Wed. the 10th

Deuteronomy 4: ⁶ Observe (the laws from God given to Moses) them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people."

 

Christ reinforces this teaching when He tells us that He came to fulfill the laws, not abolish them. However today we really are not held up as wise or understanding for following these laws are we? The world tends to call us foolish, or misguided. I was reading an article yesterday where the belief of the author was that Christian teachings belong in the same section as mythology! How did we get to this point? It is my belief that we are our own worst enemies. We want Christianity to be seen as wise and understanding, yet are we following the laws that we have been given? How can people take Christianity seriously when many of us trample on the very fabric of the faith? How do we do this? We don’t follow the laws. We don’t love our God, or our neighbor, and all to often we don’t love ourselves. We lie to cover our tracks, we tear others down to build ourselves up…you get the idea. Yes we are imperfect, and we all fall short of the Glory of God, but how short are we falling, and how hard are we working to make that distance as short as possible? We have been given these laws by God, we have been given His Son, as a one time sacrifice to fulfill the laws and the prophets.  If we are to be wise and understanding we must learn to love unequivocally, we must take these laws and live  them as an example, we must encourage our brothers and sisters to do the same. We must strive to unite at the cross of Christ, and resolve to live a life of love, the same love that God shows to us daily. When we do this, when we unite instead of fight with each other, when we build each other up in the name of the Lord, instead of tearing each other down, when we accept each other as one true family instead of strangers in a pew on Sunday morning….once again we will be seen as wise and understanding, and the glory of God will radiate across this planet for all nations to see.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

 

Tuesday the 9th

Romans 8: ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

No matter what we do or where we go we take the love of God that is in Jesus Christ with us……it is easy to read this over quickly, and pass it off as “yeah, God loves me” but if we reflect on what this is telling us for just a  few moments, we realize that in every moment of our life God loves us, when we do the right thing, when we stumble and make mistakes, and most importantly, when we find that not only have we wandered off the path, but we can’t seem to find our way back. At no time during our struggles, and strife, has the Lord given up on us, He has never quit loving us, He has never quit searching us out to bring us home. We can run all we want to, but we take the love of the Lord with us. Nothing can separate us. I know you might think, (and there was a time in my life when I had the same thought), “ohhhh you just don’t know…You don’t know where I have been, you don’t know what I have done. You are right I don’t know, but I do know this, the Lord was with you, no matter how dark of a time, His love was a shining light within you. He has been with you through out your life, and He will continue to be there, His love knows no boundaries. Nothing can separate you from that love. He is with you always, because He knew where your path was leading, He knows about the dark times, for those times were and will continue to be times, not of suffering, but opportunities to rely, and trust in that unconditional love. Nothing can take the Love of the Lord form us, but we can choose not to acknowledge it, nothing can cut us off from God, but we can turn our backs. God does not leave us, we abandon Him. Resolve to drop the cloak of isolation, acknowledge that love that has been with you always, it will be your rock, your light, and your lifeline. If He is for us who can be against us? Grasp that never ending unconditional love, and see that you truly are more than a conqueror, you are and will always be victorious with the love of the Lord!

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

<))))><

 

 

 

Monday the 8th

James 5: ¹⁵And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

 

Pray, pray, pray, The prayer of a righteous man is powerful. We have a direct line to God. We have the ability to reach out and tap the Lord on the shoulder, and say hey, Lord, I need your help…..so why don’t we do it more often? Sick? Ask for health. Sinned, ask for forgiveness. Lost?  Ask for guidance. Maybe you have a friend in need, or a community, or a nation…..one person can make a difference, and the person who petitions the Lord, and seeks His guidance, can be unstoppable. What happens when we pray? Just like Paul in prison, we are freed. We loosen the chains of this world, and turn it over to the Lord. Are you worried how the day will unfold, how people will think of you….worried for your family, your friends, the direction of your life? Why allow these things to eat up your time, and tear away at your joy? Place these worries at the feet of Christ, get on about the day that the Lord has planned for you. It is a day full of joy, a day full of opportunity, it is a new beginning to the remainder of your journey. Be powerful, be effective, realize that while you might stand tall in this world, your height reaches to the heavens when you are on your knees in prayer. Start your day with an altitude adjustment. Start on a knee, and see how far you will rise, you will find that it is much higher than you can stand.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

<))))><

 

Friday the 5th

Philippians 1: ⁶being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

 

 

To tweak a favorite country song of mine…..the road goes on forever, and the journey never ends. Once God starts to work in your life, that work does not stop. It is a lifelong construction job. You know I can think back to when I first really was set on fire with the Lord, man it seemed like everyday was a new revelation. I could feel the Lord with me each and every morning, and all throughout the day. I can also think of times when I felt pretty alone, like maybe the Lord had other things to do that day…or week…or month…than hang out and work on me………As I studied, and prayed, and spent time in prayer, I realized our relationship with Christ is a lot like that of a really good friend, or brother. Have you ever been on a long road trip with a good friend? Sometimes hours will pass and not a word is spoken, when someone finally does say something the other physically jumps because the silence was so comfortable….During that time of silence was your friend not there with you still? Were they not still watching the road for things that were coming up? Did they not continue to glance at the speedometer to make sure that you were not going to fast, and get a ticket? Without a word they always seem to be able to put on the right music to make the trip a little more enjoyable……That is how the Lord works sometimes. You might not realize it, but He is there, working away in the passenger seat. Watching your life unfold, looking out for wrong turns, and potholes, ready to grab the wheel and help you miss the obstacles. He works to keep your life on an even keel, without saying a word he reaches out and conducts a symphony of music around you full of love, peace, hope, and faith. That carries on until you go to Him, or He comes back to us…….The good work has begun in you, and he will carry it on, even if you don’t know he is there sometimes……. the road goes on forever, and the journey never ends.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

<))))><

 

 

 

Thursday the 4th

Micah 7: ⁸ Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.

 

 

The enemy does love to gloat doesn’t he? How we respond to that will greatly affect how we continue on in life. We do not always win the skirmish, we all stumble, and we all suffer a defeat now and then. As soon as we do, you can bet that there will be people who come out of the wood work to shout it to the world. Those who sit on the side lines waiting, or take an active role in our defeat cannot wait to declare victory. They will kick you when you are down, and tell the world about it….they will gloat. How do we react? It is very common to want to go crawl in a hole, you want to go lick your wounds, and forget that it happened. You were defeated, and now you have defeated yourself. We allow the world to dictate our fate. Here in this scripture we see the attitude we should all project. I failed,…..so what? Yes, you beat me this time……who cares? Yes, I have been trampled on…..it does not matter! Why? Because through the power of God I will rise again! It might be dark, but the Lord will turn on the light! I might be lost for the moment, but the Lord will take my hand, pull me up, and set me on the path! He will redeem me, He will replenish me, and He will sustain me.  We must commit ourselves to the war of life not the battle of today! A person who will not quit cannot be defeated. A person who pushes through the pain of defeat, will find themselves ahead of the pack. The person who relies on God to give them the inner strength will find an inexhaustible supply of energy. Do not allow yourself to give up on the war because you have lost a battle. Take your strength from the Lord, rely on Him to fortify, and recharge your soul. You might be down, but you will rise…..it might be dark, but the Lord will cast enough light to illuminate the world. When your enemy knows that you will always rise again, they do not have time to gloat….they are too busy getting ready for the next battle. God does not give up on us, let us use His strength, and perseverance to mount the next attack.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

<))))><

 

Wed. the 3rd

2Chronicles  20:17  You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.' Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you."

 

Have you ever felt totally overwhelmed? Maybe you feel that way right now. It seems as though each day brings another obstacle, another army is circling up outside you city walls, another task to add to the list of impossible tasks that must be done. Sometimes we just look at all that has us surrounded and we are ready to throw in the towel. There is no way we can fight this battle, there is no way we can win……..That is just what the devil wants you to believe. I have news for you….good news indeed. You do not have to fight that battle, you do not have to wage that war. The Lord is with you always, and He will fight for you. Go out, show up on the battle field of life, but show up with your faith in God lighting the path. Do that, and be prepared to be amazed. The Lord will fight your battles, He will wage the war right before your eyes, and you will be victorious through the power of Almighty God. There is no problem to big, no army too well armed to be a problem for the Lord to handle. Let the creator of all things have control of your troubles. Stand firm, and hold your position, the Lord will lever the obstacles in your path. He did it for Jehoshaphat, He did it for David, and Joshua, and Paul, and countless others in the Bible. I have seen Him do it for me, and for others in my life each and every day. We do not serve a uncaring God. We serve a loving, forgiving, all encompassing God. HE does care, He does love you, and He will not only protect you, but He will step in and take an active role on your life. He will bless you not curse you, prosper you, not destroy you. You do not need to fight all of those battles, let your faith lead you, and let the Lord heal you, protect you, and fight for you. The Lord will be with you!

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

<))))><

 

 

 

Monday the 1st

Acts 17:

 ¹³When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. ¹⁴The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea.

 

Sometimes in life people will just not let up on you. You might be doing everything you can to lead a good life, spread the truth, and build the kingdom of the Lord, but you just can’t seem to shake the negative people in your life, the people who are trying to drag you down, those who would try to undermine your goals……Paul knew better than most about being drug down. He had a unique perspective, he once was the leader in hunting down the Christians, and now he finds himself constantly on the run. We should not be surprised to find ourselves in the same situation in our lives. We have something in common with Paul other than just the constant pursuit…..We have people looking out for us, just like they were looking out for Paul. Every time Paul found himself in a tight spot, someone showed up to get him to safety. That is how God uses us. You might think, oh no Brian, not me, when the chips are down, there is no one around to help me out….You know I used to think like that too. However, what I found was that I was not open to being helped! People were always trying to help me out, but I would not accept the help….did not want it….did not need it….I could get by just fine on my own. How wrong I was! We hear of people being in their darkest hour of need, and out of nowhere someone appears to help them out. That is God at work! But we have to accept the help! We have to realize that we are not bullet proof. You might be able to carry a lot of weight, but you could carry more if you would open your hand and accept the help that is right in front of you! God brings us together to advance His plan. You have help, you are not alone, you are never alone. When the heat gets turned up, and life if running you down, don’t miss the help that is being offered. The Lord will move you, hide you, or stack enough people behind you that you can stand up to anything. The help is there, reach out and take it!

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

The New Covenant Church

www.thenewcovenantchurch.com

<))))><