Blessed Assurance Broadcast

07/23/2022

07/14/2022

“Your race is not Finished”

Preachers often have messages geared to encourage young people to live for and serve God. They should. They are our future. However, little encouragement is directed to us older folks.

Because of health issues, physical limitations, changes in personal situations, or lack of opportunity, many no longer can do what they “used to do.” Those doors of service have been closed, BUT God has not given us a free retirement pass. We do not have God’s okay to watch from the sidelines and let others do the work, in most cases.

We may have done much for the Lord when we were younger. Some may have taught Sunday school. Others may have gone soul-winning, worked on church buses bringing children to church, interpreted for the deaf or those speaking in another language, brought folks to church in their car, cooked for those that were old or sick, and many other ministries. We may no longer be able to do those things, however, the Lord is not done with us yet. We can still do something for Him!

There is still much to do, and experienced believers are needed more now than ever! There may be limitations on what they can do, but all can still serve the Lord in some capacity!

Pray and ask God to open your eyes to see what you can still do for His glory!

Let all see and hear of what God is doing around them. Most are focused on their troubles and needs and cannot see God working around them. A seasoned believer can open eyes to see that there is a God, and He is still working in the world.
“Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.” Psalm 150:6

-Be a friendly smile to all you encounter. Most encounter doom and gloom most of their days. An uplifting, caring person is a light in an ever-darkening world. A Christian should have joy they can share.

-Prayer ministry. Adopt a ministry or person to pray for consistently. Engulf the throne room of God with petitions on their behalf.

-Ride the church bus and encourage the bus workers and befriend children.

-Have a listening ministry! Although an experienced Christian has more wisdom that would benefit others, sometimes it can be more helpful to sit quietly and listen to others bare their burdens and hardships.

-Minister to widows, single parents, and those that may have little support from others. Everyone needs a caring friend!

There is still much that all Christians can do. While we have breath, there is something for which God can use us. God’s way is always the best, and the unsaved and spiritually weak will not know of it unless they hear or see it from a believer.

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” Hebrews 12:1

Christian, God is not done with you yet. Do not mourn over what you no longer can do. You can still be the spark that encourages others forward to serving and seeing God’s mighty hand. Continue to serve Him while you still can!

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” I Corinthians 10:31

07/12/2022

Psalms 30:5

For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

07/12/2022

“Why do I have to be on a leash?”

“C’mon, boy, let’s go for a walk,” I beckoned to the tail-wagging Labrador Retriever.

After I clipped the short leash to his collar, I walked off, expecting him to follow. Quickly, I realized there was no dog on the other end. Buddi had tucked his head and slipped out of her collar.

“Hmmm.” I put the collar back on, with the leash still clipped on. As I again tried to take him for a walk, He firmly sat, refusing to go. His tail wagged seriously. He apparently wanted to roam the walking path; he did not want to be hooked to the restricting tether. Buddi wanted to run wherever she wanted to go in the woods.

Then we had the master to dog talk. “Listen, Buddi, I see you want to go out,” his tail wagged in agreement, “but you have to be on the leash. You don’t understand what could happen out there without my protection. Why a snake could strike you as you curiously inspect a slithering reptile that you never saw before. Or you could walk in some tall weeds and pick up a load of ticks. And if you go to the wrong place, you just might get sprayed by Mr. Skunk near the grapes. Buddi, this leash is for your protection. I can guide you safely as we walk, if you would just trust me to lead you.”

Folks, and even Christians, are much like the rebellious dog. They do not want anyone telling them what to do, especially God. Why? They believe his commandments will clamp their style, although most have never read about His will and way found in the Bible. Many see God’s commandments as a leash limiting their freedom and “fun.”

What little they may know about what God requires may have been heard from an unreliable source. Often, they may have heard part of His Word or never stopped to consider the context of the Bible verse. Quickly, they jump to a conclusion that is not biblical. Even if they do hear a clear biblical commandment, they still will not obey their unseen Creator.

Most people are naturally rebellious to anyone telling them what to do. Many give little credence to certain laws, what parents say, school rules, employer’s requirements, and anyone else that hampers their doing their own “thing.”

