The very thing that God gave us to overcome worry

Why is, "God's got this," not enough? Why do we say we believe and yet misuse our brain power and our heart strength in concern for future outcomes that we cannot  or should not control by any amount of concern? It is a misuse of the same sentience that God made us in His image. Seeing future events, planning, dreaming, and being able to change certain outcomes, all are aspects of our God-given personhood. Moreover, we sometimes feel these things in our soul. When this ability is corrupted and applied against us or applied by us in a wrong fashion we lose the very freedom that Christ died for. When freedom is overcome by fear and doubt, by anxiety and worry, we should turn to the Lord and be changed. When we experience a supernatural expression of out of control concern we should rebuke it and stand firm in the faith. But it feels so hard because it is our God-given greatness put to misuse. The same thing that traps us MUST be submitted to Christ for His use to set us free.

Matthew 6:34 NASB1995

[34] “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Pastor Daniel Stevenson Southside Life Station-Director

New Heights Fellowship Baptist-Pastor
amaldaninc.com-Light and fun stuff

More than victory

I have seen an important pairing in that a victory is so much sweeter when there has been a grand challenge. It doesn't mean as much to win when there was no chance,, or at least appeared to be no chance of losing. This is that. Christians suffer through some of the worst things that life has to offer and then ultimately proceed to the greatest victory. Push me to my limits and watch my glorious victory, is not something we might ask for but it is just as sweet none-the-less. The smaller the distance between us and possible loss the sweeter the victory but at the same time faith reminds us that we cannot lose. And while not losing is a great victory and greater when it appears someone could lose, an even greater victory is to be faced with circumstances that testify to defeat and to know that, contrary to appearances, victory is in the offing. To be able to cry, we win, we win, when as far as everyone is concerned the game is not yet over AND to be proven correct, is more than to conquer. In fact, it is a victory so sweet as to be almost unbelievable.

Romans 8:37 NASB1995

[37] But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 

Pastor Daniel Stevenson Southside Life Station-Director
New Heights Fellowship Baptist-Pastor
amaldaninc.com-Light and fun stuff

Loving as a Progenitor

People are different and when people are found to be similar they are easier to relate to. When it seems someone is prioritizing you then it feels safe, even natural, to prioritize them. When it comes to relationships someone has to make the first move. Often it seems at if no one did. It happens that family, for example, just naturally prefers one another. This preference follows many other lines such as hobbies, similar ownership, personal habits, and even shared experiences. I think about summer camps making friends for life out of people from different backgrounds. The bottom line is, people find a reason to love those who love them but the Bible actually calls us to love unrequited. Be an originator with no better reason than that God has authored it. A few verses later, He reminds us that that is how God did it for us. God not only loved us when we hardly knew Him but when we were living opposed to Him. Following His example is accomplished when we choose to love as a first response and without reservation. Moreover, the more we love, the more we become who the word says we area in Christ. Sinners stumble on right activities but do it for the wrong, even completely logical reasons. We most adopt this alternative: Love others though they may not know you or even care about you. Then, and only then do we have something, a trait, an identity, a huge blessing, a grand victory, a powerful light to be shined, a notable internal change, and more to be His people. In the extreme, this means loving our enemies. In it's genesis we find our new reality. 

Matthew 5:46 NASB1995

[46] For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

https://bible.com/bible/100/mat.5.46.NASB1995

Pastor Daniel Stevenson Southside Life Station-Director
New Heights Fellowship Baptist-Pastor
amaldaninc.com-Light and fun stuff

The debate continues

The amendment expanded language to include ANY position with the title Pastor including children's etc. Also, included the term "elder". We believe this, hence we voted for it heavily but to change the constitution is meant to be difficult. AND we have churches who have the terms in practice. If we were so solidly for this we have allowed churches to use the term Pastor for non-senior positions AND there's a question about the term elder. It's enough, has been multiple times now to put a fly in the ointment. Add "intentional difficulty changing a constitution to "female elders" and ALL pastors and you get just enough to have a concern. Also, information was given from the platform concerning opening up a legal issue if it passed, that makes four and with all those concerns the negative only managed to marshal just over a third of present votes. But, it was enough. No female elders? Absolutely NO pastors even over children when we have churches who will have to adjust? potential legal ramifications? Stacked needs of 2/3 which so designed to protect the constitution at all costs? None of these are easily dismissed concerns but still got a LOT of votes in the affirmative. It's not over. Here's the real question, with spending so much effort on this, where are we being distracted from working on something else? Also, when and if it actually happens will we have damaged something that we didn't mean to? Are we doing damage now by continuing to spend time on it? Got me. I'm not sure God has managed the investment. And, I am NOT presenting one side or another-jist speaking as to why, in my opinion, why we are still debating it. 

