John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. NKJV John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. NLT John 3:16

For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. TEV John 3:16

For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten [unique] Son, so that whoever believes in [trusts in, clings to, relies on] Him shall not perish [come to destruction, be lost] but have eternal [everlasting] life. AMP John 3:16

No matter how this verse is translated, it’s the same. God loves the world and gave His only Son to save it. This is the heart of Christmas celebration. We’ve all had times where negative feelings swell and threaten to overwhelm us. We might feel rejected, forgotten or worthless. We may wonder if God even loves us. But remember that feelings are not always a representation of truth. We have an enemy who comes to steal from us, to destroy us, and to kill us. If we can be convinced that God has abandoned us and that our portion is a bitter and hard life, then Satan has won and we have lost. It is imperative that we line ourselves up with the Word of God. God loves us. His thoughts toward us are good and not evil to give us a future and a hope. He has prepared a place for us in eternity and, in Him, we are more than conquerors. We have overcome the world!

May the celebration of God’s love for us never be lost in the trials and pressures of life. Our God loves us dearly. He has sent His Son to us to save us and the Holy Spirit to fill and empower us. He has given us covenant promises that He will keep. He is faithful and we can absolutely trust Him. Let’s choose to believe God and rebuke those thoughts or feelings that make God less than He is. The greatest gift that has been or ever will be has been given to us. Let’s rejoice!

Isaiah 9:6-7

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on His shoulders. And He will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of His ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen! Isaiah 9:6-7

We serve a God who is in covenant with us. He keeps that covenant with passion and uses His resources to fulfill His promises. He said He would send us a Savior and He did. He said He would establish His rulership on earth, and He did. When God makes a promise, He keeps it. Always. 2 Corinthians 1:20 says, “For all the promises of God in Him [Jesus] are Yes, and in Him Amen [let it be done], to the glory of God through us.

We can see in the names of Jesus what His reign on earth will be like. His will be an eternal kingdom ruled with fairness and justice. He is all He said He would be. You have an everlasting Father, a Wonderful Counselor, and Peace. I invite you to take some time to meditate on these titles for Jesus and apply them as banners over your life. We are always more than conquerors through our Lord Jesus Christ, the baby in the manger, the ruler of the universe, the King of kings, and Lord of lords.

The fact that God has committed Heaven’s armies to fulfill His covenant and bring about the establishing of His eternal kingdom on Earth is much more than we capture in our hearts. God has given power and authority to those who claim Jesus as Savior. With joy and celebration let’s rejoice and take our place in God’s kingdom. Let’s determine to be Jesus wherever we are: to seek the lost, touch them as Jesus does, and let the manifestations of God’s love fill the earth.

Matthew 12:34-35

For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Matthew 12:34-35

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45

Have you ever opened your mouth and been shocked at what comes pouring out of it? I have. I’ve discovered that even though I had not allowed my mind to think certain ways, there was still a remnant of pain that was expressed in my words and feelings that I didn’t know was lying dormant in my heart. It is often those moments of surprise at your own words that can clue you in to a need for healing or repentance.

As we enter into our Thanksgiving and Christmas season, let’s remember to be thankful and praise our King. We need to pay attention to the words coming out of our mouths and, when necessary, be prepared to repent of wrong thinking or seek out prayer for healing. During this season it’s easy to focus on our economy or the state of our personal finances. Sometimes the brokenness of our families dominates our thoughts or a striving to do and be more for our own children than our parents were for us can overtake who God has made us to be.

Let’s choose not to fear and remember that we have God and the abundance of salvation. How can we have a bad Christmas when we are God’s and all He has is ours? Let’s choose to believe God’s Word and His promises and remember to let praises be in our mouths and thankfulness in our hearts. Let’s speak out the greatness of our God and the assurance of our salvation.

1 Timothy 2:1-5

1 Timothy 2:1-5
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

We have a new president! And we know that our nation is looking at change as a result. That’s always the case when a new president comes into office and it leaves us with a phenomenal responsibility as Christians. It’s our job to pray for our leaders. It seems that when we know our president is a Christian who retains Godly morals, we forget to pray for him or just don’t feel as pressed to pray. And when our president is not a Christian, then we sure pour out the prayers! But we’re wrong when that’s the case. It is always our responsibility to pray for our leaders! It’s always our responsibility to continue to ask that Godliness will flourish within the structure and people of our country.

As our new president comes up to speed and takes office let’s pray for him. Let’s ask God to direct the path of our country and pray that President Obama’s heart would be softened to hear the voice of the Lord. Proverbs 21:1 says that “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases.” Let’s rejoice in the Lord and His sovereignty. Let’s not despair and become fatalistic about life in America. Let’s remember that our hope is in God and He has already said that He is the one who directs the king’s (or, in our case, the president’s) heart. Let’s remember to be thankful always for the fact that God is where our hope lies. Let’s take our nation back in a storm of prayer and intercession and watch the hand of the Lord at work on our behalf!

1 Corinthians 12:12-26

The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “ I am not part of the body because I am not and eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.” In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. I Corinthians 12:12-26

We as believers, Christians and followers of Jesus Christ are His body. We did not choose who belongs to the body, Christ has. Therefore we are connected together as one in Christ. Ever come across other believers that bother you, frustrate or even anger you? It is then that we need to pray that the love of God abounds in us and through us for each other. We are in desperate need of each other. We are connected to each other, let us rejoice and care for one another as we would care for our own body. If we are sick, we rest or see a doctor, if a bone is broken we have it set and cast, if there are other physical concerns, we make sure to take care of them. How much the more should we care for each other as members of Christ? So let us remember we are connected. Let us remember to love each other and grow in our hearts until we are truly one. Let us take time and be united together in Christ, not preferring ourselves, but showing more honor and preference to others for Christ’s Sake.

