Fear and Worry – Your Enemies

“And He laid His right hand upon me, saying to me, Do not fear, I am the First and the Last, (Revelation 1:17)

Fear and Worry are paralyzing emotions that restricts normal feelings of love, confidence, and well-being.  People in the Bible have been instructed over and over again not to fear and not to worry. Jesus speaks to you today through His precious words: “Therefore I say to you, Do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25). Paul instructs Christians by telling us: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).

About nine million Americans are receiving some type of medical treatment as a result of excessive worry and fear.  It has been reported that one out of every twenty Americans will be confined to a hospital because worry and fear have developed into some type of emotional illness.  The words “fear not” and similar exhortations are repeated over and over again in both the Old and New Testaments.

These reminders from God are not condemnation of you.  There are many reasons people have been captured by fear and worry.  God wants you to give Him an opportunity to help you get free of these two enemies.  

There are real reasons people are controlled by fear and worry.  Part of it is a predisposition or a inherited temperament.  Some people have had childhood experiences which may have induced fear.  This would include overprotection, domination by others, disapproval, a traumatic experience, a negative thinking pattern, and a lack of faith.  I am not talking about the normal fear or apprehension we feel when we are doing something for the first time. 

 But if your fear keeps you from doing what you should, or if the fear absorbs your thoughts for a long period of time, it is not healthy and it is something you need to begin to change.

Christians, especially, can get fear and worry under control.  First of all, you have to believe that you can. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).  “Jesus said to him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23).

Don’t justify your fears and say “I can’t help it!”  Fear and worry are sins because they are the opposite of faith. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).  Confess your worries and fears to God as sin and remember this verse: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Ask God to take away the habits of fear and worry.  It is the power of the Holy Spirit that will deliver you from these enemies.  “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” (Luke 11:13).  

If you ask anything of Him that is in His will He will answer it, if you will turn them over to Him.

“And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).  “Take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there”.  “Therefore be humbled under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your anxiety onto Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).

Thank God verbally as an act of faith that he is going to take care of all your worries and fears.  “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Finally Repeat! Repeat! Repeat!  the steps you have just read and heard.  The habits of fear and worrying will not vanish immediately.  But with God’s help, you can have the victory over these enemies.  Each time you become fearful or find yourself worrying, face it as sin and a lack of faith, ask forgiveness, ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit, and thank Him by faith that you will overcome.

“BEING A SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN”

by Pastor Mark Taylor

(Matthew 11:29)

In any area of our lives there are certain principles that can make us successful and happy.  Success is not just something we hope for or that is randomly given to us.  We have to move toward a goal to become better if we do become better.  Below are just a few things we can do in our Christian life to make us successful.

 Learning more about our Lord will help us to live a successful Christian life.  Jesus said: “Take My yoke on you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest to your souls” (Matthew 11:29).  Our minds are very important to God.  He wants you and I to develop them to be used for His service. “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).  God wants you to be wise and to make good decisions.  One of the first things in studying is to make sure you can use the knowledge that God gives you to make right decisions.  That is called wisdom.  You can get that wisdom from God as you study.  “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).  Your knowledge and wisdom are given to you to help others. “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17). When you make decisions ask God to give you the mind of Christ in your decision. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).  If you think like the Lord, you will be successful.

 “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”.  Jesus gave us this advice: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:33-34).  You can only live today.  You cannot change what has happen in the past, and you cannot know what is going to happen tomorrow.

“Redeeming the Time”.  The Bible tells us: “See then that you conduct your life by considering all the consequences and possible outcomes (circumspectly), not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16).  We have more modern “time saving” inventions like the computer, but we still seem to have less time to accomplish the things we want to do.  Much of our time is wasted watching TV, DVDs, and playing computer games.  We still have as much time as other people.  We have 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

“Doing Your Best”.   No matter how big or small the task is, we should seek to do it with our best ability: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).  If we are going to be a successful Christian, we need to learn how to go the extra mile.  This includes doing our best at our place of employment, in our relationships with others, and using our gifts in service to the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Rest”.  Jesus said: “Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).  Jesus values both spiritual and physical rest.  “And He said to them, Come aside into a deserted place and rest a little. For there were many coming and going, and they had no opportunity even to eat” (Mark 6:31).  Even God rested: “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made. And He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He had rested from all His work which God created to make” (Genesis 2:2-3).  We are made in God’s image and you need times of rest.  You cannot be successful if you are physically and mentally tired.

Today, I would encourage all of us to be successful Christians.  We do not have to be discouraged and live in defeat.  We have the power of the Holy Spirit to lift us above the world and all its problems.  The Bible says: “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).

The greatest step toward success is to first of all know that you are a Christian.  Make sure you have more than just a “head knowledge” of the Lord Jesus Christ.  "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' (Matthew 7:21-23).  Make sure you faith is real. “Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23).

 “What Faith Is And What Faith Does.” Hebrews 11:1-7

Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Faith is a common denominator. Every one alive daily expresses faith in something. No one can live a single day without exercising faith – faith in the physical world. When you awoke and went into the bathroom this morning you flipped a light switch and you had faith that it would work. When you get in your car you have faith that it will start.


People who do not believe that God created the world as the Bible states, have faith in the theory of evolution.  I choose to believe God's Word when He said:  "For by Him were all things created, that are in Heaven, and that are in Earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him."  (Colossians 1:16).

To understand what faith is we must get past certain misconceptions about faith and what it is not.

What Faith Is Not

First, that faith is the ability to manipulate God. This is the approach of the “health and wealth” prosperity gospel. This approach only sees faith as having one aim – one fruit – a life of ease and blessing.  

Second, that faith is adherence to a set of beliefs . You must believe the right doctrine. But Paul says in 2 Tim. 1:12, “I know whom I have believed.” If your beliefs are not founded on the right person it does not matter what else you believe. 

 Third, that faith is a blind leap into the dark. To many unbelievers faith is the anti-thesis of science. To these saying “you just have to have faith” is the same as saying “just have to act contrary to everything you know and trust that it will all work out for the best.” 

Finally, that faith is simply devotion to whatever god one happens to follow. It can be said, “He is a person of deep faith”  What matters is that they are sincere.  But unfortunately this is not the true faith spoken of in the Bible. Hebrews chapter eleven portrays what real biblical faith looks like.  You can be sincere, but sincerely wrong, and miss God and His love for you.

What Faith Is

True faith is confident obedience to God’s word in spite of circumstances or consequences. Faith is described as:  “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1).  Faith is the foundation that gives the believer the confidence to love God.   Faith is having a “conviction”.  An opinion can change.  A conviction is something you will die for and not change.  This inward conviction enables the believer to believe things not yet seen and that God will perform what He has promised.

 Faith Caused Abel to Worship God.  “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.” (Hebrews 11:4).  Our Lord wants our worship, love and presence.  “Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with rejoicing.”  (Psalms 107:21-22). We do not know the details of Abel faith. We do not just how much had been revealed to Abel about how he was to worship. But his father Adam had walked with God. We do know that his faith caused him to worship God.  He chose the choicest lamb as an offering and he brought it to the place of sacrifice.

Faith Caused Enoch to Walk with God (vv. 5-6).  “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”  (Hebrews 11:5-6). 


 Enoch is a fascinating biblical character. Enoch lived in one of the darkest period of the history of the world. Enoch lived just before God had to destroy the earth because of man’s evil, yet Enoch managed to keep himself pure. Enoch walked with God.  The Hebrew form of the verb means he walked closely and continually with God. The walk that Enoch experienced was on of deepening intimacy with God. He lived every day in the presence of the Lord and in constant communion with Him. His faith and his obedience, as well as his worship, were outstanding. 

The hallmark of Enoch’s life was that “he pleased God.” What a wonderful description of a believer’s life. Can that be said of your life? Is God pleased with how you use your time? Is God pleased with what you read? Is God pleased with the words you speak? Is God pleased with your plans for the future? Have you even bothered to consult God with your plans?  Enoch walk of faith delivered him from the consequence of death. Will yours? This verse does not say that faith is simply one way to please God: it is the only way.

Faith Caused Noah to Work for God (v. 7). “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” (Hebrews 11:7).  Noah built an Ark because he believed God.  Do your works reflect your faith? Faith will make us work. Only his steadfast belief in God kept Noah faithful for the 120 years cutting the trees and planning the construction of the Ark.  The ark was 450 feet long, 75 ft wide and 45 ft. high, that means that it was nearly one and a half times the length of a football field and more than four stories high, it could hardly be hide from the ridicule of the scoffers.  The majority of the people simply refused to believe Noah’s witness concerning the coming flood. Yet, he in faith went right on working and witnessing, building the ark and warning of the coming judgement. Then as a final act of faith, he and his family stepped into the ark and closed the door.  Noah was a man of faith and his life continually showed his faith. 

When you think of the limitation in your life, you may be tempted to conclude, “God could never use me.”  But God is never limited by our limitations.  In fact, he enjoys putting His great power into ordinary people.  God loves to use people who feel they have little to offer.  We think that God only wants to use our strengths, but He also wants to use our weaknesses for His glory.  God has never been impressed with strength or self-sufficiency.  In fact, He is drawn to people who are weak and admit it. This is what faith is - to worship God, to walk with God,  and to work for God.  He wants to have a relationship with you and to fulfill His purpose in your life with the gifts and abilities He has given you.

Music Video - Daddy's Hands - by Courtney Jenkins

"Our Father Who Is In Heaven"
A Message From Pastor Mark Taylor

“After this manner pray: Our Father Who is in Heaven. Holy and Honored shall be Your Name.  Your Kingdom come, Your will be done in Earth, as it is in Heaven.” (Matthew 6:8-10

Today, in the United States, we celebrate Father’s Day.  The first observance of Father's Day is believed to have been held on June 19, 1910.  It is sad that today one out of three children do not have a father living with them in their homes. 

Notice that when Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He counseled them to relate to God as "Father."  By now, we all understand that prayer is simply the practice of talking with God - it's the vehicle by which fellowship with God can take place in this life. The first lesson from the Lord's Prayer then is simply that God, our Father, wants us to talk to Him. He is a conversationalist; He wants to have that kind of relationship with His children, one where the children take the initiative to discuss the events of their lives, and He wants to be the One who is available to listen and meet their needs.

As human beings we are designed to know God as our Good, Loving, Heavenly Father.  The trouble is we do not see Him clearly... partly because the lenses we wear to look at Him are provided by the experiences of our earthly fathers (and other male authority figures).  If we had or have, a physically absent or emotionally absent father, then at a heart level we may well fear that God will not be close to us... and therefore we find it hard to believe that He wants to draw near and is near!   If you do not have an earthly father present with you today, or if your father does not show you the love you desire, God wants to be your Father.  “When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the LORD will take care of me.” (Psalms 27:10).  

Our Father is our protector.  “A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.” (Psalms 68:5).

Our FATHER is full of forgiveness: “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalms 103:12).

Our FATHER is Love:  “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love”  (1 John 4:7-8).

Our FATHER is all powerful (omnipotent).  There is no limit to what HE can do.  “Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.” (Psalms 147:5). 

Our FATHER is all knowing (omniscient).   He knows your thoughts: “The LORD knows the thoughts of man, That they are futile” (Psalms 94:11).  “You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off” (Psalms 139:2).

Our FATHER is present everywhere (omnipresent).  Our FATHER is not limited by time or space. “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there” (Psalms 139:7-8).

A good Earthly Father should be someone we can go to when we are in trouble or when we are discouraged.  Sometimes all we need is a word of encouragement from him to give us the courage to keep on going when we feel like giving up. Someone to tell us he is for us and on our side.  “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.”  (Jeremiah 29:11-12).   

Your Heavenly Father can meet that need and give you the resources to get back on your feet when you have been knocked down by this world.  “As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.” (Psalms 103:13-14).  Do you need a Father today who can just take you in His arms and tell you everything is going to be ok?  Your Heavenly Father wants to do just that.  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”  (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

Fathers and mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers, there is no greater gift that you can give to your children and grandchildren, than your time.  There are times when they just need someone to listen to them and spend some time with them.  This is something our Heavenly Father wants to give to His children.  He is a good listener and never too busy to take time for you.

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” (1 John 5:14-15).

'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:2-3).

Our FATHER is full of pity and mercy: “The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him” (Psalms 103:8-11).

On this Father's Day, we will honor our fathers with a gift, a card, a call, a word of appreciation or a hug. Let us also remember to honor our Heavenly Father. We can honor our fathers who have gone to Heaven by transferring that love into an act of kindness to someone else.

We will honor Him by taking time to talk with Him, worshipping Him in Spirit and thanking Him for His faithful provision. We will seek to correct any broken relationships we may have with Him or with others of His children. We will follow His leadership into ways of righteousness and accept His protection from the evil one. We will give Him all the praise and glory due His name.  Make this a Happy Father’s Day for your Heavenly Father.

I hope the God of the Bible is your FATHER. I hope that you have seen the FATHER today.  He wants to be your FATHER.   It is His will that everyone go to Heaven and live with Him forever.   "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." The Father is a king, but a king who does not always get what He wants.  What we need to understand is that He values the free choice of His children - He wants you to come to Him out of love, not coercion or fear.  Let His will be done in you.

TAKING THE ORDINARY AND MAKING IT EXTRAORDINARY 
John 2:1-12

“Behold, I make all things new.”  (Revelation 21:5)

by Pastor Mark Taylor

 What Jesus did at the wedding signifies some very important things to us about Jesus and His compassion for people. He even cares about our embarrassing shortcomings.  God is working behind the scenes to meet the need.  He is solving the problem when we have only looked at it.  He is curing the cancer when we are still trying to pronounce its name.  He is providing the resources as the bills are placed in the mailbox.  He is giving us strength when we are weak. (Isaiah 40: 29-31)

To the Jewish people wine symbolized joy. The Jewish rabbis had a saying, ‘Without wine there is no joy.” At the wedding in Cana their joy had run out! In some ways it is a reminder of the emptiness of our life without Christ.  When the water was turned to wine, the shame of the bridal family was turned to joy.

That is simply the way life works. There are times we run out of joy.  But this miracle teaches us that when the wine runs out, Jesus can turn the water into wine.  The Bible reminds us that the Joy of the Lord is our strength. Do you believe that? Because if you do that means that Joy doesn’t come from anywhere else.  The change in our lives - our water into wine- is not based on our strength or efforts, it is available as we yield our lives to the Holy Spirit’s power.

Wherever Jesus went there was life and joy. He stated that His life mission was, as He said, that “His joy might be in us and that our joy might be complete” (John 15:11). He has come to bring His joy, and there is joy everywhere He is in our world. 

He is the God of irrepressible joy, and He has come to share it. He offers the wine of joy to all those who are thirsty for life — for those who will come and drink.

Perhaps Jesus could have used Mary.  Jesus could have looked to His disciples.  Surprisingly, to all who were at the wedding, Jesus did the unexpected, He looked to the servants.  Miracles meet ordinary needs in unexpected ways.    One of the deepest desires of every believer is to be part of the plan of God.  The compelling nature of the love of God creates a yearning in us to get off the bench and into the game.  We often assume that people with social, political or even spiritual status will be God’s first choice, But God does not look at things the way people do.  “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart”  (I Samuel 16:7. 

In our limited understanding, we don’t understand how filling jars with water solves a wine problem.  My job is to faithfully walk with a glass of water until He turns it into wine.  When I get out of the way and walk faithfully with a servant’s heart, God turns water into wine.  There will be times in life when you feel that what you are carrying is terribly inadequate.  That is when faith becomes real as you trust God to take what you have and make it something better.  “Now unto Him, that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.  Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.”  (Ephesians 3:20-21).

There is no limit to His grace. What Jesus gives is never just enough, it is always more than enough, with plenty left over. He did not give just enough trees; He gave more than enough. He did not create just enough mountains; He created more than enough. He did not give just enough ocean; He gave more than enough. He did not give just enough life and joy; He gave more than enough.

Miracles happen when we understand that Jesus transforms our everyday experiences. Jesus did not come to give us information; He came to give us a transformation. He changes things. He has a way of taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary. He did not come to bring new ideas; He came to make new people. The water did not just appear to be wine; it was transformed into wine — the best of wine at that.  “Behold, I make all things new.”  (Revelation 21:5).  The best wine was always offered first. Isn’t that just like our Lord? The best always comes at the end. The grace we once tasted cautiously—we now drink freely. Jesus has poured out in us the richness of His love and forgiveness.  He has a lot of wonderful things planned for you and I after we leave this Earth and all of its problems.  In very ordinary places He creates extraordinary beauty. Let Jesus touch you, and see if your life is not filled with new beauty and wonder — new  flavor and fragrance.   Jesus is in the business of turning water into wine, sinners into saints, fear into courage, sorrow into joy, defeat into victory, despair into hope and death into life. 

Miracles happen when we understand that Jesus extravagantly provides for our everyday requests. There were six jars containing between 20 and 30 gallons apiece.  Though we anticipate that God may give us enough to get by, we often do not expect abundance.  Our expectations are far too low.    Filling the purification jars with water was hard work.  The servants filled each jar with approximately 25 gallons of water - bucket by bucket and step by step.  Out of those water jars came 2,500 glasses of water turned into wine - more than enough to satisfy the needs of the wedding banquet.  The Lord Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was more than enough.  His shed blood was more than enough to offer forgiveness for not just for our sins of the past, but for our sins today, and for the inevitable sins of tomorrow.   Why did Jesus give so much wine? Because He is an extravagant giver. He never gives just enough; He always gives superabundantly.

You have to use what you have before the Lord Jesus changes your water into wine.  You may have to fill some jars which requires effort and hard work on your part. You may have to go to where Jesus is working to receive the wine.  Everyone there at the wedding that day was at the right place at the right time when the Lord Jesus showed up.  But He is still working miracles today in the lives of His children when they are living right and serving Him.  “Blessed is the person that does not walk in the company of the ungodly, nor stands in the same place as sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.  But their delight is in the words of the Lord, and in His words do they mediate day and night.”They shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his/her fruit in their season; their leaf shall not wither, and whatsoever they do shall prosper.” 
  (Psalm 1: 1-3). 

(For more video and written sermons by Pastor Mark Taylor go to:  www.sermonstotheworld.blogspot.com )

WHEN YOU REACH THE END OF YOUR ROPE, THERE IS A BASKET

 

  

Video Links To This Sermon

PART ONE -     http://youtu.be/_0XlDGP8OSY

PART TWO -    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8GRUJBohFk

PART THREE -   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj3kNANuJY8

“When You Reach The End of Your Rope, There is a Basket”

A Sermon By Pastor Mark Taylor

“I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped.”

2 Corinthians 11: 33

In this Chapter of God’s Word (verses 24-33), Paul describes all kinds of problems he encountered while serving the Lord Jesus.  He is trying to encourage all of us who are going through rough times and are at the end of our ropes, figuratively speaking.  He is telling us that God is still able to deliver us and take care of us.  “There has been no difficulty that has taken you that is not common to others: but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able to endure; but will with that difficulty also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.”  (I Corinthians 10:13).

Paul was about to be arrested and executed for preaching in Damascus. Christians are not exempt from persecutions and problems.  But God had given some people the wisdom and ability to put him in a basket and let him down from a high walled city through a window by a rope. God also has a rope and basket for you as Satan wants to destroy you.  The Lord often uses other people to help you in times of trouble.

