COGWC Men's Ministry

Do Not Be Afraid

2012-02-11T10:10:00.000-05:00

A Beautiful Exchange

2012-02-11T10:07:00.000-05:00

Day After Day by Michael Davidson

2012-02-11T09:54:00.001-05:00

Life is such a mess, ain't it! Little babies just don't know what they're getting themselves into coming into this big ol' world. It seems so wonderful, you just lay there, people feed you, they hold you all day, they change you, you're basically just a little defenseless ball of skin and bones and everyone thinks you're just so cute. Then you grow up, and you go to school, and you deal with all these mean people. The world is mean, lemme tell ya. Then it gets worse, you go to middle school. I'd rather soak my wounds in lemon juice than have to deal with 13 and 14 year old kids all day. God bless those teachers. Then you graduate and its like the greatest feeling ever! Your life is done and over with now you're an adult and you don't have another problem in the world! Then you kinda gotta get a job and pay your bills. There's so many of them! Why does electricity cost so much!? And groceries!? Those are necessities in life! Is everybody's insurance this much? Laundry detergent is that much!! Are you kidding me!? How are you going to afford to go shopping for clothes? Its nothing like what you had expected. There's going to be curve balls thrown at you from all directions and there's going to be times you're going to have settle for a cheeseburger and fries when you were really craving steak and potatoes. There's not a lot you can count in life, but there is one thing that will never fail you. His name is Jesus. He has great things in store for you and I. Jeremiah 29:11 says ""Know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you future and hope."" The word of God promises us many things. If you're feeling down and out just pick up your bible and call on Him. He will never fail you. You serve a faithful God and if you serve Him faithfully that's exactly what He will be to you. Call upon Him and He will deliver. Take your troubles to the Lord and He will be there with open arms. In Psalm 91:15 He tells us ""He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him." Regardless of what you're going through or where you've been, Christ Jesus will be there with open arms to welcome you home. Life has a funny way of knocking you to your knees and when it does you're in the perfect position to pray. Luke 11:9 "So I say to you; Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." He's there to help, don't be afraid to ask for it. He will deliver great things to you. There's a lot of unexpected, unexplainable things that happen to us in life, but with Him, expect the expected; He won't let you down. Proverbs 23:18 "Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off."
http://hewhoisinme.blogspot.com

Don't Give In Now

2012-02-11T09:49:00.000-05:00

Our Father Gives

2012-02-11T09:47:00.000-05:00

God's Clock

2012-02-11T09:45:00.001-05:00

Endlessly

2012-02-11T09:44:00.001-05:00

Rev. Brad Stevens(Seems Right But Deadly)2-5-12

2012-02-08T11:15:00.005-05:00

Proverbs 3:5

2012-02-07T13:09:00.000-05:00

Lifeguard

2012-02-07T13:06:00.000-05:00

Pastor Joey Burns(Christ is All and in All)2-5-12

2012-02-07T08:55:00.006-05:00

A Good Fall

2012-02-06T09:08:00.000-05:00

He Love Me

2012-02-06T09:07:00.000-05:00

Opportunity

2012-02-01T10:50:00.000-05:00

No Appointment Needed

2012-02-01T10:49:00.001-05:00

Overcome

2012-02-01T10:48:00.000-05:00

Your Shadow

2012-02-01T10:40:00.000-05:00

Math Lesson

2012-02-01T10:38:00.000-05:00

Give Time to Him

2012-02-01T10:37:00.000-05:00

Trick

2012-02-01T10:35:00.000-05:00

Change

2012-02-01T10:29:00.000-05:00

Believing

2012-02-01T10:28:00.000-05:00

Proverbs 27:19

2012-02-01T10:20:00.001-05:00

Rev.Brad Stevens(A Rock in a Weary Land)1-29-12 Part 2

2012-01-31T13:04:00.010-05:00

Rev. Brad Stevens(A Rock in a Weary Land)1-29-12

2012-01-31T12:14:00.004-05:00

Pastor Joey Burns(Where Are You Going?)1-29-12

2012-01-30T13:50:00.004-05:00

And There Was.......

2012-01-30T10:06:00.002-05:00

The application of “light compared with darkness” appears in 1 John 1:5 which applies it to God and states: “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

Jesus also used that term to refer to his disciples in Matthew 5:14:

“ You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Follow

2012-01-27T06:55:00.000-05:00

Thank God

2012-01-27T06:49:00.000-05:00

Shine

2012-01-27T06:48:00.000-05:00

Get Closer

2012-01-27T06:38:00.000-05:00

Everything

2012-01-27T06:36:00.000-05:00

He Heals

2012-01-27T06:35:00.000-05:00

The Point

2012-01-27T06:34:00.000-05:00

Even When He is Silent

2012-01-27T06:31:00.000-05:00

Bro. Clay Bishop III(When Pools Become Rivers)1-25-12 Part 2

2012-01-27T06:20:00.004-05:00

Bro. Clay Bishop III(When Pools Become Rivers)1-25-12

2012-01-26T08:54:00.004-05:00

The Life of Moses-Part 4

2012-01-25T14:27:00.001-05:00

Moses led the Israelites through the wilderness, and God gave them manna and quails to eat, and water from rocks to drink. He also caused the Amalekites to lose in a battle. When Moses came to Mount Sinai, he went up to receive the Ten Commandments and other laws from God. The Ten Commandments were written by God on two tablets. God also told him the instructions of the priests' duties. Moses was up the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
When the people waited for Moses and did not find him, they made Aaron, his brother, make a calf out of gold and worshiped it. God warned Moses about it, and when Moses came down and saw what they did, he was so angry that the tablets fell and they smashed into pieces. The people of Levi tribes are commanded to kill people who worshiped the calf.

Later on Moses asked God to forgive the people. God wrote for Moses two more tablets, and put them in the Ark. Moses also asked craftsmen to make the Tabernacle as God wanted.

The Life of Moses-Part 3

2012-01-25T14:10:00.002-05:00

Moses then went to the Pharaoh and asked him to let the Israelites go. However the Pharaoh did not agree. Finally God inflicted ten plagues upon the Egyptians before Pharaoh agreed to release the Israelites. The last plague was the killing of all first-born, both human and animals. However, to save the Israelites, they were instructed to mark their doors with blood from a Lamb, which is an allusion to Jesus Christ shedding His blood to save mankind in the New Testament, so that the avenging angel would see it and know to "pass over" that house.

The Pharaoh finally decided to let the Israelites go who then migrated in large numbers from Egypt. The Pharaoh later changed his mind and followed Moses and his people with an army to attack them. But Moses made the Red Sea to part and give way for Israelites to pass. The Israelites were safe but the Pharaoh's army was destroyed.

The Life of Moses-Part 2

2012-01-24T21:29:00.003-05:00

Moses fled to Midian, where he married Jethro's daughter, Zipora. One day Moses was tending his father-in-law, Jethro's, sheep and came to Mount Horeb. God's angel made a bush burn with fire, but it did not burn up. When he came nearer, God spoke to him and ordered him to remove his shoes as he was on holy land. God commanded him to be a leader for the Israelites and bring them out of Egypt. At first Moses did not want to do it and said that he was not good with words, but God commanded him and gave Aaron, his brother, to speak for him. Moses returned to Egypt and told the elders what happened.

The Life of Moses-Part 1

2012-01-24T21:12:00.002-05:00

This month I've been intent on learning about the life of Moses, so that's why you're going to see a variety of posts' about him.

Moses was born of the Levi tribe. The new Pharaoh, afraid of the ever growing Israelite population, ordered every new-born Hebrew boy be thrown into the Nile, but let every girl live. Moses' mother Jochebed gave birth and kept him secret for three months. When she no longer could keep him hidden, she fashioned a basket lined with tar and pitch, and placed him in the reeds along the riverbank, while his sister Miriam kept watch from a distance. Coming to the Nile to bathe, a princess of the Pharaoh discovered the crying baby and noticed he was a Hebrew child. Joining the attendants, Moses' sister offered to find a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for the princess, who agreed. Bringing Moses' real mother, the princess asked her to be the baby's wet nurse, for which she was paid. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter, who named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water."

Moses grew up a privileged member of the court, being well educated academically and physically. A member of the Pharaoh's household saw him taught martial arts of the day, tactics and leadership. The Pharaoh sent him away to fight and returned with success, making him popular with the people.

Rev. Brad Stevens(Come Out of Her, My People)1-22-12 Part 2

2012-01-24T08:16:00.007-05:00

Rev. Brad Stevens(Come out of Her, My People)1-22-12

2012-01-24T07:56:00.008-05:00

Pastor Joey Burns(God First)1-22-12 Part 2

2012-01-24T07:11:00.001-05:00

Pastor Joey Burns(God First)1-22-12

2012-01-23T16:18:00.007-05:00

Be Bold By Michael Davidson

2012-01-23T13:03:00.000-05:00

My struggle with my faith isn't my faith. My struggle is being able to verbalize it. There's been times I've wrote blogs, and its not a struggle for me to do so, and I've gotten messages from people and had people come up to me and say "thank you for that." That feeling knowing that your words have touched someone, not necessarily to the point of salvation, but just got them more curious, makes your insides smile.1 Timothy 3:13 Those who do well as deacons will be rewarded with respect from others and will have increased confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus. A few months ago Brother Clay preached at church to be a good steward of the good deposit and I feel like I have been to an extent. I'm always inviting people to church, I'm always posting my blogs for everyone to see, I'm always in the prayer line at church for those who need it, but sometimes it takes more than that. I read my bible, granted sometimes it comes from www.crosswalk.com with my schedule, but regardless if its an electronic copy or on paper, its still the word of God and I make time for it. I'm no expert and I've not read it enough to know what chapter and verse my scripture can be found in but I know what it says and I know its there. When I find a good scripture that sticks out to me I post it on my blog (I started my own; hewhoisinme.blogspot.com if you would like to read it) The other day I posted a scripture I was reading from Matthew (7:21 - I couldn't remember it last night for the life of me) that says pretty much, just calling out the Lord's name isn't going to get you to Heaven. You have to do his work and serve him that way intended. A few weeks ago I was being prayed for and I let up. It wasn't until then that I realized how my shy, quiet actions really hinder my ability to serve the Lord. I made a promise to myself and to Him that day that I wouldn't let it happen anymore, and I haven't. Yesterday morning in church I had someone on my mind and I had this feeling to go pray for them. I wasn't sure if it was just me or if I should seriously get up from my seat and go over to them, so I ignored it. At last night's service that person was still on my mind and it wasn't just my mind. It was a message from God. I need to be more bold and confident in the messages I receive if I want to be able to deliver it to anyone else. I went to ask for prayer for boldness, for confidence, for the ability to find the words to speak but I couldn't find the words to ask for. I didn't know what to say, but I guess at that time I didn't need to because He did. I prayed through pretty good last night and I'm not gonna lie, my knees will probably still crumble, my voice will probably still shake, I'll have sweaty palms but I'll say it anyway. If I want to be that good steward of the good deposit I can't let my fear of all eyes on me paralyze me. Sometimes all eyes have to be on you in order to get your message across. When I got home last night I had an e-mail from one of the youth members at church saying she has been there for 3 years and she's wanted more than anything to be bold and serve Him with confidence. Just remember her, remember me, and God bless. Deuteronomy 31:6 "So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you."

Moses

2012-01-23T12:10:00.000-05:00

Moses parted the Red Sea to free his people and brought them the Ten Commandments on stone tablets. His story appears early in the Bible and is filled with miracles and talks with God. At his birth, the Hebrews, descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel), are slaves to Egypt's king (Pharaoh) who has ordered newborn males killed. Moses' mother hides him in a papyrus basket among the Nile's reeds; Pharaoh's daughter finds him, takes pity and adopts him. He flees as a young man, but God appears to him in a burning bush years later and sends him back with his brother, Aaron, to demand the Israelites' release. Plagues arrive, the Hebrews escape, and Egypt's army drowns in the Red Sea. A wilderness sojourn follows, in which God, through Moses, makes a covenant with the Hebrews and lays out rites of worship and laws of communal and personal behavior. At age 120, Moses dies by God's decree just before the people enter the land known in recent centuries as Palestine and Israel.

I Believe

2012-01-22T07:54:00.000-05:00

Ups and Downs

2012-01-21T10:31:00.000-05:00

?

2012-01-21T10:22:00.000-05:00

No Other Name

2012-01-21T10:21:00.000-05:00

ASK

2012-01-21T10:20:00.000-05:00

Reality

2012-01-21T10:19:00.000-05:00

According To Your Word

2012-01-20T08:21:00.000-05:00

Set Free

2012-01-20T08:19:00.000-05:00

Sometimes

2012-01-19T22:13:00.001-05:00

God I Pray....

