Daily Word of God - 1 Corinthians 14:20

1 Corinthians 14:20 New Living Translation (NLT)

Dear brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your understanding of these things. Be innocent as babies when it comes to evil, but be mature in understanding matters of this kind.

Daily Word of God - Matthew 19:14

Matthew 19:14 New Living Translation (NLT)

But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”

Daily Word of God - Hosea 1:10

Hosea 1:10 New Living Translation (NLT)

“Yet the time will come when Israel’s people will be like the sands of the seashore—too many to count! Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,’ it will be said, ‘You are children of the living God.’

Mid-Week Message - A Lesson From Tragedy

There was a shooting in Clovis, New Mexico on Monday.  We've seen riots throughout the country. Monuments are being toppled because people have suddenly taken offense at their existence.  A person serving in Congress has said that our President needs to be killed.  Racial tension has ramped up to a level that I haven't seen since I was a child. Our law enforcement officials are being targeted. It seems no one is safe anymore no matter where they are.  

And then, amidst tremendous tragedy, we have Houston and south Texas showing us the way we need to live.  Even though they themselves have lost everything they own, citizens of these areas are out rescuing others without any concern over what race or nationality they are.  Lives are being risked to save lives.  This epic flood, though destructive, is highlighting the value of human life and bringing hope for the future.  As we position ourselves in front of the news to get constant information and as we unite in prayers of protection for the victims, we have a choice. If we can learn from these selfless hearts, pick up the mantel of love and carry this attitude into our own homes and communities, America can be what it once was - a country where we cared for each other above all.  Where individuals help each other rather than expecting a lofty government to decide what we need.  Where skin tone is only a color and plays no role in our ideas about the soul inside.  Where we understand that within each of us beats a heart that feels love, fear and pain and that we share more commonalities than differences.  

The civil war brought great separation, but the north and south came back together.  Families were reunited.  Life returned to a state of living in peace with each other.  Brothers shook hands and put their issues behind them.  That's what needs to be done once more.  We each have our own ideas about life and how this country should be run.  However, we need to remember the common good. Today's actions impact tomorrow and possibly have consequences that will destroy rather than heal. We have to choose what is most important, the welfare of our neighbor, rather than our own preferences.  Respect in the moment helps much more than activism for a future that may never come. Today may be the only day we have to be a blessing.    

May this week in your life see great grace from the Father above.  

1 Peter 3:8-12 ESV 

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Daily Word of God - John 1:12

John 1:12 New Living Translation (NLT)

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

Daily Word of God - 2 Samuel 12:13

2 Samuel 12:13 New Living Translation (NLT)

Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin."

Daily Word of God - Proverbs 28:13

Proverbs 28:13 New Living Translation (NLT)

People who conceal their sins will not prosper,
    but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.

Special Message - Faith that Can Move a Mountain

The Holy Spirit whispered a message into my heart that I want to share with all who are facing troubles in their lives. You must have faith. Even the smallest amount of faith can do so much. Remember what Jesus said to his disciples when they asked him why they could not cast out a demon that possessed a boy.

20 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”
Matthew 17:20 New Living Translation (NLT)

Daily Word of God - Psalm 119:160

Psalm 119:160 New Living Translation (NLT)

The very essence of your words is truth;
    all your just regulations will stand forever.

Daily Word of God - John 20:21

John 20:21 New Living Translation (NLT)

Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”

Daily Word of God - John 10:11

John 10:11 New Living Translation (NLT)

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.

Sunday Praise & Worship Message - Worth the Trip

There is one day every year in our lives that causes us to reflect more on our past experiences and causes us to wonder about the future. We wonder what is in store for us during the course of the year ahead. Many would say that day is New Year’s Day. We often think about the events of the coming year and briefly reflect on the past year. However, for some, the day that causes the most amount of reflection on the past as well as the future is our birthdays.

As we grow older, our minds are consumed with things that happened or should have happened. We reflect on the victories but seem to dwell on the defeats. We think about the future, but fear the coming day. Why is it that we look at the journey we call life and feel that we have not measured up to our dreams and feel that those very dreams that we had when we were children just never became reality. 

If we continue to look at our life as a journey we realize that there will be lows and highs. There will be starts and stops. It is the end of the journey that counts and how we see our lives.

Daily Word of God - Romans 3:27-28

Romans 3:27-28 New Living Translation (NLT)

27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.

Daily Word of God - Psalm 103:20

Psalm 103:20 New Living Translation (NLT)

Praise the Lord, you angels,
    you mighty ones who carry out his plans,
    listening for each of his commands.

Signs of Salvation - God is Speaking

Trinity Baptist Church
Newnan, GA 30263

Daily Word of God - James 4:6

James 4:6 New Living Translation (NLT)

And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say,

“God opposes the proud
    but gives grace to the humble.”

Daily Word of God - Hebrews 6:4-6

Hebrews 6:4-6 New Living Translation (NLT)

4 For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened—those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come— 6 and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame.

Daily Word of God - 2 Peter 1:2

2 Peter 1:2 New Living Translation (NLT)

May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.

Daily Word of God - 1 Samuel 2:9

1 Samuel 2:9 New Living Translation (NLT)

He will protect his faithful ones,
    but the wicked will disappear in darkness.
No one will succeed by strength alone.

Daily Word of God - Hebrews 13:9

Hebrews 13:9 New Living Translation (NLT)

So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God’s grace, not from rules about food, which don’t help those who follow them.

Daily Word of God - John 4:10

John 4:10 New Living Translation (NLT)

Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”

Mid-Week Message - A Child's Prayer

"God is great.   God is good.  Let us thank Him for our food."  Is there anyone that didn't learn that prayer as a child?  Along with "now I lay me down to sleep" it was the first prayer I taught my daughter.  Maybe because it is a prayer for children we tend to dismiss it when we are older.  Too simple.  Surely the Lord would want us to pray something more meaningful.  

God is great.  Psalm 145:3 reads, "Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom."  Some translations say that His greatness is "unsearchable."  Think about that for a moment. The oceans are "great" but finite and can be searched.  God's greatness is infinite.  There is no end.  There is no way to measure it.  

God is good. We know that all good things come from Him.  We know that He causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him and are called by Him.  If those two things are true, then by nature He must be good Himself.  In Mark, Jesus says that the Father is the only one that is good.  We have the testimony of the Son that the Father is good.  To me, that is beautiful!

Let us thank Him.  Because of His goodness and greatness, along with His mercy and grace, our needs are provided for, our prayers are heard, our tears are captured, our lives are blessed and our souls are eternal. We have the promise of Heaven before us with no sadness, no pain, no sickness and no death.  

For our food.  How precious that He knows just what we need when we need it.  Food is an ongoing need. We need it today and we'll need it tomorrow.  It sustains our physical bodies and comes directly from the One that created us.  Likewise, the shelter we have over our heads, the pillow we lay our head on at night, the clothing we wear, the love and compassion that each of us needs, comes from Him.  When we teach this little prayer, what we are actually doing is teaching our young ones to acknowledge that all of our needs are met by His great and good love for us.  

I challenge everyone to say this prayer at every meal for a week. As you do so, concentrate on the words. I believe you will find it as profound as I do.  God bless you. 

Daily Word of God - Romans 3:23-24

Romans 3:23-24 New Living Translation (NLT)

23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.

Daily Word of God - Acts 15:11

Acts 15:11 New Living Translation (NLT)

We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.

Daily Word of God - Ephesians 4:7

Ephesians 4:7 New Living Translation (NLT)

However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.

Daily Word of God - 1 Timothy 2:3-4

1 Timothy 2:3-4 New Living Translation (NLT)

3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.

Daily Word of God - John 1:14

John 1:14 New Living Translation (NLT)

14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

Daily Word of God - Psalm 148:1

Psalm 148:1 New Living Translation (NLT)

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens!
    Praise him from the skies!

Prayer Requests

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, I received several special prayer requests today. I am asking all of our grace partners and faith family to prayer for these special individuals this week.

1. Dear friend of mine and her husband are separated and discussing divorce. Please pray for wisdom and peace for their lives as they go through some very rough times. Pray for the healing of their relationship.

2. Brother Gino brought this one to me this morning. A mother and her daughter are struggling through some very tough times. The daughter, a follower of Christ Jesus, has been dealing with serious medical issues. She is experiencing a challenge to her faith. From Brother Gino's words, she is a strong Christian. We must not only pray for her for strength and healing but we must also pray for her mother. 

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. Ephesians 6:18

Sunday Praise & Worship Message - Take Delight in the Lord

Over the course of my life, I have heard so many people say, “If I only had that, I would be happy.” When they finally achieve the desire of their eye, they soon find that it does not bring them happiness and it leaves them wanting more or something else. It is a very sad cycle that we get ourselves into. We look for something that will bring us joy only to find that it leaves us wanting and dissatisfied. 
Our happiness as Christians should not be grounded in the material world or earthly possessions. Those will only fade, rust or wither away. Our happiness comes from only one place and that is from the Lord God. It is in Him we find our purpose and all that we need.

Daily Word of God - Romans 3:20-21

Romans 3:20-21 New Living Translation (NLT)

20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.
21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.

Daily Word of God - Romans 8:26

Romans 8:26 New Living Translation (NLT)

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

Church Signs - Stop, Drop & Roll

Welcome Road Baptist Church

Newnan, Georgia 30263

Daily Word of God - 2 Corinthians 12:8-9

2 Corinthians 12:8-9 New Living Translation (NLT)

8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

Daily Word of God - Philippians 1:4-5

Philippians 1:4-5 New Living Translation (NLT)

4 Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, 5 for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.

Daily Word of God - Acts 2:42

Acts 2:42 New Living Translation (NLT)

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

Daily Word of God - Psalm 119:14

Psalm 119:14 New Living Translation (NLT)

I have rejoiced in your laws
    as much as in riches.

Daily Word of God - John 10:10

John 10:10 New Living Translation (NLT)

The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

Daily Word of God - Psalm 119:114

Psalm 119:114 New Living Translation (NLT)

You are my refuge and my shield;
    your word is my source of hope.

Mid-Week Message - Realizations

Life has a way of humbling a person.  I remember when I was younger and thinking that I had it pretty much figured out.  I even had a picture hanging on the wall in my living room of a girl that had the world at the end of a string.  It was a gift from my dad.  I would look at that picture and think, "I have a job that pays my bills, a car that gets me where I need to go, a place to live and friends to have fun with."  I thought that was life.  At least in my single twenties.  

Then in my thirties things got a little tougher.  I had a couple of health issues and lost that job.  After an extended stay in the hospital, I found a new job and there I found the person who would become my husband.  Again, I thought life was pretty good.  And it was.  Almost two years after we married, our daughter was born.  I found out then how huge was the capacity of the human heart for love and I also got a lesson in how, no matter how I tried, I could not protect that little one from pain.  As she grew I rejoiced and I cried at times.  And prayed. Oh, how I prayed for her and for my husband. Inadequacy was the new perception of life.  

As I have continued to age, I have come to realize two major things.  The first is that I am beginning to see just how needy I truly am.  Physically, my body is weakening.  I have trouble with arthritic knees and must use a cane.  I make sounds that I thought I would never make like pops and creaks and sighs.  I need help doing certain things that I used to not think twice about.  Mentally I am still doing well.  Although I used to have a memory that never lagged, that has changed some.  I may have trouble remembering a name or a date but it will come to me eventually, usually in the middle of the night, but I can finally remember.  Okay, sometimes I "google it", but at least I know how to find it.  Emotionally, I find that I desire to be around those I love more than I ever have before. This is probably due to losing so many loved ones and understanding how temporary life is.  

The other major realization, and the most important, is how much I need and love Jesus.  I was only five or six years old when our neighbor on Susan Drive in Amarillo, Texas, Betty Allen, took me to church for the first time.  I can still remember the sounds of the people talking in the hallways and the wonderful church smell that I will always associate with that day.  I fell in love with Jesus then, even though I didn't know much about Him.  Now, after all these years, that love continues to grow and I can finally comprehend the fact that, were it not for Him, I would have nothing.  Because He is everything.  All the good that is in any part of my existence comes directly from Him.  He is my breath and my heartbeat.  Without Him, I would cease to be.  I can't imagine even wanting to live if I did not have Jesus as my Lord.  All hope comes through Him. What purpose would life have if there was no hope?  

Bill Gaither wrote a song that is very familiar but is appropriate to close this message.  If you know the song, sing it while you read the words.  May you be blessed.  

There's Just Something About That Name

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus There's just something about that name Master, Savior, Jesus Like the fragrance after the rain Jesus, Jesus, Jesus Let all heaven and earth proclaim Kings and kingdoms shall all pass away But there's something about that name.

Daily Word of God - 2 Peter 3:9

2 Peter 3:9 New Living Translation (NLT)

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

Daily Word of God - Job 42:1-3

Job 42:1-3 New Living Translation (NLT)

Then Job replied to the Lord:

2 “I know that you can do anything,
    and no one can stop you.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’
    It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about,
    things far too wonderful for me.

Daily Word of God - John 14:1

John 14:1 New Living Translation (NLT)

Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.

Daily Word of God - 1 Chronicles 12:18

1 Chronicles 12:18 New Living Translation (NLT)

18 Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, the leader of the Thirty, and he said,

“We are yours, David!
    We are on your side, son of Jesse.
Peace and prosperity be with you,
    and success to all who help you,
    for your God is the one who helps you.”
So David let them join him, and he made them officers over his troops.

Daily Word of God - 2 Corinthians 1:2

2 Corinthians 1:2 New Living Translation (NLT)

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

Daily Word of God - Deuteronomy 11:2

Deuteronomy 11:2 New Living Translation (NLT)

Keep in mind that I am not talking now to your children, who have never experienced the discipline of the Lord your God or seen his greatness and his strong hand and powerful arm.

Sunday Praise & Worship Message - Right from the Start

Several weeks ago, I talked about getting ourselves right with the Lord. The question is how does that happen? We all know that we are to follow God’s will and the teachings and example of His son, Christ Jesus. If it is that simple, why do we find it so very hard to do? The children of Israel thought that all they had to do was follow the laws given to them by God and all would be right with the world. But, even that proved to be too hard for them. The children of Israel, God’s chosen, would, over time, go back to their old ways or adopt the ways of their neighbors. In time, they would slip back into their sinful lives and live disobediently and contrary to God’s laws and will. So, when you think about it, everyone suffers from those moments where we slip back into our old sinful lives. It is only through our faith that we are able to go back to the Father and ask for forgiveness. By doing that, God makes us right in His sight. At that point, we are righteous and able to live a life of faith that results in eternal life.

Daily Word of God - Isaiah 53:5

Isaiah 53:5 New Living Translation (NLT)

But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.

Daily Word of God - Psalm 122:8

Psalm 122:8 New Living Translation (NLT)

For the sake of my family and friends, I will say,
    “May you have peace.”

Daily Word of God - John 20:19

John 20:19 New Living Translation (NLT)

That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said.