Lighthouse of Hope Church
​NEWSLETTER

December 2019

A Crisis of Faith, Part III

In Luke 4:18-30 we find Jesus when he was beginning His ministry making a group of religious people so mad that they tried to kill him.  While preaching in the synagogue in Nazareth, the town where He grew up, Jesus said something so offensive to His listeners that they formed a lynch mob.  “When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious.  Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built.  They intended to push him over the cliff, but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.”  (Luke 4:28-30 NLT)  Why were the people so furious?  In reality, their rage was Satan’s way of trying to stop Christ’s ministry before it could start.

Have you ever felt you have been taken to a cliff’s edge by the devil for merely trying to follow Jesus?  Satan will use whatever means he can to take your faith to a cliff and to push it over.  He wants to push your marriage over the cliff so it does not exist; he wants to destroy your finances and children, and he wants to push your faith over the cliff so that it crashes and burns.

Maybe you feel that your circumstances are so desperate and there is no hope.  Maybe you are filled with anxiety and are crying out, “Lord, how could you possibly deliver me from this?”

The good news is this:  you are not going over a cliff.  That is not God’s plan for you.  Our steps are ordered by God, and just as Jesus passed right through the crowd, God declares, “I have plans for my child; and Satan, you are not going to touch him.”  The same Spirit that kept Jesus safe lives in you and will keep you safe.   

All of us who follow Christ will face difficulties and pressures that seem to take us to the edge of the cliff.  God allows these trials to lead us to higher ground.  You may feel defeat is staring you in the face.  Know this:  the Lord will not let you be pushed over the cliff.

You need to understand that Jesus will step in to interfere with the enemy’s attacks against us.  When darkness and death rule, Jesus interferes with it.  We may think that our life is approaching the cliff’s edge, but Jesus faithfully steps in and says, “Not on my watch, devil!”  He interrupts the plans Satan has formed against us and prevents his evil intentions from happening.

The second thing that Jesus does is cut short the devil’s work.  According to Mark’s gospel, as the demon spoke “Jesus cut him short.”  (Mark 1:25 J.B. Phillips)  The Lord was not going to give the demon another inch to torment that man’s life.  If you have lived under some kind of bondage, Jesus wants to cut it short and say, “Enough is enough.”     

             continued on the next page...

By Faith, We Will!

Events

WCA Christmas Program
Friday, December 13th at 7:00 p.m.

Come support Westmoreland Christian Academy’s students as they present their annual Christmas program in the gymnasium.

Christmas Party
Sunday, December 15th at 10:00 a.m.

Join us for our Sunday morning service in the gymnasium.  We will have a time of worship, the Word, and a meal and games afterwards.  Wear your ugliest Christmas sweater.  This is a great opportunity to invite friends and family as we celebrate the Christmas season together.

Candlelight Christmas Eve Service
Tuesday, December 24th at 6:00 p.m.

Come and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and honor Him in worship.

New Year's Eve Celebration
Tuesday, December 31st from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Join us as we celebrate what God has done in 2019 and as we look forward to the great things that He will do in 2020.  We will have a time of fellowship, worship, testimonies, and more.

There will be no midweek services on Wednesday, December 25th or
Wednesday, January 1st.

A Crisis of Faith, Part III (continued from previous page)

The third thing Jesus does is to destroy the devil’s work in your life completely.  The tormenting demon cried to Jesus, “Have you come to destroy us?”  (Luke 4:34)  Is there something you need Jesus to destroy or obliterate once and for all that continually sends you to the edge of the cliff?  Jesus has come to destroy every evil power aligned against you.  “No weapon turned against you will succeed.”  (Isaiah 54:17 NLT)  Satan may fire arrows at you, but they will not hit their mark!  No matter what your trial looks like, you are in Jesus’ hands—not the enemy’s.  You are not going over the cliff because just the opposite is happening.  Nothing can destroy the plans God has for you.  He walks with you through every fire to bring you to higher ground!
Lift the name of Jesus high this Christmas season.  Let your faith shine so that others will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

By faith, we will!

In His Service,
Pastor Tomson