Chatsworth Baptist Church

'Our Faith Prompts Action'

GOD IS CRAZY ABOUT YOU

By Michael Appanah July 29, 2013 Teachings No Comments

chocolate cake Sometimes we wonder,
‘What did I do to deserve this?’ or
‘Why did God have to do this to me?’
Here is a wonderful explanation!
A daughter is telling her Mother how everything
is going wrong, she’s failing algebra, her boyfriend
broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.
Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and
asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, ‘Absolutely Mom, I love your cake.’
‘Here, have some cooking oil,’ her Mother offers.
‘Yuck’ says her daughter.
‘How about a couple raw eggs?’ ‘Gross, Mom!’
‘Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?’
‘Mom, those are all yucky!’
To which the mother replies:
‘Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves.
But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake!

God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all
make something wonderful!

God is crazy about you. He sends you flowers every spring and
a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He’ll listen.
He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are
here we might as well dance!

“USE WHAT YOU HAVE”

By Michael Appanah July 26, 2013 Teachings No Comments

(Matthew 14:16-20 NKJV)

But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” {17} And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” {18} He said, “Bring them here to Me.” {19} Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. {20} So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.

Jesus shows us how it’s done, by simply using what they had to work with. He knew that five loaves and two fish couldn’t possibly feed all five thousand-plus people. There had to be a miracle take place. But, the miracle did not happen until He took what they had, blessed it, broke it and gave it.There are many people today that cannot feed their family. They can’t pay their bills. They can’t get clothes for their children. There are ministries that can’t do all that they feel led to do for the lack of finances.

The question is, are we letting God bless what we have to work with? Are we then doing what He wants us to do with it? Are we breaking it up accordingly and giving it the way He wants us to give it?

What do we want today?

Are we looking for a miracle?

We need to work with what we have. Don’t wait till we “have enough”, to do what God is asking us to do.

God will multiply as we obey Him, as we trust Him, and follow Him. Amen

GODLY INTENTION

By Michael Appanah July 19, 2013 Prayer No Comments

James 4:3 (NKJV)

“You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”

We all ask God for something.We have wants, needs and desires that we bring before Him. Sometimes we get exactly what we asked for. Other times we get something close to what we asked for. And yet, other times we don’t get anything. In fact, sometimes we wonder if God is even hearing us at all.Sometimes there is no clear-cut explanation for this. We wonder why we’re not getting what we asked for. We wait. We pray some more. But still no answer.

Many times when we ask God for something, we ask with a motive. Human nature can be very slick, and sometimes we ask for something under the guise of “using it for the kingdom of God”. But in reality, we have selfish motives.

We should be thankful that God sees our motives for what they are! Despite the fact that we get our feelings hurt when we don’t get what we want, it’s usually a good thing when God sees fit not to answer our selfish requests. It’s for our own good.

If we all take a look back on our lives, it would be pretty safe to say that every single one of us can recall times when we got something we wanted, only to find out later on that it ultimately hurt us instead of helping us.

So if we’re not getting what we’re asking God for, let’s be honest and ask Him to show us if maybe we’re asking amiss. The truth can hurt sometimes, but it’s the truth that sets us free.

REMAIN FAITHFUL

By Michael Appanah July 18, 2013 Uncategorized No Comments

Hebrews 10:38 (NKJV)

“Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”

The just shall live by faith. We probably hear this all the time, but what does it mean?

This isn’t necessarily a call to “super Christendom”. It’s a call from our Creator to look to Him for everything we need in this life and the life beyond.It’s a word from our Father, telling us to push forward, even when our minds can’t comprehend how.

It’s a loving Father taking us by the hand and picking us up when we fall down, brushing the dirt off us and nudging us to get up and try again.

And it’s a look from a firm Daddy, letting us know that anything less than faith displeases Him.

God never expects perfection from us. He just wants us to trust Him with everything in us and let Him lead us, every single step of the way. Perfection will one day come.

It’s not always easy to do, but reach out, take His hand and let Him show you the next step to take.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL 2013 (DAY 2)

By Michael Appanah June 25, 2013 Sunday School No Comments

Psalms 97: 6;9 “The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory. For thou , Lord art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.”