by Pastor Cecil | Sep 1, 2008 | Isaiah
Isaiah 26:3-4
“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.”
Have you ever spent a sleepless night tossing and turning? Have you been troubled by frightening dreams that cause you to feel panic stricken? Do you sometimes question what you can do to sleep in the arms of the Lord?
During our Sunday morning prayer time, a 5 year old girl has requested prayer that she will not have “Scary dreams at night.” Her mother also expressed concern because of the bad dreams.
Since then I have been praying and meditating about Hailey’s request and the bad dreams. Last night as I went to sleep I was praying for her to have a restful sleep. During the night I had a recurring dream that I was to write a small book using Bible references for parents to read to their children before bedtime.
It was probably the most vivid dream I have ever had. Today I have started writing the book and as I have researched appropriate Bible stories I have been aware that there are adults that need peaceful sleep as well.
Today’s Scripture is a wonderful passage for we adults to use before we retire for the night. It is a promise that the Lord has given to those who will keep our minds stayed on the Lord.
Here is a challenge for anyone who has been having trouble with night terrors. Search out passages that deal with praise and promise. Read these passages several times before you slip into bed. May God grant you sweet sleep!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 21, 2008 | Isaiah
Isaiah 40:30-31
“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Do you have purpose in your life? I certainly do! If for nothing else it is to put new batteries in watches, clocks and other such stuff that run on, AAA, AA, D, C or 9 volt types. Oops! How could I forget the dreaded watch batteries?!
Back in the day we did not have all of these different size batteries things ran on wind-up or plug-in. All the same, things always needed to have their power renewed on a regular basis to continue operating.
You know what is coming next don’t you… a spiritual application. I firmly believe that we should approach the most ordinary facets of our life in the same manner that we should approach Bible study: What does it say? What does it mean? How can I apply it to my life?
The first reality that comes to mind when I think of batteries going dead or springs winding down, is that there needs to be a constant renewing. Let me quote an explanation of the Second Law of Thermodynamics:
“The implications of the Second Law of Thermodynamics are considerable. The universe is constantly losing usable energy and never gaining. We logically conclude the universe is not eternal. The universe had a finite beginning — the moment at which it was at “zero entropy” (its most ordered possible state). Like a wind-up clock, the universe is winding down, as if at one point it was fully wound up and has been winding down ever since. The question is who wound up the clock?”
What is true in the scientific world is also true in the spiritual world. Without a consistent renewal our of spiritual fervor we will begin to lose our power. What does that mean? It means that we will become shells of what we were meant to be.
God had intended for Israel to be a kingdom of priests to the whole world. The people were delivered from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. They saw miracle after miracle, but soon allowed their fervency for the Lord to wane.
God sent His prophets to recharge the nation’s batteries, but their hearts became dead to His call and they finally refused to acknowledge Him. Instead of proclaiming God to the nations of the world, they needed to be revived themselves.
I have worked with many Christians who started their walk with the Lord full of vim and vigor. They had the potential to be mighty servants of the Most High God, but lost their original power.
Jesus describes these Christians in Revelation 2:3-5; “You have persevered and have endured hardships for My name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”
The Lord gives us the secret of being re-energized. “Repent and do the things you did at first.” We may think that there is nothing for us to repent of, but if we place anything between ourselves and the Lord, it will sap our spiritual strength and leave us dead and worthless. I pray that we may be renewed!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 24, 2008 | Isaiah
Isaiah 6:8
“Then I heard the voice of the LORD saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I, send me!'”
Have you ever felt that the Lord was speaking to you? It may be loud and strong or soft and gentle, but you have no doubt it was the voice of the Lord calling you to action.
Isaiah had seen a wonderful vision of the Lord. It was such radiance and glory that he feared for his life. This passage reminds us that the closer we come to the Lord Jesus Christ, the more aware we are of our sinful condition and our need of confession and cleansing.
After Isaiah confessed his sinful condition and heard the “call” of the Lord, he was left with a choice: He could go himself or wait for someone else to be sent. If he had chosen the latter he would never have been the dynamic prophet who spoke God’s truth.
It is possible for us to read the Bible and be aware of God’s call to people across the ages of time. We may even be distressed by those who turned away from the call as did the rich young ruler in Luke 18:18-30. What do we do when God calls us?
Once Upon A Pew!
Once upon a pew I sat and heard the preacher ask,
“We need someone to teach a class, Now who will take this task?”
Then God sat down beside me there and said, “Son, that’s for you.”
“But, Lord, to stand before a class is one thing I can’t do.
Now Bill would be the man to call, there’s nothing he won’t do.
I’d rather hear the lesson taught from here upon my pew.”
Once upon a pew I sat and heard the preacher ask,
“We need someone to lead the songs, now who will take this task?”
Then God sat down beside me there and said, “Son, that’s for you.”
“But Lord, to sing before a crowd is one thing I can’t do.
Now Brother King will do the job, there’s nothing he won’t do.
I’d rather hear the music played from here upon my pew.”
Once upon a pew I sat and heard the preacher ask,
“I need someone to keep the door, now who will take this task?”
Then God sat down beside me there and said, “Son, that’s for you.”
“But saying things to strangers, Lord, Is one thing I can’t do.
Now Tom can talk to people, Lord, there’s nothing he won’t do.
I’d rather someone come to me and greet me on the pew.”
As years just seemed to pass me by, I heard that voice no more.
Until one night I closed my eyes and woke on heaven’s shore.
It was four of us together there to face eternity.
God said, “I need just three of you to do a job for me.”
“O Lord, I cried, “I’ll do the job, there’s nothing I won’t do.”
But Jesus said, “I’m sorry, friend, in Heaven there’s no pew.”
– Author Unknown
God never calls us to supply Him with names of others to help. When we are aware of a need, it is most often our call to get busy and do it. Across the years I have been all too sadly aware that it is the busiest people who will be willing to do even more. Those who are doing little will do nothing!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and become a real blessing.
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 15, 2008 | Isaiah
Isaiah 40:31
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.”
The high cost of fuel is a major concern today. Several years ago a friend of mine pulled confidently into a self-service gas station to fill his diesel powered car. You know what is coming next don’t you—you are right! He was not paying attention, and filled his car with gasoline instead of the diesel it was designed to use.
After paying for his purchase he started his car and confidently placed the vehicle in gear and headed for the exit onto the street. He was suddenly jolted by the engine coughing and choking as if it was going to die. He wisely parked the car and shut it off as soon as possible. Walking back to the pump he had used, he realized his mistake—wrong stuff!
He called for a mechanic who arrived and proceeded to drain all of the bad fuel from the tank, clean out the engine and fill the tank with diesel. Several hours later and many dollars poorer—he was finally on his way. He vowed to pay closer attention the next time he filled his tank.
As this message goes out to the hundreds who will be reading it—it is impossible for me to know what you are facing in your life at this moment. You may be on top of the world with spiritual enthusiasm, or you may be in the pits with Satan hurling his fiery darts at you. Regardless of your circumstance, God knows what octane you need in your tank!
So what is the secret to have our tank filled to the brim? How can we be sure that what we take into our life is that which will make our spiritual engine purr with power? All too often we think we know what we need—what is best for us—only to find that we were wrong.
There are those who turn to self-help books, new age gurus, humanistic logic, worldly counselors, etc., which promise much but deliver little.
When we have the Lord in our life, we need to recognize that He has the power to deal with our needs and to supply exactly what we need and when we need it. News Flash! We do not know what we need or when we will need it. So are we going to trust God or our human emotions? I want to trust God.
Isaiah, speaking by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives us the answer. He first of all describes that we lack strength and grow weary. We also are prone to stumble and fall. But God has the solution to these human conditions. Those who hope in the Lord—or as some translations render it—those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength.
The renewing is not from us but from Him. The only part we play in all of this is to go to the Lord. It is the Lord’s joy and delight to provide us with power and strength so we may be able to soar over the obstacles of life. Those obstacles in your life may take the form of shattered dreams, broken bodies, fractured relationships or empty tanks.
Can I encourage you today that God wants to fill your life to the full? He takes no delight in depressed and despondent kids who mope around without hope. He wants us to have a tiger in our tank, a smile on our face and a zeal to do His will. Let me ask you, which description best fits you? Let God fill you with His grace and glory today—THE RIGHT STUFF!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and become a real blessing.
— Pastor Cecil
