Posted on by Christian Armetta

No Condemnation

Romans 8:1-4

Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, 2 because the Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 What the law could not do since it was limited by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours under sin’s domain, and as a sin offering, 4 in order that the law’s requirement would be accomplished in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 

no condemnation

Through tear-filled eyes, the believer gathers enough strength to take the first step in his self-inflicted room of guilt. “It’s dark in here!” he exclaims, without any awareness that he’s not alone. A voice trickles from the shadowy distance, “You’ll never escape! You invited us here and we aren’t leaving.” The voice multiples as it rebounds across a hollowed shell.

His eyes fail to adjust to the darkness and fear begins to grip his body as it slithers up from the abyss. “Where am I?” the believer states with the faintest of intent. “You created this place; you know it well!” replies the adversary. With profound uncertainty, the believer walks in the direction of the crippling voice. He comes face to face with the spirit of shame who is guarding a locked and battered door.

“You don’t have the key so there’s no use trying to open it,” says the spirit. With a trembling outstretched hand, the believer frantically turns the knob without release. “You’re wasting your time,” mocks the evil one. In a distraught state of mind, the believer pounds and knocks with his last shred of strength in unison to the enemy’s laughter. “I give up! I’m trapped!” exclaims the believer. He slumps down as his fists slide off the door. Sweat drips from his chin and tears fill troughs within the flooring left by battered attempts to escape.

In complete surrender, the softest of touches brushes the believer’s shoulder. With his last ounce of strength and will, the believer turns to seek the origin of the touch. The radiant light blinds him as he utters, “I cannot look at it!” The Savior says, “Do not be afraid my child. I am near to the brokenhearted.”

The Savior carries the wounded believer to the now vacant door. “But Jesus, I tried; I did! I tried and couldn’t open the door.” Jesus said, “Dear child, you were seeking an earthly key that doesn’t exist! This door can only be opened through my sacrifice!” Jesus reached for the handle which perfectly matched his nailed-pierced hand. The door reacted with submission and opened with ease. After passing through, the believer respectfully asked, “Where did you find me, Lord?” Jesus answered, “In the darkest of places where Satan keeps you in bondage…your mind.”

_________________________________________

Dear friends, there is NO condemnation for those who call Jesus their Lord and Savior. Release the chains through the authority we have in Jesus Christ and refuse to be bound by your own thoughts and shame. Christ came to set the captives free!

Thankful,

Christian Armetta

Posted on by Christian Armetta

Committed

Nehemiah 4:7-14

7 When Sanballat, Tobiah, and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites heard that the repair to the walls of Jerusalem was progressing and that the gaps were being closed, they became furious. 8 They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and throw it into confusion. 9 So we prayed to our God and stationed a guard because of them day and night.

10 In Judah, it was said:

The strength of the laborer fails,
since there is so much rubble.
We will never be able
to rebuild the wall.

11 And our enemies said, “They won’t know or see anything until we’re among them and can kill them and stop the work.” 12 When the Jews who lived nearby arrived, they said to us time and again, “Everywhere you turn, they attack us.” 13 So I stationed people behind the lowest sections of the wall, at the vulnerable areas. I stationed them by families with their swords, spears, and bows. 14 After I made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the great and awe-inspiring Lord, and fight for your countrymen, your sons and daughters, your wives and homes.”

commitment

I received such encouragement from this passage. Nehemiah was under great oppression and discouragement that we would have given our complete empathy and understanding if he had decided to quit. Nehemiah was facing opposition from within his own community and most certainly from outside his tribe. Yet, his drive to continue in the face of dire opposition come from the Lord. We can learn a lot from this!

God spoke to Nehemiah and nothing was going to stand in his way from accomplishing this God-sized task. We learn, however, that the road was not easy. Many came against him, and it would have been easy to question God’s plan. My prayer is that we stand firm on the solid rock of our Savior and press forward when called accordingly.

Nehemiah 2:17-20 says, 17 So I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been burned down. Come, let’s rebuild Jerusalem’s wall, so that we will no longer be a disgrace.” 18 I told them how the gracious hand of my God had been on me,and what the king had said to me.

They said, “Let’s start rebuilding,” and they were encouraged to do this good work.

