Berith. This Week's Message

Mastering Money Matters - pt. 2

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:37:00 +0000

Man’s Economy vs. God’s Economy

Our decisions about money are spiritual decisions. Our relationship with money determines who (or what) has your heart. Matters concerning money are the only place in the Bible where God challenges us to prove Him. Many people when it comes to finances (children of God included) see themselves as a victim or a slave – you are neither!

1. I must choose between man’s or God’s economy. Don’t ever give away your power of choice, because it is God-given. Matthew 6:19-21 tells us that where we place our treasure is where we can find our heart.

2. A Side-by-side comparison. Let’s conduct a Consumer Reports exercise of sorts to see where you are:
STEP 1: Who is the master? Who is running the show? The Scriptures noted below highlight the difference.
Man’s economy – Money is the master.
• Proverb 23 4, 5; 27:20
God’s economy – God is the Master.
• Jeremiah 31; Romans 5:8

STEP 2: What are the values?
Man’s economy – The pursuit of pleasure, possessions, and influence are the values. People often try to medicate themselves with those three lusts of the flesh.
• 1 John 2:16
God’s economy – The difference is receiving God’s gift vs. being driven to succeed, and you are ready and willing to share
• 1 Timothy 6:19; 9

STEP 3: What is the purpose of wealth?
Man’s economy – Independence – the feeling of “look at what I did” is the purpose. To boost your own sense of worth in your or other’s eyes.
• Deuteronomy 8:10 – 17
God’s economy – Developing a relationship with, and a dependence upon God is the purpose in order to establish and fulfill God’s plans.
• Deuteronomy 8:18

STEP 4: What is success?
Man’s economy – Feeling as if “nothing can touch me” is the definition of success.
• Proverb 18:11; Psalm 49:6
God’s economy – The desire to please God is the definition of success.
• Luke 16:10-12

STEP 5: What are the prospects? In other words, where will the end? What’s the destiny?
Man’s economy –Death and destruction are the only end.
• 1 John 2:15
God’s economy – Eternally, increasing rewards are the destiny.
• Mark 10:17-31

Mastering Money Matters - pt.1

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:25:00 +0000

We know Pastor is a big movie buff. So in perfect form, we opened this new series with a classic film clip from the 1987 movie, Wall Street, which was used to illustrate the world’s promotion of greed. From the outset please know that children of God must not fear or be intimated by the world’s economies (stock market, taxes) because God provides to those who are loyal to Him. This series will address the first layer of any money problem – it is a heart and faith subject.

Begin dealing with man’s economy versus God’s economy. Bottom line, man’s economy is greed. God’s is loyalty. You need to know there is a fight over what you believe about money. What you believe will determine who you serve, and the level of peace or stress in your life. Your money decisions are spiritual decisions. What you do with your money proves who you are, and who you will become.

Matthew 6:24; 6:21 – Jesus makes it clear that no one can serve two masters or that it is a choice of either/or. A person cannot be divided to have two allegiances. Remember God gave you the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 28) not a promise to give you wealth. Most people fall into the trap trying to live in both economies. The truth is; a person is a slave to greed until they allow God to perform heart surgery. God has to deliver us from greed.
Proverb 16:25 – you are not obligated to make one single move until God makes His way known to you.

“Greed” defined: Greed is an excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what is necessary.

The first step is to locate where you are

Be honest with yourself.

Go Huge!

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 06:27:00 +0000

Giving God What He Desires Most
With God there is nothing but success, victory, and triumph. He has made us more than conquerors through Christ Jesus. Today we won’t discuss how to become a Christian, but rather the practical manner in which Christians should live as children of God to benefit from all that God has laid up for us. The blessing of God is a flow that you’re automatically under when you are in the right position. Just because God has given us favor doesn’t mean we’ll ever experience it!

To “Go Huge” is to go all the way, live or die – to put both feet squarely in! To receive God’s best you must give Him what He desires most.

1. Too many believers aren’t experiencing God’s best/fulfillment. God’s best is intended for everyone! James 1:6-8 warns us against divided loyalty between the God and the world – one foot in and one foot out. You cannot have one foot in emotion and the other in faith. You cannot walk by what you can see and walk by faith.

2. To receive God’s best; I must give Him what He desires most. What God wants most is 100% loyalty to Him.
Matthew 22:15-22 – The Pharisees’ attempt to flatter Jesus by asking Him if they should pay taxes, which at the time was a hot-button issue that if found guilty of violating, could result in death. To answer the wicked Pharisees, Jesus asked for a coin and was given a Roman denarius (used for paying taxes) and not the Jewish shekel which was used to worship God in the temple. Jesus pointed to the image and remarked, “‘Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’” Who or what are those “things that are God’s”? Genesis 1 tells us that we are created in the “image and likeness” of God and He has given us His name. We are those things that are God’s! This is relational, not religious.

3. God wants me to make Him the center of my life. Psalm 34:8-10 implores us to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” In the days this was written, eating food was very risky! No refrigeration, no health inspectors – tasting something unknown could result in instant death! By tasting, you are all in! There is no going back once you taste! See that the Lord is good.

Search the Scriptures below for more examples of those who “went huge.” None of whom were super saints, more holy, or any better than you. The difference is they were wiser and made smart decisions.

Luke 5:16-26
Matthew 5
Mark 10
Luke 19:1-10

The Ultimate Hook Up: Pt. 2

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 06:12:00 +0000

The favor of God isn’t an accessory, but rather an aspect or byproduct of your relationship with God that will forever change the life of the person who understands. When everyone and everything is against you, know that as a child of God you are a member of His household and He is for you. God opens and closes doors no person can (Psalm 5:11, 12), not of our strength, but by God’s shield. It could be daunting to receive the favor of God but it doesn’t change God’s plan – you must be convinced. Favor is a force! You can strengthen it for protection.

There is no Scriptural foundation that God is somehow out to get you or punish you. As a parent in the natural, you’d be locked up if you committed violent acts against your children. Why then, do we blame God, our Heavenly Father, for the evil that comes against us?

1. Like hearing the Word of God produces faith, being covenant with God produces favor.
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” -- Romans 10:17 Faith won’t be there automatically! See clearly: faith comes by putting yourself in the right position and environment where you can hear the Word. Knowledge and understanding comes by reading, but not faith. When you are in covenant with God (entered by faith), favor is the result. (Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12)
“For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” – Psalm 30:5
Even if you have torched your entire life to the ground – allow God to build it back up! Live by His favor. Faith and favor are parallel. Your faith will have to grow to meet the favor demand.

