I Believe In God

by Tim Howard

Everyone believes a multitude of things, but some beliefs like Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy are pure fantasy. While some believe in the fake, fraudulent and false, others believe in things that are real, genuine and true. I believe in miracles. I believe that our future has not yet been written; that we can make a difference in our world and I believe in God.

Your conviction about God is one of the most important beliefs because your true identity is only unveiled as you discover the truth about God. Since He created us in His image, we pursue a hopeless search for significance if we exclude Him from our quest.

The phrase “I Believe In God,” however, is one of the most meaningless statements a person can make today. Although public opinion polls tell us that 92% of Americans believe in God, the God of the Bible is not who they have in mind.

The Bible distinguishes between many ‘gods’ and the God of all gods. When you read the Bible you encounter a myriad of people who will not embrace and have no desire for the true God found in scripture. Time and again they are found to be in search of other gods. Why? Why won’t we embrace our creator and accept the truth about Him?

Maybe it’s because we want a god who will do what we want, when we want it and how we want it. Possibly we want a god who will tolerate our sin, ignore our behavior and allow no consequences. Could it be that we desire a god who will protect us from all the bad and provide us with only the good? When the true God doesn’t fulfill these desires we are off to find something that will.

When you make God into what you want him to be, you create an idol and serve another ‘god.’ You break the 2^nd and 3^rd commandments and do yourself harm. Psalms 96:5 says: …”all the gods of the peoples are idols but the Lord made the heavens.

Today’s generation often believes in a god of his or her own making. They have combined fragments of Christianity, Buddhism, New Age and any number of notions derived from personal experience and have come up with a god that bears little resemblance to the God of the Bible. Even many modern churchgoers derive their understanding of God as much from popular culture as from the Scriptures.

Here’s a major problem! No other god can rescue, deliver, heal, help or save you. Only Jesus who is the revelation of God to mankind can do these things. When we serve, worship, seek after or make some ‘god’ our first priority, things break down. The true God came and revealed Himself through Jesus in order to preach the good news to the poor, heal the heartbroken, free people who are captive to addictions, find those who are lost and help those who are hurting. He and He alone is able to save.

We don’t live in a god-less nation. We live in a god filled nation! Many gods rule our land so be cautious when someone says “I Believe In God”. It may not mean what you think! I can’t speak for anyone else but as for my house, and me we believe in the God who is revealed in the Bible. Why don’t you check out one of the many church families in Kings County this weekend and hear the truth about God.

Live Your Story

by Andrew Cromwell

There is a fascinating conversation recorded in the Bible in the last chapter of John between Jesus and Peter. During this encounter, Jesus gives Peter a glimpse into the future. Jesus tells Peter he is going to be persecuted at the end of his life because of his faith. Upon hearing this, Peter was a little shocked. I think his mind began to race a bit and he probably struggled with the question, “Why me?”

Scripture says that he turned around to his fellow disciple, John, and asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?” In other words, “Am I going to be the only one that is going to get mistreated because of following you? John will get his fair share too, right?”

I love Jesus’ response because it is so straightforward. He doesn’t mince words and He doesn’t sugarcoat. Basically he says, and I’m going to paraphrase here, “Peter, that’s none of your business, that is between John and I. The only thing you need to worry about is whether or not you are going to stay true to your convictions and follow me until the end.”

Jesus is telling Peter to live out his story. I think He would tell you and I the same thing today. He would tell us to live out the story that He has designed for us and not worry about anyone else’s.

As humans, we really struggle with that. We are constantly comparing ourselves to others. We are always thinking about some other person’s life and asking why we are not more like them, why our life is so much harder than theirs or why God is using them in such wonderful ways when it seems we are forgotten.

But that is their story! That is between them and God. Jesus didn’t say to Peter, “You know, Pete, if you were just more like John....” And that is because Jesus is not interested in Peter being more like John. He is interested in Peter being who He needs to be in and through God’s power.

God is not interested in you being more like someone else. He doesn’t need you to be more like the person you idolize or less like the person you demonize. He needs you to be you, transformed into His image. He made you for a purpose. The Scripture says that you are His masterpiece!

So live your story and stop wondering about everyone else’s. Be thankful that you don’t have to feel like you are ahead or behind anyone else. God’s timeline is custom designed for you! After all, don’t you realize that the very person you compare yourself to is probably feeling the same way and comparing themselves to someone else?

This weekend the pastors in Kings County would love the opportunity to encourage you to live out your story to the fullest.

Be Careful What You Ask For

by Tim Howard

It was a joke and I laughed when I heard it! A couple in their mid-fifties was trying to rekindle a spark in their marriage when they were approached by a “Genie.” This strange character stated that he would give each of them one wish beginning with the woman. She, without hesitation recalled their honeymoon on the tropical island of Maui and said, “Please put us on that beautiful beach so we can walk together and renew our love.” Instantly the beauty of a tropical paradise surrounded them. The man, after looking around and seeing other women 20 years younger than himself, asked the Genie to make his wife 20 years younger than himself. In an instant, he was 75 years old! You may be laughing like me but don’t miss the moral. It is this: Be careful what you ask for! Sometimes your request produces something quite unexpected.

The Bible makes it very clear that we can ask God for anything. If, however, you are bold enough to make a request, you better be prepared for one of four answers.

1. If the request is wrong, God will say “No.” The apostle James in Chapter 4 tells us that it is possible to ask for things that might be detrimental to our development. Along with that fact, he also reveals that it is possible to ask for something with wrong motives. When this happens, be prepared for God to say “No.” With hindsight, I have discovered this to be a blessing rather than a curse. God has spared me from many disasters by not fulfilling my desires, because what I want isn’t always what’s best for me.

2. If the timing is wrong, God will say, “Slow.” Little children want everything “Now” and my grandson is no exception. He doesn’t understand the phrase, “delayed gratification” and can’t comprehend the word “later.” Hopefully he will learn, because timing is extremely important in the journey called life. Many people miss out on a lot of things and get buried in problems because they will not choose to exercise patience and self-control.

3. If you are not yet ready to receive the request, God will say “Grow.” Sometimes, God wants to throw us the ball but we don’t have our heads in the game. We are distracted by many pleasures at the expense of pursuing our purpose. God graciously waits for us and speaks the truth in love so we will grow up in all aspects.

4. Last of all, when the timing is right, you are right and the request is right, God says, “Yes, Let’s Go”. I personally believe this is God’s favorite answer. He wants to say YES!

God ALWAYS answers prayer! It may not be the answer you want but it’s an answer you can accept if you know this truth: God doesn’t always give you what you want but He always gives you what you need. God loves you enough to say no, slow or grow even though it may produce some pain. Jesus wants to help you! He says: Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell Me what you need, and thank God for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. If God approached you and said He would answer one prayer, what would your request be?

Out of Line

by Andrew Cromwell

Most everyone has heard of the story of David and Bathsheba even if they don’t know the details. It is one of the more intriguing stories in the Old Testament because it has all the classic elements that make stories so engaging — adultery, murder, deception and more.

To grossly oversimplify, King David committed adultery with the wife of one of his lieutenants, and when she became pregnant he had him killed to cover it up. After the death of the lieutenant, David then married Bathsheba, but the son they had conceived died in childbirth.

Honestly, there is nothing incredibly surprising about this story. It has been told and retold many times in many different ways. Almost certainly a version of the story was shown just this week on one of the soap operas on daytime television. It is one of the great tragedies of human nature and only the names are changed but there are few innocents.

And it can happen to you if you get out of line.

You may not commit adultery and you may not kill anyone, but that same nature is inside of us that was inside of David. But there is a way to protect yourself against it. The clue is found in Second Samuel chapter eleven verse one, right at the beginning of the story.

It says, “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war...but David remained in Jerusalem.” The problem was the David wasn’t where he should have been. Instead of being on the front lines with his army, he chose to enjoy the trappings of his success by staying safely within his palace walls. Instead of doing the thing that made him successful, he was relaxing by the pool. He was out of line.

In can happen to any of us! Whenever we attain a measure of success in our lives—in a relationship, at work, in our marriage, at school—we can make the mistake of stopping too long to enjoy the view. It is always wonderful to celebrate success, but when we stop and build a monument and begin to believe that we have “earned” the right to stay in the palace....that’s when we are headed for trouble.

We all have a part to play in this world. God has a plan and a purpose for our lives. When we stay connected to our purpose and walk in line with what Father God has designed us to do, then we are actually protected from certain temptations. It is not that we are never tempted, everyone is. But when we are in step with God, then it is much more difficult for the Enemy to draw a bead on us.

So the question is, “Where are you out of line?” Where are you putting yourself in danger? Where have you stopped doing the things that you know you should be doing, but you have talked yourself out of doing them? Don’t delay too long, or else you will pay!

This weekend, the pastors in Kings County would love to help you keep “in line” with Father God. Why don’t you bring your family to church this weekend?

What's Love Got to Do With It?

by Pastor Tim Howard

Love songs abound! No matter what age you are or what decade you were born, lyrics have been put to music and love songs have been sung. Do you remember: “What the World Needs Now is Love (sweet love)” by Jackie Deshannon? “When a Man Loves a Woman” by Percy Sledge? “When I Fall in Love” by Nat King Cole? “All We Need is Love” by the Beatles? “A Groovy Kind of Love” by Phil Collins? “Love me Tender” by Elvis Presley? “All Out of Love” by Air Supply? Then the song by Tina Turner, released in 1993 which addressed the abusive relationship she experienced in the early years of her marriage “What’s Love Got To Do With It?”

The Bible tells us that love has everything to do with everything we do! If you turn to 1 Corinthians 13 you will read these words: “If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.”

Since love is so important it’s imperative that we sort through the lies and discover what true love really is. If you merely look and listen to our culture you may very well have a distorted view of love and live a very dysfunctional life. When you look at the rate of divorce in our society, love doesn’t seem to last, it fades. At times love seems blind because people make dumb decisions based on an emotional counterfeit love. Then we hear individuals talking about falling in and out of love as if love is something that happens by accident rather than choice.

1 Corinthians 13 gives great insight into God’s love. Since 1 John 4:7 tells us that God is love, He needs to be the beginning point to understanding love in the truest sense. “Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, doesn't have a swelled head, doesn't force itself on others, isn't always "me first," doesn't fly off the handle, doesn't keep score of the sins of others, doesn't revel when others grovel, takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, puts up with anything. Love trusts God always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end.”

Three things will help you make it through the dark and difficult times of life . Faith, hope and love but love is the greatest. Faith so you will be able to fulfill your purpose. Hope so that tomorrow will bring you closer to your destiny. Love for God and mankind so that you will be connected to those who can strengthen you.

If we commit ourselves to loving each other God’s way, we will rediscover the power of God’s love. The answer to “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” is EVERYTHING! Why not visit one of the many church families in Kings County this weekend and discover the God who loves you.

Who are You Becoming?

by Andrew Crowmell

Life has a way of lulling us to sleep if we are not careful. Oh, we may not be completely unaware of the things going on around us, but we are such creatures of habit that we can easily find ourselves stuck in a routine. Our routines are so dear to us that many times we will do all we can to preserve them without considering whether they are even worth preserving.

As humans, we take comfort in our routines. We find they give us stability in a world that is constantly changing. They are one piece of our lives where we are able to exercise some measure of control when so much feels out of control.

The problem is that routines reinforce behavior and solidify character. This fact can work for us or against us depending on our routine (because not all routines are bad). For example, if part of your daily routine is to take time to talk with your spouse in a way that connects with her heart, that habit that you are forming is going to cause you to feel out of sync if you don't have that conversation. It is also going to build in you patience and a sensitivity to her needs.

On the other hand, if your routine is to always nitpick or get into an argument with your coworkers or simply be unhappy with whatever is going on in your life, then you are creating a habit that is little by little making you into a person who is a bitter nag who no one wants to be around.

I don't know what your routines are, but I do know that your routines are making you into a certain kind of person. The question that we must ask is, are you becoming the person who God wants you to be? Are your habits taking you closer to or farther away from the Father?

We are spiritual creatures. God has made us that way. Everything we do has a spiritual component, whether we like it our not. Every action, every decision and every thought forms our soul just a little bit. This process is so gradual it often goes unnoticed. But little by little we are becoming more and more of the kind of person we are creating ourselves to be.

So today, take a moment and look at your habits. Ask yourself if you keep doing the things you are doing in your life, where are you going to end up? Are you headed towards being a kinder, more loving, more joyful person? Or are you headed in a different direction? Are you cooperating with Father God and allowing Him to work within you, or are you ignoring His still, small Voice and sleeping right through the lessons He wants to teach you?

This weekend the pastors of Kings County would love to help you get some good habits started. Why don’t you get your family together and take them to church! You might just set yourself on a path towards a wonderful future!

Engage

by Andrew Cromwell

Relationships take work. Whether it is your relationship with your spouse, your kids, your friends or your co-workers, real relationships take time, energy and effort (and if you're married, money!). All relationships require a decision from us to slow down and turn our attention to another person—when we do this we "engage".

People that engage with others are people that make a difference in this world. To engage means that you put your focus on someone other than yourself and you seek to add value to their life. It might simply be a word of encouragement, a helping hand or even just a listening ear. But these things take time and a willingness to put the other person first.

A very successful artist once ran into a former teacher who, years before had made a significant contribution to the artist's education. The artist took the opportunity to thank the teacher for all they had given. The teacher was pleasantly surprised and told the student, "Thank you, you just made my day." The artist paused for a moment and, wanting the teacher to understand the depth of her appreciation, said, "No, thank you, you made my life."

You don't make someone's life unless you are willing to engage them right now, right where they are at. A little effort to engage in the lives of others in a healthy, encouraging way can have lasting effects that we will probably never know. Only our Father in heaven understands the significance of a dad taking the time to get down on the ground and wrestle with his son. Or, how much impact taking the time to teach someone an important business or life skill might have on their future. Your little effort might make the difference.

Far too often are we too self-obsessed to take the time to engage with others. All we can see is our problems, our situation and our struggles. We become the center of our personal universe where other people become pawns that we can manipulate to get what we want. We stop seeing them as valuable and start seeing them as nuisances.

It is amazing how small our problems get when we begin to engage in the problems of other people. Suddenly we recognize that it may not be as bad as we thought. The truth is, being spiritual is not sitting in the lotus position and clearing your mind. It is not "finding your inner self." True spirituality is when we begin to enter into the lives of others and allow God's love to flow through us to them. When was the last time you got spiritual?

This weekend the pastors of Kings County would love to have the opportunity to encourage you and your family. Why don't you get in church and get filled up so that you can give some out to those around you?