Weekend Review

Pastor Terry Gann, his lovely family and the Hamilton Church welcomed me into their fellowship on Sunday. The presence of the Lord was very near as we began to lift our hearts in worship on the day we celebrate as Palm Sunday. Several people responded to the altar invitation as the unction of the Spirit began to minister to the needs of those who followed the call of the Spirit. I am still convinced that God is ready to respond to the cry of His children if only we would release our faith and surrender our needs to Him. For some reason the enemy still convinces many people to carry their own burdens and needs rather than surrender them to our Loving Father. I will continue to encourage people to respond to the invitation from God; He has prepared to meet our needs if we will be willing to obey and trust in Him. I made reference to an old hymn yesterday and one of the lines of that hymn resounds with this promise; "Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His Word. I'm so glad that I learned to trust in Jesus..." I am glad that I learned to trust in Jesus and I am thankful to report that I am still learning to trust in Jesus. As I was praying this morning I could sense the Lord speaking to my heart about this week we refer to as "Holy Week." This week serves as a reminder of the events that led to the death of Christ on the cross for our sins and the redemption of our lives. As Christians surely these thoughts are near to us every day but God uses special moments to strengthen the process of our memory and the process of our reflection. I believe that God desires for all of us to use this week for moments of personal reflection and introspection. It is easy to look at the lives of others and identify their problems, needs, sins and other actions that we find disagreeable. But how often do we take those same measurements and evaluate ourselves? How often are we willing to get alone with God and allow His Spirit to search our hearts and reveal those things that need to be changed or corrected? I felt His Spirit in such a manner this morning and I understand that much of what I sensed was for my personal walk with God but I also sensed the unction from God to share the principle of the encounter with you through this blog. Some will choose to ignore this challenge because the enemy will seek to convince you that it is not you that has any needs in your life. Others may choose to make a half-hearted attempt at this type of encounter with God. Great freedom and encouragement awaits those of us who choose to come openly and honestly before God and allow Him to examine our lives. Already this morning I have sensed the presence of the Lord in prayer as well as in the writing of this blog. God is at work, surrender your life to Him and watch Him do a great work in your life.