Fleet Caroline : Years before I had a camera phone. I attempted to draw this dinghy. The tree was small, the body of the craft was complete.
Here today and gone tomorrow.
Thanks for visiting, blessings;
bill theunfetteredpreacher cote.
Are people Drawn to or Driven from:
– The Church
– The Gospel
– The Godhead
– The Faith
– Jesus
Why is my church not growing? Where is everyone? Why is the church up the street growing? What is wrong with my church? Why are we driving people from our midst?
Are they offended by the Joy of the Lord?
I don’t think so, there is too little Joy.
Are they afraid of the Power of the God?
I don’t think so, there is so little Power.
Is the problem the Love of the Lord?
I don’t think so, we do not practice His Love.
It must be Gods Mercy and Grace?
You think? Are we Merciful? Do we display Grace?
Are we as Preachers, really teaching or do we just preach?
” Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
Even with this blog, I find myself preaching more than teaching. We need to admonish in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual songs…..singing and memorizing the Word of God.
We can find and share the Love of the Lord as we sing of His Glory.
The steps of a good man. …
He that dwelleth in the secret place…
Give ear to my words, oh Lord…
The Lord God is a sun and shield. …
I will sing unto the Lord. …
We are a chosen generation. …
I love You Lord, and I lift my voice….
Singing the Word of God has helped me memorize scriptures, find my way out of depression, understand the Promise of God.
It is hard to condemn when singing of Gods love and grace. We need to learn how to share His Love in song.
Thanks for visiting, blessings;
bill theunfetteredpreacher cote.
“How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the Lord God of your fathers hath given you?”
The body of Christ, Christians, believers. …Listen up….I believe He is talking to us today. We have gladly accepted Salvation, Mercy and Grace. We practice giving, ministry and prayer.
The Church, (for the most part), lacks real power. Most churches are not being added to daily, we aren’t in one accord, in thanksgiving, praise or Prayer.
If the Word states one thing and the Doctrine of our sect dosn’t agree, we follow our Doctrine instead of the Word.
God gave us the Word, man has interpreted the meaning….we need to know it individually, ourselves, study, so you can readily recognize error. We are responsible for our own walk.
It is not the Pastors job to make you eat, he only leads you to green pastures, still waters, the place to restore your soul.
I firmly believe the Gifts of the Spirit are the Talents the Master left and instead of investing in the use of same, most of the body has buried them.
Pray that the Lord reveals the gift He would have you exercise. Make sure it lines up with the Word, step out in faith, stand fast and see the Salvation of God.
He promises to give us anything we ask….are we asking for the right things…we need to look to the Spiritual instead of the earthly. Pray the prayers of Paul for your Pastor, leaders, your Church.
Expect the Lord to answer your prayers. This is the will of God, that you would be perfect and complete in Him, that your wisdom and understanding of Him would be opened. That you would share His Gospel with success.
Thanks for visiting, blessings;
bill theunfetteredpreacher cote.
1 Corinthians: 13. 4-8a “Charity (love), suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:”
Love never fails:
Psalm 131
King James Version (KJV)
” Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child. Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and for ever.”
Lord, I do rest in You. You tell me : “Take no thought what you eat, drink or wear.” Lord I am trying to do that but I feel I must remind you, some bills were due the 20th, others come due the 1st of next month.
You may not ever be late….but I am. I know the trying of my faith worketh patience. I am waiting and walking in You, I trust You will not leave me wanting. You are my Shepherd, I shall not want.
So I thank You for Your Mercy, Love and Provision in Jesus name. Thank you for the work we need. Amen
bill theunfetteredpreacher cote
For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.
I don’t know about you but I have a sin that easily besets me. It is a part of me that I cannot give to the Lord, though I long to. Like Paul I cry for the Lords deliverance, no joy.
The problem is I haven’t utterly destroyed the sin nature within. Romans 12 tells us how:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Reasonable service, renewing our minds, be transformed.
We need to let the Lord do His work by doing our reasonable service.
” For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”
Do I have the faith to change into His image. …not unless I do the reasonable thing. Study, renew my mind, be transformed by Gods Word and Spirit. No longer be conformed to this world, think, pray live for the Eternal.
We need to not draw back our hand, till the old man is utterly destroyed. Set your face like flint to seek Him.
Lord, help us to draw closer to You…
bill theunfetteredpreacher cote
Israel hath sinned,
Joshua is now leading the Hebrews into the promised land. Jericho has fallen by the miracle power of God. Spies have checked out AI and recommended a small force, 3,000 men could defeat them.
The Warriors of AI ran the Hebrews all the way home….defeated.
Joshua fell on his face: Lord, why bring us into the land to be defeated. Our enimies will be empowered to come against us.
The Lords answer: “Get up, Israel hath sinned, they have even taken of the accursed thing,”
” Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow:”
Someone had taken that which The Lord had said was His. They would never win another battle till this was settled.
The man was found: ” Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:”
” Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.”
All Achan had and loved, were stoned to death and stones heaped upon them, so all would understand the need for obedience.
Pretty brutal, right?
Today, because of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, we no longer are condemned to death because of sin or disobedience. Jesus’s death and blood covers those who love and accept Him as Lord and Savior.
Those who accept Jesus as Lord are saved from sin and death, covered by His blood.
We are still sinners but when God sees us, His Son stands between us, He suffered so we wouldn’t.
Now it is our job to overcome the evil in our lives by accepting the Holy Spirits direction, comfort and peace. Repenting of the things that are not pleasing to a perfect God, turning from them and to God.
Find and access the peace that passes understanding. Wallow in His Love. Accept His Forgiveness.
bill theunfetteredpreacher cote
Mother Goose :
Have you ever wondered why the Goose got the title Mother Goose?
When we moved into our home 10 years ago, the small ponds at the entrance to our development had about 20 ducks and 5 geese.
Soon there were 2 baby geese, we would see them wondering around much like the picture above.
Then one of the babies was gone. (?).
Things changed :
The only time we saw the remaining baby he was surrounded by adult geese. The formed a protective circle around him, wherever he went.
The Grimm brothers must have seen this. (If it was them that named her?).
It reminds me of the Levites, wondering in the desert all those years. Their job was to protect the Tabernacle from any strangers.
With orders to kill any strangers that approached the holy thing.
We today should be protecting the Word in our hearts. Knowing, loving and hiding it…sharing it….not allowing anything to degrade or destroy what we love.
Knowing it well enough to say thus saith the Lord…
Recognizing the truth. Rebuking the lies. The Word is.
Lord help us to know, believe and share the truth of Your Gospel. May others come to love you through our witness.
bill theunfetteredpreacher cote