Couples Date Night – June 19th

God always provides

Last week, I was struggling with my finances, but despite that I decided to
give my mom a little bit of money because she is going through some financial
struggles herself.  I also took her, my little brother, and my daughters to
the movies, because they had been looking forward to watching a movie that was out at the theater.
Sunday came and even though i was really short with my money, I have my
tithe and left it all in God’s hands. I prayed to the Lord to help me
provide until my next paycheck, and I knew he would.

Well, God answered my prayers really quick!!
When Monday came I got an envelope in the mail, and it was a check for a
little over $300! The glory of God is AMAZING!!!
I immediately shared my testimony with my brother and friend, so they can
know that God never leaves us alone, he always provides for his
children!!

Healing for today

Great party the other day! The youth had a blast and its so amazing to see just how much love is in our church.

A few weeks ago I gave the “Rescue” CD series to my coworker. Her daughter is battling cancer and asked us to pray with her. So, I gave her the series and after work on Friday my wife met me at a store to do some shopping, and I wanted to introduce her to my coworker. Before I could even introduce her, she just started saying, “Those CD’s you gave me are just absolutely amazing! I absolutely love listening to Pastor Tracy, and I have to find the time to come listen to her preach! The way she speaks and teaches, I’ve never heard anyone preach that way to where you can fully comprehend it all.” She went on to tell us that before those CD’s, she had always believed that healing had gone out with the Apostles. She knew Jesus healed, she knew the Apostles could heal, but she thought after they were gone, that was it. But then she said, “after listening to these CD’s, and in particular the first one (the Whip) when Pastor Tracy was talking about the stripes of Jesus… I’ve never thought of it like that before! I’m not saying I’m 100% of the way there, but after listening to that series, I’m like 85% of the way to fully believing and understanding healing through Jesus.”

My coworker is a believer, has always been a believer, but her eyes have been open to what religion doesn’t teach and to the truth of the Word of God. My wife and I couldn’t wait to share that with Pastor Tracy this morning, and she was so thrilled to hear it. Just like she said, those CD’s are amazing outreach tools and just an absolute blessing!

Healing is for today!

Alternate Ending “Choices Matter” By: Pastor Tracy (notes & video)

Alternate Ending series: Choices Matter

Promo video below (full message video at the bottom of this post):

Sunday June 24, 2012            Pastor Tracy Boyd

Intro: Everybody explores the would of could of should of’s! We wish in many cases there were some alternate endings to situations in our life. But what if we could really have alternate endings.

We can look at the life of Samson; great start, bad ending

• Chosen from birth to be a nazarite (refrain from eating anything unclean, fermented drink or cutting his hair) who would deliver and judge Israel
• Israel would choose to not follow God, fall into oppression from enemies, cry out to God for deliverance, and God would answer!

This week  out title is: Choices Matter

Bottom line most of the time our choices have gotten us where we are today

• God has given us a free will to choose
  • Adam and Eve freely chose to eat of the tkge
  • Cain

Genesis 4:6-7 (NKJ)

⁶ Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? ⁷ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.’

• Deut. 30:19-20 (NIV)

¹⁹ This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live ²⁰ and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

• God’s plan was for the Israelites to go to the promise land; they choose to wander 40 years.

Numbers 14:22-23 (NV)

²² not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times – ²³ not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.

• There are laws that govern life and laws that govern death; they are unseen yet exits. We determine by our choices what is released in our life.

Choice (which laws we cooperate with) is determined by observations, associations and teaching

• Example: a young girl raised in oats where there

• The oats of our world are slanted toward: Lust of the eye the lust of the flesh pride of Life- Do what I feel like doing

1 john 2:16

For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world

World: this is not physical creation, but the sphere of evil operating in our world under the dominion of satan

• The enemy operates with the above 3 because they all have destructive endings
  • Eve: Genesis 3:6 she saw that it was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.
  • The Above three led to Samson’s horrible ending
    • Lust of the flesh: He slept with Harlots, ate honey that was in the carcass of a dead lion he had killed with his bare hands
    • Lust of the eye & the pride of Life

Judges14: 2-3

So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, “I have seen a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.”

³ Then his father and mother said to him, “Is there no woman among the daughters of your brethren, or among all my people, that you must go and get a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?”

And Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she pleases me well.”

