February & March 2025 Newsletter

Grace and peace to you, our beloved friends and family in Christ!  We hope you are well and staying warm. How grateful we are to the Lord that He is faithful and true and never leaves or forsakes us, even in cold weather!  We continue to pray for our nation, as we believe that the Lord has good plans for His people.  Jesus is “the Holy One, the true one, who has David’s key, who opens doors that none can shut and who shuts doors that none can open”(Revelation 3:7b). Let’s be agreeing and calling forth His good plans for us.  Amen!

Yissachar, Jakin, Yezekiel, Jerusalem, and Justice are less than a week away from the last quarter of the school year.  Their basketball seasons have all ended, and they all enjoyed their time on the court!  They have all been doing well academically, and their hearts continue to be turned toward Christ!  Glory to Jesus!  Yissachar has been helping lead worship at school chapel and at youth group.  Last Sunday, Steve loved ministering at children’s church at Lexington First Assembly!  A 10 yr old and 5 yr old asked Jesus into their hearts as Lord!  

We’re thrilled to conduct a prophetic training in Marietta, Ohio on April 5th and preach the 6th at Celebration Center, Lord willing!  What a joy to get to go see Pastors Gordie and Peggy Deer again!  Thank You, Jesus!!  Thank you for agreeing in prayer for His kingdom to come and will to be done with these doors He has opened for us.  We also thank you from our hearts for your prayers, love, and support (some of you for over a decade)!  We pray the Lord blesses you abundantly and that He opens doors for you to share His love, truth, and power!

Can we hear the Lord?  Here’s a wonderful truth for any questions we could ever have: what does Jesus, or His Word, say?  In John 10:11,27-28, Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives his life for the sheep…My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand.”  What truth!  That’s better than gold!

It is important that we hear the Lord, and one key to better doing that is to regularly read the Bible. That will help us know the Lord‘s heart and divide soul (and worldly voices) and spirit (from His heavenly realm). Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”  If the enemy has tricked us by his lies, reading the word renews our mind and exposes those lies of the enemy.  Psalms 119:130 says, “The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” The light of His Word illuminates us and gives us understanding! Walking in God’s truth is vital and keeps us on his straight path.  Reading the Scriptures also renews our mind to think like the Lord thinks.  “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).  

Part of the challenge of knowing if we’ve heard the Lord is recognizing that the enemies (spirits) of God lie to us. 1 John 4:1 records, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” The devil is called the father of lies.  Jesus said in John 8:44b, “…When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” Let’s not receive any lies from the enemy, especially whenever we encounter disappointment. Disappointment, which is tied to the past, tries to separate us from the awareness of the love of God. Consider that point as we look at Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  The past, not listed, doesn’t stop God’s love to us, but it can blind us to it.  Bitterness and unforgiveness can inhibit our awareness of God’s love for us!

Finally, we can be confident that we hear the Lord because we are His children.  Romans 8:14 declares, “For all those led by God's Spirit are God's sons.”  The Almighty God is a good Father and He desires that we know His will.  He is not hiding anything from us, but invites us to seek Him and His kingdom, that He may be found!  The Lord delights in His children and wants us actively aware of His voice, His plans, and His heart.  We can have confidence that the still, small voice of His peace guides us.  God is Love and we will not fear when we encounter His perfect love!  Be filled with faith that you hear His voice and are led by the Spirit of the Lord!

We bless you in the name of Jesus, and believe that the best is yet to come for you!  May you experience more of His great promises for you and your family.  His sacrifice purchased your salvation, deliverance, and healing! 

Love in Christ, Steve, Jill, Judah, Yisaac, Jonah, Yissachar, Jakin, Yezekiel, Jerusalem, and Justice