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How is your future planning? Are you ready for what lies ahead? In James 4:13 some made big plans for what they would do: Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: James rebukes those who would try and live their lives, and make their grand plans for the future, without scarcely a thought for God. Are we aware of the hand of God upon our lives? Of our own limitations? We don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow, let alone in a year from now. These traders travelled from city to city, across wide areas. They said, We will go… They were presuming some things about their future. They took for granted things which were not in their own power. They were focused on worldly aims. They gave no thought, it seems, for God, and eternal things. In all their planning, they gave no thought about the glory of God, or his kingdom. Notice what mistakes these business people made. They made mistakes about TIME. They took for granted the time that God would give them and just aimed to use it up for their own selfish ends. How much better it would be, to say: How can I use my time to honour God? When I makes plans, do I set a commitment at a time that conflicts with fellowship or worship? Will I prioritise some social event or sport above attending worship? Will I opt out of fellowship because of some trivial pursuit? Do I, rather, fit my other commitments around times of fellowship? Do I prioritise opportunities for fellowship, and worship, and service? Or do I just settle for a minimal commitment? How serious am I with the stewardship of my time? The people James addressed also made mistakes about LOCATION. These traders just decided to go here or there, just wherever they could make money. That was their motivation. It looked like they didn’t give a thought about what God wanted for them. There’s no mention of praying, of seeking God’s will. James rebuked these people for living lives without God, and planning their future, without God. Their thinking was all about their business enterprise. As to location… Can I consider, Where does God want me to be? To live? How much better it would be if we were to make all kinds of decisions of our lives with an eye to what will better our soul, and help our family spiritually? What will grow our faith? What’s the best decision for me to make, based on spiritual reasons? These folk who James rebukes also made mistakes about MAKING PLANS. Now, there’s nothing wrong with making plans for your future. BUT - when these traders were making their plans they did so presumptuously. God was missing from their plans. They didn’t seem to care about seeking God’s will, or about trusting in Him. There was no prayer, no seeking to know God’s mind about the matter. They seemed all caught up in making money, but losing out spiritually. Do we care for our spiritual life and growth? What IS it, that we LIVE for? Do we factor spiritual considerations when we make decisions? Do we have an eternal perspective? 14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. Some think that they have all the time in the world. They presume to make their grand plans, without looking to the will of God, and the providence of God. Our life is like a passing vapour. We have only this finite time on this earth. Psalms 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Why do we so easily waste the precious time that we have? Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. It’s been wisely said that the true purpose of our lives is that we glorify God, and enjoy Him forever. Let us commit our future into His hands. Let us keep that humility that entrusts our lives to God’s care. Let us live in readiness of our Lord’s coming. May our lives be a testimony to the transforming power of Christ and a witness to our world. Let us aim to strengthen our families. Make fellowship a habit, a discipline. That you model it to your children. By making it a personal priority. Let us hold fast to the unchanging truth of Scripture. It is our spiritual armour in the face of deception. We can expect trials. Let’s learn to endure. We have to develop our spiritual muscles for what lies ahead. Be a faithful steward. While we await Christ's return, we are called to be faithful stewards of all that God has entrusted to us. Fulfil God’s purpose for your life. Be a worshipper. Psalms 29:2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. Be an ambassador. We are called to be ambassadors of the Kingdom of God. Be a witness for Christ. Above all things, may we have this motto: 1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

