Dear friends I am about to share with you Sunday's church message my pastor preached. God is so good! I love what He is giving Clifton to preach lately. Below are my notes. This was too good not to share. I've been meaning to write these as a post all week but kept forgetting my notes at home.
Church notes:
Title: To Move Forward, I Must Trust the Lord With All My Heart
Proverbs 3:6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in
all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The christian is not a tourist returning to the start every night, but a pilgrim traveling forward continuously. The Christian strives to make it further. My goal is to become closer to Christ today than I was yesterday. There is a constant continuous moving forward to getting to the goal. The goal is to be the likeness of Christ. Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
I can't lean on my own thinking. I must trust the Lord and ALWAYS acknowledge Him. Zachariah 4:6 ...Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.
We are on a journey with trials, tests, valleys, & mountains....and in this journey we have to be trusting in the Lord always!
We are running the race. So many times we begin to pick up things we really don't need to pick up, or take on things we really don't need to take on.
At this point in the message, Clifton began to use an illustration. He had Jered (a college student) go to the front of the church and walk back and forth. It was easy. He had nothing he was holding onto. Then Clifton gave a suitcase to hold and walk with. Jered took on a "burden" and the walk was more difficult.Often times we take on events and the journey gets more difficult because we have taken on these things that God never intended for us to take on. We let things get in the way, let people/family/home life get the best of us. We let life weigh us down. Psalms 127 Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it..
When difficulties come, go to God!
Jered now takes on more "things". Clifton makes him add to his load by holding song books, a picture frame, and a hammer.We let the process of life weigh us down. The journey was meant to be easy and light but we take on too many things. The entertainment and joys of life start pulling us from devotion time, prayer time, and begin to weigh us down. (Amen, brother!) Then we're not attending worship, not spending time in the Word. (Amen, brother!) All these things will begin to tie us to the enemy.
Clifton ties a rope to Jered's arm and Clifton pulls on the rope.We are being pulled away from God. The weights of life are holding us down. (Can you imagine Jered holding onto all the "things" and being tied up?) While we are being held back, we can't get into the presence of God like we used to. Then we begin to get tired and the enemy will have a hold on us. Then the next time we will want to go to God's presence it will be more difficult.
Jered's hands are now full. He can't catch a ball that is thrown at him. He can't hold onto one more thing.When our hands are full that's when it is so easy for the enemy to come in. Whoever holds the rope, holds the life. The enemy will use us as a trophy and try to influence our peers.
We shuffle and juggle life to try to catch other things. The devil will try to keep offering more and more things.
Jered is becoming weak as he keeps from dropping everything.God never intended for us to be bound. Never intended for us to have limitations. Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
All you have to do is go to God aand all the weights will be lifted and removed. You don't have to worry about your family. Ephesians 6:10-11 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
You do not have to carry these burdens. Jesus will do the work. When He took on the cross, He took up all man's grief, burdens, trials, weight, & sorrows.
Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart!
We may be carrying on weights (not sins) that we shouldn't be carrying.
Some things are precious, we have a hard time letting go and giving them to God. God is saying, "Just give it to me, it will be ok, I can handle the load."
Has God ever failed you? Let these things go and commit them to Him.
Proverbs 3:6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
This is how we felt after the first round of the downpour. Can you see that nobody is in the street? Can you see the water spots on the shirts? Can you see the umbrella? But we were troopers and God still blessed us with some paying customers. You can also see part of the shirt that Kathryn printed. It says Whoop-T-Do Iowa Park, TX. You are more than welcome to purchase one still. Kathryn is selling the leftovers for $5 each shirt. Let me know if you would like one and what size. The wording is in a green font....Iowa Park colors.
