Peggy Locke
The Foursquare Church began this new year with an invitation to join together for 21 days of fasting and prayer, to begin this year with a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit. “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever,” Hebrews 13:8.
He is our savior, our healer, our baptizer with the Holy Spirit and soon coming king!
How does this apply to me personally? Because of my relationship with Jesus Christ, I can ask him and receive a fresh empowerment of his Holy Spirit in my life. He alone gives boldness and grace to be able to share faith and hope in God to whoever asks.
My prayer during this new year has been for increased opportunities to be used by God to encourage and be kind to others. I’m committed to making a difference, by aligning myself with what God wants me to do. I made a conscious decision to trust in the Lord with all my heart, to embrace all he has for me, and not turn away from divine appointments and life’s interruptions. I want to be available to tell what great things God has done and continues to do in my life!
We are reminded in scripture that there will be those who oppose God’s plans for us — but God is with us, and he fights for us! Though the enemy may whisper and accuse us of all our shortcomings and failures — we can choose to be bold, to stand firm in the faith believing that we have been called — not to be a spectator, not just a hearer of the word, but a doer of the word.
I’d like to invite you to share the love, acceptance, and forgiveness of Jesus Christ today. Turn off the television and go for a walk with your spouse, send a comforting word through the mail, email, text, or make a phone call to someone who comes to mind, or invite someone for coffee or a meal. May this be a time when we see the greatest outpouring of love and faith in God our world has ever known. Ask the Lord for his plans for effective work he has purposed for you!
“A great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me. Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love,” 1 Corinthians 16:9,13-14
“As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you,” 1 John 2:27.
Peggy Locke is co-founding pastor of Carson City Foursquare Church, assisting minister at Reno Hillside Foursquare Church, specialized chaplain, Foursquare Church.