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Month: May 2023

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The Key to Fellowship With God

The Key to Fellowship With God

May 28, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your [own] failing and shortcomings and let them drop.” (Mark 11: 25-26 AMPC). 

We live in a world that is constantly pushing against us; constantly attacking us and constantly seeking to overwhelm us through a variety of means.  We experience betrayal, hurt, rejection and many levels of woundedness in our lives.  Those things deeply impact us.  Being a child of God does not exempt us from those things.  But being a child of God does give us the means to overcome them. 

One of the things the Holy Spirit does for us is to empower us to do what we could never do on our own.   He empowers us to forgive those who have wounded us. It is not our nature to do that.  Our nature is to want to get even.  Our nature is to want them to hurt more than they hurt us!  We don’t want them to get away with it!   We want them to pay for what they have done!  We want them to deeply regret what they have done to us! 

Only the Holy Spirit can enable us to surrender our pain to Christ.  And  only the Holy Spirit can enable us to  surrender that person to Christ.   When we choose to do so, and it is a choice, we then allow Christ to become our vindicator (Rom. 12:19).  His powerful love can then free us from the painful emotions that ensnared us.  That is the wonder and the power  of the Gospel!  Our ability and willingness to forgive is only made possible when we realize just how much the Lord has forgiven us!   When realize we have been forgiven much, we  are then  in the  position to forgive much! (Luke 7:40-48).   It is when we come to the place of forgiving and releasing that person to the Lord that we are made free and are placed in the position of also being forgiven!

So let us determine to walk in forgiveness toward one another so that we may experience forgiveness ourselves and enjoy unhindered fellowship with the Holy One! 

James W. Black

When The Light of Christ is Rejected

When The Light of Christ is Rejected

May 21, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“The wicked freely strut about when that which is vile is honored among men.”
(Psalm 12:8 NIV 1984 Edition). 

Jesus came for the purpose of bringing the Light of His Life and His Presence into the darkness of our world (John 1:4-5). That Light is  the revelation and embodiment of all that is pure, holy, righteous and good (John 8:12).  In Christ there is no greater light, no greater purity, no greater holiness and no greater good.  There is absolutely nothing that is higher or greater than Him!   It is His Light that  reveals what holiness is.   It is His Light that reveals what purity is.  It is His Light that  reveals what  righteousness and goodness is.  Without that Light we would still be in darkness with no understanding, no direction and no hope of ever escaping the darkness.   

The powers of darkness fear that  Light. They hate that  Light because that Light exposes the wickedness  of their work (John 3:19-20).  They cannot stand to be in the Presence of that Light!  The brightness of that Light paralyzes them.  They try to  hide from that Light.

When men reject that  Light , the only True Light which is revealed only  in the Person of Christ, they give an open invitation to  the powers of darkness to rule and reign.  The darkness will initially seek to rule over  the individual.  But if left unchecked it will spread to the entire family and ultimately to the culture at large.    Once the darkness becomes entrenched, it then becomes emboldened.  Once emboldened, it  becomes proud and arrogant.  Then it begins to  promote  that which is “evil” as something that is “good” .(Isaiah 5:20).    Men will then honor the darkness as something that is normal.   The end result is destruction and death.  The death of the individual.  The death of the family.  And ultimately the death of the culture at large (Rom. 3:23). 

We are called to be the instruments of His Light in the darkness of our culture (Matthew 5:16). We are not the source of that Light.  We are merely the instruments through which that Light shines.  Let us so yield ourselves in obedience to that Light,  that darkness can no longer strut about. 

James W. Black

God Thinks About Us

God Thinks About Us

May 14, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“How precious are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand…” (Psalm 139:17-18 KJV).

It is amazing to consider the fact that the Holy One thinks about us!  He not only thinks about us collectively (as the church, the redeemed of God) but He also thinks about us individually!  Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that his thoughts toward us are “thoughts of peace and not of evil.” (KJV).  The NIV translates this as “plans to prosper you and not to harm you.”  Both are true.  The point is that the Lord’s thoughts about us are good!

The Lord always desires the best for us.   He is always thinking about us how to bring  out the best in us and the best through us.  He created us to be a reflection of Himself (Gen. 1:17).  And when we reflect Him, we bring Him great pleasure.  It is much like a parent or grandparent who delights in watching their small children learn, grow and discover their world.  It brings us great joy and delight to observe them, to guide them, and to help them in their discovery.  What good parent or grandparent would not want the very best for their children or grandchildren?  If we are that way toward our own, how much more does the Heavenly Father think about us and delight in us!  (Luke 11:13).  How much more does He want the absolute best for us in all things? 

So let us take great joy and comfort in knowing that the Living God is always in thinking about us!  And those thoughts are good!   And He finds pleasure in us! 

James W. Black

The Attentive Ear of God

The Attentive Ear of God

May 7, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.”
(Psalm 145:18 KJV). 

Have you ever struggled with having  confidence that when you pray the Lord actually hears you?  Or that He really cares about you and the issues you are facing in your life?  Have you ever thought  that somehow you are not good enough or that you are not spiritual enough?  Have you ever felt like you just don’t  seem to have the right words or that somehow your words just do not  seem adequate?  Have you ever felt  awkward when you pray, thinking that you look foolish speaking to someone you can’t even see? Have you ever had the thought cross your mind that said:  “What difference does it really make?” 

Every child of God has experienced these thoughts and feelings when it comes to prayer.  The reason we have such thoughts is because we are all keenly  aware of  the weakness of our flesh.  And all of us are bombarded  by the thoughts  the evil one and his demons seek  to plant in our minds.  This  is true not only for new believers but for seasoned believers as well.  All of these thoughts and feelings are designed to  discourage us from praying.  The goal  is too intimidate and discourage us in order to keep us from praying.  The evil one knows the power of prayer far better  than we do.  He and  his demons are fearful of people who pray  and churches that pray.

But  the  great promise of God is that He always hears the heart cry of those who belong to Him.   He  reminds us that “He is near”.  What that means is that He is close to all  who truly belong to Him.  But also notice that He hears those that “call upon Him in truth.”   That  means  to call upon Him with  genuine authenticity.  The Lord knows if we are serious about Him or not.  We cannot fool God.   He knows the motive and intention of our heart.  If our heart is right, and our motive is right, the Lord always hears His people!   Thus  we can always pray with absolute confidence when we call upon Him!   

James W. Black