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Planted For Growth

Look at what the Word says in Psalms 92:13-15,“Those who are planted in the house of the LordShall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing, To declare that the Lord is upright…” What does it mean to be planted? To plant is simply to put into the ground or into soil so that it will grow.We know through implication here that it matters that the soil and conditions of the ground must also be good for nourishment. To be planted means to grow roots into the ground and to get set somewhere meant to be stayed there. Planted here is a verb. It denotes action. Christians must choose to be planted and stay planted in the place God called them to be if they expect to truly flourish in life.

What does it mean to bear fruit? It means to see provision where you need provision, to walk in peace and joy, to have strength where you never did before, to have health in your body, and to walk in all the other wonderful promises of God in your life.

I remember one time we decided to put a little plant in a really shallow antique vessel of sorts, actually it was a cast iron ladle that was hung from our porch. At first it was really pretty, something you could have seen on Pinterest. But, because it was too shallow, it never had a place to establish any roots and the wind would knock against it, plus animals would interfere with it, and it ended up succumbing to the opposition so to speak. Christians who won’t let roots be established by being planted where God has called them will always eventually succumb to the opposition. What was once beautiful and full of potential will become dried up and unable to produce anything good.

Instead, Christians are meant to bear fruit into old age, staying fresh in their walk with God, always in a place where they can grow. And I love what verse 15 says, it matters so that we can declare the uprightness, or goodness of the Lord. That dead plant never blessed anybody. But a plant that’s alive…oh there’s a huge draw to that! Think about the agricultural industry, greenhouses, florists, and nurseries. People are drawn to living, beautiful, flourishing plants. Naturally, people spend a lot of money for these things.

Most of us are familiar with John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” But notice the verse right before it, John 10:9, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” What is the thief trying to steal? He’s trying to steal your pasture, not just with Jesus in Heaven, but the pasture of your local church and pastor. What this means here is that the devil is after our life-giving feeding. He’s out to remove you from the safety and pasture of the Lord, and one of the main ways he will do that is by convincing you to be uprooted from the place God has called you to be.

Matthew 9:36 says, “But when He (Jesus) saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. The heart of the Lord is for you to find pasture and to be planted there so that you will grow and flourish, even into old age. Look at 1 Peter 5:8-9, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” Let’s be doers of the Word, amen?!

Be Blessed,

Pastor Renée

Casting Cares

As a mother and a wife and a pastor and all the other hats that an individual wears, there’s a real battle not to be distracted and worried by all the goings on of life. It’s almost engrained in us in society that we take caring for someone to be synonymous with worrying about someone. I love what Matthew 6:27 (NKJV) says, “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” This isn’t just a principle for ourselves, in regards to our own trial, but it applies to us worrying for others as well. How is worrying about the people we love going to add anything to their life? How is worrying going to take them higher? 

Our children, our spouse, our parents, our friends, all need our prayers instead of our worry.  Ephesians 6:18 (NKJV) says we ought to be, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.” Do you think those close to us could be included in that? Why do Christians pray for strangers, but worry for their loved ones? And why are we so often praying faithless, doubt-filled prayers if we even pray at all? 

Remember 1 Peter 5:7 (NKJV), “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” That word care means anxiety and it means worry. The Gospels called the cares of this world thorns and I know this, a thorn never felt good and never helped anybody. Our job as Christians and our job description as parents, pastors, friends, spouses, and the like, is to cast our anxiety on God. When someone you love looks like they’re headed for shipwreck, instead of crying and fretting, go to God. When you go to God, let Him know you trust Him to help them and to help you know your part in helping them. 

We’ve got to put on the armor of God to keep our heads sober and we’ve got to keep our heads sober if we’re going to resist the devil. If we don’t resist the devil, he won’t flee. So cast your cares on God, no matter if they’re for a stranger or for someone you love. Your faith will help them, and you, so much more than your worry. 

Be Blessed,

Pastor Renée 

Faith Fix: The Benefit of Spiritual Thinking

Romans 8:5 (NKJV)

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, the things of the Spirit.

