The blog contains daily devotions and notes from the weekly messages.  We encourage you to review the notes during the sermon or through the week!  Most of the posts will have an audio and/or video link at the end of the notes.  From time to time the pastors will share other insights and devotions here.
 
Note:
We realize it isn’t easy to always find what you are looking for, so we are in the process of organizing these blogs.  Click HERE to go to an index of blogs that reference our YouTube channel in order to get you where you need to go…

Search the Blog

Live Like a Champion – Week 45

The Promise of the Father’s Discipline

Hebrews 12: 5-11

 

— Kids’ time: 

Do your parents ever tell you ‘no’?

What is something your parents have said NO to, or told you that you can’t do that you really want to do. Why do they do that? Don’t they want you to just be happy?

 

What would happen if you got everything you think you want?

Do they ever make you do something you don’t want to do?

What would happen if you never had to do something you didn’t want to do?

(Examples: What would go wrong if you never…. cleaned your room? went to school?)

 

SOMETIMES there are things we really, really want, something that seems so good and we think it would make us so happy, but it’s actually not good for us. And in fact, not only would it not make us happy, it would make us hurt or sad.

 

And SOMETIMES there are things that don’t seem appealing at all, things we really do NOT want to do or have, but they’re actually very important and we need them very much.

 

God gave us parents to help us know the difference, because right now you’re little and you need help making decisions. At some point, you’ll be big and your parents and the people who take care of you, they won’t tell you what to do anymore (well, not if your family is functional and healthy, although you might end up like Everybody Loves Raymond). But mostly, parents stop telling you what to do and at some point its YOUR job to take care of yourselves.

 

You know what though? They tell you no sometimes and make you do things sometimes because they love you very very much, and they want to help protect you and keep you safe so that you eventually make it to THIS big, and so you’ll know how to be a good, and kind, and wise person who has a healthy and meaningful life. That’s what they want. They want you to be ok and to be well.

 

And guess what guys- OBEDIENCE isn’t just something kids have to do. I know it might seem like someday you’ll grow up and then you’ll get to do whatever you want, and you’re going to eat all the candy you want. But there is still someone who knows better than we do, and who we have to trust to tell us what to do and that’s God. God is like a parent but even better because he is PERFECT. Right now you’re practicing learning how to trust and obey. God is your Father in Heaven and He knows so much better than we do, and he invites us to trust him and obey him, now when you’re young but also for the rest of your life. [PRAY].
 
(Dismiss kids.)

 

Read Hebrews 12: 5-11

Background:  This passage written by a preacher, who is not currently with his congregation. The preacher wants to encourage his people because they’re weary and at risk for simply giving up their pursuit of Jesus. They’re worn out. Hebrews is written to a group of Christians whose commitment (for some) is waning and attendance is lax. Perhaps the challenges of their lives had demoralized them, because they had hoped Christ’s return would have come sooner, and they are losing hope. So the preacher is encouraging them to not give up but keep going with Jesus.

 

The Christian life is hard. Following Jesus and having faithful and obeying God is hard. Sometimes it may feel like it’s not even worth it, and maybe it would be easier to just stop trying to have faith and obey God. The preacher reminds them that they aren’t alone, that their struggle is the great struggle of all Christians, in all times and all places. It’s not just you; this struggle is our common experience as brothers and sisters, here and globally, now and for hundreds of years. “True participation in the Christian faith always carries a price.” Life is hard for everyone- but for a Christian, in the midst of all the common challenges of being a human, faithfulness to Jesus is especially costly.

 

The preacher here is like a night nurse coming to the bedside of his hurting congregation to reassure them that the pain they feel is not a destructive anguish but a healing one. The suffering they are experiencing may seem like it is generated at random from the harsh forces in this world, but it is actually the expression of God’s parental discipline, which is a good thing.

 

How is God’s correction a good thing?

 

  1. Because it proves that god loves us. The only children who aren’t disciplined are those who are abandoned and unloved.
  2. Our parents disciplined us as kids, and at the time we grumbled or fought it, but as we got older we recognized it was actually for our best. “As children we were rarely enthusiastic about our parent’s control over us or their correction”, but looking back it was necessary and even good.
  3. The end result is worth the pain, because the end result is that we grow up to be like God our father, and to mature into his image and share in his holiness. Peaceful harvest of right living… peaceful= good. He wants peace and goodness and meaning and joy for us. He is not arbitrarily wounding us, but rather guiding us into the best possible way of life. Right living=a good life of virtue and value. Peaceful confidence that we have spent our life well.

 

To a child, something that is very appealing might actually not be good for them, and consequently something that is very unappealing may be exactly what is needed. So the rules, demands, correction, words of advice are not arbitrary at all, but full of purpose and meaning, like the guide wires on a young sapling, helping it have the best chance to grow tall and strong and healthy.

 

**The idea that all of human suffering is the result of God trying to teach us a lesson is untenable. This is not meant to be an absolute principle, but a pastoral encouragement, a way to make sense of the struggle to be faithful, and encouragement to not give up. He is not trying to explain all suffering. This passage is not meant to be interpreted as a broad theology for suffering. We may not find useful lessons in things like war and famine. God is not cruelly creating pain to teach us things. This is a pastor trying to encourage his congregation to see how God is at work in their challenges, because often those very circumstances make us stronger, wiser, more faithful and loving. That doesn’t mean we look back on our suffering and say, “sorrow has its lessons” but rather we look back and say “Thank you Jesus for being faithful to help me”. He is offering them a perspective on their struggles, that will encourage them and also help them to see what they are going through not as evidence of God’s anger and rejection, but a sign of his care and embrace.

 

Vs. 1-4 give us the example of the suffering of Jesus, as a MODEL, (not as a judgement), of how to endure struggles. It’s not that “what you’re going through is nothing compared to what Jesus went through”, but rather, “you can get through this if you keep your eyes on Jesus, who was victorious over every kind of struggle and can carry you through your own”.

 

Vs.12-13 concludes with an exhortation, to a group of people who were stumbling and faltering, to recover their strength and stay the course. Don’t fall down- don’t quit. Keep going. Renew your trust and commitment.

 

What is the big idea of this passage?

 

God disciplines us because he loves us and wants us to grow up to be like him.

 

Consider how God wants to teach and develop you through the difficult challenges of life. If you’re feeling weary and starting to give up, don’t. Don’t quit. Resolve to trust Jesus, look away to him, and endure what life is throwing at you. God is not abandoning you or being cruel to you- he is a good and caring father. He wants to make you more like himself so that your life will actually be full of joy and goodness and peace.

 

Read: Lamentations 3:19-33

God is not cruelly using our pain and suffering just to teach us some lessons!

 

Questions to ponder: 

Where in your life is God trying to discipline and shape you?

Are you resisting Him, or submitting to Him?

Can you trust that He knows what is truly best for your life?

 
 

You can listen to the message here:

 

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

 
For a copy of the Handout Katie used, click on this link:  2021-11-07 Promises of Victory Wk 45 – Katie Kinnaird – Handout.
 
 
 

Read more...

Seize the Moment – Day 599

Today’s hymn focus will be

“Surely Goodness and Mercy”

 

 

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

 

Alfred B. Smith and John W. Peterson were two well-known gospel song writers that collaborated in 1958 to create this hymn based on a popular paraphrase of Psalm 23. This song had a bit of a humorous inspiration based on the following story:

 
Philip Bliss grew up in a country school where his first teacher was Miss Murphy, whom he dearly loved. As part of her class, the young children had to memorize the 23rd Psalm. When the part of ‘surely goodness and mercy’ was reached, little Philip thought it said ‘surely good Miss Murphy shall follow me all the days of my life.’ This little incident focused our thoughts on the phrase which became the heart and title of our song.”

 

 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days,

all the days of my life

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days,

all the days of my life

 

 

We need to carry the truth of this musical message as we live in and with the joy and confidence that our Heavenly Father loves and care so much for us.

 

 
 
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
 
 
If you would like to hear this song, click on the link below:
 

Surely Goodness and Mercy

 
Verse 1:
A pilgrim was I, and a wandering,
In the cold night of sin I did roam,
When Jesus the kind Shepherd found me,
And now I am on my way home.

Chorus:
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days, all the days of my life;
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days, all the days of my life.

And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever,
And I shall feast at the table spread for me;
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days, all the days of my life.

Verse 2:
He restoreth my soul when I’m weary,
He giveth me strength day by day;
He leads me beside the still waters,
He guards me each step of the way.

Verse 3:
When I walk through the dark lonesome valley,
My savior will walk with me there;
And safely His great hand will lead me
To the mansions He’s gone to prepare.
 
 

Read more...

Seize the Moment – Day 598

The Star of the Show!

Numbers 24

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, November 5.

 

Everyone wants to be the star of the show, but there can be only One!

 

Surprisingly, Balaam realized that God was the star of the show! Listen to Numbers 24:1,
 
“When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times to seek omens but he set his face toward the wilderness [the Israelite camp].”

 

In Numbers 24:17, God used Balaam’s fourth and final oracle to point to the true star of the show, the coming of the Messiah:
 
“I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob, A scepter shall rise from Israel, and shall crush through the forehead of Moab, and tear down all the sons of Sheth.”

 

God used an ancient seer, saved from the angel of the Lord by a talking donkey, and paid by an enemy king to curse Israel, to proclaim the coming of the Messiah-King!

 

A Bible scholar explains the connection between Balaam’s ancient oracle and the messianic prophecy of Jesus Christ:

 

Numbers 24:17 was considered messianic in ancient Jewish thinking, but no one thought of a celestial sign when reading it. … For Israelites, star language pointed to the Messiah-King. Numbers 24:17 is therefore the backdrop for interpreting some odd passages in Revelation.[1]

 

Jesus described Himself in Revelation 22:16,
 
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star” (cf. Revelation 2:26-28).

 

Seize the moment and point to Jesus Christ with your life—He alone is the star of the show! May He shine brightly in and through you!

 
God bless your day!
 
 
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
 
 

[1] Michael S. Heiser, The Bible Unfiltered: Approaching Scripture on Its Own Terms (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017), 218–219.

 

Read more...

Seize the Moment – Day 597

 

Transforming a Curse into a Blessing!

Numbers 23

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, November 4.

 

People often turn blessings into curses, but God transforms curses into blessings!

 

In Joshua 24:9-10, Joshua gives God’s perspective of what happened in the story of Balaam: “Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel, and he sent and summoned Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. But I was not willing to listen to Balaam. So he had to bless you, and I delivered you from his hand.”

 

In Numbers 23, that story unfolded as Balak brought Balaam to three strategic locations to look down upon Israel to curse them. But God… God met with Balaam and put a word in his mouth (4-5). Balak brought Balaam to curse, but in verses 7-10, God transformed it into a blessing:

 

How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced? As I see him from the top of the rocks, and I look at him from the hills; Behold, a people who dwells apart, and will not be reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob, Or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his!

 

Afterwards, in verses 11-12, watch the confusion of the king of Moab:
 
“Then Balak said to Balaam, ‘What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have actually blessed them!’ [Balaam] replied, ‘Must I not be careful to speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?’”

 

When we meditate upon God’s Word and prayerfully cultivate a mindset of awareness to God’s presence, then every moment is transformed into a providential opportunity to speak His Words and be a blessing to others.

 

Seize the moment and “bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:28).

 

God bless your day!
 
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

Read more...

Seize the Moment – Day 596

Walk in the Way of Jesus!

Numbers 22

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, November 3.

 

Do you remember the Sunday School story of the man whose donkey talked to him?

 

The story of Balaam is told in Numbers 22—24. It’s about a seer (an old word for prophet), named Balaam, who was hired under pressure by Balak, the king of Moab, to curse the Israelites.

 

Two supernatural events happened to Balaam on his way to Balak:

 

  1. An angel speaks! God’s anger arose against Balaam, so God sent the angel of Yahweh. A donkey saved Balaam’s life. The angel testified to this in Numbers 22:33: “But the donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, I would surely have killed you just now, and let her live.”

 

  1. A donkey speaks! Before Balaam knew the donkey was saving his life, he beat his donkey for being obstinate. As if preparing Balaam for God’s rebuke from His angel, Numbers 22:28a states, “the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey.”

 

Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke—a mad prophet, a talking donkey, and an angel are traveling down the road together … But this is no joke; rather, it is a real historic event used to warn us to not follow the way of corruption!

 

Peter compared false prophets and teachers to Balaam in 2 Peter 2:15-16:

 

Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet (cf. Jude 11-13).

 

Seize the moment and walk in the way of Jesus! The best way to not be led astray into the way of Balaam is to abide in the easy yoke of Jesus Christ.

 
God bless your day!
 
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

Read more...

Seize the Moment – Day 595

Go

Matthew 10:7 (ESV)         
Today’s key word is “GO”.

 

 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”

 

We as a church emphasize the command of Matthew 28:19-20 to
 
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
 
But this was not the first time that Jesus told the disciples to “GO”. He had spent time with the Twelve, showing them how to minister to the lost with compassion and grace. But in this context, He emphasized “As you go…”, calling them to make this not something they do only on Sundays, but for it to be a part of their lifestyle.

 

This is why it is important for us to start our day with some time alone with God. I mean, if Jesus did, then why shouldn’t we? He will prepare our hearts and the Holy Spirit will give us the words to say just when we need them.

 

I need to remind each and every one of us that we are they only Jesus that some folks will ever see. We cannot wait for them to come to church, but we need to be His light and His love to a group or an individual that is in need of a Savior.
 
Won’t you go?
 
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

Read more...

Seize the Moment – Day 594

Serve

1 Peter 4:10-11 (ESV)                  
 
Our key word is “SERVE”.

 

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

 

Continuing with the thought of God’s provisions, we are once again encouraged to take the gifts that God has given us by His grace and be good stewards of them. We are to use them to serve one another in love and grace. Just as we are all called to be ministers of the Gospel, His witnesses proclaiming the truths of God, we are all also called to serve.

 

In the Old Testament, it was the tribe of Levi that was chosen by God to serve in the temple and to serve the other eleven tribes. They were born into that responsibility. However, in the New Testament, Jesus brought about a new way of thinking: “It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,(Matthew 20:26).

 

We need to remember the words of the old hymn “There is Joy in Serving Jesus”

There is joy, joy, Joy in serving Jesus,
Joy that throbs within my heart;
Ev’ry moment, ev’ry hour, As I draw upon His power,
There is joy, joy, Joy that never shall depart.

 

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

Read more...

Live Like a Champion – Week 44

The Promise of Provision

2 Corinthians 9:6-10

Also:  Isaiah 58:11; Psalm 37:25:  Philippians 4:6-9,19; Ephesians 6:6-8, 10-18

 

2 Corinthians 9:6-10

 

Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor.  Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”

10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.”

 

Before I even begin this message, let me preempt it by this is not a message on tithing or giving. But rather, it is a message to show you who is the one blessing you and giving you all that you have so that you can be His vessel used to bless others.

 

Provision is defined as “an amount or thing supplied or provided; supplies of food, drink, or equipment, especially for a long journey.” It is all the things you need…not want, but need!  Tina and I use this concept of ‘want vs need’ to help keep our budget in check. Is this item we are looking to purchase a want or a need? Even if it is on sale or on clearance, does it fulfill a need in our lives?

 

The scriptural basis for the statement we have probably heard many times in church “Where God guides, He provides” is found in Isaiah 58:11:

 

“The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.”

 

From the very beginning of time, God has provided for all of mankind’s needs…Adam and Eve in the garden; Noah with the plans for the ark to save his family and the animals; a wife for Isaac; blessing everything that Joseph put his hand to do, and the list goes on and on. If God is the same yesterday, today and forever, wouldn’t you think that He is still doing those same things today?

 

Testimony of provision: My electrician (I had the money, but God provided a blessing)

 

I. Physical Provision

 

Testimony from David:       Psalm 37:25

I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread.”

 

Protection and Guidance

 

Exodus 13:21-22

“ The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. 22 And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people.”

 

 

Acts 16:16-40

~It was providential that they would be there.

~They were released, but stayed to lead the jailer and his family to know Jesus

 

 
Water and Food
 

Exodus 15-16

~Fresh water from different sources (later it came from a rock)

~Daily bread (aka manna)

God provided and still they complained.

 

From Keith Green’s “So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt”

Manna hotcakes, flaming manna soufflé, manna waffles, manna burgers, manna-cotti, bamanna bread.

They had water, a carb and a protein!

 

ILLUSTRATION: Sunday Meal at our house
 

Matthew 14:13-21

~Limited resources

~God gave the increase, they all ate as much as they wanted and had leftovers!

 

II. Spiritual Provision and Protection

 

 

Ephesians 6:10-18

~Full Armor…not pick and choose. Belt of truth, Breastplate of righteousness, Shoes of the gospel of peace, Shield of faith, Helmet of salvation, Sword of the Word.

*Special note….no back piece, because it is God who has our back!

~We have to be the ones to put it on. Then and only then will we be able to stand against the schemes of the devil!!!

 

Why do we need to do this?

 

Ephesians 6:12

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

 

I could easily get on a soapbox right now and talk about why I believe and feel convicted about not practicing certain holiday traditions, or read certain books or watch rated R or horror films. Then it becomes a thing of “that’s what you believe, or your religious upbringing.” So instead, I want to pose this question…

 

Is God being glorified in what you are doing/reading/watching?

 

The devil is doing all he can to desensitize us to the real ‘spiritual warfare’ that is going on around us. A friend pointed out that C.S. Lewis wrote of this in The Screwtape Letters, about how we get distracted and waste the most precious of our gifts…time!

 

“…you will find that anything or nothing is sufficient to attract his wandering attention. You no longer need a good book, which he really likes, to keep him from his prayers or his work or his sleep; a column of advertisements in yesterday’s paper will do. You can make him waste his time not only in conversation he enjoys with people whom he likes, but also in conversations with those he cares nothing about, on subjects that bore him. You can make him do nothing at all for long periods. You can keep him up late at night, not roistering, but staring at a dead fire in a cold room. All the healthy and outgoing activities which we want him to avoid can be inhibited and nothing given in return, so that at last he may say…’I now see that I spent most my life in doing neither what I ought nor what I liked.”

― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

 

We cannot be complacent to that which is going on and just write it off as a part of life. We as a church are called to be the game changers, not us changing to be like the world. We should be bringing God’s grace, truth and love into mix! We are called out to ‘not be conformed to the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds’, getting rid of the stinking thinking like Jerry talked about last week. It is not about us and what we want, but rather what God wants.

 

Let me re-read a portion of the scripture passage for today from the ESV

 

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written,

“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
    his righteousness endures forever.”

10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.”                                                                                                     

2 Corinthians 9:8-11

 

It is not just about the provision, but rather what that provision truly is…God’s grace! God’s grace is freely given to us and we are to freely give it to others. We cannot truly show God’s love if we are giving to meet a need, but looking down our noses at them. Remember, there but for the grace of God, go I! This is where the rubber meets the road on showing who we are truly serving.

 

Paul gives us the recipe for success, and Pastor Jerry shared it last week, but needs to be repeated.

 

Turn to Philippians 4:6-9

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

 

If we are doing this, then there is not time for idle talk, because we will be talking about what Jesus is doing in our lives. If we are filling our minds with the good things of God, then we won’t have space for the sinful thoughts to take up residency. For it is God’s peace that we need to experience and have as the protection and provision of our hearts and lives.

 

God loves us so much that He has given us the tools/provisions to be able to go through this life’s journey. If we are needing anything in our lives, we need to take it to Him in prayer and believe that He will provide just what we need.

 

You can listen to the message here:

 

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

 

Read more...

Seize the Moment – Day 592

Today’s hymn focus will be

“God Will Take Care of You”

 
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

 

This hymn was composed in 1905 while Dr. Walter Martin and his wife Civilla were living in Lestershire, New York. Dr. Martin was invited to preach at a church some distance away. Civilla suddenly became ill, making it impossible for her to attend the service with her husband. He was seriously considering not going when their young son spoke up and said, “Father, don’t you think that God wants you to preach today? He will take care of Mother while you are away!” So he left to preach.

 

He returned later that evening to find the verses and chorus written by his wife that were inspired by their son’s statement. He was so inspired, that he immediately sat down and wrote the music:

 

            God will take care of you, Through every day, o’er all the way;

            He will take care of you, God will take care of you.

 

We need to follow the promise of this verse by humbling ourselves before God, casting all our anxieties and cared on Him. Why? Because He cares for you and has it under His mighty hand.

 
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
 
If you would like to hear this song, click on the link below:
 

God Will Take Care of You

1
Be not dismayed whate’er betide,
God will take care of you;
Beneath his wings of love abide,
God will take care of you.
 
Refrain:
God will take care of you,
through ev’ry day, o’er all the way;
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you.
 
2
Through days of toil when heart doth fail,
God will take care of you;
When dangers fierce your path assail,
God will take care of you. [Refrain]
 
3
No matter what may be the test,
God will take care of you;
Lean, weary one, upon his breast,
God will take care of you. [Refrain]
 

Read more...

Seize the Moment – Day 591

LOVE

1 John 4:7-8 (NLT)        

 

Today’s key word is “LOVE”.

 

1 John 4:7-8 (NLT)   

 

“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God.  Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.  But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

 

Sadly, the word ‘love’ has been watered down to cover so many different things: “I love chocolate” or I love this fall weather” or “I love it when a certain football team loses!” or “I love the smell and taste of fresh brewed coffee.”

 

All of these are not the LOVE that is talked about in these verses. This is AGAPE, the true love that can only come from God and having a relationship with Him. That is why the author of this book is so emphatic that you cannot have this type of love unless you know God. Not just a head knowledge of Him, but an intimate relationship with Him.
 
The scriptures tell us in John 13:23 “One of His disciples, whom Jesus loved, was leaning against Jesus’ chest.” That disciple was this author. I could see him longing to hear the Savior’s heart as He talked with the disciples around the table during the Last Supper.

 

You and I need to have that same desire, to press in to have a loving relationship with Jesus so that we can hear His heartbeat. To have His compassion and empathy towards those that we interact with could really change our world. May we love each and every one of them with the same love that God has!
 
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

Read more...