Transformers for God!

Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t be conformed any longer to the pattern of the flesh...but be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind."

It’s a decision, a choice that begins in your mind...and let’s face it… we need transformed minds!

Then guess what happens...Rom. 12:2 goes on to say that you and I will be able to test and approve God’s will for us. His good, pleasing,
perfect will!

What Paul is saying is that when your mind is right, when you believe what God has said and understand who you are in Him, then you will have the spiritual discernment to know what is right and will actually approve of it with your obedience.

That word "approve" in the Greek means to recognize as genuine upon examination.

Then, and only then, will our lives represent the Lord as they should.

Good - excellent, happy, joyful
Pleasing - Acceptable to God
Perfect - Mature

So, I am saying to you today, “Be Transformed!”

Are you EnJOYing your life?

Are you EnJOYing Your Life?

Is there joy in your heart today?

Are you living in it? What? The Joy of the Lord!!

Are you enJOYing your life?

I actually had this conversation this morning in prayer…

God is it OK for your people to enjoy their life?

Is it OK for us to have fun?

How about just being silly, laughing, chatting with friends?

What about taking trips, vacations?

Can we just sit and watch a movie?

Is it OK God????

And I know what I heard and felt from the Lord…

a resounding YES!!

God doesn't want us to walk around on egg shells, constantly afraid of doing the wrong thing. Motivated by false guilt of the expectations of people...We are FREE from all of that!

God wants us to enjoy our life...in fact, He’s called us to be a people of JOY!!

In fact several times in scripture God says that His desire is for us to enjoy long life.

It is God that richly provides us everything for our enjoyment...according to 1 Timothy 6:17

Back in Genesis we see that God created a beautiful planet, filled it up with animals and then He made Man and created a beautiful garden for him, gave him Eve, eat, live work walk with me in the cool of the evening...enjoying their life with God!

1 Peter 1:8 says, “We are filled with JOY unspeakable and full of glory.”

This passage means...you can’t put into words what God has done for you! - along the lines of the “beyond what we could ask or think from Ephesians 3 on Sunday.

Are you living in it?

Ps. 45:7 says, “God has anointed us with joy!”

Paul tells us that the Kingdom of God is, “Righteousness, peace and JOY in the Holy Spirit.”

It’s not just a state of mind, it is our identity, our inheritance, our environment...despite our environment…

James said, “count it joy”.

How do we do that, when it’s so hard at times...Remember that you WIN!! Remember that God has promised to fight your

battles for you…

In fact Ps. 47:5 says that “He Ascends in JOY!”

When we joyously, despite our view at the time, declare His promises for us with JOY, sing His praises...He Arises from His throne to defend us!”

This is what Nehemiah meant when he said, “The JOY of the Lord is your strength.” ROCK, Fortress, Shield!!

Yes, life is uncertain at times, it’s hard...but God is for us!

We do WIN, church...We will rule and reign with Him forever!

This life will end as we know it...Things aren’t always going to be this way…

We talk about end times, and I believe that we are certainly in that season of history...but as much as we see, we haven't seen anything yet.

This world is going to start looking a lot more Biblical, if you know what I mean, than how we see it right now.

So, what then...it won’t be about our happiness, brought about through things and temporal pleasures...it will be all about knowing where we are going, because of Christ!

Even creation knows this ultimate outcome...

The TREES sing with JOY

The Mountains Shout for JOY

We TOO are to sing, shout and Dance for JOY!

Dance…Uh, Pastor, I don’t really dance. Yeah, I noticed!

I’ve seen your white man’s over-bite sidestep...

Is that how you’re gonna dance in Heaven?

I don’t think so! I don’t want to wait until then to “bust a move!”

Hebrews says, Jesus, “for the JOY set before Him endured the Cross.”

Set before Him...in the Greek, means His DESTINY!

What was His destiny...To SAVE you and me! We are set free, and on our way to Heaven...that is cause for JOY! Amen?!

Living in the JOY!! Are you living in it?

If not, why not? Start today…

So how do we live in the JOY of the Lord?

J - Jesus...only in our relationship with Him do we move from temporal happiness to lasting joy. In His presence is “fullness” of Joy...at his right hand are pleasures forevermore...right hand is honor, power, authority, blessing.

O - Obedience—John 15:11 says, “Remain in my love, that my JOY may be in you and that your JOY may be complete.”

How do we remain in God’s love? One way is to obey!

If you love me, obey me! When I am disobedient to God, I am miserable. How about you? Are you living in it?

Y - YES and amen! - 2 Corinthians 1:20 says, “For not matter how many promises God has made, they are “YES” in Christ. And so through Him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

When we know and walk in the promises of God...we will live in the JOY of the Lord and our lives will bring glory to His name!

What are the promises of God? Are you kidding? Get in the “Good Book!”

So, we will enJOY our life when we …

Walk intimately with Jesus

Obey his commands...freedom from guilt, blessings of God

Say YES and Amen to His promises for our lives and walk in them.

So, you heard it here first...permission has been granted for you to enjoy your life!!

I Want to Know Him

"I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." Philippians 3:10,11

Today is the day to get serious about Jesus! We’ve seen too much of superficial, shallow Christians. God is calling His church to a “deeper walk”, to grow beyond our first love without leaving it.

Now, I would venture to say that this is what everyone of us wants...however, just wanting something doesn’t get it done. It does require desire, but it also requires a plan, discipline, doing your part, accountability to keep the path.

The emphasis of our world is to move faster and as a result we stay shallow, but my desire is to know Jesus more personally and intimately than I ever have. How about you?

So, we know what’s wrong, how do we change it? How do we become more intimate in our walk with the Lord? How do we truly "KNOW" Him?

Well, let’s look at what “intimacy” is… The state of being intimate, belonging to or characterizing one’s deepest nature. Intimacy is marked by a very close association, contact or familiarity. Relationally, intimacy is a warm and satisfying friendship developing through long association on a very personal and private level.

We can see that Intimacy is one of those things that is both the goal and the process. You have to be committed to the process in order to ever achieve the goal

.

You can’t just get there. It takes time.

I am challenged that in order for me to become more intimate with the Lord, it will require more of a disciplined walk . I want us to see that if Intimacy is the goal, the end, if you will... than discipline is the means.

Paul told Timothy in 1 Tim. 4:7, “Discipline yourself for the purpose of Godliness.”

So, then what is discipline? Chuck Swindoll explained it this way...“Training that corrects and perfects our mental faculties and molds our moral character. Discipline is control gained by enforced obedience. It is the deliberate cultivation of inner order.”

I love that… “Inner Order”. Is your life ordered? Is it balanced, solid, grounded? What are we doing to “cultivate” that?

When we are “ordered” on the inside, it really doesn’t matter what is taking place around us, we are “Deep” because we really know Him.

Blessings,
Pastor B

Pride before the Downfall

"His fame spread far and wide, for he was greatly helped until he became powerful. But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall." 2 Chronicles 26:15,16

Pride can have some very powerful and destructive consequences. Here we read that King Uzziah was very famous and doing great. In his popularity and favor, he even received the help of many nations. That was until his pride and power went to his head. It was this pride that led to his downfall, leprosy and eventual death.

If we are not careful, that same thing can happen to us. As we are serving God, he will bring great blessing and favor to our lives. We must always remember that these things are wonderful "gifts" from God and not something to boast about. Otherwise, the proverbial "script "can be quickly "flipped" and we find ourselves flat on our backs. As I always say, "God loves us too much to leave us the way we are."

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand that He may lift you up in due time." 1 Peter 5:5,6

Help me Lord to always keep my eyes on you. Help me to humble myself before I humiliate myself. I acknowledge that everything I have comes from you and I can do and have done nothing good apart from You. You are the source and the strength of my life...my trust is in You!