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A sharing of Christian video sermons delivered globally by Archbishop Foley Beach
Episodes
Friday Jan 20, 2023
Friday Jan 20, 2023
It’s About Time: Part 2 – Overstressed, Overloaded, and Maxed Out Lives
MESSAGE SUMMARY: Following Jesus brings peace into our lives even though we may face great trials and tribulations. In John 16:33, Jesus tells us: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”. However, when observing the lives of modern-day Christians, we don’t find many of their lives saturated with peace.
God has given each of us a capacity for our lives with His expectations for living as Jesus described in John 10:10: “. . . I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.". The difference between what would be considered our lives’ capacity and our lives being filled to overflowing is our lives’ margin. God desires to bless us and to have our lives filled with His presence through the Holy Spirit.
Often, technology and the other worthwhile benefits of this age bring the stresses of time, making wimps of us in the management of time in our lives. In Ecclesiastes 3:1, God tells us: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:". As we manage the elements and demands of time in our lives, we must manage time for ourselves and our kids. Kids spell love as “time” – be present in their lives, mentally and emotionally. Indifference can be interpreted as a lack of genuine affection and esteem. Also, we need “God time”, a time to nurture and deepen our relationship with Jesus.
Without margin, we have built our life-foundations on sand and not on the rock of Jesus’ teachings. Ways we can build margin back into our lives is by: 1) having a weekly Sabbath; building back into our lives a time alone with God every day; 3) expecting that the unexpected will happen; 4) learning to say “no”; 5) using technology wisely; 6) pruning our activity branches; 7) prioritizing our calendars; and 8) giving thanks to God.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Exodus 20:8-11; Mark 1:35; John15:1-11; 1 Theologians 5:16-17.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers’ Righteousness Will Flow, with the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit, from Their Heart Through Their Personal Relationship with Jesus”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Jan 08, 2023
Sunday Jan 08, 2023
It’s About Time: Part 1 – Rebuilding Emotional Reserves
MESSAGE SUMMARY: Following Jesus brings peace into our lives even though we may face great trials and tribulations. In John 16:33, Jesus tells us: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”. However, when observing the lives of modern-day Christians, we don’t find many of their lives saturated with peace.
God has given each of us a capacity for our lives with His expectations for living as Jesus described in John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.". The difference between what would be considered our lives’ capacity and our lives being filled to overflowing is our lives’ margin. God’s desire is to pour life into us – life to the fullest; He desires to bless us and to have our lives filled with His presence through the Holy Spirit.
Technology has brought us many blessings. Often, however, technology has often pushed us beyond our limits. God made us for Sabbath, but the place of margin in our lives is dissipating making us unavailable for the purposes of God – leading to a diminished Spiritual life. We need to get this Godly space back into our lives starting with the rebuilding of our emotional reserves. The amount of emotional energy we have is finite. Today, many have found that the “good life” is only tolerable under sedation. To retain our emotional energy, and our margin, we need to: 1) confess our sins regularly; 2) be reconciled with others; 3) cultivate important relationships; 4) rest; and 5) serve others.
It’s about time for us to take a serious look at our lives in the mirror and to examine our lives’ priorities. We are overloading our lives with things like stress and using up our margin in ways not intended by God and in ways that do not permit us to represent Christianity as God intended. When the trials and tribulations occur in our lives, because they are a pry of living, the absence of margin means that we have no life reserves. Without margin, we have built our life-foundations on sand and not on the rock of Jesus’ teachings.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 16:33; John 10:10; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 John 1:9; Philippians 4:13.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Have a Personal Relationship with the Creator of the Universe So Pray, Listen, and Be Patient for God’s Call”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Wednesday Jan 04, 2023
Wednesday Jan 04, 2023
The Struggle with Time -- Until I Determine How We Want to Use Our Time, Others Will Determine How Our Time Is Used
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Life will never settle down until we chose to settle down. Life is a choice more than we realize. We are given twenty-four hours in a day, and if God had wanted us to have thirty-six hours in our day, He would have given us a thirty-six-hour day. Therefore, if we don’t have enough clock in our day, we are doing some things we should not be doing. We can determine some of the time traps that keep us from serving the Lord and how we can address the traps to better serve ourselves and the Lord. Is the clock our dictator; do we allocate time to serve the Lord, our families, and our work? How do we delegate?
