This week we as a nation honor our Veterans and deserving of our honor they are! To say I am proud of my brother would be an understatement! To honor him, today I share a letter he wrote a couple years back. It truly catches the heart behind Veteran's Day! Brother, thank you for your service and your words!

                July 4th, 1776.  Independence Day!  People dancing in the streets, the Redcoats defeated and hostilities ended.  Right?  Absolutely not.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  You might envision that day as a celebration of victory but history would prove you wrong.

                Did you know British troops did not leave New York City until November 25^th of 1783?  More than 7 years after our founding fathers had the courage to declare our independence even as the British fleet and army were arriving on our shores.  7 years of battle, blood, sacrifice and suffering.  7 years of determination, loyalty, faith and belief. 

                Our independence was declared in the face of what seemed to be insurmountable odds.  We were engaged and ready to battle the most dominate navy and army in the entire world at that time for what we believed in – “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government…”

                Signed copies of the Declaration of Independence were not sent to the states until January of 1777.  The ideal of freedom began to spread and the words of this document began to penetrate into the hearts of the citizenry. Numerous battles were fought from Princeton, NJ to Savannah, GA, in the dead of winter and the sauna of summer – over 10,000 dead or wounded soldiers were recorded during our Revolutionary War.

                Independence.  Freedom.  Country.  It came with a cost.  The cost to preserve those ideals has been tremendous in the wars fought during the intervening years to our present day.  Those men fell in love with the idea of our country and then fell, in love for our country.  Love never fails.  So this Veteran's Day, remember those who displayed courage of conviction and a vision for a better tomorrow.  May God through His son Jesus Christ and the working of His Holy Spirit continue to bless the United States of America.

STEVE A. YARBROUGH, Lt Col (Retired), USAF

                Normally the flight from Nassau to Miami took Walter Wyatt, Jr., only sixty-five minutes. But on December 5, 1986, he attempted it after thieves had looted the navigational equipment in his Beechcraft airplane. With only a compass and a hand-held radio, Walter flew into skies blackened by storm clouds.
                When his compass began to gyrate, Walter concluded he was headed in the wrong direction. He flew his plane below the clouds, hoping to spot something, but soon he knew he was lost. He put out a mayday call, which brought a Coast Guard Falcon search plane to lead him to an emergency landing strip only six miles away. Suddenly Wyatt's right engine coughed its last and died. The fuel tank had run dry. Around 8 p.m. Wyatt could do little more than glide the plane into the water.
                Wyatt survived the crash, but his plane disappeared quickly, leaving him bobbing on the water in a leaky life vest. With blood on his forehead, Wyatt floated on his back. Suddenly he felt a hard bump against his body. A shark had found him. Wyatt kicked the intruder and wondered if he would survive the night. He managed to stay afloat for the next ten hours. In the morning, Wyatt saw no airplanes, but in the water a dorsal fin was headed for him. Twisting, he felt the hide of a shark brush against him. In a moment, two more bull sharks sliced through the water toward him. Again he kicked the sharks, and they veered away, but he was nearing exhaustion. Then he heard the sound of a distant aircraft. When it was within a half mile, he waved his orange vest. The pilot radioed the Cape York, which was twelve minutes away: "Get moving, cutter! There's a shark targeting this guy!" As the Cape York pulled alongside Wyatt, a Jacob's ladder was dropped over the side. Wyatt climbed wearily out of the water and onto the ship, where he fell to his knees and kissed the deck. He'd been saved. Nothing less than outside intervention could have rescued him from sure death. How much we are like Walter Wyatt.
                Do you need to be rescued? Are you in need of outside intervention to save you from your present situation? Know that Jesus is the Rescuer! He is the One who died on the cross in your place and if you call out to Him, He will rescue you!
                Do you need to share this message with someone in the coming days? Who do you know that needs to be rescued by the Rescuer?

As I am committing time each day to pray for the lost I am getting more excited about seeing God's activity on display in the lives of those that do not have a personal relationship with Him! Let's pray with power and expecting God to work! Here is another method of prayer that might prove helpful to you as you commit to praying for lost family, friends, co-workers, neighbors and acquaintances.

The "Six Questions" Method of Prayer Evangelism is designed to help you intercede for the lost through a series of questions. These questions deal with the most basic issues of life. By praying for these things, the lost person can be prepared to hear and receive the gospel of Jesus Christ.

(1) Why: Ask God to cause this person to wonder why he or she rejects Jesus Christ and His salvation. Call on Him to show this person the foolishness of rejecting Christ and of living life without Him.

(2) What: Ask God to cause the person to start asking the question, "What is the purpose of my life?" Plead with God to plant in his or her heart an urgency concerning this question.

(3) When: Pray that God will grant this person an emptiness of heart. Ask God to show them that sin and selfishness will not satisfy. Call on God to cause this person to start asking the questions, "When will I really be free? When can I find true peace and hope?"

(4) Whom: Pray that God will cause this person to doubt all the lies that he or she has concerning Christianity. Call on God to cause the person to ask, "Whom can I trust? In whom can I find hope?"

(5) How: Plead that God will plant this question in the heart of the person, "How can I cope with my problems?" Pray that God will grant hopelessness in the heart of this person. Ask God to show this person that he or she cannot cope in his or her own power or strength. Pray that he or she will be forced to look to God.

(6) Where: Call on God to cause this person to contemplate the question, "Where will I go when I die?"

                Last week during our worship service each of us were challenged to commit to pray for the next 30 days for 3 lost friends, family members, work associates or neighbors. Specifically we are praying that they will admit that they are a sinner (recognize their need of a Savior) and that they would accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior (surrender their lives to His control). During the commit time of our service there were over 130 different names brought to the altar to be prayed for this next 30 days!!!

                As you pray this month (and for the rest of our lives for lost people) let me share some ways to pray for the people on your salvation prayer list.

1. Pray that Satan will not be able to blind them to the truth of Christ- Matthew 13:19; 2 Corinthians 4:4

2. Pray they seek to know God- Acts 17:27; Deuteronomy 4:29

3. Pray that they believe the Scriptures- 1 Corinthians 1:18

4. Pray that God draws them to Himself- John 6:44

5. Pray that the Holy Spirit works in them to turn from sin and to follow Christ as Lord- John 16:8,13; Acts 3:19

6. Pray that God sends someone to lead them to Christ- Romans 10:14-15; Matthew 9:37-38

7. Pray that they believe in and confess Christ as Savior and Lord- John 1:12; Romans 10:9-10

8. Pray that they make, take root, and grow in Christ- Colossians 2:6-7

                Pray specifically by name for the people on your list. Pray expecting God to answer your prayer. Get ready to see results-- not because of us and our prayers, but because of God's power and saving grace being on display!

                How are you doing in the area of Trusting God? What area do you need to surrender to Him? May this story about the song "Trust & Obey" encourage you today to trust the Lord in all things!

                Daniel B. Towner, who wrote the melody to the song 'Trust and Obey', inherited his love of music from his father, a beloved vocalist and music teacher. While growing up, Daniel studied with some of the finest musicians available and began his career as a worship leader in a Methodist church in Binghamton, New York. He later served churches in Ohio and Kentucky before being tapped by evangelist D.L. Moody in the fall fo 1885. For several years, Daniel traveled with Moody, singing and doing personal work.

He once explained how this hymn came to be written:

                "Mr. Moody was conducting a series of meetings in Brockton, Massachusetts, and I had the pleasure of singing for him there. One night a young man rose in a testimony meeting and said, 'I am not quite sure- but I am going to trust, and I am going to obey.' I just jotted that sentence down, and sent it with the little story to Rev. J.H. Sammis, a Presbyterian minister.

Sammis wrote a poem based on the phrase 'trust and obey,' and sent it back to Towner, who went to work on the music.

                Alfred Smith, in his Treasury of Hymn Histories, adds that while working on the music to "Trust and Obey," Dr. Towner grew discouraged. That evening in his home, he crumpled up the paper and threw the manuscript into the wastebasket. The next morning, as his wife was straightening his office, she retrieved the crumpled paper and sang over the words and melody to herself. She left it on the organ and encouraged her husband to work on it some more, telling him, "I feel the melody you have written is just what is needed to carry the message." With that encouragement he finished the melody and for years this song has challenged people to trust and obey the Lord.

                The chorus to the song says, "Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey." God's Word says in Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths." Decide today to trust Him more!

                I received an email this week from a pastor friend and thought I would share part of it with you. Pastor Andy Anquoe, from FBC Sperry wrote...

                "I don’t know if you’ve heard but this Sunday, September 21 at 9 PM in the Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall, there will be a satanic black mass held. Some satanic followers from New York have legally rented the venue & will perform this ritual to a sold out audience. Thus far, nothing has been able to stop this event legally because it is in essence a free speech issue. But during this black mass, it will mock a traditional catholic mass, desecrate the Lord’s Supper, and the devil will be summoned. Messing with the spiritual realm is a very scary thing.

                A new church plant, OKC Community Church, will meet in the same building, as it does every Sunday morning, before the mass happens that night. OKC Community Church has prayerfully decided to respond in love in order to try to be salt and light to the Satanists instead of responding in anger and fear. Catholic churches in the area are holding prayer vigils during the event also.

                Mark my words, more incidents like this will happen as our culture moves farther away from God. This is the world that we live in now. It will get worse. Yet somehow, someway, we must learn to effectively minister & engage people in the midst of it for the sake of the gospel.

                What can we do to counteract such things when they happen? Prayer is first and best place to start. As we pray we must:

·         Rely on God’s Power – We have no means within ourselves to win this battle for it is a spiritual battle. That’s why we must turn to God. Let us remember that we’re not fighting against flesh and blood (Eph. 6:12) and the battle is the Lord’s (2 Chron. 20:15).

·         Rebuke in Jesus’ name – If Heaven’s mightiest angel, Gabriel, rebuked the devil in the Lord’s name (Jude 9), we must do the very same thing.

·         Recite God’s Word in prayer – Every attack that the devil brought against Jesus in His temptation was thwarted by Jesus’ use of Scripture. God’s Word is powerful! That’s why we must use it as a double edged sword (Heb. 4:12). It’s our major offensive weapon.

·         Retrieve our Spiritual armor – God has given us all the armor we need to engage in Spiritual battles (Eph. 6:10-18). We just need to put it and keep it on every day.

·         Remember the devil’s fate – No matter what the devil may do, he will be defeated and cast down into the fiery pit one day (Rev. 20:10).

                A similar event was abruptly cancelled at Harvard earlier this year as local area churches got together and prayed. Maybe the very same thing will happen here. If there was ever a time our great state needed us to pray, it is now." 

                I received this story by email this week and thought I would pass it on for your enjoyment and consideration. What are you going to do this week to spread the love of Jesus to others?

Reaching People Who Need Christ….

                Once there was a little old lady who would come out onto the steps of her front porch every morning, raise her arms to the sky and shout, “Praise the Lord”.

                One day an atheist moved into the house next door, over time he became irritated with the little old lady’s little ritual, and to make his point, every morning he would step out onto his front porch and yell in response to her shout, “There is no Lord”.

                Time passes with the two of them carrying on this way every day. Then one morning in the middle of winter the little old lady stepped onto her front porch and shouted, Praise the Lord! I have no food and I am starving. Please provide for me, oh Lord”

                The next morning she stepped onto her porch and there were two huge bags of groceries sitting there. “Praise the Lord,” she cried out. “He has provided groceries for me”.

                The atheist jumped out of the hedges and shouted: there is no Lord. I bought those groceries”.

                The little old lady threw her arms into the air and shouted, Praise the Lord! He has provided me with groceries and He made the devil pay for them”.

Reaching the people who need Christ;

Requires taking the gospel beyond the walls of the church!

God will open the door for you-

What are you going to do when the door opens?

God is looking to see what you are doing today –

Don’t miss the Blessing God wants you to have -

Share Jesus with someone this week

“Praise The Lord” and be all God wants you to be!