Each day we are presented with hundreds or thousands of things that require that we choose a course, action or reaction. Life is filled with a myriad of influences that must be sifted and evaluated. By our choices we define our lives now and for the future. Far too many people’s future is soured by the decisions they are making in the present. They do not even realize the trouble that lies in their future that they are creating right now. Our society lives in the moment and pays no attention to the future. Our text speaks of the life of Moses and the choices he made in his life that led him to great heights and accomplishments. He could have enjoyed the power, influence, and pleasures that would have been his life as a grandchild of Pharaoh. Instead, he chose a harder path that took him far higher than he ever could in the house of Pharaoh. Moses’ choices were more than about him, but they affected the entire nation of Israel. He valued the payoff of suffering more than the power of Egypt’s wealth. How did he resist the intoxicating influence of wealth and power to choose a life of suffering? It was not skill, wisdom or willpower that allowed Moses to make that decision; It was faith. Moses’ faith enabled him to see things in a better light. What are the principles that influence our choices? Faith enables us to truly evaluate the important things in life. The Bible tells us that Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He was mindful of the words spoken about him. That which we allow spoken into our lives has a control over us. Faith allows us to properly evaluate things that are seasonal issues. Faith allowed Moses to not let power, money, and fame influence his decisions. The course of Moses’ life and, ultimately the lives of millions of God’s people were determined by the choices he made as a young man. The course of the world hung in the balance of Moses’ choices. The course of our life lies in refusing and choosing.

Each day we are presented with hundreds or thousands of things that require that we choose a course, action or reaction. Life is filled with a myriad of influences that must be sifted and evaluated. By our choices we define our lives now and for the future. Far too many people’s future is soured by the decisions they are making in the present. They do not even realize the trouble that lies in their future that they are creating right now. Our society lives in the moment and pays no attention to the future. Our text speaks of the life of Moses and the choices he made in his life that led him to great heights and accomplishments. He could have enjoyed the power, influence, and pleasures that would have been his life as a grandchild of Pharaoh. Instead, he chose a harder path that took him far higher than he ever could in the house of Pharaoh. Moses’ choices were more than about him, but they affected the entire nation of Israel. He valued the payoff of suffering more than the power of Egypt’s wealth. How did he resist the intoxicating influence of wealth and power to choose a life of suffering? It was not skill, wisdom or willpower that allowed Moses to make that decision; It was faith. Moses’ faith enabled him to see things in a better light. What are the principles that influence our choices? Faith enables us to truly evaluate the important things in life. The Bible tells us that Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He was mindful of the words spoken about him. That which we allow spoken into our lives has a control over us. Faith allows us to properly evaluate things that are seasonal issues. Faith allowed Moses to not let power, money, and fame influence his decisions. The course of Moses’ life and, ultimately the lives of millions of God’s people were determined by the choices he made as a young man. The course of the world hung in the balance of Moses’ choices. The course of our life lies in refusing and choosing.

Our text tonight is possibly one of the most mournful and sad in the entire Bible. Something was missed. At first pass, we see that the writer is speaking of a missed opportunity. Our text from Jeremiah is not written from the perspective of the prophet, but from the perspective of Israel. From this brief text, we see a people who are frustrated with the lack of change in their situation. The tragedy of this statement is in the fact that they had failed to realize that what needed to change was not their situation, but themselves. God was trying to change Israel so that He could change their situation. Like Israel, we want God to change our situation, but God wants to change us in order to facilitate the change in our life. If we go on waiting for the world to change, our circumstances will not get better. The truth is that God could change our situation, but if we do not change, we will bring our same bad attitude to the new situation and we will soon find ourselves unhappy in that situation. The tragedy of missed opportunities is great indeed, but far greater is the tragedy of not being willing to change ourselves in order to allow God to work in our life. What are we waiting for?

Our text tonight is possibly one of the most mournful and sad in the entire Bible. Something was missed. At first pass, we see that the writer is speaking of a missed opportunity. Our text from Jeremiah is not written from the perspective of the prophet, but from the perspective of Israel. From this brief text, we see a people who are frustrated with the lack of change in their situation. The tragedy of this statement is in the fact that they had failed to realize that what needed to change was not their situation, but themselves. God was trying to change Israel so that He could change their situation. Like Israel, we want God to change our situation, but God wants to change us in order to facilitate the change in our life. If we go on waiting for the world to change, our circumstances will not get better. The truth is that God could change our situation, but if we do not change, we will bring our same bad attitude to the new situation and we will soon find ourselves unhappy in that situation. The tragedy of missed opportunities is great indeed, but far greater is the tragedy of not being willing to change ourselves in order to allow God to work in our life. What are we waiting for?

Alignment is an important concept in life. It is the orderly arrangement to allow a proper function and flow. Anything that is out of alignment is difficult to handle and is dangerous to operate. When something is out of alignment, its efficiency is greatly decreased. When things are out of alignment, there is increased friction and resistance. When things are out of alignment, there is an acceleration of wear on the parts that are out of alignment. It is costly to allow things to get out of alignment. A soul that is out of alignment is just as dangerous as a vehicle that is out of alignment. If we have been experiencing extra friction or vibrations in life, we need to work on our alignment. If there is a lot of friction in life, it is time to seek God for help and spend more time in prayer. In our spiritual life, alignment shows itself in many forms. Bro. Hughes visits several scriptures that illustrate ways that we must be mindful of as we strive for spiritual alignment. God desires that we are the most effective and efficient that we can be. In order to do that, we have to be in alignment with His word, His spirit, and His will.

Alignment is an important concept in life. It is the orderly arrangement to allow a proper function and flow. Anything that is out of alignment is difficult to handle and is dangerous to operate. When something is out of alignment, its efficiency is greatly decreased. When things are out of alignment, there is increased friction and resistance. When things are out of alignment, there is an acceleration of wear on the parts that are out of alignment. It is costly to allow things to get out of alignment. A soul that is out of alignment is just as dangerous as a vehicle that is out of alignment. If we have been experiencing extra friction or vibrations in life, we need to work on our alignment. If there is a lot of friction in life, it is time to seek God for help and spend more time in prayer. In our spiritual life, alignment shows itself in many forms. Bro. Hughes visits several scriptures that illustrate ways that we must be mindful of as we strive for spiritual alignment. God desires that we are the most effective and efficient that we can be. In order to do that, we have to be in alignment with His word, His spirit, and His will.

Joseph is one of the truly extraordinary personalities in the Bible. His story is remarkable because of the depth of lessons that it teaches us. The Bible tells us that Joseph was the favored child in the family and, because of that, was despised by his brothers. God blessed Joseph with two divinely inspired dreams that were a prophecy on Joseph’s life. Joseph was to be the link in divine a providence for his people. He made the mistake of sharing those dreams with his brothers which only served to intensify their hatred for him. None of this hatred and all that they would do to him would interrupt God’s plan for Joseph’s life. However before he would reach the heights that the dreams foretold, Joseph would endure many hardships. In the midst of the suffering and conflict in Joseph’s life, it is difficult to see the outcome. It is difficult to see the foretold outcome in the midst of God’s process. Most of the story of Joseph’s life is documented in Genesis, but here in Psalms, we get another account of the hurt and pain that Joseph endured. All that happened to Joseph was part of God’s plan. All that happened surely tried him. The hatred of his brothers, being sold into slavery, being lifted up only to be falsely imprisoned must all have been difficult trials. But our text tells us that what tried him most was the word that God gave him. How can God speak a word of blessing, and yet look at the current pitiful situation? God’s promises and God’s process are always in conflict in our minds. We cannot observe the evil we are in and see the good that God wants to do for us. How can God make such a promise, but allow us to go through such a difficult process? It is the process that makes us able to accept the promise. God’s process is a refining that will prepare us to walk into the promise. If we can learn to live through the pain, the reward will be great. It is the process that God uses to get us to the purpose that is the conflict for us.

Joseph is one of the truly extraordinary personalities in the Bible. His story is remarkable because of the depth of lessons that it teaches us. The Bible tells us that Joseph was the favored child in the family and, because of that, was despised by his brothers. God blessed Joseph with two divinely inspired dreams that were a prophecy on Joseph’s life. Joseph was to be the link in divine a providence for his people. He made the mistake of sharing those dreams with his brothers which only served to intensify their hatred for him. None of this hatred and all that they would do to him would interrupt God’s plan for Joseph’s life. However before he would reach the heights that the dreams foretold, Joseph would endure many hardships. In the midst of the suffering and conflict in Joseph’s life, it is difficult to see the outcome. It is difficult to see the foretold outcome in the midst of God’s process. Most of the story of Joseph’s life is documented in Genesis, but here in Psalms, we get another account of the hurt and pain that Joseph endured. All that happened to Joseph was part of God’s plan. All that happened surely tried him. The hatred of his brothers, being sold into slavery, being lifted up only to be falsely imprisoned must all have been difficult trials. But our text tells us that what tried him most was the word that God gave him. How can God speak a word of blessing, and yet look at the current pitiful situation? God’s promises and God’s process are always in conflict in our minds. We cannot observe the evil we are in and see the good that God wants to do for us. How can God make such a promise, but allow us to go through such a difficult process? It is the process that makes us able to accept the promise. God’s process is a refining that will prepare us to walk into the promise. If we can learn to live through the pain, the reward will be great. It is the process that God uses to get us to the purpose that is the conflict for us.

Dr. Hughes teaches in the way only he can about the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

Dr. Hughes teaches in the way only he can about the Gift of the Holy Ghost.