Manningtown Church of God

05/27/2024

01/01/2022

JANUARY 1ST, 2022 -- HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

WOW!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT???

Although we enjoy a NEW DAY, a NEW WEEK, a NEW MONTH, and many other "NEW" things, the NEW YEAR is a very special time. It gives us a time to PAUSE and REMEMBER ALL OF THE THINGS GOD HAS DONE FOR US THIS PAST YEAR!
SURE every life is cluttered with garbage... One does not have to look for it...it will come. If we are not shoveling it ourself...someone else is.. and hopefully everyone OVERCAME THE GARBAGE of this past year...
HOWEVER....if by some chance that garbage has chased you to the NEW YEAR and is trying to FIND A WAY TO MESS UP YOUR NEW YEAR... IT IS TIME NOW -- TO KICK IT BACKWARDS INTO THE PAST AND LEAVE IT THERE....

1. The pain of the passing of a loved one -- We are never supposed to "GET OVER IT" so don't try to... ACCEPT that it is done...and that no matter the circumstances, GOD LOVED YOUR LOVED ONE MORE THAN YOU DO...and that no matter what you think or how bad things seem -- HE WAS THERE and that HE WAS NOT THERE TO BE YOUR ENEMY --- HE WAS THERE TO BE YOUR FATHER AND THE FATHER OF YOUR LOVED ONE.... REJOICE IN THE FACT WHAT WE HAVE A HEAVELY FATHER WHO CARES AND TRIES HIS BEST TO GET US TO FOLLOW HIM TO ETERNAL BLESSINGS in spite of our own stubborness and unwillingness to honor HIM...

2. The pain of betrayal -- ONE NEVER FEELS BETRAYED BY AN ENEMY! Remember that! ONE NEVER EXPECTS AN ENEMY TO BE A FRIEND! Remember that! BETRAYAL is experienced when One LOVES someone who appears to have treated them badly. THE MORE SOMEONE LOVES ANOTHER -- THE DEEPER THE HURT when they feel betrayed. ALLWAYS REMEMBER -- THOSE WHO LOVE YOU DO NOT WISH TO HURT YOU!!!
GOD often puts people in our lives who will tell us things we do not wish to hear... Daniel 11:32 "And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits." The "flatteries" are not "friends"..There is always someone who will take joy in causing you pain... That person will not speak words that heal, encourage, lift up or forgive -- that person will speak words of vindication, wrath, malice, hatred, vengence and pain that creates more pain... BUT - Those who truly love us try to lead us down a path of peace, victory, and forgiveness.... IT IS THE WAY OF GOD... ALWAYS REMEMBER -- YOU BETRAYED GOD AND OTHERS AS WELL -- We have ALL come short of the Glory of God... so DON'T try to find comfort in pointing out the humanity and sins of others... ANOTHERS SINS DO NOT JUSTIFY OUR OWN -- so there is really not point in discusing them or even thinking about them other than to PRAY FOR THEM...

3. THE PAIN OF BAD CHOICES -- Well... It certainly does not make one feel better... but... everyone has made bad choices this past year.. so you are not alone... (How do I know? simple -- GOD HAS DECLARED -- Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:) no matter what century, decade, year, month, day or moment you speak, read or hear these words they are absoutely true.. "There IS none" who are above their human capacity to fail who have attaind self - righeousness... Romans 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. -- SO those who have accepted Christ as their Lord;; THE BORNED AGAIN; are not righteous on their own... they have been "MADE" righteous against the fact that they still live in their humanity.... 2Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. BAD CHOICES are going to happen even when one does not wish to make them...
IT IS BAD ENOUGH - THAT WHEN WE DESIRE TO DO RIGHT -- WE WILL EVENTUALLY DO SOMETHING WRONG WITHOUT WANTING TO OR DESIREING TO -- BUT THE ANSWER IS STILL THE SAME NO MATTER IF WE DO IT PURPOSEFULLY OR BY NOT LISTENING TO GOD IN THE FIRST PLACE...
ONE MUST NOT EVER DEFEND THEIR BAD CHOICES -- BUT CONFESS THEM -- AND DO NOT PENALIZE OTHERS FOR RESPONDING TO THEM...
THE PENALTY for defending bad choices and trying to act like they never happen is too great for one to bear in the long haul... Romans 10:3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
SO-- LEAVE THE BAD CHOICES BEHIND -- BY OWNING THEM -- ASK GOD AND EVERYONE WHO BECAME A VICTIM OF YOUR BAD CHOICES TO FORGIVE YOU -- AND FORGIVE YOURSELF --- AND LEAVE IT BEHIND..

LEAVE IT ALL BEHIND --- THIS HAPPY DAY
ON WINGS OF LOVE --- YOU'LL FLY AWAY
YOU'LL HAVE NO FEAR --- YOU'LL HAVE NO WORRY
IF YOU CAN FIND IT IN YOUR HEAR TO LEAVE IT ALL BEHIND

HAPPY NEW YEAR -- HAPPY NEW DAY
Lamentations 3:21-23 ¶ This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

03/31/2020

Sunday Night Mar 29th 2020
#1 THE FOUNDATION OF SPIRITUAL EDUCATION
Education is a natural lure. Man has an insatiable appetite to KNOW! You can see the thirst and hunger for knowledge even when we begin our journey as a small child. Curiosity, “to know” is ever present.
The desire for knowledge is a driving force in every living human being. Even people who appear lazy and slothful spend their waking moments doting over their perspectives of life.

A homeless squatter on the side of the road is in constant thought trying to make a discovery of some kind, even if it is GETTING a dollar out of your pocket into his.
The curiosity of a child is seen when he/she becomes still and begins to focus on something. What are they thinking? The quest for knowledge pulls at the young mind and that fresh untrained spirit struggles to gain all of the knowledge it can as fast as it can.
• Are you stretching your borders?
• Are you still reading or listening or seeking more knowledge?
If you will today, allow me to set a precedence in the Word of God for true Knowledge and Understanding. Our most powerful enemy is our mind…
Genesis 30:27 And Laban said unto him, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry: for I have learned by experience that the LORD hath blessed me for thy sake.
(HERE IS WHERE I ASK: SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT YOU EXPERIENCED – AND WHAT THAT EXPERIENCE TAUGHT YOU?) EACH OF US HAVE MOMENTS OF SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN OUR LIVES WHERE WE MAKE VALUE-CHANGING DISCOVERIES – WE GET TO “KNOW” A THING..
When I begin to think about “What I know”… I can only think of God has shown me, through the experiences and observations He has led me through.
If you ask me what I KNOW… I will tell you, “I know God.” If you ask me what do I KNOW about God, I will tell you that you don’t have time for me to get into it.
• I know He is watching me..
• I know He is watching over me..
• I know He is wanting me to make a choice that will open a door for Him to bless me..
• I know He is ever present and that nothing can happen in my life except it goes through Him first.
• I know He will Heal me – because He already Has…
• I know He will forgive me – because He already has…
• I know He will Heal my wife – because He already has…
• I know He can take the heart of people I care for in His Hand, because He already has…
• I know He can encourage me when I am in a battle, because He has already led me to many victories…
• I know He can touch the heart of another person I pray for and move them to serve a divine purpose even if they are not saved, because He already has used sinners to bless those who I pray for…
• I know He hears my prayers, because He answers them…
• I know He h ears your prayers. Why? I heard you pray and I saw Him answer
• I know He is near always, because I can feel His presence…

