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 a new life of freedom from sin and walk in union with Christ? People need answers! They need love! They need JESUS!

The Revelation Of Jesus Christ!

Galatians 1:9, “As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. 10 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. 11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. 12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

The Apostle Paul is recounting his own personal experience to the Church at Galatia. He is emphasizing the powerful nature of his revelation of Jesus Christ and the subsequent effect of that revelation on the message he has preached and is preaching. He received the authority to preach the Gospel directly from Jesus Christ Himself! What we all require is a revelation of Jesus Christ!

If we are to share in the revelation of Jesus Christ, we will require the assistance and nurture of the Holy Spirit. What God has purposed will require the power of the Holy Spirit to totally change or transform this fleshly tabernacle into a spiritual habitation for Himself. The revelation of Jesus Christ is to welcome Him to take charge of our lives, uninhibited by our human limitations, to be a living, breathing, walking vessel filled with the Holy Spirit. (conclusion)

Jesus Is More Than Enough! by Myra Boozer

John 14:13, “Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 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. “That speaks to me about a life without want. Remember, ‘The Lord is MY Shepherd, I shall not want...’ the broader meaning, not lacking, not deficient in proper care, management or husbandry. But a second emphasis is the idea of being utterly contented in the Good Shepherd's care and consequently not craving or desiring anything more," taken from A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller.

As I have been reading in the Book of Mark about Jesus, the disciples, and the multitudes, I really honed in on a question Jesus asked the disciples as they had departed in a ship to the "other side" away from the crowds. As they left, the disciples realized they only had one loaf of bread on the entire ship, a real dilemma for hungry men. This is what Jesus had to say about their reasoning over such a small amount of bread. Mark 8:17-18, "...Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? AND DO YE NOT REMEMBER? When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many BASKETS FULL of fragments took ye up? They said unto him TWELVE. And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said SEVEN, and he said unto them, HOW IS IT THAT YE DO NOT UNDERSTAND?"

When we have Jesus in our lives, we are covered at all times. He has provision that is MORE THAN ENOUGH! Now, these guys are talking about a loaf of bread, not a Banquet. Many may feel that God lets them down or doesn't provide because they do not receive a "Lobster Fest" on a Cruise Ship.

I found this statement a while ago..."God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." When the desires of this world can fade away like a fog lifting off 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, tomorrow, and forever...and He always has leftovers...His storehouse is FULL...

Do We Really Want God's Help?

2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people...then I will hear from heaven...”

This verse is all about God intervening in the lives of His people. God wants us to invite Him into the affairs of our lives. He loves His creation and desires to intervene in our needs. In verse 13 God offers a litany of circumstances that would warrant His intervention. In this text, the first is, “If I shut up heaven that there be no rain...” He is literally addressing a physical lack of water. However, I believe we can also apply this in a spiritual sense and spiritual water. Jesus referred to Himself as being living water and referred to all that would believe on Him as having rivers of living waters flowing out of their belly. He was talking about His flowing through the believer by the Holy Spirit to give spiritual refreshment to all who are willing to receive.

I believe that our world is in need of spiritual rain, spiritual rain flowing from the throne of God, spiritual rain consisting of the power and presence of God in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit! How long has it been since we have seen a genuine move of the Holy Spirit? I’m not talking about an exhibition of emotions or a series of religious meetings fraught with a supposed divine encounter. What I am talking about is an undeniable, unmistakable, genuine move of the Holy Spirit that affects not only our emotions but also has an overwhelming effect on the way we talk, behave and live. A work of God that changes attitudes as well as actions. A work of God that changes people, changes churches, changes communities, cities, states, and nations. God help us to lay hold on such a move of God!

For such a long time, the Church has been void of that intense, sustained, convicting presence of God. We must admit that we have walked away from God’s perfect will for us and His Church. We have become satisfied with a trickle of spiritual water when He wants us to experience a spiritual river. He wants to lead us out into the deep! He wants to bless His Church by His presence and He wants to flow out through His children by the Holy Spirit to bring His refreshing to a dry and thirsty land.

I would suggest to you that our world is in the midst of a spiritual drought. The Holy Spirit is calling the Church to bring life-giving water to the thirsty and dying souls in this world. We can only do that as we seek for and participate in God’s intervention for the salvation of lost souls. Jude said, “...pulling them from the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”

In our beginning text, after solidifying His relationship with His people, God challenged them to trust and believe in Him. He said in verse 13, “If I shut up heaven that there be no rain...” and in verse 14, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Are we willing to do our part so God can do His part?

