Ablaze with the Fear of The Lord: Chapter 11

We are to be salt and light to this world, our lives should drive out darkness and push back the enemy. But if we are not salted and fueled then we will not have enough power for either one.

So far we have talked about:

• Ablaze with God’s Word

• Ablaze with Prayer

• Ablaze with the Holy Spirit

• Ablaze with Worship

• Ablaze with Generosity

• Ablaze with Holiness

• Ablaze with Humilty

• Ablaze under Authority

Today we wrap up with our last chapter on becoming ablaze with the Fear of the Lord!

“Lord, how wonderful you are! You have stored up so many good things for us, like a treasure chest heaped up and spilling over with blessings - all for those who honor and worship you! ”

— Psalm 31:19 (TPT)

Fear can be healthy and it protects us. When we have a healthy fear (respect for the ability and power) of God, it “…protects us from sin, it keeps us from wrong behaviors, it saves us from wrong behaviors, and it saves us from the effects of bad choices.”

The story of Ananias and Sapphira as well as David and Uzzah show that the presence of God must be feared and honored. As we pray for the presence of God to saturate our churches and our life, as we pray for revival, we need to understand that we must pray that we never mishandle it.

“Never forget — there are spiritual laws that must be obeyed if you want to be blessed. If you respect and handle God’s Word and His power correctly, you will receive great blessing as a result. But if you choose to disobey, ignore, sidestep, or disrespect tHis truth, His presence, and His power, the same power that could help you may bring you a sever correction or even judgement. This is simply the way it works.” - p. 422

Are you ablaze with the fear of Lord?

• Do I truly reverence the presence and the power of God in my life?

• Do I show that I am respectful of God’s presence and power by my daily actions and choices?

• Do I really walk in the fear of the Lord as the Bible commands me — or have I become too casual with God? Have I slipped in my understanding of His mighty power and the holy life He has called me to live?

Ablaze Under Authority

Everyone is under authority whether we like it or not. Once we understand that and respond appropriately and submit, life will go well. Just watch the show Live PD and you can see that things do not go well with those who disrespect authority.

From the very beginning authority was established. As Pastor Datha says, “You can choose to obey or disobey authority, but you can’t choose the consequences.” Believe me, when authority is ignored, disregarded, or simply disobeyed — there will be consequences.

In this chapter, Rick describes a symphony and how each person plays their part while their eyes are fixed on the conductor — taking their cues so that a blended, beautiful sound is produced. Immediately, I thought about all of our drive-in services. God gave the plan to Pastor Kempie and everyone came into agreement, played out their assignments over and over, taking their cues from the pastors, and beautiful music has been produced.

“Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?”

— Amos 3:3

“All restraints are being thrown off, and society is galloping on a collision course with the end of a lawless age. The closer we get to the end, this world will sink deeper and deeper into deception and depravity as it reaps the full harvest of disrespect for authority that began as a “first seed” in the Garden with Adam and Eve. (p. 376)

Spiritual authority is so important in our walk with God. God is our supreme master. We are submitted to Him - “If you want the power and fire of God to flow through you, it is imperative that you are aligned under Christ’s absolute authority.” (p. 379)

We must stay submitted to those whom God has established over us. Hebrews 13:7, “Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.”

Submitting to this Biblical authority will keep your life ablaze for God. To stay ablaze you must come under spiritual authority. Stay alert, stay submitted, stay ablaze!

Together, we will accomplish all that God wants!

Do you have a personal example you would be willing to share about submission to authority? Share it on the facebook group and let’s talk about it!

Love,

Pastor Lisa

A Life Ablaze: Chapters 8 & 9

These two chapters are so rich and soul searching. Two subjects no one likes to talk about, holiness and humility. First, let’s define holiness: “it describes something that is separated, consecrated, holy, and sacred — never again to be regarded or used in a common way.” - p. 282

When we become born again, God’s presence changes us. We are never to be common again. We have been separated for God’s kingdom and for this use. By accepting Jesus as our Lord, we have been washed by the blood of Jesus, we are marked, set apart, and made holy.

“If you belong to Jesus Christ, you are called to live a life of purity and holiness. God wants your mind to be shaped by Him so that your thoughts and goals reflect Christ.” - Billy Graham

“If Christ died for me…I cannot trifle with the evil that killed my best friend.” Charles Spurgeon (p. 313)

But be careful that pride doesn’t set in — to keep ablaze we must also walk in humility. The opposite of humility is pride and pride will kill you, it will kill your spirit, soul, and body. “Pride is the root of rebellion and is always accompanied with catastrophic results.” - p. 370

Pride’s goal is to eliminate you. It’s goal is for you to walk away from God and therefore be of no use for the kingdom. It starts by you first becoming offended. Walking in humility helps eliminate the possibility of offense. Humility is thinking modestly of our ourselves.

“Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”

— Romans 12:3

With humility God gives special power to do things we normally could not do. It is with this power we must realize that God is the one who enables us to do great things. We are not great alone — we are great because we are empowered (anointed) by Him.

Now is a great time to pray:

“Holy Spirit, show me if I have any issues with unhealthy pride that need to be corrected and uprooted from my life. Help me to carry myself with humility and to have a moderate, balanced view of myself, not an exaggerated opinion of my own importance.”

Love,

Pastor Lisa

A Life Ablaze: Chapter 7 - Generosity

When it comes to finances and giving it seems, in the words of Kenneth Hagin, "Some people’s minds are like cement: thoroughly mixed and set.” Many don’t like to discuss the subject of money, but God has a lot to say about it. What we fail to understand is that God determines our love for Him through our giving or our generosity.

Before we go further, let’s talk about the word generosity. Generosity is not a specific dollar amount, it is directly proportional to what you have. For example:

Paul makes $200 per week and gives $20 per week to his church.
Jim makes $2,000 per week and gives $120 per week to his church.

Jim may give more each week but in God’s eyes, Paul is giving generously.

“You see, words are cheap - easily spoken. If a person really loves the Lord, what He does with His money would reflect that deep love for Him.”

— p. 241

Giving to God is not a quick/throw something in the plate act. What we give in addition to the tithe should be a well planned, thought out, and prayed over act. Each time we walk up to the altar and bring our giving and present it to the Lord, we are literally building an altar. With obedience to give, God makes a promise to us -

“ Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!
”

— Malachi 3:10

“God promises to open the windows of Heaven over generous givers — pour out immeasurable blessings on those who willingly give Him the tithe, or the tenth of all their increase.” - p. 270

During this Covid-19 virus raining chaos and uncertainty, I have watched you, with hearts ablaze, continue to give generously. You have unselfishly met needs and have given us the opportunity to bless other churches and Pastors.

Continue to give, give generously and watch the windows of Heaven open unto you — pour blessings upon you, rain miracles on you, and give you peace!

Do you have a testimony of giving and watching the provision of God move and work in your life? We’d love to share it with others! Click the link below or share on our facebook group.

Ablaze For Souls: Chapter 6

There is nothing as great as watching someone light up with the realization that God loves them. Watching them go from darkness to light, from bondage to freedom, and from glory to glory. As you read the book of Acts, you can see that those on fire for God were spreading the gospel, the good news of Jesus, to everyone. This transformation, this new creation is the proof that God is real! Jesus gave the command to go and to keep on going. We are never to stop sharing what God has done!

I knew a Christian man who claimed to be a spirit-filled believer who worked alongside another one of our members who had a heart that was on fire for souls. The man who had a heart for souls would constantly be trying to put himself in a position to share the gospel even on the job. He would eat lunch with others who didn’t believe in Jesus and he would share what God had done. The other man, however, had no interested in socializing with anyone who wasn’t a Christian. That same fire just wasn’t there. That fire should be ablaze on the inside of all of us - a genuine love for the lost - the heart of God!

“It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts Him”

— Romans 1:16

When we come to the realization that people will go to Hell unless we share the truth — it should fuel our fire to get serious about reconciling others to Christ.

J.C. Ryle was quoted on page 219, “Hell, hell fire, the damnation of hell, eternal damnation, the resurrection of the damnation, everlasting fire, the place of torment, destruction, outer darkness, the worm that never dies, the fire that is not quenched, the place of weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth, everlasting punishment…these are the words which the Lord Jesus Christ Himself employs. Away with the miserable nonsense which people talk in this day who tell us that the ministers of the gospel should never speak of hell.”

Hell is real. Eternity is real. It is horrible to think that someone we know and love may be going to Hell. It is even more horrendous to think of someone who may be in Hell and that we had the chance to tell them about Jesus and we didn’t. Renner says, “If we embrace this truth, it will shake us to the core and embolden us to compassionately share Christ with people — yes, to make the benefits of salvation available to them for this present earthly life, but most importantly, to ensure that they become a part of God’s eternal family.”

“Jesus died for this - so we must live for it!”

— p. 222

It’s time for us to GO and TELL everyone about Jesus. If we really believe in Hell we will do everything in our power to keep others out. If we really believe in the power of God’s saving grace, then we will do everything in our power to share the meaning of the sacrifice that was made. Charles Spurgeon shared, “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for.” (p.227)

We need the FIRE of God to be blazing on the inside of us not just a romantic candlelight. Fuel your fire this week and be prepared to share the life changing news that resides on the inside of you. Even during this time of “social distancing” you may be amazed at the doors the Holy Spirit will open for you to speak truth into someone’s life.

Love,

Pastor Lisa

A Life Ablaze: Chapter 5 (Ablaze With Worship Guest Blogger)

Pastor Lisa has asked our worship Pastor, Dennis Maddox to blog about the 5th Chapter: Ablaze with Worship today! Thanks so much for continuing to follow along. Make sure to respond and engage about this chapter on our facebook group:

First of all I’m so grateful to have Pastors who allow us to worship in Spirit and Truth. Secondly, for church members who long for the presence of God and are ready to engage in worship every week. Let’s see what we can learn from this chapter to go deeper in our worship!

“When the atmosphere is charged with the Presence of God during those times of worship, a door is opened to a spiritual dimension, allowing revelation to flood into our receptive hearts and minds”

— Rick Renner

I think it’s interesting that Rick Renner states that that the concept for writing every book he has written has come to him through times of praise and worship. Pastor Lisa was telling me this morning that God talks to her the most when she is in a place of worship. To me, nothing can get us in the presence of God quicker than worship. It’s addictive- in a good way and it’s irreplaceable.

“ I can safely say, on the authority of all that is revealed in the Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth that is bored and turned off by worship is not ready for heaven.” - A.W. Tozer

In fact in John 4 Jesus states that the Father is looking hard, searching, and seeking for those who would worship Him in Spirit and truth. It’s still baffling to me how the Creator of the Universe, the God of Heaven and Earth is seeking us to worship Him. He wants and longs for an audience with us! You might as well start on your eternal occupation now. What are we waiting for? I assure you that all of this praising is not for nothing.

I love how he breaks down the greek word for Worship - Proskuneo. Worship really is loving God in the most vulnerable position. To borrow a phrase, “to dance like nobodies watching, to sing like nobodies listening (except God).” Later in the chapter he talks about the glory. The greek word for that is Naos. The meaning of this is that we are literally a walking Sanctuary. Ps 22:3 tells us that he inhabits (or sits or is resting on top of) our praise. That’s what happens when we worship God together on Sunday. The glory falls like dew in the morning. It’s moisture is always available but only falls when we seek Him unashamed and unabated. 

The different styles and different sounds section is something I’m glad he touched on. Our church is multi-cultural and multigenerational. We are a unique part of the Body of Christ, but so is every church (or they should be). Think about that for a minute. What we have in our church is what the world really wants but can’t do. Different races, different generations, different cultures brought together with one common goal- to Worship Him! Thank you Jesus for the tool of Praise and Worship!

We love you Lord!

Dennis Maddox

What are your thoughts on praise and worship? Share with us on the group!

A Life Ablaze: Chapter 4

I am so thankful for a church that is on fire for God! I am thankful for a body of believers who pursue God with passion and hunger for more of Him. I am thankful for you, for your love, your passion, and your desire for the Holy Spirit to move.

“When the Holy Spirit is allowed to move, He speaks, He acts, and He unleashes phenomenal amounts of supernatural power that utterly transforms what human reasoning, effort, and talent can never touch.”

— p. 156

So many church leadership resources have been written using the early church as a model. They talk about meeting in homes (small groups, etc), however, leave out the most important part — the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit. The church started and exploded because of the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.

What God wanted for the church was also what He wanted in every believer. We should desire for this same power to operate within us. As Andrew Murray says, “Men aught to seek with their whole hearts to be filled with the Spirit, it is utterly impossible that an individual Christian or a church can ever live or work as God desires.” - p. 96

As sons and daughters of the King, filled with the Holy Spirit, filled and empowered with and by the Holy Spirit, we should have the miraculous as part of our every day lives.

“And he said to them, “As you go into all the world, preach openly the wonderful news of the gospel to the entire human race! Whoever believes the good news and is baptized will be saved, and whoever does not believe the good news will be condemned. And these miracle signs will accompany those who believe: They will drive out demons in the power of my name. They will speak in tongues. They will be supernaturally protected from snakes and from drinking anything poisonous.[a] And they will lay hands on the sick and heal them. - Mark 16:15-18 TPT

These signs follow us who believe in order to prove that what we say about Him is true. Creative power is released and signs and wonders are accomplished. We have an important role to play in this — “to bring the active power and voice of God into the Earth.” The supernatural acts we read in the Book of Acts should still be happening in and through us. All day, everyday!

Many times we hold back because it draws attention, it can be loud, and/or emotional. Let’s face it — a lot of us are just afraid to cause a scene. The Word shows us that everywhere the Holy Spirit appeared, “His presence was felt, His fire was seen, and they experienced power.” In other words, He caused a scene and in doing so people’s eyes were opened to know that there is only one true God. The only God who has the power to save, heal and deliver! The only God with transforming power.

“Then God added his witness to theirs. He validated their ministry with signs, astonishing wonders, all kinds of powerful miracles, and by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which he distributed as he desired.”

— Hebrews 2:4 (TPT)

When we as believers act on His Word and believe for Him to move, he will add His witness to ours with signs and wonders. God provides protection, provision, and prosperity to His children so we can be about Kingdom business.

This is the time the world needs to see those that believe in Jesus and operate in the full manifestation of the work of the Holy Spirit.

Read about the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit and begin to expect them to operate in your life.

Think About It

1. During the course of your daily duties and routine, do you find yourself plagued by worry or anxiety from pressures you may face? How do you engage and draw from the supply of the Holy Spirit to lubricate and saturate yourself — spirit, soul, and body — with His fuel to prevent yourself from experiencing burnout?

2. In what areas of your life do you sense the Holy Spirit moving and removing obstacles to His presence? Invite Him to do a deeper work in your thoughts, your desires, and throughout your personality until the fire of His holiness is all that remains.

A Life Ablaze: Chapter 3

By now, you have examined yourself, determined your supply, and taken steps to fan the flame and keep it going. We have learned that we must do whatever necessary to keep the fire of God ablaze and to keep it hot. If neglected, we know the fire will begin to burn low and eventually burn out completely. God gave us all the tools we need to feed and kindle the fire.

“I’m writing to encourage you to fan into a flame and rekindle the fire of the spiritual gift God imparted to you when I laid my hands upon you”

— 2 Timothy 1:6 TPT

The first tool is the Word.

As we read the Word of God, it pierces every area of our lives, it washes us clean, changes our thinking, and strengthens our faith.

Reading the Word of God daily is a necessity. You will not truly understand the impact of this until you need the power of God to manifest in your life. What does this mean in real life? It means that you will be the man who built his house upon the rock. When the rains come and the storms come, your house will remain. It means you will become immovable in your faith and you will have the strength and power to overcome.

God doesn’t stop there, He provides you with another tool - Prayer!

“Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.”

— Jeremiah 33:3

Pastor Datha has taught me that prayer is the key to an intimate relationship with Jesus and the ability to see and know the spiritual realm. I can hear her now, “you will never go higher than your prayer life.”

Just read the book of Acts. There are so many books out now for church leadership about growing your church, church planting, etc taken from the book of Acts. Yet, somehow they seem to miss the main ingredient for the early church’s success — prayer!

Prayer was not something they did casually - it was at all times, in all places, and in all situations. It must be a vibrant and consistent prayer life. God was always on their mind, they were aware of His presence, and they invited Him to participate in their lives.

DL Moody wrote, “We are not told that Jesus ever taught His disciples how to preach, but He taught them how to pray.”

If you’ve every felt like you don’t know what to pray for or how to pray, Rick Renner explains six kinds of prayer (page 75) and 15 things to pray about (page 80).

A good starting place:

• Fellowship with God

• Surrender your life to Him

• Thank Him for all He has done

Why not start now? Let’s pray,

Father, I thank you for saving me, for loving me, and for always being there for me. I surrender my life to you. I am not here for anything for me, but to tell you how much I love you.

(Begin to tell Him in your own words how much you love Him!)

Amen

Think About It

1. What is your pattern of prayer? Do you inquire of the Lord often about matters both great and small? Or do you spend so much time talking or worrying about situations that you barely pray at all?

2. God longs to move on your behalf. But He waits for you to express your desire as He has expressed His. Have you accepted the divine invitation? Are you calling out to Him in hungry anticipation? He will surely respond to your prayer in ways that exceed your greatest expectation.

Reading Schedule

March 2nd Week 1 - Chapters 1 & 2
March 9th Week 2 - Chapter 3
March 16th Week 3 - Chapter 4
March 23rd Week 4 - Chapters 5 & 6
March 30th Week 5 - Chapter 7
April 6th Week 6 - Chapter 8
April 13th Week 7 - Chapter 9
April 20th Week 8 - Chapters 10 & 11
April 27th Week 9 - Conclusion & Announcing our next book!

A Life Ablaze: Chapters 1-2

Just recently someone said to me, “Every time I see a picture of you preaching, you look so passionate and energetic.” Yes, I am really passionate when I preach because I am THAT passionate about Jesus. I wish everyone could understand this incredible relationship we have with and in Jesus.

I take Romans 12:1 seriously, “Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord.” (AMP) This passion is exactly what Rick Renner is talking about in our newest book, A Life Ablaze. It’s important that we don’t take this passion for granted. We must do everything we can to keep this fire burning within us. It doesn’t just happen and it has to keep being fueled. Paul told Timothy to “stir up the gift”. If we are told to stir up the fire of God inside of us, there must be tools or things we can do to keep the fire stirred and ablaze for God.

