What Do You WANT To Eat?

Fine dining is really a matter of choice! - Anon

Manna from heaven for 40 years! Yet they never lacked anything vital to their healthy well-being. Hmm!

Candy! Popcorn! Chips! Hamburgers! Hot Dogs! Pizza! Pepsi or Coca-Cola. Oh, the foods we loved when we were younger. Many of us thought we could live on them forever, and some of us are still trying to. But as we aged and our bodies changed, we realized we needed a better diet, one that helps to aid our mind and bodies, rich in nutrients, vitamins, proteins, etc. It's a scriptural parallel, as the bible tells us in our faith walk we should eventually move on from 'milk' to solid food. Unfortunately, many of us still live on the 'milk'. We try and face life's problems and circumstances with our early on 'Sunday School' answers when a faith more meaningful and well-nourished in God's Word is required. It's a given we're going to grow physically through the biology God placed within us, but it takes a daily desire and discipline to grow faithfully, to become who God made us to be. Is a diet change in order?

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." - Hebrews 5:14

Just Do It...Righteously

Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies just because they become fashions. – G.K. Chesterton

The idolatry practiced by their neighbors looked like fun and good times to the Israelites, but God thought otherwise. Ouch!

Wokeism. Cultural appropriation. Personal pronouns. New Age. Avant-Garde lifestyles, etc. Call it what you will, but we now live in a society where it is fully acceptable to find new ways to lower morality and shun any personal responsibility or acknowledge Almighty God. Everybody has turned to his own way. Even we as Christians if we’re not careful can get easily tangled up in the worldly offerings (media, leisure, clothing, idols, affirmations, etc.). But no matter what society calls it or how society sells it, before God it is still SIN, period! Don’t just do it, do it righteously.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” – I Thessalonians 5:19-22

Get To the Root of It

Thousands hack at the branches of evil when it only takes one good strike at the root. - Henry David Thoreau

The Gadarene demoniac had often been chained and quartered by the people to no avail, but one moment with Jesus changed his life. Wow!

Anyone who has ever planted a garden or cared for a lawn knows you will get weeds. And the only way to get rid of them is not to cut them (they grow back) or spray them (they still grow back), but to uproot them completely (dig them out of the ground by their roots). The same is true of sin and unrighteousness in our hearts. We can identify and attack the activities in our lives where it is evident, but unless we destroy it in the heart it will manifest itself again in a whole new way. The only way to destroy it at the root is to repent and turn our heart over to God for renewal. If we’re really seeking to change, God can make it happen.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“However, this kind (sin) does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” – Matthew 17:21

P.S. - Our 40-hour Prayer Fast begins this evening at 6:30pm and ends Saturday morning at 10:30am.

-No solid foods (broths, pureed soups, etc. are okay).
-Prayer points to consider:
    Being a better disciple(r)
    Breaking free from a sinful habit
    A greater burden for the lost
Join us at Prayer Breakfast this Saturday morning at 9:30 am to break the fast.

Great Efforts to Please The Great I Am

“You call what you’re doing a living sacrifice?” – God

Jacob had to leave his family, slept alone with a ‘rock’ for a pillow, and still got up and praised God. Hmm!

Often most of us just fall into the rut of life, just doing what we need to do to get by, make ends meet, keep the lights on, etc. And unfortunately, the same attitude falls upon our ministry and worship efforts. But if God is a God of life, joy, vibrancy, and the One who is ‘doing a new thing’ should not our lives somewhat parallel the One in whose image we were made? The spirit-filled individuals we read about in His Word had problems as well, but it seems they went out of their way and normal routines to praise/please God. If God is the same ‘yesterday, today, and forever,’ I think the same type of attitude and effort is still what pleases Him. Hopefully we’re all up for it today.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“{God said} Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” – Job 1:8

Time Best Spent

Wisdom is the power to put our time and our knowledge to proper use. - T. Watson

When it came to building the ark, Noah didn't know how much time he had but he also didn't waste any of it. Hmm!

A smart phone! That's what I have. And it often tells me things I guess I should be made aware of. Like, each month it will give a summary of my time driving and show me the day I traveled the most miles. Yeah! Like I really, really need to know that. But one thing I did notice is the total time I spent driving (hours/minutes). It made me wonder. What if the phone tracked the amount of time we spent on social media, the amount of time we spent following news leads/individuals, podcasts, playing games, or just amusing ourselves with pictures or recipes, etc? Would we like the results? Could some of that time have been better spent in prayer, meditation, or even meaningful conversation with a family member or friend? I know we use these distractions to escape for a breather, but some distractions actually steal opportunities, while others hinder our obedience to "seek the things of God and His righteousness." Though it is a smart phone, I think we should be smart as to how we use it instead of letting it use us.

Until Monday...

Pastor Botts

"Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." - Ephesians 5:15-16

The Way of Obedience

Conscience only tells you what is wrong, it doesn’t stop you from doing it. – Anon

Aaron's sons knew they were not supposed to offer 'strange fire' to God, yet they did it anyway. OUCH!

STOP….. , ONE-WAY...., 55 MPH…..., NO PARKING……, NO TURN ON RED……, YIELD…., NO LEFT TURN DURING THE HOURS OF....? You’ve probably guessed by now these are all traffic signs posted to keep traffic flowing at a smooth safe pace. I’m sure we’re all aware of what happens when someone doesn’t heed the message Life is very similar. When we wrestle with right and wrong our conscience is trying to point out the signs we should obey, while the flesh is demanding satisfaction. However, we are not to satisfy the desires of the flesh but live by the Spirit. Our daily prayer should be that we will have a Spirit-filled, Spirit-led day.

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

"So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” – Romans 7:21

Our Responsibility

God’s part we cannot do. Our part God does not do. – Richard Murray

God told Moses He would set His people free. All He needed was for Moses to go to Pharaoh, and the rest is HIStory.

The Creation Account tells us God created everything necessary for man’s existence in six days, then He created man. Man was not consulted in the creation account but he was given charge to manage it for God. Regardless of what has happened since then, the fact is we still have a responsibility to God. He has expectations that we conduct ourselves in a manner that is proper for a ‘manager.’ Adam’s sin does not let us off the hook, for God has already provided a redeemer, but He will not force us to accept Him, nor force us to live for Him. That is still our part. Today matters to God so it should matter to us.

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

“Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.” – I Peter 3:10-11

Hope you can join us tomorrow morning at Prayer Breakfast 9:30am.

Love Keeps No Records...

The surest way to win in a relationship: just don’t keep score! - Sparks

Though the disciples failed him many times and even fled, Jesus still entrusted the church to them. They later turned the world upside down for him. AMEN!

Record keeping is good for business matters, but bad for relationships. Relationships are built upon love, and God’s model is best. God is gracious, merciful, and forgiving. No matter the size of the infraction, He willingly forgives and shows mercy if we seek Him. This is not to say we continue in sin and error, it is just God’s way of letting us know He understands our imperfections and is willing to work with us to overcome them. Likewise He fully expects us to demonstrate the same traits in our daily lives (“freely you have received, freely give”) with those we interact with. The goal is not to win the war but to win the person.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” – I Corinthians 13:4-7

Resource or Lifesource?

When money is in your hand, that’s good, when it’s in your heart, that’s bad. –W. Smith

The rich young ruler came oh so close to salvation and missed it only because he didn’t know what ‘riches’ truly were. Hmm!

Resource or lifesource? Tool or trademark? Oftentimes, for many of us we get the 2 issues confused, particularly when it comes to money. Money and wealth in and of itself, is not a bad thing. God wants, of all people, his children to enjoy His blessings, however when money captures our heart, is our only motivating factor, and we will stop at nothing to have more of it; it replaces the very God who gave it as our 'lord and master.' And God said, “thou shalt not have ANY other gods before ME!” I pray you master it before it masters you.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food, and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” – I Timothy 6:6-10

Don't Send An Invite

Once you open the floodgates, you cannot tell the water where to run. – T. Sowell

Yes, Job's friends were miserable comforters indeed, but he did invite them over. Hmm!

When the levees gave way some years ago in New Orleans, the only thing left to do was assess the damage afterwards. It was much more damage than expected or estimated. So it is when we decide to engage our enemy - Satan. So often, when Satan comes our way with his calling card many of us will hold a debate with him. This is wrong and plays right into his hands, just ask Eve. The implications of one sinful encounter are enormous and impact far more people than you will ever imagine. Satan will always take us further than we want to go, stay longer than our invitation, and cost us more than we ever anticipated. As the day unfolds may we be wise and practice much self-control.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” – I Thessalonians 5:21-22

Love and Pray for Your Enemies

Speak well of your enemies. After all you’ve somehow made them that way. – D. Guptil

Though Saul was David’s enemy, David held him in high regard. He refused to say anything against God’s anointed. Hmmm!

It’s been said the best way to get rid of an enemy is to make him your friend. That’s easier said than done, but it can be done. But it can’t happen until we begin to consider the possibility. Often in our conversation it’s fairly easy to lavish praise on ourselves and those we care about. Maybe we can’t lavish praise on our enemies just yet, but the quickest way to speak well of them is to pray for them in earnest, and pray for God’s direction in our life as well. It may not rid us of enemies, but it will rid us of hostility, increasing our capacity to show love to all.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

“But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good….” – Matthew 5:44-45

Heart Storage

Accept what is, let go of what was, have faith in what will be. S. Ricotti

David said when he 'confessed' what was hidden in his heart life got so much better. Amen!

Ask anyone who's moved recently and I'm sure you'll hear them lament and say something like 'I didn't know I had so much stuff!' Whether they were moving from a small apartment or a 4-5 bedroom house the saying is the same 'so much stuff!' Stuff they didn't even know they had or seldom used. It's a marvel how it all fit in there. Truth is, we brought it in ourselves and just got comfortable with it being there, allowing it to possess space in our arena. It begs the question, do we have too much stuff stored up in our hearts? Dangerous stuff that we've grown comfortable and complacent with. Stuff like laziness, grudges, bitterness, hypocritical thoughts of others, jealousies, greed, etc. Things like these tend to hinder our spiritual ability to grow. maybe we need to do a little housecleaning ourselves to give the Holy Spirit the freedom He needs to grow and flourish in our lives. A good cleansing is always refreshing.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"O Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart and be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts?" - Jeremiah 4:14

What's Done In the Dark...

The nice part of living in a small town is that when I don’t know what I’m doing, someone else does. – Anon

When Lot was in trouble down in Sodom & Gomorrah, someone told Abram; and he came to his rescue. AMEN!

One of the truths we come to realize as we grow older is that the world isn’t as big as we once thought it to be. With the current technology and innovations anything can be brought to light almost instantly, and unfortunately it often is. We often think we can get away with or hide our ‘habits,’ ‘dirty deeds,’ or non-Christian behaviors, but in reality, we can’t. Someone is always looking, and generally it is someone we know or who knows about us. True, sin is a part of all our lives, but habitual, behavioral sin is what Christ frees us from. In a day and age where a lie can go around the world before truth has an opportunity to tie its shoes, we need to be mindful of whom we belong to at all times.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.” – Romans 16:19

Don't Snowball

When things go wrong, don’t go with them. – Anon

David's one act of adultery eventually led him to murder. OUCH!

Try as we might to avoid it through prayer, meditation, scripture reading and study, sometimes Satan trips us up and we sin. However, we should immediately confess it and repent before Almighty God, and not try to conceal it with further lies and other sinful acts. This allows Satan to build his fortress in our hearts and surround it with walls of our silence and shame, bringing further calamity. God is ready and quick to forgive those who seek Him and ask it, and restore them to Himself, that you may continue to walk upright with Him. I pray we will be conquerors today.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody…….Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” – Romans 12:17, 21

Not On Our Own

The best of men are still men at best. – Anon

Peter’s sermon brought 3,000 plus into the church on Pentecost, but he still had a problem with Gentiles. Hmm!

We put a lot of stock and confidence in individuals for their accomplishments, deeds, and contributions to society, and well we should. But we should always remember that God was and is in the plans. The fact that He chooses to remain anonymous does not dismiss us from giving glory to Him. No person yet has accomplished anything by himself (except condemning himself to hell) and without the strength, wisdom, resources, and blessing of God he is no more than mortal and sin driven. Thanks be to God that He uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Look up, for today it may just be your turn.

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

“So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me……Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!” – Romans 7:21-25

Your Reflection

A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person lives in a hostile world. Your world is a mirror of yourself. – K. Keyes Jr.

The Apostle Paul is a great study on the concept of polar extremes. From hateful arch-rival to loving die-hard friend. Why – because of Jesus – that’s all!

It’s true the world is not perfect, and people don’t always receive us the way we want, but the world and the people were made by a loving God, who still loves them; and we are called upon to love them as He does. One thing the bible teaches us over and over again is that you reap what you sow, so our world around us, the people in our inner circle (family, close friends, associates) are a reflection of who we are and what we give. Remember, for the Christian love is not a feeling but a COMMAND. So if our individual world is 'hostile' maybe a little more prayer is needed.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“For out of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.” – Matthew 12:34-35.

Unentangled Lifestyles

Fallacies do not cease to be fallacies just because they become fashions. – G.K. Chesterton

 

The idolatry practiced by their neighbors looked like fun and good times to the Israelites, but God thought otherwise. Ouch! 

 

Fads. New wave. Cutting edge. Avant Garde. Lifestyles, etc.  Call it what you will, but we now live in a society where it is fully acceptable to find new ways to lower morality and shun any personal responsibility, or acknowledge Almighty God. Everybody has turned to his own way. Even we as Christians if we’re not careful can get easily tangled up in the worldly offerings (media, leisure, clothing, idols, affirmations, etc.). But no matter what society calls it or how society sells it, before God it is still SIN, period! Don’t just do it, do it righteously.

 

Until tomorrow…..

 

Pastor Botts

 

“Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” – I Thessalonians 5:19-22

The Habits to Break

First we make our habits, and then our habits make us. – Anon

Daniel’s enemies knew exactly where he would be and what he would be doing at the hour of prayer. Wow!

When you get right down to it, most of what we do in our day to day life is out of habits we have developed over time. Just getting dressed we develop them (right leg first or left in putting on pants, right arm first or left in putting on a shirt or jacket), comfortable ‘motions’ that we rarely think about – habits. Some habits will inevitably bring us closer to God and others will lead us away from His path and blessings. And often many of those that lead us away are presented innocently through ‘friends’ and acquaintances and seem quite harmless. But any activity that hooks us and creates a conscious ‘tug’ in our hearts between serving God in righteousness and appeasing our own desires should be examined closely. God has never been against us enjoying life, but our enjoyment of life should never precede our enjoying and yielding to Him in all things. God is ready to help us change or break those habits that hinder our growth in Him, so, if at first you don’t succeed – try praying.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts“

….Do not be deceived: ‘evil company corrupts good habits…..” – I Corinthians 15:33

That All You Got??

“You call what you’re doing a living sacrifice?” – God

Jacob had to leave his family, slept alone with a ‘rock’ for a pillow, and still got up and praised God. Hmm!

Often most of us just fall into the rut of life, just doing what we need to do to get by, make ends meet, keep the lights on, etc. And unfortunately the same attitude falls upon our ministry and worship efforts. But if God is a God of life, joy, vibrancy, and one who is ‘doing a new thing’ should not our lives somewhat parallel the one in whose image we were made? The spirit-filled individuals we read about in His word had problems as well, but it seems they went out of their way and normal routines to please God. If God is the same ‘yesterday, today, and forever,’ I think the same type of attitude and effort is still what pleases Him. Hopefully we’re all up for it today.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“{God said} Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” – Job 1:8

See and follow the signs

Conscience only tells you what is wrong, it doesn’t stop you from doing it. – Anon

Aaron's sons knew they were not supposed to offer 'strange fire' to God, yet they did it anyway. OUCH!

STOP….. , ONE-WAY...., 55 MPH…..., NO PARKING……, NO TURN ON RED……, YIELD…., NO LEFT TURN DURING THE HOURS OF....? You’ve probably guessed by now these are all traffic signs posted to keep traffic flowing at a smooth safe pace. I’m sure we’re all aware of what happens when someone doesn’t heed the message Life is very similar. When we wrestle with right and wrong our conscience is trying to point out the signs we should obey, while the flesh is demanding satisfaction. However, we are not to satisfy the desires of the flesh but live by the Spirit. Our daily prayer should be that we will have a Spirit-filled, Spirit-led day.

Until Monday…..

Pastor Botts

“So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” – Romans 7:21