Giving to Those in Need

A cup of coffee; a slice of pizza; a bag of chips; a loaf of bread, a pound of bananas; a box of pancake mix; a dozen eggs!

What do all these things have in common? They cost less than $10

We take for granted how much food we eat in a day, while orphans are lucky if they get a bowl of oatmeal or a piece of bread.

Jesus says,

“And the King will answer them, ‘I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
Matthew 25:40 HCSB

I created a website to help them reach more people. There is also a GoFundMe page.

My friend, Pastor Meshack Ariga has devoted his life to helping orphans in Kisii, Kenya, and he needs our help! They need food and shelter. Please pray and ask God to show you how you can help. Give up a cup of coffee or loaf of bread for a week and help these children.

Home

Help Us Help The Little Children

God knows their needs, and he is counting on us to be his hands, his feet, his heart! Thank you for your willingness to pray and to give. Your kindness will be rewarded.

“So whoever will humble himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such child in My name, receives Me. (Matthew 18:4)

May God richly bless you!

Nick

God’s Patience With His Creation

Friends,

I wish you could experience all that God has in store for you. His peace, his blessings and his incredible promises. If only you would take the time to find if what we believe is true. You can!

The bible is full of life for those who believe! You can download a bible for your phone or tablet. Look for YouVersion bible app.

Please Hear Me

God will not be patient with mankind forever. A day will come, and according to the prophets is very near, when Jesus will call all believers to meet him in the sky and the the earth will be cleansed of sin. This is similar to what happened in the great flood of Noah’s day, when God spared Noah and his family and some animals but destroyed the earth and everything on the earth. (Gen.

“As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark. They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. So this is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be.”
(Matthew 24:37‭-‬39 )

Friend,

My heart is for you to be one of those Jesus calls to Heaven.

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“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth will mourn; and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather His elect (believers) from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”

(Matthew 24:30‭-‬31)

—

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)

I know that many people today reject this truth, but I pray for you that God will open your heart to see your need for His grace and forgiveness.

All you have to do is believe in Jesus (that his death paid for your sin), confess your sin (God already knows all you have done anyway) and ask for his forgiveness, and you will be saved.

If you are not sure what to believe, please study it for yourself. Don’t go by what anyone else tells you, including me. Grab a bible and read the book of Romans.

Read it here. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%201&version=NCV

My hope is that God would draw you to himself and reveal the truth to you and save your soul from the day He cleanses the earth.

If you decide to study it, and you commit your life to believe in Jesus, please let me know so I can welcome you and pray for you.

Thanks for reading all the way through. May God bless you!

Nick

Nickscarpa13@gmail.com

Faith Steps

There is an old expression that says, “every journey begins with a single step.” I know that to be true because over the past 35 years I have taken several journeys and each one began with a decision, or step that led to another until I reached my destination or God gave me a new assignment.Giving my life to Christ was the biggest faith step I had ever taken. I was choosing to leave behind the life I had lived, the things that defined me, and the places I went and who I went with, to follow Jesus.Taking a step of faith also means accepting whatever God allows or directs. You could probably tell me stories about things you have experienced as well, and I would love to hear about them.Maybe you have been stuck at the same level for awhile and you are frustrated; that’s understandable, but it doesn’t have to stay that way.Maybe you are in the same job that you have been doing for the past five years and you want to advance, but you have been passed over or have not been noticed by your superiors?Or possibly you feel like you are stuck spiritually and cant seem to overcome some struggle you have faced?First, you need to set a goal. It could be a 5 or 10 year goal, or even a 6 month goal. It’s deciding where you want to be in your career, in your life or in your walk with God when you reach that goal.Secondly, you need to define action steps. These are the things you will do to reach your goal.Let me give you an example (if one is even needed).Goal: I will take a 10 day vacation in Israel in 2021Action Steps: Save needed funds, arrange for a doggie day care, purchase hotel and airfare, arrange tour of the Holy land.“So, where does faith come in”, you ask?Anytime you make a choice in your life, there is some level of faith involved. Taking a trip to Israel requires faith!Does God care if I spend a few thousand dollars to visit the place where the church began? I may not know for sure. It may require me to step out in faith.Remember Peter? Remember when he saw Jesus walking on the water? Jesus called him to take a step of faith; to get out of a boat and do the impossible – walk on water! Peter took what little faith he had and trusted Jesus (even if only for a moment) and began to walk upon water.What situation are you facing in your life, marriage, career or relationship right now, that requires a step of faith on your part?I can tell you from my own experiences in life, that when I stepped out in faith (as Peter did), that they were the most important moments in my life.Whatever situation you are dealing with today, know this; God is there for you and wants to bless you and give you victory!If you are reading this and have not made the most important faith step – to confess your wrongs (sin) and ask Jesus to forgive you; take that step first. It is the best decision you will ever make.Once you have been forgiven of your sin. God will bless you with His Holy Spirit who will give you the power to overcome and to stay on the right path!It all begins with a faith step!

Father, I pray for those who are reading this post, that your Spirit would stir in their hearts and minds to show them your grace, live and mercy. In Jesus’ name, I pray.

Friend, if you took that first step of faith today, please let me know so I can pray for and celebrate with you.Email: nickscarpa13@gmail.com

Five for Your Soul

Have you ever wished that you had a better relationship with God? I think we all would like that, but what are we willing to give in exchange for it?

One morning as I was praying, I confessed that my quiet time (time for devotions) was lacking, and I asked the Lord to help me to know what I could improve upon. As I closed my eyes and listened for God to speak, I heard the words, “I want to spend more time with you” in my head. I believe that was Gods message to me.

Over the coming days, I set aside time in order to draw near to my Abba Father.

With all the distractions we face in our lives, it’s not easy to make time with God a priority. Depending on your work/life/ministry balance it is easy to get so busy that unknowingly we put God last.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

So, how do we do it? you ask,

Discipline! It’s that word we hate, but it is so important to a healthy life.

When we make time with God a priority in our lives, we experience his presence in a deeper way. It doesn’t require great change, but small steps of faith and discipline.

A few years ago I was in prayer when the words, “five for your soul” came into my mind. Because I was in prayer I believe that God was trying to tell me something. As I sought deeper meaning I felt that God was asking me to write a book with that title, with the goal of helping my readers to develop a consistent life of prayer.

I Had never written a book before so I had no clue where to start, but I kept praying and began to jot down what came into my mind. It took me about three years to finish it, and it’s not a very long book, but soon I had put it all together and I uploaded it to Amazon and created a kindle version.

The book is about how to develop a consistent prayer life with as little as five minutes a day. I do not encourage you to limit your prayers to five minutes, but it’s better to pray than not to pray!

If you are interested in learning more, stay tuned as I will be sharing more from the book here each week.

If you cant wait, visit amazon com and search for “Five for your Soul” under the book section.

I hope you will see the value in developing a regular prayer life. It has changed mine.

Nick

Right Beliefs lead to Right Behavior

Christians have traditionally focused on right beliefs and right behavior. These are extremely important because believing the right thing leads to behaving in the right way. (Dr. Brian Simmons)

Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them; because if you do you will save yourself and your hearers.(1 Tim. 4:16)

It’s not enough to say that you are a Christian, it must be shown in your actions.

As James writes, “faith without action is dead.”

This is a common thread that runs throughout the bible. We see it in Abraham when he acts upon God’s command to take Isaac up on Mt. Moriah and sacrifice him; and when Samuel went to the house of Jesse to anoint David as king over Israel. (1 Samuel 16:4, 13)

God commands us, and we are to take action.

If I told you that I was a trained guitarist you would expect certain things to be evident in my life; I would most likely have a guitar and possibly an amplifier and some accessories. You would expect that I would play well and maybe even be involved in making music or recordings.

As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ there should be some evidence visible in my life. What kind of things would you expect to find? As a follower, you should see in me some of the character traits of the one I follow, right?

Right beliefs point to doctrine, so a Christian should be faithful to the words of God as found in the inspired scriptures.

Right behavior has to do with how we act, based upon what we believe. So, if I say I agree with what scripture teaches, then I should be obeying the Lord’s commands.

May God help us, through the Spirit of Christ, to keep our beliefs and our behavior in sync, that we would be faithful witnesses and live life to bring glory to Him. In Jesus name, amen.

Next Man Up

Any football fans out there? You all understand the thinking behind “next man up” as it relates to the game of football, right?

Patriots head coach, Bill Belichick is big on selecting players based on their ability to fill the gaps when other players become injured.

It’s a great way to show yourself prepared for those tough times that come to every NFL team during the season, but it doesn’t have to be limited to football.

Imagine if your workplace were prepared for situations by having employees who are cross-trained so that no matter what happens you could call on the next man or woman up!

God’s church should be prepared as well. What if the pastor calls out sick (I know, it never happens!). Or how about the bible study teachers, the deacons and those who serve in varying capacities on a Sunday morning. If churches prepared for these things in advance it would make things run much smoother, right?

What would you call this type of ministry? Discipleship!

When we think about it, the bible portrays this clearly for us. Think about Noah and his three sons; Ham, Shem and Japheth. Or David and Solomon.

What about Jesus and his twelve disciples? He trained them how to lead the church and they trained others who trained still others. In fact, the apostle Paul wrote letters those he discipled and commanded them to do the same.

I exhort you today, to walk up to your pastor, teacher or ministry leader this week and ask what can I do to be prepared to cover for you when you are away or if you get sick? He or she will likely be pleasantly surprised.

