Author: preacherphilstevens

Someone gave me money the other day and asked me to give it to someone in need within our church, no big deal, right? When I got to the church there was practically no thought; I just gave to it to the person I was asked to give it to. There was no time between being given the money, to handing it over, did I ever think I should keep this money, it wasn’t mine. You would most likely have had the same attitude.

What about when it comes to giving to your local church? The only times I have found it hard to give are the times when I forget whose money it really is. You see, every dollar I have ever worked for, to the red cent I found in the parking lot, it all belongs to God. The only reason I have it is because He has allowed me to manage it. When I find it hard to give it away, it is only because I tried to keep it for myself.

“Would a man rob God?” (Malachi 3:8) That doesn’t even sound possible, but we rob Him when we don’t bring back what belongs to Him. It is the heart of God to redeem (win back) people to Himself, and in 2017 God is still using His Church to accomplish this mission. Giving to your church is just one of the ways you put your faith in action. When you remember it all belongs to Him, you will be happy to give it all away!

One author wrote Jesus said “Follow Me.” about 23 times throughout the New Testament. I am sure “Follow Me” can mean a lot of different things to different people, but I think we can all agree that “follow me” requires movement. To be a follower of Jesus assumes you are going somewhere.

Unfortunately, all to often believers are not moving. I see it in myself at times. I don’t move because the destination seems unsafe, maybe it requires risks, or there are just too many unknowns. Maybe I’m just really comfortable where I am. I’m sure there a lot of excuses we use for not moving forward, but at the end of day, excuses are all we have.

One scene recorded in John 21 shows Jesus asking Peter to follow Him. Peter had just denied Jesus 3 different times. Peter was in a place where he currently couldn’t be used. He knew it, and so did Jesus so Jesus asked Peter to move, Follow me. Peter I can use you to do great things, but you can’t do it where you are, Peter if you follow me, and move where I am, you will preach sermons where thousands will follow me. It only takes one step in my direction though, Follow me.

Do you expect that God is going to use you right where you are? Chances are, God wants you to move into a deeper relationship with Him. He wants you to move from fear to faith, from faithlessness to devotion to Him. Are you ready to move? There is a an unbelievable world waiting for those who follow Him!

You ever imagine if the story of David and Goliath had occurred in 2017. After a stone sent the giant to the ground I’m sure the reporters would have pulled David aside to get the exclusive. “David, what kind of message are sending the youth of today that they should fight giants with only a sling and a stone? Don’t you think it is a little reckless to go into battle without a shield?”

With a big smile on David’s face I imagine he would say, “Actually, I was the only one out there today who had a shield.” Perplexed the reporter would reply, what do you mean? You see “the Lord is my strength and shield. I trust in Him with all my heart.” (Psalms 28:7).

The enemy may appear unconquerable. Their resources may seem limitless. You’ve heard stories of others who have been defeated by them, but when you go against them in the “name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel” (1 Samuel 17:45) you will be victorious. Never accept defeat again. Never allow the enemy to determine your attitude. Instead, in Christ, know that you are more than a Conqueror through Him who loved us. (Romans 8:37).

I recently read, and re-read, the story of a man named Gideon (his story is found in Judges 6-8). When we are introduced to him he is hiding from the enemy, afraid they will take his food. He was afraid, in large part, because he doubted that God’s presence was with Him and with Israel (Judges 6:13). It would be hard to disagree with him, the enemy had taken so much from him and the entire nation already.

Something changed in Gideon though. He tested God and God proved He was indeed with Gideon and the people of Israel. From that moment on Gideon became a fearless warrior. We don’t find him hiding from anyone anymore. He has unquestioned obedience to God. Gideon began to grow and his attitude began to change.

Israel started with a 32,000 man army, but God told Gideon that was too many. You might expect Gideon to be concerned, I mean, can you really have too many soldiers when you go into a war? Look at Gideon though, and you get no argument from him, do you know why, because he knew God was with him and nothing else mattered. The 32,000 man army dwindled down to 20,000 and then down to 8,000 and eventually down to only 300 people. Gideon is still unfazed, because he knew God was with him.

Gideon grew from faith to fear. He grew from doubt to confidence in God. What would your attitude be if you knew that God was with you? Figuratively speaking in life doesn’t it feel like we bring a knife to a gun fight? Circumstances in life can seem overwhelming, but if you go into every situation knowing God is with you then you will be a Conqueror. You will grow in your faith, and you will see circumstances change.

Almost everywhere I go I ask people to come to my church. There are people where I work who may not even know my name, but know that I go to Winfall Baptist Church. I even went to a funeral and invited people to come (Hoping this doesn’t offend). It’s not that I believe in my church, its that I believe in what God is doing in our church.

In the last 5 months our little church has baptized 4 people. Many have come forward to rededicate their life. I get calls and emails from people who are excited about coming back to church. We have decided that we will be a church who loves people and accepts them just as Jesus accepts them.

We also believe that Jesus has a plan for your life, among many things, He uses the church to accomplish that work in your life. Our church has decided to be relevant and actually answer questions that are being asked. We believe that the Bible, though written so many years ago, has the answers to questions that our world struggles with today.

Though we may not have met yet, we want you to know that you are already loved. Not only does God love you, but Winfall Baptist Church loves you, and we would love for your family to join our family.