“When fuel of any kind is depleted, fire eventually goes out”

— page 20

Before we begin we must take some time to evaluate where we are (p.22):

• look inside yourself

• determine your fuel supply

• do whatever you must to stir your spiritual embers

• keep your fire burning

This evaluation of yourself should never stop. Many times I stop and do a self-check. Am I stirring up the gift inside of me? Am I fueling the passion and the power? Have I gotten too busy with other things? Has the fire gotten low?

“Spirit filled souls are ablaze for God. They love with a love that glows. They serve with a faith that kindles. They serve with a devotion that consumes. They hate sin with fierceness that burns. They rejoice with a joy that radiates. Love is perfected in the fire of God.”

— page 24

If we are to be ablaze with spiritual fire — we must use the tools God has given us to feed this fire and keep it hot and growing. This week we are looking at the first tool — God’s Word.

A consistent intake of the Word of God is a must. The Word of God itself is fire. John Stott said, “We must allow the Word of God to confront us, to disturb our security, to understand our complacency, and to overthrow our patterns of thought and behavior.” (p. 37)

The Word of God will permanently transform a life because His Word is the life giving presence of God. It renews our mind, changes our thinking, gives us wisdom for living, and energizes us to live this overcoming life:

“Spiritual fire is directly equal to the amount of how much God’s Word he plants in his heart!” (Page 40)

Think About It

• Question #2 (read the full description & question on page 28)
  Are you trying to live today based on the memories of your spiritual state yesterday?

• Question #1 ( read the full description & question on page 59)
  When you are faced with challenges or life decisions, does the Bible hold the preeminent influence and authority in your life or do you confer with people and search out trending opinions? Do you neglect to read the Bible daily because you think you don’t have time for it? Your answers to these questions are a direct link to the level of power you are experiencing in your own walk with God.

Reading Schedule

March 2nd Week 1 - Chapters 1 & 2
March 9th Week 2 - Chapter 3
March 16th Week 3 - Chapter 4
March 23rd Week 4 - Chapters 5 & 6
March 30th Week 5 - Chapter 7
April 6th Week 6 - Chapter 8
April 13th Week 7 - Chapter 9
April 20th Week 8 - Chatpers 10 & 11
April 27th Week 9 - Conclusion & Announcing our next book!

Fasting: Part 3

This devotional has been powerful! It continues to encourage us to press into the Holy Spirit and expect divine revelation for the future. Let’s continue to pray not only for our own lives but to pray what is on the heart of God — Christians around the world, our Nation, our city, our church, and so much more!

“If you climb up high enough in the realm of God, He will open the windows and show you things not visible from where you are now…When you fast, you are taking your relationship with God to another level. He will speak to you things He would not reveal in a casual relationship.” - Day 20 Less of Me, More of Him

During this time of fasting you should be more sensitive than ever before to the leading of the Holy Spirit. This is a great time to begin to ask Him specific questions and believe for direction and answers, what is your next step?

“God wants to give you a revelation of who you are and who you can be when His Spirit is upon you! This fast has been a journey up that mountain to a place of revelation and deeper understanding. Press in. Ask your questions. Take time to listen to His voice and meditate on His Word.” - Day 20

Our women’s ministry (Seedchicks) made vision boards this past Saturday and were encouraged to believe God for the impossible. During this time, what is God speaking to you? Is He stirring up a desire that you had as a child that you pushed away because of circumstances and unbelief? Pick those desires back up and begin to believe. As Pastor Datha said last week, use your faith! You have to start somewhere! I want to encourage you to also create a vision board — with a picture or pictures of what you and your family are believing God for and put it in a place you will see it daily. Include a photo of our new building! See your family worshipping there and thousands of lives being changed in its sanctuary. God has so much in store for us! We are only to believe.

““Things which the eye has not seen and the ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, who obey Him, and who gratefully recognize the benefits that He has bestowed].””

— 1 Corinthians 2:9

We are so proud of you church and we know that this is just the beginning of all God has in store for 2020! FINISH STRONG and continue to believe and live a life of faith.

Already have a testimony of something God has done during this time of prayer & fasting? Please share what God has done at the button below.

Love you,

Pastor Lisa

Fasting: Part 2

We are halfway there, don’t give up. By now, your body has adjusted to the new way of eating and your spirit should be hungrier for more. You should be feasting more on the Word and thirsting more for His presence. Don’t let anything distract you!

Every time the church would fast the enemy would constantly throw temptation my way. A sales representative would bring in my favorite food, someone would have a party, or my body would get weak. Each time I would have to make a decision — satisfy my flesh or feed my Spirit? Feeding my spirit is a lot more satisfying and the reward is so much greater.

“Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” ”

— Joshua 1:8

The devotional for today encourages us to really dive into God’s Word! Let’s make sure to finish strong and each day grow hungrier. Take some time today to reflect on the questions that are asked of us in the devotional — How often are we reading the Bible? What keeps us from spending time in God’s Word? There is still time to make these adjustments and finish strong.

I can’t wait to hear all God is doing in and through you during this time. Expect great things and make the changes needed to grow stronger spiritually this year!

Love,

Pastor Lisa

Fasting: Part 1

“…fasting has been the secret to obtaining open doors, miraculous provision, favor, and the tender touch of God upon my life.” - The book “Fasting” by Jentezen Franklin

What an amazing start to 2020, from the prophetic word that was given during our New Year’s Eve Service to the very first sermon preached on sunday. God has amazing things in store for us as a church and for each of us individually. But you must hold fast to, and pray in the plan and the will of God.

The 3 duties of every Christian are:

1. Giving

2. Praying

3. Fasting

These 3 duties all work together. God has given us the Word or as we discussed yesterday, “the bridge”. We know that the harvest will be great and that we must prepare for it. Although we have been given a Word — it will not just happen, we have to pray it in!

As you draw closer to God through giving, praying, and fasting, God will reward you. Job 23:12 says, “ I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.”. Whatever we give up in the natural, will be rewarded in the spirit.

Let’s finish this fast strong. Get out of your comfort zone, give like never before, praise like never before, and pray like never before!

Growing Up Spiritually: Chapter 12

Around the holidays I know the last thing most of us want to talk about is the word diet, however, the diet that Hagin refers to has little to do with the Christmas cookies you have been consuming and everything to do with what your spirit has been feeding on. Wow! What an awesome recipe for love God has given us.

How many of us are seeking our own good? Most of us. When love does not rule, then the motives of life become distorted; conduct becomes abnormal, and the body rules the spirit — causing the mind to be brought into captivity of earthly things.

You must recongnize that the Bible teaches that because you are born of God, you are born of love; that you are made a partaker of the divine nature, God’s nature, which is love; and that you have it — a measure of it, at least. Then as you get ready to feed that love nature on the Word of God and put it into practice, you will begin spiritual development and growth. It won’t happen until then! - page 154

“Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth [or good].”

— 1 Corinthians 1-:24

Diet for Feeding Your Love Nature

• Let your diet in the Word be mainly made up of the Epistles as these were written to the church.

• Focus on 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 (study, meditate, and feed)

• Feed on all 5 chapters of First John! Let it transform you!

• Study the plan of redemption. Find out what you are in Christ — and what Christ is in you!

• Renew your mind daily

If every believer fed on this diet it wouldn’t be long before the quarreling in homes, families, and churches would disintegrate and we would begin to see the remedy of love at work against strife, envy, jealousy, hatred, and all of the enemy’s tricks and schemes.

Are you ready to continue to grow spiritually? Are you ready to step into a new year with the fruits of the spirit fully operating in your life? Be determined to grow daily in the knowledge of who you are in Christ and the instructions He has given your family for 2020. We will begin the new year with a 21 day fast — what an incredible opportunity to renew our minds in the Word and get focused and in position to hear from Him for this next season. Remember, we ware not making this a “fad diet” but a lifestyle of being led by the spirit. A daily choice to be renewed in His presence.

If you begin to see the characteristics of a spiritual baby pop back up in your life, let is serve as a wake up call to increase your spiritual diet on the Word and time in His presence. FEED! When crisis comes, you will not only be able to stand up against the enemy’s attacks but you will be able to fight back.

Get excited for 2020 and all God has in store.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

We love you and we are believing that the best is yet to come,

Pastor Lisa

Growing Up Spiritually: Chapter 11

Last week we talked about the carnal (natural) man. We all begin as a carnal Christian, our spirit man gets reborn, but our flesh, the carnal part initially stays the same. Paul tells us that there are things we have to do in order to continually strengthen our spirit man and not be ruled by our flesh.

A spiritual man has the following characteristics:

• Knows and understands who they are in Christ and walks in it

• Feeds on the Word daily

• Walks in love

• Knows the Father intimately

“….. I knew in my spirit He could become more real to me than my wife, more real to me that either of my children.” - p. 128

Jesus is more than just our Savior, He is our High Priest, our Advocate, our Intercessor, our Shepherd, and our Lord! If you don’t know how Jesus operates in each of these areas — start studying! When you really understand what He has done for us, through us, and in us, you begin to know Him more intimately and as a result you will begin to grow.

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know that things that are freely given to us of God. ”

— 1 Corinthians 2:12

Make a decision today, to know Him more and more! You can always know Him more deeply and more intimately. There are so many names of God, I mentioned just a few above. Which of these names or attributes is your favorite? If you had to name one which one would it be? Comment on the facebook post this week and fill in the blank “God is my _____________.”

Love you,

Pastor Lisa

Growing Up Spiritually: Chapter 10

12 For you should already be professors instructing others by now; but instead, you need to be taught from the beginning the basics of God’s prophetic oracles! You’re like children still needing milk and not yet ready to digest solid food.

- Hebrews 5:12 The Passion Translation (TPT)

So many times we are not aware of the characteristics of a spiritually mature believer. We look to those who flow in spiritual gifts or who teach, yet Kenneth Hagin reminds us that spiritual gifts do not make you a full-grown Christian. If you are governed by your flesh (your senses) then you are not a full-grown Christian, you are a carnal Christian or as some translations state, “a mere man”.

We are not called to be mere men, we are to be supernatural men, governed by the spirit and not by the flesh. We serve a supernatural God and His supernatural spirit lives on the inside of us and makes us supernatural men. We are not “mere men”.

Mere-men = People who walk like the world, think like the world, act like the world, and speak like the world. Paul says people who are “body-ruled” and have envy, jealousy, debate, strife, division, and gossip are mere men. When you grow, you leave all of that “body-ruled” behavior behind. Because when you grow — you become more and more Christ-like. He is love! When you walk in love, you will not have envy, jealousy, debate, strife, division, or gossip operating in your life.

How do you grow? By reading the Word and by praying in the Holy Ghost. What a surprise! If you want things in your life to change — you must read the Word and pray in the Holy Ghost!

As the new year approaches, this is a great time to begin to make preparations or set new goals to grow spiritually. Let’s make sure that our top priority is DAILY time reading God’s Word and praying in the Holy Ghost. How can we achieve any other goals in life without THAT!?!

How is your daily time with God going? Are you diving into His Word and His presence or are you letting the hustle and bustle of the holiday season distract you? Get back into it! Pick a time and dive in. Continue to grow! Visit the facebook group this week and share with us when and where you spend your time with God (where you’re growing spiritually every day).

Love you,

Pastor Lisa

Growing Up Spiritually: Chapter 8-9

What manner of man are you? Such a great question in light of the message Pastor Datha gave Sunday. The spirit man is the real you — a spirit alive unto God or dead.

God only has 3 ethnic groups: Jew, Gentile (any outside of Jesus that is not Jewish), and the church. If you are in Christ you are the church. That means you are also now a spiritual man. Without God (natural man) you cannot understand the Word or the things of God. God speaks to us spirit to spirit.

Natural Man (without God)

• motivated by the flesh

• cannot please God

• cannot understand spiritual things

• lives according to the world

“But don’t take any of this for granted. It was only yesterday that you outsiders to God’s ways had no idea of any of this, didn’t know the first thing about the way God works, hadn’t the faintest idea of Christ. You knew nothing of that rich history of God’s covenants and promises in Israel, hadn’t a clue about what God was doing in the world at large.” - Ephesians 2:11-12 MSG

The natural man operates outside of God’s covenants and promises. When we are operating in the natural we walk by how we feel, we walk according to the world’s view. We base all decisions on how we feel or think and without God these thoughts and feelings take us in the wrong direction. BUT GOD! God prepared a way out, a better way! Because of Jesus we are no longer out — we are in! WE are in on everything God has including all of His promises and all of His gifts. How amazing is this? Let’s endeavor to live as a spirit alive unto God and be led only by the spirit.

Make sure to spend time recapping Sunday’s message and get this on the inside of you this week. What are you doing to train yourself to live according to the spirit of God? Share with us in the group this week!

Love you,

Pastor Lisa

Growing Up Spiritually: Chapter 7

Receiving the Knowledge

This weeks reading reminds me of Sunday’s message.

“My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.”

— Colossians 2:6-7 MSG

If we have been taught the Word - then we should be deeply rooted, grounded, and living out our faith! Growth only comes by gaining knowledge through the Word each and every day. Are you studying and asking God to reveal exactly what He wants to impart into you each day?

It’s imperative that we understand what all He has done for us through salvation and all He is currently doing while seated at the right hand of the Father. If we truly understand these two truths then our confidence in Him will be strong and will not waiver.

Let’s continue to feast on His Word and in His presence so we can truly grow. Feeding our spirits once per week is barely keeping our spirits alive much less growing! If you aren’t already, make a decision every day to listen to a faith message, read the Word, and spend time thanking God for all He has done! This week is a great week to start. Anybody else thankful for the great God we serve?

Visit me on our facebook group and comment what you’re most thankful for and how you are making a commitment to grow in your relationship with Him.

Love,

Pastor Lisa

Growing Up Spiritually: Chapters 5 & 6

“The Father Himself knows you, and He loves you, and He longs to bless you!”

I wish every child of God could believe this. Read it again. And again. Selah (Stop and think about it)

The Father God Himself loves you! He knows you! He wants to bless you! Make it personal:

God, my Father loves me!
God, my Father knows me!
God, my Father wants to bless me!

So many Christians don’t know or understand this, therefore, their faith or trust in God’s Word is shaky. This is why reading the Word of God is so important. Through His Word, you get to know God, His nature, His character, and His ways. You begin to see how much He loves you. He is love and He is a loving Father who cares about every detail and desire of your life.

If we as mere humans think we love our children deeply, how much more does His love care for, protect, and lavish us with good things? How much more!?! Read Psalm 23: 1-6 (TPT) below:

“The Lord is my best friend and my shepherd.[b]
I always have more than enough.
2 He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love.[c]
His tracks take me to an oasis of peace, the quiet brook of bliss.[d]
3 That’s where he restores and revives my life.[e]
He opens before me pathways to God’s pleasure
and leads me along in his footsteps of righteousness[f]
so that I can bring honor to his name.
4 Lord, even when your path takes me through
the valley of deepest darkness,
fear will never conquer me, for you already have!
You remain close to me and lead me through it all the way.
Your authority is my strength and my peace.[g]
The comfort of your love takes away my fear.
I’ll never be lonely, for you are near.
5 You become my delicious feast
even when my enemies dare to fight.
You anoint me with the fragrance of your Holy Spirit;[h]
you give me all I can drink of you until my heart overflows.
6 So why would I fear the future?
For your goodness and love pursue me all the days of my life.
Then afterward, when my life is through,
I’ll return to your glorious presence to be forever with you!”

If you want to dwell more on this today I encourage you to recap my message on Psalm 23. What a powerful chapter to get inside of us. You can click here to listen.

Love,

Pastor Lisa

Growing Up Spiritually: Chapters 3 & 4

Last week we left with an assignment to locate which stage we were in, baby, child, or manhood. Hopefully (unless you were born again very recently), no one is still in the baby stage. Many of us however, are still in the childhood stage. Let’s take a look at the characteristics of a child:

1. Unsteady - not very dependable

2. Curious - always getting involved in other people’s business, always reading to hear the latest gossip.

3. Talkative - doesn’t know when to be quiet.

   1. Evil speaking - talking about and discussing other peoples faults and failures

   2. Vain speaking - always talking about yourself.

   3. Foolish speaking - not serious, telling bad/filthy jokes

All should desire to grow up spiritually. How do we know if we have matured into adulthood?

When we:

1. Esteem earthly things lightly

2. Are dead to criticism or praise

3. Have the ability to recognize God at work

Faith enabled Moses to choose God’s will, for although he was raised as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, he refused to make that his identity, choosing instead to suffer mistreatment with the people of God, Moses preferred faith’s certainty about the momentary enjoyment of sin’s pleasures. He found his true wealth in suffering abuse for being anointed, more than anything in the world could offer him, for his eyes looked with wonder not on the immediate, but on the ultimate - faith’s great reward! - Hebrews 11:24-26 TPT

Let’s grow up, suit up, and win this war! Are you ready to continue to grow? No matter where you are at you can find an area that you need growth. During this book remain open to all that God is doing and what the Holy Spirit will reveal to you. I’m excited for next week and thanks for following along — make sure to share your journey in our facebook group.

Love,

Pastor Lisa

Growing Up Spiritually: Chapters 1 & 2

Over the next 8 weeks we are going to grow up. We have learned how to be led by the Spirit, listening and being led by the Spirit should result in growth.

Yesterday, we learned from Ezekiel that how deep we go with God is up to us. God invited us to get off the bank and jump in the river! It is a picture of total surrender to God but also a picture of growing up spiritually. It doesn’t happen overnight, it is a process. Give yourself grace as you take this journey of growing up!

“Babies are easily frustrated, easily distracted, easily hurt”

Characteristics of a baby

1. Innocence: Brand new, washed clean in the blood of Jesus, no past.

2. Ignorance: Because you have no foundation in the Word, you can fall prey to false teaching. (Stay with the people you know)

3. Irritability: Always wanting someone to pray for you, beg you to come to church, and bottled feed you.

“We aught to grow enough spiritually so that instead of someone else having to come and visit us, pump us up, prop us up, pray with us, and feed us, we are able to be out helping others ourselves, when weaning time comes, we aught to thank god for it!” - Page 18

No matter what stage you’re in — remain teachable. Believe me, none of us will ever arrive at a place where we can stop growing. We can always grow more and more towards perfection.

Bookclub Group

I’m excited to begin this new book with you. Make sure to check out my latest post on the facebook group and let me know if you are following along!

Love,

Pastor Lisa