Comfort in the Time of Fear

Fear has a way of taking hold of your heart in spite of your best efforts to ignore it. Even those of you who KNOW perfectly well that your God is there for you find yourself shaken by fear at times. I thought I had put fear behind me but recently it reared its UGLY head again. I remembered where I go in times of anxiety and fear and the Lord did not let me down. Here is my favorite verse. I always find comfort in these words.

Psalm 27

 ¹The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

 ²When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

 ³Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

 ⁴One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

 ⁵For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

 ⁶And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

 ⁷Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

 ⁸When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

 ⁹Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

 ¹⁰When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.

 ¹¹Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

 ¹²Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

 ¹³I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

 ¹⁴Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

How Much Do You Love Me?

John 21: 15-17

¹⁵So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

 ¹⁶He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

 ¹⁷He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

________________________________________________________________________________

Jesus looked at Simon Peter with a question. Do you love me more than these? Peter was determined that his love was enough. Jesus gave Peter a command to show his love by serving others. This question is still valid today. How much are you willing to serve and show your love. Does your love have limits? Will you love Him if you lose your house, family, land, or other valuable. God wants to know, but you need to know, too. 

Will You Dance For It?

^{Habakkuk 3: 17-19}

¹⁷Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

 ¹⁸Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

 ¹⁹The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

Brother JJ Bourne recently asked a question of our church... Will You Dance For It? 

This was very puzzling and most of us did not understand what he meant to ask. I have pondered this question for months trying to understand what the Bishop meant us to know. I believe I have found the answer in Habakkuk. Can you dance with joy before the Lord when everything in your life is in chaos? Can you worship the Lord with all your heart when your heart is broken? How much do you love the Lord? Does your love for the Lord cover the loss of family, friends, money, houses, land? Can you worship when everything seems to be gone? 

Matthew 10: 37-39

³⁷ “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

Blesses Be the Name of the Lord

Can You Do This?

Acts 3
¹ One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. ² Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. ⁴ Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” ⁵ So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

 ⁶ Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” ⁷ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. ⁸ He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. ⁹ When all the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

__________________________________________________________________

Can You Do This? Are you a believer? If you are a believer, why can't you do this? If you have the Holy Ghost and Power that fell on the Day of Pentecost... I ask you again. Why can't you do this? According to Mark 16: 17-18 all believers WILL be able to lay hands on the sick who will recover. If you cannot do this, you need to ask yourself very seriously why not. 

A Child is Born

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9: 6


While we share our Christmas Dinners and enjoy the gifts, please take a moment to remember the King of Kings whose birth we commemorate on December 25. Some of us spend too much time worrying if Jesus was actually born on Dec 25. It really does not matter. He came. He was born. He died so that we can have eternal life. A gift like that deserves consideration. 

Persuasion

2 Timothy 1:12
For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I havebelieved, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.



 ³⁸For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
 ³⁹Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So what do you believe? Remember that everything you get from God, or know of God is decided in your mind when you are persuaded to believe. The strength of that belief is what keeps you moving toward your goal when everything in your life seems to be going wrong. Stand firm in your belief. Stand on the promises of God.

Caleb... This is What a Miracle Looks Like

When you pray without doubting, a miracle will come. If you have wholehearted faith your miracle will come. Six montha ago God gave me a vision of this longed for child. My vision was so clear I knew the color of his hair, his sex, the color of his skin, the time of the year he would come and the little standup curls on the top of his head. I asked God to bless this child, keep him safe until the time for him to come, and send the Angels to guard him until he reached safe harbor.

When he came he was exactly as I saw in the vision. He came on time. He knew all of us. God did one better because when this baby came he knew us. Oh yes, the angels were with this child since his birth, guarding and protecting him. His name is Caleb...another message from God. Caleb means wholehearted faith. Caleb was one of the two spies who followed Moses from Egypt that believed wholeheartedly that God's promises were true. God sent us a message from Caleb of old to remind us to never doubt, but maintain wholehearted faith.

How much God must have loved Caleb of old. Wouldn't it be wonderful for God to love you so much that he used you as a landmark to someone in need? What a wonderful thing...to be beloved and remembered by God.