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Month: July 2023

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Faithfulness in the Face of the Enemy

Faithfulness in the Face of the Enemy

July 29, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“I sought the Lord and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”

Psalm 34:4 KJV

David was a man of courage but he also knew the reality of fear.  He lived in fearful times.  He was being hunted by King Saul who wanted to kill him.  He, along with his men, were having to hide in the land of the Philistines, the enemies of Israel.  He had to be constantly on the move lest he be discovered by his enemies.  One misstep could result in death;  not only for himself but for all those who were with him.  But David knew that the remedy for fear could only be found in God Himself.  Therefore in the face of fear, David sought the Lord!

When we genuinely seek the Lord, He will reveal Himself unto us!   We discover afresh and anew that the Lord is our refuge and our strength (Psalm 46:1).   We begin to see things from God’s perspective rather than our circumstances.  We recognize that He is the Sovereign and  Almighty God; the Great El Shaddai!  We remember that we can trust Him.  We have nothing to fear (Psalm 27:1).

We live in fearful times also.  Each one of us faces our own personal difficulties and struggles in life.  We also see the many challenges facing our nation.  We see how our government is unwilling and often inept in its ability to deal with anything.   We see the decline of our culture.  We see the rise of anti-Christian sentiment in our society.  We see the unrest in the Middle East.  We see the rise of China and the War in Ukraine, which could easily get out of hand and become much bigger than anyone ever thought.  We fear for our children and our grandchildren and the difficult future they will face without a change of course in our culture. 

But if we can keep our focus on Jesus and teach our children to do the same, then we have nothing to fear!  Our God is more than enough for ourselves and for the next generation.  It is all a matter of seeking  Him, trusting Him, and resting in Him!  For in Him, there is no fear!

Rev. James W. Black

                                       

The Remedy for Fear

The Remedy for Fear

July 22, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“I sought the Lord and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”

Psalm 34:4 KJV

David was a man of courage but he also knew the reality of fear.  He lived in fearful times.  He was being hunted by King Saul who wanted to kill him.  He, along with his men, were having to hide in the land of the Philistines, the enemies of Israel.  He had to be constantly on the move lest he be discovered by his enemies.  One misstep could result in death;  not only for himself but for all those who were with him.  But David knew that the remedy for fear could only be found in God Himself.  Therefore in the face of fear, David sought the Lord!

When we genuinely seek the Lord, He will reveal Himself unto us!   We discover afresh and anew that the Lord is our refuge and our strength (Psalm 46:1).   We begin to see things from God’s perspective rather than our circumstances.  We recognize that He is the Sovereign and  Almighty God; the Great El Shaddai!  We remember that we can trust Him.  We have nothing to fear (Psalm 27:1).

We live in fearful times also.  Each one of us faces our own personal difficulties and struggles in life.  We also see the many challenges facing our nation.  We see how our government is unwilling and often inept in its ability to deal with anything.   We see the decline of our culture.  We see the rise of anti-Christian sentiment in our society.  We see the unrest in the Middle East.  We see the rise of China and the War in Ukraine, which could easily get out of hand and become much bigger than anyone ever thought.  We fear for our children and our grandchildren and the difficult future they will face without a change of course in our culture. 

But if we can keep our focus on Jesus and teach our children to do the same, then we have nothing to fear!  Our God is more than enough for ourselves and for the next generation.  It is all a matter of seeking  Him, trusting Him, and resting in Him!  For in Him, there is no fear!

Rev. James W. Black

                                       

God’s Way Is Perfect

God’s Way Is Perfect

July 15, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in

“As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in him.” (Psalm 18:30 NKJV).

Everything that God does is perfect! He never has to make a rough draft or a prototype. He never has to figure things out by trial and error. He never has to make a correction. Everything He does from the beginning to the end is perfect! The word “perfect” means flawless. But it also means “complete”. The Lord always completes whatever He starts. And whatever He completes is always perfect and flawless!

That should bring great comfort to each of us who are redeemed because the Lord is doing a great work in us! The Apostle Paul reaffirmed this when he said: “…He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6 NKJV). While none of us can truthfully claim perfection right now, we can all affirm that we are in the process of being perfected and being made complete in Him! And that is His work, not ours!

