Feb
06.
God in the Muck
Category: Encouragement
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Discouragement, confusion, loneliness, frustration, anger and the like are all attitudes and emotions that we have all experienced in our walk with God. When one or more of these feelings overtake us, we describe the way we feel by saying, “I am down in the muck”. I don’t know if you have ever heard that term used before, but growing up in the south introduces you to all kinds of strange sayings to describe many of life’s circumstances.
Muck is a dark, moist, filthy soil which is what most people call mud. So when someone uses the term “down in the muck”, they are describing a very undesirable place.
I have noticed in the scripture that God’s people have a way of getting themselves mired down in muck. David got neck deep in muck when he committed adultery and murder, Peter stepped into it when he denied the Lord, Mary felt stuck in muck when she got an unexpected visit from an angel of the Lord that altered her entire life plan, Paul wallowed in the muck on several occasions as he had to face many difficult hardships and trials. Yes, God’s people have found themselves from time to time buried in muck.
I know there have been times in my own life where I have felt stuck and bogged down life’s muck. I’m sure you can relate to what I am saying. Everyone experiences the muck of life and no one likes it. But muck is inevitable from time to time. Whether we bring it on ourselves or it is no fault of our own, muck seems to find us all. Are you down in the muck today? Do you feel trapped by a dark, thick trial? If so, I have some good news for you! All we have to do is visit the scriptures to see that all throughout history God’s people have gotten their foot caught or completely fallen into the muck. You may say, “Paul, that’s not encouraging!” Let me finish my thought. If you are in the muck today, you are not alone and you are not abandoned because God makes it clear in scripture.

Psalms 40:2 says, “He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.

You can know with certainty today that, just as God rescued you before; He will rescue you again. God will not leave you trapped in muck. I encourage you today to look up! Look up and see His Hand reaching out to you. Reach out and take hold of His power to save and deliver. God loves you! You are His child and He is your deliverer. Call out to the Lord and see His mighty Hand reach down and rescue you today! God will lift you out, clean you up, and place your feet on solid footing.

-PK

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Sep
05.
Stay In The Race
Category: Podcast
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Have you failed lately? Have you missed the mark of excellence? Have you felt like quitting? Then remember this, you are not alone. There have been many before you that have missed the mark. God never turned His back on them and He will never give up on you.

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Jul
20.
Remain Faithful in Tough Times
Category: Encouragement
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Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.
NLT

Many people assume that they will not be happy and content until their circumstances change – until their spouse changes, or until they get a better job, or until they move into a bigger house, or until they are in a different location, or until they find their life mate, or until they get rid of all their problems.

Don’t make that mistake. One of the biggest secrets in our walk with God is learning to enjoy our life where we are. You may indeed have some major obstacles facing you right now, but being discouraged isn’t going to make anything better and it won’t make the problem disappear. Know that God is watching over your life. He’s directing your steps (if you are allowing Him to), and He will take you exactly where He wants you to go.

The apostle Paul said it best, “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little.  I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need” (see Phil 4:11-14).

He was saying, “I’ve made a decision that I will live happy and content.” Now content doesn’t mean that we don’t want to see and experience change. We aren’t called to sit in neutral in our walk with God and just accept everything that life brings our way. I like the way the Amplified Bible states Philippians 4:11: “Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am.” That is the secret. That is the Key! You don’t have to get upset because your circumstances are not exactly what you want them to be. It’s important to remember that God will not allow difficulty to come into your life, unless He has a purpose for it. You may not understand God’s purpose right now, but that’s okay. God seldom does things the way we expect Him to and He seldom responds to our prayers in the manner we want Him to. If you’ll keep a right attitude and grow in faith, God has promised that He will see you through and will bless you as a result.

We all go through dry seasons in life, times when we don’t feel or see anything happening. Maybe you have been calling out to God in prayers but your prayers aren’t being answered. Maybe you’re tithing but seeing no return or treating people with kindness, but nobody is going out of their way to help you.

Is God a liar? Is His Word not true?

No, these dry seasons are proving grounds. God wants to grow you. What kind of attitude will you have when you are trying to do the right thing, but the wrong thing keeps happening to you?

Remember, it’s during these times that God is preparing you for greater things. When you go through a dry season, a long period of time you don’t see anything good happening, just stay faithful; keep a good attitude and do what you know is the right thing to do. God is preparing you for greater things.

 

-PK

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Jul
18.
Dream Bigger, Reach Higher
Category: Podcast
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Sometimes we all get stuck in a rut. God never intended us to reach one level in life and stay there for the next 30 or 40 years. God has new things for you! Paul encourages you to step out with new faith to Reach Higher and Dream Bigger.

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Jul
07.
Failure Isn’t Final
Category: Encouragement
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Failure is a universal problem we all experience. No one likes to fail but we all do. No one is sinless and perfect except Jesus. I have met many people, throughout my years of ministry who have failed and seem to be stuck in life. They feel condemned and guilty because of their failure and now they are paralyzed, unable to move forward because they are stuck in life.

If that’s you, can I tell you something? You’re not alone! As a matter of fact, you are in good company. The Bible reveals we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Yet, even though we fail, God still chooses to use us for His purposes. King David is a great example of a person who failed God greatly, yet God still used Him to do big things. You may remember David had an affair with a woman and had her husband murdered. David was stricken with guilt and failure. He wouldn’t eat; he was in deep despair. But let us take a moment and look at the outcome of David’s story. God restored David and used him to rule Israel as the greatest King they ever had.

What was the key to David’s success? REPENTANCE! David fasted, prayed sincerely, turned from his sin and asked God to forgive him. The scriptures say God heard David’s heartfelt repentance and forgave him completely. Proverbs 24:16 says a righteous person may fall seven times, but he will get back up again. God says in Isaiah that even though our sins may be like scarlet, He will make them as white as snow. Psalm 103:12 says that as far as the east is from the west so are our sins removed.

Do you get the point?! If God forgives, forgets, and moves forward in life, shouldn’t we? The point is God wants to help you get back up again when you fail. A lot of people want to hide from God when they make mistakes like Adam and Eve did in the garden. Notice Jesus left the ninety-nine sheep to pursue the lost one. Once he was found, He carried him back on His shoulders saying, “Rejoice with Me, for I have found My sheep which was lost!” (Luke 15:3-7). This tells me that our God is a good, merciful God. He can’t wait to lift you up on His shoulders!

How about you today? Is there something in your life today you can’t get past? Why don’t you allow God to make today your day of freedom? If God forgave David of his great sins, don’t you think He will forgive you of your sins too? If God can use David, Peter, Moses, or me, He can use you too!

Don’t let a moment of weakness become a lifetime of guilt and failure. Rise up and be the person of destiny God created you to be! We are not defined by our mistakes; we are defined by Almighty God. It’s only when we stay in guilt and shame that we allow our mistakes to define us. You may stumble and fall, but when your hope is in God, when you receive His love and grace, you will mount up on wings like eagles and soar. That’s a promise!

-PK

 

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 Feb 
 08.
 Handfuls on Purpose 
 Category: Podcast 
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God has a pre-arranged, pre-ordained plan for your life. In this message Paul reveals how God has already placed everything you require in life to fulfill His divine purpose for you. Taking Ruth as an example, it becomes clear that God has placed Handfuls on Purpose for you.
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 Mar 
 09.
 Never Lose Your Hope 
 Category: Podcast 
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Hope is a precious commodity. It fuels our drive. It gives us the courage to continue through any struggle.  In this message you will find encouragement necessary to continue pressing forward and trusting God for the victories He has for you.
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 Feb 
 22.
 Faith Matured 
 Category: Faith 
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There are three levels of faith in the Christian experience. The first is being able to believe only when we see some sign or have some strong emotion. Like Gideon, we feel the need to fleece God and are willing to trust God if it our fleece is wet. This may be faith but it is imperfect. This imperfect or immature and undeveloped faith has us continually looking to feelings or some other sign instead of the Word of God. We have taken a great step towards maturity when we trust God without relying on our feelings. It is more of a blessing when we love without experiencing any emotion. While the first level of faith believes when our emotions are favorable, the second believes when all feelings are absent. And the third level transcends the other two, for it is faith that believes God and His Word when circumstances, emotions, appearances, people, and human reasoning all seem to urge something contrary. Paul exerted this level of faith when he said, ‘When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved’ (Acts 27:20), then nevertheless went on to say, ‘Keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as He told me’ Acts 27:25). May God grant us faith to completely trust His Word, even when every other sign points the other way.”
 - P.K.
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