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Many are asleep. Sleeping when you’re not supposed to can be dangerous. "Wake Up the Mighty Men"are stirring words: Joel 3:9-10 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: 10 Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Many seem oblivious even to the fact that we are in a war - and that we are meant to be soldiers on active duty. We have a mission to fulfil. To make a positive, spiritual impact on our world, for the glory of God. Will we stir up ourselves? Isaiah 64:7 And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee… What a reproach. That there is no one who answers the need. We need a wake up call. We need to be stirred. To stir up ourselves. Look at the world and what is happening… Persecution. Cults are evangelising, walking our streets, deceiving many. But the church is mostly silent. It’s not stirring itself. It’s snoring. Most Christians are snoozing, and inactive. Many are asleep, like Samson in Delilah’s lap. Judges 16:20 …And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him. Beware, sleeping one! Beware lest you sleep like Samson… the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes. Prepare war, wake up the mighty men… A sleeping man can do nothing. A sleeping man cannot serve, cannot communicate, cannot activate. The church is sleeping. We are called to be diligent, but by and large the average churchgoer is lazy, and scarcely a church goer. They settle for the minimum. And the devil loves it that way. The church gets sleepy when people neglect prayer and fellowship. The Word of God is neglected. We can miss God’s best and falter and grow apathetic and careless spiritually. People are toying with the world. Following after false teachers and teachings. The discernment level of some Christians is just about zilch. Let us wake up and see the false doctrine. People fall easy prey to wolves in sheep’s clothing. The devil has just about taken over some churches. We need a spiritual awakening. A revitalisation. A visitation of God. It’s a call to awaken. we must wake up. Let the weak say I am strong! Our strength comes from God. What’s stopping you from being mighty for God? We are a spiritual army, a force to be reckoned with. We have need of weapons… we need to take up arms. The weapons that we need are a spiritual equipping. We need to face our fears and overcome them. We need to regain our fighting spirit. A sleepy soldier cannot see, his eyes are shut, he cannot hear. He is vulnerable, sleepy, unprotected… He is in danger, and what’s more, him sleeping means that others are endangered. A sleepy soldier is not protecting his home, his family, his community. A sleepy soldier has neglected his duty. He has failed his commanding officer. He has shirked. A soldier sleeping in duty faces discipline. Even court marshal. We have responsibilities and each of us has a God-appointed work to do. A mission to fulfil. We all have a calling. We all have a station to man. We all have a gift to employ. The sleepy soldiers need to be roused. Are we going to be mighty men? Mighty for God? What’s stopping you? What’s getting in the way? Realise the power of the Army that we are… a part of… The church. It’s together that we are stronger. Just as the call in Joel's day was to a collective awakening, we, too, can achieve more when we come together. We rise together as a fighting unit. There’s power in the welding together of this unit that is the church. Unity with our brothers and sisters amplifies our strength and allows us to accomplish greater things. Let’s support each other: Let’s empower others. Awakening the mighty also involves supporting and encouraging one another. The church is meant to be this strong, fighting force for God. We need to fight some things. We have an enemy to fight. To resist. To repel. The calls goes out still. Wake up the mighty men! It’s a call for courage. A call to combat. We are under attack. The sleepy soldiers will be overtaken. Let us all answer the call to "Wake Up the Mighty Men".

The Bible tells of the power of forgiveness - and the power of UN-forgiveness. Think of the power of God’s forgiveness. God has the power to forgive you of all your sin. Think of this great promise: 1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. All sin. God’s forgiveness is full. When we know God’s forgiveness it’s the power to transform our lives. God’s forgiveness takes away that barrier between us and God. We can know a closeness to God. God's grace is greater than our sins, and He offers His great forgiveness to all who seek it. How can we know God’s forgiveness? One thing’s for sure. There’s no forgiveness without the blood. Hebrews 9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. Remission means the cancellation of a debt, charge, or penalty. Blood must be shed. Death has to happen so that we may have life. Without the shed blood of Jesus we have no pardon. Just about everything required sprinkled blood… The altar, the mercy seat, the priests, the vessels of the tabernacle and the temple… The blood had to flow. And it had to be applied. Like at the Passover. We can know God's love and mercy because He offers pardon through the shed blood of Christ. Trust God. What does forgiveness look like? Forgiveness speaks of reconciliation and restoration. What a joy it is, truly, that we can be reconciled with God! Forgiveness repairs hurts. There’s release from having sins forgiven. There’s power there. There’s power in UN-forgiveness as well. Some hold onto grudges, anger, and resentment. Some people carry this heavy burden within them. It’s powerful. It weighs them down. Forgiveness releases that burden and frees our own hearts. In forgiving others we can also know an inner peace. Through forgiveness, we become more like our Lord. Forgiveness has the power to heal not only our hearts but also our relationships. When we forgive, we let go of hurts and resentment. We release anger and bitterness. We find God’s grace ourselves, and we walk in that grace with others. There’s power in forgiveness. Forgiveness releases that burden and frees our hearts. Matthew 26:28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. There’s that word again, remission. The cancellation of a debt, charge, or penalty. Our debt is forgiven. Cancelled. Her holds nothing against us, even though we are the guilty party and he is the one offended. God’s forgiveness transforms lives. There’s a new covenant here. Many live their lives burdened by guilt. Heavy laden. We can be set free. We can know freedom from guilt. We can live in God’s forgiveness - and also live it out. There’s power in forgiveness. It’s by the blood shed on calvary. We can know pardon from all our guilt and shame. There’s power in UN-forgiveness, but it is a destructive power that damages people and holds them captive. Rather than holding onto bitterness and hurts… and an unforgiving spirit… let it go. We can know the joy of forgiveness. We can be a people walking in the grace of God.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. A message from preacher Adam Gibbs.