19 When Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they mocked and despised us, and said, “What is this you’re doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”

20 I gave them this reply, “The God of heaven is the One who will grant us success. We, His servants, will start building, but you have no share, right, or historic claim in Jerusalem.”

Nehemiah did not rest upon his own strength or his own understanding. His strength came from the Lord. Therefore, no level of spiritual oppression was going to stand in his way. When pressed on all sides, how do you react? Do you crumble in your own strength or stand firm on the solid rock of Christ?

Thankful,

Christian Armetta

Posted on by Christian Armetta

Encouragement

2 Corinthians 5:11-21

We Are God’s Ambassadors

11 Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. 12 Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart. 13 If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. 14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

encourage

Did he say homework? [Smile] Yes, our pastor ended his piercing sermon on Sunday with the statement, “Now here’s your homework for this week. Read the passage in 2 Corinthians 5 and think about how this relates to encouraging others.” Since then, I’ve read the entire chapter of 2 Corinthians 5 several times, and God peels back the layers each and every time.

To be fully honest, God is revealing more and more about the true meaning of life. No, I’m not being overly dramatic. Just like I posted in my last blog, “What are we doing?” The answer is very clear. We are called to live fully in Christ and share His gospel in all that we say and do. The passage above is even entitled, “We Are God’s Ambassadors.” If, therefore, we are God’s Ambassadors, then we represent God Himself! This most certainly makes me stand a little taller and serve a little harder. I pray that we act upon this very important role and responsibility by seeing others how Christ sees them –

Colossians 3:3, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

2 Corinthians 5:21, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”

Galatians 3:27, “And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.”

Do you see? As believers, we have actually “put on” Christ just like wearing new clothes. God strips us from our old, worn-out garments, and He clothes us with purity through His perfect reconciliation…[ponder]…then why do we treat each other with such antagonism?

I must admit dear friends, we have an “ego” problem within our churches and communities. We spend an exorbitant amount of time critiquing, criticizing, and crucifying our brothers and sisters – especially our anointed ministers – and to that I say, “ENOUGH!” I have only one word that sums up this demon – PRIDE. Sadly, the spirits of pride, rebellion, and division parade around our church hallways, homes, offices, etc. with such ease because they are given legal permission to commune in our minds. This saddens me greatly.

[Error in spiritual thinking]

“That worship music just isn’t my style, they need to stop all that hand-raising and moving around and just sing hymns. That’s how it has always been done. If they don’t stop then I’m finding a new church.”

“I’m going to ask the pastor on Monday if he owns a suit because he apparently can’t find one to wear on Sunday mornings. All the former pastors in this church have worn suits, why can’t he?”

“Who made this new policy change in the church? I don’t like it, and I’m going to withhold my tithes until they change it back.”

“Why is that new couple sitting in my seat? Don’t they know that’s my seat? I’ve sat there every Sunday since I was a little boy. They are going to have to move.”

“Who approved to plant a tree right there in the front of the church? It should have gone on the side. I’m going to complain to the grounds committee.”

I think you get the point, and if I’m stepping on toes…then I will call it a spiritual piercing in the hopes that we are sharpening each other instead of offending one another. I pray that we all crucify our own flesh and put on Christ! Start encouraging and stop antagonizing; the world is watching, and right now they see a broken body in Christ. It is up to us to show the world that we can humble ourselves and live as ambassadors to the one and only King!

Thankful,

Christian Armetta

Posted on by Christian Armetta · 1 Comment

Vulnerability

2 Corinthians 6:11-13

11 Oh, dear Corinthian friends! We have spoken honestly with you, and our hearts are open to you. 12 There is no lack of love on our part, but you have withheld your love from us. 13 I am asking you to respond as if you were my own children. Open your hearts to us!

sitting on bench

While sitting on a newly dusted sofa, she anxiously awaits the knock at the door. Through the deafening clicks from the clock on the wall, she mentally sounds off every painful second…tick-tock, tick-tock. It’s almost as if time itself is reinforcing her deep-rooted insecurities. Each secondhand click brings forth these dreaded words: unwanted, unloved, failure…She is now paralyzed by her own insecurities and fear.

She cannot remember a time when anyone stumbled across her doorstep much less through an open invitation. Today was different. Since giving her life to Christ, she has experienced a transformation through the power of His blood – transformational! Although continuing to fight the inner demons of insecurity, she is choosing to remove tall walls, layer by layer, that have isolated her for years.

