Archive for November, 2014
Sheltered by God’s Presence
Where do you go when bad times come? Are you overwhelmed? Do you feel like the end is near? Do you sometimes feel one step away from doom?
You are not alone. Literally. The child of God is never abandoned. God is always near His children.
God is your shelter in the storm
Writing in Bible Studies for Life, Philip Nation says, “We’ve all experienced the pain of an unexpected crisis. When it happens, we scramble for shelter. We need something to cover us in the midst of the storm. The good news is that no matter what you’re facing, God is present. He doesn’t offer some sterile room as a shelter during your storms. He is the shelter. His presence with us is the only thing that can make sense of this life.”1
God is your comfort in the storm
One of the most comforting passages in scripture is also one of the most well known. The 23rd Psalm has comforted many an anxious follower of Jesus. No stress exists in this life that cannot be alleviated by the reading of David’s beautiful, inspired poem.
- Through shepherding imagery we are assured we will lack nothing because the LORD is our shepherd.
- We are assured of rest in green pastures, a refreshment beside still waters.
- We are promised a renewed life. God leads us along paths where He would have us go for the sake of His own name.
- We are promised His presence when we walk through the darkest valley. His presence is all we need when danger is near. We need not fear whatever we face. It is God Himself who comforts us.
- We are blessed abundantly with all we need: food, oil, and drink.
- The goodness and faithful love of God will pursue us all throughout life, and God’s house will be our house as long as we live.
The presence of God has long been a promise to those who follow Him. This presence is not mere wordplay; it’s more than a metaphor.
God’s presence is your shelter in the storm
Instead, God’s presence is a strong and real comfort to His children.
Psalm 46:11- “Yahweh of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.”
Isaiah 43:2- “I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire, and the flame will not burn you.”
Matthew 28:20b- “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”2
Before He returned to the right hand of the Father, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit who would “come to us.”
God is with us
One of the names of Jesus is Immanuel, “God with us.” He is with you now and at all times in all situations.
Following Jesus is more than a slovenly pilgrimage in a barren land. It is the promise that wherever we are, and through whatever challenges we face, God is with us. He does not fail. He does not abandon. He does not quit. He is with us in every trial and every valley. When the shadows are all around, even to the point of covering the way, remember: there are no shadows without Light.
God is with us. He is with us always.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
General Editor, Bible Studies for Life
President, Southern Baptist Convention
References
1- Bible Studies for Life, Storm Shelter, Philip Nation
2- All scriptures from the Holman Christian Standard Bible.
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
3 Minutes at Sunset or Sunrise Can Turn Your Church Around
I think every church in the Southern Baptist Convention and beyond would want their people to engage in preparing weekly for the worship services of their church. Just imagine the power that would be upon God’s preachers and the power that would come upon worship services around the world if the church consistently prepared for these moments spiritually. It would be God-sized!
Consider letting the sunset on Saturdays or the sunrises on Sundays serve as a reminder that it is time to pray for your church for 3 minutes or 180 seconds, as referenced in Pleading With Southern Baptists. There is nothing holy or biblical about three minutes of concentrated prayer, but it is an attainable goal for every Christ-follower I know. It does not matter where you are or whom you may be with. 3 minutes to slip away and pray for your church should be possible most weeks, if not all. You could set a 3-minute timer on your cell phone, and pray until the alarm goes off. This will help increase your focus in prayer.
Issue the Challenge to Your People Soon
I believe these 3 minutes at sunrise or sunset can turn your church around. Yesterday in our worship services, we began issuing the challenge to our people to let the sunset on each Saturday or the sunrise on each Sunday remind them it is time to draw aside and pray for 3 minutes for our church.
Last week, I released a 16-page e-book entitled PLEADING WITH SOUTHERN BAPTISTS. In this easily readable book, I asked every Southern Baptist pastor and church to participate in this challenge. How can we expect our churches, from smallest to largest, from oldest to newest, to see God use us mightily if we do not pray? We will never see dead churches come to life, lukewarm churches get hot for God, discipleship become a culture, evangelism occur, and the Gospel advanced to the nations if we do not pray.
What do we Challenge Our Churches to Pray For in These 3 Minutes?
Let me suggest that we keep this very simple not only for attainability, but also for the sake of communication.
Challenge your church and one another to pause either at sunset on Saturday evening or sunrise on Sunday morning to pray for 3 minutes for these two things:
1. For the anointing of God’s Spirit to be upon your pastor as he proclaims God’s Word to God’s people on Sunday.
Pastors would love to know that their people paused for 3 minutes to pray for them specifically to be anointed with God’s powerful Holy Spirit to proclaim the Word of God. In fact, text your pastor or get a message to him sometime to let him know that you are praying for him like this weekly. It will ignite his faith and encourage him greatly. Dead preachers will come to life in their preaching when people pray for them!
2. For the anointing of God’s Spirit to be upon the worship services of your church.
I am convinced that singing would move from half-heartedness or disengagement to whole-hearted worshipping of our Lord when we pray for our worship services. When we pray for our worship services, expectation will replace boredom and passion will replace apathy.
These 180 Seconds of Focused Prayer Will Soon Begin a 180-Degree Change in Our Churches
Yes, 180 seconds of weekly, focused prayer can help turn your church around. Prayer can change the culture of any church, which will lead us to change, not only spiritually, but also strategically.
God will lead our churches to strategic change when we are praying weekly. We will begin to rise up more than ever; ready to do whatever God wants us to do strategically to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ regionally, nationally, and internationally.
Finally…
If you have not yet downloaded this free 16-page e-book, please do so today. You can print from your download or contact our ministry if you desire printed copies.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church President, Southern Baptist Convention*******
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is currently serving as the President of the Southern Baptist Convention. The Southern Baptist Convention is America’s largest Protestant denomination with more than 15.7 million members in over 46,000 churches nationwide.
To request an interview with Dr. Ronnie Floyd
contact Gayla Oldham at (479) 751-4523 or email gaylao@crosschurch.com.
Visit our website at http://ronniefloyd.com
Follow Dr. Floyd on Twitter and Instagram @ronniefloyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.