Imagine for a second that you are on your way to school, college or work in your cool air-conditioned car while the sun is scorching down on the ground outside. Your car halts as you pull up to a red traffic light. While you are waiting for the light to turn green, a boy, no older than the age of ten, dressed in tattered clothes, bare feet knocks on your window, starts to cry and begs for money. Between sobs and tears he begs you for money so that he can have just one basic meal of the day. This is just an example of how many children suffer to get just one meal a day. There are a countless number of such poor children in our country ‘Uganda’ and around the world who cannot afford even one solid meal per day but no child deserves to live in this hurting situation.

Every day, here children live unsure of their next meal. For them to get two meals a day it’s a miracle and they see it has a surprise.

But why are so many children suffering from hunger?

1.     Affordability: Uganda has a high food cost rate. The amount of money that you have influences the type and quantity of food that you can buy. Imagine now feeding 279 children when you’re left with only $50 in your pockets.

Childhood hunger is a major problem at our orphanage - but it is solvable. Donate to feed hungry kids and help us end child hunger. You can save a child from starvation; your gift provides a crucial food and care to less fortunate children here at God’s Village. 

It’s 3:19 PM now, and a 3 year old is still waiting for breakfast since he took sugar cane for supper last night. Yonah collapses to his knees in tear and plops his forehead down on the outside of the kitchen.

Soon he is wailing inconsolably and writhing on his back on the ground. A care giver spots him, picks him up easily by one arm and gives him a little cooked mixed maize corn in a metal bowl. The little boy shovels it into his mouth with sticky fingers coated in tears and grime. The crying, stops for a moment

Each day is now a struggle for care givers at God’s Village to keep hungry children at the orphanage as they search desperately for food.

Gorret Aryangasha Kabarungi a Care Giver here at VCM-Orphanage God’s Village can recall the several worse times in her life serving as a foster mother and one day through the contagious inspirational actions of faith shown by Pastor Ivan Ssewankambo, Gorret was too inspired as she elaborates here in her statement ‘I started a fire, put a sauce pan of water on it and told children I am in the middle of preparing something.’’ She says in a raspy voice. ‘But in reality I had nothing.’

279 children at God’s Village are now at risk of food shortage ‘Hunger’ so severe that it threatens their lives.

The situation is difficult but there is nothing we can do as the extra food that had been stored for emergencies has been eaten. And the next planting season is still two months away.

God’s Village Cow Fundraising Project.

A project that started as a fundraiser to contribute funds towards the purchase of a cow for our children here at God’s Village.  Of which Brad pledged to pay any amount towards the purchase of the cow when other sponsors/friends/ any kind hearted person joins up with him to buy a cow for the orphanage. A short story was posted on our Face book page and group.  Surprisingly, another kind hearted person and member of "God’s Village Blog" Facebook Group Family ‘Bonnie’ saw this post and she was willing to join up with Brad to purchase a cow for the orphans in need.

As we are driven by the compassion of Christ, we have been seeing more ways that we can improve the standard of living of our children and the community at large by providing more service opportunities. We came up with a Cow Fundraising Project to enables us to have additional outreach with not only the orphans, but also the entire village. We didn't want to meet their spiritual needs only but also their physical needs mostly through feeding them properly and impacting our community to get involved in different commercial activities which are sustainable.

Vangrace Compassion Ministries’ intension for a sustainable project like the Cow Fundraising Project is to ensure that there is continuous supply of nutritious food in form of milk for our children and to raise standards of living at the orphanage-God’s Village. Livestock play a central role in our work, both as a strategy for alleviating poverty and achieving food security and proper nutrition

When you think of a Cow Fundraising Project, it truly can change the lives of the orphans. It means that the orphans are guaranteed nutritious food in form of milk every day.

The cow which was offered by Brad and Bonnie will be soon giving birth and this means that we will be having two cows in number and later on all of these cows will be lactating hence providing milk to the orphans and this will address malnutrition among the children who are our future of tomorrow. 

We want to thank you Brad and Bonnie for supporting our efforts through fundraising money towards the purchase of this cow!

We want to urge in to you more other people and members of ‘God’s Village Blog’ Family and other kind hearted friends to support this project in any way you can afford. Together, we can do more for the Kingdom of God here on earth and raise up a generation of children that will know and love the Lord.

Pastor Ivan and Prossy Ssewankambo's Christmas Letter.

Dear Friends,

Christmas is the most beautiful celebration of the year. Families reunite, relatives and friends gather, everyone exchange wishes and news. 

By this letter, I and my wife Prossy would like to express our gratitude to all of you who have been by Vangrace Compassion Ministries’ side to accomplish this wonderful mission of feeding and catering for our 279 children, widows and elderly people here at God’s Village and also those that have supported our Community Outreach Missions Programs.

Since this year began, we have seen God’s favor, grace, love and care for us all through the new friends that have joined the ministry and have stepped out to support us with what they have. Thank you all.

We cannot also forget to say there have also been a lot of challenges this year like monetary, food shortage, sickness and natural disaster like the heavy rains with storm that curled down thesleeping quarters of our children and also the pit latrine.  But in all, we praise God that we are still living, serving God and we will continue to live by His grace.

Thanks to all, not only for monetary support, but also for being present side by side by friendship, correspondence, by dedicating much time for our every day posts in our Facebook page and groups "God's Village Blog and Devotional Blog" as well as on our ministry website Blogs.

Thank to you all that sent in the "Surprise Boxes" to our children and those who offer their prayers in order to give life to this wonderful Ministry ‘Vangrace Compassion Ministries.

It is mutual word of thanks which we exchange to each other thus to feel part of the great family that has Love as father.

This Love we see to come to exist on our world on Christmas day.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Yours Sincerely

Pastor Ivan Ssewankambo

Founder

Download a Free Sticker to Stick on a Child’s Surprise Box.

Here is another way to make a surprise for an orphan child happy and smile.

A free sticker is here to be printed and stick it on the surprise box of your child you are due to send to Him/her here at God’s Village Orphanage.

It’s a beautiful sticker which deserves to be on a child’s surprise box. On seeing this sticker on his/her, I assure you that the child will be happier than before. All you have to do is to DOWNLOAD it here, Print it on paper and stick it on the surprise box.

Pit Latrine Reconstruction after Being Put Down by Heavy Rains.

Today our pit latrine has just been put down by heavy rains due the fact that it had not been full finished previously, the entire bricks that we had used to construct that pit latrine fell down but the hole and the ground floor are still in good state.

 So now planning on re-constructing it urgently in order to prevent the deadly risk of ‘cholera and diarrhoea’ that might result from this incidence. Since it’s a rainy season, floods are everywhere , we are scared that our children might catch up Cholera and other poor health condition related diseases.

We are trying our best to see that we put up our pit latrines again with cement and sand but it costs a lot in order to do the reconstruction, as our children are living in a dangerous state of not having a pit latrine currently.

Thank God that when the brick fell down none of our children was hurt.

