Blog: Praise Through

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified.” – Is.61:1-3 KJV

It has been my personal experience when you get down in the dumps or feel out of sorts, the best remedy for that situation is praise and thanksgiving. If you’re having one of those days, instead of feasting on your troubles, take a look at your blessings.

Jesus never downgrades our troubles or compares us with anyone else. He never tells us, “If you think you have trouble, then you should see the trouble your neighbor is having.” Know that He cares about each of our needs as if we were the only one on earth with a problem. He also knows how miserable it can be for us when we wallow in despair. He has given to us the perfect way out of the prison of trouble; it is the very key that unlocks the door to the cell of loneliness, frustration, and self-pity. It is called PRAISE!

This goes so deep against the grain of human nature; the very idea really does sound ridiculous. Praise and thanksgiving right smack in the middle of trouble just sounds crazy. But some of the greatest miracles and blessings have been born out of this simple, yet effective, solution.

Praising in the midst of trial shows faith and breeds hope. When we praise God we are proving to Him that we believe that He will take care of us. It also gets our focus off of the problem and actually makes us excited about what God is going to do in our life. When I praise, I feel like all things are possible. When I’m focusing on trouble, I feel crushed by the weight of the world. Praise is really believing God and thanking Him for all the times that He has seen us through and will see us through. Our situation may or may not change, but in praise, we are trusting God that He knows the truth about the things that we cannot see or understand. Just like a child must trust a parent for things, we must learn to understand that God knows what is best and, no matter how bad or how painful the situation, He will work it for our good. That’s how we can praise Him.

“But I will sing of Your power; yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning. For You have been my defense and refuge in the day of trouble. To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my defense. My God of mercy.” Psalm 59:16–17

Ultimately, the praise wins out and God also defends (David) and protects him against his enemies. Praise becomes an effective weapon against the struggles and adversities of life. In fact, throughout the Book of Psalms, you will find that David constantly praises God for His might and power. David constantly affirms that God can deliver him out of the hand of the enemy. He blesses the Lord and never fails to thank Him for his presence. (Psalm 103:1)

In Acts 16:22 – 26, the Apostle Paul recounts the story of him and Silas being thrown into prison for preaching the gospel. But while locked behind bars, they begin to sing songs of praise to God. Then, at midnight, there was an earthquake and their chains fell loose and the prison doors swung open! They walked out with no problem. Do you need an earthquake like this in your life? Then praise through!

You might need to start praising right now! (Read Psalm 34.)

– Pastor Shaun

Blog: Working All Things for Good

One of the most encouraging scriptures I use to console myself and those to whom I minister is Romans 8:28

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

This scripture is telling us, no matter what happens in our lives, God is able to use it—along with other things—and the end result will be something good. This changes the whole picture when we look at the difficult times we go through. We don’t have to believe that everything that happens is God’s will, or that everything that happens is good. Bad things do happen to good people. But this scripture assures us that God can take those terrible things and somehow work them together with other things in our lives so that the end will be something good for us.

An example in my life is from when I first got saved. The first seven years were wonderful, but also very difficult in many ways. God was healing and restoring my life, my marriage and family relationships. During some of those days, there were many painful and lonely times. But God was encouraging and comforting us every step of the way. The end result is a life restored to help others. In our marriage, we really appreciate one another, and we are kind to each other. The peace in our home is something we cherish and protect. Both of us are now closer to God than we might have been if the difficult times had not been worked through. The tough times forced us to draw closer to Him. That’s always a good thing. True to His Word, God worked those difficult times together for our good.

The only qualification for that promise is at the end of the verse……

“… to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”

We love God the best we know how, and we have dedicated our lives to following Him. Not that we are perfect at it, but that is our goal and our hearts’ desire. We know the Bible says if we love Him, to keep His commandments. We do our best to follow His Word and be led by His Spirit.

One of my friends at work used to often say in our conversations “It’s all good Travis, it’s allllll good.” One day, I got a chance to tell him what the Bible says, and I think he got it. He still would say “it’s all good,” but, now, a big smile would come on his face as we would laugh and remember.

I think if we love Him and are called according to His purpose, and if we let Him work all things together, one day, we will be able to say with Him…It’s all good, Lord. Hallelujah; it’s all good!