With God there are no questions, only answers. Whatever questions we have only surface as a result of living in a world that largely does not know God. This applies to God’s own people, and sometimes even myself.

I am endeavoring some things as a Christian. Not as a man, a pastor, a father, a husband, or a friend, but as a child of God. I want, with as much as I know, to know Him more, to hear Him more. The desire of my heart is to have an intimate relationship with my Heavenly Father.

We are all in a similar predicament. We are born into the flesh, in a world that teaches us from the onset to please the flesh. God has left something in all of us however that draw us to Him. It is the fundamental desire to be connected with Him. No matter what we chase after and obtain, we will always be in need of God. The truth is though we can suppress it to the point that we don’t even recognize it. My God, I want more!

I remember a time when all that I sought was material. It was the focus of my life. Deep inside, however, I always had a yearning for Him. As I have grown in the faith I find myself putting down more of what doesn’t matter and craving more and more the only thing that does. Many people are after the same thing but they stop at their feelings. I don’t want what I feel because I have discovered that my feelings betray me. What I want is a real, deep, and permanent connection to Truth. 

I am learning to set my mind on the things of the Spirit. That’s where real fullness lies, caught up in His Spirit, exactly where we were made to be. Many people live just trying to discover their purpose. Well, the Bible tells us clearly what that is. We should know our purpose is wrapped up in Him. The only thing we need to find is how we connect to Him. The Bible says to seek peace and pursue it (Psalm 34:14). It also tells us His name is Peace. Well, there you go. There is your direction. And mine! Seek Him, pursue Him, and get what you’re really after!

Matthew 5:6 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff 

Disconnect Distraction 

Colossians 3:1-2, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Have you made Jesus the Lord of your life? Have you believed on Him for salvation and for your entrance into Heaven someday? If so, our life is meant to reflect that. We are meant to seek and live after the things of God, not the things of this world. 

Too often the body of Christ is distracted by everything they have signed up for out in the world.  By work. By recreation. By relationships. By tickling the flesh with things like social media, tv, sports, and etc. Romans 8:6, “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Anything done more often than spending time with God will become a liability to you. That means it’s likely that it will end up putting you at a disadvantage. It’ll end up stealing from your life. It’ll end up setting you back while all the time you thought it was getting you ahead.  Now, I’m not saying that we don’t have to work or don’t have to function in this world, but our hearts and our thoughts should be focused on God as we go throughout our day, even while at work, even while running errands. 

In Luke chapter 8, we see the parable of the sower. The Bible says the sower sows the seed, which is the Word of God and only some Christians actually take that seed and let it grow in their lives to full fruition. Look at verse 14, “Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.” Thorns are distractions. These Christians are choked by the cares of life. These are the Christians who take hold of the Word, understand the Word, might even begin being a doer of the Word, but they let everything else come before the things of God. They allow all the thorns trying to steal their time, trying to steal their attention, trying to tempt them with the way the rest of the world lives, to come in and choke the truth out. Often times, the devil doesn’t even have to tempt you, you just have to care too much about your daily life and responsibilities that you don’t think about God. These Christians, according to the Bible, bring no fruit to maturity. The seed of the Word of God never grows in their lives. 

Distraction keeps us disconnected. Distraction is dangerous. Recently I shared a statistic with our church that 25% of deaths related to car accidents were a result of distraction. It didn’t matter whether the car had great safety features, the driver was a skillful driver, or the road was paved for a smooth drive. A distracted driver creates a dangerous condition. Likewise, a Christian could be well taught and equipped through a good Bible teaching church, they could own a Bible and all kinds of good scripturally sound books and CD’s, God could have the Jeremiah 29:11 path paved for them, but if they’re too distracted all that goes out the window. It creates a dangerous condition. 

We have to go beyond the superficial religious duties of just showing up to church, when we can make it. We have to start looking at God first, above all else, in our daily lives. Remember Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”  Trust God, follow Him, keep your eyes on Him, and watch what He does in you life!

Be Blessed,

Pastor Renée 

Playing the Part

Matthew 22:14

 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

… But some are chosen.

So often we focus on how God has used other people. We talk about Moses and David and Jesus and Paul, and of course, that’s right and good. However, sometimes we forget a really important piece of the puzzle. God always intended to use us, too. In fact, His intent is every bit as much in us as it was in them.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not claiming that our roles are all exactly the same or carry the same magnitude. What I am saying is that God has a plan, and His plan includes each of us. Since we are part of His plan, our part and how He connected us to it, is just as important. We choose the measure that we walk it out. Though we must choose, it is imperative that we first see.

We see in 1 Corinthians 1:26-27 something interesting. It says, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.” This fact often causes us to overlook completely the fact that God has important things for us to do. The weak, the foolish, they rarely see themselves as an important piece of the puzzle. I know because this was me. Humility is an incredibly important attribute that one should have. However, if we are not careful, false humility can take over and keep us from doing what we should. I am not advocating for people to try and build their own kinds of ministries, as often happens within the body of  Christ. What I am advocating is, seeking God, discovering what part we are to play and do that part with everything that is in us. To give ourselves fully to God’s plan as it pertains to us as individuals.

I see so often good Christians who never fully realize God’s plan for their lives mostly because they never fully realize God’s plan for their lives. Romans 12:6 says, “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them… “ We are all part of the Body of Christ and we all have some role to play. Like a natural body, it can continue to function even if all the parts are not functioning properly, just not as effectively as if all parts were working as intended. 

We want to be most effective, don’t we? In a society that is so self-centered, we need to break from those worldly ideals and return to God’s. We need to forget about us and focus on what we are to do. Fulfilling your purpose has so much more weight than finding your purpose. Don’t be like the world. You don’t need to find yourself, you need to find yourself in Him. Be the Body, be your part, and watch the overflow of fulfillment take its place in your life. It’ll bless others too!

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff 

Already Healed

Recently, I noticed many people around me dealing with cold and flu symptoms. If you’re like me, when you see the runny nose,  the sneezing and coughing, and the misery of the people dealing with those symptoms, your first thought is “oh no, I don’t want to catch it!” See, that’s a thought that’s fear based. We all fall into it sometimes, the thought that if someone sneezes on us or we have to sit next to someone dealing with a cold or flu, we better accept our fate, because we’re next. It seems normal, maybe somewhat comical, but the truth is that it’s a dangerous little fox. 

Now, fast forward a couple weeks and I find myself dealing with similar symptoms, runny nose, sore throat, and fatigue. I rebuked the symptoms in the name of Jesus, but I was dealing with the symptoms nonetheless. Now, I’m not saying that we should let people cough and sneeze on us and share a coke with a runny nose buddy, but there’s a real truth to allowing fear in and having fear’s outcome. Too often we will let fear in and then try to use our faith to clean up its mess, when it would have been better not to let it in in the first place. 

In Job 3:25, Job speaks about how the things he feared are the things that actually came to be. We can get to a place where we have more faith in what we fear than we have in God. The truth is though, if we want to walk in victory and health, we have to trust in God, not the natural, not those things we see and feel. We must live by faith, not by fear. 

Look at the event that took place in Matthew 9:28-29 (NKJV), “And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” These men received their sight, healed from their blindness not because they were extraordinary, but because they had faith! 

Look at the testimony of Sarah, who was not able to conceive a child without a miracle. Hebrews 11:11 (NKJV), “By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.” Sarah judged Him faithful! She had faith in His faithfulness and that’s how she was healed and made whole. 

Habakkuk 2:4 (NKJV) reminds us of this very important truth, “…the just shall live by his faith.” That word just means those who have become the righteousness of God, His children, and are joint heirs with Christ. There’s no other way to live than by faith. A life without faith is a life without the blessings God intended. 

We were called to spread the gospel, which is the good news. The good news is, we were already healed.  This is past tense, not future, not sometime later on. If you’ll believe, it’s NOW! Let’s be careful not to operate the way the rest of the world does and just chalk it up to being human. Let’s live by faith. Let’s thrive in faith! 

Be Blessed,

Pastor Renee