Can God Trust You With True Riches?

12 Friday Jul 2013

Tags

bigger words, Canaanite god of riches, deeper truths, first-fruits, heavenly riches, Jesus, leftovers, Luke 16:11-12, mammon, Oscar Wilde quote, peace, security, spiritual blessings, strength, test us, tipping God, tithing, true riches, trustworthy, worldly riches

I have been thinking a lot lately about true riches. Jesus coined the phrase in Luke 16:11-12.

So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

Lets face it… riches in general (worldly riches) are mainly where our minds dwell. The good news is we don’t have to stay in this place. God has a plan to move us into the next level… into handling true riches. The main reason God gives us worldly wealth is to test us. The Lord wants to see how well we manage this kind of wealth (mammon), before He blesses us with true riches.

Has God allowed you to handle a little worldly wealth or mammon yet? Mammon was the Canaanite god of riches. So in the Lord’s plan, if you cannot handle a Canaanite god’s riches, how will you handle His real riches?

If you are trustworthy with a little thing like money, God knows you can be trusted with a heaven’s true wealth. True riches have nothing to do with money per se. They do include spiritual blessings like peace, security, and strength. They also include bigger words, special revelations, and deeper truths. These are so valuable they can’t be bought at any price.

This is where tithing comes in to play. It proves to the Lord we trust Him with our worldly riches. Sometimes people say, “If I was making a million a year, I’d be happy to give God 10% of it.” The truth is if you are not tithing on $10,000, or $20,000 or $30,000 a year, what makes you think God will trust you with a million dollars? It’s not about tithing, it’s about trusting.

The problem with many believers is they give God their “leftovers” instead of their “first-fruits.” They pay all their other bills and if they have anything left over, God gets a tip. God knows the difference between a tip and a tithe. The real issue is not whether God is trustworthy–it’s whether or not we are trustworthy in managing God’s money. Do you want God to trust you with more than you are managing right now? Prove it… because God wants to bless you with the true riches of His Kingdom.

Blessings – From God’s Incubator

Pastor

Which Window Do You Look Through?

22 Sunday Jul 2012

Posted by eisakouo in Living In Uncertain Times

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Catherine Marshall, dark clouds, destination certain, doesn't matter which window you choose, final destination, heartaches or peace, pain is inevitable, peace, suffering is optional, sunset, two sides of the plane, waiting for takeoff

Catherine Marshall wrote:

“My friend Marge had an experience aboard a plane bound for Cleveland, waiting for takeoff. As she settled into her seat, Marge noticed a strange phenomenon. On one side of the airplane a sunset suffused the entire sky with glorious color. But out of the window next to her seat, all Marge could see was a sky dark and threatening, with no sign of the sunset.

“As the plane’s engines began to roar, a gentle Voice spoke within her. ‘You have noticed the windows,’ He murmured beneath the roar and thrust of the takeoff. ‘Your life, too, will contain some happy, beautiful times, but also some dark shadows. Here’s a lesson I want to teach you to save you much heartache and allow you to abide in Me with continual peace and joy.

“‘You see, it doesn’t matter which window you look through; this plane is still going to Cleveland. So it is in your life. You have a choice. You can dwell on the gloomy picture. Or you can focus on the bright things and leave the dark, ominous situations to Me. I alone can handle them anyway.

“‘And the final destination is not influenced by what you see or feel along the way. Learn this, act on it and you will be released, able to experience the peace that passes understanding.'”

Be Blessed,

Pastor

Three Doorways to Discernment

15 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by eisakouo in Our Spiritual Process

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

activities to be avoided, discernment, have to leave some folks behind, immaturity, intimacy, James 4:17, joy, kappa, let it flow, living of a list of do's and don't, Nehemiah 8:10, peace, permissible but not beheficial, playing cards, relationships with other people, revelational knowledge, right standing before God, righteousness, Romans 14:17-18, Romans 14:23, sensitivity, the anointing, the Holy Spirit, watching movies

There is an axiom I live by in my life. God is not trying to keep information from me… He is trying desperately to get revelational knowledge to me. I believe this with all my heart. God is a good God and desires to share Himself with those that love Him.

Having said this, sometimes it is difficult to discern the will of God, especially when the matter is not black and white. You have probably discovered that some issues in life are not mentioned in the Bible as sins or activities to be avoided. But as you discover afterward, you have actually grieved or quenched the Holy Spirit’s work in your life. Now the presence of God has faded from your life. Ouch!

How are we to know if it is ok to participate in certain activities? The anointing will help you. This scripture from Romans paves the way and reveals three doors for discerning God’s best for us.

17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. Romans 14:17-18

First Door: Righteousness

Before pursuing a course of action ask yourself, “If I do this activity will I lose my righteousness?” Your righteousness is your standing before God. In other words, if you choose to participate in this activity will it cause you to forfeit the righteousness you have in Christ Jesus? Will doing this violate your conscience, cause guilty feelings, and bring conviction from the Holy Spirit?

I am sure you know by now that some activities are not necessarily sin for most people. But God has already personally talked to you about those same activities. It may have been two or three years ago, but you already know that God does not want you personally involved. When you choose to participate anyway, your righteousness (right standing) before God is gone. There is a great verse in James which addresses this issue.

Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin. James 4:17

(If you can make it through the first door without losing your righteousness, then move on to the next door.)

Second Door: Peace

Ask yourself honestly, “If I participate in this activity will I lose my peace?”

Your peace is the certainty that your relationship with your brothers and sisters is intact. In other words, if you participate in a certain activity will it hurt your relationship with other people. It might be ok with God, but others may have difficulty with you enjoying it.

I have been around certain Christians who thought playing cards was a sin. So while I was around them, I did not play cards. I personally felt it was alright to play cards. God had never convicted me about it. (Now I am not talking about gambling or strip poker, etc) But if I continued to play cards in front of other fellow believers knowing they believe it to be sin, then I will sin as well and lose my peace.

Peace is very important when visiting other cultures. While in I was in Israel visiting the Holy Sites, it was required for women to wear dresses and men to wear kappa’s (domes or skull caps). I would have lost my peace and caused others to stumble if I had just burst through and visited the sites without regard to their customs.

Someone once said, “It may be permissible for you to do it, but it may not be beneficial.” You can do it and be alright with God, but the saints will suffer.

(If you can make it through the first and second doors without losing your righteousness and peace, then move on to the next door.)

Third Door: Joy

The question to ask yourself here is, “If I do this activity will I lose my joy.” Your joy is the relationship you have with you. “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

Here is how it goes…You may get an ok from God and other believers may not care if you participate in this certain activity, but as you pray about it you feel the joy of the Lord depart from you. Why? Because inwardly you know it will not build faith in your life.

The Bible says, “for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Romans 14:23 In other words, the activity you are questioning is permissible. You can do it before God and man; but the problem is it will ultimately NOT build your faith. You may not realize it at the moment… but the activity will probably deter your faith, at least briefly.

For instance, in the past I have wanted to watch certain movies. It was ok with God and did not bother friends and family, so I went forward and viewed that movie. When it was all said and done…my joy was gone. Why? Because I just wasted two hours of valuable time. The whole activity did not build my faith. On other occasions, the issue was not about the time wasted. I discovered my joy was depleted and I just couldn’t put my finger on what exactly happened. Each believer must determine the activities in life that are neither good nor bad… but are simply “joy thief’s.” If you are a discerning Christian you will understand this issue.

Am I just being overbearing and picky about everything or is there some bigger picture here? We all must understand that if we want to grow deep in the things of God there is one word we are going to have to get accustomed to knowing and experiencing. The word is SENSITIVITY. The goal is to grow more and more sensitive in the knowledge and ways of God. Walking with the Holy Spirit is a very sensitive issue. Because He is sensitive, we are to be sensitive.

As we continue to grow in the Lord, all three doors can be summed up in one phrase, “am I sensitive to the movement of the Holy Spirit in my life?” The more mature we become the more important your righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit will become. His flow and presence will become your primary importance.

When I was in college I hung a homemade sign over my desk. It read: “Others may, but I can’t.” That little phrase sums up all three of these points. When it is all said and done, we are all at different stages. In order for you to continue to grow in the things of God, YOU WILL HAVE TO LEAVE SOME FOLKS BEHIND. They are not currently ready to be this sensitive to the ways and movements of God. It is not that they are bad and you are good. It is about you and the Lord, nothing more. I used to love to play “patty-cakes” with my kids when they were young. But I was ever so thankful when they moved on to bigger and better things. You and I cannot continue to play patty-cake with God. We must move on to deeper issues in the Kingdom.

Maturity in the Holy Spirit is when you stop living off of a “do’s and don’t” list. A spiritual person learns to flow in the things of God. God allows you to choose what is right and wrong. The Lord wants you to learn to choose on your own the right, Godly, and wholesome choice. He doesn’t want you to continue to reference a list. Lists are for the immature.