THE POWER OF COMPASSION / God's Village Blog.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” In this case the bible shows us how love is followed by an action of giving. God giving the only son saved the world by that time, it is still saving the world and it will save the world even in the future generations to come.

It is not good to give out without love because you have what to give out but it is very good to show your love to someone through giving out part of what you have. To give, you do not need to have a lot of things but to give out freely the little that you have. ‘’one man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.’’ – Prov. 11:24

The vapor thereof.’’  (Job 36:27). If there no vapor ascending, how then can there be a condensing of the clouds into rain? If there be no scattering of seed, how then can there be an increase of harvest? If there be no outflow of blessing from our hearts to others, how then shall we in turn inherit a blessing? Give and it shall be given unto you. The more we ‘’bless the Lord,’’ the more He gathers up those ‘’vapors’’ and multiplies and increases until He pours us blessing of a hundredfold. Remember it’s not how much you give but how much love you put into giving.

Make Christmas Merry for an Orphan Child! Hand in Hand at God's Village

Make a difference this Christmas in the life of an orphaned child here at God’s Village.  Please consider joining us this Christmas for Orphans. Our goal is to spread joy to over 297 orphaned here at God’s Village-Vangrace Compassion Ministries’ Orphanage.

Christmas is a special time that should be filled with joy, happiness, family, & celebrating the birth of Jesus! But for orphaned children, Christmas could easily be a reminder of abuse, abandonment and a depressing time where they feel forgotten.  Our desire is to show them that they are not forgotten but that they are loved.  That's why with only $20, you can make an orphaned child have a special Christmas!  

The story of Jesus' birth will be shared and the true meaning of Christmas celebrated. Jesus came to save, to heal the hurting, to feed the hungry and to bring JOY to the world! Help us bring that JOY to orphans, vulnerable and abandoned children here at God’s Village this Christmas!  Will you join us and bless these children?

The funds will be used to:

·       Provide a special meal for all of the orphaned children. Orphaned children rarely get a chance of changing meals everyday so this Christmas, we want to make it up for them to have a special meal.

·       Buy decorations for the orphans so that they can also getting a chance of knowing how it feels to decorate on Christmas.

·       Purchase gifts for all of the orphan children mostly those who are not sponsored so that they can also feel loved.

Tell Us: What are You Thankful For to the Lord During this Period of Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving week—is the time we know we’re supposed to express our thankfulness to God. The Scriptures remind us often of this truth; 1 Thessalonians 5:18, for example, tells us, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Psalm 9:1 says, “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.”

But have you thought about why we should be thankful to God? 

I’ve been a follower of Christ for close to 30 years now. As I look through these years, I realize that expressing my thanks to our Heavenly Father may be as powerful as any other discipline of the Christian life. 

Being thankful compels me to fix my eyes on God rather than on myself. It humbles me. It lifts my mind off my troubles and anxieties and reminds me that God will always provide for my needs, and that “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Being thankful lifts my spirit. 

Remembering God's care and provision

During this period of Thanksgiving, here’s one way to cultivate a thankful heart: Spend time listing God’s blessings in your life. And don't stop until you've listed at least 10-15. The exercise will force you to think creatively about God’s care and provision—even in small things. 

Am thankful to the Lord for:

·     My family and friends who make my life so rich with joy.

·     My fellow little orphans and vulnerable children here at God’s Village and the gift of life He has         given to us all regardless of what we have been through like diseases and other circumstances.

·     Volunteers ‘Care Giver’ who knows how to share a laugh even when the schedule is so tight               there's no time to breathe.

·      Our dear sponsors and prayer partners who always stand with us and the ministry at large                  through their funds and prayers.

·     The mosquito nets, irrigation pump and the surprise boxes that we received from our dear                 sponsors which have created a positive impact at the orphanage.

·     The anointing of God He has given me to save Him mightily through the Community Outreach           Missions Program in which I have seen many people giving their lives to Christ and God-      given     wisdom of the human soul that knows, deep down, that God is, and that He is good.

          .     The eternal and unchanging promises of God—that I am His and He is mine, now and forever.

         .      That there is a sure day coming when I will know Him fully, just as I have been known, and I will                     see Him face to face.   

So, what are you thankful for to the Lord during this thanksgiving week? 

Imagine Feeding Your 4 Or 279/ Hundreds Of Hungry And Less Fortunate Children

Feeding the Children has never been an easy task at all. Take an example of just feeding the 4 children that you have at home. Imagine waking up in the morning knowing there is no food in the store and you have no even a single penny. A child comes to you saying ‘Mum/Dad I am hungry. Are we going to have breakfast/ lunch today?’ We have to eat, you know,’ she says, only the slightest hint of resignation in her voice. ‘We can’t starve.’  The fear of being unable to feed the four children would hang on you as a parent. Isn’t it?

Now take up another example of a man Pastor Ivan Ssewankambo with a vision and a  mission of feeding 279/ hundreds of  hungry and less fortunate children that are orphans and totally vulnerable.

What kind of fear of being unable to feed these children would hang on you?

Here at Vangrace Compassion Orphanage - God's Village we Feed 279 orphans and vulnerable children , educate them , shelter , give medication and all these we do it together with 8 care Givers among them with multipurpose skills like 2 nurses , others teachers working as foster fathers , uncles and aunts.

Apart from all that, training them to fear God with the support of 9 Mission church ministers working so much changing communities to Christ as way to fulfill our Vision "unify generation in Christ transforming ...."

Apart from driving the call of God’s purpose for me, all in all am still doing it and I will continue to do it together with you men and women God has brought into our God's Village family (Vangrace Compassion Ministries - Ministry partners/ sponsors/ donors and believing that God is still touching more and more to get involved so that we can strongly share this ever flowing God's blessing.

Join us today and lets all labour for this plentiful harvest

Matthew 9:37, Luke 10:2 ‘Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few;

Irrigation Water pump Machine to Boost Farming at God’s Village.

All along, Vangrace Compassion Ministries’ farming project had been left behind and ignored due incidents like drought were by growing crops had been a hard task due to inadequate rain.

There were seasons when we grew our crops thinking that the rain will be constant since it was a rainy season but unfortunately the rain rained for only a week and it stop. All the crops were scotched by the sun and we made a loss.

Though we made a loss, this turned out to be a great advantage on our side as one of our members of God’s Village family and a sponsor now donated funds for the purchase of the irrigation system for God’s Village farming project.

‘We are so happy and fortunate to have this opportunity of having the irrigation system at our orphanage,’ Ivan the Director said.

The funds/money for the purchase of this irrigation system was donated by Brad Dyck who is part of God’s Village family/ sponsor.

Brad agreed to pay the all total cost of the irrigation system as you can see below in photos attached. And the irrigation system was purchase and brought to God’s Village.

‘Our fields/farm will now look better, there will be no need of waiting for the rainy season so that we can plant our crops, our crops will no longer be scotched by the sun and this time no more food shortage at our orphanage,’ Ivan Vangrace Compassion Ministries' Director said.

‘We could not have done this without you Brad. We truly have been blessed by you,’ Ronald the administrator said.

Hoping that many will look at this and make up their heart to get involved too in anyway like sponsoring Vangrace Compassion Ministries 9 care givers/ teachers and foster aunts and fathers. Together with you all, we can continue to bring impact at God's Village. 

What are you WAITING FOR? JOIN US TODAY. TAKE-ACTION NOW.

God’s Strange Ways to Victory.

In this life there are times when we need help. We need to recognize God is there, ready to help. It's good to look in His Word and see how He has done some things that we might have an understanding of how He will do other things.

Joshua 5:13-15
And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come.

And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? And the captain of the LORD's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

We can't always see where the Lord has sent help and strength our way. It would be an eye opener, sometimes, if we could see in back of the scene.

This angel suddenly appeared out here, and Joshua saw him standing with his sword drawn. Joshua, seeing this, went out to challenge him: "Are you for us or for our adversaries?" He quickly found out that this was the captain of the host of the Lord. The Lord had sent His captain to lead the fight when Israel went in to Jericho to conquer the land.

Somebody's got to be captain of the host that can be seen, and somebody's got to be captain of the host that can't be seen. These heavenly forces have moved in; a band of angels has come to help in this task.

We look back at Joshua coming up with Moses and the forty years he spent out there in the wilderness; where he saw the miracles of God saw all the mighty things which God did.

Notice that wherever there was a battle to be fought, Joshua was chosen by Moses to lead. And we find some strange things in those battles.

There was the time up there on the mountain (see Exodus 17): Moses, Aaron, and Hur were up there, and in Moses' hand was his rod. Joshua and his forces prevailed when Moses held his rod out; but when Moses' arm grew tired, he lowered it, and the adversaries' forces prevailed.

Putting two and two together, they realized the victory was in keeping the rod up. So they had Moses sit down on a rock with the rod held out, and they helped him by holding his arms up. Now the army kept plowing into the adversary, and soon they had that enemy defeated. There was a victory that day.

Why did God work through the rod being held out? Why was this the means God chose to work through? Whether we understand it or not, this is the way it was done.

It was God's means for that battle. And it was over there by the Red Sea that Moses took that same rod, as God commanded. He held it out over the sea all night, and God began to move to part the sea. How could there be any help in a rod?

There's something in this we might not recognize with our natural eyes; nevertheless, this rod was used of God.

So, God has His way of using things. And, somehow, I perceive faith is the key to God's using things.

We anoint someone with oil, but we must do it in the name of the Lord and pray the prayer of faith (see James 5:14,15). We lay hands on the sick because God said to lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover (see Mark 16:18). Our natural hands have no healing in them; but if God anoints our hands, then something happens.

We do what God said to do and — behind the scenes, somehow — God is there working. The Holy Spirit is there at work to anoint:

Acts 10:38
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him.

There was a power there, wasn't there? And there was a power present by Jericho. An unseen host was going to be there for the battle. This captain — though he looked like a man, appearing in the form of a man — is not a man. He is an angel of God. And this angel of God is going to take charge of the battle the army was about to enter into.

Boy, now that's help! That's when we can look and say, God moves in unaware to us many times. Here we are: Maybe we're bellyaching because we don't see God doing anything. We ask, "Where is God? Why isn't He on the job? I need Him!"

He's waiting for us to finish bellyaching so He can do something for us. You know, faith has to be in what we do.

Does God put something in our hands? Realize that whatever God gives us, whatever we see that God is accustomed to working through or working with, we should work with that too.

Sometimes it's a simple thing, such as a little anointing oil. Now, is there anything in oil that we should note? What is there in that oil? It's what it represents to us, and it's the faith we put in what God has told us to do. That's what God blesses.

Remember how God spoke to Gideon concerning the multitude out there in the valley (see Judges 6 & 7)? God didn't want him to have all those men in his army. He kept whittling the army down until there were only three hundred men left.

There's the vast enemy army, and then there's three hundred left with Gideon. Now, how did they get the victory? Was it through military might? Was it because of their great weapons? Were their swords sharper?

No! It was because they each had a pitcher, a lamp, and a trumpet — and obedience to the Lord's instructions! When the time came, they broke their pitchers, letting the lamp be exposed, and they blew their trumpets. When the enemy looked up, they were afraid, thinking they were surrounded by a great army! All at once, they all got up and ran. They ran and they ran and they ran. They left everything behind and just ran away.

Who was running them out? I want you to know, there was Someone else there! You may not have seen Him that night, but there was a force there. And it drove the adversary out of the land. Gideon's few men did their best — but God did the rest.

So today, I would want you to think in your heart, if you would, that there's the way in which God works. God has His ways, and they've always proven out. We should want those ways. We'll find if we do things God's way, it will always prove out to be the right way. And it will always prove out to be far better than anything we could do in the natural.

Do we ever need help, then?

Well, there's surely those times when God sends somebody along to help us, and we don't even realize God has sent them.

I know the Bible says some have entertained angels unawares. Thus, some have been in the presence of angels without being aware that what they were seeing were angels. Angels can appear to look like any ordinary man, so how would you be able to distinguish the difference?

We're saying all of this, primarily, because we see here in Joshua how God had a way to help the children of Israel to conquer the land. By any equation, they were outnumbered seven to one! There were seven nations of peoples living in the walled cities of the Promised Land. This was their home.

And out here was Israel: just one nation . . . yet, they were the majority with God on their side! We need to recognize in our hearts that God has His ways to bring us victory.

What is this angel going to do? Let's note one thing that was happening at the time the angel appeared before Joshua: Over in Jericho the people in the city were terrified. Those stone walls were placed around cities as a fortress. They were very high. You couldn't just crawl over them. They were solid, made of great stones. You couldn't just tear them down.

There were ways that such cities were taken. The invading army might encamp around those walls for a year or two to starve them out. Eventually, they'd come out because there was no more food and they were hungry, ready to starve.

Your Anointing and How to Use It.

Romans 8:37 says that "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." (KJV). This means that believers in Jesus are empowered by God to have victory over sin and the things in this world that try to keep us from living a Godly life.

So what's the key to living in God's power? The anointing. The anointing is God's ability in you to enable you to do something with ease, without it being a struggle. Much like a car's engine eventually won't run very well without motor oil; trying to do life without the anointing will leave us with some issues.

Every one of us has a calling on our life. But not everyone does what they are called to do in life. Many times, people get distracted by other pursuits…get overwhelmed by a task that feels too big to handle…or they may even get caught up in trying to do what someone else is called to do. And if we're not living in God's will for our lives, we'll end up being anxious, sad and miserable.

Whatever the reason is for getting off track, lack of sensitivity to the Holy Spirit is most likely at the root of it. You see, the Holy Spirit is our Helper, our Guide, our Teacher, and more. He is the One who leads each person to the work they are called to do. And He also supplies the anointing, or power, to do it.

So, it is in our best interest to seek and cultivate our own personal, intimate relationship with God first and foremost. Because it's through a personal relationship with Him that He will, by His Holy Spirit, lead and guide each of us according to His purpose and plan for our lives. And He will anoint, or enable us, to do what He has called each of us to do with our lives.

The secret is taking time to get satisfied with God Himself. God's presence – His love and grace – is what we really need to be fulfilled and have His power in our lives. But know that in this time, there is a lot going on. While we take the time to cultivate our relationship with God…simply loving Him and being loved by Him…we become consecrated to Him.

To be consecrated means to be set apart, or separated, for a purpose. It is a time for receiving discipline, guidance, wisdom and direction from the Lord. It's a personal time… between you and God…a time for you to learn His true character and how to trust His way and wait on His timing. You will also learn how to make yourself available as He is ready to use you.

The Holy Spirit decides when and how to use His vessels. Our part is simple – to be available. It's like this: If I want a drink of water, I go to my cupboard for a clean, empty glass to use. The glass doesn't ask me what I'm going to put in it…it is just there; ready and available for me to use when I need it. But what if all the glasses are dirty or filled with something I don't want? Then I won't be able to use any of them as I planned.

So, be like a clean, empty, available drinking glass. Your time "on the shelf," is simply time to prepare yourself, by building your relationship with God. Then you will be ready for the Holy Spirit to use you however and wherever He chooses.

Your part also includes realizing and understanding that you are anointed. Everyone is anointed for something…called to do something. First John 2:20 says, "But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things." Believe that! Look at yourself in the mirror and say, "I am anointed!"

It's very important to remember that we are anointed by the Holy Spirit. We are righteous by the power of Christ in our lives, so any effort on our part to be right by "doing" is like trying to sit in a chair you are already sitting in! Don't let yourself fall into the trap of trying to get something you already have. You are anointed!

The way to release and let that anointing flow in your life is simple: obedience to the Holy Spirit right now! Cultivate sensitivity to Him and learn to follow that "unction" in your heart (see 1 John 2:20). The anointing is for now…whether you are working on a detailed report for your boss, preparing a Sunday sermon for church, or making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for your kids…you are anointed for this moment. Don't worry about when it will come; it is in you…right now!

When You Trust in God, There is No Need to Fear.

Life can be difficult.  Being a Christian in a non-Christian world poses all kinds of problems.  The world does not know Jesus.  The world does not love Him.  The world does not understand why He came.  You, on the other hand, do know Jesus.  You do love Him.  And, you do understand why He came.  He came to save you from your sins and to give you new life.  He came to bring you peace and joy in the Spirit. He came so you might have fellowship with God.

These things you already know.  And you also know that though you are saved from sin and filled with the Spirit of God, life in this world still is not perfect.  It is still difficult.

The Christian is, in a sense, in a battle with the world.  And the world is at war with the Christian -- with you.  The world offers vices, self-fulfilment, and greed.  The world wants to convert you to its paganism, to its ungodly devotion to the unholy.  And if you don't conform, if you don't bend the knee to its idols and sacrifices, you will be ridiculed, mocked, and attacked.

So the world is against you.  The evil one is at war with you.  And in the battle there are all sorts of struggles.  On the inside, you struggle against sin: pride, lust, greed, boasting, and various wantings.  On the outside, you struggle against illness, poverty, marriage problems, job difficulties, an unsure future, and more. Maybe right now you are facing a serious struggle. Or maybe you’ve recently had to deal with a difficult situation.  Maybe you fear that one is coming.

As a Christian, what do you do when life is coming down on you hard, when there seems to be no way out, when your relationship with God is being affected?  When you are worried or afraid?  When you are in distress?

What do you do when you are facing such monumental obstacles?  How do you resist temptation, flee from evil, or believe beyond your ability to understand how your problems can be solved?

The answer lies in the Word of God.

Context: Israel and Judah were divided.

Jehoshaphat was the 4th king of the separated kingdom of Judah around 850 to 875 B.C.  He was a zealous follower of the commandments of God.  In his 3rd year he sent out certain princes, priests, and Levites, to go through all the cities of Judah, teaching the people out of the Book of the Law.  Because he sought the Lord, riches and honors increased around him.  "Jehoshaphat sought the Lord with all his heart," (2chr. 22:9)

·        Moab, Ammon, and the Meunites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat.

·        Jehoshaphat was afraid; and rightly so, for the army approaching him was indeed a mighty one, beyond what he would be able to handle. He was in trouble.

Read 2 Chronicles 20, verses 1-9, 14-15, 22-23, 30

1.      You should trust God and not fear because of who He is.  Please look with me at v. 6.
"And he [Jehoshaphat] said, 'O Lord, the God of our fathers, art Thou not God in the heavens?  And art Thou not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations?  Power and might are in Thy hand so that no one can stand against Thee.

1.      '"Jehovah is:

1.      "...the God of our Fathers"

1.      of Adam and Eve, of Noah, of Abraham, of Moses

2.      Therefore, He is the God of History.

2.      He also lives in heaven;

1.      Therefore, He is the God of Holiness.  Heaven is the holy dwelling place of God.

2.      Therefore, He is above all things.  He is pure, righteous, and incapable of sin.

3.      He is also the ruler of all the nations;

1.      Therefore, He is the God of Sovereignty.  All kings and peoples are His.  And as such He has the right to rule them as He pleases.

4.      He is all powerful;

1.      Therefore, He is the God of power.

1.      He can do as He wishes.  He can create or destroy.  Raise up or tear down.

2.      Who is God to you?

1.      Is He big or small?

2.      Is He all powerful or is He a wimp?

3.      Does He love you or does He just put up with you?

3.      How you perceive God affects how you respond to Him.

1.      The people of Judah knew who God was and that is why they looked to Him and trusted Him.

2.      In other words, you should trust God because He is holy; He is a King; and He is all powerful, and because He loves you very much.

2.      You should trust God and not fear not only because of who He is but also because of what He has already done.
Please look with me at verse 7, "Did Thou not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Thy people Israel, and give it to the descendants of Abraham Thy friend forever?"

1.      God has already accomplished great things:

1.      He gave the land of Canaan to the descendants of Abraham.

1.      God chose Abraham and promised him he would be a great nation.

2.      God raised up Moses and, through many miracles, delivered His people from the bondage of the Egyptians.  He parted the Red Sea; He destroyed the Egyptians.

3.      God raised up Joshua and the Hebrew armies to take the land of Canaan.  And there, God planted them in the land that they might bear fruit as His chosen people so they could worship Him, honor Him, serve Him, and prepare the way of the Messiah.

4.      The Hebrew could reach down, grab a hand full of dirt, and touch the promise, feel the reality of God's accomplishments.  He could touch the promise!

5.      *** Because the Hebrews knew God and what He had already done for them, they sought Him again.
Then look at what they did...

1.      They sought God, v. 12, "O our God, wilt thou not judge them?  For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on Thee."

2.      They praised God, v. 19, "And the Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel, with a very loud voice."

3.      They put their trust in God, v. 20, "...Jehoshaphat stood and said, 'Listen to Me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, put your trust in the LORD your God and you will be upheld....'"

4.      They gave thanks to God, v. 21, "And he said, 'Give thanks to the LORD, for His loving kindness is everlasting."

2.      What do you do when you face trials and tribulations?  Do you praise God?  Do you put your trust in Him?  Do you give thanks to God?

1.      Did you know that a Christian's true character is often revealed when he faces a real problem?  How do you handle your problems?  Do you panic?  Do you complain?  Do you raise your fist in the air and shout at God?  Do you begin to doubt and then run for a quick fix (run to a sin, the television, or "not talk about it")?, or do you go the Lord in prayer, humility, praise, and trust, and refuse to give fear and worry any place?

3.      As you can see, God had already done great things for the Hebrew people.  He has already done great things for you as well... and more.

1.      He has delivered you from the enemy called sin, by redeeming you through His Son.

2.      He has brought you out of the land of the Valley of the Shadows of Death and given you a place to rest, and caused you to lie down on green pastures.

3.      He has taken your heart, at one time the home of evil, and delivered it into the hands of His Son, Jesus.

1.      The cross is the only reason you have for any hope of deliverance from any conflict, problem, battle, or worry.

2.      The cross is the absolute guarantee of God's commitment to you.  You will never be forsaken.  You cannot be forsaken; you cannot be forgotten by God.

4.      They were delivered from the mere threat of mortal death.  You have been delivered from the threat of eternal death.

1.      They were delivered from an enemy that sought to kill them.

2.      You have been delivered from an enemy that has sought to have you damned.

3.      The cross, the blood, the pain, the humiliation of Jesus 2000 years ago has bought you peace, safety, and security in the land of promise: eternal life with God.

5.      This battle so long ago was not only an attempt by Satan to destroy God's people then, but it was also an attempt to destroy you now. No messianic line, no Messiah, no salvation. Then you are lost, too.

6.      God has given you salvation.

1.      Will He do any less for you when you face difficulties in your life?

2.      Will He let you be destroyed? No!

1.      How do you handle sin, sickness, heartbreak, pain, uncertainty, etc...

2.      Do you trust God or do you doubt? Hasn't He fed you, clothed you, and warmed you?

3.      Hasn't He freed you from your sin?

1.      God has called you not that He might forsake you, but that He might sanctify you, make you holy, and that you might enjoy Him forever.

2.      Because He loves you... very much.

3.      You should trust in the Lord and not fear not only because of who He is and what He has already done, but also because of what He will do.

1.      The people of Judah did not know what would happen.  But they trusted in the Lord.
Please look with me at:

1.      v. 15 - Do not fear or be dismayed... for the battle is not yours but God's.

2.      v. 17 - Stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf (v. 17).

3.      These were statements in the future tense.  These were God's words of Promise!!

2.      So they people rested, they feared not.

3.      v. 30 - So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God gave him rest on all sides

Is God any different now?  Are His words of Promise any less true?

Jesus said,

·        "Come to Me all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest," (Mathew 11:28)

·        He said that His words will not pass away (Mark 13:31)  

·         He said that He would raise you up on the last day (John 6:40)

·        He said that whatever you asked in His name would be given to you. (John 14:14)

·        He said He would disclose Himself to you. (John 14:2)

·         He said that He would reveal the Father to you. (Mathew 11:27)

·        And He said He would return in the clouds and that every eye will see Him. (Mark 13:27)

Because of who God is and what He has already done for you, you can trust Him even more for the future and have no fear that He will continue to uphold you, love you, and continue His wonderful loving plan in your life.

Will you trust Him?  How much will you trust Him?  How much will you rest in Him?  It's up to you.

Waiting Time is Not Wasted Time In the Presence of God.

No one likes to wait, especially in our present culture where we measure everything on the basis of response time. Most everything comes to us instantly, whether it is food or information. If something is not happening, then we attempt to make it happen! "Do something ...even if it’s wrong!", people often say.

Waiting is part of what it means to be human. If we were super human or super heroes, and it was entirely in our heads to know and decide, and entirely in our hands to possess, we would all have our cake and eat it too! Everything would come to us easy and on time (that is according to our sense of timing)! There would be no waiting! The problem is, we are not super humans or super heroes. As humans, we have limitations. Unlike our God, we lack the ability to see into the future. Being human, we cannot know the hearts of people, as we seldom truly don't know our own hearts!

Because we lack the ability to control all people and situations, we often find ourselves held captive by the decisions of others. As a result, we are left to wait. Who do we trust? What is best for us? How will this situation work out? Paul Tillich in his book The Shaking of the Foundations wrote: "The condition of man's relation to God is first of all one of not having, not seeing, not knowing, and not grasping." God knows all things, sees all things, controls all things, understands all things, discerns all things, and possesses all things. The problem is, God has purposed to keep us constantly waiting. Why? So that we will be ever dependent upon Him!

What are you waiting on? Are you single and waiting on that special someone to walk into your life? Perhaps you have met that special someone and are waiting for him or her to make a commitment. Are you without a job, desperate for a job, or tired of the job you presently hold, and are waiting for a better job to present itself? Are you waiting for the economy to rebound, the market to return to its bullish state? Are you waiting for your children to grow up and leave home? Perhaps you are waiting for a prodigal, rebellious child to grow up and return home, at least to a right relationship with God. These situations and a thousand more, present themselves every year, every month, every day of our lives. We will always be waiting on someone or some situation. That's life!

Although it is not often listed as such, Waiting is a Christian discipline. Why? We are not naturally wired or inclined to wait. Babies are not born patient. A hungry baby demands to be fed, changed, and entertained, now! Children have no concept of time, no sense of tomorrow, and no patience to wait. Fishing is a good measure of our ability to wait. It is the exceptional child who has the patience to fish! Waiting comes with maturity! Waiting is something we must work at and develop over time. Even when we grow to adulthood, waiting remains a problem!

A woman, who was waiting in the check-out line at a local grocery store, was fuming. She came to purchase a new broom, along with some cleaning supplies, and was in a hurry! The line was not moving fast enough to please her, and she was letting everyone feel her frustration by her body language and loud sighs! When the cashier called for a price check, which delayed her turn at the counter even longer, the woman remarked indignantly, "Well, I'll be lucky to get out of here and home before Christmas!" Picking up on her comment, the clerk replied to the woman, "Don't worry, ma'am. With that wind kicking up out there, and that brand new broom you have there, you'll be home in no time." Are you a good waiter? Do you know how to wait on the Lord? Before you answer that question, here are a few things waiting is not!

Waiting is not passivity or inactivity. Waiting is not killing time! In God's book, waiting is never wasted time! When we are inactive or passive in our spiritual lives, we tend to drift in our commitment! Waiting is frequently a condition of high expectancy, infusing life with great energy, purpose, and love. Joseph was forced to wait on the Lord, but while he waited, he got busy doing what he could! His good attitude and work ethic resulted in promotion along the way! Observing this quality in Joseph, someone said, "When your dream seems to be placed on hold, get busy and help others with their dreams!"

Certainly God is not inactive when we are waiting. When you are waiting on God, most often He is working behind the scenes to put all the "missing pieces" in our lives in place, before He fulfills our desires or request.

Waiting is not to be associated with boredom and complacency. Actually waiting is closely related to hope. Hope has been described as creative waiting! Hope is anything but boring or complacent. Hope is filled with expectation! It anticipates! To live in hope is to live in the power of the future without yet possessing it. In Psalm 130:6 the psalmist says, "My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning."

Waiting is not characterized by fretting and worrying. Waiting is as much an attitude as it is an activity. God never recommends worrying! Why? It is worthless! It is activity that is not centred upon Him! To wait is to trust, to rest in God's promises and provision. Psalm 37:1 begins, "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity." Verse 7 continues, "Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. 9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth." Elizabeth Elliott expressed the attitude of waiting when she wrote: "I know not what the future holds; What in one hour may be; But I can wait while it unfolds, And trust implicitly."

When you find yourself in God's waiting room, here are three words to remember and consider.

First, when you find yourself waiting, look. Look where? Look to God! The psalmist begins in Psalm 130:5a, "I wait for the LORD." We must learn to patiently wait on the Lord. Our expectations must be directed toward God, and no one else! Psalm 62:5-7 says, "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation: He is my defence; I shall not be moved. 7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God."

Sometimes we are fooled into thinking that we are waiting on some person, some individual. It is especially frustrating when we view that person or individual we are waiting on as negligent, insensitive, or incompetent! When we look to others, when we place our expectations on mere men, we set ourselves up for disappointment.

The psalmist would remind us that God and only God is the One in control of all individuals, all institutions, and all situations. Proverbs 21:1 reminds us, "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever He will." When we wait upon the Lord, we are encouraged and renewed.

Isaiah 40:28-31 says, "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

Second, when you find yourself waiting, be willing to Learn. In Cantonese, a Chinese dialect, the word for wait sounds like the word for class. Making a pun on this word, some senior citizens in Hong Kong identify themselves as "third-class citizens," which also means "people of three waits." They wait for their children to return home from work late at night. They wait for the morning sun to dispel their sleepless nights. And with a sigh of resignation, they wait for death.

Waiting is everyone's portion, regardless of our age or station in life! One thing is certain, God's waiting room is a classroom! While sometimes being in God's waiting room has to do with timing, more often than not, it is all about teaching! We think we are waiting on God or waiting on someone else, when in truth God is waiting on us to learn a particular lesson, or to develop a particular character trait!

Psalm 130:5 continues, "I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait." What is your soul? Your soul is the seat of your being. It is composed of your mind, emotions, and will! When we are placed in situations where we are out of control and are forced to wait, we can be sure that God is teaching us something. Waiting is an opportunity to learn! Learn what?

We learn about ourselves. Waiting situations are tests, and tests measure us! How much faith and confidence in God do you possess? How well do you know God? How deep is your relationship with God? Are you a selfish and shallow person? Are you patient or impatient? Waiting will expose it!

We learn obedience. Waiting on the Lord is a commandment to be followed for every Christian. Psalms 27:14 says, "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."

Waiting on the Lord is a matter of obedience.

In I Samuel 13, the first king of Israel, King Saul was commanded to wait upon Samuel to arrive and make the necessary sacrifices before encountering the Philistines. Saul waited for a period of time, but when Samuel had not arrived, he took it upon himself to offer the sacrifices. When Samuel arrived, he rebuked the king and informed him that he had been rejected by God!

Notice verses 13-14. "And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which He commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.

14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought Him a man after His own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over His people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee." The story of king Saul teaches us that we must be willing to do what God tells us to do, even when it is hard! When you are forced to wait, don't fret! Don't panic! Don't take matters into your own hands! Remain faithful each and every day to simply do what is in front of you!

We learn patience. Waiting and patience plays a central role in the Scriptures in shaping and developing people. Abraham and Sarah were promised a baby, and then were forced to patiently wait. Joseph was given a dream of promotion, and then plunged into the role of a slave to wait upon others! For a while at least, Joseph's dream became a nightmare! Before his promotion in Egypt, he was subjected to a life of lies and betrayal! David was chosen and anointed as the next king of Israel, and was promptly forced to live as a fugitive in the desert for ten years!

If you think about it, Patience is all about surrendering our control. This is so difficult for us! Instead of waiting, we are tempted to manipulate the circumstances or personalities in the situation, in order to get what we want, when we want it. Waiting demands patience! It demands that we give God the keys to our lives! This can be scary! What if God doesn't share my perspective, my sense of timing, my desires?

Third, when you find yourself waiting, Listen. Psalm 130:5 concludes, "....and in His word (speech, utterance, voice) do I hope." Listen to who? Listen for God's voice! How?

God will speak to your heart through His Word. God speaks to us through His Word, and we can be sure that His leadership will never be inconsistent with the Bible.

God will speak to your heart through His Holy Spirit. God often speaks to us in that "still small voice."

God will speak to your heart through people. Godly counsel from people such as our parents or mentors in the faith, are a part of God's voice and direction in our lives.

God will speak to your heart through circumstances. Sometimes a situation we are in can shout at us! I am reminded of Jacob in the house of Laban recorded in Genesis 31. No one in the family would talk to Jacob. All of his "in-laws" had an attitude towards him, because they were all jealous of him. It was in that situation that God spoke to Jacob and told him to go back to Bethel. When Jacob shared the news with his wives Rachel and Leah, for once in their marriage, they agreed! God knows both how to open and close doors! Have you ever experienced God slamming a door in your face? Sometimes God will allow us to push open a door He has not opened, but once through the door we discover it is not what we thought or desired!

We've all heard the story of the man who was lost at sea, leaving a wife behind. The husband is not dead, but is stranded far away from civilization, or locked in some foreign prison. It is his thoughts of his wife that keep him alive! Meanwhile back home, he is presumed dead, but his wife never gives up hope. She diligently, patiently waits, keeping her thoughts and love for her husband alive in her heart! Years later, there is a knock on her door, and who is it but her husband, who was finally able to make his way home. They embrace and everyone feels good because they both remained faithful in the face of terrible adversity.

The story of the movie, Castaway, followed a different line. Lost at sea, Tom Hanks' wife played by Helen Hunt, waited for a while, but in the end, she listened and followed the advice of her friends. She moved on and married someone else. Of course he eventually did find his way home, only to discover that no one was waiting for him. Watching that movie, we are trapped between conflicting feelings and emotions. On one hand, we understand this wife's hopeless situation and the need to move on. And yet at the same time, we are very unsettled by the fact that if she had only waited longer, her faith would have been rewarded. Romans 8:24- 25 says, "For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it."

If you do not know what to do, then do nothing! Wait on the Lord until you are sure you know what to do! When you are in the dark, wait for God's light. When you are weak, wait for God's strength. When you have lost your way, wait for God's direction. When you are overcome with sorrow, wait for God's comfort. When you are in the midst of trials and trouble, wait for God's deliverance! God protects and preserves us as we wait upon Him! The Lord gives us His very best, when we wait on Him. Psalm 37:9 says, "For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth."

One day praise God, the waiting will be over! Isaiah 25:9 reads, "And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."

What are you to do while waiting? While you are waiting, get busy and do the things that are clearly every Christian's responsibility. Dwell close to God. Give your best right now! Don't wait till you think everything is perfect. Who knows, you might just catch God's eye and He might speed things up! Give your all to Him now!

It Ain’t Over....Until God says....It’s Over.

I am super excited and encouraged in my spirit today.
Because God is so good! Not only is He good; He’s faithful! He’s merciful. He’s just. He is a loving God. He’s kind. He’s a provider. He’s a way-maker. He’s a deliverer. He’s a healer.

 I am here to tell somebody: “Don’t throw in the towel just yet”. Though it may appear that all hope is gone, that everyone else is finishing the race without you, It Ain’t Over!!!! Don’t give up just yet.
Today many want to quit due to the various situations and trials facing their life. However, God has blessings for you that if you don’t quit you will see His promises for your life.
I want to talk to people that have hopeless situation at the moment. 
Hope-less- situation, because of what your doctor said or because of what your circumstances are saying.
A Hope-less situation does not mean that God has left you
Just because things don’t work out exactly how we planned them does not mean that God is not at work in your life.
No matter what your situation is saying, I can tell you that God is at work in your liFe at the moment.

The visions in our text today, Ezekiel 37 - included dialogue between God and Prophet Ezekiel in the case of the valley of dry bones-
The place is a graveyard, it is a cemetery, they are dry bones
The symbolism is of- a people- whose hope- has died- and has been dead- for- a long time.
This is a situation where there is no future, just bones, no body, just bones, and no signs of life.
The Lord asked him a question that God is asking you today about your situation – CAN THIS DRY BONE LIVE?
Ezekiel looks at the bones, he sees no possibility of a return to life 
Ezekiel said there seems to be no human solutions- for this hope-less situation for they are very dry and it’s only you God that knows.
Ezekiel said "Lord- you know". In other words he is saying I don’t God but you do.
Why did he said that? He believes this situation is so out of human comprehension. 

Lord know if it’s going to work out for you, 
God know if you are going to be healed you know- 
It’s only God that knows if you and God knows if you are going to be delivered.
It’s only God that knows if you are going make it or not.
I know you don’t know, but God know.
There are some situations we face in which human solutions
will not work- the only thing that will work will be--- hearing from God!
I brought the word of God to you today that it is not over because God hasn’t say so.
Ezekiel hears from God, Ezekiel receives instructions from God that he must prophesy; he must speak to the dry bones now.
Ezekiel had to go down to the graveyard and tell dead dry bones that God’s word said It ain’t over until

God says it’s over.                                                                               
Ezekiel had to go down to the cemetery and tell the dead dry bones that God is not thru with them yet for I know you feel like dying, but God is not thru, I know you’ve lost hope but God has not finish with you yet.
Ezekiel had to go down to the valley of the shadow of death and tell death that God will enter them.
Listen the transformation and restoration all started by hearing of word. The word was the beginning of the process that brings back these hopeless back to life. 

You may be in a situation that looks hopeless, it may look like the end is near and it’s time to give up, it may look as if you’ve lost... well, it doesn’t matter what it may look like, the final outcome will come when God says it’s over. Man may count you out, the enemy may tell you you’ve lost, the chance for victory may look impossible, but it’s not
over until the Lord says it’s over.

Your turnaround comes when you begin to hear from God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God!....
Who is talking to you, which report do you believe?
You have to hear from God, if you are going to be fruitful, if your marriage’s is going to live.
Words have power. Speak the word! Prophesy the word! Declare the Word! 
God asked Ezekiel to preach, speak to dry bones but notice what happens when he preaches- God’s word---- to these bones.
V 7- Says that something happens in the middle of the valley there is a noise a sudden "rattling sound“. Praise God!
Maybe you’ve never heard this before! 
Dry bones have ears, if only you can speak!
Mountains have ears only if you can command!
Your womb has ears!
Money can hear! 
Cancer, fibroid, diabetes does have ear if you can preach to them! 
when Ezekiel come face to face with dry bone he was only asked to do one thing, because they have ear even though they are bones and very dry.
v4, prophesy, to your situation, to your womb, because they respond to prophesy.
Every situation and circumstances have ears and they are capable of responding to prophesy. What u cannot see have ear. 
They may not have physical ear but they have spiritual ears.
Your situation awaits instruction .... Your situation awaits direction, the spirit buying and selling in your life awaits order. If you fail to give order, it will remain like that. 

Ephesians 3:20 - according, to the power that works in you. God will work according to the power that works in you.

As soon as Ezekiel prophesy, bones began to sort themselves out
If you can speak, your situation will be sorted. It’s not over for you!
Jarius thought it was over - his daughter was dead - but God hadn’t said it was over. 
The man at the pool of Bethesda thought it was over because he couldn’t make it into the water, but God didn’t say it was over. 
Everyone thought it was over for Daniel when he was thrown into the lion’s den, but God didn’t say it was. 
Nebuchadnezzar thought it would be over for Shedrach, Meshach and Abednego, but God said it wasn’t over. 
Job’s wife thought it was over and encouraged her husband to curse God and die, but the Lord didn’t say it was over. 
It Ain’t Over Until God Says It’s Over!
I don’t know WHAT the future holds...but I state with complete certainty that I know WHO holds my future!
When most people think it’s over, God asks, "Did I say it was over?"
Weeping may last for a night, but Joy comes in the morning.” It’s not over until God says it’s over.
It ain’t Over- until- God says it’s over because
A marriage can come back together-
A family can come back together-
A church can come back together-
A business can come back together-
A dream can come back together-
Hope can come back together-
(Why?) Cause it ain’t over….until God says it’s over. 

Keep fighting. Keep praying. Keep fasting cause it ain’t over. No! Keep pressing….progressing. Keep moving cause it ain’t over. No! Keep reading…interceding. Keep believing. Keep trusting. Keep trying. Keep travailing cause it ain’t over. Keep living. Keep giving. Keep going cause it ain’t over! So keep fighting until the victory is won!!!!” 
When people say you can’t, remember He can….He can. When you don’t know what to do, please remember He has the master plan. 

Today, the Lord says to you….It ain’t over until He says it’s over! I don’t care what it looks like. It ain’t over until God says it’s over!!! God, and God alone has the final say! It ain’t over! God Bless and have a wonderful day. 

Seeking the God Who’s Seeking Us.

My son, Jason, is four -and-a-half and loves to play hide-and-seek. Sometimes he hides, but usually the game involves hiding my cell phone. Unfortunately he doesn't yet understand the object of the game. He makes me close my eyes—that much he gets. First of all, he always hides my phone in the same place: on the carpet, in plain sight. No matter how many times we play, he always puts my phone on the carpet. When I open my eyes, I know my phone is on the carpet, but I'll pretend like I don't see it. I'll look on the sofa, or under the table. It's my way of trying to teach him what the point of the game really is. What I've ended up teaching Jason is that his father is completely stubborn, because the moment I look somewhere else for the phone he says, "No, Daddy. The phone isn't there. It's on the carpet, silly goose." And then he rolls his eyes at me. There's nothing like having your intelligence insulted by a four-year-old.

I've been trying to show Jason that the fun of hide-and-seek is the seeking. But for Jason, no matter what I try, the fun part is always the finding.

God wants us to seek him. But, like Jason, he understands that the real joy is not in seeking, but in finding. He wants to be found. God has not intended the Christian life to be an impossible hunt for an elusive God that requires enormous faith. Quite the contrary. The Christian life is a simple walk to a welcoming God that requires only child-like faith.

The story that best illustrates our God who wills to be found is the parable Jesus tells of the lost son in Luke 15. In the story the son rejects and abandons his father to live selfishly and wildly in a distant country. When he sees how foolish he's been, he decides to return home, to seek his father. Expecting his father to be furious with anger, the son is met with a surprise. When the father sees his son at a great distance, he does not wait for him to reach the house. Instead, the father, full of joy that his son has returned, runs out to meet him on the road, embraces him, kisses him, and is overjoyed to have his son home again.

This is the image Jesus presents to us of our heavenly father's love. It is the image of a God who wants to be found, the God James says will draw near to us if we draw near to him. He is the God who stands at the door and knocks, and is prepared to come in and eat with anyone who opens the door. We are called to seek the God who wants to be found. This should be our goal for us all Christians to intentionally seek the God who is passionately seeking us.

By The Grace Of God I Am.

Grace: This is one of those special words that belong to the child of God. God has given us some words that the world just doesn't know how to properly appreciate. For instance, there are words like glory, amen, hallelujah, faith, etc. The dictionary defines grace as, "unmerited help given to people by God." However, grace is much more than that! Look at this definition, "the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues." That, my friends, is grace!

In these verses, the great apostle was defending the resurrection of the Lord Jesus against the doubts of unbelievers. He mentions the fact that the resurrected Christ was seen by Peter, the, His earthly brother James and then last of all Paul. Paul proceeds to tell his readers that because of his sins and attacks against the church, that he was the least of the apostles and is not even worthy to be named among them. However, Paul goes on to say that he knows God has used him and that anything he has, is, or ever will be, is because of the precious grace of God.

I would like to remind each of you that the same is true for you and me. Because of our sinfulness we deserve nothing less than an eternity in Hell apart from the presence of the Almighty. However, because His grace was revealed unto us in the Person of His Son the Lord Jesus, we can be saved and used by the Lord in a wonderful fashion. Today, by the help of the Lord, I would like to show you some of the possessions that belong to the child of God because of grace. Join me for a few moments as we consider, together, the thought, "By The Grace Of God I Am!"

1.      I AM SAVED BY GRACE  Eph 2:8, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"
Eph 1:7, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;"

2.       I AM SURE BY GRACE Rom 5:2, "By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

3.       I AM SECURE BY GRACE  Rom 3:24, "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:"

4.       I AM STRENGTHENED BY GRACE 2 Cor 12:9, "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
2 Cor 9:8, "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:"

5.       I AM SUPPLIED BY GRACE Heb 4:16, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

6.      I AM SOMEBODY BY GRACE Eph 3:7-8, "Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

7.       I AM SATISFIED BY GRACE Eph 2:7, "That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."

8.       I AM SURPRISED BY GRACE 1 Cor 15:8-10, "And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Many things in life will fail us. Friendships will blossom and then die. Health can be an elusive thing. Riches and wealth will often remain just beyond the reach of your finger tips. Those we love will pass from the scene leaving a void in our hearts hard to be filled. However, there is one thing that every child of God possesses that can never fail, never end, never run out, never run dry and that will never be found to be insufficient, and that is the grace of God! Yes, the road may be long and dreary, the days may be filled with difficulties and struggles, but rest assured that there will be grace sufficient for every need and every trial. That is the promise of God and that is the hope of the saints.

Ronald's Story

Ronald, after joining the 1 MILLION* Ugandan vulnerable children that face life without a chance, without a choice due to uncertainties of life, was raised up by Vangrace Compassion Orphanage where he has been able to acquire education, food, and medication.

Ronald's dream is to become a leader in this broken war-weary nation.

This year Ronald is completing his primary level so he has to push on with his studies to the secondary level and he needs a sponsor who will help him to complete his studies.

You are vital part in helping Vangrace Compassion Orphanage to see that all vulnerable and abandoned children get education. We believe with your support, Ronald's dream will come to pass.

Repent That Your Sins Be Forgiven.

The scribes and Pharisees once condemned and reproached the Lord for eating and drinking with publicans and sinners. To this the Savior said:   ‘for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance’. (Matthew 9:13 KJV). From these words of Christ it is evident that the purpose of His coming into the world was our repentance. If repentance was the purpose of Jesus Christ’s coming into the world, then it is clear that we, too, ought to consider repentance the purpose of our entire lives and all our labors.

Acts 2:38 - Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. Some people do not realize that the Bible teaches baptism is essential. Other people have been shown but still will not accept it. These people are not showing true repentance!

Remember, repentance is a decision to do what God's word says. When a person sees what God's word says but will not do it, that person is not showing true repentance.

When a person refuses to be baptized, his primary problem is not baptism: it is his faith or his repentance! If believes the truth he will know he must repent and be baptized. If he then truly repents, you won't be able to keep him from the water!

Sometimes children of God sin after they have been baptized. They do not need to be baptized again, but they do need to repent again.

Acts 8:22 - Simon was told to repent and pray that his sin might be forgiven. The Christian who sins needs to repent and pray, not repent and be baptized. [1 John 1:9; Matthew 6:12]

If one has wronged other people, he must also confess to them - Matthew 5:23,24. If the sin is known and has been a bad influence on the congregation or hindered the effort of the church to teach, then the whole church needs to be told the person has repented.

Acts 26:20 - After forgiveness men must do works worthy of repentance. [Luke 3:8-14; Matthew 3:8]

Ezekiel 18:21-32 - To avoid death, the wicked must turn from evil and do right and keep God's statutes.

Matthew 21:28-31 - The ultimate question, in the story of the two sons, was which of the two did the will of the father. The son who was right was the one who eventually went and did what he was supposed to do.

Proverbs 28:13 - We prosper, not by hiding our sins, but by confessing and forsaking them.

The gospel is a message of change. Sinners can change. You can change.

Note: the attitude of the father when the son did return: Luke 15: 20,22-24. Truly there is joy in heaven among the angels when a sinner "repents" Luke 15:7-10.