Nothing Is Impossible With God

I was raised in church. I loved church when I was young, but could never get my questions answered. I prayed and read my Bible and followed the way of the Lord. There were always so many don'ts. "Do not do this, that, or the other." Not too many do's. I wasn't happy and things began to go wrong in my life that I wasn't able to handle, so I ran. I would go back to church, but it wasn't always the same. I went to other churches. I made a lot of bad choices. Done wrong things. A few years ago I started visiting a church where I felt so at home, I felt loved. You would feel the love when you came in the door. That feeling I had in the other churches was religion. Man made rules. I tell it to whoever will listen, what a great church I go to. "It is Victory Christian Center and the Pastor is Pastor Ed Herald." I have come home, and I am growing in the Lord, working out my problems, not running, and I am being set free. I am doing things I would never have done before. God is good all the time. It is not about me, it is not about religion, but it is about Him. I love life today. It is not easy. But He didn't say it was going to be. Be He never leaves nor forsakes us. I was taught that and so much more by my Pastor until I believed it for myself, and believed in myself. Thank the Lord I have come home, and it is a safe place to grow. And I love to go to church, and I thank the Lord that I am growing and no longer living in the past, but I am looking forward to greater and better things. Nothing is impossible with God. He is awesome and I love Him with all my heart and soul.
                                                                                                      -Barb M.

What Is 'Prayer?'

What is Prayer to you?

I’ve heard it asked, “Is God your steering wheel or your spare tire?”. I also like: Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire? Do you wait until disaster strikes to hit your knees and cry out to God? Or do you pray/talk to Him daily and then when disaster strikes you hit your knees and say, “I know you’ve got the wheel God, please guide me through this.” Prayer (in particular Intercessory Prayer) is one of our core values here at Victory Christian Center. The Pastors and leadership of the church know that God leads and directs us through prayer. We need to be praying daily so that when something does come up we already have a firm foundation of prayer laid.

How to Pray

Prayer is simple. So many people try to overcomplicate it. Simply put, prayer is just talking to God. You don’t have to use big words or say things in a certain format. Just start talking. Think about it like this. When you call a friend do you plan out what you are going to say to them before you call? Or do you just call them up and say, “Hey what’s happening?” or “You’ll never believe what happened to me today….” You usually have a reason for calling. Maybe just to say 'hi' because you miss them, or to ask a question or to share something that has happened. It’s the same way with God and prayer.  God is reverent and to be given respect, but He also knows your heart. He wants to hear from you on a personal level as well as hearing your petitions and prayers. I guarantee you that if you were sincere and started out your prayer time by saying, “Hey God, what’s happening?” He WILL answer you, and before you know it you will be in a full blown conversation (prayer time) with Him. It truly is as simple as that.

The Power of Prayer

The most significant and powerful thing in the world is done through prayer…salvation!  When you “ask” God to forgive you, ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life, you are PRAYING. Through prayer ALL things are possible. The power of prayer is unbelievable. Most people have no problem believing that the power of prayer is strong enough to save them but unfortunately they don’t believe the power of prayer is strong enough to heal or deliver them. There truly is healing (physical, spiritual & emotional) power in prayer. Here at Victory we believe James 5:14, if you are sick you should be anointed with oil and prayed for. Through prayer we can command mountains to be moved and they have to move. God’s people, united together in prayer, will cause trembling in the depths of hell. In Jesus' Name demons must flee!  There is nothing that cannot be done through the power of prayer. There is a peace and calm that comes through prayer. Not only to the one who you are praying for, but also for yourself.

Salt & Light

Matthew 5:13-16

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
Salt and light have the ability to change whatever they are added to. Take for instance salt. When a person is adding salt to their potato their response is not, “boy that salt tastes good.” Although the taste is different it is the additive that made the food taste better. Even bland or bad tasting food can be made better when salt is added. By the same token when the light is turned on, a dark room becomes brighter. Things change instantly and it becomes much easier to see.

What God wants is for the Body of Christ to become aware of the difference they make to the world in which they live. When a believer is added to a situation, what is supposed to happen? Well, using the salt metaphor the difference should be noticeable. The difference should be that things change for the better.

