“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress.’” Psalm 91:1,2

There is no God but the Lord! And there is no place I would rather be than hiding under the shelter of His wing. In Him I have found strength for my weakness, rest for my anxiety, and hope for my fears. I realize that God knows the future and nothing will take Him by surprise. Therefore, I understand, that I can take His counsel to heart for He has my welfare in mind.

Paul tells us since we have been justified by Christ’s death, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Romans 5:9,10

The secret place of the Most High is that place that only He and I are aware of. It is not a geographical place, but a spiritual one, that affords me the opportunity to be intimate with the Creator Himself. I can tell Him my problems and concerns. We talk about my personal failings and we rejoice over my successes. I am completely humbled in this secret place and that is good –for God gives grace to the humble. 1Peter 5:5

I can rest in this secret place for in this place, I am sheltered from the stress of life, from the devil who seeks to devour and from the world that wants to lure me away from my First Love. In this secret place I receive gold for silver, bronze for iron, joy for tears and a living hope that anchors my heart to eternity.

I am a stranger here on earth and I am feeling more and more homesick. I long to be in my hiding place, in the place no man knows but I. I am not ashamed to tell you that I run and hide under the shelter of His wing. I rest in the shadow? Did you ever think that God would cast a shadow? I know that He is light and in Him is no darkness. James said that He is the Father of heavenly lights in whom, there is no shadow of turning. Logic tells me that because there is nothing brighter than God, He cannot cast a shadow.

So where is the shadow? The Cross my friend! The shadow that God would have you to rest under is the shadow of the Cross of Christ. It is here that He paid for my sins and justified me unto Himself. This is where He redeemed me and covered me with His wings and said to me, “I shall no wise cast thee out!” Just as the song says, “At the Cross, at the Cross, where I first saw the light and the burden of my heart rolled away…” Yes, I rest in His never ending, never changing, unfailing love for me. I enjoy being in this secret place because I know He enjoys it as well. I like to be where I know that I am wanted, where I at least know that I am not a bother.

In this place, I never have worried that I was staying too long, or being bothersome. I never once thought God was “looking at His watch” or implying that He had bigger fish to fry. No, when I am there in the secret place, He makes me feel that I am the only person on His mind –I have His undivided attention and heart. I thank God that He has invited me to come away to this secret place and I am truly blessed within myself, when I go.

Have a great week!
Pastor Jim

David said, “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless.” I have no problem comprehending God’s perfection. From what He has declared about Himself in the Bible, there can only be one logical conclusion; God’s way is perfect, for God is perfect.

This means that His wisdom is perfect, His justice is perfect, His knowledge is perfect and His love is perfect. Ah, think of the ramifications of a perfect Being for just a moment. Perfection knows every possible equation and perfect wisdom applies the best one. God can direct your life in the most perfect way; the perfect thought, the perfect attitude, the perfect choice.

David goes on to say, “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.” So, there we have it; through faith in this perfect God, David could believe and declare that God makes his way perfect! This is probably why David sang in another place, “Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. They do nothing wrong.”

Earlier, I said that God could direct our lives in the most perfect way and now David says that God makes his way perfect. The difference between can and does is the total surrender of our free will to God’s perfect will. For you see, in God’s perfect plan, our free will was created – God knew that this was the only way (remember; as for God, his way is perfect)

God perfectly created you and I with free will, and through that free will, we can love God perfectly! This is the essence of God’s perfect plan for mankind. Why do you think we were created at all? Was it for this life only? I think not.

God created us so that we could perfectly love and be perfectly loved – for all eternity! “And now I will show you the most excellent way…[Love never fails.] Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

Now I wish my life was perfect. I wish everything I did, everything I said, or thought was perfect; but it’s not. Now, I only know in part, now I only see but in a poor reflection, as in a mirror. So, (with free-will at hand) I choose to surrender to God’s way – God’s perfect way!

I believe, that if we trust God’s way now, even though it be through faith, one day we shall see face to face and know fully the love that He has for us. It is obvious, that when perfection comes, imperfection will pass away. For now, brethren, we must trust that God will perfectly work His perfect way in us – perfectly!

I was asked the other day what I thought about the congregation at the Word Worship Center. They asked that my answer should be brief; my thought was even briefer. “An absolute Blessing.” was the first thought that came to my mind. I didn’t need to explain any further; they didn’t want further explanation. But I believe that I owe it to you, Word Worship Center, to give you my heart in this matter.

Robin and I consider it a tremendous honor and privilege to be pastors at Word Worship Center and wouldn’t trade our responsibilities for all the money in the world. We thank God continually for what He is doing in the Church. There have been countless times we have been so proud of your witness, your show of love and generosity, your perseverance and your determination to do what is right. We know that many of you, in spite of the severe trials that you are facing, are holding fast to your faith and testimony in Christ. Do not think that it is strange, or that something is wrong with you when you face trials day after day. These trials are given for the perfecting of your faith. People get the erroneous idea that, because their lives contain troubles, that God is punishing them, and then, the devil uses that to bring discouragement. Don’t let your hearts be troubled, you are God’s workmanship and His signature is written upon your lives. I know that some of you may be thinking, “Well, Pastor Jim may be talking about others, but not me. I have too many problems and he is probably weary of me.” Please listen and believe: If Robin and I thought for one minute that God couldn’t turn your situation around, or that there was no hope, we would also give up as Pastors. So, if you are willing to persevere with us –we are willing to persevere with you. Here’s a news flash: We all have trials, believers and nonbelievers alike, the difference for us, folks, is that we have a hope that gives us the strength to endure. Do you not see that God is perfecting your faith through hard times? He is giving us all opportunity to apply His Word to our situations and ultimately changing our character to be more like His own. This is what we should be looking at more than our situations. Think back; are you responding to trials in the same way? Maybe before, you would become really angry –hasn’t God tempered that anger? Maybe you used to spend that little bit of extra money on yourselves –but now, you share it with the less fortunate.

But the thing that is blessing me the most about you is that you continue to come to this Church to be challenged, to walk closer to the Lord. Robin and I never expected to have a very large congregation for that reason alone. Not everyone wants to be challenged. Not everyone wants to be confronted by the mandates of God. Some folks are uncomfortable by the Holy Spirit. So, the next time you falter, remind yourself that you have a Church of brothers and sisters who understand and will forgive. The next time that you feel all alone, there will be a friendly voice just a phone call away. The next time you receive a blessing there will be somebody that will share in your joy. We are heading to Heaven. We are going Home. We are going to meet God face to face –and we are blessed to be doing it with you!
You are a great Church!
Have a great week!
Pastor Jim