Be Strong And Faithful For Someone Else

Beloved, First, I want to again thank all who made time to connect with us last night for church conference. My hope and prayer is that you found it beneficial to connect and hear about what has taken place, is taking place and will take place in this wonderful, growing fellowship and relationship as part of the Body of Christ that we call Zion Memorial Missionary Baptist Church. Your presence and perseverance is a mark of your faithfulness and as God reckoned Abraham's faith to Him as righteousness, know that God sees and knows all that we do for Him in the name of Jesus. During these difficult and tumultuous times, we have many choices but one decision. We can choose to hide under the shroud of uncertainty that clouds our way from day to day. We can choose to run and do what we want to do as if there are no consequences to our actions. Or, we can choose to trust in God to lead us and guide us by choosing not to lean unto our own understanding but to acknowledge God in all of our ways and let God direct our paths. With so much information coming at us all the time, what is your default? Do you hide, run, or do you stay faithful? Did you know that depending on how you decide, you are impacting someone else? When you decide to hide, you are encouraging someone else to hide. When you decide to run, you are encouraging someone else to run. And, when you decide to be strong in your faith in God and to exercise your faith in God, you are encouraging someone else to be strong in their faith in God and to exercise their faith in God. So, among your many choices, how do you decide? When faced with what appeared to be a near-death experience that yielded to a nearer-to-life reality, the Apostle Paul, in Acts 27:22-24, spoke these words to a fearful crew on a ship that was supposed to go to Rome but was now bound for crashing into the dark waters of the sea, "I urge you now to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For last night there stood by me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, 'Do not be afraid...'" Beloved, who and what informs your spirit, your heart, and your mind such that what comes out of your mouth and the actions you undertake reveal who and what you truly have faith in? The Apostle Paul faced disaster with a prophetic word from God spoken by an angel who declared deliverance instead of defeat. How often do you open your mouth up in times of difficulty and speak an encouraging word? Or, how often are you the fear-monger, the worried doubter, the beaten before you ever even get into the game kind of person who still professes to be strong in the Lord? Remember, somebody is watching you live out your life. Someone is watching you to see if you live out the faith you declare you have or if you say one thing and do another. Sometimes, you have got to live out your faith by not only being strong and faithful for yourself. Sometimes, you have got to be strong and faithful for someone else. COVID-19, economic crisis, political turmoil are all the dark waters of the sea of uncertainty swirling around us. Who are you in your life story? Are you perilous crew or prophetic proclaiming Paul? Who should you be? Beloved, we are doing well as a church family during these times and I am trusting God to help us to do even better. And, I need some help from each and every one of you. As I am trusting in God and trying to be strong and faithful for me, my family, my friends, and my church family, I need for my family, my friends and my church family, Zion Memorial, you, to be strong and faithful for me. As the angel spoke to the Apostle Paul, "Do not be afraid." Instead, trust in the perfect love of God which should cast out all fear and be strong and faithful for someone else. Beloved, the strong and faithful will be connecting for Noonday Prayer today. Beloved, the strong and faithful will be listening to our 3pm broadcast on the radio and internet on The Light. Beloved, the strong and faithful will be connecting for HOPE Wednesday at 6:30pm to learn that much more about how to be strong and faithful as we embark on an in-depth study of Joseph. Beloved, be strong and faithful. And, remember, God loves you and I love you too! Be blessed, Rev. Cain