Pastor Perry's Blog

Encounting God

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:07:28 CST

Encounting God…Isn’t it what we want? Though we just finished our 3-part series on this topic of Encountering God in our Wednesday 636 service, I really don’t think that we can ever put a period to it! As long as we live, Encountering God will always be our utmost goal, and at times, struggles.

How can we encounter God? How can we have an intimate relationship with God? How can we walk so closely with God…like Noah, Enoch, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Paul, Gladys Aylward, Amy Carmichael, David Livingston, George Muller, Jonathan Edwards, and many other men and women of God?

Is this your cry too? Are you, too, tired of living in the shallow water? Sick of meaningless talks and skating relationships? Yes, there is much more into life…and there is much more that God wants us to know…

Ps 25:14 The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him,
And He will show them His covenant.

God has secrets that He wants us to know…these are deep messages that He wants to share with us…intimately…but we are often time, too busy! We have no time for God – the one we claim to be the most important…

If we really want to encounting God, we must reorder our life, we must put first thing first! Let’s try this:

1. Quit. Quit saying “Yes” to everyone’s request, including yourselve’s
2. Plan. Intentionally plan time in your schedule for God, leisure and rest
3. Stop. Stop cluttering your schedule with things that you can’t even finish in a 32-hour day

Let’s shout this out loud - “I will NOT let anything get in between my relationship with God, NOTHING!”

Trusting the Wrong People!!!

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 10:38:40 CST

Who do you trust today? Who do you go to for counsel when you have major decisions in life? Your neighbor? Your peers, your classmates, parents? Uncle? Aunt? Pastor? School leaders? People that you think are wise? That have a lot of experience?

Isaiah 7:20 In the same day the Lord shall shave with a razor that is hired, namely, by those Beyond the River, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet; and it shall also sweep away the beard. (ESV)

The New Living translation Life application Bible gives a better insight for v20 of Isaiah 7:20
In that day the Lord will take this “razor” – these Assyrians you have hired to protect you – and use it to shave off everything; your land, your crops, and your people…

There are times in my life that I have trusted the wrong person. Last night, I trusted the wrong person at Wal-mart. He told me that a fuse will work for my inverter, so I plugged it into my car, and it burned my car’s fuse (which will cost me more money and time, because I can only get that fuse from the car dealership). Well, that’s an easy one. If I go to a restaurant, and order the wrong kind of food…I can either buy another meal or fast for a meal. But,…how about investment, buying a laptop, cell phone,…how about career path, ministry direction, college major, … life partner…life in eternity….

We must be very careful in whom we go to, get counsel from and who we hang out with! Before too long, you will act like them, think like them, and go to the same destiny like them…and worst yet, they might eat you up…like the Assyrian…

2Kings 16:7 And Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me.
2Kings 16:8 And Ahaz took the silver and gold which was found in the house of Jehovah and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent a present to the king of Assyria.

The next you know, Ahaz began to worship the god that the Assyrian king worshiped…at the end, the Assyrian king took the whole country over in 722 B.C.! What a friend?!

Don’t be like a yoyo…stand firm on what God has spoken to you. Align yourself with godly people, not those who are strong in the outside but wicked on the inside, agreeing with you in whatever you say or do. Take the godly route instead of the easy route, it might not be the shortest, but it will surely yield fruit.

God wants to protect us from making bad choices, but he still gives us the freedom to make them.

Life's Ups & Downs

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 22:06:27 CST

Life is filled with ups and downs. I just got done reading about a friend who had recently been diagnosed with cancer. Then last night, I talked to a GOOD friend of mine who had lost his job a few months ago after being there for 10 years. To make it worse then his girlfriend left him for another man. Heartache, separation, pain, illness, broken realationships, financial difficulties, emptiness…all of these can become very heavy at times. I have to admit that this morning, I got up with a bit of heaviness in my heart. What can we do in times like this?

Thank God for Judah, thank God for praise…the very word Judah in Hebrew literally means “PRAISE”. God has intended Judah for us all, it is through the tribe of Judah that our saviour, Jesus, was born (Heb 7:13-14). Today, it is because of Jesus that we can praise God everyday! Praise God that we have eternal hope, that we can spend eternity with Him in Heaven. Praise God that we have a God who loves us soooooooooo much, who choses to look not on our sins, but on the blood of Jesus that wahes away our sins!!! Praise God that we are not alone, we are NEVER alone, the Almighty God has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us…WOW…God is WITH me.

Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! ~ Psa 106:1

Thank you Lord and I will praise you today!!!

All Night Prayer Meeting

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 12:45:33 CDT

It was a great All Night Prayer Meeting last Friday night Oct 10, 2008.

It has been my experience that non-believers will rarely come to a prayer meeting let alone come and accept Jesus there...! "...with God, all things are possible..." and with God we had several new believer give their life to God! Praise Him!

I really thank God for all of our Fishhouse Partners, those who give sacrificially...taking the young adults from college to shopping week after week...praying for them...cooking for them...loving them...just like how Jesus is loving us...and taking care of us!

1Co 3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth...

Fishhouse Partners, you have planted, and watered...and now, the time has come, God gave them growth...how beautiful...

I can almost hear the clapping, cheering, rejoicing...in heaven, when these two students gave their lives to Jesus during the prayer meeting. I can still see the tears coming down from their eyes; the prayers, the fervent prayers when they were dumping out everything that was in their hearts to God. God has given growth and my prayer is that they will continue to grow...

Fishhouse Partners, you ROCK!!!!

What is our priority today?

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:10:57 CDT

A Lighthouse keeper who worked on a rocky stretch of coastline received his new supply of oil once a month to keep the light burning. Not being far from shore, he had frequent guests. One night a woman from the village begged some oil to keep her family warm. Another time a father asked for some to use in his lamp. Another needed some to lubricate a wheel. Since all the requests seemed legitimate, the light house keeper tried to please everyone and grant the requests of all. Toward the end of the month he noticed the supply of oil was very low. Soon it was gone, and the beacon went out. That night several ships were wrecked and lives were lost. When the authorities investigated, the man was very repentant. To his excuses and pleading, their reply was, "You were given oil for one purpose - to keep that light burning!"

The good is the enemy of the BEST!!!

Luke 10:40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" 41"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

What is our priority today? Are we doing a bunch of good things but not the best thing? Setting the right priority is a tough decision...it requires a LOT of prayers, and focused attention... we all certainly need help in this area...

Perry F