Thank God

1Thess. 5:18) “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” It has been said that the happiest people in the world are those that are thankful, and they are happy because they have learned to trust the Lord in every circumstance in life. If we by faith come to the place where we believe that everything happens for a purpose (Rom. 8:28), then we will be able to thank the Lord when in both the good and bad times. For some reason we as believers have bought into this idea that if we are faithful then only good things will happen, and if we are bad then only bad things, but God wants us to see that both good and bad happen to all men alike, but the difference between those that are thankful and those that are not, is in their ability to simply trust God. Thank God for the good things, all of them, but thank God the more when in the bad times. Why, Because He is there for us every hour and every minute. The will of God is to be thankful, so may we this Thanksgiving be thankful, “in every- thing!”

Beyond their power

Another Faith Promise year is ahead of us, and again this month we will be taking your pledges for another year. Now before we do, it’s vital that we pray and seek God by faith before we give. The worst thing that we can do is to pledge and not give, so seek the will of God and then by faith trust Him. Our slogan this year is “Abounding Unto His Riches,” (2 Cor. 8:2). In this chapter, the Apostle Paul praised the Macedonian Church for their abundance of giving even when in “great trial of affliction, and deep poverty.” In other words, they gave even when it looked impossible, for they gave “beyond their power.” Be careful not to underestimate the power of our great God, for if we by faith trust in His promises, He because of our faith will cause us to “abound unto His riches.”

Hath God cast away his people?

The Apostle Paul asked in (Rom. 11:1) “Hath God cast away his people?” God’s answer, “God forbid.” It’s great to know that even though Israel as a nation has rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah, one day God will restore them back into His favor and fellowship again. You see today the individual Jew can be saved, but he will have much difficulty in doing so because God has judged him with a temporary blindness (11:7-10) that causes him to be insensitive to the truth of Christ. This judgment of God causes them not to see the truth easily, and it places them in bondage until the day they repent and believe, or until the “fullness of the Gentiles come in” (11: 25). After which time God will remove Israel’s curse, “For this is my covenant with them, when I shall take away their sins.” Christian, we only have so much time to reach our world before Jesus returns. Oh that we would take advantage of the time we have left !

What have you been sowing?

(Gal. 6:8) “ For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. Sowing and reaping is one of those principles in life that doesn’t change. Life is full of choices, and if we choose to obey God’s Word, we will reap the promised blessing of God, but if we choose not to obey His Word, we will reap the promised judgment of God. No man will ever stand before God and be excused from the above principle. The question is, what have we been sowing? The deception in this life is to follow the idea that somehow we can get around God’s principles rather than just simply obey them. The wise decision would be to sow the Word into your life, rather than the lies of the flesh, that will only reap corruption !

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

(Rom. 10:7) “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” In Romans chapters 9+10, God teaches us that it’s very possible to lose faith. Take Israel for example, they lost their faith when they began to think more highly of their religion then they did their obedience to the Law. They loved more the idea of being God’s chosen people then they did obeying God’s Holy Word, and so they stumbled at the coming of Christ. The Bible is clear when it says that righteousness can only be attained by believing and trusting in God’s promises. That’s faith, and that’s why we need to be more in love with the idea of being obedient than being saved. God didn’t call us to worship a book, but rather to read it, believe it, and obey it! Be very careful, for faith does not ask for proof, nor does it question why, but it just simply hears and obeys what God commands!

Oh that we would catch the spirit of revival while we still can.

The great Evangelist RA Torrey of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, once said that he had a prescription that would bring revival to any church or community in any city on earth. 1) “Let a few Christians (they need not be many) get thoroughly right with God themselves. This is the prime essential. If this is done, the rest that I am to say will come to nothing. 2) Let them bind themselves together in a prayer group to pray for a revival until God opens the heavens and comes down. 3) Let them put themselves at the disposal of God for Him to use as He sees fit in winning others to Christ. That is all! “This is sure to bring revival to any church or community. I have given this prescription around the world. It has been taken by many churches, and many communities, and in no instance has it ever failed; and it cannot fail.” When you think about what Mr. Torrey said, why wouldn’t this work today? Oh that we would catch the spirit of revival while we still can.

Revival

In most churches revival week comes about twice a year, so it is very important that you prepare yourself for them before they come. 1) Prepare. Prepare your heart and mind by humbling yourself before God, confessing all known sin, forgiving others, and be willing to repent and change as God directs. 2) Pray. Not just for yourselfs but for others, for the souls of men, for visitors, for one another, and for God to powerfully work in and through the evangelist. 3) Prioritize. Unless you put revival week first, you will skip the meetings, you will not invite people to them, you will not pray as you ought, and as a result you will not experience the blessing of God. For you have not been serious about revival. “Revival” means, to come back to usefulness, and to be restored to vigor. Most Christians don't even realize that they need revival until they come out to a revival meeting. What you put into a revival meeting, is what you will get out of them!