Psalms 93:1-2 (ESV)The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved. 2 Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting. Pastor's Note The first three words of this psalm says it all…”The Lord reigns.” We need this reminder. We need to remember that our God is always on His throne reigning and in control. Not a single hair falls from our heads without His knowing. Nor does a sparrow fall from the sky without Him allowing it. Let that encourage our hearts this morning as we consider all the craziness and sinfulness going on in the world today. God is not caught off guard. He is not powerless. He is in complete control. Not that He causes it but He is sovereign over it. He is reigning. Trust in Him. He knows exactly what He is doing. So, let’s go out into the world today and be a light. Let’s be a witness of our reigning King to those that don’t know Him. We carry a message…let’s fulfill our purpose in delivering it. Pray for me as I pray for you! God Bless Pastor Jamie  Psalms 51:12 (ESV)Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Pastor's Note In this psalm, King David is repenting of his sin. Have you ever wondered how God says that David was a man after His own heart? Yet David committed adultery with another man’s wife and got her pregnant while he was out fighting Israel’s enemies. David then, trying to cover up his sin added even more sin. He brought her husband back from the war zone, got him drunk in the hope that he would sleep with his wife and give the appearance that the child was his. When that didn’t work, David plotted to put him on the front lines where the fighting was the heaviest so that he would be killed. David’s plot worked and Bathsheba’s husband Uriah was killed. How could David be a man after God’s own heart? It’s a good question. In David’s grievous, gross sin, God did not turn a blind eye. David was confronted by the prophet Nathan about his sin against God. God was on the verge of killing David. But David did something…he repented! David knew and agreed that his sin was a direct assault on God Himself. He confessed his sin, he turned from his evil, and God, in His mercy and grace, forgave him. See, David did wrong but when confronted, he did the only thing that could make it right…he repented! He turned 180 degrees from his sin and turned to God for forgiveness. Here’s the point from the scripture…sin is a joy killer! It steals our joy. But when we repent, God restores the joy of our salvation. Some people consider repentance a bad thing. But hell will be full of people that wish they could have one more chance to embrace it. Do we have sin that we need to repent of? Of course! The Apostle John (1 John 1:8) said that “if we say that we have no sin, we are liars and the truth is not in us.” Therefore, when we sin, the call is to repent. Confess it to God knowing we have an Advocate, Christ Jesus our Lord. He is always willing to restore the joy of our salvation. Have a blessed day. Be diligent in your prayers to the Lord. I hope you know that it is an absolute privilege for me to be able to pray for you! Pray for me as I pray for you! God Bless Pastor Jamie  John 8:31–32 (ESV)31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Pastor's Note: Truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” To be set free from the slavery of sin, there is but One and only One way….Jesus Christ. He is THE Truth that sets us free. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” He is the “Logos,” The Word! To be His disciple means abiding in Him and His word! He is our life source. That is the only way to be set free from sin’s poison. As Christians, do we abide in His word? Do we drink from it daily? Do we rely upon it to govern our lives, our decision-making? Do we, without waiver, believe in its trustworthiness and allow it to light our path of living this life? Do we read, study and absorb the truth of His word? The more we drink from the well of His word, the more our thirst is quenched. Have a blessed day abiding in and with our Lord! God Bless Pastor Jamie  Psalms 34:4-6 (ESV)I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. Pastor's Note: How encouraging is it that the Lord hears, answers and delivers those that seek after Him. There’s nothing that we fear that He is unable to deliver us from. I don’t know what you may be going through today, but I do know if we look to Him, His word tells us that He is listening and He is willing to take away our shame. In our brokenness, as we cry out to Him, He will deliver us from trouble. Praying for you today! Seek Him, Serve Him, and Share Him with this lost world. Have a blessed day. Pray for me as I pray for you! God Bless Pastor Jamie  Psalms 34:1 (ESV)I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Pastor's Note Did we wake up this morning with the Lord on our minds? Have we praised Him for another day that He has given us? These are questions I pray that I do better at asking this coming year. Every time our eyes open from a night's sleep, every time we take another breath, I pray His praise is in our mouth. How grateful are we that His mercies are new every morning? He is deserving of all our worship and praise continually! Have a blessed day. Seek, serve, and share Him with all your heart. Pray for me as I pray for you! God Bless Pastor Jamie  Romans 12:1–2 (ESVI appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Pastor's Note For those in Christ, the only acceptable worship is to offer ourselves completely and wholly to God. Our lives are to be a sacrifice to Him. He doesn’t desire the blood of bulls…He desires a sacrificial life committed to Him. He doesn’t want a dead sacrifice, He wants a living sacrifice. One that is a continual witness to the world of His goodness. This should be our response in view of His wonderful mercy that it took to save us. We worship Him because of who He is and what He has done upon the cross to forgive us of our wretched sinfulness. We conform to Him not to the world. Let this be our witness to the lost world today. Praying for you always Pastor Jamie  Psalm 128:1–2 (ESV)Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Pastor's Note I’ve heard it said before that there is only one fear that we need to have. It’s the fear that conquers all other fears. It’s the fear that brings forth knowledge. It’s the fear that comes with blessing. And that is the fear of the Lord! A holy, revered fear of Yahweh. Most times, fear is known to be a negative emotion. But when it comes to our reverence toward the Lord, it is a good and right response to who He is! Have a blessed day walking in fear of the Lord knowing that it comes with immeasurable blessings. Praying for you always Pastor Jamie  1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 (ESV)11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, 12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. Pastor's Note The Apostle Paul demonstrates his genuine love for God’s people. He is such an example for all us that desire to care for God’s flock. Let me point out three things from these verses that puts his heart on display. First, he had an overwhelming desire to be with and spend time with the Lord’s people. His prayer was for God to clear a way so that he could be with the brethren in the Thessalonian church. If leaders in the church don’t have a desire like this, then there’s a heart problem because how can one lead and serve a flock that they are not committed to wholly or have a desire to be with. Secondly, he cared about their affections toward one another. Christians are to love one another. Not just some superficial love but a brotherly, sacrificial love. A love that laughs when they laugh, cries when they cry, morns when they morn, provides when there is a need, gives truth even when it’s difficult. A love that says, I’ll die for you if necessary. That is love! Lastly, Paul had genuine concern for the flock’s holiness. He cared that their life demonstrated the gospel. He cared for their spiritual well-being. He knew that fullness comes only by being right with God and he spurred them on, he encouraged them to that end. I’m thankful that God gives us such examples within His Word. Pray for me as I pray for you that we not only read about these examples but that we live it out until our Lord Jesus comes! God Bless! Praying for you always! Pastor Jamie  John 14:19–21(ESV)19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” Pastor's Note Jesus on His way to the cross is encouraging His disciples. As believers He lives in us. He is always with us. He loves us. It’s recognizable in our lives because of how we live for Him demonstrates it. We are different from the world. We actually desire to keep His commandments because we have loving gratitude for who He is and what He has done to save us from the pit. I’m praying for you today. Live life today knowing that Christ is always with you. Praying for you always! Pastor Jamie  Psalms 139:1–6 (ESV)1 You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. 5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Pastor's Note How intimate of a relationship is there between Yahweh and His children? This psalm demonstrates the reality of that question. He searches us, He knows us! He knows when we sit and when we rise. He knows when we go and when we lay down. He knows our thoughts and all of our ways. Even the words that we speak are known to Him before they are spoken. The all-knowing, omniscient nature of God is too lofty for us to fathom. Yet, that is the God that we believe in, that we love and adore. He knows us! He knows everything! I find comfort reading these verses this morning. Comfort that can be found only in Him. I don’t know everything but He does. So, let this be an encouragement to us. There are times when we are overfilled with knowing His presence and there are times that we feel like we are walking in the desert alone. Regardless of where we are today, remember that God never changes. He is always there. He always knows what we are going through. And it is in Him whom we trust. Praise His Name! Praying you have a blessed day walking the steps that God has already marked out for you. Be faithful. Praying for you always. Have a Blessed Day! Pastor Jamie  |
AuthorPastor Jamie Payton 
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