Category: Faith Fix

The Thief Comes To Steal (ATP)

Luke 8:12, Mark 4:15, and Matthew 13:19 explain seed fallen by the wayside. All three say the word was sown in their heart, and that the devil came to take it, snatch it away immediately. Matt 13:19 reads, “When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom and does not understand it,” the Amplified reads, “understand and grasp it.” What causes the inability to understand? Is it an intellectual or mental inability of the hearer if the word is being preached accurately as written? 

Well, here is a question with a compound answer. Thank God the Bible is a book of principle given by precept and example. Although the Bible is absolutely truth, we have to remember that it is not just instruction, but instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). What’s the difference you might ask? Instruction is simply what to do whereas instruction in righteousness is how one is to be. Instruction in righteousness deals with the heart and not just obedience. You can be obedient, but with the wrong heart, and still not please God.

When we look at these passages concerning the “seed on the wayside,” we see an interesting concept in which satan is stealing the Word. The truth is, this happens in a variety of ways. Wayside literally means roadway. Whenever I see this in scripture I always think about the side of a country road. On the road we live on, in certain seasons you will see a variety of things growing on the side, things useful that you would even find in a garden, yet here they are unattended. Nobody is pruning, nobody is harvesting. These plants have the ability to produce, yet it always comes to nothing.

So this leads us to our answer, who’s fault is it, why is there no harvest? It could be found with the one who lost the seed to begin with. It could be because no one cared for it. It could be because no one harvests what is grown. See the reasons can be many but the problem is actually quite simple: this seed is just uncared for. Sometimes people sit in church distracted. Sometimes the preacher doesn’t care. Sometimes it’s because the person doesn’t take the time to know. We actually see these things, (not the failure of the preacher) even in Jesus’s ministry.

One example is found in John 6:61. “When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, ‘Does this offend you?’” They couldn’t handle the truth being taught and instead of trying to understand, they just got mad. I see this often in life. The Lord has shown me things for people, sometimes impossible things for them, but instead of embracing it, or seeking out the answer on how to do so, they just back off, full of offense. They go without, not because they can’t believe, but because they refuse to! They’ve been told all things are possible, yet they refuse to receive it.

God doesn’t want our ability to shine in life, so He isn’t leading us by what we can do. He desires that His glory be manifested in each life. The only way for that to happen is for Him to perform the miraculous in and around our inability. Wayside seed is simply seed that is not nurtured, it is uncared for. It is seed that has growth potential but because someone doesn’t take heed, it produces nothing.

We once had a couple in our church that, by their own admission, God supernaturally brought to us. Then after that, in the message I preached that week I spoke of things, personal things, not knowing why. Later I found out that it was exactly what they needed to hear. They got excited and filled with hope. They started coming, and listening and being part of what God was doing. However, the instruction they received was hard for them to hear, challenging them in ways they desired not to be challenged. I watched with sadness as they shriveled, eventually leaving the church. All the potential for a wonderful life, turned into valueless weeds and only because of neglect.

These scriptures are a warning to us, not to neglect or take for granted the Word God delivers to us. Embrace the truth because it is truth, or go without what only truth can bring. We have a duty to take care of the seed down in our lives. The Word is preached to be fruitful but uncared for, it does nothing. Satan will come and remove any trace to ensure believers fail. It’s not God’s will, but it happens all the time.

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff

Faith Fix: Don’t Open Until… (ATP)

How do I know what my spiritual gifts are?

Romans 12:6 (NKJV)

Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them…

It’s not long when immersed in churches like ours before one starts having the question, how will God use me? In fact, I believe that this should be the heart of every believer. Now you may notice (or maybe not) that I cut the above verse off. I did so purposely, and I think this a good jumping off point to build our answer upon.

A minister once answered me when I asked him about what “office or offices” he stands in, “I prefer to focus on the office that’s needed in the moment.” This spoke to me and still does today. The office or the giftings are important, however sometimes we place way too much emphasis on how we are gifted rather than why.

I am not suggesting that the person who asked this question is focused on the wrong thing, but this is a great opportunity to make sure to help keep a heart, or even all of our hearts right. What we are called to and what giftings we have to accomplish, are all important things, however it is really easy to start exalting man when we discover them. We shouldn’t start off seeking what God has empowered us with, but in the knowing that He has, and that in the right time we will start to understand.

