Tag Archives: purity

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What Kind of Sacrifice are You Offering?

Oftentimes as we experience different situations in life, we sometimes ask ourselves, “why is that like that, or how come this happened? “What caused this problem to be that way?”

For instance, have you ever went to a bakery and you tasted one of the pastries and that pastry tasted kind of funny, like it was missing something, or you were thinking that if they had a little bit of ‘this’ type of an ingredient the pastry might taste a little better than it does now. So it stands to reason that you’ve noticed there was something that spoiled the taste of that pastry.

Well, I liken this to some of the things in our life, you know we partly do things these days. We have to do our jobs and then we wonder towards the latter part of our employment at a particular job, why didn’t I get a bonus? or why didn’t I get promoted, or things along that line. But the thing you have to ask yourself is, what have I sacrificed for this particular company to earn that promotion or to earn that raise? What have I done? If I haven’t done anything, or if I didn’t do my job properly then as the old saying goes, “you get what you deserve.” But in the House of Lord, it’s a little different. The Lord asks of us to have a pure heart, and when we make sacrifice to him, your sacrifice has to be incorruptible to him; not corruptible. Because we love him, we don’t want to give him something that is imperfect and corruptible. We want to give him something pure from our heart as possible, to be as perfect for us as human.

But as human nature will have it, we can’t do any shortcuts to God or give him not our best. Sometimes we give God a sanitized version of sacrifice, but not a true sacrifice. I guess the question remains, what type of sacrifice have you been giving God lately?

In these times, we are so quick to want everything so quick and fast just to get it out of the way, that we don’t give a pure sacrifice to the Lord – a sacrifice of our time, of our abilities, a sacrifice of our capabilities for Him. He has given us all these things for His glory, so why not return it back to him without any strings attached?

Read Malachi 1:7-14

7 Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible. 8 And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of hosts. 9 And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he regard your persons? saith the Lord of hosts. 10 Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.11 For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.12 But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the Lord is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible.13 Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the Lord of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the Lord.14 But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.”

Let these words of God rest with you. When you make a sacrifice to the Lord, what is your mindset? In my conclusion, make sure sacrifice doesn’t come with strings attached. Strings can be attitude, jealousy, envy, hatred, selfishness, and anger.

In Yeshua’s name, it is so.

Sermon by Pastor Tony Catron

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Designed for Change

1 John 3:1-3

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

If we look at the verse, “beloved, now are we the sons of God,” son’s means daughters too “and it doth not yet appear what we shall be.” Designed for change. Since the dawn of human creation, the homo sapien, sapian, is in a constant state of change or development. From your outer shell, which is your skin. Now understand this, you shed 600,000 particles of skin every hour. 600,000 particles. That means you all are flaking off. Can you have a concept of that? It’s hard to imagine a concept of that. Have you ever seen sand in an hour glass? Just think, that little glass is what you’ve placed out there. You can say you’re every where, and someone’s a part of you. Even when we look at human blood cells, the average human produces 222 billion blood cells a day. You might even say that you are being renewed in your existence every moment, every day. You’re a new being. You’re not the same person you were when you walked through the door. Your body is designed for change. You’re not the same as you were last week. You won’t be the same next week. The same hair that you’ve been growing is constantly pushing out, its not the same. You’re designed for change. Think about this. If we’re in a constant changing mode, both mentally and physically, why do we constantly hold on to things of the past? Trying to resolve issues of a mental and physical nature from before. You weren’t the same person you were when you were involved with what you did before. One thing we should understand is as those cells are created on a daily basis, there are also millions of cells that die and expel from the body. So when we’re creating something new inside the body, something else is getting disposed of. So why are we holding on to dead things, if our body expels them? Why do we hold on to things from the past? A mindset, a way of acting? If our body gets rid of mess, why do we try to retain it? Ok, so, so-and-so got on your nerves 5 years ago. You were a different person 5 years ago.

How many have fallen down and gotten a gash? The gash is made, blood fills the gash, then your body makes a protective secretion. Then a scab develops, while the cells underneath the scab regenerate. It heals itself. When that scab is ready to come off, what is underneath? New skin. What is that saying? We allow gashes to become open of issues of our lives from before, from the past, then they become infected. What happens to infected things on your body? They begins to cause damage to everything that is next to it. So the opening where you had a gash, it was a nice cut, but when you being to pick it and infect it, it turns dark, because its killing the cells around it. Those new cells are sensitive. So because they are new, now they are damaged. So what do the new damaged cells do? Damage the cells next to it. You’ve seen a bushel of apples, with a rotten one in the middle of the bunch. Its like the sin in our lives. That sin sits inside you, and damages you from the inside out. Thoughts, dreams; all those things are a process of that sin nature, which brings about destruction to every memory in your mind. Desires affect things in your life. When you desire to do something, it begins to make room by effecting things in your thoughts. It brings about a change in your thoughts, a change and a process. What does that mean? Well, you being to make room and allowances for that desire. I need that desire, but the desire says I have to change the mind of inspiration, of hope. Guess what happens? The desire sets an atmosphere for it to exist. Its just like being in a relationship with someone. You want it so bad, so you set aside your own morals, sensibilities, and all emotional feelings telling you to stop. You push that aside because the desire has made room enough so you can meet the desire of that desire. Things that you would normally question “Is it right,” you’ll find justification for it to be right. Is it an emotion that you created? We give in and desire makes us do one other thing: give up. When we give up, we do whatever we want to do. We operate under the laws of desire. It may not be desire, it may be anger or hatred, we operate under the laws of that things.

It is an import thing to know that we can’t allow situations to fester inside of us. This is notorious of women, and I’m not picking on women. Women who fall in love have a tenancy not to let go. And if something happens that breaks up that relationship, then they want to know why. They bug the source that ended the relationship. If this isn’t done, it festers in them, because it was something unfulfilled. So when it comes to another relationship, what is the first thing that will come out of them? The hurt pain and anguish and that thing that festered in them. Then they wonder why the new relationship doesn’t work. Because you have allowed the other to fester and change who you are. In order for you to grow as you’re body was designed, you have to let go. “But its hard to let go, I can’t let go! There is a big question mark in my head.” When they meet the source of the break up, they say why? Why did you? You start to examine yourself. Is my head too big, is it my shape, is it my face? We begin to question our outer appearance, then when it still isn’t fulfilled we don’t change. We halt our growth mentally, and when we do this we don’t grow physically. Sometimes it leads to death, over a situation that happened years ago. That is why our policy is to forgive yourself, so you can grow again. There is another little demon that sneaks in called “settle.” I’ll settle for this, or that, if I can’t get this. I know I’m not at this level to get this, so I’ll settle for that. You need not to prove to anyone, give a conclusion to anyone, even to yourself about situations gone bad in your life. It happens. The main thing is you were designed to constantly be growing, to constantly change. Your mind has held your physical life back.  Now you have stress, eating disorders, high blood pressure, abuse to who you are. You think less of what you are, that you aren’t worthy of anybody. We have allowed these things to halt us in our growth. If you don’t grow and mature and begin to blossom at the level you are suppose to, then you’re slowly dying. Most people settle. God says that we are kings  and queens, but we keep hoboing, hoboing our way to salvation? Why? Becuase the thing that was festering has destroyed your nerves, brought unsurety to you life in every aspect of your life. God doesn’t want us to be an unsure individuals, He has designed you to be sure.

Philippians 3:11-16

If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

“forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before…” Things in your life that have caused you to fail, that have caused you to be critical, judgmental of yourself. Forget these things. Your body understands changes, but you don’t. You body understands when its time to change, but you don’t. But the Word of God is trying to tell you to forget about those things, and move on. Looking for those things that are before you. Its what’s behind you that is pulling you back to the past; pain, hurt, anguish. Forget these things and press toward the things in front. What would happen if you eat and eat and never expel what you eat? You’ll die. John Wayne had at least of 100 pounds of fecal matter, undigested in his body. If you don’t get rid of the poison in you, you will die. Medically speaking, if a person is brain dead, then everything else is dead. Are you hearing me? If you hold onto the mess long enough, it will kill you! It poisons your whole system. That is why if you hold onto stress in your head, it poisons your blood, your heart to the point where your body says that it can’t deal with it anymore. What is in the past is in the past. Its time for us to move to the future. Its time for us to move to the future. Stay out the past. Christ can’t use you if you’re constantly living in the past. Everything you see is judged by the past. Satan brings up the past, going before the Lord Jesus and accuses you, on a regular basis. Don’t give him something to fight with. Let him not want to run before the Lord. You want him to run to the Lord and say “stop that child from interfering in what I’m doing!” Remember one thing, forgetting those things behind you. Its nothing in front of you, its what behind you that smells. How would people look if they had their butts in front of them? Or if your head was turned backward, you’ll smell everything. Everything Satan says about you, may have been true at one point, but that is when you were that person. I’m not the same as I was 5 mins ago. Every cell has been revived, restored inside, constantly. So why do I refuse to change, and just stay the same? Why do we hold people to that? You remember what you did, how you were. 

Are you going to let your past become your future? We don’t even realize that all the things that are in our past that we don’t let go of, have become our future. That is why when you see relationships when they break up, do they talk about what could have been or what has been? They always talk about what was. They’ll get with someone else and argue and fuss about what the other person did to them. That thing that festers inside of you and begins to affect your common reason, and your reason has now become a settled reason. Forgetting those things that are in the past; behind me, and reaching for those things in front of me. God has said that you are more than a conqueror. Greater is He that is in you than he that’s in the world. When demons posses you, they only posses your body to scare everyone around. Demons can’t possess your soul. They can’t touch anything that doesn’t belong to them. It has been bought with the Blood of Christ. Your body is just a shell that can be inhabited. You can do one thing to your body. You can destroy it. How do you destroy it? By letting the past become your future. When you neglect who you are, you get sinful sores all over you. When those things mature and become ripe, they destroy you. Then you’re no go for any thing.

God said He came to bring you life and that more abundantly. How can you have an abundant life, if you’re constantly pulling us your mess? You’ll be in your home alone, and all of a sudden a song comes a long and takes you back to a moment in the past. You are now living in that moment. You have just been pulled away to your past. Then you go about your day thinking about that moment. Then satan who sees your actions knows that you are thinking on that. Then, he has so-and-so call you, so-and-so who did you wrong. The whole while you’re talking to them, you are agitated, and all they wanted was to say please forgive me. The Bible says we’re not ignorant of Satan’s devices. Its nothing new, because its what we went through, because he can bind us to the things we’ve already gone through. You are designed for change.

Romans 12:1-4

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

The world tries to hold you to something that was, could have been; if you only had. Christ tells us to forget about that, but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Your body was designed for change. Brain cells are dying by the millions in your life, but other cells are being prepared. Those brain cells that you had when you were thinking one way are gone. Why keep impregnating the new brain cells you have with the bad things from the old brain cells. The only way that transformation will take place is to get new patterns in your life. If you do A, B, and C you’ll always get D. What happens if you say you’ll start at G, or do X, Y, Z? You’ll get different results. The Lord wants us to change; get rid of the old man, and begin to do something different. If you continue with the same pattern, you’ll always get the same results. Sin + Sin = Sin. Anger+Anger=Anger. Math also works for good things. Love+Love=Love.

Oneness of thought is order, but confusion of thought is disorder. Oneness in the body is health and life, confusion in the body is unhealthy and death. Which one do you choose? Life or death. Christ came to give us life, and that more abundantly. If Christ chooses life and oneness, why can’t we?

John 10:1-8

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.