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Friday, August 29, 2014

God’s Greatest Gift

Hebrews 2 : 2 - 4, For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? NKJV
Can you hear Him? Can you sense His Spirit? The Lord is calling His children (His Bride) back to Himself. Children of God have been given the greatest gift ever known to mankind. God has given us His only-begotten Son; and when we place our faith in Him, God extends His grace to us. We will know when we have received the gift of God’s grace because we will love God with our whole heart. Instead of being afraid of God, we will develop and have a hunger to be in His presence and to learn more about Him.
God’s grace isn’t an excuse for sin; it is an exodus from sin. Therefore, we must become and remain humble in God’s sight so that He can continue to set us free from the bondages of the flesh nature. When we read about the ongoing relationship between God and Israel in the Old Testament, we see that there were times when Israel honored God, and there were many occasions when they rejected Him.
The Lord is calling His children to return to Him so that He can extend His grace and goodness toward us once again. It is our responsibility to become true Disciples of Christ and to honor His commandments in our lives. Whenever Israel fell away from their relationship with the Lord, they would seek to justify their sinful ways in His sight. Of course, this ploy didn’t work with God. He told them that their sins would find them out.
Through their prideful ways, the children of Israel abused God’s loving-kindness and tender mercies. Instead of being thankful to the Lord for all of His goodness and favor, they continued in sin. Like Israel, many in the body of Christ are also allowing their pride to cause them to abuse God’s grace. In place of utilizing God’s grace to draw closer to the Him, some are turning away from His goodness for the pleasures of this world.
ALL believers everywhere need to get honest and serious about their walk with Jesus and to honor Him once again in their hearts. It’s time for Christians to be salt and light so that others will see Jesus in us. God has placed His Holy Spirit in our hearts so that we will have the power to discipline ourselves. It is up to us to keep ourselves pure and undefiled by the world. Jesus has told us, “Where much is given, much is required.” You and I have a mandate on our lives. We must choose to live godly in an ungodly world. Peter tells us that judgment begins at the house of God. Let us judge ourselves so that we’re not judged and condemned.
It’s time for the church (Bride of Christ) to rise to the moment and let the love and holiness of God shine out of us. Jesus is returning for a pure and spotless Bride. Let’s rid ourselves of the spots and blemishes of the flesh nature, and put on true righteousness and holiness. Let the goodness and love of God shine through you so that God can use you to impact others in your family and world. May the grace of God draw us closer to Him than we’ve ever been before.
His Grace Is Sufficient,
Pastor Asa Dockery 
 

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Approaching God’s Throne

Hebrews 4 : 12 - 16, 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. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. NKJV
Isn’t it great that we were privileged to be born under the dispensation of God’s grace? I thank God that I am saved by His grace. Mercifully, none of us have to take a spotless lamb with us when we worship the Lord. By our faith in Christ, God has saved us through His grace. What is so powerful and liberating about God’s grace is the truth that you and I had absolutely NOTHING to do with it. It was God who planned and initiated our salvation. We were lost and blinded by the god (Satan) of this world. Nevertheless, when it was time, God called us, and we answered the summons to come out of sin and into His holy presence.
However, whenever people don’t know God or His ways, it’s easy for them to be afraid of Him. We see this in Exodus 20 when God came down on Mount Sinai to give Moses the Law. The presence of God descended upon the holy mountain, and there was thundering, lightning, and the ground began to shake. When the Israelites saw the terribleness of God’s power and the dark clouds that surrounded His glory, they became very afraid of God. God was seeking a closer relationship with His people, but they misread His actions. They thought that God was going to destroy them; consequently, they told Moses to go and speak to God for them.
Moses warned the people not to be afraid; God had come so that His fear would be before them to keep them from sin. You see; it is the fear of the Lord, not being frightened of God that keeps us from sinning against Him. When the people of God lose the fear of the Lord, they will enter into temptation and sin.
Isn’t it interesting that Moses walked into God’s presence, but the children of Israel wanted nothing to do with Him? They witnessed Moses go into God’s presence and walk out alive; however, they never considered that they would be allowed to go there themselves. What was the difference? Psalms 103 says that Moses knew the ways of God, but Israel only knew His acts (miracles, signs, and wonders). When people don’t know the ways of God, they will be so bound by fear and unbelief that they will distance themselves from God’s presence, instead of running into it to get to know Him.
Because of the Israelites weaknesses and how they repeatedly ignored God, He brought an end to the old covenant and established a new covenant. When you read the Old Testament, it doesn’t take long to realize that the “God” of the Old Testament wasn’t as longsuffering and gentle as the “God" of the New Testament. It’s not that there are two Gods or that God has changed. So what is different? The covenant was changed; we’re no longer under the Law. We are under grace.
When Jesus (God in the flesh) came to earth, He didn’t bring two tablets of stone in His arms like Moses did when he came down from the mountain of God. John tells us in his gospel that Jesus came filled with grace and truth. Now we can face the truth (God) without fear because of God’s grace. If there is one thing that this generation needs to stop doing, is “running” away from God’s grace. We don’t have to run from facing the truth or God’s glory because we are under grace. The reason the “God” of the old covenant is different than the “God” of the new covenant is because of His grace.
The Old Testament reveals God’s awesomeness and holiness under the Law of God, but the New Testament reveals God’s patience and love under grace. I’m grateful that God didn’t do away with the Old Testament because it reminds us of the terror of God, lest we forget His goodness and take His love for granted. Now that Christ has come and has died on our behalf, we have a High Priest who is interceding on our behalf at the right hand of God. Consequently, children of God can come boldly into His presence and throne, and not be afraid.
When Jesus spilled His blood, it didn’t change the greatness of God’s holiness. It only changed how we see God’s view of us. Instead of seeing God as being so holy and terrible that we can’t be around Him, we see Him as approachable. Today, through the blood of Jesus, you have the ability to enter the presence of God and not worry or be frightened of His presence. Although we don’t have to be afraid of God, we still need a healthy respect or fear of the Lord so that we don’t slip back into sin. I like to see God’s grace like this: Grace wasn’t given to man to see how far from God we can go, but to see how close to God we can come.
Becoming One with God in Christ,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Do You Have a Need?

