Light n Dark

Thought I would post this after responding to a friends appeal for help:
Let me share the angle I see this from, when you start asking for forgiveness on a more regular basis you will receive that. What happens to me is that when the more basic sins get cleared out I then become aware of the darker more complex sins that have been hiding out behind the more ordinary sins if you will. What really happens is that the closer you come to the Light by confessing your sins and offering your self up for use in His plan the more clearly you can see what has been there but not faced up until now. God does not inspire you to do a job that He has not already equipped you or someone who will come along side you to do. We have to repent always, the power of your lens to look at that sin increases as your willingness to let go and let Him be in control becomes a reality. satan does pursue you but God has already won the battle, you just have to stand arms up in praise and receive over and over the Love He has provided. I was given these verses in Jude and they have been applied several times in the past couple of days, you are not alone, many are seeking to be used. "20-21But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God's love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life!24-25And now to him who can keep you on your feet, standing tall in his bright presence, fresh and celebrating—to our one God, our only Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Master, be glory, majesty, strength, and rule before all time, and now, and to the end of all time. Yes." Love you and will be praying for you, Marilyn

Salve?

I drove 600 miles the past two days to take a friend to Duke to see if they can help her with the pain in her feet. Literally the bottom of her feet feel like she is walking on glass almost constantly. She flew in, we drove from Spartanburg to Durham, spent the night and went to her appointment at 10:30 then met a friend, Diane. Diane is a lady whose deep spirituality is off the charts in comparison with most of the world. We met at around 11:30 and talked for over 3 hours about many many things. In the course of our travels we got to discipline or pain or crap. What ever you want to call what you face every time you think you are making any progress. We came to agreement that we are privileged to be living in the times we are and that we need to yield to the press which is the only way oil can be obtained from the broken mess of our live. The oil is the salve if you will that those placed in our paths can only receive by God working HIS will in our lives. His allowance of anything and we agreed that He has to allow whatever is happening because if not them He is not the God of the Universe Almighty No One Bigger The GUY IN CHARGE! If we are serving any less then we need to go sit on the hillside and inspect our belly buttons for the lint of life. We know Whom we serve, but are we willing to let Him show His Love through us or do we think we can do a better job of anything than He? NOT. So the press we are in is His plan to bring out the very best the flowing out through us of HIM. Do we have a better plan NOT! So we prayed together "Lord use us , dont listen to our whining our moaning our pitiful plan for anything, Press us Harder Lord, the time is short to reach those who know You not, keep us not out of Your way but directly in the path of the most possible use by You. So we are called... Jude said ^17-19But remember, dear friends, that the apostles of our Master, Jesus Christ, told us this would happen: "In the last days there will be people who don't take these things seriously anymore." Dont be those people, be God's tools ready to be used.

Another New Year: WWJD

Well here we are in another "new" year. What is going to be different about this year? For one we as country will see the first president with African American roots sworn in as our new president. Many believe he will usher in a new age of peace and prosperity. A man in the NC mountains killed his ex-wife and two others, fled with his 2 young children and ended up taking his own life. Every new year of their lives these children will have to relive today. Hammas and Israel are steadily blowing up parts of their land, while many call for relief for their enemies who will stand with God's Chosen in this new year? All of this flares around us in the new year on our tvs and radios, what about the battle raging unseen? What will happen this year that will make a difference in the ancient battle between God and satan? Who? What? When? Where? Do you feel like an owl trying to find a concrete answer to any or all of these questions and events?
I would ask you a more serious question, what is going to be different in your life this year and why? Will you have less money, no job, friends who are in despair, a church that will be unable to meet a budgets because people arent able to work? Are these the things that you are focused on? Well if so you will be just as discouraged as you were last year maybe even more so. When we look anywhere except to God to provide a measure of our success and surety of the direction we are pursuing we will fail to find any difference in this or any other year.
God is bigger than any leader He allows to be in office.Read the Book. God can reach down and comfort those children and their families , giving them shelter where no one Else can. Read the Book. God has clearly chosen the Jews to be His people, read the Book. His plan is being followed but He welcomes our prayers at any time and has changed course and withheld judgement before. Read the Book.
Read His Word, consider the meaning of the Scriptures in your life and todays world. Talk to Him! Read the Psalms and pray about the message in each one! Read Proverbs! ONE for every day of the month! Get to know this wonderful Creator who choses to inhabit our very souls upon our realizing the darkness there and inviting Him in to help us SEE A DIFFERENCE in any new year! See if you dont have a new year in a way that will affect every part of your life in every way and every day.
I Challenge YOU! For 30 days decide to make all your decisions, Big and Little, on the basis of WHAT WOULD JESUS DO IN THIS MATTER. Let me know if you are brave enough to try, I and my prayer partners will pray for you.

Every Footstep

Present the offer of salvation to his people,
the forgiveness of their sins.
Through the heartfelt mercies of our God,
God's Sunrise will break in upon us,
Shining on those in the darkness,
those sitting in the shadow of death,
Then showing us the way, one foot at a time,
down the path of peace. Luke 1: 78,79

I came across this in another web-letter. The writer was talking about how the lack of sunlight and "son"light in our lives affects our whole outlook. I agree with that perspective but would offer more.. Why is the church still here? What can we do to help people out in these times of economic and political depression? 10 OFFER the gospel to those who God puts in your path. He is putting people in your path everyday! Are you aware or just stumbling through your life making it one day at a time? There is no better news than I have a risen Savior who comforts me and is always with me no matter what. Who doesnt need that comfort and acknowledgement of themselves one on one? 2)Realize that it is only God's mercy that we are on this earth for one more day. Old or young..has you day affected the way any one person looks at their relationship with God or lack of it? Are you so selfish in your salvation that you cannot share.. there is room for all who come in Heaven. Any who read this and are not Children of God, you risk death before you decide to look into this Jesus Christ..WHY? Use Biblegateway.com if you dont have a Bible. Read the gospel of John. No one can say they are not loved by Someone. Then finally my fellow members of the Body of Christ look at the promise " One foot at a time" we cannot move ahead of the Spirit, He is with us EVERY FOOTSTEP!

Christmas Program

We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Over the past few years our Christmas presentation here at Living Water has gained an incredible reputation around our community. We are so blessed to have such a dedicated team of workers who put every ounce of energy into making this a wonderful event. This team has just returned from a 10 day mission trip to Trinidad and Tobago. Their trip was originally planned for the summer but had to be rescheduled over the Thanksgiving holiday due to cargo not being delivered on time. They gave up their Thanksgiving holiday with their families to help reach thousands of families in Trinidad and Tobago. With only 2 weeks left to present a Christmas Presentation worthy of our Savior and our Church, we all feel this could not be accomplished fully. This team is so dedicated therefore, they are heart-broken that we will have to cancel our Presentation this year. We are so excited for them and their families that they can now rest and recover from a great mission trip. They can also pour all their efforts into completing the new children’s wing here at Living Water and help fulfill our vision. We know this is a disappointment to all, but we encourage you to pray for this team and for the exciting future of what God has in store for us. Enjoy this time worshipping Jesus with your family during the greatest season of the year. God became man, Emmanuel, God with us.

Pastor Mike

New Pledge of Allegiance

WRITTEN BY A 15 yr. Old SCHOOL KID IN ARIZONA :



New Pledge of Allegiance (TOTALLY AWESOME) !

Since the Pledge of Allegiance
And
The Lord's Prayer
Are not allowed in most
Public schools anymore
Because the word 'God' is mentioned....
A kid in Arizona wrote the attached
NEW School prayer :


Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.
If Scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.
Our hair can be purple, orange or green, That's no offense; it's a
freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.
For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the state.
We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks, And pierce our noses,
tongues and cheeks..
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.
We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong, We're taught that such
'judgments' do not belong.
We can get our condoms and birth controls, Study witchcraft, vampires
and totem poles.
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed, No word of God must reach this
crowd.
It's scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!
Amen
If you aren't ashamed to do this,
Please pass this on.
Jesus said,
'If you are ashamed of me,
I will be ashamed of you before my Father.'

Epicenter Reacts to Obama

EPICENTER REACTS TO OBAMA VICTORYShare
Today at 2:57pm
(Washington, D.C., November 5, 2008) -- Congratulations to Sen. Obama. His victory last night was an historic moment, further evidence of how far Americans have come in moving beyond the racial divisions of the past. This is good, and should not be underestimated.

It is now our solemn responsibility to pray faithfully and consistently for him, his wife, his family, and his advisor. We must pray for their safety, their wisdom, and their discernment. This is the right thing to do and honors the Lord. As the Apostle Paul teaches so clearly in I Timothy 2:1, "I urge that entreaties, prayers and petitions and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity."

We must also pray faithfully for the safety of our nation, for the peace of Jerusalem, and for the advancement of freedom and security throughout the world, and particularly in the Middle East. I am very concerned about what the next year to 18 months may hold. Vice President-elect Biden warned us that the world will test this young new president. We must therefore pray for peace while we prepare for war.

I'm paying particular attention this morning to how people in the epicenter are reacting to Sen. Obama's victory. Leaders in Iran are thrilled since the likelihood of decisive U.S. action to stop Iran's nuclear weapons program has just dropped dramatically. Leaders in Iraq, by contrast, are trying not to be worried given that the likelihood of rapid withdrawal of U.S. forces has just increased dramatically.

Palestinians seem to be thrilled, since they see Obama as pro-Palestinian and open to dividing Jerusalem and pressuring the Israelis to make further concessions of "land for peace." Many Israelis feel quite unsettled this morning, concerned that they will be all alone in the Middle East as the U.S. begins to pack up and go home from Iraq. They are also concerned that Obama and his team do not appear to fully understand or appreciate the seriousness of the threat of Radical Islam. Sen. Obama told us during the campaign that Iran was a tiny country that did not pose much of a threat. Israelis are not convinced he will stand with them in a nuclear showdown with Tehran.

A senior political strategist in Israel emailed me last night with this thought: "The State of Israel is now facing the most unfriendly American administration ever….Israel's will to live will be tested in ways that will not e pretty. Many of Obama's foreign policy team and Middle East advisors see Israel as the obstacle to peace. And we can not count on Jewish supporters of Obama to have any standing in setting policy in this administration." A new poll released yesterday also caught my attention: 46% of Israelis would have voted for McCain, while only 34% would have voted for Obama. That tells us something about the concern from Eilat to Haifa and from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem about losing a great friend of Israel and the Jewish people in President Bush to someone who has not indicated convincing support for Israel in the past.

I know many of you are very worried about the direction of our country. I certainly understand this sentiment, but as I wrote yesterday, let us not lose heart. The Lord knew who would win. He allowed it to happen. He has a plan. He has a purpose. And now He is calling us to serve Him faithfully - to do whatever He tells us to do, to go wherever He tells us to go, to say whatever He tells us to say. Now is the time to draw close to Christ, to advance His kingdom, and prepare for His return. He is, after all, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Now is certainly no time to forget, or to be discouraged.