Pastor Clay's Sabbatical - January 2014

December 29, 2014 View this email in your browser Pastor Clay & Tammy will be on Sabbatical till January 20. Dear reader, Each year my wife and I take a few weeks in January to rest, refresh, and renew our relationship with one another, and with the Lord. During this time I will not be posting my daily devotional. I may post things from time to time as I feel led by the Lord. In the interim I'd like to challenge you to take some time in the next week or so and consider the following questions for your life: Where is my relationship with God? Am I willing to dedicate time each to to improve it?  How is my time in the word, and in prayer? Am I willing to set aside time each day to read my bible, pray, and seek God for guidance? Where is my relationship with others... family, friends, co-workers? What specific things could I do to improve them? How is my physical health? What specific things could I do to improve it? What are the most important things in my life? List at least five.  What specific things can I do to ensure I'm allocating my time and resources into those areas? Are there people or things in my life that are distracting me from my priorities? What am I willing to do about it? Am I using the gifts and abilities that God has given me in a significant way that is affecting my world? If not, what am I willing to do about it? Am I engaged in my local church in a significant way that is helping to build the kingdom? If not, what am I willing to do about it? Do I have a person in my life that is investing in me? If not, am I willing to prayerfully find one? Do I have a person in my life that I'm investing in? If not, am I willing to prayerfully find one? In his book "Developing the Leader Within You," John Maxwell gives an outline of how to achieve positive change in your life... List the areas of your life that need to change. Place them in order of priority. Take them on, one at a time. Gather resources that will help you; books, videos, podcasts, people, etc. Ask a person who models that behavior to help you, and hold you accountable for your progress. Spend a few minutes each morning listing the specific things you will do that week to accomplish your goals. Do a "check-up" at noon each day to see how you're doing. Do a "check-up" each evening to see how you did. Allow 30-60 days for each item on your list to ensure the change is firmly in place. CELEBRATE when you've reached each goal! I look forward to restarting my blog later in January, but until then, I pray the Lord keep you, and bless you, and shine His face upon you! In His Service, Pastor Clay Enjoy this devotional?  Share it with someone! Share Tweet Forward Connect Facebook Twitter Instagram Subscribe by email Copyright © 2014 Calvary Chapel of Wilmington, All rights reserved. You're receiving this email because you subscribed through our website or my blog. You can click the "Manage Subscriptions" link to manage your email preferences.   Calvary Chapel of Wilmington 2831 Carolina Beach Rd Wilmington, NC 28412 Add us to your address book 910-791-1858 | www.calvaryofwilmington.org   unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences

Prophecy Update 2014

(the following are the notes from my End Times Prophecy Update, Dec 28th, 2014)

Prophecy Update 2014

Mark 13

  

At Christmas we focus on Jesus FIRST coming, this week we’re going to focus on His SECOND coming.

Once a construction worker that checked into a hotel, and when he sat on the bed and took his boot off, it dropped to the floor and made a huge “Thud.” Thinking to be sensitive to the person in the room below, he slowly took off the other boot, and gently placed it on the floor. About 30 minutes later a knock came at the door, and when he answered it was the man from the room below… “would you please let the other shoe drop, it’s driving me crazy!”

And so it is today, there are so many things happening around the world, sometimes it feels like we’re waiting for the other shoe to drop.

During an interview, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, answering a question about Americas role in the world, stated that "the world is experiencing 'historic defining times that will result in a new world order'. Elaborating further Hagel said 'This is a time of global transformation. We are essentially seeing a new world order evolving and being built. I don't think we've seen such a time since right after World War II.”

1.         We’re seeing growing global chaos,

a.    Financial crisis, where entire regions are mired in debt, some countries many times their entire GDP.

b.    Wars - almost every continent has some conflict going on…

c.    Religious conflict - terrorism - persecution

d.    Social unrest even here in our own country

2.         ...all of these things are indicators that we are living in the last days.

3.         The last days will be days of apostasy: As time moves along, Scripture warns there will be a growing universal revolt against God and authority that will manifest itself in a humanism in which man (2 Thess. 2:3, 11; 2 Tim. 3:1).

4.         The last days will be days of globalism: Because of wars, rumors of wars, and the threat of international crises that will build in preparation for the scenario found in the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24 and Rev. 6-19),

a.    More and more the human race will look to a one-world international system to bring peace and safety (1 Thess. 5:3).

5.         The last days will be days of false messiahs: This hope and search for some form of a one-world system will lead to the longing and search for someone who can come on the scene of human history and mold the world into unity and peace.

a.    Such a person arises in the form of the Antichrist, the Beast of the tribulation period (Matt. 24:5, 23-24; 2 Thess. 2:3b-4; Rev. 13:1f).

365 Prophecies of Jesus Christ

Click this link HERE to download a PDF of 365 prophecies that are fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

December 23, 2014 View this email in your browser Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted - Luke 4:18-19 This week we're examining the statement Jesus made at the beginning of His ministry, listing four reasons why he came: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." Isaiah 61:1–2 / Luke 4:18-19 In part 1 (CLICK HERE) Jesus declared that He came to preach the good news to the poor. Today we're going to look at the second reason: Jesus declared; "He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted."  There's nothing more difficult to endure in this life than a broken heart, and if you've ever experienced one then you know what I mean. It literally feels like your entire world is ending... people have even died as a result of a broken heart! And sadly, it happens all the time, as we live in a cold, cruel world, full of hurt, disappointment. While there are many ways to experience a broken heart, no one seems to be able to mend one; psychologists can't talk us through it, surgeons can't repair it. But there is hope, as Jesus promised that He came to heal the brokenhearted. He is the Great Physician!  How? Because of our new life in Christ, we are now the recipients His peace, joy, and comfort  "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27 "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." John 15:11 "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Ps 147:3 While it is comforting to know that Christ can heal our heart when it's broken as a result of something that happens to us, I believe there is also a very specific type of broken heart that Jesus came to heal. Jesus came to heal the heart that is broken as a result of our sin before God. See, the first act of salvation is to repent of our sin before God, but the reality is, prior to that moment, our sin didn't bother us that much. So why did we repent? Because the Holy Spirit of God came alongside of us and revealed our sin... "And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin" John 16:8 ...and in that one heartbreaking moment we recognized how truly sinful we really were, and how much we needed the forgiveness of God. Yet in that moment of heartbreaking repentance, the love of God shone through, and we were cleansed of our sin... "If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9 That, my friend, is a heartbreak that we will never again experience.  (This Christmas season ask yourself, "Do I have a relationship with Christ?" If you'd like to know how, CLICK HERE.) Pastor Clay   Enjoy this devotional?  Share it with someone! Share Tweet Forward Connect Facebook Twitter Instagram Subscribe by email Copyright © 2014 Calvary Chapel of Wilmington, All rights reserved. You're receiving this email because you subscribed through our website or my blog. You can click the "Manage Subscriptions" link to manage your email preferences.   Calvary Chapel of Wilmington 2831 Carolina Beach Rd Wilmington, NC 28412 Add us to your address book 910-791-1858 | www.calvaryofwilmington.org   unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences