Fee Fee Baptist Church

Tag: Featured Article

  • Featured Article – Vol. 62, No. 7

    “And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place,” (Hebrews 10: 19-20 NLT).

    Our generation lacks a sense of wonder and reverence toward God.  We want to bring God down to our level. He is God! As His children, we have direct access to Him. We ought never to forget that this access was purchased with the precious blood of His only Son. No one who truly understands this ever enters God’s presence without a sense of holy awe. No one who comprehends the incredible price paid at Calvary ever takes his relationship with God for granted.

    We will never truly understand God. To begin to understand the way He relates to us, we first comprehend a true sense of His holiness and His demand for holiness among His people. If we are in God’s presence, we are on holy ground! We must never act as if it were God’s purpose to make us successful. It would be preposterous for us to become impatient when God does not answer our prayers when and how we think He should! He is God, we are not!1

    Soon we will celebrate Easter and the resurrection of our Lord. As this day approaches, meditate on the price Jesus paid to give you access to the Father. As you prepare to celebrate “He is Risen!”, revisit the cross and witness your Savior suffering for you. How priceless God’s gift of salvation is!

    If you are interested in joining the Prayer Warriors ministry, contact Larry Condra for details: (314) 604-5221.

     

    1Adapted from Experiencing God Day-By-Day by Henry Blackaby

  • Featured Article – Vol. 61, No. 5

    By Larry Condra, Prayer Warrior

    “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Once again I will yield to the plea of the house of Israel and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep,” (Ezekiel 36:37).

    Prayer is the forerunner of mercy. Look at sacred history, and you will find that scarcely ever did a great mercy come to this world unheralded by supplication. You have found this true in your own personal experience. God has given you many an unsolicited favor, but still great prayer has always been the prelude of great mercy with you. When you first found peace through the blood of the cross, you had been praying much, and earnestly interceding with God that he would remove your doubts and deliver you from your distress. Your assurance was the result of prayer. When at any time you have had high and joyful experiences, you have been obliged to look upon them as answers to your prayers. When you have had great deliverances out of sore troubles, and mighty helps in great dangers, you have been able to say, “I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears,” (Psalm 54:7).

    Prayer is always the preface to blessing. It goes before the blessing as the blessing’s shadow. We may be certain that if we are much in prayer, our pleadings are the shadows of mercy. Prayer is thus connected with the blessing to show us the value of it. If we had the blessings without asking for them, we should think them common things; but prayer makes our mercies more precious than diamonds. The things we ask for are precious, but we do not realize their preciousness until we have sought for them earnestly.

    “Prayer makes the darken’d cloud withdraw;

    Prayer climbs the ladder Jacob saw;

    Gives exercise to faith and love;

    Brings every blessing from above.”1

    1Devotional by C.H. Spurgeon

    Ezekiel prophesied for a whole nation that one day God would restore His people from captivity and make them “as numerous as sheep.” As this devotional describes, our earnest prayer, “Brings every blessing from above.” Whether it be for our nation, our church, our families, or ourselves, He hears our prayers.

    For Fee Fee Baptist Church in particular, I suggest we consider these “pleas” as we pray. Pray for our Pastor and staff as they lead us. Pray too, for our deliberate direct ministries to the community, including the Mobile Market, backpack ministry, Meals on Wheels, Red Cross blood drive, International Food Pantry, and Loaves and Fishes. Remember as well, the individual and random acts of kindness we each do every day for those around us. Pray that these actions will not only meet the physical needs of those touched but relay a definite message that our actions are a direct result of God’s presence and His love for them.

    “Be thou ever near unto us and keep us near unto thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

  • Featured Article – Vol. 60, No. 16

    by Nina Palumbo, Clinical Social Worker certified in Spiritual Christian Counseling

    God is Our Hope

    Four months ago, social distancing, wearing face masks, and Zoom meetings were not part of our everyday lives. An invisible virus has increased our anxiety and fear that we may become sick or lose a loved one. Worry creeps in as our time of isolation and physical separateness extends far longer than we wish for or desire. Our mostly predictable lives with established routines have been completely upended. We are dealing with a new set of rules, limitations, and change. We crave security and want to feel safe and to feel that we have a sense of control over our lives. How much uncertainty we can tolerate varies from person to person. Some people seem to enjoy taking risks and living unpredictable lives while others find the randomness of life deeply distressing. But all of us have a limit. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the emotional toll of the pandemic right now, you are not alone. Many of us are in the same boat.

    In Mark 4:35-41, we read about the disciples becoming fearful of the storm while Jesus slept peacefully in the boat. They awake Him and with the spoken word Jesus calms the storm and His disciples’ fear. When we are afraid, worried, or panicked, and feel are choices are restricted or limited, there are three important choices we can make.

    We Can Choose Faith Over Fear

    Although it may feel like everything is changing at a rapid pace, know that God is not. He is the same faithful God as before the pandemic and will continue to be once it passes. Our faith can be steady because our God is faithfully unchanging. This truth alone can strengthen us to not give into fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Fear can rob us of these three gifts that we need during times of uncertainty. Power enables us to live a life of faith when it is not easy. Love enables us to share and sacrifice when it is not convenient. A sound mind allows us to experience peace even when things seem to be going wrong.

    Choose Wisdom Over Worry

    Be careful to not become paralyzed by worry. Use wisdom to listen to sound advice and to ensure that the source of information you are watching and reading are credible. If there is an action you can take to protect yourself or others, then please do so.

    Choose Prayer Over Panic

    Jesus called His church a house of prayer (Matthew 21:13) and now is our time. It’s time to pray for God’s intervention to stop the spread of the disease. It is time to ask for healing. It is time to ask for peace and comfort for those who are grieving. It is time for us to ask for direction and discernment for our leaders. Prayer is powerful and effective. If we spend our time panicking instead of praying, we forfeit our greatest strength.

    This would be a great time to begin reading the Bible every day, conforming your thoughts to God’s will (Romans, 12:2). This would be a great time to pray every day for 5-20 minutes, “casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you,” (1 Peter 5:7). This would be a great time to choose to forgive someone in your life, so that you might experience a better relationship with God (Mark 11:25). God is our hope for the end of this pandemic. God is our hope for our spiritual, emotional, financial, and physical needs during this time. Do not despair. During isolation from friends and family, we can still experience joy when we turn to God. “For you make him most blessed forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence,” Psalm 21:6.