City Of Refuge Skeet Jackson Pastor

05/29/2023

Buy/Stream Larry's album Stack of Records here!▸ https://LarryFleet.lnk.to/StackOfRecordsGet updates from Larry Fleet here: https://larryfleet.com/To see al...

05/27/2023

05/16/2023

Hello Tuesday

We Are Not Limited~

“Jesus has the power of God, by which he has given us everything we need to live and to serve God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus called us by his glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3

Sometimes I have the recipe for a sumptuous dish that I start preparing, only to realize I’m missing a key ingredient. I feel disappointed and limited by what’s in my pantry, and resign myself to a good enough meal.

I recently found myself with a great vision for what I felt called to chase in Christ. But when I looked in my life’s “pantry,” I seemed to be missing key ingredients for the vision. Ingredients that were no longer available to me. Ugly cries abounded as I grieved the vision that was just beyond my reach and tried to be content with a plan B.

Wrestling with my feelings, I messaged a friend and mentor to schedule some time to unpack the deep and complicated layers of my life. Over pancakes, eggs and bacon, I lamented that my circumstances limited me.

She stopped me right in my tracks, saying: “You are not limited. You are the daughter of God. Satan will whisper, ‘Because X is not there, you can’t do Y.’ It’s all lies. No, you are not limited!”

She graciously shook my perspective to help me fix my eyes on Jesus and not on my circumstances. Jesus has stocked my “pantry” with everything I need to live a life that pleases Him.

We see this reminder in today’s key verse:

“Jesus has the power of God, by which he has given us everything we need to live and to serve God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus called us by his glory and goodness. Through these he gave us the very great and precious promises. With these gifts you can share in God’s nature, and the world will not ruin you with its evil desires” (2 Peter 1:3-4).

The disciples probably struggled with vision, too.

When their promised Messiah hung on a cross, they likely thought they were missing a key ingredient to the Kingdom of God. They could not see beyond the tomb. They did not understand the power of God or perceive the incredible plan He had to raise Jesus from the dead, crushing the enemy with his lies under Jesus’ heel.

Oh, but on the third day!

I need the power and compassion that flows down from the cross and from the very heart of God to fine-tune my vision. I need to dismiss the lies that tell me my God didn’t make me or my “pantry” good enough, that maybe He’s not for me, or that God simply isn’t big enough.

I have to remember that the vision I have for my life or the way I see the vision unfolding might not be God’s vision. Our human limitations do not constrain God’s vision. He will always produce a masterpiece. I just need my heart to stay fixed on what He can do.
By Shala Graham

Father,
Thank you for opening the eyes of my heart to receive your truths...
I am not limited, because you walk with me and know the road ahead.
I will trust in you and your ways 💜
Amen

Inspiration for me today.

“We're so busy watching out for what's just ahead of us that we don't take time to enjoy where we are.”
― Bill Watterson

“Cherish your solitude. Take trains by yourself to places you have never been. Sleep out alone under the stars. Learn how to drive a stick shift. Go so far away that you stop being afraid of not coming back. Say no when you don’t want to do something. Say yes if your instincts are strong, even if everyone around you disagrees. Decide whether you want to be liked or admired. Decide if fitting in is more important than finding out what you’re doing here. Believe in kissing.”
― Eve Ensler

"FAITH in God includes faith in His timing."🌹

“It isn’t what you have in your pocket that makes you thankful, but what you have in your heart.” ❤️‍🔥

02/22/2023

God says, “Only the Creator has tenderness toward this mankind. Only the Creator shows this mankind compassion and affection. Only the Creator holds a true, unbreakable affection for this mankind. Likewise, only the Creator can bestow mercy on this mankind and cherish all of His creation. His heart leaps and aches at every one of man’s actions: He is angered, distressed and grieved over man’s evil and corruption; He is pleased, joyful, forgiving and jubilant for man’s repentance and belief; every single one of His thoughts and ideas exists for and revolves around mankind; what He is and has is expressed entirely for mankind’s sake; the entirety of His emotions are intertwined with mankind’s existence. For mankind’s sake, He travels and rushes about; He silently gives forth every bit of His life; He dedicates every minute and second of His life…. He has never known how to pity His own life, yet He has always cherished the mankind He Himself created…. He gives all that He has to this humanity…. He grants His mercy and tolerance unconditionally and without expectation of recompense. He does this only so that mankind can continue to survive before His eyes, receiving His provision of life. He does this only so that mankind may one day submit before Him and recognize that He is the One who nourishes man’s existence and supplies the life of all creation.”

02/20/2023

Hello Monday!

Paying Attention ~ Stuart Briscoe

“Pay attention, my child, to what I say. Listen carefully. Don’t lose sight of my words. Let them pe*****te deep within your heart, for they bring life and radiant health to anyone who discovers their meaning.”— Proverbs 4:20-22

In his utopian novel “Island,” Aldous Huxley wrote, “You forget to pay attention to what’s happening. And that’s the same as not being here and now.”
To pay attention, we need to be aware of and concentrating upon the data that are being supplied to us by our senses at any given moment. But it is possible for us to be in a situation which is so familiar that we can “switch off” the data and concentrate on something that is neither here nor now.

For instance, driving a car is so familiar and so repetitive that it is possible for the driver on the way home to have no conscious recollection of the journey but to be deeply aware of the discussion with his passenger.
Our attention can also be distracted from the “here and now” experience because our pre-attentive processes have already determined that the data are weird, boring, or too familiar.
Any insignificant event can appear more significant because it is unfamiliar or unusual. So when listening to a profound sermon on eternal issues, an inattentive listener will be easily distracted by a child crying—or a cell phone ringing! With all the possibilities for attention wandering, the need to give “wake up” signals is profoundly important. So imperatives such as “Look out!” or “Listen!” and instructions to pay attention need to be utilized regularly.

The writer of Proverbs certainly thought so. He wrote, “Pay attention, my child, to what I say. Listen carefully. Don’t lose sight of my words. Let them pe*****te deep within your heart, for they bring life and radiant health to anyone who discovers their meaning” (Prov. 4:20-22).

Like the writer of Proverbs, God is a father who calls his people “my children” (4:1). God our father, in his gracious will, has brought us into existence and is deeply concerned about our well-being. We, being human, are prone, like children, to allow our attention to wander. We find matters of prime importance too familiar to warrant our concentrated awareness and issues of little import so fascinating that they dominate our thinking and captivate our desires.

It takes a disciplined mind to concentrate on what God is saying in his Word, and to allow the truth of the Word to find a deep resting place in the affections, desires, and aspirations of the human spirit. Failure to pay attention may mean you miss the point. That could mean you miss your way. Listening is of prime importance. 🔥
For further study: Proverbs 4:1-2

Quotes that make me 🤔

“Just because it didn’t last forever, doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth your while.”
Unknown

"You can't do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth."

“When you are living the best version of yourself, you inspire others to live the best versions of themselves.”
― Steve Maraboli

02/13/2023

Lord, give me your compassion today. When I look at the people around me, help me to see them through your eyes. I know you love us all equally, Lord. And you love us completely and unconditionally. May I compassionately reach out to others in your name today.

02/13/2023

Devotional 2/13/23
Exceptions

“Solomon loved the LORD and followed all the instructions of his father, David, except that Solomon, too, offered sacrifices and burned incense at the local altars.”
1 Kings 3:3

How do we show our love for the Lord? Will it be written of us that we loved the Lord and followed him “except...”?
Nobody’s perfect, that is true, yet some exceptions should be excepted! Sometimes we pamper ourselves, allowing too much spiritual leeway. We could and should show our love to the Lord more by dealing with our “Solomon tendencies.”

Solomon excelled as no other king before or since—but there were some “exceptions” in his life. “Solomon loved many foreign women... They turned his heart to worship their gods instead of trusting only in the Lord his God, as his father, David, had done” (1 Kings 11:1, 4). Little by little throughout his long life, Solomon allowed himself the indulgence of exceptions.

Whether it be the opposite s*x, material possessions, wealth, fame, success, or anything else, each of us has to deal with our own “Solomon self.”
It’s easy to let things slip little by little. A little flirting here, a little self-indulgence there, and the evil one establishes a beachhead in our thinking and in our disciplines. It’s when we let go of godliness and hold fast to ungodliness that we lose direction and let others take control of our lives. Erosion in dearly held values often begins almost imperceptibly with a seemingly small decision. God will help us keep alert to the dangers and notice each evil incursion. If we persist in listening to and obeying his word, we will hear his still, small voice reminding us, “No exceptions.”

For further study: 1 Kings 3:1-15
Jill Briscoe

Good reminder this morning to try to live a life pleasing to God. Jesus came to bring the new covenant and redeem man with his blood. No one could keep the 10 commandments perfectly hence the sacrifices at the temple for their sins.
But we don’t throw those commandments out, they were sound and were for our good. We are safer and better to remember the reasons behind the laws of Mose.

Quotes of the morning......

"Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else." — Fred Rogers

"The point is not to pay back kindness, but to pass it on." ―

02/12/2023

We invite you to visit City Of Refuge this Sunday @ 10AM for a Biblical based service. We are a close knit Church family and we welcome visitors to share in the word of God.

02/12/2023

Turning sorrow into joy ~ ❤️‍🔥

In John 15 and 16, Jesus encourages us that, no matter our situation, God can turn our sorrow to joy.

In Chapter 15 and 16 of John, Jesus was teaching the disciples the importance of standing firm in their faith and finding joy in Him alone. (John 15:11) He knew life was about to get overwhelmingly sorrowful for them because of His impending suffering and crucifixion. Difficulties often usher in doubts of God’s goodness, so He also gave a warning in John 16:1 — “I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith” (NLT).

Then, in today’s key verse, Jesus gave His disciples great hope: “You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy” (John 16:20b).

The disciples didn’t fully understand. But what Jesus knew was that, while His death would bring utter heartbreak and sadness, after He was risen their mourning would turn to a joy that could never be taken away from them.

Jesus didn’t tell them they wouldn’t have any more troubles in life. In fact, He said exactly the opposite in John 16:33. But He did promise that, in due time, their weeping would convert to celebration, and their faith would become the ultimate source of their happiness despite their circumstances.

We are all going to have struggles, disappointments and heartbreak. But holy joy gives us courage to smile when our hearts are broken, strengthens us to persevere when we feel like giving up, fuels us to stand strong in faith when hope wavers, and equips us to trust that Jesus can always bring beauty out of brokenness. Joy from Christ is life-giving.
Amen and Amen

Quotes

"Preach the gospel at all times. When necessary, use words." ❤️‍🔥
Natalie Grant

“A bend in the road is not the end of the road... unless you fail to make the turn.”~Author Unknown

“God uses change to change us. He doesn’t use it to destroy us or to distract us, but to coax us to the next level of character, experience, compassion and destiny!" -Beth Moore