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Comment by russ allen on December 29, 2011 at 7:25am

  Good morning! How are we faithing? It is very interesting when one searches for confirmation of ones salvation in Jesus the Christ. The world sure makes it seem bad that anything is absolute. Truth is that line of thinking is designed to allow one to embellish and do whatever their little heart desires especially contrary to the Word type of things. From the foundation of the world God predestined salvation unto himself by a sinless sacrifice through his son and knew we would have to hear and then act on that hearing. The idea that all humans are "predestined" to go to be with God in the end therefore  as long as we believe anything  we all get there is maddening. That idea is so self serving and ludicrous, as well as a flat lie, that  there will be a lot of people on the outside looking in. That just breaks Gods heart but he being an honorable God, honors their choice. Look at part of this letter to the Ephesians Paul wrote explaining this;

EPHESIANS 1:3-14

 Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with spiritual blessings in heavenly places, in Christ:  As he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and unspotted in his sight in charity.

    Who hath predestinated us unto the adoption of children through Jesus Christ unto himself: according to the purpose of his will:  Unto the praise of the glory of his grace, in which he hath graced us in his beloved son.

    In whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins, according to the riches of his grace, Which hath super abounded in us in all wisdom and prudence,That he might make known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in him, In the dispensation of the fullness of times, to re-establish all things in Christ, that are in heaven and on earth, in him.

    In whom we also are called by lot, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things according to the counsel of his will.

    That we may be unto the praise of his glory, we who before hoped Christ: In whom you also, after you had heard the word of truth, (the gospel of your salvation;) in whom also believing, you were signed with the holy Spirit of promise, Who is the pledge of our inheritance, unto the redemption of acquisition, unto the praise of his glory.

    Do you see that? It does not say You are predestined to go but that the concept was predestined from the creation and that we will hear the truth and act on it, one way or another. Of course he being God knows who and what from the beginning therefore it does seem like he picked whom would go but if you really explore this you realize that is not the case but that being God, he just knows. All of this is very intriguing but don't let theology concepts interfere with your salvation and what the Word says when it says "work out your salvation" . Remember that doesn't mean we "earn" our salvation by works but only that as we walk this earth we learn and figure things out as we seek God's face. Get your Bible out and do some research, it truly is fascinating...

Remember the Ford family....

Heavenly Father,

  Thank you for your printed Word that teaches us. Lord, help us see truth and allow us to hear the Holy Spirit as he prompts us when we read. Lord we ask for bodily healing for the afflicted. Comfort and reveal yourself to them. Lord, grant us wisdom to think and act holy as we work out our salvation. We love and honor your holy name and it is in tha name of Jesus we pray, amen

Posted by Pastor Russ Allen at 7:22 AM

Comment by russ allen on December 28, 2011 at 7:50am

   Great morning! How are we faithing? How strong are your convictions? It's an interesting question. I've heard and even said myself that I'd die for Jesus but I hesitate the more I watch the world and the more I read the Word because of my fleshly fears. Death doesn't scare me. How I die is not a pleasant thought. Someone holds a gun to my head and asks if I'd die or renounce Jesus, pull the trigger buddy. Attach my limbs to 4 horses and be asked the same question and the thought of dismemberment that way and would I hesitate? So scenarios like those are direct but what about ridicule? Nobody likes to be thought ill of so will you stand in the face of laughter?  Shunning or disowning can have such a great effect on people that they sometimes will not stay steadfast. This is not to point fingers but designed for you to think and be honest with yourself. Ask some hard questions of yourself. Think of the worst thing that can happen to you and ask if it would cause you to back peddle on your faith. Don't beat yourself up over it, search scripture and settle the issue and if you can't on your own, ask your Pastor or whomever your Godly counselor is. Friends, you may or may not see these types of things happen to you in this country but as we progress further in history, one needs to take stock in the Word and prophecy and prepare because one day these things will take place. I sure hope and pray I have the courage to stand firm, how about you?



 ACTS 7:54-60

Stephen Put to Death 


⁵⁴ Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; ⁵⁶ and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”⁵⁷ But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse. ⁵⁸ When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”⁶⁰ Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep.