Life will never settle down until we choose to settle down; life is a choice. To manage our time as God would have us manage our lives: 1) Work is important and necessary, but working is not living; 2) Time is life first and then money; 3) More life productivity means more time; 4) How we use our time significantly effects our self-esteem, identity, and our fulfillment; and 5) We cannot control time, but we can control how we use time.
We must get control of the time issues in our lives. The simple formula for managing our time: Prayer, Priority, and Plan. Managing our time better is a fundamental question as we end a year and begin a new year. We must learn to honor the Lord by "honoring our time".
TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Ecclesiastes 9:11-17; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 6:2; Romans 8:18;
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “To Be a Jesus Follower, You Must First Enter the Only Door to God’s Kingdom and that Door is Jesus – the Door to Eternal Life”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Tuesday Dec 13, 2022
Tuesday Dec 13, 2022
From the Gospel of Matthew (1:18-25): “Advent, Part 4: Prelude to Jesus’ Birth”
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
In Matthew 1:1-17, the Apostle Matthew presents the genealogy for Jesus from the lineage of Joseph, even though Joseph was not Jesus’ natural father. Whereas, Luke’s Gospel presents Jesus’ genealogy from Mary’s lineage. As was prophesied by Isaiah more than five hundred years before the birth of Jesus, both Joseph and Mary were of the lineage of King David.
This fourth Sunday in Advent points us to the first coming of Jesus and His birth as a human child. Jesus birth was His Incarnation as both God and human. The coming of Jesus was a real event in the history of mankind. Often, things and events in our lives take unanticipated courses; and God intervenes in our lives just as God intervened in Joseph’s life, through the Angel, when Joseph found out about Mary’s Devine pregnancy. “Do not be afraid because this {pregnancy} is of the Holy Spirit.”
The message, in Matthew 1:21-23, from God’s intervening Angel, in Joseph’s dream, was simple; however, it changed the world for eternity: “’She {Mary}will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet {Isaiah 7:14}: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).".
In Matthew 1:24-25, Joseph responds without question and with faith and obedience to God’s intervention: “When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.".
Therefore, God intervened in both the lives of Joseph and Mary, to fulfill His promise of more than five hundred years previously, to enter the world as the vulnerable baby Jesus. Jesus, who was the Incarnate God and man, would save the world from its sins. We know that we can be saved from our sins, and the effect of our sins, by coming to God in repentance of our sins and in true faith that Jesus is God and walking with Jesus, in our lives, as our Savior. Also, God has given us the Holy Spirit to facilitate our walk and to provide a personal relationship with Him.
In this time of Advent, why do we have such a difficult time of sharing this good news that was given to Joseph in God’s intervention: “and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us)”? We can break out of this reluctance, to share the good news of Jesus, by bringing someone to church during Christmas and by living our lives to reflect God’s Grace when: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." (John 3:16-17).
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 1:18-25; Isaiah 7:11-25; Romans 5:8; John 3:16-17.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “As a Jesus Follower, the Greatest Witness for the Gospel that You Can Give Is for Others to See Jesus IN You”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Friday Dec 09, 2022
Friday Dec 09, 2022
From the Gospel of Luke (21:25-36): “Advent, Part 3: A Time of Expectation and Preparation”
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Introduction -- Generosity: Lord, give me a spirit of generosity in this season of Advent and Christmas just as Jesus instructed us in Luke 6:38: “{You}give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”.
Today’s Message -- A Time of Expectation and Preparation: The season of Advent focuses on our preparation for Jesus coming -- Jesus second coming. Paul, in 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13, alerts us to Jesus’ second coming and our need to prepare our hearts: “Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 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.".
Jesus, in Luke 21:25-26, describes His second coming into a world situation very much like our world of today: “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.". Jesus’ second coming is defined by: 1) violence all over the world; 2) climatic and weather uncertainty; 3) disruptions of food supplies; 4) periods of significant economic uncertainty; and 5) end-of-times rumors and speculations.
Advent reminds us that Jesus is coming back, and we are told of some signs of Jesus’ second coming. However, the Bible’s focus is on having us to always be ready for Jesus’ return. Jesus, in Luke 21:34-36, gives us instructions for being prepared for His return: “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”. To this end, watch your hearts, pay attention and pray in your preparation and always be ready. Also, keep on working and doing those things God has asked you to do. God confirms that, as we both prepare for Jesus’ second coming while continuing to work to fulfill his will for us in our lives, He will walk with us and support us – don’t stop and give up in the face of an uncertain world and issues in our lives.
