Expecting Breakthroughs in the Age of the Breakdown!

Expecting Breakthroughs in the Age of the Breakdown!

I think we are living in a time where it is incumbent for people of faith to draw on that faith in a greater manner than we ever have before. We are walking daily in one of the most challenging times that man has ever seen. The hearts of men have grown cold, and many of the tenets of old are fading so soon that it would make one’s head to spin. This is not a time for the fearful and the feeble. If there was ever an age for good men to stand up and be accounted for it is now. How many people have started out on this grand old Christian journey with us only to fall by the wayside and join the ranks of the hopeless? Why are so many choosing to breakdown in this day?

Why does the pain hurt so badly? Will I ever turn the corner? When will my day ever come? Many of these are questions that befuddle so many. People are throwing in the towel and waving the white flag in numbers that time itself has never seen before. That doesn’t make these people bad; they are just individuals who want the incredible pain that accompanies being a traveler in this world to stop. God why does it have to hurt so badly? God when will my day come? Lord do you see me here barely able to breathe? Where are you Lord while I am going through all of this mess? The punches that many of us having taken in this life are so excruciating that many of us didn’t know of any other way to get the pain to stop, but by our breaking down.

Isn’t it amazing that depression, and mental maladies afflict so many in this day? Some individuals have been treated so unfairly in this world that they literally want to put their shoes on their head, and their hat on their feet. Why does it seem like all of the 24 robbers from your days of playing hide and go seek; are now seeking to torment your soul? Many have released childhood dreams of greatness because of the pains that they have suffered. They are now popping pills to wake up, and to go to sleep. There are millions upon millions that don’t even know how it feels to have a good night’s sleep. The hearts of so many have fainted because of fear and apprehension. It is indeed a challenging day when many of our 401K’s now resemble a 101A! Many have seen their nest eggs which took an entire lifetime to save all go down the drain. The stability of the workplace is at an all-time low! There are millions that are jobless. Entire industries are feeling the pinch from the economic hard times that we are living in.

Child of God there is good news amongst all of the bad news. We serve a God that is literally the Lord and Master of every Breakthrough. The same God that delivered the sages of old in The Holy Writ is still on the throne to deliver you. So stop biting your fingernails, stop waving the white flag, and stop popping pills. God can break you through whatever lines of resistance that the enemy may have set in your path. We serve a God that relishes in talking out the forces of the enemy of our souls. Even though we are not fighting Philistines, Jebusites, Hittites, and Amorites in this day, we are still left to fight depression, despondency, and hopelessness. Are there any that are busy fighting the good fight of faith? Why are so many scared when our God can breakthrough the forces of the enemy? Are we comparing our big problems to a small God, when we should be comparing our small troubles to our great big God! We serve a God that is bigger than anything that you may be going through. God is ready to explode a wave of his favor on you!

God is ready and willing for his favor to become commonplace in your life. Are you bold enough to trust him? God is able to run his favor over your life, like waters that flow from a busted pipe. Can you grasp that God’s favor can make you flourish in such a manner? Can you believe that God can do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think? Can you believe that God can run though the ranks of resistance that the enemy has tormented you with for so many years? Can you believe that God can heal that part of your body that has bothered you for so long? God has an explosion of his goodness and his mercy that he is ready to shower your life with! God is ready to bust the bubble, and release you out of all the boxes that have kept you trapped for so long. Keep your ship running even when others are choosing to break down. You should never breakdown once you get a real revelation of how tremendous our God is. Don’t weary in well doing, don’t break down on the side of the road.

God is ready to break you through any and every form of opposition that you may face. God is ready to increase you on every side. Are you bold enough to grasp this truth in the age that we are now living in? Can you stretch your faith pass the level that most in this day have? Can you expect more than the norm? Can you believe that God is ready to stretch you? Can you believe that God has a quantum leap in store for you? Can you summer up the energy to walk by faith, and not by what your see, hear, and experience every day? Isn’t God bigger than your malady? Isn’t God bigger than your financial hardship? Don’t you believe that God is bigger than any stalemate that has kept you from greatness? Will you let the obstructions in your path hinder you from experiencing God’s best? Is there anything too hard for our God? Can you believe that God can rescue you from limiting restrictions that have left you living a second tier life? Can you believe God for a breakthrough in an age that others are breaking down?


Let me introduce you to my God who is the Master and the Lord of your every breakthrough. He is the God of no limits! Our God eats the impossible for breakfast, and our God dines on the improbable on a daily basis. The God whom we serve is still a miracle worker! God is ready to break you through the ranks of all of the enemy’s opposition. Never let the harsh pains of living in this world make you lose the gift of expectation. This is a gift from God. We all claim to have faith, but there is no faith where there is not expectation. You must see things getting better. You must see good coming your way. Once you lose expectations of things getting better then you are well on your way to the ranks of those who are breaking down. Expect a miracle each and everyday and you will soon find yourself breaking through in an age where others have chose to breakdown.

Respectfully Submitted,
Pastor Stephen F. Smith
www.stephenfsmith.org

Can You Pass The Strength Test?

Can You Pass The Strength Test? One's strength is not determined by mountaintop experiences! It is determined by how one deals with the valleys of life! How can you possibly know how strong you are, if you haven't been through anything? The proof is in the pudding, don't call yourself a prayer warrior when the times are peaceful. Who attends motivational seminars by those who haven't gone through anything? Grace and Power usually follow those who are not afraid of being in the heat of the battle! Success usually follows blood, sweat, tears, and pain most times!

How can one know God as a healer if one has never been sick? How can one know God as a way -maker if one has never needed to have a way made! God's strength is made perfect(Mature,Whole, Complete) in weakness! Maybe we should thank God for the thorns, thistles, and sticker bushes we have to face in life! You are better because of it! Let that valley that you are going through right now prepare you for the sheer greatness that I am praying will come your way real soon! I see you in the future looking a whole lot better than you look right now!
Stay in the Chase,
Pastor Stephen F. Smith
www.stephenfsmith.org

Does My Wonderful Public Profile Cover Up My Private Pain?

Does My Wonderful Public Profile Cover Up My Private Pain?

The social networking world is such a blessing to many. The opportunity to network with seemingly like minded people all over the globe affords many priceless opportunities. In the midst of the wonderful profiles that grace Facebook, Ning, MySpace, Twitter, WordPress, Blogger, Linkedin, BlackPlanet, and any of a myriad of other social networking sites are many people that are dealing with secret struggles, and private pain. I once mentioned in a sermon that many of us are hurting in places that others simply can’t see! Do our powerful public profiles cover some of our private pains! Does anyone else see my struggles?

We all go through, we all have struggles! Even that person who has that great looking profile on the social networking sites that has all those friends, yes they also have struggles. A good looking personal photo doesn’t exhibit all that another may have gone through, or may have gone through. The picture may show the glory, but believe me the picture doesn’t tell the story. In the midst of any social networking site, are the profiles of many who have been through hell and high water! Yes you are not the only person that is going through! When one writes his or her bio for any social networking sites, one tends to highlight the highpoints of one’s life! Very seldom would one list their bottom of the barrel experiences, their valley experiences on their profiles. Here’s my prayer that God would bless all of you folks who have all of these wonderful profiles in the social networking world. It is my prayer that God would heal any private pain that you may have! It is also my prayer that God would alleviate unbearable burdens that may be tormenting you!

Yes, I am sure that we all have some private struggles that only God can deliver us from! That pain that torments, that thing that keeps you from sleeping is limited from affecting you from this day forward. That thing that you have carried down the halls of work, school, or church will no longer torment you any more. There is a God that can heal even those whose struggle, and don’t even whimper about it. I don’t have to know what you are going through, but I do know that you are going through! Behind that wonderful looking profile is a person that is struggling with something that very few even know about! Those tears that have been shed, that no one else ever sees are almost over. The tide is getting ready to turn! Those insecurities that have limited you over the years will soon give way! I am telling you with Holy Boldness that you are ready to turn the corner!
I am seeing you a few days down the road in the future, and you are looking and feeling a whole lot better than you look right now!

