Being made by God, in the Potter's Hands

Psalm 139:14  says that we are, "fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful." That means that you and I are made by the most high God with care and consideration, and that we are individually purposed in that making. Your purpose in life is not the same as mine. 

Like the good potter that God is, He continues to shape, reshape, add pressure and water when needed, and reshape us again, and again into the vessels that He needs us to be. And, even within that, there are seasons in which we have to be made into different shapes for the different purposes of that particular season. Our response to that pressure, water, and reshaping shows our maturity (or lack thereof) and character. The pressure may be added to remove an imperfection in our character or attitude. Water made be added to smooth out a rough spot or two in our personality or demeanor, or fill-in a crack in our emotional make-up. That's right, even a cracked vessel can be made like new in the Master's hands.

So, don't feel bad for too long if you respond incorrectly to that pressure, because God is not finished working on you.  

4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. 5 Then the word of the Lord came to me. 6 He said, “Can I not do with you?" ~Jeremiah 18

Sometimes as He is reshaping us, that pressure that the Potter applies is painful. And beyond that, there's a hardening process, and then the heat of the kiln.  Take a good look at this picture. Think about the different shapes, sizes, and most importantly uses of the vessels. They are all unique, but all had to go through the shaping, stretching, hardening, and the fire of the kiln. In other words, you will have to go through tests, and trials, up and downs, the valley and mountaintops in the process that is your life.! But the process ends with a beautiful, strong, (and here is the most important part) USABLE vessel.  Amen.

Are you pliable enough for the Master to shape you?
 Can God use you?

I love you and I am praying for you.


~Pastor Erroyl


SALT

Merry Christmas 2014

In this season that we look to the coming of Jesus, Advent, and celebrate His birth we would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas, from our family to yours!

May God bless you, and keep you.

Merry Christmas,

SALT

Falling Asleep

In the book of Matthew 26, Jesus asks His disciples to come to the garden and watch and pray 'with' Him. After Jesus goes deeper into the garden to pray alone, He comes back and finds that his disciples have fallen asleep. Wow.It occurs to me that falling asleep after Jesus has asked you to do something is a dreadfully terrible place in which to be. We see in the disciples that they not only fell asleep once, but again after Jesus admonishes them. 

Falling asleep can be a dangerous thing. Think of being asleep here, as a metaphor for anything that distracts you from the purpose that God has called you to do. (name your distractors.… TV, video games, Facebook, Internet, etc.) So, have you fallen asleep?

I think the saddest part about this is not that the disciples fell asleep after being told not to, but rather that Jesus had to bear the burden alone after asking for help. His words were that He was overwhelmed to the point of death.“My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me." That's pretty big right? Jesus then took the responsibility away from the disciples.
People will often say "what God has for me, it is for me". And, while that is a true statement, it doesn't mean it's a permanent statement.The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. (Book of Job) By the time his disciples had even realized that they had let Jesus down again, Judas and the armed guards were rushing into the garden to arrest Jesus. Peter try to defend Jesus by attacking one of the guards, but it was too little too late. Next that we hear of the disciples in this passage is that they fled. Are you now running away?

At that moment their ministry was gone.

Now, the good news is that Jesus is a restorer. He restores them with the great commission, (Peter and John got individual restorations as well ). Even if/when we fall asleep, Jesus can give us the opportunity to get it right. Several opportunities in fact. But, don't be fooled, that does not mean it will always be there for you. (Just in case you want a biblical reference look up Elijah. See how his illustrious ministry ended).

I love you and I am praying for you..
~Pastor Erroyl

Of course I'm stubborn- I'm right!

Ever called yourself stubborn? Have you ever refused to do what you know to be right, because of fear, pride, or because of the principle? 

According to the bible, God sees stubbornness as the (hidden) sin of idolatry. (1 Sam 15:23 ...stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry). Put simply, that means when you act stubbornly, that you are idolizing yourself, and placing yourself above God.  Can you say self-check? 

We must be honest with ourselves and see how our behavior is not godly. 

Let us stop disguising, or in some cases confusing, our iniquities as Type A personalities, tenacity, or perseverance with SELF-Worship..

Here's a challenge for you. The next time that you are being stubborn about something, take a look in the mirror. See if your facial features are distorted at all. See if you look a bit childish. 

I love you, and I am praying for you.
~Pastor Erroyl

SALT

In a Rough Place? There is purpose in your pain!

Are you in a rough place? Are you in a place of lack? Turmoil, or tribulation? A wilderness perhaps?

There are a myriad of circumstances that come up in our lives that can be absolutely devastating to us. The effect can hurt us emotionally, financially, physically, socially, and spiritually. In fact, such an event can lead us into a wilderness. A place of destitution. A place that is seemingly without hope.
But, there is hope. I've got great news for you! There is purpose in your pain. 

In the book of Exodus chapter 4 verse 27 the Lord told Aaron "go into to the desert to meet Moses." Isn't that odd? God sent someone into a place like the desert or wilderness to seek help. Why not at someone's home, or at the water well? Only a sovereign and all powerful God would send you into a place like a desert to get help. Only God can send you into what, at all appearances, look to be a state of detriment in order to supply your need!

Moses was in the desert to get help, Aaron was in the desert to be help. Which one are you? Why are you there? Why has God lead you into this wilderness?

Be encouraged, as you are going into these times/places understanding that God has a purpose for you being there. You never know, your help just might be in the desert!

I bet you're wondering about the result of this meeting in the desert… At the end of verse 31, after this powwow in the desert, the Children of Israel bowed their heads and worshiped.

I love you, and I am praying for you.
~Pastor Erroyl
SALT

Benefit in Suffering?

Suffering can make you feel like a prisoner. Dealing with painful situations to the point where we would deem the situation to be suffering can be absolutely oppressive.

Maybe a perspective shift is in order. When you suffer, what does it produce in you? What do YOU get from it? Do you wallow in suffering, do you allow it to make your spirits fall? Do you question God with a , "why me"? Do you become bitter, hateful, or self-loathing? 

"...glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame,... " Romans 5:3-5

The Bible teaches us here that there are positive attributes to suffering. If, we are able to change our perspectives to see the big picture. And by big, I mean God-sized! Perseverance, character, and hope. Going through, or living in a sufferable circumstance and seeing things from His perspective produces Perseverance, Character, and Hope.
Understand that God may have you in a particular place, and position for any number of reasons. One such reason is to learn.
Here's a good list to think about when faced with adversity. Don't be too fast to:

1.  Blame the devil, 
2.  Stay, 
3.  or Go... 

We give too much credit to the devil, the enemy. I find that God's name(s) is mentioned far more times than Satan's in the Bible. That proportion should be reflected in our lives as well. Regardless of the situation, we should look for God in it first1 Seek God while in the hardship, and you just might see Him working things to your good. Give God glory for trusting you enough to go through the hardship. Satan can do nothing without permission from God. So stop giving the enemy credit, and give God praise!

Regardless of what it looks like to others, if God has you planted in a painful situation- you stay planted. The pain might be coming from finances, from people, from your job, living situation, or from a relationship. Ask God to show you the benefit in the suffering. Ask Him why you are in the situation, what should you learn from the pain. Stay Planted!

Likewise, regardless of what it looks like to others, -if God says go, you go. Many times we like to get comfortable in a place even after our mission there is completed. (God says go here, build a bridge. After the bridge is up, you start working on a toll both for it, then a neighboring community center). When God says go, go. We may have caused the suffering ourselves by staying too long. if God says go, you go

Allow God's work in you to be matured through whatever process He chooses; wherever He might have you. It might be suffering, it might be a storm, or wilderness experience... Pray, listen, and be wise enough to know when it's time make camp, and when it's time to break camp. Suffering in a situation- be it physical pain, emotional strife, or situational turmoil is probably God's prescription for you. The wisdom to know will come from God. It might be from a blog, a FB posting, in a conversation, reading the Bible, or a sermon, but look for His voice in it... His purpose for you, and His plan for you in the situation.

I love you, and I am praying for you,
Pastor Erroyl
~SALT