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Do you have joy? Nehemiah 8:10 tells us “the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

But, just what is joy? It’s not a happy feeling you’re supposed to have now and then when things are going well. It’s much more than that. Joy is one of the most powerful spiritual forces in the world.

Look again at Nehemiah 8:10 and I’ll show you why. If you were to diagram that scripture and remove the phrase, “of the Lord,” you would find what it’s truly saying is this: Joy is strength! The two are interchangeable.

That’s what makes joy so crucial. You can’t live a life of faith without being strong in the Lord. And when God wants to make you strong, joy is what He uses to do the job!

Joy is not just a state of mind. It is not a fleeting emotion. Joy is a very real force! And the devil doesn’t have anything that can stand up against it. Just as fear has to yield to faith, discouragement has to yield to joy.

Since joy is one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, you already have it residing within you. But you must develop it, confess it, and live by it if you want to enjoy its power.

Whatever circumstances you are facing today, you can be full of joy. You can be strong in the Lord. You can draw on the supply of the Holy Spirit within you and come out on top.

Rejoice!

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 8.08. Live for God, on purpose, as you rejoice in the Lord always! Again, I say – Rejoice!

Where Do We Look Now?

Here we are in the midst of the presidential primaries. Although we have already had our primary here in Delaware, the airwaves continue to be filled with daily excerpts from all the candidates promising their personal version of what America needs, and why they believe they are the one who can best provide it.

Interestingly, each candidate seems to be claiming to be the real candidate who will bring change. And, when people are interviewed, being asked which candidate they plan to vote for, nearly each person notes “change” in their list of reasons for making their choice.

People realize that what they have, and what they are experiencing is not working. They want change. But, they don’t know where to look. I believe that America is not looking for a new President. Americans are looking for a savior. And, none of the candidates fit that requirement.

In Mark 13, Jesus tells us that there is a time coming when people will claim that the Christ is here, or He is there. Jesus tells his readers to not believe it!

So, then, where are we to look? What do we look for now? That is the subject of this week’s message – “Where Do We Look Now?” You won’t want to miss this message!

Why Give 10% or More of Your Income to the Lord’s Work

by Brian Kluth

In stewardship speaking engagements across America and on five continents, I have discovered two things:

First: Christians of all income levels have experienced spiritual joy, supernatural grace and divine help through the practice of making a specific commitment to GIVE 10% OR MORE of their resources to the Lord’s work.

Second: The vast majority of pastors are reluctant to teach their congregations about money matters and Christian giving.

This list of 10 reasons to give 10% or more to the Lord’s work was written to encourage laity and clergy that this subject can be biblically and practically taught and caught! When believers are taught to make it a priority to give to God first, it will ultimately bring greater financial freedom and blessing into their personal lives and to the ministries they support.

1. It is a tried and proven pattern of giving by godly people throughout the ages (regardless of cultures and income levels). Genesis 14:17-20, 28:16-22; Leviticus 27:30; Proverbs 3:9, 10; Malachi 3:7-15; Matthew 23:23

2. It will help you revere God more in your life. Deuteronomy 14:23

3. It will bring God’s wisdom and order to your finances and will help you harness the dragon of materialism. Matthew 6:19-21, 24-34; Luke 12:16-21; 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19; Ecclesiastes 5:10

4. It will serve as a practical reminder that God is the Owner of everything you have. 1 Chronicles 29:11-18; Psalm 24; 1,2; Psalm 59:10-12; Haggai 2:8

5. It will allow you to experience God’s creative care and provisions in ways you would not otherwise experience. 1 Kings 17; Proverbs 3:9,10; Malachi 3:7-15; Haggai 1:4-11, 2:15-10; Luke 6:38; Deuteronomy 14:23; Proverbs 3:5,6; Malachi 3:8-10; Haggai 1:4-11, 2:15-19; 2 Corinthians 8:5

6. It will encourage your spiritual growth and trust in God. Deuteronomy 14:23; Proverbs 3:5,6; Malachi 3:8-10; Haggai 1:4-11, 2:15-19; 2 Corinthians 8:5

7. It will ensure you of treasure in heaven. 1 Timothy 6:18, 19; Matthew 6:19-21; Hebrews 6:10; 3 John 8; 1 Samuel 30:22

8. It will strengthen the ministry, outreach, and stability of your local church. Acts 2:42-27, 4:32; 2 Corinthians 9:12,13

9. It will help provide the means to keep your pastor and missionaries in full-time Christian service. 1 Corinthians 9:9-11,14; 1 Timothy 5:17,18; 3 John 5-8; Philippians 4:15-19; Galatians 6:6; Luke 8:3; 2 Kings 4:8-10

