Daily Devotional By Archbishop Foley Beach

Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing. Jesus said, I AM the Main Thing! MESSAGE SUMMARY: Today, we delve into the profound mystery of the Holy Spirit and its vital role in our Christian walk. We're reminded that it's not just about having the Holy Spirit, but allowing the Spirit to have us - to lead and guide our lives. The message emphasizes three key sins against the Holy Spirit: grieving, quenching, and blaspheming. When we choose bitterness over love, or hold onto unforgiveness, we grieve the Spirit. Every time we sin, we quench the Spirit's flow in our lives. Yet, there's hope in confession, which reopens the floodgates of the Spirit's presence. This teaching challenges us to examine our hearts: Are we truly yielding to the Spirit's guidance? Are we living holy lives that honor God? It's a call to deeper surrender and a reminder of our constant need for the Spirit's empowering presence in our faith journey.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I now take a deep breath and stop. So often I miss your hand and gifts in my life because I am preoccupied and anxious. Grant me the power to pause each day and each week to simply rest in your arms of love. In Jesus' name, amen.    Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 132). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Anxiety. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Peace. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 Thessalonians 5:19; John 14:19; John 8:51; John 11:25; Exodus 3:14; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 Peter 3:20 A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “A Word from the Cross”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Status, Power, Influence, Like Refuse Paul Threw It All Out MESSAGE SUMMARY: What are we truly aiming for in life? This powerful message challenges us to examine our ultimate goals and purpose. Drawing from Philippians 3:7-15, we're invited to reflect on the Apostle Paul's radical transformation - from chasing earthly accolades to pursuing an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Paul's journey reminds us that success without Christ isn't true success at all. The message encourages us to shift our focus from temporary achievements to lasting transformation, emphasizing that our identity should be rooted in our relationship with Jesus, not in our accomplishments or status. As we contemplate our own lives, we're urged to consider: are we striving for Christ-centered righteousness or merely following religious rules? This introspection can lead us to a deeper, more purposeful faith journey.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, everything in me resists following you into the garden of Gethsemane to fall on my face to the ground before you. Grant me the courage to follow you all the way to the cross, whatever that might mean for my life. And then, by your grace, lead me to resurrection life and power. In Jesus' name, amen.   Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 100). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Loneliness. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Presence. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV):  Philippians 3:7-15 (main passage); Philippians 3:4-6; Acts 9 (Paul's conversion); Romans 3:20; Ephesians 2:8-9 A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “A Word from the Cross”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

At Jesus' Crucifixion and Death, the “Temple Veil” Was Torn; After Jesus Easter Resurrection, You Now Pray Directly with God MESSAGE SUMMARY:  Think about the magnitude of your direct and personal access to God that your prayers give you, through Jesus, if you will only pray. Before Jesus, ordinary people did not have direct access to God, through the Throne Room of God, with a direct personal relationship with God. In Old Testament times, people would come to the priests; and the priest would offer up a sacrifice on behalf of the people. The priests, and not the people, were communing directly with God. On Good Friday and at Jesus death on the cross, the “Temple Veil” was torn from top to bottom (i.e. “Temple Vail” was a large, very thick, and very heavy barrier that divided that portion of the Temple accessible by those wishing to sacrifice for prayer and the “Holy of Holies” where the only the High Priest could meet with God and pray on behalf of the people of God.). At Jesus Resurrection, no longer was an intermediary (e.g., a Priest) required for direct prayer with God by the people in Christ (i.e. Jesus Followers).  Because Jesus created a New Covenant relationship with His followers, now your prayers are in direct communion with God, the Creator of the Universe. Everyone, who is in Christ, may have access to the Throne Room of God in the name of Jesus. What a privilege this direct access to God is for those who are in Christ. The author of Hebrews, in Hebrews 4:16, tells Jesus Followers that, because of the Gospel, you have direct access to God's “throne of Grace” for your needs: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.".   TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Philippians 4:1-13; John 15:9-10; Revelation 4:1-2; Psalms 69c:25-36. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “A Word from the Cross” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/    DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Do You Believe that “He {God} gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”? MESSAGE SUMMARY:  You have got to believe; but until you get your thinking right, your life will not change – you have got to believe! It is hard for some people, today, to believe in the miraculous birth of Jesus celebrated on Christmas day. Ok, just start where you are in what you believe. Can you believe that you are a sinner? Can you believe that you are not perfect? Can you believe that you have violated God's laws? Despite this life background, can you believe that God loves you just as you now are? Can you believe that God sent His Only Son, Jesus, to save all that believe in Him so that you would not perish but have eternal life? Maybe this is where you start in believing in the miraculous birth of Jesus; you need to start where you are. Jesus' life was defined by His death on the cross and by His resurrection, thereby, living up to the translation of His name, Jesus – “Salvation”. The Apostle John succinctly summarized the purpose of Jesus birth in John3:16-17: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.".   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, fill me with the simple trust that even out of the most awful evil around me, you are able to bring great good — for me, for others, and for your great glory. In Jesus' name, amen.     Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 91). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be ashamed of the Gospel. I will not be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (including me). From Romans 1:16 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 1:1-18; Luke 1:27-38; Luke 2:1-22; John 20:27-29; Psalms 69b:13-24. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Power of God in Your Life” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Not Righteous Professing Christians Are "Whitewashed Tombstones" - Pretty on the Outside but Dead on the Inside MESSAGE SUMMARY: A righteousness, that comes from your being in communion with the Holy Spirit, is not like a professing Christian who is really just a "whitewashed tombstone" -- pretty on the outside but dead on the inside. Rather, followers of Jesus are called to live righteous lives, as we are instructed by the Psalmist in Psalms 37:39: “The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.". Also, Paul tells us in Romans 1:17: “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.'”. In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells us, as His followers, that: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.". In Matthew 5, Jesus tells us, as His followers, that we are different and blessed; and these blessings flow from your living a righteous life in Him. Allow the Holy Spirit to create in you a clean and pure heart.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I acknowledge that I prefer to ignore and deny my pain and loss. I struggle with seeing how resurrection life can come out of death. Grant me the courage to pay attention to what you are doing, and to wait on you — even when everything in me wants to run away. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 114). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Evil Ways. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Goodness. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 5:1-48; Romans 1:17; Romans 2:13; Psalms 70a:1-12. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Power of God in Your Life” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

God Is Your Heavenly Father; and You Can Speak to Him, in Prayer, as if He Were Your Earthly Father MESSAGE SUMMARY: God is your Heavenly Father and the Creator of the Universe; however, you can talk to Him as your father, and remember that He loves you. Imagine climbing up into His lap and imagine Him wrapping His arms around you – He is God your loving father. As God tells you in 2 Samuel 7:14-15: “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.". You need to start talking to God as the best dad there could ever be. Talk to Him about your life; your concerns; and your needs. You need to ask God for His counsel, and you need to ask Him questions regarding His will for your life.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, you know how difficult it is for me to be in silence before you. At times it feels almost impossible, given the demands, distractions, and noise all around me. I invite you to lead me to a quiet, silent place before you — to a place where I can hear you as Elijah did. In Jesus' name, amen.     Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 123). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Lust. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Perfect Provision. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 6:7-15; Colossians 1:2-3;2 Corinthians 6:18; Psalms 69a:1-12. WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Power of God in Your Life” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

