by Pastor Cecil | Jul 6, 2017 | Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy 31:8
“And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
When the turmoils of life hit full force we sometimes feel that we are all alone and there is no one who knows what we are going through. It is during the lows of life that Satan tries to convince us that all is lost and there is not a God who cares about us.
Just because we are not able to see God does not equate to His not being there. We are given promises that He goes before us in order to prepare the way ahead of us. Where God calls us to go, He has already been.
There will be times in life when we may be surrounded by a huge throng of people and yet feel totally alone. I am told that this is often a common feeling experienced by those living in large cities. Alone in a sea of humanity! But in that crowd we will always find the One who is closer than a brother.
It is possible to find ourselves far from civilization and all alone. It is in these quiet and alone times that we can hear the still, small voice of the Lord speaking and giving us the assurance that we are never alone. Praise the Lord!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 5, 2017 | James
James 4:8
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
It is often scary to go where others have never gone before. I recall sitting with my wife and both sets of our parents on July 20, 1969, watching a black and white television screen and witnessing the first steps Neil Armstrong took on the moon.
There are many pioneers who have been the first to step out into the unknown. Sometimes it is in the physical world, but often it is in the spiritual realm. To obey God when others around us are walking in disobedience requires both faith and courage.
At our church service this past Sunday we were challenged by the testimony of a man who prays to be used of God in sharing his faith. This man has led over twenty people to the Lord at local coffee shops. He fervently prays that God will give him the words to share with people and then follows through.
We need to draw nearer to the Lord each passing day in order to be able to hear as He speaks to us. Like Neil Armstrong stepping onto the surface of the moon, it may be like stepping into uncharted territory for us, but as we bow before our Master, He will purify us for His service. GO FIRST!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 4, 2017 | John
John 3:17
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
I have enjoyed the rare privilege of working in a wide range of positions in the criminal justice field. I have walked the streets as a “street cop,” and I have driven a patrol car. I served as a County Juvenile Probation Officer and was a Probation and Parole Specialist with the Idaho State Law Enforcement Planning Commission.
As you can see, my life experience goes beyond the pulpit. In contemplating John 3:17, I see that Satan delights in clouding our minds to think of God as an evil Master who delights in making people miserable. God does not condemn the world (that was a free choice that Satan enticed Adam and Eve to make).
I like to think of God as the Almighty Parole Officer. He freely offers guilty men and women freedom from the penalty of sin. The choice to accept His gift is left up to each of us who are the condemned offenders.
The arms of the Lord are open wide to receive any and all who come to Him by grace through faith. There is nothing we can ever do to earn or deserve His gift of eternal life. We either accept or decline. Oh, I hope each of you will accept!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 3, 2017 | 2 Timothy
2 Timothy 4:2
“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.”
Long holiday weekends or vacation times are often referred to as “down times.” For the child of God, however, that is never the case. Paul counsels his son in the faith, Timothy, to be ready at all times.
Ready for what we may ask? To CONVINCE – REBUKE – EXHORT. In order to be ready we must be prepared. That means we need to be diligent in reading the Word of God and living it out in our life.
The deeper we go in the understanding of God’s plan and purpose for Adam’s fallen race, the more we will see that His love reaches down to the lowest. It is our privilege to be used by God.
Are you ready? Can you be relied upon to do God’s work, God’s way in God’s perfect timing? Let me leave you with another word of encouragement Paul gives Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 30, 2017 | Jeremiah
Jeremiah 29:11-13
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
I would dare to say that almost all of us experienced some sort of trial in our life. It could be the loss of health, a financial meltdown, death of a mate or child or any number of catastrophic events. It is not whether or not we will encounter these trials, but rather what we will do when they arise.
The phrase, “Praise to the Lord” occurs in at least 155 verses in the Bible. That indicates to me that we need to spend far more time praising the Lord than we do. It would be well to replace our complaints with words of praise to the Lord.
Over 300 years ago, Joachim Neander was a hymn writer for the German Reform church. He was going through a time of trial and testing in his life. He would take long walks and pour his heart out to the Lord. It was on one of these walks that he came to the realization that it was not his strength that would give him victory and peace, but rather the powerful God he served. It was in that state of mind that he composed this week’s featured hymn.
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, Now to His temple draw near;
Join me in glad adoration!
Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires e’er have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?
Praise to the Lord, who with marvelous wisdom hath made thee!
Decked thee with health, and with loving hand guided and stayed thee;
How oft in grief hath not He bought thee relief,
Spreading His wings for to shade thee!
Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him!
Let the Amen sound from His people again;
Gladly for aye we adore Him.
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video from Gloryscapes.com. You may also access it by going to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/praisetothelordthealmighty/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
