UOVFtR- Upper Ohio Valley Freedom through Recovery

UOVFtR- Upper Ohio Valley Freedom through Recovery Upper Ohio Valley Celebrate Recovery - Here to help you find freedom from your hurts, habits and hang-ups!

03/18/2026

When I go to the store I try to smile at people and say hello, some folks will smile back and say hello others will walk away and ignore me. I really feel bad for people who are so filled with fear of the unknown that they won’t even share a smile or say hello. In these unsettling times we live in as Born-again Believers we have the hope and peace that people are looking for. I pray you have the peace that passes understanding after all the joy of salvation so as Born-again Believers the Lord God Almighty, the Great I Am is with us! We are living in an awesome time to be the hands and feet of Jesus, we can show people that it’s okay to smile, it’s okay to be friendly, and it’s even okay to make eye contact! This is a time when we need to give encouragement to people who need encouragement. We can do ministry without even saying a word, as John Wesley and others have said: Preach the gospel message every-day and use words when necessary. We can be the hands and feet of Jesus!
Did you know the Bible says fear not 365 times? How awesome God gave us a fear not for everyday of the year! God is good! Hold on to this promise and hope we will get through any storm you are going through in your life; fear not God is with you and God will never leave you or forsake you! So smile and let the joy of salvation flow through you so people see Jesus in you! God bless you! In Christ's Love
Pastor Bill

03/17/2026

Four nails changed how God ministers to this lost and dying world. As Jesus’ earthly ministry ended each nail driven into the cross calls us to take up where He left off. We are called to be Jesus’ hands: Two nails restrained Jesus’ hands of ministry; these nails pierced the hands of the one who healed the blind, lame, and the lepers. Two nails pierced the hands that fed 1000’s from a few loaves and fish. In his book Grace for the Moment Max Lucado wrote: “When human hands fastened divine hands to the cross with spikes it wasn’t the soldiers who held the hands of Jesus steady. It was God. Those same hands that formed the oceans and built the mountains. Those same hands that designed the dawn and crafted each cloud. Those same hands that blueprinted one incredible plan for you and for me.” After the cross, resurrection, and ascension Jesus sits in glory. Since Jesus is not physically here how does His work get done? We are called to be the hands of Jesus who touch the sick, the hurting, and the dying. We are called to bring little children to Him. We are called to restore hope to the hopeless. To reach out to the least of these. Too many people think that following Jesus means dressing up on Sunday and going to a worship service. Jesus calls us to roll up our sleeves and get dirty in ministry. Jesus calls to worship then to leave our stained glass sanctuaries to reach stained lives. Jesus calls us to get out of our comfort zones and lovingly share the gospel message of hope! Very few unsaved people care about church history, how well the praise team sings, who bakes the best pies, or if the minister preaches with passion. They are looking to see if our walk matches our talk. They are looking to see if our songs about God’s love and mercy leave the pews and reach the street. They are looking to see if Jesus’ love will be put into action. If they see this they will they take notice of the Risen Savior! When was the last time your hands did the work of Jesus? When was the last time we ministered to the unsaved? The needy? The hurting? Before we gather again for our Easter services let’s make every effort to be the hands of Jesus! One nail was driven through Jesus’ feet which stopped His physical mission of service. Jesus said He came to seek and save the lost. Now He calls us to be His feet! Jesus clearly taught us the responsibility and privilege of following in His footsteps: Do you know where the Lord expects His followers to travel? Matthew 28:19-20 tells us to all nations. In Acts 1:8 Paul expresses: “From wherever we are to the ends of the earth we must be ready and willing to endure suffering for His sake.” In Romans 10:15 Paul declared that Christians carrying the Gospel have beautiful feet! Where have your feet taken you for the kingdom of God? We need to know that it is our responsibility to be the feet of Jesus with our time, talents, and treasures! Have your feet taken you to your neighbors? To the sick? To those seeking answers? If Jesus is your Lord, you are called to be His feet! We are called to proclaim Jesus King of Kings and Lord of Lords. One nail posted the reason for Jesus’ death: John tells us the sign was written in Greek, Hebrew, and Latin so everyone could read it. How ironic Pilate’s statement was absolutely true! Jesus is king! Jesus deserved to be born in a palace, not a stable. Jesus deserved a throne instead of a cross. The immortal one; God Almighty was clothed in flesh. Jesus is not simply a king. He is The King! It’s time we stand up and tell the world who Jesus is! Let’s not be like the fickle crowds in Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. It’s relatively easy to welcome Jesus as King on Sunday but later in the week scream crucify Him all over again! The sign stated “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews” should be torn from the cross because in all reality it needs to be nailed to our hearts. Missionaries traveled to a remote village that was rarely visited by outsiders. The people of the village lived as their ancient ancestors did but were fascinated by motorized vehicles and electricity. The missionaries brought in a generator to show a filmstrip presentation of the life of Christ. They invited all the villagers to come. Stretching a white sheet on the side of the largest hut in the complex they prepared for the evening program. The people were amazed to see such a bright light projected on the sheet they were even more startled when they focused their eyes on the images. As the missionary spoke to them about the story of Jesus, they sat in awed silence. When the crucifixion scene was flashed on the sheet one of the men jumped up ran to the sheet and shouted “Come down from there, Son of God! That is my place not yours!” Many people are no longer moved by God’s story of love! Realizing the extent of God’s devotion and mercy should cause us all to cry, “Come down from there Son of God that is my place, not yours!” Since He took our place we must take on His ministry! Our challenge is to remember that the four nails have laid the responsibility of the Gospel on all of us who are Born-again Believers: God Bless You! In Christ’s Love: Pastor Bill

03/16/2026

Matthew 22:35-40: “And one of them a lawyer asked him a question to test him. Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest? He said to him. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Jesus’ answer to the lawyer’s question is called the Great Commandment: love God and love people, it is simple yet profound. Jesus’ simplified things by boiling it all down to love God with all you are and with all you have and also love other people. The lawyer was trying to trap Jesus but Jesus didn’t give him a loophole to allow him to obey one commandment and ignore others, Jesus gave a commandment in two simple sentences: Love God: Love your Neighbor! If we truly love God we will not have any other gods before Him period. God will come first in each and every area of our lives and if we truly love our neighbor then we won’t do anything to harm them. Jesus’ answer to the lawyer’s question didn’t satisfy the lawyers desire to prove himself as a scholar of the law. Jesus also didn’t give him any wiggle room so he could keep one commandment and ignore the other one. Jesus didn’t let the lawyer off the hook. In all reality Jesus actually put the lawyer on the spot. Matthew 22:40 “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Jesus was saying instead of trying to keep 613 laws or even the Ten Commandments he condensed it to two simple commands: Love God and love people. There are times when we make things more complicated than they should be. There’s nothing confusing about what God wants, He wants us to love. I want to encourage you to open up to self-examination. I encourage you to be open to the examination of God’s Spirit. Allow the Holy Spirit to turn on the searchlight in your soul on anything that is holding you back. As the Holy Spirit reveals areas that need work be willing to commit to growth. Be open to becoming the person that God created you to be. Do you place a high value on other people? Do you see others as being created in the image of God? Do you see others as people to be loved; or an obstacle to be overcome? 1 John 4:19: “We love because he first loved us.” God loves us so as we respond to that God’s love God’s love overflows in our lives and enables us to love others. Genuine love of God involves thought, sensitivity, purpose, and action. Someone once wrote: “Tell me whom you love and I will tell you who you are.” Do you really love God like you say you love God? Actions speak louder than words. Jesus said, “Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, and soul, and mind.” The Bible tells us we are to: Love God passionately with all our heart. The heart represents our affection. Loving God with all my heart means that my first spiritual loyalty is to Him. Do you love God with all your soul: The soul speaks of identity and intimacy? God wants us to love Him on the deepest level of intimacy where we hold nothing back. Do you love God intelligently with all our mind: We need to avoid extremes and keep balanced? Emotions must be balanced with truth. Emotionalism occurs when experience takes priority over the Word of God. Feelings and faith must be controlled by the facts of God’s Word. Devotion must be guided by Scripture and truth. Loving God with all your heart doesn’t mean that you neglect your family or that you are disrespectful to authority. Jesus tells us that we are to love God the same way He loves us. We must not respond to God’s whole-hearted love in a half-hearted manner. We are to love God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind until we love God as we should we will never love our neighbor as we could. When we receive the love of God we must love one another. God doesn’t just want our worship and serve God doesn’t just want to know us God wants a relationship with us. God has shared His life with us. The second part of the Great Commandment says that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself? Let’s keep it simple loving your neighbor means that you do for others what you would like done for you. We don’t have to be taught how to love ourselves because it comes naturally. The trick is to keep self-love from becoming selfishness. We need to be constantly reminded that as we love ourselves we are also to love others. People matter to God and they should matter to us. One of the easiest and most practical ways to love our neighbor is by applying The Golden Rule. Matthew 7:12 “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.” Is there someone that God laid on your heart? Are you willing to ask the Lord to make you more loving toward that person? Toward people in general? Do you need to speak to the Lord about your relationship with Him? I challenge you to allow the Spirit of God to speak to your heart and to be willing to obey God no matter what He says. Our responsibility as Born-again Believers is to love God and love people. The gospel in one word is love. My prayer is that we will be about God’s business by being the hands and feet of Jesus! God Bless You! In Christ’s Love: Pastor Bill

