It has been an amazing week for Connections. God is the same today as he was yesterday and he will be the same tomorrow. When His people turn away from evil and earnestly seek Him He will show up in extraordinary ways. The smallest steps of faith move mountains. Connections Daily Devotions capture how God worked this week.
Friday, May 13
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. Acts 2:1,2
I enjoyed our first prayer meeting, thank you all for attending. I am looking forward to our next. Something powerful happens when we gather with one heart and one voice. During His ministry Jesus brought a diverse group of individuals together. When He died they scattered. Per His instructions, they gathered together in Jerusalem and waited. On the day of Pentecost Heaven opened and the Holy Spirit was poured out. Jesus knew his disciples would remain a group of individuals until they learned to lift their voices together. Please continue to pray for unity. May we be knitted together as one body with one voice. We are Connections. We have been chosen for this time and this place for this mission. We, through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, will impact the world.
Sunday, May 15
4 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:14-16
Faith is a verb. To faith is to love. Those we serve will come to know God through our actions. Encouraging words grab attention, but a failure to act wounds. Pray Connections serves sincerely with encouraging words and matching actions. Pray we will find ways to go beyond convenience and schedule to meet every opportunity to demonstrate our faith and God's love. Pray Connections avoids making empty promises by seeking God's will in every need.
Faith is a verb. To faith is to love. Those we serve will come to know God through our actions. Encouraging words grab attention, but a failure to act wounds. Pray Connections serves sincerely with encouraging words and matching actions. Pray we will find ways to go beyond convenience and schedule to meet every opportunity to demonstrate our faith and God's love. Pray Connections avoids making empty promises by seeking God's will in every need.
Monday, May 16
"He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30
We will make the greatest impact when we put Jesus center-stage. My success in outreach these past years has not been based on any special skills or abilities. It is actually the contrary. I am not a gifted outreach worker. When I arrived at the Coalition I was so far out of my depth I had no choice but to rely on Jesus. As people began lining up to see me I realized they were not there to see me but the light within me. There have been days I have been tempted to take credit for my popularity, but those days never end well. To successfully serve He must become greater and I must become less.
Please pray for the blessing of humility. Connections will succeed not by our talents and gifts but by the light we reflect into the world. Ask God to take you beyond your comfort zone. It is easy to learn to trust and rely on Him when you can no longer touch. Pray the people who God will send to us will encounter Him. May we always radiate with His love.
We will make the greatest impact when we put Jesus center-stage. My success in outreach these past years has not been based on any special skills or abilities. It is actually the contrary. I am not a gifted outreach worker. When I arrived at the Coalition I was so far out of my depth I had no choice but to rely on Jesus. As people began lining up to see me I realized they were not there to see me but the light within me. There have been days I have been tempted to take credit for my popularity, but those days never end well. To successfully serve He must become greater and I must become less.
Please pray for the blessing of humility. Connections will succeed not by our talents and gifts but by the light we reflect into the world. Ask God to take you beyond your comfort zone. It is easy to learn to trust and rely on Him when you can no longer touch. Pray the people who God will send to us will encounter Him. May we always radiate with His love.
Wednesday, May 18
“When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” Luke 12:10-12
As I mentioned in a previous devotion I was asked to share my testimony with the Iron Men of Freedom Church. I have shared my testimony many times with individuals and with large groups. I rely on the Holy Spirit to guide me to the words to share. God has asked me to give my complete testimony only twice. The first time was with a Christian young man who needed to be encouraged to cherish the woman God had blessed him with; the second time was last night with the Iron Men.
Obediently, I prepared a message which shared the unflattering details of my life before I knew God. I was certain it was the message God wanted me to share; someone's life was at stake. The message was well organized, supported by scripture, and ready to be delivered; then I entered the church. The Iron Men group was much smaller than usual. I saw Pastor's truck in the parking lot and heard him joking with a few others in the kitchen. Our Connections meeting was to begin in a few minutes and I was beside myself with fear. I stole a few moments in the classroom across the hall to pray, "Father, please do not let me shame you."
Our meeting went well; your fellowship is soothing to my spirit. 7:00 quickly came and it was time for me to join the men. I entered a room of fifteen Elders, Pastors, Prayer Warriors, Pillars of the Church, a Missionary, a Doctor, and friends. This was my audience? Maybe God had it wrong; too late to alter my message. I leaned heavily on Luke 12:10-12. As I found my voice, it was strong and unwavering. I spoke from a simple outline and let God choose my words. I was confident, even during uncomfortable details. As the evening progressed God provided confirmation through the blending of my message with words offered by other speakers. When the evening was over I was approached by several men who thanked me for my testimony. I appreciated the support from everyone, and was deeply touched by the encouragement of Pastor Larry.
