Sometimes I think we as Christians forget just how great and awesome of a God we serve. I sometimes feel we limit the power and the ability of God to not only answer our prayers , but the ability to bring us through situations in our life’s that we somehow feel that we are in control of,when in reality we have absolutely no control of. What we do have is the security of knowing full well the Lord God, Creator of everything, controls everything, and He keeps everything on earth and in the whole universe, in His absolute total and complete order. Nothing is done or happens without God knowing about it and giving His permission. He controls His creation absolutely and completely and in every way. He controls all the things,including at times, even our will and desire, so we have the safety of knowing he is in control of adverse circumstances too. Thank God for the powerful and mighty arm of the Lord. Thank God He is on our side. whatever troubles you are having or whatever blessings you are enjoying, God knows and is in control. God is in total control, and things happen to believers, but nothing happens without God allowing it or even doing it but always for a reason. ‘Remember that all things (not some things,, but all things) work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to His will and purpose.
This past Sunday ,after church we were blessed to be able to spend some time with a very dear couple Mark and Diane , they are truly a blessing from God . During our time we entered into some very interesting conversations, centering on God and his great ability to work in the life' s of those who call him their personal savior,and are willing to allow his will for their lives be fulfilled. We discussed how God works in our life’s, and how we as believers often limit what God wants to do, most of the time we aren’t even aware of what we are doing .
I believe that many christian have allowed themselves to go unchallenged in their lives and their homes, they have permitted satan to harass them mentally and emotionally. Brothers and Sisters we have the same Jesus living in us ,the one who in Mark 5:2 cast out a legion of demons from a man,this miraculous deliverance in Gadara is Christ message to us today saying; “ Do not fear satan and his powers of darkness,don’t be convinced that he is the victor, I’ve shown you my authority over every power of darkness. Now I’m calling you to stand up and speak my word. Take the authority I have given you,,,Make the devil FLEE!!!
I feel that the time has come for Christ church to get back to this ministry commissioned to them from God, to heal the sick,,cast out devils. Over and over I have felt the Spirit, and I feel he is telling his people that it is time to get back to using their gifts. We need not be afraid to pray for ,and most of all expect healing and deliverance in ours and other peoples lives also,we need to let every Pastor,every elder,the lay people in the church move forward responsibly in faith,according to Jesus and the word of God ,we are to expect these evil spirits to flee at His command.
Sometimes I wonder why does God delays answers to sincere prayers? Its not because He lacks power, he could merely wink an eye ,or think a thought and it would be accomplished. He is more than willing to give us an answer,often more than we are willing to receive it. We discover a few things about how God answers prayer from this Bible passage,, The Parable of the Persistent Widow...Luke 18:1-8,
18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Paul tells us “let us not grow weary while doing well,for in due season we shall reap if we do not loose heart”. I feel that the Lord is seeking a praying people who will not relax or get weary of coming to Him. These people will wait on Him ,,they won't give up until the work is done and complete,and they will be found waiting when he brings the answer.
How mighty do you see God in your life? Is your God someone who stands afar and just watches what happens to you without any concern? Is your God sleeping and hard to awake? Is your God too concerned with matters of His own to be concerned with the problems in your life? Is your God too weak to supply your every need; to heal even your head colds; to give you food, clothing, or to enable you to pay your bills? This is what the bible says,
"The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them." Deuteronomy 33:27
In closing,may this prayer be a prayer that all of God's people choose to pray continually without ceasing,, Father, help me to build up faith in your almightiness. Let no problem becloud my confidence in you in ,be my refuge and let your everlasting arms ever be underneath me in Jesus name amen!
Blessings Tim
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
God Loves You! God Loves You! God Loves You!!
This past Sunday at New Life Assembly the Spirit of God truly moved in the heart of His people,and one of the members of the worship team shared about a song that held a very special place in her heart, and in that song it referred to God as “savior” . She shared that our God is a God that wants nothing more than to love us, to love you and me,,,,,Do grasp that at all??Gods love is completely and totally unconditional,there’s no secrete to it ,His love is not dependent upon finding something in us that merits His love. His love is without conditions.
We usually live in the realm or on the level of our worthiness and our condition. In this realm, whether or not God loves us depends very much upon whether or not we feel we are lovable. If we feel that we have “measured up” a little bit that we have had a “better” week or have done a few extra good things,then we feel that we can receive the love of God. Many times our perception of God’s attitude toward us is based on our own feelings about ourselves.
The Pastors wife brought forth a prophetic word from the Lord Sunday , and I feel it changed several life’s,Diane spoke about gods love for us , and that he loves you and I so so deeply, and how we at times have such a hard time accepting that love, maybe because of our past or even our current situation, and how God loves us no matter what the situation we are in or going through, we just need to accept His love for us. She shared how we need to say it over and over again, until we get it, and Diane I truly believe you were spot on. We need to keep telling ourselves that we are loved by God and that we are worthy of His love for us. I just want to “Thank You “ for your obedience to the Spirit of the Lord, there were great seeds sowed by the words you shared.
In Romans 9:13 the Lord says, “Jacob I have loved, but
Esau I have hated.” Jacob was the object of God’s love regardless of his condition — regardless of his rebellion, his conniving, his deceiving. Despite all that, the Lord followed him as “the hound of heaven.” Wherever Jacob went, the Lord was there alluring him, seeking him, winning him. This is another example of God’s love toward His people, and it is absolutely an unconditional kind of love.
So many times I feel that when we wake up in the morning , we take a look at our own spiritual condition and then we base our day ahead on it. We need to get out of that kind of mind set. God didn’t create any one of us to “Just get by” he created each and everyone of us to “EXCEL” .
We read in the book of Ephesians 3:16-21
“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.”
The Pastor placed yellow caution tape along the alter in the Church and he explained to the congregation that that tape represented a line that we need not be afraid to stop over , and that at times we need to be willing to throw caution to the wind, and step out of our current situations and into the situation that the Lord has for us. The Lord has so so so much for each and everyone of His children, we just need to be willing to step out of our comfy situations and take that step towards God , and what He wants for each and everyone of us. We were created for a purpose, His purpose,and that’s a good thing.
In closing , remember this my dear friends, You have His love in the morning to give you a reason to get out of bed. ,You have His love in afternoon to help you get through a really bad day at work,You have His love in the evening to comfort you when the bills are not paid, the children are tired and complaining, and work around the house is still waiting to be finished,You have His love when you are falsely accused,You have His love when you lose your best friend. In all of life you have His love available to you. You experience His love as you believe in Him and commit yourself and your situation to Him. Just remember ,,,,God just wants to love YOU!!!!!!!will YOU let HIM?????WILL YOU?????
Blessings!
We usually live in the realm or on the level of our worthiness and our condition. In this realm, whether or not God loves us depends very much upon whether or not we feel we are lovable. If we feel that we have “measured up” a little bit that we have had a “better” week or have done a few extra good things,then we feel that we can receive the love of God. Many times our perception of God’s attitude toward us is based on our own feelings about ourselves.
The Pastors wife brought forth a prophetic word from the Lord Sunday , and I feel it changed several life’s,Diane spoke about gods love for us , and that he loves you and I so so deeply, and how we at times have such a hard time accepting that love, maybe because of our past or even our current situation, and how God loves us no matter what the situation we are in or going through, we just need to accept His love for us. She shared how we need to say it over and over again, until we get it, and Diane I truly believe you were spot on. We need to keep telling ourselves that we are loved by God and that we are worthy of His love for us. I just want to “Thank You “ for your obedience to the Spirit of the Lord, there were great seeds sowed by the words you shared.
In Romans 9:13 the Lord says, “Jacob I have loved, but
Esau I have hated.” Jacob was the object of God’s love regardless of his condition — regardless of his rebellion, his conniving, his deceiving. Despite all that, the Lord followed him as “the hound of heaven.” Wherever Jacob went, the Lord was there alluring him, seeking him, winning him. This is another example of God’s love toward His people, and it is absolutely an unconditional kind of love.
So many times I feel that when we wake up in the morning , we take a look at our own spiritual condition and then we base our day ahead on it. We need to get out of that kind of mind set. God didn’t create any one of us to “Just get by” he created each and everyone of us to “EXCEL” .
We read in the book of Ephesians 3:16-21
“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.”
The Pastor placed yellow caution tape along the alter in the Church and he explained to the congregation that that tape represented a line that we need not be afraid to stop over , and that at times we need to be willing to throw caution to the wind, and step out of our current situations and into the situation that the Lord has for us. The Lord has so so so much for each and everyone of His children, we just need to be willing to step out of our comfy situations and take that step towards God , and what He wants for each and everyone of us. We were created for a purpose, His purpose,and that’s a good thing.
In closing , remember this my dear friends, You have His love in the morning to give you a reason to get out of bed. ,You have His love in afternoon to help you get through a really bad day at work,You have His love in the evening to comfort you when the bills are not paid, the children are tired and complaining, and work around the house is still waiting to be finished,You have His love when you are falsely accused,You have His love when you lose your best friend. In all of life you have His love available to you. You experience His love as you believe in Him and commit yourself and your situation to Him. Just remember ,,,,God just wants to love YOU!!!!!!!will YOU let HIM?????WILL YOU?????
Blessings!
Monday, October 8, 2012
Christ Like,possible?
Its been several weeks since I have posted anything on my Blog site, and I will tell you why. You see I take my post a little on the serious side,,, Oh who am I trying to fool, I consider them a very serious ministry tool to be used by God as he so desires. I feel that the things that we say should always in some way bring Glory to our Lord , that doesn’t always mean that the things we say do bring Glory to God,unfortunately more times than not they don’t.
Have you ever been asked to speak or share something to a group of people ? How about teach a class , preach a Sunday sermon? Well I have , and let me tell you its never easy for me. I know some of you find that hard to believe , but it is so so true. I am so much more comfortable blogging or even putting something down on paper,more than I am getting up in front of a group and speaking .don’t get me wrong, I love speaking , or preaching the word of God, but it takes great effort on my part to do it. The main reason being is that I want to Glorify God in all that I say. Whenever I do speak , I try to always keep aware of the fact that what I am saying can and probably will impact the person or people that I am talking to.
No matter what we are doing, it should glorify God. If something you say or do doesn’t make living for Jesus look good, then we should try to change that behavior. Aiming to give glory to God at work, school, at home, or out on the street will make our lives more meaningful and blessed. Most importantly, we can offer a testimony to the fact that it is the Lord who motivates us to give our best everyday, and it is His anointing that strengthens us to do what we need to do each day. In 1Corinthians 10:23-24 we read this, I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 24 No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. It is our responsibility as Christians to lead by example, as we read on in the same chapter, we read in verse 31-32, 31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God .
Everything that you do or say is because of your healthy relationship with Jesus Christ. He is working within you as you work through Him, which, in turn, brings Him glory. Philippians 2:13
For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose.
Let me say this, we as Christians can and do say some pretty stupid things. And I for one am very guilty of doing so. Most of the times the dumb things we say are totally by accident,but that doesn’t make it OK . We as ambassadors of Christ need to be aware of the things that come from our mouths, and if they are dumb,mean and hurtful we need to take responsibility for them. if we claim to be Christians, followers of Christ, then we should act and do as the bible says,” Be Christ Like”.
Several years back I attended a small Assembly of God church in East Branch N.Y. ,and there at that church there was this man by the name of Tom Burhlingam,and to most people when they looked at this man they saw a simple , down to earth backwoods country man,but soon after meeting him , it became aware to you that this man had a very deep respect for God. As I got to know Tom better , it became ever so aware to me, or for that fact anyone else that got to know him that he wanted nothing more than to glorify God in all that he did. Tom seemed to always choose his words wisely, and if the answer didn’t come to him when asked , he broke out his concordance,that he always had close by,and answered it the way that most exemplified God. I learned a lot from Tom,and I believe God used Tom in ways that even Tom was never aware of. You see our actions speak way louder than any words spoken at times. There are so many times in the Bible that Jesus actions spoke volumes to the people that were around him.
”Becoming like Christ is a long, slow process of growth. Spiritual maturity is neither instant nor automatic; it is a gradual, progressive development that will take the rest of your life. Referring to this process, Paul said this in Ephesians 4:13 "This will continue until we are ... mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him
This is a lesson I ave learned and that I hope you can see as well. That when other Christians tell you to act right it isn’t just because “it’s the right thing to do.” It’s because it’s what Christ would do and as a Christian you have chosen to become what the name describes -- One who is like Him. Let’s take this concept into our lives and glorify Christ in all we do and say.
Have you ever been asked to speak or share something to a group of people ? How about teach a class , preach a Sunday sermon? Well I have , and let me tell you its never easy for me. I know some of you find that hard to believe , but it is so so true. I am so much more comfortable blogging or even putting something down on paper,more than I am getting up in front of a group and speaking .don’t get me wrong, I love speaking , or preaching the word of God, but it takes great effort on my part to do it. The main reason being is that I want to Glorify God in all that I say. Whenever I do speak , I try to always keep aware of the fact that what I am saying can and probably will impact the person or people that I am talking to.
No matter what we are doing, it should glorify God. If something you say or do doesn’t make living for Jesus look good, then we should try to change that behavior. Aiming to give glory to God at work, school, at home, or out on the street will make our lives more meaningful and blessed. Most importantly, we can offer a testimony to the fact that it is the Lord who motivates us to give our best everyday, and it is His anointing that strengthens us to do what we need to do each day. In 1Corinthians 10:23-24 we read this, I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 24 No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. It is our responsibility as Christians to lead by example, as we read on in the same chapter, we read in verse 31-32, 31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God .
Everything that you do or say is because of your healthy relationship with Jesus Christ. He is working within you as you work through Him, which, in turn, brings Him glory. Philippians 2:13
For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose.
Let me say this, we as Christians can and do say some pretty stupid things. And I for one am very guilty of doing so. Most of the times the dumb things we say are totally by accident,but that doesn’t make it OK . We as ambassadors of Christ need to be aware of the things that come from our mouths, and if they are dumb,mean and hurtful we need to take responsibility for them. if we claim to be Christians, followers of Christ, then we should act and do as the bible says,” Be Christ Like”.
