Canelo Cowboy Church

Jesus tells us in Mark 8:36 & 37, “For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul (KJV)?” What good is it if we have all the money in the world but we don’t know Jesus? What is worth exchanging our eternal lives for? Are we running after the things of the world and forgetting that God is wanting us to completely trust Him with every ounce of our being? And as a Christian I can at times allow my flesh to dominate my mind and I lose the victorious life He has for me. So often I spend so much time pursuing monetary things that I forget what is most important in my life to run after. The priorities in my life get all upside down and backwards. What I need to pursue is Spiritual things, godly things. But the cares of the world keep pulling me down and clouding my vision. The flesh pulls at us and then the enemy puts things in our way to trip us up and we then fall. James 1: 14 & 15 says, “But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death (NIV).” We see something or think something that is evil, we then don’t immediately fill our hearts with good thoughts but we dwell on our temptation, then it takes root and we act on it. Remember what Jesus said? That if you hate your brother or sister in your heart you have murdered them. Or if you look after a woman in lust you have committed adultery with her in your heart. You have a choice to get angry or not. You have a choice to give that person a piece of your mind or not. You have a choice to get frustrated with that person that’s blocked the whole isle in Walmart while they look at clothes that you KNOW will never fit them anyway so why even look! or not. We have a choice to do what pleases the Lord, not our flesh.

In the 5^th chapter of Galatians we have a contrast between good and evil. Verse 19 tells you all about the acts of the flesh. As a matter of fact Paul says that they are obvious! “Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Then Paul gives us the contrast, the Fruit of the Spirit in verses 22-23-“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Verse 24 says, “Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” If we belong to Christ the flesh doesn’t rule in our lives anymore. Those that don’t belong to Him have no reason to change, but we do! We want to change because we desire to please Him. So this week let’s work hard on “taking captive every thought!”  Please let me know if you need anything.  Naomi and I love you all.  -Pastor Steve 

One day a man was asked, “Do you wake up grumpy in the morning?” to which he replied, “Oh no! I let her sleep!” Some of us just are not morning people are we? I am usually pretty chipper in the morning, but sometimes, well, the cares of the world and the pressures of life get to me and I find myself being a little less cordial than I should be. Cordial, the dictionary says, is to be, “warm and friendly.” Do you find yourself being cold and mean sometimes? I know I can be. And generally it has to do with my circumstances.

We have talked about circumstance before in these writings, but it seems that no matter how hard we try to overcome there is always a circumstance that drags us down! You have all heard the statement I’m sure. Someone asks someone else, “How are you?” To which the reply comes, “Well, pretty good under the circumstances!” “Well what are you doing under them?” the person asks! Think about that for a moment. Are your circumstances dictating to you what sort of day you are going to have? Are your circumstances telling you how you should treat your spouse or your children? Paul tells us in Philippians 4:11. “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Paul understood that no matter what was going on in his life, no matter how bad it looked around him, that God was in control and nothing was going to happen to him unless God allowed it. Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:28-29, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.  Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.” Your Heavenly Father cares for the sparrows! How much more is He going to care and provide for you? His desire is to have a relationship with you so close that you don’t need to worry about a thing! He knows that things will get tough or He wouldn’t say, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” If your soul is alive in Jesus then you have nothing to fear! But if you don’t know Jesus then you sure do have everything to fear! Jesus wants to take care of you. He will not change your circumstance but He will give you the faith to get through them. I read this the other day, “Jesus won’t take you around your circumstances, but He will give you the faith to get though them.”

Let us now if we can do anything for you. Naomi and I sure love all y’all! -Pastor Steve

I was thinking about a song we used to sing in a church that I attended. It went like this, “He’s given me life for my soul, oh how sweet it is! Love peace and joy are the fruit it gives. Though the outer man must die this is my earnest cry, give me life, life, life for my soul!” It’s a rather silly little ditty, but it is a very catchy tune!

The first line, “He’s given me life for my soul…” Now we have been talking about that abundant life that Christ gives us. In John 10:10 Jesus says that, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full _(NKJV).” So he gives that full life here on earth, but also He gives us eternal life! Victory on earth and eternal life all wrapped up in one! What a deal! Eternal life starts as soon as we confess our sins to Christ and ask Him for forgiveness and to come into our lives and stay. It’s as simple as that. Then, “Love, peace and joy are the fruit it gives.” As we grow in our new life in Christ, we start producing fruit. I believe we talked about them last week. Our lives begin to change and we then start producing the “Big Nine,” and Love, Peace and Joy are three of the big nine (Galatians 5:22-23). So we come to Christ, He gives us an abundant life here on earth and eternal life when we die. Then we start producing fruit because we’re plugged into Him as the Vine and we are His branches (John 15).

Then the song says, “Though the outer man must die…” That sounds strange doesn’t it? But what the song is talking about is the same thing Paul meant when he wrote to the church in Ephesus. In Ephesians 4:22 Paul writes, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;” To put off your old self! Like an old garment, take it off and lay it down. In other words, taking off the outer man and all of its flesh and corrupt stuff that we had before we knew Christ, and put on the new man, or, “to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Verse 23 & 24)” The attitude of our minds! How many times have we talked about taking hold of our stinkin’ thinkin’? The attitude of our minds! Remember, our attitude is the only thing that we can control. We cannot control other people. We can’t even control our spouse! Control the attitude of your mind. Make it Godly. Take control of it. See what He does!

Please let me know if you need anything.  Naomi and I love you all.  -Pastor Steve 

Read what Asaph writes in Psalms 73:21 & 22 that “When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You.” Asaph here was saying that he was acting no better than an animal in front of God! Something grieved Asaph and made him mad. He was embittered. One definition of being embittered is, “very angry about unfair things that have happened to you:” Some people would say you have a right to be mad about unfair things that have happened to you, although Jesus wasn’t. And aren’t we striving to be more like Jesus?

I find it interesting that he says, “I was a brute beast before You.” If you think about it, we are always in front of God. He sees everything we do, knows everything we do and hears everything we say. So when we lose our temper with our spouse or children. When we lust after something. When we get mad because we don’t get our way or something embitters us (i.e. treated unfairly), we are acting like brute beasts. In other words we are acting “Animalistic.” No better than a water-buffalo.

But then Asaph goes on to say in verses 23-28 this;-“Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Those who are far from You will perish; You destroy all who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all Your deeds.”

What a beautiful word picture! God holding us by our right hand as we go through life and our daily struggles. Guiding us, telling us what to do by giving us His counsel. Then we die and go to glory. What a deal! He does all the work, we just have to hold on to His hand, listen to what He tells us then go to heaven. It really is that easy but I end up kicking and screaming to be let go and don’t listen to His counsel. But you know what? Because of the blood of Jesus, I still make it into Heaven! So if someone has caused you to be “embittered” and your inner water-buffalo is rising up in side you, just remember that God is watching. Eph. 4:32 says, “Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another. Even as god for Christ sake has forgiven you.” Please let me know if you need anything.  Naomi and I love you all.  -Pastor Steve 

This is what the Lord told the Israelites through Moses right before they went into the Promised Land: Deuteronomy 31:6-“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Now you have to remember that there was a lot of opposition for them when they finally got there. There was walled city’s, there were actual giants, and there were established nations that would protect their homeland no matter what the cost. The Israelites had all the reason in the world to be fearful! Did you catch that? They had all the reason in the world to be fearful. From a fleshly point of view it seemed impossible, but the Israelites had a secret weapon! They had the creator of the universe on their side! And He had already done so much for the Israelites parents that they understood that their Heavenly Father could do anything they needed Him to do! They simply had to trust Him. They had to, “Walk by faith, not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7)!”

Do you realize that we serve the same God today that the Children of Israel served back then? Maybe we can’t see our giants or our walled city’s, but they are still there! They come to us as health issues, relationship issues, financial issues and maybe even addictions. Paul tells the Church at Corinth, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds (II Corinthians 10:4).” In other words our weapons are spiritual weapons. Still the same God fighting for us, but we aren’t using swords and spears, we are using our God given resistance and prayer. Read how the NLT wrote this verse out: “We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments.” God’s mighty weapons it says! What are God’s mighty weapons? It all starts with a saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus and His blood that He shed on the cross. Then those weapons become stronger the more we’re into the Word of God and strengthen ourselves knowing Him. Psalms 119:11 states, “I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You (NIV).” Simply put, if we know His word it’s much easier to overcome the enemy of our souls! The Holy Spirit is filling you and dwelling in you if you know Jesus as your personal Savior. You and Him can knock down spiritual walls. Try it.

Please let me know if you need anything.  Naomi and I love you all.  -Pastor Steve