Our Mission To love all people at all times and lead them into a new life in Christ.
Our Vision To be a church that will be multicultural and generational, having a lasting impact on the people to whom we minister.
To see the gospel extend beyond the walls of our church through various outreaches.
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Dr Harbuck from the AEGA wanted the testimony from Pastor LaVerne concerning the events of the last few weeks concerning Pastor Jerry. Pastor LaVerne wanted to share it with her New Life family also. When they return home there will so much more to share with us.
Pastor Shirley
Romans 6:11. “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
On Tuesday, January 26, Jerry and I went to Louisville to be with a family where the husband died just as we walked in the room. God used us to minister to the family. Gerald had felt bad that day and as the day progressed he felt worse. On Wednesday his local doctor gave him an antibiotic to deal with the fever and infection.
For several years we have stood and believed Romans 8:11 daily and said to each other “the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us and quickens (makes alive) our mortal bodies.”
The funeral for this dear member of our church was set for Friday. Gerald was weak but better so he ministered at the funeral and the grave site. Immediately we went home so he could rest. By Sunday morning I had to take him to the emergency room at Taylor County Hospital where they immediately diagnosed him with pneumonia and put him in ICU with 3 very strong antibiotics. We have an agreement with each other that wherever he goes I go and wherever he stays, I stay.
From that time we began to see improvement and knew God had already healed him and his body was recovering. That was God’s truth.
On Thursday, February 4 early that morning suddenly Gerald could not breathe and he died in my arms. That Word was loud in my head I spoke into his ear and continued to believe and say, “The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you and quickens your mortal body!”
Immediately the Taylor ICU began doing CPR and doing what they knew to do to get his heart beating again. Praise God for children like Scott and his wife Cindy and Miriam and her husband Ricardo that I called and angrily said, “Your dad just died! Pray and believe that the Spirit of God will raise him up!” I was mad at the devil.
It took 30 minutes before his heartbeat was restored. He was put on the ventilator and as soon as possible was flown to Audubon in Louisville where most of his doctors are.
For 21 days we watched God restore his body. We breathed that promise from Romans 8:11 and spoke it constantly over Gerald. We saw miracles take place as his stomach, than his intestines, then his kidneys were restored. On the 11th day the ventilator was removed. He was moved out of ICU and placed in a private room where he continued recovery,
Prayer was made by family and friends all over the United States. God miraculously provided the financial help so we could stay with Gerald. We left Audubon Hospital February 29th for rehab.
During those days of watching God work in Gerald and restoring him, I learned something very important. I was listening to a minister on television one day when he said, “To maintain your healing, you stand on the word that brought the healing and not the miracle.” What a revelation!
We continue to thank God for His miracles but we stand on the Word of God to complete Gerald’s restoration.
Thank God for your miracle but remember it it is the Word God that brought the miracle You don’t stand on the miracle. You stand on the Word of God.
And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. Joel 2:28
At the time the Prophet Joel prophecy this (sometime around 800 BC.) ” Up until that time God’s Spirit had only come upon certain people for certain situations. This had to be unimaginable to the people.But now a Word had come forth that He was going to pour out His Spirit upon all people. Men, women, the young and the old.
And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:2-4
The people around that place could not figure out what was happening and just assumed that the people had been drinking and was drunk. Peter stood up and begin to speak, “But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel, and it shall come to pass in the last days, says God , that I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams I will pour out of My Spirit in those days. Acts 2:16-18
The prophecy that was given by Joel had been fulfilled and continues to be fulfilled today by like believers. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 5:18 “Be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit.
Jesus spoke in John 14:12 of believers doing the “works that He did” and ever “greater works because he was going back to the Father.” The early Church believers in the book of Acts healed the sick, cast out demons and even raise the dead. I believe that that were able to do those “greater works” by being filled and continuously filled with the Holy Ghost which gave them boldness to do those things.
On the last day and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty , let him come to men and drink. Whoever believes in me as the Scripture has said rivers of living water will flow from within him. By this He meant the Spirit. John 7:37-39
Have you received the Holy Ghost? I encourage you to ask, believe and received this infilling today. You will be forever changed.
My prayer that we as a Church thirst for this. Thirst for a flowing river, not just a cupful but for a Holy Ghost fire that will not only change us but will cause others around us to become to be set on fire to. Hungry to see lives changed. As Elisha prayed in 2 Kings 2:9 “Let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.” Yes God upon us all I pray!
Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd. For he was of short stature. so he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for he was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down,for today I must stay at your house. So he made haste and came down and received him joyfully. but when they saw it they all complained saying, He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner. Then Zacchaeus stood and and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord I give half of my goods to the poor and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold. And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because He is also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19-1-10
Just before Jesus entered into Jericho he had just healed a blind man. Now he enters into Jericho with a large crowd following him. A man by the name of Zacchaeus was among the crowd and sought to see who Jesus was. Could he have heard about the many miracles Jesus had done and he was just curious to see him? If so his curiosity led him into relationship with the Savior. Because of his short stature he could not see above the crowds and climbed a sycamore tree. The word goes on and tells us that when Jesus came to that place he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus make haste and come down for today I must stay at your house.”
What a shock this must have been to the disciples and especially to the people of Jericho. The people knew Zacchaeus as a tax collector. He did not have a good reputation among the people. Now Jesus was inviting himself to be the guest at the house of Zacchaeus-a sinner. The people saw a sinner but Jesus saw potential. Yes, Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, but Jesus wanted to see Zacchaeus. Jesus purposely looked up into the tree. “ For this reason the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
What do we see when we look at people who are living contrary to the Word? Do we just see them as sinners living a life without Go? Or do we see them as what they can become. Do we look beyond the sin and see them as a soul that needs salvation? Someone with purpose and destiny.
Our faith is in the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the power of God unto salvation.
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” Titus 2:22
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Psalms 68:19
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits; who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good things so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle.
The Word tells us “do not forget all of His benefits.” Forget meaning, “oblivious of from want of memory or attention.” Some days we just get caught up in living life. Taking care of what needs to be taken care of we forget that we can be partakers of benefits that have been freely given to us. Forgetting does not mean they are not there; we are just not taking hold of them. Benefits means, “to treat well.” Our Father God wants to treat us well. He desires us to live a prosperous life-spirit, soul and body. He tells in John 10:11, “I have come that you may have and enjoy life and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” Having to live this kind of life is believing and then by faith receiving those benefits that have been given and promised to us from God. As His children He has forgiven us; He has healed all of our diseases; He has redeemed us from destruction; He has crowned us with loving kindness and tender mercies; He satisfies our mouth with good things. God has already done these things for us through Jesus. God wants to bless us more than we want to be blessed. His Word has declared, “Blessed shall you be when you come in. Blessed shall you be when you go out…Blessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with benefits even the God our salvation.
Keeping the faith-continue to believe in the goodness of God.
The definition of keep is “to maintain the course.” The enemy of our souls wants to get us off course. He wants to discourage us to the point that we quit believing. He wants us to give up, to throw in the towel.
Matthew 24:13 “He that shall endure till the end shall be saved. Some would view this as a doom and gloom scripture. Some would say, “Well, I just got to endure till the Lord comes back and gets me out of this mess.” Let us look at that scripture a little different. Endure means to remain, to have fortitude or staying power. Saved means to protect, preserve, deliver, to keep safe. God will protect you, keep you safe and deliver you. He will anoint you with staying power to keep on keeping on until there is breakthrough. Enduring is not just barely hanging on.
David said in Psalms 27:13, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” The word faint mean “to grow weary”. Goodness means “the best.” David could be saying, “I would have grown weary but I chose to believe that God had only the best for me and in due season I would reap if I maintained the course.” David kept the course by believing in the goodness of God. He penned the 23rd Psalms, and this is a passage of scripture stocked full of the goodness of God. When a lion came after the sheep of his flock, David did not run away. He single-handedly caught that lion by the mane and killed it. When the bear came, David killed it to. Later in his life, when everybody in Israel was afraid of the giant Goliath, David was the only one courageous enough to fight him. He said in 1 Samuel 17:37 “The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.” David not only knew about the goodness of God, he had seen it work in his life over and over. God anointed him with staying power to do what need to be done until breakthrough came. He had seen the victories God’s goodness had gained for him, and just thinking of them made him bold in whatever he had to face in life.
When we began to think about the goodness of God in our own life, it will cause us to rise up in boldness. We have had breakthroughs before, and we will again and again and again. Because our God showers us with goodness over and over and over.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
There are only twenty five words in that verse of scripture but in those words is the greatest love story ever told. In this scripture we have not only the message of God’s love but what is contained in that message of love: His Grace-For God so loved the world, His Gift-That He gave His only begotten Son, The gospel-That whosoever believeth in Him, His Glory-Have everlasting life.
For God so loved-the world. The word for means intended. God has never been without a plan. From the very beginning of time He intended a way for fallen man to be brought back into relationship with Him. For God so loved the world that He gave all he had in the person of His Son. It was His love for us, even as sinners, to make a way and that way was through Jesus Christ the Savior of the world.
That God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not counting man’s sins (but canceling them) 2 Corinthians 5:19
His gift – God sending His only Son to be put on the cross; then to descend into hell so that we guilty ones might be reconciled to God. God’s grace moved heaven and earth to save sinners who could not lift a finger to save themselves.
God hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made in the righteousness of God in him. 2 Corinthians 5:21
The gospel – to whosoever believeth in Him. The word tells us in Luke 19:10, “for the son of man has come to seek and save that which was lost.” Because of what Jesus did we have a life worth living now and eternal life with the One who gave His life for us.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:15
Three reasons to be thankful today– you woke up, you woke up, you woke up. Praise the Lord!!
I woke up yesterday morning as it was coming daylight. As I was waiting for the coffee to brew, I began to walk thru our home and just began to be thankful. Not asking God for anything just loving on Him.
Later as I began to pour that fresh brewed coffee into the cup, I turned around and noticed the sunlight beginning to come thru the blinds from the windows. I decided to raise all the blinds and as I did, I began to hear the song, “Let the sun shine in–face it with a grin; smilers never Lose and frowners never win; so let the sun shine in; face it with a grin, open up your heart and let the sun shine in.”
This may be a season where you are not having any troubles. But if you are one who is going through the fire right now, just began to be thankful. I believe as you began to have a thankful heart the “Son” will began to shine. At first it may just begin to be a glimmer. Just as I was walking thru our home and began to be thankful, I was not thinking about the sun coming up; it just did in the process of time.
The enemy wants you to remain focused on the troubles you are going through. Began to be thankful, not for what you are going through but on the goodness of God to see you through. Stand on His Word that says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
I am hearing a divine shifting in your thinking. No longer will it be in your mind to give up or give in as you rise up in the power of the Holy Ghost.
The “Son” is shining brightly for you today. The clouds must give away to the brightness of His Glory!!
Hope is the foundation of faith. It is what turns our prayers into reality. The Bible tells in Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the substance of things “hoped” for…
When we have prayed and prayed and have not seen the manifestation of what we were praying for, we may be tempted to think, “Well I must not have enough faith.” So we began to do things that we think would cause us to have more faith. Pray longer, pray louder, confess faster, fast for days. But the excitement we first had begans to weaken. Then the enemy comes in with thoughts, “You must not have enough faith.” There has not been a breakdown of your faith but your hope.
As a born-again believer you have within your spirit the faith of God–the God kind of faith. That is the life and the nature of God. According to Galatians 5:22, faith is a fruit of the reborn human spirit. Now this is shouting stuff-your faith has the potential to produce the same results that Jesus produced in His earthly ministry. (John 14:12).
Yes, my friend, you have all the faith you need to believe God and to take Him at His word. The kind of hope we have is not the world’s kind of hope. It is not based on wishful thinking. The hope I want to express to you is based on your covenant with God. You have an anointing from God to carry out that covenant. Let hope come alive in you. When hope comes alive in you, it is when you begin to see yourself with what God has promised you more than you can see yourself without it.
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Romans 8:5-6 (NKJV)
In the Scripture above we can see the nature of mankind. We believe and walk by what we think. The mind of man is the control room for all of our activities of life. We operate on the information we ingest through our eyes, ears, and other senses. That is why it is vital that we filter the information through the proper channels.
