SCRIPTURE

Romans 5:1-5 (NKJV)

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;

4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.

5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Prayers and Studies -> @rccfaith

DEVOTIONAL WRITING
by Jeffrey Peterson

God's Plan and Our Choices: Walking in Faith

Scripture: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV)

Have you ever wondered how God's plan for our lives fits with the choices we make every day? It's a question that many struggle with as they try to live out their faith. Let's take a moment to explore this together.

Someone recently asked me, "How can we have free will if the future is written in the Book of Revelation? Doesn't that mean everything is predetermined?" And it’s not the first time I’ve heard this question. When I was younger, I used to ask it myself, sometimes.

As we grow in our faith and study God's Word, we learn that God's sovereign plan works in harmony with our ability to make choices. This journey begins with accepting Christ as our Savior. Through His death and resurrection, we're given the ultimate choice - to accept His gift of salvation. This foundational decision shapes all our subsequent choices as we grow in faith.

While the Book of Revelation and other prophecies in Scripture reveal God's ultimate design for creation, His providence doesn't negate our duty to choose righteousness and follow Christ's teachings in our daily lives.

Think about your favorite book or movie. The author knows how the story ends, but that doesn't mean the characters aren't making real choices along the way.

Scripture reveals that God, in His infinite wisdom, knows our lives from beginning to end, yet in His sovereignty, He grants us the ability to make real choices. This balance between God's divine providence and our moral responsibility may seem paradoxical to our finite minds, but we must humbly acknowledge that God's ways far exceed our understanding, as Isaiah 55 reminds us:

"'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,' says the Lord. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.'" - Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV)

We can trust that God, in His perfect wisdom, harmonizes His providence with our moral choices in ways beyond our comprehension. Our role is to trust in His sovereign plan while diligently seeking to follow Christ, to heed the Holy Spirit, and to obey God's Word in our daily walk.

This idea of God's providence working alongside our ability to make choices is a key part of our faith. It's a deep mystery that reveals just how amazing God's wisdom and sovereignty are, and how special our relationship with Him can be when we fully embrace our faith.

I encourage you to think carefully about this truth and let it sink deep into your heart. As you consider it, think about how it affects your view of God's sovereignty over everything and your own ability to make choices that can have consequential effects on your life. You may arrive at a further understanding, as I did, of how we are truly in a parent-child relationship with our Father in Heaven.

Understanding this better can strengthen your faith, helping you see God's plan and your place in it more clearly.

So what does this mean for us today? We can fully trust God's plan while taking responsibility for our own actions. As believers, we're empowered by the Holy Spirit living within us. This brings assurance, even in difficult times. And when we falter, God's grace is there to cover our mistakes and redirect our path.

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your perfect plan for our lives and for the ability to make choices that You've given us.

We're grateful for Jesus' sacrifice that offers us the choice of salvation.

Grant us wisdom as we navigate daily decisions, big and small.

Help us trust in Your sovereignty, even when we don't understand Your ways.

Give us courage to choose righteousness and to actively participate in Your unfolding plan.

May our choices reflect our faith and bring glory to Your name.

Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Prayers and Studies -> @rccfaith

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your abundant blessings and grace. Grant us discernment to distinguish good from evil in these difficult times.

Lord, we pray that You strengthen us for the week ahead, and guide our steps in the path of righteousness according to Your word.

We pray for Your intervention against unjust oppression and seek Your divine wisdom to empower us. Guide us to reach and uphold transformative agreements that align with Your will, bringing needed change to our nation and our world. Through these agreements and our electoral process, may we reshape our nation's future to better reflect Your word and embody the vision of liberty cherished by America's founding fathers.

May the good we seek extend to results that will allow our nation to once again promote true good and justice, instead of never-ending wars, throughout the world. May Your light shine through us as we seek to do Your will, both in our nation and wherever change is needed.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:9-11 (NKJV)

Prayers and Studies -> @rccfaith

PRAYER
Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, as Your Word teaches in Philippians 4:6, we bring everything to You in prayer with grateful hearts. We pray that You hear our humble requests on this blessed day:

We pray for our nation, Lord. Guide our leaders and those preparing for leadership to make decisions that honor You, protect our freedoms, and so that they serve with integrity to restore our nation to greatness. As we share Your Word, shield us from censorship.

Protect our families, Lord. Guard our children from worldly influences and all forms of evil, and strengthen our homes to exemplify Your love.

We pray for those struggling with illness, hardship, or spiritual battles. We pray that You provide for their needs according to Your riches in glory.

Finally, Father, we pray that You pour out Your Spirit for our revival. Grant us strength for the week ahead, that we may stand firm in faith and be living testimonies of Your grace.

In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen.

Prayers and Studies -> @rccfaith

DEVOTIONAL WRITING
by Jeffrey Peterson

Trust in the infinite wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

You might say, "No one understands me." Yet be assured that the Holy Spirit comprehends you fully, down to every intricate thought and feeling within you.