Remember the Covington family




Heavenly Father,
   Thank you for your Word. Thank you for your love that sustains us. Lord we ask for wisdom and courage. We ask for love and the ability to love genuinely. Lord we lift our families up to you. Show them truth and wisdom. Lord, thank you for your son that is alive and well today and forever. We want to see Jesus this day, in Jesus name, amen

Posted by Pastor Russ Allen at 7:47 AM 

Comment by russ allen on December 27, 2011 at 7:17am

  Good morning! How are we faithing? Wow! Another year about over. These time passages we traverse through sure do make us analyze and take stock in ourselves and our walk with God or at least it should. Now that people are looking towards the new year with things they want to change or improve on it becomes important that we all don't fall into a state of regret. No problem with recognizing something you should have done or shouldn't have done and make adjustments accordingly but don't fall for the enemies ploys of condemnation. Let the Holy Spirit convict you of necessary behavioral changes. We've talked of this before and we know the Word tells us we are saved when we believe and confess  and that there is no condemnation in Christ so press on with improvements under that conviction. Sure we should feel sorry for bad choices but repent, modify that behavior, get help if necessary but never, never self loath and think self abasement does anything for you. By self abasement I mean that place we sometimes go where we think we are worthless and we must punish ourselves for infractions. Please. Repenting, asking for forgiveness, recognizing stupid moves is fine but falling into a tither over it serves no one and can only open the door for the devil and his minion to pick away at your joy and peace. We can have confidence that our Father will discipline us but once we are saved, no punishment because Jesus already took the whoopin for us...

romans 8                                                                                                                   therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in christ jesus.

Hebrews 4:15-16

 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

1 John 4:16-18

 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.  By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

Remember Scott Reynolds family...remember Tonya...remember Madonna Johnson...

Heavenly Father,

   Thank you for the life you gave for us. Thank you for your Word that sustains us. Thank you for allowing us to be and to do and show us the right ways so we do not inflict pain or lead any astray. Lord we lift those listed today. Heal and comfort them. Help them recognize they need you. Help their eyes seek you. In Jesus name, amen

Posted by Pastor Russ Allen at 7:14 AM 

Comment by russ allen on December 22, 2011 at 6:28am

  Great morning! How are we faithing? Such an interesting time of year. It can be daunting and it can be joyous. It also can be both. So did you accept the gift of salvation yesterday? Do you want to get on with it but are kinda stopped looking out the windshield trying to pick the right direction? Let me show you something that we've looked at before but I think your eyes will see more than before;

1 john 4

 ¹ beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from god, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² by this you know the spirit of god: every spirit that confesses that jesus christ has come in the flesh is from god; ³ and every spirit that does not confess jesus is not from god; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. ⁴ you are from god, little children, and have overcome them; because  greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. ⁵they are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ we are from god; he who knows god listens to us; he who is not from god does not listen to us. by this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

god is love

⁷ beloved, let us love one another, for love is from god; and everyone who loves is born of god and knows god. ⁸ the one who does not love does not know god, for god is love. ⁹ by this the love of god was manifested in us, that god has sent his only begotten son into the world so that we might live through him. ¹⁰ in this is love, not that we loved god, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ beloved, if god so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²no one has seen god at any time; if we love one another, god abides in us, and his love is perfected in us. ¹³ by this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his spirit. ¹⁴ we have seen and testify that the father has sent the son to be the savior of the world. ¹⁵ whoever confesses that jesus is the son of god, god  abides in him, and he in god. ¹⁶ we have come to know and have believed the love which god has for us. god is love, and the one who abides in love abides in god, and god abides in him. ¹⁷ by this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as he is, so also are we in this world. ¹⁸ there is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. ¹⁹ we love, because he first loved us.²⁰ if someone says, “i love god,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love god whom he has not seen.²¹ and this commandment we have from him, that the one who loves god should love his brother also.

  That chapter is so full of truths and concepts that are contrary to the worlds view. Retribution, revenge, pay back are all things love does not allow. Not because of a rule but because love conquers those things. True love from the heart may get hurt but wont want to "get em back" because it realizes how much what was done to itself hurt and wouldn't want it to happen to others. It is hard to stop and look for truth when one is hurt but the grace of God that we now enjoy will open our eyes if we look. We still sometimes revert but as soon as we realize that has taken place, this salvation has afforded us the right to confess directly to God and ask for wisdom and forgiveness. 

   The other concept we may never have considered is that something that seems right and good is worthless if it denies Christ. Remember that the enemy is a liar and a deceiver and will fool even the elect with crafty ideology and if we don't ask the right questions, we can be led astray. There's one way to God and it is his son Jesus. 

Remember Mary...remember Pam...remember Chris...

Heavenly Father,

   Thank you for the gift of your son that we celebrate. Grant us wisdom, courage and inspiration to act and speak as you have shown in your Word. Lord we do not wish to be misled but sometimes fall for stuff because it seems or feels good. Lord open the eyes of our hearts, we want to see Jesus. Lord we lift those mentioned and those not to you. Heal bodies, minds and spirits. Thank you in Jesus name, amen

Posted by Pastor Russ Allen at 6:25 AM

Comment by russ allen on December 21, 2011 at 7:14am

      Great morning to be alive! How are we faithing?  With the discussions we've had the last two days it becomes evident that the simple act of being saved  and how to do it needs to be presented. It's really quite simple and Jesus laid it out so a child can understand therefore even I got it. Levity aside, this is the most important decision you will ever make in your life. This decision has eternal consequences. Fail to make the choice and the choice becomes made for you. So lets look at scripture to see how we do this;

Mark 16:20
And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed. And they promptly reported all these instructions to Peter and his companions. And after that, Jesus Himself sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.


Acts 4:12
And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.

Romans 10:9-13

⁹that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; ¹⁰ for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; ¹³ for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

John 3:16-20

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ¹⁹ This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

So there you go. Simple actually. Believe in your heart, confess with the mouth to salvation. So pray this aloud;


  Father God, forgive my sins.  I accept your gift of salvation that your only begotten son gives. I admit I am a sinner and in need of a savior. I believe Jesus died for me. Lord, thank you for saving me, in Jesus' name , amen!


Now out loud you pray this then rejoice because your eternity is set! You are a child of God therefore have a right to approach him anytime with anything and he is listening. Take the time to read the Word every day. Pray/speak to him every day. Remember this flesh has it's pitfalls but never is your secure place in heaven in jeopardy! The Word tells us "nothing can snatch us out of his hands"! Now go find a bible believing church to attend, get yourself baptized like the Word tells us and embark on a journey that you can't even fathom!

Posted by Pastor Russ Allen at 7:11 AM

Comment by russ allen on December 20, 2011 at 7:10am

  Good morning! How are we faithing?  Did you forget you are saved by grace? Did you forget that salvation isn't based on your screw ups or successes? Have you started to fall for the premise that you have to work at being holy to maintain that salvation? Do you think because of a screw up or two you now have to be saved again? All these ideas and feelings are from the loser of all that the Bible promises. Scripture is very specific about salvation and either it is right on or it all is a pack of lies. Jesus is the only way to salvation or he is a total liar and all we are doing is in vain. Anything we do or don't do has no impact on that said salvation once we have accepted the free gift offered. The scripture tells us we cannot be snatched from Gods hands so if that is true, you and I are secure in this salvation so with that being a settled issue, we press on with the other things God would has for us do. "I feel God has turned his back on me", no, you have lost sight . He is still right where he always has been. "I goofed up, how could he still love me?" because he said he would. Because he said he will. Your feelings of abandonment are not from God but a sense of guilt or simply the devil interjecting condemnation to render you ineffective and to push you into that state of depression. Don't read into that last statement. Clinical depression is very real and there are many reasons for it, injury, chemical, malnutrition etc. so recognize it for what it is. You need to be convinced of your salvation. You need to read the scriptures and speak them aloud so they are heard. Settle this once and for all so when it crops up again you have the faith based on truth to stand on and you are able to deal with whatever is taking place and not revisit an old issue that distracts from the present one. These are but a few of the verses we all need to remember when the enemy tries to steal our peace;

2 Peter 3:9

⁹ The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

Ephesians 2:8-9

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; ⁹ not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Ephesians 1:13-14

¹³ In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

Ephesians 2:10

¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

John 5:24

²⁴ “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

John 10:28-29
and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.

My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

remember Stephanie Wood and family...

Heavenly Father,

   Thank you for salvation and grace. Thank you that your Word sustains us. Thank you your scripture reveals truth. Lord we ask for4 such a steadfastness assurance of things already taught. Lord, we lift those hurting today. We ask for wisdom so we do not mislead or cause pain. Lord we love and honor you and in your name we pray, amen

