Sunday, August 3, 2014

3 August 2014 - ENCS

Pastor Larry continued the series titled "Centered"
Into the third chapter of Colossians we entered
About roller coasters, he said he was often scared
They are often like our life of faith, he then shared
The downward rush of fear, the upward relief of joy
The enemy attacks us, trying our lives to destroy
Every time that he tells us to disobey and not to step out
What he is really doing is sowing more and more doubt
God has called us into a life of faith, we must remember
This is true all the time, from January through December
The tendency may be to get off the roller coaster ride
Because as it continues, we get more scared inside
But we should never give in to the "whatever" attitude
That lowers our standards and allows too much latitude
 
The title of his sermon was "The Virus Called Whatever"
In the text, the word appears many more times than never
Verse seventeen says in whatever we do, do in God's name
Verse twenty three talks of the heart and then says the same
The enemy will continually try to distract us by whatever means
Overwhelming us with challenges or boring us with routines
In return, we must do whatever it takes to do things for God
Whether or not they may appear normal or even quite odd
For as per verse one, we "have been raised with Christ"
We should set our hearts on Him, who has always sufficed
 
Pastor's first point referred to John ten and "You Have Power"
Paul encouraged us to be aware of God's strength every hour
In Colossians chapter one, he refers to "holy and faithful brothers"
If we do not see ourselves in that way, then neither will others
To do God's calling is a privilege and is why we are here on earth
We should get in the game and give excuses a very wide berth
We should be rooted and strengthened in Christ, per chapter two
Our family and friends should always challenge us better to do
But we should not get hung up on mistakes, even if they are often
For obedience comes one step at a time; the path God will soften
Pastor then pointed out that self-focus usually leads to resistance
But through it all, God provides the power for us to go the distance
 
Pastor Larry's second point was that we should "Live Higher"
Per verses five and eight, our earthly nature we should retire
And not to revert to old ways, then we must always take care
Reading the Bible every day is just as important as prayer
Like training for a marathon, we must prepare to finish strong
Per Amos, God is angered when for other things we long
By reading the Bible daily, we prepare for times of temptation
Per Colossians three verse ten, this forms a strong foundation
 
In summary, Pastor said that we should do whatever it may take
To step out in faith and overcome our fears, doing all for His sake