Our Sermons
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever.
Psalm 111:10
Isaiah 43:1 NKJV “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.”
No one is exempt from temptation to fear, but we have a choice to not yield to the temptation. The first man God created was Adam, and the first recorded words Adam spoke were these: “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” There are numerous areas of fear, but studies confirm that our seven greatest areas of fear are finances, health, career concerns, parenting struggles, family relationships, accomplishing personal goals, and death. Fear is not from God (2 Timothy 1:7). Fear is of the devil, and it has torment (1 John 4:18). Fear means “sudden attack” or “ambush or snare.” That is what fear does; it attacks us and takes us captive. So, what is the answer to fear? Faith in God! Fear weakens, but faith strengthens. Fear imprisons, but faith liberates. Fear paralyzes, but faith empowers. Fear disheartens, but faith encourages. Fear sickens, but faith heals. The words “fear not” or “be not afraid” are recorded in Scripture many different times. God has given us sufficient “fear not” or “be not afraid” assurance to strengthen our faith to not fear or be afraid every day of the year. And here is one of them: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine” (Isaiah 43:1). Do not give in to fear, rather stand on God’s Word and He shall see you through your challenges and make you stronger. God is with you every day, and He promises to strengthen and guide you in every situation you face. For every fear you face, there is a faith promise against that fear!
Galatians 2:20 KJV “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
The eternal purpose for every true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is to die to self and live for Christ. To die to self is synonymous to self-denial (Matthew 16:24). The Lord Jesus Christ said any believer who is not ready to deny himself to follow after Him, is not worthy of Him (Matthew 10:38). God is constant (Hebrews 13:8). His power has not diminished. What He did yesterday, He can do today, and forever. We humans are the ones who can change and be tossed up and down by our emotions. God wants every true believer to experience the exceeding great and precious promises available through our faith in Christ Jesus. However, there is one over-riding motive that stands to pollute a Christian’s walk and keep him or her from entering into the fullness of God’s rest and empowerment, and that is serving self above Jesus Christ. Self is standing in God’s way to bless us, to the fullest. If we hope to live a fruitful life, we must die to the self-life. This will require us to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, and to constantly renew our minds with God’s word for transformation (Romans 12:1-2). We must also lay aside every weight and sin that we constantly fall prey to (Hebrews 12:1).
Judges 6:15KJV “And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
Gideon suffered from poor self-image, like the children of Israel who were sent as spies to the “promised land” (Numbers 13:33). We can limit what God wants to do for us by our negative thoughts. The Bible talks about ‘strongholds’ in the mind (2 Corinthians 10:4). Strongholds are patterns of thinking that controls our imagination, attitudes, and our actions. Gideon’s identity was that he was the weakest of the weakest in his culture and family. Negative patterns of thinking are dangerous because it undermines God’s Word, the truth, and your faith. “As a man thinks in his heart so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7). We become what we think about ourselves. Negative thoughts give credibility to negative imaginations to make them a reality. A small negative thought if not countered, becomes bigger and stronger until it becomes a controlling power in your mind. God instructs us what kind of thoughts to think about ourselves: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8). When you think positive thoughts about yourself, it will grow and become a stronghold of your mind and eventually your reality. Let us believe the report of the Lord, always.
Ephesians 6:12 GWT “This is not a wrestling match against a human opponent. We are wrestling with rulers, authorities, the powers who govern this world of darkness, and spiritual forces that control evil in the heavenly world.”
One principal way Satan wages war against Christians, apart from sin, is passivity (acceptance of what happens, without active response or resistance). That is why the Apostle Peter urges us, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1Peter 5:8 NLT). If you have ever witnessed a hungry lion devour its prey that is a picture of what Satan is out to do to people. And he will use things like pleasure, power, pressures, possessions, passions, and people to do it. Apostle Paul tells us to be on guard “so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:11 NLT). How can you defend yourself? Neil Anderson says, “Our defense against direct attacks by the evil one is to speak aloud God’s truth.” Why speak God’s truth aloud to Satan? Because he needs to hear the truth that overrides his lies. When you are under Satan’s attack, act on James 4:7: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Take these two powerful steps: First, talk to God before engaging the Enemy. “Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee” (Psalm 50:15). Second, talk to the Enemy. And keep it short and authoritative! “Satan, in the overpowering Name of Jesus Christ, I command you to cease every activity against me now. Leave and do not return!” Will he obey? You have submitted and resisted in faith; he has no option but obey!
Colossians 2:6 “As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.”
The Lord Jesus Christ came to deliver us from complications that Satan could potentially bring into our lives (Colossians 1:13). You are delivered from the power of darkness. You are made free from the yoke (oppression) of bondage (Galatians 5:1). You are delivered from a complicated life into a simplified life in Christ Jesus (John 10:10). The key to maintain this simplified lifestyle is to “walk in him”; in order words continue to live your life in him. Over and over the scriptures instruct us to walk (conduct our lifestyle) as new creations in Christ Jesus. We are instructed to walk as children of light (Ephesians 5:8) so we do not stumble; to walk in love (Ephesians 5:2) so we are failure proof (1 Corinthians 13:8); to walk in wisdom (Colossians 4:5) so we do not act foolishly; to walk in the truth (3 John 1:3), so we are not deceived by the devil; to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), so we do not fulfill the lust of the flesh. God wants us to walk worthy of the Lord, so we can be fruitful in every good work (Colossians 1:10). The ultimate is for us to walk in the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus, whom we have received as Lord. If we stop walking in Him, then we will start sinking into sin, carnality, and sadly become subject again to the power of darkness. God forbid!
Psalm 9:1-2 NIV “I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High”
The attitude of gratitude is the ability to find good in every situation (Psalm 34:1, 1 Thessalonians 5:18). God has done so much for us that we should be full of gratitude to Him. Today is seems complaints are abundant, but thankfulness is few. Being thankful is not optional for a Christian (Colossians 3:15). So, why are Christians not thankful or grateful? Gratitude is a mark of maturity. Ingratitude is a mark of immaturity. Babies are never thankful. Proud people are never thankful. Why? Because their mindset is that they deserve not just everything they have, but even better and more. Their thinking is like “why be thankful for something less than what I deserve?” They have entitlement mentality. They are never happy. The cure for unhappiness is being thankful. In fact, the more thankful people are, the happier they are. To overcome your habit of ingratitude, you have to change your belief. As long as you believe you are getting less than you deserve, you will never become a thankful person. But if you realize that you deserved punishment and eternal separation from God, yet in His mercy God instead gave you eternal life, and that everything you have including every breath you breathe is a gift from God, then you will become a thankful person. You should be grateful for all God does for you, on a daily basis!