of Christ Jesus all our remaining days.
Chains That Binds –We should be clear about the freedom the Lord is offering us, it is not so we can do as we please. What Christ Jesus is offering us is an opportunity to unbind ourselves from darkness and the things of the world that causes us to fall into sin, and to bind ourselves to him and the Father. We are all bound by something, there is no such thing as been unbound by everything. Freedom is the option to choose what which we desire to bind ourselves with. Christ is offering us the choice, to unbind ourselves from the world and darkness, and bind ourselves to him and the Father, through the Spirit. We cannot be the type of believer who believes we can bind ourselves to darkness and light, we know the Lord will considered us a lukewarm believer, and number us with the unbelievers. We must bind ourselves to God, so we live for the Lord. We cannot take binding ourselves to God lightly, once we grow in faith, and connect ourselves to Christ, our bond with the Lord cannot be easly broken for things of the world. We must bind ourselves to the Father and The Son, and remain bound to God for the rest of our lives.
Belongs To God – is teaching about giving all the glory to God, keeping none for ourselves. As the Lord blesses us, pouring into our lives, we can’t get confused about who deserves the glory, or where our help comes from. We may think we came up with a new idea or created something new, or came up with some new knowledge, but God is the creator of all things, it all starts from what God created. Everything we have, everything we create, started from something God created through Christ Jesus. God is the source of all things, understanding, knowledge, wisdom, dominion, and power. Everything good comes from the Lord, we must be faithful in giving the Father all the glory through Christ Jesus. It all belongs to God, it will all return to God. God is the creator of all things, nothing formed was formed of itself. We belong to God and not to ourselves. Christ paid the price, not you and I. Let's be mature in our thinking of the Lord and who we are in him, so what we do, and who we are, gives God all the glory and honor.
Spiritual Assignment – is teaching about receiving a spiritual assignment from God. We cannot decide what we are going to do for God. Our assignment must come from God, so it does his Will. Christ is the one who leads and guides us, so the things of God are accomplished according to God’s Plan. If we assign ourselves the work we do for God, it will not accomplish that which God wants for his people. We must seek our spiritual assignment from the Lord, while on our spiritual journey with him. We must run to finish the race, throwing everything else behind us, so nothing prevents us from achieving what the Lord has given us to do. Nothing else matters only that which the Lord instructed us to accomplish that brings him glory and honor. When we are done, we will be poured out, ready to enter into God’s rest, full of peace and joy.
- Spiritual Journey– is teaching about being called into a spiritual journey with God that takes a lifetime to complete. On this journey, we not only come to know the Lord better, but we will also come to know ourselves deeply. This journey will change many things about us, things we would never change otherwise. If we devote ourselves to God’s teachings, we will reach the end of our journey and be approved by God. We will experience some amazing things in Christ, as he strengthens us, and we come to trust in the Father and Christ Jesus and be blessed in every way. As the Lord reveals his purpose for our lives, we must strive to reach the highest maturity level we can in our spiritual walk with God. We cannot choose a materialistic path to the kingdom of God; this is not God’s plan. We are called into a spiritual journey with Christ Jesus, that ensures we do the things of God, accomplish his will along our journey, and God’s purpose in us.
Pure Love – is teaching about the difference between love that is pure and love that is impure. Unfortunately, we don’t see the difference until we have been hurt by someone saying they have pure love for us, when their love is built on harmful things that makes it impure. Many struggled to find pure love in a person. When we find someone and fall in love with them, we find some good, but we also find some bad, we try to overlook the bad, hoping the good will win out. I have found there is only one-way pure love comes through a person, and that is if that person’s life is bounded by the Love of God in Christ. We go through many bad relationships seeking pure love. For pure love to work, it first must come from God, second it must be in the two persons in the relationship, otherwise, there could be struggles, pain, and disappointment. If our love starts with God, when we meet someone and fall in love with them, God can teach both how his love works, and make the couples love pure.
Don’t Give Up – Is a teaching about how we need to grow our faith in a way that no matter what comes we will not give up on the Lord. We will not turn from God; we will fight the good fight of faith. God’s Word teaches us that our faith will be tested, we will have to show ourselves approved. We all will undergo testing; our faith will be challenged to determine if we are holding on to the cross of Christ Jesus. We must grow, we can’t give up, we cannot turn back, we cannot turn to the right or left, we must keep on eyes on Jesus. God wants all of us to be saved, he knows some will give up and turn away. The Father sent his Son to make a way, so we can be encouraged even in our darkest moments, even during troubled times, even on our death bed. God won’t give up on us, and we can’t give up on God. In him is all power, its in the name of Jesus, we are saved, being saved, and will be saved. Do not give up on the Father and his Son Christ Jesus. We can make it, have faith in the Lord, and live up right.
It Was The Lord – The Lord has told us, in this life, we will have trouble. The question is, who helped us through our troubles, was it others, did we resolve it ourselves, or was it the Lord? Was it resolved through our knowledge and strength, or was it the Lord who delivered us through it? We must give credit to where it is due, who should receive the glory for the resolution to our issues and troubles, should the glory go to us, or to the Lord? As Christians we are blessed by God, but some of us take what is the Lord’s and we put our name on it, accepting credit for it, including recognition from others, never confessing it was the Lord. We cannot be foolish in our walk with the Lord, God wants us to give him all the glory, all the honor, and all the praise for what he has done, and is doing through us. Christ Jesus deserves the glory, honor, and praise, he died for our sins, he wipes away our transgressions, we did not do it on our own, it was the Lord. If we grow in faith, giving all glory, honor, and praise to God the Father and Christ Jesus. When the Lord returns, he will give us glory and honor, he will reward us for our faithful service. We would whether receive glory, honor, and praise from God then anyone in the world.
Access To God – From the day we became Christian, we have desired access to God. God’s Word teaches the path to the throne of God comes through our faith and life in Christ Jesus, the Son of God. We must understand what it takes to have access to Christ and the Father. While there is no one between us and Christ Jesus, Christ stands between us and the Father. We must receive him to gain access to God. The road to God is narrow, and life is very short. We need to make every effort to make it in, and stay in. Many of us cry out to the Lord when we are in trouble, but we do not persevere in our knowledge, faith, and walk with the Lord. Therefore, when we need the Lord the most, that is when he says to us, I do not know you, access denied. We need access to God through Christ Jesus so his Spirit is living within us, so when trouble comes our prayers reach the throne of God and are answered. When we say in Jesus’s name, it means something because he knows us, and his power is at work within us.
Measure Of Faith – It's interesting how we measure things. We are always trying to measure each other, against each other to determine who is better. This world, life has taught us we are the best, based on how we measure up against others. Thank God, he does not use the same type of measurements as we do. As Christian, we don’t need to be concerned about how others measure us, we need to know how the Lord will measure us, and the measure of faith we have. We have much work to do in becoming like Christ Jesus, working on our salvation. God wants us to experience his fullness found in Christ. We must allow the Spirit to teach us, to change us, so each day our faith measures a little closer to Christ, and the Father’s Will. When we receive Christ Jesus in our hearts the work begins, our faith is at its lowest point. Now we must grow in faith, in the ways of God so the measure of our faith grows from weak or little faith to great and mature faith in Christ Jesus.
God’s Favor – It’s not until you and I tap into God’s Favor that we begin to experience all that the Lord has for us. We have to seek God’s Favor so it surrounds us, delivers us, and protects us. It’s in God’s Favor we see his glory overshadowing our lives. It’s in God’s Favor we see his wonders at work in our lives. We can’t claim or declare God’s Favor, it must be granted to us. We must seek it by walking in the footsteps of Christ Jesus. God wants to clothe us in his favor, but it requires commitment, dedication, and faithfulness on our part. God’s Favor is so awesome, it is available for all who are in Christ Jesus; it flows from Christ into those who seek the Lord. In God’s favor is his presence, in his favor, we are delivered. In his favor, we receive an increase, love, and peace from God. God’s favor flows through Christ, so we get to experience all that God has for us.
Joy And Happiness – is a teaching about where do we look to find joy and happiness? There is not one person alive who does not want joy and happiness. We are doing a lot of things to achieve joy and happiness, unfortunately many of them does not last long or does not produce joy and happiness at all. True happiness can only be found in the Joy of the Lord. When we have God’s Joy in our hearts, in our life, that is when we find true happiness we have been seeking all our days. Material possession can never give us the joy and happiness God gives us, which is found in Christ Jesus. We need to ask the Lord to pour his joy and happiness into our heart, then we need to guard over ourselves so this world or Satan does not rob us of God’s joy and happiness. We cannot rob ourselves either, by seeking things of the world ahead of God. We need to live right, hold on to the joy of the Lord so it is complete in us. Every moment, every hour of the day we are filled with God’s joy and happiness. No trouble, sickness, or financial situation should be able to rob us of God’s joy and happiness received in Christ Jesus.
Remnant Of God – is teaching to encourage us to grow even more in our faith in God the Father and Christ Jesus. We have to grow beyond the elementary teaching about God, growing into mature thinking with spiritual understanding so we serve God better. Our faith must grow, so we walk as part of God’s Remnant while on this earth, ensuring we are counted in that number when Christ Jesus returns. He is coming to gather up the elect, the remnant of God, those who walked by faith and survived this world. Those who trusted in the Lord, and did not turn back to the world, back to sin, who kept their lives inline with God’s Will. We must be a remnant for the Lord, one who works makes it through the fire, who are fully tested, and proven to be a remnant of God.
Living Testimony – is teaching about how we must become a living testimony for God the Father, and Christ Jesus. We have been called, received the Lord into our hearts. We must grow our faith, so that which we speak of on Sundays, and now and then, becomes who we are in Christ Jesus. If we allow it to remain outside of us, and try to tell someone about Christ, we will be a false witness of the Lord, give false testimony, because we do not live what we speak. We must become a living testimony, one in which the Lord has changed. We must take Christ into our hearts, God’s Word must live on the inside of us, it must be real, internal, who we are, what we live by. We are what Christ Jesus has done in us, the work of the Spirit, that which we remain true to, that makes us a living testimony, a living witness of the work of God.
Godly Purpose - We are created for a purpose. Not just any purpose, not one we make up, but a godly purpose that not only enriches our lives but enriches the lives of many others. We tend to confuse purpose with the ability to get rich, to gain wealth. Having a purpose is not a sign of wealth and riches, though many times riches and wealth come from a person accomplishing their purpose. A purpose goes much feather than money, it reaches heights money can never achieve. It not only changes the person with the purpose, it changes those in which the purpose touches. Many who are rich, find their greater purpose having nothing to do with money, through touching lives far away, those they do not know. Godly purpose supersedes our being, it goes beyond us, beyond our means. When we find our purpose in Christ, we find our true purpose in life, God will reward us for being faithful in doing His Will.
Peace Of God – this teaching is about receiving the peace of God into our heart, so we overcome all things in Christ Jesus. We desire to have peace, the question is, what are we willing to do to receive peace? Are we willing to change everything about ourselves, change things around us, seek the Lord with all our mind, heart, and soul to receive peace? As Christians, we are trained not to seek the kind of peace the world has to offer, which causes us to worry, fear, and fight. We must seek the peace that comes from God the Father, that flows through Christ Jesus, so we live in peace. The peace Christ Jesus is offering us does not come from the world, but God. We need God’s peace so when trouble comes our way, we allow the peace of God to keep us from fighting. We let the Lord fight our battles, as we remain in his love and peace. We become peacemakers, who sow in peace, who are painted in peace, so others see God’s peace in us. Christ grants us peace, covers us in peace, keeps us in peace. We live in the peace of God, not in fear, but love.
Passing The Test – this teaching is about us learning how to pass and overcome testing through our faith in God, and Christ Jesus. I understand none of us wants to be tested, having to endure the suffering and struggles of life. Unfortunately, God said each one of us will be tested, he knows going through testing is the only way we prove our faith is completely in him. To get through life’s trials and tests we must deny ourselves and depend on Christ Jesus. God is going to allow our faith to be fully tested to determine if we are worthy of his kingdom. Being tested and passing each test is a process, in which we fail, get back up again, seek the Lord, fail several times before we learn of God, and place our faith completely in him. As we learn of the Spirit, we overcome each test, and able to move forward to the next step in our journey of faith. Through each victory, we grow in faith, in God the Father, and in Christ Jesus. Passing each test gives us endurance and perseverance, so we trust and depend on God.
Sustainable Faith – this teaching is about how we need to grow and stop taking time off from God the Father and Christ Jesus so our faith is sustainable. Many of us tend to disconnect from our faith based on what we are going through, this gives the devil an opportunity to attack us. We need to increase our faith where it reaches a level where it sustains us day and night. When there are no breaks in our faith. We won’t go through struggles that come from us disconnecting and reconnecting with Christ based on what’s going on in our lives. If we sustain our faith in God, he will sustain us, be a shield to us. When we call, he will answer. When we are in need, he will provide. Why, because we are always listening, always praying, always seeking, always receiving from the Lord. We don’t take time off from our faith. He sees the demonstration of our faith, and draws closer to us, allow us to walk in his presence. He meets us at the point of our need, he is always with us, extending his loving arm to help us.
Nearer To God – is teaching about drawing nearer to God. It’s not good enough that we come to know Christ Jesus by being baptized, we must draw closer to God the Father through Christ Jesus. What God is offering us through Christ can only be obtained if we give ourselves away and draw closer to God. Our walk must change, so we are not walking with the world, but with the Lord. We no longer seek the world, we seek God’s Kingdom and his righteousness. Through us drawing nearer to God through Christ, he gives us the peace and love we seek. When we draw closer to God, our lives become one with Christ. For in the Lord, we receive all we need, and willing to do what pleases God. As we draw nearer to God, our desire for the things of the world is stripped away, and we who were once far away from God are brought nearer. As we develop a closer walk with Christ Jesus, we become one with him, and able to stand before God, to feel his presence, and to know of this glory.
- Potters Wheel – is teaching about falling into brokenness. At some point in our lives, things occur that get us into a broken state. It could be emotional, financial, a matter of the heart, struggles in our mind, or with our body. It could come from our relationships, family, or children, life is not easy. Any one of us could suffer something that causes us to feel like we need to give up. It's interesting how we are, it's only in brokenness that we call on God, cry out to Jesus. We don’t call out to God in good times, only when there is trouble, a very bad situation has to come before we call on God. The Lord is so loving, he takes us in our brokenness, and places us on the potter's wheel to change and mold us. Depending on how broken we are, we may be on that potter’s wheel for a long time as Christ works out everything in us that rebels against God. We must stay on the potter's wheel until the work is complete, if we jump off, trouble and misery will return. Christ will reshape us, and form us into a useful vessel, a letter of Christ Jesus, so everyone can see the work of God in us, poured in us, and done to us.
Giving God Our Best – is about giving our best to God. Unfortunately, the world has taught us the best way for us to have the best is to put ourselves first, to hoard all we make, and spend what we make on ourselves. As Christians, we learn this is not the way we receive the best from God. The Father sent his Son into the world so we can have the best of God through him. It requires that we accept Christ, we accept God’s Word and Ways into our hearts. The Spirit teaches us and trains us, so we give ourselves to Christ Jesus and receive the best from God. Our best compares nothing to the best of God in Christ Jesus. The Lord is willing to give us his best, not so we can have more, but so we can help those who don’t know God, who have no relationship with Christ Jesus.
Growing Under Grace – is about how God has been providing us grace from the beginning of time. Because of our sins, God had to extend us grace, or he would have to destroy all of mankind. In the past, God provided his grace to certain people, who walked upright before God, even that was not enough to save us. So God sent his Son Christ Jesus, to be an atonement for our sins, so anyone who comes to believe and have faith in Christ Jesus could receive the grace of God. God’s grace found in Christ Jesus is a covering, a shield for us, so we have time to learn of God, overcome, and have victory over sin and the world. Under God’s grace, we have access to peace, love, healing, mercy, forgiveness, and blessings found in Christ Jesus. God is giving us time to learn and overcome. We cannot waste the grace of God, by continuing in sin. Under grace, we must change and become more like Christ Jesus.
Planks In Our Eyes– Is teaching about removing any planks or obstacles that stop us from serving God, and hearing God’s truth about ourselves. We have to be courageous enough to make the tough changes in our lives, so we can receive all the blessings God has for us. For us to grow our faith in Christ Jesus, we have to be willing to listen to him and the Spirit talk to us about getting rid of the planks that keep us from receiving, from seeing, from growing, from becoming more and more like Christ. We cannot allow this world, religion, desires to keep us blinded from the grace and mercy God wants to lavish on us through Christ. We need to be able to see clearly, so we can receive it all. All the planks that cover our eyes must be removed. Christ has the power and authority to guide us so every plank is removed, and we are completely free in him.
Keeping The Story Straight – This is about how the Power of God is founded in what God spoke, wrote, and revealed through Christ Jesus. If we decide to add, modify, or delete anything from God’s Word then we are impacting the Power of God to be effective in changing lives, and saving souls. If we add made-up stories to God’s Word, then we are nullifying its power to transform us into the image of Christ Jesus. We must keep God’s Word straight, so it can have an impact on lives that are yet to come. Keeping God’s Word straight requires we change, not that we change God’s Word to suit our desires, passion, and sinful lifestyles. We need to keep God’s Word just as it was given, so many can be saved, receive salvation, and God’s Power in Christ Jesus is effective today, and in generations to come.
- Walking In Darkness – This is about how God uses darkness to bring things to light, especially those hidden things within us. He uses darkness to teach us about sin, ourselves, and the cares of the world. I know this is a subject most will skip over, and assume because we accepted Christ, we go to church, and we pay offerings, that darkness is not present in us. But that is not the case, God’s Word teaches us how to walk in the light of Christ Jesus, so we are no longer walking in any parts of darkness. We must examine ourselves and grow our faith, so we have confidence we are fully walking in the light of Christ, and there are no traces of darkness in us at all. We live in a time where deception is running high, people are being deceived and deceiving others as the Word of God taught us it would be in the last times. We must approach the light of Christ with our eyes open and be honest about areas of darkness that remain in us, so we can live by the light of Christ, and pass by his judgment seat.
According To Our Faith – This is teaching is about knowing what to expect from God the Father and Christ Jesus based on our level of faith. I know there is a lot of different teaching about how God moves based on our level of tithes and offerings, which is the old testament, compared to Christ's teaching on faith. While the whole Word of God is useful for teaching, preaching, and correcting. We must accept what Christ taught over what was taught in the old testaments. Everything from God is now driven by the level of faith we have in God. Nothing happens from heaven, without faith, we can cry, shout, and scream to God for help, but without us showing we have faith in God, nothing happens. Christ said, according to our faith it will be done. We must grow from having weak or little faith in God, to where our faith is growing and producing good deeds, to the point we reach mature faith in the Lord, where everything is about God’s Will in Christ, and nothing is about our will or what we desire.
Truly Devoted – This is a teaching to encourage every believer to be devoted to God by increasing in faithful and obedience to God the Father and Christ Jesus. There are a lot of things in this world and in our personal lives that keeps us from being fully devoted to God. If we desire to receive blessings and God’s promises we must live a devoted life to God, there is no other option. God requires we devoted ourselves to him, serve him through his Son and by his Spirit! We know how to devote ourselves to things of the world, things we want to do, things we desire, now it is time to use the same effort we put into serving ourselves, into serving God, and the work of Christ Jesus. We must grow our faith by being wholehearted devoted to God. Being devoted to God will keep the devil away, as our hearts draw closer to God through Christ Jesus.
Nothing Is Impossible With God – is about learning there is nothing impossible for God to do. While we like to believe in ourselves, yet there are many things impossible for us. We must recognize our limitations, and understand there are many things we cannot achieve within ourselves. We must trust and have faith in God the Father through Christ Jesus, it’s the only way we can make it when things seem impossible for us. While there are many things impossible for mankind, nothing is too hard for God, nothing is impossible for the Lord. If we believe, place our hope in him, and live our lives knowing Christ is coming again, we will experience the delivering hand of God. If we place our lives in his hand, seek him, we will see through Christ there is nothing we cannot do according to God’s Will. There is nothing too hard for God, nothing is impossible for him. Our faith must grow, so we come to believe and trust in God’s Power in Christ to make good things occur in the lives of those who believe.
Right And Wrong – is about being honest in how we see truth, how we see what is right and wrong. The world is changing as the Lord said it would, our thinking of right and wrong is changing along with it. There was a day, a time when we all knew and believed the source of truth is found in God, through Christ Jesus. But our thinking is changing, we are beginning to believe in ourselves, more than in God. Even within the Church, our belief system and thinking are changing. We are beginning to compromise God’s Word for the sake of those who don’t want to change their ways. We are exchanging the gifts and promises of God, what we will receive when Christ returns, for what we can receive in this life. We are entering a dangerous time, many are not believing in God, many are calling what God calls truth, wrong. We are fulfilling scriptures that tell of a time when mankind will exchange the truth of God for a lie, so we can do as we please and still think we are doing good. We cannot call wrong right, or right wrong. We must stay with God’s truth found in Christ Jesus, so we continue to change and grow in faith, spirit, and truth.
God’s Will – is about learning to walk in God’s Will. Many of us have accepted our relationship with Christ Jesus which leads to a relationship with the Father. We must ask ourselves a question, are we doing God’s Will? We have a Will within ourselves that we must be aware of, and it is different than God’s Will. Our Will was formed from the world and desires we have for our life, both of which make us indifferent to God. As we grow in faith, our Will causes us to struggle in understanding and doing God’s Will. Only by us coming to know and follow God’s Will can we achieve our true purpose through Christ Jesus for our lives. God’s Will requires we live a certain way, we act a certain way, and we obey God’s commandment to follow his Son, Christ Jesus. Do we know God’s Will for our life, or we seeking his Will? Unfortunately, many believers come to God so God can bless their Will, their plans, and dreams for their life. To grow in faith, we have to seek the Will of God, over our Will, by asking God to reveal his Will and plan for our life. We must follow Christ’s example, doing what pleases God the Father, and not our will. If we are going to serve God and walk faithfully before him, we must seek his Will, and come to delight in doing the Will of God.
- Make Time For God – Busy, busy …. We are all so busy, therefore we look for ways to shorten our time with God. We want church service to be short as possible, our prayers are short, our time studying God’s Word is short if we read God’s Word at all. God honors those who seek him, those who spend time in prayer, those who study his Word. We must make time for God, to ensure God has time for us when we are in need. God’s Word is filled with scriptures teaching us about how we need to continuously seek the Lord so we can find him, so in our time of need, the Lord answers our prayers. This requires us to spend time with God. We are such a “me” generation, we have short attention spans, we can only pay attention for a short period, everything has to entertain us, or we quickly get bored. The more we make time for God, the less boring it will be because God will use us in a mighty way. Satan wants to captivate our thoughts and minds, to keep us busy and away from God. If we want the promises of God, his protection, his blessings, his grace, and mercy, then we need to make time for God, so he makes time for us.
Pretenders – every once in a while, the Lord gives me a challenging sermon to bring, its one that causes some to be offended, but those who can receive, it helps them grow in their faith in God. This is one of those teachings that hits us where we are today. I pray you can receive this message with the intent the Lord meant, for he does everything in love. We have become people who love to pretend, we do things to ourselves to look different than we are, to attract others. We are willing to present ourselves differently by adding things to our body that are not real, this is very dangerous and harmful to someone seeking the truth. From the beginning, mankind has been pretending, but this generation is taking pretending to a much higher level. We must be careful, God is a God of truth, there is no pretense, lies, or falsehood him. Satan likes to masquerade, his servants masquerade as a child of the light, masquerading cannot be what we are in Christ. We cannot present ourselves as someone we are not. Our faith in God must be built on truth, that which is on the outside and inside must be who we are. We cannot be a pretender and stand truthfully in God’s sight. We cannot grow in faith if our life is about pretending, masquerading to be someone we are not. God is truth, we must be truthful, our lives must be about truth, who we are must be truthful, and what we do has to be done in truth.
Only God Knows – is about understanding where knowledge and understanding come from. The world would have us to think and believe that truth, knowledge, and understand comes from within us. The world teaches us how far we climb the corporate ladder, how successful our businesses become is directly related to our knowledge and understanding. We see ourselves as Christians, but we do not depend on the Father and Christ Jesus as the source of all knowledge regarding how we conduct our daily life and activities. We think God’s knowledge only makes us aware of God, and what the Lord plans to do. We fail to see as one with total knowledge and understanding, and nothing is done without God’s knowledge and understanding. God not only wants us to know him, his plans, his Son Christ Jesus, but the Lord also wants to receive his knowledge and understanding for our daily lives, so we avoid bad decisions, and walk in God’s wisdom. Only God knows all things, knowledge of mankind is limited and useless in teaching us how to do good, live right, love others, and how to serve God.
Crying Out To God – is about learning to cry out to God in good and bad times so he knows our name and answers us when we call. We can’t be the type of believer who allows pride and arrogance to control our behavior where we are too prideful to cry out to God. Pride makes us stiff-neck and we will not humble ourselves before God. We need to come before the Lord humbly, on bending knees, with our hearts open, and tears flowing from our eyes. Crying aloud, Lord we have sinned, we have done wrong please help us, we repent, we need your mercy Lord. We cry out for the Lord to bless us, our family, to help the lost, to lead our pastors, guide our leaders. Lord, you have blessed us in so many ways, we continually seek you, crying to you, many are in trouble, many are suffering. We need your forgiveness, grace, and mercy. With tears flowing from our eyes and hearts, hear our pleas, harken to our cries, we need you Lord more than ever.
- Thoughts And Ways – The world teaches us every day, if we want to have happiness and be successful, we must take our thoughts and ways and put them into action. Whatever we think, whatever we desire, whatever we want to do, we must be put it into action. Do not let anyone stop you, not even the Lord. Those of us who are working to grow in faith, understand chasing after our thoughts and ways cannot, will not, bring us closer to God. The Lord has already told us, his thoughts are not our thoughts, and his ways are not our ways. To grow in faith, we must change our thoughts and ways to be like Christ Jesus. Our thoughts and ways must be transformed so we can take on the mind of Christ, to please God. Step by step our mind, our insight, our understanding must become like Jesus.
- No Turning Back - After we establish our faith in the Lord, we must grow and work on our salvation as taught by the Lord. We must reach a point in our faith where no trouble, no loss, no sickness, no pleasure, no situation, no circumstance causes us to turn back to our old ways, to our old self, back to seeking things in this world, turning away from seeking and obeying God. We have come too far; we cannot turn back now. We have overcome so much through Christ, we cannot turn away, we cannot turn back. We must continue to grow our faith through it all, there is much more work to do in us, much more service for us to do in obeying and serving God. If we turn back, we will not be fit to enter God’s Kingdom. We cannot turn to the right, back our old self, or to the left back to the world, to sin, to ungodly principles. We must stay the course, so we reach God’s Kingdom.
Seek Him – is teaching about when we all hit a point in life where we turn to seek God, where we take the first step to seek and find God. We do not doubt there is a need for us to seek God, the need is self-apparent. We do not need anyone to convince us, we know we need to find the Lord for ourselves. Seeking God is a continuous process, a growing process in Christ Jesus. In seeking the Lord, we must seek God in his prescribed way, not seeking him in a way defined by others. God laid out a path through his Son so when we seek him, find him, and walk faithfully before him. Many get mislead, take wrong paths, but we must stay on the path of God in seeking him.
storms. We can choose to allow storms that come our way to make us not believe or even worse, lose faith and turn away from God, or we can allow our faith to grow through the storms. We must come to understand and learn why storms are necessary for our lives, why storms are intended to help us grow in the Lord. Without storms, nothing would make us take notice of God, nothing would make us change our behaviors, nothing would make us cry out to God. Sometimes storms come because we have not paid attention to the Lord, we have done our own thing, and not followed his Word. Sometimes storms come because the Lord wants to test our faith, to see if the things we say with our lips are the same things stored in our hearts. We must grow through the storms of life, knowing God is always faithful.
- Picking and Choosing – is teaching about us coming to accept all of God’s Word into our heart. Our faith must be built on the whole Word of God, not bits and pieces we decide to believe. The Father through Christ Jesus has made his Word plain to us, so we can receive it, so our children can receive it, and it transforms our mind and heart to seek God. God’s Word teaches us that sin is not something you and I get to choose which sins we will stop, and which sins we can continue doing as Christians, for the Lord makes it plain to us, we must stop sinning. Picking and choosing what we believe from God’s Word will make us a religious person, and we will miss the fullness of Christ Jesus, the Father wants us to experience in seeking him. We must accept it all, no picking and choosing, but be faithful in all things of God through Christ Jesus.
- Clinging To Self - This teaching is about our walk and ensuring we are not clinging to our old self but living in the newness of Christ Jesus. If we allow the Spirit to examine us, we will see just how must we still indulge in our old self and old behaviors, and sinful ways as a Christian. We can’t serve the Lord while still desiring the things we did in our old self, in our old way of life. Christ says if we take our hand off the plow and look back, desiring the things of old, we will not be fit for the kingdom of God. All our old habits, behaviors, and sins have to be put to death, they must go, so we can faithfully follow and serve Christ Jesus in pleasing God. We must learn to live in the new life we have in Christ, be complete in the Lord, not needing anything from our old self. (its riches, greed, cursing, lying, cheating, selfishness, boastful, pride, or arrogance). We can live without any of these behaviors and habits, be full of joy and happiness in Christ Jesus, living in our new self.
- Oh My Soul – is teaching to help us understand our walk with God, and how it is about the state of our soul. What will be the state of our soul when it is all said and done, when we stand before Jesus? We cannot allow others to deceive us into why we are blessed to have life. We are here to learn of God, to develop, grow, and mature our faith so our heart yearns for God. It's through our heart, our soul is connected to Christ Jesus, so we have life in him. What good does it do for us to gain all the things of the world, yet forfeit our soul? We must have a fear of God in our hearts, so we don’t turn away because we desire things of the world, more than life with God. It's all about the state of our soul, not the state of our bank account, not the state of our job, not our business, but the state of our soul. God gives us grace and time on earth so we come to love him, seek his ways, become faithful to his word, learn to follow Christ Jesus so our soul receives salvation, and our souls are saved.
Journey of faith – is teaching to help us not get it twisted when the Lord calls us to go on a journey with him. It will not be about what we want to do, or things we want to achieve in life. This is a journey of faith, where the Lord places us in places to develop, grow, mature, and test our faith. Along this journey, we will be changed by the Lord. There will be many trials we will have to overcome on our journey. Everyone's journey is not the same, though we come to learn the same lessons from the Lord. We must count the cost before we decide to accept what the Lord has called us into, we cannot get in the middle, and when things get hard and tough, when troubles come our way, we want to quit. This is a life long journey we must complete, so we have victory in the Lord, and the plans of God for our life is achieved to bring God glory.
God Sees – is about accepting the truth, God sees everything we do, everything we think, every desire we have, everything that is in our heart whether good or bad. There is no hiding place, there is nowhere we can run, there is no place we can hide, where God cannot see us. Knowing this should change how we behave, change our thinking, change what we do, knowing that God sees all. Not only does God sees all, he also wants us to see him through his Son Christ Jesus. It is for this reason Christ came into the world, so those who are blind can see the word and ways of God through Christ. As Christians, we cannot see through the eyes of the world, through social media, or through the internet, we have to want to see through the eyes of God, so we have spiritual sight. We want to see as God sees, so we have insight into the things of God and do what is pleasing to God.
- Circumcised Heart - is about the condition of our heart. God emphasizes the condition of our heart because it’s the gateway to our soul. The condition of our hearts represents the weakness or strength of our faith. We are from the world, and things of the world have to be cut out by the Spirit so we can grow and have great faith. The Word and Spirit cut away religious beliefs and practices, it cuts away hate and anger, it cuts away greed and selfishness. The work of the Spirit through Christ Jesus cuts away jealousy and revenge, it cuts away doubt and unbelief, it cuts away fear and worry. Everything that is in us that is not of the Lord is cut away. We want it all to be cut out of our hearts, so we don’t serve God with an uncircumcised heart, one that has not been changed and made clean. We don’t want a religious physical circumcision, we want a spiritual circumcision done by the hand of Christ and not mankind. Circumcise our hearts Lord so we are faithful to you and The Father, to his word and ways.
- Hand of God – As Christians, we must desire God’s hand to be upon us, it’s the only way we know our walk is right with God. We need God’s hand to correct, heal, teach, guide, and show us the way to eternal life. We don’t want to produce work that is in vain, which does not please God. When God wants to place his hand on us, we have a choice. We can choose to accept the Lord’s hand, and receive understanding, be blessed, and have a purpose in life. We could choose to reject the Lord’s hand, and experience suffering in life. God is a God of grace and mercy, if we choose to turn from our ways and receive God’s hand, he will restore us and grant us peace. If we must accept Christ’s hand, follow the Lord all the days of our lives, we, our children, our families, and our churches will be blessed and not forsaken. God’s hand is awesome, powerful faithful, and effective in saving lives.
- Justice- Is teaching about God’s Justice versus the world’s form of justice. Today we see the suffering that comes when injustice is allowed to be the rule of law. Many people suffer, but this is not what the Lord has taught us about his justice, and how to administer proper justice for all. We must turn back to the ways of God, so there is justice for all, for the measure we use, will be used to judge us. We must administer justice the sets people free, that does not oppress or treat people guilty who are innocent in the eyes of the Lord. We must administer true and fair justice so all can be blessed by the Lord. We have to seek the Lord in all our ways, so we understand the ways of God, he is a just God. We must follow Christ Jesus, who taught us to administer true justice, so those who are oppressed, the poor, the fatherless, and widows can feel justice in their lives. Justice must be fair, and cover both the small and great so there is justice everywhere. Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere.
Today’s Idolatry - Idolatry is placing anything ahead of God. We must ask ourselves; do we commit Idolatry? Though we do not sacrifice food to idols today, some of us do place things ahead of God. We sacrifice our time, money, and resources to things, like our homes, jobs, possessions, money, titles, cars, people, and our children instead of God. We must look at the things we place ahead of God, he is a jealous God. Though we are under grace, the Lord plans to remove his grace, so judgment can take place. We will have to give an account of our lives, and the things we have done. Did we keep God first in our lives, placing nothing before him?
