LOCCF Visalia

01/19/2025

08/24/2023

“I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” —Philippians 3:14

Are you satisfied with where you are in your spiritual growth?

We need to remember that the good is often the enemy of the best.

For example, some people give up after they’ve tried to lose weight and get in shape. They think, “I’m already overweight. I might as well be more overweight.” They stop exercising and trying to control their food intake. They say, “Just forget it. There’s nothing I can do.”

We can have the same attitude toward spiritual growth. We might tell ourselves that we’re not as spiritual as we ought to be, but there are a lot of people who are even worse than we are.

Even so, do we really want that as our standard of measure? Why not say, “I want to grow even more”?

The apostle Paul summed it up perfectly when he wrote, “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me” (Philippians 3:12 NLT).

Or, as The Message puts it, “I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. . . . I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back” (verses 12–14).

We want to make Jesus Christ our focus—not a person, not a pastor, and not a church. The Bible tells us, “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11 NLT).

Jesus is the only foundation that will sustain us as Christians. So let’s build our lives on Jesus Christ.

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07/23/2023

https://youtu.be/F5i018YtVHw

07/22/2023

💕The Source of Our Adversity
In Touch Ministries

Do you struggle to understand why God allows pain and suffering?

Ecclesiastes 7:10-14

10
Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?”� For it is not wise to ask such questions.
11
Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing� and benefits those who see the sun.
12
Wisdom is a shelter� as money is a shelter,�but the advantage of knowledge is this:� Wisdom preserves those who have it.
13 Consider what God has done:
Who can straighten� what he has made crooked?
14
When times are good, be happy;� but when times are bad, consider this:�God has made the one� as well as the other.�Therefore, no one can discover� anything about their future."

When we encounter difficulties, we might wonder why God allows those painful situations.

How do we reconcile our suffering with His love for us and His power to prevent or stop it?

In order to understand what’s going on, we need to consider the possible sources of adversity.

❤️A Fallen World: When sin entered the world, suffering came with it. So we might wonder why God didn’t simply make us like puppets that were unable to choose sin.

But if we lacked free will, we’d be unable to choose to love Him. And love, by its very nature, must be voluntary.

❤️Our Own Doing: Sometimes we face consequences from our own foolish or sinful choices.

❤️Satanic Attack: Satan’s goal is to destroy believers’ lives and testimonies, thereby making us weak and useless for God’s purposes.

For us to accept that God allows adversity, we must first see it from His perspective.

Is your focus on the pain of your experience or on the Lord and His faithfulness?

As Christians, we’re assured that no adversity comes our way unless He can use it to achieve His good purposes.

07/21/2023

💕Putting on Humility
Our Daily Bread

[Jesus] took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. Philippians 2:7

READ Philippians 2:5–11

The CEO of a frozen treats franchise went undercover on the television series Undercover Boss, donning a cashier’s uniform.

Working at one of the franchise’s stores, her wig and makeup disguised her identity as she became the “new” employee.

Her goal was to see how things were really working from the inside and on the ground. Based on her observations, she was able to solve some of the issues the store was facing.

Jesus took on a “humble position” (Philippians 2:7 nlt) to solve our issues. He became human—walking the earth, teaching us about God, and ultimately dying on a cross for our sins (v. 😎.

This sacrifice exposed Christ’s humility as He obediently gave His life as our sin offering. He walked the earth as a man and experienced what we experience—from ground level.

As believers in Jesus, we’re called to have the “same attitude” as our Savior especially in our relationships with other believers (v. 5 nlt).

God helps us to clothe ourselves in humility (v. 3) and adopt the mindset of Christ (v. 5).

He prompts us to live as servants ready to meet others’ needs and willing to lend a helping hand.

As God leads us to humbly love others, we’re in a better position to serve them and to compassionately seek solutions to the issues they face.

By Katara Patton

REFLECT & PRAY

How can you lovingly address the needs and issues others are facing?

What does it mean for you to live out the humility of Jesus?

Pray:
Holy God, thank You for the sacrifice of Jesus for me. Please give me the mindset of Christ as I humbly serve my brothers and sisters.

07/21/2023

07/21/2023

💕The Book of Books
Dr Charles Stanley

The Bible is an infallible source of truth.

Isaiah 55:9-11

Step into almost any bookstore, and you can find a volume on pretty much any topic you have in mind.

Want new direction for your life? Are your children disobeying? Are you hoping to live in a healthier way? There are books that were written to help, but do the authors have trustworthy credentials?

There is a place to find accurate information and true guidance:

The Bible will bless and benefit everyone who reads and applies its wisdom.

Here’s what Scripture’s Author—“the God of truth” (Isa. 65:16)—says about His own Word:

❤️The Bible gives direction for life (Ps. 119:105).

God uses His Word to lead us, no matter what our circumstances may be.

❤️Scripture strengthens us in grief or difficulty (Ps. 119:28; Ps. 119:116).

