Time For A Spiritual Makeover

Matt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 6:25-33 Jesus teaches about worry. Because of the ill effects of worry, Jesus tells us not to worry about those needs that God promises to supply. Worry may damage your health, cause the object of your worry to consume your thoughts; disrupt your productivity, negatively affect the way you treat others and reduce your ability to trust God. The difference between worry and genuine concern is worry immobilizes you, but concern moves you to action.

To seek first his kingdom and his righteousness means to turn to God for help to fill your thoughts with his desires to take his character for your pattern and to serve and obey him in everything. What is really important to you? People, objects, goals and other desires all compete for our priority. Any of these can quickly bump God out of first place if you don’t actively choose to give him first place in every area of your life.

The television show Extreme Makeover Home Edition is a reality television series providing home renovations for less fortunate families. Each episode features a family that has faced some sort of recent or ongoing hardship such as a natural disaster or a family member with a life threatening illness. Extreme Makeover is considered a spinoff of Extreme Makeover, an earlier series providing personal makeovers (often including plastic surgery) to selected individuals. Both of these shows specialize in renovating the things we can see. However, In Matthew 6:33 Jesus tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. In other words get our priorities in order.

In our request for a spiritual makeover, our priorities need to be the same as our Heavenly Father. There were times in my life where I set priorities, and I wish I could tell you they were all Godly priorities. There were times when I did not set priorities and other people tried to set them for me. To prevent someone else from trying to establish my priorities, I began to seek God first and ask him to help establish my priorities for the day.

In 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 the Macedonian Believers were going through great trial of affliction and deep poverty. Both of these things would be enough to cause some anxiety and worry. Yet they had an abundance of joy. Oftentimes in life we will go through situations which try to rob us of our joy. But the Macedonian Believers gave us a key in 2 Cor 8:5 which says that they “first gave their own selves to the Lord” They esteemed Him above and though all that they were experiencing in their lives. Instead of focusing on their problems, situations and circumstances, they chose to put their trust in God.

God wants to bless you. He wants us to have abundance of joy even when we are facing tremendous challenges in our lives. To receive a spiritual makeover, we must give up all that we are that we may receive all that he died to give.

Prayer: Father I depart from evil and do good. I seek, inquire for and crave peace. Instead of worrying, I will pray I will let petitions and praises shape my worries into prayers, letting you Father know my concerns, not forgetting to thank you for the answers. Your peace will keep my thoughts and my heart quiet and at rest as I trust in Christ Jesus my Lord. Amen. God Loves you and so do I… Pastor Tammy

Forward by Faith

Ex 14:15 And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:

There are times in our life when things come along and cause us to stand still rather than moving forward. In today’s passage the Lord told Moses to stop praying and get moving. Prayer has a vital place in our lives. But there is also a place of action. Sometimes we know what to do, but we pray for more guidance as an excuse to post pone doing it. If we know what we should do, then it is time to get moving and move forward by Faith.

The Word of God is filled with people that came from different backgrounds, training, personalities and ways in which they served God. But they had one thing in common: They all believed God’s promises and did what He told them to do. They were men and women of faith, and God honored them because they believed His Word. God has not changed, and the principle of faith has not changed.

What seems to have changed is the attitude of some of God’s people: Some no longer believe God and act by faith in His promises. God’s promises never fail, but we can fail to live by the grace of God and not enter into all that he has promised for us. God has “brought us out that He might bring us in” but too often we fail to enter in because of unbelief. (Heb 3:19).

Living faith always leads to action. “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” ~ James 2:26

It is impossible to live by faith and ignore the Word of God and prayer. “Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper (2 Chron 2:20, NKJV). There has not failed one word of all His good promise.

The Australian coat of arms pictures two creatures; the emu, a flightless bird, and the kangaroo. The animals were chosen because they share a characteristic that appealed to the Australian citizens. Both the emu and kangaroo can move only forward, not back. The emu’s three-toed foot causes it to fall if it tries to go backwards, and the kangaroo is prevented from moving in reverse by its large tail.


