Berean Journeymen

Hi everyone! I just wanted to say howdy to everyone. I hope you are having a wonderful week. I pray that you will be blessed by being submissive to our Lord and Savior. It is easier said then done, I know. But the reward for service is so amazing!

I just want to share with you all my joy in Christ and let you know that He is such an awesome God. I love my Lord and I love to serve Him. Nothing else matters but being a faithful servant to Him. I find it so much easier to flee from the flesh when I am obedient to Christ. It has been a process over time and I praise God for it!

Jackie is off today and tomorrow so we are doing some family things. I am so blessed to have her as my wife. I love her so much and God is working miracles in our marriage. Not only in our marriage but in both our lives. Scripture is so true, I find Jackie seeking Christ more and more every day and He is using me as a tool in that.

Saturday, we went to her 15th class reunion and it was our "date night". We had a wonderful time and I got to be with her and hold her and it was just amazing. We came home and made love and for the first time in several years it was like we were newly weds again :) God is so amazing and we are so "I want it my way and now". There is a reason Scripture says, "Be still and wait on the Lord".

Father, I thank you for blessing my family that you so lovingly entrusted to me. Thank you for your healing power in our marriage and in my own life as well. Lord, you have taught me so many things over the past several years and more recently months. I have found true joy in both good times and bad. You are my Lord and my God, my Savior and King, my Father and Friend. I love you with all my heart. I pray this testimony is fragrant and pleasing to You and may You be glorified, honored and praised in all my life.

Amen

We are encouraged to build memorials of how God has worked in our lifes. These memorials in the old testament would be a memorial of stones, but in todays era we have many ways of making memorials. One way is to journal in a notebook, and look back over the years at your notebook and see where God has delivered you from. Another neat way, which we can all use and get benefit is through this blog page. If you feel God has been working in your life, or you've seen God do some amazing things, share them here, as a testimony to God for others to see, and a memorial for yourself to look back on in the future.

I want to share with you all how God has really been at work in my marriage and family. I have an amazing wife and children, but until recently I did not realize how broken and less than perfect my marriage and family were. For years, my wife has told me that I did not listen to her, and she at times felt I did not love her. I had no clue where any of this was coming from as I love my wife very much. My children felt I was difficult to talk to and I didn't listen to their side very often.

Over the last several months, God has really spoken to me about my pride, my critical spirit, and about my selfish and self-centered attitude. I did not realize how much my pride prevented me from having a close relationship with my family. I did not realize how much my pride was preventing me from having a close relationship with God. Through many great sermons on marriage, and reading passages and messages on being a leader like Christ, I have begun to realize that my form of leadership was nowhere close to the example Christ put before me. I began to feel the Holy Spirit convict me day after day of my wrong doings and my prideful heart. Amazingly God has been gentle in his proding. I realized that, when I became aware how ungentle I am in my proding of others. I often found myself reading passages and thinking this is what my wife needs to hear, or this is what my children need to hear, but all along God was saying to me, this is what YOU need to hear.

I cannot say on a given day that everything turned rightside up, but as I look back to where I was, and where I am now with my wife and children I see an amazing transformation. I am humbled to have a wife and children who have tolerated my behavior for so long, and still love me. I am so encouraged because my wife and I have begun relearning the art of conversation. Something I wasn't sure we ever would gain back. We have had conversations, that just amaze me and she says she is so happy that we are talking like we are. She has even shared with me that my children are seeing a big difference. I'm amazed that when we do have a disagreement, how quickly we both are to admit we are wrong, seek forgiveness and not hold grudges, whereas before we would often not talk for hours or even days. I can honestly say I never imagined marraige like this, and I thank God every night that he has given me such a wonderful wife and children. I thank God that he has opened my eyes and allowed me to see the precious Gift that I had in my life, that I was taking for granted. I view my marriage and family as one of the greatest blessing God could ever give me on this side.

