Greater is He….

We live in troubled times. You don’t even need TV or newspapers to see it. If you have a Facebook account and friends, you can see that something isn’t quite right. Here’s the scenario: You wake up in the morning, make your cup of coffee, reach for your Smartphone and start scrolling through Facebook, just to see what’s going on with family and friends. But what do you really see? Images of social violence, political scandal, domestic abuse, and physical harm to unborn babies and overly vulgar “jokes.” In other words, rude, crude, and often explicit images that most people wouldn’t expect to see over morning coffee.

Here’s the thing – I am not in anyway, a prude. I have a sense of humor, and I have trouble sometimes controlling my own attitude and my mouth. But I’m trying. That said, I have also noticed something else… There is not one single person who is completely happy with the world we live in. Everyone I see expresses the idea that this world we live in is “going to hell”, and that’s because they’re right.

Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

What’s the reason? A lack of God. Not because He’s abandoned or forsaken us, but because we’ve abandoned and forsaken Him! We, as a people, put our wants and desires first and foremost before and above the creator of the universe. The one being in existence who created everything and all of us, and we exclude Him from our lives on a regular, daily basis. We’re all guilty of it to some degree. All of us. There are many people who know He’s real and yet refuse to acknowledge Him in any way or worse, completely deny His existence. This way of life has tragic results. On the other hand, when we give our lives to the Lord, He says, “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezk 36:26)

Let me ask you something… do you ever feel like there’s something missing in your life, but you just can’t put your finger on it? That’s God. He’s trying to get your attention. Ever feel like you need someone or something to comfort you? That’s God telling you He wants to give you His perfect love, and asks that you love Him in return. He’s polite though. He’s not going to barge in and take over your life. You have to want Him there. You have to invite Him in. But what do we do? We turn to material things, or even short-term relationships with people who we KNOW aren’t good for us, in an effort to fill that void in our lives. That’s what the world does to us. It leaves us empty, angry, and hurting.

Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

John 3:16 “ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

1 John 4:4 – “ You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”

All you have to do is invite Jesus into your heart, and the rest will follow. I’m not saying you’ll never struggle again, I’m saying you’ll never be alone again. And you’ll have the creator of the universe and all things in it to help you. And He will help you!

If this message has been a blessing to you. I ask that you please “like” and “share” it. I ask nothing in return. I just want to know that what God is giving me, is making it out there for his glory, and the enrichment of your spirit – In Jesus’ name, amen!

Rev. Crystal Bennett

The Power of the Tongue

This is not my post, but was written by a friend of mine, and I can relate to it just as much as anyone else may be able to. I really feel strongly that the Lord wants me to share it, so I am.  May it be as big a blessing to you as it is to me 😊

“James 3:8-10… it’s amazing how in just one breath we can build up others or break them down. How do we change what comes out of our mouths when the world we live in thrives on breaking others down with their words. It’s become more and more acceptable to voice your opinion (because ur entitled to it) whether it hurts, embarrass others, or breaks others down you can say it. I have done this to others too many times, I pray daily that God will give me the desire to follow his Word and not the world”

Blessings In Disguise

Some of you already knows I’m a writer at heart, and am working on writing a book. It’s been an ongoing process for several years. Hey, don’t laugh! It took J.K. Rowling six years to write Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, which of course became Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Personally, I like the original title better, but that’s just me. Anyway…. some time ago, I’d been praying for the time to write my book, because being a wife and mom who has a full time job and is also a full time student, was just sucking all my free time up, leaving no time or energy for writing. I also knew even then that I had a call to share the goodness of God with people, I just wasn’t sure how exactly.

Well it just occurred to me, that my prayers have been answered in the most odd way I could have imagined. Because of an ankle injury, I’ve been off work for several months now, and though I’m continuing my pursuit of a college degree, I’ve also had the time I need to work on my book.

It’s been a really tough situation without my regular pay check, and being denied for Workers Compensation. There have been interviews with investigators, depositions with lawyers, a multitude of medical examinations and procedures. And the pain involved with this type of injury is absolutely debilitating. It’s been a very rough road.

There have been days when we had no food in the house at all, but suddenly family or friends would just bring us food or send money to grocery shop, or pay rent or utility bills to restore services that had been disconnected. Amazing things keep happening and things are working out. One blessing is that this fellowship has come to life and I’m so blessed to be able to share things with you what the Lord has given me to write. I’m so grateful to the Lord for His grace and mercy, in taking care of me and my family during this difficult time.

One lesson I’ve learned here is that you need to be very specific when praying for something! Now, I’m not saying God caused the injury at all. BUT…. He can USE it as an opportunity for the fulfillment of my prayers. He’s pretty cool like that!

You may remember the story of Joseph in the bible. His brothers were terribly jealous of him because of how much his father loved and favored him, so they plotted to kill him. One brother didn’t want to go through with it, and talked his brothers into leaving Joseph in a pit instead. Still not great, but at least not dead, so there was still an opportunity for something good to happen. And it did!

After what seemed like a hopeless situation to Joseph for years, he was suddenly elevated to what would otherwise be impossible levels and actually saved the lives of many, many people by doing what God told him to do! His faith in God combined with his obedience to God, caused him to go from being abandoned in a pit to being the kinds right hand man in charge of the kingdom itself, thereby using his God given skills to save a multitude of people from the devastation of severe drought and famine that lasted seven long years!

When Joseph was finally reunited with his family, he had a rough time, but forgave them, saying, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” Genesis50:20-21.

God is good, is he not?! All the time!!!

So if you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation, think about the possible reasons, and allow God to use it for good. You may just be amazed at how much you will be blessed in the long run!

As always, I pray this today’s message is a blessing to you! In Jesus’ name, amen!

Rev. Crystal Bennett

The ABC’s of Faith

4 Year Old East Texan Recites ABC’s With A Twist

This is probably one of the most precious things I’ve ever seen! God is good! 😊

Choosing To Believe

My husband,  Rob,  wrote this, and I really think it’s something we all should think about.

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Well, today has begun well and on we go. Last couple days a furry, forty pound little family member has had a mom and dad worried. Dogs can’t convey messages like us and it can make things a bit stressful. Turns out, it may have only been severe constipation. Sounds silly, but you had to be here to understand. We do love our little Molly.

We treat our dog like family and we love her the same. If she has a spirit like us I hope to see her in Heaven. A belief in God first takes faith. Without it we ain’t got nothing to back up a prayer. Kinda funny, we gotta believe in the egg to see the chicken. We gotta believe in a spirit to believe in God. If we think we are just a being with no soul, we definately have no reason to believe in an afterlife whatsoever. Makes no sense. I read once of a scientist who went out to see if we had a soul. Came to find out that humans lost a few ounces when they died. Couldn’t figure out why, we just did. Now, we can always come up with an excuse in order to support our atheist views. But we still can’t escape the fact that something left our body. If our spirit has  substance, maybe it has weight. Of course you still have to make a choice to believe it.  Otherwise we can stick to the old standby, “denial”. It’s worked for thousands of years. So why do people want to be an atheist? Denial? But why? Only thing I can figure is a lot of folks don’t like to stick with morals or decency. Or even good health. So after a time you find that people needed to get some form of decency and made up things like humanism or Buddha or whatever controlled the masses without having to give into the “Religion” side of things. God had some rules. But honestly, there were some really good rules that didn’t hurt anyone. Islam has rules about killing all non believers. Also mutilating transgressors. There’s a list, believe me. And don’t go thinking it’s only the bad Muslims. It’s written in their Book. God never, ever wished bad things on this world. He just wants us to seek Him in order for Him to be able to reward us. People listen to so much propaganda based on small out of context words either from the bible or just from what someone said. You have to read it to know what’s really going on. I do read everyday, and so far it ain’t hurting me. Or anyone else for that matter. I guess it just comes down to what I end with each day……. You just gotta believe. Without it you can’t please Him, and He can’t reward you. Ouch.”

