Glory and all praise to God! I am so thankful for God�s Grace and His many blessings. Sis Kim and I serve THE GOD THAT CAN AND WILL make a way for His Gospel to go forth. I just wrote in a note this morning to Kim that �my pockets and the account were empty; but the Holy Spirit has filled my heart and my mouth.� They are abundantly full and the Gospel is free to all that will listen and receive it. That�s why over 2000 years ago Jesus came to this earth, leaving His throne in Heaven to bring each of us a Free Gift. It�s up to every man, woman, boy and girl to accept it! God has given me many gifts since coming to Him. When I try to count His gifts and blessings I forget all about the trials and tribulations. God�s blessings far outnumber them all!
God�s blessing to me, Kim, my wife, my best friend, my buddy, my encourager, my helpmeet and my co-evangelist will bring this month�s message. It�s given by the unction of the Holy Spirit and has a message for many. I ask that you pray and read it carefully � let God speak to you through an anointed sister that loves God. She must love God because she obeyed God and married me, a man with nothing but a prison # and bad reputation. Each time I see her sweet face and look into her eyes, I�m very much reminded of God�s love and gifts to me. My Mom had pretty much given up on me finding a Godly woman until she met Kim. She was able to peacefully go to her rest with the Lord because she knew God had put Kim in my life. To most people I�m a poor man and a criminal, but I pen this today being rich in the blessings of God beyond compare, with my wife, daughter and son. December 25th is not only the day we celebrate Christ�s birth, but Kim�s birthday as well. Without her hard work and dedication this newsletter would not be possible. We wish you a merry and blessed Christmas season - don�t forget that every day is Christmas when you�re serving God. I challenge you to feed someone or to give a gift no matter how small it might seem to you. Let God�s gift of love shine and grow through you. God bless, and now I give you the Word of God through Kim�
We wish you the many blessings at Christmas which a closeness with our Saviour brings! Much is said this time of year about �peace� and �joy� and �love�, but how many truly KNOW these things within themselves? Very few, I fear, even among Christians. And yet, this is what a relationship with Christ is exactly to be! So this is what God and His Grace have done for me: I truly have within my soul that which is �unspeakable and full of glory� � JOY!
Joy in my heart, peace in my soul, and the love of Jesus which floods every ounce of my being! Praise the Lord! Think it not strange! *smile* I could go down a long long list of all the things that are wrong or hard or bad in my life (and probably succeed in depressing myself in the process), but I know the secret to happiness! �Tis not in my husband or my job or in how much money I do or don�t have� �Tis not in my son or daughter, the health that I�m in, the food I eat, or even the church I go to. Far too many people really think their happiness depends on these things � and those people pretty much stay miserable all the time, because NO ONE or NOTHING will ever act or be like we want them to be! �For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.� (Romans 14:17)
When I got saved a little over 7 years ago, He filled me with His Joy! Many people here and there have since commented on my ever-present smile, or that I have an �upbeat� personality and never seem down or depressed. Let me tell ya, I used to whine and moan with the best of �em! But Joy is a precious gift from God! Many other good things come with it, like peace and love, gladness, thankfulness, praise of our Lord� Check out the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians
5:22 � if we have the Spirit of the Living God dwelling within us, should not our lives bear some witness of this fruit?!? Ouch! *smile*
Ya know, I claim Hebrews 1:9 for my very own � ��therefore God, even thy (MY!) God, hath anointed thee (ME!) with the oil of gladness above thy (MY!) fellows.� HALLELUJAH! And you know what? There is absolutely nothing special about me � it�s right there in God�s Word for each and every one of YOU to claim as well! We then use these gifts in our lives to do the work that the Lord would have us do. If you don�t know what He wants of you, pray and listen! I can tell you with 100% surety that He does not want you sitting around on your seat of do-nothing, as our Pastor spoke of recently! If you go further on down in Hebrews 1, you�ll see what job the Lord gave unto me � to be a �ministering spirit, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation�! So how are you using your gifts? And if you say you have no gifts, then you are saying you have not God! Everyone is offered them � have you refused or rejected God�s gift of JOY?
Well, what is there to be sad about anyway? Are we not to revel in what God has done for us? Did He not send His only Son to die for us? You are spared an eternity in hell by that Gift! Please don�t reject it! There is Joy in everything everywhere, if you are willing to work to seek it. Even God�s creation yields these things � �For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you with singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.� (Isaiah 55:12) If the very rocks and trees can sing and praise the Lord, why can�t we? We MUST! Oh, please get this in your spirit � you MUST keep the Joy of the Lord in your heart! How can you stand the forces of evil without it? Nehemiah 8:10 tells you very plainly, ��the JOY of the Lord is your strength!�
The only way to true peace and happiness in our lives is to focus on Him, and the joy He gives. No, the trials and tribulations you�re going through are no excuse for sadness! No, just because the battles are raging, you can�t give up! We are still to hold fast to our joy! Paul says in
II Corinthians 7:4, �I am filled with comfort, I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation.� Say what?!? And Paul did NOT have it easy, folks! You think YOU have it hard?!? Listen to what he said to the Colossians in 1:11, �Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness!� James tells us to �count it all JOY� when we fall into diverse temptations. (James 1:2) He got right to the point in the very second line of his epistle� Simon Peter tells us in
I Peter 4:13, �But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ�s sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.� And Jesus Himself tells us in John 15 that we must go through times of purging, and then in verse 11, �These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy may be full.�
Joy is a gift that we must work to keep � I fight for mine daily! Sometimes it seems as if I�m fighting tooth and nail with every ounce of strength I have, but I do not want satan to control me by stealing my joy and peace. The greatest source of all things joyous is God�s Holy Word! You can never run out of scriptures to study pertaining to joy, gladness and happiness in the Lord. Jeremiah tells us in 15:16 � �Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by Thy name, O Lord God of hosts.� Amen! Now read Isaiah 12! Verse 3 says, �Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.� Or focus and meditate on Isaiah 51:3, �For the Lord shall comfort Zion: He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.� Oh blessed Saviour to have given us such a fountain of strength and comfort in our barren times! Such JOY!
Do you realize how a simple smile can make so real a difference to so many people? Those in the nursing homes rarely see one. It may be the needed boost to some hurting soul on the street or at work � it could save a life! Smile for your Pastor or other ministers at church (they fight tougher battles than you or I, whether you know it or not)� The great thing about joy is that it can be contagious. The problem is, a depressive spirit is also contagious. Do you want to spread joy or sadness? Think of it this way, do you want someone to spread their negative whining spirit all over YOU? So why do it to others? Choose Joy!
Do you want to be able to endure to the end so as to reach Heaven? Find your Joy! Do you want to go through life healthier and happier? Hold fast to your Joy! Do you need strength and a refreshing in your spirit? Seek the Joy of the Lord! Do you yearn for comfort in a world where all manner of evil exists? Get into the Word of God! Get close to God! SERVE God! �Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.� (Psalm 16:11) That�s pretty plain � in GOD�S presence is fullness of joy! NOT in the presence of your TV, your RV, your ATV, your boss or your fishing boat! Many will think this next statement strange, and at one time I would have agreed and made fun if it had been said of me� The thing I do which I enjoy the most, of anything that�s available out there in the world, is to be in God�s House each and every time the doors are open! Yep! Nothing else compares! Try it � satan will be more than happy to take you back if you don�t like it. You know, inner joy and peace come with obedience, with serving God as He directs you. Can�t get there on your couch, or being too busy with other things. You want REAL and TRUE joy unspeakable and full of glory? Get off your rear, quit making excuses, and get to the House of God! And, once there, smile, raise your hands in praise and worship, sing at the top of your lungs, listen attentively, soaking up every word brought forth by whoever�s doing the preaching, say �AMEN� to the Word of God! Bless God and He will bless you! Time to quit picking and choosing pieces parts of the Bible to believe. Time to trust and serve HIM and not your own flesh. Stay miserable in your wicked ways if you want � grieve the Lord�s heart� You can choose obedience and multitudes of true joy and happiness, or you can send yourself to hell � YOUR choice, and there�s only those 2 to pick from! If you don�t believe me or like what I have to say, take it up with the Lord because they�re His Words, surely not mine. Deuteronomy 28 talks of blessings and curses � blessings for obedience, curses for doing that which is right in your own eyes... I choose Christ, and I do it with more than just lip service! In return I can keep within my heart and soul a peace that passeth all understanding, and indescribable joy in the face of all trials and persecution. Thank You Father! Thank You Holy Spirit! And thank You Jesus, for all the JOY! I praise His Holy Name!
Love & Joy In Christ, Bro. & Sis. George
