This post is in memory of a very dear friend of ours from church, Harvey Pilsing. He went on to be with the Lord on Saturday morning, Oct. 10, 2009. He had been battling Leukemia. Bill and I looked up to him and his wife, Rosemary. He was an inspiration to all who knew him. Harvey was so in love with Christ and loved his wife dearly. I have always said that I wanted to be like them. Rosemary has such incredible faith in the Lord and she was beside Harvey every step of the way. Harvey never gave up, he fought to the end, never giving up on the Lord. He truly fought the good fight, kept the faith, and finished the race. He knew God was calling him home and now he is no longer suffering for he has been completely healed. He is in Heaven rejoicing with Jesus Christ. It will be hard not seeing him at church. I thank God for bringing them into our lives. Rosemary is a precious woman of the Lord and an example not only of Christ but to all the women that know her. My prayers go out to Rosemary, their daughter Renae and their son, Daryl. I am very thankful to have known Harvey and that God brought this family into our lives. They have truly touched our lives. My prayer is to be like Christ but also to keep the faith, no matter what struggles lie ahead. May we be an example of Christs' love to others as Harvey has been to us. We will never forget him for he will always be in our hearts. Lord, we thank you for your great love and mercy. For when we stumble, you are always there to help us along the way. May we keep our eyes on you Lord. May we be the light in this dark world. Help us to "Go Out" into this world sharing your great love with others. May we be the example of you Lord. May others look upon our life as a reflection of you. May we fight the good fight, keep the faith and finish the race.
2 Timothy 4:7-8 says, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Testimony of God's Great Power Over Evil
Thank you God for working in our lives and our youth. We experienced your power over evil on this past Missions Trip to Jacksonville, FL. God moves in many ways and his presence can be felt anywhere. I will say that this particular Missions Trip was different than our previous. We did reach out to the community, did beach evangelism which was an awesome experience but we realized that we were there more for their church, their youth group and even for ourselves. We grew more spiritually on this trip than any of the others in the past. Our lives were truly changed. I had the least amount of sleep but spent many hours in prayer and reading God's Word. It was all well worth it. It was an incredible experience! It is a testimony of God's great power over evil. Before taking this trip, we had already had attacks from Satan; we knew it was his way of trying to stop us from going and keep us from being focused on what God had in store for us. We always have a curfew but I let some of our youth break it as long as there was a leader with them and it was what they felt God was leading them to do. I found out that God moved quite a few times in the very early hours of the morning. It was amazing to see how God worked in some of our youth. The Holy Spirit fell upon me and some other youth as we were praying. At the same time, the Holy Spirit worked on some of our other youth as were praying, they were reading their Bible and praying when God laid something upon their hearts. After our experience we went back to our rooms. I was up half the night still praying and reading, could not sleep. It was such an amazing night in the Lord. We each grew spiritually on this Missions Trip and had an experience in which we will never forget.
I would like to share one experience that myself and 4 other youth (Tommy - youth leader - 18, Erin, the only girl other than myself - 14, Neal - 15, and Chris - 16) experienced. Our lives were forever changed. In the early morning hours of Sunday, July 19, two of our youth, Tommy and Neal were praying in the stairway. As they were praying, a group of us were outside my room, I felt the need for us to go into the room and begin to pray as a group. We began praying with a boldness, for we could feel the presence of evil around us. When finished, we noticed a symbol of a snake on my bathroom door, it had 2 people on the bottom, 2 people beside it and 2 people at the top. I immediately told the others we needed to go check on the others praying in the stairway. We explained to them what had happened. Feeling like everything was alright, we decided to call it a night. Then everything changed within a few minutes. I went back out into the hallway speaking to some of the youth, they wanted to see the snake symbol on my bathroom door. We then began hearing noises (like doors closing all around us but no doors were closing), then we felt an evil presence around us. We decided to go down the hallway and lay hands on each door and pray. As I was going back into the room to get the other youth, Tommy noticed the devil's number and a saying on the Bible. I began to read it out loud. The Bible had "666" under The Holy Bible and then on the back of it had "The devil is coming." After reading it, I immediately dropped the Bible and with boldness said "No he's not." I ran out of the room and began laying hands on each door praying in tongues and in the name of Jesus, the other youth immediately followed. We went down the halls praying boldly then felt led to go up to the sixth floor to pray. We were praying as we were running up the stairs. The lights in the hallway of the stairway were flickering on and off, that did not stop us, we knew it was of the devil. We felt the presence even stronger on the sixth floor. We preceded to go down the halls and lay hands on each door praying. How anyone did not wake up is a God thing because we were praying loud not softly. During this whole time, we were still hearing the noises. We knew Satan was trying to scare us but it wasn't working. If anything it made us stronger in Christ. Satan could not enter us because we were a child of God. After praying for the entire floor, we prayed as a group, then preceded to get the Bible out of my room then went to the lobby then outside where we boldly prayed over the Bible. We soon felt peace and the mighty presence of God all around us for the evil presence had left. We each prayed in our own heavenly language and we even began to sing songs to God. We prayed over our youth group, the hotel and the occupants. We knew God was with us the whole time. We truly experienced God's great power over evil. I saw how God used 4 of our youth and myself. God overcame evil, He was victorious. We were obedient to what he had us to do. When evil strikes, don't be afraid, trust in God! I have had encounters before of evil but not like this one. We were forever changed that night. It was a very humbling experience. God was with us every step, he was watching over us protecting us from the evil forces that surrounded us that evening. We give God all the glory. It is hard to explain everything that happened that night, how the snake (devil's symbol) appeared on our door and how the devil's number and saying appeared on the Bible except it was the work of the devil. It appeared when we were praying and out of nowhere (that is how Satan works). The snake symbol could be explained Satan being driven out as 5 people boldly prayed in the name of Jesus and their own heavenly language and the sixth one being God who is with us always. It was real and it happened. Evil is around us and is present on this earth. We must not be afraid but pray with boldness in the name of Jesus, trust Jesus, he will see you through to the end. I will not forget this Missions Trip or this experience. It is a testimony of God's great power over evil. Needless to say, I did not get much sleep that night. I spent most of the time in prayer and reading God's Word. God allowed me to grow even more stronger in Him through this trip and for that I am very thankful. God has truly blessed us and our youth group. I would like to share a scripture that God gave me. Hope you find encouragement and strength in God. Blessings to you all!!!
Romans 8:35-39
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
I would like to share one experience that myself and 4 other youth (Tommy - youth leader - 18, Erin, the only girl other than myself - 14, Neal - 15, and Chris - 16) experienced. Our lives were forever changed. In the early morning hours of Sunday, July 19, two of our youth, Tommy and Neal were praying in the stairway. As they were praying, a group of us were outside my room, I felt the need for us to go into the room and begin to pray as a group. We began praying with a boldness, for we could feel the presence of evil around us. When finished, we noticed a symbol of a snake on my bathroom door, it had 2 people on the bottom, 2 people beside it and 2 people at the top. I immediately told the others we needed to go check on the others praying in the stairway. We explained to them what had happened. Feeling like everything was alright, we decided to call it a night. Then everything changed within a few minutes. I went back out into the hallway speaking to some of the youth, they wanted to see the snake symbol on my bathroom door. We then began hearing noises (like doors closing all around us but no doors were closing), then we felt an evil presence around us. We decided to go down the hallway and lay hands on each door and pray. As I was going back into the room to get the other youth, Tommy noticed the devil's number and a saying on the Bible. I began to read it out loud. The Bible had "666" under The Holy Bible and then on the back of it had "The devil is coming." After reading it, I immediately dropped the Bible and with boldness said "No he's not." I ran out of the room and began laying hands on each door praying in tongues and in the name of Jesus, the other youth immediately followed. We went down the halls praying boldly then felt led to go up to the sixth floor to pray. We were praying as we were running up the stairs. The lights in the hallway of the stairway were flickering on and off, that did not stop us, we knew it was of the devil. We felt the presence even stronger on the sixth floor. We preceded to go down the halls and lay hands on each door praying. How anyone did not wake up is a God thing because we were praying loud not softly. During this whole time, we were still hearing the noises. We knew Satan was trying to scare us but it wasn't working. If anything it made us stronger in Christ. Satan could not enter us because we were a child of God. After praying for the entire floor, we prayed as a group, then preceded to get the Bible out of my room then went to the lobby then outside where we boldly prayed over the Bible. We soon felt peace and the mighty presence of God all around us for the evil presence had left. We each prayed in our own heavenly language and we even began to sing songs to God. We prayed over our youth group, the hotel and the occupants. We knew God was with us the whole time. We truly experienced God's great power over evil. I saw how God used 4 of our youth and myself. God overcame evil, He was victorious. We were obedient to what he had us to do. When evil strikes, don't be afraid, trust in God! I have had encounters before of evil but not like this one. We were forever changed that night. It was a very humbling experience. God was with us every step, he was watching over us protecting us from the evil forces that surrounded us that evening. We give God all the glory. It is hard to explain everything that happened that night, how the snake (devil's symbol) appeared on our door and how the devil's number and saying appeared on the Bible except it was the work of the devil. It appeared when we were praying and out of nowhere (that is how Satan works). The snake symbol could be explained Satan being driven out as 5 people boldly prayed in the name of Jesus and their own heavenly language and the sixth one being God who is with us always. It was real and it happened. Evil is around us and is present on this earth. We must not be afraid but pray with boldness in the name of Jesus, trust Jesus, he will see you through to the end. I will not forget this Missions Trip or this experience. It is a testimony of God's great power over evil. Needless to say, I did not get much sleep that night. I spent most of the time in prayer and reading God's Word. God allowed me to grow even more stronger in Him through this trip and for that I am very thankful. God has truly blessed us and our youth group. I would like to share a scripture that God gave me. Hope you find encouragement and strength in God. Blessings to you all!!!
Romans 8:35-39
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
God Uses Ordinary People
Have you ever wondered where life is taking you? What God has planned for your life? How can God use a person such as myself? At one time or another, we have all asked these questions. God uses ordinary people to accomplish His will. Just take a look at some of the people God used in the early days.
Exodus 2:11-15 tells the story of Moses, he had killed an Egyptian who was beating one of His people. Moses then fled to Midian, he knew what he had done was wrong. He was fearful of his life. Exodus 3:1-14 tells the story of Moses and the burning bush - God's calling on Moses. God had a plan for Moses and he was obedient to God's calling. God used him in a mighty way.
Matthew 4:18-20 tells the story of Peter being called as a disciple. Peter was a fisherman whom Jesus called to be a disciple. Peter left everything and followed him. Acts 2:1-4, 14-41 tells the story of Peter being filled on the day of Pentecost along with the other disciples. Peter then stood up and addressed the crowd. He spoke boldly about the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ. God used him as he was willing to be used.
Acts 9:1-19 tells the story of Paul. Saul, known as Paul, persecuted the believers of Jesus Christ. God called Saul while he was on the road to Damascus. Paul (then Saul) did as God commanded him and he was used in a mighty way.
If God can use a fisherman and make him a disciple, he can use you. If God can take a murderer and use him for his purposes, he can use you. If God can take a persecutor and use him, he can use you. We are no different than the people of the early church days.
God has a plan for each of us. We must do our part. It requires seeking God and developing a relationship with Christ, reading His Word, being faithful in prayer, obedience and being willing to be used by God. Think about how he used Moses, Peter and Paul and what God did through them. God can use you if you just let him work in you, you must be willing to be used. God uses ordinary people for His extraordinary purposes.
Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Exodus 2:11-15 tells the story of Moses, he had killed an Egyptian who was beating one of His people. Moses then fled to Midian, he knew what he had done was wrong. He was fearful of his life. Exodus 3:1-14 tells the story of Moses and the burning bush - God's calling on Moses. God had a plan for Moses and he was obedient to God's calling. God used him in a mighty way.
Matthew 4:18-20 tells the story of Peter being called as a disciple. Peter was a fisherman whom Jesus called to be a disciple. Peter left everything and followed him. Acts 2:1-4, 14-41 tells the story of Peter being filled on the day of Pentecost along with the other disciples. Peter then stood up and addressed the crowd. He spoke boldly about the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ. God used him as he was willing to be used.
Acts 9:1-19 tells the story of Paul. Saul, known as Paul, persecuted the believers of Jesus Christ. God called Saul while he was on the road to Damascus. Paul (then Saul) did as God commanded him and he was used in a mighty way.
If God can use a fisherman and make him a disciple, he can use you. If God can take a murderer and use him for his purposes, he can use you. If God can take a persecutor and use him, he can use you. We are no different than the people of the early church days.
God has a plan for each of us. We must do our part. It requires seeking God and developing a relationship with Christ, reading His Word, being faithful in prayer, obedience and being willing to be used by God. Think about how he used Moses, Peter and Paul and what God did through them. God can use you if you just let him work in you, you must be willing to be used. God uses ordinary people for His extraordinary purposes.
Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Praising God in Difficult Times
We are living in a world that is slowly removing God. It is time we fall on our knees and begin praying for our nation. It seems we are living in times where jobs are scarce, people are losing their jobs, their homes, nothing seems to be secure at the moment. Storms and trials are everywhere and many people are facing them. My husband and I were going through some trials about a month before our Youth Missions Trip. God is so good and He has helped us through the storms. My mom was just recently diagnosed with stage 2 T cell Lymphoma (NonHodgkins) cancer. It is a very aggressive type of cancer, treatable with chemo, but has very high rate (80%) of coming back within 5 years. She is the only parent left from both sides. We are praying for a healing touch from God. We believe in miracles. We have put our trust in God and he will see us through this storm. You must praise God even in the difficult times. Even in our darkest times, we must rely on God and give him the praises for he has it all under control.
Philippians 4:4 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
Acts 16:22-26 tells the story of Paul and Silas beaten and thrown into prison. While in prison, they began singing and praising God. They were going through a difficult time. Imagine how you would act if you were thrown in prison for something you didn't do, how would you react? Would you begin praising and singing praises to God? Would your reaction be a different story?
Luke 8:23-25 tells the story of Jesus calming the storm. A storm came and the disciples woke Jesus. Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters, the storm subsided and all was calm. In Luke 8:25, Jesus asked his disciples, "Where is your faith?" In the midst of a storm, it is Jesus Christ we must rely on. We must keep the faith in Jesus Christ. He will see us through the storm.
James 1:2-5 says,
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
In the midst of storms and trials, let us seek God and praise Him for He knows the outcome and He has it all under control. May we seek God and focus on Him to get us through the storms. May we look to God's Word and learn to praise Him even in the difficult times. God is truly in control and His timing is perfect.
James 1:12 says,
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."
Philippians 4:4 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
Acts 16:22-26 tells the story of Paul and Silas beaten and thrown into prison. While in prison, they began singing and praising God. They were going through a difficult time. Imagine how you would act if you were thrown in prison for something you didn't do, how would you react? Would you begin praising and singing praises to God? Would your reaction be a different story?
Luke 8:23-25 tells the story of Jesus calming the storm. A storm came and the disciples woke Jesus. Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters, the storm subsided and all was calm. In Luke 8:25, Jesus asked his disciples, "Where is your faith?" In the midst of a storm, it is Jesus Christ we must rely on. We must keep the faith in Jesus Christ. He will see us through the storm.
James 1:2-5 says,
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
In the midst of storms and trials, let us seek God and praise Him for He knows the outcome and He has it all under control. May we seek God and focus on Him to get us through the storms. May we look to God's Word and learn to praise Him even in the difficult times. God is truly in control and His timing is perfect.
James 1:12 says,
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."
Monday, June 1, 2009
Passion for Christ
Where is our passion for Christ? Our pastor spoke on a message that really touched by heart. It was taken from one scripture, Acts 4:31. Acts 4:31 says, "After they (Peter and John) prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly."
Have we as believers and followers of Christ allowed our passion for Christ to slowly diminish? Are we giving the Lord all we have? Are we willing to give it all up for Him? Peter, John, and Paul are just some of the followers of Christ that demonstrated their true passion and boldness for Christ. They were willing to give it all up for Christ.
In today's society, it is easy to blend with this world and give part to God and part to this world. God wants and desires our very best and to be first. We as Christians and followers of Christ are not going to blend with this world but we are going to stand indifference to this world. We must be set apart and make a difference. We must not be afraid to share the love of God with others. Let us regain our passion for Christ. Let us go out and witness, boldly proclaiming the Word of God. Paul was another example of boldly proclaiming Christ. Whatever came Paul's way, he didn't let it get to him, he remained faithful to Jesus. He was a willing and faithful servant who had a true passion for Christ. When trouble comes our way, let us continue to follow Christ, giving it all to him and remaining faithful to the very end. Jesus is our Comforter, our Provider, our Healer, our Strength, our Father, the Alpha and Omega, our Lord and Savior, He is always with us.
When you develop that personal relationship with Christ that will help you develop that true passion and love for Christ. We can very easily put other things such as activities ahead of God. I believe in the activities but not when you allow them to consume your life and become your primary focus. When we put our activities (ballgames, wrestling, cheer leading, dance, etc.) ahead of Christ, what does that say to God? When did we start allowing games on God's holy day? When your kids turn 18 and stop going to church, how will you feel then? We get so caught up in this world, God becomes second and not first. As Christians we need to take a stand, enough ballgames and other activities on Sunday, we are going to worship the Lord. If your child does not get to play a game due to him missing on a Sunday, then so be it. Maybe it is time to reinvest in a christian league for your child. It is time we let our children know God comes first above all. If this seems harsh, God gave me this and I am not apologizing for what God has placed upon my heart. It is meant to encourage and get us to think about our relationship with the Lord.
It's all about our relationship and our passion for Christ. It is time we start investing our time on reaching out to the people of our community. We need more "Peters, Johns, and Pauls" in our own community. It is time we take that step of faith. Christ called us to be a witness so lets boldly proclaim the Word of the Lord to others. Let us have a heart and passion for Jesus Christ and let it be a light to others. Bless each of you on your journey.
Have we as believers and followers of Christ allowed our passion for Christ to slowly diminish? Are we giving the Lord all we have? Are we willing to give it all up for Him? Peter, John, and Paul are just some of the followers of Christ that demonstrated their true passion and boldness for Christ. They were willing to give it all up for Christ.
In today's society, it is easy to blend with this world and give part to God and part to this world. God wants and desires our very best and to be first. We as Christians and followers of Christ are not going to blend with this world but we are going to stand indifference to this world. We must be set apart and make a difference. We must not be afraid to share the love of God with others. Let us regain our passion for Christ. Let us go out and witness, boldly proclaiming the Word of God. Paul was another example of boldly proclaiming Christ. Whatever came Paul's way, he didn't let it get to him, he remained faithful to Jesus. He was a willing and faithful servant who had a true passion for Christ. When trouble comes our way, let us continue to follow Christ, giving it all to him and remaining faithful to the very end. Jesus is our Comforter, our Provider, our Healer, our Strength, our Father, the Alpha and Omega, our Lord and Savior, He is always with us.
When you develop that personal relationship with Christ that will help you develop that true passion and love for Christ. We can very easily put other things such as activities ahead of God. I believe in the activities but not when you allow them to consume your life and become your primary focus. When we put our activities (ballgames, wrestling, cheer leading, dance, etc.) ahead of Christ, what does that say to God? When did we start allowing games on God's holy day? When your kids turn 18 and stop going to church, how will you feel then? We get so caught up in this world, God becomes second and not first. As Christians we need to take a stand, enough ballgames and other activities on Sunday, we are going to worship the Lord. If your child does not get to play a game due to him missing on a Sunday, then so be it. Maybe it is time to reinvest in a christian league for your child. It is time we let our children know God comes first above all. If this seems harsh, God gave me this and I am not apologizing for what God has placed upon my heart. It is meant to encourage and get us to think about our relationship with the Lord.
It's all about our relationship and our passion for Christ. It is time we start investing our time on reaching out to the people of our community. We need more "Peters, Johns, and Pauls" in our own community. It is time we take that step of faith. Christ called us to be a witness so lets boldly proclaim the Word of the Lord to others. Let us have a heart and passion for Jesus Christ and let it be a light to others. Bless each of you on your journey.
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