16 reLiGion
Keeping the faith
CHAUTAUQUA STAR
FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2014
the weekly word
THE SuPERnATuRAL gOD
family church
F R E D O N I A
Rev. Michael
Lokietek
Rev. Tim Stahlman
Family Church Fredonia
fcfredonia.org
Dear Pastor, I just don't
feel like I'm happy. Is
there something wrong
with me?
Spring is in the air
(along with the snow!)
and this time of year
always seems to be a
big time of change. The
school year is winding
down, jobs are changing, and people are
moving! While these
may seem exciting,
change can also inspire
people to reexamine
their lives. It’s during
this process that an
individual may realize
that they’re unhappy
with aspects of their
life. The problem
may be, however, that
they’re just not sure
how they got to this
point and so may be
unsure how to "get
over it." I believe, using
God's Word, that I can
help free you from this
burden and bring you
to a place of living each
day in God's joy.
As a Pastor, I've often
had people telling me
about their unhappi-
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Jamestown
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ness. This is usually followed-up (or proceeded
by) long lists of the
things that are wrong
in their life. Money
problems, relationship
problems, health problems, and/or a combination of all of these
usually make the list of
why they aren't happy.
Expecting me to "fi x"
all their problems, they
are usually quite surprised when I tell them
"you don't need to be
happy….you need to be
joyful!" What does this
mean? Let’s begin with
looking at the defi nition
of happiness.
When people talk about
being happy, they're
usually associating
happiness with the
acquisition of "good
things" and the deliverance from or absence of
"bad stuff" in their lives.
A sick person usually
thinks, "I'll be happy
when I'm well." A person with money prob-
lems is usually waiting
for "his ship to come
in.” This demonstrates
the shortcomings of
happiness. It's dependant on circumstances.
This makes us vulnerable and suggests that we
cannot be happy unless
or until our problems
are resolved. It also sets
us up for the deception
that we’re supposed
to be unhappy when
we have to deal with
problems.
What does God say
about happiness? Very
little...if you defi ne
happiness as "the
absence of troubles."
He does, however, tell
us a lot about "joy".
Romans 14:17 says,
"The Kingdom of God
is not a matter of what
we eat or drink but of
living a life of goodness
and peace and joy in
the Holy Spirit." Joy is
part of our inheritance!
Next week…let’s look at
the defi nition of joy.
Jesus Christ said in
John 14:6, "I am the
way, the truth, the life;
no man comes to the
Father except by me."
What makes Christianity so different than
other belief systems
and how do we have
the audacity to say
that there is only this
one way? Of course
we begin by taking
Jesus' words as truth
and that following
Christ will lead us into
a moral lifestyle. But
is that the only difference? It truly can't be.
Other world doctrines
that exclude Christ
promote moral living. Many Buddhists,
Hindus, and Muslims
are moral people.
Even pseudo-christian
cults that depart from
true Bible faith such
as the Jehovah Witnesses and Mormonism promote morality.
Morality on its own
is not the only distinguishing factor for
true Christianity.
1 Corinthians 12:1-2
says, "Now concerning
spiritual gifts (supernatural endowments
of energy) brethren I
do not want you to be
ignorant. You know
that you were Gentiles
carried away to these
dumb idols even as
you were led." Notice
that the Bible says that
God does not want
His people to remain
ignorant concerning His supernatural
abilities. It goes on
to say that, before we
were saved, we used
to follow "dumb" idols
or false gods. The
word dumb here does
not mean the lack of
intelligence. It means
"without the ability
to speak or manifest."
False gods cannot
speak. False faiths
cannot hear the voice
of their god. They can
pray for hours and live
morally yet they will
hear nothing in return
and remain clueless in
life. Their conversation is one sided. Not
with our God! He
hears us (1 John 5:14)
and He talks back to
us! ( John 16:13) That's
the beginning of the
supernatural.
The only hope for the
human condition is
to know and converse
with the Loving God
and Father of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
No religion will ever
do. Only relationship
with the True Living
God will fulfi ll your
life. And that begins
by getting saved and
learning how to hear
His voice.
God's voice is heard
fi rst and foremost in
the spirit of the BornAgain Christian. God
will speak to unbelievers but primarily He
will deal with their
conscience about getting right with Him.
God not only wants us
saved and part of His
family but also being
led in every decision
we make. Romans
8:14 says, "For as
many are LED by the
Spirit are the sons of
God." The ability to
hear and obey takes
us into mature sonship
with the Father.
If you are going to
hear God speaking in
your spirit you must
know where your
spirit is. Proverbs
20:27 says, "The spirit
of man is the candle
of the Lord searching
all the inward parts of
the belly." The spirit
of man is the candle
or light bearing part
of the human nature.
It is the part of us that
communicates with
God. Notice where it
is: In the belly. The
word belly means the
center of man, or the
middle of your torso.
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