“Make Up Your Mind”

Joshua 24:15

In this life, at some point we are going to make some decisions about our lives, some major and some minor. When we were children, decisions about our lives rested upon our parents shoulders. Decisions on where we lived, what we were to eat, where we vacationed, what we wore, what time we went to bed, what time we got out of bed. Whatever the decisions were, as a child, we didn’t have to make them. But when we grew up, and came into adulthood, all these decisions now became ours to decide where we want to live, what school if any will we attend, where will I go to look for a job, decisions, decisions, decisions, are now ours.

In this text, Joshua, an old man, felt responsible for those he was leading…, kind of like his children.. constantly having to remind them of the goodness of the Lord, constantly having to remind them what God had done, and was still doing for them, and constantly reminding them how He brought them out of Egypt, how he defeated their enemies, how he feed them, and all the things that God had done for them.
Maybe Joshua wasn’t getting the results he thought he should get so he made up his mind to serve the lord. In life we may have to face some tough decisions, and we may feel like throwing in the towel, but before we do, let us remember how God has brought us out of tough situations and how he continues to see us through. It doesn’t matter how things may look right now, but if we “Make up Our Mind” to trust Him in all things, follow His instructions, and keep His commandments God will see us through.

“Make Up Your Mind” and watch the Lord make a way.

First Lady, Rev. Dorothy Pegues 

Rev.Dot.Pegues@hoytmemorialcme.org

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My Sheep Will Hear My Voice

John 10:22-30

I am convinced that we are too easily distracted in the rush of this modern world we live in. There are so many choices and so many distractions all demanding our time and our attention. Sadly, though it seems that we hear only what we want to hear and we often tune out Jesus. We do not take time to hear his voice. Maybe part of our problem is we do not have as trusting a relationship with Christ as we may think we have. How much one on one time do you set aside for him? How often do we spend time with the one we call Lord?

“Two men were walking along a crowded city sidewalk. Suddenly, one of the men remarked, “Listen to the lovely sound of that cricket,” But the other man could not hear the sound.  He asked his friend how he could hear the sound of a cricket amid the roar of the traffic and the sound of the people. The first man, who was a zoologist, had trained himself to hear the sounds of nature. He did not explain to his friend in words how he could hear the sound of the cricket, but instead, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a half-dollar coin, dropped it onto the sidewalk, and watched intently as a dozen people began to look for the coin as they heard it clanking around amid the sounds of the traffic and the sounds of the city. He turned to his friend and said, “We hear what we listen for.”

This Scripture is a promise and this Scripture is a truth. My sheep hear my voice! It does not say we could hear his voice or should hear his voice or might hear The Scriptures clearly tell us: My Sheep will, present and future, hear my voice.

We say, we want to discern, we want to understand His plan for our lives. We want His guidance in specific decisions so we can make wise choices.

However, the question we should be asking is, “How can I know the voice of God?”

Knowing the voice of God results in finding the will of God. God wants you to know His will: There are two Greek words translated “word” in the Scriptures. The two Greek words are “logos” and “rhema”. Logos is often described as the general word of God. Through the Scriptures you can receive all the knowledge you need concerning God and his promises; but just through reading you do not receive faith. Logos has been defined as the written or said word of God, and rhema as the saying, the action word of God. That is God giving, a specific word to a specific person for a specific situation.

• The Gospel reading today is crystal clear: “You do not believe because you do not belong to my sheep.” “My sheep hear my voice.” I give my sheep, eternal life and they will never parish.”  First, we must be of his sheep. We must accept the gift of eternal life that is found only in Christ Jesus.

• Then we must give time to our Lord, to put our lives in neutral gear not forward not backward but completely calm in our heart.

• Lastly, wait upon the Lord, say silently or aloud “Lord I’m here. I want to hear your voice. I yearn to know your will. Today, make a decision to follow Jesus, become one of His sheep and learn His voice.  Meditate on the scriptures and allow it to become real in your life.  He’s waiting.

Rev. Dr. W. Frazier Pegues, Pastor

Pastor.WFPegues@hoytmemorialcme.org 

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Just a Closer Walk with Thee

(Drawing Nigh to God)

Trusting, being patient, seeing the big picture; all are synonymous with a close relationship with God. In the principal and foundation of growing in God’s grace, studying the word of God, and developing into mature Christians once we accept The Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and come to the knowledge of the truth, we must begin to believe that every circumstance has the potential for calling forth in us a more loving response to God. Our one desire and one choice should be whatever draws us closer to God whether health or sickness, wealth or poverty, etc. Given the uniqueness of God’s creation, it is certainly reasonable that different things draw different people closer to God. However, the following four cornerstones are “across the board” type traits that would seemingly draw each of us closer to God.

Well, how does one draw closer?

• The first cornerstone is to “Be Still.” In Psalm 46, we are told “Be still and know that I am God.” In our rush and go world, being still is no easy task for most individuals. By being still and making prayer a priority, we tap into the grace, peace and power of our creator. It’s not always about keeping our body still sometimes our thoughts are too busy and we need to just quiet our minds, keeping our thoughts positive and pure. He keeps us in perfect peace when we keep our mind on HIM!
• The second cornerstone is to “Be Mindful.” Being mindful means considering what we allow to enter our mind. In 2 Thessalonians, we are told that “…the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. This word of God deems true only to those who are willing to obey it.
• The third cornerstone is to “Be Positive.” Being positive also goes hand in hand with second cornerstone of being mindful. Well, psychology tells us that the mind creates a picture of the self-talk we input. Accordingly, positive and negative self-talk subsequently materializes by what is most evident. Life and death lies in the power of your own tongue! SPEAK LIFE!
• The fourth and final cornerstone is to “Be Not Afraid.” We have no guarantee of an easy “walk in the park” type life. In fact, we know and in most cases have experienced trials. However, in James 1, we are told to “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces persistence. “However, given that trials are inevitable, we have the comfort of the consistent message of “Be Not Afraid.” Instead of walking in fear during our times of “encounter and going through” let’s walk in JOY!!!! Remember that fear and faith don’t mix. FEAR moves us away from God and closer to defeat. FAITH moves us closer to God and VICTORY!

May each of us as individuals who apply the above cornerstones (as doers of the word), truly feel the hand of God at work, welcome life’s circumstances and know that the present moment always provides the opportunity to draw closer to God!

……just a closer walk with Thee!

Humbly Submitted,   

Minister Sue J. Robbins    

Min.Sue.Robbins@hoytmemorialcme.org

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“FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY AND STING LIKE A BEE”

Hebrews 4:12-13

On January 17,1942, Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr was born in Louisville, Kentucky.  At just 22 years old, he beat Sonny Liston to become the heavyweight champion of the World.  He would later change his name to Muhammad Ali. He retired in 1981 with a career record of 56 wins, 5 losses and 37 knockouts.  On June 3, 2016, Muhammad Ali passed at the age of 74. Over the years, the man who called himself “The Greatest” had many memorable moments and Quotes. Some of them were:

“Catching flies is better training than hitting the speed bag.”

“Float like a butterfly. Sting like a bee. Your hands can’t hit what your eyes don’t see.”

“I’m so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed before the room was dark.

As we look at this text we see not a tapestry of Cute and humorous Quotes but A Manuscript of Facts.

For The Word of God is “The Greatest Book of ALL Time.”  The Word of GOD is:  1. Undefeated 2. Unmatchable.  3. Unbeatable 4.  Unchangeable.  5.  Unstoppable 6.  Inescapable. 

The Word of God: 

1. Will Convert 2. Will Convict 3. Will Correct 4. Will Cover 5. Will Comfort. 6. Will Counsel.  7.  Will Cure

The Word of GOD:  1. Will Not Contradict.  2. Will Not Change.  3. Will Not Confuse.

We Serve the Greatest God, the Only God, A God who sent The Best that He had to redeem us back to Him.

We have A Savior who laid on the Cross, bled on the Cross, Died on the Cross But on the 3rd Day!!! He Rose with All Power in His Hand! Jesus Christ defeated death, hell and the grave. On today, let each one of us commit to Seeking God through prayer and through His Holy Word. I pray that we seek the God who put the Float in the Butterfly and the Sting in the Bee!!

Humbly Submitted,

Minister Roger Dickens

Min.Rog.Dickens@hoytmemorialcme.org

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The Power to Forgive!

2 Corinthians 2: 8-11

Many of us in some point in life have been at a cross roads where someone has hurt us. That hurt could have stem from a number of things, especially by people who we love and thought loved us.

I lost my family, my job, my home, and was diagnosis with a serious got through it all because I never gave up the hope, desire, and the passion to succeed. No matter how wrong or deep the hurt, no matter how the pain makes you feel, within yourself you can find “The Power to Forgive”.

The Power to Forgive is not an easy thing to do, but it is a must if we are to succeed in this life. Many times we believe we have let something go, but there is still apart of us that reflects on the memories of that bad experience. That experience can be: When we hear that voice or when we see that face, when a similar situation occurs, we realize that old feelings ae still there, and if not dealt with it causes anger, resentment, and unforgiveness.

This is the most important question that we must ask ourselves. “What does it take for me to be forgiven?

I know it is difficult to forgive, but God has given us “THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS”! When we are obedient to God’s word and choose to forgive others, we ourselves are released from the bondage of sin. The act of forgiving others allows God to work his will and our healing in that situation. Forgiveness is the power that will change a life of defeat into one of victory. Remember in order to be forgiven there are three things we need to do?

• We must be obedient to God.
• We must forgive others, so God can forgive us.
• We must stop taking things for granted.

When we forgive God forgives us, and it is in Him that we find: “The Power of Forgiveness.”

Blessings, Minister Sean Young

Min.Sean.Young@hoytmemorialcme.org

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My Spiritual Checklist

Psalm 26:2 NLT

“Put me on trial, LORD, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and my heart.”

Whenever we go to rent a vehicle, the agent and the renter would do a bumper to bumper checklist. The agent and the renter would walk around the vehicle and look inside, which includes the fuel gage as well as the outside. This checklist is good for both parties.

As God Warriors, before we go on the mission before us, we need to do a spiritual checklist.  We need to ensure that we are operating under the anointing from head to toe, inside and out. Only the Lord can examine us and declare us righteous.

Our Spiritual Checklist: The Magnificent Seven

1. Lord examine my mind! Is my mind on heavenly things as well as on YOU?
2. Lord examine my eyes! I want them to see my brothers and sisters as YOU see them.
3. Lord examine my ears! I want them to hear YOU clearly.
4. Lord examine my heart! I want to learn to have compassion for others as YOU have compassion for me.
5. Lord examine my hands! Like YOU picked me up, I want them to pick up my brothers and sisters and not knock or press them down.
6. Lord examine my feet! I want them to follow YOUR direction and carry the Gospel to those who need to know about YOUR LOVE and how YOU gave YOUR Son to be their/our Lord and Savior.
7. Lord examine my tongue, the most deadliest yet most powerful weapon we can carry….. life and death lies in the power of the tongue!

In a follow-up scripture 2 Chronicles 32:31, let us be mindful and know that this examination, this checklist will benefit US, not God!

Humbly Submitted,

Minister Johnnie Williams, Jr.

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Stay In The Race 

Philippians 3:13-14

The church of Philippi was founded by Paul and his co laborers Silas, Timothy, and Luke on his second missionary journey in response to a God given vision at Troas. A strong bond of friendship developed between the apostle and the Philippian Church.

Philippians 3:13-14 said “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things, which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things, which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Paul sees himself as a runner in a race, exerting all his strength and pressing on with intense concentration in order not to fall short of the goal that Christ has set for his life, his perfect oneness with Christ, his final salvation, and his resurrection from the dead. This was the motive of Paul’s life. 2 Corinthians 12:4 says “How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for man to utter.”

He had received a glimpse of the glory of heaven and had resolved that his whole life, by the grace of God, would be centered around his determination to press on and someday get to heaven and see God face to face.

Such resolve is necessary for all of us. Throughout our lives all kinds of distractions and temptations, such as the worries, riches, and evil desires of life threaten to choke off our commitment to the Lord. What is needed is; forgetting those things which are behind us:

Forget about the ways people mistreated you; forget about the lies they told on you; forget about the struggles you had to face; you are wasting too much energy remembering when.  We need to press forward and run the race that God has set for our lives.

Stay in the race, because God has a crown waiting for us in glory. Stay in the race, so that we can see the nail prints in His hand and feet that He took just for us.  Stay in the race, because He loved us so much that He stayed up there on that Cross. Brothers and sisters stay in the race because every lap that we take, win a soul for Christ.

And remember, Paul wrote this letter to the Philippian church for four reasons:

• To thank them for their generous gift of support and to update them on his present circumstance.
• To assure the congregation of the triumph of God’s purpose in his imprisonment.
• To reassure the church that their messenger had fulfilled his charge faithfully and was not returning to them prematurely.
• To counsel them about some church concerns and to exhort them to press on to know the Lord in unity, humility, fellowship, and peace.

There’s an old song that says “I’ve been running for Jesus a long time, I’m no tired yet” Don’t get tired. Stay in the Race!

First Lady, Rev. Dorothy Pegues

Rev.Dot.Pegues@hoytmemorialcme.org

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