The Year Of Change

Tomorrow is a new year and it is a time when many will be reflecting on what they accomplished or didn't accomplish this past year.  One thing is for certain, if we could do it all over we probably would do it a little bit differently.  But the past is the past.  We can't change it.  Like Paul said to the Philippians "This one thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on..." (Philippians 3:13-14a).  So the question is; What is it that you need to forget from the past and what new challenges do you anticipate for the new year? What I want to do with this post is to challenge each of you to examine your life and see what changes need to be made in your life in order for you to be and accomplish what God has so ordained for you in this new year.

1.  You Can Change

One reason people don't change is because they are afraid they can't change.  But if you want things to be different in 2014, then you have to make some changes and you have to know that you can change.  Change isn't always easy, but it is possible.  If you want to change, then you have to begin with changing your thinking (Romans 12:2).  Your thinking needs to align with the Word of God.  As you submit your life to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, He will help you to make the necessary changes.  These changes begin on the inside and move to the outside.  Remember, it is not your responsibility to change others.  Focus on you changing you and allow God to deal with others.

2.  You Must Have A Desire To Change

Change will always begin with a desire to change.  This is whether it is a good change or a bad change.  Not even God can help you until you desire to change.  If you are unhappy with your life and the results you are getting, then you probably need to make some changes in your life.

3.  Don't Resist Godly Change

God wants you to go from one level of glory to the next and change will make that possible (2 Corinthians 3:18).  When God changes you, you will begin to reflect His image in your life.  It is important that you have a personal relationship with God so He can affect the change.

4.  Why People Won't Change

There are basically three reasons why people wont change:

• Fear that they can't change.  If you are fearful, then change won't happen, because you won't initiate the process.  You have to know you have the ability with God's help to make changes in your life (2 Timothy 1:7).
• They see change as an admission of weakness.  People don't want to admit their weaknesses, so they deceive themselves into thinking they don't need to change.  It takes a strong person to look at themselves and admit they need to change.
• Too lazy to change.  Proverbs 26:13 tells us a lazy man will make excuses.  Change requires effort and lazy people won't make the effort.  Don't live a life of mediocrity because you are too lazy to change.

5.  You Have The Power To Change

Too often, we are like Moses and we make excuses as to why we can't do something even though God is telling us we can.  We have feelings of inadequacy or perhaps we think we are unqualified and too weak or it could be a case of low self-esteem.  It's time to eliminate our excuses and make a decision to change with God's help.

6.  What Brings Change

There are four actions necessary in order to change to take effect:

• Changing your thinking -- begin with changing how you think about yourself, your circumstances and the power of your God.  The 2013 "Verse of the Year" is Philippians 4:13.  This verse was shared, highlighted and bookmarked in the YouVersion Bible app more than any other verse and it states "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
• Changing your commitment -- Resolve in your spirit that 2014 will be different.  Make the commitment today to do what is necessary to see positive results in 12 months.
• Changing your priorities -- From time to time we must evaluate our priorities and make the necessary changes to put the important values first.
• Changing where you are spiritually -- This change begins with seeking a deeper and richer relationship with Jesus Christ.  Don't seek the "spiritual" seek the One who gives the Spirit! When you do that, the spiritual will naturally follow.

You are not stuck where you are, you have been given the power to change and this change begins with a desire to change.  It is a process, not a one time event.  Begin to implement change on a daily basis in order to see results.  The Holy Spirit will help you change, but you must do your part.

What changes will you make in 2014?

-- Pastor Temple

Peace

One of the most comforting passages in scripture is John 14:27 -- "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."  We may never have a "world" peace until Jesus comes, but one thing we can have is peace in our hearts regardless of what's happening in the world.  God's desire is for His peace to live and rule in your heart.  And until you have peace with God you will never experience the peace of God. Jesus, who is the "Prince of Peace," is the only true source of peace in a tumultuous world.  I want to share with you six facts about peace during this season of Christmas.

1.  Peace Is A Gift From God

Peace has nothing to do with church, denomination, or religion.  It is completely dependent upon a

person having a relationship with Christ, the "Prince of Peace."  Jesus made every provision for us to have peace and it is our decision as to whether or not we want to walk in it.  Peace with God means you and the Lord are in harmony with each other and it is the foundation of all peace in your life.  This peace with God comes only through a full surrender of your life to Him.

