Jonnysoundsketch wrote this for our blog site a year or two ago. He has since revamped the message and I wanted to share it with you once again!
A Guest Blogger
Category: Bible
Bought With A Price
Dear Pastor Susan,
My girlfriend and I live together and when we asked to serve at our church, we were told that we couldn’t until we got married. With the economy the way that it is we can’t really afford to do that. What is the policy at your church and why do churches say they need help then turn it down when it’s offered?
Thank God for bible believing churches! We believe the same as your church. You got to get this part of your life settled, then you move into position. Since you’re a believer, I won’t throw scripture at you but here is the best way I can explain it.
You see, Jesus came and bought you with a price. He laid his life on the line for you. He still gave you the choice to follow him or not but you chose to follow him. That carries with it a certain responsibility. It means that when God says if you love me keep my commandments you agreed to those terms. So since you know his commandments and you took the deal you can’t then say that you receive the gift of salvation but refuse to follow the lead of the Father. The two conflict, as well they should. I know that you said it’s not doable right now to get married due to the economy but I’m unclear why. Marriage is a license at city hall and your Pastor conducting a covenant ceremony.
You don’t get to rent a woman and she doesn’t get to rent you. You don’t get to rent Jesus for just a part of your life. In all cases it’s all or nothing. Don’t be deceived by the message that says it’s all good and you can repent for it later. God put these boundaries in place to save you from heartache and the pain it causes. 2 Corinthians 6 (okay, maybe just a scripture!) says we should not take the grace of God in vain. Yes, you are right the church always needs help but it’s working through a process of perfection (meaning maturity).
I’m really glad to respond to this right now. We are learning all about this in our bible study and I’ll write more about that in a future post. In the meantime, we are praying for you and all of those who find themselves in your shoes. I hope you will do the right thing!
People Are Watching
2 Corinthians 6:1. Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don’t squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us.
2. God reminds us, I heard your call in the nick of time; The day you needed me, I was there to help.
3. Don’t put it off; don’t frustrate God’s work by showing up late, throwing a question mark over everything we’re doing.
4. Our work as God’s servants gets validated – or not – in the details. People are watching us as we stay at our post, alertly, unswervingly . . . in hard times, tough times, bad times;
5. when we’re beaten up, jailed, and mobbed; working hard, working late, working without eating;
6. with pure heart, clear head, steady hand; in gentleness, holiness, and honest love;
7. when we’re telling the truth, and when God’s showing his power; when we’re doing our best setting things right;
8. when we’re praised, and when we’re blamed; slandered, and honored; true to our word, though distrusted;
9. ignored by the world, but recognized by God; terrifically alive, though rumored to be dead; beaten within an inch of our lives, but refusing to die;
10. immersed in tears, yet always filled with deep joy; living on handouts, yet enriching many; having nothing, having it all.
11. Dear, dear Corinthians, I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life.
12. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way.
13. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!
14. Don’t become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That’s not partnership; that’s war. Is light best friends with dark?
15. Does Christ go strolling with the Devil? Do trust and mistrust hold hands?
16. Who would think of setting up pagan idols in God’s holy Temple? But that is exactly what we are, each of us a temple in whom God lives. God himself put it this way: “I’ll live in them, move into them; I’ll be their God and they’ll be my people.
17. So leave the corruption and compromise; leave it for good,” says God. “Don’t link up with those who will pollute you. I want you all for myself.
18. I’ll be a Father to you; you’ll be sons and daughters to me.”
Baby Food Giveaway A Big Success
I was so busy during the Baby Food Giveaway that I didn’t get pictures with my camera so the pictures shown are of the volunteers posing. We had lots of volunteers and that made the giveaway go smoothly. It really was a privilege to be able to give food away to families who could really use it! I’m sure more pics are to come. We have video as well. Here’s a tiny glimpse at the crew.
