Pastor Kris Belfils

May 6, 2013 by Pastor Kris Belfils

The Hope Series – “Hope Against Hope!”

There will be times in our life when we have to hope and believe God will do what He said He will do, even when our circumstances scream at us contrary. This is Hoping Against Hope.

What do you do when…

►There is not enough money to pay your bills, let alone by groceries, and it is only the 5th of the month?

►You were just fired from your job and your spouse has been laid off for several months?

►Your car just broke down and you have no money to get it towed, let alone get it repaired?

►You just received news you have cancer?

►You found out your Mother just died and she was your rock you leaned on.

►God spoke to you years ago that you would do great things, but you are at home changing diapers?

►God promised you a promised land but all you can see is rejection, brokenness, and shame?

Paul tells us that Abraham Hoped Against Hope!

Romans 4:18 NASB

“In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE.”

Hope against hope. What does that mean? It means “To have hope even when the situation appears to be hopeless.” “To Hope very strongly that something will happen, although you know it is not very likely” (www.idioms.thefreedictionary.com).

Why would anyone in their right mind believe hope against hope? Logic tells you otherwise. It is easy to take the comfortable road of logic. It is the road most traveled. Logic fights with faith every minute of the day. It is logical and understandable to look at the facts and base your decision on what you know. God asks us to step out in faith and believe.

Just like Peter stepping out of the boat, it defied logic, yet it happened. Logic would have told him to stay in the boat. But [] staying in the boat means you are a boat talker and not a water walker.

In Reginald T. Steele’s book, “Get Out Of The Boat” he states: “A boat mentality is a mental condition that only functions in logic. A person who has a “boat mentality” always wants to play it safe; rarely taking a risk that is beyond their own comprehension. They want to remain in the boat, because the level of risk is comfortable. Rarely do people with a “boat mentality” remain in uncomfortable situations; they would rather stay in the boat and be a “boat talker,” but never a water walker.”

Are you a water walker or a boat talker?

If you Believe that God is real you maybe a water walker. If you Believe God sent His Son, you maybe a water walker. If you Believe your sins are forgiven and that God has great plans and a purpose for you, you may be a water walker. All this is based on hope and willing to believe in the unthinkable. But if you are a person who doesn’t believe in God, or maybe you believe, but you are unwilling to step out in faith for what God is calling you to do, you are a boat talker. Playing it safe seems right and comfortable, but often will never get you anywhere.

Paul tells us that Abraham’s faith was “Accredited to him as righteousness.”

Romans 4:19 – 24 NASB

“Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness. Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.”

Everything around him, and in him, said there was no reason to believe what was promised (and what he desperately wanted) would take place. Yet Abraham went on in faith believing the promises would be fulfilled.

At age 75 God first promised Abraham he would be a father of many nations. At age 86 Ismael was born from Hagar. Sarah made Hagar, her maid-servant, sleep with her husband to bring an offspring. This was not God’s plan or promise. It wasn’t until Abraham was 99 years old when Sarah finally conceived, and a year later bore a son, Isaac. Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born. 25 years from when the promise was spoken until it’s fulfillment.

Have you been waiting for a promise from God to be fulfilled?

Abraham was very old and much time had passed since God first told him he would be the Father of many nations. Sarah’s whom was dead. No life all these years ever came from her.

But God said they will have a son. Against all hope, Abraham believed that God would give him a son! This is faith!

Romans 4 tells us Abraham’s living hope, his hope against hope, for the future he looked for was based on his conviction that God could call things into existence which did not exist and He could bring throbbing life out of death.

Now that is fact! God brings life out of the dead. God brought life to Adam from the dust of the earth. It happened with Jesus being raised from the dead. It happened when Lazarus was raised from the dead and it can and will happen to you as you stand in faith believing, in spite of your circumstances or what your logic is telling you.

In hope, against all human hope,

Self-desperate, I believe; . . .

Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees,

And looks to that alone;

Laughs at impossibilities,

And cries: It shall be done!

Charles Wesley

It shall be done! I love that. This is what God can and will do for you to! Sometimes we “hope against hope” in our own lives. We have to. If we don’t, we will fall into despair and hopelessness.

It is easy to struggle with what God promised and what the facts are before you. Struggling with God’s promises is not doubt, just as temptation to sin is not itself sin.

Hope refuses to doubt and trusts in God’s promises, even when no way of fulfillment is humanly imaginable.

Abraham’s hope was shown because he was fully persuaded that God’s promise was certain and His power sufficient, because he was, as Paul states in Romans 4:21, fully convinced/assured that God was able to do what He had promised.

Trusting in a person’s promises requires believing they not only have the power to keep them, but also the will to do so.

Behind all promises lies the character of the person who makes them. Do you keep your promises? Be trustworthy and do what you say you will do!

Pastor Kris Belfils

God keeps His promises with you, shouldn’t you keep your promises you make to others? Absolutely!

You may know of someone who makes empty promises? They promise they will do something and they don’t show up. They promise to help and then cancels at the last minute. They are unreliable. This is not the case with God.

God has proven Himself over and over again. We see him prove Himself in the lives of others. We see Him prove Himself in our own life. He is trustworthy.

The question is: how big is your God? The answer to that question will determine how big your hope is. Is your god only the god of the everyday, simply maintaining the status quo? Or is your God, the sovereign God of the universe who delights to show people that everyday He accomplishes the humanly impossible to show that with Him, all things are possible (Matt 19:26)?

Abraham had a definite word from God about his future. He knew what God had promised, but he had no indication about when the promise would be fulfilled. The same is often true for us. While we are waiting for our manifestation to come forth–waiting for a breakthrough–we may grow frustrated or impatient. Sitting in the waiting room of life is not always easy!

You may possibly have lost hope in your situation, but you have to understand that one Word from God will change the situation for your good, for when everything else fails [] God’s Word cannot fail, for God watches over His word to perform it, and His Word is forever settled in heaven.

Hope against hope! One Word from Your all powerful God is all it takes! His time frame and ours are two different things. You tell yourself; “It’s not over!” You speak to your spirit and say, “God has a plan!” Tell yourself, “God sees me!” He is working things out for my behalf.

What is the word you need? Abraham waited and it was finally his season to receive the blessing promised. He stood on it daily. He spoke to God about it. This is what we need to do.

Stir yourself up! Don’t allow yourself to fall into self pity! Don’t allow discouragement to set in your spirit. Hope against all natural hope and push into the supernatural of God’s Living Hope that He will bring a break though in your life. Do you believe it? Do you trust Him?

Weak faith results from giving consideration or meditation to the circumstances that you are faced with. In order to have strong faith you must stay focused on God’s Word as the final judge for all life’s situations.

Unbelief is at the bottom of our staggering at the promises of God. This is being double minded and unstable in your heart. Strong faith is born as you stay focused on God’s promises without wavering with a fervent persuasion that God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us.

God’s Word brings hope to the hopeless in spite of the circumstance as the Word is received and acted upon.

Tell yourself: “I may be down, but God is lifting me up!”

Tell the enemy; “You thought you had me. You thought I was giving up, but God is setting me up for my victory!”

It may seem hopeless, but put your hope in God and He will bring the answer!

Circumstances may be screaming at you, but God is BIGGER! How big is your God? Remember this determines the size of your hope.

Speak to your circumstances and tell them they have to line up with God’s word.

His word says that ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR OUR GOOD!

His word states; “ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME!”

HE IS GOD AND DOES NOT LIE!

It is your time and your season of change in Jesus’ name!

Be willing to step out in faith and risk possibly all that you know for something you have been longing for. The worse that could happen is NOTHING! So what do you have to lose?

Your sister in Christ,

Pastor Kris Belfils

May 2, 2013 by Pastor Kris Belfils

The Hope Series – “Hope That Stands In The Storm”

To many, hope seems elusive or unattainable, but there is a hope that will stand for all time. It stands in the middle of struggles and storms. It stands when common sense tells you to give up.

What do you do when you experience a hardship or a storm? Do you cower? Do you give up? Do you get mad at God? God wants us to be mature Christians who are not tossed by every wind and wave that comes our direction.

Are you stable? Maybe you are one who is juggling so many things in life that if one more thing came your way you would crash.

There is an anchor, an unmovable hope, that stands the test of time.

Psalm 46:1 – 3 NKJV

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and thought the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah”

Even though all these things might be going on in your life, you still have hope that God will protect and rescue you. No one, nothing will ever take this away from you. This hope is strong because you have placed it in God alone and nothing else.

Hope commands us to be:

1. Joyful

Romans 12:12

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.”

Be joyful in hope. Sometimes the circumstances of your life (and condition of this world) make it difficult for you to be joyful. When you’re searching for Joy, where do you turn? One of the best places to find true Joy is in hope.

Ephesians 1:17 – 18 ESV

“[May God] give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.”

Since you are a co-heir with Jesus, this blessing is definitely for you. When present circumstances are weighing you down, grasp onto hope for dear life! It will help you not only to survive but to thrive – to live joyously.

In some ways, hope is like a hot-air balloon. It is very buoyant, so it can lift you up above your troubles. It enables you to soar in the heavens with Jesus – helping you see things from a heightened, big-picture perspective. To embark on this heavenly journey, you must climb into the basket beneath the balloon – by trusting fully that your hope in God will not let you down (Jesus Today, Sarah Young, Experience Hope Through His presence).

Proverbs 23:18

“There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.”

We are joyful in hope when we stand in the midst of tragedy or hardship. We are immovable hiding in our mighty fortress of our Strong Tower. In the midst of the storm God is working and healing and cleansing you. Often storms are there to bring change in our lives. Change to our mundane living, change to how we think and function, and change that comes from the inside out of you.

We have a Strong Tower to run to in the middle of any storm.

Psalm 61:1 – 4 NKJV

“Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You. When my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.”

Video: Strong Tower http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc5fqU0Owo4

2. Strong when we are wounded.

2 Tim. 2:3 CEV

“As a good soldier of Christ Jesus you must endure your share of suffering.”

Being wounded doesn’t give you a “free ticket” to leave this spiritual battle we are in. We have to see the bigger picture of destroying the enemy. We are a threat to him when we stand strong and continue wielding our sword after being wounded. There is a hope that wells up inside of us to keep going in the face of our fears or hurts and struggles.

True story:

Tommy Rieman was a teenager pumping gas in Independence, Kentucky, when he enlisted in the United States Army. Today, he wears the Purple Heart and the Silver Star of an American hero! He was, in fact, introduced to the nation during President Bush’s 2007 State of the Union Address.

Now, there’s been much disagreement about the war in Iraq, but there’s no disagreement about the heroism of soldiers like Sgt. Rieman!

The day his squad was ambushed by enemy fire in the midst of a reconnaissance mission, they were outnumbered ten to one! Their vehicles kept moving as Sgt. Rieman dove into the backseat and used his body as a shield to protect his gunner! As they sped away from the ambush, they found themselves ambushed AGAIN by some fifty enemy attackers! Rieman was shot in the right arm, he was shot in the chest, he had shrapnel wounds to his chest and stomach and ear, and his squad was out of ammo! HOWEVER, IN SPITE OF HIS WOUNDS, Tommy Rieman began firing away with his grenade launcher at their attackers! Finally, the enemy’s guns fell silent. ONLY THEN DID Sgt. Rieman began tending to his wounds and the wounded! That’s what you call a Certified Hero! Someone who’s been wounded – even badly wounded – and they still keep fighting! They realize, the Warfare Doesn’t Cease Because They’re Wounded…So With Everything They’ve Got…They Continue to Wield Their Weapons!

That’s what Spiritual Heroes do, too! In Spite of Their Wounds, They Continue to Wield Their Weapons, Knowing that the Warfare Doesn’t Stop Because They’ve Been Wounded!

3. Steadfast

Hebrews 6:19 NKJV

“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil.”

Steadfast means: “resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering” (Dictionary). That’s what anchors do. Our hope is an anchor to our soul so we will never be shaken. Be resolute in your hope. Hope is always there, we are the ones who give up on it. Be firm and unwavering in hope.

We have been given freedom to enter behind the veil. The veil to the Holy of Holies was ripped in two when Jesus died on the cross. That means we have full access to enter into God’s presence in prayer and worship. Let it become your lifestyle!

Psalm 9:9 NKJV

“The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.”

Our hope is an anchor, immovable and always present. Remind yourself Who God is when struggles or battles come. God is our refuge and strength, our very present help in trouble.

Let’s look at Psalm 46 again…

Psalm 46:1 – 3 NKJV

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and thought the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah”

The hope is that no matter what we go through, no matter what happens in this world, God is our refuge and strength and no one can take that away from us. This brings peace in the middle of any storm. God helps us in the middle of our troubles. Our job is to allow Him access to every area of our lives. If you have to hide it, don’t do it!

Psalm 71:5, 14 – 16 NKJV

“For You are my hope, O Lord, God; You are my trust from my youth…. But I will hope continually, and will praise You yet more and more. My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and Your salvation all the day, For I do not know their limits. I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.”

4. Hope Givers

Psalm 16:9

“Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.”

We rest in our Living Hope, Jesus Christ daily. But not only do we rest in Him, but we need to become givers of Hope!

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”

Mark Twain

How do most people feel when they’re around you? Do they feel small and insignificant, or do they believe in themselves and have great hope about what they can become?

The key to how you treat people lies in how you think about them. It’s a matter of attitude. What you believe is revealed by how you act.

“Treat a man as he appears to be and you make him worse. But treat a man as if he already were what he potentially could be, and you make him what he should be.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

1749-1832, Poet and Novelist

Hope is perhaps the greatest gift you can give another person as the result of nurturing, because even if people fail to see their own significance, they still have a reason to keep trying and striving to reach their potential in the future.

Don’t treat people less-then their full potential. Encourage them to rise up to a higher level in life and in their relationship with God. Let them know they have value and that you care about them. This helps hope to arise in their hearts.

5. Patient

Far too often we want to give up when we don’t see answers to our prayers. But being hopeful requires patience. It is one of the fruit of the spirit.

Galatians 5:22 – 23 ESV

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Having the Holy Spirit living in us will produce fruit. The question is are you allowing that fruit to produce? Patience requires self-control, love, and peace.

The kind of fruit that the Spirit produces in us is a cheerful and hopeful patience.

James 1:2 – 4 NKJV

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

The word “patience” is translated in the original Greek as; “cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy: – enduring, patience, patient continuance (waiting)” (Strongs G5281)

Whenever we are impatient we fall into our flesh. Ask God to help you walk in the spirit and produce the fruit and character He wants in your life. We are to be people of Godly character. Has God been patient with you? Yes! How many times have you messed up and God patiently waits for you to call out to Him for help? If you are like me, infinite times. I long to have God’s character and not my own. In order to have that we have to experience tribulations and trials. It produces the patience and hope we desperately need.

Romans 5:3 – 5 NKJV

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Hope does not disappoint! I love that! We are never ashamed by holding onto the Living Hope. Some people put their hope in themselves, or people, or circumstances, but we put our hope in nothing but God and His love that is poured out into our hearts. All of this comes when we experience storms or trials. Wow, how beautiful and yet how difficult at the same time.

This is the love of God to allow us to walk through hardship or suffering so that we persevere and godly character is grown which produces the hope we need for everyday living.

So what about you? How do you respond when storms arise in your life? Do you get mad at God and turn your back on Him? Do you give up? Do you get all upset and think there is no hope?

Today, God wants you to be a person of His character who stands in the middle of any storm you may face. Not only do you stand, but you have this cheerful, hopeful endurance to keep on going in the face of this storm! This is what God wants to instill in each of us. Are you willing? Let’s be mature Christians and not babies in our walk with God and live that victorious life we all called to live!

From one steadfast storm stander to another,

Pastor Kris Belfils

April 17, 2013 by Pastor Kris Belfils

The Hope Series – “Where Is Your Hope?” (Part 2)

Proverbs 13:12

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

Delayed hope, or hope put off makes our hearts sick. It grieves our spirit. It zaps our energy and fills our hearts with darkness. God knows this. Don’t give up hope, God hears our cry for help! He will send us our cloud of hope, even if it is very small, it is something we can see and know He is working on our behalf.

Video: “While I’m Waiting”

Will we worship and walk in obedience waiting for God to bring hope and answers? Do you trust God? This is what the Christian faith is all about… faith believing God is there and this brings hope.

Far too often believers give up when their prayer is not answered or things don’t go according to your plans. We think God is mad or didn’t hear our cry. There is an element of faith believing every Christian has to walk through. Do we just love God when times are good, and then when times are hard we give up on God?

We have to be mature believers and decide I will trust God and hope in God no matter the circumstance.

