What is the TRUE Spirit of Christmas

Just what is the Christmas spirit? And I suppose there are a lot of potential answers to that question. To Scrooge, in the Christmas Carol, the Christmas spirit was a ghost. On one website, it comes in a bottle as Vodka as their Christmas spirit. Some people feel that the Christmas spirit is somehow the truce that takes place in the family where nobody brings up issues, or quarrels. One site spoke about the Spirit of Christmas being Generosity. I suppose for some others, the Christmas spirit is expressed in a card that conveys a sentiment of well-being. In the West, a huge number of people will be involved in sending five billion plus Christmas cards expressing these sentiments.

For some people the Christmas spirit is an attitude of happiness found with the fellowship of friends or family, or in a party spirit while consuming 10 to 12 million hams and fried chicken. For others in the world, the Christmas spirit is not so trivial, or so frivolous or so much fun. For many the Christmas spirit is one of profound sadness, increased depression because all that is wrong in their life is then measured against the hilarity of the time and seems even more profoundly painful.

Last week, while speaking to one of our regular worshippers here at ICCS, she told me that well over 90 people kill themselves during this time of year: each day! Not exactly a warm feeling, is it?

But what is the True Spirit of Christmas? Is it in a card, in a song, in a bottle, or a poem or is it in a Person?

Some have said that the Spirit of Christmas is in the person of Santa Claus. That his giving of toys and gifts and with his generous attitude, he’d be the one people turn to for that good feeling. But then, he was invented after WW1. Was there a Christmas Spirit before that?

Well, it is no surprise to anyone here today that the Spirit of Christmas is indeed in a Person: The Person of the Son of God.

(As for the Day of Christmas and the celebration we have today: in the Western world, the birthday of Jesus Christ has been celebrated on December 25th since around AD 354, replacing an earlier date of January 6th. The Christians had, by then, collected many pagan festivals and traditions during the year and were in the hope of stamping them out.)

Let’s look at Luke 1:26–38 again and hear of that special encounter a teenager named Mary had with an Angel named Gabriel!

The true spirit of Christmas is not the spirit of family bonding or even the spirit of rejoicing. All of those things are well and good, but Jesus teaches us that the true spirit of Christmas is a spirit of humility.

Humility is not something you may have and tell people about. It is not like you would show the badge of Humility you received from the Queen of England. No, it is something as valuable as that but much more important. Humility. It’s hard to be humble. It is a great burden to live among others who think that you have arrived. Margaret Guenther, Holy Listening: The Art of Spiritual Direction.

Humility is facing the truth. It is useful to remind ourselves that the word itself comes from the word humus, or earth, dirt. In the end this simply means that I allow myself to be earthed in the Truth that lets God be God, and myself, as His creature. If I hold on to this it allows me to put God there at the center and helps prevent me from putting myself there instead. (Taken, in part, from Esther de Waal, Living with Contradiction: Reflections on The Rule of St. Benedict).

In our passage today, we can see the attitude of one young girl, who was being, in one way, forced to be even a younger person. She was at the edge of adulthood. She was forced to be as a little child. To believe what the angel Gabriel told her. 

Mark 10:15 5 "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 

Mary was exercising her God-given-gift to belief.

She was humbled before the Lord and the Lord blessed her greatly. She became the Earthly mother of the Son of God. Her character did not change much from that time. She behaved as a young mother would; caring for her first child, watching out for Him as she came to understand much more as the years went on that this Boy was indeed the Promised One of the Lord, the Promised Messiah. [Mary’s Song]

And it is in this Promised One we can see what Humility really is. Turn with me to the Christmas passage found in Philippians 2:1:11. Here’s the Christmas Story—after the fact.  

Are you like me in that when all else fails finally read the manual? That's what Paul is now up to, showing the Philippians and us "the manual."

Philippians 2:1:11 The Message: 1-4 If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if His love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

 5-8 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of Himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of Himself that He had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, He set aside the privileges of Deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, He stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, He lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a Crucifixion.

 9-11 Because of that obedience, God lifted Him high and honored Him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that He is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.

Humility is usually confused with false modesty ("I'm no good") or with "milquetoast," a timid or submissive person. (a dated word) That kind of image only repulses us. Rather it has to do with a proper estimation of oneself, the posture of the creature before the Creator, who is utterly dependent and trusting in Him. In this position, you become well aware both of your weaknesses and of your glory (we are made in God's image, as His Image Bearer, after all). It is better not too make too much nor too little of either. True humility is therefore not self-focused at all but rather, as further defined by Paul, “considers others better than yourselves.” If you were lost in the wilderness and you had a compass that always pointed to you, would you feel good about that?

