VITAL

Please hear me this morning. Show kindness to your spouse. Watch your words. Watch your tone, and watch your body language. Show kindness, because your spouse is a gift from the Lord and that is so special. Love makes requests, not demands. When I demand things from my spouse, I become more like a parent talking to a child. A parent tells the child what to do. If you want to drain your spouse’s love tank then be demanding. Asking or making a request is essential in having humble words in marriage…

I listened with great anticipation about his actual death experience, and have asked Pastor Darren Milton to be with us this morning, share his testimony, his lessons learned from coming back from the death encounter and getting a second chance on life. So with that, I want to give this man plenty of time to share his story this morning…

This time of year we’ll often make New Year’s resolutions. We’ve all done it. Examples of New Year’s resolutions are things like quit smoking, lose weight, get out of debt. These are multiple things that people say when they make a new year’s resolution, only to have the New Year’s resolution fail by the end of the week. And that is that is sad. I’m not high on New Year’s resolutions, and I’m going to share with you about that a little bit more this morning.

I believe that 2020 has great promise for everyone. It’s all in the way that you look at it. Some people have a word given to them each year. And that’s a good thing. And I believe that can be helpful, as you see. And you look for the new word, what is the word that God has given you…

The Holy Spirit moved him to go to the temple. So he goes, he sees the salvation, and then he gives a prophetic word. Now, I love this and let’s read this real quick what he has to say to Mary, Jesus parents were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon bless them and said to Mary, the baby’s mother, this child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be the joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed and a sward will pierce your very soul…

Jesus is present with God in the beginning in creation itself. As I said before, God is the architect, the designer, but Jesus is the builder and is there with God as He speaks it into existence. Like it says in Revelation 1:8, Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and end of creation. His Word reveals God’s heart and mind to us as he spoke things simply into existence itself. You see, no busy-ness in the words of God’s creation. Matter of fact, you see no words given to time itself. The beginning of creation of God Himself always existed. Now that’s hard to to wrestle with, isn’t it this morning to think that time itself has no existence? No time can hold him. Neither does creation itself. It all started in the first five verses in the book of John. It says the word gave life to everything that was created. So why do we think about this for a second? Why do we allow ourselves to get so busy in life? I think the devil, or the darkness itself has a perfect strategy to keep us busy, and in which we become busy and too busy for God…

You’ll notice that God didn’t send an angel to important religious people first, not the wealthy, nor to the what I would call the well educated or learned men. No, he went straight to the shepherd’s he knew that these men would appreciate and love his son, these men would be in time to be the first to get that glimpse of the Savior of the world and before ever changed and their lives. And I always find it so interesting how God always goes to those that are the unnoticed the obscurity of people themselves and shows his radiance, his glory, and gives them an opportunity to know that they’re loved and they’re very cared for…

The Lord is my pacesetter. I shall not rush he makes me stop for quiet intervals, then he provides me with images of stillness, which restore my serenity. He leaves me in the way of affecting through calmness of mind and through guidance of peace. Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day, I will not fret for his presence is here. His faithfulness, his importance will keep me always in balance…

Here’s my question to you and to me this morning. What if we chose to make the Christmas season look different? What if our focus became more on family and those who don’t have as much. Taking time out of our busy schedule to read the Christmas to story to our loved ones? To share the love of Christ with someone who has lost hope. Care for widows or a widower. Serving at a homeless shelter. Ask Holy Spirit this morning to give you the heart of compassion in a way that you simply take time and you’re not too busy for Christmas.

Elijah has been following Elijah to become a leader, a prophet of God, a man who asks for a double portion of Elijah, not to be greater as a leader but to serve God in ways that will advance God’s kingdom in a mighty way. As we go older there are always people in which we we hope that will take our place. As we look in the mirror, what is the reflection that has been your life? How is it ending? And what are you doing in the preparation for that? And without a doubt, I can’t help but think of Elijah had a similar thoughts.

Our message today is titled, Facing the Enemy Head On. I like that kind of strategy. That’s probably why I’m so impacted with men like Elijah, John the Baptist and Joshua. Men who are not afraid of confrontation. Men who, as they would say, would take the bull by the horns and deal with issues and did not run from confrontation. In my own life of being both full time construction, and in full time ministry. Many times I face the enemy and his demonic forces. Many times it’s only by the God’s grace and the Holy Spirit’s power, have I been able to stand in those torn waters and again, I want to tell you, no person can stand against the enemy himself and the demonic forces without the power of the Holy Spirit.