Verse and Message (Week of August 24-30, 2008) August 27, 2008

 

 

Since it is the beginning of the school year and fall is in the air with the onset of college football enthusiasm, I felt it was fitting to share the below archived message.  Salvation is the best gift we could ever receive! Isn’t it amazing that all we have to do is to accept this gift?  We know that there is no way we could earn our way to salvation.  It’s not what we do….it’s what HE DID!

 

 

Focus Verses at the End of the Message Below: 

 

I remember the summer following my graduation from high school, one of my top priorities was getting ready for my Auburn University experience that was to begin the fall of 1986.  I remember clearly how urgent it seemed to acquire recommendation forms to have sent to all of the sororities on Auburn’s campus in preparation for the fall rush that I was planning to participate. At the time, it was deemed absolutely necessary to pledge one of the 15 sororities on the campus.  It is known as the GREEK system, and it was definitely GREEK to me. 

 

I can have a conversation with a brick wall, so I wasn’t apprehensive about the social tea-parties to take place.  The first day of rush I attended 10 parties.  I have never been so excited or exhausted in my entire life.  By the time the last party took place my physical, emotional, and mental capacities were spent.  It’s all about impressing a bunch of girls who only know who you are by your resume and recommendation form. 

 

Their decision to offer a bid to you is based on certain criteria.

Below are a few I recall: 

 

*The activities, academics, and honors you held in high school.

*Your reputation in high school.

*Who you know in the sorority or who you are related to in the sorority.

*Your personality and how you fit with the sorority.

*Some sororities even do credit checks to see how much money your family has.

*Your appearance, dress, etc.

  

 

Although my experience as an Alpha Omicron Pi   Sister was a pleasant one, I was saddened that some precious girls were cut due to lack of some of the above requirements.  So many fabulous girls were overlooked.  

 

Isn’t it GREAT that we don’t have to have a recommendation form to be accepted in the Club of Jesus Christ?  What a relief!  I can assure you if God were to review my resume from my past, and I had to earn my way to His throne, I would have been cut!  My history of sin, my pocketbook, my appearance, who I know, and where I have been have nothing to do with my membership in the Kingdom! 

 

It hurts to be left out–and there are so many hurting!  It is our responsibility to reach out and rush the lost!  If we fail in our mission to be “fishers of men” we will have to answer to the President of the Fraternity in Heaven.  We must welcome those in our club with open arms and not let any get away!  The only initiation required is repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior!  How hard is that?  To some it’s very difficult to let go and surrender all we have to Him! 

 

A couple years ago my pastor handed out little note cards on how to pray for the LOST.  I was reminded of these cards recently when I read our pastor’s blog.

 

http://shift.churchofthehighlands.com/

 

I would like to share those points now, in an effort to assist in fishing for men!

 

                           FIVE WAYS TO PRAY FOR THE LOST  

                 (Material Obtained from Church of the Highlands)

 

1.  PRAY THAT THE FATHER WOULD DRAW THEM TO JESUS

 

     John 6:44

     For people can’t come to me unless the Father who sent me draws

     them to me, and at the last day I will raise them from the dead.

 

2.  BIND THE SPIRIT THAT BLINDS THEIR MINDS

 

      2 Corinthians 4:4

      Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those

      who don’t believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light

      of the Good News that is shining upon them.  They don’t understand

      the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact

      likeness of God.

 

3.  LOOSE THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION (SONSHIP)

 

      Romans 8:15

      So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves.  You should

      behave instead like God’s very own children, adopted into his

      family — calling him “Father, dear Father.”

 

4.   PRAY THAT BELIEVERS WILL CROSS THEIR PATHS AND ENTER

      INTO POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM

 

       Matthew 9:38

       So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him

       to send out more workers for his fields.

 

5.    LOOSE THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND REVELATION ON THEM

       SO THEY MAY KNOW GOD BETTER

 

       Ephesians 1:17

       Ask God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to

       give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that

       you might grow in your knowledge of God.