The influence we have on the world around us is beyond what we can even comprehend.  According to 2 Corinthians 3:2, we are living epistles read of all men. An epistle is a letter to those around us that will say things that will change the way people view God or the church. If our message or influence turns them off, then God is not being represented as He deserves.

So if we are the salt and light to the world and we are not influencing or changing the world around us, what is happening? We have lost our influence. Or as Matthew 5:13 says, we have lost our savor. Webster’s defines savor as "to have a specified taste, smell, or quality to taste with pleasure." Do we draw believers or unbelievers to Christ?

I believe the major challenge is for the Body of Christ to return once again to their first love experience with God. That passionate love relationship that first drew you to Him may need to be rekindled. When we fall out of love it is always due to something else moving in to replace the once passionate object of your affection.

Whatever has robbed you from your love for God is robbing others from their invitation to God. Return to your first love and others will want what you have. I have heard many say to Beth and I, “I wish I had a marriage like yours.” We have not always had a marriage people would say that about, but when we renewed our first love with each other, our love had an influence on the world around us.
We became salt and light to those who where reading our letters. Become salt and light to those God has entrusted to you. Live so they can see Christ in a way their lives will forever be changed.

An Encouraging Word from our Senior Pastor Ed Herald

As we say goodbye to the year 2008 and embrace the challenges in the coming New Year, I have a few encouraging words for you. First, we need to always remember “whose on first”. If God is first in my life that means all that I have is there to serve His purposes. “First” means we will need to find out what He thinks before we act. Far too many believers are living reactive instead of proactive. Reactive living is impulsive living, making choices without much thought or prayer. To be proactive is to be vigorous in our planning. It means we are upbeat and practical about what is ahead. “First” also means I will offer Him the first fruits of my increase. That means my giving to God is very important. Where it is on the priority list will show God if He is truly “first.” Remember, God never meant for the receiver to become the keeper. God doesn’t give so we can get, He gives so we can give. A farmer plants to give not get. “Put God first!”

The second thing I see for the New Year is the need for all believers to reduce their dependence on credit. While credit itself is not evil, our use of it will determine many things about who we are and how we can handle increase. God is a God of increase but He also knows how much we can handle. So in short, get out of debt. The link below is a wonderful snow-ball debt reduction downloadable program that I found after doing some research on the subject. If you have any further questions or problems feel free to call me and I will guide you through it. The best thing about it is that it is free.

www.vertex42.com/Calculators/debt-reduction-calculator.aspx

The final thing I want to tell you is I believe this year will be a year of supernatural provisions. It will be a year like Elijah faced when he found himself alone at the Brook of Cherith in 1 Kings 17. The only thing certain was the provisions God brought to him supernaturally. When God supplies, He will give us just enough or He will give us more than enough. The beginning of the New Year will be just enough for some of you but as you let God provide it will begin to increase. If He is first and we trust Him to provide, then the outcome will be more than enough. I don’t hear God saying we will see great increase, but we will experience His unmatchable provisions. Let God provide!

Discover who Jesus is...today!

Who is the man they call Jesus Christ?
Was He a Savior, prophet, King, Messiah, or a god? The answer is all of the above. The words that Jesus spoke while He was on earth are more powerful than anything that we can even understand. During His time on earth we see many wonderful miracles that He brought to life. But even more amazing than the miracles is what He finished for us. Jesus wants you to know Him. Are you listening for His voice? The power that came from Jesus Christ while He was on earth is very evident in all things that He did and said. Some very important words were birthed from Him being here and they can be found in Philippians 4.

v.2-3 “God says, There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you…When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.”

v.11-12 “God will help you learn to be happy with what you have, whether it’s a little or a lot.”

v.13 “God will make you strong even when you feel weak. He makes you able to say, “I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me.”

v.19 “God will give you everything that you need. He owns everything in the universe, and he will richly fill your every need in a glorious way through Christ Jesus.

The promises that Jesus have made are more than just words for us. They are truths that we can hold onto. They are truths that we can believe and have faith in. So you maybe wondering what Jesus finished for us. He paid a debt that you don’t have enough money to pay for. He took a beating that you couldn’t take. He fought a battle that you couldn’t fight. He laid Himself bare before the world to die for all the sins that you and I have committed. He loved us so much that He took His own blood and poured it out just for you. And all you have to do to accept this love is to read Romans 5, 6, & 7. You are loved by the King, Jesus Christ.