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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1 Corinthians 15:9-10 “For I am the least of the apostles, that I am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am, what I am; and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Paul says that because of the sins and attacks against the church that he was the least of the apostles and is never worthy to be named among them. But he goes on to say that he knows God has used him and that anything he has, is or ever will be is because of the precious grace of God.
The same is true for you and me. We can never make ourselves good enough for the grace of God. God’s grace is a gift that we accept. Ephesians 2: 8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” God’s grace has made us worthy. His grace was revealed unto us in the the person of His son the Jesus. We can be saved and used by the Lord in ways that we never thought possible. We can now say as Paul did, “By the grace of God I am.” We can by the grace of God live life to the fullest.
Many things in life will fail. Friendships may be thriving and then suddenly die. We may be walking in heath one day and fighting for our health the next day. Love ones will pass away leaving us with the loss to deal with. Life happens, and it goes on with us being involved or not. However, there is one thing that will never be insufficient or fail us and that is the grace of God. His grace is and always will be sufficient for every need. That is the promise of God and the hope for every believer.
Romans 5:2 “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace where in we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
The beginning of May is when things start to come to life in nature. The grass turns green and flowers began to bloom again after a long winter. Even the aisles at stores began to come to life with beautiful flowers and cards of pastel colors lining the aisles. There is a wide array of Mother Day gifts to choose from. Commercials urges us to remember our mothers with cards, candy or flowers.
The second Sunday of May has been set aside each year to recognize mothers whether by birth, by adoption, by marriage or by relationship.
I have been blessed to have had a Christian mother. This will be my first Mother’s day without her but I have many good memories that I will always cherish.
I realize that for some this is not a day that is filled with happiness but one of sadness, hurt and disappointment. For a son or daughter there may be no happy memories to cherish because of the absent of a mother figure. Some may have been abandoned or abused or taken away from their mother. For a mother there could have been the death of a child, a child that has distanced themselves and are going down a dark path, maybe you have yet to have child to love and hold or maybe because of bad choices you had your child taken away.
A broken heart is that emotional aching in your heart that happens when you are deeply disappointed, hurt or grieved over a life circumstance. If on this Mother’s Day you are hurting and your is heart breaking these verses are for you.
Psalms 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
Psalms 147:3 “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (healing their pain and comforting their sorrow).”
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear…Psalms 46:1-2
My dad passed away in 2008 and my mom in 2015. When parents are gone, there is a void in our lives. The presence or absence of someone makes a difference. You often realize it when that someone is absent and no longer with you.
As we go thru this maze called life and experience trouble, we want someone to be present with us–When we are lonely, sick, having trouble in relationships, making life changing decisions, bullying at school or at work. The presence of someone there is a comforting feeling.
Have you ever felt like you were all alone and it even seemed as if God was absent? At these times we may be tempted to ask, “Where are you God when I need you most?”
Psalms 46 is a chapter that we can turn to when we need to be comforted in times of personal trouble. Verse 1 tells us that God is first our refuge, second our strength, and third a very present help in trouble.
I was praying over the Bible study Wednesday night and one of the things I said, “Thank you, God, for showing up.” I heard the words, “I Am. I didn’t just show up. I Am in in you and I Am all around you. I Am always present. Here, there and everywhere, I Am.”
I immediately thought of of what David said in Psalms 139:7 “Where shall I go from your spirit. Or where shall I flee from your presence.” There is no place you can go or anything you may be going thru where God’s presence is absent. God is an an ever- present God. The phrase ever- present means–always here, always available with unlimited access. The abiding presence of God is always within us and around us.
At the times in your life when it seems as if you have no one, believe that you have the abiding presence of God in you and around you. You don’t have to pray God down. You don’t have to spend hours waiting for Him. He is saying to you, “My presence lives in you, night and day. I Am here! I Am ever-present! I Am only a breath away! Believe!!”
“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” Psalms 34:8 “Taste” in the Hebrew and Greek means, “to experience.”
A little boy was hungry and not knowing his mother had just stocked the refrigerator open the door and said, “Look at all that goodness!”
If God was a refrigerator when we open the door of his heart, we can say, “Look at all that goodness.”
You cannot have goodness without God; just as you cannot have God without goodness. God alone is good. You cannot separate what is good from God.
We read in the opening chapters of the Bible about the “goodness” of God. Repeatedly, God pronounced everything which He created as “good”. God is good in His entirety and from the attribute of His goodness flows all His promises to us.
The Bible tells us in 1 Timothy 1:4, ”For everything God has created is good.
Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow. James 1:17
God does not withhold anything that is truly good from us. He is trying to get His best to us, but so many people have a wrong perception of God. Yes, God is out to get you but not to condemn you but only to show you His goodness. God says I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Jeremiah 29:11 His goodness, mercy, His unfailing love is following you. Psalms 23:6
May we be like Moses. I pray Thee, “show me Thy glory!” And he said “I myself will make all my goodness pass before you, I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you.” Exodus 33:18-19 “The Lord God merciful, gracious, longsuffering and “abundant in goodness’ and truth.” Exodus 34:6
“God is good all the time, all the time God is good.”
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God hath prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:11
The original Greek word for workmanship is “poiema” literally meaning a poem or a work of art. His love is written all over our lives. We are God’s completed work of art.
When we received Christ into our lives, the Bible says we become a “new creation,” and we have a new identity in Christ.” He created you spiritually and physically different than anyone else because he has a specific and unique purpose for your life.
Paul says we are created in Christ Jesus, “to do good works.” God’s plan in giving us salvation through Jesus Christ was for us to have eternal life with Him. The purpose of that plan of salvation is so that we may do good works. Good works is not to earn our salvation that is a free gift from God.
For it is by grace you have been saved through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8
The scripture tells us we are created for good works that God has prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. The good works have already been prepared, we get to partner with God to do those good works for his glory. Every day we have the privilege and opportunity to do good. It is the heart and soul of a Christian to go about doing good. Good works is not something that we do just in certain areas of our life or on special occasions. It is who we are as God’s sons and daughters in this world.
The more we grow in knowledge of what we are (his workmanship-completed work) the more we will show forth the glory of God through what we do.
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower and the righteous run to and are safe.” Proverbs 18:10
The Name of the Lord Jesus Christ-the name above all others. This name to us is a source of strength, a source of safety. It is indeed a strong tower that we can run to.
“God…gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11
According to Acts 2:21 we experience salvation by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
He has given all believers authority to carry out His will in the earth. We have been given authority through Jesus name.
Luke 10:17 “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.”
Acts 3:6 “…Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”
As a church we are commissioned to go into all the world and preach the gospel. If we believe, we would see supernatural signs in His name. (Mark 16:15-18)
The name of the Lord Jesus is the hope of all nations.
Matthew 12:21 “In his name the nations will put their hope in you.”
Jesus–the name above all names.
For God so loved the world….
The proof of His love is in the Crucifixion! The power of love is in the Resurrection!!
It all started at an empty tomb just on the outside of Jerusalem. The women went back to the burial place to finish the death preparations of Jesus. When they came upon the tomb the stone was already rolled away and the place where Jesus body was suppose to be was empty.
Had it not been for the birth of Jesus there would have been no life lived by the Savior of the world. There would have not been a sacrificial death. There would have been no Resurrection and there would be no hope for living an overcoming life now and no hope for eternity.
Easter- The Resurrection celebration of the accomplished Gospel. Easter should remind us how He was crucified, He died and was buried, he rose again conquering death and giving us new life by His victory and the grace for a life of fulfillment now.
The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Romans 8:11
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
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