I feel God has also blessed my relationship with him because of me working to humble myself, and truly hear what he has to say. God's word has begun to speak to me in new ways over the last couple of months, since I allowed my heart to be softened and have a teachable and humble spirit.

See You at the Altar,

Tim

Brothers,

I want to share with you and encourage you to prayerfully consider going to Promise Keepers this coming Sept.. I have experienced Promise Keepers the last 2 years, and I know of many other men who have been there several times and have experienced many blessing and benefits from it. Many of you men are seeking more from your relationship with God, and your role as a leader of your home. Promise Keepers is a great way to encourage and motivate you towards continuing your path in the right direction. I hope to see many of you there this year. If you are planning on going and travel/hotel/ or money concerns arise, post a comment or email one of us, and we will see if we can hook people up with carpools, and room sharing to alleviate some of the cost. Book early to save $15.00. See information below.

God Bless,

Tim



PROMISE KEEPERS
Calendar Advisory
MANHOOD: Let the Truth Be Told
Sept. 5-6
Cleveland, OH
$15 Off Discount Now Extended Through 8/18


We don't need an army, we need...
ONE GUY WITH STONES.
Just like when David faced Goliath, the world is hurling insults at God. Don't just stand there and take it.
GO GET SOME STONES.
Register Now for Promise Keepers 2008
MANHOOD: Let the Truth Be Told
Sept. 5-6
Cleveland, OH
Save $15 on all adult registrations (regularly $89.95) through Aug. 18th.
Register Online: www.promisekeepers.org/2008/cleveland-oh
Register by Phone: 1-866-PROMISE (8:00am-8:00pm, M-F, MT)
We hope to see you there!

Greetings ...
Many people have been praying for a day like this for a long time. A day when God's spirit would descend on us, envelop us, and empower us in a very real way. A departure from church as normal. I don't want to be just normal any more, I feel a new zeal to want to fullfill my calling as a peculiar people, a royal priesthood, one called out by God to share the good news and sound an alarm to warn people that Christ is coming SOON. I am ashamed to say that I have known and even experienced this wonderful visitation in the past, (my wife and I both were raised in a Pentecostal church background where visitations of the Holy Spirit are common place) but had not shared it with anyone at Berean until recently. I can no longer keep silent.

Yesterday, in first service I felt that God wanted very much to descend on us and cover us with the heaviness of His Holy Spirit in some fashion. I asked myself, "what would it look like if we really entered into worship, and God really showed up now?" Then, the sermon impressed on us that sometimes God purposely delays his visits for a greater purpose. Well, God did just that! WOW! Many of our prayers came to fruition in Sunday School class. We yielded our teaching time to God and let Him teach us through the gentle moving of His spirit. We allowed people to share questions and concerns as well as prayer needs. Everyone in the room could feel Him in a very strong, and convicting way. As we prayed for and annointed each person, It was humbling and yet empowering and encouraging.

It was driven home to me in a very tangible way, that we are all responsible for sharing the gospel with anyone we may meet. We are also admonished by God's word to share any blessings we receive from God that may encourage one another in our walk. Forgive me Lord, for not doing these things enough. Will you join me in yielding to the Holy Spirit and letting Him have His way? Time is so short and I now realize that we must focus on the needs around us rather than always on ourselves.

GOD HELP US! GOD WORK THROUGH US!

Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses ..."
Acts 2:17 " In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people ..."

In the Hebrew culture, the bride never knew when the bridegroom would come for her. The bridegroom himself didn't even know because until his father finally approved the new rooms he built for his bride and blessed him to go fetch his bride, he could not complete the marriage covenant. Thus it is for us, the Church of Jesus Christ.

The parable of the virgins in Mt 25:1-13 and passages in Luke 12:35-40 and Rev 15:16 speak to our being prepared, staying on watch, remaining awake and alert and keeping our garments, all of which speaks to our function as watchmen to the Body and to the world.

Well, if we are supposed to function as watchmen, what should we be doing? Scripture gives us a clear picture if we look at how the word is used: raised his eyes and looked, went up to the roof, called and told the king, saw men running, was standing on the tower, reported - so those are some things. A very sobering description comes from Ezekiel 33
[33:1] And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, [2] “Son of man, speak to the sons of your people and say to them, ‘If I bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman, [3] and he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows on the trumpet and warns the people, [4] then he who hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head. [5] ‘He heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have delivered his life. [6] ‘But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman's hand.’
[7] “Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and give them warning from Me. [8] “When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand. [9] “But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life.

We are to be on mission to preach the gospel and make disciples but often our focus is diverted to the most recent or most troubling problem we are encountering. That's what has been our focus much of the time during our prayers. Perhaps we are focusing on the lesser things instead of what we should be doing. Yep, I'm suggesting that we should be focusing on our mission instead of our problems and that is the "E" word - Evangelism. Wow! I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be saying this as I don't even consider myself an evangelist but the Holy Spirit was speaking pretty strongly this morning and, in obedience, I accepted the challenge to be a watchman and to sound the warning that Jesus' return is imminent and that anyone dead in their sins will suffer the terrible wrath of God. I am trusting God to equip me as I cover myself with prayer and ask for divine opportunities to share the Gospel.

I would ask each of you to hold me accountable to this challenge over the coming weeks. I look forward to seeing how God will act on me and on those He puts in my life.

I encourage each of you to put aside all of those great-sounding excuses and accept this same challenge.

Here's a couple of things to think about:
Convince one of the disease so he can appreciate the cure.
With the law, Jesus breaks the hard heart,
With the Gospel, Jesus heals the broken heart.
Look at Luke 10:25-37 and 18:18-30 to see how Jesus did this.
There are many resources to help including http://www.wayofthemaster.com and www.eeinternational.org
Talk with Pastor Craig.

Let's sound the alarm to the sleeping world!

In obedience to Our Master, Jesus

Tom

Good morning brothers, grace and peace to you all. What a wonderful day of morning prayer and reflection today. It is a very humbling experience to be with men that are willing to put down their guard and be real! It is amazing to share the experience and the presence of the Holy Spirit with other men and know that together we are being obedient to God's Word.


PRAISE:

• For Brother Tom - He stated that the Lord has blessed him with a wonderful wheat harvest. As agriculture faces daily challenges, it is a blessing to be able for him to provide wheat for food and product.
• For Brother Chris - His mother was able to go and see his children this week at his wife's house. Chris said things went well according to his mother and his wife. God is working in their lives!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• For Brother Ted - For guidance and wisdom in the ministry him and his wife are involved in at Madison Junior High School. Also for guidance and wisdom as they help start and support our church plant, Spirit and Truth.
• For Brother Geno - For spiritual strength and wisdom also for continued physical healing. Also continue to pray for his children that they will be obedient and seek God's will in their lives including his daughter that she will openly accept Christ into her life.
• For Brother Chris - For him and his wife as she is planning on coming home to Mansfield this weekend that they will be blessed by the Holy Spirit and that her heart will be opened to God's word and she may turn her heart back to Christ and to Chris.
• For Brother Derrick - For spiritual guidance and wisdom as well as peace in his heart about his walk in Christ and the pathway that God has opened to him.

Thank you all for coming this morning. Again it was a pleasure and true joy to be with you all. May your hearts be filled with joy and love from the Holy Spirit as we continue to walk obediently with Christ.

In closing, I leave you with a quote from Pastor Adrian Rogers:

"When the CHILD OF GOD loves the WORD OF GOD
and sees the SON OF GOD, he is changed by the SPIRIT OF GOD
for the GLORY OF GOD because he has found the TRUTH OF GOD."

What an awesome sermon today by Pastor Nate. I thought to myself how awesome our God is and the way that He uses our Pastors. Pastor Nate is truly blessed because there are not many pastors who can specialize in children and youth ministries; To teach and train-up children every day, then turn around, and teach the grown-ups… Awesome!

In my life, moreover the past two years, God has been making subtle changes in me and it’s been amazing. Even though they are subtle, when I look back at my life and see the whole picture… It is spectacular. Reflecting on Pastor Nate’s message today reminded me how at times we (okay actually I, it just makes me feel better to include other people J) take for granted or miss out on God truly speaking to us.

I was born in 1978 and I wasn’t saved until 2002. In that time span of my life… YIKES. God spoke to me a lot and I refused to listen. Not only did I refuse to listen but also I hated God. I blamed him for what I thought was missed chances. It was His fault for all my problems in life. I know now since being saved, it was only Him trying to reach out and speak to me.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 the Apostle Paul tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” In the eyes of God, I was a new creation, like a little baby, I needed to be trained up.

In my walk with the Lord, since 2002, just like a little baby, I have learned to walk and not stumble (1 Corinthians 3:1). It has been a growth process but I didn’t see it that way when I was first saved, I was expecting a “spectacular” moment. I thought things would be easy going and fun loving. I was a new creation spiritually but still a human raised in the flesh, “Abba” God, now had to “train me up”.

In my brief six years walking with Christ, I have fallen so many times (not to mention do some really stupid things) but I have always had Christ there to pick me back up and encourage me to grow more. I have conquered alcoholism, a raging and destructive temper, a piercing tongue (still growing there), adultery and sexual addiction (including pornography), and the list could go on and on.

My whole point is not gaining “kudos” from others; it is to show you that God, daily, changes me and guides me. To me, it is a subtle change but to look back and see the whole picture, it’s a spectacular change. More recently in my life (within the past 8- 12 months) I have become more blessed by Christ in my obedience by listening to Him speak to me.

We all experience God talking to us and yes, God does talk to each one of us. However, many times we are not listening. We are so busy complaining or whining to Him that we miss Him speaking to us. Were so busy shouting that He can’t get over our voices (well, actually He can let me testify some more :)

To understand were I am going with this you need to read Genesis 32:22-32. See, for the past three years, I have been wrestling with God. God has been leading me into a life of ministry counseling and I have been disobedient in listening to Him. I am a certified police officer, firefighter and paramedic. I love(d) the job and the glory (pride) and I was great at it (ego).

In my career as a full time firefighter, my back was put through a vast amount of stress. In 2003, I was injured in the police academy and displaced one of my lower lumbar vertebrae. In 2006, I again injured my back in the same spot and was off work for several months. I was told then that I would not be able to return to public safety work, but me being the stubborn one said I will prove them wrong!

In February of this year, I was involved in an incident on duty while working on the Medic and seriously injured my lower back again and medically not been allowed to return to work. I have been told I will not be permitted to return to public safety and let me tell ya, there is no stubbornness this time!

I have wrestled with God for several years now and the match has become more intense this past year until God said, “Okay, enough is enough. You don’t want to listen to Me?” Then He touched my back with His finger and now He has my full attention.

In the past three months, I have had to rely only on God and him alone. I have and continue to suffer physically but I refuse to suffer spiritually anymore. See, I took a stance and I listened to God three months ago and He hasn’t stopped speaking to me since.

God speaks to me daily in his Living Word. He speaks to me through pastors, professors, godly friends and circumstances. It wasn’t until I became submissive to Him as well as obedient to His ways and not mine (Isaiah 55:9) that things became clear as day. My life is so clear when I am obedient to His will in my life and that, is to serve Him.

God couldn’t have used a “spectacular moment” in my life because he knew I wouldn’t change. He had to use subtle things to make me and allow me to understand. I am by no means out of the woods yet and I have a long road to go but I praise God daily for allowing me to walk with Him and I thank him for the time of having to carry me.

I walk in life with Christ daily, see subtle things, and hear him say things to me and I wonder, why? I think, “That makes no sense”, then He let’s me see the “big picture” and it is just overwhelming and amazing what He is doing in my life!

I can see a daily, I will even go as far to say hourly, difference in my life when Christ isn’t the center focus. If I am not reading His Word daily, praying, taking every thought captive to His obedience and humbly submitting myself to Him… I see and feel Satan start to creep up on me. I start giving into those fleshly desires.

God is still working in my life (Hallelujah) and I stumble every once and a while but not like I did before. Every time it gets a little easier and less frequent between trips. I know now, when I can’t hear God talking to me, it’s time to re-evaluate things and do a moral inventory of myself because 99.9% of the time, it’s because I am not listening in obedience as a child of God.

To this day, I am still struggling with letting go of my title of police officer. It is a pride issue but God is working on me and I am starting to come to peace with it. You would think after a testimony like that, it would be easier but, the flesh…

In three months time, God has miraculously healed my marriage and divorce and separation are not an option as we continue to work through it. God has opened the door and made a way for me to finish college by June of next year. I will then have my BA in Biblical counseling and then start on my Masters degree in family or pastoral counseling.

I feel God is leading me into ministry counseling and chaplaincy. It is clear on the counseling but I still struggle with fear about being a chaplain. I have a fear of pride. I have stubborn pride and struggle letting go of being a police officer.

My point of this whole novel… Through subtle changes, God has healed me spiritually and taught me how to be obedient and content in life (easier said then done). As any child though, I still face struggles daily but this time I know (and hear) my Fathers voice!

I hope this brings insight and blessing somehow in your life. God has laid this on my heart and I humbly share this brief and abbreviated testimony with you. Somehow, this will be used to affirm someone’s thoughts and glorify God’s kingdom.

May all the praise, honor and glory be given to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.

Good afternoon brothers, in the words of the Apostle Paul, "Grace and peace to you all in the name of Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ." I pray that your day has been a blessing as you continue your walk with Jesus Christ.

• Journeymen are requested (if you are able) to attend morning prayer on Sunday mornings in room 215 of the church at 0830h. A group of men already meet at that time and we have been invited as well to pray for the activities, services and ministries that are going on throughout the day at the church. Come and join for Spirit filled prayer and fellowship.
  
  

PRAISE:

• Sunday Morning Men's Class - Their outreach ministries are planting seeds of salvation to those who are utilizing their services.
  
• Backyard Bible School - Numerous children are accepting Christ into their lives as their personal Lord and Savior.
  
• Brother Chris - Chris gave a humbling and refreshing testimony to the works of the Holy Spirit in his life. Through his submission to the Lord, he has been able to overcome several addictions of the flesh and his fire has been kindled.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• For Victoria - Was blessed by the Men's class as they helped her fix her home. She is unsaved and said she is going to come to church this Sunday. Pray that she will heart and mind will be open to the Word of God and that she will come to know Christ as her personal Lord and Savior.
  
• For Sister Lois - For protection from the evildoing's of others who might want to take advantage of her godly grace and goodness. Pray also that she will gain continued wisdom and discernment.
  
• For Lisa T. - Her husband "kicked" her out of their home this past week. Her husband has taken part in adultery and abusive patterns. It is unknown if either are truly saved. Please pray for physical and spiritual protection. Lisa did say she was going to attend church at Berean this Sunday. Pray for the anointment of the Holy Spirit that her (and her husbands)heart and mind will be open to the Word of God and that she (and he) will come to know Christ as her (his) personal Lord and Savior.
  
• Pastor Nate - Pray that he will be anointed with the power of the Holy Spirit as he preaches from the pulpit this Sunday to the congregation. Pray that the Spirit will use him as a tool and speak the living Word of God through him.
  
• For Brother Derrick & Chris - For continued strength and consistency in their submission to Christ in their daily lives as He continues to mold them into His image. Also for their marriages that they may become the spiritual servant leaders in their homes and they will continue to unconditionally love their wives.
  
• Berean Pastors - For continued strength, guidance, discernment and wisdom through the power of Jesus Christ as they continue shepherding the flock given to them by God the Father. May their burdens be light and their joy be evident in Christ.
  
