Jesus is Your Qualification for God's Blessings

Deuteronomy 28:2
2And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you... 

God loves to bless you.  He has even declared that “blessings shall come upon you and overtake you.”  This means that you can’t run fast enough to escape them!  When you turn one corner, there is a blessing waiting for you.  When you turn another corner, you run smack into another blessing!

Now, you may think that you don’t qualify for God’s blessings because of the preceding verse which says that these blessings will come to pass only if you diligently obey God’s voice and keep all of His commandments.  You know that no matter how hard you try, you just cannot keep all of God’s commandments.  In fact, the Bible says that if you fail to keep just one commandment, you fail to keep all.  (James 2:10)

Friends, I have good news for you: Jesus is the one who qualifies us for every single blessing because He is the One who kept all of God’s commandments.  When He died for us on the cross, He not only fulfilled all of God’s commandments, He also redeemed us from the curse of the law.  (Galatians 3:13)  Note that He did not redeem us from the blessings of the law, so the blessings are still ours today!

As you read the list of blessings in Deuteronomy 28, starting with “Blessed shall you be in the city...in the country...the fruit of your body...your basket...when you come in...when you go out...”  (Deuteronomy 28:3-13), I believe that Jesus is saying to you, “Like the blessings?  Then take them by faith!”

You may say, “But I don’t deserve them.”  Yes, you don’t deserve them, but you still get them because of Jesus.  That is God’s grace!  The law says, “You must deserve the blessings.”  But the law is no longer here.  Grace is here.  So take the blessings by grace through faith.  Believe God for the blessings.

Today, it is no longer a question of how much or how well you have kept God’s commandments.  It is a question of how much you can believe God for His blessings.  All the promises of God in Christ are “Yes”, and because you are in Christ, you can say “Amen!” to His blessings!  (2 Corinthians 1:20)  No ands, ifs or buts...JUST BELIEVE and you’ll RECEIVE!  Amen!

God Loves You and I Love You! Pastor Erwin

Jesus Christ Is Able and Always Willing!

Matthew 8:3
3Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.”  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
 
When you see someone receiving a miraculous healing or financial breakthrough, do you ask, “What about me, Lord?”  I believe that the leper who came to Jesus must have asked the same question.

He must have heard or seen from a distance, since he was not permitted to be in public places by the law, how Jesus had healed the sick.  So he had no doubt that Jesus could heal him, but he was not sure if Jesus would.  He said to Jesus, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”  (Matthew 8:2)  He was confident of the power of God, but not the love of God for him.

Like the leper, maybe you don’t have a problem believing that God can give you your miracle, since He is Almighty God.  but you are wondering if He will do it for you.  Friends, let Jesus’ actions and answer to the leper settle this question once and for all.  He stretched forth His hand, touched the leper and said, “I am willing; be cleansed.”  And immediately, the leper was healed.

I want you to notice that Jesus touched the leper.  He could have healed him from a distance with just a spoken word.  He had healed others this was as in the case of the centurion’s servant and the Syro-Phoenician woman’s daughter.  So why did He touch the leper?

Jesus knew that for so many years, the leper had been cut off from his family and society, so he must have been feeling dehumanized.  I believe that Jesus touched him to make him feel human again, to make him feel loved and accepted again.  His touch was His love language to the leper.  

Can you see God’s heart of love here?  Can you see how much He loved the leper?  That is how much He loves you!  The day that you come to know God’s heart of love and believe that He wants you blessed more than you want to be blessed is the day that you receive your miracle!

Beloved, take a hold of God’s love, and you will believe that He is not only able, but also willing to make you whole!  So, don’t give up on yourself...Remember that God does not see you in judgement, because He sees you through His Holy Son, Jesus Christ...Hallelujah!

God Loves You and I Love You! Pastor Erwin

Our Only Help In Time of Need!

Hebrews 4:16  
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace in time of need”

If you are facing a challenge right now, I want you to know that you have a standing invittion from your heavenly Father to come boldly to the throne of grace to “obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

The phrase “help in the time of need” means that you get healing when you are sick, provisions when you are in lack, restoration when your relationship with a loved one breaks down, and favor when news of job cuts or bad prospects are rife.

Pastor, how can I come boldly when I have been a lousy Christian?

Answer...Jesus Christ...and not by how you have lived your life.  So whenever you come into God’s presence, you don’t have to be afraid that your sins will be exposed because the blood of Jesus has removed every one of them.  God does not see even one speck of sin in you because He sees only the blood of His Son, which has been shed for your total forgiveness and acceptance.

You can come boldly because you come to God by the blood of Jesus!

Friends, when you have failed and need mercy, God’s Word assures you that you will find mercy when you come boldly to God.  Mercy means that you don’t get the bad things you deserve, such as condemnation, poverty, failure, loss and even death.

And mercy is not the only thing that you will obtain when you come boldly to God.  You will also find grace.  Grace means that you get the good things that you don’t deserve, such as health, protection, anointing, favor, good success and life more abundant and prosperous.

So come boldly to the One who loves you passionately, unconditionally and with an undying love.  Come boldly to Him who knows everything about your situation and has the solution.  He has wisdom far beyond that doctor you highly respect, that lawyer you greatly honor and the best experts you can consult.  Beloved, come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and grace to help in your time of need!  So defy worldly logic and do the opposite of what your brain tells you...Go to God and be pleasantly surprised!!!

God Loves You and I Love You! Pastor Erwin

Watch What You Say...

Psalm 91:2
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.”
 
When a great storm arose as Jesus and His disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, He did not say to His disciples, “The storm is here to teach us courage.”  Instead, he took authority over the storm and said, “Please, be still!”  And there was a perfect calm (Mark 4:39)

When He met the widow of Nain whose only son had died, and on another occasion, the two sisters whose brother Lazarus had died, He didn’t tell them, “God wanted to take him home.”  No, He spoke to the dead son: “Young man, I say to you, arise.”  (Luke 7:14)  And standing outside Lazarus’ tomb, He said, “Lazarus, come forth!”  (John 11:43)  And both men came back to life.

What have you been saying about your situation?

When you feel the pain in your body, don’t say of the Lord, “God wants me sick to teach me to trust Him more.”  Instead, say, “Lord Jesus, I thank You that by Your stripes I am healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

While trying to make ends meet, don’t say of the Lord, “The Lord keeps me poor to keep me humble.”  Instead say, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)

And if you have an intimidating boss at work, don’t say, “The Lord is my patience, I will endure.”  Instead say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear.  What can mad do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6)

We are living in the last days when there are terrorist attacks and deadly viruses lurking around, and the world is afraid.  But we will not speak negative words and be fearful like the people of the world.  Instead, we will speak God’s Word and reign over these things.  Like the psalmist, we will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my god, in Him I will trust.”

So find out what God’s Word says about your situation, believe it and declare it.  And because God’s Word cannot return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11), you will see what you believe!  So, confess (say) the Word of God and SEE it come to pass!  Hallelujah!

God Loves You and I Love You! Pastor Erwin

Turn Your Worries Into Prayers

Philippians 4:6
6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

God doesn’t want you to fret, fear or be anxious.  Instead, He wants you to “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

So when you have a care or worry, straightaway, turn that care or worry into prayer.  That is supplication.  And when you are troubled by a care or worry that you don’t know how to pray for, pray in the Spirit or tongues.  And in the midst of that prayer, thank God that He has already healed you, and has given you victory...that’s thanksgiving!

If I am worried about something, how long should I pray?  Keep on praying.  Pray in the Spirit until the worry lifts or dissipates, “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)

The one who prays in unimportant...that’s you!  But to whom prayer is made unto...that’s God!  True prayer is focused only on God, not on the one praying...again, that’s you!   Our prayer must be focused on God alone.  Prayer is God responding to us...not us responding, complaining and murmuring back to God!

If you focus on your needs and cares when you pray...and you do not focus on God...what is magnified are your needs and cares...not God!

Friends, our prayers must be based on the Living Word of God...and not on our words...if we pray with our own words, we are not praying...we’re just complaining to God.  remember Daniel who prayed to God and as he waited and fasted for 21 days...and angel appeared on the 21st day and told Daniel that when he prayed to God on the first day, God heard  his prayer and dispatched the angel right then and then...but the angel was “delayed” because he had to complete another assignment (from God) to fight the “enemy” (Daniel, chapters 9 and 10).  Trust that God heard your prayer (as long as you focus on God) the first time and you must wait for His answer...Remember that God’s delays are not His denials.  So, turn your worries into PRAYER with Purpose, Power, and Passion!

We Need But One Thing...

Proverbs 4:20-21
20My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.  21Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart;
 
George Muller, who lived in the 1800s, cared more than 2,000 orphans in his five large orphanages.  But he  never allowed his huge responsibility to take him away from the Word of God.  he said that every day, he would set aside time to study the scriptures until his inner man was happy in the Lord.

Once, Muller met a man who worked between 14 and 16 hours every day.  He told the man, “You are destroying your health.  you don’t have time for  your family and most importantly, you don’t have time to nourish your inner man with the Word of God.”

The man replied, “I hear you, but I can’t see how I can cut down my working hours and spend time win the Word because even with the 14 to 16 hours I put in each day, I still can’t pull enough bread on the table for my family.”

As the man walked away, Muller said, “He doesn’t believe that if he gives time to God’s Word first, God will take care of all his needs.”

Likewise, do you really believe that every day, we need but one thing?  Even if the bills don’t get paid, the children are not making any headway in their studies and the office work is not completed, all these things can wait.  We Need But One Thing - that we spend time in the Word of God.

When Martha complained to Jesus that her sister Mary had left her to serve alone (Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet and hearing His Word), Jesus defended Mary by saying, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things, but one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)

Friends, you will not lose out when you take time to sit down and listen to God’s Word.  Even your health and well-being will be blessed.  (Proverbs 4:22)  So take time today to meditate on His Word.  It will make your way prosperous (Joshua 1:8-9), and give you divine health and good success!  So, be diligent in ONE THING...the Word of God!

God Loves You and I Love You! Pastor Erwin

Save the Date: August 20, 2011