Understanding Redemption (Part 1)

To fully understand redemption it is necessary to begin at the place where spiritual and physical death began and that is in the garden of Eden.  In Genesis, Adam was given specific instructions concerning which trees he could eat the fruit of and which one he couldn't (Genesis 2:15-17). Although Eve was deceived in the transgression, Adam was the real transgressor because God had spoken directly to Adam concerning which trees they could and couldn't eat from.  Had Adam not disobeyed God and eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he never would have experienced death (spiritual or physical).  When God made Adam and Eve He breathed into them life and when they sinned they passed from life to death and then Satan became their father and lord. So because of his disobedience, sin and death became his fate as well as the fate of the entire human race (Romans 5:12) and therefore God's redemptive plan was put into effect to save humanity.  When Adam sinned the spirit side of Adam died immediately although he lived on physically for 930 more years. I want to share with you what spiritual death will do and how God brought about redemption.

What Spiritual Death Will Do

Once Adam and Eve disobeyed God, fear came upon them and they hid themselves from God (Genesis 3:7-10). This was the first sign of their spiritual death.   A person who is spiritually dead will naturally hide from God.  They will not desire spiritual things nor will they desire to be with God's spiritual people of light because they are in darkness.  If a man says that he is a Christian yet walks in the darkness and loves not God the Bible tells us that man is a liar and the truth is not in him (1 John 1:6).  After Adam sinned he no longer was in fellowship with God and he wanted to hide from God. God's plan from the sin of Adam and Eve was not to just forgive man, but  to work out a way to where the spirit of man could be made alive again!

How God Brought Redemption

To bring redemption, God's plan was to bring a human being into the world; One that was divine and human yet had no spiritual death in him.  This was accomplished through the miraculous power of God through the seed of a woman.

John the Baptist recognized who Jesus was when he declared "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world."  Jesus knew who He was because when he was baptized the Father declared "this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." Jesus was the first human to walk the face of the earth since Adam and Eve who had no spiritual death in his spirit.

If you are saved you have no spiritual death in your spirit either.  You are a new creature and you are to rule and reign in this life by Jesus Christ.  You are to walk as Jesus walked, with authority, power, and dominion.  This is part of the redemption process God has brought to humankind.  It is in Jesus that we live, and have life!

If you haven't been "born again" and entered into spiritual life with Christ then your spirit man is dead.  Yet when you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior you are not only forgiven but you receive what Adam lost, your spirit is made alive with eternal life.  My associate Keith Fife wrote a post you might want to check out called "Changing Clothes."  It talks about putting off the old and putting on the new Christ life.

What about you?  Are you ready to enter into the spiritual life of Christ?  It will change your future forever!  Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

-- Pastor Temple

Why Discouragement (Part 3)

This is the final post on "Why Discouragement."  In my first post I explained the difference between disappointment and discouragement.  In Part 2 I covered what discouragement is and listed fifteen causes of discouragement (the list could be endless).  In this post I want to identify some of the consequences of discouragement and how to avoid it.

Consequences of Discouragement

There is no reason you and I have to live a life of discouragement.  God has made it possible for us to live free of discouragement.  There are times I'm sure you might not think so, but nothing is impossible with God (this is a link to Bethel's Praise and Worship Band singing "Healer" and it's a free download if you like).   Even though God desires for us to live free of discouragement there are still many people who are discouraged.  And because of that we have to understand that there will be negative consequences when we live a discouraged life.  I want to list nine consequences followed by four strategies that will help you avoid discouragement.

1. Unhappiness.  This is the opposite of where God wants you.  God's people should be the happiest people in the world, but because of discouragement we often are not.  You need to make a choice to be happy.  Living in unhappiness will never bring happiness!
2. You look for someone else to blame for your discouragement. The blame game can be a very popular yet unhealthy game among people, especially couples.  It's time we stop blaming others for our situation. 
3. You become angry at your circumstances. Sometimes we get upset with the circumstances we ourselves have created! Be careful not to create circumstances you will have to live with.
4. You become estranged from people.  Discouragement will cause you to become a loner to the point where you disassociate yourself from everyone.  
5. You have a poor self-image and your self-esteem gets lower and lower. A lot of people have low self-esteem.  The only remedy for that is to begin to see yourself as God sees you.
6. You begin to make unwise decisions.  Discouragement will take you to the place that you can't make any good clear decision and as a result you begin to get into a bigger mess than you were already in.
7. You become self-centered.  Usually discouragement will cause people to think more about themselves rather than other people.
8. You have a critical attitude.  You begin to be critical of your spouse, your children, your job, your church, etc.  
9. You begin to drift spiritually.  This is one of the most devastating consequences of discouragement.  You will begin to drift and not attend church.  You stop reading your Bible, and fellowshiping with others.  Be careful of this else you will remain in your discouragement.

How To Avoid Discouragement

Here are four strategies you can employ to ensure you avoid discouragement.

1. Have a growing relationship with the Lord.  Being close to God will make all the difference in the world.  When your trust and faith is in Him first, all the things you need will be there.
2. Stay in the Word.  The Word is food for our soul.  You should be reading your Bible every day. Not just read it, but study it.  Allow God's Word to speak to your spirit.  God's Word isn't just another book.  It is unique in that it is a "spiritual" book and should be understood with the mind of the Spirit.  It is alive and life changing.  Allow God's Word to change your life.
3. Stay prayed up.  Prayer is two way communication.  Once you have prayed, then it's important for you to listen and allow God to speak to you and reveal to you what He wants for you.
4. Stay in church.  Fellowship with other believers is vital for you to stay encouraged.  When we don't have the communion with our fellow believers it will lead us to discouragement.

God really desires for you to live discouragement free.  Allow Him to rule and direct your life today and you will find the strength to live an encouraged life!

-- Pastor Temple

Why Discouragement (Part 2)

This will be a relatively short post but nonetheless a very important one.  I think it is vital that people understand what causes their discouragement.  There is no way I could list every situation you  may encounter that could bring discouragement over your lifetime.  But I think there are some common causes that we all should be aware of and I want to list fifteen of them here.

Some Causes Of Discouragement

1. Unresolved disappointment.  If you have had disappointment in your life, which we all have, then it is critical to your mental and emotional health and well being that you come to a resolution regarding the disappointment.
2. Constant criticism.  Too many people have come under the onslaught of constant negative
   
   criticism.  They may have been raised in a dysfunctional family where they never received any type of positive reinforcement.  If that's the case, then this constant criticism can be a cause for discouragement later in their life.
3. Unanswered prayer.  All of us have had unanswered prayers.  We can be confident that God will answer the prayers of our needs, but too often we pray for things we want and not for things we need.  Don't allow and unanswered prayer to discourage you in your life.
4. Feel like you can't please God.  There are many people who are Christians and for whatever reason they feel like they can't please God. But you need to know that God loves you and accepts you no matter what your feelings!  
5. Habits or addictions you can't conquer.  Here is what you need to know about this, "God is bigger than your addiction."  God wants you to get beyond that and He stands ready to deliver you!
6. You live with someone you can't please.  Unfortunately there are a lot of couples who live together but they are not "one" together in the spirit.  When your mate makes constant demands and you can never live up to them, that will definitely discourage you.  If that's the case you need to seek some help through counseling to resolve this issue.
7. Verbal and physical abuse.  Verbal abuse can be just as devastating as physical abuse.  The constant putting down of others will bring about discouragement in their life.
8. You are considered a failure.  Many people grow up feeling like they are a failure.  This low self esteem will lead people to think they can never be a success.  God doesn't see you as a failure and you should learn to look at yourself the way God does.
9. Financial pressures because of bad decisions.  I'm not talking about financial problems because of layoff or sickness, I'm talking about financial pressures because of spending money carelessly.  Often we buy something we know we shouldn't then have "buyers remorse" and get discouraged because we have put a strain on our finances.
10. Lack of opportunity at work.  Sometimes we have to make our own opportunity and a lot of that depends on our work ethic.  If you want to succeed at work, be sure to develop a good work ethic and opportunities will come.
11. You do not feel like anybody loves you.  Everyone has felt this way at sometime or other. Whether or not anyone else loves you, you must remember, that God loves you!  To feel love, you must give love.
12. A bad health problem.  Sickness is a major cause of discouragement.  When the doctors give you a bad report, it is easy to get discouraged.  But it is important that you remain positive and believe that God has a better report.  Put the situation in God's hands and allow him to bring about the resolution.
13. News that you don't have long to live.  This is definitely a cause of discouragement.  But even in the face of this type of news, you can be encouraged because God has a bigger plan for your life.  Paul said for me to "live is Christ, and to die is gain."
14. A negative work situation.  Since so much of your time is spent with your career, it is easy to become discouraged when your work environment is negative.
15. Unrealistic expectations of oneself.  There are often things we require of ourselves that realistically we can't do.  So be realistic with what you can do.

Next time I will cover the consequences of discouragement and how to avoid discouragement.

Leave a comment and let me know if there are any other cause of discouragement that you have experienced in your life.

-- Pastor Temple