PASTOR DARRYL BAKER

Ephesians 2:13
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

No believer should ever feel like God is far from them, for we have been reunited with God through Christ Jesus. We are one spirit with the Lord, and He will never leave you nor forsake you. The sin nature that stood between us and God has been washed away by the blood of Jesus, and we have now not only received a new spirit, but the Holy Spirit who is living in us.

One of the strategies of satan is to make believers feel isolated and alone through times of difficulty and struggles in life. In doing so, he keeps you from walking in one of the greatest truths of strength for the believer. This truth is found in 1 John 4:4. Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. If satan can get you to feel isolated and alone, he can keep you from walking in the light of the greater One who is with you.

So, there is no reason to live in fear of the powers of darkness, nor should you ever feel alone. Don’t fall for these deceptive lies, for all who have received salvation have the Spirit of God living in them. God is with you wherever you go. Walk in the realty of that truth by declaring to yourself that the greater One lives in you, for you are one spirit with the Lord, and the greater One will put you over in life.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].

God has already prearranged paths which He prepared ahead of time for us to walk on. As the Amplified version above states, it is a good life which He prearranged for us. Such a life awaits all of God’s children here and now. The key to walking out this prearranged good life is to learn how to follow the leading of God, for He will lead us down this path.

There are two ways under the New Testament in which God leads us. He does so by the Word of God, and by the inward witness of the Holy Spirit. God’s Word is His will for us, and as revealed in scripture it is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path. It reveals the way ahead into the plan of God. If we want to walk in that plan, we need the help of God’s Word to provide guidance for our life. Aligning our life with His Word places us on His predestined plan.

The Holy Spirit is called our guide. As Romans 8:16 tells us, He bears witness with our Spirit. There is an inner peace one will sense when going the direction God’s has for your life. If we get off track, we will sense an agitation in our spirit. He is also called the Spirit of Truth and will never lead us in opposition to God’s Word. Choose to follow God’s leading for your life through His Word and by the inward witness, and you can walk in the prearranged good life He has for you.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Ephesians 2:6
… and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Every believer has been seated together with Christ at the right hand of the Father. This is recognized as a position of authority over all the powers of darkness. It is the same position of authority Adam had before he sinned. Adam was given authority over all the earth and God told Adam to use that authority to walk in dominion upon the earth.

You have been seated with Christ far above all principalities, powers, might, dominion, and every name that is named. Not a little above, FAR above! Through Christ we have been restored back to the place of dominion that God had given Adam. This authority means you have been given delegated power, God’s power. You exercise your authority over satan and all his works by faith in the name of Jesus, the name above all names.

We need to fully understand our position in Christ, the authority that has been given to us, and exercise that authority through a bold faith-filled declaration of the name of Jesus. We are to trample on all the power of the enemy as Jesus declared in Luke 10:19. Romans 5:17 tells us we are to reign in this life through Jesus Christ. So don’t allow the powers of darkness to rule over you. By faith from your position in Christ, use the name of Jesus and keep them under your feet where they belong.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Galatians 6:15
For neither is circumcision [now] of any importance, nor uncircumcision, but [only] a new creation [the result of a new birth and a new nature in Christ Jesus, the Messiah].

Circumcision was required of Abraham and all his men and was then to include all males on the eighth day after their birth. This cutting away of the flesh was a sign they had a covenant with God. Under the New Covenant, there were some who insisted that even though one was born again, they were still to be circumcised. As Paul reveals in the above verse it is no longer of any importance, for under this New Covenant it is the inward change of the new man, this new creation of the human spirit that matters.

This new birth of the human spirit is how one experiences the cutting away of the old fallen nature, and you enter into a covenant with God. Man has always tried to change the inward man through outward actions. But if that were possible, you would not have needed Jesus. God came to change us, and change the way we live our life, but that change comes from the inside out.

Colossians 2:11 – In him you were also circumcised. It was not a circumcision performed by human hands. But it was a removal of the corrupt nature in the circumcision performed by Christ.

Here we are told that the old fallen nature was cut away in Christ when our spirit was reborn. It is this new nature within, the new man that we are to develop through the renewing of the mind that will change how we live on the outside. By the renewing of your mind through reading the New Testament of who you now are in Christ, you are transformed outwardly to no longer be conformed to the ways of the world.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Galatians 5:6
…the only thing that matters is faith working through love.

It is true faith, a faith that believes, speaks, and acts; united with the knowledge of God’s love for you, compelling you to love, that means everything. Love, the God kind of love, is a choice. God’s love is not based on feelings, but on actions. God’s love is not lip service, but is revealed through our deeds, how we live. Never forget, for your faith in God’s Word to work for you, you must walk in love. If your faith is not working the first place you should check is your love walk.

If you have gotten out of love, said something you should not have said or done something you should not have done, go to that person and repent and get right back in love. Jesus gave us the formula for walking in the love of God. We are to treat others the same way we would want them to treat us, no matter how they treat us. So, when you think about how you are treating other people you should ask yourself, is this how I would want them to treat me. Are these the words, actions, and attitudes I would want from them.

It does not matter how others have treated you, for God’s love is unconditional. It does not place a condition on others to love you before you love them. On the cross Jesus gave us the greatest example of love, asking the Father to forgive those who had crucified Him. Looking to His example on the cross reminds us of how much He loves us. So, if you want your faith in God to work for you, choose to walk in love, for your faith depends on it.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

We are all one in Christ. God is no respecter of persons, but a respecter of faith. He has no favorites, for He sees all the same through Christ Jesus. What pleases Him is when we believe His Word, speak His Word, and act as if His Word is true because it is. God does not do special favors for some; God sees us all the same because we once born again are all children of God, and therefore a part of His family.

