As Far As The East Is From The West

January 17, 2019 Pastor Stephen Dedman Encouragement, Trust

As Far As The East Is From The West

As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭103:12‬

Forever Forgiven

What an amazing truth and promise we have from God. We need to be reminded of His forgiving love often. When God forgives our sins they will never be remembered again.

As humans this is hard for us to comprehend. We have the ability to forgive but we have difficulty with letting go. How many times do we ask the Lord to forgive us from certain sins but we never let them leave our mind? It’s not God who keeps bringing them back to our attention it is us. When we ask God for forgiveness and we repent of our sins, He removes them from existence. They are not stored in a memory bank nor will they be counted against us in the future. They are gone.

That is a great blessing and benefit to remember. What a blessing it is to have all your sins removed and remembered no more. If you have confessed and repented of a sin then you need to accept God’s grace of forgiveness. If you are haunted with the guilt of that same sin then you need to trust this promise from God. Let the past stay in the past. It’s time to live today for today. When Satan wants to remind you of your past then remind him of his future. The Bible says there is a day coming when Satan will be chained up and put away. Then there will be a time when Jesus reigns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The grace of God is more powerful than anything else.

Prayer

Confess your sins to the Lord and accept His wonderful and loving forgiveness.

Rejoice In The Lord

January 13, 2019 Pastor Stephen Dedman Encouragement, Trust

Rejoice In The Lord

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
‭‭Habakkuk‬ ‭3:18‬

God Is In Control

Habakkuk was experiencing some very tough economic times. Verse 17 tells us what was happening. There were no figs on the trees, no grapes on the vines, no oil to cook with, no crops growing and no animals for meat. This simply means there was nothing to eat or drink and the future was not very promising. People would panic if that were to happen today.

Habakkuk remained positive and faithful as verse 18 shines rays of hope. Habakkuk knew God was the source of everything. He knew that God is the Creator and Sustainer and could make anything happen. He knew God had everything under control. If God wasn’t going to allow the earth to produce then somehow everything would work out in His timing. That’s why he says, “yet I will rejoice in the Lord and take joy in the God of my salvation.” Even in the worst case senerio he knew he would be saved, even if he died.

Don’t focus on your circumstances. Focus on praising the One who controls everything. Circumstances can change quickly. There was not a lot of food, but Jesus fed 5,000 men. There was no wine at a wedding feast but Jesus saved the best for last. To rejoice in the Lord when things are not going well means you know that God has something great in the works. People all around you may be down in the dumps and depressed but you could be the one who brings hope and encouragement as a solution. Your attitude and actions reflect how you trust God.

Prayer

Praise God for what He has provided and you will not dwell on what you are lacking. God will provide what you need. Thank Him in advance.

The Musician Played

June 23, 2018 Pastor Stephen Dedman Faith, Trust

The Musician Played

And Elisha said, “ As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you, nor see you. But now bring me a musician.” Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him.”
‭‭II Kings‬ ‭3:14-15‬‬‬

God Showed Up

God cares for His children. There is no doubt that He can and will defeat our enemies. He can and will perform any miracle that He wills to do. He speaks and nature must obey. Above all these great things, God is more concerned about our relationship with Him. He knows you and He wants to be known by you.

The story of 2 Kings 3 is very fascinating. Three kings were about to perish because of a strong enemy and a lack of water. The drought was the result of not taking God seriously and consulting Him concerning their plans. So ultimately, the greater enemy was not just the Moabites, but their own failure to seek God’s guidance. They called for the prophet, Elisha, to bring a word from God. So to prepare to receive a word from God, Elisha called for a musician to help prepare his heart. And it was at that time that God showed up.

It was about a relationship with God. Elisha valued his relationship with God more than power or wealth. He trusted God more than anything else and his actions proved it. God longs for our hearts more than performing any miracle or defeating our enemies. Sure He can do it all easily but when God has your heart, He is pleased. Do you take your relationship with God seriously?

Prayer

Lord, I pray that I may know you more today than ever before. Help my worship be acceptable and glorifying to You.