Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Confidence”

Our Bible verse for today: “The Lord is the One who will go before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Don’t be afraid to go where God leads.”

Moses spoke the words of Deuteronomy 31:8 at the very end of his life, as he was preparing his replacement, Joshua, to lead the nation of Israel into the Promised Land. Forty years earlier the Israelites had had the opportunity to take possession of the Promised Land but they were too afraid to do so. Even though God had promised it to them, and even though He had assured them of the eventual victory, rather than trusting God and relying on Him, they considered the situation based upon their own strength and abilities, and concluded it was too risky. So they spent forty years wandering in the wilderness instead.

Now here they were, forty years later, and God was giving them a second chance. Moses’ counsel to Joshua, and through him to the nation, was don’t make the same mistake again. Just as was true the first time, God will not only be with you, He will go before you and prepare the way. Trust Him; rely on Him; have confidence in His strength and abilities, not in your own.

This was going to have to be an act of faith on their part. The conditions had not changed much. They were still a wandering group of nomads and the Cannanites were still militarily strong and living in fortified cities. Either they would trust in the Lord or they would fail again.

The great devotional writer Oswald Chambers once observed, “Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.”

I encourage you to be deliberate about placing your faith in God and trusting Him. Follow where He leads, be obedient to His commands, even if you don’t understand and even if the way forward isn’t clear. Just like with the nation of Israel, your God will go with you, but He will also go before you to prepare the way. Trust Him; follow Him; be fully confident in Him.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Confidence”

Our Bible verse for today: “For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created through Him and for Him.” Colossians 1:16 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “You can confidently believe in the Biblical account of creation.”

Most Christians are certain that they do believe the Biblical account of creation, but they are less confident in defending it or publically proclaiming it. Liberal intellectuals promoting the theory of evolution often ridicule belief in the Biblical account of creation, and many Christians wilt in the face of such criticism.

It’s interesting to me that those who promote the belief in life through random chance, and who denigrate the Biblical account of creation, usually appeal to scientific discovery to support their argument. But I’m convinced that scientific discovery actually proves the case for a Creator, not the other way around.

In his book “Rumors of another World”, Christian author Philip Yancey makes the case that earth and all the rest of creation is merely a shadow of heaven. Everything we see and experience in the physical realm gives us a glimpse of eternal realities. And also, the more science is able to delve into and reveal the mysteries of world, the more we see God’s intricate and amazing design.

Take the universe for instance. The more advanced the science of astronomy becomes the more amazed astronomers are about the vastness of the universe and the incredible precision with which it operates. They now know that there are more than seventy billion galaxies out there and if even one of them was one percent different from what they are, it would impact all the rest of the universe.

Through molecular science biologists have discovered that each DNA molecule contains a three-billon letter software code that oversees and regulates all the anatomy of the human body. Who wrote that code? Who designed the universe and put all the pieces in place which such an astonishing degree of precision? These are just two examples of science making the case for a Creator – there are hundreds more.

We have the privilege of living in an age of human history when it’s no longer just the Bible itself that tells the story of creation. Today science makes the case for a Creator too. As Christians we can have complete confidence that God created all there is, exactly the way the Bible describes it. We can believe it simply because the Bible says so, but modern science has also gone a long way in providing physical evidence to support the Biblical truth as well.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Confidence”

Our Bible verse for today: “I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

Our thought for today: “Your job is to be faithful; God’s job is to bring transformation in your life.”

If you’re like most of us then you’re probably mildly dissatisfied with where you’re at spiritually. I’ve never met a Christian who could honestly say that they were completely happy and satisfied with the condition of their prayer life. I’ve also never known anyone who felt they knew the Bible well enough. And I’m certain there is no person who could claim to have such a deep and intimate relationship with Jesus that they don’t need to know Him any better.

Spiritually all of us are works in progress and none of us is where we need to be. And, we know it. That being the case, we can easily be left feeling guilty, frustrated, and inadequate. Many of us do.

The answer is to just be faithful and continue to do the things you know you’re supposed to be doing. Faithfully practice the basic and essential disciplines of the Christian life, and trust that God will bring about the spiritual transformation in your life. Author Eugene Peterson once referred to this as “A long obedience in the same direction.” His point was that by means of the basic spiritual disciplines of the Christian life such as prayer, Bible study, fasting, meditation, worship, fellowship, service, etc., we are to place ourselves in a position before God whereby He can bring about the transformation in us that He desires.

We are not the source or the cause of the spiritual transformation we seek. That comes from God. That’s what Paul meant in Philippians 1:6. God is in the process of doing a great work in your life. He is molding you into the man or woman He wants you to be. However we do have a role to play in the process in that we have to place ourselves before Him and be open to the work He wants to do in us, but the results are up to Him. Therefore our confidence is in Him. You do your part and you can trust Him to do His.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Confidence”

Our Bible verse for today: “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Stop striving in your own strength and rely instead on the Lord.”

Joshua is an interesting case-study in courage, strength, and confidence. He certainly needed it. Joshua was a relatively young man who was chosen by God to take the mantle of leadership from Moses, the greatest leader the nation of Israel would ever have. Additionally, Joshua was then to lead the nation in the capture and conquest of the Promised Land, which was at that time in the possession of the Canaanites, one of the most advanced and militarily strong societies of that day.

How could Joshua, or anyone else, succeed at such a daunting task? Only by the power of the Lord. Three times in four verses God commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous. First in verse six, “Be strong and courageous …” then in verse seven, “Above all, be strong and very courageous …” Then in verse eight He tells him how to achieve that strength and courage, “This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it.”

Then in verse nine, for the third time, God commands him to be strong and courageous, only this time God includes the caveat, “… for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua could be strong and courageous and confident in the middle of that impossible situation because God was with him. Joshua’s part was to know and obey God’s instruction. God’s part was to give the victory. Therefore Joshua’s confidence was not in his own strength but in God’s.

That should be true of us too. Stop striving to accomplish things in your own strength. Put your confidence in the Lord instead. Know His instructions, obey His instructions, and then go forward with confidence that God can and will bring about His purposes in your life.

Hasn’t He commanded you to be strong and courageous? Yes He has. That command wasn’t recorded simply as an historical account of what He said to the man Joshua 3500 years ago. It is there for you and me today.

“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you.”

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Confidence”

Our Bible verse for today: “In your strength I can crush any army; with my God I can scale any wall.” Psalm 18:29 (NLT)

Our thought for today: “If God is for you, who can be against you?”

I’m thinking you probably won’t have to crush any armies today, nor are you likely to find yourself scaling walls. It will probably only seem that way.

But, you will still find yourself facing challenges of some sort – we all do, every day. Today will be no different. Most of those challenges will be small and you’re already well-equipped to handle them. But eventually (maybe not today but someday), some of those challenges will be bigger, and they will be beyond your ability to handle. Maybe your will lose your job. Maybe the test results will show cancer. Perhaps you wake up and discover your spouse is gone and there’s a note on the kitchen table.

David had been running for his life as he was pursued by the armies of King Saul. He was in serious danger and he knew it. Psalm 18 was written as a Psalm of praise on the day the Lord delivered him from that threat. David’s life was spared, Saul was defeated, and the period of suffering and trials was over. David looked back on it now and affirmed that through it all he had had confidence in God. It was God who had come through and delivered him. And through it all David had trusted that in the end, this would be the case. Psalm 18:29 is an Old Testament version of Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Thomas a’ Kempis was a 15th century German monk who wrote the book “The Imitation of Christ”. It is believed that aside from the Bible, this book is the most widely read spiritual work of all time. With respect to having confidence in God to help us and care for us Thomas wrote, “How great peace and quietness would he possess who should cut off all vain anxiety and place all his confidence in God.”

To that, King David and the Apostle Paul would both say a hearty “Amen!”

As you go through your day today, maybe crushing armies and scaling walls, or maybe just typing memos and dealing with difficult bosses, put your confidence in God to help you through it.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Confidence”

Our Bible verse for today: “God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “God is your refuge and strength.”

Psalm 46 is not only a source of great assurance for those faced with difficult circumstances, but it’s also a confidence-builder. Let’s take a closer look at it:

In verse one the Psalmist reminds us that even in times of trouble (maybe especially in times of trouble) the Lord is our refuge and our strength. That means that we’re not dependent on others or even on ourselves for protection and strength. God’s got your back!

Then in verses two through nine the Psalmist recites a list of examples of the kinds of dangerous and fearful circumstances a person could find themselves in. He writes of earthquakes and storms, of raging seas, riots, and wars. But then in verse ten he gives some of the best advice Scripture has to offer: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

That’s it, “Just be still, be quiet, and remember who I am.” He is the God who reigns supreme over all creation. He is the God who placed the stars in the sky, filled the sea with fish, and He hung the sun and the moon. This is the God who parted the Red Sea, raised Jesus from the dead, and numbered all the days of your life even before the first one began. He is the God who hears the cry of a newborn baby and sees a single sparrow when it falls from the sky. And He is the God who is sovereign over every event in your life. Not only does He rule over all the events of your life, but He is aware of them and He has complete control over them.

