When you consider where you are today spiritually speaking, you are in one of three places when it comes to knowing and following God’s will for your life. You are either in:
1. I do what I want to do
2. I do what I think is the right thing to do
3. I do what God’s Word tells me to do
To be a person that allows God to lead you is to be a person who makes God’s Word the authority over his life. To know God is to know his word. To love God is to obey his word. And when God leads you, He will always lead you into the truth of His word. Look at what is says in John 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.
The bible has changed my life. I love this book. I love reading it. I love applying it to my life. I love finding promises that pertain to my life and praying those promises. I love spending time with God by reading His word. I love when God speaks to me through this book and I love when God leads me through this book.
I made a decision when I first gave my life to Jesus Christ to allow this book to have a higher priority over my thoughts, my dreams, my wishes, my emotions, my feelings, my circumstances, my will and my life.
By choosing God’s word and His promises over my life and my circumstances, I have found that God is faithful and God is good, and the more I trust in Him the more I find Him to be a loving generous, gracious, healing God who loves me!!!
God has revealed Who He is and How He loves to me everyday I read His Holy bible.
I would not be the person I am today without the Word of God giving me the roadmap to God’s pathway for blessings and success.
I get excited when I read the Bible and I am so excited to be back at Encounter to teach on Anchor 8 this Friday. Allow God’s word to become the authority over my life.
I have never taught this specific lesson at Encounter and I am fired up about this Friday.
Encounter had more inquiries from new people this week than I can recall.
I had the opportunity to speak at a men’s retreat with 200 men this past Friday and Saturday. I spoke at the Sanctuary Church this past Sunday.
I expect newcomers to be at Encounter this Friday.
I hope you all will be there to help them, greet them, and make them feel right at home.
One last thing I want to bring to your attention; this is the time of year through Christmas when we tend to struggle the most.
Old patterns resurface. Family tensions rise. Old hurts seem to reappear. Fears and insecurities flare up. We tend to run away instead of running to the cross. We tend to put our discipleship and recoveries on hold.
I want to encourage you to stay connected with your Encounter family and get reconnected this Friday. We need each other and we get better together. I need you and you need Encounter.
Let’s make the commitment to pack out the Father’s House this Friday and every Friday!
Our good friend Donovan Henry from Heart of the Canyons will be leading us in worship again!
We have an amazing night of worship and inspired teaching planned! I can’t wait to see you there!
Be Blessed and Encouraged
Bill Rieser
Encounter Pastor