Category: Faith Fix

The Gift of Death

Genesis 3:24: So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

Death is a hard thing for many to understand. If there is a God, how could a loving God allow death? I tell you it is His love that allows us to die.

A mistake that many of the faith make is to look at life the way the world does. Enlightenment is a God thing, that is coming to the knowledge of the truth. Knowing the Truth helps you truly live. People who live based on their ideas never have hope and never find the answers. The Bible tells us that the Word of God causes peace. This is because not knowing the truth is what makes people unstable.
We see as we read through the beginning of Genesis the things God intended for mankind. He created the earth and all that’s in it before He made man. Once everything was already here, He made man and placed Him in the midst of everything he would ever need or desire. It was then commanded of us to be fruitful and multiply. God’s desire was that we would live in His perfect earth, enjoying all the days of our lives in His presence, which by the way, were intended to be forever. Everything was good for man. Yes everything was good indeed! There is no other conclusion one can come to as they read Genesis.

So when did this all change? It was the moment man sinned. Romans 6:23 says that “the wages of sin is death.” A wage is not forced upon you, it is what YOU earn. Along with physical death that word death in the Greek also means the miseries that arise from sin. Sin in the flesh, not God, created all the misery that we see on earth. We are now at a place where we see the result of thousands of years of sin perfecting itself on this earth. The earth was cursed because of sin, not God’s will. God intended man to live, thus is the reason He put a tree of life in our midst. The will of man brought forth sin.

We see however, once sin appeared, Man was banned from that tree so that the flesh would die. Why would God do this? God made man to live in perfection but our bodies were corrupted and consequently bound by sin. If God allowed man to partake of the tree of life, he would live forever in a corrupted fleshly body that would increasingly know the miseries arising from sin. It would grow worse and worse, binding us tighter and tighter.

God allowed death so that our bodies could be restored. Notice I said allowed and not caused. The Bible tells us that death is an enemy and a wage earned not an action of God. God’s intent is restoration. This restoration is freedom from sin’s bondage and the ability to once again revel in the splendor of the presence of God!

For the Christian, death is not and should not be a sad thing. Sure we will miss those we love for a time but Heaven is the promise we don’t just hope for, it is the goal we set our sights on. God in His mercy allows this flesh to die so that we can be joined again with Him, in a body that will never be corrupted. God loved the world so much, He allowed us to die, so we may be with Him. Live your life for the growth of His Kingdom. When your body dies you will receive the reward that He has waiting for you. Everlasting perfection in the presence of an everything God!

Be Blessed,
Pastor Jeff

Nothing New

Genesis 1:31-2:1
Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.

Our God is a God of purpose. When He does something, He is never surprised by the outcome. He has a plan and that plan has a purpose and that purpose is always complete at its completion. Recently, I posed a question in front of my church. Would you buy land and then just randomly build structures on it with no windows, no doors, and no purpose? The answer is generally, “probably not”. In fact, any successful property developer carefully chooses property, develops a plan with a purpose, and then executes that plan. Well, our God is the ultimate planner and developer. He is a God of purpose, on purpose.

I believe where many Christians fail is that they have no plan and no purpose. Often times if they do, it isn’t according to God’s plan and purpose. Psalms 127:1 begins by saying, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it”. The idea is that the plans of man will ultimately fail unless they are under His purpose. God created the earth to operate under His system, not ours. Now, it is true that He uses us, but He can only truly use us if we are submitted to Him.

People today generally do not like that idea of submission but it is God’s way. Even Jesus submitted His will and desire to God, the Father. Why is this, do you suppose? It is because God is a God of love and He knows what is best for everyone. We have to get over this idea that somehow following God is a lesser life. He started His great and mighty Word by showing us in the first chapter of Genesis that He would provide everything we could ever desire. He only said follow Him.
Christian, you need to get revelation of this: 1 John 5:3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome”. His plans are for our benefit, yours, mine, and everyone else’s, not withholding. God’s desire and intent is always good toward us and never evil and the closer we draw into Him, the more we discover this.

I wish I knew the things I know now when I was newer to the faith. I would have resisted less and lived in peace more easily. Our God is a loving Father who created us and everything around us out of His love. Sin tried to ruin it, but His love prevailed. Live for God and love for Him. His love will always lead you to a place of joy and a place of more.

Jeremiah 29:11 in the Amplified Bible says, “For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.”

Be Blessed,
Pastor Jeff

Get Wisdom

Proverbs 4:7 says, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom, and in all your getting, get understanding.”

