July: A Word from the Pastor


The Christian life is a life of fellowship with Christ.

When we are saved we are baptized into the body of Christ and indwelt by the the Holy Spirit. We spiritually observe that “we are in God” and “God is in us”. This special union in Christ secures the benefits of Christ’s substitutional death and resurrection for us.

One day this walk of fellowship with Christ will be free from any and every hindrance.

For now, we live with the principle of our old nature working within us. Outwardly, we live in a sinful world. But this life, sometimes characterized by adversity, is designed to draw us nearer to Christ. He died to save us; He lives to make us holy and bring us to glory.

It is wonderful to have the biblical record of Old Testament saints in their struggles to walk with God.

They always remind us of the importance of depending only and always upon the LORD. King Asa was one of the early kings of Judah. He once found himself in the presence of a mighty army that was determined to destroy the nation. Asa’s response was to cry out to the Lord. Scripture reveals,

“Then Asa called to the LORD his God, and said, “Lord, there is no one besides Thee to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in Thee, and in Thy name have come against this multitude. O LORD, Thou art our God; let not man prevail against Thee” (2 Chronicles 14:11).

Asa was in a most difficult situation. And yet, he did not depend upon his own resources. Instead, He cried out to the LORD – and the LORD gave him a mighty victory. This gives us great assurance today to depend only upon the LORD.

We never know what a day may bring.

We cannot predict the spiritual adversaries that will stand before us with the full intention of destroying our faith. We cannot predict the future, but we can know the strength and power that are found in Christ.

He is our helper.

He is our shield.

He will provide.

. Our challenge is to resist the urge to trust in ourselves and determine to rely upon the LORD. The difficulties encountered in life can never separate us from the LORD. They can only encourage our hearts to depend only upon our great God who alone will give us the victory in Christ.

– Gary W. Custis