November 12, 2009

Are You Free?

Tonight my wife and I were reading Galatians 5 together and a few things really stood out.

You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? Galatians 5:7

How sad is that? Hey you were off to a great start but something happened, something hindered you. Did you know that God has a plan for our lives that are full of promise, blessing, a future and a hope? Sometimes we are in process to some of those things but we never finish to the end. Something hinders us. What are things that keep you and I from obeying the truth? Is it our insecurities? Past failures? Lack of Faith? Trust? Whatever it may have been, start over today and keep running!

It is amazing to think that you and I can live victoriously in Christ because He has set us FREE! He has given us liberty to walk in the Spirit. I had a conversation with a person a while ago about the freedom we have in Christ. We had talked about being free in Christ and what it meant. What it does not mean is this: because I am a Christian and Christ has set me free, then I can choose to do whatever I want. That is abusing the grace of God and this person is not truly free. You can always do whatever you want but that is not how Christ wants us to live. If we continue to make decisions with that mindset we then live in the flesh.

Galatians 5:19-21 says,

“19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Now if you truly are free, then you live for Christ and others ahead of yourself. Freedom costs! It may not cost you or I anything but it costs somebody something sometime and someplace. For Christians it cost Jesus Christ everything over 2000 years ago on a Cross. Because it is no longer I who lives but Christ in me, I live in that freedom. I live freely saved by grace. If I am free then I live in the Spirit, not the flesh.

Look here at what Galatians 5:22-26 says…

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Let me encourage you today to let go of the flesh and live in the Spirit! When you live in the sprit you are going to bear the fruit of the Spirit. If you go read Matthew chapter 7 you will see a theme repeating itself that I will outline for you.

* narrow gate is difficult but lead to life, wide gate is broad and leads to destruction
* good fruit, bad fruit
* house built on rock, house built on sand

There is so much to discuss on Matthew 7. Read it and lets discuss it together!

Until next time, let go and let God. Be FREE and walk in the Spirit!

In His Mighty Grip,

Mark

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November 11, 2009

NEW FAMILY PICS!!!

Kristi’s best friend Jackie aka Jax is an awesome photographer who took some pics of our family.  Check them out… more to come!

http://www.jackiewonders.com/blog/2009/11/10/mark-kristi-shad-moriah-just-because/

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November 4, 2009

Trials :)

So the plan for today was to have a really productive day.  I had a “to do list” and was off to a great start.  Ok, so now it’s lunch time and I need a car wash…. Costco!  $1.50 for a jumbo hot dog & a soda and $7.95 car wash.  As I am about to enter the car wash I got a phone call so I pulled over and took the call.  ”POP!”  My radiator cracked in my Jeep and it started smoking and leaking coolant like crazy.  I used to like my Jeep up until the last few months it has been acting up on me, plus we had a motor on one of the windows go out.

What did I do?

I honestly laughed and praised God for the fact that I do have a car to break down on me.  I thought of this verse in James…

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.   James 1:1-3

A moment of frustration was calmed by God’s Word as I was reminded to have JOY!  This trial is such a small outward circumstance.  There are so many other things going on in my life as well as in the lives of others that are so much bigger than this.  God is bigger than all these trials.  How will we respond to them?  God will allow us to be tested so that we prevail and draw closer to Him because He wants to build us up!  Satan will tempt you so that you will fail and feel separated form God.

God will test so that you prevail, Satan will tempt so that you fail.

Thank makes me think of John 10:10…. “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Lastly, when my radiator cracked on me today I realized that God is in total control.  He knew that I had a lot to get done.  He knew that this would happen to me today.  Maybe God just wanted to get my attention so that this small trial could build me up.  As I was thinking and meditating on the Word I thought of Philippians 4:4 which says, ” Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”

Are you going through a trial right now?  if so, REJOICE!  Again I say REJOICE!  In this life we live today we are always walking into a storm, in the middle of a storm or coming out of a storm.  God is good ALL the time!

In His Mighty Grip,

Mark

 

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November 2, 2009

I John 2 Sermon

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October 31, 2009

Taste and see The Lord is good

I was reading Galatians with my wife tonight and God really spoke to my heart.  I want to share a few things with you.  Please pray and read these few verses out of the book of Galatians.

6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.  Galatians 1:6-8

As I read this I noticed that Paul marveled at people who walked away from Jesus so soon.  It is sad to see the same thing happening today.  People so badly want to follow Jesus because they understand that He is The Way, The Truth and The Life.  People hear the gospel and they know that’s what’s been missing in their lives.  I can go on and on.  When the message is over, people make decisions or recommitments to follow Jesus.  But it lasts only for  awhile.

Before I was saved in November of 1998, there was a point in my life where I used to go to church every Sunday and hear the gospel preached.  I would pray the sinner’s prayer and ask Christ to come into my heart almost on a weekly basis.  But then I would leave church and go back to doing my own thing.  Friends let me tell you that there was a spiritual war going on for my soul!  God was competing with the things of this world and for me it was mainly baseball and girls.  Now you can throw in other distractions such as there is a lot to do here in San Diego where the weather in 75 degrees 90% of the year, but there was a war going on.  The bible says in John 10:10 “ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

It wasn’t until I surrendered everything over to Christ that I began to see my life change.  As soon as I got saved in November 1998, I got plugged into a church and got discipled.  I knew that I needed a foundation.  I knew that for years God was trying to get me to stand up, go forward and get discipled.  But I chickened out and never experienced God’s greatness in my life.

The Bible says in Psalm 34:8  “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” You cannot experience God and walk away.  Once you have tasted  and seen His goodness you will never walk away.  Let me encourage you if you are going through a time of doubt, give God all of you.  What do you have to lose?  Give God a chance.  Taste and see that The LORD is good!  Try it!!! I double dog dare you!!!

Here is a forty day challenge:

  • Go to a Bible teaching Church every Sunday
  • Pray everyday (as you pray ask God questions and journal)
  • Read a chapter of John everyday
  • Go to a Bible study once a week
  • Whatever church you are going to, do 1 community service project with them such as feeding the homeless

In His Mighty Grip,

Mark

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October 30, 2009

Are there good people?

I vote no!  And by saying no I am including myself.  I think that if we are to say that we are good, that means we are always good.  This reality should see that that they is a measurement of good leading to perfection and no one comes near it.

Every one of them has turned aside;  They have together become corrupt;  There is none who does good, No, not one. Psalm 53:3

So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.  Luke 18:19

I can narrow down my badness to my thoughts.  For example, I will be on the road and someone will cut me off and I have wicked thoughts of pressing a button that allows me to stand on top of my car and start throwing baseballs at them.  Sounds like fun to me!!!  All joking aside I do have those thoughts.  Am I bad?  Am I good?  All I know is that I am a sinner saved by the grace of God.  Before I was a Christian I had some major road rage and I would chase down people hanging out the window with a club (the one you are supposed to put on your steering wheel to prevent your car from being stolen) scarying people.  Now I keep those thoughts to myself and when I get them I laugh I what I used to be, thankful that Christ has transformed me and am reminded that I am not good.

Now you might be asking, “If I am not good or ever can be good, what’s the point?”  Let me encourage you that you will die miserable if you keep on trying to be good or keep thinking that you can be good.  Surrender all to God, ask Christ to come into your life and allow Him to transform you, repent of your sins and seek to be Holy after God!

13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.  I Peter 1:13-16

Our God is awesome!  Let me encourage you to stop trying to think you have to be perfect to be a Christian.  Simply seek after the Holiness of God and rest in the grace he offers you!

In His Mighty Grip,

Mark

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October 29, 2009

Faith?

Maybe you are like me.  Have you ever asked God to give you faith?  Have you ever asked God to erase your unbelief and asked for more faith?  I know that I have!  Was I right in doing so?  Was I wrong in doing so?  I don’t think I was right nor wrong.  I think I was truly seeking God and wanted to draw near to Him.  I was driving home the other day and I was listening to a sermon and I heard this verse->

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  Romans 10:17

How does faith come?  By HEARING & READING the Word of God!!!  If you, like me at times are wanting more faith, let me encourage to to dive into the Word of God and let God’s Word give you faith.  I think that we tend to complicate things or try to figure out an equation to having more faith.  All we need is to intake the Word of God!

In His Mighty Grip,

Mark

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