Notes of Faith Novembere 14, 2024

Notes of Faith November 14, 2024

Mountain Peaks of Pearl

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23

In Streams in the Desert, James Smetham is quoted as saying, “I suspect that the source of every bit of sorrow in my life can be traced to simple unbelief. If I truly believe the past is totally forgiven, the present is supplied with power, and the future is bright with hope, how could I be anything but completely happy?”1

Heb 10:19-25

19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Could it really be as simple as that? Yes, but we must grow in faith. Jesus looked at some people and marveled at the weakness of their faith; others impressed Him with their great faith. As we spend time in His Word connecting His promises to our problems, we grow in faith. As the trials of life drive us to His throne in prayer, we grow in faith. As we learn to look to Him rather than just at our circumstances, we grow in faith.

If you’re in trouble, acknowledge God’s reliability and admit fear. Then take your burdens to the Lord, knowing He is encamped around you. He will fortify you to rejoice in the past, the present, and the future He is overseeing for your good.

[God’s] faithfulness stands firm and is prominent as mountain peaks of pearl splitting the clouds of eternity.

James Smetham

1 L.B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1997), 249.

The heavenly perspective of eternity makes all things bearable, able to endure, even brings joy, no matter the circumstance. We go through many trials and troubles, suffering, pain, grief… Jesus experienced all of these as well and did not sin against God. We only want the good of life and not the bad. Our Old Testament speaks of Job who had much and lost everything (because of Satan) and yet he did not curse God. “The Lord gives. The Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” God’s perspective of our immediate circumstance is not an end to His plan for our life. We will endure. We will overcome. We will be victorious over death and sin through faith in Jesus Christ! Seek to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus every day! Draw close to Him and He will draw close to you!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 13, 2024

Notes of Faith November 13, 2024

Distress

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved me in my distress.

Psalm 4:1

Stress is bad, but distress is worse. In Genesis 32:7, Jacob was greatly distressed. All Israel was “greatly distressed” in Judges 2:15, and in Judges 10:9 they were “severely distressed.” In 1 Samuel 16:14, King Saul suffered a “distressing spirit.” Job was in “dire distress” in Job 36:16. The apostle Paul spoke of the personal distress that overwhelmed him in 2 Corinthians 12:10.

Ps 4

4 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!

You have relieved me in my distress;

Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

2 O sons of men, how long will my honor become a reproach?

How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception? Selah.

3 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself;

The Lord hears when I call to Him.

4 Tremble, and do not sin;

Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness,

And trust in the Lord.

6 Many are saying, "Who will show us any good?"

Lift up the light of Your countenance upon us, O Lord!

7 You have put gladness in my heart,

More than when their grain and new wine abound.

8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep,

For You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety.

Sometimes we go through periods of distress and great distress and severe distress and dire distress. But the most amazing “distress” passage in the Bible is in Mark 14:33 when our Lord “began to be troubled and deeply distressed” in the Garden of Gethsemane.

If you are in distress today, remember that Jesus suffered His distress to bring you out of yours. The book of Romans says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress…? Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (8:35, 37).

When we praise and worship God when distressed, our problems may not instantly disappear, but don’t give up. In His own way, the Lord will relieve you in your distress.

Suffering is unbearable if you’re not certain God is with you and for you.

Tim Keller

When we look back at our lives, we see times of distress, some short, some longer, and yet each one came to an end. If you are in distress now, it too will come to an end. The believer and follower of Jesus Christ knows that a day is coming when they will be made perfect, whole, complete, no longer suffering the things in this world. Eternal life with Jesus will have no distress or any of the other long list of negative earthly experiences, pain, suffering, tears. Praise God for His using our distress to drive us closer to Him, to shape us into the image of Christ who suffered great distress to bring salvation and forgiveness to a lost humanity!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 12, 2024

Notes of Faith November 12, 2024

Tuesday, November 12

Heads or Tails?

Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end.

Psalm 119:33

A group of European researchers set about to discover the science behind flipping a coin. They flipped a coin 350,757 times and found that “when you flip a coin off your thumb it wobbles, which causes the same side to spend slightly more time facing up—which means there’s a slightly bigger chance it will be in that position when it lands.”1

Ps 119:33-40

33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes,

And I shall observe it to the end.

34 Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law

And keep it with all my heart.

35 Make me walk in the path of Your commandments,

For I delight in it.

36 Incline my heart to Your testimonies

And not to dishonest gain.

37 Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity,

And revive me in Your ways.

