28 July 2013 - ENCS

The “Living on a Prayer” series was continued by Pastor Josh Harris

The rest of the pastoral team was near Disney, not the one in Paris

In Matthew 6:9-12, Jesus teaches us how to pray

It is much more than knowing what we should say

Today Pastor Josh focused on verse thirteen

The words “temptation” and “evil” were both seen

 

He then handed over to Pastor Mark Benevente

About flying in enemy territory he had lots to say

He referred to Jesus' words from Matthew 12:43

That evil spirits try to multiply we did hear and see

Pastor said this should highlight the importance

Of inner healing or sanctification and deliverance

If we replace an ungodly belief with the right one

When the enemy returns, our soul will him shun

 

When faced with an offense, Pastor Mark said

The key is how we decided to respond instead

We can choose to either judge or to forgive

The latter is obviously the best way to live

 

If we judge others, according to Matthew 7:1-2

We will likewise be judged on all that we may do

And if this is the path that we learn to expect

We end up taking inner vows to try to protect

In the end, this of course will not succeed

For only through God can we ever be freed

 

When we forgive others, we help ourselves too

In fact, blessing our enemies is what we should do

Then from Christ will our protection come

He is stronger than anything in any kingdom

Bottom line, God has given us a way out

Of that there really should be no doubt

 

Pastor Josh again then stepped to the fore

He talked about temptation a little more

Sometimes obeying God will lead us there

But only when He knows how we will fare

So while "lead us not into" we can pray

If it is His will, we must surely obey

That He "will deliver us from evil" we must trust

Through our entire life, from "dust to dust"

We must choose between wisdom and temptation

Walking in freedom comes with salvation

14 July 2013 - ENCS

Pastor Josh spoke about “Livin’ on a Prayer”

When he finished, we were half way there

This series focuses on part of Matthew six

On the Lord’s Prayer, we did our eyes fix

Jesus first taught his disciples how to pray

The same approach can be used every day

 

Josh mentioned the importance of verse nine

For a relationship with God we should pine

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name”

For He is holy and worthy - forever the same

Since prayer is relational and a dialogue

We must communicate clearly, not in a fog

 

Verse number ten begins “Your kingdom come”

To focus on our kingdom would be rather dumb

For as long as we can focus on His kingdom first

Everything will turn out for the best, not the worst

From 1 Samuel 15, we read the story of King Saul

He obeyed some of God’s commands, but not all

This partial obedience was rebellious sin, not nice

Samuel then said “To obey is better than sacrifice”

David took a better approach when he saw the ark

Leaping and dancing in public, the contrast was stark

His house would endure forever, God then said

Because in front of himself, David put God ahead

 

The prayer continues with “Your will be done”

That should apply to everything under the sun

And “on earth as it is in heaven”

Before we get to verse eleven

Remember that Jesus submitted to God’s will

Even knowing that the Romans would him kill

There is no greater love than dying for a friend

Jesus did that for us when he met his earthly end

What God wants from us, we often already know

The challenge is in choosing that tough path to go

 

He continued “Give us this day our daily bread”

Asking God for things honours him instead

We know that for our needs He will provide

That is what happens with Him on our side

Of course, God sent Jesus as bread from above

This is the most obvious sign of His immense love

So we can experience part of heaven from today

A relationship with Christ will show us the way

7 July 2013 - Psalm 66:3

"Say to God 'How awesome are your deeds!'"

"So great is your power" compared to our needs

 

Our God really does continue to find ways to amaze

Just three weeks ago all we could see was the haze

I woke up this morning and saw the sky painted blue

It was an indication of everything that God can do

If he can change the weather in a short heartbeat

Then of course He can help us our problems defeat