2. Increase in favor like you can faith. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 – in this verse, “grows” means “non-stop increasing.” Jesus was in submission to his parents, which God gave as overseers. If you wish to increase the force-field of favor, increase your faith.
“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” -- Luke 2:52.

3. How to make a claim on God’s favor:
Scriptural examples -- Luke 15; 5:5-17
• Know God’s will.
• Forget the odds.
• Go huge.

From Zero to Hero!

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 03:46:00 +0000

Last week we started the year coming out of the gate by affirming we were Born to Win! Even though everyone has blown it at one time or another, we press forward in learning to see ourselves as God sees us. You have to raise your thoughts higher (Isaiah 55:8). This week, we go from Zero to Hero!

1. God thinks about me.
Imagine that? Jeremiah 20:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not evil to give you a future and a hope.” God has plans to give you the future you hoped for; don’t let anyone tell you different. He has given us “hope” Biblically defined as “expectation,” in other words; something has already been done for us. Think of expectation like this: You’d look pretty silly waiting for a bus standing on a street corner without a posted bus stop. No, you wait at the appropriated bus stop expecting a bus to arrive because the scheduled stop has already been pre-determined!
The realization of how God sees us was overwhelming to David, too. As we read in Psalm 8:3-6, “…what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For you have made him a little lower than the angels [God], and You have crowned him with glory and honor…” Reading this, how can you consider yourself a zero? The Hebrew definition of “angels” in this verse is “Elohim” or God. The Biblical translators had a hard time wrapping their minds around the fact that God sees man as little “g” gods and translated the word incorrectly. In truth, our position is higher than that of angels. (Psalm 82:6) Angels are servants, here to serve us and deliver messages. They are not to be worshipped (John 10:34).

2. God has a plan for me. You are a hero!
“Hero” defined: a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent (we are children of God), endowed with great strength and ability (Romans 8:37), illustrious warrior; one that shows great courage. God sees you as an overcomer.

3. I need to see myself how God sees me. (Romans 12:2)
1 Corinthians 26-29; John 15:16; 1 John 5:1-4
All throughout the Bible are found people who the world would otherwise consider throwaways. Lest you think heroes of the Bible were perfect, here are a few examples: Rahab was a prostitute, yet she single-handedly saved the Nation of Israel with one act of bravery (Joshua 2). Moses was a murderer; Abraham distrusted God and disrespected his wife. David was a cocky boy. Peter was a failed fisherman who doubted. Paul was an executioner who killed in the “name of God.” God saw potential is every one of these flawed people, and their names are forever linked as those who were mighty in the faith.

Born to Win!

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:45:00 +0000

Born to Win!

In spite of all the significant occurrences of the past decade, all the uncertainty, calamity, and adversity, for example, Y2K, crumbling governments, worldwide economic crisis, wars and terrorism – the world has survived, but the people of God have overcome. God knows we need new beginnings. That’s why we wake up to a fresh start each day.

Romans 8:37-- “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
This is good news! A conqueror is the last one standing, but one who is “more than a conqueror” is the one who holds all the spoils! You’d better be clear where you stand when adversity strikes and set your focus straight like never before. All your thoughts, words and actions need to line up with this truth.

1. Jesus tells us about the troubles in the world, so we won’t be scared.
Fear comes as an indication of a void, emptiness, or that something isn’t quite right.
John 16:33 -- “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulations, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.”
The word “but” is bold to separate the above verse into two. Jesus guaranteed that we would face trials. BUT is on one side where there is fear, but on the other side of BUT is victory.

2. Be brave in every situation.
Jesus tells us in John 16:33 that He has deprived the world and any trial or tribulation of the power to harm us, therefore we are to be brave and courageous in every situation we face. Romans 8:37 ought to give us courage. You’re not fighting your battles alone. God has gone through everything first.
James 1:2-4 – “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
Why are you wearing fear on your face? Courage is not the absence of fear; it is walking through in spite of it! When you choose to be in Christ, you show the world the way out. Know by faith that in the problem your faith will produce so thoroughly that you will be complete, lacking nothing.
1 John 3:8 – “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy (break up, dissolve, melt or put off) the works of the devil.”

3. Our confidence comes from knowing that we win!
Failure is what you pass on the way to success. Don’t let fear be a stop post.
1 John 5:1, 4 – “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God… For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.”
Micah 7:8 – “Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise.”
Proverb 24:16 – “For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity.”

Start declaring that you can take on ANYTHING the enemy dishes out. The battle is not yours! All you need is a will to rise. When you are in Christ, He gives you the will to get up!

Family Ties

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:44:00 +0000

The past few weeks Pastor Rick has been teaching a topic entitled Family ties. These messages have been a lead up to an exciting new phase of ministry for Berith called Covenant Circles.

In Covenant Circles (C.C.), we will exercise our faith more for discipleship and kingdom increase in a small group setting.

Acts 6:1 – believers do the work, how else will we grow?
Acts 2:46, 47 – “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house (translated from the Greek: every house), they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

Looking to the example the first church established, we see:

They were diligent to meet consistently.
Their meetings were centered around the Word.
Their meetings were marked by unity.
Their meetings included times of powerful prayer.
Their meetings celebrated God.
Their meetings were welcoming.
Their meeting attracted people and increased God’s kingdom.

Ephesians 4:11-16 – We are all called to different ministry gifts. Stay in your “own lane” for everyone’s prosperity!

Covenant Circles [an outflow of the Berith Christian Fellowship Vision] are to provide a consistent small group environment where participants’ lives are changed by growing in Christ, caring for one another, and impacting our community with God’s love.

Engaging the members in saint-to-saint ministry is the key.
There are more than 100 references to one another in the New Covenant. Here are a few we should adopt immediately:

1. Be kind, prefer one another -- Romans 12:10
2. Edify one another -- Romans 14:19
3. Receive one another (take to oneself or admit one to friendship) -- Romans 15:7
4. Care for one another -- 1 Corinthians 12:25
5. Serve one another -- Galatians 5:13
6. Be kind, forgive one another (rescue, pardon) -- Ephesians 4:32
7. Stop lying to one another (attempting to deceive) -- Colossians 3:9
8. Admonish one another (warn, put in the mind) -- Colossians 3:16
9. Confess and pray for one another -- James 5:16
10. Use hospitality to one another (welcome, appreciate) -- 1 Peter 4:9
11. Submit to one another (be humble) -- 1 Peter 5:5

We are called to reach as many people as possible through Christ, in balance with not overlooking any need. Discipleship only takes place when people get real with themselves and their circumstance.

You Are What You Think

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:25:00 +0000

We all understand that you are what you eat physically. If you want to gain weight or lose weight, you eat accordingly. If you want to raise your blood pressure or lower it, you eat accordingly. And if you want to increase your energy levels or decrease them, you eat accordingly. It is the same for our minds and how we think. And this week Pastor Rick shared a message with us entitled "You Are What You Think".

One of the first points Pastor Rick communicated to all of those in attendance was that you've got to resolve and resign yourself to the fact that you are always blessed. Always. As Christians God has promised to exalt you and to provide for you in every way imaginable.

"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7

Too many believers ask fruity questions. How will this ever happen for me? How is this going to work out? Why is this not going my way? And remember, these are the cries of believers...those who claim they know the Bible and are following the teachings of Jesus. Well to regular people listening, it is obvious that these "believers" do not really believe the Word of God. Moreover, the spiritual forces that are against all of God's children hear this doubt and unbelief too. And since the spirit world knows the rules that God has implemented for all to adhere to, this sends alerts that those crying are not living by the benefits of being in God's family. Whoa!

And when the enemy recognizes that you don't know you have all authority, you open yourself wide for attack and allow all kinds of problems to come your way.

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8

He can't devour those who are living life according to God's Word. Why not? Because God promised to protect you. God said he would work all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). And if you love Him, you would do what he commands you to do...so you can continually propser!

Don't cause a curse to come into your life because of disobedience and unbelief. Proverbs 26:2 says that if you do not cause it, a curse will not come upon you. Additionally, those who have put their lives in God's hands through their faith in Jesus Christ have already been redeemed from the curse of the law and have God's protection and help while living here on earth.

God said you are blessed! Start thinking and living like it.

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Security in Uncertain Times

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:48:00 +0000

Who would have thought that in our lifetime so many of worlds banks, brokerage houses, and even countries would essentially vanish. Who would have ever imagined that America's auto giants would be on the verge of extinction. As Pastor Rick taught a message entitled, Security in Uncertain Times, we were shown how the Word of God not only speaks to these realities we are living out today, but we were also reminded of how Gods Word has been consistent and yes...still here!

"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come." 2 Timothy 3:1

It is obvious we are living in perilous times, but some may say what about the last days. Gloom and doom prophecies about the last days have been spoken about for centuries. Well Pastor Rick pointed out that the "last days" are a period of time. And in any period of time (i.e. the Ice Age, Stone Age, etc.) there are "times" that come within that period of time. Therefore we see that today we are experiencing the "perilous times" where all kinds of violence, greed, hate, and people trusting themselves more than trusting God. Pastor Rick reminded us that you'll always succeed trusting God, not man.

"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." Psalm 118:8.

"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:6

"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." Isaiah 26:3

As the message continued Pastor Rick showed us an easy way to identify if we are "really" trusting God or not. "What you talk about reveals who you trust." If your conversations go to the stock markets this, or the housing market that, then your focus may not be in the right place. If when you find out you are getting laid off, you words are aligned with fear, doubt, and concern, then you may not be fully trusting God. Remember, if we keep our mind focused on God's Words, He will keep us in "perfect peace".

"...For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things." Matthew 12:34-35

We need to guard what we allow to get into our hearts. We need to watch what we see, what we hear, what we read. So when you examine yourself and realize that your heart is not full of as much good treasure as you need, change your heart by changing what you let into your eyes and ears. If you find that you must read the newspaper (which has no good news in it) read Gods Word instead. If you find yourself watching any news program that focuses the bulk of their broadcast on the negative, you need to change the channel, put in a DVD or CD of truth from the Bible.

God's Word is full of great insights into life. He reminds us to "...give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." Proverbs 4:20-23.

Jesus told us in John 8:31-32, that if we stay in His Word, we'd be His disciples, and the truth that we'd come to know, that truth will make us free. Trust God by staying in His Word and you'll have security in uncertain times.

Silence the Shame

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:34:00 +0000

This week we came into the service to celebrate our Pastor on the 6th Annual Pastor Appreciation Day. This is a day that the members of Berith set aside to tangibly show our love for our awesome Pastor and Man of God that God himself has sent to us.

And like a hand goes with a glove, Pastor Rick's message was a great reminder to all of us about how God has given all believers an example to follow. The message instructed us to not be ashamed of honoring our Pastor. We went through numerous scriptures that illustrated the fact that when people took care of the prophets and God's anointed leaders, their lives were blessed. Not the lives of the prophets...the lives of the people who took care of the prophets.

At Berith we have seen a man who God has put in our lives to help us fully understand the Bible and how we should live our lives accordingly. He and his family have been an example for husbands, wives, and singles. And when the world takes time out to celebrate accomplishment in theater, film, and athletics, we should never be ashamed to celebrate the lives of God's leaders in our lives.

In Ephesians 4:8-11 the Bible says that Jesus gave "gifts to men" and some of them were apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Well can truly say that God has done just that for all of us here at Berith. We have a good gift in Pastor Rick.

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Keys: Part 16

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:47:00 +0000

For the last few weeks Pastor Rick had been teaching about "Keeping the Peace" from our series Keys to the Good Life. Well this week he continued in the series with a message entitled, "Be Loyal". We may think we are loyal to a friend, a spouse, or even to God...but are we really? Maybe you are committed, and calling it loyalty? If you think about it, there is no "loyalty" in commitment, but there is plenty of "commitment" wrapped up in loyalty.

In Matthew 5:10-12, Jesus says, "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Pastor Rick pointed out that God blesses those attacked for their loyalty to him. Meaning that when you are living right before God's eyes, not our eyes, but before God's eyes, he promises to bless you. "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness". Now this passage, "persecuted for righteousness sake", is speaking about those people that are targeted because they stand out for being the friends of God. Those who choose to live life in conjunction with God's instruction.