- Fear of God– Is teaching about the importance of having a fear of God within every believer. Without a fear of God living on the inside of us, though we believe, we won’t do what God says. Fear is what keeps us from doing wrong, whether following the rules on our job, or following the laws, or doing sinful and bad things in our relationships, or to others. Though we want God through Christ Jesus to bless and love us, we won’t put away our sins. It’s only through learning to fear God you and I will stop sinning, it’s the only way we will treat others right, it’s the only way we will change our lifestyle to be pleasing to God. Without the fear of God working on the inside of us, we will want to do good, but we don’t. The fear of God living on the inside will make us obey, will make us share, will make us love one another. Fearing the Lord will make us turn from evil and sin because we don’t want to lose the Spirit of God, we don’t want God to turn away from us, we don’t want to lose our connection to Christ Jesus. The fear of God, will cause us to love God and others.
- From Material to Spiritual – This teaching is about how God provides all the material possessions we need to do the work he has called us to complete. We must see these material blessings as a means for us to grow in Christ Jesus and move into a spiritual relationship with the Lord. We must resist the temptation to waste the blessings we receive from God on ourselves. We must resist the temptation to hoard the blessings of God. God’s Word teaches us to share and to be a giver, sharing material possessions with those who are in need. Material possessions cannot be the reason you and I seek God, we must desire to know God so we grow spiritually, so we have a fear of God, and we do not sin against God’s Word, Son, and Spirit. We must grow spiritually so we receive the promises of God and eternal life. God gives us material blessings, so it supports the spiritual work we are called to do by the Father through Christ. God is Spirit, we must move from desiring material possessions to obtaining spiritual riches. Our walk with the Lord must become a spiritual one, it cannot remain a material relationship.
- Servant Of God – is a teaching about what it means to be a Servant of God. Unlike the world, where being a servant is the lowest position you can find, thought of as a position of shame. Being a Servant of God is a position of honor, comes with great accountability, and great reward. When we first hear a call from the Lord, we immediately think this is going to turn into something great for us, we will be an overnight success. When the Lord calls us into service, we begin to learn of the Lord, learning how to handle his word and ways. The Lord takes us through many tests so we prove we are trustworthy, truthful, and can be a faithful manager of God’s wisdom and knowledge. We may be called to be a prophet, evangelist, pastor, bishop, or even an Apostle, but none of these positions will be honored by the Father and Christ Jesus until we become a Servant of God.
- Being Set Free – is teaching about understanding how things in this world still have us bound so we are unable to fully serve the Lord. Even though we are Christians, we have to allow the Spirit to completely set us free. We have to not only fully accept Christ Jesus, we also have to allow the work of the Spirit to break every chain that binds us, so we can be truly free; free to live, free to love, free to serve, free to worship, and free to share. It does not matter what binds us, whether its anger, jealousy, rage, bitterness, un-forgiveness, adultery, immoral sexuality, greed, feeling unloved, bitterness, bad behavior, worldly thinking, obsession with riches, or trying to be important. We all are bound by something, and we need to be set free through Christ Jesus. The Father is offering us a way to be free, we must accept Christ Jesus and be led by the Spirit so each one of us is set free from all that binds us. Being set free, requires we take a journey with Christ, so every wall comes down, every chain is broken, and we share the good news about our freedom with others. God the Father wants us free in Christ Jesus
- More than Enough – Is teaching about how God has provided more than enough for all his creation, and none should be without. From the day we were born, God has been providing for our needs. Many of us have been able to produce, while others have not had the opportunity, or have not been allowed to develop their skills and abilities to a level to provide for themselves. Some have fallen on hard times and need a helping hand to overcome. This is the reason the Lord teaches us he provides more than enough, and we need to have the heart to share. The Lord provides more than enough, and he will continue to provide. We have to develop a heart to share and learn how to be content so when others need a helping hand, we will gladly share, in return, when we need a helping hand, they will share with us. There should be equality in the body of Christ, as we learn to love our brothers and sisters and being one in the body of Christ. If we are selfish, hoard all the blessings we are given, then others will suffer and have to go without. Learning to share is a measure of the growth of our faith and godly understanding. It is where we come to trust in God, building what we need, and sharing with others so the body of Christ is stronger, and we love each other deeply. God will see our heart, and pour more into us, as we share with his people
- Overcomer – Is a teaching about looking to God’s Word and comprehend what we must do to be an Overcomer. Satan’s has a grip on the world, and if we live for the world, he has a grip on us. We must overcome his hold on us. The strain of this world is heavy and difficult to deal with, but through Christ Jesus, we can overcome it all. God’s Word teaches, we must learn to overcome so we can be used by him. Through our faith in Christ, we overcome bad behaviors, drugs, abuse, hate, rage, anger, oppression, prejudice, alcohol, and we overcome harmful relationships. We become an overcomer through Christ , a living testimony for God, and an example for those who are being overwhelmed by life. We all experience issues in life; sickness, family issues, work issues, financial issues, spiritual issues. We can overcome them all by God’s Power is in Christ Jesus, which flows to believers and his followers. We overcome it all by faith in Christ
- Knocking – is teaching about knocking on heavens doors. We are taught we must seek the Lord, continually inquire of God so we find him, come to know him, and he comes to know us by name. We are taught, Satan has synagogues, places of worship. Christ spoke to the Jews about their religious faith, they claimed to know God, to be followers of God. Jesus told them because they believe more in themselves then in God, their father was the Devil. We have to know whose door we are knocking on. The door that leads to the house of Satan will offer things of the world, require no change in us, teach lies, and have us focused on self. The door that leads to God’s House will be washed in the blood of Christ, require us to change, lead us into God’s Will, teach us God’s Truth, grant us Salvation, and enter into Eternal Life with God. We need to ensure we are standing at the door that leads to God’s house. When Christ returns he is going to shut the door to God’s House we have to be found standing inside, standing by faith.
- It's About God – is teaching about making it about God and not self. I remember when I gave my life to the Lord. I thought it was all about me, the things I wanted, and how God would bless all my plans. In seeking God, I became a religious-minded person, because I focused on giving a little, to receive a lot from God. I made it about me, and not God. Then the Lord opened my eyes, we are like grass in the field, here today, gone tomorrow, so how can this be about us? The Lord changed my focus from what I can receive, to what I can do and give to please the Lord, for it all comes from him. Through Christ Jesus each one of us has been purchased for a price, we could not pay. We are not our own, we belong to God, to do as he please. In applying God’s Word, we can see this is about pleasing God, and not about pleasing self. It's all about God, it's all about his Son Christ Jesus. We must find ourselves in Christ Jesus because that is how we become something important to God. It's not within ourselves, but us being in the Son. This understanding will change everything. It changes our thoughts, our desires, our hopes, our dreams, and motives to pleasing God more and more, so we can partake of the Lord, and receive what God is offering in through Christ Jesus.
- Denying God – is teaching about ensuring how we walk and the things we do, does not cause us to deny God as we live out our lives on earth. In seeking a life with the Lord, we come to understand the need for us to deny ourselves, so we are focused on God’s Kingdom and receive many blessings as we live faithfully before the Father through Christ Jesus. In the times we live, life presents us with many challenges that make it easy to focus on our needs and wants, and less on what God desires for us. We overcome troubles in life, by leaning more on Jesus and less on ourselves. The blessings we desire, the salvation we seek is found in God. We cannot allow temptation to cause us to fall from grace, because we deny God in times of suffering and trouble. Our life is better in Christ Jesus, it’s the reason you and I came to the Lord on our bending kneels, asking the Lord to receive us. God being faithful received us in Christ Jesus, so we have a heart that never denies God.
- Change Is Needed – is a teaching about helping us recognizing changes are needed in us. We come to Christ Jesus, just as we are. The purpose is not for us to remain the same, but for us to receive the Spirit, and allow changes to take place in us. God will put us on the plotters wheel and change everything about us, we cannot resist the changing hand of God. Through Christ , we understand change is needed, we must accept all changes the Lord wants to make in us. We cannot just look at the outside, we must allow our inside to change, to become new. God has a plan for our lives, but it requires us to accept new things from God. He wants to change our talk, change our walk, change our thinking, change our behavior, change our desires, and give us hope. We cannot resist or grieve the work of the Holy Spirit, we must allow it to have its way with us. Many just want God to change a few things about them, but I have news for you, God wants to change everything about us. We become a new creation, as changes take hold in us, from one change to another change, we become more and more like Christ. It would take thousands of lifetimes for this work to be complete, so don’t stop allowing God to make changes in you. He has a plan, we must allow it to come to completion.
- Deliverance– Is a teaching about God’s Deliverance, that which God has spoken, what Christ Jesus revealed, and what the Holy Spirit confirms in us. God does not honor words that we make up, nor stories we tell each other that does not come from God. We cannot establish and grow our faith seeking breakthroughs which is a religious teaching. We are taught by God’s Word to walk in the deliverance of the Lord. This teaching shares God the Father and Christ Jesus prescribed way of seeking help from God. As the Lord delivers us, he will also change us, and transform us so we become more and more like Christ Jesus each time we receive deliverance from God. We must seek God’s Deliverance so we experience God’s Power in Christ Jesus at work in our lives, and the lives of our family. We must believe in what God has spoken, in that which has the power to save. Nothing else can do, only what God has spoken has the awesome power to give us deliverance.
- Prepared By God – is teaching about letting God prepare us for the reason we were created. We have spent enough time in this world preparing ourselves to achieve our dreams. It’s time to give ourselves over to God and let him prepare us for his calling, for service to God. Only the Lord can prepare us for what he has created for us to do. When we are prepared by God, we are satisfied, not in want, not chase after this world. Being prepared by God will change everything about us, the Lord equips us and prepares us so we bring God glory. Christ Jesus receives us into himself and prepares us to carry out the Will of God. The process of God preparing us through Christ will take time, it will not happen overnight. The Lord may lead us to a deserted place like he did with John the Baptist for two years, or take us to a isolated place as he did with the Apostle Paul for three years to prepare us. We must be willing to allow the Lord to prepare us, to teach us, not jumping to doing what we think, what we want because we have been called. The Lord prepares us so we can stand, when the rain comes, when the storm rushes in, when darkness tries to overtake us, we can stand in faith because we are fully prepared by God. The Lord prepared us so we stand by faith, stand in purpose, overcome all things in Christ to accomplish our assignment for God. We must remain true to God to the end, testifying of how the Lord prepared us for good works, whether great or small
- God Provides – is a teaching about how God provides everything we need for life now, and eternal life through his Son Christ Jesus. After becoming Christians, many struggle to develop their faith in a way where they trust and believe in what God provides. Faith in what Christ provides, he provides everything we need. We keep trying to provide for ourselves, instead of leaning on Jesus. This is why God says, we praise him with our mouth but our hearts are far away from him. We need to become less and the Lord more, so when trouble comes, we receive what God provides. Anything we provide will not last, will fade away, and cause harm. What we provide for ourselves, can never meet all our needs, in the end, it will fall short. In providing for ourselves, we are telling God we don’t need you, we can handle it ourselves. God is the one who gives us abilities and skills, he is the one who provides all we need. When we fall into need, God should be the first one we turn to, not ourselves, not to others, but God. When we see God as our provider, our faith grows, we become totally and completely depend on God through Christ Jesus. Christ provides all we need to do God’s Will, to live a blessed life, and help others believe in what Christ can provide.
- Finding Our Path With God – is teaching about ensuring we are walking on the path God created for us. When we first come to the Lord, we can be assured the path we start on is not the one God created for us. Most of us choose to follow a religious path, which is not the path God wants us on. Some of us choose a path chasing after riches and wealth, but this is not the path God has called us on. Others choose a path filled with sin and trouble, clearly this is not the path the Lord created for us. This is why scripture says, the road, the path, the way that leads to the kingdom of God is narrow, and only a few find it. God the Father through Christ Jesus has made a way for us, has prepared a clear path for our feet, but not many choose to walk on it. You and I must ensure the path we take in seeking the Lord, is the one he wants us to take. It will be filled with challenges, and there will be trouble. But if we endure and overcome, we will find love, peace, our bodies will find rest, and our hearts will be glad in the presence of the Lord. God wants us to find our way to him, so he sent his Son into the world to be a light for our feet, so we find our path with God.
- Redeemed – is a teaching about the need for us to be redeemed. Christ Jesus has paid the ultimate price to redeem every soul that comes to him for salvation. He paid this price with his precious blood, so we can live a purified life before God. We may be wondering why does Christ have to redeem us? God says, we must be redeemed from all the wickedness we live for, from our love for the sinful things of the world. Christ can redeem us from any situations, he can redeem us from chasing after the world, from greed, from sexual immorality, from sinful desires, from drugs, from alcohol, from harmful behaviors. There is no limit to Christ’s power to redeem us. The question is, do we want to be redeemed, to be set free from all that binds us to sin. We cannot serve the Lord while in bondage to sin and things of the world. We need to be set free, so we are free to follow the Lord, so we can freely serve God. Redemption leads to salvation of our soul.
- It’s Time To Grow – is a teaching about getting out of our religious practices and theology teachings, and start growing in God the Father and Christ Jesus. We must move forward in changing and being transformed so we can become what God has called each one of us to be. Not getting lost in the blame game, or focusing on whose fault it is, we are not receiving what we think we should from God. But allowing the Spirit of the Lord to grow us in all things of God. It’s time to grow our faith so we can become a mature child of God. The only source we need to tap into, so we grow our faith properly in God, is his Son, Word, and Spirit. Nothing else and no one else can lead us to grow in the Lord as God would have us grow. We may think we can grow within ourselves; we may think we can grow by getting several degrees, we may think we can grow in God by being very religious. But the only true way to grow in God is through Christ Jesus, any other way is misleading, and will lead us to place God does not want us to be. For us to grow in God, we must be lead by the Lord, and his Spirit.
- Eternal Life – is a teaching to help us establish our faith in the greatest promise God is offering us through Christ Jesus, eternity with him. When our faith is only tied to our human life, that which we pray for, tithe for, and the reason we read God’s Word, we will miss the greatest promise of God. We are limiting the promises of God. Yes, we have been promised that if we place our faith in the Son of God, then we can avoid troubles and experience prosperity in this life. In that same promise it is said, if we deny ourselves and seek that which is from above, then we not only experience God’s protection in this life, we will be able to enter into the kingdom of God. Christ has come to show us the greater gift, passing over from death to life. If we endure in Christ, if we live in Christ, then we can be assured, confident, we will be resurrected to be like him, and enter in the kingdom where all the promises of God are fulfilled. Where the glory of God can be seen, no more dying, no more pain, there is equality, justice, and God’s love. It is all in God’s kingdom, not in this world. We must seek eternity with God.
- Cup Of Salvation –is a teaching about what the Lord has prepared for each one of us If we come to accept and live by his word and ways. In Establishing our faith in the Lord, we also establish our faith in the Salvation of God, so we receive good things from the Lord in this life, and in the life to come. The Lord prepares a Cup of Salvation for each one of us, so we partake in what the Lord has for us, so our purpose in the Lord is clear. Its in our Cup of Salvation we come to understand what we must work on, and what we must do to please God. We take hold of our cup and remain steadfast in God’s calling so our cup remains full and overflows with blessings so we can share with others. We can choose to drink of God’s Cup of Salvation or of the cup Satan offered Christ Jesus which is filled worldly riches. If we choose to drink of the world, then we will experience God’s Wrath and not his Salvation. We must live completely in Christ, so our Cup of Salvation overflows and we experience the full measure of Christ.
- Closer Walk – is a teaching to help us establish our faith in a way that we can walk with the Lord, not in shame or guilty but through the strengthening of our faith. This requires establishing our faith based on God’s truth, growing in the things of God through the Spirit, and maturing in the Lord through changes made in us. In the beginning, we were far away from God, our lives were based on the things of the world, and not of God. Then we heard the call from Christ for us to come, to come closer to him. We started on the journey, as the Lord ordered our steps, he taught us the ways of God. It is a long road, one that gets narrower and narrower the closer we get to the kingdom of God. Our walk with the Lord will require us to endure, to accept changes we are led to make in our lives. We must be careful, the walk will be challenging, we can get stuck, we can turn back, the Lord is not going to force us to walk with him. It is an offer that we can accept or reject anywhere along the way. In our walk with the Lord, we learn how to be faithful, and how to keep on walking through the rain, through the storm, through the pain. Keep on walking; Christ Jesus is leading us to the kingdom of God, get closer to God.
- Self-Control – is a teaching to help us establish our faith in a way where we can maintain self-control. At first glaze, we may say we have self-control. But if we took the time to examine what the Word of God says about being a self-controlled person, we would rethink our definition of self-control. For it means we never get angry, we never fight with others, we never go into a rage, we never curse, we never lose control of ourselves. Self-control means we are always kind, we always endure, we never take revenge, can handle conflicts, and do not lie to cover up shameful ways and sin. If we are not by the Spirit, how can we say we are a self-controlled person? Yes, we show self-control when everything is going well, but how well do we maintain self-control when things go wrong, and when others come against us? It's not easy maintaining self-control in every area of our life, that is why it’s a journey for us to be reshaped into the image of Christ Jesus. God is always in control, and he has given control over to Christ Jesus, so you and I can live under the control of God. Becoming a self-controlled person is where we establish and grow in our faith, working on our salvation so we are more and more like the Lord, and less and less like our old self every day, every second of the day. Praise God.
- Choices – is a teaching about the choices we make, especially as Christians. From the beginning, God chose to allow each person to make choices about how they will live. The Lord laid before us both curses and blessings, we must choose our walk before God. Nothing we do is hidden from the Lord, he sees choices we make in light and darkness. Choices have consequences. When we make good and godly choices, we receive blessings. When we make bad and sinful choices, we receive correction and discipline. It's all about the choices we make. Making choices is not easy, we have many things at play. We are concern about our desires, wants, and needs even when we have the Lord in mind. When making choices, we must learn how to lean on the Lord, and allow the Spirit to lead our decisions so we make better and godly choices. We make choices every minute, every second of the day. We need to be at a place where Christ is in us, and we are in Christ, so we make godly choices. Choices we make will determine if we will grow in faith or end up stuck in the middle making good and bad choices. We need to work on our salvation so every day, we can make better and more godly choices regarding every aspect of our lives. Our choices must lead us into the light of Christ Jesus, and not into the darkness of the world. It's all about the choices we make, and motives behind them.
- Being Misled – is a teaching about not being misled in seeking a life with the Lord. We live in a time that the Word of God prophesied about. A time when evil and sin will prevail upon the earth and mislead many. A time when those who are trying to follow the Lord, will turn to lies and falsehoods to feed their faith. We are living in a time the Word of God speaks of where itching ear preaching is causing many to chase after things of the world. We need to wake up and examine what we believe, examine those teaching us and those we are following, so we are not led astray. We don’t want to be standing before Christ, and he tells us nothing we believed in came from the Father, or what he taught and revealed. We cannot allow ourselves to be misled because we have desires in us that are not of God, we must overcome our desires so we desire the Truth of God in our heart. Our soul is at stake, we cannot just leave it up to chance. We need to have confidence that our faith is not only founded on God’s Word, it’s bound by God’s Word. Being mislead is the worst thing that could happen to someone who desires to know the Lord. Misleading others is the worst thing we can do after being called by God. We cannot be misled, and we cannot mislead others.
- Where Is God – is a teaching to help us establish our faith in God, so we don’t have to wonder where he is when we need him. When trouble comes our way, that’s when we tend to approach the Lord for help, though we have not sought him night and day, we believe in our moment of need we can call on the Lord for help. God is trying to teach us to have a relationship with him and a connection with Son Christ Jesus doing good and bad times. So when we are in need and we call on the Lord, he is near us, and he will answer us. Otherwise, we will be trying to establish a connection with Christ while in the middle of the storm, what a terrible time to establish a relationship with God. The best time is when things are going well for us, so we can hear his voice, obey his Word, and not be hard of hearing in the mist of our crying and troubles. Glory to God, even when death is at our door, if we earnestly seek him, if we repent and humble ourselves before him, we can find the Lord. Where is God? He is on his throne with Christ at his side, working out his plan for mankind. Jesus is preparing a place for all who come to believe and live their lives through him. What is God doing? The Father and the Son are always are work, being patient because he wants no soul to be lost, giving us time to repent and turn back to him. Where is God, he is near us if we seek him, we will find God and not have to wonder.
- Waiting On The Lord – is a teaching to help us be able to wait on the Lord in the time of our need. It's hard to wait on the Lord. Our wants, desires, and plans puts us in a rush, chasing to get what we think we need. As Christians, we say we are waiting on the Lord, but if God does not come in the time we need him, we move forward with our plans. We need to learn how to wait on the Lord, his timing is always better. How do we wait on the Lord? We focus on the things God’s Word tells us to work on, like our salvation and our faith. Once we learn how to wait on the Lord, things will come easier for us, we have less stress, and enjoy the protection and peace of God. Learning to wait on the Lord, will lead us to draw closer to God, and he will draw closer to us. As we wait on the Lord, we will change, our thoughts will change, our desires will change, and we will lean on the Lord. We learn how to seek and wait on the Lord, doing nothing without the Lord leading and guiding us through. As we wait on the Lord, more and more blessings will come, more and more love will come, as we stand firm in the Lord
- Without Faith – is a teaching to help us understand just how damaging it is for us who are Christians to demonstrate a lack of faith in God. Not only will it affect our relationship with the Father and his Son, it will also cause issues with those we share our faith with. Because in some situations, in some circumstances instead of us showing our faith in God, we operate without faith. It will also confuse our children, as we teach them how much God is in control. Yet, when a storm comes upon our family, we look like we have no faith in God. We must believe, we must trust, we must have faith in God, at all times. There can be no situation where you and I are without faith. Without faith, we will disobey the Lord. Without faith, we will not trust and believe in our time of need. Without faith, we will have large mountains in our life we cannot overcome. Mountains of fear, worry, financial debt, sickness, enemies, failures, mountains of pride and arrogance. If we develop complete faith in God, he will remove each and every mountain that stands in our way of serving and pleasing him.
- The Word – is a teaching to help us see God’s Word as intended so we live by it today. We may read a lot of books, as we educate and entertain ourselves, but there is no more important book to read than The Word of God. It is the one book that can change and save lives. God’s Word has been translated many times, from one generation to another so we can read The Word and apply it. Some translations are founded on the old way of speaking, while others are so loosely translated it loses its meaning. We have to find a translation that moves us to know God better, to know God’s Will, to have a real relationship with Christ Jesus, and so the Spirit can be at work in us. If we receive as God intended, it will lead us to change our life and live in Christ. God protects his word, so we can believe and have faith in what God has spoken, in what Christ Jesus has revealed, and what the Spirit is doing and teaching God’s people. God brought forth his word through several means, he showed visions, he spoke directly to others. God had his word written down, so we come to know, believe, and obey it. Then God did an amazing thing, he sent his Son into the world to demonstrate how to live by his Word, so we can have faith in it, believe it, and live it. Christ became a Living Word so it could live in our hearts, and be alive in us. Upon Christ Jesus's departure, once again God did an amazing thing, through Christ the Holy Spirit was made available to those who placed their faith in him. Through Christ, God’s people can have a spiritual connection with Christ and the Father. God is Spirit, we must come to him in spirit so we live with The Word in our heart and have confidence in our salvation.
- Living Witness – is a teaching to help us become what the Lord has called us to be, a living witness for the Lord. While this may sound like a simple thing to do, it is not. Being called to be a witness of God, comes with a lot of responsibility and accountability. We cannot be what the Word of God calls a false witness, one who pours out lies and falsehoods about God, when the Lord has not led, nor spoken to them. We cannot be a witness of God, when our desire is for greed, to make a name for ourselves, or to have others worship us. A false witness never keeps to the Word of God, they are always wandering off, speaking of their desires and not God’s. We have to be a truthful witness for God, one whose words come from God’s Word, one who listens to the voice of Christ and is led by the Spirit. We know we are a living witness because what we testify of is God, and not ourselves. We know we are a living witness of God because the things we testify of is that which God has poured into us, that which the Lord has reshaped in us, so our testimony is real and not fake. We live it, it changed us, and now we testify of it. We are a witness of God’s greatness and goodness, of the loving-kindness of Christ Jesus, and the many things the Lord worked out in our lives. We live it, we are faithful to it, we testify of it.
- Expectations – is a teaching to help us establish our faith having right and godly expectations so what we seek from God is something God would do because he spoke about it in his Word. Like any relationship, if it starts out base on lies and falsehood, there is no way right expectations can be set that would help the relationship grow and be established in love and truth. Sooner or later, all the lies and false things done and spoken will cause the relationship to fail. If we speak the truth and walk with a right heart, then when we set expectations within our relationships it will be everlasting and produce good things, and never fail because we established the relationship with right and godly expectations which causes the relationship to grow and mature. Right and godly expectations not only makes relationships with each good and perfect; it also makes our relationship with God good and perfect.
- Desires – is a teaching about our desires. To establish our faith properly in Christ, grow and mature, we have to recognize our desires. Unfortunately, we come from the world, most of our desires are bad, creating sinful thoughts in us, which manifest many sins. God desire is for us to learn of him, to take on the attitude of his Son Christ Jesus, so through the work of the Spirit our desires become good, which makes us do good. This is not as easy as it may sound. This is not about our good intentions, or how good we think of ourselves. This is about conducting a real examination of our desires, and how our desires drive our motives and actions. In coming to grip with my desires, we recognize bad and sinful desires in me. I had to have a real conversation with the Lord about helping me put my bad desires to death. Again, this is not easy, almost all our desires are bad or have sinful motives behind them. Why we do something is just as important as what we do. Are our desires selfish, for pleasure, for greedy, harmful to others, immoral, hateful, or they prideful? Bad desires lead to a sinful action and sinful decisions. Thanks be to God, through Christ Jesus, we can take all our bad desires to the cross and ask the Lord to help us overcome them. Christ came so we can be free, it starts with us being free from bad and sinful desires which leads to sin. As we grow and mature in the Lord, we have to develop good desires in us that leads to us making good decision, having good motives, which leads to us carrying out good works, which pleases God.
- Somebody To God – this is a teaching to help us stay encouraged as the Lord works in our lives. Before we knew the Lord, many of us felt like we were nobody, no one cared about us, no one loved us, and no one paid attention to us. We felt like it did not matter if we lived or died. Then someone introduced us to Christ, or we heard a call from God. The Lord took us by the hand and started to teach us through his Word, Son, and Spirit as we learned we are somebody to God. He created us for a purpose, and he wants to save us. We allowed the Lord to make changes in our beliefs, in our thinking, in our behavior, and in our walk. The Lord lifted us up, made us somebody, and others started to take notice, as we begin to prosper, being blessed by God. We can never forget that we had nothing, we were nothing before the Lord came into our life. We can’t get caught up in the name the Lord made for us, the people who recognize us, or the money that flows our way. All this is so we can be of service to God, in helping his people, and not helping ourselves. We have to remember that the Lord gives, and he takes away. We must remain humble, faithful, and obedient to the Lord, so blessings continue to flow our way. We must show and share with others so they know they can become somebody in Christ Jesus. We were nobody until the day the Lord made us somebody by the work of the Holy Spirit. Let us rejoice and give glory to God. Walk-in fear, so we don’t fall because we took our eyes off the purpose.
- Way Maker – is a teaching about how Christ Jesus came and made a way for us to receive the salvation of God. He poured out his blood so we have a way to come out of darkness, and enter into his wonderful light. But many of us are stuck in a religious nightmare, because we are being taught to seek God through religious practices, and not through the way the Lord has made. Christ Jesus is calling us to fully cross over to him, to follow the path that he has laid out for us, and not seek our own path. This is where we must grow in our faith. In the beginning, we continued to try to make a way for ourselves, asking the Lord to bless the desires of our hearts. As we continue to grow in the Lord, our desires are changed by the Lord, and we turn from seeking our own way, to seeking the way of the Lord. He and no one else can make a way for us so we can stand in him, and in the promises of God. We recognize that without Christ as our way maker, we could not find our way, we would not know the way to the kingdom of God. Thanks to his wonderful light, it lights up a path underneath our feet so we can stay to the path God has called us. We can’t turn away, where would we go? The Lord has made a way for us.
- God’s Truth – is about being able to receive God’s Truth into our hearts. We live in a different world today, we have changed, we are not seeking God’s Truth as we did in the past. Now we want God’s Word to change, so it makes the things we want to do right, though God’s Word calls it a sin. We are fulfilling scripture that says, we will call a lie, truth, and truth a lie. We have become very good at taking something that is false and speaking as if its truth. As Christians, this a very dangerous road for us to be on. Like all things, it’s not easy facing the truth about ourselves, about others, and about what God has spoken. God’s Truth will challenge us, it will cause us to have to change our ways, change our plans, and change our direction. God’s Truth, which is his Word, is a double edge sword, that penetrates, it divides soul, spirit, joints, and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. God’s Truth will start to sooth our hearts once we have fully accepted it, allow it to change us, for the better. It will humble us, for the better. It will guide us onto the path that leads to salvation.
- Confession Of Faith – is a teaching to help us establish our faith properly in God. We all have heard or ready about our need to confess our sins to God. Many think this only applies when we first come to Jesus for salvation. But if we read God’s Word a little more intensely, we will come to understand that have a confessing heart is needed more after we give ourselves to Christ. Christ wiped away our sins, so the only sins we need to confess are those done after we accepted the Lord. We are called to be free in Christ, and the only thing that keeps us from being free is sin. We must, therefore, develop a confessing heart, so it creates an openness about our sins before God and others. The more we unveil our sins, the less Satan can testify against us, and the more we can demonstrate to God we can live free of sin. When we grow in the Lord, our confessions changes from having to confess about sin, to a confession of faith. Confessing of all the things God has done, is doing through Christ as we demonstration our faith to God and others.
- In Our Struggles – is a teaching about learning to depend on God in the middle of our struggles and not on ourselves. We have to know the reason we are going through struggles. Are we struggling because we live for the things of the world, and things are not working out as we planned? All of us go through struggles, it does not matter if you are rich or poor, in the US are in a third world country, we all struggle, though for different reasons. There is a difference between struggling in the world and struggling because we live in Christ Jesus. We struggle as part of the world, because we choose to sin, to disobey God, and we continue to have evil and sinful desires within us. But those of us who are following Christ Jesus, struggle because we have received the Spirit of God, and he is working the bad out of us, and replacing it with the good of God. It’s a spiritual struggle that we must and can overcome, through the power of God that is in Christ Jesus. We struggle spiritually because God’s ways are different than ours, changing and conforming to the ways of God will create momentary struggles in us. Spiritual struggles are meant to grow us, to train us in the ways of God. We must overcome, for our spiritual struggles are only momentary, joy comes in the morning, God’s blessings are new every morning, and there is deliverance and victory in Christ Jesus. Glory to God.
- Human Nature – Let’s talk a little bit about our human nature, and what has happened to it that is causing us so many problems, including issues with us following God’s Word and Ways. For most of us, from the day we were born, our nature has taken on qualities of a sinful person. If we are honest about it, we can easily look back and see how sinful things were added to our nature. Do we remember when we started lying? Do we remember the day we became ok with being greedy, or even taking things that did not belong to us? How about the day when we started allowing our body to have sexually and lustful desires? We have been training our mind and body how to live for sin for a very long time. Now that we have accepted Christ Jesus and repent from our sins, the Spirit of the Lord wants to deal with all the sinful things we have allowed our human nature to take in. The Lord wiped away all our sin and condemnation, but he did not say our nature had been changed. All those sinful things did not get attached to us all at once, and it’s not going to be put to death all at once. If we are faithful and allow the Spirt to do its work, it will feel like we are suffering as each one of our sinful ways are put to death, but we are being set free. Free, so we can take on the full nature of God that we receive through Christ Jesus, and the Spirits work in us. We just have to remain faithful, and let the work come to a completion in us, so our human nature its like the nature of Christ. Completely free.
- Order My Steps – Once we hear the call of the Lord, we must answer. When we came to Jesus, he has in his hand a plan for our lives, prepared by God. Many times, when we hear the call, we hope and think the Lord has called us to fulfill our plans and dreams. When he does not, we struggle as a Christian. The call was never about our plans and dreams, it’s about God’s plan for our lives. God called us, so he can order our steps through his Son, Word and Spirit. We have to give God control over our lives, so our steps can be ordered by Christ Jesus. No one knows better how to order our steps than Christ Jesus. No on knows the road to the kingdom of God but Jesus. It is foolish and we will perish if continue trying order our own steps after we have accepted Christ Jesus. He Lord says he has gone to prepare a place for us, but how will we get there if we continue to follow our own steps, which only leads to sin. We need to pick up our cross and follow Jesus, allow the Spirit of the Lord to change, to order our steps. We need to walk in the light of Christ so our steps will be pleasing to God. Its not easy, we will slip along the way, but we wont fall if we keep our eyes on the Lord and allow our steps to order by him. Step by step, sweet Jesus, change our walk, change our talk, so its pleasing to God.
- IF – As we read God’s Word, as we look to what God requires of us in coming to know him, two things become clear. In the beginning everything from God was conditional, it was based on our actions, and if we carefully follow God’s Word. Then God who is full of mercy and grace, stated that he would never again remove his love from us, least we all would be destroyed. We should be thankful to God, we have a chance to experience the Love of God in our lives, even as sinners. The second thing we come to understand is that even though God has made his love unconditional, everything else remains conditional. If we obey what God commands, he will be a blessing to us. God promises that if we follow his Son Christ Jesus, we can have eternal life. The Lord says if we never turn to the right or to the left, he will make us the head and not the tail. God is offering us life through his Son, if we walk upright before him. If we obey and are faithful, we can live in Christ and he will live in us. If, is what matters. If we obey, if we pay attention, if we do as God has commended, we will be blessed in the city, blessed in the country, blessed when we lay down and wake up, bless when we go out and come in. But if we reject God’s Word, if we change God’s Word, if we deny Christ Jesus, then the Lord will allow bad things to come up on us, and we will be judged. If we want God’s blesses, we must love as God loves.
- Only God Can – In almost all situations, we like to think that we can within ourselves resolve any issue we have. That is the way the world has taught us to think, its only when we have lived for a while that we start to see that there are many things that goes well beyond our abilities and intelligence to resolve. Its only at this moment that we start to comprehend what God the Father through our Lord Christ Jesus can do and understand that all things are possible with God. Only then do we start to look beyond ourselves, so we are sustained and saved by God. It takes many of us a long time before we come to believe only God can, to believe in the Power of God to rescue us, and the authority of Christ Jesus to save us. Without a complete belief in Christ Jesus, we will not look to God for answers. We will pretend we are looking to God as we continue working things out ourselves. That is way many times God waits until we are broken, until we are at our last, before he moves in our lives. We have to completely believe that only God through his Son Christ Jesus can do all things, and nothing is impossible for God. The Lord can do all things.