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Summer Time and The Living’s Easy

So often the summer season is a very bitter sweet time as Pastors. We love the beautiful sunshine like the rest of the world, but we also know what it means for the local church as a whole and also for many individual lives. Oh yes, summer time… picnics, putt putt, boating, vacations, late nights and open fires…these are a few of our favorite things. Summertime and the living’s easy! Or is it?

The worst D word for a Christian is DISTRACTION. And summertime seems to pull out all the stops in that area. Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV) says, “You (God) will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” One thing we notice during the summer months is quite the opposite of peace. Instead, it seems good-hearted Christians struggle with anxiety, lack, depression and the like, and there’s one major factor in it all. It’s distraction. Christians are too busy having fun to think about God. Christians are too busy with recreational spending to put God first in their finances. It seems the pull of the world wins out against the pull of the things of God, especially in the summertime. But notice what the Word said in Isaiah, as we keep our mind stayed on God, we keep peace in our lives, perfect peace, God’s way. 

Galatians 5:22 (NKJV) takes this further saying, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.” When you spend time with God, when you base your life on spiritual things, these are the byproducts that come along with it! If you’ve been experiencing the opposite in your life, you’ve got to ask yourself, how much time have you been spending with God? You can do an assessment of your life very quickly and discover the answer to this important question. Have you been walking in love and kindness with your family? Have you been patient with your spouse and colleagues?  Is there peace in your home and throughout your day? Have you been faithful to come and to serve in your local church or has summertime made you less faithful? Yes, the devil uses the distractions of summer to keep Christians out of the highest and best that God has for them, if we choose to let him. 

Look at Romans 14:17-19 (NKJV), “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.” Let’s not pursue a life that only revolves around the natural realm, what we will eat, what we will drink, how we will earn money, how we will buy our kids clothes, how we will go on vacation, etc. As we focus on God, all things we need will come to us (Matt. 6:33), and we will walk in peace and joy, which is what God considers acceptable. We should likewise consider it unacceptable not to live in joy and peace as we’re commanded to do in scripture. Pursue the things which make for peace. Pursue the things which edify and build up your life and the lives of those around you. Stop allowing that nasty D-word to rule your life. Amen?

Be Blessed,

Pastor Renée 

Resistance Is Not Futile

James 4:7

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

The greatest fight you will ever fight in life is what the Bible calls the good fight of faith (1Timothy 6:12). That is, trusting God’s Word no matter what life throws at you, no matter what attack comes for you. That is, staying in the realm of knowing what God said is true no matter the opposition you are currently facing. The purpose of every attack is to remove you from that place of faith (the place of trusting God) so that you will falter in your foundation. The devil knows that once he gets you into the place of unbelief, he has you trapped. This is why the trial comes. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith you cannot please God. The trial is trying to get you to believe all hope is lost. So much of scripture focuses on living by faith and the effects of not doing so. It is how God designed us to live and not just live, but to flourish. This is the trick of the devil, if he gets you out of faith he hinders your ability to flourish. 

A few years ago we went on a little road trip to buy some trees. Still a little too early to plant them when we arrived at home, I stuck them in our garage which has no windows. I kind of forgot about them for a few months and needless to say, they died. It wasn’t because they were unhealthy, or that they were from bad stock, but because I kept them from one of their most important needs, sunlight. I couldn’t call the nursery and complain because I refused to do one of the most basic things that needed to be done. What sunlight is to a plant, faith is to a Christian. Faith is what separates us from the rest of the world. Without faith we wither, powerless, with the rest of humanity. 

The Bible instructs us, resist the devil. He is going to bring his best and if you aren’t standing on the solid foundation of the Word, you will fall and great will be your fall. Resist the devil. This is a purposeful response to purposeful opposition. How do we resist? The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 10:5, “casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ.” The knowledge of Christ is the truth of the Word, above our thoughts, feelings, desires, or experiences. We have to cast these down, we have to not accept them as truth, and we have to resist the devil if we want him to flee. 

Resistance is a purposeful reaction. It’s pushing back, not accepting what is said, not succumbing to emotion. Will you stand against it? Will you determine that the devil is not going to win? Will you say yes to God and no to satan? Will you resist the devil? 

Like a fly buzzing around your head, just wishing it would stop gets you nowhere. The Bible says resist and so resist is what we must do if we want to see the attack thwarted. Resistance is our answer. It’s not always the fun thing to do but it’s a must. Sure you might not have chosen the opposition but that doesn’t mean you aren’t the one to deal with it. Trial is never enjoyable but the faith you build in the midst of it, if you choose right will stay with you forever. It sets you up for things that will try and take you out later. Like a person who trains for an event, when the event comes they are well able to overcome. Not everyone becomes a marathon runner because not everyone pushes back or resists when it’s time to train.

We don’t have to wait on God to do the thing He has already told us to do. You don’t need prayer when your answer is before you. Jesus said when we’re facing a mountain WE are to move it by what WE say and believe. This is faith and this is how we win. Not pleading, not begging, not shouting at God. If you want the prize, if you want the victory of life, then you must do the things that it takes to win. There is no other way. Resist the devil, he’s the one trying to stop you. Resist the devil and he will flee.

Hebrews 10:35-36 

Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff 

Be Good Ground

Matthew 13:3-9

Then Jesus spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

We see here there’s a sower and this sower sows seed. Some seed falls to the wayside. It becomes food for the birds. Have you ever heard the saying “food for the birds?” It means it’s dead. It’s useless. It’s gone before it accomplished anything. Some seed falls on stony places. It has enough soil to sprout, but the ground has no depth so it can’t get rooted and ends up scorched by the sun, again producing no fruit. Some seed falls among thorns. The thorns were stronger and they choked any growth that was there. But, some seed falls on good ground. Good ground yields a crop, some much more abundant than others. 

In this parable, the seed is the Word of God, the truth of the Bible. The soils in these scriptures are the different states of the human heart. The lesson in this parable is, that however faithful the pastor, and however truthful the message, the effect of the Word depends on the hearer’s heart. The Word is alive and powerful. When someone reads the Word and hears the Word, the Holy Spirit deals with their hearts and emphasizes what they need to hear, but if we won’t hear, heed, or follow what the Holy Spirit shows us through His Word, we’ll never produce fruit. This is why Jesus said, “he who has an ear, let him hear.” 

We see in this parable that only 1/4 of Christians actually walk in the blessing and plan God has for them.  Too many Christians are letting the Word of God go in one ear and out the other, as if it’s not their direction from God Himself. Too many Christians are letting the cares of this world and the distractions of daily life keep them from obeying God at His Word. Too many Christians are getting excited for the things of God, only until the trial comes and then they’ll quit.  But see, seed that falls on good ground has crop that not only springs up, but it increases and produces. 

You must determine what ground you will be. Mark 4:14 tells us that, “the sower sows the word.” If you’re not around a sower, that is a true Bible teaching minister, you’re not getting the seed sown into your life the way God intended. Let it be planted in you by the pastor God put into your life to feed you and teach you. Get where you can hear.  Then, I encourage you to not only be good ground for your pastor, but also delve into the Word of God on your own. Get it in you, so in you, that it’s not easily burned up, not easily devoured, and not easily choked out. Amen?!

Be Blessed,

Pastor Renée

Find Your Place

1 Corinthians 7:17 (NKJV) says, “But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches.” That word distributed means to be separated into parts. When you come to Christ, God has called you to take your place, the place where He called you to be. That includes the local church He’s called you to, the pastor He’s called you to, and the plan He’s called you to. We are members of this body of Christ, here to help get this mission, this great commission, accomplished on this earth. God has given us Jesus, allowing us to walk in the newness of life, making us new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). He also gave us pastors, found in the local church, for us to be equipped to go out and do the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12).

God wants us to take the place of the whole that He has purposed for us to take. 1 Corinthians 12:18 says, “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.” In every church, God has appointed the members. That means, that God has purposed for us to be connected somewhere, and that place is not up to us, but is up to Him. Many Christians will go from church to church to church, hopping around trying to find the church that appeases their interests most. What music style do I like best? What time of day or day of the week do I want to go? Which church has the best incentive program or the most free giveaways? We’ve had people stop coming to our church because they didn’t like having only three worship songs, but would have rather had double. We’ve had people that stopped coming to our church because they didn’t like that we dressed up too much. We’ve even had people who have stopped coming to our church because the people were too friendly here. We have to be careful that we don’t let the enemy convince us, through our flesh, to walk away from the place God has set us.

Look at Psalms 92:13-14 (NKJV), “Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God, They shall still bear fruit in old age;
They shall be fresh and flourishing.” The fruitfulness of our lives depends on us being in the right place. Remember what Matthew 7:20 (NKJV) says, “…by their fruits you will know them.” That word flourish means to produce abundantly. It means to blossom and to grow. Being planted in the right local church with the pastor God has called us to, will allow us to be equipped with peace, provision, strength, boldness, knowledge, integrity, good character, and all the qualities of Christ, which is what the world needs to see. This is the flourishing this scripture promises.

Our witness and our part of winning the lost for the Kingdom of Heaven depends on whether or not we get planted and bear fruit. When we won’t take our place in the body, instead of influencing people for His kingdom we will influence people for the devil’s kingdom. Oh, the devil loves when Christians are wishy washy and not following through with their faithfulness to God. This is a witness of weakness, not a witness of power. But when Christians actually get in the place He has for them and actually allow God to use them, where He sees fit, the power of God is made manifest and others will flock to that power.

Oh that Christians would see, there’s power in the plan of God for your life. Do everything you can to get to that place where you’re in the perfect will of God for your life. Once you find your place, stay there. Amen?!

Be Blessed,
Pastor Renée

Busy, Busy, Busy

Mark 6:31 (NKJV)
And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.

In Western NY, summer time is an interesting time. For pastors, it can be bitter sweet. Since summer weather only lasts for a few months, people will try to cram a year’s worth of stuff in that short time. It’s no wonder that people also start to neglect their spiritual life in this season. As a pastor, I am not immune.

Outside projects, vacations, barbecues and the like can get our attention very quickly. The Bible tells us that when you sow to flesh you reap corruption and when you sow to the spirit you reap life. What’s funny is that in our busyness, we forget this principle and only sow to the flesh.

Church was not created for God. He didn’t give us our pastor because He needed it. Matthew 9:36 says, “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” This is why what Christ did when He left earth was establish the church and give us the ministry offices or as the Bible says, gifts. Yes, the local church and your pastor are both gifts to you. I do not say this because I am a pastor. I say this because I have a pastor. I can connect every great blessing in my life to my pastor. It is the wisdom and feeding of the Word, and the anointing that God has placed on his life that keeps me from being weary and faint.

I preached a message recently that is the answer and help for everything that people face. The principles, all of which came from the Word of God, if put to practice, will give any person victory in EVERY situation they could ever face. That being said, only maybe two thirds of my congregation were there to hear it. The anointing that was in the service alone, not because I showed up, but because God did, would break any yoke of bondage that a person could carry. All that and yet the church was not close to full and the bulk of the reason was, the weather was too nice or people were too busy.

I have seen people who can miss three or four or more weeks of church and think little of it. They will inevitably be the same ones who will be struggling with something in the near future, not knowing what to do, and the whole time, God showed up every Sunday to church to help them and to give them answers. They just weren’t there to receive it. These are people who just don’t realize the true importance of their church.

I am not trying to put condemnation on people saying, they can never miss a service. What I am saying is that people still think that going to church is a religious duty they do for God and if they do they get some kind of spiritual brownie points for it. Church was created to be a blessing and a help to you. This is the first place where God shows up. This is the place you will get the answers for your life. My family knows this and this is why we are always there. My family does not dedicate our lives to the church because we are in ministry. We are in ministry because the church, God’s people, and His plan are everything to us. This is God’s intent for every man, woman, and child in the entire world.

People want the blessing of God in their lives and they want God to show up when they need Him, but they don’t show up where God’s power manifests. God’s number one desire is to bless His people. You need to ask yourself, do I forgo His blessing because I’m just too busy?

Here’s the truth, people who aren’t going church are also not spending time in the Word and prayer like they should either. Don’t be too busy for God. Don’t neglect the very gifts that He gave you to be a blessing to your life. Get established, get planted in the local church because this is the only way your life can flourish. Stop making excuses for things that don’t matter and help yourself to the truth. God loves you, your pastor loves you, but neither can help you or be a benefit to you if you choose not to partake. Stop letting things that don’t really matter order your life and start letting God. After all, He always knows what’s best for you.

Psalms 92:13
Those who are planted in the house of the Lord,
Shall flourish in the courts of our God.

Be Blessed,
Pastor Jeff

True Righteousness

God is righteous. Psalms 145:17 (NKJV) says, “The Lord is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works.” Righteous means just and right in conduct. God is righteous and just in all He thinks, says, and does. He’s right in ALL His ways.

The Bible says that if we say we abide in Him, we ought to walk just as He walked. (1 John 2:6) The first part of Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV) says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” If we want to be righteous and walk in the righteousness of God, the way He walked, we’ve got to think how God thinks.

Romans 12:2 (NKJV) gives us very important direction, “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” The perfect will of God is that we would walk just as He walked. Look at Psalms 106:3 (NKJV), “Blessed are those who keep justice, And he who does righteousness at all times!” It’s going to take the renewing of our minds in order to keep justice and to live righteously.

Righteousness, right doing, justice in word, thought and deed, matters to God. Psalms 5:12 (NKJV), “For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.” Remember, in the Old Testament, the Lord delivered Noah and His whole family because Noah was a righteous man, who walked with God. (Gen. 6:9) Our blessing and the blessing of our family depends on whether or not we will walk in the righteousness of God. Remember back in the beginning chapters of the Book of Daniel where he and his three friends refused to defile themselves and walk unjustly while taken captive in Babylon? God delivered them from the hand of the enemy and from the fiery furnace meant to destroy them. The Bible is filled with examples like this, where righteousness is what saved someone’s life!

I love Matthew 5:6 (NKJV), “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.” I want what God wants. I want to know how to live better. I want to know when I’m wrong. I want to know when I’m off course. I want to be correctable. If the church doors are open, I want to be there to be fed by the Word of God. Let me sit up front, let me get in line first, let me get full! I want what God wants! I’m hungry. I’m thirsting for righteousness. Because of this, I will be filled. And, being blessed, according to this scripture is being filled. Being filled means to have abundance, it means to be satisfied. This comes as we hunger for His righteousness. When we hunger to live right, when we hunger to walk in truth and justice, we will be filled in all areas of our lives.

In John 5:19 (NKJV), Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” This applies to us as children of God. Follow what the Father does. Walk in His true righteousness and be blessed. Amen?

Be Blessed,
Pastor Renée