What’s delaying you from making it to the airport on time? Who is it that’s causing you to miss your flight? How much baggage are you carrying? Do you keep saying “hello” to people that you need to say “goodbye” to? Do they even value your time? Are you quietly denying the fact that you actually need to let them go so that you can move forward? You knew this time was coming. It’s what you’ve been praying and hoping for! It’s what you’ve been waiting on, needing, and expecting! So here’s the question: are you preparing for it?
 
Family, The Lord is ready for you to soar to new heights! He’s ready for you to come up out of that low place! His assignment for you, on this level, was finished long ago! Now, He wants to promote you and move you up to the bigger and better things He has stored up for you! He desires to move you forward and upward, to an unshakable level, with new plans, that WILL NOT fall apart, plans that WILL be able to handle the work load!!
 
At His Own expense, The Lord has reserved a first-class, private getaway, just for you! So, why is it that you keep missing the plane?? Here’s why: you keep packing and carrying stuff that is NO LONGER NECESSARY!! You are keeping people, things, and situations in your life that were only meant to be there for a season . . . and they are delaying your take-off! You keep blaming your misfortunes on God!! STOP IT!! Stop listening to the advice of your “inner me,” as well as the enemy, following it, and getting mad at God because you missed your boarding time! You cannot hold Him accountable to the fulfilling of His promises, if you’re not going to hold yourself accountable to obediently receiving them!
 
So, quit trying to spend a lifetime with seasonal people and the blessing you received yesterday! THEIR purpose has been fulfilled! It’s time to move on and stop missing out on that which The Lord has purposed exceedingly, abundantly above that which He did for you back then. You will only have new memories and new testimonies when you make room for that new thing, which He wants to release into your life right now!!

​In 1963, Andy Williams called the Christmas season The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. There a lot of things that make Christmas wonderful, but not for everyone. For some, the holidays come with a variety of interesting challenges. So, it could be that Christmas is the most interesting time of the year!

I truly find talk shows quite interesting during Christmas time. Now, let me make it clear: I'm definitely not an avid watcher of talk shows; but I do take a peek at a few of them around Christmas time to see the giveaways made to the studio audience members. And, truthfully, it's the reactions of audience members to the mere announcements of giveaways which get my attention. These crowds erupt with elated screams, shouts, and yelling! People jump up and down embracing one another as if they've found a long-lost friend! Others jump hysterically with arms flailing around all over the place like all their greatest dreams have just come true! It's an outbreak of uncontrollable joy and excitement, mixed with a pandemonium of applause! Can you imagine these folks going gleefully and totally insane simply hearing that they will be receiving a gift? Go ahead and imagine it for a moment or two.
Amazing isn't it?
​
Now, imagine that same joyful hysteria, visualize that same gleeful insanity, picture that same pleasant pandemonium being the reaction of people simply hearing that they've received the gift of salvation through faith in Christ!
I can only imagine.

Devotional Scripture 
Jude 1:3-4
3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

In John 10:7, Jesus said that He is the “door of the sheep.” What did He mean? Well, a sheepfold during Jesus’ time had no real door which could be opened and closed. The door was just a make-shift opening. In this kind of sheepfold, after the sheep had entered in, the shepherd would sleep at the entrance. The shepherd effectively became the “door” of the sheepfold.

As our door, Jesus keeps out everything evil that He has redeemed us from. Because He shed His blood for us, we are covered and protected within the sheepfold by a blood-stained door. Remember that on the night of the first Passover in Egypt, the destroyer could not enter the houses of the Israelites because of the blood of the lamb on their doors (see Exodus 12:13, 23). This is why we partake of The Lord’s Supper as often as we do! As often as we do this, we make Jesus, The Lamb of God, the doorway over our lives! Disaster, destruction and death must pass over us because of the protection we have through His blood!

However, if we do not partake by faith, we allow the enemy to creep in unnoticed! Then, we put not only ourselves at high risk for a sneak attack, but the entire church as well! True faith in Christ Jesus is a confession of the heart (Romans 10:10). We must first examine ourselves individually before we can ever hope to be effective, fruitful members of the body (1 Corinthians 11:27-30). It is only when Christ is allowed to actively live in our hearts that we become Unified Faithful Contenders!!

I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a little bit country. And, being a little bit country, you grow up with a different kind of lingo. As a child I grew up calling our “living” room the “front” room. This was because it was the room that was at the front of the house. It was the first room, and often the only room, that visitors would see.  This room set the impression for the house, so it was always clean. The rest of the rooms in the house (except for the bathroom) could be in total chaos, but not the front room!

However, in today’s conversations, the word “front” often implies a different meaning. A “front” is a cover or disguise for another activity, especially something disreputable. This gives new meaning, now, to the “front” room. Or does it? When I give it a little more honest thought, I realize that the front room is actually that – the room in which the front takes place! The front room gives the impression to visitors that everything in your house is decent and in order, and masks the reality of the confusion taking place in the private rooms, which are the ones most utilized! The front room hides the bedroom battles! It disguises the disgust in the den! It covers the cussing in the kitchen! The front room gives all who visit, the appearance that the occupants of the house, have it all together!

Many of us who come to church today, rather than assembling in a living room – a room of life, a room of living – are gathering in a front room! We are unwilling to reveal our wounds! We refuse to let others see our brokenness! We front! We pretend that we have it all together! We practice worshipping while wounded, and leading while bleeding! We are good at trying to give help, denying the fact that we need help ourselves!

Family, wounded people wound people! We can’t be healed if we can’t be real! Let’s choose, today, to end our relationship in the front room! Let’s go into the room of life! Let’s go into the room of unity, the room of healing, the room of wholeness! Let’s be honest and real with one another! Come! Join me in the Living Room!

Family, I often associate the trials of life with the way I learned to ride a bike when I was a little boy. My big sister, Marion, would run behind me, push me, and let me go. She would keep running with me saying, "You’ve got it! Straighten it up! Watch out! That's it!"

Even though Marion was a good teacher, I still fell plenty of times. (Even though I was an annoying brat of a little brother who probably deserved to be pushed off the bike, she would always try and catch me before I fell) But when I fell, she would always ask if I was okay, help me get up, dust me off, and help me get back going again, the whole time encouraging me that I almost had it. She never got upset with me. She never dwelt on what I was doing wrong, but encouraged me through what I was doing RIGHT! I found, that as long as I focused on her voice encouraging me, I was able to do more than what I could do on my own!

That’s exactly how the Lord Jesus loves us! He wants us to stay focused on His voice, His encouragements, His love and His righteousness! That IS right believing! That IS right living!

He knows you’re going to make some mistakes, some more than others, and others over and over again. He knows you’re going to fall at times. But, He wants you to be confident that He will pick you up every time! He will tell you how proud of you He is!

“You’ve got it! Straighten it up! Watch out! That’s it!”

Hear His voice encouraging you today! He IS NOT DISAPPOINTED IN YOU!! HE IS NOT MAD AT YOU!! He knows what it’s like to ride a bike, too! He suffered ALL your bumps and bruises, scrapes and falls, hurts and pains! He suffered ALL your test and trials! He focused on ALL the wrongs that you did, ONE TIME ONLY, took them upon Himself, then to the cross, and left them there!!

Hear Him today, Family: “That’s it! That’s it! I’m so proud of you! I love you so much!”

Oh, and by the way, He’s picking you up in the air, holding you, and spinning you around while He’s saying this with a huge smile on His face – just like the Good Father He Is!!

"And blessed is she that believes: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord!” – Luke 1:45

In reflecting on this past Easter Sunday, the Resurrection Day of Our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus, I found myself, not only thinking about the tremendous service that we had, but reflecting strongly on this passage of Scripture and last month’s Red Carpet Woman, Women’s Conference (RCW). Although this is the foundational Scripture for RCW, it was not a Scripture that I recall being applied in Sunday’s preachment. And again, even though testimonials are still being received, more than a month has passed since the conference.  

The Scripture is the inspiration for RCW, because of the word “performance.” It is exciting to know that whatever the Lord has said He will do, WILL perform in the life of the one who believes! Can you imagine the promises of God performing for you? Can you see them, strolling elegantly and magnificently down the Red Carpet? Can you see the paparazzi scrambling to get the best photo of the performers?

“Look! Here comes Forgiveness!”

“Quick! Get a picture of Healing!”

“Redemption! Redemption! Turn this way! Look over here!”

But the frenzy doesn’t really kick in until Jesus makes His entrance – with you as His guest of honor!

At the debut of any great performance, at the premier of every great production, the Red Carpet is rolled out to magnify the quality and underscore the importance of the occasion. You see, the Red Carpet represents the Blood of Jesus. When the Lord shed His Blood, when He died on the cross, only then was Forgiveness free to perform, only then was Healing allowed to take the stage, only then could Redemption make a grand appearance! When He shed His Blood and rose from the grave, the curse was broken, the enemy was defeated, and the promises of God took to the stage permanently, for all who believe!

Just as it was at RCW, this past Resurrection Sunday, there was joy and there was pain, there was laughter and there were tears that were shed. Those who were weak, found themselves strong! Those who were bound, found themselves free! Those who were wounded, found themselves healed! Those who believed, found the promises of God performing in their lives!

Don’t keep Jesus waiting any longer! He Himself rolled out the Red Carpet for you!

This is your season to walk into new purpose, a new dimension – a new existence – in Him!

Take His hand! See that He took the wounds for our transgressions, and now offers a perfect peace that only He can give!

Open your heart, receive Him by faith, and let the promises of God do what they do best in your life – perform!

~Pastor Bill