Encouragements, by Pastor Mike

Welcome to "Encouragements" by Pastor Mike

Pastor Mike and Team RFC (Racers for Christ) is a group of people whose love of the Lord is so strong that they include him in their everyday activities... even on race day or at the car shows. Their motto is "Bringing Inspiration to the World of Motorsports." To do so they provide chapel services, pastoral care, outreach and Christian fellowship. Please stay tuned for regular messages brought to you courtesy of our friend, Paster Mike.

Trust in the Lord and do good

Trust in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surly on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be feed. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and he will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord [roll each care of your load on Him]: trust also in Him and He will bring it to pass. Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him; do not worry.... Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes I will hold you up and retain you with My victorious right hand of rightness and justice. For I the Lord your God hold your right hand; I am the Lord, Who says to you, Fear not; I will help you!

Chaplain Mike
Racers For Christ
Mgodracer@aol.com

Joy From Within

Polls and surveys consistently show that the top three things people want the most in life are love, happiness, and peace. So often we confuse happiness with joy. There is a difference.

Happiness is the result of getting what we want. We tell ourselves that we'll be happy when we get a newer home. Or life will be great if we get a promotion at work and a pay increase.

However, getting what we want only offers a temporary form of happiness that fades over time. We get our new home, and we are so happy until we realize that we, in order to remain happy, must have all the furniture and decorations to go with it. This kind of happiness is dependent on our circumstances, and can be accompanied with a fear that we may lose whatever it is we feel has made us happy.

Joy, however, is a fruit of the Spirit. It comes from within and not from external conditions. Jesus said that we are to abide in Him so that our joy can be complete (John 15:9-11). We can experience the joy of the Lord regardless of our circumstances because joy is dependent on our relationship with Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul instructed the Philippians to rejoice always in the Lord (Philippians 4:4). While this group of believers was anxious about their material needs, Paul reminded them that their joy came from God. They were oppressed and persecuted by the Romans. They suffered economic hardships. Yet they had a reason to be joyful—their lives belonged to the Lord.

The world tries to persuade us that joy is found in material possessions, worldly achievements, and social status. However, true joy comes from the knowledge that we are saved through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus.

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4)

Chaplain Mike
Racers For Christ
Mgodracer@aol.com

Fix-it Man

"Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints." (Philemon 1:7, NIV)

A newspaper obituary caught my eye with this statement: "Services for affable fix-it man are today."

Instead of focusing on one of the movers and shakers of society, the article told the story of a 79-year-old appliance repairman who was known for his integrity, character, and unquenchable happiness. The president of the company for which the man had worked said, "Half of his job was to go to people's houses and fix the appliances, and the other half was to fix the people. We had a lot of people with problems who requested him by name. He was very jovial, very friendly, and always had a kind word."

No matter what our job, perhaps the most important work we do is helping and encouraging people, especially by what we say.

Chaplain Mike
Racers For Christ
Mgodracer@aol.com

Expectations

"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." Philippians 1:20

Have you ever had expectations that did not get fulfilled? Perhaps a coworker let you down. Perhaps you were trusting God for something in your life that never materialized. Perhaps you became devastated by an unmet expectation that you felt you were entitled to. Expectations can be a difficult trap for each of us if we are not fully committed to God's purposes in our lives.

Paul wrote this verse from prison to the people of Philippi. He had an expectation that his life would bring glory to God, whether through his continued ministry or his death. His joy in living was not based on his expectations getting fulfilled, but on remaining true to the purpose for which God made him.

When we react to circumstances with bitterness and resentment as a result of unmet expectations, we are saying that we know better than God, and that God has made a mistake in not meeting our expectations. The process of resolving unmet expectations may require full disclosure to the individual who was the source of the unmet expectation, and of how the unmet expectation made you feel. This is not to make the person feel obligated to meet the expectation, but simply to share your feelings about it. If God was the source, then it is important to share this with the Lord. However, once we have done this we must let go of the situation and allow God to work in our hearts the grace that is needed to walk in freedom from the pain of the unmet expectation. If we do not do this, we will allow the seed of bitterness and resentment to enter in. This seed of bitterness will create leanness in our soul and eventually will spread to others.

Ask yourself today if you have any unmet expectations. How have you responded to them? Have you processed this with the Lord and others who may be involved? These are the steps to freedom from unmet expectations.

Chaplain Mike
Racers For Christ
Mgodracer@aol.com

Encouragement for Your Future

Your future is full of...

HOPE because God is working on your behalf.
In all things God works for the good of those who love Him. ROMANS 8:28

JOY because God has a plan for you.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "...plans to give you hope and a future." JEREMIAH 29:11

PEACE because God will be wherever you go.
I am with you always. MATTHEW 28:20

LOVE because God deeply cares for you.
How wide and long and deep and high is the love of Christ. EPHESIANS 3:18

STRENGTH because God gives you everything you need.
I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. PHILLIPIANS 4:13

CONFIDENCE because God made you who you are.
God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. GENESIS 1:31

COURAGE because God can do more than you can imagine!
With God all things are possible. MATTHEW 19:26

Chaplain Mike
Racers For Christ
Mgodracer@aol.com

If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

No one escapes trials in life. While pursuing your God-given dreams and desires, you are on a collision course with challenges and disappointments. But these don't have to derail your destiny or dim your dreams.

Here are a few things you and I need to remember when going through hard times.

Number one, remember God is in control. So don't demand to understand all the challenges in life. Just trust in God's Plan. (Proverbs 3:5-6 ) Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not to your understanding, in all of your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.

Secondly, remain faithful no matter what the cost, don't give up and quit on your dream no matter what you face. Ask God to give you strength and courage to stay faithful to what He has called you to do. (Isaiah 40:31) Those who wait upon Lord shall renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.

Third, reject bitterness. Refuse to allow disappointment to cause a root of bitterness to spring forth in your life. There is nothing Satan would like more than unforgiveness or anger to distract you from God's plan for your life. (Jer 29:11) For I know the thoughts and plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to bring you to a future and a hope.

And finally, rest in the providence of God. Be assured that His mighty hand is working on your behalf. He has you on His mind and you are on His radar. Don't try to go ahead or manipulate His plan for your life. (Romans 8:28) And we know that God works all things together for the good to those who Him.

Wait on God's timing and in due time, you will get a better picture and the purpose of why God has allowed you to go through this trial or season.

THE ESSENCE OF DESTINY
Watch your thoughts, for they become Words,
Choose your words, for they become Actions,
Understand your actions, for they become Habits,
Study your habits, for they become your Character,
Develop your character, for it becomes your Destiny

Chaplain Mike
Racers For Christ
Mgodracer@aol.com

Fear Not!

Have you ever driven down the highway and noticed the “check engine” light? Even if there was no strange engine noise or visible smoke, you knew the warning light meant something was wrong—and most likely you promptly took the car to a mechanic. Why? Because you knew that the warning light was connected to the engine—though you could not see the problem, you saw the warning message.

A similar connection occurs between fear and faith. We may think that our life is running fine, but then the red light of fear begins flashing. That fear signals that it is time to check our engines of faith. Most fears are based on the “what if’s” we generate in our minds, which are often rooted in a distrust in God.

Jesus warned against worrying over these questions: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?...Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:25, 34).

Many people try to escape their fears through alcohol or medication or activity. These are temporary at best, and only compound the problem. The source of the fear remains. The antidote to fear is in the promises of God, not in escapism.

If we do not learn how to master our fears, our fears will master us. In order to conquer our fears, we must do two things: pray our fears out, while praying faith in; and claim the very power of God.

When we cry out to God, He will listen to us. God loves to hear the cries of His children who seek to grow in faith. The psalmist declared, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4). When we realize our own inadequacies and our total dependence on God, we take a first step in overcoming our fears. We can be confident that a prayer for faith is one that will be answered.

God will help us when we acknowledge our fears in prayer. He wants us to share with Him the cause of our concerns. Even when we don’t know the source of our anxiety, the Holy Spirit will work on our behalf when we seek His help. We may fool the people around us with a brave face, but our masks never fool God. He knows what is in our hearts, and He wants us to confess those fears to Him.

Once you have confessed your fears out, begin praying faith in. Turn to the Word of God and incorporate His promises into your prayers. Draw strength from God’s promises as Abraham did: “Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised” Romans 4:20,21.

Pray for God’s power in your life. Part of the reason for Jesus’ time here on earth was to demonstrate His power. He showed us that God’s Messiah has power to redeem us from our sins, to heal diseases, and to still whatever storms we face in life. God wants to show us that power today. He waits until we run out of human solutions before manifesting His power to His children. When we try to draw on our own strength, peace and sufficiency instead of God’s, we end up in the stormy waters. Only the power of God which sustains the universe can sustain us in every circumstance we face.

Are you trying to escape your fear, or conquer it through human methods? Or do you seek the power of God, the only One who gives victory over anxiety? Spend time in prayer today, sending fear out and faith in, and drawing upon the power of God.

"The Lord is my Light and my Salvation--whom shall I fear or dread? The Lord is the Refuge and Stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1

Have a great week and remember that if anybody has prayer needs, or anything that I can do for you, please let me know. I am here for all of you.

Lord Bless You Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeal Good

Chaplain Mike
Racers For Christ
Mgodracer@aol.com