A friend came and asked me if it were possible to really change. He had been trying to overcome a habit, a sin in his life that he just couldn’t seem to overcome. He was so discouraged, and now thought it would be impossible to change. He began to resign to the fact that this was just something he would always deal with.

I told him that I know that sin can sometimes feel like chains that can’t be broken. Sin can sometimes make us believe that we won’t be able to function in life without it, but I do want to remind you of something. I want you to remember that Jesus rose from the dead. You see that’s not supposed to happen, that’s impossible, but He did it. He also raised the dead back to life, that’s impossible too you’re not supposed to be able to do that either, but He did. In fact, there’s a whole host of things Jesus did that no one should be able to do, but He did. I tell you that because the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives within you. (Romans 8:11)

On your own you can’t change, but through God’s strength there is no sin you can’t overcome. (1 Cor. 10:13) Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t change. “If anyone is in Christ He is a new creation, old things are passed away, and all things are become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17) Don’t ever give up, give God a chance to fight for you and empower you to become the man/woman of God that you were created to be. May God do the impossible in you.

In March of 2016 I got a call from the leadership of Winfall Baptist Church to come and speak. I was pretty excited as I always love preaching, but especially since I hadn’t had an opportunity in about 4 months. That 4 month “interval” had been really tough on me, but I felt maybe God was beginning to move again in my life.

My first day as the visiting preacher was pretty normal. I got there on time (which was an issue, its a little bit in the country). I got to shake everyone’s hand (that’s something I learned from my Dad). All seemed pretty normal, but there was nothing normal about what I was about to hear. What I heard that day truly touched my heart, it was the prayers of an elderly couple. There are some people who pray in public to impress the people around them. Then there are prayers from believers who are clearly not talking to the people around them, but to God.

In August 2016, this great little church honored me by allowing me to be their pastor. Since then we have seen lives changed. We have already baptized 2 teenagers and we are scheduled to baptize a couple more in the next 2 weeks. People have come forward and it is so clear that God is going to great things this year. Though this may seem like a “commercial” for our church it is more about letting people know that if you are looking for a place to experience God’s presence look no further. If you are looking for a family to accept you, then I offer you Winfall Baptist Church. We are place where people can come to feel love and accepted and find God’s will for their life.

I was sitting in a Philosophy class when the professor wrote on the board, “This is not an English sentence.” As the class read the statement it sure sparked discussion. This “sentence” included all of the elements needed for a sentence, it had a subject and a verb and formed a complete thought. But what if the statement itself claimed to be something other than what it actually was?

In our world today we have a habit of hijacking words and redefining them for our own benefit. It is much more comfortable for some to call the murder of the unborn, “pro-choice.”  Our world has redefined marriage, right and wrong, and excused actions that God has defined as sin. I am not trying to disparage those who redefine sin, instead, I am asking for the children of God to stand up for what is right. It is one thing for the world to redefine sin, I expect nothing less. What should be discouraging is when followers of Jesus bow to the pressure of the world.

If we as believers in Jesus realized that He is the King and Creator of the Universe then what do we have to be afraid of? If God is for us, who can be against us? Shouldn’t we as believers be more concerned about offending God then offending a political party or group?

Last night I watched the State of the Union address for the state of Virginia. For the most part, there was a lot of political speak and self-applauding for accomplishments, much of what you might expect in a politician. To be quite honest the nature of political speak doesn’t bother me much, I’ve kind of grown to accept it.

However, there was a segment of the Governor’s speech, and the response from the House Chamber, that was truly deplorable. As the Governor spoke on abortion and making sure that not one abortion clinic be closed, the room erupted in applause. What were they truly cheering for? Did our state government just stand and applaud the cold-blooded murder of innocent babies? You would think this response would come from barbarians not from the men and women who are who are supposed to protect the rights of Virginians to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Abortion, or better yet murder, is not a political debate it is a moral issue that has already been settled. The life of a baby is not determined by whether the mother or father wants the child. The life of a baby is determined by Creator God. He is the author of all life and no man or woman on the planet has the right to terminate that life based on whether they want the baby or not. There is no power granted to any government that gives them the right to kill an innocent life. May those who fear God stand up and speak on behalf of those who have no voice.

When I go through difficult times in my life I want to believe that God will not put me into situations beyond what I’m able to handle. I would like to think he won’t put me into situations where there is no scenario I can win. The truth is very different, in fact, I believe that God purposefully puts us into situations we can’t handle on our own. Does this mean that God hates me or doesn’t want to see me succeed, absolutely not!

If God only put me in situations I could handle, then I would truly never need Him to work in my life. I would be strong enough, wise enough, and maneuver my way through life without His help, but I don’t want to live a life without His presence. In fact, we should count it all joy when we go through situations beyond our control (James 1) because it is in these times we know we must depend on Him to come through. In my weakness, He is strong. So as Paul once said, I will then be ecstatic (paraphrase) in my infirmities so that the power of Christ can rest in me (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Please don’t mistake the hard times in our lives as God’s punishment or as though He doesn’t like you. Instead, know that the hard times are meant to strengthen your relationship with Him. He longs for you to depend on Him, and when you allow Him to work in your hard times you will wonder why you ever tried to do life on your own.