• For Berean - It has been noted that over the past three years, the membership and attendance to services has steadily decreased. Pray for God to give our Pastors, Elders, Deacons, and Trustees wisdom and knowledge as they seek to cure our church with a "hurting heart". That through the power of Jesus Christ, we all may become like the Bereans who searched God's Word daily and become a fiery church with a "healing heart" visible to all in the City of Mansfield and further be used by God to glorify His Kingdom

SEE YOU AT THE ALTAR

This posting was taken from James MacDonalds weekly devotional

Choose this day whom you will serve. Joshua 24:15

Everybody serves somebody. Everybody has somebody in charge of his life. I’m not sure that Bob Dylan got a lot of things right, but he was right on target when he wrote the song, “Gotta Serve Somebody.” It’s the truth:

• Some people choose an esteemed person to serve. They make the dangerous choice to look to an authority figure, a pastor, a professor, or a politician. Problem is, look closely enough and you’ll see that person’s massive imperfections and become disillusioned.

• Some people serve a close relationship as their ultimate authority. “I just do whatever my wife wants.” Or “Unless my son is happy, I can’t be either.” Psychologists call it codependency, when you’re so wired into another person that your life goes sideways if his gets off track.

• Some people decide to serve a mission, a value, or an organization. They’re always raising the flag for some important cause. We feed the poor, we save the trees, or we elect the best possible candidates.

• Some people serve a personal agenda. I’ll get this degree; I’ll reach this milestone; I’ll break this record; I’ll build this company. Of course, that’s just a thinly veiled version of the most common one, the goal that most people are pursuing...

• Most people serve themselves. Most people live by this philosophy. At the end of the day, I’ll do what works for me. I’m the one who’s in charge here. That’s the religion of the masses.

If you have never made a choice, a real choice, for Jesus Christ as Lord, you probably are on this last agenda by default. You may not feel like you chose, but by not making a deliberate, conscious choice, you have been swept up in the cultural current and carried along in the whitewater of living for self.

Far truer than people are willing to admit, you choose who you serve. Your life can be different, your choice to change it is right within your grasp. The person who adamantly claims he has no choice is at that moment making the choice to articulate his frustration about the pressure from others to choose what he wants. Still, we choose whether or not to accept the pressure.

As much as someone might love you, no one can choose for you. Even God, who loves you perfectly, will not choose for you. There are simply some crucial decisions you have to make for yourself. The ball is in your court. Joshua was right when he challenged Israel, “Choose this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15).

_______________________________________________________

Be blessed this week. Make a conscious choice of whom you serve!

Have you ever prayed a prayer like this:

Lord, Jesus, I love you and I thank you for saving me. Lord, I want to do your will in my life. Lord, please guide me and show me the will that you have for my life. Lord, I am so confused and I don’t know what it is that you want me to do. Please Lord, show me your will for my life.

Have you ever asked yourself why God isn’t answering that prayer? I have!

A few years ago, like many of you men, I saw no benefit in meeting with another man and talking. I was a manly man and I did not need to have a conversation with another man to feel good about myself, or to help me deal with life. I believed you do things on your own, and your encouragement comes from a job well done, or task being completed. Not only did I see no reason to share my feelings with another man, I was also quite intimidated by the thought of it. I had heard other men share the need and benefits of meeting together to share and keep other accountable, but my pride convinced me that I did not need that. When I got around my pride, my fear of asking another guy to talk crippled any attempt for it to progress any further.

So why am I sharing this with you? I believe that God knows how difficult life is. I believe that God is very much aware of how prideful we men are. I believe that when we are obedient and live life according to God's word and his instruction for us, we are greatly blessed. I believe we are blessed so that God can be glorified, and so that Satan can be put back in his place and we learn to develope a confidence in God, and recognize when Satan is discouraging us. That confidence God is instilling in us, strengthens our faith in him.

So many of your are asking yourselves how does this apply to my life? I've shared several emails over the past couple of months that I feel God has put on my heart to share. In each of these emails, I have encouraged the men to take baby steps towards God. The first step was to Come to the Altar, and meet God there. The second email encouraged you to join men Friday mornings at 6:30 am in the Chapel for prayer, encouragement, and sharing of some of God's Word and repentance of our sins. This message is to urge you to meet regularly with another guy to encourage one another and do life together.