JUST A FEW THINGS “I KNOW” ABOUT HIM… EXPERIENCE WILL LEAD YOU TO REVELATION KNOWLEDGE THAT WILL BECOME THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH IN YOUR LIFE…
IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD THE EXPERIENCE… I AM PRAYING THAT YOU WILL SEE THE MIGHTY HAND OF GOD DO SOMETHING IN YOUR LIFE THAT COULD ONLY HAPPEN BECAUSE HE DOES IT…
Now listen carefully… God will lead you LITTLE BY LITTLE… He will give you what seems like a small, insignificant experience to see how faithful you will be with it.
Your faithfulness to what God has already shown you will determine the depth of your next experience.
You don’t have to be old. You don’t have to be smart. You don’t have to be rich. You don’t have to be at the head of the line… You don’t have to be popular with people. YOU ARE STILL BLESSED AND HIGHLY FAVORED…
God will give you the experience YOU need to Hold on to Him and keep the hunger of your soul kindled.
WHEN YOU HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE… BRAGG ON GOD… no matter how big or small the experience is, BRAGG ON GOD as though it was the only thing He ever did on the earth and He chose you to receive it…
SPIRITUAL EDUCATION does not come from reading the Bible. It comes from LIVING the Bible…
• As a child, I was the little boy Jesus spoke of when He said, “suffer the little children to come unto me.”
• As a sick child, I was the child with the fevered brow whom Jesus healed.
• I was the child whose mom needed healing.
• I was the eye witness to the healing of the cripple man.
• I was the crippled boy whose stomach needed healing.
• I was the young man in Mt 19:22 “But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful,” who couldn’t make up his mind but I knew deep down inside what I really wanted out of life was Jesus and there came the day when I got my mind made up…
• I was the prophet who prayed for God to hold back the rain and I watched the sun shine through on a cloudy day in the midst of two sinners who was amazed by the power of a prayer.
• I was the evangelist who prayed for a dead man and watched him take a fresh breath of life.
• I was the cripple man by the gate of the temple begging alms in 1992 when Jesus took me by my raised hands at the altar and said “look on me”.
• I was the woman in 2Kings 4:1 Whose bills had to be paid, and I watched the ANOINTING of God make a miraculous provision to take care of my family… There may come a day when all you have left in the house is a little oil… but don’t let that bother you, I’d rather have a little anointing than a bag full of gold…
o I AM TELLING YOU THIS WORD IS BETTER LIVED THAT IT IS TOLD…
o IT IS JOY UNSPEAKABLE AND FULL OF GLORY…
o THE HALF OF IT CANNOT BE TOLD…
• 1Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
REAL EDUCATION COMES FROM THE EXPERIENCES YOU HAVE IN GOD.
• You don’t know how the Pain is gone… You just know it is…
• You don’t know how you made it that day when everything went wrong… you just know you did…
• You don’t know why that person changed their mind and blessed you… but you know they did…
While some men are trying to figure out “how God does things”… some people are just letting God do His thing without getting bogged down in the questions.
REAL EDUCATION does not come from what someone says unless that person is speaking the WORD OF GOD…
The children of Israel plagued them selves with questions about God…
• Pharaoh is coming… what are we going to do now. Is God gonna let him win.
• This desert is hot are we gonna thirst to death…
• WHERE’S THE BEEF - Ain’t had no meat since we left Egypt…
• We had it so much better in Egypt… “We had it so much better in sin?” HOW FOOLISH IS THAT???
• Why do I have to listen to Moses… I know as much as he does…?
• Why can’t I be the Priest… Aaron is just a man?
• Why can’t I have that piece of cloth and bar of Gold? Akin God said no!
• Did God bring us out here to kill us? Does God care enough to deliver me
HEY… YOU DON’T EVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT HOW GOD FEELS… YOU DON’T EVER HAVE TO QUESTION HIS ABILITY - HIS DESIRE - HIS WILL. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS BE FAITHFUL….LOOK BACK TO THE CROSS to SEE WHAT GOD WANTS FOR YOU…
Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
• HOPE WILL LEAD US TO THE EXPERIENCE WE NEED…
ROMANS 5:1-4 ¶ Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope:

o TRIBULATION IS THE SEED OF PATIENCE

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
2Cointhians 1:4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

o PATIENCE IS THE SEED OF EXPERIENCE
Luke 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.

o EXPERIENCE IS THE SEED OF HOPE
We allow what we experience to make us better or bitter, it is a choice.

o HOPE IS THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING YOU FIND IN GOD.
o HOPE IS THE SEED OF FAITH.
o HOPE IS WHAT FAITH IS MADE OF.
Hebrews 11:1 ¶ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

o HOPE IS THE SINGLE MOST POWERFUL MOTIVATOR OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT.
1. A woman heard a crowd coming one day… She got on her knees and crawled to touch the hem of Christ’s garment.
2. A blind man heard a crowd one day… He cried out, and that the more.
3. A preacher looked down at a cripple man and said, look on me…I

N VERSE 5 PAUL SAID “AND HOPE MAKETH NOT ASHAMED BECAUSE THE LOVE OF GOD IS SHED ABROAD IN OUR HEARTS BY THE HOLY GHOST WHICH IS GIVEN UNTO US…”
HOPE GIVES BIRTH TO FAITH! FAITH PLEASES GOD! GOD WILL BLESS THAT!
YOUR EXPERIENCE WILL BE UNDISPUTABLE EVIDENCE THAT GOD WILL PREVAIL IN YOUR LIFE!
HOPE WILL LEAD YOU INTO TRUE SPIRITUAL EDUCATION!!!