The Messenger of the {New} Covenant {Jesus} Is Coming – Is He Coming to Purify You or to Judge You? MESSAGE SUMMARY: The people, in God's Judgment articulated in Malachi 3:5, are the people of God. These people are not the unbelievers; these are the people that say they are following God. Malachi 3:5, articulates those transgressions, including the absence of a “fear of the lord”, in which God: “will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.” To this end, Paul reminds us again in Romans 2:4-5 of a pathway to or away from God's Judgment: “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.". Additionally, in Proverbs 1:7 we find that the “fear of the Lord” provides us with “wisdom”. On the other hand and in the absence of our “fear of the Lord”, Proverbs 1:7 tells us that we are “foolish”: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”. The messenger of the Covenant is coming – He is coming to either purify you or to judge you.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Father, I confess that when difficulties and trials come into my life, large or small, I mostly grumble and complain. I realize the trials James talks about are not necessarily “walls,” but they are difficult to bear, nonetheless. Fill me with such a vision of a transformed life, O God, that I might actually consider it “pure joy” when you bring trials my way. I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief. In Jesus' name, amen.     Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 94). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, Nothing compares with knowing Jesus (Philippians 2:14). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Exodus 19:5-6; Romans 11:25-32; Mark 14:22-25; Psalms 67b:13-24. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Power of God in Your Life”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

No Matter How Deep Your Hole, that You have Dug for Yourself, You Can Call on God the Creator of the Universe for Help MESSAGE SUMMARY: Prayer is your conduit for communion with God. Through prayer, you are in God's Presence; and you can invite His help in your life's situations. The best way to learn how to have this communion with God is to just do it and use your normal conversational words; however, the words of Scripture are powerful and work strongly. Just pray with your heart in conversation with God. Jonah, in Jonah 2:1-2, models for us that no matter how deep our situational hole, which we have dug for ourselves, we can call on God the Creator of the Universe for help: “Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, saying, ‘I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.'".   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I now take a deep breath and stop. So often I miss your hand and gifts in my life because I am preoccupied and anxious. Grant me the power to pause each day and each week to simply rest in your arms of love. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 132). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Despair. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Joy. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 14:13; Jonah 1:1-2; Jonah 2:2-10; Psalms 68c:25-35. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Power of God in Your Life”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Are You a Part of What God Is Doing in Our Country Today? Do You Seek God's Presence in Your Life? MESSAGE SUMMARY: Can you tell what God is up to in the World, in our time, in our church, and in America? Are you a part of what God is doing in the world today, or are you just reacting to what God is doing, thereby, creating conflict and division? Psalms 105 reminds you of God's power in the world if you do seek His presence in your life: “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered.". On the other hand, Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 1:9, warns you of the implications for not including the presence of Jesus in your worldly considerations: “They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.”. While the Lord is leading, and directing, it seems that we are wrapped up in our agenda and our way of doing things; therefore, we miss God's presence; and we miss the Holy Spirit in our lives.    TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, everything in me resists following you into the garden of Gethsemane to fall on my face to the ground before you. Grant me the courage to follow you all the way to the cross, whatever that might mean for my life. And then, by your grace, lead me to resurrection life and power. In Jesus' name, amen.   Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 100). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Fear. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Faithfulness. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 5:6; Matthew 5:10; Psalms 112:1-6; Psalms 119b:13-24. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Power of God in Your Life”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

When Jesus Asked You: “Whom do you say that I am?”, Did You Answer Jesus: “You are my God and the Lord of my Life!”?  MESSAGE SUMMARY: The stories of the New Testament tell us that Jesus was no ordinary man. The Apostle John, in John 1:1-5, points out that Jesus, the Word, was the Creator of the Universe: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.". John tells us that Jesus had authority over nature, over creation, and over life itself, and he tells us that Jesus was the life-giver that came to earth for us. In John 20:26-29, Jesus asked the Apostle Thomas a fundamental question that Jesus asks you today– “Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me?'”: “Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.' Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!' Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'”. When Jesus has asked you: “Whom do you say that I am?”, and how did you answer? Did you tell Jesus: “You are my God and the Lord of my Life!”? Have you, in your life, become a Jesus Follower? If not, why not?   TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12f SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 1:1-18; Isaiah 7:2-14; Matthew 1:21-24; Psalms 67:1-7. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Power of God in Your Life” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/    DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Malachi 4 Tells Us God Takes Care of His Own and that Those Who Wait Upon Him and “fear my {God's} name” Will Not Be Disappointed MESSAGE SUMMARY:  Isaiah, in Isaiah 64:3,8, says that God is the awesome God who created everything: “When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence . . . But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”. In Isaiah 65:11-13, Isaiah expresses God's disappointment in being snubbed by His chosen people, the Jews. However, Isaiah expresses how pleased God is with being welcomed by the Gentiles {my servants}: “'But you who forsake the LORD, who forget my holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny, I will destine you to the sword, and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter, because, when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not listen, but you did what was evil in my eyes and chose what I did not delight in.' Therefore thus says the Lord God: ‘Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame.'". Malachi tells us, in Malachi 4:1-3, that God will punish evildoers while sparing those who fear His name: “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts.". God takes care of His own, and those who fear the Lord and who wait upon the Lord will not be disappointed.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, help me to be still and to wait patiently for you in silence. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 125). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because I am in Jesus Christ, I will trust in the Lord with all my heart. I will trust in the Lord with all of my heart and lean not on my own understanding.  In all my ways I will seek to know Him, and He will make my pathways straight.   From Proverbs 3:5f SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Isaiah 64:3-10; Deuteronomy 28:58; Nehemiah 4:1-11; Malachi 4:1-6; Psalms 66b:11-20 A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Crumbs From The Table ” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

As a Jesus Follower, You Live in a World of Hurting People; and You Have their Answer - Are You Sharing the Answer with Others? MESSAGE SUMMARY:  Even though we are followers of Jesus, we live in a world of hurting people; but we have the answer to their pain. God has blessed us so that we might be a blessing to others, and He has healed us so that we might provide God's healing powers to others. He has saved us so that we might be His ambassadors. While we have the answer, we keep the answer to ourselves in the way we live and by not speaking about Jesus to others. Before Jesus Ascension, He instructed us, in Matthew 28:16-20, that we must “Go” and tell others about the answer, which the Gospel provides, by “making Disciples”: “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'”. Therefore, you must communicate the Answer of Jesus and the Gospel to others through both your “talk” and the way that you “walk” in your life. Walk the walk and talk the talk to share Jesus with others.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I acknowledge that I prefer to ignore and deny my pain and loss. I struggle with seeing how resurrection life can come out of death. Grant me the courage to pay attention to what you are doing, and to wait on you — even when everything in me wants to run away. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 114). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Heartlessness. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Kindness. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 28:16-20; John 1:1-18; Matthew 16:15-19; Psalms 66a:1-10 A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Crumbs From The Table” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Today's Uncertainties Call for a Deepening Personal Relationship with God Through Prayer, Fasting, and Listening MESSAGE SUMMARY: There are times when you need clarity, understanding, knowledge, and insights from the Lord about the specific issues that you are facing. The Lord will speak to you, but sometimes it takes your listening and fasting to hear Him. For example, when Joel received a Word when the land was to be destroyed, he called a fast (i.e. Joel 1:14): “Consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.”. Some things you are facing in your life must be dealt with by both prayer and fasting. Fasting releases a spiritual power – in your weakness, God is made strong in your life. Daniel's prayer, from Daniel 9:3-5, provides a context for asking direction from God: “Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.'". After Jesus responded to the Apostles request of “teach us to pray” by providing the “Lord's Prayer”, Jesus instructed the Apostles and us, in Matthew 6:17-18, how to fast: “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.". Our fasting will be rewarded as a deepening link to God in our personal relationship with Him.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Father, I confess that when difficulties and trials come into my life, large or small, I mostly grumble and complain. I realize the trials James talks about are not necessarily “walls,” but they are difficult to bear, nonetheless. Fill me with such a vision of a transformed life, O God, that I might actually consider it “pure joy” when you bring trials my way. I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 94). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Resentment. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Compassion. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Joel 1:13-16; Matthew 6:16; Daniel 9:3-7; Psalms 114:1-8. WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Crumbs From The Table ” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

