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Self-Control is an outer sign of an inner change.

(The True you always reveals what’s in you.)

By Pastor George Lehman



“Though we cannot see the heart, we can see the life” [David Kirkpatrick]



Each of the different characteristics of the Fruit of the Spirit focuses on how we respond to God and how we treat other people.

John 15:11 – That our joy may be full

Joy and faithfulness are expressed vertically while peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and gentleness bear directly on how we interact with others.

And, the juiciest fruit, which is at the centre of our spiritual fruit salad, is love, which has both a horizontal and vertical dimension.



HOW TO LIVE A LIFE OF SELF-CONTROL IN A SOCIETY OUT OF CONTROL

2 Timothy 3:2-3  - “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,

When the Greeks wanted to illustrate self-control, they built a statue of a man or a woman in perfect proportion.

To them, self-control was the proper ordering and balancing of the individual.

Husband: “When I get mad, you remain calm and don’t react. How do you maintain your self-control?
”Wife: “I just go and clean the toilet.”
Husband: “Really How does that help?”
Wife: “I use your toothbrush.”

Aristotle once said, “I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is the victory over self.”



The word translated “self-control” in the NIV is rendered “temperance” and in the King James Version.

It comes from the word “strength” and means, “one who holds himself in.”

To be self-controlled is to not live in bondage to the desires, passions, and appetites of the flesh.

While “self-control” is a good translation of the Greek word, it’s a bit deceiving because we all know that we can’t control ourselves simply through our own willpower or self-determination.

Self-control is more than just self-help. Paul speaks of our dilemma in Romans 7:18 - “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good but I cannot carry it out.”

We can get a fuller meaning of self-control from Paul’s extended discussion of his ministry in this passage, Paul contrasts exercising control over his body with running “aimlessly”.

1 Corinthians 9:25-27 - “25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

He argues that athletes exercise self-control because they have a clearly defined purpose or goal.

They cannot afford to be distracted by every passion or desire that comes along.

We can therefore define this final fruit of the Spirit as the “control of the self by the Spirit for the sake of the gospel.”

What looks like self-control is actually the result of letting someone else take control.

Self-control, biblically speaking, means walking by the Spirit, under the Lordship of Christ.

It’s not by human effort or willpower – but by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. God will not give us His Spirit of self-control if it were not possible to control-self.

In order to fully understand this fruit, it’s helpful to describe what the absence of self-control looks like.



Proverbs 25:28 provides a dramatic description of the individual living out of control, “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.”

When the book of Proverbs was written, one of the main sources of strength and protection for a ci

Training yourself in Unshakable Resilience



!!!Maranatha!!!



My faith in Christ



James 2:26 - 'As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.’



Luke 17:6 - 'He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. ‘



Romans 5:3 - 'Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ‘



2Pet 1:10 - 'Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, '



2 Pet 1:5-9- Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. '



2 Peter 1:2-3 - May grace (God's favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in [the full, personal, precise, and correct] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue).'

Ordinary Christians in extra ordinary times - By Pastor George Lehman



What the world needs is NOT more Christianity but more Christians who practice Christianity.

We cannot live ordinary lives anymore!

Here Jesus is speaking to the scribes an Pharisees:

Mark 7:13 – Jesus said, “Tradition destroys the effect of the Word”.

We become comfortable with traditionally doing church and spiritual things,

We go through the motions in a way that’s marked with ordinary and don’t by faith - rise up to an extra ordinary life. A life touched by Jesus cannot be the same.



Story of a statue in a cemetery in America:

It was not a statue of a man, angel, or Mary, but a statue of a dog.  They say when his master was buried.  The dog followed the procession to the graveyard, and he lay on the grave and wouldn’t leave until he died.  They put up a memorial next to his master because he demonstrated extraordinary loyalty.

Here’s a story of extra ordinary loyalty:

2 Samuel 15:13-21 (Amp) - 13And there came a messenger to David, saying, the hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.  14David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, Arise and let us flee, or else none of us will escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring evil upon us and smite the city with the sword.  15And the king's servants said to the king, Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king says.  16So, the king and all his household after him went forth. But he left ten women who were concubines to keep the house.  17The king went forth with all the people after him and halted at the last house.  18All David's servants passed on beside him, along with [his bodyguards] all the Cherethites, Pelethites; also all the Gittites, 600 men who came after him from Gath, passed on before the king.  19The king said to Ittai the Gittite, why do you go with us also? Return to your place and remain with the king [Absalom], for you are a foreigner and an exile.  20Since you came only yesterday, should I make you go up and down with us? Since I must go where I may, you return, and take back your brethren with you. May loving-kindness and faithfulness be with you.  21But Ittai answered the king, As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or life, even there also will your servant be. 



What an extra ordinary dedication to serve his King, “no matter what”.



Paul writing to the church in Corinth: (over a period of time ordinary will become lukewarm / backslidden)

1 Corinthians 3:3 (Amp) - For you are still [unspiritual, having the nature] of the flesh [under the control of ordinary impulses]. For as long as [there are] envying and jealousy and wrangling* (stryery) and factions among you, are you not unspiritual and of the flesh, behaving yourselves after a human standard and like mere (unchanged) men? (Clearly by this message it’s clear that Paul is talking about an Extra Ordinary life!)



Our ordinary should be Extra Ordinary.

The Moffett's translation says:  “Are you behaving like ordinary people?”

Why did God allow these disciplining correcting verses in the Bible?  “It was for our good so we can change and serve Him correctly. To live an extra ordinary life.

We have come to a time in the history of the world when, for those of us who are Christians it's not acceptable it’s a sin to live ordinary.

It's no longer enough to live nominal (not real) lives in a time of phenomenal need.



Acts 17:30 -31a(Amp) – 30Such [former] ages of ignorance God, it is true, ignored and allowed to pass unnoticed; but now He charges all people every where to repent (to change their minds for the better and heartily to amend their ways with abhorrence of their past sins). 31Because He has fixed a day when He will judge the world.



The words of Josiah G. Holland:  God give us men!  A time like this demands g

Mother’s Day - By Pastor George Lehman

Motherhood is priced of God, at a price no man may dare to lessen or misunderstand.



Motherhood is a God design; therefore it is a very important and honored institution.

Leviticus 19:1-3 (Amp) – 1And the Lord said to Moses, 2Say to all the assembly of the Israelites, You shall be holy for I the Lord your God am holy. 3Each of you shall give due respect to his mother and his father, and keep my Sabbaths holy. I the Lord am your God.

 

Ephesians 6:2-3 (Amp) - 2Honor (esteem and value as precious) your father and your mother - this is the first commandment with a promise. 3That all may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth.



Without it none of us would be here tonight…

For many mothers it can be very sentimental and not their favorite day of the year, for others it’s a rich blessing and a joy.

Your mother may have passed away.
You may have bad memories of your mother.
Biological motherhood isn’t possible.
You may have children that don’t contact you.



To become a mother is not so difficult; on the other hand, being a mother is very much so.  Wilhelm Busch



So, with all those qualifications, why bother with Mother’s Day at all?  I tell you why…

…because Mothers give life, love, comfort, counsel, guidance, teaching and encouragement.

They turn a house into a home and nurture families.

Families are the basic building block of society and mothers have the most important responsibility in daily love and counsel raising children in the love and fear of the Lord.

They go through many stumbling blocks, pitfalls, mistakes, and broken dreams; for all the dirty nappies, dirty rooms, sleepless nights and heartaches.

We are talking about a beautiful ideal – a natural part of God’s creative plan to bring love, caring and patience to light.

As a mother there is a constant demand for the gift of love and caring.

A mother is a person who, seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie anyway.