However, God is not like anyone else. He created man. He knows mankind’s limitations, what lurks unseen in their lives that will hurt them, and what will help them. The watch care offered by our Maker is for our good.

God’s “leash” is not meant to be burdensome. His guiding help is from an all-seeing and knowing God that wants to keep us safe and help us. Our aimless, often temptation-led life can lead us to harm. He loves us more than we can imagine and wants the best for us.

Follow God’s will and way for a productive and better life. Lose the rebellious attitude and obey the One that only desires what will help and bless you!

(I do not own the rights to this, just thought it was a great read)

07/11/2022

“The Eye of the Storm”

Definition of the eye of a storm:

The eye is a region of mostly calm weather in the center of the storm. It is surrounded by the eye wall, a ring of towing thunderstorms where the most severe weather and highest winds occur.

This morning I want to emphasize on the eye or center of the storm.

I have heard many preachers through the years say that as a Christian you are either in a storm, just coming out of a storm, or heading toward a storm.

One thing that I know for sure is that being a Christian does not allow us to be exempt from the storms. Many times it’s seems that the closer we try to get to the Lord the worse the storms are. This is not a reason to give in or give up. We just have to see Jesus in the storm.

I don’t know what you may be dealing with. The storms in your life may be raging all around you. You may feel as if the waves are crashing on you and you can’t get out. Dear friend, what we need to do this morning is get to the eye of the storm. That is where Jesus is. He is the calm in the storm. He can bring you comfort in calamity. Jesus is the man in the middle.

So many times we want to run from storms but it seems that the more we run the worse it gets. We may not show the storm on the outside of us, we may put a smile on our face and laugh with others, but on the inside we are miserable. Instead of stepping out we need to step in. Allow Jesus to calm your storm.

I want to refer to Daniel chapter 3.

Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego were cast into the burning fiery furnace. There is not anywhere in the scripture where it says they tried to get out. In the midst of their storm they could see the Lord. The only thing that burnt in that fire was what had them bound.

If I could encourage you of anything it is this: Don’t give up, don’t quit, and find peace in your storm with Jesus. He is in the middle of it all!

07/10/2022

Is God still good when the news is cancer?

When the divorce papers are served?

When the dr says they’ve done all they can do, is He still good?

Is God still good when you have to bury your child?

When pregnancy announcements are coming from everyone but you?

Is God still good when His answer is wait?

Or no?

When your Dad dies?

When you lose your job?

When someone else’s child is healed and you can’t do anything but cry for your sick child?

Why do some prayers get answered and others dont?

I don’t know.

I struggle with understanding, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t.

He understands our pain.

Our anger and tears.

Life hurts!

Death is devastating.

Bad news is heart breaking.

We pray for answers and miracles and God’s will to be done but what we really want is for our loved ones to be healed, our marriage restored, the job offer, the unexpected check, the positive pregnancy test.

And when it’s not that?

Satan whispers to us that if God WERE good we wouldn’t be hurting.

God never promised that life would be easy, only that we wouldn’t have to walk it alone.

I don’t know why some are healed and others aren’t.

I’ve spent more hours staring at the ceiling, tears falling, wondering if it were one more prayer that would have changed the outcome.

Sweet friend, nothing we do will change the outcome.

God is Sovereign, even when it hurts.

God is good, even if it’s hard.

God never fails, even though we don’t understand.

No need to hide your tears, He already knows and He’s waiting with open arms to comfort you.

He’s still good.

07/09/2022

Why should a Christian go to Church?

Wanna Go – The hungry born-again soul has a desire to be fed from the Word of God, as it is delivered by the preacher. It also desires fellowship with like-minded people.
“My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.” Psalm 84:2
“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;” Ephesians 2:19
“That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.” I Co. 12:25

Wanna Grow – Church is one of the most important places where a Christian can hear God’s Word, to find out how he can improve himself, obey God, and learn what God has for him to do.
“Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.”
Psalm 92:13

Wanna Obey – We are commanded to go.
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25

Wanna Pray – Although it is not the only place a Christian can pray, it is a good place.
“And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” Matthew 21:13