Daily Devotional By Archbishop Foley Beach

To Become Jesus Followers: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”

MESSAGE SUMMARY: Every time you lie or cheat or lust or get stoned, you put a barrier between yourself and God because God is Holy. God’s Holiness prevents Him from communing with sinners. The author of 1 John tells us in 1 John 3:8: “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.". God brought Jesus, who was both God and man, to live on earth. Therefore, Jesus’ blood sacrifice on the cross permitted Him to take on your sins. By His sacrifice, Jesus became the doorway for your personal relationship with God and a path for your Salvation from your sins (1 John 1:9-10): “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.".

 

TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, everything in me resists following you into the garden of Gethsemane to fall on my face to the ground before you. Grant me the courage to follow you all the way to the cross, whatever that might mean for my life. And then, by your grace, lead me to resurrection life and power. In Jesus’ name, amen.   Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 100). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Anxiety. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit’s fruit of Peace. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 17:2-3; Philippians 3:7-10; Matthew 16:13-20; Psalms 78b:13-24.

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Giving Thanks to the Lord”,  at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

A Prior “Independence Day Devotional” as We Prepare to Celebrate Again - We Must Have a Great Spiritual Awakening that Returns America to God

MESSAGE SUMMARY: Will you "Stand in the Gap" and participate in a Great Awakening and Spiritual Renewal in America?

The signers of the Declaration of Independence, in 1776, began a revolution which led to the formation of the United States of America. This Revolution was rooted in the belief that all people are subject to the rule of God, even the King; and leaders are not above man’s law or God’s Law. Also, everyone is endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights.

Many people have tried to deny that America's founders created a country which wove together the concept of self-governance with Christian principles. Now, it appears the focus, of many political and church leaders, is to eliminate ideas, laws, policies, and objects that relate America to Christianity, the Bible, or anything that smacks of God. Today, this focus away from God is succeeding. We all need to hear what our founders said regarding America’s Christian base.

Not long after the enactment of the Constitution in the late 1700s, morality and church attendance declined drastically into a Spiritual Depression. The answer to this 1700s turn away from God became the nationwide implementation of "Concerts of Prayer", across all Christian denominations, which led to an American Spiritual Awakening.

Today, through our actions, laws, and cultural revisions of our founding Christian principles, we have told God that we do not want Him around. Therefore, we must consider what God said He would do and what He has done in the past when people have turned away from Him, as told in Psalms 2:1-2,5,10-12: “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed . . . Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying . . .  Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.". In the past, as indicated in Psalms 2, God has withdrawn His presence, including His protection and divine wisdom, when people have turned away from Him. God’s presence has guided America for so many years, and the withdrawal of God’s presence in America would leave us to reap the consequences of our focus away from Him.

Also, consider what the Lord said, in Ezekiel 22:30-31: "And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. Therefore, I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned their way upon their heads, declares the Lord God.”.

However, in Zechariah 1:3 and in many other promises throughout the Bible, God says to his people in the past and to us today: “Therefore say to them, Thus declares the LORD of hosts: ‘Return to me’, says the LORD of hosts, ‘and I will return to you’, says the LORD of hosts.". Will you "Stand in the Gap”, on behalf of your country, to participate in and lead a Great Awakening and Spiritual Renewal in America by returning America to God?

We must have a Spiritual Awakening to return America to God.

 

TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, I come this day inviting you to cut those deeply entrenched chains that keep me from being faithful to my true self in Christ. In doing so, may my life be a blessing to many. In Jesus’ name, amen.      Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 44). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Loneliness. Rather, I will abide in the Lord’s Presence. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ezekiel 22:30-31; Psalms 2:1-12; Zechariah 1:3; Daniel 4:31b-32; Matthew 22:19-21; Isaiah 29:8-24; Psalms 127:1-5

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Giving Thanks to the Lord”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

The Old Testament Law of “an eye for an eye” Was Reversed by Jesus in His “Great Commandment” in which Jesus Followers Are “to Love”

MESSAGE SUMMARY: Jesus turned the prior teachings of the Law on their heels by commanding that personal relationships be based on “Love” not “Law and Justice”. Prior to the New Covenant of Jesus the Christ, the Jewish Law included "an eye for an eye . . .". Jesus, in Matthew 5:38-39, provides the cornerstone of His Greatest Commandment – “love thy neighbor as thy self” when He tells us: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”. The Old Testament Law was for the Judges to help the courts punish people in an appropriate and consistent way. God’s Grace provided us with the means, if we so choose, for the forgiveness of our sins and for our Salvation and Eternal Life when our eternal death was the “Law and Justice” outcome of our sins.  God’s Grace sets the model for us to live a life of “Love” – “Love” God’s way.

 

TODAY’S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 5:38-42; Hebrews 9:15; 1 John 4:19; Psalms 77b:11-20.

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Giving Thanks to the Lord” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/   

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Wives and Mothers Need Respect and Support Today More Than Ever in These Days of Stress and Uncertainty

MESSAGE SUMMARY: Wives and mothers need respect and support today more than ever in these days of stress and uncertainty, derivative of Covid-19 and cultural dissonance along with inconsistences in our social, educational, health, work, and our faith-based support systems. We are told, in the Wisdom of Proverbs 31:10-12, that: “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.". Paul says, in 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, that: “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.". After all, God ordained this special relationship for wives, husbands, and mothers as confirmed by Jesus in Matthew 19:5b: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh”.

 

TODAY’S PRAYER: Abba Father, I admit that I am often afraid and embarrassed to openly tell you all that is going on inside me — even though I know you know it all anyway. Teach me what boldness in prayer looks like as I draw near your throne of grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.  Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 112). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.                                

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be ashamed of the Gospel. I will not be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (including me). From Romans 1:16

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): 2 Timothy 1:5; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; Matthew 7:24-27; Psalms 77a:1-10.

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Some Christians Easily Walk Away from God, But God Rejoices When They Return ” , at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Through the Holy Spirit and a Personal Relationship with God, Jesus Followers Hear God’s Calls and Can Respond - “Here am I, Send Me”

MESSAGE SUMMARY: Do you, like many Christians, see little, spiritually, going on in your life? As a Jesus Follower, God calls you just as He called the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 6:8: “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’”. Therefore, as a Jesus Follower, you should be asking the question: “Am I ready for something spiritual to happen in my life; am I dressed and ready for His service?”. Are you ready to say: “Lord, here am I; send me.”? The call of the Holy Spirit to you may be diverse like: a) becoming a missionary in a third world country; b) being a Christian business leader; or c) taking a stand for Jesus that is not politically correct. Can you be as ready as Isaiah when he said to God’s call, in Isaiah 6:8: “Lord, here am I; send me.”? Are listening for God’s calls, and are ready to be sent? If not, why not?

 

TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, in order to be with you, I need you to show me how to “create a desert” in the midst of my full, active life. Cleanse me from the pressures, illusions, and pretenses that confront me today so that my life may serve as a gift to those around me. Amen.  Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 26). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Evil Ways. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit’s fruit of Goodness. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Romans 8:12-17; Acts 2:1-4; Genesis 46:2-4; Psalms 76:1-12.

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Some Christians Easily Walk Away from God, But God Rejoices When They Return”?” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

As a Jesus Follower” and in this “time of your life”, Have You Asked God to Walk with You? God Says, “I Am with You Always”

MESSAGE SUMMARY: With your personal relationship with God, He is with you as you walk through all the times {“Seasons”} of your life, as Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:20b: “. . .I am with you always, to the end of the age.”. In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, God tells us about all the times of our lives: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.". In this “time of your life”, have you asked God to walk with you? Remember, “I am with you always”.

 

TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I can relate to the disciples who wanted to call down fire from heaven on the Samaritans and who fought over which of them was the greatest. Forgive my arrogance. Cleanse me and fill me with your power so that I might love well today for your name’s sake. Amen.   Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 138). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Lust. Rather, I will abide in the Lord’s Perfect Provision. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; John 15:1-11; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17; Psalms 75:1-10.

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Some Christians Easily Walk Away from God, But God Rejoices When They Return”?”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

A Word From The Lord

Our Ministry for Delivering the Lord’s Word

A Word From The Lord (AWFTL) is Dr. Foley Beach’s personal volunteer media teaching ministry. AWFTL has distributed Biblical teachings, from the Lord’s Word, for more than twenty years. AWFTL’s ministry message is in a Gospel context rooted in Biblical Christianity without an Anglican emphasis. Our ministry objective and focus is to fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations . . .” (Matthew 28:19). To this end, we use several content distribution mediums including radio, podcast, audio and video.

We invite you to read on for more information about our ministry, but I want to encourage you to contribute by clicking HERE to donate now. You are making a secure donation through our partner the National Christian Foundation -- NCF (or you can mail checks using the information at the end of this overview). Your prayers and financial support keep our ministry in fulfilling Jesus’ Great Commission.

AWFTL is staffed by a volunteer Executive Director and a volunteer Treasurer. The other staff members are part-time employees. Additionally, AWFTL obtains economic and intellectual leverage through a long-standing cadre of partners (e.g., iHeart Media, Microsoft, PodBean, Salem Media). Our distribution platforms are grouped into broadcast, email, and podcast. Across all platforms, AWFTL makes contacts with sinners by communicating the Lord’s Word through partners, on behalf of AWFTL, using AWFTL’s media messages (i.e. Dr. Beach’s sermons or a One-Minute Messages) directed to the broadcaster’s/distributor’s targeted markets – our contacts. From the perspective of our distribution partners, AWFTL is considered as an advertiser providing a thirty-minute sermon or a one-minute spot targeted through demographic and behavioral segmentation, using traditional terrestrial radio and targeted direct digital audio.

Emails of the Daily Devotional are provided, on a free subscription basis through MailChimp, to over 2,500 recipients daily. Additionally, 2,500 listeners receive full sermon emails on Sunday from Dr. Beach. Podcasts are published daily using the Daily Devotional, and podcasts provide full sermons on Sunday. We use PodBean as our podcast publisher to gain access to eight publishing platforms (e.g., Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, Google).

 

AWFTL’s premise, through all its distribution platforms and channels, is that the volume of contacts matters to His Kingdom in fulfilling His Great Commission. Therefore, AWFTL depends on Romans 10:17 in that each contact with the Lord’s Gospel Word can begin or continue their personal “faith journey” because “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”.

 

Our Results

AWFTL is achieving its mission to share the unchanging Word of God with both believers and nonbelievers. Across all our channels (e.g., radio, podcasting, email, Internet), we now average more than 15 million annual contacts in more than 70 countries at an efficient and effective cost of $0.008/contact. Consider that, every day, our One-Minute Message has the potential of contacting 40,000+ people -- Absolutely amazing!

 

Dr. Beach traveled globally as Archbishop and Chairman of GAFCON (i.e. Global Anglicans representing more than70 Million members), and he met people from all walks of life who often sought him out to tell him how much our Daily Devotionals meant in their lives. For example, one American has developed and leads a global small Zoom group in which one person is assigned to coordinate Zoom discussions each day of a week. They use the Daily Devotional audio and its “Scripture References” as the base for their joint discussions and prayer time with the Lord. This Zoom group has grown to more than thirty participants, from several countries across the globe, with daily time zone scheduling being a challenge!

 

Our Opportunities to Address the “Gospel Gap”

About two years ago Archbishop Beach delivered a sermon in Nigeria to the GAFCON Primate leadership addressing the “Gospel Gap” (i.e. people who have never heard the Gospel, have heard the Gospel but are indifferent to its message, or have heard the Gospel and hate God’s message and those delivering His message). Most in the Gospel Gap resist exposure to the Gospel by avoiding church attendance and/or hearing traditional faith-based audio/video media. The Gospel Gap constitutes about 38% of US adults today, and the Gap is growing.

 

AWFTL conducted research to identify those who occupy the Gospel Gap and why. Ultimately, we developed five “Life Story” sentences which capture the reason for which people became and/or remain Gap occupants – for example: “I am alone and so confused with no trustable sources for love or the truth and no objects for my love; and the government and churches don’t help.”. We believe that AWFTL has a somewhat unique opportunity to leverage our infrastructure, capabilities, and Dr. Beach’s more than fifteen years of weekly sermons to extract targeted One-Minute Messages, using AI, to address the Life Stories. To this end, these derived messages, from existing content, can be delivered directly into the Gospel Gap using evolving targeted direct digital audio platforms.

 

Dr. Beach’s sermons resonate with the Gospel Gap occupants and their Life Stories. To test our thesis in 2022, we partnered with iHeart Media to target Atlanta demographic segments in the Gospel Gap. During 2022, iHeart Media streamed 6,600+ One-Minute Messages every day for 12 months. Incredibly, 97.4% of the recipients listened to the entire message. iHeart Media told us that a “listening rate” of about 86% would be considered successful in secular targeted digital advertising. Additional levels of initial listener engagement will be provided through AI Natural Language Processing (NLP) Q&A discussions to extend their Gospel message understanding.

 

Please Support A Word From The Lord, Inc.

AWFTL is supported by the prayers and contributions of its friends, and AWFTL does not receive financial support from churches or denominations.

 

We need your support for both today’s successful baseline ministry and, hopefully, to pursue opportunities for directly addressing the Gospel Gap. Will you help? Now is the time to do it!

Please make your secure monthly recurring donation, for one year, through our partner, the National Christian Foundation (NCF). You can contribute by clicking HERE – just follow NCF’s instructions after clicking. Also, you can visit our Website at www.awordfromthelord.org for more information about our ministry; and you can contribute using the Website by clicking “DONATE” on the Website.

If you do not wish to contribute online through NCF, you may support us by check and mailing A Word From The Lord, P. O. Box 636 Monroe, GA. 30655.

For all contributions, we are a 501 [c][3] charity for your tax purposes.

Jesus Followers “Know God”, which Is “Eternal Life”, Because they Have a Personal Relationship with God

MESSAGE SUMMARY: Your personal relationship with God, and knowing Him in your life, renders everything else in your life insignificant.  Knowing God and having that personal relationship with Him, through your prayer life, is summarized in John 17:3: “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.". Jesus’ interchange with the Apostle Peter, in Matthew 16:13-18, exemplifies the importance of God’s gift to you of your access to Him on a personal one-on-one basis: “he {Jesus}asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’”. How is your personal relationship with God, the Creator of the Universe, today?

 

 

TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, I now take a deep breath and stop. So often I miss your hand and gifts in my life because I am preoccupied and anxious. Grant me the power to pause each day and each week to simply rest in your arms of love. In Jesus’ name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 132). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Despair. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit’s fruit of Joy. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): John 17:2-3; Philippians 3:7-10; Matthew 16:13-20; Psalms 74a:1-12.

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Some Christians Easily Walk Away from God, But God Rejoices When They Return”,

at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Many “Christians” Are Unwilling to Come to the God in Penitence to Repent; They Do Not Have the “fire of God” or the Holy Spirit’s Engagement

MESSAGE SUMMARY: We must maintain constant repentance with the Lord. Every relationship in our life is a day-by-day journey; therefore, our relationship with the Lord is, also, a continuous journey. In 2 Corinthians 7:10, Paul succinctly describes the difference between “grief” and “sorrow” for our sinful actions and true repentance: “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.". God can show us those things, in our lives, that He wants us to do or not do. Some of us have the “pilot light lit” because we have asked Jesus to bring the Holy Spirit into our lives; however, the “furnace isn’t engaged”. The “fire of God” is not in our lives because we are not willing to come to the Lord in penitence and to repent.

 

TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, I come this day inviting you to cut those deeply entrenched chains that keep me from being faithful to my true self in Christ. In doing so, may my life be a blessing to many. In Jesus’ name, amen.      Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 44). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Fear. Rather, I will abide in the Lord’s Faithfulness. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Mathew 3:8-11; Romans 2:4-5; Psalms 32:5; Psalms 120:1-7.

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Some Christians Easily Walk Away from God, But God Rejoices When They Return”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Jesus Followers Should Fear, Respect, and Praise God’s Power, Sovereignty, and Holiness; but in Life’s Trials They Should “fear not for I {Jesus} am with you always”

MESSAGE SUMMARY: You should fear, respect, and praise God’s power, Sovereignty, and Holiness; but, as a Jesus Follower, you should “fear not” in life’s trials and tribulations or at your time of judgment. As David’s praise tells us in Psalms 103:13: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.”. David models again and again, in Psalms, how we should praise God. For example, in Psalms 146, David says: "Put not your trust in Princes; Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, Oh my soul!". When we are wondering how to praise the Lord, we can read one of David’s Psalms to God like David’s praises to the Lord in Psalms 112:1-2: “Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.". Also, we learn in Proverbs 1:7, the “fear of the Lord” and “wisdom” are closely linked: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.".

These verses from the Old Testament point to the fear, respect, and praise that God warrants and demands from His power, sovereignty, and Holiness. On the other hand, as we see when the Apostle John quotes Jesus from Revelation 1:17-18, when Jesus, in all His power and Glory, reassures us of God’s Grace and His plan for working out the Salvation and Eternal Life for all those that have accepted Jesus as their Savior: “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.’”.

 

TODAY’S PRAYER: Lord, Sabbath rest is truly an unbelievable gift! Thank you that there is nothing I can do to earn your love; it comes without any strings attached. As I close my eyes for these few minutes before you, all I can say is, thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen.  Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 133). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12f

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Revelation 1:17-18; Psalms 118:1-20; Proverbs 1:7; Psalms 73a:1-14.

A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org.

THIS SUNDAY’S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Some Christians Easily Walk Away from God, But God Rejoices When They Return” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/   

DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB