MESSENGER

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Nothing Is Impossible

Good afternoon, welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries. My name is Elder Cal Jennings. We are normally posted on Sundays for sermons and Wednesdays for studies. You can find these posted in the following locations.
Elder Cal’s Other Sites: Blogspot & Facebook & Twitter & Google+
Rev. Laura’s Other Sites: Facebook Twitter &Google+ & Blogspot
Prayer List: We have many on our prayer list. Some wish to remain anonymous, and others only wish to have their first names mentioned. Our prayer list has grown from last week. This is our current prayer list for this week.
- Please pray for a friend Susie Bartholow as she is in hospice. She is in very grave condition with cancer. Hospice care is in her home with her family. Keep them all in your thoughts and prayers.

- Please pray for a friend of ours, Lucy, whose liver is failing. She is going to be on medication but may need a transplant. Pray that the first option works and she returns to health.
- Please bring Elder Cal Jennings into your prayers for his health, strength, and faith. He has had some very bad health issues in the past year and answers are difficult to find. His spirits have been very low. Pray that some good things going on will bring those spirits back up once more.
- Pray for a friend of my brother’s, who is far from home right now. There have been many problems for her right now. It is our hope that she will return and be here to complete her healing and more.
- Pray for our members Theresa and Wayne who had a very rough year last year. Pray that answers are provided in the world of finances and more. May some of their trials and tribulations end in time for our celebration of the birth of Jesus.
- Pray for those near and far who have been suffering in battles that do not have to be. Pray that peace can be found amidst the fear and anger, frustration and more. May hope blossom and bring that peace once more.
- Pray for our friends and our enemies, may they all find that the gift of God’s Son, Jesus, holds the hope and faith everyone seeks.
- Keep hope alive in your prayers no matter the pain or strife we might suffer.
- May God bless every one of us as we continue on.

Prayer: Father in heaven, we thank You for the gifts received this day and for these who are here to share with us. We thank You for the blessings brought and for those yet to come. We pray that You can remind us always what we should be looking forward to. We bring prayers for those who have been seriously ill. Help those who are working to fight serious illnesses the ability to find solutions. We pray for those lost and those who mourn. We pray for those who are traveling home this weekend that they may have a safe journey. We pray for patience and courage for those we love and care about, and ourselves as well. We pray for peace to reach out from the heart and be heard, felt, and understood. We pray that Your grace and love would fill the hearts of the many in this world. We pray all this in Your Holy Name through the Savior Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.




Sermon:  Good afternoon. The inspiration this week came with several events over the past few days. Those events have proven that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE with God in our lives, hearts, spirits, and souls. Sharing this gift of faith and love we look here at the following verses.
Isaiah 14:24-27 KJV – The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:
That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.
This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.
For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?
Isaiah 14:24-27 NIV – The Lord Almighty has sworn,
Surely, as I have planned, so it will be,
and as I have purposed, so it will happen.
I will crush the Assyrian in my land;
on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke will be taken from my people,
and his burden removed from their shoulders.”
This is the plan determined for the whole world;
this is the hand stretched out over all nations.
For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?
His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?
Surely as I have planned, so it will be. These are some words that I needed to hear myself. God made it evident to me on Tuesday that He meant it. I won’t go into details, but I was starting to think that for all the times I had prayed to be sure that something was right, and God seemed to be telling me yes, it was right, and even sent me some threats as dreams if I went back on it, that God had let me down. Everything seemed dark and dingy. I became depressed. I didn’t quite lose faith, but I was certainly confused because I didn’t know what was wrong. I didn’t have all of the details. When I got the details, I was quite ashamed of my doubt.
No matter how strong your faith in Christ is, there are going to be times when we will doubt. Satan tries to throw us curves and make us wonder if we’re making the right choices. Sometimes what God says is the right choice seems nearly impossible to achieve, but if God says that it’s the right thing, then we must trust Him that He’ll make a way. Here again is just one verse from the Scripture selection.
Isaiah 14:25 NIV – I will crush the Assyrian in my land;
on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke will be taken from my people,
and his burden removed from their shoulders.”
There have been times when I’ve been up against the wall, homeless, thrown in jail for a short period on false charges, and many other things, but God has seen me through each one and made a way for me to walk through it without harm. At times it seemed that there was nothing that could make things better, but just when I had completely given up hope, God turned things around. I even spoke truth to politicians…my big crime…so they set me up. They couldn’t hold me for long, since I hadn’t done anything wrong, but they refused me a phone call and refused me a lawyer. After about a week, I prayed to God and asked him what to do, and He told me. A few days later, they sent me to court. I pleaded Nolo Contendere to the charges, and they let me go. I could have tried to represent myself, but I knew that I didn’t really have any chance against a lawyer, so God put the idea of Agnew pleading Nolo Contendere in my head, and that’s what I did.
Luke 21:15 NIV – For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
Again from Isaiah:
14:27 NIV – For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?
If you have God on your side, not even the powers that be can hold you. When you’ve been doing nothing but God’s work and you’re being held and persecuted for something you didn’t do, God can get you through it. If you have untold barriers between you and what God says that He has for you, those barriers will fall. It may seem to take more time than we think it should, knowing that it has already been promised, but God is true, and faithful to His word.
In my particular situation there are financial barriers, distance barrios, minor cultural barriers, and other things to overcome, but they will be overcome.
Sometimes the hardest thing for us to do is to be patient when we can almost taste something. We can see it, we can hear it, and we can almost feel it, but by all appearances, they’re just out of our reach. Having lived my life, I know that there ARE no barriers. The barriers are just something in our minds. Something that society has told us to believe. Maybe it’s even something our parents told us to believe. If God wants it to happen, it’s going to happen. You can count on that.
Closing Song:  Nothing Is Impossible ~ The Church Choir of The Houston First Baptist Church http://youtu.be/hnrCOSXVrSM


Now let us pray the prayer that Jesus taught us when He said...
Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
(Matthew 6:9-13)


~Love, Hope, Peace, and Christ be with you ~

Elder Cal Jennings

Covenant of Hope Ministries
Main Site:
My Sites: Blogspot & Facebook & Twitter & Google+
       
Scripture Excerpts: The New Open Bible Study Edition: Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © 1982: E. E. Gaddy and Associates, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © circa 1890-1910: International Bible Press,The John C. Winston Co.; Philadelphia, PA., USA
Sermon or Study Copyright © 2015

Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries and Poetic-Expressions is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear together as the rainbow in the darkness.



This mission statement speaks of the rainbow in the darkness. Every time Rev. Laura would have a seriously traumatic thing happen in her life she would wake in the middle of the night. When she does she sees a rainbow at the end of the bed, or even through the window behind her head. She has even seen that rainbow in a dark room during the day. It will hover in the shadows and reassure her that God is with her.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

A Wish For All ~ Gain Strength in His Love

Good afternoon, welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries. My name is Rev. Laura A. Neff, the Rainbow Minister. The choice for Rainbow has to do with the fact that the rainbow symbolizes a promise made and one that can and will be kept. I made, long ago, a promise to God that I would do all I could to keep that faith within me. We are normally posted on Sundays for sermons and Wednesdays for studies. You can find these posted in the following locations.
Rev. Laura’s Other Sites: Facebook & Twitter &Google+ & Blogspot
Prayer List: We have many on our prayer list. Some wish to remain anonymous, and others only wish to have their first names mentioned. Our prayer list has grown from last week. This is our current prayer list for this week.
- Please pray for a friend Susie Bartholow as she is in hospice. She is in very grave condition with cancer. Hospice care is in her home with her family. Keep them all in your thoughts and prayers.

- Please pray for a friend of ours, Lucy, whose liver is failing. She is going to be on medication but may need a transplant. Pray that the first option works and she returns to health.
- Pray for a friend of my brother’s, who is far from home right now. There have been many problems for her right now. It is our hope that she will return and be here to complete her healing and more.
- Pray for our members Theresa and Wayne who had a very rough year last year. May some of their trials and tribulations end in time for our celebration of the birth of Jesus.
- Pray for those near and far who have been suffering in battles that do not have to be. Pray that peace can be found amidst the fear and anger, frustration and more. May hope blossom and bring that peace once more.
- Pray for our friends and our enemies, may they all find that the gift of God’s Son, Jesus, holds the hope and faith everyone seeks.
- Keep hope alive in your prayers no matter the pain or strife we might suffer.
- May God bless every one of us as we continue on.

Happy Birthday Elder Cal Jennings.
Prayer: Father in heaven, we thank You for this day and for these who are here to share it with us. We thank You for the blessings brought and for those yet to come. We pray that You can remind us always what we should be looking forward to. We bring prayers for those who have been seriously ill. Help those who are working to fight serious illnesses the ability to find solutions. We pray for those lost and those who mourn. We pray for those who are traveling home this weekend that they may have a safe journey. We pray for patience and courage for those we love and care about, and ourselves as well. We pray for peace to reach out from the heart and be heard, felt, and understood. We pray that Your grace and love would fill the hearts of the many in this world. We pray all this in Your Holy Name through the Savior Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.