As with humility, this last phrase does not mean that one should falsely consider others better. As Philippians 2:4 will clarify "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others”, we are to consider others not in our estimation of them--which would only lead to the very vices Paul has just spoken against--but in our caring for them, putting them and their needs ahead of our own. Others in the community are not necessarily "better" than I am, but their needs and concerns should "surpass" my own. After all, this is precisely how Christ's humility expressed Himself, as Paul describes in verse 8. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death— even death on a Cross! This is how Paul and even John describe those whose behavior is genuinely Christian or not. If they do not seek their own good, but the good of others (1 Cor 10:24 24. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.) than there is a connect with the Gospel.

Here is the sure cure for selfish ambition or vain conceit, not to mention "complaining or arguing" (Phil 2:14. 14. Do everything without complaining or arguing).

The line, be like Jesus or what would Jesus do? are the focal theme of what Jesus did when He came to earth. He came to serve us. He came to give us. He came to die for us. He came to be an example of how we are to come, give and serve others, in His Name.

Jesus, who is the Son of God, equal with God, became flesh—the incarnation—born of a woman, in Bethlehem. He was obedient to His Father—even to death and that on a Cross…for us! His birth was the predicted event that shows us how we are to also live. Obedient to the Father. When Jesus humbled Himself before the Father, God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the Name that is above every Name. Under This Name, all of us in this room and all of the people in Tokyo and in Japan and in Asia and around the world can bow our knees before Him and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God in the Highest!

Everyone is in the same place. We all start out there. We have the choice to move. Move and live or stay and die. He did not make it hard for us to believe. Just become a little child and trust in the Message.  

Trust in the Message and believe. We all are broken people. In fact, the Church is not made up of a bunch of spiritual giants; the True Church is only broken men leading others to the Cross. In part, from: David J. Bosch, A Spirituality of the Road. 

Are you that way? Are you a broken person? Are there things that need fixing? One said that God would only use a broken person to do His will. Hard to see that and hard to hear that but, over time, we can understand that!  

The True Spirit of Christmas was found in the Person of Jesus, the Christ Child. Go to Him afresh. Go to Him with your old stories. Go to Him with your heart. With your pain. With your questions and He will touch you with His Spirit and refresh and remake you. That is His Promise to Mary and to you. Verse 37 “For nothing is impossible with God."

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Next week: The Christmas List.

What to do this season? What to do to end the year? Keep Christ in the season with the reason of His Love being the focus. Share with others this great story of God’s love with those you know and with those you love. If you don’t, who will?

This is a little story about four people named Everybody,

 Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.

There was an important job to be done 

and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job.

Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, 

but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody 

when Nobody did what Anybody could have done

To Derbe and Beyond! 2.11 Acts 14:21-28

“To Infinity and Beyond!” was the famous line from the “Toy Story” movie. While that line was entertaining, the real toys could not really go anywhere. They were limited to the power in their batteries and yet, they started to do incredible acts of heroism. Saving other toys from destruction, from being locked up in a Toy collection forever or from being blown up or pulled apart by a neighborhood boy-bully.

Within this passage, To Derbe and Beyond! , we will be looking at what a church planter can look forward to as they move the Gospel around their area. What are they to teach? They too were limited to the power of their battery. Yet, they will be doing incredible acts of evangelism because of the indwelling Power of God's Spirit. Let's stand up to give Honor to the reading of the Word of God.

(Please Read Acts 14:21-28)

A while ago, I made mention that: "A religious faith is always one generation from extinction." How do we pass on the Gospel within our own families? How can we guard our Faith from extinction? Does it matter what that Faith is based on? Whether in a busy European city or on a calm South Pacific Ocean atoll, we must be on our guard to falsehood and cultish teaching. How do you know the difference? As we mentioned before from

1 Peter 5:8

“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

First, we must really know what we believe. Last week, we recited the Apostle's Creed before we took the Bread and Juice of Communion. I asked: “Believer, what do you believe?”

A while ago, a struggling believer once said…
“Though I am an old Doctor of Divinity, to this day I have not got beyond the children's learning-the Ten Commandments, the (Creed), and the Lord's Prayer; and these I understand not so well as I should, though I study them daily, praying with my son John and my daughter Magdalen.” -Martin Luther wrote that in his Table-Talk. This speaks of family time sharing and praying with and for the family!

Let's start there: The Creed was used to teach and remind believers to ready them for Baptism and for life.

1. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: Basic statement of who is our God. The God of Genesis with the creation of all that we know to be around us and a lot that is around us we haven't got a clue about! We are defining our central control and central Being of our Faith. I believe in God, the Lord and Creator of all that is.
He is ALMIGHTY!

