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 Do you have joy?
Nehemiah 8:10 tells us “the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
But, just what is joy? It’s not a happy feeling you’re
supposed to have now and then when things are going well. It’s much more
than that. Joy is one of the most powerful spiritual forces in the world.
Look again at Nehemiah 8:10 and I’ll show you why. If you were to
diagram that scripture and remove the phrase, “of the Lord,”
you would find what it’s truly saying is this: Joy is strength! The
two are interchangeable.
That’s what makes joy so crucial. You can’t live a life of
faith without being strong in the Lord. And when God wants to make you
strong, joy is what He uses to do the job!
Joy is not just a state of mind. It is not a fleeting emotion. Joy is a
very real force! And the devil doesn’t have anything that can stand
up against it. Just as fear has to yield to faith, discouragement has to
yield to joy.
Since joy is one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, you already have it
residing within you. But you must develop it, confess it, and live by it if
you want to enjoy its power.
Whatever circumstances you are facing today, you can be full of joy. You
can be strong in the Lord. You can draw on the supply of the Holy Spirit
within you and come out on top.
Rejoice!
Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS,
Volume 8.08. Live for God, on purpose, as you
rejoice in the Lord always! Again, I say – Rejoice!
 Where
Do We Look Now?
Here we are in the midst of the presidential primaries. Although we have
already had our primary here in Delaware, the airwaves continue to be
filled with daily excerpts from all the candidates promising their personal
version of what America needs, and why they believe they are the one who
can best provide it.
Interestingly, each candidate seems to be claiming to be the real
candidate who will bring change. And, when people are interviewed, being
asked which candidate they plan to vote for, nearly each person notes
“change” in their list of reasons for making their choice.
People realize that what they have, and what they are experiencing is not
working. They want change. But, they don’t know where to look. I
believe that America is not looking for a new President. Americans are
looking for a savior. And, none of the candidates fit that requirement.
In Mark 13, Jesus tells us that there is a time coming when people will
claim that the Christ is here, or He is there. Jesus tells his readers to
not believe it!
So, then, where are we to look? What do we look for now? That is the
subject of this week’s message – “Where Do We Look
Now?” You won’t want to miss this message!
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 Why
Give 10% or More of Your Income to the Lord’s Work
by Brian Kluth
In stewardship speaking engagements across America and on five
continents, I have discovered two things:
First: Christians of all income levels have experienced spiritual joy,
supernatural grace and divine help through the practice of making a
specific commitment to GIVE 10% OR MORE of their resources to the
Lord’s work.
Second: The vast majority of pastors are reluctant to teach their
congregations about money matters and Christian giving.
This list of 10 reasons to give 10% or more to the Lord’s work was
written to encourage laity and clergy that this subject can be biblically
and practically taught and caught! When believers are taught to make it a
priority to give to God first, it will ultimately bring greater financial
freedom and blessing into their personal lives and to the ministries they
support.
1. It is a tried and proven pattern of giving by godly people throughout
the ages (regardless of cultures and income levels). Genesis 14:17-20,
28:16-22; Leviticus 27:30; Proverbs 3:9, 10; Malachi 3:7-15; Matthew 23:23
2. It will help you revere God more in your life. Deuteronomy 14:23
3. It will bring God’s wisdom and order to your finances and will
help you harness the dragon of materialism. Matthew 6:19-21, 24-34; Luke
12:16-21; 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19; Ecclesiastes 5:10
4. It will serve as a practical reminder that God is the Owner of
everything you have. 1 Chronicles 29:11-18; Psalm 24; 1,2; Psalm 59:10-12;
Haggai 2:8
5. It will allow you to experience God’s creative care and
provisions in ways you would not otherwise experience. 1 Kings 17; Proverbs
3:9,10; Malachi 3:7-15; Haggai 1:4-11, 2:15-10; Luke 6:38; Deuteronomy
14:23; Proverbs 3:5,6; Malachi 3:8-10; Haggai 1:4-11, 2:15-19; 2
Corinthians 8:5
6. It will encourage your spiritual growth and trust in God. Deuteronomy
14:23; Proverbs 3:5,6; Malachi 3:8-10; Haggai 1:4-11, 2:15-19; 2 Corinthians
8:5
7. It will ensure you of treasure in heaven. 1 Timothy 6:18, 19; Matthew
6:19-21; Hebrews 6:10; 3 John 8; 1 Samuel 30:22
8. It will strengthen the ministry, outreach, and stability of your
local church. Acts 2:42-27, 4:32; 2 Corinthians 9:12,13
9. It will help provide the means to keep your pastor and missionaries
in full-time Christian service. 1 Corinthians 9:9-11,14; 1 Timothy 5:17,18;
3 John 5-8; Philippians 4:15-19; Galatians 6:6; Luke 8:3; 2 Kings 4:8-10
10. It will help accomplish needed building projects and renovations. 2
Chronicles 24:4-14; Exodus 35, 36; 2 Kings 12:2-16; 1 Chronicles 29:2-10;
Ezekiel 1:4-6
as seen in the February 18, 2008 issue of Rocky
Henriques’ “The Timothy Report.” Article by Brian Kluth,
Dimensions, Vol. 20, Fall, 1997, pp. 1-2, reprint by permission: Christian
Stewardship Magazine
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 I
Will Praise Him Again
by Tom Norvell
Your spirits are low. You are down in the dumps. You don’t really
know why. You try to figure it out. Maybe it is because it’s Monday.
