Rhythm of Faith

2 Chronicles 16:9 The LORD keeps close watch over the whole world, to give strength to those whose hearts are loyal to him. You have acted foolishly, and so from now on you will always be at war.” God is looking for people who are passionate about the things He is passionate about. He is looking for people who will wholeheartedly pursue Him. He is looking for people who will love people on their jobs, in their neighborhoods and homes; those who are committed to loving the lost, the poor and the needy. He's looking for those who are willing to start doing what the Bible tells us to do. Second Chronicles 16:9 says that God is always searching to "show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him." Are you one of those people? If not, I want to encourage you and let you know that you can be that person who God seeks. Whether you have known the Lord for many years or are just beginning your new life in Him, you can be that person ...

Throughout scripture we see the battle of self-control described as an ongoing war between the spirit and flesh. Here is one of many scriptures that describe that war: For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. - Galatians 5:17 Paul goes into great detail on the subject in Romans chapter 7: For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. - Romans 7:19 The flesh is that voice in your head that tells you, "If it feels good do it." It tells us that we need things when we don't, and if we followed it we'd sleep too late, eat too much, and eventually come to poverty. That's where the heart wants to lead us. While the Spirit is the voice that tells you, "If it is good do it." The closer you walk with God, and the more time that you spend in His presence the more that you become aware of His...

because you have always been my help. In the shadow of your wings I sing for joy. Psalm 63:7 7Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. I have had people tell me, “Pastor Prince, please pray for me. I can’t see a way out of the mess I am in. I know that this whole thing is my fault. Right now, I don’t even know whether God will hear my prayers.” If you think about it, a whole lot of our troubles are of our own making. But it is when we deserve the punishment and not the blessing that we can receive grace — the undeserved favor and unmerited help of God! When we stop trying to be deserving of God’s help, we find God more than willing to be our Savior. But when we continue to try to work things out, we are trying to be our own saviors. God will say, “Save yourself because I can’t help you when you don’t need My help.” You might be thinking, “But Pastor Prince, don’t you know, God helps those who help themselves?” Contrary to popula...

Perhaps the only thing harder for prideful humans than humbly wielding power is humbly yielding power. And the most beautiful Old Testament example of this is the way Jonathan yielded Israel’s throne to David. But as we see in 1 Samuel 23:15–18, he did far more than just yield. Abinadab had watched his fugitive younger brother receive Jonathan like royalty. Such an embrace. Such intimate talk. Such weeping in farewell. What had David divulged to the enemy’s son? He stepped beside David at the cave’s entrance and they watched Jonathan depart — returning to serve beside his father whose homicidal paranoia was forcing them to run like foxes and live like badgers. “David, you won’t like my asking, but I need to. Is it wise just letting him go back to Saul?” “My life is never safer than when it’s in his keeping.” Abinadab shifted uneasily. “I know you love him. You’re very loyal. Very trusting. It’s one of your great qualities. I just hope your loyalty isn’t naïve here.” David said nothing...

Today however, many people see charity as little more than a duty. It's something we do at Christmas time--another reason to write out a check. But agape love is much more, in fact it's the greatest virtue that one can posses. And now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. - 1 Corinthians 13:13 In addition to this being the greatest virtue, it is the most important commandment as it sums up God's deepest will for our lives: Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. - Matthew 22:36-40 As we see in this scripture, love is more than merely having affection for God and our fellow man, it's a willingness to lay down our li...

I am a type A personality through and through. I can make lists for days and I love having a “plan.” When I was younger I had big dreams and I loved writing in my journal. I would sit back, imagining how God was going to bless every decision I made. Life was all going to go according to my plan. I transferred to a Christian college my sophomore year and my mission was to get a ring by spring. It was my plan to find a Godly husband. I assume God didn’t get my memo because I stayed single most of college and was bitter that God was not bringing me the man of my dreams within my timeframe. Then one by one, each of my plans fell through. When Life Doesn’t Go As Planned… My senior year of college I fell into a deep depression, grieving over the loss of my brother. That wasn’t part of my plan. After I graduated, I battled with alcohol and the repercussions of my actions. That wasn’t part of my plan.  God surprised me by writing the most amazing and unpredictab...

Galatians 3:13 13: Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), Many believers probably know that when Jesus died, our sins were forgiven because He shed His blood. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. (Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 9:22) But why did Jesus have to die on the cross, since the capital punishment of Israel during the time of Christ was stoning and not crucifixion? Jesus hung and died on the cross because He knew the law, which says that “he who is hanged is accursed of God”. (Deuteronomy 21:23) He wanted to redeem us from every curse of the law, so He went to the cross, “having become a curse for us”. Jesus took all our curses at the cross, so that we can take all His blessings! The moment you received Jesus, every curse in your life was destroyed. And the way you experience this is to simply believe and confess what Jesus has done for you. Say, “Be...

Exodus 13:21  21And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.  When the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, God led them by going before them in a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. By day, God spread the pillar of cloud as a covering over His people in the desert to prevent the scorching sun from striking them down. The people were shaded and kept cool. Today, you are also under His covering. He will not allow you to be struck down (Psalm 121:3–8), nor be oppressed by the “heat” of the day. (Isaiah 54:14)  At night, when the desert became dark and cold, God gave His people the pillar of fire to light the way for them, as well as to keep them warm and safe. Today, as you walk with God, you will not be overwhelmed by the cold, dark places in life because God’s Word says, “You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of...

David answered, “You are coming against me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the Israelite armies, which you have defied 1 Samuel 17:45 45Then David said to the Philistine, “… I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Ever wonder why two people can hear the same thing and yet have very different responses? For one, what is said makes him afraid and discouraged. For the other, his heart is so filled with faith that he dares to come against the devil and what he is doing. In the Valley of Elah, Goliath the Philistine giant taunted the armies of Israel for 40 days. When David came on the scene, he heard the same mockings of Goliath that the rest of the Israelites heard. But somehow, those same words that caused fear in the soldiers angered David. What did David know or see that the others failed to see? David knew that he had a covenant with God. Now, Kin...

If someone has a hot temper, let him take the consequences. If you get him out of trouble once, you will have to do it again. Prov19.19. A hot-tempered child often gets into trouble. If a parent rescues him from the consequences, he may take advantage of that kindness and the lesson will have to be repeated. How many times have you rescued your child from the consequences of irresponsibility - taking forgotten homework to school, making excuses for them when they are late, or replacing something they carelessly lost - only to have the same behavior repeated? We are called to train our children, but the best way to learn real responsibility is to give them a chance to succeed or fail on their own. One of the hardest things to do is to give our kids consequences for poor decisions. It is tough for us to see them "pay the penalty" and sometimes, we feel their mistakes reflect poorly on us. But just like the person who rescues a hot-tempered man, our parental rescues only...