1/17/2018

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, I declare that the weapons of my warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. Today I cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against my knowledge of Jesus Christ. I take authority over the powers of darkness in the form of sickness and disease. I choose today to stand my ground in faith against the wiles of the enemy. I will not give into fear, discouragement, doubt, unbelief, or anxiety. I rejoice in Your word, because Your Word has omnipotent power. this power works effectually in me to the fulfillment of Your Promises in my Life. thank You, Father, for healing me in every fiber of my being. I am healed, whole, and delivered by the power of God and in the name of Jesus. amen!

1 Corinthians 16:13 (NIV)     Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

Submitted by: Rev. R. Cox

1 Corinthians 16:13 (KJV)
 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

 

 

Revelation 2:7 (KJV)
 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

 

This past week my daily Bible reading has been in Matthew. Jesus states several times; to them that hath an ear, let him hear and to them that hath eyes let them see. Now I have heard these two statements all my life mostly used together. I always thought it was trying to let us know that if a sinner was to hear the Word of God he should hear it and repent.

Then Sunday in church, the preacher had the church turn to Revelation 2:4, and as is my usual practice, I read further. All the way to verse seven where I read; “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; . . .” This jumped out at me.

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” God speaks to us individually and as a church. If God talks to you, it is for your ears and for you to do. If God tells you to do such and such or go, it is for you and not for me to do or go. Sometimes God will tell us to do or go and then we take it to someone else and tell them that God said thus and thus to try to get them to do it, knowing God didn’t wanted them to do it. Remember you can only make it to Heaven if you do what God tells you to do. Sometimes God speaks to you and sometimes he will tell someone to tell you.

Then we have the many times that God speaks to the church. He does this through the preachers and teachers that are led by God; however, not all are led by God. Therefore, when we go to church we should be in a state of “God speak through these people that you have put in the place of leadership” then you need a very important gift of the Holy Ghost: Discernment.

DISCERNMENT: noun

1. The ability to judge well
2. (in Christian contexts) perception in the absence of judgment with a view to obtaining spiritual direction and understanding.

We as modern Christians should covet (the Gifts of the Holy Ghost are to be coveted) this gift because with it and using it can help us see and hear what the leaders are saying is what God wants us to know. On the other hand, in some cases that the person, preacher or teacher, is not speaking for God.

Heavenly Father, thank you for being able to hear our prayers and answer them, I ask you to show us how to prepare ourselves so that you might use each of the gifts as we need them. We need to be willing for you to use any and all of the gifts as you need them used in our lives.

Lord give each one of us an ear to hear what you need us to hear and see what we need to see while stopping us from hearing what we do not need to hear and not see what we should not see.

I ask you to give each one reading this a hunger for the Holy Ghost to be able to use us as he desire and not as we desire. Thank you Lord.

C.I. Wilson

1/10/2018

I was walking down life’s highway a long time ago,

One day I saw a sign that read Heaven’s Grocery Store.

As I got a little closer the door came open wide,

And when I came to myself I was standing inside.

I saw a host of angels they were standing everywhere,

One handed me a basket and said my child shop with care,

Everything a Christian needed was in that Grocery Store,

And all you couldn’t carry you could come back the next day for more.

First I got some PATIENCE, LOVE was in the same row,

Further down was UNDERSTANDING, you need that everywhere you go,

I got a box or two of WISDOM, a bag or two of FAITH,

I just couldn’t miss the Holy Ghost for it was all over the place.

I stopped to get some STRENGTH and COURAGE to help me run this race,

By then my basket was getting full, but I remembered I needed some GRACE.

I didn’t forget SALVATION, for Salvation was free,

So, I tried to get enough of that to save both you and me.

Then I started up to the counter to pay my Brocery bill,

For I thought I had everything to do my Master’s will.

As I went up the aisle I saw PRAYER and I just had to put that in,

For I knew when I stepped outside, I would run right into sin.

PEACE and JOY were plentiful, they were on the last shelf,

SONG and PRAISES were hanging near so I just helped myself

Then, I said to the Angel, how much do I owe?

He just smiled and said, just take them everwhere you go.

Again, I smiled at him and said, how much, now do I really owe?

He smiled again and said, “MY CHILD, JESUS PAID YOUR BILL A LONG TIME AGO.”

-          Altha Moore

 

1/9/18

Matthew 11:2-3 (KJV)
²  Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
³  And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

Here is a man that most likely heard about Jesus from his mother while growing up, after all Mary had gone to her and told her story before the birth of Jesus. It is even possible that he had spent some time with Jesus while they were growing up. We don’t know for sure however, it is possible that John knew Jesus. We do know that John knew him when Jesus came to be baptized by John.

I have heard and read the book of Matthew, yet today these verses stood out to me. Why would someone who knew the truth start to doubt the truth?

Today’s Christians are being taught that God is a god of love, peace and prosperity. Now don’t get me wrong, God is all of that however, you don’t hear many preach the “Rest of the Story,” as Paul Harvey would say. Jesus is recorded in the Bible as saying that God is a whole lot more. Read Matthew 10:34-38

John the Baptist was in prison. I don’t know how long he had been there however, I do know that when you are under a lot of stress, which prison is, for a length of time, ill for a long period of time or even caring for someone who is your faith can decrease over time. If you are not experiencing constant interaction with what you know you can lose your assurance of it.

This is most likely what happened with John the Baptist. He knew it was Jesus but he had some doubts and wanted reassurance just as we do today. We need to stay in the Word of God, stay in our prayer closets, and stay in church. By doing this it will be harder for the devil to steal our faith from us.

C.I. Wilson            

1/7/2018

He said he believes the Bible – but he never reads it

He said he thinks well of the church where he is a member – but he rarely attends service there.

He said a man should be honest with God in money matters – but he never tithes.

He said the younger generation needs the Lord – but he isn’t leading them in that direction.

He said the church needs dedicated Christians – but he isn’t one himself.

He said the church should minister to people more – but he never participates in church work.

He says the Lord is surely going to return – but he lives as though the Lord will never come.

He says prayer changes things – but he never prays.

Author Unknown