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Temptations Antidote!

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The Reality! Temptation is a reality of the Christian life and Paul was clear on this in Ephesians 6 when he warns of the fiery darts of the wicked. Sadly we succumb to the temptation far too often. Someone once said “lead me not into temptation, I can find it myself” how true that proves to be in all of our lives. So if temptation is a daily reality and God is our daily supply why do we fall prey to temptation day after day. Let me make clear that only a saved person wrestles spiritually with temptation. The unsaved person often revels in temptation.  If you love your sin and feel no need to flee from sin or have victory over the daily temptations you must be born again. Those who are in the family of God will face the correcting and sanctifying hand of a loving and chastening Father.  If you are a believer and you find yourself constantly grieved over the failures of yesterday and fearful of the failures yet to come, cheer up there is hope. Who does the tempting? Sat
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Satan is Attacking!

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The subject of spiritual warfare will always stir interest from the congregation. Images of ghost and demons run through our mind in cinematic proportions. We imagine the forces of evil encroaching on the doors of the church and taking over by force the work of the Church. There is no question that the evil one has and does attack local assemblies and does his dead level best to defeat individual Christians. The problem is that we are often giving the Devil more credit than he is due and what is worse is that we fear him and stand in awe of his parlor tricks far more than we fear the one who created him in the first place.  There are few theological points that should be considered about Satan.  First let us remember that he is a created being. He is in no way shape or form the opposite of God. He is not even close to being as evil as God is good. He cannot be as destructive as God is creative. Secondly, as a created being he cannot go beyond the allowance of his creator. To
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Everyone Draws a Line! ~

Everyone draws a line! We live in a world of increasing moral ambiguity. We want more and more to throw aside any kind of absolute that would keep us from doing whatever we want and whenever we want. This should not shock us if we see it outside the Church but it should horrify us when we see it inside the Church. It is impossible to remove lines of separation from the Christian life. It is impossible to remove the directives from scripture and retain any semblance of integrity. We are people of faith, therefore we are people of action because faith without works is dead. We must allow the Bible to reign as the authority and being the authority we admit that the scriptures have the right to command our obedience.   Allow me to wade in a bit deeper. The directives of the Bible are cut and dry. They are universal truths that should be obeyed for the Glory of God and the benefit of society. There is little wiggle room in “thou shalt not commit adultery” and the New Testament tigh
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Resentful of Criticism

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What I am about to share with you, the folks who know me best know this is the case all too well, and they have patiently endured this character flaw of mine for many years. I am quick to get my feelings hurt, or if  said in a less effacing way, I am easily wounded. Now this is, I can assure you, a great liability in the role of pastor. The words of a sharp tongued saint cut deep. The words of a well meaning counselor sting for a long time. The constructive criticism from my wife smolders in my soul for days and the embers of those remarks need little fanning to bring them to a roaring blaze. Now by God’s grace I am learning to set these remarks in their proper place and take the instruction that I need for them. Not all criticism demands a response, and not all criticism needs to be ignored, but all should be handled with a humble heart in the light of scripture. Let me say that if you have a critique or a suggestion, please do not take this as call for you to hold your peace. I welc
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Validating My Existence

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When I first became pastor of Liberty Baptist Church I was full of vision and excitement! I knew that God had brought me to this town to show the rest of them how to get it done. I was to be the beacon of fundamental doctrine and the citadel for Bible purity.  I knew that because of my high standards and my superior style of ministry that God had placed me in this town to set everyone straight. Was I ever in for a rude awakening! We have seen consistent progress and steady growth over the past seven years but I am sure God has used this church to grow me more than I have helped anyone to grow. I use to wonder why God would place me in a town with churches of like faith that had more vibrant ministries and were by sheer numbers able to reach more folks than our church could. I would reason that it was because I had not compromised on certain issues. With this reasoning, I could validate externally my reason for existence. Then the question would rise again and I would latch on
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Leaven of the Pharisees!

The Lord has allowed me the privilege to grow up in the home of a Baptist preacher. I cut my teeth on the bus ministry, door to door soul-winning and nursing home ministry. Seldom was the weekend that I was not involved in these activities. May I say that I still am involved in these same activities in the Church? I have my own bus route and work with some dear folks in our Church on that route. If the truth be told they do most of the work, I just get to go along for the ride!   Without going into an in-depth study on the subject allow me a short explanation of a recent study from the book of Mark!   I want to bring up a warning that the Saviour made to the disciples. Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod! In another place we find that He also warned them of the Leaven of the Sadducee's. As I began to study this text the question came to mind, “what is the difference between the three?” Jesus tells us in Luke that the leaven of the Pharisees is hypocrisy and in
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Our Charge

2 Timothy 4:2-4 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. God's response to itching ears and turning hearts is not passive quiet pulpits, but rather God ordained heralds proclaiming the message of the King! God has not commissioned us to proclaim the message of our sect of Christianity but the message of the King! We must believe that as long as the Lord tarries his coming there is hope for spiritual awakening. May we not throw up our hands and surrender the day to the enemy. May we not shut our eyes and close our hearts to the sinful and condemned condition of this world! May we not build our fortresses and barricade our homes and disengage from the conflict with this world.
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