Cathy’s Corner
I was studying the Armor of God recently. The devotion on the day after the election really hit home with me. I thought I would share it with you.

Luke 18:1-8 – Freedom in Christ Bible - NIV
Paul’s teaching on the armor of God concludes with the following admonition: “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18). We cannot engage in spiritual warfare without praying. Praying “on all occasions” means that we are to pray when we feel like it as well as when we don’t feel like it. People who are devoted to prayer acknowledge their dependence upon God, and they are ready to pray at any time and for any length of time. Their prayers are effective because the Holy Spirit helps them pray. (see Romans 8:26-27).
Prayer has preceded every great movement of God. Pentecost was preceded by prayer (Acts 1:14), as were the great awakenings in America. There has never been an outpouring of the divine Spirit from God without a previous outpouring of the human spirit toward God. The preeminence of prayer needs to be settled in our minds. Prayer not only precedes a great work of God; prayer is a great work of God.
The Holy Spirit will lead us to pray for all the saints all the time. That means that we will be prompted to ask for divine protection for others. Such prompting can come at any time of the day or night. We may never know the trouble another believer is in, but the Holy Spirit knows. When the Lord puts someone on your mind, we are to stop, lift up that person in prayer and ask God to place a hedge of protection around him or her. We are to keep praying until we sense the peace of God.
The Holy Spirit may also prompt us to pray for those who are in trouble. We have the Spiritual authority in Christ to stand against Satan and his attacks. When the disciples were unsuccessful in driving a demon out of a boy, the Lord said, “This kind can come out only by prayer” (Mark 9:29). The disciples may have tried to drive the demon out by copying what they had seen Jesus do, but they probably didn’t have the same degree of dependence on, and faith in, their heavenly Father that Jesus had.
Jesus told the parable of the persistent widow so that the disciple’s would learn to “always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1). The widow wanted justice against her adversary, and she wasn’t going to stop petitioning the judge until she got it. Her persistence finally won over the judge, who gave her justice. If an uncaring judge can be compelled by persistence to deal justly with a helpless individual, certainly we can expect God to answer our prayers. He will not put us off but will quickly answer our cries for justice concerning our adversaries (see vs. 7-8).
There will be great apostasy in the last days (see Mathew 24:23-24); I Timothy 4:1). In light of that fact, “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8) Based on the context of this question in Luke 18, Jesus is probably referring to the kind of faith that never wavers under fire. Let us strive to be persevering in prayer so Jesus will find us faithful.
We need to be in prayer for our nation. We need to lift up those in power to turn their hearts to God and that our nation will turn back to God.

Great weekend!

Trunk Fest was a huge success thanks to everyone. It was definitely a team effort this year with the rest of the staff taking on some of the responsibilities. With the added aspect of Team Impact, we were able to have the evangelistic emphasis. 212 people made professions of faith and there were many decisions for baptism as well. If you were here on Saturday night, you saw an entire family be baptized together. That’s what it is all about, changing people’s lives. God was honored in all we did.

We gave out 1000 bags with visors and information about our preschool as well as a few hundred more brochures. Teen Mops gave out almost 1000 brochures. We were inviting people to come back as we gave out the information. I met a family Sunday morning in the guest reception that were visiting. The first time they were here was Friday night for Trunk Fest.

The police estimated 10,000 were in attendance. I am so proud of your part as you invited so many people this past week. We had over 300 Miracle Moments just in preschool. Great job everyone. We are all getting in the habit of inviting people as we go about our busy schedules. Those people are coming and their lives are being changed.

Miracle Moments:
Last week our Preschool staff tried a new Italian food restaurant in the Mid-Cities area. The food was good and the service was great. We invited those people to come to Trunk Fest. I ran into a young woman and her daughter and invited the two of them to Trunk Fest.

Trunk Fest and Team Impact gave Brian Nelson a great opportunity to share his faith and invite guests. He invited 53 people, gave out 50 tracts and shared his faith and testimony 22 times.

Martha and James Llewellyn invited his soccer team to Trunk Fest as well as friends looking for a church home.

Steve and Tracey Hall invited 90 people to Trunk Fest and Team Impact.

Debbie McDaniels invited 21 people to Team Impact and shared her faith 40 times.

Kimberly and Chuck Blume invited 30 people to Trunk Fest and Team Impact.

We will have lots of opportunities to invite people these next few weeks as we gear up for the holidays. Be thinking about who you can bring with you to church and who needs to hear about Jesus Christ.

Have a great day in the Lord!

I thought I’d share some quotes from a couple of books I have: The Price of Freedom and God Bless America. Hopefully you are registered to vote and you will exercise that right by November 4th. Men and women have given their lives in order for us to have the freedoms that we have in this country. Unfortunately many Christians have become very apathetic to our country’s condition and state. The first quote explains what happens with apathy.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
-- Edmund Burke

Good government generally begins in the family, and if the moral characters of a people once degenerate, their political character must soon follow.
-- Elias Boudinot

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked way, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
-- 2 Chronicles 7:14

Personal freedom, political freedom—they pale in comparison to freedom in Christ. I could be imprisoned in chains, but still I’m a free man because of my faith. That’s true freedom. No battle can change it, no government can revoke it. I’ve been set free.
-- Michael W. Smith

In no other way can this republic become a world power in the noblest sense of the word than by putting into her life and the lives of her citizens the spirit and principles of the great founder of Christianity.
-- David J. Brewer, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme court, 1889-1910.

Blessed is the man who makes the Lord His trust.
-- Psalm 40:4

It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.
-- Patrick Henry

Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
-- Matthew 11:38-30

Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.
-- George Washington

He guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.
-- Proverbs 2:8

We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
-- John Adams

Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees.
-- Deuteronomy 8:11.

The Church can have light only as it is full of the Spirit, and it can be full only as the members that compose it are filled individually.
-- A.W. Tozer

Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.
-- 2 Peter 1


Have a great day in the Lord!