Access Granted - week of 4/26/10

We can have total access to God's excess!

This week I want to give you 4 very simple steps to making sure you have total access to all that God has for you.

1. Develop Your Faith

Rom. 12:3 tells us that God has dealt to each of us the measure of faith. By the faith we begin with we are able to believe in a God that we've never seen. But beyond that we can develop and increase in faith. How do we do this? I'm happy you asked! Also in the book of Romans (10:14-17), we learn that faith comes by hearing, which comes by the Word of God, which comes through a preacher! I know that's a mouthful, right? But this is how we obtain faith, according to The Word.

2. Deny any Doubt

Mark 11:23 assures of that we can have whatever we speak by faith but only if we DO NOT DOUBT! Once we allow doubt to come in, it will bring with it unbelief as well. With unbelief in our hearts we have nothing to stand on at all! Rom: 4:20 says, "He {Abraham} did not waver at the promise of God through UNBELIEF, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God..." Because Abraham did not give doubt access, he experienced what seemed as an impossible promise from God.

3. Deliver a Word

Prov. 18:21 informs us that we possess the power to alter our circumstances by the words we speak, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." We can either choose to speak life or we can speak death. So it is very, very important that we watch the words that come out of our mouths. Prov. 15:4 says, "A wholesome tongue is a tree of life..." So delivering a spoken word over our circumstances is a vital step in this process.

4. Depend on God

This is the final and perhaps most important step. Because we know that God is faithful, we can absolutely depend on Him. 1 Thes. 5:24 - "He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it." God always delivers on a promise! Nahum 1:7 says, " The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble..." We can, without resolve, most assuredly, and positively, depend on God!

Mark 11:23, 24 sums it all up by stating that we must Speak by Faith and do not Doubt. Then we will HAVE whatever we ask for!

These 4 meaningful steps, my friends, will give you total Access to God's excess!

5 Things You Should Know About the Word of God - Week of 4/20/10

The Word of God is the foundation of our belief system here at 2hc. We hold The Holy Bible as our ultimate standard for living and final authority on all matters of life and salvation! This week, I thought it would be fitting to give you something that shows the importance of this great book.

There are so many things I could talk about on this inexhaustible topic but I've narrowed it down to 5 simple things:

1/ God's Word is infallible

Infallible means, Incapable of error; Not liable to mislead, deceive, or disappoint.

God's Word is ABSOLUTE TRUTH!

God gives a warning in Revelation 22:18,19 that promises a repercussion to anyone who ads or takes away from His word!

2/ God's Word is indestructible

Throughout history evil men have tried to bannish, burn and obliterate the Bible. They caused many great men and women to die unimaginable deaths; from the famous martyrs who were burned alive, hanged, and beaten to death, to the unknown heroes of the faith who suffered a less publicized killing, they all laid down thier lives for the sake of what we enjoy today as The Holy Bible. However, those who sought to have this great book done away with were futile in thier efforts, as The Bible has stood the test of time, and still stands today as the most powerful, most controversial, and most effective and life changing, bestseller of all time!

3/ God's Word is directional

I'm sure you've seen or heard of the acronym for B.I.B.L.E. Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. There is absolutely much instruction in God's Word, but also within its pages we find history, correction, prophecy, and salvation. God reveals an account of the past, a view of the future, but perhaps most importantly, direction for everyday living right now! His law, written though Moses in Exodus chapter 20, was His first written word called the Ten Commandments. As with the Bible as a whole, the Ten Commandments were given for His sinful people to have direction.

4/ God's Word is palpable

This means touchable; easy to understand or grasp.

The Bible is often misunderstood or misinterpreted, and this could be for any number of reasons. However, it carries an undeniable ability to reveal the heart of God. Countless casual readers have experienced conversion and salvation after simply reading through the wonderful pages of this transforming book.

5/ God's Word is powerful

Heb. 4:12 reads, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

The power of The Word is what Jesus used against Satan while fasting in the wilderness. Each time Satan made a proposition to The Lord, he was struck with the penetrating truth of God's Word, which shot forth from Jesus' mouth like daggers! Likewise, in Ephesians 6:10, God has given us The Word to use as a weapon against the devil. It is referred to as the Sword of The Spirit. God would not use weapon language if He did not intend for us to fight. He would not have given us this weapon to use if it did not contain power!

Trampling Temptation - Week of 4/12/10

We are all faced with temptation. Everyday of our lives we make choices that will affect whether we give in to or trample temptation.

The first thing that happens when we are confronted with temptation is a thought or a series of thoughts enter our minds, beckoning us to take action! This is where the real battle begins. Here is where we must bring "...every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..." 2Cor 10:5. The Bible teaches us that we have the ability to control our thoughts (subsequently, our actions). As if not to leave us stranded there, God has also prepared an escape plan for us. Again the apostle Paul in 1Cor 10:13 reminds us, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you will be able to bear it." So you see God always gives us a way out of it. We cannot use the excuse 'I just couldn't help it'.

Although God has put things in place for us we also bear responsibility in this. Jesus gives us a secret to avoiding temptation in Mark 14:38, "Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak." First we must watch. That is we have to be vigilant and not allow ourselves to be caught in tempting situations (if we can help it). Secondly He said to pray. Our prayer lives must be strong and consistent because we gain power when we spend time with God.

Finally friends, did you know that temptation is necessary to complete God's perfect work in us? Here's what James says in chapter one starting at verse two, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse (various) temptations, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

The bottom line is that God has already anticipated every confrontation we will ever have with temptation. That's why He has given us the escape plan called the Bible with the ability to trample temptation. But remember, God cannot bless us and give us victory if we choose to disobey what His word instructs us to do.

If you find yourself battling with temptation please pray this prayer:

Dear heavenly Father, I surrender my life and my struggle to you. I have been unsuccessful in trying to do this myself so please take over and give me your strength to beat this once and for all! I acknowledge that your Son Jesus Christ died and took my sins so that I don't have to live this way. Today I exchange my life for your new life. From this day I will pray, read and obey your word. Thank you for a new beginning. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer please drop me a line to let me know so that we can continue to pray for you. We love you.God Bless.

Living in the Moment - Week of 4/9/10

Most of us often live for the moment. We see something we want and before we can make a wise decision, we find ourselves making a purchase.

Today I want to talk about living IN the moment rather than living FOR the moment. God has given us many reasons to be thankful, we know that. But let's take it a bit further. In this nation we are so super abundantly blessed that most of us are distracted by our "stuff" as apposed to really needing things.

Living in the moment is the apostle Paul confessing that he is content whether in need or when he is experiencing an overflow. Likewise we MUST learn to bask in God's all sufficiency. When we really see that He is all we will ever need in this life then we can live in every moment. This is what He means when He says that He has given us "...everything that pertains to life and Godliness."

So let me encourage you not to live FOR the moment but rather live IN the moment. If you don't know Jesus Christ as your personal savior you can today! All you have to do is confess with your mouth that Jesus died for you and that God raised Him from the dead. Believe it in your heart, and you will be saved. The Bible says: "with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Rom 10:9