What The Bible Says About Imperfection

 I want to talk about What The Bible has to say about Imperfection. There is a song I would like to start out with called Imperfections by Matthew West. The lyrics of the song say: All of my life I've been making a list, Of all the things about me I'd change if I could And the longer I live, the more I'm convinced, The bad and the ugly will outweigh the good, I beat myself up, I tear myself down, And it's never been harder to understand how, You perfectly love me and all my imperfections, Still can't believe that it's true, How You perfectly love me and all my imperfections And all my imperfections You'll use, I'm clumsy and foolish, I'm reckless and clueless, If there's a wrong turn, I'll take it, But You keep on raising me up from my ruins, And tell me I'm something worth saving, The story of me is a story of grace, Every chapter's a new list of all of the ways, You perfectly love me and all my imperfections, Still can't believe that it's true, How You perfectly love me and all my imperfections, And all my imperfections you'll use, All of my life I thought You had a list, Of all the things about me You'd change if You could. But here in Your presence my heart is convinced, There's no part of me that you can't use for good, Lord, You perfectly love me and all my imperfections, I'm finally believing it's true, How You perfectly love me and all my imperfections, And all my imperfections You'll use, All my imperfections You'll use, So, I give all my imperfections to You. A second song I would like to share is one I've shared before in a study and it's by an artist named Amy Picard and it's her song called Perfectly Imperfect and for me when I think of this song, I take it in a way, that all of us are perfectly imperfect children of God trying to lead by the example God has given us to minister to others who are not only feeling lost but how God will take the perfectly imperfect parts of our testimonies to turn them into beautifully broken pieces that are a piece of the puzzle that is being crafted by God with knowing that He is still perfecting the imperfections of that Scrapbook of our testimonies to live by Faith alone, and to not walk by sight. I want us to look at some scripture now. The scriptures we are going to look at tonight are Ephesians 2 verse 8-9, John 10 verse 10, James 3 verse 2, Philippians 4 verse 13, Philippians 3 verse 12, Psalm 120 verse 1, James 1 verse 4, 2 Corinthians 2 verse 9, Luke 1 verse 37, and the last two we will look at are Colossians 3 verse 14 and 2 Chronicles 7 verse 14. We see in these scriptures that God takes our imperfection and turns it around to something that is Beautifully Broken in the eyes of Him. I would like to share Plumb's song Beautifully Broken with you and the lyrics say: Every tear, every doubt, Every time you've fallen down, When you're hurting, feeling ashamed, When you're numbing off your pain, When you've lost your way, And feel so far away, You're not, You're beautifully broken, And you can be whole again, Even a million scars doesn't change whose you are, You're worthy, Beautifully broken, Every fear of being loved, For who you are no matter what, When you're stumbling,, And you're haunted by regret, And the darkness closes in, Just listen, You're beautifully broken, And You can be whole again, Even a million scars doesn't change whose you are, You're worthy, Beautifully broken, You're beautifully broken (beautifully broken), You're beautifully broken, Oh, the God who made the stars, Is the God that made your heart, And He's holding you right now, He can heal the broken parts, And make beauty from the scars, the scars, Beautiful scars! There are a few things that I would like to close on tonight. The first thing that I would like to close on is this. “Remember God is not surprised by your inabilities, your imperfections, or your faults. He has always known everything about you that you are just now finding out, and he chose you on purpose for himself.” The second thing I would like to share is a song called How He Loves and some of the lyrics I want to share say this: … He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree, Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy, When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, And I realize just how beautiful You are, And how great Your affections are for me … And oh, how He loves us, oh, Oh, how He loves us, How He loves us all … He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree, Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy, When all of a sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, And I realise just how beautiful You are, And how great Your affections are for me … And oh, how He loves us, oh, Oh, how He loves us,  How He loves us all. The third thing I would like to share is another quote. The quote says this: It is in your most broken places you are most often used by God. The next thing that I would like to share is DC Talk's song called What If I Stumble and the lyrics say: What if I stumble? What if I fall? This one for the people? Is this one for the Lord? Or do I simply serenade for things I must afford? You can jumble them together, My conflict still remains, Holiness is callin', In the midst of courting fame, 'Cause I see the trust in their eyes, Though the sky is fallin', They need Your love in their lives, Compromise is callin', What if I stumble?, What if I fall? What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all? Will the love continue, When my walk becomes a crawl? What if I stumble? And what if I fall? What if I stumble? What if I fall? (Fall, fall) (O Lord) You never turn in the heat of it all What if I stumble? What if I fall? (Fall, fall, fall, fall, fall) Father, please forgive me, For I cannot compose, The fear that lives within me Or the rate at which it grows (rate at which it grows) If struggle has a purpose On the narrow road You carved, Why do I dread my trespasses will leave a deadly scar?, Did they see the fear in my eyes? Are they so revealin'? This time I cannot disguise, All the doubt I'm feelin', What if I stumble? What if I fall? What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?, Will the love continue When my walk becomes a crawl? What if I stumble? And what if I fall? What if I stumble?, Everyone's got to crawl when you know that you're up against the wall, It's about to fall, Everyone's got to crawl when you know that... Yeah, Everyone's got to crawl when you know that you're up against the wall, It's about to fall, Everyone's got to crawl when you know that..., Yeah, I hear You whispering my name, You said, "My love for you will never change" (never change). Another quote that I would like to share says this: “God uses broken things beautifully; Broken clouds pour rain, Broken soil sets as fields, Broken crop yield seeds, Broken seeds give life to new plants. So when you feel you are broken, be rest assured that God is planning to utilize you for something great.” We see here in all of this that God is using us to the best of our abilities to utilize us in what we can do and to use us in how He sees us as Beloved children of God who are completely loved and known by Him. Here is the last quote I want to leave all of you with tonight. The quote says this: “There is nothing more liberating than being fully known and still loved.”  I wanted to end on that quote tonight because I want us to be reminded in how God sees beyond the imperfection or imperfections of our past, to help us be reminded in how we can be loved, are loved, and how we can take the good parts of our testimony to share with others, because when we think about it and truly think about it, we know we were made in the Image Of God, that our testimonies are from over, that it is the beginning of something beautiful because just like in Jeremiah 29 verse 11, God reminds us that the plans He has for us are to prosper us, not to harm us, but to give us a hope and a future. We need to know that what God has in store is what He will keep revealing to us in His Timing because our ways are not perfect, but God's ways are perfect. So tonight as we leave, let us remember that we are truly Loved. The song I started out with by Matthew West is a nice song, and it reminds me a lot of the time that beyond my imperfection or imperfections, God's got me in His hands and He will always love me without end because as a Beloved child of God, He sees beyond our imperfection and imperfections to give us a beautifully broken picture of how we are made whole in the Image of Him. Let this be a reminder for all of us this week that we don't have to be perfect in anything we do because our ways are not perfect, because God's ways are. Just a like Land of Color song says: We don't have to win, we don't have to lie, we don't have to always get it right, we will find the strength when we let go to be your warriors. As God's Warriors, we may feel like we are broken and that we have to be perfect, but God reminds us that we don't have to be because like another song says: We Are Perfectly Imperfect.

