Psalm 20:1-3

May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;

May the name of the God of Jacob defend you;

May He send you help from the sanctuary,

And strengthen you out of Zion;

May He remember all your offerings,

And accept your burnt sacrifice.

Isn’t it amazing that when we call upon the one who created the world, He takes time to hear our prayers and then takes the time to respond? Many times, I hear people talk about how God doesn’t have any part of our world anymore and that He simply made us and left. This is far from the truth. God wants to not JUST be part of our lives but wants to be the CENTER of our lives. He loves us and when we are in trouble, we can depend on Him to hear us and answer our prayers. It may not be the way we expect, but God knows what we need in any situation. No matter what you are going through this week, give it over to God in prayer and let him give you the strength to get through it.

By: Pastor Kevin Troyer

The Power of Positive Thought

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Philippians 4:8 (ESV)

Pastors such as Norman Vincent Peale and Robert Schuller gained considerable attention in the last century for their focus on positive thinking. No matter what situation you are in, no matter what battle you face, no matter what you desire to accomplish, you need only to think positively and success will come. The battle is in the mind and the answer is to always think positively. Naturally these pastors received lots of criticism because their message went beyond Biblical truth; salvation and success became a matter of your own mental abilities rather than the work of Jesus. 

However, as today’s verse indicates, part of their message was correct — it is important that we do think on the correct things. It can be extremely tempting to dwell on those things that constantly drag us down. And yet, Scripture tells us to think “on things that are above” (Col. 3:2). What are you thinking about these days? Is your mind fixed on what is commendable and excellent or is it mired in the depressing bog of your present circumstances?

By: Pastor Jay Mast

James 1:2–4 (NIV)

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

How many of us really consider it pure joy when we are tempted? In the NLLT it tells us to consider it an opportunity for great joy. An opportunity? When we think of an opportunity, we always think of benefits.

We really don’t look at temptations as benefits, for if you are like I am, when I’m tempted, I already feel defeated and discouraged. That’s one of  satan’s tactics to get us to believe a lie.

Let’s consider what the benefits of temptations are. When we endure temptations, such as lusts, cravings, impulses, enticements and longings our faith becomes stronger. NLT says that we will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Wow!  Perfect, complete and needing nothing. So let’s consider those temptations as opportunities of great joy!

By Pastor Steve Eicher