So your confidence should not be in your own abilities or in the resources available to you; and it also should not be in other people. Your confidence should be in the Lord.

The Psalmist ends us in verse 11 where he started us in verse 1, with the assurance that God is always with us and He is our protector, “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

Amen and Amen.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Confidence”

Our Bible verse for today: “When it was day, He went out and made His way to a deserted place. But the crowds were searching for Him. They came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving them. But He said to them, ‘I must proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I was sent for this purpose.” Luke 4:42-43 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Sometimes we have to have the confidence to say “no”.

As I read the Gospel accounts one of the things I find amazing about Jesus, and which we often miss, is how many times He essentially said “no” to people. In the case of the scene in Luke 4:42-43, the crowds insisted that Jesus stay with them and continue to meet their needs. But He said “no” and walked away. There were other things He needed to do and so even though there were still sick people who had yet to be healed, demoniacs who had yet to be delivered, people to be taught, visited, etc., Jesus left those things undone and moved on.

This isn’t the only time He did that. Despite the expectations and demands placed on Him by others, and even though their needs may have been legitimate, Jesus had the confidence to say “no” to the good, so He could focus on the best. And even though He probably left behind people who were disgruntled and grumbling because He didn’t visit with them, or didn’t do for them the things they thought He should have, Jesus shrugged it off and moved on.

Pastor and author Max Lucado tells about a time in his own ministry when he was so overwhelmed and so drained that he was seriously thinking about giving it all up. So he sat down with a wise friend to try to think through “why” he was so overwhelmed and drained. First they started by considering what Max’s strengths in ministry were and what things brought him the most joy and fulfillment. In Max’s case those things were studying, preaching, teaching, and writing. Those are the things God has called and equipped Max for.

Then they considered Max’s calendar from the previous six months to see how he had been spending the majority of his time. It turned out that his time had been consumed with committee meetings, building issues, church financial matters, and countless hours filled with counseling sessions, home and hospital visits, as well as all sorts of administrative duties.

When the friend asked Max why he was allowing so much of his time to be consumed by things other than the primary work God had called him to and equipped him for Max said, “Well, people expect me to do those things.”

Fortunately for Max he learned an important lesson from the example of Jesus. He quickly realized that he needed to have the confidence to focus on the things God had called him to and equipped him for, and leave the other activities to other people. Yes, some people grumbled about it, but they grumbled at Jesus too. Nobody can do everything; nobody can be all things to all people; and so we need to focus on what God has called us to and equipped us for, and leave the other things to other people. Even if it means that those other things don’t get done at all.

Sometimes we have to have the confidence to just say “no”.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Confidence”

Our Bible verse for today: “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.” Mark 6:31 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Being well-rested will increase your confidence.”

Have you ever gotten to the point where you were so busy for so long that you were physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually drained? You were running on fumes, scraping the bottom of the barrel, feeling like you had nothing more to give? What did that do for your confidence level?

Do you sometimes feel as if you are trying to do so many things at once that you no longer have enough time or attention for them all? When that happens, you end up doing a lot of things poorly rather than any of them well. That then leaves you feeling guilty, dissatisfied, and it saps your confidence.

Interestingly, as busy as He was, even with all the demands and expectations placed on Him, we never read of this happening to Jesus. Somehow He always seemed to have it all together and He never got flustered. Yes it’s true that He was God in a human body, but there’s more to it than that. He may have been God in a human body, but it was a human body after all, and so He still had physical limitations just as you and I do. His secret? He rested.

In Mark chapter six we find Jesus fully into His ministry years; traveling from village to village; swarmed by crowds everywhere He went; an endless stream of sick people wanting healing, demon possessed people in need of deliverance, critics needing a good slap (just kidding); and thick-headed disciples who needed to have lessons re-taught to them over and over again. Not only would such a regime be wearing on Jesus, but it would be exhausting for those working alongside Him too.

And so in Mark 6:31 Jesus gathers up His disciples, leaves the pressing crowds behind, and He takes a short vacation. He deserved it; He needed it; and so did those working with Him. And this wasn’t an isolated incident. The evidence in the Gospels leads us to understand that Jesus frequently gave Himself and others plenty of time to rest and recuperate.

This is instructive for us. We need to take breaks and get away from it all. If we don’t, not only will we end up out of gas and therefore ineffective, but it will impact our confidence as well. Taking the breaks you need in order to be well-rested and recharged is one of the best things you can do to help keep your confidence up.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim