SMC Podcast (Pray Reach Disciple)

There was a time in Jesus' ministry where when he would travel people would follow him around everywhere, everyone wanted to know who he is. Who is this man who makes blind people see, and who makes paralyzed people able to walk again? Why is he here, what does he want, what is he going to do? Everyone wanted to know! Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?” They said, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Everyone was guessing, trying to figure out just who this man is! Today, lots of people have opinions about who Jesus is too.Read Full Sermon NotesSupport UsFacebook | Instagram | Youtube | Email

In Exodus 3, we have the account in the life of Moses; a man who had been raised in the finest palaces of Egypt; who had eaten the best foods and attended the best schools; but then fled Egypt when he learned that the Pharaoh was seeking his head because he had killed an Egyptian. This account this morning is of his encounter with God. Moses is now an inhabitant of Midian. He has married a woman named Zipporah, has had a son, and has been working for his father-in-law tending sheep for the past forty years.Read Full Sermon NotesSupport UsFacebook | Instagram | Youtube | Email

"Be still and know that I am God," . Do you yearn for that kind of deep, long-lasting peace? If we're being honest, we have a hard time putting this concept into practice. We rarely live with the conviction that God is God and we are not. Joins as we begin this new series!Full Sermon NotesSupport UsFacebook | Instagram | Youtube | Email

Pastor Wayne Anderson Fresh Start false1:00.1050Fresh Start Part IV What Now?full

I) IntroductionHow can we ensure next time won't be like the last time!We are focusing on our spiritual life but what we are going to discover can be applied to any area of one's life (finances, relationships, career, etc.).We learn from our mistakes in the areas that matter least (games, hobbies, sports, etc.).We repeat our mistakes in the areas of our lives that matter most (faith, relationships, etc).IllusionsExperience makes me wiser!Experience alone does not make you wiser. (Evaluated experience makes you wiser. Evaluation of one's experience can be a game-changer) James 1:2 “Count it all joy . . .” Count means to evaluateSince I know better, I'll do better!Knowing better ≠ doing better.Knowing better ≠ the ability to do better.Time is your enemy!Time is not your enemy, it is your friend.Leverage time to work for you by pausing long enough to evaluate and heal.Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” God is doing something and God is going to leverage my past for my good. We must:Take Responsibility - One must own one's role in one's negative history. Therefore, one must pause long enough to own one's responsibility.Renewed Mind – Romans 12:2 “What were you thinking?” Regret and resolve are not enough to live differently – one must renew one's mind.Let Go of it

As a parent, have you ever responded to one of your children to something you saw them do and ask, “What were you thinking?” If we were to pause for just a moment and look back at our life, I am sure there was someone that thought that same thing of us in some of our decisions. And looking back, our decision doesn't even make sense to us! “What was I thinking,” we ask! If we desire for this time not to be like last time, then we need to stop long enough to come up with a real answer to the question: “What was I thinking?”

Before I get started today, I want to start with a small experiment or exercise. Let's play pretend and imagine that you have 30 days left to live? This may seem morbid or even uncomfortable, but I promise I'm going somewhere. So just for the sake of this imagine as if you only have 30 days left.Now that you've got this idea in your head let me ask you a few questions.What will you do now? What will you do now that you have 30 days to live? Are your priorities different? Will your conversations be different?But the main question I want to ask you is: Will you love differently NOW because you only have 30 days to live? Will you love differently? Will you love completely? Will you love completely and how do we even do that?Jesus talks about loving completely in the passage we will read this morning found in mark 12.But let me set the scene as to what's going on right before our scripture.Jesus is among some crowds, and He is teaching about the authority He has from Heaven (Mark 11:27-33), He presents the Parable of the Wicked Tenants (Mark 12:1-12), He speaks about giving and taxes (Mark 12:13-17), and He speaks about marriage and Heaven (Mark 12:18-27). Jesus is teaching the crowds and in the midst of the crowds, the Pharisees and Sadducees were asking questions and were trying to trap Jesus. It was during these trapping and sly questions that a person genuinely seeking an answer comes up to Jesus. Let's read.MARK 12:28-34“One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" 29 "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." 32 "Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.”A teacher of the law came and asked a genuine question. In Jesus's teaching, we find the answer to ‘how we love completely.' Jesus points out three aspects of love that when combined form a complete love for our lives. Jesus teaches that we should love God, love others, and love ourselves.These three are components of complete love.I. LOVE GOD COMPLETELYFull Sermon NotesSupport UsFacebook | Instagram | Youtube | Email

At the first of the year, we started our Pursuit Series for 2022 sharing about seeking first God's Kingdom for our lives. The greatest tragedy of life is so many are willing to settle for less than the best; to accept mediocrity, insignificance, the petty when life could have purpose and fulfillment. What one receives depends on one's priorities because one's priorities will affect one's personal, business, spiritual and social life. When our priorities are right, our life will be fulfilled, confident, and rewarded. When they're wrong, our life will result in that which is meaningless. We can allow the world to set our priorities by what is popular and important; the ambition to pursue everything that appeals to you, to the flesh or the second option is to allow God to set your priorities. This is the priority that takes the pressure and anxiety out of life. This priority is the key to a life that is lived in harmony with the will and purposes of God. Whatever the option may be, the bottom line is the choice is yours to make and initiate! So, we looked at two incredible invitations that God gave to us. One is found in Isaiah 55 and the other is given in Matthew 6 by Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount about seeking God and His Kingdom. So, I asked the question, what is it, that is very important to us?Full Sermon NotesSupport UsFacebook | Instagram | Youtube | Email

Last week, we started our Pursuit Series for 2022 sharing about seeking first God's Kingdom for our lives. I mentioned that the greatest tragedy of life is so many are willing to settle for less than the best. To accept mediocrity, insignificance, the petty when life could have purpose and fulfillment and that what you receive depends on your priorities. One's priorities will affect one's personal life, business life, spiritual life, and social life. One's priorities will dominate one's life. When they are right, your life will be fulfilled, confident, and rewarded. When they're wrong, your life will result in that which is meaningless. The fun will go out of your life. You will feel flat and empty. So, I asked the question, what is it, that is very important to us?

It's an amazing time in which we live. Technology allows us to travel the globe without ever leaving our living room. In our pocket, we have a device that can answer virtually any question that we can come up with. We have Social-Media that connects us to family members and friends that may be miles away. We have accessibility to healthcare, clean water, food, and clothing online or in stores on every corner. It really is an amazing time to be living. Yet for all of this we seem to be empty, something is missing.We are connected through social media, yet distant in real life. We are full and our cabinets and refrigerators fully stocked, but we are still hungry and can never find what we want. We are clothed, but still wanting the latest fashion and fad. We have all the answers at the swipe of a finger or the stroke of a key, but we still are wandering around unfulfilled and feeling clueless.Full Sermon Notes

Naomi was married and had two sons. They were from Bethlehem and moved to Moab. There, in Moab, her husband died. Then her two sons married and they lived in Moab for ten years. Then her two sons died, leaving Naomi and her two daughters-in-law to fend for themselves.Naomi told her two daughters-in-law to go back home and live with their mothers. The one daughter-in-law did, but the other one, Ruth, would not leave Naomi.

Last week, we shared a message of expressed gratitude, taken from an encounter with Jesus and ten lepers. Only one of the ten returned to express his thanks to Jesus. Unexpressed thanksgiving leaves people often feeling “taken for granted.” One may feel thankful but unexpressed thankfulness is experienced as ingratitude to the other person in the relationship. It is the expression of thanksgiving that leaves one feeling appreciated and accepted, not the emotion of gratitude. Hearts naturally gravitate toward recognition and gratitude.This morning, if I were to ask you for one of many things that you are grateful for, what would it be? Salvation, family, health, opportunities, love, etc? I want us to look at a lady who was in desperate need. The one thing she needed more than anything else was grace. If we were honest, many people wish that the riffraff would just go away or that they would be punished. While some can be tough on people, who do things that trouble them and want God's justice to be poured out, they themselves desire God's grace. In John 8:1 – 11, we come to a powerful story about compassionate grace, which clearly teaches that from the perspective of God's perfect holiness, we're all riffraff — we're all sinners who fall short of God's glory and desperately need, not justice, but mercy and grace. Full Sermon NotesSupport UsFacebook | Instagram | Youtube | Email

There is a universal feeling of thankfulness that we all experience. We all feel thankful at moments in our life. When good things happen or we are finishing up a season that has been rough, we are thankful. We all have emotions of gratitude, but when it comes to expressing thanks to others, it often doesn't come naturally or effortlessly. But when gratitude is not expressed, it conveys a message in the relationship with the other person of not seeing or recognizing that person or their efforts in serving. And if you were to bring up the subject of one's unexpressed thanksgiving, it makes you feel uncomfortable (could I at least get a thank you). Unexpressed thanksgiving leaves people often feeling “taken for granted.” One may feel thankful but unexpressed thankfulness is experienced as ingratitude to the other person in the relationship. It is the expression of thanksgiving that leaves one feeling appreciated and accepted, not the emotion of gratitude. Hearts naturally gravitate toward recognition and gratitude.Full Sermon NotesSupport UsFacebook | Instagram | Youtube | Email

I was listening to a youth pastor this week by the name of David Marvin. He shared a statistic on selfies that was surprising to me. There are on average 93 million selfies taken a day and posted on social media. And there has become known a phrase, “death by selfies” where one is so focused on themselves that they don't pay attention to their surroundings, and they end up in an accident and lose their life. Becoming self-focused causes one to become prideful and pride will bring death in one's life, in one's relationships, and even in one's ability to have a relationship with God. We see this in scripture with what happened to Lucifer (Satan) in heaven when he became so focused on himself that he broke fellowship with his Creator and he was cast out of heaven. Even Jesus said of Satan that He had seen him fall like lightning from heaven. This explains why God repeats in his Word many times concerning pride why it is something He hates.Full Sermon NotesSupport UsFacebook | Instagram | Youtube | Email

Have you ever heard someone talking about someone you never knew, but because of their relationship with that person and the stories they shared, you felt like you knew that person? One purpose for Jesus Christ coming to earth was to help us see what our heavenly Father was like. Jesus, who has spent eternity past with the Heavenly Father, knows him well and gives us picture stories (parables) to show us what our heavenly Father is like. It is in Luke 15 that Jesus gives us one of those stories so that you and I might see what the heavenly Father is really like.Full Sermon NotesSupport UsFacebook | Instagram | Youtube | Email

Stay Focus I Cor 15, 57-58 Stay Faithful II Thes 3, 1-3 (II Tim 2, 1-2) Stay Strong Eph 6, 10-11 Luke 10, 17 Stay Positive Luke 6, 45 Pro 18, 21 Stay Submitted James 4,7Full Sermon NotesSupport UsFacebook | Instagram | Youtube | Email

We have been taking a look at the book of Ezekiel and even though it mostly relates to Israel and Jerusalem, we have asked the question, how would this book be relevant for us today? What can we learn since “all scripture is God breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness?” The book was written over a 20-year period while the Israelites were in Babylonian captivity and God asks Ezekiel to do some strange things to illustrate how the Israelites had departed from Him and of the discipline to come and the destruction of Jerusalem. “Sin is a serious matter and bears consequences.” We have discovered that God is loving, patient and just, but God will discipline his people in order to bring them back into a loving relationship with Him. God gave Ezekiel an illustration of a young girl that had been abandoned and left for dead, and how He nurtured her back to health and gave her all she needed until she became of age and then took her as his wife relating to Israel; and how that she had prostituted herself with other gods and nations. Ezekiel addressed the surrounding nations in chapters 25 – 32 making it clear that God is concerned is for the whole world. Even though God had a covenant relationship with Israel, God's intentions were to bless the whole world through the Israelites as God would bring forth His revelation and His Son through the lineage of Abraham to save the whole world (Gen. 12).Full Sermon NotesSupport UsFacebook | Instagram | Youtube | Email

We have been taking a look at the book of Ezekiel and even though it mostly relates to Israel and Jerusalem, we asked the question, how would this book be relevant for us today? What can we learn since “all scripture is God breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness?” The book was written over a 20-year period while the Israelites were in Babylonian captivity and God asks Ezekiel to do some strange things to illustrate how the Israelites had departed from Him and of the discipline to come and the destruction of Jerusalem. “Sin is a serious matter and bears consequences.” We have discovered that God is loving, patient and just, but God will discipline his people in order to bring them back into a loving relationship with Him. God gave Ezekiel an illustration of a young girl that had been abandoned and left for dead, and how He nurtured her back to health and gave her all she needed until she became of age and then took her as his wife relating to Israel; and how that she had prostituted herself with other gods and nations.Full Sermon NotesSupport UsFacebook | Instagram | Youtube | Email

We have been taking a look at the book of Ezekiel and even though it mostly relates to Israel and Jerusalem, we asked the question, how would this book be relevant for us today? What can we learn since “all scripture is God breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness?” The book was written over a 20-year period while the Israelites were in Babylonian captivity and God asks Ezekiel to do some strange things to illustrate how the Israelites had departed from Him and of the discipline to come and the destruction of Jerusalem. “Sin is a serious matter and bears consequences.” We learned that God is loving, patient and just, but God will discipline his people in order to bring them back into a loving relationship with Him.Full Sermon Notes Support UsFacebook | Instagram | Youtube | Email

In his early period as a prophet, he denounced his people for their sins and corruption. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 586, however, Ezekiel became the consoler and comforter of the exiles, holding out to them the promise of a return to the homeland and the restoration of the Temple and of the throne of David.

Ezekiel was a Levite and destined to be a priest in the temple of the Lord. He had been training for his work but at the age of 25, he was taken into captivity into Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. A Levite would train for his work until the age of 30, then at that age, they would start their priestly duties. It was five years into the captivity and at the age of thirty that God would begin to give Ezekiel visions and prophetic words for Israel. Full Sermon Notes

I want us to take a look at the book of Ezekiel. This book can be a confusing book and you may ask the question: how is this book and the events described in it relevant for us today? I believe that is a very good question. But I believe there must be something important for us to learn from Ezekiel or God would not have allowed it in the canonization process to be drafted in. So, what is God wanting us to learn from the Israelites history and how can we apply it to us today. So, for a moment, allow me to give you a little background for this book. The book is written over a 20-year period while the Israelites were in Babylonian captivity. There is a dark tone to the book and God will ask Ezekiel to do some strange things to illustrate how the Israelites have departed from Him and of the judgment to come and the destruction of Jerusalem. (Share Israel's history and how God sent the prophets to steer them back. There was even a time when there were some reforms that came during Josiah's reign, but the Israelites went right back to their unfaithfulness. It was during Josiah's reign when Ezekiel was born.) Ezekiel was a Levite and destined to be a priest in the temple of the Lord. He had been training for his work but at the age of 25, he was taken into captivity into Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. A Levite would train for his work until the age of 30, then at that age they would start their priestly duties. It was five years into the captivity and at the age of thirty that God would begin to give Ezekiel visions and prophetic words for Israel. You will find that although Ezekiel's book is over a twenty-year period and 48 chapters long, you will find the span of this history in 2 Kings 24, 25, and in 2 Chronicles 36.Full Sermon Notes

Jesus Comforts His Disciples1“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God a ; believe also in me. 2 My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going.”Jesus the Way to the Father5Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know b my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Several weeks ago, we started this series on the book of James. The church is in its 2nd decade of existence, the Jews were scattered, so James writes a letter to the churches to give counsel and as a guide to help Jewish Christians navigate cultures with completely different norms and beliefs than those that existed in Jerusalem. James shared about suffering! We discovered how that suffering exists and is the natural course of life since the fall of man but that suffering doesn't change the fact that God is good. Suffering exists, but as God's children, He can use the trials of life to develop us into complete and mature Christians. That is why James starts his letter off with “consider it pure joy.” Remember, James was writing this letter to help navigate the Christian Jews on practical ways of living as Christians in a world of different cultures and beliefs. James shared about faith and how that faith is demonstrated in your deeds, conduct, and speech. Zac shared from James on the subject of wisdom, and how that to navigate through this life we need to ask God for wisdom that only comes from him. Bro. Wayne shared about foolishness and that foolishness is something that we need to avoid and how it's foolish to be materialistic, to doubt, blame God with temptation, to be a friend of the world, to be involved in strife and division, and to be self-centered. Then last week, Derrick shared about community taken from JamesFull Notes

James reminds us as Believers, and those of the Faith in Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that we remain Faithful to the Faith, as we are Suffering in this Life, and the present time, with Godly Wisdom, and constant Obedience. So we do not Succumb to the Foolishness of this World, Orchestrated by Satan to Divide, and destroy our Community.

