CHANGING TIMES NEED CHANGING LIVES

People around the world spend thousands to change their lives. They buy self-help books, attend seminars, go to their shrink… Nevertheless, the change they pay for is only temporary. Real change starts from within. Unless we change according to how God wants us to change, we can never have a better life.

Nowadays, the situation in the world is really irritating. Then again, we have to remember that vision comes from irritation. When we get annoyed at how things are happening now, God will give us a vision on what to do to change the world.

After all, the Word of God is the only effective thing that can promote change.

Foundational Principles that can Change Our Lives

1. Dedication: commit your body to God.

Romans 12:1

12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

a. Cleanse your body.

2 Corinthians 7:1

7 Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

b. Care for your body

Ephesians 5:29

²⁹ After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church

c. Control your body.

1 Thessalonians 4:4

⁴ that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable,

1 Corinthians 9:27

²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

God's children are the ones who grow more and more beautiful.

2. Evaluation: where are you right now?

Some people don't change because they won't admit their real situation.

You can't get to your destination unless you know where you are at the moment.

Romans 12:3

³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

Romans 10:17

¹⁷ Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

3. Cooperation: connect to a group.

It's not good for man to be alone.

Romans 12:4-5

⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

4. Affirmation: Living to Love

There are 4 kinds of love in the Bible, but Agape is the best. Agape is the love of Christ.

Romans 12:9-10

⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves

5. Motivation: serve with enthusiasm

You can't do anything great without enthusiasm.

Romans 12:11-12

¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction,faithful in prayer.

Enthusiasm came from two words:

en-in

Theos-God

Hence, being enthusiastic is being in God.

To be enthusiastic is to experience these three:

a. Joy in hope

b. Patience in affliction

c. Faith in prayer.

 (this entry is an excerpt of the message in our church)

Message by: Ptr. Rudy Fernandez 

Firepower Ministries

Additional contemplation: mine 

Refuse

"Some things we have to refuse"

HEBREWS 11:24-25

²⁴ By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. ²⁵ He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

Moses refused to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. Why? He chose to be man of God.

We have to realize that sin gives little pleasure then provides long suffering. Sin promises happiness but fails to make it true. Only Jesus can promise us eternal happiness and give it.

To obtain genuine happiness, we have to refuse and to say “NO” to the following things:

1. Refuse to let the past shape the future.

Philippians 3:13-14

¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

One thing to do: Forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead.

Some people don't want changes in their lives because they are comfortable with what they already have even when what they have is not good anymore. Nevertheless, to obtain happiness, we need to forget the past, all the bad memories in it, and move forward. We need to live in the present with a vision of what is in the future.

2. Refuse to listen to the devil.

Matthew 4:1-6

¹Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,

    and they will lift you up in their hands,

    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’

Jesus refused the devil.

The devil is trying to make us live a life that is not in accordance with what God wants. He would challenge us, even use Bible verses to lure us. However, we need to remember that the only thing the enemy wants is for us to be damned; therefore, no matter how persuasive he could be, we need to remain true to our faith and refuse him.

3. Refuse to become a dead, dry church.

What is a dead and dry church?

A dead church is a church where people don't move or do anything for their employer-God.

Revelations 3:1-2

¹ “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. ² Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.”

We need to make sure that there is life in our churches. Life can be seen in it if the congregation change for the better, if people are impelled to share the Good News to others and save souls for the Almighty Father!

Romans 14:17

¹⁷ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

The kingdom of God is not outside. It is from inside a person. It is not something we can find in the outside world, it is something we feel in our hearts.  Thus, the kingdom of God should be our priority every day.

We should not settle for ordinary. The Lord our God wants us to be extraordinary, just like Jesus. If we want ourselves to be more like Jesus, we have to remember that God wants it even more.

4. Refuse to be around negative people.

Numbers 13:27-32

²⁷ They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey!Here is its fruit. ²⁸ But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. ²⁹ The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”

³⁰ Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

³¹ But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” ³² And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.

These people saw the good things in the land where Moses sent them; however, they put more emphasis on the things that disturbed them.

Negative people are those who live negative lives. If a person is negative, he sees himself as a very small creature, incapable of doing anything. If we stay with them, we will also learn to be negative; hence, it would be wise for us to refuse to be around them or be affected with what they say.

5. Refuse to quit.

There are a lot of reasons to quit but we should not.

Matthew 10:22

²² You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

All men will hate you, but if you remain firm until the end, you will be saved.

Only a real Christian can continue until the end in spite of troubles, problems and persecution. This may be hard, but its reward is eternal. Indeed, its reward is eternal life and happiness in the arms of Jesus.

(this entry is an excerpt of the message in our church)

Message by: Ptr. Rudy Fernandez 

Firepower Ministries

Additional contemplation: mine