The Woodlawn Blog

Lack of trust equals unbelief equals sin

2008-10-01T23:13:00.012-04:00

Do you lack trust regarding what God will ask you to do or
give up when you talk with Him?

I'm ashamed to admit it but, sometimes I do.  Even after
seeing His goodness, love, grace and mercy expressed
countless times in my life, and in the lives of others,
I still notice this lack of trust gripping my heart and
causing me to doubt that God's plans include what's
best for me.

Like most people, I've got goals and aspirations, hobbies
and agendas, to which I've decided how much of my time
to devote.  Although God has promised to supply
all my needs according to His riches in glory by
Christ Jesus, its my wants that I'm afraid won't be
fulfilled.

Of course, therein lies the problem: the focus of
my life is still on me!

Only when I remind myself how much God loves me is it
even possible to truly accord God His proper place as
Lord and Master in my life.

As most of us know and confess, God loves us so much
that He decided before the first person was born that
His Son, Jesus, would die as the sin-bearer for
everyone's sins.

Given all that God does and has done for us - including
raising Christ from the dead as proof of Jesus'
righteousness and God's plan to do the same for all who
trust in Him, doubting God's unwavering good intentions
towards us, or His ability to accomplish them, is simply
a symptom of idolatry.

Self-deification - "me" as king on the throne of my life
- is the sin which is interrupting the intimate
fellowship with God that I truly crave and is preventing
me from living a full, trusting life!  Only after I've
abdicated as the king of my life, surrendering it to
the One True King, will I ever escape the
unbelief-induced lack of trust that rules it now.

Standing on the Promises

2008-10-01T13:50:00.002-04:00

In the timeless classic by R. Kelso Carter, we are reminded of the foundation that we have under us. One of the verses states:

"Standing on the promises that cannot fail,When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,By the living Word of God I shall prevail,Standing on the promises of God."

It is the promises of God found in scripture that give us the strength to stand firm in the midst of trials, temptation, financial failures and football games lost! (Just kidding on the last one... I don't expect anyone to be falling apart over a football game!)

Scripture reminds us as well; "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful that promised.” Hebrews 10:23

There will always be times of trouble and pressures abounding from every side, but if we remain faithful to the God who promised us that He would be there for us to the very end of the age, we need not fear!

Pastor Nick

The Object of Faith

2008-08-01T17:43:00.000-04:00

Start your car and get it going about 50 mph! Then step on the brakes!!

What happened? Your car stopped, right? (at least I hope so...)

Why did your car stop? (if it did...if not...sorry!)

Because your brakes worked, right?

You see, everyday we jump in the car and as needed we step on the brakes by faith. We cannot see the rotors and stuff, just a pedal. You have become a believer that when you step on it, your car/truck/golf cart....will stop. That's how faith works! We cannot see God or the things that He is doing in our lives, but we know that He is there at work because you feel His presence through various activities of the day.

Take a look at nature and you can see Him as visible as your hand in front of you!

The mountains reveal the handiwork of God; the lakes reflect His beauty and the skies behold the heavens. God is real and has made it plain for us to see that He exists. He is the object of our faith and the reason we have hope. In faith, we trust that He is there and will reward those who earnestly seek Him.

The Power of Words in Music

2008-08-01T17:30:00.000-04:00

I love contemporary rock-like music.
It's what I listen to and what I enjoy!

When someone introduced me to hymns at first I rejected it as being old and boring. After all, some of these songs were written hundreds of years ago, by old people, right?

The funny thing is, once I heard the words behind the music I realized that the message was powerful and it could change lives. Now, I still don't listen to many hymns on a regular basis, but I started attending a monthly singspiration done by the churches in my community and it's very rewarding.

You don't have to agree with me, but I want to encourage you to consider listening to a few old hymns to hear the message. I think you will agree that the message is clear and speaks to the heart. Maybe you feel like sharing your thoughts on this post. Please do!

A community of faith

2008-07-31T13:12:00.000-04:00

For years the residents of the Woodlawn community have been surrounded by the power of prayer. Many people living in the projects would pray for the community, the local churches pray as do the many pastors who oversee the spiritual life of the members of their churches who live in the community.

How does that impact your life?

Have you noticed times when you missed a bug that everyone else caught?
Maybe you avoided some sort of crisis?

Prayer is powerful...even when we don't know that others are praying for us!

Your health and well being is brought before Almighty God on a daily basis. Prayer for the community leaders, police and firefighters and those who are involved in managing the affairs of this city and those that surround Everett.

Maybe you could share times that you have felt that an unseen spirit was watching out for you?
This is the place to do that. Post a message to others who share this site. Offer a word of praise or even a prayer for our community.

Your words could be a great encouragement to others!