John 14:27

27 Peace I leave with you; my [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]

AMP

Why is it that when things aren’t going our way, or when trials arise, we can’t seem to handle things well? Fear, anxiety, worry, attitudes and life’s cares seem to get the best of us. The majority of the things that we worry about are tied to our past. Are we going to let yesterday’s problems dictate what we do today? We need to remember that yesterday is gone. There is nothing that we can do about it. We are able to start fresh each day (today). We choose each day, what kind of day we are going to have, so decide to have a great and peaceful day. Matthew 6:27 tells us that the things we worry about so often are the things that are beyond our control. We need to trust in the Lord. Shifting our focus off of God and onto the problems is a sure formula for worry. We then allow worries and problems to become bigger priorities than God. When that happens, the things we worry about begin to consume us! When life’s hassles get too big and you feel overwhelmed, stop, take a deep breath and focus on what God is doing today.

Philippians 4:7-8

7 Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

8 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious — the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

The Message Bible

When you worry about tomorrow, you’re worrying about what you can never control, and you rob yourself of peace today. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. Matthew 6:34 says “God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” When you begin to worry, don’t panic – pray. God is the one who has all the answers. God is waiting patiently on us. He’s saying I’m here, give everything to me. God knows what you’re going through.

How are we ever going to learn to have peace, if we do not trust the God we serve? In order for us to have peace and to be a peacemaker, we need to trust our God. Scriptures speak of the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding. You have to be at peace in order to know you’re in the will of God. If you’re not at peace, then you’re not trusting God. Don’t let stress and worries rob you of the peace you could have —focus on God!

Tony Guadagnino is pastor at Christian Love Fellowship Church.

I will not be able to continue to write articles for the Observer any longer — between the Sheriff’s office and my church, I just don’t have the time anymore.

I will miss writing the articles. Thank you again for allowing me to be a part of the Observer Family the last few years. I enjoyed it all.

I appreciate all you do for me. You are always a great help.

-Pastor Tony Guadagnino

Christian Love Fellowship Church

“Equipping God’s People”

Pastor Tony, you have become an MVP with our newspaper. Because of you, we have ObserverTV.

-Jim Lusk, Observer Vice President

Sometimes in life things happen that we don’t expect and we get shaken to the very core of our being. We get caught off guard and events in life just rattle us. It is not a matter of being ready for bad things to happen but to know where your help and strength comes from when they do. When you learn to rely on God for your help and strength, then the devil can’t rattle or shake your life anymore.

HEBREWS 12:27-29

27 This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.

28 Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.

29 For our God is a devouring fire. — NLT

The kingdom that we belong to, as children of God, is unshakable so let’s give thanks to God by worshiping Him with fear and awe. The fire of God will devour things in our lives that don’t belong like – poverty – sickness – gossiping – lying. You will not waiver and you will not be shaken. You will stay strong and courageous. The only unshakable thing that remains will be you.

PSALM 62:2

2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken. — NLT

God is always with us and right beside us. God, and God alone, is our rock and our refuge. Nothing else will do – just God. We will not be shaken! When we are continually shaken, it steals our motivation and energy. It is like we are stunned or in shock; we get scared and don’t make any decisions at all, good or bad. The devil is not just trying to knock you down he is trying to destroy you. When the devil is trying to shake your life, you will shake his instead because you will trust in God and be unshakable. When the devil shakes, you will be set free from your chains and then you will be filled with courage and boldness. When you pray and worship God, the devil shakes. You will never be shaken, but your circumstances will be and your chains will be. You don’t ever shake or waiver – you shake the things and circumstances around you, instead of life shaking you. YOU WIN! You will stay strong and courageous.

LUKE 6:38

38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full — pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. NLT

Although, when God is shaking your life, you win. When God shakes you, it is to make room for you to receive more and more. He is shaking everything together. Therefore, start to stir up those things on the inside of you and start to say and start to believe, “I shall not be moved!” When you agitate someone, you get their attention; so begin to irritate those things in your life that you don’t want and tell them to get out. You will stay strong and courageous.

Tony Guadagnino is the pastor at Christian Love Fellowship Church, located at 801 SE 10 St., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. For more information, call 954-428-8980 or visit www.clfministries.org.