There are many sources of information that we encounter everyday, and it is our responsibility to properly use this information to configure our lives. Some must be discarded, some examined, and some used to build our life on. The quality of our life depends on how we use what we get from around us. It matters if we use wood, hay, straw, gold, silver, and precious stones.
When using this metaphor it is necessary to recognize the differences of the building blocks. Things that are carnal and fleshly are weak building blocks. The elements of wood, hay, and straw are not what a Christian should incorporate in their life. They are what Paul calls “weak and beggarly elements” and he admonishes the church at Galatia not to be in bondage to them.
The Christian that builds his life on the Bible and leadership of the Holy Spirit is building with gold, silver, and precious stones that will survive the test of fire in the Day of Judgment. Although there is a final Day of Judgment, we must understand that every time we face an assault from the enemy we are tested by fire. It is a “day of judgment” and the better the quality of our building material the better we can stand in the day of testing. Don’t be caught in a straw house when you could be one of gold, silver, or precious stones. Fill your mind with the thing of God and His Word. Set your mind on things above.
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Eph. 3:20, 21
As you consider what your future will hold, be sure to use the right scale when you weigh it out. Your future is not determined by how you feel or what the circumstances may appear to be. The future of a Child of God is determined by the divine revelation of God’s word. The above Scripture tells us that God’s plan for us far exceeds anything we can ask or even think.
God has plans to demonstrate His glory in the church. We are the church, and His blessings start now. Can you see yourself as blessed regardless what future circumstances may bring your way? Do not base your blessed status on what happens to you while you are moving forward but rather on what God, through Jesus Christ, has already done for you. When He saved you, He gave you “everything that pertains to life and godliness” making you “blessed” forever and ever. Blessing is not determined by what happens to you but by what you know. When you know that you know God has blessed you, it will offset any thing the thief can bring against you.
Joseph was a blessed young man and he knew it. His father made it plain how he felt about him. It was clear to all around, including his brothers, that he was highly favored. But, the roof fell in and the bottom fell out when his brothers sold him and told his father he was dead. BUT GOD had His own plans for Joseph, and Joseph remained faithful through all the hardships and temptations he faced in Egypt. It was as if one was raised from the dead to become the second most powerful man in a world power country. Joseph could have altered his future if he had forgotten that he was blessed and began to see himself as a victim of circumstances. His “blessed” future could have become hell for him had he not made good choices. His future was not based on what was happening to him but on what God had in store for him. Your future is also based, not on situations, but on what God has in store for you. All He has in store for you is blessing and peace both now and forever more. Do you believe it? Can you see it? Then trust it!
“Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?” Isa. 43:18-19
Last week Sister Shirley told us that change is coming and we should be ready. To be ready for change we must forget the things that have passed. Thinking about the past will not make us ready for the things of the future. Too often we want change to be a restoration of “good times” in our past. I am looking for the good changes of the future that God has promised us. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jer. 29:12
The question is, “What do you see in your future?” Are your visions of the future based on how you imagine things to be or are they based on the Word of God and direction of the Holy Spirit?
Your opinion isn’t worth much if it clashes with God’s view of your future. Operating by your own opinion only hurts your chances of walking into a future prepared by God. It is important that we realize that God knows more about you than you know about yourself. The next question is “Who is in control of your life?” Is it you or God? The old saying “God is my Co-pilot” still implies that you are in charge of the airplane. That means that God is in charge only when you choose to let Him. In this case He is usually only in charge when it is a situation you cannot handle. That is no way to run an airline or a life. It is hard enough to let God be in charge even when we decide it’s the thing to do much less if we resist His Lordship. Yes, resisting His leadership is the same as rejecting His Lordship. Lord means, “He who has the last word”. He who resists His Lordship is not much better than the fool who says “there is no God”. If God brings change let Him. You can’t lose!
In the book of First Samuel we read the miraculous birth of Samuel and how God heard the cry of a barren woman to have a son.Hannah begins to cry out to God. She may not have understood at the moment, but it was also the cry of something beyond her own barrenness -the future of Israel. Having children to the Israelites were symbols of renewal, promises of hope for the future. Israel had come to a place where something had to change. Samuel means, “God has heard.” Samuel was born in due season at a time when the winds of change and opportunity were beginning to blow for Israel once again.
Never forsake the cry of intercession before God. It may be something bigger than what you think at the moment. Sometimes we think it is just about us, but God has a bigger picture. God will hear your cry for change, for hope to be renewed, for the tide to turn, and just as He heard Hannah, surely He will hear you.
Go ahead and prophesy to yourself, “Things are turning around for me in this next year. What the enemy has meant to destroy me is making me stronger. I refuse to sit here until I die.”
I sense that the church’s climate is changing. Yes, a renewal of hope. The wind of opportunity, the wind of new beginnings is blowing, and the tide is turning. There is a divine reversal taking place, a divine attitude of expectation rising up within the church that is saying “let us go to the other side.” For if we stay where we are, we will surely die. There is too much at stake to stay where we are. There is new ground to take and opportunities to seize for the kingdom of God; souls to reach with the saving gospel. This a time for a people to rise up and decree, “I will stand for surely our set time of favor has come.”
“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Is. 9:6(NKJV)
For billions of people around the world Christmas is an exciting time of fun, joy, and family sharing. The truth is that millions of people celebrate Christmas that don’t worship Jesus or even believe in Him. Our Christian slogans that appear each year like “Jesus is the reason for the season” and “Keep Christ in Christmas” are only meaningful to us Christians.
With all of the protests and law suits filed to remove any Christian symbolism from the holiday, nobody is really pushing to do away with the holiday itself. If Christmas was stopped today most merchants would have to come up with some other idea just to stay in business. If everything about Christmas was “religious Christianity” few people would be interested in celebrating it.
Christmas was banned in England for two decades when the Country was under a Puritan king. It wasn’t because of the “Christian” elements but a lack thereof. It was considered so worldly and pagan that God fearing Christians wanted nothing to do with it. Christmas was even banned in New England when it was the seat of Puritanism. But, during the Middle Ages the celebration was made an “all Christian celebration” with the emphasis being attending church. Problem was that very few people got involved so they broadened the celebration back to the old way of lewdness and drinking and Christmas survived.
I am telling you this because it is important to know the difference between the Word of God and the tradition of man. The birth of Jesus wasn’t even celebrated by the church until after 300 AD and then because it merged with a pagan holiday to appease the people from paganism and encouraging them to stop celebrating their god of nature on December 25. They had been doing this for hundreds of years. I am not telling you this because I am against Christmas but only to help you see that most of Christmas was never about Jesus to begin with. It is mainly tradition. Just remember what it says in Romans 14:5-6a. “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it.” “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths(celebrations) which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” Col. 2:16-17
“Choose you this day who you will serve, but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15
Most of our lives are defined by the choices we make at every fork in our road of life. Good choices eventually lead to good results. Bad choices will eventually lead to bad results. How can you tell for sure which choice is which when you can’t see the road around the next curve? Making right choices is not a matter of how well you can see the road ahead but how well you listen to and trust your guide. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.
Joshua told the Children of Israel to choose who they would serve. Our choices should be based on the idea that we are God’s servants and only desire to please Him. Some choices are clearly right or wrong while others are between good and better. The world has its own agenda and promotes it vigorously without regard for what God wants. Are we serving God or the world?
Choosing to serve God is not always a perfect life. Bad things happen to good people but not at God’s hand. Even the righteous can suffer afflictions but God’s Word is that He delivers them from them all.
I have personally suffered a few afflictions during my life but I have never blamed God or decided to stop serving Him. I am persuaded that He is able and will keep that which I have committed to Him against that day.
How do you measure success? It is not that you are perfect but that you get up one more time than you are knocked down. You never give up. You never throw in the towel. You never say, “I quit.” You trust God one more time. There is no set number of rounds in our fight of faith. You fight until you win. Never forget that the end of the Book says we win. With Jesus Christ you can never lose. AMEN!!
Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. Romans 4:20-21
How could Abraham have such unwavering faith when it seemed as if everything was contrary to the word of promise he had been given? The Bible tells us in Romans 4:19 that Abraham “…without being weakened in faith, didn’t consider his own body, already having been worn out, (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.” Our faith starts to weaken when we began to consider how the promises of God won’t happen for us. Abraham’s did not consider the circumstances that was contrary to what God had promised. God had put a promise in Abraham’s heart and he came to a place where he believed so strongly nothing could talk him out of it.
When God gives you a promise, don’t consider those things that are contrary to what His Word is. Consider how big your God is. Consider the fact that the moment God speaks that promise to you He began to set things into motion for that promise to manifest. Some promises do take a long time. If God made everything happen when we wanted it to happen, it wouldn’t take any faith.
It may be taking a long time, but God didn’t bring you this far to leave you. You’ve seen Him do it in the past, and you know He will do it again. Fully persuaded that He is able; that’s unshakable faith.
“ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil….” Psalm 23:4
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.” Psalm 34:19
There is a popular southern gospel song that includes the words “the God of the mountain is still God in the valley”. I heard the song sung at the community Thanksgiving Service Tuesday night. It ministered to me as I thought about the valleys I have traveled through in the last few years.
I knew that in about three of them I was in the valley of the shadow of death. I was face to face with the Grim Reaper and he was telling me to give up for I was going to die. At least two times I was fighting a spiritual battle as my physical body was grasping for life. The devil was telling me that I could not trust the word of God. He agreed that it would work for others, but not for me and I should just give up and die.
Some people preach that if you truly believe you will not experience all the things the devil uses to defeat man. You won’t get sick, you will always have a great abundance of wealth, and everything will always work right. If this doesn’t happen in your life you don’t have enough faith or there is sin you must get rid of.
If we do not experience affliction, why does the word of God say we do? The verse above says “many are the afflictions of the righteous”. It doesn’t say the ones without faith or the ones who sin. It says “the righteous”. We can agree that faithless, sinful, rebellious, selfish, and haughty people open the doors to attacks of the enemy.
Why would the devil attack righteous people? It is to steal their joy, kill their hope, and destroy their life. No one but Jesus ever did everything right. Therefore, He gave us His rights and privileges to rule in this world. Our enemies will flee before us but they will first confront us to test us.
I have been confronted and tested many times. I might not be perfect in action or word but I am righteous but that doesn’t exempt me from battle. Have hope, look up, trust God, and keep on keeping on. The victory is won.
“Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus.” Heb. 3:1(NKJV)
“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” Heb 4:14(NKJV)
“Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he God.” I John 4:15(NKJV)
I can remember thirty years or so back when people began to realize that it is important to watch what you say. If you speak negatively, you will think negatively. If you speak poverty, you will live in poverty. If you speak sickness, it will be hard to rise above it. Confession is an important part of our relationship with God. But, what are we confessing? The majority of Christians would never confess that they are righteous. If you asked them, “Are you righteous?” the mostly likely answer you would get is, “I am trying to be.”
That is a hopeless situation. The Scripture says our righteousness is as filthy rags. That means that no amount of effort on our part can make us righteous before God. God made us righteous by the death of His Son. Now, the Son is confessing our righteousness before the Father. Our confession needs to be the same as our High Priest, Christ Jesus.
Confessing what the Bible says about us is an act of our faith in the work of Jesus Christ. How am I saved? It is by believing in my heart and confessing with my mouth. It tells us that in Romans 10. We must use our confession properly lest we are seen as the “name it and claim it” or “blab it and grab it” bunch.
No matter what is involved in our lives it can only be resolved by aligning our confession with our High Priest. We must learn to say about ourselves what He says about us. We find out what it is by reading the Bible. Before we accepted Christ we were “sin.” After accepting Christ we are declared righteous.
“If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9 (NKJV) Just as we confessed our sins; now, we must confess our righteousness. Watch what you say.
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:” II Tim 3:1
The Biblical definition of perilous is as follows; “Harsh, savage, difficult, dangerous, painful, fierce, grievous, hard to deal with. The word describes a society that is barren of virtue but abounding with vices.”
I am sure that there have been multiple times during the past two thousand years when this verse of Scripture has been seen as relevant to the condition of society. The Dark Ages, the plague, 100 Year War, World War I, World War II, and the Cold War are just a few of these times. The “last days” really refer to the time between Jesus’ first coming and His second coming meaning that we really are in “the last days.”
A few days ago I was pondering the condition of our present society and came to the conclusion that I do not like living in the present culture. I am out of tune with the “desires” that seem to be fostered by the driving forces of today’s society. What is society coming to when Caitlyn Jenner is “Woman of the Year?” Political Correctness is agreeing with the opinions expressed by government officials and mass media. It is not “PC” to refer to terrorist as Muslim terrorist, even though they refer to themselves as such. But, it is just “freedom of speech” when criticism is leveled at Christianity and they are called the problem with America today.
Last night the Isis attack on Paris caused chaos and took dozens of lives. It was not as devastating as 911 in the USA but it made a mark for Isis and “Allah”. Muslim doctrine teaches its members that Islam is God’s plan to dominate the world by whatever is necessary. The end justifies the means. Force is allowed to bring all people under submission to God.
There is no negotiating with them. They do not want to live in peace with us. All Non-Muslims are servants of Satan and must be defeated and dominated by Islamic law. Their philosophy is–convert to Islam or die. They are so committed to “Allah” and “Islamic Law” they will destroy all “ungodly” acts and events that do not conform to Islamic belief. Beware! They believe they are doing God’s will. They will not stop except by force. You can’t negotiate with a hungry lion.
Thank God that I am a citizen of His Kingdom, and it will prevail over all the power of the evil one. My future is totally secure. How about yours?
Acts 15:1 “And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren. ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’”
If you want to pick laws to keep, it is all or nothing. Today we will see why.
Exodus 21:17 “And he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.”
Exodus 35:2 Work shall be done for six days but the seventh day shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death.”
Leviticus 11:12 “Whatever in the water does not have fins or scales–that shall be an abomination to you.”
Leviticus 11:27 “And whatever goes on its paws, among all kinds of animals that go on all fours, those are unclean to you. Whoever touches any such carcass shall be unclean until even.
Leviticus 18:22 “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.”
Leviticus 19:13, 31 “You shall not cheat your neighbor,nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning.”
“Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.”
Leviticus 24:14 “Take outside the camp him who has cursed; then let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him.”
Deuteronomy 22:5 “A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God.”
Deuteronomy 22:9-11 You shall not sow your vineyard with different kinds of seed, lest the yield of the seed which you have sown and the fruit of your vineyard be defiled. You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. You shall not wear a garment of different sorts, such as wool and linen mixed together.”
Deuteronomy 22:22 “If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die–the man that lay with the woman and the woman; so you shall put away the evil from Israel.”
“So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none.” Ezekiel 22:30 (NKJV)
There are times when all of us are tempted to see ourselves as someone who doesn’t matter much in the larger scheme of life. I have heard several people comment that their vote won’t matter in the election so why vote? I am not suggesting who one should vote for, but I am saying that you have a duty as a citizen to go vote. People in other countries hold the right to vote so highly they risk their lives to vote. They believe they will make a difference when they do. Voting is one of the rights we as Americans have that many citizens take for granted. Go vote as a Christian, not as a Republican or a Democrat, but as child of God.
Now that I have said that, I will talk about what I really see as important. You are important as a person, as a child of God, and as a member of this church. Yes, you make a difference with your attendance, your help, and your giving. So don’t count yourself out because you think you are not important. In the eyes of God you are the most important member of this church.
When we begin to feel like we don’t make any difference we fall into the verse at the top of this page. God says that one man could save the land but no one was willing. How about it? Pick up the banner and take your place in the Kingdom and let God take care of what you do. Make a decision to join the “good fight.”
I have had a battle lately in the mind and body. I confess I gave in to the taunting of Satan for a short while. In doing so I wanted to quit and fade away. I did not feel needed anymore because I cannot do all the things I once could. But, God and a very precious helpmate stood by and showed me what my strength is. Preaching and teaching I can still do and loving people and being there for them I am able.
God reminded me that I may not be able to change the world by myself but I can make a difference where I am. God’s grace can change the world and that is the grace I preach. The increase is up to Him. Are you making your mark where you are? Just do it.
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