God never called us to be church-goers, so become a church-doer instead. Be prepared to be the “next person up” when you are needed!

Sometimes the Answer is Wait

Do you expect your prayers to be answered? I think most of us would answer definitely. Why would we bother to pray if we didn’t expect God to answer?

Having been actively involved in prayer for over thirty years, I have come to the conclusion that there are for the most part three possible responses that we should expect.

• Yes
• No
• Wait

Most of the time, if we are asking for something within the will of God, we expect the answer to be yes.

There are times, however when for whatever reason, the answer is no. Sometimes that can be very hard to accept; especially if we don’t know why.

Of all three possible responses, probably the hardest thing to do is wait. I can imagine Abram praying for a son, year after year and having to tell Sarai that they would continue to pray and wait on God.

Why do you suppose God allows us to wait rather than just saying yes or no?

It is possible that the answer is yes, but it does not fall within Gods appointed time?

What would be more important to you; getting a yes from God, or getting an answer that is best for us in keeping with Gods will?

I want Gods best for me; how about you?

I can tell you personally that I have some requests on my list that I am still waiting for after twenty five years. I know that God has heard me praying for people over and over again, and I trust that he has answered my prayer, but I have not seen the results yet.

The thing I exhort you to do as you wait for an answer from God, is to thank him. He is faithful and will provide.

Thank you Father for hearing and answering our prayers, even though we have not seen the results yet.

When Taking a Knee is the Right Choice

It’s been awhile since we heard any news about the controversy over players taking a knee during the National Anthem at an NFL football game. Whatever your view, I find it a relief not to have something take the focus off a team sport and our country’s anthem so a few people can make a statement.

A few years back Tim Tebow was making a different kind of statement, and even though I affirm his beliefs, I felt as though his action brought more attention to him then it did to God.

I’m sure we all have varying views over sports, and athletes being paid incredible amounts of money to play a game; even if it is a game we enjoy.

So, is there a right choice for when we should a take a knee? The answer is yes, and it depends on where and why!

If you are taking a knee to protest some political action, do it where it will have the greatest affect – like in front of the capital building or white house. Better yet, put it on Twitter or Instagram or call your State Representative and explain why you are upset

If you are taking a knee to praise God or to pray, the bible tells us in Matthew 6:6 that God would rather we pray in our closet or in a room privately. He promises that he will reward publicly what we do privately.

I understand that not everyone takes a knee to pray, but I believe that the results are much better as we put our trust in God.

New Year! Fresh Start?

Another year is just about over, and by now many of us are realizing that those resolutions we made back in January were a nice idea, but we didn’t quite get them done. I’m sure that some of you are feeling good about what you accomplished. Nice job!

New Years Eve reminds me of a toy I received when I was much younger – It was called an etch-a-sketch! Yes…I know I’m old, but it was a tablet-sized drawing pad that allowed you to flip it over and shake it to erase what you had drawn. It was pretty cool!

Sometimes I wish we could erase some of our failures or decisions that we made over the last twelve months. Have you ever felt that way?

Whatever the outcome of the last year, we are just about to begin a new one. As we consider what that will mean, the one thing it does not guarantee is a fresh start. Believe me, I wish it did, but unfortunately the decisions we made over the past 52 weeks have consequences.

For example, if you bought a new TV or a tablet using credit, it might have felt good, but you will be paying for it into the next year or three.

So, how do we begin a new year on a good note?

1. Begin by thanking God for both the good and the not so good, because we learn from lifes choices.

2. Use a daily planner or writing pad or app to lay out your plans for the coming year. Ask God to direct your steps as you go!

3. Each day, give thanks for what God helped you do the day before, and pray for Him to invite you to serve him in some capacity.

A year from now, you will be looking back on 2019, and you will want to feel good about it, so ask God today to help you to be your very best throughout the next twelve months.

Hey, I will be running the race with you. I know I will make mistakes, but I pray that you will hold me accountable, so we can both honor God.

Father, thank you for 2018. Thank you for the lives that were transformed through prayer. Thank you for molding my character along the way.

Bless us Lord as we seek to bring you glory in 2019. In Jesus name, amen.

T’was the night before Christ’s birth!

The traditional story of the night before Christmas has been told in poem form since the late 1800’s and later on the radio in the 1900’s . It has been said that it has helped to tell the story of Saint Nicholas; better known as Santa Clause.

All these years later, people are still singing the song and telling the story.

But there is another story; one that should be told every year at Christmas. It’s a true story of the love of Almighty God, who sent his only Son, born to a virgin named Mary who was married to a God-fearing man named Joseph.

This story has brought hope and joy and new life to those who have believed the message and received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

If you have not heard the story and accepted God’s precious gift, I encourage you to make this a night you will never forget.

Lord, I pray for those who are reading this message, and I ask that you would draw them to yourself that they would experience eternal life.

Amen.