When I first came into the Family Churches, I had a lot of wrong thinking. I was pretty sure I was a prophet, however I could barely tie my shoes. When we are young in the faith, these things, especially as we watch others operate in them, can be very enticing. If we don’t think right, we easily slip into error. Have you noticed when you first become aware that God has a plan for you it’s exciting, but it generally is also not revealed to you what that plan is? I think everyone reading this would say yes. Well God isn’t a fool. In 1 Timothy 5:22 Paul instructs Timothy, “Do not lay hands on anyone hastily…” What he is referring to is to not lay hands on someone putting them in the ministry. In 1 Timothy 3:6 concerning a pastor, Paul says they should “not (be) a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.” These are strong warnings that should be heeded carefully.

Whenever I hear of someone who God has revealed to them the fullness of His plan right up front and then they immediately go out and start prophesying great things trying to draw crowds, I have serious doubts to their “calling”. Why, you may ask? Because it’s clear according to scripture, God doesn’t do things that way. Even Jesus had to be proven!

We encourage every believer to serve in their local church and to do it with their whole heart. Don’t just simply give God a little bit when you have time, but seek out places where you can do more. If you really want to grow, look for places in your life where you can sacrifice in order to bless God’s church and His people. I have heard many “novices” over the years believe that they were called to ministry, yet they show up to church late, don’t show up at all, or have no desire to really promote God’s ministry. They generally won’t even faithfully serve where they are given opportunity. Do you want to know when you have served in “lesser” areas long enough? When you start in a place you don’t like but grow to the place where you would be sad to leave it! I always take note of how people serve. When I knew I was called to something (not even realizing what) I couldn’t stop being at church. I wanted to be a part of everything God was doing. My heart was for God’s work, where He called me to grow. If someone does not have this drive, I question whether there is even a call there or not.

Remember what Jesus said in Luke 16:12, “And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?” This is a profound statement, worthy of much consideration.  Now, I am certainly not trying to discourage anyone, but this brings me to my point. God has a plan for each of us, and that plan is fulfilled by His grace and our willingness. Both work together, for we are co-laborers with Him. The fullness of that plan will only be discovered as you walk it out.

As a faithful believer does even the most menial things, the Holy Spirit will speak to them. As we walk out the early stages of our faith faithfully, God will reveal greater things in every believer. One of the most wonderful things about it is this, it will become evident to all. In fact, I have learned this, in the faithful, as a pastor, I will typically see people’s giftings before they do. Is this scriptural? It certainly is! Again we look to Timothy. 1 Timothy 4:15 says, “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.”

So if you’re seeking what God wills to do through you, this is a good thing. Give yourself entirely to the place where God has planted you because that is the beginning of the plan. Just as you wouldn’t read a novel starting at the end, begin at the beginning. All His spiritual gifts grow out of this very place

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff

Stinking Thinking (ATP)

I grew up around a lot of negativity. In what I know about how the brain works, the more negativity you have around you, and the more negative thoughts you have you physically build neurons and pathways of negative thoughts. It physically changes your brain. I find that when something comes against me that I need to use my faith for I have this battle in my brain of all these negative thoughts. I continually cast them off and rebuke them. I speak out that my God is greater and He performs miracles but they keep coming at me. I feel tormented by them and I want them to stop.

Casting thoughts is an important thing, but casting must be done right. Have you ever seen someone fly fishing? It’s a type of fishing that is all about the cast and must be done in a specific way to be effective. So too we must learn to cast thoughts effectively. Let’s look at how we are to do this. Let me first say that I have learned this truth, Proverbs 23:7, as you think so are you. You are the product of how you think. This is proven naturally and scripturally, so we must learn more about this. When you are born again the rules to your brain change, but there are some things you must do to ensure this.

We get the idea of casting thoughts in 1 Peter 5:7, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” Your care, of course, would be the things that you think about continually. You can read these words and yet forget there is context. Let’s delve a little deeper. 1 Peter 5:5-7 says, “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” The steps to casting cares are as follows: submission, humility, patience, then casting. Without doing these things the casting will be pointless.

Are you submitted? Submission to God’s plan, submission to God’s people, submission to leadership are all very important aspects of life. Of course, there isn’t enough space here to go into all of these but we teach them constantly. Ask yourself, “Am I submitted to the word? To others?” Ask God to show you, and ask others who you know will tell you the truth. But here’s the key, be open to hearing even if it’s not what you want to hear. Now, of course, patience comes into play but this is based on what the thoughts actually are. Without specific knowledge of the thought that’s being cast down, it can be hard to instruct exactly what to do.

Another scripture along these lines is 2 Corinthians 10:5 which says, “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” And here is another part of casting, you must know what the knowledge of Christ is. This is His word. Romans 12:2 says to be transformed (or changed) by renewing your mind. Time spent with God’s word, embracing it and letting it permeate your mind is the only way your mind is going to be renewed. Negative thoughts are nothing more than an unrenewed mind. Let me give you an example.

Recently, while I was preaching, the Spirit inspired me to make this statement, “Dwelling on the past only keeps you in bondage, you cannot change what has already happened.” I knew as I was saying it that, though it applies to everyone, there was one person in particular who needed to hear it. As I finished saying it, I noticed the blank look on their face. They did not receive the help God was delivering to them! This person isn’t bad but like many others, so focused on something else that they couldn’t hear their answer. I have seen this so much in church while preaching. People so consumed with their sorrow they forgot why they were at church. If you come KNOWING you’re going to get your help, you will leave with it! All they had to do is recognize that what was being said was true, and the freedom from the thoughts would have begun. To renew the mind you must embrace the truth! How does this look? Recognizing that what is revealed is truth and refusing to think otherwise. You can cast a thought all day long but if you believe it, it will just come right back to you.

Years ago I decided in my heart that the Bible was ultimate truth. I did not at the time even know much of the Bible but I believed this with all my heart. That day I began a journey of freedom in my mind, free from wrong thoughts. Do I still think wrong? Certainly I do, but because I embrace God’s truth above my own thoughts, they cannot stay. I do not give them place. When I hear the truth, I rejoice. I rejoice because I know I have my answer.

In coming to conclusion, I want to reflect on your own question and reveal to you some flawed thinking. Not because I think you’re bad, but to help you think accurately. It’s a good teachable moment. Scientists may say a lot about how the brain works, but what they cannot tell you is how God’s word has the power to change all of that. If you believe that you brain is unchangeable because it has been formed already by life, then you will not be able to embrace the miracle of a renewed mind. You must determine, that it may have been true before but that was before you had the Word.

Only the Word of God can set us free. Until we believe that, casting thoughts will be nothing more than throwing a boomerang. Only things we give entrance to in our lives can gain access. Only things we embrace will determine how we think. To simply cast a thought by saying so is the same as sitting on the bank of a creek saying you’re fishing. No real casting has been done and so no real fish will be caught. When wrong thoughts come, you answer it with truth, His word is truth (John 17:17). Don’t just speak, speak the Word. When you do so, His thoughts will be your thoughts.

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff

Guilty By Association? (ATP)

Can your sins bring direct hurt to others? For example if someone in a family won’t do right or listen to God or that prick in their Spirit can that bring harm not just to that person but those close to them? Maybe God removes protection in an area of life because that persons not doing right by God but it’s hurtful to their family too?

This is a great question, one that I have had to learn as a pastor. The short answer to this is yes. Someone else’s sin can and will affect those around them. Take for instance a drunk driver. If they got into an accident and someone was killed, that would be a very obvious example. Or let’s think about the parents of a child who abused drugs. They will also be greatly affected.

People so often forget that the things they do have a lasting effect, often times on those closest to us. When we sin, we open a doorway that allows the devil access to our lives and thus the lives of those closest to us. We live in a natural world with natural consequences. Take for another example a husband who is unfaithful. Let’s say this unfaithful husband gets another woman pregnant. He can be forgiven by his wife and by God but that doesn’t change the fact that a baby has been created. Is this some kind of punishment by God? Well, the answer to that would be, no. However, the birth of this child just created a whole new effect emotionally, financially, and perhaps otherwise that forgiveness isn’t just going to erase.

You could maybe come up with a million scenarios on this subject if you get a little creative. I’ve seen this pastoring too many times. Someone in the family doesn’t control the sin in their lives, and a family goes through hell, sometimes for years. There is some thinking surrounding this question, and it’s a real common thought process that we need to examine and correct. That is, does God remove protection, or will He punish all for one person’s sin. We need to stop seeing God in this light because it is plain wrong.

God is love. I want to show you a scripture we can take a lot away from concerning Him. 1 John 4:16 says, “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” This scripture reveals to us some often overlooked truths. First, God is love. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us all about love and what it looks like according to His standard. If this is God’s standard of love then He himself must also abide by it. Love, the Bible tells us always looks out for another person’s interests and yields to them. God sent us Jesus because of this love (John 3:16). We know that to access what Jesus did for us, WE MUST receive it. WE MUST choose to walk in it. WE MUST have faith in it. Notice all the we musts! It’s up to us to have what God has given. This brings me to the second part. The Bible says, he who abides. To abide is to choose to live, in this case to choose to live under God’s love which is also His protection. God does not just pull His protection out from under us, but when we live absent from it, we remove ourselves from it. We choose to abide somewhere else.

Where the parents choose to live absolutely affects the children. Where your spouse chooses to live will absolutely affect you. It isn’t if God’s doing, He’s given you the truth. This is why when one person in a relationship makes really bad decisions, the other spouse is forced to make a choice. If I continue with them, I abide out of God’s blessing. If I separate, then I can be saved. That is a hard decision, never to be taken lightly. That said, sometimes it is a necessary one to make.

Why is this? Well, 2 Corinthians 6:14 warns us, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” Remember that you choose who you are yoked to in most situations. Light and darkness cannot coexist. If you choose darkness, light by default will flee. Look at 1 John 1:5, “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” What we choose determines our outcome, not God.

The failure of Christians to embrace the truth of his has been the destruction of many people and many families. I’ve seen it. The fact remains though, that is not God’s doing. God’s sovereignty is not displayed on the earth, the earth is man’s realm. There will be a day when God says enough and takes it all back, and in that day our choices will all be finalized. So what does one do in this kind of situation? That’s the question you wanted to ask. The answer to that is going to be situation specific. The idea of making marriage vows that say, “for better or worse” are referring to things such as this. But what about children or other innocent bystanders. Children unfortunately, live the effects of the lives of their parents. Not because God doesn’t love them, but because they are under their jurisdiction.

To wrap this up, and surely this all will bring about more questions, I want to say that the Bible tells us the prayers of the righteous have great affect. God hears you. If you are in a situation that you did not create, His Spirit will give you the answer you need for your life. You have to be open to His direction because He will always lead us to victory. We have to be willing to follow, no matter where it takes us to, or at times who it takes us from.

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff

You Can Handle The Truth!

Do you know what the awesome thing about truth is? It’s true! It holds up to scrutiny. When it’s challenged, it always resurfaces.

Many people believe that the reason we believe the way we do is because we have been programmed to, whether it be externally or internally. The truth is, this may be true for many Christians. They believe because they were raised that way or told certain things. I know of people who fully believe they are Christians yet totally deny what it is to be one. How could you possibly be if you just aren’t? In my house we have always endeavored to not just teach that the Bible is true, but also why it is. This “why” that many believers are afraid of is a very important step in our faith.

Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with someone from a very different faith. They were very nice, somewhat knowledgeable, but also very naive. What I mean is, this young man had no real world experience and was therefore blind to some basic truths. I have learned over the years that there are two basic ways that you can learn about something, that is either by someone telling you, or by experiencing it on your own. I am not saying either is right or wrong because both have the ability to deceive, but I know this: anything that is true will still be true later.

An example of this is gravity. Gravity is a force we all experience, we are all affected by, yet we may not have full knowledge of it. Before people really understood it, there were ideas about it but those ideas were not reliable until they were proven. People have many ideas of truth but that doesn’t make them truth. We hear statements like “my truth” but can something that only seems true for one person really be truth? That is what used to be referred to as deception.

Hence the chaos of religion. People make claims based on what they have been told, based on culture, based on their experiences, based on what they think but none of these things make truth. Have you ever been sure of something only later to find out you were wrong? If you were honest, the reason is because you probably believed something without having all the facts. So how does one know what to believe? Whose doctrine is right? Let me first say what I’m about to say really only applies if you already believe in a Greater power. It’s a different conversation if you believe in nothing at all.  That said, what is true?

This first step to understanding truth is to realize that you, or anyone you know, doesn’t have the market cornered on truth. If you believe so you are already deceived and will be resistant to receive things that will challenge what you know. I love what Jesus said in John 14:11. “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.” In other words, even if you don’t believe what I’m telling you, believe the proof that is presented. God gave humanity this leeway into believing. God Himself did not expect man just to believe words, but facts. Anything I believe about God should be verifiable externally. God allows this because if something is not challenged then it can be manipulated.

