Avoiding Distractions In Our Walk With God

July 12, 2023 Rick Zimmerman , ,

Dear Central Members, Global, and Local Friends,

We are bombarded with pressing decisions and issues daily. Many of them distract us and get in the way of our ability to walk with God daily. How do we stay on track, and make the appropriate decisions, when we are faced with so many distractions?? I must admit that at times life can be extremely challenging. However, God has given us a good blueprint to keep us on track, if we would take the appropriate time to apply it in our daily schedule of life. I have learned the following principles that help to bring order to my hectic life schedule and would like to share those principles with you this week.

Here are a few principles that will help you to stay focused and not get distracted or taken off course:

Remember, God has a purpose in everything to bring glory to Himself. Any distraction that you didn’t create, or do anything to have it occur, stand firm on (Romans 8:28) Knowing that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.
1. God loves you and takes your best interest to heart. (Matthew 7:9-11)
2. God’s view unlike man’s view of your best interest is always focused on the eternal life perspective.
3. God plans and knows your future for all eternity. Therefore, don’t allow temporary conditions and issues to get you off track. (Ephesians 1:5-13)
4. God sacrificed His Son, Jesus, to offer you a future with Him. (John 3:16) Most of the issues we are dealing with daily don’t involve your eternal future. Therefore, don’t get sidetracked by these earthly issues that have no eternal value. People love to put pressure on you about the things that drive their agenda, instead of what might be in your best interest long-term. Remember to be driven by eternal things, instead of things that have no long-term eternal value.

When we have enough courage to stand on the solid foundation of God’s truth, and you are walking closely by His side, you will remember to not allow issues to distract you and work to stay on course:

1. You will get the facts instead of relying on social media and friends.
2. You will not allow your emotions to get in the way of listening to the Lord.
3. You will be wise enough to ask other serious Christians for advice, like your family members, friends, and experts who will give you wise counsel.
4. Always pray and ask God for guidance daily to help you get through the maze.
5. Measure the issues and changes against what scripture says about the situation.

I pray you will implement the above suggestions to avoid distractions and stay on track in your daily walk with God!!

Desiring all the best for you and your household!!

Your Fellow Servant In Christ!!

Perry Stuckey

Rick ZimmermanAvoiding Distractions In Our Walk With God
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The Importance of Having the Gift of Discernment in “Walking with God Daily”

June 5, 2023 Rick Zimmerman ,

My Dear Central Members, Brothers & Sisters in the Body of Christ around the globe, as I pen this letter to you this morning on Friday, June 2, 2023, at 5:28 AM EST during my early morning devotion. My sincere heart’s desire is to see you accomplish all that God has called you to accomplish for His glory and honor!!

To fulfill this objective, one of the important spiritual gifts that we all need to ensure a successful walk with God daily is the “Gift of Discernment.” Please understand that when we are committed and surrendered completely to God, we become a target for the enemy of God!! One of the unique gifts that God grants in His spiritual arsenal to believers that is accessible to us is the “gift of discernment.” God has impressed upon my heart why this gift is extremely important to us as believers in this letter to you this morning.

The “Gift of discernment” is utilized by the elect of God to know good from evil, light from darkness, and truth from lies. The purpose is to guard against deception. The fool rushes into trouble, but discernment shows us when something isn’t quite right, so we avoid disaster. When we see the potential for danger, we can use discernment to change outcomes.

Unfortunately, we live in a society where Satan has a stronghold in our nation. This requires all “Believers” who love God and desire to see “His will done on earth as in heaven” must employ the gift of discernment to be effective in making the right decisions aligned with God’s Will. Allow me to highlight some brief principles below that you must apply daily.

The gift of discernment is one of the nine gifts given to the Church for edification and ministry (I Corinthians 12:7-10). One important principle that is essential to know is that when we question a person’s motives or even-certain choices they are making, discernment uncovers the truth behind the behavior.

Having strong discernment gives us the advantage over the enemy. Using discernment, we can determine if what we perceive from an individual or observe from a situation is fact or fiction. Satan is famous for deception and likes to make a “bluff” in a game of poker, the enemy uses deception to twist the truth and steal our blessings. As Christians and true believers we may unintentionally sacrifice our victories by falling for the bluff, but we can avoid traps using the gift of discernment.

When we know what’s true, we can effectively address the “Spirit” in operation. Truth gives us the upper hand against the devil and the enemies of Christ’s Good Works.

When we have the truth, the truth sets us free; more importantly, when we know the truth we judge righteously, avoiding a misstep. Just like a skillfully played hand in the game of poker, discernment essentially shows us when to call a bluff or fold the hand.

My sincere desire is that each of you would seek God daily as you “Walk with Him Daily” and call out to him during your Daily Devotion, to bestow the “Gift of Discernment” upon you that you may not be mislead by the enemy and those that Satan uses to sow division among the members of the “Body of Christ” around the globe.

Holy Father as we seek your truth please grant us the gift of discernment in our daily walk to honor you. Amen!!

Your Brother and Fellow Servant in Christ!!

Perry Stuckey, Senior Pastor Central Baptist Church

Rick ZimmermanThe Importance of Having the Gift of Discernment in “Walking with God Daily”
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Pastor’s Letter

October 15, 2021 Vicki Smith

Dear Central  Members and Global Friends,

As I pen this letter to you, we find ourselves still dealing with a lot of historical crises from the still lingering pandemic, the crisis in Afghanistan, Hurricane Ida’s devastation in New Orleans, and the border states that are experiencing severe damage. We could all list a host of personal issues within our families and households that are impacting our emotional and mental well-being. However; I want to share something more important with you, that is extremely credible, and something you can always rely on when you find yourselves hampered by the storms of life.

As Christians we have a reliable promise from God found in Romans 8:28 that we can always stand on!! “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (NKJV)

We learned on Sunday from our final study in the series “Pearls of Wisdom To Live By” that this is a divine promise, a definitive promise, and a promise that can’t be destroyed or denied provided we embody the requirements outlined in the text. This is awesome assurance and exciting news for us as believers!! Here in Romans chapter 8 we discover one of the most important passage of scriptures in the entire bible that is a divine promise from God to all of us as believers. Notice the following critical words in the text that should give us true assurance for the rest of our life and erase the bondage of doubt that we often allow to dominate our life. There are two critical caveats for this text to manifest in your life affairs and they are:

  1.  Work together for good, to those who truly love God
  2. And are called according to God’s purpose not our purpose

If you truly learn to love God with all of your heart and live according to His purpose for your life. I am absolutely confident; you will be amazed at how different your life will become and how well you will be able to manage the current and future stress that comes from life struggles.

I love the way Paul concluded this chapter, by naming all of the struggles of life after verse 28 and explaining how none of it could separate us from God’s love in verse 39 of Romans chapter 8. These verses should help each of us understand why the promise outlined in verse 28 is a divine and definitive promise for all true believers of Christ. This is a great way to close out our sermon series on “Pearls of Wisdom to Live By!!” I pray you take the time to make the promise of Romans 8:28  a reality in your daily life. Please enjoy the attached slide deck from Sunday and don’t hesitate to reach out to us via email or contact us directly by phone if you need assistance.

Your Brother And Servant In Christ!!

Pastor Perry Stuckey

Vicki SmithPastor’s Letter
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From the Pastor's Desk