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Romans 12:1–2 (ESV) I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.Submission To God Unlocks Access & ResourcesThere are some things that God has for you that you will never experience until you say yes to him.Romans 12:1–2 (ESV) I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ForgivenessPeaceSelf worthPurposeLoveYour macro submission will leads to micro opportunitiesProverbs 3:5–6 (ESV) Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your pathsWhere He leads He will resource.Can't afford to get marriedCan't afford to titheCan't afford to go on a mission tripMatthew 6:33 (ESV) But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to youDiscipleship Will Focus Your AimSaying YES to Jesus will place you in the right zip-code, but engaging in discipleship will help you find the right neighborhood and the right address. Discipleship: Actively Following JesusPrayerJeremiah 29:12–14 (ESV) Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD“Have your way in me.”Bible reading/studyPsalm 119:103–105 (ESV) How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.ObedienceActive in church familyServingGivingSubmittingIt allows all of your spiritual senses to be attuned:Hear clear commandsDiscern dangersRecognize liesTake Advantage Of The Reset ButtonSometimes we find ourselves in the wrong place.Adjustments lead us farther away.Decisions that have lead you off trackOpposition you have yielded toAttacks that you have surrendered toBad attitudes that are sin (complaining)Unbelief: I can't/Your cant do thisThe supernatural reset: 2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV) if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

The battle recorded in 2 Chronicles 20 teaches some invaluable lessons for the battles we face in life: -Seek the Lord -Remember what God has done before -Realise that the Battle belongs to the Lord -Have faith and allow God's strength to work through you -Praise and worship the Lord 2 Chronicles 20:1-24, Ephesians 6:12, Luke 18:27, Jeremiah 29:13, Matthew 6:33

In this episode, we will discuss Some Tips for Effective Preaching. We all want our preaching to be better, and it can be. If we put in the effort God will bless our preaching for his glory. I will deal with the points listed below. I pray this episode will be a help to you in your preaching ministry.Study the Word Memorize scripture * God's Word will not return to Him void (Isaiah 55:10-11).* The Word is sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12).* God watches over and hastens His Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12).* He honors His Word above His name (Psalm 138:2).* God's Word is sent out through us to bring healing and deliverance into the lives of His people (Psalms 107:20).* God anoints His Word and through it breaks every yoke of bondage (Isaiah 10:27 ).* God promises the Holy Spirit will “bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever He has said unto us” (John 14:26). We must, however, put in the time and effort to know what God's Word says.Depend upon the Lord Have an experience with the crossHave a sound support system Use your voice wellBe informativePreach sound doctrine Reading Exhortation Get to the pointIf God has called you to preach the Word of God, don't quit! He will prosper your work and ministry in due season.Support the showSubscribe to this podcast. Leave us a review. Point your friends to this podcast.Contact me at: alancarr@gmail.com. The podcast is a ministry of Dr. Alan Carr and The Sermon Notebook (http://www.sermonnotebook.org)If you would like some Preaching Matters Podcast merch, you can support the show while advertising for the show.Podcast T-Shirt: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1477329809/podcast-logo-preacher-gift-sermon-notes?click_key=10bfd3485c9c310cd30c1ea506644847488583b2%3A1477329809&click_sum=c33942ee&external=1&rec_type=ss&ref=landingpage_similar_listing_top-1&frs=1Podcast Mug: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1468678138/coffee-mug-the-preaching-matters-podcast?click_key=372978b5d3b54393df102deea8e8e4a635954690%3A1468678138&click_sum=7538cce4&external=1&rec_type=ss&ref=landingpage_similar_listing_top-8&frs=1

Opening Song: Create in Me (Psalm 51) (https://open.spotify.com/track/5VRrlv8EdgFD8Ht2358dTe?si=bce481c99a1c4e15) by Paul Zach Lyrics: Create in me A clean heart oh Lord Create in me A clean heart oh Lord Against you only I've sinned Done evil in your side But you've shown me what I've done With mercy in your eyes Then wash my shame and guilty way My wearies all renew From all my sin into your face Let me turn to you Create in me A clean heart oh Lord Create in me A clean heart oh Lord So I will give you what you asked A humble broken heart A spirit burning down to ash With a flame oh God Then ask will be your mercy Lord Transforming all of me To every act and every way Your love and glories speaks Create in me A clean heart oh Lord (Create in me a clean heart oh Lord) Create in me A clean heart oh Lord (Create in me a clean heart oh Lord) Have mercy on me According to your endless love Have mercy on me According to your endless love Oh have mercy on me According to your endless love Have mercy on me According to your endless love According to your endless love According to your endless love Passage: 1 Be gracious to me, God, according to your faithful love; according to your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion. 2 Completely wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you ​— ​you alone ​— ​I have sinned and done this evil in your sight. So you are right when you pass sentence; you are blameless when you judge. 5 Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me. 6 Surely you desire integrity in the inner self, and you teach me wisdom deep within. 7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. 9 Turn your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt. 10 God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not banish me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore the joy of your salvation to me, and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach the rebellious your ways, and sinners will return to you. 14 Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God — God of my salvation — and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15 Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it; you are not pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God. 18 In your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build the walls of Jerusalem. 19 Then you will delight in righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar. -- Psalms 51:1-19(CSB) Musical Reflection: It Is Well With My Soul (VILLE DU HAVRE) by Philip Bliss Reflection Notes: A hymn born in tragedy, “It is Well” was penned by Horatio Spafford after hearing that his daughters had all perished in a shipwreck. Through this devastation, Spafford and his wife clung to the promise of God's goodness. Spafford's immortal words were set to music by his good friend and hymn writer, Philip Bliss; Bliss titled the tune “Ville du Havre” after the ship on which Spafford's children had died. Prayer: Hear, Lord, my prayer; let not my soul faint under your discipline, nor let me faint in confessing unto you all your mercies, whereby you have drawn me out of all my most evil ways, that you might become a delight to me above all the allurements that I once pursued; that I may most entirely love you, and clasp your hand with all my affections, and you may yet rescue me from every temptation, even unto the end. -Augustine

Opening Song: Create in Me (Psalm 51) (https://open.spotify.com/track/5VRrlv8EdgFD8Ht2358dTe?si=d4a1a20ed0094166) by Paul Zach Lyrics: Create in me A clean heart oh Lord Create in me A clean heart oh Lord Against you only I've sinned Done evil in your side But you've shown me what I've done With mercy in your eyes Then wash my shame and guilty way My wearies all renew From all my sin into your face Let me turn to you Create in me A clean heart oh Lord Create in me A clean heart oh Lord So I will give you what you asked A humble broken heart A spirit burning down to ash With a flame oh God Then ask will be your mercy Lord Transforming all of me To every act and every way Your love and glories speaks Create in me A clean heart oh Lord (Create in me a clean heart oh Lord) Create in me A clean heart oh Lord (Create in me a clean heart oh Lord) Have mercy on me According to your endless love Have mercy on me According to your endless love Oh have mercy on me According to your endless love Have mercy on me According to your endless love According to your endless love According to your endless love Passage: 1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'? 3 As I live, declares the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. 4 Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die. 25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.' Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? 26 When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. 27 Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. 28 Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.' O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? 30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.” (Ezekiel 18:1–4, 25–32 ESV) Musical Reflection: Piano Sonata No. 16 in C Major, K. 545: II. Andante by W. A. Mozart Reflection Notes: In true fashion for Mozart's middle movements, this Andante blooms slowly with gentle and delicate notes; the melody ascends in joyful fashion at the most climactic points before settling back down with the satisfying left hand harmonies. Prayer: Father, what we know not, teach us; what we have not, give us; what we are not, make us; for the sake of your Son our Savior. Amen. -Old Anglican Prayer

some people help us because they are our destiny helpers sent by God to help us fufill our destiny and purpose they maynot look it but they are and we have to ask God to show us who they are .some people help us for there own benefits and it gives them power over our life that we sometimes think we can't live without them which can lead to abuse from them .some people help us because they are friends and family and truly want the best for us .father God we pray that you help us to be a blessing in the life of others and we have the wisdom to know the people that are in our lifes .in jesus name we pray Amen .thank you for listening to our Podcast on Anchor Spotify apple and other platforms where jesus is Lord Have a blessed day everyone

Join us this week as we continue our Honest To God Series and as we look at revival, what it means for things to go from death to life, we dig into fasting and so much more! We will be starting a 7 Day Fast corporately starting tomorrow. Check out my Facebook page (China Vogel) for a daily worship playlist, encouragement, and more! SHOW NOTES How to Fast: Set aside intentional time to be with the Lord Have your journal and your bible Remove all distractions. Put on worship music (a playlist will be provided daily on my FB page) Bring your joy, your tears, your questions, your needs, and a desire to meet with God How to Pray for Revival: Seeking for God's glory and power to be revealed on the Earth Come repentant, humble and with a surrendered heart Pursue purity in your heart by praying Ephesians 4:30-32 Faithfully persistence to press in