Today, you may be feeling like you are in a helpless situation, not able to move forward because of fear. There may be a desperate cry from your heart due to your present circumstances. God is not a temporary retreat. He is our eternal refuge and can provide strength for any circumstances. His power is complete; and victory is certain. He will not fail to rescue those who love him.


It has been well said that faith is not believing in spite of evidence but obeying in spite of consequence. Three essential for moving ahead by faith and claiming all that he has for us: The Word of Faith, The Walk of Faith, and The Witness of Faith. What lies ahead of us is far greater than what lies behind us. Go forward. God Loves You and So do I…….Pastor Tammy

Freedom

Galations 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

“Every human has four endowments- self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom; the power to choose, to respond, to change. ~ Stephen Covey

Independence Day is just around the corner. The Fourth of July commemorates the Continental Congress adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Regarded as the birthday of the United States of America, the day is typically celebrated with parades, fireworks, ceremonies, barbecues and family gatherings. Our society loves freedom. Not just the freedom from but the freedom to.

We live in a free country where our civil rights and freedoms are protected by law. We are given enormous latitude to participate in a variety of different behaviors protected under the constitution. Civil liberties exist for good reasons, usually to protect those who cannot protect themselves. But our freedom in Christ goes much deeper than do our civil liberties as citizens of this nation. The believer’s freedom is different from the freedom of citizens living in a free, democratic society. A lot of what people call freedom isn’t really freedom at all. For the believer, liberation and freedom go hand in hand. Biblical freedom can never be divorced from the idea of liberation from bondage. A dictionary definition for the word freedom is, “exemption from the control of some other person or some arbitrary power.”

Without being set free from the Law we would be trapped in an endless and destructive cycle of religious performance as a means of proving our devotion and sincerity. We would be stuck trying to prove our worth to a God who already loves us and never experience the freedom we have to rest in his love and rejoice in his grace.

Today let us stand in the liberty where Christ has made us free:

• I am free from failure: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil.4:13

• I am free from weakness, "for the Lord is the strength of my life." Ps.27:1

• I am free from doubt for "God hath given to every man the measure of faith." Rom. 12:3

• I am free from worry for I am...to cast all my cares upon Him." 1Pet.5:7

• I am free from bondage "for where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." 2 Cor.3:17

• I am... free from fear for "God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2Tim1:7

Unlike our society personal freedom to do whatever you like is not what Paul means when he says that Christ has set us free. But, it is easy in our society to forget this and live our Christian lives as if personal freedom to do what we like is the be all and end all. One part of freedom that is really attractive to me is not living my life tied to others expectations

Unlike our society personal freedom to do whatever you like is not what Paul means when he says that Christ has set us free. But, it is easy in our society to forget this and live our Christian lives as if personal freedom to do what we like is the be all and end all. One part of freedom that is really attractive to me is not living my life tied to others expectations. God Loves You and so do I……. Pastor Tammy

Comfort in Our Trouble

2 Corinthians 1:4 - Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

Many think that when God comforts us, our troubles should go away. If that was so, people would turn to God only out of a desire to be relieved of pain not out of love for him. We must understand that being comforted can also mean receiving strength, encouragement, and hope to deal with our troubles. The more we suffer the more comfort God gives us. God comforts us in our troubles, then asks us to share that comfort with others. Remember we cannot give away what we don’t possess. We are to pass on to others the comfort God has provided to us.

The word “tribulation” means to be weighed down exceedingly; to be pressed and crushed. It is the picture of a beast of burden being crushed beneath a load that is just too heavy. It is the picture of a person having a heavy weight placed on his breast and being pressed and crushed to the point they feel they are going to die.

The word “us” does not refer to just the Apostle Paul and his own trials and sufferings. But it refers to ours as well. God comforts all believers. HE does not have favorites; his mercies and comforts are for everyone. HE comforts us in “all” not just a few of our trials and sufferings. We do not have to bear a single trial or moment of suffering by ourselves. Our Father is not off in the distance and removed from us. He is right her with us to comfort us in all our sufferings. Isa 40:1 “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.”

