Encouraging oneself in the Lord

One day recently, I came across a couple pertinent points of reflection, both of which I’ve been aware of and even (you might say) meditated on.

The first was a YouTube video I came across from a guy who I’d never watched before talking about the importance of encouraging oneself in the Lord, like King David did:

Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. 1 Samuel 30:6, NIV

My pastor at my church occasionally preaches about this, citing the same example, and so to hear it repeated from a different voice in the same general season, has led me to write a reflection in this vein.

The second came while watching highlight-reel videos from the Chicago Bulls’ dynasty years, specifically involving Dennis Rodman and either Michael Jordan or Scottie Pippen. I’d been reading/watching up a lot more on the backstories about how the Bulls got Rodman, and how, due to numerous factors, it was quite a miracle 1.) that Rodman was on the team, and 2.) that he got along with the Bulls’ two superstars.

Then I reflected on the timing of these things, and that’s when it hit me: God using sports as a (mostly) clean way to accomplish two things: 1.) distract my mind from the pain my life already was at that point, and 2.) a way to show me that even then He cared and was paying attention to my trials that at that time seemed to be never-ending.

I didn’t pay attention to the Bulls’ first three championships in the early 90s. I was kinda too young. I think at some point I was vaguely aware that they were good, but I wasn’t really aware the depth of their greatness until after Jordan’s first retirement. Hence my understanding of: “the Bulls were good, but their best guy isn’t playing for them anymore.”

Then, the year I went off to New York for boarding school, not only were the Bulls still winning, but then the New York Yankees started winning championships almost the entire time I was living there, after a bit of a championship drought. They only stopped winning a year after I had graduated and moved back. At the time, I didn’t understand. I had fallen into the majority camp where the sentiment was fatigue and disgust at how “the Yankees always keep winning.”

The year I moved back to Chicago from Minnesota, the Chicago Blackhawks won their first Stanley Cup title, and won twice more over the next five years. This was a move where, due to varying circumstances, I had to completely surrender the idea of a happy and successful life in Minnesota, where I really had wanted to be when I graduated college. At the time, moving back to Chicago was not at all my picture of where I expected to spend my adulthood. And, I saw in so many ways how God moved, including a new church I joined at that time, friends I made, and other things. But the Blackhawks suddenly going from laughingstock to multi-time champions I believe was another sign of God using sports as a way to show me He cared.

There were also other ways that, looking back, I noticed how God was using sports to show me He cared for me. One such way was through video games. I don’t consider myself a “gamer” in the sense that so many people my generation and younger are or were, but for about a decade I got heavily involved in playing Nintendo (N64) basketball or baseball. During those years, especially high school, my life (when I was in the Chicago area) was basically: school, church, hanging out with my one best friend occasionally, and my video games. However, there were times when I would do something in my video game, and it would somehow prove prophetic. I played baseball more in the earlier years of my video game obsession, basketball more in the latter years. Sometime in my first couple years, I had set up a Yankees-Mets World Series matchup. I think I had the Yankees winning in five games, although I forget how and in what order the results came.

Lo, and behold, the 2000 World Series played out exactly like that.

In high school and/or college, in one simulation, I had myself as a superstar (via the “created player” feature) winning championships on the Miami Heat, and later on with the Golden State Warriors.

The 2010s played out this sequence, with the Heat winning championships for a few years first, followed by the Warriors for a few more years.

Even in my writing, I wrote a couple interesting stories (one of which made this blog) where I correctly predicted most (although not all) aspects of two World Series/playoff runs. In 2005, I wrote a doomsday sort of story where a few folks and I ran off to Canada to escape impending nuclear war, bemoaning that this sort of thing had to happen shortly after the Chicago Cubs finally broke their World Series drought and won the championship. What was interesting was how I detailed how they would win: against the Texas Rangers, and in 5 games, in which the Cubs had home-field advantage and clinched on the road in Texas to end their championship drought. I ended up getting only two details wrong: the year, and the victor. This was basically how the San Francisco Giants broke their lengthy championship drought, in 2010.

Finally, in this post here, and kind of in a place where I was flat-out frustrated with my writing (the point that I stopped completely, until only recently), I cobbled together one last attempt (half-baked, to be honest) about the Cubs finally winning the World Series. To be fair, this was after the team had hired Theo Epstein to be the team architect, so the idea of them winning (curses and all) actually had a possibility of succeeding. I predicted again that the Cubs would win, this time at home, in 2016, on (pick a random date on the calendar) Saturday, October 22^nd, sometime shortly after 9:41 PM.

What blows my mind is that was the night (and almost exactly the time) that they won the pennant at Wrigley Field, breaking the pennant drought. They would go on to win the World Series a week-and-a-half later, still one of the most surreal moments of my life. The Cubs in a World Series!?? What’s going on??

The point of sharing these things is that I look back now and see how God was using these moments to communicate to me that He was there for me and cared about my prayer requests. I had many. I still have many, but I now am able to see more of how God is moving. He cares for His children. While I will add the disclaimer that my experiences tying sports and faith together should not be a one-size-fits-all, I do believe God does give some of us prophetic gifts. At the Vineyard I often listened to Holy Spirit for anything – words, images, etc – while praying for other people. I wasn’t always right in my discernment, but I have enough experiences to know that God does give some people the gift of prophecy, and that He does use people with this gift to speak truth and life into others.

As a parallel to encouraging yourself in the Lord, sometimes just remembering Him and the cool stuff He has done for you in your life is enough to do the trick. What about for you? What is an area in your life that you’ve seen God move to show you that He is there and always will be?

Thoughts on a person’s right to choose

Oh, boy. Just the header alone is dangerous territory, no matter who you might talk to, on the simple basis that that line can cover a variety of topics. At first glance, my viewpoints are simple:

• My body, my choice, when it comes to sex.
• My body, my choice, when it comes to food.
• My body, my choice, when it comes to alcohol and drugs.
• My body, my choice, when it comes to injections or medications of any kind.
• Not my body, therefore not my choice, when it comes to abortion. (Yes, I know I’m a man; I will explain a bit later in this post.)

I don’t typically like to post right away when big “current-events” types of news hit. From just a few years ago, I have learned the importance of paying attention to current events, but I still choose to receive it in bite sizes. It’s what one has to do, I believe, in order to stay at least somewhat sane. That, coupled with a crazy season at work combined with taking a summer class, pretty much precluded me from posting when Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Here's the thing: while the Bible makes clear what is sin vs. what is not, it also makes clear that God does indeed give us the right to choose. He gives us free will. And, that was the aim when the United States’ founding fathers had put together the Constitution. Because all [persons] are created equal (the Bible says it this way: that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made”), we therefore have the freedom to choose what we want to do with ourselves and with our lives. So as such, one could honestly make the claim that the freedom to abort one’s pregnancy (and as a result, abort also the developing baby) should fall under this umbrella.

I once believed this, too, by the way: after all, since I’m not the one getting pregnant, why should it be my decision? I went with the flow, because that was how the flow, well, flowed. (ouch; no pun intended... seriously!)

In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s action last month, I saw pictures of protesters bearing signs that said that being pro-life was a lie. That alone has confirmed what I already have been believing for many years now as an adult: the pro-choice platform is so twisted, I believe now to the point that it would take the God of the Bible, Himself, to directly intervene and correct these people’s hearts, on this issue and on so many others.

The first big lie is the idea that human life begins at birth. This is a lie; human life (as well as that of every other living being) begins – and always has begun – at conception. In the Psalm in which the “fearfully and wonderfully made” line is referenced, it also says this:

13 For you created my inmost being;

    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

    your works are wonderful,

    I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you

    when I was made in the secret place,

    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;

    all the days ordained for me were written in your book

    before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:13-16, NIV

For those reading, remember: as much as possible, I’m going to use the Bible to back up my arguments. I have also heard third-hand about scientists observing the moment of conception and discovering that a (small) flash of light emits and that that can be traced to the precise moment of conception. If true, this would be scientific evidence showing that a soul was created even when the baby is a mere few cells. But, because I heard this third-hand, and I don’t really trust the internet to be truthful and forthcoming about this, I can’t use this as my defense. So I instead choose to trust the Bible as my rock for this argument. Because, after all, if we can prove that God exists, even the God of the Bible, and if we can prove that He is the one true God who made the universe, then, it should naturally follow that His Word, the Bible, is not only infallible but inerrant. After that, any time we delve into any current-event type of argument, if the Bible has something to say about it, it stands as the final word.

By the way, this includes how the universe originally came to be. In evolutionism, the universe apparently started with a “big bang” that occurred billions of years ago, and then everything that has happened ever since has been by strokes of luck. There’s this underlying idea that everything, including our current existence – including (you, the reader) your current existence – is by chance. If this is the case, then there’s this sense that we can make up the rules as we go, you know, create our own ideas of ethics and morality, regardless of what the Bible says about it. As part of making up our own morality, we can decide that if there is no evidence, it must not exist. This is something that science itself does not do; this choice determination falls exclusively under human interpretation and human conclusion.

The other key deciding factor, according to the evolutionist mindset, is survival. Under this model, the fittest survive. Those that don’t survive, well, they were either too weak, or it wasn’t meant to be. In other words, they don’t count. In other words, if an individual doesn’t count because he or she or they were not able to survive, then that individual is not granted full personhood, in the way that those individuals who do successfully survive are.

It is therefore under these two guises, that form the first great lie when it comes to the unborn. 1.) We can’t see them (and no, ultrasounds somehow don’t count), and they’re not yet fully developed, so, they’re not a real person. 2.) Because they depend on the mother inside whom they are developing, they are not able to survive (they might as well be a parasite), so no, they’re not a real person for that reason, either.

This is where the Word of God collides with these ideas. First, as written above in Psalm 139, God created King David and knit him together while he was developing in his mother’s womb. God created his inmost being. A couple verses later, it is written that David’s frame was not hidden from God when he was made “in the secret place” (i.e. in his mother’s womb), and in the following verse, it is made clear that God’s eyes saw David’s unformed body (i.e. while he was still developing in his mother’s womb), and God had already determined David’s entire lifespan, from conception to death, even before his birth.

Before I delve further into this argument, I’m going to answer another reaction I have seen from pro-choice individuals who resist the Bible as any kind of authority: while there are other passages in the Bible that allude to this, it is more than enough that one passage clearly states God’s view on the unborn. A topic or truth is not necessarily more true than something else, simply because it occurs more often in the Bible. If something is stately clearly even once in God’s Word, it is the ultimate truth on whatever topic it addresses. So yes, the Bible absolutely takes an authoritative stance on the unborn: unborn lives matter to God, and they need to matter to us in the same way that they matter to Him.

As such, aborting a baby that is developing in the womb is murder. And the Bible makes it very clear that God forbids murder:

You shall not murder.

Exodus 20:13, NIV

Back to the passage from Psalm 139: it’s not just that God cares for the unborn, or even that He made every individual who ever existed from the moment of conception, but also that He mapped out that individual’s entire existence, from conception to birth to growth to, eventually, death. It’s not just that God cares for those that are presently unborn, but also that He has plans for them, just like He has plans for you and me who have so far managed to survive to our present day. He has written all our days in His book, so it must mean that for every one of us, from the moment that we were conceived, He had already taken the time to consider our lives and how long we each would live. So I ask: if He had taken the trouble to do that for each of us who managed to make it to birth, would He not also take the trouble to do the same for those who are still developing in their mothers’ wombs? Something to think about.

The second great lie: “my body, my choice.” Since I have already established that a developing baby is a fully-fledged human being in God’s eyes, it is therefore logical that that baby is not “part of the woman’s body,” but rather a separate body developing inside a woman’s body. Therefore, it is not “ ‘my body,’ says the woman,” and therefore, it should not be “ ‘my choice,’ says the woman.” I say “should,” because, going back to my original argument about free will, it still is her choice. I also backtrack briefly, because, I have also heard that women often get abortions because the man who impregnated her pressured her to do so.

As promised, I would also follow up on my earlier comment “not my body, therefore not my choice,” concerning abortion, and especially considering that I am a man and will never experience the difficulties of pregnancy like women do. One thing I do agree with and stand with is that we men must share in the accountability of any pregnancy, whether or not we are married to the woman. First off, if a man gets a woman pregnant, he must step up and take care of both woman and child. I do agree that that should be non-negotiable. Second, because he got her pregnant, being a significant part of the child’s life must be a choice that he makes. Far too often, we men have left women holding the bag when it has come to parenthood, and I agree that that is wrong, both for how the man treats the woman, and for how he treats the child on the way. So, in the same way that I state that it should not be, but is, the woman’s choice to kill the baby, it also should not be the man’s choice to pressure his woman to kill the baby. They made that baby. And yes, it might feel like a person who is becoming a parent is a second-class citizen, but honestly, that is rather true. Raising a child is an enormous responsibility, and it does take over your life. That’s just reality. Referring to oneself as a “second-class citizen” comes across as complaining, and reflects a selfish attitude in terms of one’s expectation of their life. And that, more than anything, is a serious symptom of the mass erosion of a fundamental attitude toward life.

And so, I revisit my opening bullet points, with some revisions:

• Not my body, nor my choice, when it comes to sex.
• Not my body, nor my choice, when it comes to food.
• Not my body, nor my choice, when it comes to alcohol and drugs.
• Not my body, nor my choice, when it comes to injections or medications of any kind.
• And still, not my body, and therefore not my choice, when it comes to abortion.

I revise my original statements because of the below verse:

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NIV

If God made us, our bodies are therefore not our own. He gives us free will, sure, but, to really follow Him closely and walk with Him all the days of our lives, it also means surrendering our own views of our own bodies. Going back through the updated bullet points, what follows are further commentary as to why I appear to have changed what I wrote for each.

• When it comes to sex, the Bible is very clear what is sin vs. what is not, and it’s because of the above verse, and because of how God designed us. He designed us to be male and female (unfortunately due to the recent rise in transgenderism, this line will trigger people in ways it didn’t just a few years ago). He designed sex for marriage, marriage between one man and one woman. Anything outside of that is unacceptable and dishonoring to God.
• We do need food for survival, and aside from gluttony, there is no real issue with food. God provides us each day what we need to eat to get through the day.
• The Bible references “strong drink,” and while it doesn’t reference drugs outright, the tie here is that both strong drink and drugs are both considered mind-altering substances. The Bible calls us to be sober, both in our bodies and in our minds.
• Along these lines, injections or synthetic medications also can have a similar “altering” effect, especially if there is a long-term use. Again, God designed our bodies to heal themselves, along with natural elements to aid in the healing process. I’m personally not opposed to synthetic medication to help with severe cases or issues, but not as a long-term solution, as such use could possibly rob my body to heal itself. Plus, the above verse from 1 Corinthians 6.
• And I’ve covered the last point at length in today’s post via Psalm 139.

A couple final verses for thought and reflection on not only this topic but attitudes related to it:

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. 1 Corinthians 6:12A, NIV

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 1 Peter 2:16, NIV

These verses for sure could use a study around them on their own. I will save that for another time. Of course, convincing individuals who already don’t believe in God is difficult. But, our job as Bible-believing Christians is not to force them to change. When we stand on God’s Word, we already know that He has our back. We do have the freedom (not the “right”) to choose, but we also have a responsibility to choose to live according to what His Word says.

