Survival Praying

For the past week we have been studying the prayer of Isaiah.

In the New Testament, the disciples asked Jesus if He would teach them to pray.  Jesus replied with what we call the Lord’s Prayer.

In the Old Testament, Isaiah teaches about prayer around 700 years before Christ will be born in Bethlehem.  Israel is “survival praying” while living in the Southern Kingdom.  Israel’s prayer for restoration is found in Isaiah chapter 63 verses 15-19.

Moving into chapter 64, Isaiah leads the powerful prayer for the people of Israel!   “Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,…”

The latter part of the second verse explains the passion and reason for the prayer, “…to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!”

Isaiah’s example for “survival praying” is found in Isaiah chapter 64 verse 9, ”O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech Thee, we are all Thy people.”  That prayer that uses BESEECH has more passion than just asking or  requesting.

These prayers contain three main elements of this petition to God!

1.      Intensity of Desire

2.     Humble Heart

3.     Tenacity of Purpose

We should ask the Lord to keep teaching us to pray.

We should pray with heart-felt passion, humble before God with the knowledge of His plan and purpose! James reminds us that a fervent prayer availeth much!

You are loved,

Pastor & Suzette

/0 Comments/by

Happy and Blessed

Sometimes it is difficult to be happy.  Happiness is linked to happenings and what is happening may not be good.  We do not enjoy the difficult days, or the times of hardship.

However, the joy of the Lord is my strength!  Our Lord is greater than the circumstance.  God is our shelter and refuge on those difficult days. One definition of Joy is calm delight.  That is the peace the Lord brings, calm in the midst of the storm.

Always remember to get joy we must give it.  To keep joy we must share it.  If we work and pray to be able to bring happiness to others, we cannot avoid happiness coming into our lives.

You cannot out-give God and you cannot out- love God.  He has blessed us and made us happy in Him

Happiness comes from giving, not from getting.  God blesses the heart and spirit that is like Him.

The truth is, our happiness comes from spiritual wealth, not the material wealth of this world.

Serve the Lord in this New Year with all your heart and enjoy each day!

You are loved,

Pastor and Muzette

/0 Comments/by

Happy New Year

We hope and pray you had a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

The past few Sundays were amazing with our children’s programs including the choir and the play; these were all a great blessing.

How we have enjoyed our Jubilee Choir, the Teen Drama, and then gathering with all our children during the reading of Luke 2.  Don’t forget the giant Christmas stockings, the beautiful candlelight service, treat bags, and a snow storm two weeks in a row!

Most importantly, we honored the Lord and lifted up the Word of God while we fellowshipped together with Christmas carols, good friends and great food.

Just when we thought we couldn’t have any more fun, we were Santa-Surprised!  Mrs. Claus appeared after church and read The Night Before Christmas and then Santa walked in with bells ringing.

This December has been one of the best ever at Trinity.

Thank you for all the hard work, vision to bless and dedication to keep Christ in Christmas.

Thank you for giving.  Our Birthday offering for Jesus is over $45,000 and still growing.  Your end-of-the-year giving is so important to the church budget.  Thank you for caring and for sharing!

Muzette and I want to thank you for each greeting card, cake, gift card, goodies and all your special gifts.  You have made us feel loved and we thank you.

Your love and prayers are a blessing in our lives.

You are loved,

Pastor and Muzette

Happy New Year!

/0 Comments/by

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year!  But it can be a time of mixed emotions; for some it is a time of joy, food, friends and happy Christmas memories, but for others it can bring a sense of loss, knowing things will never be the same as they have been.

The truth is anything that is alive is changing!  The things that change represent life, growing or shrinking.  The basic cells in our body begin by change.  The first cell divides. One to two, four to eight, 80 to 160 and continues to change.  It demonstrates life and growth.

Christmas is in many ways a benchmark of life.  A time to pause, a time to reflect and a time to reset our priorities!

Christmas time can cause the culture to remember the most important fact, Jesus was born!

God had a son named Jesus.  God gave His son to a lost and dark world.  Jesus gave His life that we could have hope, help and light into this darkness!

Christmas time can help us to slow down and appreciate what the Lord has given to us.  He has provided not only salvation and life eternal, but also the joy and blessing of family and friends!  Take time for the Christmas that really matters!  Serve the Lord, share your blessings, and spend time with the people you love!

Muzette and I want to thank you for every Christmas card, gift, and all the homemade goodies.  You are a treasure in our lives.

We love you,

Pastor and Muzette

/0 Comments/by

Winter Surprise

What a wonderful surprise last weekend.  The beautiful dusting of snow to get us in the mood for Christmas turned into 8 to 10 inches of snow in Highland and Cashiers.  That was a winter snow shocker.

Another great surprise occurred Sunday morning at 10:45 AM.   Our church was almost three-fourths filled with worshipers! The choir stepped up and sang with joy and anointing.  We were blessed to have many visitors from churches that had called off their services.  That was a bonus surprise.

However, the best is yet to come!  After the service a young lady expressed that Sunday was her first time in church.  She also told us that she didn’t have a Bible and know about Jesus or salvation.

We were so glad that we were able to have church and that we can explain about Jesus and give a new Bible to a new seeker, who was surprised to hear about Jesus!

God has blessed us with a kind and loving church.  What a joy to worship together and watch the spirit of the Lord work in our lives and families.

Thank you for giving today!  Our Birthday Offering for Jesus starts today and goes until the last Sunday of 2017.  Your gift today will help us reach our goal of telling more people about Jesus!

You are loved,

Pastor and Muzette

/0 Comments/by