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God sometimes leads us into difficult situations – both for our good and for His glory!

Keep it in mind as you look of the account of Jesus calming the storm. He had put His disciples “in harm’s way,” so to speak. Jesus instructed them to go to the other side of the lake. Did He know there was a storm coming? Of course He did. It was a part of the day’s curriculum!

The disciples’ reaction was normal. They despaired. “We’re going to drown!” they cried. Sometimes the storms of life fill us with despair as well.

It was then that Jesus demonstrated His power. He said, “Quiet! Be still!” (Mark 4:39) He has the power to calm the storms, because He is the Creator, the Controller and Caretaker! He stops the sun! He stills the sea!

The result was a sense of awe on the part of the disciples. What Jesus had just done helped develop their faith, as they began to see Him as more than a man. He is the God-man whom the winds and the waves obey.

It is the same for us at times! God deliberately leads us into difficult situations. We may despair, but it is in the storms that He can demonstrate His power. Our faith is strengthened as we see Jesus working in our lives through our difficulties.

Ask God to help you learn the lessons He has for you – even the ones taught through difficult situations!

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 9.17. Live for God, on purpose, trusting Him through the good times AND the hard times!

Persuaded by the Person of the Spirit

Among the great “heroes of the faith” we read about in Hebrews is Abraham. Again and again, we read “by faith, Abraham...” He, and all these men of God, “were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.”

In Romans 4:20-21 speaks about Abraham, too, and says “...he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”

Did you catch that last part? Abraham was “fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” I believe that is what made him such a great man of faith. He was fully persuaded by the power of God!

The question for you today is this – are YOU fully persuaded by the power of God? Are you a person of faith? God has promised power to His followers – Holy Spirit power! That power is for all of us, and according to the Bible, it is the “promise of the Father” – the baptism in the Holy Spirit, as recorded in Acts 2:4 and prophesied in the book of Joel.

Like the patriarch Abraham, I believe that we are at a time when true Pentecostals likewise should not waver in unbelief regarding the “Promise of the Father.” We must be strengthened in our faith and give glory to God. To be truly Pentecostal, we must be persuaded by the Power of God!

This week we begin a six part preaching series – “Pentecostal – Persuaded by the Power of God!” Our full intension is to present a biblical persuasion of the present day reality and need of the Holy Spirit’s power in our life.

To begin this series, we need to take a look at the very person of the Holy Spirit. In Revelation 1:4, John sends greetings to the churches “from him who is, and who was, and who is to come...” And, quite interestingly, he also sends the greetings “...from the seven spirits before his throne.”

While you may tend to just “read through” that last phrase, you need to consider three other similar passages. Revelation 3:1 tells us that Jesus “holds the seven spirits of God.” Revelation 4:5 speaks of “the seven spirits of God.” And Revelation 5:6 likewise talks about “the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.”

So, what exactly does “the seven spirits of God” refer to? Glad you asked! Because that is the subject of our first message in this series – “Persuaded by the Person of the Spirit!” You won’t want to miss this dynamic beginning to this powerful series of messages, so very needed in the day in which we live! See you here at WFA this Lord’s Day!

Are You Willing to
Change Course?

by Jim Liebelt

“There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.” —Proverbs 14:12 (NLT)

A battleship appeared to be on a collision course with another ship one foggy evening. The battleship’s captain, radioed to the unknown ship, “Advise you change course 20 degrees to avoid collision.” Someone on a radio replied, “Advise you change course 20 degrees to avoid collision.” The battleship’s captain was not amused. He radioed back, “I am a ship’s captain. Change course 20 degrees, now!” Then came another reply, “I’m a seaman, second-class, and I advise you to change course 20 degrees, now!” The captain was furious, “This is a battleship! I order you to change course 20 degrees, immediately!” The seaman radioed back, “I am a lighthouse!”

Have you ever found yourself in a situation, not unlike the ship’s captain, where you just don’t want to budge on your position? Everyone is stubborn from time to time, but people who live a lifestyle of stubbornness are dangerous to their relationships and spiritual lives.

When we are overly stubborn with others we build walls that prevent relationships from growing. When those walls are high enough, they actually cause relationships to die. Relationships are based on give and take. In successful relationships no one has their own way all of the time. Both in friendships and in family relationships, the one who is never willing to “change course” damages those relationships.

Stubbornness in our relationship with God works much in the same way as stubbornness with friends and family. Being stubborn with God means that we really don’t want to please the Lord. We want to call our own shots and determine our own course in life. In our stubbornness, we reduce God’s role in our lives to that of a pocket genie, the “magic lamp” we rub and ask for favors when we want something for ourselves. Being stubborn with God is sin, plain and simple.

When refusing to change course we might well find ourselves, much like the battleship captain, on the verge of disaster. We may get what we want, but getting what we want can actually destroy us.

My challenge for you today, both in relationships with people and God, is that you be willing to change course if necessary, in order to build your relationships instead of tearing them down.

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

The Importance of Every Day

by Steve May

Andre Previn said, “If I miss a day of practice, I know it. If I miss two days, my manager knows it. If I miss three days, my audience, knows it.”

