Job 8:6 If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous. Today many believers are confronted with the health, wealth and prosperity teaching that often dominates religious TV. This false teaching is not new. Job, in the midst of his heartache, faced it repeatedly. Bildad was seeking to "comfort" Job. He reasoned that God would always prosper the path of the righteous. This is not true. Sometimes the most God-like lives suffer the most severely. Examples: Paul suffering while He served God (2 Corinthians 11:16-29), Old Testament believers who stood for God against sin (Hebrews 11:36-38). Jesus Himself as He experienced the cross (Matthew 27). Today if you are suffering while doing what is right and following God’s will, know you are in good company. Don't allow the devil, others or yourself to throw you in the midst of despair because the bottom has fallen out on the path in which God has led you.. Trust and stay the right course. Leave the consequences of your obedience in His hands. He will guide you by His word, sustain you by his grace and keep you in His love.

II Chronicles 32:7-8 "Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him: With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah." Under the pressure of invasion and the prospect of defeat the King quoting the prophet Elisha (II Kings 6:16) challenges his people to adjust their thinking. To move it away from what they see and how they feel to what they know about God. In the midst of great pressure our feelings can take charge and our spiritual reasoning can take a back seat. We can not turn off how we feel but we can make a choice to surrender how we feel to what we know. Today, when the challenges of life mount and we are tempted to go with how we feel - let's stop and think. Think on the promises, power and presence of God. Allow these truths to ultimately govern your choices and response. We can not turn off how we feel but we can make a choice to surrender how we feel to what we know. Pastor Tony Note: I want to thank everyone who prayed for Karen and me as we were away the past two weeks. It is great to be back and looking forward to the summer ministries that start this Sunday with the beginning of our 8:15 summer service.

11 Chronicles 1:10 Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? Solomon faced a daunting task, leading the nation of Israel. What was his first request? wisdom and knowledge Wisdom is knowing what to do. Knowledge is knowing how to do it. , The will of God for our lives today is no less challenging or important. We are called to make countless choices every day that collectively make up our life. Let us spend time today asking God for the wisdom and knowledge we need. Let us ask in faith knowing that our heavenly Father wants to give us what we need. Pastor Tony Note: The church office will be sending out previous pastors E-note over the next two weeks while Karen and I are on vacation. We are scheduled to be back May 15 – D.V.