Focus on our Family
Men ought always to pray and not to faint ~ Luke 18:1
Let us the next several weeks to focus our prayers in the following matter:
Our walk with God
1. Let’s focus on our walk with God praying for God’s wisdom and guidance in the coming year.
2. Pray that we would personally grow in our devotional walk with the Lord.
3. Pray for God’s richest blessing on our lives.
~ I’ll finish my course 1 Cor. 9:24-27
I fear our generation has come dangerously near the “I am getting tired so let’s quit” mentality. Not just in the spiritual realm but in multiple areas of life. Dieting is a discipline so we stay overweight. Finishing school is a hassle, so we bail out. Cultivating close relationships is painful, so we back off. Working through conflicts in a marriage is a tiring struggle, so we walk away.
Let’s keep going, don’t quit! Therefore be steadfast, immovable, your work is not in vain in the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58). In the end let’s be confident the Lord will say to us well done thy good and faithful servant.
Read Romans 11:29
Some people live and die without knowing their gifts. Others spend a lifetime trying to change their gifts. Today you need to get into God’s presence and ask Him to show you clearly your strengths and calling. Then begin to build upon them! Even if you’ve never done anything with it before, or if you’ve failed time and time again, God’s gifts are still residing within you. His call can never be withdrawn or taken back. It’s never to late no matter how old, or how young you are. No matter how inexperienced or unqualified you think you are. Let the Lord worry about the words to say and the path to take. All we have to do is take the first step in obedience, and He will always meet us there.
Remember, there are people whose lives are waiting to be touched and changed by what God has placed in you!
~ Exhort One Another Daily Hebrews 3:13
Often when we can’t handle the pressure of today, we escape into remembering the good old days or we dream of tomorrow when things will be better. However, until we learn to live now, you miss what God has for you. The Christian life is lived one day at a time. Listen to Hebrews “Exhort one another daily/” Someone you know is going through a rough time, and the word you have is just what they need. It was a kitchen maid who led Naam, captain of Syria’s army to the Lord, & to his healing.
In Acts 2:46 it says, “and they continuing daily, breaking bread from house to house.” Beware of isolation! When your by yourself, you may be in the worst possible company. God wants to use other’s to bless you, strengthen you, and be a support system in you life.
Pastor Turner
And we know that all things work together for good to them… who are called according to His purpose
Romans 8:28
Before you ask for blessing, ask for purpose. Before you ask for relationships, ask for direction. When it comes to people, the right one’s add to you and the wrong one’s subtract from you. If God didn’t send them, you don’t want them.
Success is not at the top of ladder or pastoring the biggest church in town. Success is not being married to a “10” or driving the best car money can buy, NO! Success is being in the middle, smack in the center of God’s will for your life.
When you are there, you know all things, all things are working together for your good. That’s a great way to live!
~ Pastor Turner
We have been talking about vision and faith, letting God speak to us through His word so that we are able to see the invisible. Enabling us through Him to do the impossible. However, we also need the Lord’s anointing or supernatural assistance to discern what God is saying to us.
First, as pentecostals we must never forget that the Holy Spirit is a person, not an it. Second, as people of the word we must never lose sight of the bible as truth, absolute truth. God’s word is not just a piece of literature. Third, as holy people we must demonstrate in word and deed that character matters, regardless of our title. Finally, we are a people on a God given mission, we can not become side tracked from our mission.
Only Jesus can heal our fractured world! We are called to proclaim Him as our healer, as well as our Saviour, baptizer and soon coming King.
~ Pastor Turner
Romans 8:31 “What shall I say then, if God be for us who can be against us?”
There is nothing God loves more than keeping promises, answering prayers, performing miracles, and fulflilling dreams. That is who He is, that is what He does. It is absolutely imperative that followers of Jesus come to terms with this simple yet life changing truth; God is for us! If we do not beleive this, we will pray small and timid prayers. Prayers are prophecies, they are the best predictions of our spiritual future.
If we live with confidence that God is for us, we will pray big audacious prayers. Remember God is for you, not against you! 1 John 5:14-15 says, This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
~ Pastor Turner
~ Psalms 90:12
Many businesses are taking inventory this time of year. We are getting year end reports from the stock markets & auto company’s. The fiscal year for many businesses closed on Dec. 31st and began a new on January 1st.
I think it would be good today to take an inventory of who are lives have been for the past year. Along with the inventory, make plans for the new year. We need to take stock of:
* where we have been
* where we are going
* where would we like to be spiritually this time next year
What have I learned from the mistakes of the past, what am I doing to avoid them in the future. Where do I hope to be next year, and how am I going to get there? Begin to ask yourself these questions at the start of this new year. Set your goals and then answer the how, by coming up with a plan of steps to get there. Nothing comes by simply just wanting it, we have to be proactive and start taking action to see results. Be encouraged things can change, and we can start over when we fall short ~ His mercies are new every single morning to start again!
“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him.” (Matthew 2:10-11)
The Magi set out on a life changing journey to follow the brightest star they’d ever seen. Did they fully understand the meaning? Scholars are not sure, but the Magi did know they couldn’t ignore it. Have you ever felt drawn by something that you couldn’t completely explain but couldn’t ignore? It can be exciting, scary, exhausting, exhilarating, and so many other things along the way. However, what happens at the end of a life-changing journey, when the mission you set out on is finally accomplished?
In the story of the Magi, they saw the star that came to rest over the place where Jesus was, and they were overjoyed. They bowed and worshipped Him! The end to following Jesus is always Jesus. The final result of a life-changing journey is worship. Yes you will be transformed along the way, but the ultimate transformation comes through and in Jesus. This advent season, as you journey toward Bethlehem, let joy and worship go hand in hand as you rejoice in the gift of Jesus and respond by worshipping Him!