Sermons from Good News: the language of faith, part 2

 

Church 7/23/2022

Offertory scripture:

Proverbs 11:25

Sermon message:

Thesis: The language of faith, part 2

Faith is at the core of solving life’s problems.

People of faith solve problems. But people of fear are too caught up in the fear to solve problems.

Case study: Joseph in the Old Testament. He needed to hold on while he endured challenges. But he was still ready to be used by God and blessed by God. God used Joseph to help solve a problem with the upcoming famine.

God used President Abraham Lincoln to solve the problem of slavery.

Faith blockages block faith’s ability to solve problems. We need to therefore clear the blockages. Faith needs to flow to fix problems.

To review: the different types of faith:

1. The faith of entrance
2. The faith of development
3. The faith for miracles

These stages of faith are sequential.

You need to keep the language of faith going. You need to continuously speak the word of God. This is key for continuously speaking the language of faith. The payoff is that this will solve problems.

Psalm 23:1-4

God takes care of you physically.

God takes care of you spiritually.

God takes care of you socially.

Point 1: speak the language of faith in times of danger.

Psalm 23:3A

“He restoreth my soul”

He restores my mind.

He restores my emotions.

He restores my ability to make decisions.

He restores my hopes.

He restores my dreams.

Isaiah 26:3

Romans 12:2

By speaking the language of faith, no matter what happens, you will have your mind restored. By getting into the Word of God, and confessing His word, you will speak restoration in your life.

Point 2: affirm God’s presence

“God is with me.”

Psalm 23:4

God is still there even when we don’t see or feel God’s presence with us.

Let your faith set the limit of your feelings/fear.

Point 3: Acknowledge God’s protection

Psalm 23:4B

Point #4: Declare God’s guidance

Psalm 23:4B

Proverbs 3:5-6

Sermons from Good News: the language of faith, part 1

 

Church 7/16/2022

Offertory scripture:

1 Corinthians 12:12-27

One body (in Christ) but many parts.

Giving also includes sharing of the gifts God has given us, including but not limited to money.

Sermon message:

Thesis: The language of faith, part 1

Faith is important. It’s at the core of solving life’s problems. People of faith solve problems. Always have. And still do.

Noah did. Moses did. Our founding fathers did. Billy Graham did. Franklin Graham did.

God uses people of faith to solve problems because faith solves problems.

Blockage (of faith) can solve damage. This is true physically; it’s also true spiritually. Faith needs to flow just like blood needs to flow. So we need to remove the blockages or spiritual clots.

This is why we talk about the Word of God. It’s because it breaks blockages.

Hebrews 4:12 NKJV and MSG

God’s word is quick, powerful, and super sharp. It will disintegrate the blockages in your spirit, mind, heart, and soul.

Point #1: Faith of entrance

When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior we enter into the kingdom of God.

John 3:5-6

Point #2: Faith of development

Romans 4:20

Growing in your faith beyond faith of entrance.

Hebrews 5:12-14

1 Corinthians 3:1-2

Point #3: Faith for miracles

A person needs to go through the faith of development before reaching the faith for miracles.

Faith solves problems. We as Christians are meant to help solve problems in faith.

But we must be developed in our faith.

We also may need to help encourage others who have been wounded, not just physically but also spiritually.

Galatians 6:1-3

Scars can turn into stars. We need to learn the language of faith. We need to go through the steps of faith: entrance, development, and then for miracles.

Point #4: Speak the language of faith in normal times.

Faith and language are closely linked to each other. All the time.

Romans 10:10

You need to continually confess your faith and confess the Word of God. Every day; not just once.

It will break the spiritual blockages.

A great example of speaking the language of faith: Psalm 23. In normal times, in dangerous times, and even when the enemy is there.

One of my greatest joys

Tonight is a rare blog post where I just wanted to share something briefly, and not go into length about it. One of my greatest joys (along with cuddling with my love and writing music) is bringing people I know together to do something that we all value and enjoy. Another such joy is bringing together people I know that have never met each other, and especially people that, based on what I know about them already, I think will hit it off, and then seeing it actually happen in real time.

Last night's Bible study was all of that: we had our highest turnout yet (a total of 6 people were present), we studied God's word and prayed, and then we fellowshipped, both before and after. When we were all together, the group consisted of 2 friends I've known for a decade or more, plus 3 more from my current church that I've gotten to know in the last year or even just over the last few months. Although one of my newer friends had to leave earlier than the rest, for a solid 20 minutes or so I delighted in seeing (and occasionally participating in) two sets of conversations in which neither man had met the other previously, and in each case it was one of my longer-time friends chatting and connecting with one of my newer friends.

Joy. Pure joy. God is good in more ways than I'm typically aware, so it was nice to have that moment last night to just sit back and soak it all in, to soak in all that God is doing, even the little things and the little nuances of things.

Sermons from Good News: Jesus's first miracle

 

Church 7/9/2022

God’s word never changes. God never changes.

Offertory scripture:

Luke 6:38

Sermon message:

Thesis: Jesus’s first miracle

Event: At the wedding at Cana

God does miracles throughout the Bible.

God brought Adam and Eve together: the first marriage. Similarly, Jesus’s first miracle took place at a wedding.

Jesus’s mother, siblings, and disciples were also at this wedding at Cana. Likely a family event.

John 2:1-10

Point #1: God wants us to bring our needs to Him

Mary brought the issue to Jesus. In this case, they had run out of wine.

God wants us to learn from this story, to bring our needs to Him because He cares.

1 Peter 5:7

Also because God can do something about the issue or need.

Ephesians 3:20

And because He wants us to ask Him.

Matthew 7:11

Matthew 6:11

God wants us to ask Him our daily needs.

Matthew 6:12

And for Him to forgive us our debts.

Matthew 6:13

And for Him to deliver us from evil and temptation.

Point #2: God wants us to be intercessors.

All of us can intercede and go to God directly. Don’t pray to anyone else. Pray to God Himself, in the name of Jesus.

God wants us to bring Jesus to others; and for us to bring our needs to God the Father. And to pray for others.

1 Timothy 2:1-3

Having others to pray with you and for you is good.

Matthew 9:38

John 17:20

Hebrews 7:25

When you help others, you get blessed.

Point #3: God wants us to ask in faith

Mary’s faith was strong. She knew Jesus would know everything and would have a solution.

Hebrews 11:6

James 1:6-8

Point #4: God wants us to know Jesus makes things better

Luke 22:20

Hebrews 8:6

Water cleanses on the outside; Jesus’s blood cleanses us on the inside.

Point #5: God wants us to know we have a part

Jesus instructed the men to fill the jars with water to the brim. Jesus miraculously changed that water into wine. This wine was better than the other wine served earlier.

The new covenant is better than the old covenant.

Other examples: Joshua and the walls of Jericho.

Matthew 19:26

There are three responses one can have when we read about miracles in the Bible.

Response 1: John 2:11 you believe it

Response 2: John 12:37 you don’t believe it even when you see it and see witnesses

Response 3: John 12:42-43 they believed it but didn’t confess it out of fear of men; loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

Believe, have faith, and do what God asks you to do.

Six-month Bible-reading check-in

I’m a little late this time. My reading has remained more or less the same since March: some days I’m good and reading the assigned reading; other days I’m lucky if I read one sentence. I do strive at least to do that much, if I don’t do the assigned reading. We’re now in the period of the prophets and the bad kings of Israel and Judah, post-Solomon. (There are a few good ones, but not many.)

I found myself staying with this passage from Ecclesiastes longer than just a few days:

Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool’s voice is known by his many words. When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed—Better not to vow than to vow and not pay. Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands? For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God.

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, New King James Version

It’s hard because I love to talk. I also love to write, although I don’t consider myself skilled like the many thousands of published authors in existence. I regularly have conversations in my head when I’m not having conversations with other people. And, like a lot of people I’m sure, I like to be right. That’s a particularly unique challenge with being a Christian, because, when we stand on God’s Word, we are right. And yet, it is God who is right and not us. We are only right inasmuch as we are standing on God’s truth, on His perspective, and what He says, to us and through us.

I also have a pet peeve with scenarios where either people “have” to be right, or I perceive that this is the case. Distinguishing between the two is often still tricky, even with years of counseling under my belt. I still have moments where I have to force myself to repent and turn around from these thoughts, to “take these thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ,” as is written in 2 Corinthians 10:5, considering that the root of many persistent conversations in my head stem from this issue.

Right now, the only tool I’m aware I have is repentance. To be clear: it's a great tool, and I'm glad I have it. That said, I still haven’t yet learned how to prevent these imaginary conversations from happening, nor have I yet developed an ability to respond with full maturity in the moment when I encounter a scenario (real or imagined) where another person “has” to be right. I received a conviction in this area recently, and repented, and so I am stronger than I was previously in terms of staying grounded and staying calm. But, I also know that I can just as easily slip again, considering I’ve been convicted (and repented) before, a few times.

I’m still doing the Bible studies monthly, one in person and one online. People are still interested, and people are still coming. Praise God. For now, I’ll keep doing this. Until when, I don’t know. I’m aware of my flesh wanting to quit from time to time, but I also know that hosting these meetings is also a spiritual lifeline. This alone tells me I need to keep it.

Sermons from Good News: our faith is being tested

Church 6/25/2022

Offertory scripture:

Malachi 3:8-12

Matthew 6:25-34

Sermon message:

Thesis: Our faith is being tested

Christian values are being tested/under attack in America.

A record number of pastors resigned in 2021.

The Bible says to not draw back on your faith or compromise your faith.

Hebrews 10:39 KJV, NLT, ESV

Hold on to your faith - don’t shrink back.

Don’t be surprised when challenges come your way.

1 Peter 4:12-14 NLT

1 Timothy 6:12 NLT

Fight for your faith. Fight for your faith so you can overcome the world.

1 John 5:4

Everyone struggles with feeling inadequate. But: You are not inadequate in God’s eyes. Because you have Christ in you, you have overcome the world.

People of the world cover up their inadequacy. It began with Adam and Eve falling into sin. Sometimes they will run and hide. Same reasoning. Sometimes also people will blame others to cover up or hide their inadequacy. Actually it is Satan deceiving those people.

Stop. God will help you. Just receive His power.

1 Corinthians 10:13

Philippians 4:19

Point #1: Go to God’s word. This is a supply line for you. Do this to keep your supply/energy to fight against the devil and against the world.

Ephesians 6:10-11 NLT

Romans 10:17

Ephesians 6:16 NLT

Point #2: Go to God in prayer. This too is a supply line.

Romans 8:26

The Holy Spirit can intercede when we need help on how to pray. Don’t worry about feeling inadequate; God will help.

Point #3: Go to God in fasting. When you fast your flesh goes weak, but your spirit gets stronger, if you fast for God.

Just make sure you’re fasting for the right reasons when you fast.

Point #4: Go to God in praise. This is often a total shift from where we may be at in a given moment. But praising God always works.

Think about something to praise God about.

Consider David in the Bible. Even when he was down he praised God, and he found new strength.

These are military strategies from God.

 

Sermons from Good News: five golden nuggets

Church 6/18/2022

Offertory scripture:

Draw near to God, He will draw near to you.

Proverbs 3:9-10

Sermon message:

Thesis: Five golden nuggets

Happy Father’s Day

The greatest father of all time is Almighty God. Father of all creation. But he also wants to be your Father by relation. We can receive this by receiving Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Three case studies: Noah, Abraham, and David.

Point #1: Position yourself to hear from God.

Shut off the noise. Get alone with God.

2 Peter 2:2-5

Set aside the time to be alone with God.

Psalm 46:10

We need Bible time in addition to quiet time. Read what Dad has written to you in His Word.

We need church time.

Hebrews 10:25

Point #2: Do what God asks you to do.

Noah: God asked him to make an ark.

Genesis 6:14

Abraham: father of many nations

Genesis 17:5

David: told to think of himself as a king

1 Samuel 16:13

Matthew 7:24-27

James 1:22

Point #3: Don’t give up!

Why we are often tempted to give up:

Disappointments, delays, distractions

Noah, Abraham, and David faced opposition, mocking, etc. Don’t give up in the face of these things.

Galatians 6:9

Point #4: Love your family and your friends by putting God first.

Noah out God first and saved his family’s lives.

Abraham was willing sacrifice Isaac to please God, and God’s response was to rescue Isaac instead.

Proverbs 22:6

Tell your kids that without God (and without your spouse) those kids wouldn’t be there. Tell your kids the truth.

Point #5: You will make mistakes.

Abraham presented his wife as his sister to the king. Abraham went into his wife’s handmaiden while waiting for God’s promise that they would have a child.

Romans 3:23

King David made mistakes. Confessed it. Psalm 51 is a prime example of it.

1 John 1:9 

Sermons from Good News: things can change

 

Church 7/2/2022

Offertory scripture:

James 5:14-16

Sermon message: Independence Day

Thesis: things can change

Our founding fathers changed things, and our spiritual fathers in the Bible changed things also.

Point #1: they dreamed

The following men had the following dreams:

Abraham: father of many nations

David: king

Moses: deliverer

George Washington et al.: a free nation with freedom of religion

Thomas Edison: electricity

The Wright brothers: aviation

Martin Luther King Jr: civil rights

Dream big.

Proverbs 29:18

Don’t let anyone steal your dreams.

Point #2: They believed. They believed the unbelievable.

Our founding fathers believed they could overthrow England, the #1 nation and military power in the world at the time.

Believe the impossible.

Matthew 19:26

With God all things are possible.

Dream it. Believe it.

Mark 9:23

“…with God’s help.”

Our founding fathers: “all men are created equal…” a bold dream they dreamed and believed.

Point #3: they then spoke it.

Our founding fathers signed their names on the Declaration of Independence. They spoke and made their voices heard.

Moses stood up to pharaoh and said “let my people go.”

David stood up to Goliath and told him he would defeat him.

Dream it. Believe it. Speak it.

Mark 11:23

13 colonies came together and declared that they would be a free nation.

Point #4: They prayed.

Our founding fathers prayed. Our spiritual fathers prayed. There is power in prayer.

Ben Franklin in 1776: “let us pause and pray and call on almighty God and ask His help” during a meeting among the founding fathers where things had gotten contentious among the men.

Ben Franklin in 1787 at age 81: (paraphrased) “when we were dealing with England we prayed. And it worked. God answered our prayers. The longer I live the more evidence I see that God is directly involved in the affairs of men. Without God’s help our nation and dreams will fall. We will be divided and our ambitions will fail. We need to stop infighting. We will be like Babylon if we don’t stop, and pray, and inquire of God.”

Point #5: They fought for change.

David fought Goliath.

Joshua fought unconventionally to take down Jericho.

Paul’s said to fight the good fight of faith.

Our founding fathers also fought for change.

We are now living out their dreams.

Ephesians 6:13

Our spiritual fathers and founding fathers did this.

Yet the world still has a lot of wrong things. And so we must fight. Dream. Believe. Speak. Pray. And fight.

Our spiritual fathers won. Our founding fathers won. We can win also.