Forward by Faith

Ex 14:15 And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:

There are times in our life when things come along and cause us to stand still rather than moving forward. In today’s passage the Lord told Moses to stop praying and get moving. Prayer has a vital place in our lives. But there is also a place of action. Sometimes we know what to do, but we pray for more guidance as an excuse to post pone doing it. If we know what we should do, then it is time to get moving and move forward by Faith.

The Word of God is filled with people that came from different backgrounds, training, personalities and ways in which they served God. But they had one thing in common: They all believed God’s promises and did what He told them to do. They were men and women of faith, and God honored them because they believed His Word. God has not changed, and the principle of faith has not changed.

What seems to have changed is the attitude of some of God’s people: Some no longer believe God and act by faith in His promises. God’s promises never fail, but we can fail to live by the grace of God and not enter into all that he has promised for us. God has “brought us out that He might bring us in” but too often we fail to enter in because of unbelief. (Heb 3:19).

Living faith always leads to action. “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” ~ James 2:26

It is impossible to live by faith and ignore the Word of God and prayer. “Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper (2 Chron 2:20, NKJV). There has not failed one word of all His good promise.

The Australian coat of arms pictures two creatures; the emu, a flightless bird, and the kangaroo. The animals were chosen because they share a characteristic that appealed to the Australian citizens. Both the emu and kangaroo can move only forward, not back. The emu’s three-toed foot causes it to fall if it tries to go backwards, and the kangaroo is prevented from moving in reverse by its large tail.


Today, you may be feeling like you are in a helpless situation, not able to move forward because of fear. There may be a desperate cry from your heart due to your present circumstances. God is not a temporary retreat. He is our eternal refuge and can provide strength for any circumstances. His power is complete; and victory is certain. He will not fail to rescue those who love him.


It has been well said that faith is not believing in spite of evidence but obeying in spite of consequence. Three essential for moving ahead by faith and claiming all that he has for us: The Word of Faith, The Walk of Faith, and The Witness of Faith. What lies ahead of us is far greater than what lies behind us. Go forward. God Loves You and So do I…….Pastor Tammy

If you cant trace His Hand; just trust His Heart

I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. "When you come looking for me, you'll find me. "Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." GOD's Decree. "I'll turn things around for you.(Jeremiah 29:10b-14-the msg)

Why is trusting God so difficult at times? The bible tells us to Trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not to our own understanding. (Prov 3:5) Still, most of us have difficulty trusting God at least at one point or another in our walk with Him. There are many reasons why we find trusting God difficult.

There are times in our life when things will happen and we wonder where is God? Does he not know or understand what is happening to us? As a pastor, I have experienced a mother whose only child was murdered. There was yet another family whose only child was about to be taken away from them because they had no place to stay. Both families found it difficult to trust God in their hour of greatest darkness. I remember standing outside of the location where the mother’s son was killed and we were praying to God. Our prayer was simple, God, we do not understand why you allowed this to happen, But we trust you. We know that you are too wise to make a mistake. You see we could not trace his hand in these events, but we trusted his heart.

Many of us want life to make sense. The truth is there will be times in your life when life makes no sense at all! How can a parent who has done all the right things still have a child who turns to drugs? What about the person who has dedicated 20 years to a company and one day unexpectedly this job is gone?

God works on a different timetable than our minds comprehend. Many of us want what we want, when we want it and most of the time that is NOW! It is difficult to trust in a plan that requires us to surrender all control. In order to trust in God, you must totally surrender your will, your ideas, your desires, and your future in to God's hands. If you don't believe that God loves you fully and really does have your best interests at heart and desires the very best for you, trusting Him is going to be extremely difficult. God is calling us to believe what seems impossible. Ask him to help you believe.

Most of us have a tendency to claim trust in God. However, at the first sign of any difficulty or trial, we think that God must not love us because He is allowing this difficulty to happen. The trial is exactly what God is using to test the level of trust that we have in Him. This is not for His benefit but for ours. This is to show us the true accuracy of our trust meter. Things are always the most difficult when we can't see the other side of our troubles

I received an email from a friend which simply said: "I will handle all your problems today. God" And here are a few reminders that if you can’t trace his hand, just trust His heart:

• Believe in God.

• Believe in God's abilities.

• Believe in God's willingness to help you through a tough time

• Believe God can and will work things out for good

The Scripture reminds us that God will show up and take care of us. He has a plan for our lives, plans to take care of you, not to abandon you, to give you the future you hope for. God encourages us to call on him and when we pray he will listen. When we come looking for Him, he promises we will find Him and we will not be disappointed. “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. (1 Chronicles 28:20). If you can’t trace his hand; just trust his heart. God Loves You and so do I……Pastor Tammy

The Greatest Christmas Gift

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.


The greatest gift on Christmas Day does not come in a box, it comes from the heart. This gift can transcend even death. Sometimes this gift might not cost you much at all and at other times it might cost you everything. While we know that we should give this gift to all there are some that make giving this gift difficult at times. This gift is Love. Instead of spending money we don’t have; to please people who could care less; why not give the gift of love this holiday season.


Love expresses itself in many forms. 1 Corinthians 13 describes love this way; Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,


Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.


Love is a very powerful force. Jesus came to this earth because the Father has love for each of us in his heart. The word of God declares we are his workmanship. God loves us. We did not earn it. We cannot lose it. And there is nothing we can do to stop him from continuing to love us. The scripture tells us that God so loved this world that he gave. He is our primary example of what love is. He gave his all, he gave HIS son.


I leave you with these parting thoughts found in the lyrics of a song performed by The Temptations: Give Love on Christmas Day ~ “People making list, buying special gifts, Its time to be kind to one and all, Its that time of year when special friends are so dear, And you wish you could give more than just presents from a store, Why don’t you give love on Christmas Day”….. God Loves you and so do I…. Pastor Tammy

Finishing Your Course With Joy

Acts 20:24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

Single-mindedness is a quality needed by anyone who wishes to do God’s work. Today I began reflecting on how much passion, enthusiasm and energy I had when I first began my Christian race in 1986. It took me some time to realize that God has a unique plan and purpose for all our lives. And that each of us must step up to life with purpose, and vision to fulfill these God given tasks.

Our purpose and life is directly linked to our relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You cannot and will not find your purpose outside of a life committed to Christ. When we make a commitment we become single minded in our focus to that commitment. Whether it’s in marriage, our families, employment or a quest for a healthier lifestyle, we have a single focus.

The Apostle Paul was a man totally devoted to Christ through all situations, seasons, and circumstances. His life reveals his commitment to serving the Lord. He served with humility, with tears and with many trials. I can identify with the apostle Paul; there have been times, when I have had to serve in humility. I wanted to say some things that may have been considered unkind or not “Christian”, but I held my peace. There were other times when I served with tears and great opposition.

Early in my walk with Christ, I went through a period where people tried to make me doubt my identity. I was told many reasons why women could not and should not be a pastor. Being a babe in Christ, I took those issues to the Lord in prayer. And one day the Holy Spirit revealed a passage of scripture to me Gal 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” That forever settled in my heart any concerns I may have had.

Life has not been easy and will at times throw you a curve, storms will come and strong winds may blow, but each of us must decide how we will finish our course. We can live a life full of anger, bitterness, unforgiveness and regret or we can finish our course with Joy. Real joy comes when we are not so consumed with ourselves, but when we can make a difference in the lives of others.

Paul did not count his life dear unto himself. His life was not for him to use and do as he pleased, not for earthly comfort or pleasure. His life was for Christ. His life was a precious and valuable possession of the Lord. Ps 17:8 “Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings” Each of us is as the apple of God’s eye and like Paul we have to make the decision to consecrate and dedicate our lives back to the One who gave us life in the first place.

Paul finished his course and ministry not because he had to, but because he chose to. And he did so with joy. Ralph Sockman says “Love is the outreach of self towards completion”. Finish your course with joy. God Loves you and so do I….Pastor Tammy

Enough is Enough

Numbers 11: 15 “If this is how you intend to treat me, do me a favor and kill me. I've seen enough; I've had enough. Let me out of here." (The Message Bible)

I have seen enough; I’ve had enough. These were the words of Moses, a man chosen by God to lead the children of Isreal out of the land of Egypt. This statement is made after hearing one complaint after another from the people. The people complained about their misfortunes and how life was so hard for them. In other words, they complained about their problems instead of praying to God about them. They complained about the lack of meat or the things that they did not have. We can all find things to complain about; let’s try and find some things to be thankful about.

Moses was a very meek man. The word meekness means strength that is under control. But sometimes, even the strongest person gets weak. After hearing the people continually complaining and whining, it began to affect Moses. Moses went to God and asked him why was he treating him this way? What did he do to deserve this? Why was all this responsibility on his shoulders? He began to rehearse to God what the people were saying to him. Finally, he said I can’t do this by myself, it is too much.

Perhaps today you may be feeling like Moses. You want to know what did you do to deserve what has happened? And where is God in the midst of all this adversity? God is always with us, his goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives. Ultimately, we must all come to the conclusion that Moses did; I can’t do this by myself; it is too much. We need the Lord’s help to make it through each and every day. With the changes in our economy, the job loss, the stress in marriages and just the financial strain alone you may want to throw in the towel. You might even be saying enough is enough, but don’t quit.

When we complain to one another nothing is accomplished. But when we take our concerns, our dreams and desires to the Lord much can happen. Ps 62:8- Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. (niv) I want to encourage you today, to pour out your hearts before God.

Prayer can release our tensions in times of emotional stress. When we trust God to be our rock, salvation and defense it changes our entire outlook on life. Prayer will change things. True relief does not come when the problem is resolved because more problems are on the way. True relief comes from an enduring hope in God’s ultimate salvation.

Prayer: Lord I do not understand why you have allowed this trouble to beset me. I have exhausted all my possibilities for changing my situation and circumstances and found that I am powerless to change them. All things are not possible with man, but all things are possible with you. In the face of discouragement, disappointment and anger I choose to believe your word, that if God is for me who can be against me. It is with patient endurance, steady and active persistence that I run the race, the appointed course that is set before me. I know that if you bring me to it, you can bring me through it. I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me. In Jesus name, AMEN…… God Loves you and so do I….. Pastor Tammy

Stay Focused

Ps 108:1- O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.

What is your focus today? Are you willing to focus your thoughts and energies on God’s blessings and upon His will for your life? Or will you turn your thoughts to other things? As I arose this morning, I found a lot of distractions bidding for my attention. There are times before we can get out of bed; our minds are racing with all the things that we need to do or get done for the day.

Too often, we allow the worries of everyday life to overwhelm our thoughts and cloud our vision. What we need is a clearer perspective, a renewed faith, and a different focus.

I woke up thinking about my mother who has some very serious health issues that she is facing. My heart was heavy, because I knew in the natural there is not much I can do to help her. I begin to pray for her and in the midst of the prayer another situation arose that wanted my attention and begin to take my thoughts in a different direction. I finally sat down in a quiet place so I could focus.

Life will try to toss us to and fro, but we must fix our hearts today on God. This is not an option! I could not imagine living my life without God. I don’t expect him to make everything easy for me. And I do know that he will be there as I go through difficult times. He said in his word, I will never leave you or forsake you and I stand on that promise. God created us in His own image, and He wants us to experience joy and abundance. But, God will not force His joy upon you; you must claim it for yourself. You have to decide if the Joy of the Lord will be your strength today. When we focus on the frustrations of today or the uncertainties of tomorrow, we rob ourselves of peace in the present moment. But, when we focus on possibilities instead of roadblocks, our worries no longer bully us.

Ps 57:7- My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

To help me stay focused, I begin listening to some uplifting music and just begin to sing and give praise. As I began to do this my thoughts begin to change. My focus begins to change. The condition of your character is determined, to a surprising extent, by the direction of your thoughts. If you focus your thoughts and energies on positive matters your spirit begins to lift. But if you focus too intently on the distractions and temptations of our 21st-century world, you’re inviting problems.

Ps 112:7- He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.

It is not difficult to look around our world and see that things are changing everyday. And a lot of the change is not good. A bank in Germany has declared by the year 2011 the houses in the U.S. will be worth half of what we owe on them. With all the layoffs, unemployment, foreclosures and a host of other woes, we have to remain focused on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Lord himself told us in John 16:33 - These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. Make up in your mind today that you are going to be of good cheer and stay focused. Our attitude makes all the difference. God Loves You and so do I…. Pastor Tammy

The Next Step

The Next Step
(Where do I go from here?)

Ps 16:11- Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Job loss, foreclosure, health crisis, can leave us wondering where we go from here. Maybe you have been putting in job applications and you have not received a call for an interview, what do you do to try and support your family? The path of life referenced above denotes variety abundance and immortal blessedness. If you are experiencing tough times, you may be asking yourself, "What does God want me to do next?" Perhaps you're pondering your future, uncertain of your plans, unsure of your next step. But even if you don't have a clear plan for the next step of your life's journey, you may rest assured that God does.

Jer 29:11-13 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

God has a plan for the universe, and He has a plan for you. He understands that plan as thoroughly and completely as He knows you. If you seek God's will earnestly and prayerfully, He will make His plans known to you in His own time and in His own way. God makes His plans for His people, and they are good plans that ultimately bring hope and peace. Therefore, there is no need to be afraid or discouraged. In every situation, however, God’s people have the responsibility to seek the Lord, pray, and ask Him to fulfill His promises, for the Word and prayer go together.

Perhaps your vision of God's purpose for your life has been clouded by a wish list that you have expected God to dutifully fulfill. Perhaps, you have fervently hoped that God would create a world that unfolds according to your wishes, not His. If so, you have probably experienced more disappointment than satisfaction and more frustration than peace. A better strategy is to surrender your will for God’s will (and not to struggle vainly in an attempt to conform His will to yours).

Sometimes, God's plans and purposes may seem unmistakably clear to you. If so, push ahead. But other times, He may lead you through the wilderness before He directs you to the Promised Land. So be patient and keep seeking His will for your life. When you do, you'll be amazed at the marvelous things that an all-powerful, all-knowing God can do.

My next step is to wait on the Lord, be of good courage and he will strengthen thine heart, wait I say on the Lord. Don’t be anxious for anything, but by prayer and supplication make your request known to God…...God Loves you and So do I…….Pastor Tammy