10. It will help accomplish needed building projects and renovations. 2 Chronicles 24:4-14; Exodus 35, 36; 2 Kings 12:2-16; 1 Chronicles 29:2-10; Ezekiel 1:4-6

as seen in the February 18, 2008 issue of Rocky Henriques’ “The Timothy Report.” Article by Brian Kluth, Dimensions, Vol. 20, Fall, 1997, pp. 1-2, reprint by permission: Christian Stewardship Magazine

I Will Praise Him Again

by Tom Norvell

Your spirits are low. You are down in the dumps. You don’t really know why. You try to figure it out. Maybe it is because it’s Monday. Maybe it’s the season of the year. Maybe you’re tired. Maybe your feelings have been hurt. Maybe it is the anniversary of a loss. Could be guilt. Could be fatigue. Could be a something deep inside wanting to come out but you’re afraid to let it go. Worship is dry. Spiritual endeavors seem empty. You don’t know why, but you know it’s real, and you know it’s not good.

Whatever the cause and whatever the reason these questions which are found three times in Psalm 42 and 43 (some would contend that it was originally one Psalm) could be your questions:

“Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?”

You do everything in your power to snap out of the funk. You work harder. You read more. You pray more. You get involved in more Bible studies. You attend more church services. Still you are discouraged and your heart is sad. You wonder if you will ever get out of this pit of depression. You wonder if you will ever experience genuine praise again.

Then you read the rest of the verse.

“I will put my hope in God!”

That makes sense. “I will put my hope in God!” Not in things. Not in people. Not in events. Not in accomplishments. “I will put my hope in God!” It should not surprise us (though it almost always does) that when we put our hope in something or someone other than God we will get discouraged and our hearts will become sad. The Psalmist came to an understanding and said, “I will put my hope in God!”

When he put his hope in God, things changed.

“I will praise him again-my Savior and my God!” (Psalm 42:5, 11; Psalm 43:5, New Living Translation)

What was true for the Psalmist can be true for you. Put your hope in God!

Feeling discouraged? Is your heart feeling sad? Put your hope in God! You will praise Him again.

Ten Inches of Water

A boy was sitting in a park bench with one hand resting on an open Bible. He was loudly exclaiming his praise to God. “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! God is great!” he yelled without worrying whether anyone heard him or not.

Shortly after, along came a man who had recently completed some studies at a local University. Feeling himself very enlightened in the ways of truth and very eager to show this enlightenment, he asked the boy about the source of his joy.

“Hey,” asked the boy in return with a bright laugh, “Don’t you have any idea what God is able to do? I just read that God opened up the waves of the Red Sea and led the whole nation of Israel right through the middle.”

The enlightened man laughed lightly, sat down next to the boy and began to try to open his eyes to the realities of the miracles of the Bible. “That can all be very easily explained. Modern scholarship has shown that the Red Sea in that area was only 10 inches deep at that time. It was no problem for the Israelites to wade across.”

The boy was stumped. His eyes wandered from the man back to the Bible lying open in his lap. The man, content that he had enlightened a poor naive young person to the finer points of scientific insight turned to leave.

Scarcely had he taken two steps when the boy began to rejoice and praise louder than before. The man turned to ask the reason for this resumed jubilation.

“Wow!” exclaimed the boy happily, “God is greater than I thought! Not only did He lead the whole nation of Israel through the Red Sea, He topped it off by drowning the whole Egyptian army in 10 inches of water!”

Five Ways God Uses Problems

The problems you face will either defeat you or develop you – depending on how you respond to them. Unfortunately, most people fail to see how God wants to use problems for good in their lives. They react foolishly and resent their problems rather than pausing to consider what benefit they might bring.

Here are five ways God wants to use the problems in your life:

1. God uses problems to DIRECT you.
Sometimes God must light a fire under you to get you moving. Problems often point us in a new direction and motivate us to change. Is God trying to get your attention?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6

2. God uses problems to INSPECT you.
People are like tea bags... if you want to know what’s inside them, just drop them into hot ever water! Has God tested your faith with a problem? What do problems reveal about you?

“When you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience.” – James 1:2-3

3. God uses problems to CORRECT you.
Some lessons we learn only through pain and failure. It’s likely that as a child your parents told you not to touch a hot stove. But you probably learned by being burned. Sometimes we only learn the value of something by losing it.