By NOT Adhering to Jesus' “Great Commission” to “go . . . and make disciples” You Are Following Jesus MESSAGE SUMMARY: God said told all Jesus Followers to “go and make disciples” not to “make decisions”. In other words, we are to bring the Gospel to others with whom we have or with whom we develop a personal relationship. Therefore, we are to leave the “conversion” or the “decision” of others to become a Christian up to the Holy Spirit. Our job, as Jesus Followers, is to “go and make disciples”. In Jesus' last instructions to His Apostles and to you, before His Ascension to Heaven from Earth, is in Mathew 28:16-20 -- Jesus' Great Commission: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'”. A disciple is a student, a follower, a learner. Making a disciple is not about classes. Making a disciple it about investing yourself in the life of another person – discipling is having a personal relationship with another person so that they see the life of Christ in you. Have you been discipled, or have you made a disciple? Not “going and making disciples” is your “great omission” as a Christian.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, in order to be with you, I need you to show me how to “create a desert” in the midst of my full, active life. Cleanse me from the pressures, illusions, and pretenses that confront me today so that my life may serve as a gift to those around me. Amen.  Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 26). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, Nothing compares to knowing Jesus (Philippians 3:7f). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV):  Mathew 28:16-20; Mathew 9:36-38; Mathew 10:16-33; Psalms 115:1-18. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Crumbs From The Table”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui00000 0DglsqEAB

God Sees a Jesus Follower as Being “In Christ”; Therefore, God Sees a Jesus Follower as His Son or Daughter MESSAGE SUMMARY: As Followers of Jesus, you are "In Christ" -- God looks at you, as a Jesus Follower, and He sees Jesus in you. Throughout the Epistles we find: "In Christ" or "In Him". In Galatians 3:14, Paul tells you that your faith in Jesus makes you “In Christ” and a recipient of God's Covenant with Abraham: “so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.". Also, Paul goes even further, in Galatians 3:25-28, to tell you that, through your faith in Jesus, you no longer need any kind of intermediary because you are “In Christ” and you have a personal relationship with God, the Creator of the Universe: “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.”. When God sees you, “In Christ" as a Jesus Follower, He sees Jesus, the Son. Therefore, God sees you as His son or daughter.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, everything in me resists following you into the garden of Gethsemane to fall on my face to the ground before you. Grant me the courage to follow you all the way to the cross, whatever that might mean for my life. And then, by your grace, lead me to resurrection life and power. In Jesus' name, amen.   Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 100). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Self-Centeredness. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Love. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Romans 3:21-26; Romans 6:5-11; Romans 6:22-23; Psalms 63:1-11. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Crumbs From The Table”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Are You Ready for Your Earthly Death? Is Your Salvation Sure? If Not, Make Yourself Ready Now Through God's Grace and the Gospel MESSAGE SUMMARY: Be ready for the end of your earthly life and the return of the Lord. In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2, Paul writes to the Christians at the church in Thessalonica: “Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,' then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So, then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.”. Are you ready? Are you sure in your Salvation? If not, make yourself ready and keep ready! God's Grace and the Gospel of Jesus prepare you for your earthly death while providing the means for your Eternal Life!   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, you know how difficult it is for me to be in silence before you. At times it feels almost impossible, given the demands, distractions, and noise all around me. I invite you to lead me to a quiet, silent place before you — to a place where I can hear you as Elijah did. In Jesus' name, amen.     Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 123). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Anger. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Forgiveness. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 10:37-39; 1 Corinthians 9:12-23; James 3:13-18; Hebrews 4:15-16; Psalms 65:1-13. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Crumbs From The Table”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Jesus Followers Are the Enemy's {devil's} Target to Mess You Up and To Destroy Your Relationship with God MESSAGE SUMMARY:  The enemy {the evil one, the devil} is always at work seeking to destroy the fruit of the Lord's field and your life. In John10:10, Jesus tells us: “The thief {enemy} comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”. In 1 Peter 5:8, Peter tells you more about your enemy who is always with you: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil {enemy} prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”. Continue to remember that the enemy is always attempting to mess you up and to destroy your witness. Also, the enemy is always attempting to destroy your relationship with God and to get you to reject God. The enemy does his evil in subtle ways, but his purpose is clear -- the enemy wants you off the right path. The enemy is always at work, and he never sleeps.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Father, I confess that when difficulties and trials come into my life, large or small, I mostly grumble and complain. I realize the trials James talks about are not necessarily “walls,” but they are difficult to bear, nonetheless. Fill me with such a vision of a transformed life, O God, that I might actually consider it “pure joy” when you bring trials my way. I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 94). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD'S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John10:10-18;1 Peter 5:8-11; Ephesians 4:26-32; Psalms 50b:13-23. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Crumbs From The Table” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/    DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Jesus Followers Have Much for which to Thank God - His Grace for Our Salvation and Our Freedom to Serve Him MESSAGE SUMMARY:  Give thanks to the Lord and call upon His Name. Our government has set aside an annual national holiday of Thanksgiving for all Americans to offer prayers for our country; our many blessings; and our special blessings for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, thanksgiving to God, for Christians, should be a lifestyle; and Jesus Followers should not need a special day to give thanks to the Lord. As Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 1:2-4: “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you.”. Do you, as a Christian, need a special day to give thanks God because you get so immersed in your life outside of your relationship with God? Do you stop to give God thanks for His grace for you and His blessings to you in your prayer life's personal relationship with God? Give thanks to the Lord and call upon His Name.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, after his loss, you gave Job prosperity, blessing him with twice as much as he had before, but that has not always felt like my experience. Grant me patience. Help me to trust and wait on you, especially in those areas of my life where I have no idea what you are doing, when my hardship will end, or where you are taking me. In Jesus' name, amen.     Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 115). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because I am in Jesus Christ, I will entrust to Him my future. I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.  From 2 Timothy 1:12 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 Chronicles 16:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-4; Psalms 50a:1-12. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Go! Make Disciples!” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Jesus Followers Are “Commissioned" to “Make Disciples” and Not to Become Members of an Exclusive Holy Club MESSAGE SUMMARY:  We need to welcome new excited Followers of Jesus as members of our Non-Exclusive global fellowship as Followers of Jesus. Those of us who have been brought up in the church or have been in the church for a while can get caught up in our perceived personal righteousness. We get used to the presence of God and His peace in our lives. However, we then encounter a new Followers of Jesus. These new Christians, before their conversion, were living in the ways of the world without God's peace. Now, these new believers are so excited with their new life; however, their outward manifestation of their conversion may not “fit” with our personal Christian behavioral norms. Sadly, too many modern Christians judge and condemn these new, excited believers for their enthusiasm rather than loving, encouraging, and embracing these new Followers of Jesus. We can learn from Jesus' rebuke of the Pharisees, who exhibited similar non-supportive behavior of Christians in Matthew 5:20: “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Father, when I read even part of the story of Job, I too am overwhelmed by your “wildness.” Your ways and timing are beyond me. Job moved from hearing about you to having “seen you.” Lead me, Lord, on a pathway so that I too can pray as Job prayed: “My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you” (Job 42:5). In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 89). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Insensitivity. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Gentleness. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Luke 7:45-47; Matthew 5:20; Luke 11:38-39; Psalms 49b:11-20. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Go! Make Disciples!” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Today, Many in America Live and Act as “enemies of the Cross of Christ” Thereby, Traveling the Road to Eternal Death MESSAGE SUMMARY: God has told us that we are His children and citizens of Heaven. To this end, God has given us the Holy Spirit as a pledge of our inheritance as His child. Also, God gave you the Holy Spirit to provide you with the power to live a Spiritual life. However, far too many continue to live and to act as “enemies of the Cross of Christ” by having their minds focused on earthly things as the lords of life. If this picture of your life-actions and life-focus describes you, then you very well may be on the road to eternal death and destruction. Therefore, you must return to Jesus and His way of doing things – Jesus' pattern of discipleship, servanthood, and submission is a path to your Salvation. Paul, in Philippians 3:18-20, defines an “enemy of the Cross of Christ: “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.". Jesus Followers have their life-focus driven by the realization that they are His child and a citizen of Heaven; therefore, you and your life-focus, as a Jesus Follower, are all precious to God since He sacrificed so much to adopt you as His child.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I praise you because your love seeks my good in any and every situation. Forgive me for the seeds that I have squandered. Soften my heart to surrender to your will in and through me. In Jesus' name, amen.        Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 120). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Past Failures. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Grace. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 7:19-23; Romans 8:13-17; Revelation 8:9-24; Psalms 49a:1-10. WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Go! Make Disciples!” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

In Today's Secular Uncertainties, God is Sovereign; and God “the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he {God} will” MESSAGE SUMMARY: Political discord and health care uncertainties surround us in all directions today. Without Jesus in our lives, we have reasons to be anxious and fearful. However, Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:31: “Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.”. The future years may hurt our pride, wallets, and/or our freedom. On the other hand, we should not let the current secular political environment and culture hinder our resolve to continue in our fearless faith in the truth; our constant hope in the future; and our radical love for our neighbors. God has a plan; and, regardless of how things look from our eyes, we must remain faithful to His purpose. Now is the time to draw near to Jesus and to advance His Kingdom. Our gaze must remain on Jesus if we want to walk on the water during the storm. God is the King of Kings and the Sovereign God of the Universe. As Daniel interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel 4:17 when God told Nebuchadnezzar: “to the end that the living may know that the Most High {God} rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he {God} will and sets over it the lowliest of men.”. God is always involved in our lives, and He gives the government offices “to whom he will”, even if the political processes produce “the lowliest of men {or women}”. Sometimes, we receive the elected officials we need, and sometimes we receive the elected officials that we deserve; but God is always Sovereign and faithful.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Father, I confess that when difficulties and trials come into my life, large or small, I mostly grumble and complain. I realize the trials James talks about are not necessarily “walls,” but they are difficult to bear, nonetheless. Fill me with such a vision of a transformed life, O God, that I might actually consider it “pure joy” when you bring trials my way. I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 94). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be a complainer (Philippians 2:14). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 6:31; Philippians 4:5-7; Daniel 4:17; Psalms 106c:25-36. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Go! Make Disciples!”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Today's Political and Religious Climates Harden Hearts of Many “Believers” Who Turn Away from God - Jesus Followers Are to and Can Help Those with Hardening Hearts MESSAGE SUMMARY: No matter the hardness of a person's heart, who has walked away from God, they will respond to your initiatives that are based on your love and trust. However, so many of us Christians are so focused on doing their religious or spiritual things and keeping to their “busy” schedules that they do not have time to love and care for the needs of other – physical and/or spiritual. Is there anything you can do for someone with a calloused heart or who has walked away from God because they were not discipled? Yes, you must start by praying for them – asking God to move in their lives; asking God to intervene in their life situations; asking God to break up the hardness of their heart. Also, you must build a better personal relationship, with this person, through your trust and caring love. In Mathew 18:12-13, Jesus presents God's perspective regarding the pursuit of even one person that has walked away: “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish."   TODAY'S PRAYER: Father, to you I acknowledge that I don't want to go the way of powerlessness and humility. Like Peter, I want to know what you are doing with those around me. I love you. Help me to trust you with this day, with tomorrow, and with my whole life. In Jesus' name, amen.        Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 92). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Compulsions. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Patience. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12; Acts 1:8; Romans 2:15-16; Psalms 47:1-9. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Go! Make Disciples!”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Jesus Followers Must Carve Out Quiet Times to Listen for the Holy Spirit Who Speaks to Us in His “still small voice” MESSAGE SUMMARY: God will speak to you, but you must learn to listen for Him. Learning to listen for and to God requires focused and "in-tune" listening in combination with a filter for all the in-life clutter that your lifestyles and culture create. As Paul tells us in Romans 10:17, followers of Jesus must listen and hear the Word from the Lord: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.". You are going all the time with stimuli from many different sources – how can God speak or be heard, in a still small voice, through all your noise? To hear and listen for God, "lengthy times in silence and solitude" with the Lord are needed. Times of quiet prayer with God permits the noise and clutter get taken away. Again, in Psalm 141:1, the Psalmist admonishes us to call upon the Lord and to listen for God's Word: “LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you!".   TODAY'S PRAYER: Abba Father, I admit that I am often afraid and embarrassed to openly tell you all that is going on inside me — even though I know you know it all anyway. Teach me what boldness in prayer looks like as I draw near your throne of grace. In Jesus' name, amen.  Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 112). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Hatred. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Love. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Exodus 19:5; Daniel 9:9-14; John 10:2-16; Psalms 106a:1-12 A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Go! Make Disciples!”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Letting God Be Lord Over Your Finances, which Are His but He Entrusted to You, Will Liberate Your Life! MESSAGE SUMMARY:  We are so focused on earning money and other financially driven life activities so that it is easy for money and finances to become our god. Making finances “our god” violates the Second Commandment. If Jesus is Lord over all Creation, as we are told in Psalms 24:1, then: “The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.”; therefore, everything that has been entrusted to you is God's. In James 5:1-3, the author of the Book of James provides insight into someone who does NOT make God the Lord of their finances: “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.”. Therefore, let God Be Lord over your finances, which really are His finances.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I now take a deep breath and stop. So often I miss your hand and gifts in my life because I am preoccupied and anxious. Grant me the power to pause each day and each week to simply rest in your arms of love. In Jesus' name, amen.    Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 132). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Psalms 24:1-10; James 5:1-6; Psalms 25:1-22; Psalms 45:1-17. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Go! Make Disciples!” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/    DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Jesus Followers Must Carve Out Quiet Times to Listen for the Holy Spirit Who Speaks to Us in His “still small voice” MESSAGE SUMMARY: God will speak to you, but you must learn to listen for Him. Learning to listen for and to God requires focused and "in-tune" listening in combination with a filter for all the in-life clutter that your lifestyles and culture create. As Paul tells us in Romans 10:17, followers of Jesus must listen and hear the Word from the Lord: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.". You are going all the time with stimuli from many different sources – how can God speak or be heard, in a still small voice, through all your noise? To hear and listen for God, "lengthy times in silence and solitude" with the Lord are needed. Times of quiet prayer with God permits the noise and clutter get taken away. Again, in Psalm 141:1, the Psalmist admonishes us to call upon the Lord and to listen for God's Word: “LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to you!".   TODAY'S PRAYER: Abba Father, I admit that I am often afraid and embarrassed to openly tell you all that is going on inside me — even though I know you know it all anyway. Teach me what boldness in prayer looks like as I draw near your throne of grace. In Jesus' name, amen.  Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 112). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Hatred. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Love. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Exodus 19:5; Daniel 9:9-14; John 10:2-16; Psalms 106a:1-12 A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Go! Make Disciples!”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Agnostics, Atheists, Seekers, and Christians Watch Jesus Followers; Do They See Jesus or a Christian Hypocrite in You? MESSAGE SUMMARY:  In 2 Corinthians 3:12-18, Paul writes a complex statement that tells you, as a Jesus Follower, about the most important tool that God gives you for communicating the Gospel to others-- God lets others see Jesus in you through your life in Christ! Therefore, by living in Christ, your life becomes the most compelling argument for the Gospel – an argument that far surpasses the power for God's Kingdom from written or spoken words. Paul's 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 text reads: “Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”. Do others, from your life, see Jesus in you?   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, in order to be with you, I need you to show me how to “create a desert” in the midst of my full, active life. Cleanse me from the pressures, illusions, and pretenses that confront me today so that my life may serve as a gift to those around me. Amen.     Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 26). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because I am in Jesus Christ, I will seek God's perspective on my situation. For I know that in all things God works together for good to those of us who love Him and are called according to His purpose. From Romans 8:28 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Isiah 35:1-9; John 1:14; Isaiah 11:1-2; Psalms 44b:14-26. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Hearing God's Voice” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Jesus Followers' Personal Relationship with Jesus Comes from Humility as Sinners Through Seeking God's Mercy in Prayer MESSAGE SUMMARY:  We do not deserve it; but we able to come to God, in a Personal Relationship with Him, because of His Mercy. We are all sinners. As Paul tells us in Romans 9:18: “So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.". With God's Justice without His Mercy and His resulting Grace, you would face only eternal death as Justice for your sins. We can never enter God's presence for prayer when we are in our pride with our focus on ourselves. Also, Paul reminds us, in 1 Corinthians 1:30-31, that, in your Salvation through God's Grace, Jesus makes us “boast” only in the Grace provided us by God: “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'”. We can only enter God's presence when we humble ourselves in Jesus. Humility and penitence before God invite His presence – here I am, Lord; just as I am; have mercy on me a sinner.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, everything in me resists following you into the garden of Gethsemane to fall on my face to the ground before you. Grant me the courage to follow you all the way to the cross, whatever that might mean for my life. And then, by your grace, lead me to resurrection life and power. In Jesus' name, amen.     Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 100). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Inconsistencies. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Faithfulness. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 18:1-4; 1 Corinthians 1:29-31; Isaiah 19:22; Psalms 44a:1-13. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Hearing God's Voice” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Jesus Follower's Greatest Witness for the Gospel of Jesus, in a Hurting World, is for Others to See Jesus in Them MESSAGE SUMMARY: You need to live the Christian life in whatever you do – at home; in your job; in the way that you drive; and in the way that you treat your friends. We live in a hurting world, but God wants more for you. To achieve God's desire for your life, you must stay in fellowship and communion with God; and you must let Him work in your life. In Colossians 3:17, Paul challenges us: “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”. If you live your life, in all places and situations, in the name of Jesus, you will live a better life in our hurting world. As Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:31: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.". Remember, the greatest witness for the Gospel, as a follower of Jesus, that you can give is for others to see Jesus in you.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Father, I confess that when difficulties and trials come into my life, large or small, I mostly grumble and complain. I realize the trials James talks about are not necessarily “walls,” but they are difficult to bear, nonetheless. Fill me with such a vision of a transformed life, O God, that I might actually consider it “pure joy” when you bring trials my way. I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief. In Jesus' name, amen.    Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 94). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Inadequacy. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Abundance. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Colossians 3:16-17; Matthew 21:21-22; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Psalms 43:1-5. WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Hearing God's Voice ” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

“For they {Earthly Parents} disciplined us for a short time . . . but he {God} disciplines us for our good, that we may share his {God's} holiness" (Hebrews 12:10) MESSAGE SUMMARY: The Lord disciplines his children; therefore, so should we. Our discipline can take many forms, for example: 1) teach children a lesson, even hard lessons; and 2) it is OK to take away children's privileges. The Lord's discipline is out of love; and our discipline, for our children, should, also, be out of our love. Nobody likes discipline -- we do not like it; our kids do not like it. However, discipline works to bring righteousness and peace, and discipline brings fruit to us and our children down the road. In Hebrews 12:7-10, the author of Hebrews succinctly describes the Biblical perspective regarding discipline: It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as {His} sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they {Earthly Parents} disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he {God} disciplines us for our good, that we may share his {God's} holiness.".   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, help me to be still and to wait patiently for you in silence. In Jesus' name, amen.      Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 125). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, God is working His will in my life (Philippians 2:13). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 2 Samuel. 7.13-15; 1 Corinthians. 11:32; Ephesians. 6.1-4; Psalms 42:1-11. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Hearing God's Voice”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Jesus Followers Can Influence and Lead a Return to God by Our People, Churches, and Nation Through the “Five Exhortations” MESSAGE SUMMARY: In the Bible, you can find five exhortations, from the God, that are right on point for our times of uncertainty in America: 1) Do not fear; 2) Continue to tithe; 3) Get out of debt; 4) Help our brothers and sisters in need; and 5) Pray. The people in Malachi's day were withholding what was God's, and they were paying a price. But even in those conditions of the nation's sin and faithlessness, God said to the nation, in Malachi 3:7, “From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?'.”. God does not change – God today is the same faithful Creator of the Universe as He was in the time of Malachi. Return to God, both as individuals and as a nation; and see how God will bless us!   TODAY'S PRAYER: Forgive me, Father, for at times treating you as if you were my personal assistant or secretary. Your ways are unsearchable and beyond understanding. Help me to put my trust in you and not in my circumstances. In your presence, I am silenced. In Jesus' name, amen.          Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 87). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Anxiety. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Peace. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Malachi 2:1-17; Malachi 3:7; Malachi 3:16-18; Psalms 41:1-13. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Hearing God's Voice”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Jesus Followers Maintain a Constant Presence of Jesus in Their Lives Through Prayer and a Focus on Their Personal Relationship with God MESSAGE SUMMARY: As a Jesus Follower, you must maintain a constant conversation, through prayer, with Jesus; and you must look to see how God is involved in the events surrounding your daily life. If the Lord is in your life, then your life's circumstances will relate to Him. The Psalmist tells us, in Psalms 100:2-5, that God is with you because He made you to: “Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to generations.". Therefore, practicing the presence of Jesus in your life helps you to stay in tune with Jesus' influence in your life. Being in tune with Jesus' presence, in your life, is like listening to an FM radio station – you must tune into the right station and then listen. Tuning into the right station, for the presence of Jesus, requires that you maintain an awareness of your circumstances and their relationship to Jesus.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Father, I confess that when difficulties and trials come into my life, large or small, I mostly grumble and complain. I realize the trials James talks about are not necessarily “walls,” but they are difficult to bear, nonetheless. Fill me with such a vision of a transformed life, O God, that I might actually consider it “pure joy” when you bring trials my way. I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief. In Jesus' name, amen.      Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 94). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Loneliness. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Presence. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 2 Corinthians 4:13-15; 2 Corinthians 3:16-18; 1 John 1:5-10; Psalms 104a:1-13. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Hearing God's Voice”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Jesus Followers' Righteousness Will Flow, with the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit, from Their Heart Through Their Personal Relationship with Jesus MESSAGE SUMMARY:  You are called, as a Christian, to live a life that is deeply righteous and not shallow, superficial, or hypocritical. As Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:6: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.". Your righteousness, as a Jesus Follower, should flow from your heart and from being in communion with the Holy Spirit. You should allow the Holy Spirit to create a clean heart and a pure heart within you. The righteousness of a clean heart is the righteousness that Jesus wants of His followers, as the Psalmist tells us in Psalms 51:10-12: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.".   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, help me to grab hold of you today. I need you. Set me free to begin reorienting my life around you, and you alone. Help me to pay attention to and honor how you have uniquely made me. Thank you for the gift of rest. In Jesus' name, amen.            Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 122). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 5:6; Matthew 5:10; Psalms 112:1-6; Psalms 39:1-13. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Hearing God's Voice” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/    DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

For Jesus Followers, Jesus Presence Provides Confidence and Light in Times Which Could Bring Fear and Uncertainty into Your Life MESSAGE SUMMARY:  If You are a Jesus Follower, you can live in the presence of Jesus for your life. Living in the presence of Jesus means that you live in personal holiness; therefore, you are living in the light of Jesus. Many times, you are so tempted to walk in the darkness of doom and gloom; and when you go through something difficult in your life, you walk in darkness without the presence of Jesus and His light for your life. The Apostle John, in 1 John 1:5-7, so clearly presents what it means to “walk in the presence and light of Jesus” for those times that bring fear and uncertainty into your life: “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.". One day, the Lord will come in judgment; but for now, you can walk in the light and presence of Jesus through your prayerful personal relationship with Him.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I have spent much of my life running from pain and loss, medicating my pain, and quickly moving on to the next project — the new urgent demand. I ask for the grace to embrace all of life — the joys and the sorrows, the deaths, and the births, the old and the new. In Jesus' name, amen.    Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 110). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be ashamed of the Gospel. I will not be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (including me). From Romans 1:16 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 7:12-16; 1 John 1:5-10; 2 Corinthians 3:12-18; Psalms 38b:12-22. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Sermons on the Amount, Part 4 - The Devastation of Debt ” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Jesus Followers Are Expected to Serve the Needs of Others and to Reflect Jesus to Others as We Serve their Needs – “To Serve is Christ” MESSAGE SUMMARY:  You will never be more like Jesus than when you are serving others; and your best way to witness to non-believers is for them to see Jesus in you. Your best example of service is Jesus. To serve is Christ. Jesus instructed us, regarding serving others, in Mark 10:45: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”. Jesus, the Son of Man, did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. If Jesus came, lived, and died on earth as a servant, why would you, as a Jesus Follower, not realize that you are expected to serve? If, as Paul tell us in Romans 8:28-29, we are being conformed into the image of Jesus, then we are being taught how to serve: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.". To serve is to live as a reflection, to others, of Jesus in you.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, fill me with the simple trust that even out of the most awful evil around me, you are able to bring great good — for me, for others, and for your great glory. In Jesus' name, amen.        Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 91). Zondervan. Kindle Edition TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Evil Ways. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Goodness. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Romans 8:28-29; Romans 14:18-19; Daniel 4:17; Psalms 38a:1-11. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Sermons on the Amount, Part 4 - The Devastation of Debt” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Today's Fear-Laden Events and “Noise” Will Not Matter If You Practice the Presence of God as You Live Your Life MESSAGE SUMMARY: You cannot practice the presence of God when you practice the presence of fear. You may be inclined to fear for the future of our country or fear about your personal finances or family or health issues. If you practice the presence of God, you will have peace in amidst your life-storm and trauma. The “Presence of Jesus” in your life begins with persistent prayer to the end that you constantly and consistently seek to include Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, in all aspects of your life. “Practicing the Presence of Jesus” in your life will prove to be life changing a rewarding. Jesus provides comfort for your anxieties in Mathew 6:33-34: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.". Also, in Mathew 11:28-30, Jesus makes it clear to you that He wants to walk with you in your times of trouble and fear so that you can offload to Him, the Creator of the Universe, some of those issues that drive your fears: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.". If you practice the presence of God, it will not matter what this world or the devil throws your way.     TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, everything in me resists following you into the garden of Gethsemane to fall on my face to the ground before you. Grant me the courage to follow you all the way to the cross, whatever that might mean for my life. And then, by your grace, lead me to resurrection life and power. In Jesus' name, amen.    Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 100). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Lust. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Perfect Provision. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 3:16-17; 1 John 5:1-5; Psalms 37:41-50. WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Sermons on the Amount, Part 4 - The Devastation of Debt ” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

As You Live on Earth, God Has Work for You; You Are to “Live in Christ” So that Others See Jesus in Your Life MESSAGE SUMMARY: As a Jesus Follower, God Expects You to Both Work for Kingdom and Witness for the Gospel. Also, as a Jesus Follower, you are to live in Christ and to let others see Jesus in your life. If you are to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for you – God has work for you; God's work for you is real work. The spiritual life is work – it is fruitful labor. Also, Godly conduct is a necessity to live in Christ as we are instructed in Philippians 1:27: “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ . . .”. Not only does God have a work for you, but you, also, have a witness for Him through your actions, words, and your attitudes. Your actions, words, and attitudes constantly reflect who and what God is in your life. Paul admonishes us, in Galatians 6:2,9-10a to follow the law of Christ and to do good and live a moral life: “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ . . . And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone.”. Also, Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 2:10-12, succinctly presents what it means for a Jesus Follower “to live in Christ”: “To be a witness, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.". Are you following Jesus so that you are living in Christ and letting others see Jesus in your life?   TODAY'S PRAYER: Father, I confess that when difficulties and trials come into my life, large or small, I mostly grumble and complain. I realize the trials James talks about are not necessarily “walls,” but they are difficult to bear, nonetheless. Fill me with such a vision of a transformed life, O God, that I might actually consider it “pure joy” when you bring trials my way. I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief. In Jesus' name, amen.        Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 94). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.     TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, I will think like Jesus (Philippians 2:5f). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Galatians 5:18-26; 1 Peter 1:15-19; 1 Thessalonians 2:10-12; Psalms 37d:21-40. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Sermons on the Amount, Part 4 - The Devastation of Debt”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

This Is the Time, in Our Fear-Evoking Events, that Jesus Followers, Like Jesus and King Hezekiah, Need to Get Alone with God and Pray MESSAGE SUMMARY: Immediately, Jesus made His Disciples get in a boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side while Jesus dismissed the crowd. After Jesus dismissed the crowd, He went up on a mountainside, by Himself, to pray. He was alone with His Father. In Mark 1:35, Jesus' prayer life is presented: “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed.”. If there is one Christian discipline that is neglected by Christians of today, it is the practice of getting alone with God and having a quiet time to pray -- not you and your computer; not you and a friend; but only you and God alone in your prayer. We can learn a great deal from King Hezekiah, in Isaiah 37:15-17a about his personal relationship with God, through personal prayer, as he is faced with a powerful invasion of Israel: “And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: ‘O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear.'”.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, in order to be with you, I need you to show me how to “create a desert” in the midst of my full, active life. Cleanse me from the pressures, illusions, and pretenses that confront me today so that my life may serve as a gift to those around me. Amen.            Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 26). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Despair. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Joy. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV):  John 17:1-5; Matthew 26:36-40; Isaiah 37:14-17; Psalms 100:1-5. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Sermons on the Amount, Part 4 - The Devastation of Debt”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Your Focus on Yourself and not on God or Others Will Lead to a Miserable Spiritual Condition – To serve is Christ MESSAGE SUMMARY: When we show up at our church on Sunday, what is our purpose – is it to serve or to be served? Too many of us go to church seeking what the church can do for us. Our church should provide us a place to worship Jesus in Spirit and in the truth of His Word. Also, our church should provide a chance to serve others -- To serve is Christ. We will never be more like Jesus than when we are serving others. We are all serving someone, but who are we serving; are we serving ourselves or others? In Mark 10:43b-45, Jesus explains that His followers must have mind focused on service and being a servant to others: “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”. The longer that we stay focused on ourselves and not God or others, the longer we will remain stuck in a miserable spiritual condition. To serve is Christ.   TODAY'S PRAYER Lord, I praise you because your love seeks my good in any and every situation. Forgive me for the seeds that I have squandered. Soften my heart to surrender to your will in and through me. In Jesus' name, amen.     Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 120). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Fear. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Faithfulness. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 20:1-16; Philippians 2:21-30; Matthew 25:34-46; Psalms 99:1-9. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Sermons on the Amount, Part 4 - The Devastation of Debt”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Jesus Followers Have a Personal Relationship with the Creator of the Universe So Pray, Listen, and Be Patient for God's Call MESSAGE SUMMARY: No interaction with the Holy Spirit is too small for you or for God, and no Spiritual outcomes are too big for you or for God. Jesus illustrates, in the “Parable of the Mustard Seed", that big things come from small beginnings. The selection, by Jesus, of His initial twelve Apostles, led to the growth of Christianity from twelve followers to more than two billion Christians. So, when God gives you a vision or He puts on your heart to start a ministry or to visit the home bound; and you think the Spirit's is so small or inconsequential, just remember small beginnings lead to significant outcomes through the Lord. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus commissions and promises His support to His Apostles and to us; therefore, how can any call, from the Holy Spirit, be too inconsequential or unsupported for us to embrace: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'” Pray, listen, and be patient. After all, you have a personal relationship with God, the Creator of the Universe!   TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen.    Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12f SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 20:1-16; Philippians 2:21-30; Matthew 25:34-46; Psalms 37b:11-20 A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Sermons on the Amount, Part 4 - The Devastation of Debt” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/    DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

As a Jesus Follower, Is Your Faith So Solid that, Unlike the “rich ruler”, You Would “follow Jesus” in a Financial Storm? MESSAGE SUMMARY: If a financial and economic calamity were to occur in America or in your family, would you still be content with Jesus; or would your faith be tested? In a personal financial problem, would you cling to your “wealth” like the rich young ruler, in Jesus' Parable, from Luke 18:18, 22-24: “And a ruler asked him {Jesus}, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?' . . . When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.' But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, ‘How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!'”? It is not beyond the realm of possibility that we could face a situation in which our economy goes off the cliff; prices inflate; and life's necessitates become scarce. When you compare yourself to the remainder of the world, you are wealthy like the young ruler – we are all earthly rich in this country. Therefore, can you, unlike the “rich ruler”, “follow Jesus” in a time of financial calamity as well as in good economic times?   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I have spent much of my life running from pain and loss, medicating my pain, and quickly moving on to the next project — the new urgent demand. I ask for the grace to embrace all of life — the joys and the sorrows, the deaths, and the births, the old and the new. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 110). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because I am in Jesus Christ, I will trust in the Lord with all my heart. I will trust in the Lord with all of my heart and lean not on my own understanding.  In all my ways I will seek to know Him, and He will make my pathways straight.   From Proverbs 3:5f SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Luke 18:21-27; James 5:1-6; Mathew 6:24-25; Psalms 37a:1-10 A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Sermons on the Amount, Part 3 - You are God's Supervisor ” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Your Uncertainty and Fear Lead to Anxiety; About What Are You Anxious, and Have You “let your requests be made known to God”? MESSAGE SUMMARY:  From Philippians 6, Paul tells us: “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”. What are you anxious about? If you are in Christ, Jesus tells us to present our request to the Lord. In Matthew 6:6-8, Jesus instructs His followers how to come to God in prayer: “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.". If you are in Christ, you can talk to God and present your issues and requests to Him as if He knows nothing about your situation. You must ask God through your regular prayer life and your personal relationship with God, the Creator of the Universe. What are you anxious about? In Matthew 6:34, Jesus assures His followers that “anxiety” is counterproductive: “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, after his loss, you gave Job prosperity, blessing him with twice as much as he had before, but that has not always felt like my experience. Grant me patience. Help me to trust and wait on you, especially in those areas of my life where I have no idea what you are doing, when my hardship will end, or where you are taking me. In Jesus' name, amen.                   Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 115). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Heartlessness. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Kindness. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 6:31-34; Philippians 4:5-7; Matthew 6:6-8; Psalms 35b:15-28. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Sermons on the Amount, Part 3 - You are God's Supervisor” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Does Being a Jesus Follower Embarrass You? Are the Holy Spirit and the Gospel on Your Life's “Back Burner” to Be Warmed Up Only in a Life Crisis? MESSAGE SUMMARY: Living in the Holy Spirit sets us apart from our fellow human beings who are living without the Christ. Most of us had great passion in our lives as we approached the age to get our driver's license or the age of eighteen when we would be an “adult”. Why don't we have the same kind of passion about our spiritual life? Why don't we want to grow up and mature in the Lord? As Paul tells us, in Titus2:11-13, we must focus on living a Godly life while, also, living our life in the Holy Spirit: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”. We have the capacity to live like no one else because we have presence of God in our lives through the person of the Holy Spirit and the gift of a personal relationship with God, the Creator of the Universe.     TODAY'S PRAYER: Abba Father, I admit that I am often afraid and embarrassed to openly tell you all that is going on inside me — even though I know you know it all anyway. Teach me what boldness in prayer looks like as I draw near your throne of grace. In Jesus' name, amen.         Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 112). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Resentment. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Compassion. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Titus2:11-15; 2 Timothy 3:2-7; Mark 11:15-19; Psalms 35a:1-14. WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Sermons on the Amount, Part 3 - You are God's Supervisor” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

The Answer to Cancel Culture? Jesus Followers Must Lead a New Culture of “Grace and Kindness” Respecting the Ideas of Others MESSAGE SUMMARY: Following Jesus the Christ produces a culture of grace, mercy, and kindness is an environment in which there is no griping or murmuring; no putting people down – just respect for the words and ideas of others. Paul relates, in Galatians 5:22-26, and defines the outcomes or “Fruits of the Spirit” and how they relate to a “Culture of Grace”: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.". This culture of grace, mercy, and kindness gives people the benefit of the doubt; and it provides a visible demonstration of how you value other people and their views and perspectives. By providing a culture of Grace and mercy, along with respect for others, you create an atmosphere that is filled with the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Also, leading discussions in an environment of Grace and kindness lets others see Jesus in you.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, everything in me resists following you into the garden of Gethsemane to fall on my face to the ground before you. Grant me the courage to follow you all the way to the cross, whatever that might mean for my life. And then, by your grace, lead me to resurrection life and power. In Jesus' name, amen.      Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 100). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, I will serve others (Philippians 2:3f). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Micah 6:8; Matthew 5:1-11; Psalms 51:1-2; Psalms 34b: 12-22. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Sermons on the Amount, Part 3 - You are God's Supervisor”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

We All Are Filled with Something. The Jesus Follower is Filled with the Holy Spirit! MESSAGE SUMMARY: If you believe that Christianity is just a bunch of rules and laws for you (all of which you cannot keep!), then you really do not know what Christianity is all about. Jesus Followers are filled with the Holy Spirit. All of us are filled with something. With what are you filled? The Apostle Peter, in 1 Peter 4:5-6, admonishes you to be faithful to the Gospel and to live in the Spirit like God: “but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.". Some people are filled with the world or the devil or alcohol or drugs or materialism or their jobs or just themselves. You need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. As you walk with the Holy Spirit, Paul instructs in Ephesians 5:15-17 to make wise use of our limited time on earth and to seek God's will through the Holy Spirit: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.". Come Holy Spirit; fill us with your presence and power. Are you filled with the Holy Spirit? If not, why not?   TODAY'S PRAYER: Father, I confess that when difficulties and trials come into my life, large or small, I mostly grumble and complain. I realize the trials James talks about are not necessarily “walls,” but they are difficult to bear, nonetheless. Fill me with such a vision of a transformed life, O God, that I might actually consider it “pure joy” when you bring trials my way. I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief. In Jesus' name, amen.         Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 94). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Self-Centeredness. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Love. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 5:15-21; Acts 2:1-4; 1 Peter 4:1-6; Psalms 34a: 1-11. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Sermons on the Amount, Part 3 - You are God's Supervisor”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Prayer Is a Conversation that God Wants to Have with You; Just You and the Creator of the Universe MESSAGE SUMMARY: God desires to walk with you and to help you, but God does not provide you with this support unless you pray and ask Him. James, the brother of Jesus and the author of James 5:13-16, succinctly describes prayer and its power for the followers of Jesus: “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”. Prayer gives you the ability to communicate directly with God, the Creator of the Universe. Therefore, why not take advantage of this incredible communication tool, Prayer, that God has gifted you? Just do it – just pray and ask God for His help. The only way to learn how to pray is just to pray – just pray with your heart. Prayer is just you and your Lord in conversation – a conversation that God wants to have with you.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, everything in me kicks against going to the foot of the cross where you will root out of me all that is not of you. Help me not to fear the “deaths” it will take for me to be transformed into a free person who loves you and others well. Have mercy on me, O Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.     Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 103). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Anger. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Forgiveness. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 2 Kings 20:5; James 5:13-18; Philippines 4:4-9; Psalms 93:1-5. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Sermons on the Amount, Part 3 - You are God's Supervisor”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

To Be a Jesus Follower, You Must First Enter the Only Door to God's Kingdom and that Door is Jesus – the Door to Eternal Life MESSAGE SUMMARY: In John 14:6, Jesus says: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one come to the Father but through me.”. In Luke 13:23-25, Jesus is asked a pivotal question; and Jesus responded: “And someone said to him, ‘Lord, will those who are saved be few?' And he said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,' then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.'”. It is not that Jesus does not want all to be saved, it is just that the “gate”, to our Salvation and Eternal Life, is “narrow” and difficult to enter. We enter Eternal Life through Jesus and Jesus alone, and so many miss this fundamental tenant of our Christian faith; and they miss knowing Jesus – Jesus is the door, the narrow door. Neither Islam, nor Hinduism, nor just “my personal religion” is the door – Jesus is the only door.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen.    Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD'S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 14:6; Mathew 3:1-3; John 4:1-5; Psalms 33a:1-11. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Sermons on the Amount, Part 3 - You are God's Supervisor” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/    DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Not Forgiving Someone HURTS YOU and NOT Your Perceived Offender; Forgive Like Jesus Who Forgives You, Unconditionally MESSAGE SUMMARY: If God has forgiven you, why do you have to confess your sins? Confession is for you. For you to forgive, as the Christ forgives you. Your forgiving others means that you release others from the offense that you believe they have committed. Jesus set the “forgiveness standard” for you as Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:31-32: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.". Someone said that “holding a grudge and not forgiving is like drinking poison yourself to kill your enemy”. However, your forgiveness is not conditioned on the offender coming and asking you for their forgiveness – if you are like Jesus, you have already forgiven the offender. If you do not forgive like Jesus, the offense festers and turns into resentment; and these unhealthy feelings are happening in you and not in the perceived offender because you have not forgiven your perceived offender as instructed be Jesus – “forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you”.   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, fill me with the simple trust that even out of the most awful evil around me, you are able to bring great good — for me, for others, and for your great glory. In Jesus' name, amen.     Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 91). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because I am in Jesus Christ, I will entrust to Him my future. I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.  From 2 Timothy 1:12 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 4:31-32; Mathew 6:14-15; Psalms 130:3-4; Psalms 32:1-11. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Sermons on the Amount - Part 2  "Owner - A Question: Who is Lord Over All?"” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

The Holy Spirit, God's Personal Relationship Presence, Is Our Life's Ultimate Counselor and Helper – the Creator of the Universe MESSAGE SUMMARY:  Your relationship with God is a continuous and not a one-time event; therefore, followers of Jesus are to be continuously filled with the Holy Spirit, as we are told in Acts 2:3-4: “And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.". We should ask the Lord to fill us with the Holy Spirit every day. You need the continuous refreshing of the Holy Spirit because YOU are a broken vessel – you sin; you get tired; you work hard; you act stupid; and you rebel against God. Be filled with the Holy Spirit now – filled in this moment of the present. Being filled with the Holy Spirit, the presence of God in our lives in a personal relationship, provides us with the ultimate counselor and helper in our life – the Creator of the Universe. Do you ask the Holy Spirit to fill you every day to experience the continuous power of God's gift?   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I relate to Peter's headstrong nature, and to his struggle to understand what you were telling him. It is difficult for me to understand how you are running the universe and my place in it. Transform my stubborn will, O Lord. Teach me to wait on you. Help me to trust you. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 95). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Procrastination. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Self-Control. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 5:21; Acts 2:1-4; 1 Peter 4:1-6; Psalms 31b:13-24. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Sermons on the Amount - Part 2  "Owner - A Question: Who is Lord Over All?"” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Jesus Followers Have, Are, and Will Face Derision, Persecution, and Death; But God Addresses “Impossible” Situations and Transforms Lives MESSAGE SUMMARY: The Apostles did not get into their life roles, after Jesus Resurrection and Ascension, without much grief and anguish; but Jesus transformed their lives. God addresses impossible situations in our lives, too; and then He transforms our lives, through His grace, into something of beauty. Jesus' Cross was an impossible situation, but now we view the Cross as a sign of triumph -- our triumph as believers and followers of Jesus! In John 10:27-30, Jesus succinctly describes how He transforms the lives of those that follow Him: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.”. Additionally, in today's uncertainties and fears and with the new and uncharted paths that our life today demands that we follow, Paul, in Colossians 1:5-6, gives us hope through God's Grace and the Gospel: “because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth".   TODAY'S PRAYER: Father, when I think about my losses, it can feel like I have no skin to protect me. I feel raw, scraped to the bone. Looking at Job and Jesus helps, but I must admit that I struggle to see something new being birthed out of the old. Enlarge my soul through the trials and losses of my life. In Jesus' name, amen.        Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 101). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Past Failures. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Grace. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Colossians 1:5-6; John 11:25-26; John 10:14-18; Psalms 31a:1-12. WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Sermons on the Amount - Part 2  "Owner - A Question: Who is Lord Over All?"” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Discussions Today Are Void of Respect About Anything; Therefore, Jesus Followers Are Called to Lift Others Up with Praise and Encouragement MESSAGE SUMMARY: Be humble, gentle, and patient bearing with one another in love. Your “calling” by Jesus is to love one another; to lift each other up; and to praise and to encourage one another. How often, in the church, do we get our feathers ruffled and start “acting like a bunch of turkeys”? Too many of us “are not responding to God's call”; but we “are doing our duty”. After all, isn't just “doing our duty” what we have been taught? Paul succinctly defines our obligations as a follower of Jesus in Ephesians 4:31-32: “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.". Our service to God is more than service or obligation (i.e., “duty”). Your “calling” should be to respond to Jesus' call by emulating Jesus in your life.     TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, everything in me resists following you into the garden of Gethsemane to fall on my face to the ground before you. Grant me the courage to follow you all the way to the cross, whatever that might mean for my life. And then, by your grace, lead me to resurrection life and power. In Jesus' name, amen.        Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 100). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, I will live as Jesus would (Philippians 1:27). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Mathew 6:14-15; Psalms 130:3-4; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Psalms 30:1-12. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Sermons on the Amount - Part 2  "Owner - A Question: Who is Lord Over All?"”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Jesus Followers Must Meet Jesus' Expectation of His “Great Commission” By Both “Going” and “Making Disciples” MESSAGE SUMMARY: Jesus, in Luke 15:4-7, tells us, through His Parable of The Lost Sheep, the importance to God of our discipleship: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.". Immediately before His Ascension into Heaven Jesus told the Apostles and us today, in His Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20, that as we go into our communities and into all parts of the world, we are to make disciples: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'”. We must begin, as followers of Jesus, to meet His fundamental expectation for us by both going and making disciples!   TODAY'S PRAYER: Abba Father, I open my clenched fists to surrender everything you have given to me. Reestablish my identity in you — not in my family, my work, my accomplishments, or what others think of me. Cleanse the things in me that are not conformed to your will. By faith I unite my will to yours so that the likeness of Jesus Christ may be formed in me. In his name, amen.         Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 85). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Addictions. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Self-Control. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 28:18-20; Matthew 10:16; Matthew 16:24-28; Psalms 29:1-11 A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “The Sermons on the Amount - Part 2  "Owner - A Question: Who is Lord Over All?"”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB