"WHAT" IS NOT ENOUGH - WHY YOU NEED "HOW"

Lately I have found myself quite often thinking in terms of "I wish I'd known that when I was younger," or more specifically "Oh if only someone had taught me that years ago!"

I remember hearing GREAT bible teachings when I was much younger than I am now, and with my head stuffed with impressive knowledge I bet I really thought I was something in the Lord!

So why then did I fumble and fall so often?  Why did sin still plague me and lead me fully astray far too many times?

I have since come to a wiser place and deeper understanding that knowledge and "knowing to the end of doing" are two different animals!

What good was it to know the greek word for this or the cultural reasons for that when I had no idea how to apply the TRUTH to my own thoughts and actions in order to produce godly fruit that glorified my God? (and  brought the blessings I so desperately wanted to see in my life?)

Have you ever felt that way?  Like you've just spent an hour or two even, listening to a really terrific sermon, a great teaching straight from the Word of God; it was so good you have a page or two of notes because what you were hearing excited your soul and stirred your heart.  Then you get in a quiet place the next day, on your own, just you and your bible and a willing spirit, and you begin to go over the notes and realize that it is terrific information, important information, life transforming information - but that's all you have.

Cold. Flat. Lifeless. Powerless. Information.

There is nothing about how that information is to be applied so as to bring about the life changes you really want, you desperately need to make.

And it is so FRUSTRATING!  You go back to the scriptures and read but the life and power and understanding just aren't there or at least, not easily understood; or you realize that you just don't get it.

This is why so many people don't pick up the bible and read it every day.  They know they "should" because that's what everyone tells them, but it is just dry words to them and the possibilities only seem to taunt them in the frustration they are feeling in being unable to grasp how to to apply and receive and enjoy the TRANSFORMATION AND NEW LIFE that is so obviously promised.

That may not be your experience but that was my experience.  I kept thinking there was a secret key ingredient that was just MISSING from me.  Maybe my past was too bad, too traumatic, too SINFUL  for me to experience what I came to call the VOILA' - that incredible moment when the Word of God and the desire in my heart came together to produce FRUIT!  Fruit that blessed me, blessed those around me, and glorified God Almighty!

It's why the focus here at Turn the Tide Ministries is on explaining and sharing as much as possible the PRACTICAL APPLICATION of what is in reality and truth a spiritual occurrence.

2Corinthians 5:17 shares a TRUTH
If any person is IN CHRIST they are a new person, the old has passed away, BEHOLD all things are become new.

How does that work exactly?  Perhaps you have confessed Christ as Savior (and if not, this is the first thing that must happen to begin a new life) and yet the same tired feelings plague you, the same nasty words come out of your mouth and the same defeated thoughts are swirling around in your brain.

THAT IS FRUSTRATING ISN'T IT?!?!

And most teaching stops with telling you what you SHOULD be, what you OUGHT to do, how things ARE SUPPOSED TO BE; but they never really tell you HOW!

Here's how, and if you will do your part, God who cannot lie will absolutely do His part.

Romans 12:2  YOU reject the ways of the world by simply NOT ACTING THE SAME WAY (Be not conformed to this world) and change your thought patterns by your will and decisions to the thought patterns of truth (by the renewing of your mind) and God will bring about the spiritual transformation so you ARE shining His light and living His truth and doing His will (that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God).

You renew your mind by reading the bible so it's in your head and the SPIRIT will bring it down into your heart in a spiritual act we can't understand but we can receive.

OUT OF THE HEART COME THE ISSUES OF LIFE; Proverbs 4:23

If the word of truth isn't in your head, it can't be brought to your heart and then come out in your life.

Get that word in there!  It probably won't happen overnight, but as you stay faithful, He Who is faithful will continue to work.

2Corinthians 10:5 tells us to cast down imaginations that exalt AGAINST GOD and instead, bring every thought into obedience to Christ.

How?  By being aware of what thoughts we are harboring and allowing to occupy our minds and asking God to help you get rid of those that don't please Him!

Practice; yes, just like if you were learning to play the piano, practice thinking right thoughts.  (Philippians 4:8)  You won't learn the piano overnight and you'll never learn without practicing!

