stanpavkovich

If you look around at peoples faces these days there are a lot of worried people out there. Maybe you are one of them.

Maybe you are worried about your finances or your health…or a relationship or an entirely different situation. And you are saying today… I’ve got to have some hope. Jesus gives us that hope.

Matthew 6:5-8 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

If you are a follower of Jesus you should take comfort
Because our Father in heaven knows what we need even before we ask.

In other words no one reading this has ever shared information with God that He did not know.

One of the reasons we don’t need to worry is if we need something God already knows what we need.
He is that awesome.

For most of us if we were to be real honest – I would say for all of us He has been meeting needs that we didn’t even know we had for a real long time.
Because…He is that good.

Matt. 6:27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Nobody said my life started to get better when I started to worry…no one ever said that.

Matt. 6:28-34″And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Pagans are people who did not know Jesus… in other words one of the identifying marks to somebody in this society that did not know Jesus is that they were worried…

As a Christian who claims that God is sovereign…God says that is awesome, now I want you to live like that way.

He says that the people who don’t know me – they should worry – but the people who know me have no right to worry.

God reigns over everyone and everything…

From Wall Street to our street – God reigns.

Put God first in every area of your life and watch what he will do.

Be Blessed,
Pastor Stan

“When God Ran”, I love that old song! It tells a little different story than what the title would presume. It talks about God running straight for us, taking us in His arms holding our heads to His chest proclaiming how happy He is that we came home to Him and offers us forgiveness.

Someone asked the other day if God actually walks away from us or “takes a break from us”… my response was; No ~ the bible has many verses on the subject~ such as “I will never leave you nor forsake you” , “I am with you always, yea even til the end of the earth”. He tells us He will be with us in the bad times as well as the good times. I know as a parent and even as a grandparent the love that I have for my kids and grandkids is so strong that I would never abandon them in their time of need. How much greater love does the “Father” have for us that He laid down His life for us. I have a hard time believing that a love so great would walk away from us even in the good time. When my kids or grandkids are having a great time doing something, I WANT to be there. I don’t see it as a time to walk away and just let them celebrate on their own. Just like when my kids are going through a hard time, I want to be there for them as well; not just ignore their pain and leave them stranded until times are happy and good again.

I think that sometimes we may not feel God’s presence or we don’t get the answers we want or perhaps no answers at all and we feel like God has deserted us or walked away from us. Perhaps we can’t feel His presence because we’ve been too busy, noisy, or preoccupied with our lives that we haven’t focused enough on Him to feel His presence or to hear His answers. Maybe, just maybe it’s US doing the walking away from or deserting and not HIM. Could it be that He is actually standing there waiting for us to turn around and run back to Him so that He can run to us. What an amazing thought!!!!

One sure fire way to know ~ turn towards God and start running with all your might towards Him and see what happens. He won’t let you down, He is standing there ready with his arms opened wide just for YOU!!!
One other old song that is appropriate for closing this thought is, “Soul be still, my… soul be still and know that… HE… is GOD!!!!!

May your running be full of pure JOY as you run after HIM… God Bless

I read recently read where one person said his earlier view of life…. was life was like a roller coaster with its ups and downs…. the good being the ups and the down being the bad. But as he has gotten older and wiser he now views life as mixture of both. The good and the bad all the time. That on any given day you can point to what is going well and you can point to what is not going so well in your life…. Family could be going well… job not so well…. job and family going well…. but health not so well.

And obviously some situations will be more difficult then others.

When we face the difficult situations in life…. it challenges our faith. What are we going to believe about God and his plan?…. Is God punishing me? …. Did God forget about me?…. Did he leave me? ….. I thought God loved me and cared about me. …. Aren’t God’s plans to prosper me to give me a hope and a future (Jer. 29:11)?

If we are honest with ourselves some of these questions can mess with our heads.

If you are in the middle of a difficult situation in your life, I want to encourage you with two things. 1) God has a plan. Even if your own sin or bad decision has put you in the place you are in, God is still in control. …. You may not see him or his plan right now or even for several years down the road while you are going through this struggle. Keep trusting in God and following him through the storm and he will show you one day how your situation turn fits into his plan. …. His plans are indeed good because he loves you. As Romans 8:38 says, “God works for the good of those who love him who are called according to his purpose.” Continue to love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and walk in his ways. Think of this as a time to draw closer to God. There are times when we may need to change our plans to fit his plans. …. Or change our thinking about something.

Second, I want you to know God is with you. God has not abandoned you or forsaken you because he loves you. We have the promise from Jesus, that as his disciples, those who love him and follow him, he will be with us always to the very end of the age Mt. 28:20. His Spirit is with us in a real, tangible way even if you don’t feel his presence at the moment.

Be Blessed,
Stan

We all have any number of visions and ideals when we are young, but sooner or later we find that we have no power to make them real. We cannot do the things we long to do, and we are apt to settle down to the visions and ideals as dead, and God has to come and say – “Arise from the dead.”

When the inspiration of God does come, it comes with such miraculous power that we are able to arise from the dead and do the impossible thing. The remarkable thing about spiritual initiative is that the life comes after we do the “bucking up.” God does not give us overcoming life; He gives us life as we overcome. When the inspiration of God comes, and He says – “Arise from the dead,” we have to get up; God does not lift us up. Our Lord said to the man with the withered hand – “Stretch forth thy hand,” and as soon as the man did so, his hand was healed, but he had to take the initiative. If we will do the overcoming, we shall find we are inspired of God because He gives life immediately.
From my Upmost for His Highest…Oswald Chambers

Remember God has a plan and a purpose for you…but as Proverbs reminds us…It comes with much effort.

Don’t give up and be Blessed!
Stan

I’m like everybody else I have crappy days…days where it seems like it would have been to my advantage to stay in bed rather then get up.

But as I read about Paul and Silas in Acts 16, I realize I have nothing to whine about.

Here is the story in a nutshell…Paul casts a demon out of a fortune-teller…. Her master doesn’t like it because she loses the ability to predict the future… so he has Paul and Silas arrested.

Acts 16:22 says, The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

Now that is a crappy day! I have not had anything that has even come close to that.

If I was Paul or Silas I would be crying, asking for my mommy…and you had better not ask anything of me because I wouldn’t have anything to offer, I’d be drained and filled with self-pity.

Their backs are bleeding from their beating… I’ve never had a mob form against me… but I’m guessing that’s a little un-nerving. And to top it off they are thrown in the maximum-security cell in chains.

It just doesn’t get much worse than that…. And that’s why this next verse is so unbelievable. Acts 16:25 says, about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

Paul and Silas could have complained about their circumstances….God, we cast out a demon and this is what we get? We’re on a missionary journey and we get beaten and thrown in jail? They could have complained…But they made a choice to worship God in spite of their external circumstances.

The solution to a crappy day – is worship.

It changes your perspective from the temporary to the eternal…to the fact that I have eternity with God to look forward to, in a place where there is no mourning or sorrow or pain.

Nothing is more difficult than praising God when everything seems to be going wrong…. But one of the purest forms of worship is praising God even when you don’t feel like it. It shows God that your worship isn’t based on circumstances…. Worship is based on your love for God and His character.

Worship is reframing our circumstances.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Be Blessed,
Stan

One of my goals going into this year was to read through the Bible from beginning to end….As I have been reading about Abraham, Moses and Noah it has been a fresh reminder of how when we step out into faith and obedience…it requires action on our part.

When God spoke to Abraham…he invited him to come to a land he would show him, and if he did, he promised to make him into a great nation.
Abraham had to take action to follow God. He had to leave his extended family and his home to go wherever God directed.

When God spoke to Moses from a burning bush asking him to deliver his people from Egypt…Moses couldn’t stay in the desert and go save his people from slavery in Egypt at the same time. …He needed to take action.

When God spoke to Noah to build the ark in the middle of the desert…it made no sense in the natural…people laughed at him but he obeyed and took action.

Some of the action that is required to take… will be uncomfortable.

The Bible is full of examples…. Some had to leave family and country. Others had to leave behind livelihoods, dreams etc.

Everything had to be yielded to God and their entire life adjusted to Him not visa a versa.

Doing God’s will… will cost you something…. However what we gain will always outweigh whatever we lose.

Be Blessed,
Stan

This past week I gave the challenge to our Church to rise up and be Jesus to a forgotten group of children in our community…. those who are lost in the foster care system. The results were amazing… I am so proud of our church – you can see the service on our website.

I shared a story I came across about Bennett’s Chapel Missionary Baptist Church a small African American Church…. in Possum Trot, Texas…. Who did nothing short of a miracle when they responded to the need in their community. Watch this clip and be inspired to do something great for God.

Be Blessed,
Stan

I came across a blog this week that actually addressed an issue that has become a concern of mine – social networking.

I haven’t addressed it up until this point…nor have I seen anybody else address it… up until now… Pastor Mark Batterson nails it….

“I was reading II Corinthians 10:10 today: “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.” That text triggered this thought: some of us are very different people “in person” than we are “behind the computer.” And I don’t think that is healthy or holy.

I’m not just talking about bloggers who write irresponsibly about that which they do not know. I think it’s easier to slander someone or spread gossip from the comfortable confines of your computer. Somehow the medium excuses the sin. It doesn’t. All it does is a keep a written record of what you’ve done wrong. I’m not trying to get on a soapbox. I just think communication mediums can be used for good or evil. They can help us grow spiritually or become a spiritual snare.

To redeem an old saying: be careful little thumbs what you text. That goes for blogging, twittering, and emailing too! Keep it righteous! After all, God is blind copied (BCC) on everything we write!” (End of quote)

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue…

To put it another way… death and life are at our fingertips.

As Mark Patterson said keep it righteous.

Be blessed,
Stan

I know all of our hearts have been broken and moved with compassion with all that is taking place in Haiti.

And I’m sure that you, like me are wondering what you can do to help…Well here are several ways….

As a church we are seeking ways in which we can respond at the appropriate time with teams. But in the meantime… this is what we are doing immediately.

If you are in Bradenton we will be collecting medical supplies and protein drinks for Agape Flights a local organization that flies supplies into Haiti for missionaries . For a list of supplies go to our website www.cotcfamily.com.

If you are interested in donating financially, I would suggest donating to Samaritan’s Purse. If you aren’t familiar with this organization, it is a great organization run by Franklin Graham. They are already established in Haiti and have a history of doing great work when it comes to relief. Watch the video below to hear their plans for relief and what they are already doing.

You can give on line to their relief effort In Haiti at http://www.samaritanspurse.org/.

Another way to help right now is to pray. Please pray with us for the children and families suffering in Haiti at this time. Pray that in the chaos, they would find comfort and that God would provide for their needs even now.

Keep Praying,
Stan

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and News Years Holiday….

The beginning of the year is always a great time to reflect where you have been and where you want to go.

But what I have found in life to be true is… that no matter how well you plan (and I believe in planning) there will always be those unforeseen trials, storms and times of suffering that we go through.

I was remind of this yesterday… when I found out through another Pastor friend of mind that Matt Chandler who I heard at a conference last year… someone that God used to speak to my heart…. has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor that was not encapsulated.

He is a young 35 year old pastor from Dallas Texas who is doing a tremendous work there in the city…has a young family… a great future ahead of him and bam…all of a sudden it is changed over night…

But I want to share with you a short video message that he recorded a few days before his surgery… they played it for his Church this past week.

Video from Matt.

What a reminder of the perspective we all need to have…. that to be with Christ is greater then anything in this world.

Be Blessed,

Stan