James 1:2-3 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."
Over this past year, we have been through some battles, persevered only through the help of the Lord. I will say that this past month was not a good one. We were facing one trial after another. We were hit hard. I am a person who pleases God but I also want to please others. I have learned both in Youth Ministry and in life that you cannot please everyone. It is a struggle when you are a people pleaser. I know God will get us through the hurdles. I know there will be more to come. I want to be like Paul and Silas when they were thrown into prison, they sang songs of praise unto the Lord. They kept the faith and their focus was on the Lord and not the trial. There will always be struggles in life. We must choose to keep the faith and keep our focus on the Lord and not the storms of life. Storms are a part of the journey. Everything that happens has a purpose.
After much prayer, God has given me scriptures and words of encouragement along with the help of my friends. Thank you to all my dear friends for your many prayers. May we learn to lift others up, pray for our enemies, and have a heart for the lost. We are called to be like Christ. Lord give us a heart for lost souls. When others mistreat us, may we bless them, pray for them and shower them with kindness as your Word instructs us to do. Help us Lord to praise you even in our struggles. Help us to persevere. May we put our complete trust in you daily. Help us Lord to keep our focus on you no matter what storms we may face. May we sing songs of praise to you even during the storms. Thank you Lord for your great love and mercy. Thank you for what you are about to do in our life!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Faith
Hebrews 11:1
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what do not see."
By faith we believe God created the universe and all that is in it. By faith, Noah built the ark when warned about things not yet seen. If you read Hebrews 11, you will find many stories of people who lived by faith. Some of them include Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Abel, Enoch, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, the prophets, the prostitute Rahab, and others. I would encourage you to read Hebrews 11 especially if you are struggling in your faith.
Should we as Christians doubt God? NO! For if he can calm the storms, walk on water, feed the five thousand, turn water into wine, heal the sick, and raise a dead man; how can we doubt God? We must not doubt but believe. It takes complete faith. Faith is believing in the things not yet seen.
James 1:6
"But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."
We must believe and not allow Satan to put the doubt there. If we give it to the Lord at the altar, then leave it there, don't take it back. With faith also comes action. We must act in faith believing and knowing God called us according to his purpose for such a time as this.
James 1:22
"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."
James 2:20
"You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?"
James 2:26
"As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."
Let us live by faith and not by sight that we may be an example to others. May we listen to God's calling and be obedient to His calling. May we be credited as a righteous child of God. May our lives reflect the love of Jesus Christ towards others. Help us O'Lord to believe and not doubt. Help us each day to walk by faith, doing what you have called us to do.
Blessings to you all!!!
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what do not see."
By faith we believe God created the universe and all that is in it. By faith, Noah built the ark when warned about things not yet seen. If you read Hebrews 11, you will find many stories of people who lived by faith. Some of them include Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Abel, Enoch, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, the prophets, the prostitute Rahab, and others. I would encourage you to read Hebrews 11 especially if you are struggling in your faith.
Should we as Christians doubt God? NO! For if he can calm the storms, walk on water, feed the five thousand, turn water into wine, heal the sick, and raise a dead man; how can we doubt God? We must not doubt but believe. It takes complete faith. Faith is believing in the things not yet seen.
James 1:6
"But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."
We must believe and not allow Satan to put the doubt there. If we give it to the Lord at the altar, then leave it there, don't take it back. With faith also comes action. We must act in faith believing and knowing God called us according to his purpose for such a time as this.
James 1:22
"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."
James 2:20
"You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?"
James 2:26
"As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."
Let us live by faith and not by sight that we may be an example to others. May we listen to God's calling and be obedient to His calling. May we be credited as a righteous child of God. May our lives reflect the love of Jesus Christ towards others. Help us O'Lord to believe and not doubt. Help us each day to walk by faith, doing what you have called us to do.
Blessings to you all!!!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Prayer of Faith
Prayer is very powerful and very essential in our spiritual walk with God. It is also a very powerful way of communicating with God. One Sunday morning, we had a missionary speak at our service by the name of Karla. She is so anointed by the Lord and spoke with such boldness and compassion. Her title was "Prayer of Faith." I would like to share some of my notes from her message that morning. It was so powerful. It is a reminder that when we pray, pray the prayer of faith. There are three key points in praying the prayer of faith: Prayer of Faith, Fervent, and Availeth Much.
James 5:13-16 "The Prayer of Faith"
"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of righteous man is powerful and effective."
I am going to begin by talking about the Prayer of Faith. There are two ways we can pray the prayer of faith:
1) Pray in the Word (stand firm in the Word)
You have no power if you aren't submerged in the Word.
2) Be used in the gift of faith
Be available to be used.
The second key point is Fervent:
Agonize in prayer.
Pray according to God's will not your own.
Pray fervently, in tongues and in the Spirit.
The final point is Availeth Much:
Be available to be used by the Spirit.
We cannot operate in God's will unless we are in the Spirit.
The prayer of faith gets the job done.
Imagine if we all spent an hour a day praying, even if it was a short simple prayer, what a difference the power of prayer makes. Praying and spending time with God allows us to develop a more personal relationship with God. He will make our paths clear and help us in times of turmoil. The power of prayer changes things.
I love the quote "You have no power if you aren't submerged in the Word." You simply can't grow spiritually if you are not reading God's Word or applying it to your life. You have to make time to read God's Word and study it. It requires disciplining yourself. You must make time with God in order to have a relationship with God. It is amazing what God can do through us if we allow him to use us according to his will. Make an effort to spend time in God's Word and in prayer seeking God's will for your life. Make an effort to pray the prayer of faith. By praying the prayer of faith, praying fervently and being available to be used by the Spirit, God can move in miraculous ways.
Romans 8:16-17
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."
Romans 12:11-12
"Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
James 5:13-16 "The Prayer of Faith"
"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of righteous man is powerful and effective."
I am going to begin by talking about the Prayer of Faith. There are two ways we can pray the prayer of faith:
1) Pray in the Word (stand firm in the Word)
You have no power if you aren't submerged in the Word.
2) Be used in the gift of faith
Be available to be used.
The second key point is Fervent:
Agonize in prayer.
Pray according to God's will not your own.
Pray fervently, in tongues and in the Spirit.
The final point is Availeth Much:
Be available to be used by the Spirit.
We cannot operate in God's will unless we are in the Spirit.
The prayer of faith gets the job done.
Imagine if we all spent an hour a day praying, even if it was a short simple prayer, what a difference the power of prayer makes. Praying and spending time with God allows us to develop a more personal relationship with God. He will make our paths clear and help us in times of turmoil. The power of prayer changes things.
I love the quote "You have no power if you aren't submerged in the Word." You simply can't grow spiritually if you are not reading God's Word or applying it to your life. You have to make time to read God's Word and study it. It requires disciplining yourself. You must make time with God in order to have a relationship with God. It is amazing what God can do through us if we allow him to use us according to his will. Make an effort to spend time in God's Word and in prayer seeking God's will for your life. Make an effort to pray the prayer of faith. By praying the prayer of faith, praying fervently and being available to be used by the Spirit, God can move in miraculous ways.
Romans 8:16-17
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."
Romans 12:11-12
"Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
Keep the Faith, Finish the Race
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."
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."
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."
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