Advent | December 10 GOLD, FRANKINCENSE, AND MYRRH (Matthew 2:3)

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly
with great joy. After coming into the house they saw
the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to
the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening
their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold,
frankincense, and myrrh. —Matthew 2:10–11

God is not served by human hands as though he needed
anything (Acts 17:25). The gifts of the magi are not given
by way of assistance or need-meeting. It would dishonor a
monarch if foreign visitors came with royal care-packages.

Nor are these gifts meant to be bribes. Deuteronomy
10:17 says that God takes no bribe. Well, what then do
they mean? How are they worship?

The gifts are intensifiers of desire for Christ himself in
much the same way that fasting is. When you give a gift to
Christ like this, it’s a way of saying, “The joy that I pursue
(verse 10) is not the hope of getting rich with things from
you. I have not come to you for your things, but for yourself.
And this desire I now intensify and demonstrate by
giving up things, in the hope of enjoying you more, not
things. By giving to you what you do not need, and what I
might enjoy, I am saying more earnestly and more authentically,
‘You are my treasure, not these things.’”

I think that’s what it means to worship God with gifts
of gold and frankincense and myrrh.

May God take the truth of this text and waken in us
a desire for Christ himself. May we say from the heart,
“Lord Jesus, you are the Messiah, the King of Israel. All
nations will come and bow down before you. God wields
the world to see that you are worshiped. Therefore, whatever
opposition I may find, I joyfully ascribe authority and
dignity to you, and bring my gifts to say that you alone can
satisfy my heart, not these.”

© Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

Good News of Great Joy

Advent | December 9 TWO KINDS OF OPPOSITION TO JESUS (Matthew 2:3)

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him. —Matthew 2:3

Jesus is troubling to people who do not want to worship
him, and he brings out opposition for those who do. This
is probably not a main point in the mind of Matthew, but
it is inescapable as the story goes on.

In this story, there are two kinds of people who do not
want to worship Jesus, the Messiah.

The first kind is the people who simply do nothing
about Jesus. He is a nonentity in their lives. This group
is represented by the chief priests and scribes. Verse 4:
“Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the
people, [Herod] inquired of them where the Messiah was
to be born.” Well, they told him, and that was that: back
to business as usual. The sheer silence and inactivity of the
leaders is overwhelming in view of the magnitude of what
was happening.

And notice, verse 3 says, “When Herod the king heard
this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” In other
words, the rumor was going around that someone thought
the Messiah was born. The inactivity on the part of chief
priests is staggering—why not go with the magi? They are
not interested. They do not want to worship the true God.

The second kind of people who do not want to worship
Jesus is the kind who is deeply threatened by him. That is
Herod in this story. He is really afraid. So much so that he
schemes and lies and then commits mass murder just to
get rid of Jesus.

So today these two kinds of opposition will come
against Christ and his worshipers: indifference and hostility.
Are you in one of those groups?

Let this Christmas be the time when you reconsider
the Messiah and ponder what it is to worship him.

© Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

Good News of Great Joy

Advent | December 8 BETHLEHEM’S SUPERNATURAL STAR (Matthew 2:2)

“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?
For we saw His star in the east and have come to
worship Him.” —Matthew 2:2

Over and over the Bible baffles our curiosity about just
how certain things happened. How did this “star” get the
magi from the east to Jerusalem?

It does not say that it led them or went before them. It
only says they saw a star in the east (verse 2), and came to
Jerusalem. And how did that star go before them in the little
five-mile walk from Jerusalem to Bethlehem as verse 9
says it did? And how did a star stand “over the place where
the Child was”?

The answer is: We do not know. There are numerous
efforts to explain it in terms of conjunctions of planets
or comets or supernovas or miraculous lights. We just
don’t know. And I want to exhort you not to become
preoccupied with developing theories that are only tentative
in the end and have very little spiritual significance.

I risk a generalization to warn you: People who are exercised
and preoccupied with such things as how the star
worked and how the Red Sea split and how the manna fell
and how Jonah survived the fish and how the moon turns
to blood are generally people who have what I call a mentality
for the marginal. You do not see in them a deep cherishing
of the great central things of the gospel—the holiness of
God, the ugliness of sin, the helplessness of man, the death
of Christ, justification by faith alone, the sanctifying work
of the Spirit, the glory of Christ’s return and the final judgment.
They always seem to be taking you down a sidetrack
with a new article or book. There is little centered rejoicing.

But what is plain concerning this matter of the star is
that it is doing something that it cannot do on its own: it
is guiding magi to the Son of God to worship him.

There is only one Person in biblical thinking that can
be behind that intentionality in the stars—God himself.

So the lesson is plain: God is guiding foreigners to
Christ to worship him. And he is doing it by exerting
global—probably even universal—influence and power
to get it done.

