God's Answer For An Empty Life

Text: John 3:1-5; Mark 10:17-22; Matthew 5:6

There is no doubt that at sometime in your life, you have experienced "emptiness:" a sense that something is missing in your life and you don't have true peace and joy.  Even when everything seemed fine on the outside and from an outsider's perspective you appeared to have it all together, you knew that on the inside your life lacked real meaning and you felt incomplete.  Everyone has these times of "emptiness."  The good news is that God has an answer for this feeling of emptiness and incompleteness.  I want to share with you four principles that relate to a person's empty feeling in their life.

1.  We Were Created To Have A Personal Relationship With God

No one can be truly satisfied unless the Lord is a primary part of their life!  But unfortunately many people ignore God's ability to fulfill the emptiness in their life and they try to fill it with money, prestige, accomplishments, drugs and alcohol, or sex.  But none of these offer deep lasting fulfillment and as a result people continue to search for that one person, event, or pleasure that will bring fulfillment, but they never find it.  It is only as we pursue God and not the world's pleasures that we will find lasting satisfaction.

2.  Reasons People Give For An Empty Life

The reasons people identify for having an empty life vary greatly.  But primarily they include:

• Not being successful
• Not having enough money
• Not married, or married to the "wrong person"
• Death of a spouse
• Divorce
• "Empty Nest" Syndrome--all the children are grown and have left home

There are many others.  But as important as these might be, they are not the reason for an empty life.  The cause of an empty life is much deeper than these issues.

3.  Consequences Of Emptiness

There are serious consequences when people begin to "focus" on the emptiness in their life, without first focusing on the only One who has the answer to their emptiness.  Often people begin to doubt God and His Word.  They begin to make wrong decisions today to get immediate fulfillment, forgetting about the consequences of tomorrow and they become disillusioned.  Remember it is only Jesus Christ who can fill the empty void in your life.

4.  Jesus Is The Answer For An Empty Life

Although the things of the world will offer a temporary relief to the void in your life, they can never fulfill it with an "everlasting" fulfillment.  To really find the completeness in your life you must allow God to give you fulfillment.  Three strategies for allowing God to fill the emptiness:

• Draw near to God--He wants you to have a loving and submissive relationship with Him.  We draw near through Bible study, prayer, meditating on His Word, spending time with God and through fellowship with other believers.
• Don't allow other priorities to crowd out your relationship with God.  We have to make sure God is always first!  It's too easy to pull away from God or scale back our commitment to Him.  Don't let that happen.  When you get too busy commitment and faithfulness to God is normally the first thing to go.
• Clear your life of activities and goals that distract you from pursuing a deepening relationship with God. Jesus told his disciple to store up their treasures in heaven and not on the earth.   What He was saying was that we shouldn't allow temporal possessions or pursuits to capture our heart, but allow God to capture it.

Everyone has times of emptiness in their life, but know this, God is ready to fill it!  Will you turn your feelings of incompleteness and emptiness over to Him today?  He's ready to make you whole again!

Buy Truth And Sell It Not

What you believe really does matter!  Many Christians don't really appreciate that statement nor do they really understand the importance of following the truth, but the truth matters!  You might have heard someone say "It's not doctrine that is important, but the way one lives that counts" or "It doesn't matter what one believes so long as they are sincere."  Such statements are foolishness, because someone can be sincere and yet be sincerely wrong!  The Bible clearly states that it does make a difference what one believes and teaches.  Here are three principles we must follow when it comes to the truth:

1.  We Are To Love The Truth

Whenever we possess the characteristics of a true Christian, we will have a strong love for what is true!  Jesus prayed for his disciples and said "sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth."  Truth can only be found in the Word of God.  Because God's Word is truth, it should be the desire of every Christian to give diligent study to the Bible so we can "rightly divide the Word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).  It is this love of the truth that is necessary for our salvation.  God wants all to have this love so that they might come to know and understand His will and be saved (1 Timothy 2:4).

2.  We Are To Uphold The Truth

If we love the truth we will not only be willing to live in harmony with it, but we will uphold and defend it.  The Apostle Paul repeatedly admonishes us to strive to uphold and maintain the truth (2 Timothy 1:13).  Paul told Timothy to "charge men to teach no other doctrine" (1 Timothy 1:3-4).  He also commanded Titus to sharply rebuke those who gave heed to commandments of men which turn from the truth (Titus 1:13-14).  According to James 5:19-20, some of the uses of God's Word includes to reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and teaching to turn people to the truth.

3.  We Are To Reject That Which Is Not Truth

Paul told Timothy that "error" will eat as a "canker" or "gangrene,"  Those who say it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you live right are absolutely mistaken.  It is sad to say, but even the church is moving farther and farther away from teaching the truth.  It is only the truth of God's Word that has the ability to set us free.  If you want to be free, you must believe and follow the Truth!

What do you believe?  What truth are you following?  If it isn't based on the Word of God, be careful, because it may be based on error and it will eat at you like a canker!

Open Our Eyes

In 2 Kings 6 there is a wonderful account of God opening the eyes of Elisha's servant so he could see what was going on in the spiritual realm.  The Syrian army had completely surrounded Elisha and his servant, and when the servant went out the next morning, he was terrified when he saw this vast army surrounding them.  When he reported to Elisha what he saw, Elisha very calmly told him that "those who are with us are more than those who are with them."  Of course the servant didn't see it that way so Elisha prayed "O Lord, open his eyes so he may see."  And when the Lord opened the servant's eyes, he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.  We too need to have our eyes opened to the spiritual realm and there are three areas where we need to ask God to open our eyes.

1. We Need Our Eyes Opened To The Greatness Of God's Power

 Too often, we underestimate how great God is.  In Ephesians 1:18-19, the apostle Paul prayed that the "eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.  That power is like the working of his mighty strength."  It is God's power that is at work in us (Philippians 2:12-13).  And we have His promise that He will complete the work that He has begun in us (Hebrews 13:20-21).

2. We Need Our Eyes Opened To The Strength Of Our Weapons

The most effective weapon we have is the Word of God!  It has the power to change the hearts of men.  God's Word is a living, dynamic, and life changing force in our life.  Not only do we have God's Word, but we also have a spiritual armor to protect us from the attacks of the enemy.  We need to recognize the power of the whole of Christianity.  From the power of a risen Savior to the power of a changed life, we need our eyes opened to the strength of our weapons!

3.  We Need Open Our Eyes To The Victory We Have In God 


Remember, our weapons are mightier than the devil!  It is only through Christ that we can achieve the final victory.  It isn't within our own power and ability.  Because Christ overcame, we too can overcome.  We don't fight for the victory, but rather we fight from a position of victory!

Lord, open our eyes so that we can see things the way you see them.  Help us to see the greatness of your mighty power and the strength of our spiritual weapons and most of all help us to fight from victory because Christ has already been victorious!

Are you ready to have your eyes opened?  God's ready to open them!

Don't Give Up

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."  (Galatians 6:9).  When was the last time you just wanted to "give up?"  or when was the last time you experienced a disappointment or failure in your life?  It may have been recently, or it could have been months or years ago, but one thing is for certain...we all have disappointments and failures!  Often they are the result of poor decisions and mistakes that we make.  Unfortunately, even in the process of seeking the Lord, we can make mistakes.  The important lesson to learn is that the mature and successful Christian knows how to turn every failure into a learning experience for future success and never ever give up!  Here are four things you need to know to have spiritual success.

1. Plan to Succeed

We have all heard it said that if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail!  Spiritual growth requires a lot of planning.  It doesn't just happen by accident.  If God has called you to a particular area of ministry it is important that you ask yourself how you can best prepare for it.  If you want to succeed as a Christian then you must work toward achieving that goal.

2.  Don't Think You Are Above Missing The Mark

Don't ever look at yourself as being above temptation or failure.  Too many people have made the statement; "I would never do that" only to discover, it's exactly what they did!  "So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" (1 Corinthians 10:12).  Missing the mark is never what we want to do, but be careful that pride doesn't puff you up to the point you think you could never fall.

3.  Don't Entertain Failure

Even though we shouldn't look at ourselves as being above missing the mark, at the same time we shouldn't concentrate and entertain the idea that we will fail.  The fear of failure can cause failure.  Fear just sets you up to be a loser.  When we operate in fear, we fail to take advantage of many opportunities that God presents to us.

4.  Don't Ignore God's Advice

The Bible is our instruction manual for life.  It's filled with practical instructions and guidelines for work, home, finances, relationship and health.  If you have experienced failure in your life, here are some steps for starting over:

• Accept responsibility for your own mistakes.  If you made a mistake, admit it!  Quit blaming others and take responsibility for your actions.  Taking responsibility frees you from a defensive posture and give you the clear vision necessary to determine what went wrong.  Winners never blame others for a failure and they never make excuses.
• Recognize the lessons learned when you fail.  At the very least, failure shows you what doesn't work!  Used productively, failure cause you to re-evaluate what is important in life and is something God uses to get us to reflect on the direction our life is going.
• Forget the past and focus on the future.  The past is the past!  It's water under the bridge and you can't change it, so stop worrying about it.  Our God is a God of "second chances."  Failure is never final unless you let it be!  (Philippians 3:13-14).

The Beauty of Worship

Everyone worships someone or something.  Yet when it comes to Christian worship, the object of true worship must be the One and only true God.  It is only when God becomes more important to you than anything else that you will understand what true worship to God is all about.

Worship defined:  Worship is defined as intense love or admiration of any kind.  It can best be summed up by saying, it means to worship God with your whole spirit, soul, mind, feelings, emotions, and desires.

To worship God in spirit is to worship Him with the spiritual drive and ability of your life, seeking the most intimate communion and fellowship that is possible with God.  It also means to worship Him with the spiritual core of your life and being, and trusting and resting in God's acceptance, love, and care.  To worship Him in truth means to approach God in the right or true way, sincerely and truthfully, not coming halfheartedly. 

The Christian Concept of Worship

Worship is more than going to church, singing a few songs, or being involved in some "spiritual ritual."  Worship of God is a way of life.  The place of worship is not what is important, but the object of worship (God) is what's important! True worship is always putting God first.

Worship is a Created Instinct

 Humankind was created to worship God!  There is an innate craving in humankind that can only be satisfied and filled with worship.  Many try to satisfy this desire with food, drinking, sex, drugs, etc. but only God can fill it.  Because we were created to worship our Creator, it is important that we find out what God wants rather than what we want.  Worship is desiring to please God more than anything.

Submission is Worship

One of the keys to proper worship is submission.  Worship is an expression of submission of the spirit of man to the Spirit of God.  Although worship can be taught and learned, it is not solely a product of education.  Scripture reveals to us the One who must be the object of our worship and how we are to worship Him but we have to know that worship flows out of redemption and it recognizes Christ's worthiness which in turn inspires our worship.

Obedience is Worship

Worship is more than talk...it is actions!  When we are obedient to God, we worship Him.  The way we live makes evident the things we love the most and give ourselves to.  Without obedience to God we cannot truly worship Him.  If there is sin in your life and you are living a life of "disobedience" to God, then it is impossible to worship God effectively!

Worship Requires Relationship

Having a right relationship with God is a prerequisite of proper worship.  The reason many people struggle to get their worship "off the ground" is because they have never put forth the effort to establish a real relationship with God.  This relationship requires us to submit everything to God...our mind, soul, spirit, body, and future!  It is literally submitting your sense of superiority to God!

It's been said that worship is "focusing on and responding to God."  What is the object of your focus?  Is it the things of this world, or is it the One true God?  Once we make God the focus of our worship then we can then respond to Him in the proper way!

The Key To Pleasing God

What does it take to please God?  Many might answer this question with "following religious rituals or rules and regulations."  Some might even say "doing good deeds."  But in reality, none of these please God.  It's not that they are inherently evil or bad, it's just that these things aren't what it takes to live a life that is pleasing to God.  The only way to please God is by faith!  Hebrews 11:6 tells us "But without faith, it is impossible to please Him..." This post will cover four aspects of what faith is not and then what faith really is.

What is Real Faith?

