PASTOR STEVE'S BLOG

Genesis 18:14 God often gives a promise to us and wants us to trust Him for its fulfillment. A promise gives us hope. Hope gives us something to look forward to. We sometimes reason within ourselves or get advice from somewhere else, rather than just believing God at His word. God does not alter His word and He never tells a lie. Abraham was a man of faith, and God reckoned his faith as righteousness. The Lord came to him and revealed that his wife, Sarah, would bring forth a child. This child would be Isaac, the seed of promise. When Sarah heard the promise herself, in Genesis 18, she laughed. But an angel of the Lord said to her, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" At that moment, Sarah received her own personal faith because she now believed that God would be faithful to her and fulfill His promise. Remember that all the promises of God are YES and AMEN in Jesus Christ. Jesus said that He would be with us, even to the end of the age. God hasn't forgotten you! ...

Psalm 46:1-3 "God is our Refuge and Strength, a very present help in trouble." This means that God is our "abundantly available help." God is always there. He is for us when we are for Him. We can hide under the shadow of His wings and expect Him to help us when trouble comes. Prayer offered by faith in Jesus' Name goes all the way to His throne, finding the help and granting the grace that we need. When the earth is moved or changed, perhaps by earthquakes or landslides changing the landscape, or by tsunamis or waves raging in the sea, God still helps His own! The presence of the Lord shakes things. When attention is given to God's shakings, people are brought to God's refuge. Here are a few examples of God's shakings: *an earthquake at the crucifixion *another earthquake after the resurrection when the angel moved the stone away from the tomb *when Peter and the apostles prayed in Acts 4:31 *when Paul and Silas sang in the prison at ...

Peace Be With You John 20:19-22 On the evening of the Resurrection, the disciples were assembled together behind shut doors for fear of the authorities. Fear keeps us inward. They had the fear of man and not the fear of God. The fear of the Lord gives us confidence. Jesus stood in their midst, and speaking to them, He said, "Peace be with you." He showed them His hands and His side. Then Jesus said to them a second time, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." His peace stills the fear. In His presence, they move from fear to faith. His peace makes all the difference. Jesus came in the power of the Holy Ghost; likewise, we also must be sent by the Holy Spirit. When Jesus breathed on the disciples, they became born again by the Spirit from above. In Luke 24, Jesus tells them to tarry in Jerusalem until they have been endued from power from on High, which is the fullness of the Holy Spirit. We don't need to go to Jerusalem or wait fo...

Christ's Final Cry - His Seven Last Sayings Forgiveness - "Father forgive them...they know not what they do." - Luke 23:34 Anguish - Christ feels deserted (Isaiah 53:10-12), Christ feels forsaken (Matthew 27:46) Affection - "Woman, behold your son!" (John 19:25-26) - Simeon's prophecy Salvation - The thief on the cross - "Today you will be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:42-43) Suffering - "I thirst" (John 19:28) - Jesus bore our griefs and sin. Victory - "It is finished!" (John 19:30) - "Finished" is the Greek "Teleo", which means "complete", or to "discharge a debt". Contentment - "Into Your hands I commit My spirit." (Luke 23:46) - To "commit" means to deposit as a trust, place in one's charge. God bless you, and have a joyous Resurrection Day!

We need to pray. Jesus said that men ought always to pray, and to not lose heart or grow faint. Paul wrote to Timothy that prayers should be made for all men...for all who are in authority. So now, we know we ought to pray to keep from losing heart and pray for those in authority, but we also need to be praying for this current pestilence that has come upon our land. Let's pray this Scripture listed below, and continue to pray: "When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is; whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows the plague of his own heart, and spreads out his hands toward this temple: then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of a...

Hezekiah was a king who was "strengthened by God." That is what his name means. His words in 2 Chronicles 32 encouraged the people. They needed that encouragement because Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, had come to Judah and encamped around the city, thinking to win it for himself. He is a type of our adversary, the devil, who has come to kill, steal and destroy. Sennacherib spoke discouraging words. He asked the people of God, "On whom are you trusting?" He mocked the words of God, and spoke to frighten and terrify the people. But our God is not like the gods of men. Let's hear Hezekiah's encouragement to the people of Judah: "Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid nor dismayed before the king of Assyria, nor before all the multitude that is with him; for there are more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us and to fight our battles." And the people were strengthened by the words...