38 Establish Your word to Your servant,

As that which produces reverence for You.

39 Turn away my reproach which I dread,

For Your ordinances are good.

40 Behold, I long for Your precepts;

Revive me through Your righteousness.

Christians don’t have to flip coins to find God’s guidance. We develop the wisdom to plan our way by spending time in Scripture. When we immerse ourselves in the Word, we develop a biblical sense about life, an awareness of which direction to take, and our spiritual vision is sharpened. It’s not that we’ll find a verse that says, “Buy the Ford, not the Honda.” It’s simply that a mind shaped by immersion in the Bible is prone to prayerfully discern the way to take.

Spend time each day in God’s Word to find peace and confidence, bearing fruit that is deeply rooted in truth.

I used to ask God to help me. Then I asked if I might help Him. I ended up by asking God to do His work through me.

Hudson Taylor

1 Trisha Leigh, “Researchers Flipped a Coin 350,757 Times and Discovered There Is a ‘Right’ Way to Call a Coin Flip,” Twisted Sifter, November 3, 2023.

I have never flipped a coin to make decisions for my life. Hopefully you have not as well. But through intimate relationship with God, the decisions we make can and will be used for His glory and our good. What car you buy will not make much difference…they all break down, cause you grief, to be late to work, cost more than you expected, and always at the wrong time. During any of those experiences, God is at work for you and through you to others. How do you handle the choices made and all other decisions that follow? God is always there with you. Listen to Him through prayer and His Word. You will know how to respond and follow Him.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 11, 2024

Notes of Faith November 11, 2024

Rom 13:7

Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

When I’m in my local Walmart, Lowe’s or other major retailer, I’ve seen Halloween merchandise since Labor Day, Thanksgiving decorations for weeks and now Christmas trees and decorations are available for early shoppers.

But there is nothing in stores to remind us to recognize the more than SIXTEEN MILLION VETERANS across our country.

I grew up in a time when veterans were everyone’s next door neighbors, people you met wherever you went. I had Sunday School teachers, youth leaders, elementary through high school teachers, and even seminary professors who were veterans. Today, the presence of veterans in every sector of our society has declined.

Thank you for taking the time to honor those in your church AND community who served in our Armed Forces, whether in times of war or peace!

On mission! By grace!

Mark Penfold, DMin.

Chaplain (Colonel) U.S. Army, retired

Endorsing Agent, Charis Fellowship

chaplain@eaglecommission.org

If you are a veteran…thank you! If you see a veteran today or any day, offer them a word of thanks for their sacrifice and service. If you are in a restaurant, offer to buy their meal, or dessert if the whole meal is beyond your resources. In all circumstances, smile at them, be thankful in your heart for God using them to protect you/us and provide for us a very blessed nation. Love and honor God. Love and honor God’s people. Love and honor those who have and are servicing in the military of the United States of America!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 10, 2024

Notes of Faith November 10, 2024

Approach Me with Thanksgiving

My delightful Lord,

This is the day that You have made! As I rejoice in this day of life, it will yield precious gifts and beneficial training. I want to walk with You along the high road of thanksgiving — discovering all the delights You have prepared for me.

To protect my thankfulness throughout this holiday season, I need to remember that I reside in a fallen world where blessings and sorrows intermingle freely. When I’m too focused on troubles, I walk through a day that’s brimming with beauty and brightness while seeing only the grayness of my thoughts. Neglecting the practice of giving thanks darkens my mind and dims my vision.

Lord, please clear up my vision by helping me remember to thank You at all times. When I’m grateful, I can walk through the darkest days with Joy in my heart because I know that the Light of Your Presence is still shining on me. So I rejoice in You — my delightful, steadfast Companion.

In Your bright, shining Name, Jesus, amen.

When you approach Me with thanksgiving, the Light of My Presence pours into you, transforming you through and through.

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

— Psalm 118:24 ESV

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. — Colossians 4:2

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord. They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness. — Psalm 89:15–16

I want to walk with You along the high road of thanksgiving — discovering all the delights You have prepared for me.

Delightful Lord,

I love listening to the song that You continually sing to me: “I take great delight in you; I renew you by My Love; I shout for Joy over you.” The voices of this world are a cacophony of chaos, pulling me this way and that — especially in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Help me not to listen to those voices but to challenge them with Your Word. Show me how to take breaks from the noise of the world — finding a place to be still in Your Presence so I can hear Your voice.