Readings for Tuesday, September 14, 2021 “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.” -- 1 Corinthians 1:27 Morning Psalm 123 1 To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! 2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until he has mercy upon us. 3 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. 4 Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud. Psalm 146 1 Praise the Lord ! Praise the Lord, O my soul! 2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long. 3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. 4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish. 5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, 6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; 7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; 8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. 10 The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord ! Midday 1 Kings 21:17-29 17 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying: 18 Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria; he is now in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. 19 You shall say to him, “Thus says the Lord : Have you killed, and also taken possession?” You shall say to him, “Thus says the Lord : In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood.” 20 Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you. Because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, 21 I will bring disaster on you; I will consume you, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel; 22 and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked me to anger and have caused Israel to sin. 23 Also concerning Jezebel the Lord said, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the bounds of Jezreel.' 24 Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat; and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the air shall eat.” 25 (Indeed, there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord, urged on by his wife Jezebel. 26 He acted most abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord drove out before the Israelites.) 27 When Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth over his bare flesh; he fasted, lay in the sackcloth, and went about dejectedly. 28 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: 29 “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son's days I will bring the disaster on his house.” 1 Corinthians 1:20-31 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength. 26 Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, 29 so that no one might boast in the presence of God. 30 He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” Matthew 4:12-17 12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15 “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” 17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Evening Psalm 30 1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me. 2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. 3 O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit. 4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name. 5 For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. 6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.” 7 By your favor, O Lord, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed. 8 To you, O Lord, I cried, and to the Lord I made supplication: 9 “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? 10 Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper!” 11 You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, 12 so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever. Psalm 86 1 Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. 2 Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God; 3 be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all day long. 4 Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you. 6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my cry of supplication. 7 In the day of my trouble I call on you, for you will answer me. 8 There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. 9 All the nations you have made shall come and bow down before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. 10 For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God. 11 Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name. 12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. 13 For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol. 14 O God, the insolent rise up against me; a band of ruffians seeks my life, and they do not set you before them. 15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. 16 Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant; save the child of your serving girl. 17 Show me a sign of your favor, so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame, because you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me. You can also find all of today's readings at PCUSA.org. The Daily Lectionary podcast is a ministry of First Presbyterian Church of Plattsburgh, NY, read by Pastor Timothy J. Luoma.

I stated reading the book of job last week and yesterday I looked how many chapters were in there and I thought it went up to 37 but this morning when the holy spirit told me to give this word of encouragement I see the last chapter is 42. Because I was thinking to myself yesterday look how long job has to suffer before He gets restored it must have been hard for him. And so it is hard for some of us that have gone through are going though hard times but God wants us to know that God restored job giving him more than he had before and so he will restore us giving us not what we think we want but what he knows that we need. Thank you for listening Jesus is Lord Have a blessed day everyone Godbless you all my email address blessedtobeablessing121gmail.com

YOUR TRUTH ATTITUDE IS YOUR TRUE ATTITUDE-1 KINGS 22-1-40--The entirety of Your word is truth,-And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.-PSALM 119-160---The revealed truth concerning Ahab---- 1 KINGS 20-42 - -Then he said to him, -Thus says the LORD- 'Because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.' ------ 1 KINGS 21-19 - -You shall speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD- -Have you murdered and also taken possession--' And you shall speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD- -In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours.- ' ------ 1 KINGS 22-17, 24 - -Then he said, -I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, 'These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.'- . . . -Therefore look- The LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has declared disaster against you.-----Will it come to pass---- Despite the apparent delay--- Despite the strange means employed--- Despite the -lucky- outcome-----So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. -And they buried the king in Samaria. -Then someone washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria, -and the dogs licked up his blood while the harlots bathed, -according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken.-- 1 KINGS 22-37-38 --1 KINGS 22 outlines four different attitudes to truth----1- I REJECT IT---How---By surrounding himself with false prophets - verse 6.-----By shunning the true prophet - verse 8.-----By insisting on his way - verse 29.

1 Kings 20:13 Suddenly a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the Lord.'”

Pride VS Humility Humility and self-denial are always admired but seldom practiced. We know what it should look like on others. By: Pastor George Lehman   We need to take note and practice those qualities in our lives. The Bible makes it very clear: James 4:10 – Humble yourselves. Anger gets people into trouble, but PRIDE keeps them there! The true test of a worthy life is not found in possessions, power, position, or prestige. It is discovered in goodness, humility, service, and character, these are the qualities that reflect a godly life. Colossians 3:1r George Lehman2 (NIV) – Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Stay humble or stumble. If you’re filled with pride, you’ll slide. The bible says in the last days: 2 Timothy 3:2 (LB) - For people will love only themselves and their money; they will be proud and boastful, sneering at God... What is pride? (The English word as two meanings) A spirit of conceit* (a negative quality). A spirit of pleasing, satisfaction or proper self-worth (a positive quality). *conceit = excessive pride in oneself; have a high opinion of one’s qualities, superiority believing you are better, smarter or more important than other people. Pride attitude: Unteachable Unwilling to submit (submission is actually our test of humility). I’ve arrived – I have it all together 1 Corinthians 13:4 – “Love is not proud” The Greek word for pride is nearly always used in the negative sense, meaning arrogant, proud, appearing above others. What is humility? (The English word as two meanings) A spirit of respectfulness, considerate and meekness, submissive (a positive quality). A spirit of insignificance, inferiority, floor mat (a negative quality). The Bible in the New Testament nearly always uses humility in the positive sense. Matthew 18:4(NIV) - Therefore, anyone who humbles himself as this little child, is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. The world’s perception of pride: The spiritual heart of humility: Never admit a weakness. Delight in your weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:10 (Amp) - So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses, for when I am weak (in human strength) then am I truly strong (able, powerful in divine strength). The world’s perception of pride: The spiritual heart of humility: Hold onto your rights. Give up your personal rights. Philippians 2:5-8 (Amp) - Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:]  Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being.  And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross! Humility is Royalty without a crown; Jesus our greatest example. The world’s perception of pride: The spiritual heart of humility: Seek to clear yourself of blame at all costs. Wait on God to lift you up. 1 Peter 5:6 (LB) - If you will humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, in His good time, He will lift you up. Humility is the only true Wisdom by which we prepare our minds for all the possible changes of life. Pride will kill any progress. The world’s perception of pride: The spiritual heart of humility: Seek recognition and praise for yourself. Let praise only come from others. Proverbs 27:2 (LB) - Don’t praise yourself; let others do it. The world’s perception of pride: The spiritual heart of humility: Continually compare yourself with others. Refuses useless comparisons. 2 Corinthians 10:12 (Ampl) - Not that we [have the audacity to] venture to class or [even to] compare ourselves with some who exalt and furnish testimonials for themselves! However, when they measure themselves with themselves and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding and behave unwisely. The world’s perception of pride: The spiritual heart of humility: Perceives humility as weakness. Perceives humility as a strength. Psalm 37:11 (NIV) - But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. (Humility is the actual strength) If you’re living with pride and not dealing with it, you’ll not walk in a life that’s worthy, God pleasing and effective to a lost, dying world. James 4:6 (NIV) - He gives us more grace. That is why scripture says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble”. Proverbs 8:13 - I hate pride and arrogance. Proverbs 16:5 (NLT) - The Lord despises pride. Have you ever wondered why people can be so on fire for Jesus and committed at a time and then drift into a lukewarm unproductive ineffective lifestyle? Perhaps the answer is found in: Proverbs 15:25 (NASB) - The Lord will tear down the house of the proud. Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goes before destruction and a haughty* spirit before a fall. *haughty = arrogant (Eng) / hoogmoedig(Afr) There are some people who would rather be the head of nothing, than the tail of something. Proverbs 11:2 – When Pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom. The proud hypocrite deceives himself into ignoring realities in the conduct of his life that the meek and humble person quickly recognizes and takes into account. The proud person's vanity pushes him into conduct that will end in shame. The humble person's attitude stands in vivid contrast, for his wisdom prevents him from pursuing the same conduct. This produces even more wisdom when good fruit is produced because it reinforces his right decision. They say pride hides a man’s faults to himself and magnifies them to everyone else. 2 Chronicles 12:7 (NIV) – When the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, this word of the Lord came to Shemaiah: “Since they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them but will soon give them deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through Shishak.” Here’s a test of true humility.   Just answer YES or NO. Do you feel joy when others succeed and are honored? Do you honestly and openly admit sin? Do you seek truth from others regarding your weaknesses? Do you accept criticism graciously? Do you pursue godliness in all that you do? Do you turn all worry, anxiety and concern over to the Lord? Have you felt you could answer YES to most these questions? If most of your answers are yes, take a look at yourself, you may have failed the “Test of Humility”. Swallow your Pride regularly, It’s non-fattening! Pride or humility is a CHOICE that we make.  Both will have consequences in your life. James 4:10 – Humble yourselves… It can and will only be through a humble life, that Jesus will be glorified.