“It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” – Psalm 119:72

4. God uses problems to PROTECT you.
A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents you from being harmed by something more serious. Last year a friend was fired for refusing to do something unethical that his boss had asked him to do. His unemployment was a problem – but it saved him from being convicted and sent to prison a year later when management’s actions were eventually discovered.

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good” – Genesis 50:20

5. God uses problems to PERFECT you.
Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders. God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. Your relationship to God and your character are the only two things you’re going to take with you into eternity.

“We can rejoice when we run into problems... they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady.” – Romans 5:3-4

Here’s the point: God is at work in your life – even when you don’t recognize it or understand it. But it’s so much easier when you surrender to his plan for your life.

Afraid to Speak Up

by Alan Smith

Farmer Joe decided his injuries from the accident were serious enough to take the trucking company to court.

In court, the trucking company’s fancy lawyer was questioning farmer Joe. “Didn’t you say at the scene of the accident, ‘I’m fine’?", asked the lawyer.

Farmer Joe responded, “Well, I’ll tell you what happened. I had just loaded my favorite mule Bessie into the...”

“I didn’t ask for any details,” the lawyer interrupted, “just answer the question. Did you not say at the scene of the accident, ‘I’m fine!’?”

Farmer Joe said, “Well, I had just got Bessie into the trailer and I was driving down the road...”

The lawyer interrupted again and said, “Judge, I am trying to establish the fact that, at the scene of the accident, this man told the highway patrolman on the scene that he was just fine. Now several weeks after the accident he is trying to sue my client.” I believe he is a fraud. Please tell him to simply answer the question.”

By this time the judge was fairly interested in Farmer Joe’s answer and said to the lawyer, “I’d like to hear what he has to say about his favorite mule Bessie.”

Joe thanked the judge and proceeded, “Well as I was saying, I had just loaded Bessie, my favorite mule, into the trailer and was driving her down the highway when this huge semi-truck and trailer ran the stop sign and smacked my truck right in the side. I was thrown into one ditch and Bessie was thrown into the other. I was hurting real bad and didn’t want to move. However, I could hear ole Bessie moaning and groaning. I knew she was in terrible shape just by her groans.

Shortly after the accident, a highway patrolman came on the scene. He could hear Bessie moaning and groaning, so he went over to her. After he looked at her, he took out his gun and shot her between the eyes.

Then the patrolman came across the road with his gun in his hand and looked at me. He said, “Your mule was in such bad shape I had to shoot her. How are you feeling?”

There are times in our lives when we are hesitant to say something out of fear. Not fear of being “shot", but fear of being “shot down", fear of being ridiculed, fear of being embarrassed. As a result, given the opportunity to take a stand for Christ, we choose silence instead. It seems “safe” considering the circumstances.

May God help us to replace our fear of men with the fear of God.

“And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. ‘And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.’ But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” (1 Peter 3:13-15)

So... how are you feeling? :-)

This article by Alan Smith, Senior Pastor of the Helen Street Church of Christ in Fayetteville, North Carolina. You can visit his site at http://www.TFTD-online.com

The Last Impression

You know you’re in a redneck church if...

• The finance committee refuses to provide funds for the purchase of a chandelier because none of the members knows how to play one.

• People ask, when they learn that Jesus fed the 5000, whether the two fish were bass or catfish, and what bait was used to catch ‘em.

• When the pastor says, “I’d like to ask Bubba to help take up the offering,” five guys and two women stand up.

• Opening day of deer season is recognized as an official church holiday.

• A member of the church requests to be buried in his 4-wheel-drive truck because “It ain’t never been in a hole it couldn’t get out of.”

• The choir is known as the “OK Chorale.”

• In a congregation of 500 members, there are only seven last names in the church directory.

• People think “rapture” is what you get when you lift something too heavy.

• The baptismal pool is a #2 galvanized “Wheeling” washtub.

• The choir robes were donated by (and embroidered with the logo from) Billy Bob’s Barbecue.

• The collection plates are really hubcaps from a ‘56 Chevy.

• Instead of a bell, you are called to service by a duck call.

• The minister and his wife drive matching pickup trucks.

• The communion wine is Boone’s Farm “Tickled Pink.”

• “Thou shall not covet” applies to huntin’ dogs, too.

• The final words of the benediction are, “Y'all come back now, Ya hear.”

Well, there’s no chance that anyone would ever confuse WFA with a “redneck church!” But, we are trusting that you will be back this Lord’s Day for another great time together as we worship Him and study His Word, followed by a great time of fellowship during our “Last Sunday Social!” It’s going to be a great Sunday here at WFA! Don’t miss it!