I believe there is immense hidden treasure to be found through listening to You. You are always pouring out blessings upon me, but some of Your richest blessings have to be actively sought. I rejoice when You reveal Yourself to me — through Your Word, Your people, and the wonders of creation.

Having a seeking heart opens me up to receive more of You. The Bible gives me clear instructions: Keep on asking and it will be given to you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you.

In Your generous Name, Jesus, amen.

Excerpted from Jesus Listens for Advent & Christmas by Sarah Young, copyright Sarah Young.

We need to give thanks to God every day for all that we receive from Him! There should be endless thoughts and memories of things for which to thank God. Let us learn to express thanks not just in this season, where food seems to be the focus, but rather intimate relationship with God and His complete and perfect provision for everything we need. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 9, 2024

Notes of Faith November 9, 2024

Forever Himself, Forever Good

My older daughter’s name is Lily. Lily Jean Ardavanis. As I’m writing this chapter, she is almost two years old. Lily loves to dance, consumes heaps of strawberries, wears a ladybug costume every day, and sleeps, on average, fourteen hours a night (thank the Lord).

We named our daughter Lily because we were drawn to Jesus’ teaching on the subject we are examining — how Jesus tells His anxious followers to consider the lilies. My wife and I liked the name Lily, and as parents we have the authority to name our child (which is crazy when you think about it).

Names stick with you. You carry them and are called by them your entire life. What’s interesting, however, is that Lily’s name (like every other name) was given to her before we knew anything about her. What could we possibly know about her idiosyncrasies, personality, disposition, gifts, or temperament while she was still in the womb? Her name doesn’t in any way shed light on who she is. Her name is a title.

Shakespeare, in his tragic play Romeo and Juliet, penned the line: What’s in a name? The thrust of Juliet’s question draws our attention to the arbitrary and irrelevant nature of the titles we possess. Names don’t detail our identities and characters. A man named John could be a saint (like John Bunyan) or a mass murderer (like John E. List). But the answer to Juliet’s question, “What’s in a name?” applies only to creatures and differs when we speak of the Creator.

In Scripture there are dozens of different names for God, but God’s names are not like human names. Why? Because His names are not mere titles; they are consummate and representative of His character. Who He is, how He operates, and how He relates to His children are revealed in the names He gives to us in His Word. Furthermore, God’s name is not “God.” That’s His title. His title tells us what He is.

But God’s names tell us who He is.

One of the most precious names for God in Scripture is “Father.” If we don’t see God as Father, we will have a distorted view of Him. Moreover, if we fail to know God in light of His other names, His other attributes, then the value and comfort we derive from His fatherly care will be diminished.

In Scripture, God is referred to as the following:

El Shaddai: “The Lord, God Almighty.” We see this name seven times in Scripture.

Jehovah Jireh: “The Lord will provide.” We see this name only once, in Genesis 22:14.

El Olam: “The everlasting God.” We see this name four times throughout the Old Testament.

Jehovah Shalom: “The Lord is Peace.” We see this name only once, in Judges 6:24.

Are you anxious? Are you despairing? Then find comfort in the names of God! Why? Because God’s names aren’t mere titles — they tell us who He is and detail why we should trust Him. Interestingly, the most common and most important name for God has, until recently, rarely been translated in true form when we read our English Bibles. These subtle translative decisions have, over time, affected the way we see God.

Diplomats and Deists

The man on the United States one-hundred-dollar bill, Benjamin Franklin, was a deist who had a philosophical and rationalistic view of God and this world. People who adhere to this theological framework do not deny the existence of God altogether; rather, they view God as a clockmaker who wound up the universe and then walked away to become a distant observer and casual spectator of the affairs, events, and history of mankind. To a deist, there is a God, but He is in the stadium of Heaven eating popcorn (lightly salted), not interfering, and mindlessly observing the individuals on planet Earth. To a deist, maybe God was active in creation, but now... He is retired, His feet are up, and His recliner is reclined. Therefore, don’t bother Him. He probably won’t hear you, and even if He did... He wouldn’t bother to get involved in any way.

Sadly, many professing Christians view God the same way the deists do: as a distant, impersonal, and retired deity who has little interest and involvement in the affairs of our lives. Consequently, in this view, we have every reason to be anxious!

If God is merely a passive observer of our lives, how on earth could we have peace?

Thankfully, of all the names of God, there is one name in particular that melts this type of unbiblical thinking. This name for God isn’t used once, twice, or even a hundred times in Scripture — it is used more than 6,800 times. It’s the name God revealed to Moses in Exodus 3, and this revelation of God’s name is the hammer that shatters the glass of the depersonalized, distant, and consequently paralyzing view of God as merely a “higher power” or an aloof deity.

