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By Pastor Eric
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 (NKJV) Really, this is the big point concerning repentance. Change what you’re thinking and change what you’re doing and forget your past sins. Don’t hang on to what you did and think you have to do something to pay for it. Look at Ephesians 1:7, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” We have been given redemption by what He did, not by what we can do. This is grace and mercy. We have what we didn’t deserve and didn’t get what we do deserve. By Grace through faith, we have received salvation and not by our working for it. Beating yourself up and feeling guilty won’t change anything, for better or worse. Trying to make yourself better doesn’t work. That’s why we need a Savior. He paid the price and took care of your sin forever. Understand, that doesn’t mean we keep on with our old sinful ways. We change our actions by changing our thinking. We’re no longer slaves to sin. We are new creatures in Christ. A simple way to look at it is this: Admit it.Quit it. Forget it. That’s it! Plain and simple!
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By Pastor Eric
By Pastor Eric
A lot of times we find ourselves out of alignment, not because we intend to be, but because we lose track of our position. Just like having a GPS that we don’t pay attention to. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) are able to track where we are and where we’re going. This is what the Holy Spirit does for us. While we’re on this journey through life, He is our guidance system. We only have to listen and respond as we go. Hebrews 3:7-8 says, “ Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness.” Understand that, while in the desert, the Israelites had an opportunity to be successful in taking land that was promised them. However, they didn’t listen when the Spirit of the Lord spoke through the prophet to move forward. They listened to their flesh. They operated in fear and missed it. We as Believers, filled with the Holy Spirit, need to tune our hearing. Make the adjustments to stay the course towards our destiny. Take time to pray in the Spirit, just as it says in the book of Jude, building up our holy faith. As we continue and are consistent, our ability to hear from the Lord will increase. Simply listen and follow the instructions. By Pastor Eric
We see a lot of posts on social media about five ways to get rich, have better hair, and so on. That’s not what I’m talking about here. I’m talking about how to change your destiny. There are probably a lot more than five but this is what I’ve got for now. The first thing we must consider, is our mindset. Where do we get our thoughts from? The answer? Influences. That’s right! Where it all starts. What we allow to influence our thought processes, is what will drive us to our destiny. Whether it’s something or someone from our past, or what we’re consistently looking at and listen too, those things will get into our core value and guide us towards a destiny. Whether we desire it or not. This happens on the subconscious level. Another area is, what we spend our free time doing. Most of us have full-time jobs or careers that take up the majority of our day. During the off time, what are you doing? Are you on social media? Or taking care of things around the house? Spending time just hanging out? These are real questions. We have to ask ourselves if we truly want to see change in our lives. How much time do you spend in prayer? Reading or listening to the Word of God? Doing something to serve others? Perhaps learning or improving new skills. Thirdly, is the area of finances. What are you doing with your money? Do you give on a regular basis? We should be givers, not just receivers. Understand, it’s okay to have nice things, but don’t allow things to have you. Finances is one area that most people don’t understand. Get knowledge and understanding. We can work on getting out of debt or reducing expenses. We don’t need to follow the latest trends. This will allow us to give more into the Kingdom. This next one sort of ties into number one. Keeping right relationships and staying out of toxic ones. We all know people that seem to drain the life out of you with their constant barrage of complaining or neediness. We can’t allow everyone into our inner circle. It’s not healthy. You can still be a positive influence on their lives but you have to set boundaries. Last but certainly not least, is our relationship with the Lord. It’s imperative that we grow in our spiritual life. Continue to seek the Lord and do what He says. He will never let you down. I’m sure there are many other areas to consider and may touch on this again. I call you blessed. By Pastor Eric
We may have talked about this before, however it’s worth saying it again. When Jesus was asked by the disciples how he could just speak to a tree and it die, he answered them with a very short response. “Have faith in God.” This is in Mark 11:22. The original text actually said, "…have the God kind of faith.” This is where we’re supposed to operate from. Hebrews 11:1 states, “Now faith is the substance of this hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” This is confidence. Believe what God’s Word says about any situation. Put your faith on that Word. This is how we settle everything in our house. With these four simple words. Any time we face anything, it’s always the same response. Have Faith In God! By Pastor Eric