Whenever you need guidance to align with God's teachings, pray to Him. The Holy Spirit will respond, strengthening and directing you.

Indeed, it is miraculous, and we can be certain of this because Jesus Himself promised us:

'And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.'
John 14:16-17 (NKJV)

Never doubt if the Holy Spirit truly understands you. The Holy Spirit possesses unlimited wisdom and divine intelligence.

There is nothing about you that the Holy Spirit fails to understand. If we have sinned or made mistakes, and the circumstances are complex, we need not fear that the Holy Spirit will miss the truth within our hearts.

No matter how intricate our situation, the Lord knows us completely. What seems complicated to us is but a fleeting moment in light of the Spirit's infinite wisdom and perfect comprehension of our true selves.

Moreover, the Holy Spirit is infinitely patient with us. Patience is listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, reflecting God's own character. This divine patience comforts believers who may feel they are struggling in their faith and serves as a powerful testimony to non-believers, revealing God's loving nature.

This divine patience mirrors the sacrificial love of Jesus Christ, who endured the cross for our salvation. Just as Christ's patience led to our redemption, the Holy Spirit's patience guides us through sanctification. Together, they reveal God's unwavering commitment to our salvation and spiritual growth.

To be clear: this assurance of the Holy Spirit's perfect understanding does not diminish our need to fear the Lord. As Scripture teaches, 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom' (Proverbs 9:10). Rather, it means we need not fear being misunderstood by God.

And God’s perfect understanding of us is for us to consider with eternal importance. So let us continually turn to God in repentance, for as 1 John 1:9 assures us, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Remember that we are engaged in spiritual warfare. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:12, 'For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.' In this battle, the Holy Spirit is our greatest ally.

These truths should inspire us to prioritize our relationship with God above all else. Worldly opinions are fleeting, but God's understanding is perfect and eternal. As 1 Samuel 16:7 reminds us, 'The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'

So let us nurture a deep, honest relationship with our Creator, bringing our whole selves before Him.

And as we walk this path, let us never forget the foundation of our faith: the saving grace of Jesus Christ. As Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:8-9, 'For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.'

This salvation enables us to approach the Throne of grace with confidence, knowing that in Christ, we are fully known and fully loved.

Indeed, we are blessed to be God's children, saved through Jesus, and to have received the Holy Spirit. Let us live each day in gratitude, sharing the good news of salvation while allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us.

All praise and glory to God!

Prayers and Studies -> @rccfaith

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, our path is often uncertain. We feel lost in this fallen world, yet we know You are the light that guides us home.

We have tried to find our own way, relying on our limited understanding. Our self-reliance has at times led to dead ends and despair. Now, humbled, we come to You for direction.

Lord, we lay down our earthly ways and entrust our futures to You. We pray for the wisdom and strength to know the right things to do and so that we will be able to accomplish them, in the week ahead.

Your power and love have sustained us, even when we've strayed or made mistakes. Your promise is our hope, knowing You won't forsake us.

Guide us, O Lord, through the power of Your Holy Spirit, now because we need You more than ever, and always, until we find our way to Your eternal kingdom, where we will dwell with You forever.

In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Prayers and Studies -> @rccfaith

On today’s date, 06/09, join with me as I pray how we were taught by Jesus in Matthew 6:9.

PRAYER

Our Father in heaven,

10 Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

1. And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Matthew 6:9-13 (NKJV)

Good afternoon friends!

As you probably know, this channel was started a month ago this weekend, by Jeffrey Peterson, a internet entrepreneur, to share in fellowship with fellow Christians.

Among the things Jeff wants to discuss with the audience on this channel are a series of events he experienced about twenty-five years ago, which opened his eyes and strengthened his faith in what he believes may have been a true miracle that he experienced at that time, here on earth.

Tomorrow, we will open the chat on this channel, so that it will be open for your commentary, questions and feedback, as we begin to discuss this amazing real life story, in the month of June.

There are no expectations from anyone here, other than to have an open and honest discussion about what happened all those years ago.

When it has been fully explained, we will appreciate anyone’s feedback, who is willing to consider the facts, and offer your thoughts about the meaning of this amazing story.

The admins on this channel are Paulina, Josh and Df Dakota.

@rccfaith

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, as summer begins around us, we gather on this Sunday thankful for You, while concerned with the state of our earthly world.

Our earthly world remains broken by sin. Wars rage, corruption seems like it is almost everywhere, and evil seems to prosper. So we cry out to You, the Righteous Judge, to intervene.

We pray for an end to all conflicts and bloodshed across the globe. Silence the rattle of weapons, and let Your peace take its place. Let us bring an end to corruption in the halls of power and bring the unrighteous to account. Expose evil to the light.

We pray that You uplift the righteous - those who live with integrity, speak truth, and govern with justice. Use us, Your people, to be agents of renewal, reconciliation and redemption in this fallen world. May our lives point others to the way of righteousness found in Your Son.

All this we pray in the precious name of our Savior and King, Jesus Christ. Amen.

@rccfaith | by Jeffrey Peterson

6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.

Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV