The Love Sphere of Deed and Truth - Pastor Ekpenyong

Focus On The Last Adam - Pastor Ekpenyong

Rom.5:18weymouth "It follows then that just as the result of a single transgression is a condemnation which extends to the whole race, so also the result of a single decree of righteousness is a life-giving acquittal which extends to the whole race."

The reign of the devil and the chaos on earth are all a result of the transgression of the first Adam. The consequence of that single transgression is condemnation; a divine sentence of damnation passed on all, so that on every man's conscience was a debt burden.

This made man perpetually feel that there was something incomplete about him that could be made-up by doing good. However, as much as he tried, his good works could never please God. 

In the same vein but of greater consequence as a result of the Father's love, the second and last Adam, our LORD Jesus by His obedience has got for us a divine sentence of 'not guilty'. The verdict of 'righteous as Father God forever' so that there is no more debt burden on our conscience for we are in the Beloved.

FAITH IN THE SECOND AND LAST ADAM RECREATES YOUR WORLD AND EXPERIENCES.

Exercise your confidence in Him and tell others what He has done as this is the ministry of reconciliation we have received. Glory! 

Check: Rom. 5:12-21, 2Cor.5:12-21, 1Cor.15:20-28

#WavesofGlory

#WholeCitiesTaken

Being An Effective Witness - Pastor Ekpenyong

Who is a witness?

According to Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, A witness is a person who sees something happen and is able to describe it to other people.

Every believer is to be an effective witness of the resurrected Christ. A witness simply relates what he has experienced, thereby providing evidence to the truth of something. 

We are to witness in word and deed, to the truth of Jesus being alive in us.

Acts 1:8 WUEST “But you shall receive power of the kind which God has and exerts after the Holy Spirit has come upon you. AND YOU SHALL BE THOSE WHO TESTIFY OF WHAT THEY HAVE SEEN AND EXPERIENCED, MY WITNESSES, both in Jerusalem and in all Judaea and in Samaria and to the end of the earth.”

You may be the ONLY witness of Christ that someone lost will ever meet. 

Why won’t you learn to make the most of such opportunities?

An error that has occurred with many believers is that their witness is inconsistent when CONSISTENCY is a major element in being a witness.

Mark 14:56 “For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree.”

There is a great need for believers to become effective in their witness because times are changing and the narrative of the resurrected Christ could change except we are effective and consistent in our witness.

Acts 1:21-22GNT “So then, someone must join us as a witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. He must be one of the men who were in our group during the whole time that the Lord Jesus traveled about with us, beginning from the time John preached his message of baptism until the day Jesus was taken up from us to heaven.”

KEY ELEMENTS IN BEING A WITNESS

1. A witness must have knowledge of an event from PERSONAL OBSERVATION or EXPERIENCE.

Luke 1:1-4

1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, 

2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, 

3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 

4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.

Don't despise your personal experience of the LORD'S saving power.

Some feel they were not as bad as some others because their story isn't sensational as those who have a string of dirty stories to share.

2. A witness must be able to give account of what he/she has experienced or observed.

1 John 1:1-4 BBE

1 That which was from the first, which has come to our ears, and which we have seen with our eyes, looking on it and touching it with our hands, about the Word of life

2 (And the life was made clear to us, and we have seen it and are witnessing to it and giving you word of that eternal life which was with the Father and was seen by us);

3 We give you word of all we have seen and everything which has come to our ears, so that you may be united with us; and we are united with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ:

4 And we are writing these things to you so that our joy may be made complete.

3. A witness must be convinced about his/her experience.

This is necessary because you must be convinced about what you claim you believe. Have you ever met an unpersuaded sales man?

4. A witness must be persuaded about the testimony of his/her transformation.

2 Peter 1:16-19 

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 

17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." 

18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. 

19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

It is quite easy to be overwhelmed by the vastness of what you don't know. However, that doesn't matter; what counts is how persuaded you are about what happened to you.

Remember the man born blind in John 9, he said "one thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see."

5. A witness has a determination to declare the gospel.

1 Thessalonians 2:2 BBE "But after we had first undergone much pain and been cruelly attacked as you saw, at Philippi, by the help of God we gave you the good news without fear, though everything was against us."

We are faced with obstacles in declaring the gospel to others; ranging from distractions of the enemy, to our own internal fears about being ridiculed or messing up. 

