by Pastor Cecil | Mar 15, 2021 | Isaiah
Isaiah 26:3-4
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.”
The mother of a 5-year-old girl was concerned that her daughter was having scary dreams at night. She felt helpless to deal with the problem of her child’s bad dreams. Have you ever spent a sleepless night tossing and turning? Have you been troubled by frightening dreams that cause you to feel panic stricken?
Bad dreams are not restricted to young children. Many adults are confronted with the reality of horrible dreams that disturb the rest they need. Do you sometimes question what you can do to sleep soundly in the arms of the Lord?
Here is a challenge for anyone who has been having trouble with night terrors. Search out scripture passages that deal with praise and promise. Read these passages several times before you slip into bed.
Today’s Scripture is a wonderful passage for us to use before we retire for the night. It is a promise that the Lord has given to those who will keep their minds stayed on the Lord. May God grant you sweet sleep!
May God richly bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 8, 2021 | Isaiah
Isaiah 6:8
“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’”
What constitutes a call to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ? I am not sure that I have the answer for everyone, but I know my own experience. It was in 1953 in Amarillo, Texas. I was attending Jet Aircraft Maintenance School and Joyce and I were living in a small upstairs apartment. One Sunday afternoon I was surrounded by an awareness of God and an urgency to proclaim the Word of God.
It also seemed that my ministry would be different. It was as if the Lord was telling me that I would be His servant in the trenches, as it were. I was to begin preparing myself for ministry, but He wanted me to be used where He sent me, and that would not necessarily be to an established church.
For years I ministered in places where the US Air Force sent me. It was a thrilling time to see doors open and needs that suddenly appeared. I preached, taught, and made myself available in areas that lacked an established church or minister.
You may be facing a call in your own life. My counsel to you is to wait upon the Lord. Allow Him to reveal the plans He has for you. Do not wait for the established avenues to open up. If God shows you that He is opening a door for you—walk through it!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 4, 2021 | Isaiah
Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
One of the first passages of Scripture I memorized many years ago was this one from Isaiah 41. I am not sure at what point in my life I began to apply the truth of this precious promise to the way I lived. I must confess that there have been times when I failed to apply this truth, but I always seem to be drawn back to it.
There are two things we are warned to remove from our life: FEAR and DISMAY. You may question how we are to get rid of these to “joy robbers” from our life. The answer is given loud and clear: God assures us that He is our God and our strength comes from Him.
He assures us that He is OUR God. That is the personal assurance. He also promises that He will; (1) STRENGTHEN US. (2) HELP US. (3) UPHOLD US WITH HIS RIGHTEOUS RIGHT HAND.
I urge each of us to trust in God’s precious promise to always be there at all times and for every need. We may forsake Him, but He never forsakes us!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 2, 2021 | Isaiah
Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Think of how many times you have walked into a room to get something only to suddenly realize you can’t recall what it was you came in for. (Don’t laugh at us older folks — you yung’uns have had the same experience!) Someone has mentioned that even atheists believe in God because they often ask, “What am I here after?”
I once heard the story about an older gentleman who always called his wife affectionate names like “Honey,” “Sweetie,” “Dearie,” “Love.” When a friend complimented him on the sweet names he called his wife, the old gentleman replied, “I have to, I haven’t been able to remember her name for ten years.”
Peggy Lee, a popular vocalist back in the 50’s, had a hit song titled “Is That All There Is?” It was a depressing song to me. It is an accurate question for many people who try to fill their lives with all of the worldly comforts only to come near the end and find that the things of this life will never satisfy.
God has given His promise to us that He is always there beside us. In the Old Testament He was the hope of all who would trust Him. He gave His word of promise through His prophets; and those who trusted in Him looked down the ages of time, and through the eyes of faith, saw the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 19, 2021 | Isaiah
Isaiah 55:9
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
I once heard a sermon by Dr. W.A. Criswell of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. I cannot for the life of me recall the sermon, but I do recall an illustration he used to demonstrate the deceitful heart of man and to show how far we will go to appear smarter than we really are. Here is his illustration:
Two drunks in a bar were arguing over which of them was the most religious. Finally, one man bet the other $10 that he could not recite The Lord’s Prayer. The man took the bet and began; “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. And if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” The first man stared at him in amazement, reached in his billfold for a $10 bill, handed it to Fred and muttered, “I had no idea you knew it!”
Oh, how sad the lack of knowledge about God and His ways. We can bluff our way past those who have even less knowledge of the Bible than we do, but God knows all about us. There is no way we can fool Him. He knows every thought before we think it and every word before it comes from our lips. That fact should sober us to the reality of cleaning up our act and preparing our heart so that we are acceptable in His sight.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 31, 2020 | Isaiah
Isaiah 65:24
“It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.”
God is never late! In fact we are the ones who delay responding to His calls on our behalf. The truth of the matter is that God has already answered our prayers and set things in motion to have His will and way done.
The problem is that we are often not aware of what He has done and is doing. Our prayers are many times answered in ways that we have not expected and so we fail to recognize what He is doing.
We might, in a manner of speaking, say that our prayers have already been answered . . . but we just have to trust in Him and keep our eyes open to discover how He has answered and if He has something for us to do.
Spend more time in prayer and meditation on the Word of God. Seek to discover the ways of God and fit our lives into those ways. We can rest assured that we serve a God who knows our tomorrows before they ever arrive. HE ANSWERS PRAYER!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
