What Ephesians 1 Verse 15-23 Means To Me

 I want to talk about what Ephesians 1 verse 15-23 means to me. The way I'm going to explain it is by taking each verse and adding what I feel it means to me by each verse.

In verse 15, it reads this: For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people,

To me, the start of this verse means for me that ever since we heard about Faith in the Lord and love for all beloved children that belong to Christ, that we are a new creation that is ready to not ever be ashamed of our Faith and Love one another just as Christ has loved us.

Three brothers in a fire, Willing to die for their faith, But You were with them in the fire, And they walked out the next day And Daniel met a lion, Because he chose to pray, But You shut the mouth of that lion And he walked out the next day, So, what's gonna be said of me, When it's all said and done?

Will I stand for my beliefs, Or will I turn around and run? Well, let the whole world hear me say, I'm unashamed Of the gospel of Jesus Christ And the truth that changed my life, For the name above all names, I'm unashamed And I will live my faith out loud, Take a stand and stand my ground, For the One who took my shame, I'm unashamed.

In the second verse it says this from verse 16- I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 

To me this means we should give thanks with grateful and humbled hearts and never stop praying and remembering people in our prayers, and thanking God for what He has done.

Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One; give thanks, because he’s given Jesus Christ, his Son. Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One; give thanks, because he’s given Jesus Christ, his Son. And now let the weak say ‘I am strong’, let the poor say ‘I am rich’,

because of what the Lord has done for us; and now let the weak say ‘I am strong’, let the poor say ‘I am rich’, because of what the Lord has done for us. Give thanks…

What's your impossible? Your "I need a miracle", What's got you barely hanging by a single thread?

What looks so hopeless now? What weighs down your heart with doubt? You beg for a breakthrough, but no sign of breakthrough yet, When you've cried, and you've cried 'til your tears run dry, The answer won't come, and you don't know why And you wonder if you can bow your head even one more time, Don't stop praying, Don't stop calling on Jesus' name, Keep on pounding on Heaven's door And let your knees wear out the floor, Don't stop believing, 'Cause mountains move with just a little faith And your Father's heard every single word you're saying, So, don't stop praying.

In verses 17-23 here is what I think all of it means in these verses and what it talks about.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[a] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 

To me verse 17 means that we are asking God for wisdom so that we can be prepared in knowing how much our Father who created Heaven and Earth loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for us and I feel that the word revelation and getting to know Him better is the truest reflection in how God gives us everlasting and eternal life to know that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

In verse 18  where it says: I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 

To me this verse means that we are called according to His Purpose and that in every walk of our life, we should walk in humility, humbleness, and that we know the hope of Eternity in which we will be one day but until then, there is so much more to be done on this Earth and we need to walk by Faith.

In these last verses, it is a reminder to me of what I shared with the other verses before these but it also reminds me that the plans God has for our lives is truly fulfilling because we may not understand His plan, but He knows our hearts and we need to trust Him, we need to Seek Him, we need to Pray to Him and we need to call upon His Name to help us in any trial we face in life and this is what I feel these last verses truly mean to me because without God, we would have nothing.

19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 

21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Impactful Thoughts

 Am I Worthy Of Enough Lord? Renew My Heart Again

My Heart Aches at times Lord, will I not feel this way?

I long for You, I give my heart to You, You are the one Jesus who can always Save from what becomes broken

You mend in the longing of what did I do? You tell me these are lies from the Enemy that are simply not true

You help me know that I am Enough Lord, so Lord give me the strength to overcome the trials I may have to face

Although Lord, You tell me that I don't have to face those trials alone because Lord, You help me see I am not because I am not defined by what the Enemy says to me

Lord, I am a Warrior in Christ and a Warrior in Faith, I know that You are Love and one day I'll meet You face to face

I know that until that time comes, there's so much more to be done on this Earth in which I live, till I'm reunited in my Heavenly Home with You and that's where I'll spend Eternity in knowing that I am at my forever home with You

Lord I know that You will prepare a place for me but I know that I'm doing many things for You and Your Glory

I pray Lord that as You show me the things You need me to see, that You'll help me to know, I don't have to be hard on myself because being the best version of myself is the best that I can be, because Lord I know that You take me for who I am and that I belong as Your Child all along

So Lord, I pray to You, I lay my baggage, my burdens to You because Lord, You help me understand that the people in my life now are the ones that You have brought for Eternity into my life, and Lord I'm humbly thankful, grateful, and blessed to know a family like this, loves me for who I am and I don't have to be anyone else for them

Yeah, I don't have to be anyone else for them because I can just be me and I know that You are watching over me Lord because You and many others have my best interest at heart and because You have that, I don't have to feel afraid because I know even if I do, You'll help me through

Lord I know that this pain, this hurt that I carry, the verbal abuse, the weight of what feels heavy on my heart, doesn't compare to who I am today, because Lord, You help take all of it away, and you mend what feels heavy on my heart and You show me the family that is online and my family that is with me everyday are the ones that stay

I know, I wouldn't have made it this far on my own if it hadn't been for You Lord because Lord You help me daily

I thank you for that, because You are Love and You never let me go because You give me strength to carry on daily

I know that You are still writing my story and it will be used for Your Glory, because Lord you help me know I am Enough as You renew my Heart again and again and again because without You, I may fall apart but You pick me up and You help me stand back up again cause I am Yours

Inspirational Quotes

 If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride - and never quit, you'll be a winner. The price of victory is high but so are the rewards.

We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.

It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.

It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.

You can read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/inspirational-quotes

This is the link in where you can find more of these inspirational quotes to be encouraged in your own walk.

I pray this encourages you daily, so that you can be reminded in how loved and cherished you really are.

Interview With Jarod O'Flaherty

 Get to know Jarod O'Flaherty, producer/director of Vindication Series - season 3 releasing on Pure Flix September 1. I did this interview with him which was really neat and kind of a great thing to do as well.