Several years back I attended a small Assembly of God church in East Branch N.Y. ,and there at that church there was this man by the name of Tom Burhlingam,and to most people when they looked at this man they saw a simple , down to earth backwoods country man,but soon after meeting him , it became aware to you that this man had a very deep respect for God. As I got to know Tom better , it became ever so aware to me, or for that fact anyone else that got to know him that he wanted nothing more than to glorify God in all that he did. Tom seemed to always choose his words wisely, and if the answer didn’t come to him when asked , he broke out his concordance,that he always had close by,and answered it the way that most exemplified God. I learned a lot from Tom,and I believe God used Tom in ways that even Tom was never aware of. You see our actions speak way louder than any words spoken at times. There are so many times in the Bible that Jesus actions spoke volumes to the people that were around him.
”Becoming like Christ is a long, slow process of growth. Spiritual maturity is neither instant nor automatic; it is a gradual, progressive development that will take the rest of your life. Referring to this process, Paul said this in Ephesians 4:13 "This will continue until we are ... mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him
This is a lesson I ave learned and that I hope you can see as well. That when other Christians tell you to act right it isn’t just because “it’s the right thing to do.” It’s because it’s what Christ would do and as a Christian you have chosen to become what the name describes -- One who is like Him. Let’s take this concept into our lives and glorify Christ in all we do and say.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Your "purpose" is important!!
Today I want to share a little about something that God has placed on my heart for the last few weeks. I haven’t been blogging lately because God has had my attention,and I feel that’s a “good thing”.
Over the past few weeks there has been several brothers and sisters in Christ that I know,that have gotten sick. I know we all get sick at times in our life’s, but it just seemed to me that there was an abundance of sickness, so to say, especially with “strong” believers. So leads me to what God has placed on my heart.
A dear friend of mine, Mark “The Rock” Rockhill delivered the message at New Life a few weeks ago,and ever since then God has had me thinking about what Mark preached on. For those who were there ,you heard it, but for those who weren't there I will share a bit.
He spoke about each of us having a “purpose” and that God made us for just that purpose. God's plan for us is to conform us into the image of the Son. Why? Because He has made us complete in Christ. He is now working into our everyday lives those things that are already ours in Christ.
We have all read or heard the Potter and Clay analogy, and probably many teachings on that subject. We can all agree that the Potter decides, before he begins to build, the object that he is going to create. In his mind, he already knows what that clay will become, and he has already planned out his way of accomplishing what he has determined for the clay to become. He is not dependent on how the clay will respond, nor does he consult the clay prior to shaping. He is able to make the clay into what he wants it to be and he already sees the finished product before he even begins. Therefore, every step he takes in the molding and making of his creation is to accomplish just one purpose: make the clay into what he has predestined it to be.
In the Book of Romans 8:28 it reads ,” And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those that love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren”. We need to realize we find God’s good in cooperating with Him in the pursuit of His purpose
Instead of asking, what’s “my” call, “my” purpose, and “my” ministry, we need to ask what is God’s call, God’s purpose, and God’s ministry. Instead of being self-centered in our understanding, we need to take a Christ-centered approach to all of this. What is God ultimately looking to do? What is His big picture plan? What are His goals? When we start with this understanding, then we as Christians will make greater sense out of what God is wanting to do with our lives, and ultimately, what He is looking to accomplish with the Church. God has a big picture and plan for this world. The question ultimately is, have you discovered where you belong in God’s ultimate plans?
You see I feel that “God's plan for each and everyone of us is so much bigger that we really truly conceive. I believe that the plan he has is bigger than any sickness,poverty, affliction,anything that this dark and sick world can throw at us .God has a purpose for each and everyone of us, and nothing is going to stop “His Purpose” for us. Think about it, God sent his son for each of us,His Son had a very specific purpose during His short stay this side of eternity,and man wasn't going to stop it .The things that Christ endured in his life, especially on the way to the cross,I feel no man could have endured,But God had a “PURPOSE” for Christ,and it was not to be stopped by any man .If Christ isn't a good enough example that we have a purpose in life,and nothing can stop ,I don’t know what to tell you.
I want to close with a story involving Yogi Berra, the well-known catcher for the New York Yankees, and Hank Aaron, who at that time was the chief power hitter for the Milwaukee Braves:
The teams were playing in the World Series, and as usual Yogi was keeping up his ceaseless chatter, intended to pep up his teammates on the one hand, and distract the Milwaukee batters on the other. As Aaron came to the plate, Yogi tried to distract him by saying, "Henry, you're holding the bat wrong. You're supposed to hold it so you can read the trademark." Aaron didn't say anything, but when the next pitch came he hit it into the left-field bleachers. After rounding the bases and tagging up at home plate, Aaron looked at Yogi Berra and said, "I didn't come up here to read."
Hank Aaron knew his purpose well – hitting a record breaking 755 career home runs.
What about you – are you fulfilling God’s purpose for you? Maybe you are not aware of God’s purpose for you .I fee it is a crucial choice to make: fulfill your God-given purpose or spend your life chasing vain pursuits. One brings satisfaction and blessing. The other brings confusion, frustration and unhappiness. Which will you choose? You will never find true satisfaction until you are truly fulfilling your God-given purpose.
Blessings!
Over the past few weeks there has been several brothers and sisters in Christ that I know,that have gotten sick. I know we all get sick at times in our life’s, but it just seemed to me that there was an abundance of sickness, so to say, especially with “strong” believers. So leads me to what God has placed on my heart.
A dear friend of mine, Mark “The Rock” Rockhill delivered the message at New Life a few weeks ago,and ever since then God has had me thinking about what Mark preached on. For those who were there ,you heard it, but for those who weren't there I will share a bit.
He spoke about each of us having a “purpose” and that God made us for just that purpose. God's plan for us is to conform us into the image of the Son. Why? Because He has made us complete in Christ. He is now working into our everyday lives those things that are already ours in Christ.
We have all read or heard the Potter and Clay analogy, and probably many teachings on that subject. We can all agree that the Potter decides, before he begins to build, the object that he is going to create. In his mind, he already knows what that clay will become, and he has already planned out his way of accomplishing what he has determined for the clay to become. He is not dependent on how the clay will respond, nor does he consult the clay prior to shaping. He is able to make the clay into what he wants it to be and he already sees the finished product before he even begins. Therefore, every step he takes in the molding and making of his creation is to accomplish just one purpose: make the clay into what he has predestined it to be.
In the Book of Romans 8:28 it reads ,” And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those that love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren”. We need to realize we find God’s good in cooperating with Him in the pursuit of His purpose
Instead of asking, what’s “my” call, “my” purpose, and “my” ministry, we need to ask what is God’s call, God’s purpose, and God’s ministry. Instead of being self-centered in our understanding, we need to take a Christ-centered approach to all of this. What is God ultimately looking to do? What is His big picture plan? What are His goals? When we start with this understanding, then we as Christians will make greater sense out of what God is wanting to do with our lives, and ultimately, what He is looking to accomplish with the Church. God has a big picture and plan for this world. The question ultimately is, have you discovered where you belong in God’s ultimate plans?
You see I feel that “God's plan for each and everyone of us is so much bigger that we really truly conceive. I believe that the plan he has is bigger than any sickness,poverty, affliction,anything that this dark and sick world can throw at us .God has a purpose for each and everyone of us, and nothing is going to stop “His Purpose” for us. Think about it, God sent his son for each of us,His Son had a very specific purpose during His short stay this side of eternity,and man wasn't going to stop it .The things that Christ endured in his life, especially on the way to the cross,I feel no man could have endured,But God had a “PURPOSE” for Christ,and it was not to be stopped by any man .If Christ isn't a good enough example that we have a purpose in life,and nothing can stop ,I don’t know what to tell you.
I want to close with a story involving Yogi Berra, the well-known catcher for the New York Yankees, and Hank Aaron, who at that time was the chief power hitter for the Milwaukee Braves:
The teams were playing in the World Series, and as usual Yogi was keeping up his ceaseless chatter, intended to pep up his teammates on the one hand, and distract the Milwaukee batters on the other. As Aaron came to the plate, Yogi tried to distract him by saying, "Henry, you're holding the bat wrong. You're supposed to hold it so you can read the trademark." Aaron didn't say anything, but when the next pitch came he hit it into the left-field bleachers. After rounding the bases and tagging up at home plate, Aaron looked at Yogi Berra and said, "I didn't come up here to read."
Hank Aaron knew his purpose well – hitting a record breaking 755 career home runs.
What about you – are you fulfilling God’s purpose for you? Maybe you are not aware of God’s purpose for you .I fee it is a crucial choice to make: fulfill your God-given purpose or spend your life chasing vain pursuits. One brings satisfaction and blessing. The other brings confusion, frustration and unhappiness. Which will you choose? You will never find true satisfaction until you are truly fulfilling your God-given purpose.
Blessings!
Monday, August 13, 2012
Trust and Believe!!
Yesterday was a very good day at New Life. We got to experience some great worship, and a great message, and some wonderful fellowship. Justin Mac. Presented the congregation wit a very powerful and potentially challenging message,and for those that payed attention ,they walked away from that service with a fresh perspective on “love “ and what it means to our God.
This leads me to something I witnessed yesterday during worship, we were nearing the completion of worship and as the Pastor came forward and speak , we were singing a song and He looked at a member of the worship team, and I truly feel it was a prophetic word from our Lord. He said to her “our God is bigger” I’m sort of paraphrasing , but I truly believe that God worked though pastor Troy to deliver a message to this dear sister.
Let's face it, our troubles have a way of overtaking us when we aren't expecting them. They sneak up on us and they body slam us and leave us dazed, hurting and confused. I just praise the Lord today that our troubles do not have the last word !
We read in the Bible in the book of Romans,chapter 8 verses 28 ,And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
We have all heard this statement ,probably way more than we wanted to, “God never said it was going to be easy” , and I will be the first to say I really don't get any comfort from that statement. I would get a lot more comfort out of a statement like this “God said life will always be easy!” but that’s just not going to happen.
If God knows all about your troubles before they come, and if God has a hand in your troubles, and He does, Isiah 45:7, "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.", and if all things really work together for my good, and they do; then it stands to reason God has already taken all the steps necessary to meet your need before it ever arises. It may seem that the Lord isn't moving and that He is just going to leave you to twist in the breeze, but the truth is, God has already met our needs, before the needs ever arose! He will manifest that supply in His own way and in His own time. Your duty is to be patient and faithful to the Lord and to His will for your life. He will take care of you. The bible says this in Psalm 84 verse 11,For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.
I want to close with this,Justin also shared a story about the time when it came to remove the training wheels from his son's bike,and how his son just couldn't accept any good reason for there removal. Justin’s son just had to “TRUST” that his Dad was doing the right thing,and by removing the training wheels ,and that his son would reach the next step so to say in bike riding.
Brothers and sisters we can apply that same scenario to our life's . sometimes we need to get rid of somethings in our life and just “TRUST” that God know best.
The future is always uncertain and we never know what kinds of needs may arise tomorrow, but we have the precious promise of the Lord that He is with us and that He knows the way we take,and will look out for us all the way home to glory! I may not know what will come in the morning, but I do know One who has already been to tomorrow. He knows what will happen and He has already made preparations for my arrival, John 14:2 says, 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home,If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
No matter where the road of life leads, no matter what problems arise, God is always ready with the necessary means to meet the need of His children.
“TRUST,,TRUST,,TRUST,,,TRUST!!!!!!!!!!GOD"s POWER IS TRANSFORMING!!!!!
Blessings!!
This leads me to something I witnessed yesterday during worship, we were nearing the completion of worship and as the Pastor came forward and speak , we were singing a song and He looked at a member of the worship team, and I truly feel it was a prophetic word from our Lord. He said to her “our God is bigger” I’m sort of paraphrasing , but I truly believe that God worked though pastor Troy to deliver a message to this dear sister.
Let's face it, our troubles have a way of overtaking us when we aren't expecting them. They sneak up on us and they body slam us and leave us dazed, hurting and confused. I just praise the Lord today that our troubles do not have the last word !
We read in the Bible in the book of Romans,chapter 8 verses 28 ,And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
We have all heard this statement ,probably way more than we wanted to, “God never said it was going to be easy” , and I will be the first to say I really don't get any comfort from that statement. I would get a lot more comfort out of a statement like this “God said life will always be easy!” but that’s just not going to happen.
If God knows all about your troubles before they come, and if God has a hand in your troubles, and He does, Isiah 45:7, "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.", and if all things really work together for my good, and they do; then it stands to reason God has already taken all the steps necessary to meet your need before it ever arises. It may seem that the Lord isn't moving and that He is just going to leave you to twist in the breeze, but the truth is, God has already met our needs, before the needs ever arose! He will manifest that supply in His own way and in His own time. Your duty is to be patient and faithful to the Lord and to His will for your life. He will take care of you. The bible says this in Psalm 84 verse 11,For the Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.
I want to close with this,Justin also shared a story about the time when it came to remove the training wheels from his son's bike,and how his son just couldn't accept any good reason for there removal. Justin’s son just had to “TRUST” that his Dad was doing the right thing,and by removing the training wheels ,and that his son would reach the next step so to say in bike riding.
Brothers and sisters we can apply that same scenario to our life's . sometimes we need to get rid of somethings in our life and just “TRUST” that God know best.
The future is always uncertain and we never know what kinds of needs may arise tomorrow, but we have the precious promise of the Lord that He is with us and that He knows the way we take,and will look out for us all the way home to glory! I may not know what will come in the morning, but I do know One who has already been to tomorrow. He knows what will happen and He has already made preparations for my arrival, John 14:2 says, 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home,If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
No matter where the road of life leads, no matter what problems arise, God is always ready with the necessary means to meet the need of His children.
“TRUST,,TRUST,,TRUST,,,TRUST!!!!!!!!!!GOD"s POWER IS TRANSFORMING!!!!!
Blessings!!
Monday, July 30, 2012
Were is the Good word??
You ever wake up in the morning and you suddenly realize that you really have nothing good to say!!now don’t get me wrong , we should always thank the Lord for waking us ,, but beside that,,,Hmmmmm “NOTHING”Well Pastor Troy briefly touched on that very same subject last Sunday in service. He spoke on the fact that what we say can have different affects and outcomes on the people that hear the words that come out of our mouths,and I wholeheartedly agree with him. Along that same subject a good friend of mine Mark asked me a question while we were having lunch together after service last Sunday. He asked me why I haven't posted anything new on my Blog site lately,and my reply was “I just don't have anything good to say”,,,,,pretty sad isn't it! .That question really made me think,
I consider myself a pretty well grounded Christian,I do my very best to make it to church every Sunday,I try my best to encourage the people that I meet throughout each day,,Hey I am even on the prayer team at church,and my response to Mark was, “I just don’t have anything good to say” UNACCEPTABLE,totally UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!!
In the bible we read in James chapter 3 verses 3-8, 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
You see although we cant tame the tongue , we can be ever so conscious of what it produces,we must strive to speak positivity,it only takes a single small word to utterly destroy someones sense of well doing,not to mention possibly totally destroy their confidence.
I can remember when I first came to faith, that I had a strong desire to correct my bad language. I began by exchanging neutral words for the vulgarities that I had been using in the past. But in tough situations, I found myself using the replacement words with the same venom that I used to use the bad language. Nothing had really changed, and I believe now that God was no happier with my language. God wanted me to work on my insides, and he is less concerned with the replacement words I used. It’s not the words we say, it’s the way we feel. Look at what Jesus said about our words:
We read this in the bible,in Matthew 15:10-11 it says ,Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
So back to the question that was presented to me by Mark,”Why haven’t you posted anything on your Blog lately?”
So if you would,Imagine a life in which there was no pain from the things that we say or the things that were said to us. Imagine a world where people reached their potential because they were constantly encouraged with words. Imagine a world with no gossip, no criticism, no vulgarity. It is a world that could exist if only we would live our lives God’s way.
As we read in the Bible Jesus reminds us that the words we speak are actually the overflow of our hearts. When someone becomes a Christian there is an expectancy that a change of speech follows because living for Christ makes a difference in one’s choice of words. The sinner’s mouth is “full of cursing and bitterness” ,but when we turn our lives over to Christ, we gladly confess that “Jesus is Lord” . As condemned sinners, our mouths are silenced before the throne of God , but as believers, our mouths are opened to praise and glorify God .
So thank you Pastor Troy for the message you delivered last Sunday,and thank you Mark for being obedient ,(even though you may think it was nothing) for asking me that question. We as Christians need to realize that we always have something “GOOD” to say,as long as we have the word of God hidden in our hearts,as we should have, we always have a good word to share with others.
I will close with this ,Psalm 119:9-11 says 9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart,do not let me stray from your commands.11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Blessings,and Oh Yeah,,,GOOD WORDS!!!! :-)
,
I consider myself a pretty well grounded Christian,I do my very best to make it to church every Sunday,I try my best to encourage the people that I meet throughout each day,,Hey I am even on the prayer team at church,and my response to Mark was, “I just don’t have anything good to say” UNACCEPTABLE,totally UNACCEPTABLE!!!!!!
In the bible we read in James chapter 3 verses 3-8, 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
You see although we cant tame the tongue , we can be ever so conscious of what it produces,we must strive to speak positivity,it only takes a single small word to utterly destroy someones sense of well doing,not to mention possibly totally destroy their confidence.
I can remember when I first came to faith, that I had a strong desire to correct my bad language. I began by exchanging neutral words for the vulgarities that I had been using in the past. But in tough situations, I found myself using the replacement words with the same venom that I used to use the bad language. Nothing had really changed, and I believe now that God was no happier with my language. God wanted me to work on my insides, and he is less concerned with the replacement words I used. It’s not the words we say, it’s the way we feel. Look at what Jesus said about our words:
We read this in the bible,in Matthew 15:10-11 it says ,Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.”
So back to the question that was presented to me by Mark,”Why haven’t you posted anything on your Blog lately?”
So if you would,Imagine a life in which there was no pain from the things that we say or the things that were said to us. Imagine a world where people reached their potential because they were constantly encouraged with words. Imagine a world with no gossip, no criticism, no vulgarity. It is a world that could exist if only we would live our lives God’s way.
As we read in the Bible Jesus reminds us that the words we speak are actually the overflow of our hearts. When someone becomes a Christian there is an expectancy that a change of speech follows because living for Christ makes a difference in one’s choice of words. The sinner’s mouth is “full of cursing and bitterness” ,but when we turn our lives over to Christ, we gladly confess that “Jesus is Lord” . As condemned sinners, our mouths are silenced before the throne of God , but as believers, our mouths are opened to praise and glorify God .
So thank you Pastor Troy for the message you delivered last Sunday,and thank you Mark for being obedient ,(even though you may think it was nothing) for asking me that question. We as Christians need to realize that we always have something “GOOD” to say,as long as we have the word of God hidden in our hearts,as we should have, we always have a good word to share with others.
I will close with this ,Psalm 119:9-11 says 9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart,do not let me stray from your commands.11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
Blessings,and Oh Yeah,,,GOOD WORDS!!!! :-)
,
Thursday, July 5, 2012
"Summertime with God"
This morning as I was catching up on things,reading my e-mail,looking over things that I had set aside because of the holiday,I began to ponder on a few things. Its summer time now , and for a lot of us that means no more work , or not as much work. Many of us have more time on our hands now and we need to figure out how we can maximize it. During the summer it’s easy to get lazy—sleep in on Sunday and neglect your devotional time with God. Instead of losing touch with God this summer, why not use this vacation time to draw closer to Him?
Lets look at some ideas that we can do to maximize this “summertime”.Get a little deeper with God, if you don’t usually spend quality time with God,why not start now?start by setting aside a few minutes a day, say 20 minutes, to connect with Him,and why not be creative,sing songs,memorize Scripture . . . use your imagination The Bible say this in Exodus 15:2 (Good News Translation), The Lord is my strong defender,he is the one who has saved me. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will sing about his greatness.
Take some time to talk with God,Think of what you want to say to God , and who you want to lift up to him in prayer. some people find it helpful to make a list of people ,their names and situations that they want to pray about. Maybe you could create a prayer journal, divide your list into different categories for praying about on different days .and remember each day as you pray, don’t forget to confess your sins to God. Also, remember to thank Him for His blessings and for answering your prayers. Psalms 118:1 says Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love endures forever.
Remember to attend church,,,,Hmmmmm,,,It may be tempting to sleep late or to spend a full day at the beach on Sunday, but neither of these choices builds you up spiritually. Strengthen your walk with God through regular church attendance. It honors the Lord when the faithful assemble for corporate worship and praise of God, who is infinitely worthy to be praised Acts 2:44, 47; says ,All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved..There is something especially powerful in a community of believers uniting to worship God with one voice. But we can’t do this together unless we are together! Summer vacations often take their toll on church attendance, but you can make it a goal to be at every service. Not only will attending church grow your relationship with God—it will encourage others to keep coming as well.
Take time to visit somebody,maybe a family that you haven't seen in church for a while. Visiting people will give you a chance to share your faith and to encourage others.
This summer, don’t take a vacation from God. Instead, use your summer vacation to have fun as you purposely seek God and grow in your relationship with Him. He promises: “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me” Jeremiah 29:13,
The older I get the faster time seems to fly by. Birthdays and anniversaries arrive so often I can’t keep up with them. The months of my favorite season disappear so quickly. The thing God values most is time. It is a priceless possession we should learn to cherish. One of the greatest ways to show God our gratitude is to use our time wisely.
My Friends ,I hope and pray that this summer is the summer to remember, that being that this summer may God bless you beyond your wildest imagination because you put Him first.
Revelations 3:20says this, "Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends.
Jesus is standing at the door asking to have a meal or some time to be with you. Just think about it, if you are about to sit down to dinner, and you here some knocking at your door and you go to answer it and there is your friend, just standing there asking to come in for a meal, it is going to do something to your relationship.?
Jesus is the one who is taking the initiative to spend time with you. He is the one who is already at the door to your life, asking for some time just to visit with you. All that you have to do is open the door.
I have found that whenever I make time for God in my life I am better for it. I get some of God’s love in my life, I get God’s thoughts in my mind, I get God’s wisdom in my decisions. He is the kind of friend that makes you much better,and he really wants your time.
we just have to decide that God’s word is the final authority in our lives, not our emotions or circumstances. Putting God first in life means that when it comes to our time, God gets the best of what we have to offer.
My friends I encourage you all to seek God's face this summer so much more than you have in the past. You will be amazed how much God wants to bless you,seek him .Hear that???? that’s God knocking,,,who will open the door?????
Blessings.
Lets look at some ideas that we can do to maximize this “summertime”.Get a little deeper with God, if you don’t usually spend quality time with God,why not start now?start by setting aside a few minutes a day, say 20 minutes, to connect with Him,and why not be creative,sing songs,memorize Scripture . . . use your imagination The Bible say this in Exodus 15:2 (Good News Translation), The Lord is my strong defender,he is the one who has saved me. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will sing about his greatness.
Take some time to talk with God,Think of what you want to say to God , and who you want to lift up to him in prayer. some people find it helpful to make a list of people ,their names and situations that they want to pray about. Maybe you could create a prayer journal, divide your list into different categories for praying about on different days .and remember each day as you pray, don’t forget to confess your sins to God. Also, remember to thank Him for His blessings and for answering your prayers. Psalms 118:1 says Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love endures forever.
Remember to attend church,,,,Hmmmmm,,,It may be tempting to sleep late or to spend a full day at the beach on Sunday, but neither of these choices builds you up spiritually. Strengthen your walk with God through regular church attendance. It honors the Lord when the faithful assemble for corporate worship and praise of God, who is infinitely worthy to be praised Acts 2:44, 47; says ,All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved..There is something especially powerful in a community of believers uniting to worship God with one voice. But we can’t do this together unless we are together! Summer vacations often take their toll on church attendance, but you can make it a goal to be at every service. Not only will attending church grow your relationship with God—it will encourage others to keep coming as well.
Take time to visit somebody,maybe a family that you haven't seen in church for a while. Visiting people will give you a chance to share your faith and to encourage others.
This summer, don’t take a vacation from God. Instead, use your summer vacation to have fun as you purposely seek God and grow in your relationship with Him. He promises: “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me” Jeremiah 29:13,
The older I get the faster time seems to fly by. Birthdays and anniversaries arrive so often I can’t keep up with them. The months of my favorite season disappear so quickly. The thing God values most is time. It is a priceless possession we should learn to cherish. One of the greatest ways to show God our gratitude is to use our time wisely.
My Friends ,I hope and pray that this summer is the summer to remember, that being that this summer may God bless you beyond your wildest imagination because you put Him first.
Revelations 3:20says this, "Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends.
Jesus is standing at the door asking to have a meal or some time to be with you. Just think about it, if you are about to sit down to dinner, and you here some knocking at your door and you go to answer it and there is your friend, just standing there asking to come in for a meal, it is going to do something to your relationship.?
Jesus is the one who is taking the initiative to spend time with you. He is the one who is already at the door to your life, asking for some time just to visit with you. All that you have to do is open the door.
I have found that whenever I make time for God in my life I am better for it. I get some of God’s love in my life, I get God’s thoughts in my mind, I get God’s wisdom in my decisions. He is the kind of friend that makes you much better,and he really wants your time.
we just have to decide that God’s word is the final authority in our lives, not our emotions or circumstances. Putting God first in life means that when it comes to our time, God gets the best of what we have to offer.
My friends I encourage you all to seek God's face this summer so much more than you have in the past. You will be amazed how much God wants to bless you,seek him .Hear that???? that’s God knocking,,,who will open the door?????
Blessings.
Monday, June 11, 2012
"What Is Church"?
This past Sunday was a very good service at New Life Assembly,we got to hear the testimony of missionary Tina Hook, and it was very uplifting. She spoke on several different topics and they were all very good, she spoke about Peter and how he used his life to serve the Lord. She also talked about how God spoke to her when she was just a child ,and placed a calling on her life. Tina ended the service with a statement that I believe a lot of Christians kind of cast to the side so to say .Tina said that we are all “missionaries” and she was so right,The minute we leave the comfort of our homes and venture out into the world , our work begins,like it or not if you consider yourself a child of God ,this is were there real work begins.
I can hear some saying this ,”But what about Church Tim , I go every Sunday and I even help out with events too”.my response to that is “thank you” and I would think that God will honor you for your obedience. But what is “CHURCH”.
I want to share a famous Indian story about six blind men who went to see an elephant. The first man went, put his two hands against the elephant's side and said, "It feels like a wall." The second reached his hand up and felt the sharp tusk of the elephant and said, "Oh no, this is like a spear." The third man walked up to the front of the elephant and felt the elephant's trunk. He boldly said, "I know, this is like a snake." The fourth man felt the elephant's knee and said the elephant was like a tree. The fifth man felt the elephant's ear and said it felt like a fan. The last man felt the elephant's tail and thought it was a rope. These six men all touched the elephant and from their experience thought they knew what it was. They went away with strong opinions of what they had seen. They argued with each other. Each one of them was partly right and all of them were wrong.
If you were to ask, "What is the Church?" you could get many different answers. Some people say the church is a building, the place they go to every Sunday. But 1 Corinthians 3:16 says, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" If you are a real Christian, you are the church. The church is people - God's people. And when the church meets the people are to be connected to each other.
Sometimes people like to go to a big church where no one knows them. They don't talk to anyone. They just come ... and go. There is no relationship. But that is wrong. If you are a real Christian you are a part of a body. The hand cannot separate itself from the arm and do what it wants to. We all need each other. And the main thing I want you to understand is that the church is a relationship - a relationship with you and other Christians. It is where your needs are met. And it is where you can meet the needs of others.
Romans 12:4 says ,4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, Here Paul is also talking about the human body. He says that our bodies have many "members" or parts: legs, feet, arms, hands, head, eyes, nose, ears, teeth, etc. And every part has a different function or job. The hands are for grabbing and holding. The eyes are for seeing, the teeth are for chewing, the feet are for walking. And then he says that just like these body parts are connected and need each other in the church as believers we are connected and need each other.
I am sharing this with you because after service yesterday and I was safely tucked away in the comfort of my home , God began to show me once again the areas of my life that,well lets just say don't quite measure up to God's standards,or what he expects from me. let me explain.
You see after church was over and I had the opportunity to “meet and greet” with others in the church, I consciously and intentionally walked by,or failed to greet some members of our congregation,I even went as far as to make eye contact with them,yet not a word was spoken between us. now to me that’s just not right,,,,so what good and great excuse do I use in this case ?I'm just saying this is an area in my life that God has put His finger on ,letting me know that it is in need of improvement. THANK YOU Shirley Catalono for not being like me and running over to greet me, I was blessed by your obedience .I don't think that is only the Pastor's responsibility to greet ,i believe it's all of ours .
Pastor Troy has said this several times,"Greet one another with a holy kiss." and referred to this scripture several times,Romans 16:16 (the message) says this, Holy embraces all around! All the churches of Christ send their warmest greetings!
