PASTORS NOTES

  We all have to deal with things that come to an end. We lose our main givers , a friend we’ve always counted on moves away, a loved one goes to be with the Lord. We’ve seen God’s goodness in the past, we’ve known we had His blessing, but it seems as though that blessing is taken away.  But God never removes something unless He has something better coming. If He didn’t stop certain things, we would never get out of our comfort zone.  When you don’t understand why the friend walks away or why the company pushes you out, God is not doing that to make your life more difficult. He’s getting you in position for increase. He stops what is working to force you to stretch so you can see greater provision, greater fulfillment, and greater favor. In order to hide the prophet Elijah from King Ahab, God told him to go to a brook where “the ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook” (1 Kings 17:6).  God promised him this abundant pro...

  Today's Scripture Luke 6:37, NIV Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Today's Word We all go through disappointments, things that are not fair. It’s easy to hold on to the hurts, to think about the negative things people have said to us, to relive the offense. We get up in the morning, and it’s the first thing that comes to mind. We don’t realize how much that’s affecting us. It’s souring our attitude, draining our energy, and limiting our creativity. If you’re going to fulfill your destiny, you have to get good at letting things go. In Luke 17:1, Jesus said, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!” (NKJV). He didn’t say they might come. He didn’t say that if you’re a good person and you’re nice all the time, nobody will do you wrong. He says that disappointments will come. Betrayals will come. Things that are not fair will come.  How you d...

  Todays  Scripture Romans 8:31–32, NIV If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things Today's Word The Scripture says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21, NIV). You never overcome disrespect with more disrespect. You never get ahead by doing to others the wrongs they did to you. That’s a test of your character.  God is seeing what He can trust you with. Will you be the bigger person and overlook the insult? Will you stay on the high road and not get baited into conflict? You only have so much emotional energy each day.  It’s not an unlimited supply. It takes a lot of energy to get upset, to live offended, to think about what someone said about you, and to try to straighten them out. That’s energy you need for your dreams, to pursue your goals, to enjoy your family. Don’t spend it on things that don’t matter. ...

  Today's Scripture Psalm 55:22, NIV Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken. Today's Word One of the best things I’ve learned is to trust God’s timing and His ways. What God promised will come to pass. But it may not happen the way you think, and it may not be when you had planned. If you’re trying to control the outcome and the time frame, you’re going to live worried. You have to release control. You have to let go of having to have it happen your way. God already has what’s upsetting you figured out. He knows the end from the beginning.  But here’s the key: He doesn’t give you the details. If you knew how everything was going to work out, it wouldn’t take faith.  If He told you, “Three months from now, a big door is going to open. It may look as though you’re going backward, but there’s a shortcut that’s going to put you ahead.” You would relax and say, “Okay, it’s all going to work out.” Why don’t you do that now...

  Today's Scripture Psalm 118:24, NLT This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Today's Word The Scripture says, “Weeping may endure for a night, but Joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5, NKJV).  Every morning, God sends you a fresh supply of joy. You can dismiss it and think, That’s not for me. I have too much coming against me. Or you can receive it and say,  “Things may not be perfect in my life, but I know that God is on the throne. He’s ordering my steps, and His plans for me are for good, so I’m going to enjoy this day.” This is what David did. He faced all kinds of opposition—armies trying to stop him, people slandering him. But in the middle of that, he said, “This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).  His circumstances said that he should be discouraged, afraid, and lonely. If he were reporting on the situation, he would have said, “This is the day the Lord has made, and I’m really disco...

  Todays  Scripture Colossians 1:22–23, NLT He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News . . .   Today's Word Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40, NIV).  You can’t love others if you don’t first love yourself. The best thing you can do for your family and friends is to be good to you, be kind to you, be merciful to you, be forgiving to you, be loving to you.  You’re good to others, so why aren’t you go...

  God has promised us that He will cause our enemies who rise against us to be defeated before our faces. But we can get in the way of our blessing and leave room for the enemy to stand in our faces rather than fleeing seven ways. With that in mind, here are seven tactics to make the devil flee seven ways. 1. Diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God 2. Repent before you engage in battle 3. Know that God is on your side 4. War from a position of victory 5. Praise your way through 6. Take up your armor 7. Pray always and be watchful Breaking the power of vicious circles is often a matter of making better choices, but when it’s a demonic cycle you need to identify the imaginations and wrong thought patterns that are allowing wicked spirits to wreak havoc on your life.  Go forth, spiritual warrior, with praise in your heart and prayer on your lips, dressed for battle. The battle belongs to the Lord, and the devil will flee seven ways. He has no choice when you submit yoursel...