And David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God — my God — will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord. (1 Chronicles 28:20)
Encouragement is the antidote against discouragement. In David’s words of encouragement, we find a two-fold assurance;
1) God is with us. David declares “my God!” The same God who enabled him to kill lions as a shepherd boy, who took out Goliath, and defeated all his enemies! This God will be with you! Discouragement cannot ride along with us when Jesus is in the car with us; it may try to hitch a ride from us, but we must not stop and let it ride. Keep driving toward the destiny God has for you. The second encouraging thing we find in David’s exhortation to Solomon is;
2) You will finish the work. I’ve often taken comfort in the “fact,” satan can do nothing “about me” until God is finished “with me!”I am often my greatest enemy; thus, from time to time I find myself discouraged due to personal failures, mistakes and sometimes, outright sin! As with Paul my prayer has often been, “Who can free me from this wretched man that I am?” Then Paul gives the answer;
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 8:1)
Because we are in Him and His presence is with us the work, what God has called you to do, will be accomplished without question! When you are discouraged know that Christ is not only “with you” but you are “in Him.” Therefore, it is His strength, His ability, and not our which will complete the task at hand! In Christ, satan has no strategy which will cause us to fail, unless we aid him, through unrepentant sin. In God, in Christ, Solomon finished the task before him; not because he was a great strategist, but because God had ordained the work, in “Himself!”
Today do not be dismayed, (dismayed, literally means: to break down in confusion); but be “strong and of good courage” If you feel broke down, busted and disgusted, remember God is with you and you are in Christ! God has a ministry for you to fulfill, just as David gave his son Solomon the plans and the materials to complete the task, (1 Chronicles 28:11-19); the materials and plans have already been submitted by God for the task He has called you to complete also, in Christ! May the Lord richly bless you as you seek to fulfill that which He has ordained for you.
For His Glory, Pastor Al
ENCOURAGEMENT
Here is a good word for today. Be encourage, “great” victories lie before you!
Valiantly!
(Psalm 108:12-13)
Give us help from trouble, For the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.
“There fell down many slain, because the war was of God.” — [1 Chronicles 5:22](https://cwc-dc/public/USERS/deniseb/DESKTOP AUG 2018/OPEN_ANYTWO_TS BOOKS ‘Spurgeon~~~s Morning and Evening’ DK_Book ‘#%23%23MORNING%23%23%23June%23%23%23Day 8’ BIBLES nnssttss DK_BIBLE ‘1 Chronicles 5o0o22‘)
Warrior, fighting under the banner of the Lord Jesus, observe this verse with holy joy, for as it was in the days of old so is it now, if the war be of God the victory is sure. The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh could barely muster five and forty thousand fighting men, and yet in their war with the Hagarites, they slew “men, an hundred thousand,” “for they cried to God in the battle, and He was entreated of them, because they put their trust in Him.” The Lord saveth not by many nor by few; it is ours to go forth in Jehovah’s name if we be but a handful of men, for the Lord of Hosts is with us for our Captain. They did not neglect buckler, and sword, and bow, neither did they place their trust in these weapons; we must use all fitting means, but our confidence must rest in the Lord alone, for He is the sword and the shield of His people. The great reason of their extraordinary success lay in the fact that “the war was of God.” Beloved, in fighting with sin without and within, with error doctrinal or practical, with spiritual wickedness in high places or low places, with devils and the devil’s allies, you are waging Jehovah’s war, and unless He himself can be worsted, you need not fear defeat. Quail not before superior numbers, shrink not from difficulties or impossibilities, flinch not at wounds or death, smite with the two-edged sword of the Spirit, and the slain shall lie in heaps. The battle is the Lord’s and He will deliver His enemies into our hands. With steadfast foot, strong hand, dauntless heart, and flaming zeal, rush to the conflict, and the hosts of evil shall fly like chaff before the gale. Stand up! stand up for Jesus!
To him that overcometh, The strife will not be long; A crown of life shall be; This day the noise of battle, He with the King of glory The next the victor’s song: Shall reign eternally.
I don’t know about you but after the great victory last weekend, at our Easter celebration, I have felt a spirit of oppression over me. I know a lot of it has to do with spiritual attack, and some of it also is a due to a major allergy attack, I’ve been experiencing. My natural inclination is to retreat, to lay low, to set aside the armor and take a break; but that always proves to be spiritually fatal! After a great victory we must be even more “valiant” than before; we must resist the temptation to build a monument to ourselves and press on! There is more God desires to accomplish in and through your life and ministry. Let us be “valiant” believers, still looking, still expecting to see the salvation and glory of our God! The word “valiant” means: possessing or acting with bravery or boldness – carried out with courage and determination. David declared:
(Psalm 60:11-12) Give us help from trouble, For the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.
God is our continual “help,” despite our troubles or the attacks of the enemy. If we will keep Him as our “help,” we will have a “valiant faith,” and accomplish great things in His name!
For His Glory, Pastor Al
ENCOURAGEMENT
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer” The direction to “be” a certain way in the actions that are mentioned implies that it can be done, that it is a matter of the will and “I can’t” is not acceptable. It does not say when hope is difficult you don’t have to be joyful, when affliction is really hard you don’t have to be patient, or when you are extremely busy you can put off prayer. Today, let’s “be”! Romans 12:12
GREAT EXHORTATION! “Let us be!”
PASTOR AL
ENCOURAGEMENT
Let us all give praise to our King for the “fruit” which the Holy Spirit produces through the word. Again, I thank God for you always, that the name of our King is magnified through your good works! God bless you all.
Pastor Al
We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other. 2 Thessalonians 1:3
Here are a few A.W. Tozer quotes; he was the pastor of Southside Alliance Church, Chicago, IL (1928-1959), and is one of the most godly inspirational leaders, in my opinion, of the 20th century. He was a powerful uncompromising pastor and preacher in his day; Tozer died in 1963. I hope these quotes bless, challenge and inspire you to be more like Jesus.
For His Glory, Pastor Al
“*The only fear I have is to fear to get out of the will of God. Outside of the will of God, there’s nothing I want, and in the will of God there’s nothing I fear, for God has sworn to keep me in His will.”—*from Success and the Christian: The Cost of Spiritual Maturity
“No matter what the circumstances, we Christians should keep our heads. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of a sound mind. It is a dismal thing to see a son of heaven cringe in terror before the sons of earth.”—from The Warfare of the Spirit
“*In some circles, God has been abridged, reduced, modified, edited, changed and amended until He is no longer the God whom Isaiah saw, high and lifted up.”—*from Whatever Happened to Worship?
“It is a high Christian privilege to pray for one another within each local church body and then for other believers throughout the world. As a Christian minister, I have no right to preach to people I have not prayed for. That is my strong conviction.”—from Tragedy in the Church: The Missing Gifts
“But a lot of people have gone too far and have written books and poetry that gets everybody believing that God is so kind and loving and gentle. God is so kind that infinity won’t measure it. And God is so loving that He is immeasurably loving. But God is also holy and just.”—from The Attributes of God, Volume One
“The world lives in such a time of crisis. Christians alone are in a position to rescue the perishing. We dare not settle down to try to live as if things were normal.”—from Born After Midnight
“I wonder also how many Christians in our day have truly and completely abandoned themselves to Jesus Christ as their Lord. We are very busy telling people to “accept Christ”—and that seems to be the only word we are using. We arrange a painless acceptance.”—from Who Put Jesus on the Cross?
“I want the presence of God Himself, or I don’t want anything at all to do with religion. You would never get me interested in the old maids’ social club with a little bit of Christianity thrown in to give it respectability. I want all that God has, or I don’t want any.”—from The Counselor
ENCOURGEMENT
Christ is our all in all; His estimation of our lives is the only thing that really matters.
Pastor Al
“The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority. He has accepted God’s estimate of his own life: In himself, nothing;
In God, everything. He knows well that the world will never see him as God sees him and he has stopped caring.” – A.W. Tozer, Man: The Dwelling Place of God
ENCOURAGEMENT
Here’s a word of encouragement I received from a fellow minister in Christ. I pray that it will bless you.
His Bondservant, Pastor Al
Hello Friends,
This morning the Lord blessed my heart and I want to bless yours I was the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 and was struck by verses 22-24 : “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.
God’s response to my broken heart, to my confession of sin, my coming back home from my periodic wandering is not lecture, review or condemnation but an immediate reckless, extravagant expression of grace that covers my shame and affirms my status as his unconditionally favored, forgiven, loved and accepted child. How amazing is God’s grace! Walk, bathe, soak, and saturate yourself in it today.
I love you all; but God loves you more.
Humbled by His grace, Jason Perry
ENCOURAGEMENT
May God give us great “strength” for the mighty harvest to come. Meteorologist (those who study the weather) tell us that before a hurricane slams into a land mass a vacuum is created in the atmosphere. In the same sense a great “spiritual vacuum” has been created in our country. While many lament, and justly so, the condition of our nation, historically these signs have often preceded “great revivals.” I believe, if we will remain faithful, we will witness a mighty “harvest” in these last days. People are desperate for the truth today, and we have it! Therefore, be strong; recommit yourself to the work of God’s Kingdom; which can only be accomplished through prayer and by the power of the Holy Spirit. The vacuum is about to be “filled,” therefore we must “be filled,” with the power of God to receive the “bountiful harvest” to come!
Pastor Al
“If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small. Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?” Proverbs 24:10-12
“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Galatians 6:9
ENCOURAGEMENT
When faced with a problem are you more prone to “magnify” the problem or the “solution?” A good rule of thumb in “problem solving” is to acknowledge the problem, by providing of two or three “viable” solutions. In that way we become more “production” focused, rather than “problem” focused. Such a mentality encourages the free flow of ideas and possibilities which aid in promoting an atmosphere of creativity; productivity rather than negativity. The “lazy person,” however, is great at diagnosing, examining, and pointing out problems. When a lazy person sees a “lion” (problem) in the streets, they may alert everyone to it, but provide no “prognosis,” (solution), in addressing the situation; typically, their solution is more murmuring and complaining. We have an awesome team at CWC; that combined with the fact that we serve a God of “limitless” creativity, let’s always strive to be a part of the “solution” in all our endeavors, to the “glory” of our God!
“Carpe Deim” (seize the day),
Pastor Al
The lazy man says, “There is a lion in the road!
A fierce lion is in the streets!”
As a door turns on its hinges,
So does the lazy man on his bed.
The lazy man buries his hand in the bowl;
It wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.
The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes
Than seven men who can answer sensibly. (Proverbs 26:13-16)
ENCOURAGEMENT
Whirlwinds and storm are of the Lord’s design, for making “good timber.”
Good Timber
The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
That stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.
The man who never had to toil
To heaven from the common soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man,
But lived and died as he began.
Good timber does not grow in ease;
The stronger wind, the tougher trees;
The farther sky, the greater length;
The more the storm, the more the strength;
By sun and cold, by rain and snows,
In tree or man, good timber grows.
Where thickest stands the forest growth
We find the patriarchs of them both;
And they hold converse with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and of much strife —
This is the common law of life. Douglas Malloch, quoted in Resource, Sept./Oct., 1992, p 7.
“My brethren count it all joy when you fall into various trials .” James 1:2a
*A clay pot sitting in the sun will always be a clay pot. It has to go through the white heat of the furnace to become porcelain.*Mildred Witte Struven, Bits and Pieces, September 19, 1991, p.6.
*In adversity we usually want God to do a removing job when He wants to do an improving job. To realize the worth of the anchor, we need to feel the storm.*Source Unknown.
The Lord has His way In the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust of His feet. (Nahum 1:3b)
We can rest in the whirlwind and in the storm knowing God will have “His way” for our good and His “glory!”
For His Glory,
His Bondservant – Pastor Al
ENCOURAGMENT FOR CWC
What a joy to set aside time to “inquire” of the Lord. CWC is His ministry, His vineyard; and as His vineyard I believe the Lord is preparing us for a season of tremendous fruitfulness. The Lord is gently and lovingly “pruning” our hearts for His glory. The growth of this ministry is always secondary to our personal growth in Him. It’s an honor to serve alongside of you; may the Lord richly bless you and your families, and the ministry He has entrusted to you.
For His Glory, Pastor Al
“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:2
ENCOURAGEMENT
King Saul grew to “hate” David because of David’s popularity and the distressing spirit God sent to trouble him.
1 Samuel 18:11
And Saul cast the spear, for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!” But David escaped his presence twice.
1 Samuel 18:13
Therefore Saul removed him from his presence, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.
1 Samuel 18:20-21
Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. So Saul said, “I will give her to him, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time, “You shall be my son-in-law today.”
1 Samuel 18:25b
But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
Saul is a type of satan, he started out well, as did the devil, but grew to despise God’s chosen vessel. Like Saul satan seeks to spear you, remove, ensnare, and even kill you; but if God is “for” you his efforts are all in vain!
1 Samuel 18:30
David behaved more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name became highly esteemed.
Like Saul, satan is tormented, tormented by the fact he is running out of time; he “hates” the popularity of this fellowship (CWC). He will continue to throw spears, (gossip) seek to remove us from our purpose, (glorify Christ and love one another), he will try to ensnare us, (by getting us to focus on issues which divide us), and if all else fails he will even seek to kill us, (to destroy our testimony in Christ). But the Spirit of God has “defiantly” declared:
Romans 8:31-35
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
Though the enemy may rage and breathe threats, he is already “defeated.” Today “rest” in our Lord’s justification and intercession; focusing more on the “One” who is “for” us, rather than the schemes and lies of the one, who is “against” us! No matter what the devil brings against us, he cannot reverse the blessing God, in His sovereign grace and mercy has placed upon us! “Rejoice in the Lord and again I say rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). As greedy prophet Balaam said; (Numbers 23:20b) “…He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.”
Rejoicing in Him, Pastor Al
ENCOURAGEMENT
It’s really not a “secret,” the apostle Paul reveals the key element for finishing with “joy!’
“But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:24
“…nor do I count my life dear to me…” that phrase really sticks out to me. When I count my life “dear” (literally: esteem to the highest degree), life is all about my comfort (what’s in it for me) and my cares (appeasing people and my flesh), and not about Christ! Paul understood, if he was to finish with “joy,” that he had to live by faith and not by his flesh. If your life is the most precious thing to you, Christ cannot be Lord over you; your race will be sporadic, inconsistent, frustrating; filled with timidity and fear. But if Christ is “ your life” you can run with “joy,” the Joy of the Lord is our strength,” and finish with “joy!”
Today make Christ the “dearest” thing in your life; reflect upon what He has done for you, upon His everlasting grace, mercy and love for you. And run with joy!
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. Mark 8:35**
“Run Forrest, run!”
For His Glory, Pastor Al
ENCOURAGEMENT
The attack is on! Have you sensed it? Just as I predicted satan is working overtime, after the great “victory” last weekend, which the Lord performed. Below is a biblical perspective we need to keep in relationship to wisdom and our communication moving forward. This perspective seals off the “agenda” of the devil, confusion, and promotes our Father’s agenda of “peace!”
Pastor Al
James 3:14-18
14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