In the Ancient Near Eastern culture when people greeted they would embrace and kiss each other on each side of the face. Sometimes people go to church and don't even greet each other. How can we know each other or connect with each other if we don't even greet each other? Proverbs 18:24 says, "A man who has friends must himself be friendly."
You see, the church is a relationship - a relationship with you and other Christians. It is where your needs are met. And it is where you can meet the needs of others. In the church as brothers and sisters we must be involved in the lives of one another.
We are to be devoted to one another, to honor one another, to be of the same mind with one another, to accept one another, to greet one another, to serve one another and to bear one another burdens.
So in closing I urge one an other not to do as I have done. God has shown me the areas of my life that need improvement and I thank him for that. May we all be just a little more obedient to God and to His calling on our life's. Remember most of all,We must follow the example of Jesus in Mark Mark 10:41-45(The Message),When the other ten heard of this conversation, they lost their tempers with James and John. Jesus got them together to settle things down. "You've observed how godless rulers throw their weight around," he said, "and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads. It's not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not to be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for many who are held hostage."
Blessings!
I can hear some saying this ,”But what about Church Tim , I go every Sunday and I even help out with events too”.my response to that is “thank you” and I would think that God will honor you for your obedience. But what is “CHURCH”.
I want to share a famous Indian story about six blind men who went to see an elephant. The first man went, put his two hands against the elephant's side and said, "It feels like a wall." The second reached his hand up and felt the sharp tusk of the elephant and said, "Oh no, this is like a spear." The third man walked up to the front of the elephant and felt the elephant's trunk. He boldly said, "I know, this is like a snake." The fourth man felt the elephant's knee and said the elephant was like a tree. The fifth man felt the elephant's ear and said it felt like a fan. The last man felt the elephant's tail and thought it was a rope. These six men all touched the elephant and from their experience thought they knew what it was. They went away with strong opinions of what they had seen. They argued with each other. Each one of them was partly right and all of them were wrong.
If you were to ask, "What is the Church?" you could get many different answers. Some people say the church is a building, the place they go to every Sunday. But 1 Corinthians 3:16 says, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" If you are a real Christian, you are the church. The church is people - God's people. And when the church meets the people are to be connected to each other.
Sometimes people like to go to a big church where no one knows them. They don't talk to anyone. They just come ... and go. There is no relationship. But that is wrong. If you are a real Christian you are a part of a body. The hand cannot separate itself from the arm and do what it wants to. We all need each other. And the main thing I want you to understand is that the church is a relationship - a relationship with you and other Christians. It is where your needs are met. And it is where you can meet the needs of others.
Romans 12:4 says ,4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, Here Paul is also talking about the human body. He says that our bodies have many "members" or parts: legs, feet, arms, hands, head, eyes, nose, ears, teeth, etc. And every part has a different function or job. The hands are for grabbing and holding. The eyes are for seeing, the teeth are for chewing, the feet are for walking. And then he says that just like these body parts are connected and need each other in the church as believers we are connected and need each other.
I am sharing this with you because after service yesterday and I was safely tucked away in the comfort of my home , God began to show me once again the areas of my life that,well lets just say don't quite measure up to God's standards,or what he expects from me. let me explain.
You see after church was over and I had the opportunity to “meet and greet” with others in the church, I consciously and intentionally walked by,or failed to greet some members of our congregation,I even went as far as to make eye contact with them,yet not a word was spoken between us. now to me that’s just not right,,,,so what good and great excuse do I use in this case ?I'm just saying this is an area in my life that God has put His finger on ,letting me know that it is in need of improvement. THANK YOU Shirley Catalono for not being like me and running over to greet me, I was blessed by your obedience .I don't think that is only the Pastor's responsibility to greet ,i believe it's all of ours .
Pastor Troy has said this several times,"Greet one another with a holy kiss." and referred to this scripture several times,Romans 16:16 (the message) says this, Holy embraces all around! All the churches of Christ send their warmest greetings!
In the Ancient Near Eastern culture when people greeted they would embrace and kiss each other on each side of the face. Sometimes people go to church and don't even greet each other. How can we know each other or connect with each other if we don't even greet each other? Proverbs 18:24 says, "A man who has friends must himself be friendly."
You see, the church is a relationship - a relationship with you and other Christians. It is where your needs are met. And it is where you can meet the needs of others. In the church as brothers and sisters we must be involved in the lives of one another.
We are to be devoted to one another, to honor one another, to be of the same mind with one another, to accept one another, to greet one another, to serve one another and to bear one another burdens.
So in closing I urge one an other not to do as I have done. God has shown me the areas of my life that need improvement and I thank him for that. May we all be just a little more obedient to God and to His calling on our life's. Remember most of all,We must follow the example of Jesus in Mark Mark 10:41-45(The Message),When the other ten heard of this conversation, they lost their tempers with James and John. Jesus got them together to settle things down. "You've observed how godless rulers throw their weight around," he said, "and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads. It's not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not to be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for many who are held hostage."
Blessings!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Intercessory Prayer"Standing in the Gap"
Have you ever been asked by someone to intercede in prayer for them? Well if you haven’t , its an awesome responsibility. A dear sister in the Lord has asked me to intercede in prayer for a situation that she is facing, although I have no idea what this situation may be,and it really doesn't matter God does know and he will honor the prayers that are offered up for her situation.
So just what is “intercessory prayer” and what does it fully entail? Well that was my exact response to that question when I was asked to pray for someone's situation many years ago when I first became a Christian. I was wondering how I could possibly pray for someone and have no clue what the situation was ,what were they going through,their needs or anything at all,I just had know clue were to start,or how to even begin to pray.
It says in Ezekiel 22:30, "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none
Intercessory prayer is not the same as prayers for yourself, or for 'enlightenment', or for spiritual gifts, or for guidance, or any personal matter, or any glittering generality. Intercession is not just praying for someone else's needs. Intercession is praying with the real hope and real intent that God would step in and act for the positive advancement of some specific other person or other . It is trusting God to act, even if it's not in the manner or timing we seek. God wants us to ask, even urgently. It is casting our weakness before God's strength, and having a bit of God's passion burn in us.
How about you? Where is God calling you to stand in the gap? Where is the breach on the wall that needs to be filled right now so that no harm could come to others?
The breach in the gap could mean a lot of things and as varied as the challenges we face: marital discord, teenagers rebelling, teen pregnancy, needs of the orphans, sick, poor in our midst, broken-hearted, those who are grieving, those who are in sin, discouraged, despondent… and the list goes on and on.
Where is the Lord asking you to stand in the gap before Him? Maybe God is telling you to be the answer to an orphan’s prayer for food and comfort? Maybe you are the encouragement that a pastor is praying for everyday on his knees. Maybe you are the one being sent to comfort a young mother who lost a child. Maybe you are the one being asked to help a family financially. Maybe it is your wisdom that could help a youth find his way back to his family. Maybe it is your hands that an elderly couple need so they can have access to their medicines. Maybe you are the one God is asking to take care of an orphaned infant… maybe you are……..
What is amazing is that it is God who is at work. It says God is looking. He is continuously looking for a man, for someone who would be willing. This is not about God being limited by what He cannot do. But this is about a God who desires that we participate in what He is in the business of doing, healing, repairing the breach, mending the wounds of the brokenhearted….
Today we live in a society where everyone does his own thing. "Live and let live" is our motto. Whatever anyone else does is their own business, not ours. That is the prevailing mindset of the world we live in.
But our ways are not God’s ways, and our thoughts are not God’s thoughts. Isiah 55:9, We need to look to the truths of God’s Word to determine our actions, not the prevailing mindset of the world. And God’s Word is quite clear: we are to be watchmen over all the lost souls around us. We can’t just let them "live and let live"; we are called to stand in the gap on their behalf.
So what about you? Are you standing in the gap for your loved ones, for your friends and neighbors who do not know the Lord? Are you speaking to them, telling them what the Word of God says?
So today we need to,"stand in the gap" before God on behalf of the needs of His people. how much greater is the need for Christian believers to intercede on behalf of the helpless, the needy, the troubled, the sick, those who are not walking with God, family members, church leaders, and those who sometimes hurt so badly that they do not know how to pray for themselves. What a privilege we have to lift up in prayer the needs of others as we are led by the Holy Spirit. Each one of us has a unique way of praying but it is the love behind the prayers rather than the particular form of prayer that makes the difference! Sometimes the situation looks so hopeless that we feel helpless. At such times I've found it helpful to ask for the prayers of others to join with me in my intercessions. This is what Jesus clearly teaches in the book of Matthew 18 verse 19-20,,"I also tell you this: If two of you agree down here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. 20For where two or three gather together because they are mine, I am there among them."
I consider it a privilege to be asked to intercede in prayer for someone or for a situation,I pray that God's will be done ,and that lives and hearts are forever changed because of the willingness of those that choose to hear his voice and follow Him.
Blessings.
So just what is “intercessory prayer” and what does it fully entail? Well that was my exact response to that question when I was asked to pray for someone's situation many years ago when I first became a Christian. I was wondering how I could possibly pray for someone and have no clue what the situation was ,what were they going through,their needs or anything at all,I just had know clue were to start,or how to even begin to pray.
It says in Ezekiel 22:30, "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none
Intercessory prayer is not the same as prayers for yourself, or for 'enlightenment', or for spiritual gifts, or for guidance, or any personal matter, or any glittering generality. Intercession is not just praying for someone else's needs. Intercession is praying with the real hope and real intent that God would step in and act for the positive advancement of some specific other person or other . It is trusting God to act, even if it's not in the manner or timing we seek. God wants us to ask, even urgently. It is casting our weakness before God's strength, and having a bit of God's passion burn in us.
How about you? Where is God calling you to stand in the gap? Where is the breach on the wall that needs to be filled right now so that no harm could come to others?
The breach in the gap could mean a lot of things and as varied as the challenges we face: marital discord, teenagers rebelling, teen pregnancy, needs of the orphans, sick, poor in our midst, broken-hearted, those who are grieving, those who are in sin, discouraged, despondent… and the list goes on and on.
Where is the Lord asking you to stand in the gap before Him? Maybe God is telling you to be the answer to an orphan’s prayer for food and comfort? Maybe you are the encouragement that a pastor is praying for everyday on his knees. Maybe you are the one being sent to comfort a young mother who lost a child. Maybe you are the one being asked to help a family financially. Maybe it is your wisdom that could help a youth find his way back to his family. Maybe it is your hands that an elderly couple need so they can have access to their medicines. Maybe you are the one God is asking to take care of an orphaned infant… maybe you are……..
What is amazing is that it is God who is at work. It says God is looking. He is continuously looking for a man, for someone who would be willing. This is not about God being limited by what He cannot do. But this is about a God who desires that we participate in what He is in the business of doing, healing, repairing the breach, mending the wounds of the brokenhearted….
Today we live in a society where everyone does his own thing. "Live and let live" is our motto. Whatever anyone else does is their own business, not ours. That is the prevailing mindset of the world we live in.
But our ways are not God’s ways, and our thoughts are not God’s thoughts. Isiah 55:9, We need to look to the truths of God’s Word to determine our actions, not the prevailing mindset of the world. And God’s Word is quite clear: we are to be watchmen over all the lost souls around us. We can’t just let them "live and let live"; we are called to stand in the gap on their behalf.
So what about you? Are you standing in the gap for your loved ones, for your friends and neighbors who do not know the Lord? Are you speaking to them, telling them what the Word of God says?
So today we need to,"stand in the gap" before God on behalf of the needs of His people. how much greater is the need for Christian believers to intercede on behalf of the helpless, the needy, the troubled, the sick, those who are not walking with God, family members, church leaders, and those who sometimes hurt so badly that they do not know how to pray for themselves. What a privilege we have to lift up in prayer the needs of others as we are led by the Holy Spirit. Each one of us has a unique way of praying but it is the love behind the prayers rather than the particular form of prayer that makes the difference! Sometimes the situation looks so hopeless that we feel helpless. At such times I've found it helpful to ask for the prayers of others to join with me in my intercessions. This is what Jesus clearly teaches in the book of Matthew 18 verse 19-20,,"I also tell you this: If two of you agree down here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. 20For where two or three gather together because they are mine, I am there among them."
I consider it a privilege to be asked to intercede in prayer for someone or for a situation,I pray that God's will be done ,and that lives and hearts are forever changed because of the willingness of those that choose to hear his voice and follow Him.
Blessings.
Friday, May 25, 2012
APPRECIATE ONE ANOTHER
As I was checking my face Book postings this morning,I saw a pic of Mike & Shirley Catalono,and though I don't know them both extremely well,I do get a very strong sense that they truly appreciate each other.I believe they not only appreciate each other ,but they have a strong sense of appreciation for God and the people that He has surrounded them with,along with all that He has brought them through,hence inspiring this blog posting.
When we think of the word appreciation our hearts should swell with a spirit of praise and thanksgiving. A spirit of praise and thanksgiving should constantly be on our lips as we meditate on all that Christ has done for us. if we are honest we would have to admit that we seldom truly comprehend all that Jesus did for us. But even though we don’t understand it all, we should be ever so thankful! We should appreciate Jesus!!! Amen.!!
Now with that thought in mind that,do we appreciate Jesus and all that He has done for us, let’s take this idea of appreciation to another level. It says in 1 John 4:20, If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
“” Now let me take some poetic license with this verse without robbing it of it’s’ integrity. If a man say, I appreciate God, and does not appreciate his brother, he is a liar; for he that appreciate not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he appreciate God whom he hath not seen.
God is saying to us, as followers of Christ, that we need to learn to show each other that we appreciate them. God is not just talking about the cursory ‘thank you’ that we teach our children to say or that we say ourselves. But God is talking about speaking and showing appreciation that comes from our hearts. When I think of someone putting voice to their appreciation I think of the words of Ruth to her mother-in-law “ Ruth 1:16-17
16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.”
This young woman was speaking words of appreciation to her mother-in-law. She loved her! They had gone through some good times and so extremely hard times with her. Ruth and Naomi were there for each other when Naomi’s husband died. They were together when both of Naomi’s sons had died, one of which had been Ruth’s own husband. They were together when they were struggling, wondering how they were going to survive, emotionally and financially. And when Naomi finally felt as though she had had enough and wanted to return to her own homeland, Ruth insisted on going back with her. Why? Because she had grown to love and appreciate this woman, a bond had grown between them that was not a bound of blood but a bond of love!