Q. What was life like growing up for you? And at what age did you get into film making? A. Growing up, I was the oldest of 5 kids and our family didn’t always have a ton of extra money. Around second grade I was transferred to a program for “gifted kids” in the public school system, so I guess I excelled a bit at something to get noticed. In 5th grade, our family purchased a video camera and I loved playing with it and making goofy, comedic videos. Years later when I graduated high school, I got a laptop and digital video camera - which allowed me to move forward as a hobbyist filmmaker shooting events for the youth group at our church local church. So at that time I was 18 years old. My first “widely viewed narrative” filmmaking would come about 9 years later when I was 27 and filmed a music video that went on YouTube. Q. Did you ever experience bullying in school, if so how did you overcome it? A. I can recall times when I was teased about things in elementary and middle school, but never to the point of feeling I was bullied. I was smart enough to talk my way out of any vulnerable situations - and/or smart enough to avoid them in general. I unfortunately can recall similar situations where I WAS the bully by verbally degrading others for laughs or attention. In high school, I did experience a few more intense situations, but none that I would consider bullying. However, in one particular instance of being threatened by others - it was through “prayer for my enemies” that I experienced a pretty awesome outcome. It was like they didn’t even see me anymore and the comments/threats came to an abrupt end. Q. Who helped you in learning about God and when can you recall your first time, really accepting Him as your Savior? A. I prayed to receive Christ as a 6 year old and I remember every bit of it vividly. But it wasn’t until I was 16 years old that He truly became Lord of my life. Most of the teaching and disciple ship I’ve received has come through the local church - in particular my youth minister. Q. Was filmmaking something that you’ve always wanted to pursue growing up to where you are today with it, or was there something else that you wanted to do before God lead you to this? A. Filmmaking was never a dream or passion of mine. I’ve never taken any formal classes on it - at any level. I simply wanted to become a dad and have a stable job working with computers/technology. But over time, my enjoyment in the hobby of filmmaking began to grow and eventually became my profession. Q. What is it like being a dad? How has that showed and molded you into who you are today? And how has it been a blessing for you? A. I think being a dad gives you a quantifiable daily responsibility and purpose, beyond just yourself, which causes you to want to do better and be better. Obviously those special moments with your children - that can happen at the most random times - are blessings and gifts you want to always cherish. Q. How did you get involved with Pureflix? What is the inspiration behind the show Vindication? A. PureFlix licensed the first season of Vindication through our distributor, and after it performed well on their platform, they got involved with the subsequent seasons. I started Vindication just as a single short film about a detective performing an interrogation where the audience doesn’t know what the crime is. They have to figure it out as they watch. But from that short film it grew into a series that has taken many twists and turns in the faith-based crime drama genre. Q. Did you ever think that Vindication would become the series it is today in how it's grown? A. Not really. Each step of the way, I have thought “This might very well be the end, so treat it accordingly. Give it everything you’ve got to make it the best you possibly can! Because there may not be another..” Q. How long does it take for the filming process when recording a new season for a faith based crime drama like this one? A. Each episode takes about a month of prep, 4 days to film, and then another month to finish. Typically we film 2 episodes at a time. Q. Do you have a favorite episode after filming each one? Or do you like all of them pretty much in their own way? A. Every episode is special to me because every episode has its own unique backstory. Not so much in the storyline of the episode, but in the production of it. I do have a set of favorite episodes (plural) from the perspective of me being a viewer. Q. How did you come across Pureflix, and what made you want to be involved with their platform? A. PureFlix licensed season one of Vindication through our distributor and after it performed very well with viewers on their platform, the ongoing relationship was formed for the subsequent seasons. Q. Without giving much away, are there a lot of exciting plot twists that people can look forward to watching in this upcoming season and do you think that there’s going to be many seasons to come after this current season airs? A. Season Three continues with the trend of Seasons One and Two where the unexpected - should be expected. There are several moments sprinkled throughout the season where we expect audiences to gasp at the plot twists. Every season is difficult to get a green light from productions partners, so while we certainly have many great stories left to tell, it's never a certainty of how many seasons are ahead. Q. There was a little bit of an unexpected passing of one of the actors that was in a previous season of vindication due to health issues. With that being mentioned, can viewers and fans of the show look forward to possibly seeing in this upcoming season an episode that is in memory of the actor? A. We've had three cast members pass away in the short time that we've been creating Vindication and we are thankful they will live on through film as more and more audiences see the show. If there are opportunities to honor them, we certainly want to do so. Q. What was it like to film the episode where Detective Travis has his daughter Katie come back into his life? A. That was one of the first episodes we filmed - back in 2017 - and it was interesting to see Detective Travis in a situation where he seemed confused and uncertain. His daughter, and their complicated relationship, brought out a side of him that was new to audiences, but also new to all of us filming the series. Q. What has been the story behind having detective Travis go from having a detective that eventually worked for the other agency and then bringing in T.C. Stallings to fill that gap? Also without giving a lot away, do you think the partner Detective Travis had before T.C. Stallings could be somebody that got knocked out and was in the body bag or do you have your own theories of who it could be? A. From a story perspective, we wanted season two to offer a new dynamic than season one, so with that intention we moved Kris Tanner to the other precinct. Splitting up her and Travis gave us some rich opportunities to explore their relationship. Tre joining the force in her place again gave us an opportunity to explore new storylines instead of just repeating season one. Kris Tanner being in the bodybag is certainly one of the strongest possibilities and would give us an interesting storyline in Season Three as Travis investigated her murder. As far as we know, no one else was aware of her being at the warehouse - except for maybe Anthony. Q. What are some things that you look forward to with people seeing season three next month? What are your hopes that people enjoy from it, like the previous seasons? A. Season 3 will be coming out later this year, but not next month. (Since the interview took place - release date is now September 1) I look forward to audiences getting answers to questions they’ve had for a long time, but also raising new question that will have them clicking play on the next episode - over and over. Q. What is it like to be a producer and director? How much time do you put into these tapings? A. Being a director is fun and enjoyable for me with only a limited amount of stress. You get to be creative and work with people. Being a producer is strenuous hard work that is draining and highly stressful! We film each episode in four days but put about two months of work into preparing for those four days of shooting. Q. Have you created other shows or documentaries that have been based on people’s life stories? A. In 2011 I created a feature length documentary called “We Were There” that shared the stories of 21 World War 2 veterans. It was early in my filmmaking career but is a project I remain proud of and enjoy watching. Q. Have you ever thought of making a documentary on other people's stories? A. Not really. I’m enjoying telling stories in the fictional narrative space for now. Q. Have the people you have come to know with Vindication become a family to you? A. Absolutely. We have filmed the three seasons of Vindication over 115 days and that’s a lot of time to spend with people. We have frozen together and burnt up together. Yet the team has always maintained a positive attitude and taken a “we can get it done” approach. And those are things that build a family bond. Q. Is there any advice you would like to give to those who are considering a career in filmmaking and acting? A. For those considering a career in film, I’d advise them to have a secondary, flexible profession developed as an option to keep the bills paid. That will take a ton of stress off of the film side and allow it to remain enjoyable. Q. Finally, what do you hope people get from your testimony, what is your hope that people will enjoy about Vindication’s third season and what do you want people to take away from this interview? A. My hope is that Vindication audiences are entertained, touched in some way, and forced to reflect in some way on their own life based on what they have watched. And I hope that seeds are planted that at some point later will spring forth a positive life change with eternal value. Smalls goals, right? Ha. But truly, I believe visual stories can impact people and stick with them long after the viewing experience is over - so considering our series points to Jesus as the answer - I hope with some viewers it sticks.

A Heart Of Praise Outreach Message

 Hebrews 13 verse 15: Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.

Proverbs 15 verse 13: A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.

Deuteronomy 10 verse 21: He is the one you praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.

Ephesians 5 verse 19-20: speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 2 verse 14: But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.

Daniel 2 verse 23: I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you,  you have made known to us the dream of the king.”

1 Chronicles 29 verse 13: Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

1 Thessalonians 5 verse 18: give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in  Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3 verse 15-16: Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

Proverbs 17 verse 22: A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up bones.

Exodus 15 verse 2: “The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.

He is my God, and I will praise him,  my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

1 Chronicles 16 verse 34: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Isaiah 25 verse 1: Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.

Psalm 69 verse 30: I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify Him with thanksgiving.

In scripture we see how God shows us that when we have a heart of Thanksgiving and we can honor Him with rejoicing and sing praise to Him. We can read our Bible and we can know and begin to understand how God gives us the Heart of Praise but also a heart of worship in order to continue to grow in our relationship and our Faith walk with Him because in this world we may have trouble but take heart for God has Overcome the World. Our God loves us so unconditionally that He gave His One and Only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

Do you know that God has so much love to give us because He is Love? We have a heart of Adoration, a heart of Gratitude, a heart of Compassion, but we also have a heart of Praise.

 I want to share some lyrics of a song that says:  When the music fades, All is stripped away

And I simply come … Longin' just to bring, Something that's of worth, That will bless Your heart … I'll bring You more than a song, For a song in itself, Is not what You have required … You search much deeper within, Through the ways things appear, You're looking into my heart … I'm comin' back to the heart of worship And it's all about You, It's all about You, Jesus … I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it, When it's all about You, It's all about You, Jesus … King of endless worth, No one could express, How much You deserve? … Though I'm weak and poor, All I have is Yours, Every single breath … I'll bring You more than a song, For a song in itself Is not what You have required … You search much deeper within, Through the way things appear, You're looking into my heart, yeah, … I'm comin' back to the heart of worship And it's all about You, It's all about You, Jesus. We see in this song that we come back to the heart of worship, and if we are coming back to the heart of worship where it's all about Our Savior Jesus Christ, then that is mainly saying we are coming back to a heart of praise and that our hearts filled with that praise, and that joy can be given to us by those He loves and are called according to His Purpose. You see we are all deeply loved by God and we are all called according to His Purpose. No matter what we do in this life, we know that God is making all things new to show us how we can own our Belovedness in Him. 

That brings me to the other song I want to share with all of you tonight and that song is Belovedness by Sarah Kroger where the lyrics of her song say: You've owned your fear and all your self-loathing

You've owned the voices inside of your head

You've owned the shame and reproach of your failure

It's time to own your belovedness

You've owned your past and how it's defined you

You've owned everything everybody else says

It's time to hear what your father has spoken

It's time to own your belovedness

He says, "You're mine, I smiled when I made you

I find you beautiful in every way

My love for you is fierce and unending

I'll come to find you, whatever it takes

My beloved"

You've owned the mess you see in the mirror

You've owned the lies that you're just not enough

You've been so blinded by all you're comparing

It's time to own your belovedness

He says, "You're mine, I smiled when I made you

I find you beautiful in every way

My love for you is fierce and unending

I'll come to find you, whatever it takes

My beloved"

You are completely loved and fully known

Beloved, believe he died to make your heart his home

And he says, "You're mine, I smiled when I made you

I find you beautiful in every way

My love for you is fierce and unending

I'll come to find you, whatever it takes"

He says, "You're mine, I smiled when I made you

I find you beautiful in every way

My love for you is fierce and unending

I'll come to find you, whatever it takes

My beloved"

It's time to own your belovedness

With this song we see how God does not give us a spirit of fear but can give us a sound mind.

We know that with God, He can turn the impossible into all things possible.

We just need to keep trusting the Heart of God and sing our praises to Him, pray to Him, and walk by Faith with an open Heart and Mind to know that He works all things together for not only our good by For His Glory as well.

We know that no weapon formed against us shall prosper and the enemy can't win and take the joy we have in our hearts away, as long as we have God to fight our battles and as long as we have God to help us achieve amazing things because with God, we can do all things through Him that gives us the strength and the courage to do those things. Without God, and without Heart, we have nothing.

