Pastor Grant's Blog

Good morning,

Have you ever gone through a tough time in your life? Financial, death of a loved one, divorce, betrayal? Even as followers of Jesus Christ we have seen and felt enough grief and sorrow where we think this is a natural part of life.

In fact, I would admit there are times when I actually want to feel sad and sorry for myself - is that just me or is that you as well?

So, why would we choose to feel sorrow? Because sorrow has an emotional kick to it. It offers a surge of feeling that in the beginning stages is almost intoxicating. But grief and sorrow are dangerous things. The are not the innocent emotions we think they are. The forces behind these emotions are actually spirit beings sent by the devil himself to kill, steal and destroy.

They are part of the devastating satanic barrage Jesus took on Himself when He died on the cross (Isaiah 53). He bore grief and sorrow, so we wouldn’t have to. If they (grief and sorrow) come knocking on your door, remember, they are not innocent emotions, They are deadly enemies that Jesus already carried away at Calvary.

Don’t think “I will just move to a different house or a different situation and they won’t find me.” The enemy, the devil finds you and will come knocking no matter where you go. You must learn to not answer that door and invite it into your life it only brings confusion.

1 Thessalonians 4:13King James Version (KJV)

13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

Don’t live as those who have no hope. Stop running from things and just say no to them, speak God’s Word over it. You're a believer and you know that Jesus Christ died for you and rose again. That not only gives you hope where physical death is concerned, it gives you hope in every situation, so kick the grief and sorrow out of your life today!

Your Servant,

Pastor Grant

Have you ever felt depressed? overwhelmed? confused? not wanting to get out of bed?

This is what I read this morning and it smacked me in the face and woke me up:

John 6:62-63 NIV

63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

John 6:63 AMP

63 It is the Spirit Who gives life [He is the Life-giver]; the flesh conveys no benefit whatever [there is no profit in it]. The words (truths) that I have been speaking to you are spirit and life.

It doesn’t matter how I feel? You won’t find that in a Deepak Chopra or a Rob Bell book. God’s Word says it’s no benefit to me whatsoever. We must be guided by the Word of God and not our feelings, circumstances or our five senses. The Word must rule over our mind and flesh. – What a statement!

Several years ago JFK Jr. was in a terrible airplane accident. He along with his wife and a family member were killed when their plane went down due to poor visibility. I remember the reports coming out during the days that followed, from why and how it happened to his skill level for flying in those conditions.

Many of the reports covered the steps to getting a private pilot’s license. First you learn to fly by sight, which takes place during the day and during good weather. If you want to fly at night and in all kinds of weather, you need to get your instrument license. You are taught to rely on your instruments for altitude, speed, course, and pitch because there will be times you will not be able to see where you are.

Back in February I was at Page Field with a friend and he was showing me his plane. While he was getting his luggage I had an opportunity to talk to the pilot and I steered the conversation over to training on a flight simulator. He told me when he first flew in bad weather on the simulator he crashed the plane into the ground. He said the reason was because he was relying on his gut feeling and not going by what his instruments were telling him. Thankfully for him this was just a simulator and this is a good lesson for all of us to learn – do not live by what you feel, see or hear. We must live by what the Word of God (our instrument panel) says to do regarding all of life situations.

Many Christian’s crash, fall, or struggle because they are going by what they feel, think, see or hear and not by what the Word says. Smith Wigglesworth said, “It is a dangerous practice to be governed by feelings. We are saved by the Word of God and not by our feelings.”

As you pray today ask God for wisdom when making decisions. Ask Him to help you separate what you’re feeling in your gut from what His Word says to do. In the flesh we tend to go with what feels safe, what we’ve always done in the past. James 1:5 says ‘if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God.’

Remember how you felt 2 days ago, yesterday, 20 minutes ago - aren’t you glad you didn’t make decision based on how you felt then?

God’s Word is meant to prosper you in all areas of your life - your feeling change moment by moment but His Word and His promises never change

Have a great week.

Your Servant,

Pastor Grant

Good afternoon,

A couple of weeks ago Kellie came into my office and said, “I feel disconnected to you right now.” I responded like the typical husband, “Why is that?” she responded, “We aren’t spending any time together or talking like we should -  you have been to busy.” So, in order to reconnect and get back where we should be, we established one day per week to spend together and then days during the week to walk/workout together in order to talk about life and our desires.

The same happens in our relationship with God. We can go through periods where we are too busy to notice we have neglected our relationship with Him. He wants us to get closer to Him and as a born again believer that should always be the goal.

When you truly desire to have more of God and to know His will you’ll need to pray more, read the Word more, meditate on His word more and then....you better get ready because He said He will give us the desires of our heart. Many times that’s why He doesn’t reveal the whole plan early on for many of us, if He did, we wouldn’t want to do it.

God’s Will is not just a road map–it’s a relationship. As we pray and read the Word, He reveals to us the way to go.

Ps 119:105

105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

As your relationship with Him matures so will your trust that He will not let you down, and that He will take care of you as He opens doors of opportunity and closes them where He doesn’t want you to go.

James 1:5-6 promises that we can ask God for wisdom and He will give it to us. Sometimes God reveals something special for us, but more often than not, God’s wisdom is just sanctified common sense. It’s having the mind of Christ—knowing and applying the biblical principles in your life.

Some of you may have heard the old saying, “The door to opportunity swings on the hinges of opposition.”

Paul affirms this in 1 Corinthians 16:9...

1 Cor 16:9 TLB

9 "For there is a wide open door for me to preach and teach here. So much is happening, but there are many enemies."

Make sure to spend time with God through prayer and the reading of His word. Trust and acknowledge God in all your ways, you will be amazed at how God will bulldoze a path through the wilderness and right over your enemies or adversaries (KJV 1 Cor 16:9) Stop worrying about tomorrow. Follow Him today, and then today turns into tomorrow. God can steer a moving ship, but not a parked car! The way to find God’s will for the rest of your life is to do God’s will for the next fifteen minutes!

Have a great week!

Your Servant,

Pastor Grant