Category: Faith Fix

In Self We Trust? (ATP)

It’s not that I don’t believe or trust God and His word but I don’t believe or trust myself to do the things right that I need to to make the word work for me. When I don’t see things come to pass I wonder where I missed it.

Hebrews 6:11-12 (NKJV)

And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

One thing in my experience that I have noticed is that rarely what I have “believed” for has come to pass instantly. I’m not saying that God never brings things fast, it just isn’t my usual experience. I believe this is because God desires us to find contentment in Him and not in getting what we desired.

Standing on the Word produces in us a certain wherewithal that makes us better at dealing with adversity. We see this truth reflected in John 20:29. It reads, Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” There is something real precious to God when we trust Him simply because He said it. The Bible never promises us instant gratification. In fact, the only instant truth I’m aware of is that of salvation. However here is an interesting point: at the reception of salvation, all the saving we will ever get has already happened. Therein lies the faith! 1 John 5:15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

We don’t earn salvation or anything that comes with it. Remember, Ephesians 2:8 tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” You obtain it through faith, yet your goodness or ability has absolutely nothing to do with it. Just your believing does! Do you believe God’s word? Many will say yes kind of as a blanket but don’t really dig into it to truly see. People will say I believe this but not that. You cannot pick and choose! It is either truth or it is not, it cannot be both!

Now I say these things not to knock you down and prove you have no faith. I say them to get you to refocus your faith. You don’t have to trust yourself, you shouldn’t trust yourself, you absolutely cannot trust yourself! So stop trying. God never said have faith in you, He said have faith in God! Remember what Jesus said in Mark 11:22? So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.”

Another thing I want to say is that you do not have to make the Word work for you. That would put the ball (the works) back in your court. The Word works despite you, despite me, or despite anyone… even Jesus. Wait! What? That’s right, that was not a typo. The Word works even aside from Jesus! Now, let me explain. John 5:19 says, “Then Jesus answered and said to them, ‘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.’” Do you think it was an accident that things worked this way? Jesus did things like this to show us, we are not the key factor, trust in God is! How perfect is that?

One of the greatest hindrances to our faith is learning to let go of us. This is precisely why we are directed to crucify the flesh. The flesh has been corrupted and therefore no longer desires to do God’s will. It only seeks to please itself. When we recognize that, then we can start letting go of it and truly live for Him. God saved us when we were at our worst. Don’t try and bring the Word down to you, let the Word bring you up to Him! The Word works, every time, we just need to believe it!

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff

The Spirit Says What? (ATP)

Does the Holy Spirit communicate with us differently than God? How so? Sometimes I think I hear directly from God, or feel the Holy Spirit nudging me to do something.

Sometimes people get really confused with the whole Spirit part of God. We often way over complicate this experience. People are also often deceived into thinking that their thoughts or desires, because they come from the inside and feel good, are God speaking to them. I’ve heard so many times, God said this or God said that. Often the claim is made and I know it was never God. How can I know? It is because I understand the Word. So let’s bring some balance to this.

Let’s first address the question of Who is speaking to us. The primary way I believe God will speak to us is His word. 2 Peter 1:19 in the Wuest An Expanded Translation says, “And we have the prophetic word as a surer foundation…” The prophetic word is the written word of God. An incredibly important verse for people that are being led by the Spirit is found in 1 John 4:1. It says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” How do we test the spirits? Simple, the surer foundation that is the Word or our Bible.

This is what we must understand about God. He is not a god of confusion. Jesus only did and said what He received from the Father. Likewise we are told in John 16:13, “…the Spirit of truth… will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak…”. This is the Holy Spirit. He relays only that which comes from the Father. In 2 Timothy 3:16 we are told all scripture is God breathed. The conclusion we can then draw is, if it’s God it comes from one source but through various methods. The Father is always the source, the method can vary.

Now, what about understanding the method? The Word is easy, that is already written. Whether by the Words of Jesus or by the prophets we have God’s word and we can be sure of it. But then there’s this spirit thing, what do we do with that. John 16:13 tells us that the Spirit is the spirit of truth. We know God’s word is truth, so we can then understand anything the Spirit says to us WILL ALWAYS line up with the Word. Notice I did not say our interpretation of the Word, but the truth of the Word! You can manipulate the truth and make it say what you want and many people do. That does not make it truth and there is no justification in that. The Word is meant to change us, not the other way around.

Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” and this is how the leading of God works. Sometimes, and it’s extremely rare, we can hear God’s voice. I say it’s extremely rare because God’s chosen method is “an inward witness.” People who talk about how much God speaks to them are generally in error. Often these people have extreme areas of life that are messed up. I know this, if God is speaking to you verbally so much, He’s first going to be dealing with the sin you embrace!

I try to never say, “God said” though sometimes I slip and do. I try to use words such as “I heard in my spirit,” or “I sensed” as these would be more accurate. The nudging you sense is not so much God speaking as it is Him bearing witness and that is exactly how God most often leads. We can interpret this as words but it’s really not. When this nudging is in line with the Word, not our interpretation of it, then God has spoken.

In closing I want to stress the importance of learning how God “speaks” to you. Learn how God deals with you by listening on the inside and comparing it to His word. As you do, you will become increasingly accurate and effective in following His leading. He will guide you into all truth and you will be blessed!

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (ATP)

My sleep has always been plagued my entire life – not able to fall asleep, can’t stay asleep, wake up frequently, and even when I do sleep I am haunted in my dreams by scenarios of doing wrong. I’ve tried “man’s medicine” and it has helped some, but I need to overcome this. How can I fortify myself against these attacks each night before I lay down?

This is a good question and one I’m sure has multiple people wondering the answer to. Sleep is an interesting animal. We need sleep, but more importantly we need restful sleep. Let’s look at Proverbs 3:21-24, “…Keep sound wisdom and discretion; So they will be life to your soul And grace to your neck. Then you will walk safely in your way, And your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.” Notice the beginning and the end of this set of scriptures. Keep sound wisdom, God’s wisdom and discretion, meaning purpose and intent. When you lie down you will not be afraid, but rather you’ll have sweet sleep. The number one way we will sleep sweetly is if we’ve laid down worry and picked up His wisdom.

The world gives us a whole lot to think about, worry about, and take cares over. It’s important that we do our part to cast these cares. 1 Peter 5:7, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” That word cast means to throw them onto the Lord without taking them back. We can say we’re doing this, but let’s imagine what this looks like in our daily life. What kind of home are we living in? Is it a place of chaos or a place of order. This matters. What kinds of things are we watching or listening to before we go to bed? We’ve known children tormented and haunted in the night by nightmares only to find out the dark and demonic movies and video games they are filling their time with. How have you been living and following Jesus? Anxiety will often accompany things we know to do and don’t, or things we know not to do and do. The Lord calls us to examine ourselves. This goes hand in hand with casting our cares.

We’re also probably familiar with Philippians 4:6-7, which reminds us to, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” That word anxious is key. We may not think there’s anything wrong. We may think we’re in faith and at peace but there’s something that has us anxious on the inside or stirring in us to the point of affecting our sleep. The Bible here says that the Lord will guard our hearts and minds. He does that through His Word. Look at verse 8, 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.” It’s our part to fill up on His truths and with His truths He’ll show us the path to peace.

John 14:27 says, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

His peace is for us. His peaceful sleep is included in that but it’s our job to position ourselves in that place. Examine our life. Is it conducive to peace? Examine how we go to bed. Is it in a place of being filled up on the right thoughts? Correcting these two things will help us all have more restful night sleep.

Be Blessed,

Pastor Renée

 Stable Ground (ATP)

1 Corinthians 10:13 in the Amplified Bible talks about temptation. It says God will not let you be tempted more than your ability to resist and he will give you a way out. When I read this I thought it meant God is letting me be tempted by the world, by people, by whatever is tempting. So does this mean that I’m not going to be tempted by anything that I easily can’t resist?

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV) says, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

Now with this question I purposely referred back to a standard translation and not the Amplified version. The reason for this is because though the Amplified is a great study tool to help assist us in understanding the Word, it is very wordy and can also be distracting at times.

The word temptation here literally means an experiment, an attempt, a proving, an enticement to sin. I think it’s important to understand this as we get into this because knowing what it means helps us know what it does not. This is an important translation tool for scripture. We understand through study of the Word and a relationship with God that there are different reasons people sin. There of course is temptation that comes at us that we cannot avoid. There are temptation and trials of the flesh, the strength of which can vary depending on the individual and what they are easily tempted by. There are also different reasons for the temptation and trial. Sometimes it is because you are just being tried by the devil, to see what your faith really is, and God may allow it. This is the category that I believe this scripture is referring to. The question comes up then, but why would God allow this?

We have to remember an important truth, although the world operates according to certain parameters which God set up, He is not manipulating and controlling every event. In fact, God’s influence only really happens when people ask Him. Now there is a lot of teaching in that, which would make another great Faith Fix, but we have to stay on subject today.

I want you to look at it this way, if you were hiking and came to a rickety looking bridge which spanned a creek, would you just run out on it? Not if you were smart! You would perhaps step out lightly with one foot, slowly applying pressure. Why? Because the bridge has not yet been proven. Your faith is the same, until it’s proven, it’s shaky at best. God desires that we have the “assurance” of faith. The only way that can be proven is to test it, not for Him but for us. He already has all the faith, so we are the ones in need.

God allows us to be tested, not because He needs to know but because we do. Now the devil is the reason we need to know this faith, because he is the one constantly trying to rob from us. The thing we can have peace in is the fact that God has placed limitations on these trials, that though they can push us to the edge, they cannot push us over! Glory to God!

Now, this leaves the other side of this question that was not asked but I believe we need to know. I said earlier, there are different reasons for trial, and now I’ll present another. The other side of this is self-inflicted trial. This is a different category and one I do not believe is covered under this section. Take for example a person who is addicted to drugs. The idea that, “God will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able”, I do not believe still applies. This is not a trial or temptation from an external force trying to test your faith. This is trial that is self-inflicted, brought on by your choice. In these circumstances, the same limitations do not apply because this is an individual decision. This is the person running full speed at the rickety bridge, not even considering whether or not it will hold. People often do this, and only consider God when they are in the midst of falling because the bridge wasn’t tested.

Faith can overcome all things, but faith isn’t for erasing some stupid action, it is preparation and protection ahead of the situation. There are certainly instances in life, where man has transgressed, and it has brought them to the place of no return. Faith, in these times, will not always save them.

There is a lot to how things work and the devil always tries to manipulate us in areas where our knowledge is weak. This is why we need the local church. Christians who are separated in this manner are Christians on unstable ground by themselves, and they wonder where God is when they fall. The truth is God was trying to keep them from falling ahead of time.

To sum up this Faith Fix, yes there are times you will be tempted but the temptation will not be bigger than your faith. God will teach you strength in these times. However, it is up to the individual to study to know right and wrong, and to follow God’s Spirit so that you do not find yourself on uneven ground. Be stable in faith and trust your God! He will always see you through!

Be Blessed,

Pastor Jeff

Take Up Your Cross In Marriage (ATP)

How do I restore a broken marriage?

Marriage is such a precious thing in the sight of God. It is representative of His covenant with us. In fact, there is no greater earthly example we could glean from. How we view the marriage covenant is how we view our covenant with God. How we view our spouse is how we view Jesus. This should be our heart.

Genesis 2:24 says, “a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” This means that within the covenant of marriage, there is no separation. Literally two become one. Amos 3:3 poses an important rhetorical question, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” In a marriage if one won’t put down themself to become one with the other, it will never work. Another important scriptural principle is found in Mark 3:25, “if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”  Being at war with your spouse is like destroying your own flesh.

Similarly, when you accept Jesus as your Lord, receiving Him as Savior, you too become one with Jesus. The Holy Spirit comes to live on the inside of you. You are joined together. Warring against the spirit nature on the inside will not get you anywhere good!

Most Christians have a decent understanding of the “major” sins against a marriage. You don’t even have to be told that adulterous relationships are wrong or that domestic violence is wrong, for example. We must know that, it’s “the little foxes that spoil the vines.” (Song of Songs 2:15) It’s the daily interactions, conversations, and meditations we need to get under control.

Let’s look at what the Word calls a virtuous wife. Proverbs 31:10-12 (The Message), “A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds. Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it. Never spiteful, she treats him generously all her life long.” Wives, can your husband trust you? Your instant response is probably a resounding “yes!” but can he trust that you’re thinking the best, that you’re looking out for his best interest, that you’re not going to leave him high and dry? There’s more to trust than not telling blatant lies of having affairs. In the Amplified Bible vs. 11 reads like this, “her husband trusts in her confidently and relies on and believes in her securely.” Wives, put yourself in your husband’s shoes knowing the way you look, think, speak about, and treat him. Are you a wife to be securely and confidently trusted? Proverbs 12:4, “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,

But she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.” Wives, ask yourselves: what do I say about my husband? What do I think about my husband?  What if he did the same for me? What if I looked at Jesus this way? What if Jesus looked at me this way?

Ephesians 5:25-29 is instruction for husbands. It says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.” Look at verse 25 in The Message Bible, “Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting.” Husbands, are you in your marriage for you or for your wife?  Do you put her first or yourself first? Christ literally laid down His life for the church. Husbands are you willing to lay down your life for your wife? Too many husbands want to live like a bachelor, but those days are over! Husbands if you need to be catered to, you’re doing something wrong. Your hearts should be to bless your wives above yourself. Help around the house, put down the video games, stop being grumpy when you don’t get your way. Love your wife like Jesus loves you!

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 are the great love verses. “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Read that again even more slowly. I’ll wait.

If we want love, we must give love. Love isn’t our own definition of love. Love isn’t love. God’s love is real love and that’s what these scriptures explain. If you’re impatient with your spouse you’re not being loving. If you’re behaving rudely, you’re not loving. If your marriage is all about you and your “needs”, you’re not being loving. We could keep going. I’ve seen so many marriages fall apart for these reasons. It’s the little foxes that spoil a marriage. It’s unchecked strife over human imperfections that we’re unwilling to bear. What if Jesus discarded your salvation because you didn’t pick up your dirty socks? What if Jesus left you because you weren’t enough fun?  What if Jesus broke covenant with you because you grew older and weren’t as spunky, energetic, or interesting as you once were? Sounds silly, I know, but likewise Christians do these things to their spouses all the time.

If you want to be loved you must be loving. A good marriage takes both the husband and wife coming to an agreement that the other is more important than themselves. Jesus spoke these words and I believe they apply to godly marriage: Luke 9:23-24, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.” Self-preservation in a marriage will cause death of that marriage. Denying yourself to bless the other, that will cause life. The grass isn’t greener on the other side, the grass is green where it’s watered. Water your marriage, add the miracle grow, that is the Word of God, and see how it flourishes.

Be Blessed,

Pastor Renée

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