In it, they state:

Facebook adds the population of South Dakota every day and right here in South Dakota over a third of the population is on Facebook according to Facebook’s ad stats.

This begs the question, is Facebook South Dakota’s new religion?

Which makes me also wonder, how we as Christians feel about this? Not only the question itself, but Facebooks popularity. I’m sure there’s a variety of feelings out there, from jealousy, to anger, to excitement, to disbelief or denial. Regardless of the varying opinions, there’s one thought that reigns true in my head, which is “What a great opportunity”.

We all know methods of delivering a message may change, but the people behind them will all be the same. There’s always a need for Jesus Christ, to accept his forgiveness and embrace his lordship.

So, what are we doing to utilize every method available to us to encourage, communicate & invoke the one true message everyone needs to hear; that Jesus Christ is Lord, he’s died and risen for our sins & is wanting a true relationship with His creation.

Something to think about.

Faith to Obey – Part 3 (mp3)

Faith to Obey – Part 3 by Harvestsf

Faith to Obey – Part 2 (mp3)

Faith To Obey – Part 2 by Harvestsf

Faith to Obey – Part 1 (mp3)

Faith to Obey – Part1 by Harvestsf

Following the list of 17 works of the flesh-which, if practiced, will prohibit us from inheriting the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21) -are the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit. As I was reading this the other day, I began to think about how God develops these fruit in our lives.

Jesus said, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matt. 7:16, 19).  Many times the nine fruits of the Spirit are developed and brought to perfection through contrasting and opposing forces. Jesus says, “Every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:2).  Often times through trials and bitter life experiences, God prunes and purges us to bring forth fruit, or more fruit.  This is what God showed me concerning the development of these 9 fruit in our lives.

(1) Love is cultivated through loving those who hate, spitefully use and persecute you.

(2) Joy is developed by those who pass through the valley of Baca (sorrow) and make it a spring.

(3) Peace comes to maturity when you cast your cares on Jesus in the midst of confusion or life storms.

(4) Longsuffering/Patience can only be formed through overcoming very long and difficult trials.

(5) Kindness shines forth in the midst of the rude, uncouth, ungrateful and unthankful.

(6) Goodness manifests amongst the wicked with their cruel and deceitful acts.

(7) Faithfulness is at its best when confronted by the failure and betrayal of those we trust the most.

(8) Gentleness is developed when confronted by anger to which one does not respond to.

(9) Self-control is the discipline you exercise as you are tempted by unrestrained lust, passions and desires.

What a great God we serve. He delights to take all of our yokes and all of our burdens and give us yokes that are easy and burdens that are light.  God desires to not only meet the needs of his children, but to hear the needs of his children.  Even though he knows them before we make mention of them, He desires to hear each one.

Recently, I spoke a message at our church of how in my early years of ministry I had what I called a Messiah complex.  A complex that said, I need to be able to fix every issue, hear every request, meet every need no matter how small or how big.  During that message to our church, I shared how I realized that I can’t carry or care for all those things that the church body has need of.

Now, some may think that I was saying that I don’t care.  But really nothing could be farther from the truth.  What I was and am saying, is only God can carry the cares and burdens of his children.  That’s the way he wants it, that’s the way he desires it and that’s the way he designed it.

In Exodus it says that Jethro came to Moses and said you need to appoint leaders over the people to hear their request because you can’t do it all.  Moses was a great pastor, but even he couldn’t meet the needs of all the people.  That’s why the bible says in Eph. 4 that growth comes to the body of Christ when every ligament is doing its share.

Hebrews says, “Let Us come boldly to the THRONE OF GRACE…that we might find help in our time of need.”  God has what all of us need. He can carry all of our issues in life.

Casting our cares on those around us or those we think are spiritual will never do what is needed.  But casting our cares upon the lord is not only biblical it is life changing.

Pastor

The key to success and victory in life is not in ourselves but in God. David was a shepherd boy, unskilled in the weapons of war, but he defeated Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, with a single sling shot. He was not a professional musician in the temple of God, but he wrote most of the psalms in the Bible. He was not of royal lineage, but he went on to become the greatest king Israel ever had. What was the secret of his greatness? It was his dependence and his trust in God. David cried, “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water” (Ps. 63:1).

