Keep your chin up!

Good Morning Saints,

Matthew 5:1-20   And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain. And when He had sat down, His disciples came to Him.

And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying,

Blessed are they that mourn! For they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek! For they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness! For they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful! For they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart! For they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers! For they shall be called the sons of God.

Blessed are they who have been persecuted for righteousness sake! For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for My sake.

Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for your reward in Heaven is great. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its savor, with what shall it be salted? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and to be trodden underfoot by men.

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Nor do men light a lamp and put it under the grain-measure, but on a lampstand. And it gives light to all who are in the house.

Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.

Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to destroy but to fulfill.

For truly I say to you, Till the heaven and the earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall in any way pass from the Law until all is fulfilled.

Therefore whoever shall relax one of these commandments, the least, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of Heaven. But whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven.

For I say to you that unless your righteousness shall exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of Heaven.

Be Blessed today…may His light shine through you.  Matthew 6:33-34 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow; for tomorrow shall be anxious for its own things. Sufficient to the day is the evil of it.  Isaiah 1:19 (The Message)  If you’ll willingly obey, you’ll feast like kings.

Prayer: Thank You Lord that as I seek You First & Your righteousness I know you will take care of everything!  You are good! 

Paul said in Philippians 1:6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.   It is like the song Tiffany and Gene sang a few weeks ago…You can see Him working on the outside…I can feel Him working on the inside.

Beloved, keep your chin up…Love God, Love people and Enjoy life!

Pastor Duke

…cutting between soul and spirit…

Greetings Saints,

I received encouraging notes from yesterdays Pastor’s Page.  I have always read the Bible in a systematic way…that does not mean I haven’t picked it up and just open it and read.  Usually I read through the Bible front to back…Genesis to Revelation.  I have also at times read through the Psalms…all 150… and Proverbs many times. That is what I am doing now.

I really like the way the Hebrew writer describes the very Scriptures he is writing.  Hebrews 4:12 (nlt) For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

Today is the 28^th…why not take a moment and read the 28^th chapter of Proverbs and the 28^th Psalms. The chapter overview for Proverbs says “General observations of impiety and religious integrity.”  This chapter is full of rich nuggets for everyday living.  Do you want Isaiah 1:19 as a promise to claim?  Read Proverbs 28.

The chapter overview in the commentary says this is a “Cry for Help and Thanksgiving.”  Another says “A righteous man in affliction makes supplication to God and complains of the malice of his enemies.”

The Bible is an amazing thing…more than a book…yet it contains words.  The difference…The Words are God inspired and His instructions for His followers.  So do we want Isaiah 1:19 “If you will only obey Me, you will have plenty to eat” to be ours to claim?

Prayer:  Lord reveal Yourself to me as I read Your Word.  Reveal myself to me as I read Your Word. May I walk in the center of Your Word and Your power flow out of my life.  Help me to love everybody & forgive everybody.  Help my life to be one of religious integrity not filled with impiety.   I ask this in His Name, Amen!

Have a Word filled day and enjoy the good of the land!

Pastor Duke

Don’t give up…press on!

Good Morning,

Deuteronomy 31:6  Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Today is the 27^th…I read Psalm 27 and Proverbs 27 this morning.  For several weeks now I have been in the first few chapters of Mark especially the 2^nd chapter. “ It was noised Jesus was in the house.”  But this morning I read these chapters.  Psalm 27:14 says ….be of good courage…

Today…be en-couraged…Jesus will not fail thee, nor forsake thee!  Take courage…fear not for God will be with you!  Be encouraged.  Do you think there is a connection between courage and hope?   Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.

Just a thought:  Don’t grow weary…don’t give up…press on.  It takes courage to press through disappointments and setbacks in life in order to attain the dream God has given.  The reality of a promise given to you in your inner man by God will take courage to push through the obstacles to realize the blessing.  Sometimes the heart grows heavy…but hope keeps pushing on right  through the heaviness.  It seems courage and hope are cousins…in the same family…one needs both in their life.

Proverbs 13 says when the desire or dream is fulfilled it is a tree of life.  This reference to the tree of life is also found in the Garden of Eden. The cherubim was placed there to guard the way to this tree.  Evidently there is a connection found here.  Hope, dreams, courage, faith … leads us to trees of life. Sin prevents access…faith, courage and hope open access.  Keep pressing on beloved!  The “trees of life” invigorate.  The God given dream, the thing hoped for is possible.  As the old song says…”There’s a Promise comin down that dusty road.”  The Promise is Jesus! Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, not forsake thee.  Jesus is in the house and dreams are still fulfilled

Have a Blessed Day,

Pastor Duke

Thank You!

Greetings,

Thank you for praying & remembering our family during the passing of Rose Mary…Jacquie’s mother.   She went to be with the Lord this past Thursday.  Her Pastor, Rodney Reynolds, from Bedford officiated her funeral.  He captured her wonderful spirit and disposition in his message.  The kind words helped comfort and inspire us to follow in her footsteps.

Just a thought:  It must be a normal progression as we get older to think different.  At one time I thought of Rose Mary as old, after all I was 17 when I married her daughter. Now as 60 approaches for me, her age of 86 doesn’t seem so far away.  Just a few days before she was promoted to heaven, I was teasing her about a time she was driving Jacquie and me.  It was raining and I reached over and turned the radio up to be able to hear it over the noise of the rain.  She said “turn that radio down, I can’t see to drive.”  I made fun of her.  We teased her off and on over the years about how your ears affect your eyes.  I told her the other day…I teased you about that until I hit the big 5-0.  Then I understood…your ears really do affect your eyes.  It was raining one day and I had to turn the radio down in order to be able to see.  It wasn’t so funny when it happened to me.

Ecclesiastes 7:10 Don’t long for “the good old days.” This is not wise.  7:1  A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. And the day you die is better than the day you are born.

The Point …In every way…your future is bright…in your walk here on earth and your future in heaven.  Either way… in every situation… your best days are ahead.  Even though life may deal out some rough places…be like Rose Mary and try to look for the best in the situation and the people involved.

Our best days really are ahead of us.

In His Service,

Pastor Duke

God keeps His Promises!

Greetings Saints, 

I was thinking about the services  yesterday… most who preach do think about the sermon. I just read an article by Lee Grady from Charisma about The Power and Pain of True Prophetic Preaching.  I want to share a few words from him…I find how he says it reflects how a lot of preachers really feel.

“I did it again. This past Sunday I stood in a pulpit, looked out over a congregation of mostly strangers, cleared the lump in my throat and preached a message that the Lord had laid on my heart from the Bible.

Thousands of men and women speak publicly like this every week. It’s what preachers do. No big deal.

“We measure the impact of a sermon not by whether hearts were slain by Holy Ghost conviction but by how loud the preacher shouted or how high the people jumped when the preacher told them what they wanted to hear.”

But even though I speak often, I’ve found that preaching the gospel is one of the most difficult, frightening and painful assignments anyone could possibly attempt. It is not fun. I feel as though I die a thousand deaths right before I do it, and I die several more times after I go home and evaluate what happened.

After one particularly discouraging experience in which an audience stared coldly at me with their arms folded, I determined that preaching surely must not be my calling. I shared my struggle with an older pastor.

“Sometimes I feel really discouraged after I speak,” I told my friend. “Does that ever happen to you?” I was sure he would counsel me to stop preaching, since it obviously was not my spiritual gift.

His answer shocked me. “Son, I have felt like that every Monday morning since I’ve been in the ministry.”

While reading this…I was reflecting on the sermon yesterday…go figure that.  My mind was particularly thinking about Moses and Joshua.  Moses was concerned about the flock. Oh, yes he got aggravated…hit the rock instead of speaking to it in the wilderness and all that….but Moses had also been mentoring Joshua to fill his shoes to shepherd the people.   Moses was leaving a legacy and no doubt thought about all the work for 40 years of leading the people to bring them to the Promise Land.

Moses didn’t want the years of labor to be for nothing… “Joshua take them to the Promises of God!”

My thought turned to the sacrifices Jacquie made to see this church planted and grow.  She would want to see what she worked so hard to build take people to the Promises of God.

Let me encourage you today… our God keeps His Promises…  2Co 1:20  Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God’s Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident.   Be encouraged…God keeps His Word.

There are times the preacher feels like the words drip off his chin and we just don’t do justice to the powerful truth of His Word. The delivery may not be “smooth” but the power is in the Word of the Lord!  The Bible is the inspired Word of God.

The message Sunday Morning was about being courageous and then we showed the movie “Courageous” in the pm. We had several copies of the “Resolutions” from the movie but we still didn’t have enough, for those of you who still need one it will be provided.  A few mentioned having a ceremony for the signing of the Resolutions.  I think Father’s Day would be a very appropriate day for this.  We are putting on the calendar June 17^th, Father’s Day, as a day for this.

Blessings,

Pastor Duke

Take the high road!

Greetings Saints,

I am really not trying to cop out in doing the Pastor’s Page, but the devotionals I have read the past few days are so good.  Take a minute and read this from Maxwell’s Leadership Bible.

Take the High Road

And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Job 42:10

After enduring nearly forty chapters of criticism and condemnation from Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, Job has the opportunity to get even. God announces His displeasure with them, apparently giving Job a wonderful chance to say, “I told you so.” Instead, Job prays for his foolish friends.

Like all great leaders, Job refused to take vengeance or hold grudges. Instead, he took the high road. He forgave his friends, interceded for them, and sent them on their way. Remind yourself of the differences between the low road and the high road:

Low Road
Revenge and retaliation when wronged
Plays the same game as others
Guided by emotions – up and down
Reactive: lives no better than anyone else

High Road
Unconditional love and forgiveness
Refuses to play games; lives by principles
Guided by character and values
Pro-active: lives above merely human standards

God will not be mocked…we will reap what we sow!  Sow forgiveness and mercy!  Take the high road in life.  Just a thought…. After all Job went through and was criticized by those who called him friend do you think they might have found themselves in the place of loss and grief?  Our God is in the restoration business, HE will restore everything the enemy has taken and then some.  Forgive everybody…love everybody and keep looking forward!  The past is good for two things…learning and forgiveness.

Take the High Road,

Pastor Duke

Have you been wronged?

Greetings Saints,

I read this in my devotions…thought it was very good…it came from Maxwell.  Take a moment and read … be encouraged!

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant. Philippians 2:5-7 (NIV)

Have you been wronged? If so, you’re faced with a decision. Are you going to spend your time and energy on what should have been, or are you going to focus on what can be?

Even when truth and justice are on your side, you may never be able to right your wrongs. Continually fighting for your rights will just make you resentful and angry. Those are all destructive emotions that tap our energy and make us negative. And besides, when people focus on their rights, they’re often looking backward rather than forward.

When we stop worrying about our rights, it focuses us in the right direction and releases us to move forward on the journey. We recognize the wrongs, but we forgive them, and focus on what we can control-our responsibilities. When we do that, it increases our energy, builds our potential, and improves our prospects.

This is from me now…Have you been wronged, talked about and yet you have truth and justice on your side…God will come to your aid.  I turned the news on this morning of course it was swirling about Whitney Houston.  I was thinking “leave the family alone and stop speculating about things that are none of your business.”  Wouldn’t it be something if the news or gossips would just stop and pray for God’s help?  But some only want to look backward and not forward…at times I think they simply don’t understand, may God help us all.

Prayer:  Lord, may we keep moving forward and show forth Your compassion, love and care. 

In His Service,

Pastor Duke

What are you looking for?

Greetings Saints,

What are you looking for today?  Is it far away or close up?  Are you looking for what is wrong or what is good?  How about something to be mad about or something to be thankful about?

Just a thought:  You will most likely find what you are looking for!

