Freedom

The Devil IS a Believer

There are two very interesting things about the devil that Christians have a difficult time believing. The first is that the devil believes in God and the second is that he knows the Bible. The truth is that he can probably quote more Bible Scripture than many who are actually true followers of Christ. I don’t say this to condemn anyone. I say this to challenge us all because it is obviously much more important to love, honor and follow Christ than to just “believe” that God exists. There is also no blessing or benefit to being able to quote Scripture if we do not live in obedience to God’s Word. Still, you must admit it’s a bit shocking to hear that the devil is a “believer”

Truth ShallThe one thing that angers me about the devil is that he is such a liar. He is called “the father of lies” (John 8:44) and everything he says is a lie. The devil is a liar and there is no truth found in him. The thing that I hate even worse than being lied to is being lied to by someone who knows the truth. This is exactly what the devil does. He absolutely knows the truth but he doesn’t want you and I to know or believe the truth. He knows there is a God. He knows there is a Heaven and a hell. He knows that God is all powerful and that he is the healer. He certainly doesn’t have a revelation of truth, however, he does have “information” and is aware of the truth.

It causes me great embarrassment to think of the many times I believed his terrible lies. I once believed that God didn’t love me. I once believed that God could not heal me or help me. The devil lied to me and yet he himself is a believer. He knows what he is telling me is a lie. He lies maliciously and with intent to deceive and harm people. I am so thankful that through study of God’s Word I received a revelation of his love for me and I now KNOW the truth.

If the devil did not believe that it is God’s will to save, heal, deliver and bless he would not go to such great lengths to try to deceive us. It is because he does know about God’s great love for us. If he did not believe in the power of prayer he would not try to keep you from praying. He knows that prayer works.

The question is not whether or not the devil is a believer, the question is whether or not you and I truly believe God’s Word is true. Do we believe that God loves us? Do we believe that He has our best interest at heart? Do we believe that there is a Heaven to gain and a hell to avoid?

I told my brother not long ago that I do not believe that many who claim the name of Christ truly believe there really is a Heaven and a hell. The reason I believe this is because IF we really believed that Heaven and hell were real wouldn’t we live differently? I believe we would do everything we could to make sure everyone we knew heard the gospel message. We would be careful to keep the commands of God with joy.

The story below is something I read long ago. I’m pretty certain it isn’t a true story, however, you will surely find it amusing.

We must choose to believe God’s Word is all truth and He is love and reject the lies of the enemy.

I love you all……
Pastor Pam Bonner-Kacys
pam.kacys@cfcjesus.org

 

In a small Texas town, a local bar began construction on a new building to increase their business. The local Baptist church started a campaign to block the bar from opening and called special nightly intercessory prayer meetings.

Shortly before the bar opened it was struck by lightning and burned to the ground.

The church folks were rather smug in their outlook after that, until the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church was ultimately responsible for the demise of his building, either through direct or indirect actions or means (praying against them). The church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building’s demise in its reply to the court.

As the case made its way into court, the judge looked over the paperwork. At the hearing he commented, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to decide this, but as it appears from the paperwork, we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer, and a Pastor and an entire church congregation that does not.’

Surrendering Our Emotions

Dove_Flying

Our emotions are “from” God and “of” God and are gifts to be used to bring honor “to” God. God has given us emotions because we are created in the image and likeness of God and God himself has emotions. Our emotions are to be used carefully and purposefully to bless God and others. I am humbled and comforted to know that God has emotions and understands not only my life situations but the pain I feel when I am wounded. A favorite Scripture that reminds me of the tenderness of God is John 11:35 that reads simply, “Jesus Wept”.

Our emotions are powerful and can be used for good or evil like any other gift we are given.

Emotions can be a powerful witness of God’s love and character. They can be a confirmation of his great love for us and humanity when we use our emotions to express our love and concern for others who are hurting and broken. They can also be used incorrectly and be dangerous and cause great harm.

Our emotions are like electricity. When used wisely and handled with care electricity is a great and powerful gift that blesses many people. If not handled properly electricity can hurt us and cause great harm to others.

A perfect example of how one emotion can be used for either good or evil is the emotion of anger. It is a terrible witness to those around us and especially to those who are unbelievers when we misuse the emotion of anger. The Word of God doesn’t say that anger is wrong. The Bible says, “be angry, but sin not”. The anger is not wrong. It is o.k. to be angry for the right reason and at the right time and in the right situation, however, the person who commits sin out of anger is wrong. However, if that same individual became angry at an injustice committed against an innocent person it would be a “righteous” or right anger and would actually honor God as long as that person did not commit sin.

I often hear people talk about how we must learn to control our emotions. I want to ask them how they are doing with that. This is easier said than done. In fact, I can tell you that I tried for years to control my emotions with little success. It seemed that my emotions were controlling me most of the time. I never was really able to control my own emotions.

One day I prayed and asked God to help me control my emotions. God showed me that I was not capable of controlling my own emotions. I needed God’s help. He showed me through his Word that I should not concern myself with controlling my emotions but I should instead simply “surrender” my emotions to him and he would teach me how to use my emotions for his honor and glory. He showed me that he would also heal my emotions as I surrendered my emotions to him.

I prayed and I felt such a peace flood over me. I surrendered my emotions to God and asked the Holy Spirit to lead me and help me to use my emotions properly and with care. I asked God to help me use my emotions as a witness of his love to others.

Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and we are not our own. We are bought with a great and precious price. Our bodies are to be used to honor God. Our emotions are to be used in the same way.

The Lord showed me that so often people misuse or abuse the emotions God gave them. They will use tear to manipulate others to do their will instead of God’s will. They will rejoice at an injustice instead of righteousness. This is the reason that many people are suffering with emotional illness.

Jesus died on the Cross and suffered stripes that we might be healed and made completely whole…body, soul and spirit. I pray that I may weep at the things that break his heart. I pray that I would rejoice at the things that bring him joy. I want my emotions to bring honor to Christ.

I believe that as we choose to surrender our emotions to God we will be healed in places we didn’t even know we needed to be healed. I thank God for freedom and peace of mind and heart.

Prayer for emotional healing:

Lord, I thank you for the Cross and the price you paid and the blood you shed that I might be made whole. I surrender myself wholly to you. I surrender my body, soul and spirit to you. I surrender my emotions to you. I acknowledge that in and of myself I am not strong enough to control my own emotions. I need your love and power. In every situation of life let me feel what you feel and respond as you would respond. May my emotions always honor you and represent you and your love. Help me to never misuse or abuse my emotions or dishonor you.

In Jesus Name, Amen

 

by:  Pastor Pam Kacys

pam.kacys@cfcjesus.org

 

 

 

The Judgment Seat Of God

The very thought of appearing before the judgment seat of God is enough to cause even the most “righteous” believer to tremble. As a young child I remember hearing of the judgment of God in Sunday school. At a very early age I determined to live an honorable life in hopes that I could avoid having to face God and give an account of my sins. I knew early on that I was a sinner and I was pretty sure God was going to throw the book at me. As hard as I tried I always seemed to miss the mark. I never seemed to do the things I should like pray and read my Bible every day but I always seemed to find time to get into trouble. I, Pam had every reason to fear the judgment of God….or so I thought.

JudgementSeat

The problem was I had not yet studied the Word of God and I didn’t have enoughinformation” about the judgments of God and I had no revelation of the love of God. I spent my childhood worried that God was sitting up in Heaven just waiting for the day of my arrival and would be delighted to toss a young child like me into a fiery hell. It seemed I knew so much about the “law” of God but very little about the “love” of God.

When I began to study God’s Word for myself I read about how God loved sinners like me so much that He sent His own Son to die and take my punishment. I received a revelation of His great love. I read about how God has my best interests at heart. He has good plans for me.  I know now that God is my Father and He loves me. I do not fear the judgment of God. Let me explain.

There are two different judgments in the Word of God. The first is the judgement of the unbelievers called the “great white throne judgment” The second is “the judgment seat of Christ, called the Bema” where believers are judged and rewarded. The great white throne judgment is not a judgment of sinners because we are all sinners. It is a judgment of ‘unbelievers’ who have rejected Christ and the Cross. This judgment is much like you would picture a court room setting where punishments and sentencing take place. The judgment seat of Christ is the judgment of believers and this setting is more like an Olympic stadium where events are judged and different rewards are presented. The word BEMA actually means “elevated or raised” platform. To appear at the judgment seat of Christ is going to be wonderful.

If you have received Jesus Christ into your heart and life you should not fear future judgment. Your sins are forgiven. You are a child of God. You are a believer. You are not perfect, you are forgiven.

Some years ago an individual was attempting to threaten me by saying, “God is going to judge you one day.” I simply smiled and said, “I would much rather have God judge me than you, my friend.” You see, I understand that the judge is my loving Father. He loves me. He adores me. He is preparing a place for me in Heaven. I no longer believe the lies of the enemy. I am looking forward to seeing my Father in Heaven and I’m going to jump straight into His arms of love.

What a day that will be!!!

Pastor Pam Bonner-Kacys