SALUTATIONS: Happy Sabbath Everyone! I hope that yall had a wonderful week. In an effort to help build up the remnant, I invite you and someone you know to visit my church's worship service tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. at Mt. Rubidoux SDA Church, 5320 Victoria Ave., Riverside, CA, 92506. If for some reason you cannot make it to church, you can view our live stream and/or the archived sermons at http://rubitv.tv. I also want to encourage everyone to SHARE your praise reports; it is "by the blood of the Lamb and by the Word" of our testimonies that we overcome the adversary (refer to Revelation 12:11 here https://goo.gl/o3FSTT). Be safe and responsible this weekend, and try to relax, stress less, and trust God more.
PRAISE REPORTS: GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME!
PRAYER REQUESTS: Let's keep praying for the victims of the hurricanes and earthquakes, the sick and shut-in, the bereaved, and let's continue to pray for one another, thanking Yahweh for the victory while refraining from confessing the problem caused by the enemy; ALWAYS pray for your desired result, NOT the unfavorable outcome (refer to the book The Tongue – A Creative Force, by Charles Capps; you can buy it here https://goo.gl/NWEf7i).
BE ENCOURAGED... NEVER lose sight of God in the midst of adversity: Ponder this: “For God has NOT given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (the Bible - II Timothy 1:7). I'm no theological scholar, and even if I were a pastor or an expert on God's word, I would still advise you NEVER to take someone else's word as solid truth; "Study to show thyself approved" (II Timothy 2:15), and CHALLENGE EVERYTHING by comparing it to the Word of God. If what you see, hear or read does NOT fall in line with the Word of God, then it is NOT true... The rest of this day isn't promised, let alone tomorrow, so why not strengthen your faith TODAY? Feed your body healthy nutrition, be cautious of what things you allow your eyes, ears, and spirit to be exposed to (e.g. media, books, TV, music, etc.) so that you can start anew and become a better you NOW, not later.
FEATURED SONGS OF PRAISE: "Imagine Me" by Kirk Franklin you can listen here (https://goo.gl/yziu5V); "Bless the Lord (feat. Doretha 'Dodi' Sampson)" by Anthony Brown & Group Therapy you can listen here (https://goo.gl/83NFqx).
OPENING PRAYER: Yahweh, please clear our minds and open our eyes, ears, and hearts so that we may see, hear, and receive your intended message from this fellowship. In the name of Yeshua, Amen!
PASSAGE – JOHN 3:16 & 1 JOHN 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life... Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."
**Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible; retrieved from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage **
REFLECTIONS: This week's character check focuses on "self-sacrifice" - how do you rate yourself? Honestly, what scripture is more evident of self-sacrifice than John 3:16, which most of us have ingrained in our memories - "For God so LOVED the world that HE GAVE HIS ONLY begotten Son." Parents, can you even imagine sacrificing your only child, or any child for that matter? Heck, I can't even fathom having to give up my child, let alone being equipped with the willingness to sacrifice him the way that Abraham was trusting enough to do with his son up until the point in which the Lord stopped him. The whole concept is insane to me, BUT GOD! He did just that for ALL of us sinners. The cold part is, He gave up His only Son, who then gave His own life for people who weren't even conceived yet - for murderers, adulterers, liars, molesters, and ALL sinners, including us. Can it get any more awesome?
I used to be confused as to why Yeshua cried out to Yahweh on the crucifix saying "Father, why hast thou forsaken me?" (refer to Mark 15:34 here https://goo.gl/QGXwrG); then the Spirit revealed that it was because of OUR SIN that for the FIRST time ever, Yeshua was separated from Yahweh - He bore the sin of the world (past, present, & future); our sinful nature hinders us from remaining close to God, so it is only through our faith that we can push through our consequences. Although Yeshua was perfect in His ways, Roman 6:23 says that "the wages of sin is death," therefore, Christ had to remain solid in His faith knowing that through His death, we would be set FREE. Does self-sacrifice get more literal? Probably not in this lifetime, but if the Spirit presented you with such a literal sacrifice, would you be so inclined as to not grieve Him, rather take heed to His calling?
We can only pray and remain in the Word - in a relationship with the Lord - to be transformed into "self-sacrificing," willing servants for the Lord; it is through our relationship with the Godhead that we are able to discern the Spirit's direction, and are furthermore willing to abide. Yeshua did NOT want to die (refer to Luke 22:42 here https://goo.gl/zkR2Kd), but He did because He was obedient to the will of Yahweh. There is NO WAY that any of us could be so "self-sacrificing" without the Lord on our side, heck, even Jesus couldn't move alone without the Father; He said, "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me" (John 5:30). Yeshua, "being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:8).
As believers in Christ, we too must show the spirit of self-sacrifice - the opposite of selfish; having a "self-sacrificing" spirit means that a person is willing to give up his own interests in order to help others (refer to Matthew 16:24 here https://goo.gl/6to7YH). Being unselfish helps us to put the feelings and personal preferences of others above our own. Philippians 2:3-4 (NLT) tells us "Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too." Unselfishness is at the heart of our own worship - our relationship with the Lord; developing and maintaining a relationship with Yahweh through His Son Yeshua, strengthens our love, which goes on to emulate a helpful spirit. True disciples of Yeshua are known for Love - self-sacrifice (refer to John 13:34-35 here https://goo.gl/2CaE8u); by definition, if you are a follower or student of the Lord, you are a disciple. Thus, maintaining a relationship with the Godhead (the Father God, the Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit) is critical to our ability to remain unselfish, wise, understanding, and loving without conditions or expectations.
Yet, being obedient and close to the Lord does NOT make us exempt from the enemy's attacks. In fact, it's the exact opposite, the more we fall in line with the will of the Lord, the more susceptible we are to conflict, chaos, and storms; more Jesus more problems 😉. Here's the deal with that, you look at folks who could be far from the Lord, yet super prosperous and appearing to be utterly happy. The adversary already has them under his wings, so why then does he need to test their loyalty? Us disciples, however, we have more to lose - our relationship with the Lord, our salvation, and our good character; "And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?" (Matthew 16:26, NLT). I Timothy 4:10 (NLT) says "This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers." The Devil basically bet the Lord that he could gain more followers because us Christians are only faithful when we're able to see tangible blessings (refer to Job 1-2 here https://goo.gl/4F4rCd - the book of
Job is an awesome example of faithfulness and true trust in the Lord). Shocked by the audacity? You shouldn't be because it is true probably for 95% of us. As a result, when we take our eyes and heart from the Lord, the enemy can slowly weaken the noblest spirit (refer to Matthew 14:29-32 here https://goo.gl/Xwr1VD). As Satan continues to successfully mislead people, he influences them to show selfishness in many ways, which in turn makes us disobedient to the Lord; essentially, we become followers of evil (refer to Ephesians 2:2 here https://goo.gl/ceeAJW).
It is important for us to mirror ourselves after the Lord, we do that by studying and meditating on his Word DAILY, but more importantly, by APPLYING that which we have learned into our daily lifestyles (ABIDING by the Word). James 1:22-25 admonishes us not to "... just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it." We do not notice flaws in our appearance unless we're staring at the reflection in the mirror. Such is the same with our character; we cannot recognize the characteristics that need adjusting by glancing at a scripture here and there without regular study, meditation, and application. Here are some passages that will help you further acknowledge and change your selfishness in order to develop a "self-sacrificing" spirit:
- John 8:31: "Then said Jesus ... 'If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.'"
- **Matthew 7:24-25: "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.'"**
- I Samuel 15:30: "Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord thy God."
- **Galatians 5:22-23: "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!"**
- Acts 5:41: "And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name."
- **I Peter 2:-20-21: "For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps."**
** Points out the more significant scriptures of our focal point; you may read the NLT version of the above passages here https://goo.gl/cRxSwW
POWER IN PRAYER: Yahweh, we thank you for providing protection and relief for those affected by the recent hurricanes and earthquakes, and we ask for provision and direction for proper preparation for the prophesied devastation soon to come. We thank you for providing comfort and healing to the sick and shut-in, and the bereaved. We praise you for your grace and tranquility delivered to those of us experiencing grief, for providing us with the eternal peace, the complete healing and restoration, and the clear, concise, and undeniable answers and solutions to our concerns that were promised us by the stripes of Yeshua. Thank you for delivering us from: strongholds, addiction, anger, resentment, heartache, disease, illness, pain, financial debt, stress, anxiety, and depression; for breaking any chains attached to the individuals reading or reciting this prayer, and for the people that we stand in intercessory prayer for. We appreciate your extra hedge of protection over our children, our households, our modes of transportation, and our surroundings; may we forever be fixed on Jesus, steadfast on your Word and your will, and may we develop and maintain a deep and strong relationship with you Lord. May we be filled with the desire to transform into the individuals that you have called us to be. Achieve in us the ability to pray game-changing prayers – prayers that change people, change outcomes, and help your will to manifest. We grant your angels permission to do our bidding on earth and we thank you for protecting us from its recourse. For everyone and everything we have failed to pray for, we ask that you do not fail to address the concern. This is our trusted prayer, we submit to you in the matchless name of Yeshua, Amen!
HEALTHY LIVING TIPS ... Change begins within: Did you know that a plant-based diet could reverse diseases such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and even some cancers? Consuming a plant-based diet could also cure chronic pain; all the nutrition we attempt to get via animal consumption and multi-vitamins, we can get more healthy and naturally by eating fresh food; increasing your water intake and preparing meals with a healthy balance of vegetables, fruit, brown rice, and healthy fats like avocado and nuts, provides adequate nutrition, vitamins, and minerals with the added benefit of better digestion, clearer skin, lower cholesterol, and more energy.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: If you're interested in helping the non-profit organization Fostering Mind, Body, and Soul Incorporated (FMBS Inc.) this holiday season, you may make monetary donations via the "Donate" button on the upper right of their Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/fmbsinc.sustenance/. You are also welcome to arrange pick-up or drop-off of other contributions anytime throughout the year.
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Fostering Mind, Body, and Soul Incorporated. 58 likes · 2 talking about this. Serving the Southern CA since 2012: Our mission is to provide sustenance to...
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JOIN OUR CAUSE: As previously mentioned, Fostering Mind, Body, and Soul Incorporated (FMBS Inc.) is on a never-ending quest to locate deserving individuals to extend our services to. Therefore, we are always in need of monetary donations and/or contributions of hygiene items, sealed snacks, bottled water, seasonal items (gloves, scarves, blankets, umbrellas, sunglasses, sunscreen), mini Bibles, reading books, etc.; our YEAR-ROUND mission is to serve homeless and/or needy individuals and families in underprivileged communities throughout Southern California. We also need DEDICATED volunteers and members – is this your calling? We are successful because of YOUR continued support. Please continue to back us up through participation, and/or by encouraging others to join our cause!
For more information about our organization contact fmbsinc_2012@outlook.com, as our website is currently under construction. Feel free to LIKE our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/fmbsinc.sustenance/ and follow us on Twitter @FMBSInc.
Very Respectfully,
Tylesha "Tye" Allen
Owner | CEO, T.Y.E. Childcare | Mobile Notary | FMBS Inc.
· Mobile: (951) 790-2127
· Address: Moreno Valley, CA
· Change begins within; work on becoming a better You
· "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." (Psalm 118:8)
· Twitter: https://twitter.com/TyeDreamsBig
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