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US Black.Com will also showcase
The Black Church Experience. The African-American Church has been
the Bedrock of The Black Experience in the United States. The Black
Church represents the strongest and most ingrained institution in
the African-American Community! US Black.Com will showcase the Black
Church, which is one of the few institutions in our community that
brings many African-Americans together across demographic and socioeconomic
lines. US Black.Com will take you to Church like you've never been
before! US Black.Com's Black Church Page aims to rival The
Hope Zone. US Black's Black Church Page will prayerfully bless
many African-American Christians, but we also desire to bless Christians
of all colors and ethnicities! This page will be handled by Pastor
Stephen F.Smith, of Sure
House Church, Inc. which is launching April 15,2007 in Collierville,Tennessee.
Pastor Smith will essentially become our resident Church Expert!
Pastor Smith will endeavor to keep our visitors abreast of the happenings
in the Black Church,Gospel Music, and the very best in Christian
News. Pastor Smith will also provide this website with a Monthly
Destiny Message that will seek to affect the destinies of all of
our visitors!Pastor Smith will also coordinate the Christian Links'
Page of this website. Additional Christian Links can be found on
the Moving
Up Page of this website!
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Lions
and Tigers and Bears?
Oh
My!
Lions and Tigers
and Bears? Oh My! We are living in tumultuous times
where every day seems to be laden with its own dose of drama, and
disappointment. I have never seen a day in the 4+ decades that I
have been on this earth where so many are gripped by fear. For those
of us who are so driven by today’s 24/7 barrage of daily media,
I will boldly state that we are now living in a day where fear is
the order of the day!
The economic ills
of our land have so many panicking over the possibility that an
entire lifetime’s worth of savings just might go down the
drain in the days to come. The medical communities of our land are
noting a rising spike in the amount of cases of depression, panic
attacks, and other mental disorders. One would be remiss to not
admit that we are now living in challenging times.
Isn’t it totally amazing
that many of us are in the midst of feeling much like Dorothy did
in The Wizard of Oz when she realized that the new land that she
had come to know was not Kansas by a long shot? How did we get here?
Did we miss this onslaught because we were so caught up with the
hustle and bustle of today’s fast-paced lifestyles?
Is there a way out of this mess
that we are now in? Would the only solutions to the ills of this
day, be those presented by the candidates of our political parties?
Where does one go when one simply wants to scream? Does anyone know
how deep-seated the pain is that many are dealing with? Where is
God in all of this mess? Has God forgotten us? All of these are
questions that many are asking!
My Brothers, and My Sisters, I
am highly cognizant that we are living in a day that has many of
the greatest challenges of our age. We face so many challenges from
so many different corners that sometimes it would seem that it is
just too much to keep up with it all. Well I want to let you know
that God is yet on the Throne!
God is called a very present help
in times of trouble in Psalm 46:1. God is and should be our only
true refuge in a day where the Tsunami-Scale Winds of Fear and Calamity
are blowing so greatly. I want you to know that we as believers
are not sailing on a sinking ship! You are not on a losing team!
I would submit that we are now traveling into unchartered territory,
but there is no reason at all to be swayed by fear.
The Holy Writ states in 2nd Timothy
1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of
power, and of love, and of a sound mind. It is indeed mind-boggling
how many of the scriptures in the Holy Writ can so soothe a troubled
mind. God has not gives us the spirit of fear that so permeates
the day in which we now live. He has nothing to do with the spirit
of this age that has some so messed up that they would put a shoe
on their head, and a hat on their feet. It is God’s intent
that those who are called by his name would prosper and be in health,
not only as it relates to their material lives, but also as it would
relate to their peace of mind.
Peace of Mind is one of the rarest
commodities in our age. People are seeking peace of mind through
the bottle, illicit sex, and the use of prescription drugs, liquor,
and the dope man. Where can one go for a little peace of mind? Does
anyone know how much it costs? I know that I have heard that God
can make a way, but why hasn’t God made a way for me yet?
I know that we can defeat the spirit
of this age by trusting, and believing in The Word of God. None
of today’s challenges has taken the Word of God by surprise.
The disappointments, and trials of today were foretold in The Holy
Writ so long ago. We are even admonished to realize as the Psalmist
extolled in Psalm 30:5 that Weeping May Endure for a Night, but
Joy Cometh in the Morning. Our trials and pains will not be here
forever. Disappointment, Distress, and Fear are not the permanent
cards that any of us have been dealt in life.
We serve a God that relishes in
the Prosperity of his servants. I am not talking about Bling, Jets,
Yachts, or the trinkets that so many in this world have come to
lust after. However; God is concerned about your general well being
and the daily needs that you need met. God is even interested in
giving you the very desire of your heart if you delight yourself
in him. How does one delight oneself in God?
Delight oneself in the Lord would
mean that one would not spend hour upon hour watching television,
and then only spend five minutes a week outside of Church studying
the Word of God. The Word of God is essential if one needs a guide
to weathering the storms of this day. The Word of God has stood
the test of time, and it is the only offensive weapon mentioned
in Ephesians 6 where we are admonished to put on the whole armor
of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
The Word of God is called the Sword
of the Spirit in Ephesians 6. The Word of God is the only true offensive
weapon that a believer has in this day of fear mongering. I wholeheartedly
believe that if we are to defeat the spirit of fear in the day that
we live in it will be with the Word of God. When we are told on
a daily basis that recession, and depression are right around the
corner for our land, would it not stand that more than ever we should
hold on to the truths espoused in God’ Word? Can the God of
the Bible bring us out of the mess that we are now in?
The Scriptures record that the
God is no respecter of persons. God didn’t favor the sages
of old more than he favors you, and I. The same way that God showed
up in lion’s dens, fiery furnaces, prisons, horrible pits,
in the midst of famine, in the miry clay, and in the midst of a
stormy sea for those who took up his Holy causes in the Bible, he
is ever ready and willing to do the same for us. God can deliver
in this day because he is a present help.
I would not be as excited about
witnessing to others about the goodness of God if I believed that
God’s deliverances were for days gone by. God is still a deliverer!
In a day of escalating change, and distortion, The Word of God is
the one constant that is not subject to change. Heaven and Earth
may both pass away, but the Word of our God will stand forever.
Should we not invest our attention to the one blessed constant in
life?
While so many will be caught up
with the lions, tigers, and bears of this age as Dorothy and Her
Crew of Misfits were in their trek to locate The Wizard of Oz. Will
we have to resolve to trust God during the most trying of times?
These trying times are trying for each of us, but they are not trying
for our God who has already declared the end from the beginning.
While we are pondering so often
to figure out viable solutions to the ills of our world, our God
has already worked each and every concern that we may have out!
Don’t let fear’s icy clutch grip you, and keep you from
reaching for God’s Best. God has already prepared us a way
of escape from the many lions, tigers, and bears that this age will
present us with. Oh My!
Respectfully Submitted,
Pastor Stephen F.
Smith-10-14-08
Sure
House Church, Inc.
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