This blog is the same article found in our monthly newsletter.
Bro. Michael's Blog
Michael R. Davis - Minister of Music
March 2024
Roman time is what our lives run on. We have Pope Gregory XIII to thank for our Gregorian Calendar. The names of the months of the year come from the names of Roman gods, leaders, festivals, and numbers.
March comes from the god of war, Mars (Martius) because this month was when active military action and campaigns could resume. In ancient Rome, there was a ceasing of any war activity when an old year was ending and a new year was beginning. In the Roman calendar, March was the earliest month of the year. The weather in March was typically mild enough to begin waging war again. To use a play on words, armies could "march" forward into war. .
2 Chronicles 20:15 - And he said, "Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ' Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's.'
As the month of March cycles through once again, just maybe in this time, you feel that everything seems to be a cycle of trouble. Please remember, God's Word tells us that God is with us in these daily "battles." God is our protection and provides a refuge from trouble when we trust in Him. We can hold out our "shield of faith" and let the Lord fight for us. A truth that can not be denied is, God wins every time.
Remember the lyrics to the Phil WIckham song, "Battle Belongs":
So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees, with my hands lifted high,
Oh God, the battle belongs to You
and every fear I lay at Your feet, I'll sing through the night,
Oh God, the battle belongs to You
- Michael R. Davis
February 2024
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Psalm 40:3 - He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.
The Psalmist communicates the change that God makes in the heart of a person who believes by saying, "He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God." 2 Corinthians 5:17 states that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. God, in Christ, makes things new.
Many Sunday mornings, we will sing a new song. A new song is encouraging in that we do not remain complacent but passionately praise the Lord who loves us so much. We must keep our eyes and our hearts open to the work of God through His Spirit in our lives. He has called us not to just go through the motions, but to genuinely worship and live our lives to honor and glorify our Father in heaven.
- Michael R. Davis
January 2024
Isaiah 43:2 - "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you."
The new year puts us in a mental state of pondering things that could, should, or need to change. A sort of fresh starts if you will.
As the prophet Isaiah communicates in this passage, there are many things that we are sure to face in life. Isaiah refers to these occurences as "waters, rivers, and even walking through fire."
Just as ruching waters can overcome you and fire is sure to burn you, a commitment and surrender to the LORD will surely build protection that neither water nor fire will overcome. In 2024, there is no way to know the waters ahead. The is no way to foresee the fire that I may burn in our lives. In Christ, we can know and believe that whatever the new year brings, we shall not be overwhelmed, the flame shall not consume you.
-Michael R. Davis