Notes of Faith August 22, 2025

Notes of Faith August 22, 2025

Deliverance

The Lord knows how to deliver the godly.

2 Peter 2:9

When Jesus taught us to pray, “Deliver us from evil,” He was tapping into a glorious biblical theme. Our God is One who delivers. Moses told the Israelites, “The Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you” (Deuteronomy 23:14). David said, “He delivered me because He delighted in me” (2 Samuel 22:20). Job 5:19 says, “He shall deliver you in six troubles, yes, in seven.” The psalmist said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer” (Psalm 18:2). Paul said, “[He] delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us” (2 Corinthians 1:10).

Often, we need deliverance. Do you need to be delivered from something today? Fear? Poverty? Illness? Injustice? Depression? Addiction? We’re overwhelmed by evil, yet God knows how to deliver the godly from trouble. If we only ask for His deliverance, we’ll receive what He has promised. “For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:19).

It is true that we endure trials, but it is just as true that we are delivered out of them.

Charles Spurgeon

2 Tim 4:16-18

16 At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. 17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me…

18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

There is a perfect peace that God gives to those who belong to Him and a sure comfort of deliverance from this world into His glorious kingdom to live eternally, walking with the One who made us and brought us to Himself. What joy we will experience when we see God in all His glory and receive His love in ways that we have yet to know! I pray for all who read this to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, to know the peace and joy of the Lord through this world’s trials and the secure and true hope that He promises for our future together.

2 Peter 2:9

the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation,

1 Sam 2:9

9 He will guard the feet of his saints,

Ps 4:3

3 Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for Himself…

John 9:31-32

We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.

2 Peter 3:10-13

the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

2 Peter 3:17-18

be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Matt 6:10

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

KJV

Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 21, 2025

Notes of Faith August 21, 2025

Romans 8:1 – No Condemnation in Christ

Fight Guilt with God’s Truth

Did you know that if you are a child of God, there is no condemnation that comes from God. Nothing you have ever done, or will do, can’t be covered by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. So why do we sometimes live with guilt and fear of past sins?

Do you ever beat yourself up or struggle with guilt, even of your thoughts?

I do. I start to think things like…

“You should know better.”

“You have failed.”

“You never get things right.”

“You let everyone down.”

“Why do you always forget the details?”

“You are a disappointment to God.”

After this conversation with myself, I am feeling miserable. These lies have weighed me down. The guilt hangs on me like a heavy millstone. I feel myself slipping away from God, too ashamed to be in His presence.

I forget the most important thing:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, Romans 8:1

Freedom Through Christ’s Sacrifice

We have gained our freedom from condemnation through Christ’s sacrifice. He put himself on the Cross because He loves us and wanted to take the weight of our sin away. That weight is eternal suffering and separation from God.

Since we are children of God, when we repent of our sins, He promises to forget it. It is as if the sin never occurred. When we choose to continue to dig up that sin or feel guilty about it after receiving God’s forgiveness, we are basically saying that our sins are too big for the Cross of Jesus.

Nothing is bigger than the perfect sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.

No Condemnation Comes from God

When you are unable to forgive yourself, remember that no condemnation comes from God. God convicts our hearts when we sin, but offers love, forgiveness and ways to change. Any lasting guilt and shame you are feeling comes from Satan. We have an accuser, an enemy of our soul who seeks to destroy us through false accusations, shame and guilt. When you are struggling with this, you are being attacked, friend.

When those attacks come against you, fight back with truth.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17

“as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103 NIV

“Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”

Hebrews 10:17

When guilt comes, remember: You are loved. You are chosen. You are forgiven.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 20, 2025

Notes of Faith August 20, 2025

Response Ability

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

1 Corinthians 10:13

Responsibility is “response ability.” That is, we can avoid sin if we choose the right response. The apostle Paul recounted Israel’s history in the wilderness as a warning to the church at Corinth (1 Corinthians 10:1-11). The Israelites failed to respond to God appropriately, and God judged them. And Paul says that their judgment should be an example for us (verses 6, 11). The tests they encountered in the wilderness became temptations to sin—and they did.

But tests and temptations are “common to man”—we will always encounter them. So what is the remedy? With every temptation, God provides a “way of escape” so that we can avoid sin. It is our responsibility to find and take the way of escape that will allow us to bear the test successfully. It is important that we cultivate our “response ability” through prayer and meditating upon God’s Word.

Our first step is obedience: “Depart from evil” (Proverbs 3:7) and “flee” from temptation by pursuing “righteousness” (2 Timothy 2:22).

He who avoids the temptation avoids the sin.

Unknown

2 Tim 2:22-26

22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. 24 The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, 25 with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

We may believe that we cannot stop sinning, but if you are a true believer and follower of Jesus, God lives within you. You have the power of God fighting on your side! We must yield to the Holy Spirit, and we will do the will of God, not the devil. Be persistent and fervent in faith, striving to obey the truth, not the lies of Satan. Use trusted brothers and sisters in Christ to hold you accountable with tender love and acceptance yet boldly challenging you to obey God’s Word. Remember that in Christ, you will win this war!

John 16:33

33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 19, 2025

Notes of Faith August 19, 2025

A Test Is Not a Temptation

For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

James 1:13-14

The late comedian Flip Wilson created fictional characters for his comedy sketches—one of which was famous for saying, “The devil made me do it!” While the devil can’t make anyone sin, blaming him is more accurate than saying, “God tempted me to sin.”

The apostle James made it clear: God does not tempt anyone to sin. That is not to say that God doesn’t use tests in our life. For instance, when God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses and the people saw the thunder and lightning and were afraid, Moses told them, “God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin” (Exodus 20:20). While the same Greek word for “test” can also be translated “temptation,” a test from God is not a temptation from God. As James wrote, temptation arises from within.

When you are tempted, “fear the Lord and depart from evil” (Proverbs 3:7). Ask God to help you cultivate desires from the Spirit rather than from the flesh (Romans 7:7-8).

Temptation has its source not in the outer lure but in the inner lust.

D. Edmund Hiebert

Rom 7:14-25

14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. 17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.

Rom 12:1-2

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Phil 4:8

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.

We have an ongoing need to be transformed! Becoming like Christ, being holy, blameless before God, will not happen until Christ makes us new at His coming to take us to be with Him. But, in our daily walk in this world, transformation begins with the mind! We think an action before we do it. It may be infinitesimally quick, but we still think before we act. Let us pursue holiness, thinking on things of God and not things of this world, spiritual things, not earthly things. I pray for myself, that I may be given grace to grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and present to you and others a reflected image of Jesus, that you might follow me as I follow Jesus!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 18, 2025

Notes of Faith August 18, 2025

Grace in the Courtroom

If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven.

John 20:23

“I rarely see grace in this courtroom, but I saw it today,” said Judge Leticia Marques. Ronald Davis, 55, was sentenced to life in prison for killing an 85-year-old woman in Orlando. The victim’s husband, Rev. Bill Curl, forgave the man who had killed his wife. “For him, we have nothing but forgiveness, for love, for a hope that the rest of his life has a better quality, and one day he’ll come to know Jesus,” Curl said. “He obviously should be punished for what he did but that doesn’t negate forgiveness.”1

Forgiving someone who hurt us is very hard. It’s actually impossible unless the grace of God enters our hearts and reminds us of how our Lord has forgiven us. Jesus taught us to pray, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).

If we’ve prayed that God will forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors we will be ready to forgive those who hurt us. If you feel you can’t forgive someone, ask the Lord to give you the forgiving Spirit of Jesus. He will help you!

To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.

C. S. Lewis

1 Leonardo Blair, “First Baptist Orlando Pastor Bill Curl Forgives Wife’s Killer Sentenced to Life in Prison,” The Christian Post, August 23, 2025.

We all too often think that it is okay when we don’t forgive someone because they have wronged us. But …

Matt 6:14-15

14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

His grace is greater than our sin! How frightening to hold onto anger and unforgiveness at the loss of your own need of forgiveness. The two verses above are often overlooked because our minds stop at verse 13. We need to be reminded that the entire Word of God IS the Word of God! Maybe this is God speaking to a need in your heart and life today… Do you have someone or perhaps more than one whom you need to forgive? Take a moment right now and pray for God to give you the same mercy and grace that He bestowed on you, to place on those you need to forgive.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 17, 2025

Notes of Faith August 17, 2025

Grow Under the Load

Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare. — Psalm 91:3

The noblest souls are the most tempted. The devil is a sportsman and likes big game. He makes the deadliest assaults on the richest natures, the finest minds, the noblest spirits. ~ John L. Lawrence

Morning

Lord! — the fowler lays his net

In Thine evening hour;

When our souls are full of sleep — Void of full power . . .

Look! The wild fowl sees him not As he lays it lower!