If you look for all the obstacles in life …that is what you will see.  Now I am not advocating ignoring obstacles…rather… not making them bigger than life.  Why don’t you concentrate on the overcoming power of faith in the Lord?

Matthew 17:20  … “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible. “

Romans 8:31  What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?

Psalm 121: 1-2  I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there?  My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth!

Beloved, you are going to make it.  Trust in the Lord…run hard after Him!  Let His Word dwell in you in a powerful way.  Approach the reading of His Word with the attitude of …Lord speak, your servant will listen.

As soon I I hit the send button…I will be praying for you!

Pastor Duke

Accept the challenge!

Good Afternoon,

Colossians 3:16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

The Message -  Let the Word of Christ–the Message–have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God!

King James says “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom…”  The Message says “Let the Word of Christ–the Message–have the run of the house…”

Richly is a very descriptive word.  We are to have an abundance of the Word…have it in plenty…in great quantities.  The Word of God will furnish you will a complete supply.  It really makes no difference if you read it on your computer, phone or the old fashion way…you have a printed Bible.  Reading the Bible will bring refreshing to your inner man, it will guide you in difficult times and places, and it will comfort you in distress and lift you above the fray of this ole world.  The Bible is more than a book; it is the inspired Words of God.  The reading of the Bible will bring maturity, spiritual growth and instill a godly sense of value in your life.  But here is the rub…you must read it!  When you read it ask God to open your understanding and to help you to obey what is read.  Approach the Word of God as just that ..The Word of God!

Prayer:  Lord, reveal Yourself to me as I hide Your Word in my heart.  Help me to walk circumspectly before You!  Give me ears to hear what the Holy Spirit whispers in my inner man.  Amen!

Pastor Barry Curtis spoke at Souls Harbor yesterday; we heard God’s heart beat.  May we all rise to the challenge and grow in our walk with the Lord.  May we accept the challenge to not continue to be babes in the Lord but rather to grow up in Him and let God’s word dwell richly in us.

We have had some powerful prayer times on Sunday nights.  Just something to think about…is your life busy?  Does it seem time is flying by?  Why not set aside Sunday night to come and have a special time of worship and prayer?  We endeavor to approach the Lord in different ways each Sunday evening.  We do our best to keep the prayer service to 1.5 hours.  It is a powerful time and will bring power into your life, why not set aside this time to just enter His presence and spend the time with Him?

In His Service,

Pastor Duke

God is going to use you to help others!

Greetings,

Just a thought: Proverbs 16:31 Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life.

II Chronicles 10:8 But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the older men and instead asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him and were now his advisers.

I have come to the conclusion over the years everyone needs to surround themselves with people smarter than “themselves.” Of course one needs people who are loyal and trustworthy, who really love you and want good for you. Many times I have made a phone call and asked for advice, direction or input concerning a decision that had to be made. I always sought out those who met the above qualities.

Rehoboam had before him those who had been though the fire with his father but rejected the advice of those who had a righteous crown of glory, the white hair to show for it, if you will understand. You have heard me say of my mentors “they told me what I needed, not what I wanted.”

The return of Jesus is surely soon! I believe the church is about to see a great influx of souls. This is Scriptural. People will come with their pain and hurts & we need mature saints to become examples of Proverbs 16:31. They will have questions and will need godly answers. They will need wisdom and not a 1000 question about their personal life. They will need Biblical answers to complex issues. They will need love, acceptance and forgiveness. Rehoboam rejected godly advice and went the wrong direction. He made a terrible decision in order to be popular.

Beloved, accept people where they are without prying. When trust is built…the Holy Spirit will open doors for ministry that will bring a deep move of God in people’s heart. The hard places you have gone through or may be going through right now only come to make you strong and give you experience of God’s power to carry you. It seems most get white hair as they get older, may it show forth God’s wisdom and the experiences that come be used to help others as they walk the same path some of us have trod.

You are going to make it! God is going to use you to help others… let His mercy, love and forgiveness flow through you!

Have a Blessed Day!

Pastor Duke