Psalm 34:1-3

Psalms 34:1-3
1) I will praise the Lord at all times, I will constantly speak His praises.
2) I will boast only in the Lord; Let all who are helpless take heart.
3) Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt His name together. NLT

Psalms 34:1-3
1) I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2) My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear it and be glad
3) Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together. NKJV

Choices! We all make choices every day. We speak life or we speak fear, doubt, and death. I believe that we must choose life. Every time, let us choose life. We will all go through hard times, tough times, painful times, but what do we talk about? I am not talking of some type of denial; we need to process issues for healing, but do we focus on the negative, hard, and painful, or do we talk of the faithfulness of God? Do our lips continually praise Him? Do we boast of the goodness of the Lord even when it is hard because at the core of our being we believe that God will make all things work for our good? In all our lives, we choose, so let us choose life, let us choose trust in the Lord, let us believe what God says no matter what we experience in this life. He is still God, trustworthy, and our redeemer. Yes, we will have tribulation in this world, but be of good cheer, He (God) has overcome the world. If we believe His Word, and trust God’s faithfulness, then praise and focusing on God’s goodness will not be difficult. You will always see God bigger than your self, trials, and anything we may encounter of the difficult and painful. So let us ask God to keep fresh in our hearts to choose life, and rest our lives on His faithfulness.

Genesis 22:5

“Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the young men. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.” Genesis 22:5

God asked Abraham to worship Him by sacrificing his son, Isaac. Human sacrifice has never been God’s way, but here is a story of the ultimate test of Abraham’s obedience to the Lord. And we can learn some things from Abraham:

Worship was a priority in his life. He was determined to offer to the Lord all that was due Him, even if that was Abraham’s most treasured possession.
Obedience was also a priority. Having been asked to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham got up early the next morning to see to it.
Isaac was Abraham’s only child. He was promised to Abraham and in his old age, God came through and they had Isaac. It’s interesting that even though Abraham knew that he was going to sacrifice Isaac to the Lord, he tells his men that he and Isaac will be right back. This tells us that Abraham knew and trusted God. He understood God’s faithfulness and walked in relationship with Him enough to trust that God would make a way. Abraham trusted the heart of God.

Let’s embrace our destiny to be worshipers of the living God. Let’s give Him every part of ourselves and our lives and our substance because He’s worthy and He’s our example. He gave His own son for us and Jesus chose to lay down His life for our redemption. He would never ask us to do anything He hasn’t already done. He empowers us and calls us higher so we can live a life of worship, sacrifice, and fulfillment. He calls us to be like Him.

Psalm 51:12

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey You. Psalm 51:12

None of us start out with the intention of losing the joy of our salvation. But we do lose it when our relationship with the Lord is unattended and stagnant. I know that if I don’t take time to keep connected with my wife, we tend to drift away from each other and our joy at being together gets lost. In the same way, when we sin we lose our close connection with God. Sometimes we feel as though God is distant and we may think that He has withdrawn from us, but it isn’t God who has moved away! When we feel that distance, it’s time to take stock of our hearts. Are we enmeshed in some sin? Do we need to repent and draw in? Is it a season of deeper reliance on the Lord? All we need to do is ask. God will let us know what we need to do. He desires to give us joy! He wants us to rejoice, celebrate, dance, sing, and enjoy all that He’s given us. Let’s focus on relationship with the Lord and learn to walk closely with Him. Let’s open our hearts so that we can walk in close relationship, filled with His joy, assured of His goodness and the knowledge that His mercy endures forever. If you ask, God will give you a heart that’s willing to follow him. And His presence and joy will follow.


Rejoicing in my salvation,
Pastor Darrell

Isaiah 55:1-3

Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink, even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk, it’s all free! Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food. Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David. Isaiah 55:1-3

We live in a world that promises us satisfaction. We look around and see the endless possibilities in the things that we can buy, the places we can go and the things we can experience. But the lie shows up when we find that we can’t get enough to be satisfied. The carrot of more and better continues to dangle in front of us while we strive to grab a hold of it. And in all that striving we find ourselves frustrated, discontented, and empty.

We choose where we eat. This isn’t a choice between McDonalds and Taco Bell, it’s the choice between God’s table and the world’s table. The world promises us so much, but we find the promises empty when we look into ourselves and see our own hunger and discontent. God promises us that His food is free (that even beats the dollar menu!), it’s the finest, and in it we’ll find life. And what’s more is that God’s restaurant is easy to get to. We need only to sit in His presence. We partake of God’s table when we worship Him, when we read His Word, when we spend time with Him. We don’t go to God’s table with an attitude of eating to be blessed; we come with the knowledge that when we eat, we will be transformed. When we listen to God and really hear what’s He’s saying to us, when we take His words into our being and live them out, we will have wealth. We’ll understand how to live in the abundance of the Spirit so we can look like Jesus, talk like Jesus, and walk like Him too.

Now there’s a promise of satisfaction that we can trust! Come to the Lord’s table and dine with me. Let’s eat!

1 Timothy 6:11-13

But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold of eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Tim. 6:11-13

…but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 2 Tim. 2:22-23

What is it that you pursue? We all have things we want or dreams we chase, but what do we pursue? When we chase our dreams or desires, we are often willing to give up some things to obtain the others. We stop eating out or change our diet or choose to stay home. Sometimes we really do pour blood, sweat, and tears into seeing our desires fulfilled. If we are capable of that kind of sacrifice on a human scale, shouldn’t we then be willing to give that kind of pursuit to Godly goals?