David was also in a difficult situation when he wrote these words:  “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?  When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell.  Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident...For in the time of trouble He shall hide me;  In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; 

He shall set me high upon a rock....Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say on the Lord!  (Psalm 27).  Instead of complaining, he called upon the God of His salvation.

God has delivered and provided for people giving them a basket when they were at the end of their ropes.  The mother of Moses saved his life by making him a basket and putting him in it and put him in the river for Pharaoh’s daughter to find him and raise him as her own child.  You may be concerned about your children today.  God has a basket for you to put them in.  It is called prayer.  God can help and deliver them through your prayers. (Exodus 2).

When there seemed like there was not enough food to feed the hungry, God used a little boy with only two fish and five small loaves of bread to feed five thousand men and another 10-15 thousand women and children.  “And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.” (Matthew 14:20).   When you use what you have for God, God will bless it and there will be enough to bless others.  On another occasion, Jesus blessed a few small fish and the results were the same: “So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken fish that was left, seven baskets.  And they that had eaten were about four thousand.”  (Mark 8:8-9).

God cares about you so much that he knew all about you physically, mentally, and emotionally before you were born.  “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.” (Psalms 139:16).   And He loves you in spite of all your problems you have acquired since you were born. You were made with such care that even the number of your hairs was not by chance.

God cares for you by preserving you in this evil world.  The good news is that God is not just sitting back and watching evil destroy you.  In the book of Genesis, evil had become so widespread that God decided to destroy the whole world, but “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8).  God wants to spare you from the evil of this world because “He cares for you” (I Peter 5:7).  He is helping you fight evil.  “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”  (1 Corinthians 10:13).

“While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).  

God cares for you by demonstrating His love to you.  “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:7-8).

God cares for you by providing a plan and purpose for your life.  “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.” (Jeremiah 29:11-12).  “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Because God cares so much for us, we need to care for others.  “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”  (1 John 4:7).

Because God cares so much for us, we need to care for God. “I love the LORD, because He has heard My voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.” (Psalms 116:1-2).

There will be times when you are at the end of your rope that God will put a basket at the end of it to deliver you.  There will be times when you need to provide a basket for someone else who is at the end of their rope.  God cares for you by preserving you in this evil world.  The good news is that God is not just sitting back and watching evil destroy you.  He has a basket for you.

VIDEO LINKS TO THIS MESSAGE


MIRACLES ARE FOR REAL - PART ONE
MIRACLES ARE FOR REAL - PART TWO
MIRACLES ARE FOR REAL - PART THREE


MIRACLES ARE FOR REAL

by Pastor Mark Taylor

“Though Jesus had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on Him.”

John 12:37

I have heard many people say that if they could see a miracle in their lives, they would believe in God and in Jesus.  Miracles are for real, and many people today have read about, heard about, and even seen God work in miraculously ways, but they have not experienced  a personal relationship with Him.

Today, I will talk about miracles and try to explain a few reasons why they happen and why some people experience them, while others miss them.  Let me establish that I am talking to and about Christians who have loved God and served Him.  People outside the family of God may experience miracles, but the reason they do is that God is trying to get their attention and draw them to Him.

Whether you are in need of a minor intervention or a big miracle, God cares deeply about your needs and circumstances..God deeply cares about you.  Regarding the supernatural the best way to live, the only way to live, is to believe that a miracle could happen at any moment.

Paul said: Now unto Him Who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all we can ask or think, according to His power that is at work within us, Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20)

Eighty percent of Americans believe in Miracles, while only Forty percent believe the Bible is God's Word and only Fifty percent pray daily.  So I am not going to spend much time trying to prove to you that there are such things as miracles and they happen often.  You may say that you have never experienced one, but that does not change the fact that they happen.   I have both experienced God and miracles and His presence many times, so I know He is real and so are miracles. Historical writings from AD 185 to 1746, assert that miracles were happening during the life times of many Christian writers.  This includes Martin Luther and John Wesley.  Many fail to recognize that miraculous occurrences have been recorded in virtually every age.  The record of God's miracles stretches from ancient times until today.

The Lord Jesus performed miracles in at least six different areas:  In the human heart (Salvation),  In the human body (Healing),  In human emotions (Deliverance), In nature, In intervention in death, and miracles of provision at critical moments

The Lord Jesus performed miracles freely, graciously, and lovingly.  True, this doesn't   explain why some people receive special intervention and others don't.  There is a powerful principle around the accounts of the people our Lord Jesus healed and that is:  We can't merit them.  We can't win them, warrant them, or work for them.  Miracles are given because of who God is, not because of who we are.  They are granted because of God's mercy and grace.

Miracles do not just happen - They have a purpose.  God's primary purpose for healing a person is to focus on that individual and enhance the relationship. But there are at least six possible purposes for miracles as found in the Bible:

    To reveal the nature of God, in showing His love and compassion.

    To draw out faith of diseased people or those in need.

    To draw out the faith of those who can help and assist the sick and the needy.

    To reveal our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

    To reveal characteristics about others who have healed other than our Lord.

    To set the stage for a showdown between the forces of good and the forces of evil.

Instead of wondering why God isn't preventing or eliminating sickness or evil, we need to be asking why the devil chose to bring about evil.  "The thief (Satan) comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10).  

Despite all those causes of hardships and pain, God still intervenes, often keeping us safe from disaster and pain.  The question is not "Why don't you do more?",  but rather, "I am amazed at how much you have done for me!!"

Our all-loving, all-powerful God decides when and how to touch His people with miracles.  Miracles flow from from an existing relationship between God and a person or from a relationship God desires to have with a person.

Can you do anything to bring about a miracle?  God makes miracles happen. Through our prayers, we can see them happen.  Additionally, you create a climate in which God's Spirit actively is invited to move.  Prayer and the atmosphere of expectancy invites God in to work the miraculous.

One substantial way we can contribute is by praying in faith.  Faith-filled prayers has an impact.  While some miracles are entirely unanticipated most are prayed for, and even expected.


The second thing you can do is live a life pleasing to God.

"What?  Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God, and you are not your own?

For you are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your Spirit, which is God's.". 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

WHAT WILL KEEP YOU FROM,RECEIVING A MIRACLE?

Purposeful sin and living an ungodly life will not only keep you from receiving miracles, it will keep you from getting any prayers answered. "If I regard iniquity in my heart, themLord will not hear me."  (Psalms 66:18).   "If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."  ( 2 Chronicles 7:14).

You have to make some decisions when you walk with God.  Is a selfish life of pleasing yourself worth missing the miracles God has for you?

A prayer for a miracle:  "God, I know you are my loving Father and desire to help me.  I know you have given me authority to speak your will on earth and I proclaim your will over this situation.  Since all good things come from you, I thank you in advance that either I will receive the miracle needed this moment, or I will experience the miracle of strength over what I now face."  This prayer demonstrates confidence and strength in understanding that God has given His children authority not only to come to Him with requests but also to stand against the opposition of Satan in His Name.

Do you need a miracle today?  You never know what you will receive until you ask in faith and in God’s will.  “You have not, because you ask not or you ask for the wrong reason.”  (James 4:2).  The closer you are to God and the Lord Jesus, the closer you are to receiving your miracle.

(Most of this sermon was edited and adapted from a wonderful book about Miracles - Miracles Are For Real by James L. Harlow and Keith Wall.  I highly recommend this book for a study on miracles)

Day of the Missionary

John Gibson Paton

May 24 1824, Birth of John Gibson Paton. He was missionary to the New Hebrides Islands. During his youth he was greatly influenced by the devoutness of his father who would go there times a day to his "prayer closet" and conducted family prayers twice a day. He heard a call from God to serve as a missionary. He & his family landed in a island which was full of cannibals. Painted nude men & women wore grass apron. There they started the work of God.

John G. survived his wife by nearly two years, dying at the age of 82 on 28 Jan 1907 at Cross St, Canterbury, Victoria, Australia.

They are both buried at Boroondara at the intersection of High Street and Park Hill Road, Kew, Victoria, Australia.