YOU ARE INVITED, THE DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN: JESUS HAS EXTENDED THE INVITATION, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU HAVE BEEN INVITED IN TO SPEND THIS LIFE AND YOUR LIFE AFTER THIS WITH HIM. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS OPEN UP YOUR MOUTH AND HEART SO HE CAN SAVE YOU, MOLD YOU INTO A NEW CREATION. WILL YOU ACCEPT, WILL YOU SAY YES TODAY? 

INTRODUCTION: THE SACRIFICE OF LOVE: OUR LOVE FOR OTHERS MAKES A DIFFERENCE

 John 15:13- “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”.

1 Peter 4:8- “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sin”.

 know we have heard so many sermons on love, we listen to love songs, we experience things in life that make us think this is love. Most of us however have learned the wrong way of loving and believing what is love. According to Matthew 22:37-39, the second greatest commandment given by Jesus was to love our neighbor as myself. Of all the qualities that we could be working on as Christians, the most significant one Jesus wanted us to work on was LOVE and there is no gray area when it comes to us loving one another and without the Holy Spirit, we cannot fulfill this commandment.

Romans 13:8- “Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law”.

 Rom. 13:10- "Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law".

The presence of LOVE in the church and Christians are starting to look like the stores we shop at, scarce and empty. People are looking for the “love of God” through us, but they are having a hard time distinguishing it from the “love of the world.
 
Matthew 24:12- "Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold".

Love Cost and Love Adds Values to Others

Y'all this has become a pandemic in our homes, many of our young children have never experienced the unconditional love of a father or mother and they grow up not being able to give love. It is time for us to do better.

We wonder why the murders are being committed by children too young to understand the consequences of their choices. We see how the drug dealers are selling drugs to the mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers. We see this when children are sold to sex trades. We see this when so many children have been prescribed antidepressant medications before the age of 18.  We see this with police brutality, school shootings, robberies committed in the middle of the day.  Can you all see why our love for one another makes a difference? 

In "Strength to Love", Martin Luther King, Jr. tells us to take responsibility to find out the purpose of this commandment to love and to seek to live it out graciously every day.

Our goal in this Christian life is to give and show love. This is a sign of a mature Christian when others see our love for God and our love for others. Don't miss out on what being a Christian is all about. It's all about the LOVE!

SCRIPTURES TO LIVE BY: 

1 John 3:11- “For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another”.

JOHN 15:12- “That you love one another, as I have loved you”

John 13:34–35- “A new commandment I give to you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one to another”.

1 John 4:11- “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another”.

NEXT WEEK, WE WILL CONTINUE WITH THE SERIES: THE SACRIFICE OF LOVE: YOUR HATERS/ENEMIES NEED LOVE TOO!

Next week read: Matthew 5:43-48

3 $25 gift cards giveaway to Amazon, Walmart, Visa TUESDAY, MARCH 1!

REMEMBER MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS, IT TAKES GRACE TO MAKE IT!

Remember my sisters and brothers, it takes GRACE TO MAKE IT!

YOU ARE INVITED, THE DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN: JESUS HAS EXTENDED THE INVITATION, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU HAVE BEEN INVITED IN TO SPEND THIS LIFE AND YOUR LIFE AFTER THIS WITH HIM. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS OPEN UP YOUR MOUTH AND HEART SO HE CAN SAVE YOU, MOLD YOU INTO A NEW CREATION. WILL YOU ACCEPT, WILL YOU SAY YES TODAY?
INTRODUCTION: THE SACRIFICE OF LOVE: GOD LOVING US!    

Romans 5:8- “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.    

This is one of the most powerful and life-changing scriptures you could ever read, believe, and accept. I am afraid that there are so many people who find this difficult to accept or refuse to accept. The fact that we are such sinful creations and that there is a loving and forgiving God who tells us every day that He loves us. Some people are trying to compare God’s love to human love, it never fails and it is everlasting.

Sisters and brothers, one of the things we have to realize are that Satan is doing everything in his power to stop us from believing that God could love us. He throws up our past and he tells us that we are not worthy but remember the last part of the verse, He loves us while we were yet sinners.   

Another reason we make not believe that God can love us in the way we can never be loved by a human being is how people have treated us. Stop comparing God to your parents, spouse, bosses, pastors, Christians, family, and friends because they are just like you an imperfect being, a human touched by the varnish of sin. Today I want you to stop trying to substitute the love of God and the God of love. You will never find anyone or anything that will satisfy you the way you can. 