• Real faith is not just something you say.  (James 2:14-17)  Faith is more than "talking a good talk."  A person of faith is one who lives and walks the talk!  Just because someone has Christian bumper sticker on their car it doesn't mean they are a Christian.  Faith is more than just something we say, it has to be something we live.
• Real faith is not just something you feel.  Many people confuse emotions and feeling with faith.  They are moved during a spiritual experience at church or outside of church to the point they may cry and feel the presence of God in their lives.  But our faith in God is more than just a feeling.  Real faith will operate and move beyond the feelings we have.  Feelings come and go, but real faith is eternal!
• Real faith is not just something you think. (James 2:18)  Some people think of faith as a philosophical quest as something to be discussed, debated and argued.  But faith isn't something you debate, it is something you do!  When a person really has Christ in their life, you can see it.
• Real faith is not just something you believe. (James 2:19)  It's perfectly fine to have a strong belief about Christ, God, and the Bible.  But that's not enough!  Even the demons believe and tremble!  Faith is more than just an intellectual assent.  It is a matter of the heart.  It is a matter of a relationship with Christ.  Real faith is not just something you believe, it is something you live out in relationship.
• Real faith is something you do! (James 2:20)  This is the key to faith!  You see, good works are not the root of salvation, but they are the fruit of salvation.  They don't make you a Christian, they show that you are a Christian.  They don't deliver salvation, they demonstrate salvation.  Real faith is what you do!

Two Important Facts

• The basis for your salvation is God's grace.  You can't earn it, you don't deserve it.  It is given by God to humanity.  Our role is to simply accept what Christ did.  And as a result the basis of our salvation is God's grace.
• The proof of your salvation is your fruit. We are all to bear fruit if we are truly a believer.  And this is a good and godly fruit.  It is a spiritual fruit that is manifested in how we treat others.  It is the fruit of love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance, and faith!

Is your faith more than just what you say, feel, think, and believe?  Is it what you do?  And if it is, are you manifesting the fruit of the Spirit in your life so others can see and believe and glorify your Father which is in heaven?  If not make the changes today to let others see your faith!

Destroying Strongholds (Part 4)

In this final post on destroying strongholds, I want to cover the things you need to know in order to prepare to destroy the strongholds and then once you are prepared, how to break the strongholds and keep them broken.  There is no reason for Christians to live a "defeated" life!  God is our strength and through His Word and Spirit we can be free from the enemies grasp.

Things To Know In Preparation

• Know your right to use your authority!  Every believer has the right to use the authority of Jesus' name to take authority over Satan's activities.  Exercising authority in the name of Jesus will expel the Devil's influence. (Mark 16:17)
• Know that intercession is a must.  It is important for you to come together with other believers to pray and intercede against strongholds until you get results.  Your intercessory prayer must be direct, specific, and prayed without fear.  There is an intensified power in the gathering of believers.  It is prayer and fasting that intensifies our faith and it is faith that breaks strongholds.  (Matthew 17:19-21)
• You must establish the Word of God in your life.  "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15).  It is through the Word of God that we have our strength!
• You must resist the devil on every occasion. "Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."  (James 4:7).  The devil wants nothing to do with the submitted child of God!
• You are to give no place to the devil.  Don't give the devil any place or part of your life.  In other words once Satan is gone, do not provide a place of refuge where he can rebuild his influence or strength.
• You are to clothe yourself with God's armor.  Ephesians 6:11 identifies the spiritual armor we have.  Take it upon yourself daily so that you may be equipped for the battle.

How to Break Strongholds and Keep Them Broken

• Identify the stronghold.  Just call it what it is.  Don't beat around the bush and try to soften what Satan has done.  If the stronghold is lust then call it lust!  If it's lying, then call it lying!  This is the first step to being free from the stronghold of Satan.
• Be prepared.  Your enemy is always prepared so you must be spiritually prepared to break the stronghold.  This is where many Christians lose the battle, they are not prepared for the fight!  It is imperative that you be on constant guard. (1 Peter 5:8).
• Deal with strongholds as soon as they are recognized.  Don't wait for the "right time."  You have to deal with it as soon as you know what it is, else it will just continue to anchor in.
• Depend on God and His Word to help you.  "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free!" (John 8:31-31).  Don't depend on yourself, but put your trust and reliance in God.
• Stand firm against the stronghold.  You cannot waver.  Even though you have conquered the stronghold, always be prepared to battle again. (Ephesians 6:13-14)

Remember, God wants us to walk in victory and victory is possible through the power of the cross and the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit!  You can be free from Satan's powers over your life, your marriage, your family, your children, and your business.  Are you ready to be freed today?  God's ready to free you!  The audio for this series can be found at http://bethelchurch.sermon.net