Heavenly Father isn’t content with a good seat in the stands, He wants His hands touching every part of our lives. We need God’s hands upon our lives every day. Wonderfully, God invites us to approach Him and receive His amazing grace to help us. Jesus said apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5)! Do we live as if we don’t really need God’s presence and power to accomplish His purposes on earth?
What was the first thing a person does who comes out of a time of quarantine? When Noah exited the Ark after the flood, he “built an altar to the Lord and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar” (Genesis 8:20 MEV). Altars were significant in the lives of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all of the Old Testament saints. The altar serves as a meeting place between God and human beings.
In Christ, we have an open invitation to build an altar of prayer and worship and boldly approach God’s throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). We need to come regularly into the presence of God in worship, to encounter Him, to receive an appropriate blessing at just the right moment. Altar worship transcends our weakness and acknowledges God’s power. We receive possibilities larger than we ever imagined. William Temple, Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury in the 1940s, is known for saying, ‘When I pray, coincidences happen, and when I don’t, they don’t.’
Connect with Heaven. Thank God that you are still alive and God is still at work. Pray; worship; expect the supernatural. Build an altar and come expectantly to the throne. Approach with simplicity and trust like a child to a father. Discover fresh perspective, peace, and patience. “With privilege, approach the throne of grace … and find an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment” (Hebrews 4:16 AMP).
“Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].” (Hebrews 4:16 AMP)
I once missed out the privilege and the blessing of honestly approaching God’s throne of grace. My thoughts were so consumed with who was watching and who was listening in the room, that my invocation was shackled and my words earth-bound at-best. Seeking the approval of a person robbed me of my Heavenly Father’s pleasure. I was asked to pray, but what was my motive?
Continue reading “Approach1 Privilege & Blessing Greg Simon 5-12-20”
GOD IS GOOD! Like the Psalmist, we should praise, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:6a MEV). Our lives should be filled with the great things God has done, is doing, and will do in the future. Follow the link to hear Pastor Greg Simon‘s message “God-Filled & God-Blessed!”
Continue reading “God-Filled & God-Blessed Greg Simon 5-3-20”
Mothers – in particular – will enjoy the wisdom shared by Pastor Carol Simon in this video message.
Are you ready to get your “fight” on? God’s Word says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16b KJV). This message is targeted for Mother’s Day (5-10-20).
May 17 at 8:30AM and 10AM (ONE WEEK AWAY) will be our first Onsite Church Service since our break. We don’t have all the details set in stone, but here are our tentative plans.
We encourage higher-at-risk individuals to attend 8:30AM. To help protect this segment of our congregation, we ask no children attend this service (or adults who work in high risk environments). The 10AM service is open for anyone, including children.
Let’s keep everyone safe and healthy. We will practice physical distancing as mandated by the governor. Families may group and sit together. Please, use common courtesy and stay 6 feet away, front, back and to the side of other individuals outside of your family unit. We encourage every adult to wear a mask but it is not mandatory.
For individuals who are not comfortable attending onsite services, teaching will be recorded and posted to the VFC website.
Pray! Pray fervently. Cry out to God. Fervent prayers tend to arise from within a person with some kind of need. “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much” (James 5:16b MEV). Listen to the message below to discover more about what makes prayer fervent and effective.
This message was originally posted on March 29, 2020.
This was originally posted on March 29, 2020.