Keep Your Guard Up

SATAN: the enemy of Christ who wants to scare the HEAVEN out of you! - Anon

Goliath relied on his size to taunt and frustrate the Israelites. But then a little scrawny kid 'rocked' him to sleep. OUCH!

Growing up there were certain 'invented' individuals that evoked fear in us as children (bogeyman, closet monsters, etc.) that we eventually outgrew. Then there were certain real creatures that evoked fear in us as well (spiders, snakes, hornets, etc.) that we learned to control or stay away from. What's amazing is that in our Christian walk we know we have an enemy who's after our souls and uses scare tactics that seem to intrigue and interest us so much we fail to see what he's up to and where he's leading us. We must realize that he really has no power over us unless we invite him by lowering our guards (no prayer/study/meditation/fellowship), or by lowering our standards (respectable sins?). Like David, we must see beyond what is immediately in front of us, to the God who is always with us and for us. Not only is the road to hell paved with good intentions, but the way to heaven requires sacrifices.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith...." - I Peter 5:8-9

Reading for Life

What you don’t know can indeed hurt you. - Anon

The Israelites were content to carry around the ‘laws of God’ in the Ark of the Covenant, but not in their hearts and minds. It cost them dearly. OUCH!

We hate it in contracts, banking agreements, investment brochures, etc. – but almost anywhere you go to spend or invest your money, it’s there; the ‘fine print.’ And buried within the fine print somewhere is the disclosure “past performance is no indication of future results.” That’s the out clause for the seller in case things go bad. But if we turn this idea on its head, God tells us that with Him past performance IS an indication of future results. He cannot or will not change. He will do what He promised to do. He will love, provide for, and save those who accept Him and His Son, and eventually bring us home to glory. BUT He will also cast into outer darkness (Hell) those who reject Him. So, if we want the promises, blessings, and future home with God, just remember it’s in the fine print; His Word.

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

“Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.” – II Timothy 2:15

Fear God

We fear men so much, because we fear God so little. One fear cures another. – W. Gurnall

Saul’s fighting men greatly feared Goliath and allowed him to taunt them 40 days. But along came scrawny little David and his God. AMAZING!

Most of us remember a time when as children, though our parents weren’t around we were well behaved because we feared what would happen if they found out we misbehaved. God, as our Supreme Father commands the same respect. But often the TRUTH of the matter is ‘out of sight, out of mind.’ Because we don’t often see a physical manifestation of God we have no fear of Him. But the REALITY of the matter is God is ever present, - ‘I will not leave you or forsake you;’ – we just refuse to see Him and submit in obedience to Him. The antidote to fear is love – ‘perfect love drives away fear’. God will not force His will upon us at any time, but then again neither will He force HEAVEN upon us later. The choice is always ours.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” – Matthew 10:28

At Just the Right Time

Hell is truth seen too late. – T. Hobbes

God has always loved us and been for us and at "just the right time" sent His Son to prove it. Hmm!

TIMING – we all know it’s critical. A second too soon or too late could spell disaster. But when it comes to God we often don’t relate Him to the here and now. We often relate to Him in terms of what He’s done in the past for us, or how we’re asking Him to help us defeat this gigantic problem we’re up against. But He is the God of the here and now – time exists solely because of Him alone – and He’s ever present in every second. Often we spend time ‘waiting’ on God to move or act and fail to realize we can still enjoy Him in the process. One does not preclude the other. He’s an ever-present God. So as the song says ‘Don’t Wait Til’ Midnite’, CALL NOW! And I can guarantee the time will be that much better.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“He has made everything beautiful in its time….” – Ecclesiastes 3:11

Along with the Blessings...

Those whom heaven blesses, hell curses. – Anon

Paul had great successes in building and establishing churches but suffered massive persecution, afflictions, and even threats from within and without. Hmm!

In war, it cannot be overstated that one should always know their enemy and his tactics, or it could prove fatal. It’s a simple fact that we often overlook. We tend to forget in our Christian walk that we’re at war, fighting for or working out our salvation. And just as we start off with 'new mercies' every day, the enemy plans new strategies and attacks to upset us. Yes we are ‘marked’ for easy identification by the enemy, but we only need be reminded we carry a powerful cross, not a bullseye. As we seek God's blessings in this New Year let us be mindful, we're always at war. The question we must answer is do we want the blessings?

