Temptation (by Pastor Linda Pugsley)

Temptation is an enticement to evil ... period! It is too easy to just cruise through life on auto-pilot and thusly end up being slammed over and over again with temptation and succumbing to it. We need a plan to break that cycle!

God has a plan. He allows various trials to come our way, and in these trials are many temptations. He uses these temptations to reveal our weaknesses to us, but He always makes a way of escape and shows us how to defeat the wily ways of evil.

FIGHT the devil; FOLLOW Jesus; FLEE from sin; FEED the soul. With prayer, consistent Bible study and fellowship with strong Christians, we can go forth and with great power can say, "Get thee behind me Satan". (James 4:7-8; 1 Peter 5:8-9; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 Corinthians 10:14; 2 Timothy 2:22; Romans 13:14)

NOW GO LIVE IT!

God Is My Pilot (by Carolyn Marshall)

Sometimes, our lives are so full of ourselves that there is no room for God. It seems as if we are on auto-pilot for self-destruction. There is too much work to do, too many places to go, too many people to see and help, and so little time to do it all. We put a self-imposed label on ourselves as superman or superwoman and head off to conquer our world. In doing that, we get in God's way of what He is trying to do in and through us.

We stifle God's purpose for our life by asking Him to be our "co-pilot". You've all probably seen the bumper stickers and other things out there with the saying "God is my co-pilot". That is where we get into trouble. I don't want God to be my co-pilot. I want Him to be in total control of my life. That is the only way I can serve Him fully, and it is the only way He can manifest His love in my life to its full capacity.

I was sorting through some things in my office today, and I came across a little card my mother sent me a long time ago. All it had on it was The Prayer Of The Chalice, but it is so powerful. Although you have probably read it many times before, please take the time to read through it again now. Copy the prayer and put it somewhere you can see it daily. We need to always be focused on our Lord and let Him be in control. He has so much love to give us, so many blessings to lavish on us, and so many ways for us to share Him with others. We just have to let Him.



©2011 Carolyn Marshall, Living Life Photography



The Prayer Of The Chalice

(Francis Nuttall)

Father, to Thee I raise my whole being - a vessel emptied

of self. Accept, Lord, this my emptiness, and so fill me

with Thyself - Thy Light, Thy Love, Thy Life - that

these Thy precious gifts may radiate through me

and overflow the chalice of my heart into the hearts

of all with whom I come in contact this day revealing

unto them the beauty of Thy Joy and Wholeness and

the serenity of Thy Peace which nothing can destroy.



Jesus the Resurrected Savior, Priest, and King (by Pastor Mark Parsons)

The world has always had numerous self-proclaimed saviors, false priests with personal agendas, and kings who love the adoration and praise of men rather than God.

However, only Jesus, God’s beloved Son, has been sent to man as the ultimate sacrifice for the redemption of men from death, hell, and the grave. He alone is Savior because "There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

Perfect and pure, Jesus entered into the Holy of Holies in heaven as God’s High Priest and sprinkled His shed blood on the mercy seat that all who call upon His name may be cleansed and forgiven for all manner of sin.

He has sovereign authority and rule as King. In Revelation 17:14, we read, "These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful."

Make it your ambition to watch and be ready for the soon return of Jesus, the resurrected Savior, Priest and King!

NOW GO LIVE IT!

How Much Do You Love Jesus? (by Carolyn Marshall)

The way we live our lives is changing more and more each day. Work is harder and longer. Family and fellowship time seems to get shorter and shorter. And, for many, personal worship time to build a closer relationship with our Lord and Savior seems to get put to the bottom of the list of important things we need to do.

So many of us are living such fast-paced lives, it's hard to even catch our breath. We need to work to provide for our families and we need to unwind from all the chaos of "life". But where do we stand when it comes to spending time with our Best Friend, Jesus? Do we begin our day, or end it, with even a few minutes of quiet time with Him in prayer and the scriptures? Or are we too rushed in the mornings to get started and too tired in the evening to even think about it? When we do have extra time, are we sitting in front of the television, computer, or doing other activities to "relax"? Where do we put our first priority?

We do need to work to support our families, and we do need to unwind and be with our families and friends. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a nice house, car, and all the "toys" that are fruits of our physical labor. But do we love and value these things more than our Lord?

Today I was faced, once again, with answering this question on a personal level when I listened to the song Lovest Thou Me written by Bill Gaither in the 1950s and sung by Ernie Haase & Signature Sound. The words are below the video. Think about them. Can we say them and really mean it in our heart and soul? Absolutely, we can! But we have to have a relationship with Him that comes from total surrender. It really is simple. If we love Him more than all the things of the world, our lives will show it, and He will know it.

Modern times have brought us many blessings
People live in wealth and luxury
But the Master asks this question
Lovest thou me, lovest thou me, more than these?
I love Thee more than this old world could offer
All sinful follies I deny for Thee
My love, my life, my all, I pledge Thee.
I love thee Lord, I love thee Lord, more than these.
More than these.

(Chorus)
Lovest thou me, more than these my child?
What will your answer be?
Oh precious Lord, I love Thee more than all of these
More than fame
More than wealth
More than the world
More than fame
More than wealth
More than the world.

Every Knee And Every Tongue (by Pastor Mark Parsons)

Multitudes of people throughout history have acknowledged Jesus Christ to be the Son of the Living God!  Sadly multitudes have not submitted or humbled themselves in confessing Him as Lord and savior of their lives.

Paul writes to the Philippians in Chapter 2:8-11 and exclaims, “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

James tells us (2:19), “you believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe and shudder (tremble [KJV]).” Why will all, including Satan and demons, bend their knees and confess with their mouth Jesus as Lord?

Because God Himself has appointed and declared Jesus, His Son, to be the only Savior, the only High Priest and the only King to Rule and reign Forever?

NOW GO LIVE IT!

Little By Little He's Changing Me (by Carolyn Marshall)



© 2011 Carolyn Marshall, Living Life Photography

Have you ever really stopped to think about how God has changed your life? Do you ever reflect back on the "little-by-little" changes He has made in you and how you and others have been blessed by those changes?

The best blessing of all for me was when I realized that God sacrificed His only Son for me and that I could receive salvation through His amazing Grace. I became a Christian when I was a young child, but my life was by no means lived as a Christian should live it. I was determined to live my way. Isn't that the way most of us usually do? But, through it all, God still blessed me with all the necessities of life. He kept me safe through all my wrong choices, and He kept whispering to me "come home." But I had the "mute" button on or down to the lowest level, and I wasn't listening. I know I did things that had to break His heart and cause Him to be very disappointed in me. Still, He didn't stop blessing me with all the things I needed.

A lot of years passed as I continued to live a backslidden life. Then, about 21 years ago, God blessed me by bringing my husband,Ted, into my life. I had been through two marriages already. I had gotten to my lowest low. I wanted to stop living the life I was living; and I wanted a husband with whom I could build a loving relationship that would last a lifetime. But, most of all, I wanted a marriage that would bless and honor God. My prayers were from a tearful heart and God heard me.

Ted didn't know Christ as his personal Savior when we first met. God allowed some very "challenging" situations to happen in our lives, because we were still trying to do it our way. Yet, through it all, He continued to bless us with safety and the necessities of life. But He was still whispering to me "come home." In 2004, we started going to a local church in Fort Myers, Florida, where Ted heard God’s call and let Him into his heart. That day was the beginning of a new life for Ted and me both. But we began by crawling. The seed God had put in our hearts to know and love Him was growing, but we were in need of serious pruning. Almost six years ago, we found a new church home at Great Hope Christian Fellowship in Tampa, Florida. God really began blessing us with our new family, and the blessings weren't just wonderful "tangible" things. They were, and still are, spiritual awareness and growth.

When I think about it, my spiritual growth reminds me of watching a movie. When you first watch a good movie, you can’t stop talking about it. If it is really good, you want to watch it over and over. The first time you saw it, you thought you saw and understood everything that went on. But the second time you watched it, you saw things you missed the first time. You saw the "big" picture the first time around, but you missed a lot of the little details that really pulled the story together. The third time, you picked up on still another little detail you missed the first two times

When I first accepted Christ, I saw the picture as a whole. In my life, God has blessed me through trials, tribulations and, yes, good stuff, too. With each new step I take, He is drawing me ever closer to Him, and He is opening my eyes to a clearer picture of what the story is really about. I’m still a long way from understanding everything … and never will until the day we all get to be with Him. God’s gift of salvation is, without question, the greatest gift He has given me. He continues to bless me every day by loving me just the way I am, with all my faults, and by leading me, by whatever measure it takes, down the path that takes me straight to Him.

God blesses me in so many ways that I couldn't begin to count them … my husband, family, friends, home, food, clothing, creativity … on and on. I will never get it totally right. But, I will never stop trying the best I know how to live the life He has called me to live. Yes, little by little, He IS changing me. And He can change you, too, if you will let Him.



Are You Committed All Day, Every Day? (by Pastor Mark Parsons)

David was far from perfect, as all men are; however, he declared that he waited upon God all day long. (See Psalm 25:5)

Who among us can truly say that God has your undivided attention at all times?  We all know that it certainly is a struggle to stay focused and on a mission to glorify Jesus throughout any given day. 

David also declared that: “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psalm 34:1)   David chose to practice daily what he knew to be true in his heart.  Though he was not always successful, he knew his God would never leave nor forsake him.

Today, when we put God first and spend our day bound to Him, the storm (or storms) will not dampen our hope, for Jesus is in the ship with us.

Finally, consider these words from Hosea: “Therefore, return to your God, observe kindness and justice, and wait for your God continually.”  Are you committed to Jesus all day, every day?

NOW GO LIVE IT!

You are saved but have you risen from the dead? (by Pastor Linda Pugsley)

At the end of this month, all over the globe, the Christian world will be celebrating many Easter traditions. A great deal of the remembrance will be on His horrific suffering and death, but the greatest remembrance is that He rose from the dead! And that is His message to us today ... don't concentrate just on the sufferings and sacrifices it requires to live this life in Christ; concentrate on rising from the deathbed of your sins and into a new life in him.

In Jesus' suffering and death AND in His resurrection to a new life, God painted the exact word picture He wanted to portray. We must die to the flesh, but we must ALSO rise from the dead. That is the exciting part of this journey!

NOW GO LIVE IT!