• God’s purpose in comforting us is to make us a testimony to others

• God carries us through trials so we can carry others trials

• God strengthens us so we can strengthen others

• God helps us so we can help others

• God encourages us so we can encourage others

God expects us to suffer with the right attitude, to allow Him to share His comfort with us. How can a person share the comfort of God unless he has suffered and experienced the comfort of God? Believers are not to become bitter, discouraged or apathetic. A word to my strong brothers and sisters: Your season of suffering may not necessarily be about you. Joseph experienced tremendous suffering for many years of his life. When he finally saw his brothers again, he told them what you meant for evil; God meant it for good, to preserve the lives of many people. Ps 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.” God Loves you and so do I. Pastor Tammy

Perpetual Pain

Jer 15:18 Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound incurable, which refuseth to be healed? wilt thou be altogether unto me as a liar, and as waters that fail?

It is virtually impossible to measure another person’s pain objectively. Jeremiah accused God of not helping him when he really needed it. Jeremiah had taken his eyes off God’s purposes and was feeling sorry for himself. He was angry, hurt and afraid. God’s response was not that of anger at Jeremiah; he answered by reorienting Jeremiah’s priorities. As God’s mouthpiece he was to influence the people, not let them influence him.

We all have suffered pain in our lives. Acute pain is sudden while chronic pain is continuous or ongoing. Certain events in life can cause sudden pain or we may be living with continuous pain. Pain is not always physical; sometimes it can be emotional, mental and even spiritual. Life at times causes us to be angry and hurt.


Jeremiah’s call by God teaches us how intimately God knows us. He valued us before anyone else knew we would exist. He cared for us while we were in our mother’s womb. God values us more highly than we value ourselves. Jeremiah felt first hand God’s love for his people and the people’s rejection of that love. The scripture tells us that Jeremiah is addressing God and wondering why his pain is continuing and his wounds seem incurable. He felt that God was prolonging his suffering. Worse yet, he wondered if the God who claimed to be a spring of living water had become like a deceptive brook or a spring that failed. Maybe you are feeling this way today. God is not a man that he should lie, nor the son of man that he should repent. (Num 23:19) There are three important lessons in this passage.


1. In prayer we can reveal our deepest thoughts to God


2. God expects us to trust him no matter what


3. We are here to influence others


It may be easy for us to identify with Jeremiah’s frustrations and discouragement, but we need to realize that this prophet’s life is also an encouragement to faithfulness. Regardless of opposition and personal cost, Jeremiah courageously and faithfully proclaimed the Word of God. We live in a world filled with pain; the entire earth groans. We live with people who have been hurt and people who have hurt others. Today let us be reminded that God never abandons us or leaves us for any reason. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. (Romans 8:39) He is very much aware of the pain that we suffer. Jesus is our example. Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Jesus went from Agony to Destiny, a road we will all have to take one day. Be strong in the Lord and the power of his might. God Loves You and So do I….Pastor Tammy

A Good Friend

 Prov 18:24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

To find a good friend you must first show yourself to be friendly. A life without friends is a life less than God intended for us. Since we are created in His image, we must make and maintain friendships. Loneliness is rampant. Many people today feel cut off and alienated from others. There are times of being in a crowd that just makes people more aware of their isolation. People need friends who will stick close, listen, care and offer help when it is needed in good times and bad. It is better to have one such friend than a dozen superficial acquaintances. Friends are precious and few. The only way to have a friend is to be one." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The first time we see friendship in action is in the book of Genesis. God created Adam and saw that it was not good that man should be alone, so he brought Eve to Adam. God had fellowship with Adam and Eve. This is a good illustration early on of true friendship. We can find true friendship affords us comfort even in our times of trouble. Even when Adam and Eve sinned and were disobedient in the Garden of Eden, God still demonstrated his love to them and set a plan in motion to redeem them to himself.