And trouble ultimately comes because righteous living produces conviction. For example, have you ever been in a situation where you came into a room and there were friends or people doing something wrong, but as soon as you showed up, they stopped, tried to hide it, or play it off? Why? Because of righteous living. They saw you coming and they were convicted by your good conduct, and it shined the light on their less than excellent conduct. Now that doesn't mean they are condemned (as in going to hell), it simply means that we recognize that we are not doing our best, when better shows up. In college, when they post grades outside the classroom, you may have thought you were doing really good by getting an "A", but you may have been convicted to do better when you saw the "A+" that one of your classmates received.

So being obedient to Christ no matter what comes, is loyalty, and it always brings blessings! So if you follow Jesus, you will obey his words, and obeying his words leads you to living a life that is pleasing to God. And if you please God, you will be blessed, and if you are blessed, you will be living the good life that God wants for us all.

Keys: Part 12

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:29:00 +0000

Keep the Peace

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Matthew 5:9

1. True peace only comes from Jesus Christ.
John 14:27 is specific in stating that Christ left us His peace. He also tells us two very important things that we must live by – 1) do not let your heart be troubled, and 2) don’t be afraid. Stop allowing people, places, and circumstances to trouble you. Fear stems from trouble so do not allow it in your life. Worry is a sin! Jesus backs up this claim in John 16:33. Look into a believer’s life and you should see cheer because of what the Lord has done and provided. There is no negotiation or compromise in peacemaking. God can’t make peace come to you; He gave you the power to choose. In Christ you have peace and in the world you have tribulations. So the root is, either you’re in Christ, or you’re living in the world. Put pressure down.
A peace beyond understanding. This peace will guard your mind (Philippians 4:7).

A believer’s responsibility in governance:
Be a responsible citizen, trusting God to take care of you (Romans 13:1-5). Represent where you are from (God’s Kingdom). As an ambassador for Christ, your position is not unlike earthly ambassadors. Our armed offices, acting as our protectors, should be ministers of God. Good people, born again, spirit-filled believers are supposed to bear arms as ministers of God. Non-believers should be afraid because Christians don’t bare the “sword” in vain. The government is under your thumb. Read the first line of the constitution, you are in control. Ultimately, the enemy comes to pervert this system.
1 Peter 2:13-15 – Submit yourself of your own volition (will) to government leaders for the Lord’s sake, and in doing so, you silence the ignorant. God’s ordinance is against evil. Don’t use your freedom as a “cover” to do wrong. Last week’s message dealt with questions about evil leaders. What about them? Maintain your righteousness and use the law not rebellion, to eradicate evil. You are not in the position to judge corruption. Justice exists, but it comes from ordination. History shows us that the sword comes down on evil.

Learn to balance obligations to government and to God. (Acts 4:19, 20; and 5:29) Jesus paid his taxes, so what leg do you have to stand on if you shirk your responsibilities? If you serve God all the time and in every way He tells you to, you therefore serve the government, too.
1 Timothy 2:1-4- -- Pray for all authority. Our leaders’ personal business is between God, their family, and their own conscience. Spiritual leaders are to restore and pray in God’s authority and power for situations to come out the way they’ve prayed.

2. Making peace is easier said than done. It’s not impossible. Peace is a condition of the heart, and has nothing to do with circumstance or situations (Matthew 5:43-48).

Keys: Part 11

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:00:00 +0000

Keep the Peace

You will never rise above the level of what you believe. In order to receive, you have to believe. You have to believe in your heart, not in your head. Believing is doing. It is what you do that allows God to do what He can do. You do what you believe. Hearing and doing the Word will allow you to be blessed. Whatever you expose yourself to the most is what you become like. If you sow, it is impossible to prevent the harvest from coming – you just may not be reaping it. A double-minded person won’t receive anything from God.

The good life is meant for every person on this planet, but you have to believe it in order to receive it. If you are led by the spirit, you will seek out God. God keeps His Word. He will bring it to pass. You have to believe, not think, because by believing you will do it. What you see has absolutely no bearing on whether you are an heir of God. You need to feed your faith, not your doubt.

Peacemakers are hard, not soft (Matthew 5:9). There are three distinct categories of peace – the peace of God, peace from God and peace with God. You need the peace of God to be a peacemaker. True peace only comes from Jesus Christ (John 14:27). It is your responsibility to not be afraid. Jesus armed us with His very own peace. You have to change your life. The world will try to press you, but Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33). As you walk in peace, you will get more understanding. God’s peace is beyond understanding (Philippians 4:7)

There are situations where it is not possible to live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:18). Defend yourself, but don’t start trouble. Leave the vengeance to God. Be a responsible citizen, trusting God to take care of you (Romans 13:1-5). If you stand for Christ, you will be a responsible citizen.

Keys: Part 10

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:49:00 +0000

Keys to The Good Life
Part 10
Keep the Peace

Conditions do not hamper God. Why let what you see determine what you feel when God has already made His plans for you known? If you operate by what you see, you forfeit what you don’t see! Go ahead and receive this good news!

We’ve covered seven keys up to this point. These keys access: the Kingdom of Heaven; comfort; sastisfaction/being filled beyond capacity; mercy; and [the need to] be One with God.
The key we’ll discuss today is your reputation, the gift of being called a child of God.

Contrasting Matthew 5:9, reads, “Cursed are the troublemakers for they shall be called the sons of Satan.” Many believers are too soft, not against other believers, but against the world. Jesus told us not to conform to the world. Peacemakers aren’t soft. Some would actually accuse peacemakers of not being very “Christ-like” because they don’t allow folks to have their own way. Stop compromising with the world!

1. True peace only comes from Jesus Christ.
You must first have peace in your own life before you can become a peacemaker. Deal with the fear in your life (John 14:27). Conquer the challenges you face (John 16:33). Living in the midst of conflict, how can anyone be soft? Jesus laid his life down, it wasn’t taken. Be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove.

A peace beyond understanding (Philippians 4:4 7). This passage references distinctly the peace of God. In prayer, talk with God about a specific request and offer thanksgiving. Don't wait until after you receive your request to thank Him. God gave you peace to guard and protect your heart as well as your mind. This peace is beyond your realm of understanding or comprehension. Not understanding doesn’t prevent you from flowing in it! We may not know how a car works, but still love driving it! Humble yourself under the mighty Hand of God. There are instances where it’s not possible to live peaceably with all people (Romans 12:18). But inasmuch as it depends on you, be in peace with all.

