" DIFFERENT FORMS OF SUFFERING "

Welcome Aboard,

Today I'd like to discuss pain and suffering. Please take a moment and let's see if I can share something new with you. We all have been introduced to pain at some point in our lives. Those who struggle with pain, physical limitations, or disabilities can have wonderful hope in the resurrection. Some people will do almost anything to avoid pain. Now as Followers of Christ however, we should be willing and prepared to do God's will and to suffer for it if necessary. Sin loses its power to defeat us in our suffering if we focus on Christ and what He wants us to do.

When our bodies are in pain or our lives are in jeopardy, our real values show up clearly, and sinful pleasures seem less important. If anyone suffers for good and still faithfully obeys in spite of their suffering,now this person has made a clean break with sin. OK, let's go in a different direction now, how painful are honest words? We must be mindful that words can hurt and sometimes we must be brutality honest. Please understand the point that I'm trying to convey. These are times when it's OK to protect another's feelings, and then times to be point blank about going to Hell. Most of the time it's our sin that leads us to pain and suffering. One may ask when suffering or troubles come our way, is it always from Satan. God allows everything that comes our way and I believe that we must constantly be on alert. If God can oversee the forces of nature, surely he can see us through the trials we face. Suffering is unavoidable in bringing the Good News Of Christ to the world. It is called Christ's suffering, because all Christians are related to Christ. When we suffer, Christ feels it with us. But this suffering can be endured joyfully because it changes lives and brings people into God's Kingdom.

LAST POINT: I'm just saying life without God is senseless. All of life's work: building a home, erecting your career, and bring up a family must have God as the foundation. God is not against human effort. Hard work honors our Father God. But working to the exclusion of rest or to neglect of family may be a cover-up for an inability to trust God to provide for our needs. We all need adequate rest and times of spiritual refreshment. On the other hand, we are not to be lazy. be mindful to maintain a balance: Work while trusting God, and also rest while trusting Him.

 Until Next Time...
 Jim,

" DECEITFULNESS "

OK, this week we will be looking into "DECEITFULNESS "

I believe that this is something that doesn't come naturally but is a learned trait. Please put your thinking cap on and let's really hear what and how the Lord thinks about deceitfulness. DECEITFULNESS: Practicing or tending to practice deceit (2) Misleading, or being Deceptive.

Deception can be traced back to the Garden of Eden. Satan tries to deceive us by making us think that sin is good, affable, and even appetizing. A knowledge of both good and evil seemed harmless to Eve. Now people usually choose wrong things because they have become convinced that those things are good, at least for themselves anyway. Why is it that our sins do not always appear ugly to us, and the charming sins are the hardest to avoid? Now with that being said, we must prepare ourselves for the attractive temptations that may come our way. We cannot always prevent temptation, but their is always a way of escape.

How many times in our lives do we allow ourselves to be deceived by flattery and give in to temptation and wrong beliefs? Deception can be more powerful than we realize. Avoid falling prey to deceit by asking God to help you distinguish between deception and truth. A life of deceit leads to disaster. New believers need to grow in their knowledge of the Word, because ignorance can make them vulnerable to deception. Remember this as you study God's Word. Seek to find God's truth and will for your life. Satan uses deception in many different forms. This is what Eve did: She Looked, She Took, She Ate, and She Gave; She Shared With Her Husband. Satan knows that the battle is often lost at the First Glance. Temptation often begins by simply seeing something you want.

Question, are you struggling with temptation because you have not learned that looking is the first step toward sin? No matter how good we think our goals are, we should not attempt to achieve them by doing what is wrong. Would God approve of the methods you are using to accomplish your goals? God warns us against deception. Even though deception is a way of life for many people, as God's children we must not give in to it.

Until Next Time...
Jim

" ACCEPTING THE WILL OF GOD "

Welcome come on in.

This week we will be talking about the Will Of God. With that being said strap in and let's all be hearers of the Word.

Are you big enough to accept the Will Of God? I mean really big enough to accept.

" WILL " : Desire; Seeking God's Will means looking for what God wants to be done.

What if it isn't what you expected? Or maybe what you thought might take place. We must trust God in all things and in all ways. He knows what we need as He's already promised to meet our needs. How many of us say your Will be done Lord, but do we truly mean what we're saying or are we just spouting what we think others except of us? Listen it's high time that we take the Father at face value, at His word. When we say " Your Will Be Done, " we are not surrendering ourselves to fate, but praying that God's perfect purpose will be accomplished in this world as well as in the next.

Do you remember when Jesus asked that the cup of suffering and separation be taken away? In fact, He reaffirmed His desire to do God's Will by saying, " Yet Not As I Will, But As You Will. " His prayer reveals to us His terrible suffering. His agony was worse than death because He paid for ALL sin by being separated from God. The sinless Son of God took our sins upon Himself to save us from suffering and separation.

Now turning the page, a prayer for guidance is self-centered if it doesn't recognize God's power to redirect our lives. What is your desire? Is it to be taught to do God's Will and not your own? Maybe we should be asking in prayer for the Lord to restructure our priorities awaken our minds and stir our wills. " SO THEN DO NOT BE FOOLISH, BUT UNDERSTAND WHAT THE WILL OF THE LORD IS " (Ephesian 5:17). The emphasis here is on God's Will, not our will. When we communicate with God, we don't demand what we want; rather we discuss with Him what He wants for us. If we align our prayers to his Will, He will listen; and we can be certain that if He listens, He will give us a definite answer.

START PRAYING WITH CONFIDENCE! No matter what the Lord's Will Be Done.

Until Next Time...
Jim

" HOW CAN WE BE PERFECT "

Good Day To You,

As always it's my pleasure as well as my honor to share with you each week. This time we will be talking about Perfection. What I believe is the Lord's take on it, so strap yourself in and let's get started.

The life that we've carved out for ourselves, I mean those of us who call ourselves Christians takes much work. The Christian life is a process of becoming more and more like Christ. This process will not be complete until we see Christ face-to face, but knowing that it is our ultimate destiny should motivate us to purify ourselves.

TO PURIFY means to keep morally straight, free from the corruption of sin. God also purifies us, but there is action we must take to remain MORALLY FIT. " THEREFORE YOU ARE TO BE PERFECT, AS YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS PERFECT "(Matt 5:48).

How often have you pronounced, or have you been told that you were not perfect. Listen, we must be mindful of what we speak, as we can speak it into existence. Perfection is being without fault or defect. Now regarding the title of this weeks message, " How Can We Be Perfect "? (1) BY MORAL EXCELLENCE. Yes in this life we cannot be faultless, but we can aspire to be as much like Christ as possible. (2) IN HUMILITY. Like the Pharisees, we are to separate ourselves from the world's sinful values. But unlike the Pharisees, we are to be dutiful to God's desires rather than our own, and carry His Love and Mercy throughout the globe. (3) IN MATURATION. We can't achieve Christlike character and holy living all at once, but we must grow toward maturity and wholeness. Just as we expect different behavior from a baby, a child, a teenager, and an adult; so God expects different behavior from us, depending on our stage of spiritual development.

LAST POINT: (A) We are perfect because of our eternal union with the infinitely perfect Christ. When we become Hhis children, we are declared " Not guilty", and thus righteous. Because of what Christ, God's beloved Son, has for us. The perfection is absolute and unchangeable, and it is this perfect relationship that guarantees that we will one day be " Completely Perfect ". (B) Fact, we can grow spiritually and mature as we continue to trust Christ, learn more about Him, draw closer to Him, and obey Him. This is how we can be perfect.

Until Next Time...
Jim