Zion Assembly Church Of God

Think 10/16 Study to show thyself approved! 2 Timothy 2:15 In my readings this week, I came across a very provoking quote by V. Raymond Edman which states: Ours is an undisciplined age. The old disciplines are breaking downAbove all, the disciplines of divine grace is derided as legalism or is entirely unknown to a generation that is largely illiterate in the Scriptures. We need the rugged strength of Christian character that can come only from discipline....Continue reading

Think What’s God got to do with it? Jeremiah 1:5 Our entire life from the day we are born till the day we die, God is involved. In fact even before we were born he was involved with you. Jeremiah 1:5 states: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. ... Or how about Luke 12:7 where we recall the word which says, Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. So if God knows us so well, why is it so difficult to let him into our lives when the truth is He desires to be with us every step of the way- good or bad! And if we believe that fact that our God is all knowing, why wouldn’t we not invite him into every aspect of our lives? As with Joseph, God was part of the process, in fact God has planned it all out. Question Why, would God allow Joseph to go through all that he went through? So that God would be honored by Jospesh’s life. You see from the very beginning God was involved in Joseph’s life (just as he is with ours). As with Joseph~ His placement in the Patriarchal birth order was part of God’s plan The existence of an evil slave trade at the time was part of God’s plan Joseph’s extraordinary administrative gifting was part of God’s plan Potiphar’s unjust judgment of Joseph was part of God’s plan Joseph’s favor with the prison warden was part of God’s plan The miraculous amount of immediate trust that Pharaoh placed in Joseph’s interpretation and counsel was part of God’s plan! It was all part of God’s plan! You see God is always intentional in his proportionality. There are crucial things God wants us to see. And if we were intentional about looking deeper into Joseph’s life we would see that God is in the details of those that he loves. In fact, its actually haunting when you really think about it. Everything that happens to you and I is for a reason.either by our obedience or dia-obedience, GOD HAS A PLAN ALL DETAILED OUT. But unfortunately too often we miss out on God’s favor, God’s plan, God’s will, God’s blessing, God’s protection and God’s love, Why, because we think WHAT’S GOD GOT TO DO WITH IT..! I say ..... EVERYTHING! In fact God already knows who will be on the prayer line this very morning.... So why not join me tomorrow morning for prayer 6:30am-7:00am- Prayer-line number to dial in (712) 770-4005 Code is 966327# Once you dial in, please ensure that you "MUTE" your Phone. Love Pastor

Think What’s God have to do with it? Jeremiah 1:5 Our entire life from the day we are born till the day we die, God is involved. In fact even before we were born he was involved with you. Jeremiah 1:5 states: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. ... Or how about Luke 12:7 where we recall the word which says, Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. So if God knows us so well, why is it so difficult to let him into our lives when the truth is He desires to be with us every step of the way- good or bad! And if we believe that fact, that our God is all knowing, why wouldn’t we not invite him into every aspect of our lives? As with Joseph, God was part of the process, if fact he planned it all out. Question Why, would he allow Joseph to go through all that he went through.... so that God would be honored by Jospesh’s life. You see from the very beginning God was involved in Joseph’s life (like ours). His placement in the Patriarchal birth order was part of God’s plan The existence of an evil slave trade at the time was part of God’s plan Joseph’s extraordinary administrative gifting was part of God’s plan Potiphar’s unjust judgment of Joseph was part of God’s plan Joseph’s favor with the prison warden was part of God’s plan The miraculous amount of immediate trust that Pharaoh placed in Joseph’s interpretation and counsel was part of God’s plan! It was all part of God’s plan! You see God is always intentional in his proportionality. There are crucial things God wants us to see. And if we were intentional about looking deeper into Joseph’s life we would see that God is in the details of those that he loves. If fact, its actually haunting when you really think about it. Everything that happens to you and I is for a reason GOD HAS A PLAN! But unfortunately too often we miss out on God’s favor, God’s plan, God’s will, God’s blessing, God’s protection and God’s love, Why, because we think WHAT’S GOD GOT TO DO WITH IT.. "I say .....EVERYTHING! In fact God already knows who will be on the prayer line tomorrow morning.... So why not join me tomorrow morning for prayer 6:30am-7:00am- Prayer-line number to dial in (712) 770-4005 Code is 966327# Once you dial in, please ensure that you "MUTE" your Phone. Love Pastor