( this phrase in Hebrew is similar to the phrase “everybody did what was right in their own eyes”)

• Samson did what He felt lie doing what was right in his eyes even though his parents tried to talk with him

• The enemy uses veils in our soul to convince us we won’t be happy unless…. Lot’s wife was convinced she would be missing out by leaving Sodom.
• Let’s be real…I’ve had those thoughts especially as a teenager because I wasn’t presented the gospel correctly.

Choices can be changed

Proverbs 4:20-23

My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words ²¹ Do not let them out of your sight keep them within your heart; ²² for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. ²³ Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

• Samson’s Generation got away from the ways given by God:

Judges 2: 7, 10, (NJK)

So the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord which He had done for Israel.

¹⁰ When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.

Judges 17:6(NKJ)

⁶ In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

• This is the generation that we are living in today! Previous generations fought to take the Bible and prayer out of our culture. With out it we are not equipped to fight the pull of sin that leads to destruction.

• Violent crimes chart: following the court’s decision to remove the Bible, violent crimes soared 470%. US became  the world’s leader in total crimes committed.
• Divorce chart: Divorce skyrocket- us found itself number 1 in divorce
• Unmarried couples living together chart: increased 1000%
• Sat chart: Sat scores plummeted after being stable for decades
• Birth rates of unwed mothers chart:  soared 460% America has the highest teen pregnancy rate of any nation in the industrialized world
• Sexually transmitted disease chart: Soared

• As we keep the Word around and in us we begin to reshape our oats

My story: I would have ended up just as my dysfunctional family if my Oats did not change.

Psalm 119:11 (NKJ)

Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You

Romans 6:14(NKJ)

 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

The Word and the revelation of our right standing with God is a supernatural empowerment to curb the temptation of sin.

My example of God asking me not to date in college: He was reshaping my history! I had patterns of going from one relationship to the next trying to reduce the sense of rejection and acceptance.

The Word will shape your choices and give you an alternate ending

• Example: trying out for cheerleading, got hurt, built a case with the Word, prayed, made the team with out trying out!

• The enemy likes to repeat history- alcoholic, divorce, infidelity, pride. You can have an alternate ending!

• Samson was suppose to be a great judge, instead he was a loner who did great exploits. It did not have to end the way that it did! We can learn form his life and realize we can have alternate endings. God will readjust our GPS!

Conclusion: Speak what you want your ending to be!

Anointed Marriage

So, a few weeks ago Life Christian Church had a healing service. Now I had never been to one and wasn’t sure what to expect. So, Pastor Sarah Marie had people come forward and she would anoint them with oil. So, at the first call to come forward I was ready to jump, however I froze up. I stood there for a while and watched, I started to think to myself what would I ask for? My body is whole, should I ask for my mind to be healed? Maybe my heart?  I talked a bit with my wife as we watched, we were both at the same place, should we go up? What would we ask? Well eventually my wife made her decision and knew what she would ask, she went to the line. Me, I just didn’t know but this was Pastor Sarah Marie, you don’t want to miss opportunities like this and then it hit me…I could ask for my marriage.  See I have only been married for under 2 years and so I’m sure you can imagine I could use the Lord’s guidance in this, especially since I felt the devil was trying to get in between my wife and I lately, you see we had just started going to Life Christian Church and for sure the devil didn’t like that.
So when it was our turn we sat down and the Pastor asked what she could do for us, I asked for anointing over my marriage. Pastor Sarah Marie told me that I was the Spiritual leader over my family so she would pray over me. It was an incredible experience, I felt the Holy Spirit just come over me as she poured the oil and prayed. So listen to these results!

1. There was an event at the church for couples (Date Night!) during this night we were taught briefly about our differences and needs, It spoke right to me and opened my eyes to things I was missing.
2.   After that we were having a Bible study with our cousins who have been married for a while and they spoke to us about how they had some trial and what they learned and gave us some advise. Again I was hit with some knowledge that was just on time.
3.   Later, we were invited for a get together with a couple who are both teachers. They begun almost immediately asking us about our marriage, we were honest about our problems and they lovingly gave us wisdom and advise through their experiences.
4.   We were invited to a weekly couples group that is held by a couple from Life Christian Church. So we go and it was awesome! They are studying a workbook about couples and marriage and its just what we need.
So I’m testifying to you that after Pastor Sarah Marie anointed my marriage I have seen just that, right now we have had some huge results and I know that as we continue to learn and apply we will grow strong. This was no walk in the park as the enemy has tried to interfere with every step we take, but soon he will have to go mess with another couple who is weaker because we are growing strong! Amen.

Victory in Jesus vlog testimony

Victory in Jesus vlog testimony

#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: