by Pastor Cecil | Aug 24, 2017 | Ephesians
Ephesians 6:12
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
It was fascinating watching the total solar eclipse on Monday. I watched the NASA channel as well as the Weather Channel as they covered various locations where there was totality of eclipse.
There was no doubt that the people who gathered at those locations were moved by what they had observed. In several instances I heard them mention that it was a “spiritual” experience.
Pardon me? Did I hear that right? The very people who might deny anything to do with the God of the Bible are now saying that they had just experienced a spiritual event? It reminds me that the god of this world blinds the eyes of people many times by deceiving them with so-called spiritual experiences.
I have mentioned many times before that in these last days Satan is using every trick to lead people away from a saving knowledge of Christ. We need to be diligent and rely on the Holy Spirit to convict hearts and give us the words to speak true spirituality.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 17, 2017 | Ephesians
Ephesians 3:20-21
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
I have two cousins who are expert marksmen. In speaking to one of them I discovered that each of us have a dominant eye that may not be the same as whether we are left or right handed. For example, both cousins are right handed, but shoot by sighting with their left eye.
The Bible repeatedly calls us to look to Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith. In today’s Scripture Paul admonishes his readers to focus their attention TO HIM. That means making the rational decision to take careful aim at the target of our faith.
In a world that is increasingly cluttered with things that draw our attention away from the spiritual realm, it is vital that we stop and take careful aim at the things that will matter for eternity. We know that the things of this world grow strangely dim as we focus on His glory and grace.
What are you aiming at? If you have no target in mind, you will find yourself lost in the frustrating confusion of life. If you direct your attention TO HIM, you will find that He is worthy of all of your efforts. TO HIM!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 14, 2017 | Ephesians
Ephesians 2:8-9
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
I suppose many of us have heard humorous stories about someone approaching the gates of heaven and being required to prove that their actions on earth merited entry into God’s heavenly kingdom. Beep! Wrong answer!
A person may do amazingly good works here on earth and still miss heaven. It is not what we do for God that determines where we will spend eternity—it is what He has done for us. When we repent of our sins and accept Him as Savior and Lord then—and only then—is our name is written down in glory.
The writer of this week’s hymn, Charlotte Elliot, was offended when someone asked her if she was a Christian. She told him to mind his own business. Later as she was contemplating his question, she began to wonder what it took to become a Christian. She called him and he explained to her the plan of salvation which she accepted. It was then that she wrote this hymn, “Just As I Am.”
Just As I Am
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Hath broken every barrier down;
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, of that free love
The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
Here for a season, then above,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Enjoy this week’s free inspiration video, “Just As I Am” from Gloryscapes.com by going to: http://gloryscapes.com/justasiam/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 8, 2016 | Ephesians
Ephesians 3:21
“To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
How can you describe or explain something that is beyond human comprehension? The simple answer is that you cannot do so. When we read or hear the word eternity, our human mind can grasp a vast number of years, but it really is beyond that. It stretches forever and forever!
I have often used the illustration of the earth being a ball of fine sand and each grain represents one year. I heard Chuck Swindoll give an even more profound illustration. He suggested that we imagine the earth being a solid ball of stainless steel. Every thousand years a small sparrow would approach and sharpen its beak on the steel. By the time the ball had been worn down to nothing, eternity would just be starting.
We have always known a beginning and, in many cases, we observe the end of some things. When God reveals that He always was and always will be, it is not necessary for us to understand it, we are invited to simply accept it.
When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we are given a title deed to eternal life. We will understand it better by and by!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 27, 2016 | Ephesians
Ephesians 6:13
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
I am sure that you have heard the expression: Well, that’s the last straw! We’ve probably all experienced a time when it felt like life’s pressures had become so great we could hardly go on when another discouraging issue suddenly arose. It was then that “the last straw” phrase was muttered.
There is certainly little doubt that we live in an evil day. Not only do we live in an evil day, but the evil seems to get worse with each passing day. Doing what is Godly and right is now seen as being wrong and evil.
Along with the reality of facing “the last straw,” we also come to the reality that it is time to stand for what is right. It is time for battle! Today’s Scripture passage indicates that we are to take on the full armor of God and stand firm in our defense of the Word of God.
In standing firm and sure for the Gospel, there may be casualties. I would much rather be wounded or even killed in defending the cause of Christ than going along with the masses who deny the faith. This is the last straw — what are we going to do about it? I, for one, am going to stand clad with God’s full armor. Join me?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 26, 2016 | Ephesians
Ephesians 2:8-9
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
I suppose many of us have heard humorous stories about someone approaching the gates of heaven and being required to prove that their actions on earth merited entry into God’s heavenly kingdom. Beep! Wrong answer!
A person may do amazingly good works here on earth and still miss heaven. It is not what we do for God that determines where we will spend eternity—it is what He has done for us. When we repent of our sins and accept Him as Savior and Lord then—and only then—is our name is written down in glory.
The writer of this week’s hymn, Charlotte Elliot, was offended when someone asked her if she was a Christian. She told him to mind his own business. Later as she was contemplating his question, she began to wonder what it took to become a Christian. She called him and he explained to her the plan of salvation which she accepted. It was then that she wrote this hymn, “Just As I Am.”
Just As I Am
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Hath broken every barrier down;
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, of that free love
The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
Here for a season, then above,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Enjoy this week’s free inspiration video, “Just As I Am” from Gloryscapes.com by going to: http://gloryscapes.com/justasiam/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