While staring at the wall recalling her life’s struggles, she comes face-to-face with her deepest fear – vulnerability. Just at that time she hears the knock at the door. “What do I do?” she thinks. The dark inner voices come forth and say, “Why did you invite them here? You know they will eventually hurt you! You aren’t worth their love anyway so just hide, and they will go away!”

Tears begin to flow from the deep well of personal torment. She stands up in what appears to be self-defeat; the demons cheer as they continue to press her to retreat. Yet, she reaches for the door handle instead of turning to run. The inner voices leap forward in their last attempt to self-harm. She nearly retches as she slowly opens the door all while fighting her inner-demons.

With the most fluid of motions, the church members awaiting outside glide into the foyer where they individually embrace their new small group member. One by one, they speak words of encouragement and thankfulness, “It’s so good to see you! Your home is beautiful. Thank you so much for inviting us over for Bible study today.” Every single word, phrase, and physical embrace marking the true love of Christ through His people appear to wipe away every negative thought. She turns around to find a room full of Christ-loving believers in the same space where she once gave in to self-defeat and depression.

A smile replaces apprehension! As she walks back into the living room, she offers a prayer of thanksgiving. She is thankful for opening not only her home but her heart. She thinks, “I never dreamed being vulnerable would be so fulfilling; thank you Lord!”

Dear friends, there is no greater reward than building God-honoring relationships; however, this requires vulnerability. Do not withhold your love. Allow God to deliver you from fear, anxiety, and doubt. Also, ask Father God to fill you up with His peace where you can share the love of Christ in return.

Thought: Satan loves an isolated Christian! There is power in community. Tear down the walls and open up your heart.

Thankful,

Christian Armetta

Posted on by Christian Armetta

Step

Psalm 119:105

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

lantern

While leaving work today, God blessed me with a special encounter. As I’ve stated before, nothing happens by chance. I seek God’s face in all conversations, encounters, and even disruptions for God works in all situations. The question then is, “Are you willing to listen?”

Yet, today was different. This was most certainly not a disruption; this was a divine and destined encounter by God. I was running slightly behind schedule which providentially allowed me to run into a dear friend walking out of work on her very last day. You see, we all have been dreading this day for we love her, truly. I thought I had already said my goodbyes, which was hard to do, but I was so thankful to see her one last time – this special time as she leaves her job for the last time.

We cannot imagine no longer working alongside this special friend. She is kindhearted, light, attentive, God-fearing, and just plain fun to be around. Yet, over the past few months, she has had to hold back tears of true physical pain as she deals with a newly diagnosed physical condition. However, through this trial, I have seen her faith grow like the deep roots of an oak. She says with pure determination all while clutching her hands in pain, “I’m going to get my miracle!” This my friends is FAITH!

She is truly taking a single step in faith as she begins a new journey – cautious, nervous, and even scared, but this is where God is made perfect in our weakness. The passage above reminds us that God’s Word is a “lamp upon my feet.” You see, this special friend is living this passage to the fullest! She is taking a single step in faith focusing on Christ to sustain, deliver, and protect her and her family – wow – what a testimony.

With tear-filled eyes and such a heavy heart, we embrace and offer words of encouragement. God IS in control! So, today I encourage you and my sweet friend to keep taking steps of faith, one at a time, focusing on Christ who will steady each step. Even though we are intellectually gifted enough to problem solve many steps ahead, the Word says give it to God because let’s face it…we aren’t THAT gifted! Try to picture Father God sitting high on His throne in full control of the whole world and universe. We have enough trouble controlling our children, work, school, and athletic schedules let alone every single human being, living creature, and universe…o.k. I think you get the point.

It boils down to stop looking so far ahead and simply asking God to steady our next step as it aligns with His perfect will on earth as it is in heaven.

“Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34).

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

So, my friend and I parted ways not knowing when we would see each other again, but this special friend will never know how much she touched my life! I pray that you always remember that you are projecting a testimony in the way you live your life – positive or negative! Today, I say thank you Jessie for showing us faith and a positive testimony. You will be missed greatly. We will not cease in our prayers, and we too believe that you will receive your miracle! We will commit to picking up our lanterns and taking one step of faith alongside you.

Thankful,

Christian Armetta

Posted on by Christian Armetta

It Won’t Help!

Matthew 6:27

“27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”

The doctor closes the exam door leaving a depleted man and his hopeful spouse to contemplate the plan of care proposed for the next six weeks. The prayerful yet cautious bride finally speaks up. She walks over and grabs her husband’s hand yet it wasn’t the same. The strong hands that once held her while she delivered their three children years ago now appear weak and worn. She gently squeezes in hopes of initiating a powerful return yet his eyes speak a different story – tired and defeated. 

Just as he closes his eyes, she longs for the days of driving with the top down through the Rocky Mountains while singing old country songs, dancing in the kitchen when the kids were all asleep because it was more fun than washing a sink full of dishes, and sitting poolside reading a book and talking about the future. 

She is quickly drawn back to reality when she hears the doctor clear his throat from across the room. She thinks, “When did he come back in? I didn’t hear him enter?” The doctor says, “Have you all given some thought to the plan of care?” She collapses in anxiety as the weight of the world and the hopes for their family crumble around her. “No,” she answers, “We haven’t been able to talk; he’s just too tired.” As the doctor turns to walk away, she manages to grab the corner of his medical coat. He turns his head while his body remains opposed. He says, “Yes, do you have a question?” She embraces him without return and whispers, “I worry about him day and night! I can’t eat or sleep. What do you mean he only has three months to live? I will waste away worrying so you must promise me that he will get better.” 

The doctor who initially appeared to have very little empathy removed a small Bible from his jacket pocket and said, “I too received some bad news today but couldn’t leave my job. You see, my grandmother passed away today, and I will miss her funeral this week. I loved her like a second mother! I cling to the cross and to the hope we have in Christ to keep my feet moving, one step at a time. For the Word tells us that all our worries won’t add a single hour to our lives so I give it all back to Him in full surrender; it’s truly the only thing left I can do.” 

With tear-filled eyes, he hands her the Bible, and he walks away. She gently holds the Word as she sits at the bedside watching her soulmate rest. She opens the Bible and reads, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11). 

As she closes her eyes to pray she hears her husband whisper, “Dear, what are you doing?” She replies with a reverent heart, “I’m releasing all my worries to God for tomorrow is a new day and we will rejoice for He is good no matter our outcome.” At just that moment, the husband says, “You finally understand my love, and now we can truly live!” 

Thought: Life is filled with stress, disaster, twists, and turns. How will you respond? 

Thankful,

Christian Armetta

Posted on by Christian Armetta

Courage

Mark 6:49-51

49 When they saw Him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were terrified. Immediately He spoke with them and said, “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. They were completely astounded.

courage

We’ve all experienced it. Some are paralyzed by it every day, and some invite it based on certain activities of daily living. What am I describing? – Fear! What do you fear?

[Pause, think, and journal!]

We can truly all relate to this question. Common fears include financial ruin, death, and disease. Yet, what about those fears that have ripened out of instinct and sprouted dark roots throughout your soul? What do those look like in your life? Obsession, hoarding, debilitating anxiety, anorexia, gluttony, paranoia, depression, alcoholism, addiction, etc. This list sadly could go on and on…but why? What fear or terror have you internalized and allowed to remain in the temple of God? Dear friends, they don’t have to stay! They aren’t welcomed in your life, but you must believe that through the power of Jesus Christ, you can break their strongholds. Yes and Amen. It’s time to “CLEAN HOUSE!”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “19 Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you,whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.”

There it is! There is no second guessing here my friends. The Holy Spirit lives in each believer. Therefore, we must rebuke all things unholy from entering into the gates of our temple – our body and soul. The Spirit cannot be corrupted as the Spirit is part of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Yet, our flesh and minds most certainly can be influenced by what we open! This is why putting on the full armor of God is crucial-daily!

If you are battling fear or any form of mental angst that keeps you from (A) fully focusing on Christ or (B) fully experiencing His joy then I implore you to shed off these demons by acknowledging God’s complete control in your life. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Start by claiming this powerful Word and promise! Rebuke these demons in the name and authority of Jesus Christ, and fill your life with His Word so that you will be protected.

Question: Are you ready to “clean house”? I pray for personal revival and deliverance to spread across our community and land.

Thankful,

Christian Armetta