To Stand Strong is to have a Strong House

As I was reading today, God impressed this passage to me: Proverbs 24:3-4. When a house is built, we lay a foundation, a strong foundation that will ensure a strong house...so as I read this passage, the message I receive from it is as God is building my spiritual body and mind with his good and faithful words, so to should my household be built strong by my devotion to God's words and filling my soul on HIS word. As HIS word is filled my attitude, my actions, my speaking to my family, not to just my children, it "shows" how God is influencing the Holy Spirit to "mold" my family into what God wants for them and me.

I have felt very "influenced" by what God has been accomplishing in my life here lately...well I guess I really need to say is that ever since I "enrolled" myself into the study "Experiencing GOD" lead by Andy, I have experienced GOD! In fact, I just have to share the following email I sent to the Kevin...
(I'm writing this to Kevin) ...got selfish with my time instead of being on God's time...listening to the ole devil just fill my ears full of things to do OTHER than what I should be doing with God's word...I have been having a hard time with this devotional, every time I get going and really HOT ON TRACK with God, praying, reading, feeling good praising his name, thanking him for my blessing I don't deserve....then BANG!! Stupid devil! I had a moment last week were I was really feeling down, then finally the great and forever Holy Spirit took over me and NAILED the devil in his tracks! WOOOHOO!! I felt like I was laying on the ground with all these arrows stuck in me and there was the Holy Spirit standing in front of me pointing his fingers at the devil telling him to BACK OFF! This is one of ours! If you think you can even remotely think that you can steal him from us, then you’re WRONG! I'm telling you Kevin, I have never felt ANYTHING like that before! So there the Holy Spirit was, just kicking the devil right in front of me! (Here I was driving down the road; I could barely keep my eyes dry for the love I was feeling from the Trinity!) I just can't get over that feeling every time I talk about it…

So as you can see, and I will say it again, "I have never felt something like this in my life, THIS STRONG!" I hope that you can see, GOD LOVES US IMMENSELY! HE PROTECTS US AND GUIDES US! Don't forget that when you fall, because we all fall, Romans 3:23 and I fall, but God renews our soul, washes us clean and sets everything back anew...so if you’re wondering, I have been doing some serious foundation repair work…see you Sunday!

ALL who are thirsty...

Just to wet your appetite (no pun intented for what's to follow) for our upcoming Gripped study, I'm thinking today about an amazing passage we find in Isaiah 55:1-3 (click the link to read it).

I know when I am running, NOTHING can quench my thirst like water. Even sports drinks like gatorade seem to make me even more thirsty! What do we learn from this passage? ANYONE who is thirsty can come to God and have their eternal thirst QUENCHED. And for what cost? NOTHING...without money and without cost!

So why do we "spend money on what is not bread"? or "labor on what does not satisy"?

If you're like me, you get "thirsty" quite often and time after time you reach for something MUCH LESS than God's ETERNAL WATER. Yet, nothing ever satisfies. Nothing. I don't know about you, but "your soul will delight in the richest of fare" sounds pretty good to me. Better than most of what I find on my own.

I have tucked these verses away and plan to keep them quite handy. Next time I find myself thirsty, I'm headed for some water. And oh yeah, they'll be plenty of water available this Sunday in room 127 as always.

Born Again

This coming week our SS class gets the privilege of witnessing one of our very own experience the public profession of faith known as baptism! What a great day that will be!


Take a moment and listen to the Third Day song Born Again (click on the triangle in the "Songs of the Week" section on the right).

Whether you're in line to experience baptism for the very first time or, like me, you just sometimes find yourself a little too far from home, isnt it great to know that being born again is just a "call" away? What about it...do you find yourself needing a ride home? Make the call...

BTW, Way to go Jay!

Gripped

The following info is from one of our classmates...thanks Lisa!

This week, we started a new study called "Gripped by the Greatness of God" by James MacDonald. Wow, the title says it all. We started the first lesson by watching the video. Next week we will have dicussion about it. For those that was not there, I wanted to just give you an overview of what he discussed and some scriptures that you can read during the week. The lesson that we are about to enter into, he asked three questions.

1. Who is Isaiah?
Isaiah 9:6, 7:14 and 53:4

2. What does it mean to be gripped by God?
Isaiah 6:5, Luke 5:8 and Revelation 1:10

3. How will this affect my Life?
Ephesians 2:1, 1Corinthians 2:4, Romans 3:10-11, 2Corinthians 5:17


He also taked about phsyical being and your soul. Meaning that your soul lives on forever and how your spirit is made up of three things: Mind, Emotions, and will. With his teaching this lesson will transform you at every level.

Are you ready to be gripped? See you Sunday!