Covenant of Hope is an online ministry developed as a mission for Christians and Others who are disabled, disadvantaged, displaced or disenchanted in this world. Our motto is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear, together as the rainbow in the darkness.
It
is the day after Christmas is celebrated here in the US. One of three days
where you don't want to be driving, sure as all get out don't want to be in a
store of any type, and pray that, if you have to work, nothing crazy could
prevent that. So, for those who are doing just that, this is for you.
Hebrews 12:1 KJV - Wherefore seeing we also are
compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every
weight, and the sin which doth easily beset us, and let us run with patience
the race that is set before us.
This
verse doesn't just work for today, but actually works for 365 days every year.
We often forget to sit and patiently look at things, to wait and see. And I'm
guilty of this too. It takes time to realize that just because we know we
shouldn't, doesn't mean we won't. I had a friend say once, "Listen to your
heart beat, and your soul whisper, hear your conscience speak and your dreams
calling you. Know love within all of them and share it with those around you,
then peace will live for all as it will for you. The reason for this is that
history lives where your heart is, gets carried in your soul, thought over in
your conscience and dreams, known through your love for the past memories, and
lessons learned can bring you peace."
Actually,
he was a teacher, though I'd only known him a few weeks. He died six weeks into
my first semester in college. Granted, he wasn't my favorite teacher, and I
never actually heard him say that. I heard it as a quote during his eulogy on
campus. The words stick to me. Yes, he was my history professor, and yes, it was
dramatic to lose a teacher, no matter their age, just after you've gotten to
the point where you understand them and their teaching. But then, when we lose
sight of God, we do the very same thing, rebuilding that which was lost. This
is why patience is so hard to hang onto, yet also so very important to have.
Just my thoughts on the day, something we should all think about.
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.
Covenant of Hope
Ministries Sunday Sermon_12_23_2012
Good
afternoon, and welcome to this Sunday Sermon for Covenant of Hope Ministries. I
am Rev. Laura A. Neff, and the ministry knows me as the Rainbow Minister. These
are our locations online only:
We have
email and Instant Messenger available, just send a message via any of our
locations and we can give that information. We’re still working this out
between the three of us as to what will happen, our Elder, Cal Jennings, our
Apostle/Shepherd, Mary C. Michel-Lynch and I. The IM is available if you ask
first and identify the reason as being part of the ministry. This IM is
connected through Facebook as well. I will be informing you further in regard
to any changes. being made. These changes were made due to health reasons.
There will be live sermons, and the sermon length will be shortened
dramatically, but we are unsure as to when that might be.
Note: There will be no sermon on
December 30, 2012.
Birthdays &
Anniversaries:Scott Newman on the 19th, my parents anniversary on the
22nd, my sister Donna on the 26th, my husband Ron on the
29th, and our wedding anniversary on the 30th. If any
others have birthdays, please feel free to include them in this list. 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.
Pray for Newtown, Connecticut and its citizens, that they might
heal and recover from the tragedy marked by somber and solemn processions this
past week.
Continue your prayers for Sister Mary. I get an extensive update
just after Christmas and will let you know. Things still haven’t changed much
in her recovery at this point. She is in 24/7 care with a staff that
continuously keeps me informed. She has ingested something that could bring her
harm, but they caught her soon enough to prevent it. Please pray that their
swiftness would in fact assist in efforts to bring her toward finding a method
at recovery. They do have her sitting up in a chair/walker. That’s a great
thing, and God is good!
Pray for our family. There are several things weighing us down,
and they don’t all include my health, or that of any member of the family.
Though, those don’t hurt.
Pray good things can occur as a result of the doctor’s
determinations for me, and as to the negotiations for other situations in our
family. Praise God for the fact that some of those things the doctor’s
determinations included, have indeed helped, and without adding medication, but
instead reducing them. Praise God for the gift of time for one of our financial
problems. Perhaps we might get that improved by His grace. Now, that’s
something to praise God about.
Pray for Elder Cal, as he has still been feeling pretty rotten.
May God provide him wellness, and bring that flicker of hope into a bright and
roaring flame.
Pray for friends Karen, Christie, her son Calvin, Art, Heather,
Chris and his family, Jackie and her father, Debby, Tom, Teresa, Hope, Joe and
his family as they lost his mother-in-law, Robert’s brother and his brother’s
fiancee suffering some serious chaos, and several others.
Phoebe Fair and her family need more prayers as she has gone in
for another series of ups and downs in time for the holidays. Pray that she
might be home for Christmas, in place of the hospital. She has had an infection
and her electrolytes and sodium levels went awry this past week. Keep prayers
up for her recovery. We add prayers for her family in the mourning of her great
grandfather Zig Ziglar, motivational author and speaker, who passed away
recently
We pray for Teresa and Hope during the end of the year for their
issues of many forms.
Pray for Thomas, as he is having a lot of chaos in his life.
Pray for our outreach ministries, and all on their separate
prayer lists, no matter where in this world they would be.
Prayer: Father in heaven, we
thank You for this day and for these who are here to share it with us. We look
to you for solace and comfort when tragic occurrences mar our hearts and
consciences. We pray for the lost, the injured and the despairing families this
week and every week. We pray for friends and family as they face the end of
this year and work toward the new one yet to come. We pray for our enemies,
that they might drop their arms, as we drop ours, and realize we are one and
the same, brother to brother and sister to sister. We ask these things in Your
Holy Name, Amein and so it shall be.
Sermon: There are many things we often
would rather not wait for. As children we could hardly wait to grow up. As
adults we wish time could stand still. We all, no matter our age, wonder what
God has in store. Most of us are impatient, not wanting to wait and see what
the dawn of a new day might bring. Everyone in a hurry to get there, and not
enjoy what would be right before them. Well, here is a view of the thought that
sometimes it is better to wait and see what God will bring today, and on into
tomorrow. Also, to wait on the Lord is to watch and learn. Isn’t that something
we’ve heard from teachers and others in this world? Well, why wouldn’t God
request the same of us? Here we see just that in Psalm
37:34-35 KJV –Wait on the LORD, and keep
his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut
off, thou shalt see it.
I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself
like a green bay tree.
“A green
bay tree” could also be seen as “a green tree that groweth in his own soil.”
In many
ways this is a sort of foreshadowing of the words Jesus shared in the parable
of the Vine and Branches. Yet, we see it from a different point of view. In
order to grow and realize what it is to be a child of God through Christ, we
can’t just blink and that’s what will be, we have to wait and see how the
ideals and the thoughts would actually blossom within us.
Psalm 37:36-40 KJV –Yet he passed away, and, lo,
he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of
that man is peace.
But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of
the wicked shall be cut off.
But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their
strength in the time of trouble.
And the LORD shall help htem, and deliver them: he shall deliver
them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.
Sometimes
while searching for something we will not realize it is right there in front of
us. From experience in just that, the realization is, if it is lost, there is a
reason for it, and most likely it is right before you. Smile when you realize
that when you want peace, you must give it to have it. Yes, it is unusual, but
unless you open your heart to peace, and draw it from within, then you won’t
find what you are looking for. The same can be said for love. You can love
yourself, but until you share love, others won’t see it. Love comes in billions
of billions of forms. It bears a strength unforseen.
The
strength we don’t often realize we need is just a prayer away. God has strength
that is built on one thing. That one thing is unconditional in its extents. It
is LOVE. Regardless of our thoughts on salvation, God loves us. Sure, there are
those who are misguided, wicked, evil, and so forth, but that doesn’t mean they
can’t or won’t be loved.
When
gifts of grace are recognized, you see them in living color. This is seen
through the eyes of Simeon. It was a promise made and kept, as shared with him
through God’s love and his faith. It was said to be the last thing that would
happen in his lifetime on earth. Sharing what salvation can be, as the psalm
shares and is fulfilled here in Luke 2:25-30 KJV – And behold there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was
Simeon; and the same man was just and devout waiting for the consolation of
Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should
not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents
brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said.
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to
thy word:
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation.
