Don't Just Strike a Match Light a Fire

By Karen A. Morgan

Karen has authored this book as a Christian inspirational/nonfiction memoir,
based upon her lifes experiences. Dont Just Strike a Match, Light a Fire is a
combination of fifteen different Spirit-led sermons. Her only prayer is that they edify
and provoke individual readers into fulfilling Gods calling on their lives, chapters
such as "An Altered Sacrifice,"Take Up Your Bed and Walk, "A Place Called There,
"Whats in Your Alabaster Box?" and "I Can See Clearly Now." May everyone who is
led to read these sermons find confirmation, truth, and a personal conviction with an
enormous blessing upon his life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 19, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465399779

Book preview

Don’t Just

Strike a Match

Light a Fire

103446-MORG-layout.pdf

Copyright © 2011 by Karen A. Morgan.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2011960868

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4653-9976-2

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4653-9975-5

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4653-9977-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

103446

Contents

Chapter One  An Altered Sacrifice

Chapter Two  Great Meekness Brings Great Power

Chapter Three  Lift Up Your Credentials

Chapter Four  Take Up Your Bed and Walk

Chapter Five  Reach Out and Touch Someone

Chapter Six  Lord, I Believe, but Help Thou Mine Unbelief

Chapter Seven  A Place Called There

Chapter Eight  What’s Love Got to Do with It?

Chapter Nine  Christ in You, the Hope of Glory!

Chapter Ten  And About the Ninth Hour

Chapter Eleven  What’s in Your Alabaster Box?

Chapter Twelve  The God Kind of Joy

Chapter Thirteen  Prayer That Avails Much

Chapter Fourteen  Nothing but the Blood

Chapter Fifteen  I Can See Clearly Now!

Dedication

To my pastor under whose leadership this endeavor is made possible; my family that’s stood with me through difficult times; my mother, Gloria, and sister Sharon with whose input and listening hearts have helped; my daughter, Jordan, a true blessing; my very supportive extended family and my dear friends, always imparting words of encouragement into my spirit; my loved ones who have passed on to glory but have played a role in my accomplishments. It’s with the utmost honor and respect, I dedicate this book. God bless you all for the impartation of a breath of new life into my ministry.

Preface

To all those who know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior and are looking toward heaven, believers who know Him in this hour as their rock that is higher than themselves, their buckler and shield, their shelter in a time of storm, their heart fixer, their mind regulator, their battle axe, and the author and finisher of one’s faith.

To those who do not know the father, in the pardon of their sins, it is in these last and evil days that I implore to you to make every attempt to yield one’s inner spirit (heart) toward God and draw nigh unto Him.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw

nigh to you.

—James 4:8 (KJ)

It is only by recognizing Jesus as Lord and submitting one’s (heart) inner spirit to Him, giving Jesus full control of one’s life, that God can come in and do a new thing in one’s life. I’m not talking about just going through of the motions of church and only letting him come in to change just the things you want changed; this is where we profess having received Jesus Christ as Lord. Probably because there has only been a mental assent to salvation and not a repentant, heartfelt change toward sin.

For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. (2 Cor. 7:10) There’s evidence of a questionable salvation in one’s life when after umpteen years of profession of a saved life, there’s no real change. Many are still acting and talking the same old way, walking daily in the flesh and not maturing just an itty bit. They don’t have a positive thing to say about anybody and still dress the same way, women wearing those low-cut blouses with more than enough cleavage showing and those waist-high dresses that they cannot comfortably sit down in without bringing attention to themselves. I can only say this, if you are a mature, Holy Ghost—filled, baptized, believing Christian, then you are continually being taught by the spirit as to what to say, what to wear, and how to treat people, therefore giving all glory and honor to God. The Holy Spirit’s main purpose is to save us through the working of sanctification; whereby it is to set believers apart, to lead holy lives, and to separate from their old lives of sin and be saved through their belief in the truth, God’s holy word.

For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die, but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.

—Rom. 8:13-17

Our salvation is questionable when forgiveness is nowhere in sight; we don’t know how to walk in love and overlook one another’s faults or see another person’s needs. It is a sad indictment for all who proclaim Jesus as Lord because if nothing else, forgiveness is a prerequisite for all Christians. Jesus forgave all Christians of their sins—past, present, and future. How can we expect to be forgiven for our sins when we keep holding others in bondage with unforgiveness because we can’t let go of it? Well, some say my unforgiveness is justified. Well, brother and sister, So-and-So did this or did that to me. God says let it go; these things are keeping many of my people held captive and enslaved to the things and cares of this world. The strife and unforgiveness is stunting your spiritual growth, and many are spiritual midgets. The Bible speaks of those who are dull of hearing.

For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be thee first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. For strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

—Heb. 5:14

Therefore, as Christians, we must regroup, repent, turn toward the things of God because with His Holy Spirit living inside of us, there is no excuse as to why we cannot overcome the things of the world unless we choose not to; and in doing so, we grieve the work of the Holy Spirit.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death: but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. Now if any men have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

—Rom. 8:1-11

In order to yield our members to God completely, we must have faith. Some might say, how much faith do I need? Others might say, I have faith, I believe. While yet others may say,

I believe: help thou my unbelief.

—Mark 9:24

And yet others might say, Well, just what is faith?

Now faith is the substance of things hope for: the evidence of things not seen.

—Heb. 11:1

This life of faith does not manifest itself without action behind one’s faith. A person has to believe and have expectancy that it is already done.

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that he is a rewarder to them that diligently seek him.

—Heb. 11:6

Seek God hard, seek Him fast, seek Him long, and seek Him while He can be found.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that who so ever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have ever lasting life.

John 3:16

Make a short prayer to God using the following A, B, C’s of salvation.

Acknowledge one’s sin. Ask the Lord to forgive you of it and repent (turn from your sin).

Believe in your heart that God raised His Son Jesus from the dead.

Confess with your mouth your sin and your need for a Holy Savouir.

Chapter One

An Altered Sacrifice

Image14424.PNG   Image14430.jpg

(Gen. 22:1-14)

Here we find in the book of beginnings a man named Abraham, who was originally named Abram, meaning father of height; but later, God changed his name to Abraham, meaning a father of a multitude, a father of many nations. Abraham was a native from the city of Ur of the Chaldeans. The land of the Chaldeans is