15
Apr '19
Capture Every Thought
15
Apr '19
Can you imagine if every one of our thoughts was on display for everyone around us to view as we were thinking it real time?
That’s a pretty scary thought.
Over the past year I have learned a lot about anxiety and fear.
It never occurred to me until a wise, Christ-following friend pointed out
that it all starts with a thought.
My response to that revelation was,
“But the thoughts just keep coming and the first place my mind goes is to the worst case scenario or most severe outcome.”
I thank God for using this friend to speak His wisdom to me… because their next response was Spirit-led and inspired.
They brought me to the scripture in 2 Corinthians 10:5:
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Then they shared something I could really relate to about capturing the thoughts that cause anxiety or fear. Here was the advice:
Take the thought that comes into your head, think of taking a lasso and capture the thought – then throw it out of your head.
Then, think of Jesus.
This concept hit home with me and has really helped me get control of thoughts that can lead to stress, anxiety and fear.
You may not struggle with thoughts that cause anxiety, stress, or fear. Maybe you struggle with thoughts leading to depression, lust, pride or a variety of other battles. No matter what the thoughts are that come into our head, we can remain victorious if we make an effort to take the thought captive and focus (fix our eyes) on Jesus.
This is the key my friends – keeping Jesus at the center of every thought we have and asking him to help us take it captive.
He will help us overcome!
With every breath, with every thought, we need Jesus to meet us.
Be encouraged by “Here Again”
Author:
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06
Apr '19
A Simple Powerful Truth
06
Apr '19
I have known the first stanza and refrain for the song “Jesus Loves Me” for many years even before becoming a Christian, but I never knew until recently that it had six stanzas. Before I share these powerful lyrics, I’ll share with you how I discovered this fact.
While participating in a Bible Exploration Group study – including people from different faiths and no faith – it became apparent the discussion was way too focused on divisive topics (some that have notoriously divided churches). Some of these topics certainly didn’t help people from other faiths (or no faith) to understand the purpose of the Bible – that God loves people! So, I sometimes made it a point to help end the meetings with the simple statement and gentle rebuke: Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.
Anticipating questions from this, I reviewed scripture that validates this truth and did a little research. Here is one of the things I discovered…
The song “Jesus Loves Me” was written in 1860 by Anna B. Warner and in 1862, William B. Bradbury composed the music and added the refrain. The following are the rich lyrics and refrain to the song:
Jesus loves me! This I know
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong
They are weak, but He is strong
Jesus loves me! This I know
As He loved so long ago
Taking children on His knee
Saying, ‘Let them come to Me”
Jesus loves me still today
Walking with me on my way
Wanting as a friend to give
Light and love to all who live
Jesus loves me! He who died
Heaven’s gate to open wide
He will wash away my sin
Let His little child come in
Jesus loves me! He will stay
Close beside me all the way
Thou hast bled and died for me
I will henceforth live for Thee
Jesus loves me! Loves me still
Though I’m very weak and ill
That I might from sin be free
Bled and died upon the tree
Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.
The lyrics represent the simple and powerful message of God’s word
and purpose of the Bible.
Do you ever think you may not be prepared?
Do you sometimes feel like you’re just not capable to share your faith or explain it?
Keep it simple with this message: Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.
Author:
Elder at Faith Assembly
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30
Jan '19
Doing Your Part to Seek God First
30
Jan '19
God says in Matthew 6:25-26, Therefore I tell you do not worry about your life – look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
The Blind. AKA: The Palace
I recently spent several hours on a cold wintery day with my oldest grandson in a deer blind we call the palace. It’s called the palace because this blind is larger than the first one we constructed that we call the hut. It has real windows, carpeted floor (for quietness of course), aluminum siding (to keep squirrels from chewing through the wood), and great views on all sides of God’s majestic creation.
On this day it was slow so far as deer sightings were going, but we did observe blue birds grouped up for the winter and several white breasted nuthatches just a few feet from us in an old hedge tree. My grandson wanted to know what they were doing, since food sources seemed to be long gone as was the warmer weather. This became a teaching moment about preparation. As the squirrels bury nuts for food in the winter, so too do nuthatches hide food in the bark of trees for the winter – this is called “salting a tree” and the birds were feeding from their work months before.
While God feeds the birds (as scripture says), the nuthatches still have a role to play to gather and salt the trees for winter food. I’m pretty sure they don’t worry about gathering and salting; they just inherently do what God placed in them to fulfill His design. If this is the case for nuthatches, why do we make fulfillment of God’s design for us so challenging? Oh golly, if it were that easy!
Doing Your Part to Seek God First
God tells us in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto to you. Therefore do not worry…”
Maybe fulfillment of God’s design for us is challenging because we aren’t seeking first His Kingdom. Maybe we aren’t “seeking first” because we are worrying about the tanking stock market, world news that seems to never be positive, or simply not having enough time to check everything off our to-do lists. God knows what it is in each of our cases, and He cares! This is why He tells us to seek Him and His design for our lives because He knows best.
Psalm 16:11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Speaking from experience, this takes some of us a long time to understand and longer to apply.
God will do His part, yet we still have to do ours.
Are you trusting? Are you doing your part to “seek first” the kingdom of God?If you really pursue God, He will show Himself to you, and all these things will be added unto you.
Author: Randy Ortgiesen
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27
Nov '18
4 Things to Do When You Feel Attacked
27
Nov '18
Let’s face it, life is challenging. Some seasons are worse than others. Approaching the holiday season is no exception.
There is a lot of material out there addressing the subject of spiritual warfare, and it can make you head spin trying to sort it all out. Here are just a few quick thoughts for you to chew on.
The Enemy of Our Souls Prefers to Attack Us When We’re Tired
Exhaustion makes us vulnerable. Sometimes the attack comes from people you’d normally think you could trust… and at times, least suspect. Just remember, it’s not them alone. The enemy easily works both angles.
Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:12
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Spiritual Attacks Come When We Least Expect Them
Not looking? Watch out. Attacks can come our way during moments when we think we’re feeling pretty good or strong. Like a skilled boxer, the enemy is strategic. He uses a quick jab to surprise us, distract us, knock us off balance and mess with our confidence.
Keep in Mind – It’s His Job
God calls our enemy the “accuser of the brethren”. Don’t allow him the satisfaction of making you feel weak or victimized. Claim your rightful identity in Christ, who defeated him long ago. Let your Heavenly Father use the opportunity to continue making you wise as He toughens you up in the process. At the end of all this, he is a defeated foe and he knows it. The last thing he wants is to see you stand strong in the power of Christ, denying your pride and running the race full on.
Revelation 12:10 “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.”
Remember, God Has Instilled Himself in You
His wisdom is in you. His strength is in you. He has adopted you into His family and He’s given you a purpose in His kingdom.
1 John 4:4 “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”
It helps to keep things in proper perspective. Take practical care of yourself; it helps to guard against exhaustion. Keep the truth of God’s Word close to you so it feeds your soul and protects your heart. Remember who you really are – a member of God’s family, a precious child of the King, full of His Spirit and resurrection power. When you feel attacked, look to Jesus.
Author:
Jon Marx, Lead Pastor of Faith Assembly
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18
Aug '18
The Issue with Perseverance
18
Aug '18
Every now and then, the topic of patience comes up in conversation.
Generally, it seems, patience tends to be one of our least favorite of all topics, unless we’re commiserating how terrible we are at being patient.
At least we get a good laugh at the expense of our patience, and we seem to be able to talk about it.
Perseverance though, is one of those topics that rarely comes up. It’s like swallowing a daily dose of Castor Oil™;
even plugging your nose doesn’t help, but you choke it down because some watchful authority figure is making you do it.
Does anybody even remember Castor Oil™… the remedy to all things needing remedying?
Talking about perseverance only seems to happen because we’re stuck in a tough season of life that needs persevering,
and some watchful person thinks it’s time to pump your arm with a dose encouragement.
If this is one of those moments for you, perhaps these words might be better than Castor Oil™ for you.
Recently, I was thinking about Moses. He certainly seems like a huge hero of Biblical proportions.
(see what I did there?)
But, have you ever thought about how tough it might have been for him?
That perhaps he had to pull on his faith and commitment bootstraps just the same as everyone else?
All Moses knew was that God called and sent him. He obeyed, told Pharaoh to let his people go, and stood for God.
All Moses knew was that God called and sent him. He obeyed, told Pharaoh to let his people go, and stood for God.
He didn’t know just how tough things were going to get by the end of his story.
Moses didn’t know yet, that…
Pharaoh would brutally increase their load – twice
For a time he’d be the most hated man in all Israel
There would be 10 plagues
His family would be significantly stretched & then separated
His own brother would be involved in rebellion against him & God – twice
The wilderness would present one life ending threat after another
For a time he’d be the most hated man in all Israel
There would be 10 plagues
His family would be significantly stretched & then separated
His own brother would be involved in rebellion against him & God – twice
The wilderness would present one life ending threat after another
Other nations would attack to destroy them
Their first attempt to enter the Promised Land would be an utter failure
There would be another 40 years of wilderness wandering
After everything he taught them (and they’d been through), very little of it really mattered…they seemed to learn little to nothing
So many people under his leadership would die because of rebellion, hatred of him and hatred toward God
There would be another 40 years of wilderness wandering
After everything he taught them (and they’d been through), very little of it really mattered…they seemed to learn little to nothing
So many people under his leadership would die because of rebellion, hatred of him and hatred toward God
Israel would forever struggle to trust him, believe him, follow him or even like him no matter how much he did for them, it would never be enough
In the end, he wouldn’t even get to enter the Promised Land
In the end, he wouldn’t even get to enter the Promised Land
If he had known any of this – let alone all of it ahead of time – he probably wouldn’t have answered God’s call.
That’s the issue with perseverance…it requires constant doses of faith and endurance.
The only reason we’re persevering is because we are blessed by NOT knowing all that we’d have to face…just like Moses.
Thank God for Moses!
He shows us that it really IS one day at a time…one struggle at a time,
and that God is always and will always be faithful to take those steps along with us.
We can rest in His power and press on.
Perhaps this prayer may help:
Father, whatever it was that sustained Moses’ focus, faith, and resolve, please help me find it and use it.
Help me to remember you really are there with me…that you sustain me…and because of you, I will thrive. Amen.
Author:
Lead Pastor of Faith Assembly
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31
Jul '18
There Is Hope
31
Jul '18
What do you hope for you in your life? What keeps you pressing forward when life become tough?
For me, there are several things that keep me moving forward.
I grasp onto the things that matter.
I hang on to those most dear to me- my wife, my kids, my close friends.
I hold firmly to these concepts:
There has to be something greater than me.
There has to be something greater than this life.
I hang on to those most dear to me- my wife, my kids, my close friends.
I hold firmly to these concepts:
There has to be something greater than me.
There has to be something greater than this life.
Some people call it a higher power, while others refer to a superior being. I call Him Jesus.
I believe that deep down, everyone hopes to have a good life- a life filled with the basic needs we all have- love, family, shelter, food, peace and happiness. A life without fear, knowing that things will somehow work out for the best.
Sometimes they don’t always work out for what seems the best, but we can still grasp onto those things in life that give us hope. I want to encourage you with this one thought: THERE IS A HOPE.
A hope deep in your soul that confirms there is something bigger than this life.
A hope there is someone greater than the troubles of this world.
A hope there is someone greater than the troubles of this world.
A hope that someone that will give you the strength to face your trials, worries, fears and temptations.
There is that someone. His name is Jesus Christ. He is our hope.
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. If He is for us then who can be against us? Isaiah 41:10
In the face of life’s difficult and heart-breaking trials- death, addiction, lies, betrayal, infidelity, depression, and more-
you can find hope.
We all hope for something. Why not take a chance on God and put your hope in Him?
What do you have to lose by putting your hope and trust in a God who loves and cares for you more than anyone else…
more than you can ever possibly know?
Be encouraged friend. Put your hope in Jesus today.
Listen to this song by Tenth Avenue North titled “I Have This Hope” and let it sink deep into your soul.
Author:
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