2012-01-19T22:10:00.002-05:00

Bro. Larry Howard(From the Pit To The Palace)1-18-12

2012-01-19T22:04:00.003-05:00

Chapters

2012-01-18T11:26:00.000-05:00

Never

2012-01-18T09:14:00.001-05:00

No Other

2012-01-18T08:49:00.000-05:00

Richly Rewarded

2012-01-17T20:28:00.000-05:00

Great Gain

2012-01-17T20:14:00.000-05:00

This is the Day the Lord Has Made

2012-01-17T10:19:00.001-05:00

Sufficient

2012-01-17T08:15:00.000-05:00

Rev. Brad Stevens(It Depends)1-15-12

2012-01-16T22:53:00.008-05:00

Forgive. Love. By Michael Davidson

2012-01-16T09:57:00.001-05:00

There's always that one person. Always. It never fails. When you're having the greatest day imaginable, when everything is going your way, when the day has been tailor made to fit your plans, there's always that one person who is there to bring you down. There's always that person who is so negative and spiteful with the inability to just be happy for you. Its true what they say, misery loves company. If you allow yourself to be miserable, you will be. Sure, we're only human and we all have our bad days, but its all in perception. You can complain about all the things that's went wrong in your life or you can praise the fact that you have the ability to know when its right. My pastor was preaching a message Sunday morning about how he made visits and in one room there was someone who didn't want him around but in the next they were welcoming him with open arms. Its so true. There's always going to be those people who try to break you down, but there's strength in God. Its our job as Christians to not be that negative person. Its our job to heal a broken heart, its our job to be that encouraging word. I'm not going to be that negative person. I refuse to let myself be the one that ruins someone else's day. And I refuse to let someone else ruin my day. We were forgiven and we need to forgive. If someone is trying to bring you down, instead of being drug down to their level, yank them up on yours. If you see someone having a bad day, lighten their load. If someone has hurt you, get over it. Forgive them. Move on. You can't move forward and be the person God wants you to be when you're still dwelling over the past. You were forgiven. Forgive. You are loved. Love.
Posted at http://hewhoisinme.blogspot.com/

Pastor Joey Burns(Nail Your Feet To The Floor)1-15-12

2012-01-16T09:45:00.006-05:00

Pics by Amanda Jones

Do You Want To Get Well?

2012-01-16T08:14:00.004-05:00

"Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for a feast of the Jews. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" "Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me." Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked."

Let's start by covering the vs 4 controversy. The KJV and other old translations include a verse 4 which is an explanation as to why all the disabled people were laying around this pool of water…'because whoever was first in the water after an angel stirred it, would be healed. Discoveries of numerous older and more reliable manuscripts of this chapter happened after the KJV was written. These manuscripts do not include vs 4. Most, nearly all, Biblical translation scholars agree that vs 4 was later added by a scribe to further explain the story. Moral: The Bible, in its original writing, is God's perfect Word. Not every translation reflects the original writing. Still, all the differences are listed in a book about the size of a giant print deck of cards, and all those differences are in areas of minor significance.

Assuming the explanation in vs four is accurate, and everyone was there waiting for an angel to stir the water so they could be healed, why would Jesus ask such a strange question? "Do you want to get well?" 'Of course he does!' we all yell back to the Bible. 'Why would he be there if he didn't want to get well?' Is it possible Jesus knew something we don't? Very! First of all, we all know of people who profess to want help out of their circumstance, but really want help to stay in it.

Jerusalem had only 12 gates to get in and out of the city. It was during one of the feasts or celebrations to the Lord when people came from miles around. There was lots of traffic at the gate. A disabled person could receive lots of money from rich people fulfilling their religious duty as they pass by. We don't know if the paralytic was actually begging that day, but in those days begging was the only way a disabled person could survive. If he did manage to get along well on the generosity of others it would be a good reason not to want healing.

Another reason would be the problems being healed would cause. In business school they teach, "every solution causes problems." It's true! I saw a movie, recently, called "At First Sight". It was the story of a man who had been blind his whole life. His sister, being the good co-dependant she was, had 'sacrificed' much of her life to be his support system. They lived in a small town he had memorized. He had a good way to make money, and everything was fine, until he fell in love with a sighted woman who became bent on 'fixing' him. She introduced him to a surgeon who gives him his sight, and that's when the trouble starts. I'd never thought about this before, but having sight all-of-a-sudden after 30 years of blindness would be quite a shock to your mind. He was thrown into serious shock. He's still disabled because he doesn't know how to drive and he's used to people doing things for him, his whole life becomes one huge mess all because he was "healed".

Our man was paralyzed for 38 years. Think how long that is. It takes less than half that long to go from being inside you mother to a legal responsible, functioning (hopefully) grown up. If you didn't have your legs for 38 years and then got them, how would that change your life? His survival depended on people helping him, giving him food, doing things for him, giving him money. After he was healed, he'd be expected to earn his own food (with no training), do his own things, make his own money. The handouts would be gone. There would be the pressure of society to get married and have children. There were a lot of reasons for him to not want to be healed.

The Wrong Answer: "I have no one to help me…"

Was this an answer to Jesus' question? Was the paralytic saying he wanted to be healed, or not? Was the man suggesting Jesus wait with him until the angel stirred the water, then throw him in? I think not! The two things this non-answer suggests is the paralytic didn't know Who he was talking to and didn't have any faith he would be healed. This, of course, flies in the face of some false teachings going around about our faith somehow being able to force God to comply with our wishes. But, the man's answer sounds an awful lot like those "will work for food" people. We get addicted to our weaknesses and disabilities. Our discomfort becomes comfortable once everything in our life is ordered around it. It's then easier for us to see how we can't be healed or how that healing can't really improve anything than to see what the healing really is.

The paralytic could have been coming from the town known as Excusiopolis, by the river De'Nial. Having becoming comfortable with his sickness, the healing looked like a bigger problem. What saved him was Jesus confronting the excuses with His miraculous power, and saying:

3. The Decision: "Pick up your mat and walk."
This direction from Jesus forced the paralytic to make a decision. 'Strange, it was, it seemed like this Jesus fellow could heal me, would heal me, if I just did what he said.' The paralytic seems to testify to us, 'I knew at that very moment, if I didn't follow His direction to walk, I could no longer blame chance or fate for my life. I could no longer ask for pity, because my future was in my hands.' It's like Jesus was telling him 'I'm not going to help you live in weakness when you can live in my strength'.

Jesus asked the paralytic a question that has rung out almost 2,000 years and has now come to you and I. Do you want to get well? If we do, we must be willing to stop living in Excusiopolis, near the river of De' Nial. We must open ourselves up to a new life, one that includes the power of God over our weakness sickness and sin. If we do, we'll be willing, just like the paralytic, to pick up our mat and walk.

Lord, we stand here before you as weak, broken, sick, sinful people. We admit we're utterly unable to heal ourselves. We open ourselves to your healing power and accept the changes your healing will make in our lives. We know this will open us up to new problems we've never faced or imagined before and we trust you to be there with us, carrying us through to your glorious kingdom in Christ Jesus. Thank you for healing us.

End of the Age

2012-01-14T20:12:00.000-05:00

God Knows

2012-01-14T20:10:00.000-05:00

Take Heart

2012-01-14T20:02:00.000-05:00

It's Limitless

2012-01-14T20:01:00.000-05:00

Tim Tebow-Standing Up For What He Believes, On His Knees.

2012-01-14T09:56:00.004-05:00

Something that happened to me early on in the week led me to the idea of this post. While out for dinner one evening at a local restaurant our food had arrived at our table and upon taking hands and finishing grace I looked up to see two individuals laughing in our direction. It bothered me as I sat there but it also got me to thinking about all the hoopla surrounding Tim Tebow at the moment. Sometimes we will be laughed at for what we believe in but, it is also leading a lot of people to ask questions about faith. But let me assure you all. This is all good. Romans 8:28 says that in all things God is working for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. From all we can tell, Tim Tebow is a child of God. It would be seriously difficult for someone who isn't sold on his faith to make such a stand in the face of tremendous opposition. Obviously, I don't know his heart, but I can observe just like the rest of you.

1 Peter 3:15-16 says.
"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."

What a View!

2012-01-14T09:44:00.000-05:00

But

2012-01-13T23:28:00.000-05:00

Obey

2012-01-13T21:04:00.000-05:00

Something Else

2012-01-13T21:03:00.000-05:00

To Fall, To Seek, & To Find

2012-01-12T21:51:00.001-05:00

To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances; To seek him, the greatest adventure; To find him, the greatest human achievement.

Galatians 6:9

2012-01-12T20:05:00.000-05:00

Listening

2012-01-12T20:00:00.000-05:00

A Little and a Lot

2012-01-12T19:58:00.000-05:00

Lead Me To The Rock

2012-01-11T23:24:00.000-05:00

Psalm 107:19

2012-01-11T23:19:00.001-05:00

To Be...

2012-01-10T23:12:00.000-05:00

Everything

2012-01-10T22:56:00.000-05:00

Give It To Him

2012-01-10T21:20:00.000-05:00

Armor

2012-01-10T21:16:00.001-05:00

All

2012-01-10T07:59:00.000-05:00

Your Time Is Now! (Rev. Brad Stevens, Associate Pastor 1/8/12)

2012-01-09T23:01:00.008-05:00

Because They Know You

2012-01-09T23:00:00.002-05:00

A New Year & A Fresh Start (Rev. Joey Burns, Pastor 1/8/12)

2012-01-09T22:32:00.003-05:00

Photos by Michael and Brandy Davidson

God Promises to Renew Our Strength

2012-01-09T15:14:00.000-05:00

Discouragement is one of the best tools of the enemy to defeat us. All of us even the most gifted and strong men of God experienced discouragement from time to time. Nehemiah, one of the best leaders and motivators of all time taught us how to battle discouragement.

Let us consider some of the common causes of discouragement.

I. THE REASON (Neh. 4:1-12)

1. FATIGUE
Neh 4:10 …The strength of the labourers is giving out…

You simply get tired as the laborers did in Nehemiah 4:10. We’re human beings and we wear out. You cannot burn the candle at both ends. So if you’re discouraged, it may be you don’t have to change anything. You just need a vacation! Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is go to bed.

2. FRUSTRATION

Neh 4:10 …and there is so much rubble…

Nehemiah says there was rubble all around, so much that it was getting in the way of rebuilding the wall. Do you have rubble in your life? Have you noticed that anytime you start doing something new, the trash starts piling up? If you don’t clean it out periodically, it’s going to stop your progress. You can’t avoid it, so you need to learn to recognize it and dispose of it quickly so you don’t lose focus on your original intention. What is the rubble in your life? I think rubble is the trivial things that waste your time and energy and prevent you from accomplishing what God has called you to do.

3. FAILURE –

Neh 4:10 …that we cannot rebuild the wall.

Nehemiah’s people were unable to finish their task as quickly as originally planned and, as a result, their confidence collapsed. They were thinking, "We were stupid to think we could ever rebuild this wall." But you know what I do when I don’t reach a goal on time? I just set a new goal. I don’t give up. Everybody fails. Everybody does foolish things. So the issue is not that you failed - it’s how you respond to your failure. Do you give in to self-pity? Do you start blaming other people? Do you start complaining that it’s impossible? Or, do you refocus on God’s intentions and start moving again?

4. FEAR –

Neh 4:11 Also our enemies said, Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.

Neh 4:12 Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, Wherever you turn, they will attack us.

Nehemiah 4 suggests the people most affected by fear are those who hang around negative people. If you’re going to control the negative thoughts in your life, you’ve got to get away from negative people as much as you can. Maybe you’re discouraged because of fear. You’re dealing with fears like, "I can’t handle this. It’s too much responsibility." Maybe it’s the fear that you don’t deserve it. It’s the fear of criticism. Fear will destroy your life if you let it. But you can choose to resist the discouragement. Say, "God help me get my eyes off the problem - off the circumstance - and keep my eyes on you."

II. THE REMEDY (Neh. 4:13-23)

1. REINFORCEMENT

When discouraged, call the family of God for help

Neh 4:13 Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows.

Moses is the greatest leader, handpicked by God and yet he became suicidal.

Num 11:14 I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.
Num 11:15 If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now-- if I have found favour in your eyes-- and do not let me face my own ruin.

The Lord’s solution to his discouragement

Num 11:16 The LORD said to Moses: Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Make them come to the Tent of Meeting, that they may stand there with you.

Num 11:17 I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone.

You will not have to carry it alone! You need to delegate. We all need somebody to help and work with us.

2. REQUISITION

When discouraged, call on God through prayer

Neh 4:9 But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

Joshua is the greatest general, handpicked by God to lead Israel into the Promised Land but he felt like quitting after the defeat at Ai

Jos 7:8 What can I say, O Lord, now that Israel has retreated from the enemy?
Jos 7:9 The Canaanites and everyone else in the country will hear about it. They will surround us and kill every one of us! And then what will you do to protect your honor?"

During time of discouragement, Joshua talked to God and prayed. Prayer is the best antidote to discouragement.

3. REVITALIZATION

When discouraged, remember the Lord who is great and awesome. Find rest on God and be refreshed by his word and his presence

Neh 4:14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.

Elijah is the greatest prophet of Old Testament who is willing to challenge the idolatry of his day and called fire down from heaven, won a face off with prophets of Baal, but he requested for himself that he might die, and said, it is enough now, O Lord, take away my life!

1Ki 19:4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, "It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!"

God’s encouragement for him

1Ki 19:7 And the angel of the LORD came back the second time, and touched him, and said, "Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you."
1Ki 19:8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.

4. REPOSITION

When discouraged, reposition yourself from the position of doubt and defeat to the position of faith and victory. You can only do this through changing your stand. Stand on the word of God and not on your doubt.

Neh 4:16 From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armour. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah

Job - We talk about his patience and faith, and he was truly a great man…he had a great beginning and a great ending, but in-between, when he lost everything, he wished he had not been born, became suicidal, extremely depressed for a period of time!

Job 3:3 "Cursed be the day of my birth, and cursed be the night when I was conceived.

God’s Solution for Job

Job 42:10 When Job prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes. In fact, the LORD gave him twice as much as before!

Job changed his position too. From crying and complaining to praying for his friends

5. REFLECTION

When discouraged, reflect on God’s power and love. Look on God who will fight for us.

Neh 4:20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!

Jonah - He wanted God to kill him, and was spiritually depressed and not even happy for all the souls that just got saved in Nineveh! God gave him lesson – something to reflect so he can understand better.

Jon 4:10 Then the LORD said, "You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. And a plant is only, at best, short lived.

Jon 4:11 But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?"

Often times, our discouragement is due to our short foresight. Spending time in reflections and meditations of the word of God will help us so the God can illuminate our hearts and minds about his purposes and plans for our lives.

God promises to renew our strength and even take away our discouragements if we will just wait and reflect on God.

Isa 40:31 Yet, the strength of those who wait with hope in the LORD will be renewed. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and won’t become weary. They will walk and won’t grow tired.

Be Still

2012-01-07T23:22:00.003-05:00

“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10, NIV).

In this day and age, our culture has gotten used to having constant activity going on: computers, cell phones, television, email, video games. There’s nothing wrong with any of that stuff, but the Bible tells us that we need to stop and be still so we can focus on knowing God. I’ve found this to be true especially during the difficult times. When you are facing a challenge, it’s easy to want to run to a friend or talk about it with a co-worker, but at some point, you have to stop and say, “God, I rest in You. I know You have me in the palm of Your hand.”

Remember, our battles are spiritual battles. The people in your life aren’t the source of your problems, the forces of darkness are. When you choose to be still and know that the Greater One lives on the inside of you, you are putting yourself in a position of strength. So today, take time to be still before Him. Let His peace cover you. Let Him refresh you by His Spirit. Remember, the battles you face belong to the Lord. Be still before Him so you can see His hand of victory in every area of your life!

Christmas Day Morning Service

2012-01-05T16:32:00.012-05:00

Broken Vessels And An Established Kingdom (Bro. Clay M. Bishop III)

2012-01-04T23:25:00.005-05:00

2012-01-04T16:19:00.002-05:00

Do you ever feel like you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death? During the tough times, it’s easy to get to discouraged. I love what it says in the verse, “though I walk through…” No matter what you are facing today, know this: you are not alone, and you are just walking through. You don’t have to stop and live in the tough times. They are only temporary.

I encourage you today; don’t allow fear to paralyze you in the middle of “the valley of the shadow of death.” Remember, God is with you. He is walking beside you. He is strengthening you. He is making a way of escape for you. He is lining up people and situations to bring you out of that tough place into a place of strength and victory. Don’t give up! Press on and walk through! Begin to get a vision of your life on the other side. See yourself more loving, more faithful, stronger and more blessed than ever before. As you keep moving forward and walking through, you will get to the other side and experience the victory God has in store for you!