This scripture lists the Godly things we should all be pursuing every bit as fully as we pursue our own human desires:

Righteousness: Is simply following the Word of God and doing what it tells us to do. It is simply making choices to do the right thing no matter how we look or what it costs us.
Godliness: Is being like Jesus. It’s loving like He does, walking in intimate relationship with the Father like He did, and doing as Jesus did as an outpouring of our relationship with God.
Faith: We get our faith from three sources. We are given a measure of faith to believe, we can pray in the Spirit, which builds us up in holy faith, and we can hear the Word of God.
Love: Is a result of being filled with the Holy Spirit and with God’s power.
Patience: Can be gained by waiting on the Lord. When we focus on Him and His faithfulness, we find our patience growing.
Gentleness: Is when we remember to be careful with each other’s feelings and needs.
Peace: We find peace when we lock our hearts onto God’s faithfulness and remember that God can be trusted through difficult times and that He has promised that He makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Let’s shorten our focus. Let’s focus on Jesus, pursue Him with all our hearts and let these things overtake us.

Lost in pursuit of Him,
Pastor Darrell

John 6:35-36

I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. John 6:35-36


There is an appetite for the Kingdom of God that helps us to know in our spirit that we haven’t obtained everything God has desired for us. We then have a choice whether we press in or just set our soul to be satisfied where we are. Paul writes it this way:

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:12-14).”

This isn’t a paradox where the Lord says eat of me, receive from me, and you will never hunger or thirst. The issue isn’t the Lord’s provision, it’s my consumption. There are times when I’ve eaten at the Lord’s table and am full, overflowing with His goodness, and satisfied. Then there are those times I am dry, thirsty, or empty and need to consume more from Him so I won’t be so hungry. When we’re spiritually hungry we have a choice whether to satisfy that hunger at the Lord’s table or to try to meet that need with worldly substitutes. It would be like trying to satisfy our physical hunger with Cheetos and a soda. It would satisfy for a time, but it wouldn’t do near the job of satisfying my hunger like a good steak and a baked potato would. God promises us that when we consume the bread of life we will not hunger or thirst. He is the filet mignon on our plate. He is the meal that satisfies.

I invite you to consume spiritual food. Consume His Word, drink spiritual life, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and rivers of refreshing water will flow out of your inner being. God has called us to a satisfying life, but it must be centered in Him. He must be the source. When spiritual hunger pangs arise, eat His bread. When spiritual thirst makes us dry, drink your fill of Him. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Let’s be satisfied in Him so that we can be more like Him. When we are satiated with His food and drink, we will be more able to love, serve, give, and touch a world that needs Him so desperately.

Genesis 1:1-4

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the water. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Genesis 1:1-4

We’ve all read and heard this verse before and may have the tendency to just kind of skip over it without considering it’s meaning and the greatness of our God. When the earth was nothing but formless, dark, and empty, God showed up and began to speak. And all the awesomeness of our world was created with nothing but His spoken word. When we see the glory of a sunset or the shifting mists of a waterfall we should stop and remember the awesome power of our God. When we stand in the midst of lava flats or gaze on snow capped mountains, we should marvel that it came to be created by our great God. When we realize that this beauty has been enduring over centuries, we should rejoice that God loves us this much; to give us this testimony of His greatness and love for us. We are so blessed!

God cut through an inky darkness that we cannot begin to comprehend with his voice. Instantly that depth of nothingness became light. If God can accomplish that in the physical realm, He can certainly accomplish it in us. No matter what we experience in our lives, no matter how deep or dark it seems, God speaks into that darkness and illuminates us. He is greater than our minds can grasp, He is too great for us, and His creation is beyond our understanding. He is God, He has shown us the work of His hand over and over again, shouldn’t we praise Him, no matter what we’re experiencing in our lives? God created the Earth with such attention to the smallest detail; can’t we rest in the reality that He pays the same attention to smallest detail of our lives? We can trust our great God. As we begin to take steps to trust God more and more, we will find an overflowing comfort by His Spirit in us. We will understand that His love is focused on us and that we can trust Him and rest in His love and peace. Look around! See the work of His hand and remember that your creator loves you and you can trust Him.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

With confidence and assurance you can seek the will of God, know it, and follow it. He says you can. But we must trust God and have faith in Him and His promises. We must learn to walk in the understanding that we are forgiven and free. And we must learn to live within the knowledge that God is good. In the painful times of our lives, it’s easy to question God’s goodness or even His wisdom. Our souls do battle with our spirits in those times, but we can trust Him. He knows what’s best. Above our feelings, above our pain, above our human understanding, we must learn to trust God. Isaiah 55:9 says that “just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than yours, and My thoughts than yours.” If we could understand God, if we could know all the whys, we would make our very great God into a very small and manageable one. And then we would have no one who is bigger than us who can take care of us. We would have no one to trust. There are many times in our lives that we are bewildered by our circumstances and just cannot comprehend why our lives have taken a particular turn, but we can trust Him. Job 13:15 says, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” Therein lies our confidence, peace, and hope. We can trust our heavenly Father. The Bible promises us that when we seek God, He will be found. He will lead us when we ask. Let’s choose to follow Him will all our hearts, in all our ways, and with all our strength.

Anchored in Him in all things, Pastor Darrell

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

There are many reasons for us to be thankful, but if you’re having a hard time thinking of some, here are some scriptures from the living translation for you to meditate on.

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful loves endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34

We thank you, O God! We give thanks because you are near. People everywhere tell of your wonderful deeds. Psalm 75:1

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. Psalm 92:1

Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Psalm 105:1

And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety. 2 Corinthians 1:11

And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:20

It would be a good idea to make a list of the joys and benefits of salvation. We have the Word of God, the blessings of the resurrection power of Jesus Christ, the benefits of being filled with the Holy Spirit, being Spirit lead and empowered at our disposal. We also have access to the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Think of these things and how they benefit your daily life and I’m sure that you can build an incredible list of the benefits of being saved. Let the practice of being thankful transform our perspective of the world and deliver us of a selfish heart.