By spending time processing what God says, we’re reminded that He loves us, cares about our situation, and can handle whatever we’re facing.

❤️God’s Word helps us understand our inner motivations (Heb. 4:12).

Scripture acts like a mirror that lets us see ourselves as we truly are.

The Bible is the very mind of God put into words so that we can know Him more fully.

To what extent do you depend upon this amazing Book as your foundation for life?

07/19/2023

💕The Power of Patience
In Touch Ministries

Hebrews 6:9-15

Picture yourself waiting in a checkout line that hasn’t moved for ten minutes. Many of us would feel frustrated.

We live in a generation that expects instant results.

Everyone struggles with some degree of impatience. We’re born with this trait—think about a three-month-old who wants milk in the middle of the night.

The inborn reaction is to fuss at the first hint of discomfort and to keep at it until the need is met.

Patterns from our old “flesh” nature make this a continual battle for most people, but one that is very worthwhile to fight.

Let’s consider the biblical definition of patience. It can mean both longsuffering and perseverance, or not giving up and yielding under pressure.

In either case, it reveals itself when we are willing to wait without frustration while suffering or experiencing some strong desire.

In other words, we accept difficult situations without giving God deadlines. What’s more, patience means accepting what the Lord gives, on His timetable—or what He chooses not to give.

This quality results in inner peace and lack of stress. Meanwhile, we should pray, obey, and persist as we seek God’s direction.

The danger of impatience is that we might miss the Lord’s perfect plan and His blessing. Only when we trust our Father's s will and timing can we rest peacefully.

What causes you stress? Carefully examine whether you are taking matters into your own hands or releasing the circumstanc
e to almighty God.

Listen to Psalm 37:7
, which says, “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” Seek His way and His timing. Anything else can be destructive.

07/18/2023

💕When Words Sting
By Greg Laurie

“Their tongues sting like a snake; the venom of a viper drips from their lips. ”
—Psalm 140:3

If we were to list the ten worst sins that we could think of, how many of us would put gossip on the list?

Yet when God identified seven of the things that He hates, He included, by implication, the sin of gossip or misusing our words.

In Proverbs 6 we read, “There are six things the Lord hates—no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family” (verses 16–19 NLT).

At one time or another, we all have felt the bitter sting of gossip in our lives. Someone told a lie or passed along a story about us that simply wasn’t true.

The psalmist David lamented those who gossiped about him and lied about his character. It obviously was a source of great pain to him because he prayed, “O Lord, rescue me from evil people.

Protect me from those who are violent, those who plot evil in their hearts and stir up trouble all day long. Their tongues sting like a snake; the venom of a viper drips from their lips” (Psalm 140:1–3 NLT).

We are living in a wicked, vicious time. It appears that people have an unhealthy appetite for gossip.

David was saying, “Deliver me from people like this, Lord.” That’s because he was facing a carefully planned campaign of slander and lies.

So, what did David do with this concern? We find the answer in Psalm 140:6: “I said to the Lord, ‘You are my God!’ Listen, O Lord, to my cries for mercy!” (NLT).

David cast his burden on the Lord. Are you burdened today? Is someone or something troubling you? Cast it on the Lord.

07/18/2023

💕Trust God with your fears
By Rick Warren

God is watching over you—so there’s no need to listen to your fears. You can make a choice: Trust God, and don’t give in to your fears.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 1:10, “From such terrible dangers of death he saved us, and will save us; and we have placed our hope in him that he will save us again” (GNT).

God’s promise to believers is that, no matter what happens to us, he is working for our good—if we love him and follow him.

Romans 8:28 says it like this: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (NIV).

The Bible says that, if you’re a believer, all things are working together for good. It does not say that all things are good. It says that all things are working together for good.

In other words, God isn’t promising that every event in your life will be good.

He doesn’t guarantee that everything will work out like you want it to or that every story will have a fairytale ending.

Not every business decision will make you a million dollars. Not every married couple will live happily ever after. Not every doctor’s report will be positive.

God is not your genie. Your wish is not his command!

But, because you love him, God does promise to work everything—the good and the bad—for your good.

It’s like putting a puzzle together. On its own, each piece doesn’t look like much. When all the pieces are connected together, a beautiful picture appears.

Because that’s true, you can stop listening to your fears. There is no difficulty, dilemma, defeat, or disaster in the life of a believer that God can’t ultimately get good out of. So there is no need to fear the future.

Your fears reveal where you do not trust God.

Today, make a list of your fears, and ask God to help you identify why you have fear in those areas. Then ask him to help you replace your fears with trust in him.

There’s another step, and it’s an important one: Expect God to help you learn to trust him with each fear.

Hopeful expectation reveals your faith and opens your eyes to how God is working for good in your life.

Talk It Over

•
What fears have you identified in your life?

•
Why do you think you trust God in some areas and not in others?

•
When have you seen God deliver you when you were afraid he wouldn’t?