Project 300

2012-01-04T15:32:00.001-05:00

I Got The Real Thing By Michael Davidson

2012-01-03T07:49:00.004-05:00

I almost feel bad sometimes talking about all the wonderful things in my life because God has blessed me so much. Sure, I’ve had my share of bad times, we all have, but its all in perception. If you dwell on all the negatives all the positives are going to pass you right on by. Let me tell you; there’s a whole lot of positives there, you just have to take time to notice them. As I’m sure everyone knows my granny broke her shoulder in November and the hospital refused to keep her because it was “just a broken bone” and a break isn’t enough to keep someone admitted in the hospital. Back story on granny: she’s had numerous strokes in the past and so she’s numb on her left side, her only “working” arm so to speak is her right arm, the one she broke. The only way to give her the care and the rehab she needed was to admit her temporarily to a nursing home. (I promise there’s a positive side, bare with me.) A couple weeks ago Keta was preaching and she had started off her sermon with some scripture about the Phillippian prisoners, it caught my attention because the weekend before when I was visiting my mamaw, whose roommate is her aunt (a born again Christian who knows the bible like the back of her hand,) and they were talking about the Phillipian jailer. For those of you unfamiliar with it, read it (Acts 16 20-34) basically in short story – the prisoners get loose and the jailer asks what must I do to be saved, his answer; Believe on the lord and you and your household will be saved. Mamaw was telling me that she had given up on asking God to heal her body instead she’s just asked him to heal her soul. Some of my relatives who attend church on Curry Branch had come to the hospital to pray for her and when we were I could feel her body shaking under my hands. She had started crying after prayer the other day; I know its only a matter of time before God saves her. I feel it. He promised me my family, and I know He’s working on her. I know her being in that small cooped up room with my aunt Sophie who spends 23 & ½ hours of the day talking about the word of God is working on her. Her broken shoulder is truly a blessing in disguise. You can call me crazy if you want to, but God works in mysterious ways, you can dwell on the negatives all you like, but there’s a silver lining in it all. I choose to focus on that.There’s more to being saved and being a Christian than believing in Jesus and believing he died for your sins. Yes, believe, but also know right from wrong and don’t do wrong. Just because you believe in Him and know he’ll forgive you, don’t take advantage of Him. Many Christians today are satisfied with being saved and that’s all there is to it. You gotta read your word among other things also, I read mine a lot. My favorite is Luke. I haven’t read my bible front to back, or even every chapter yet, but I find myself reading and re-reading Luke a lot. As I’ve testified before I can relate to that of the prodigal son, so Luke caught my attention from the start. Now I’m not saying I don’t read anything but, I’m saying I find myself reading him often and my favorite scriptures can be found there. Luke 7 36-50 is about the woman who anoints Jesus’ feet. Its probably my favorite story in the whole bible (well of what I’ve read anyway) go read it, its great. Long story short, a sinful woman wet Jesus’ feet with her tears, anointed them, kissed them, and wiped them with her hair. A pharisee said “she’s a sinner” (I’m paraphrasing) and Jesus said well here she is kissing my feet, I came to your house and you didn’t do any of this. Because of her faith He forgave the woman of her sins. Be faithful in the lord. You may have been saved once before but that’s not enough. My sister came to church with me a while back and she got saved, then she gave up. She talks to me quite often about it and she’s changed so much, you can tell just by talking to her. She’s not so down on people so much anymore, she doesn’t cuss like a sailor anymore, but it takes more than that. Don’t get your feet in the door just to track mud all through the house. Don't give up. That great feeling you felt when you got saved, keep that feeling going for the rest of your life.

God has big things in store for me & my family in 2012. A couple months ago Morgan testified that she could feel the spirit moving in her, that she could feel it in her bones. I have that feeling. A mere prayer in church lately and my insides start shaking, I feel like they’re just going to jump out of my skin. I know its only a matter of time before I get the Holy Ghost and I can’t wait for it! We’ve got some amazing women in our church, we got some amazing men too, but the women especially. I hope that one day people look at me the way I look at Vicki & Teri (and a few others too Sandy, Ruth, Connie, Jean, Pam, Sharon, Keta, there’s a whole bunch of them- oh, & remember Sue in your prayers, she needs them) I don’t have a problem in the world with these blogs, or talking to people one on one, like I’ve said before. I know I’ve spent the first part of this talking about the two people in my family who mean the most to me, but there’s things I have to work on as well, not just for them. The bible says to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. That’s my problem. I don’t know why, again its not that I’m ashamed or embarrassed, its just I buckle under pressure and I become paralyzed with fear in front of large groups. This past Sunday morning the Holy Ghost spoke at our church and said He was coming sooner than you think. For the new year an anointing was prayed upon our pastor and a few other people in the church. My pastor reached out to me and my church prayed for me, like they were praying for everyone, and I felt the spirit moving all over me. I felt like my heart was gonna jump out of my chest, I was shaking from my core. This was it, if I didn’t let up I was going to take off a shoutin! I just knew it, and what happened… I let up. I don’t know why, I didn’t want to, I just did. I beat myself up over it all day long, and I still am. I’ve never been so disappointed in myself in my entire life. Right at the end, I felt someone anointing my feet and they came right off the floor and when they did, I opened my eyes and let up. Right when it really hit me. After service was over as soon as we got in the car Brandy said “you let up, I could tell.” I guess it was pretty obvious, though. I dropped her off at her mom’s and drove home to change for church that night and take our dogs out and I cried the whole way home. I felt like I had let God down, I let my pastor down, I let myself down. If God speaks to you, listen to Him. Don’t ignore it. I did on Sunday but I know he has new mercy for me and I promise I will never do it again. Next time when you’re reading one of my blogs hopefully it will be about how I got the Holy Ghost, because I can assure you, if the opportunity comes my way again, I won’t let up. Before church started Connie was testifying she wanted God to use her. It’s a new year, and that’s my vow to myself, I’m going to let God use me and do what He wants from me. Like I said, His presence was there that morning and He said He was coming soon, don’t wait for tomorrow, tomorrow may never come.

"The only way we'll ever stand is on our knees with lifted hands"

Bro. Jonathan Owens(The Heart of the Matter)12-28-11

2011-12-30T09:26:00.005-05:00

All pics by Brandy and Michael Davidson.