Another reason we have yet to allow God’s love to engulf us is because of the pain, grief, heartache, or brokenness we have experienced in our life. You may have been abused, betrayed, abandoned, or have gone through something so difficult and wondered how God could love you and allow you to go through this. I know some of us feel like when bad things happen to us, especially when we were children, God could not have loved us because if He did, He would have done something about it. Just think about this for a moment. 

Stop letting church folks keep you from God’s love, stop letting things keep you from God’s love, stop letting sin keep you from God’s love, and stop letting whatever it is keep you from His love. This year is a year of NO MORE. You have to start seeking God and the things of God for yourself. Your momma, grand momma, or the pastor might tell you every week that God loves you but until you experience for yourself, you can’t move forward. 

SCRIPTURES TO LIVE BY: 

1 John 4:8-10- “8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins”.

1John 4:18-19- “18 Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other[a] because he loved us first”.

NEXT WEEK, WE WILL CONTINUE WITH THE SERIES: THE SACRIFICE OF LOVE: OUR LOVE FOR OTHERS MAKES A DIFFERENCE 

Next week read: John 15:13 and 1 Peter 4:8

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REMEMBER MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS, IT TAKES GRACE TO MAKE IT!

Remember my sisters and brothers, it takes GRACE TO MAKE IT!

YOU ARE INVITED, THE DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN: JESUS HAS EXTENDED THE INVITATION, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU HAVE BEEN INVITED IN TO SPEND THIS LIFE AND YOUR LIFE AFTER THIS WITH HIM. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS OPEN UP YOU MOUTH AND HEART SO HE CAN SAVE YOU, MOLD YOU INTO A NEW CREATION. WILL YOU ACCEPT, WILL YOU SAY YES TODAY?

INTRODUCTION: BEING HEAVENLY MINDED TO DO SOME EARTHLY GOOD! LIVING TO LIVE AGAIN!

Job 14:14 {NLT}- “Can the dead live again? If so, this would give me hope through all my years of struggle, and I would eagerly await the release of death”.

According to Biblical scholars, this is the oldest book and the oldest question in the world and it is still a question that is asked by so many every day.  It is the reason that so many of us have received the gift of salvation because we believed the words of Jesus that He offers us eternal life but if you don’t accept Him it will be eternal death.  Either way, we are either to live in eternal rest or eternal unrest.

Job is a man full of faith that is under a test ordained by God and doubted by three of his closes friends. They have accused him of some hidden sins in life and each time he responds to them with words of affirmation of trusting God no matter what was happening in and around him.   In spite of what he didn’t know, he did have the blessed hope of living this life to live again. How many of us have this mentality that in spite of what you lose {family, friends, possessions, health, you are willing to wait until your change comes! 

This life is more fulfilled when you have the mindset that there is something better on the other side of us dying.  Even though there was not much talk about resurrection in the Old Testament, there are several times that heaven is mentioned. These saints knew that the end of life on this earth, so they had hope of living again. 

You will have a new body, a mansion, a crown, a white robe, an unnumbered number of brothers and sisters awaiting you.  Our attitudes, actions, and the way we worship change.  When all of God’s children get together, What a time, what a time!

We can’t keep living our lives in vain, we can’t continue to take our breathing for granted, we can no longer believe that time is on our side. The rest of the day is not promised to us, we can be here today and gone today.  

Your soul is so important to God that He has done everything that could possibly be done to get you into heaven, but He won’t force you, it is a free gift, it a choice we personally must make. He is standing at the door urgently knocking and knocking. Do you hear Him, will you let Him in right now? 

Job affirmed his belief in living to live again when in Job 19:25-26 {NLT}- “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. 26 And after my body has decayed, yet in my body, I will see God

So, my sisters and brothers let us do as Paul encouraged us to do in Thessalonians 4:1 to live a life that is pleasing to God!

SCRIPTURES TO LIVE BY: 

JOHN 11:25- Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.

Romans 8:38-39-38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

NEXT WEEK, WE WILL START A NEW SERIES: THE SACRIFICE OF LOVE:  GOD LOVING US!

Next week read: Romans 5:8

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REMEMBER MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS, IT TAKES GRACE TO MAKE IT

Remember my sisters and brothers, it takes GRACE TO MAKE IT!

