Renewal

The importance of being renewed cannot be overstated. This would apply to both one's physical life and spiritual life. This week I have had an opportunity for both and I am thankful to the Lord in all that He does for us. Physcially this week I have been able to get some added rest and though I did not run due to a slight leg injury I feel I am close to begin to run again. I have also been renewed spiritually which can only happen when you place yourself in a position where you quiet yourself long enough so the Lord can speak to you. The scripture teach us in many places to wait upon the Lord. It is in this waiting upon the Lord that we are renewed and strengthen. I now am looking forward to what the Lord is going to be doing in the areas that I have committed to him. May we all learn the value of waiting upon the Lord so our strength will be renewed. Isaiah 40:31

Pastor John

Prayer Summit

Today at the Pastor's prayer summit we had some fantastic times of worship and sharing. Joshua chapter one was a passage we were encouraged to reflect upon and as I did the Lord spoke several things into my heart. God has called me and will be with me to accomplish His plan and purpose therefore He told me to be strong and courageous. He has a plan and a way that He wants me to accomplish His purpose and if I will but follow that plan I would be successful. That promise is not given to just a few people but to everyone of His children. I encourage you to write through Joshua one slowly and ask God to speak to you.
Another thing that was powerful tonight was our time around the Lord's Supper. This time was different then I have ever experienced before where 40 men who were present shared their own personal testimony of being saved. It clearly showed forth the faithfulness of God. His mercy, grace and love was on display in the lives of His children who He saved and then called to serve Him all their days. I encourage you to reflect on the time that God saved you and the faithfulness of God through the seasons of life after that time. Truly God is in our midst and we do have much to be thankful for as a child of God.
May the Lord inspire you to serve Him all the days of your life.

Pastor John

Time with the Lord

The next couple of days I am going to do several blogs as I am attending my Prayer Summit. This is one of the times during the year where I spend extra time with the Lord to hear from Him. Whether you are a pastor or not, church leader or not there is a need from time to time to set aside some extra time to hear the voice of God. This begins by spending time in worship, reading the Word and in quiet reflection on what you have read. This afternoon we were instructed to read Ephesians 1-3. There are several prayers in these chapters of which gives us an idea of how we can be approaching the throne of grace. The biggest thing that I was focusing on in this reading is the riches of God's grace that is available to us through Jesus Christ. God has done so much for us and wants to do so much more for us but we must trust Him and believe that He wants to do all that for us on a personal basis. Grace was made available to us when we ask God to forgive us our sins. Grace is made available to us so that we can live a life pleasing to Him after we are saved. One of the prayers in chapter one is to enlighten the eyes of our heart. The Holy Spirit is present to help us understand spiritual things as we ask God for that enlightenment. I need the Holy Spirit to be the person that God wants me to be.

I encourage you to read Ephesians 1-3 and ask God to reveal Himself to you.

Pastor John

God's Presence

Jesus promised us that He would be with us to the end of the age. That promise is the promise of His presence and power being with us regardless of what life may bring our way. As with all promises there are conditions associated with a promise. The promise that Jesus will be with us has the condition that I am His follower. I John 2:6 says that if I believe that God is with me then I ought to live the way Jesus did. This means that as a disciple (follower) of Jesus Christ it is not up to me how I think things should be or it is not up to me how I think life ought to be lived but it is all up to the one I claim to be a disciple of which as a Christan it means Jesus Christ. I love the presence of God and I desire that His presence becomes more known among in the coming days. I need His presence because I can do nothing of eternal value without abiding in Jesus Christ. Following Jesus is not always easy but the reward of living in His presence far exceeds anything I may have to sacrifice. In Psalm 27 the psalmist which was David longed to live in the house of the Lord forever. This basic desire to live in His presence must be cultivate or we will tend to replace it other things that may satisfy for a moment but when we trust God we can live in His presence forever. May the Lord be known among us more and more and may His presence captivate your heart and life.
May the Lord bless you as you walk with Him.

Pastor John

Prayer walk

Have you ever just went for a walk? Most if not all of have gone on walks. Today on went on an intentional prayer around downtown Huntington. I have done that before but not in quite some time. There is great benefit for going on a prayer walk. First, you get an up close feel of a neighborhood. Some of it is good and some may not be so good. Having a reality check is a good thing. I have been praying how we as a church body can reach our community therefore I have been sensing to go on a prayer walk. It helps me to see the community the way God see the community. Second, it helps me to slow down and gives me time to think and pray as I walk around. My prayer walk is not for exercise, I walk slower then normal and will make stops along the way. Third, I did it in obedience to what the Lord is speaking to my heart. In the coming days I will be walking other parts of our community to see and listen to what God will say concerning how to reach the people.

I encourage you to go on a periodic prayer walk in your neighborhood. God is up to some great things in these days but I must slow down enough to hear His voice so that I will know what to do. May we begin to love our community the way God loves this community.

Pastor John

Being persistent

There are some things in life that we all would like to change. For me one of those things is the need to be consistent to stay in shape. My exercise by choice is running. There are times I think that I should do other types of exercise but that is about as far as it gets. But for me to stay in relative good running shape I have to run at least four times a week. There are many morning that I would like to rest but I know I have to get so many runs in a week. As I have stayed persistent and overcome some minor injuries this year I can tell this last week that I have been running a little faster and more at ease. It is at that time the running really does become enjoyable because of all the good side efforts that it gives me. Now I would like to transfer that thought to our daily walk with God. For me I read and pray everyday. By being consistent and persistent with this daily exercise of my spiritual life my faith is strong and I am excited in what God is doing in my life and the life of my church. It clearly gives me a positive perspective on life and helps me to view life through the eyes of God. There are times and days that I would like to skip my time with God but I do not because I have seen His mighty blessings upon my life and my family. Being persistent is the key because once I allow excuses to come in to prevent me from having that daily time with God, the enemy will make sure that the list excuses will grow. As we approach this fall season with the variety of activities that one can be doing I encourage you to be persistent with having your daily time with God. You may not see immediate benefits but you can rest assure that God is watching your seeking heart and He will bless.

Have a great week with you time with God.

pastor John

Let's talk

I am excited that my blog now is connected to Bethel's website and to Bethel's facebook page. I have been writing a blog on the website for awhile now but a bit inconsistent. Now that it goes to facebook I plan on writing at least weekly and would love to interact with you. First, I would like to hear from you concerning so of the life's concerns and struggles that you would like me to address from time to time. Also I will be sharing some of my thoughts that I receive during my devotional time with the Lord. We have a God who is speaking and who has something to say on every life issue that we maybe facing. If you have any questions after reading something feel free to ask me. I will try to keep them short and to the point. I will from time to time comment on what is happening in our world as well. With the upcoming elections and all that is happening there is much that one can reflect upon and to think through what God maybe saying through the events of life.
I come to you not as an expert but a learner of God and of life. As I am writing this to you now I am listening to a song "God is good all the time" I am not always how this is the case but as a follower of Jesus Christ I know that He is working all things for my good. I trust in God as my faithful Savior and Lord. There is no better place to be then in the arms of the Lord.

Blessing upon your life
Pastor John