A With God Kind of Day – Sermon Message 02/16/2014

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Mark Shields

The message last Sunday at the church I attend was titled “A With God Kind of Day”. We live in a busy, fast paced world but we don’t have to treat it that way. Why not slow down; let God walk with us, grow us, change us.

Photo from Google Images

Pastor Steve brought the message with some great points in bold print below. In blue print below each point are some notes and thoughts written after listening or reflecting on the message.

Being with People is What God Wants Most of All
In Genesis 3:8-9, Adam and Eve heard the Lord walking in the garden. In Psalm 139:7-8, David said that God was always there.

“Where can I go to get away from Your Spirit? Where can I run from You? If I go up to the heavens, You are there. If I lie down in the grave, You are there.” 

God Initiates the With God Relationship
After they ate the apple, Adam and Eve didn’t want to be around God and they hid from him. The relationship was broken but God put things back together with Jesus. John says in John 1:14 that the Word became human and lived here on earth among us.

The song “All the Lonely People” by the Beatles has these words within the lyrics “All the lonely people Where to they all come from? All the lonely people, where do they all belong?” God has the answer. They come from me and belong to me.

There is No Waiting with God
With God, there is no waiting. Sometimes we feel lonely because we feel a separation from God. Matthew tells us in Matthew 28:20 that we can be sure of this: God is with us always, even to the end of the age.

The aim for us is to be with God in ordinary moments, in every day places, all the time, from one moment to the next. 

The Heartbeat of God is to Be with You
Choose a day, put it on your calendar, and have a “With God Kind of Day”; a day without anger or worry. Get in the habit, and every day becomes a “With God Kind of Day”. 

With God There is an Inner Cleansing that Leads to “With God Living”
Our life has a pattern; we get up, we brush our teeth, wash up with a shower or bath and get ready for the day,.  The Bible says we are washed with baptism and God’s word.

We are always so busy in our culture. The biggest road block in our culture to a “With God Day” is our pace. God never said He would sprint with us but He said He would walk with us.

This weekend, the message will be “ With All of Me”. If you are not able to attend your local church service (traveling, health condition, weather, etc), I invite you to this link of the podcast where you can listen or watch each sermon message.

The Lord speaks to us through the beauty of His Creation; with each sunrise or sunset and every step of the way. May He speak to you today, tomorrow, and every day!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mark

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Always Here for US

Posted on February 20, 2014 by Mark Shields

From my journey through Daniel 6, I saw how those who opposed Daniel wanted to bring him down but Daniel was a man of faith. The way he lived encouraged king Darius back then and it encourages us today. Like Daniel who decided to join God, we can be successful by joining Him and finding victory in Christ.

The same God that protected Daniel is able to protect us from our enemies. Our God has provided us with a Savior who loves us so much that He is always is going to be there for us. Here’s a song that affirms this truth: My Savior My God by Aaron Shust.


For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. – 1 Peter 1:18-19

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Daniel and the Lions’ Den

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Mark Shields

Reading in Daniel 6, king Darius appointed Daniel as one of the three administrators over 120 governors within the Median/Persian Empire. Daniel was a very distinguished leader and the king thought so highly of him that plans were being set for Daniel to be in charge of the whole kingdom. This made the other administrators and governors so jealous that they schemed against Daniel. They persuaded the king to order a decree which stated: no person can pray to any god or human being (except king Darius) during the next thirty days. If caught, the punishment would be a dinner date with the lions at their place.

After the king published the decree, a group went to spy on Daniel as he prayed to God for help. Then they reported back to the king that Daniel had broken the decree. The news distressed the king because he really thought highly of Daniel but he was under pressure to go through with the punishment; throwing Daniel into the lions’ den.

King Darius couldn’t sleep that night and hurried to check on Daniel the next morning. As he entered near the lions’ den, he called out to Daniel who replied back that God had taken care of Him and the lions had not hurt him. The king then made a proclamation that all people should worship the ONE and only God of Daniel.  Because of Daniel’s faithfulness, he prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian (v. 28).

This day with God, let us take away from this lesson the faithfulness of Daniel who was protected from the lions versus the men who were envious and jealous of Daniel who were devoured by the lions. Let us pray today for God to deliver us from circumstances for which we have no control. Let us ask for more faith. Remember that God delivered Daniel and He can deliver us from any circumstance. Remember that hope gives optimism in a time of despair, faith gives courage in a time of doubt, and love brings victory in a time of hate.

Image Credit – Google Images

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Things of God Last Forever

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Mark Shields

The post yesterday was about the need to focus on the things of God. The things of this world can easily be lost but the things of God last forever. Many times throughout our day, there are distractions that demand our attention. Sometimes we miss the obvious; that God created this amazing world around us.

This day with you God, I pray that I stay focused on Your presence. You are not distant but near. 

Here is a video that highlights God’s beautiful creation all around us: Creation Calls – Brian Doerksen.



The Lord speaks to us through the beauty of His creation; with each sunrise or sunset and every step of the way. May He speak to you today, tomorrow, and every day!

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The Writing on the Wall

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Mark Shields

Reading in Daniel 5, Belshazzar was entertaining a large group of his leaders at a banquet. The mood of Belshazzar was of happiness and of a sense of security because the empire was so great and well protected. No one thought the Babylonian empire would ever be destroyed.

During the banquet, Belshazzar decided to use the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar had seized from the temple of God in Jerusalem. The celebratory group drank wine from the goblets and praised the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone as they drank.

Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lamp stand in the royal palace (v. 5). The occasion turned from one of happiness to one of fear. The king had his wise men come in to read the writing on the wall but they couldn’t. The queen remembered how Daniel had interpreted dreams so they contacted Daniel.

Daniel explained before his interpretation that Belshazzar had his priorities wrong. He had not humbled himself even though he should have learned from what happened to Nebuchadnezzar. Belshazzar had the same arrogance and pride problem as Nebuchadnezzar. He had also turned from God and he had worshiped idols. Daniel then interpreted the writing on the wall saying in essence that Belshazzar would be killed and the kingdom would be taken over by Darius the Mede. That evening, what Daniel interpreted took place and Belshazzar was killed.

We can only feel a sense of security when we accept the grace of God. We know today that the writing is on the wall for all of us unless we accept Christ as Savior. The things of this world can easily be lost and are of little significance compared to the things of God therefore we should focus more on the things of God. The writing on the wall for Belshazzar was you’re done, you’re finished, and it’s all over.

Lord, as we live this day with you, we pray that we will do what you would want us to do and hope that some day we can see written on the wall “Well done my faithful servant”.

Image Credit – Google Images

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