We call this Practicing Intense Godliness.  We are deliberate about it.  We are committed to it.

Read Romans chapter 6.  Apostle Paul taught how to live as a new creation in Christ.  He gave practical advise for living as a Christian.  He didn't mention weekly meetings or financial concerns  because that isn't what living a Christian life is about.  Gathering with the saints, supporting the works of ministry are side effects of a Christian life.

The actual Christian life is about pleasing GOD in your personal everyday life first!  Romans 6 is an excellent starting point, and if you hit a sticking point that you aren't sure of, ask your pastor, your bible study teacher or click here  for help.

I have since discovered, as I pray you will too, that VOILA' moments are happening all the time as we walk with the Lord and grow deeper with Him in wisdom and understanding.  They aren't a one time thing but a constant in the life of those who choose to live a Christian life!

We pray that everyone reading these words will be inspired to GO READ GODS WORD and begin to see the transforming word of the Holy Spirit in their lives to their blessing and Gods honor, in Jesus mighty name, AMEN!

If it were easy, everyone would do it

If we are truly honest with ourselves, we would all have to admit that there have been those times that we've pointed our finger at someone else's behavior and said "that isn't how a Christian should act."

It is so easy, isn't it?, to see the flaws in others and know exactly how they should be "fixed".  

It is so much harder, being aware and admitting our own flaws and honestly, objectively applying truth to change ourselves.  Change is hard.  Especially that inward, heart change, demanded by a Holy God.

How accurately the Apostle James depicted our predicament and state of being when he told us in James 1:22-24

 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;  for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was."

It simply isn't enough to read God's word, or attend church services and bible studies, we absolutely MUST practically apply the truth we learn to our lives. 

We must "put on the Lord Jesus Christ" Romans 13:14

We must "examine ourselves" 2Corinthians 13:5

We must "let the word of Christ dwell in us richly" Colossians 3:16 

We must NOT "be conformed to this world, but be transformed" Romans 12:2

and Romans tells us HOW.  We are to be renewed in our minds, our thoughts determine our actions.  Our thoughts determine the state of our hearts.  It is by bringing our THOUGHTS subject to the obedience of Christ; 2Corinthians 10:5, that we are then able, empowered by the Holy Spirit that dwells in us, to accomplish Apostle Pauls exhortation to - 

"work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" Philippians 2:12

May we all be found faithful to our Lord today, examining our own selves, working out our own salvation, attending to the log in our own eye by the practical, daily application of His truth to our lives.

May God bless and keep you today according to His riches in Glory!

I didn't know that....did you?

Raise your hand if your preference is to live in bondage, surrounded by chaos and at the mercy of stress and strife every moment of every day in every situation.

Yea, me neither!

Peace, calm, joy and reasonable happiness are a much better, much nicer alternative.

But how to achieve such a state of being in the midst of a tumultuous, chaotic world?

In the book of Philippians chapter 4 we find this section of scripture, words which almost seem to mock us in this current world of upheaval and strife!

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

HOW?!?!  How are we to focus on noble, pure and lovely things when arguing and fighting surrounds us?  When every other person we encounter believes their version of how life should be lived is the right one, but it conflicts with all the others?  HOW CAN WE ACHIEVE A SENSE OF PEACE AND BALANCE?

The entirety of Philippians holds the key:
Phil 1 -
Prayer is the beginning of peace taking hold of our thoughts and feelings
1: 12 -
Trusting God with the outcomes of whatever situations we find ourselves in
1:19-27
recognizing that our lives are filled with hope and joy when Christ is our Savior, and that because we have Eternal Life in Him we have no fear of the future or of death itself
2: 1-11
That when we put our hope in Christ, we are free from trying to "make something of ourselves" - for He has already made the best something of us we can ever be - Sons and Daughters of the Living God - and that by lifting and loving and caring for others, we ourselves will be cared for by the Creator of all things
What peace, not to carry weight on our own shoulders, but to be carried!
16-
we can rejoice greatly with abandon when we hold onto His words of truth. They will sustain us, strengthen us and hold us up, even when we suffer for His sake.  For we know that the suffering, due to the misery of this world, lasts only a moment, but the JOY coming is everlasting!
3: 1-15
We are warned and aware of the dangers to avoid, and put no trust in our fleshly ability to overcome, but allow His mighty Holy Spirit to bring us to victory!  We are not there yet, but we know what our end will be; life eternal in the presence of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
4-
When we live in unity with those who believe in Him and encourage one another in this walk of life, we discover that indeed, we have
PEACE that passes all understanding
HARMONY with our brothers and sisters in Christ
STRENGTH to overcome wicked perversity
JOY that cannot be extinguished
We turn over all things in prayer to God the Father, and receive with thankfulness His answers and our lives are ordered, calm, and a beacon of light to others that they, too, can bask in the safety of the harbor of Gods great love, grace and mercy!

Pick up the Book, read these great words and be motivated in your life today!

Inquisitive questions with self serve answers

Quite often I'm asked specific questions about life.  Just as often, the person asking, after some gently leading conversation that includes scripture appropriate to the situation, answers the question for themselves.  

This is just exactly as it ought to be, since each of us is ultimately responsible for all our actions, thoughts, deeds and outcomes.

Including our salvation and what we do with it.

Philippians 2: 12-13:  Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING....

If you are at all inquisitive, this sentence will have arrested your attention, and you will find yourself asking the question:

HOW DOES THAT EFFECT ME?!?

Most of us have been taught by our church that we are to follow the lead, do as we're told, show up every time the doors to the building labeled "church" are open and conform to the same pattern as everyone else within those walls.

I have to respectfully disagree strenuously with that presumption.
  Have you ever stopped to consider that might NOT be what God has in mind when He created each of us so uniquely individual and DIFFERENT?

One of the favorites of the church is the "What Would Jesus Do?" If you want to know how to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, take a look at how Jesus taught.

He used parables.  These are stories, highlighting examples the people listening could relate to, that gave a general idea of how we should behave and interact and relate to God.

There was never a "one size fits all" rule or regulation in Jesus' teachings.
They were more of a "here's the guidelines, do what works best for you within them" sort of feel to the whole thing.  

Jesus never expected John to behave like Bartholomew.  He never insisted Matthew conform to the same actions as James.  Not once did He ever scold Peter to be more like Thaddeus. (though He did scold Peter for behaving like satan that one time!)  (For those who have read more than one Sunday Sermon, you'll notice I never capitalize the s, it's deliberate on my part, keeping him low, as he ought to be, in my esteem!)

Apostle Paul uses an example to set a guideline as well, in his writings to the fledgling first century church.  He points out that it is WHAT IS IN OUR HEARTS that determines if we are sinning, not the actual actions themselves.  If we eat meat that was offered to idols without regard for the idolatrous offering status, there is no sin involved.  If we eat with thankfulness toward God for whatever it is we are eating, there is no sin involved.

On the other hand, if we regard the idolatry in our hearts, and eat that same meat, to us it is sin!  (ICorinthians 8:4)

From this it is clear that the eating of meat isn't sin.  The day which we choose to set aside as our "sabbath" or day of rest isn't at issue.  Which day we gather to glorify God isn't "right" or "wrong". (Colossians 2:16)

This is all very good, since each of us has different needs, different temperaments and different personalities, as well as different gifts and talents and abilities.

The Lord made us that way for His purposes, and a reading of ICorinthians 12 makes it clear He intends each of us to fulfill different purposes in order to fulfill His purposes.

There are things from which we should NEVER deviate in terms of faith and practice.  Those are also very clear in scripture.  Found in the letters of the New Testament, including Romans 15:4 that exhorts us to know and understand the Old Testament.  (Knowing and understanding being different from doing - we are under GRACE, not the law!)

One of the main things we try to do with our Sunday Sermons is highlight areas of scripture and understanding that can be useful to help others learn and grow, while leaving room for them to work out their own salvation.

If you choose to worship corporately on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday each week - that is a wonderful thing~!  You are fulfilling the exhortation not to forsake the assembling together with LIKEMINDED believers.

If you choose to sing whatever songs, or not to sing at all, YEA - that you've assembled to glorify God!

It is about repenting of sin and surrendering to the Lord - trusting that the Holy Spirit will guide you.  

It isn't about which day, what manner or the labels we've given ourselves.

Romans 15: 6-7 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.

Sustainable Faith

(Enjoy this weeks sermon in video format if you prefer)

People are in a constant state of  SHOW  ME,  MAKE  ME  FEEL  IT,  PROVE  IT  TO  ME !

When the Lord prepared to deliver Israel at Israels request (Exodus 2: 23-24) He showed the people great signs and wonders through Moses, whom He had chosen to be their deliverer. (Exodus 7-13).  The Passover feast was established for Israel at this time and they were delivered from the oppression of the Egyptians.  They came to the Red Sea and fear caused them to tremble and cry out against God and He parted the waters and brought them across in safety (Exodus 14: 12-).  After seeing and experiencing such great deliverance at the hand of God they swore to obey and serve Him. (Exodus 14:30 - 15:22)
Almost immediately after praising the Lord for His deliverance they begin berating Moses with complaints.  They're hungry, they're thirsty.  We would like to think that thankfulness has a long lasting deep effect but the truth is the moment to moment need and desire of our flesh is what has the greatest influence over what drives us!  It's hard in the routine of daily life.
When there is deep sadness, discouragement and sorrow in our lives, remaining steadfast and faithful in matters concerning the Lord God are particularly difficult.  The truth is that even when everything in our lives is going GREAT it can be hard to sustain faith.  Our fleshly sin nature is constantly waiting to erupt and we have an adversary who is only too gleeful to assist those eruptions or indeed, be the catalyst for them occurring in the first place.

Why is faith so difficult even after we witness great miracles?  Did the Apostles have some secret to sustaining their faith even in the face of torture and death?  Is there a method to sustaining faith?
Yes, there is, but it isn't long term, one time, one size fits all.

Let's take a quick look at one of the Apostles, Peter, who denied that he knew Jesus at all, and how Jesus restored him after that awful situation.  John 21:15-19  Jesus gently, firmly reminds Peter that it ISN'T  ABOUT  PETER  IT  IS  ABOUT  JESUS!  Do you LOVE  Jesus?  Then serve Him.  Don't waste time dwelling on yourself, spending time berating yourself, beating yourself up or fashioning for yourself methods and agendas and unkeepable promises - JUST  LOVE  JESUS.  He'll provide the grace you need to move forward!  (Unkeepable may not be in the dictionary, but we all know those kinds of promises, made and just as quickly broken, don't we?)

The Apostle Paul confessed his weakness and need to "die daily" in ICorinthians 15:31.  In Philippians 3:12 he makes known his need to LET GO of things in order to obtain the better things of God.  It is the same for all of us.  We desperately need the constant, daily and ongoing reminder, the continual "cheerleading from God that He is on our side" in order to bolster our HOPE  and sustain our  FAITH.
Vi
God is glad to provide it for the simple reason that He loves us.  The relationship between the Israel people and the Lord is a physical picture of the spiritual relationship we now have the opportunity to experience since Christs sacrificial death on the cross paid the penalty for our sin, now and  FOR  ALL  TIME !  Just as with Peter on the shore that morning Jesus offers us restoration based on His grace which is immediate, not on any works of our flesh!  Even if our own hearts condemn us, the Apostle John reveals in IJohn 3:20 For if our heart condemns us God is greater than our heart and knows all things.  

We are no surprise to the Lord.  Our actions, just as Peters actions after Jesus' arrest, are no surprise to God.  He loves us  NOT  because we get things right, for while we were still SINNERS  He loves us.  He loves us because HE  CHOOSES  TO.

Faith is not a method, not a program, not a series of steps you take to attain some goal.  Faith is sustained by the grace of God which works in us according to HIS,  GODS  PLEASURE.  It really is all about HIM and not about us.  And it pleases Him to show us His love over and over every day in every way  JUST  BECAUSE  HE CHOOSES  TO.

Need more proof?  Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.  


Oh there's so much more to fellowship with the Lord!  We start right where we are, but He does not leave us there!  Subscribe to our updates and continue to grow and learn about this "walk" with a Lord God who loves you!  Questions?  Comments?  Please leave them below and we will respond.  Prayer requests?  Send them to us, we will pray for you!  Need to talk?  Email a number, we'll call you!  Changing lives one at a time.....TURN THE TIDE MINISTRIES