Jesus tells us in His word “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” By this the world can see the love that we have for one another, when we live a life of appreciation. ‘how do I do that?’ In order to answer that question,I'm going to make an “acrostic” out of the word “appreciate “and see what we can learn from that.
A – acknowledge that there is a need to show appreciation. If you don’t acknowledge that there is a need, you are just going to keep on doing things the same old way. Everyone wants to be shown that they are appreciated, that they are valued. That what they think or feel counts for something. When you don’t let a person know that you appreciate them, you devalue them.
P – (2 p’s), plan to please them. You make plans to do things to please them. You make plans to do things that they want to do (even when you really don’t). Appreciation should not only be a spontaneous thing, but to really show appreciation you need to put some planning into it.
R – respect. You can not show a person that you appreciate them if you do not respect them. Showing respect to one another seems to be a lost art in today’s society. Unfortunately this is even true among believers, among people who go by the Name of Christ. I remember as a child hearing an old cliché that says ‘you have to GIVE respect to GAIN respect. You can’t say that you appreciate your mate, if you don’t show them respect. You say to yourself, ‘yes,,,, Tim,,, but respect has to be earned. And my mate constantly does things that make me lose respect for him/her.’ Well, let me just drop something into your spirit for a moment. What if I told you that as a child of God you can choose to respect the position even if you don’t truly respect the decisions that they have made? And then God can take your choice of choosing and use it to turn that person around to make them into one that you can respect. Does that make sense to you? You say ‘what do you mean, choosing to respect the position even though you don’t respect their decisions or actions.’
Okay, what if President Obama visited this church. But, say, you were at odds with some of the decisions that he has made. You don’t respect his decision on abortion rights, gay marriages, etc. But even though you didn’t respect his decisions you would still respect him as a person because of the position or office that he holds. Are you starting to get the picture? In order to show a person that you appreciate them you have got to show them that you respect them.
E – edify. The word edify means to encourage or to build up. You can't appreciate someone if you are constantly tearing them down. Whether you are tearing them down in your heart and your mind or if you are tearing them down to someone else. God tells us in His word that we are to encourage one another, stroke one another, build one another up! You know, my brothers in sisters in Christ, its bad enough when the world tears us down. But it’s even worse when a brother or sister in Christ does the same thing. Are you an encourager? Do you look for something good that you can say about or to the other person? Can they count on you to speak a kind and loving word to them? When they are hurting, can they count on you to build them up? God tells us in Roman 15:2 “Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”
C – comfort/counsel. Showing appreciation means that you are to be there to comfort them when they are hurting, when the world has left them battered and bruised. You are to comfort them when they are sad. When life has given them a bunch of lemons and they have not yet learned how to make lemonade! But not only do you offer them comfort, you need to be able to give them wise counsel when they are lost or confused. Some people think comfort only involves trying to make a person feel good, but it is equally true that giving comfort involves giving counsel. Wise, spiritual counsel based on the Word of God. You can’t show a person that you appreciate them without being willing to offer them counsel even when they don’t want to hear it!!!
I – involved. You have to be willing to be involved in their lives. I wonder if we know what it means to be involved in someone’s life. God is not talking about being involved as a busy-body or a know-it-all. Being involved means being able to identify with them. To identify with them to the point that you feel their pain when they are sad, and you feel their joy when they are happy. In marriage it also means being involved with the children, being involved with the housework, being involved in the decision making process in your lives. You can not say that you appreciate someone and you are not willing to be involved in the things that interest them, when you are not willing to be involved in their lives.
A – action. Appreciation involves action. There is no appreciation if there is no action. You’ve got to put feet to your words, muscles to you faith, etc. Or that old adage – ‘put your money where your mouth is…’ Don’t just say that you appreciate the other person, put it into action!!!
T – tell the other person often that you appreciate them. Tell it! It’s nice to hear. Speak the words to the other person. Let them know verbally just how important they are to you. Tell it/ talk it/live it! Oh, how good it is to hear words of praise instead of words of condemnation all the time.
E – eternal life. If I really appreciate you and are thankful that you are in my life, I will not only want you near now but also in eternity. So if you appreciate someone, tell them about Jesus. Lead them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ so that you can share eternal life together.
Jesus said that the world would know us by our love, by the way we treat and appreciate one another. Thank you Jesus. All these things that God just reveals to us about showing appreciation not only applies to our family and our brothers and sisters in Christ, but they also apply to our relationship with God. We can take each one of these letters in this “acrostic” and show Jesus just how much we appreciate Him!!!
Blessings!!
When we think of the word appreciation our hearts should swell with a spirit of praise and thanksgiving. A spirit of praise and thanksgiving should constantly be on our lips as we meditate on all that Christ has done for us. if we are honest we would have to admit that we seldom truly comprehend all that Jesus did for us. But even though we don’t understand it all, we should be ever so thankful! We should appreciate Jesus!!! Amen.!!
Now with that thought in mind that,do we appreciate Jesus and all that He has done for us, let’s take this idea of appreciation to another level. It says in 1 John 4:20, If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
“” Now let me take some poetic license with this verse without robbing it of it’s’ integrity. If a man say, I appreciate God, and does not appreciate his brother, he is a liar; for he that appreciate not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he appreciate God whom he hath not seen.
God is saying to us, as followers of Christ, that we need to learn to show each other that we appreciate them. God is not just talking about the cursory ‘thank you’ that we teach our children to say or that we say ourselves. But God is talking about speaking and showing appreciation that comes from our hearts. When I think of someone putting voice to their appreciation I think of the words of Ruth to her mother-in-law “ Ruth 1:16-17
16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the Lord do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.”
This young woman was speaking words of appreciation to her mother-in-law. She loved her! They had gone through some good times and so extremely hard times with her. Ruth and Naomi were there for each other when Naomi’s husband died. They were together when both of Naomi’s sons had died, one of which had been Ruth’s own husband. They were together when they were struggling, wondering how they were going to survive, emotionally and financially. And when Naomi finally felt as though she had had enough and wanted to return to her own homeland, Ruth insisted on going back with her. Why? Because she had grown to love and appreciate this woman, a bond had grown between them that was not a bound of blood but a bond of love!
Jesus tells us in His word “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” By this the world can see the love that we have for one another, when we live a life of appreciation. ‘how do I do that?’ In order to answer that question,I'm going to make an “acrostic” out of the word “appreciate “and see what we can learn from that.
A – acknowledge that there is a need to show appreciation. If you don’t acknowledge that there is a need, you are just going to keep on doing things the same old way. Everyone wants to be shown that they are appreciated, that they are valued. That what they think or feel counts for something. When you don’t let a person know that you appreciate them, you devalue them.
P – (2 p’s), plan to please them. You make plans to do things to please them. You make plans to do things that they want to do (even when you really don’t). Appreciation should not only be a spontaneous thing, but to really show appreciation you need to put some planning into it.
R – respect. You can not show a person that you appreciate them if you do not respect them. Showing respect to one another seems to be a lost art in today’s society. Unfortunately this is even true among believers, among people who go by the Name of Christ. I remember as a child hearing an old cliché that says ‘you have to GIVE respect to GAIN respect. You can’t say that you appreciate your mate, if you don’t show them respect. You say to yourself, ‘yes,,,, Tim,,, but respect has to be earned. And my mate constantly does things that make me lose respect for him/her.’ Well, let me just drop something into your spirit for a moment. What if I told you that as a child of God you can choose to respect the position even if you don’t truly respect the decisions that they have made? And then God can take your choice of choosing and use it to turn that person around to make them into one that you can respect. Does that make sense to you? You say ‘what do you mean, choosing to respect the position even though you don’t respect their decisions or actions.’
Okay, what if President Obama visited this church. But, say, you were at odds with some of the decisions that he has made. You don’t respect his decision on abortion rights, gay marriages, etc. But even though you didn’t respect his decisions you would still respect him as a person because of the position or office that he holds. Are you starting to get the picture? In order to show a person that you appreciate them you have got to show them that you respect them.
E – edify. The word edify means to encourage or to build up. You can't appreciate someone if you are constantly tearing them down. Whether you are tearing them down in your heart and your mind or if you are tearing them down to someone else. God tells us in His word that we are to encourage one another, stroke one another, build one another up! You know, my brothers in sisters in Christ, its bad enough when the world tears us down. But it’s even worse when a brother or sister in Christ does the same thing. Are you an encourager? Do you look for something good that you can say about or to the other person? Can they count on you to speak a kind and loving word to them? When they are hurting, can they count on you to build them up? God tells us in Roman 15:2 “Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.”
C – comfort/counsel. Showing appreciation means that you are to be there to comfort them when they are hurting, when the world has left them battered and bruised. You are to comfort them when they are sad. When life has given them a bunch of lemons and they have not yet learned how to make lemonade! But not only do you offer them comfort, you need to be able to give them wise counsel when they are lost or confused. Some people think comfort only involves trying to make a person feel good, but it is equally true that giving comfort involves giving counsel. Wise, spiritual counsel based on the Word of God. You can’t show a person that you appreciate them without being willing to offer them counsel even when they don’t want to hear it!!!
I – involved. You have to be willing to be involved in their lives. I wonder if we know what it means to be involved in someone’s life. God is not talking about being involved as a busy-body or a know-it-all. Being involved means being able to identify with them. To identify with them to the point that you feel their pain when they are sad, and you feel their joy when they are happy. In marriage it also means being involved with the children, being involved with the housework, being involved in the decision making process in your lives. You can not say that you appreciate someone and you are not willing to be involved in the things that interest them, when you are not willing to be involved in their lives.
A – action. Appreciation involves action. There is no appreciation if there is no action. You’ve got to put feet to your words, muscles to you faith, etc. Or that old adage – ‘put your money where your mouth is…’ Don’t just say that you appreciate the other person, put it into action!!!
T – tell the other person often that you appreciate them. Tell it! It’s nice to hear. Speak the words to the other person. Let them know verbally just how important they are to you. Tell it/ talk it/live it! Oh, how good it is to hear words of praise instead of words of condemnation all the time.
E – eternal life. If I really appreciate you and are thankful that you are in my life, I will not only want you near now but also in eternity. So if you appreciate someone, tell them about Jesus. Lead them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ so that you can share eternal life together.
Jesus said that the world would know us by our love, by the way we treat and appreciate one another. Thank you Jesus. All these things that God just reveals to us about showing appreciation not only applies to our family and our brothers and sisters in Christ, but they also apply to our relationship with God. We can take each one of these letters in this “acrostic” and show Jesus just how much we appreciate Him!!!
Blessings!!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Depression has many faces !!
Its been several days since my last blog entry,and this is why .it seems as tho I had nothing to write ,there were no real good thoughts for me to share, I just couldn't seem to muster the enthusiasm to write,weird right? At least that was my first thought. As I have shared in one of my blogs, I had some foot surgery done about a month ago, I figured that it would go fairly smoothly,because in the past all surgeries that I had endured I seemed to recover rather quickly,so why would I even think that this surgery would be any different? Well seems I was wrong, this has been a long and somewhat uncomfortable recovery period for me. I am almost a month out and still not healed. So I had to re-evaluate my situation, and low and behold it seemed as tho depression was slowly creeping into my mind, I was beginning to focus more on my situation,and the pain and discomfort along with every little thing that has to do with my foot ,than focusing on the things that I should be focusing on,like uh-mm,,GOD! First of all let me explain something, if you don't know me I am not the kind of person that easily gets depressed. i am usually a very up tempo ,up beat outgoing person .ninety nine percent of the time I am happy,i try to always focus on the good and not the bad,so I didn't even see this coming,it sort of just snuck it's way in .there are so many bible verses that talk about healing and how God's children seek His face for that healing .in Psalm 103:2-6 it says this,2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,And forget none of His benefits;3 Who pardons all your iniquities,Who heals all your diseases;4 Who redeems your life from the pit,Who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion;5 Who satisfies your years with good things So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.6 The Lord performs righteous deeds And judgments for all who are oppressed
I truly believe that God wants his children to be healed and to be whole,I don’t believe God ever envisioned any of His children less than 100 percent whole. The bible says in Luke 9:11, But the crowds were aware of this and followed Him; and welcoming them, He began speaking to them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing.
God is the great physician and we need to realize that .Instead of focusing on God and all that he can and will do for me all the time, I was only focusing on God when I thought of Him,sad right?
`You see that’s were I believe the tiny seed of depression gets planted,we don't even see it get planted, the enemy silently passes by and drops it in that fertile soil in our life,that soil that we have left unattended rich with all the nutrients that are needed to grow that wicked weed called “Depression”
Psalms 69:1-3 says this Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths,where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.
Does the author of Psalm 69 sound depressed to you? He sure does to me. The Bible is not afraid to be blunt about human strengths and weaknesses. There are many Godly heroes in the Bible who struggled with their moods. It should be no surprise then that Christians still struggle with their moods today. The good news is that God loves us as much as he loved them.
Our number-one enemy is emotions. We tend to be led by how we feel, but we must realize that feelings are fickle, they change from day to day! We should be careful not to follow every thought that comes to our mind because our thoughts and feelings don't dictate truth to us.
I've learned that staying disappointed can cause me to start feeling discouraged, which is a deeper problem than disappointment. But I've also learned that you can't be hopeful and discouraged at the same time. So as soon as the devil attacks us with disappointment and we start feeling discouraged, we need to turn to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to fill us with hope. A brief period of discouragement may not have a devastating effect, but long-term discouragement can lead to depression—a very serious problem.
We must face the truth and take responsibility for our actions. When we do that and ask God to help us, the spirit of heaviness leaves us and we feel light and free. Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:30, ...My burden is light and easy to be borne. Being depressed about circumstances does not change them, and is a total waste of time and a thief of joy. So we must stop letting our feelings, mind, body, and past experiences rule us and allow God to give us a fresh plan, a new idea, a new goal! You can experience victory over your emotions by being led, guided, controlled, and ruled by the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sent to us as our Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby to remain with us forever (see John 14:16). Thank God, we don't have to be disappointed, discouraged, despondent, depressed, or in despair. Jesus not only is the Way, but He is also the way out! Jesus is our healer, our glory, and the lifter of our heads.
Remember what Jesus Christ went through for us. Remember what the apostle Paul experienced, yet remained focused on the eternal rather than the temporary. When we maintain faith and keep our focus on God's love and the hope He has given us for eternity, Christians can weather the storms of life. It can be done.
