Put Your Faith to Work (1)

'...Your faith has made you well.' Luke 17:19 NKJV

Good morning,
Amy and I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Back to work for many of you and the team at CFW as well. Next week we start our week of prayer and I hope that you will sign up to pray this Sunday for the various needs of the church and those in your lives. We will have the church open each night for one hour for you to come and pray with Thursdays time a special prayer walk setup in the fellowship hall that will help you reflect even further with God. This morning we look at how to put your faith to work.

We become so engrossed in what we see, feel and hear, that we operate within our natural senses rather than our spiritual ones. 'Through your faith, God is protecting you by His power.' (1 Peter 1:5 NLT) Your 'faith' is what activates the power of God. Before a stone becomes a diamond it's just carbon put under extremely high pressure. The Bible says, 'These trials will show that your faith is genuine.' (v7 NLT) Trouble not only places a demand on your faith, but reveals the depth of it. You don't really know much about your faith when your bills are paid, your body is healthy, your children are acting right and your marriage is intact. But when all hell is breaking loose and you trust God to bring you through it, you know you've got faith. Sometimes we think we're doing better spiritually than we are. But often the enemy has not ceased to attack, he's just moved from doing it in the natural realm to doing it in the spiritual realm. He's attacking your mind, your rest, your peace, your emotions and your thought life. So what can you do? Lift up the shield of faith and stop his flaming arrows. Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and use it to drive him back. (See Ephesians 6:17.) Put your faith to work. Say, 'Enough is enough,' and begin to take back what the enemy has stolen from you. For that's your right as a child of God!

The truth of the Virgin Birth

'The virgin will...give birth to a son...' Matthew 1:23 NIV

Good Morning and Merry Christmas!

I hope you will join us this Sunday as we celebrate together this Christmas season...There will be fellowship after service so please bring some Christmas cookies to share. My message Sunday is out of Isaiah 9 looking at the names given to Christ that were fortold 700 years before His birth. In Matthew 1:23 Heaven announced the birth of Jesus in these words: 'The virgin will...give birth to a son, and...call Him Immanuel-which means, 'God with us.' Isn't it ironic that the first people to question the miracle of the virgin birth were religious leaders? The Pharisees said to Jesus, 'We were not born of fornication...' (John 8:41 NKJV) Their insinuation was clear and cruel. After all, Jesus couldn't point to Joseph and say, 'He's my father.' Understand this: Jesus had to be man in order to die, and He had to be God in order to save. You are the child of an earthly father, so you were 'born in sin'. But Jesus was the child of a heavenly Father, so He broke the genetic cycle of sin before He was born. In the Old Testament a sacrificial lamb had to be without blemish (birth defect) or spot (something picked up along the way). Since Jesus had neither inherited sin nor practiced sin, He qualifies as '...the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.' (John 1:29 NAS) The virgin birth is true because: (a) The angel of the Lord announced it (Matthew 1:20); (b) Mary's husband-to-be accepted it (Matthew 1:24); (c) Elizabeth, her cousin, received it by divine revelation (Luke 1:41-42); (d) The story was written by a well-respected medical doctor who knew the character of all concerned: '...since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you...that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.' (Luke 1:3-4 NIV) Christmas is a fact, not a feeling....Merry Christmas to all!

Don't Be Afraid of Failure (3)

'A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again...' Proverbs 24:16 NKJV

Good Morning,
Its getting close to Christmas. Can you hear the sounds of those who are in Need? I hope you can and will make someones Christmas a awesome one...
The Psalmist wrote: 'Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your Word.' (Psalm 119:67 NKJV) By doing it the wrong way, he eventually learned to do it the right way. The truth is, when you fail in one area, it can drive you to explore other areas. Most of life's successes are based on the principle of trial and error. Often failure is not falling short of your goal, it's simply not making the effort. Failure can actually help you discover your area of success. For example, when you hate your job you will likely fail in it. Yet it's in losing that hated position that you may be pressed to pursue what you really like to do, and are called to do. Another benefit of failure is that it makes you less judgmental of others. When you've experienced failure you become more sympathetic. Instead of pointing an accusing finger, you see the need to extend a helping hand. Instead of saying foolish things like, 'I can't believe you did that,' you remember the pit God dug you out of and say with gratitude and humility, 'Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.' You know how it hurts to fail, and you feel their pain because of what you've been through. This makes you a better friend, a better mentor and a better example of grace. Jesus told Peter: '...Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.' (Luke 22:31-32 NKJV)

Don't Be Afraid of Failure (2)

'A righteous man may fall seven times and rise again...' Proverbs 24:16 NKJV

Good Morning,
Continuing in Proverbs 24; Star baseball players only hit the ball about three out of every ten times. How do they live with such a high failure rate? By focusing on the law of averages. They know that if they just keep swinging the bat, they'll get on base. In 1952 Roger Bannister ran in the Olympics and finished in fourth place, failing to win any kind of medal. But he refused to quit. Up until this time many experts considered it humanly impossible to run the mile in under four minutes. Yet that was Bannister's goal. And on 6 May 1954, he became the first man to do it. Now runners do it regularly. What's the point? If you refuse to quit when you fail, you'll ultimately succeed. You just have to be willing to get back up and keep moving forward. In 1832 Abraham Lincoln was defeated for the State Legislature. In 1833 he failed in business. In 1835 his sweetheart died. In 1836 he had a nervous breakdown. In 1838 he was defeated for Illinois House Speaker. In 1843 he was defeated for nomination to Congress. In 1854 he was defeated for the US Senate. In 1856 he was defeated for nomination for Vice President. In 1858 he was defeated again in a US Senate race. But today he is considered one of America's greatest presidents. A wise man concluded: 'It's a mistake to suppose that people succeed only through success; they often succeed through failures.' And you're not defeated until the past takes your focus off the future. So don't be afraid of failure. Jesus was considered a failure and yet the greatest gift ever given was through Him!

