Things that were Precious 1 Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: To Peter, the definition of precious is costly or of great value, much esteemed. Peter used the word precious several times. He said that the trial of your faith is more precious than gold. We would agree that faith is valuable, but not so much o

Isa. 61:3- “To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.” *Trees of Righteousness… are Grounded! Grow towards Heaven! Give off shade! Generate fruit! Glorify God! Don’t be a sapling, be a Tree! -Pastor Doug Foster

I Peter 1:1-11 I. Christians suffer to remind them of what Jesus bore for them on the cross. John 15:20 II. Christians suffer to keep the flesh from getting exalted. II Corinthians 12:7 III. Christians suffer to teach them patience. Romans 5:5 IV. Christians suffer in order to prove to the devil that God has people that can take it. Job 1:8-9 V. Christians suffer in order to be found unto Praise, Honor and Glory at Christs appearing.

Trusting Through Fear Psalm 56:3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. Notice first what our text does not say. David did not say, “If I am afraid.” He said, “What time I am afraid.” Fear is a reality in all our lives. Even a man after God’s own heart faced moments of uncertainty, danger, and anxiety. We see, though, that David made a conscious decision: when fear came, he would turn to God instead of being controlled by it. Trust is not the absence of fear—it is choos

Matthew 9:9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him. There is not a lot of fanfare found in this verse; no mountain moving, no lightning from heaven, no signs and wonders. Jesus simply gave an invitation to Matthew to change the direction of his life and Matthew obeyed. Now, there are many things that took place there that day in the life o

John 12:42 & 43 - “Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: 43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” I suspect that these verses sum up the majority of Christians in the United States. I suspect that these verses are a great contributing factor to why our generation has not seen true revival. I am certain that every Christian, inc

THE TRUTH THAT SETS US FREE" 31). Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples, indeed: 32). And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. JOHN 8:31-32 God desires the best for each of His children, but sometimes we become trapped in habits, thoughts, and emotions that keep us from experiencing His best. Today’s passage shows us the way out: If we contin

Jesus Intercession for Us Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. What a blessing to know that Jesus is praying to the Father on our behalf. His every thought is for our behalf. Sometimes we are guilty of praying for stuff we don't need, but Jesus knows us and exactly what we need. The position he's in to get his prayer answered is that he’s sitting at the right hand o

Mark 11:22- “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.” *when faith is all you have… don’t succumb to the pressure to give up! don’t rely on how or what you feel! don’t look to worldly measures for help! don’t listen to unspiritual people for spiritual advice! know that Faith is all you need!! -Pastor Doug Foster

Ephesians 1:3. I. Mystery of His Will - Ephesians 1:9 II. Hope of His Calling - Ephesians 1:18 III. Riches of His Glory - Ephesians. 1:18 IV. Greatness of His Power - Ephesians 1:19 V. Wisdom of God Ephesians 3:10 VI. Love of God Ephesians 3:19 VII. Son of God - Ephesians 4:13 -Bro. Mike Goodson

Are We Persistent? Matthew 7:7-11 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: [8] For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. [9] Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? [10] Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? [11] If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more sha

Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, Paul refers to himself as “the prisoner of the Lord”. It is an interesting way of viewing our salvation relationship in Christ, but it is very telling as to how we should see it. A secular definition of being a prisoner is to be bound without the potential of escape. It is to be restrained or confined. It means to have one’s freedom taken aw

Philippians 2:13 - “ For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” For so many Christians, the most fundamental tenants of living a life for Christ seem to be the hardest things for them to master. They know doctrine, they have scripture memorized, they can show you how to be saved through scripture; yet, they can’t be faithful to the house of God, read their bible or pray. Some things (such as doctrine, verses and the road to salvation) can

1). The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork. 2). Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 3). There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard, 4). Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them, hath he set a tabernacle for the sun. 5). Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. 6). Hi

Darkness John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. Darkness is a picture of sin, evil, and wickedness. The Bible says that men love darkness. They prefer darkness over light because light reveals who they are. In the book of Genesis, we see the power of darkness. The every thought and imagination of man was evil continually. That's why parents have to train up a child in

1 Kings 17:7- “And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.” *when God dries up your brook, He may do so to… Move you! Motivate you! Mold you! use you to Minister to others! to Moisten you, by: burdening you, breaking you, or blessing you to see how much you need Him! -Pastor Doug Foster

Proverbs 28:9 Prayers that God will not hear I. Prayer of Doubt - James 1:6-7 Matthew 14: 17-21 II. Prayer of Self- Desires - James 4:3 III. Prayer of Opposition to God’s people - Numbers 22: 6-12 IV. Prayers of Hearers and not Doers- James 1:22. Colossians 3:17 V. Prayers of Grudge-Holders - Matthew 5: 23,24 VI. Prayers of People with Unconfessed Sin Psalm 66:18. - Isaiah 59:1-2 VII. Prayers of a Bitter Family - I Peter 3:1-7 -Bro. Mike

Tongue James 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! How often do we think our words truly don’t matter? We might think we can say whatever we like, and if someone doesn’t like it, then they just need to get thicker skin. James reminds us that something as small as the tongue can produce enormous results, good and bad. Too often, we think our influence is limited because we are ordinary people. W

2 Timothy 4:3-4 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. What has happened to America? What has happened to the church? What has happened to common sense and standards of excellence? What has happened to common goals and working together? We may not understand all the

2 Thessalonians 3:1 “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:” Paul asked that the church pray for the Word of God to have free course, meaning that the Word would be able to be delivered unto all that needed to hear it preached. He is asking that they pray for God’s will to be accomplished. Now, as we look at that request, we can glean some truths about Paul. First, his desire was not for recog