Sunday Words of Encouragement September 18, 2016

We had a great Sunday School lesson this morning which gave a fresh perspective on the ten commandments as given to show God’s people how to live and stay free. I plan to share that summary in the future.

Our worship was strong leading into a good Sermon and Communion. Pastor continued the “BE” series this morning with “BE Changed”.


He noted how bad habits always pop up even when we try to remove them. But, in practice, we are not good at changing habits. “They” say it takes 17 days to form a good habit but we all know that it only takes a moment to fall back into old, bad habits.

We serve a God who specializes in changing people. It is clear we need help to change. How does change happen? Paul tells the believers: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17. We are changed through Jesus, but we must be prepared for the battle that follows because it is an ongoing struggle. The battle is fought not just day by day but moment by moment. We cannot succeed in our own strength; our will power is just not enough. We need to call upon the power of the Holy Spirit to change and to live a changed life. Galatians 5:17-23.

Only by living in the Spirit can we win and produce fruits of the Spirit. (Verse 16 and verse 25.)
Steps we can take: Read the Word. Pray. Praise and worship. Set boundaries. Turn off negatives and distractions. Delete apps and banish thoughts that would lead us back into bad habits.

When the church body lives this way, there is harmony. We focus together to fight the true enemy. We seek to help the wounded instead of hurting them. Let the church be a beacon to the community and those seeking change. Be filled with the Spirit to accept the gift of change.

This is one of our praise songs which fits with the message today:

I Won’t Go Back

A Verse for Today:
Galatians 2:20 (NIV)
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

I love how the Sunday School message and the Sermon were supportive of each other. I pray that I will allow the Holy Spirit to control all moments of my life. I have assurance that this is where I find abundant joy and peace.

Sunday Words of Encouragement February 23, 2014

Our Pastor's message this morning.was on our attitude towards money and particularly on tithing. He doesn't often speak on giving but every once in a while he encourages the congregation to an attitude of cheerful giving. He reminded us that it isn't money itself that is evil but "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" Timothy 6:10. Some people claim they don't have enough money to give any to the church. But the mature Christian knows that all his or her needs will be met only when God is honored with the first fruits of what He gives us.

My husband and I were blessed to have learned this lesson early in our marriage. We both agreed that we should tithe and God has continually provided all that we needed. There were lean times when we couldn't go to McDonald's for dinner, but we never went hungry. We did have to learn to surrender control of certain possessions in order to allow God to use what we had. It was then we recognized that everything we have -- all money, all talents, all possessions -- belongs to God. We are just stewards here on earth of the gifts He has given. He allows us to keep ninety percent of what He has given to us and only asks for a return of ten percent to further His kingdom. We have learned also that He is generous to pour out blessings when we share what we have. It is a beautiful thing and we are glad to give Him the praise!

This morning we sang this song as a new praise song.
I hope you enjoy it as I did.

Verses For Today:
Malachi 3:8-10 (NIV)
8 "Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you robbed me. "But you ask, 'How are we robbing you?'
"In tithes and offerings.  9 You are under a curse--your whole nation-- because you are robbing me.
10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."


A prayer today: Thank you Heavenly Father for always meeting our needs and for blessing us greatly beyond mere needs. Keep us mindful to help others by sharing what you have so graciously allowed us to be stewards of. May our faithful tithes and giving bless Your kingdom.