Trials

''Consider it all joy...when you encounter various trials.'' James 1:2

Good Morning,
Many of us have things happen to us every day or every week that challenges our faith. James shows us how to overcome the challenge when he writes: 'Consider it all joy...when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance...that you may be perfect and complete' (vv. 2-4 NAS). Peter writes: '...don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you' (1 Peter 4:12 NLT). Trials are the common thread that unites us. When you get through with one, chances are there's another one coming up the road. That's why James didn't say, 'if,' but 'when you encounter...trials.' Observe: 1) Trials come in various categories. They're physical, emotional, financial, and relational; it's not a one-size-fits-all deal. Some are shocking, like the unexpected loss of a loved one; others are more drawn out, like an acrimonious divorce or a prolonged illness. Some play out in public while others take place in your own private hell. Some are due to your own, or other people's mistakes; others have nothing whatsoever to do with human shortcomings. 2) Trials test our faith. They bring us back to basics and remind us where our priorities should lie. One Bible teacher says, 'During...intense trials I go back to...what I really believe...elementals such as prayer and dependence...getting quiet and waiting on God. Trials...force us back to the bedrock of faith upon which our foundation rests, and this becomes a refining and necessary process.' 3) Trialsmature us. When we're suffering there's a tendency to try to look for the quick way out. Don't do that. Trials are designed to make us 'complete.' By letting them do their work, you end up stronger.

Moving On to Maturity (1)

'Let us go on...and become mature...' Hebrews 6:1 TLB
Good Morning,

Amy & I made it back safely from our trip to Seattle yesterday. Thanks for all your prayers. As we get older we begin to mature and catch ourselves sometimes thinking job well done or I might need work in that area. Spiritually, some of us haven't grown up. 'You...ought to be teaching others, but instead you...need someone to teach you...until you become...mature...' (Hebrews 5:12-6:1 TLB) Just as there are signs of physical growth, there are hallmarks of spiritual maturity like the ones mentioned in 1 Peter 3:8 AMP: (1) 'Be...united in spirit.' Now unity isn't the same as uniformity where everybody has to think alike or even unanimity where we have to agree about everything. Unity is focusing on what unites us, instead of the petty issues that divide us. (2) 'Sympathising with one another.' The Greek interpretation of the word sympathy is 'to feel for' others. 'When [they're] happy, be happy with them...when they are sad, be sad.' (Romans 12:15 CEV) When you become more concerned about others than you are about yourself, you're starting to mature. (3) 'Loving each other.' We all need friends to love and support us. The president of Taylor University said one of his greatest hopes is to end up with eight friends who'll attend his funeral without once checking their watches! (4) 'Be...compassionate.' In a high-tech age it's easy to tune out those in need. When Jesus saw people, '...He felt compassion...because they were distressed and dispirited...' (Matthew 9:36 NAS) Hurting people touched His heart, and they should touch ours too. (5) 'Be...humble.' Charles Swindoll says, 'Look for opportunities to give...to build up rather than tearing down, to serve rather than being served, to learn from others rather than clamoring for the teaching stand.' So, how are you doing so far?

Learn to Delegate

'This job is too heavy...to handle all by yourself.' Exodus 18:18 NLT Good Morning, I hope and pray that as your day goes on God gives you directed opportunites to minister in His name. This morning we are looking at Delegating. President Reagan said, 'Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere.' Yet in our eagerness to please God we take on responsibilities that are 'too heavy...to handle all by [ourselves].' Moses was spending every waking minute listening to complaints from long lines of people. Finally his father-in-law said, 'You're going to wear yourself out-and the people, too,' and advised him to appoint capable leaders to 'help...carry the load.' (Exodus 18:22 NLT) It was a win-win solution; the people got help faster, and Moses became a better leader. Henry and Richard Blackaby write: 'One of our greatest challenges...is determining what God doesn't want us to do! We love God, we love His people, and we see many needs. But sometimes good intentions cause more harm than good...When you become aware of a need, don't automatically assume God wants you to meet it. The only reason to perform ministry is when God clearly tells you it's His will. If you're overwhelmed...you're probably doing more than God asked. Pray about the assignments you take on, so you don't rob yourself and others of God's best.' Jon Walker adds: 'Imagine if God created you to be the Michelangelo of this age but you stayed so busy doing all kinds of things-good things-that you never got around to painting and sculpting. You'd end up missing the best because you got distracted chasing the good. What a disappointment...for God...and all the people who would have been blessed if you'd stayed focused on your original purpose.' Learn to delegate. But never use this as a exuse to do nothing. Release the burdens God never meant you to carry, and focus on what He called you to do.