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Doug Carragher from Wounded Spirits Ministries talks about PTSD.

Doug Carragher from Wounded Spirits Ministries talks about PTSD.

Doug Carragher from Wounded Spirits Ministries talks about PTSD.

Doug Carragher from Wounded Spirits Ministries talks about PTSD.

Doug Carragher from Wounded Spirits Ministries talks about PTSD.

Doug Carragher from Wounded Spirits Ministries talks about PTSD.

Bro Doug Carragher addresses men on the lessons we can learn from Joseph. Lessons we can apply to our lives today. God is a man who God never had anything bad to say about. Joseph's life had many twists and turns, with many tests. We don’t always realise how, as happened with Joseph, when God has us go through tough trials sometimes - that God means it for our good. Joseph's father, Jacob, honoured him, by giving him a coat of many colours. His brothers resented this. Joseph dreamed a dream and he told it to his brethren, and they hated him yet the more. His dream foretold how they would recognise and honour him as somebody important. Joseph’s brothers started conspiring against him. They said, one to another, behold the dreamer cometh. And they said, Come now …let us slay him and cast him into some pit, and we will say some evil beasts have devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams. They stripped Joseph of his coat – they took the coat of many colours. They cast him into the pit. It goes on to say how they sold him to Ishmaelites as a slave. Joseph ended up as a slave in the house of Potiphar, the captain of the guard - a high official under Pharaoh. And the Lord was with Joseph, it says, and he was a prosperous man. What makes a prosperous man? If you want to be a prosperous man it has nothing to do with your finances. It's about character. God sent Joseph to Egypt, and it changed the whole world. So too, God expects us to be a light in a dark place. God expects us to share the gospel where it's never been shared. God expects us to be a road map to God. People should look at us, and see Christ in our faces. People should look at us, and know we serve a great God. Joseph found Grace. He served Potiphar and he made him overseer over all that was in his house. Being prosperous is about character. It’s about your relationship with God. It’s about doing the right thing when no one's looking. Being prospering is trusting in God. Potiphar's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, and she said, Lie with me. But he refused, and said to her, I'm not going to do it. He left his garment in her hand and fled. He got out. He was a man of honour. If you can serve God and trust God and live the way that God has taught you, you'll be a prosperous man. Joseph was wrongly accused, and sent to jail. But he just kept on serving God in jail, and it ends up that the jailer put him in charge of the jail. God works through all these events of Joseph's life. Pharaoh takes him into his service. God allows Joseph's family to be reunited in the craziest of circumstances. Joseph shows grace and forgiveness to his brothers and brings about reconciliation. What makes a prosperous man? It's about character. Determine, like Joseph, to serve God with all your might. Be a man of honour and faith. Know that God is working out His perfect will in your life.

Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Jesus suffered for our sins. He was beaten, whipped, and crucified. He died a painful and humiliating death. But Jesus's suffering was not in vain. It was for our benefit. It brought us many blessings. Consider: “By his stripes we are healed”. People can often take these words and misunderstand and misapply them. Now our Lord can and does heal of physical sicknesses. But not always. There’s a key principle of Bible interpretation that says, Context is king. Some believe this verse is a promise of physical healing for Christians. That we have a guarantee of physical healing. They confuse the promise of salvation with what they misunderstand as a promise of physical healing. It’s a common modern view of this verse. But it is actually a big mistake. We have to take scripture in context. The context is of the sickness of sin – of guilt. The Lord Jesus can heal that. No matter what your views are about divine healing. And certainly we believe God can and does heal, in answer to believing prayer, when he so wills to. We can use many verses that encourage us to pray and trust God when we are sick. But THIS verse is NOT talking about physical healing. It’s talking about sin and righteousness, not sickness and disease. The being “healed” it’s speaking of is being forgiven and saved, NOT physically healed. You need this healing. We all do. You have this condition. Sin. He can cure you of that. This is the greatest of all healings - emotional and spiritual healing. If Isaiah 53:5 was talking about getting better from physical sickness, every person would have been made well. And you would have to misapply these words to condemn every person who is sick as just not having enough faith to be healed. That it’s somehow their fault. Actually, truth is, we will all get sick and die. That’s the reality. For all of us. Death is inevitable for all of us. We have to look at the context of Isaiah (Isaiah 1:5-6), the book, and the passage… Isaiah is talking about the nation of Judah as being spiritually sick. Jesus took the cup. What was his suffering for? He was wounded - pierced for our transgressions (rebellion) and bruised - crushed for our iniquities (depravity). It’s talking about sin. His sacrifice is for our sins, not for our sicknesses. This is good news! Fact is, you can be made whole. You can have peace. Peace with God. It’s saying we are restored, delivered, made whole. By God’s providence, thank God, he can and does heal. But the healing from his stripes is talking about that deepest need of the healing of our soul. The whole context of Isaiah 53 is spiritual. It is about redemption. About restoration. It’s about addressing the broken relationship between God and humanity. It says we have peace. Shalom. That’s what we need. And he answers that need. Our minds need healing from anxiety. Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Our souls also need to be healed when we go through traumatic experiences. By his stripes our spirits can be healed. When we read these words again, in 1 Peter, the whole context is talking about righteousness, about sin. 1 Peter 2:24-25 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. Notice, it’s about sin. About righteousness. We are sick. The sickness it’s talking about is sin. We need healing. And we are promised healing. The healing we need is the healing of our wounded spirits. Have you been wounded by sin? It hurts. There’s pain. Sin brings misery. There’s loss - of peace, of wholeness. Sin is often spoken of as a disease. Only Jesus can heal that. The healing is a metaphor for God’s forgiveness. Jesus can heal the sin in our soul, and take it away. He wants to heal our sinful spirits. The truth is, Jesus didn’t die for our physical healing. He died to heal our soul from sin. We can be made truly well and whole, in being saved. There is deliverance. There is health and wholeness and rightness that is a spiritual thing. One day, for sure, we will know ultimate physical healing. We should praise him for his love and mercy. Let’s tell others of this one who can save them and heal them on the inside. Help others come to experience the forgiveness and peace that he offers.

A look at the man who even the wind and the sea obey him. A message from Mark 4 and 5 by Doug Carragher of Wounded Spirits Ministries. Doug relates how the demoniac of the Gadarenes was delivered and saved, and how God can also set men free from unbelief and they can be made a new creation by faith in Jesus Christ. Mark 4:41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? Have there ever been any storms in your life? God can do a work in the midst of that storm. Something special can come out of that storm. The Lord Jesus stilled the storm. And something happened on the other side… and when he was come out of the ship - Christ - immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. This man was possessed with the devil. His heart was unprotected. He lived in a cemetery. His situation seemed hopeless. He had chains and shackles. He was crying and cutting himself. His life was upside down. But when he saw Jesus afar off he ran and worshiped him. Jesus said, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. Jesus changed everything.

Rejoice in the Lord by Ron Hamilton Sung by Joel Ramirez, accompanied by Ashlee Ramirez God never moves without purpose or plan When trying His servant and molding a man. Give thanks to the LORD though your testing seems long; In darkness He giveth a song. O Rejoice in the LORD He makes no mistake, He knoweth the end of each path that I take, For when I am tried And purified, I shall come forth as gold. I could not see through the shadows ahead; So I looked at the cross of my Savior instead. I bowed to the will of the Master that day; Then peace came and tears fled away. O Rejoice in the LORD He makes no mistake, He knoweth the end of each path that I take, For when I am tried And purified, I shall come forth as gold. Now I can see testing comes from above; God strengthens His children and purges in love. My Father knows best, and I trust in His care; Through purging more fruit I will bear. O Rejoice in the LORD He makes no mistake, He knoweth the end of each path that I take, For when I am tried And purified, I shall come forth as gold.