Helpless but not hopeless! In our weakness God is strong. We can stand knowing when we are walking through a hard situation, in our helplessness, God sees our condition. Just like a loving parent sees and helps a helpless child, this is what God does with us. We have to realize this is humility and it is also strength. Humility in that we are not relying on our own abilities, and strength because we totally rely on God’s. This is what David did when facing Goliath. David’s brother, Eliab, thought David was arrogant when he came to the front lines of battle to find out what was going on with his big brothers and the nation of Israel.

Read 1 Samuel 17:1 – 11

1 Samuel 17:11 (NKJV)

“When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.”

Remember one of the words for “despair” is “dismayed.” King Saul and all of Israel had lost hope. They didn’t believe they would prevail. Unbelief is trusting in your own strength. Unbelief is pride, the opposite of humility.

This world will tell you that being humble is to be meek and timid, but that is not humility at all. True humility is not relying on your own strength but on God’s. It is a knowing that God will prevail in spite of circumstances and fears. It is believing God is Who He says He is and walking in His power and insight.

Read 1 Samuel 17:12 – 18

David knew who he was. He was a Mighty Man Of God, yet even his father treated him as a child sending him to look after his brothers and report back what was going on. I am sure David burned in his chest the desire of being on the front lines in battle. Knowing David’s character, and Who He relied on in every circumstance, he wanted to show God’s power by annihilating the enemy. David wasn’t afraid of the Giants or what people thought of him.

David lived in his hopes. Saul, David’s brothers, and the Israelites lived in their fears. It paralyzed them from doing anything great. It put them in bondage and they couldn’t advance. If it weren’t for David, all of Israel would have been killed or turned into Philistine slaves.

Read 1 Samuel 17:19 – 30

Eliab’s view of David was skewed. Eliab believed he was speaking out of insight and wisdom, but Eliab’s pride got the best of him. He asked David, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle” (1 Samuel 17:28). Yet, right before all this happened, King Saul was tormented by a distressing spirit and was troubled. The servants of King Saul suggested getting a man who is a skillful payer on the harp to play and ease the king’s spirit. One of Saul’s servants already knew about David. He told the king, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing , a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the LORD is with him” (1 Samuel 16:18).

No matter what our family or others think of us, there will be people who truly see us for who we are; “Mighty Men and Women of God!” David’s older brother, Eliab, never saw David as anything but his younger little brother, who he thought was a prideful, arrogant sheep herder.

Don’t listen to the “nay-sayers” in your life. They don’t see you as God sees you. David was facing Giants. Not only in the physical, but also mentally with his older brother and what he thought of him. If David listened to his older brother the battle would have never been won. The Philistines would have prevailed. David overcame the Giant of Nay-sayers when he turned from his brother and asked someone else what was going on and what was the reward for defeating Goliath.

Philippians 4:13

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

This should be our motto! This should drive us daily to do all that God has called us to do. This is what we have to walk in every situation, trial, hardship, and fear.

Read 1 Samuel 17:31 – 42

The word “Disdain” means: “lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike, a communication that indicates lack of respect by patronizing the recipient, look down on with disdain, reject with contempt.” Synonyms: contempt, scorn, condescension, despise, reject, turn down.

How many times have you faced this very experience in your life? People who looked down on you and rejected you for some reason or another. They had disdain in their hearts. Remember that God is a god Who sees! God knows what you are up against. He knows the hearts of everyone involved. Trust that God will bring justice out of false accusations or mistreatment. In the meantime, keep on walking and doing what you believe God has called you to do!

Read 1 Samuel 17:42 – 43

The Philistine taunted David with his words. If David believed them, the battle would have been lost. But immediately David responded to the Philistine.

1 Samuel 17:45 – 47

“Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defiled. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword, and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

David didn’t cower after Goliath taunted him with condemning words. No, David came back with words of intimidation and faith. He looked at his Giant and spoke to his Giant the very words his Giant was speaking to him, but with God’s anointing and boldness, and authority. Don’t let the giant intimidate you, you intimidate the giant. Pursue and conquer!

Read 1 Samuel 17:48 – 58

Verse 51

“Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.”

David took Goliath’s own sword, which was still in its sheath, and killed him. The very sword Goliath should have used to kill David. The very words Goliath used to taunt David, was the very thing that happened to him. David used his enemies’ own weapon against him. Goliath didn’t even have his weapon out for battle. What was up with that? If one thinks they are heading into battle, weapons are drawn and ready. Goliath was so arrogant he didn’t even think he needed to defend himself. That is the mind-frame of the enemy. He thinks he has already won, but in reality, he has defeated himself. How? By disregarding the power and authority of God’s servants. We, as God’s servants, God’s warriors, can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! We are more then conquerors through Him who loves us! God has already won, we just get in battle position and watch the hand of God annihilate our enemy.

David learned how to walk in hope in spite of any fear he may have had.

Hope prevails

This is how hope prevails in spite of circumstances we face. We have to learn how to find hope. Sometimes we are too weak to walk in hope, but we can stand in it. Stand, knowing God is fighting your battle. Stand, in the face of fear. Remember who is for you and not against you! After standing, God will give you His grace to start walking in His hope. Believe God for a small cloud of hope. Press in to God and expect Him to answer your cry.

Your Sister in Christ,

Pastor Kris Belfils

April 2, 2013 by Pastor Kris Belfils

The Living Hope Of Easter

What Jesus did on the cross is everything. He died so that we might live. But He didn’t stay in the grave, No, He is risen. He is alive! It gives us hope for tomorrow.

Hope is the sustainer of life. It’s the motivator to action. It’s the promise of tomorrow.

What each one of us needs more of is hope. What our country and world needs is hope.

What is hope? Often we use the word hope as a form of wish. “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow.” “I hope the Seahawks or Bulldogs win their next game.” However, hope in the Bible, has quite a different meaning.

Hope in the Bible is a “confident expectation of a divinely provided future.” Biblical hope is a confidence and expectation that God has provided for a good future for you. This morning God wants to fill every person here with hope that God has a great future planned for you.

The opposite of hope is despair or hopelessness. We see examples of despair and hopelessness all around us.

”Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

I would like to add to this quote;

“Despair cannot drive out despair: only HOPE can do that.”

Pastor Kris Belfils

How many times do we try to drive out our own despair with more despair? This will never bring encouragement.

The word despair means: “A state in which all hope is lost or absent, The feeling that everything is wrong and nothing will turn out well, abandon hope; give up hope; lose heart. Other terms: Discouragement, disheartenment, dismay, hopelessness, pessimism, resignation, surrender.”

This happens to many people everyday. When a tragedy occurs or our expectations have not been met, we can fall into despair easily. We can fall into despair just by thinking wrong thoughts about our self and others.

There are really only two things you can have in life:

1. Despair

2. Hope

Hope in the dictionary means: “A general feeling that some desire will be fulfilled, grounds for feeling hopeful about the future, Someone, or something on which expectations are centered, One of three Christian virtues (‘Faith, Hope, and Love’), expect and wish, intend with some possibility of fulfillment.”

Having hope is so essential to surviving in life. If we lose hope, we have lost the race.

Despair and hopelessness drives people to harm themselves or others in many ways. Hopelessness leads people to try to escape life’s despair through different kinds of addictions. Despair about your future saps the joy from life.

Where can we get the hope that we need in life? …….Our hope comes from Jesus.

Matthew 12:21 (NIV)

“In his name the nations will put their hope.”

Some people put their hope in wrong things and they are disappointed. But everyone who puts their hope in Jesus will never be disappointed. Easter is all about the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

A Living Hope

Peter 1:3 – 5 (NJKV)

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

“…a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead!” God’s Word Translation states this phrase; [] “We have been born into a new life that has a confidence which is alive because Jesus Christ has come back to life.”

Hope is something that is living and alive! This Living hope is like living waters flowing from a constant spring which never runs dry, it is always flowing, always giving and constantly moving and active.

I want you to note that a living hope means that it is not dead, or lifeless. It is not the kind of hope that we use to stir positive thinking for the moment, but does nothing for us beyond the grave. It is not the kind of hope that gives us meaning and motivation for life but is dead and lifeless beyond this life. This hope is for this life and beyond.

I also want you to recognize that a living hope means that it is not a probable hope; it is not the kind of hope that may or may not come. It is always present, always working in us. We just have to believe and stand on it! This is called “faith!”

The hope that God gives is a hope that is real and true, a hope that actually exists. A living hope is active and functioning; it acts and works both within the heart of the believer and within heaven apart from the believer.