Some of you today need to move from the “made to do” stage of spiritual growth to the “let it flow” stage. If God or God’s word doesn’t clearly state “don’t do it”, you will ultimately do it. Why? You didn’t see it written somewhere. Believers usually state this phrase in the positive. “Well, God didn’t tell me I couldn’t, so it must be ok.” This is knuckle-headed faith.

When you talk to people, are you constantly telling others about the things you “cannot do”, instead of the flow of what God is doing in your life? There is a big difference. I am sure you love God, but in your mind and heart is God still a “made to” type of God to you? Are you ready to grow past all this?

Understand… Intimacy with the Lord is something you must pursue. Read my lips…It will not happen unless you get hot-hearted. God is not going to chase you down and force intimacy on you. This is why the Holy Spirit is grieved when we faint in our pursuit of the Lord. If you truly love someone, you will go after and pursue that relationship.

When I started to date my wife I thought she was pretty good gal to be around. In fact, it wasn’t long before she was just head over heals in love with me. No, I was in love. I constantly wanted to be around her.

Now what if……….

my parents had to make me go over to her house to visit;
my friends had to convince me to go out on dates with her;
I never offered to pay for dates, but made her pay;
(some of you ladies are saying you married that man;)
I never held her hand;
all I ever talked about was myself; and
I rarely told her how I felt.

Do you think she or anyone else would have I believed I was in love with her. I doubt it.

Is there any doubt today that you love the Lord? Intimacy is intimacy… whether it is physical or spiritual. You cannot be intimate in a robotic way. Intimacy is a flow. God desires not only our obedience but our entire hearts as well. Our pursuit of Him reveals how much we truly love Him. The great thing about pursuing the Lord is that occasionally He lets us catch Him… This is glory!

Blessings,

Pastor

Adversity!

06 Sunday Nov 2011

Posted by eisakouo in Our Spiritual Process

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

calms the child, calms the storm, John 16:33, lead us into the storm, love is a choice, peace, trouble

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33,

Jesus didn’t say you might have trouble, or you will only have trouble when you’re out of God’s will – He said you WILL have trouble. Jesus is clear on the point that we will all go through trouble. If you are going through troubling times right now, I have good news for you. YOU ARE GOING THROUGH IT.

George Barna reports that over 70 million Americans today are struggling to find some meaning in life, and that over 50% of Americans struggle with some type of depression.

The peace that Jesus offers us comes only through a relationship with Him. The world can’t give us peace and it can’t take away the peace that Jesus gives. It’s a peace based on our relationship with him, not on our performance (how “good” of a Christian we are), not on our feelings, and not on our circumstances.

Sometimes though God will lead us into a storm. This is where our expectations of God and reality clash. It is here in the storm God creates the opportunity for greater growth. The strain of life is what builds our strength. The typical view of the Christian life is that it means being delivered from all adversity. It actually means being delivered in adversity.

For two years, scientists sequestered themselves in an artificial environment called Biosphere 2. Inside their self-sustaining community, the Biosherians created a number of mini-environments, including a desert, rain forest, even an ocean. Nearly every weather condition could be simulated except one, wind. Over time, the effects of their windless environment became apparent. A number of acacia trees bent over and even snapped. Without the stress of wind to strengthen the wood, the trunks grew weak and could not hold up their own weight.

We all need some adversity. Think of all the things God could have prevented – sin – pain – heartache – evil, and even the devil. He didn’t. He has given everyone a choice. God has given us a choice in the midst of all the hard times… and with all the temptations we face to love Him and serve Him. That’s what makes love – love it’s a choice.

Someone once said, “Sometimes He calms the storm. Sometimes He lets the storm rage on and calms the child.”

Choose this week, whatever your circumstance, to be the child of God who continues to abide in the peace of the Lord.

Blessings,

Pastor

Top Ten Ways To Know You’re Growing In The Lord (II)

31 Wednesday Aug 2011

Posted by eisakouo in Our Spiritual Process

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

despise His people, guide, I Corinithians 14:32-34, John 13:35, Love, Love for the believer, peace, Philippians 4:6-8. guard, quietness, real revelation, spiritual indicators, you can't handle the truth

We are continuing to examine the top ten indicators that signify if we are growing in the Lord. So far we have examined our change of appetites and gaining a disgust for shameful activities. Now we are going to examine two positive indicators we should possess.

3. A Genuine Love For Other believers! Jesus emphatically told His disciples on several occasions, “By this shall all men know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) Jesus didn’t say if they went to church, read their Bible, witnessed effectively, or grew in numbers, then people would know they were His disciples. No, Jesus said that the world at-large would know real believers by their love for one another.

The principle here is simple: the closer we are to Christ, the more we will love His people. Conversely, the further we stray from Christ, the less concern we have for other believers and the more critical we will become of them. In short, if we love Christ, we will love His people. If we love the world, we will despise His people. This is one of Jesus’ main markers to indicate whether we are truly growing in the Lord. How are you doing in this area?

4. Possessing Unusual Peace and Quietness! With the recent upheavals in the economy, political arena, and in the natural world, it is a wonder that anyone could walk in tranquility. The growing believer can! There are numerous “peace” verse in the Bible. This is for a good reason. We need them!

“For God is not a God of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” (I Corinthians 14:32-34)
“And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your minds and hearts in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-8)

If you are growing in the Lord, His peace is your rudder. His peace is supposed to be guiding, guarding, and steadying your walk in this world. It is our lack of understanding and possessing the Lord’s peace in our hearts that keeps us from receiving real revelation from the Lord about futuristic events. As Jack once said, “You can’t handle the truth.” The reason we can’t handle the truth is because the Lord’s peace is not fully installed in our life. This is why there was such a glaring distinction between Jesus and His disciples when they faced storms, demons, death, and other problems. Jesus possessed peace, they didn’t. Grow in the peace of God today! The Lord will lead you to places you never thought you could go.

Are You Expecting a Visitation?

18 Thursday Aug 2011

Posted by eisakouo in The Lord's Return

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

expectations, Luke 19:41-42, peace, the Lord's return, visitations

When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, ⁴² saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. Luke 14:41-42

Ever had someone show up unexpectedly? We commonly say things like, “Well, if I had known you were coming, I would have...” The reason we say these types of things is because we were not expecting company.

The Jews of Jesus’ day were expecting a political Messiah, not a spiritual leader. Much like our day, we are looking for a political leader to help solve our economic problems. Therefore, the people of Jesus’ day missed a real visitation from God. They missed out on real deliverance, real salvation, and real peace. How can anyone miss the time of God’s visitation?

Evidently if we hold fast to false expectations of how God moves or should move, we can miss His visitation. Lets face it, none of us knows the Lord as well as we think we do. The result of missing God’s visitation is that real peace is now hidden from our eyes!

As we roll further down the path towards the end of days, it is imperative we get a clear picture of how the Lord moves and how to walk in His ways. Lay aside useless information that doesn’t benefit your walk with God. The good news is we can know the Lord and be a part of His return! Are you ready to meet Him this time around?

Peace or Division?

10 Wednesday Aug 2011

Posted by eisakouo in Kingdom of God

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

atheist, Christmas, condemn, division, Lamb of God, Luke 12:51, peace, presence of Christ

“Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division;” Luke 12:51

Why did Jesus say things like this about Himself? We all grew up hearing the Christmas story. The Christmas message reminds us of a sweet baby who was meek and mild. There is a big difference in that story and Jesus’ statements here. Jesus affirms here that He will split families in half. How can both “peace” and “division” be true about Jesus?

Jesus didn’t stay wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. He grew in favor with God and man. At the right moment He presented Himself as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. He did not come to condemn us but to save us all.

So it is not the sweet baby that brings division, but the crucified King who continues to rule and reign that causes consternation in people. Whether it was Jesus walking the earth 2000 years ago or currently living in believers today, He always brings division. Every person born on earth must choose – “Will Jesus be my Savior, Lord and King?” Jesus said it best, “He who is not for Me is against Me.” There is no place to hide. Jesus’ presence does not condemn but His presence causes all men to choose wrongly or rightly.

Division continues to be evidenced in our society today. If Jesus is not the real Savior of mankind, then why are some so interested in removing Christmas from every county and courthouse in America. If Christ is not real, then who cares if people speak His name in public. If Jesus is not the real deal, no one would care if Christians prayed in school or at high school graduations. But the truth is… people care immensely.

One of the reasons you can know for sure Jesus is Lord, is because of the division He causes. Bottomline, if Jesus is not for real, people wouldn’t care. But since there is a vehement outcry against Christ, it reveals the truth of His convicting power manifesting in every person’s life. The next time you see an atheist file some frivolous law suit against Christianity, he is giving testimony of the reality of Jesus Christ.

Go ahead, take the name and presence of Christ with you today. Start a fire and bring division upon your corner of the earth! Jesus did.