James 1, 1-6There are many Scholars, theologians, who disagree, with the authorship of James. In my research and studies, I conclude and agree with many that the author was James. The half-brother of Jesus was the Author.In his letter, he didn't address the church world as a whole, but he addressed the Twelve Tribes which are scattered abroad. Primarily speaking directly to the Jewish readership.In the same manner of today Pastors, and Called Leaders, must address those of the Faith, and the Blood bought Believers of our time, and bring to light The Foolishness that has drifted into our Faith. James wrote to the Jewish Believers, nailing them on how their Faithfulness to the Lord, had gotten lost in Political affiliation, and the church drifted into Foolishness, and was not Living the Word, but had become hears only. James cautioned them about 5 damaging factors to their Faith, and their failure to understand, temptation, and Godly suffering. James 1, 1,2, consider it Joy (when you fall). God takes no pleasure in you failing or your demise. This rejoicing is about making you better. This is the build-up of your resistance for a greater and better future against Temptation, trials, and testing. (When) denotes time in Scripture. (When) means we're going to be tested, and tried in life, but it's not to kill us, it's to make us better, for what God has for us.One of the things the devil always wants to attack, and Rob you of, is your Joy in Christ. Because when joy is gone the next thing set in is Blame.Full Notes

Sometimes as we drive down the road of life, we come to dangerous intersections.We refer to them as “forks in the road.”Perhaps you feel like you are at a dangerous intersection right now in your life. The Bible speaks about a divine resource we can utilize when we come to those intersections. It is called wisdom. There are many times when we will approach one of those intersections and we'll realize we have a shortage of wisdom.This is the very situation James addresses in 1:5-8. James had just finished speaking about the various trials we encounter in life. These are the difficulties and suffering that come our way. BIG IDEA: Life creates a demand for wisdom which God supplies when the conditions are met.What is wisdom? Wisdom and knowledge are both recurring themes in the Bible and are related to each other, they are not synonymous. The dictionary defines wisdom as “the ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting.” Knowledge, on the other hand, is “information gained through experience, reasoning, or acquaintance.” Knowledge is what is gathered over time through study and experience.But it can be said that wisdom acts properly upon that knowledge - wisdom is the application of knowledge. True wisdom, according to Scripture, begins with God. Proverbs 9:10 tells us that the “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” In Proverbs 1:7, we learn that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs tells us that fools hate wisdom. The fool is the person whose choices contradict God's truth.Full Notes

Last week, we started this series on the book of James. The church is its 2nd decade of existence, the Jews were scattered, so James writes a letter to the churches to give counsel and as a guide to help Jewish Christians navigate cultures with completely different norms and their beliefs than those that existed in Jerusalem. We shared about suffering, how that suffering exists and is the natural course of life since the fall of mankind but that suffering doesn't change the fact that God is good. Suffering exists but as God's children, He can use the trials of life to develop us into complete and mature Christians. That is why James starts his letter off with “consider it pure joy.” Remember, James was writing this letter to help navigate the Christian Jews on practical things of living as Christians in a world of different cultures and beliefs. This morning, I want us to look at a subject that James writes about concerning faith. Do you remember the devastating fires of Yellowstone National Park that burned out of control for months in 1988? Hundreds of thousands of acres were blackened and people across the US and around the world mourned the ruining of that beautiful national landmark.Scientists discovered that the fires of 1988 were the best thing that ever happened at Yellowstone. They discovered that one species of pine tree reproduces itself only when a fire's heat opens the pine cones, sending spores floating to the ground. Those adult trees, though killed by the fire, have brought forth a flourishing new crop. And this new food source allows the growth of larger herds of elk, bison, and moose. What seemed like a terrible loss three decades ago has brought new life to Yellowstone today!Full Notes

Let me ask you this morning, what would you have done? The church is in its 2nd decade of existence, the believing Jews have been dispersed because of persecution, and the central church seems to be in danger of losing its influence. So, what does James (the brother of Jesus) do? He writes a letter to the Jewish churches as a guide to help Jewish Christians navigate cultures with completely different norms and their beliefs than those that existed in Jerusalem. His writings apply in today's world where social norms and beliefs often differ from those of Christianity. During the 1st decade of the church, the church was mostly dominated by Jews who knew the Old Testament scripture and were still able to participate in the complex Jewish social structure. During the 2nd decade, many non-Jews (Gentiles) became believers beginning when Peter was on the rooftop and received a vision and Cornelius was told by an angel to go get Peter, and then later with Saul's conversion and Saul (Paul) being sent to the Gentiles during his missionary travels. James probably stayed in Jerusalem instead of doing much traveling. So, James writes a letter to the Jews living outside Jerusalem (James 1:1) to establish the Jews in applicable truth and conduct and to encourage them in their journey of faith.Full Notes

Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,”KJV “18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, Today is known as Independence Day in the United States. It is the day that we celebrate America's freedom from the tyranny of England under King George the III. The signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, was not intended to declare war with England. Mark Parsec says the intended purpose of the Declaration of Independence for the colonists was to declare “to the world their belief in a personal, infinite God - their Creator - who endowed them with certain ‘inalienable' or absolute rights . . . To the men of that time, it was self-evident - that if the inalienable rights they were urging were not seen in the context of the authority of God, then they were without content - illusions, and nothing but dreams. To have absolute rights our forefathers had to acknowledge the Absolute Authority of God.”You see, there is no true freedom without God and His authority to determine the morality upon which the laws of our land are founded. In God we find the basis for national freedom; however, we also find in God the basis for our spiritual freedom. God's provision for our spiritual freedom is found in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. This morning, on this Independence Day Sunday we are going to view the freedom we have in Christ.Full Notes

Sin is a grave that haunts us long before we ever get to the cemetery did you hear me! Sin? Sin is a grave that haunts us long before we ever get to the cemetery now here's the good news. Jesus is the resurrection in life. He has come. To give us resurrected life and he came out of the grave did you hear me?Jesus came out of the grave he showed us that he was all-powerful and then he said, you know, he said I'm gonna have to go away and they were I'm sure they were sad. I mean they've been walking with him and talking with him and even though he told them this is all gonna happen they didn't even hardly believe it when it did happen. But do you worry don't you fear because God will send a comforter!

Two weeks ago, we began to look at the Gifts of the Holy Spirit taken from 1 Corinthians 12:1 – 11. The purpose of a spiritual gift is to glorify Jesus and to help people! The Holy Spirit at work through us will always glorify Jesus and help people. Full Notes

This morning, I want us to dive further into the person of the Holy Spirit and look at what is called “spiritual gifts” manifested through the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:1 – 11). The purpose of a spiritual gift is to glorify Jesus and to help people! That's what the Holy Spirit working through us does. In Acts 2 we read that the Holy Spirit “filled” the disciples on the day of Pentecost. The manifestations that day through the disciples glorified God in the languages of all the people gathered from many different countries. As the disciples spoke under the power of the Holy Spirit, people opened their hearts to God, and Peter shared the Good News of Jesus Christ. Over 3000 people accepted Jesus Christ. I want us to look at three of these spiritual gifts. -Wisdom: The Holy Spirit at work through us to help us hear and to speak wise counsel. - Knowledge: The Holy Spirit at work through us to know what is true. John 16:13 “But when he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.” John 4:16 – 18 (example: The Samaritan Woman) - Faith: The Holy Spirit at work through us to be full of faith in any situation. Hebrews 11:1. Our faith rests on settled issues: “I'm sure” and “I'm certain.” There are four levels of faith: no faith; little faith; great faith (Luke 7); full of faith. -Brady Boyd says, “The measure of our faith isn't seen by the number of prayers we get answered but by the amount of our life we are willing to surrender.” One prays differently when one is surrendered. Faith is the absolute assurance of God. Faith in the New Testament is always used to talk about faith in God, not just faith for an outcome.

How do you see the Holy Spirit? Do you see Him as infinite majesty, glory, wisdom, knowledge, and holiness? Do you see Him as a person the Heavenly Father sent to abide in us or do you see Him as just an influence? Someone who sees God's Spirit as justan influence or supreme power will constantly say, “I want more of the Spirit.” On the contrary, someone who sees the Holy Spirit as a wonderful gentle loving person will say, “How can I give more of myself to Him?” Paul gives us a catalog of the characteristics of the Spirit in his writing to the church of Galatia. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (chapter 5:22-23) These are the characteristics of God living in and through us. Submission is not our favorite word. Our failure to trust and submit to the Holy Spirit will lead to unintended destinations in our life. It is so important for us to make the right decisions now. But how? Good information and wisdom are not always enough to guarantee good decisions. If that were true, then why did the wisest man in the world get into such a mess?Full Show Notes

The reality: You can't be more like Jesus without the Holy Spirit. You can't even discipline yourself without the power of the Holy Spirit working in you. Jesus knew this which is why He told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were empowered with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Podcast Notes

Jesus, in John 14:27, said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”All true comfort and peace come to us through Christ alone.Is it possible to live in troubled times and still have peace? Yes, it is. Where the heart is fixed and trusting in God, it is kept by the peace of God.Where there's unity in home or church, there is peace.There was a city slicker who drove into the country and ended up in a ditch. A farmer came along with his mule. The mule's name was Buddy. He hitched Buddy to the car and yelled, “Pull, Sally, Pull!” Nothing happened. “Pull, Johnny, pull!” Still nothing. One more time he called a command. Nothing. Finally, he yelled, “Pull, Buddy, pull!” The city man asked the farmer why he'd done that. “Well,” said the farmer,” Buddy is blind; if he'd thought he was the only pulling, he wouldn't have pulled.” Sometimes we need to put blinders on and do whatever God calls us to do.Real leaders in the church promote unity in the Spirit and peace. What does it say about the church if, during a time of unrest, people see the church unsettled?At the beginning of this pandemic, Bible sales rose rapidly. People were listening to church online. They were hungry to know more of God, but now it seems like "business as usual."Read More

It is important to understand the difference between a temptation and a test. The temptation is an attempt to draw you away from God. A test is to build character in your life and to make you stronger.When the devil left Jesus after his temptation, angels attended Him. Jesus trusted God to meet his every need.We are looking today at the second temptation put before Jesus by the devil. (Remember that all of man's temptations are included in the three temptations.)What was behind this second temptation? The devil took Jesus into the Holy City and onto the highest point of the temple. (150 ft above the ground.) IF you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. (Have you ever heard, “If you're a Christian if you're really a believer . . . ?)Read More

The temptation of Jesus is found in all four Gospels, but each Gospel writer sees Jesus a bit differently. Matthew writes about him as “King,” Mark saw Him as the Perfect Man, the Perfect Servant, Luke wrote of Him as Savior, and John dived right into the Power of Jesus.Jesus was all these things and was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil. Jesus resisted the devil's temptations because the Holy Spirit was in FULL CONTROL in Jesus' life.The temptation is the only avenue of access for Satan to your life. In Luke 22:31-32, we hear Jesus saying, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”Read More

In the verses that follow, Jesus is tempted in three different ways all of which have to do with his confidence in God; and all three of these temptations are in the background of everything that you and I will be tempted with. Is it not amazing that these temptations that Jesus was faced with, one of these will be behind every temptation that you and I will be faced with! I believe this is not just a coincidence. For example, Jesus was tempted to meet a legitimate need (God-given) in an illegitimate way (in a way not pleasing to God). Second, He was tempted to leverage.Read More

Why do we worship God through Jesus Christ? To understand, we must first understand something about ancient covenants. Regardless of the type of covenant that was made - - and there were three main types - - they were sealed with a sacrifice and the shedding of blood.Jesus raised Lazarus in the days leading up to his own crucifixion; the Pharisees plotted to kill Jesus and added Lazarus to the list of those marked for death. Five days before the Passover was to be celebrated - - a feast that had been celebrated for 1500 years - - Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. "Hosanna to the King of Kings." He was acknowledged as one who came in authority. . . "Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord."In Luke 22, we read of Jesus eating the Passover meal with his disciples and equating parts of it with the sacrifice He was about to make. "This is my body . . . this is my blood." Jesus was about to take the place of the sacrificial lamb.Read More