Jesus Take Control! by Myra Boozer

There comes a time in all of our lives when the things we thought would happen just didn't happen for whatever reason. But, God wants us to be still and know that He sees every tear and every challenge we have faced. He is telling us to "Be still, and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10.

Being still is so very hard for a child, and sometimes as an adult, we get very anxious acting like a little child, wanting what we want, thinking we have everything figured out. We may think we have grown to maturity and think we have the bull by the horns. We have not! We must stand and look into the face of our great and mighty Maker and say woe is me for I am still childish.

“Take control of my life Lord and bring me to the place you want me to be, even though I may be kicking and rebelling all the time against you and your plan for my life. Yes, Lord please pick me up and correct me as I know you are a good Father and what you do will be for my own good. Times are changing fast and I lose my way. I must have your supervision in order to make my way to the place you have prepared for me and my family. Change me Lord into your image and into the Christian adult you want me to be. In your Holy Righteous Name I do humbly ask." Jesus, Take Control!

I Am A Friend Of God!

James 2:23, “...Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.”

Abraham put his faith and trust in the Lord God Jehovah. He trusted God enough to do as God directed in his life. The implication is that after Abraham considered all the facts regarding his relationship with God, he could follow God without any reservation or doubt. As he walked in obedience with God, his life was a testimony to the faithfulness of God. Therefore, “...he was called the Friend of God.” What did that mean for Abraham? It meant that God considered their relationship so intimate and important that He (God) was compelled by that relationship to reveal to His friend those events that might affect his life and God’s calling upon that life.

Gen. 18:17, “...And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; 18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”

God’s expectation of Abraham was that he would obey the voice of God. Abraham would be the vessel through which the nation of Israel would become a great and mighty nation. All nations of the earth would be blessed through him. God knew that Abraham would require his house and lineage to “keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment;” Therefore, Abraham needed to receive the information that would prepare him to make the correct choices and respond appropriately. So in verse 20, God warned him of His plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their sin and wickedness. Abraham petitioned God for any righteous souls that might live there. Consequently, Lot and his family were warned. They left and were saved except for Lot’s wife who disobeyed and looked back at the destruction of the city and was turned into a pillar of salt.

How is any of this relevant to our lives today? As professed followers of Jesus Christ, we must have an intimate personal relationship with God. That it is said of us, we are a friend of God. That He is compelled by that relationship to reveal to us, His friends, those things that might affect our lives and His calling upon us.

Know God and then you will know His will. When we come to really know Him intimately, His nature becomes our nurture. He then is the driving force within us affecting every decision and move we make. Our lives have been so affected by our encounter with Him that we have been forever changed in our desires to BE like Him.

“...I am come that ye might have life and have it more abundantly...” John 10:10. We truly begin to live life to its fullest in Jesus Christ! I AM A FRIEND OF GOD! HE CALLS ME FRIEND!!!

Time To Choose Sides! by Myra Boozer

Concerning the trial of Jesus Christ and his crucifixion found in Matthew 27, the governor asked the crowd which of the two should go free? The innocent Jesus or the guilty Barabbas? They, of course, chose the guilty one to go free and to crucify Jesus, the one innocent of the charges.

When we listen to the news concerning the evil actions and deeds of many people, we need to consider who we are siding with, the guilty or the righteous. I choose to side with God's Holy Word, the standard given for all people everywhere. This is truly about Light and Darkness.

The world is getting more and more evil and corrupt in its actions. The Word tells us to be a separate people, not just on Sunday or when we go to church, but in EVERY aspect of our living. Come out from among them! Don't be connected to or joined with them in their evil deeds. Romans 1:32, "Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, But have pleasure in them that do them." Or could we say, consent, rally, cheer and promote evil?

Romans 1:25, "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. amen...28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind...''

How else could any people believe it is okay to take the life of innocent babies, to change their sex, and to not identify their baby as opposite their birth gender? Those who rally, cheer or protest for those who do so are also guilty of choosing to side with the guilty.

God help this world! It is time to be concerned because the JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST is getting closer. All will soon give an account for the choices made when we stand before the Lord on Judgement Day. Are you siding with the guilty or the innocent, the evil or the righteous? Time To Choose Sides!