Have you ever needed an answer from the Lord ? Have you ever needed an urgent answer from God in a serious situation? You feel pressed for time, you don't know where to look, you thought about a fleece, but what you really want is to hear from the Lord Himself. Well beloved you are not alone. The Word of God, the Holy Bible gives us answers.  Psalm 1:1-2 King James Version (KJV) 1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

1 Kings 20:1-29 New King James Version Ahab Defeats the Syrians 20 Now Ben-Hadad the king of Syria gathered all his forces together; thirty-two kings were with him, with horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria, and made war against it. 2 Then he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, “Thus says Ben-Hadad: 3 ‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your loveliest wives and children are mine.’ ” 4 And the king of Israel answered and said, “My lord, O king, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours.” 5 Then the messengers came back and said, “Thus speaks Ben-Hadad, saying, ‘Indeed I have sent to you, saying, “You shall deliver to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children”; 6 but I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants. And it shall be, that whatever is [a]pleasant in your eyes, they will put it in their hands and take it.’ ” 7 So the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, “Notice, please, and see how this man seeks trouble, for he sent to me for my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold; and I did not deny him.” 8 And all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen or consent.” 9 Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘All that you sent for to your servant the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’ ” And the messengers departed and brought back word to him. 10 Then Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, “The gods do so to me, and more also, if enough dust is left of Samaria for a handful for each of the people [b]who follow me.” 11 So the king of Israel answered and said, “Tell him, ‘Let not the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.’ ” 12 And it happened when Ben-Hadad heard this message, as he and the kings were drinking at the [c]command post, that he said to his servants, “Get ready.” And they got ready to attack the city. 13 Suddenly a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’ ” 14 So Ahab said, “By whom?” And he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘By the young leaders of the provinces.’ ” Then he said, “Who will set the battle in order?” And he answered, “You.” 15 Then he mustered the young leaders of the provinces, and there were two hundred and thirty-two; and after them he mustered all the people, all the children of Israel—seven thousand. 16 So they went out at noon. Meanwhile Ben-Hadad and the thirty-two kings helping him were getting drunk at the command post. 17 The young leaders of the provinces went out first. And Ben-Hadad sent out a patrol, and they told him, saying, “Men are coming out of Samaria!” 18 So he said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; and if they have come out for war, take them alive.” 19 Then these young leaders of the provinces went out of the city with the army which followed them. 20 And each one killed his man; so the Syrians fled, and Israel pursued them; and Ben-Hadad the king of Syria escaped on a horse with the cavalry. 21 Then the king of Israel went out and attacked the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter. 22 And the prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself; take note, and see what you should do, for [d]in the spring of the year the king of Syria will come up against you.” The Syrians Again Defeated 23 Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they. 24 So do this thing: Dismiss the kings, each from his position, and put captains in their [e]places; 25 and you shall muster an army like the army [f]that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain; surely we will be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice and did so. 26 So it was, in the spring of the year, that Ben-Hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27 And the children of Israel were mustered and given provisions, and they went against them. Now the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, while the Syrians filled the countryside. 28 Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The Lord is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys,” therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’ ” 29 And they encamped opposite each other for seven days. So it was that on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians in one day.

Where is that blessing that you encountered when you first met the Lord? Have you thrown away the gift of God like a stone in the lake? Jesus can place those stones, those blessings back into your hand! Take courage dear friend, this is a loving invitation. Be encouraged by the steps that John T.L. lays out in this message to go back to that first love.

Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? who can shew forth all his praise? –Psalms‬ ‭106:2 Who can truly praise the Lord? Those who know God through faith in Jesus Christ. “His mercy endures forever” (v.1). Only when we‘ve experienced the mercy and grace of God can we utter His mighty acts. We‘ve been saved by His grace. This was God’s greatest act—greater than bringing Israel out of Egypt and even greater than the creation of the universe. Who else can praise the Lord? Those who obey Him (v.3). If we are walking with the Lord and obeying Him, then we can praise Him and speak of His wondrous acts. Also, those who call upon the Lord can praise Him (v.4). People who pray are people who praise. People who pray for God’s will in their lives are those who rejoice in His work. Finally, those who trust His promises can praise the Lord (v.5). God promised His people an inheritance in Canaan, and He gave it to them. We now have our inheritance in Jesus Christ....One day we will share in His glory. Let’s praise Him today. ******^****** Those who obey, trust and call upon the Lord know of the acts of God. They have claimed their inheritance in Jesus Christ. Are you among those who can praise the Lord? Have you claimed your inheritance?

How do you hear the Lord? Have you ever turned to the scriptures to try to find some help or direction and found just more words on a page? We know this feeling too, which is why we knew it was important to discuss in this episode some new ideas that will help you know how to open up the scriptures and truly find ways to hear him today.Visit our Episodes & Show Notes webpage for links and details from this episode and others

Bible Readings: John 4:1-42Hymns: Oh, come, and let us to the Lord Have you heard the raindrops? Spirit of God, come dwell within me As the deer pants for the water Love of the Father We are grateful to all our listeners and we would love to hear from you, please email us with any comments or prayer requests on our office email: office@monifiethparishchurch.co.uk All our blessings from Monifieth Parish Church.Support the show (https://www.wonderful.org/charity/monifiethparishchurchofscotland)

Bible References: "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want." Psalm 23: 1 ( a song of peace and contentment in the LORD) "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions." Psalm 51: 1 (a prayer of repentance)

How often have you been discouraged and needed to hear words of approval for the work you are doing for the Lord? Have you ever been told by a trusted colleague to do something that you sense is wrong, but they try to convince you it's the right thing to do? This episode deals with sinning against Christ when someone encourages another Christian to do something they believe is wrong. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/eddie-c-dollgener-jr/message

The Psalmist is describing God’s arrival at the court He is convening. God calls everyone together and says, “I am going to have judgment.” Why does God judge His people? Shouldn’t the wicked be judged instead? There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom.8:1), But our works will be judged at the judgement seat of Christ. If you need a motivation For faithful service, remember that God will judge and will reward those who are faithful. God will one-day judge all His people. Have you been faithful to the Lord? Have a glorified Him with your life? If you are obeying Him today, you won’t have to fear your “court summons.” Make your “court appearance” a time that will glorify Him.

Bonjour! And welcome to Gospel Spice! In this 7 minute trailer, get a taste of what's cooking here at Gospel Spice! Have you ever experienced staleness in your walk with the Lord? Have you ever wondered if there are more flavors to this Christian life than what you've tasted? Then Gospel Spice is your new secret ingredient! Tag along and discover how and why the glory of God is the spice of life!

Homily preached from the following Book of Common Prayer daily office readings:1 Corinthians 1:20-31Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”1 Kings 21:17-29Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying: Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria; he is now in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. You shall say to him, “Thus says the Lord: Have you killed, and also taken possession?” You shall say to him, “Thus says the Lord: In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood.”Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you. Because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, I will bring disaster on you; I will consume you, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel; and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked me to anger and have caused Israel to sin. Also concerning Jezebel the Lord said, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the bounds of Jezreel.’ Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat; and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the air shall eat.”(Indeed, there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord, urged on by his wife Jezebel. He acted most abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord drove out before the Israelites.)When Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth over his bare flesh; he fasted, lay in the sackcloth, and went about dejectedly. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son’s days I will bring the disaster on his house.”

'Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who lives in Samaria. There he is, in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it. You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord : “Have you murdered and also taken possession?” ’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord : “In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours.” ’ ” So Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” And he answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord : ‘Behold, I will bring calamity on you. I will take away your posterity, and will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both bond and free. I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and made Israel sin.’ And concerning Jezebel the Lord also spoke, saying, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’ The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field.” But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord , because Jezebel his wife stirred him up. ' I Kings 21:17-25

As we celebrate this Easter Sunday, we remember that Jesus chose to be on the cross, to be betrayed by His friends, and to be beaten and mocked. We have a choice to make today - will we leave the same as we came? His resurrection was the greatest gift we will ever receive, but if we don't really open the gift and just keep playing with the wrapping, we will never get to the depth of the love God gives us in order to be able to share it. Is Jesus just our savior, or is He also our Lord? Have we gotten comfortable to the point where we live like we don't owe God everything? We may be in bondage and not even realize it. Jesus' sacrifice gives us the opportunity to live resurrected lives! We need to identify ourselves by our identity in Christ and walk assured of the power we have in Him to walk out His plan for us. We don't need to try to convince people that we have changed, but we do have to present ourselves in truth. This will require re-introducing ourselves to people who knew us before we came to Christ and we shouldn't tire of this! People need to see Jesus in us as we continue to walk in Him. Jesus told Thomas those who believed without seeing would be blessed - that's us! We must establish ourselves and walk in the giftings that God has given us. Although Jesus was a carpenter by trade, He was also a gifted teacher (they called him Rabbi). He knew His gift and used it to lead the disciples into greater blessings that would increase after He left. Let's renew our minds and continue to remind ourselves who Jesus is! Amen! Reference verses: 1 Corinthians 15:12-19; John 20:11-18, 19-23, 24-31; John 21:1-14, 25

CONTENTS OF THIS PODCAST - The need to find confidence now that we are in positions of power - No one is going to follow someone that isn’t confident - Purpose and sense of achievement in God - The gray between cockiness and confidence - where are you grounding yourself? - Definition: Belief that you have what it takes - Humility and Confidence goes hand in hand - You need to know yourself - Humble and Confidence is the killer duo WHAT? - We were created with the purpose of the intention of GREATNESS WHY? - Men are not living in the potential that they were made to live - Purpose…..The “Zone” - Jesus’ Purpose was to do the will of the Father - Deadpool? - Live within the reality of your identity everyday and be ready to FLEX on ‘em - You make great moments by inviting God in HOW? - “IF YOU CAN?” “ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE FOR ONE WHO BELIEVES” - Jesus - We need to discover our purpose and know it ourselves - We need to find more time with the Lord - Have faith and strong nerves - We need to trust in the little things

What do you do when you are bored with your faith? What happens when you are in neutral, or in cruise control with the Lord? Have you forgotten what God spoke to you in the past? If so, check out this sermon, and allow the Lord to stir up your gifting. Have a great New Year. 2019 is the year you take more land.

This Sunday, Pastor Tyrone taught on, “Going After the Blessed Life,” his third message in the “Going After the One” series. As we focus on going after the lost, we must remember that for the lost to prosper and be blessed, they must choose the life God has offered by obeying His commands. He reminded us that a blessed life is not about the things we have but it comes from being obedient to God and following His commands. He preached from Deuteronomy 30: 11-20. In these verses, Moses gives a “pep talk” to the 2nd generation of Israelites at the plains of Moab. This second generation was born in the wilderness and heard their parents accounts of how Yahweh had delivered them from Egypt. In these verses, Moses recounts Israel history, reminds them that God’s commands is within grasp, and that He has called them to make a choice that will determine the course of their future. Deuteronomy 30:11-14 11 “This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you, and it is not beyond your reach. 12 It is not kept in heaven, so distant that you must ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven and bring it down so we can hear it and obey?’ 13 It is not kept beyond the sea, so far away that you must ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to bring it to us so we can hear it and obey?’14 No, the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it. Point 1: Avoid making excuses! In the above scriptures, Moses is telling the people they have no excuse to disobey what he is going to share and ask them to do. He tells them that it is not beyond their ability to accomplish. Sometimes God calls us to do things and we make excuses as to why we cannot do it, but God is reminding us just like He reminded the children of Israel through Moses that what He is calling us to do is not too hard. If he calls us to it, His grace will make it possible for us to accomplish it. We must be willing to get rid of the excuses and complaints that it is too hard. Embrace the grace that God has given to do His will. Reflection Question: What has God called you to do? Are you constantly making excuses as to why you can’t do it? Do you believe that God’s grace makes it possible for us to accomplish what He is asking us to do? Deuteronomy 30:15-16 15 “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. 16 For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy. Point 2: Choose to go after the commandments of God. The children of Israel were given a choice between life and death, prosperity and disaster. It was not automatic, they had to choose. The blessings of the Lord were contingent on the children of Israel choosing to obey His commands. When we love the Lord, we are more inclined to obey his commands and God does reward obedience. Expecting God’s blessing without obeying God’s commands is as foolish today as it was in the days of Moses. Reflection Questions: Our choice between life and death is demonstrated through our actions and not just our speech. Take inventory on how you are living your life? Are you obeying the commands of the Lord? Have you been declaring that you love God but have been disobeying His commands? What does John 14:15 say? Deuteronomy 30:17-18 17 “But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, 18 then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. Point 3: Disobedience leads to destruction In Deuteronomy chapter 29, Moses reminds the people that they were surrounded by idolatrous and detestable nations. He warns them not to take part in their practices and turn their hearts away from God.

David states, "One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek." Does it sound familiar? “One thing.” Does it refer to worship or intimacy with the Lord? Have you come across statements like, in order to have a breakthrough in your life, you need to grow in intimacy with the Lord? What if none of the above was meant by David in Psalms 51? Have we missed the “one thing” that David is talking about? Do you ever enter a comfort zone? A zone in God or Church where you find it safe but not safe enough to get into the real world. A place where you are so comfortable that you don’t achieve anything that God has in plan for you. Is this the One Thing experience that the Psalm talks about? Your breakthrough happens because you sing songs and feel more love for God. There is something beyond such encounters. People in these moments are so heavenly minded that they get so comfortable that they are not earthly good. Pastor John Besterwitch talks of the moment when David wrote the verse of “One Thing” and how in day to day, each one of us face the same mind battles. To know what real freedom is and the purpose for intimacy with God, this is a strategy that David used to receive his breakthrough. “The one thing strategy is not to get intimate with God in order to get breakthrough but rather using intimacy with God as a strategy to stay focused on God in the midst of the battle.” If you think it means the same, all the more reason for you to listen to the message and know the difference. Above all, to stay blessed. Subscribe to the latest message: http://bit.ly/2NiQbP4 Stay Connected LIFE Church Global Itunes: apple.co/2MAU2lA LIFE Church Global Facebook: bit.ly/2NjmPjR LIFE Church Global Instagram: bit.ly/2NIHcX7 LIFE Church Global Twitter: bit.ly/2NHRYNh LIFE Church Global YouTube: bit.ly/2xp497A LIFE Church Global Pinterest: bit.ly/2QxacPX John Besterwitch Instagram: bit.ly/2D2pp96 John Besterwitch Twitter: bit.ly/2xhxaBK

Faith in Christ Jesus must have a foundation of righteousness, self-control, and judgment to come. (Acts 24:24,25). We are to test ourselves to see whether we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). In this podcast we look closer at self-control.  Self-control means “self restraint- temperance- control of ones passions, desires, and sexual impulses.” It does not mean control of others. It means to control your self and your body. We are to take authority over our words and thoughts. We are to demand obedience out of ourselves according to God’s word, commandments, and requirements.  “A man has needs” and “a woman has needs” many say. People that say that mean that sexual union outside of marriage in necessary to quell those “needs.” That is a big fat lie! Paul taught that the body is not for sexual immorality (fornication) but for the Lord… so flee sexual immorality” (fornication) (1Cor. 6:13, 18 NASB). Only in marriage can a man and a woman have the spiritual and physical right to satisfy each other sexually. See 1 Corinthians 7:1-9. God blesses sex in marriage. Outside of marriage, it is cursed! Sexual immorality includes all illicit forms of sex such as: adultery (sexual union with someone other than your spouse), fornication (sexual union between a man and a woman outside of marriage), homosexuality (includes bisexuals), lesbianism (includes all woman that want to act like men), men that are effeminate (includes all transgender), bestiality (sexual union between a human and an animal), and incest. “Oh, I just couldn’t help it. He or she looked so good that I just had to do it.” Lies, lies, lies! People have actually used this excuse when they come for counseling. No, you did not have to do it. Self-control was needed! You didn’t submit to God, and you did not resist the devil! (James 4:7) Instead of controlling yourself, you yielded to the un-renewed mind, conformity to the world, and the old man. You yielded to works of the flesh (Galatians 5:17-21). Nobody made you do anything. You did it! The devil may have tempted you, but who said you has to obey him? No, we resist him and cast him out. We reject his temptation to sin sexually or in any other area that violates God’s Word. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate (self-controlled)in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified(Greek: adokimos)(1Cor. 9:24-27 NASB). We discipline our body and we demand it to be in subjection to God and His Word so that we are not disqualified (adokimos). Adokimosis the same word translated “fail the test” or “disqualified” in 2 Corinthians 13:5.  I only refer to this in passing, but another area people need self control is with overeating or anything else that controls you. It could be worry and anxiety. It could be alcohol, prescription drugs, or illegal drugs. It could be pornography. It could be masturbation. It could be the shopping channel! It could be any number of things in control of a human being! See Luke 21:34; 1 John 2:16, 17.  Is Jesus your Lord? Have you yielded control of your life to Him? (Romans 10:9) If we have, nothing else of this evil world should control us! If something ungodly is controlling us on some level then true repentance, which includes acknowledging sin and confession of sin, is needed. (See Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:7-10, 2:1.) Other important parts are becoming accountable to spiritual leaders at your church, changing your contributing environment, and getting rid of enabling people. May you be richly blessed with the podcast! See the bottom of the page for PART 9 of this series.   Get A Call to Return: Restoring The Roots of Our Relationship With Jesus as an ebook, softcover, or hardcover book from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Christianbook, Westbow Press, or order it through your favorite bookstore. From the Back Cover: A Call to Return—Restoring the Roots of Our Relationship with Jesus explores the depths of the Scriptures to excavate, refine, and lift up its words of power, revealing deep truths that will radically change the lives of believers. By tapping into this rich vein of biblical insight, Dan Alan Rodriguez offers Christians the insights to enable them to set out upon paths of discipleship that follow Jesus closely and that lead to profound experiences of His presence and power. Drawing upon the author’s study of first-century Judaism and Christianity and resting upon a diverse array of sources steeped in the foundational texts of these traditions, the twelve chapters of A Call to Return address a series of interlocking topics: a prophetic call to return; the revival of lawlessness; the revival, purpose, and preexistence of God’s commandments; the church’s commandments and their connections to faith, grace, and good works; the association of works of the law to Jewish tradition and ceremony; holiness; the fear of the Lord; each believer as a temple of the holy; and the meaning of loving the Lord Jesus. If you have a sense that Jesus’s message and ministry are calling you to embark upon a walk with Him that might take you away from all in Christianity that requires no accountability or responsibility before God, then A Call to Return—Restoring the Roots of Our Relationship with Jesus is the right book for you to read. It will give you the keys for understanding and responding to the Lord’s call to return to Him and to follow where He leads. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 2:29 NASB). The PDF of the entire book is free of charge! Use this link to go to the page and download it. Be mightily blessed! ____________ Faith that Receives the Grace of God is so important for you and me right now! There is an abundance of strange teaching in the area of grace. Grace has become for many a proposition "sin all you want without accountability", and a "do-nothing to receive from God." Grace for many is a rejection of Biblical moral commandments, and for others it is a denial of the words of Jesus. Grace, when it is in its right place Scripturally, is beautiful, abundant, and powerful, but it can be misused and misapplied. Unfortunately, grace is often taught wrongly. Instead of amazing grace, it has become gross, devilish, pseudo “grease” and not the Blood-bought-grace taught in the New Testament! This book was written so the Biblical perspective on faith and grace could be clearly presented by using verses in their context and according to the intent of the writers of the New Testament. If you have questions in this area, this free 266-page book is for you. Download the free PDF file here.     ______________  Tres Días y Tres Noches en el Corazón de la Tierra debe ser una parte necesaria en la vida de todo Cristiano. El libro enseña específicamente acerca del sacrificio de Jesús. Esto incluye la cruz, resurrección, y especialmente lo que tomó lugar durante las horas en que el espíritu de Jesús dejó Su cuerpo, y cuando su cuerpo fue resucitado de entre los muertos. El mundo tiene sus héroes, pero lo que Jesús hizo por nosotros lo hace el Supremo y Máximo Héroe y Conquistador de todo el universo. La derrota de Satanás, y la potestad dada a la iglesia en el Nombre de Jesucristo, fueron actos sin igual en la eternidad. No te pierdas este libro GRATIS. Ninguna película ha mostrado el verdadero sufrimiento del Maestro en el Calvario y en el centro de la tierra. Prepárate para una aventura gloriosa. Descarga el libro PDF completo usando este eslabón.   Documento portátil (PDF) es completamente gratis.  

1 Corinthians 13:1-3; 14:1-5 1. What? Fruit of the Spirit and Gifts of the Spirit *Galatians 5:22-26 -Fruit singular; Gifts plural. Fruit - God working IN us. Gifts - God working THROUGH us. 1b. Enduring Fruit and Temporary Gifts *1 Corinthians 13:8-13 If cessationist, -Test Biblical argument for why. -Show love, not fear, toward continuationists. If continuationist, -Word of God as foundation; Jesus as focus. -Clear guidelines and wisdom of practice. 2. Why? Proclaim and Display Jesus *1 Peter 4:8-11 -Glorify God through Jesus Christ. 2b. Prophecy and Speaking in Tongues (more next week) *1 Corinthians 14:2-5 -Build up the Church Response 1. Confess that Jesus is Lord = *Have you repented of sin and trusted in Jesus for salvation? 2. Pursue Love = *How is God transforming your life from the inside out? What fruit are you harvesting that will make an eternal impact on others? 3. Desire Spiritual Gifts = *How is God using you to speak about and show Jesus to our Church and to the world?

Do you truly understand what it means to fear the Lord? Have you ever come to the understanding that the Lord is a great and mighty king? He’s greater than the highest in any royal court. He is the true and living God. Tune in to this episode of the fear of the Lord.

Lord Have 2 Embrace Blk...Thnx..LuvisLuv • Step into a World (Rapture's Delight)

As we continue again in our examination of the Holy Spirit I do want you to know I pray for your guidance by the Spirit. I am praying for you all that the Spirit will revile Himself to you as never before. Whether it be bringing you under His conviction, exposing you to the word of God which stirs your offensive side to walk rightly before God. But ultimately that the Spirit will be bearing witness with you in His guiding revelation of Gods will and plan for this stage of your life. We continue in our exploration of the Gifts of the Spirit the working of miracles, the discerning of Spirits, divers kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. Keep in mind that the Spirit appoints the gifting of all Spiritual gifts as He sees fit. So have you been practicing the production of Spiritual fruit- Have you been planting good seed for a bountiful harvest---As we learn to be faithful in all things what I do you think it looks like to others looking at us. Do you think that you would be seen as displaying the fruit of the Spirit- Do you think that you would display a life of direct submission to our Lord, or would you think you would still be seen as in direct opposition to the Lord- Have you been praying seeking, saying Lord I want to serve you in total obedience- Lord I desire that you pour out your Spirit upon me that I feel your holy presence upon me- Lord weather the Spirit reviles unto me conviction or comfort, peace or understanding, I Lord desire to bring glory to you with all my life.

I often feel God's voice speak to me in the form of a nudge - that pulling of one's heart strings, a feeling of being compelled to perform a spontaneous act of kindness. If given the opportunity to rationalize the invitation, one can easily talk themselves out of following through for a whole host of reasons that sound quite rational. But why do we hesitate, questioning our Lord? Have we not yet learned that when He makes a request of us it is always for our higher good?This show is brought to you by Talk 4 Radio (http://www.talk4radio.com/) on the Talk 4 Media Network (http://www.talk4media.com/).

Are You Ready for the return of the LORD? Have you done the necessary things to be caught up with Him when comes for the church? Today's message is both an exhortation and a warning to all who hears it. Join FMSM Online DISCIPLESHIP DEVELOPMENT Wednesday 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm CT with Pastor Mary Washington- School Of Prophets Higher Learning, Or by phone: United States: (605) 475-4120  Access Code: 313 3136.  Submit a Prayer Request Thank you for joining us here and we invite you to join us on any of our other platforms of ministry iTunes, YouTube, Spreaker, SoundCloud and our website. Receive the message and keep looking for the return of the LORD!  Be a blessing to this ministry as we go out into all the world preaching the Gospel and fulfilling the great commission.                    

If you were an expert in the area of wine tasting, and you had a choice between an excellent bottle of wine and a cheap one, obviously you would choose the excellent one. You would know the difference and you would not find much delight in the cheap wine knowing that the good wine was available. So it is with our souls. When we’ve tasted of the Mercy of God, and taken a sweet delight in His presence, we will long for more. We will also begin to realize that all the other “delights” in life do not compare. They are poor “tastes” of the glory of God. Drink the good wine of God’s Mercy and become accustomed to it. If you do, you will find that all the other delights in life pale in comparison (See Diary #1026).Have you tasted of the sweetness of the Lord? Have you discovered the aroma of His Mercy and His presence in your life? If you have, then you know what it means to want more and you will find yourself seeking Him out every day. If you have not, you do not know what you are missing. And when you do not know what you are missing, it’s hard to actually miss it. But know this, you do not want to miss out on the Mercy of God. Reflect, today, upon this question. Have I tasted of the sweetness of my Lord? God wants to flood you with the delight of His presence. Let Him do so and you will never seek out the cheap wine of life again.Lord, I do want to become inebriated with Your Mercy. I desire that this Mercy fill me with the aroma of Your abundant grace. May my love for You become an appetite so strong that I turn to You as the only delight of my life. Jesus, I trust in You.

Have you ever done something that you know must have disappointed the Lord? Have you ever gotten angry at God and cried out, “It just isn’t fair! YOU aren’t fair, God!” How do you think God reacts to us when we do that? Here in chapter 15, Jeremiah was complaining about how he had been mistreated by the people. They didn’t like his message, and they took it out on him. And Jeremiah said, in essence, “Hey God. I have served you and done what you said. I have loved you and I have loved your Word. I’ve lived right and kept my nose clean. So why am I going through all this junk? Why is my pain without end? You, God, have misled me! I cannot rely on you!” How’s that for a tantrum? Have you ever thrown a tantrum like that at God? So let’s look at God’s response. Look at chapter 15, verses 19-21. God says, “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them. I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you,” declares the Lord. “I will save you from the hands of the wicked and deliver you from the grasp of the cruel.” Notice that God doesn’t respond in kind. He doesn’t respond with frustration or anger. He just says, “Jeremiah, if you apologize for this little episode, we’re good. I’ll keep using you as my spokesman, and I guarantee that no harm will come to you because I will save you from the wicked.” So God can take it when we have a lapse in faith and blow up at Him. He knows how it feels to be human, and how our emotions can get the best of us sometimes. Remember, He is our loving, perfect Father. He doesn’t hold grudges, but He does expect a certain amount of respect and reverence when we come to our senses. Your thoughts?

Have you ever done something that you know must have disappointed the Lord? Have you ever gotten angry at God and cried out, “It just isn’t fair! YOU aren’t fair, God!” How do you think God reacts to us when we do that? Here in chapter 15, Jeremiah was complaining about how he had been...

Ever turned down or neglected an invitation to a party or event? Preaching from Matthew 22:1-14, Pastor Don Modglin shares the parable that the Lord told about the wedding feast. Pastor Don challenges us on our response to the Lord’s invitation in his sermon entitled “The Great Invitation.” Have you been apathetic in your response to the Lord? Have you met His invitation with hostility? Have you conditioned your response with a wait and see approach? Or rather, have you wholeheartedly committed yourself to He who has committed His very Son to you. No matter what we think or feel, say or do, action or even inaction is a response to the Lord. Pastor Don encourages us to turn our hearts to the Lord and wholeheartedly accept His invitation to enter into His presence.

It is sad to admit, but we are often too busy to really think about our prayers. For instance when is the last time you really questioned or wondered why you close your prayer with “Amen?” Have you considered how this word communicates an exclusive relationship between you and the Lord? Have you considered that […] The post Our Exclusive Amen (LD 52; Psalm 16) | 2010-2011 Catechism Sermons appeared first on Covenant United Reformed Church.

