#LoveIs Believing the Best by: Pastor James (video and notes)

Love Is – Believing the Best

Week 4 – Pastor James

• 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NKJV – Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.
  • Iniquity- judgement
    • Not rejoicing in judgement
  • Truth- what is true in things appertaining to God in the highest altitude
    • “Truth is”…God loves people the way they are, He just doesn’t want them to stay that way. We should be working on loving people the way they are, and by way of that love…God will get to their heart.
  • Believes all things- to credit and have confidence in all people
    • To believe the best of everyone first
  • Believing the best isn’t just for them, it’s for you
    • My boss story- in Michigan and drumming up work, laid us off
      • One whole year held bitterness in my heart. I had all kinds of things running through my head. “He is getting work from my contacts.” “He is stabbing me in the back.” “He used me.” “He is benefitting while I’m out of work.”
        • It was my one year of silence, kind of like the 400 years between Malachi and Matthew (the gospels)
        • After a year, I finally let go and let God. I finally came around to believing the best of my boss. It was like a release in the Spirit.
          • I met up with my wife over in Michigan right at the right time due to the layoff.
          • I let go of a bad relationship that I knew was doomed to end anyway. We were going two different directions.
          • I got back in church and starting serving God.
          • I graduated LBI and started my graduate work in Theology.
          • My best friend ended up partnering with my boss a year later and is still funded by my boss in his personal business and working together with him. We promised each other that we would get out of the auto industry at 30 years old, Jason called me when he was a month away from turning 30 years old and said, “I did it, I’m moving to Arizona and starting my business.”
            • Without my boss, it would have been impossible.

Believing the best is one of God’s ways into your life.

• Friend loan-
  • I loaned a friend some money on a bad investment. At the time we didn’t know it was a bad investment, but it ended up that way. In the lending process, he guaranteed me the amount of interest and the time frame even of the investment went sour.
  • He lost it all. I lost a little, but he lost it all. I held onto negative emotions toward him for 7 years. It eventually turned into a joke between my friends and I, but there was truth in the jokes and the truth was that I was still harboring bitterness.
  • My non-Christian buddytells me that I need to let go of it. He went on to tell me about the difficulties that John ran into during that season and after. He had to work overtime for the years to follow just to make ends meet. He nearly lost his wife in a divorce and they have 3 kids. He just barely pulled it back together, but it was the most difficult season of his life.
    • I recognized I had to let go and pray.  A non-Christian talked me into it. Crazy how God works sometimes. I forgave and released him and the situation. I found myself praying for him anytime I thought of the situation.
    • I found myself saying more positive things about him, even to my friends. I would stop negative jokes about him and turn them around to positive. “He probably needed it more than me.”
    • About a year later I found an envelope in the mailbox addressed to me from John. It was an apology letter. As I read it, a small sheet of paper fell out and hit the floor. I picked it up, it was a check with 7 years of interest included.

Believing the best is one of God’s ways into your life.

• How do we get there more consistently?
  • At this church, it’s called the fast track (growth track). It’s our way of getting you moving in the direction that you want to go.
    • Growing spiritually is a process.
      • Fast Track walks you through not only what we believe as a church, but how you can grow yourself.
      • We believe that as Believers serve together and grow together that goodness rubs off. Believing the best rubs off.
      • You are who you hang out with. Tell me who you hang out with, and I’ll tell you who you will become.
      • Our serving teams (Dream Teams) is where you’ll find this at the church to grow and equip you for the doors of blessing to be released into your life.
      • This is how we stay small enough to minister to everyone as the church continues to grow.  To grow as imitators of Christ.
• Ephesians 5:1, 2 NKJV – Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
  • God believed that you could carry His Son’s torch. Even while not deserving. He believed the best of you. With all your flaws and concerns, He’s trusting us to carry on what He already did.
  • When we believe the best there is harmony on earth that matches heaven.
  • Believing the Best is natural and normal in heaven
    • If we want the benefits of heaven on earth, we have to act like heaven on earth.
  • There is a heavenly domain and an earthly domain. God is showing us the heavenly way to act through His Word and through His Son. Now, we are to be that example here so that the earth can match the heavens.
    • When we act like Jesus, the earth matches the heavens. When the earth matches the heavens, miracles happen.

