We want to see you go from where you are to where God wants you to be.
POSF Hosting District Sunday School Conference
The South Texas District Sunday School Conference will be hosted by POSF here on September 21& 22 (Friday & Saturday.) Open to all teachers, youth leaders, pastors or anyone that would like to IGNITE their ministry for souls. Preregistration is $15 thru Sept. 19th. See Bro. Custer for more details. The event is swiftly approaching so make your plans now to attend – you will be blessed!
Growth Persuasion
My uncle who lived in Florida was discouraged by the lack of fruit on his grapefruit tree. Someone told him he needed to whack the trunk of the tree a few times with a board.
Apparently, there is some truth to this unusual method of encouraging growth. One gardening expert says: “At times, the flowering hormone in the tree seems to get stuck and no flowers appear. Carefully persuade the tree to flower by shocking it. Hit the trunk . . . several times, [which will cause] small bruises in the bark.” This advice may stimulate growth.
When trouble comes into our lives, we sometimes feel as if we’ve been hit broadside. We feel desperation and then we wonder, Why is this happening to me?
One possibility is that God is using a painful experience to get our attention. In Psalm 119:71, David wrote, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.” And Hebrews 12:11 says that chastening “yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness.”
Is God using pain in your life to lovingly persuade you to change? The season of trouble may not be easy, but if we let ourselves be trained by it, new growth will result as we become more like Him (Phil. 3:10).
We shrink from the purging and pruning,
Forgetting the Gardener knows
The deeper the cutting and paring
The richer the cluster that grows. —Anon.
Affliction for God’s people can be the pruning knife to prepare us for greater fruitfulness.
Article by Cindy Hess Kasper, Our Daily Bread, Copyright 2012 by RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Further distribution is prohibited without written permission from RBC Ministries.
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RECALL NOTICE
In 2010, auto manufacturers recalled a staggering 20 million cars in the US for various defects. The thought of such a large number of defective cars on the road is startling enough. But what is more disturbing is the apathy of some owners. In one instance, the executive director of the Center for Auto Safety warned owners, “It’s a free repair. Get it done. It may save your life.” Yet, despite the risk to their own lives, 30 percent never responded.
Likewise, many ignore God’s “recall notice” to the entire human race. Unlike a defect found in automobiles, the moral defect of the human race is not the Maker’s fault. He made everything “very good” (Gen. 1:31), but people’s sin ruined it. God’s offer to us is “repent . . . that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19).
God offers not just a free repair of the human heart but a replacement of it (Ezek. 36:26; 2 Cor. 5:17). Though the offer costs us nothing (Eph. 2:8-9), it cost God His life. He bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).
Don’t ignore the Lord’s call. The free and permanent remedy offered by God for your spiritual defect will save your life!
The heart of man is stained by sin,
From Adam’s fall this has been true;
Yet God in Christ can make a change—
Through faith in Him we are made new. —Fitzhugh
For a new start, ask God for a new heart.
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Quiet Encouragers
One of the qualities I most admire in others is the gift of quiet, behind-the-scenes encouragement. I remember arriving home from a stay in the hospital and finding that my friend Jackie (who had surgery a few days earlier) sent me a book of God’s promises. My Uncle Bob was so thankful for the people who cared for him at the cancer center that he sent hundreds of complimentary notes to their work supervisors. My cousin Brenda experienced the agonizing loss of a child almost 20 years ago, and now her quiet deeds of compassion are treasured by many. Often it is the very people who have experienced the most suffering—physical and emotional—who are the most abundant providers of encouragement to others. In Acts, we read about Barnabas, who was known as the “Son of Encouragement” (4:36). He was “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (11:24) and encouraged others so “that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord” (v.23). His acts of encouragement must have had a wide and strong sphere of influence.
Just as we have been blessed with encouragement, let’s be a modern-day Daughter or Son of Encouragement to others.
Teach me to love—this is my plea;
May all the Spirit’s graces shine through me;
Tear from my heart all hate, foolish pride;
Help me to live like Christ the crucified. —Peterson
The human spirit rings with hope at the sound of an encouraging word.
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Signs Still Follow True Believers By Dr. Fred Childs
An alarming trend in the 21st Century church is the accepted absence of signs, wonders, miracles and healing. Many people believe in but simply have not seen the spiritual manifestations of God. The result is an uncertainty and a lack of confidence in the operation of spiritual gifts and faith. The absence of manifestation makes it difficult to have absolute trust in God’s present ability to do anything. Men and women are hesitant to step out and “take chances” on God because they have never seen or experienced God under such circumstances.
This weakens the effect of the Word because the one speaking does not have true faith in its ability. The same Jesus who did not many mighty works in His home country due to their unbelief (Matthew 13:58) will not do many works in your life and church for the same reason.
The more unfamiliar we become with spiritual and miraculous manifestations of God the more humanistic we become in our understanding of Him. It is time for this to change! The weakening of God’s Word cannot be acceptable under any circumstances. He is a miraculous and unlimited God right now!
Jesus said in Mark 16:17 that, “these signs shall follow them that believe”. This has never changed. The signs still follow. If the signs are not following you need to examine your walk with God. Signs do still follow believers.
Mark 16:20 tells us, 20 And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
I want to accentuate the “amen” by declaring that these things still occur in abundance. They still follow true believers. A true believer is not merely someone who believes true doctrine, but one who practices true Christian behavior and faith. Faith without works is dead according to James 2:20, 26.
Many Christians limit their relationship to God to their time at church. However, in Mark 16:15 Jesus tells us to go throughout the world preaching the gospel to everyone everywhere. Those who do that will see things happen. They will have testimonies. Signs follow our actions of faith. They do not lead the way, but they follow after us.
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How About Your Faith?
In spite of anything God has ever done do you still find it difficult to trust Him? If Elijah had not been convinced of rain he would never have sent his servant to look for an approaching cloud. God still needs someone to be an Elijah. Could the next one be you?
It is easier to simply say- things like that happen than it is to be the one God uses to work through. Many people limit their faith in God because they are thinking of themselves. They are concerned about what others might think of them if things don’t happen like they said. They are afraid they will step out on a limb and nothing will happen. An essential element in being used of God is to quit thinking and simply respond by faith. When you pause to think you override faith. This is not about you. This is about God. Signs follow our actions of faith. They do not lead the way, but they follow after us. God searches for people who will trust Him enough to obey and leave the results to God.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever. He is still the Savior, healer, and deliverer. The people that know Him shall be strong and do exploits (Daniel 11:28). Few things will renew your faith and excitement like a fresh testimony of personal faith. There is everything to gain and nothing to lose. God wants to do great things through your faith as well. I encourage you to earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints (Jude3). Signs still do follow true believers.
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Be Thankful
By Author Unknown
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire. If you did, what would there be to look forward to? Be thankful when you don’t know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow. Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement. Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build your strength and character. Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons. Be thankful when you’re tired and weary, because it means you’ve made a difference. It’s easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.
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Forgiven
We are sinful and God is holy. Sin can no more exist in the presence of God than darkness can exist in the presence of light. To stand before Him in self-righteousness would be to invite our destruction. The psalmist wrote, “If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” (Psalm 130:3).
In a cemetery not far from New York City is a headstone engraved with a single word: Forgiven. The message is simple and unembellished. There is no date of birth, no date of death, no epitaph. There is only a name and the solitary word forgiven. But that is the greatest word that could ever be applied to any man or woman, or that could be written on any gravestone.
The songwriter said, “There is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared” (v.4). That refrain echoes in both the Old and New Testaments. God is honored and worshiped because He alone can clear our record.
If God could not forgive us, we could only flee from Him in terror. Yet the God whose holiness threatens us is the God who through Christ redeems us. God offers forgiveness for all our sins. We only need to ask Him. Are you forgiven?
How blest is he whose trespass
Has freely been forgiven,
Whose sin is wholly covered
Before the sight of heaven. —Psalter
Sin invites judgment; confession ensures forgiveness
Article by Haddon W. Robinson, Our Daily Bread, Copyright 2012 by RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Further distribution is prohibited without written permission from RBC Ministries
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The Heart Of The Church
What makes a church successful? A big turnout on Sunday morning? A multimillion-dollar budget? A state-of-the-art building? We all know those things aren’t the criteria that define a successful church. Whether your church has stadium-size crowds or just a few in attendance, numbers are not the measure God uses for success. He looks at the heart of the church.
The apostle Paul planted an important church in Thessalonica, the capital city of Macedonia. He showed his desire for the church members there when he wrote: “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all . . . , so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness” (1 Thess. 3:12-13). With these words, Paul showed us two characteristics that are vital for a successful body of believers—love for one another and holiness.
Congregations, church buildings, and budgets come in different sizes. The true measure of success is demonstrated by followers of Christ who love God and each other, and are committed to living holy lives. Our challenge can be found in the words of the prophet Micah: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (6:8).
If you believe on Jesus’ name,
Then of His church you are a part;
By loving others you proclaim:
“We are the church—we are the ‘heart.’” —Hess
A small church with a big vision has greater impact
We are bought with a price as we glorify God in our bodies and our spirits, which are His (I Corinthians 6:20). Although we are free moral agents of free choice, God desires that we choose and use our time wisely as we serve Him as the Body of Christ. We are His Hands, His Feet…His Body. Realistically, we take the time out or “free up the time” to do whatever we really have a strong desire to get done. In choosing, it sometimes becomes a matter of preference, passion, and priority. Have you or someone you know ever been in an emergency or a life or death situation, and you felt that God rescued “just in the nick of time?” We often say, “He’s never too early, never too late, but always right on time!” Well, what quality “time” do we really give God in our communication and relationship with Him? He shows up on time for us, but do we show up on time for Him? Put time on your hands! I’m not talking about the watch on your wrist, secured slightly above your hand, which we often watch closely, because we are so conscious of time, in order to fulfill other temporal and less valuables duties on our schedules. Take off the watch; clasp your hands in prayer…there is “free time on your hands.” It’s a mindset…you are free to pray…you are free in Christ…you do have free time to pray!
When you look at your hands, imagine using them to turn over an hour glass filled with the “sands of time” and allowing it to be a simple reminder of how time flies, and let it give you the incentive to take a timeout to use your time wisely to pray. Ecclesiastes 9:10 states “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” In light of eternity, we really have “all the time in the world” allocated to seek the face of God and things pertaining to His kingdom! We often get caught up with the hustle and bustle of life and the demands of a fast-paced society. But, don’t be so busy “making an earthly living,” that you forget about “making an eternal life.” Value the time you have before you…Yesterday is the past (gone), tomorrow is the future (unpromised), but today is the present (tangible). There is no time like the present! Psalm 69:13 declares “But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time:” Prayer is our lifeline to God, especially in this troubled world and these last days we live in.
Value every moment of time, and realize we are not in a “crunch time” for prayer. We can use time wisely, and pray! We sing the song “I Am Free,” know this too, “Through you (Jesus) my heart screams, I am free; I am free to run; I am free to dance; I am free to live for you; I am free; I am free;” but…you are also FREE TO PRAY! So, let me ask that question again. Regarding prayer, do you have “free time on your hands?” I believe the answer for all of us is “Yes!”
By Flo Shaw -International Coordinator – World Network of Prayer
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