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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.
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By Pastor Eric
Yep, we all have some. What? Junk. Every one of us has some remnant of the former man. The link to our flesh or carnality through Adam. So, what do you do with it? First of all, we have to admit to ourselves that we’re not perfect. Understand this, our Spirit-man is perfected in Christ, yet our carnal-man is not. This is what the apostle Paul was talking about in his letter to the Romans in chapter 7. He was wrestling with the fact that his flesh didn’t act right. Fortunately, he didn’t stop there, which a lot of preachers do. The “I’m just a filthy sinner syndrome.” Paul went on in chapter 8 and proclaimed that we, that are in Christ, are not under condemnation. Thank you Lord! God never leaves us in a condemned state. His grace is more than enough. No, this does not mean we can just carry on in sin. By grace, we have the strength, through the Holy Spirit, to fight off and shut down that sinful nature. It’s the carnal part of us that pushes us towards self-centered, self-indulgent, self-reliant actions. As Paul said, “Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.” Romans 7:17 He understood that our carnal nature is what the real issue is. It’s not the external circumstances or challenges, it’s human nature. You and I need a Savior. We can’t fix ourselves. The answer is simple. Transform your thinking through the Word of God. The more you dwell or meditate on His Word, the less you’ll be pushed towards your junk. Take a deep breath and rest in The Lord’s Salvation. By Pastor Eric
It amazes me how many Christians see themselves. Some say we are just sinners trying to do better. Others say we’re lowly creatures that aren’t worth God’s love. Of course, they’re both wrong. In the book of Galatians 3:26 it says, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” That’s right, you’re a child of God and He doesn’t make mistakes. He didn’t send Jesus to the Cross just so you could barely get into Heaven. You’ve been adopted in to the family of Heaven. Romans 8:17, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ;” Get a hold of this. This is part of who you are and what you have available to you. You were a sinner but not any longer. Thank God for His salvation through Christ. Stop and take time to remember who you truly are in Christ Jesus. By Pastor Eric
How many times have we said that? Seems like something happens and we think things are getting better, then something else comes along. A new challenge, an illness, a financial situation, kids aren’t acting right, etc. Truth is, life is full of challenges. It’s how we react that makes the difference. We have the option of choosing how we react. We don’t have to be subject to our emotions. Here’s what it says in James 1:2 (TPT) “My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can!” And then verse 3, “For you know that when your faith is tested it stirs up power within you to endure all things.” When we choose to have joy, we turn on the power to take us through anything we’re faced with. By Pastor Eric
The Word of God says in Joel 2:28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” This is a promise from God, the Father to all who are open to receive. These are those days on the earth. On the day of Pentecost, His Holy Spirit came to us. He made Himself available for all mankind to receive power from on high. He did His part. Now what do we do with it? We receive just as we did our salvation. By grace through faith. Simply by asking Him to fills us with His Holy Spirit. Yes, it’s that simple! We need the power of the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us through life and into our destiny, in order to fulfill our assignment here on this earth. The book of Acts 1:8 tells us, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” This is for all who believe, not just a handful of people nearly two thousand years ago. We need the power in order to go into all the world. You may not be called to travel around the world preaching, but you’ve been given an assignment to be a witness wherever you are. You need the leading, strength and comfort of the Holy Spirit to accomplish it. If you haven’t received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, now is the time to do so. Just ask, by faith, to be filled to overflowing with His power and with a heavenly prayer language. Your life will never be the same! By Pastor Eric
To reconcile is to restore to friendship or harmony. Another way of saying it is, to restore true relationship. This is what God did through Christ and the cross. He restored the relationship between man and Himself. Look at 2 Corinthians 5:18,19 “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” Notice that the Lord didn’t stop at reconciliation between Himself and mankind. He took it a step further and gave us a ministry of reconciliation. We are expected, through Christ in us, to restore relationships towards one another, our fellow man. It is through Him and not of ourselves that we can accomplish this. With all this being said, there is yet another area that must be dealt with. That area lies within the inner man. To reconcile with yourself about yourself. Yes we all have junk, baggage, stuff, whatever you want to call it. Sometimes our greatest challenge is with ourselves. We can’t truly reconcile with others when we haven’t done it for ourselves. How does that work, you might ask? There are a few simple steps. One is to know and understand that God loves you and has forgiven you of all sin. Secondly, recognize that you, in your own strength, cannot fix you. Only through Christ and His strength can you be fixed. Thirdly, is to know who you are in Christ. Be reconciled with God the Father, then yourself and others. Recognize the power that is in you to accomplish this. By Pastor Eric
“Prophecy” or “prophetic utterance” can easily be misunderstood. Prophecy is not speaking about someone’s past. It always concerns the present or future. Also, it must line up with God’s Word. Sometimes people in their zeal to be helpful or to be deep may say something out of line with what God says about it. For instance, having been told that the Lord wanted me to give them a certain amount of money. Well, if the Lord didn’t tell me to give it, He wouldn’t tell you to tell me how much to give. That doesn’t line up with 2Corinthians 9:7 “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.” Understand that under the old Covenant, only certain people could hear from God. They were the prophets of that day. If you needed to hear from God, you have to go to a prophet. In today’s Covenant, the prophet only confirms what the Lord is speaking to the inner-man. You may not have heard directly from the Lord, but when a person gives a prophetic word your inner or spirit-man will give witness to what they’re saying. 1John 4:1 “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” Now don’t go around saying every person that speaks something you don’t like or agree with is a false prophet. A false prophet is one who speaks against Jesus Christ. One that says things that go against God’s word. Let’s not get discouraged here though. The Lord wants us to prophesy or speak His word. The prophetic voice is to encourage and build up those in the body of Christ. Look at 1Corinthians 14:31 “For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.” This is something we should be doing on a regular basis. Be encouraged today to use your gifting. Allow God to use you through the gift of prophecy. By Pastor Eric
“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.” Romans 12:2
We’ve seen this verse so many times that we could just kind of gloss over it. Renew our minds by reading the Word. Let’s take a minute and really consider what is being said. Don’t be like the world, or secular humanist thinking. Carnality is another word for this. Being driven in our thought process by emotions, both good and bad. The world's view is very self-centered, "What’s in it for me?" Having a carnal mindset will not point you to truth or the will of God. The renewed mind is that of the mind of Christ. 1Corinthians 2:16 “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.” Yes, we have the mind of Christ. We don’t need to work to get it, however we must recognize that His way of thinking is available to us. We can know what the will of The Father is. It doesn’t have to be a mystery to us. As we continue to study His Word and seek His voice, we will obtain a new and different way of thinking. His way of thinking. Ephesians 4:29 KJV, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
What are you allowing to come out of your mouth? Are you building people up or tearing them down? Are you flowing in grace or condemnation? There is a better way! Look at this same verse in the AMPC (Amplified Classic), it says “Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God’s favor) to those who hear it.“ Wow! That sounds pretty harsh! Understand, it’s not law, but it is something we should all work on. Why? Foul, worthless speech doesn’t help anyone. Notice that this isn’t just talking about cuss words. Those words that are gossip, slanderous, or negative. You see where this is going? Idle, useless speech has no value and does not build anyone up. We are to be the voice of grace. David wrote in the book of Psalms 141:3, “Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” Sometimes we need to practice the vocabulary of silence. Shut your mouth! Stop speaking evil, unhealthy, non-encouraging, unedifying words! We can show grace and build others up and make a big difference in the world around us! |
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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