Maybe it’s the season of the year. Maybe you’re tired. Maybe
your feelings have been hurt. Maybe it is the anniversary of a loss. Could
be guilt. Could be fatigue. Could be a something deep inside wanting to
come out but you’re afraid to let it go. Worship is dry. Spiritual
endeavors seem empty. You don’t know why, but you know it’s
real, and you know it’s not good.
Whatever the cause and whatever the reason these questions which are
found three times in Psalm 42 and 43 (some would contend that it was
originally one Psalm) could be your questions:
“Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?”
You do everything in your power to snap out of the funk. You work
harder. You read more. You pray more. You get involved in more Bible
studies. You attend more church services. Still you are discouraged and
your heart is sad. You wonder if you will ever get out of this pit of
depression. You wonder if you will ever experience genuine praise again.
Then you read the rest of the verse.
“I will put my hope in God!”
That makes sense. “I will put my hope in God!” Not in
things. Not in people. Not in events. Not in accomplishments. “I will
put my hope in God!” It should not surprise us (though it almost
always does) that when we put our hope in something or someone other than
God we will get discouraged and our hearts will become sad. The Psalmist came
to an understanding and said, “I will put my hope in God!”
When he put his hope in God, things changed.
“I will praise him again-my Savior and my God!” (Psalm 42:5,
11; Psalm 43:5, New Living Translation)
What was true for the Psalmist can be true for you. Put your hope in
God!
Feeling discouraged? Is your heart feeling sad? Put your hope in God!
You will praise Him again.
as seen in “A Norvell Note,” Vol. 11 No. 06,
February 11, 2008 ©2008. Tom Norvell All Rights Reserved.
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 Ten
Inches of Water
A boy was sitting in a park bench with one hand resting on an open
Bible. He was loudly exclaiming his praise to God. “Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! God is great!” he yelled without worrying whether anyone
heard him or not.
Shortly after, along came a man who had recently completed some studies
at a local University. Feeling himself very enlightened in the ways of
truth and very eager to show this enlightenment, he asked the boy about the
source of his joy.
“Hey,” asked the boy in return with a bright laugh,
“Don’t you have any idea what God is able to do? I just read
that God opened up the waves of the Red Sea and led the whole nation of
Israel right through the middle.”
The enlightened man laughed lightly, sat down next to the boy and began
to try to open his eyes to the realities of the miracles of the Bible.
“That can all be very easily explained. Modern scholarship has shown
that the Red Sea in that area was only 10 inches deep at that time. It was
no problem for the Israelites to wade across.”
The boy was stumped. His eyes wandered from the man back to the Bible
lying open in his lap. The man, content that he had enlightened a poor
naive young person to the finer points of scientific insight turned to
leave.
Scarcely had he taken two steps when the boy began to rejoice and praise
louder than before. The man turned to ask the reason for this resumed
jubilation.
“Wow!” exclaimed the boy happily, “God is greater than
I thought! Not only did He lead the whole nation of Israel through the Red
Sea, He topped it off by drowning the whole Egyptian army in 10 inches of
water!”
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 Five
Ways God Uses Problems
The problems you face will either defeat you or develop you –
depending on how you respond to them. Unfortunately, most people fail to
see how God wants to use problems for good in their lives. They react
foolishly and resent their problems rather than pausing to consider what
benefit they might bring.
Here are five ways God wants to use the problems in your life:
1. God uses problems to DIRECT you.
Sometimes God must light a fire under you to get you moving. Problems often
point us in a new direction and motivate us to change. Is God trying to get
your attention?
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean
not unto your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he
will direct your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6
2. God uses problems to INSPECT you.
People are like tea bags... if you want to know what’s inside them,
just drop them into hot ever water! Has God tested your faith with a
problem? What do problems reveal about you?
“When you have many kinds of troubles, you
should be full of joy, because you know that these troubles test your
faith, and this will give you patience.” – James 1:2-3
3. God uses problems to CORRECT you.
Some lessons we learn only through pain and failure. It’s likely that
as a child your parents told you not to touch a hot stove. But you probably
learned by being burned. Sometimes we only learn the value of something by
losing it.