He was talking about the piano, but the same is true about your devotional life. When you’re spending time with God on a consistent basis, it shows. When you aren’t, it also shows. You’ll notice it first, then those closest to you, and, pretty soon, it’s obvious to everyone.

Paul said that you can be “transformed by the renewing of your mind...” (Romans 12:2) This renewal – this transformation – occurs during those quiet moments we spend in the presence of God, when we open his Word and open our hearts to what the Spirit would say to us.

No matter what one accomplishes professionally in the work of the ministry, this time with God remains a daily priority. If Andre Previn needs to practice the piano every day to stay at his best, we need to practice the presence of God every day to stay at our best.

From Steve May’s “Monday Memo.” As seen in Kim Quiggle’s “Cup O’Cheer.” To subscribe, send an e-mail with SUBSCRIBE CUP O’CHEER in the subject line to cheer316@sc.rr.com.

Failure

Failure doesn’t mean – “You are a failure,”
It means – You have not succeeded.

Failure doesn’t mean – “You accomplished nothing,”
It means – You have learned something.

Failure doesn’t mean – “You have been a fool,”
It means – You had a lot of faith.

Failure doesn’t mean – “You don’t have it,”
It means – You were willing to try.

Failure doesn’t mean – “You are inferior,”
It means – You are not perfect.

Failure doesn’t mean – “You’ve wasted your life,”
It means – You have a reason to start afresh.

Failure doesn’t mean – “You should give up,”
It means – “You must try harder.

Failure doesn’t mean – “You’ll never make it,”
It means – It will take a little longer.

Failure doesn’t mean – “God has abandoned you,”
It means – God has a better way for you.

Philippians 3:13-14 says “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

An Obituary for Someone Else

Our church was saddened to learn this week of the death of one of our most valued members, Someone Else.

Someone’s passing creates a vacancy that will be difficult to fill. Else has been with us for many years and for every one of those years, Someone did far more than a normal person’s share of the work. Whenever there was a job to do, a class to teach, or a meeting to attend, one name was on everyone’s list, “Let Someone Else do it.” Whenever leadership was mentioned, this wonderful person was looked to for inspiration as well as results; “Someone Else can work with that group.”

It was common knowledge that Someone Else was among the most liberal givers in our church. Whenever there was a financial need, everyone just assumed Someone Else would make up the difference.

Someone Else was a wonderful person; sometimes appearing superhuman. Were the truth known, everybody expected too much of Someone Else. Now Someone Else is gone! We wonder what we are going to do.

Someone Else left a wonderful example to follow, but who is going to follow it? Who is going to do the things Someone Else did?

Now, when you are asked to help, remember – we can’t depend on Someone Else anymore.

25 Things Worth Thinking About

1. Give God what’s RIGHT – not what’s LEFT.

2. Man’s way leads to hopeless end; God’s way leads to endless hope.

3. A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.

4. He who kneels before God can stand before anyone.

5. In the sentence of life, the devil may be a comma, but never let him be the period.

6. Don’t put a question mark where God puts a period.

7. Are you wrinkled with burden? Come to the church for a faith-lift.

8. When praying, don’t give God instructions – just report for duty.

9. Don’t wait for six strong men to take you to the church.

10. We don’t change God’s message; His message changes us.

11. All churches should be prayer-conditioned.

12. When God ordains, He sustains.

13. WARNING: Exposure to the Son may prevent burning.

14. Plan ahead – it wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.

15. Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory position.

16. Suffering from truth decay? Brush up with your Bible on a daily basis.

17. Exercise daily! Walk with the Lord.

18. Never give the devil a ride – he will always want to drive.

19. Nothing else ruins the truth like stretching it.

20. Compassion is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back.

21. He who angers you controls you.

22. Worry is the darkroom in which negatives can develop.

23. Give Satan an inch, and he’ll be a ruler.

24. Be ye fishers of men – you catch them, and God will clean them.

25. God does not call the qualified; he qualifies the called.

The Last Impression

A well-worn one-dollar bill and a similarly distressed twenty-dollar bill arrived at a Federal Reserve Bank to be retired. As they moved along the conveyor belt to be burned, they struck up a conversation. The twenty-dollar bill reminisced about its travels all over the country.

“I’ve had a pretty good life,” the twenty proclaimed. “Why I’ve been to Las Vegas and Atlantic City, the finest restaurants in New York, performances on Broadway, and even a cruise to the Caribbean “

“Wow!” said the one-dollar bill. “You’ve really had an exciting life!”

“So tell me,” says the twenty, “where have you been throughout your lifetime?”

The one dollar bill replies, “Oh, I’ve been to the Methodist Church, the Baptist Church, the Lutheran Church “

The twenty-dollar bill interrupts, “What’s a church?”

One time, at a previous church I served at, one gentleman indicated that he couldn’t come to my church. When I asked him why, he said “Wrong denomination.” I assured him that we accepted all denominations – tens, twenties, fifties, even hundreds! He laughed – but he did end up coming to church! And, a few years later, I had the privilege to conduct his funeral.

Whatever your “denomination,” you are welcome this Sunday here at WFA! It’s going to be a great day to worship the living God! See you here!