Fall 2021
Dear Friends,
How are you doing? Do you have fear? Do you have trust? Do you have HOPE? Proverbs 3:5-6 is my favorite passage this year.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path."
See the verbs? TRUST, LEAN NOT, ACKNOWLEDGE, DIRECT
We do the first three, our Lord does the fourth. HE directs our path. You can count on it.
I am encouraged by how God causes good even in evil circumstances. Can you see Him working?
One example: Last year homeschooling grew 40% I believe. Families spent much more time together than they may have ever planned to do.
Even now, He is inspiring many patriots to stand, and join together across the globe. Don't just believe the bad news. There is much GOOD happening. Can you see it?
Be encouraged by God's Word and the stories passed down to us from thousands of years ago. (That in itself is a miracle!)
I LOVE 2 Chronicles 20 when the Israelites were up against not 1 but 2 enemies. They were overwhelmed. Are you overwhelmed?
What did they do?
"And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
4 And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.
5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court,
6 And said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?
7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?
8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,
9 If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.
10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;
11 Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.
12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee."
What did God say?
"Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's...Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you."
How did they respond?
"And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord. And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high."
God instructed them to
1. go down to battle (that means they were to be trained and ready to fight)
2. send musicians ahead of the warriors singing "Praise the Lord for His mercy endures forever"
They obeyed. And when they showed up, God showed off!
He caused confusion among the enemies, and they fought each other!
Praise be to our great God! Stop and praise His name!
HE is doing much, in spite of our weakness, weak knees.
That's not an excuse, but a relief that as we each do our little parts,
We are like each individual instrument in the orchestra. Alone we may not sound that great.
But when GOD shows us each which part to play, and HE conducts us, what a glorious symphony!
Can you see it? HE is the conductor. We're not to tell HIM what to do.
What are we to do? We are each to play the score in front of us, to the best of our ability.
Never give up HOPE! Never stop playing your part in the orchestra. And don't forget to encourage the other members of the orchestra.
We need each other as different parts of Jesus' body.
Play your part with all your might, for the glory of God!
Let us not become defeated, but OVERCOMERS with HOPE (Romans 8:18-28) Please listen to this while you read the below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PArsqbwTdJ8
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
24 For we are saved by HOPE: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because HE maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
_________________________________________
Everlasting God by Chris Tomlin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PArsqbwTdJ8
"Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord,
we will wait upon the Lord,
will wait upon the Lord.
Repeat
Our God, You reign forever!
Our Hope. Our Strong Deliverer!
You are the everlasting God
the everlasting God
You will not faint, You won't grow weary.
You're the Defender of the weak.
You comfort those in need.
You lift us up on wings like eagles..."
God bless you all!
Paulie
Dear Friends,
How are you doing? Do you have fear? Do you have trust? Do you have HOPE? Proverbs 3:5-6 is my favorite passage this year.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path."
See the verbs? TRUST, LEAN NOT, ACKNOWLEDGE, DIRECT
We do the first three, our Lord does the fourth. HE directs our path. You can count on it.
I am encouraged by how God causes good even in evil circumstances. Can you see Him working?
One example: Last year homeschooling grew 40% I believe. Families spent much more time together than they may have ever planned to do.
Even now, He is inspiring many patriots to stand, and join together across the globe. Don't just believe the bad news. There is much GOOD happening. Can you see it?
Be encouraged by God's Word and the stories passed down to us from thousands of years ago. (That in itself is a miracle!)
I LOVE 2 Chronicles 20 when the Israelites were up against not 1 but 2 enemies. They were overwhelmed. Are you overwhelmed?
What did they do?
"And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
4 And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.
5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court,
6 And said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?
7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?
8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,
9 If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.
10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;
11 Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.
12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee."
What did God say?
"Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's...Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you."
How did they respond?
"And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord. And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high."
God instructed them to
1. go down to battle (that means they were to be trained and ready to fight)
2. send musicians ahead of the warriors singing "Praise the Lord for His mercy endures forever"
They obeyed. And when they showed up, God showed off!
He caused confusion among the enemies, and they fought each other!
Praise be to our great God! Stop and praise His name!
HE is doing much, in spite of our weakness, weak knees.
That's not an excuse, but a relief that as we each do our little parts,
We are like each individual instrument in the orchestra. Alone we may not sound that great.
But when GOD shows us each which part to play, and HE conducts us, what a glorious symphony!
Can you see it? HE is the conductor. We're not to tell HIM what to do.
What are we to do? We are each to play the score in front of us, to the best of our ability.
Never give up HOPE! Never stop playing your part in the orchestra. And don't forget to encourage the other members of the orchestra.
We need each other as different parts of Jesus' body.
Play your part with all your might, for the glory of God!
Let us not become defeated, but OVERCOMERS with HOPE (Romans 8:18-28) Please listen to this while you read the below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PArsqbwTdJ8
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
24 For we are saved by HOPE: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because HE maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
_________________________________________
Everlasting God by Chris Tomlin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PArsqbwTdJ8
"Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord,
we will wait upon the Lord,
will wait upon the Lord.
Repeat
Our God, You reign forever!
Our Hope. Our Strong Deliverer!
You are the everlasting God
the everlasting God
You will not faint, You won't grow weary.
You're the Defender of the weak.
You comfort those in need.
You lift us up on wings like eagles..."
God bless you all!
Paulie