God’s Saving Grace

Good Morning, Family & Friends! I’ll tell you, we’ve had a rough time of things lately, and have struggled quite a bit. The thing is… no matter how bad the situation has looked, God has always been there to help us and has never left us. We wouldn’t be here today without His goodness and mercy. I am so grateful to family members who’ve been there for us and allowed the Lord to work through them, and I know that the combination of them being such wonderful people, and God being the wonderful, loving, caring father he is… well… things keep working out, and we are so blessed.

So I thought this morning, I would just share that with you and let you know that no matter what your situation is, if you stay in faith and keep doing your best to be obedient to God — which doesn’t mean you have to be totally perfect, it just means you really need to do your personal best to do God’s will in your life — you will see His favor and He will help you in your time of need, whatever that need may be!

Remember the story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den? Daniel was thrown into a den of hungry, man-eating lions, because he would not stop worshiping God and worship the king instead. But Daniel stayed obedient to God and stayed in faith, and the lions — hungry as they were — never touched him! THAT is amazing and a wonderful example of God’s grace and mercy! You and I have that blessing too! God loves you just as much as he loved Daniel, and He never puts one person above another. You are just as important to Him as anyone else. If you will put God first in your life, and never waver from that, you too will have the protection of God. It’s that simple.

As always, I pray this message is a blessing to you in Jesus’ name, and if it is, please share it with your family and friends 🙂

Rev. Crystal

A Little Give & Take

Good morning, Family and Friends! Happy Sunday! Today’s message is very simple. We all want God to take care of us and fix everything for us, but what are we doing for Him? If you’re putting God first in your life, and staying in faith, He’s got your back! But it shouldn’t be a one-sided, all take and no give relationship. 

Joshua 1:8-9 – “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
As always, I pray this morning’s message is a blessing to you. May the Lord forgive, bless and keep you always in His care, in Jesus’ name, amen! 
Rev. Crystal Bennett 

I Am A Christian

Good morning, Family and Friends! Happy Friday! Today’s message is very simple, and one that should be a standard. If I could add one thing, I would say “The color of your skin doesn’t matter to me. I’ll treat you the way I would like to be treated.” Many Blessings! Rev. Crystal 😊

Need vs. Want – Don’t Get Confused!

Good morning, Family and Friends! The Lord put it in my heart this morning to talk to you about being thankful for what we already have. Nowadays, we see people chasing around after what they think they need. The new iPhone 7, some fancy car, a big house…. and there’s nothing really wrong with having those things as long as you keep your perspective and realize you don’t NEED them. The past few years in my life have been very eye-opening as far as what we want compared to what we need, and I’ve learned what true blessings are. There was a time when my husband and I made a lot of money, had large house, nice car, and fancy iPhones for everyone in the family. BUT…. the family was falling apart. My husband and I were getting a divorce, the kids were having trouble in school and out, and everyone was miserable. Some decisions were made, and life changed dramatically. We now have so much LESS in the material things, but so much MORE in the most important areas – God and family. Our kids are doing amazing things with their lives, and our marriage is still intact and doing better than ever. Is life perfect? No. But now we fully understand what’s truly important, and we tend to focus on that as being what we need. Sure, we still want things, but we now know we don’t NEED them, and so we make better choices. Be thankful for what you have. Let go of what you don’t need. And always, always always – put God first, family second, and all the rest will come naturally. 

Philippians 4:4-8 says – “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things”

As always, I pray these messages be a blessing to you, in Jesus’ name – Amen!

“Never Give Up, Never Surrender!”

One of my favorite things about God, is that He is a God of second chances. Jeremiah 29:11 – “I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.”

My favorite movie line is from Galaxy Quest – Captain Peter Quincy Taggart,  played by Tim Allen. They just go so well together, don’t you think?