Believing the best is one of God’s ways into your life.

• Filling in the blanks – believing the worst
  • Sometimes we think we’re being taken advantage of and we see it before it happens. So, we have it all figured out and we start revealing what we figured out, even though there’s still some gaps in our story, we fill them in with negative instead of positive.
    • “thats the only way it could have gone” so we fill in the blanks and believe the worst.
  • The right blank filler:
    • Romans 2:4 NKJV – Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
      • When we operate in goodness, it leads people to repentance. It says in another translation, “kindness“. How is God kind and good to people? He works miracles, He heals, He gets involved when we need Him.
      • I wonder how many times He had to get involved, because our schedule was too busy to get involved ourselves? He’s calling us to take a stand for good, because that’s His way in.
      • Fill in the blanks with goodness and kindness prior to correction and judgement.
        • Example: Elderly lady (100 years old)
          • What is your key to long life?  I forgive quickly and believe the best in people.

Believing the best is one of God’s ways into your life.

• Matthew 25:40 NKJV – And the King will answer and say to them, Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.
  • Translation: What you do to others and how you think about others is the greatest example of how you think about God.
    • What you believe about God comes out in your interaction with others.
• Faith can be defined as this: believing the best of God
• Practice on each other
  • • If you can’t believe the best of your neighbor, its going to be hard to believe the best of God and see results
    • If you can’t see that God has always given you the benefit of the doubt, you won’t be able to do for others

Believing the best is one of God’s ways into your life.

• • • This is what believing the best might feel like at first, but it’s producing answers
    • Best- take a picture of any situation and imagine it better. Not just better, but imagine the best outcome that could possibly happen. That very well could be God’s heart for that situation or person.
      • The more you read the Word and understand God, the better you can understand His heart for situations and people. But, you can start here…imagine the best thing, and believe that that is God’s heart for the situation.
      • This breeds the production of the answer. Believing the best is simply “faith” in a great and mighty God. Believing the worst is actually fear, and it breeds negative results. It’s actually faith in the enemy rather than faith in God.

Believing the best is calling those things that be not as though they were.

• Romans 4:17 NKJV – …who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;
• You’re putting heaven in action on earth. If every good and perfect gift is from above (James 1:17), then why not place your free gift of goodness in the middle of terrible situations. It’s yours. It’s from heaven. You can change situations by just using what is yours. By just believing the best.

Believing the best is one of God’s ways into your life.

• Jesus believed the best in us. Let’s do the same for others.

Believing the best is one of God’s ways into your life

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)

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!

Ripped Off series “Armor of God” with Pastor James (video & notes)

Ripped Off Series

The Armor of God video – Pastor James

Weapons of our warfare:

You don’t have to chase the enemy down and find him and beat him up. You don’t have to pick a fight with him. But, we will talk about how to use the armor of God against his tactics and for ourselves.

Ephesians 6:12 NKJV – For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual  hosts  of wickedness in the heavenly  places.

The fight:

• No need to fight the devil, he’s defeated.  He wants you chasing him around, but there’s no need to chase him around. He’s defeated.  The more you chase him around, the more power he has.
• You don’t have to try to defeat him. You enforce the finished work in what you believe. It doesn’t change the enemy’s position of being defeated, but it changes the way you look at him.
  • Examples when it doesn’t feel finished:
    • A disease comes against us, we believe that it was defeated in Jesus body. We fight our flesh and mind to believe.
      • Even if it doesn’t change right away in this realm, it is finished in the realm of the spirit. We stay focused on the promise not the problem. It’s not easy, but it’s the way to see it through. Continue to tell that sickness that it has no hold on you. You are fighting from victory not to it.
    • A bad situation comes up in your business, we believe that John 10:10is for us. We fight to believe that this situation is bound to change to a better one.
      • Even if we don’t see it change right away, we believe that it is being worked out. We don’t stop moving forward, but in the process we continue to thank God for His promises and for the breakthrough.
    • Personal story of healing – sinus infection
      • After the healing took place, I still gargled with salt water and took the physical caution so that it wouldn’t return. I kept thanking God during the process. Even though it seemed it was only a 75% job finished, I didn’t stop thanking God. That thing was completely gone by the next work day which was two days later. Usually that would take a week or more with antibiotics.
• Sometimes Believing is the biggest fight against yourself (your human brain, mind, and flesh). I fight to believe against the odds that are constantly bombarding my world.

Sickness, depression, and strife – the enemy’s tactics to Rip you off.

We have authority over the enemy, but we also have authority over what we choose to receive. The authority was given, it’s up to us to remind ourselves of it more than the enemy tells us otherwise. We will evaluate how to do this today.

Ephesians: I think it’s interesting how Ephesians is laid out. He talks about our redemption, living alive in Christ, his stewardship of the church, unity in the spirit, the Christian walk, being imitators of Christ, marriage, relationships, and then the armor. It’s interesting because Paul encourages through most of the book and then he talks about relationships, marriage, and how to act. I have to believe he hits these points just before the armor of God, because this is where we will need the armor. To act right and hold our relationships together.

In this, we have to recognize that the armor and weaponry isn’t just to fight, but also to fend off the wrong stuff from entering into our lives.

• Their is an offensive approach that is taken when you refuse to let the enemy convince you of anything outside of the Word.

To develop this understanding, I think it will help us to break down the armor that is ours as believers. This will help us understand how to use it.

• For example: if you give your baby a set of keys to the car, will he know what they are for? Will he be able to use them affectively? No, he’ll swing them around and make some noise with them and be completely content that they are really cool to make noise. But, he won’t be able to go anywhere.

Ephesians 6:14-18

• Put on and take up
  • Put on the whole or fullarmor of God
    • Every piece is vital
• Take upthe full armor
  • “raise up” – keep held up. It’s your weaponry. It won’t help you if you don’t keep it raised.

Don’t be ripped off. Let’s take what is rightfully ours and use it.

You might not know this, but this armor is what Jesus put on to bring down the enemy and win over him.

• Tools to your offense
  • Loins girded with truth
    • To see the importance of truth, we’ll take a look at this word “loins“. You probably have a pretty good idea of what region this is in, but let’s clarify. It’s the region that contains the lower spine, the reproductive organs, and the muscles that hold you up.
    • You would probably agree that this is a pretty important area. It’s actually your power plant. If you have an issue in this region, you wouldn’t even be able to use the rest of your body or armor. Truth is a big deal, and we’re faced with deciding on it everyday.
      • Two types of truth:
        • Telling lies or extruding a story to make it sound better.
        • Receiving in facts about a situation or the truth of God’s Word regarding your situation.
          • Mom with cancer: I learned this at a young age. My mom had cancer when I was around maybe 7 or 8 years old. I remember her and my dad having many conversations about it prior to them telling us kids about it. I remember not being scared of losing her, the thought never really even crossed my mind, because the way in which my parents presented it was so faith packed. They told us that mom received some bad results from the doctor, but in every conversation they presented the up side. They told us that she would have to go through some treatment, but that she would be ok. We prayed about it frequently, but it wasn’t a crying type prayer, it was a thankful prayer that God had the rescue plan already in place. It was already accomplished, but we just had to walk it out by faith. Of course I had some questions, but they never allowed those questions to turn to a loss type ending. There was no doubt in my mind that she would make it. This wasn’t because I had some great faith or something, but it was because the only thing that I knew about it was a positive outcome. My parents didn’t even let it spread to our friends, because they knew that it could take a negative spin. My mom is alive today, and this is about 26 years later.
      • Truth will gird your loins, fact will sometimes sway you from the truth. It’s not easy, but it’s well worth it.

We have authority over what we choose to receive. Don’t be ripped off.

• Breastplate of righteousness
  • You’re not good enough
    • You are the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). Then, He equipped you with the imagery of your breastplate, so you could see that you’re sealed and safe. You’re not in need of putting on your righteousness daily, because you’re called righteous when you accept Jesus.
      • A soldier doesn’t have to put on his breastplate to be a soldier or to be part of the kingdom. However, he wouldn’t be very safe in war without it.
        • Throughout history, the breastplate many times has the logo or stamp of the king on it.
      • Our job is to protect our heart from impurities, negative input, condemnation, anything that opposes the fact that God loves you and thinks you’re special.
        • Or, anything that makes you think wrongly of someone else.
      • Guard your heart. Your authority was given to you. You’re in the kingdom. You’re on the team. You’re actually a starter on the team. You’re on the front line. God needs you. Guarding your heart will keep you from accepting anything outside of those thoughts.
    • If someone were to say to a soldier, “you don’t have the authority to stop me from doing this.” He would not hesitate to look down at his breastplate emblem, and say “I beg to differ with that opinion, take a close look at what’s on my breastplate. Now, stop or I’ll have to make you submit to me.”

We have authority over what we choose to receive. Don’t be ripped off.

• Feet prepared with peace
  • Stress, overwhelmed – hinder forward progress
  • Why feet with peace? We move forward by faith, but we follow our peace. He’s tying faith and peace together. You can’t go anywhere without moving forward. But, you won’t get to your destination without peace.
    • It’s offered to us, but it’s our job to follow our peace as we walk by faith.
    • Example: Many times I find that walking by faith isn’t as easy as it seems. We all say it, but really it’s tough when we can’t see the results that we are believing for in the process. This is just human. You don’t need to look down on yourself when you have these feelings. It’s normal. But, we fight against it lasting and winning.
      • Auburn Ridge deal: I recall very vividly our 12 month walk of faith for our debt cancelation last year on one of our properties. I had some times of squirrellyness in my brain. “This isn’t working, this is the tenth lender that I’ve talked too, there aren’t any other avenues to take this to get it financed, we’re up a creek here, we need to walk away…” As you can see, the enemy was having a field day in my head…peace was hard to find.
      • The enemy was trying to win by using my agreement with his thoughts. He was trying to win by taking me out of peace. I have to tell you, he was doing a pretty good job a couple of times during that 12 months. He wanted me to stop moving forward, because if he can ruin our peace, we stop in our tracks and our faith in the situation turning out well is dwindled.
      • How to overcome: I had good people around me to speak truth not fact into me. This helped me stay at peace. Others were in it with me, they were speaking encouragement when the situation was speaking discouragement. They were praying with me. They got in the boat with me. The Body of Christ is necessary to have around us.
        • The peace that they exhibited, was enough to keep me moving forward in faith.
        • Another way to stay in peace is this…I regularly would bring it back to the thrown. I would say, God I’m moving forward by faith, if I’m heading the wrong direction stop me. If I don’t hear from you, I’m just squaring up with you about my faith direction since it wouldn’t be faith without action.

We have authority over what we choose to receive. Don’t be ripped off.

• Shield of faith
  • Extinguish the flaming missiles (fiery darts) of evil
  • This term is interesting. “fiery darts” – I always thought that fiery or flaming was just to put emphasis on the enemy being really mean and dangerous, but in actuality I believe that this term is used a bit differently. The word “fiery” means to set a glow.
    • Think about this, when the enemy brings things against us, his intent is to set them a glow so that our focus turns to the issue and not the answer. Light a match in a dark room. Where does your attention go? Right to the match, of course, because you can’t see anything else. The enemy is trying to get your focus off your shield and into his negative force.
      • Example: raccoon- Have you ever hit a possum or raccoon with your car? What happens right before he meets his maker? He usually looks up and stops. He’s looking straight into your headlights. He gets mesmerized with the light, and forgets that he needs to get out of the way. I remember one late night driving home, and the worlds’ biggest raccoon walked in front of my car. I saw him about a tenth of a second before he bit my tire at 60 miles per hour. What I remember is him looking up at my lights and stopping. I also remember freaking out and thinking, why didn’t that guy just wait to cross the road or jump out of the way. He couldn’t, he was too focused on my headlights.
        • Shining deer: Do we have any proud rednecks (hillbillies) in the room? These folks know all about shining deer. They know what happens when you go out at night and put a spotlight on a deer. The deer freezes. He doesn’t move. He’s looking right at danger, but he’s frozen in his tracks. He’s focused on the wrong thing. He should be focused on his nearest escape, but he’s focused on the problem more than the answer of escape.
        • This is what the enemy wants us all focused on. The problem and not the solution that was given to us in Christ.

We have authority over what we choose to focus on. Don’t be ripped off.

• Helmet of salvation
  • Crown of thorns off, helmet on to protect the finished work in your mind
  • “But, you don’t understand…it’s my boss that makes me mad.” No, your boss does bad things, talks to you wrong, belittles you, etc. But, you get mad. You perceive it a certain way, which is your choice how to perceive it, and then you retaliate either outward or in your mind.
  • Boss story
    • He was so negative, nothing was good enough. I would beat him into the office by 3 hours every morning and stay 3 hours after him on conference calls to the states from Japan, but he was still mean and angry.
    • I let it sink in and it nearly ruined me. Everything started to have a negative spin to it. I remember, it was hard to enjoy anything because I let his view seep into my thoughts.
  • When you have a hope, a positive expectation of good things, a foreshadow of good that runs through your mind…you release endorphins.
  • Philippians 4:8 NKJV – Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things  are  noble, whatever things  are  just, whatever things  are  pure, whatever things  are  lovely, whatever things  are  of good report, if  there is  any virtue and if  there is  anything praise worthy meditate on these things.

We have authority over what we focus on and what we let in. Don’t be ripped off.

• Sword of the Spirit
  • Word of God – using the fruit of the spirit in your home
    • Example: home after a long day- You come home and your wife and kids are screaming and going nuts. She said this, and he said that, and you want everyone to go away and shut up. You had a perfect picture of rest and enjoyment from a tough day at the office, but it isn’t that way.
      • Your choice to blow up…turn around and go back to the office…start grounding everyone that’s standing around you (including your wife)…smile and walk directly to your bedroom and close the door (hiding from what’s going on).
      • Or, your choice: You use the fruit of the spirit as your sword to cut down the situation. You bring peace into your home instead of another yelling adult. You choose to rely on your sword to cut through this issue and help rather than hinder or leave it as is.
      • Which one do you think would work better? Which one will get you to peace quicker?
  • We probably look at the sword of the spirit as something that we saw in the movie 300, but that really isn’t realistic. It’s cool and tough, but not really easy to apply. You see, your wife isn’t really impressed with your 300 antics. She isn’t really impressed with your tough guy routine. She needs to see you use the sword in a relatable way that solves situations.

We have authority over how we use or don’t use our weapons. Don’t be ripped off.

• Extreme uncle example: I remember one of my uncles that just got saved. He was running around hollering at the enemy all day everyday. He was really an extremist. He was either all in or all out. He was either drinking at the bar until he puked or making everyone nervous with his awkward way of yelling at the devil for everything.
  • I’m not saying that there isn’t a place for that, but the way it played out was that he never let it sink in. He never let the reality of the principles of the scriptures being a big part of his warfare.
  • The flaming missiles are sometimes our choice to abide in the Word or not, so that we know how to use it. Our choice to use the Word is just as much for ourselves as it is to fend off the enemy.
  • My uncle never let that reality sink in, and even to this day isn’t following Christ any longer. We need to use the Word as a sword to cut off our negative tendencies. We need to do some surgery with our sword and not just swing it around at everyone else.

We have authority over how we use our weapons. Don’t be ripped off.

2 Corinthians 10:4, 5 NKJV – For the weapons of our warfare  are  not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ

• Isn’t it interesting that this scripture only mentioned the enemy once (strongholds). And it mentions us twice (arguments & thoughts)

Isn’t it interesting that there is nothing covering your back in all this armor? It’s either because we are to be on the offensive or God has our back…or both.

The enemy doesn’t know who’s inside the armor. The last time he saw it, Jesus was under it…and still is in you!

God has fully equipped you. He sees you pure through His Son that died for you. However, we have a lot to do with how much of this we experience here on earth.