“It is good for me that I have been afflicted;
that I might learn thy statutes.” – Psalm 119:72
4. God uses problems to PROTECT you.
A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents you from being
harmed by something more serious. Last year a friend was fired for refusing
to do something unethical that his boss had asked him to do. His
unemployment was a problem – but it saved him from being convicted
and sent to prison a year later when management’s actions were
eventually discovered.
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it
for good” – Genesis 50:20
5. God uses problems to PERFECT you.
Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders.
God is far more interested in your character than your comfort. Your
relationship to God and your character are the only two things you’re
going to take with you into eternity.
“We can rejoice when we run into problems...
they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of
character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until
finally our hope and faith are strong and steady.” –
Romans 5:3-4
Here’s the point: God is at work in your life – even when
you don’t recognize it or understand it. But it’s so much
easier when you surrender to his plan for your life.
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 Afraid
to Speak Up
by Alan Smith
Farmer Joe decided his injuries from the accident were serious enough to
take the trucking company to court.
In court, the trucking company’s fancy lawyer was questioning
farmer Joe. “Didn’t you say at the scene of the accident,
‘I’m fine’?", asked the lawyer.
Farmer Joe responded, “Well, I’ll tell you what happened. I
had just loaded my favorite mule Bessie into the...”
“I didn’t ask for any details,” the lawyer
interrupted, “just answer the question. Did you not say at the scene
of the accident, ‘I’m fine!’?”
Farmer Joe said, “Well, I had just got Bessie into the trailer and
I was driving down the road...”
The lawyer interrupted again and said, “Judge, I am trying to
establish the fact that, at the scene of the accident, this man told the
highway patrolman on the scene that he was just fine. Now several weeks
after the accident he is trying to sue my client.” I believe he is a
fraud. Please tell him to simply answer the question.”
By this time the judge was fairly interested in Farmer Joe’s
answer and said to the lawyer, “I’d like to hear what he has to
say about his favorite mule Bessie.”
Joe thanked the judge and proceeded, “Well as I was saying, I had
just loaded Bessie, my favorite mule, into the trailer and was driving her
down the highway when this huge semi-truck and trailer ran the stop sign
and smacked my truck right in the side. I was thrown into one ditch and
Bessie was thrown into the other. I was hurting real bad and didn’t
want to move. However, I could hear ole Bessie moaning and groaning. I knew
she was in terrible shape just by her groans.
Shortly after the accident, a highway patrolman came on the scene. He
could hear Bessie moaning and groaning, so he went over to her. After he
looked at her, he took out his gun and shot her between the eyes.
Then the patrolman came across the road with his gun in his hand and
looked at me. He said, “Your mule was in such bad shape I had to
shoot her. How are you feeling?”
There are times in our lives when we are hesitant to say something out
of fear. Not fear of being “shot", but fear of being “shot
down", fear of being ridiculed, fear of being embarrassed. As a
result, given the opportunity to take a stand for Christ, we choose silence
instead. It seems “safe” considering the circumstances.
May God help us to replace our fear of men with the fear of God.
“And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what
is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you
are blessed. ‘And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be
troubled.’ But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be
ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that
is in you, with meekness and fear.” (1 Peter 3:13-15)
So... how are you feeling? :-)
This article by Alan Smith, Senior Pastor of the Helen
Street Church of Christ in Fayetteville, North Carolina. You can visit his
site at http://www.TFTD-online.com
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 The
Last Impression
You know you’re in a redneck church if...
• The finance committee refuses to provide funds for the purchase
of a chandelier because none of the members knows how to play one.
• People ask, when they learn that Jesus fed the 5000, whether the
two fish were bass or catfish, and what bait was used to catch ‘em.
• When the pastor says, “I’d like to ask Bubba to help
take up the offering,” five guys and two women stand up.
• Opening day of deer season is recognized as an official church
holiday.
• A member of the church requests to be buried in his 4-wheel-drive
truck because “It ain’t never been in a hole it couldn’t
get out of.”
• The choir is known as the “OK Chorale.”
• In a congregation of 500 members, there are only seven last
names in the church directory.
• People think “rapture” is what you get when you lift
something too heavy.
• The baptismal pool is a #2 galvanized “Wheeling”
washtub.
• The choir robes were donated by (and embroidered with the logo
from) Billy Bob’s Barbecue.
• The collection plates are really hubcaps from a ‘56 Chevy.
• Instead of a bell, you are called to service by a duck call.
• The minister and his wife drive matching pickup trucks.
• The communion wine is Boone’s Farm “Tickled
Pink.”
• “Thou shall not covet” applies to huntin’
dogs, too.
• The final words of the benediction are, “Y'all come back
now, Ya hear.”
Well, there’s no chance that anyone would ever confuse
WFA with a “redneck church!” But, we are trusting that you will
be back this Lord’s Day for another great time together as we worship
Him and study His Word, followed by a great time of fellowship during our
“Last Sunday Social!” It’s going to be a great Sunday
here at WFA! Don’t miss it!
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