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:10

A Refreshing Turn

You cannot repent too soon, because you do not know how soon it may become too late. - T. Fuller

Elijah ran for 40 days and nights only to hear God tell him "go back the way you came." OUCH!

Anyone who drives has probably had the experience of missing their off ramp on the freeway or passing their designated turnoff on the boulevard. Such a pain or inconvenience to have to turn around and go back. But back we go. Oh, if our daily living were true to this form. Often, we think we can overcome a mistake/sin without God's help, but then find ourselves moving further away from God. We mean well in our attempts but still fall short. Unless God is with us to help navigate the correction, we'll continue off course. If the saying is true: 'The road to Hell is paved with good intentions...' then it is equally true: 'The road to Heaven is paved with repentance...' I guess the question we should ask is what destination are we really trying to reach?

Until tomorrow......

Pastor Botts

"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord...." Acts 3:19

The Good with the Bad

Those whom heaven blesses, hell curses. – Anon

Paul had great successes in building and establishing churches but suffered massive persecution, afflictions, and even threats from within and without. Hmm!

In war, it cannot be overstated that one should always know their enemy and his tactics, or it could prove fatal. It’s a simple fact that we often overlook. We tend to forget in our Christian walk that we’re at war; fighting for or working out our salvation. And just as we start off with 'new mercies' everyday, the enemy plans new strategies and attacks to upset us. Yes we are ‘marked’ for easy identification by the enemy, but we only need be reminded we carry a powerful cross, not a bullseye. The question we have to answer is do we want the blessings?

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:10

Today's scripture reading: Proverbs 7

Today's question: What does this chapter tell us about the way(s) of sin/folly?

Fear Cure

We fear men so much, because we fear God so little. One fear cures another. – W. Gurnall

Saul’s fighting men greatly feared Goliath and allowed him to taunt them 40 days. But along came scrawny little David and his God. AMAZING!

Most of us remember a time when as children, though our parents weren’t around we were well behaved because we feared what would happen if they found out we misbehaved. God, as our Supreme Father commands the same respect. The TRUTH of the matter though often is ‘out of sight, out of mind.’ Because we don’t often see a physical manifestation of God we have no fear of Him. But the REALITY of the matter is God is ever present, - ‘I will not leave you or forsake you;’ – we just refuse to see Him and submit in obedience to Him. The antidote to fear is love – ‘perfect love drives away fear’. God will not force His will upon us at any time, but then again neither will he force HEAVEN upon us later. The choice is always ours.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” – Matthew 10:28

Reevaluate the Emergency

It’s amazing how quickly an emergency arises the moment you start saving for one. – Sparks

After healing Peter’s mother-in-law and many others, Jesus slipped away to pray. Or so he thought he did! Hmm!

Good intentions –the road to hell is paved with them. We all get started on them and often find ourselves falling short. And it’s truly amazing what things, issues, circumstances, or situations appear when we try to do right by God. These are not by chance, they are designed schemes of the enemy to keep us out of contact with Almighty God. Jobs that take us away from church and/or bible study. Sunday morning doldrums that keep us home or make us late, interruptions that keep us out of the Word or our prayer closet. These are all tools of Satan to keep us from ‘storing up treasure in heaven,’ where we're doing what may be good but not what's best for us.  But God expects us to be wise to the deceptive practices of our enemy, and not lose focus. God will never put a hindrance to us coming to Him, so maybe we need to re-evaluate the emergency.

Until tomorrow…….

Pastor Botts

“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” – Matthew 6:20

The Good The Bad

Those whom heaven blesses, hell curses. – Anon

Paul had great successes in building and establishing churches but suffered massive persecution, afflictions, and even threats from within and without. Hmm!

In war, it cannot be overstated that one should always know their enemy and his tactics, or it could prove fatal. It’s a simple fact that we often overlook. We tend to forget in our Christian walk that we’re at war; fighting for or working out our salvation. And just as we start off with 'new mercies' everyday, the enemy plans new strategies and attacks to upset us. Yes we are ‘marked’ for easy identification by the enemy, but we only need be reminded we carry a powerful cross, not a bullseye. The question we have to answer is do we want the blessings?

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:10