YOU ARE INVITED, THE DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN: JESUS HAS EXTENDED THE INVITATION, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU HAVE BEEN INVITED IN TO SPEND THIS LIFE AND YOUR LIFE AFTER THIS WITH HIM. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS OPEN UP YOUR MOUTH AND HEART SO HE CAN SAVE YOU, MOLD YOU INTO A NEW CREATION. WILL YOU ACCEPT, WILL YOU SAY YES TODAY?

INTRODUCTION: BEING HEAVENLY MINDED TO DO SOME EARTHLY GOOD! A DARE TO INVOKE THE DOORS OF HEAVEN!

Deuteronomy 30:19 {NET}- Today I invoke heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set life and death, blessing and curse, before you. Therefore, choose life so that you and your descendants may live!

The word invoke means to petition for help or support. To make an earnest request or to make mention of a person

Chapter 30 deals with the blessings and curses of God, making life and death choices

It deals with God circumcising our hearts so that we may Love Him with all our heart and soul so we can live

We have to love God, walk in His ways, keep His commandments, listen to His voice, hold fast to Him because He is our life. This is a serious matter life or death!

Heaven was silent 

1.     When sin invaded the earth

2.     For 400 years 

3.     When Jesus died

4.     It will be silent again when sinners stand before  

So now is not the time for heaven to be silent, heaven wants to hear from you!

We have too many examples of heaven being invoked from the patriots of the Old and New Testaments. We can invoke heaven with our prayers, with a war cry, with praises, pleas, and with our faith.

Heaven has invoked me to send out the call to invite you to want to make heaven your home, to go to a place of no more. I have dared you to invoke the blessings,  promises,  and healings of heaven. To receive its love, joy, peace, and protection.

I have to preach heaven to remind you that the best is yet to come, and that trouble won’t last always and that when the burden of life is weighing us down, we can be assured that through our suffering, sickness,  and sorrows that being in a relationship with Christ helps us to endure until the end. 

I am preaching heaven because of the joy we will experience, no more weariness and I have to tell your that all our wounds and heartache will be healed, no more tears

Dwight L. Moody said, “A little faith will bring your soul to heaven, but a lot of faith will bring heaven to your soul".

SCRIPTURES TO LIVE BY: 

Psalm 102:17- He will listen to the prayers of the destitute. He will not reject their pleas.

Psalm 66:17-20-But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. 20 Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.

NEXT WEEK, WE WILL FINISH UP THE SERIES: BEING HEAVENLY-MINDED TO DO SOME EARTHLY GOOD! LIVING TO LIVE AGAIN!

Next week read: Job 14:14

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REMEMBER MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS, IT TAKES GRACE TO MAKE IT!

Remember my sisters and brothers, it takes GRACE TO MAKE IT!

YOU ARE INVITED, THE DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN: JESUS HAS EXTENDED THE INVITATION, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU HAVE BEEN INVITED IN TO SPEND THIS LIFE AND YOUR LIFE AFTER THIS WITH HIM. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS OPEN UP YOUR MOUTH AND HEART SO HE CAN SAVE YOU, MOLD YOU INTO A NEW CREATION. WILL YOU ACCEPT, WILL YOU SAY YES TODAY?

INTRODUCTION: BEING HEAVENLY-MINDED TO DO SOME EARTHLY GOOD! THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY!

John 3:3,5- 3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.  5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 

John 14:6- Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus always had heaven on His mind, and this is why He was able to do the things He did, go thru the things He had to go through and be able to share with us why we should have heaven on our minds.  His first sermon was the Sermon on the Mount,   [“Beatitudes”} in Matthew 5:1-11 introduces us to the possibility of heaven, and then in verses 13—48, He describes us as being the salt of the earth and the light of the world, He reminds us of how we should be living, loving, and treating each other because our focus has been changed and heaven is on our minds.

Chapter 7 tells us shows the wrong mindset when we judge one another, He reminds us again of the asking, seeking, and knowing on heaven’s door, He tells us about the wide gate and broad road that leads to destruction, yet many walk this path, but the small gate and narrow road that leads to life, only a few will ever find it.  He warns us about the difference between the false and true prophets and who are true and false disciplines (churchgoers). He tells us the power of being a wise builder and not being foolish builders.

Chapter 8 He starts on His mission. Now if this is not teaching us to be heavenly-minded so we can be so earthly good, I don’t know what else to tell you, my sisters and brothers.  Can you see the big picture yet?

