Refuge TLH

Fear is a primary human motivator. We can all easily be controlled by it. Jesus was free from the tyranny of fear. He has overcome. It is His life which we enter into as His followers. He is able to set us free by His Spirit. LORD, let us be the free from the fear, the tyrant. Perfect Your love in us. Shared by Jason Stuart Percy at Refuge Christian Fellowship Tallahassee on Sunday, January 5, 2020.

Beginning of Jesus ministry. Shared by Jonathan Albanese at Refuge Christian Fellowship Tallahassee on Sunday, November 3, 2019.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd of those in His Kingdom. He ensures we have all we need, every moment, to do and be and think and say what He wants. He is the ruler of all the Earth and there is nothing that is hard for Him. He is able to help any who come to Him. Jesus rescues sinners. Many believe they have established there own righteousness but those who know they are sick are readily rescued by the Good Shepherd, Jesus. He justifies the ungodly. While he is able to and does variously heal physical illness or touble, we look forward to the fullness of His Kingdom, when all sorrow, sickness, death, and pain will pass away and we will be made new! Isn't He wonderful!??!!!?!?!!

Jesus asks everything from those who follow Him. He will be second to none and nothing in the life of His disciples. Only He has the right to claim this kind of ownership of us since He created us, sustains us, keeps us alive, orchestrates our lives in the order in which we find them, and He knows the beginning from the end. God is supreme and Sovereign and there is no other being like Him. Jesus demonstrates to us the power and order and control of our God. We who follow Him lay down everything for Him. There is no other option for us for everything else is covetousness and idolatry. Jesus rescues us and brings us into his Kingdom where we find we needed no other things besides Him anyhow. He is present in our storms, able to calm when He is ready. He is able to heal and even the demonic forces know who He is and are under His authority as they, too, are something He created. He created them good, they turned away from Him, but they are no match for Him. That is sure. Be not afraid!

Jesus heals our sicknesses. Not always how we want, or when we want. Everyone that was healed by Jesus while He was on Earth still died. Those who trust Him are healed eternally and are in His presence awaiting the resurrection. Jesus demonstrated to Israel that He was truly the promised Messiah, God with Us, come to remove the curse upon creation after Adam's sin. Jesus did many great miracles and He still does. Not the least of which, He was raised from the dead and is, therefore, alive now. He has promised to raise everyone who lives and believes in Him. We have truly entered and enjoy His Kingdom knowing freedom from the fear of death! He Himself took our infirmities. Rejoice, we'll live free of sicknesses in the end.

We excercise judgement about many things every day. Jesus asks us to be wise in judgement and not to simply judge the outside or cursory things. We need wisdom and we need to be asking, seeking, and knocking that we might know how to treat others the way we want to be treated. It is possible to be decieved and so good judgement is of vital importance seeing that Jesus' way is narrow and there are few who find it. LORD, give us wisdom. Help us to be merciful to others. Help us to love each other enough to hold each other accountable with mercy and grace and love. Recorded at Refuge TLH on Sunday, August 5, 2019.

We are worried about many things. The Way of Jesus' Kingdom is the way of trusting the One who made and sustains us. Leaning on Him that we might be help to others and show them the Way of His Kingdom. Let us be, by grace, those who worry not about food, drink, and clothing, as the world is consumed by those cares, and instead be those who are focused on His Kingdom Way first. The LORD is worthy to be praised. Rest in Him, dear saints, He has redeemed, He will not leave you. We have this joy of living His Kingdom, in His power, not because of ourselves, but by faith, by trusting Jesus alone to rescue us and bring us near. He has died for our sins, He was buried, He is now raised, ready to save all those who come to Him, believing. Recorded at Refuge TLH on Sunday, July 28, 2019.

The way of Jesus' Kingdom is the way of authentic love pursuing God's pleasure and God's will. We ought to be authentic in our lives seeking to please God rather than men. Doing good things to be seen by people will result in failing to receive reward in the Kingdom of Heaven. Whether giving to the poor, praying, or fasting, let it be done in secret with no show. Let us not seek to manipulate others with our public demonstrations of 'good will'. Frequently, we are guilty of using the poverty of others for our own benefit. This should not be so. LORD, help us to be of no reputation, to take on ourselves the form of a slave, a servant; to do what is right and good and true and just, when no one sees. Even pursuing ways to do good with no one seeing. Because You see. And You are enough. Recorded at Refuge TLH on Sunday, July 21, 2019.

The way of Jesus, of His Kingdom, sets us free from the tyrrany of personal vendetta. We are free to forgive and love and help people who hurt us, who wound our pride, and who persecute us, who anger us. We are free to give away what we have knowing that God, who owns everything, is able to provide and protect and repay so that there will always be, in the end, justice, though we may see much injustice around us. God knows. Remember, while being hurt, Jesus neither fought back, nor ran away, rather he absorbed the hurt and forgave those responsible. The Spirit of Jesus is within all those who follow Him, trusting Him, those who've been born from above. LORD, help us to be different than we are. Recorded at Refuge TLH on Sunday, July 14, 2019.