Noah’s Ark
Pastor Dave Morse is the most amazing Sunday School teacher on the planet. Last week our Kingdom Kidz began learning about Noah building the ark. This week they were they were learning about being secure in the flood.
Pastor Dave brought them a modern day Noah’s ark. A Land Yacht. They loaded up on the ark to be secure from the flood. Ana Valencia came along during the lesson and began to knock, “Please, please let me in!” “No”, was the answer as she had missed her opportunity. I believe this was a lesson our children will never forget.
The kingdom moves forward when teachers like Pastor Dave take such a love for the children and their spiritual foundation. When I spoke to the children they told stories about how Noah was safe and secure in the ark when the flood came because he listened to God! Praise God for Pastor Dave!
Special thanks to Toscano RV for the use of the Airstream Land Yacht! We appreciate you!
You’re Not A Mistake
Psalm 139:13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
From time to time, I hear the phrase “I was a mistake”. I just want to tell you today that you were not a mistake. You are God’s creation and he formed you, wrote your story, gave you your parents, knew the year you’d be born and gave you a mission to be fulfilled before the foundation of the earth. So before Genesis 1:1 you were created. The word says you were in God. Just as a thought is in our mind or a baby is in a mother’s womb, God has implanted in your DNA a memory of a future. God planned you. He breathed his plan into you as he was shaping you.
Maybe your mom has always said she got pregnant accidentally or maybe your dad made hurtful statements about how he had to marry your mom but you were not for one moment a mistake. God knew your father would have sex with your mother, even if it were one time. That one time was your opportunity to make your entrance into the world. It’s true. There are no accidents and no coincidences in the your design and birth.
There is only one you. You were put here with a mission on your heart to fulfill. There is only one person in this whole world that has your fingerprints, your DNA, your personality, your talents, your attributes. No one else can fulfill your mission in this moment. You are the only one. If you don’t fulfill your mission then it goes unfinished in this time.
The reason why so many people cry out for Jesus’ return and the reason why he doesn’t answer that call is that the mission that we were sent to do has yet to come to pass. So it isn’t time yet. What has God given you to do? If you can’t remember you need only to sit down and ask him. Prayer, for those of you who don’t know how, is simply dialogue. So a simple, “God, I don’t know what my purpose is, can you begin to reveal it to me so that I can begin to walk it out?” Just with that prayer God will begin to let you know what you are called to do.
What happened to your dreams? Well remember when you were a child and you felt that there was nothing you couldn’t do? How many times did you tie a towel around your neck and pretend you were Wonder Woman, or maybe that was just me!
How many times did you play school, house, store? How many times did you grab the hair brush and sing?
Well those dreams are still in your heart. They have however, been squashed by words spoken against you. “Quit being silly.” “Quit showing off.” “Wonder Woman is not real.” “Girls can’t be doctors.” “Would you please quit singing? You’re driving us nuts!” “You’re not pretty enough to be a model.” Those words spoken carelessly over your life were not from God and so they aren’t valid.
The fact is parents say some stupid things to their children. We all do and we all feel bad afterwards but the fact of the matter is we’re human and we all fall short of the goal sometimes. You though, you beautiful creation of God, you are masterpiece. You are more valuable than the most expensive thing on earth. God took his time with you. He made you perfectly, even though you look in the mirror and hate the shape of your ears, you have to just smile and think, ‘God made those’. You are not a mistake. You were fearfully and wonderfully made. So in this moment take a moment to hear those words that wounded you from your childhood and made you feel worthless for the last time. Hear them clearly and then ask God to make you forget them forever. They no longer define you. They no longer hold any meaning to you. You are supposed to be here. You are designed for this moment in time and there is none like you. There is an old song that we used to sing in church and we sing it to God. However, you are formed in his image so it also could apply to you. Today listen to God’s voice sing it to you. It goes,
There is none like you. No one else can touch my heart like you do. I could search for all eternity long and find there is none like you.
You are not a mistake. You are a masterpiece!
The Tyranny of the Urgent
The tyranny of the urgent is something that holds us back from accomplishing those things that are really important. For years I’ve wanted to write a book but there was never time to sit down and just write. Too many things in my life were urgent and the importance of writing had to take a back seat to just trying to get through the week. That is, until I learned the secret that I am going to share with you. The secret of setting aside the guilt and tyranny of the things that I THINK are urgent and just spending some time each day doing what’s important. To me it was taking the time for writing a little at a time.
You see there are always urgent things to do. There is always going to be things that seem like they can’t be put off another day but there are important things that God is calling you to do that are actually more important and those things believe it or not supercede those urgent things.
What does tyranny mean? The American Heritage Dictionary defines tyranny as this:
A government in which a single ruler is vested with absolute power.
1. The office, authority, or jurisdiction of an absolute ruler.
2. Absolute power, especially when exercised unjustly or cruelly: “I have sworn . . . eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man” (Thomas Jefferson).
3. Use of absolute power.
4. A tyrannical act.
5. Extreme harshness or severity; rigor.
Wow! So we see that tyranny is a government that is exercised unjustly or cruelly. Well, I know that I live in the Kingdom or government of Christ. That means that if I succumb to the tyranny of the urgent I am submitting myself to an authority that deals unjustly or cruelly with me. Therefore, the tyranny of the urgent is sent not by God but by Satan to upset the Kingdom in my life. To simplify it further the tyranny of the urgent takes the important things in my life away. The result is that I never reach my full potential because I am running around like a chicken without a head.
It all makes sense! Now it makes it clear why you can’t read your bible without distractions, why you can’t pray without distractions, why you can’t sit and listen to a friend. It shows that the tyranny of the urgent has stolen the important things and has divided your mind. The bible is clear in its statement that a divided mind is unstable in all of its ways (James 1:8). In other words, it doesn’t stand on solid ground. Instead it wobbles. No wonder we wander around in circles accomplishing nothing.
It’s not easy to focus on the important when the urgent is constantly coming to mind but you can do it! It means simply becoming aware of those things that are taking time away from what you have been called to do. You may want to run home to watch your favorite TV show but maybe God has placed a person who desperately needs to speak to you about a problem. The TV is urgent, the person is important. It means we must sometimes do those things God has called us to do over those things we’d rather do. Ultimately it’s about which Kingdom we are submitted to, the tyranny of the urgent or Kingdom of God and those things which are important?
Refusing To Wear Masks
2 Corinthians 4:1. Since God has so generously let us in on what he is doing, we’re not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times. 2. We refuse to wear masks and play games. We don’t maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes. And we don’t twist God’s Word to suit ourselves. Rather, we keep everything we do and say out in the open, the whole truth on display, so that those who want to can see and judge for themselves in the presence of God. 3. If our Message is obscure to anyone, it’s not because we’re holding back in any way. No, it’s because these other people are looking or going the wrong way and refuse to give it serious attention. 4. All they have eyes for is the fashionable god of darkness. They think he can give them what they want, and that they won’t have to bother believing a Truth they can’t see. They’re stone-blind to the dayspring brightness of the Message that shines with Christ, who gives us the best picture of God we’ll ever get.
5. Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. 6. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful. 7. If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. 8. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, 9. but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. 10. What they did to Jesus, they do to us – trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us – he lives! 11. Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. 12. While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best! 13. We’re not keeping this quiet, not on your life. Just like the psalmist who wrote, “I believed it, so I said it,” we say what we believe. 14. And what we believe is that the One who raised up the Master Jesus will just as certainly raise us up with you, alive. 15. Every detail works to your advantage and to God’s glory: more and more grace, more and more people, more and more praise! 16. So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. 17. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. 18. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever. -“The Message”
Fruit
Gal 5:22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23. gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. NIV
Gal 5:22. But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard – things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments,23. not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. “The Message”
Gal 5:22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23. gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. NKJ
Gal 5:22. But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23. gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law. NLT
I looked up this passage in various versions to see if I had it right. In all the versions there is no reference to “fruits of the spirit”. Yet, time after time we as followers of Christ are taught to think that the Holy Spirit brings fruits (plural) and he doesn’t, he brings FRUIT-ONE FRUIT.
You see, it would be strange if God compares us to trees which bear multiple fruit since other living trees He created don’t bear a variety of things. An apple tree bears apples. To go even further with this thought process an apple tree doesn’t even bear a variety of apples. A Gala apple comes from a specific tree.
So we are to bear a fruit. When you bite into this fruit, or when a person sees our life it should have aspects of all the flavors, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. To be missing an ingredient throws the flavor off. We’ve all met and have been that follower that is just not right. It neither taste complete or looks complete. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be well-rounded in the flavors. If I’m impatient then it throws off my gentleness and possibly my faithfulness. If my love of something is excessive then it throws off my peace and self-control and what happens to my joy?
Better yet, let’s examine ourselves to make sure we are bearing Holy Spirit fruit. If kindness is lacking then it means that in that area of my life I have not allowed the Holy Spirit to really do his job in that area of my life. It means that in that department I have released my life to God. If I can’t be faithful then it means I still think I know best. So no matter how many of the other flavors I have going on, my fruit is still not mature, ripe for the picking or tasting as it should.
I live in orange country. If an orange is ripe and ready, farmers pick it and send it to market to be bought by consumers who love the taste of a sweet citrus fruit. If an orange on that same tree mind you, is a little smallish, greener or never quite got to where it was supposed to be, it is picked and sent to a factory to be made into orange juice. Each fruit on that tree got the same shot at growth. Some matured and some didn’t. So what fruit are you bearing? Are there any ingredients that aren’t being added in the correct measure?
Life’s Battles
Our most important battles occur when we face life’s enemies. There are three areas of your life that will be attacked.
1. Mental, emotional, spiritual, physical health will be attacked by these factors:
Unbelief
Anger
Low self-esteem
Sickness
Negativity
Bad eating habits
Drinking, smoking
Unhappiness
Drug abuse
Hopelessness
These are battles against your well-being. To be a whole person you must fight against these enemies who seek to kill you or at least destroy this aspect of your life. You will never fulfill your destiny when these battles are being won with your agreement. It is your choice after all.
The second area of your life that you will face battles in are your covenant relationships, God, your family, your church, your friends. The enemies of covenant relationships are:
Boredom
Jealously
Anger
Pride
Lack of consideration
Lack of motivation
Weakness
Selfishness
Poor self-image
Adultery
Fornication
Criticism
Lack of character, integrity
Injustice
Misunderstanding
Lack of honor and consistency
These are enemies that attack the area of your life where your relationships are involved. We were not meant to be lone creatures but a part of one another so these battles are lost when you turn away from or make decisions based on these attacks to your mind.
The next area of life’s battles is your prosperity. Prosperity is not only your money. It’s where you prosper, your attitude, your job, your time, your talent, your home and everything and anything that adds value to your life.
Laziness
Carelessness
A hoarding attitude
Failure to plan
Excessive debt
Poor credibility
Failure to plan
Ignorance
Lack of goals
Failure to honor God through your tithes and offerings
These are all enemies to prosperity. When any one of these battles is lost the results are that you find yourself in lack in that particular area of your life. Don’t allow this happen.
God gives us a weapon for every single enemy. Here’s the big thing you have to know about warfare – you have to get it into your heart that you can win! You can win. You have to KNOW the weaknesses of your enemy. David when he came across Goliath had the faith that he could win. The reason he did so well against the giant was that he’d faced smaller trials and had success.
Remind yourself of battles that you’ve won in the past. Don’t get caught up in the lie that nothing has ever gone right, there are things that you have been a winner at. Reach for those goals as markers that this battle is yours to win and then go for it! If you don’t go for it, you’ll never defeat it.
Pastor Susan 