 

I am 100% certain that we all know people we can pray for according to this guide! It works! Now, GO FISHING! 

 

IT’S FALL RUSH–

SEEK AND PRAY FOR MEMBERS TO JOIN THE CLUB OF CHRIST!

  

SUSIE MC

Verse and Message (Week of August 17-23, 2008) August 21, 2008

Isaiah 53:5

“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and BY HIS WOUNDS WE ARE HEALED.”

  

For those of you who attend Church of the Highlands and were able to attend this past Sunday’s service, the following message includes a video similar to the one that you witnessed for our third week of our Encounters Series.  Sunday was a day like no other that I have experienced at Highlands. God continues to bless us with His Presence and Power consistently, but there was no denying that He showed up Sunday.  I won’t take too much time with my text, because the video and lyrics tell it all. Our service focused on “Healing” and was off the charts amazing! Following the video and lyrics, I will share additional thoughts. 

 

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=e8b6192a4ee92841d761

 

“Healer” Lyrics

by Hillsong from the album This Is Our God

 

You hold my every moment
You calm my raging seas
You walk with me through fire
And heal all my disease

I trust in you
I trust in you

I believe
You’re my healer
I believe
You are all i need
I believe
You’re my portion
I believe
You’re more than enough for me
Jesus, you’re all i need

Nothing is impossible for you
Nothing is impossible
Nothing is impossible for you
You hold my world in your hands

 

How do we walk out the process of being free from sickness? Pastor Chris shared the following points in an effort to direct us toward healing of disease, emotions, or healing of the heart. Our Savior wants to heal everything in life that creates DIS-EASE. That’s right …not disease but Dis-Ease (two words not a typo). If we practice the following steps, it’s not whether He CAN or IF He is willing to heal….HE WILL HEAL.

 

1.  Have faith in God.

2.  Pray with faith.

3.  Trust God no matter what.

 

Pastor Chris said that he could not give a reason why some people are healed and some are not healed. His ways are higher. We ARE healed if we are Christians, because whether we are healed now in this world or when we go home to the Father, we are healed. The two-fold provision of the cross was for our salvation and our healing. Indeed, Christ went to the Cross to defeat sin and sickness. He paid a high price for us, and His desire is for us to appropriate what the cross did for us. We can claim the provision of the cross, but some of us choose to listen to the lies of the enemy.

 

The most prominent statement I felt Pastor Chris shared was that we must change our starting point. We must start with belief instead of doubt.  If we put everything through the filter of logic when it comes to healing, then we are at the wrong starting point. Easier said than done, we must have an attitude of FAITH.  Have a “YES” starting point. 

 

I invite all of you to join us for the final message of the Encounter’s Series this upcoming Sunday. For details of our service times and service locations, please go to www.churchofthehighlands.com You will also be able to review the previous messages.  The past few weeks have been life-changing for most who have been able to see the incredible things God has been doing in the lives of those associated with Highlands. 

 

HIS NAME IS ABOVE ALL DISEASE!

TELL YOUR PAIN HOW BIG YOUR GOD IS!

SAY YES NOT NO TO YOUR MOUNTAIN!

  

SUSIE MC

Verse and Message (Week of August 10-16, 2008) August 14, 2008

Ephesians 6:10-11

Finally, be strong in the Lord and His mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

 

The enemy of our soul will do anything to keep our faith in the Lord from growing.  As we mature in Christ, the protective wall of faith guarding our hearts becomes less susceptible to attacks.  Maintaining the habit of wearing the Armor of God each day offers us full security. I pray the Armor of God  each day to insure that I am alert and properly guarded from the enemy’s flaming arrows. I have included from my Women of Faith Study Bible a detailed description of each piece of armor and how the armor offers complete protection. Below the description, I have included my Armor of God Prayer that I use daily in preparing for battle. I received the prayer at my first small group at Highlands.  

 

From Women of Faith Study Bible:

 

 

God has provided both offensive and defensive weapons for our use. We need the “full armor” and not just a piece of it.

 

The Belt of Truth

This is our defense against the lies of the enemy.  God’s Word is a filter to differentiate between truth and lies. (Ephesians 1:13)

 

The Breastplate of Righteousness

This is our protection against the enemy’s accusations. Jesus took our sin on Himself, and we are now righteous in God’s eyes. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

 

The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

This is our defense against retreat.  Our peace comes in knowing that we have all we need in Christ. (1 John 4:4)

 

The Shield of Faith

This is our defense against doubt and guilt. Satan uses doubt and guilt to hinder our spiritual growth. (1 Corinthians 16:13)

 

The Helmet of Salvation

This is our defense against confusion and wrong thinking which can rob us of our assurance of salvation. (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 10:5)

 

The Sword of the Spirit

This is the rhema word of God. When God says it, and we speak it out, the Spirit cuts through the darkness like a sword. (Hebrews 4:12)

 

Ephesians 6:10-18

   

Heavenly Father, I desire to be obedient by being strong in the Lord and the power of your might.  I recognize that it is essential to put on the armor that you have provided, and I do so now with gratitude, praise, and by faith as effective spiritual protection against the spiritual forces of darkness.

 

I confidently take the BELT OF TRUTH — I take Jesus who is the TRUTH as my strength and protection and ask wisdom and discernment to believe, live, speak, and know only the truth.

 

Thank you for the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. By faith I appropriate the righteousness of Jesus Christ and ask you, Jesus, to walk in Your holiness in my life today.

 

Thank you, Lord, for the SHOES OF PEACE.  I desire that my feet should stand on the solid rock of peace and that as I walk in obedience to you, the God of peace promises to walk with me.

 

Eagerly, Lord, I lift up the SHIELD OF FAITH. By faith, I trust in you to be a complete and perfect shield.

 

I recognize that my mind is a target of Satan’s deceiving ways, and I take the HELMET OF SALVATION, recognizing that the Lord Jesus Christ is my salvation.  I shield my head with Him and invite His mind to be in me.

 

With joy I take hold of the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, which is the Word of God, affirming that it is the infallible Word of God.  Enable me to use Your Word not only to defend me from Satan but to claim it’s promises.

 

Thank You, dear Lord for prayer. Help me to keep this armor well oiled with prayer. I desire to pray at all times with depth and intensity as the Holy Spirit leads me.  Grant me a burden for others in God’s family and enable me to see their needs and assist them through prayer as the enemy attacks them.

 

All these things I ask in the mighty name of

Jesus Christ my Lord,

AMEN

 

I promise that if you are persistent in speaking this prayer over your life, confidence and security will be yours. Just like it doesn’t make sense to wear your seatbelt in your vehicle part of the time, it doesn’t make sense to put on the armor periodically. So be sure to utilize each piece of armor consistently.

 

Lastly, I wanted to remind all of you that Church of the Highlands is in the midst of it’s bi-annual “21 Days of Prayer” through August 24. If you need prayer, or if you just want to dive into the presence of God and pray for others, please join us Monday-Friday from 6 am-7am and Saturday from 9 am-10 am at the Switch Room upstairs at Church of the Highlands Grants Mill location……it’s AMAZING!

 

“Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons; but they are helpless against our prayers.”
J. Sidlow Baxter from Discipleship Journal
www.discipleshipjournal.com

 

JEHOVAH NISSI IS OUR BANNER OF VICTORY OVER THE DEVIL!

 

WE CAN REST SECURE IN HIS ARMOR AND IN HIS ARMS!

SUSIE MC

Verse and Message (Week of August 3-9, 2008) August 8, 2008

Psalm 105:4
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

  

Isaiah 55:9
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Church of the Highlands is in the midst of our bi-annual 21 days of prayer that started this past Monday.  I cannot begin to express how powerful the presence of God has been each morning from 6 am – 7 am when we have been meeting corporately to focus completely on prayer. 

How often do we treat prayer like we are leaving a message on God’s voice mail?  It doesn’t work that way….God doesn’t have call waiting, He’s not too busy for us, and He is desperately waiting for us to place a direct call to Him.  So, when we call upon Him…there is no doubt that He is attentive and listening to our requests and our cries.  See…He has it right…He is on the money….He is an exceptional listener….in fact, He listens perfectly. He knows what we are going to say before we say it.  His desire is that we would also develop the handy habit of “listening” so that we would be able to clearly recognize His voice. 

Two-way communication works best! If we do not hear His voice, we will obey distractions….we will manipulate our circumstances….and His BEST purposes for US individually may be given to someone else WHO IS LISTENING, or we may find ourselves meandering down a road of confusion and discouragement due to our disobedience to His call.  He wants to use each one of us…..He has a beautiful plan mapped out for each individual child of His (Jeremiah 29:11). 

I want to share a story about a friend who picked up on a RHEMA WORD from God, because he pressed in and chose to wait upon the Lord and listen. (A rhema word is a fresh word from the Lord–a revelation.) My friend had been in a relationship which he expected to lead to marriage.  The enemy crept in, and both of them chose to take the defensive on many levels.  Ultimately, the couple broke up….with the intent to just “take a break.” The girl moved on to someone else the Lord put in her life.  My friend had been in a frightened tailspin of confusion for months.….He chose to write a letter via email, and he asked me to proofread his letter.

Accountability is a beautiful thing; there is no way I would agree that he should send the letter.  The letter indicated how he had heard a Word from God, and he felt he was supposed to relay a message to her. Basically, the letter was to tell her she needed to wake up, focus, and listen to God. He felt it on his heart that God had significant things still waiting to be revealed to her.

With his permission, here is an excerpt of the letter…..

“Be cautious of becoming completely sidetracked by what is in front of you.  Pray hard, seeking His wisdom in the lessons to be taken from past encounters.  Do not wave off the chances to chase down those lessons, BUT, TAKE CAPTIVE EVERY THOUGHT and DELVE DEEP UNTIL YOU FIND THE TRUE ROOTS and FRUITS of those thoughts.  Don’t close doors to that wisdom, because the time for what is now may not always be as easily accessible.  And, be careful to let the immediacy of hopes, aspirations, or even fears have the guide on you, lest you welcome in falsely rooted ‘knowledge’…take every thought and the emotion behind it captive, and seek the truth deep behind them.” 

 I told him that he was telling her what to do…..and though the words were written with the intention for her best interest, I believed that the letter wouldn’t be received that way. I explained to him that she might interpret his letter as a tool of control, but I knew his heart was pure. You see…..God takes care of hearts.  Only God can change hearts.   

Nonetheless, I explained to him that it was OK to put his thoughts and feelings on paper, but that the door to this person had been slammed shut as far as I could see. 

The next day something incredible happened.  He re-read his letter, and God told him the letter with his heartfelt advice and guidance wasn’t for his ex-girlfriend……the letter he wrote was from the hand of God to him personally….that’s right, the letter was addressed to my friend who wrote the letter. God was telling my friend to seek HIM with the full love, passion, and focus that he had been misplacing on his ex.  His eyes were opened….he pressed in, and he heard from God.

If we are so consumed with what others are doing…..and if we are so preoccupied by our own needs and desires, we will fail to hear the voice of God. We must remove the distractions and LISTEN…REALLY LISTEN. Sometimes what we receive from the Lord is something different than what we expect. Simply put….His ways are higher.

HEAR THE VOICE OF GOD!

  

SEEK GOD not His manifestations…not His blessings!

SEEK GOD not the answers…..

  

SEEK GOD, and He will SPEAK, and you will hear Him when you LISTEN!

SUSIE MC