Have you ever heard of the term “tough love?” People will say, “I think that person needs some tough love.” There is a new saying that is true that I heard the other day, and I think it’s the opposite of that term “tough love” because “love is tough.” Valentine’s Day is just a few days away, and it is easy to love on special occasions like this. However, there are still many days left out of the year where some days are easy to show love, and some days we have to work hard at showing love to others. How about showing someone love who does not love you back or even someone who may not treat you the way you believe you deserve to be treated? Love should be a big part of our lives. Love is something meant to be expressed, not something to be kept a secret. It seems like people even have a hard time saying “I love you” when we should say it all the time, and we should also show it all the time. It is tough sometimes, but it is not impossible. Why is it that we can say that we love our car, job, dog or even our favorite restaurant, but we cannot say it to each other? We have a hard time saying ‘I love you’ to the ones who really mean the most to us.

We have to understand that we need God’s help to love others in the same way that He loves us. We always want to put conditions on love, but God does not do that to us. We speak with our actions and say ‘I will love you’ if you do this for me, treat me this way, or buy me this, etc. God does not work on the point system and neither should we. God tells us to love others, period. There are no conditions on that love. God does not say love someone if they do something for you or make you feel a certain way. God says love each other, and if God tells us to love, we must be able to do it. Love is so many things, but it is not conditional. Let’s look at what love is.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud

5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.

6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

NLT

Love gives us the ability to be sensitive to the needs, hurts and desires of others and also to feel with them, and experience the world from their perspective. Love gives us the ability to give with no conditions or expectations. Love builds up and encourages; it is determining what is best for someone and doing it. Pray and ask God to help you love the way He loves and He will help you. Have a Happy Valentine’s Day. I LOVE YOU!

Pastor Tony Guadagnino is the pastor at Christian Love Fellowship church, located at 801 SE 10 St., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. For more information, visit www.clfministries.org.

Almost half of every American makes a New Year’s resolution and only 8 percent of them actually keep them. New Year resolutions are really a waste of time and something not really intended to be permanent. If we truly want to change anything in our lives to make things better, then we would be better off asking God to help us change the way we think.

ROMANS 12:1-2

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice — the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?

2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

NLT

I find even myself every year making promises to eat better and work on keeping my body healthy and strong. We will have much better success if we allow God, through the Bible, to begin to change the way we think by renewing our minds. The word renewing in this verse means that there is a “constant action taking place that never stops.” God is always working on us to help change the way we think. It is not just a one-time quick fix; it is something that takes place repeatedly. We give ourselves to God once, but we need to transform and renew our minds constantly.

In 2 Kings, Chapters 22 and 23, we read that King Josiah was a man who sought after God. However, his life changed when God’s Word was rediscovered. He called the people to a renewed covenant before God (see 2 Kings 23:3). God moved through Josiah to crush the wickedness of his country like a hurricane crumbles houses as if they were made out of toothpicks.

Not only can God help us, but He wants to help us. We all have problems and issues in life and can use some help. First, God wants to be our source for everything and give us direction for our future. The more we get to know God, the more we understand what He wants us to do and how He wants us to live our lives and treat others.

Second, we need to have confidence in ourselves, and we can do that by developing certain skills in our lives. We need to make sure we have long term goals, as well as short term goals. Make sure you do not worry, look to God for security and not possessions, learn how to rest, and you must choose your friends and associates wisely. Lastly, we must have confidence in God. God has faith in you; but, do you have faith in Him?

In order for us to change the way we think, we need God to help us make our changes permanent and not temporary. Allow God to change the way you think for results that last a lifetime.

Tony Guadagnino is a pastor at Christian Love Fellowship Church (801 SE 10 St., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441, 954-428-8980, www.clfministries.org).

It is that time of the year when we give gifts to others. It is the time of year when we do not think about ourselves but others and what they want or need. God knew in His infinite wisdom that we would need help with our lives. Not only do I find that I need God’s help, I have also come to realize that I need His help every day of my life. God does not always give me what I want, but He always gives me what I need.

ROMANS 12:6-8

6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.

7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well.

8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

NLT

Our goal in serving God is to be able to continue to serve Him throughout our whole lives. Growing up in church I always heard the phrase “stay full of the things of God.” It took me a long time to understand what that actually meant. When my car runs, it uses gas and I have to fill it up when it gets empty, so it will continue to run and I can use it. So, when I give out things that God has blessed me with in life, I need to find spiritual things in my life so I can fi ll back up the same way I fill my car with gas. The more love, compassion, peace and hope we give out then, the more we need to stay full of the things of God. We can read the Bible, pray, go to church or even sing hymns and worship songs to fill back up. What a great cycle in our lives to have. We can continually give and receive.

When you get a gift, either you like it and use it or you do not like it and hide it somewhere. Gifts from the Father are to be used and not wasted or just put on the shelf. Gifts from God come as He wills (any gift at any time) for the profit of all. You should not only welcome the gifts from God, but also expect them in your life. We all know it is better to give that to receive. However, if we do not receive, then we have nothing to give. We have a responsibility to stir the spiritual gifts in our own lives. God has blessed our lives with many different gifts and there are many people that can use them. You have the gifts; you might as well use them instead of letting them go to waste. The good thing is that no one person has all the gifts. It takes many different parts to make one complete body and that is true for the church body as well. Gifts do not clash or compete, but they all work together to serve the same goal or purpose. Giving gifts is not about serving your agenda and making you happy; it is about serving others and bringing joy to others.

Tony Guadagnino is the pastor at Christian Love Fellowship Church, located at 801 SE 10 St, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441.

Have you ever heard the expression, “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade?” That is a great expression when you are the one telling someone else to make the lemonade. It becomes a little more difficult to be the one who actually has to make the lemonade.

Ephesians 4:32

32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

NLT

I believe that one of the keys to a fulfilling life is forgiveness. It is so easy to say “I forgive you,” but sometimes very difficult to actually mean it and actually live it. We must first forgive ourselves for things we have done in our lives. Then, we must forgive others for things they have done to us.

Colossians 3:13

13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

NLT

Forgiveness should be a way of life, not just something that we do in order to get through life. When we walk in un-forgiveness, we take our lives out of God’s hands and place our lives in someone else’s hands. We let our lives be determined by others and not what God wants for us. We are no longer able to do certain things, to go to certain places we want to go, or to even have the relationships we want to have or need.

To be truly free, we must choose to walk in forgiveness. It has to be a choice and it has to be a choice that only we can make for ourselves. I’m sure you have realized by now that you will have many opportunities to be offended by someone, and you will also have many opportunities to practice forgiveness. When the opportunity comes, just take it and forgive, and please stay away from excuses.

Here are a few excuses we have used: “But you don’t understand” – the truth is that we don’t understand what un-forgiveness costs us; “it’s not in my nature or personality to forgive” – we must simply choose to forgive and change our ways to avoid the self-made prison that un-forgiveness brings; “you don’t know what they did to me and how deeply they hurt me” – you are absolutely right, I don’t know. I do know that if you don’t forgive that person, you will put yourself in prison and you will hurt other people whom you love deeply as a result. You will also continue to bring more pain into your life because you have now hurt someone that you care about.

The greatest advantage of forgiveness is your freedom. Forgiveness sets you free, not the other person.

Forgiveness is a choice, and it’s up to you to do it or not do it. You can have the greatest benefit or the greatest devastation. It’s up to you to do it. So, please, when life gives you lemons, just make lemonade.

Tony Guadagnino is a pastor at Christian Love Fellowship Church, located at 801 SE 10 St, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. 954-428-8980, www.clfministries.org.

Have you ever tried to quit doing something that you thought was a bad habit or maybe bad manners? Have you ever tried to change these things yourself without any help? If you have an issue with anger, you may have at some point just said, ‘I will stop getting mad all the time and stop yelling.’ How is that working out for you?

You may have that special gift that you think was straight from heaven, and you can find the fault in any situation or circumstance. You know who you are because you can look at any situation and see only what needs to be fixed or what can be better. Maybe at some point you say, ‘Well I just won’t say anything anymore and I will just mind my own business and keep my mouth shut.’ How is that working out for you?

In order for most to really change, they need help and assistance. We want to change and we need to change, but we do not have the ability to change on our own and we need help. Because God is great, He can help us change. Because of the greatness of His love, He will defend us and also help us to change.

Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us.

—NKJV

God uses love as an action word. When God uses love, it is a verb. They say that love is not love until you give it away. The Bible says that God loved us while we were sinners. There are no conditions on God’s love for us; he chose to love us at our worst. Not only did God love us when we were a total mess, but God will never quit loving you because He is very patient with us. When I was much younger, I remember looking in the paper and asking for something for Christmas over and over. When I would open that present on Christmas day, I remember being so excited about getting that toy. Then, six weeks later, I would forget I even had that toy.

God will never quit loving you no matter what you did or what you do. God’s love even includes acceptance. God says, ‘I love you, come as you are;’ but we say, ‘I love you if you do this for me.’ Our love has conditions on it, but God’s love is unconditional. Not only will God accept you just the way you are, but He will give you room to grow.

