Have you ever heard how the Eskimo captures the wolf?
Let me explain what happens. The Eskimo coats the blade of his very best knife with fresh blood and let’s it freeze. He then gives it another coat and freezes it again. He continues to repeat this process until the blade is completely covered and thick with blood, after receiving several frozen layers. Then he buries the stock of the knife deep in the snow allowing the frozen, bloody blade to stand solitarily above the surface.
The hungry wolf is drawn by the smell of fresh blood. He begins licking away at it with more and more frenzy as the blood begins to melt, lapping at it with unbound fury as he gets the taste if his own, personal fresh blood, when the cutting edge of the blade is finally exposed. He is unaware of the fact that his life is now at stake… “for he is getting his fill of what his nature desires… blood!”
At the cost of his own life, as it ebbs away, he laps at all the blood that seeps from the buried knife. It is here, near the protruding knife, that the Eskimo finds his dead prey in the morning.
Such are the wiles of our spiritual enemy! In these dark days, let us remain focused on curbing, controlling and corralling our fleshly, deadly desires!
Success is NEVER final; failure is NEVER fatal. It’s courage that counts!
Isaiah 41:6 They helped every one his neighbor; and every one said to his brother, “Be of GOOD courage!” So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.
Be encouraged… keep up the good work, FWC! See you tonight!
In a world rife with risks, phobia’s and dangers, we are ever in need of “safe places”. Societies response to this has been the creation of select places void of potential threats. They have been labelled Safe Houses.
I recently read a news article in which a reporter interviewed a man who had taken up residence in the basement of a church, in an attempt to avoid deportation to his country of origin. Legally, a church is afforded the authority of providing sanctuary for a man in this condition. Had he broken the law of his home country? Yes. Yet, as long as he stayed in the church, he was safe.
Isn’t that ironic? Taking up “sanctuary” in the Sanctuary! What a novel… noble idea!
Do I dread to come to church? Never! It’s my sanctuary. Should anyone EVER dread to come to FWC??? Not tonight. Not this weekend. Not ever. Come, it’s a Sanctuary… with a sanctuary.
I have never been more optimistic about the future of the church. REVIVAL is not coming… IT IS HERE! We are experiencing a wave of supernatural, miraculous intervention unparalleled in our recent church history. As we gather this weekend, let us be reminded of the need we ALL have of a “sanctuary” within the Sanctuary!!!
You can come expecting it… it will be here! See you there!
The following insightful blog was posted by Bro. Martyn Ballestero today…
The Devil Does Not Play Fair
This is not new news for anyone. Our lives, our churches, and our world are all testimonials of the devil’s dirty tricks. Hell has no honor code. It is not bound by Rules of Engagement like our Army in wartime. Satan fights dirty. He’s not your friend. He shows no mercy. He doesn’t ‘love’ you. He’s your enemy.
He will demoralize everyone he can.
He destroys everyone he can.
He kills everyone he can.
He uses everyone he can.
He accuses everyone he can.
He addicts everyone he can.
He’s An Adversary
1Pet. 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Take it personal. It’s OK. You’re not being paranoid. He is YOUR adversary.
And Abraham rose up from before his dead and said to the Hittites, 4 “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” 5 The Hittites answered Abraham, 6 “Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will withhold from you his tomb to hinder you from burying your dead.” Genesis 23:3-6 (ESV)
For the majority of the past 127 years, Abraham had lived with Sarah, as they shared their pursuit of the city whose “builder and maker was God.” Their nomadic lifestyle had lead through mountains high and valley’s low. Yet, their quest to follow God only cemented their relationship with one another. As they grew older, the filtering effect of memory allowed the bleak Hagar encounters to be separated from the glorious, gleaming Isaac moments. She became more wife, than sister. Abraham loved Sarah.
However, as life always does, it ends up in death. Sarah died at the age of 127.