Guys, I know we are ALL struggling with the same issues. We are all having problems in our lives, and we are trying to solve these problems alone. God has given us instruction on how to deal with lifes problems and struggles. For the last 2 years, I have met with a friend who has helped me do life better. This friend is not a counselor or someone who has vast biblical knowledge and teaching skills, he is another man just like me who has similar struggles and anxieties and problems in life just like I do. This friend can hear my struggles and relate to them, give me advice from personal experiences and often knows a biblical principle to apply to the given situation. I know that we both have relied heavily on each other the past several years, and God has used us meeting together to encourage us and increase our faith in him. Satan had me convinced that I did not need an accountability partner in my life. God has blessed me by doing it and being faithful in our meeting together.

You may be asking yourself, how has God blessed you Tim? God has blessed me most of all in my marriage. I have often met with him, and been discouraged or frustrated about how things are going in my marriage, and through sharing with him my struggles, and hearing a outside perspective, and praying together over our struggles, my marriage has improved. I can hear things from my friend, who if I heard from my wife, I would rebel and probably become angry and argumentative about it. When I hear it from a friend whose foundation is biblical I am more receptive, and often humbled in realizing I am wrong. God has also blessed me by helping me to realize I am not alone in my struggles. My friend and I have gone through many of the same trials. We are very seldom down on the same day, if one is down, the other always seems to be up to encourage the other and share some words of encouragement on how God has been faithful and brought them through a similar trial. Does that sound like a biblical principle. I think this makes it clear.

Ecclesiastes 4:10 - If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

Thank you Phil for helping me up many times!

God gives us baby steps for a reason. The reason is so we can learn to trust in him one step at a time. I want to encourage all of you brothers to start with one of these baby steps. God is faithful, you will be blessed if you start seeking and being obedient to God's will. Before I close, let me give you a couple of other versus which also verify his instruction to us.

Hebrews 3:13 - But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

Hebrews 10:25 - Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

God Bless, and Welcome to Our Blog.

See You at the Altar,


Tim

"I have even called you by your name; I have named you, though you have not known Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, that they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other; I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things."


Isaiah 45:4b-7 (NKJV)

Lord, you are so wonderful and awesome. Even before I knew you and was dead in sin you already called me, named me and had my purpose laid out. You have protected me throughout my life even though I was against you. Lord, then I finally woke up! I accepted you into my heart and now I know You! You are my Lord and my Savior, my King and my Friend.

Father, I thank you for never giving up on me. I thank you for leading me in that pathway of righteousness. Lord, I seek you and I praise you. Lord you are in control of everything single thing down to the very last molecule. There is nothing in this world that you do not control.

Thank you Lord for your sacrifice at Calvary. Thank you for saving a wretch like me through your amazing grace. I love to serve You, I long for Your kingdom to come.
Father, I lift up our Pastors to you and ask that the anointing of your Holy Spirit be upon them. May their burdens be light and may they be comforted in You. I pray that you continue to give them wisdom and strength to teach others and fight against the forces of Satan.

Lord, may this day be a fragrant offering to you. May You be glorified by Your church. Lord, I humbly come before you in the precious blood of your Son, Jesus Christ and ask these prayers and petitions.

May You have all the glory, honor and praise! Amen

Hello everyone,

Thank you for checking out our blog. We hope that this site is an encouragement to you and first and foremost that it glorifies Jesus Christ. The purpose of this site is for the men of Berean Baptist Church to author prayer requests, share testimonies and post announcements. It is our hopes that through this blog site that we will be able to encourage each other when we are down and lift others up when we are strong.

If you have any questions or would like to join this blog, please click on the "Blog Questions" link under emails.

Thank you everyone for stopping by and have a blessed day!

Grace and peace to you all,

Journeymen Blog Administrator