NJ CHURCH OF PENTECOST CHRISTMAS CONVENTION

KNOW YOUR TIRE NUMBERS!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL MY FANS IN THE USA!

There are many things to be thankful for during this THANKSGIVING SEASON. 

If there is nothing that you can think of, just thank God for the gift of life. 

There are many who would have loved to be alive today but they are not!

 There are many who wish they could laugh, talk, walk, smile, hear, dance, eat, and even pee, but they cannot! 

There are many who wish they had three square meals a day but they cannot! 

There are many who wish they have a place they can call home, but they cannot!

JUST BE GRATEFUL FOR WHATEVER YOU HAVE!

HAVE FUN!

Enjoy this hymn by Johnson Oatman

1. When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
   When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
   Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
   And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
   • Refrain:
     Count your blessings, name them one by one,
     Count your blessings, see what God has done!
     Count your blessings, name them one by one,
     *Count your many blessings, see what God has done.
     [*And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.]
2. Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
   Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
   Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
   And you will keep singing as the days go by.
3. When you look at others with their lands and gold,
   Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
   Count your many blessings—*money cannot buy [*wealth can never buy]
   Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
4. So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
   Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
   Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
   Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

LET THE RIVER FLOW - PART 1

The River From the Temple

The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. 2 He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side.

3 As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. 4 He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. 5 He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. 6 He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?”

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. 8 He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah,[b] where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. 9 Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. 10 Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets.The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea.11 But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. 12 Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river.Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.”

Ezekiel 47:1-12 (NIV)

Ezekiel was a man of God, a prophet, yet he walked away from his post and could not even see the river flowing from the altar. He may have been focusing on other things in life at that very moment. He could not see the mystery of God that was unfolding right before his eyes because he was not at post. Are you currently in the position to experience and hear from God His mysteries concerning your life? Have you walked away from the presence of God even if temporary? If so, come back to your maker; to the place where He first found you and you were zealous for Him. When the man brought Ezekiel back to his post, his eyes were opened and he began to see the river of unlimited blessings. He had been in this part of the temple several times but he had not seen this before until the Lord Himself opened his eyes. May the Lord open your eyes today to see His glory and beauty. The river flowed from the south of the altar. This means that the source of the river was from God's own throne. God is the source of life and all blessings. Out of Him flows abundant grace and mercies. 

The river began with God and had no tributaries. Since God is the original source and He is all sufficient, He does not need to be refilled, He fills Himself. He will not be God if He needs help from elsewhere. When God is your strength and your shield, you don't need any additional protection from any other source. He is enough for all situations. The river increased in volume  and power as it continued to flow from the source. God's power is unlimited, eternal, and cannot be contained or restrained. It is last to infinity. His ability and might cannot be calculated and understood with the human senses. It only takes faith and divine grace to understand Him. 

I pray that today, as you read this first part of this message, the eyes of your understanding would be opened so that you can catch a glimpse of the magnitude of God's power over your life and the blessings that He has in store for you. May you come to understand that He is the source of all life and from Him all blessings flow. There is a blessing awaiting all who faithfully stay at their post and wait for His deliverance.

Be blessed today and expect the second part of this message soon.

UNDERSTANDING HOW YOUR BRAIN WORKS

THE LIVING GOD THAT WE SERVE WILL SURELY DELIVER US!

It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, 2 with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. 3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. 4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. 5 Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”

6 So these administrators and satraps went as a group to the king and said: “May King Darius live forever! 7 The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den. 8 Now, Your Majesty, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” 9 So King Darius put the decree in writing.

10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. 11 Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. 12 So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: “Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human being except to you, Your Majesty, would be thrown into the lions’ den?”

The king answered, “The decree stands—in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”

13 Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, Your Majesty, or to the decree you put in writing. He still prays three times a day.” 14 When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.

15 Then the men went as a group to King Darius and said to him, “Remember, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians no decree or edict that the king issues can be changed.”

16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”

17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation might not be changed. 18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.

19 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den.20 When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”

21 Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! 22 My God sent his angel,and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.” Daniel 6:15-22 (NIV)

From the scriptural passage above, we read that Daniel was cast into the lions’ den for not omitting a known duty, praying to his God. What crime is it for someone to decide to pray to his God? Yet some people found it necessary carve a law to make it a crime because they wanted to use it as a trap to bring him down due to his excellence. You may be obeying the Lord in your daily walk with the Lord and this can create some enemies in your circle of life. There are people who would devise various means to keep you down from progressing in your spiritual journey. They make be jealous of your success in life. Focus on your God and don't take notice of them because the eyes of your creator, the living God, is upon you. He would protect you and deliver you from all harm and danger. He would be your refuge and fortress and nothing would or ever harm you. God’s miraculously delivering him is left upon record for the encouragement of his servants in all ages to be resolute and constant both in their abhorrence of that which is evil and in their adherence to that which is good, whatever it cost them. Those who serve God continually he will continually preserve, and will bear them out in his service. This is the assurance that we have a faithful Christians.Those who boldly and cheerfully trust in God to protect them in the way of their duty shall never be made ashamed of their confidence in him, but shall always find him a present help. 

Do not waste time on your false accusers. They are already losers in the sight of God for vengeance belong to the Lord. The plans that Daniels accusers had to destroy him backfired and they were rather given a severer punishment to extended to their entire household. They were all consumed mercilessly by the hungry lions. Keep your faith alive in the face of challenges, persecutions, false accusations, and disasters. God will surely deliver you from all of them in order to bring glory to His name. Keep the fire burning!

YOUR FAITH HAS POWER TO BLESS OTHERS

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man

17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the lawwere sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

Luke 5:20 (NIV)

The friends of this paralytic had faith that Jesus had the ability to heal him. Yet, this faith alone was not sufficient. There were obstacles that they had to overcome to get to Jesus and that was the crowd. How can they get their friend to Jesus in this crowded room? The only thing they could think of was to get to the roof top, remove the tile and then lower his body in front of Jesus. Faith is the initial seed but sometimes, it must be followed by action. Acting on your faith would yield the desired result. Their faith extended to their friend who was healed by Jesus. Their faith had power to bless another! 

There are some that you may interact with who do not understand the importance of getting to Jesus, or their faith is too weak. Don't allow their weakness to hinder your faith. With your prayers, God is going to impact others. Your faith is able to overcome obstacles. You may have relatives who are going through challenging circumstances but their faith is weak. You can stand in the gap for them through your faith by prayers and supplications. When the desired outcome is realized, the faith of that person would be rekindled. 

The master, Jesus, declared, "because of their faith, the man's sins were forgiven. Your faith has the power to bless others so do not give up in the face of obstacles.