The Lord will use a multitude of tools and circumstances to accomplish His task. He knows just “the way” to do it! And we can either cooperate in the process or we can be stubborn and resist what he wants to do. The more we resist, the longer it will take and the more difficult will be the process. But make no mistake about it. The Lord will complete whatever He has started. And when it is finished it will be perfect.

It is also important for us to know that the “perfection” and the “completeness” will not be fully realized until He returns in all of His glory and not before. So, do not fret or worry about your progress. Just relax. Yield to the Lord and let Him do His work. He knows exactly what He is doing! His way is perfect!

Rev. James W. Black

Preparing for Battle

Preparing for Battle

July 8, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in /

“And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you into our hands.” (1 Sam. 17:47 KJV).

Because we live in a broken world, conflict is a normal part of life.  We don’t like it and we certainly do not desire it.  But it happens.  And being a child of God does not exempt us from conflict.  The key issue is: How do we handle conflict when it comes? The answer is to be prepared before the battle comes.  For the child of God, the Lord has given us vast resources to assist us in the face of the enemy.

He has given to us The Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:11). He has given to us The Word of God (Heb. 4:12). And He has given to us powerful weapons that can be utilized whenever conflict arises (Eph. 6: 10-18).  Our responsibility is to be prepared whenever the battle comes! 

Those in the military train continually with their weapons.  They learn about their weapons.  They know what they can do.  And most importantly they learn how to use them with absolute confidence.  The training is done so that when the battle comes they will instinctively know what to do.  A soldier cannot wait until the battle comes to prepare.  The soldier must be well prepared before the battle comes.  If he is prepared, then he is in a position to experience victory! 

Ultimately our confidence in battle does not come from us, but from the One who has redeemed us and called us,  the Lord Jesus Christ!  When David faced Goliath, he was not prideful or cocky.  Rather he was confident in the God that he knew and served.  David was not intimidated or fearful of the enemy because he knew that the outcome of the battle rested in the Lord, not in himself.   David had spent much time alone with the Lord on the hillside with sheep.  His intimate relationship with the Lord had prepared him for the battle long before it ever came.  Thus when it did come, David knew instinctively what to do.   

Let us prepare ourselves for battle by seeking to know and walk closely with the Lord.   As we do, whenever the enemy comes against us, we will be prepared to use the weapons of our warfare against him.  And we can expect to be victorious.  Like David, we can Run to the Battle with confidence, not fear.   

Rev. James W. Black   

Standing Firm in Liberty

Standing Firm in Liberty

July 1, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in /

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Gal. 5:1 KJV).

The Apostle Paul encouraged the Followers of Christ in Galatia to “stand firm” in the liberty that Christ had achieved for them. Some of the Galatian Christians were being tempted and drawn back into the bondage of religious legalism.  Paul warned them to “wake up”  and not allow themselves to be drawn back into the very thing that Christ had delivered them from!   

The Power of Christ delivers us not only from the bondage of sin but also from the bondage of religious legalism.  The resulting liberty that Christ provides impacts every area of our Iives.  It impacts the culture as well. 

It was the liberty of the Gospel that fueled the desire for freedom from the tyranny of England in the American Colonies in 1776.   The American culture in the late 1700s was profoundly influenced by the Gospel.  Christian principles were embraced by the culture at large whether they were Christian or not.  They were embraced because of their profound and positive impact on the culture. 

It was not atheism that fueled the fires of freedom in America.  It was the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It was not atheism that motivated men to lay down their lives for freedom in the war with England.  It was the influence of the Gospel of Christ. It was not atheism or agnosticism that blessed our nation throughout its history.  It was the Gospel of Christ.  We are deeply indebted to those who have gone before us and who have modeled for us what it means to be a Follower of Christ in the arena of everyday life. 

Let us resolve as Followers of Christ to continue to “stand firm” In our liberty in Christ.
Failure to do so may cause us to lose the liberties that we now enjoy in this nation.

James W. Black