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Trust

My daughter amazes me at the amount of trust she has in me.  She will leap into my arms, without an ounce of worry, believing that I will catch her and not let her fall.  How much trust do you have?  Peter, one of the boldest disciples, had a great amount of trust in Jesus.  On a stormy night, with high winds and heavy rain, the disciples were struggling to cross over the sea that Jesus had commanded them to sail on.  In one of the hardest times in their lives, Jesus, their master, was absent.  But when Jesus appears to them, it was Peter who had such an abandoning trust that it got him out of the boat and walking on water toward Jesus.  Peter does fall short by taking his attention off Jesus, but at least he had enough courage to step out of what he knew, because he was a fisherman afterall, and to go to Jesus knowing that Jesus would not let him drown.  Maybe that is why we as followers of Christ don't see God move the way we want Him to.  Are we letting go and falling toward our savior or are we holding on a little to tight to what we know?  To have trust is to let go not knowing what will happen.  But just remember that you won't know if you can walk on water until you let go of the boat.

Matthew Norris

Be Still And Know That I Am God

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD……

In Psalm 46 verse 10 the word says to be still and know that He is God. Sometimes we get so carried away with the pressures of day to day life that we forget to do just what this verse asks us to do. We tend to scurry about doing this and that and when things go wrong we wonder why it happened. This is not a call to inaction but rather a call to faith. It takes great faith to be still and trust that God is indeed who He says He is. It would be so much easier to just do something. In my own experiences though it is the times that I am still and listen for God’s still small voice, that I have my faith increased. It is in the quiet times with God that He shows me the things that need to be removed from my life. It is also in these times that He shows me the steps that He would have me to take for my life. Now whether or not I take these steps is still up to me but it is easier to be obedient to God’s ways when I have spent time listening to Him. If we are still and know that He is God then He says that He will be exalted among nations and that He will be exalted in the earth. When we trust in God this makes us peculiar. The world tends to lean into their own understanding but we know that our understanding leads to death and destruction. Today, let’s take time to be still and know that He is God. I promise that we will not be disappointed and neither will He.

Jeff ''Bubba'' Morris

Thoughts from my "Secret Garden"

Hi- while I was on my lunch hour, I went back through some 'thoughts' I had written down on different occasions when the Lord and I were having some "secret garden" time. Here are a few.

This one was given to me by the Father on 02/09/2010: "The distinction between the children of God and the children of the world is this; the children of the world base their self worth on the value the world sets on them. Who they are in the eyes of the world defines them. Wealth, education, and social stature are highvalue marks. Poor, uneducated and lower social class are low value marks. The children of God are defined not by the reflection of the world, but by the reflection of Christ within them. Who we are in God's eyes depends on how much of Jesus He sees in us. In other words, we are defined not by the reflection of the world's mirror, but by the reflection of Christ's fruits within us. THAT is the true measure of the children of the Father. God's value scale is a complete reversal of the world's value scale. In the world, the unborn are at the very bottom of the value systembecause they contribute nothing in the eyes of the world. Yet, Jesus said "let the little children come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God." For Him those who are hurting and sick and helpless and innocent are at the very top of his value scale. And how we as a body reflect that love that He feels toward them is a true measure of how much He sees Jesus in us. Remember, Jesus quoted the prophet and said, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anoited me to preach the gospel to the poor (in spirit); He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives (of sin) and recovering of sight to the (spiritually) blind, to set at liberty those that are bruised (in spirit), and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." Then He said, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." There are many in the church today who think they are in the body of Christ, but if God looks into the mirror of their soul, it reflects not the shining love of Christ, but a dark and stormy sea of confused values. Do not wait for the return of the Bridegroom to realize you have no oil in your lamp. Seek Him while He may still be found. This is the Day of the Lord.