God faithfully walked me through a difficult situation; one my flesh wanted to run away from. However, by trusting in His promise I received validation and encouragement. Please pray for the courage which can only be found through God. As we climb closer and closer to launch our faith will be tested. Pray we have the strength to stand firm. As you find yourselves in new situations, do not fear, he will never leave you or forsake you. Thank God for His faithfulness and guidance through the process and face new challenges with joy.
As I mentioned in a previous devotion I was asked to share my testimony with the Iron Men of Freedom Church. I have shared my testimony many times with individuals and with large groups. I rely on the Holy Spirit to guide me to the words to share. God has asked me to give my complete testimony only twice. The first time was with a Christian young man who needed to be encouraged to cherish the woman God had blessed him with; the second time was last night with the Iron Men.
Obediently, I prepared a message which shared the unflattering details of my life before I knew God. I was certain it was the message God wanted me to share; someone's life was at stake. The message was well organized, supported by scripture, and ready to be delivered; then I entered the church. The Iron Men group was much smaller than usual. I saw Pastor's truck in the parking lot and heard him joking with a few others in the kitchen. Our Connections meeting was to begin in a few minutes and I was beside myself with fear. I stole a few moments in the classroom across the hall to pray, "Father, please do not let me shame you."
Our meeting went well; your fellowship is soothing to my spirit. 7:00 quickly came and it was time for me to join the men. I entered a room of fifteen Elders, Pastors, Prayer Warriors, Pillars of the Church, a Missionary, a Doctor, and friends. This was my audience? Maybe God had it wrong; too late to alter my message. I leaned heavily on Luke 12:10-12. As I found my voice, it was strong and unwavering. I spoke from a simple outline and let God choose my words. I was confident, even during uncomfortable details. As the evening progressed God provided confirmation through the blending of my message with words offered by other speakers. When the evening was over I was approached by several men who thanked me for my testimony. I appreciated the support from everyone, and was deeply touched by the encouragement of Pastor Larry.
God faithfully walked me through a difficult situation; one my flesh wanted to run away from. However, by trusting in His promise I received validation and encouragement. Please pray for the courage which can only be found through God. As we climb closer and closer to launch our faith will be tested. Pray we have the strength to stand firm. As you find yourselves in new situations, do not fear, he will never leave you or forsake you. Thank God for His faithfulness and guidance through the process and face new challenges with joy.
Saturday, May 21
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47
Fellowship is one of the greatest gifts from God and essential to our success. I thank God he has surrounded me with people who are willing to join together with my voice and seek God's will. At Thursday’s prayer meeting I witnessed God's hand at work. We entered the room as individuals but left the room as one; the product of simply lifting our voices as one. Obstacles which threatened to crowd out our vision were suddenly gone. Within five minutes after our prayer we received confirmation about new streams of income and a place to begin meeting on Sunday mornings. Somebody say, THANK YOU JESUS!!!
Prayer is a powerful. Prayer is essential. Please continue to find time to pray during the week. Pray for the each of our leaders. Pray for Megan, Bonnie, Dylan J, Michael, and Jon that God would make their heavy burdens light. Pray for Kelly, Destiny, Jason, Jasmine, and Rachel that God will bring order from chaos. Pray for Dylan F, Jenna, Nikki and Billy for strength to stand against the temptations of the world and empowerment to bring the light into the darkness. Pray for Deniz and I that we remain true to God's vision and trust in His providence as we step out in faith. May God provide for each of our needs and may we be richly blessed so we may share those blessing with those we are called to serve.
Fellowship is one of the greatest gifts from God and essential to our success. I thank God he has surrounded me with people who are willing to join together with my voice and seek God's will. At Thursday’s prayer meeting I witnessed God's hand at work. We entered the room as individuals but left the room as one; the product of simply lifting our voices as one. Obstacles which threatened to crowd out our vision were suddenly gone. Within five minutes after our prayer we received confirmation about new streams of income and a place to begin meeting on Sunday mornings. Somebody say, THANK YOU JESUS!!!
Prayer is a powerful. Prayer is essential. Please continue to find time to pray during the week. Pray for the each of our leaders. Pray for Megan, Bonnie, Dylan J, Michael, and Jon that God would make their heavy burdens light. Pray for Kelly, Destiny, Jason, Jasmine, and Rachel that God will bring order from chaos. Pray for Dylan F, Jenna, Nikki and Billy for strength to stand against the temptations of the world and empowerment to bring the light into the darkness. Pray for Deniz and I that we remain true to God's vision and trust in His providence as we step out in faith. May God provide for each of our needs and may we be richly blessed so we may share those blessing with those we are called to serve.
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