The emptiness that we feel would be disatreous and we feel lonesome, because the enemy robbed of us of our joy and happiness and showed us that there wasn't hope or light, except for darkness and sadness. See with God He lights the way through the darkness, He gives us Hope in our hearts to be happy, not to be sad because He turns our sadness into gladness and our joy can't be robbed if God is fighting every step of the way so the enemy won't win. Our hearts of what we see sometimes can be hard but we know that God will overcome every step and every direction to know and to see that God is with us daily.

If we let the enemy win, our hearts become broken. Our hearts are filled with despair and anguish. Our hearts our filled with anger, and our hearts our filled with no hope.

Although if we changed all of that, we could see that God mends our hearts that were once broken, He turns that despair into pure joy that is given to us by Him our Father in Heaven, we don't have anguish or worry, our hearts are with gladness and not angered, and we have Hope in God.

Take time to realize that God is with all of us tonight and forever in our Hearts. Take time to realize that God isn't going anywhere and that we can make a difference for the Heart of God by sharing a Heart Of Praise and Worship.

God sees Hearts as We see Faces.

Happy moments Praise God.

Difficult moments Seek God.

Quiet moments Worship God.

Painful moments Trust God.

Every moment Thank God.

Praise God With Your Whole Heart.

Time Is The Brush Of God, As He Paints His MasterPiece On The Heart Of Humanity.

A Heart In Tune With God Sings Melodies Of Praise.

This is my desire

To honor You

Lord, with all my heart

I worship You

All I have within me

I give You praise

All that I adore

Is in You

Lord, I give You my heart

I give You my soul

I live for you alone

And every breath that I take

Every moment I'm awake

Lord, have Your way in me

This is my desire

To honor You

Lord, with all my heart

I worship You

All I have within me

I give You praise

All that I adore

Is in You

Lord, I give You my heart

I give You my soul

I live for you alone

Every breath that I take

Every moment I'm awake

Lord, have Your way in me

And I will live

And I will live for You

And I will live

And I will live for You

Oh and I will live

And I will live

And I will live for You

Lord, I give You my heart

I give You my soul, I live for You alone

Every breath that I take, every moment I'm awake

Lord, have Your way in me

Have Your way

Have Your way, have Your way

We see here in everything that when we truly give The Heart of Praise to Him that we can become one in Him and through Him to see that He's working in our Heart to open up amazing things that He has planned for us.

Jeremiah 29 verse 11 reminds us of that when it says: For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you but to give you a hope and a future.

Let the King of my heart

Be the mountain where I run

The fountain I drink from

Oh, He is my song

Let the King of my heart

Be the shadow where I hide

The ransom for my life

Oh, He is my song

'Cause You are good

You are good, oh oh

You are good

You are good, oh oh

You are good

You are good, oh oh

You are good

You are good, oh oh

And let the King of my heart

Be the wind inside my sails

The anchor in the waves

Oh oh, He is my song

Let the King of my heart

Be the fire inside my veins

The echo of my days

Oh oh, He is my song

Let the King of my heart

Be the wind inside my sails

The anchor in the waves

Oh oh, He is my song

Let the King of my heart

Be the fire inside my veins

The echo of my days

Oh, He is my song

'Cause You are good

You are good, oh oh

You are good

You are good, oh oh

You are good

You are good, oh oh

You are good

You are good, oh oh

You're never gonna let

You're never gonna let me down

And You're never gonna let

You're never gonna let me down

You're never gonna let

You're never gonna let me down

You're never gonna let

You're never gonna let me down

You're never gonna let

You're never gonna let

You're never gonna let me down

You're never gonna let

You're never gonna let me down

You're never gonna let

You're never gonna let me down

Oh 'cause You are good

You are good, oh oh

'Cause You are good

You are good, oh oh

'Cause You are good

You are good, oh oh

You are good

You are good, oh oh

You're never gonna let

You're never gonna let me down

You're never gonna let

You're never gonna let me down

You're never gonna let

You're never gonna let me down

You're never gonna let

You're never gonna let me down

'Cause You are good

You are good, oh oh

You are good

You are good, oh oh

We see with this song that when we sing it, we have a heart filled with Gratitude and Praise because we are singing praises to the one who is King of Our Hearts.

We can see that God loves us so much that He would give us all that we need in order to live not by bread alone but by Faith alone, cause we do not walk by sight but by Faith.

We thank God everyday for how He continues to work in us and how He continues to work in our Hearts, to show us that we are all a work in progress. Our testimonies and the testimonies of our Hearts filled with Praise are not over. No, our testimony of our Heart has just begun.

Let us see where God takes us in this Heart Journey of Faith. Let us see where He takes us in The Heart of Our Relationship with Him, and see where the road leads.

Here's my heart Lord

Here's my heart Lord

Here's my heart Lord

Speak what is true

Here's my heart Lord

Here's my heart Lord

Here's my heart Lord

Speak what is true

I am found, I am Yours

I am loved, I'm made pure

I have life, I can breathe

I am healed, I am free

Here's my heart Lord

Here's my heart Lord

Here's my heart Lord

Speak what is true

'Cause I am found, I am Yours

I am loved, I'm made pure

I have life, I can breathe

I am healed, I am free

In this we know that our Hearts are healed by the blood of the Lamb, that we can breathe in knowing we are made pure and that our hearts full of praise our Purified in Christ. We know that God won't let us down, He's with us.

He is in this place with us and He's working all things new.

Search my heart

And search my soul

There's nothing else

That I want more

Shine Your light

And show Your face

In my life

Lord have Your way

With all my heart and all my soul

With all I am, Lord, I will follow You

Hear my cry

And hear my prayer

Draw me close

I know your near

So with all my heart and all my soul

With all I am, Lord, I will follow You

You took the cross, You took my shame

Restored my life, now I live to worship You

Let us remember this: God is our Redeemer and He is the King of Kings but He is also the King of Our Hearts who loves because He is Love and there's no greater Love than this and the love that one would lay down His life for a friend. So give it all to God, give your Hearts to God tonight and remember that He is in this place with us.

I need you to soften my heart

And break me apart

I need you to open my eyes

To see that You're shaping my life

All I am, I surrender

Give me faith to trust what you say

That you're good and your love is great

I'm broken inside, I give you my life

I need you to soften my heart

And break me apart

I need you to pierce through the dark

And cleanse every part of me

Scott Broadway's Testimony and Ministry

 I have had the pleasure and honor of getting to know someone who does ministry, I asked if they wanted me to do an interview or if they would like to do an interview with me, and earlier today I learned a little bit more. I was able to learn just a little bit more and they gave me permission to share their testimony along with their ministries for my blog, in order to share this with all of you. I hope and pray that this ministry and testimony will be a blessing to you has it has blessed me in getting to know what they're about and who they are. I hope you will take the time to read and to share this with others.

I pray that this can bless you and that you will take time to even know what their mission is and what they do to serve God and help others be blessed in what they do for the Heart of Jesus each and everyday. God provides and God will not fail us and because of that we know His Love is Unconditional and because we know that God is Love. God will not fail us and He will provide daily.

Throughout my life, I have had many challenges and hurdles to overcome. Though sometimes I felt like giving up, there was someone who was always there no matter what—Jesus Christ. My family and friends were very supportive; however they could not always be with me. As you read this testimony, you will see that Christ has a plan for you from the beginning of your existence as He does for me. It is up to you, whether you choose to follow Christ or not for it is by our own free will that we accept Him (Romans 10: 9-10Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). I also hope you see that though I am disabled, I have gone through many of the same struggles, temptations, and hardships that other people face in life. I also hope that you may come to know the joy, happiness, love, forgiveness, assurance, and the most awesome gift of all—salvation—that Christ brings into a person’s life.

I was born on August 22, 1982 with Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy. I was in the care of Children’s Home Society of North Carolina in Greensboro, North Carolina and my foster mother Ann Cowles and her loving family who took wonderful care of me. Nine months later on April 12, 1983, I was adopted by two wonderful, God- fearing parents, Murrell and Joan Broadway. I have been blessed with a wonderful family who has supported me for all my life. When I think about adoption, I’m reminded of the story of Moses—the first biblical adoption. The story is found in God’s Word in Exodus 2:3-10Open in Logos Bible Software (if available). This is where I believe God ordains adoption. Though I had a disability, my family raised me like all the rest of my siblings. I have two older brothers, Jeffrey and Patrick, and one older sister, Jill. Whether it was sibling rivalry, playing games such as basketball, swimming, jumping on the trampoline, riding on the skateboard, or just being a normal kid, I was always treated as an equal. My parents raised me as an equal; they always pushed me to never give up on my goals and dreams. I can remember my dad’s favorite saying to me “I can’t doesn’t live here.” Whether it was in physical therapy, surgery or anything else in life, he never wanted me to give up or think I could not do it. My mother was the same way; she started educating me from an early age even before preschool. My mother’s father was the late Rev. Clifton Taylor Rice, an Original Free Will Baptist minister who preached for over seventy years. From as early as I can remember he always said “You’ll be a minister one day.” Both my maternal and paternal grandparents were very supportive of me.

My parents raised me in the church with good Christian morals. For a large majority of my life I grew up in Spilman Memorial Baptist Church. I felt the call to receive Christ at the age of nine. It was at my parent’s kitchen table after supper one night in late October. I felt like I was missing out on something that everyone knew about. I had told my parents that I felt like God was calling me to receive salvation and be baptized.

It was around Thanksgiving when they scheduled my baptism. I can remember my whole family being involved. Because I have CP, I could not get up to the baptismal pool and my brothers and my father had to carry me up the stairs to the baptismal. My brothers had to assist me into the pool. Reverend Knight was the minister who baptized me. My Grandfather Rice gave the prayer after my baptism. It was a very special event to me because everyone was involved in one aspect or another. Although baptism is an important commandment to show our outward dedication to Christ, I believe that you can have salvation and not be baptized.

A few months later I went into the hospital to have a procedure done to cut the lower spastic nerves in my spinal cord. I was very nervous; it was a major surgery at the time. Up until the day of the surgery, I felt God’s peace and knew I was going to be okay and that He was going to protect me and was comforted by Philippians 4:6-8Open in Logos Bible Software (if available). I have had many surgeries, but at that early age, not understanding surgery and the healing process, surgery would have been very difficult without trusting God. I’m not saying there weren’t times that I wanted it to all end, but I knew I was going to be okay because God was there. I’m no better than anyone else, but I knew God was going to take care of me.

I grew up in public school from kindergarten through fifth grade. My parents were very instrumental in my education and fought for me to be in the regular classroom with my peers and friends. My parents knew that with the right educational modifications I could be successful in a regular education environment. They fought for me to have a computer and accessible materials so that I could accomplish the work at hand. After many rounds with the public school system, my parents and I decided to home-school me so that I could get a better education with the modifications I needed. Before I was home-schooled, I was testing below grade level. When I graduated from high school, after being home-schooled, I tested a sophomore in college. I’m not saying this to put down special education programs or public school systems (My wife is a public school teacher). What I am saying is that even though people may say and imply that you will never graduate nor give you the modifications you need to complete your schooling—don’t give up. If there is one thing I have learned from God’s Word and from my parents it is that all things are possible through Jesus Christ and to never give up—even when the odds are against you.

When I was a teenager, some people thought that if you were disabled or home-schooled, you lived in a bubble. They thought that you were not exposed to peer pressure or that you did not go through the same changes and pressures that your peers went through. I’m here to tell you that this is a big misconception. I went through the same changes and peer pressure, as everyone else did. The only difference was I went through it sitting down. When I was 13 years old, I wanted to feel accepted in just like every other teenager does. I started hanging out with the older teenagers in my neighborhood because at the time I thought it was cool. They would have parties and cookouts and invited me to join them. These parties are where I became exposed to alcohol and drugs. You might think—where were his parents? They were there. I was frustrated that I didn’t have many friends and that I could not find a girlfriend that would accept me for me and would look past my disability and the wheelchair. I was going through a lot of changes mentally, physically, and spiritually—depression, temptation and much more. The one thing I will never understand—and I know it had to be the Lord Jesus protecting me—is that I never even was offered alcohol or drugs by these friends. Nor did I even have the desire to try either the alcohol or the drugs. I think the reason is that my parents always raised me in knowing right from wrong. All I wanted to do was hang out and feel accepted. Even being around that situation, made me feel like I was doing something wrong. All the while, I was still going to church knowing that hanging around that type of influence was wrong. Even though I wasn’t partaking of any of the activity, I felt that I was just as guilty (Romans 12:2Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). Amazingly, now, one of the friends that were involved with drugs and alcohol is saved and serving God as a pastor, using their experiences for the glory of God.

When I was fourteen, I really wanted to do Martial Arts, but my parents were very skeptical about me going into the Martial Arts with my disability. We went down to Kevin Cauley’s Karate School one night and talked to him. My parents explained to him their fears and concerns with me entering the Martial Arts. Kevin explained to us that he didn’t know how far he could take me, but that he would try to teach me that best he could. Two months later, I was actually learning the first techniques that one learns in Martial Arts and adapting them to my ability. Unfortunately, his school was closed but he referred anyone who was interested his teacher/master, Shihan Lemuel “Doc” Stroud. Fortunately for me, my parents knew Mr. Stroud. My dad took me down to the dojo on Vernon Ave. in Kinston—a little white cinderblock building with no ramp, no air conditioning, wooden roof, cement floors with a mat—but I could not get in because there was no ramp. My dad got Mr. Stroud’s attention and asked him to come outside for a minute, so Mr. Stroud stopped class and came outside. I had heard of him, but never seen him before. When he stepped outside, he was about 5’6” and looked to be about 50 years old. Little did I know, he was in his sixties. With muscles everywhere, he had a Tyson vs. Hollifield shirt on with gi (karate uniform) pants on, giving me the impression that he was very caring and down to earth. He is now like a grandfather to me. I told him that I had started taking classes with one of his students named Kevin Cauley and that I wasn’t sure what he thought of my ability, but I would like to continue my training and give 110%. Then “Doc” said “I don’t know how far I can take you, but I will be glad to teach you what I know. If you want to start tonight, I’ll have two or three of my guys pick your wheelchair up and set you in the dojo and we’ll start right away.” We all laughed and I politely declined. My dad said that we would come back next week and he would make me a ramp. I went back the next week and I never left. In May of 2000, I received my first degree black belt in Jiujitsu and Karate and in February of 2003 I received a second degree black belt in Jiujitsu and Judo. These accomplishments were in spite of the doctors’ and therapists’ orders and my parent’s doubts. My parent’s doubts had quickly turned into my parent’s encouragement. Over the years, my Martial Arts colleagues have been like a family to me and have supported me in whatever I have chosen to do. I proved to the nay-sayers that with God, determination and perseverance that you can do anything you set your mind to. I whole-heartedly believe in Philippians 4:13Open in Logos Bible Software (if available).

One Sunday night when I was fourteen my youth group met at my youth pastor’s house and I heard my friend talking about a Christian coffee house called the Hiding Place. I asked my youth pastor that night after the youth service if he had ever been to this Christian coffee house and he said no. I asked him if he could take me one weekend. He said he would be glad to. About two weeks later, we went on a Saturday night just to see what it was like. Only two people were there at the time because the rest of them had all gone to a Christian concert. The two that were there were Gurmen and Judy. Judy met me at the door, smiling and gave me a hug which caught me off guard for a minute because at fourteen, you don’t normally want hugs if you’re a guy. They told me a little bit about the place and it wasn’t a normal night because everyone had gone to the concert. So, they asked me to come back the next weekend and I did. I eventually became a member of their staff and really felt like God was moving in my life again. I would go every weekend to the coffee house and to church on Sunday. Over time I really wanted to serve God and I felt God was calling me to serve Him in a little way—nothing big.

On August 28, 1998, a Christian contemporary band called Refuge was playing at the Hiding Place and there was a guest youth minister speaking that night. He talked about how he had ministered to youth that were depressed, hurting, wanted to feel accepted, didn’t know where to turn. Some youth had even thought about committing suicide and he shared a part of their stories and how God had turned their life around after they had accepted Jesus into their lives. After hearing the youth pastor speak, I had a feeling that I couldn’t explain. It was like God was pulling at my heart in a way I had never experienced before—it was more intimate than ever and the next thing I knew, I was up at the altar rededicating my life to Christ. For the first time in my life, I really felt like there was this fire inside of me that God was stirring up and nothing could stop it. It was like a whirlwind of joy and acceptance, faith and inspiration, and determination that I could do whatever it takes to achieve things in my life. I finally felt accepted. Yes I had a family, yes I had friends, and yes, my parents were there all along. You can say well, where were your parents when you felt down and out? They were there; I just wouldn’t let them in. You can say why would you go down the street in your neighborhood and hang out with those guys? I felt like they would accept me. Later on I knew that they would accept me, but only for who I was on the outside. For the first time in my life on that night, I finally felt accepted on the inside. There was an unquenchable fire and urge that I wanted to tell everyone about Jesus and I wanted to serve Him (Jeremiah 20:9Open in Logos Bible Software (if available), Luke 24:32Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). I also had a desire to know Him through His Word, the Bible.

The next year the Hiding Place youth and staff went to an Easter revival and drama at Northwest School, my old elementary school. The evangelist was from Canada and he was talking about serving God and about the souls he had seen come to Christ. For a while before the revival, I felt God was calling me to do something greater. I had been working with several ministries that did street ministry and other evangelism. On that night April 10, 1999, at the end of the revival, I felt God call me into the ministry. He gave me the name of the ministry He wanted me to found and serve under— Wheels on Fire for Christ Ministry, Inc. I prayed to Christ that He would always be in charge of it because I did not want any of the credit or any of the glory and that’s how the ministry is operated today, with God at the head of its leadership.

Wheels on Fire for Christ Ministry, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that operates under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Service and was incorporated in the State of North Carolina January 25th, 2002. This ministry adheres to all policies and regulations set forth by the federal, state, and local government, including the IRS. Wheels on Fire for Christ Ministry, Inc. name was derived from Daniel 7:9Open in Logos Bible Software (if available). It is a motivational speaking, youth outreach, disability awareness and advocacy ministry that is non-denominational, fundamentally sound, and fully based upon the Word of God.

If it wasn’t for Him, I would not be here. I would not have done the things in my life or been the person I am, if it wasn’t for Him.

Today, I am a happily married man in whom you could not have told me eighteen years ago that I would be married to my soul mate, much less even have a girlfriend. I believe God chose her just for me; she has a lot of love, a lot of caring, and she reminds me who I am and what I was created to do—especially my responsibility to God and the ministry. She is a godly woman; I love her with all my heart and she reminds me of Proverbs 31Open in Logos Bible Software (if available). We were married on Sunday, July 3, 2005. We chose Sunday to represent the importance of Christ in our lives and how a threefold cord is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). It was one of the happiest days of my life.

Shortly after we were married, we began planning for a family. Some people thought that I would never be able to have children because I was in a wheelchair. My wife and I even had a doctor tell us that we could not have children because of my disability. However, on June 15, 2007, my wife and I found out that we were expecting a baby. On February 15, 2008, my wife gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl that we named Rachel Elizabeth Broadway. Her name actually means “Little Lamb, consecrated to God.” This proves that all things are possible to them that rely on the Lord.

Shortly after Rachel was born, our faith was tested. At just four days old, Rachel had to be air-lifted back to Pitt County Memorial Hospital where she was born due to a high bilirubin. She stayed in the NICU for about two and one half days. During this time my wife and I were able to pray for the other children in the NICU and for their families. This was, yet again, God’s way of showing His plan for my wife and for me. My wife has a heart to help new mothers and promote breastfeeding to help babies become healthier.

In October 2008, I began discussing with my doctors about the possibility of receiving a Baclofen pump to relieve some of my spasticity. I was set up for a trial to determine if I was an eligible candidate for the pump. After seeing the miraculous effects of the intrathecal Baclofen on my body, I decided to go ahead with the surgery. A Baclofen pump is a small device about the size of a mini-DVD that releases Baclofen through a catheter to the spinal cord. Because I receive the medicine intrathecally, I do not have the side effects associated with the oral medication. The pump itself is located the right lower quadrant of my abdomen and the catheter runs along my right side into my spinal cord. My pump and catheter are subdural. The first surgery to insert the Baclofen pump went well. However, about six weeks later, the catheter that helps deliver the medicine came dislodged. This was my first emergency surgery concerning the pump. About a week later, I had a leak of fluid from my incision, requiring an additional emergency surgery. The wound was breeded out and cultures were taken to determine if there was an infection. Just when I thought I was in the clear, the cultures came back indicating that I indeed had an infection and the catheter would have to be removed. This meant surgery number four within two months. Over the next two weeks I had to have a PICC line and receive IV antibiotics. About six months later, I decided to have the surgery to reconnect my catheter. It went well and I have made it to two refill appointments to date! Praise the Lord for His miracles through medicine!

Through this whole experience, my faith was definitely tested. I had many times where I wondered what would be the outcome of this situation. I even wondered if I should have had the first surgery. I really feel that God put the doctors He wanted me to have in place and through this whole ordeal, God taught me to trust Him even more. It is a proven fact that faith and medicine go hand in hand. Luke was a physician that was also Jesus’ disciple. I believe that God has opened up doors for me with this pump by allowing me to do things I other wise could not have done, such as holding my daughter. I believe that I recovered more quickly this last time because of my faith. I am trusting in the Lord for more and more progress each day.

God has always put people and opportunities in my path and has constantly opened doors for me. In July of 2004 I had the opportunity to attend the National Youth Leadership Conference that promotes youth with disabilities to advocate for disability awareness. In Dec of 2003, I moved my church membership from Spilman Memorial Baptist to the First Free Will Baptist Church in Kinston, NC where my wife and I currently attend. I received my license to preach from the Original Free Will Baptist Eastern Conference on February 6, 2005. From September of 2003-October of 2005, I served as a member of the Statewide Independent Living Council to help better the services provided in my state for individuals with disabilities. In 1999-2000, I was on the Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities for a short time, but I learned a lot and do believe that it was a door that God had opened for me.

I say all that to say this: Jesus has shown me that through adversity, through people doubting, through myself doubting that I could achieve what I wanted to achieve. With God all things are possible and nothing is impossible if you have Jesus Christ in your life. Yes, there are times that I still get down, get frustrated, and wonder if I’ll ever complete the task before me (Psalm 73Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). But then I’m reminded of the scripture “If Christ is for me, then who can be against me?” (Romans 8:31Open in Logos Bible Software (if available))

The purpose of this testimony, I hope, is to show not only that with Christ and through Christ you can achieve your dreams with determination and perseverance, but also to show that people with disabilities are just like everyone else. They go through the same impulses, peer pressure, and struggles that everyone else does, to some degree more than the average person. People with disabilities are just as equal as everyone else. Through Christ, EVERYONE, is equal in God’s eyes (Ephesians 2:14Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)). I could not have ever done half of the things that are in this testimony and gotten through half of the things that I’ve gotten through without Christ. I would like to thank each and everyone in my life who has contributed to my life in some form or fashion, even the nay-sayers. But most of all, I would like to thank Christ for giving me the life He has and for giving me the opportunity to serve Him. Thank you and God Bless.

While Rolling is apart of what we do advocating for people with disabilities, it is not apart of the ministry. It is our travel blog to promote traveling with a disability

https://rollingwithdadonwheels.com/?fbclid=IwAR1ZGbXacxnzRpP5q2KKlN7Be5eH-kjt0WsN4ZciTM88vj8pPJ3mIOAFNRQ

https://wheelsonfireforchrist.com/

https://linktr.ee/wheelsonfireforchrist?fbclid=IwAR2laX5B-jPfFcJkndAXJdN05C87QgB2h0pvhx9XRvIOV9ttzsXt-g0y8a4

https://www.twitch.tv/wheelsonfireforchrist?fbclid=IwAR2ep0JmnHod3WSJsS694A9qAor56Tqpha2L0kE_wl0WyviPJCVhmrXi7Ww

https://rollingwithdadonwheels.com/living-with-cerebral-palsy/

Wheels on Fire for the ADA

Rolling with Dad on Wheels is an outreach of Wheels on Fire for Christ.

Rolling with Dad on Wheels serves as a way to share tips on accessible travel, navigating dietary restrictions, and so much more!

However, all travel and vacation expenses are paid for with personal funds and not paid for by ministry funds. Only the Rolling with Dad on Wheels website itself (domain and hosting fees) is supported with ministry funding.

The fourth purpose of Wheels on Fire For Christ Ministry is to promote equality within the church for individuals with disabilities and to show through disability awareness within the church that though we have a disability we are equal. As it is stated in Ephesians 2:14Open in Logos Bible Software (if available)“For Christ himself has made peace between us Jews and you Gentiles by making us all one people. He has broken down the wall of hostility that used to separate us.”

This division of Wheels on Fire for Christ will also promote equality for people with disabilities outside the church through Wheels on Fire for ADA. Wheels on Fire for ADA will advocate outside of the church for people with disabilities everywhere, regardless of race, creed, ethnicity, religion, or gender. Wheels on Fire for ADA will promote the American with Disabilities Act and work with national, state, and local agencies to ensure equal rights for all people with disabilities. This division of Wheels on Fire for Christ will address and fight current issues that face the disability community; educate the general community on disability issues; and promote and teach self-advocacy for people with disabilities. Wheels on Fire for ADA strongly believes in structural and intellectual universal design (equal access for all in building design, transportation, etc.) and equal rights for all within education and the community.

Rolling with Dad on Wheels is a outreach of Wheels on Fire for the ADA a ministry of Wheels on Fire for Christ

Wheels on Fire for Christ Ministry Inc.

Thankfulness post

 So many things this weekend, and next. I'm so grateful to be apart of every ministry God has brought me to because of the things He has called me to be involved in and with. I'm grateful, thankful, and humbly blessed, for a family that is there for me. I'm grateful for my family, and everyone God brought in my life. I'm grateful to be giving an outreach message on Dec. 16th on Red's room, I'm grateful to be doing so many things in every ministry, on my Hydrocephalus zoom calls, for the teens who meet once a month on zoom, and the phone call Bible studies I'm apart of and the one I lead every Wednesday night. Just like the song by Blessid Union Of Souls: For All The Blessings That You Bring Your The Only Song I Ever Want To Sing. Let us be thankful, grateful, and blessed each in every day for the things God blesses us with.

Bible Gateway Verse Of The Day

 Psalm 95:1-2 (New International Version)

 

Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.

Happy Birthday Dad

 Dad I love you, I hope your birthday is special just like you.

Dad you do so much for so many people and I'm proud of you.

You are a great dad, and you show love and compassion to our family.

You help us know that God is with us through any trial we face.

God will be with you every time and even today on your birthday.

God can provide you with everything you face and He will never let you go.

I love you dad, and thank you for being you. Thank you for everything you do.

I pray your blessings on your birthday will be what God shows you.

That you don't have to worry because God's got you and helping you.

Have a wonderful and blessed birthday dad. I love you so much.

Have a great year ahead, and remember mom and all of us are proud of you in what you do.

You're a blessing in all of our lives dad, and we are thankful each and every day for you.

So, happy birthday dad. I love you.

Bible Gateway verse of the day

 Psalm 19:14 (New International Version)

 

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

A message through song lyrics

 This is where I belong because I know that I am good enough in God's Eyes and that I have a place in this world. I don't understand your ways of anything I've been through when everything falls apart I give it all to you. I don't know what to say and I don't know what to do, so Lord please take my heart I give it all, I give it all to you. I give myself away, I give myself away so that you can use me. God Help Me to know that the Broken Things you Have Mended are Beautiful Things that You created. Thank you for being a good good Father.

Battles Outreach Message

 God helps us as we face battles. We face them in life, we face them in the world around us. We don't go through them alone. When we think of battles we think of how there are battles that we face with health, spiritual battles, battles with those in the army, battles around us where we don't know what to do but we know when we give it to God and we let Him take control, we know it's in His Hands. We can take things like letting it be in His Hands and giving our worries and anxieties to Him in prayer. We don't have to be afraid, as long as we have Faith and Trust in Jesus and we put our Hope in Him. God will get us to where we need in the battles that we face. I want to share just a lyric of a song I wrote for Hydrocephalus Awareness Month. The song I wrote and had composed by my piano teacher awhile back is a song called The Battle I With Others Face, now this song means a lot to me because not only did I write it for awareness month, but I wrote it in hopes others would know they are never alone in a struggle or trial they face either. Here is the lyric I want to share with all of you tonight. The lyric says: Any other time, I'm trying to be strong, but now I know that I don't have to face all of this alone. I wanted to share this line because I want all of you to be reminded tonight as well that no matter what battle, struggle, trial, no matter what it is you're facing right now, we don't have to go through any of it alone because God will always be in our hearts. He is always with us and He will never ever leave us. I want to share a quote with all of you now and the quote says this: Outside Of Christ I Am Weak In Christ I Am Strong. Another quote that I would like to share tonight says: Be Brave God Gives His Hardest Battles To His Bravest Soldiers. When we think of this, or when I think of it at least it reminds us and it reminds me in who is fighting our battles. Which brings me to the song I want to now share. The song is called Battles by The Afters. The lyrics say: This current is trying to wreck me, Like castles of sand, castles of sand, My fear, like an enemy army, Is marching again, but I'm making a stand, You surround me on every side, Your love is my armor, I fear no evil, Darkness runs from Your light, So I won't be afraid, I won't be afraid, You're going before me and oceans are parting

You're fighting my battles, When my feet are failing and my heart is shaking, You're fighting my battles, You're fighting my battles, You're fighting my battles, You're fighting my battles, Time after time, You're my refuge

You heal every scar, You're guarding my heart, Your promise, the hope that I cling to, My rescue, my friend, You come rushing in, And surround me on every side

Your love is my armor, I fear no evil, Darkness runs from Your light, So I won't be afraid, I won't be afraid

The next quote that I would like to share says: In the midst of your battles, never forget that God loves you and He has a plan for you.

The scriptures I would like to share is Jeremiah 29 verse 11 that says: For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you but to give you a hope and a future. The second scripture that I would like to share says: Isaiah 41 verse 10 says: Fear not for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. The third scripture I want to share says: 1 Timothy 2 verse 4 says: Who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth. The last two scriptures I want to share are John 17 verse 17 that says: Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. The last scripture I want to share is Psalm 18 verse 39 that says: For you equipped with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me. 

God Has Never Lost A Battle, And He Is Not About To Lose One Now. Trust Him!

David Was The Last One We Would Have Chosen To Fight The Giant But He Was Chosen By God.

God Has Defended You In Battles You Didn't Even Know About.

''God Always Gives His Best To Those Who Leave The Choice With Him.''

When God's Warriors Are Down On Their Knees, The Battle Is Not Over; It Has Just Begun.

Fight All Your Battles On Your Knees.

Hand It Over To God The Battle Is Not Yours.

His Presence enables and equips us to fight our battles meanwhile remaining at peace.

When you feel overwhelmed and you're tempted to take everything into your own hands, you have to make yourself be still. The Battle Is The Lord's. 

The Battle Is The Lord's, take courage in the fight 

the weapons of this war are praises lifted high

My confidence is sure, My God has gone before

I'll sing into the night, The Battle Is The Lord's.

God is fighting your battles, arranging things in your favor, and making a way, even when you don't see a way.

Are you past the point of weary? Is your burden weighin' heavy? Is it all too much to carry? Let me tell you 'bout my Jesus, Do you feel that empty feeling? 'Cause shame's done all its stealin', And you're desperate for some healin'

Let me tell you 'bout my Jesus, He makes a way where there ain't no way, Rises up from an empty grave

Ain't no sinner that He can't save, Let me tell you 'bout my Jesus, His love is strong and His grace is free, And the good news is I know that He, Can do for you what He's done for me, Let me tell you 'bout my Jesus And let my Jesus change your life.

Prepared For Battle

Trained 

In The Word Of God

Armed 

With The Sword Of The Spirit

Trusting 

In God For Victory

God will give me everything I need for every battle I face.

My Battle Belongs To The Lord

When you turn your worries into worship, God will turn your battles into blessings. 

God Has Never Lost A Battle

I might lose battles but I will not lose my faith and the will to keep going with my God.

Fight Your Battles Through Prayer, And Win Your Battles Through Faith

The Harder The Battle, The Sweeter The Victory.

I Thought It Was The End But God Whispered: ''It Is Only A Battle, War Is Already Won ''

You can have it all, the war was never mine

Through everything, you clear the way to make it right

You give me purpose, and you take me as I am

Do what you want with my life, oh

Each battle I face you've already won

I'll never be less than the work that you've done

You hold my future, let go of my past

You're finishing what you've begun

So I'm letting go

Prayer is the best weapon to win our unseen battles

When all I see is the battle, You see my victory

When all I see is the mountain, You see a mountain moved

And as I walk through the shadow, Your love surrounds me

There's nothing to fear now for I am safe with You

So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees

With my hands lifted high

Oh God, the battle belongs to You

And every fear I lay at Your feet

I'll sing through the night

Oh God, the battle belongs to You

And if You are for me, who can be against me? Yeah

For Jesus, there's nothing impossible for You

When all I see are the ashes, You see the beauty

Thank You God

When all I see is a cross, God, You see the empty tomb

So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees

With my hands lifted high

Oh God, the battle belongs to You

And every fear I lay at Your feet

I'll sing through the night

Oh God, the battle belongs to You

The Lord Will Fight For You, And You Have Only To Be Silent

There Is No Easy Way To Victory. 

The Highest Values In Life Must Be Fought For And Won.

We look at these things and we see how God is always with us, how He has not left us and is always by our side.

You hear me when I call

You are my morning song

Though darkness fills the night

It cannot hide the light

Whom shall I fear?

You crush the enemy

Underneath my feet

You are my sword and shield

Though troubles linger still

Whom shall I fear?

I know who goes before me

I know who stands behind

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

The one who reigns forever

He is a friend of mine

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

My strength is in your name

For you alone can save

You will deliver me

Yours is the victory

Whom shall I fear?

Whom shall I fear?

I know who goes before me

I know who stands behind

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

The one who reigns forever

He is a friend of mine

The God of angel armies

Is always by my side

Give It To God

Joshua 1 verse 9 says: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

This is how I fight my battles

(There's a table)

This is how I fight my battles

This is how I fight my battles

This is how I fight my battles

This is how I fight my battles

This is how I fight my battles

This is how I fight my battles

It may look like I'm surrounded

But I'm surrounded by You

It may look like I'm surrounded

But I'm surrounded by You

It may look like I'm surrounded

But I'm surrounded by You

It may look like I'm surrounded

But I'm surrounded by You

This is how I fight my battles

This is how I fight my battles

This is how I fight my battles

This is how I fight my battles

This is how I fight my battles

This is how I fight my battles

This is how I fight my battles

At Your table

Life Is A Battle

Fear Is The Enemy!

At the first sign of sickness, 

trouble, or turmoil,

fear strikes at your heart.

Fight back with your faith,

by being calm with the Lord.

Fear will have no hold on you!

Defend yourself--

by being still with your heart,

by being calm in your actions,

For Jesus does all things well, and by being quiet in your thoughts,

For Jesus is in control.

The Lord has your life in His hands!

You need not be afraid.

You need only to trust Jesus.

For when you are calm in the Lord,

Fear Has No Hold On You!

Here are some things that I would like to end on tonight.

The first thing I would like to end on says this: When the going gets tough

And my strength's not enough

I see You showing up like never before

This battle for my heart

You took on from the start

You are the peace when my mind's at war

And oh

You will never stop fighting for me

When I can't fight for myself

Every word is a promise You keep

'Cause You love me like nobody else

You stand up for me in the darkest night

When my faith is weak You're still by my side

You will never stop fighting for me

You will never stop fighting for me

The second thing I would like to share says: We fall. We break. We fail. But then, We Rise. We Heal. We Overcome.

The third thing says: 'You may have to fight a battle more than once, to win it.'

The fourth thing I would like to share is lyrics from a song by Rend Collective and the lyrics of the song say this: Let our praises remind all the darkness

Of how great and how mighty our God is

For the battle belongs to the Lord and no one else

We are standing in holy defiance

We're declaring aloud in the silence

That the battle belongs to the Lord and no one else, no one else

In the chaos, the crisis

The troubles, the trials

The shadows, the sorrows

The long nights, the hard fight

We are the prophets, the voice in the darkness

Declaring the battle is Yours

Another song I would like to share says this: When it looks like I'm surrounded by the enemy

And it feels like hope is far beyond my reach

I know the battle, I know the battle, I know the battle

The battle is Yours

I know the battle, I know the battle, I know the battle

The battle is Yours, always Yours

Oh, the battle is Yours, Jesus

When the seas agree that they should rage against me

And the storm it pours its wrath upon my head

There's a name that's sure to save, it's never-failing

Jesus, my salvation, and my shield

I know the battle, I know the battle, I know the battle

The battle is Yours, always Yours

I know the battle, I know the battle, I know the battle

The battle is Yours, it's always Yours

I know the battle, I know the battle, I know the battle

The battle is Yours, it's always Yours

I know the battle, I know the battle, I know the battle

The battle is Yours, it's always Yours

We realize through all of this that no matter how many times the enemy tries to knock us down, God will always pick us back up and He continues to fight for us daily.

Here is another song that I would like to share with you.

The lyrics of this song say: When lies tell me I'm on my own

And I take my eyes off You, I start to fall

Help me to rest in

The promise that You gave me

When I wait on You, I will rise

Oh-oh-oh, Your love is fighting for me

Oh-oh-oh, pushing through all my fears

I can stand my ground I don't need to run

Your love is fighting for me

Oh-oh-oh, Your love is fighting for me

By Your grace I've come this far

Your mercy holds me and carries me through

My God, You've always been faithful

Your promises are true for me

God's promises are always true, and is love is unconditional because God is love. He will always continue to fight for us because His love never runs out on us.

We then begin to also see and realize that The Battle Is The Lord's and that The Battle does belong to Him.

The weapon may be formed, but it won't prosper

When the darkness falls, it won't prevail

'Cause the God I serve knows only how to triumph

My God will never fail

Oh, my God will never fail

I'm gonna see a victory

I'm gonna see a victory

For the battle belongs to You, Lord

I'm gonna see a victory

I'm gonna see a victory

For the battle belongs to You, Lord (oh yeah)

There's power in the mighty name of Jesus

Every war He wages He will win

I'm not backing down from any giant

'Cause I know how this story ends

Yes, I know how this story ends

Gonna worship my way through this battle

Gonna worship my way through, hey

I'm gonna see a victory

I'm gonna see a victory

For the battle belongs to You, Lord

I'm gonna see a victory

I'm gonna see a victory

For the battle belongs to You, Lord

Life is a hard battle anyway. If we laugh and sing a little as we fight the good fight of freedom, it makes it all go easier. I will not allow my life's light to be determined by the darkness around me.

Know thy self, Know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.

This is my prayer in the desert

When all that's within me feels dry

This is my prayer in my hunger and need

My God is the God who provides

And this is my prayer in the fire

In weakness or trial or pain

There is a faith proved of more worth than gold

So refine me Lord through the flame

And I will bring praise, I will bring praise

No weapon formed against me shall remain

I will rejoice, I will declare

God is my victory and He is here

And this is my prayer in the battle

When triumph is still on its way

I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ

So firm on His promise I'll stand

I will bring praise, I will bring praise

No weapon formed against me shall remain

I will rejoice, I will declare

God is my victory and He is here

All of my life in every season

You are still God

I have a reason to sing

I have a reason to worship

Outreach Message

 God gives us life to know that we are called according to His Purpose. We know that we are wonderfully, fearfully, and uniquely made by God. We can remember how God shows us that with Compassion in our hearts we don't have to worry about different things because I've heard it said to me and others, and I've heard it said that worry doesn't add a day to our life. I've had that stick with me and the scripture that says For God hasn't given us a spirit of fear but of a sound mind. I want to share a quote that says: God will often use discomfort to move you into your destiny. I want to share another quote that says: When you turn your worry into Worship. God will turn your battles into Blessings. God helps all of us as His Children that are going through battles of their own and are dealing with different struggles, and go through many things, but we are never ever alone. We are fearfully, uniquely, and wonderfully made because we can do all things through Christ that gives us the strength to overcome different battles. We as children of God can have a hard time with loss, and other things like Anxiety, but when we pray and give it to God we can depend and count on Him to help us through everything and anything that we face in our own lives. No matter what we face in life God's Got This. God's Got Us and we can always count on Him. I believe that God will continue to show us what we can handle and what we can take. I've heard it said as well, He will never give us what we can't handle or what we can take. I know that with every trial God will help us overcome it all. In God's Eyes we don't have to be perfect because we are perfectly imperfect. God doesn't even see us as perfect, because no one is. God's ways are perfect but our ways are not. We always try our best to do the things we are called by God to do and we try to be the best example we can be for others who need it most. God's given us the courage, knowledge, compassion, love, grace, mercy, and a pure heart of Faith to know we can do all things. In every circumstance we know that God is faithful, we know that He is a Just God that can help us when we are seeking for guidance and help. When we feel lost, when we feel scared, when we feel like there isn't hope, God reminds us that all hope isn't lost and that we can come to Him and we can Run To The Cross. We can share our anxieties, our fears, our loneliness to God in prayer and with others that can help us. Remember when I shared how God doesn't give us a spirit of fear but of a sound mind? Well, when we think of that and we truly think of it, we know who holds our future, we know who holds tomorrow and that is God. God is holding our future, and God is holding us close to Him. He knows that we have trials that we go through, but He is the one that helps us overcome those trials that we face in life. Psalm 30 verse 5 reminds us of this, For His anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime;

weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. In verse 4 of Psalm 30 before it goes to verse 5 it says, Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name. And in the last verse which is verse 6 of Psalm 30 it says, When I felt secure, I said,  “I will never be shaken.” Verse 4 and 6 of Psalm 30 remind me of two different songs. The first song called Build My Life says: Worthy of every song we could ever sing, Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring, Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe, We live for you, Oh, we live for you, Jesus, the Name above every other name, Jesus, the only One who could ever save (worthy...) Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe, We live for you, Holy, there is no one like You, There is none beside You, Open up my eyes in wonder, Show me who You are and fill me, With Your heart and lead me, In your love to those around me, Jesus, the Name above every other name, Jesus, the only One who could ever save, Worthy of every breathe we could ever breathe, We live for You, Oh! We live for for You, Holy, there is no one like You

There is none beside You, Open up my eyes in wonder, Show me who You are and fill me, With Your heart and lead me, In your love to those around me, I will build my life upon Your love

It is a firm foundation, I will put my trust in You alone And I will not be shaken, I will build my life upon Your love, It is a firm foundation, I will put my trust in You alone, And I will not be shaken, Holy, there is no one like You, There is none beside You, Open up my eyes in wonder

Show me who You are and fill me, With Your heart and lead me, In your love to those around me, I will build my life upon Your love, It is a firm foundation, I will put my trust in You alone

And I will not be shaken, I will build my life upon Your love, It is a firm foundation, I will put my trust in You alone And I will not be shaken.

The next song is called Desert Song and it says, This is my prayer in the desert, When all that's within me feels dry, This is my prayer in my hunger and need, My God is the God who provides And this is my prayer in the fire

In weakness or trial or pain, There is a faith proved of more worth than gold, So refine me Lord through the flame, And I will bring praise, I will bring praise, No weapon formed against me shall remain, I will rejoice, I will declare, God is my victory and He is here, And this is my prayer in the battle, When triumph is still on its way

I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ, So firm on His promise I'll stand, I will bring praise, I will bring praise, No weapon formed against me shall remain, I will rejoice, I will declare

God is my victory and He is here, All of my life in every season, You are still God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship, Oh, yeah

All of my life in every season, You are still God

I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship, All of my life in every season, You are still God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship,  All of my life in every season, You are still God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship, I will bring praise, I will bring praise,  No weapon formed against me shall remain, I will rejoice, I will declare, God is my victory and He is here, You are Lord, You are here in my heart, And this is my prayer in the harvest, When favour and providence flow, I know I'm filled to be emptied again, The seed I've received I will sow. We see in both songs that God gives us what we need every single day. We see how we won't let the enemy win our battles and let us be shaken from them. God is fighting our battles and He wins them. God is fighting our battles and He is for us. Here are some quotes I would like to share with you all. A lot of these quotes that I'm sharing tonight come from a Facebook page called God's Armour. Here are the quotes I would like to share. You could be struggling today and get blessed tomorrow, that's how God works. Every time I don't know how I'm going to do something... God shows up. God's timing teaches you to trust. You're blessed. Don't let the tough moments in life pull you away from the truth. When anxiety starts to creep in, take a moment to pray. Yes, it is a struggle every day. But I promise you God is on your side. The Lord is with you and He will be your strength. Don't lose hope in Him. Before I share some other quotes, I want to be able to share two different song lyrics again with you that I feel we need. The song I would like to share first is called Prize Worth Fighting For and the lyrics say this, Lately, been down so low, My faith seems to come and go, Some days, father, I don't know

How did my love grow cold? But You help me see again, This world is not the end, Jesus, my sweetest friend, You're worth the suffering

Your love is my reward Your love is my reward

When every day is just another struggle And every choice is an act of war, Gotta pray, gotta press on To the prize worth fighting for

When it feels like I'll never make it, When my heart's crying out for more, Gotta pray, gotta press on To the prize worth fighting for

The battle rages on, But your promise keeps me strong, I know I'll win this race, With your unfailing grace, Your love is my reward Your love is my reward, When every day is just another struggle And every choice is an act of war, Gotta pray, gotta press on To the prize worth fighting for, When it feels like I'll never make it When my heart's crying out for more

Gotta pray, gotta press on To the prize worth fighting for, Your love is my reward, The prize worth fighting for Jesus, you're worth my all

Your love is my reward, Your love is my reward

When every day is just another struggle (Every day) And every choice is an act of war

Gotta pray, gotta press on (I gotta pray) To the prize worth fighting for, When it feels like I'll never make it (When it feels like I'll never make it, oh-oh) When my heart's crying out for more

Gotta pray, gotta press on To the prize worth fighting for (Prize worth fighting for)

Every day is just another struggle (Every day)

Every choice is an act of war (Every choice, every choice) I gotta pray, gotta pray (I gotta pray, I gotta pray)I gotta pray, gotta press on

To the prize worth fighting for. The next song is called Hope Returns and the lyrics of it say, So this is how it feels when standing strong, Turns into barely even holding on, The plans you had are shattered on the floor And your fear tells your faith, There's no use in praying those prayers anymore, When your world is crashing, when your knees hit the ground, When your heart is asking, "What do I do now?" Just when you think it can't get worse Hold on, that's when hope returns, Like a new sun breaking through the darkest night, Like a whisper saying, "It'll be alright", I know you're tired, I know it hurts But hold on, that's when hope returns

And that's when hope returns, I know it's hard to see the other side Through all the where are you's and don't know why's And I know it looks like hope is in the grave, But He's still on the throne, so be still and know, That He's still rolling stones away When your world is crashing, when your knees hit the ground

When your heart is asking, "What do I do now?"

Just when you think it can't get worse Hold on, that's when hope returns, Like a new sun breaking through the darkest night, Like a whisper saying, "It'll be alright", I know you're tired, I know it hurts, But hold on, that's when hope returns (Yeah) Hold on, 'cause hope returns, When your world is crashing, when your knees hit the ground, When your heart is asking, "What do I do now?" Just when you think it can't get worse, Hold on, that's when hope returns, Like a new sun breaking through the darkest night, Like a whisper saying, "It's gonna be alright", I know you're tired, I know it hurts But hold on, that's when hope returns

That's when hope returns, Hope returns. 

You can't break someone who seeks their happiness from God.  

Just be who God created you to be.

Sometimes you just have to put in God's Hand and leave it at that.

Jesus changes hearts. Jesus mends the broken. Jesus finds the lost. Jesus delivers the sinners. Jesus opens the eyes. You are new in Christ. 

This song I would like to share is called Brand New and the lyrics of the song say, When you close your eyes, do you go back there To a bended knee and a "Lord, I need you" whispered prayer? Remember the moment you let Jesus in, Would you give anything to go back there again? You feel like a million mistakes and a million miles, Away from the first time faith of a child But oh, I want you to know, He's making you new, He's making you new, He's healing your heart right where you are, If only you knew

He's lifting your shame, He's changing your name, And when you look back The only thing that you'll see is His grace, Has been making you brand new He is making you brand new

When it just doesn't feel like the old you is gone

The shame keeps telling your heart that you should be further along, You can fix your eyes now on the truth you know That you are held by the hands of a savior that won't let go, He's making you new, He's making you new

He's healing your heart right where you are, If only you knew, He's lifting your shame

He's changing your name And when you look back, The only thing that you'll see is His grace

Has been making you brand new, He is making you brand new, Anyone in Christ is now a new creation, Every day you're closer to the you He's making, So take one last look back and see your past erasing, You're not who you were, that's over and done, So lift up your eyes to the one

Who's making you new, He's making you new

He's healing your heart right where you are

If only you knew, He's lifting your shame

He's changing your name And when you look back The only thing that you'll see is His grace

Has been making you brand new, He is making you brand new Yes, He is making you brand new

Push Me Lord, I wanna be better.

Make up your mind that you'lll no longer allow things to stress you out. Turn it over to God, trust, and let go.

Look back and thank God, look forward and trust God.

Storms without God will break you. Storms with God will build you.

I don't know who needs to hear this but, give God a lil more time.

When sadness fills your heart

When tears fill your eyes

Always remember 3 things: 

God is with you

Still with you

Always with you.

Amen.

Isaiah 14 verse 27 says: Nothing can stop God's plan for your life.

Jeremiah 29 verse 11 says: For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you but to give you a hope and a future.

John 10 verse 10 says: The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy but I have come so that you may have life and live it to the full, or it also says but I have come so that you may have life and live it more abundantly.

Psalm 89 says: I will sing of the Lord's great love forever with my mouth I will make my faithfulness known through all generations.

The lyrics of a song called I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever say this: I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever

I will sing I will sing

What a mercy that I am in the church forever

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord

With my mouth will I make known

Thy faithfulness Thy faithfulness

With my mouth will I make known

Thy faithfulness to all generations

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever

I will sing I will sing

What a mercy that I am in the church forever

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord

John 3:16 says: For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have enteral life, and it also says that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

A song called God so loved says this: Come all you weary, Come all you thirsty, Come to the well, That never runs dry, Drink of the water

Come and thirst no more, Well, come all you sinners, Come find His mercy, Come to the table

He will satisfy, Taste of His goodness, Find what you're looking for, For God so loved The world that He gave us, His one and only Son to save us

Whoever believes in Him, Will live forever

Bring all your failures, Bring your addictions

Come lay them down At the foot of the cross

Jesus is waiting there, With open arms

see His open arms, For God so loved, The world that He gave us His one and only Son to save us

Whoever believes in Him, Will live forever

The power of hell, Forever defeated, Now it is well, I'm walking in freedom For God so loved

God so loved the world, Praise God, Praise God

From whom all blessings flow, Praise Him

Praise Him, For the wonders of His love (praise God), Praise God, Praise God From whom all blessings flow, Praise Him, Praise Him, For the wonders of His love, His amazing love, For God so loved, The world that He gave us, His one and only Son to save, For God so loved, The world that He gave us His one and only Son to save us, Whoever believes in Him Will live forever, the power of hell Forever defeated

Now it is well, I'm walking in freedom, For God so loved, God so loved the world, Bring all your failures, Bring your addictions Come lay them down, At the foot of the cross, Jesus is waiting God so loved the world.