Gear Up! 9/13/17
It is my pleasure to bring to you a guest preacher, Stephen King!
I am still experiencing the effect of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irma!
We lost power Sunday afternoon and as of 3:00 Pm Wednesday STILL am without!!
Praise The Lord, my next door neighbor has power and has generously ran about 300 feet of extension cord so little Amanda can, at least, watch TV!
I also have enough power to re-freeze my freezer and refrigerator, brew coffee, and use the much slower microwave.
Alas, I am severely limited on internet service and greet you today from the local Chick-fil-A!!
As you will read, Steven is an avid motorcycle enthusiastic and shares a powerful message and testimony in today's sermon.
GOD BLESS YOU AND STAY WARM AND DRY!!!
YOU'VE GOT THE POWER!!!
Pastor Doug
Gear Up! 9/13/17
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
Everyone that knows me, knows that my preferred mode of transportation is a motorcycle.
In fact I have been on my motorcycle for the past 25 days straight.
And yes that does include Monday when Irma came thru the Marietta area. I rode to work that afternoon and home shortly after midnight.
Now please listen to me before you start thinking that Stephen King is completely off his rocker and going thru his second childhood.
I got my motorcycle license when I turned 15 and I have been riding for the vast part of 49+ years. Riding a motorcycle is FIRST nature to me.
Besides, my motto is that "you are never too old to have a happy childhood and when you are a child of God it is indescribably HAPPY".
I even go so far as to add that "God said, I behave so much like a child, I need adult supervision and that's why I have my wife, Bobbie.....Smile!
Seriously, thank the Lord she has put up with me for 46+ years.
I don't ride regardless of what the weatherman says and I will often heed the weather forecast.
I don't like to be in lightning storms or caught in a deluge of rain or icy weather and sometimes I won't ride just because I just don't feel like I should ride.
But I have ridden multiple times when the weather was not hospitable.
Every one of those times I have
Geared Up
!
Slipping on my chaps and securing with its wide belt and buckle,
Zipping up my the weather proof jacket,
Lacing waterproof boots and strapping on a full face helmet.
But before going out the door I will check myself in the mirror to make sure I'm fully covered.
When I get to the bike I will shake the windshield to make sure it's secure and turn on the headlight to make sure it's working properly.
BUT BEFORE I CRANK UP, I spend a few minutes putting on Gods armor.
Like my chaps and belt, I meditate on the Belt of Truth
Like my jacket, compares to the Breastplate of Righteousness
My boots, obviously our feet fitted with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace
My helmet equates to the Helmet of Salvation
The windshield that blocks the droplets of rain and stings of the wind, the Shield of
Faith extinguishing all the flaming arrows of the evil one
The headlight that lights up a midnight road, The Sword of the Spirit that is the Day Maker.
Lastly - check my spiritual self in the mirror.
2 Corinthians 3:18
NKJV
18
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord
It takes me about 10 minutes to get my gear on.
I try to spend at least 10 minutes before I crank up, putting on God's Armor.
And often I will begin to cry with joy at the thought that,
no matter how hard I try I can't even begin to emulate the Righteousness of Jesus, but
He covers me so well with His Righteousness that even satan can't tell if it's me or Him.
As I was going to and from work Monday, there was something happening that was truly remarkable.
I noticed that in the distance the trees were whipping around and debris blowing across the road but once I would get to about a hundred feet from the area, the wind would subside and the rain would lighten up.
It was so noticeable that I was really focusing on how it seemed as if there was a bubble around me.
As I approached and area, the wind would slow
dramatically
and as I looked in my rear view mirror, it would start back again after I cleared the area.
I had a couple of people that rolled down their window and commented that they liked my bike.
I would respond that it was my "thank you Jesus" bike, and they would give a good chuckle.
When I get a comment like that I will pass them a penny that has the Ten Commandments pressed into it.
I will quickly tell them that, no way can we keep all these commandments but covered by the blood of Christ, turn the penny over and that is what you've got.
They will flip it and say "I don't see anything"!
I will of course respond that "you are absolutely right"
Many times this conversation has led to a prayer of salvation.
I would like to ask you all to do something....
For the next seven days when you wake up and when you go out. Gear Up!
The first of the Ten Commandments is "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me"
Put Him First by praying to Him, first thing when you wake and when you go out the door.
Pray that "God, I know that You answer the desires of my heart."
"
Now, Let the desires of my heart be to answer the desires of Your heart"
When you go out take the armour with you and look for any opportunity to start a conversation about Jesus.
If you would like to have some of the Ten Commandment pennies to give away, send me your address and I will send some to you.
May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face to shine upon you both now and forever more.
Pastor Stephen King
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