DREAMING GOD SIZED DREAMS: REBUILDING FAMILIES IN 53206
A Message of Hope and Faith from Pastor Walton
Summer is here! According to the Dynamic Language website, the word summer, “has been around in English for many centuries. Written as sumor in Old English, and sumor in Proto-Germanic.” In French, it comes from the Latin word aestas which means “to burn, or be on fire.” Here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, most of us treasure these hot days to balance out the severe cold of the winter months.
In Matthew 3:11, John the Baptist, the fore-runner of Jesus, speaks of the Savior. John says, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” We know that fire is a purifier. Fire can be
used to sterilize. I remember learning how to get splinters out by taking a needle to the stove and waiting until it got “white hot” and then working the splinter out. It pinched a little, but it was worth
the pain.
Jesus died. He thought it was worth His pain to save us. May we see that it is worth our inconvenience to live lives of humble repentance for Him. People in Milwaukee need to be saved and we have been given the mandate to make disciples (Matthew 28).
Let’s do that! Let’s live lives of repentance this summer, remembering that as the sun heats us, we are reminded of the purifying power of the Holy Spirit. Happy Sumor!
Joyfully,
Pastor Walton
Reverend Dr. John Richard Walton, Jr.
The Reverend Doctor John Richard Walton, Jr. is a native of Cleveland, Ohio, and has served as the senior pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church of Milwaukee for the last 22 years. Pastor Walton is well-respected and sought after as preacher, pastor to pastors, lecturer, and spiritual, biblical, and academic authority in the training and discipleship of deacons and church leadership.
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Thank you God that You are the God who creates everything, parts waters, divides mountains, fills valleys, and fights battles on our behalf on Earth and in Heaven. So when this world seems to grow more and more out of control each day and further and further away from You and Your Word, Thank You that we can call out to You with every worry and concern with confidence and assurance. You are our God, our Father, who we can turn to, lean on, and rely on no matter the situations taking place in our individual lives, our church family, our local community, our country, or our world. When the storms from daily living seem to shake the foundation of who we are and fear threatens to wash over us like an ocean, remind us that we are still loved by You and are no less valuable to You when we struggle with fear and anxiety. Lead us to place our “what ifs” into Your hands and leave them there. Allow thoughts of whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy to give us peace and strength and to fortify our faith in You who we know is bigger and greater than anything in this world. In Jesus’ name we pray Amen.
Dear Lord, God Our Father,
Lord, each day we need Your help. As Your children, we don’t desire to be afraid or doubt. We want to trust You in all things. However, there are times when we allow our focus to shift to the problems and issues in our jobs, in our families, relationships, finances, and the many troubles and concerns that surround us. When this happens, fearful thoughts fill our minds and hearts and this gives fear and apprehension a foothold in our lives. This is not what we want or desire. It is at these times that we need help to remember that everything and everyone belongs to You and that You use all things, good and not so good, to work together for the benefit of those who love You and are called according to Your Purpose. In these times, Lord, we pray for faith, a faith that stands on all the promises of God and remembers the blessings of the past and the present. Thank You that faith is not a work we have to assemble. Thank You that You develop and cultivate our faith with each day and each experience. We pray that You would increase our faith in the areas where we have allowed fear and doubt to fester and grow. Lord, help us to have faith in You rather than in the things we think we control. Thank You that You give us strength when we are weak and peace when we are in a state of unrest. Allow Your strength and peace to cover us when we must journey through our valleys of fear. Lead us through Your Holy Spirit to focus in faith on You, Your Word, and Your Promises to us. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You with so many wants and needs. Lord, we fear for our loved ones. We are concerned about who they will become, for their health and safety and almost every aspect of their lives. Father God, we are also concerned with who we will become and with the decisions that we make. At times, we fear that we will fail and let You down. Often, we fear that we can never be good enough, not pretty enough, handsome enough, thin enough, not smart enough, rich enough, or that we will never fit in or feel like we belong. Sometimes, we fear what people think of us, if we will say and do the right thing, if people will understand our motives, and we fear the unknown. These times come when we least expect them, and they come as we are looking straight into a situation or problem. Help us to hide Your promises in Your Word about fear and doubt through daily reading, recitation, and memorization so we may be prepared when the adversary seeks to immobilize us or harm us through fearful thoughts and emotions. You created us and know us better than we know ourselves. You know the way we fear and doubt, so lead us to Your Word that is full of verses that direct us away from fear and anxiety and lead us to precious memories of when You have been faithful time after time and rescued us from circumstances we thought were hopeless. Amen, Amen, and Amen!
Dear Abba Father,
In Your Word You tell us to “be anxious for nothing, but in everything in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let our requests be made know to You and the peace that transcends all understanding will guard our hearts and mind in You. Thank You Lord! With every need we lay before You, lead us to praise You as we lay down our needs in faith that our needs are already met in You. We know that our praises are not just for You. Thank You that praising You for Your Goodness and Grace fortifies and increases our faith. Our praise reminds us of who You are and helps to give us the courage and faith to take one step forward and not backward. Thank You for every step forward in faith! Thank You for carrying us when we could not take that step on our own. We thank You and Praise You for being with us every step of every day and advancing our faith in You so we may advance Your Kingdom here on Earth. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
Dear God Almighty,
Lord, we, Calvary Baptist Church of Milwaukee, Inc, pray that You would help us to pray each day about anything and everything that is on our minds and that weighs down our hearts. Father, so often, we sit and wallow in our fears and anxieties. We try to figure things out on our own. Lord, we try to hide our fears and anxieties from You, or we consult friends about our worries and concerns first, instead of immediately coming to You, our Lord and Creator. Remind us of all the ways You know us and know what we need. Lead us individually and as a church family through Your Blessed Holy Spirit to seek and pray to You when we are scared, full of fear, or have apprehension about anything. Lord, may our days be marked by hundreds of prayers as we encounter fear and doubt, whisper prayers in our heads as we are in conversations, devotion time prayers as we prepare to enter each day’s activities and/or nighttime prayers as we seek to wind up our daily schedule and want peace and tranquility as we end our day. Lastly, help us remember Your faithfulness every day. Lord, help us to be a church marked by Thanksgiving, Joy, Praise, and Obedience to Your Word and a Heart for Your People. We thank You in advance for our deliverance from fear and anxiety to faith and peace. In Your name we pray, Amen.
O Gracious and Wonderful Lord,
Teach us not to worry or be anxious. Remind us O God of how powerful and mighty You are. Show us in our minds, hearts, and souls the ways You have blessed us and solved our problems and healed situations in the past. Bolster our confidence in Your Word and In our faith in You. Teach us not to worry but to take every thought, every situation, every fear, every concern to You knowing that You are waiting for us to bring them to You in faith. Lead us to come boldly to Your throne of Grace and leave leaping and shouting in faith and praising You for who You are and What You have done and knowing what You can do. Thank You that in You we always have enough and always have a place where we belong as Your children and co-heirs with Your Son, Jesus Christ. In Your mighty name we pray, Amen!
Dear Lord, Our Rock and Refuge,
Thank You that You are a God of Peace. That Your Son is the Prince of Peace. That Your Spirit equips us with peace. We live in a crazed and chaotic fallen world. When life gets to be too much, help us not to live in fear. Calm our thoughts and emotions and open our hearts to Your peace, comfort, and wisdom. Help us rest in You and trust You as we navigate through this broken world. When our minds are attacked with thoughts that we cannot silence, cause Your perfect peace to light our way and give us solace. Lead us to rest in who You are, remembering that You are our fortress and refuge our God in whom we trust. You are our shield, our protection. When fear and anxiety seek to steal our confidence and joy, we can hide behind Your Word, Your Love, and Your Promises in faith. At times, when our fearful and anxious thoughts about the state of the world, state of our neighborhoods, state of communities, etc try to maintain a firm grip on our minds and spirits, prop us up and remind us day by day, minute by minute, and second by second that You have a firmer grip on the entire world and on us. You are our rock, our security. Thank You that even though the presence of anxiety and fear is great, Your presence is greater. Thank You Lord! Thank You Lord! In Your mighty and matchless name, Amen.