Creeping round the water’s edge In the dusk of day;

Drops his net, just out of sight, Weighted lightly! — Stay!

You can see him at his work . . . Fly to God! — And pray!

Like the wild birds; knowing not Nets lie underneath!

Gliding near the water’s edge — Fowler’s snare” beneath —

Little feet, caught in the net: Souls lie, near to death.

But the promise still rings clear: “He delivers thee,” From the snare, however great

He will set thee free.

“Pluck my feet out of the net!” He delivers me. When Thou dost deliver, Lord,

From the fowler’s snare, Then — the glory is all Thine, Thou madest us aware,

And though it was stealthy-laid, We saw it was there!

~L. M. Warner

Those who have the gale of Holy Spirit go forward even in sleep. ~Brother Lawrence

Jesus is never as near to me as when I lift my cross, lay it submissively on my shoulder, and welcome it with a patient and uncomplaining spirit.

Evening

Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me. — Mark 8:34

The cross that my Lord calls me to carry may assume many different shapes. I may have to be content with mundane tasks in a limited area of service, when I may believe my abilities are suited for much greater work. I may be required to continually cultivate the same field year after year, even though it yields no harvest whatsoever. I may be asked of God to nurture kind and loving thoughts about the very person who has wronged me and to speak gently to him, take his side when others oppose him, and bestow sympathy and comfort to him. I may have to openly testify of my Master before those who do not want to be reminded of Him or His claims. And I may be called to walk through this world with a bright, smiling face while my heart is breaking.

Yes, there are many crosses, and every one of them is heavy and painful. And it is unlikely that I would seek out even one of them on my own. Yet Jesus is never as near to me as when I lift my cross, lay it submissively on my shoulder, and welcome it with a patient and uncomplaining spirit.

He draws close to me in order to mature my wisdom, deepen my peace, increase my courage, and supplement my power. All this He does so that through the very experience that is so painful and distressing to me, I will be of greater use to others.

And then I will echo these words of one of the Scottish Covenantors of the seventeenth century, imprisoned for his faith by John Graham of Claverhouse — “I grow under the load.” ~Alexander Smellie

Use the cross you bear as a crutch to help you on your way, not as a stumbling block that causes you to fall.

You may others from sadness to gladness beguile, If you carry your cross with a smile.

Excerpted from Streams in the Desert Morning and Evening by L. B. Cowman, copyright Zondervan.

But Lord, I don’t want a cross to bear…I came to you so that I would never have a burden of suffering, challenge or battle of any kind! My mother repeated the words of Paul, wanting to share in the sufferings of our Lord in order to be sustained by His glory and power through anything that came her way. Life is hard! There will be trouble. But Jesus overcame this world of sin and by His grace through His gift of faith is drawing us to Himself day by day, becoming more like Him in every way! Today, may we worship the Lord of the harvest and share the truth of His glorious victory! See you all, perhaps soon, when we meet Jesus in the air!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 16, 2025

Notes of Faith August 16, 2025

Rousing Send-Offs: The Persecuted

Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.

Acts 8:4

Everyone in Jerusalem could feel the tension rising and rising. The Gospel was spreading to every quarter of the city, and the resistance of the Jewish leadership was like a fire about to ignite. It burst into conflagration with the murder of Stephen, the first martyr, and widespread persecution erupted against the new believers. Saul of Tarsus was leading the charge.

That drove the believers to flee Jerusalem, and as they did, they took the Gospel with them—to other districts in Judea, to Samaria, to Galilee, to Gaza, and into a widening circle of influence. It wasn’t the send-off they might have wanted, but God used the circumstances to send them forth.

Sometimes the circumstances of our lives force us to do things and go places we might not like. Perhaps a job transfer. Perhaps a hospital stay. Maybe it’s an unwanted crisis that takes us from our home and neighborhood. But remember how carefully the Lord oversees our circumstances. Wherever He sends you, you’ll find people who need Him. Let’s make the most of every opportunity.

There is no greater communication of love than proclaiming the gospel of God.

Alistair Begg

Saul Persecutes the Church

1And Saul was there, giving approval to Stephen’s death.

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2God-fearing men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him. 3But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.

Philip in Samaria

4Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them. 6The crowds gave their undivided attention to Philip’s message and to the signs they saw him perform. 7With loud shrieks, unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, and many of the paralyzed and lame were healed. 8So there was great joy in that city.