After all of the flossing online, there are many people who are going through just like you. You are not born under a bad sign; you were not born in an awful sign, or an awful season. God has not frowned on you! God has not tuned his back on you! Your best days have not been seen yet! Your happiest days haven’t been seen yet! The sleepless nights will soon pass away! The biting of your fingernails will soon be yesterday’s news! I see you overcoming each and every private struggle and private pain! I see boundless joy in your future! I am earnestly praying for your complete and total deliverance from any private struggle, and private pain that may be in your life! God is ready to take you from the places of torment, and deliver you to a place of triumph!


Respectfully Submitted,
Pastor Stephen F. Smith
www.stephenfsmith.org
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Why Am I Not in the Clique?

Why Am I Not in the Clique? I remember a quote by the late Bishop G. E. Patterson where he alluded to the fact that after his deliverance from sin, his next greatest deliverance was his deliverance from people and their opinions! Isn't it amazing that the opinions of people have kept so many of us bound, or has left so many of us to perform at levels which are so far beneath the levels that God intended for us.One of the most debilitating scourges that the enemy has ever released from the pits of Hell has been the emergence of cliques of all kinds.

Cliques are by definition, a small exclusive group of people. How many of us have longed to no avail to gain the approval of one of these exclusive sets, or networks of the “right folks”? Why in God’s name are there so many cliques in the day in which we now live? Why in the name of everything that is Holy would there even be cliques amongst those that profess membership in the Kingdom of God? Isn’t it amazing that some of us can never seem to gain admittance to many of these exclusive sets of individuals, despite many of our best efforts to do so?

Does this make us less than, or does our non-admittance assure us of failure? I have found myself on many occasions to be on the outside looking in when it comes to admittance to this clique, or that clique of what appeared to be the right group of people. Yet in hindsight, I can truly admit that I am so glad that my key never seemed to quit fit the locks of admittance established by these different cliques. If one is to soar to heights that are beyond comprehension does one need the help of exclusive sets, or groups of people?

Have we taken the it’s not what you know, it’s who you know thing much too far? Can one achieve true success without belonging to the right group of folks? Doesn’t God know that these people can help me get ahead? When one puts too much stock into gaining admittance to one of these groups, one must take a long look at oneself. How many of these groups have put one dime into one’s pocket? Would these groups even help pick you up if they saw you knocked down? Greatness is rarely accomplished by those who run in cliques.

Throughout the Holy Writ, God called men and women to perform exploits, but he rarely called cliques of people. Can one truly stand out when one is determined to run with, or pal around with cliques? Is the destiny that God has predetermined for each of us dependent on those folks taking us in? Why does the talking stop when one walks by? Why does one hear whispers after one walks by this group of people? Why does one never get an invite to the events of these powerful folks? Why is one always on the outside looking in? Can’t they just let me in on their inside jokes for once? Can’t they invite me out to eat with them just this once?

I stand for all that have asked these many questions over the years! We must learn to follow the beat of a different drum, and never let the opinions and whims of others make us feel less than. You have to learn to love yourself, and learn to keep your head held high even when you can't seem to get the thumbs up of others. Most of those that join cliques that exclude others are not the type of people that we should long to associate with any way. When the doors of the clique are slammed in your face move on, that is not where God would have you to be. You should never push to be amongst those who would only tolerate, and never celebrate you! Could these groups of folks see greatness in you that you don't see yourself? God has invested so much into the individual that he made you to be. Never negate the greatness that God has called you to, by running after people!

Respectfully Submitted,

Pastor Stephen F. Smith

The F stands for Free From Cliques!

Are You Living the Life of Your Dreams?

Are You Living the Life of Your Dreams? Would the child that you were be pleased with the person that you are now? At the end of any year, one will always seem to find the time for a little reflection, introspection,contemplation, and personal inspection.

There always seems to be a period at the end of any year were one will gauge the current status of one's efforts. Many of us remember the grand dreams that we all had in the days of our youth. If one were to enter nearly any elementary school and ask the students of that school what there dreams are, one would quickly hear some of the grandest dreams, aspirations, and hopes that one would ever care to hear. What happens to the dreams of men and women once they get older? Why do so many choose to live a life of settling for the average, settling for the mundane, and settling for the commonplace? Didn't God create us all in his image, and after his likeness?