Eternal life is a living hope because it is reality; it is a life that really exists in another world, the spiritual world, that is more real than the world in which we live. The believer’s hope for eternal life lives, acts, and works within the believer now, even while they are on earth. It is not that the believer is going to receive eternal life; they have already received eternal life. Their hope for eternal life is living, acting, and working within them right now. This is the glorious hope of the believer, the living hope of living forever with God face to face.

Eternal life is promised to believers in Christ:

John 3:15 – 16 NKJV

“That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

1 John 2:25 NKJV

“And this is the promise that He has promised us — eternal life.”

Romans 6:23 NKJV

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

1 Peter 1:3 tells us how this kind of hope is possible—it is due to the source of our hope: the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Our living hope finds its source in the Living God in whom all things “live and move and have their being” (Acts 17:28). This kind of hope dispels all fear.

Our God’s not dead He’s surely alive!

I watched the movie “The Hunger Games” and one line in the movie stuck out to me: “Hope is the only thing that can stand against fear.” There is truth to that.

Having hope propels you to keep trying in the middle of your fears. This is the action or active part of hope. Hope helps us to stay focused. If we don’t have hope, we will fall into our fears and doubts and give up. Don’t give up!

We hope in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. The word “resurrection” means: “Standing up again, that is, a resurrection from death: raised to life again, rise from the dead, rising again.”

Let Hope arise in you today! The Hope of Jesus Christ is powerful. No one can take that away from you. Hope sustains you. Hope keeps you.

You might be living in a hard situation right now. It might seem hopeless, but remind yourself Who is living inside of you! Jesus, the conqueror of death! Jesus, the giver of new life and new beginnings!

Death could not hold Jesus! We have that same spirit dwelling in us everyday!

Romans 8:11 (NKJV)

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

Romans 8:11 (Message)

“It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s!”

God can breathe new life into any situation, circumstance, or issue, and bring forth life again.

Jesus was raised from the dead. Resurrection Life came from the One who is the Resurrection and the Life.

We have to remember the term: Resurrection Advancement! The bigger the stone the enemy places on you to stop your advancement in life, the stronger, and bigger the stage of your advancement so rejoice! Just look at the stone the enemy tried to place in front of Jesus’ tomb. Even death could not keep that stone in place. If you feel a huge stone has been placed on you, get ready for a resurrection advancement!

When I say; “the enemy” I am referring to the devil. He is the enemy of our soul. The Bible tells us that He is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). But remember that this lion has no teeth. He may roar, but has no power because Christ took it from him when He was resurrected.

When the stone was rolled away so was our sin. When the stone was rolled away so was our disappointments we have experienced. Rolled away was all our regrets. Rolled away were the hurts and un-forgiveness we may be holding onto. Rolled away were any lies we’ve said or mistakes we have made. New life and a new beginning is there for you to walk in.

Don’t let anyone or anything make you feel “less” in life when God gave His Son for you to be and live the best!

Don’t look at the big stone in front of you. Look to Jesus who didn’t let anything, or anyone stop Him from bringing Living Hope to this world. You are being set up! If your way seems blocked, if your dreams have died, if you have no hope, REJOICE because God is setting you up for greater things. It could be the “midnight hour” for God to do the impossible, but He WILL do it! Don’t give up! Don’t lose hope!

Hebrews 10:35 (NASB)

“Do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.”

James 1:12 (CEV)

“God will bless you, if you don’t give up when your faith is being tested. He will reward you with a glorious life, just as he rewards everyone who loves Him.”

How would you describe your level of hope today? Is your “hope tank” on full or is it dangerously close to empty? Is the hope your experiencing right now one that is merely based on positive thinking or probability, or is it a living hope resting on the promises of God?

God’s design is for you to know and experience this living hope. He has done everything necessary to make it available to each of us as a living reality. Will you accept His offer today?

Allow the Living Hope to rise up inside of you. If you don’t know this Living Hope, Jesus Christ, today is your day. Don’t delay in asking Him to come into your heart.

Your sister,

Pastor Kris Belfils

www.HopeFellowshipSpokane.com

March 25, 2013 by Pastor Kris Belfils

Dealing With Rejection (Rejection Rewards!)

You know the scene. It is in the middle of the day. The children are out to play on the playground. They choose team members to play the game. One by one everyone is picked until it comes down to the last person. By now this lonely person really doesn’t want to play because they were the last to be chosen. The reject! The one no one wants.

Rejection! We’ve all experienced it. Not getting that promotion we were anticipating. Or not getting the job you interviewed for and someone you know did. We all want to be valued and accepted. Being valued is a natural human desire. When we don’t feel valued we tend to draw back and isolate ourselves. Maybe you have been rejected from a friend, or relative. How about wanting to go out with somebody and they said, “No!”

rejection is: “Dismiss as inadequate, inappropriate, or not to one’s taste, or to satisfy one’s taste. To refuse to accept, consider, submit to, take for some purpose, or use. To refuse to hear, receive, or admit.”

I don’t know about you, but I have experienced many times the definition of rejection. When it happens, it’s easy to think you did something wrong or that there is something wrong with you. Most of the time this is not the case. But, the enemy will try and make us feel bad about ourselves, or bad about our life after we have been rejected.

Rejection hurts. I am here today to let you know there is hope after rejection. We can allow the “sting” of being rejected to torment and alienate us, or we can be determined to rise above those who rejected us and keep on keeping on with our life.

Jesus knew first hand what it felt like to be rejected. Many times the religious rulers of His day rejected what He had to say, or even rejected Who He was. They were unwilling and refused to accept His teachings because they liked being in control of the people. They didn’t think He was the “Messiah.” Jesus’ taught about mercy and grace and the religious rulers were legalistic.

How many times Jesus endured scrutiny from the Pharisees and Sadducees. They even tried to “trip” Jesus up with His answers, but again, Jesus knew what was in their hearts.

I wish I could say I acted or reacted in a godly manner after experiencing rejection in my own personal life. There were times I did, and times I didn’t. But I have learned several things about rejection, that I pray, will help you to deal with it and overcome any negative affects it brings.

We can learn so much on how to deal with rejection by watching Jesus’ reaction.

Dealing With Rejection

1. Keep walking boldly!

Luke 6:28 – 30 NKJV

“So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath (rage), and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.”

Jesus knew what was in the religious rulers heart’s. He spoke the truth with authority. They took Jesus out of the synagogue and out of the city to a high hill and wanted to push him over the edge. Jesus, turns, and walks boldly through the crowd and continues on with His ministry.

People will reject out of fear. It shows their insecurities within themselves when they reject you.

The religious leaders rejected Jesus because they were afraid. Afraid of losing their position. Afraid that the people will turn from their leadership and follow truth, which Jesus represented, and oozed out with. People already thronged Jesus. Fear makes people do crazy rejectful, brutal things.

Truth is power. The religious rulers saw truth in Jesus and they had to destroy Him.

2. Shake the dust off your feet!

Read Mark 6:1 – 13

Mark 6:11 NKJV

“And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.”

There have been times when I have had to shake the dust off my feet when I was rejected, and some of those places were in a Christian church, with Christian people.

There will be people who will be offended by the truth you represent. They will harden their hearts towards you and kick you out of their group or organization. I’ve heard it said, “Go where you are celebrated!” There is some truth to that because it is extremely hard to stay somewhere where the people are constantly rejecting you. Jesus said to shake the dust off of your sandals and to move on. Do what you can there, but move on and keep your head held high! People are not rejecting you, but rejecting God. To a degree, it is Christian persecution to have fellow Christians kick you out of their “club.” This is what happened to Jesus many times.

3. Don’t get offended!

Luke 17:1 (HCSB)

“Offenses will certainly come, but woe to the one they come through!”

We have to get elephant skin when it comes to speaking the truth and not being received. People hurt people. As long as you are around people, you will have the chance to get offended.

Scriptures tell us “Offenses will come” (Luke 17:1). We will always be tempted to be offended. Our expectations weren’t met, or someone hurt us or rejected us. You might have said things like, “How can they treat me like this?” or “I was a part of them for years and look how they treat me!” They will call you names, slander you, and want you gone. They will ignore your true worth in Christ and reject you because of the truth you represent. This happened to Jesus. He was known as the “Carpenter’s Son.”

Mark 6:3 NKJV

“Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.

They rejected Jesus because they only saw Him as the Carpenter’s Son. They put Jesus in a box in their minds. They knew His family. They saw Him grow up and become a man. God was raising Him up, but they refused to accept Who He was called to be.

When you have a heart for God you will be rejected. You might even be rejected by those close to you. Even if you are not a minister, you will experience rejection. But let me tell you; Once you meet Christ you are a minister! Your life is a sermon that everyone reads.

Jesus was rejected and even mocked while He was hanging on the cross. As if what they did to him was not enough. After being beaten and whipped, after the crown of thorns were pushed on His head and imbedded into his brow, after his hands and feet were nailed to the cross, after He was mutilated beyond recognition, they mocked Him.

Mark 15:29 – 32 (NKJV)

“And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!” Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.”

They were sarcastically mocking Christ while He was hanging on the cross. Who does that? Who kicks people when they are “already down?” Those who are full of themselves and think they are right. Those who want their way and arrogantly assume they deserve it. That’s who! They thought they were sitting in the driver seat. Little did they know God used them to bring forth Salvation to the world.

I don’t think anyone of us have experienced all that Jesus experienced, in our entire lifetime, what he experienced in just a few hours. Still, when we experience rejection it sting hangs with us.

Like I said earlier, there is hope. Not only can you be healed from any sting of rejection, but there are other promises you can stand on when dealing with rejection.

Rejection rewards:

1. You will be vindicated!

Psalm 35:24 NKJV

“Vindicate me, O LORD my God, according to Your righteousness; And let them not rejoice over me.”

God hears our cry and sees all. God knows what is in a man’s heart. He knows what is in your heart. He knows everyone’s motives. If there is injustice, God will repay. He is a just God.

There are times we are rejected for walking justly. Again, God will vindicate you.

Psalm 26:1 NKJV

“Vindicate me, O LORD, For I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the LORD; I shall not slip.”

Psalm 43:1 NKJV

“Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!”

If there is injustice, it will only last for a season and God will deliver you from the deceitful injustice.

Jesus was vindicated. He didn’t stay on the cross or in the tomb. He was resurrected. No man, no matter how much power they think they had, couldn’t keep Jesus from raising from the dead.

2. You will be promoted.

Psalm 23:5a NKJV

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”

People will be surprised at your promotion. It will go against what they thought of you. They rejected you because they didn’t agree with who they thought you were. Their opinion of you doesn’t determine who you are. They will see you resurrected. They will see you doing things and walking in ways they never imagined. What are you going to do when this happens? Rejoice! It will happen!

2. You will be transformed.

Walking out of rejection and leaning on your beloved, you will be more like Him. We lean on Jesus and connect to His rejection immediately when we are rejected and treated unfairly.

To know Christ in His resurrection and suffering, we have to experience a death. When we die to ourselves and our flesh, we allow Christ to increase in us. It really is a win – win situation. We win when we lose. We lose our flesh and we gain a changed perspective. Treated unfairly is exactly what Christ went through.

All this said, God is keeping score and He will pay you back with heavenly blessings for the scourge you have received from your enemies. The rejection we have received from others simply open our hearts to receive more of the anointing into our lives. We will be eating a feast of His power and presence while our enemies look on, unable to understand why we have been chosen to receive such blessing. Little did they know it was their reproach against us that made us a target for God’s blessing. It was their betrayal that brought God’s best blessings to our doorstep!

Walk as Jesus walked and hold your head up high knowing you are God’s child and He has great plans for you.

Maybe you have experienced rejection and long to be healed of its sting. Bring this to the Lord and humbly ask God to heal you, and transform the way you think and act. Your perspective needs to change and view any rejection as being “set up” for greater things. You are being positioned for promotion and blessing!

Your sister,

Pastor Kris Belfils

www.HopeFellowshipSpokane.com

March 18, 2013 by Pastor Kris Belfils

A Heart Of Compassion (Move with compassion like Jesus did!)

From the beginning of time God has always had mercy. It is Who He is. He never changes. His compassion for us never fails.

Compassion in the dictionary means: “A deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it.”

Webster defines the word “Compassion” as; “Pity or Sympathy.”

From the Greek “Compassion” is defined as “Inward Affection, Pity or Sympathy, yearning.”

What compassion means to us today literally is “Suffering With Another!”

Compassion is action. Compassion moves. It doesn’t stand still. It doesn’t ignore the problem. And it surely doesn’t turn away when someone is in need.

Lam. 3:22 – 23 NKJV

“Through the LORD’S mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”

Because of God’s mercy we are not consumed. God’s character towards us can be described well with the word: “mercy.” Its His “tender mercies” that moves Him to help us.

The Old Testament word for mercy incorporates three things. His:

Covenant of compassion.
Consuming commitment to bring us into..
Everlasting communion with Himself.

Mercy and compassion are interchangeable. God’s mercy is His compassion towards us even when we deserve punishment. He is committed to restore us even though we deserve to endure the consequences of our sin, and His covenant of love and communion overwhelms us in the middle of our foolishness.

In this verse in Laminations “mercy” describes the Father’s intense emotional yearning for a wayward people – You and I.

God’s mercies are new every morning. This tells us that we need God’s mercy more then we think. Whether we feel weak or strong, we need God’s mercy everyday.

Psalm 78:38 – 39 NKJV

“But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath; For he remembered that they were but flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again.”

God is FULL of compassion. I am so thankful for this. Too many times I have messed up and deserved judgement and punishment. There are times God does bring correction. It is God’s compassion that brings correction, but with correction God’s compassion comforts us and gives us strength to endure any consequences we may have to walk through because of our bad behavior.

The Bible tells us many times that God is compassionate or has mercy for us. Jesus is exactly like His Father. Jesus was moved with compassion often in His earthly ministry.

We have been looking at “The Roads That Jesus Walked.” This week we look at the road of compassion. Without compassion Jesus wouldn’t of had such an impact on the world. He wouldn’t have come to save us because there is action to compassion.

Compassion of Jesus

Jesus has compassion for the Demoniac.

Read Mark 5:1 – 19

Mark 5:19 NKJV

“However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, ‘Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.”

This man was demon possessed and lived in the tombs or caves. He was an outcast and rejected by society. No one could tame him. Nothing could hold him, not even iron shackles. Night and day he cried out and cut himself with stones. But when He saw Jesus, even the demonic, have to worship Him. He ran to Jesus and worshiped Him. Jesus cast out the demons and they went into the pigs. 2000 pigs couldn’t take the legion of demons and they ran violently down the steep hill into the sea and drowned. This man was extremely tormented! Scripture doesn’t say how he became that way. But it gives us some light on the compassion of Jesus. When the man wanted to follow Jesus where ever he went, Jesus told him to go back home. Jesus gave His live back to him. His family and friends. No more being an outcast or a reject. No more torment! Remember compassion is seeing the suffering and doing something about it. Jesus totally set this man free and restored his life back to him. This is compassion!

2. Jesus has compassion for the lost.

Read Matthew 9:35 – 38

Matt. 9:36 NKJV

“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.”

Jesus was moved with compassion over the multitudes. He saw them wondering and weak. He saw the great work that needed to be done. The people were ripe for harvest and many workers are needed to reach them. This is the very heart of God: people. We too must have this heart of compassion.

Jesus was moved with compassion! Lost souls moved Christ to cry out to them, to seek them, to save them. Again in the book of Mark we see Jesus moved with compassion.

Mark 6:34

“And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.”

3. Jesus has compassion for the sick.

Any miracle that Jesus performed was out of compassion.

Read Mark 1:40 – 45

Mark 1:41 NKJV

“Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.”

Matt. 14:14 NKJV

“And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.”

The phrase “moved with compassion” here means “stirred to action.” Jesus didn’t just sit back and notice the needs of the people. He was moved, stirred in His heart. He felt their pain. There was more then an awareness of their situation, there was action.

So, what did Jesus do? He didn’t just talk. His heart was stirred at what He saw and He had a consuming desire to change things. The feelings of pity and sympathy He felt moved Him to action.

Compassion is not just pity or sympathy. It is more than being moved to tears or stirred up emotionally. Compassion means pity and mercy accompanied by a desire to help change things. True compassion moves us to do something!

“Compassion will cure more sin than condemnation.”

Henry Ward Beecher

“Compassion without action is a wasted emotion”

Unknown

We need to have compassion for others. Not only do we need it, but it is a command in God’s word.

It’s not enough to have “pity” for someone. We need a deep awareness of the suffering of others and have the desire to do something about it. Compassion is actually something we are to put on and wear.

Colossians 3:12 – 14 Message

“So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.”

This is a powerful eye-opener of what we are to wear each day. Your life is not all about you. Your life is about others. Just loving yourself and being kind and compassionate to yourself is NOT the way to live, not according to God’s word. We are to be doers of the word and not hearers only.

James 1:22 – 25 HCSB

“But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror; for he looks at himself, goes away, and right away forgets what kind of man he was. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who acts — this person will be blessed in what he does.”

If you call yourself a Christian, act like one! Show action with your compassion!

Pastor Kris Belfils

The antonyms of the word “compassion” are: “Cruelty, harshness, hatred, indifference, meanness, mercilessness, and tyranny.”

Do you have any of these traits? There is hope! We can ask Jesus to help us be more like Him and He will. The key is to be willing to change.

Christ didn’t HAVE TO do anything He did. He did the gracious, loving, kind, compassionate, wonderful things He did because He wanted to do them! They were the natural expression of His nature.

Christ’s compassion is available to us when we are hurting because He loves us and automatically wants to help us. In turn, we are to be compassionate towards others.

Of all the roads that Jesus walked, the “road of compassion” showed His love for others. I am thankful for the compassion of Christ. You and I need it desperately. To the degree Christ had compassion on you is the degree you should have compassion on others. We are all wretched people. There is no good in us apart from God. Any compassion in you is from God. When you think of it, we are helpless, hopeless until God, who moved with compassion, took action and sent His Son to save us. Shouldn’t we, in turn, move with compassion to give hope to others who don’t know Christ?

I leave you with this last verse:

1 Peter 3:8 – 9 Message

“Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless – that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.”

Your compassionate sister in Christ,

Pastor Kris Belfils

March 1, 2013 by Pastor Kris Belfils

Brokenness

Matthew 16:24 – 25 NKJV

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

GIVING UP CONTROL: BROKENNESS

It is human nature to look out for yourself. You don’t have to teach a baby this. One of their first words they may say is, “Mine!” Parents work hard at teaching their children to share and to look out for others.

“The pronouns “my” and “mine” look innocent enough in print, but their constant and universal use is significant. They express the real nature of the old Adamic man better than a thousand volumes of theology could do. They are verbal symptoms of our deep disease. The roots of our hearts have grown down into things, and we dare not pull up one rootlet lest we die. Things have become necessary to us, a development never originally intended. God’s gifts now take the place of God, and the whole course of nature is upset by the monstrous substitution.”

A. W. Tozer “The Pursuit Of God”

We can be controlling and stingy at times. What does it mean to give God control of our lives? If we give God control, will He totally change us into something we don’t want to be? After all, allowing God to have control, with His time and purposes, takes too long.

How many of you have “helped” God out by going ahead with your own idea of what should happen?

Even if God birthed within us a vision or a goal, we try to hurry up the process in our own wisdom and power. But all we end up doing is make a mess of things.

We either do one of two things when it comes to control:

1. We don’t wait and take control our self.

a. We can see this mistake with Sarai (Sarah).

Genesis 16 (recap) Sarai had her Egyptian maid, Hagar, conceive Abraham’s child and Ishmael was born. Eventually, in God’s time, He allowed Sarai to conceive and Isaac was born. The two brothers fought, and their descendants fight to this day.

Sarai knew the promise that God gave Abram that his descendants would be as many as the stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5).

Sarai had yet to give Abram a child. She was old and well past child bearing years.

Genesis 16 shows us what happens when we try to make something happen in our time instead of waiting on God for His time and purpose.

When we don’t wait for God’s time, and try to make things happen in our own time, only mistakes are made. Waiting is one of the hardest things for us humans to do, but when we do, we are blessed.

Our self-sufficiency can destroy us and our pride will prevent God’s favor and blessing to manifest in our lives.

The flesh is hard to tame. The only thing that will tame it is to lay it down at Christ’s feet and say, “Have your way in me.”

2. We submit and give God control

a. Jesus gave up control to the Father when He literally laid down His life for His Father’s will.

Jesus said it well in Matthew 26:39b (Amplified Bible) “…My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will [not what I desire], but as You will and desire.”

The process of surrendering our all to Christ can be a difficult and painful process, yet extremely rewarding once we do it.

Philippians 1:21 (NKJV)

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Dealing with your flesh

Now dealing with your flesh is hard. Your flesh or your will, doesn’t want to die.

It will scream out at you to stop. It will scream out in self-pity to have its way. Be aware of it when the time comes for you to let go of your control to God. If self-pity wins, sin has won. Press through the pain of letting go of your will. You will feel uncomfortable.

Peter, when he stepped outside of the boat, I’m sure, felt uncomfortable. His flesh said, “This doesn’t feel right.” “I’ve never felt this way before.” His spirit wanted to reach Jesus, but his flesh wanted to go back to the familiar (the boat) and be safe and comfortable again.

The world will tell you to look out for yourself, stand up for your rights, but God requires us to be broken and have a contrite heart.

Psalm 51:17 NKJV

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and contrite heart – These, O God, You will not despise.”

It’s never fun to die. It costs us something. Our will has to die. Flesh wants to run when it is costly or painful.

Amy Wilson, with the Christian Literature Crusade, expresses this thought well:

“God, harden me against myself,

The coward with pathetic voice

Who craves for ease and rest and joy.

Myself, arch-traitor to myself,

My hollowest friend,

My deadliest foe,

My clog, whatever road I go.”

A. W. Tozer states in “The pursuit of God” about dying to our flesh: “You have to pull it from its roots. The ancient curse will not go out painlessly; the tough old miser within us will not lie down and die obedient to our command. He must be torn out of our heart like a plant from the soil; he must be extracted in agony and blood like a tooth from the jaw. He must be expelled from our soul by violence as Christ expelled the money changers from the temple. And we shall need to steel ourselves against his piteous begging, and to recognize it as springing out of self-pity, one of the most reprehensible sins of the human heart.”

Sounds like fun, right! Our flesh will scream to have its way. We are only deceiving our self if we let it win. Part of our flesh is our pride. Pride comes in so many packages. One big package is our stubborn will.

There has to be brokenness within us to bring us to the place of giving God control.

What is brokenness?

I think brokenness is more an attitude than an incident. There are many elements to brokenness.

1. Brokenness is a state of true humility.

a. We can try and be humble, but true humility is realizing our need for God. It is a knowing that life evolves around Him and not us.

b. True humility is a heart that wants to continually please God first and foremost above our own needs and wants.

c. True humility will prove itself. It proves the one whom it represents.

If we are walking in true humility, we will not want to be seen, or to be first in line, or to be expecting others to wait on us.

d. True humility will look out for the interests of others instead of always looking out for itself.

e. A true sign of humility is a person who is willing to serve, even when no one is looking. Are you a true humble servant?

2. Brokenness is the absence of pride.

There is a kind of pride that has a “Look at me” spirit attached to it. When you see it in others, it leaves a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach. Have you ever watched American Idol or some other talent show? There are contestants who think they are “all that!” and there are contestants who are humble. Often those who think more highly of themselves then they should never make it on the show. They usually get mad and start shouting profanities because they didn’t get to go on to Hollywood and continue with the contest.

I’ve encountered prideful people many times as a Pastor and a Worship Leader working with a teams or people in the congregation. Satan fell from heaven because of his pride (Isaiah 14:12 – 15). I can see why worship team members may struggle with wanting to be seen, and even churches struggle over what kind of music is to be played during the service.

When working with teams, I’ve found the members who have pride built up in their hearts are the hardest to work with. The truly broken, humble members will want to help out in any way or in any place there is a need. Prideful members will want to be seen and want to have their way.

Those members, who have pride in their hearts, eventually will have to choose between two choices.

When pride is in our hearts, we have one of two choices we can make;

1. We will finally notice the pride and want to change

2. We will harden our hearts and continue deeper in our pride. This could possibly lead to destruction.

Proverbs 16:18 (NKJV)

“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Isaiah 64:6 NKJV

“But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousness are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

Since experiencing first hand the destruction from my own pride, I’ve tried to warn other people of this possibility, but the only true school is the school of hard knocks. We all have to live it to really understand it.

Pride is an element that will defile us if never addressed. It’s easy to allow pride to build and grow in our hearts. It’s easy to shrug it off, as if it is not important. If you don’t think you have a lot of pride in you, don’t be deceived, everyone is susceptible to “pride buildup.”

Mark 7:20 – 23 (NKJV)

“And He (Jesus) said, ‘What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.’”

We should never think we can handle pride. Always lay the compliments people give you at the foot of the cross and leave it there. These “jewels” that were given to you are really Christ’s.

There is much grace for those that rid pride from their lives. It is an on going process. We will always be tempted with pride or self sufficiency, especially if you are in ministry of some sort. Practice laying down your pride and self will before God.