Simeon’s
views here make me smile, because we’ve seen his reaction many times, all over
Scripture. John and the Apostles shared their view of Jesus after resurrection.
John also gave us the Revelation, and a most majestic view of Christ the Lord.
It gives us hope for that which is shared here. I
Thessalonians 4:17 KJV –Then we which are
alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet
the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
The best
promises are kept, all the way back to Noah, and on through our Savior and His
apostles. Not only are they kept, they are demonstrated, stated, and proven.
The cement we don’t always need to see, but does indeed show. The promise of
heaven and salvation is one that we see repeated again and again in Scripture.
If we go back to this verse, we can see it yet again. Psalm
3:8 KJV –Salvation belongeth unto the LORD:
thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.
Now
remember what Selah means, think about it, stop and think about it. Every
sermon, every series of verses, chapters, or whatever we find in Scripture has
a point where it asks, in some cases literally, for us to stop and think about
it. This is what Selah means for us here. It’s a good idea to do just that. The
reason to feel that way is found in this final verse of Isaiah 12:2 KJV –Behold, God is my
salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength
and my song; he also is become my salvation.
There was
something in a dream, a nightmare, and also in Scripture, be not afraid, for I
am here. Some wonder why there are the words “fear not” and then there are
those that are “fear of the LORD”. What is it that is different between them?
Good won’t have to fear a thing. Evil and wickedness do. It is a beautiful
world when we see it through the eyes of love, where trust and strength and
salvation are held securely. Now, that’s something to think about as we pray in
the prayer Jesus taught us saying: After this manner
therefore pray ye: 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 KJV)
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.
Covenant of Hope Ministries
Sunday Sermon_12_16_2012
Good
afternoon, and welcome to this Sunday Sermon for Covenant of Hope Ministries. I
am Rev. Laura A. Neff, and the ministry knows me as the Rainbow Minister. You
can find us live Sundays at 12:30 PM ET US and These are our locations online
only:
We have
email and Instant Messenger available Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday 10AM to
2PM ET US via Yahoo IM. We’re still working this out between the us as to what
will happen, our Elder, Cal Jennings, and I as our Apostle/Shepherd Mary C.
Michel-Lynch would still be unable to help at this time. The IM is available if
you ask first and identify the reason as being part of the ministry. This IM is
connected through Facebook as well. I will be informing you further in regard
to changes being made. These changes were made due to health reasons. There
will be live sermons, and the sermon length will be shortened dramatically, but
we are unsure as to when that might be. 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.
Continue your prayers for Sister Mary. Things haven’t changed
much in her recovery at this point. She is in 24/7 care with a staff that
continuously keeps me informed. She has ingested something that could bring her
harm, but they caught her soon enough to prevent it. Please pray that their
swiftness would in fact assist in efforts to bring her toward finding a method
at recovery. They do have her sitting up in a chair/walker. That’s a great
thing, and God is good!
Pray for our family. There are several things weighing us down,
and they don’t all include my health, or that of any member of the family. We’ve
had a cold/sinus attack spread through our family, every single one of us
affected, please pray that this cold would leave our bodies and our home.
Praise God for the fact that some of those things the doctor’s
determinations included, have indeed helped, and without adding medication, but
instead reducing them. Praise God for the gift of time for one of our financial
problems. Perhaps we might get that improved by His grace. Now, that’s
something to praise God about.
Pray for Elder Cal, as he has still been feeling pretty rotten.
May God provide him wellness, and bring that flicker of hope into a bright and
roaring flame.
Pray for friends Karen, Christie, her son Calvin, Art, Heather,
Chris and his family, Jackie and her father, Debby, Tom, Teresa, Hope, Joe and
his family as they lost his mother-in-law, Robert’s brother and his brother’s
fiancee suffering some serious chaos, and several others.
Phoebe Fair and her family need more prayers as she has gone in
for yet another round of chemotherapy in time for the holidays. Pray that she
might be home for Christmas, in place of the hospital. She has had an infection
and her electrolytes and sodium levels went awry this past week. Keep prayers
up for her recovery. We add prayers for her family in the mourning of her great
grandfather Zig Ziglar, motivational author and speaker, who passed away
recently
We pray for Teresa and Hope during the end of the year for their
issues of many forms.
Pray for Thomas, as he is having a lot of chaos in his life.
Pray for our outreach ministries, and all on their separate
prayer lists, no matter where in this world they would be. Pray for the
families, friends and colleagues of those injured, killed, and affected by the
shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. May God’s love shine down on them and comfort
them in this tragedy.
Prayer: Father in heaven, we
thank You for this day and for these who are here to share it with us. We are
blessed in the gifts You have brought to us. We bring to you our friends, our
families, and ourselves for whatever prayers each of us might have. We pray for
solutions to problems, comfort after tragedies, understanding of actions,
reactions, and results of everything seen, heard and experienced this week. We
pray that our faith holds us strong as we enter into the holidays many
celebrate for different reasons. We pray for those whose schooling ends for
winter break, and for those traveling in the very near future. We pray all of
these things in Your Holy Name through our Savior Jesus Christ, and the gift of
the Holy Spirit, Amein and so it shall be.
Sermon: It is amazing the gifts God would
bring to us, no matter our age, our stature, our circumstances, and more. We
see some amazing and intriguing methods where God and Jesus would share these
very ideals and more. We start here in Psalm
37:25-26 KJV –I have been young, and now am
old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
Ever
could also be seen as “all the day”. We see mercy in many ways. We have seen
both forsaken and not forsaken men, women and children. It is when we can free
them from pain and sorrow, from death and destruction that we see truth. This
pair of verses speaks of Jesus, and the sacrifice He would make for each and
every one, to spare them from the eternal judgment of death, past, present, and
future. Yet, there are many things we must remember to manage following His
path of truth. We see that as these verses follow in Psalm
37:27-28 KJV –Depart
from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore.
For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they
are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
It is not
easy to leave all the forms of evil. In fact, we fight many forms of evil, of
wickedness, daily, sometimes hourly, even minute to minute, whether singularly
or together. The LORD alone can judge. The LORD Jesus Christ was and is given
the most difficult job of all. He must decide whether we live or die eternally.
It has been said that if we live in Christ, we will live a blessed life
forever. It has also been said that if we don’t stay on His path, then we will
die eternally. Yet, even Jesus Himself spoke of falling and being lifted back
up. We see it in the words of James 4:10 KJV –Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he
shall lift you up.
We also
see it earlier in the passage of Micah 7:8 KJV –Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall,
I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.
There are
other ways to see humility, righteousness, and how we can raise ourselves up
when we fall, through the LORD’s gift of mercy, and that which contains mercy,
unconditional love. This is shared here in Psalm
11:7 KJV –For the righteous the LORD loveth
righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.
Being
upright is no easy thing. Sometimes we fall daily. We can even fall minute by
minute. Yet, God is there to help us pull ourselves out of the dirt, and stand
upright once more. He is able to assist us out of any quagmire, even if it is
one of our own making. That is why God is always with us, He is one with us,
one of us, part of us, always. We just have to realize this, and in some ways
it can be done, more easily than others. It can be seen, and heard, thought,
and spoken, as shared here in Psalm 37:29-31 KJV –The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell
therein for ever.
The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue
talketh of judgment.
The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall
slide.
Too often
there are those of us who blame God for the bad things that happen to us here
on earth. We blame Him for not preventing things, when, in fact, it wouldn’t be
God who has done any such thing. It would actually be wickedness, and the
wicked who share it, as is spoken of here in Psalm
37:32-33 KJV – The wicked watcheth the
righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he
is judged.
Sometimes
we fall into the hands of the wicked, as has happened many times in the
centuries since Christ rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. Yet, we see
in our final verse that which Jesus worked for through His life, and His death,
as well as His resurrection. It is foreseen here in Psalm
109:31 KJV –For he shall stand at the right
hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.We don’t realize that this verse doesn’t speak only
of those who have no money, but also those who are poor in spirit. Remember in Matthew 5:3 KJV – Blessed
are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
We must
always remember that even when our spirits are low, and we feel as though we
have been abandoned, He is always with us. He is always here, seen or not, felt
or not, recognized or not. That is what the gift of the Holy Spirit was meant
to portray, to bring to us, and more. Now, that’s something to think about as
we pray in the prayer Jesus taught us saying: After
this manner therefore pray ye: 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 KJV)
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.
Covenant of Hope Ministries
Sunday Sermon_12_09_2012
Good
afternoon, and welcome to this Sunday Sermon for Covenant of Hope Ministries. I
am Rev. Laura A. Neff, and the ministry knows me as the Rainbow Minister. You
can find us live Sundays at 12:30 PM ET US and These are our locations online
only:
We have
email and Instant Messenger available Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday 10AM to
2PM ET US via Yahoo IM. We’re still working this out between the three of us as
to what will happen, our Elder, Cal Jennings, our Apostle/Shepherd, Mary C.
Michel-Lynch and I. The IM is available if you ask first and identify the
reason as being part of the ministry. This IM is connected through Facebook as
well. I will be informing you further in regard to changes being made. These
changes were made due to health reasons. There will be live sermons, and the
sermon length will be shortened dramatically, but we are unsure as to when that
might be. 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.
Continue your prayers for Sister Mary. She is in 24/7 care with
a staff that continuously keeps me informed. She has ingested something that
could bring her harm, but they caught her soon enough to prevent it. Please
pray that their swiftness would in fact assist in efforts to bring her toward
finding a method at recovery. They do have her sitting up in a chair/walker.
That’s a great thing, and God is good!
Pray for our family. There are several things weighing us down,
and they don’t all include my health, or that of any member of the family.
Though, those don’t hurt.
Pray good things can occur as a result of the doctor’s
determinations for me, and as to the negotiations for other situations in our
family. Praise God for the fact that some of those things the doctor’s
determinations included, have indeed helped, and without adding medication, but
instead reducing them. Now, that’s something to praise God about.
Pray for Elder Cal, as he has still been feeling pretty rotten.
May God provide him wellness, and bring that flicker of hope into a bright and
roaring flame.
Pray for friends Karen, Christie, her son Calvin, Art, Heather,
Chris and his family, Jackie and her father, Debby, Tom, Teresa, Hope, Joe and
his family as they lost his mother-in-law, Robert’s brother and his brother’s
fiancee suffering some serious chaos, and several others.
Phoebe Fair and her family need more prayers as she has gone in
for yet another round of chemotherapy in time for the holidays. Pray that she
might be home for Christmas, in place of the hospital. We add prayers for her
family in the mourning of her great grandfather Zig Ziglar, motivational author
and speaker, who passed away recently
We pray for Teresa and Hope during the end of the year for their
issues of many forms.
Pray for Thomas, as he is having a lot of chaos in his life.
Pray for our outreach ministries, and all on their separate
prayer lists, no matter where in this world they would be.
Prayer: Father in heaven, we
thank You for this day and for these who are here to share it with us. We bring
you many friends and family up in prayer for their trials and tribulations. We
also bring those around this world who have seen destruction and devastation,
may they find hope and solace. We pray that this month, as we find ourselves
celebrating, that we remain safe, and secure, within Your love. We ask all
these things in Your holy name, through the blessed Savior Jesus, and the gift
of the Holy Spirit, Amein and so it shall be.
Sermon: When I saw and read the verses for
this sermon I watched as prophecy was first spoken and then proven. At this
time of year, while many celebrate the birth of Christ, it’s truly nice to
actually look at the prophecy which promised His coming, and then see where it
was both fulfilled and promises were keps. Let’s take a look at our first two
verses in Psalm 37:21-22 KJV –The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the
righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.
For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they
that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
Don’t
these words remind you of New Testament verses which were related directly to
the teachings of Christ? In fact, here are two of those referenced verses. The
first is in the Gospel of Matthew 5:5,7 KJV –Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
To this
we would have to include an often shared verse, in point of fact, one
referenced just this past week here in the Gospel of
John 15:2 KJV –Every branch in me that beareth
not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it,
that it may bring forth more fruit.
As you
can see, fruit of the vine is faith, hope, charity, parts of righteousness,
along with several others, each of them brought forth due to unconditional
love. It is not easy to share unconditional love, but it shouldn’t be so
difficult that we forget how. Love can be seen and shared in ways that number
too many to count. The problem is, people don’t always recognize it when it’s
right there. This is due, of course, to wickedness and evil. That’s what we
find here in Proverbs 3:33 KJV –The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked; but
he blesseth the habitation of the just.
Now, we
go from wickedness to goodness, and the footsteps that are followed in the
pathway of the LORD. Now, we’ve often heard the words “Follow Me.” When we do,
we’ll see what is shared in Psalm 37:23 KJV –The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD:
and he delighteth in his way.
Established
could be a replacement for the word ordered in this verse. The path is
“established” in the steps of man. Well, Jesus was born a man, through the gift
of the Holy Spirit. Note how this relates to all Jesus taught in His lifetime,
no matter how short it would have been. We see what it means to have our steps
established as we look at the following verses beginning here in Psalm 121:3 KJV –He
will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Now, God
can’t do it all. That’s why we were given free will in the first place. I
remember hearing the words “if you dream it, you can do it. If you persevere
within it, you’ll get through it. If you want it, you’ll pursue it. If you need
it, you will find it.” I can’t recall where I heard these words, but they sure
fit here. We can see that in this next reference within Proverbs 16:9 KJV –A man’s heart
deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
So many
fear that they are falling and will never manage getting back up again. It’s
hard to see how, even when we hit that brick wall, or we wander off the path,
there is a way to get right back on the road we lost with a wrong turn. It’s
shared here in Psalm 37:24 KJV –Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for
the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.
Again
these words are proven both in Scripture and song. You can see that in Micah 7:8 KJV –Rejoice
not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in
darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.
Then you
can also see where it relates to song here in II
Corinthians 4:9 KJV –Persecuted, but not
forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.
God made
a promise. Jesus fulfilled that promise, just by being born, living
thirty-three years, and shedding His blood for our sakes. There is no greater
gift than a dear friend sacrificing everything held dear to save us. God did it
in giving His Son, Jesus did it in giving His life here on earth. As the season
of Christmas comes into full swing with Advent, it’s definitely something to
think about as we pray in the prayer Jesus taught us saying: After this manner therefore pray ye: 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 KJV)
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.
For many,
this is the season to prepare for many a holiday. Christmas is the one
Christians recognize, as tradition has kept it for many generations. Well, one
other thing that was kept tradition, and fulfilled, was the gift of God’s
prophetic wisdom, and proof that it can and does happen. One of those involves
a series of favorite verses. Though there are many I consider my favorites,
these are some that I have learned a great deal about in the twenty-three years
since I began the voyage toward full fledged ministry. Those verses are alluded
to in the scroll of Zechariah. Let’s see how this can be.
Zechariah 12:10-13 KJV –And I will pour upon the
house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and
of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they
shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in
bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the
mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. And the land shall mourn,
every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives
apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart;
The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart;
the family of Shimel apart, and their wives apart.
This is
the prophecy of the coming of Christ. It’s not the first prophetic view of the
coming of our Savior, but it sure delivers what many would term as a skewer and
roast, and proves a passage, a parable, in the Gospel of John, that portrays
this through the Father’s only Son, His firstborn, and what He was meant to
bring to this world. That is found in the Gospel of John Chapter 15 and I will
give pieces of the parable now. We’ll start with John
15:1-5 KJV –I am the true vine, and my Father
is the husbandman.
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every
branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring more fruit.
Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of
itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in
him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Now, this
tells us a lot. What does it mean to abide in him? It means to walk in His
sandals, to share the same path. It is no easy task to manage. In fact, it
takes a lot of patience, just as much perseverance, hope, faith, prudence, and
so much more. Trust in His truth. This is how Jesus shares just what it means
to trust.
John 15:7-13 KJV –If ye abide in me, and my words
abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye
be my disciples.
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my
love.
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I
have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in
you, and that your joy might be full.
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved
you.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for
his friends.
Now,
Jesus is simply proving the prophecy. He is also proving that God and Jesus are
among us, even though it is in the form of the Holy Spirit, yet, remember,
Jesus also said this.
Matthew 18:20 KJV – For where two or three are gathered together in
my name, there am I in the midst of them.
In other
words, abiding in His truth, and His love, together as the branches of the
vine. I have read this, written about this set of verses many, many times over
the years. Every time I do, the meaning broadens, and always, always adds more
to the understanding of what unconditional love should be.
The very
first time I helped teach these verses I was eighteen years old. I was in a
tiny group of ministers of His love dressed as a clown. You see, clowns
demonstrate the innocent nature of children, as God has asked us to be for Him.
Though there are those who are afraid, downright terrified of clowns, the truth
is, they should be greeted with the ideal of hope, as we remember to live
always sharing faith, hope, and charity. In other words, sharing the elements
of love that is unconditional. He gave us His life, so that we might live. That
is love which is unconditional. Though we celebrate His birth, it is His gift
to all of us we should remember most. Now, there’s something to think about.
Please
continue to pray for Sister Mary Michel-Lynch, that she would recover further
after her stroke.
Pray for
Phoebe Fair, she has returned to the hospital yet again due to her AT/RT cancer
and the treatments being received.
Pray for Heather,
Christie, Calvin, Chris, Debby, Karen, Thomas, and many others on our personal
prayer lists.
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.
Good
afternoon, and welcome to this Sunday Sermon for Covenant of Hope Ministries. I
am Rev. Laura A. Neff, and the ministry knows me as the Rainbow Minister. You
can find us live Sundays at 12:30 PM ET US and These are our locations online
only:
We have
email and Instant Messenger available Sunday 10AM to 2PM ET US via Yahoo IM and
any other time by request. I’m still working this out between the three of us
as to what will happen, our Elder, Cal Jennings. Sister Mary is still unable to
help unless in her own silent prayers for now, but God still hasn’t said as to
where that will lead. The IM is available if you ask first and identify the
reason as being part of the ministry. This IM is connected through Facebook as
well. I will be informing you further in regard to changes being made. These
changes were made due to health reasons. There will be live sermons, and the
sermon length will be shortened dramatically, but we are unsure as to when that
might be. 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 as follows.
Continue your prayers for Sister Mary. She is in 24/7 care with
a staff that continuously keeps me informed. She has fallen twice this week,
pray that no injuries would be found, and that her efforts would bring her
toward finding a method at recovery. They do have her sitting up in a
chair/walker. That’s a great thing, and God is good!
Pray for our family. There are several things weighing us down,
and they don’t all include my health, or that of any member of the family.
Though, those don’t hurt.
Pray good things can occur as a result of the doctor’s
determinations for me, and as to the negotiations for other situations in our
family.
Pray for Elder Cal, as he has still been feeling pretty rotten.
May God provide him wellness, and bring that flicker of hope into a bright and
roaring flame.
Pray for friends Karen, Christie, Art, Heather, Chris and his
family, especially his father, Jackie and her father, Debby, Tom, Teresa, Hope,
Christie, Joe and his family as they lost his mother-in-law, Robert’s brother
and his brother’s fiancee suffering some serious chaos, and several others.
Phoebe Fair and her family need more prayers as she has gone in
for yet another round of chemotherapy in time for the holidays. Pray that she
might be home for Christmas, in place of the hospital. We add prayers for her
family in the mourning of her great grandfather Zig Ziglar, motivational author
and speaker, who passed away this week.
Pray for those who have been injured or killed his week, and for
those who brought harm upon others.
Pray for our outreach ministries, and all on their separate
prayer lists, no matter where in this world they would be.
Prayer: Father in heaven, we
thank You for this day and for these who are here to share it with us. We are
blessed that You have brought good things to our families and friends, and are
helping us seek better pathways for those trials and tribulations we have
worked to overcome. We pray that You watch over those who we care about,
friends, family, and more, and then help us to accept those we see as our
enemies, for their differences, and for their being human. We pray that those
with plenty can see those in need, and those in need realize they have more
than it appears. We pray all of these things in Your Holy Name through our
Savior Jesus Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amein and so it shall be.
Sermon: This is the time of year when many
times we’ll see advertisements for things, shiny new toys of all shapes and
forms, clothes, and more. Yet, when we think about it, to us, which is the
better view? Sure, we believe we could never live without this, or that, or
something else. But, would we suffer like those in Scriptural times were we to
go without some of those same things? Let’s see where we should see riches, in
place of where those of earthly desires would.
Psalm 37:16 KJV –A little that a righteous man hath is
better than the riches of many wicked.
Now, no,
it’s not saying that those of us who want would be wicked. It is those who want
over and beyond that which they need, that’s where greed lives, which is part
of both envy and lust, with a few others thrown in. It is also where we get
ourselves into trouble.
Proverbs 15:16 KJV –Better is little with the fear of the LORD
than great treasure and the trouble therewith.
In
otherwords, better to live with just enough than to suffer troubles brought by
excess. If you’ve ever eaten too much after not eating for a while, you pay the
consequences in an upset stomach. This is similar to what is meant by the
reference here. It is better to be satisfied with enough to survive, than it is
to desire that which could hurt you later. The same sentiment in different
words is found with I Timothy 6:6 KJV –But godliness with contentment is great gain.
Now,
considering the time of year and how many exploitations we see, the next couple
of verses portray just what we see far too often in this world. Let’s see what
is shared in the next portion of Psalm 37:17-18 KJV
– For the arms of the wicked shall be
broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous.
The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance
shall be for ever.
Now, no,
God doesn’t expect us to be perfect without Christ as part of us. He does,
however, want us to see the difference between what we are, and what we could
be. The challenge is this, to see every step as one that has possibilities, in
place of running away, turning our backs, or something else of that nature. We
have God on our sides for courage, for hope, and for faith, all of which are
grown from love. Sometimes that seems in far too short a supply, but, we just
have to remember the source to find a bountiful supply.
Isaiah 60:21 KJV –Thy people also shall be all
righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the
work of my hands, that I may be glorified.
Glory, we
often forget that it is for His glory we are working as we do. Whether it is
just to share our faith, our love, our hope, our strength, or whatever, it isn’t
for our glory, or at least it shouldn’t be. Personal gain shouldn’t rest on the
shoulders of others, it should be ours alone. And, what some see as gains,
others would see as insignificant. Think about it like this. When you work to
teach someone even the smallest thing, like tying their shoes, or eating on
their own, and they follow through, it is satisfying to see it, to know it, to
understand the accomplishment. The same can be said when we work hard to learn
something, do something, no matter how small the task might seem to others, and
achieve it, regardless of the length of time from start to finish. Time does
not matter, it’s what you do with your time that does. Life matters only with
what you achieve while in that life, physically, spiritually, mentally, as
until the end, none of us knows what will be next until He has His say.
Psalm 37:19-20 KJV –They shall not be ashamed in
the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall
be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
The
righteous man shall carry no shame, especially if walking in the footsteps of
righteousness, no matter what the rest would be doing around them. Satisfaction
can be found without all the kudos, the praises we should be aspiring for are
not earthly in nature. They are those praises from family, friends, and from
God, who is both family and friend, if we willingly listen. To remind us of
that we find something written by one tormented by the troubles and led astray
shared in Job 5:20 KJV –In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war
from the power of the sword.
What kind
of war? What kind of famine? In both cases, they could be seen as physical or
spiritual. Every day we see war in one form or another, it may not look like
it, but that’s what it would be. There are corporate wars, land wars, faith,
creed, or race wars, and so many more. There are wars with depression,
depravation, and too much of too many things. A friend of mine once said it
won’t be until we realize that a war can’t be a war if we learn to fight it
together in place of against one another. That togetherness should included
God, ourselves and whatever, or whoever it would be on the other side. This is
a sentiment, a consideration, that should be seen every day, not just at this
time of year. Now, that’s something to think about as we pray in the prayer
Jesus taught us saying: After this manner therefore
pray ye: 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 KJV)
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.
