Without Walls Ministries

Reminder.. Tomorrow, Sunday the 8th, we will have our quarterly service and lunch to follow at Corinth Rd. Assisted Living (the building to the left of the church). Service will be at 11a.m. See ya'll there!

Due to unforseen circumstances we will not have a live stream today. I love you all.

There will be no live stream today. I love you all.

As I look forward tomorrow to celebrate the risen savior I also look forward to spending time with the flock of God. Fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to share the good news of the gospel.
I invite all out to share this news with us.
With love in Christ Jesus
Pastor Scott

This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice, and be glad in it.

Tomorrow, October 22nd we will be celebrating Pastor Appreciation Day! If you don't have a church home come be with us. If you do, enjoy the service then come eat lunch with us!!

Representing Without Walls Ministries at Crossroads 5K!!

🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

Where there are mountains, there must also be valleys—it’s a simple fact of the created world. The same is true in our spiritual life. To reach the place where God is leading us, we must sometimes traverse “the valley of the shadow of death” (Ps. 23:4).

Spiritual mountaintops are wonderful spots to rest, but it is in valleys that we often discover God’s character, the truth of His promises, and our own weakness. Valleys reveal that the habits and crutches we’ve been relying on are inadequate—and we must trust God instead. That’s when we come to find out that faith, courage, and wisdom are rooted in the Lord.

While walking in valleys is an inevitable and difficult part of life, believers aren’t left comfortless. Verse 5 says, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows.” These words are about having our needs met, including the desire to be soothed. In David’s image of a tender shepherd rubbing oil on an animal’s scraped skin, God promises us assurance, healing, and safety—even in hardship.

Facing the shadows is difficult and frightening work. But when we surrender to the Lord, we can rest in His power and comfort.

Psalm 95:6-8

Sometimes our conversations with God are fruitful. Other times prayer feels like talking to a wall. But in fact, we shouldn’t be surprised by such variation. Why would we expect our prayer life to remain uniform when we ourselves aren’t the same every day?

How we speak and listen to God depends on ...

Our understanding of who God is. The way we view the Lord changes the way we hear Him. For example, if you see God as a loving Father, you will hear His encouraging voice and accept His loving discipline. But if you see Him as a harsh, demanding Father, then you may feel as though you can never live up to His expectations.

Our attitude toward God. If we come to the Lord with a proud or rebellious nature, we’re less likely to hear His voice or accept His authority. However, when we have an open or curious nature, we’re more prepared to hear—and joyfully receive—what He is communicating.

Next time you pray, take a moment to ask yourself, How am I picturing God right now? Is my heart open to Him? If anything negative comes to mind, remember verse 7 of today’s psalm: “We are the people of God’s pasture and the sheep of His hand.”

Romans 12:1-2

Giving absolute power over our life to another human being would be an intimidating proposition. But that’s not true when it comes to the Lord. Unconditional surrender to Him is joyous. But to do so, we must ...

Yield ourselves to the lordship of Christ. One way of identifying with the Lord is by surrendering all that we have and all that we are. As we decrease, Jesus increases. And the first place surrender must occur is in our attitude. Then we live it out in obedient action.

Place no limit on what we’re willing to do or become. This means we have no restricted areas in our life where Jesus is not invited. Also, nothing is set aside for our exclusive use. We make ourselves totally available to God’s will.

Transfer ownership of our body, soul, and spirit to Christ. By doing so, we embrace the principles of the Beatitudes and the ranking of the kingdom (Matthew 5:3-12; Mark 9:35).

Relinquishing control of our life can feel scary, but when we put it fully in God’s hands, only good can result. What is keeping you from abandoning yourself to the Lord Jesus?

Proverbs 3:3-4

Many of us are familiar with the fable of the three little pigs who each build a house—one of straw, another of sticks, and the last of bricks. A wolf “huffs and puffs” to blow their homes down and is successful with the first two. But the house of bricks stands. Does that story ring a bell?

Jesus taught the same principle. He said one man built his house on a rock while another built on sand (Matthew 7:24-27). In rain and wind, the home on the solid foundation was protected. But Jesus was teaching about obedience, not construction. The point is that life must be built on the dependability of the gospel if we’re to withstand the storms that arise.

Today’s proverb says, “Do not let kindness and truth leave you … Write them on the tablet of your heart” (v. 3). Truth should be an intrinsic part of life, as second nature as breathing. But how do we build it in? Here are five steps to take:

Evaluate the results of past failures regarding truthfulness.

Accept the Bible as the ultimate guidebook for truth.

Practice communicating with love and compassion.

Ask God to give you an ever-increasing desire for truthfulness along with ever-increasing humility.

Feast on the Word of God daily.

Remember, truth delights the Lord (Proverbs 12:22) and is a blessing for us as well.

Obedience

In the Bible, God commands His people to obey Him. But submission doesn’t come naturally to us because we’re all born with a rebellious spirit. We must be taught to obey the Lord, and we begin to understand how to yield through interactions with people in authority over us.

The most common place for learning obedience is the home. In the bible it tells children to honor and obey their mother and father (Eph. 6:1-2). God planned that our earliest experiences of authority would involve submitting to parents who love and care for us. Through their admonitions and discipline, we learn what it takes to master our rebellious spirit.

At every stage of life, God places us under leaders, whether parents, teachers, coaches, employers, or governing officials (Romans 13:1-2). Of course, like all of humanity, these people were born into sin, so they’ll make mistakes and sometimes treat us unfairly—but they’re still His instruments. Whether or not we approve of how we’re ruled, people in these roles teach us the value of obedience and the consequences of disobedience.

We often balk at the idea of answering to someone else. But it helps to realize that the ultimate goal is to obey the Lord—and that God’s commands are for our good (Deuteronomy 10:12-13).

1 Kings 17:1

Elijah had a message to deliver to King Ahab that would soon disrupt life throughout the entire region. The wicked king’s first thought after encountering the prophet may well have been, Of all the nerve! Just who does this guy think he is?

Elijah was a man of great faith who believed what God told him. He spent time alone with the Lord and listened carefully to His words. And the prophet could boldly speak with authority because he knew and trusted the One who gave the message.

The Lord doesn’t speak to us in the same way that He spoke to the Old Testament prophets, but the process of receiving His message hasn’t changed. It begins with being alone in His presence and listening as He speaks through His Word. But it shouldn’t end there.

Prophets had the responsibility of telling the people what the Lord revealed to them. Similarly, we are to share with others what we learn from God’s Word. The Father reveals His treasures to us so that we can share them with others.

Begin each day alone with God in His Word and in prayer, listening as He speaks to your heart. Believe what He says in Scripture, apply it to your life, and then share with others what He has revealed. Be bold and remember that the authority of your message comes from Him.

1 Peter 1:22-23

Preparing a garden—cultivating the soil, watering regularly, managing the weeds—takes time and effort. But a gardener spends the least amount of time doing what is perhaps the most important task: choosing and planting the right seeds. Today’s passage applies that experience to cultivating Christian love.

In the upper room, Jesus gave His disciples a “new commandment, that you love one another.” His people, He said, would be known by their love (John 13:34-35). This deep kind of love doesn’t grow naturally from the human heart. If we are to see love grow in our life, we need better seed.

As Peter says in today’s passage, fervent love for one another comes about when we are born again from the only “imperishable” seed—“the living and enduring word of God” (v. 23). It’s easy to read “word” here as “the Scriptures,” but as John’s gospel tells us, Jesus Himself is the Word (John 1:1-4). He is God’s Word of mercy and new creation, the source of our new birth.

But God has also given us His written Word to remind us of His work in the world and in us. Remind yourself today and every day of God’s work in you, cultivating the fruit of love through a fresh meeting with Jesus and through reading the Bible.

Jeremiah 15:16

Most children go through a picky eating phase. Parents resist this, knowing that children need variety in their diet. A bag of candy may have the same calorie count as a baked potato, but the candy doesn’t provide the same nutrition.