To those who are anxious, knowing God by His name is helpful. Why? Because His title as “God” tells us what He is, but His name tells us who He is.

The Far Side of the Wilderness

In Exodus 3, an eighty-year-old shepherd emerges into the spotlight of Scripture. We have met this aged shepherd before, but forty years have passed, and this former prince of Egypt no longer lives in the luxury of Pharaoh’s palace but can be found tending his father-in- law’s herds in the arid, jagged, and desolate region of Midian. His name, as you likely know, is Moses.

For four decades he had been largely unseen, except by God. And as Moses led his sheep to “the far side of the wilderness” (Exodus 3:1 NIV), he came across something he had never seen: a bush that was burning and yet not consumed (v. 2). The remarkableness of this sight, being extraordinary in and of itself, was compounded when a voice spoke to Moses from the midst of the bush, saying,

“Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. — Exodus 3:4–5

Moses trepidatiously removed his sandals and kept his distance from the One speaking to him. Then God spoke to Moses again, saying,

“I am the God of your father — the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. — Exodus 3:6

I expect you may be familiar with how the conversation between God and Moses unfolded. God told Moses that He has seen the affliction of His people and has come down to deliver them (v. 8). How? Through Moses. Moses, the former prince and present shepherd, whose life had been thrust into obscurity for four decades, would now be placed center stage in one of Scripture’s most epic stories. Moses’s response, however, was not one of eagerness but one of reluctance:

Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt? — Exodus 3:11

God responded by telling Moses that he would not be alone, that God would be with him. Still Moses’s uncertainty, fear, and anxiety persisted at the prospect of his duel with Pharaoh, the most powerful man on earth. Moses again asked:

Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” — Exodus 3:13

Moses was anxious. He was fearful. How could he take on the armies of Pharaoh? Amid his understandable fear, his most pressing question for the One speaking to Him was, interestingly, What is Your name? In Exodus 3:14–15, God responded to Moses’s question, and in doing so He revealed not only His name but His nature — who He is.

God said to Moses, “I am who I am”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’… Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The Lord [YHWH], the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial name to all generations.”

Yahweh

God responded to Moses by saying ehyeh asher ehyeh, which is translated “I am who I am” or “I Will Be What I Will Be.”

Then God told Moses to tell the children of Israel,

I am has sent me to you. — Exodus 3:14

Again, God’s name is not “God”; that’s His title. His name, as He revealed Himself to Moses, is “I am who I am.”

If you were to ask me “Who are you?” and I responded, “I am who I am,” that would be true, but it may not be the answer you were looking for. It may seem to be stating the obvious. Of course I am who I am. If I gave this answer to you, it may even seem as though I was eluding your question altogether, attempting to conceal my identity. But that wasn’t the case for God when He spoke of Himself to Moses. He was not hiding Himself; He was disclosing who He is.

The names “I am” and “Yahweh” are both derived from the same Hebrew word hiyah, which is the verb “to be.” The difference between these words is simple: Ehyeh (“I am”) is in the first per- son, and YHWH (“Yahweh”) is in the third person, meaning, “He is.” For centuries, the Jewish people were so afraid of taking God’s name in vain (in observance of the third commandment) that they would seldom, if ever, utter the name from their lips. Because of this, when they addressed YHWH, they pronounced it Adonai, which means “my Lord.”

For many years, the English translations have followed suit and routinely translate the name YHWH as “Lord.” But something personal, precious, and comforting is missed when we translate YHWH as “Lord” or when we simply refer to God as “God.” That would be like referring to my spouse as “person” instead of as “Caity Jean.”

Furthermore, it’s one thing to believe in God, but it’s an entirely different thing to believe God and know Him by His personal name. Sadly, many professing Christians believe in God in the same way they believe in oxygen. They believe He exists, but that belief has little to do with how they live their lives. Their view of God is very similar to that of a deist. As we will observe, God’s name alone is the most powerful implication of His existence. His name means “I am,” and in a world that is grasping to know whether He is truly there, the third-person rendering of God’s name gives us the answer: “He is.”

God gave His personal name to Moses because trust in God is rooted foremost not in what He has done or what He can do but in who He is.

John Calvin once said we can never know who we are until we know who God is.1

Moses asked the question: “Who are you?” And God responded by saying: “I am.” Is this cryptic or is this powerful? Well, let’s go back to Shakespeare’s question, What’s in a name? If God’s name simply means “He is,” then what exactly is God?

At the time Moses encountered Yahweh at the burning bush, the Hebrews were languishing under the oppression of their Egyptian taskmasters; they had been slaves for four hundred years, and their future looked bleak. And Moses, the one assigned to deliver them, needed to know that God didn’t merely exist but that God was knowable, present, and sufficient to deliver them. The name of God might seem like an interesting topic to bring up in a book on anxiety, fear, and despair, but this is one of the principal grounds in which your faith must be rooted.

1. John Calvin, Institutes, I.1.i.

Excerpted from Consider the Lilies by Jonny Ardavanis, copyright Jonny Ardavanis.

God is always near to you/me and intimately involved with our thoughts and actions. He loves us, (even though we continue to sin against Him), desiring us to turn from wickedness to righteousness, believe in Jesus for our forgiveness and salvation and eternal life with Him. God pursues you. Stop running from Him. Come to Him and find rest for your soul!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 8, 2024

Notes of Faith November 8, 2024

Open My Eyes

Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.

Psalm 119:18

There is a difference between seeing physically and seeing spiritually. Most people can see physically with their eyes, but not all can see spiritually with their heart. God pronounced the closing of Israel’s spiritual eyes due to their sin (Isaiah 6:9-10), and Jesus confirmed the problem remained in His day (Matthew 13:13-15). The psalmist was aware of this problem, causing him to ask God to “open [his] eyes, that [he] may see wondrous things from [God’s] law.”

2 Tim 3:16-17

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Even as a Christian, we may approach God’s Word with biases, prejudices, and preconceived notions—failing to see what God needs us to see. Hebrews 4:12 explains that God’s Word is “living and powerful...and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” If we truly want God to search our heart (Psalm 139:23), we should imitate the psalmist’s prayer when we read the Bible: “Open my eyes.”

We will change over time as we imitate the psalmist’s practice of meditating on God’s Word “day and night” (Psalm 1:2) and take to heart what God shows us. It is the only way we can become “complete, thoroughly equipped” to please God (2 Timothy 3:17).

It is no advantage to be near the light if the eyes are closed.

St. Augustine

We must be in communication with God to have our “eyes” opened, through reading His Word (daily!), through prayer (continually, without ceasing!). We can live by what we see and be fooled into believing what is not true. But if God opens our eyes, we will see truth and be able to make righteous decisions and live a life pleasing to Him. “Open My Eyes, Lord” is one of my favorite choruses. Are you singing in your mind with me?

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 7, 2024

Notes of Faith November 7, 2024

Why Read the Bible?

Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.

Psalm 119:11

A mother tells her five-year-old not to eat a cookie off a plate with six cookies. When she returns, she sees that two of the cookies are gone. “Didn’t I ask you not to eat a cookie?” the mom asks. “Yes,” comes the confident reply. “Then why did you disobey?” the mom asks. “I didn’t disobey. You told me not to eat one of the cookies, and I didn’t eat one; I ate two.”

That’s an illustration of Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things.” It also illustrates what the comedic actor W. C. Fields said when asked why he was reading the Bible. He confessed, “I’m looking for a loophole.” It’s a human tendency to see how close we can get to “the line” without actually crossing it. Some people read the Bible that way—to find God’s “lines.” Instead of moving toward God’s lines, we should move toward God Himself. When we are consumed with Him, we will please Him in all things—not by avoiding the bad but by walking in the good.

Read God’s Word in order to love Him, not to avoid offending Him.

The business of our lives is not to please ourselves but to please God.

Matthew Henry

Ps 37:31

31 The law of his God is in his heart;

His steps do not slip.

Heb 11:6-7

6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

We must believe that God exists before we are interested in what He has to say. God will indeed reward those who seek Him. He is always seeking His people, we just need to be aware, listen, and respond by doing what God desires for us.

God’s Word exists. It is not the Word of man about God. It is the Word of God, completely inerrant in the original writings and contains all that man needs for a righteous relationship with God,

Isa 55:6

6 Seek the Lord while He may be found;

Call upon Him while He is near.

These Words of God are in the Scriptures He gave to us…but you must be in them to find these treasures. Read daily the Word of God and you will find talking to Him in prayer a much easier thing to do and experience the greatest relationship you have or ever will have!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 6, 2024

Notes of Faith November 6, 2024

He Is Near

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart.

Psalm 34:18

Pastor Azat Azatyan was captured by Russians while ministering in Ukraine. He was beaten and had electrical cables attached to his body. His tormenters asked him whom he served. He shouted: “A Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” His torturers left him for dead, but Azatyan was able to drink some rainwater and survived. “After torture with electric shock,” he said, “all you want to do is drink. I asked the Lord for water. He gave rain…. I felt God’s presence at that moment.”1

Ps 34:15-18

15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous

And His ears are open to their cry.

16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers,

To cut off the memory of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry, and the Lord hears

And delivers them out of all their troubles.

18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted

And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Isn’t it amazing to feel God’s presence in awful moments? When you feel lonely, when you are hurting, when the roof falls in. Remind yourself right now that the Lord is near you. Even when you want to run away from Him, there’s nowhere to run. If we go up to heaven, He is there. If we go to the cemetery, He is there. If we ride the winds across the seas, He is with us (see Psalm 139:1-10).

Remember today what the psalmist said: “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me” (Psalm 23:4).

I see God’s presence and His blessing in my life. I am where I need to be.

Pastor Azat Azatyan

1 René Zeeman, “Pastor Azatyan Proclaims God’s Presence in Ukraine,” Christian Network Europe, December 16, 2023.

The world is going through dangerous spiritual days. Those that love the Lord and serve Him are being attacked with greater intensity than ever before. Satan’s days are numbered and he knows it. His desire is to take from God that which He loves…His highest of creation, the only thing created in His image…you and me. Satan does not care about mankind and wants to destroy as much as he is able. But God is in control and not one of those that belong to Him will be destroyed. We may experience suffering and even death, and yet that will only bring us into the blessed eternal life that we are waiting for…to be with our God, Savior, and Redeemer. Pray for all that God brings to your mind in the world, those that you know and those that you do not, for them to repent of their sin, come to Jesus in faith, and be saved!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith November 5, 2024

Notes of Faith November 5, 2024

You know what the Bible says, “In the valley of shadow of death, light has dawned.” Remember? Now you understand how dark the land was, how dark the world was. The occult was everywhere. And Jesus comes and Jesus says, “I am the light of the world, not Lucifer, not that light bearer. I am the true light of the world.” And Jesus performing so many miracles, gathering so many people around him, and the message of the Gospel going to the four corners of the world, the occult movement immediately went under the ground because nothing can withstand the power of Jesus. And if you don’t know, I can tell you that there is only one reason the Antichrist is not showing his face yet. It’s because of the power of Jesus that is in us.

The only time the occult will immediately show its true, unleash its true supernatural manifestation, is when we are gone. And I want you to know that as long as Jesus was here and as long as the disciples were here, and as long as the Apostles were here throughout the first century, the occult was underground. But the minute the second century came, they immediately lifted up their head again and a new movement was erected. And that is Gnosticism.

The True Light in a Dark World

Most of us have seen a TV show about actual events where the announcer says, “The names were changed to protect the innocent.” When it comes to heresies creeping into the church, we could say something similar in that there is nothing new under the sun. The names of the heresies have changed but the goal is still to deceive the innocent.

Such is the case with gnosticism, it has changed names multiple times down through the centuries and continues to deceive many today, even to the degree that some have called it “Christian Gnosticism.” The truth is there is nothing Christian about it. In its most recent form it is called antinomianism, a big word which means “no law”. In other words, like ancient gnosticism, many today teach that because we are saved by grace, the actions taken in the body are of no consequence and there is no moral law for the Christian to live by.

Hebrews 12:14

Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.

Holiness, by definition, is the state of purity. If we are to pursue a state of purity, then impurity has to exist and be defined. Thus, according to scripture, what we do in the body does matter. We also need to be careful of slipping into the other direction, which is legalism. Because we are saved by the manifested grace of God and by God’s grace, we can live a life that is representative of His saving grace expressed in our behavior.

1 Peter 1:13-16

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

We may not hear the term Gnosticism thrown around much today, but you can be sure it is alive and well and just as dangerous as ever. What we do in our bodies does not determine our salvation, but it does impact our usability and believability when we teach the freedom that can be found in Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

There are those who say that only they know the truth. There are those who say truth is relative and one’s truth is not another one’s truth. But Jesus said that He is truth! “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” God is truth. There is absolute truth and it is God. God has revealed Himself in His creation, His Son Jesus, and His Word, the Scriptures, given to the people of Israel and through them to the rest of the world. God is the One who seeks His people. Listen for Him to speak to you, then answer by following in obedience of truth and life! May you be blessed today as you respond to God who is seeking you!

Pastor Dale