It's time to stop worrying!

            "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." (I Peter 5:7) 

                         Worry! We, all, have to deal with it. In order to address the subject of worry, let's define it---What is it? It is allowing one's mind to dwell with difficulties or troubles. In other words, when you are thinking about the problems in life, that is worry. 
                I understand that in this age and time, we live in a challenging world. The job market is uncertain. Sometimes, our children may give us troubles. Other times, it may be a doctor's report. Circumstances in life can cause us to lose our joy and fall into despair, but here God is offering us a way out. Let's look at some interesting highlights of I Peter 5:7.
                What is the meaning behind the word casting? Casting means to throw. It is the same as a fisherman throwing the net over the sea to catch fishes. Another definition is to put on. Like putting something on a table or on a shelf. 
         The word care means worries and anxieties. Let's be real, all of us, have in one way or another given place to worry. You would not be human if you did not worry. God's word for today is to throw or place your worries on him. When a fisherman throws a net to the sea, sooner or later, he will reap the rewards of his labor. 
           The word says to labor to enter into his rest.(Heb 4:11) Why is it a labor? Because to address or take out the thoughts of worry, it is work. You have to bring down those thoughts. Bind those thoughts and loose the mind of Christ!  (Matt 18:18) You have to start taking the thoughts of Christ! Just as a fisherman labors long hours to get that net just right to catch his reward, we need to spend our time renewing our minds.
            It is interesting that God's word tells us that we have THE MIND OF CHRIST. Think about what an awesome statement that is---You have the MIND OF CHRIST(If you are saved!) Christ means the anointing that destroys yokes and lifts up burdens. It has been said that the mind is a terrible thing to waste. It is, also, sad that the average human being uses just less than 10% of their minds.
         Imagine what the mind of Christ can do for you? You ought to be shouting and praising God! It provides you with the answers you need, but why aren't we operating in that mindset? Because we are not letting his mind be in us! We are too full of fear and worry! (Phil 2:5)
          When you are full of worry and anxieties, you are operating in a spirit of pride. Take some time to read and meditate on I Peter 5:5-7. It talks about humility and grace. We, all need, grace! When you take upon yourself the worries and anxieties of life, you are telling God---I got it! No. Throw it upon the Lord. Forget about it! Don't worry, be happy!
           God's word is so powerful that it can change things. When we meditate on the answer instead of the problems. When we speak God's word to the circumstances, the circumstances will have to bow down and conform to God's word. Just because something is a fact does not mean it is true. God's word, which is truth, can change your circumstances. Abraham did it and it revolutionize his life. His obedience and trust in the Lord created a nation. What can you do with God's word? Meditate on God's word and find out what he has in store for you! 
         

Pastor's Post---March 2, 2015

                                                  Behold the lamb!

" And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!"
                  (John 1:36)


                              What comes to mind when you hear the word--Lamb of God? Is it just a phrase or a deep meaning that hits close to the heart. We, all, know that Jesus is the lamb of God, but what is implied behind those words? Let's look at some highlights of Exodus 12:1-10----

• A lamb was chosen out of the flock. It had to be without defects or blemish. It, also, had to be a firstborn. (Exo 12:5)
• It was to be set aside for a couple of days and be put under observation.(Exo 12:3-6)
• It had to be shared with others. (Exo 12:4)
• It had to be roasted in fire. (Exo 12:8)
• No leftovers. You had to eat the whole lamb. Whatever was left was burned in the fire. (Exo 12:8-10) 

                 LAMB CHOSEN OUT OF THE FLOCK---Jesus was called the second and last Adam (I Cor 15:45). He was without defect or blemish. He had never sinned and is called the firstborn of the church and assembly of God. Why? Because he started the church. He, also, was the first man to enter heaven. 

                PUT UNDER OBSERVATION---When you hear the words--"Behold, the lamb of God", it implies to stare. When you stare at something, you see some details of that object. Some may be good and some bad, but with Jesus, all that you see in him is good. We need to stop and meditate on what things he has given to us. 

               SHARED WITH OTHERS---When you read Exo 12:4, it says if the household is too small, invite your neighbor over for dinner. God is more than enough. His salvation and his benefits is too much for us to keep it for ourselves. We need to share his gifts and blessings with others. A lost and hurting world wants answers. Jesus can provide what they need!

                ROASTED WITH FIRE-----The lamb had to be cooked and well done. Jesus said that he would spend three days and nights in the heart of the earth.(Matt 12:40) You may reason--It means that Jesus was buried and would raise again. When we think of buried, we think of being below the earth in our western thinking. 

                       The Bible says that he was buried in a cave, not under the earth. This implies, something, deeper. Friends, did you know that the deeper you dig in the earth, the hotter it becomes----It is a scientific fact! Years ago, some Russian scientists wanted to do some research and dig below the earth, now mind you, this was around the '60's when atheism was running high. What they found was, not, only that it got hotter but their equipment went haywire. They saw some spirits that began to manifest themselves along with the noises of people in agony.

        Needless to say, their thinking was changed and now they are saved.(A link to that story is provided below.) Friends, what Jesus was saying was that he would suffer the torments of the fires of hell and then rise up again--Hallelujah! Jesus did not finish his sacrifice on the cross,  he finished it in hell. When Jesus said at the cross---It is finished! He was claiming victory and speaking of those things that are not as though they were!

               NO LEFTOVERS---They had to eat the whole lamb. The eyes, the stomach, the livers, the ears, etc. You may feel repulsed, but get ready to put on your dancing shoes and give a shout to God. When they ate the following items, they got healed--

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• The eyes---The blind received their sight.
• The ears-- The deaf can hear
• The stomach--Diabetics are healed
• The liver---Liver disease being healed and so on...

             PS 105:37 says that there was not a feeble one among them. Feeble in the Hebrew means sick. So, as they ate the lamb and obeyed God, they got healed. I like the Cecil DeMille's movie,The Ten Commandments, done in 1956. It was well-made for that time, but one thing that I saw was that some scenes were not in line with the word.

               On one scene, when the Jews came out of Egypt, you see them in rags and some on crutches. It was a different scene as far as God's word was concerned. God had a different perspective ---They were healed and came out with silver and gold! This is far better than Cecil DeMille's version! When we got out of Egypt, which symbolizes the world, we have all we need in Jesus. So, think on these things as you hear the word----Behold the lamb of God! God bless!

Bible verses provided by biblegateway

Picture provided by...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:German_ewe_grazing_closeup.jpg

Sounds of hell link..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iPIXq_jGMQ

     

Cristo viene---Estas listo(a)?

                       
                                     
                "Porque el Señor mismo con voz de mando, con voz de arcángel, y con trompeta de Dios, descenderá del cielo; y los muertos en Cristo resucitarán primero. Luego nosotros los que vivimos, los que hayamos quedado, seremos arrebatados juntamente con ellos en las nubes para recibir al Señor en el aire, y así estaremos siempre con el Señor. Por tanto, alentaos los unos a los otros con estas palabras." (I Tesa 4:16-18) 

                         Pregunta para Ud---Ud esta preparado para la venida de Cristo? Esto no va a ser para establecer su reino en el milenio, sino su venida estara en el aire. Un encuentro especial para los creyentes. Primero, los muertos en Cristo, despues el pueblo de Dios que somos nosotros--Aleluya!
Pero, vamos a ver algunas señales que va a ser indicativa de su venida. Observemos el siguiente versiculo---
                        
                       "  y habrá grandes terremotos, y en diferentes lugares hambres y pestilencias; y habrá terror y grandes señales del cielo." (Lucas 21:11)
                   Hemos visto grandes terremotos. Saben Uds que cada vez que hay un temblor de la tierra, hay cambios drasticos en las temperturas? Otra señal es lo que vemos en los cielos. El gobierno Americano han inventado un avion que se maneja con computadoras y sin piloto. (Drones) Ellos lo han usuado en guerras y ahora se dice que las empresas como Federal Express lo van a usar para sus diligencias. 
                   Las disadventajas de los Drones es que si cae esta technologia en manos de un gobierno tirano, nos puede perjudicar. Ellos estan equipados con cameras que son tipos rayos X que puede penetrar la privacidad de su casa. Otro punto es que han inventado mosquitos robots que tienen cameras y pueden espiar a una persona dentro de su casa. Si lo quieren eliminar, le ponen venenos al mosquito para transmitirlo,y al picarlo, muere la persona.
                     Eso nos suena familiar. En Apocalipsis, se habla de langostas que tienen caras humanas (Apo 9:7-10) y que tormentan a los humanos. Hnos y Hnas, se acerca el fin. Cristo viene ya para su pueblo. Este preparado(a) Dios les bendiga.

Are you getting drained?

" And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?" (Mark 5:30)

                In this morning, I want to call your attention to one question---Are you getting charged up in prayer? God's word has given us the power and authority to thread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy! That is, in itself, exciting, but did you know that you can get drained of that power? If we look at Jesus, who is our example, he took time to pray on a consistent basis, sometimes all night. We, sometimes, can't even pray for ten minutes without letting our minds wander or falling asleep and then we wonder---Where are you, God, when I need you? In this day, God is saying---Are you being charged up?
                   Mark 5:30 says that power(Virtue) went out from Jesus when the woman touched the hem of his garment. When we pray for others and ourselves, the power of God comes out to meet that need. That is why when you pray, you get tired physically, why? Because the power has left you and you need to be recharged.
                  Many minsters, who were once endued with power, have fallen to sin and shame before the world. Why is this? First, with power comes great responsibility. When God raises you up with his power and unction, you are going to draw a crowd.
                    Then, comes the demands of speaking engagements and holding services for hours on end. If you are not careful, the faith from the crowd will drain you. You will start coming home to bed, see the TV and fall asleep. The next day, you get up late and you can't pray because you have a speaking engagement and you are running behind. Soon, you forget to pray for 1, 2 or 3 days and become weak. Then, the serpent tries to come in and destroy you, your family and ministry.
                   It is important to understand how God's power operates. It amazes, angers and frustrates me that there are Christians who focus more on the negative than on the positive. They quote the Hebrews boys who went thru the fire, Paul's thorn or Job. Friends, they are not my example neither should they be yours. Our example is Jesus and he had a good track record on prayer being answered! Let's eliminate the What ifs and focus on we can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! Start edifying yourself by praying in the Holy Ghost. That is where the true source of power is. In this day, decide to not be drained, but filled with the Holy Ghost and power! 

 Scriptures--Luke 10:19, Luke 6:12, I Cor 14, Jude 20                        

Making a demand from God's power!

"  And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?" ( Mark 5:29-30)

                     I know that title sounds strange, perhaps some may find it disrespectful. The faith message has suffered from grave misunderstandings because people get the wrong message. When we talk about confessing the word, they, immediately, say you are ordering God around. That, my friends, is not true. We are not ordering God around, but we are making a demand on his power. Mark 5:28 indicated that the woman said something. She said that if I can touch his clothes, I shall be whole. The Greek says that she kept saying. 
                     You see, my friends, when you have faith, you say something.That woman was releasing her faith and made a demand on God's power. Remember, in Mark 5:30, it says that virtue had gone out of him. That virtue is translated as God's power. That woman's faith was making a demand on the power of God. In Mark 5:34 as well as other scriptures says..."Thy faith hath made thee whole!" He gave credit to her faith.
                     Throughout my life, I have heard Christians saying---I am waiting on God!" Yes, my friends, there is a time to wait, but what are you doing in the meantime? If you are not confessing God's promises, you may be waiting forever. Now, concerning demand, let's look at it from a different angle. We, all, know that God's promises are Yea and Amen, but did you know that they are stored in the bank of Heaven?  The word is compared as hidden treasures!
          Me and my wife have a joint checking and savings account. She can make any withdrawal to our account at any time because her name is in that account. A withdrawal is a demand on our money. She does the proper paperwork and Voila---The money is there! I don't take offense at that, because what's mine is hers. We are joint heirs with Christ, so if healing and prosperity belongs to us, we can make a demand through faith. We can say in the name of Jesus and withdraw from our faith account.
             That is why it is so important to meditate and confess God's word on a daily basis. We need to build up a faith bank deposit for the evil day. Faith is the currency in heaven that helps us to meet life's toughest challenges. You and I have a miracle in our mouth. Let's start using it and build up our faith account. I like the Greek translation of saith in Mark 11:23. It means Legos in the Greek. We, all, know what Legos is. It is some building blocks that kids play with. As we confess the word, we are building an image of Identification with Christ, healing, prosperity, etc. So, today as well as everyday---Make it a priority to confess God's promises over your life! God bless. 

Scriptures---II Cor 4:13
                 Mark 10:52
                 Luke 17:19
                 

Dealing with Frustration! Part 3!

"  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do."    (Rom 7:19)



               In our last study, we saw how we need to renew our minds. We, also, saw that we need to arrest the thoughts that are not pleasing to God and to put them under our feet. Brethren, letting this mind be in you which is the mind of Christ takes work. Our salvation is work! I am, not, saying that you have to work your way to get saved. That is, already, done through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. We are saved by grace through faith and that is the gift of God. When you confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you were saved. (Eph 2:8-9, Rom 10:9-10) 
              Having established this, We need to work our salvation through 
soul and body. Yes, the Spirit Man was saved the moment you received Christ, but the soul (mind, will and emotions) as well as the body needs to get saved. This misunderstanding has given way to legalistic doctrines of works and not faith. The word says that we are seated in heavenly places---That is a spiritual fact. We are not doing all we can to make heaven our home. Heaven is our home! It is already settled in the spirit, but the soul is a different story! There is a difference, my friends, between soul and spirit. (Heb 4:12) 
       Many will accuse me and others of saying that we are preaching grace as an excuse to sin. The true Christian does not want to sin and to be fair to this argument, the word says to work our Salvation with fear and trembling.(Phil 2;12) Why? Because not renewing our minds on a consistent basis will make us enemies of Christ. Think about it---Would Christ allow an enemy to enter his kingdom? Mind renewal is work, so let's not get lazy and say that I am an old sinner saved by grace and not do our part. That is damning to the soul and will get you in hell. Remember there are no lazy people in heaven,either! 
       I know that this is not a popular theme--Losing your salvation, but we need to work at mind renewal on a consistent basis. As long as you work at this, even when you fall, there is grace. Grace is there on the condition that  you confess your sin and dust yourself off! Why? First, of all, the moment you confessed your sin, you got rid of it. Second, because with working on mind renewal, you are putting away the sin consciousness way of life and being God-inside minded. Remember you are the righteousness of God! Develop an appetite for God's word. I remember a fellow minister who said that if you eat something you don't like, eventually, you will develop an appetite for it. Let's develop an appetite to the word. Then we will awake to righteousness and sin not. (I Cor 15:34) Confess the word daily and work on renewing the mind.....

Confession--I love righteousness and hate iniquity. I have the mind of Christ. I love what you love and hate what you hate. No habit, sin or circumstances is stronger than your word, for it is the anointing that breaks the yoke. I thank you that today I walk in victory for I am more than a conqueror---In Jesus name---Amen! (Heb 1:9) 


Verses provided by Biblegateway. 
       

Dealing with frustration---Part II

 "  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do."    (Rom 7:19)

                           In our last study, we saw how frustrated the Apostle Paul was with his flesh. How he experienced failure and the solution God gave to him in Rom 7:25---With the mind he serves the law of God. That is a powerful statement. I believe that God at that moment showed him that he has the mind of Christ! We, also,saw how the word Christ is the yoke breaking, burden removing power of God. (Isa 10:27) So, think about it! Jesus is not only our Savior, but he was known to break yokes and lift burdens. It's the same association when you think of computers, the name Bill Gates comes to mind. 
                          My question to you is are you allowing this mind (Christ) to be in you? Brethren, we need to understand that God's blessing is not going to fall on you and presto you have the mind of Christ. We have to fight the fight of faith. God is not a Santa Claus and yes he has given us all things to enjoy but we have to do our part. There is an enemy called Satan and he uses the flesh and the world to stumble us.
                             Israel was given a land by God. It was their inheritance, but there were giants they had to fight against. Our flesh has enjoyed the past lifestyle and for some, it has been 20, 30 or 40 years---Do you think that living for Christ is going to be a walk in the park? Not without the anointing! We have to fight the good fight of faith. Let's look at the following---
          
  " Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ"  (II Cor 10:5)

                We have work to do. We need to monitor what goes through our mind and use our authority to cast down imaginations that are contrary to God's word. Binding and loosing is the key. We need to bind thoughts that are against God and put them under our feet. After that, we need to speak that word and chew on it. Loose the spirit and anointing in that word, only then will our minds be renewed and we will begin to develop the mind of Christ in us. God bless! 

Verses provided by Biblegateway