Believe, Thank, Receive vlog testimony

Believe, Thank, Receive vlog testimony

#LoveIs Stable Message by: Pastor Tracy (video & notes)

Love is Stable

#LCCLoveIs

Sunday May 27^th, 2012                        Pastor Tracy

Intro: Last week, Pastor James talked about putting God into situations and this in one of the main ways we can overcome evil with Good.

God gives us His Love

Example of taking in all kinds of “attitude thoughts” then exploding! I kept taking in and taking in then I exported those thoughts through my mouth!

WHAT WE PUT IN COMES OUT

• Romans 5:5 (NIV)

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit,who has been given to us.

God in His Grace gives us the Love to Love Him, ourselves and others. He gives/in-parts before we can export that love.

• Reasons love is poured out in our hearts:
  • To love ourselves: “you love me with all that I’ve done”. Knowing he loves and believes in the potential He placed in me allows me to love me
  • Love others
  • To love God; unconditionally not just when things are going well.
• My experience with Mom telling me love was in me and then Francesca
• Love is not something we mentally ascent to; it’s an empowerment to live life full and to reflect Christ.

God is banking on His love flowing through us

Ephesians 3:14- (NKJ)

For this reason I kneel before the Father,  What reason:

Ephesians 3:8-12 (NIV)

this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, ⁹ and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. ¹⁰ His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of Godshould be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, ¹¹ according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹² In him and through faith in him we may approach God

• mystery: That now through Christ’s finished work on the cross God’s spirit can dwell in man making him born anew, man is forgiven and righteous….
• Manifold wisdom:
  • James 3:17 (NKJ)

 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy

• Paul as a driving desire to help everyone recognize their role in dispensing this great plan of God.

In order for God’s bold plan to be seen in us we would need what Paul was praying:

Ephesians 3:15-19 (NKJ)

¹⁶ that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened(become might by His power) with might through His Spirit in the inner man, ¹⁷ that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— ¹⁹ to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

grant: supply you with, bestow on you based on His unmerited favor

First: THAT he would strengthen, make strong, our inner being with His miraculous power in our inner being- IN-PARTATION!

THIS PRCOCESS BEGINS WITH AN IMPARTAION OF GOD’S PRESENCE

Second: THAT Christ may dwell in your heart (thoughts and feelings).  God’s presence infuses our negative thoughts, feelings and perceptions

Third: THAT- you being rooted and grounded in unconditional love.

• What does it take to be rooted and grounded (lay the foundation stable)stay rooted; planting and watering
• Example when I tried to pull out a tree root

If we are rooted in this unconditional love we can THEN

• Comprehend- to grasp or lay hold of in the mind.
• To know  which means to experience
  • You first grasp it in order for others to experience it through you
  • We experience another level of his love when use and express his love:
    • We forgive or be kind to a person when they don’t deserve it
    • Holding our tongue
    • Covering a multitude of sin
    • Bringing peace instead of strife
    • As we continue these true acts of love, love gets developed- it becomes a way of life!

Example of the man I turned the cheek with

The Goal Ephesians 3:19 (NKJ)

Fourth: “that you may be filled with all the fullness of God”

Ephesians 3:20(NKJ)

Manifold wisdom Continued

James 3:14-18 (NKJ)

¹⁴ But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. ¹⁵ This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.

• Hearts: kardia
• Selfish ambition: a person who is concerned with their own welfare and therefore is ambitious, self-willed, self-seeking, looking for opportunities for promotion.

In other words when we cooperate with envy and selfish ambition we are

cooperating with our lower nature and are not pulling from supernatural love

¹⁶ For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.

• When we push for ourselves there is always disorder. When we push for others or the team there is always order

¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

• Gentle: A character that is reasonable, fair, forbearing, moderate, considerate, opposite of being harsh, abrasive, sarcastic cruel or contentious.
• Willing to yield

Bring it back to 1 Cor. 13:5 (NKJ) does not behave rudely, does not seek it’s own, is not provoked, thinks no evil

The attributes of love cannot be displayed without an in-partiation of love. WE HAVE TO TAKE IT IN TO GIVE IT AWAY! It is an act of God’s grace to in-part love daily into us. We don’t have to earn it. God knows we need it to love and make known his ways.

It is easy to love lovely cooperating people! We have supernatural love when we are irritated, bothered, impatient, rude and easily provoked.

This all began because of the Blood of Jesus being spilled.

Hearing from God for yourself (vlog testimony)

Hearing from God for yourself vlog testimony:

#LoveIs series “Overcoming Evil with Good (Love)” Pastor James -notes & video

#LoveIs Series – week 2

#lccloveis – Your Twitter/Facebook hashtag for the series

Pastor James

“Overcoming Evil With Good (Love)”

If you know God, you know Love.

• 1 John 4:8 NKJV – He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
• Love is God. You can put God in the middle of any situation on earth, just add Love.
  • When evil strikes, add Love.
  • When your spouse strikes, just add Love.
  • When someone obviously came against you, just add Love.
• Capital “L” for God

Pastor Sarah’s one hand up and one out. “L” shape

Just add Love, and allow God

• Romans 12:20-21 (NKJV)- Therefore  If your enemy is hungry, feed him;  If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
  • Since the loss of the head destroys life, this word is used in the phrases relating to capital and extreme punishment.
  • There is obviously something about love/good that evil can’t handle. Evil cannot stand when love is applied. It freaks out. It doesn’t understand how you could choose good.
    • Evil knows that your normal tendency is to do wrong or think wrong. Since the garden, you’ve been like this.
    • He freaks out when you do things that oppose his rule. When you are kind, he freaks. When you are accepting of others insecurities or flaws, he freaks. When you promote someone else, he freaks.
      • It seems as if God is trying to get us disconnected from the correction of the situation, and tied to the Love in it. Of course there is time to correct and help people see right, but many times this is bigger in our mind than just “overcoming evil with good”, adding Love.
        • What if some things were supposed to be left up to God to change and we were just called to let Him in? Sometimes a situation needs a Love injection instead of a correction injection.
        • It actually takes a lot of pressure off of us to let God have His way and work in His timing, when we are called to just add Love.
        • Evil has to change when good is added too it.

Just add Love, and allow God

Stepping back and applying Love, shows faith in something other than you. It puts it out of your hands.

• Loving shows that you’re outside of yourself. It shows extreme trust in the promise and not a reliance on yourself.

1 Peter 4:8 NKJV – And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.

1 Corinthians 13 – Love Never Fails

Just add Love, and allow God

• Mom and me example: My mom was one of those really corrective parents. I needed it, and I wasn’t going to change because I wasn’t going to listen. I think I would have taken this route no matter how my mom treated me. But, during the process of me walking away from God and doing my own thing, she didn’t have an in-road. Our relationship was tweaked, and I didn’t talk to her. She didn’t even have an opportunity any longer to add Love.
  • We’ve got to be careful that we’re not pushing people away with our actions, and we’re focusing on loving them instead of just correcting them.
  • Our job is to Love people and help people, overcoming evil with good. God’s job is to change them from the inside out. But, sometimes they need the injection of Love so that God can get in.
  • I’ll tell you, the biggest thing that impacted me during those years were not the fights with my mom, but the letters that she wrote to me saying that she loved me even though my choices were wrong.
    

Overcoming evil with good isn’t for them, it’s for you. Problem is it feels like its for them, and we don’t want too.

• The apology example: I was in the wrong one time…and knew that I needed to apologize. I was asking God to at least have this person say “well, I was wrong too.” Didn’t happen. They were totally in agreement that I was in the wrong. They wanted to rub my nose in it a bit. But, I understood that it wasn’t for them anyway, it was for me. I had to clear myself from it with an apology. So, I got through it, even though I was biting my tongue the whole time.
• The enemy loses control when you treat situations with Love. Remember, even if you don’t see the results right away, when you treat a situation with Love, it puts it in Gods hands and not the enemy’s any longer.
• The burden lifts

When we act in Love, we confuse hell. They don’t know what hit ‘em.

• I can see Satan asking his devils, “Wait, what just happened? Speak into my good ear. Are you telling me that they didn’t react with their emotions? They acted out of Love???”
• The enemy thinks he has creation all figured out. Do negative to them, get a negative response.

Love looks weak. Love doesn’t seem to change things immediately.

But, just add Love, and allow God

Lady takes cuts at the supermarket on purpose but acts like she doesn’t see you.

• She deserves a dirty look and maybe even a quick lesson in manors.
• But what happens if you were to get what you deserve?
• Hell freaks out when you smile and forgive her in your heart without her asking for forgiveness.
  • “well, she didn’t ask for forgiveness.” or, “she didn’t handle it according to the Word, so until then I don’t need to forgive her.” WRONG. If you remember, we didn’t ask for forgiveness when Jesus put Himself on that cross.
    • Make a game of it: I like to make up stories in my head of what she might be going through, so that I can forgive and move on.
    • Since when did I become the governor of everything that is good? Who gave me the title of judge in everyone else’s life? Get out of pointing the Law at everyone, and it won’t be pointed at you either.
    • Matthew 7:1, 2 NKJV – Judge  not, that you be not judged.  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.
      • I want to free you from something today…your convictions are for you, not for everyone else. You don’t have to police everyone else’s actions and intents.
      • Many times we can’t help ourselves from putting our own convictions on others, but it really traps us from being able to believe the best and Love completely.
      • 1 Corinthians 13:3 NKJV – And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
        • The physical, all kinds of good is what you’re doing, but your not walking in Love.

• Bible heroes:
  • Peter – denied Jesus three times when He needed him the most
  • Jacob - the third of the patriarchs – in Matthew he is listed as one of the top three (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) Don’t you recall that he lied and deceived throughout his life to even get the blessing that didn’t belong to him? He changed his name and could have referenced him as Israel.
  • Paul – killing Gods guys under the name of Saul.
• God called them all to greatness, and it wasn’t about their past, but their future. He saw greatness in them. Just add Love, and allow God

The greatest spiritual warfare is not going around rebuking and cursing the devil or other people, rather it is walking in Love

Just add Love, and allow God

• Romans 5:5 (NKJV) – Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
  • All the love that you need has already been given, but we’ve been stingy with it.
  • Remember, Pastor Sarah said last week that God gave us all the salt that we need, but it’s our job to be a “salt shaker“.

• Luke 6:27, 28 (NKJV) – But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,  bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.
  • Owner of lease house- very unreasonable, had a very big opportunity to really make this ugly and be right about it. But, chose to bless him. Tracy and I prayed for him.
    • Read email from him about getting closer to Jesus and replacing the carpet.

Just add Love, and allow God

Keys to overcoming evil with good:

• Realize that a lot of the issues we have with each other are not intentional they are a result of human error: misunderstanding, misconception, not hearing appropriately, reading body language wrong.
  • Example of thinking that someone meant something that they didn’t

Just add Love, and allow God

• Don’t take things so personal
  • Water off a duck
  • Let it go. The quicker you let it go, the quicker the situation can heal and become whole once again.

Just add Love, and allow God

• Try to see from another perspective
  • I love people enough that I’m going to look from a different perspective
  • The lady the took cuts at Walmart example
  • If you can’t seem to get past it, give it to God. Let Him know that it’s on Him and He’s got His work cut out for Him on that person.

Just add Love, and allow God

• Realize the enemy is waiting to draw you into anger and strife- Don’t let Him!
  • I remember one day when I was mad at someone and running through how the conversation with them was going to go. I was mumbling to myself and thinking through the different points it could go to and my response. I was so wound up in the conversation that I lost track of where I was going and ended up 10 miles out of the way.
  • One other time, I got so sidetracked that I ended up running a red light and getting a ticket.
  • Instead of thinking about it until we’re sick…we can add Love to a situation, we get caught up in how we can win or get even.
    • It’s pride. Selfishness. About us rather than resolve.

• Promise: Mark 4:22 NKJV – For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.
  • So, why do we think that we were called to expose this? Maybe Love naturally exposes this in God’s timing as to not lose a sheep.
• Exodus: “eye for an eye” – it wasn’t meant their the way you wish it was.
  • Matthew 5:28, 29 NKJV – But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

• God has a great plan for your life! It’s not tied to others, or what they are doing. It’s tied to you, because God loves you.
• You treat people with Love, and God thanks you. He needs an in-road, and your Love is it.

Story:

• A Dad gave his kidney to his daughter- what a great example of Love, but it’s still a human example. I think about God, and how much Love He had for me to give His Son.
  • We all go “wow”, at the kidney story. He didn’t stop and say, “Well, if you would have done this and that, I’d give you my kidney.” He jumped in and said, “Take it,” before he even asked what his life might look like after giving away a kidney.
• John Q- giving his son his heart. He didn’t step back and say, well I would make wiser choices with it, so I think I’ll keep it.
  • I’ll add Love, and God will have to do the rest

Jesus: I’m so glad Jesus didn’t tell God He wouldn’t come due to us being so undeserving.  He jumped right in, and said “I’ll go, I love them. I’ll be the partaker of all this hurt, even though most of them don’t even believe.” Jesus added Love, and allowed God.

Just add Love, and allow God

(1 Corinthians 13:1-8 NKJV) – Love Never Fails!

What God thinks about you…

I went about finding what God has to say about us and so far have this list:

Loved
More than a conqueror
Have life and that more abundantly
Victorious
Brought into a broad place
Rescued
Kind
Blameless
Astute
Pure
Saved from affliction
Healed
Rewarded
Delighted in
Never alone
Lamp oil full and lit
We can run upon troops
We can leap walls before us
He is our shield and our rear guard
He girds us with strength
He is our rock
He makes our ways blameless
He makes our feet like hinds feet, sure and swift
He trains our hands for battle
He makes our arms strong to bend a bow
His shield of salvation protects us and keeps us
His right hand upholds us
He makes us great through His gentleness
He enlarges our steps
He gives us rest
Our feet will not slip because of Him
We will overtake our opponents and we do not turn back as they are consumed
We shatter our opponents and they don’t get back up – they fall under our feet
He girds us with strength for battle
He makes our opponents turn their back to us and we destroy those who hate us, they can find no help
We are delivered from contentious people
We are placed as heads of nations
People we don’t know serve us
As soon as they hear our order, they obey
Foreigners submit to us and fade away. They come trembling out of their fortresses
Our prayers and praise are arrows that attack our opponents
He executes our vengeance for us
He subdues people under us
We are delivered from our opponents
He lifts us over those who rise against us
He rescues us from the violent man
He delivers us GREATLY
He shows us and gives us lovingkindness
He grants our heart’s desires
He fulfills all our council
He fulfills all our petitions
He saves us because He anoints us
He answers us from His Holy Heaven
We stand upright because of Him!

He is so worthy to be praised! He drops our ill-fitting yolks and gives us His abundance of grace, a perfect fit that is ever so light!
One by one and by the 10’s of dozens, we will see our opponents fall away because His right hand saves us! We are complete and we are whole because of Him. He gives us wisdom. Our life is new and we fly with eagles wings! He hears our cries and He bottles our tears. He lifts us up and calls us His! THIS is what it means to be a King’s kid!! And just a partial list at that! We already have all these things. Our job is just to take hold of them, to receive them, in Jesus name.

Mother’s Day skits, dance, songs with youth, children and adults (pics and video)

Mother’s Day #LoveIs Series with Pastor Sarah Marie (Notes & Video)

Mother’s Day 2012

#LCCLoveIs

God has given us everything to enjoy. We need to enjoy our children.  I know we want to discipline them and have them do good in school.

All this is good, but most of all, we need to enjoy them.  When they know we enjoy them, they will receive what we have to say.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. ⁷ You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

Why does God say this to the parents? God knows that our children are exposed to a godless world. And this is why He wants us to keep His language before them.

If we stop talking about the language of God we are not going to be happy about it later.

We have 3 generations that continued God’s language.

2 Timothy 1:5 – when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also.

Paul said, I see in you what was in your mother and your Grandmother. We can see that they continued to talk about the language of God.

We see children and we look for good behavior in them and it is good. I think we need to hear what they are saying. If what they are saying is right, then their behavior will automatically be right.

This is why we should talk to our children about experiences that have impacted US.

Take every opportunity to impart the ways of God to your children.

Mathew 5:16 NKJ Let your light so shine before men (children), that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

This scripture teaches us to live it before them. When I say live before them – your children need to see you pray. They need to see that you live honest and that you treat others the way you want to be treated. When they see you live that way, they will feel secure.

When you live before your children this way, God puts the seal of approval on your life and blessings on their lives.

If you do this, you will leave them an inheritance that no one can steal from them. You could leave money, and one bad decision they could lose everything. But this kind of integrity is priceless.

I wanted my kids to be leaders. So I let them think they were leaders already, even when I knew they had a ways to go.

I let them think they were smarter than me.  Sometimes I went too far, but as long as my goal would be accomplished, I didn’t care.

I always thought that if I would do my very best with my children, God would do the rest.

Now, they call me blessed. They say you are one blessed mother.  And I am.

Mothers, the best thing you can do is to call blessings your children.

EXPERIENCE: The lady in Italy.

When we bless our children we empower them to receive all that God has for them.

It’s your voice that is going to activate the blessings on your children. When you bless your children, you start to see them blessed.

God told Moses to bless the children of Israel.

Numbers 6:27 AMP ~ And they shall put My name upon the Israelites, and I will bless them.

Notice if Aaron wouldn’t have blessed the children of Israel they would go without blessings.

How much more He expects us to put blessings our children.

Numbers 6:24-26

The LORD bless you and your children and keep you and your children; The LORD make His face shine upon you and your children, And be gracious to you and your children; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you and your children, And give you and your children peace.”‘

Mothers Day luncheon pics/video

Happy Mother’s Day from Pastor Sarah Marie

Happy Mother’s Day!

I have been passionate to see my children and spiritual children become an extension of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth.

Matthew 5:13 say, “You are the salt of the earth.” Salt means love. Our life without love is tasteless. Even our good deeds done out of obligation or to be seen are empty. But, when we do deeds with pure love, God rewards us more than we can think or even imagine.

This awesome God that loves us so much gives us His salt, which means His love. When we use His salt, He credits us and rewards us for sprinkling His own salt.

We make Jesus very happy when we are saltshakers to our children first and then extend to others. We will then have an exciting life full of purpose.

Isaiah 59:21 (AMP)
As for Me, this is My covenant I make with you. My Spirit, Who is upon you and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouths of your true, spiritual children, or out of the mouths of your children’s children.

All My Love,
Sarah Marie Gardner
President and Founding Pastor of Life Christian Church

Smart phone prayer

I asked God for a job and then went out and found a job opening, I applied for the position believing it was from God, I thanked God and received this job, later i was interviewed and because God gave me favor with the employer I had received the position. God continues to bless this company and I have prospered. I receive a pay check and give back to God 10%, then I budget the rest responsible. I live within my means.

I recognize God is taking care of my fiances and therefore I don’t have to settle for what I can afford, let me give you a example. If I were to go out and buy a cell phone I would probably review my budget first, then I would find a carrier I could afford and then buy one of their phones, probably not the best one but rather the best value that fits my budget. This is a wise plan.

Now instead, If I recognize that God is my provider, I can again look at what I can afford, but knowing God can afford anything I can ask Him for what I really need…
I was sharing a pre-paid cell phone with my wife, it had a excellent plan but terrible service, no signal anywhere. I wanted a smart phone, but it didn’t fit into my budget. However, God poured out His favor over me, and I was blessed with a Motorola Droid X, I’m on the Verizon network unlimited plan I even have unlimited data, which I have been grandfathered into since it isn’t offered anymore. All free, the phone and plan are paid for, God has given His son what he needed, but I know what your thinking, “big deal, and anyway I’m an Apple guy” Well wait, there’s more. My wife was given an iPhone 4, and she is also on the Verizon network, unlimited everything all free paid for every month… So are you getting this? Just a little of the “Abundant Life” that we’re taught about at Life Christian Church!