Happy Sunday!
Our guest speaker today was Overseer Ivry Johnson from Gilead Full Gospel Baptist Church in Nassau, Bahamas. He used Judges 6:1-40 as his scripture reference and "When God is With You" as his subject.
"Yet again the People of Israel went back to doing evil in God’s sight. God put them under the domination of Midian for seven years. Midian overpowered Israel. Because of Midian, the People of Israel made for themselves hideouts in the mountains—caves and forts. When Israel planted its crops, Midian and Amalek, the easterners, would invade them, camp in their fields, and destroy their crops all the way down to Gaza. They left nothing for them to live on, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey. Bringing their cattle and tents, they came in and took over, like an invasion of locusts. And their camels—past counting! They marched in and devastated the country. The People of Israel, reduced to grinding poverty by Midian, cried out to God for help." - Judges 6:1-6 (Message Translation)
God doesn't let sins go unpunished, but he is always listening for our cry. Psalms 86:5 says, "O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help."
"The Messenger of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, “The Lord is with you, brave man." Gideon responded, “Excuse me, sir! But if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all the miracles our ancestors have told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and has handed us over to Midian." The Lord turned to him and said, “You will rescue Israel from Midian with the strength you have. I am sending you.” Gideon said to him, “Excuse me, sir! How can I rescue Israel? Look at my whole family. It’s the weakest one in Manasseh. And me? I’m the least important member of my family.” The Lord replied, “I will be with you. You will defeat Midian as if it were only one man.” Judges 6:11-16 (God's Word Translation)
It only takes a moment for things to turn around. Even when your situation looks hopeless, anything is possible. Gideon was living in fear and insecurity, but the messenger called him a "Brave Man". God does that all the time...Romans 4:17 says, "We call Abraham “father” not because he got God’s attention by living like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobody." (Message Translation)
When God is with you, things may not always be perfect. We all have ups and downs in life. God doesn't promise sunshine without rain. But when you call on him, he will answer. "Happy is the man who can endure the highest and lowest fortune. He who has endured such vicissitudes with equanimity has deprived misfortune of its power. " ~Seneca
Read the rest of the story, Gideon had some issues but God used him to bring the people out of bondage.
Love and prayers, Cynthia
P.S. - "Like a plant that starts up in showers and sunshine and does not know which has best helped it to grow, it is difficult to say whether the hard things or the pleasant things did me the most good." ~Lucy Larcom
Our guest speaker today was Overseer Ivry Johnson from Gilead Full Gospel Baptist Church in Nassau, Bahamas. He used Judges 6:1-40 as his scripture reference and "When God is With You" as his subject.
"Yet again the People of Israel went back to doing evil in God’s sight. God put them under the domination of Midian for seven years. Midian overpowered Israel. Because of Midian, the People of Israel made for themselves hideouts in the mountains—caves and forts. When Israel planted its crops, Midian and Amalek, the easterners, would invade them, camp in their fields, and destroy their crops all the way down to Gaza. They left nothing for them to live on, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey. Bringing their cattle and tents, they came in and took over, like an invasion of locusts. And their camels—past counting! They marched in and devastated the country. The People of Israel, reduced to grinding poverty by Midian, cried out to God for help." - Judges 6:1-6 (Message Translation)
God doesn't let sins go unpunished, but he is always listening for our cry. Psalms 86:5 says, "O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help."
"The Messenger of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, “The Lord is with you, brave man." Gideon responded, “Excuse me, sir! But if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all the miracles our ancestors have told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and has handed us over to Midian." The Lord turned to him and said, “You will rescue Israel from Midian with the strength you have. I am sending you.” Gideon said to him, “Excuse me, sir! How can I rescue Israel? Look at my whole family. It’s the weakest one in Manasseh. And me? I’m the least important member of my family.” The Lord replied, “I will be with you. You will defeat Midian as if it were only one man.” Judges 6:11-16 (God's Word Translation)
It only takes a moment for things to turn around. Even when your situation looks hopeless, anything is possible. Gideon was living in fear and insecurity, but the messenger called him a "Brave Man". God does that all the time...Romans 4:17 says, "We call Abraham “father” not because he got God’s attention by living like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobody." (Message Translation)
When God is with you, things may not always be perfect. We all have ups and downs in life. God doesn't promise sunshine without rain. But when you call on him, he will answer. "Happy is the man who can endure the highest and lowest fortune. He who has endured such vicissitudes with equanimity has deprived misfortune of its power. " ~Seneca
Read the rest of the story, Gideon had some issues but God used him to bring the people out of bondage.
Love and prayers, Cynthia
P.S. - "Like a plant that starts up in showers and sunshine and does not know which has best helped it to grow, it is difficult to say whether the hard things or the pleasant things did me the most good." ~Lucy Larcom
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