Today is Halloween and it amazes me how the celebration of this day seems to be increasing in popularity.  You would assume that people like scary things.  But in real life, fear isn’t very fun.  1 John 4:18 says fear involves torment. Rather than being a laughing matter, fear can bring a lot of bad stuff into your life.  
 
The British writer, Thomas Carlyle, lived in a house he had built in the top story of a vault-like chamber where he was shut off from the noise of the street below.  Being a writer, he longed for silence so he could concentrate on his work.  And for the most part, he was successful in shutting out all noise from the outside world.

But it just so happened that next door there was a rooster whose shrill crowing could be heard throughout the neighborhood, and even penetrated the sound-proof walls of Carlyle’s home.  Carlyle became increasingly annoyed by the crowing of this rooster, and he complained to his neighbor.  But the neighbor explained that his rooster crowed only three times a day.  Carlyle responded, “Yes, but if you only knew what I suffered waiting for that rooster to
crow!”
 
Sometimes we are tormented just by the thought of what could be.  We live in torment just waiting for the rooster to crow, or the bad news to arrive, or the disease to come, or the tragedy to strike.  The result is bondage (Hebrews 2:15).  Many people today are living like slave in a prison of fear.
 
But 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “God has not given us a spirit of fear.” Tormenting fear that enslaves doesn’t come from God.  It originates in Satan himself.  Romans 8:15 says that God did not give us the, “the spirit of bondage again to fear.”  God has given to us the Spirit of adoption that bears witness with our spirits that we are indeed the children of God!  And 2 Cor. 3:17 adds, “And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
  
There is nothing in the Bible that suggests God wants you to go through life tormented by fear.  So call on Him.  He will hear you and deliver you from all your fears! (Psalm 34:4) 
 
Pastor Todd Weston

In the world of investing, determining a person’s risk tolerance is a starting point in establishing an investment portfolio.  A person with high risk tolerance is willing to take some chances for the possibility of earning a higher rate of return.  On the other hand, a risk-averse investor will usually go the safe and secure route even though it means a lower rate.

So, if you were to take a risk quiz how would you score?  I think Esther would have scored low.  You can read her story in the OT book by the same name.  When presented with the opportunity to do something truly great, Esther almost backed out because of the risk involved.  But in the end, Esther made good and her name has gone down in history as one of the truly great women of the Bible.

What great opportunity has God placed before you?  Don’t be like the man with one talent who failed, not for lack of opportunity or ability, but for lack of courage.  He said to his master in Matthew 25:25, “I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground.”

In the words of the Dodge commercial, “grab life by the horns!”  Boldly walk through the open door God has placed before you (Rev. 3:8), and place your trust in the Lord who, “always causes us to triumph in Christ” (2 Cor. 2:14).

Pastor Todd Weston

David was one of the tough guys of the Bible. Anyone whose resume’ includes killing lions, bears, and a giant isn’t just another guy.  Obviously, David was an extraordinary person.  And He was something of an enigma.  He was a strange combination of poet, musician, and warrior. He played a harp and swung a sword.
 
In 1 Samuel 30 David was in trouble.  While David and his men were away on a mission, their city was raided by a renegade band of Amalekites.  David and his men returned to find everything gone and the city burned to the ground.  The loss was devastating.  The Bible says David’s men sat down and wept until they could weep no more. 
That’s when the anger set in, and David was the nearest  target.
 
Grieving his own personal loss, and with a rising discontent in the air, David did the best thing he could do – he encouraged himself in the Lord his God (v6).  It’s not like David could sit down and talk things over with one of his friends. They all wanted to stone him.  So David got alone with God and received the strength he needed to make
an amazing comeback.
 
When life comes crashing down around you, that’s when you have to get alone with God and find strength.  When your courage is running low, get alone with God and encourage yourself in the Lord.  Tune out the other voices and listen to what God is saying (v8), and then do what He says to do (v9).  
  
The story ends with David recovering everything the enemy had stolen (v19).  What has the enemy taken from you?  Has he stolen your first love for Jesus?  Your boldness as a believer?  Your children?  Your peace of mind?  Your hopes and dreams for the future?  Take heart. This story reminds us that God restores stolen property.
 
So encourage yourself in the Lord, even when all seems lost.  God is able to turn situations around for our good and His glory!    
 
Pastor Todd

Courageous is the new buzz word in the church.  The movie Courageous is proving to be a huge success at the box office.  Last Sunday we launched a new series on the subject of courage with a message on the life of Joshua and how we can be courageous Christians.
 
Courage is a big deal in the Christian life.  Courage is the first and greatest element of Christian character.  As Clara Booth Luce observed, “Courage is the ladder on which all the other virtues mount.”  Merely knowing what is right, honest, and true isn’t enough. Courage enables a person to act on those things.
 
Last Sunday we saw how courage enabled Joshua to embrace God’s calling on his life and lead Israel in the conquest of Canaan. In a few weeks we will see how courage enabled David to bounce back from a devastating defeat.  We will also talk about Esther who risked it all to save her people.  Finally, we will learn from Peter how to make a comeback after a meltdown.
 
Someone once said, “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”  Don’t let fear make you its prisoner, a hostage living a shriveled up version of the life God planned for you.  Be a person of faith, for faith is the antithesis of fear. Make it your goal to be a courageous Christian, and live life large to the glory of God!
 
Pastor Todd

It was a set-up if ever there was one!  Everything about the account of the woman caught in the act of adultery
smacks of a trap set by the enemies of Jesus to ensnare Him in a doctrinal conundrum.  The scribes and Pharisees tried to back Jesus into a theological corner by seeking to pit Him against the Law of Moses (which He Himself authored!)  
  
Instead of being trapped, Jesus turned the tables on the woman’s accusers by saying, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”  I would love to have been there to watch as one by one, beginning with the oldest to the youngest, the accusers let the stones fall to the ground and walked away in silent conviction.
 
A gang of sinful men condemned the woman.  The only person there who was without sin refused to condemn her.  Instead, He chose to forgive!  “Neither do I condemn you,” was a statement of mercy.  “Go and sin no more,” was a statement of grace. Whatever the Lord commands us to do, He enables us to perform.  Enabling grace was made available to the woman that day to walk away from the encounter not only forgiven, but empowered to live a new life.
 
Satan is the “accuser of the brethren” who levels accusations against us night and day before the throne of heaven (Rev. 12:10). But Jesus is our faithful High Priest who intercedes for us (Hebrews 7:25).  His desire is to save, not condemn (John 3:17).  In mercy He chooses to forgive, not condemn.  “Neither do I condemn you.”  In grace He enables us to walk away from the past and live in newness of life.  “Go and sin no more.”

Pastor Todd Weston