Growing in heart and the practice of thanksgiving,
Pastor Darrell

Psalm 116:15

Psalm 116:15

TEV How painful it is to the Lord when one of his people dies!
NLT The Lord’s loved ones are precious to him; it grieves him when they die.
RSV Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
ASV Precious in the sight of Jehovah is the death of his saints.

All of us have had loved ones precede us into heaven. We know that we will be with them again when we are ushered into the presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We understand that we’ll have new bodies and be pain-free and healthy and that our loved one is even now experiencing that joy, but for now we wait. We feel the pain of our loss and grief and the weight of the words we wanted to say or the hugs we wanted to give.

I look forward to being with Jesus. I want those old things in my life to pass away and leave me to rejoice in the new. Heaven is our destination. It’s where we will inherit our eternal promised land and forever be with the Lord. The Word assures us that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:4). The glory we’ve seen so far on earth will grow dim in the light of His glory and grace and we’ll finally see Him face to face.

But for now, we grieve the loss of our loved ones. The Holy Spirit helps us to rejoice in their gain and time heals us. God heals our heart and soul and the reality of eternity is more real and we look forward to it. 1 Thess. 4:13 tells us that we will sorrow, but that those who have preceded us will return when the Lord returns, they will be with Him, and we will be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And then we will always be with the Lord. We may grieve now, but we will have the final victory with Christ. So comfort each other in loss and look up! Our redemption is closer all the time. God bless you church. Be strengthened in your spirit and let the Holy Spirit comfort your soul while we wait for Him and His return.

Pastor Darrell

Matthew 10:40-42

Anyone who welcomes you is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me. If you welcome a prophet as one who speaks for God, you will receive the same reward a prophet gets. And if you welcome good and godly people because of their godliness, you will be given a reward like theirs. And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded. Matthew 10:40-42

I’ve heard many people say that they want to serve the Lord with all their heart. But I’ve discovered for myself that saying it and doing it are two very different things. It’s so easy for the pressures of life and the fullness of our schedules to become overwhelming. It seems sometimes that the addition of even one more thing will cause complete collapse and overwhelming exhaustion. But is this the life that Jesus has called us to live? Should our lives be so full and so scheduled that we don’t have time to enjoy Him or have the time to meditate on His Word or serve Him?

The pressures of life can leave us barely hanging on to today and far too exhausted to think of tomorrow, let alone eternity. But we’re eternal beings. We’re designed to rest, meditate and trust in the Lord. We’re also called to serve Him, which can seem so difficult when it’s added to the pile of other things going on in our lives. If that’s the way it is for us, then we’ve missed what Jesus wants for us. His plans are always good for us and we need to trust Him and embrace the life He calls us to. He can help us slow down our schedules, He can show us where the boundaries should be and help us to set them up, and He can bring peace to our lives. If we keep Jesus first, then thinking in terms of eternity is natural and serving our King is a privilege and a joy.

I invite you to embrace the extras and remember what this verse says: If I give a child a drink of cold water, there is eternal reward. Embracing God’s spiritual gifts in ourselves and in others brings eternal reward. We must live our lives for the sake of the kingdom of God! Let’s consider all we do and make choices for eternal rewards and for peace.

Looking forward to new awareness of serving with joy.

Pastor Darrell

Jonah 4:1-3

This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the Lord about it: "Didn't I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That’s why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You’re eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, Lord! I'd rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen." Jonah 4:1-3

"I am the Lord, and I do not change.” Mal 3:6

Plans change all the time and often we get angry like Jonah did. As I was thinking about these verses, I was realizing how much in our life changes and how hard those changes can be for us. Change is unavoidable! Let’s recognize, though, that not all change is bad. Sometimes the change of a room color can be refreshing. Certainly the new seasons are necessary and a blessing. And we know that each of us will one day be changed in an atomic second to be like Jesus. So let’s learn to embrace it!

And embracing change is so much easier because we know that God never changes. However much the world changes around us and whatever the changes we make for ourselves, He stays the same. He remains compassionate and kind. He is forever gracious and merciful. He always loves us fully. He always draws us to change day by day. He provides for us (in accordance with our willing hearts) the opportunity to change from glory to glory and strength to strength. We get to take part in a daily project wherein we are the emerging sculpture that looks more and more like Jesus. When we are frustrated and angry over the process, it’s really an opportunity to repent and embrace the change. We can shake our heads, stretch and grow, laugh it off, let it go, and change! We are Kingdom people, so let’s be transformed into the image of Jesus and be like Him. Let’s practice repenting of our old ways and allowing the power of the Holy Spirit to change us into the image of Jesus.

Growing in grace,

Pastor Darrell

Ephesians 5:17-20

Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you. Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, making music to t he Lord in your hearts. And you will always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:17-20

This has been a difficult portion of scripture for me at times. When I am upset and I am struggling with life’s challenges, giving thanks is difficult, if I am in the flesh, or operating out of my human spirit and not the Holy Spirit. If you will notice this portion of scripture added “give thanks for everything” after it tells you to be full of the Holy spirit, letting Him, the Holy Spirit fill and control you. Man, what an invitation, the worship and encouraging one another in song will be a natural out flow of your life.

Another expression of being filled with the Holy Spirit is giving thanks in and for all things. Not because God wants to hurt you, His plans are good not evil. He does give a future and a hope as He declares in Jeremiah. But if you see every pain, problem and situation as an opportunity for God to work in power and might for you and the Kingdom of God’s sake, then there will be another perspective. An eternal perspective, not earthly or temporary; one that is alive and hopeful. It is a wonderful life when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, when song flows from our heart and we are alive in our spirit. It is a great way to live in our heart; not denying the struggles and painful things we go through, but realizing no matter what we face, God is bigger still. And He will show up and work on our behalf, that HE may receive glory, not us. We will be secure in Him. There are times when believing God is on our side is hard, but He is. Believe in His heart; He didn’t save you to hurt you, but to transform you into the image of His son Jesus Christ. I want the transformation, I just want it my way and there in lies the problem…my way. But He is wiser still and He will transform us into the image of His son, His way. So in the transforming process let us trust God, anchor in Him and rejoice for He is working all things for our good and His glory.