Advent is here.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Luke 6:38; John 16:33; 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13; Luke 21:25-36; Matthew 25:1-30; John 16:33.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Is Your Faith Yours, or Is Your Faith a Faith Derivative of the Faith of Others?”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Sunday Nov 27, 2022
Sunday Nov 27, 2022
From the Gospel of Matthew (3:1-17): “Advent, Part 2: Remembering and Preparing for the First Coming of Jesus the Christ”
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Advent, Part 2: Remembering and preparing for the first coming of Jesus the Christ through understanding "in those days from the Holey Spirit’s notice of the impending birth of John the Baptist to the miraculous birth of Jesus the Christ."
Continuing the study of what Advent is all about. "In those days" – Mathew (Mathew 3:1) is transitioning between the miraculous birth of Jesus the Christ; His escape from King Herod and His return to Nazareth and the miraculous birth of John the Baptist – John preached: "make ready people prepared for the Lord" and "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near". Repentance is the changing of one's mind to reflect God's Grace in the first coming of Jesus. Everything is transformed when we repent -- we view and understand things with a new mind: "Make ready a people prepared for the Lord"; "Give people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins"; and "And bear good fruit in the spirit of repentance."
The primary message of Advent is to keep serving and watching. We must keep doing what the Lord has given us to do while we are serving Him, watching, and keeping ready.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 3:1-17.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “God, the Father, Is Spirit; Jesus Followers Must Worship the Father in Spirit and Truth with Reality and Honesty and Not a Façade”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Monday Nov 21, 2022
Monday Nov 21, 2022
From the Gospel of Matthew (24:1-51): “Jesus is Coming”
Message Summary:
If you've been a follower of Jesus Christ for any period time, you've been exposed to the Christian belief in the return of Jesus Christ to planet Earth. We learn that He is going to prepare a place for us; and He will return to take us to be where He is -- at the right hand of the Father. This belief in Jesus’ return is what the season of Advent is about. We say it every week when we say the Nicene Creed: “I believe that he will come again to judge the living and the dead.”.
Christmas music is now playing on the radio; however, it is not Christmas. It is Advent. Advent is the time that the Church is celebrating the return of Jesus. Advent is a season of anticipation -- anticipating the Second Coming of Jesus Christ while, also, anticipating the Christmas celebration of Jesus’ birth. Also, Advent is a season of warning – a warning of the coming judgment. We are warned to be ready and to prepare for the coming of the King of Kings. In Genesis 6:5-6, God is so disturbed with the sins of humans that He wishes that He had never created mankind: “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.". To this end, God destroyed the earn with floods. Only Noah and his family survived.
In Matthew 24:1-2, Jesus tells His disciples of God’s displeasure, again, with mankind’s sinful ways: “Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, ‘You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.’”. Jesus’ Disciples, not understanding His pronouncements, asked Jesus the meaning of his prophecy in Matthew 24:3-6: “As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet.’”.
In the days before the flood, in Genesis 6:5-6, the people were eating, drinking and, and giving in marriage up to the very day Noah entered the ark. The people knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. This uncertainty of Jesus’ return is how it will be at the second coming of the Son of Man. Jesus compares his return to the days of Noah -- unbelievers will be oblivious to what's going on; Jesus says they'll know nothing. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:3: “While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.". In the remainder of 1 Thessalonians 5:4-11, Paul is telling us that the un-Godly will be taken away to their judgment and the righteous will be left to enter the Kingdom.
The primary message of Advent is to keep serving and watching. We must keep doing what the Lord has given us to do while we are serving Him, watching, and keeping ready.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD’S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 24:1-51; Genesis 6:5-6; Revelation 9:21; 1 Thessalonians 5:3-1.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “Jesus Followers Have Eternal Life, Even Before their Earthly Death, Because Whoever “believes him {God} who sent me {Jesus}””: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Thursday Nov 17, 2022
Thursday Nov 17, 2022
Turkeys and Eagles, Part 5: Following Jesus Changes Everything in Our Families
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Series Overview: This Series has been looking at Paul’s letter to the Ephesians to point out “Turkeyisms” – those things of our culture and some worldviews by which we may have been duped into beliefs inconsistent with the Gospel of Jesus or behaving in a manner that is not what Christianity is all about. This Series has pointed out some changes in our thinking needed to be like “Eagles” so that we can be the people that God wants and expects us to be.
Today’s Sermon: A look into Ephesians 5 provides a perspective on many “Turkeyisms”; however, the focus today is just on one: Turkey Thinking – “My Christianity has no effect on my family relationships, but my upbringing does”; but Eagle Thinking – My Christianity places me in the Kingdom of God with a radically different view of family relationships”. Being in the Kingdom of God Changes everything for those that follow Jesus.
Marriage in America is having a rough time, and we can’t say that Christian marriage is different. Too many of us, who say that we follow Jesus today, don’t let Christianity follow us through the front door as we live our secular lives. In the First Century of the Ephesians, both Jewish and Greek laws greatly diminished the roles, respect for, and value of women. In the Roman world, of the same period, women and children were just passed around – women had many husbands. It was into this world of Judaism and Greco Roman culture that Jesus walked in; and we found Jesus respecting and honoring women. Jesus raised the status of women – Jesus brought a whole new way of thinking about family, marriage, children, and divorce into First Century culture that has provided an ethical context for two thousand years.
In the same period and culture, Paul came along; and he set up churches. He wrote letters, which were written in the culture of this period, to the Christians in churches like the church in Ephesus. These early Christians were a part of the Kingdom of God – the blessed followers of Jesus – they were called to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to be imitators of Jesus. Therefore, followers of Jesus were to be vessels of His light to the world. Followers of Jesus were to be different from this culture of the period. By being different in their families, followers of Jesus would transform the culture (which, eventually, they did!!!).
From Ephesians 5:21, we are to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ”. “Submitting” is treating others like you wish to be treated. In Ephesians 5, Paul applies this principle of Christianity to the family (i.e. wives, husbands, and children) and to the workplace (i.e. employees). The Kingdom of God calls us to loving family relationships; therefore we, as followers of Jesus, are called to be different and not a part of the culture.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 5:21-33, 6:1-4; John 4:25-28; Mark 10:6-10; Proverbs 31:10-31; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13.; Psalms 73a:1-14.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “For Jesus Followers, Fasting, with Food, Will Symbolize a Victory Over Oneself and Solidify a Personal Relationship with God”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/
A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.
DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Saturday Nov 12, 2022
Saturday Nov 12, 2022
Dear Friend in Christ,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Thank you for listening to A Word from the Lord and for allowing God's Word to ruminate in your life. As we are looking at the future, we need your consideration of help as we plan for 2023. Please see the attached one and half minute video and as led act upon it.
In Christ,
+foley
Friday Nov 11, 2022
Friday Nov 11, 2022
Turkeys and Eagles, Part 3: A Child of God’s Light
MESSAGE SUMMARY:
Introduction – When God looks at us, our actions and the situations in our lives, God sees us as if we had never sinned – we are Justified through the blood of Jesus. While we are forgiven of our sins, we are instructed to confess our sins (1 John 1:9) because this “confession” is for us – it is so that we might be healed and renewed in the Holy Spirit. Also, this “confession” is for us to forgive as Christ forgives -- we are to unconditionally release those we believe have offended us just as Christ released us. Also, by our forgiving others, we are released. We were created to be like Jesus – to soar like the eagle and not to be “Turkeyized”!
Message – God has made us to be “Eagle Christians”, but so many times we are “Turkeyized”. Often, we have been taught things that are not in line with the Christian faith. In Proverbs 23:7: “As a man thinks within himself, so he is.”. As a Christian, our behavior follows our thinking. – If we think right, the presence of the Lord will be with us.
In Ephesians 5:1-14, Paul explicitly defines for us how we are to be “imitators of God” as God’s beloved children (i.e. God is our father). From Ephesians, we can differentiate between “Turkeyisms” Vs. “Eagle Thinking “: 1) My circumstances are such there is no way God could be honored in my life Vs. God gives me the ability to represent Him in my life and the world; 2) Sex is dirty and is not appropriate for Christians Vs. Sex is a gift from God, and it is beautiful within the context of marriage; and 3) My life doesn’t make much of a difference Vs. I am a vessel of God’s light – when we are not living for Jesus as our Lord, we are living in darkness. We, as followers of Jesus, are the light of the world – we need to live as we were created to be; and then we will be blessed and soar like eagles.
TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:1-14; Proverbs 23:7; Philippians 4:8; 1 Corinthians 6:9; John 8:12; Psalms 70a:1-12.
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