JUNE LOVE GIFT OFFERS

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Keys to Godly Living

Being motivated by anything other than Jesus will frustrate and burden us, which is why we need to receive from Him before we can work for Him. Love must be the motive for everything we do in response to God’s grace. Choosing to comply with God because of our faith in His love influences the entire direction of our lives. Placing our faith in Him does not take away the problems we encounter in life, but does allow Him to deliver us and give us victory over them. No matter what happens in life, we can trust God to watch over us and take care of us. Depending on Him to work through us allows Him to use us as His vessels to do great things, with marvelous results.

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MAY LOVE GIFT OFFERS

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Living Life at God’s Altitude

On our Christian walk, we are gradually becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. Despite our progress, however, there is still a gap between who God says we are and what we see in our everyday lives; although He says we are the righteousness of God, sometimes we still do unrighteous things. Our faith in Christ is a critical component in this; we must believe what God says we are, even when our lives are not reflecting that yet. God never contradicts Himself; although our stance in perfection was forever determined when we believed in Jesus, our state of perfection, which refers to our earthly lives, is still unfinished. Understanding this gives us peace and lets God work in us to make us as righteous as He is.

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Godliness vs. Ungodliness

As believers who have received salvation, we must go beyond the surface definition of what it means to be ungodly. Ungodliness is more than simply being immoral and depraved; it is having no regard for God. We must never get so busy that we forget to ask God for His blessing in everything we do; taking no notice of Him is as much of a sin as committing a sinful act. True godliness is maintaining a relationship with God and depending on Him for everything. We have been given freedom of choice; ungodliness is the decision to operate independently from God. This rebellion began with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden and still continues today. As long as we remember to involve God in our daily lives and depend on Him, we will meet with prosperity and success.

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When Will I Be What God Says I Am?

On our Christian walk, we are gradually becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. Despite our progress, however, there is still a gap between who God says we are and what we see in our everyday lives; although He says we are the righteousness of God, sometimes we still do unrighteous things. Our faith in Christ is a critical component in this; we must believe what God says we are, even when our lives are not reflecting that yet. God never contradicts Himself; although our stance in perfection was forever determined when we believed in Jesus, our state of perfection, which refers to our earthly lives, is still unfinished. Understanding this gives us peace and lets God work in us to make us as righteous as He is.

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Does God Really Care About You?

We have all gone through painful times of adversity and trouble and wondered if God really cared about us. Feeling this way is part of being human; however, God actually loves us very much and cares deeply about our suffering. When we entertain these thoughts, there are some practical ways to deal with them. First, we must realize that God never promised us carefree lives with no trials or difficulties; what He has promised us is His presence and His peace in the midst of the situation. When the enemy attacks our minds with lies that God does not care, remembering the times He has already delivered us brings us back to the truth. Understanding that God will never abandon us in bad times allows us to see His plan at work so that we can be effective Christians.

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GRACE: God’s Provision for the Believer

Developing a relationship with God and experiencing His character gives us an understanding of how His mercy impacts our lives. Knowing Him reveals His forgiveness and compassion toward everyone, whether saved or unsaved. God has the power to punish and harm us, but instead chooses to love us and be merciful. This is illustrated with Jonah, with whom He showed great compassion. When God gave Jonah a mission Jonah disobeyed, initially ignored Him, and died while trying to run away; however, when Jonah changed his mind God showed him mercy. Experiencing God’s forgiveness and understanding His loving, compassionate nature completely changes our perception of Him.

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The Path to Humility

A humble attitude is pleasing to God. Humility is a godly character trait, but it can be a challenge for believers living in a world that exalts pride and arrogance. God very much wants to bless us; He can do so when we avoid being proud and arrogant and shun an inflated opinion of ourselves. A humble mindset acknowledges our dependence on God, never on ourselves. It embraces a servant mentality of putting others first. True leaders are always willing to begin at the bottom, regardless of external pressures to put themselves at the top. Letting the examples of humility that David, Paul, and Jesus, Himself, set allows God to elevate and exalt us.

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APRIL LOVE GIFT OFFERS

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Discovering the Essence of Worship

Genuinely worshipping God goes far beyond the act of simply coming to church. When we “worship” God through repetition and religious tradition but our hearts are not in it, we are wasting our time. The essence of real worship is our daily heartfelt expression of loyalty, commitment, and allegiance to God. Real worshippers live to please Him, not themselves. They lead lifestyles inspired by a belief that God is more worthy and valuable than anyone or anything else, and a desire to be more like Him. Unlike the Old-Testament pattern of worship which only involved actions and performance, the New-Testament pattern of worship involves our spirits. Understanding this takes us from simply reporting to a building on Sunday to walking with God and being in His presence every day.

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Is Your Belief System Offline?

For Christians living under grace, faith in Jesus Christ and in His finished works is a necessity. Under Old Testament law, obedience was measured by performance. By comparison, in the New Testament, God now considers our belief as obedience; correspondingly, He sees unbelief as disobedience. If we are still stuck in religious tradition, we must renew our minds to the current new-covenant definition of what it means to obey if we want to experience blessings. With this in mind, we must abandon our self-efforts that religion demands from us and simply trust in Jesus. When we believe we are righteous because of Him, our behavior will eventually reflect that.

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Maturity Through Pressure

It is impossible to go through life without encountering pressure. However, even though it may be unpleasant at the time, enduring it matures us as Christians and manifests the gifts, talents, and anointings God has put on our lives. Pressure also causes us to grow and develop spiritual fruit. We must never fear it or shy away from it; God uses adversity and trouble to equip us and teach us to trust and believe Him in every situation. He uses trials to purify our faith so that we no longer depend on ourselves, but on Him. Every failure that results from self-reliance can lead to greater wisdom as to why we failed; this teaches us greater reliance on God.

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MARCH LOVE GIFT OFFERS

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Are You Ready for the Return of Jesus?

From an eternal perspective, the final destination for born-again believers is overwhelmingly positive.  Unlike unbelievers who will be judged as evil after death, those who have made Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior have already been judged as righteous. Christ will be back; we are now seeing the signs and physical manifestations indicating this happening all around us. God is delaying His return so as to save as many souls as He can, but He will not wait indefinitely; it is up to us to prepare for His coming. Genuinely believing that He will be returning shortly enables us to live godly lives so that we will be prepared to see Him when He arrives.

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Why is this Happening? The Reasons for Trials and Suffering

There is no such thing as a perfect life. Living godly lives guarantees persecution; however, for Christians who fully rely on God, it also guarantees deliverance from it. Trouble is never God’s will, but trusting Him in the midst of it allows Him to bring us through it and mature us. Adversity is a tool God uses to refine our faith and prepare us for the assignment in life He has for us. Peter, Paul, and Abraham all had their faith put on trial; the result was that they learned to depend on God, not on their own works. When we as the church let God take us where we need to go, He will powerfully anoint us for the task ahead.

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A Deeper Definition of Grace

s New-Testament believers, a solid understanding of the covenant under which we live gives us a true picture of God. We have all studied grace and truth; however, they are not separate, but the same. Grace is the truth, and is Jesus Christ, Himself. Grace is God’s undeserved, unmerited favor; it does not excuse sin but instead teaches us to live godly lifestyles by changing us from the inside out. Submitting ourselves to grace allows the Holy Spirit to work in us to the point where we want to please God and not just ourselves. This is His love in action. We receive the blessings He wants us to have when we stop trying to earn them and simply receive them by faith.

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Winning the Battle of the Mind

We are in a spiritual war with the devil. His attacks focus on our minds, and his strategy is to use suggestions to defeat us in our thought lives. The mind is the arena of faith and is where we either win or lose the fight. We gain the advantage when we line up our thoughts with God’s thoughts so that we can  understand His mindset versus the enemy’s mindset. After we get born again, the most powerful thing we can do is to change our minds by constantly reading, meditating, and speaking God’s Word until we start believing it. Hearing straight from God gives us the same victory in this battle that He has already obtained for us

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