Facing Ourselves, Growing in Christ

Have you ever heard someone say they do not attend church
because too many hypocrites go there? Over the years
I have heard many say it. At first when I was much younger,
I thought they must have been through some terrible experience
that made them stay away from church.

But as I grew in the wisdom of God’s word and life experience
I recognized that people who say this are using it as a excuse
to keep themselves in their chosen lifestyle. They want to
do what they want to do, and it is easier to blame someone else
than take responsibility for themselves and their actions.

The truth is, we don't go to church to see if people are perfect,
we go to church to worship God, get good Bible teaching, pray as
a community and reach outwards as a community. Church is a place
for spiritual growth.. and everyone there needs it.. we all do!

We see it everywhere now. People think they are not accountable
for what they do. A lot of it has to do with secular humanism,
that we are like little gods to ourselves, we can do what we want
anytime we want. It is our life, we don’t have to live up to
anyone’s standards.

Then we hear the school of thinking that God loves everyone
and surely He would not cast away anyone. That God is within
us all, and no one will go to hell. Ultimately, they say, God
will just accept everyone.

Let me tell you what this is all about. It is about people never
opening God’s word and reading it FOR THEMSELVES.
They hear people teach it from time to time but they do not
have depth to their spiritual life. They lack discipline. They
cannot seem to get a schedule that includes time for God.

All of these things bring us back to the main point. We are all
flawed, we all have shortcomings, we have all sinned, it is only
through the grace, mercy and forgiveness of God we can be changed.

Paul talked about how he struggled with hypocrisy in his own life.

He said in Romans 7: For I know that nothing good dwells within me,
that is, in my flesh. I can will whatever is right, but I cannot perform it,
I have the intention and urge to do what is right but no power to carry
it out. For I fail to practice the good deeds I desire to do, but
the evil deeds that I do not desire to do are what I am doing!

You see even Paul recognized daily we all struggle with the flesh. We
do that which we do not want to do, and do not do that which we should.
That is hypocrisy in a form. We are saying we are one thing and doing
another. So you see, in a way, we all battle with this. Hence, pointing
fingers at so-called hypocrites is silly. We all need forgiveness, we
are all sinners, that IS WHY JESUS CAME!

So how can we change? Lets look what else Paul had to say in Romans
7:24-25. O unhappy and pitiable and wretched man that I am! Who will release
and deliver me from the shackles of this body of death?
O thank God! He will! Through Jesus Christ, the Anointed One,
our Lord! So then indeed I of myself with the mind and heart serve
the Law of God but with the flesh the law of sin.

You see Paul recognized in and of himself he sinned. That it was
with Christ DWELLING IN HIM, he overcame sin and lived
right before God.

If we cannot take the time to pour God’s word into our heart
and spirit we will not receive the conviction in our hearts about
the accountability of our wretched sins and flaws before God.
We all need to grow in Christ. We cannot just say that is the way
I am, and there is no changing it.

If this is so, we are not taking up our cross daily and following Him.
We must start at the cross daily on our knees, confessing our sins,
pleading our case before God, talking to Him, receiving His great
comfort, and merciful forgiveness. Then as we open His precious
word and plant it in our spirits, this word takes root and brings
conviction, and truth and the cleanliness that God wants within.

It empowers us through Christ being in us, to be overcomers
and to move forward and to accomplish something. We do not
give up and say I cannot change, we do not dwell in the same
place we grow, we overcome, we become strong in the power
of the Lord and HIS might.

My friend, if you are not feeling this today… you can. It is
not just for preachers or for people you admire spiritually.
It is for us all. God loves us all, but we must come to Him
with a heart of repentance, a mind open to regeneration in
Christ, and a will to go forth in God’s name with His Word
and Will leading us into all truth so that we may make
a difference in the world and lead people to Christ.

That is what He wants most of all. If you cannot overcome
you cannot teach others to do it. Yet it is a simple process
starting at the cross daily.

Oh Lord God, teach us to let go of that which does not profit.
Teach us Lord how to walk righteously before you, and to
surrender all areas of our lives so that we may be free
from the bondage of sin and go forth in your strength,
your wisdom, with your conviction pricking our heart
that we may know that we are accountable, and that people
are depending upon us to be a witness not only in words
but in deed. That all may be brought to you, by You in Us,
speaking forth Your Word to a lost and dying world. Let
us not live unto ourselves but unto you. We surrender all
today and lay our burdens and sin at your feet, and ask
you to renew us and help us be disciplined in our Bible reading
and devotional life, so that we may be pleasing to you in
all we say and do.

In Jesus Precious Name,
Amen

Remember
Only one life, will soon be Past
Only what is done, for Christ will last

Abounding IN Hope

copyright Millie 9/22/2003


Now, the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace
in believing, that you may abound in hope, through the
power of the Holy Ghost.
Romans 15:13

I wonder when was the last time we were
"abounding in hope"? It seems to me this is a pretty
rare commodity in these times. We find ourselves
daily drained by the troubles and cares of life,
by things we go through with other people,
and by the reports we receive from others and the
news. The world is full of trouble, and when we
watch this, we begin to waver in our "hope."

Frankly, we hear more negative reports than good ones,
and perhaps we are guilty of saying more negative
reports than good ones.

So what do we do, to "abound in hope"?
Hope abounds in us when faith does. They go
hand in hand. Faith believes in what we cannot see.
Faith believes that God is in control and walks in peace,
resting in that knowledge.
Hope believes God is in control and is joyful, firm
in faith, and resolute in Hope.


Faith is believing the answer is on the way
even when we cannot see it!

Hope and Faith work in our hearts to produce peace.
Hope springs eternal when we know that God loves us
and is our "Father" wanting the best for us, and seeking
to bring that about. We rest in, trust in, and rely on God..

our circumstances do not control us... we let God control them!

Truly if you don't have peace within your spirit, you
have very little hope in your spirit. These gifts are in us
but they must be stirred up.

Let us hold fast the confession of our HOPE without
WAVERING, for He who PROMISED IS FAITHFUL.
And let us consider one another in order to STIR
up love and good works.
Hebrews 10:23-24

We learn to have faith that if God said it, He can surely
perform it, and if we believe that, we have hope within
our hearts, not because we are in control, or we see something
happening, but because God is in control. We have learned
our position in God. He is the Father, we are the child.

My friends, The minute you receive salvation, the Holy
spirit dwells within you. The more you open yourself
up to Him, the more He stirs up His gifts within you.
He leads us into all truth.

The people that you know.. that see the greatest
answers to prayer, and have a persistent joy in their
hearts, are the people who persist in prayer,
and persist in faith.. no matter what circumstances they may
be facing. They don't look at their circumstances
they look at the face of God. The God of a thousand
generations.

Many testimonies of wonderful Christians were of
people who "abounded in joy" in their circumstances
and kept looking forward, waiting to see what God had
for them, and How He could solve what was going on
in their lives, knowing He had the answers!

Faith looks forward in hope.

Hope comes from God, who made the heavens
and earth. It stands to reason the more time we
spend with that God, the more we would feel
His Hope abound in us.

You see.. Nothing is impossible to those who believe
and are right before God!

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer
and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests
be made known unto God. And the PEACE OF God
which surpasses all understanding will guard your
hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

Trust to Him, Cling to Him for all you are worth,
Speak to Him often and fervently, Rely on Him for
all your Needs, Commit to Him all that you have,
and Rest in His ability.. not yours, to work out His
plans for your life.

Trust and do not doubt. Abound in Hope,
Because God is still on the throne!

And let the God of peace RULE in your hearts,
to which also you are called in one body, and be thankful!
Colossians 3:15

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

For God has not given us a spirit of fear,
but of POWER and LOVE and of a SOUND MIND>
2 Timothy 1:7

So my friend, rest in the precious arms of your
heavenly Father, and "abound in the hope" that He
stirs within your spirit. God is God, and He
Is the great I Am... I am whatever you need.
Trust.. and do not be afraid.

remember
Only one life, will soon be past
Only what is done, for Christ will last

Obedience without Hesitation

Honor your father and mother: that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God gives to you. Exodus 20:12

This Sunday is a traditional day to celebrate our mothers.
In listening to many people over the years, I have heard
many complaints about people's moms. I am sure I was
in on that from time to time. But as I thought about it
this morning, I realized a very important concept.

God told us to honor our parents. He didn't say if we
liked them we should honor them, or if they were perfect
we should honor them, or if they did all we want, we should
honor them. He said honor them. Be obedient!

This is one of our problems as we grow in Christ. We find
areas of our life that need changing, but obedience comes hard.
God, I cannot honor them, do you know what they did? My child
I didn't ask you what they did, I told you what I want from you,
I asked you to show honor to them, out of obedience to me!
I want you to be obedient to my word.

How many of you today can honestly state that you have surrendered
every area of your life to God? Every hidden motive, every hidden
thought, every hidden anger, every moment of disobedience?
Until we can say that, we still have work to do. We are in essence
walking in rebellion. Absolute surrender is a must.

Is this a easy thing to do? NO, it is not. It is hard for us to admit
we are wrong, or we need to change, especially when someone
tells us we do. We tend to think who are you to tell me I need changing.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Ephesians 5:21

Yet here we are being asked to submit to one another. The
very opposite of what we feel and have been taught. Submit
to one another in reverence to Christ.

Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 b

1. We are to submit to Christ first. Ask Him his
perfect will. Ask him to show us what to change, and then
really seek to do it.

2. We are to obey Christ, honor our parents, and honor one
another.

3. Submit to one another in Christ out of reverence for him.
If a Godly person comes and talks to you from the heart
and tells you something you know is good instruction, do not rebel.
Listen out of reverence for Christ, and recognize all of us need
to change, and grow and learn. None of us are perfect.
It isn't a put down, its leveling up!

4. Remember as a Christian whatever we do or think
should bring honor to God. That should be a daily hallmark
for us to think about in any action, deed or thought.

My dear friends, go to God in prayer today and seek His way,
and what he would have you do. Fill your heart with his word,
and let him speak to you through his word, instructing you
and helping you to grow daily in Christ. Don't be afraid
to let go of the past, of things that are wrong, and start
out on a new clean, unchartered territory in Christ. He will guide
you through it, and you will be free because of it.

Be free of the bondages and hidden things within you.
Out of reverence and obedience to Christ, seek internal healing,
and His will above all.

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
Romans 8:5-6

Receive his peace, walk in obedience. Not in your willful way.
He is waiting for you, and has plans for you.

Only one life, will soon be past
Only what is done for Christ will last.

Rescue Me

As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me.
Evening and morning and at noon, I will pray, and cry aloud,
and He shall hear my voice. He has redeemed my soul in
peace from the battle that was against me.
Psalm 55:17-18

How often in life, when times are difficult and crisis hits,
do we long for someone to come and just take over for us.
To take charge and "fix" everything. To rescue us from
the situation at hand. Our hearts cry out within us, doesn't
anyone care? And yet those we are closest too,
may feel they need rescuing too. The battle is on every
front, and many are facing these battles daily, even
hourly.

We long for someone to rescue us from the situation,
and to bring us comfort, to be merciful to us, and to
have wisdom. We look to the right and left, but
everywhere we look, either people don't care, or
they are overwhelmed themselves, or they just don't
have the means to change things for us, no matter
how much they love us. They are just human... after all.

It is in these darkest hours we must remember, God longs
to rescue us. He has felt the urgency of our needs,
heard the words of longing we have spoken, even
in the quietness of our minds he has heard the cries of our hearts,
and He has seen the tears
shed upon our pillow. He knows each sorrow, each need
intimately, he is our "personal" God. Nothing is hidden
from Him, and nothing is too hard.

God's ways are past our understanding, his care and
love is absolutely perfect and complete.
All encompassing, all powerful, all compassionate,
all merciful, full of grace and wisdom. No matter
how difficult the situation, how dark the hour, how
deep the pit, how grievous the sin, God has the answer.
He is greater still than all these.

Rely on, cling to, trust in, commit to, proclaim and
rejoice in the "hope" we have in Jesus, our source,
our guide, our Abba Father. Our Daddy, Daddy,
whose love for us, is beyond our wildest expectations.

All He is, is all you will ever need!!
Ask Him to rescue you tonite. Then allow Him to do so,
by leaving your burdens in his hands... and just trust.
Rest.. quietly in His arms. He has come to save to the
uttermost. Great is his faithfulness and mercy.

Rescue me Lord, for I am weak and you are strong.
Take these things from me, and work them out for your
glory, and lift me into heavenly places, and restore my
soul, and heal the inner pain in my spirit, and cleanse
me from all unrighteousness. Restore that which satan
the loser has stolen, and heal that which has been
broken. Bring into being those things which are your
will, and shine a light on my path, that I may see
clearly all you have for me, and give me the gifts
to accomplish these things. Send forth your angels to fight
the battles around me, and to protect me.
Teach me of your ways, give me a song in the night,
and rescue me from this battle raging in my life.
I will serve you
faithfully every day for the rest of my life. For you
are my Abba Father, and I am your child,
surrendered to you, and poured out as a sacrifice
to your service. Save me and I shall be saved,
heal me and I shall be healed. You are my God,
and nothing that comes against me shall prosper.
This is the heritage of those who love thy name.
Amen and amen.

remember
Only one life, will soon be past
Only what is done, for Christ will last