"Stepping into His Presence" The Walk of Peace
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 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. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled aroundyour waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feetvfitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguishall the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmetEphesians 6: 10 -18
of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God and pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
Ephesians 6: 10 -18
A Thought From the Pastor
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
I have spent a majority of my devotional time this week quoting the 23 Psalm in the good, old King James Version. This is the version that I memorized this passage as a student in a small Christian School in Alaska. This psalm has stuck with me through all the ups and downs in life. This week I experienced a new perspective of this psalm and it became a beautiful praise and poem of blessing and peace. Psalm 23 invokes peace by portraying God as a vigilant shepherd who replaces human anxiety with deep rest, courage, and unconditional security. It demonstrates peace not as the absence of trouble, but as an active, stabilizing presence in the middle of life’s struggles.
If you read and meditate on this writing of David you see the peace of provision, the peace of rest and restoration, the peace over fear, and finally the peace in the midst of conflict. Why do we run from the Shepherd of peace? This week I realized that it’s because of my will and desire to do things my way, not God’s way. I also came to the conclusion that I simply do not rest and restore my soul. I challenge you this week to read the 23rd Psalm and pray simply that you would surrender to God’s will in the days ahead and that he would allow you to truly rest in the assurance that God can provide all the things you need if you would only let him be your shepherd. Rest in the assurance that he can and will restore your soul with the peace that we all so desire in this broken world. Peace be with you in this journey!
Prayerful Planning
- Please stop by our Welcome Center and chat with Bernadette about getting signed up for our texting system and the many ways you get involved with ministries within our neighborhood such as our food pantry, nursery, childrens church, bible studies and prayer groups. We also have flyers for our Homecoming Service this summer and bonfire nights.
Plans and Events at PCOC
- 6/14 - Our food pantry is open today from 12:30 - 1:30 pm.
- 6/15 - Community Lunch @ 11:30 - 12:30 @ PCoC
- 6/17 - Women’s and Men’s Bible Studies @ 6:30 pm @ PCoC.
- 6/18 - Church Prayer Group @ 10:30 am @ PCoC.
- 6/26 - Bonfire Night at the Bailey’s from 6 to 10 pm
Purpose For This Week
- Pray that we would submit our will to God.
- Pray that we would find rest and peace for our souls.
Praise Reports & Prayer Requests
- Praise God that Brigid and Luke Koch are the new owners of the house next door to the church. This has been a journey of prayer and we can’t wait to have an open house and treats next week.
- Please pray for Edmond as he needs our prayers during his time in jail. He has been granted work release and has sent his love and gratitude to his church family. He desires our prayers!
- Please pray for Big Joe Atwood and his decision on moving back to Petoskey or staying with his family. Please pray for wisdom and guidance for Joe with this decision
- Please continue to pray for Ken Baker, Daniel Turner, Brian Cizek, Gerri and others that are dealing with physical ailments and ask for God’s healing in their lives.
- Please pray for John Dempster. John is recovering from a fall and a broken hip and now is dealing with severe pneumonia. John is back in Boulder Park in Charlevoix for therapy and healing