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bringing
the word
​to life

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Being an ignorant fellow is not a crime until it comes to the knowledge of God. I was ignorant of God for the first thirty years of my life because I was taught by ignorant men.  Men who are deceived teach their deception and enlightened men teach the truth.  I had a major problem, I didn’t know where to go to find truth, my church had no faith in the Bible.  My mother bought a large gold paged Bible and put it on the coffee table.  Before any of us could touch it or hold it we had to put on clean clothes and wash our hands.  I tried to read from it one time but I think it was written in Latin.  The last time I saw it, it was in a stack of Outdoor Life magazines, and my little sister used color crayons to mark it up.
 
Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father forgive them; for they know not what they do.
 
In my ignorance I prayed to statues and dead people, but Jesus forgave me.  Jesus is far more interested in establishing a relationship with us than chiding us for our ignorance.  I had no idea how stupid I thought until I was saved from myself.  We are surrounded by ignorant people but we can’t judge them because we were one of them.  The folks who know better but continue the wrong path are the ones who are headed for trouble.  Men who are offered the truth but reject it will also answer to God and no excuse they dream up will pardon them.
 
1 Timothy 1:13 The Apostle Paul said, I was a blasphemer, a persecutor and a murderer: but I obtained mercy because I did ignorantly.

 
Seems like to me that God is willing to forgive any sin we make in order to have us in His presence.  He forgave the men who crucified His Son onto the cross.  He forgave them while they were driving the nails into His Son’s hands and feet.  Some folks don’t think they ever need forgiveness because they don’t ever do anything wrong.  They may be the nicest people in the world, well, they may be the nicest people in hell.  No one in hell is ignorant but that’s a hell of a place to acknowledge the truth.
 
If you don’t meet Jesus in this life, you will never meet Him.

 
God wants just one thing from us, He wants us to acknowledge the truth and repent.  Some folks spend their entire life fabricating excuses and in one minute they could repent and not need any of their excuses.  Some folks won’t repent because they can’t figure out why God would want them.  Well you really won’t know until you make the connection, then you will discover that He loves you!  How can God love a sinner?  Because He is willing to forgive all of our sins.  Just let God be God, some folks want to argue with His way of doing things, as if they have a better way.
 
Isaiah 43:25 I am He that blots out your sins for mine own sake, and will not remember your sins.
 
So, not only does the Lord forgive us but He forgets our past.  The devil likes to remind us but there’s nothing to remember, so don’t.  God wants us to forget our past and focus on Him, just let the Lord love you.  Ignorance is a choice, don’t choose it, choose to know the One who loves you.  


a discerning heart

6/11/2017

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​The Holy Ghost is far more than a Spirit that dwells in the hearts of believers.  He has been sent for a specific purpose that most Christians never comprehend.  Jesus said it was important for Him to go away so the Holy Spirit could come to us and take His place. 
 
John 16:13 When the Holy Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth, for whatsoever He hears, that shall He speak.
 
The Holy Ghost has a voice and He can speak to us but that is not His only way to communicate.  When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives we can on occasion “feel” Him.  I am not saying that the Holy Spirit is a feeling, I am saying that you can “feel” Him as a means of Him attempting to lead us.  The Bible calls it the “inward witness”, much more reliable than any natural feeling we could have.  Getting to know and understand the Holy Ghost is like getting to know your best friend.  You know what makes your friend happy and what makes them sad, you can “feel” their emotions.
 
1John 5:10 He that believes on the Son of God has the witness in Himself. 
 
Jesus went to hell and back in order to cleanse us of all of our sins.  The Holy Spirit does not indwell sinners.  He will speak to them on occasion but His purpose is to draw them into the Kingdom.  As we work our way through life the Holy Spirit endeavors to keep us on the straight and narrow path.  You will not always hear His voice but you can always “hear” His “feelings”.  In the natural you know what it is like to feel good or feel bad.  In the spirit you can feel the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit can be grieved and He can be full of joy.  He can express “feelings” of everything between these two.  No matter how strongly you “feel” the Holy Ghost, you can choose to ignore Him or obey Him. 
 
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 
 

As you live as a Christian and you seek to please God, you will live in a constant state of peace.  The peace of God is not the absence of problems, it’s the presence of the Lord.  His peace is not an overwhelming force, in fact you become scarcely aware of it.  That is until something tries to hinder it and then you must do whatever is necessary to protect that peace.  If something is not good for you the Holy Spirit  will “feel” it and pass it on to you for your consideration.  If it doesn’t “feel” right you don’t want to embrace it, you want to abstain from it.  The Holy Spirit will not make you do anything.  You can graciously accept His ministry or you can oppose Him.
 
If God sends His Spirit to lead you and you won’t accept His gift, He won’t call you His son.  A son wants to please his father, he trusts in the wisdom of his father.  A good father won’t tell you what you want to hear but rather what you need to hear.  We must commit to yield to what the Spirit gives witness to us about and just let God bless us.  Yielding to the witness of the Holy Spirit needs to become our lifestyle.  He knows what is good for us and what is not.  He knows what we should buy and what to say no to.  God has sent His Spirit so we could have a discerning heart to know right from wrong.
 

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    OFFERING DECLARATION
    November 24, 2019


    My trust is in the Lord,
    therefore I live in hope.

    I no longer walk by sight,
    I live by the faith of Jesus.

    My life is in His hands,
    I will fear no evil.


    I am blessed of the Lord,
    so I put all my hope in Him.
    PRAYER FOCUS
    HOLIDAY SEASON
    Nehemiah 8:10
    Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat, drink the  sweet drink, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
     
    RELATIONSHIPS
    1. Separation from Family and Friends. (Examples: Military, Prison, 
          Hospital)
    2.   Praying against loneliness and isolation. (Yourself/Others)
    3. Communication   Romans 12:10 Act in love; prefer one another in honor.
    4.   Peace of God will reign in our homes.
          
    FINANCES
    1.   Pray about unrealistic expectations of buying and receiving gifts.
    2.   Ask God for strategies and ideas that fit your budget and talents.
    3. Pray for wisdom about what organizations you can help and be  realistic about how much money you can spend toward their need.
    4. Pray for increase in finances. God will supply all our needs through 
          Christ Jesus.
     
    COUNTRY/CITY
    1.   Peace of God throughout this Season
    2.   Protection for all from enemies seen and unseen
    3.   Praying for God assignments
    4.   Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with us!

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