Why are the dreams of our youth so foreign to us? Life is often hard, and the various paths that we have all traveled have not been loaded with flowery beds of ease. The pains of life have caused so many of us to give up on the dreams of our youth. Why so? We serve a God that can do so far beyond even our wildest dream. Is our vision of our God much too small when we only ask him for the ordinary, and the commonplace? Depression makes its greatest push when one loses the ability to dream big dreams. The pains of life and the bumps and bruises that come with it are tough, but one must never lose the ability to dream! Losing the ability to dream relegates one to the memories of days gone by. Why should our greatest days be those of days gone by?

I present to you a literal mirror to look at one that made in the image and after the likeness of God! In that mirror is the reflection of one that was fearfully and wondrously made! Looking in this literal mirror once again, and grasp the image of one that is the apple of God's Eye! Why are we settling when the God of the Heavens and the Earth has invested so much in each of us? Has life's bitter pills caused us to lose a hold on the sheer greatness that resides on the inside of each of us. My brother and my sister let's choose to recapture the sparkle in our eyes that the dreams of our youth used to produce. Very few of us can say that we are at the absolute zenith, the sheer apogee, and the highest nadir of accomplishment! Even if you name is a household name, there is still more that you should shoot for.

The enemy of our souls must be ecstatic that so many of the ranks of men and women on this planet have chose to just get by! Many of us have let a little pain, a little disappointment, and a lot of failure dash many of the dreams of our youth. Let's take a long hard look at the pains that we have suffered on our travels through life. Why should these pains be compounded by allowing these pains to negate the great dreams that God has given us all? The death of a dream often leads one into the Halls of Depression quicker than anything. What reason does one have to have pep in one's step, when one does not see anything to shoot for? Yes I know it hurts, but we must reach beyond the hurt and reach for all that God has intended for us to reach for! I stand with you in prayer that the dreams of your youth would be rekindled and the spark and vigor that you once possessed would be restored!

Can't we once again reach for the stars? Can't we once again imagine seeing our name in lights? God created you for greatness! God created you to make a difference in this world? God created you to be a Game Changer! God didn't create you to be ordinary, even if you are surrounded by ordinary circumstances! God has invested so much in you that you should never shy away from the game of life! Should we regret negating all of the great possibilities that we could have achieved because of fear? Should a bump or two on the road of life keep us from reaching for more? Why are we waving the white flag of surrender so soon? Shouldn't we enjoy life to the full until our last breath? Let's cut the cords of the commonplace, the average, and the ordinary and dream again. Let's once again pursue the life of our dreams! You deserve to have the very best that this life offers. Let's not ruin our acquisition of some of life's finer things by refusing to dream! I will see you at the top!

Respectfully Submitted,
Pastor Stephen F. Smith
www.stephenfsmith.org

2009 Will Be the Year of Forward Progress!

Pastor Stephen F. Smith gives this prophetic word that 2009 Will Be the Year of Forward Progress!

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God is Calling You From Average Thinking!

Pastor Stephen F. Smith preaches that God is Calling Every Believer Away From Average Thinking!

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Are We Living in a Day of Pretty Men and Hard Working Women?

Are We Living in a Day of Pretty Men and Hard Working Women? Has the script been reversed? Let's return to the discarded values of the past!

I'm Praying that We Will Avert the Next Civil War!

I'm Praying that We Will Avert the Next Civil War! This election has indeed been a groundbreaking event. There has been so much enthusiasm on both sides of the aisle as the reality that either the first Black, or the first Woman will soon grace the Executive Branch of our Government. This is a hard fought election, yet I feel like I am now hearing the sounds of discontent, the likes of which I have never heard before. The gap between the haves, and the havenots in this land is ever widening. Isn't it amazing that the average CEO of a major corporation now earns 262 times the average wages that his workers earn. The net worth of the richest 400 Americans in this land, is greater than the net worth of the next 150,000,000 Americans combined. Is there some form of universal injustice afoot here?

