The House Of The Lord

September 6, 2019 Pastor Stephen Dedman Encouragement, Trust

The House Of The Lord

The house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭5:14‬ ‭

The Glory Of God

What would it take for you to fall to your knees in reverent worship before God Almighty? Would fire need to fall from Heaven? Would someone need to be instantaneously and miraculously healed?

On the day of dedication of the temple, the Lord showed up and showed out. This verse speaks of the glory of God as a cloud that filled the entire temple driving men to their knees in reverent worship. Basically the Lord showed up and took over and everyone knew it. In the New Testament we read about a day when the people gathered together and prayed and the building shook and everyone was filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31). It’s clear to see that the presence of God and the touch of God makes all the difference.

We don’t need more intellectual sermons or more inspirational music in our worship services, what we need is for God to show up. If the Lord is truly our focal point in time of worship then we can come together in the house of God and even before the preaching begins we can feel the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. The key is to focus on the Lord and nothing else. James 4:8 says to draw close to God and He will draw close to you. God wants to show up and show out in your church. If the focus is not on the Lord we cannot expect anything else but another ordinary worship service.

Prayer

Lord, I desire to see you show up and show out in my life today. My focus is on You alone.

Into A Pit

August 23, 2019 Pastor Stephen Dedman Encouragement, Faith, Trust

Into A Pit

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. And they took him and threw him into a pit.
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭37:23-24‬a

No Way Out

Joseph was a victim of circumstances. He told his family about the dreams he had of them all bowing down before him. His brothers were jealous and his father showed him favoritism by giving him a special colorful robe to wear. He was eleventh in line of inheritance but the first son of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel. No doubt Joseph was hated by his brothers and getting rid of him was their choice of action. Instead of killing him they all agreed to throw him into a waterless pit. He didn’t stay in the pit long though before he was sold to a passing caravan of Ishmaelites and then sold into Egyptian slavery.

God had a special plan and purpose for Joseph. He was treated harshly for simply sharing about the dreams he was given. Sometimes we find ourselves in a pit just like Joseph. We simply mind our own business and evil things happen to us while we don’t deserve them. This is the reality of life. As we live in an evil world, evil things will happen to good people. The most important thing we can do is keep our head up and our minds on Christ. Even though we cannot control some of our circumstances, we can control our attitude and behavior. We can keep shining the light of Jesus as we suffer so others will see Jesus in us.

God might have you in pit right now for a reason. If you find yourself in a bad situation make sure to make the best of the situation by keeping a positive attitude and pointing others to Christ.

Prayer

Lord, I pray my life will be an example for others to see who You are and to show Your glory and grace.

Going Fishing

August 20, 2019 Pastor Stephen Dedman Encouragement, Faith

Going Fishing

Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
John 21:3

Fishing For The Familiar

It’s amazing how quickly we can forget our mission and purpose in life. As Christians we are commanded by Christ to make disciples. But sometimes we lose focus of the big picture and lean toward seeking fulfillment of what we “want” to do. Especially when we face discouraging moments.

This was the case with Peter. Peter was facing a difficult time. On one hand he knew he was suppose to serve Christ and fulfill the mission of sharing the gospel with others. But on the other hand, he was dealing with guilt and shame because he denied Jesus. Peter started doing what he use to do. He went fishing because he lost his mission and vision of serving Christ.

For over three years Peter had followed Jesus close enough to know that he was a soul winner and no longer a fisherman. Jesus told him that he was the “Rock” that would build the church and the gates of Hell could not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18) But sadly, when Jesus was distant, Peter went back to fishing again as he did before he met Christ. It was the easy thing to do. When he started battling discouragement he gave up and retreated to something familiar. But notice they caught nothing all night. He wasn’t a fisherman, he was still a fisher of men.

Let’s stay focussed on what God has called us to do and keep making disciples.

Prayer

Lord, help me to focus on Your love and keep me in your loving arms.