Friends share good things with each other. Good friends are warm and stable. Good friends will resolve their conflicts by forgiving and getting forgiveness. Good friends admit wrongs, apologize for being wrong, and forgive wrongs. Good friendship is also sacrificial. Friends will sacrifice for each other because they love each other. We are to love one another as Jesus loved us, and he loved us enough to give his life for us. Good friends:

• Good friends listen to one another

• Good friends are approachable

• Good friends are dependable

• Good friends are trustworthy

• Good friends care about one another

Part of being a good friend is being willing to listen rather than just talk. This takes time and effort but if you can make time just to listen to others and respect what they have to say, then it's a sign of a good friend. Can your friends approach you? Are you willing to make yourself available on short notice? When the going gets tough can your friends depend on you? If a friend tells you something personal can we be counted on to keep their confidence? Or do you go and tell everyone at the first opportunity? People need to know that they can trust a friend with important information. A good friend is both trustworthy and reliable. A good friend avoids speaking badly about others or spreading rumors in order to hurt them? Do you defend friends when you hear others gossiping about them? The sign of a good friendship is when you can be totally honest with the other person, without them being offended because they know you have their best interests at heart.

In the words of a well known hymn “What a friend we have in Jesus” - All our sins and grief’s to bear, and what a privilege to carry everything to God in Prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share, Jesus knows our every weakness, take it to the Lord in Prayer. This Easter season Jesus said in John 15:13, "Greater love hath no man than this; that a man lay down his life for his friends." He gave his life; it was not taken from him! After his death and his burial, Jesus rose from the grave. What a friend we have in Jesus. To the world you may be just one person; but to one person you might be the world ~ Brandi Snyder. God loves you and so do I…. Pastor Tammy

If you cant trace His Hand; just trust His Heart

I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. "When you come looking for me, you'll find me. "Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." GOD's Decree. "I'll turn things around for you.(Jeremiah 29:10b-14-the msg)

Why is trusting God so difficult at times? The bible tells us to Trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not to our own understanding. (Prov 3:5) Still, most of us have difficulty trusting God at least at one point or another in our walk with Him. There are many reasons why we find trusting God difficult.

There are times in our life when things will happen and we wonder where is God? Does he not know or understand what is happening to us? As a pastor, I have experienced a mother whose only child was murdered. There was yet another family whose only child was about to be taken away from them because they had no place to stay. Both families found it difficult to trust God in their hour of greatest darkness. I remember standing outside of the location where the mother’s son was killed and we were praying to God. Our prayer was simple, God, we do not understand why you allowed this to happen, But we trust you. We know that you are too wise to make a mistake. You see we could not trace his hand in these events, but we trusted his heart.

Many of us want life to make sense. The truth is there will be times in your life when life makes no sense at all! How can a parent who has done all the right things still have a child who turns to drugs? What about the person who has dedicated 20 years to a company and one day unexpectedly this job is gone?

God works on a different timetable than our minds comprehend. Many of us want what we want, when we want it and most of the time that is NOW! It is difficult to trust in a plan that requires us to surrender all control. In order to trust in God, you must totally surrender your will, your ideas, your desires, and your future in to God's hands. If you don't believe that God loves you fully and really does have your best interests at heart and desires the very best for you, trusting Him is going to be extremely difficult. God is calling us to believe what seems impossible. Ask him to help you believe.

Most of us have a tendency to claim trust in God. However, at the first sign of any difficulty or trial, we think that God must not love us because He is allowing this difficulty to happen. The trial is exactly what God is using to test the level of trust that we have in Him. This is not for His benefit but for ours. This is to show us the true accuracy of our trust meter. Things are always the most difficult when we can't see the other side of our troubles

I received an email from a friend which simply said: "I will handle all your problems today. God" And here are a few reminders that if you can’t trace his hand, just trust His heart:

• Believe in God.

• Believe in God's abilities.

• Believe in God's willingness to help you through a tough time

• Believe God can and will work things out for good

The Scripture reminds us that God will show up and take care of us. He has a plan for our lives, plans to take care of you, not to abandon you, to give you the future you hope for. God encourages us to call on him and when we pray he will listen. When we come looking for Him, he promises we will find Him and we will not be disappointed. “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. (1 Chronicles 28:20). If you can’t trace his hand; just trust his heart. God Loves You and so do I……Pastor Tammy