Worship, the Priority of Believers - Part 2I) Worship in the Old TestamentWorship - The Hebrew word for worship used in Genesis 22 is the word shachah. In scripture, it pictures someone bowing, kneeling, stooping or prostrating on the ground before God. It depends, however, on the attitude of our heart.Love – There is a story in Genesis 22:1 - 12 where Abraham is tested. As great as Abraham's love was for his son, Isaac, his love for God was greater. Is it love for God that motivates your worship?Obedience - Obedience is central to worship.The Place - On the heels of His giving the Israelites guidelines for worship, He instructed the Hebrew people to build a place for worship, a place where He would dwell. In Exodus 29:45, He said, “I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God.” This place would be where they would relate to worship. The tabernacle was to be the meeting place, the place that was set apart for God and His people. There is no true worship without a relationship between the One being worshiped and the worshiper himself. Worship is a place of meeting, a time of interaction between God's people and the object of their worship, God Himself.The People - God also set standards for the people themselves On Mt. Sinai He gave them the Ten Commandments. The first four dealt specifically with their relationship with God in worship. Ex.20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me. You are free to worship and love Me with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. That is why, when Jesus was asked which was the greatest commandment, He quoted this one.read more

There is a healthy fear. And there is an unhealthy fear. Always worrying and fretting about everything. Being scared of your own shadow. I like this saying someone once said worry is an old man with a bended head carrying a load of feathers, which he thinks are led.www.stmaryschurch.netGive Online:my.gobluefire.com/App/Giving/givingsmc

We live in a problem-filled world. The root of the problems? Ears that have been deafened to the voice of God and tuned in to voices of culture, of criticism, of condemnation. God speaks. Do we listen?God speaks in infinitely many languages and knows how to speak directly to each of us in ways only we can understand.He spoke to Noah through a rainbow, Joseph, Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar in dreams, Moses through a burning bush, Egypt's Pharaoh through plagues, Balaam through a donkey, the nation of Israel through a sacrifice being consumed by fire on Mt. Carmel, King Belshazzar through disembodied handwriting on a wall, the Wise Men through a star and Peter through visions.Full Sermon Noteswww.stmaryschurch.netGive Online:my.gobluefire.com/App/Giving/givingsmc

We are an exhausted generation. Our culture baits us to live a life that is unsustainable, and it is robbing us of the joy of life. It is robbing us emotionally, physically, relationally, and spiritually. For some, you are going to think that this is not realistic, but I want to encourage you to lean in to make this happen for yourselves and for those in your life. God wants this application for you. You and I will either reap the benefits of applying this to our lives, or we will suffer the consequences for not, but it is up to us to choose.I want us to look at a situation in the Bible where this application was not applied and then a passage where it was applied in the New Testament. The first one is found in 1 Kings 19 where Elijah had just been used by God to perform a great miracle. (See 1 Kings 18: Elijah challenges the Prophets of Baal)1 Kings 19:1-9 “Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 19:2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” 19:3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 19:4 while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” (Have you ever been there? Have you ever said that; “I have had enough?” Have you ever felt that work or life was overwhelming you? This can lead us to disillusionment, discouragement, depression, and can blind us so our defenses are down, and we don't see circumstances properly. Elijah is exhausted. He is physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted and his defenses are down. This is when we are vulnerable. God knows this about us. Notice what God does next. (He does not give him a pep talk.)19:5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 19:6 He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. 19:7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 19:8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 19:9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.” (Notice the pattern: sleep, eat, sleep, eat! Then he takes the journey and sleeps. He is being recharged physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Then God speaks. Elijah could not hear from God before because he was physically, emotionally, and spiritually drained. This leads us to our next application: rest.We, as a society, so undervalue rest, especially us as Christians! When it comes to spiritual disciplines, we have prayer, Bible study, devotions, fasting, and giving - - all of which are important - - but rest is rarely mentioned. Is that not ironic? It is talked about throughout scripture? Even in creation, God set up an example for us to follow. He rested on the seventh day, not because He needed it, but He wanted to model it for us. He made it a part of the Law. Somehow, we as Christians have missed this.Burnout is not spiritual. What the kingdom of God needs is not a burned-out person but a replenished, energized, and passionate person. Bill Hybels said; “The pace at which I was doing the work of God was killing the work of God in me.” If we try to run life at an unsustainable pace, life will fall apart. In a survey taken from children, grades 3 through 12, most children wished their parents were less tired and stressed. They wanted to be replenished and energized parents.Notice who got this right. Jesus! If Jesus was intentional to get this right in His life, shouldn't we? Notice the pattern in His life. He would be engaged in His calling and work; then He would pull out and rest, replenish, pray and reflect, then re-engage. Every time God would do some great work through Him, he would pull out and rest, replenish, pray and reflect. Matthew 14:22, 23 (after the feeding of the 5000) “Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 14:23After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,”Your life moves to a better place when you move at a sustainable pace. If you run a fast pace with everything in your life with no rest and replenishment, your life will move to a bad place. You will begin to break down emotionally; you will begin to break down physically and begin to rely on yourself and not God and that will begin to flow to the people in your life. Your life moves to a better place when you move at a sustainable pace.Let me share three suggestions with you. A) What if we make it a point to have a 24-hour Sabbath every week. Pull away from your e-mail, Facebook, twitter, etc. In other words, pull away from your work for a full 24-hour period. God wants you to actually enjoy the life that He has given you. If you see life as a series of to do list, you are going to be robbed of the joys of life. This will help remind you of the goodness and blessings that God has given you. You may think your business is going to suffer for you taking some time off, but the reality is, it is going to suffer if you do not. How much better would you be as an employer or employee, as a co-worker, if you were rested and replenished? How much better would you be as a parent or spouse if you were rested? Rest is a must!What if before you go to bed, do not check your e-mail or your Facebook. When you get up, do not check your e-mail first. Reboot your mind by having a devotion, taking a walk, or eating breakfast.What if you purpose to have a quarterly Recharge – Make sure you have some R & R where you take off for 2 or three days and reflect and recharge.The most important thing that you give your family, your employer, your Heavenly Father is a refreshed, enthusiastic, energized and passionate person. REST.

Sermon Highlights: Applying Biblical Principles to our Lives - Part 8 - ForgivenessRemember Joseph of the Old Testament? He had two dreams that, unfortunately, he shared with his brothers. Because of those dreams, his brothers sold him to Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt and sold him to Pharaoh's top manager, Potiphar. After years of faithful service to Potiphar, he was accused of molesting the man's wife and was thrown into prison. In prison, he gained such respect that he was put in charge of the other prisoners. He interpreted dreams for two of them, one of whom was killed and one of whom was restored to his position in Pharaoh's household.Joseph's early dreams had gotten him into trouble with his brothers. At that point in his life, he hadn't learned that “. . . authority is given to serve, not to set you apart.”Joseph could have blamed God for his being ripped from his family (sold by his brothers), put into servitude, and then into jail. At the point that Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dreams, he was put into a position of saving his family. Who had put Joseph in Egypt? When famine drove Jacob (Israel) to send his sons to Egypt to get food during the seven years of famine foretold in Pharaoh's dreams, it was evident that God had been moving from the first dreams Joseph had. Joseph could have become bitter but didn't. When his brothers stood before him needing food, he was moved to tears (which he initially hid).God sent Joseph to Egypt. It was God that sent the famine in the land. No mortal man or devil can supersede the plan of God for your life. And if you and I can lay hold of this truth, it will set us free. There is only one person that can get you out of the will of God - - you.If we can stay free from the offense or from being offended by others, we will stay in God's will. His promises and dreams for our lives will not fail. We've been forgiven by Almighty God. We must forgive others to “break the chain of the past” and to move forward.Romans 12:17 – 21 “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”You and I have a choice. We can be overcome by evil or we can overcome evil with good. How do we do that?1) Embrace God's forgiveness for you. If it is a fresh or deep wound, stay at the foot of the cross. Embrace the message that you are forgiven, that you are God's son or daughter, that you are a joint heir with Him. Sometimes the person we need to forgive is our self. If a holy God forgives us, why would we not forgive ourselves?2) Forgiven people forgive. Because I have been forgiven, I can forgive.3) Let God avenge you. Allow God to take care of the one who wronged you.4) Overcome evil with good.

This morning, I want us to examine another biblical principle of honoring. To honor is “to regard with great respect; to esteem highly. This principle is not only laid out in the giving of the law to the Israelites, but the New Testament speaks much about this as well. Romans 12:10 “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” 1 Peter 2:17 “Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.” What would change in our culture if we applied this one simple principle in our daily lives? Notice how Jesus responded when asked about the greatest command: Matthew 22:37-40 “Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”The first four commandments deal with our relationship with God. The next 6 commands were absolutely unheard of in that day because they elevated everybody's status. During that time, those that were in positions of authority were the lawgivers and above the law. You could change the law when it applied to you. In the instance of the commandments, God Himself was establishing the Law, so everyone became accountable to the Law. No one was above the Law: no judge, no king, no prophet!You and I are the very crown of God's creation. In God's value system, regardless of who you are, you are created with God's very image stamped on you. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27 This doesn't mean that God looks like we do – it means that our spiritual being is shaped like his. God has a mind; we have a mind. God has a will; we have a will. God has emotions, and we have emotions. This is what God said from the beginning; that we are made in His image and we all have value and should be treated with respect and dignity. God was elevating the value of man once again, and it was woven into His law given to man.Every culture founded on ethical standards includes injunctions such as these, whether expressed biblically or not. They have never been recalled, rescinded, or reversed.The Commandments give us guidelines to experience ultimate freedom.Currently, one battle that is taking place in our nation is the battle about who is responsible for determining what is law and what's not. To the degree that this nation loses sight of the fact that there is a divine lawgiver, to that degree we will take responsibility for establishing our own laws, and eventually those that establish the law will feel free to be above the law. Our responsibility is NOT to establish the law, but to discover the law and to determine how it is applied in our culture.Commandments 5-9 deal with the specifics of honoring and treating others. Paul stated in Philippians 2:3: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”5) “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” – Exodus 20:12 Notice the promise: “live long in the land.”6) “You shall not murder” – Exodus 20:13 This means to honor the life of people.7) “You shall not commit adultery.” – Exodus 20:14 Honor marriages!8) “You shall not steal.” – Exodus 20:15 Honor people's property!9) “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” – Exodus 20:16 Honor the reputation of other people.The 10th commandment deals with a matter of the heart, something that cannot be seen by men from the outside. Not only are we to guard our actions, but we are to guard our hearts. Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” To covet means to “desire strongly,” to be unhappy with one-self because of what you do not have that it begins to erode relationships. (In Matthew 5, Jesus covered this in the Sermon on the Mount with adultery.) We are accountable to God for what is in our hearts though man may not see them. God wants us to be aware of what is going on in our thoughts and hearts. This last command if violated is what leads to all the other commands being violated.Basically, God is saying to mankind: “Honor me, honor others, and guard what is in your heart.” The goal was to protect the relationship with Him and with others so that the nation could live in freedom. It's what He wants for us today.

