Thought For The Week

Life is too short to waste time hating anyone

-Author Unknown

The Battle of Two Wills

Matthew 26:36-44

Romans 12:1-2

John 5:30

We often hear that God grants us a "free will" but what exactly does this mean? Does it mean that we are allowed to do as we please but ultimately remain in His plan? Does that even qualify as our own will? The Bible mentions that God has more than one plan, or will, for our lives; the Divine Will and the Permissive Will. The Permissive Will is what God allows when we push past what He has chosen us to do. Even when we push past we are still under the grace of God. However there are consequences ( i.e. the belly of the whale, going blind like Sampson, being excommunicated like Adam & Eve, etc.). Although His grace covers us in our Permissive Will, our impact and effectiveness in His kingdom is diminished because of the consequences. We end up creating our own Homemade trials. It goes without saying that the abundance of consequences and lack of benefits makes this path less than desirable. In the Divine Will, we fulfill our kingdom purpose and are able to impact so much more and so many more. Not to mention the perks ( i.e. blessings from God). If you are at a crossroad and don’t know what to do just stand still –do not be impatient. If you’re in the Permissive Will right now, like most of us, God’s grace is sufficient. Just submit and allow God to get back on track ( like he did for Jonah). Yes God gives us options, but when you look at the evidence, isn't the right choice pretty obvious?

Be Well,

Pastors Hines

Thought for the Week

Cherokee Parable of the Two Wolves

An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life…

“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.
“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

“One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed,
arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies,
false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.

“The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity,
humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth,
compassion, and faith.

“This same fight is going on inside you
and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute
and then asked his grandfather,
“Which wolf will win?”

The old chief simply replied,
“The one you feed.”

Does My Life Really Matter?

Exodus 35:1-9; 25:1-7

Have you ever stopped and asked yourself,"Does my life matter?" Have you ever wondered exactly why you are here? A parallel can be made between a field goal attempt in football and the significance of our lives. You would be hard pressed to determine a role in the pictured scenario that is more important. Yes, one may seem more glamorous but no role can be done without. Our lives are the same way. It takes each individual realizing that they are significant in their role and acting in that role for the whole group to be successful. When you consider giving up & quitting ask yourself who will be affected? No matter how you got here and under what circumstances God meant for you to be here. Everyone of us has God’s Seal of Approval. Consider the fact that we all arrived on this Earth the exact same way that Christ did. Isn't that amazing? Your purpose was so significant to God that he deemed us worthy enough to arrive the same way his only Son did. Three things to remember if you ever begin to doubt your importance are 1) You are significant to the "right" people, 2) You are significant to more than you realize, 3) You matter to your Father. In Exodus chapters 25 and 35 God shows us that no material was unworthy to adorn his tabernacle. He even called for goat hair, which may have seemed less precious than the other materials, to be used. You encounter people and situations on a daily basis that need just what you’ve got. Whether its your smile or a kind word- Give ‘em your goat hair!

Be well,

Pastors Hines

Power of Internalization – Improving your self-image

Genesis 1: 25-28

Most of our self-images begin to be formed long before we even realize it. Studies show that of Pre-kindergarten & Kindergarteners 80% have their self-esteem in tact. By the 5^th grade the number drops to 20% and by graduation it drops to 5%. For some this self image is damaged at home and for most of us the standards of American society are responsible. These pressure us to try to measure up to something that God didn’t intend for us to measure up to. These are the roots of inferiority complexes. When we feel that we do not measure up to the expectations of others or fall short in our own minds we can fall prey to "exaggerated visibility". We begin to act out in ways to get the attention and acceptance that we feel we would not get otherwise. This is a dangerous place to be. When one is desperate for validation, one often does not consider the consequences. The results can range from becoming trapped in bad relationships and situations to self harm.

However, the bright side is that according to 2 Corinthians 5: 17 "..if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away..." When you give everything up to Christ, including that damaged self-image, He can work in you and make you whole and content with what he has equipped you with specifically. Everyone is specifically made for a specific purpose in the kingdom of God. · The enemy knows that once you realize your potential and worth in Christ he knows there is nothing that can stop you. As long as he keeps reminding you of these “flaws” then he can keep you from being effective. Entrusting it all to Christ is the only way to gain peace.

Be well,

Pastors Hines

Delivering The Knockout Punch- The Boxing/Faith Analogy

Psalms 34:19

Luke 4:1-13
Deuteronomy 28 1-13

The Christian walk and boxing have a lot in common. In boxing one has to exercise a combination of faith and works along with determination and endurance in order to be successful. There are three things to remember when faced with difficulty: 1) Boxing, like faith, requires patience to endure, 2)Be touched by Jesus , and 3) that Faith is the "knockout punch".

Victory, in both cases, comes step by step. In boxing the training is three times as long as the fight itself. It can take months, even years before a boxer even sees a match. An example of this is David in the Bible. He unknowingly prepared for his fight with Goliath by fighting lions while he was still a shepherd boy. We will all come across afflictions in our lives but these afflictions produce glory in the end. The way we train before our blessing determines how easy it will be to obtain the blessing. Psalms 34:19 says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” – Once we realize this, the enemy will stop getting to us in those weak areas.

Being "touched" by Jesus means that once we come to Christ we are no longer a product of our environment. A touch from Him causes you to do, in faith, what you normally could not do and equips us to handle attacks from the enemy with his help. This touch allows us to a)have a walk of obedience, and b) throw steady consistent punches. These "punches" are simply confessing His promises to us (Deuteronomy 28 1-13).

Christ gives us a perfect model of what a fight with the enemy should look like in Luke 4:1-13. When faced with temptation and challenge by the enemy he deliver jab after jab in the form of the word of God. Take his example and wear your enemy down: Keep jabbing. This may not knock him out but you set him up for the knockout punch. Good consistent jabs do more damage that one strong punch.

Be well,

Pastors Hines

Pride Promotes Strife

James 4: 1-10
Where ever you are right now is where God has you and wants you to be. He wants to make you and give you victory in difficult times. Often we want to blame a situation or somebody else for where we are but God is in control. How we go through a situation determines how victorious we come out on the other side. When we are in opposition with someone, pride is the thing that causes us to strive with them. We feel we have to prove our point or make them agree with us. That going back and forth or arguing stems from pride. Pride is defined as: vanity, conceit can mean inordinate self-esteem. Pride may imply an exalted opinion of oneself often bolstered by a lower opinion of others. The opposite of pride is humility. Humility is agreeing with God and what His word says. Humility strengthens you. 1 Peter 5: 5-6 says, "In like manner, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder, Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble. "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time... Humility causes us to totally depend on God in every area. The next time strife enters your life, allow humility to take a high seat and watch the grace of God abound in your situation. Continue to walk in peace and enjoy all that God has for you.

Be well,
Pastor Hines