(by pastor Jean)

Philippians 4:8 is too long to quote here but it basically tells us what to think about. The list includes things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and commendable. I think this would be great medicine for anyone with anxiety or any other mental health issues. Our minds can easily run off down the wrong path but it’s up to us to take control of our minds. Romans 12:2 says we are to renew our minds with the word of God and Paul also told the Ephesians to “be renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Eph 4:23; MEV). This all takes effort and time on our part because the battlefield is in the mind; the devil loves bringing those lies into our mind and keeping us in mental anguish but we need to put satan in his place! When we are bombarded with anxious, troublesome thoughts we need to meditate on positive things instead as Phil 4:8 instructs. Meditating is something we are encouraged to do in the Bible (see Josh 1:8, Ps 1:2, Ps 119:27). Your mind will prefer to keep going down the negative path because that’s the road of least resistance but we have to keep bringing it back to the word. The Bible calls it “taking our thoughts captive” (see 2 Cor 10:3-5). That takes a lot of diligence but it is worth the effort. So, keep taking those negative thoughts captive, keep replacing them with those Bible verses and keep rehearsing them. This does not come naturally but with God’s help we can do it and the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

(by pastor Norman)

“Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-30; NKJV). This is one of my favourite passages in the Bible! To the people of Jesus’ time, He offered a rest from the toil of trying to live by the law and traditions of the time. This passage speaks powerfully to us as well. As we labour and toil to the point of exhaustion in life trying to find peace, integrity, fulfillment, satisfaction, abundance and success Jesus says, why not live life My way and you will experience all you seek and true rest. True rest is refreshment, when we can stop labouring in our own strength and look to Jesus. We read in our passage that Jesus is humble and a man of meekness, meekness is power under control. Jesus’ way for us to have the abundant God kind of life (John 10:10) is easy, pleasant and good. Becoming yoked to Jesus means to be linked with and submitted to Him; to become humble and teachable so we can learn His ways and do them. We men often buy a product and get frustrated trying to assemble and use it because we rely only on our own ability and knowledge. Then our wives suggest we read the instructions and we finally have success. In our passage, God tells us to do life His way and then we will experience rest, peace and fulfillment. His instruction manual we need to consult is the word, our Bible!

(by pastor Jean)

“Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6; NLT). The word “live” in that verse can also be translated “abide” or “remain”. If we are serious Christians then we should desire to abide in God and live like He lives, at least as much as we are able. That begs the question, how did Jesus live? When Jesus began His ministry, He announced that His mission was to preach, heal and deliver (Luke 4:18, Acts 10:38), and that is exactly what He did. You may be thinking that because you’re not Jesus you couldn’t do any of those things. Remember that when Jesus lived on earth, He was fully man and could only do the things He did under the anointing of the Holy Spirit (Luke 10:38). The same Holy Spirit is available to us and enables us also to perform miracles also. Jesus actually said we could do what He did and even greater (John 14:12). Jesus not only healed bodies and cast out demons but He could also change the weather, feed multitudes, raise the dead and much more. Why? Because He had a compassionate heart (Matt 9:36, 14:14, Mk 1:14, Luke 7:13). If we are to live like Jesus, we also need to develop a heart of compassion (Col 3:12). Jesus also describes Himself as humble, “gentle and lowly in heart” (Matt 11:29). Another thing Jesus taught us was how to be a servant (Matt 20:28, Mk 19:45, John 13:4-5). To sum up the life and behaviour of Jesus, the most important thing is that everything He did was motivated by love. Unconditional love. Love is the most important thing and “love never fails” (1 Cor 13:8).

(by pastor Norman)

I was reading in the book of Ephesians where the apostle Paul prays that we would get a revelation and understanding of all God has for us (Eph 1:16-18). As part of that he wrote, “And what is the exceeding greatness of the power towards us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead” (Eph 1:19-20a; NKJV). Three Greek power words are used here. One is Dunamis, the miracle working power of God, from which we get the English word dynamite. The second is Energeia, referring to God’s supernatural power at work, from this word we get the English word, energy. Lastly, we see the word, Kratos, meaning might or great power and authority over all things. God’s power is available to us as Christians. This same power restored Jesus to His place next to the Father in heaven, with authority over all things and headship of His body, the church (Eph 1:22-23). We are His body or church, filled with His fullness, this fullness encompasses His power, riches and mandate to be His ambassadors on the earth (Eph 1:23). Through the power of His death and resurrection we who were spiritually dead and separated from God have been given new spiritual life in restored fellowship with God (Eph 2:1-6). Paul calls us God’s workmanship, a work of art, a poem created by God (Eph 2:10). Let’s change the world around us by His power. Praise God for His power in us!

(by pastor Jean)

“But just as He who called you is holy. So be holy in all you do; for it is written “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15,16; MEV). Peter was quoting Leviticus 19:2 and 11:44 in the Old Testament. This sounds like a tall order but let’s see what we can learn about holiness from the Bible. God sets the example of holiness and we are made in His image (Gen 1:26). Holiness in the Bible means to be separate from the world or sanctified. It means to be morally upright and blameless. It is the opposite of sinful. This is something we grow in by a process called sanctification; we will never be perfectly holy but it is something to aim at. In the Old Testament the 10 commandments were given to help people do what was right and therefore develop holiness. The Jews were meant to live differently from the surrounding nations (Lev 18:34). In order for us to become holy we need to renew our minds which will help us line up our values with the word (Rom 12:2). We also need to get those things out of our lives that could compromise holiness such as certain music, movies etc. and even the company we keep. Then of course we need to put into practice what we learn from the word regarding holiness, asking the Holy Spirit to help us because we cannot depend on our own human ability. As we cooperate with the Holy Spirit our lives will begin to reflect God’s holy character and so we will shine brightly for the world to see (Matt 5:16).