No one in this life is exempt from problems. A problem is a problem is a problem. We shouldn't look at other people's struggles and consider them “less” than our own.If there is one thing that can keep us from walking in the anointing God has on us, it is our past. What you have gone through should never stop you. Your problem may be a purpose sent by God. You may be going through things right now that will get you to the point that He can use you.Sometimes we go through the motions with our prayers. We're just uttering words, but we don't see the power God can exert through prayer.Exodus 10:7 Pharaoh's officials said to him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the Lord their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?” In other words, don't hang onto these people. Let them GO.The things we hold onto can destroy us. We can't hang onto “If I's. . .” Stop holding onto the past. Let it go. If you're in a relationship, you can't hang onto a previous one or hold the present person accountable for what an earlier one did.Shalom means peace, but the Hebrew language uses pictographs to represent words. The pictograph for Shalom looks like a door.Anarchy, fear, chaos, confusion exist in our world today. There's no peace. Jesus says, “MY peace I give to you.” That's a beautiful place to be - - in the peace of God. Nothing can bother us when we're in God's place of peace.The enemy sows seeds of confusion. So many people think God can't use them because of what they went through in their pasts. What you've gone through is a tool God will use to make you even more anointed.Isaiah 43:18,19 “Forget the former things;do not dwell on the past.19 See, I am doing a new thing!Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?I am making a way in the wildernessand streams in the wasteland.The enemy attacks you in your will and your emotions. God SAVES your will and emotions and mind - - not your physical body. The enemy knows that if he can get you to think a specific way he's got you.Hebrew 4:12 – For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.Some of us are premeditating sinners. Knew what, when, where, how, and why we were going to do something, but we say, “I prayed about it” and do the wrong thing anyway.When I was young, I thought there was an angel on one shoulder and a demon on the other . . . Neither were what I thought they were.God's mercy and grace are covering all of us. He doesn't “take back” things with which He has blessed us.When man stops us, God promotes us. Nothing is impossible with God. Stop talking to your sister and talk to Jesus. Man has nothing to do with God's promises.We treat things differently when we have to earn them versus when they're given to us.Philippians 3:13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,If you can't be a good servant or a good follower, you'll never be a good leader.Forgiving doesn't mean forgetting. It doesn't mean trusting again, but forgiveness takes the pain out of what happened..Must learn to forgive. “He that setteth his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of heaven.” Luke 9:62When you look back, it's an indication that you've quit.Let Got have everything. You want to be able to move forward.www.stmaryschurch.netGive Online:my.gobluefire.com/App/Giving/givingsmc

Do not use God's name to get your way. God knew the heart of man. He knew that man would try to find loopholes to annul the principles of God. When Jesus arrived, the scribes and Pharisees had been doing this for a long time.One example would be how they circumvented the commandment to honor one's father and mother. The Pharisees had figured out how to keep their wealth for themselves even if their parents needed financial support as they grew older. Jesus saw right through them and explained how their manmade rules nullified God's Word. See Matthew 15:1-6 The Pharisees used God's name as the tool for creating their rules.Another New Testament example of abusing God's name may be found in Luke 19:45, 46. In an attempt to make money off Old Testament rules regarding sacrifices, the religious leaders were allowing money changers to charge exorbitant fees of poor people who needed animals for sacrifice. They were using God's name for profit. Jesus made it clear that what they were doing was wrong.Historically, we see armies during the Crusades using God's name as justification for war. We have probably all seen or heard of someone using God's name to peddle miracle water or blessed handkerchiefs. Who benefits? Have we ever been guilty of doing the same thing for perhaps a different reason? Instead of pointing fingers, perhaps we should become familiar with 1 John 1:9“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” God offers us forgiveness not so that we can keep sinning but so that we can turn from our sin.“If one tries to dodge the will of God in the name of God, they will miss God.” (Andy Stanley). The Pharisees missed God in the person of Jesus because they were so busy using His name to ignore His principles.Do you want to miss God's will? I do not. Let us use His name in confessing Him as Savior and Lord and then developing a relationship with Him.Give Online:my.gobluefire.com/App/Giving/givingsmc

I have been doing a series these last few weeks on Bible application partly taken from James 1:22: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Application is what makes all the difference.www.stmaryschurch.netGive Online:my.gobluefire.com/App/Giving/givingsmcThis morning I want us, as Fathers, to have this resolve - - we will apply God's principles in our lives no matter how our emotions feel or what our culture is. Let's look at what happens when we make this determination. Daniel provides us with an example.Daniel 1:1 - 20 Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah made up their minds not to defile themselves with the rich Babylonian food.1:9 “Now God . . .: As you are evaluating God's Word, don't miss this. God will use His Word to protect and to direct you. Daniel's decision to live God's way in spite of being a captive in a foreign land defined the rest of his life. You and I have no idea what hangs in the balance of our decision to live by the principles of God's Word.I challenge you to read the story in Daniel 1 and to consider what it means for you in this day and in this time. In Proverbs 11:3a, we read, “The integrity of the upright guides them . . .” What would God do with you and with me if we walked according to HIS principles? We could avoid so many future regrets. Do you have it in you to live by God's standards no matter what anyone else in your life might say or do?

The Gottman Institute researched conversations and found that, for every encouraging comment, there were six critical comments. That might be why many workplaces are negative and toxic. It might be why marriages and families struggle.When we find ourselves faced with difficulties and we're not getting encouragement from those around us, we might feel like Job of the Bible. Having suffered a tragedy, his “friends” weren't helping; in fact, they were so negative that he called them “miserable comforters.”You would probably agree that we all need encouragement; let's move from seeing it as necessary to seeing it as URGENT. If we looked at the week just past, how would our positive to negative ratio look?There are many scriptures that advise us to encourage others:Acts 15:32 “Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers.” 1 Thess. 5:11, 14 “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” “And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” Heb. 3:13 “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.”What would happen if we chose to touch the “three circles of conversation” in our lives - - the inner (family, friends), the influential (co-workers, teammates, roommates) and the life (waiter, cashier, etc) - - with positive speech? Our interactions are opportunities God can use to bless someone. As you bless, you receive blessing. Proverbs 11:25 “A generous (giving) man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”Why do we wait for funerals to say good things about someone? Let's do it while we have the time. We all need to be encouraged. (For examples of how to be an encourager.

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