Posted by Pastor Russ Allen at 7:02 AM 

Comment by russ allen on December 19, 2011 at 7:47am

  Good morning! How are we faithing? During times of high stress is is important that we maintain our focus. It is important to never stop praying, never stop petitioning God, never forget who we are and who he is. Never forget to KNOW that we will come out the other side of our current circumstances and that we had better seek truth throughout it all. Does that make any circumstance better or easier? Not always man. There are times it gets real bad and we feel like it's over but there are also times when we know in our hearts this current situation is temporary, it may suck but it will end. That realization doesn't necessarily make it any less painful but hope is present and we operate on hope and expectations. We expect the traffic lights to work right so we don't have a wreck. We expect to get what we order at the sandwich shop. We hope to feel better even when the pain seems so bad. We  hope we are treated well and conversely that we respond in kind.  How do we react to those expectations and hopes when they do not unfold as we think they ought to? Ah, there's the meat of this discussion. No matter what position we are in, what befalls us, how we are treated we must maintain our hope in our Father God that is well aware of all things and that we are here in this flesh therefore all the pitfalls that encumber this flesh can be whooped with his power. We need remember that his power made this orb and everything on it and our savior is one and the same and loved us enough to place himself in a position to see it all through our eyes. Man that is love. I wouldn't become a hose clamp, even if I could, just to see how the coolant system works. It's hot under that hood.



“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:” (Isa 59:1 AV)


“The LORD [is] far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.”
(Pr 15:29 AV)


“The way of the wicked [is] as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.”
 (Pr 4:19 AV)


“But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.”
 (1Jo 2:11 AV)




Remember Laurie's nephew...remember Archie Benton...remember Dark Horse...remember Eric's Mom...remember Anna...remember Josh...remember Christopher...

Heavenly Father,
  Thank you for always seeing us through turmoil and trials. Open our eyes and hearts to the lessons to be learned. Lord we lift those hurting this day. Heal wounds. Heal minds. Heal spirits. Lord we praise and worship at your feet even when we are so perplexed and distracted. We desire to be in your presence constantly and totally aware of your promptings. Lord we seek wisdom and courage plus the words that heal and not hinder. Make us strong examples of your grace and love and let us not cause pain for others but let our lives lead them to you. In Jesus name, amen

Posted by Pastor Russ Allen at 7:32 AM 0 comments

Comment by Michael Brittain on December 15, 2011 at 9:14am

If you are having difficulty solving a math problem and I help you, you do not have to take my word that the solution is correct. You can verify it for yourself.

However, if someone tells you that they love you, there is no way to verify it. For example, it is possible for people to treat you in loving ways and not love you. At the same time, it is possible for people who do love you to mistreat you. In the final analysis, there is no way to verify love. We either believe in people's word that they love us or we do not.

Your Creator is saying to you today, "I love you unconditionally. I care about everything that happens to you. You are my son/daughter in whom I am well pleased."

You either have faith that this message is true or you don't. Verification is not possible. The moment you accept that the message is true and act on the basis of it, you become a believer.

Have a Blessed Day

Comment by Michael Brittain on December 14, 2011 at 9:56am

Secret Shame...

Most of us feel a strong need to have a portion of our lives remain completely private. There are things we do not want anyone else to know. We want a few things about ourselves and our past bolted behind a door and marked "Private- Do not disturb."

The reason we have a strong need for this private space is because of shame. We are afraid that when people find out who we truly are, they will reject us or humiliate us.

Instead of needing a place of privacy, we actually need a close friend, an intimate confidante, a trustworthy person to whom we can disclose our most shameful secrets. Here's the catch: in order to have such a person, we must risk disclosure. We must be willing to take down the "Do not disturb" signs, and gradually welcome someone into our private space, until finally there are no more secrets.

Remember: our secrets are what make us sick; self-disclosure with a safe person heals us.

Comment by russ allen on December 9, 2011 at 7:13am

 Good morning! How are we faithing? As we traverse this life we can have so many things erupt that we feel like there is no way we can persevere.  Many times when in the midst of these times we tend to forget who's we are. Looking inward rather than in the mirror has distinctions that we should notice. The mirror is a reflection of us and opposite to boot but looking inward where Jesus dwells affords a view without visual encumbrance. Our Lord promised to dwell in us and when the enemy tries to invade we can stand on truth and not allow him entrance.  Our ability is God's because of that dwelling inside so as soon as we recognise the enemies attempts, we have the right to rebuke and to call on God's power to overcome. It sounds complicated sometimes but think about it; the creator dwells in us when we accept salvation.  There's no higher power. Human errors can be made and our advocate is always present on our behalf so that when we realize, repentance and improvement can be.

Psalm 56:4

In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid.
What can mere man do to me?


Remember Bailey and family...remember Kristian...remember Jeff Millard...


Heavenly Father,
  Thank you for your grace and love. Thank you for your Word that is available to us. We love and honor you. Grant us wisdom and discernment so we can stand in love and honesty without fear of what man can do. Our confidence is in you Lord, in Jesus name, amen

Posted by Pastor Russ Allen at 7:11 AM 

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