But the Holy Spirit helps us tell others the good news in spite of all these.

6. A witness has a sense of duty or commissioning.

Matthew 28:19 AMP "Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

It is called THE GREAT COMMISSION which must be treated and responded to as such. We have been entrusted with the gospel. You and I have been commissioned. However, do you live with that sense of commissioning?

The fact that God has entrusted me with the gospel will only motivate me:

i. to the degree that I think highly of God;

ii. and to the degree that I cherish the gospel.

When God is BIG to us, and when the gospel is BEAUTIFUL to us, then we’ll be marked by a deep sense of commissioning.

7. A witness is full of God.

Ephesians 5:18-19 ERV 

18 And be not drunken with wine, wherein is riot, but be filled with the Spirit; 

19 speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;

A witness that is not full of God will be overwhelmed by the challenges of life. He/she can be easily silenced with money or the faces of men. It is your duty to get yourself constantly full of God so that you will only do as your LORD and master says.

8. A witness maintains a tender and sincere love for others.

1 Thessalonians 2:7-8 

7 But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing [mother] cherishes her own children. 

8 So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.

A heart for the people in your sphere of influence is key in reaching them effectively. It will cause you to pray, preach and give to them.

My dear brothers and sisters, if you want to influence others for Jesus, love them. 

Love them sincerely. 

Love them self-sacrificially. 

Love them generously.

Remember, nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.

9. A witness understands the message.

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 AMP 

18 But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him]. 

19 It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor). 

20 So we are Christ's ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We [as Christ's personal representatives] beg you for His sake to lay hold of the divine favor [now offered you] and be reconciled to God.

What is our message?

Our message is that God is no longer angry with man; therefore, they should receive His forgiveness and love because Jesus was made sin for us to become the righteousness of God in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:21msg "How? you say. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God."

We are simply to testify to what we have seen or to what has happened to us. 

Let God be the One who convicts.

Jesus specified an orderly progression in the way we should witness.

First we start in Jerusalem (i.e. where we are). 

Then we go to those nearby (Judaea). 

Finally, we take the gospel to every people group (Samaria) throughout the whole world.

There are some very practical reasons for becoming witnesses in this way.

Mark 6:4 MSG Jesus told them, "A prophet has little honor in his hometown, among his relatives, on the streets he played in as a child."

Typically, at home is the hardest place to witness. Starting with those who know us best will cause us to humble ourselves and give God all the glory.

Also, if rejection comes, this tempers us and our witness, so that we will be more effective and more resilient when we go to the outer most parts of the earth.

Endeavor to win your space for the LORD.

Your space will be your family, your colleagues, your friends, your staff, those in your immediate sphere.

Psalm 67:2 TLB "Send us around the world with the news of your saving power and your eternal plan for all mankind"

Our responsibility, as witnesses of the resurrected Christ is the greatest honor and privilege on the face of the earth. 

We’re bearers of the news of His saving power.

Make your life count with God by making an impact with the Gospel; be committed to soul winning.

One of the saddest statements I ever heard was by Ghandi who said "I would have been a Christian except that I met one".

Brothers and sisters, let many become Christians because they met you.

Let that be your commitment to the LORD.

Matthew 5:16 MSG  Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand--shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

Let's pray for one another that we'll be effective in our witness wherever we're planted by the LORD.

Whether among great or small, help us Father to maximize occasions for the gospel, in Jesus name. Amen.

©️NewCruseConnect

Maintaining Your Glow - Pastor Ekpenyong

Matthew 5:14 TLB “You are the world's light-a city on a hill, glowing in the night for all to see.”

Something most remarkable happened at your new birth. You became one spirit with Christ Jesus and became the physical expression of the manifest Christ.

You who were once darkness in Christ have become light. You are now to shine as light.

Ephesians 5:8 AMP “For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of Light [lead the lives of those native-born to the Light].”

It is very important that those who are light in a dark and dying world lead lives becoming as children of light.

Romans 12:11 RSV “Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord.”

Maintaining your glow requires that you are deliberate in your actions.

Ephesians 5:9 NLT “For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.”

The primary activity that ensures your glow is maintained is retaining your consciousness of your union in Him. For it is in Him we live, move and have our being.