We are about to embark on a new series called Hand Me Another Clinker Brick. If you have not read your bulletin, Im going to talk to you a little bit about what a clinker brick is. This is the brick (Pastor holds up a brick for the congregation to see) that is used from my house. As you can see, hopefully, the corner of this brick is gone. Its missing, so if this is one of the bricks that was used on my house, the mason would look at that and say, Well, we cant use that, and he would cast that aside. Thats what is called a clinker brick. Theyre called clinker bricks because they make a different sound when theyre hit than a normal brick would make. Sometimes clinker bricks are born that way. They start life as clinker bricks. Theyve been manufactured with a defect. It could be their shape, or it could be the wrong color. Something has happened to that brick that has caused it to be an outcast. It could be the brick has been damaged or scarred just in handling, so part of it is missing. The mason will then set that aside and not use it on the project because it will stand out. Over time, builders and architects began to recognize the value of the clinker brick, even though it may be scarred or damaged, it looks different-its unique. There are no two clinker bricks that are exactly the same, just like there are no two of us that are exactly the same. Architects began to use them. In fact, I would like to see us, in our new building, somewhere in that sanctuary-maybe around the baptismal-or somewhere we could have a little wall of clinker bricks. What it demonstrates is that though we are imperfect, though we have defects, God still uses us and values us in His church. There is a church, in fact, in New England that is made up entirely of clinker bricks. Its a beautiful church. In the brick, there are different colors that are reflected by the sun because of the misshaped bricks, so it looks different every time you look at it. Its a beautiful building, and they did that on purpose. They did that to reflect this very truth. Paul talks about that in the Book of 1 Corinthians 1:26 (on page 1128 of pew Bibles). Paul writes, Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-and the things that are not-to nullify the things that are… Paul says, You were clinker bricks. You were flawed. You were rejects. You were cast aside, but God saw fit to use you to build His church. Peter uses the analogy of a building to speak of the church in his book. In 1 Peter 2:1 (page 1200 of pew Bibles), Peter writes these words: Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind. If youre going to rid yourself of something, you must first what? [You must first] have it. You cant get rid of something that you dont have in the first place. So when Peter says to them, Get rid of envy and slander and hypocrisy, that means they have what? Envy, slander, malice and hypocrisy. They have all those things. If they didnt have them, they couldnt get rid of them. So what is Peter saying? Peter is saying, Theyre clinker bricks. Theyre messed up. Theyre not perfect. They have flaws. Yet look at what Verse 4 says, As you come to Him, the living Stone-rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him… Jesus was the perfect brick. Jesus was perfect, yet He was cast aside like a clinker brick by men. Peter says, …you also, like livings stones, like living bricks, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Though you are imperfect, you have malice, you slander, and sometimes youre a hypocrite; though you have all these problems, God is still using you to build His church. The church is made up of imperfect people who serve a perfect God. We dont come to this church with halos over our heads. We dont come into this church walking on the clouds or walking on water. We come into this church, all of us, as fallen people redeemed by the grace of God. Were all clinker bricks, every last one of us. My clinks are different than your clinks, but we all clink if you hit us. During the Truth Project, we encountered a man by the name of Flash. Do you remember Flash, the tattoo artist? * Flash was an intriguing character to me. It seemed like Flash had quite a chip on his shoulder, and every time he talked about the church, you would notice he would get angry. Why is Flash so angry? I thought. Theres a story behind that. Focus on the Family chose-in their last installment-to highlight Flash, to zoom in on Flash and interview him to find out what made him tick. Were going to watch a little bit of that interview this morning. I will say this: during the interview, Flash swears four times. Two of the times, Focus on the Family edited them out; two of the times, they did not. He says the word hell twice. Hell is one of those words that is a word you can say, and its also a swear word, isnt it? If I say, The Devil is going to go to hell, thats an acceptable thing to say. If I hit my thumb with a hammer and say it, you would go, Ohhh! You shouldnt say that. Well, if you wonder why we dont edit it out, Focus on the Family chose not to edit it out, and we-because of copyright laws-cannot edit what they do not edit. Thats a violation of copyright laws, so we have to let it play the way it was said. So lets listen to Flash. Were not going to miss the forest for the trees, are we? Lets listen to this important message. Did you hear that? He had his mother who went to church, but then shed drink, shed burn him with cigarettes, shed beat him. He was one angry man. He went back to church, and what did they call him? Pagan. As soon as he found out what a pagan was, he said, I want no part of you. What were they saying? They were saying, Flash, youre not as good as we are. Flash, youre not as holy as we are. Youre not as righteous as we are. Youre not churchy like us was the word he used. We have to be careful that we convey to the world not an attitude of haughtiness-that were better than anybody-but an attitude of humility. That humility should say, You know what? Were the same as you except we know of a God who forgives our sins. When the Flash comes through our doors, or a girl Flash-Flashette-comes through our doors, that he or she feels welcome and loved. So, thats a clinker brick. A clinker brick is not a weakness like a learning disability. Thats not what were talking about. Were not talking about a disability such as blindness or deafness. Were so blessed to have Brenda this morning signing for us as a new ministry were beginning at our church. We hope that God will bless that. Were not talking about that. Were not talking about somebody who is unable to walk. Thats not a clinker brick. By clinker bricks, Im talking about our moral, ethical weaknesses, rotten attitudes, poor values and standards. Thats what Im talking about, things that we choose that dont honor God. We will struggle with our humanity until the day we die. Until the day you and I die, we will be clinker bricks. Now, we are not content with that. We dont say, Thats just the way I am. Im a clinker brick, big deal! No, Peter said, Rid yourself of these things. Dont be content with it. Try to rid yourself, but know you will struggle with your humanity until the day you die. What you will find is that people use these character defects to disqualify themselves from ministry. Now, if youre living an immoral lifestyle, thats a different thing; but if youre a fellow traveler who struggles with sin, wants to live a righteous life, but you trip on occasion, you fall and get mad and repent, you get back up and you keep on plugging on, youre a clinker brick. You will do that until the day you die. Were all in the same boat. You might struggle with temper; you might struggle with greed; you might struggle with lust; you might struggle with power; you might struggle with gossip; you can struggle with any number of things, but we all struggle. So what were going to do is were going to find a clinker brick in the Bible, and theyre full of them-I have plenty of illustrations there. Im also going to try to find somebody from church history who is doing the thing were talking about correctly. Then Im going to make that application to you. What youre going to find is that things youve used as an excuse or a hindrance, [times when] youve said, Well, I cant do ministry or I cant be effective for God because of this and that, those excuses are going to fall by the wayside. Youre going to realize that God has used people just like you in the past, and He wants to use you in the present in this church. So thats the concept. This is an easel I will literally be painting on during the services for the next four or five weeks. Youll find out that at the very end of the service why. I will literally be painting on that toward the end of the sermon today. Shall we hit our first brick? Lets turn to 1 Kings 18 (page 329 of pew Bibles). Were going to talk about Elijah. Before we discuss Elijah, I want to convey a story to you that will serve as a backdrop, a word picture, that we will play off of during this message today. About seven years ago, my family and I were returning from a vacation somewhere. Wed had a lot of fun. We were down south somewhere, and we were coming back up through Missouri and into southern Illinois. We stopped to eat. It was going to be our last pit stop before we made the final cruise home. Wed been driving and we decided, Lets not do any McDonalds or [other fast food]. Lets do a nice restaurant. I found a buffet sign. Of course, whenever I see a buffet sign, Thumbs up! Lets stop there! We stopped, and it was a spread. There were all kinds of dishes and desserts. It looked good, smelled good. We sat down and started to have fun. [We were] talking about the fun things we did. What was your favorite thing? What was funny? What goofy thing happened? [We were] just having a good time talking before we headed home. A woman comes into the restaurant who had a very imposing presence. She was a tall woman with a large frame. She was dressed entirely in black, from head to toe: a black blouse, black suit coat, black pants, and black shoes. She had on a big head of Dolly Parton hair; Im talking Dolly Parton from the 70s. Remember Dolly from Johnny Carson? You know-the big old bee hive? [Hers was like that but it was] jet black hair. It was like a bad Dolly Parton wig. [She had a] white face and came in and sat down at the table right across from us, so Im very close. Im pretty close. We start to eat, and she begins to glare at our family. I didnt say stare, glare! Shes not just looking at us, but looking at us with a hateful kind of look. I think maybe Im the only one who notices it, and I think maybe shes looking at me because every time I would look up, she would be scowling at me. We were hush-hush about it. We began feeling uncomfortable. You know how it is when somebody is looking at you. Have you ever had the feeling somebody is looking at you? You turn to look, and all the sudden they go (Pastor quickly turns his head) and look away. Theyd been looking at you. Or youll look at the back of somebodys head-now dont try this this morning-long enough, pretty soon they get fidgety and are like whats going on? Theres something that happens when somebody stares at you. Its this beyond the five senses kind of an E.S.P. sort of thing. Its just really different. You just know it. So we dont have to just sense it; we see this girl just glaring at us. Pretty soon, we start to mumble, Whats going on? Just eat your food, eat your food. Lets get out of here. We stop talking about our vacation. We stop having fun. We lose our appetite because this goes on for minutes, and shes relentless. Every time I look up, she is glaring. So our method of coping was to just look away, just ignore her; part of me wanted to say, Whats the problem? Why dont you like us? I dont know how to describe it other than it felt icky. It felt somewhat creepy because it was just a mean, hateful look. So our strategy was to look away except for one family member; we have one little family member who doesnt want to back down from a fight. So during the meal, I noticed my three-year-old was now engaged in a death lock, stare down, grudge match to the end with the lady in black. She stopped eating-she was about three-and shes giving it back. Shes not just looking; shes giving it back. I said, Lindsey, you need to eat. Without looking at me or anybody else, without looking at her food, without breaking a stare, she stared back at the black lady, and she said, That lady is looking at me! We said, Yes, Lindsey, just please look down and eat your food. Whys that lady looking at me? I looked at the lady, and shes staring back at Lindsey. I was like, Lets just eat our food and get out of here. Lets go. So when my wife-when she gets in these nervous situations-has a propensity to laugh. So shes feeling uncomfortable, and Im afraid shes going to start laughing. I thought, We have to get her out of here. So we finally all five of us get out the door, and as soon as were out of sight of the lady, we could almost feel her spirit as we left. We were all saying, Ahhh. What was that? That was just…. Ahhh! Ewww! We were just scared. We said, We have to pray for the lady in black. Somethings not right there. So we did. We prayed for the lady in black. We walked by a car that we didnt notice when we came in, but it was an older car that was full of trash, garbage and debris all the way to the windows in the back seat and the front passenger seat. I dont know, but likely it was her car. There werent many people there. Something wasnt right, so we prayed for her. We just felt like, Man, shes casting a spell on us. We prayed for ourselves too. The point I make in that story is…do not eat at buffets in southern Illinois. No, the point is what do you do when evil… and Im using this…I dont know her. I cant say shes evil, but work with me on this analogy here. What do you do when evil looks at you? Do you look back or do you look away? Do you face it and oppose it or do you run and hide? Do you leave? Do you hope it will just stop looking at you? Because in our lives, as believers, we encounter evil. What do you think God wants you to do? What does God want the believers to do when the believer encounters evil in society or in themselves? Look away? Or does He want us to, in fact, face it? Does He want us, in fact, to oppose it? Does he want us to, in fact, look it in the eye and say, Because of Jesus Christ, I am not afraid of you, and I will stand up to you? Elijah lived in a time when Israels history was corrupt. There were two people, a king named Ahab, who was written about and said to be the worst, most corrupt evil king Israel ever had to that point. Thats pretty bad. His wife was no better. She was a woman named Jezebel. To this day, if you encounter a woman who is somewhat snarley, you say, Shes a real Jezebel. Evil? That was Jezebel. So these two formed this unholy union, this evil marriage. It was not a good time to be an Israelite. They began to promote the worship of Baal, a pagan god, to which often human sacrifice would take place. [It was] an awful religion. They began to also worship Asherah and all these pagan gods and goddesses, and they erected temples to worship them. Nobody was doing anything to oppose them. In fact, the Israelites began leaving the faith of their forefathers and following after the gods of Baal. There was one man, and how many of you know if there is one man-and God is on your side, one man is enough? One man looked evil in the face and said, I am not going to run; I am not going to turn away; and Im not going to hide. His name was Elijah. Elijah is going to confront Ahab. We find it in Verse 16 of 1 Kings 18 (page 350), So Obadiah… By the way Obadiah is one of the good guys. Jezebel is literally killing the prophets of the Lord-literally. So Obadiah who works in the palace, he starts to hide the prophets in caves. He saved the lives of 100 prophets, feeds them and gives them water. He is a good guy. Elijah says, Tell the king Im coming to meet him. Elijah is a wanted man because Elijah said to King Ahab, Because of your sin, God is going to bring a famine on the land. Hes going to close up the sky, and its not going to rain. But now, several years have gone by. The people have lived in drought. They are desperate and they are ready to listen to the message of Elijah. They wouldnt have listened before, but now that they are destitute, they are all ears. So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him, and Ahab went to meet Elijah. When he saw Elijah, he said to him, Is that you, you troubler of Israel? Hes blaming the problems of Israel on him. You need to have a heads up here. Whenever you oppose evil, do not be surprised and alarmed when evil says, Youre the problem. Evil will turn it right back on you and say, Youre the reason this has happened. Its your fault-not my fault. Evil will do that, and Ahab says, Youre the problem. Elijah has none of it. You know how they say all the water in the world wont sink a ship unless it gets on the inside? If you know something is a lie, dont believe it. Elijah doesnt believe it. He says, I have not made trouble for Israel, Elijah replied. But you and your fathers family have. You have abandoned the Lords commands and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebels table. In other words, she supports them. There is going to be a showdown. Israel gathers and Elijah says, How long will you waver between two opinions? Youre trying to follow Baal, and youre trying to follow God, and it doesnt work. If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him. Heres the contest. Heres the stare down. Were going to put a sacrifice on the alter, and whosever God sends fire from Heaven and consumes the sacrifice, thats the true God who we worship. You guys go first. So Baals prophets sacrificed an animal, and they began to call on and pray to Baal to consume the sacrifice by fire. Nothing happens. Youve heard of trash talking? Elijah is the original trash talker. Hours go by, and nothing happens, so he says, Hey, maybe your god is sleeping. Maybe you need to wake him up. Maybe Baal is taking a nap and you need to shout his name louder. So they start shouting louder, Oh Baal! and theyre cutting themselves to show how desperate they are. Theyre bleeding all over the place and mutilating themselves. Nothing happens. Elijah says, Maybe your god is on a trip. Maybe hes on a vacation. Maybe he wont be back for a while. Hes just taunting them. Finally after hours in vain, they give up exhausted, exasperated. They are all bloody messes. Elijah says, My turn. No knife, no sword to cut himself, no screaming, he calmly looks up to Heaven, prays to the God of Heaven who sends fire from Heaven and consumes the sacrifice. By the way, before he prayed, he had water dumped on the sacrifice and formed a trench around it. The fire comes down and lights up even the water in the trench. Everybody says, The God of Elijah is the one true God. Lets worship Him! Then he has the prophets of Baal destroyed, as in killed. It was a different time, but hes going to rid the land of those who are opposed to the living God. So its an incredible victory for Elijah, miraculous manifestation of the Hand of God. Before we tell you what happens next, I want to share a little bit of history with you this morning. I want to tell you the story of a man by the name of Boniface. There are many Bonifaces in history. Several of them were popes, but this one was not the pope. This one was a missionary. He was a missionary to the country or the region of what is now Germany. When you think of Germany, you think of the currently modern society. When you think of World War II, thats not the Germany you are to think of. Youre to think of a Germany that lives in unorganized tribes of people. There is a pagan superstitious religion that is going on. Theyre worshipping other gods and goddesses. Theyre worshipping things like trees. In fact, most believe the reason why we as Christians have Christmas trees in our homes is because of Boniface. The tree was used in pagan worship. Were going to find that out in just a little bit. Boniface said, How can I communicate the Gospel to these pagans? Ill use their stuff. Ill use their symbols. So he noticed the fur tree was triangular in shape, so Boniface began to talk about the trinity and teach the people of Germany the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He began hanging the trees upside down in his home, and he would use the tree-not for worship-but to explain the Lord. Thats why we can trace Christmas trees back to Germany, and really it goes back to Boniface. This is a guy who has influenced your life, and you didnt even know about it. Boniface could have lived a life of comfort and splendor in England. He was climbing the hierarchy within the church at a fast rate. He was offered prestigious jobs, and he said, I dont want that. I want to go where the Gospel is not being preached. He wanted to be sent to Germany. So he goes to Germany with two helpers and starts his ministry. He earns the favor of the pope and favor of a local duke. He has both civil authority and spiritual authority. He starts to learn the culture of people, and he finds out that they worship the god Thor, the god of thunder. If you read Marvel Comics, hes often portrayed as long-haired, blue eyed, Swedish-looking guy with a hammer…Thor. Well, they literally see Thor-not as a comic book character, Thor as a real guy. Thor is the god of thunder, and hes not somebody to mess with. Thor owns a tree, literally, in Germany. It is the giant, ancient oak that they call the Tree of Thor. When they wanted to worship Thor, they would come to the tree and offer sacrifices and gifts to the god of thunder, so lightening wouldnt strike their home, so they wouldnt be killed in a storm. [Theyd ask that] he will be kind to them, that therell be gentle rains instead of thunder and lightening. If theres a god you dont want to mess with, you dont want to mess with Thor. That tree, literally, in their minds belonged to Thor, so Boniface has this idea. He challenges Thor, just like Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal and gods of Baal. The gods of Baal werent real-they were Satan in disguise. There really was no Baal. There really is no Thor, but they think there is. He challenges Thor, and he says, I want you to meet me at Thors giant oak tomorrow, and Im going to take on the god of thunder. That draws a crowd. The townsfolk all show up to watch this show down. Boniface is there with an ax with his two friends. He says, Were going to see who the true god is. In the name of my God, the Lord Jesus Christ, I challenge Thor, the god of thunder. I will strike down his tree. The people are flabbergasted. The people are amazed as he takes his ax and begins to chop down the tree of Thor. No lightening, no thunder, the only clap you hear is the clap of the tree trunk breaking as it falls. People wait for lightening to strike Boniface dead, but nothing happens. Boniface stands over the fallen giant oak, and he says, In the name of the God whom I serve, youre going to hear an important message. They said, If your God is so powerful that He can defeat the god of thunder, were going to listen to what you have to say. And, Christianity came to Germany. Boniface is called the father or the apostle to Germany. He took that tree, and he used the wood to build a chapel for the Lord there in Germany. The church exists today on the spot where the giant oak of Thor once stood. It happened because one man chose not to look away. Superstition and fear looked him right in the eyes, and he said, Im not afraid. I will stand up to you. I will oppose you, and God used him in a great way. What happens in our lives many times? Hed gone through this Biblical time. He just opposed an evil king and his wife. He just stood up against 850 pagan high priests. He just finished a military conquest. He is mentally, spiritually, physically exhausted. You know when that happens to you, youre vulnerable. Are you aware of that? Whatever your clinker brick-nish is (I just invented that word), whatever your weakness or defect is, you become more vulnerable in that area when youre under stress, when youre tired. If its anger, anger is going to come out. If its drugs or alcohol, youre more likely to abuse at that time. If its lust, youre more likely to cheat on your spouse. If its greed, youre more likely to steal. If its lying, youre more likely to be deceitful when youre going through those periods. Elijah has shown himself to be this great man of God, but now the light comes on, and hes in a moment of vulnerability. We find out that Elijah is a clinker brick, just like you and me. He has some problems. In Verse 1 of Chapter 19, Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say… Please forgive me Elijah. Your God is the true God. Im so sorry I was wrong. Love Jez. No, she is livid. Shes ticked. He has killed her spiritual leaders, and she sends a message back. She says, May the gods deal with me. Be it ever so severely. If by this time tomorrow, I do not make your life like one of them. Im going to kill you. Now you would think that Elijah might say, Bring it on. I just faced 850 prophets, and I just faced your god. Im still kicking, so if you think you can defeat my God, bring it on, but hes tired and hes vulnerable. His defects, his weaknesses, manifest themselves. In Verse 3 it says, Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a days journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree… Im not sure what a broom tree was, but the area was very well swept (congregation barely laughing). Tough crowd. He sat down under it and prayed that he might die. I have had enough, Lord… Have you ever said that? I quit! He says, I am no better than my ancestors. Hes feeling inferior, [feeling] no self esteem. [Did] you know God wants you to have a good, healthy self-esteem? Im not talking about arrogance, haughtiness, but He says, Love your neighbor like you love yourself. God wants you to have a good image of yourself, and sin gives you a bad image of yourself. Sin makes you think poorly of yourself. It takes away your confidence. He knows what hes doing is wrong, and he says, Im no better than my ancestors. He lay down under the tree and fell asleep. Let me ask you a question. Did all of these things all of the sudden surface in Elijahs life for the first time? I dont believe that. I believe some of these things Elijah had struggled with his whole life and was struggling with even when he faced the prophets on Mount Carmel. Apparently he struggled with emotional depression. Apparently there were times when he even wanted to end his life. Some of you have been that destitute. Some of you have been so discouraged and so defeated that youre literally entertained thoughts of suicide. He wants to quit. Some of you have been tempted to quit or have quit when things became difficult. He struggles with doubt and fear. All of the sudden he things Jezebel can take his God. You have struggled with doubt and fear. You have struggled with low self-esteem, thinking youre not worthy, youre not valuable; youre not good enough-just like Elijah. You see, Elijah was a clinker brick, just like you and me. What Im going to do here is Im going to paint for you a little bit this morning. Im going to do this over the next four or five weeks, however long were in this series. Im going to paint a little bit each time on this portrait. You didnt know I had this talent, did you? Are you just surprised right now that I can paint this good? Do you like my picture? The blackness of this picture represents the sin thats in our lives. It represents the attitudes that oppose God. It represents how sometimes well tolerate evil in ourselves or in the world and say nothing and do nothing about it. This blackness is in all of our hearts and souls. It was in Elijahs as well. Let me ask you a couple of very pertinent questions. Number one, was Elijah a clinker brick? Did he have flaws and defects of character? Yeah. The second question: Did God still use Elijah? In a great way, God still used Elijah. Guess what? You are a clinker brick; you will always be a clinker brick, but God does not give up on you. God sees within you something of value and worth. Hes put within you passions, talents and gifts that He wants to use. Dont allow periods of doubt or fear or inferiority to rob you of what God wants to do with your life. Thats what this series is about. Lets pray together. Father, as we look on that canvas, we see sin represented through black. Its a reminder of the sin thats in all of our hearts and lives. None of us are righteous. We are only righteous this morning through You, through Jesus Christ. Lord, each of us struggle with sinful habits, attitudes, patterns, and behaviors. We will do so our whole lives, but you are not a God who has abandoned us or rejected us. You are a God who uses us in spite of those things. You use us to build Your church. Help those of us who struggle with these things to see that we have value in spite of them, that we will not be content with them; we will continue to work to rid ourselves of them as Peter said. We will know that You will use us, that You see something beautiful in us. That is why it can be said-while we were yet sinners- Christ died for us. We remember that now and celebrate that in this communion time. In Jesus name, Amen. * Flash was a man who was badly mistreated as a child by the church he went to and by his mom. His dad came to Christ through a woman who was named Millie. With Millie, Flash saw true Christianity, but she was the only one in his life that showed him that. He was burned by his mom with cigarettes and made to stay in seclusion a lot when his mom was not home. Millie showed him unconditional love while the church people made fun of him and in essence made him an outcast in a place where everyone was supposed to have been accepted