Looking forward to new levels of faith and rejoicing in Him, we will grow in thanksgiving. It will help us keep perspective and Kingdom focused.

Pastor Darrell

Colossians 1:9-14

So we have continued praying for you ever since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what he wants to do in your lives, and we ask him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and you will continually do good, kind things for others. All the while, you will learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with his glorious power so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father, who has enabled you to share the inheritance that belongs to God’s holy people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son. God has purchased our freedom with his blood and has forgiven all our sins. Colossians 1:9-14

Paul prays. Prays for his brothers and sisters in Christ from Colosse. He is writing to Timothy a son in the faith to Paul. In the letter Paul prays.

Ever have those times when you love and care for some one, but after praying in the spirit for them there seems to be no words to express your concern, or the knowing of just how to pray for them. May I encourage you to simply pray the Word over them? A servant of the Lord has prayed this prayer for me. Several years ago, when going through a growing time a servant sent this to me and said “I have been praying this portion of scripture over you”. I read the prayer and I rejoiced. It increased my hope, joy and confidence that the Lord will perfect, deliver, heal, redeem and pour out of His spirit upon us. Praise God for His goodness.

I encourage you when you feel empty, or you are not sure how to pray for someone. Pray the Word over them. Pray Psalms over them. Use the Word for your declaration and prayer. God will hear and answer, and it is really hard to miss when praying God’s blessing and the perfection of His will in lives of the ones we love, when we pray His Word. It will strengthen you and it will bless them. Let’s practice this wonderful truth.

Anchored in the Word, and praying for you all. Want to know how I’m praying for you? Read this portion of Colossians.

Rejoicing in the Word and His presence,
Pastor Darrell

Psalm 8:2

You have taught children and nursing infants to give you praise. They silence your enemies who were seeking revenge. Psalm 8:2 (NLT)

Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have ordained strength, because of your enemies, that you may silence the enemy and the avenger. Psalm 8:2 (NKJV)

We know that when we are born again, we enter the kingdom of God. What an amazing gift that is! Our mission then becomes the same as God’s: to see the world saved and brought into relationship with Him and it’s by His power and with the Holy Spirit that we do this. We can use the authority God has given us and move forward as more than conquerors through Christ. But this mission comes complete with an adversary to that mission. God has an enemy, the devil, and when we enter into right relationship with God, we enter into an adversarial relationship with Satan. He comes to kill, steal, and destroy all the works of God and we are wise to remember this: we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities in high places that are demonic. Warfare is a part of our lives, but we aren’t without armor (see Ephesians 6). God gives us many ways to protect ourselves and also to do battle.

One effective tool in warfare is praise. Praise actually silences our enemy! Simple as it is, praise to our heavenly Father, praise to His Son and our redeemer, silences our enemy and destroys the avenger. Their mouths are silenced! The accusations we hear whispered in our minds are silenced and we are free to enjoy the power and presence of our Lord. The simple act of praise, of trusting our Father and having faith in Him and His goodness is our strong tower.

When your mind is over run with unbelieving thoughts, praise the Lord! When doubt and unbelief shadow your soul, praise the Lord! When your heart is faint and you feel shaky, praise the Lord! When test and trials of all sorts come against you, praise the Lord! This warfare weaponry comes with the cost of disciplining yourself to use it. Sometimes there is a sacrifice in praise. We must learn to lay down the misery we feel and put on praise. When we do this, when we force ourselves to focus on God and remember that He is a good God who loves us beyond our comprehension, we unlock this valuable key in our battle to silence our enemy.

Let’s rejoice and remember that the promises of the Word are true. Let’s praise God and rejoice in His presence. Let’s praise God and silence our enemy!

Pastor Darrell

2 Chronicles 20

2 Chronicles 20
(21b) After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang:…

(8)Your people settled here and built this Temple to honor your name. They said, 'Whenever we’re faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.' (12) O our God, won't you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that’s about to attack us. We don’t know what to do, but we are looking to you for help." (15) He said, "Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Don’t be afraid! Don't be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle isn’t yours, but God's. Tomorrow, march out against them. But you’ll not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord's victory. He’s with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Don’t be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!" (21b)Give thanks to the Lord; His faithful love endures forever!"

Did you notice that? They didn’t even need to fight. We get to obey and then stand back and watch the Lord’s victory. What an incredible thing. Can you imagine facing that mighty army with song? It’s an easy thing to read, but when you really imagine yourself in front of a mighty enemy, song isn’t the first thing you’d think of doing. In fact, it seems a bit inappropriate. But we must remember that our battles belong to the Lord. When we go before Him with praise and worship and a heart of obedience, when we look to Him for our answers, we free Him to fight our battles. There are times God will let us stand back and watch and there are times that He’ll have us join in the battle in one way or another, but in the end the battle belongs to God. And in the end He wins and so do we – we are more than conquerors.

Lately I’ve been feeling a shift in the heavelies. Something is changing in the spirit world. I’m not sure what this means, whether this shift is just within me or in the city, state, or nation. But one thing is for sure, when you can’t discern the times or seasons, it’s a great time to worship and wait on the Lord. As we rejoice in His presence and wait on Him, He’ll give us revelation. He’ll let us know what to do and then we can obey. In the meantime, it’s imperative that we pray for each other more, give more grace to each other, and stay unified. God is so good to us. Let’s wait and watch and see that the battle belongs to God.
Pastor Darrell

Genesis 1:27

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Gen 1:27

The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called 'woman,' for she was taken out of man." For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. Gen. 2:23-24

God gave the family incredible power. In fact, the power of the family as a whole is bigger than the parts of the family are individually. Families shape future generations. How a child is treated can either break and scar them for their life and potentially cause damage for generations or it can bring health and wholeness that also affects future generations. Our families affect the future, we set the course of nations, we reflect the heart of God, and we model for our children who God is and how He will respond to them. Now that is power!

