​John 8:34-36 - Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.  "The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.  "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.  NASU 

• He Has Set You Free 

If you have become a believer in Jesus Christ (Mark 16:16), repented of your sins (Acts 2:38), confessed Jesus to be the Christ or Messiah (Romans 10:9), and have been baptized (Acts 22:16). You have been set free.
 
The sins that we have committed enslave us and this is why Jesus came to earth. So that sinners could be set free from their sins.
 
There is a band called Hillsong Worship from Australia and they have recorded a song "Who You Say I Am" I have included some of the words below and if you click on the link below the lyrics it will take you to a video of the song being sung.
 
Who the Son sets free
Oh, is free indeed
I'm a child of God, yes, I am
 
Free at last, He has ransomed me
His grace runs deep
While I was a slave to sin, Jesus died for me
Yes, He died for me
 
Who the Son sets free
Oh is free indeed
I'm a child of God, yes, I am

In my Father's house
There's a place for me
I'm a child of God, yes, I am
 
I am chosen, not forsaken
I am who You say I am
You are for me, not against me
I am who You say I am
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKw6uqtGFfo
 
I couldn't agree more with the words of this powerful song. I am and you are who God says we are and not anyone else. 

• Never Forget This 

We have been set free from our sins because of Jesus leaving heaven, clothing Himself with flesh (He was Immanuel or God with us Matt.1:23) and living a perfectly sinless life and then sacrificing Himself on the cross at Calvary.
 
The good news is once we have been baptized into Christ His blood continually cleanses us (1 John 1:7 - if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin).
 
My desire is that you will sing the lyrics of the song "Who You Say I Am" over and over to yourself today and always remember You Are A Child of God.
 
Think About These:
 
Faith builds a bridge from this world to the next.
 
Our faith deals with what God says - not what men say.
 
No one lives in doubt when he has prayed in faith. 

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago
 
Minister of God's Word

Gen. 6:6-8 -The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 The LORD said, " I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them." 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.  NASU

• God Was Sorry For His Actions

In the text above we can see that God was sorry about creating mankind. He was sorry about His actions to the point that He was grieved in His heart.

• God's Plan Was To Start Over

He was going to blot out man whom He created (vs.7). When I was reading this text I thought that is exactly what we need to do once we realize we have done something and we are sorry for our actions. We need to start over again. Once we have done what we are sorry for put it behind you and move forward. Start a Fresh!

Are you able to mentally accomplish this type of forgetting?

• 1st Make A Confession

We need to make a confession that we are sorry for what we have done. This is a confession that comes from the heart. God was grieved in His heart because of His actions.

When your heart is grieving because of what you have done, own it. Openly confess to those who are your friends. Confess it to anyone who will listen. If no one will listen confess to God because He is always listening.

Let Him know you feel like He did after creation of mankind, sorry for that which you have done.

• 2nd Start A Fresh

God was going to blot out the people that He had made and start a fresh. You and I need to blot out the memories of what we did that we are sorry for. This is going to be harder to do than you realize but you must stop thinking about the action that is causing you the sorrow.

This is known as "stinking thinking" when all you do is think about that which you can't change.

They say that when a quarterback throws an interception that he must forget about it. He must put it behind him and get himself mentally ready to come back out on that field again and play like it never happened.

• 3rd Look For The Person Who Is Different

Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Noah was different than all the other people around him. He was a believer. He trusted in God. He listened to God and joined in the plan that God was going to initiate.

God was going to start over and His plan included Noah.

Sometimes we need to start over and start over with new people. These new people will be people willing to listen to God's Word.

Noah listened to God and found himself building an ark which I am sure looked like a fairly crazy thing to be doing.

When you partner with God you may find yourself doing some outlandish things, but partner with Him anyways. It will be the best thing you have ever done.

Think About These: 

There are two kinds of fools: those who can't change their opinions and those who won't.

We should forgive and then forget what we have forgiven.
 
Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

​Minister of God's Word

Gen. 42:21-22 - Then they said to one another, "Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us." 22 Reuben answered them, saying, "Did I not tell you, 'Do not sin against the boy; and you would not listen? Now comes the reckoning for his blood."                                       NASU

•  The Cause of their Guilt 

Jacob's sons are in a dilemma. They sold their brother, Joseph, into slavery years ago. They had taken his coat of many colors and stained it with animal blood and then lie to their dad, Jacob, about what had happened to Joseph. 
 
Now years later, there had been a famine and Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy grain. This is when Joseph sees his brothers. He recognizes them but they don't recognize him. Joseph has them placed in prison and accuses them of being spies. He leaves them in prison for three days and tells them they must leave one of the brothers in prison, travel home and bring their younger brother to Egypt to prove they are telling the truth that they are not spies.

•  The Guilt of the Past Returns 

Now is when their guilty consciences remember what they had done to Joseph, their brother, and they believe this is why this disaster is coming upon them. We probably have all done some thing in our past that periodically comes back from time to time to haunt us.
 
The two best ways I know to overcome a guilty conscience if you have hurt someone:

1. Apologize and ask for forgiveness from the hurt person.
2. Apologize and ask for forgiveness from God if the hurt person cannot be contacted.

After their father, Jacob, dies the brothers send a message to Joseph asking him to forgive them. Gen. 50:16-17 -"Your father charged before he died, saying, 17'Thus you shall say to Joseph, "Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong."' And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father." 
 
The brothers asked Joseph for forgiveness and it was granted to them.

• The Hope We Have In Christ 

When your conscience brings up your past, remind yourself that you're not that person any longer. That person died and was buried in the watery grave of baptism. Jesus was and is the perfect sacrifice that atones for the sins of mankind. The best way to defeat your guilty conscience is to be born again.
 
I am not perfect now, but thank God I am not what I used to be nor am I what I want to be.  I want to do what 2 Pet. 3:18 says, "…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
 
Like the sign says, "Under Construction: God isn't finished with me yet." We really need to memorize this statement. We are under construction. God is working on us and will continue to work on us as long as we are on this earth and will let Him.

• Guilty Conscience About Something Done After Your Baptism?

Incase you didn't know, Christians aren't perfect and sometimes our guilty consciences come from things we have done even after we have become a Christian. You may have done something that hasn't hurt anyone but yourself so you don't have to ask for anyone's forgiveness.

People have told you, "To let it go." You wish you could but everything you have tried isn't working. 

So what should be done in those situations? I would say, "You need to remember what God has done for you. He has forgiven you, so forgive yourself." 

• I Am Plagued By Feeling Guilty Constantly

Some people have a personality that dwells on the past, and if you are a Christian who is constantly fighting your past mistakes, then by all means you need to dwell on God's ability to forgive you of your sins.

• Christians Have The Same Enemy As Jesus

Christians must remember that we have the same enemy as Jesus had when He was on earth. The enemy constantly wants to bring up your past mistakes.
 
I like this saying, "When the devil wants to remind you of your past, remind him of his future." 

God is going to CRUSH him one day as it says in Romans 16:20 - "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you."  
 
If you want to dwell on something, dwell on what God has done for you and what He will do to the devil. 

Think About This:
 
Your conscience is not the voice of God; it is a gift from God.

Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago      
    ​

​Psalm 103:10 - He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.

• What? Wait Just A Minute!

How can you say Ps.103:10 is the greatest verse in the Bible? Many people say John 3:16 is the greatest verse in the Bible or Psalm 23 where the Lord is my Shepherd. What gives you the right to make this bold claim?

I am glad you asked. It is my opinion.

This is the USA. Where we are allowed to have different opinions, or at least we used to be when I was maturing in life. This doesn’t have to be the greatest verse for you.
Go read God’s Word and discover your own “greatest verse”.

• How Did It Become Your Greatest Verse?

Maybe it had to do with the way I was feeling at the time I read it.
I have started a “prayer walk” here at Fairway Christian Church on Friday mornings where I work. I was sharing with our walkers this scripture verse before we began our walk.

My thoughts were zeroed in on this concept that God doesn’t deal with me according to my sins and I was immediately flooded with thankfulness. Oh, those ugly sins I have committed in my life. Any one of them would be enough to send me to Hell for all eternity and then I read this verse and it says, “God doesn’t deal with me according to my sins, nor repay me according to my iniquities.”

• So Now You Know

I am not sure what next week’s verse will be. Maybe next week’s verse will be the greatest in the Bible. You see as long as we continue to read God’s Word and His Word continues to speak to us we might see any verse that speaks to us that day as the Greatest Verse in the Bible.

Is there anything wrong with having a favorite verse? No.

Is there anything wrong with our favorite verse changing? No.

What is the most important thing here is that we continue to read God’s Word and allow it to speak to us. As it speaks to us may we allow it to change us so we can be the best version of ourselves.

• Ezra Said It This Way

 Ezra 7:10- For Ezra had firmly resolved to study the Law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.

It seems in life from time to time we look to others for an example of how to live. If you are such a person then please allow me to present to you, Ezra.  For he had made up his mind (firmly resolved) to study the Law of the LORD.
There is a great example for all of us to imitate.

• The Apostle Paul Said It This Way

2 Tim. 2:15 - Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth (Amplified Version).

My advice and please hear my heart when I say this to you today, read God’s Word because you know it is God’s Love Letter to you from Him.

Think About These:

The Bible is the only book whose author is always present when one reads it.

A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t. - Charles Spurgeon

Stay Pumped,

​Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word
 
FYI:  I have been teaching on Wednesday nights at Fairway Christian Church. The lessons have been about lesser known Apostles, Overcoming Suffering, and Matthew 24 about the destruction of Jerusalem, and Jesus' 2nd Coming. I am attaching a link for anyone interested in watching the lessons I have taught the last few months.    

https://vimeopro.com/user45356398/wednesday-night-bible-studies
 
Also, these lessons are "Live Streamed" on Wednesday evenings at 6 pm (EST). I would love for you to join us.