Freedom

I have on my table a violin string. It is free. I twist one end of it and it responds. It is free. But it is not free to do what a violin string is supposed to do—to produce music. So I take it, fix it in my violin and tighten it until it is taut. Only then is it free to be a violin string.

-Sir Rabindranath

Are you in place? In the correct place? Sure, you're free to do whatever you like. If you are not in the will of God in your purpose in life. You are free, but not free to do what you were created to do. That's why there is an emptiness, a void in your life. You can put whatever vice in it that you like but it would never fill that hole. Why not? That hole is the size of God. The Bible puts it this way in I Cor 10:24, "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive..."

-SALT

Pastor Erroyl

Fasting: Necessary?

From time to time Christians SHOULD fast. There is a spiritual need to fast. It is not a point of salvation, so don’t think that if you do not fast you go to hell. That’s not what I’m saying.  But there are certainly strongholds, barriers, demonic interventions, tribulations, boundaries in your life when fasting is absolutely the needed tool.  

(Matt 17:21 "But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." ~Jesus). Jesus says that more is needed in particular situations than just prayer.  Of course, there are tools that we need in addition to prayer. Fasting, praising, working, etc.  but for some reason, we have been taught /conditioned to think that prayer is all that is needed. But, that is not what the Bible says. Nor is it what Jesus taught.

This is a very deep subject, and cannot possibly be covered with brevity. So, this post is only to get the cogs turning, the boulders sliding, the river flowing.... the questions coming. These questions are really inward. Of course, you may ask any question that you want of me, and I will do my best to answer. You can do it publicly, or a private message. But, most of the questions should be generated by God, in you and to you.

Some preachers/teachers of the Word will disagree with what I am about to say.  When I fast, I include Facebook, WordsWithFriends, etc. and anything else that I feel lead to forego. From my understanding, some preachers/teachers/denominations believe that food is the only thing to abstain from (I assume they also include consented marital relations). I’ve not had in-depth conversations with them, so I do not want to misrepresent their thoughts. (If you are one of them, let’s chat privately so I can gain understanding.) I have heard of people fasting from only chocolate, only Coke, only Coffee, only etc. etc. 

When we fast, we should certainly remove things that we know are occupying space in our timeline that belongs to God. The point of fasting is sacrificing and depending on God. Sacrificing the flesh from what it craves. Essentially when you crave something, you are admitting that you want it...badly. Simply put, when you fast from food (a traditional fast), you are severing the link between the body/flesh and dependency.  You are rerouting that dependency back to where it should be, on God. Throughout the fast, you should be constantly in prayer. You should not introduce influences from music, movies, friends, family, TV. You should not listen to particular types of music, nor watch particular types of movies, etc. You should do your best to have a holy environment. I do believe if you are earnestly fasting from coffee because you recognize that you depend on “that morning cup” more than God, then I believe God honors that intent. Does that mean you stay there? Fasting from coffee for 30 days. Of course not. We should always strive to do better.

We love you, and we are praying for you. 

SALT

~Dr. and Mrs. McGinty 

Sis Pinky’s Prayer:

Thank you for the opportunity to abstain from worldly pleasures and get more connected to you, Alpha and Omega of it all! Give us a desire to fast and the willpower to follow through once we’ve committed to it. We know that we are overcomers in you! 

In Jesus’s name,

Amen

Hurry up, and wait!

Oxymoron anyone? Probably the single most difficult command that God ever uttered, was to "wait", "be still", etc. We have become accustomed to acting, going, or doing something. We find it quite perplexing to "wait on the Lord", or "be still and know that I am God".    For this lesson, let's look into the Old Testament at 1 Sam 13: 9-14.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous

Many are the afflictions of the righteous

After going through some personal trials and pain episodes lately, I began to seek God about what was going on. I then continuously begin to hear, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous."  I also heard, " If Jesus suffered, why shouldn't you?" Then I looked up the Scripture (which is Psalm 34:19 by the way) and the second part states, "But The Lord delivers him out of them all." 

People of God, be encouraged and know that if you are suffering for righteousness sake, you are on the right track! I don't know about you, but this makes me rejoice! It is very reassuring to know that my suffering is not in vain and the outcome is I win! Keep pressing on fully assured that the Lord Your God is your deliverer!

We love you, and we are praying for you,

~Pastor Erroyl and Sis. Pinky 

SALT

Pastor Erroyl’s Prayer:

          Heavenly Father, we thank you for your will. Not ours, God, but yours. So, we trust that whatever you take us through that you will instruct us in it, and deliver us from it. And because we trust you and praise in the good times, we will do the same in what we may consider as the bad times. Whether our affliction is physical, mental, emotional, or social we know God that if we are suffering for righteousness, we are resembling Christ a little more. Thank you for trusting us to be your ambassadors here on Earth. Help us to represent You and Your Kingdom well. 

In Jesus’ mighty name.

Amen.

Hear and Do

Hear and Do 

     If you read in the book of Ruth Ch 1, you will find that after Naomi's husband and sons pass away she moved. 

Have you ever thought about why she moved? Or better yet, why she moved where she was moving to (Moab)? The Scriptures say that she was moving because she HEARD that the Lord had visited his people there. 

Have you thought about the discomfort it must have caused her to leave? To pick up and go? After all, she and her family had been there for quite a while. They were there long enough for her sons to get married, her husband to die, and both her sons to die. Yet, because she HEARD, she WENT. 

The lesson for us here is two fold--
     1) that we should listen for the voice of the Lord. Listen for occurrences where God has moved in someone else's life. (Their testimony) What Naomi heard was not that God was still present there in Moab, but that he had visited there. That's past tense. In other words, she was moving based on God showing himself in someone else's life. She was basing her move of faith on someone else's testimony. 