Persecution drives us closer to the Lord and to others suffering persecution along with us. All human beings are suffering persecution from the fall from grace of Adam and Eve. Creation…everything that God created suffers from the effect of sin and disobedience to God! Let us pursue holiness and righteousness that can only be found in Jesus Christ and in Him know peace, eternal redemption and forgiveness. May you be relieved of persecution today by walking with Jesus!

Proclaim the truth and joy of the Lord Jesus Christ ending persecution forever!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 15, 2025

Notes of Faith August 15, 2025

Every Thought Captive

We’ve all heard the question, What would Jesus do? But in his new book + Bible study, Tame Your Thoughts, Max Lucado challenges us to go even deeper—What would Jesus think? Because our actions are born from our thoughts, real change starts in the mind.

The weapons we use in our fight are not the world’s weapons but God’s powerful weapons, which we use to destroy strongholds. We destroy false arguments; we pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ.

— 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 GNT

Is this a Bible verse or a paragraph from a combat manual?

The weapons we use

The world’s weapons

God’s powerful weapons

Destroy strongholds

Pull down every proud obstacle

Take every thought captive

Make it obey

This is wartime terminology! The implication is clear: The battle is on! A high-stakes contest for the health of your mind. At issue are the strongholds that have a strong hold in your life.

The Greek term for stronghold has a dual meaning. First, it refers to a prison. It carries with it the image of a citadel with tall gates and thick walls. You can’t get out. You can’t move forward. You are stuck, incarcerated in a towering jail. Held hostage.

The word can also be translated as fortress. A fortress has high, impregnable, thick walls that defy easy access. No one can enter.

You’ve likely seen (perhaps in your own mirror) the person who resists assistance. Even friends, counselors, and helpers are turned away. Such people refuse to listen to advice or learn from their mistakes. They refuse counsel. They are stuck in a stronghold.

A prison keeps people in.

A fortress keeps people out.

Strongholds (unmanaged thoughts) do both.

Wouldn’t it be great to be done with them? To, as the apostle Paul wrote, “destroy strongholds”? Such a muscular verb. The Greek word for destroy means to “pull down by force.”1

Consider another version: We [smash] warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God. — 2 Corinthians 10:5 MSG

The image is that of a warrior, a soldier, a fighter. Our enemy is the unsolicited, unhealthy, and unwelcome idea. Rather than indulge such thoughts, we take a wrecking ball to them. Once the stronghold is shattered, we “take every thought captive and make it obey Christ.”

We filter. We screen. We inspect. We monitor. We discriminate. We challenge. The literal rendering of the phrase is “to take one captive with a spear pointed into [the] back.”2 We poke a spear against the spine of toxic thoughts, march them outside, and toss them on their derrieres. We take seriously the high and holy honor of thought management.

Viktor Frankl did. In his classic book Man’s Search for Meaning, Dr. Frankl revealed what he discovered during his three years of captivity in World War II concentration camps. “We wondered,” he wrote, “...what caused some men to survive and others to perish.”3 Prisoners of a less hardy makeup endured, while more robust men did not. Why? He found the answer:

We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.4

You don’t find yourself in a concentration camp. However, you likely find yourself slugging through the mud of challenges, conflicts, and fears. You aren’t surrounded by barbed wire and Nazis. But you are surrounded by aggravations, temptations, and self-doubt. Your first and highest call is to stand vigil over your mind. Discipleship, at its core, is Christlike thinking.

Some years ago, WWJD bracelets were all the rage. What would Jesus do? The acronym was a wonderful device. However, might I suggest we change one word? Rather than ask what Jesus would do, let’s ask WWJT.

What would Jesus think?

Actions are the offspring of thoughts. Behavior follows belief. So, if we want to improve our behavior, let’s go upriver and monitor our minds.

My wife’s favorite author said it this way:

You can be the air traffic controller of your mental airport. You occupy the control tower and can direct the mental traffic of your world. Thoughts circle above, coming and going. If one of them lands, it is because you gave it permission. If it leaves, it is because you directed it to do so. You can select your thought pattern.5

Satan’s strategy is simple: Poison your thinking with stinking doubts, deceit, and discouragement. If he can master your mind, he will master your life. The more minds he can control, the more portions of society he can influence. Tell him to get lost.

Discipleship, at its core, is Christlike thinking.

Do with your thoughts what I do with emails. Until a couple of years ago, I didn’t know I could block emails. Delete them? I knew that. But block them? I missed that tip.

Consequently, I couldn’t clean out my inbox. Unsolicited emails kept coming. I tried to delete them daily, but I just couldn’t keep up. They cluttered my computer.

Then I was told about the Block This Sender command. You mean I can block a sender?! I did exactly that.

Politician? Blocked.

Shoe store? Blocked.

Sales pitch? Blocked.

I spent the better part of an afternoon erecting Do Not Enter signs to turn away nuisances. It took time, but I emptied my inbox of unneeded and unsolicited emails. It’s one of the greatest achievements of my life.

These days, when one or two or ten sneak in, I stand them down. No more clutter for me. And no more clutter for you, my friend.

Anxiety? Blocked.

Regret? Blocked.

Insecurity? Blocked.

You can “take every thought captive and make it obey Christ”

(2 Corinthians 10:5 GNT).

Excerpted from Tame Your Thoughts by Max Lucado, copyright Max Lucado.

Not saying that this is easy but it is commanded in Scripture for those who follow Christ! Let us pursue choosing the path of what Jesus would think, thus taking every thought captive! May you be blessed by God today for your effort to control the air traffic in your brain.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 14, 2025

Notes of Faith August 14, 2025

A Day at a Time

Give us this day our daily bread.

Matthew 6:11

It is important to remember that Jesus’ ministry began in the waning years of the Old Testament period. Much of His teaching came out of the context of the history of Israel.

For example, when He taught His disciples to pray for “daily bread,” they no doubt would have thought of the forty years in the wilderness during which God gave the Israelites manna (bread) to eat daily (Exodus 16). The Israelites were instructed to gather manna in the morning and collect only enough to meet their needs for one day. And following His teaching on praying for daily bread (Matthew 6:9-13), Jesus reminded the disciples not to worry about what they would eat each day (Matthew 6:25). Just as God was faithful to provide for His people daily in the wilderness, so He would provide for the disciples.

And so He will provide for us as we trust in Him. Walking by faith, not by sight, means taking no thought (worry) for tomorrow (Matthew 6:34). God’s commitment is to provide all our needs as we look to Him (Philippians 4:19).

If God sends us on stony paths, He will provide us with strong shoes.

Alexander MacLaren

My parents tried their best to teach me to save “for a rainy day” but I, like most people have lived with debt, mostly home and cars. But all of that could be gone in an instant just as it was with Job. “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Being prepared, (going to work each day to provide for the family) is not overstepping one’s trust in the Lord for daily provision. That is part of His provision! Let us gives thanks for the daily provision of the Lord, trusting Him in whatever comes our way!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 13, 2025

Notes of Faith August 13, 2025

Where Is the Kingdom?

Therefore, when they had come together, [the apostles] asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

Acts 1:6

The Kingdom of God was part of Jesus’ conversation and preaching throughout His three-year ministry. But in spite of all Jesus’ teachings about the Kingdom, His disciples were still not clear on what and where it was. Just before His ascension, they asked Him if He was about to restore the Kingdom to Israel. He didn’t deny their question; instead, He told them that it was not for them to know the date at which God’s Kingdom would be manifest on earth (Acts 1:7).

Jesus focused more on the spiritual dimension of the Kingdom than the political. In His most pointed statement He said, “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). Some scholars suggest that “within you” should be translated “in your midst” or “within your grasp.” All three options point to the same understanding: The Kingdom of God now is a spiritual reality available to all who will receive it.

For now, the Kingdom of God exists wherever the King is. If Christ lives within you (Galatians 2:20), then the Kingdom of God is within you.

The only kingdom that will prevail in this world is the kingdom that is not of this world. (I love being NOTW. How about you?) dw

Unknown

Luke 19:11

11 As they were listening to this, he went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.

Judas was not the only chosen Apostle that was hoping that Jesus was going to overthrow the Romans and give Israel the kingdom that was promised in Genesis. The other Apostles argued about which one of them was the greatest even to the day before Jesus was crucified. They wanted the kingdom to come and thought that they would be given positions of prominence and power. They were wrong in thought and failed often in spiritual matters, but they were not traitors, except Judas Iscariot.

Is the kingdom of God within you? Like we might ask a child… “Has Jesus come into your heart?” Wherever the King lives, His kingdom is there. I should hear a hearty AMEN! My prayer is that each of you who read this are in the kingdom of Christ already and are awaiting His thousand-year earthly reign that is prophesied to come, perhaps soon. Keep watching the signs of the times. They speak of the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Pastor Dale