Jesus’ teaching and claims require a decision. You could come to God in various ways, but you won’t know Him as Daddy. You have been called to a relationship, not religion.

Defend yourself, but don’t start trouble. Christians are not doormats. You have a right to protect yourself; your body belongs to the Lord and was bought with a price.

Leave the vengeance/retaliation/retribution to God. If God taught this in the Old Covenant, how much more so will He strive to protect His own in the New Covenant? Don’t stand in the way of the Lord’s wrath (Romans 12:18-20). Your back is covered!

Your job is to submit yourself to order because all power is ordained by God. Every soul is to be in submission to governmental power. We’ll discuss this in further depth next week.

Keys: Part 7

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 04:52:00 +0000

We continue with the message “Keys to the Good Life.” We have covered six keys to the good life. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). Don’t play God. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted (Matthew 5:4). Be real. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). Stop insisting on your own way. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled, i.e. saturated (Matthew 5:6). Satisfy yourself with God. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy (Matthew 5:7). Have mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8). Come clean and stay clean.

God blesses those who resolve conflicts (Matthew 5:9). “Peacemakers” are people who actively work for unity. They negotiate differences, resolve strife and reconcile relationships. Peacemakers are hard. They are not avoiders and they do not compromise. Peacemakers do not gossip or slander others, they do not lie, they do not do evil and they hunt for peace (Psalm 34:12-14).

True peace only comes from Jesus Christ (John 14:27). You will never find peace on earth. Jesus came to give a sword, not peace. The sword is there to protect us (Romans 13:1). All authority is from God. Authority is power. Evil only knows force. The force should be in the hands of the righteous.

Peace from God came so that we can have peace with God in order to enjoy the peace of God. “Peace from God” is Jesus Christ. To have “peace with God,” it has to be on his terms. The “peace of God” is beyond our understanding. It has to come in our spirit. You cannot compromise and have peace (Colossians 3:15). To “rule” means to not compromise. We have the peace of God, if we use it.

For those who are in Christ, the weapons that the enemy forms against them will not prosper (1 John 3:8). It is impossible to live life without opposition. Peacemaking is learning to fight the good fight of faith against everything that comes against us. Faith is living out the Word of God (1 John 5:1; 4).

Keys: Part 6

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 05:11:00 +0000

Keys to the Good Life
Come Clean!

So far in this study, we’ve received five keys to enjoying life. For review:
First key: Don’t play God. Become poor in spirit, in other words, God blesses those who know they have no righteousness of their own to offer God.
Second key: Be real. You realize you’re powerless without Christ, or as Jesus said, “mourn.”
Third key: Stop insisting on your own way.
Fourth key: Satisfy yourself in God; make God your treasure. God blesses those who crave to be right with Him. They aren’t just satisfied with themselves.
Fifth key: Have mercy. God blesses those who are caring, and have a heart. You have to give in order to receive. God lives in forgiveness.
These keys unlock the fortunes of God. Jesus said it this way, “…blessed are those poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.” Now, and in the time to come.

Question on forgiveness from the congregation: “How do you know when you’ve truly forgiven someone? I understand that I can will to remember no more, however is it ever appropriate to discuss the offense with others?” My answer is No. The Bible says to go to the person directly. If they don’t come clean, take someone else to testify. The next step is to approach church leadership for assistance. The final recourse is to treat that person as if they aren’t born again. You know you’ve forgiven someone when you decide to forgive them.

Key number six: Come clean and stay clean (Matthew 5:8). Think refreshing. Blessed are the pure in heart because they will see God.
God blesses those who are sincerely devoted to Christ.
Pure in heart = a single minded commitment to God which purifies thoughts and motives to produce a person of purity, honesty, and integrity. It’s an attitude. If you are zeroed in on God, everything else falls away and you mind won’t be divided. Only God can purify your thoughts and motives. Pure is the opposite of contaminated. This attitude allows God, with the person’s cooperation and obedience, to keep out undisciplined and evil affections and lusts.
Psalm 51:10 – you cannot clean your own heart. A person’s heart is vile.
Jeremiah 17:9, 10
Proverb 17:3 – Metal like silver or gold must first be purified; then what comes forth is something useful. The Lord purifies the heart with His judgment. Don’t be afraid of God’s proving and testing by fire; it will cleanse and purify you. The enemy wants to con and deceive you through your heart.
Psalm 19:14 –But if you want to see God as your redeemer, stop playing! Only then will God demonstrate Himself to you. Faith is acting on what you believe. Your actions declare your faith.
2 Corinthians 5:17, 18 – this passage is a fulfillment of the Old Covenant. Christ came to lead people back to God.
Ezekiel 36:26 – Why should God take away your heart if it’s so clean? The first thing God does is a heart transplant. Cursed are the corrupt in heart for they can’t stand to see God.
Proverb 19:3
Ephesians 2:10; 2:8 – How are we made a new creation? As an act of faith. Grace is God’s ability and builds the tunnel of faith through which you can now go through to be saved.
We must keep our purity to stay close to God.
There are two types of clean in the Bible: The outward, physical, ceremonial washing. The other is inward cleaning.
John 15:3 – Jesus’ followers were washed because they allowed the Word into their heart. They were truly purified. We are called to walk with Christ, but we are walking in dirt and must “wash our feet.”
1 John 1:9; 2:1 – Confess your sins.

Celebrate Life!

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:14:00 +0000

Celebrate Life!
Pastor Robert L. Thomas, Jr.

As Pastor Rick enjoys a well deserved family vacation, Pastor Robert L. Thomas, Jr. of Vine Life Christian Church (aka “Pastor Bob”) blessed us with this message. He opened by asking the congregation to share with one another what their “guilty pleasures” are. All G-rated, some private enjoyments included eating a tub of ice cream or an entire box of popsicles, shoe shopping, watching the same television program twice, or attending a concert on a Sunday afternoon instead of attending service.

