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
ROMANS 5:8 NKJ “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Too often we go through life wandering from person to person, possession to possession, and success to success, trying to find the love we long to experience. But God has proven His love for you. So, believe it. God died in your place suffering the punishment for sin that you deserved, so you could go free. God was more willing to suffer Himself than to see you suffer (1 John 4:9-10). Of course, the devil constantly tries to get you to doubt that God loves you. That is why you must rely on what the Bible says and not what your feelings or circumstances may tell you. You do not desire pain or loss.
So, it is with God. He desires good for you even more than you do. And He demonstrated at Calvary that He would put your interest before His own. There are at least two reasons why God loves you so much. First, it is His nature to love. The Bible says that God is love (1 John 4:8). Love is the word that best describes God’s nature. Second, you are God’s creation. God loves you just as good natural parents love their offspring. People may not seem very special to others, but to their mother and father they are always special. This should help you understand how God could really love you even though you may not love yourself that much. Also, God sees you as you can be and will become not just as you are now. God has faith in you and in His ability to make you someone special. You should choose to believe what the Bible says: God loves you and He cares about you! 1 Peter 5:7 AMP “Casting the whole of your care — all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all — on Him; for He cares for you affectionately, and cares about you watchfully.” God fully loves you. Believe it.
Mark 11:24 NLT “You can pray for anything, and if you believe…it will be yours.”
The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV). God’s greatest desire is to be believed. You can pray regularly and ritually, and even feel closer to God as a result, yet not expect Him to answer your prayers or for your situation to change. Peter had been put in prison and sentenced to death, and his execution was scheduled for a specified day. So, the church gathered to pray earnestly and fervently for his release (Acts 12:5 NIV). And God answered their prayers miraculously. God put the guards to sleep, opened Peter’s prison door, and set him free (Acts 12:7-10). Yet when he appeared on the doorstep of the house where the believers were praying, they could not believe it: “A servant girl…told everyone, ‘Peter is standing at the door!’ ‘You’re out of your mind!’ they said. When she insisted, they decided, ‘It must be his angel’” (Acts 12:13-15). Even the early disciples struggled to believe God would hear them when they prayed and bring their expectation to pass. Even when the answer knocked on their door, they still hesitated. And we do too, don’t we? We struggle with prayer. We forget to pray, and when we remember, we rush through prayers with insincere words. Why does this happen? You can pray anywhere, at any time, using your own words, and God promises to answer. So, what’s the problem? We need to realize the incredible power and potential of one praying believer (James 5:16-17): “Our weapons have power from God that can destroy the enemy’s strong places” (2Corinthians 10:4 NCV). So don’t just pray; believe God for the answer and expect it. Then talk and act like you believe and expectant!
Romans 12:2, AMP “Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind…”
The primary purpose of the Word of God, the Bible, is to change the way we think about ourselves, about others, about issues of life, and about God. The reason why many people today are not happy, the reason they are not enjoying life is simply because they have trained their minds to think and dwell on the wrong things. They have trained their minds to worry, to be anxious, and to be fearful. They have trained their minds to complain. They have trained their minds to blame others for their mistakes and situations. They have trained their minds to see the negative in everything. They have not trained their minds to see things from God’s perspective. The truth is that just as we can form these negative mindsets, we can retrain our minds and form positive mindsets. This transformation can happen as we renew our minds to the Word of God and develop positive attitudes. This does not happen instantly. You have to make a conscious effort every single day until a good habit is formed. I encourage you today to choose to live a life of a positive attitude of faith, gratitude, praise, thanksgiving, forgiveness, love, joy, self-control, long suffering, contentment, gentleness, obedience, and humility, based on the solid foundation of God’s Word.
JAMES 1:19 NKJV “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;”
There are several scriptures in the Bible admonishing us about the power of word and its effects on our lives. Words are spirit and have the power of life and death (John 6:63, Proverbs 18:21). Words are wired for power and affect the real man – the spirit. Words are crucial in maintaining perfect relationships. In fact the Bible likens a man who does not offend in words to a perfect man (James 3:2). But how many times have we said something and later regretted it? Too often we speak without thinking about the consequences of what we say! Words are powerful and should be used to accomplish a Godly purpose (Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”) Our words should be a gift to the hearer. What would happen if we consult with God before speaking? If we think about and pray about everything we say, before we say it? Surely, our lives will be different. 1 Peter 3:10 says “For He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.” Remember, we can always learn more by listening than by talking. Proverbs 17:28 says “Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.” We all need to ask that God help control our tongues – Psalm 41:3 “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.” Let’s be slow to speak and be gracious with our words!
JAMES 4:7 NKJ “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
The Greek word for resist literally means to stand against. It means to withstand and oppose. The English word resist means to stand against; to strive against; to obstruct; to act in opposition to; to exert oneself so as to counteract or defeat; to refuse to give in. The opposite of resist is to agree with and to yield. This scripture is written to believers. It does not say the devil will flee from you whether you resist him, or not. Rather, you must actively resist the devil if you do not want his plan to steal, to kill, and to destroy, in your life. We are to yield to God in all things but yield to the devil in nothing. God and the devil do not come to us in person. Rather they come to us through thoughts which originate from either God or the devil. We choose which one we yield to and which one we resist by how we respond to the thoughts and ideas that come our way. We yield to God by making His word the final authority in our lives. We resist the devil by refusing to think, speak, or act in accordance with his suggestions and ideas. We choose rather to think, speak, and act in line with God’s Word, the Bible. Refusing to accept less than the perfect will of God is resisting the devil. Standing against sin, sickness, poverty, and fear is resisting the devil’s agenda. Walking in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), is resisting the devil. Spending time in prayer and fellowship with God is resisting the devil. Being thankful is resisting the devil. Praising God and talking of His goodness and faithfulness is resisting the devil. The devil cannot overcome you if you continue to resist him, in faith (Ephesians 6:16, 1 Peter 5:8-9).
Joshua 1:9 NKJ “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua had an enormous assignment after that Moses died. The children of Israel had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years and Joshua now had the responsibility to lead them into the Promised Land. He would have to claim the land from its current inhabitants, fight and lead battles, and provide spiritual leadership for a large group of stiff-neck people. As he was feeling the overwhelming weight of the assignment before him, the Lord offered the words of encouragement in Joshua 1:9. These encouraging words can apply to all of us as we seek to overcome our own unique challenges and assignments in life. Being strong and of a good courage means trusting in the Lord as our true source of strength, as we confront our fears. Like Joshua, we hardly ever have all the answers to our personal challenges. But God promises that when we turn to Him for guidance, we will succeed. God is all-powerful and all-knowing. He has the answers and the strength we need to face any challenge before us. He was with Joshua, and He will be with us. May be you have an assignment from God to take charge of responsibilities in His kingdom and you are afraid. Be strong. Be courageous. Do not be frightened. Do not be dismayed. The reason that you can be strong and be courageous and not fear and not be dismayed is that the Lord is going to be with you wherever you go. The end, the goal, the outcome of this command when we live in the strength that God supplies and are free from fear and full of courage in our assignment, it is that God gets the glory!