John Knox, the famous Scottish revivalist, was famous for his power in prayer. Queen Mary said she feared his prayers more than Europe’s armies. When the Spanish Armada fought the English in 1588, Queen Elizabeth I of England called the nation to prayer. As a result, a storm arose and destroyed 65 of the Armada’s 130 ships while the English lost none. It is evident that as long as men seek God, as long as we pray, our lives will be successful and victorious. We will be able to achieve our aims and remain protected.

In the course of King Asa’s reign over Judah (1 Kin. 15:9-24), he changed both its history and future. Under his rule, he courageously deposed of his infamous idolatress grandmother, who had severely influenced Judah toward idolatry. He also drove out the Sodomites and then destroyed all the idols that his father had worshiped. Not only did this great leader himself seek after God, he commanded the entire nation to do likewise.

The prophet, Azariah said this of King Asa, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you” (2 Chr. 15:2). As we look back in history, we see that the Word of God is true: Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength (Jer. 17:5, 7)? God is no respecter of persons. His word works for all who would believe and act upon it

Pastor

The Scriptures say, “And Ezra prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.”  (Ezra 7:10). This verse is a summary of Ezra’s life and purpose. He was determined to fully accept the Lord’s direction in life. We as Christians need to be prepared, just as Ezra was, to accept the Lord’s direction no matter where it takes us. The Lord’s direction will always place us at a higher and deeper level than we are at right now. This desire came from Ezra’s deep conviction and reverence for God. This led him to seek out the Lord’s will in His revealed Word, the Scriptures.

But others, like Ezra, have had no problem in understanding it. There is a whole list of just plain, regular folks in Romans 16 who all understood it quite well. Timothy is said to have understood it from a child.

Jesus said that some would never understand.

Some complain that the Lord’s will is too difficult to understand. – Matthew 13:10-13

• 10- And the disciples came and said to him, “ Why do you speak to them in parables?”
• 11- He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
• 12-For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
• 13-Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

But it was not because of a lack of ability but rather a lack of will. They have unprepared hearts. To understand, Jesus insisted that one must desire to have God in his or her life. He or she must be willing to have open eyes, have open ears and have a prepared heart.

The eternal, universal principle remains: “To get to the top, we must reach for the bottom”. “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt. 23:12). The lower down I go, the higher up God will lift me. The lesser I have in myself, the more I receive from God. It is when I am weak in my flesh that I become strong in the spirit.

D.L. Moody once said, “As a young man, I used to think that God’s best gift is placed on the highest shelf and what I needed to do is simply to reach up. But not so now. I have learned that God’s best gift is on the lowest shelf. To get it, I have to stoop down.” The greatest example of this is given to us by Jesus Himself. From Philippians 2:5-8, we see the seven successive, downward steps Jesus took. How Jesus stooped down from a place of equality with God, to the lowest place of dying a criminal’s death on the cross.

(1) Jesus emptied Himself. He laid aside all His divine glory, splendor and majesty.

(2)He took the form of a bondservant. He could have come down to the level of an angel and still be a servant of God but he humbled himself further.

(3) He came in the likeness of man. Jesus made Himself of the same level as the human race. Even then, He could have come to earth in the same perfection Adam had before the Fall. Again He didn’t.

(4) He was found in the appearance of a man. That means Jesus was just like the men of His time. He mingled with the Jews, walked with them and ate with them. He became one of them.

(5) He humbled Himself. Jesus was not born in a noble family. He was not a military commander or a ruler.

(6) He endured the ultimate fate of all men—death!

(7) He died the worst possible death for a man—crucifixion on the cross. Jesus didn’t have the luxury of dying on a sick bed or the comfort of his own home. He died a criminal’s death and suffered the ultimate agony of shame.

That was the total self-humbling of Jesus and Philippians 2:9-11 gives us the results: …God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord….

Jesus is our example. If we humble ourselves like Him, we too can live life successfully and victoriously!