Blog: Healing from Disappointment

Have you ever been told by a parent or a close friend that they weren’t mad at you, but they were “just disappointed in you?” Did it seem, at the time, that their disappointment in you felt more piercing than if they were mad at you? Did it feel like shame was brought upon you? Disappointment is a powerful word. It may even become an attack on your self-worth. This could affect you from this present day to the days to come. To sum it up, disappointment provides false expectations of perfection in one’s life and it deters people from developing a healthy self-identity. Here is the reason why: disappointment is one of two primary emotions involved in decision-making. People who take risks may have developed fears due to disappointment. When disappointment becomes a negative impact on your life, then decisions become motivated in pleasing people rather than utilizing a creative process. Now it may seem like everything you do is under scrutiny. This is absolutely unhealthy. This wound can affect your decision making, your identity, and your behavior, which means this can affect your spirit, soul, and body.

How can I get healing from disappointment? God is the one who made us spirit, soul, and body, therefore, He is the One who can heal us spirit, soul, and body. God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to deliver us from our afflictions. Jesus is the Master Redeemer, so you’re healing starts with Him. “For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds; says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 30:17). I believe that God would want us to deal with these areas one at a time. Everyone has unsubmitted areas of their heart, and when God wants us to be free of these areas, He will begin to poke at them. Why does God poke at them? My experience is that He will “reveal to heal.” If we don’t know we have issues, then God will reveal them to heal them. We must first see that the negative results in our lives may come from wrong decisions. Wrong decisions may come from wrong thinking, and our wrong thinking may come from a lack of knowledge or an identity crisis. God created us to be healthy. It is our responsibility to keep ourselves healthy (spirit, soul, and body). So when God reveals issues in your life, don’t run from it. God will give you strength to face it.

2 Corinthians 10:5 (Message Bible) “We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.” I love this translation because it shows us that we have the power (authority) to smash and tear down any thoughts or words that come against our identity in Christ. As we read the Word of God, Christ’s identity is formed within us. 2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” In Christ we have authority, identity, and we are a new creation. Old words, thoughts, and behaviors are disappearing and a new transformation arises into Christ’s identity.

Here is how you exercise your new identity in Christ. When disappointment comes, we have a choice to keep it alive by dwelling on it. If we dwell on disappointment, we allow the disappointment to form an identity within us. But, if we choose to smash it and tear it down immediately when we receive any negative impact, we can destroy its power to affect our decision-making. How? Forgiveness. I have learned the power of forgiving people immediately—not because they deserve it, but because I do not want anything between my Savior and me. Unforgiveness builds bitterness, but to destroy it, you must separate the sin from the person. Forgive them and move on and watch healing flow in your life.

This life we live in Christ has many unexpected twists and turns. The Word of God—our instruction manual—will direct us into a straight path of being complete and lacking nothing. God bless you.

– Pastor Pat

Blog: It’s All About Him

There is a huge difference between being a Christian and being a follower or disciple of Jesus Christ. Following Christ isn’t something that can be done half-heartedly or just when we feel like it. Following Jesus must be the center point of everything we do and who we are. Nothing should be more important than our relationship with our Creator. It’s about Him and eternity; everything else is a distant second.

With that being said, being a Christian isn’t measured by church attendance…it’s a way of life. Likewise, we don’t attend church to just hear the Word. The Words of Christ that we hear need to pierce our hearts and make such a profound impact on us that our lives are forever changed, resulting in a life of ministry and reaching people.

The Book of James (2:17) says faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. We may call ourselves Christians, but our actions must say the same thing. God measures our lives by our actions not our words. Our words don’t really mean anything if how we live our everyday lives can’t back them up. True faith is taking action, and having true faith means holding nothing back….it’s living a life that shows people “I’m all in.”

It’s interesting that the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26). They did not name themselves; the people called them Christians after watching their lives. I pray that I lead a life where my thoughts, words, and actions show that I am entirely focused on God and that I’m living for eternity. I pray that I lead a life that will cause people who watch me to call me a Christian.

– Pastor Mike

Blog: Making Him the Lord of Our Lives

Today, I would like to share a personal story with you. Having a walk with God is certainly not measured by the number of years we have attended church; it is something that becomes evident in the measure that we allow Him to be the Lord of our lives.

While standing in the Wal-Mart check-out line, I once expressed to a friend that I was a king and royalty in God’s eyes. The comment came up while we were looking at a magazine with a picture of the royal wedding in England. That same night, I headed back home and continued my reading of the book of Daniel, where God showed me how I truly looked.

In my personal reading, I always look for ways to learn from those who God used for His glory, but that night, He spoke to me from a different angle of Daniel’s story. Making notes on how Daniel lived in Babylon and how he became someone great, I couldn’t help but notice an interesting point about King Nebuchadnezzar. When he had the dream about the statue made of different elements, there was not anyone that could interpret his dream, so he ordered that they all be killed. But, Daniel asked for some time to ask his friends to join him in prayer for the interpretation. After they heard from God, Daniel went back to the king and told him everything that was going to happen with his kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged that “Daniel’s God” had given them a divine word and gave testimony that his words were trustworthy. Later on in the story, King Nebuchadnezzar was a witness to the miracle of Daniel’s friends not being burned after he had them thrown into the fiery furnace. He was so amazed that he declared a royal decree that whoever said anything against THEIR God would be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, “for no other god can save this way” Daniel 3:29.

A second dream came to King Nebuchadnezzar in which he saw a big tree in a prosperous land. Birds made their nests in it, animals found refuge in it, and the whole world could see it. Daniel was again called to interpret the dream, and he was so alarmed that he gave the king advice to repent from his sins and to acknowledge it was the Most High who gave kingdoms and took them away.

This whole story was a wake-up call I could not ignore. God was telling me that I was like this king who had dreams, had seen their fulfillment, had experienced miracles, and had still not yet acknowledged God as HIS God/Lord. He gave me an opportunity to understand that I needed to accept His Lordship and to let Him lead my life. He also wanted me to know that all the things I had accomplished had nothing to do with any of my talents or capabilities; He is the Most High who gives and takes away. Just as Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar to acknowledge this fact, I would like to invite you to reflect today about how you see God. Do you look up to Him as for what He has done or for who He is in your life?

The point in this story is that we can see His hand upon our lives, His mercy and favor in all we do, but still miss the point of not letting Him be the Lord of our lives.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”  – Matthew 7:21

 Life is not only about knowing His hand is upon us but also in taking ACTION by obeying ALL He has asked us to do (Lordship).

 “…and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.” – 1 Cor. 12:3

His Spirit already dwells within you, now let Him come upon you and be the Lord of your life!

Blog: Believe in Yourself

Have you ever been asked this question before, “If you could do anything without restrictions, what would you do for Christ?” I think the key word in this question is restrictions. Sometimes, it’s difficult for us to see life without restrictions. As a matter of fact, I think we look for them. If we are asked to do something we aren’t confident in doing, we bring up all kinds of negative things that would deter us from doing it. “I’m too shy,” “I can’t afford it,” “It’s too heavy,” “So-and-so is good at that,” and my favorites are “Let me pray about it” and “I don’t feel led.”

I understand life has limitations but I also feel we miss a lot of great experiences because we don’t believe in ourselves. Henry Ford is quoted saying this: “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” I believe limitations and restrictions will kill visions and dreams! I believe that limitations are in our mind more than our ability. I believe a lack of confidence has been programed in our minds at an early age. Before we even have a chance to prove or disprove the task, we were told we can’t do it.

I know there is a huge difference between being unwilling to do something and being unable to do something. But being unwilling may come from a lack of confidence.

I love this from William James, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.”

I think it’s time to challenge ourselves to go beyond what we think about ourselves and look deep down inside, and take a challenge to do something we have never done before. God does not disqualify us, but He has equipped us to qualify us. Hebrews 4:12 “His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ’s body (the church).” (AMP)

So if you don’t think you can do certain things in your own strength, then lift up your eyes and ask God to empower you with His strength. Then, watch his power move through you. As a pastor, there have been lots of opportunities to do things that I did not have any confidence to do. Like Peter—who stepped out of the boat and walked on water so he could reach Jesus—Peter did the impossible. I believe there will be opportunities in your near future that will feel as if Jesus is calling you out of your boat to do His will.

Remember the question earlier: If you could do anything without restrictions what would you do for Christ? Restrictions are obstacles that you see in your path, so keep your eyes on Christ and those obstacles won’t even matter. Like anything in our lives, the first mountain is tough, but it helps grow your confidence and that confidence prepares you for the next mountain.

If God believes in you, why don’t YOU believe in you?

One last inspiring quote by A.B. Simpson: “God is preparing His heroes; and when the opportunity comes, He can fit them into their places in a moment, and the world will wonder where they came from.”

You are God’s hero, and He is preparing you for something big.

- Pastor Pat

Blog: Get out of the Boat and into the Action

People often look at the life of Peter and criticize him for his lack of faith, and, let’s face it, it is true. Peter’s faith was lacking when he tried to walk on water; he started sinking. His faith was also lacking when he denied Christ three times. But I like to look at these stories in another way…that Peter’s faith was strong. Where were the other apostles when Peter was getting out of the boat? They were probably clinging to their seats trying to make sure the choppy seas didn’t throw them overboard. Along the same lines, where were the other apostles when Peter denied Christ three times? They had already deserted Christ. We can focus on Peter’s apparent lack of faith if we want to, but I choose to look at him as the Peter who had great faith.

Let’s look at where he was when he started to sink. When Jesus called him, he jumped out of the boat without a second thought. He was a career fisherman. He knew what those seas were like; he knew how dangerous they could be. It didn’t matter. His Lord had called him and he responded without hesitation. He only starts to sink when he takes his eyes off of Jesus; that’s when his faith wavers. We need to keep our focus on Jesus. Peter had boldness. He wanted to be right in the middle of the action. He wasn’t clinging in the background telling everyone what to do while he was living a life of comfort.

Similarly, although Peter denied Christ, we need to keep this truth in mind. He and one other disciple were the only ones close enough at that point in Jesus’ life for Jesus to turn to when the rooster crowed. Long after everyone had left Jesus, Peter was still there. When everyone else bailed out, Peter was still there. Although he was full of fear and weakness, he couldn’t abandon Christ totally.

I pray that I can live a life like Peter. When I see a need, I get involved. When someone needs to be ministered to, I respond with boldness. When God’s people need a leader, I step up. When my God calls, I have faith like Peter to get out of the boat and into the action.

– Pastor Mike

Blog: Rebuking the Devourer

God has been so faithful so often in our lives that it’s truly amazing. One particular case that I like to share involves a supernatural intervention in which God protected us from a potentially substantial loss.

The story starts on a Sunday morning. My wife, Glenda, and I arrived at church when, suddenly, I discovered my wallet was missing. After some searching and mental backtracking, I realized that I had probably lost it in front of our house as I exited our van. Needless to say, I was ready to make the 25-minute trip back home to try to retrieve it. Mrs. Glenda, as I fondly call her, spoke up and said “No, we are not going home. We are going to pray and believe God will return that wallet and a Christian man will find it.” She was very certain and sure in her tone, and I knew she was right. We prayed and went on to church. We didn’t worry or even think about it until we were on our way home.

After we arrived at home, I looked in the area where I was parked, and there was no wallet. So we were at home this Sunday afternoon, just taking it easy. The afternoon was passing…1 o’clock…2 o’clock. Soon it was 3 o’clock. It occurred to me that I should at least call and cancel our credit cards. I dialed the 800 hundred number and verified my identity. The customer service person then said….“Sir, how may I help you?” At the exact moment he finished saying those words, THE DOORBELL RANG!

Mrs. Glenda began praising God as she ran down the hallway, down the stairs, to the front door. She opened the door, and there was a man standing there with my wallet in his hand. As it turned out, he was a Christian man. He said that he worked nights and found the wallet on the street in front of our house. He said he had planned to bring it to me around 7 p.m., when he normally got up to start getting ready for work. But, he said, the Lord had woke him up and told him to take the wallet to me right now. God’s timing was perfect, down to the nanosecond! One moment later and I would have canceled the credit cards, and I would have been devoured by a two-week wait to get new cards. The bottom line, God did send a Christian man to retrieve that wallet for me. He got it to me fully intact and at the perfect time to prevent a further inconvenience.

Why did God do that for us? God is good, all the time. Glenda and I knew there is a promise in God’s Word about those who put God first in their finances. It’s in Malachi Chapter 3:

“ 10Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

11And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.”

Glenda and I had been tithing for several years at that point, and it was just a natural thing for us by then. We had already seen the benefits and blessing that seemed to be flowing into our lives. God truly did ‘rebuke the devourer’ that day for us…and many other days following. It’s hard, sometimes, to remember to give thanks for something that didn’t happen; but, after that, I think I’m just a little bit better at doing just that.

I hope you will be encouraged by this testimony to trust God in the area of your finances. God knew that the blessing he gave us would be shared with others. The first was the customer service guy at the credit card company who heard us, over the phone, screaming and praising God. I told him what had happened and encouraged him to trust God with his life. I then told him I wouldn’t need any help today.
God had rebuked the devourer for our sakes!

– Pastor Don

Blog: Seek My Face

Throughout the last nine years, I have listened to hundreds of sermons and Christian songs, and I have read dozens of books by Christian authors. What I have found to be one of the most frequently quoted and widely-used line from scripture is, “seek My face.” It actually appears in the Bible multiple times: 1 Chronicles 16:11, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Psalm 24:6, Psalm 27:8, Psalm 105:4, Proverbs 7:15, Hosea 5:15.

If you’re like me, you’ve probably found this scripture to be very powerful, and it likely inspires you to seek a closer personal relationship with God. Recently, when meditating on Psalm 105:4, God opened those words up to me in a way I had never seen before. He took me deeper into this scripture and it forever changed how I would view the phrase “seek my face.” God gave me more clarity and insight as to how I should approach my own personal journey of continuously drawing closer and more intimate with Him.

This is what He showed me – I started to see the faces of people I know flying through my head, one by one. Then, I began to think about how easily I could recognize people I know when I see them, but, when forced to recall their face by memory alone, all that I could get was a general picture in my mind. God started to show me that I really couldn’t recall all of the detailed features of their face (i.e., the curvatures of their face, the unique definitions of their facial structure, lines in their skin, exact placement of their eyes, nose, and lips, eyelash-length, details of their eye color, and everything else you could think of on someone’s face).

Next, I began to realize that even the details of the people’s face I see every day, like my wife and kids, were only mostly complete in my mind and not perfect. It hit me that the only way I could really have an exact picture of someone’s face, to really see every last detail of their appearance, was to actually be in their presence. Then, I started to see, being in their presence was still not even enough. I actually needed to be right by them, focusing in and staring at them without taking my eyes away for even a moment. It became clear that this was the only way to truly see someone’s face in the clearest way possible and to know exactly what they look like.

The last thing God showed me was, once I take my eyes off of a person, once I leave their presence, I may have a better image in my head of what they look like next time I try to recall it by memory, but I will never be able to have an exact image of them in my head unless I get back into their presence again. There are just too many features and details for me to retain. However, once I get back in their presence and focus in on their face again, it’s all right there, perfect and clear.

God has given me new understanding of the scripture that says “seek my face evermore.” He is saying I must come into His presence and focus on Him without taking my spiritual eyes off of Him. Then, I will begin to see more clearly who He is to me. I cannot expect to come into His presence every great now then and be able to understand Him and His plans for my life each day. I must continuously come into His presence time and time again with the intention of “seeking His face.” Every time that I do this, His Will for me that day becomes more clear…and tomorrow is another day.

– Pastor Matt
Follow me on Twitter at mattheck79

Blog: 2012: What kind of year will it be for you?

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Starting the New Year is always a fun and exciting time. I remember as a child spending many New Year’s Eves with my sister and grandma watching the ball drop on TV, banging pots and pans, and lighting sparklers when the clock struck midnight.

At the start of the New Year, we often make New Year’s resolutions, with good intentions of course, but all too often these resolutions fall short, lasting but days or even weeks if we have enough staying power. All too often these resolutions don’t last because we forget to include a key ingredient to these New Year’s intentions. We often forget to let God help us to orchestrate this lifestyle change.

I often tell the kids in children’s church that the Holy Spirit is like our “coach.” He is on our team and is always more than willing to help us when we include Him in our plans. Ephesians 3:20 reminds us that God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” He wants our lives to be radically changed, but He must be included in these plans!

When we make New Year’s resolutions, a lot of what we struggle with starts in our minds. Once again, a focus on God’s Word and His instructions for our lives will guide us in the right direction. Ephesians 22:23 instructs us to “let the Spirit renew our thoughts and attitudes.” In essence, if we allow God’s Word and the Holy Spirit to mould our thoughts and attitudes, whatever we attempt to accomplish this New Year will be successful. May God Bless you in your endeavors in 2012!

– Pastor Mike G