February 29, 2012 ~ As You Wait!

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

"Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord's return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen."

James 5:7

TODAY'S WORD:

God has put dreams and desires in every person's heart. But most times, there's a season of waiting involved. Maybe you're waiting for a relationship to improve; waiting to get married; waiting for a promotion; or waiting to overcome an illness. Much of life is spent waiting. But there's a right way to wait and there's a wrong way to wait. Too often, when things don't happen on our timetable, we get down and discouraged or anxious and fretful. That's because we're not waiting the right way.

Notice that today's verse doesn't say if you wait, it says as you wait. The fact is we're all going to wait. It goes on to say that we should consider how the farmer waits — patiently and eagerly. We're not supposed to sit around discouraged; we're supposed to be hopeful, positive and full of expectancy!

Selah people' and friends today, no matter what you are praying for, expect things to change in your favor. Today could be the day that God turns it all around. As you wait with patience and expectancy, you'll open the door for God to move. He'll fight your battles, and you'll see that abundant harvest He's promised in every area of your life.

OUR PRAYER FOR TODAY:

"Father God, today I choose to wait expectantly for You. I trust that You are working behind the scenes on my behalf. I put my trust and hope in You knowing that You have good things in store for my future. In Jesus' Name, Amen."

 Your brother in Christ,

Patrick

Rev Patrick Muston, Senior Pastor

Selah Christian Church

Four Oaks, NC

http://selahchurch.com

February 28, 2012 ~ See His Goodness!

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living"

Psalm 27:13

TODAY'S WORD:

David was going through a tough time when he made the declaration in today's verse. Things weren't going his way. But he said in effect, "I'm not worried. I'm not upset. I am confident I will see God's goodness." In other words, "This situation I'm in may be rough, but that's not going to steal my vision. That's not going to cause me to give up on my dreams. I am confident that this year, I will see God's favor in a new way."

Selah people' and friends that's what our attitude needs to be today because what you focus on is what you will see. No matter what the medical report says, no matter what your finances look like, no matter how bad that relationship may seem, be confident that you will see His goodness! He is the all-powerful, omniscient, Creator of the universe, and He holds you in the palm of His hand. Nothing is too difficult for Him. Take hold of this truth by faith and focus on His goodness today. Allow His peace to settle in your heart and mind as you move forward in His blessing all the days of your life!

OUR PRAYER FOR TODAY:

"Father in heaven, thank You for Your goodness in my life. I choose to focus on You today no matter what my circumstances may look like. Give me Your peace as I keep my mind stayed on You. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

Your brother in Christ,

Patrick

Rev Patrick Muston, Senior Pastor

Selah Christian Church

Four Oaks, NC

http://selahchurch.com

February 27, 2012 ~ Abundant Life Today?

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

"...I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

John 10:10

TODAY'S WORD:

Selah people' and friends I ask you today "are you living the abundant life Jesus came to give?" I'm not talking about living in the fanciest house or driving the newest car as we discussed in worship yesterday. No, His promise of abundant life goes way beyond material things that this world offers. Abundant life means "life to the full." That means no matter what is going on around you, you can partake of the full blessings of God. You can have peace in the midst of a storm or your darkest day. You can have joy when things are uncertain. You can have hope when circumstances seem hopeless. Which, many of us have felt heavy upon us recently. I have had 6 funerals of people connected to me in some way in the last two weeks.

Yesterday, in our new young adult Sunday school class at Selah we discussed the HOPE we have in Christ always today, tomorrow and in the future. My friends as believers, a lot of times however it's easy to look at that verse and think, "God is going to give me abundant life someday." But the truth is that God wants you and I to have abundant life TODAY! Did you here me? He wants you and I to have abundant life TODAY!

My brothers and sisters in the faith don't waste another second living in mediocrity or settling for less than God's best. Receive His blessings by faith today. Receive His hope, joy, strength and favor. Declare this very moment that you are living the abundant life today and every day!

OUR PRAYER FOR TODAY:

"Father, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus so that I can have eternal life. I know that You want the best for me. Help me to keep my heart and mind focused on You so that I can walk in Your ways all the days of my life in Jesus' name. Amen."

Your brother in Christ,

Patrick

Rev Patrick Muston, Senior Pastor

Selah Christian Church

Four Oaks, NC

http://selahchurch.com

February 25, 2012 ~ Get Filled Up!

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled"

Matthew 5:6

TODAY'S WORD:

Sometimes, it's easy to get wrapped up in taking care of the people around us. You may find that you're always giving, taking care of the children, working overtime at the office, or helping that friend who is struggling. And that's all good. But if you're not careful, you can end up feeling rundown. That's why you have to take time every day to get filled back up. Your first priority should be taking care of yourself and making time to get into the presence of Jesus.

Throughout scripture, we see that in God's presence there is fullness of joy, fullness of peace, and fullness of victory. In His presence, you're refreshed and restored. That's why it's so important to take time every day to read your Bible, or get the scripture through one of your sources of technology and meditate on His promises. We have to be diligent to have that quiet time with Him. As the word reminds us we need to go into our prayer closets.

Selah people' and friends today, take time to get alone with God and just say, "God, I love You today. Thank You for my life, for my family, for the opportunities You've given me. Lord, I know every good thing comes from You." When you live like that, with your heart connected to His, you'll be refreshed, restored, reenergized and filled up for the journey of life!

OUR PRAYER FOR TODAY:

"Father, I love You so much today. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus so that I can have a personal relationship with You. Draw me to You. Keep me close to You always in Jesus' name. Amen."

Your brother in Christ,

Patrick

Rev Patrick Muston, Senior Pastor

Selah Christian Church

Four Oaks, NC

http://selahchurch.com

February 23, 2012 ~ Ask What You Desire...

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you
desire, and it shall be done for you."

John 15:7

TODAY'S WORD:

It pleases God to give you the desires of your heart! He wants to see
you happy, whole, strong and enjoying His blessing. When you make the
Word of God your number one priority, when you stay connected to Him
through prayer and worship, God promises that He will give you the
desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4 tells us again that if we delight ourselves in Him, He will
give us the desires of our hearts. One of the root definitions of the
word "delight" means "soft." This gives the picture of us being soft
and moldable, like clay, in the Potter's hands. As we allow Him to
shape and mold our character, as we yield ourselves to Him, our
thoughts become His thoughts, our words become His Words, and our
desires become His desires! That's how we can ask whatever we will
because our will is in alignment with Him!

Selah people' and friends today, don't allow the distractions of
everyday life keep you from spending time with Him. Abide in Him and
let His Words abide in you because He will give you the desires of
your heart!

OUR PRAYER FOR TODAY:

"Heavenly Father, today I submit every area of life to You. I invite
You to have Your way in my heart. Mold me and make me as I surrender
every area of my life to You. I praise You and give You all the glory.
In Jesus' Name. Amen."

Your brother in Christ,
Patrick

Rev Patrick Muston, Senior Pastor
Selah Christian Church
Four Oaks, NC
http://selahchurch.com

Lenten Readings for 2012...Join me.

The Common English Bible - Lenten Readings

If viewing on smartphone, iPod or iPad you can slide the photo to the next slide for daily readings.

View more presentations from Common English Bible

February 22, 2012 ~ You Have What it Takes!

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

"For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, He will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you"

2 Corinthians 9:10

TODAY'S WORD:

When Jesus sent His disciples out to heal the sick, meet their needs, and share the Gospel, He told them, "Give as freely as you have received" (Matthew 10:8). In other words, God has given you everything you need to do what He's called you to do in this life. He has equipped you to be successful and has empowered you to overcome in this life. He's given you seed to sow in order to have an abundant harvest in your future. You have what it takes!

Selah people' and friends God has placed seed in your hand today, but in order for that seed to produce, it has to be planted. It has to be watered. It has to be fertilized. Today, join me and ask God to show you where to plant your seed. Make sure you are sowing in the right ground and tending to the seed He has given you. Remember, God has a good plan for your future. He has plans to bless you and increase you. Jennifer and I spoke of some new ministry opportunities we have at Selah to expand upon and we too are going to listen to God, plant the seed in fertile ground, tend to it and allow it to take root and grow.

Please know today, that you have what it takes to move forward and receive the blessing He has prepared for you!

OUR PRAYER FOR TODAY:

"Father in heaven, thank You for equipping me for every good work. Thank You for giving me good seed to sow! I invite You to guide my every step by Your precious Holy Spirit. Thank You for choosing me to be a part of Your plan. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

Your brother in Christ,

Patrick

Rev Patrick Muston, Senior Pastor

Selah Christian Church

Four Oaks, NC

http://selahchurch.com

February 20, 2012 ~ Set the Tone!!!

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE

"I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak His praises"

Psalm 34:1

TODAY'S WORD:

Friends let me ask you…when you wake up in the morning, do you expect the goodness of God in your life? Do you set the tone for success, favor, and blessing? We're almost through with the second month of the new year 2012 and we're not only beginning a new year, but we're beginning a new opportunity for life. This last week or month or year may have had some hardships, some difficulties but it's time to set the tone for a new season.

Selah people' and friends the Scripture tells us that the darker it gets in the world the brighter it's going to be for God's people. Things may be bad all around you, people may be negative, complaining, and discouraged but don't let that spirit rub off on you. The worse it gets, the brighter you're going to shine. Be determined to set the tone for the new day, new week New Year and new life by praising God and speaking words of faith over your future. As you do, you'll enlarge your vision and make room for God to do amazing things in every area of your life! I'm praying a special prayer just for you today, that God's anointing carries you further than you ever thought possible.

OUR PRAYER FOR TODAY:

"Father in Heaven, I choose to bless you at all times. I choose to set the tone to receive your favor, grace and mercy. Thank you for your faithfulness to me at all times! In Jesus' Name. Amen!"

Your brother in Christ,

Patrick

Rev Patrick Muston, Senior Pastor

Selah Christian Church

Four Oaks, NC

http://selahchurch.com

February 19, 2012 ~ Line up Your Heart...

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

"...The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart"

1 Samuel 16:7

TODAY'S WORD:

When the Lord looks at your heart, what does He see? Everyone has an outer life and an inner life. The outer life is our public life that everyone can see. The inner life is made up of your thoughts, your attitudes and your motives. Only you and God know what's going on inside. I shared with our congregation at Selah that like diamonds we too can only reflect the light of God. Without God we have no light and it is not something you can fake and think you are going to fool our God.

Too many people go around today pretending, acting one way, yet on the inside they're thinking something totally different. Their heart and their actions don't line up. But we have to understand that God looks at the inside. We can fool a lot of people, but we can't fool God. God would rather us be open and honest than to go through life pretending or trying to be something that we aren't.

Selah people' and friends today, take inventory of what's going on inside of you. Are you at peace? Are you overlooking offenses? Do you believe the best in people? Do your heart and actions line up? If not, submit your ways to the Lord and ask Him to give you an undivided heart so that you can be pleasing to Him all the days of your life!

OUR PRAYER FOR TODAY:

"Dear Father, I humbly come before You today and ask that You search the deep places of my heart. Show me if there is any area where I need to line up my heart and actions. Help me to be authentic in You today. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

Your brother in Christ,

Patrick

Rev Patrick Muston, Senior Pastor

Selah Christian Church

Four Oaks, NC

http://selahchurch.com

February 18, 2012 ~ Overcoming all obstacles!

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:

Here's what the apostle Paul writes in Romans:

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect"

Romans 12:2

TODAY'S WORD:

I read this and I just love this phrase: "...let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." That's amazing and encouraging.

There is no setback you can face in life that God doesn't already have a comeback plan for...

We've all made mistakes.

We've said the wrong thing at the wrong time, or perhaps we did something that is just too difficult or painful to talk about. Maybe we just came up short or failed at something we thought was really important.

I'm confident you can relate to this. We've all had setbacks in our yesterdays. But your past doesn't define your future.

Some people overcome their mistakes, leave them in the past and move on to the great things God has for them. But I've found that, unfortunately, some people don't.

They get trapped in their mistake. They can't get past it. The burden of what they've done wrong (or what's been done wrong to them) often becomes so powerful that it dominates their past, their present and their future.

Selah people' and friends I'm reaching out to you today in hopes of you hearing...God doesn't want you to live this way. He created you to be an overcomer. If you will look for His comeback plan, there's no mistake or setback that can keep you down.

My friend God wants to lift you up!

If you'll let this new attitude form your thinking, God will lift you up out of your current circumstances and bring you into the amazing purposes and plans He's prepared just for you.

I am challenging you to make this your mindset.

Remember, it's time to change your thinking and invite God to transform your life. God's purposes and plans are so much greater than any mistake or setback from your past.

OUR PRAYER FOR TODAY:

"Heavenly Father, I choose to let go of all failure and anything from my past that stands between me and all that You have planned for my present and future. Guide me in letting and letting God in all that I say and do as I continue to Grow in Jesus Christ. I love You and bless in Jesus' name. Amen."

 

Your brother in Christ,

Patrick

 

Rev Patrick Muston, Senior Pastor

Selah Christian Church

Four Oaks, NC

http://selahchurch.com