Luke 2:14
King James Version (KJV)
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
May God continue to lead you and guide you in all that you do. God led by a Cloud in the wilderness. He led by a Star in the desert. Now he leads by His Spirit in our heart.
Continue to listen and watch for God. Trust his voice. Trust the Word of God.
I’m so glad that I can call each of you my brothers and sister. God has made us a family. As a family, I can tell you that I have been through some things, but God’s faithfulness and love has always kept me.
In the times that I was scared, God was there. In the times that I had doubts, God was there. In the times that I had questions, God was there. He was always there.
People have always asked me why I worship the way that I do. The answer is simple. God was ALWAYS there.
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”[a]
Have you finished your shopping for the holidays? What did you ask Santa this Christmas? Did you go to the mall and fight traffic and people?
How many days, leading up to Christmas do you and/or your family spend time giving thanks to Jesus. He is truly the reason for the season.
My challenge to you and your family is to set aside time, each day leading up to Christmas, to give thanks to God for the gift of his Son.
Whether it’s reading the scriptures, singing a song, or saying a prayer, give thanks to God for Jesus.
Isaiah 9:6-7
New King James Version (NKJV)
6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Glorify God, in the majesty of His holiness. Make a joyful, intentional, worshipful praise unto the Lord. Clap your hands and start giving praise to the Lord.
Psalm 100
Living Bible (TLB)
100 Shout with joy before the Lord, O earth! 2 Obey him gladly; come before him, singing with joy.
3 Try to realize what this means—the Lord is God! He made us—we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Go through his open gates with great thanksgiving; enter his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. 5 For the Lord is always good. He is always loving and kind, and his faithfulness goes on and on to each succeeding generation.
I woke up this morning with the joy of knowing that everything I need, in accordance with God’s will, will be provided by God. I use to get so anxious and I would make myself sick by worrying where what I needed would come from. I was asking and trying to manage at the same time. God has proven himself faithful to me over and over again.
God has a long history of proving exactly what we need at the exact time we need it. The only thing that we must remember is to lift our prayer to God with faith, trust and submission to His will. We must ask God to guide our prayer and to open our spirit to His will.
1 John 5:13-15
New International Version (NIV)
Concluding Affirmations
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
I’m always so happy, when I have the wonderful opportunity to share what the Holy Spirit, our Great Comfortor, has placed in my spirit.
As we as Christians learn and grow in the way of the Lord, the Holy Spirit will walk with us, leading us and guiding us in the way to go. There is no scenario too simple or small. If you call on the Holy Spirit of God, your prayers and groaning are always heard.
Our job, as believers and those filled with the Spirit of God, is to listen worshipfully, prayerfully and obediently for direction and guidance.
John 14:23-27
New King James Version (NKJV)
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.
The Gift of His Peace
25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Sending love, joy, peace. and hope to all this morning. Every day is a day to rejoice. Rejoice not only for yourself, but rejoice with and for others. Celebrate when others do well. Encourage and edify one another with a pure heart, as God knows our true motives.
Stay away from gossiping and backbiting. It does nothing but cause confusion and strife. Putting someone else down only diminishes your light. We were made in the image of a holy God. Remember whose your are…
Philippians 4:4-8
New International Version (NIV)
Final Exhortations
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
I pray this morning greets you with love, joy, peace and favor in the Lord.
Do you ever feel rushed in your daily life? Getting kids ready, getting yourself ready? Not to mention the hours you spend, each week, stuck in traffic.
I know that our lives are all full, but we must make time with God a priority. Making room for God, each day, will give us direction, energy and feeling of purpose that we would normally not have.
If you don’t already have a set aside time for God, I would recommend starting off with five to ten minutes in the morning and then ten to fifteen minutes in the evening. If you have a journal, write in it each morning and evening. Very soon, you will have a routine for your day. I know you can do it. I will be praying for you.
Ephesians 5:15-17
English Standard Version (ESV)
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday time. I enjoyed time with my family and friends. Most of the seven days, that I was on vacation, involved a lot of work preparing for company and cooking. I am so very thankful for all that God has done.
In the Lord’s Prayer there is a sentence that says, “Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.” I thought so much about that line of the prayer. Coming into agreement with what God has spoken and ordained, in heaven, does not automatically mean we will have an easy life. It does mean, however, that we will live a life of surrender, hope, faith and obedience.
Today, and every day, begin your morning with the Lord’s Prayer. As you pray, open your heart to know that God would never lead you astray.
Good morning, Family:
Let’s dive right into the scriptures this morning. Hold on tight to this nugget of truth. I need you to see that God was not only talking to Peter. God was talking to anyone who received the revelation from the Holy Spirit regarding the Truth of who Jesus is and was. Peter was A rock. Jesus is THE ROCK!
Matthew 16:13-20
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Who Is Jesus?
13 When Jesus and his disciples were near the town of Caesarea Philippi, he asked them, “What do people say about the Son of Man?”
14 The disciples answered, “Some people say you are John the Baptist or maybe Elijah or Jeremiah or some other prophet.”
15 Then Jesus asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter spoke up, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus told him:
Simon, son of Jonah, you are blessed! You didn’t discover this on your own. It was shown to you by my Father in heaven.
18 So I will call you Peter, which means “a rock.” On this rock I will build my church, and death itself will not have any power over it.
19 I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and God in heaven will allow whatever you allow on earth. But he will not allow anything that you don’t allow.
20 Jesus told his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Walk in peace and truth, knowing that the Spirit of the Living and Eternal God will lead and guide you in all things. Stay hungry and thirsty for the Lord. Feast on His Word. Ask for eyes to see and ears to hear the manifested and Living Word.
Go in peace,
Rev. Marcia Davis