Luke shows God influencing the entire Roman Empire
so that the census comes at the exact time to get a virgin to
Bethlehem to fulfill prophecy with her delivery. Matthew
shows God influencing the stars in the sky to get foreign
magi to Bethlehem so that they can worship him.

This is God’s design. He did it then. He is still doing it
now. His aim is that the nations—all the nations
(Matthew 24:14)—worship his Son.

This is God’s will for everybody in your office at work,
and in your neighborhood and in your home. As John 4:23
says, “Such the Father seeks to worship him.”

At the beginning of Matthew we still have a “come-see”
pattern. But at the end the pattern is “go-tell.” The magi
came and saw. We are to go and tell.

What is not different is that the purpose of God is the
ingathering of the nations to worship his Son. The magnifying
of Christ in the white-hot worship of all nations is
the reason the world exists.

The Christmas Story Week 2

The Intro – In the Beginning

Message by:
Pastor Terry Crawford
Covenant Church
Shepherdstown, WV

• “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.”
• 'Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life,
• “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice (1813)
• A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

The Christmas story is eternal not “once upon a time. ”

John 1:1-3 ESV
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

With God, distinct from God the Father, but one in unity of essence.

Jesus had universal not just local significance.

This is important because people can focus on Jesus’ humanity and the location he lived or the country he called home and make comparisons and excuses that ours isn’t like that. Every location, every town, every created thing was made through Christ. He matters in every situation, at any time because he is familiar with it all. He is not confined to Jerusalem or Bethlehem or Nazareth. He is universally significant.

John 1:4-5 ESV
In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

The Christmas story is a story of life and light.

The beginning of all life. Physical, spiritual, moral, all life. If you are alive today, and I hope you are, then this story relates to you. And the life was the light of men — He who is essential life, and the giver of life to all that live, was also the light of men; the fountain of wisdom, holiness, and happiness, to man in his original state. People are looking for significance and the meaning of life. They want a full life. A happy life but many find loneliness and darkness.

John 1:6-8 ESV
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

Two important things to remember about John the Baptist:

1.
1. He was sent from God.
2.
2. He was not the light.

It is easy for us at times to replace the true light with not the light.

John 1:9-11 ESV
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

He came — In the fullness of time, to his own - Country, city, temple: And his own - People, received him not.

It is possible to miss the light.

John 1:12-14 ESV
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

In our darkest times we need the grace and truth of Christ.

This shows how well qualified he was for the work of our redemption and salvation.

Next Steps

• Today I commit to read and meditate on John 1 this week.
• Today I commit to give grace and truth to others in any situation.
• Today I commit to receive and believe in Jesus as Lord of my life.

Advent | December 5 NO DETOUR FROM CALVARY (Luke 2:6–7)

And while they were there, the time came for her to
give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son
and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him
in a manger, because there was no place for them in
the inn. —Luke 2:6–7

Now you would think that if God so rules the world as to
use an empire-wide census to bring Mary and Joseph to
Bethlehem, he surely could have seen to it that a room was
available in the inn.

Yes, he could have. And Jesus could have been born into
a wealthy family. He could have turned stone into bread
in the wilderness. He could have called 10,000 angels to
his aid in Gethsemane. He could have come down from
the cross and saved himself. The question is not what
God could do, but what he willed to do.

  God’s will was that though Christ was rich, yet for your
sake he became poor. The “No Vacancy” signs over all the
motels in Bethlehem were for your sake. “For your sake he
became poor” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

God rules all things—even motel capacities—for the
sake of his children. The Calvary road begins with a “No
Vacancy” sign in Bethlehem and ends with the spitting
and scoffing of the cross in Jerusalem.
And we must not forget that he said, “He who would
come after me must deny himself and take up his cross”
(Matthew 16:24).

We join him on the Calvary road and hear him say,
“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not
greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will
persecute you” (John 15:20).

To the one who calls out enthusiastically, “I will follow
you wherever you go!” (Matthew 8:19). Jesus responds,
“Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the
Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20).
Yes, God could have seen to it that Jesus have a room
at his birth. But that would have been a detour off the
Calvary road.

Advent | December 4 FOR GOD’S LITTLE PEOPLE (Luke 2:1-5)

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus
that all the world should be registered. This was the
first registration when Quirinius was governor of
Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own
town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from
the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David,
which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the
house and lineage of David, to be registered with
Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. —Luke 2:1–5

Have you ever thought what an amazing thing it is that
God ordained beforehand that the Messiah be born in
Bethlehem (as the prophecy in Micah 5 shows); and that
he so ordained things that when the time came, the Messiah’s
mother and legal father were living in Nazareth; and
that in order to fulfill his word and bring two little people
to Bethlehem that first Christmas, God put it in the heart
of Caesar Augustus that all the Roman world should be
enrolled each in his own town?

Have you ever felt, like me, little and insignificant in a
world of seven billion people, where all the news is of big
political and economic and social movements and of outstanding
people with lots of power and prestige?

If you have, don’t let that make you disheartened or
unhappy. For it is implicit in Scripture that all the mammoth
political forces and all the giant industrial complexes,
without their even knowing it, are being guided
by God, not for their own sake but for the sake of God’s
little people—the little Mary and the little Joseph who
have to be got from Nazareth to Bethlehem. God wields
an empire to bless his children.

Do not think, because you experience adversity, that
the hand of the Lord is shortened. It is not our prosperity
but our holiness that he seeks with all his heart. And to
that end, he rules the whole world. As Proverbs 21:1 says,
“The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the
Lord; he turns it wherever he will.”

He is a big God for little people, and we have great
cause to rejoice that, unbeknownst to them, all the kings
and presidents and premiers and chancellors of the world
follow the sovereign decrees of our Father in heaven, that
we, the children, might be conformed to the image of his
Son, Jesus Christ.

© Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

Good News of Great Joy

The Christmas Story Week 1

About the Author

Message by:
Pastor Terry Crawford
Covenant Church
Shepherdstown, WV

The Christmas Story, how it changes my story.

IDEA:

If you can trust the Author you can trust his words.

God gave it to us for a reason. He told it to us to guide our hearts and path.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Scripture has inspired, transformed, empowered, and enabled, us to do the good that needs to be done.

God is the author of the Christmas Story.

What it the Author (God) like?

An attribute is not a part of God but what is true about God in his very nature.

Although the purpose of the next few minutes is to give a peek at some of the Attributes of God, I must apologize because all I can share in the words of Job are "the fringes of His ways and how faint a word we hear of Him!" God’s attributes are to be learned over a lifetime and digested slowly, purposefully and personally and at times we will find ourselves still and knowing that He is God. But to not touch on who God is today would be a shame and a loss since he is the author.

God is faithful.

Psalm 100:5
For the LORDis good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Deuteronomy 7:9
Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.

For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

We don’t care how much you know until we know how much you care.

God has, from the beginning, faithfully invested himself in humanity. He has relentlessly chased us and called us to himself. He even says we can call him Father which helps convey a picture of a faithful parental figure.

God is Omnipotent - He can do it.

Jeremiah 32:17
‘Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.

God is Omnipresent - He is here.

Psalms 139:7-12
⁷Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? ⁸If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. ⁹If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, ¹⁰even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. ¹¹If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” ¹²even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

God is Omniscient - He knows it.

Daniel 2:21
He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

1 John 3:20
If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

For whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.

God is immutable - He never changes

Malachi 3:6
“I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.

Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

God is truth.

John 17:17
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

Truth - That which coincides with reality. God cannot lie, that is reality and so he is truth.

God is love.

Jeremiah 31:3
The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

“The Bible is a whole series of highways, all leading toward God. And when the text has been illuminated and the believer of the text knows that God is the end toward which he is moving, then that man has real faith.” ― A.W. Tozer

30 Days of Praying the Names and Attributes of God

So when we trust the Author, and we trust the facts, then we can trust the story.

Infinite/eternal/limitless - Psalm 90/147

God is just. Balance the scales morally. His nature and character is the standard by which he judges. Why is lying wrong? Because, God is truth.

God is good. Psalm 119 shows God exercising his goodness and provokes praise. Do not grow weary in doing good. No matter how we respond God keeps exercising his goodness.

God is love. Not does he loves, but God is love. The more I learn of him the more I love him. Jeremiah - I have loved you with an everlasting love. Christ’s love is uninfluenced. Nothing made it happen. Nothing triggered it.

God is faithful - Psalm 119 and Deuteronomy 7:9, knowing that God is faithful increases my confidence in him.

The greater we know God, true God, the greater he will be glorified in our lives.

“When Jesus died on the cross the mercy of God did not become any greater. It could not become any greater, for it was already infinite. We get the odd notion that God is showing mercy because Jesus died. No--Jesus died because God is showing mercy. It was the mercy of God that gave us Calvary, not Calvary that gave us mercy. If God had not been merciful there would have been no incarnation, no babe in the manger, no man on a cross and no open tomb.” ― A.W. Tozer

Trusting God’s word benefits us and glorifies Him.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Hebrews 12:2
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

NEXT STEPS

• Today I commit my life to Christ, the author and perfecter of faith.
• Today I commit to read the Christmas Story with an open heart and mind.
• Today I commit to let God’s word equip me and complete me.

Advent | December 3 THE LONG-AWAITED VISITATION (Luke 1:68-71)

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited
and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of
salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as
he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we should be saved from our enemies and from
the hand of all who hate us…” —Luke 1:68–71

Notice two remarkable things from these words of Zechariah
in Luke 1.

First, nine months earlier, Zechariah could not believe
his wife would have a child. Now, filled with the Holy
Spirit, he is so confident of God’s redeeming work in the
coming Messiah that he puts it in the past tense. For the
mind of faith, a promised act of God is as good as done.
Zechariah has learned to take God at his word and so has
a remarkable assurance: “God has visited and redeemed!”

Second, the coming of Jesus the Messiah is a visitation
of God to our world: “The God of Israel has visited and
redeemed.” For centuries, the Jewish people had languished
under the conviction that God had withdrawn:
the spirit of prophecy had ceased, Israel had fallen into the
hands of Rome. And all the godly in Israel were awaiting
the visitation of God. Luke tells us in 2:25 that the devout
Simeon was “looking for the consolation of Israel.” And
in Luke 2:38 the prayerful Anna was “looking for the
redemption of Jerusalem.”

These were days of great expectation. Now the longawaited
visitation of God was about to happen—indeed,
he was about to come in a way no one expected.

© Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

Good News of Great Joy

Advent | December 2 MARY’S MAGNIFICENT GOD (Luke 1:46-55)

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me
blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” —Luke 1:46–55

Mary sees clearly a most remarkable thing about God: He is
about to change the course of all human history. The most
important three decades in all of time are about to begin.

And where is God? Occupying himself with two
obscure, humble women—one old and barren (Elizabeth),
one young and virginal (Mary). And Mary is so moved by
this vision of God, the lover of the lowly, that she breaks
out in song — a song that has come to be known as “the
Magnificat” (Luke 1:46–55).

Mary and Elizabeth are wonderful heroines in Luke’s
account. He loves the faith of these women. The thing that
impresses him most, it appears, and the thing he wants to
impress on Theophilus, his noble reader, is the lowliness
and cheerful humility of Elizabeth and Mary.

Elizabeth says,“Why is this granted to me that the
mother of my Lord would come to me?” (Luke 1:43). And
Mary says, “He has looked on the humble estate of his servant”
(Luke 1:48).

The only people whose soul can truly magnify the
Lord are people like Elizabeth and Mary—people who
acknowledge their lowly estate and are overwhelmed by
the condescension of the magnificent God.

© Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

Good News of Great Joy

Thanksgiving Message

The Not-So-Secret of a Thankful Heart

Message by:
Pastor Terry Crawford
Covenant Church
Shepherdstown, WV

Being thankful is good for you

• Thankful people thank God
  
  Romans 6:17-18 NIV
  ¹⁷But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. ¹⁸You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
  
  2 Corinthians 2:14 NIV
  But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.
  
  1 Corinthians 15:56-57 NIV
  ⁵⁶The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
  
  
• Thanklessness and ingratitude are not fruits of a follower of Jesus
  
  2 Timothy 3:1-5 NIV
  ¹But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ²People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
  
  Philippians 1:3-6
  ³I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
  
  
• Thankful people thank people



• Thankful people are changed people
  
  1 Thessalonians 5:12-18 NIV
  ¹²Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. ¹³Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. ¹⁴And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. ¹⁵Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. ¹⁶Rejoice always, ¹⁷pray continually, 18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.



• A thankful heart is an outward focusedheart

My Next Steps

• Today I commit to give thanks to God in my daily prayer time.
• This week I commit to tell someone in my circle of influence why I am thankful for them.
• This week I commit to tell some in my church family why I am thankful for them.

Transformed Week 8 - Facing the Giants in Life and Work

TRANSFORMED – Facing Giants in Life and Work

Message by:
Pastor Terry Crawford
Covenant Church
Shepherdstown, WV

God has given us a great gift. The ability to dream, to imagine the future.

Dream Busters

These problems can be financial problems. They can be emotional problems. They can be relational problems. They can be problems with your health. What do you do when you face these giants in life? How do you face the giants in your life and work?

1 SAMUEL 17:1-52
¹Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Sokoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Sokoh and Azekah. ² Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. ³ The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.

⁴ A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span. ⁵ He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; ⁶ on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. ⁷ His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.

⁸ Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. ⁹ If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” ¹⁰ Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” ¹¹ On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

¹² Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul’s time he was very old. ¹³ Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah. ¹⁴ David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, ¹⁵ but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

¹⁶ For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.

¹⁷ Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. ¹⁸ Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them. ¹⁹ They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”

²⁰ Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry.²¹ Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other.²² David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were. ²³ As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. ²⁴ Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.

²⁵ Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel.”

²⁶ David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

²⁷ They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”

²⁸ When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”

²⁹ “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” ³⁰ He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. ³¹ What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him.

