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SEASON'S GREETINGS FROM THE PASTORATES

Be Singled Minded (1)

'A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.' James 1:8

The Bible says, '...he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways' (vv. 6-8 KJV). Peter Marshall, former chaplain to the U.S. Senate, prayed, 'Give us clear vision that we may know where to stand, and what to stand for.' A dream that isn't clear won't help you get anywhere. What do you want to accomplish? What do you want to contribute? Who do you want to become? In other words, what does success look like for you? If you don't define it, you won't be able to achieve it. Most people don't get what they want because they don't know what they want. They haven't defined their dream in clear and compelling detail. One author writes: 'The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want! Instead of saying, "I want to lose weight," say, "I will weigh 13 stone by 1st June." Instead of saying, "I want to get out of debt," say, "I will pay off all credit card balances by 31st December". Instead of saying, "I need to improve my leadership," say, "I will read one leadership book every month." Being specific doesn't necessarily mean having every little detail thought out before you move forward. But your main goal should be clear. The rest will unfold as you move forward, making adjustments as you go.' The question you need to answer is, 'Am I single minded?'

Keys to Answered Prayers

'...Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.' John 16:24

If your prayers are not being answered, ask yourself: 1) How is my relationship with the Lord? 'If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me' (Psalms 66:18 KJV). Anything that adversely affects your relationship with God also affects your prayers. Friendship gives you favour; intimacy gives you access. Jesus said, 'If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you' (John 15:7 NKJV). 2) How strong is my faith? 'Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is...a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him' (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV). Notice three words: a) 'Believe.' God's deepest longing is to be believed, regardless of emotion or circumstance. b) 'Diligently.' When you pray, put your heart and soul into it. Paul speaks of 'labouring...in prayer' (Colossians 4:12 KJV). c) 'Him.' God is not some 'force out there', He's your heavenly Father Who '...knows that you need all these things' (Matthew 6:32 NKJV). Your highest priority should not be getting your needs met, but building your relationship with God. 3) Am I showing patience? 'Until God's time finally came-how God tested his patience!' (Psalms 105:19 TLB). Joseph was tested by the very promise God gave him. Can't you hear satan whisper, 'I thought the dream said you were supposed to be prime minister; what are you doing in prison?' But it only looks like a prison; in reality, it's the birthplace of destiny. Joseph saw God's promise fulfilled-in God's time. And you will too!

Handling Temptation

'Keep your heart with all diligence...' Proverbs 4:23

We all have our battlegrounds; in some cases they're things we surrendered to years ago that now lurk in our innermost thoughts. That's why the Scriptures warn, 'Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.' Max Lucado writes: 'I'm at a desk in a hotel room far from home. The voices that encourage are distant; the voices that entice are near. A placard on my nightstand invites me to the lounge "to make new friends in a relaxing atmosphere". Another on top of the TV promises late-night movies that will "make all my fantasies come true". In the phone book several columns of escort services offer "Love away from home". Voices! Some for pleasure, some for power. The world hammers at your door; Jesus taps. The world promises fleshly pleasure; Jesus promises us a quiet dinner...with Him: '...I will come in and eat with him, and he with me' (Revelation 3:20 NIV). Which voice will you obey?' You ask, 'How should I handle tempting situations?' In two ways: First, by filling your mind with Scripture so that your first response is always, 'It is written.' Second, by keeping your eyes on Jesus. Lesley Durkin writes, 'My father used to put a bit of meat on the floor near his dog and say, "No!" The dog never touched it. But he never looked at it either, because if he did the temptation to disobey would have been too great. He just kept looking at my father's face.' Keep your eyes on Jesus. 'Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame' (Psalms 34:5 NIV).

A Callous Spirit

'...You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.' Luke 9:55

The disciples had a problem with their attitude, and Jesus 'called them on it' six different times in two chapters. Let's look at each and see what we can learn: A callous spirit. Instead of believing Christ to feed the crowd with five loaves and two fishes, they said to Jesus, 'Send the multitude away' (Luke 9:12 NKJV). One of the dangers of succeeding in ministry is that you can end up loving crowds but not really caring for individuals. Or wanting contributors, but not wanting to spend time meeting people's individual needs. Years ago a man decided to visit the churches of two well- known television ministers he liked. After hearing the first, he asked if he could say hello to him. But the minister's 'handlers' said no, suggesting he phoned to arrange an appointment. Disappointed, he went to hear the other minister, and was invited to lunch with him following the service. Feeling valued, he handed the minister a cheque for four million dollars. (This is a true story.) You must always be approachable, available, and affirming. You must keep the personal touch. True, you can't personally minister to all who are sick and counsel all who are hurting. As a pastor, having quality time to prepare sermons and Bible studies must be a top priority. But Jesus was '...touched with the feeling of our infirmities...' (Hebrews 4:15 KJV) because He mixed and mingled with us. Only as you stay in touch with people's needs, can God use you to meet those needs in real time. The saying goes, 'People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.' So, do you care?

WHOSE 'REPORT' WILL YOU BELIEVE?

'Who has believed our report?...' Isaiah 53:1

An oil spill pollutes the Gulf of Mexico, devastating marine life and the livelihood of millions of people. Day after day we watch it on TV, in real time. An earthquake hits Haiti, 200,000 die, and the world's poorest people are left hungry and homeless. An American-born terrorist flies home from an Al Qaeda training camp with a bomb in his underwear and tries to destroy not only the plane, but much of Detroit. Bankers, car makers and oil executives we trusted questioned by Parliamentary committees say they have no idea how we got into this mess. The reports keep coming 24/7. Talking heads in the media milk each moment and sensationalise each event because it increases their ratings, sells advertising and makes money. Indeed, some of the news reporters have become celebrities. Fear sells! It's a major industry. Paradoxically, we are both the most prosperous generation in history, and the most fearful one too. In the past you had to get your daily dose of anxiety from the evening news; today you get it around the clock on your Blackberry and iPad. Now you can't bury your head in the sand. But if you're not selective in what you listen to, you can lose your peace of mind. God knows this, so His Word asks, 'Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?' In Scripture, the 'arm of the Lord' speaks of His power to deliver and His providential care over every event in our lives. So whose report are you going to listen to, internalise, and respond to?

THERE IS NEED TO PERSEVERE

’And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience experience, hope:’’ Romans 5: 3-4

Maybe you have given, served and sowed your entire life and never received so much as a “thank you” let alone a harvest of any kind and you may wonder why you should continue to 

live in a way that hasn’t produced results?

But if only we can persevere, we will reap the full harvest which is God’s abundant blessings.

I have strong Christian friends who could not wait for God to work in their lives but gave in to their desire of just “wanting to be a husband or a wife” and married a non-believer only to end up in misery and divorce.

I have also witnessed others who had waited for a long period of time and had their first date in years (met their spouse) well into their forties. I’ve seen former co-workers go through interview after interview only to get the good job they desire after months of searching. And I’ve known of those who have been blessed abundantly after years of waiting on the Lord for a child.

Sometimes I wonder what would have happened had Noah listened to all of the naysayers around him with their discouraging words and gave up on building the ark, also what if Moses had stopped at the Red Sea (and turned back), there is need for us to persevere so that we will not miss the plan of God for our lives.

For every discovery, invention, and life changing moment, there were years of disappointments, struggles, second-guessing, frustration and doubt that preceded it.  As christian singles, there is need for us to ask God for the grace to persevere.

INVEST IN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS

"And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee,before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said,I pray thee, Let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me".(2 Kings 2 vs 9).

Today, It is instructive to note that before Elisha made demands from his relationship with Elijah, he had served him so well. He invested his time , his service, his loyalty etc in the relationship. He followed his Master till the end. He didn't listen to naysayers who wanted to discourage him from the journey. He believed in his Master and was ready to disconnect from anyone who wanted him to disconnect from his Master.Isn't it amazing that we are often in a hurry to reap from relationships that we haven't invested anything in? We often desire what people can do for us,yet we are not in a hurry to do something for them. We often want to be promoted and rewarded as employees without first showing enough loyalty and dedication to our employers. We often demand the best from our spouses, colleagues, friends, etc without investing the best in our relationship with them.Friend,Invest positively in your relationship with people. Make a positive impact on everyone that comes your way. Add value to the lives of people who come in contact with you. Be loyal to your friends. Be willing to go the extra mile for people. Do not seek to take colour from people,seek how you can add colour to them.Selfishness is simply when you keep making demands from the lives of people around you whilst refusing to invest selflessly in your relationship with them.As you seek to take value from others; Most importantly, also seek to add Value.Pray with me,"Lord,help me to invest positively in my relationship with people in Jesus name"

YOU CAN APPROACH GOD WITH CONFIDENCE

'...The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom...' Matthew 27:51

One day a year, on the Day of Atonement (at-one-ment), the high priest could go beyond the thick curtain in the tabernacle and into the 'Holy of Holies' where God's presence was. What qualified him to go there was the fact that the blood of a sacrificial lamb was covering the mercy seat, under which rested the Ark of the Covenant. God arranged it like that. You ask, 'What was in the Ark?' The Ten Commandments-which all of us have broken. The only way God could look at the evidence of His people's guilt was through the blood of the lamb. Now, fast forward to the cross. Jesus 'gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.' Everything changed for the better that day! In spite of your failures, you can now come into God's presence, knowing your sins are covered by the blood of Jesus, and confidently ask for whatever you need. 'Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most' (Hebrews 4:16 NLT). Your acceptance with God is guaranteed when you approach Him saying, 'I come in the name of Jesus and on the merits of His shed blood.' It works like a credit system. 'You are in Christ,' so you have a perfect credit score! So even when you feel inadequate and undeserving, if you ask in faith believing, God will give it to you '...for Christ's sake...' (Ephesians 4:32 KJV).

old skol & costume sunday pix....