Romans 13:14 Weymouth “On the contrary, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and ma.ke no provision for gratifying your earthly cravings.”

Being filled with the Spirit or being fervent in spirit is recognizable.

Ephesians 5:18-21 AMP 

18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but ever be filled and stimulated with the [Holy] Spirit. 

19 Speak out to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, offering praise with voices [and instruments] and making melody with all your heart to the Lord, 

20 At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father. 

21 Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

We are to maintain a constant state and experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit. It’s a continual, ongoing action, not something that occurred once in the past.

If you're going to maintain the glow and stay filled with the Spirit, learn the importance of speaking to yourself in psalms and spiritual songs and of consecrating and dedicating your life to the Lord. When you do, it will be easy to maintain the glow and live a Spirit-filled life.

To maintain your glow consider these:

 1. Your love walk: Let your conduct be controlled by love.

Romans 13:10 TLB “Love does no wrong to anyone. That's why it fully satisfies all of God's requirements. It is the only law you need.”

Your love walk affects a great deal your glow as a Christian. What happens a lot of times is that believers get taken up with natural things, and that's where they dwell. Therefore, they don't take advantage of what already belongs to them as they should.

They don't take time to be nourished by their union in Christ by communing with the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word. That's why we need to put spiritual things first.

All you need to do to grow in love is abide in Him and let Him abide in you through prayer and the Word and communion with Him. Then exercise the love that you have on the inside.

Romans 5:5 “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

Charity (Love in action)

Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven."

The love message is the power of the Gospel. It’s so simple: Love God and love your neighbor as you love yourself.

We often think we need someone to love us, but what we really need is someone to love. And the world is desperate for real love, so it isn’t hard to find someone who needs to be loved.

In John 13:34-35, Jesus says, “I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another. By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves]”.

2. Humility:

1 Peter 5:5-6 AMP 

5 Likewise, you who are younger and of lesser rank, be subject to the elders (the ministers and spiritual guides of the church) — [giving them due respect and yielding to their counsel]. Clothe (apron) yourselves, all of you, with humility [as the garb of a servant, so that its covering cannot possibly be stripped from you, with freedom from pride and arrogance] toward one another. For God sets Himself against the proud (the insolent, the overbearing, the disdainful, the presumptuous, the boastful) — [and He opposes, frustrates, and defeats them], but gives grace (favor, blessing) to the humble. 

6 Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you.

The beauty of God is seen in those who functionally walk in humility.

We don’t fully realize how dangerous a haughty spirit is and how powerful humility is.

Pride is natural to us. It is insidious and yet hidden from our sight. 

People that have a problem with pride hardly ever admit that they have a problem with pride.

Pride is behind all lack of love and unforgiveness; all indifference to the needs of others, their feelings and their weaknesses.

The humble man feels no jealousy or envy. He can praise God when others are preferred and blessed before him.

He can bear to hear others praised and himself forgotten.

The humble person has learnt to acknowledge the workings of God and give Him glory for every accolade and trophy.

1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God [which was] with me.

Notice we are told to prefer one another. Instead of responding to the Lord and preferring one another, many Christians are in competition with one another.

3. Praying in the Holy Ghost:

Jude 20 AMP “But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit.”

Praying in other tongues is a great way to stay aglow because you’re building up yourself and keeping yourself edified and charged up as you would your phone battery.

4. Count it all joy in the  

James 1:2 AMP Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations.”

Rejoice in faith and see the victory you have because the word is true.

Refuse to let anything tamper with your joy because it is your strength and vessel to access and fetch from the well of salvation.

You can thank God in the midst of any and all circumstances. That's how you count it all joy. It's easy to dance in church, but what about in the midst of a test or trial when no one else is around?

Get alone by yourself and dance for joy. 

You know when people are happy and full of joy, they dance and jump. We're not shouting and jumping to be seen of men, but to praise the Lord. That's counting the trial an occasion for joy

Isaiah 54:1-4 

1 "Sing, O childless woman, you who have never given birth! Break into loud and joyful song, O Jerusalem, you who have never been in labor. For the desolate woman now has more children than the woman who lives with her husband," says the Lord. 

2 "Enlarge your house; build an addition. Spread out your home, and spare no expense! 