God is talking but have we been listening? Jesus' requirements are very simple, repent, be born again, and believe in me. His words are with authority, authenticity, and assurance. His words of being born again are about our spiritual birth with the help of the Holy Spirit. He is not talking about rules and religion, He is talking about a personal relationship with a changed heart and mind.

When you say that you are Christian, you are saying you have been born again, you have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior. It is about a change that will take place on the inside and show up on the outside. It is not something that you can do on your own, you need the Holy Spirit, and the only way to receive the Spirit is to be born again. JESUS IS  THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN AND HE IS THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN SAVE YOUR SOUL! HE IS OUR GREATEST EXAMPLE OF BEING HEAVENLY-MINDED TO TO SOME EARTHLY GOOD!

SCRIPTURES TO LIVE BY: 

1 Peter 1:23- “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”

Titus 3:5- “he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”

NEXT WEEK, WE WILL CONTINUE THE  SERIES: BEING HEAVENLY-MINDED TO DO SOME EARTHLY GOOD! A DARE TO INVOKE THE DOORS OF HEAVEN!

Next week read: Deuteronomy 30:19

3 $25 gift cards giveaway to Amazon, Walmart, Visa TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1.

REMEMBER MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS, IT TAKES GRACE TO MAKE IT!

Remember my sisters and brothers, it takes GRACE TO MAKE IT!

YOU ARE INVITED, THE DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN: JESUS HAS EXTENDED THE INVITATION AND EVERY ONE OF YOU HAS BEEN INVITED TO SPEND THIS LIFE AND YOUR LIFE AFTER THIS WITH HIM. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS OPEN UP YOUR MOUTH AND HEART SO HE CAN SAVE YOU AND MOLD YOU INTO A NEW CREATION. WILL YOU ACCEPT, WILL YOU SAY YES TODAY?

INTRODUCTION: BEING HEAVENLY-MINDED TO DO SOME EARTHLY GOOD!: HEAVEN IS BEING PREPARED FOR US AS WE ARE BEING PREPARED FOR HEAVEN!

Genesis 1:1- “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

Revelation 21:1- “Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.”

There is a life beyond the grave. God started at the beginning of time making preparations to make sure that we will have a place that souls have an eternal rest from our labor down here and his preparing us to enter in.

Life is a journey, we are not just going in circles or to a dead end, but our journey is going to be with our Father and Jesus in heaven.

We prepare for everything else in this life but are we preparing to leave this earth.  Are we taking the same effort and time to prepare for life after death?  There is an important decision you must make, you have the power of life and death in your mouth.  Heaven is real and so is Hell!

The assurance of what is ahead of us helps us to do some earthly good, share the good news, and keep the faith! There are eternal rewards in being a child of God and a believer in Christ Jesus.

What's on your mind?
Colossians 3:1-2- 1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Longing for my Heaven home!
2 Corinthians 5:1-8- 1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 6Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

SCRIPTURES TO LIVE BY: 

Philippians 3:20- But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ

1 Peter 1:3-5- 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

NEXT WEEK, WE WILL START A NEW SERIES: BEING HEAVENLY-MINDED TO DO SOME EARTHLY GOOD! THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY!

Next week read: John 3:3,5  and John 14:6

You can find us on FB/Instagram, Google, Apple iTunes, Spotify, Buzzsprout. Continue to share, tell a friend, tell somebody.

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Remember my sisters and brothers, it takes GRACE TO MAKE IT!

IT IS THE ONLY WAY: YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST IS NECESSARY. WHEN YOU ACCEPT CHRIST AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR, YOU RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT INTO YOUR HEART THAT PRODUCES UNIMAGINABLE CHANGES AND A UNDESCRIBABLE POWER TO DO THE WORK THAT GOD HAS FOR YOU TO DO. JUST SAY YES!

INTRODUCTION: SERIES: FEAR IS NOT A FACTOR, BUT FAITH IS! YOUR FAITH IS UNDER A TEST!

MATTHEW 14:22-33

22 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. 23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. 24 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. 25 About three o’clock in the morning[a] Jesus came toward them, walking on the water.  26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” 27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” 28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” 29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.  30 But when he saw the strong[c] wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. 31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” 32 When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped.  33 Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed."

In 2022, God is going to take us on a journey like never before…get ready, get ready, get ready. But don’t worry, don’t be afraid, don’t fear, because Jesus has prayed for you. 

