Weekly Bread

Human beings, by nature, have an addictive behavior; the Apostle Paul calls it the works of the flesh. Galatians 5:19-21 says;

“What human nature does is quite plain. It shows itself in immoral, filthy, and indecent actions; Verse 20, in worship of idols and witchcraft. People become enemies and they fight; they become jealous, angry, and ambitious. They separate into parties and groups; Verse 21, they are envious, get drunk, have orgies, and do other things like these. I warn you now as I have before: those who do these things will not possess the Kingdom of God. [TEV]”

Galatians 5:19-21 KJV says;

“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Every human being must face the challenge of dealing with the flesh, because everyone has the flesh nature saved and unsaved alike.

Before I gave my life to the Lord Jesus Christ, I had several of the manifestations of the flesh controlling my life. It seemed as if I were powerless to overcome the addictive behavior of my flesh. I would say within my self, " I am not going to do this tomorrow, it will be a different day for me." But when tomorrow came, I found myself unable to resist the demands of the flesh. As I yielded to its demands, I became riddled with guilt; and shame settled in my heart. My flesh was in control, and I continued to remain in the cycle of addiction with no way out.

It wasn’t until Jesus Christ came into my life that I was able to go free from the addiction that had my life. When I gave my life to Him, He started leading me out; as God did with the children of Israel. He brought them out of their slavery in Egypt, supernaturally delivering them. As it was for them, so it was for me. I wasn’t automatically free without following Him. The people had to follow His leadings and instructions to obtain their freedom. God was offering them freedom and demonstrated His power on their behalf, but they had to be willing to follow His lead.

The first thing required of me of was to find a home church of His choice. He didn’t lead me to a rehab program, He lead me where the Word was being preached. I’m not anti rehab I’m just pro church and the Word. I became faithful and committed in my church attendance and the study of the Word. One of the other things I was instructed to do was throw all my stuff away that connected to the addiction. Freedom will never be obtained without separation from the things that control us. I tried to justify and reason within myself how I could use the stuff He told me to get rid of to my advantage. Every time I came up with an idea He shot it down, therefore I had a choice to make. Would I disregard His leadings, or would I follow Him into my deliverance and receive His power to overcome the very things that had controlled me? Our victory over the dictates of the flesh is only attainable through yielding to His leadership.

Proverbs 14:12 says;

“There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”

If our way is death, then His Way must be life. Don’t be fooled into thinking you can win without Him.

“5 Steps To Bring About Change”

In II Corinthians 5:17 we read;

“Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

When you give your life to Jesus, God gives you a brand new spirit; but you still have the same flesh and the same mind. As a Christian, you know your life should be different; but you still struggle in many areas of your life. I believe Jesus came to set you free and give control back to you, but there are some steps you must apply in your life in order to live life in the earth as God would have you live. Here are 5 steps:

1) Make a Decision that you are going to serve God with a whole heart and leave behind the world's way of doing things. In Joshua 24:15 we read;

“And if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

2) Develop a strong Desire to know God more intimately, where you begin to please Him more than the people around you. In Matthew 5:6 we read;

“Blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.”

3) Increase your knowledge base by renewing your mind to God’s Word through church, books, tapes, radio, and T.V. In II Timothy 2:15 we read;

“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.”

4) Disassociate from your past. You have a new life now and must leave the old friends and the old habits behind. Those old friends and old habits want to control your life, and you need to take control by leaving them behind and never looking back. In Philippians 3:13 we read;

“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.”

5) Trust in God at all times. God has your best interests at hand and desires to see good in your life. Whenever you are tempted, or going through a trial, God is your way out. Put your complete trust in Him, and depend totally on Him to see you through to victory. In Proverbs 3:5-6 we read;

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not to thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”

As I close, be encouraged and know you were created to overcome. The old life and its way of doing things don’t have to be a part of your life anymore. You have control. Apply these 5 steps and experience positive change in your life.

Pastor Jimmy Brackeen

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." The word 'gift' is used to describe what God has done at the expense of Jesus. Some of the gifts mentioned are the gift of eternal life, gift of righteousness, gifts of the Spirit, gifts differing, gifts given unto men, good and perfect gifts. What we receive from God comes to us as a gift, not by works but by grace through faith.

As a society, we’ve developed a mentality that declares, “if we are going to have anything, we have to work for it.” A good work ethic is important, but if we fail to correctly divide natural work from spiritual realities, we’ll relate to God from a 'you-owe-me attitude'. He does not owe us like an employer who pays us because of the time we labored. God, as a free gift, has provided for us by grace what we can not earn through our efforts. If we could earn it, then it would no longer be a gift of grace.

Romans 11:6 says; And if it is by God's kindness, then it is not by their being good enough. For in that case the free gift would no longer be free-it isn't free when it is earned. [TLB]

The KJV says it this way; And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace . But if it be of works, then is it no more grace : otherwise work is no more work.

Imagine receiving a gift from someone, and then they give you the bill for it. That would not be a gift but a purchase. A gift does not cost the receiver anything, because it’s at the expense of the giver. If we were to make this adjustment in our hearts and begin to relate to God as a giver and not an employer, things would work much better for us. The work of the believer is the work of faith. It is work to resist the negatives that bombard our minds and the things that touch our senses. It is work to work the Word of God when things are working on us. It’s work to act on what God has said without any physical evidence of its reality. I’m not saying all we are to do is lay on the couch and drink soda pop and eat chips confessing the word of God. We have to act on the Word by confession mixed with action.

Joshua had to arise to the occasion of leadership after the departure of Moses. He had to act on what God had said to him, and his action was a demonstration of his faith. He hadn’t earned the position of leader, but was appointed by God to lead. He could not receive what God had for him by sitting around the campfire talking about what God had for him. His cooperation was required to receive by faith what God offered by grace. When Joshua stepped out in faith toward God’s plan for him, he received Gods ability to carry it out. Joshua couldn’t approach God demanding to be the leader because he had served Moses all those years. He did receive by faith what God had said to him and did the work that was required to carry out the will of God. I’m sure he faced some mental battles, but found strength by mediating on the word. He kept the Book of the Law in his mouth, and what God had specifically spoken to him permeated his heart.

Allow what God has done for us by grace to be received by faith.