03/13/2026

Mark 8:34: “Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” When we walk through painful times in our lives we need to lean on the everlasting arms of Jesus. For Born-again Believers our afflictions, pain, darkness, and weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning. God has prepared a place in glory for us not only in heaven but here and now. In Mark 8:34 is Jesus was not referring to a physical cross; according to some of the commentaries that I looked at there are three different ways the cross can be defined when looking at this scripture verse. First the cross is referred to as our daily struggles of life: all the things we experience on a regular basis as we try to journey through this life. Second the cross represents our inability to live up to all that we should be. Like giving into temptations, not obeying God’s will, sinning by thought, word, and deed. Third the cross represents our obligation to serve God, the cross represents the assignment and purpose that God has placed in hearts the burden of fulfilling the things that God has spoken into our spirit. No matter what circumstance you are in the reality is each and every one of us has a personal cross that we must bear. It doesn’t matter how good you think you are, or what job title you have, or the house that you live in, the car you drive. In all reality each of us has some issue, some situation, and or circumstance that we must endure. There’s something that hinders us from receiving and living in the fullness of God. Each and every one of us has a cross that blocks us from moving from where we are in this moment to the blessing that God has for us in the moments ahead. There is something stopping us from having a next level experience that God has for us to experience. The thing we have to do to move to the next level is to die out. Scripture tells us that if we choose to follow Jesus we must deny ourselves. I would venture to say that no matter where we are in life, no matter where we are in our faith walk we all want to go deeper to have more. There Christians who are like Jabez; they pray: “Lord enlarge my territory, Lord bless me indeed”. We all want more blessing, we want more peace, we want more anointing, and we even want more prosperity. The problem is we don’t want to give up anything. There is a cost the truth is we must die to ourselves. Dying to self takes us through some changes. Can you be blessed if you are you willing to pay the cost: Mark 8:36:“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” In other words: What good would it do you to hold on to that habit and lose sight of God. What good would it do if you to hold on that relationship and loose relationship with God? What good would it do if you to hold on to that animosity and loose the touch of God? When we seek the things of God we experience the blessings God has for us! To receive God’s blessings there are things and even people that have to let go of. There will be situations you are going to have to walk away from. God knows every tear you’ll shed as you follow His plan for you. God knows the doors that will have to be closed and the doors that will have to be opened. He’s already calculated the cost for you following Him: Romans 13:14: “For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.” God will provide you with what you need as you begin to follow Jesus with your all. The problem a lot of Christians have is their heart is willing their flesh is weak because our sinful human nature stands in complete opposition to our spiritual side. So there is great tug of war between flesh and spirit so the question is which side are you going to allow to win? Do you truly want the things that God has prepared for you? We must choose who we are going to serve. There are times when things are difficult and seem impossible, there are times when it seems everything is going against us and is close to overtaking us; it is in these times that our faith and hope must be anchored firm in Jesus. When we finally reach the place called Glory we won’t even look back and wonder how we got there. We will know we made it because of the grace, love, mercy, and gift of Salvation of God! We will make it because His word said that no weapon formed against us will prosper. We will make it because God prepared us for such a time as this. We will make it because the Lord said that He would make our enemies our footstool, we will make it because the Lord promises we are healed by his stripes. We will make it because we’re more than conquerors in Jesus Christ. We will make it because greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. We will make it because we are members of the family of God. We may not all make it at the same time but through Jesus we’ll make it. We may have to cry along the way but we’ll make it. We may have to crawl our way in but we’ll make it. Friends may turn their backs on us but we’ll make it. The road may be rough but we’ll make it. Our challenge is to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus! God Bless You! In Christ’s Love: Pastor Bill

03/12/2026

Deuteronomy 21:23: “You must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.” The cross wasn’t meant to be inspirational, ornamental, or a decorative item. The cross didn’t look anything like the nicely made polished wood that hangs in many churches. The cross was used as a tool to produce a very cruel and excruciatingly painful punishment for capital crimes; this is the reason the first century church did not use the Cross as a symbol. The cross became the symbol of the church during the second century. The Cross has become a symbol of hope, love, and salvation. Galatians 3:13: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us for it is written: Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree". Jesus took our place on the cross so that you and I can enjoy abundant life and have the promise of eternal life. The creator of the universe came down to live among humanity; was hung on the cross so that the curse that was brought about by sin can be lifted through what Jesus did on the cross. As Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 12:3 “Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says: Jesus be cursed, and no one can say: Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” Why did Jesus have to go through the excruciating pain and a most horrible death to save a sinful people? God surely could have devised a less painful way of saving mankind! The answer has many parts. First Jesus’ death was substitutionary: Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice for all the sins of all of humanity. Jesus carried such an enormous amount of horrible sin so the sacrifice had to be horrible. Hebrews 2:14-18:”Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Jesus was releasing us from the power of sin and death through the power of the cross.” Second as we know from the Old Testament a sacrifice cannot be without shedding of blood, so Jesus’s perfect blood had to be shed for the sacrifice to be complete. Third God wanted to demonstrate how horrible sin really is. Jesus’ horrible death reminds us that sin is not painless or shameless; sin does not remain in a corner. Sin is a horrible thing and somebody has to pay the price for sin; Praise God Jesus paid the price for our sins. Fourth we need to remember Jesus was the final sacrifice. God demonstrated the intensity of His love for humankind, through the Jesus’s death on the cross. Jesus, God’s one and only son had to be the supreme sacrifice for our sins. Hebrews 5:7-10: “Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. Having been perfected Jesus became the author of eternal salvation to all who accept Him as Savior and Lord and who obey Him.”
Jesus prayed with passionate cries for us all. He knew if the Father wanted, he could have saved Him from death. Jesus was perfect in His earthly role, in this flesh, through sufferings and temptations, no one else could have fulfilled so many multiple roles at the same time. It had to be Jesus and Jesus alone, and it had to be in the way chosen by the Father, on the cross. During the last supper after Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, He told them about His impending, betrayal, suffering and death. His disciples were understandably upset at the thought. That is when Jesus tells them these very comforting words. John 14:1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.” Jesus went on to explain what is in store for them after His death and departure. This is the Power of the Cross, today Jesus is asking us as Born-again Believers not to be unduly concerned and worried about the immediate things instead for us to focus on greater things. To look beyond all the craziness of the world around us. The cross would be meaningless if we didn’t understand the grace that got released through the cross. Let us focus on the Grace that has been released through the Cross and through faith in Him, let us receive that grace and “let our hearts be not troubled”. God Bless You!
In Christ’s Love: Pastor Bill

03/11/2026

John 11:33-35: When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept.” On three different occasions we read about Jesus weeping. Jesus’ tears were tears of love, compassion, and mercy! The first occasion Jesus wept was when he visited two sister’s Mary and Martha whose brother Lazarus died. The second time Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. The third time Jesus wept was in the garden of Gethsemane as Jesus felt overwhelming sadness and anguish. Jesus the one and only son of God had love and compassion beyond belief. No one has ever had as much love and compassion as Jesus does! Jesus shows us that it is okay to shed tears when we feel sympathy for other people or when we are hurting. As Born-again Believers we have the assurance that when we are hurting Jesus has sympathy and compassion and Jesus is always there for us! Jesus felt sympathy for his friends Mary and Martha when their brother Lazarus died. As Jesus approached Mary and Martha he wept out of sympathy for their grief and because he felt the loose of a good friend! Jesus showed that He loves us and has compassion for us in all situations. Jesus had sympathy for other people, and he has sympathy and compassion for us also, so as followers of Jesus we are called to have this sympathy and compassion for other people also! Jesus shed tears before he entered Jerusalem that first Palm Sunday as he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it Luke 19:41-42;, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.” Jesus knew the people who were about to praise Him as He entered the city were going to reject him as Savior. Jesus knew these people who were about to shout praises to Him were the same people who would reject Him in a few days. Jesus tears over Jerusalem suggest two things: When we are blessed by God with Salvation and enjoy abundant life we are required to share this mercy, grace, and love with others! With privilege comes responsibility! The Hebrew people were God’s chosen people. They were privileged yet so many times they didn’t show it to other people. Jesus wept over the city because they were about to reject God’s son! Jesus wept because he felt pity for the lost that most of them would never receive him as Redeemer, Savior, and Lord! Jesus shed tears of pity for the lost: do you? Jesus wept in Gethsemane Matthew 26:39 “O Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Jesus wept tears knowing he was the redeemer of humanity who was about to suffer a horrible death for us. Jesus’ tears were shed for you and for me in the garden. Jesus could have rejected the cross, but He didn’t because of His love for us! Jesus shed tears in Gethsemane because he knew when we follow Him there will be times when we suffer. Jesus’ tears in the garden show us when we suffer if we shed tears we should not feel it’s a sign of weakness! In these crazy times we are living in take time to remember that Jesus paid it all for you, so no matter what you face in life can have the joy of salvation in your heart! Because of Jesus tears we can receive God’s gift of salvation which will bring us victory as well as the joy of Salvation! Our challenge in this crazy world that we live in is focus on Jesus’ compassion and love and be grateful. God Bless You! In Christ’s Love: Pastor Bill

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