WEST CENTRAL INTEGRATED TREATMENT FACILITY – Mar. 28, 2015
Fifty amazing women (5 new) worshiped with Set Captives Free Ministries at West Central. Pastor Elizabeth Smith welcomed them with a special prayer to lay all their burdens at God’s feet to free them for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. After drying our tears, we all loudly and joyfully praised God with song, prayer, and shouting.
Pastor Kevin Humphery’s previous lesson was on “Holding On” to our faith and stepping forward while TRUSTING God’s plan EVEN if the plan isn’t clear to us. Tonight he continued with “PRESS ON” by reading Psalms 37:23-24. “23. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.” (NKJV)
Pastor Kevin Humphery’s previous lesson was on “Holding On” to our faith and stepping forward while TRUSTING God’s plan EVEN if the plan isn’t clear to us. Tonight he continued with “PRESS ON” by reading Psalms 37:23-24. “23. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.” (NKJV)
Fifty amazing women (5 new) worshiped with Set Captives Free Ministries at West Central. Pastor Elizabeth Smith welcomed them with a special prayer to lay all their burdens at God’s feet to free them for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. After drying our tears, we all loudly and joyfully praised God with song, prayer, and shouting.
Pastor Kevin Humphery’s previous lesson was on “Holding On” to our faith and stepping forward while TRUSTING God’s plan EVEN if the plan isn’t clear to us. Tonight he continued with “PRESS ON” by reading Psalms 37:23-24. “23. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.” (NKJV)
People want to be HAPPY at church, at work, and in their relationships, but tend to believe that “Good” comes due to THEIR merit – not God’s grace. They don’t lean on God and develop “Faith Muscles” until ADVERSITY shows up. ARROGANCE falls away when faced with the loss of everything – including ourSELVES . We blame our problems on events and people, but most of our sorrow comes from OUR WRONG CHOICES. We learn HUMILITY only when nothing but God’s grace is available to us and we submit to His will – CHOOSE GOD and GOOD.
How do we learn to make the GOOD choices? God leads (orders) our STEPS through testing areas so that when we call on HIM, we have been tried in the FIRE of our self-imposed pain. Then, we move forward to humbly serve Him and our loved ones by PRESSING towards God. Each step – wrong and right – can strengthen our FAITH and help us learn how to RECOGNIZE His will and trust more easily. We will fall and fail; but GOD supports us with HIS HAND.
Philipians 3:11 proves that even Paul knew he wasn’t perfect but VOWED that he would PRESS ON to God’s HIGH CALLING for his life. “HOW?”, you ask. By praising in the MIDST of our problems – like Joseph and Job. To reach our HIGH CALLING, we must “put on the mind of Christ” thru service to those we love by:
1) Marrying the right man by PRESSING thru bad attitudes and BECOMING the right woman,
2) Getting a job, a home, and our kids to love and nurture by PRESSING thru loneliness and judgement,
3) Having SELF-respect by PRESSING away from unhealthy people and bad habits and toward GOD,
4) Praising and thanking God for each opportunity and PRESSING toward JOY in all circumstances.
God’s rewards are immeasurable but not always tangible and we can sing “Every Mountain” with tears of thanksgiving because He rescued us from ourselves.
Kevin offered everyone to come forward and pray for the strength to press and to turn their problems over to God and 90% did so. What a blessing!
Submitted by Sheila Stover
Pastor Kevin Humphery’s previous lesson was on “Holding On” to our faith and stepping forward while TRUSTING God’s plan EVEN if the plan isn’t clear to us. Tonight he continued with “PRESS ON” by reading Psalms 37:23-24. “23. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.” (NKJV)
People want to be HAPPY at church, at work, and in their relationships, but tend to believe that “Good” comes due to THEIR merit – not God’s grace. They don’t lean on God and develop “Faith Muscles” until ADVERSITY shows up. ARROGANCE falls away when faced with the loss of everything – including ourSELVES . We blame our problems on events and people, but most of our sorrow comes from OUR WRONG CHOICES. We learn HUMILITY only when nothing but God’s grace is available to us and we submit to His will – CHOOSE GOD and GOOD.
How do we learn to make the GOOD choices? God leads (orders) our STEPS through testing areas so that when we call on HIM, we have been tried in the FIRE of our self-imposed pain. Then, we move forward to humbly serve Him and our loved ones by PRESSING towards God. Each step – wrong and right – can strengthen our FAITH and help us learn how to RECOGNIZE His will and trust more easily. We will fall and fail; but GOD supports us with HIS HAND.
Philipians 3:11 proves that even Paul knew he wasn’t perfect but VOWED that he would PRESS ON to God’s HIGH CALLING for his life. “HOW?”, you ask. By praising in the MIDST of our problems – like Joseph and Job. To reach our HIGH CALLING, we must “put on the mind of Christ” thru service to those we love by:
1) Marrying the right man by PRESSING thru bad attitudes and BECOMING the right woman,
2) Getting a job, a home, and our kids to love and nurture by PRESSING thru loneliness and judgement,
3) Having SELF-respect by PRESSING away from unhealthy people and bad habits and toward GOD,
4) Praising and thanking God for each opportunity and PRESSING toward JOY in all circumstances.
God’s rewards are immeasurable but not always tangible and we can sing “Every Mountain” with tears of thanksgiving because He rescued us from ourselves.
Kevin offered everyone to come forward and pray for the strength to press and to turn their problems over to God and 90% did so. What a blessing!
Submitted by Sheila Stover