Pastor Marc Bertrand

Not Everyone Is A Child Of God!. You don’t become a child of God when you are born. You become a child of God when you are born again. Many of the world’s religions teach, and most people believe, that every person is a child of God. The assumption is that since God created every person, then we must all be His children. The truth is we’re all born as children of Adam. If you create a new software program, that doesn’t make you the father of the program. Neither do you become a child of God just because God created you. It’s true that we are made in His image and it’s equally true that He wants every person to be His child: “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1Timothy 2:4) The Bible clearly tells us that we are not all children of God. Ponder these words of the Lord when He was speaking to the Pharisees: “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the ...

Full Assurance of Heaven. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8&9) You may be saying to yourself, “Surely, I must have to do something for my salvation. This seems too easy.” Consider what Paul says about simplicity, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” (2Corinthians 11:3) Again, we must rely on what God says. In the verse above, He declares that we are saved by “grace.” The best definition we have for grace is “unmerited favor.” This means we have found favor without someone without earning it. If we earned it, it wouldn’t be grace. It would be earnings (salary). The verse says we receive the grace “through faith.” In other words, when we believe (trust) in what Christ did on the cross for our salvation, we are under...

Our Deepest Desires “Desire is a key way that God’s voice is heard in our lives,” writes Fr. Jim Martin, SJ. He’s not talking about selfish wants, such the desire for a flashy car or a lavish vacation. He means deep desires–the desires that draw us to God and to a meaningful vocation in life: Desire is a primary way that God leads people to discover who they are and what they are meant to do.  On the most obvious level, a man and a woman feel sexual, emotional and spiritual desire for one another, and in this way discover their vocations to be married. A person feels an attraction to being a doctor, or a lawyer, or a teacher, and so discovers his or her “vocation. . . .” The deep longings of our hearts are our holy desires. Not only desires for physical healing, but also the desires for change, for growth, for a fuller life. Our deepest desires, those desires that lead us to become who we are, are God’s desires for us. They are ways that God speaks to you directly.

What is Your Desire?. Your desire is what you long for, what or whom you long to be with. Your desire is where your heart is. Your desire is your greatest treasure and will be your reward. (Matthew 6:21 NKJV) “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. God knows the desires of our heart, He is always looking into your heart to see if you desire Him.. (1 Chronicles 28:9 NKJV) “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. (Psalms 38:9 NKJV) Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. There is a danger of falling away from God without even knowing it. It happens when our desire is no longer directed toward God. Although we may still go through religious motions, our heart can be far from God. When th...

Does God Really Give Us the Desires of Our Hearts?. Does God truly give you the desires of your heart? As a single have you ever asked the question, "If God gives me the desires of my heart, why am I still single?" Of all the questions I've been asked, this is probably the number one question. To understand this Scripture fully, it's important to put it in context. "Trust in the LORD and do good ; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him" (Psalm 37:5-7a, NIV). Today, if you're struggling in your singleness, don't lose heart. These verses are key in helping you with your frustration of being single. Is your delight, your joy, in the Lord? This is vital for anyon...

"How can I know if the desires of my heart are from God?" Jesus answers this question for us: “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (Matthew 15:19). And then: “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, mal ice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean’” (Mark 7:20-23). In these passages, Jesus reveals the very springboard of our wants: our fleshly desires come from our innermost being. Sin does not just come about as a result of outside forces. It is borne from those hidden little niches residing in our thoughts and intentions, from the secret desires that only the mind and heart can envision. The bottom line is that, in our fallen state, the desires of our hearts do not come from God. Jeremiah further confirms the ...

The desires of our hearts. What does God mean by this promise?. Years ago, when I first became a Christian, or when I was a much younger man there was a young couple at church who took me under their wing. I was grateful for their friendship, encouragement and efforts to answer my many questions. One day, the topic of unfulfilled hopes and dreams came up, to which the wife responded by quoting Psalm 37:4, “He will give you the desires of your heart.” The strong implication was that as a Christian, I could expect God to give me anything I wanted, if I would only ask. At this point, most of the Scriptures were still terra incognita to me. But I did recall a verse, 1 John 5:14 as it turned out, which qualified that promise by insisting we ask according to God’s will. To my surprise, my friend waved this off by stating that most of the time, we don’t know God’s will, anyway. Both of us would have greatly benefitted, I think, if we’d known the first rule for reading the Bible (or any text,...

Why did God not forgive satan in the beginning after satan's fall? You are obviously thinking more deeply than many about the nature of God and of evil. There are two aspects that deserve some thought. First, why does God act in one way and not another in His sovereignty? And second, what do we know about the fall of satan and other angelic beings? The first issue is about the sovereignty of God . As far back in history as the time of Abraham the righteousness of God's wrath against sin was a concern. So it was that when God told Abraham He would destroy the people of Sodom for their wickedness, Abraham pleaded for mercy upon them, and stated this principle about God: "shall not the judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25). Such confidence in God is necessary in the face of evil - because He could destroy all opposition to Himself with complete justice and no-one could accuse Him of evil in doing so. But it is only possible to say that He is good when we com...

Forgiving Others Forgiving Others - Direction from God. Forgiving others may seem to be a choice, and in one sense it is a choice, but God has been very clear about forgiveness. He has given us specific direction in numerous Scriptures, all of which can be summed up in just one word -- forgive! God's Word says, "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that  your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins" (Mark 11:25). "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven" (Luke 6:37). God is saying that it is in our own best interest to forgive! He is not talking about what is in the best interest of the person who needs to be forgiven. We are the ones who God is trying to protect. We are the ones who receive the most benefit from forgiveness, not the other person. A spirit of unforgiveness complicates and compromises our daily walk with God. Forgiving...

Hope for the Broken- Hearted-you are-not-alone. HOPE SCRIPTURES. 1-"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God." Psalm 42:11 2-"For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth." Psalm 71:5 3-"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12 4-"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." Romans 15:13 5-"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1 6-"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God" Psalm 146:5 7-"The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in His unfailing love" Psalm 147:11 8-"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; t...

Can God Forgive Me If I Take My Own Life? If you are reading this and contemplating taking your own life—please contact the suicide helpline . God's desire is for you to live. Life can feel impossible at times. There can be trials which come our way, depression and other issues that can make us feel as though we simply can’t go on, or that life just isn’t worth living. God loves you. You are not alone. You have people who love you and you are worth the time and the effort— please seek help . After you seek help, please read on. The short answer to this question is yes, but the fuller answer is significantly more complex and worth exploring. God understands our human limitations since His Son Jesus lived as a man and is now at the right hand of the Father, interceding on our behalf as our mediator (Romans 8:34; 1 Timothy 2:5). Jesus understands the feelings of depression and trials, the challenge of seeing the joy and happiness in life. He was in all points tempted, yet did not sin...

Interpersonal Red Flags. Non-Affectionate. This is not the problem for most couples. Often there's a need to restrain the passions that run so strong at this point in a relationship. Setting the flames of romance aside for a moment, is your friend comfortable with giving and receiving affection? Does he/she show appropriate affection to friends, parents, siblings, etc? If two people are less inc lined toward affection, maybe neither will miss it. But affection is a part of the way our Creator wired us. Will your friend be able to show affection to your children? Is it uncomfortable for your friend because affection was never received growing up? The affectionate-resistant person would be wise to explore the reasons that touch is so uncomfortable. Avoids Conflict. Some people just don't want to deal with conflict of any size, shape, or variety. When tension is present, withdrawal or denial serve to gloss over the problem allowing it to be avoided for another day. Obviously, the ...

Character Red Flags. Controlling. Your friend can manipulate in many ways: guilt-inducement, threats of abandoning you, threats of self-harm, yelling, physical aggression, isolating you, pouting, interrogating you, etc. It may be obvious; it may be much more subtle. You might be told that it's really love, but deep down you know that's not the truth. If you see glimpses of controlling actions no w, it's fair to say they will likely increase after marriage. Christian men can hide their control behind headship. Yes, the Bible does speak to the place of headship in a husband (Eph. 5:23), but it's not about domination or manipulation. Jesus is given as the model for headship, the one who came not to be served, but to give his life for you and me. Headship has more to do with servanthood than with being "in charge." It's more about his responsibility before God to encourage the relationship positively than about him demanding his own way. The mutual submission...

Emotional Red Flags. Angry. I'm not talking about one's ability to experience the feeling of anger; all of us should be able to identify that God-given emotion in our lives. I'm talking primarily about frozen anger — resentment. When we hold on to anger and don't address it, bad things often happen. There may be issues about unforgiveness in the person's life. Often, underlying anger is fear, hu rt, or both. Metaphorically, the clenched fist feels a whole lot safer than the more vulnerable open palm. It can also relate to the frequency and intensity of how anger is expressed. Proverbs 22:24 says, "Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered." Is it really stretching this verse to say, don't marry a hot-tempered person? I don't think so. "But he's got a good reason to be angry!" "You don't know what she's been through!" There are a lot of legitimate reasons people may struggl...

Spiritual Red Flags. Divorce. If your friend was married before, it's vital to consider what happened in that former relationship and what factors were involved that caused the commitment to be broken. Society views remarriage as a given, but the Bible speaks to this important issue.Scripture addresses three specific situations in which a person does have freedom to remarry: 1-The previous marriage ended as the result of sexual unfaithfulness by the person's spouse. (Matthew 19:9).. 2-The person was divorced by an unbelieving spouse who was not willing to stay married (I Corinthians 7:15,16).. 3-The divorce took place prior to a person coming to faith in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17).. No matter what circumstances are given as the reason for the divorce, however, it's crucial to get wise counsel before moving forward with a relationship. Pastoral care, professional counseling, and advice from mature Christians can be extremely valuable and help a person avoid unnecessary he...