We have the power to control our thoughts. A lot of our time is spent with random thinking and what happens is we never reach our full potential. Much of what the Lord wants for us is to change our thinking. Everything we say or do starts with our thoughts. How we think, not just what we think. What is the process behind our decision-making? Many times negative emotions, or bad experiences can shape our thought-process. We must be aware of those things and cut them off as soon as they show up. Philippians 4:8 says it this way, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things”. This shows us that we can choose our thoughts and control them. “But how?,” you might ask. Through the Word of God. Look at Ephesians 4:23 “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;” also in Romans 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” In other words, get ahold of God’s word and read it, listen to good teaching, and pray in the spirit. Then make a quality decision that you’re going to change and improve your thought-life. Yes, it’s that simple. God has already given us the power to change. In 2 Timothy 1:7, it says “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” We already have it on the inside of us! Now it’s up to us to put it into action! By Pastor Eric
As Believers, we are part of the Kingdom of God. We have been moved out of the kingdom of darkness, the world system, and into His Kingdom. Colossians 1:12-14, “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” This is where we are now and we’ve been given the authority of His Kingdom. The Kingdom in which we operate is not a place. It’s a system of government. In 1Corinthians 4:20 AMP, it says “For the kingdom of God is not based on talk but on power.” That power is what backs our authority. We move in that authority to bring healing, deliverance, and freedom to those in bondage. When we use The Name, which is above all others, we are standing in the place of authority that He has given us. In His Name, we cast out demons. In His Name, we heal the sick. In His Name, we bring freedom to those in bondage. Note that in His Name is not just a way to end a prayer. Another way of saying it is, “In the Authority of His Kingdom and Power.” That’s the perspective we should have. Just as the police officer has the authority to stand in the street and stop traffic. Use the power that’s been given to you! By Pastor Eric
Jesus glanced around at them and said, “With men [it is] impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” (Mark 10:27) How many times have you heard “That’s impossible?” It’s so easy for people to have little faith or unbelief. It is “normal” thinking that keeps us from accomplishing the mighty exploits God wants for our lives. “Normal” says you can‘t own a business without some type of higher education. Nothing wrong with education, however, that is not the standard we as Believers are to live by. “Normal” says it would be impossible to feed five-thousand men plus women and children with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. Jesus didn’t think so. He expected it! Don't think of yourself as “normal” according to the world’s standards. Be “normal” according to Kingdom standards! By Pastor Eric
Had an interesting conversation with close friends this evening. We were discussing “vision and dreaming.” Talking about the things we want for our lives. Having a proper perspective is really important when it comes to our desires. During our conversation, I noticed that some people aren’t really convinced that God wants to do great things for us. We can fall into dreaming “cheap.” We see things as what we could possibly do and not what the Lord can do. Ephesians 3:20 (NIV), “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…” There are no limits to our imagination. God put the power in us to dream bigger than ever! We’re now in a new season, a new year! Put on a new perspective and Don’t Dream Cheap! By Pastor Eric
We don’t have to work for our righteousness. This is what Paul was saying in Romans 4:1-3, “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” Somehow we’ve gotten off track. We may say “Yes, we are saved by grace" and yet we have to work to become righteous. This is not a process for us to work out. It is, rather, a part of our salvation. We are made righteous through our believing and receiving Christ. Once we have corrected our mindset, we can now live our lives from that perspective. No longer being led or controlled by our carnality. No longer needing to be concerned with whether God accepts us or not. You and I have been made righteous through Christ. |
Author Occasionally Pastors Eric and Laura will write as the Lord leads them. There may be prophetic words or insights and revelation that have come to them. They share these with the intention that someone would be blessed and encouraged or admonished, something we all need once in a while. Archives
October 2019
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