GOD IS CALLING AND IT IS FOR YOU!
| The next time you feel like GOD can't use you, just remember.... Noah was a drunk Abraham was too old Isaac was a daydreamer Jacob was a liar Leah was ugly Joseph was abused Moses had a stuttering problem Gideon was afraid Samson had long hair, a rebel rouser, and a womanizer Rahab was a prostitute Jeremiah and Timothy were too young David had an affair and was a murderer Elijah was suicidal Isaiah preached naked being obedient to God Jonah ran from God Naomi was a widow Job went bankrupt Peter denied Christ (3 times!) The Disciples fell asleep while praying Martha worried about everything Mary Magdalene was promiscuous the Samaritan woman was divorced a number of times... Zaccheus was too small and a scorned tax collector Paul was too religious and took Christians to their death as Saul Timothy had an ulcer.... AND Lazarus was dead! GOD PAID the PRICE for their sins and HELPED them put coins in their heavenly bank! HE transformed worthless lives into abundant lives we still read about thousands of years after the people went to heaven. He WILL do it with, and for, EVERYONE who comes to HIM in Spirit and in Truth! You give HIM ALL you have and ALL you are and ALL the control HE wants – HE WILL DO the rest! Now! No more excuses! God can use you to your full potential. HE IS WAITING! Besides, you aren't the message, you are just the messenger. And one more thing... Share this with a friend or two... In the Circle of God's AGAPE’ LOVE, God is waiting to develop and use your full potential. (READ these verses - 1 Thessalonians 4:11 & 12 with 2 Timothy 2:15 and the last is the greatest – start with Romans 12:1 then read and do your best to do the rest! Transform as you GO! 1. God wants spiritual fruits, not religious nuts. 2. "Dear God : I have a problem. It's me. " My Dear Child: I have the solution…It'sMe!" 3. Growing old is inevitable ... growing UP is optional. 4. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open. 5. Silence is often misinterpreted but never misquoted. 6. Do the math… count your blessings… then THANK God and PRAISE HIM…HE inhabits the praises of His people! 7. Faith is the ability to not panic. Doing things God’s way instead of your way gives you the stability to STAY calm! 8. Laugh and pray every day. It's like inner jogging. 9. If you worry, you didn't pray. If you pray, don't worry. 10. As a child of God, prayer is kind of like calling home every day…not to ask for more money but just to say I LOVE YOU! 11. Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape… nor return evil FOR evil and theirs IS the victory! 12. The most important things in your house are the people! No God – No Peace and Know God – Know Peace! A peace filled house IS A HOME for all who enter! 13. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot. 14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry. I makes you walk all bent over to remind you to pray, forgive, give God that burden, LOOK up to Him and WALK STRAIGHT! 15 He who dies with the most toys is still dead. 16 He who loses his life, in Christ, will gain abundant life and life everlasting! 17 “Selfless” is FAR MORE REWARDING than ‘selfish’! Have a great day!!! The SON is shining and He can certainly use you! PRAY FOR your enemies. Mark 6:11 And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Luke 9:5 And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them." NKJV For those who are hard hearted and stiff necked and they will not receive sound doctrine there is a saying to ‘turn their flesh over to the devil that their soul might be saved. The goal is salvation and the picture comes from: Neh 4:4 Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity: and Jer. 31:13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. KJV That means you still claim them as a brother or sister and let God do the work. NEVER pray for the destruction of ANY other human being or it can come back on you! Jesus tells us not only to pray for our enemies but to LOVE our enemies and pray for those who despitefully use you. Here is the “rest of the story” in the New Testament: “1 Cor. 5:3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, 4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” KJV THE END HERE IS THE MOST DIFFICULT BUT IT IS ALSO THE MOST REWARDING! I CAN TELL YOU THERE IS NO FEELING LIKE WHEN A HATED ENEMY LOVES YOU, HUGS YOU, AND JOYFULLY RECIEVES THE WORD OF GOD! I WILL REMEMBER MY OLD LANDLADY FOR ETERNITY AND NOW I WILL REMEMBER BROTHERS WHO WERE ONCE VIETCONG BUT WE HUGGED AND LOVED EACH OTHER IN TEXAS. PRAISE THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY! HE IS ABLE! My Bible Mechanic Co-Host sent me the next little story that might MAKE THE POINT in more than one way, I am putting it here for the benefit of the body of Christ - the Bride that MIST come together. THE SPARROW AT STARBUCKS His eye is upon us at all times! The SPARROW at STARBUCKS...the song that silenced the cappuccino machines.... It was chilly in Manhattan but warm inside the Starbucks shop on 51st Street and Broadway, just a skip up from Times Square. Early November weather in New York City holds only the slightest hint of the bitter chill of late December and January, but it's enough to send the masses crowding indoors to vie for available space and warmth. For a musician, it's the most lucrative Starbucks location in the world, I'm told, and consequently, the tips can be substantial if you play your tunes right. Apparently, we were striking all the right chords that night, because our basket was almost overflowing. It was a fun, low-pressure gig - I was playing keyboard and singing backup for my friend who also added rhythm with an arsenal of percussion instruments. We mostly did pop songs from the '40s to the '90s with a few original tunes thrown in. During our emotional rendition of the classic, "If You Don't Know Me by Now," I noticed a lady sitting in one of the lounge chairs across from me. She was swaying to the beat and singing along. After the tune was over, she approached me. "I apologize for singing along on that song. Did it bother you?" she asked. "No," I replied. "We love it when the audience joins in. Would you like to sing up front on the next selection?" To my delight, she accepted my invitation. "You choose," I said. "What are you in the mood to sing?" "Well. .... do you know any hymns?" Hymns? This woman didn't know who she was dealing with. I cut my teeth on hymns. Before I was even born, I was going to church. I gave our guest singer a knowing look. "Name one." "Oh, I don't know. There are so many good ones. You pick one." "Okay," I replied. "How about 'His Eye is on the Sparrow'?" My new friend was silent, her eyes averted. Then she fixed her eyes on mine again and said, "Yeah. Let's do that one." She slowly nodded her head, put down her purse, straightened her jacket and faced the center of the shop. With my two-bar setup, she began to sing, "Why should I be discouraged? Why should the shadows come?" The audience of coffee drinkers was transfixed. Even the gurgling noises of the cappuccino machine ceased as the employees stopped what they were doing to listen. The song rose to its conclusion. "I sing because I'm happy; I sing because I'm free. For His eye is on the sparrow And I know He watches me." When the last note was sung, the applause crescendoed to a deafening roar that would have rivaled a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall. Embarrassed, the woman tried to shout over the din, "Oh, y'all go back to your coffee! I didn't come in here to do a concert! I just came in here to get somethin' to drink, just like you!" But the ovation continued.. I embraced my new friend. "You, my dear, have made my whole year! That was beautiful!" "Well, it's funny that you picked that particular hymn," she said. "Why is that?" "Well . .." she hesitated again, "that was my daughter's favorite song." "Really!" I exclaimed. "Yes," she said, and then grabbed my hands. By this time, the applause had subsided and it was business as usual.. "She was 16. She died of a brain tumor last week." I said the first thing that found its way through my stunned silence. "Are you going to be okay?" She smiled through tear-filled eyes and squeezed my hands. "I'm gonna be okay. I've just got to keep trusting the Lord and singing his songs, and everything's gonna be just fine." She picked up her bag, gave me her card, and then she was gone. Was it just a coincidence that we happened to be singing in that particular coffee shop on that particular November night? Coincidence that this wonderful lady just happened to walk into that particular shop? Coincidence that of all the hymns to choose from, I just happened to pick the very hymn that was the favorite of her daughter, who had died just the week before? I refuse to believe it. God has been arranging encounters in human history since the beginning of time, and it's no stretch for me to imagine that he could reach into a coffee shop in midtown Manhattan and turn an ordinary gig into a revival. It was a great reminder that if we keep trusting him and singing his songs, everything's gonna be okay. The next time you feel like GOD can't use YOU, just remember... Noah was a drunk, Abraham was too old, Isaac was a daydreamer, Jacob was a liar, Leah was ugly, Joseph was abused, Moses had a stuttering problem, Gideon was afraid, Sampson had long hair and was a womanizer, Rahab was a prostitute, Jeremiah and Timothy were too young, David had an affair and was a murderer, Elijah was suicidal, Isaiah preached naked, Jonah ran from God, Naomi was a widow, Job went bankrupt, John the Baptist ate bugs, Peter denied Christ, The Disciples fell asleep while praying, Martha worried about everything , The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once, Zaccheus was too small, Paul as Saul was too religious, Timothy had an ulcer... AND Lazarus was dead! No more excuses now!! God can use you to your full potential. Besides you aren't the message, you are just the messenger. Do YOUR job! JUST DO IT! Co-Pastor Noel T. Benoist D. D. Vietnamese United Baptist Church |
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| THUS SAYS THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, "If my children who are called by my name will humble themselves and call on me; I WILL HEAL their land. I AM calling my children to come together as one IN ME. Pray FOR one another and put the needs and desires of your brothers and sisters in the Lord ABOVE your own! I AM ONE GOD the Father X the Son X the Holy Spirit! 1X1X1=1 I AM" |