Mothers are the people who love us for no good reason.  And those of us who are mothers know it’s the most exquisite love of all.  Maggie Gallagher

Certainly, the bible recognizes women in positions of power – women who contributed to making the world a better place.



There was…

Miriam who lead the people of Israel in praising God after the crossing of the Red Sea.

Exodus 15:20-21 (Amp) – Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and dancing.  And Miriam responded to them, Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously and is highly exalted; the horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea.



Ruth who put God first and became the ancestress of King David. She was a Moabite woman who chose God’s way.

Ruth 4:17 (Amp) –  And her neighbor women gave him a name, saying, A son is born to Naomi. They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David [the ancestor of Jesus Christ].



Deborah, a judge in Israel.

Judges 4:4 (Amp) – Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, judged Israel at that time.



Hannah who “lent to the Lord” the child of her prayers.

1 Samuel 1:28 (Amp) – Therefore I have given him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is given to the Lord. And they worshiped the Lord there.



Mary who gave birth to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Luke 1:28 (Amp) – And he came to her and said, Hail, O favored one [endued with grace]! The Lord is with you! Blessed (favored of God) are you before all other women!



So, being a mother does not suggest lack of initiative and ability.

It does mean getting priorities straight.



People are what their mothers make them.  Emerson

All that I am or hope to be I owe to my angel mother.  Abraham Lincoln

Give me a generation of committed Christian mothers and I will undertake to change th

Pressing the Panic Button

A Lifestyle of Prayer



By Pastor Leonard Stone



Don’t make it difficult the hear God.





1 Thessalonians 5:17 – Never stop praying.



1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances…



Colossians 2:7 – Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all He has done.



Psalm 40:1 – I waited patiently for the Lord.



Psalm 62:1 – My soul waits in silence on God alone.



Isaiah 40:31 – But they tat wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.



John 14:31 – I do exactly what the Father has commanded me to do.



Philippians 4:6-7 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.



Matthew 11:28 – Come to me all you who are wary and burdened and I will give you rest.



Deuteronomy 4:29 – You will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.



Psalm 146:5 – Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.



Isaiah 41:10 – Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you.



Psalm 63:7 – Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.

Death Is Not the End
Pastor George Lehman

It’s important to be reminded regular that this life is preparation ground for the next life.

1 Timothy 4:8 (Amp) – For physical training is of some value (useful for a little), but godliness (spiritual training) is useful and of value in everything and in every way, for it holds promise for the present life and also for the life which is to come.



” What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Two of history's wisest men, Job, and Solomon, thought deeply about the possibilities of an afterlife for human beings, and both concluded that something better awaited men and women on the other side of death.

Realizing that God "has put eternity in their hearts" Ecclesiastes 3:11, (We were created to live forever)

Solomon writes at the end of the book that, although the physical body "will return to the earth as it was, . . . the spirit [of man] will return to God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

Job concludes that a time would come when, despite his being dead in the grave.
Job 14:14-15(Amp) – 14If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my warfare and service I will wait, till my change and release shall come. 15[Then] You would call and I would answer You; You would yearn for [me] the work of Your hands. Both men knew there would be life after death.



The New Testament consistently teaches the doctrine of life after death through the resurrection from the dead
(You can read this in I Corinthians 15 for the Bible's most concentrated teaching on it.)
1 Corinthians 15:14 (Amp) – And if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is in vain [it amounts to nothing] and your faith is devoid of truth and is fruitless (without effect, empty, imaginary, and unfounded).

While many understand that those who have given their lives to Jesus in this life will rise from their graves at the return of Christ to enjoy their eternal rewards:

I Corinthians 15:51-52 - “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.



I Thessalonians 4:14-17 - “For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

The Bible reveals that all humanity will live again!

Revelation 20:11-15 (NIV) - “11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

 

“The moment we start to live, we begin to die.  Death is the end of dying, not the end of living.”
-Charles Spurgeon

 

Here’s a question: When you leave this world, how wou