Abraham, the sojourner that he was, found himself in need of a plot of ground, wherein he could bury something that had died. He turned to the Hittites, and requested of them a parcel of land for a burying place. He didn’t have long to wait. In their pre=embalmment culture, the nature of death necessitated hasty burial practices. As much as Abraham loved living with Sarah, he knew that death mandated immediate burial. Hence, Abraham’s request… that I may bury my dead out of my sight.
His request fell on receptive ears. The Hittites understood how critical it was for the dead to be buried. They immediately offered their choicest tombs for Abraham’s use. Later on in the chapter, when Abraham offered to remunerate Ephron in exchange for the burial plot, this was his reply: Genesis 23:11 “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. In the sight of the sons of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.” In other words, far be it from me to charge a man in need of burying something dead.
As we journey on a quest similar to that of Abraham’s, we also periodically need to “bury” some things. Our sinful nature repeatedly brings us face to face with death. Our faults and failures must be dealt with hastily. As we sojourn, repentance needs to be our most treasured travel companion. Never stray far from repentance. Paul admonished in Ephesians 4:26 When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath (your exasperation, your fury or indignation) last until the sun goes down.Things associated with death must be buried quickly. Mistakes do not need to be embalmed or preserved for public viewing. Bury your dead.
Thankfully, God in His infinite mercy, hastily forgets what we repent (a type of dying out) about… never to be remembered against us anymore. God is NOT the problem. We are.
To often we, as humanity, fall prey to the temptation of refusing someone who is in need of a grave. We hesitate to offer some of “our ground” so that they can get something out of “their sight.” Furthermore, if we do offer them the ground, we expect to remuneration for it’s use. Again, I direct your attention to Paul’s advise in Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
God forbid that I should ever gloat in the fact that a fellow brother or sister is in need of a grave. My response to a brother’s calamity is a direct indication of my degree of spirituality. Rather than standing aloof, as he frantically searches for a burial plot, I want to hastily offer my choicest piece of ground for his use. I don’t need the details of why he needs it. My only response should be that of Ephron… If you are in need of a burial plot, I have some ground. Go ahead and use it. I don’t want anything in exchange for it. You just need to go ahead and… bury your dead.
Anyone know where a fella’ could find a grave? It won’t be long before I will need one.
Over the past two weekends, we have had the privilege of baptizing 4 of our young boys in Jesus’ name! One week ago Sunday night Adam, Cory & Even Edgar were baptized. Then, this past Sunday night Skyler Clark’s sins were buried in Jesus’ name! Oh! What a name! Thank God for the opportunity to baptize “children” in Jesus’ name!
The following insightful article was posted on Pastor Ken Bow’s blog.
Max walked up to Pastor Sunday night after service, and asked “ Hey Pastor, would you have time to pop up to the university one day this week and have coffee with me?”
Pastor concealed his surprise and smiled, and said, “Max I’d be glad to. What day”
So it was a Tuesday as Pastor walked on campus, wondering what this was all about.
He spotted Max sitting at a table in the student center and was greeted by a genuine smile of welcome.
Max asked Pastor if he had ever been on campus before and Pastor admitted he hadn’t.
“So Max, what is this all about” asked Pastor? Max sobered up and began to explain.
“Well sir, you know two weeks ago when you talked to me about that situation God spoke to you about?” Pastor was nodding slowly now. Max continued, “Well I feel like I was gone, falling and on my way to being lost when God talked to you. Honestly Elder, I do not ever want to even get close to the edge again.”
“I thought I had everything concealed and no one would ever know I was starting to see that unsaved girl. It never went very far, but we did hang out together and even met and went to Sonic once. We sat in the car and began to kiss. I knew it was wrong. I have been born and raised in the church and I have been taught never to date anyone outside the church, but I messed up.”
“Dear God, thank You for keeping us safe today and thank You for this food,” my nine-year-old son, Jordan, prayed over his dinner one evening. ”Thank You for giving me good parents and for paying the price for our forgiveness of sins. You are so good to us, Lord. Please help tomorrow to be a good day too. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
“Amen,” we all repeated before starting in on our evening meal.
That night at bedtime, when I was tucking Jordan in, he shrugged one shoulder and said, “Mom, I don’t want to pray tonight.”
“Why? What’s wrong?” I asked, concerned.
“Nothing’s wrong,” he said. “It’s just that every time I pray, I say the same things. I can’t think of anything new to pray about, and I’m sure God is tired of hearing the same boring old prayer night after night.”
“Oh, Jordan, that’s not true. God wants us to pray, no matter what we say. It’s all right to say the same things over and over again, as long as we mean them,” I said.
He shook his head. “I just don’t want to tonight, Mom.”
“God just wants us to talk to Him, no matter what we say,” I insisted, but Jordan was equally insistent that God was tired of hearing his “boring old prayer.”
I sighed and left Jordan’s room, concerned that I had failed to get through to my son on this important issue. I immediately took my concerns to the Lord, and He provided me with an answer right away.
I went back into Jordan’s room, sat on the edge of his bed, and said, “I love you, Jordan.”
He smiled, already sleepy, and said, “I love you too, Mom.”
I repeated the words three more times, and by then, he was fully awake and giggling. “Why do you keep saying that to me?” he asked.
What can I do today, that will make a difference 80 years from now?
It was on April 7, 1930 that a group of steel workers set the first steel support columns for the now notorious Empire State Building. To them, it may have seemed like just “another day” on the job, but in reality, their toil and labor resulted in supporting a cause much larger than their personal ambition. And, as a result, there is a memorial that stands erect in honor of their involvement. 80 years later, we are still talking about it. It has become the centrepiece of Manhattan. Tourists remain mesmerized by it’s grandeur and towering size.
Every decision or action has an equal and opposite reaction. However, there are some decisions that we make or actions we engage in that possess a shorter ‘wake’ than others. If the particular actions that I am contemplating today cannot withstand the test of time, is it worth my time? Somehow, I must strive to engage in activities on a daily basis that will outlive my temporal existence. My finite space on the overall sprawling timeline of history is not that significant. Hence, my actions must be… if I want to be remembered 80 years from now.
We’ve only one life, it soon will be passed, Only what’s done for Christ will last. — C.T. Studd
What are some things that make an “80 year” difference?
Wow! What a weekend! Wasn’t it great to have the Bishop & First Lady back home with us??? Please pray for their continued safety, as they travel back to Louisiana this afternoon.
Once again, I stand in awe to see how God is working in our midst. As we gathered to worship last evening, the Holy Ghost was so evident from the offset of the song service. It was such a blessing to see a number of our young people seeking for the Holy Ghost once again. We also rejoiced, as Trent Kierstead was baptized in Jesus’ name! The Blood Still Works!!!
This morning, I read an interesting fact: a bowling pin only has to tilt 7.5 degress to fall. That is not very far off-balance. The result of that one pin being ’slightly’ off balance (only 7.5 degrees), is that it impacts another pin… which touches another. Rapidly, if not rectified, the lost equilibrium of one pin could lead to the STRIKE of the entire group of pins. If we have ever needed to maintain our ‘balance’, we need to do so today. Recently we have been challenged by the word of God to re-establish the foundational truths upon which we stand. However, while we have been focusing on that factor, the Holy Ghost has been bountifully poured out upon our youth! Balance. While actively pursuing growth through OUTreach, we have been blessed with revival withIN our congregation and youth as well. Balance. Contrary to the skeptic and critics mantra, there still is Apostolic REVIVAL for HOLINESS people! Balance.
Family Worship Center, if we have ever needed to stand tall for what we believe, it is NOW! We cannot afford to get off kilter… not even 7.5 degrees. The more balanced we remain, the less probability there is for the enemy to STRIKE out against us! Let’s continue to go forward. Together. Balanced.
Boring Old Prayer 
