What Has Mastered You?!

Good  morning to all on this 1st day of Summer. Waine and I are in Hawkinsville and actually had time to walk together this morning. These times that we have where we can just focus on each other are very important. Energizes my batteries and I am  able to share myself with others more freely. Some exciting news for our family--Jason Jenkins, Ko's oldest son, was selected by the Japanese Consulate of Houston to travel to Japan for 2 weeks. His trip is being paid for by the Japanese government and they have spared no expense. Keep him in your prayers as he travels. Also our practice, ZOe, continues to be busy even though it is summer. We consistently provide services to 50+ patients a day and have not had to lay off any staff. Now I know why so many private practices close their offices during the summer. Continue to keep ZOe in your prayers!

 

I am continuing my journey with Peter in his second letter, Chapter 2 verses 1 - 22, "But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.  For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; if He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;  and if He rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.  Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord. But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish. They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness. But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness. These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.  It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,”and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.” Amen and may the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

 

"For people are slaves to whatever has mastered them!" Truer words were never spoken. Whatever has mastered you--that is the god or God for which you will bear fruit. So what fruit are you bearing today?? This mantra has been convicting me on a daily basis. I have a weakness of being "quick to anger" and when my anger flashes I am consciously reminding myself that the Fruits of the Spirit is LOVE, JOY, PEACE, FORBEARANCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS and SELF-CONTROL. It doesn't do me any good to profess my love for God and not be able to demonstrate the Fruits of the Master that I belong to. Since making up my mind to manifest these fruits, I have opportunities each day to "exercise"  my commitment to bearing the fruits of the life I talk about. I am actually aware when God is going to give me an opportunity. He is so gentle and He knows my nature so much, that He gives me warnings. You may think I have gone off the deep bend, however what I am writing is actually events that have occurred this week. Humility is a spiritual muscle I am trying to build and God has given me countless opportunities this past week to exercise and build this  muscle. I would give myself a score of 60% for the past week and I am sure this week I will have more opportunities. At some point when my Master sees that this is no longer a distraction for me I am sure we will move on to other things.  His goal, my Master, is that my life reflect the Fruits that belong to Him and not to the world. His GOAL is that others would come to love and know Him because of the life I lead and that is the MOST IMPORTANT MISSION THAT I HAVE. My abundant life is a reflection of the life and walk I have through Christ with God and if I am a witness to that walk then my Life should bear fruit.

 

Christ "cursed" the fig tree because it was not bearing the fruit it should have. Likewise, God has brought   calamity and destruction to those who continue to be disobedient to Him and who continue to reject Christ as Lord. The false prophets may have people believe that its ok to be moral; or if you are a moral person then that's all that is necessary. Peter here is admonishing us to "GROW-UP" and start living the life we preach about. We, as Christians are to warn the world about these false prophets that would have you believe that you are the master of your own life and fate. We are to teach the world how to submit to the One and Only God, Jehovah not with outward rituals but through a submission of our wills and heart to Christ. This 2nd letter of Peter's is meant for mature Christians! We have to at some point reflect the Master that we have accepted through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. If you held a mirror to your life today, what Master would be reflected?

 

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

Stephanie

You Have Divine Power through Your Divine Nature!

Good morning to all on this Sunday morning. We were in Orlando with the cherubs last weekend and we so enjoyed it! Happy Father's Day to all the fathers in the house. Thank you for all you do for your family. Waine and I are in Thomaston this weekend. I have been on call since Monday and it has been a long haul however my steps are ordered by God. I have learned a lot of lessons this week, the chief among them is the meaning of true trust and obedience to faith. With these two virtues you get panic and chaos through which no good thing comes about. I am also learning to be quiet in the midst of storms. Sometimes no action is required especially you are "relying" on the Promises of God. Being QUIET is the hardest challenge I have! God will prevail and through Him so will I.

 

We have finisher 1 Peter and are heading into the second letter of Peter verse 1- 21 "Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours. Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.  His Divine Power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the Divine Nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.  For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;  and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;  and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  

 

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.  I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body,  because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.  For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.  He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with Him on the sacred mountain.  We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.  Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.  For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

 

We have been given Divine Power through our Divine Nature! I had to think about this phrase for a minute. What is Divine Power and what is this Divine Nature Peter is talking about? Well we need both things to ESCAPE (Peter's words not  mine) the corruption of this world. When you think of escaping, you think of things like entrapment, danger, subjugation, and repression of your own nature. Peter definitely is clear that we need both Divine Power and Divine Nature to escape and the key to realizing this Divine Power is to develop our Divine nature by seeking the same things Paul talked about: faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection and love. It is so easy to fall into NEARSIGHTED thinking when you are not keeping your eye on the Cross and once you become nearsighted then the fear of failure and fear of entrapment become overwhelming. You begin to only focus on the "what-ifs" as you forget that Christ sacrificed His life that in this world of Divine Power there are no "what-ifs"!!!!!!!!! Hallelujah.

 

That's Satan's world. Satan is the father and creator of the world of "What IF' and it all started with his sinful nature of believing "What if I were greater than God?" From then on it has been down hill for him. He, Satan is ALREADY Fallen, which is why he prowls like a lion to take as many of us with him that he can.

 

But we are ALREADY VICTORIOUS not in and of ourselves BUT BECAUSE OF THE SACRIFICE MADE ON THAT CROSS 2000+ years ago!!! The VICTORY was claimed then ONCE AND FOR ALL!  I finally got it! I finally got what it means when Christ tells us we are more than conquerors. When we slip our vision from the Cross and then look at the waves  we are being near sighted. You have to look at the Cross of Jesus so that you can walk on top of the waves. News -flash. THERE ARE ALWAYS WAVES!! As Christians you are neither on the wave or below the wave you are on top of the waves of life because of the sacrifice that gave you Divine Power through your Divine Nature. Stop being near sighted. Rebuke the devil and he will flee from you because you are now in the presence of the God Almighty that loves you more than you can ask or think. Exercise your Divine Nature today and witness the Divine Power of God through you in the Name of Jesus.

 

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you.  May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you  and give you peace. Amen.

 

Stephanie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Living Hope

Good morning to all on this 1st Sunday in June. Ms. Hailie Kong celebrated her 3rd birthday this weekend. Boy, or girl, how time flies. Waine and I are in Hawkinsville this weekend and its a gorgeous weekend  for golfing. We are also on the countdown to host Brooks for 2 weeks. Koichi and his family are celebrating Jason's selection by the Japanese embassy to be hosted in Japan for 2 weeks. All expenses paid. Congratulations, Jason!!

 

I am continuing my journey in 1 Peter 6, verses 1 - 25 " To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with His blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 

 

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.  It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at His coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.  For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring Word of God.  For, “All people are like grass,  and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the Word that was preached to you." Amen and may the Lord add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.

 

Christ died so that we don't have to--isn't that a wonderful inheritance!  When we accept Christ as Savior and accept His sacrifice, we are once and forever covered by His blood so that we can transition into a uninterrupted life with God the Father, once this journey is over. And while on this journey, on this side of Jordan, we have the Living Hope of abundance. God is such a practical God. He provides for all of our needs now and forever. It has been secured because of the sacrifice of Christ. Hallelujah. If you are not living in abundance; if you are living in fear and not enjoying the abundant life that Christ died for then you are wasting your inheritance. And what a waste that is. I am reminded of this daily. Satan is constantly trying to mess with my joy and my struggle daily is to claim the inheritance that is mine. I quickly then go into the "safe" zone of God's Living Hope where I am protected and is able to enjoy the abundance of   life that is min through Christ. When you resist the devil--he truly flees from you because he cannot be in the presence of the Holy God.

 

As I  learn to rely on the Promises of God daily, I am letting go of my fear of being happy and just taking a deep breath and EXHALING--learning to exhale is a marvelous experience!

 

Have a great day and a great week. Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.

 

Stephanie