Do not Forget what you Promised God

If you declared along with Joshua, the son of Nun: "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15), keep your promise to God.

I realize this is a high standard, but this is the best way to go.

I will discuss why in the sermon this weekend.  

Stick to God's high standard.

God Bless,

Pastor Brian E. Kennedy, Sr

Focus on the "Me and My House" Mentality

Christians, we cannot afford to live a roller coaster lifestyle.  Just as Joshua challenged the Children of Israel to make up their minds regarding whom they would serve, we need to decisively make up our minds regarding whom we will serve (see Joshua 24:11-15).  Make your mind up today that you will live with a "me and my house" mentality (a no compromise, give God your all and all mindset).

In Joshua 24:14-15, God gives us three commands to help us with our mindset.

1. Fear God (have respect and honor).

2. Serve God in sincerity and truth (pure motives and be dependable).

3.  Get rid of your idol gods.

Here is a prayer to help:  Lord, I praise You for the personal relationship that You

established with me.  With You in my life, the struggles in life are a lot
easier to bear.  The guilt and the shame from my past are covered under the
blood, I have hope for today and the future, and life is much more
meaningful.  Lord, take a look at my life and show me any idol gods that I
have.  I ask You to forgive me for having any of the idol gods, that you
point out.  Please forgive me for giving them any form of devotion that is
supposed to be for You and You alone. 

Lord, during the rest of my life, help me to live out the "me and my house"
mentality, so that I will give You a life-time of faithful service.  In the
name of Jesus I pray, amen.  

God Bless

Pastor Brian E. Kennedy,

Mtzionontario.com

A Prayer to Move Forward after a Setback

Once you have a setback in life, don't give up.  Here is a prayer to help.

Dear Lord, thank You for having mercy on me and giving me another chance to
experience a full and meaningful life.  I know my sins could have resulted
in my death and possibly the death of others, but You had mercy and forgave
me, and now I have the victory.  Thank you Lord.  Lord, I need Your faith
builder program to move forward with confidence in every area of my life.
Lord, to show my gratitude for You not giving me what I deserve, I commit to
show honor and respect for You based on the truth found in Your Word.  Lord,
I will worship and bow down before You, and only You. Father, I love You
deeply.  In the mighty, and matchless name of Jesus, I pray, amen.   

God Bless

Pastor Brian E. Kennedy, Sr.
Mtzionontario.com

PS:  make sure you get to church.

Is God Included in Your Weekend Plans?

We often thank God for Friday because we have fun, projects, shopping, visits, etc. planed for the weekend.

How does corporate worship rate in all your planning?  What about Sunday School or a similar small group Bible study?

In Prov. 3:5-6, God says to include Him in all our ways (plans included), and He will make our paths straight.

Christians, in all our planning let us plan to make your way to the house of prayer for worship, fellowship, the Word, witnessing, and prayer.

Let us remember in prayer the families whose loved ones were targeted for their faith in Christ, at Umpqua Community College, Oregan.

Christians are under attack in America at many levels.  We must be prayerful, careful, and committed to our Lord, and committed to each other.

The Day of the Lord is approaching (Heb. 10:24-25).

God Bless,

Pastor Brian E. Kennedy, Sr.

mtzionontario.com

Be a Witness for The Lord

According to the Pew Research Center, we have more than 2 billion Christians in the world (2010 report).

Christians we will grow much faster and reach more people for Christ when every Christian is a witness for the Lord.

Here is a simple format to present the gospel message:

God's Love (John 3:16).

Our Human problem (Rom. 3:23).

God's Solution (Rom. 5:8).

Our Human Response (Rom. 10:9-10).

Christian's we do not win people to the faith through violence, coercion, crafty aurguments full of proof texts, or by deceit.  We simply present the message about Jesus in the Power of the Holy Spirit, and we watch God draw people to a meaningful relationship with Himself (Rom. 1:16).

Here is a helpful prayer for each of us:

Lord thank You for the person who shared the life-changing gospel message
about Jesus with me.  Lord, I also thank You for giving me the privilege to
share this powerful message with others.  Lord, please forgive me for the
times I neglected to share the gospel with someone who needed Jesus.  Fill
me afresh with Your Holy Spirit, so that I will look for opportunities to
boldly share this life-changing message, and help others come to know Jesus,
just as someone helped me come to Jesus.  I love You. Amen.

God Bless,

Pastor Brian E. Kennedy, Sr.

mtzionontario.com

Today is a Great Day to Worship

Get up and make your way to the house of prayer.

Focus on worshipping God in a right spirit before God, and in the truth of God found in His Word (John 4:23).

One more thing: consider someone that you can encourage to show love (care and concern), and to do good works (Heb. 10:24-25).

Today is a great day to start or continue the spiritual discipline of worshiping God with other saints of God.

God Bless,

Pastor Kennedy,

mtzionontario.com

Sometimes We Are The Problem.

Sometimes we are the problem.  When we humbly face ourselves and allow God to reveal our problem, and the consequences for our actions, we need to cry out to God.  God will answer us and reveal the corrective action we need to follow.  Joshua 6 & 7 paints a nice picture of what I just described.

Here is a great prayer to get us back on track.

Lord, I realize that You have rock solid standards, and I want to obey You

and not think of myself as an exception to Your standards.  Lord show me if
I am stuck, or if my progress is stunted because of some willful
disobedience in my life.  Lord, fix my heart as I cry out to You each day,
so that my heart is pure before You.  Keep my ears open to hear You speak
corrective action into my life and help me to respond to You with
unquestioning obedience.  Lord, if I need to be pruned, I know You are
merciful and gracious and will make me better as you trim away the people
and things in my life that are preventing me from full productivity.  I
submit myself to Your loving touch.  In the name of Jesus I pray, amen. 

God Bless,

Pastor Brian E. Kennedy, Sr.

Mtzionontario.com