Reading Calendar for February

We will continue in the book of Isaiah.

(We are out of town at this time, and we do not have the capability to make the necessary changes to the web site. Thank you for your patience.)

"Thou wilt KEEP him in PERFECT PEACE, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he TRUSTEH in Thee."

Is. 26:3

Feb. 1 -- Is. 28
Feb. 2 -- Is. 29 & 30
Feb. 3 -- Is. 31
Feb. 4 -- Is. 32
Feb. 5 -- Is. 33
Feb. 6 -- Is. 34
Feb. 7 -- Is. 35 & 36

Lord willing we'll be back in Meridian on Sunday Feb. 3rd to preach for Bro. Marvin Cooper at Bethany Baptist Church in Whynot.

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. [2] But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night. [3] And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. [4] The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. [5] Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. [6] For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish." Psalm 1:1-6

"The Work and Effect of Righteousness"

Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. [16] Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. [17] And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. Isaiah 32:15-17

As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. Proverbs 25:25

"The Gospel"

Living Water for a weary soul!

Lasting Water for the winner of souls!

Seven practical steps that will help you [cultivate a lifestyle] of seeking [first] the kingdom of God and His righteousness. I like to call Matthew 6:33,

"The Principle of Priority".

(Part 3)

(6) INVITE them to follow you and the Lord you serve: Never be ashamed to lead someone to Jesus. God used someone to lead you to Him. With courage INVITE them to turn to Jesus and entrust themselves to Him and His commitment to fulfill what He's promised. Their unbelief will be manifested when they factor (consider) their own limitations into God's solution. (Don't be moved off course by their rebellion and rejections.) The same applies to you. To have an effective invitation you must be fully persuaded yourself. If you want them to follow you, you must believe in what your inviting them to believe. If you live a lifestyle that constantly CONSIDERS your present CONDITION, as opposed to being CAPTURED by God's COMMITMENT, your INVITE will not be effective. On the other hand, if you're CAPTIVATED by the PERSON of Jesus Christ, and His PROMISES, He'll use you to PERSUADE others as you INVITE them to follow you and your LORD!

(7) INDULGE yourself in that which is worthy of God's blessings:
Think and meditate on those things which are true, honest, noble, praise worthy, and of a good report. Feed your mind on God's Word, and feast upon His INTIMATE fellowship, and you'll always be a vessel that He can and will display His grace through. He wants you to be consumed with Himself, His Word, His people, and His work. It is to be your life not part of your life but your life. (Acts 5:20) INDULGE in the things of God.
These seven practical steps will help you cultivate a life that seeks first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

"The Lord God hath given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: He wakenth morning by morning, He wakenth Mine ear to hear as the learned. The Lord God hath opened Mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back." (Isaiah 50:4-5)

Taking it serious!

a. Who is the last person you invited to (1) embrace the Lord you serve, and (2)the truth you're walking in?

b. When was the last time you purposely went to encourage someone with a life altering word that you received from the Lord?

c. Do those who know you best describe you as a disciple-maker/fisher of men?

d. What is your favorite thing to meditate upon?

e. What is most important to you?

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.

Psalm 119:155 Salvation (deliverance) is far from the wicked: for they seek not Thy statutes.

Think about it!

What we seek first, day in and day out, is what we treasure. What we treasure is what we TRUST!

TREASURE the Lord, and allow Him to cultivate in you a lifestyle that seeks first the King and His ways, and He'll be delighted to use you to display His glory.

It's the Principle of Priority!

Seven practical steps that will help you [cultivate a lifestyle] of seeking [first] the kingdom of God and His righteousness. I like to call Matthew 6:33,
"The Principle of Priority".
(Part 2)

(3) INTERCEDE for the people God is going to speak to through your life and personal witness:
You need to pray for the people, and the opportunities God is going to bring into your life that particular day. It may be people that you already know, and then it may be people you do not know. Pray for God to be glorified through your life, and to open doors for His word to be spoken by you and through your life witness. (Col. 4:2-6) Pray that He will use you to advance His kingdom agenda by seeing sinners saved and His people freed from the lies and deception of the world. Pray for His will to be done in and through your life.

(4) INVEST what He gave you in that secret place of INTIMACY with the people He brings into your life:
When the Father gives you a life altering word it is not only for you. He graciously gave you a living word to live out and give away. GO GIVE IT AWAY! This is also the best way to keep what He gives. Give and it shall be given unto you in good measure. If you want to remember Scripture, and the principles that God's truth supports, GO GIVE IT AWAY! Invest it in the lives of the people He brings to you. May the Lord use you, as a vessel of His mercy, a trophy of His grace, to teach, touch, and transform lives through His life altering grace.

(5) INSIST that they know where this word came from: God gave you His word in advance for the purpose of influencing the weary soul. He desires to have an impact on their lives, not for you to be influenced by them. The greatest way to INSIST that others know the source of your life is by letting God's truth govern you, and not the circumstances of each day. Jesus did not allow the enemy to govern His life. No! He loved, did good, blessed, prayed, gave, offered, and was always kind to the unthankful and evil people of this world. When you allow His truth to lead you, and not the response of people, you will be identified as children of God, and be able to INSIST that they know why you are the way you are. It will bring GLORY to the LORD!

Taking it serious!

a. How are you praying for the people you will encounter today?

Sinners lost in sin: (2 Cor. 4:1-6)

(1) For God to reveal the light of the Gospel to their veiled hearts. (2) For God to open their understanding and draw them to Christ Jesus.

(3) For God to call them to deny themselves and grant them the repentance and faith to do so.

(4) For God to be honored and pleased to make them and their lives acceptable in His sight for His glory.

Saints doing the will of Satan: (2 Tim. 2:23-26)

(5) For the saints caught in sin that God would grant them repentance, reveal His truth to them, and give them a sound mind to act on this truth, and release them from the snare of the enemy.

Serving stewards in the kingdom: (Col. 1:9-11 ; Phil. 1:9-11 ; Eph. 1:16-23)

(6) To know, understand, and discern the will of God and be full of the knowledge and wisdom of the Lord in order to prove that which is excellent and be without offense unto the day of Jesus Christ.

b. Who have you invested the truth in today? Have you intentionally made the effort to give away what God gave you?

c. Did you insist that they know the very word you gave them is what God gave you this morning?

d. Is it a delight for you to (1) meet and hear from the Lord, and (2) pray for the people you're going to encounter and engage each day?

e. Does it bless you to point everyone to Jesus?

Think About It!

Cultivate a lifestyle that helps others see the significance and priority of seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness!

It will deliver you from a defeated life, and keep others from being distracted by your distorted witness.

Seven practical steps that will help you [cultivate a lifestyle] of seeking [first] the kingdom of God and His righteousness. I like to call Matthew 6:33,

"The Principle of Priority".

(Part 1)

(1) INTIMACY with the Lord:
If you have been saved by Jesus you were rescued from yourself and your own sin, and given life in Christ to live in intimate fellowship with your heavenly Father and His people. Your Father has invited you into His presence, and to also join Him in His work upon the earth. The only way to know the specific course He has chosen for you is to pursue His face, day by day, through prayer and seeking His Word. The life of Christ is your example. He lived a sinless and sacrificial life through living a life of intimate fellowship with His heavenly Father. (Is. 50:4-6 ; John 5) You also must yield your body to the Lord, morning by morning, in order to hear and possess a life transforming word that can alter the life of a weary soul. This time each day is referred to as a "daily quiet time". The place is often called the "secret place" where you meet with the Lord. I like to call it the place of eternal release. It is where God eternally releases His word into you, so you can release eternity into a dark and needy world through your life. This place of intimacy reminds me of the refuge of a nest. Baby birds stay in their nest and their mother or father comes to the nest and feeds their little ones mouth to mouth. God desires to be that personal and intimate with you. The danger comes when a little ones falls from this place design for their protection and provision. God has a nest of INTIMACY designed for your protection and provision. Don't wander away from this nest of intimacy with the Lord but make it the priority of your life to seek hard after Jesus. (Pr. 27:8) Seek Him First!

(2) INVOLVE what you hear into your daily life:
You must not be only a hearer of the word but also a doer of the word of God. Obedience is the key that unlocks the practical blessings promised by God. When you act on what you heard from God you affirm what you believed. Without action there is no affirmation to validate what you believe. What you actually believe becomes believable as you involve it into your daily life. We all have said we believed God without being believable! Why was it unbelievable? Our actions affirmed that we actually did not believe what we said; therefore our actions validated our unbelief. The faith that does not produce works/action is a useless and a deceptive type of faith. Our faith can only be validated through our daily lifestyle. Three factors must be used to also determine the value of faith: (1) It's Origin (The root source of what we heard and believed. Is the source of our faith of God (true) or another source (a lie)?) (2) It's Object (Is our faith in the Lord and His promise or something that is temporary and perishing?) (3) It's Obedience (Our actions (we always obey what we trust) will authenticate the origin of our faith, and affirm and applaud the object of our faith.)

Taking it serious!

a. Do you have a personal and passionate relationship with Jesus?

b. Are you seeking His face daily?

c. Is He feeding you mouth to mouth?

d. What has He given you today to live for?

e. Are you right now living on what you heard from the Lord?

f. Are you longing to meet with Him again?

g. How are you involving what He gave you into His purpose for this day?

Remember this: The actions that characterise our lives do manifest what we trust. What we trust we also obey. Moreover, what we trust we aslo treasure.

Think about it!

Do you treasure spending time with the Lord?

“All things New”

A tree sheds its leaves each fall,
Whether she’s large or small,
Making room for its yearly growth,
While daily fertilizing the earth.

The old must be pushed out and let go,
If the new is to make its show.
Like a disciple who’s growing in grace,
Dying daily to seek His face.

Day by day the old must pass away,
Only new life can come this way.
A seed must die to release its power,
Similar to a disciple, every hour.

Nick Holden
2 Cor. 5:14-21

Look unto Jesus day by day and may:

"The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:

The Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace."

Numbers 6:24-26