A Front Porch Chat
With Aunt Sharlene
~Sit down and have
a cup of tea!~
Welcome to Aunt Sharlene's peaceful hide away. This is
a place where you can relax and be refreshed. Have a
seat, and we'll "chat" awhile. (Or should I
say, "I'll chat, while you listen" :)
My father was pastor
of a church when I was a young girl. For our Sunday
afternoon pastimes my sister, a few of our close
girlfriends and myself went to the church and
"played" church. We lived beside the church and
it made it easy for us to go back and forth from the
church to the parsonage. Almost every time we
"played" church, I was the pianist and also the
"preacher." I did every
thing preachers do nowdays. I preached loud and long,
banged on the pulpit, shouted, spoke to the
"sinners" in the congregation and gave altar
calls. I even had funerals and buried the dead. (Dead
crickets, butterflies, and other small creatures that we
could place in a match box :)
My husband was called to preach before we were married,
and I felt a call of God on my life even before I
"played-like" preaching on Sunday afternoons.
We moved to New Mexico to pastor a church
and I felt the call to minister stronger than ever.
My husband had an open heart surgery, pace maker implant,
and many other complications, and was too ill to pastor
and I began to lead the services and preach. After
studying and passing the required tests, I received my
credentials in 1981 to preach the gospel. I sang with a
ladies trio and we traveled to churches in New Mexcio. We
sang together and I preached.
(Only this time ~it was for "real" and not
"play-like")
I thought this page would be an appropriate place to add
some of my sermons (of course~ "mini" or sermonette
form :)
It is my desire that you will find some peace, hope, and
faith as you read these pages. I pray God will bless you
and minister to your needs. I've learned that whatever
concerns us, concerns God. So, find a comfortable chair
and pull it a little closer to the fireplace, grab a cup
of coffee, and bring your concerns,
and let Him renew, restore, and revive you today.
THINGS THAT
GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT
"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand
of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all
your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be
vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour..."
(I Peter 5:6-8) KJV
I believe this is a timely sermonette. We have just come
through the horror of the Twin Towers, of the World Trade
Center, collapsing with a little over 2,500 lives lost,
and the Pentagon tragedy. There have deaths from
and fear of
Anthrax. Fear has gripped this nation like no other time
in history. We who are Christians have anchored our faith
in more than that which is tangible. God speaks in a
voice of calm during this time of chaos.
"I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered
me from all my fear." (Psalm 34:4 NIV)
When the disciples thought they were going to perish in
the storm on the Sea of Galilee, they cried
out,"Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"
(Mark 4:38) After Jesus had quieted the storm he ask
them, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no
faith?" The Lord reminds us, "Whoever listens
to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of
harm." (Proverbs 1:33 NIV)
I have titled this sermon, "THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN
THE NIGHT" because night time can be scary for young
and old. Darkness brings out the unknown and causes
fearful uncertanty. There are many emotional and
spiritual things that go "bump" in our
spiritual nights. The devil, our adversary walks about
seeking to devour us by causing us emotional pain through
doubt, depression, unbelief, thoughts of our past and
fear. There are many more, but today I want to talk about
one: FEAR.
As a child I used to have fear when night time came.
Everything seemed so dark and uncertain. Each sound
brought a new fear of the unknown. Although I slept in
the same room and bed every night, things seemed
different and scary. I would snuggle deeper under the
covers and sometimes cry out for my mother. She would
turn on a night light for me. I would tell her how afraid
I was and she would try to comfort me with the words,
"Your father is close by. He won't allow anything to
hurt you."
"Now you don't need to be afraid of the dark
anymore." (Psalm 91:5 Living Bible)
Let me comfort you with these words when fears "go
bump in your night seasons": Your heavenly Father is
close by and He will NOT ALLOW anything to hurt you. He
is your "night light". The Bible tell us,
"He never sleeps nor slumbers."
Fear comes in many forms. It can come as
overcautiousness, anxious feelings, and phobias. Fear can
trap you and isolate you from others.
There are many things we fear, but I want to mention just
a few:
* Fear of dying~THOUGH
OUR OUTWARD MAN PERISH, YET THE INWARD MAN IS RENEWED DAY
BY DAY... Psalms 116:15 "Precious in the sight of
the Lord is the death of his saints."
*Fear of rejection ~FAITH...IS STAYING PUT WHEN WE CAN'T
HEAR FROM GOD. He said he would never leave us nor
forsake us.
*Fear of the unknown ~WE WALK BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT
*Fear of the past ~QUIT REMEMBERING WHAT GOD HAS
FORGOTTEN
Many of our fears
are self-imposed. We allow satan to make fear
one of the STRONGHOLDS of our mind. If you don't break
the
stronghold of FEAR~ it can destroy you.
Peace is what God has promised His children. You must
resist fearful thoughts to gain peace. You can do this by
keeping your mind on the Lord.
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is
stayed on thee,
because he trusteth in thee." (Isaiah 26:3)
God wants His
children to live careful lives in the fear of the Lord.
But so many times our fear becomes misplaced.
Helen Polding says that misplaced fear is:
1. "Confusing
~It hinders a Christian from seeing
situations as they really are.
2. Contagious
~It spills over onto those near us.
3. Confining ~
It boxes the Christian in and keeps him or her
from reaching out and attempting to do exploits for
God."
Misplaced fear is a
hinderance, because it robs us of t
he joy of life of perfect trust in the Lord.
"The Lord Almighty...he is the one you are to
fear" (Isaiah 8:13 NIV)
~FEAR is a thief. It
steals all your todays and makes you dread tomorrow~
The Bible tells us in 365 places to "FEAR NOT."
That means there is one for every day of the week. One
promise to "FEAR NOT" is found in Isaiah 43:1-2
, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you...When you pass
through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass
through the rivers, they will NOT sweep over you. When
you walk through the fire, you will NOT be burned; the
flames will NOT set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your
God..." (NIV)
The opposite of FAITH is ~FEAR. And FEAR steals your
peace.
The devil doesn't want your car- he wants your peace.
He doesn't need your children- he wants your peace.
The devil doesn't want your wallet- he wants your peace.
He doesn't need your house- he wants your peace.
THE DEVIL IS A LIAR.
I want to encourage you to stare him down and look him in
the face, eyeball to eyeball, and tell him, "Devil,
you don't know who you are messing with. It's too late!!
I've come too far to turn back now!"
"I will fear no evil!"
I have news for you. WE ARE NOT IN A PILLOW FIGHT! Satan
isn't afraid of you at all! He's not afraid of me either.
But, he cannot stand up against God for even a second.
Only when he sees us on our knees and being victorious
does he tremble. Many believers are suffering defeat in
spiritual warfare because they are trying to fight satan
in their own strength.
Satan's plan is to
detach us from dependency on God and steal our victory.
The key to your victory is to fight with the supernatural
weapons God has given you...Our battle is not against
flesh and blood. The real war is against Satan. Victory
is found in dependence on God.
When we watch the news and see our U. S. soldiers
interviewed about going into battle we don't see fear on
their faces. They have been trained for the battle and
what you see is a strong- willed, fearless fighter. There
is no fear, just a look that says, "Come on- just
let me at him!" Their goal is to capture the enemy
and cause him pain and bring justice. That should be our
goal against satan, our enemy; to be a strong- willed,
fearless fighter.
~AN ATTACK
ON THE MIND~
FEAR is an attack on your mind to control your every move
and every thought. Philippians 4:8 reminds us,
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any
virtue, and if there be any praise,
think on these things."
We are in a battle, and if it is a spiritual battle, it
needs a spiritual cure. You don't fight cancer with skin
lotion. You don't fight a brain turmor by taking two
aspirin. FEAR is our enemy. "Be
not afraid nor dismayed...for the battle is not yours,
but God's...Ye shall not need to fight this battle: set
yourselves, stand ye still and see the salvation of the
Lord." (II Chronicles 20:15-17.) We are in a
spiritual battle and the battle is the Lord's and in our
"night season's" He is leading the way.
He has given us weapons to destroy satan's fortress.
Weapons such as prayer, Bible reading, fasting, and
obedience to God's word. When we pray, we rob Satan of
his most lethal weapon...FEAR.
You are not responsible for every thought that flashes
into your mind. But you are responsible for what you do
once it is there. Our job is to recognize and dismiss
thoughts of fear immediately. It is a daily thing. And we
must think on the "whatsoevers" mentioned in
Philippians.
Unless you have experienced the chilling choke hold of
fear, you cannot begin to imagine the terror of its
presence or the horror of its possible return. No matter
what you have been through~or going through,
Jesus can and wants to set you free from FEAR.
My prayer for you is that you find freedom from fear
and have peace in the night.
"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall
be free indeed."
(John 8:36) KJV
~GOD TRIES OUR
FAITH THAT WE
MAY TRY HIS FAITHFULNESS~
WHO IS HE?
He is the First and Last, the Beginning and the
End!
He always was, He always is, and He always will be...
Unmoved, Unchanged, Undefeated, and never Undone!
He was bruised and brought healing!
He was pierced and eased pain!
He was persecuted and brought freedom!
He was dead and brought life!
He is risen and brings power!
He reigns and brings Peace!
He is light, love, longevity, and Lord.
He is goodness, Kindness, Gentleness, and God.
He is Holy, Righteous, mighty, powerful, and pure.
His ways are right,
His word is eternal,
His will is unchanging, and
His mind is on me.
He is my Redeemer,
He is my Savior,
He is my guide, and
He is my peace!
He is my Joy,
He is my comfort,
He is my Lord, and
He rules my life!
His goal for me is abundant life.
I follow Him because He is the wisdom of the wise,
The power of the powerful,
He will never leave me,
Never forsake me,
Never mislead me,
Never forget me,
Never overlook me, and
Never cancel my appointment in His appointment book!
When I fall, He lifts me up!
When I fail, He forgives!
When I am weak, He is strong!
When I am lost, He is the way!
When I am afraid, He is my courage~
When I stumble, He steadies me!
When I am hurt, He heals me!
When I am broken, He mends me!
When I am blind, He leads me!
When I am hungry, He feeds me!
When I face trials, He is with me!
When I face persecution, He shields me!
When I face problems, He comforts me!
When I face loss, He provides for me!
When I face Death, He'll carry me Home!
He is everything for everybody, everywhere,
Every time, and every way.
He is God, He is faithful.
I am His, and He is mine!
So, if you're wondering why I feel so secure, understand
this...
God is in control, I am on His side, and He is on my
side.
That means all is well with my soul.
Everyday is a blessing just because He Is!
(Author
unknown & revised)
If
you want to know when Shar's pages become active,
visit my contact page to join the
Tin Cottage Express update e-mail list!!
These
pages will include articles, sermons, songs and
devotionals
written by Sharlene, as well as inspiring thoughts and
stories
chosen to encourage and refresh your spirit!
INDEX
What
Refreshes You?
Life's
Lessons
Front
Porch Chats With Aunt Sharlene
The
Lighter Side With Aunt Sharlene
Melodies
from the Heart
Prayer
Changes Things
Bits and
Pieces
Only
Make Believe?
Lamp
Unto My Feet~Light Unto My Path
Words~A
Mouthful of Foot
Welcome
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