2 Corinthians 4:8-9, We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
My friends ,as you journey through life , we need to realize that the little things in life can become giant obstacles ,and if we don’t ask God on a daily basis to help us ,before we realize we are mired down and stuck in world of despair that we think there is just no escape from, but praise be to God , he can and will deliver us up and out of it
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” Isaiah 40:31
Blessings!!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Prayer,It's important !!
Today is “the national Day of Prayer” , well what does that mean ? Does that label make this day any more important than any other day,do you think God values this day along with the prayers offered up to him as greater value than prayers offered to him on any other day?I don't .
When I was growing up, I found prayer very boring. It's because it just seemed like an endless stream of meaningless words to me. However, when I truly understood what prayer meant that it's speaking to God with complete honesty without any kind of masks or worrying about how and what you talk, my whole perspective about prayer changed. Prayer today is not a burdensome task that I have to complete everyday, but a joyful time I spend with my Lord. It's such a privilege to be able to talk to the King of Kings; to share my innermost thoughts, my deepest desires! However, this privilege came at a price. Jesus Christ died on the cross for me, for my sins, just so that I could enter the throne of God's grace with confidence. So is it for you!
As Lamentations 3:41 puts it, “We should lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven.” This is a poetic way of saying that we should pray openly and energetically. When we’re suffering, it can be tempting to stop praying altogether. God feels distant. We worry that God has abandoned us. Or we figure that, at any rate, he’s sick and tired of our prayers. So we stop praying. This is understandable, but it cuts us off from one of the main supports to our faith.
The third chapter of Lamentations exemplifies the kind of honest, open hearted prayer that keeps us connected to God. It begins with a full throat-ed lament about how God has hurt the writer. Then it moves into a stunning celebration of God’s faithfulness and renewing mercies. But that’s not the end. After this pinnacle of trust, the writer of Lamentations accuses God in outrageous language: “You made us trash and garbage in front of all other people” (3:45). Then, after telling God how much he has been crying (3:48-49), the writer begs God to punish those who have hurt him: “Give them a tortured mind–put your curse on them!” (3:65). Now if this isn’t honest prayer, I don’t know what is. When we are hurting, sometimes it seems as if God has turned his back to us. Yet, at other times, he makes his love known to us as we open our hearts to him in prayer.
I remember reading a beautiful illustration of true prayer, prayer that was addressed to a man, in the conduct of two noble ladies, whose husbands were condemned to die and were about to be executed, when they came before King George and plead for their pardon. The king rudely and cruelly rejected them. King George the first! It was in his very nature to act the way he did. And they pleaded again, and again, and again, and they would not rise from their knees; they had to actually be dragged out of court, for they would not stop pleading until the king had granted their wish, and told them that their husbands would live. Sadly! they failed, but they were noble women for their perseverance in pleading for their husbands’ lives.
That is exactly the way for us to pray to God. We must have such a desire for the thing we want, that we will not stop praying until we have it—but always in submission to his divine will, nevertheless. Feeling that the thing we ask for cannot be wrong, and that he himself has promised it, we have resolved it must be given, and if not given, we will plead the promise, again, and again, until heaven’s gates will shake before our pleas will cease. No wonder that God has not blessed us much lately, because we are not fervent in prayer as we should be. Oh, those cold heart-ed prayers that die upon the lips—those frozen supplications; they don’t move man’s hearts, how should they move God’s heart? They don’t come from our own souls, they don’t well up from the deep secret springs of our inmost heart, and therefore they cannot rise up to him who only hears the cry of the soul.. We must be earnest, otherwise we have no right to hope that the Lord will hear our prayer.
Prayer is powerful and you need to remember, the words uttered in prayer have wonder-working power. Ephesians 6:12 says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Do not underestimate the power of prayer. The Devil is constantly trying to discourage us, demoralize us and weaken our faith in God. When tempted to fall into sin, pray. Prayer gives us the power to overcome. Pray gives us the strength and the faith to finish the race marked before us in this life.
Are you struggling with an issue in life? Are you desperately seeking a breakthrough? There's no point fretting or getting frustrated. I suggest that you fast and pray. There is power in fasting and praying. It may sound very spiritual and something you have never done before. But, fasting and prayer is powerful. Fast and pray on a regular basis ,weekly or more frequently if possible. Select a time when you have the house to yourself, so you will be free to sing and pray aloud. Start by singing a few choruses, then begin reading the Bible. After that pour your heart out to God and share your burdens openly. Then read some more from the Bible. Even if the breakthrough doesn't happen that day, you will receive the strength and the grace to carry on. Don't stop fasting and praying even if you feel the breakthrough is taking too long. Continue fasting and praying. You will receive the answers to your prayers.
Do not let the jet speed pace of this world eat away your prayer life. Begin your day with 'quiet time', then pray constantly during the day. Pray on your way to work, during idle time, pray when you're anxious. Strive for a 24*7 walking-talking relationship with God. There are different Bible verses on the importance of prayer. Delve into the Word and find out for yourself the beauty of this communication tool. You won't believe it till you experience it!
Blessings :-)
Monday, April 30, 2012
God Is our "Great Physician"
Its been a few days since I have blogged,well the reason being is because I had to have some foot surgery done,and I will be the first to say,It Hurts!!!This leads me to my topic,The “Great Physician”.
There are several scriptures that refer to the great physician , JESUS came to heal the sick and that’s whether you were sick because you were living in sin or sick from a physical condition. What ever your condition is JESUS is there for it no matter if you are rich or poor we all have a chance to be delivered from our problem that’s one thing JESUS does not discriminate. HE rains on the just as well as the unjust. JESUS walked and lived among the poor and destitute never thinking that HE was more only feeling compassion and remorse for them. The same way He's feeling right now because
HE wants all of us to be healed so that we may have a chance to be apart of that great kingdom that’s been prepared for us. The bible says this in the book of Luke,5:31-32 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Jesus encouraged the active involvement of the sick in their own healing and faith was a necessary ingredient. "Faith," as expressed in the healing stories it entailed a strong trust in God’s healing power and the determination to gain access to it. Over and over, Jesus praised those he healed for their faith. Mark 5:25-29 says, And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal l under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. On the flip side, a lack of faith limited Jesus' healing in his hometown,Matthew 13:53-58
53 When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. 54 Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. 55 “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56 Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.” 58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. Jesus never healed when asked to prove himself. He only healed when people expected or asked to be healed.
God heals - and He is the great physician and He can heal anyone of any affliction, whether it be physical, mental, emotional, or financial. There are going to be times in your life when you'll need God to heal you or a loved one, so don't be afraid to pray to God for the healing that you need. And little do most people know, but reading the Bible can heal you, too. Maybe the Bible isn't magical, but it will put you in the proper state of mind to be healed. When you open your mind to positive healing, the most amazing things can happen to you if you have Faith.
This side of heaven, even we believers are plagued with sin, afflictions, sickness, death. So what are we to do? What is the antidote … the solution? You know very well – but your flesh is oh, so weak. Christ is our Great Physician and Savior! He alone can cure what ails us – both physically and spiritually. We see this at work in our Holy Scriptures every time we read.
You see we all desire to be healed when we get sick,being sick is no fun,and I truly believe that God desires all of his children to be well. I don't believe God ever intended for any of his children to be struck down by any sickness. I am praying everyday that my foot heals quickly , and that God somehow lessons the pain that I feel,but I also know while God is working on healing my foot, he is all
so working in different parts of my body at the same time. God is a healer of many thing,including the heart.
You see, the important thing to remember about Jesus as The Great Physician is not that He can heal the body, but that He can heal the soul! If he heals the body, that is wonderful ,but eventually, the body will still perish. However, what Jesus does for the soul is eternal. Are you saved today? Maybe you would have to confess that the Lord has been dealing with you and you know you need to come to Jesus. Why put it off any longer? While He is passing by, take the time to come to Him this day and ask Him to save and deliver you from Hell. And that, after all,that is what we all really need
Jesus Christ has the power to take any life that is broken and ruined by sin and make it over again. He is all-powerful, all-saving and awesome! He will lift you out of the affliction of your sins if you will only come to Him when He calls you
Blessings!!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
God wants to bless your relationships
Another amazing service at New Life today,God was there giving out double portions of His Holy Spirit too all that would choose to receive,you just had to be there. The Pastor continued his sermon series today,and I have to say it was an inspiring sermon,and I am truly blessed to be able to sit under pastor Troy,simply because of his obedience to the moving of the Holy Spirit in his heart, and his transparency to his congregation. You see he brings it to the congregation just as God gives to him,no “sugar coating” and that’s a good thing,and I so appreciate that quality in him.
Pastor spoke today on how we need to be aware of the relationships that we have developed in our life's . and whether or not they are positive and healthy to our life's and those we are involved with. We need to constantly evaluate those relationships that we have developed , and constantly be in prayer about them,the question being ,”are they healthy for me”?
The big question is this,God Wants a Relationship With Us,Which came first, man's need for a relationship with God or God's desire for a relationship with man? " We have all faced the age-old question about which came first, the chicken or the egg. This question could apply to our relationship with God: Which came first, man's need for a relationship with God or God's desire for a relationship with man?
Pastor touched on this scripture this morning,1John 4:19,"We love Him because He first loved us," ,but we learn I little more if we go back a little in scripture,1 John 4:10 says this,This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. I truly believe it was God's desire and plan to establish a relationship between human beings and Himself.
We must keep in mind the reason God created us, he did this for a reason,I believe that God designed human beings to reflect His very character—to be like Him. In Genesis 5:1 we read ,”This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;” But first I think we need to ask,what is a “relationship”?Webster's New World College Dictionary defines it as "the quality or state of being related, a continuing attachment or association between persons."
God desires a relationship with us, we should more than ever recognize we truly need Him.
In 1 John 3:1-3 we read words from the Apostle John,he briefly describes the nature of the relationship we are to have with God. "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure"
Here we see the purpose for the creation of mankind: God is building a family—His own family. He created us so we can have a special Father-child relationship with Him. God plans to bestow His immortality on us. As Paul explains, "this perishable body must be clothed with the imperishable, and what is mortal with immortality" 1 Corinthians 15:53. God wants an eternal relationship with us as His children.
Most relationships are based on real or perceived promises, commitments and expectations. For example, the marriage relationship is founded on promises of love, commitment, honor and respect. A friendship has expectations of understanding, trust, honesty and shared interests. The primary basis for the relationship between God and us is simple: It is love . The Scriptures tell us that God's nature, the primary motivation in all He does, is love,an unselfish concern for all humanity.
Rom 8:35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Can anything separate us from God’s love? God’s Word is clear with that: NOTHING can separate us from God’s love. The devil will try to deceive you. You may even tend to deceive yourself and think God does not care for you. These are lies! God is a God of relationship and Heb 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” God will never change! He loved you yesterday! He loves you today and He will still love you tomorrow!
God wants his children to develop “Good” relationships,and I truly believe that he will bless those relationships that we develop beyond our greatest desires,but first I believe that they must be in line with the will of God for our life’s We need to seek God daily, asks him ,but also be willing to hear what he has to say to you about those relationships,DID YOU HEAR WHAT I SAID? .you must be willing to “LISTEN” to God,as the Pastor said,and I stand behind him “God never intended for any of his children to be hurt”
Proverbs 3:5-6,Trust in the LORD with all your heart ,and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him,and he will make your paths straight.
Blessings!
Pastor spoke today on how we need to be aware of the relationships that we have developed in our life's . and whether or not they are positive and healthy to our life's and those we are involved with. We need to constantly evaluate those relationships that we have developed , and constantly be in prayer about them,the question being ,”are they healthy for me”?
The big question is this,God Wants a Relationship With Us,Which came first, man's need for a relationship with God or God's desire for a relationship with man? " We have all faced the age-old question about which came first, the chicken or the egg. This question could apply to our relationship with God: Which came first, man's need for a relationship with God or God's desire for a relationship with man?
Pastor touched on this scripture this morning,1John 4:19,"We love Him because He first loved us," ,but we learn I little more if we go back a little in scripture,1 John 4:10 says this,This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. I truly believe it was God's desire and plan to establish a relationship between human beings and Himself.
We must keep in mind the reason God created us, he did this for a reason,I believe that God designed human beings to reflect His very character—to be like Him. In Genesis 5:1 we read ,”This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;” But first I think we need to ask,what is a “relationship”?Webster's New World College Dictionary defines it as "the quality or state of being related, a continuing attachment or association between persons."
God desires a relationship with us, we should more than ever recognize we truly need Him.
In 1 John 3:1-3 we read words from the Apostle John,he briefly describes the nature of the relationship we are to have with God. "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure"
Here we see the purpose for the creation of mankind: God is building a family—His own family. He created us so we can have a special Father-child relationship with Him. God plans to bestow His immortality on us. As Paul explains, "this perishable body must be clothed with the imperishable, and what is mortal with immortality" 1 Corinthians 15:53. God wants an eternal relationship with us as His children.
Most relationships are based on real or perceived promises, commitments and expectations. For example, the marriage relationship is founded on promises of love, commitment, honor and respect. A friendship has expectations of understanding, trust, honesty and shared interests. The primary basis for the relationship between God and us is simple: It is love . The Scriptures tell us that God's nature, the primary motivation in all He does, is love,an unselfish concern for all humanity.
Rom 8:35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Can anything separate us from God’s love? God’s Word is clear with that: NOTHING can separate us from God’s love. The devil will try to deceive you. You may even tend to deceive yourself and think God does not care for you. These are lies! God is a God of relationship and Heb 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” God will never change! He loved you yesterday! He loves you today and He will still love you tomorrow!
God wants his children to develop “Good” relationships,and I truly believe that he will bless those relationships that we develop beyond our greatest desires,but first I believe that they must be in line with the will of God for our life’s We need to seek God daily, asks him ,but also be willing to hear what he has to say to you about those relationships,DID YOU HEAR WHAT I SAID? .you must be willing to “LISTEN” to God,as the Pastor said,and I stand behind him “God never intended for any of his children to be hurt”
Proverbs 3:5-6,Trust in the LORD with all your heart ,and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him,and he will make your paths straight.
Blessings!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Hows your Relationship?
I want to continue to reflect on the sermon that Pastor Troy started last Sunday,it was a powerful beginning to what I feel is going to be a very impact full sermon series.
I know so many people out in this world that are in relationships that are less than what the Lord has designed for them, to say the very least they aren't even close to having or living how God has intended them to live. God has so much for each and everyone of his children,The bible says that his love is “everlasting”. That word “everlasting” means something which, like a river, is ever flowing.
I often finding myself asking God this question,”If seeing your precious children in hurtful relationships makes my heart heavy,how is it affecting you?”we serve such a forgiving God ,and he just wants to bless us so richly,why don't we get it?why do we constantly push his love aside?the bible says this in John 15:9-16a “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you…” Did you notice what the Lord said,he said “You are my friends if you do what I command you.”So I’m thinking if the Lord values a relationship of friendship between you and I, relationships must be right up there on his list of priorities.
Jesus prayed to the Father for you to have unity in your relationships. John 17:22-23 "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one,23 "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
In a good relationship, with Jesus in the middle, each person is coming closer to Jesus becoming one with Him and also one with each other. I believe Many relationships go bad because people leave Jesus out of the relationship .Only God can give us the love, joy, and peace that we all are seeking. When you keep Jesus in the middle of the relationship, you will maintain your inner source of love, joy and peace, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Even if the relationship with the other person does not work out, you will have inner stability, because God is your source, not the other person.
I really believe relationships go bad because one or both people loose their focus on Jesus in the relationship. When this happens selfishness takes over, instead of caring about the benefit of God and the other person. James 4:1-3, What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?2) You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3)
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
This is one of my favorite scriptures regarding a relationships between a husband and wife,1 Corinthians 7:2-6 ,But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.3) The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4)The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife.5)Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.6) I say this as a concession, not as a command.
So as I close let me present to you this question,What is God's greatest desire for you ? God wants to have a close relationship with you and More than anything I believe He wants you to have an intimate love relationship and friendship with Him. God wants you to spend time with Him and intimately communicate with Him, How much do you desire a deep,loving meaningful relationship with God?God needs to touch our hearts so that Jesus is our first and only love. we need to faithfully and passionately seek and follow Him, however and wherever He may lead us.
Jesus said that “I am come to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already
kindled” Luke 12:49. The fire He was speaking of was the Holy Spirit’s presence and
power in our lives. Jesus longs to pour out His Spirit into our lives and into our
relationships. It is with the Spirit’s power and presence in our lives that our relationship
with God, in our homes, with our families, friends, and at the work place as well as the
communities we live in. So my friends won't you let God be the center of each and every relationship that is formed,he so desires to bless you ,won't you let Him?
Blessings.
I know so many people out in this world that are in relationships that are less than what the Lord has designed for them, to say the very least they aren't even close to having or living how God has intended them to live. God has so much for each and everyone of his children,The bible says that his love is “everlasting”. That word “everlasting” means something which, like a river, is ever flowing.
I often finding myself asking God this question,”If seeing your precious children in hurtful relationships makes my heart heavy,how is it affecting you?”we serve such a forgiving God ,and he just wants to bless us so richly,why don't we get it?why do we constantly push his love aside?the bible says this in John 15:9-16a “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you…” Did you notice what the Lord said,he said “You are my friends if you do what I command you.”So I’m thinking if the Lord values a relationship of friendship between you and I, relationships must be right up there on his list of priorities.
Jesus prayed to the Father for you to have unity in your relationships. John 17:22-23 "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one,23 "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
In a good relationship, with Jesus in the middle, each person is coming closer to Jesus becoming one with Him and also one with each other. I believe Many relationships go bad because people leave Jesus out of the relationship .Only God can give us the love, joy, and peace that we all are seeking. When you keep Jesus in the middle of the relationship, you will maintain your inner source of love, joy and peace, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Even if the relationship with the other person does not work out, you will have inner stability, because God is your source, not the other person.
I really believe relationships go bad because one or both people loose their focus on Jesus in the relationship. When this happens selfishness takes over, instead of caring about the benefit of God and the other person. James 4:1-3, What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?2) You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3)
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
This is one of my favorite scriptures regarding a relationships between a husband and wife,1 Corinthians 7:2-6 ,But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.3) The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4)The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband's body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife.5)Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.6) I say this as a concession, not as a command.
So as I close let me present to you this question,What is God's greatest desire for you ? God wants to have a close relationship with you and More than anything I believe He wants you to have an intimate love relationship and friendship with Him. God wants you to spend time with Him and intimately communicate with Him, How much do you desire a deep,loving meaningful relationship with God?God needs to touch our hearts so that Jesus is our first and only love. we need to faithfully and passionately seek and follow Him, however and wherever He may lead us.
Jesus said that “I am come to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already
kindled” Luke 12:49. The fire He was speaking of was the Holy Spirit’s presence and
power in our lives. Jesus longs to pour out His Spirit into our lives and into our
relationships. It is with the Spirit’s power and presence in our lives that our relationship
with God, in our homes, with our families, friends, and at the work place as well as the
communities we live in. So my friends won't you let God be the center of each and every relationship that is formed,he so desires to bless you ,won't you let Him?
Blessings.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Will you let God Bless you?
Have you ever wondered why we limit God so much? Well let me rephrase that. I often wonder why I limit God so much. Over the last week I have read several different bible verses that talk about how God blesses his children ,and how much he wants to. I think as children of God ,we limit the blessings that God wants to give us.Have you ever prayed for something and God gives you something that does not look like what you have asked for? What was your response to it? Well I will tell you that I had a hard time with this because I couldn’t understand what was happening to me, I kept saying this is not how I know God to be, but indeed it is God. The beauty of God is that He provides clarification as you continue to walk with Him, and press forward into Him. Although I do not fully understand God’s ways, I have decided that the details is not my business but it’s God; my responsibility is just to trust Him, and with this the burden becomes lighter everyday and I am able to rest in Him more.
God has made us joint heirs with Christ. He offers us innumerable blessings and promises. Yet we are content to live on crumbs when a banquet table full of spiritual delicacies is spread for us.
We wallow in despair when God offers us joy. We live in anxiety when prayer can bring us peace. We feel lonely even though God is always with us. We tremble in fear when faith could help us stand. We struggle to endure when Christ offers the gift of long-suffering. God’s promises are exceedingly great and precious. Grab them. Claim them for your life. Don’t limit God. The Lord of the impossible is waiting for you to call on His name. Will you call on Him now? Well will you?
In Psalm 81, we see how God has blessed the nation of Israel greatly. He delivered His people from Egyptian oppression and provided for all their needs, including the land He had promised would be their home. God wants to bless you in a similar way. James 1:17 testifies,“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” Instead of being in bondage to sin and lacking the things that you need and desire, God wants to transform your life—giving you the abundant, joy-filled existence He created you for. God has all knowledge, power, and resources, and He delights in meeting your needs and giving you the desires of your heart.
God provides everything you need when you’re listening to Him and receiving His wisdom, protection, and provision. However, if you’re missing out on God’s blessings, you can do something about it.
Psalm 81:10–12 shows us why we are missing out on receiving God's resources for you.“I, the LORD, am your God, . . . open your mouth wide and I will fill it. But My people did not listen to My voice, and Israel did not obey Me. So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, to walk in their own devices.”
Do you have a deep personal relationship with God, or are
you living in defiance to Him? You’re going to do things God’s way or you’re going to insist on doing things your own way. You’ll either trust and obey Him, or you’re going to ignore Him and rely on your own resources. Many believers miss out on God’s best because they’re unwilling to have faith in Him.
Are you walking in the ways of the Lord? Do you want God’s best for your life? Then you must ask God to bless you, be specific about
what you desire, anticipate His answer, and walk in obedience to Him.
Will God show you His plan and purpose for your life? Of course He will! God. wants the best for you and because of that, He’ll teach you to walk in His ways with faith and confidence in Him. Because then He can work in
and through your life in a way that will show others that He is truly God.
Don’t allow anything to hinder you from receiving God’s blessings. Deal with whatever sin and unbelief are in your life so that God can show
you His power and love. Then, you’ll discover what God wants to do in your life and all the wonderful blessings He has in store for you.
The Lord said that he wants to fill our cup to overflowing,,,,well will you let him ? My friends may God bless you this week and days to come beyond your greatest expectations,that’s the business he is in , just receive and be blessed.
Blessings!
God has made us joint heirs with Christ. He offers us innumerable blessings and promises. Yet we are content to live on crumbs when a banquet table full of spiritual delicacies is spread for us.
We wallow in despair when God offers us joy. We live in anxiety when prayer can bring us peace. We feel lonely even though God is always with us. We tremble in fear when faith could help us stand. We struggle to endure when Christ offers the gift of long-suffering. God’s promises are exceedingly great and precious. Grab them. Claim them for your life. Don’t limit God. The Lord of the impossible is waiting for you to call on His name. Will you call on Him now? Well will you?
In Psalm 81, we see how God has blessed the nation of Israel greatly. He delivered His people from Egyptian oppression and provided for all their needs, including the land He had promised would be their home. God wants to bless you in a similar way. James 1:17 testifies,“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” Instead of being in bondage to sin and lacking the things that you need and desire, God wants to transform your life—giving you the abundant, joy-filled existence He created you for. God has all knowledge, power, and resources, and He delights in meeting your needs and giving you the desires of your heart.
God provides everything you need when you’re listening to Him and receiving His wisdom, protection, and provision. However, if you’re missing out on God’s blessings, you can do something about it.
Psalm 81:10–12 shows us why we are missing out on receiving God's resources for you.“I, the LORD, am your God, . . . open your mouth wide and I will fill it. But My people did not listen to My voice, and Israel did not obey Me. So I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart, to walk in their own devices.”
Do you have a deep personal relationship with God, or are
you living in defiance to Him? You’re going to do things God’s way or you’re going to insist on doing things your own way. You’ll either trust and obey Him, or you’re going to ignore Him and rely on your own resources. Many believers miss out on God’s best because they’re unwilling to have faith in Him.
Are you walking in the ways of the Lord? Do you want God’s best for your life? Then you must ask God to bless you, be specific about
what you desire, anticipate His answer, and walk in obedience to Him.
Will God show you His plan and purpose for your life? Of course He will! God. wants the best for you and because of that, He’ll teach you to walk in His ways with faith and confidence in Him. Because then He can work in
and through your life in a way that will show others that He is truly God.
Don’t allow anything to hinder you from receiving God’s blessings. Deal with whatever sin and unbelief are in your life so that God can show
you His power and love. Then, you’ll discover what God wants to do in your life and all the wonderful blessings He has in store for you.
The Lord said that he wants to fill our cup to overflowing,,,,well will you let him ? My friends may God bless you this week and days to come beyond your greatest expectations,that’s the business he is in , just receive and be blessed.
Blessings!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
The last couple of Sunday’s we have had some great prayer time before our services,and my good friend Mark and I talked about prayer and how sometimes we just don't seem to quite know what to say,but God always seems to give us the right words to say. I have been sharing on face book for the past couple of weeks ,what I consider to be important scriptures relating to prayer and the importance of it. I want to share a few thing about prayer that I think are important for all to know.
Have you ever noticed that different people pray in different ways? Some people are wonderful at praying for people they don't know off of a prayer list. Some people are great at praying for large things, like cities and governments. Other people feel led to pray for their church or their neighborhood. There are many different ways to pray.
The church has many different members and each one is unique. Each person filling a unique place and has been given unique gift. When some of those members don't do the job God has given them then the Body suffers. When we don't pray in the way God shows us or we try to imitate the prayer of someone else, then our portion is not getting done. God will show you how He wants you to pray .and who he want you to pray for. When someone pops into your mind, pray for them. When a concern pops into your mind, pray for it. God will tell you what and how to pray.
Don't EVER let anyone tell you that you pray wrong!! Prayer is nothing more than communication between you and God. Allow God to show you how to pray. Allow the Bible to show you how to pray. God knows what areas need prayer. God has commissioned you to pray for certain things in a certain way. Obviously, no one person can pray for all things. If we all allowed God be in control of our prayer life then there would be a huge increase in the number of answered prayers.
Often I have wondered if I am praying wrong. There are times when I just don't know what to say. It is frustrating. I sometimes feel like I am falling down on the job or that I am disappointing God. I read where miraculous things occur when other people pray and I wonder if I am using the wrong words, don't have enough faith, or am doing something wrong.
Nehemiah was a good example of a prayer warrior. We can learn about how to pray from him. The book of Nehemiah tells about how Nehemiah got bad news from the city of Jerusalem. The city of Jerusalem had been rebuilt after enemies had destroyed it, but the walls around the city had never been rebuilt and were lying in pieces. This greatly upset Nehemiah.
In Neh 2:4 he prayed a quick prayer while talking to the king. I would guess he prayed for the right words to use to convince the king and that the king would allow Nehemiah to rebuild the wall. Notice he prayed WHILE he was talking to the king. It appears he may have been in constant communication with God. Maybe he was "abiding" in God the way Jesus said in John 15:7, If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
Looking back over my life, I saw times when God was speaking to me. I just hadn't paid attention. I have since learned that God speaks to different people in different ways. He knows what we can and can't handle and we can and can't understand. Some people receive visions, or pictures. God will come to each of us on an individual basis. He knows everything about us and knows what we need. He will meet us where we are. Our portion is to be seeking Him.
The bible says this,Psalm 19:14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer great scripture is ,Luke 11:9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
There are so so many great scriptures that mention prayer, and I am so convinced that prayer is so so important in the life's of God's children. I have tried to show the importance of prayer, but most of all I want to impress upon each and everyone that prayer is simply talking to God, simple communication between Father and child. I believe that God sincerely cherishes our each and every prayer that we offer up to Him. So I encourage you to pray what the Lord puts on your heart, there is no formula to prayer,as that famous sneaker add says “JUST DO IT”
Blessings!
Have you ever noticed that different people pray in different ways? Some people are wonderful at praying for people they don't know off of a prayer list. Some people are great at praying for large things, like cities and governments. Other people feel led to pray for their church or their neighborhood. There are many different ways to pray.
The church has many different members and each one is unique. Each person filling a unique place and has been given unique gift. When some of those members don't do the job God has given them then the Body suffers. When we don't pray in the way God shows us or we try to imitate the prayer of someone else, then our portion is not getting done. God will show you how He wants you to pray .and who he want you to pray for. When someone pops into your mind, pray for them. When a concern pops into your mind, pray for it. God will tell you what and how to pray.
Don't EVER let anyone tell you that you pray wrong!! Prayer is nothing more than communication between you and God. Allow God to show you how to pray. Allow the Bible to show you how to pray. God knows what areas need prayer. God has commissioned you to pray for certain things in a certain way. Obviously, no one person can pray for all things. If we all allowed God be in control of our prayer life then there would be a huge increase in the number of answered prayers.
Often I have wondered if I am praying wrong. There are times when I just don't know what to say. It is frustrating. I sometimes feel like I am falling down on the job or that I am disappointing God. I read where miraculous things occur when other people pray and I wonder if I am using the wrong words, don't have enough faith, or am doing something wrong.
Nehemiah was a good example of a prayer warrior. We can learn about how to pray from him. The book of Nehemiah tells about how Nehemiah got bad news from the city of Jerusalem. The city of Jerusalem had been rebuilt after enemies had destroyed it, but the walls around the city had never been rebuilt and were lying in pieces. This greatly upset Nehemiah.
In Neh 2:4 he prayed a quick prayer while talking to the king. I would guess he prayed for the right words to use to convince the king and that the king would allow Nehemiah to rebuild the wall. Notice he prayed WHILE he was talking to the king. It appears he may have been in constant communication with God. Maybe he was "abiding" in God the way Jesus said in John 15:7, If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
Looking back over my life, I saw times when God was speaking to me. I just hadn't paid attention. I have since learned that God speaks to different people in different ways. He knows what we can and can't handle and we can and can't understand. Some people receive visions, or pictures. God will come to each of us on an individual basis. He knows everything about us and knows what we need. He will meet us where we are. Our portion is to be seeking Him.
The bible says this,Psalm 19:14 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer great scripture is ,Luke 11:9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
There are so so many great scriptures that mention prayer, and I am so convinced that prayer is so so important in the life's of God's children. I have tried to show the importance of prayer, but most of all I want to impress upon each and everyone that prayer is simply talking to God, simple communication between Father and child. I believe that God sincerely cherishes our each and every prayer that we offer up to Him. So I encourage you to pray what the Lord puts on your heart, there is no formula to prayer,as that famous sneaker add says “JUST DO IT”
Blessings!
Monday, April 9, 2012
I love when God answers prayers!!!
This past Sunday,Resurrection Sunday was the start ot the new service schedule at New Life Assembly of God ,we went from one to two services and it was to say the least amazing!God always comes through in ways that we can't imagine,doesn't He?when I was informed that we would be expanding to two services I began to pray and lift it up to god,it wasn't that I was asking God to bring the people in,or that all the seats in the sanctuary were filled,my prayer was that pastor Troy would not be discouraged. To many of you that might sound like I doubted the ability of our pastor to stand strong,or that I in some way thought he is week,well I assure all that neither of those two are qualities of Pastor Troy Allen. If you don't know or are unaware Pastor is a very driven person, and in my opinion he does not take ,nor does he accept failure well, in fact I believe he doesn't know how to spell the word failure. You see I believe in the power of prayer,and I know he does to. I believe God hears the prayers of everyone. Oftentimes, when someone does not receive an immediate, favorable answer from God, he or she then assumes that God either didn't hear the prayer or doesn't care to answer. Even the most attentive and devout Christian has felt a touch forsaken by God at times when life seems to be dealing too many hard blows without any abatement fact ,God is answering all of our prayers as He sees fit. . Man can't ever assume that by merely asking God for something it becomes apt or fitting for his situation. Our Father knows how our prayers must be answered, and we must trust Him to make those decisions for us. By so doing we strengthen our holy faith in God.
God does not look for those who will do things for him, but rather He looks constantly for those he can do great things through. 2 Chronicles 16:9 in the Bible tell us that “His eyes roam to and fro across the entire earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully his.”
The Apostle Paul prayed (three times) for release from his physical illness but he was not healed. There was nothing deficient in Paul, God had another plan. Remember, his plan for you is for all of eternity, not just this period in time. Trust that he is working that eternal plan at this very moment.
God’s timing is perfect. Trust that he is answering and will answer. I believe that is the prayer of many at New Life,including Pastor Troy “If you want to know what God really wants you to do, ask him ... but if you don’t ask in faith, don’t expect the Lord to give you any solid answer.” James 1:5-6
Have you ever asked God for something and didn’t expect to get it? That’s why you didn’t get it. God works in our lives according to faith. So many times we say, “God, please guide me!” and we walk away not even waiting for guidance. We just immediately start to work We say, “God, I want you to give me wisdom; help me make the right decision.” But we don’t really expect him to do that. We think it all depends on us.
God has promised to give us wisdom, if we will ask. Wisdom is seeing life from God’s point of view. Wisdom is the ability to make decisions the way God makes decisions.
Think about this: God never makes a bad decision. He never makes a mistake. He says if we trust him and listen to him, he will guide us. But we must ask in faith.
I truly believe in the power of prayer and I have faith in our Father in heaven to hear those prayers,the bible says ,The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" James 5:16.,my friends never never,never put a limit on the power of prayer. I have seen so many amazing things in my lifetime, and I can only say that most if not all of those events are or were a direct result of prayer.,and I am standing rock solid in my belief that God answers prayer,and He DID!!,evidence you ask,well I present to all,the two services this past Sunday at New Life Assembly,,,PACKED!!!! need I present any more proof than that?
May we all learn a lesson from the example that Pastor Troy presented to congregation,he didn't say we should be more like him,he didn’t say we need to clean up our act before we come to church,or be more holy, He just lead by example,and his example was and is the very best one,JESUS
I am thankful for a Pastor that refuses to loose his vision, and by keeping his eyes and mind and heart constantly in focus ,i feel that in a sense empowers the congregation. May we all learn to listen to the voice of God,and accept the answers that he gives us,even when they don't quite line up with the answer that we waned to hear. We must always remember..GOD IS IN CONTROL!!!!!
Blessings.
God does not look for those who will do things for him, but rather He looks constantly for those he can do great things through. 2 Chronicles 16:9 in the Bible tell us that “His eyes roam to and fro across the entire earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully his.”
The Apostle Paul prayed (three times) for release from his physical illness but he was not healed. There was nothing deficient in Paul, God had another plan. Remember, his plan for you is for all of eternity, not just this period in time. Trust that he is working that eternal plan at this very moment.
God’s timing is perfect. Trust that he is answering and will answer. I believe that is the prayer of many at New Life,including Pastor Troy “If you want to know what God really wants you to do, ask him ... but if you don’t ask in faith, don’t expect the Lord to give you any solid answer.” James 1:5-6
Have you ever asked God for something and didn’t expect to get it? That’s why you didn’t get it. God works in our lives according to faith. So many times we say, “God, please guide me!” and we walk away not even waiting for guidance. We just immediately start to work We say, “God, I want you to give me wisdom; help me make the right decision.” But we don’t really expect him to do that. We think it all depends on us.
God has promised to give us wisdom, if we will ask. Wisdom is seeing life from God’s point of view. Wisdom is the ability to make decisions the way God makes decisions.
Think about this: God never makes a bad decision. He never makes a mistake. He says if we trust him and listen to him, he will guide us. But we must ask in faith.
I truly believe in the power of prayer and I have faith in our Father in heaven to hear those prayers,the bible says ,The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" James 5:16.,my friends never never,never put a limit on the power of prayer. I have seen so many amazing things in my lifetime, and I can only say that most if not all of those events are or were a direct result of prayer.,and I am standing rock solid in my belief that God answers prayer,and He DID!!,evidence you ask,well I present to all,the two services this past Sunday at New Life Assembly,,,PACKED!!!! need I present any more proof than that?
May we all learn a lesson from the example that Pastor Troy presented to congregation,he didn't say we should be more like him,he didn’t say we need to clean up our act before we come to church,or be more holy, He just lead by example,and his example was and is the very best one,JESUS
I am thankful for a Pastor that refuses to loose his vision, and by keeping his eyes and mind and heart constantly in focus ,i feel that in a sense empowers the congregation. May we all learn to listen to the voice of God,and accept the answers that he gives us,even when they don't quite line up with the answer that we waned to hear. We must always remember..GOD IS IN CONTROL!!!!!
Blessings.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Do You Diligently Seek God?
We had a very good,let me rephrase that ,we had a very excellent day at church this weekend. It started out with some very good prayer,and I have to say the prayers that were offered up to God in that small room at New Life Assembly were powerful to say the least. It is such a blessing to me to sit in a circle of believers that want nothing more than to just pour their hearts out to the Lord. To listen to true and sincere prayers ,offered up to God by his children,that are seeking his face ,and seeking His will in their life's ,well there just aren't any words in my vocabulary to explain how that make one feel.
After that prayer session was over,and believe me I didn't want it to end, my mind began to spin in about a million different directions,i couldn't help but to meditate on some of the prayers that I heard in that circle. I was questioning myself, am I truly seeking god in my prayer life, am I truly seeking God in my daily walk, am I truly seeking god at all??.I then had to ask myself this question, “What does it mean to seek first the Kingdom of God?”,and am I diligently doing it? So I opened up my bible and looked up some scripture on this subject, this is what the bible says,Matthew 6:31-33, So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
After reading that verse I tried to put my self into that scripture,I tried to view my spiritual life from a different angle. These verses say that your needs can be met if you seek first the kingdom of God. What does this really mean? Many people put this into practice by reading the bible and praying first thing in the morning. For many people, though, it ends there. They go about the rest of the day and do not even think about God,and if they over sleep or get up late,well then God gets put on the back burner, he gets forgotten,as the saying goes “out of sight,out of mind”you should seek God first in everything you do, all day long, but How do you do that? Instead of only doing morning devotions, you should seek God first in everything you do, all day long,i believe that you should incorporate God int every single thing that you do throughout your entire day.
Acknowledge Him, talk to Him, praise Him, and ask Him for help and guidance. As you are getting ready for work, thank God for all that He has given you. Thank Him for everything going smoothly and for good traffic so you make it to work on time and being calm and peaceful when you get there.
At work, thank Him for your job. It may not be the perfect job, but thank Him for it anyway and do your best job. If you run into a problem, instead of complaining and worrying, say "God, you have not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. Help me Lord to know what to do in this situation." God is always talking to us, but we are not always listening. When we do listen, many times we do not do what He says. So, we need to listen and obey, all day long.
One of my favorite scriptures is ,Proverbs 3:5-6 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight.
God is not a magic genie. He will answer our prayers but he will not jump out of a lamp in your living room and present you with what you want. God desires more for you than just giving you everything that you desire. He wants to teach you to be like His son, Jesus.
God will show up when you search for Him, but will you know it? Think of it like having a radio. Even with the radio in your possession, it is of no use to you unless you can hear it. You will be no closer to knowing God if you can’t hear His voice.
There is absolutely nothing that you give over to the Lord in this life that is worth comparing to what you get back – in this life and in the life to come. Nothing!
How diligently do you seek God? – Judge yourself ,that's what I had to do
But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged . 1 Corinthians 11:31
you have a choice to make. Do you want to “diligently seek” or “simply survive”? The choice is up to you and no one can make it for you. I hope you understand the value of the kingdom and if you don’t, I hope you are willing to diligently seek him for the revelation of the value of it with the certainty that if God said it was worth your time – then it is worth your time “for God cannot lie.” Become a “doer’ and discover the glory that He gives to those who “diligently seek.”
James 1:22-25,22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
So my friend, I urge you to seek God with all you do ,with all your strength, and of course with all your mind and heart, I came away from that short prayer session at New Life last Sunday with a new and fresh perspective on just what it means to diligently seek God. I only pray that I will grow closer and become even more familiar with God's voice and recognize ii when he speaks to me,I also pray that you my friends become closer to God on a daily basis as you seek him diligently throughout you prayer time. I close with this
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6
Blessings!!
After that prayer session was over,and believe me I didn't want it to end, my mind began to spin in about a million different directions,i couldn't help but to meditate on some of the prayers that I heard in that circle. I was questioning myself, am I truly seeking god in my prayer life, am I truly seeking God in my daily walk, am I truly seeking god at all??.I then had to ask myself this question, “What does it mean to seek first the Kingdom of God?”,and am I diligently doing it? So I opened up my bible and looked up some scripture on this subject, this is what the bible says,Matthew 6:31-33, So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
After reading that verse I tried to put my self into that scripture,I tried to view my spiritual life from a different angle. These verses say that your needs can be met if you seek first the kingdom of God. What does this really mean? Many people put this into practice by reading the bible and praying first thing in the morning. For many people, though, it ends there. They go about the rest of the day and do not even think about God,and if they over sleep or get up late,well then God gets put on the back burner, he gets forgotten,as the saying goes “out of sight,out of mind”you should seek God first in everything you do, all day long, but How do you do that? Instead of only doing morning devotions, you should seek God first in everything you do, all day long,i believe that you should incorporate God int every single thing that you do throughout your entire day.
Acknowledge Him, talk to Him, praise Him, and ask Him for help and guidance. As you are getting ready for work, thank God for all that He has given you. Thank Him for everything going smoothly and for good traffic so you make it to work on time and being calm and peaceful when you get there.
At work, thank Him for your job. It may not be the perfect job, but thank Him for it anyway and do your best job. If you run into a problem, instead of complaining and worrying, say "God, you have not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. Help me Lord to know what to do in this situation." God is always talking to us, but we are not always listening. When we do listen, many times we do not do what He says. So, we need to listen and obey, all day long.
One of my favorite scriptures is ,Proverbs 3:5-6 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight.
God is not a magic genie. He will answer our prayers but he will not jump out of a lamp in your living room and present you with what you want. God desires more for you than just giving you everything that you desire. He wants to teach you to be like His son, Jesus.
God will show up when you search for Him, but will you know it? Think of it like having a radio. Even with the radio in your possession, it is of no use to you unless you can hear it. You will be no closer to knowing God if you can’t hear His voice.
There is absolutely nothing that you give over to the Lord in this life that is worth comparing to what you get back – in this life and in the life to come. Nothing!
How diligently do you seek God? – Judge yourself ,that's what I had to do
But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged . 1 Corinthians 11:31
you have a choice to make. Do you want to “diligently seek” or “simply survive”? The choice is up to you and no one can make it for you. I hope you understand the value of the kingdom and if you don’t, I hope you are willing to diligently seek him for the revelation of the value of it with the certainty that if God said it was worth your time – then it is worth your time “for God cannot lie.” Become a “doer’ and discover the glory that He gives to those who “diligently seek.”
James 1:22-25,22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
So my friend, I urge you to seek God with all you do ,with all your strength, and of course with all your mind and heart, I came away from that short prayer session at New Life last Sunday with a new and fresh perspective on just what it means to diligently seek God. I only pray that I will grow closer and become even more familiar with God's voice and recognize ii when he speaks to me,I also pray that you my friends become closer to God on a daily basis as you seek him diligently throughout you prayer time. I close with this
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6
Blessings!!
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