³² David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”

³³ Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”

³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, ³⁵ I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. ³⁷ The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”

³⁸ Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head.³⁹ David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.

“I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. ⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

⁴¹ Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. ⁴² He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him.⁴³ He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”

⁴⁵ David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.⁴⁷ All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

⁴⁸ As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. ⁴⁹ Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

⁵⁰ So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

⁵¹ David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.

When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. ⁵² Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. ⁵³ When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp.

⁵⁴ David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem; he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent.

⁵⁵ As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is that young man?”

Abner replied, “As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don’t know.”

⁵⁶ The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is.”

⁵⁷ As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine’s head.

⁵⁸ “Whose son are you, young man?” Saul asked him. David said, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”

An Important lesson from David and Goliath Story: Giants are not what they seem.

The kinds of obstacles we face in our life are not nearly as insurmountable and depressing and overwhelming as they appear to be at first blush. Look closely and you’ll see a different truth. Giants can be slain. Particularly by those who have the Spirit of the Lord in their hearts.

It’s unlikely that you’re ever going to have to face a physical giant like David did. But it is highly likely that you’re going to have to face a whole lot of other common giants. Giants of financial problems, relational problems, marriage problems, work problems. Problems that keep you from going after your dream. You are far more likely to have to face those giants than a Goliath. But they can be just as big and just as intimidating and can keep you from becoming who God wants you to be and fulfilling the dream that God has put in your heart.

THE OTHER “GIANTS” DAVID HAD TO FACE - Dream Busters

Samuel anoints David as King and then says wait.

1. DELAY
   
   1 SAMUEL 17:12-15
   Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. … David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.
   
   Sometimes the people who hold you back the most are those who love you the most.
   
   
2. DISCOURAGEMENT
   
   1 SAMUEL 17:8-11
    ⁸ He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.  ⁹  If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.”  ¹⁰ And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” ¹¹ When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
   1 SAMUEL 17:16
    For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.
   
   1 SAMUEL 17:23-24
   As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him. All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid.
   
   Negativity is contagious.
   
   
3. DISAPPROVAL
   
   1 SAMUEL 17:26, 28-29
    And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? … Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” And David said, “What have I done now?
   
   Here’s the problem. The reason why most people don’t ever go after their dream is they’re afraid of disapproval. They are afraid of rejection. In this case David’s own brother questions his motives.
   
   Sometimes it’s your own family that doesn’t want you to accomplish God’s dream.
   
   It may be envy. It may be jealousy. It may be they think they know you better than you do and they know your weaknesses. But they don’t know God’s strength. It may be that they would be embarrassed. It may be that they would resent you being successful and it would make them look bad. Whatever it is ,sibling rivalry often leads to resentment.
   
   Let the size of your God determine the size of your goal.
   
   
4. DOUBT
   
   1 SAMUEL 17:32-33
    And David said to Saul, “Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”  And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.”
   
   Am I capable of this? Am I up to the task for this? Can I actually do what God is asking me to do?
   
   Then there are people all around you who tell you, you can’t. In David’s case the expert doubted his ability. There was nobody who was a greater expert on war than King Saul because Saul had been in battle his entire life.
   
   How do you defeat the giants that are keeping you from being the man God wants you to be? How do you defeat these fears that are keeping you from being the woman God wants you to be? To be a person of great faith with a great dream and a great life work. How do you overcome those giants?
   
   You do the very things that David did. The four things that David did to defeat these giants before he gets to Goliath.

HOW TO DEFEAT GIANTS

1. I remember how God has helped me in the past.
   
   1 SAMUEL 17:37
   And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”  
   
   
2. I use the tools that God has given me now!
   
     1 SAMUEL 17:38-40
   Then Saul clothed David with his armor. …Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off.  Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.
   
   
3. I ignore the dreambusters!
   
   1 SAMUEL 30:6 (KJV)
   And David was greatly distressed; … but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
   
   
4. I expect God to help me for his glory!
   
   1 SAMUEL 17:45-47
   Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts…. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand…that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.”

Transformed Week 7 - How I See and Use Money

TRANSFORMED – How I See and Use Money

Message by:
Pastor Terry Crawford
Covenant Church
Shepherdstown, WV

Have you ever been where the bills are more than the income? You have more month than you have money. Or you want to do something bigger or deeper or more compassionate with your resources and when you look around, you don’t have any extra. Every person who lives in this century will be affected by their use of money or someone else’s use of money. And as we go through our 50 days of Transformation, dealing will spiritual health, physical health, mental health, emotional health, relational health and vocational health, we also have the great opportunity to look today at another area of our lives that needs health.

Parable: An earthly story with a heavenly meaning.

Luke 16:1-9 (NIV) ¹ Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. ² So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ ³ “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— ⁴ I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’ ⁵ “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ⁶ “‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’ ⁷ “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’“‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’ ⁸ “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. ⁹ I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

Jesus was talking to managers, not masters.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT MONEY

1. IT ALL BELONGS TO GOD!
   
   Luke 16:3 (NIV) ³ “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg—



2. WE CAN MANAGE IT WELL OR BADLY.
   
   Luke 16:1, 8 (NIV) ¹ Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. , ⁸ “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.


Reasons We Aren’t Better With Our Finances •
• We don’t want to be.
•
• We want to be but don’t know how.
•
• We want to be and know how, but keep sliding back into bad habits.



3. THE BEST USE OF MONEY IS TO GET PEOPLE INTO HEAVEN.
   
   Luke 16:9 (NIV) ⁹ I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.


MONEY IS A:


• TOOL OF GREAT VALUE
  
  Luke 16:9 (NIV) ⁹ I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.



• TEST OF OUR PRIORITIES
  
  Luke 16:10-12 (NIV) ¹⁰ “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. ¹¹ So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? ¹² And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
  
  Mathew 6:19-21 (NIV) ¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
  
  Proverbs 11:28 (NIV) Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.



• TRADEMARK OF WHO WE ARE
  
  Luke 16:13 (NIV) “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

NEXT STEPS

• Today I recognize my mismanagement of God’s resources and commit to prioritize my finances.
• Today I commit to join what God is doing at Covenant through regular giving.
• This week I will do one thing financially to invest into eternity.

Transformed Week 6 - Facing Fears That Ruin Relationships

TRANSFORMED – Facing Fears That Ruin Relationships

Message by:
Pastor Terry Crawford
Covenant Church
Shepherdstown, WV

Genesis 3:6-19
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORDGod as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from theLORDGod among the trees of the garden. But the LORDGod called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the LORDGod said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” So the LORDGod said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,“Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspringand hers; he will crushyour head, and you will strike his heel.” To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

THE 3 BASIC FEARS THAT RUIN RELATIONSHIPS

1. MY FEAR OF EXPOSURE MAKES ME DISTANT
   
   Genesis 3:9-10
   But the LORDGod called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”



2. MY FEAR OF DISAPPROVAL MAKES ME DEFENSIVE
   
   Genesis 3:12-13
   The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the LORDGod said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”



3. MY FEAR OF LOSING CONTROL MAKES ME DEMANDING
   
   Genesis 3:16
   To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

THE ANTIDOTE: LOVE! LEARN TO LIVE IN GOD’S LOVE

1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

HOW DO I LIVE IN GOD’S LOVE?

1. Everyday surrender my HEART TO GOD.
   
   Luke 9:23
   And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
   
   Proverbs 3:5-6
   Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.



2. Everyday remember THE WAY GOD LOVES ME.
   
   
   • I’m completely accepted.
     
     Titus 3:7 (CEV)
     so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
   
   
   
   • I’m unconditionally loved.
     
     Romans 8:37-39
     No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
   
   
   
   • I’m totally forgiven.
     
     Colossians 2:13-14
     When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made youalive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
   
   
   
   • I’m considered extremely valuable.
     
     1 Corinthians 7:23
     You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings.
   
   
   
3. Everyday offer THAT SAME LOVE TO OTHERS.
   
   John 13:34
   “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
   
   Romans 15:7
   Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
   
   1 Corinthians 13:7
   Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

NEXT STEPS

• Today I surrender my heart to God’s.
• Today I commit to remember the way God loves me even when I mess up.
• Today I commit to believe the best of others and extend grace to others.

Transformed Week 5 - How to Deal with How I Feel

TRANSFORMED – Facing Fears That Ruin Relationships

Message by:
Pastor Terry Crawford
Covenant Church
Shepherdstown, WV

Genesis 3:6-19
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORDGod as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from theLORDGod among the trees of the garden. But the LORDGod called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the LORDGod said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” So the LORDGod said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,“Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspringand hers; he will crushyour head, and you will strike his heel.” To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

THE 3 BASIC FEARS THAT RUIN RELATIONSHIPS

1. MY FEAR OF EXPOSURE MAKES ME DISTANT
   
   Genesis 3:9-10
   But the LORDGod called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”



2. MY FEAR OF DISAPPROVAL MAKES ME DEFENSIVE
   
   Genesis 3:12-13
   The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the LORDGod said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”



3. MY FEAR OF LOSING CONTROL MAKES ME DEMANDING
   
   Genesis 3:16
   To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

THE ANTIDOTE: LOVE! LEARN TO LIVE IN GOD’S LOVE

1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

HOW DO I LIVE IN GOD’S LOVE?

1. Everyday surrender my HEART TO GOD.
   
   Luke 9:23
   And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
   
   Proverbs 3:5-6
   Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.



2. Everyday remember THE WAY GOD LOVES ME.
   
   
   • I’m completely accepted.
     
     Titus 3:7 (CEV)
     so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
   
   
   
   • I’m unconditionally loved.
     
     Romans 8:37-39
     No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
   
   
   
   • I’m totally forgiven.
     
     Colossians 2:13-14
     When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made youalive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
   
   
   
   • I’m considered extremely valuable.
     
     1 Corinthians 7:23
     You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings.
   
   
   
3. Everyday offer THAT SAME LOVE TO OTHERS.
   
   John 13:34
   “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
   
   Romans 15:7
   Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
   
   1 Corinthians 13:7
   Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

NEXT STEPS

• Today I surrender my heart to God’s.
• Today I commit to remember the way God loves me even when I mess up.
• Today I commit to believe the best of others and extend grace to others.

Transformed Week 4 - Change Your Life by Changing Your Mind

A Message from Dr. Jeff Kellogg

TRANSFORMED - CHANGE YOUR LIFE BY CHANGING YOUR MIND

Message by:
Pastor Terry Crawford
Covenant Church
Shepherdstown, WV

Romans 12:2 (NIV)
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT THAT I MANAGE MY MIND?

1. Because my thoughts control my life!
   Romans 8:5
   For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit



2. Because my mind is the battleground for sin.
   
   Romans 7:21-23 (NIV)
   So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.



3. Because it’s the key to peace and happiness!
   
   Romans 8:6
    For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
   
   Isaiah 26:3
   You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.


3 DAILY CHOICES FOR A HEALTHY MIND

Must feed... free ... focus!


1. I MUST FEED MY MIND WITH TRUTH
   
   Matthew 4:4
   Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”



2. I MUST FREE MY MIND FROM DESTRUCTIVE THOUGHTS
   
   1 John 2:15-16
   Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.



3. I MUST FOCUS MY MIND ON THE RIGHT THINGS
   
   Hebrews 12:3
   Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
   
   Philippians 2:3-4
   Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
   
   Colossians 3:1-2
   Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.


NEXT STEPS:


• Today I commit to read the Bible daily to feed my mind with truth.
• Today I commit to place my thought life under the authority of Christ.
• Today I decide to focus on Jesus, others and eternal things.

Transformed Week 3 - FROM STRESSED TO BLESSED

TRANSFORMED – FROM STRESSED TO BLESSED

Message by:
Pastor Terry Crawford
Covenant Church
Shepherdstown, WV

1. Transfer the Stress
   
   Psalm 23:1-4 NIV
   The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
   
   LOOK TO GOD to meet all my needs.
   
   TRUST GOD in the Dark Valleys.
   
   EXPECT GOD to finish what he starts in me.
   
   
2. Get the right Rest
   
   Psalm 23:2a NIV
   He makes me lie down in green pastures…
   
   OBEY GOD’S instruction about rest.
   
   Exodus 34:21 NIV
   “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.
   
   Three Things to Do on a Sabbath
   
   
   • Rest my body.
   • Refocus my spirit.
   • Recharge my emotions.
   
   
   
3. Trust in the Best
   
   Living outside of God’s wisdom and direction brings damage to my health.
   
   1 Timothy 4:8 NIV
   for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
   
   Proverbs 4:20-22 NIV
   My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them and health to all their body.
   
   Proverbs 3:7-8 NIV
   Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.
   
   Proverbs 14:30 NIV
   A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
   
   You can’t disconnect your mind/stress from you physical.
   
   Wisdom says, eating/drinking good things for your body and exercise is helps with your health.
   
   Proverbs 17:22 NIV
   A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones

NEXT STEPS:

Today I commit to having a Sabbath rest sometime this month.
Today I commit to trust God with a current trial or through the next dark valley.
Today I am stepping away from an ungodly path and turning to a godly path.

Buck Sexton's: Historical Deep Dive

Buck Sexton celebrates the anniversary of the Battle of Lepanto, with a deep historical look at the significance of this historic naval battle between the Ottomans and Christians over 600 years ago.The battle was fought between the Christians and Ottomans in the strait between the gulfs of Pátrai and Corinth, off Lepanto, Greece. The fleet of the Holy League commanded by John of Austria, opposed the Ottoman fleet under Uluç Ali Pasha.

* Duration 1:19h, Published 10/7/14 2:16:44 PM

* Episode Download Link (27 MB): The Buck Sexton Show: Presents Battle of Lepanto

* Show Notes: Sound Cloud Show Notes

* Podcast Feed: Buck Sexton (Podcast Feed Link)

* Buck Sexton's Battle of Lepanto study guide

Transformed Week 2 - How to Get Closer to God (Spiritual Health)

TRANSFORMED – HOW TO GET CLOSER TO GOD

Message by:
Pastor Terry Crawford
Covenant Church
Shepherdstown, WV

The further away you get from God, the more your life is troubled

The closer you get to God, the more your life is transformed.

