WFA.org

In 1 John 4:18 (NKJV), the Bible tells us “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

Are you gripped with fear about something? Love is the answer to overcoming your fear, because love is the Christian’s security blanket.

When you were a child, did you have a teddy bear or a blanket that gave you a sense of security? Did you have something you wanted to hold close to you and get wrapped up in? The Holy Spirit of God is the believer’s blanket – the believer’s warm, loving security blanket!

I read the verse, “Perfect love casts out fear!” But it never rang true to me because I had never done anything perfectly except sin. Then, I read the translation in the Living Bible, which says “We have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly.” God’s perfect love can eliminate all dread.

It is not our love for Him, but His perfect love for us that will cast out our fears. The question isn’t “am I brave enough?” The question is “do I trust His love enough?”

2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 8.42. Live for God, on purpose, trusting in His eternal love, confident that He has given us power, love, and a sound mind!

From Distress to De-Stress!

Distressed. To be in pain or suffering affecting the body, a bodily part, or the mind. To be troubled. To be in a painful situation. To have misfortune. A state of danger or desperate need. That’s how the dictionary defines it. I’m sure you could define it in a more personal and specific way by certain events and situations that have taken place in your life – or perhaps are currently taking place right now!

When you are in distress, it affects every part of your life. Your emotions suffer. Your body aches. Even your spiritual life can go into a tailspin if you aren’t careful and prayerful.

But, the good news is that you don’t have to stay distressed! If you follow the advice of our Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 6:34, you can go from distressed to becoming de-stressed! Jesus tells us not to ”...worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

How can we de-stress our distressed lives? This Sunday morning we are going to share four guaranteed principles to help de-stress your life! Don’t miss this life-changing message!

The World’s a Better Place

The world’s a better place because Michelangelo did not say, “I don’t do ceilings.”

The world’s a better place because Martin Luther did not say’ “I don’t do doors.”

The world’s a better place because John Wesley didn’t say, “I don’t do preaching in fields.”

The world’s a better place because Moses didn’t say, “I don’t do Pharaohs or mass migrations.”

The world’s a better place because Rahab didn’t say “I don’t do enemy spies.”
The world’s a better place because Ruth didn’t say, “I don’t do mothers-in-law.”
The world’s a better place because Samuel didn’t say, “I don’t do mornings.”
The world’s a better place because David didn’t say, “I don’t do giants.”
The world’s a better place because Peter didn’t say, “I don’t do Gentiles.”
The world’s a better place because John didn’t say, “I don’t do deserts.”
The world’s a better place because Mary didn’t say, “I don’t do virgin births.”
The world’s a better place because Paul didn’t say, “I don’t do correspondence.”
The world’s a better place because Mary Magdalene didn’t say, “I don’t do feet.”
The world’s a better place because Jesus didn’t say, “I don’t do crosses.”

The world exists today as a better place because Noah obeyed God instead of letting common sense and personal convenience prompt him into saying, “I don’t do arks and animals.”

And the world will be a better place only if you and I don’t say, “I don’t do...”

Seek His Face

One of the great differences between Moses and any other character in the Bible is how God describes Moses. Moses was a friend of God, and he met God face to face. “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend” (Ex. 33:11a). So often, we view others for what they can do for us, instead of who they are. There is a difference between being a servant and being a friend. There is a difference between being an employee and being a son.

Do you seek God’s face, or do you find that you spend more time seeking His hand? God wants us to seek Him for our every need. However, there is a higher calling for every believer. That is to seek God’s face, and to see Him for His love and tenderness toward us as His children. He can provide for our physical needs, but when we see Him face to face, we are changed. We no longer see Him as one to be feared as much as one to know intimately. We no longer view Him for what He can give to us, but for what He already has given for us.

When we see Jesus face to face, we are no longer slaves, but friends. We do not fear Him as a slave fears his master. We have entered a new kind of relationship-a relationship that has mutual respect and care.

Today, Jesus is calling you to seek His face, not just His hand. When you seek His face, you will know His provision and His mercy in all aspects of life. Seek His face today and become a friend of God.

Try Praying About It!

“In the night His song shall be with me.” – Psalm 42:8 NKJV

Nothing fuels prayer like real need. In a crisis, even those who say they don’t believe in God pray secretly. It’s an admission that there are certain things we can’t resolve. David said, “In the night His song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.” Some prayers are midnight cries for help, intended for God’s ears only; the fear is too deep and the feelings too private; we don’t want others around when those inner feelings surface. In prayer you “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7 NIV), and because you know He will handle it for you.

A mother watched her son run into the house clutching his bloody hand. “Let me see!” she said. Backing away he cried, “No, you’ll hurt me.” When he finally opened his hand, instead of a major injury she saw a tiny scrape that bled a lot. As she marveled at his theatrics, she realized she’d done the same to God. When her husband left her she was so hurt she refused to pray. God kept saying, “Let Me help you,” as she clenched her fists and said, “No, You’ll hurt me.” Once she realized this she gave it to God and her healing began. Catherine Marshall called this ’the prayer of relinquishment', which means giving the situation to God, taking your hands off it completely, refusing to discuss it any further, and trusting the One who makes “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28).