Family is God’s idea. The process of a couple becoming one, leaving their parents, and setting up their own home while still keeping in relationship with God is God’s idea. But then sin entered in and we lost God’s original blueprint for family. God longs for relationship with us. He sent His son to die for us so that our relationship with Him could be restored. And when we are restored to our heavenly Father, we can be restored to right family relationships. With God we learn to serve others, meet the needs of others, and trust in God to do the same for us. When we get selfish and exasperated trying to get someone else to meet our needs and expectations it’s a sign that we are out of order. Please consider with me, Jesus’ life on earth was not lived to fulfill His needs, and desires. He lived to do the will of the Father. If He is our model, then we should also live to do the will of our heavenly Father and set aside our needs, wants, and desires.In relationships we have a lot of expectations. We want the other person to meet our needs. We want the other person to fulfill us. But that just isn’t in God’s blueprint. We need to live our lives meeting needs, serving others, and maintaining our relationship with Him. This is the original blueprint and the way to tap into the power of the family.
Of course this is easier said than done. But by His grace and power we can have God’s order and fullness in our lives, we just live all of our lives for our Lord.

Growing in grace and serving with joy,

Pastor Darrell

Ephesians 6:2

“Honor your father and mother” is the first commandment that has a promise attached to it, namely, “so you will live well and have a long life.” Ephesians 6:2

My son, keep your father’s command, and do not forsake the law of your mother. Proverbs 6:20

Giving honor is something that comes from the heart. The Bible says that out of the heart, the mouth speaks. That means that we can pretend to honor, but our mouth will give away the true attitude of our heart. It can get tricky on days like today when we purpose to honor our moms. Moms come in every shape and size and in every variety of strength and wisdom. Some moms strive to be Godly and some don’t. Some have been broken and bruised and some haven’t. Some have tried to make up for their failings and some have ignored them. But one thing is unavoidable. We are told to honor our fathers and mothers. (Exodus 20:12, Matthew 15:4)

Most moms I know want to do well, be a blessing to their children, and hope that the life their children has will be better than hers has been. Rejoice that God has blessed you with a mom. If your mom was or is so broken that you can’t find anything to be thankful for, then rejoice that she brought you into this world and that you know Jesus. Rejoice that God has placed you in a family that needs Jesus and that you have the privilege of interceding for their souls.

I give tribute to mothers who, though they are not perfect and do make mistakes, lay down their lives, their personal desires and their ambitions, to spend their nights caring for their children, shed their tears in prayer, and give their time to teach and train. What a tremendous gift to us! Without moms we would not learn so well to obey, follow directions, be compassionate or self-controlled. We might not learn to intercede for others, understand consequences, respect others or set our own limits. I am grateful for my mom. I pray that each mother will see God’s smile as He leads and strengthens them to equip the next generation to serve Him with all their hearts.

Proverbs 10:22

The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.
Proverbs 10:22

When you look at this verse in Proverbs there seems to be only one way to translate it. God’s blessings make us rich, whether it’s in money, health, family, or in our emotions. The desire of God’s heart is always to bless us. You may wonder, then, why our blessings seem to vanish sometimes or why they somehow turn bad. We need to remember that it’s the devil who kills, steals, and destroys. He’s the enemy of our soul who hates us and all we represent. He is the one who seeks to destroy the beautiful picture we have of God and God’s goodness. What, then, are we to do when God has given us something of blessing and it’s stolen?

I assure you that God is bigger than the devil. Jesus Christ has taken the keys of death and hell and has forever defeated him. We must remember that we are in Christ and stand on His Word. We are at war and there are times we must enter into battle. We may take a few shots, but the truth is that we’re victorious in and through Jesus Christ. If something is stolen, God will restore! If something is destroyed, God will resurrect it. If something is killed, God will bring it back to life. He’s a good God. His plans for us are good and we do have a future and a sure hope in Him. His ways are higher than ours and we know that as the Holy Spirit leads us, we will grow in understanding.

We must anchor our hearts in the truth that God is a good God. When He blesses, He adds no sorrow to the blessing. We must be careful to examine our hearts and remember who we serve because out of our hearts flow the issues of life. When we face sorrow after blessing we must secure our hearts in the Word and decide whether we trust the Word more than we do our own pain. Do we trust God’s promises and rejoice in His goodness? Let’s remember that no matter what our pain, disappointment, or sorrow is, God’s plans for us are good and not evil. God’s plans are to give us a future and a hope. His desire is to bless us and not add pain or sorrow to us. God is our redeemer and restorer. He fulfills dreams and has secured our eternal destination. We are His and nothing will separate us from His love.

With confidence and joy anchored in His Word,

Pastor Darrell

Colossians 3:14-15

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Colossians 3: 14-15

You have heard me say several times, that life is all about heart. What happens in your heart will determine how you talk, see life, and respond to your Father in heaven. Your heart determines how you perceive the cross, your sin and forgiveness, and how you pass that forgiveness on to others. It’s your choice whether your heart is controlled by the flesh or by the Spirit. The fleshly heart is full of fleshly things: desire, greed, love of power, fear of man, etc. But the Holy Spirit-driven heart will identify itself with Christ, crucify its flesh, and seek holiness (See Romans 6-8 and Acts 2).

The choice between a heart of flesh and a heart of the Spirit is ours to make and one we must make. Our spiritual growth is never an accident, it’s a choice; a heart set. And the peace that we have is directly proportionate to the rule of Christ in our hearts.
Is Jesus the Lord of our lives in a practical way? Is He the ruler of our actions, thoughts and desires? When Christ rules in your heart, then His peace protects your heart. So when hard times come they can, as we trust in Him, mature us and make us more like Jesus. There is a wonderful release of life when we choose to see Jesus as being bigger than any trial, problem, or concern we face. If we see Jesus as being bigger, we can pray and trust that God will intervene for the sake of His Kingdom. We can watch as Kingdom life is interjected into lifeless situations that otherwise might threaten to overwhelm us. We can know that God is God and Jesus is Lord. We can know that His promises are sure and absolute. We can trust Him with our lives and our eternity.

We are called to live in peace with one another. You might ask, “How?” Again the choice is ours to make. As we seek to have a Holy Spirit-driven heart, we can learn to love people as Jesus did. He loves us all, even our enemies, and died for us all. When we begin to understand that we are forgiven, we can begin to understand that Jesus did that very thing for others as well. He forgave them while they were yet sinners just as He did us. We can pray for the love of God to penetrate the hearts of our enemies and for His healing power to be manifest in their hearts and souls so that the body of Christ can be alive and connected, because we understand that it’s what Jesus desires. We are part of His body. We are corporately connected in our church, town, state, nation and world. Let’s, for Jesus’ sake, keep our hearts open to reconciliation and grace because He has reconciled with us.

As we choose to pursue hearts that are not fleshly, but Holy Spirit-driven, forgiveness and thanksgiving will be an outflow of life and we will see how great our God is. Practice thanksgiving, look for the good in situations, and rejoice. Then we will have joy and His peace will be our portion and our lives will be full of His grace and beauty.

Thankful to belong to the King!
Pastor Darrell

Psalm 138:1

I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart; I will sing Your praises before the gods.
Psalm 138:1

The heart of thanksgiving is developed only when we practice. We can plan our thanksgiving ahead of time, we can makes lists, we can remind ourselves to be thankful, but it’s only a manifestation of faith when we move from the mental practice of thanksgiving to the truth of heart-felt thanksgiving. I’ve had seasons when I practiced thanksgiving because I discovered that it was sinful not to be thankful. I started by looking around me, seeing creation, the blue sky, and the green trees in many different shades, the grass beginning to grow and the flowers starting to bud. I love the joy of seeing creation. It’s so incredibly beautiful that at times I’m overwhelmed with God’s creative beauty. From there I thank God for my family: a good wife of over 42 years, 6 wonderful children and their families, and what a joy to watch them love Jesus, sing, worship, and have fun. It’s wonderful and fulfilling for me.

I’m thankful for prayer, songs of praise, hymns, and celebration. I’m thankful for all the Lord has done for me personally. I’m thankful that I got to be a farm boy who played baseball in the cow pasture. We actually used dry cow pies for bases. It was fun and most of the time we needed to wash our feet before entering the house in order to get that green stuff out from between our toes. I’m thankful for many of my schoolteachers who helped me and encouraged me in so many positive ways. I’m blessed. I’ve enjoyed my life and it’s a joy to look back and see the Lord’s goodness. With all my heart I am thankful.
When I remember being saved and discovering that Jesus loves me and died for me, when I remember that He actually likes me, I am the most thankful. He actually wants to be close to me and grow in deep relationship with me. He wants to connect with me heart to heart to be unafraid, unhindered, and uninterrupted in our relationship. I am thankful for a Creator God who wants my time, my heart, my feelings, and my input. He loves us so deeply and I rejoice in that. The issue is that we need to be sure that we don’t take Him for granted, but with the freshness of the Holy Spirit rising in our hearts we keep close to God. We need to keep talking with Him, listening to Him, reading His Word, and choosing to be anchored in it. We will come to know His voice as He knows ours. We will come to know His heart as He knows ours. Let’s be thankful for the Word because with it we are not blind and wandering through life. We are guided step by step and are reassured that God’s plans are always good to give us a future and great hope. He’s coming back and with His power we will occupy until He comes. Let’s practice thanksgiving. Let’s move from the mental exercise of thanksgiving to a deep and abiding thankfulness for our God. Let’s draw near to God as He draws near to us. Come and join me and see that the Lord is good and worthy of all praise and thanks. Open your heart. God will show you His goodness. Be still and know that He is God and He loves you and has given you resurrection life and hope forever.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always); be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]; Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Over the years I’ve met a lot of believers that were never joyful, their lives have been hard, disappointing, and incredibly stressful. However, I always meet people that have gone through things that have been more extreme than I’ve experienced or have seen others go through. Jesus is a good example. He’s gone through the worst of all human experiences: abandonment, abuse, rejection, and despair. And all of these were to the extreme. He’s our example, He’s our source, and He’s our joy.

According to this scripture reference, we have three heart responses that we can make in our intimate relationship with the Lord:

1. Joy is always available to us. It’s one of the fruits of the Spirit. We can endure anything by the grace of God and still be joyful. We have the joy of our salvation, joy of knowing God is bigger, and joy because our sufferings on earth will grow incredibly dim in the light of eternity. Our joy is locked in and abundant. The Spirit who gives joy lives inside of us. When pain comes, we still have the joy of salvation, of eternity and of His grace.

2. Prayer is deep communication between the Father and myself, through Jesus Christ. It’s a touch of eternity right here and now. God has given us the keys of His Kingdom, and a commission, and the authority to fulfill His call. When we live in constant, close, intimate relationship with God, we will talk with the Lord about everything like talking to a close friend on a walk or over coffee. Praying all the time might seem extreme until we realize that prayer is only the sharing of our needs, thoughts, and feelings with Father God. He loves us and cares deeply for us and for our needs. Walking in the truth and growing in the reality of our relationship will make us a people that always pray about everything all the time.

3. Thanksgiving is learning to be thankful in all things and for all things. There are times when this can be very difficult. Some things hurt, are unpleasant and just plain hard, but if we’re thankful, we express our confidence that God is bigger still. No matter what we go through, God is big enough to use it for our good and to receive glory from it. Praise God for His goodness. Is God big enough to turn your sorrow to joy and take your brokenness and make you whole? Can He really forgive your sins? Yes. God is good, He is bigger than we are, more powerful than we can imagine, He did create the world and all that’s in it, and He loves you and me. What a wonderful God! Let’s live it to the full.

Matthew 28:5-7

Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that He has risen from the dead.” Matthew 28:5-7

The reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is our continual focus of celebration. I am thankful that we have the privilege of gathering and celebrating the victory that Jesus Christ has purchased and won for us. We are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us so. We lift our hearts in praise to the goodness of our Savior who has conquered death and hell, so let us rejoice. When Jesus is your personal Savior, He lives in you by the power of the Holy Spirit. His victory is our victory. Let’s rejoice that He ever lives, which gives us eternal victory through Christ who loves us so deeply that He died for us. Let us lift our hearts continually in one accord to the Lord. He is a Great God! And we love Him with all our hearts! Rejoice! He is Risen!
Pastor Darrell

Romans 8:11

Romans 8:11 “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

As we grow in Christ, it seems difficult to realize all that God has done for us. We have forgiveness of sins through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, and this is no small gift. We are eternally secure in God’s love as we grow in His grace. The Word declares that by His stripes we are healed, so that means that we have healing through the stripes of beating that Jesus took.

Jesus emptied Himself of all His deity, and took on the form of man. He was just like us except He was 100% God and 100% man. When Jesus emptied Himself, He emptied Himself of all of His God powers. Well then, how did He do all the healings and miracles, you might say. He did it by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God, and this scripture says that God lives in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus had an intimate relationship with the Father, and Jesus only did and said what the Father was doing and saying. He walked in obedience to the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is our example. We are to be like Jesus.

As we live our lives, we have a lot of distractions. We are burdened by cares of the world, our needs, brokenness that needs healing, deliverance that needs to be embraced, and abundant life to be enjoyed. So how can we be like Jesus? By faith, believing the scripture above. The Holy Spirit abides in you and me. Therefore our lives should read like one of the gospels. We are human, we do deal with our sin nature, but we are to recon it dead. We are to live only to God, so that we can fulfill His will and purposes here on earth. His kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. It’s our calling and anointing and equipping with Holy Spirit power that enables us to bring His kingdom here on earth. We have the power. This cannot be done aside from intimate relationship with the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will enable us to enjoy intimate relationship with the Father and as we know Him, we will do and say what He is doing and saying. It sounds simple but we must embrace the truth that will free us, be filled with the Spirit that enables us, and we will fulfill His purposes in life and walk in the abundant life God desires to give us.

So will you embrace the intimate relationship that God has purposed and desires for us to have? He has provided everything we need, we only need to take the time and set our priorities. Let’s enjoy our Heavenly Father as we grow in Him.

I’m walking close to the Father and believing for even more of His life pouring through me. I have high expectations of even more of His life pouring through you too.
Pastor Darrell

Matthew 6:9-13

This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Matt 6:9-13,

This is an incredible model for prayer. Jesus spoke this to His disciples because they wanted what Jesus had; power. After watching his life they seemed to be able to perceive that prayer was Jesus’ power source. We often try to reduce the Lord’s Prayer into a system to manipulate the hand of God to get what we ask for. But the key is far deeper than a formula.

It starts with worship, an acknowledgement of Lordship, and finding our place in an intimate relationship with the Father through His precious Son, Jesus Christ. Until we are intimately connected with the Father, knowing His heart, knowing His voice, and able to be assured of our total forgiveness and the joy the Father has in our relationship, and the deep love He has for us, we need not move from this place in our hearts until it is established.

Then comes the declaration of His Kingdom. His is an invisible kingdom where He alone is the ruler. We all know what heaven will be like: perfection, no sickness, no pain, but total wholeness and a relationship with the Father and the Son that is beyond our highest expectations.

We declare His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. That means that we are to usher His will into this present world. We are His ambassadors to establish heaven right here on earth. We are to be like Jesus here on earth. We are to see those in bondage set free, see the sick healed, addictions broken, and people saved. If you want to know the will of the Father, look to heaven, and then be His hand and heart extended to a world in need of God. It’s God’s will to heal and save and deliver, for we know sickness is not in heaven, the devil is not in heaven, there is no brokenness in heaven and here on earth we are to usher in that kingdom. What an adventure and battle. What a joy to walk with purpose and power.

We ask for today’s bread. God will provide what we need when we are doing what He says. I’ve heard a lot of exploitation of God’s people on giving, but the truth is that God wants to provide abundantly for us. God wants to bless us for His own sake, not for ours. He wants to bless us so that we will give, not so that we will consume more for ourselves. Praise God for His goodness. It’s His will to provide. All we need to do is ask and follow His instructions.

Forgiveness is our key to relationship with a Holy God. Sin and God’s holiness can’t be in the same space. So God in His wisdom sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us that through His blood and victory of resurrection we can have right relationship with God. Because His grace is extended to us, we must extend forgiveness towards those who offend us.

The Lord doesn’t want you to fall into temptation. He gives us a way out. Always. Look for the way out and don’t yield to the temptations life brings. Pray for deliverance from the evil one. Let’s not be yielding to the devil. He’s to have no part in us as Jesus said, “the devil has no part in me.” We will do the will of the Father. We follow Him and we have the Holy Spirit abiding in us to enable us to walk out the power-filled life we see in this prayer. Let’s be full of God and walk out His will, so that here on earth His will can be established.

Until He returns

Pastor Darrell