Opening Song:  Agnus Dei ~ Michael W. Smith https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPBmFwBSGb0

Sermon:  Good afternoon. Today I wouldn’t be posting more than a single verse and the rest would be guidelines that coincide with it.
III John 1:2 KJV – Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
John had a big heart, a gift due to the love he had for Jesus, his dear friend. His love for Jesus filled him with the Holy Spirit. Both are gifts from God. Here too is something to reflect on the gifts He can bring. This would be a familiar view for some, but should be seen as such for all. It is the credo for Alcoholics Anonymous.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will live through this day only. I will not brood about yesterday or obsess about tomorrow. I will not set far-reaching goals or try to overcome all of my problems at once.

I know that I can do something for 24 hours that would overwhelm me if I had to keep it up for a lifetime.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will be happy. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me. If my mind fills with clouds, I will chase them away and fill it with sunshine.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will accept what is. I will face reality. I will correct those things that I can correct and accept those I cannot.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will improve my mind. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration. I will not be a mental loafer.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will make a conscious effort to be agreeable. I will be kind and courteous to those who cross my path, and I'll not speak ill of others. I will improve my appearance, speak softly, and not interrupt when someone else is talking.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will refrain from improving anybody but myself.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will do something positive to improve my health. I will do what I can to change habits that need changing and share that gift with kindness of heart and soul. I will spend time with family and friends outdoors enjoying a good walk or other activities.

JUST FOR TODAY: I will gather the courage to do what is right and take responsibility for my own actions. 


The prayer of St. Francis (of which there are several versions) contains a powerful message:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. 


Now, that's something to think about as we pray in the prayer that Jesus brought us.


Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
(Matthew 6:9-13)

Closing Song: You Are Loved ~ Josh Groban https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGLSk3AVcUU  


~Shalom~
Rev. Laura A. Neff ~ The Rainbow Minister
Calvin Jennings ~ Elder Facebook & Twitter &Blogster
Covenant of Hope Ministries
Main Site:
       
Scripture Excerpts: The New Open Bible Study Edition: Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © 1982: E. E. Gaddy and Associates, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © circa 1890-1910: International Bible Press,The John C. Winston Co.; Philadelphia, PA., USA
Sermon or Study Copyright © 2015

Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries and Poetic-Expressions is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear together as the rainbow in the darkness.



This mission statement speaks of the rainbow in the darkness. Every time I would have a seriously traumatic thing happen in my life I would wake in the middle of the night. When I do I see a rainbow at the end of my bed, or even through the window behind my head. I’ll see that rainbow in a dark room even during the day. It will hover in the shadows and reassure me that God is with me.

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Where We Are Equal

Good afternoon, welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries. My name is Rev. Laura A. Neff, the Rainbow Minister. The choice for Rainbow has to do with the fact that the rainbow symbolizes a promise made and one that can and will be kept. I made, long ago, a promise to God that I would do all I could to keep that faith within me. We are normally posted on Sundays for sermons and Wednesdays for studies. You can find these posted in the following locations.
Rev. Laura’s Other Sites: Facebook & Twitter &Google+ & Blogspot
Prayer List: We have many on our prayer list. Some wish to remain anonymous, and others only wish to have their first names mentioned. Our prayer list has grown from last week. This is our current prayer list for this week.
- Please pray for a friend Susie Bartholow as she is in hospice. She is in very grave condition with cancer. Hospice care is in her home with her family. Keep them all in your thoughts and prayers.

- Pray that Elder Cal and his mother can regain their health and strength once more. There have been many setbacks and knock backs for them, but they are still fighting to continue. Pray that their faith continues without wavering.

- Please pray for a friend of ours, Lucy, whose liver is failing. She is going to be on medication but may need a transplant. Pray that the first option works and she returns to health.
- Pray for a friend of my brother’s, who is far from home right now. There have been many problems for her right now. It is our hope that she will return and be here to complete her healing and more.
- Pray for our members Theresa and Wayne who had a very rough year last year. May some of their trials and tribulations end in time for our celebration of the birth of Jesus.
- We praise God for the gift of thanks received this week for our family and that the gift continues giving as answers sought for months have been brought forward. We pray that the good heard, felt, and known at this time will continue far into the future.
- Pray for those near and far who have been suffering in battles that do not have to be. Pray that peace can be found amidst the fear and anger, frustration and more. May hope blossom and bring that peace once more.
- Pray for our friends and our enemies, may they all find that the gift of God’s Son, Jesus, holds the hope and faith everyone seeks.
- Keep hope alive in your prayers no matter the pain or strife we might suffer.
- May God bless every one of us as we continue on.
- For those who celebrate their birthdays this week, a prayer of grace and thanksgiving.

