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.

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 dept 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.

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.