The same is true for the Bible, which Jeremiah describes as spiritual food. Just as we need physical food to stay alive, we need spiritual food to sustain us. And just as we need a variety of foods, we need to read and listen to the whole counsel of Scripture.

Jeremiah prophesied to a rebellious Israel, and he found strength and sustenance in God’s words. But the fact that verse 16 says they “became” a joy suggests they might not have been sweet at first. The prophet may have needed to train his spiritual taste, and so do we.

Some Bible verses, after all, sound sweet. Psalm 23 begins with “The Lord is my shepherd, I will not be in need” (Psalm 23:1). But others, like “Happy is the person whom God disciplines” (Job 5:17), might be a little less appealing. And what about “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23)?

Do you eat only the sweet, simple parts of the Bible? Or do you seek spiritual nourishment in the complexity of the whole Word, so that you become strong in the faith?

Matthew 17:5-7

As Jesus prepared to enter Jerusalem, He knew the days ahead would be challenging for the disciples. He had already told them He’d be arrested and killed and then would rise from the dead (Matthew 16:21). His followers would face costly sacrifices (Matthew 16:24), and the way ahead seemed bleak.

Then the Lord was transfigured, and Peter, James, and John saw Him in the company of the greatest prophets. Jesus revealed a world where He is king, where all the hope of the Jewish people is fulfilled. The three disciples heard the Father affirm Jesus as His “beloved Son” (17:5). The vision was an incredible gift of hope, but it was also overwhelming. Jesus comforted the disciples by saying, “Get up, and do not be afraid” (v. 7). These words were reassuring for the present but also strengthening for the persecution that would come. As we read yesterday, the Transfiguration provided the light they would need for the dark road ahead.

Can we live in the same light? Jesus would later comfort His disciples with a further promise—that He would be with them always (Matthew 28:20). Remembering the promise of God’s presence helps us endure with hope. We may not face the same persecution the disciples did, but the cost of following Jesus remains high. Focusing on Him and the coming kingdom that was revealed in the Transfiguration helps us live without fear.

Hello to all, and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ. I want to tell you tomorrow's service will be virtual tomorrow at the same time. Due to many throughout the congregation not feeling up to par I think it is best to do this. I love you all very much.

Pastor Philip Scott Blake

Let’s pray over our students, teachers, administrators, staff, volunteers, communities. Pray for friendships, pray for peace, pray for confidence, pray they grow in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man 🙏🙏🙏

We’ve often heard people say, “God is good!” when all is going well, but what about when life doesn’t look like what we expect? The Lord expresses kindness in more ways than wealth, health, and relationships. Some of His gifts are experiences we would never choose, but God knows we need them in order to grow in faith, obedience, and perseverance. Consider the following expressions of God’s goodness toward us:

• Loving discipline. In His perfect, unfailing love, God corrects us when we refuse to follow Him. The process is painful but results in “the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Hebrews 12:11).

• Wise Limitations. There are opportunities and possessions that seem to promise happiness but ultimately draw us away from God. With great wisdom, the Lord lovingly withholds those things that would prove detrimental to our spiritual life.

• Useful suffering. God knows which refining experiences we need in order to become fruitful in His Kingdom. What appears to us as a valley of weeping is God’s valley of preparation for godliness and service.

It can be tempting to interpret God’s character on the basis of our circumstances. If evidence compels us to doubt His goodness, we must remember that while His gifts come in a variety of wrappings, they are always beneficial. As Psalm 34:8 says, “O taste and see that the Lord is good.”

God sees your tears. He knows your heartbreak.

And while it may feel like He’s silent, He’s not. Remember, God’s Word is Him speaking to us in written form—always available, and never silent. And through His Truth He will comfort you.

You can trust that God intimately cares about every detail of what you are walking through. He is the One who can see what is and what is to come, sweet friend. So keep praying. Keep watching for Him. And hold on to His words in Nahum 1:7 ... “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.”