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Two men went fishing. One man was an experienced fisherman, the other wasn’t. Every time the experienced fisherman caught a big fish, he put it in his ice chest to keep it fresh. Whenever the inexperienced fisherman caught a big fish, he threw it back. The experienced fisherman watched this go on all day and finally got tired of seeing this man waste good fish. “Why do you keep throwing back all the big fish you catch?” he asked.

The inexperienced fisherman replied, “I only have a small frying pan.”

Sometimes, like that fisherman, we throw back the big plans, big dreams, big jobs, and big opportunities that God gives us. Our faith is too small. We laugh at that fisherman who didn’t figure out that all he needed was a bigger frying pan; yet how ready are we to increase the size of our faith?

Whether it’s a problem or a possibility, God will never give you anything bigger than you can handle. That means we can confidently walk into anything God brings our way.

Philippians 4:13 says that you can do all things through Christ – He’ll give you the strength!

Nothing is too big for God. Stop telling God you’ve got big problems, but instead tell your problems to a big God!

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 8.14. Live for God, on purpose, trusting in Him as you walk by faith!

The Pathway of Persecution

The journey we take as we walk on Pentecostal Pathways is not always a pleasant excursion. Some popular teaching today would have Christians to believe that the Spirit-filled life should be one without any problems or difficulties. However, that is simply not what the Bible tells us.

In 2 Timothy 3:12, the apostle Paul tells us that “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” And our Lord Himself says in Matthew 5:11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”

Last week we saw Peter and John walk the Pathway of Prayer, as their prayers resulted in the healing of a crippled man. This man, now healed, begins to walk and jump, and praise the Lord in the midst of the people in the temple. This is followed by a wonderful message by Peter. But, this also results in a significant amount of persecution for Peter and John.

Have you ever been persecuted for your faith? If not, then you will be if you are walking in the power of God’s Holy Spirit! How will you deal with the persecution? We can learn how we should live in those times by learning from the example shown to us in Acts 4:1-22. Be sure to join us this Sunday as we continue Walking on Pentecostal Pathways, this week exploring “The Pathway of Persecution.”

What Can You Learn from This Crisis?

“Do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you.” – 1 Peter 4:12 (NKJV)

Trouble never surprises God! Everyone He uses will tell you life is pretty much one challenge after another. Listen to how Paul describes the Christian life: “In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us imposters. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything” (2 Corinthians 6:4-10 NLT).

God never promised you that life would be a rose garden but did promise never to leave you, to take you through your storm and use all things for good in the end. When your faith is being tested it actually attracts God’s power and brings His grace to your situation! Even Jesus learned through the things He suffered (Hebrews 5:8). So cheer up, you’re not losing; you’re learning!

from The Word for Today, January 28, 2008; www.thewordfortoday.com.au

Worth It

There probably is nothing good in this life that comes free of charge. Things of value often require sacrifice to obtain – but they are worth the cost! The Christian life is no exception.

The trials you encounter from day to day may seem frustrating, but the reward is great in the end. The only problem with the whole equation is that you can’t see the end, so you’re not always sure where God is taking you or what He is trying to accomplish in your life. That’s where His grace and love come into play as He assures you of His guidance and asks you to trust Him.

Who would you rather trust than God? He knows where your journey will take you and where you should go, so listen to Him and trust His plans and reasons.

“Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning.” – Psalm 30:5

”...he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV)

I Found a Better Way

There is a story about an old fox hunter. He had been extremely successful, but finally decided to retire and go south for the winter. Before he left for his first winter in a warmer climate, an energetic younger man came to him and asked how to become as successful as the old hunter was. He offered to buy the old man’s cabin, his hunting rights, and even his secrets for successfully hunting foxes. The old hunter agreed; he sold the young man all his goods and carefully told him all the secrets to his great hunting success.

When the old man returned in the spring, he looked for the young man and asked how his first season as a fox hunter had gone. Discouraged, the young man admitted that he had not caught a single fox. The old man pressed further: had he followed the instructions given him? “Well, no,” answered the young man. “I found a better way.”

Have you “found a better way” when it comes to running your life? If you choose to follow it, rather than the Original Instructions, no wonder you “haven’t caught any foxes”!

The Cure of Anxiety

by Ray Stedman

A German pastor friend of mine gave me a treatise he wrote on the cure of anxiety which I have found to be very helpful. In it is an illustration I would like to borrow.

He says that Christians are like a pond in the woods on which the leaves are constantly falling. These leaves fall one at a time, quietly, almost silently, upon the surface of the pond. The leaves are the manifestation of the old life. A little vanity, a little envy, a bit of prideful ambition, some unkindness, a sharp unlovely word spoken to another, a lie, some impurity, a bit of egotism; these are constantly falling upon the pond of our life. We don’t think they are very important. We think they are trivialities, mere passing things. They sink to the bottom and are forgotten, but they are still there. That is the problem. They are still there. There they lie and rot, and soon, in the deep subconscious part of our life, there is a foulness, a fetidness, a rottenness that stops the flow of the water and stagnates the pool.

This foulness becomes fertile soil for anxiety. Fears arise within us. Nameless dreads and worries constantly throng us and bother us. In the quiet moments of our lives we seem to be able to master these better. When a pool of water is quiet, though the bottom is very dirty and foul, it isn’t very apparent. But let something agitate the water, let something bother us, some circumstance irritate us, and the water of our lives is troubled and the dirt at the bottom whirls up and clouds our minds, befuddles and confuses us, and we act in panic, a panic of anxiety.

But the Holy Spirit of God brings to our attention the things he is lifting up out of the bottom of our lives, dredging out the foulness. One by one these things are brought to our attention, and, if we name them, if we say, “Yes Lord, that is what I have done, that is what I do. Thank you for showing it to me,” then we can put it away. Bit by bit it keeps coming up, all this foulness, until gradually the pool becomes clear again, sunlit, sparkling, and open. We have nothing left to hide. We don’t try to cover over and pretend that we are something else. Then that pool, that pond that has been lying stagnant becomes a trickle of living water growing into a river at last that flows out in blessing to others.

Where “U” are Needed...

“U” are needed in Bible ST_DY, but not in IGNORANCE.

“U” are needed in S_PPORT, but not in NEGLECT.

“U” are needed in _NITY, but not in DIVISION.

“U” are needed in D_TY, but not in IRRESPONSIBILITY.

“U” are needed in B_ILDING, but not in TEARING DOWN.

“U” are needed in CH__RCH!!

The Last Impression

When the local doctor began attending church services the pastor was delighted, and it wasn’t long before they were helping each other in their work – the minister referring people to the doctor, and vice versa.

One person who received a referral from the doctor called at the church office with a note prescribing the pastor’s last four sermons. The pastor was most pleased until he discovered that the patient’s problem was insomnia.

I have spent this week in West Virginia as a member of the team of facilitators, presenting at another Church Planting BootCamp. We were joined this week by a group of pastors from Germany, who came to learn in order to provide these same tools to those desiring to plant new churches in their nation.

The goal of our BootCamps is the same as our goal at WFA – to equip God’s people for works of service, to reach out and share the life-changing news of the love and forgiveness of the Father through Jesus Christ. I am looking forward to being back home in Wilmington and worshiping with you this Lord’s Day!