April 21, 2008

God Will Increase You More and More!”

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of waters, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

Now as we study these verses, I want you to see the process of increase. For every adventure that ends up in success, there is a process that must be followed to bring about increase. God gives us a comparison in these verses. He compares a man of increase or prosperity to a tree planted by rivers of water. By this we can see that our environment has a lot to do with our success. The rivers of water represent the Word of God.

The process of increase must be followed completely, if we are to experience the increase God desires for our lives. If I embark on increase, I must sit down and count the cost. I must give up something to gain something. Unless the seed goes into the ground and dies, there will not be increase.

Time is part of the process of increase. Verse 2 tells us to meditate in the Word day and night. A person will not be much of a success in God unless they give their all. I am not saying that you do not give time to your family. You must learn how to balance out your life. God does not want you to neglect your job or loved ones. However, there is wasted time in most people’s lives that, if used for God, would result in tremendous increase.

Verse one tells us to pull away from people that want to draw us into an ungodly lifestyle. In America today, there is a major deception in the church; and this is entertainment! People believe they can be entertained and counseled by the ungodly simultaneously and still be blessed.

The television, in most Christian homes, is stealing the increase of God from the people. A person that is basically ungodly writes a script for a program or movie that is also ungodly. Remember that the writer and those actors are of another spirit. If they have not received Jesus in their heart, then satan is ruling in their lives. Most shows do not come out and blatantly blast Christians. That is because they would lose Christian viewers. The devil is smarter than that. He will just leave out the message of Christ and keep you watching.

As Christians, we must realize that we can not watch what the world watches or listen to what the world listens to. We must take a stand and be different!

God has told me to warn the body of Christ not to be entertained by the ungodly. Jesus said, the blind would lead the blind and both would fall into the ditch. It is time to turn your back on the things of the world. If they don’t sing for God, they don’t sing for me. Put God and His Word first place.

Pastor Paul Craig

Personal perceptions are determined by a variety of things such as past experiences, culture, information, relationships, etc. I'm referring to perception with regard to our outlook in life and the circumstances it presents. The way we respond to the events of life stems from our perception and the way it has been shaped.

Much too often we are trapped in life because of a distorted perception. Childhood experiences have locked people into living their adult lives based upon what happened to them as children. I could go on and on with different scenario’s that have shaped our perceptions in life. When this happens, people become victims of their past and miss out on a future of freedom. In fact, many develop a victim mentality because of what happened in their life. They become attentive to the things that will feed the hurt, and they ignore the truths that will deliver them. The past will continue to live on by them dwelling on it and talking about it regularly. No one has been excluded from the negative experiences of life, but what we do with those experiences is our choice.

The apostle Paul had something to say about his past and his future in Philippians 3:13 which says;

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.”

Paul was saying that he put out of mind the things of his past that would obstruct his view and hinder his future. His perception was shaped by his past, but he chose to allow the Word to reshape his outlook. Putting something out of your mind is choosing not to dwell on the things of the past; but instead, thinking on the things ahead. It’s impossible to think on two things at once.

Years ago, the Holy Spirit said to me that you can’t go to the past to change the past. You might think that’s goofy, because everyone knows you can’t do that. The truth is that people waste away their lives thinking about what they should have or should not have done. There’s nothing we can do about the past. It is done and gone forever. Although that’s true, we are left with its results.

The Holy Spirit said to me, "You can change the results of the past by faith." Those who choose to do this are those who refuse to be helpless victims of their past and rise to the occasion of victory. The Bible is written from the perspective of a triumphant victory and introduces us to a new life. It is an impossibility to focus on the wounds of the past and be free from them.

We have a choice to make just like God told the people in Deuteronomy 30:19.

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life that both thou and thy seed may live:”

The choice we make will cause our ears to become attentive to hearing the things that will support that choice. We can see this happen when Stephen spoke the Word to the people who were focused on their past and chose not to hear Him. Acts 7:57

“Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord.”

Their outlook on life had been shaped by their past, and they refused to hear the truth that would set them free. They held onto the past and refused to go into the future; and they detached themselves by killing Stephen. Don’t forfeit your future by cutting off those who speak to you about who you are in Christ and not who you were. You are who God says you are, not what past experiences have conveyed to you.

Pastor James