3 For you will soon be bursting at the seams. Your descendants will occupy other nations and resettle the ruined cities. 

4 "Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. Don't be afraid; there is no more disgrace for you. You will no longer remember the shame of your youth and the sorrows of widowhood.

You are to maintain this glow everyday. Doing the things we've shed light on daily will keep you aglow in spite of your feelings and situation.

It’s what you alone can do for yourself and by yourself.

You're no longer a victim subject to the dictates of your environment.

Get yourself so intoxicated as would a drunkard that every obstacle and mountain before you becomes a mole hill.

Stir up yourself right now. 

Make melody in your heart unto the LORD

When you get so intoxicated, you will not consider the clouds because the ditches will be filled with water.

Zechariah 4:7 ' Who [are] you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel [you shall become] a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"'"

Zechariah 4:9 " The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish [it.] Then you will know That the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you.

Zechariah 4:6 So he answered and said to me:  "This [is] the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ' Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts.

The key to overcoming the coming difficult days is to maintain your glow.

You're loved, BLESSED and celebrated!

I speak GRACE GRACE to your heart in Jesus name. Amen.

©️NewCruseConnect

Inherent Power At Work In You - Pastor Ekpenyong

Eph.1:19Wuest "[The eyes of your heart being in an enlightened state with a view to your knowing] what is the superabounding greatness of His inherent power to us who are believing ones as measured by the operative energy of the manifested strength of His might."

The desire of the Spirit is that we come into an experiential knowledge of the power of God that is resident and at work in us. This is the same power that was at work in the raising of our LORD Jesus from the dead.

There is something you need to know; prior to the resurrection, this power was not resident in mortal man because mortality cannot contain it nor can he bear the weight. 

Prophets of old could only invoke this power to handle issues and difficulties in the lives of people and not even at will. This accounts for the great acts displayed in the Old Testament until the death, burial and resurrection of our LORD.

This power is today resident in our recreated human spirit and we can deplore it to any area of our lives and work as well as the lives of others who have not come into this experience. Halleluyah!

Activate this power by praying in tongues and deplore it by the words of your mouth and works of your hands. Glory!

Check: Eph.1:17-23, Eph.6:10, Col.1:29

#WavesofGlory

#WholeCitiesTaken

Investigating Your Construct: understanding the BIG picture - Pastor Ekpenyong

Psalm 139:15-16

15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.

16 All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

1. God had all of your days written out before you were born.

You are not a mistake going somewhere to happen. You haven’t been placed on earth by chance.

Where and when you were born, the parents God gave you (irrespective of the circumstances of your birth), your personality, and everything else about you was ORCHESTRATED by God for a SPECIFIC PURPOSE.

Jeremiah 1:5 NCV 

“Before I made you in your mother's womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Made: (formed, shaped) reflects the basic meaning of molding something to a desired shape as a result of God's "planning" or "preordaining" according to His divine purpose.

Galatians 1:15 AMP 

“But when He, Who had chosen and set me apart [even] before I was born and had called me by His grace (His undeserved favor and blessing), saw fit and was pleased.”

2. God choose you and set you apart.

It means He had many options at the time you were conceived and having considered who will be fit for the assignment, CHOOSE YOU!

He also set you apart; meaning that you may be good at many things but there is something SPECIFIC you were released into this earth for. That’s the reason the purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind or even your happiness.

3. You were born BY His purpose and FOR His purpose.

Revelation 4:11 

“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

It is therefore, pertinent that to understand the BIG picture; we begin our investigation with God our Creator, else life will never make sense.

It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny. Sadly, since many don’t know what God has ordained for their lives and His plan. How can we ever expect to build God’s kingdom if we don’t know our part?

You may have journeyed through these years doing everything you’ve dreamed about without a clue of what He has in mind for your existence.

This realization that the LORD has a SPECIFIC and UNIQUE plan for you is a great place to start. However, you can’t assume that God’s will is automatically going to come to pass in your life. It won’t!

It is clear from scriptures that God desires everyone saved, however, we know not everyone gets there.

You are responsible for seeking and discovering God’s will and plan for your life.

Jeremiah 29:12-13 MSG

12 "When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. 

13 "When you come looking for me, you'll find me. "Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else.

Notice the emphasis ‘wanting it more than anything else’.

As long as you can live without knowing God’s plan for your life, you will.

The good news is that the LORD wants you to know His will for your life more than you want to know it.

