The future is wide open!

There is a lot happening here in the next week. I am excited what the LORD is to bring. We are kicking off some cool stuff with the Active ministry and starting a Church group at our home. I am really excited to see how the LORD is going to use our group within the community. I've always said that the best way to serve the LORD is to open up your front door and hit the street. There are so many needs with in everyone's community that you'd have to be blind not to see them. So this new adventure is something I can't wait to start. Meeting with new and old friends and sharing that fellowship is something that is so valuable. I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas to get rolling! Also that same week my in-laws are going to be visiting. I can't wait to see them because it has been too long. I am hoping the nice weather holds out for them. It is starting to get cold and I feel fall in the air.

You Are What You Eat

This Sunday I was given the opportunity to teach the Junior High student youth group, and I was very excited to do so. There is nothing better than being able to teach the word of God to students who are at that age where adolescence begins. I know for me personally it was one of the worst parts of growing up. Peer pressure, hormones, dating, popularity, looks, clothes, and all the opportunity to take drugs to cover all the pain that is associated with all those things.

The message was on 1 Peter 4:1-6

1 Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 3 For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. 4 In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. 5 They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

“The proof is in the pudding” What does that mean exactly. Originally that phrase was “The proof of the pudding is in the eating”. But through the years it was shortened to what we all know now. The proof is in the pudding. You see food can be tragically horrible, or unbelievably amazing. It all depends on how that food was prepared. All the dishes we love to eat consist of ingredients. It takes the cook skill to get the recipe right. You see you need the right ingredients. If one ingredient is missed or used in excess it could completely destroy the lovely dish it could have been! So truly the proof of the pudding is in the eating! If it tastes horrible then the cook didn’t do too good of a job following the recipe. In fact you could say they failed miserably. If it is the best dish ever! The cook followed the recipe to the “T” and did a great Job! So the good ingredients or the bad ingredients determine the overall taste of the pudding right? It also depends on what recipes you use! There are bad recepies and good ones. Ultimately we all want good recipes so we disregard the bad ones.

So let’s apply this saying to our walk with God. If we are took look at our lives and break down the ingredients that make us who we are. What would those ingredients consist of? Would all the ingredients be pleasing to God or would they make him want to spew us out of his mouth? Look at it this way. If you were serving God a plate of food wouldn’t you want it to be the best food ever? Would you want the ingredients of that dish the best you could find? We have one place to find the recipes that are pleasing to God when it comes to our walk as Christians, and also those that make him sick. If we follow what is written in the pages of the bible and apply them to our lives. I guarantee you that God is going to love what you are serving him, and when all is said and done. He will say to you. Well done good and faithful servant!
So what ingredients make up your life? Are those ingredients ones that are pleasing to God? Do you have some ingredients that you could do without? I want to share with you some must haves when it comes to your relationship with God, that you may have a spiritual recipe that will be pleasing to God.

1.Sacrifice
We must be willing to sacrifice certain things in order to have a healthy walk with the LORD. In order to start we must look at Christ as our example.

1 Peter 4:1 - Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind,

He willingly went to a horrible death to grant all of us salvation. He knew what he was going to experience but he did it why? Because it was the only way our sin could be paid for. So we must first put on the mind of Christ. Meaning if we are truly going to walk a Christian walk we must mentally and prayerfully prepare for Sacrifice.

Sacrifice

Sacrifice is not easy and it is not painless. It hurts and sometimes may cost our life. There are many all over the world dying for their faith in Jesus Christ, or thrown in jail and tortured. Why? Because they will not deny him as their savior, we must be ready for that if we are truly going to be committed to Christ. How committed are you?

Romans 12:1 - And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?

Christ was committed to us unto death. So Paul asks if it is too much to ask to sacrifice parts of our lives even up unto death after Christ paid the ultimate price. How committed are you?

Repentance

We must be willing to actively seek repentance. What is repentance?

Repentance: A heartfelt sorrow for sin, a renouncing of it, and a sincere commitment to forsake it and walk in obedience to Christ.

How do you actively seek repentance?

“Three R’s to Live By”

Remember God
Remember God always is there, he is omnipotent. In the midst of temptation we can remember he is there holding his hand down offering us strength and a way out of that temptation. All we need to do is accept his hand and take that exit.

Return To God
So by taking hold of his hand we are returning to God and taking that exit. As he pulls us to him with one hand he is pushing that temptation away with his other. This is how we actively repent.

Repent
Now that we have remembered God and returned to him we have now denied temptation that lead to active sinning. However if we fall into sin like we all do, we must ask for forgiveness right away and ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This way we are not in danger of letting that sin take root.

By repenting we suffer the desires that go unmet.

1 Peter 4: 1.5 – 3 for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 3 For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.

2. Facing Peer Pressure

By repenting and weeding out those ingredients that ruin our Christian walk. We will find that those we used to practice those sinful things with begin to pass judgment on us and talk behind our backs.

1 Peter 4:4 - 4 In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you.

Often by denying certain sins in our lives people we used to practice those sins with will notice you aren’t the same person who used to smoke pot, or have a cold beer. They will see that you aren’t spending as much time with them doing those things. Most of the time they feel as if you are passing judgment on them for example: Drinking, partying, ect…. Even when you try to explain it to them they feel convicted by it. Thinking since you feel getting stoned is wrong you must think I am a horrible person. This is very common especially when first stepping out in public faith.

Dissipation – “wasting of time”

Ultimately it boils down to what you spend your time doing. Is drinking and parting something that glorifies God in your Life? Do you want ingredients in your life that bring sorrow and destruction, or promise and life? What you spend your time doing will end up being what you are.

Spiritually speaking you are what you eat!

When Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness by Satan, he had been fasting for 40 days and 40 nights. Satan tempted Jesus to turn rocks into bread. Jesus replied to Satan.

Matthew 4:4 - But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

You are what you eat! If we are to take in bread for physical sustenance it will do our soul no good! The only real life saving food is the word of God! That is why daily we must be reading the bible, and why we must be constantly in prayer.

3.The Pie

Let’s look at it this way. God gave you your life and let’s look at your life as a huge pie filled with all sorts of ingredients, some good some bad. All around that pie are multiple ingredients you can use to fill your pie with. Some of you might choose a little beer here, a little pot there. Or maybe you want a lot of money to fill that pie. Video games you like to fill your pie with video games! Now let me ask you a question. Do you give God only a slice of that pie?

You see each slice of the pie is filled with something. Maybe one slice is reserved for Church and another work, family, friends, or T.V. What percentage of your life (The Pie) is given to God? Shouldn’t every piece of the pie be filled with the most important ingredient of all? God is the most important ingredient that so much of us leave out. God should be the filling of the whole pie.

Each portion whether it be reserved for work, school, or entertainment should all have one constant ingredient in with them. That ingredient is God! Every aspect of our life should glorify God. Maybe there are some ingredients in your life you could do without. Maybe you have a few pieces of pie that need to be thrown to the dogs so you can replace them with pie that is good and glorifying to God. Our whole lives not just parts should be pleasing to God.

1 Peter 4:5-6 5 They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Those who pass judgment against you for following God will face judgment by Jesus Christ. However the gospel is preached for all to hear, so even the ones who persecute may have salvation also. You see we all have a choice! We can choose life or death. If we live by the flesh then we are dead physically and spiritually. One day our bodies will die. One thing is certain, one day we will all die. When that day comes we will stand in judgment before our creator. He will grant those who gave their lives to him Life, and those who denied him death.

John 11:25 - “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. 26. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.”

So my question to you is what do you choose?

If the answer to that question is Life and Jesus then all you have to do is say the following prayer to begin or re-commit your relationship with him now.

Heavenly Father,
I come to you in prayer asking for the forgiveness of
my Sins. I confess with my mouth and believe with my
heart that Jesus is your Son, And that he died on the
Cross at Calvary that I might be forgiven and have
Eternal Life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Father, I believe
that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you right now
to come in to my life and be my personal Lord and
Savior. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit.
I repent of my Sins and will Worship you all the
day's of my Life! Because your word is truth, I confess
with my mouth that I am cleansed by the Blood of Jesus.
In Jesus Name, Amen