     2) we should not hesitate to share what God has done in our lives. We should constantly tell our testimony to others. Why? Because we don't know if there is a Naomi somewhere waiting for, and listening for, our testimony in order for her faith to be activated.

      James 1:22-23  But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

      Is God telling you to step out on faith? Is He telling you to move? What is it that the Lord is saying to you through the story of Naomi?

We love you, and we are praying for you. 

~Pastor Erroyl and Sis. Pinky

~SALT

Sis. Pinky’s Prayer:

Father, anoint my ears to be sensitive to Your voice, and then to share my testimony to those who have ears to hear. Increase our faith this day.

In Jesus’ name, we pray

Amen

Preach the gospel! When necessary use words.

Preach the gospel of Jesus Christ everywhere you go, and when necessary use words. -St. Francis of Assisi 

So what does this quote really mean? Does it mean that we are only to have a lifestyle Gospel? Does it mean that we should rarely speak about God’s goodness to others? Certainly not!

When an opportunity presents itself we should certainly use our words, our testimony, and the Scriptures to evangelize. 

        The issue, and point for this quote, is that we are not always able to talk. In fact, though it may not seems like it, the majority of the time we are not talking. Most often, our actions are what people see, and remember about us. So, the words of St. Francis do not give us a "get out of evangelism free" card. It actually suggests to us to live a Christlike life; to become a “living sacrifice” as we are urged to do in Romans 12:1. 

         The quote also gives encouragement to those who do not necessarily have the gift of gab. Most preachers are certainly verbose. We have a natural inclination to talk. This may also be the case with most teachers, and perhaps those in sales. But, everyone isn't blessed with the gift of gab. And at times, we all may find it difficult to verbalize what we may feel in our hearts. So, our actions are what people need to see, and feel. In many cases, maybe even most of the time our actions speak louder than words ever could. 

      

We love you, and we are praying for you.

~Pastor Erroyl

SALT

Sis. Pinky’s Prayer:

Thank you for the reminder that we are Your representatives on earth, and that our actions should line up with the Word. Help us through our words and actions, to not be stumbling blocks to others.

In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen. 

Time To Pray!

When to Pray

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When should we pray? When is the right time? And, for which purposes should we bother God? Prayer is always in order, and in season.  It’s good to pray to our Heavenly Father.  It’s good to talk, really talk, with Him.  After all, He is the author and finisher of our faith. He is our creator. So who knows us better than He?  He knows us so well that He has the number of hairs on our heads numbered. Every time one falls out, and/or changes color, He knows.  He is just that involved with us. He is love, and He already loves us. We have to learn to love Him. We cannot accomplish this intimacy without speaking to, and listening to, Him.

The following are some thoughts on the Discipline of Prayer that have guided me (Rev. Reddick) over the years.  I am not the expert on the subject, but I can say with authority (and someone coined it before me):  “Little prayer, little power - much prayer, much power - no prayer, no power.”  The point being- we must pray at all times.

As a young man I (Dr. McGinty) used to be intimidated to approach God in prayer. I did not have this issue as a boy. But, as a man fully aware of my sinfulness, I felt unworthy. To make matters more difficult, I am married to a prayer warrior (term used to describe someone who has the gift of prayer, a special anointing to pray, and intercession). I got beyond that irrational sentiment when I recognized the relationship I (we all) could have. Yes, God is the creator of all things. Yes, He is king of kings. Yes, He is the God of majesty, and the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, buuuuut, He is also Abba, Father. MY father as Jesus meant it. The word "Abba" shows intimacy. The term is from the colloquial vernacular of the time to show connection, love, reverence, and respect that a child has towards his father. So, God is MY father. I love that connection.

In Matthew 6:5-7 we see the word when used repetitively.

V5:  And when you pray…

V6:  But you, when you pray…

V7:  And when you pray…

I (Rev. Reddick) was taught long ago in primary school that the word when is one that indicates time.  To put it another way, and in the context of these verses, they tell us that we are to pray.  Not if you pray, but when you pray.  Luke 18:1 says in part, “…that men ought always to pray and not faint”, and 1 Thess 5:17 says to “Pray without ceasing.”  

According to these references we should pray always. In this case, always means always; as in the truest sense of the word.  It does not mean that we are to stay on our knees 24-7, becoming a praying hermit. But, it does compel us to operate from a praying spirit.  In other words, praying should be the same as breathing.  We should be so equipped, and so much in love with God, and the things of God, that praying is a part of our DNA and a necessity for life.  

Pray when you don’t feel like it. Pray even when you don’t know what to say.  The Holy Spirit will help!  Romans 8:26 records these words, “Likewise the Spirit helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought:  but the Spirit Himself maketh intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered.”  For example, you pray for a supervisor to be moved because he/she is hard on you. But, instead of moving the supervisor, God promotes you, or moves you to a better situation. He knows what the prayer should be. The only way to open up heaven, and all it has for us in this life, is through prayer. And, if Jesus did it often- if praying was a priority for Him (and it was), it should also be for us.  

Make the Discipline of Prayer a part of your daily conversation, and encourage your friends, and family to always pray.  There is nothing so little, or insignificant, that we cannot carry it to the Lord in prayer.  Go to Him for everything, and doubt Him for absolutely nothing. As you grow spiritually you will discover that you won’t be disappointed for spending time with Him.

We love you, and we are praying for you.

~SALT

Dr. McGinty, Rev. Reddick

Sis. Pinky’s Prayer:

Thank you God for the opportunity to come before your throne and converse with you. Help us to remember that we can come to you at any time with any petition.

In Jesus’ name we pray,

Amen