Pastor Daniel Stevenson Southside Life Station-Director
New Heights Fellowship Baptist-Pastor
amaldaninc.com-Light and fun stuff

How to grow a small church

Generate a prospect list by whatever your people do want to do. Knocking on doors is a good example. Baked goods, simple gifts of some kind. Look for a few green prospects. Then, I suggest having a candid conversation with them about vision and possibilities. You may have to say something like, we know we are in a building situation. Will you come and work to build this with us? To get that going you are probably looking for someone who is already a professing believer and is being pulled that way by God. Ultimately, the new believers will be your strength but they are also messy by comparison. Do not hit h your wagon to anyone fleeing a previous ministry situation and saying something bad about their previous church. But your prospect generator whatever it is will generate red (not interested), yellow (maybes),  and green (likely). Reconnect with green over and over until they either get involved, your interaction with them lead to the conversation above or they turn yellow or red. Community ministries such as food pantry and so on are just avenues of prospect generation. They may provide conversations where in the gospel can be shared and people can get saved. They may not. Either way, they will generate a list of prospects if you collect information from those you serve. Then funnel that list of prospects into the red green yellow system that I laid out above. Take heed in entering into the conversation that I explained above and treat it like you are looking for people who are called to form the growing version of your church. Caught by God, of course. If you find one or more families or individuals who fit that criteria-Called by God and willing to stick it out during the dry times, Then you will have what you need for sustained growth. Any core group of people can come up with simple ways to accumulate a list of names. Getting people into the red group is just as important as getting people into the green group. It even happens that people in the red group wound up getting saved and jump into the green group. Because contacts are continually being made with people in the green group You can encourage people by helping them realize these are not cold calls but talking to people who have said that they would be interested in a new church home. Even if you only generate a few names weekly on the lists In a year the list will be 150 names A good portion of which will be red and yellow and some percentage will be green. You should probably have some prayer warriors in your church who will be willing to pray over the names on the list segments. They can pray as the Lord leads of course but asking people what you can be praying for them about is a way to generate name for the list. Your people can say something like our church keeps the list of people that we regularly pray for and we know that God is going to provide miracles for those people. Would you like to be on it? What can we pray for? Would you say that you are looking for a new church home? Would you be an interested and knowing more? These are sample questions. They are questions your people can ask while waiting in the doctor's office, while sitting in a restaurant, while dealing with their family, whatever. Getting enough information to contact the people on the segments will actually be easiest when the contacts are green, harder when they are yellow, difficult when they are red. Asking someone who has professed a certain amount of interest in being included on the list or who has been served by giving them something if you can inform them when God has done a miracle for someone on the list and/or If it would be okay for someone to check up with them to see if God has done the miracle...would be a good way. One huge blessing when working with a population of seniors is the often time they will garner some respect in conversations with anyone who is tender-hearted. Middle-aged and younger Christians can be viewed with suspicion. If a 70-year-old man or woman carries a notebook and collects information from people they run into at a restaurant or whatever for a purpose similar to the example given above it is unlikely that anyone will take offense especially because your people can be trained not to push past objections at all. Once church members are engaged in collecting names for the list and a simple system for following up with people who are on the list and in the green category, post card, call, visit, visit, visit, etc. has been put in place and all the names are being bathed in prayer, whether or not the church grows will be largely up to God (which makes it a given because this is what he wants) and regardless of whether it takes weeks months or years The church will be doing what the church should be doing and being with the church is supposed to be all throughout the process. Souls will be won. It is possible that you will win dozens or hundreds of prospects to other churches because of rising tide raises all boats and the name of the kingdom will spread far and wide in small increments and ever-growing larger increments if new people coming are enlisted to the same process. I'd be more invested in ensuring this latter outcome than I'm ensuring the growth of the church. It seems more honoring to God even though God has assigned us to lead his sheep and grow his flock. 