I remember an experience I had many years ago, I had gone to a mountain to pray and seek the face of God concerning His plan for my life. The LORD then said to me, “I am more interested in you doing my will than you are. All I require of you is to say YES.”

4. Life is about letting God use you for His purposes, not the other way round.

Many people try to use God for their own self-actualization, but that is a reversal of nature and it is doomed to fail.

Most people speculate about their life’s purpose as they self-evaluate when they could actually receive revelation from God Who formed us with an intention by asking Him.

God has not left us in the dark to wonder and guess. He has revealed His purpose for our lives in the Bible.

It is our Owner’s Manual, explaining what life is about, why we are alive, how we are to function and relate with His creation. However, you're to search it out.

Ephesians 1:11 NCV 

“In Christ we were chosen to be God's people, because from the very beginning God had decided this in keeping with his plan. And he is the One who makes everything agree with what he decides and wants.”

5. You will not fulfill God’s plan for your life accidentally.

It takes effort to accomplish God’s will after you have received a revelation of God’s will and are pursuing same.

Colossians 1:16 MSG 

“For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels — everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.”

I urge you to make sure you are doing what the LORD created you to do.

Ephesians 5:17 TLB 

“Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to find out and do whatever the Lord wants you to.”

6. What is your motive?

Ecclesiastes 4:4 TLB 

“Then I observed that the basic motive for success is the driving force of envy and jealousy! But this, too, is foolishness, chasing the wind.”

Understanding what the LORD wants will purify your motive, simplify your life and keep you at peace.

Everything apart from functioning in the light of your purpose has a decay index and lacks continuity.

In fact, nothing else can renew, refresh, revitalize, empower and sustain you as the pursuit of that which has eternal value.

2 Corinthians 4:18 Weymouth 

“while we look not at things seen, but things unseen; for things seen are temporary, but things unseen are eternal.”

7. The eternal is that which predates your existence and is contained in the mind of God concerning you.

Hebrews 10:5-9 RSV

5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings thou hast not desired, but a body hast thou prepared for me; 

6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings thou hast taken no pleasure. 

7 Then I said, 'Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God,' as it is written of me in the roll of the book." 

8 When he said above, "Thou hast neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), 

9 then he added, "Lo, I have come to do thy will." He abolishes the first in order to establish the second.

While it is great to know what He’s called you to do, you must do it according to His plan.

Function in the body He has prepared for you, i.e. within the context and space He has provided you. One mistake people often make in seeking God's purpose is that they assume whatever they're good at in the natural must be what God wants them to do. So, if they're naturally good at public speaking, they figure God must have called them to a speaking ministry of some sort. 

I don't believe this is always true.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 

26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called.] 

27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, 

28 and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 

29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.

8. Everyone’s work will be rewarded

1 Corinthians 3:12-15 NIV

12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 

13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 

14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 

15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

It would be a shame to come to the end of our lives and not have a sense of knowing we accomplished what the LORD created us to do, yet this happens everyday.

Make your life count and give your all to do what you’re here to do in advancing the Kingdom of God. One thing is pertinent, we will all receive our rewards for how we played our part.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 NKJV

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 

8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

A story is told of a retiring missionary coming home from Africa on the same boat as a very important person in government. Cheering crowds, with all the pomp and pageantry welcomed this diplomat, but the missionary slipped off the boat unnoticed. Feeling self-pity and resentment he began complaining to God. Then God gently reminded him, “But my child, you’re not home yet.”

We have attempted to cover three basic issues in life. 

The first is identity: who am I? 

The second is importance: do I matter?

The third is impact:  what is my place in life?

I pray the Lord reveals His will to you and how to accomplish it in a greater way than He ever has before.

Together, as each of us does what He instructs us to do, we will make a big difference in this world.

Do you feel dissatisfied or unsettled with your life? Are you tired of just going to work, coming home, watching television, going to bed, then getting up and doing it all over again? If so, it may be God who has placed a holy dissatisfaction within you in hopes of provoking you to start seeking out His perfect will. Don't wait another day to begin the search for God's will in your life.

Go ahead and talk to the LORD, YOUR LORD AND MASTER.

Ask Him to show you where you fit into His plan as you rededicate your life to His cause.

Thank you LORD Jesus!

You're loved and celebrated!