Greatly Blessed, Highly Favored

I was privileged to be able to be in Guthrie, OK for the entirety of the campmeeting. It was so encouraging and helpful to me, and I'm so glad I was able to be there. I have been through a lot of tough things lately, and I greatly needed some time for spiritual growth. There were many challenging messages, but I don't have time to talk about them all. I'll write about a couple of the ones that were most impactful to me.

We also had some very good young peoples meetings. Several of the older saints shared their testimonies of how they found God despite bad circumstances in their home lives or how they had chosen the wrong path. It was such a challenge to me to realize how blessed I am to have the raising I've had in the church. Not everyone has the teaching and instruction I have been blessed with for my entire life. It's not something to take lightly. We were given a pearl of great price, and we can't give that up for the heartbreak that is in the world around us.

My favorite message was one Bro. Michael Smith preached about going back to Bethel. God met Jacob in Bethel, and later on, when times were hard again, Jacob had to go back to the place God had met him and helped him. For me, especially because of growing up in the church, I have felt God's presence and His dealings with me. But the cares of life get in the way and often times I find myself drifting away from the source of life. I need renewal, restoration, and revival. We have to make sure we are living right and sinch it down. That message was such a stirring and challenging message to me. I knew there were areas of my life that really needed work, and I thank God for His mercy and help.

The next morning, God gave me a scripture, 2 Thessalonians 3:3 -
"But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil."
Not only is God faithful to us in helping us become established and ready, He has grace and power to keep us from wrong. God will always be right there after we seek His guidance and help. Faithful means dependent, loyal, stedfast, and constant. Each time we have problems, He is consistent to be there to help us and establish us -- to help us grow in areas we thought we couldn't. He'll anchor our feet on the rock and give us firmness in our battles. Over all of that, he has the keeping power to make us without spot and blameless before His judgment. We don't have to give in to sin and evil. God has grace and power over that. I am so very grateful for His revelation to me through that message and verse.

Another great message was also one of Bro. Michael's messages about the things we need to do. We all have a spiritual checklist with plenty of things on there that we need to do. Yet, many of them are neglected, which is one of the most dangerous problems in spiritual matters. At the end of our lives, our intentions will have no impact on what we did during our lives. Convenience for spiritual things is incredibly dangerous. A more convenient time for Felix and his salvation is never recorded in the Bible. If we pass the opportunities God grants us because the time isn't right for us, it may never be that way. Not only is salvation important, though, but specific issues in our individual lives are things we need to address. We have limited time on earth, and therefore limited time to get those things done. We have to deal with them because growth doesn't come from recognizing the need, it comes from the recognition coupled with prayer and seeking God. Saints have a lot of work to do after salvation. We have to perfect our vessel to be worthy unto Christ. It was very challenging for me. I know there are many shortcomings in my life and plenty of things I need to work on. I want to be active in fixing those things instead of letting them gather dust on a to-do list.

There were many more great messages, and I encourage you to listen to some if you weren't able to attend the meeting. It was such a great encouragement and help to me to realize God is for us, willing and able to help us, and with us every step of the way. Through these hardest months of my life, God has shown himself the strongest. Keep me in your prayers. :)

This song has been a real encouragement to me as well. We have a privilege to take all of our needs and desires to the One who controls everything:
https://www.facebook.com/sherie.benson/posts/1330501030391270

Keep encouraged!

God Sees

As some of you may already know, my grandpa has been very sick recently. We're not exactly sure what the problem is, but we're trusting that God will work a miracle in him. However, seeing someone so close to you in a poor state. At first, I didn't think too much about it, and figured it'd be over soon and there'd be no lasting effects. But, after awhile, the problems persisted, and I began to worry. I was really stressed with school and my grandpa's condition didn't help anything.needless to say, I was pretty worried, and didn't see how everything would work out. But I found a song, and listening to it gave me a peace. It's called "He Sees What We Don't" by the Carr Family.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V6jyyJpz1w

The words really spoke to me. Sometimes we only see the worst of our situation, but with time, God has promised he'll bring us out to a wealthy place. Very thankful for the way God helps us! My grandpa is still in need of prayer, but we're thankful for some things the Lord has already worked out.

Keep encouraged!

The Sweet Savour of the Saviour

I was very blessed by a comment recently made by one of my uncle's during a Wednesday night prayer meeting. He commented on a verse in 2 Corinthians 2:14. He was explaining how if God is on our side, He is always sure to bless us. It says:

"Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place."

That's a wonderful promise. God is deserving of such great thanks. He causeth us to triumph ALWAYS. Everything He does for us works for our ultimate good. But our victory is in Christ, not in ourselves. It is imperative to note -- our victory comes at the expense of giving ourselves to Christ. Our service and dedication to Him is what allows us to have the victory by His grace. Our triumph is also evidence of the Gospel's empowering work and transformation of our lives not only to ourselves but to others. Triumph in Christ manifests (or makes openly known) the power of God and His majesty.