The LOST Son & LOVING FATHER: Luke 15:11-24 (ESV)
¹¹And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. ¹²And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. ¹³Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living.¹⁴ And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
¹⁷"But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! ¹⁸ I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. ¹⁹I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”²⁰’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. ²¹ And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ ²² But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. ²³ And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.²⁴ For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

1. GET FED UP WITH MY LIFE
   
   Luke 15:13-17
   ¹³Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. ¹⁴ And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.¹⁷ “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!
   
   Luke 10:27a (NIV)
   He answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind';



2. OWN UP TO MY SIN
   
   Luke 15:17-18
   But when he came to himself … I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.
   
   Isaiah 59:2
   your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
   
   Psalm 51:1-4
   ¹ Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, ² but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. ³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. ⁴ Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
   
   Isaiah 1:18
   “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.


The HABIT of a Regular Spiritual Check-up:

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves

2 Corinthians 13:5
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?

1 Corinthians 11:28
Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.


3. OFFER UP MYSELF
   
   Luke 15:12
   Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.
   
   Luke 15:19
   Treat me as one of your hired servants.
   
   Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
   ¹Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.


THE FATHER’S RESPONSE

Luke 15:22-23
²²Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. ²³ And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.


4. LIFT UP MY PRAISE TO GOD
   
   Luke 15:23-24
   ²³let us eat and celebrate. ²⁴ For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate
   
   Psalm 68:4
   Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him—his name is the LORD.
   
   Psalm 13:6
   I will sing the LORD’s praise,for he has been good to me.
   
   

NEXT STEPS:

This week I will do a spiritual check up and examine my life.
Today I am taking responsibility for my sins and not blaming others.
I am fed up with my life far from God, so I am coming to Christ today and offering myself to Him.

Transformed Week 1 - Setting Personal Goals

TRANSFORMED - SETTING PERSONAL GOALS

Message by:
Pastor Terry Crawford
Covenant Church
Shepherdstown, WV

WHY ARE GOALS IMPORTANT TO CHANGING MY LIFE?

1. GOAL-SETTING IS A SPIRITUAL RESPONSIBILITY


2. GOALS ARE STATEMENTS OF FAITH
   Matthew 9:29 NIV
   Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”;


3. GOALS FOCUS MY ENERGY
   1 Corinthians 9:26 NCV
   So I do not run without a goal. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something—not just the air.


4. GOALS KEEP ME GOING
   Job 6:11 NLT
   But I don’t have the strength to endure. I have nothing to live for.


5. GOALS BUILD MY CHARACTER
   Philippians 3:12 GNB
   I do not claim that I have already succeeded or have already become perfect. I keep striving to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself.


6. GOOD GOALS WILL BE REWARDED
   Proverbs 11:27 GNB
   If your goals are good, you will be respected, but if you are looking for trouble, that is what you will get.

1 Corinthians 9:25-26a (NLT)
“All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step.”

WHAT KIND OF GOAL DOES GOD BLESS?

3 questions to ask:

1. WILL IT HONOR GOD?
   1 Corinthians 6:20 (CEV)
   God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God.
   1 Cor. 10:31 (CEV)
   When you eat or drink or do anything else, always do it to honor God.
   2 Corinthians 5:9 NIV
   So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.



2. IS IT MOTIVATED BY LOVE?
   1 Corinthians 16:14 NLT
   And do everything with love.
   1 Corinthians 14:1 NLT
   Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives—especially the ability to prophesy.



3. WILL IT REQUIRE DEPENDING ON GOD?
   Proverbs 16:9 (Mes)
   “We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it.”

3 “Must Haves” to reach your goal and change your life

1. I NEED GOD’S SPIRIT TO EMPOWER ME
   
   Zechariah 4:6 (NCV)
   “You will not succeed by your own strength or power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord.”



2. I NEED GOD’S WORD TO GUIDE ME
   
   Joshua 1:8 (NAB)
   “Keep this Book of the Law on your lips. Recite it by day and by night, that you may carefully follow all that is written in it; THEN you will successfully attain your goal.”



3. I NEED GOD’S PEOPLE TO SUPPORT ME
   
   Ecclesiastes 4:12 (Mes)
   “By yourself you’re unprotected. But with a friend you can face the worst. And a group of three is even better because a rope braided with three strands is not easily snapped!”

This week in your small group (Intro)
How to set personal goals in faith & The 3 secrets of achieving any goal
Bring your journal to your group AND weekends!