Lately, I’ve found myself studying the wisdom scriptures found in the book of Proverbs and boy oh boy is this book wise! The pages of my Bible now look like a child has been coloring rainbows in them as there’s so much I’ve highlighted about the various areas of life. It’s important that we grab hold of this above scripture and understand the implications of it as Christians trying to follow Jesus.

That word principal means, the first order of importance, the highest authority, or the lead. We’re all familiar with this term principal as children going through our education. The principal sets the rules. The principal leads the school. The principal has the final say. Likewise, wisdom is meant to lead the life of a Christian.

Look at verse 8, “exalt her (wisdom), and she will promote you; She (wisdom) will bring you honor when you embrace her.” The true wisdom of God is the Word of God. Look at Proverbs 2:1-2, “My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, So that you incline your ear to wisdom…” Wisdom is the Word. Now skip ahead to verse 6, “For the Lord gives wisdom; From His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.” If we want wisdom, which is to be the principal thing, the guide to our lives, we must incline our ears to the Word of God, which is God’s wisdom.

When you look up wisdom in the dictionary, it means to act soundly, making sound decisions, applying experience, knowledge and good judgment. What better experience about how to live this life is there than from the creator of life Himself?

Recently, my husband has been having trouble with his Bose speaker connecting properly. We could stare at the speaker, throw the speaker away, use the speaker for a paper weight, or something else, but if we want that speaker to work properly, we need to go to the owner’s manual, created by the creators of the speaker, to find out how to fix the issues it’s having. Likewise, if we want to know how we’re supposed to work, how we’re supposed to fix things that are broken in our lives, we need to go to the owner’s manual, created by the Creator of us.

Again and again in the book of Proverbs, scripture after scripture reminds us to hear the instruction of the Lord, to receive His Words, to not let His Word depart from our eyes, to take firm hold, not letting it go, to incline our ears to His sayings, and to treasure His commands. Proverbs 8:33 says, “Hear instruction and be wise, and do not disdain it.” That Word disdain means not to consider it worthy of your consideration. Do we look to the Word of God, considering it first when making decisions in our lives? Do we put His ways above our own, using His good judgment? Proverbs 4:26 says, “Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established.” Let wisdom be the principal thing in your life and all your ways will be established by the One true Mighty God.

Be Blessed,
Pastor Renėe

The Privilege of Knowing Jesus

We’ve all seen or been involved in relationships where someone has been taken for granted, whether it was us or someone else. It’s a sad thing, but it seems to be a human epidemic. We may have spent less time with our grandparents than we’ve wished we would have after they’ve passed. We may have valued our parents and all they did for us as children a bit less than we should have when we were living under their roof. Whether in a marriage, in a friendship, or in another kind of relationship, we all know what this looks like. You’ve heard the saying, “you don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone.”

James 4:14 tells us a very important truth, “…you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” We have very little time on this earth in the grand scheme of eternity. If you’re a parent you know all too well how quickly the years fly by. It seems at times like a blink of an eye between changing diapers and teaching to drive. This is the picture of a vapor. Here one day, gone tomorrow. Because of this, we should want to make sure that we make the best of this life while we’re here.

Look at Philippians 3:8 in the Amplified Bible, “Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One).” The Apostle Paul had the revelation that he shouldn’t take Jesus for granted. He says here that everything else in comparison to Jesus is rubbish, refuse, and can’t even compare.

Even with modern medical science we still have less than 100 years on this earth, which compared to eternity is the equivalent of a week’s vacation, maybe less. Consider when you’re on vacation in a place you know you’re not likely to return to. What do you try to do? If you’re like me, you try to make sure you do and see everything that’s available in the short time you’re there. You don’t want to miss out on anything. Well, we’re not here on earth on vacation, but it’s such a short time. We don’t want to miss a thing.

Jeremiah 29:11 lets us know that God has a specific plan for each and every one of us and it’s a plan of hope and peace. God has given us the full ability and all the resources we need to accomplish that plan, in order not to miss out on a thing during our short time on this earth. It starts first with recognizing where our peace, where our joy, and where our hope begins. You don’t have to guess, it begins with Jesus! Let’s not take Him for granted.

Hebrews 12:1-2, “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Lets put aside the things in life that try to distract us away from giving Jesus our all. Let’s have no regrets when our earthly lives are over, knowing that through Jesus, we didn’t miss a thing.

Be Blessed,
Pastor Renée

Living & Abiding

A few years ago, I jumped on the bandwagon of these nifty little fitness trackers, starting first with the Jawbone Up App, then moving onto the FitBit. I found my competitive nature enough to stir me up to achieve my goal everyday, typically even surpassing it. I lost a lot of weight, I felt great, and it was all worth the while. But as a couple years passed by and it seemed all was well with my fitness goals, my esteem for the fitness tracker dwindled. At first it was unnoticeable but the longer I went, the more I noticed the effects of being away from it.

In John 8:31-32 (NKJV), Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” A FitBit only works when it’s actually used, when someone actually makes lifestyle choices in line with its guidance. Likewise, the Word of God only works if you work in line with it, meaning if you actually make lifestyle choices in line with His guidance. A person can’t get mad at the FitBit that they stopped paying attention to when their weight comes back. A person can’t get mad at the Word of God when they aren’t seeing the blessings promised within it, if they’re not abiding in and living according to it.

To abide means to stay, to dwell, to continue in. If you continue in the Word of God you will have the truth operating in your life. If you have the truth operating in your life it means you live in truth, you walk in truth, and truth guides everything you do. That truth leads to complete freedom from sin and from anything that will try to keep you under in this life. Unfortunately, often times Christians will get the result they were looking for whether it was healing or a spouse or a job, and then as time passes they forget the success they’ve had and revert back to their old ways of doing things. When we revert to our old lifestyle, we won’t have the benefits of that new life.

My fitness tracker tells me I should walk. Do I walk? My fitness tracker tells me I need to drink more water, do I do it? My fitness tracker tells me I’m not sleeping enough, do I go to bed a little earlier? We’re not just talking about fitness trackers, but about keeping track of whether or not we are abiding in the Word of God.

The Word says to come to church, not forsaking the assembling together of the brethren (Hebrews 10:25). Do I actually make that a priority in my life? The Word says to make your requests known to God, to pray to Him, to fellowship with Him (Phil. 4:6). Do I actually spend time doing it? The Word says I should be tithing (Malachi 3:10) and giving, putting the kingdom of God first, not worrying about my own things (Matthew 6:33). Am I always focused on me and mine? The Word says to speak to the mountains in my life, by faith, and they will move (Mark 11:23)! Am I actually using my faith and my authority in my everyday life or am I living defeated?

See the FitBit will track my physical fitness, but if I don’t pay attention to it and actually try to live in line with it, it’s not tracking my success, it’s tracking my failure. Likewise, the Word of God will track our spiritual success in this life, but if we’re not living and abiding in it, it’s not tracking our success, it’s tracking our failure. Let’s not live apart from the Word. Let’s let the Word dwell in us richly. Let’s let the Word be our guide. Amen!?

Be Blessed,
Pastor Renée

Be Hungry

It’s that time of year, the holidays, where families and friends come together to share in times of fellowship and in my personal favorite, times of great food. Since we’ve been married, the holidays have become a time of double dinners, if you know what I️ mean, my family dinner, then my husband’s family dinner. And if you’re like me, you may show up to the first dinner hungry and wanting to be first in line for the buffet because you’ve been starving waiting for that meal all day. But by the time I get to that second dinner, later on, I’m not as hungry. I’m often not hungry at all, so getting in line isn’t very important to me.

We’re not talking about food today, really. This is an illustration of Christians. Matthew 5:6 tells us, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.” We have to be careful as Christians that the hunger we experience when we first come to the table, when we first come to the Lord, isn’t weaning, and doesn’t fade away. Thankfully, being filled spiritually isn’t the same as being stuffed full of awesome Thanksgiving food, as there’s always room for more filling in the things of the Spirit. If we’re not hungry, we won’t want to be fed. And we know from Deuteronomy 8:3 that, “…man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” We should continue to be full, which requires us to continually be hungry.

Back to those great holiday meals…again, if you’re like me, it doesn’t matter if you’re already stuffed full, when you smell that awesome pumpkin pie, you’re all of the sudden hungry again! You want it and you will make room for it. We know by experience how good that homemade pie is and that experience causes us to hunger when we weren’t even hungry before. Psalms 34:8, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.” Just as we can stir that hunger in our appetite for delicious dessert, because we know how good it is, we can stir ourselves up likewise in the things of the Word and Spirit. We can choose to be hungry! We can make room for the things of God, if we choose to. We do this because we know how good He is! Let us taste and see that the Lord is good and let us hunger for righteousness.

Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first the kingdom of heaven. You know, children have it figured out pretty well. They’ve figured out how to be hungry just for the good stuff. Have you ever noticed that? They want to skip right to the good stuff and forget all about all that other stuff! We could learn something about our spiritual eating habits from our kids. Saving room for the good stuff, saving room for the things of God. So how do we do this? We put the things of the world down to go after the things of God. We can make sure we save room in our schedules for God, for church, for prayer, and for studying His Word. If we’ll make room, we’ll have room for the good stuff!

Be Blessed,
Pastor Renée