This is one the Father gave me on 03/15/2009 when we were having a conversation about worship music as opposed to secular music. I guess I was asking Him why music has gone to such extremes - from the beauty of all the musical instruments combined into one orchestra that can come together in complete unity to make the most beautiful music (much like the body of Christ - come to think of it) - to what we hear today - the pounding of nothing but repetition, sex and anger. This is what He told me: "There are two kinds of secular music. One is the heart of the soul crying out for the love of the spiritual father they do not yet recognize - but their innermost soul recognizes the emptiness and seeks to fill it. The second kind of secular music is in the form of worship. It worships it's spiritual father - darkness - and all the fruits of that spirit: lust, hate, anger and rebellion (against God), murder, etc. (see Proverbs 2:14) One main distinction is - one recognizes the darkness and embraces it. The other sees the darkness for what it really is, but their minds do not comprehend that which the heart of the soul seeks. As my body of believers pray for them and as they lift up the name of Jesus, He will draw all those that are lost but seeking the light, to Him. This is the purpose of the living body of Christ."

I have more, but I guess this is sufficient for now. I pray that the Lord Jesus may be glorified through sharing this and that He may draw many unto Him.

Nancy Pekera

Nothing But The Blood

This week the Lord has been dealing with me on the issue of remembering his sacrifice. I recently went through a very traumatic event that was born out of pure rebellion against GOD. Needless to say it was not fun. When I finally realized that I hit rock bottom and decided to look up, I realized that the only thing I needed was the blood of Jesus.

What can wash away our sins?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

As I have come out of the valley I realize more and more everyday just what it means to be covered by the blood. It was a sweet sweet thing that GOD did when he gave his only Son so that you and I could have life.

The question that keeps resounding in my heart is this. Do you remember? You may ask what does that mean. Well do you remember when all seemed lost but GOD showed up just in time or when you didn't know how you were going to pay a bill but somehow the money was there. But most importantly do you remember that when you were lost in sin, the Spirit of God drew you to the cleansing blood of Jesus, and through that blood God provided you with salvation and a new life in Him. So as you go through this week, ask yourself, Do I remember?

Jeff "Bubba" Morris

Taxes

Since this is the month of "tax time" it seemed appropriate to take a moment to reflect on God's word, when it comes to paying our taxes.

In the Bible, it talks about how much the Jews were taxed by the Roman's and how furious they were about it.  Because Rome governed over the Jews and they did not have their own nation, the Jews had to 'pay up' every time the Roman's came up with a new tax, which was fairly frequently.  They were very bitter and angry about how they were being treated by the Roman government, so when Jesus began his ministry, many of the Jews thought He came to deliver them from the 'Roman-tyrants' and to establish His kingdom on earth - as it was predicted in the old testament - the "new Jerusalem".  That was one of the reasons why many Jewish people refused to believe that He was the Son of God - they were upset and confused when He made it clear He was not there for that purpose and that the New Jerusalem was not a physical place but a spiritual place.  That He did not come to deliver them from the tyrants of this earth but the tyrants from a far worse place.  The Jewish religious leaders tried to trip Him up at every opportunity by asking Him legalistic questions in front of crowds that they thought would catch Him saying something against the Roman Government then they could use against Him.  One of those questions was about taxes.  His answers were always simple and to the point.  He said "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and give to God what is God's".  All He was saying was this world is temporal - the things that you worry about are but a moment in time.  Don't worry about the things of this world, those things do not last.  Worry about the condition of your own soul - that is the thing that will last forever.  So if Caesar wants his taxes, give him his taxes.  But give your heart and soul belong to God.  Let God be the judge of Caesar, you just make sure on judgement day that you are under God's grace and not on the judgement seat too.

Remember, the bible says we 'fight not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual entities/powers in high places'.  Yes, there is definitely a war going on, but it's not a physical war it is a spiritual war.  Just because we cannot see it does not mean it's not there, anymore than we can see the wind.  But, we can FEEL it all around us.  Just about everyone has noticed that the 'wind' seems to be picking up force.  The drug wars, terrorism, abortion, the hate, the anger, the violence, lies and deceptions, those are all spiritual fruits from spiritual powers in high places.  Remember, this is not our war, this is God's war and they are fighting for something much more precious that the things of this world.  They are fighting for our souls.  The rest will all pass away.  So give to Caesar what is Caesar's, but make sure you give to God what is God's.