In Acts 10:34 Peter declared that God shows no partiality, for Jesus was anointed by God and He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil. Jesus has not changed, for He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. For all who put their faith in Him, they are able to receive from Him what He has provided. Don’t ever fall for the lie that God only heals or blesses certain people. Everyone in God’s family are equal heirs to all of God’s promises.

If you had a radio and you were trying to pickup a certain station but were unable to hear it, you wouldn’t call the station and tell them there must be a problem on their end. You would instead adjust the dial on your end until you picked up their signal. That signal is available to all, but you must be on the same frequency. So, it is with God. Once you get in faith through hearing and meditating on His Word, you can receive what He has already provided for you. Jesus said, “If you can believe, all things are possible to Him who believes”. What God has promised in His Word He will perform for all who put their full trust in Him.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Mark 4:40
But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”

One of the most detrimental things to faith is fear. Let’s look at some keys from scripture of how we can walk in victory over fear. In the above scripture Jesus reveals to His disciples that they were afraid because they had no faith. He had gotten into a boat with them and had said they were going to the other side. A storm came up and they were afraid they would perish. The reason they were fearful is because they had their focus on the storm, and not on what Jesus had said. Once Jesus had said to go to the other side, they should have known they could do so for God had spoken. Focusing on the storm instead of His Word allowed fear to come.

In another example of this where Jesus had told His disciples to go over to the other side, He then came walking on the water. Peter getting out of the boat with his focus on Jesus began to go to Him. But then He took his eyes off of Jesus, he became afraid and began to sink. Jesus said to Peter he had little faith. This was the result of taking his eyes off of the Lord and focusing on the winds and waves. Whenever we take our focus off the Word of God and focus on what we see in the natural, fear will come.

In 1 John 4:18 we are told there is no fear in love, for perfect (mature) love casts out fear. When you take the time to develop a close relationship with the Lord, you mature in your knowledge and belief of His love, and that love will cast out fear. Stop focusing on the storms of life. Get your eyes focused on the Word of God, and take the time to develop an intimate relationship with the Lord. If you do these things, you can defeat fear.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Ephesians 6:14-17
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;….

The battle ground for every believer is the mind. If you want to win this battle, you need to understand the armor God has given to you, and how that armor helps you to overcome every wrong thought that comes. To have your armor on you must walk in the light of what it is, actively using it every day. It is our new lifestyle of living as a believer in Christ.

You should have on the belt of truth, having a clear understanding of God’s Word through daily fellowship with God in His Word. His Truth will protect you from deception. You should have on the breastplate of righteousness, walking in the revelation of your right standing with God given to you through salvation. Knowing this will keep you from the lie of the enemy that you are not right with God. The gospel of peace should be a part of your life every day, for as you keep your mind stayed on God, His peace will guard your mind.

You should also be continually hearing the Word preached, keeping your shield of faith in place to quench the fiery darts of the devil. You should live each day mindful of the hope of salvation that is to come, looking to the return of Christ, maintaining your helmet of salvation, and therefore overcoming hopelessness. Last but not least you should have the sword of the Spirit working for you by confessing God’s Word just as Jesus did in overcoming every temptation that comes.

Christianity is not a lesson learned, but a life to be lived. Walk in the reality of the armor you have been given and you will be ready for every battle of the mind and walk in victory.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

2 Corinthians 5:19
It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor).

The word reconciliation means to make an exchange, to restore to favor with God. Jesus became our substitutionary sacrifice by being made sin so that we could be made righteous. What Jesus is we have become, for He became what we were. Once born again we can stand in the presence of God without shame, for we have become one with Christ. God was in Christ completing this work on the earth. In the eyes of God every sinner got saved at Calvary when Christ became sin, therefore God is not keeping a record of the sinners’ sins.

This is what “not counting up” their sins means. What will send a sinner to hell and eternal separation from God is not receiving Christ as their Savior. It is the sinful nature within that is the root of the problem that has them separated from God. All who are born again now have a message to share with sinners. It is not their sins that is keeping them separated from God, but the sinful spirit within. Their sins are the result of that sinful nature.

So, when you witness to a sinner don’t focus on their sins, because God Himself is not counting up their sin. Help them to understand God has already provided reconciliation for them. All they must do is receive Jesus as the Lord of their life. Rejecting Him is what Jesus said would damn them for eternity. This is the message about reconciliation He has committed to the church to share with the whole world.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Once born again you are a new creation on the inside. You are a spirit, you have a soul, and you live in a body. The spirit is born again and made new. It is this new man that we need to develop so that we can walk in this new life we have been given. Here are four key things we must do to develop our new spirit man.

GIVE GOD’S WORD FIRST PLACE IN YOUR LIFE
There are many voices in the world that are trying to get our attention, and if we don’t put God’s Word first in our life, these voices will lead us astray. Make the Word of God a priority in your life everyday.

MEDITATE ON THE WORD OF GOD
Take time to focus your thoughts on scripture that reveals who you are in Christ. The more you take time to meditate on who you now are as a new creation, the more you start thinking like God thinks. You become God-inside minded.

BE OBEDIENT TO GOD’S WORD
Don’t just be a hearer of the Word of God, be a doer. Being a doer of the Word is sowing to your spirit man, and this is a major part of our transformation to walk in this new life Christ has for us.

INSTANTLY OBEY YOUR CONSCIENCE
Your conscience is the voice of your spirit. It is that still small voice within that is trying to lead us in line with this new nature. Take time to listen to and immediately obey that inner voice.

The new creation within became new for a reason. This was so you could begin to live a new life, walking in the footsteps of Jesus. Develop that new man and your life will never be the same.

Partner with us in sharing the gospel around the world: http://www.cffgive.com
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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas