Sermons

Sometimes the temptations we have to endure come at the time of our greatest usefulness to the Kingdom of God. When we come around that last bend as we run this race of truth we will find ourselves violently opposed in our mind and heart. It is in these wilderness places that we will be tempted to abandon the cross of Christ. This message is for those who are fearful of abandoning your life to the will of God. Satan knew that the mission of Jesus Christ was redemptive and he tried to overthrow Christ’s singular focus to do the will of His Father. We too will be tempted the same way. We are going into difficult days and the question is who will not abandon the call of God? God desires to give us an anointing that sets the captives free. Let your theological purpose be for other people and God will give you everything thing you need to lead others to Christ.

Usually when we think about conviction of sin we think that we have to experience it outside of the realm of comfort. Sometimes we think that until we deal with the sin we are being convicted of there is no comfort. We are reminded in this message that for the person who is open to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and is willing to grow in certain areas, God says until the process of maturity is completed you can enjoy His comfort. The issues that God is dealing with never challenge our place in His heart. We are invited to lean close to His heart and rest in His love until true change takes place. God cares about us so much that He humbled Himself on a cross so that He can help us change. True conviction comes in the context of comfort.

Each of us is called to bring something special and unique to the church of Jesus Christ — something bigger than ourselves. We are given a voice to speak to those that don't know Christ, and to bring restoration to believers that have lost their passion and fire for the things of God. The Daniel generation is committed deeply to the call of God, pushing away from the table of compromise. We are not wrestlers fighting alone, rather we are soldiers fighting together in the army of God. There are no facades or masks in the Daniel generation. We are real and transparent before God, and before each other. Pains and hurts of the past are released to God and are now a testimony to His glory. The Daniel generation moves from sorrow to strength, and from brokenness into boldness.

In order to get through the coming days there has to be a moral purity in the body of Jesus Christ. There are certain failings in life that we can seemingly get through unscathed, but moral failing is of another sort. You have no idea what can come into your life when you open the door to immorality. Every sin known to mankind is waiting inside of us to break out. There is a terrible price to pay for this kind of sin but there is also hope in the power and anointing of Jesus Christ to open every prison door and set free all those who are captivated in sexual sin. There is enough power in the cross and blood of Jesus Christ to keep us clean. We don't have to be slaves to sin.

If we deal casually with the Word of God we will have no ability to see Christ in the coming storm. We will not make it to the other side in our own strength. As Christians our strength comes from being nourished and sustained by the Word of God. Don't live as a casual Christian on the surface of the Bible. Immerse yourself into the ocean of truth in God's Word and He will give you the ability to pull this generation out of the storms of life. This message provokes us to reach out our hand and grab the baton of truth so we can pass it on to the next generation. The call of God will never take you where the Hands of God will not sustain us. Our cry must be like Peter's cry, “Lord if it be thou then bid me to come.” Are you determined to run this race right and finish it to the Glory of God?

It is God's desire that we all come to spiritual maturity, but many Christians today remain spiritual infants — depending on others to feed them rather than feeding themselves, crying and whining to control others, not working or reproducing. Satan, sin and self are the biggest hindrances to spiritual growth in our lives. God gives us a desire for spiritual maturity, but we cling to sin or strive for victory in our own strength. It is God who brings the growth. God doesn't want our flesh to take any part in the victories in our life. He alone gets the glory. Jesus doesn't come into our lives to be our helper or assistant. He comes to be Lord and Savior, taking complete control and authority. Many of us are living with far less than God has planned for us because we don't have the faith to be fully surrendered to Christ.

In this message Pastor Carter speaks about a type of unbelief that he discovered in His heart for which he is very thankful. He goes on to say this type of unbelief neither doubts nor accuses God. Pastor Carter’s cry here is, “Lord, increase my unbelief”. What does all this mean? These are some examples of Pastor Carter’s unbelief: He won’t ever believe that your life is insignificant to the kingdom of God. He does not believe that God cannot use you for His purposes and that your life cannot be used for the glory of God. He does not care how strong you may argue that you cannot be used in God's kingdom, he will never believe it. It is time for God to be God to us. He takes ordinary people and fills us with the Holy Spirit to do extraordinary things.

As Saul, Paul was an up and coming leader, a man of ambition and recognition; but when he came to Christ, he came humbly — not seeking recognition or followers. His focus shifted from himself to bringing glory and honor to Christ. The church is to be built upon the foundation and person of Jesus, not on the personalities of men. Paul lived in a place of complete dependence upon God. Many of us, if we were honest, trust ourselves more than we trust God. Some of us will even lean on Christ a little bit, treating him like an assistant or consultant, wanting Him to help us help ourselves. Spiritual wisdom comes when we fully surrender all control to God. The ways and plans of man are contrary to God, and in His love He will thwart our plans in order to bring us to the end of ourselves.

What if God is calling you to do something beyond yourself and He is inviting you to join Him and do a miraculous work? Would you run from Him or towards Him? Jesus took a bagged lunch from a young boy and fed multitudes. God is calling His church back to a child like faith. He is looking for those who would come and say God take the little bit I have and use it for your glory. You are invited to bring your bagged lunch to Jesus and ask Him to multiply and distribute it. God is raising up a generation with a heart that will burn once again for the glory of God and the souls of men.