Well I am not trying to be a deep wonder on this one, but I feel like we are now sitting on a powder keg that is getting ready to blow. The winds of discontent in this land are so great. We have Black vs. White, Rich vs. Poor, and the winds of discontent are blowing ever so strongly as it relates to class in this land. I know so many that are so frustrated with the direction that our nation seems to be heading in. Are we entering an era that the level of discontent could launch us into a new Civil War? What can we do to avert it? If things don't go right on November 4 and this election somehow becomes a contested one, will we see revolt in our streets? We can not deny that there is extreme division in our land, and it doesn't take the firing of guns for us to enter into what some would call the New Civil War. Are we heading into a poor man's anarchy soon? Should we soon expect to embrace the next Civil War? Should the Church be on it's knees right now? Are we praying, or are we campaigning?

It is indeed amazing that The Body of Christ is so divided during this election. Nearly every prominent white televangelist has sent any black preacher that supports the Democratic Candidate to Hell. Why is the church so judgmental on this issue? How is my excitement over the Presidential Prospects of Senator Obama tantamount to me being an apostate of the Faith? Are the Mainstream White Churches of our land the only churches that possess the proper discernment as it relates to this election? Has the Black Church went to Hell in a Hand Basket? Well I beg to differ with either of those premises, because the Black Church has been vigilant on nearly every social issue in the last 50 years. We are not Hell Bound for supporting Senator Obama, and we will not fall for the Karl Rove tricks this time!

Many of the preachers on Trinity Broadcasting Network are becoming mini surrogates of the McCain Campaign. It is truly sickening for so many of them to have so much arrogance to pass judgment on Black America for being excited about Senator Obama! Well as ardently as they are trying to send the Black Church to Hell, they should sweep around their own front doors, and calm many of the loons we see at some of the McCain/Palin Rallies? The Church should be praying instead of judging! Let's pray that the church does its job in this land, and maybe we can avert another Civil War in our land!

Respectfully Submitted,

Pastor Stephen F. Smith

Can I Get a Ticket Out of the Land of Regret?

Can I Get a Ticket Out of the Land of Regret? How many times have we found ourselves reflecting on how we would reverse a decision, or an action of ours from the past? How many times have we almost looked up to Heaven itself, and boldly exclaimed, “If I Had It All to Do Over Again?” Regret has so often painfully affected so many of us. It is so amazing that the mind will replay certain events of days gone by over and over again. Regret is a constant adversary for many individuals than span virtually every spectrum of life. One may appear to be a smashing outward success, while all the while that same individual is waging a daily warfare against Regret. How many of us want to go back into time and change some of the awful decisions that we may have made in life?

Regret is a major contributor to depression, and many other mental disorders. People of Faith have not been exempt from feeling the effects of Regret. While many of us serve a God that has forgiven us of our every sin, we often times still find ourselves languishing in the Land of Regret. Why don’t we readily embrace the clean slate that our loving Heavenly Father has given us, instead of us focusing on the many disasters of our past? Are we trying to be The Masters of Our Own Fate, or The Captains of Our Own Souls? Are we delving into a dangerous type of self worship by feeling that we are infallible beings who shouldn’t have made a bad decision?

How many times can one reflect how they may have treated another individual in the past, and then be left to wonder what if I had done better by this person? I remember one weekend that I had that little still small voice whisper in my ear to go visit my grandmother, and I thought to myself that I would visit her during the first part of the next week. My grandmother passed away that weekend, and I missed a wonderful opportunity to see my loving grandmother in the land of the living one more time. I also remember that my grandfather was in the hospital in the late 80’s and I missed coming to visit him one Sunday because I was so involved in some things at the college that I was attending. Well that was the last day that my grandfather shared any conversations with anyone before he passed away. While I greatly loved each of these individuals I missed tremendous opportunities to spend some vital time with each, and I was left with regret over each of these incidents.

How about the many bad decisions that many of us have made at that good job, or opportunity that we had because we either got angry, or things didn’t go our way? Missed opportunities, damaged interpersonal relationships, and shattered dreams are often the consequences of bad decisions. I submit that as much as many of us desire to be time travelers, one can’t just board a ship that is readily equipped for time travel to the past. Regretting one’s bad decisions can torment one’s life for years. Can we escape the Land of Regret? Is there any hope for the pains that we feel subsiding any time soon? Are some of our trips back down memory lane loaded with feelings of despair over our many missed or ruined opportunities?


How many marriages, and relationships have been ruined by the bad decisions of one of the participants of that union? Why is time so slippery when one wants to grasp time by its handles, and reverse the ill effects of one’s bad decisions? Since we are all fallible beings we all will make mistakes, and we all will sometimes lose things that were precious to us because of our bad decisions. Does it hurt any less when one has to suffer the effects of a bad decision? I humbly submit that it will not hurt any less sometimes. Time has away of healing many of these wounds sometimes, but even with time some are still battling an almost daily trip to The Land of Regret. Many of us spend time replaying, and almost daydreaming about how great things would have been if we had just made the right decision. Lord just let me have that moment back! Lord Why Didn’t I Do It Different? These are all war cries of many that languish in The Land of Regret.


The Apostle Paul writes in Phillipians 3:13 and 3:14-Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. The Apostle Paul admitted that the one thing that he had a grip on, was his ability to let go of the past, and move forward into the future. He didn’t let himself become a prisoner of the Land of Regret. He accepted that the Past Was Past, and no matter how much it hurt him he made the decision to embrace his present, and his future. Should we not follow the example of Paul? Would many of the great losses of our pasts coincide with what God intended for us from the beginning? Are we living in The Land of Regret over something that God never intended for us any way? Don’t stay in The Land of Regret, God has so much more in store for you. I humbly submit that God has more in store for you than you could have ever lost. Once and for all let’s turn our backs on, and let’s arrange a ticket out of the Land of Regret!

Regret is basically fear in overalls. How can we face a limitless God in the days to come, while we are still crying over spilled milk from days gone by? God has so much more for you, than you could have ever lost in the past!

Respectfully Submitted,
Pastor Stephen F. Smith

Lions and Tigers and Bears? Oh My!

Lions and Tigers and Bears? Oh My! We are living in tumultuous times where every day seems to be laden with its own dose of drama, and disappointment. I have never seen a day in the 4+ decades that I have been on this earth where so many are gripped by fear. For those of us who are so driven by today’s 24/7 barrage of daily media, I will boldly state that we are now living in a day where fear is the order of the day! The economic ills of our land have so many panicking over the possibility that an entire lifetime’s worth of savings just might go down the drain in the days to come. The medical communities of our land are noting a rising spike in the amount of cases of depression, panic attacks, and other mental disorders. One would be remiss to not admit that we are now living in challenging times.

Isn’t it totally amazing that many of us are in the midst of feeling much like Dorothy did in The Wizard of Oz when she realized that the new land that she had come to know was not Kansas by a long shot? How did we get here? Did we miss this onslaught because we were so caught up with the hustle and bustle of today’s fast-paced lifestyles? Is there a way out of this mess that we are now in? Would the only solutions to the ills of this day, be those presented by the candidates of our political parties? Where does one go when one simply wants to scream? Does anyone know how deep-seated the pain is that many are dealing with? Where is God in all of this mess? Has God forgotten us? All of these are questions that many are asking!

My Brothers, and My Sisters, I am highly cognizant that we are living in a day that has many of the greatest challenges of our age. We face so many challenges from so many different corners that sometimes it would seem that it is just too much to keep up with it all. Well I want to let you know that God is yet on the Throne! God is called a very present help in times of trouble in Psalm 46:1. God is and should be our only true refuge in a day where the Tsunami-Scale Winds of Fear and Calamity are blowing so greatly. I want you to know that we as believers are not sailing on a sinking ship! You are not on a losing team! I would submit that we are now traveling into unchartered territory, but there is no reason at all to be swayed by fear.

The Holy Writ states in 2nd Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. It is indeed mind-boggling how many of the scriptures in the Holy Writ can so soothe a troubled mind. God has not gives us the spirit of fear that so permeates the day in which we now live. He has nothing to do with the spirit of this age that has some so messed up that they would put a shoe on their head, and a hat on their feet. It is God’s intent that those who are called by his name would prosper and be in health, not only as it relates to their material lives, but also as it would relate to their peace of mind. Peace of Mind is one of the rarest commodities in our age. People are seeking peace of mind through the bottle, illicit sex, and the use of prescription drugs, liquor, and the dope man. Where can one go for a little peace of mind? Does anyone know how much it costs? I know that I have heard that God can make a way, but why hasn’t God made a way for me yet?

I know that we can defeat the spirit of this age by trusting, and believing in The Word of God. None of today’s challenges has taken the Word of God by surprise. The disappointments, and trials of today were foretold in The Holy Writ so long ago. We are even admonished to realize as the Psalmist extolled in Psalm 30:5 that Weeping May Endure for a Night, but Joy Cometh in the Morning. Our trials and pains will not be here forever. Disappointment, Distress, and Fear are not the permanent cards that any of us have been dealt in life. We serve a God that relishes in the Prosperity of his servants. I am not talking about Bling, Jets, Yachts, or the trinkets that so many in this world have come to lust after. However; God is concerned about your general well being and the daily needs that you need met. God is even interested in giving you the very desire of your heart if you delight yourself in him. How does one delight oneself in God?

Delight oneself in the Lord would mean that one would not spend hour upon hour watching television, and then only spend five minutes a week outside of Church studying the Word of God. The Word of God is essential if one needs a guide to weathering the storms of this day. The Word of God has stood the test of time, and it is the only offensive weapon mentioned in Ephesians 6 where we are admonished to put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. The Word of God is called the Sword of the Spirit in Ephesians 6. The Word of God is the only true offensive weapon that a believer has in this day of fear mongering. I wholeheartedly believe that if we are to defeat the spirit of fear in the day that we live in it will be with the Word of God. When we are told on a daily basis that recession, and depression are right around the corner for our land, would it not stand that more than ever we should hold on to the truths espoused in God’ Word? Can the God of the Bible bring us out of the mess that we are now in?

The Scriptures record that the God is no respecter of persons. God didn’t favor the sages of old more than he favors you, and I. The same way that God showed up in lion’s dens, fiery furnaces, prisons, horrible pits, in the midst of famine, in the miry clay, and in the midst of a stormy sea for those who took up his Holy causes in the Bible, he is ever ready and willing to do the same for us. God can deliver in this day because he is a present help. I would not be as excited about witnessing to others about the goodness of God if I believed that God’s deliverances were for days gone by. God is still a deliverer! In a day of escalating change, and distortion, The Word of God is the one constant that is not subject to change. Heaven and Earth may both pass away, but the Word of our God will stand forever. Should we not invest our attention to the one blessed constant in life?

While so many will be caught up with the lions, tigers, and bears of this age as Dorothy and Her Crew of Misfits were in their trek to locate The Wizard of Oz. Will we have to resolve to trust God during the most trying of times? These trying times are trying for each of us, but they are not trying for our God who has already declared the end from the beginning. While we are pondering so often to figure out viable solutions to the ills of our world, our God has already worked each and every concern that we may have out! Don’t let fear’s icy clutch grip you, and keep you from reaching for God’s Best. God has already prepared us a way of escape from the many lions, tigers, and bears that this age will present us with. Oh My!

Respectfully Submitted,

Pastor Stephen F. Smith

StephenFSmith.Org

My God is Still in Style!

My God is Still in Style! Pastor Stephen F. Smith preaches on Psalm 37 verse 25 in this powerful audio clip!

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Haters Can't Kill Your Dream!

Haters Can't Kill Your Dream! Pastor Stephen F. Smith gives his perspective on the trials of Joseph, and how he overcame each of them by trusting in God and doing what's right!

God Will Not Let Your Enemies Kill Your God Given Dream! The Haters and The Dream Killers Can't Stop The Plan of God in Your Life!

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God is Looking For More Than Lip Service!

Preach Steve.Com: God is Looking For More Than Lip Service! Pastor Stephen F. Smith gives a word about living in an age of Pundit Faith, and Talk Show Religion! God is looking for more than those who choose to praise him with their lips, and not with their lifestyles!

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Reflections on The Black Church!

Pastor Stephen F. Smith gives this powerful summary on the importance, the relevance, and the history of The Black Church!
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