This particular scripture uses the word "savour" to describe how victory through Christ is manifested. Savour refers to a smell, taste, or odor. That is something real we can experience and so can others. Historically, successful generals utilized the burning sweet incense to accentuate their victories on their return from battle which gave citizens evidence of the victory. Here, the scripture denotes our victory in Christ as evidence of the emboldening power we can obtain. This isn't the only instance in which smell, taste, or odor is used to signify how great God is. In fact, in Psalm 34:8, the Psalmist David offers:

"O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."

As humans, we have the privilege of determining for ourselves how magnificent God's plan is for us. The word "taste" here indicates "judge." We have the blessed opportunity to prove in our own lives that God is good and cares for us. It is not something that is strictly faith based. Our lives and His blessings are evidence of His work. The wonder of experiencing this salvation for ourselves is unparalleled.

In the natural, physical world, when we taste something delicious, we have an innate desire for that taste afterwards. Personally, I love steak. I've tasted it on plenty of occasions (including yesterday), and it's something I really enjoy and want more of. It is the same way with God. This verse is indicative of that. We taste and experience the goodness of God and only want more. The following verse in 2 Corinthians 2 gives us another promise:

"For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved."

If we are saved, we are a sweet savour of Christ to the Lord. Our life in Christ doesn't go unnoticed. It is pleasing to God for us to live in a way that demonstrates His son's death was not in vain. We have a blessed, unmatched opportunity to experience individually the greatness of God. When we do, the results are noticed by those around us. Christ's knowledge and power is manifested "by us in every place." Our lives lived pure and holy in the sight of the Lord is pleasing to Him and makes manifest the sweet savour of our Saviour.

Keep encouraged!

Love One Another

How do we love one another? It's easy to love the people who are kind to us, the ones we feel comfortable with, and the people we know will treat us well in return. But, God's commandment is more than that. John 13:34 says:

"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another."

First of all, Jesus extends this charge as a new commandment, but there are similar commandments given earlier in the Bible. Under Mosaic law, people were already told to love their neighbors as themselves (Leviticus 19:18). But, since this was given as a NEW commandment, there has to be something different. Jesus adds "as I have loved you." That puts a lot more impact in what our love to others should be. Christ loved us enough to die for us, give up privileges on earth, and expend His time doing things for us. He gave us everything, without reservation, and did so with a positive attitude. He befriended the lowliest sinners and people who deserved (under the old law) to be put to death. Yet, He cared for them. We're supposed to do the same. The command to love others wasn't new, but the charge to do so as Christ loves us was unparalleled.

But, how do we love one another? Jesus gave an example in Matthew 25:35-36:

"For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me."

Jesus correctly predicted people would question about when these things had actually happened, so he explained in verse 40:

"...Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

So, if we combine how Jesus treated people (loving, caring, compassionate) and how He explained these basic courtesies to others, that's a pretty good idea of what it is to love one another. Treating people with respect and being kind (even if the effort isn't returned) goes a long way towards winning people to Christ, and showing them by our actions the love of Jesus. Not only that, but Jesus explained in the next verse (John 13:35) another reason it is important to love one another:

"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."

If we show Christian principles by loving each other, the world will recognize something greater than our kindness. When we exemplify Christ's love in our lives, it points those around us to God. Not only are we treating people with decency and compassion, we're also witnessing for the truth. Personally, I want to be more loving and compassionate to people. It's important for our own lives, but it's also something we can do for the bigger cause of furthering the gospel. Pray for me!

Keep encouraged!

The Fear of the Lord

We had a very good Bible study last night on the fear of the Lord. It's Halloween, so I thought a post about fear would be an apt one. :P Yet, the fear of the Lord is entirely different than the brand of fear generally attributed to Halloween. While monsters and goblins of today's holiday aim to instill a scary type of fear, the fear of the Lord is something quite different. The fear of the Lord really isn't a fear at all. It's a true reverence of His majesty. Recognizing how awesome God is and accepting His divine power as superior to our own is what the fear of the Lord is about. God is not our equal. Instead, He is our superior, and having a fear of the Lord is acknowledging that fact.

The Bible describes the fear of the Lord as wisdom and knowledge. Proverbs 1:7 says:

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

Proverbs 9:10 says:

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding."

These two verses encompass both knowledge and wisdom. The Bible gives more than sufficient account of heroes who had the fear of the Lord and obedience to His will. Abraham had the fear of the Lord to the point he would have sacrificed his son. Noah, in spite of doubt from his neighbors, built an ark out of the fear of the Lord (not to mention having never seen rain). Job demonstrated the fear of the Lord when He trusted God despite severe persecution. In the end, his reverence to God allowed God's omnipotence to be shown. All of these men exhibited the fear of the Lord by their actions. There is no doubt the fear of the Lord and our faith in His ability rather than our own is helpful. Conversely, there are plenty of other examples which manifest the fate that comes to those who do not fear God. Jezebel is a fitting example of someone who did not give the Lord respect or reverence. Her end was surely undesirable. Saul eventually neglected to revere the Lord in his latter days and his consequence was equally severe.

Uncle Clifford also briefly mentioned an analogy about the fear of the Lord in relation to cars. Not having a proper fear of the Lord is like driving on the wrong side of the road. You're out of line with His command of the law, and place yourself and others in danger. You're still a car either way, but you're much more vulnerable if you aren't in the right lane. We are still humans whether we fear God or not, but we can be much more safe if we keep following God.

