From George and Sharmaine – January 2009 Congregational Newsletter

January has certainly arrived quietly and very slowly in our midst. A lazy summer feeling of holiday and family. A time of love and laughter and presents and fellowship.

This euphoric feeling seems to permeate everything and a laziness settles on us as we pleasantly seem to drift through the holidays.

Until God asked us: “What will you give me?” “Will you re-consider all the broken covenants and all the inertia which has plagued your life and will you allow Me to be the gushing river of Living Water in your life. Will you allow Me to revitalize you and will you crave to be a new wine skin filled with new wine?”

As many of you know we have been planting vegetables and man has this been a learning experience!!
In the Bible, spiritual growth is often likened to the growth of a plant or a tree. Thus, Jesus says in Mt 13:23, But the seed falling on good soil refers to people who hear the word and understand it. They produce a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty and thirty times what was sown.

We have found that weeds have been such a learning experience.
There are so many kinds of weeds, and do you know so many of them look almost like the real thing. Just like spiritually, you need to know the truth to identify the counterfeit.

We are kicking off the year with teachings on faith.
A great foundation to build on. With faith we stand and declare without faith we flounder and despair.
We have been really concerned at the “mixture” we have found in the area. The Word is specific…….the Truth will set you free! Folk run here and there looking for answers to every “guru” they can find however the answers are in the Bible. It is important to know how to study the Bible and how to dig for truth.

•Reading - Make a plan to read the Bible every day this next year. An easy way to do this is to buy a “one-year Bible” which is designed with a program to read through the Bible in twelve months. Many people find that their lives change simply by daily encounters with God through reading the Bible.

•Study - Bible study involves your digging into the Bible and then cross referencing the scriptures and buying further books to study the subject.

•Memorization – Memorizing scripture enables you to do spiritual battle much more effectively by speaking out the Word when tormented by the enemy. For example, if you struggle with selfishness, you could memorize James 2:14-17, What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if people claim to have faith but have no deeds? Can such faith save them?

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Or you could memorize 1 John 3:17-18, If any one of you has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in you? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. Jesus battled the devil speaking out scripture that he had memorized (Matthew 4.1-11).

Consider memorizing key verses of scripture this next year!
Remember we are here for you and love you. Please communicate YOUR PRAYER REQUESTS to us through our web page and our team of intercessors are standing by to pray with us for you!

Let us not grow weary in doing good,
In His Service.

George and Sharmaine