Thankfulness

 Tonight I want to talk about Thankfulness. I would like to start off with a song by Charity Gale called Thank You Jesus For The Blood. 

The lyrics of the song say this: I was a wretch, I remember who I was, I was lost, I was blind, I was running out of time, Sin separated, The breach was far too wide, But from the far side of the chasm, You held me in your sight, So You made a way, Across the great divide, Left behind Heaven's throne, To build it here inside, And there at the cross, You paid the debt I owed, Broke my chains, freed my soul, For the first time I had hope, Thank you Jesus for the blood applied, Thank you Jesus, it has washed me white, Thank you Jesus, You have saved my life, Brought me from the darkness into glorious light, You took my place, Laid inside my tomb of sin, You were buried for three days, But then You walked right out again, And now death has no sting, And life has no end, For I have been transformed, By the blood of the lamb, Thank You Jesus for the blood applied (thank You Jesus), Thank You Jesus, it has washed me white, Thank You Jesus, You have saved my life, Brought me from the darkness into glorious light, There is nothing stronger, Than the wonder working power of the blood, The blood, That calls us sons and daughters, We are ransomed by our Father, Through the blood, The blood, There is nothing stronger, Of the wonder working power of the blood, The blood, That calls us sons and daughters, We are ransomed by the Father, Through the blood, The blood, Thank You Jesus for the blood applied, Thank You Jesus, it have washed me white, Thank You Jesus, You have saved my life, Brought me from the darkness into glorious light, Glory to His name, Glory to His name, There to my heart was the blood applied, Glory to His name. 