God Will Only Lead You, As Far As Your Faith Will Take You! God is not asking us to do what we can, He is asking us to trust in Him to do through us what we can’t do.
Peter displayed REAL FAITH- He Believed, Asked, and he Obeyed. The result was that Jesus gave Peter the ability to walk on water.

Some things in life will frighten us, but those are the times we have to walk in faith and not by sight. Don't allow the problems of this world to distract us from the source of our power and please be careful to not become so busy that we walk away from the purpose Christ has for our lives.

If you haven’t seen God working miracles in your life lately it could be because you haven't asked Him, obeyed Him, or believed Him!

Hebrews 11:6-And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

SCRIPTURES TO LIVE BY:

Job 42:2- “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” 

Matthew 17:20-“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

NEXT WEEK, WE WILL START A NEW SERIES:BEING HEAVENLY-MINDED TO DO SOME EARTHLY GOOD: HEAVEN IS BEING PREPARED FOR US  AS WE ARE BEING PREPARED FOR HEAVEN!

Next week read: Genesis 1:1 and Revelation 21:1

3 $25 gift cards giveaway to Amazon, Walmart, Visa SATURDAY, JANUARY 1!

REMEMBER MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS, IT TAKES GRACE TO MAKE IT!

Remember my sisters and brothers, it takes GRACE TO MAKE IT!

IT IS THE ONLY WAY: YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST IS NECESSARY. WHEN YOU ACCEPT CHRIST AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR, YOU RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT INTO YOUR HEART THAT PRODUCES UNIMAGINABLE CHANGES AND A UNDESCRIBABLE POWER TO DO THE WORK THAT GOD HAS FOR YOU TO DO. JUST SAY YES!

INTRODUCTION: SERIES: FEAR IS NOT A FACTOR, BUT FAITH IS! FEAR DOES NOT STOP THE FAVOR OF GOD IN YOUR LIFE!

LUKE 1:26-38

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,  27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.  28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.  32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,  33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God.  36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.  37 For no word from God will ever fail.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.”
We as Christians must understand that God’s favor does not automatically bring instant success in our lives. Even the mother of Jesus Christ would soon have much pain in her life. Her friends would ridicule her, her fiancé would come close to leaving her, her son would be rejected, and murdered. But her commitment to doing what God called her to do would make her honored by many because Jesus would be the only one to bring hope to the world. Mary’s submission to God’s plan to bring salvation to the world has placed her in a place of honor. So no matter how God wants to use us, we must say yes, and accept the task as what it is. We have to say what Mary said, o am the Lords servant, and may it be to me as He have said. Amen!!!
Divine favor is never random, it is intentional. God’s favor in your life is for a purpose. When God favors you, it’s not for you to brag upon or sit on it, but has a use for it. God has endowed this favor on you so you can be a blessing to others!

SCRIPTURES TO LIVE BY:

LEVITICUS 26:9-12-  “‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. 10 You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. 11 I will put my dwelling place[a] among you, and I will not abhor you. 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.

NUMBERS 6:25-26-May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. 26 May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.

NEXT WEEK, WE WILL CONTINUE THE SERIES: FEAR IS NOT A FACTOR, BUT FAITH IS! YOUR FAITH IS UNDER A TEST!

Next week read: MATTHEW 14:22-33

3 $25 gift cards giveaway to Amazon, Walmart, Visa SATURDAY, JANUARY 1!

REMEMBER MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS, IT

Remember my sisters and brothers, it takes GRACE TO MAKE IT!

IT IS THE ONLY WAY: YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST IS NECESSARY. WHEN YOU ACCEPT CHRIST AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR, YOU RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT INTO YOUR HEART THAT PRODUCES UNIMAGINABLE CHANGES AND A UNDESCRIBABLE POWER TO DO THE WORK THAT GOD HAS FOR YOU TO DO. JUST SAY YES!

INTRODUCTION: SERIES: FEAR IS NOT A FACTOR, BUT FAITH IS! YOUR LIMITATIONS ARE NOT A REASON TO BE FEARFUL!

JEREMIAH 1:6-9

6 “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” 7 The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 8 And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” 9 Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth.”
He is known as the “weeping prophet” crying about the disobedience of God’s people, idolatry, the greed of the priests, and false prophets. His name means “appointed by God”! He is a man who was able to endure some cruel punishment for speaking the truth, words given to him directly by God. 
Jeremiah said that the word of the Lord came to him. Saying, before I formed you in the womb I knew you before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. Amen! Long before we were thought about it, God was making plans for our lives. When we feel discouraged or inadequate, we have to remember that God has a purpose for our lives. Jeremiah was appointed by God, and if you are a Christian you are too.  To be appointed means to be put in an office in order to function fully and accomplish a task. It also means to be “put in charge” it means to be assigned, designated or selected, for a specific task. We as Christians have a specific task to accomplish and that task is to do whatever God has commanded you to do.
Jeremiah 1:17-18- God tells Jeremiah “Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them! He told him “Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land against the kings of Judah, its officials, the priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you. Declares the Lord.
Most of us struggle with challenges, because we lack self-confidence, feel that we’re inadequate, don’t have the ability, the training, or even experience to be successful at what God has told us to do. We don’t know what we are capable of, Bible God does. Haven’t y'all heard the phrase, given to right circumstances, we’re capable of doing anything. That’s normally a negative exhortation. In the same sense, with God, you have the ability to do anything. Don’t y'all know that all things are possible when God is involved? We should not allow the feeling of inadequacy to keep us from obeying God’s command. If God gives you a task, know that He has already provided all you need to accomplish it. God has touched you in a special way, He has enabled you to do things unbelievable to man, so he can get all the glory.
 
SCRIPTURES TO LIVE BY:

Jeremiah 20:11- But the Lord stands beside me like a great warrior. Before Him, my persecutors will stumble. They cannot defeat me. They will fail and be thoroughly humiliated. Their dishonor will never be forgotten.”

Deuteronomy 18:18- “I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything I command him.”

NEXT WEEK, WE WILL CONTINUE THE SERIES: FEAR IS NOT A FACTOR, BUT FAITH IS! FEAR DOES NOT STOP THE FAVOR OF GOD IN YOUR LIFE!

Next week read LUKE 1:26-38

REMEMBER MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS, IT TAKES G

Remember my sisters and brothers, it takes GRACE TO MAKE IT!

IT IS THE ONLY WAY: YOUR FAITH IN CHRIST IS NECESSARY. WHEN YOU ACCEPT CHRIST AS YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR, YOU RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT INTO YOUR HEART THAT PRODUCES UNIMAGINABLE CHANGES AND A UNDESCRIBABLE POWER TO DO THE WORK THAT GOD HAS FOR YOU TO DO. JUST SAY YES!

INTRODUCTION: SERIES: FEAR IS NOT A FACTOR, BUT FAITH IS! SOMETIMES WE JUST HAVE TO DO IT AFRAID!

Esther 4:10-16

10 Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, 11 “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.” 12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

There are great lessons we can gain from Esther, one is that she understood the power of waiting with integrity and knowing there is a time to be quiet and a time to speak up.

God is still in control and His plan will come to pass even if Esther doesn’t do her part. We have to understand, God is always in control, and our disobedience won’t change God’s faithfulness and plan for our lives. God is sovereign!

An important factor of a community of believers is mutual support in difficult times. When we are experiencing struggles in our life, we should turn to fellow Christians for support by sharing our trials with them and gaining strength from the bond that unites us. 

Even though Esther was the queen and shared some of the king’s power, she still needed God’s protection and wisdom to save her people. (James 5:16) “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” No one is secure in his or her own strength. It’s foolish to even think that wealth or your position can make you invulnerable to dangerous trials in your life. Deliverance only comes from God, and Esther knew that if they were going to survive, then they needed God to move in this situation.

When we are facing a difficult or dangerous situation, we must have the faith to move forward. Like Esther, we have to count the cost…not only was her life on the line, but her people’s lives were on the line. Sometimes God uses us for the benefit of others. Esther believed that the safety of the people was more important than her own life. In the midst of adversity, sometimes we need to make ourselves seen.

SCRIPTURES TO LIVE BY:

JEREMIAH 29:11-12/NLT- 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen.

 LAMENTATIONS 3:37-38/NLT-37 Who can command things to happen without the Lord’s permission? 38 Does not the Most High send both calamity and good? 

NEXT WEEK, WE WILL CONTINUE THE SERIES: FEAR IS NOT A FACTOR, BUT FAITH IS! YOUR LIMITATIONS ARE NOT A REASON TO BE FEARFUL!

Next week read JEREMIAH 1:6-9

REMEMBER MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS, IT TAKES GRACE TO MAKE IT

Remember my sisters and brothers, it takes GRACE TO MAKE IT!