He also mentioned a verse that really stuck out to me. Isaiah 33:6 says:

"And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the Lord is his treasure."

Wisdom and knowledge, as the study already brought out, referred to the fear of the Lord. In other words, the fear of the Lord shall be the stability (or security, safety, etc.) of thy times. "Thy times" makes the verse timeless. There is strength, and stability, in the salvation of the Lord. Our personal treasure can be the fear or the Lord. Reverence to God is will undoubtedly be favorable to the Lord. It can be our treasure of immeasurable value if we keep Him first. We'll be able to weather the storms of life by the stability service to God provides.

Keep encouraged!

Your Ways Are Not My Ways

Had another submission:

Have you ever felt like your life was a vacation for a split second? It felt like nothing was going wrong and that everything seemed easy? Some of you may say, "Yes." You've felt that way before. Now, let me ask you: did it stay that way for very long? Did you just sit at the very bottom of the mountain in a recliner and say, "Well, I can get over that thing without a problem, no biggie!" I'd say not. If you're anything human, you are probably shaking your head violently right now. Of course you didn't stay in that place of vacation! You have to get over that mountain sometimes or another if you're going to get anywhere! Life happens, folks, and sometimes it's just not easy.

As a teenager and just being human, my life is full of activities and events. I am sure yours is as well. But these courses of events can bring stress and trials. But I also believe that a lot of our actions have to do with how much stress and struggles we have in our lives. Then, of course, there are the struggles that life honestly just brings and that's God's ways and he can use those ways for His glory.

- Can my trials really be used to glorify God? And if so, why?

Yes, God brings things in our life for a purpose -- to make us stronger. And who knows what will become of your trial? It can turn into a beautiful thing if you allow God to work. Sometimes we can't see the good things out of the circumstance until the end. Recently, I had been worrying about a situation and I asked the Lord why He had given me that trial. As I continued on throughout my week, I kept praying and kept asking the Lord "Why?" And It was on a simple day where I felt like the "mountain" was too big for me to climb that God gave me a clear answer. 

I felt very needy before the Lord and I was at school before class started. I searched around through our bookshelves and found a "Keys for Kids" devotional. I laughed and picked it up and and started to read one of the stories in the book. As I read, I found that the story was just for me. Though the story was written in a childlike patter, I found out what the Lord had been trying to tell me all along and it was so clear. The story was about a child asking his parents why God was letting his grandfather continually get sick and why He was letting the old man die. The child's parents told him that the situation was in God's hands and He would work out the best. I instantly realized it was the same for me. God had my situation in His hands and He told me that He had it under control.

The story also referenced a few verses from Isaiah 55, and here is one of them: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways, saith the Lord." God's ways are not my ways, and He has different plans for my life and my circumstances. My thoughts of how my life SHOULD be and what WILL be aren't vital. But what is vital is that I allow God to work through my life and lead me through the trials and dark times. So remember throughout your day that God's ways are not your ways. If we plunge through life thinking we can do everything and never have any help, we will crash. When we depend on God, our lives turn out much better.

- Natalie Sorrell

Noah, Daniel, and Job

Have you ever had a distinct challenge from God? It's a wonderful testimony of His faithfulness to us. Recently I was reading in Ezekiel, and I ran across a passage that stood out. Ezekiel 14:13: "Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and best from it." If that's as far as you read, it's a pretty dismal verse. Doesn't give much hope for humanity. Basically God is saying that if the earth becomes too sinful, He'll destroy it. But the next verse was a real challenge to me. Ezekiel 14:14: "Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God."

Though the world was in peril many times, these three still were saved. First of all, just look at the names. Noah, Daniel, and Job; all names of men who were stedfast in the faith and endured perilous times. By faith, Noah built the ark and saved his family, despite being opposed by everyone else. Daniel was exiled to Bablyon in 605 B.C., but he kept close to God and garnered a reputation of a righteous man. Job was severely tested, but still held faithful to God. Each of them, in their own respective times, behaved righteously. They all lived in corrupt times, but prevailed because of their commitment to God. The caliber of these individuals is not to be taken lightly. And it causes me to think. If these three pillars of faith were saved, I have to be like them to save myself. That's a tall order, and it won't come easily.

The next part of the verse says "they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness." Their responsibility was individual, they couldn't save those around them. But, just as we can't save those around us, they can't save us either. Our walk is individual. We can't get by with being around holy people, we have to walk the walk ourselves. It also says they did it by their righteousness. It's not the righteousness of others. Establishing ourselves in Christ and proving ourselves righteous in His sight. The final part of the verse gives us an assurance; "saith the Lord God" indicates that He will personally honor our service to Him. That's a promise we can hold on to. This verse was such a challenge to me, but also an encouragement. We live in a perverse, divisive, and wicket generation. There's a lot of people not living for God, and it can be worrying sometimes. But, we have to keep ourselves righteous like Noah, Daniel, and Job. It's no easy task, but we can do it and save ourselves from God's judgment. Stay encouraged!