2.  Why We Don't Have The Peace Of God

Giving attention to a matter is very different than being "consumed" with anxiety.  Anxiety is a tormenting kind of worry that focuses on the circumstances and not on God.  Anxiety is an apprehension about future things and a fear of losing control.  All of us have to give attention to certain things in our life, but you know you have moved from just normal attention to a matter to an ever consuming anxiety when you find yourself hurried to make an unwise decision.  Others signs are when you are constantly agitated and perturbed about something or especially when you are, more concerned about the problem than you are the problem solver.

3.  How To Protect Your Peace

The best way to protect your peace is to protect your relationship with God.  Your relationship with God should be the most precious relationship you have.  You protect your relationship with God by keeping your priorities right.  God must always be first.  You also need to have a strong prayer life. Praying about your circumstances will cause you to be God centered and not circumstance centered.

4.  Where We Find True Peace

Most people look for peace through acquiring more and more possessions.  They look for it in positions or earthly physical relationships.  Unfortunately those things often lead to unhappiness and frustration.  Man's conflict is due to a broken relationship with the Heavenly Father.  When we have harmony with God it leads to a calmness and peace like no other. When you trust the Lord Jesus as your Savior, He unites you with the Father and it marks the beginning of your ability to experience true and lasting peace.

5.  Why We Fall Short Of Peace

One of the main reasons we fall short of God's peace for our lives, is that we try to control our circumstances or try to run away from our problems.  We can't trust in the peace that the world gives because it is based on our limited human mind and resources.  There isn't enough money, talent, or influence for us to make all of our situations come out fine.  We fall short because we aren't fully relying on the heavenly Father who has more resources, power, and insight than we do.

6.  Peace Is The Answer

The answer to our lack of peace is to give all our concerns over to the only One who can handle them.  That One person is the God of all the universe.  He is the reason we can be still and confident, when everything around us is falling apart.  "My peace I give you..." is the promise of God!

When was the last time you experienced absolute peace in your heart?  When you have Christ you have all the potential for peace you will ever need.  Are you willing to make whatever changes are necessary in order to gain and maintain an inner peace?

-- Pastor Temple

Why Christmas? (Guest Post)

This is a guest post by a young man who is a senior at Life Christian Academy.  His name is Danny and this is a paper he submitted for an English assignment about why Christmas. Let Danny know what you think by leaving a comment.

Why Christmas?

Christmas is one of the most important events to happen to human history second only to a biblical view of creation.  The birth of Christ is celebrated annually on Christmas day.  However, Christmas is much more than that.  In fact, the birth of Christ is so significant that our calendar dates are set around the time of his birth and is controversial enough to have court decision altered.

There is a very real need for Christ’s birth.  If one reads through Romans 1:16-32, one can see that humanity is in a desperate state.  Romans chapter one verse thirty-two speaks about how even though humans know what they do is wrong they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of them.  Humanity was in a desperate need of a Savior.

The birth of Christ has influenced millions of people throughout history.  Almost everyone in the world has heard of his birth, and the Bible is the number one selling book in the world.  John 1:14 talks about how the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  Before Jesus was ever born it was said that a redeemer would come to save the people.  His birth fulfilled hundreds of other prophesies that have been well documented throughout history.

Christmas has impacted the lives of people in a much bigger way than it appears.  The significance in Jesus’ birth and sinless life is that the people have a Savior.  The fact that the people have a Savior changes things entirely because they can now be followers of Christ.  By accepting Christ, they can spend eternity with him in heaven.  Without Christ, humanity is in a desperate state.  I found this out in my own life.  I saw that without God I was in a constantly empty state in which I would sin in order to try to fulfill some void in my life.  No matter what I did I could not fill the void.  One day I finally realized that I was missing God.

I do not believe that one can explain the birth of Christ properly by arguing about whether Christmas shouldn't be abbreviated “x-mas” or whether one would say “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas.”  I do believe however that if others were to see true believers celebrating Christmas as it should be celebrated they would want to know out of curiosity why believers do not have to buy tons of presents to be happy.  A non-believer may constantly try to fill a void, just as I did.  One could argue that the void they feel is even bigger during the holidays.  By telling people about the reason behind Christmas, and by showing them the results in one’s actions, I believe the message could be spread more effectively around the world.

-- Danny L.

Understanding Redemption (Part 4)

This will be the final post on Understanding Redemption and in it I want to share with you the significance of what Jesus accomplished when He died and "led captivity captive" and how that we can now come "boldly before the throne of grace."

1.  Jesus, The Second Adam

The seed of the woman (Jesus) that came into the world was the "second Adam."  What the first Adam lost, the second Adam (Jesus) restored!  In 1 Corinthians 15:45 we see that "the first Adam was made a living soul; and the last Adam was made a quickening spirit." When Jesus came he came with no spiritual death since his conception was of the Holy Spirit and not of man. Scripture tells us "God made him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21).  As the second Adam Jesus:

• Redeemed us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13)
• Delivered us from "spiritual death."
• Became sin, sickness, and a curse for us.
• Became the "firstborn from the dead." (Colossians 1:18)

2.  Man Can Now Approach God

When Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the temple was rent (torn) in two.  This means no longer is there a veil that separates man from God and man can now approach God with confidence and boldness (Hebrews 4:16).  No longer is an earthly high priest needed for us to come before God.  Jesus became our High Priest and took His blood into the Holy of Holies and there attained eternal redemption for us and thereby allowing access to God.

3.  Where Jesus Went When He Died

In Matthew 12:40 Jesus said "For as Jonas was three days and nights, in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."  When Jesus died, he went to hell (Paradise) to rescue the righteous souls and take them to heaven.  It's important to note that during that time his body didn't see corruption, but was raised from the dead.  God loosed Christ from the bonds of death, which had no more claim on Him when He paid the debt for man and conquered death (Acts 2:24).

4.  What Jesus Did While In The Lower Parts Of The Earth

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."  (1 Peter 3:18:20).  Jesus went to the lower parts of the earth and it was there he preached doom to those in hell and took the keys of death and hell.

5.  Jesus Led Captivity Captive

"Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.  (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?  He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)" (Ephesians 4:8-10).  When a person dies now they don't go to paradise they go directly to heaven.  The Bible says "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord."  Jesus actually took our place and died and suffered for us that we might be redeemed from spiritual death.  Jesus won back our authority over the devil that Adam gave up that we might have life and have it more abundantly.

Praise God that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we have been redeemed from sin, sickness, poverty, and the curse of the law.  And have been given authority to tread on the devil and his demons.  Redemption is ours and can be yours!

-- Pastor Temple

Understanding Redemption (Part 3)

Part of God's plan of redemption for humanity includes God giving His redeemed a new spirit and making them a "new creation" on the inside.  What Adam lost Christ regained for us.  Religion can't change you neither can just forgiving your sins change you.  Humanity must be "born again" in their spirit.  We don't try to be a Christian, either we are or we aren't.  As a Christian we have the life of Christ within us and are born into God's family.  I want to share with you four aspects of redemption that are necessary for you to understand.

1.  When We Had Spiritual Death The Devil Was Our Father

The Pharisees had rejected Jesus as the Messiah.  When Jesus addressed them in John 8:44 he told them that because they refused to accept him as One who had come from God that they were of their "father the devil and the lusts of their father they will do."  Anyone who rejects Christ naturally has the spirit of disobedience working in them (Ephesians 2:1-3) and will naturally follow the spirit of their father the devil who is the prince and god of this world (John 14:30; 2 Corinthians 4:4).  When the devil is your father you don't care about spiritual things and you will follow the ways of the world.  But when you give your heart and life to Jesus, the life and spirit of God comes into you and changes everything.

2.  Jesus Conquered The Devil

Scripture tells us that God has given Jesus a name that is above every name and that at his name

every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that he is Lord (Philippians 2:9-11).  There is no place in heaven, earth, or hell that any person or being does not recognize who Jesus is and that He is Lord. When we confess that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, we become new creatures.  Salvation is simply the process of a person changing their God from the god of this world, to the God of heaven.  And as a result they pass from death to life and they never have to go back to the old life of sin.  They have been delivered out of darkness into the glorious light of God and are now destined to conformed to His image.  Part of God's plan of redemption is for us to be just like His son Jesus.

3.  The Same Power That Raised Jesus From The Dead Dwells In Us

When you are born again the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the power that raises us up from spiritual death and makes us new creatures in Jesus Christ.  If you are born again, you should see yourself as one that has spiritual life.  You are different from the world, because you have been born again. Living a moral life is not enough to get you to heaven.  You are not saved because you are a good person.  All of your righteousness is as filthy rags in the sight of God.  But when you are born again, you have the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

4.  What God Thinks Of You

As a new creation God views you as "justified" and declared "righteous." (Romans 5:1; 1 Corinthians 1:30).  Not only are you righteous, but you are free from Satan's dominion and power. When you are born again the devil has no spiritual or legal right to any part of your life.  As Christians we are no more of this world than Jesus was when He walked the earth.  We are in this world, but we are not a part of this world.  As a new creature you have all authority over all the power of the devil.  God sees you as more than a conqueror and you should begin to see yourself as God sees you!

Be thankful that God has redeemed you and given you a new life and a new spirit!  No longer tied to the spirit of darkness and death, but now a part of the spirit of light and life!

-- Pastor Temple

Understanding Redemption (Part 2)

It has always been God's plan to redeem humankind from the fall and from the loss of man's lordship over this world.  When Adam and Eve sinned Satan become their god and spiritual death came into them and they died spiritually.  As a result of this, Satan took the lordship of this world from Adam, because when Adam sinned he relinquished his authority over the earth.  Yet at that time God promised the human race that the lordship would be taken back from Satan and given back to man.  This is all part of the "redemptive" process God has for us through the Savior Jesus Christ.

Four Truths In Genesis 3:15

1.  There will be enmity or "hatred" between Satan and womanhood throughout life.  To recognize this, all you have to do is study history to find out that the most subjected human being that has ever lived on the face of the earth in the heathen nations has been the woman. There has been a Satanic involvement to belittle and to push down women.

2.  God told the serpent that He would put enmity between thy seed (which is Satan) and her seed (which is Christ).  Notice that there has always been enmity between God's people and the world.

3.  God also told Satan that he had become the lord of this world.  But that the seed of the woman shall bruise his head, which is a term that means, shall take the lordship away from Satan.

4.  He (Satan) shall only bruise the heel of the woman's seed which would indicate something less than a fatal blow.

The Seed Of The Woman Shall Bruise The Head Of Satan

When we read the account of man's fall in Genesis we see that man handed over this world to

Satan and it would seem all hope was lost.  But God had a plan.  God would send another man from the seed of the woman and this man will take back the lordship that Adam had relinquished. Satan had no idea as to who this man would be. All he knew was that it would be from the seed of the woman and that this man was going to bruise his head.

Was Cain or Abel to be that seed?  Satan in his limited knowledge said maybe Abel is the one that is going to crush my head and as a result he drove Cain to kill Abel thinking perhaps Abel was that seed.

Was Seth the seed?  After the death of Abel, God gave Adam and Eve another son, Seth.  His name means "substitute."  Eve said God has appointed me another seed instead of Abel.  Through this birth, God was bringing forth a lineage in which He is going to bring forth Jesus.

Was Noah to be that seed?  In Genesis 6 we see that only Noah and his family are left after the flood and God used Noah and his seed as the next step to bring forth Jesus.

Was Abraham to be that seed?  After the flood God sets aside a nation and calls Abraham to be the father of that nation.  Satan now knows a little bit more.  Satan now knows that this is the nation that is to bring forth the seed that will defeat him.  Psalm 89:3-4 "I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant.  Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up the throne to all generations."

Was David to be that seed?  God is narrowing it down to a nation, to a family, then to the house of David.  That is why Satan fought David so much.  He hated David because he knew his family was the one in which the seed was going to come.

The seed would come from a virgin.  God finally narrows it down and marks off not a nation not a family, but an individual.  Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

Jesus is that seed!  Imagine what Satan was thinking when the birth of Jesus came to pass.  He had waited all those centuries wondering when it was going to happen.  Satan now knows who the person is and that is why every attempt was made on the life of Jesus and if it had not been for God's intervening and angelic protection, the Christ child would have been killed in infancy.

In Matthew 3 when Jesus was baptized, God Himself witnessed to the fact that Jesus was His son, when a voice from heaven announced "this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased."  It was at this moment that Satan knew for sure that Jesus was the one to take back authority and rule. That's why Satan came against Jesus in Matthew 4 with numerous temptations.

Towards the end of Jesus' earthly ministry, the opportunity came for the devil to enter into Judas and he sold out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Jesus was then crucified on the cross and laid in the tomb.  It was at this point that no doubt Satan thought he had won and had conquered the seed that was to bruise his head.

But Satan hadn't won.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit Jesus rose from the grave and made a show of the devil openly (Colossians 2:15).   Now Jesus takes from Satan the keys, that is the authority of death and hell, and goes over to paradise and opens it and leads those that had been kept captive in paradise to heaven.  In doing this, Jesus took the lordship away from Satan and delivered it back to us.  No longer do we have to live in spiritual death, but Jesus has won it all back for us that we can have life and have it more abundantly.

Jesus has a name that is above every name; and things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth will all have to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  All this has been part of God's redemptive plan for humanity.

God has a redemptive plan for you!  All you need to do is accept it!

-- Pastor Temple