We heard a special sermon at ENCS today
From Guam the pastor was Mark Benavente
He started by referring to the movie "Inception"
And led us to the performance orientation
The need to be loved and the fear of rejection
Often result from a childhood predeliction
The focus on performance is driven by a false motive
That is not how God wants us to live
For to depression this cycle usually leads
As we can never meet all of other people's needs
By doing more and more, to the point of too much
A "new normal" is created that is out of touch
There is nothing we can do that can impress God
Remember that in his image we were put in our bod
Being a child of God is what He did presage
Jesus came to restore us to that image
From Proverbs, "as we think within ourselves, we are"
Many times, from good we think we are far
But 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says God will sanctify us
Our "whole spirit, soul, and body" without a fuss
Our body is what we are used to seeing
Ephesians 3:16 says our spirit is our inner being
And from 2 Corinthians 1 verse 22
God put his spirit in our hearts, that's true
Which is why Proverbs 4:23 (the first part)
Says that "above all else, guard your heart"
Satan has tried to destroy us over the years
Attacking our hearts with lies and fears
Making us believe that our hearts our bad
But reading Colossians 2:11 should make us glad
Romans 7:23 leads to Romans 8:10
Talking of the Holy Spirit living in us once again
This way we can avoid being like a Christmas tree
Only appearing to be alive, when death is clear to see
Sin dwells in our body but die it should
For God gave us a new heart which is good
Our heart and mind don't always work together
But God wants them to be attached with a tether
We must recognise sin, confess, and repent
Replace our old ways with new ones is what Pastor meant
And don't forget Titus 3 verse 5
Through God's righteousness, we are alive
God has changed our inner essence
He loves us completely, without any pretense
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