After pride was revealed in my heart, brokenness came. I saw and smelled the stench of my righteousness. I have seen first hand what my pride caused in the lives of so many people.

How does brokenness come?

►We can make bad choices

►Circumstances out of our control (Someone or something happened to you)

►We come to the reality of our humanity compared to God’s holiness and wisdom

►We come to the end of ourselves. (Prodigal son)

3. Brokenness makes us reach up to God (Someone Who is bigger then us).

As a human, we are “fixer.” We try to fix the problem like Sarah and we end up making a bigger mess. I arrived there from my own hands of my attempted suicide. How could I have come to that place? I use to be able to trust myself in hard times. Never did I think I would ever try and kill myself… Have you ever thought that?

It has been many years now since that dreadful dark time in my life, but from that time came brokenness in my heart which I desperately needed.

I’ve thought long and hard about brokenness and what it really means spiritually.

Brokenness is…

…The realization of who I am compared to God.

…A true humility and submissive heart to God.

…A heart’s cry of desperation to a loving God.

…Waiting on God’s time, not mine.

…Laying down my crowns and dreams for God’s

…Not wanting my will, but God’s

…Letting go of my control to God.

…A heart of obedience and thankfulness towards God.

…A realization of my self-righteousness compared to God’s

…A knowing that I’m lost without God.

Why is it so important to be broken before the Lord?

1. Our pride can keep us from a close relationship with God.

1 Peter 5:5b (NKJV)

“…God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

2. Being broken automatically gives us a teachable heart. It gives us grace to walk through any struggle or circumstance humbly and with open ears to wise counsel.

3. When we are broken and humble before God it makes us more sensitive to others and their needs. We have compassion and understanding towards others and what they are going through. If you lack compassion, chances are you are prideful.

4. God can use broken things more than He can use rigid things.

Brokenness and pride cannot coexist. God cannot use a person who is not broken and completely surrendered to Him. We need to be pliable in God’s hands. Remember His is the Potter and we are the clay.

“A lack of brokenness causes a person who is used by God to become proud and arrogant. However, when one is broken, their heart resists pride. Therefore, they can be used to a greater degree.”

Pastor Cho, Seoul Korea

Broken things God used: (“Broken to be used!”)

1. Jesus was broken, yielding to His heavenly Father’s wishes instead of His own. (Luke 22:42) He allowed His precious body to be broken for all of us.

2. Jesus took the five loaves of bread and broke them to feed the huge crowd (Mark 8:1 – 10)

3. The sinful woman brought the costly perfumed oil and broke it and poured it on Christ’s feet. It meant nothing until she broke it open and poured it out for her Savior (Matthew 26:7, Mark 14:3, and Luke 7:37).

God uses broken things. Brokenness causes repentance and desperation for Him. There has to be a deep brokenness in us to experience all that God has for us. Broken vessels for God’s glory. Relying upon His sufficiency not ours. This moves the heart of God!

At my point of brokenness, all I could do was cry. When people would come and talk to me about my past, I was tearfully broken. I couldn’t stop the tears.

Sometimes brokenness is all we have to offer people. This is a good place to be. God can take our brokenness—our nothing, and multiply it into something. God is working on our behalf. We can trust Him in the middle of our brokenness.

Where are you today? Where is your heart? Do you have pride or arrogance built up in your heart? Have you tried to fix things on your own? Have you given your control back to God?

God never allows brokenness to come without making you whole again. You will see how much God loves you, and to what extent He will go too bring total and complete healing into your life from any circumstance you’ve experienced in the past, or what you may be going through right now. Trust God to bring healing and wholeness to your life. He never leaves you incomplete. Unlike human nature, God’s nature is to fix us. First He usually brings us to a place where we see our humanity and then, once we discover humility, God starts the healing process in us in such a way we are totally and completely healed of any pride. Then, somehow, someway God makes beauty from ashes, especially the ashes that were started by our own match we lit.

You will be triumphant as you walk humbly with God and others. God is good all the time, even when He brings correction into our lives. Yield to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. You will be forever changed for God’s glory. It’s a safe place to be in the Potter’s hands.

Blessing,

Pastor Kris Belfils

February 25, 2013 by Pastor Kris Belfils

Loving People Into Transformation

Every person on this earth wants to be loved and accepted. We want to know we are valuable and cherished. Even the hardest of hearts has a weak spot… Love.

Earlier this month we celebrated Valentines day. To many, they don’t like this celebration because they may be without a Valentine. We celebrate love as a Nation every year at this time. Why? Because everyone wants to be loved.

Songwriters have written songs like; “Love is all you need,” or “Love will keep us together.” How about; “I’m all out of love, and so lost without you.”

Let’s remind ourselves of the One Who has loved us first and the most:

John 3:16 NLT

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

God loved us, so He gave… He gave up the very person he cherished the most, Jesus Christ, because God had to save the world from utter damnation. This is extravagant love. Our minds have a hard time wrapping itself around the thought of this. But God loved people enough to send His only Son to save us from spending eternity in Hell. This is powerful love!

We, as the World, need this transforming love in us and we need to show this love to others. We need to cherish people like God does. We need to love people into transformation.

LOVING PEOPLE INTO TRANSFORMATION

(Based on 1 Corinthians 13:1 – 13)

Read 1 Corinthians 13:1 – 13. In it states if we don’t have love we have nothing. Love takes its time. It is not in a hurry. It comes with no expectations. It just is.

So what is 1 Corinthians 13:1 – 13 actually saying? Love is such a simple subject, yet very complex. Matters of the heart are hard to define. In this passage of scripture we will see the very basic important points we must consider to gage our love for others and their love for us, and our love for God and His love for us, and apply it to our lives.

1. Love is superior to speaking languages or intellect.

1 Corinthians 13:1 (CEV)

“What if I could speak all languages of humans and of angels? If I did not love others, I would be nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”

Having the highest intellect or ability to speak languages known and unknown doesn’t mean a thing if you have no love.

People are more important then boasting about our abilities and knowledge.

What good is having the ability of speaking to any nation if you have no love for that nation? People know if you are sincere.

Noisy gong or a clanging cymbal makes a lot of noise, but really has no other use. This is what our intellect or the ability to speak in various languages has when compared to loving people. We are “noisy” when we put all of these above love. Love conquers all and sees all.

2. Love authenticates spiritual gifts.

I Corinthians 13:2

“What if I could prophesy and understand all secrets and all knowledge? And what if I had faith that moved mountains? I would be nothing, unless I loved others.”

I have seen people “prophecy” in a very judgmental, critical tone and think it is okay, but there was no love in it, not even tough love. It actually did more damage then good. Far too often Christian people put a higher priority on Spiritual gifts then they do loving people. Someone with a true Spiritual gift will flow God’s love.

We can have all wisdom, knowledge, and understanding and live a very lonely life, all because we choose to be selfish and not love others. People have spent years of their life trying to gain worldly wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, but without love, all their intellect is in vain. We can’t take our intellect to heaven when Christ comes to take us home, but we can take His love that is flowing through us to others to heaven. It originated there. Combining love with our knowledge is powerful. It will help you make godly decisions instead of worldly ones.

God knows what motivates us to do things. If you are ministering or confronting people and there is no love, it will come across as harsh, stale, and very mean. People respond to correction that is given in love. Correction that is given in just intellect or without love will have a negative affect on the receiver. People will listen and respond easier to correction given in love.

If you are correcting your children when they have done something wrong, but don’t have love, you are in the wrong. It will scar their lives forever. Yes, you need to correct your children, but take a moment to relax your anger. Take a moment to respond to them in a loving way. There are too many grown adults who were corrected and abused from their parents all because there was no love in their correction. Always remember your children will grow up to be adults and how you treat them today will form them into the adult they will become. Ask God for His wisdom and always put on love when correcting your children.

3. Love is not self-profiting.

1 Corthinthians 13:3

“What if I gave away all that I owned and let myself be burned alive? I would gain nothing, unless I loved others.”

What if we gave all that we owned to the poor, but our motive was not backed with love? It is all worthless. We wouldn’t gain a thing.

“If we give away all we have, while we withhold the heart from God, it will not profit. Nor even the most painful sufferings. How are those deluded who look for acceptance and reward for their good works, which are as scanty and defective as they are corrupt and selfish!”

Matthew Henry Commentary

Giving to the poor is a selfish act if not accompanied with love. Selfish in that you want to be seen for your deed, instead of lovingly reaching out and helping someone.

“If all that a man had were dealt out in this way, in small portions, so as to benefit as many as possible, and yet were not attended “with true love toward God and toward man,” it would be all false, hollow, hypocritical, and really of no value in regard to his own salvation. It would profit nothing. It would not be such an act as God would approve; it would be no evidence that the soul would be saved. Though good might be done to others, yet where the “motive” was wrong, it could not meet with the divine approbation, or be connected with his favor.”

Albert Barnes Commentary

When you think about it, being selfish is the opposite of love. If you find yourself thinking about yourself and wanting things your way, this is not love. Which leads to my next point.

4. Love is selfless.

1 Corinthians 13:4 – 7

“Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do. Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting.”

Kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, arrogant, or rude: Can you place your love for others in these categories?

Taking the time with others when they need your help is showing love. When you are waiting for someone to do something you want them to do, do you wait patiently?

Do you show kindness and speak kind words, even when it is to your enemy?

Do you get jealous when someone you love succeeds or do you rejoice with them?

Do you remember the wrong people have done to you and bring it up to them? It is hard to love people who have wronged you. Seriously, it is hard to forgive someone who has wronged you. People will let you down. People will hurt you. Their lack of awareness to the wrong they have done can paralyze us if we let it. God requires us to love each other as He loves us. We are to abound in love. Knowing this gives us an insight on our own character. If we hold a wrong against someone, we truly do not love them… OUCH! The good news is that we can ask God to help us love one another. Paul wrote that we can increase and abound in our love for each other.

1 Thess. 3:12 (NKJV)

“And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you.”

How do we love our enemy or those who have wronged us? We pray for them. It is not easy, but pray for them.

We need to rejoice in truth and not in evil. Don’t be happy when evil prevails. Fight for justice for yourself and for others.

Do you remain calm when someone is angry, or do you get angry yourself which complicates matters worse?

The New Testament word for ‘love’ is ‘agape’. It is not the natural love for a friend or a relative. It is the kind of love that God shows to people. We do not deserve it and we can never earn it. So, when we know God’s love, we should show that same love to other people. (www.easyenglish.info Bible Commentary).

5. Love is eternal and imperishable.

1 Corinthians 13:8 – 10

“Love never fails! Everyone who prophesies will stop, and unknown languages will no longer be spoken. All that we know will be forgotten. We don’t know everything, and our prophecies are not complete. ¹But what is perfect will someday appear, and what isn’t perfect will then disappear.”

Love never is to be out of use; it always holds its place. It will always be fresh and usable.

Prophesies, and unknown languages are gifts from God for us today, but this scripture lets us see the importance compared to having love for others. There is no comparison. These gifts are important, but loving others is even more important. It doesn’t matter if you have these gifts yet never show love to others.

Love is God, and God is love. It is the very essence of God. The gifts are just that; gifts from God. The gifts are for edification while we are on this earth. When we get to heaven these gifts will no longer be relevant or needed. But love will always remain. Love is eternal and imperishable.

All these things will pass away, and all that is not perfect will pass away, but love will never fail!

6. Love is mature

1 Corinthians 13:11 – 12

“When we were children, we thought and reasoned as children do. But when we grew up, we quit our childish ways. Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us.”

Don’t think like a child any longer. Put away childish ways of being selfish and arrogant.

Even in our pursuit of love on this earth, it really is a cloudy picture we have right now. Some sweet day we will see God face to face. We will see Him as He is. Then we will understand God’s love completely.

7. Love is the greatest.

1 Corinthians 13:13

“For now there are faith, hope, and love. But of these three, the greatest is love.”

Faith, hope and love have been a well-known group of qualities. Paul speaks about them in other letters.

1 Thessalonians 1:3

“…remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father.”

Colossians 1:4-5.

“…since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.”

But now abideth faith, hope, love. These three shall survive. They are eternal. They continue to exist in the church, and shall not fail in its glorified state. As long as the redeemed saint shall have future ages before him, so long will trust in God and hope give them brightness, while love itself is the very atmosphere of the divine life. These three words explain the whole of the Christian life in this world. Christians have faith that God will forgive them because of Christ’s sacrifice. They have hope for the future, because of Christ’s resurrection. They live a life of faith and hope among Christian brothers and sisters whom they love.

The greatest of these is love. The greatest because it glorifies both faith and hope, sanctifies every faculty and Christian grace, is the very moving impulse of the gospel, and is the one quality that is divine. “God is love.” Love is the greatest, because God himself is love. A friendship with Him will never end, but it will continue into eternity.

1 John 4:8

“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

If you are struggling to love people, take a look at your relationship with God. Do you really know Him? Chances are you don’t because God is love! He loved the world so He gave…. If we want to be more like Jesus, we have to embrace people and love them with the love He has given us. If not, we will just be a noisy clanky gong and live a miserable life.

Now after reading 1 Cor. 13 and studying it together, turn this passage of scripture around and see this is how God is towards us. Substitute the word Love for God in verses 4 – 8 and it will read like this: “⁴~~Love~~ God is kind and God is patient, God is never jealous, boastful, proud, or ⁵rude. ~~Love~~ God isn’t selfish or quick tempered. It God doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others we do. ⁶~~Love~~ God rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. ⁷~~Love~~ God is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. ~~Love~~ God never fails…”

Even if that person is rejecting you or behaving badly, the love of God in you helps you to continue in a relationship with them. You are praying and believing God will change their hearts and outlook. You know that the same Holy Spirit Who works on your heart is working on theirs. God pursues us constantly. He doesn’t force us to love Him or even like Him. Yet He relentlessly pursues us. We are valuable to Him. He never gives up on us.

Jeremiah 31:1

“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love, With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.”

God is constantly pursuing us. He draws us with His love. His love is everlasting, and never-changing.

How did Jesus forgive the very ones who were crucifying Him? With Godly love. It wasn’t human love that held him to the cross. It was the love of the Father that gave him strength to fulfill the redemptive plan to save this world.

We are ignorant to the fullness of God’s love He has for us. Yet, we can taste a little of His love on earth by opening up ourselves and receiving His love. Often times we reject God’s love thinking, “We are not good enough” or “He could never love me after what I have done.” These are just excuses for not receiving His love. His love is unconditional. It doesn’t have attachments connected to it.

God just puts His love out for us to receive it again and again. Eventually, through circumstances and finding the right pieces to the puzzle, we see how much God loves us and we start receiving His love in our hearts. When we finally receive His love it fills us to the point we even wonder why we fought it in the first place.

God’s love is contagious. People will sense and see something different about you. You are walking in God’s love, which is not of this world, and the people will be drawn to you. Not because of anything you have done, but because of the Love of God in you.

Ministering to people, without having love in your heart for them, will not have the abundant fruit you are looking for. We, as ministers, have to be full of God’s love, and out of the overflow we will minister successfully to others.

Don’t Fake The Front

People know if you are fake or genuine. We can’t “Fake The Front” and still be productive in the Kingdom of God. Faking the front is when you pretend you love someone and act like everything is okay when it is not.

God sees your heart and He knows you are not being genuine. Ask God to teach you to love with the love He has given you.

1 John 4:8 (NKJV)

“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

1 John 4:11 (NKJV)

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

We can love others with Godly, Agape love. This is genuine love that will never fail.

Once you start loving people with the genuine love of God, you will see open doors before you. Why? Because God’s favor goes before you. You are oozing with God’s love and it can’t help but minister to others.

People will want what you have. They will see you are different from other people. You will get promoted at work over others that are more qualified, all because you finally have received God’s love and show it to others.

God opens these doors because you are His hand extended. You have been transformed by His love and now can be trusted with greater things.

Your demeanor changes. Your countenance changes. You are more pleasant to be around. You value people more. You show appreciation towards your work and the things you do at your job all because the love of God is flowing in you.

Love is…

“Saying ‘No’ to your self and ‘yes’ to someone else.”

(John 3:16 – God loved so He gave)

This has been taught and instilled in me from a precious lady, “Connie Hise.” She has shown genuine love for others and the Love of God flows out of her as she ministers.

I have seen this in my own ministry. People won’t care what you have to say until they see you care. It would only be a clanging gong if I ministered out of head knowledge and not a heart of love.

People take time to change. There is a process for healing. There is a process for understanding. There is a process to changing. All people have a higher level of potential they can climb to, but the very thing that is blocking their accent could be the lack of feeling loved or cherished.

Love people as they are transforming to be more like Jesus. There will be hard times, times you will want to give up on them, but don’t give up. You might even be misunderstood, but it is all worth seeing someone receive the love of God which will empower and change their lives.

Pastor Kris Belfils