John 10:10 study

John 10:10

English Standard Version (ESV)

 10The thief comes only to steal and(A) kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

 Cross references:

1. John 10:10 : Jer 23:1; Ezek 34:3  

New International Version (NIV)

10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 

a·bun·dant

–adjective

1.

present in great quantity; more than adequate; oversufficient: an abundant supply of water.

2.

well supplied; abounding: a river abundant in salmon.

3.

richly supplied: an abundant land.

World English Dictionary

abundant  (əˈbʌndənt)

— adj  (foll by in )

1. existing in plentiful supply

2. having a plentiful supply (of)

3. (of a chemical element or mineral) occurring to an extent specified in relation to other elements or minerals in the earth's crust or some other specified environment

4. (of an isotope) occurring to an extent specified in relation to other isotopes in a mixture of isotopes

[C14: from Latin abundant-,  present participle of abundāre  to abound ]

Word Origin & History

abundant

late 14c., from O.Fr. abundant , from L. abundantem  (nom. abundans ) "overflowing," prp. of abundare  "to overflow" (see abound).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Famous Quotations:

abundant

Whoever possesses abundant joy must be a good man: but he is probably not the cleverest man, although he achieves exactly what it is that the cleverest man strives with all his cleverness to achieve.

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Think about what your picture of "abundant life" is. Or what a "full life" is. What comes to mind? Having all your needs met? Having all the goodies you desire? Having lots of fun?

In my Christian walk, I have come to a point where the only thing I TRULY care about is love. My needs are met by my PaPa God. The desires of my heart are taken care of by Him as well.

Fullness of life to me is defined as being consumed completely by love for Father God, Jesus His Son, and the Holy Spirit. To be enraptured, consumed and overwhelmed by God's love for me is the only abundance I desire. Everything else is meaningless aside from this.

So when Jesus said "I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly", His love is where true life resides. THAT is where I believe the heart of this scripture lives.

"Split Personality"

I was reading "My Utmost for His Highest" this morning and the reading really hit home. It spoke about duplicity, or putting it more succinctly, split personality. We used to call it being "two faced".

As Christians we are held to a "higher calling". Certainly all of our behaviors, whether it be language or lifestyle choices, behaviors, temperment or whatever, are choices we make. And regardless of any of those, if we are living in the Word and have Jesus as our Savior, we are forgiven. But there comes a point in our journey where we begin to make choices according to our core values. A simple example would be cursing or "swearing".

In my own family it was totally acceptable and indeed expected, that adults used profanity. Children were not supposed to but of course always did when out of earshot of their parents, because it was evidently an indicator of being "grown-up" and sophisticated. Kind of like smoking. This is an age-old problem that still exists today, as we are only too aware!

Somewhere down the line I began to realize that as I grew closer to the Lord, profanity did not garner the same satisfaction as it used to. Yes, like most of my friends who grew up in the 70s, I threw out the occasional foul word. I began to realize that I actually felt uncomfortable immediately following my use of any swear word. It felt strangely "inappropriate". It became even worse when I was in the presence of someone else using profanity. Some words are worse than others, of course (NOT). I laugh, because that's like being "slightly pregnant"..... it's either a swear word or it isn't!

But I digress. My point is this: Are we the same person(ality) when we are alone as we are around others? Or does our personality (the way we act) change when we are around brothers and sisters in Christ? Here's where my downfall has been. If I am in the workplace or at a community event, and someone is speaking to me and says something they would NEVER say in a church, and then look at me and apologize, I tend to say "oh, don't apologize! I want you to feel you can be yourself around me. Never feel self-conscious or feel as if you have to change who you are around me!" And I truly mean that! BUT (and here's the true confession) I find myself occasionally in a conversation where I am surprised, or caught off guard, or for whatever the excuse du jour is-- and I spout out an expletive. NOT cool.

Understand, please, this is not about language. It's about a word that Pastor Steven Schmidt gave me.... "That's NOT who I am."

We do want people to feel comfortable around us, and not to act like someone else. But that doesn't mean we have to slide into behaviors that are contrary to our core values! It's almost like peer pressure... we want to be cool! I have at times done this and even used evangelism as an excuse. I can get closer to them if they think I'm just like them. Forgive my bluntness...but I'm hoping someone out there identifies with what I'm saying.

I strive, through the Holy Spirit's interaction and intervention, to act as if Jesus was standing, sitting, walking, working out, cooking, waiting in traffic, whatever,  right next to me and I can see Him. Of course, HE IS, and I should be able to. So my resolve is to be kinder, gentler, more forgiving, more responsible, more loving. Without the help of the Holy Spirit, none of this is possible. And I don't do these things because it will get me into heaven. If you live only to get to heaven, you have missed the Kingdom! Jesus died so that we could have LIFE and more abundantly! I do all these things because I long to be more like Him. When someone is with me, I want to be able to say to them "God is kind of like me, only a million times better!" and not choke on the words!

So in my day to day, working, eating, walking around life, I just surrender it all to Him. Yeah, sometimes I slip and fall. And because He loves me, He allows me to. He then picks me up, kisses me, and aims me back in the right direction saying "GOOD EFFORT, LITTLE ONE!"

I strive to be one person, one persona, one personality, no matter who I am with. May God be pleased. I should only care if HE thinks I'm "cool"!!!

My Life Message by Pastor Sharron I. Scott 2010

 Our God is a God of love. He created us out of His love of relationship. He wants relationship with us for eternity. He loves this earth. He planned it with perfection, breathing life into it and forming it with His own hands. Every leaf, every rock, every drop of water, every creature was made by our loving Father with us in mind. He loves us so much that he gave us free will. He made the choice to not force us into doing anything. All things on the earth are formed and planned in such a way that they are to work together to maintain perfection—including us. The earth is self-sustaining in God’s plan.

God saw that we were making decisions that changed this. Our decisions have damaged His perfection on the earth. He does not want the earth to die. He does not want His children to suffer and die. Throughout the Old Testament we read stories about how many times he gave us another chance to return to Him. Over and over again we failed, and over and over again he gave us new choices. He sacrificed His only Son to give us the gift of eternal life. And yet receiving that gift is still our choice.

I believe that he adapted His creation with the ability to fix every problem, every bit of damage that we have created in our sin. I believe that because we have a loving God who craves relationship with us, who loves the earth and all that is on it, He does not want it to be destroyed by our interference. He is showing us how to live on earth in harmony with all things and all people. His voice whispers to us, we just need to learn to recognize it and listen to it, following through with His Word.

Because of this, I believe that the Book of Revelation is a prophetic word; a word that can be CHANGED, not a word that is inevitable. As with all words of prophesy, we can choose to receive the prophetic word, or not. We are what decides whether it comes to pass.

Nothing in scripture paints God as a murderer. Our God is a New Testament God. He is not evil. He teaches over and over again of love. His motives are pure, loving and perfect. I believe that Revelation is a WARNING.

In scripture we are told that God has a plan for us….Jer. 29:11 says that he plans for us to prosper, and not to harm us. And that when we seek him with all our hearts we will find him, and he will answer us.

I believe that out of His love for His children, and His love for this earth, he has continued to create us and adapt His creation with BUILT IN FIXES AND ANSWERS to all of the situations and problems we have created since the beginning of time.

I believe that the enemy has tried to rob us of our faith in our God-appointed abilities and authority. God tells us in scripture to speak to mountains, to problems, to illnesses, even to the elements, and take authority over them. Our faith determines the effectiveness of our authority. Even though we read and hear about this authority, many of us do not TRULY believe we have that authority. Oh, that’s for “special” people, like the ones in mega-revivals. But eventually the revivals die down, and we return to our lives, coping with those things we should be taking authority over!

How many times do we hear that our spoken words have effect in the spiritual realm? Do we really BELIEVE it?

I believe that each of us has a calling. We each have a destiny. God has spoken that destiny to us through the whispers of His Holy Spirit. Many of us hear it, and wonder why it sticks in our mind….. a song, a dream, or a thought that won’t go away. Something that fires us up when we hear about it, so much so that we tremble! Our destiny can be stuffed back down and hidden in everyday life, however, and we can choose to continue to ignore it. Or we lose hope that it will ever come to pass. Or possibly we feel unable to effect change on our own. We lack the belief in our own ability, due to past disappointments and discouragements. The enemy loves that.

We were each meant to specialize in something. If each of us were to find that something, and make changes in our own lives in order to live out our calling, the world would begin to change RADICALLY. If that passion within us was allowed to surface, we would be able to solve world problems. Illnesses would be cured. Population problems would be solved. Financial issues would be solved. Crises would be averted. Governments would be changed (yes, even Trinity County government would be changed!)

This is not just a rose-colored dream. It is how we were created. It is in our DNA. If we, as parents, were to begin to raise our children to LISTEN FOR THE VOICE OF GOD, and follow their passions, they would become world changers! They would not have to suffer the tribulations in the book of Revelation! There would be no “end times”!

I believe that there is hope for this world. I believe that Revelation is a choice. I believe that God is crying out to us through His Holy Spirit, showing us how we can fix His world, and those who suffer within it. But it is a choice. We need the will to survive, and to carry on.

Choose not to live backwards, regretting your life. Realize that the Holy Spirit has been whispering to you YOUR WHOLE LIFE, giving you a message of hope. A message telling you of how uniquely God created you. How loved and special you are. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you those whisperings that you missed or maybe have forgotten. Ask Him to show you the signs that were revealed to you that may have been buried deep within you. Listen closely and open your eyes to what He will show you.

What is your favorite scripture? What resonates within you when you hear it? What makes you feel like screaming from the rooftops until someone listens? What vision or word or message is so clear to you that you don’t understand why everyone knows it? That is your destiny! What if you were to make changes in your life in order to follow that destiny? If you are saying you “can’t”, why? What is keeping you from doing that? Have you asked God to remove the obstacles so you can follow His plan for you? Does that concept frighten you? Why?

We all find reasons why we would just prefer to keep our mouths shut, go to work, come home, eat dinner, watch tv and go to bed, only to repeat the process tomorrow. That is our comfort zone. It takes minimum energy, and little risk. It’s easy. And we can justify it by saying that we are providing for our family and being responsible. That is true and good, but it’s not enough. Doing only that is what keeps the enemy happy. If we continue to stuff the whisperings of God within us, I believe Revelation will really happen. Not that it’s a threat from God, but that we will allow it through our selfishness, lack of use of our God given authority, and gifts. Again, our loving God gives us a choice.

Take authority over your life. Listen to who you really are in God’s eyes and in His plan. Work through the fear, realizing that fear is the enemy’s most favorite tool, and find a way to follow your destiny. Together we can be world changers. Start today. NOW. In your own life, in our own little town. How is God speaking to you regarding our economic situation? How is he speaking to you regarding our “church” situation, our state situation, our national situation, our global standing? What is in your heart?

Resolve to listen to the Holy Spirit. First PRAY. I encourage you to find a mentor (pastor, elder, trusted friend(s) in the Lord) and reveal your “destiny message” to them. Ask for guidance from God, and work with a group of people who believe in you. If the first person you speak to doesn’t support or encourage you, find someone who does. Keep searching, asking God to lead you to the right people. He gave you this message and vision, and He wants you to prosper in it! He began a good work in you and will complete it! Choose people who will lift you up, not give you reasons for failure.

Proceed carefully, but PROCEED, not allowing the enemy to interfere in your destiny.

Don’t live in fear and regret. The past is a tool, and all things work together for good with God. Live Forward. Let go of the past and live in forgiveness and love. If you can’t let go, you’ll never soar!

