Category: Mindset

  • God Loves a Cheerful Decider

    Three quotes that lay the foundation for this teaching are: “Cheerfulness is one evidence we have attached faith to our decisions, responsibilities, assignments, and commitments.”“Faithfulness is not just showing up, it is how you think when you show up.”
    “Instead of waiting to do something great, attach great faith to what you are doing now and it will become great.”

    2 Corinthians 9 is a strong chapter about the attitudes and benefits of financial giving. It reveals well known but nevertheless incredible promises.

    We will:    Reap generously if we sow generously 
                        Experience all-sufficiency
                        Be enriched in every way to be generous in every way

    Be fully convinced: “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). (more…)

  • Why Do We Have to Fight for it?

    By Steve Backlund

    “Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land”
    (Exodus 23:30).

    Sudden breakthrough, or little by little breakthrough, what do you choose?

    The word “suddenly” appears in the Bible 87 times. This word helps us believe for immediate, unexpected breakthroughs in our own lives. It causes us to press into the power of God and the gifts of the Holy Spirit to bring amazing divine solutions to lives, It is a good thing.

    The Children of Israel had many suddenlies. Some of them were:
    The parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 15)
    The walls of Jericho falling (Joshua 6)
    The sun stops for Joshua (Joshua 10)

    It is interesting, though, that the possession of their Promised Land was to be a slow process. As I consider this, my mind goes back to Numbers 13 when Moses sent out twelve spies to spy out the Promised Land. It was clear God was giving them this land (Numbers 13:2), so their assignment was to spy on the occupants of the land (the giants) and assess their strengths and weaknesses so they could get a battle plan to defeat them. Unfortunately, ten of the spies did not understand their task and came back with a negative conclusion about their ability to possess the land (which short-circuited God’s will for their lives). On the other hand, Joshua and Caleb believed in God’s promise that they would possess the land.

    As I think about this, I have a question. If God has already given them the land, then why do they need to fight to possess it? Shouldn’t they just go in and take it without any struggle?

    You have probably heard that the struggle of the butterfly to get out of the cocoon is necessary for its wings to get strong enough to be able to fly. If the process is stopped, then the momentary freedom has long-lasting negative effects.

    I once heard about a study of million-dollar lottery winners. After twenty years, 80% were back in the same economic state (or worse) as they were before they won the lottery. This “suddenly” actually created more problems than it solved.

    We don’t give the keys to the car to a five-year-old. They are not able to properly steward this “blessing”.

    “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins” (Mark 2:22). It is unwise to desire the “new wine” of dramatic increases in finances, favor, or fame without an equal desire and commitment for a stronger “wineskin” of integrity, identity beliefs, and generosity.

    God has promised us victory, protection, health, abundance, miracles, answered prayers, and much more. It is our “Promised Land”, but we have to fight to possess it. “Take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17). It is called a sword because we are to kill the lies fueling the giants we must overcome in our Promised Land. These giants are strongholds like pessimism, shame, disappointment, fear, offense, victimhood, etc.

    In the Old Testament, they displaced the giants in a lengthy process. “I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land” (Exodus 23:29-30). It is most often like this in our New Testament experience as well.

    So why do we have to fight for our Promised Land? It is because of this truth: It is in the struggle that we build the character to be able to keep and increase the blessing given to us. It is in the process of displacing the enemy that we build the wineskin to attract the new wine we so desire.

  • Reminding you what hold to …..

    We believe …..

    There is only one true God who is the eternal King, Creator and Redeemer of all that is. He is perfectly holy, good, just, loving and truthful. He has revealed Himself to be eternal, one being in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

    The Bible to be the only inspired, infallible and authoritative word of God.

    Humankind was created in the image of God to know and enjoy Him yet we freely rejected the Lordship of God. Because of this, sickness, death and judgment entered the world and now creation experiences the effects and consequences of sin.

    The Lord Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of God, was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin, Mary, and is God’s Anointed One, empowered by the Holy Spirit to inaugurate God’s kingdom on earth. He was crucified for our sins, died, was buried, resurrected and ascended into heaven, and is now alive today in the presence of God the Father and in His people. He is “true God” and “true man.”

    Salvation is a free gift from God for all who choose to believe

    We are saved by God’s grace, through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Anyone can be restored to fellowship with God through repenting, believing and receiving Jesus as their Saviour and Lord. The Holy Spirit, convicts, regenerates, justifies, and adopts us as we enter the kingdom of God as His sons and daughters.

    In the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit and that the Holy Spirit lives in those who believe enabling each one to live a godly life and minister supernaturally.

    In the baptism of the Holy Spirit as its recorded in the ‘Acts of the Apostles’ where the Holy Spirit is poured out on believers that they might have power to be witnesses.

    The redemptive work of Christ on the cross was more than enough to provide freedom from the power of the enemy–sin, lies, sickness and suffering.

    The Church consists of all who put their faith in Jesus Christ. He gave His church the sacraments of baptism and communion. The Church exists to carry on the ministry of Jesus Christ and further advance His kingdom by undoing the works of the enemy, preaching and living the good news of God’s love, and discipling the nations–baptising and teaching them to love and obey God.

    In the ever-increasing influence of God, our part as co-labourers with God in bringing heaven to earth.

    In a new heaven and a new earth, the glorious visible return of our Lord Jesus Christ for His bride–His church. There will be a resurrection of the saved and the lost, the one to everlasting life and the other to everlasting death.

    God’s plan for human sexuality is to be expressed only within the context of marriage, that God created man and woman as unique biological persons. God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. For this reason, we believe marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female.

    The five-fold ministry of apostle, prophet, pastor, teacher, and evangelist is God’s best plan for the governance and leading of His church – the Body of Christ.