Think Don’t just..... tell me..! Matthew 5:37 In the past 5 years I have come across many business individuals. Some I admire and many I find myself at a great loss for words.... Here is what I mean by a loss for words. The majority of our generation, the millennials, has become afflicted with Commitment Aversion. That is, no one wants to commit to anything anymore because we live in a society that is afraid of what they might miss out on if they do, yet desire respect as one who is committed. With each passing year we are seeing more and more a generation which is becoming a school of complacency and meritocracy while standing on a platform of entitlement. And it’s favorite answers to questions about one’s availability now are Maybe, I’ll see, I might, I don’t know, It depends, I’ll let you know later. Let’s be clear as mud, as believers you and I are even more accountable in keeping our word, sharing the word of God, paying our tithes, gathering for prayer, reading our bibles and serving regardless of our limited time or circumstances Our word must never be in question but honored and revered and as Jesus amplified in Matthew 5:37, saying whatever you do, you must keep your OATH! Yes, Jesus was clear, Don’t just .............tell me! Quote: Don't JustDon't just learn, experience.Don't just read, absorb.Don't just change, transform.Don't just relate, advocate.Don't just promise, prove.Don't just criticize, encourage.Don't just think, ponder.Don't just take, give.Don't just see, feel.Don’t just dream, do.Don't just hear, listen.Don't just talk, act.Don't just tell, show.Don't just exist, live. Roy T. Bennett, Join me tomorrow morning for prayer 6:30am-7:00am- Prayer-line number to dial in (712) 770-4005 Code is 966327# Once you dial in, please ensure that you "MUTE" your Phone. Love Pastor

THE BUCKET MAKER 10/4 Poem I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence:Two roads diverged in a wood, and II took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference.... Robert Frost’s I gravitate towards this poem because it reminds me that each of us at one point of our life, we will come to a fork in the road and like it or not, we must make a choice in which direction we will travel. By the way, not making a choice is actually making a choice (to do nothing). As I was making a bucket this week for an order that was placed (Cars-by Walt Dinesy) by a customer, I began to think about my travels in life. The choices I have made, past, present and those that if God permits, I will make in the future. Some good and some not so good, however each road we travel teaches us something more about ourselves if we allow them to. Too often we have taken the easy route because we broke and listened to the noise of society telling us it was not possible, that it was not practical, that it was not feasible and so we choose the easy route, the road of moral ambiguity, meritocracy, conformity, or the infamous road to compliancy. All which never take us anywhere but in circles. And we wake up one day in our life and we say, where did all this travelling take me, but to nowhere! What am saying, I am saying that though it is difficult at times or seemingly impossible, you and I must choose the road less travelled in order to get where God desires you and I to go. And in that travel, you will start to become the person God desires you to be. Not independent of him, but dependent upon him. For you see, what I have learned is that fork in the road is not about me being the most popular, the most successful (what is success anyways but a word), the most famous, or the richest but the person that God most wants you me to be- you. 5 years ago I was a General Manager of a large hotel chain, today I am a bucket maker, yes, I make no qualms about it, I make buckets for a living and this road (less travelled) I have choose to travel has brought me to this great place. And each and every time I make an I CAN BUCKET, I think to myself, thank you God for whispering in my ear that one day and you said take the ROAD LESS TRAVELED for in it you will find me and then you will find you and it will make all the difference (Jeremiah 29:13)! And it was there I began to say I CAN! If you ever need someone to travel with, message me, I’d love to hear about your travels God bless you... The bucket maker. jc~ Phil 4:13

Think Sunday -10/4 NO PAIN NO GAINWHAT? Psalm 34:18... Do you ever wonder why God allows suffering? Personally, I am not a fan of the whole concept, but I am starting to understand why it is important. At times for me and I am sure for you, our flesh wants to lash out in anger when I experience pain, but through the holy spirit, it calls our hearts to dig deeper. And though difficult to swallow and understand, there is a lot of suffering in the Bible. Jesus is the biggest example. He suffered the greatest. And God wants us to be like Jesus. Yikes! Although I am still processing what this looks like in everyday life, I can clearly see the overall idea: Life isn’t always easy, and God meant it that way. WHY because ...NO PAIN... NO GAIN! It is my hope that you join me this morning by finding a quite place and grabbing your bible, a cup of coffee, tea or coco and calling into the conference line at 10am. Topic : Pain! Time 10-11am Phone Number - (848) 777-1212 Code is 7202020# Once you dial in, please ensure that you "MUTE" your Phone. Love and prayers * If you have a prayer request -text it to me before the call so I can bring it up in prayer during the call!

Think 10/3 Romans 8:28 How’s that working out for you ? The other day as I was in the warehouse I received a call from a vendor who I had not spoken to for 3 years. His question posed to me so how’s business, how’s that working out for you? Are you still at it..... As I was sharing with him God’s sovereignty over my life I added that not all things are good such as this pandemic or the unpredictable market .. but they do produce either one of two things a quitting spirit or a tenaciousness one. I choose to be tenacious because nothing ever is easy. The Bible states that All Things Work Together for good.... now if your not rooted in the word of God you can misinterpret that scripture because not all things are good that happen to us and if you are NOT stable in your walk with God truly you or I will fall. One of the most valuable things that I have found or have learned regarding to your Christian life is how to handle the trials that without a shout of a doubt will come your way. In reading this week the Bible I came across that thought on how Jesus explained that there are some who receive the word with joy, but their faith is only temporary. When affliction, trials or pressures of life hits , immediately those who are not rooted in their relationship with Christ fall away as found in Matthew 13: 20-210. Why, because they didn’t expect affliction or understand how to handle it. So many and I mean many have signed up for only success, not suffering. They wanted prosperity, not problems. So they fell away when the trials hit. It is especially in times of suffering, hardships, doubt and fear that Satan, whom Peter describes as a roaring lion, seeks to devour you (1 Peter 5:8). Therefore it is critical or as the word used today, it is essential for your spiritual survival that you know and apply what the Bible teaches about trials. Which brings me to Romans 8:28 after speaking to the vendor. a most powerful scripture for my life at this present time of history.. So how’s that working for you. your walk with Jesus today? It's not all that good or is it? Have a prayer request Message with me at [email protected] Love Pastor

Think 9/30 Would Jesus describe you as a STILL BELIEVER? Psalm 46:10... In a world where noise is the norm, from pandemic to layoffs to protests, racism and blogs of he said, she said, I’m right, you’re wrong there is never a silent moment. In fact, often we are guilty in adding to the noise. The scripture found in Psalm 46:10 states clearly: Be still' which means to stop striving, stop fighting, stop talking , blogging relax. It also means to put your hands down. The analogy of the proverbial, family road trip. You know the one, with the kids in the back seat saying, Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? The answer, of course, is Be still or hush! How often do we ask God for everything, or tell him, why me, why haven’t you answered, how long will you wait, are we there yet????? But we never to STOP to listen or to be still? The act of being still and getting quiet becomes more of a challenge in our hectic world. The world asks us to be busy. God asks us to be still so that we can receive love, peace and guidance. Along with busyness comes the fearful and anxious thoughts we hold onto. It’s been stated that we have upwards of 50,000 thoughts a day and not all those thoughts are always positive or productive but on the contrary, harmful and don’t add much to our life. We must learn to tell our fearful and anxious thoughts to shut up, just as Jesus calmed the sea. Jesus immediately asked the question to his disciples, Why are you so afraid? Have you so little faith? Quieting the mind, shutting up the mind requires practice. It's no wonder this generation can't sit still- we have taught them that doing stuff helps one relax .... wrong !!!! One powerful way to shut up thoughts that don’t serve us is by our prayer life- to stop - to meditate on God’s word and not practice the patterns of this world. Hoping that by staying busy we will come to some peace of mind, but that is not what God says to do. He says for once. just BE STILL! Do you have a moment to BE STILL? Join me tomorrow morning for prayer 6:30am-7:00am- Prayer-line number to dial in (712) 770-4005 Code is 966327# Once you dial in, please ensure that you "MUTE" your Phone. Love Pastor

Think Sunday 9/27 God bless each of you this morning! I pray this message finds each of you well and in anticipation of studying the word of God with me online today.... We will "not" be gathering physically at the warehouse this day however will we be gathering on the phone line. Our Bible study topic today is: How God Tests our Faith! Testing- Testing -one - two- three (repeat)... Matthew 9:29 The Bible says in Matt. 9:29, According to your faith it will be done unto you." We tend to get what we expect out of life... We tend to see what we expect to see.... We tend to hear what we expect to hear..... We tend to feel the way we expect to feel.... We tend to accomplish what we expect to accomplish..... That’s the law of faith. According to your faith it will be done unto you. Question-If Jesus were to ask you on a scale of 1-10 where is your faith, what number would you give him ? It is my hope that you join me this morning by finding a quite place and grabbing your bible, a cup of coffee, tea or coco and calling into the conference line at 10am. Topic: The test of Faith Time 10-11am Phone Number - (848) 777-1212 Code is 7202020# Once you dial in, please ensure that you "MUTE" your Phone. Love and prayers * If you have a prayer request -text it to me before the call so I can bring it up in prayer during the call!

Think 9/26 Carpe Diem ! Ephesians 5:16... As I was driving to work other day I noticed a the bumper sticker on the car in front of me which read the slogan Carpe Diem! The Origin of Carpe Diem is a Latin phrase, which literally means "pluck the day, not seize the day as so many have been learned The correct definition comes from a Roman poet Horace who express the idea that we should enjoy life while we can~ yes even in a pandemic! To the Christian, time has a moral significance and a spiritual meaning, therefore it is critical that we think of how we are using our time. And that time 24 hours in a day is entrusted to us. To think about each day and what are we doing with it? Are we frittering it away, letting it slip through our fingers, and squandering it away. Or are we treasuring it, using it to maximum advantage, filling every minute with 60 seconds’ worth of meditation and service to God? The Apostle Paul counsels us to redeem the time (Ephesians 5:16). Time cannot be relived; it can only be redeemed. Let us not forget that time is not guaranteed to us but given to us by his mercy, love and his grace therefore we must treat time as a trust. Prayer: Dear God help me to live each day on purpose with purpose and for your purpose. Then and only then will I redeem my time! Quote: Every day is as important as all the other days, because if you take out even one day from your life, you disappear! M. ildan If you need prayer ~ I am here to pray with you and for you ! Love Pastor

Think 9/12 Just a single cord is enough to be tangled ~M Khan Galatians 5:1 /Galatians 3... Did you know that 800 people each year die from being tangled in their bed sheets? How is that possible, who and why.? It does not make sense. But it is true 800 die each year in tagged sheets! Yesterday at work as the seamstress was sewing one of the pockets on the fabric I noticed that they were spending more time on one piece of fabric than usual. When I asked to help they were reluctant but I insisted seeing that they had been losing valuable time on that one itemremembering time is money. When I began to look at the fabric, where the pocket was sewn there was an unsurmountable amount of thread meshed in the area, as if that area had been sewn not just one time with a single stich but 50 times in the exact same place. Unsellable of course was the product, so I began to unstitch the area one thread at a time so as not to destroy the fabric but to salvage it. As I was unthreading the fabric, quickly the scripture in Galatians 5:1 came to mind where Paul reminds the Galatians how they were set free and not to get tangled up again in slavery! I believe many times we look at the lives around us including our very own and begin to think.how in the world did they or yes, I get so taggled up in what was to be a single stitch. Whybecause I like many start to believe in ourselves. In our own Salvation! Quicksand it is, a place not to go as a believer because were not supposed to believe in ourselves? One can ask, isn’t that healthy? To believe in ones self ? No, absolutely not. Mixing faith in Jesus with faith in yourself will get you tangled up. You get snarled every time. Are you tangled up in a thought or situation today- if you are - hand the fabric of your life over to God, he will salvage the mess! Don’t become part of the 800! Join me this morning for prayer 6:30am-7:00am- Prayer-line number to dial in (712) 770-4005 Code is 966327# Once you dial in, please ensure that you "MUTE" your Phone. Love Pastor

Think 9/5 Authenticity is a list art! 1 John 2:7-14... Quote: To be authentic, we must cultivate the courage to be imperfect and vulnerable. We have to believe that we are fundamentally worthy of love and acceptance, just as we are. I’ve learned that there is no better way to invite more grace, gratitude and joy into our lives than by mindfully practicing authenticity. Brene Brown In the last couple of months God has helped me to understand that authenticity has a high price! Some choose imitation because it’s quicker to obtain, easier to get a hold of and for many the naked eye is unable to determine what is genuine or fake. This year has been a difficult for all of us to say the least. It is becoming more apparent that one can no longer hide ones true self behind a secure job, social gatherings, gyms to make us look healthier, homes to make us think we’ve arrived and product to make us look prettier, so we thought! But in a nut shell society is being stripped of what we considered to be our real worth, our true self or as they say our WHY! There is a thought today that the PANDEMIC happened to us or for us? Has it helped us to realized who we really are- and what has licensed us to think that we are our own matters! To think that we can put on enough (make-up on) of life by running around hoping that no one will notice just how tired and empty we are! That realize that true genuineness does not come from a lot but from a little. In 1 John we read what it is Authentic Christianity, and what it means to live Life As An Authentic Christian. John shows us some tests that we can apply to our lives to see if we're genuine, the real thing, authentic. One of the themes in 1John is the assurance that Christ offers to those who are part of His family- to understand and to see what Life As An Authentic Christian really looks like. Do you know what an authentic believer - Christian looks like ? And how much it cost ? Join me this morning for prayer 6:30am-7:00am- Prayer-line number to dial in (712) 770-4005 Code is 966327# Once you dial in, please ensure that you "MUTE" your Phone. Love Pastor

Think 9/3 CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? Hebrews 11:6 ... We all recall the slogan from Verizon, "Can you hear me now?", A powerful marketing campaign that made the distinction from its competitors. Either you have a connection or you don't. Today with all that is going on (Pandemic. financial hardships, depression, anxiety) one can only ask when is it going to end. The mandate of Social Distancing can be blamed on the government, an underground movement or just look at social media and you will find a million and one gurus' saying why this is all happening. The reality is that we as a society have chosen to distance ourselves from God. And when a person, a family, a town or a Country allows barriers of sorts to be in the way or to tower over God, the "SIGNAL" will eventually fade and then be no more. Was it not King David who said, I would rather be one day in your PRESENCE! King David understood that to have a signal from God he needed to be close to the source. To have clarity it was critical that there was no noise, interruption, no obstacles in the direct path of God otherwise the line of communication would be lost. In my need to understand the Internet capabilities or capacity in my warehouse at work, I am learning that there are many reasons your Internet connection might appear slow. It could be a problem with your modem or router, Wi-Fi signal, signal strength on your cable line, devices on your network saturating your bandwidth, or even a slow DNS server. There is a distinct analogy of connection here. God desires us to be connected to him daily, however, let's be clear, your connection will only become stronger or weaker by how close you are to the TOWER/ MOUTAIN. He said to draw nigh to me and I will draw nigh to you. Process of "illumination": Why is your connection weak? Ignoring our insecurities (fears) Running from responsibility Not dealing with shame Quitting on the fight Comparing God to people God does not know how to spell PANDEMIC, nor does he walk away from us, it is we who lose the signal because we draw further from the truth, HIM. There is no time to draw away from God but to decide before its too late to identify why your signal/ connection is intermittent, slow, weak or you possibly you decided to find another provider? I pray not the latter! Join me this morning for prayer 6:30am-7:00am- Prayer-line number to dial in (712) 770-4005 Code is 966327# Once you dial in, please ensure that you "MUTE" your Phone. Love Pastor