I’ve heard many Christians from different faiths claim that their faith is based in the scriptures, then when presented with something from scripture that challenges them, out right deny it. That makes what they said originally not so true. Maybe their faith is loosely based in scripture, but is that a safe place to throw it all in? If the Bible is not trustworthy in one area, then it is trustworthy in no area. I am not saying that a word or phrase couldn’t be mistranslated or misunderstood, I am saying the foundational tenets of the scripture have to be truth or it all unravels. If you believe something to be truth while leaving other aspects of it out, you have formed an opinion about that thing. Opinions are not facts and change easily with cultures, age, genders, etc. Real truth remains.

Gravity works the same today as it did 2000 years ago, and so does God’s word. God’s word is very reliable but it is written in such a way that exceeds human thoughts and desires. We can surely understand it but we must look at it carefully to do so. Whenever I see error in Christian doctrine, it always comes down to someone filtering through their mind instead of God’s mind. A simple example of this is slavery which I recently wrote about. If you try to understand what the Bible says about this subject, only through your understanding of it, you will never understand context and will therefore probably think wrongly about it.

Fortunately, the most basic ideas of scripture are quite easy. God so loved humanity that was separated from Him, He provided a way to bring back that connection. We can argue many Christian doctrines but this one is undeniable. It may not change our final destination but it can certainly affect how we get there. We need to understand what we believe and also why we believe it. That understanding will strengthen you as a Christian and open doors of opportunity you would otherwise miss. You don’t have to believe me, but it is the truth!

Remember John 8:31-32, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff

Biblical Perspective Of Slavery (ATP)

What does the Bible actually say about slavery?

This can be a very broad question so I’ll answer it based on what people generally claim the Bible says about slavery, that God is somehow ok with it.

First of all, we must understand that people, especially those who try and discount our faith, tend to cherry pick the scripture. When they want to justify one wrong action, they will make quite ridiculous claims to back their agenda, usually based on accounts from scripture taken out of context. We must first understand the utter inaccuracy of this. This is not a new tactic, but one that seems to trap believers too often. People of faith should not be stumped by someone who does not know the faith, making claims by their limited knowledge. Christians, don’t be moved by what unbelievers think they know about your faith! Their thoughts and claims are absurd!

The Bible is basically broken down into two main parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. What we understand is that one cannot understand the Old Testament without the filter of the New Testament. Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.” What does this mean? It means that what came before was incomplete. Have you ever watched a movie with a twist at the end? If you didn’t watch the whole thing, you would miss some important things wouldn’t you? The Bible is the same. If we cherry pick scripture, we can make it say anything we want, yet that does not make it accurate.

Now you may think I’m stalling but I assure you I am not, which is actually my point. All scriptural questions cannot have a simple yes/no answer. Context, context, context! The Bible says a lot about slavery. There is a lot of discussion and direction that is not necessarily moral instruction, as is the case with many hard questions. To begin with, we have to understand that slavery is not a biblical concept in origin. It is a human thing. Politicians love to polarize things like slavery and make it about one race but the truth is, slavery has been a blight in all nations of the earth and has affected all races. Slavery still exists today but you rarely see  these political leaders that love to capitalize on uninformed people, dealing with it or even talking about it.

The Bible is not entirely the fulfillment of the will of God, but the account of God dealing with sinful people doing sinful things, and His plan of redemption for them. When God instructed people to do things in the Old Testament that seem strange to us, we have to remember the truth. That is, that there are histories, there are things going on, and there are cultures that we may not understand with simple surface knowledge.

Jesus said something very important in John 6:38. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” This truth tells us God’s intent, knowing that God does not change. Jesus came to give life and freedom to all who would come to Him, no exceptions. If we now read the Bible with that filter, we would instantly realize that God could not be for slavery. What does the Bible say about slavery? It says many things. What is God’s will concerning slavery? Let’s see Jesus’s own words… Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me

to preach the gospel to the poor;

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.” Notice two times in that one verse God declared He desires freedom for all people.

In closing remember there are people out there who will always desire to argue our faith without caring about truth. They will grab any opportunity to try and shake its foundation and will not listen to reason. Those people cannot be helped because they choose deception. We however can choose right. We have come to a God of love and mercy who desires to set all men free. Maybe most importantly from their wrong thinking!

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff