1 Corinthians 8: 9 - 13, Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall. NIV
To say that I am a Christian is to say that I am Christ-like. The simple fact that I tell people who don't have knowledge of Christ that I am a child of God holds me to a higher standard. However, although we may be Christians, it doesn't mean that every believer knows this principle or abides by it in their personal walk.
If you will remember in Genesis 4 when God questioned Cain as to the whereabouts of his brother, he replied to God with a selfish attitude saying, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Whether we realize it or not, whether we accept it or not, as Christians, we are held accountable by our Lord Jesus to be salt and light to a lost world. If we cause our brother, who may be weaker in the faith, to stumble and fall back into sin because we have liberty in Christ, then we will be held personally responsible for being derelict in our service unto the Lord.
We are citizens of the Kingdom of God, who have been given both the authority and the mandate to exemplify the rule of Christ in the earth. Therefore, God holds us, his children, to a higher level of accountability before the world.
We must guard our hearts from selfish indulgences and protect our Christian witness around anyone who may be struggling with their faith in Christ. Does that mean that God wants us to walk around quoting the Word of God and covering ourselves in white robes all the time? No, it doesn't. Let's refer to today's scripture. Paul was addressing someone who was in the presence of a brother who was known to struggle in his conscience when he observed believers who consumed meat that had been offered to idols. Obviously, these two men knew each other well. Therefore, we must protect our witness in the presence of those who know us better than they know Christ so that we might allow the Lord to use us by our good works to show them Christ. (Mt. 5:16)
It grieves the Holy Spirit when Christians choose to satisfy self over the need to be an effective witness for Christ before the world. Allow this word today to challenge you to become a greater warrior in the faith for the sake of those around you who don't know anything about Christ except for the One who lives through you.
Being Salt and Light for Christ's Sake,
Pastor Asa Dockery
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
When Attacks Become Personal
Philippians 4 : 6 - 7, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. NKJV
Your heavenly Father loves you. However, when the love of God is taught or shared from a believer to a non-believer, it is generally in the context that God gave His only-begotten Son to die in our place. It is true that when you accepted Christ as your personal Savior, you became a victorious child of the Most High God. Through Jesus and the work of the cross, you have been made more than a conqueror, and He causes us to always triumph over our enemies.
Nevertheless, since we haven't died, gone to heaven, and remained there, none of us have really had to put the promise of eternal security to the test. We know that Paul taught us to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, but none of us has faced that battle in our walk of faith, yet. I'm not suggesting that we have to die before we have proof that salvation belongs to us. I'm just merely stating that we haven't had to face eternity so none of us have been able to realize the degree of the love of God. Therefore, we have to fight the spiritual battles that we face in this life with the assurance that God is with us "by faith."
During an attack of the enemy, the love of God is put to the test and tried more so than any other time in our walk. It is during an assault against us that we can begin to waiver in our faith that God truly does love us. Why does it seem easier to believe the Bible and the truth that God does, indeed, love us more so when times are good, but then we struggle with our faith when we come under an attack?
Here is the explanation that the Lord conveyed to me about this struggle. I have found in my own walk that it is easier for me to pray and have faith for someone else who is battling the very thing I am enduring myself than it is for me to stand in faith for my situation. Perhaps you have found this to be true in your life as well. Why does it seem that our faith is stronger at times when we pray for others and weaker when we have to believe for ourselves?
The key to winning any battle is to have the ability not to take it personally. Our battles are harder to obtain victory over because it's personal to us. It's good that we have noticed this occurs so that we can go to God and learn an even greater truth about the authority of God in our lives. God not only loves us, but He has also given us His authority on the earth through Christ so that we might walk in dominion over the schemes of the Devil.
The Lord said, "The battles that I face, though it appears to me to be a personal attack, still belongs to the Lord." In the same way that I can fight with more vigor when someone asks me to pray for their situation, when I realize that this "personal" battle is really God's battle, and Satan is trying to get me in between God and the battle, then I can then obtain the confidence to fight Satan on a spiritual level. No matter how personal the battle may be and believe me, I have experienced many personal attacks; we must never take ownership of the battle. We are in this world to serve God (not ourselves). Therefore, it is God who will fight this battle, and it is God who will win this battle. We will be still and see the salvation of the Lord.
Hidden in Christ,
Pastor Asa Dockery
Your heavenly Father loves you. However, when the love of God is taught or shared from a believer to a non-believer, it is generally in the context that God gave His only-begotten Son to die in our place. It is true that when you accepted Christ as your personal Savior, you became a victorious child of the Most High God. Through Jesus and the work of the cross, you have been made more than a conqueror, and He causes us to always triumph over our enemies.
Nevertheless, since we haven't died, gone to heaven, and remained there, none of us have really had to put the promise of eternal security to the test. We know that Paul taught us to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, but none of us has faced that battle in our walk of faith, yet. I'm not suggesting that we have to die before we have proof that salvation belongs to us. I'm just merely stating that we haven't had to face eternity so none of us have been able to realize the degree of the love of God. Therefore, we have to fight the spiritual battles that we face in this life with the assurance that God is with us "by faith."
During an attack of the enemy, the love of God is put to the test and tried more so than any other time in our walk. It is during an assault against us that we can begin to waiver in our faith that God truly does love us. Why does it seem easier to believe the Bible and the truth that God does, indeed, love us more so when times are good, but then we struggle with our faith when we come under an attack?
Here is the explanation that the Lord conveyed to me about this struggle. I have found in my own walk that it is easier for me to pray and have faith for someone else who is battling the very thing I am enduring myself than it is for me to stand in faith for my situation. Perhaps you have found this to be true in your life as well. Why does it seem that our faith is stronger at times when we pray for others and weaker when we have to believe for ourselves?
The key to winning any battle is to have the ability not to take it personally. Our battles are harder to obtain victory over because it's personal to us. It's good that we have noticed this occurs so that we can go to God and learn an even greater truth about the authority of God in our lives. God not only loves us, but He has also given us His authority on the earth through Christ so that we might walk in dominion over the schemes of the Devil.
The Lord said, "The battles that I face, though it appears to me to be a personal attack, still belongs to the Lord." In the same way that I can fight with more vigor when someone asks me to pray for their situation, when I realize that this "personal" battle is really God's battle, and Satan is trying to get me in between God and the battle, then I can then obtain the confidence to fight Satan on a spiritual level. No matter how personal the battle may be and believe me, I have experienced many personal attacks; we must never take ownership of the battle. We are in this world to serve God (not ourselves). Therefore, it is God who will fight this battle, and it is God who will win this battle. We will be still and see the salvation of the Lord.
Hidden in Christ,
Pastor Asa Dockery
Friday, October 7, 2011
God Will Do What He Said
Galatians 6 : 7 - 10, 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 found that walking by faith and believing God for a promise to be fulfilled in my life isn't hard until Satan sticks his nose in my business, then faith becomes a struggle. The Apostle James tells us to count it all joy when we fall into various trials. Let me preface this passage with these thoughts: Have you ever had the Lord make a promise to you, and you got excited with anticipation of the fulfillment of that blessing or increase in your life? Only to discover that shortly after you experienced the goodness of the Lord, it seemed as though the bottom just seemed to fall out of your life. Things that worked well for you may have even stopped working altogether. You no longer had normal problems; instead, they quickly escalated into weird and unexplainable coincidences or happenings.
It's one thing for a believer to have a bad day, but when we have a bad day when we were expecting a blessing from heaven, it tends to cause us to become disillusioned and disappointed. Now, I will remind you what James tells us to do when faced with various trials. We are to count it all joy and wait on God's promise to be fulfilled because we know that God can't lie. Therefore, we wait on God while exercising great patience. We're taught that we should have joy when we meet with disappointment and discouragement instead of breakthrough. We should feel joy, not because we're not human (now that we're a Christian), but because we know that God is faithful, and this is a test to see if we will remain faithful even though it appears God has abandoned us.
The promises of God aren't given to people who walk in unbelief. Instead, they are granted to those who are found to have faith in God when it appears as though God has forgotten what He has promised. If this process sounds strange or new to you as a believer, then allow me to give you a couple of examples before you begin your day that will encourage you to hang on and not give up on God.
In genesis 1 : 28, God promised Adam and Eve that they would have dominion over the earth, over the animals, and that they would also replenish the earth. After this time of prophecy and blessing, God put them in the Garden of Eden to test their hearts. Would they hold on to the promises of God and obey His voice in the interim or would they grow weary while waiting on God and disobey? We see that God tested their hearts by placing them where they had to decide, which, in turn, would determine if He could bless them. Unfortunately, they made the wrong choice and lost the blessing of God.
In Exodus, God made a promise to Israel that He would give them a land flowing with milk and honey. Shortly after Israel was delivered from the land of bondage, they found themselves in the wilderness having to depend on God for food and water. The wilderness was nothing like the promise they had heard about while they were in Egypt. When the people realized that God had brought them to the wilderness and not the Promise Land, they begin to rebel because they didn't count it joy. They allowed discouragement and disappointment to cause them to harden their hearts to the voice of God in unbelief. Since they chose to walk in unbelief, God couldn't bless them with the Promised Land.
God speaks through Moses in Deuteronomy 8 and tells the children of Israel why He had brought them through the wilderness. It was the same reason that He placed Adam and Eve in the garden and why He tests our hearts after we receive a promise. He allowed them to hunger to see if they would keep His commandments and to see what was in their hearts. When we expect God to fulfill His Word, but He tarries the fulfillment of it, and we go into a decline instead, we must be careful to guard our hearts so that we don't allow unbelief to fill our hearts.
If you will read James 1:12, you will discover that James is no longer talking about trials. He says, "Blessed is the man or woman who endures temptations." Why did he change his focus from trials to temptations? While Adam and Eve waited on the unfolding of God's promises, Satan came and tempted Eve. While Israel waited on God to fulfill His promise, Satan tempted them with unbelief, and they entered into that temptation. While Jesus waited on the provision of the Father after forty days of fasting, Satan tempted Him; however, Jesus was submitted to God completely.
Yes, you and I will have to face some serious and burdensome trials while we wait on the faithfulness of God. In the meantime, we must be careful to guard our hearts against weariness, and we must encourage ourselves until the promise comes. Have you gone through so much hardship and discouragement that you have either given up or are about to give up on God's faithfulness? Allow these truths to begin to get down into your heart and spirit and stir up your faith to keep on obeying and believing. Who knows? This might be the breakthrough word that takes you over, and into the very promise that you were about to believe couldn't be inherited. In your patience, possess you, your soul.
Waiting on the Faithfulness of God,
Pastor Asa Dockery
I have found that walking by faith and believing God for a promise to be fulfilled in my life isn't hard until Satan sticks his nose in my business, then faith becomes a struggle. The Apostle James tells us to count it all joy when we fall into various trials. Let me preface this passage with these thoughts: Have you ever had the Lord make a promise to you, and you got excited with anticipation of the fulfillment of that blessing or increase in your life? Only to discover that shortly after you experienced the goodness of the Lord, it seemed as though the bottom just seemed to fall out of your life. Things that worked well for you may have even stopped working altogether. You no longer had normal problems; instead, they quickly escalated into weird and unexplainable coincidences or happenings.
It's one thing for a believer to have a bad day, but when we have a bad day when we were expecting a blessing from heaven, it tends to cause us to become disillusioned and disappointed. Now, I will remind you what James tells us to do when faced with various trials. We are to count it all joy and wait on God's promise to be fulfilled because we know that God can't lie. Therefore, we wait on God while exercising great patience. We're taught that we should have joy when we meet with disappointment and discouragement instead of breakthrough. We should feel joy, not because we're not human (now that we're a Christian), but because we know that God is faithful, and this is a test to see if we will remain faithful even though it appears God has abandoned us.
The promises of God aren't given to people who walk in unbelief. Instead, they are granted to those who are found to have faith in God when it appears as though God has forgotten what He has promised. If this process sounds strange or new to you as a believer, then allow me to give you a couple of examples before you begin your day that will encourage you to hang on and not give up on God.
In genesis 1 : 28, God promised Adam and Eve that they would have dominion over the earth, over the animals, and that they would also replenish the earth. After this time of prophecy and blessing, God put them in the Garden of Eden to test their hearts. Would they hold on to the promises of God and obey His voice in the interim or would they grow weary while waiting on God and disobey? We see that God tested their hearts by placing them where they had to decide, which, in turn, would determine if He could bless them. Unfortunately, they made the wrong choice and lost the blessing of God.
In Exodus, God made a promise to Israel that He would give them a land flowing with milk and honey. Shortly after Israel was delivered from the land of bondage, they found themselves in the wilderness having to depend on God for food and water. The wilderness was nothing like the promise they had heard about while they were in Egypt. When the people realized that God had brought them to the wilderness and not the Promise Land, they begin to rebel because they didn't count it joy. They allowed discouragement and disappointment to cause them to harden their hearts to the voice of God in unbelief. Since they chose to walk in unbelief, God couldn't bless them with the Promised Land.
God speaks through Moses in Deuteronomy 8 and tells the children of Israel why He had brought them through the wilderness. It was the same reason that He placed Adam and Eve in the garden and why He tests our hearts after we receive a promise. He allowed them to hunger to see if they would keep His commandments and to see what was in their hearts. When we expect God to fulfill His Word, but He tarries the fulfillment of it, and we go into a decline instead, we must be careful to guard our hearts so that we don't allow unbelief to fill our hearts.
If you will read James 1:12, you will discover that James is no longer talking about trials. He says, "Blessed is the man or woman who endures temptations." Why did he change his focus from trials to temptations? While Adam and Eve waited on the unfolding of God's promises, Satan came and tempted Eve. While Israel waited on God to fulfill His promise, Satan tempted them with unbelief, and they entered into that temptation. While Jesus waited on the provision of the Father after forty days of fasting, Satan tempted Him; however, Jesus was submitted to God completely.
Yes, you and I will have to face some serious and burdensome trials while we wait on the faithfulness of God. In the meantime, we must be careful to guard our hearts against weariness, and we must encourage ourselves until the promise comes. Have you gone through so much hardship and discouragement that you have either given up or are about to give up on God's faithfulness? Allow these truths to begin to get down into your heart and spirit and stir up your faith to keep on obeying and believing. Who knows? This might be the breakthrough word that takes you over, and into the very promise that you were about to believe couldn't be inherited. In your patience, possess you, your soul.
Waiting on the Faithfulness of God,
Pastor Asa Dockery
Thursday, October 6, 2011
We Have the Mind of Christ
Proverbs 25 : 2, It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter. NKJV
In Isaiah 55, God told Isaiah to prophecy to His people; He wanted them to know that their ways were not His ways, and neither were their thoughts God's thoughts. He went on to tell His rebellious people that His ways and thoughts were higher than theirs. It's not that God doesn't ever want us to know His divine wisdom and plan. However, here, He wanted to awaken His people to the sin that had blinded them; they were walking in their own will and not God's. If God didn't want us to know His wisdom, His plans, and experience His life, He wouldn't have gone through the trouble of giving us the written Word or His Spirit.
God desires His people to seek His face and to learn His ways. We're told in Hebrews 11, that if we will seek God, He will reward us for our diligence in seeking after Him. The Word of God tells us that the Lord knows our thoughts from a far, and He also knows what we have need of before we ask it of Him. It's difficult for the human mind to comprehend that God is so vast and loving, and that He can know our very thoughts and have intimate knowledge of each person's needs. How is it that He knows so much about us, but we know very little about Him? Throughout the Word of God, God invites mankind to get acquainted with Him and to come to the saving knowledge of His Son.
Since mankind wrestles with the fallout from sin and feels unworthy, many people easily buy into the lie that they are unworthy to communicate with the God of creation. However, through the blood of Jesus, we have been made worthy to know the Father and to share our hearts with Him. Jesus has made it possible for all who believe in Him as the Christ to come before the Father and to be transformed in our minds. According to Philippians 2, we can now have the same mind(set) that Christ has and know the thoughts and the ways of God so that we might live in the way that pleases Him. It's God's good pleasure for us to know Him so that He can bless us. After all, we are the children of God.
Jesus tells us in John 10 that His sheep know His voice and another, they won't follow. If we can know and recognize God's voice, then we can also communicate with the Lord and come to know Him just as He knows us. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that we are to know even as we are known. This is the completion or the goal of God for His people... that we might know Him as the true God and Jesus Christ, His only-begotten Son. You can know the ways of God, and you can think the thoughts of God today. Seek the Lord with your whole heart, and you will find Him.
1 Corinthians 2 : 12 - 16, Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words, which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But, the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ. NKJV
Discovering Who I Really Am in Christ,
Pastor Asa Dockery
In Isaiah 55, God told Isaiah to prophecy to His people; He wanted them to know that their ways were not His ways, and neither were their thoughts God's thoughts. He went on to tell His rebellious people that His ways and thoughts were higher than theirs. It's not that God doesn't ever want us to know His divine wisdom and plan. However, here, He wanted to awaken His people to the sin that had blinded them; they were walking in their own will and not God's. If God didn't want us to know His wisdom, His plans, and experience His life, He wouldn't have gone through the trouble of giving us the written Word or His Spirit.
God desires His people to seek His face and to learn His ways. We're told in Hebrews 11, that if we will seek God, He will reward us for our diligence in seeking after Him. The Word of God tells us that the Lord knows our thoughts from a far, and He also knows what we have need of before we ask it of Him. It's difficult for the human mind to comprehend that God is so vast and loving, and that He can know our very thoughts and have intimate knowledge of each person's needs. How is it that He knows so much about us, but we know very little about Him? Throughout the Word of God, God invites mankind to get acquainted with Him and to come to the saving knowledge of His Son.
Since mankind wrestles with the fallout from sin and feels unworthy, many people easily buy into the lie that they are unworthy to communicate with the God of creation. However, through the blood of Jesus, we have been made worthy to know the Father and to share our hearts with Him. Jesus has made it possible for all who believe in Him as the Christ to come before the Father and to be transformed in our minds. According to Philippians 2, we can now have the same mind(set) that Christ has and know the thoughts and the ways of God so that we might live in the way that pleases Him. It's God's good pleasure for us to know Him so that He can bless us. After all, we are the children of God.
Jesus tells us in John 10 that His sheep know His voice and another, they won't follow. If we can know and recognize God's voice, then we can also communicate with the Lord and come to know Him just as He knows us. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that we are to know even as we are known. This is the completion or the goal of God for His people... that we might know Him as the true God and Jesus Christ, His only-begotten Son. You can know the ways of God, and you can think the thoughts of God today. Seek the Lord with your whole heart, and you will find Him.
1 Corinthians 2 : 12 - 16, Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words, which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But, the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ. NKJV
Discovering Who I Really Am in Christ,
Pastor Asa Dockery
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Activate Me
Matthew 9 : 36 - 38, But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." NKJV
Jesus tells us in the gospels to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. After Jesus' passion, the disciples were assembled in the upper room and were praying. As they were praying, the Father sent His Spirit upon them and baptized them with His holy fire. It was through this divine act that the church became mobilized to fulfill the Great Commission.
In today's passage, we read where Jesus was looking upon the people that day, saw the weariness on their faces, and was moved with compassion for them. Even though that scripture was penned over two-thousand years ago, the compassion of Christ is still reaching out to the multitudes of people around the world who are weary and scattered. Jesus is saying to the church of today, "My tables are filled with partakers, but My fields are in need of laborers."
Are you a child of God? If you are, it doesn't matter where life finds you today, you are still a servant of the Most High God, and you have a job that needs your time and attention. According to Paul's letter to the church at Corinth (and us), we all have a ministry. It's called the ministry of reconciliation. No one can reach a lost and hurting person like someone, namely you, who is with that person and knows Christ like you do. If you're a Christian, then know that God can use your availability to reach out to those whom the "four-walled church" cannot. You are the church or temple of the living God, and God wants you to be activated and to win souls for Him. Simply make yourself available to the Lord and the Holy Spirit will show you the plan and the person or persons you are to impact for His kingdom. One sows the seeds and another waters those seeds, but it is God, who gives the increase.
We must not place the burden of saving the world upon "the church" because you are the church, "the called-out ones." You've been called out of darkness and into His marvelous light. It is now your personal responsibility (DUTY) to share your testimony and love with others. Will you make a commitment to Christ... to at least be willing to let Him use you to reach someone who might otherwise spend eternity separated from God without your help?
Casting the Net for Laborers,
Pastor Asa Dockery
Jesus tells us in the gospels to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. After Jesus' passion, the disciples were assembled in the upper room and were praying. As they were praying, the Father sent His Spirit upon them and baptized them with His holy fire. It was through this divine act that the church became mobilized to fulfill the Great Commission.
In today's passage, we read where Jesus was looking upon the people that day, saw the weariness on their faces, and was moved with compassion for them. Even though that scripture was penned over two-thousand years ago, the compassion of Christ is still reaching out to the multitudes of people around the world who are weary and scattered. Jesus is saying to the church of today, "My tables are filled with partakers, but My fields are in need of laborers."
Are you a child of God? If you are, it doesn't matter where life finds you today, you are still a servant of the Most High God, and you have a job that needs your time and attention. According to Paul's letter to the church at Corinth (and us), we all have a ministry. It's called the ministry of reconciliation. No one can reach a lost and hurting person like someone, namely you, who is with that person and knows Christ like you do. If you're a Christian, then know that God can use your availability to reach out to those whom the "four-walled church" cannot. You are the church or temple of the living God, and God wants you to be activated and to win souls for Him. Simply make yourself available to the Lord and the Holy Spirit will show you the plan and the person or persons you are to impact for His kingdom. One sows the seeds and another waters those seeds, but it is God, who gives the increase.
We must not place the burden of saving the world upon "the church" because you are the church, "the called-out ones." You've been called out of darkness and into His marvelous light. It is now your personal responsibility (DUTY) to share your testimony and love with others. Will you make a commitment to Christ... to at least be willing to let Him use you to reach someone who might otherwise spend eternity separated from God without your help?
Casting the Net for Laborers,
Pastor Asa Dockery
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Why Me Lord?
Romans 8 : 10 - 17, And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors -- not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs -- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. NKJV
It doesn't matter what church you attend, eventually someone is going to sing "Amazing Grace." We love to sing, discuss, and hear sermons about God's amazing grace. After all, if wasn't for His great grace, none of us would be attending the Marriage Supper of the Lamb with our Bridegroom in heaven someday. However, if you look beyond the surface of God's saving grace, you will discover that it wasn't fair. How could God offer His innocent Son upon a cruel cross and allow Him to go to hell in our place? If that wasn't bad enough, then He allowed us, who were guilty of sin, to be released from the penalty of sin and didn't require us to do one thing to deserve or earn it? Where's the fairness in that, I ask?
Now that we've discussed God's saving grace, let's turn our focus to God's empowering grace. The first paragraph addresses the love of God that brought us to salvation in Christ. This paragraph will address the love of God that empowers us to become Christ-like. Ouch! I love today's passages from Romans 8 where Paul teaches us about the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, as Christians. I was with him like air in a tire, until he got down to that last sentence. What does he mean, telling us believers that we have to suffer with Christ if we're going to rule with Him one day?
Since becoming a child of God, have you had to suffer some stuff that caused you to feel ashamed? Why does God allow Christians, who love Him with their whole hearts to suffer certain trials? Does it mean that God isn't pleased with us, and that He wants to teach us a good lesson? No, it doesn't. Remember, the JUST shall live by faith. Why would God not require us to pay for our sins while we were sinners, but make us pay for our weaknesses now that we're His children? You see; that reasoning doesn't make sense or line up with the Word of God. Paul tells us in Romans 5, if Christ died for the ungodly while we were still sinners, how much more, now that we have been made just through His blood is God going to save us from His wrath?
When Christians experience trials that bring shame or embarrassment to them, we must choose to suffer the reproach of Christ right along with Jesus. The key is to continue in obedience during the trial, just as we did before the trial began. Job stated in his afflictions that even though God slay him, yet he would trust Him. The only other option is to take on a victim mindset and accuse God falsely. This is called giving yourself to the spirit of offense.
Let's talk about grace not being fair for a moment. If Christ, who was innocent, was willing to suffer the shame and disgrace of the cross for us, then shouldn't we also choose to suffer the reproach and shame of being associated with the cause of Christ for Him? I'm not suggesting that disease, and disasters make you more righteous or holy, but what I am implying is this... in all things we are to be thankful and remain pliable in God's hands. The trap that we must be careful not to fall into is the one where we say, "Why me Lord?" "God, this isn't fair!"
Paul had every "right" to teach the church about the sufferings of Christians in order to reign with Christ one day. Once God converted Paul and called him into the ministry, he soon realized beatings, stoning, ship-wrecks, and snake bites would become a real part of his walk and ministry. Out of desperation, Paul asked God to take the reproach away from him, but God replied, "My GRACE is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in your weakness." Is God's grace fair? No, it isn't. Nevertheless, thank God for our sakes, it isn't. However, God's grace is indeed just. This too shall pass. Faith in the fire transforms us into the image of Christ.
Walking by God's Unmerited Grace,
Pastor Asa Dockery
It doesn't matter what church you attend, eventually someone is going to sing "Amazing Grace." We love to sing, discuss, and hear sermons about God's amazing grace. After all, if wasn't for His great grace, none of us would be attending the Marriage Supper of the Lamb with our Bridegroom in heaven someday. However, if you look beyond the surface of God's saving grace, you will discover that it wasn't fair. How could God offer His innocent Son upon a cruel cross and allow Him to go to hell in our place? If that wasn't bad enough, then He allowed us, who were guilty of sin, to be released from the penalty of sin and didn't require us to do one thing to deserve or earn it? Where's the fairness in that, I ask?
Now that we've discussed God's saving grace, let's turn our focus to God's empowering grace. The first paragraph addresses the love of God that brought us to salvation in Christ. This paragraph will address the love of God that empowers us to become Christ-like. Ouch! I love today's passages from Romans 8 where Paul teaches us about the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, as Christians. I was with him like air in a tire, until he got down to that last sentence. What does he mean, telling us believers that we have to suffer with Christ if we're going to rule with Him one day?
Since becoming a child of God, have you had to suffer some stuff that caused you to feel ashamed? Why does God allow Christians, who love Him with their whole hearts to suffer certain trials? Does it mean that God isn't pleased with us, and that He wants to teach us a good lesson? No, it doesn't. Remember, the JUST shall live by faith. Why would God not require us to pay for our sins while we were sinners, but make us pay for our weaknesses now that we're His children? You see; that reasoning doesn't make sense or line up with the Word of God. Paul tells us in Romans 5, if Christ died for the ungodly while we were still sinners, how much more, now that we have been made just through His blood is God going to save us from His wrath?
When Christians experience trials that bring shame or embarrassment to them, we must choose to suffer the reproach of Christ right along with Jesus. The key is to continue in obedience during the trial, just as we did before the trial began. Job stated in his afflictions that even though God slay him, yet he would trust Him. The only other option is to take on a victim mindset and accuse God falsely. This is called giving yourself to the spirit of offense.
Let's talk about grace not being fair for a moment. If Christ, who was innocent, was willing to suffer the shame and disgrace of the cross for us, then shouldn't we also choose to suffer the reproach and shame of being associated with the cause of Christ for Him? I'm not suggesting that disease, and disasters make you more righteous or holy, but what I am implying is this... in all things we are to be thankful and remain pliable in God's hands. The trap that we must be careful not to fall into is the one where we say, "Why me Lord?" "God, this isn't fair!"
Paul had every "right" to teach the church about the sufferings of Christians in order to reign with Christ one day. Once God converted Paul and called him into the ministry, he soon realized beatings, stoning, ship-wrecks, and snake bites would become a real part of his walk and ministry. Out of desperation, Paul asked God to take the reproach away from him, but God replied, "My GRACE is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in your weakness." Is God's grace fair? No, it isn't. Nevertheless, thank God for our sakes, it isn't. However, God's grace is indeed just. This too shall pass. Faith in the fire transforms us into the image of Christ.
Walking by God's Unmerited Grace,
Pastor Asa Dockery
Monday, October 3, 2011
Knowing When
Exodus 12 : 40 - 41, Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years -- on that very same day -- it came to pass that all the armies of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. NKJV
Exodus 14 : 13 - 14, And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." NKJV
We're told in Ecclesiastes 3 that there is a time for every purpose under heaven. I've watched synchronized swimmers with amazement and wonder, curious as to how they're able to be absolutely in sync with each other while their heads were under water. They understood the principle of purpose and timing, and this governed their every move. The team that perfects purpose with timing the best walks away with the highest honor.
Like the synchronized swimmers, Moses walked in perfect harmony with the timing and purpose of God. When God told him to march, Moses carried out God's plan to the letter. As they stood at the banks of the Red Sea and saw the Egyptian king and army closing in on them, Moses sought direction from the Lord.
You may not be in a fight for your very life today; you might not be in need of a deliverance from your adversary, but if you are, then learn how to walk in sync with the Lord. Moses had to seek the Lord's direction for each and every move that he was to take in the extraction of Israel from the land of bondage. He did so because they were in a spiritual battle over their freedom, and they were fulfilling a promise that God had made to their father, Abraham.
Did you know that God has a plan for you, and a portion of that plan must be fulfilled through your obedience today? If you're fighting to hold onto your faith because Satan has you in his sights, as Pharaoh did when he pursued Israel to the Red Sea, then do what Moses did. Seek the Lord's will and allow Him to order your footsteps.
There was a time when God instructed Moses to "STEP," and there was a time when God wanted Moses to "STAND." If you don't know when to step and when to stand, then you could move out-of-sync with the Lord and hinder your release from bondage or pursuit by your enemy.
Moses had learned how to walk-in-step with the Lord because he had gotten out-of-step with God earlier in his life. Moses didn't step, and he didn't stand; instead, he acted in his own power and struck an Egyptian. This act of murder prolonged the stay of Israel in Egypt for an additional 30 years. Once we get out of God's will, purpose, and timing, we can prolong or over- stay our season. This will lead to greater agony and affliction, as we can clearly see in Exodus 2. Are you in sync with the Lord's purpose and timing in your life today? If not, then turn from your own ways, as Moses had to do and listen to the voice of God, as Moses also did.
God will use every season of our lives for our good, if we will live each season of our life unto Him. (Romans 8 : 28) God knows we will experience both good and difficult seasons, but He doesn't want us to prolong our stay in either of them. While we're living this new life in Christ, God is at work in us changing us into the image of Christ. He's transforming us from former slaves of sin into liberated children of the Most High God.
Synchronizing My Steps With God's plan,
Pastor Asa Dockery
Exodus 14 : 13 - 14, And Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace." NKJV
We're told in Ecclesiastes 3 that there is a time for every purpose under heaven. I've watched synchronized swimmers with amazement and wonder, curious as to how they're able to be absolutely in sync with each other while their heads were under water. They understood the principle of purpose and timing, and this governed their every move. The team that perfects purpose with timing the best walks away with the highest honor.
Like the synchronized swimmers, Moses walked in perfect harmony with the timing and purpose of God. When God told him to march, Moses carried out God's plan to the letter. As they stood at the banks of the Red Sea and saw the Egyptian king and army closing in on them, Moses sought direction from the Lord.
You may not be in a fight for your very life today; you might not be in need of a deliverance from your adversary, but if you are, then learn how to walk in sync with the Lord. Moses had to seek the Lord's direction for each and every move that he was to take in the extraction of Israel from the land of bondage. He did so because they were in a spiritual battle over their freedom, and they were fulfilling a promise that God had made to their father, Abraham.
Did you know that God has a plan for you, and a portion of that plan must be fulfilled through your obedience today? If you're fighting to hold onto your faith because Satan has you in his sights, as Pharaoh did when he pursued Israel to the Red Sea, then do what Moses did. Seek the Lord's will and allow Him to order your footsteps.
There was a time when God instructed Moses to "STEP," and there was a time when God wanted Moses to "STAND." If you don't know when to step and when to stand, then you could move out-of-sync with the Lord and hinder your release from bondage or pursuit by your enemy.
Moses had learned how to walk-in-step with the Lord because he had gotten out-of-step with God earlier in his life. Moses didn't step, and he didn't stand; instead, he acted in his own power and struck an Egyptian. This act of murder prolonged the stay of Israel in Egypt for an additional 30 years. Once we get out of God's will, purpose, and timing, we can prolong or over- stay our season. This will lead to greater agony and affliction, as we can clearly see in Exodus 2. Are you in sync with the Lord's purpose and timing in your life today? If not, then turn from your own ways, as Moses had to do and listen to the voice of God, as Moses also did.
God will use every season of our lives for our good, if we will live each season of our life unto Him. (Romans 8 : 28) God knows we will experience both good and difficult seasons, but He doesn't want us to prolong our stay in either of them. While we're living this new life in Christ, God is at work in us changing us into the image of Christ. He's transforming us from former slaves of sin into liberated children of the Most High God.
Synchronizing My Steps With God's plan,
Pastor Asa Dockery
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