Jesus Is Our Refuge! by Myra Boozer

You can't travel very far on any given Street or road without seeing a Church Steeple and sometimes they are side by side. When we lived in Valley Head, a tiny little town at the foot of Lookout Mountain near Fort Payne, AL. I could look out my kitchen window and see three Churches. We were Pastors of a Church on top of the Mountain at Mentone, also surrounded by other Churches.

There are church buildings everywhere. We are living in the middle of the Bible Belt but many people are confused, troubled and not connected to any Church...Why? This troubles me greatly...an abundance of Churches (places of refuge) but are they giving fresh bread (Jesus is the bread of Life) to the hungry souls? Are they keeping the Spiritual Fires burning to warm the cold and the lost? Are they teaching Truth?...or just some ideas that make people comfortable in their situation? Do they offer freedom from the chains that bind people? Do they have the Key to help the enslaved to be set free from sin? Are they the Lighthouse to the weary traveler? What is going on in these beautiful buildings that have the lights on several nights a week? Is there revival, renewal, regeneration, and restoration happening? What is happening in all these places?

Our Church buildings are beautiful structures but will they lead the lost to Jesus? Will they leave rejoicing because of their new freedom in Him? Will they find Hope and receive Life and direction for the days we have left? Will they desire to leave their shackles and receive the new life of freedom from sin and walk in union with Christ? People need answers! They need love! They need JESUS!

Why Are So Many Christians Confused?

Confusion is the result when we walk away from God’s Truth. As a child of God, a person would not intentionally walk away from the Truth of God. So, what has happened when on this journey to serve God’s will and purpose, they become confused and don’t know which way to proceed. They cannot understand how they arrived at such a place in their attempt to please the Lord. There are several factors that come into play.

The first step in this process from Truth to confusion is a failure to embrace the work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. John 15:26, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:” The Holy Spirit is sent from the Father and will testify of Jesus Christ. He will do nothing to oppose or contradict the Father or the Son.

Now, a child of God would do nothing to oppose or contradict the Father or the Son. Jesus said in John 14:6, “...I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” It is obvious that if we are to follow God and the Son, we will embrace the work of the Holy Spirit. However, we must be very careful as to our acceptance or denial of doctrine labeled as Scriptural Precepts. The label does not define the true character of the doctrine but the measure of that doctrine is defined by the Holy Spirit through the Holy Scriptures. God’s Truth will deliver the sin-sick soul, bring freedom to shackled lives and heal the wounded heart! The measure of Truth is the effect it has on the life of a true believer.

The Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit is the sustaining force within each believer. He will lead and guide us into the Truth of God's Word. However, there are many voices claiming to speak for God. It is paramount that we learn to recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit and separate from the seducing spirits of this world. Although God uses human vessels to share His message, we must know God in an intimate relationship so He can speak directly to us. Then, what He is telling us will be confirmed by what He is telling other believers. In the multitude of counselors, there is safety! (Proverbs 11:14). The Holy Spirit and the Word will teach us the Truth.

Therefore, it is imperative that the Body of Christ derive the correct interpretation of scripture. The only way that can happen is through the unopposed work of the Holy Spirit and acceptance of the Truth without reservation. We don't have to understand all that the Holy Spirit is revealing but just to recognize that it is He who is revealing. The complete understanding may be for a later time. The power of the message is the TRUTH! The TRUTH is validated by the Holy Spirit! A Departure From Truth Results In Confusion! (continued)

He Is More Than Enough! by Myra Boozer

"Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again; But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." John 4: 13-14

I found this statement today...."God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." When the things of this world can fade away like a fog that lifts off of the valley, I believe that we find a new perspective about life, love and our relationship with others, especially God. He just fills our every longing and desire. We no longer are pushed and pressured into needing anything except Him and His presence. It is no longer about me and what I must attain or receive from this world. He becomes my focus! He brings my life to the fullest and my heart can sing in the midst of chaos because I know He Is More Than Enough for today, for tomorrow and forever...

God, I Need You Every Day!

Exodus 20:18, “And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. 21 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.”

When God invited Moses to meet with Him at the top of Mt. Sinai, his life was changed forever. He came as close to God as any man can and still live. Most importantly, he received direction from God. God instructed him in His law of life. “If you will obey me and keep my commandments, I will be your God and you will be my people.” Not only did God reveal His law but He revealed Himself through His law and His Presence. The mountain was as though it was on fire with smoke rising and thunder and lightning. It was such a sight that the Israelites were afraid and moved back from the base of the mountain. God revealed Himself in the awesomeness of His Presence and the revelation of His law. God wrote His law in tables of stone and had it delivered by His chosen servant to His chose people. The people were so moved by the awesomeness of God’s presence that they overwhelmingly accepted God’s law.

The children of God now had God to lead, guide and protect them. And they had His law to live their lives by. You would think that all would be great, right? No, not really! The Israelites had a short memory. They would forget about the awesomeness of God’s presence which affected their observance of His law. That’s where the disruptions in their lives came about.

Today, as Christians, we need to walk in the awesomeness of Christ’s presence. We need the ever-abiding presence of the Holy Spirit to be manifest in our lives daily. The further the Israelites traveled away from Sinai, the further they moved from His awesomeness. What about the pillar of the cloud and pillar of fire and manna every day? They became common occurrences and were taken for granted.

We are no different! The further we move away from the awesome encounter of the Lord, the less attention we give Him and His commission to us. We tend to take for granted the everyday blessings. But if we walk in a continued awareness of His presence, we can see Him in everything. Everyday occurrences are blessings. Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” God, I Need You Everyday!

Struggles Are Necessary! by Myra Boozer

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 41:31

I have been thinking about struggles lately, maybe because I have had a few. I came across this story and it helps put things into perspective. Maybe it will help someone else.

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no further. So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.

The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that at any moment the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It was never able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

SOMETIMES STRUGGLES ARE EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED IN OUR LIVES. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could be. We could never fly! Lord, help me to not doubt the path you have chosen for me because you are working ALL things for my good, even in the struggles.

This life is full of struggles but one Day, and it may not be that far away, we are going to hear that trumpet sound and our wings are gonna open wide, lifting us right off this earth to meet our Lord in the clouds. We will be so glad we endured whatever we had to endure to make us strong in the Lord. I'm gonna lift my hands til I reach Heaven...a sign of surrender to the Almighty One and also a sign of adoration to OUR KING. Struggles Are Necessary!

Power In The Name Of Jesus!

John 14:12, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”

There is power in the name of Jesus! There is power to break every chain. Power to live for Christ and walk in unbridled victory. Free to flow in the Spirit and experience His presence from glory to glory. He leads us up, higher and higher into His Majesty. For having been exposed to His glorious Light we will never be the same.

We are changed in His presence. We can never be the same once His glory has shown upon us. We are changed forever and He has planted such a desire to reach higher. His presence is so addictive that no sooner than you walk away, you have an unquenchable need to return.

And we can return again and again. There is no limit as to the glory we can experience in His presence. Simply come to Him in obedience and submission and He will carry you to heights previously unknown. He will reveal to you truths you haven't understood and emotions you've never experienced. But most of all He will reveal Himself to you and in you so that the world around you can see Him and be touched by Him, “that the father may be glorified in the Son.”

Prayer Is Not A Spare Wheel! by Myra Boozer

God help us to remember this..."Prayer is not a 'spare wheel' that you pull out when in trouble...But it is a 'steering wheel' that directs the path throughout…" To want God's attention only when in trouble is not really wanting God at all...it is, that a person wants the problem solved and right quick...God forgive us all for not talking to you more and giving you the control in so many situations of life. We need you MORE than Yesterday, more than words can say. Oh, we NEED YOU in everything, we need YOU!