The One Who First Loved Me ~ The Hamilton Family Sung by Joel Ramirez; Piano: Ashlee Ramirez I know the One who sees my sorrow Who calms my heart and clothes my shame I know the One who holds tomorrow Who hears my prayer and heals my pain He is my Fortress He's my Father, my Freedom My Master, my Forgiver and Friend For when He died on Calvary He won my victory And now in Him I'll live eternally So I will love Him, and trust Him, and serve Him The One who first loved me I know the One who conquers darkness The source of light, and truth, and grace I know the Fount of all forgiveness Who pours out life through saving faith He is my Fortress He's my Father, my Freedom My Master, my Forgiver and Friend For when He died on Calvary He won my victory And now in Him I'll live eternally So I will love Him, and trust Him, and serve Him The One who first loved me So I will love Him, and trust Him, and serve Him The One who first loved me Songwriters: Adam Morgan, Brian Büda, Megan Hamilton. For non-commercial use only.

What is your vision of the Church? How do you think we should act toward one another? Romans 12:1-2 challenges us to not live as the world but to let God transform us! How is a renewed and transformed Christian to be? Romans 12:3-8 shows us how we can relate in a church: First we need to be humble. Even though we have an individual responsibility to God and He uses us as individuals, we only have a part to play in all that God desires. Don’t get proud. Measure against God: Remember that our thoughts aren’t God’s and our ways aren’t His. We need to be humble and follow Him. Sobriety - it is all of God and not us 1 Corinthians 4:7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? Second, we need to work together. Romans 12:4-5. We don’t have all the same gifts or abilities, but we all have a role to play. We should work with one another. Unity. Third, we need to find out how to serve. Romans 12:6-8; some of the roles. These roles are done from a spirit filled motivation and not duty. Prophecy: preaching. ‘proportion of faith’ - from the heart; what God has worked in your own heart. Teaching: explaining the scriptures and diligently doing it - consistency in life. Exhorting: encouraging others to continue in the ways of God. Ministry: practical service to others in the Church - to wait is to give yourself to it. Giving with sincerity. Rulers: overseers of the practical business in the church. Show mercy: care for those in need from a joy that comes from God. What is your role in the church? What would God have you to do? Romans 12:1 present yourself to God. What are the marks of a transformed Christian? Romans 12:9-21 - practical Christian living. Romans 12:9-10. Love: this is the central teaching of Christianity. All that we do and are is bound and motivated by Love. Sincere love: not just saying the right words. Not just an act or going through the motions. Affectionate love: a deep unforced kindness. Respectful love: preferring is to see the others good- Php 2:3, Let each esteem other better than themselves Love is followed by action. Romans 12:11,13. Service Luke 2:49 I must be about my Father’s business. Not slothful: we should be actively pursuing how we can serve. Selfless fervency. Do it as unto the Lord. Helping in physical ways; 1 John 3:17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? Given to hospitality - ready and looking for ways to help out others. To help each other best we need to pay attention. Romans 12:12,15-16. Empathy. Being there with each other in their journey. Rejoice in their hopes and in their joy. Patient and sympathetic while they battle tribulations and testings. Weep with them in sorrow;1 Corinthians 12:26, And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. One mind is to be unified with them. Keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is a humility in our love to each other. Sometimes there is someone hard to love, someone that we think is beneath us, but God calls us to something better - humility and love expressed. In all of this we are to pray; as we walk with others we should pray often: on behalf of them, in thanks to God, and for ourselves to walk worthy. Romans 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; 12:14,17-20. Bless them and curse not. God calls us to life of Peace - Not to give in to our wrath, Not to seek their hurt. If we do this we can not preach the love of Christ and stand before men. Don’t seek vengeance: we often want justice to be served. Rather, make way for God’s wrath. When we give up our wrath toward others we will have peace and not grow bitter. We can also be assured that God will deal with them. Not out of spite or glorying in their suffering, but in the certain knowledge that God is good. Our actions then should be to extend love to them. To speak well to them and wish them well vs 14. 12:21 - The Ultimate outcome: overcome evil. Abhor that which is evil and cleave to that which is good. There is an implication that when we follow Christ we are opposed to the natural sinful ways of the World around us. We overcome by doing things God's way. When you love, serve, care, and bless others you are fighting against evil. We see the beauty of what God would have us to be! How has God challenged you today? Maybe you need to go back to the first 2 verses and dedicate your life and mind to Him? Maybe you need to evaluate what your role is in this church? Maybe there is some aspect of the Christ filled life that you need to work on? I encourage you prove what is the good and perfect will of God in your life today.

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