The Lord will restore you completely!

Posted on by pastordavidturner

“When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream.” Psalm 126:1

In a season of brokenness and despair, the Lord came to me and promised, “I will restore you completely.” Even though the struggle with depression, hopelessness, fear, and shame did not end immediately, I continued to stand on this promise, flood my heart with God’s word, and cry out to Jesus for deliverance.

Years later, while enjoying the freedom, joy, peace, and confidence in God’s love that had become my “new normal”, I was reminded of God’s promise. I was assured: God had restored me completely.   My faith, calling, joy, intimacy with God, confidence, passion, and more were restored. The many promises God had given me were (and still are) coming to pass in my life. Just to name a few:

He had promised joy and intimacy with God from Isaiah 56:7;

He had promised blessing and confidence from Isaiah 54;

He had promised freedom from Psalm 126;

He had promised hope through Isaiah 60 and 61….

God is faithful. He will do what he promised for you. He will restore you completely. He is the God who hears the cry of your heart and sees your distress (Exodus 3:7-10). He is the God who is with you even in opposition (Genesis 39:21). He is the God who conquered sin and death (Acts 2:24).

Do you remember what God did to the Egyptians? He destroyed them because they were oppressing his people. That is your God. That is the God who loves you and made promises to you. That is the God who made a covenant with you in Christ. Just as He delivered Israel completely, bringing them out of bondage, blessing them financially, teaching them to worship God, and leading them into their promised land, so God will restore you completely. He will heal you inside and out, He will deliver you from all addictions, He will rebuke the devourer of finances and pour out abundant provision on you, He will put confidence in you for your calling, He will fill you with His Spirit, He will break off all fear and shame, he will lead you on the right path, He will be glorified through your life.

So you will declare, when God restores you completely, what David said in Psalm 18:19, “He delivered me because he delighted in me!” And you will sing, “When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouths were filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing…. The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad.” Psalm 126:1-3

I encourage you to receive God’s promise TODAY.  Start declaring TODAY; starting singing TODAY.  God is for you!

 

 

 

 

 

Sinless Audio Message Series

Posted on by pastordavidturner

Audio message series: Sinless.  You will discover the fullness of what Christ paid for on the cross and be convinced of how fully he has saved you and deeply he loves you.  You will understand the truth proclaimed in Hebrews 10:14 that he has forever PERFECTED those he is sanctifying.  Enjoy!

sinless part 1 …understand how Christ has made us perfect by his sacrifice.

Sinless part 2 …understand how much God delights in you because of Christ’s sacrifice.

Sinless part 3 …understand God’s redemptive strategy to heal and transform us and the world.

Sinless part 4 …understand why you are still in process, how you are BOTH perfected in Christ and being sanctified.

God enjoys you even in the process

Posted on by pastordavidturner

Philippians 2:12-13 “WORK out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who WORKS in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”

Each of us is called to take responsibility for our own relationship with God.  We are not saved by works but there is a work of faith involved in our relationship with God.  We are to partner with the Lord by faith, with a deep desire to please him, in order to grow in Christ-like character.  Our participation is required.

But, for many of us, that call to growth is frightening.  We fear failing. We fear that, if we are not perfect, God or others will be angry, disappointed, or displeased with us.  We fear we will be rejected.  And that fear shuts down our motivation and robs us of courage.  We either strive in our human effort, driven by guilt, to earn his acceptance; or we hide in shame, victimized by bondage; or we try to fake out God or others with religious behavior.  All of these unhealthy responses are rooted in a lie about God, rooted in fear.

In this passage, Paul explains what our motivation to partner with God should be rooted in saying, “FOR it is God who works in you….”  Notice we are called to work with him, but our work is a response to something he has already done and is doing.  The truth is that God loves us and is pleased with us even while we are in process. He is working in us to will and to do FOR his good pleasure!  Our work is a partnering with a work he is already doing.  Like kids helping their dad carry a heavy box, he is bearing the weight and we are simply participating for our development and his enjoyment.  He does not need our help.  We are the ones who need his strength.  He is not sitting while we work, but he is calling us to get up and work with him for our benefit and growth.  This truth frees us from fear, guilt, shame, and hiding. This truth motives us to grow and fills us with courage.  God is already pleased. He enjoys us in the process, he likes working with us and in us.

I say it again: our work is a partnering with a work he has already done and is doing.  Hebrews 10:14 says, “For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”  First, God has already made us perfect in Christ.  Because of the blood Jesus shed for us we are already perfected, forgiven, righteous, free, accepted, loved, adopted, and more. He has “predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will (Ephesians 1:5).”  According to the pleasure of his will!  That means you are his kid because he wanted you to be.  He made you, he chose you, he saved you, he adopted you.  And the very fact you are his, makes him glad.  He is filled with pleasure simply because you are his. Second, he is the one sanctifying us.  He is making us increasingly like his Son Jesus.  He is healing us, shaping and molding our character, renewing our mind, transforming our lives. It’s his work in us.

The goal: conformed to the likeness of Christ (Romans 8:29)  Yes!  When God is all done with his work, we will look just like Jesus.  We will want what he wants, love how he loves, think how he thinks, be holy as he is holy.  This is the work he is committed to.  It’s already paid for and he is already doing it in us by his Spirit.

The process: he is working in us to will and to do.  He covers the whole process.  The willingness is given to us and the doing.  He gives us what we do not have–that’s grace.  Where we lack in motivation or willingness, he gives us that.  Where we lack the courage or ability or wisdom to do he gives us that too.  He is the author and finisher; it’s his work, strength, righteousness, power, grace in us from beginning to end.  The work he began he will finish, he will not fail.

And so He already enjoys us in Christ, he enjoys the process of making us like Jesus and he will enjoy when we are complete.  We can’t lose, we can’t fail.  He won’t reject us.  He is the one bearing the weight of the work.

So get up, come out of hiding.  Let God enjoy you.  Let him transform you.  It’s worth it.  You will not become like Christ by staying stuck in fear, shame or guilt.  You won’t become like Christ by hiding from God and trying to get “better” on your own before coming to God.  You will only become like Christ by being with Christ.  It’s his work in you and the only power for transformation is through yielding to him.  It’s by knowing him that we become like him.  So enjoy God, enjoy the process, enjoy life.