That’s why prayer makes it possible for you to stop struggling with the situation and have peace about it!

The Purpose of “Problem” People

by Russ Lawson

I may be unique in this, but I have had my share of “problem People” in my life. Perhaps you know the ones of whom I speak. Those who test your patience, act without thinking, speak without thought of the consequences, those who hurt you, anger you, frustrate you and sometimes infuriate you. In general people who test the limits of your faith or perhaps your commitment to live righteously. Did you ever think that God might have a purpose for bringing these people into your life?

Consider this with me. You are probably familiar with the history of the nation of Israel during the Old Testament times. God had promised them the land of Canaan and told them to destroy all of the inhabitants of the land. They didn’t do as God had told them in Deuteronomy 7. They went into the land, however they did not destroy all of the people or capture all of the “Promise Land”. I have wondered to myself, “Why didn’t God force them to go ahead with the mission he had given them? Why did he allow them to stop short and leave some of the people, some of the cities untouched”. Well, God answers that question in Judges 3:1-4. Notice what God has to say about it:

“The LORD left certain nations in the land to test those Israelites who had not participated in the wars of Canaan. He did this to teach warfare to generations of Israelites who had no experience in battle. These were the nations: the Philistines (those living under the five Philistine rulers), all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the hill country of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath. These people were left to test the Israelites, to see whether they would obey the commands the LORD had given to their ancestors through Moses.”

According to this passage, God did not force their obedience, but used the remaining Canaanite people to challenge the Israelites to choose to serve him. He left these people in Canaan to test the limits of their faith or perhaps their commitment to live righteously! They had to make a choice between accepting and living the way the people surrounding them lived or living the way God commanded.

Now, think about the “problem people” in your life, perhaps the people with whom you have conflict. Is it possible that God brought them into your life to see how you would react? To test the limits of your faith or perhaps your commitment to live righteously?

Could it be the unreasonable neighbor, or supervisor, or fellow worker or unreliable employee or cranky customer or the demanding relative is there for a reason? Could it be that “problem people” are really opportunities for personal growth, for growing a stronger faith or a deeper commitment?

The writer of Judges in verse 4 said, “These people were left to test the Israelites, to see whether they would obey the commands of the LORD”. The apostle Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 1:7, “These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure”. (NLT) How are you doing?

as seen in Russ Lawson’s “Messages From The Heart,” (http://mfth.net) on October 6, 2008. Russ Lawson is the pastor of Greenville Church of Christ, Greenville, OH.

He Is Faithful

by Kelly McFadden

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9

In Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hatches an Egg, Horton – an elephant – agrees to sit on an irresponsible bird’s egg while she takes off for vacation. He has no idea she will be gone for months, but as time goes on, many of the jungle animals ridicule Horton for sitting on this egg day after day. His response is always, “I meant what I said and I said what I meant... an elephant’s faithful, one hundred percent.” No matter what storm, what situation arose, he stuck to his word and kept his promise to sit on that egg until it hatched. How absurd it must have been to see an elephant sitting in a nest on a tree.

It makes me think, how absurd it must have seemed to see the Son of God hanging from a cross. I can imagine the scene and it’s almost ridiculous to think that the Son of God could be killed. It is not surprising that he was ridiculed by many who were there...but they were wrong.

Jesus hung on that cross for all of us, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. When He went to the cross, He carried with Him the sins of the world. He served as the final sacrifice to free us from our sin. And now He tells us to come to Him. He says if we confess, we will be forgiven and He will purify us. And He is faithful in His promise.

Do you ever catch yourself sheepishly approaching Jesus to seek forgiveness? Do you ever wonder if He will really forgive you or if you perhaps crossed the line this time? Or do you ever find yourself asking for forgiveness over and over again for the same sin? As you look up to Jesus, hear His words... He will forgive. He will be just. And through Him, you can be purified from all unrighteousness.

Jesus looks at us and says, “I meant what I said and I said what I meant...I am faithful one hundred percent.”

as seen in “Today’s HomeWord,” a daily devotional with Jim Burns. Visit them online at www.homeword.com

The Last Impression

Some things that make you go “hmmmm....”

1. If Fed Ex and UPS were to merge, would they call it Fed UP?

2. Do Lipton Tea employees take coffee breaks?

3. If olive oil comes from olives, where does baby oil come from?

4. If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren’t people from Holland called Holes?

5. Why is the man who invests all your money called a Broker?

6. If horrific means to make horrible, does terrific mean to make terrible?

7. Why is it called a building when it is already built?

8. If a book about failures doesn’t sell, is it a success?

9. If you’re not supposed to drink and drive, then why do bars have parking lots?

10. If you take an Oriental person and spin him around several times, does he become disoriented?

11. If vegetarians eat vegetables, what do humanitarians eat?

12. If working hours are meant for working, then why are you reading this??

What a great day we are going to have together this Lord’s Day here at WFA! Come prepared to have a dynamic encounter with the Creator of the Universe! Be ready to enjoy fellowship with folks who love you and love the Lord! Make your plans now, and invite your friends and family to come along with you! It’ll be a great day at WFA!