Abounding Love Podcast with Former ”Tex” Watson

241 - Be Set Free

In this episode, we're going to be talking about how to be set free. Isaiah prophesied, “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?" (58:6, NKJV). The bonds have been loosed, the burdens removed. "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8, NKJV). Once we allowed the Lord to rule our life, we defeated the works of the devil and were set free from every yolk of bondage by the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Demons used to keep us involved with the wrong people, hanging out at the wrong places and doing the wrong things but, when we put our faith in Christ, we were released from the bondage of sin. You can also be in bondage to the traditions of men, ". . . making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do” (Mark 7:13, NKJV). We become tied up in religious traditions which often change with time, but God's Word [Truth] never changes. Many are caught up in doctrines which don't line up with the Word of God. John wrote that ". . . Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free'" (John 8:31-32, NKJV). Free from the bondage of religious traditions, plus the current beliefs of society which seek to do away with sin, saying what is wrong is okay and what is right is to be dismissed. "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ" (Colossians 2:8, NKJV). Also in Christ, we are set free even from death, ". . . that through death, He [Jesus] might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Hebrews 2:14, NKJV). Seek to be set free as the Lord intended!
Let me hear from you - Charles
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240 - Be a Father Pleaser

As we live our lives in Christ, the Holy Spirit compels us to please God, our Heavenly Father. We want to please Him more and more. The one person Who pleased the Father more than any other is Jesus. "Then Jesus said to them, 'When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am and I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him'" (John 8:28, 29, NKJV). Jesus relied on pleasing the Father as a direction for His actions. He speaks those things that the Father taught Him. That's how we can please the Father, by sharing the Gospel, speaking those things the Father has taught us. When we become born again, the Comforter [Holy Spirit] lives inside us and through Him we come into agreement with God's Word and our actions follow. Our actions become pleasing to God. And, "When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Proverbs 16:7, NKJV). When we please God the Father, others are pleased by us as well. "And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight" (1 John 3:22, NKJV). When we obey God's Word, this pleases the Father and our prayers are more effective as well. Finally, there is this: "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, 'and was not found, because God had taken him'; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God" (Hebrews 11:5, 6, NKJV). Like Enoch, it should be our desire to please God the Father in every area of our life. Are you living a life pleasing to God? Would you like to? This message could help!
Let me hear from you - Charles
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239B - How to Be Used by God

The first half of this message was episode #239A - "The Call of God." I now continue by presenting eight  things we are to practice in order to be used by God. They are summarized as follows.
1. We must be willing to be used by God. "Then He [Jesus] said to His disciples, 'The harvest is truly plentiful, but the laborers few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest'" (Matthew 9:37,38, NKJV). In other words, we must be willing to let God work through us as He wills in order to bring in the harvest.2. We must have a working knowledge of the Bible. The apostle Peter wrote: ". . .  as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby" (1 Peter 2:2,3; 2 Peter 3:18, NKJV). We are to renew our minds through God's Word (Romans 12:2).3. We must be filled with and walk in the Holy Spirit. "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25, NKJV). The Spirit empowers us to be effective ministers of the Gospel of Christ.4. We must have a heart of genuine love for others. "For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again" (2 Corinthians 5:14,15, NKJV). Love is an action apparent in all who are used by God.5. We must practice the power of prayer; praying without ceasing (2 Thessalonians 5:16-18).6. We must invest our money in the Lord's work. Not grudgingly, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).7. We must be bold as lions in our righteousness. Don't let fear control you (Proverbs 28:1; Acts 4:29,30).8. We must be obedient in all things. Total obedience to God and His Word must be seen in all our actions (Acts 5:29-32).It is my prayer this message will bring you to an understanding of what the Lord requires of His servants, so you can be effective in all you do. Selah!
Let me hear from you - Charles
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239A - The Call of God

In Isaiah 6:8, we read: "Also I heard the voice of the LORD, saying: 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here am I! Send me'" (NKJV).  Isaiah was called to give the people a choice: to hear the Word of God and live; or reject the Word of God and face His wrath. We are called to deliver a similar message: Receive God's Word [Jesus] and accept His salvation; or reject it and be left to God's wrath. God gave His Word to Prophets, to Kings and leaders, and now He has given it to us, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. We become equipped to share it with others. Matthew wrote: "But when He [Jesus] saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest is truly  plentiful, but the laborers  few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest'" (Matthew 9:36-38, NKJV). Are you willing to answer the call of Jesus? The apostle Paul wrote: "For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again" (2 Corinthians 5:14, 15 NKJV).  Because of Christ's love, we are "compelled" to live for Him, sharing His grace with others. The number one commission for us as believers is to win souls. We are joined in union with Jesus Christ in this mission. We no longer live for ourselves, which brings us to the main point: To answer the call of God, we must be willing. Are you willing?
Let me hear from you - Charles  
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236 - How to Grow Spiritually Part 2

In the first part of the message, I taught on two ways to grow Spiritually: READ GOD'S WORD and PRAY. I begin this second part with the third way: FELLOWSHIP. This,  by definition, means we are to share things in common, to have communion with and to be partners with those possessing eternal life -- salvation. The apostle John wrote: " . . .that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3, NKJV).  Fellowship is not just for Sunday, but for everyday. We declare what we have seen and heard. Fellowship helps us to be an effective witness, which is the fourth way we grow Spiritually through our WITNESS. As Jesus commanded the disciples [and us]: " . . .But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1: 8, NKJV). We receive "power" Spiritually in order to make us effective witnesses for Christ even in the face of persecution. The fourth way we grow Spiritually is through PRAISING GOD. Throughout this second part of the message, I quote numerous Scriptures which need little explanation. That we are to fellowship and witness are repeated themes. But there are so many verses about the need for and the benefits of praising God, I couldn't possibly use them all. For example, the last two verses in Luke: "And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen" (Luke 24:52, 53, NKJV). This was the pattern for the early church, to praise God continually. And Psalm 113:3, "From the rising of the sun to its going down the LORD’s name is to be praised" (NKJV). All these five ways outlined in the messages serve to increase our Spiritual growth and make us able to be used effectively.
Let me hear from you - Charles  
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235 - How to Grow Spiritually Part 1

This episode is the first of two parts in a series on 5 ways we can grow Spiritually: 1) Read God's Word; 2) Pray, talk to God; 3) Fellowship; 4) Witness; and 5) Praise God. Remember, our spirit is born again when we receive Christ. We needed to be born again because our spirit was corrupted by the original sin of Adam and Eve. Although our spirit has been made anew, we need to grow in spiritual understanding in the soul. Man is made up of spirit, soul [mind, will and emotions] and body. A fleshly mindset causes worldly actions, but a Spiritual mindset brings forth Spiritual actions. As believers, we are allowed by the Word and the Spirit to know and understand the thoughts of the Lord (Luke 24:45). As we change through renewing the mind, we take on the actions of Jesus. READ GOD'S WORD: It builds our faith, and then, we begin to act as God wants us to act. When tempted by the devil,  Jesus said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God'" (Matthew 4:4, NKJV). We need a constant relationship with the Word of God; meditating on it, being a ". . .doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22, NKJV). If you hear the Word of God and don't do it, you are defeating yourself. PRAY: We grow spiritually by praying. We must pray using our knowledge of God's Word. We pray the Word with thanksgiving. We pray by faith in the Word of God and the faith it brings. We pray in confidence because we are children of God who enters the throne room boldly (Hebrews 4:16). In prayer, we acknowledge all we received through Christ. Jesus found the disciples sleeping in the Garden of Gethsemane and said, "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41, NKJV). Jesus is talking about our willing spirit and prayer. We are to pray in the Spirit for each other. This message is about the ways we can do this. Selah!
Let me hear from you - Charles  
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263 - Walk in the Spirit

Our flesh opposes our spiritual, born-again nature and vice versa. "The fruit of the Spirit is love." Only as we walk in love can we fulfill the will of God in our lives, and it is manifested in joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This message is based upon the following verses: "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts [sets its desire] against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16-25, NKJV). We have power over the flesh, through the Holy Spirit filling our heart with God's love. Verses 19-21 lists 17 evil works of the flesh or temptations we have to deal with, which work against the Spirit. But in verses 22-23, we are given the fruit of the Spirit to overcome the flesh. Not only are we to live in the Spirit, but we must also walk in the Spirit. They are not the same. Walking in the Spirit is a way of life. We are to walk in the attributes described in the fruit of the Spirit (vv. 22, 23). Join me in this message as I teach on what this means for us to walk in the Spirit.
Let me hear from you - Charles  
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258 - Speaking Boldly

"Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word. . ." (Acts 4:29, NKJV). In this verse, the Apostles had been threatened for preaching the gospel [Good News] of Jesus Christ, and they were praying for the boldness needed to preach the Word. Years later, the apostle Paul wrote: "And He Himself [Jesus] gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,  for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying [building up] of the body of Christ. . ." (Ephesians 4:11,12,  NKJV). Realize, ". . .the work of ministry" is not just for "pastors and teachers". They are given to prepare all believers for doing the work. What is this work we are to do? The answer is: witness to others! How do we witness? By speaking boldly the gospel of Jesus Christ. Solomon wrote: "The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion" (Proverbs  28:1, NKJV). We are to be bold in our witness; like a lion -- daring, courageous and fearless. Jesus taught: "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life" (John 6:63, NKJV). The words we speak are Spirit and life, which we want to give to others. In this message I review all we have been given as believers in Jesus Christ -- as saints, [righteous, holy and separated from the world], which enables all of us [not just pastors and teachers] to be bold when witnessing the gospel to others. Selah!
Let me hear from you - Charles  
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