Hope

1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

Right smack in the middle of these three is the word “Hope”!

When we think of what the word “hope” means in our vocabulary we often think of something that can convey doubt.

It is defined in the Miriam/Webster dictionary as a verb; to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true

hopes for a promotion

… all doctors can do is prevent dehydration, wait for the disease to run its course, and hope for the best.

As a noun; desire accompanied by expectation of obtaining what is desired or belief that it is obtainable

came in hopes of seeing you

a new medical treatment that has given hope to thousands.

There are 4 thoughts when it comes to man’s understanding of “Hope”,

Realistic; based on reason and reality

Utopian; hope for a better future achieved by action and goals

Chosen; conscious and deliberate decision to maintain hope despite circumstances

Transcendent; looking beyond current circumstances to find meaning or hope in a higher power

That is not what the word means in the bible!

Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Amplified, “Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].”

We can look to the Old Testament and see the prophets, Israelites looked longingly to see the Messiah with hope!

Micah 7:7, “Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.”

They were willing to die under extreme hate for this promise instead of surrendering that hope, Hebrews 11:32-39, “And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:”

Hope is a powerful concept, Luke 2:23-32, “And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons. And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.”

We do not know how many times this man came to the temple hoping to see his savior or how old he was…

But he never gave up the hope of what the Holy Ghost revealed to him!

We that have surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ live in hope every day, Romans 8:24-25, “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”

I live in that constant hope, it’s what keeps me continuing on this walk with Him, I know Jesus is preparing a place for me and will be coming back to take those that have been born again to that place. Have you seen this place? No! but I know its there because of the Hope that is in me.

It’s the knowledge that “He will never leave me nor forsake me” that is this source of hope.

Rom 15:13, “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”

We recently got two new kittens; they both have Cerebellar Hypoplasia or as sometimes “Wobbly Cats”. They don’t seem to be able to go in a straight line, need help eating, going to the bathroom, and make lots of messes.

You know what? That describes me to a tee, I don’t always go in the direction I want or God wants for my life, I make messes out of a lot of things, these kittens also need to be with us it seems all the time, they know our voice, they know when we are in the room. I want to be just like that, I want to be close to Jesus all the time, and I definitely want to know His voice!

Isa 43:1, “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”

In this season of Christmas let’s keep our hearts filled with the hope from knowing our savior Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners and give us a life everlasting with Him!

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Strength out of Weakness

2 Corinthians 12:10, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

All my life I’ve been fascinated with strength, I remember watching the Worlds Strongest man as a young man. To see these men pull airplanes, carry cars, throw kegs, pick up atlas stones and put on pedestal I found fascinating.

I got my first weight set probably when I was twelve or thirteen and would lift very regularly though I was a fairly skinny kid, I think I was 170lbs when I graduated high school, I desired to get bigger and stronger.

When I could afford it, I would go to the athletic club in Milwaukee and later in Janesville. I wasn’t planet fitness material then as I lifted heavier and heavier weights, I put a lot of effort into it if you know what I mean.

I remember they had a set of dumbbells that weighed 125lbs each and that was my goal, I was ecstatic the day I was able to bench press those a couple of times and felt like the strongest man in the gym at that moment.

Today, that is just a memory as many of us know as you age you not only lose strength, but the risk of injury goes up, though I still enjoy pushing that iron it’s a fraction of what I once did.

Our strength is fleeting!

I recently saw a story of Bill Kazmaier who was a three-time winner of Worlds Strongest Man that he had a GoFundMe account to raise money for a heart valve replacement, stents, and a pacemaker.

Our strength is fleeting, it one day fails us, Samson must have felt for years that his strength would get him out of trouble, his was a miraculous birth proclaimed by the angel of the Lord who was to be a Nazarite and would deliver Israel from the Philistines. He had several battles with the Philistines and once slew a thousand of them with a jawbone of an ass. He had one weakness though; he had a love for women and not the women of the Israelites.

One particular love interest named Delilah became his downfall and after several attempts to find out the secret of his strength Samson, spilled the beans, lost his hair, lost his strength and his eyesight.

A while later after his hair had grown back Samson cries out to God in Judges 16:25-30, “And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars. And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them. Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport. And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.”

When we try to compare mans strength with God’s, there is absolutely no comparison.

We have very little power over sickness even with all the medical advances man has made, at Matthew 8:14-16, “And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them. When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:”

We have absolutely no power to keep others from dying, Acts 10:38, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”

We don’t even much power over sin in our lives, Romans 7:18-20, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.”

But when we recognize our weakness, that in our own strength not much is attainable. Gal 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

One of my favorite parables is Luke 18:9-14, “And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” If we are honest, we can be both of these people in this parable

Romans 8:31-39, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Rom 8:37, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

When we finally can put all our trust in Jesus we can proclaim as Paul did…

2Co 12:9-10, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

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The Importance of Fathers

Ephesians 6:1-4, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

In our world today there is a lot of importance placed on sports figures, politicians, educators, jobs, etc

But one area that should receive a lot more notoriety is the “father”!

Now I’m well aware that we have in our world fathers that are truly unfit for that title, whether they are abusive emotionally or physically there are times that it is best for that person to be out of the picture.

In the Guardians of the Galaxy we have Yondu telling Star-Lord at the end of #2 that Ego may have been his father but he was not his daddy.

We also need to be sensitive to the fathers who have lost a child that this can be a difficult time. As a father who has lost two children, I’m well aware of the pain of waiting for that text message, phone call, or card that never will come. I pray the comforter Jesus Christ will comfort you on this day and the days to come.

But overall, the “Father” is an important figure in the health of the family. Proverbs 23:22-26, “Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old. Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding. The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice. My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.”

In 1968, 85% of children under 18 lived with two parents (regardless of marital status); by 2020, 70% did, according to the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS).

Fatherhood Initiative https://fatherhoodinitiative.org/research

Fatherless Homes Account For:

63% of Youth Suicides

71% of High School Dropouts

90% of Homeless: & Runaway Children

2x more likely to drop out of high school

4x more likely to grow up in poverty.

7x more likely to become pregnant as a teen.

1 in 4 children grow up without a father in the home.

Among the different ethnic groups, the numbers are even become more staggering:

Among whites 78.6% have homes with both parents, Hispanics have 67.9%, but among blacks you have only 41.3% of both parents living in the same home.

There are currently more than 17,000,000 (other research suggests nearly 30,000,000) children growing up in America without their fathers.

One of the main contributors to fatherlessness are divorce and out-of-wedlock births. In 2019 there were 1,498,113 out-of-wedlock births. That is 40% of all births in the United States.

Matthew 24:37-38, “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,”

Children need both parents and with the growing absence of fathers, the focus is on the need for them. I applaud the single mothers that work so hard and are doing the best job they can alone, but we need to have fathers step up and do the job God ordained them to do!

Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Fathers have the responsibility to teach children in the ways of the Lord.

This doesn’t always guarantee that our children will always do what’s right and that at times may even break our hearts. But no matter what we will love them.

The best way to understand the love that God has for us is to have children, the story of the prodigal son is a perfect example of Gods love for us, Luke 15:17-24, “And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.”

We need Fathers!

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Choosing to be Thankful

There was a movie many years ago that had the title, “It’s a mad, mad World” which pretty much describes the time we are living in.

Has anyone watched the news or listened to what’s happening lately?

For the past 2 years we have witnessed a complete change on how we go about our lives, we’ve had businesses close some forever, our kids were required to do school virtually which now many are admitting had caused great harm to their learning as well as mental state (something some had said from the beginning). We have been required to wear mask on our faces until very recently and or been required to get a vaccine that may take years for us to find out the effects it may have on our health.

The latest numbers have over 6 million people worldwide of dying with covid, I say with covid as many died of other reasons but for political reasons if they tested positive it seemed more expedient to list them as a covid death sadly.

Then as soon as we seem to be coming out of that pandemic, we get hit with gas prices going through the roof, 2/20/22 gas was $3.12 a gallon, today the average is $4. We have been seeing the inflation rates go up throughout 2021 and are now seeing 7.9% inflation and if you’ve been shopping lately, it seems much higher than that. Then if you dare to follow politics, well it will make you pull your hair out, and can cause you to lose friends if you express your views.

Free speech is more like you may have to pay a price for your speech with not just being kicked off social media platforms for many times speaking truth (I guess truth is subjective these days).

Oh, yeah, we also have a war that we have no clue from our leaders on how to handle and who knows when and if China will decide to push things further and invade Taiwan.

So, who is with me on trying to find a tall building to jump off of?

With all this it is easy for one to become frustrated, angry, sad, and even depressed with all that is going on, isn’t it?

So, I was pondering on all this lately and as I was sitting, thinking on what I should share with you today…in Chick-fil-a, eating some chicken strips. I started to think about being thankful in spite of all that is happening around us and boom I knew what I would be talking about today, 1Thess 5:16-18, “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

I realized that every day in our life not just during the thanksgiving season we have a choice to make. Just think that the things you had today were as result of you being thankful for them yesterday, would you have anything?

The bible is filled with the thought that we need to be thankful, the word is used some 72 times in the OT and 71 times in the NT.

Just look at the book of psalms, Ps 69:30, “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.”, 75:1, “To the chief Musician, Altaschith, A Psalm or Song of Asaph. Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.” 107:1, “O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” And 100:4, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” are just a small example to give our Lord, thanks!

Being unthankful is a sign of a world that has turned their back on God and His word, Romans 1:21, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

Its even a sign of the last days, 2Timothy 3:1-7, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Being thankful has some positive health results as well as several studies have shown. The university of Harvard, California, Miami and Pennsylvania have all come to the conclusion that those that have a thankful attitude, sleep better, have better friendships, have more energy, and even suffer less illness, and pain.

It also seems that ones that have endured more suffering and trials in their lives tend to be more thankful, I’m not just talking about possessions… but thankful for their friends, family, and of course the relationship they have with Jesus Christ. Eph 5:20, ”Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”

Did any of you watch any of the summer Olympics last year?

Did any of you watch the Olympics after the Olympics, (para-olympics), seeing how thankful those who had obvious physical disabilities for just being able to compete was heartwarming.

Shakespeare once said, “I cried when I had no shoes, but I stopped crying when I saw a man with no legs”Col 3:17, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

So, make this day and everyday a time to be thankful for we are truly a blessed people!

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Meditate On The Word

Psalms 1:1-2, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”

Meditation, what do you think of when someone says that word? Sitting in front of a buddha statue with burning incense?

Mediation just like prayer is not an exclusive to the Christian faith but you will find it many different circles and it seems to has become more popular in our crazy world. The world looks toward meditation as meant to relax or calm the mind, breathe control is a large part of it so you can free yourself of your external surroundings to learn to access the wealth of qualities that already exists within us such as goodness and compassion.

This is not what God’s word says about meditation in our life as a Christian!

There is a purpose far above looking into our inward depths to find meaning in our lives, Psalms 119:97. “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.” Joshua 1:8, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

Interesting that its not something that you designate a time to do it, but its both night as well as day, just like prayer 1Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.”

Meditation is more than just reading the word of God; reading is primarily the assimilation of facts without application. Mediation is using those facts to transform your life, Romans 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Reading is good but meditation or studying is better!

The word of God also is specific on what you should meditate on, Psalms 119:15, “I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.”

It takes effort to meditate, Psalms 119:99-100, “I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.” 1Timothy 4:11-15, “These things command and teach. Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.”

As well as many benefits, Psalms 119:101-105, “I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. I have not departed from thy judgments: for thou hast taught me. How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalms 104.:34, “My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD” Psalms 1:3, “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

Music can play a huge roll in getting God’s word down into your inner being if you meditate (think) on what’s being said in the song as many songs have scripture interwoven in them. You can just sing the words with little emotion or feeling, or you can meditate on the words and allow yourself to connect to Jesus through them.

Philippians 4:6-9, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

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What About Fasting? part 2

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By Pastor Jeff,

Matthew 6:16-18, “Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.”

Want to ruin any Fast? Just do what it says here; by openly making a scene you take what God could use to change your life to just a hunger strike. Attitude is the key to entering the presence of God in anything we do, prayer, giving, preaching, and fasting if we are doing it just to look good before man, it is of no effect with the Kingdom of God. James 4:6, “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” I mentioned Moses before as an example of someone who not only fasted for forty days once, but twice, and scripture says this about this man, Numbers 12:3, “(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)”It was this meekness (humility) that allowed God to use this powerful man to deliver His people from Egypt.

There are different types of fasting, we find one God chooses for us Isaiah 58:6, “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?” You may be impressed by the Spirit of God to enter a fast which as stated here can do great things not only in your life but others! Some set a particular day every week, every month or more to fast to put power to our prayer life, Luke 2:36-37, “And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.” Because of her dedication she got to witness the newborn Savior of the World Jesus Christ.

Then are those that a leader of the Nation, a church leader, may in response to a situation, a answer that they may be seeking will call a period of fasting and prayer, 2 Chronicles 20:1-3, “It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi. And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.” Many other fast are found in the Bible such as with the city of Nineveh, Nehemiah, King David, as well others.

In the next lesson I will discuss the different types of Fasting.

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What About Fasting?

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by Pastor Jeff,

When you ask any believer about prayer and they will undeniably tell you that they pray regularly and earnestly, but when you mention fasting we often fumble to find an adequate response.

The word fasting is referenced over seventy times in the bible with some memorable fasts by Moses who twice went forty days in the presence of God without any natural food. Jesus also fasted forty days in the wilderness before His temptation by Satan, Luke 4:1-4, “And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”

One of the most powerful examples of what can happen when we chose to fast is when Jonah warned Nineveh of impending doom, Jonah 3:5, “So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.” God responded with mercy, Jonah 3:10, “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.”

Now I want to be careful and tell you that fasting does not change God’s mind for eventually Nineveh was destroyed, but what fasting does is allow God to remove our unbelief, Matthew 17:21, “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”

Fasting was often used in the selection of missionaries, Acts 13:2-3, “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.” Elders, Acts 14:23, “And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed”

Ezra 8:21, “Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.” 8:23, “So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was entreated of us.” Fasting unleashes the faith that is in us and we Apostolic’s should never take it lightly. In future blogs I will discuss the different types of fast and even its benefits for us physically, thank you for your time.

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Distractions

enemy-distractions

By Pastor Jeff,

Distractions! The world we live in currently is full of them and it seems that when you make a commitment to God the distractions come at you ten-fold! Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Recently as the title of this website declares, we have set about to seek for Revival at our church in Janesville WI. It must of really ticked the devil off because we have witnessed an all out attack on several of those that attend services here!

1 Peter 5:8-9, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” The world we live in has enough distractions all by itself such as work, family, friends, just life in general that can mess with our time with God.

Then we have Satan, his imps messing with us, and I’ll give you an example. We all know if we are to see genuine revival we will need to commit ourselves to prayer. So, we set apart every Tuesday for this purpose and Friday nights have dedicated to worship and prayer as well. It seems that every event outside the church that can occur has been scheduled for you guess what night? Right, Tuesday or Fridays! Well to be fair the other nights can easily fill up with family events as well but it does seem that on these two nights it occurs more often that it did before we made the commitment.

Another distraction that affects our time is how the devil likes to attack ones family (I can attest that we have other families that are coming under serious attacks as well). I think he knows that if he tries anything with me I will just point out that the bible makes it clear that in the end of all things, he LOSES! But family, especially our children can really throw us for a loop. Though I am troubled by what the devil has done in my family, I still can stand and declare the marvelous works of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and declare this scripture found in Isaiah 50:7, “For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.” AMEN!

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Ready for Download!

cross-man-looking-up-at

By Pastor Jeff,

Isaiah 40:26, “Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.” I often when I’m worshiping or praying find myself looking towards the heavens with gratefulness that the creator of all things loved me enough to come, become flesh, suffer, die, and rise again for me!

There are times however that God does what I like to call,”Downloads” I will receive information from the King of Kings, Lord of Lords. I find it interesting that when our Vice President Mike Pence declared that God talks to him many in the entertainment and probably even religious circles mocked him. Well I , “declare that God still does talk to His children, John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” If hearing the voice of God makes one crazy, well call me crazy!

I will be the first to admit that in my younger walk I had a very difficult time hearing the voice of Jesus Christ and only through many hours in His word, on my face, praying that eventually I began to hear His beautiful voice. Not like as in a face to face discussion or any audible voice (though I do believe that’s possible) but in my spirit, I without a doubt could hear His Spirit communicating with me. 1John 4:1-2, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:”

Interestingly the first time I can recall hearing the voice of Jesus, the word was “No!” I’ve been asking God to feel like He feels and He told me no. He did explain that I could not function with the love and compassion for mankind He has for mankind. Jesus then for just a moment let me feel as He feels, it is beyond any words that I could ever declare of His love for us.

Let’s get back to why I call it “downloading”. For me it’s the easiest explanation, I’m in no way a computer geek, but I do understand the necessity to get updates periodically to keep my computer, IPhone operating at peak performance. As a Believer I need that for my spiritual well being also. Through growth and understanding of Jesus, His Kingdom, His Will for me, I not only hear him as I lie prostrate before Him, not only as I worship Him, not only as I read His word. But I can get downloads throughout my daily walk, as I’m mowing, as I’m sitting, and even as I’m at my computer typing my Blogs. I ask you today, are you Ready for Download? Jesus Is!

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Sacrificial Prayer

Desperate-Prayer

By Pastor Jeff,

Prayer has always been the cornerstone of the Christian faith as well as many other religions. As I studied many of the former Revivals it is sometimes overlooked as the main reason that the Holy Ghost could move with such signs, wonders, and power. The first century church when faced with persecution for preaching about Jesus, did this in Acts 4:31, “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.”

We need again to be shaken and a refilling of the Holy Ghost as the Church of old!

The thing you noticed about the prayer that was being brought about in any Revival what stands out to me is not so much the frequency but the intensity as those often found themselves prostrate before our almighty God in repentance and desire to become one with the Spirit.

The word that stands out to me is the word “travail”, the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah often made mention of the travail that comes from a woman in labor. As a man I can’t attest that I can sympathize with a woman in labor, but in prayer I’ve have experienced deep sometimes painful prayer which I have found parallel accounts with those in the midst of Revival. One thing I do know about a woman in labor is that when it starts it does not end until you have a birth. I pray this is the same with us, Paul spoke of this in Galatians 4:19, “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you”

I, in future Blogs as the Lord permits will be sharing some of my experiences in travail for whatever the will of Jesus Christ is in my life. Many churches say they desire Revival but the sacrifice that comes with it is not what they are willing to sign up for. Prayer involves time and time is the one thing we have the hardest thing to give up. I believe Jesus is returning soon and I don’t want to see anyone miss it. So if it means a little lost sleep, missing my favorite TV show, even a meal or two, count on me to put my best foot forward.

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