2. And in Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, our Lord: I also believe in His Son, known in history as Jesus of Nazareth. This One is the only begotten of the Father. No one uses that term any more so a definition is needed. From an old English word- Beget. But what I feel shows us a better meaning is that Jesus is and has been Eternally one with the Father yet was born as a human in Bethlehem. This Son was the Son of the God of Creation we first encounter in the beginning of this creed. He is the One Dr. Luke wrote about in his Gospel and in the book of Acts-so that we might believe in Him. Read Luke 1:3-4.

He had no beginning-He always was and IS and Forever more will be. He co-exist with the Father-part of the Triune God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

3. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary: This is how Jesus came to become human. He was fully human and still Divinely One with the Father. The FACT that Mary was a virgin is a very hotly contested issue and one that needs to be understood fully. IF this one area falls from a person's belief system, it undercuts the Truth of Jesus' Miracle birth. The communist government of a nation to our west is printing Bibles with at least this one fact missing from it's pages. It is to undercut this miracle birth of Jesus so that in years to come few would know of the Truth. They print that she was only a young woman or girl. It is important to KNOW that the OT predicted that a young VIRGIN would give birth to the Promised One. Jesus' deity somewhat rests on this!

4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried: The suffering of the Savior was one of the misunderstandings during the years right around Jesus' life and ministry and a few years beyond. They were looking for a military leader who would crush Roman rule and restore the Throne of David in Israel. By using the Roman name of Pilate, it gives the sense of when this happened. A part of real history. It also shows us HOW Jesus was to die, also something that was foretold many years before. That He indeed died-not fell asleep-or change into another body of one who looked like Jesus, or disappeared, but really died. Over 5,000 saw Him alive after the resurrection. This would tell those who follow this testimony how and when Jesus was killed.

He descended into hell: Well, to tell the truth, this was added later to this creed and many of the early copies of the creed did not include this. It became entwined with a difficult teaching of where did Jesus 'really' go during those three days. Some later teaching was that He went to speak with the dead Father's of the Hebrew Tribe and released them from whatever held them back from entering Heaven. Some taught that Jesus went into a limbo state where souls could still make the choice to follow or not follow Jesus. This would allow for a 'second chance' theory that Scripture just does not support. We have placed that line in light print only to recognize that it was in some of the creeds but not the one we hold to or repeat.

5. The third day he rose again from the dead: This was one of the main central teachings of Paul and the early teachers of the Faith. Unless He really did not raise from the dead then our faith and all we hold dear to our salvation is foolishness. He rose from the dead to prove that He did indeed have the Power He said He had over Death and Sin. The early Believes' cry:

He is Risen! He is Risen, indeed!

-would be the central teaching that would keep Christianity different from any world faith/religion. Our God is Alive!

6. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty: The bodily ascension or raising of Jesus physically was also predicted by the Prophets as to a proof of Who He really was. He would also return that same way as the angles said He would in Acts 1. He was not a spirit but the real Body of Jesus.

7. From thence (from there) He shall come to judge the quick (living) and the dead: The Promise of His return floods the NT. He will return to earth to call His Church to Himself and to bring final judgment on the world. He will return from Heaven to the earth to set up His Forever Kingdom. The judgment of God will happen at the end of time!

8. I believe in the Holy Ghost: The Third Person of the God Head. We do not believe in three Gods, nor do we believe that one is separate from the other. The God Head is Three in One. While the word Trinity does not explicitly appear in the New Testament, its basis however is established by the New Testament: The coming of Jesus Christ and the presumed presence and power of God among them had implications for the early Christians.

"The Holy Spirit, who's coming was connected with the celebration of the Pentecost. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were associated in such New Testament passages as the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19); and in the apostolic benediction: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14)."-

Taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

9. I believe in the holy catholic church: Meaning the Church universal and not the one Roman Catholic church based in Rome. Belief of the Body of Christ around the world is tied to yourself in purpose and message to reach the world with the Message of the Gospel of Jesus' Salvation.

the communion of saints: We are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses as we find in Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

10. The forgiveness of sins: This is what Jesus accomplished on the Cross; He died for our sins and paid the only price that would cover our disobedience of God's Laws and commands. His Blood cleanses us from all sin.

11. The resurrection of the body: The goal of our walk, to be raised into life from our death and to be forever with the Lord.

12. And the life everlasting. The final resting place of all who believe. Life that will be everlasting in the presence of our God and Father, His Son and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen. The end or I agree.
__________
Here we have Paul returning to the very places he had faced some very hard times. People who wanted him dead, yet he returned to: 22

strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith.

The teaching was strongly based on staying with the Gospel-even in tough times.

"We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said.

During these visits of undetermined time, he goal was to set up a church government that would work on it's own, as it were, to bring the teaching in line with what the Council back at the Mother Church in Antioch had taught.

Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for each church and supported them and in truth gave birth to them with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
To me, this is very telling of the need to belong to a local Body of believers. We are to function as one in conduct and belief and in the society we live in. We are answerable to one another with certain guidelines that are there to build us up in the faith. These whom Paul and Barnabas were setting up in the office of elder were therefore responsible for the well being of the local church and accountable to the Mother Church in Antioch.

Along with their setting up the church, the preaching of the Gospel was still their bread and butter, as it were. The mainstay of the message was the Gospel. And when it was shared, spoken, preached, there were results: 21

They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples.

And in verse 25

and when they had preached the word in Perga,

Making their way back home, they returned to the place were it all started. The place where they were set apart to the ministry of the Gospel by the laying on of hands after a time/period of prayer and fasting. To where they had been committed to the Grace of God for the work they had now completed.

All this was the Work of God's Spirit! The Spirit of God used willing men to bring His Great Message of Salvation to the Gentile world and even some Jews believed along the way.
Now, they gathered the local church together and had a mission's conference. They reported what had happened. They told stories of how the Spirit of God had moved them from city to city. They showed their scars and told of the beatings. All this without a Power Point! Their power point was the Working of God in the loves of those who heard and believed because they went in obedience to the call. They spoke of how the Power of God had opened the door of Faith to the Gentiles.

If we are to reach the 170,000+ people in Tokorozawa for Christ, we need to go. We need to reach out into their lives. Take some risks and talk of the Power of God. Take the Power for Living booklets and the Gideon Bibles to those who are called to believe. Do you know who they are? No, and neither did Paul and Barnabas. They just went with the Power of God on them and they spoke of a changed life and they gave witness of that changed life by their lifestyle.
Just like what we are to do here in our city. To ready them to hear the Good news, we need to be sure we have prayer support for such an adventure. After they prayed and fasted, they sent out the group to evangelize the area for Christ. Are you going to be part of the problem or part of the solution? With Christ on our side, we can make a huge difference in this city of Tokorozawa. We can join with other pastors and their communities and work hand in hand with them to be a front line of Christ's Men and Women who are walking in obedience with God's call to love those who need to know.

And it will take time. Stay around, if you can. Verse 28 said that too! 28

And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

Next Sunday is our THIRD Sunday of the month. This means we will be having a great time after the service with our monthly Covered Dish Love Feast. Pleace bring some food to share and enjoy a meal with your friends at ICCS. Right after the service.

New Year's Service: God's Promises

INTRO: NEW YEAR's resolutions...

What sort of resolutions or promises stick? What sort of things has the Lord asked of you to promise? Do they last? How many promises have you broken? How many promises has He broken?

Maybe He has a better record in keeping promises than we do.

When I look at the things in His Word regarding His Promises, I need to rehearse what it really means to my heart. If I am looking for good things all the time then I will miss out on some important pain. When we consider the pain of the Cross…we come up lacking.

I have known some physical pain. Kidney stones have attacked my body over eight times. I, of course, have never experienced Birth Pain, but I do have sympathy pains when I see women close to her due date!

I have experienced death in my family. Very hard to work with that: in the words of Martin Luther “We must view 'our' sufferings as part of Christ' 'own' sufferings and that Christ will also provide the strength to endure.” But when I see how Jesus dealt with pain and loss, I feel much better.

When He heard of the death of His good friend Lazarus, what was His response?

John 11:17~44
What did Jesus do with this situation? It wasn't a resolution but He did remind Lasarus' sisters of a great promise.

John 11: 25 and 26.
“Do you believe this?"

Do you believe this? We can cry over the deaths of our loved ones. We can miss them. We can also remember that Jesus had promised a great promise in that story. If you believe, you will live.

This is not based on your power of suggestion. It is not based on your family ties to the church. It does not matter how much you give to the work of God. It all depends on where your faith is based. Is it found in Jesus?

Have you ever had the Call of God on your life? Has He called you from the grave cloths and set you free?

If you were to die today, what evidence of a changed life would you show Him-(who'd know your life anyway!) What could you tell Him that would allow you passage into Heaven? If your life is based on Him and on His Death and His Resurrection, than you will be allowed in. If you have not put your trust in His Name, you are not allowed in.

It does not matter if you are well spoken or well read. Whether you have a good job or if you are homeless. If you had a hard life and now need some rest. It only matters IF your name is written on the Lamb's Book of Life!

We first read about such a book in Philippians 4:3. Very much connected to being in the work of the Gospel.

Revelation 20:11-15
Have faith in God.

Believe on the Name of Jesus and you will be saved. Another one of His Promised comes in the area of hanging in there. We are talking about Perseverance!

Perseverance is the steady and continued action or belief, usually over a long period of time and especially despite difficulties or setbacks along the way. A Biblical view is based on God's Grace and Mercy. It is all about His Work in us over a long steady period of time.

James 1:2-6
Again, there is a long walk of obedience over time, in some cases, plodding along, but ever moving toward the mark-toward the calling of God on your life. These must be a finishing of its work in our lives that will give Glory to His Name. Mature and complete. Over time/not over night. And then there is the one who deals with life during trials…

Look at James 1:12
Can you get your heart around this one? The promise is given to the faithful ones who stood the test over time. It is important NOT to give in-not to give up. Hang in there! Persevere to the end. He will hold you up. He will not let you down. And when you have hard times, remember Hebrews 12:7-
Endure hardship as discipline…

Ephesians 4:22
Who can trust the heart? The Evil one has been hard at work to bring us down. He has plans for our downfall. He knows our hearts as being the place where he once lived and had his being. His ways are in conflict with the Things of God yet they seem so close sometimes. “For my best interest.” “It is better this way…” “God wants me to be happy…” “I know that the Bible teaching this way but I know what is best for me…”

That is the way we USED to walk but not now. We are Children of the Light, so we need to walk as we are in the Light. Not as we used to do-for our own interest but rather for the interest and for the Glory of God. There is always a way of escape.

1 Corinthians 10:13
Not that He will take away the hard times, but He will be there with you. In your pain. In your fear. In your seemingly aloneness. You are His Son/His Daughter. He loves you with an everlasting Love. He is your resting place. Your Rock. Your fortress. Your Comforter or your Paraclete.

John 14: 26.
The Holy Spirit will teach us. This is His Promise. Paraclete means "one who consoles - a comforter" or "one who intercedes on our behalf - an advocate". Here in John, Paraclete may be translated in English as "Counselor", "Helper", or "Comforter".

John 14:16
Jesus says "another paraclete" will come to help His disciples, implying Jesus is the first Paraclete, the 1st real Helper.

Jesus was there to reassure Peter after Peter denied the Lord three times. He assures Peter that he will be brought back and help lead others to Jesus-so be strong.

He is not done with you. He will be there for us. He is our Helper in times of trails and pain.

His Promise is for Joy as well.
Hebrews 12:2
He found it to be JOY to be on the Cross? Was He feeling joy as in “happiness” there? No, it was joy in that He was doing JUST what the Father wanted Him to do. To be just where He wanted His Son to be. To be at the Work of the Father. It pleased the Father.

Does our life please Him? Are we were we need to be? If not, how do we get there? We can KNOW that He is ready to bring His Spirit into our lives as that is His Will for those who trust Him. Do we trust Him? Really trust Him?

His Promises never fail. Lamentations 3:33.
And: GOD DOES NOT MAKE PROMISES HE CANNOT KEEP. We can look at an OT account of Balaam and Balak, who wanted Balaam to curse Israel. He could not. Three times he tried so as to get a lot of material wealth. God sets the table straight. He says in Numbers 23:19 His Word stand! We are thankful for that. His Word never changes. His promised will hold the test of time.

He promises answered prayer.
Luke 11:9
Attitudes toward with your neighbor, spending time with Jesus and in prayer with the Father all matter when it comes to your prayer life. If you lack in either one, your prayers are affected.

We live in a community. Because of that, there is no room for falsehoods and lies. We know that but at times such things find their way into our fellowships and that brings trouble. He promises to stay with you.

John 15:7
The key is IF YOU REMAIN IN HIM. It takes work. It takes time, sweat and yet it does work! This does not happen over night! MY WORDS REMAIN IN YOU…This is the evidence of the Changed Life.

The main point of the image is the intimate union of believers with Jesus. The disciple's very life depends on this union. As branches, believers either bear fruit and are pruned to bear more fruit or do not bear fruit and are thrown away and burned. Make this the year of fruit bearing. Get involved with Alpha, Grow Zone, Bible study, Parenting classes, etc.

Romans 4:13.
RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT COMES BY FAITH: My responsibility in God's Promises is to look to them in Faith believing. Believing God for Salvation of family members, concerns, future, plans. GOD CAN BE TRUSTED!