Categories
1 Chronicles David God's Timing

Trust God’s Timing

“All these, men of war, arrayed in battle order, came to Hebron with a whole heart to make David king over all Israel. Likewise, all the rest of Israel were of a single mind to make David king. And they were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their brothers had made preparation for them.” 1 Chronicles 12:38-39 (ESV) Before David became king, he genuinely served King Saul and waited patiently for God’s timing. David endured severe persecution and unfair treatment by King Saul. David’s own family doubted his suitability. By the world’s standards, David did not fit the mold. “When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’” 1 Samuel 16:6-7 (ESV) God continued to work and paved the way for David to become king. In God’s perfect timing, David fulfilled the position God had established for him. Nothing can thwart God’s will and nothing can dismantle God’s impeccable timing. God will always accomplish His plan in His perfect timing. Do you trust God’s timing? Is there anything you are worrying about or fretting over? Release your fears and reaffirm your faith in the Living God. Pray specifically about those things that are weighing you down. Submit your uncertainties and your frustrations to the Lord in prayer. God looks at the heart and He knows your heart. Before God formed you He knew you personally and before you were born God set you apart for Himself. Following Jesus Every Day, Stephen Trammell

Categories
1 Chronicles David God's Timing

Trust God’s Timing

“All these, men of war, arrayed in battle order, came to Hebron with a whole heart to make David king over all Israel. Likewise, all the rest of Israel were of a single mind to make David king. And they were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their brothers had made preparation for them.” 1 Chronicles 12:38-39 (ESV) Before David became king, he genuinely served King Saul and waited patiently for God’s timing. David endured severe persecution and unfair treatment by King Saul. David’s own family doubted his suitability. By the world’s standards, David did not fit the mold. “When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’” 1 Samuel 16:6-7 (ESV) God continued to work and paved the way for David to become king. In God’s perfect timing, David fulfilled the position God had established for him. Nothing can thwart God’s will and nothing can dismantle God’s impeccable timing. God will always accomplish His plan in His perfect timing. Do you trust God’s timing? Is there anything you are worrying about or fretting over? Release your fears and reaffirm your faith in the Living God. Pray specifically about those things that are weighing you down. Submit your uncertainties and your frustrations to the Lord in prayer. God looks at the heart and He knows your heart. Before God formed you He knew you personally and before you were born God set you apart for Himself. Riding HIS Wave, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell  

Categories
God's Timing Moses Ten Commandments

God Delivers

“‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.’” Exodus 20:2 (ESV) Moses spent forty years in the palace, forty years in the desert, and then forty years as the deliverer of the children of Israel. God was strategically developing Moses for the special assignment of leading the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. Before delivering The Ten Commandments, God reminded them of His provision of bringing them out of the land of slavery. God graciously got them out of Egypt, now He was getting Egypt out of them. God is a God of Relationship. He initiated the love relationship we enjoy with Him. God chose to become like us so that we could become like Him. God took the initiative to develop us in Christ, as a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people belonging to Him. Being adopted into His forever family did not come into fruition because of our human effort, but as a result of God’s redemptive activity. If you ever question your value in God’s eyes, just look to the cross. God took the initiative to build the ultimate love bridge to you so that you could have harmony with Him and enjoy eternal life. When did you respond to God’s offer of salvation? When did you become a follower of Jesus Christ and a recipient of God’s unconditional love? God has delivered you from your sin and brought you into the land of Promise. Now take the initiative to share the gift of eternal life with others. Shine His light and share His love so that others can have the personal and eternal relationship you enjoy with Jesus. Riding HIS Wave, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell  

Categories
Adversity God's Timing God's Will

Divine Appointments

“So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.” Acts 16:40 (ESV) Have you ever been tempted to question God? Maybe you have gone through a season that did not make sense to you and appeared to divert you from God’s will. Paul had delivered a fortune-teller from her demon possession. As you can imagine, her owners where not happy with the cessation of their flow of income. As a result, Paul and Silas were thrown in prison for obeying God’s will. Just before that encounter, Paul and Silas met Lydia at a place of prayer by the river in Philippi. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message and she and her family had a life changing experience and were baptized. She invited Paul and his companions to her home. Lydia’s home became an oasis. After Paul and Silas were thrown into prison, they were praying and singing hymns to God when the foundations of the prison were shaken by an earthquake. Chains were loosed and the prison doors flew open. The jailer was about to take his own life until Paul declared that all the prisoners where still there. The jailer fell trembling before Paul and Silas and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Immediately the jailer and his family were baptized. Paul and Silas went to Lydia’s house and met with the believers and encouraged them. God birthed the church of Philippi out of adverse circumstances. Lydia’s home became the church of Philippi. Don’t underestimate what God wants to do in the midst of your circumstances. God orchestrates divine appointments throughout the terrain of turbulence. Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
God's Timing Prayer Revelation

Learning to Wait

“‘And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.’” Luke 24:49 (ESV) Jesus instructed the believers to wait in Jerusalem until they had received what His Father had promised, namely, power from on high. Jesus had to ascend back to the Father so that He could send the Counselor, the promised Holy Spirit (John 16:7). Yet, Jesus did not give them an exact time or date for the Holy Spirit’s arrival. They had to wait! “And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, ‘You heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’” Acts 1:4-5 (ESV) The 120 believers waited ten days to be clothed with power from on high (Acts 1:15). Have you ever wondered why it took ten days? During that time, they replaced Judas by adding Matthias to the eleven apostles (Acts 1:26). But why did it take ten days? Perhaps the 120 believers had some internal issues to resolve. Maybe they had to confess sin and remove jealously, bitterness, and envy. Maybe it took ten days to come to the place of complete unity as a community of Christ-followers. Are you currently waiting for God to reveal His next step for your life? Is there anything in your life that God wants you to deal with before He shows you what’s next? Ask the Lord to search your heart (Ps. 139:23). Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
God's Timing Sovereignty Trust

Crossing the Finish Line

“Always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:4-6 (ESV) God is working. His purpose and plan will be accomplished. Satan cannot thwart God’s will. Even when you experience doubts, delays, and distractions, God is still fulfilling His agenda. God is sovereign. He rules and He reigns. God factors in our sin. God factors in the reality of demonic opposition. God is not surprised by our surprises. God’s master plan includes you. It is God’s will for you to be saved, to grow spiritually, and to join Him in His redemptive activity. Jesus took on the full wrath of God for your sin so that you could be set free to have a vibrant love relationship with God in Christ. You were filled with the Holy Spirit at the moment of your conversion so that you could continue the ministry of Jesus on this broken planet. God will complete the good work He began in you. What God starts, He always finishes! God is not through with you. You are still in the process of becoming who God has made you to be. God is molding you and shaping you into the man or woman of God He created you to be. Will you allow God to continue His work in you so that He can accomplish His work through you? Are you willing to trust God’s timing? God knows where He wants you. God knows what the finished product of His character development in you looks like. God’s timing is perfect. Entrust your life to His care. Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Delays God's Timing Trust

Resting in God’s Timing

“And God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.’” Genesis 17:15-16 (ESV) Can you imagine becoming a parent at age ninety or a hundred? That’s difficult to fathom. However, the greater challenge would be to desire parenthood and having to wait until you were almost a century old to realize the dream. Abraham and Sarah had to learn to live with delays. God had promised to bless them and to make them into a great nation. However, they had to walk in obedience to God and wait for His timing. Have you noticed how our personal timetable doesn’t always line up with God’s timetable? We tend to want our blessing now. We don’t usually “wait” very well. God has a divine purpose in our delays. Sometimes delays are a result of poor choices we have made and sometimes a consequence of poor choices those around us have made. Either way, God can use delays to portray His grace. God has the final say doesn’t He? Nothing happens without God’s permission. If God allows a delay in your life, He will utilize the delay. Now rest in God’s timing. Entrust your life to Him. Drawing Near, Stephen Trammell Lead Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
God's Timing Prayer Sovereignty

God’s Perfect Timing

“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:4-6 (NIV) God is working. His purpose and plan will be accomplished. Satan cannot thwart God’s will. Even when you experience doubts, delays, and distractions, God is still fulfilling His agenda. God is sovereign. He rules and He reigns. God factors in our sin. God factors in the reality of demonic opposition. God is not surprised by our surprises. God’s master plan includes you. It is God’s will for you to be saved, to grow spiritually, and to join Him in His redemptive activity. Jesus took on the full wrath of God for your sin so that you could be set free to have a vibrant love relationship with God in Christ. You were filled with the Holy Spirit at the moment of your conversion so that you could continue the ministry of Jesus on this broken planet. God will complete the good work He began in you. What God starts, He always finishes! God is not through with you. You are still in the process of becoming who God has made you to be. God is molding you and shaping you into the man or woman of God He created you to be. Will you allow God to continue His work in you so that He can accomplish His work through you? Are you willing to trust God’s timing? God knows where He wants you. God knows what the finished product of His character development in you looks like. God’s timing is perfect. Entrust your life to His care. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
1 Chronicles David God's Timing

Trust God’s Timing

“All these, men of war, arrayed in battle order, came to Hebron with a whole heart to make David king over all Israel. Likewise, all the rest of Israel were of a single mind to make David king. 39 And they were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their brothers had made preparation for them.” 1 Chronicles 12:38-39 (ESV) Before David became king, he genuinely served King Saul and waited patiently for God’s timing. David endured severe persecution and unfair treatment by King Saul. David’s own family doubted his suitability. By the world’s standards, David did not fit the mold. “When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.’ 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’” 1 Samuel 16:6-7 (ESV) God continued to work and paved the way for David to become king. In God’s perfect timing, David fulfilled the position God had established for him. Nothing can thwart God’s will and nothing can dismantle God’s impeccable timing. God will always accomplish His plan in His perfect timing. Do you trust God’s timing? Is there anything you are worrying about or fretting over? Release your fears and reaffirm your faith in the Living God. Pray specifically about those those things that are weighing you down. Submit your uncertainties and your frustrations to the Lord in prayer. God looks at the heart and He know your heart. Before God formed you He knew you personally and before you were born God set you apart for Himself. Chronological Bible Reading Plan: (Day 121:  2 Samuel 5; 1 Chronicles 11-12) Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
God's Timing Moses Ten Commandments

God Delivers

“‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.’” Exodus 20:2 (ESV) Moses spent forty years in the palace, forty years in the desert, and then forty years as the deliverer of the children of Israel. God was strategically developing Moses for the special assignment of leading the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. Before delivering The Ten Commandments, God reminded them of His provision of bringing them out of the land of slavery. God graciously got them out of Egypt, now He was getting Egypt out of them. God is a God of Relationship. He initiated the love relationship we enjoy with Him. God chose to become like us so that we could become like Him. God took the initiative to develop us in Christ, as a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people belonging to Him. Being adopted into His forever family did not come into fruition because of our human effort, but as a result of God’s redemptive activity. If you ever question your value in God’s eyes, just look to the cross. God took the initiative to build the ultimate love bridge to you so that you could have harmony with Him and enjoy eternal life. When did you respond to God’s offer of salvation? When did you become a follower of Jesus Christ and a recipient of God’s unconditional love? God has delivered you from your sin and brought you into the land of Promise. Now take the initiative to share the gift of eternal life with others. Shine His light and share His love so that others can have the personal and eternal relationship you enjoy with Jesus. Chronological Bible Reading Plan: (Day 36:  Exodus 19-21) Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
God's Timing Prayer Sovereignty

God’s Perfect Timing

“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phil 1:4-6 (NIV) God is working. His purpose and plan will be accomplished. Satan cannot thwart God’s will. Even when you experience doubts, delays, and distractions, God is still fulfilling His agenda. God is sovereign. He rules and He reigns. God factors in our sin. God factors in the reality of demonic opposition. God is not surprised by our surprises. God’s master plan includes you. It is God’s will for you to be saved, to grow spiritually, and to join Him in His redemptive activity. Jesus took on the full wrath of God for your sin so that you could be set free to have a vibrant love relationship with God in Christ. You were filled with the Holy Spirit at the moment of your conversion so that you could continue the ministry of Jesus on this broken planet. God will complete the good work He began in you. What God starts, He always finishes! God is not through with you. You are still in the process of becoming who God has made you to be. God is molding you and shaping you into the man or woman of God He created you to be. Will you allow God to continue His work in you so that He can accomplish His work through you? Are you willing to trust God’s timing? God knows where He wants you. God knows what the finished product of His character development in you looks like. God’s timing is perfect. Entrust your life to His care. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Adversity God's Timing God's Will

Divine Appointments

“After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left.” Acts 16:40 (NIV) Have you ever been tempted to question God? Maybe you have gone through a season that did not make sense to you and appeared to divert you from God’s will. Paul had delivered a fortune-teller from her demon possession. As you can imagine, her owners where not happy with the cessation of their flow of income. As a result, Paul and Silas were thrown in prison for obeying God’s will. Just before that encounter, Paul and Silas met Lydia at a place of prayer by the river in Philippi. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message and she and her family had a life changing experience and were baptized. She invited Paul and his companions to her home. Lydia’s home became an oasis. After Paul and Silas were thrown into prison, they were praying and singing hymns to God when the foundations of the prison were shaken by an earthquake. Chains were loosed and the prison doors flew open. The jailer was about to take his own life until Paul declared that all the prisoners where still there. The jailer fell trembling before Paul and Silas and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Immediately the jailer and his family were baptized. Paul and Silas went to Lydia’s house and met with the believers and encouraged them. God birthed the church of Philippi out of adverse circumstances. Lydia’s home became the church of Philippi. Don’t underestimate what God wants to do in the midst of your circumstances. God orchestrates divine appointments throughout the terrain of turbulence. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
God's Timing Prayer Revelation

Learning to Wait

“‘I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’” Luke 24:49 (NIV) Jesus instructed the believers to wait in Jerusalem until they had received what His Father had promised, namely, power from on high. Jesus had to ascend back to the Father so that He could send the Counselor, the promised Holy Spirit (John 16:7). Yet, Jesus did not give them an exact time or date for the Holy Spirit’s arrival. They had to wait! “On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’” Acts 1:4-5 (NIV) The 120 believers waited ten days to be clothed with power from on high (Acts 1:15). Have you ever wondered why it took ten days? During that time, they replaced Judas by adding Matthias to the eleven apostles (Acts 1:26). But why did it take ten days? Perhaps the 120 believers had some internal issues to resolve. Maybe they had to confess sin and remove jealously, bitterness, and envy. Maybe it took ten days to come to the place of complete unity as a community of Christ-followers. Are you currently waiting for God to reveal His next step for your life? Is there anything in your life that God wants you to deal with before He shows you what’s next? Ask the Lord to search your heart (Ps. 139:23). Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
God's Timing Sovereignty Trust

Crossing the Finish Line

“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phil 1:4-6 (NIV) God is working. His purpose and plan will be accomplished. Satan cannot thwart God’s will. Even when you experience doubts, delays, and distractions, God is still fulfilling His agenda. God is sovereign. He rules and He reigns. God factors in our sin. God factors in the reality of demonic opposition. God is not surprised by our surprises. God’s master plan includes you. It is God’s will for you to be saved, to grow spiritually, and to join Him in His redemptive activity. Jesus took on the full wrath of God for your sin so that you could be set free to have a vibrant love relationship with God in Christ. You were filled with the Holy Spirit at the moment of your conversion so that you could continue the ministry of Jesus on this broken planet. God will complete the good work He began in you. What God starts, He always finishes! God is not through with you. You are still in the process of becoming who God has made you to be. God is molding you and shaping you into the man or woman of God He created you to be. Will you allow God to continue His work in you so that He can accomplish His work through you? Are you willing to trust God’s timing? God knows where He wants you. God knows what the finished product of His character development in you looks like. God’s timing is perfect. Entrust your life to His care. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
Delays God's Timing Trust

Resting in God’s Timing

“God also said to Abraham,  ‘As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.’” Gen 17:15-16 (NIV) Can you imagine becoming a parent at age ninety or a hundred? That’s difficult to fathom. However, the greater challenge would be to desire parenthood and having to wait until you were almost a century old to realize the dream. Abraham and Sarah had to learn to live with delays. God had promised to bless them and to make them into a great nation. However, they had to walk in obedience to God and wait for His timing. Have you noticed how our personal timetable doesn’t always line up with God’s timetable? We tend to want our blessing now. We don’t usually “wait” very well. God has a divine purpose in our delays. Sometimes delays are a result of poor choices we have made and sometimes a consequence of poor choices those around us have made. Either way, God can use delays to portray His grace. God has the final say doesn’t He? Nothing happens without God’s permission. If God allows a delay in your life, He will utilize the delay. Now rest in God’s timing. Entrust your life to Him. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell

Categories
God's Timing Sovereignty Trust

Trust God’s Timing

“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phil 1:4-6 (NIV) God is working. His purpose and plan will be accomplished. Satan cannot thwart God’s will. Even when you experience doubts, delays, and distractions, God is still fulfilling His agenda. God is sovereign. He rules and He reigns. God factors in our sin. God factors in the reality of demonic opposition. God is not surprised by our surprises. God’s master plan includes you. It is God’s will for you to be saved, to grow spiritually, and to join Him in His redemptive activity. Jesus took on the full wrath of God for your sin so that you could be set free to have a vibrant love relationship with God in Christ. You were filled with the Holy Spirit at the moment of your conversion so that you could continue the ministry of Jesus on this broken planet. God will complete the good work He began in you. What God starts, He always finishes! God is not through with you. You are still in the process of becoming who God has made you to be. God is molding you and shaping you into the man or woman of God He created you to be. Will you allow God to continue His work in you so that He can accomplish His work through you? Are you willing to trust God’s timing? God knows where He wants you. God knows what the finished product of His character development in you looks like. God’s timing is perfect. Entrust your life to His care. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor

Categories
Delays God's Timing Trust

Wait for God’s Timing

“God also said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.’” Gen 17:15-16 (NIV) Can you imagine becoming a parent at age ninety or a hundred? That’s difficult to fathom. However, the greater challenge would be to desire parenthood and having to wait until you were almost a century old to realize the dream. Abraham and Sarah had to learn to live with delays. God had promised to bless them and to make them into a great nation. However, they had to walk in obedience to God and wait for His timing. Have you noticed how our personal timetable doesn’t always line up with God’s timetable? We tend to want our blessing now. We don’t usually “wait” very well. God has a divine purpose in our delays. Sometimes delays are a result of poor choices we have made and sometimes a consequence of poor choices those around us have made. Either way, God can use delays to portray His grace. God has the final say doesn’t He? Nothing happens without God’s permission. If God allows a delay in your life, He will utilize the delay. Now rest in God’s timing. Entrust your life to Him. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor