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.
Hello Covenant of Hope Ministries members and friends. I am posting this early as we won't be having a sermon on Sunday. It was an inspiration first thing this morning and I just had to share it. A simple prayer for this weekend. Prayer: Lord protect our traveling families and friends so that they might have a safe journey. Keep our soldiers safe and warm, no matter where they are. Watch over their families as they are so far away. May the sick and sorrowful be remembered and given hope through the love we might share. May peace on earth reign at long last, even if it's just for just a day. We ask all this in Your Holy Name through our Savior Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Amen and so it shall be.
Now remember, if you can't read it you just have to click on it and it will enlarge. God bless you, everyone. Merry Christmas.
~ Rev. Laura & Elder Cal Jennings ~
Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear together as the bringers of the light of Jesus found in the midst of darkness.
Welcome to Covenant of Hope
Ministries and our sermon or midweek study. You will normally see us posted on
Sunday and Wednesday. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff. Our ministry was built on the
truth of God’s love. It doesn’t conform to society’s wishes. This ministry
shares the Word of God, the Spirit of Christ Jesus. Those who know me well will
recognize that there are definitive differences in the creation of every sermon
from this point forward. It is God’s will that has brought this to be. We wish
only that God’s truth will be shared within His words as brought to us by the
Spirit as it fills my heart, mind, and soul to be shared with my hands, but
with His words alone.
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 grows or changes every week. This is our current list.
- Please pray for Elder Cal
Jennings who has been suffering greatly with his health. Please also pray that
his housing issues have solutions very soon. May the Lord bring his spirits up
and help heal him and give him hope.
- Please pray for our family
as we mourn the passing of my Uncle John. He passed on just a week ago. They
are mourning him tomorrow in his memorial. May our family and friends remember
him fondly.
- Please pray for relief in
the trials and tribulations for Sister Theresa and myself as we have had a
great many over the past year and more.
- Be thankful for each day
we live as we do not know what tomorrow brings.
- Pray for our nations that
the voice of God be heard through the Spirit.
- Pray for our friends and
families that their tomorrows bring blessings and pray our own be the same.
- Pray for those suffering
as a result of the terrors that have occurred just this past month around this
world.
- Pray for our sick and
wounded that they may heal.
- Pray for our homeless,
that they might have shelter and food for the celebration of Christ’s birth and
the hope of a home, compassion of man, and more.
Prayer:
Father
in heaven, our prayer today is to have the Spirit bring clarity to each of our
decisions. We thank You for that gift and the many more You have brought us.
May our fears be drawn out of us. Help us to see the many gifts Your love
brings and the unknown locations it might be found. May our pain and sorrow be
eased. May peace be brought from our hearts and shared with others. May Your
gifts of love shine through us toward others. We pray for the poor, the sick,
the sorrowful, the wounded, and the frightened. We pray for the soldiers, the
Samaritans, the children, and the rest. We pray in thanksgiving for every gift
brought us. We pray that every tomorrow bring good things. For each of these we
pray in Your Holy Name, through our Savior Jesus Christ, and the gift of the
Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.
Sermon: The
title says this: To the chief Musician on Neginoth, Maschil, A Psalm of
David when the Ziphims came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with
us? There are a pair of verses that go with this explanation. Those
include this one.
I
Samuel 23:19 KJV –Then
came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself
with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the
south of Jeshimon?
I
Samuel 26:1 KJV –And
the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah. Saying, Doth not David hide himself in
the hill of Hachiah, which is before Jeshimon?
There are many times we pray
for deliverance. That can be delivering us from all types of situations,
ranging from life threatening to the torment of heart, mind, or soul. Evil and
the deliverance from it would be mentioned in the Lord’s Prayer, which we share
through our Savior.
Psalm
54:1-4 KJV –Save
me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength.
Hear
my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.
For
strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have
not set God before them. Selah.
Behold,
God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.
He’s wishing and praying
that God will think about listening, giving ear to the words which David
shares. He is making his case by sharing that his enemies do not share the
belief that the Lord God would have been set before them. God helps those who
are faithful. God helps and is with us if we hold each other up, as well as
ourselves.
Psalm
118:7 KJV –I
shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.
The best part about faith is
in the fact that when God shows us more than we expect, or even what we hope
for, we feel as though we have come back to life. We are willing to shout for
joy and say that it’s because God has given us answers. God is good. He will
answer prayers, and bring blessings, if we listen, hear, and share that which
we have listened to and heard. It’s not supposed to be one sided. We’re
supposed to work in tandem. That is how hope, faith, peace, and more would lead
us to unconditional love as shown and shared through Christ Jesus. Here we come
with the words Fear Not. This is something that is often shared during this
time of the year. Yet, this is far, far from the gospels. In fact, it is the
prophecy that our gospels would be fulfilled.
Isaiah
41:10 KJV –Fear
thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will
strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right
hand of my righteousness.
Here it would be proven in
the New Testament.
Romans
8:31, 32 KJV –What
shall we then say unto these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
He that spared not his own
Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely
give us all things?
Sacrifice is the single most
difficult consideration. We saw it with Abraham and his son. We see it again
with God and His Son Jesus. It is the fact that they were willing to do so much
to save others, to prove faith can exist and will indeed be shared and seen in
our eyes, our hearts, our spirits, and our souls. What can David pray for next?
He wants, and pleads that the enemies not see the truth, that they are cut from
it. What is he willing to do for this? Well, take a look at what is shared here.
Psalm
54:5-7 KJV –He
shall reward evil unto mine enemies: cut them off in thy truth.
I will freely sacrifice unto
thee: I will praise thy name, O LORD; for it is good.
For he hath delivered me out
of all trouble: and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies.
God delivered him! So what
does David do? He says PRAISE GOD, of course. This is what we often forget to
do. When our trials and tribulations are taken from our shoulders, we often
forget to praise Him for deliverance. That’s why Jesus said to remember the
prayer He gave us. DELIVER US FROM EVIL, He says and we pray. Yet, still, even
with this confidence, this knowledge of God’s grace and hope would dissolve in
his fear that something will not be given. Faith is something we all struggle
to hang on to. This just proves that fact. Psalm 89:49 KJV – Lord,
where are thy former lovingkindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy
truth?
It makes it that much more
difficult if we are afraid to see what’s right in front of us. God’s love is
ALWAYS with us. In fact, it’s right in front of us. All we have to do is trust
in that fact. That faith shares so much, including the deliverance of His
faithful from the evils in this world. 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 is not to exploit
fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear together
as the bringers of the light of Jesus found in the midst of darkness.