Who are you? What is your destiny? Are you living it now? If not, why not? Are you content to just live out your life, and let others deal with the end?

Is that what God wants?

Your Life Focus

What is your life focus?

What is the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning? What comes to mind before anything else? Chances are, it is YOU. Your problems in life. Many times we are so focused on ourselves and our own issues that we believe no one else cares or can help.

If you truly think you are the only one who can take care of yourself, how's that working out for you? Are you at peace? It is quite possible that you are miserable. Maybe you don't trust anyone. Or maybe you are attending groups, hoping to find someone who truly understands. Or who will just listen.

Somehow this just doesn't fix things, does it? It may feel good to "vent" to others with similar life situations, but eventually you have to return home again. Eventually you will fall asleep. And, God willing, you will wake to face another day.

Again, what is your focus?

I want to challenge you to realize that if you are miserable, it is because your life focus is just that-- YOUR LIFE. As long as you are continuing to focus on how miserable you are, how bad you have it, how no one understands you, it will continue to be that way. If you continue to deny that God alone can help you, nothing will change. You will continue living selfishly because you feel safer in misery than in the unknown of wellness.

STEP OUT OF THE "SELF-FACTOR" and take a chance. Just for today, try this:

BEFORE you even get out of bed, talk to God. I know, maybe this isn't something you normally do. Maybe you are even angry at him, because of the way your life has been. Trust me, He can take it. He is just waiting to hear from you. Talk to God.

But instead of dumping all of the same issues on Him that you do on others each day, try this.... ASK GOD WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR HIM TODAY. Just ask. And then decide, just for today, that you are going to make others your life focus. How can you bless someone today? Dare I even suggest that you smile at someone and say "that outfit looks great on you!" or "It's nice to see you!". Or pick up a piece of trash you didn't drop. Hold a door open for someone. Thank someone for their service. Silently say a prayer for someone you don't even know. If you have to get a ride in to town to attend meetings, compliment the person who is driving you. Thank him or her. Find something nice to say to 3 people. Just 3.

If you do this for JUST ONE DAY, I promise you it will change the way you feel about your life and yourself. As long as you continue to focus on others, you will begin to realize that you are important to others. You have value. You make a difference.

You see, God made you for a very special purpose. He gave you special qualities that no one else on earth has. You have the power to change lives. He knows it. And if you just give God a chance, He can show you how truly great you are.

Put your FIRST FOCUS on God. Then others. And believe me, your needs will be met. Your quality of life will improve. You will actually be HAPPY.

How do I know this? Because I have done it. It took DECADES, but I made this transformation. And God has transformed my life. Allow Him to bless you. And let me know if you found the moxy to try this. And when you do, I will find a way to bless you!

WHO CAN YOU BLESS TODAY?

~Sharron

Jeremiah 29:11

 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity.

STUDY

Many people adopt this as their "life scripture", because they love the words "prosper" and "hope" and "future". There have been exhaustive studies on 29:11 & 12. Let's look at 13 & 14.

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart"

Ever felt like God wasn't listening, or you weren't getting through to Him? What does it look like to seek God with all of your heart? Are any of us truly capable of that?

Well, I don't believe we can if we have any fear or doubt within us. If we can seek him in freedom from these things, and without any distractions, that's much closer to our whole heart. He promised that we WILL find Him. That is a wonderful thought to hold close to our hearts.

"I will be found by you"

He says if we seek Him, He WILL be found by us. In other words, whatever our efforts are, He is always here for us.

"and will bring you back from captivity"

Ever feel as if you need to be rescued? Well, here God is saying he will deliver us from bondage, captivity, hopelessness, despair, whatever is keeping us captive. He will bring us back from that place, to his heart.

So don't just stop reading when you get all happy about prosperity and hope and future. Realize that God also promises, if we genuinely seek him, that he will always hear us and be there for us, and will rescue us. ALWAYS.

I love my Daddy God.

What Does God Look Like?

