Fight or get a Satanic beat down!

Check out I Peter 5:8-9:

8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. Instead of standing in circumstances frozen by fear and intimidation, resist or stand against the enemies efforts to kill you, steal from you, and destroy you.

Resist with what!!!!   Resist with your firm faith in God.  Take God's Word and prayer and fight fiercely in the face of depression, discouragement, loneliness, persecution, struggle, temptation, heartbreak, heartache, sickness, death, and dying, etc.

Arm yourself with the Word of God (take at least one scripture and depend on it for dear life), and prayer and stand against the enemy and fight like Jesus fought in the wilderness when Satan was trying to disqualify him from being the perfect sacrifice for our sin (Matt. 4:1-11).

What are you going to do today?  Resist the devil and all his mess, strongly in your faith in God (including His Word and all the resources He provides), or be haunted and fearful, and defeated all day?

Do you want God's peace and enjoyment today despite your circumstances, or do you want a Satanic beat down all day?

Perhaps John 10:10 will help you decide.

God Bless,

Pastor Kennedy (MZO)

Last Days Living

Yes, the last days started over 2,000 years ago as Jesus and the Apostles described them.   Two thousand years is a long time to wait for the last day, yet the violence, injustices, and rebellion against God which were not what God intended when He created us, are clear signs of the last days (Matt. 24:3-31). God promised to deal with the complicated problem of evil, and restore order in the world (I Peter 1:5-10; II Peter 3:10-13). The key question for us is not when God will restore order, but how do we live until that "Great Day" comes. I love the way Peter describes things.  Dr. James Rosscup, one of my Seminary Professors said to us in class one day: when God says something, let God say it.   So here you have a few among many verses where God says how we should live during the last days: I Peter 4:7-10: 7 The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.

8 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.

9 Be hospitable to one another without complaint.

10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Christians, stay focused on living for Christ, loving one another, and serving Christ as the day draws near. God Bless, Pastor Kennedy (MZO)

Righteous Courage

God describes righteous courage perfectly in I Peter 3:13-17.  As you read these verses with a sober mind, look inside and evaluate if you are ready to stand as a righteous follower of Jesus as treats, intimidation, and even physical persecution heat up. The group called Islamic State is violent and spread around the world, and many people (even in America, France, and Great Britan) are attracted to their diabolical plan.  Moreover, other hate groups have similar sentiments especially against Christians.   Why are Christians such a big target of persecution around the world?  Christian's are targets because of our connection to Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the Living God (John 15:19-21; Matt. 16:13-18). Christians, as the heat rises, find encouragement in the following versus: 13 Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?

14 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED,

15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;

16 and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.

17 For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. God Bless, Pastor Kennedy (MZO)

How Do You Grow?

Real spiritual growth is evidenced by things such as changes in our personal lives, and by our time in the Bible.

I Peter 2:1 gives a key prerequisite for spiritual growth.  We are to get rid of spiritual growth killers (malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander).  Getting rid of our weaknesses strengthens automatically helps us to grow.

I Peter 2:2-3, identifies the Bible as our primary source for spiritual growth.  We are to desire the nutritious Word of God as a baby desires milk.  Why?  So we can grow in respect to our salvation.

Keep reading the Bible for spiritual growth simple.

You can read the New Testament in a year by reading one chapter per day.  After you read the chapter for the day, stop and meditate on what you read and ask God to help you apply one principle from your reading.

You can read one Proverb each day and apply a principle.

You can read your Sunday School lesson or your Bible Study Class lesson and apply a principle each day.

The key is that you become a reader and doer of God's Word.

Another critical part of spiritual growth is memorizing God's Word (hidding God's Word in our heart - Psalm 119:11).  Jesus modeled to power of scripture memory in Matt. 4:1-11.

Grow spiritually like you eat a delicious meal: one chewable serving at a time.

God Bless,

Pastor Kennedy (MZO)

Can you trust him or her?

Married couples and couples in dating relationships trust or distrust the one they are with.

Think about the enormous stress that exist when you do not trust.  Think about some of our internal stress:  Is he or she cheating on me?  Who is that on the phone?  I need to check those social media exchanges to see what is being said and what they look like.  I want to get married, but I am afraid my heart will get broken, and on and on.

Christian, how can you learn to trust someone and gain trust from someone?

The Apostle Peter helps us with this one in I Peter 1:14-16:

14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,

15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;

16 because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY." When we walk in our deliverance from conformity to our former lust and live holy (separated from the world for service to God with a purity of heart) we are definately trustworthy.  A holy man and a holy woman will be true to God, to themselves, and to others. Just be holy before God and watch your trustworthiness increase. Singles drop that unholy relationship, and get into a holy relationship and watch how much easier it is to trust holy people.  If you are married, pray for holiness in your marriage.  As the holiness in your marriage increases, the trust will also increase. God Bless, PastorKennedy (MZO)

More Than Great Wealth

What could possibly have more value than great wealth?  Your good name and God's favor is valued above great wealth.

Christians, this is where we get real value, this is where we get something to "take away" and hold on too.

One very successful brother said to me: "all I have is my name."  He understands that the precious value of his good name far exceeds his material wealth.

Guess what is connected to a good name?  God's favor (God's smile upon us, God's special smiling touch upon us) comes with a good name.

The obvious does not need to be described in this passage.  Reverence before God where we show respect for God through our living obedience to God will naturally give us a good name and bring God's special smiling touch upon us.

Here is this timeless principle in Prov. 22:1:

A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, Favor is better than silver and gold.

Watch how you treat your name today.  After all you are God's child.  They may not like your Bible based values, but they will recognize your good name and God's favor upon you.

God Bless,

Pastor B Kennedy (MZO)

Who's Side Are You On?

In James 4, we learn that friendship with the world makes us enemies with God.

The word "world" in James 4, refers to that system headed up by Satan and run by demons and evil humans to rebel against God, and leave God out of their lives.  

Think about what God says in the Bible about loving Him with out total person, and loving our neighbor as ourselves as the greatest commandments respectively (Mark 12:28-33).  Think about what God says about marriage between a man and a woman (Gen 2:24-25), drunkenness, sexual immorality of all sorts, idol worship, stealing, cheating, etc. (I Cor. 6:9) and other passages that describe what God's expects from His Children.

God says that if we befriend the worlds principles and hangout with the worlds principles, and practice what the world is doing versus what He expects, we are on the wrong side.

Popular demand and "what everyone else is doing" is no excuse for a Christian.

We are on God's side or we are on the devils side via worldly living.  Look at James 4:4:

4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Christians, let us take a clear stand on God's side.  People should not guess where we stand on issues clearly addressed in the Bible.  Our light must shine bright and we must be salty so that non-believers become thirsty for the Living God and ask what they must do to get a personal relationship with God.

Be on the right side all day every day.

God Bless,

Pastor B Kennedy (MZO)