Nancy Pekera

My Secret Garden

Life

I often think of how great it is to have holidays and days of celebration.  Holidays with or without pay, rest from labor, or a time to remember.  God instituted feast and days to remember.  Indeed, all things in heaven and earth come from the hand of the Lord alone (Isa 44:24).  Let us praise God for the crops and animals on this earth in which we all are privileged to enjoy (Ps 65:9-13).  God is concerned with every aspect of our lives, having given us pleasures in which we can take delight with a sense of accountability.  A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labor.  This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God (Eccl 2:24).  Jesus also acknowledged creation and the material world.  The Gospels speak of farmers and fishermen, weddings and holidays, eating and drinking, and celebrating.  In other words, Jesus affirmed God as a creator of the heavenly, earthly and tangible.  We as men and women of God can live in this world and not be of this world.  Jesus said, the thief cometh not, but to steal , and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.  That life is life here on earth.  The highest and best which Christ is and which he gives to His saints.  The highest most blessed of the creature.  Let's enjoy the earthy and tangible, and also sit in heavenly places.

Karl M. Craig

Mercy

Mercy is what I've been thinking about mostly lately, both the giving and receiving of it.  It occurs to me that we all like to receive mercy and we like to be the type of people who are apt to show it easily.  However, how does that show in my daily life?  Do I give mercy as readily as I receive it?  Obviously not.  I find myself quick to avenge any perceived injustice while being just as quick to seek mercy for having done so.  Especially, with those closest to us, do we show this sort of attitude.  We feel that because we are providers and or caretakers and we work hard to provide and take care of our family, we somehow are entitled to peace and quiet, to absolute obedience, to have our own way.  Yet nothing could be farther from the truth, or Truth, more precisely.  You see, He, the Truth, if anyone has been a caretaker or provider it has been and is Him our Lord Jesus Christ.  Yet unlike our attitude of entitlement His attitude is one of a servant the Servant.  That is why He said "he who is greatest among you let him be the servant of all".  I am humbled by His mercy toward me and it drives me, compels me to show mercy.  Thank God for His Spirit because in me dwells no good thing but in me does dwell a good Person, the person Jesus Christ.  May he increase and I decrease.  Amen.

Scott Lewellyn

Luke 2...

Forgive me for stating the obvious..or maybe the not so obvious.  I enjoy this season more than any other.  Cool, refreshing mornings (at least where I am) and short days lead to warm, long nights with the family.  It would be easy to get wrapped up in the Christmas culture and forget the story.  Yesterday morning when I was getting ready for church I had these things on my mind.  I spoke out loud while rushing through the kitchen..."where is the Christmas story in the bible?".  My son and my wife almost instantaneously and in harmony said "Luke 2".  I said thanks and moved on.  I later read those scriptures as a devotion in our worship service.  Little did I know that the guest speaker would reference the same scripture in his sermon.  God has to remind us sometimes that what is important about these days leading up to the celebration of the birth of Christ is not things but Him.  The season is not even about things that are about Him. (i.e. Christmas programs, church, music)  This time is truly about Jesus.  I know that we are all very busy these days and that is okay.  We should be, there is a lot to do.  Let's not forget Luke 2!  Take time and read these scriptures soon.  Jesus gave it all that we could have Him.  Merry Christmas!

Shaun Faulkner

Thanksgiving

The poorest family in our land is more blessed than the poorest family in the world.  We are freely able today to live where we wish, eat where we wish, and love who we wish, especially when it comes to loving and relating to God.  We do need to be thankful today that God has blessed us with a Christian founded nation that allows us to live in these liberties.  God bless all those who have fought for these freedoms.  Above all, glory to the One who gave it all that man would be free from the bondage of sin and live in these creative liberties only experienced in their full potential through a relationship with Him, Jesus Christ.

Solomon Award

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