For quite some time now the Lord has placed upon my heart the longing to help others to learn: 

1. Who He is

2. Who they are to Him (identity)

3. How to handle fear and the enemy

4. What authority they have on this earth and in the spiritual realm

5. What their passion is

6. How to move toward their destiny

So, let's start from the beginning:

1. WHO IS GOD TO YOU?

Close your eyes for a moment. Now, envision God standing right in front of you. What does he look like? How is he looking at you? When you speak to him, do you feel as if he is inclining his ear to you? What qualities do you see in him? Patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, happiness, strength, authority, defender, healer, encouraging? Is He your protector, comforter, greatest friend? Each of these characteristics has a great deal to do with how you connect with God.

When you think of God, do you include the three Persons of God-- God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit? Does one of them seem more personable to you than the others?

Does one of those qualities seem to stand out to you more than the others? In other words, do you feel the kindness of God more than any other of His characteristics? Or His patience, or His goodness? That one characteristic that stands out to you is God's gift to you. He wants to have an intimate relationship with you, and that is the way he will communicate with you.

With me, his overwhelming gentleness speaks to me. It may be due to childhood experiences (or lack thereof), but my Father-God is INCREDIBLY GENTLE. I climb up into his lap and his massive arms wrap around me and he keeps all evil away from me. I am his precious daughter. He is my mighty warrior-king. Jesus is my best friend, who encourages me to tell him EVERYTHING, and he always listens. He speaks to me at my own level, right where I am. The Holy Spirit is kind of like a Mommy to me (no, I'm not indicating the Holy Spirit is a female--gender is never an issue when speaking about God). The Spirit soothes my tired spirit, consoles me, and teaches me (gently). Whenever my God communicates to me, that's how I hear him. He is gentle with me even when I don't deserve it. I know 100% of the time that he will ALWAYS be gentle to me.

Spend some time with God. Find a quiet place, and picture him beside you.  Here is one way that might work for you-- Imagine your PERFECT PARENT. What would the two of you do together? When you speak, how does your God react? God is your PERFECT PARENT. Get to know how he wants to be that to you. Then, when you have figured out who he is to you, move on to the next step. We will work on building an intimate relationship with your special Father/God.

If you would like individual help with this step we can assist you via email (see the "contact us" link), or you may ask for an appointment for a one-on-one life coach session. We would be blessed to have the opportunity to "show you the road you don't see"!

Who Does God Say You Are?

In Mark 8:29, Jesus asks his apostles "who do you say that I am?" He certainly knows who he is, and he doesn't need them to encourage him... Why would he ask that?

Peter was the only one who responded by saying" "You are the Christ". Jesus then responded by telling Peter exactly who he was: "And I tell you, you are Peter (Petros--the Rock), and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it"

I believe that until Peter acknowledged with his words exactly who he knew Jesus to be, he could not fully realize the authority with which Jesus declared Peter's identity. Althought Jesus did not need others to tell him who he was, we do. We need GOD to tell us who we really are. God planned each one of us carefully, and knows us intimately. That is why first we need to realize who God is to us. Then we can ask him "who do you say that I am?"

Until you know God well enough, you can't hear his voice. If you can't hear his voice, you won't know who you are in his eyes. If you would like help to learn to hear God's voice, please let us know.

We believe that God speaks through his faithful saints. If you are struggling with your Heavenly Identity, get with trusted brothers and sisters in Christ and allow them to tell you who you are in God's eyes. Write it down. Reflect and pray upon it. ACCEPT IT. That sounds obvious to some, but it can be a real stumbling point to many. Modesty and humility have no place in this process. God is excited about how he created you! LET HIM TELL YOU WHY! Then ask God what he wants you to do with that identity, and your giftings as he has described them to you.

You may not hear an answer right away. There may be many things we need to learn before we can step out into our identity. If we have lived outside of the will of God for most of our lives, we may have a lot of adjusting to do. And you can be assured there is a great deal to learn. Or it may be that you find out that what you were made to be has absolutely NOTHING in common with who you think you are. 

Soak your spirit in the Word. Grow closer to the Lord. He will begin to teach you what it means to be who you are. Ask for Wisdom and Knowledge. Begin to soak in whatever God brings your way. Realize that God is already here, with you, right now. He is not someone you have to search in the sky for. If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, God is present within you. You need only to seek him within. Again, if you need help in this step, please let us know.

Be patient. This part of the process can be contrary to our nature, which has always been to deny any good about ourselves. But learn to thank Him for your good qualities, and ask for help to clean out the areas that are getting in the way of you living forward. This could mean severing toxic relationships, learning to love in a different way, chiseling out time DAILY to spend in the Word and in his presence. There is NOTHING more important in life than God time. NOTHING.

We now know who God is, and who we are in His eyes. Now how do we live in this world, without fear? And what makes us think we have the right to do that, or the ability? When you are done working step 1 & 2, step 3 will be ready for you. It's a doozy.

No Fear. Ever.

Sound impossible? As Christians we have unending access to a source for great courage. I have parents come to me for prayer, because their grown kids have stepped away from the faith. They are making bad decisions. The conversation usually goes something like this:

I ask them if they dedicated their children to God. "Yes," I hear, "but....".

"And when you held them out to God the Father, did you let go when he accepted them?" "well, um...." I usually hear.

"And do you trust God?" "OH, YES!!! With all my HEART!"....

HMMMMM. I think....."but....." (I hear a lot of buts).

"Did you bring them up in the Word?" I ask. "Ummm, yeah. But...." or "kinda, but...." or "well, not really".

"Have you asked God to protect them and help them make good decisions? "well, of COURSE!"

Do you believe that when you speak, God inclines His ear to you? "Huh?" I hear back. (It's as if they are not quite sure how to answer that).

So I ask again, in a way people expect to hear the question: "Do you believe God answers your prayers? Do you believe he WANTS to give you the desire of your heart?" "well.......yeeeahhh..."

Do we, as Christians believe that Jesus told the truth? That God never lies? Do we believe that what he says in Scripture is indeed EXACTLY what he meant? We SAY we do... "but" if that really is the case, how can we fear after we read this:

(II Timothy 1:7) 7 For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.

(Acts 10:35) 35 but in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.

(Hebrews 13:6) 6 So that with good courage we say, “The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

(John 15:7) 7 If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.

(I John 4:18) 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.

(Psalms 23:4) 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

(II Timothy 4:18) 18 And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me for his heavenly Kingdom; to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

(John 14:27) 27 Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.

(Psalms 37:1-2) 1 Don’t fret because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither like the green herb.

(Luke 12:4-5) 4 “I tell you, my friends, don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom you should fear. Fear him, who after he has killed, has power to cast into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear him.

(Matthew 11:28-30) 28 “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”"

(Psalms 27:1-3) 1 Yahweh is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evildoers came at me to eat up my flesh, even my adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an army should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though war should rise against me, even then I will be confident.

Sounds "old fashioned" but the message definately says --I got your back!!"

Think on this-- do we really, TRULY believe in the Gospel message? With ALL our hearts? UNCONDITIONALLY? So, who do you think Jesus is? What do you REALLY think God can do? Do you REALLY believe in the Holy Spirit? Here's Jesus' answer:

John 6:35 (New International Version)

 35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

 Jesus wants us to realize that HE IS. He means every word he said in scripture. We must nourish ourselves upon his every word. We must not ever thirst for truth again, for if we truly believe in him, we will never thirst again.

Psalm 27:1

The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

Over and over again God tries to help us realize that he will NEVER let us down. But we MUST let go. We must surrender our fears to him. You see, as long as we worry, we feel as if we are doing something about our woes.  What did my Gram say about that? Worrying never solved anything! All it does is make you sick! But we have a need to feel as if we are taking action to make things better. I want to encourage you in this: There is only ONE thing you can do that is incredibly powerful against anything negative life brings. Surrender it TOTALLY to God, and sever your ties of worry. Be at peace, and pray thanks to God that he is working on it for you. When we worry and beg and plead with God, he is definately paying attention to us. But I believe that what we really need is for him to concentrate on the situation that needs his touch. I know, he can do all things, but remember we are creatures of free will? So, if we CHOOSE to tie ourselves to any situation with worry, we are not totally giving it over to God. That may make us feel more powerful and useful, but ultimately we get in God's way. And believe me, no intensity of worry EVER helped God.

Surrender your fears and worries to God the Father. He is our protector. He only wants the very best for us. He has HUGE shoulders. He can handle it all MUCH better than we can. Fear no man, nor the enemy who is purposeless and meaningless in our lives if we will it.

But, as Jesus asked the man beside the pool: "Do you WANT to be healed?" Do you really want to not be responsible for fixing everything? Do you really want to be free from worry? That's the key. The decision is yours.

If you want to examine this more closely, or need help with this process, please email us or call/email for an appointment. NO FEAR, EVER.

Once you accept and adopt these principles of living in freedom from fear, we can move forward to our next step: Accepting Your Authority, and Using It!

Fear is Doubt and Mistrust of God

by Pastor Sharron Scott

March 2010

So, how do we actually, REALLY, live a life without fear? Is it truly possible?

Let's see......

Scripture tells us, through many sources such as angels, prophets, and ofcourse God the Father and His Son, and the Holy Spirt, "Be not afraid". Hm. So what's the problem?

I believe that fear is doubt and a lack of trust. This is going to be offensive to some people (imagine that--ME offending someone??? Well, hear my heart here.). But I truly believe that fear is doubt that God would do for ME what He has done for others. And doubt that He loves me enough to protect me. Or that my circumstances warrant such special attention. OR that I am worthy of protection. Or doubt that scripture still applies to MY life 100% in EVERY situation. Or that God will help me in EVERY situation.

Bottom line-- fear is lack of trust in God.

Ouch. I know. Well, here's the deal: When you read the Bible, how do you respond? Is it like a novel to you? A story that happened long, long ago? Do you think that, although it MAY have applied to people 2000 years ago, it needs to be "adapted" to our current lifestyle/needs?

Or when you read the Bible, do you find yourself having a hard time believing what you are reading? Be honest, now.  Or do you believe that the Wisdom, Knowledge and Counsel that you read is applicable to others, but doesn't necessarily help you deal with life?

Or do you read and study scripture out of a sense of obligation, just trying to get through the desert you are in? Do you truly realize that God makes promises in scripture, not only in direct words, but through the stories related over and over again?

My life of fear began to change when someone told me to begin reading the Bible as a PERSONAL book, written just for ME, to ME. I was told to make myself a person or "character", if you will, in each story or setting I read about. I began to HEAR the voice of Jesus as He spoke to His Apostles. I began to realize, that even though the Psalms were written by David and others, I could sing or say the Psalms myself...and MEAN what I was saying/singing! I can put myself in the place of the writer, or one of the people, and allow God to speak to ME.

That makes me the woman at the well. Or the man beside the pool. Or the woman about to be stoned to death. Or Peter, who just denied Jesus three times. Or one of the people who got tired of waiting for Moses to come down from the mountain top, and decided to make a golden calf to worship. The list goes on and on. I can be Martha or Mary, when Jesus comes to dinner at my house. Are you getting where I'm going with this?

When you personalize the Bible, it becomes a vehicle for God to use to speak directly to your heart.

OK now that we have that down-pat, think about this:

You are Mary, a VERY young woman, who has never been touched intimately by a man. Suddenly an Angelic presence tells her "Don't be afraid". Do you think she was afraid? Wouldn't YOU be? Well, scripture tells us that she realized that this messenger was from God Himself. When God tells you not to fear, you can feel safe. God is bigger than any threat. Any angry Mother. Any group of people holding rocks. And He's got your back.

Mary KNEW God personally. She had faith in Him.

Listen: The magnitude of your fear is only as great as your faith is weak. In other words, if your faith is faltering, and you don't really 100% believe with TOTAL CONVICTION in your heart that God loves you and will protect you, has a plan for you--a plan to prosper and not harm you.... etc. etc. etc., then you WILL LIVE IN FEAR.

If you experience fear and anxiety on a regular basis, I encourage you to ask yourself these questions:

1. Do I truly believe in God?

2. Do I truly believe that Jesus was/is the Son of God?

3. Do I truly believe that God knows me and loves me?

4. Do I truly believe and understand that Jesus died for my sins so that I won't have to?

5. Do I truly believe that Jesus rose and ascended to be with God the Father?

6. Do I truly believe that God sent the Holy Spirit to me to be His Presence within me?

Wait...let's back up a step...

Have I truly, COMPLETELY given myself to Jesus? Have I asked and RECEIVED Him into myself? Is Jesus, in the presence of the Holy Spirit, TRULY ALIVE WITHIN ME?

Mkay, let's keep going...

7. Do I believe that Jesus can give power to whomever He wishes to?

8. When I read that the Desciples performed miracles, do I truly believe it?

9. When I read John 14; 1-12, do I TRULY BELIEVE it?  **(see below)

10. Do I truly accept John 14; 1-12 for MYSELF? In other words, Jesus declared that "he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do", or do I think the Word stopped when Jesus left the earth in human form and after all of the Apostles died?

11. Have I talked with God about any of my known sins, asked forgiveness, ACCEPTED forgiveness, FORGIVEN MYSELF, and repented (vowed to not repeat the sin) and changed my life accordingly with the help of the Holy Spirit?

Psalm 27 says:

The LORD is my light and my salvation;

whom then shall I fear?

the LORD is the strength of my life;

of whom then shall I be afraid?

Why do you think that the Bible tells us not to fear MORE THAN 366 TIMES? Because we are a stiff-necked people who do not truly believe God is speaking directly to ME--he actually means that other guy.

I want to encourage you to walk in the Word, and get to a place where you give yourself an ultimatum: I either believe and live fearless and free, or I do not believe and live in fear and bondage.

I pray you choose to be free...the choice is yours.

No Fear. EVER.

**John 14:1-12 “"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. "And where I go you know, and the way you know." Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him." Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”

"Little One, That Was Me"

lyrics and music by Pastor Sharron Scott

Oh Lord, my God

I long to see your face

Oh Lord, my God

I long to hear your voice

Oh Lord, my god

I long to feel the touch of your hand

Oh Lord, my God

I long to feel your love......

Oh, little one

How can you still not see

Oh, little one

the gift I gave to you?

Oh, little one

How can you still not hear

Oh, little one

Don't you know what you mean to me?

Remember when you sat

at the bedside of your dying best friend?

You held her hand so tightly, and looked into her eyes

You sang a beautiful song to her of peace and rest

she reached up to Me and smiled through her pain

Well, little one, that was me.

Remember when you laughed and played and

held your grandchildren near

Remember the feeling of your grandson's heartbeat

as you carried him in your arms?

Remember how they kissed you and hugged you

and how you wept when they said goodbye?

Well, little one, that was Me.

Remember when you finally embraced your sister

After more than 30 years? Remember the joy, and then

The sweet agony of saying goodbye? Do you feel the deep

Love all over again as you see the pictures of you two

Wrapped in each other’s arms? Well in those tears,

Dearest little one, that was me.

Remember when you suffered such pain

and just lay in bed that day

And the man you love laid his hand

upon your foot so gently and prayed?

Remember that next day when your pain

had gone away? No more crutches, no

more splint,

Well, little one, that was Me.

I am here, little one. You just need eyes to see

I am here, little one. Can you hear me?

I am here, little one. Reach out and hold my hand.

We are here together, little one.

I hope now you understand.