Pastor Daniel Stevenson Southside Life Station-Director
New Heights Fellowship Baptist-Pastor
amaldaninc.com-Light and fun stuff

No Stumbling the Young Ones...

As Christian men we have a truly powerful responsibility to protect the upcoming generations. While we are learning and growing in our faith, while we are earning our income and paying our bills, while we are dealing with our own health concerns and managing our household, we absolutely must protect the integrity of God's upcoming family. We must avoid setting a bad example, teaching a looser interpretation of the scripture, throwing a fit when we vehemently disagree with someone else's course of action, poorly portraying the love of God, failing to enact generosity, and the list goes on. We must speak the truths of Christianity and live them to the best of our ability while at the same time being transparent about our weakness as men so that the upcoming generation does not believe that our flawed methods of existence are sufficient to bring God the glory that he deserves. If we realize that we have received everything that we have from God through Jesus then we ought not to act as if some of it we somehow earned or as if we know better tactics than those that God has taught us. Tell them Jesus is king, show them jesus is king, and be transparent about your own failings in marking out Jesus as king. No excuses, just a simple scriptural teaching that we must give the absolute best we can for and to our Lord but realize that he deserves even so much more than that. Then, if they do likewise, they will do well. #reachingnewheightsinjesus

Pastor Daniel Stevenson Southside Life Station-Director
New Heights Fellowship Baptist-Pastor
amaldaninc.com-Light and fun stuff

Salvation Through Jesus Alone

Sometimes Christian men have to make hard decisions. Moments in life remind us that quite a few things either are or aren't. Light and dark, hot and cold, on and off, in and out, for or against, truth or lie. The world doesn't want to accept that certain things just are what they are. The Gospel includes grace for all those who believe and repent which means turn to God alone for their salvation through Jesus Christ alone. Sometimes it seems easier or simpler to add options or to avoid being too specific and clear in what you believe. Don't do it. There is no scripture of private interpretation and there is no Christianity with additions or subtractions. No matter how bad we want something or how convoluted our reasoning allowing us to add something to God's simple truth, the simple truth of God is the only truth. It holds. It stands. It is unbreakable. It cannot be marred, amended, appended, or redacted. Let us as Christian men be aware that there are many teachings and many people pushing those teachings that would like to be added to the "ordinances" of the kingdom. To allow any additional qualifications for salvation is to jeopardize the impact of the gospel and to lose the power there-in contained for salvation which of course we need in order to do the work the Lord has given us to do. To put some aspect of the gospel away is to completely put away the only tool we have that works for the only job we have. #reachingnewheightsinjesus

Pastor Daniel Stevenson Southside Life Station-Director
New Heights Fellowship Baptist-Pastor
amaldaninc.com-Light and fun stuff

Image

Pastor Daniel Stevenson Southside Life Station-Director
New Heights Fellowship Baptist-Pastor
amaldaninc.com-Light and fun stuff

This New Era

I enter this new era. I am wondering how I got to be here exactly. I realize of course with some discerning part of myself that I am here because God put me here. I realized that that is true with every bounded existence, every existence whether or not the boundaries are recognized or present. 

According to acts 17 God sets the boundaries. He orchestrates the events. He does this For All mankind not just for me. However, his primary purpose is so that man will look around, seek God, and then as God reveals himself to the man the relationship with God begins in earnest. 

Begins. 

The boundaries of this era seem to include ordered rest but not achieved rest. I can see that a man may die from this. I'm driving on an expressway and the Lord is telling me it's time to exit, I'm guess doing so through an eminently qualified doctor. However, I am not exiting. 

This analogy seems strangely familiar to me because it is the first sermon I ever preached. At that time, the exits were salvation. Salvation was dismissed and Satan was in the car and he was comforting the driver, encouraging the driver to continue without taking one of the exits. I'd had a reason to believe then the failure to take an exit to salvation would result in the death of one and even the eternal separation. 

But this era is not about spiritual death and separation from God as much as it may be about simply keeping a heart beating and brain waving. He says I must rest. He says I must decompress. But I'm awake at 6:00 a.m. . I am in the Bible and seeking God through prayer. I am not back to sleep. Then, today at least, I am writiing this.

My body says the Sun is up why shouldn't I be even as much fatigue says, he really should be listening to the doctor. Somewhere in the rattly chambers of my mind, a notion finds a tiny bit of nurture. Could this be my exit? If I spend myself on God and leave this world now will He not take me into his presence? Yes, of course He would. 

 The current concern in  the voices of those who say they love me is touching. I have seldom felt in all my life touched in such a way. I do find such concern strangely absent in certain places I have looked for that kind of resonance in the past. 

Of all the world perhaps my wife trusts me the most. Another notion concerning whether I am betraying that trust by contemplating my own  demise arises within me. I comfort myself by telling myself that I did not choose this era. But in the very same instant I consider that arrogantly summing up my choices, which did indeed lead to this era, as God ordained, indicates the kind of hubris that even worshipers of a false god should conclude leads to self-destruction. 

So, I know better. A unique situation. A situation I believe calls for a unique response. Thoughts of uniqueness couched in an understanding that there is actually nothing new under the Sun. But not everybody recognizes the era, perhaps I do not recognize the era, and even though I am discussing the era perhaps I am unequipped (I carefully use this word with all the defference to God and know meaning of insult.) I do know better. Whatever course I'm slated to take God has equipped me for it. 

I am not awake praying and writing this now because I'm a fool. But, I am wise because he has made me wise. I find however within myself the inability to direct myself to deal judiciously with this new era. I recognize that weakness. I say I am seeking wisdom and biblical counsel. I received some input. Soon I must begin to assess and apply. 

I trust God. That will do it. That will be my sufficient response. I trust God with my continued drive. I trust him with my exit. I know enough to hope for myself the will the Lord, to pray for the will of the Lord, and as He makes it, to live it....or to die it.

Thank you Lord Jesus for the life I have lived for the promise of the life yet to come in this world and the next. Despite challenging thoughts of morbidity which can be little more than spiritual warfare, please continue to give me victory, daily, even at 6:00 a.m. when I didn't go to bed until midnight and woke up four times, even when I'm tired and it seems like my legs aren't quite working, even with blood counts that bespeak serious illness, and even with a doctor's orders. 

Lord, this era is yours. I find within myself the same weaknesses I have seen in my ability to deal with past eras. So, you're up. You the one. In this ongoing grudge match between us and your eternal enemies, I tag you in once again. I know I probably haven't done that enough and that is probably the real reason why I am here. I repent today. 

As I stand here, or rather lay, I do make this very intentional choice to let you fight this battle, and knowing some thing about your amazing power, I declare the win. I declare the win not because I trust I will get it right, but because I realize that every outcome is a win if you are the one doing the fighting. But I realize it goes beyond that because I am not even able to see the goal. 

Been there before. 

Been here before? 

Please steer.

Please plot the course.

Your car not mine. 

Your fuel not mine.

Like every other era of my life, I realize that the victory is in settling into you, in my God provided armor, as enemies Fall Away, shattering against your sword of the spirit, recklessly throwing themselves in their contrived plots against the shield of faith, failing to penetrate your protection provided by the helm of salvation and the breast plate of righteousness, I have seldom felt more girded up by the belt of Truth and I'm more empowered and called by these shoes. 

I suppose in order for the Gates of hell to not prevail against us they must come against us. That's going to look like this sometimes. These times. The gates must Fall and for them to fall, God being sovereign, will spend whatever resources He chooses if  spending is the thing that a God like our God must do. I am not certain it is. 

If it is, I am willing. But given His immeasurable resources He seems the one to decide such as well. Sovereignty is a concept ordinarily beyond human understanding. I believe now that there is a new nuance to this understanding that I am retrieving during my expedition into this era.

So be it. All Glory to king Jesus. 

P. Daniel Stevenson
Pastor New Heights Fellowship
Director Southside Life Station
419.469.0270
churchToledo.com
app: life4toledo
text INFO to 419.419.0095 for updates
text NHFBCT to 49775 to get free right now media

One Live Program banned in Russia available in our app and on our podcast platform

 Here is the link for the podcast that was banned in Russia. It was officially for copyright reasons but it could certainly be something more sinister. 

Thanks for listening, following, and sharing, especially to any of your Russian friends who will not be able to get it on Facebook. 

These podcasts are also in our app on the front page life4toledo

Also on Alexa and Siri as New Heights Fellowship Baptist Church of East Toledo but it's hard to get a specific episode that way

We also have an audio program called life for Toledo which is available everywhere and consists of short encouraging messages (90 seconds or so.)

Pastor Dan

Taking A Stand is Important, But...

video 

I love this message.

P. Dan

God is the God of Status April 24th, 2024

Many times we see in Scripture that God reverses the positions of people by His will. He makes the rich poor. He makes the poor rich. He makes the strong weak and the weak strong. He does these things in His time and for His purposes. Of course, because He is a good God, He only does these things for ultimate good even if we don't understand it. Godly men trust Him always and even realize that things are not always as they appear. He will lift you up in time no matter what you think your status currently is. He will bring the proud to their knees just the same. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess but those who do so willingly now can trust that He will wield the sword of justice perfectly. Moreover, He will deliver grace to the humble which means salvation. His arm is not short and His power is not limited. He has done it and He will do it. Eventually, He will do it once and for all. Trust the Lord. FWM continues to grow. Please tell any Christian men that they can text FWM to 419.419.0095 to be added

P. Daniel Stevenson
Pastor New Heights Fellowship
Director Southside Life Station
419.469.0270
churchToledo.com
app: life4toledo
text INFO to 419.419.0095 for updates
text NHFBCT to 49775 to get free right now media

From July 5th, 2024: ASA On Sunday

Sunday during the sermon time at New Heights we will be diving into the second sermon of our series on Asa, king of Judah. In the first segment which is available on Facebook and as an audio program on https://rss.com/podcasts/newheightstoledo/ (also on the front page of the life4toledo app and Siri or Alexa under New Heights Fellowship Baptist Church to East Toledo podcast-we talked about people getting stuck in the "pre-flight Checks," which is to say there may be a lot of people who think they are "Christian" and in the hall inside the house, when they are in fact still standing on the stoop.  The equation that says that if a person seeks the Lord, he or she will be blessed is surely true but the equation that if a person seeks the Lord, the Lord will show Himself to them is all the more important. Going after God isn't enough but receiving Him through Christ is always enough. In part two Asa actually begins to walk with the Lord (so it seems) but is there a problem? Will ASA stay the course and begin to fly level? Part three will be July 14th with Asa either landing or crashing as He supposedly continues to follow the Lord in faithfulness. Please consider joining us, bring your Bible, pen and paper, and maybe a friend as we take a look as this famous king of Judah and learn from his successes and his mistakes. #reachingwheightsjnjesus
mt30.org/lJIdvl

P. Daniel Stevenson
Pastor New Heights Fellowship
Director Southside Life Station
419.469.0270
churchToledo.com
app: life4toledo
text INFO to 419.419.0095 for updates
text NHFBCT to 49775 to get free right now media

Keys and locks of Prayer

At new Heights we have been going through the 10 keys and 10 locks of prayer from the Kendricks book that was generated surrounding the movie war room. Even though I've been through these 20 pieces previously I have really enjoyed going through them with the church. The input of passionate people in the room as we puzzle out these topics and how God uses them to glorify Himself and to support us, has been amazing. 

I reflect now on how there is almost nothing as encouraging to a pastor as when a growing believer in their congregation asks significant questions about how they can apply the lesson being taught to their own lives. 

I'm not a huge fan of bread and butter anymore. Of course I really enjoy it when the bread is homemade or substantive. However, when the bread is that sugar-packed, block-store variety, even if I enjoy the taste, all I can think about is how they take everything good out of it to pasteurize it and then add vitamins back in that are less digestible and the whole mess is packed with a bunch of useless calories delivered via sugar. For a moment, I begin to think I am living in the matrix and the bread is not real. 

The bread is a lie. (I'm not sure how many will get this reference.)

So, I'm not that big on bread and butter anymore. 

Bread and butter used to be a staple. 

So, to say this is my bread and butter used to mean, the thing is a pillar to me. The thing is essential and it makes me generally better. In my life at least, bread and butter has lost this position. But now that I've spent a couple of paragraphs on explaining what bread and butter could be, I'm pretty sure you will understand the following statement. 

Congregation members genuinely and aggressively interacting with the lesson is a pastor's bread and butter. It doesn't pay my bills but it pumps me up in a way that nothing else can. 

On days when I could give up. And I suppose that's many days...

On days when I could give up, thoughts of congregation members or even visitors being radically transformed by God's grace as they interact with lesson that God is using me to teach, sustain me. 

Do I need it? Has God not called me to continue regardless of how people respond? Why, yes indeed. He has called me to continue regardless of my own feelings. 

But He is a good god. I sense his love in the encouragement that comes from a congregation member or a visitor delving deep into the truths of God. I am reminded that God is a life changer. He is a gentle and yet mighty, a holy and just, and yet gracious, giver of good gifts 

So, what I am saying is that it occurs to me that one of the great gifts that God gives to pastors, the gift that fills up sails....is the gift of a congregation member exhibiting a desire to grow that goes beyond just showing up. 

Don't get me started talking about showing up. My feelings on that topic may be heard loud and clear in a lesson I taught entitled, Don't Stay Home.. You can listen to it on rss.com or on Alexa or Siri but neither of them are very good at finding a specific episode from our audio program which is about 250 episodes long. The easiest way to find it would probably be in a life4Toledo app or maybe by searching it on Google. 

To share a synopsis here would make this blog even longer. Or, would it?

Thank you Jesus. 

P. Daniel Stevenson
Pastor New Heights Fellowship
Director Southside Life Station
419.469.0270
churchToledo.com
app: life4toledo
text INFO to 419.419.0095 for updates
text NHFBCT to 49775 to get free right now media

Treating Others Accordingly

 1 Peter 3:7 NASB1995

[7] You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

https://bible.com/bible/100/1pe.3.7.NASB1995

This verse has obvious implications for married men of God but there are also  less obvious and equally important implications for all men of God. I imagine these go far beyond what I might list. But, here are a couple  that come to mind in general. Christian men are called to be discerning, treating someone "weaker" with  understanding. This runs contrary to present human thinking as the weak get assigned systems to help them and are largely put aside by the strong. Note: It does not mean that women are weaker inherently, God makes it clear by his choice of words in Genesis that actually women are equal or stronger helpmates as God himself is (the same word for helpmates being used elsewhere referring to God)  Additionally, this verse implies that how we treat the weaker among us, reflects on our character and concern for the things of God. While the command is expressly that a man also respect and serve.his wife as commanded, the extension is that a man may interfere with his own prayer life by his choice of conduct. Yes, saved by grace and remaining saved the same way, all things being now permissable, man must rightly avoid damaging his relationship with God through disrespecting others. God cherishes them as well, they are made in His image as well, Christ in us yearns for their blessing and more. 

Underdog

Underdog

There is an underdog, he fights for what he believes in, he has continued to stand up against a system he sees as unfair, he will never change, resisting to the very end against what he sees as an oppressive overlord even until he is finally caught and will spend the remainder of his life in torment but will never yield before then despite the obvious fact that he cannot win. 

Sounds good, right? It sounds like the kind of tenacity that humans value. In fact, in some lesser way many would choose to emulate him, wouldn't they? Might they be inspired to rebel against perceived injustice? Might they be inspired to stand for their beliefs and to do so against all odds based on this account alone? Is he not courageous according to this account? 

The devil is an underdog, he fights for what he believes in (his rights to kill, steal, and destroy, his rights to rule and the tainted, wicked worship of the human race towards the false God's he ordains), he has continued to stand up against a system he sees as unfair (humans being  allowed access to God and the good things of life, a system that places him below God's human creation man), he will never change (He will be evil always and the father of lies), resisting to the very end against what he sees as an opressive overlord (God who is love) even until Satan is finally once and for all put down and will spend the remainder of his life in torment but will never yield before then, devouring as many as he can, luring humans into his traps and all this despite the obvious fact that he cannot win. 

I am an underdog. Amongst the human race, and faced with opposition like demons and the world's system. I stand up for my beliefs and I stand up against a system warped by Satan's hatred of God and people's confused emulation of him. I will never change. I have been regenerated by the God of heaven and His Holy Spirit and if I change at all, it will be to be more like Jesus. I will resist even unto my death the tactics of Satan and my true enemies. This I will do knowing that if Jesus does not come again before my time, I will die for my Lord but I will not spend eternity in torment rather I will spend it with God in the place he is preparing for me. This I will do knowing despite any losses I may take, I cannot lose!

Keep Your Word

It is possible to just keep your word. You can do what you said you would do. If what you are considering promising to do is limited by what somebody else does or by circumstances then either don't promise or be very clear that keeping your promise will be dependent upon what someone else does or other circumstances. God's design for a man is that when we say we will do something we will do it. A promise not kept is a lie. However, not making any promises is not healthy either. Jesus was saying don't add anything to your promises to make people believe that you're going to do what you say. Just keep your word. Sometimes it may cost you a lot because you didn't foresee a sticking point. But your word is worth it. Be God's man and let your yes be yes and your no be no, don't add to it to try to get people to believe you, and then live a life that is strong evidence that you will always keep your word. Be determined, be trustworthy, and most important of all, be found faithful. #reachingnewheightsinjesus

P. Daniel Stevenson
Pastor New Heights Fellowship
Director Southside Life Station
419.469.0270
churchToledo.com
app: life4toledo
text INFO to 419.419.0095 for updates
text NHFBCT to 49775 to get free right now media

God Sets the Standard of Righteousness

Wickedness and righteousness are decided by God. True righteousness comes through Jesus Christ. But here the Psalmist was saying if we are righteous we have reason to celebrate. So, when you catch yourself doing right be reminded how awesome God our creator is. He made you awesome. You can do right when all the world is choosing to do wrong. Then, you can celebrate just how awesome he made you even if trials arise out of your intentionally making the right choice. As God's men, let's let God set the standard of righteousness and then live accordingly. We will then have great reasons to celebrate. Suggest other men text FWM to 419.419.0095 to receive ongoing encouraging texts for Christian men or simply forward them this text. #reachingnewheightsinjesus

P. Daniel Stevenson
Pastor New Heights Fellowship
Director Southside Life Station
419.469.0270
churchToledo.com
app: life4toledo
text INFO to 419.419.0095 for updates
text NHFBCT to 49775 to get free right now media

Blessed as God's Man

God's men are blessed. When you see the old testament word "blessed" it is tied to God speaking good things about or of the thing that is said to be blessed . Can you imagine that God would speak good of us? And when He does so, good things happen of course. So, let us be God's men, fearing the Lord and delighting in His commandments. He's got power, so much power that only a fool who deceives himself would not fear (respect) Him. His commands are not only backed up by His power but they are what's best AND they are aimed at taking us to somewhere wonderful He has planned. The fact is, we  cannot get to that wonderful destination He had planned for us by any other means. What difference should it make them, if His commands take us through somewhere difficult since He will be with us and see us through to the other side? Texting FWM to 419.419.0095 will sign any man up for this service.

P. Daniel Stevenson
Pastor New Heights Fellowship
Director Southside Life Station
419.469.0270
churchToledo.com
app: life4toledo
text INFO to 419.419.0095 for updates
text NHFBCT to 49775 to get free right now media

Choosing what you stand for

Some will be crucifying and some will be casting lots for the goods. Both are betrayers. One is doing their perceived duty and the other is reaping benefits of the wickedness that is going on in the world during their day. They couldn't stop Jesus from being crucified but they didn't have to benefit in worldly goods by his suffering either. Sometimes we'd be better off vexed. Stand up for what's right but when there is nothing that you can do it's okay to just be angry and sad and call out to God. Seems like it would always be better if we don't benefit by the side-effects of wickedness. There are plenty of ways to do an honest, hard Day's work or to exercise your creativity to get ahead in the world without competing for the trappings of wickedness. #reachingnewheightsinjesus by

P. Daniel Stevenson
Pastor New Heights Fellowship
Director Southside Life Station
419.469.0270
churchToledo.com
app: life4toledo
text INFO to 419.419.0095 for updates
text NHFBCT to 49775 to get free right now media