Valley View Baptist Church

This evening Pastor Justin went over a list of ways that every church member, whether you are a member of Valley View or elsewhere, can help their church. Maybe you're not a member of a church and are searching for a church home. Take note of these ten things you can do and you will make any Pastor a very happy one with your willingness to help your church.

We all know that life is full of ups and downs. Some days you are standing firm on the mountaintop, far away from the struggles of yesterday. On other days, you find yourself deep in the valley, overcome with burdens and trails. But we can all take comfort in knowing that God is just as present and involved in the valley as He is on the mountaintop.

Things don't just happen. Both your burdens and your blessings are purposeful events. Every action has a reaction. Everything is either ordered or allowed by the Lord. But rest assured that there is a reason for it all.

Think about this; without the famine, which lead to the death of Elimelech, Naomi and Ruth would have never been introduced to Boaz. Ruth would have never married him, and the lineage that led to the Lord Jesus would have been changed.

They were facing a burden, for a reason, that led to the greatest blessing the world has ever known.

The book of Mark describes a scene in which Herod is presented with a dancer, his step-daughter, who pleased the king so much that he said to her "Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee." She consulted with her mother, Herodias, the Queen, who said to ask of him the head of The Voice of Repentance, John the Baptist.

The Holy Spirit is our voice of repentance today. It is that feeling of conviction within the hearts of the believer that lets them know when they have sinned against God. It is that voice of repentance that tries to warn us when we are presented with our own tempting dancer. Maybe your dancer is drugs, alcohol, an affair, pornography, etc, etc, etc.

The devil crafts dancers of temptation in all our lives. But there is a price to pay for dancing with dancer. It can cost you your family, your job, your ministry, your freedoms, even your life. But it can also cause you something even scarier; to never head the voice of repentance again, cut off from communication with the Lord...

Walk away from the dancer and stop the dance.

Our lives are hectic. We are all on the go so much, running ourselves ragged. There's work, school, church, ballgames, recitals, meetings, budgets, bills due, etc, etc, etc. As a society, we are on the go so much that a family meal around the dinner table has become a rarity and take-out has become the norm. Our noses are buried in our phones, iPads, and video games. We are so busy that we are losing abilities in our life.

Do not get so busy doing life that you lose the ability to connect socially, just be still, or connect spiritually. Find pleasure in His presence!