We always seem to accuse others of not being able to change and staying the same way, but God loves us so much He not only helps us to change, but He gives us room to grow and change at our own pace. We should never compare our lives to anyone or anything but God’s Holy Word. God loves us so much it makes us want to change and not only can we change, but God will help us to change. Just be yourself with God and let Him change you into the person that He wants.

Tony Guadagnino is a pastor at Christian Love Fellowship of Deerfield Beach.

They always say that time goes faster and faster as you get older. They always say that we should enjoy our children while they are small because the time goes by very fast and it is gone before you know it. I never really understood those statements until I had my own children, and I started getting older.

My wife and I did not start our family until we were in our 30s. And now (a few years later — ha-ha) our son is 15 and our daughter is 13. Both of our children are in high school now and I just think – WOW!

As a parent, I want the best for my children. I want them to do well in school and get an education. I want them to be safe from all the bad and evil things that are in the world today. BUT, I do not want to be their God and make all of their life’s decisions for them. I want them to learn and grow and be able to take care of themselves so, when mom and dad are not around, they will know how to make wise decisions and do the right thing.

Matthew 7:9-11

9 “You parents — if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead?

10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not!

11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

NLT

As my wife and I began to raise our children, it was then that I began to realize how much God truly loves us. The very same way that we love our own children is the same way that God loves His children. God want the very best for us. God wants us to do well and learn as we go through life, and get educated so we will make the right decisions. God wants to protect us from the bad and evil things in this world. The Bible teaches us that safety is not in the absence of danger, but in the presence of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 6:17-18

17 Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.

18 And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.”

NLT

The same way we pray and hope that our children listen to us and make the right decisions when opportunities come is the same way that God feels about us. God wants us to listen to Him and make the right decisions when the opportunities come. The best ways I have found to learn from God is by reading your Bible, praying and going to church. There are also benefits for our children to obey their parents and do what they are told to do. We have benefits of obeying God and by doing what He has asked us to do. As we pray for our children to be happy, healthy and holy, let’s also pray for ourselves as well.

Tony Guadagnino is a pastor at Christian Love Fellowship Church.

I believe that we live in the greatest country in the world. I just spent a week in Ecuador on a mission trip. I was with a team of medical doctors, dentists and eye doctors. They were providing medical services for some of the tribes of the Quechua Indians in the mountains around Riobamba. It made me really appreciate the opportunities that we have here in America. Some lived in homes made with concrete block or bricks and some even lived in mud huts with grass roofs. They had no heat other than the fire they would use to cook and warm the house with. Most houses were one room houses where everything was all in one room and the bathrooms were all outside. There were some who needed medicine for medical issues, and some who were not able to see that received glasses. There were many who needed dental care and received fillings and there were a lot of extractions of teeth that were not able to be saved. Most of the Quechua Indians’ only mode of transportation was to walk wherever they needed to go.

The most amazing thing I learned is that the people in these villages we visited were all happy and not one had their head down about how they had to live or how cold it was in the mountains of Ecuador.

Most of the people in the villages have a good relationship with God and their contentment was in the fact that they trusted God, and they were very happy with God and God alone.

We are very spoiled here with all the stuff that we have. Last year, I wrote about the fireworks display at Deerfield Beach and how many people show up to watch the show. I was not able to go this year because I was in Ecuador, but my wife and two children told me that there were just as many people this year as last year.

When the fireworks are over, then it is over, but, if we could find a way to get all those people into a church, they would be given something that would last for more than 30 minutes worth of entertainment. More people need to have a relationship with God and learn how to be content with God and God alone.

Our country was founded on God and on His holy word – the Bible. We say we are the land of the free. How, then, have we gotten to the point that everything we have done for 235 years in this country is now suddenly wrong and unconstitutional? We are “One nation under God.” Why don’t we just tell those who do not believe in God to sit down and be quiet? Oh, that’s right, if I tell someone who does not agree with me to be quiet, they will say that I have no tolerance. Yet, that same person will tell me that I need to remain silent. It seems a bit confusing and very hypocritical if you ask me, but that is just my opinion. Everyone is entitled to have their opinion on any matter, but, facts are facts. The facts are that our wonderful country was founded on God and godly principles and that will always be true. Please don’t forget to pray for our soldiers who are still fighting for our freedom to come home safe and soon.

Tony Guadagnino is a pastor at Christian Love Fellowship Church. 801 SE 10 St., Suite 4, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441