 |
|||||
|
HOME | ABOUT | THE SKINNY | CORNA' STO' | THE LOUNGE | LINKS | CONTACT |
|||||
|
Monday, March 23, 2009
Zeal Without Knowledge In my line of work I see a lot of people hear the message of Jesus Christ and invite Him to live in their hearts. They become Christians. I love these moments! I love to see people hear about Jesus enough to realize they are indeed a sinner and need to be forgiven for their sins. It’s a beautiful thing to see them process in their heart all that He means to them in the moment they realize they don’t want to go another day outside of His will for their life. I love seeing the tears of joy that are often shed at the altar during this revelation. It’s an honor and personal joy to lead them in a prayer to ask Jesus to come into their heart and to live their forever. And then they leave the altar and return to their everyday normal life. I know what’s facing them because the Bible talks about this in the parable of the Sower found in Matthew 13. Matthew 13:18 says; “When anyone hears the message about the kingdom of God and does NOT understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.” In essence they hear the word, they accept it, they get all excited about it but then shortly after they fall away – satan snatches the word from their hearts. They want to follow God and they try to follow God, but the enemy is after him and they give in to him. In Romans 10:2, Paul talks about new believers who try to follow God, but they don’t know the right way. They want to do the right thing, but sin is right there with them. They have the zeal, but they don’t have the knowledge. They don’t know how to overcome the enemy. They don’t know how to access the power of the Holy Spirit and invite Him to dwell in their lives. They don’t know all the things to avoid that are not pleasing to God. They are unsure about putting on the full armor of God that will protect them during the spiritual battle we are in. They don’t even know that we are in a spiritual battle and that our enemy is real and he wants to kill and destroy us. Truth be known, maybe the “they” is really “you”. You have the passion to live for Christ and there have been times where you have been on fire for Him. But something happened and you find that you are dull, ineffective, spiritually dieing, and complacent. You had to learn the hard way that Zeal dies without Knowledge! So, what should you do? Start studying to gain the knowledge you need to continue being zealous for Christ. He wants you to be zealous for Him. He needs people who are full of passion and enthusiastic for Him and for the cause of spreading the gospel. But, and I do mean but. Before you go out into the world, make sure you have read the play book. Make sure you have the instructions you need to survive. Make sure you read his manual to know all that he expects and requires of anyone who represents Him. READ THE BIBLE!!! Can you dig it?!?! Word… P. Alex posted by Pasta' Alex # 2:22 PM 0 Comments   Friday, March 13, 2009 For All of Those Who Feel "Beat Down" I have talked to many people lately who are going through tough trials. They are dealing a lot of junk! You may be one of these people. So when I say: The enemy is trying to break you down hard. You know exactly what I’m talking about. Your faith is being challenged left and right. For all of you, take a moment, read on and let me encourage you a little bit. It’s no surprise that the enemy is fighting us. We have an earthly foe, his name is Satan. The Bible tells us in John 10:10 “The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy.” Satan wants to steal your joy, your hope, the trust you have in the Lord. He wants to kill your faith so he can destroy your soul. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:6 “that without faith, it’s impossible to see God.” Satan knows this and so he plans to attack your faith. Stand Strong! A way that he attacks your faith is by getting you to worry. In the greatest sermon every preached, The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:23 “that we should not worry about our life”. Our enemy knows that our Savior has told us not to worry, yet, he uses the weapon of worry to attack us often, doesn’t he?! Satan wants you to start to worry about things – all kinds of things, big and small – what does the future hold for you? what are you going to be doing next year? is your job safe? how are you going to pay your bills? And on and on and on he goes. He places these thoughts in our head to get us to worry. He knows that worry will eventually turn into fear. And your fear will cause you to do things that you don't need to do - to take matters into your own hands - to do what's right in your own eyes. And this always leads to trouble because it shows a lack of faith. Check out the Old Testament examples of how people got into a lot of trouble when they did what was right in their own eyes (Judges 21:23) Let me encourage you in this; instead of listening to the lies of the enemy, Stand strong, hang on and Trust God! He knows what you are going through and He will not forsake you! Be committed to doing the right thing even when it doesn't seem like it is going to work out well. Don’t compromise and give in to the lies of the enemy. If God is Jehovah Jireh (our provider), then he has to take care of you, right?!?! Also, remember, you are not in this fight alone. There are other followers of Christ who want to help you and encourage you. Don’t be afraid to share your need with others. Maybe they can storm the thrown of God with prayers or maybe they can be a part of the solution in some way. You aren’t the only one that the enemy is attacking, let’s band together to defeat him. If you need a job, share the need with other believers. If you need a place to live, share the need. If you need friends who will be a positive influence to you, share the need. Whatever it is you need, share it with the body of Christ and pray to God. In the meantime, I encourage you to defeat the enemy with the Word of God. While you pray, continue to read God’s Word for strength, direction and encouragement. I leave you with this: Proverbs 21:31 “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.” Our victory will come, we can rest assured because we are children of God. In this passage, He tells us to do all that we can to prepare. Be encouraged, do all that you can. Don’t allow worry to immobilize you. Don’t let fear cause you to slip into depression. Don’t let the enemy steal your faith and cause you to lose trust in God. Do ALL you can and then pray to Him for victory. Word… Pastor Alex posted by Pasta' Alex # 2:29 PM 0 Comments |
The Skinny - This is where you can get "The Real Deal" from the Original Brotha's. They bring todays realest topics that will make you laugh, cry, think and sometimes help you see things in a different way.
PAST BLOGS: Big Mistake What God Hates Yesterday I posted a status update on my facebook ... On The Fence On The Fence Shower Talk Cake Eaters and Ballers Sold Out Christian God will help with your Spelling Test Who's Driving Your Car? Archives: 09/2006 10/2006 11/2006 12/2006 01/2007 02/2007 03/2007 04/2007 06/2007 07/2007 08/2007 09/2007 10/2007 11/2007 02/2008 04/2008 05/2008 08/2008 09/2008 10/2008 11/2008 12/2008 01/2009 02/2009 03/2009 04/2009 05/2009 06/2009 07/2009 09/2009 10/2009 11/2009 |
||||
| </ | |||||