Prayer: Father in heaven, we thank You for this day and for these who are here to share it with us. We thank You for the blessings brought and for those yet to come. We pray that You can remind us always what we should be looking forward to. We bring prayers for those who have been seriously ill. Help those who are working to fight serious illnesses the ability to find solutions. We pray for those lost and those who mourn. We pray for those in strain and strife. We pray for patience and courage for those we love and care about, and ourselves as well. We pray for peace to reach out from the heart and be heard, felt, and understood. We pray that Your grace and love would fill the hearts of the many in this world. We pray all this in Your Holy Name through the Savior Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.

Opening Song: You Raise Me Up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnztMhtUF6o  



Sermon:  Good afternoon. Today a subject that seems to be seen a lot, yet doesn’t get the right kind of discussion going, is here to be brought to light. That subject is equality. There are many who say that equality doesn’t exist. This, regardless that God works so hard to help us prove its existence should be seen, felt, heard, and known. Over the past few years we have seen some terrible things in regard to gender, religious, or racial bias. There is a phrase, ‘turn over a new leaf’. There are others like ‘don’t judge a book by its cover, or a person by the outer skin’. There are many scripture verses on equality.  
Galatians 3:26-29 KJV – For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
For as many of you have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond, nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Over the years we have seen a lot of things in the news as to the various countries and how human rights are either recognized or not. Add to that, we have seen quite a lot of that in life even outside of those basic human rights. Equality isn't 'see it our way or no way.' It's not about the 'we're better than they are' mentality. In fact it would be the point God brought to this world through Jesus, and even before, that you can't judge on first sight of someone. Remember, when God chose David to be anointed king, the boy that would be king was not the handsomest, the tallest, the oldest, or the wisest. Every one of us is beautiful as we are. 

That beauty comes from inside. It doesn't separate into color, creed, or religion. It just is. Equality has nothing to do with who believes what, why, or whatever else. It has everything to do with the fact that we are all part of one race, the human race. Jesus never shared prejudice, age, gender, stature, or any view of the same. To Him everyone was, and is, equal. This is why He spent time with Jews, Gentiles, Lepers, politicians, heathens, and all the rest. He chose, as He still chooses, to listen to us equally. If God and Jesus were and are willing to do so, should we not choose to be doing the same? Sharing our lives equally with God as with each other isn't easy, but that is the reason God gave us each other. To share His love in all ways, not to take His love away in any way. It is not easy to share equally in anything for any reason. It is, however, for the greater good. Now, that's something to think about as we pray in the prayer that Jesus brought us.
Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
(Matthew 6:9-13)

Closing Song:  What Faith Can Do https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1JBSQMkQEo


~Shalom~
Rev. Laura A. Neff ~ The Rainbow Minister
Calvin Jennings ~ Elder Facebook & Twitter &Blogster
Covenant of Hope Ministries
Main Site:
       
Scripture Excerpts: The New Open Bible Study Edition: Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © 1982: E. E. Gaddy and Associates, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © circa 1890-1910: International Bible Press,The John C. Winston Co.; Philadelphia, PA., USA
Sermon or Study Copyright © 2015

Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries and Poetic-Expressions is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear together as the rainbow in the darkness.


This mission statement speaks of the rainbow in the darkness. Every time I would have a seriously traumatic thing happen in my life I would wake in the middle of the night. When I do I see a rainbow at the end of my bed, or even through the window behind my head. I’ll see that rainbow in a dark room even during the day. It will hover in the shadows and reassure me that God is with me.


Sunday, January 11, 2015

God’s Holy Fire and Hope Within It

Good afternoon, welcome to Covenant of Hope Ministries. My name is Rev. Laura A. Neff, the Rainbow Minister. The choice for Rainbow has to do with the fact that the rainbow symbolizes a promise made and one that can and will be kept. I made, long ago, a promise to God that I would do all I could to keep that faith within me. We are normally posted on Sundays for sermons and Wednesdays for studies. You can find these posted in the following locations.
Rev. Laura’s Other Sites: Facebook & Twitter &Google+ & Blogspot
Prayer List: We have many on our prayer list. Some wish to remain anonymous, and others only wish to have their first names mentioned. Our prayer list has grown from last week. This is our current prayer list for this week.
- Please pray for a friend Susie Bartholow as she is in hospice. She is in very grave condition with cancer. Hospice care is in her home with her family. Keep them all in your thoughts and prayers.

- Please pray for a friend of ours, Lucy, whose liver is failing. She is going to be on medication but may need a transplant. Pray that the first option works and she returns to health.
- Pray for a friend of my brother’s, who is far from home right now. There have been many problems for her right now. It is our hope that she will return and be here to complete her healing and more.
- Pray for our members Theresa and Wayne who had a very rough year last year. May some of their trials and tribulations end in time for our celebration of the birth of Jesus.
- Pray for those near and far who have been suffering in battles that do not have to be. Pray that peace can be found amidst the fear and anger, frustration and more. May hope blossom and bring that peace once more.
- Pray for our friends and our enemies, may they all find that the gift of God’s Son, Jesus, holds the hope and faith everyone seeks.
- Keep hope alive in your prayers no matter the pain or strife we might suffer.
- May God bless every one of us as we continue on.
Prayer: Father in heaven, we thank You for this day and for these who are here to share it with us. We thank You for the blessings brought and for those yet to come. We pray that You can remind us always what we should be looking forward to. We bring prayers for those who have been seriously ill. Help those who are working to fight serious illnesses the ability to find solutions. We pray for those lost and those who mourn. We pray for those who are traveling home this weekend that they may have a safe journey. We pray for patience and courage for those we love and care about, and ourselves as well. We pray for peace to reach out from the heart and be heard, felt, and understood. We pray that Your grace and love would fill the hearts of the many in this world. We pray all this in Your Holy Name through the Savior Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.

Opening Song: Chariots of Fire Theme Song



Sermon:  Good afternoon. God decided to wait until the last second to bring a sermon for us. For whatever reason also He brought a very interesting point of view into being. In this case it has to do with fire. For that reason we began this sermon with the theme song from the movie Chariots of Fire. The movie was first shared in 1981. It tells the true story of two runners in the 1926 Olympics. Eric Lidell was one of those runners. He ran not just to run, but for the glory of God. You’ll ask what this has to do with fire. Well, you have to have the drive to work for God. That usually means, in one way or another, the flame that is hope in your heart stays strong. Remember, there is light at the end of every tunnel. Now there are several Scriptural entries about fire, specifically protective fire, or fires of salvation. Take this one here.
II Kings 2:9-13 KJV – And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;

In Elijah’s case it was the protection of God given to His prophet to maintain the goodness within him. This after the warnings Elijah had brought to the king of Moab. The reason being that God wished to teach the king that He was, as He is, as He will always be. Thus three sets of soldiers were swallowed up in the fire. With that, Elijah and his family were now in danger. To save the family of Elijah a special voyage would ensue. Thus his son Elisha went with him, and despite the wishes of Elijah to have him stay away, followed beside him until the chariot of fire came down to take Elijah away. The realization that God was saving the family, and their people, made Elisha realize that taking up his father’s mantle would give many things, including salvation. We can add this one here in the days of Daniel.
Daniel 3:12-26 KJV – There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

Despite their being thrown into the fiery furnace they believed. There in the midst of the fire was the Spirit of God. That protection shares in the fact that God is with us. Because of that we should share His day, without work, but with fellowship and love. Here is that quote Eric Liddell offered not just from the movie Chariots of Fire (1981) but from the Olympic spirit he held in 1926.

Eric Liddell: God made countries, God makes kings, and the rules by which they govern. And those rules say that the Sabbath is His. And I for one intend to keep it that way.

Now, you’ll ask what this has to do with fire, Ezekiel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Well, think about it this way. Even through the fire, their belief in God didn’t waver. This is one thing we must learn. No matter what this world throws at us as its view of a ring of fire, we can survive if we believe in God’s love. Now, that’s something to think about as we pray in the prayer that Jesus brought us.
Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
(Matthew 6:9-13)
Closing Song:  Ring of Fire 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hbo6WhbNRsc






~Shalom~
Rev. Laura A. Neff ~ The Rainbow Minister
Calvin Jennings ~ Elder Facebook & Twitter &Blogster
Covenant of Hope Ministries
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Scripture Excerpts: The New Open Bible Study Edition: Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © 1982: E. E. Gaddy and Associates, Inc.
Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © circa 1890-1910: International Bible Press,The John C. Winston Co.; Philadelphia, PA., USA
Sermon or Study Copyright © 2015

Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries and Poetic-Expressions is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear together as the rainbow in the darkness.


This mission statement speaks of the rainbow in the darkness. Every time I would have a seriously traumatic thing happen in my life I would wake in the middle of the night. When I do I see a rainbow at the end of my bed, or even through the window behind my head. I’ll see that rainbow in a dark room even during the day. It will hover in the shadows and reassure me that God is with me.