Philippians 4 : 16 - 20, For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. NKJV
In Luke 4, we read that Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread because He had been fasting and was hungry. However, Jesus rejected Satan’s offer to use the anointing on His life for the sole purpose of taking care of His personal needs. Instead, Jesus told Satan what the Word said about this particular need. He said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Jesus could have easily used the power of God on His life to turn the stones to bread, but, instead, He chose to allow His faith in God to provide His needs. In other words, He placed the responsibility of His needs being supplied on God, not on Himself. This freed Jesus so that He could focus on other people’s needs.
Christians can learn much from the way Jesus responded to His personal needs and the tempter’s voice. Nevertheless, our humanity sometimes causes us to put the cart before the horse. This is an old adage I’ve heard since I was a child. It means we sometimes get in a hurry and rush ahead of God. Since it is human nature to place personal needs before anything else, believers have to work diligently so that they don’t fall prey to that mindset of unbelief.
Jesus didn’t place His needs before God’s will for His life. Therefore, He didn’t have a problem telling Satan the truth or overcoming his seductive lies. Whenever we wait on God to supply our needs, it keeps us from living in bondage to our flesh or to man. It places the burden of provision on God, our heavenly Father and not on us. When we choose to live by faith and wait on God’s provision, we are placing a demand on the anointing and favor of God.
When you have an unmet need, instead of allowing fear to push you into supplying the need in your own strength, stand on the promises of God that speak directly to the issue at hand. As we put this principle into practice, our faith will please God, and He will give us favor with Him and man. Now we’re living by faith instead of the demand of our need. Standing on what God has declared from His mouth produces supernatural results. The more we discipline ourselves to trust in the Lord to take care of us, the less we will be dependent on the flesh of man. This will liberate us from the bondage of the flesh nature. The end result will be a blessed life.
It all begins with a correct decision to trust God and not self. You can do this. Just get out the Word of God and find a promise that speaks to your need. Begin to pray that Word to God and then be still until you see the answer. Let me leave you today with a very powerful verse that I pray when seeking the Lord for the needs of the church to be taken care of.
1 John 5 : 14 - 15, Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. NKJV
Waiting On God’s Provision,
Pastor Asa Dockery
  

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Beware of Satan’s Devices

Mark 4 : 14 - 20, The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble. Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred." NKJV
The Holy Spirit has given me understanding of a principle that is the key to our victory as a believer in Christ. Inevitably, when we decide to study the Word or step out in obedience to the voice of God, persecution enters our lives. We can all think of times when we made decisions to move forward in our faith walk and trouble followed; nonetheless, how did we respond to the persecution that came against God’s Word because of that choice?
Did we continue to confront the spiritual challenges by faith and obey, or did we faint because of a lack of understanding? Let’s look at an example that will help us connect with this teaching on a personal level. Sometimes, the Lord gives me, as a pastor a specific direction for our local church and its people. However, it has happened that shortly after I delivered the instructions to the congregation and set things in motion, hardships would hit.
Nevertheless, in order to gain victory over the attacks of the enemy, we must first be able to recognize why these problems have suddenly flared up against us. Our failure to see spiritual warfare in the natural realm as persecution against the Word can cause us to misread the reason for our problems. Let me explain. If I don’t make the connection between the Word being spoken and acted upon, and persecution invading my life, then I will think that I am being punished for something I did wrong.
This is exactly what Satan wants us to believe. He doesn’t want us to understand that the attacks we’re experiencing are the result of the Word; they are not happening because something isn’t right in our lives. Whenever you and I receive God’s Word and encounter an attack in the physical realm, we must guard our hearts so that we don’t fall prey to Satan’s devices. If we fail to discern that the problems in our lives are the result of persecution for the Word’s sake, then we have the potential of taking it personally and hardening our hearts.
To define this principle further let me add: after the Lord gives us a Word of instruction, He wants us to obey it so that we will receive the promise that is connected to the commandment. Satan attacks us between the Word being received and the promised being fulfilled; his hope is that we will give up on the promise. Therefore, when we step up in faith, and then trouble immediately arises, we know that it’s just the enemy trying to choke out God’s Word so that we will quit and abort our victory.
Unbelief can cause us to give up in the heat of the battle. Nevertheless, faith will guard our hearts and empower us to endure the conflict because we know that something better is on the horizon. Let me leave you all today with one more example. God told Moses to lead His people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. After God gave Moses instructions, He promised Moses that He would lead them into a land flowing with milk and honey. However, on the way through the wilderness, persecution began to arise against the children of Israel. Unfortunately, because their hearts were filled with unbelief, they didn’t realize that their hardships were spiritual persecution. Instead, they blamed their problems on God and Moses.
As a result of the Israelites failure to discern the truth about their trials, they repeatedly hardened their hearts against God’s voice. In the end, none of the people who came out of Egypt were allowed to inherit the Promised Land, except for Joshua and Caleb. Because of Israel’s unbelief, Satan was successful in robbing them through persecution; consequently, they did not receive the blessing that was connected to the Word.
So, if God has spoken a Word of promise with instruction to you, and you find yourself facing trials, then just exercise patience and endure to victory. Don’t allow persecution to choke out the Word that you have hidden in your heart. Allow the power of the Word to sustain you through the wilderness experience until you inherit the promise of that Word. You can do all things through who gives you the strength.
Doing All to Stand,
Pastor Asa Dockery
 

Monday, August 25, 2014

Do You Know Him?



Acts 4 : 8 – 12, Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." NKJV

We are told in God’s Word that His name is holy. Therefore, we are to honor His name with the lives we lead. Our speech, conduct, and character are to be a true reflection of Christ. Nevertheless, if we should choose to live in a way that doesn’t agree with God’s commands, then we are dishonoring and defaming the Lord’s name.
When God descended upon Mount Sinai and gave His Law to the Jews, He commanded them not to take the Lord’s name in vain. Even so, have you noticed how society uses God’s name outside of the context of holiness and reverential adoration? 
People use God’s name in “religious” connotations to suit their own form of worship, but in John 4, Jesus tells us that God seeks those who worship Him in Spirit and truth. Just because people use the name of the Lord, or use the name “God” in a religious setting doesn’t mean that they’re referring to the God of the Bible, neither does it mean that they have a relationship with Jesus.
Before we can hallow the name of the Lord and speak with true authority in Jesus’ name, we must first know Him. Jesus also warns us not to follow signs and wonders. The Greeks of Jesus’ time came seeking a sign from Him. However, He told them that it was a wicked and perverse generation that seeks after them. We, who know Christ don’t have to seek or follow signs because He is the truth. Apart from Him, there is no “other” truth.
In Matthew 7, Jesus tells us that many will come to Him on Judgment Day and say, “Did we not cast our devils in your name?” “Did we not heal the sick in your name?” And Jesus will say to them who had performed miracles in His name, “Depart from me, you who work iniquity, I never knew you.” The fact that people can speak the name of the Lord over someone and get miraculous results is not an indicator that they have a relationship with Jesus.
Do you remember the sons of Sceva? Sceva was a Jew and chief of the priests. His sons thought they could use Jesus’ name to cast an evil spirit from a man without knowing Jesus for themselves. Nevertheless, when they adjured the wicked spirit to leave the man, the spirit said, “Jesus, I know, and Paul, I know, but who are you?” These men were trying to use Jesus’ name without knowing Jesus.
Jesus warns us in Matthew 24 that in the last days many will come and say that they are Christ. He told us that deception would be very pervasive in the end days. So the next time you hear someone say “God” or “Jesus” notice the fruit of their lives… not the names they drop. This “fruit inspection” can prevent you from being deceived. Finally, always remember to hallow or honor the name of the Lord so that you keep it holy. Not only is the world watching you, but the One whose name you’re using is as well. The name of the Lord is to be praised from the rising of the sun to going down of the same.
Holy Is the Name of the Lord,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Friday, August 22, 2014

The Allure of Sensuality

Genesis 3 : 2 - 7, And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'" Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. NKJV
It's mind-boggling how Adam, who was created in God's image and likeness desired the tree that brought death over the Tree of Life. You have to wonder why someone who was that close to God's heart could make such a disastrous decision. Nevertheless, instead of dwelling on the "why," let's see if there is anything that we can learn from Adam's mistake that will keep us from making an error in our own lives.
When they are in their formative years, most children have the innate desire to be like their mother and/or father. Consequently, shouldn't there have been a desire in Adam to want to be like God? We know that Eve had a desire to be like God; however, she took the wrong avenue. She chose to do it apart from God, in the power of "self."
The reason Adam succumbed to Satan's temptation and sinned against God was because he didn't honor God in his heart; consequently, he also did not honor God's command not to eat of the tree of knowledge. When we don't honor God in our hearts, then we are left only with the willpower of our flesh, which has no muscle to withstand Satan's seductive ways. Dishonor is the reason why so many people can't seem to find the control that is needed to overcome temptation. As a result, they enter into sin...just like Adam. Let's take this word deeper.
Isaiah 53 : 1 - 3, Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. NKJV
Remember, we're seeking to learn something from Adam's mistake so that we don't repeat it. Therefore, why wasn't the Tree of Life ever mentioned by God or Adam before the fall? And why was Eve more intrigued by the tree of knowledge than the Tree of Life? I submit to you, based on the above scripture from Isaiah, that the fruit from the Tree of Life wasn't as appealing to their flesh as the tree of knowledge. Likewise, there was nothing about Jesus as a fleshly man that would attract people to Him for a spiritual relationship.
When Adam ignored God's command not to eat, he was then drawn by the power of his soul's pleasures to the tree that had the most appeal. And Satan played on that appeal. Remember, the Tree of Life represented Jesus and had to be more desirous in the spirit than the flesh. This is why so many people, including many Christians are drawn away from the things of God and attracted to the glamour of the world's pleasures. Sitting in a game seems to be more appealing to many believers than sitting in a church. One feeds the flesh, and the other feeds the spirit man.
We must also take into account that God created man, both male and female as living beings or living souls. Therefore, after Adam decided to dishonor God in his heart, they were driven by their senses instead of their spirit. Does this mean that God created them to fall? It absolutely does not! He's trying to show us through the liberty and mistakes of freewill what happens when His people dishonor Him and His commandments: We will have no power in our flesh to resist the allure of the sensuality of this world's pleasures. Jesus has taught us that apart from Him, we can do nothing; however, we can do ALL things through His strength?
Honoring the Lord,
Pastor Asa Dockery
 

Thursday, August 21, 2014

The Principle of Sowing and Reaping



Genesis 8 : 22, "While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease." NKJV
Galatians 6 : 7 – 9, Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. NKJV
I have given you two passages of scripture today in order to establish a truth about sowing and reaping. Did you know that in a later season in life, you will reap what you are presently sowing? In fact, you are reaping today from the deeds that you have sown in the past. Most of our lives, or at least most of what affects our lives is the direct result of us either sowing good seeds or bad seeds. Jesus tells us that whatever we would want men to do to us, we should do to them.
However, you may be saying, “I’m a good person, and yet I’ve been abused and rejected my entire life.” I’m glad you brought that issue to the table; let’s address it. Between springtime (sowing) and fall (harvest) the seeds and plants that are sown in a garden have to overcome many obstacles before they can begin to produce fruit for the planter to consume. Our being “good” doesn’t mean anything to Satan; he attacks us and seemingly gets away with it when we are spiritually ignorant or immature. Nevertheless, once we hide the Seed of God’s Word in our hearts so that we won’t sin against it, it will give us victory over the enemy, who tried to destroy us while we were “sprouts.” Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
In other words, while we’re getting to know God, His Word, and His ways, Satan will attack us until we come to the knowledge of the truth and counterattack him, defeating his weapons of destruction. My wife was abused as a child by a wicked step-father; even so, she believed in God while she was being abused. It wasn’t until she grew up spiritually that she was able overcome the abuser; because of her strength over him, Satan was not allowed to carry out his plans (through her step-father). Consequently, he was unable to affect her adversely as an adult.
God is a debtor to no one. He has seen everything that man has done to you. Oh, by the way, he has seen what you have done to others. We will all reap what we have sown; the only way to have “crop failure” for the bad seeds we have sown is to ask God for His forgiveness. Unforgiveness holds on until rotten seeds have enough time to grow; then they are able to hold us in debtor’s prison or emotional bondage. Just let go of the hurt feelings and the unforgiveness, and let God forgive you of your past.
You see; just being “good folks” won’t keep the enemy from trying to pluck us out of God’s Word and uproot us. However, if we’ll keep ourselves rooted and grounded in God’s Word, despite Satan’s attacks against our immature faith, then eventually we will grow up spiritually and be strong enough to destroy his work.
So while there may be short seasons when we sow this month and receive a harvest the next month, spiritual growth takes years and even decades; nevertheless, we must remain consistent in not giving up when attacks come. If we remain faithful to God until the end, He has promised to save us from this wicked and vile world. We will be able to reap an eternal reward in exchange for the few decades that we chose to serve God by sowing toward our spiritual retirement in eternity.
Sowing in Sorrow and Reaping in Joy,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Press On!


Mark 8 : 35 - 37, For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? NKJV
Throughout the Word of God, the Lord has repeatedly promised to take care of His people. Nevertheless, when times get hard and things become lean, we still have a tendency to doubt. Why does God allow us to go through “dry seasons” such as drought or “lean seasons” such as famine? He tells us in Deuteronomy 8 that He led the children of Israel through the wilderness and allowed them to hunger to see whether they would honor His commands or disobey them. If they kept the commands during the lean times, then God would know they had chosen to live by faith and not by sight.
God brought the children of Israel into the wilderness for a specific purpose. Even so, it was not an attempt to destroy them; He could have allowed Pharaoh to do that at the Red Sea. God transitioned the Jews from Egypt and into the wilderness to transform them from slaves into His sons and daughters, so that He could bless them in the end. Therefore, whenever God is ready to bring transformation into believer’s lives, He will allow us to enter “lean” times. If we are walking by faith, then we will allow our hearts to be kept by trusting in His Word and faithfulness. However, if we are walking in the power of the flesh through unbelief, we will harden our hearts and believe that God is out to get us.
Is the body of Christ correctly discerning the hard times we must endure? God is using them to transition us from a season of abundance and into a season of leanness so that He can perform a deeper work in us called “transformation.” God wants to perfect His work in us, but He has to complete it through our faith. This means our faith has to be put through the test to see whether we will cooperate with His will.
In Matthew 4, Jesus told Simon, Andrew, James, and John who were fishermen to follow Him, and He would make them fishers of men. Immediately, these men left their livelihoods and their families behind. In the physical realm, they were entering a transitional season into a lack of natural blessings (their willingness to leave all); nevertheless, they were entering into a large arena of spiritual blessings. They were about to see the Messiah first-hand perform the greatest miracles ever known to man. However, at the same time, they were leaving everything and everyone whom they loved. God used lack to transition them into a greater realm of His glory, and because they trusted and obeyed, Jesus transformed them into fishers of men.
Just like Egypt was not home to the Jews, this world isn’t our home. God had a Promised Land for His chosen people, and He has a land of promise for us called heaven. We’re in the midst of a mighty transition. God is transforming believers so that we’re no longer driven by the desires of the flesh, but, instead are led by the Holy Spirit. God created us as living beings or souls; however, He doesn’t intend for us to remain that way. Therefore, He sent Jesus into the world. God wants us to trust in Jesus so that we can be transformed from a living soul into a spiritual son or daughter of God who is filled with eternal life.
Nevertheless, in order for us to endure this season of leanness, we will have to possess an eternal perspective, lest we lose heart and faint while doing God’s service. Let us not grow weary, throw up our hands, and quit because of unbelief. Instead, let us trust what God has said in His Word and what He is speaking to us in this devotion and wait until the transformation is complete. God is indeed at work within our hearts, and He will do us good in the end.
The End,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Finding Balance


Ephesians 4 : 11 – 16, And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head -- Christ -- from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. NKJV
How can a believer address the issue of unrepentant sin in another person’s life without coming across as judgmental or intolerant? In order to gain a better understanding of the complexity of the sin in people’s hearts, and of how we should confront sinners, we must look to Jesus as our example. We can see first-hand how Jesus addressed the issue of iniquity in the lives of sinners throughout the gospels. John chapter 3 tells us that Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world; He came to save the lost. Nevertheless, while Jesus never condemned anyone for being in bondage to sin, neither did He give them a pass. He called sin, sin. However, even though Jesus showed love and compassion for the sinner, He was not tolerant of sin.
In today’s scripture, Paul teaches us to grow up in Christ so that we will know how to speak the truth in love appropriately. There is a delicate balance that must be developed between truth and love. Therefore, children of God must mature in spiritual understanding before we can practice what Paul describes in Ephesians 3: 14 – 15. In other words, we have to know for ourselves what the Bible says about sin and the principle of forgiveness for sinners… through our own experiences, not just knowledge.
Jesus said that there is none good but One …God. Consequently, when we speak the truth in an attempt to bring someone out of their sin, we are, at that point representing Jesus…or speaking on His behalf. Even so, if we’re not walking in truth and love in our lives, we will either lean toward harshness or toward tolerance in order to compensate for our own weaknesses and/or immaturity. Look at how many times the term “walk in” is used in the New Testament. We are commanded to “walk in the Spirit,” “walk in love,” “walk in grace,” and “walk in knowledge of the truth.” Consequently, the more consistent we are as believers at walking in truth and love, the easier it will be for us to speak the truth in love to those outside the faith.
I’ve been around a long time. I’ve seen the pendulum swing from legalism over to tolerance. This switch tells us that not only are we as individuals struggling with the best way to reach sinners, but the body of Christ as a whole is also grappling over the best way to reach the lost. If we just focus on our own spiritual maturity and our consistency in keeping the truth, the Holy Spirit can use us in a greater capacity as salt and light to those lost in the darkness. Salvation is first personal. Jesus told His disciples to begin at home, in Jerusalem, before launching out into Judea and Samaria.
It’s not our job to “fix” or “save” anyone from sin. It is our duty to be a genuine representation of God’s truth and love. We are to be a reflection of God’s excellent work in us, so that others can see our good works and glorify the Father in heaven. You see; it’s not what we “do” that should bear the emphasis. It is rather what God has been allowed to do in us that should speak the loudest to the lost.
Reaching Out in Love,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Monday, August 18, 2014

Glimpses Of God’s Glory


Romans 7 : 7 – 13, What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet." But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. NKJV
Whenever we read Genesis 1 and 2, we can get a glimpse of the love that God had for mankind before the fall. After God created man, both male and female, we’re told that God blessed them and commanded them to be fruitful, multiply, and to have dominion over the earth. God provided for every need that man had. However, when we get to chapter 3, we see a drastic change. When mankind fell into sin, we lost the favor of God. God drove the man and woman out of the garden of provision; and they had to work for their food, instead of partaking of the fruit of God’s labor. Nevertheless, when I say that man lost the favor of God, I don’t mean that we also lost God’s love for us.
Throughout the Old Testament, we see glimpses of God through the lens of holiness and the Law. When God introduced Himself and His Law to the Jews at Mt. Sinai, the presence of God caused the Jews to be afraid of God. As a result of the fear and unbelief in their hearts, they told Moses that they didn’t want God to speak to them. Nevertheless, Moses told them God’s purpose for revealing His holiness to them. Moses said, “God has come down to us to show us the fear of the Lord that we might not sin against Him.” The fear of Lord keeps us from sin. God revealed His holiness to man after the fall, instead of displaying His love because He wanted mankind to learn, through their experience with God’s holiness and His raw power, that they were sinners and in need of a Savior.
Nonetheless, if we study Israel’s walk with God throughout the Old Testament, we not only see the holiness of God, we also see the goodness of God. Just look at how many times Israel (the nation) turned away from God and sinned against Him. Even so, after God corrected them, He reached out to them. The Lord allowed mankind to experience the consequences of their sin; however, at the same time, He offered them His goodness so that they might turn their hearts away from sin and back to Him.
After several thousand years, God brought an end to the old covenant because of the weakness of man’s flesh. The Jews couldn’t be saved by their own good works. Therefore, God sent His Son to be the holy sacrifice for our sins that we might receive the grace of God to overcome sin through faith in Christ. Jesus’ arrival on earth was the introduction of a new covenant as well as the revelation of God’s grace for the entire world. Jesus told the Jews that He didn’t come to do away with the Law of God; He came to fulfill it.
Once Jesus had fulfilled the Law of God through His love for His Father, God could show mankind His unconditional love. In this new covenant, the focus is on God’s love. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son.” Out of God’s love for fallen man, God reveals the plan of salvation through His grace. It is God’s holiness and His goodness that lead us to repentance. However, it is our faith in Jesus and God’s grace that saves us from sin. God introduced His holiness first in order to bring us to a place where we could see that we were sinners and were hopelessly lost. Now, we can freely receive God’s forgiveness and the grace that is needed to live holy through His love in us, and not through the Law.
When you and I accepted Jesus, we didn’t “get religion.”  We received a brand-new nature in our new hearts. As a result, we can live holy before the Lord through the love of God that has been given to us through the Holy Spirit. No longer do we have to “try” to live right and keep the Law; we can love God, and through His love keep the Law. Since man chose sin over God’s will in the Garden of Eden, God first had to place man under the rule of His law so that He might bring us to the end of selfishness and self-righteousness. However, now we can have the power and liberty to live under grace through love. The more we love our heavenly Father, the easier it will be for us to please Him by obeying His will for our lives. Let’s put God first in our hearts so that He can bless us, and in turn, we can be a blessing to the world.
God’s Amazing Grace,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Friday, August 15, 2014

It’s Spiritual


John 10 : 9 – 10, I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 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. NKJV
Paul teaches us about spiritual warfare in the book of Ephesians. He tells us that we do not war against flesh and blood; instead, we war against principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this age, and against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. Consequently, since we know who it is that we are warring against, we can become effective in our battles in the spirit-realm.
We know that God anoints and appoints humans to carry out His will in the earth. Likewise, Satan also uses people to fulfill his agenda in the earth. Therefore, we need to be mindful that anytime a person attacks us, Satan is at work. The Devil loves it when we become so blinded by an individual’s attack against us that we seek revenge against them. Jesus tells us not to return evil for evil. We should not stoop to the level of our enemies, using the same methods they do, lest we fall into the trap of Satan.
Instead, we are to return good for evil and pray for those who despitefully use us and persecute us. However, in order for us to “rise to the occasion” in spiritual warfare and not fall prey to Satan’s devices, we must view ourselves as spiritual beings, instead of just human beings. We have been made to sit in heavenly places in Christ. This position in Christ will cause us to see the warfare we’re in as spiritual, not physical. It will also require us to be willing to exercise forgiveness toward those who wound us. The more we know who we are in Christ, and that He has given us authority over demonic spirits, the easier it will be for us to release those who allow evil spirits to use them to hurt us.
Now that we’ve established what it is that we’re fighting and who it is that is behind the attacks, let’s look at what Jesus told us in John 10. Jesus has saved all who have believed in Him; we have entered eternal life through Jesus Christ, the Door. He has made us His ambassadors and given us the ability to overcome the powers of this world so that God’s kingdom might be established in our generation. Believers in Christ are the only “agents” in this warfare in the heavens who have legally entered through the Door. However, Satan doesn’t come through the Door; he is here as a thief. He comes against us to steal, kill, and destroy; his aim is to cause us to use the power of our flesh to engage in a fight because we have taken the battle personally instead of spiritually.
Satan’s main objective is to get us to become so hurt that we strike out against the person that has caused us pain, loss, or disappointment, thereby allowing sin to enter our hearts. If we should sin in an attempt to “get even” with someone, then we aren’t operating from our heavenly position, but from our earthly or human position; and we will forfeit the victory every time.
We should also remember that even though our battles are in the earthly realm, God has only equipped us with spiritual weapons. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10 that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they’re mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds and casting down imaginations. You see; spiritual warfare becomes personal warfare when we give Satan’s lies a place within our minds when we’re attacked.
You and I have a decision to make every single time the enemy of our soul assaults us. We can remain in our spiritual position in heavenly places and overcome Satan’s destructive plans, or we can take things personally, seek revenge, and lose even more than what has already been stolen from us. The choice is ours; however, we will have to live with the consequences of choosing to fight in our flesh. Therefore, when the enemy comes in like a flood against you, allow the Spirit of the Lord to lift up a standard against him. Let God arise and HIS enemies be scattered. Just be still and let God fight for you and through you in faith.
You Have the Power to Overcome,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Running Out Of Time



2 Peter 3 : 8 - 9, But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. NKJV
God told Hosea that His people are destroyed because of a lack of knowledge. When believers don’t know God’s ways or His Word, it leaves them susceptible to Satan’s devices. In other words, Satan can use spiritual ignorance against us because it gives him an upper hand in the battle. Therefore, we are commanded by Jesus to know His Word and keep it so that we won’t sin against it.
Are you a Christian, yet you still have unrepentant sin in your heart? Or, you might have a loved-one or friend who is living in sin and doesn’t see or feel the need to repent for their actions. In every instance, sin has consequences; we know this because Paul tells us in Romans 3, “The wages of sin is death.” James also warns us that when sin is conceived, it brings forth death. Even so, you may not see death immediately as a result of unrepentant sin in your heart, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
When God warned Adam about the tree of knowledge, He told him that in the day that he partook of it, he would surely die. We know from reading Genesis 3 that Adam didn’t die right away. In fact, he lived 930 years. Doesn’t it seem as though God might have missed it just a little? Adam saw many days come and go, but never experienced the word that the Lord had spoken to him about sin?
As you have read in today’s scripture, many, not knowing the ways of God mistake His patience as slackness. When God came and asked Adam if he had eaten of the forbidden fruit, it wasn’t because God didn’t already know; God knows before you or I commit a sin what we’re going to do. Therefore, He has placed warnings in His Word to try to prevent us from opening our lives to sin, regret, and death. God was offering Adam an opportunity to confess his sin, but Adam didn’t.
When it comes to unrepentant sin that goes seemingly unchecked and without consequences, America is living on borrowed time. Millions of babies have been aborted in the name of convenience; and immorality such as fornication, adultery, and homosexuality has become the norm in our modern times… even though God’s Word warns of the repercussions of such sins. Nevertheless, because nothing has happened to this nation, like it did in Sodom and Gomorrah, we continue on as if sin has become acceptable in God’s eyes now. God has been longsuffering toward our sin so that we have the time to come to our senses and repent before it’s too late. However, our society has mistaken His patience as slackness or compliance. There’s a false sense of security that nothing “bad” will happen because we have been committing these sins for decades and life continues on.
Even so, Paul warns us in his letter to the Thessalonica, “When the world says peace and safety, sudden destruction shall come upon them, and they shall not escape." Let us repent as individuals and as a nation before sudden destruction comes upon us. Let us not mistake God’s patience as Him going along with our sins or winking at them. In Adam’s case, it appeared as though God had missed it. Nevertheless, let me remind you what Peter said in today’s scripture. In the context, he was addressing a day with the Lord as being one-thousand years; God is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance. How long did we say Adam lived? He lived 930 years! How long is a day with the Lord? It is 1,000 years!  Consequently, we see that Adam fell short of living one day. In plain speech, he died in the day that he had eaten of the fruit of sin, just like God foretold.
Please consider forwarding this message to your family and friends so that we can join together and pray for God to grant this great nation repentance and spiritual restoration. “Lord, turn our hearts away from lust and sin and grant us the convicting power of the Holy Spirit so that we will be drawn once again into your presence and protection. In Jesus’ name, we pray and agree. Amen!
Sounding a Wakeup Call,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Safeguards


John 11 : 9 – 10, Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." NKJV
When we read the words of Jesus in the above scripture, it seems as if He is speaking literally. However, that isn’t the case. He is teaching His disciples and us to walk in the Light of His Word to prevent us from stumbling or backsliding into sin. The Lord uses natural things to help us grasp spiritual principles so that we don’t walk in inner darkness or ignorance. In John 8, Jesus tells us to continue abiding in and obeying His Word; doing so will cause us to know the truth that sets us free from spiritual bondage.
Let’s bring this down where we live every day. Generally, we go about our day doing what needs to be done. However, on occasion, we will run into a situation where we will feel as though we have been blindsided by a person or circumstance. I use the term “blindsided” to let you know that not everything in your daily life is just a coincidence or an accident. Satan is busy trying to trip you up spiritually and give you an occasion to fall into temptation.
We must not allow ourselves to be led by only our soul, which consists of our thoughts, desires, feelings, and rationales. As believers, Jesus wants us to be led by the Holy Spirit; His Word will be a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. We live in a natural world. Nevertheless, we are engaged in a spiritual battle with enemies who are invisible to the human eye; this is why we’re instructed in scripture to hide God’s Word in our hearts so that we won’t sin against it. When we choose on a daily, or at least a regular basis, to feed from God’s Word and be willing to listen to the leading of His Spirit, we are allowing “spiritual” safeguards to be placed around our “physical” steps.
There are guardrails on the sides of the road; however, they’re only in places where lives have been lost, or in dangerous locations like sharp curves and steep drop-offs. We don’t have a guard rail that extends the length of every highway. Now consider this: When we come upon a bridge, there are always safeguards that continue the length of the entire bridge. Why is this? It is because as long as we are over a body of water or a high overpass, there is a possibility that we might veer off of the bridge. Why do I bring up the differences between highway guardrails and those on bridges? God doesn’t seek to control our lives, but He provides protection in perilous places. His Word will keep/protect us during the times when spiritual darkness seeks to destroy our lives by blinding us to impending danger. The Light of His Word will keep us safeguarded until we have successfully passed through the danger.
When we learn to walk in God’s Light, called the Word, and we begin to place our trust in Him to keep us in all our ways, we can be at rest. We don’t have to fear because we don’t know what is waiting up the road of life. We know that God has us covered because we have honored His Word. He will protect us from stumbling and wrecking our lives on the sharp curves of life. The Lord doesn’t want us to constantly fret and worry about the future. Therefore, He has given us His Word and the Holy Spirit to assist and direct our steps by setting boundaries in the areas and seasons of life where danger lurks.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths. The Light of God’s Word illuminates our human understanding so that we can see the invisible, and we can do the impossible. All we need is to exercise our faith.
Walking By Faith,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Walking It Out



1 John 1 : 5 – 6, This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. NKJV
The Apostle John is teaching on a very powerful and enlightening principle that is very relevant for today’s believers. Jesus tells us in John 15 that He is the Vine and we are the branches. As branches, Jesus commands us to abide in Him. Please hear what Jesus requires of His followers. He wants us to know Him, the Word of God and to conduct our lives according to His principles so that we might have life. If we are connected to the Vine and the life is in the Vine then we who are the branches should also have life and produce fruit.
John teaches us in today’s scripture that we must practice the truth if we say that we walk in light. If we don’t practice the truth in our personal life then we are not walking in the Light and we’re not walking in fellowship with the Lord. It is right here that many believers are losing the victory in their faith walk. They confess that Jesus is their personal Savior but they stop short in abiding or continuing in the Word and applying His commands to their heart and situations that they face.
James tells us in his epistle that if we are hearers of the Word of God but have no intentions of keeping the Word than we deceive ourselves. Without the Word of God being lived out in our new life then we won’t have the power to live a godly life. Jesus tells us that His Words have power and they have life but we must keep them if we want to live a victorious life.
When we confess Christ but turn around and don’t live Christ it will cause a disconnect in our walk and others will see the discrepancy between our talk and our walk in Christ. If you walk in the Light by keeping the Word of God hidden in your heart then others will see the Light of God living in and through you. Are you abiding in the Word as a believer in Christ?
Walking and fellowshipping with the Lord,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Monday, August 11, 2014

Be Careful Little Eyes


Psalms 121 : 1 – 3, I will lift up my eyes to the hills -- From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. NKJV
The Word of God declares, “Greater is He who is in you then he that is in the world.” The Holy Spirit who dwells in you is far superior to the forces of darkness in the world that war against you. Therefore, you must see yourself as the victor in any given situation and not the victim. Even though Satan may attack you and inflict pain or suffering in your life, he can’t turn you against God or God against you. The adversary may try to separate us or make us feel separated from God’s love but he will fail every time.
The One who watches over us does not sleep, nor slumber. He won’t allow our foot to be moved so that we should fall away from His love and faithfulness. Since Satan can’t separate us from the love of God, he will use other methods against us to get us to give up on God. The Bible tells us that Satan loves to wear down the saints of the Most High God. He does this through attacks and distractions. Satan came to Eve in the garden with a plan to distract her from God and His Word that he might draw her away from her source of strength.
As he drew her attention to the forbidden fruit it caused her to lose heart for the commands and will of God for her life. The longer she gazed at the fruit the greater the distraction grew so that she finally succumbed to the pressure of desire and sinned against the Lord. Satan attacks us in the same way, with the hope that the attack will become a deterrent that will cause us to take our eyes off of the Lord as our sole source of strength and help.
The human eye is a gate to our soul. Our eyes allows us to take in light and images which affect our mind, will and emotions. As we keep our eyes or focus on the Lord, we will continually draw strength from Him. Therefore, we must guard our hearts from the distractions of the Devil. He knows that he can’t touch us as long as our attention is on the beauty of the Lord, so he tries to divert our attention elsewhere and he will use pain and discouragement or desire as a lure.
Where is your attention today? What has the attention of your heart? Is it on the Lord and dwelling on Him or is it focused on temporal things? Keeping our eyes on the Lord doesn’t mean we can’t look with our physical eyes at the road when we drive. Who has the focus of your heart? If you focus on the Lord then you will pull strength from Him but if your attention is on the world and you’re feeling weary or drained it’s because the world can’t supply your strength. Our attention and our eyes will pull from the object that we direct our sight. The writer of Hebrews tells us to look unto the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the suffering of the cross. Look to Jesus until you begin to feel the strength of the Lord fill your soul today. Then keep your attention on Him that He might continue to fill you with His strength.
I can do all things through Christ,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Following The Holy Spirit


Galatians 3 : 1 – 4, O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? NKJV
If you ask people who say they are Christians what kind of person they are, you will discover that most will say that they’re a “good” person. We see this same mindset from a rich young man who sought Jesus for eternal life but later he rejected Jesus because of having to be accountable to Him personally. In other words the rich man didn’t want to obey the truth (Jesus’ command to give all) but decided to continue keeping the law. Jesus told the young man that there was none good but one, that is, God. If Jesus tells us that there is none good and the vast majority of Christians will tell you that they’re a good person, what does that reveal about our understanding of truth? If Christians aren’t supposed to be “GOOD” then what exactly are we to be?
Romans 3 : 20 – 22, Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. NKJV
God requires His children to be obedient, not to the Law, but rather to the leading of the Holy Spirit who dwells in every believer in Christ. Therefore, we are not good because of the good things that we do but we are the righteous seed of God through faith in Christ and apart from good works. We aren’t called to keep the Law of God under the New Covenant but we are required to obey the truth by faith.
Paul rebuked the Jewish believers in Galatia because they had believed in Jesus as the Christ and began to obey the truth but later they were coerced or bewitched to go back and keep the Law by non-believing Jews. Now this may not make much sense because it deals with Jewish religion so let’s use different terminology.
Are you a Christian? Did you become a Christian because you kept all of the laws and requirements of a particular church or denomination? Absolutely not! You become a Christian through your faith in Jesus and the WORK that He did while on earth including His work on the cross. Now that you’re born again are you supposed to serve God by keeping the Law or the rules of your particular church? No. We are to continue in faith and listen to the leading and instruction of the Holy Spirit.
In the same way that it was hard for the Jewish believers to convert from keeping the Law of God and walk by faith, it’s just as hard for believers today to convert from doing “good works” in the name of God and become obedient hearers. Here’s a practical story to help you understand. God told Abraham to offer Isaac upon the altar. Abraham responded to what God instructed of him through obedient faith. Abraham’s belief in God and obedience to His voice caused Abraham to be righteous in God’s sight 400 years before the Law was given to the Jews.
As Christians who have been saved by faith, we must now live by faith. Hebrews 11 : 6 says that without faith no one can please God. What is the Holy Spirit instructing you to do today? If you don’t know what the Lord desires from you then seek Him and He will reveal it to you. When we walk by faith through obedience then we will experience life and peace.
Speak Lord for your servant is listening,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Living Free


Living free isn’t always easy but it is rewarding.
Galatians 5 : 1, Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. NKJV
Living by faith while residing in a world filled with sin and corruption can be very difficult at times. Let’s look at this subject in a different light. The Lord didn’t put you in a huge mud puddle and then asked you to stay clean. He has saved us and instructed us to keep the sin that is in the world out of our heart.
Would you not agree that it would be very easy to live in sin and to enjoy the pleasures of sin as opposed to the pressure of living a holy and consecrated life before God? Jesus never told us life in this world would be easy but He has promised us that He would reward those who are faithful to Him.
Therefore, we must choose as Christians now that we’ve accepted Jesus as our Savior and Lord to walk by faith and to resist the pleasures of this world. This brings us to the point of today’s word for you. We must realize that there is something in this world that can cause us to backslide and lose our reward and the Lord wants us to be fully aware of this stronghold and break it off of our life. If we didn’t have a carnal or flesh nature that desires to violate the principles of God’s Word, then we wouldn’t struggle one bit with living a holy life.
Our struggle to remain free and to walk in the liberty that Christ has given to every believer stems from our flesh nature and not from residing in a world of corruption. This was the issue that Paul was addressing with Jewish believers in Christ in the church at Galatia. They had begun living their new life by faith but afterwards they chose to go back to living under the Law and works. They had gone back into bondage. Are you living a life of liberty in Christ today? Or do you believe in Christ and at the same time living in bondage to the flesh nature?
If you have placed your faith in Christ and you still struggle with living in bondage to the flesh nature, then know that in Christ the old man is dead and you don’t have to obey its lusts. You don’t have to give into guilty pleasures and live under condemnation. The same Christ who has delivered you from the death of sin’s wages is the same Christ that wants you to be free from the bondage of the flesh nature. The writer of Hebrews exhorts us to walk by faith. When we walk by faith and don’t try to keep the law or fulfill religious requirements, then God has promised for those who diligently seek Him that He would reward them.
Let’s seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness continually. Seek when you struggle. Seek when you’re weak. Seek when you don’t think you have the strength to seek. Always seek Him and His will over your own desires and God will supply all that you have need of and will reward your obedient faith. We’re not seeking pleasure but we are seeking life.
Seeking the Rewarder,
Pastor Asa Dockery

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Do You Have Eternal Life?


Do You Have Eternal Life?
1 Thessalonians 4 : 16 – 18, For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. NKJV
We’re told in Romans 1 and Hebrews 10 that the JUST shall LIVE by faith. When you and I placed our faith in Jesus as the Christ, He filled our heart and soul with His life. I find that interesting because Christians still grow old and they still pass away. Yet the Bible says that the Just shall live by faith.
After Adam sinned and brought death on humanity, God told him that he was taken from the dust and to the dust he would return. When Jesus promised us life that didn’t mean we wouldn’t die; but at the time of death we will pass from this temporal life unto eternal life. Though my body is alive it doesn’t have eternal life. My soul has eternal life because it is filled with God’s Word and His Spirit. When my body dies it will go into the ground but my soul which contains life won’t go to the ground but go to be with the Lord. Therefore, we must live by faith even though our outward man is perishing day by day.
In Isaiah 55 we’re told by the Lord, that the Word which goes forth from His mouth won’t return void but it will accomplish what it was sent to fulfill. God sent His Word into the earth in the form of a seed. When His Word returns to Him it won’t be in the form of a seed but will reside inside the fruit and the fruit will be gathered to Him. If we have this hope then we know by the Spirit of God who dwells in our hearts that one day we shall see all of our loved-ones who have gone before us in the faith. Our faith in Christ shall once again reunite us in glory.
Even though our souls have been redeemed from the power of death and we shall never die, our earthen vessel will perish and return to the dust. The body is the last part of our triune being that will be redeemed from death. Then the final work of the redemption process will be completed and the souls of those who have died before in Christ will receive their glorified body. Just as we’re going to be reunited with our loved-ones, we will also be reunited with our bodies. New and improved of course!
Romans 8 : 22 – 24, For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. NKJV
Awaiting my full redemption,
Pastor Asa Dockery