John 10:10 – The thief comes only to kill, steal, and to destroy life from you. Jesus came so that we may enjoy life to overflowing. It’s ok to enjoy life’s “guilty pleasures.” I pose this question to you: Are you enjoying your life? One of the things the enemy tries to do is to steal dreams, ambitions, goals, and joy. If you find yourself unable to enjoy life, then someone has stolen your “mojo!” The one thing most valuable to a child of God is the joy of the Lord, which gives you the power to enjoy life. It is the power you need to enjoy life. In life when you fall, you get right back up. Your relationship with God isn’t about crossing all the “t’s” and dotting all the “i’s.” If you fall down, brush yourself off and get back up again, and encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ to do the same. Don’t forget about the grace and mercy of God.

Ecclesiastes 3:13, 22 – Enjoying the fruits of your labor is your portion in its proper perspective! I ask again, are you enjoying your life? Enjoy the children in your life. Give thanks for your job, many people aren’t working. Stop hating on people trying to enjoy their life. Start enjoying your portion. In order to get more, you must work with what you already have. Be faithful.

Matthew 6:26 – Consider the birds. Our Heavenly Father takes of the birds, how much more so will He care for you? The enemy wouldn’t come for you if you and your life weren’t valuable.

2 Corinthians 4:3, 7 – Get your shine on! Let your light be seen by all. The joy of your life is the cure for your condition.

Keys: Part 5

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:43:00 +0000

Keys to the Good Life
Part 5
Have Mercy

We continue with the series Keys to the Good Life. We have to use the keys altogether. We must use all of them. The only way to live in and retain the good life is from the inside out. The good life comes to you – it will come to those who attract it. The good life will find you when it sees you are a suitable place for it to live.

To review, God blesses those who are poor in spirit. Don’t play God. We have to reject self-reliance and recognize that we don’t control everything. God blesses those who mourn. We have to know that it is hopeless by ourselves. But, God promises that we will be comforted. We have to be real. God blesses those who are meek, i.e., those who are humble and who trust him. Meekness means that we have to give up getting our own way. God blesses those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. He promises that you will be saturated.

God blesses those who are caring, i.e., thoughtful, kind and gentle (Matthew 5:7). “Merciful” means to have compassion or to suffer with. Mercy is strictly a covenant term. It means: I will withhold what you deserve, i.e. death and punishment. You don’t have what you haven’t received.

The only way to show mercy is to imitate God (Ephesians 5:1, 2). We are supposed to show mercy to other people unto God. God’s forgiveness always comes after the execution of the penalty. No one gets away with anything (Galatians 3:24, 25). Everyone is unto the law until they come to Christ.

We have to forgive by faith, looking at Christ (Ephesians 4:32). We have to forgive others the way God forgave us. It is useless not to forgive someone who God forgives (John 8:1-11). We ought to show the same mercy to others that God has shown us (Colossians 3:13). How does God forgive us? He sees Christ in us. We also have to do it for other people. God also totally and completely forgives us. We have to do the same for others. We have to exercise our will to not remember anymore. Because I am forgiven, I should extend the same mercy to others (Proverb 11:17).

Keys: Part 4

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 06:10:00 +0000

Keys to the Good Life
Part 4
Satisfy Yourself with God

What does the good life look like? Is it houses, cars, yachts, clothes, or vacations? How about health, peace with God, prosperity or purpose? Most don’t’ have the first clue of what the good life really is. The only way you’re going to live the good life is by being part of the Family of God and receiving the keys legitimately. In this message, we’ve covered 3 parts of those who are blessed:
1. stop playing God;
2. be real and mourn the state of your true condition
3. are meek, submitting to God

Try satisfying yourself in God. God can’t make the good life happen for you until you completely trust Him. Only then can God become 100% obligated to what happens to you.

1. God blesses those who crave to be right with Him. Craving will become more focused.
“Hunger and thirst” = the awareness of the craving to be right with God, and to do right by Him.
To be “filled” is to be saturated. Every person on the face of this planet was born with the craving to know God. You cannot ignore the senses of hunger or thirst and live. Consequently, those who live by ignoring God cannot survive. These physical warning sensors were given to preserve your life. If you’ve ever been truly hungry, you cannot turn it off! The senses of hunger or thirst occur several times every single day. Same thing spiritually; you don’t eat only once. People who don’t know they’re hungry or thirsty -- physically or spiritually -- are sick.
Psalm 42:1, 2 – there are those “religiously minded” who attempt to stay close to God by filling up on the equivalent of water. The relationship is what God seeks, not what He can provide or what He has. You can only be satisfied by having Him. God’s righteousness (exchange for Law, commandment, or Word) is for your protection against the thief trying to destroy you. God must be faithful to His Word. How can you blame God when He gave you choice? Looking at the reverse of Matthew 5:6: “Cursed are those full of self-righteousness, for they are wasting their energy.”

2. Satisfaction comes from knowing the difference between physical and spiritual cravings. Knowing the difference will cause you to be satisfied.
Isaiah 55: 1-3 – the Bible is clear, you can only deceive yourself. God wants to know if you will own up to the truth. God wants to know why you choose to spend money eating “junk food” or the equivalent of empty calories.
Matthew 4:4 – Jesus tells us that man cannot live by eating alone. A good meal is not what you need right now. Have you made the Word of God your priority? Use your hunger and thirst to be saturated with the Word. The Word of God always produces faith, which comes by hearing. Faith always produces all of God’s provision (Hebrews 6:11), spirit, soul and body.

3. God only expects us to believe in Jesus. Christ needs your loyalty, allegiance and dedication as theonly objective.
John 6:26-29, 35 – the disciples sought Jesus after He fed the masses with fish and bread. But their objective was wrong. Jesus warned them against seeking Him not because they believed He was the Son of God, but for the stuff He could provide. Are you seeking Jesus’ presence or His presents?

Keys to the Good Life Pt. 1

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:55:00 +0000

Keys to the Good Life
Part 1
Don’t Play God

Before we start, consider this illustration: on a key ring are many different keys based on the doors they access. It would be foolish to only choose one key to gain access, right? The keys on this ring are meant to be together as one. Keys to the good life are meant to be taken as a whole; they aren’t multiple choice or up to you to pick and choose. Like the key illustration, God intends you to be an owner and to have full access to all.

The world has this completely wrong. The good life does not come externally or made up of your surroundings. They keys to the good life start from within and shows up on the outside. Cutting corners and faking it won’t work. “Keys to the good life” was the first [lesson] Jesus taught in His public ministry.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3

1. God blesses those who know that they have no righteousness of their own.
“poor in spirit” = is a person who:
1) has a deep, internal awareness that they cannot please God on their own;
2) rejects self-confidence and self-reliance; and
3) is willing to depend on God’s grace and mercy.
Proverb 14:12 – To live the good life, you need to be ready to do and say what the world says is strange. Man’s fallen nature wants to be God.

2. Accept that we don’t control everything (Romans 7:15-25)
If we don’t:
· We become frustrated (v.21)
· We become worn out/overcome (v.23)
· We give up/fail or become totally defeated. The enemy has to convince you to lose.
Other areas you cannot control include addictions, pain, frustration, disappointment, or trying to control other people through manipulation, guilt, intimation or feart.

3. Totally and humbly depend on God for all that He has.

Matthew 11:28-30
2 Corinthians 12:9

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Power to Succeed Pt.14

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Tue, 12 May 2009 06:19:00 +0000

Power to Succeed in Hard Times
Part 14

We’ve traveled a long way in this series without theme music! Run DMCs’ “Hard Times” was prophetic before its time.

2 Corinthians 9:6 – No one likes hard times. You’re supposed to succeed in hard times, but you have to know how. “Hope” in the Bible is expectation. Your giving is connected to what is coming (vs. 8) and enables all God’s grace abound toward you. There is no promise in God that is yet to be fulfilled. (2 Corinthians 1:20). Imagine if you stepped into your God-given role and demonstrated the power within yourself! Hold fast to your confession, your hope and do no waver (Hebrews 10:23). Remain steadfast and when the clouds clear, all will see that you stayed the course. Your mind and body will always be off course until you (the inner man) gain control of your mind. Your prosperity and health will only be up to the level of your mind and mouth. What is spoken from the abundance of your heart will be manifested in life. Your health comes from the inside out (3 John 2). God loves a cheerful giver – you have anticipation and expectation.

Put your money where your mouth is! People who have a problem with giving are experiencing a heart problem. Money has a hold of your heart

Hope in God allows you to give like never before. Hope gives you the power to make it.
Modes of giving:
· Strategically – giving with a promise (plan) in mind.
· Spontaneously – unplanned giving. Giving when the “spirit moves you” is careless, reckless, and haphazard. When you give this way, guess what you’ll get in return? Cares, wrecks, and hazards!
· Sacrificially – giving beyond what you initially planned to. When you give according to God’s plan, you’re obligating Him. Abraham was prepared to give sacrificially, proving nothing came between him and God.
When you give God your best, you can receive God’s best. In doing so, you demonstrate faithfulness and loyalty. It says you can be trusted. Do not allow convenience (otherwise known as the flesh) be your requirement for obedience.
Luke 6:38 – Nothing happens until you go first. You will not get back what you gave – you always receive more. If it’s not more than you can deal with, it didn’t come from God!

Power to Succeed P.12

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:38:00 +0000

Hope in God allows you to give like never before. God has already given us all things to enjoy, and He has given them to us in abundance. It’s there for you. No one is stopping you from receiving what God has already given you...but you.

Any challenge cannot affect your expectation, as long as your expectation comes from the God of hope and not man. With man it won’t work, but with God everything is possible (Psalm 146:5 NKJV). This hope in God allows you to give like never before. It is impossible to worship two masters. You choose which one you serve. You get to choose who you are bound to.
Money makes a poor God. It will never love you back. You can do things with it, but it will never do anything for you. God tells us to choose Him. Jesus sold all that He had to get you (Matthew 13:45-46). You can’t buy your way into the kingdom of heaven. Since Jesus sold all that He had to get you, how can you ever have a problem giving all that you have, at any given time, when He directs you? The calling card for God is giving. The calling card for Satan is taking.

The only attitude to have about giving is worship (or understanding). You must give from a heart of worship. A true giver will come to an attitude of worship, and will get past the attitudes of duty, obligation, pride and guilt. To be a true giver is to understand that God owns you and to understand all that you have is because of God. Jesus sold all to give you all. This means that all of your needs and desires are met. In addition to God owning us, He gives us everything.
Jesus is our example to follow (Mark 8:34). He gave all that He had to get you so that through His poverty, you could come up. He gave up His life for you alone. He wants you to give up your so-called rights to yourself. God owns all title and rights to you because you were bought with a price. God wants you to receive the abundant life He came to offer, so you have to stop holding tight to everything you have. You have to release it like Jesus did.

You need to have something in order to get something. However, you cannot hold on to what you have, otherwise you will lose it. You didn’t make yourself. You were made by God. In God’s system, you have to give in order to receive. If you don’t have something, you will never change until someone comes along and gives you something. Once you are given something, you cannot use it all yourself, you have to use some of it to plant a seed. The only way you can receive more from God is to give. As you pour out your life, you will be able to receive more of the Lord. This is an act of obedience, faith and trust that allows God to perform His Word towards you. You can never exhaust God. Once you begin to cooperate with God’s system, then God can make you into exactly who He wants you to be.

How do you have to learn to give? The first mode of giving is to give strategically. This means you give with a plan in mind. God has a system for giving (Malachi 3:7-12). You cannot give an offering until you tithe. The tithe is your opportunity to get closer to God. You prove the depth of your love with your offering. God will not forget your labor of love. To give strategically is to give according to God’s plan.

Giving opens up all grace to you (2 Corinthians 9:6). When you begin to tithe, things will open up for you. Opportunities will come and God will raise up people in order to use their power, talents and influence on your behalf. Your faith, obedience and active love toward God will obligate Him to show you grace. God loves a cheerful giver!

Power to Succeed Pt. 11

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 02:50:00 +0000

God guaranteed fulfillment of every one of His promises by cutting a covenant for you. If the covenant was with you, you would likely break it. Christ is the fulfillment of the promise. A promise with God is a guarantee, not a maybe or a might. Knowing this might cause you to fix your mind, change your mouth, talk a little differently! If you are so confident and sure that Christ died for you, how can you not also receive that we have been given all things?

God gives an abundance of all things for our enjoyment (Romans 8:28, 31, and 5:5; 1 Timothy 6:17; 1 Corinthians 3:21). Unless and until you allow God to straighten your perspective on money, you (rich or poor) will have money issues. If God gave you all things richly to enjoy, why would you ever be slow to give? God gave first! God wants you to learn to depend on Him above everything else. Can you name one thing not covered under “all”? God gave you His Word to protect you, because without it, you won’t make it! Drawing close to Him means you take everything He offers.

Psalm 146:5 – Concentrate on and walk by faith – don’t think about things that are coming to distract you from your faith –allow God to manifest all things in your life.

1. Hope in God allows you to give like never before. And not just money. Hope also gives you the power of endurance to make it [to the end]. You can’t be His offspring if you aren’t a giver. Our Heavenly Father gave us freely all things, and once born again, we are born after His nature.
By this statement, I know that you have given before. What the Spirit of God is talking about is how you do it, not the measure of what you do. Increase the power of what you do and add to it. Why lose when it’s not an option?

As long as the earth remains, there will be seed, time, and harvest. The enemy has tricked many into thinking giving doesn’t work because you can’t see it working. Everything you plant works in secret – for your benefit! Many get excited when a little bud starts to show. Let it grow! If you cut the blade off, you won’t reap the harvest. This isn’t delayed gratification, it is for harvest satisfaction. Don’t settle for temporary gain and forego future abundance.

A question for next week: Have we been good, faithful stewards over what God has given us?

Power to Succeed Pt.9

noreply@blogger.com (Berith Christian Fellowship) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 23:53:00 +0000

Today, we continue with the message “Power to Succeed in Hard Times.” To review, hope is an expectation based on what has already been accomplished. The hope of God is guaranteed to come to pass if we persevere. Without hope there is nothing for out faith to give substance to. God’s hope makes you able to see what cannot be seen. The things that we cannot see are more real than the things we can see. Hope in God will allow you to hear the Word like never before. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Hope in God will allow you to obey the Word like never before. Hope in God will allow you to pray like never before. You must believe in your own prayer. You ought to have confidence in your prayer above anyone else’s.

Hope in God allows you to sow (give) like never before (Psalm 146:5). Are we showing ourselves committed to what God has given us to handle? We were designed serve – that’s a blessing (Matthew 6:24). People think they don’t serve. Satan knows that we are going to serve. Service comes out of the heart. We get to choose who we will serve.

You cannot serve two masters. In Matthew 6:24, “mammon” is defined as a spirit or a demon – it is the god over everything money rules over. It is also the personified version of riches and wealth or the pursuit of riches and wealth, a.k.a. greed. Money makes a poor God. God says that we cannot serve Him and that that idol “mammon.” Whoever you serve is your master. Whoever your master is determines what you will receive. If you chase pleasure possessions and prestige, you will have nothing. If you serve God, all things are available to you.

God set up the system for giving. In order for us to increase, we have to give away. If we are left to ourselves, we will hoard what we have. The power to succeed in hard times is in our hands.

In the Bible, prosperity equals giving. When you give, you are more like God. You are never more like God than when you give. It is an awesome privilege and supremely powerful to give. If you want God in your life, you have to give. Once you give, it doesn’t stop there. By giving, you start things in motion that will not stop. Your giving cannot go back the way it came.

Power to Succeed Pt.7

noreply@blogger.com (Berith. Making life better!) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 18:34:00 +0000

In Romans 8:28, the Word says: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” This is the source of our power to succeed in hard times – all things work together for our good. Every challenge is an opportunity. The bigger the challenge is then the bigger the reward. Everything the enemy mounts up against us works for us. Our challenges work for us as we obey God all the way through.

You will not be disappointed or ashamed by going with God and His hope. You should be expecting how God will get you out your situation. You compound your problem when you try to go with your own selfish ambitions. God upfront has already proved to us that it is going to work out for us because He has poured out His love in our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:31-32).

God richly gives us all things so that we can enjoy it. This is about relationship, not religion. A relationship with God is not about having a slave mentality. If you think that you have to get something from God, then you are in the slave category. When you understand that you have a right to everything that God has then you are in the children category.

Remember, God is on your side. He did not spare His Son at the very beginning before you ever thought about Him. He gave His very best upfront. The enemy came to steal, kill and destroy, but God came to give us life and to give it more abundantly (John 10:10). God cannot do anything to you as His child but good. He proved that by pouring out His wrath on His own Son. God is on your side. He chose to be with you.

Hope allows us to see things that cannot be seen (Romans 8:24-25). If you hope for things that are seen, that’s not real hope. If you hope for things that aren’t seen, you will with patience and endurance wait for them. Hope also gives you the power of endurance – this means that you are able to make it. You win. The world cannot control you by the things you hear, see and feel because you can see something beyond it. You can see the true God and His Word beyond what is heard, seen and felt. More importantly, with that hope that sees things that cannot be seen, you will have the endurance to make it.

How do you use this power? Hope allows you to hear the Word of God like never before. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Faith doesn’t come by reading, fasting, praying, etc. Those things should be done, but faith only comes by hearing because God designed it that way. The primary means by which God reaches people is by hearing, which means someone has to be speaking. To increase your faith, you need to hear the Word on a regular basis. You need to have a steady diet of the Word in your life. You are spirit. You wouldn’t starve your body, so why would you starve your spirit?

In hard times, you have to pay the cost. You have to exert energy to hear the Word. You have to block out every distraction in order to hear the Word. You also have to guard the Word that you have already heard because the enemy will come to immediately steal it. If you are going to get the Word, you have to be a worshiper. You also have to honor the one who delivers you the Word. Otherwise, the Word you get will be diminished in your estimation.

Hope gives us the power to hear, give, obey, praise and pray like never before. If you cannot take the power of hope in this message and begin to hear, give, obey, praise and pray like never before, then you aren’t in a hard spot. If you are in a hard spot, then you will do something with the power of hope. You must know that God is yours because He gave himself to you (Psalm 146:5). God is faithful. He is a covenant-keeping God. He cannot change. He is our hope.

Hope in God will allow you to hear the Word like never before. Everyone’s problem comes from disobeying the Word. Hope and expectation in God will give you the sight and endurance to obey God like never before. Every word of God is good for His children. If you hear God’s Word and do it, then when the storm comes by you won’t feel it (Luke 6:46). If you don’t do it, when the storm comes your house will fall. If you really want to get power in your life, then answer the question asked in Luke 6:46.

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