Trust the Plan

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

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Praise the Lord, everyone! It's been a joy serving and worshipping with you during 2023, and I look forward to greater times in 2024. I want you to remember that our theme for 2024 will be "TRUST THE PLAN". In Jeremiah 29, God declares he has plans for us and we always want to be mindful that God is in control. His plan is being revealed, understood, and applied. Know that we are more than conquerors: we win! So, our part in the plan is to walk by faith. If we can believe, all things are possible. All we need to do is trust the plan.

Have a great holiday season, and remember to keep Christ first during this time of celebration.

God Bless You!

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Watch Bishop Lambert's first teaching on "Trust the Plan" HERE.

Hope In God

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

Psalm 43:5 (KJV)

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These present days are full of frustrating moments. Even children of God are finding it challenging to walk in peace. We have walked in the assurance of the power of God, and that assurance had not been tested. Now, we are being tested. Between the economy, the rising violence around the world, and the other controversial issues we face, it has become easy to become, as David says, cast down and disquieted. Technically, to be cast down means to be depressed, and disquieted refers to having noise in your mind. Usually, depression causes one to hear adversarial voices, which lead to actions of the flesh. Yes, these are indeed the days of feeling cast down and defeated.

I am glad David does not stop with the condition. He tells his soul to hope in God. In the Hebrew, the word “hope” means to tarry, to trust, to wait. What a marvelous contrast for you. In moments of despair, we continue to trust in God. I have been struggling with hearing from God as all the voices of our world have crowded my mind. In certain situations, if I am not careful, I may become disquieted. We look for answers when the answer is to be still before God. Trust is easy to talk about but difficult to perform. We are in a time of faith and hope.

God has promised to be a present help in our times of trouble. He will sustain us, “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22 (KJV)

I encourage you to place trust and hope in our God. He will always keep His promise, and He will never abandon His children. Remember, He loves you, and nothing can separate you from His love. Blessings to all.

Living In This Present World

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works."

Titus 2:11-14

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Titus, the youthful disciple of the Apostle Paul, faces a significant responsibility. The church at Corinth is struggling with worldliness and fleshly demonstrations of spirituality. Fornication is rampant, and the level of idolatry has increased. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians brought about a level of repentance, and the people walked as believers in Christ. Faithfulness was being restored. Then Paul sends Titus to Corinth with the second letter of reconciliation, and the message is clear: "Come out from among them, and do not touch the unclean." Titus takes this opportunity to instruct believers in the behaviors and practices that will make them better examples of Christ. One of the most definitive statements by Titus is found in Titus 2:11-14, where he instructs the believers to live soberly, godly, and righteously in this present world. We can only hope that his audience took those words to heart and changed their lives as a result. God's message through Titus remains alive and vibrant for Christians today. But how are we to live Christ-centered lives in a world that seems increasingly spinning out of control? There are many satanic traps placed in front of us. We often hear the voice of the ungodly culture whispering that we cannot live above sin. Therefore, we must accept the flaws of others and those of ourselves as part of the human experience. But is that God's view? Absolutely not! He has called us to holy lives of righteousness amid this secular, hedonistic society. How do we live above sin and embrace the Kingdom principles of God's plan? Is it possible to escape the snares of the Evil One in this life? Can we rise above our fallen nature, be washed of our sins, and cling to God's purity? The writer of the letter to the Hebrews exhorts followers of Christ to do just that: "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord..." (Hebrews 12:14 NKJV) I am writing to you today because I want you to have a better understanding of the challenges we face in our society. We often hear warnings against murder, fornication, and stealing, but we hear little about gluttony, greed, pride, and theft. People usually accept these behavioral problems as typical human nature. To the contrary, they weaken the Christian just as effectively as the "BIG" sins. These are the sins that our culture accepts, and this careless and condoning attitude has led us to accept them in the church. But we must remember the warning that Jesus gave His followers:

"Do not think I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or tittle will by no means pass from the Law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."

(Matthew 5:17-20 NKJV)

Christians cannot afford to become complacent about their culture. We know temptation is everywhere, and excuses will not be accepted. We must stand against the pull of the enemy and discipline ourselves for the Holy Spirit to use us for the Glory of God. We must be vigilant to understand God's expectations for us and to withstand the wiles of the devil. Blessings to all.