I want to share another song called Thank You Lord by Chris Tomlin and the lyrics say: Thank You Lord for the small things, Like me and her on the porch swing, For summer nights and fireflies, And the sound of my old six string, Blessings, on blessings, on blessings, on blessings, If I still got breath in these lungs, And that's all I need to get down on my knees, And be thankful for all that He's done, For my mama, for my friends, For Your love that never ends, For the songs that make us dance, On this ol' dirt floor, For my babies, for my girl, For the way they changed my world, Waking up today, Yeah, I just gotta say, Thank You Lord, Yeah, I just wanna say, Thank You Lord (oh, now), Thank You Lord for the hard times, For lighting the way in the dark times, For pulling me in, forgiving again, The times that I took it too far, I Gotta thank You for keeping me humble, For picking me up when I stumble, And although I change, You stay the same, And I don't say thank You enough, For my mama, for my friends, For Your love that never ends, For the songs that make us dance, On this ol' dirt floor, For my babies, for my girl, For the way they changed my world (changed my world), Waking up today, Yeah, I just gotta say, Thank You Lord, I just wanna say, Thank You Lord (oh yeah), Praise up, Eyes closed, One thing I know, I just wanna thank You Lord, thank You Lord (thank You Lord). 

With these two songs we say how we give God thanks and how we are thankful for what He has and continues to do in our lives. 

I want us to look at some scriptures now. 

The scriptures I would like to share are these scriptures.

1 Thessalonians 5 verse 18 says: Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 4 verse 2 says: Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Ephesians 5 verse 20 says: Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalm 100 verse 4 says: Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

Psalm 107 verse 1: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Psalm 69 verse 30: I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 28 verse 7: The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning.

Philippians 4 verse 6-7:  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Then the last scripture we will take a look at tonight is this one.

2 Corinthians 9 verse 15: Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

 In the scriptures we see how when we have a trait like Thankfulness, we can be humbly thankful, grateful, and blessed in knowing how God has had His Hands in everything that He has done and continues to do for us. 

I want to share three quotes with you. The first quote I would like to share says: ''Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.'' 

The second quote I would like to share says: Thanksgiving to be truly thanksgiving, is first thanks, then giving. 

The last quote I would like to share says: ''Thanksgiving is a time of togetherness and gratitude.'' 

In these quotes we see how when we are thankful for what we have and receive the blessings that God continues to give us, that we truly start to see what we are thankful for. 

Here are the things that I would like to end on tonight. The first thing I would like to share is a song called Give Thanks and some of the lyrics say: Give thanks with a grateful heart, Give thanks to the Holy One, Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son, Give thanks with a grateful heart, Give thanks to the Holy One,  Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son, And now let the weak say, "I am strong", Let the poor say, "I am rich, Because of what the Lord has done for us", And now let the weak say, "I am strong", Let the poor say, "I am rich, Because of what the Lord has done for us", Give thanks with a grateful heart (with a grateful heart), Give thanks to the Holy One (to the Holy One). Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son, Give thanks with a grateful heart (with a grateful heart), Give thanks to the Holy One (to the Holy One), Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son, And now let the weak say, "I am strong", Let the poor say, "I am rich, Because of what the Lord has done for us", And now let the weak say, "I am strong", Let the poor say, "I am rich (I am rich), Because of what the Lord has done for us", Give thanks, We give thanks to You. 

The next thing I would like to share is another quote and the quote says this: Gratitude, ''Never let the things you want make you forget the things you have.'' 

Here is the last thing that I would like to share with all of you. Be thankful for what you have, be grateful in what you do, and be humbly blessed in all the things that God has done and continues to do for you, as God gives you the thankfulness in your heart to know that you can do all things with Him that gives you the strength to do those things. You don't have to be afraid as God will show you the gratitude you need in order to grow daily in your relationship and in your faith walk with Him. So let's show that gratitude daily.

How God Shapes Our Testimony

 Tonight I want to talk about How God Shapes Our Testimony. Now the reason I came up with this and wanted to talk about it tonight is because there was something I said over the weekend where I said that God is still perfecting that Scrapbook of our Testimony. Now when we think of how God is still perfecting and crafting the Scrapbook of our Testimonies, we can see how He is then Shaping and Molding our Testimony in order to grow in our relationship, and our Faith walk with God. We see how God does great works in our lives. We see how we can grow spiritually, and not lose Hope, or Faith, or Love for one another. I want us to now look at some scriptures and the scriptures we are going to look at tonight are 2 Timothy 1 verse 8, Revelation 12 verse 11, Psalm 66 verse 16, 1 John 5 verse 11, 1 John 1-4, Matthew 5 verse 16, Hebrews 2 verse 12. The other scriptures I want to look at tonight are Hebrews 4 verse 12, Acts 1 verse 8, Revelation 19 verse 10, Psalm 19 verse 7, Revelation 1 verse 2, Psalm 26 verse 7, John 9 verse 25, Psalm 119 verse 111, John 14 verse 6, 1 Timothy 6 verse 12, Psalm 119 verse 105, John 3 verse 16-17, Mark 5 verse 19, Psalm 107 1-2, Jeremiah 51 verse 10, and 1 Corinthians 1-9. In the scriptures we see how God continues to Shape and Perfect the Scrapbook of our Testimonies. I want to share a song by Jeremy Camp called Overcome and here are the lyrics I would like to share: Seated above, enthroned in the Father's love, Destined to die, poured out for all mankind, God's only Son, perfect and spotless one, He never sinned but suffered as if He did, All authority, Every victory is Yours, All authority, Every victory is Yours, Savior, Savior, worthy of honor and glory, Worthy of all our praise, You overcame, Jesus, awesome in power forever, Awesome and great is Your name, You overcame, Power in hand speaking the Father's plan, You're sending us out, light in this broken land, All authority, Every victory is Yours, Savior, worthy of honor and glory, Worthy of all our praise, You overcame, You overcame, Jesus, awesome in power forever, Awesome and great is Your name, You overcame, yeah, We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb, And the word of our testimony, everyone overcome. When I think of this song, I think of how God has helped me through different things. I think of how God is blessing my life through the ministries I'm actively involved in, and how I am involved in my church. I think of how I am even involved as a community network leader for teens with Hydrocephalus and do a zoom call with them once a month on Sundays, and every Saturday help with those who are my age, but have become family, just like ministries in Washington and California have become family and the ministries based out in those states, and the Soldiers for Faith ministry have become home for me too. Everyone I've met through these ministries, like this one or the other two I have continuously to be involved in, has been a blessing but I have seen God shape me and continue to shape my testimony daily. I know it's where I belong, and I know it's what God has called me to do. There are some things I want to close on, but before I end and close on those things, here is a question I want to ask all of you. How has God shaped you to be who you are uniquely called to be in His Image? Here are the things I would like to end and close on tonight. The first quote I would like to share says this: ''We all have a story. We all have a testimony. We all have the goodness of God that we can share with others to encourage them. Take a step of faith and share what He is doing in your life!.'' The second thing I would like to share says: ''Everything has a purpose, the purpose of your Trials is to give you a testimony.'' The third thing I would like to share says: If you give it to God, He transforms your test into a testimony, your mess into a message, and your misery into a ministry. The next thing I would like to share is Brand New by Matthew West. The lyrics I want to share say this: When you close your eyes, do you go back there To a bended knee and a "Lord, I need you" whispered prayer? Remember the moment you let Jesus in, Would you give anything to go back there again? You feel like a million mistakes and a million miles, Away from the first time faith of a child, But oh, I want you to know, He's making you new, He's making you new, He's healing your heart right where you are, If only you knew, He's lifting your shame, He's changing your name And when you look back The only thing that you'll see is His grace, Has been making you brand new, He is making you brand new, When it just doesn't feel like the old you is gone, The shame keeps telling your heart that you should be further along, You can fix your eyes now on the truth you know, That you are held by the hands of a savior that won't let go. Anyone in Christ is now a new creation, Every day you're closer to the you He's making, So take one last look back and see your past erasing, You're not who you were, that's over and done, So lift up your eyes to the one, Who's making you new, He's making you new, He's healing your heart right where you are, If only you knew, He's lifting your shame, He's changing your name, And when you look back, The only thing that you'll see is His grace, Has been making you brand new, He is making you brand new. The last thing I want to leave everyone with tonight is, no matter what the enemy tries to say about you, no matter how many times the enemy tries to tell you lies and define who you are, you are not defined by any of that, because the enemy doesn't define and shape you or I's testimony, because the only one that does that is God. God shapes and crafts and perfects our testimony and turns our small victories into blessings. I wanted to end on that last part there because I wanted all of you to know your testimony from God isn't over and still is adding the good parts and pieces to the scrapbook of your testimony, so you can continue to be the light He wants you to be. We may not be perfect but God's ways are perfect, and we know He is Love and there's no greater Love than the Love Of God perfecting our Testimonies.

The Love Of God

 I am going to talk about the Love Of God. This study came about from a song I was listening before church on a radio network and the song was called Heart Of The Father. I thought how can I go about that. How can I really go about it, is what I thought and then while listening to things in church I came up with some things and a scripture, and the title which is: The Love Of God. Now I want to start off with a song before we go into scriptures and the song I want to start with tonight is A Thousand Thank Yous by Sarah Kroger. The lyrics of the song say: How rare, the riches of Your glory. How deep, the Father's loving heart, How vast, the reaches of Your mercy, Stretching wider and further than the stars, More than a million words could say, A thousand thank You's, a fountain of praise, With every breath of all of our days, Jesus, You're worthy of all of our praise, All of our praise, How wild, beyond imagination, How kind, the nature of Your heart, How extravagant, the beauty of Your splendour, We stand in awe of who You are, More than a million words could say, A thousand thank You's, a fountain of praise, With every breath of all of our days, Jesus, You're worthy of all of our praise, Of all of our praise. I want us to now look at scriptures and the scriptures we are looking at tonight are: 1 John 4 verse 8, Hosea 11 verse 4, 1 John 4 verse 16, Jude 1 verse 21, Romans 5 verse 8, John 14 verse 21, John 7 verse 38, Mark 12 verse 30, John 3 verse 16, 1 Chronicles 29 verse 17, Zephaniah 3 verse 17, and 1 John 4 verse 10. In the scriptures we see God's Love for us because God is Love. When we know the Love of God is with us because He is Love, we can begin to see how God not only doesn't give us a spirit of fear but of a sound mind. There is a scripture in Proverbs where it says Trust In The Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. I'm sure if we were to look at scriptures in Ephesians or more books of the Bible we would find scriptures on The Heart Of The Father, God's unfailing and infinite love, what it truly meant to have the Love Of God living inside of us, A Father's Love, and the Love we receive from God. We could probably take time going around time and time again quoting the scriptures that talk about this. Tonight, we are talking about The Love Of God. When I think of that, for me personally I think of one of the scriptures we read which is John 3 verse 16, and I think of how amazing it is to know He sent His Son to die on the cross to forgive us of our sins so that we could have everlasting or eternal life. When I was talking with a friend this past weekend, I was talking to them about something I had thought about and they were thinking just the same thing, because I mentioned and I think I mentioned something relating with God's Love and all of what I talked about and shared toward the beginning of how I decided to do this study. It's amazing how God works in us to show us that things can come full circle like that. I want to share some other songs right now with all of you. The first one being How Deep The Father's Love For Us. The lyrics say this: How deep the Father's love for us, How vast beyond all measure, That He should give His only Son, To make a wretch His treasure, How great the pain of searing loss, The Father turns His face away, As wounds which mar the Chosen One, Bring many sons to glory, Behold the man upon a cross, My sin upon His shoulders, Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice, Call out among the scoffers, It was my sin that held Him there, Until it was accomplished, His dying breath has brought me life, I know that it is finished, I will not boast in anything, No gifts, no power, no wisdom, But I will boast in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection, Why should I gain from His reward?, I cannot give an answer, But this I know with all my heart, His wounds have paid my ransom. The next two songs are by Sarah Kroger and the first one is Belovedness, where some of the lyrics say: You are completely loved and fully known, Beloved, believe he died to make your heart his home. And he says, "You're mine, I smiled when I made you, I find you beautiful in every way, My love for you is fierce and unending, I'll come to find you, whatever it takes", He says, "You're mine, I smiled when I made you, I find you beautiful in every way, My love for you is fierce and unending I'll come to find you, whatever it takes, My beloved", It's time to own your belovedness. The second song is called Run To The Cross and the lyrics say: You were wounded, pierced and broken, I have been redeemed, You were bound for my transgressions, I have been released. Who the Son sets free is free, I am free indeed. I run to the Cross, I fall in your arms, and I know I'm forgiven, yeah I know I'm forgiven. I run to the Cross, I lay down my heart, and I am not forsaken, yeah I am not forsaken. I had wandered far from mercy, still you searched for me. Held as captive, to my failings, oh, you rescued me! The next song I would like to share is So Loved by Matthew West and some of the lyrics say: Some say they're just nothin', But some words upon a page, In a dusty old Bible at a backroad revival, Or a Sunday school lesson from childhood days, Yeah, and some say they're just numbers, Just some numbers on a sign, 3:16, they don't mean a thing, We see it all the time, but the world pays no mind, Well all I can tell you is what it means to me, These are the numbers of my hope, These are the words that set me free, They tell the story of a Savior, Who gave His life for me And with all that is within me I believe, For God so loved, So loved the world, He gave His one and only Son, For God so loved. We see here that God loves us so much and that we are His Beloved and we can own that Belovedness through Him because His Love for us is deep. The last thing I would like to end on tonight is The Father's Heart by Aaron Appling. The lyrics I would like to share is: As I Sing This Song, Heaven Open Wide And Angels Sing Along, Sweet Melodies Wrapped Inside, mmm, My Father's Heart. Oh, Oh, It's in this secret place where Heaven kisses Earth in such a sweet embrace, Angelic Harmonies wrapped inside mmm, my Father's Heart. We see in part of this song that not only are we wrapped in the arms of Him, we are wrapped around His Heart because He loves with unconditional and unfailing love because He is Love. We give our hearts to God in praise, in prayer, and there's no greater Love than The Heart Of God in our hearts with love.

What The Bible Says About Delegation

 Tonight I will be talking about what the Bible says about Delegation. I would like for us to now look at some scriptures and the scriptures we are going to look at are 2 Peter 1:20-21, 2 Timothy 3:16, Colossians 1:16, Romans 8:28, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, Acts 20:24, Acts 16:16-18, Acts 4:12, Acts 1:3, John 14:6, John 8:14, Luke 17:19, Luke 19:8, Luke 9:23, Luke 5:16. I would now like to share a quote with all of you. The quote says this: If you delegate tasks, you create followers. If you delegate authority, you create leaders. I would like to share a line from the song Speak O Lord before sharing another quote with all of you.

The line from the song says this: Cause our faith to rise, cause our eyes to see, Your majestic love and authority.

The second quote I would like to share says this: Surround yourself with great people; delegate authority; get out of the way.

When we take a look at the scriptures, and these two quotes, there is something that each have in common. The thing they have in common is that each of it talks about Authority. I want to take a minute and share just a little story for those who may not have heard this, I can still remember when Melvin who is a Bible study leader for Thursday nights with his study called Hidden Treasures, myself and Ricky were on and it was just the three of us. Well, I remember and I'm not sure why but this has always stuck with me ever since. Ricky was talking to Melvin and I about the delegation of authority and what it meant and to now see myself doing a study on what the Bible says about Delegation, well for me I shared something on a Monday Night Study called Seeds of Truth where I shared the story I did just now, but I shared other things that I related to that in parts of that and toward the end. Now we see how God is in control, but if we take time to stop and think about it, what is the difference between the authority that we see for someone who maybe a teacher in a school, and others have when it comes to maybe leading a study? What is the difference between all of that and the authority that God has for us?

Well let's take a look a minute at some scriptures that talk about Spiritual Authority first.

The scriptures we are going to look at are, 1 John 4 verse 4, James 4 verse 7, Matthew 28 verse 18, Mark 16 verse 17-18, John 10 verse 27, Genesis 1 verse 28, John 16 verse 13, Philippians 2 verse 9-11, Hebrews 4 verse 12-13, Ephesians 6 verse 13, and 1 Timothy 5 verse 17.

Now let's look at some scriptures on what the Bible says about Respecting Authorities. The scriptures we are going to look at are Leviticus 19 verse 32, Acts 5 verse 29, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, Philippians 2:3, and the last three that we are going to look at is Romans 12:1-2, Romans 10:17 and John 19:11.

In the scriptures we see the Spiritual Authority and Respecting Authorities is what God shows us that we need, but it also shows us that there are people who are leaders like teachers, parents, people in the medical field, and so many others who have a different role in something, this authority is where we need to be respectful to those who have a different role in what God helps them with because when we show that respect to them, then they also show respect to those around them. Now with Spiritual authority, God is the one that has Spiritual Authority and we need to remember that He's in control and that we need to also show respect for the authority He gives and know that He always has a plan.

Here is what I would like to leave you with tonight: We are not what others label us. We are who we choose to be. I wanted to leave with this quote because God doesn't label us, He does the opposite. He loves us unconditionally because He created us in His Image to be fearfully and wonderfully made and who we choose to be is not us saying we choose to be any different, because if we think about it, we are all different in God's eyes and we are unique and He chose us to do great things because He has purpose for us and because of that we don't have to be afraid or worry over what others say because God's in control and He's Got This. He always has and always will.

What It Means To Have A Yearning Heart

I am going to be sharing with all of you What It Means To Have A Yearning Heart that is Longing for Jesus. I want to start of with three quotes before we go into reading scriptures and here are the quotes that I would like to share. The first quote says: I have learned that my quenchless longing for life is, a secret, unutterable yearning after God; for how can you conceive of life apart from Him? The second quote that I would like to share says: My Soul Longs For You Lord In A Dry And Weary Land. The last quote I would like to share for the moment says: In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart. The scriptures I would like to take a look at tonight is 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 16-18, Romans 12 verse 1-2, Psalm 73 verse 25, Jude 1 verse 3, Matthew 22 verse 37, 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17, Romans 10 verse 9, Hebrews 10 verse 22, Psalm 27 verse 8, John 16 verse 22, Psalm 73 verse 26, Psalm 84 verse 2. In the scriptures we see how God can give us a heart that yearns for Him and that is longing for Him. In 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17 it talks about a new creation in Christ. Well for us, we all at one time gave our life to Christ. We were all baptized as a baby at one point, and some of us as an adult. The reason I share that part is because whether we were baptized at a young age, or as an adult, eventually we would have questions as a new believer would or as we continue now. Our hearts yearn for Him, and it's Longing for Jesus to continue to do a great work in us as the new creation we are made to be because we are made in the Image of God. I would like to share two songs now. The first one being New Creation by Mac Powell. The lyrics of the song say this: I thought I knew what I was talking about, When I testified of Your great love, Well, I was a soul on fire, there was no doubt, Bible believing, saved, and washed in the blood, But it wasn't 'til I stumbled and made my mistakes, That I could know in my soul how amazing was grace, You brought me blessings out of a tragedy, You turned my old song into a symphony And with Your spirit living inside of me, I'm a new creation, I'm a new creation And now I know what You were talking about, Went from my head into my heart, When I was broken at the bottom, I found

You're my Healer and Redeemer, Jesus, that's who You are, You brought me blessings out of a tragedy, You turned my old song into a symphony And with Your spirit living inside of me, I'm a new creation, I'm a new creation, Oh, oh-oh, oh, oh, Oh, oh-oh, oh, oh, But it wasn't 'til I stumbled and made my mistakes, That I could know in my soul how amazing was grace, You brought me blessings out of a tragedy, You turned my old song into a symphony And with Your spirit living inside of me, I'm a new creation (oh, oh-oh, oh, oh). The second song I would like to share is Image Of God by We Are Messengers which says: I woke up with a broken heart in my chest, I couldn't sleep couldn't get no rest, Weighed down by the heaviness of life And I try to shake it flipping through my phone, But all it does is make me feel more alone, How could anything that feels so wrong be right, Seven billion voices separate us, But only one can show us who we are, We are made, Made in the image of, Made in the image of God, Beautiful shades of love, We are made, Made in the image of, Made in the image of God, That's where the light comes from, We all need the same medicine, We all need another second chance, There's no first in line at the foot of the Cross, Father, forgive me, Show my concrete heart, We are made, Made in the image of, Made in the image of God, Beautiful shades of love, We are made, Made in the image of, Made in the image of God, That's where the light comes from, We fall apart, We all lose sight of Heaven, But still Your love is chasing us, Give me a heart, For every heart that's breaking, And give me eyes to see, We're so much more than flesh and blood, We are, Made in the image of, Made in the image of God, We are made, Made in the image of, Made in the image of God, Beautiful shades of Love. We see here that our hearts long for Jesus as they yearn for Him because we are a Beloved child of God, we can see that as a new creation that when we were made in the Image Of God, we were created for purpose that as we grew in our relationship and our Faith, that our hearts would yearn and long for Him, long for His Word which is truth, and long for the wisdom and knowledge that He gives us to have a personal and deep connection with Christ to give our testimony in how God uses us in ways that our not ours but His. That brings me to another song I want to share called Holy Spirit by Francesca Battistelli where the lyrics of her song say: There's nothing worth more That could ever come close, No thing can compare You're our living hope, Your presence, Lord, I've tasted and seen Of the sweetest of loves, Where my heart becomes free And my shame is undone, Your presence, Lord, Holy Spirit, You are welcome here, Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere, Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for, To be overcome by Your presence, Lord, Your presence, Lord, There's nothing worth more That could ever come close, No thing can compare You're our living hope, Your presence, Lord, I've tasted and seen Of the sweetest of loves, Where my heart becomes free And my shame is undone, Your presence, Lord, Holy Spirit, You are welcome here Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere, Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for, To be overcome by Your presence, Lord, Your presence, Lord. We see that we need the presence of God because it is what our hearts long for and it is what we need to know that the plans that God has for us are greater than what we will know. Here are three things that I would like to end on tonight with all of you. The first thing I would like to share comes from Jeremiah 29 verse 11 that says: For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you but to give you a hope and a future. The second thing I would like to share says: I don't know who you are or what your story is, but God does, and He loves you with a spectacularly brilliant, healing love. The last thing I would like to share with you in hopes that this can encourage you in your week, is this: When we are seeking God we know that our Hearts yearn and long for Him, because He is the Voice of Truth and because of that we know God is in the midst of our lives in helping us know that we can continue to seek Him and His Word for our Yearning and Longing Heart that wants to continue to seek knowledge, wisdom, and the purity, and radiance of God's Love. 

What Does The Bible Say About Mighty?

 Tonight we are going to look at different scriptures that talk about the words Mighty and Might. I want us to first look at a song by Laura Story called Mighty To Save. The lyrics of the song say this: Everyone needs compassion, A love that's never failing. Let mercy fall on me, Everyone needs forgiveness, the kindness of a Saviour, The hope of nations, Saviour, He can move the mountains, My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save, Forever, author of salvation, He rose and conquered the grave, Jesus conquered the grave, So take me as You find me, All my fears and failures, And fill my life again, I give my life to follow in everything I believe in, Now I surrender, yes, I surrender, Saviour, He can move the mountains, My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save, Forever, author of salvation, He rose and conquered the grave, Jesus conquered the grave. I want us to now look at some scriptures. 

The scriptures we are going to be looking at tonight are Psalm 62 verse 11, 2 Samuel 23 verse 8, John 7 verse 38, Luke 1 verse 37, Jeremiah 32 verse 27, Deuteronomy 10 verse 17, 1 John 1 verse 9, Psalm 145 verse 3. The other scriptures we are going to look at tonight are 2 Chronicles 27 verse 6, Isaiah 11 verse 2, Colossians 3 verse 1, John 1 verse 12, Mark 16 verse 16, and the last scripture we will look at tonight is John 6 verse 47.  We see here in scripture that God gives us the Might to be Mighty, but He give us the Strength to overcome obstacles each and every day in our lives. 

Tonight we looked at two different words, and tonight we're talk about What the Bible says about Mighty. So tonight I want to share some quotes that talk about it. The first one I would like to share with all of you says, Inside Me Is A Weak Heart: But Behind Me Is A Strong God. The second one I would like to share tonight says: ''You don't have to be rich and mighty in this world to be great in the sight of God. You only have to be humble in your heart.'' The last quote I would like to share with you all is this: By reading the Bible we learn more about God. The more we learn of Him the more we love and trust Him. 

So we see by these quotes that even when we don't feel strong and we feel like we might want to give up, God who is Mighty and powerful reminds us that we are His Beloved children who don't have to worry because He's handling it, and that we can live our lives as He has called us to live them. 

When I was trying to figure out how to go about this topic for tonight, I got a little bit hard on myself because I thought how do I go about talking on a word like Mighty? Although two people I know encouraged me and helped me see, just like so many others have helped me see that I don't have to be hard on myself on it because it always works out. They are right, it does work out. I just needed that reminder to know that when we have God, when we have friends that have become family, when we have our family we can be Warriors who are Mighty to do God's Work of what He has planned in our lives. 

We are called as Mighty Warriors to do many different things. For a lot of us God has called us to help with ministry and our church. God has called us to write, draw, sing, whatever it is that God has called us to, we as Mighty Warriors don't have to give up the Good Fight Of Faith to know that it's God who will continue to bless us daily. It's God who will continue to write the story of our lives and it's God who will show us that He is a Strong And Mighty Tower and that we as His Beloved, can rest in His Arms in knowing that Our God is So Big, So Strong and So Mighty that there's nothing He Cannot do for You. 

There's nothing He can't do for any of us and because of that we continue to trust Him and we know His love is unconditional because He is Love. Here are the two things I would like to end on and leave all of you with. As morning dawns and evening fades, You inspire songs of praise, That rise from earth to touch Your heart and glorify your name, Your name is a strong and mighty tower, Your name is a shelter like no other, Your name, let the nations sing it louder, 'Cause nothing has the power to save, But your name, Jesus, in your name we pray, Come and fill our hearts today, Lord, give us strength to live for you and glorify your name, Your name is a strong and mighty tower, Your name is a shelter like no other, Your name, let the nations sing it louder, 'Cause nothing has the power to save but your name. My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, There's nothing my God cannot do, My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, There's nothing my God cannot do, He made the trees, He made the seas, He made the elephants too, My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, There's nothing my God cannot do, My God is so great, so strong and so mighty, There's nothing my God cannot do, My God is so great, so strong and so mighty, There's nothing my God cannot do, The mountains are his, The rivers are his, The skies are his handy works too, My God is so great, so strong and so mighty, There's nothing my God cannot do, There's nothing my God cannot do, There's nothing my God cannot do For you. 

I wanted to end with these two songs because I wanted us to be reminded this week that with God all things are possible and that Nothing is Impossible for God when we have Him on our side and when we know that He is our Refuge, our Strength, and Great and Mighty Is The Lord our God, Great And Mighty Is He. Now I shared that last part as a reminder that God is always there and that we don't have to be afraid in anything.