2016, July 14

Acts 5:38-42
“And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”

    Sometimes we may be tempted to ask why, as God’s people, must we live in such a time as this? This world seems to be in perilous times. There is hatred and wickedness everywhere. People are being attacked based on race, religion, even their choice of occupation. There are people who threaten our safety and peace daily. We may be tempted to wonder why we must suffer through these trying times. But, consider the apostles here in Acts 5. They were called before the council for preaching Jesus. They were beaten and punished. After which, they did not ask, “why us?”, instead, they rejoiced!! They were thankful that God had considered them worthy to face affliction for His name! This world needs to know Jesus, He is the only hope. You are a believer in Jesus! You are a believer in the only hope this world has! You are the one God has chosen to preach Jesus to the world at this time. God has considered you worthy to bear the name of Christ, REJOICE! Press on, preach Jesus boldly and with confidence. When faced with affliction, remember that if it is of God it will not be overthrown. “It is a privilege that God has called you to be a christian at this time, in the midst of this wickedness.” – Bro. Tim Smith
– Sister Hillary Boyd

2016, June 23

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus.  Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

All men need to be reconciled to God. We have all sinned, we have all fallen short of His glory, and we all have the wrath of God to face if we remain in our sin. But, God has done a great work of reconciliation. He reached out His arm to save us from His wrath. He sent His Son to pay our debt. He has reconciled us unto Himself. This is a great gift of God. We have this ministry, the ministry of reconciliation. We need to tell the world that they are dying, that they are in sin, that they need to be reconciled, and that God has already done this great work for them! Proclaim this to all people. Come to Him!  Believe on Him! Be reconciled!! He has reconciled us unto Himself!!  And to all those already believing; keep believing, keep the faith, you have been reconciled unto God your Father, live fully unto Him!!
-Sister Hillary Boyd

2016, June 16

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10

God is always present, even when you are unaware of Him. His presence is to profound to be measured by mere emotions. He will never leave you, He will strengthen you, He will help you, and uphold you. In times when you feel as if there is distance between yourself and God, it is not because He has moved. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.
– Sister Hillary Boyd

2016, May 26

” Choose for yourselves this day whom you will ” Joshua 24:15a

As believers, we have made this decision. We have chosen to serve God, to belong to Him. This makes facing temptations and trials a little easier because we know to Whom we belong and we know that He will help us to choose the path of righteousness. But, I believe that this choosing who we will serve is also a daily, even moment by moment decision that we must make. We face new struggles every day, and with every new temptation and trial we must once again choose who we will serve in that moment. Will we serve God or will we serve the flesh? Having to face this decision over and over every day could become discouraging and overwhelming if we were in this alone. Thankfully, we are not alone, God is always with us.

“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

God is all knowing, He knows that we face new struggles daily and He has made provisions for this. Why would He provide new mercies every morning if we did not need them?? He knows what we need and He is faithful to supply us with all the strength, ability, grace, patience, guidance, and wisdom that we need to remain faithful in whatever situation we face. We cannot do it alone, but with Him we cannot fail. God cannot be outdone and we cannot be overcome within Him. ” I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:1
– Sister Hillary Boyd

2016, May 12

” Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8

” If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Colossians 3:1-2

” For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Romans 8:6

If we fill out hearts and minds with things from above, things of God, things that have eternal value; then there will be no room for the troubles and worries of this earth to cloud our vision of eternity in glory.
-Sister Hillary Boyd

2016, May 5

” And He said,  I am God, the God of thy father: Fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again.” Genesis 46: 3- 4a

Sometimes God will call us to go through times of tribulation or temptations. He has also promised to not give us anything that we cannot bear with Him and He has promised that He will never leave us. He tells us not to fear! He says that He will go down into this valley with us and He will surely bring us back up out of it.  If God has called us to bear this trial, then it is for our benefit, the benefit of other believers, the benefit of the kingdom; For He knows all things!! So look ahead with confidence that God is with you and you can endure all things to the end with Him. Do not hesitate to face the trials that are before you knowing that God will be with you and will bring you out of them even stronger in faith than before.  
“Without our God we should fear to move; but when He bids us to, it would be dangerous to tarry. Believer, go forward, and fear not!” – Charles Spurgeon
– Sister Hillary Boyd

2016, April 28

” Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I  satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.” Psalm 91:14-16

There are no greater words of comfort and assurance for the believer than words from God Himself. He is faithful to keep His promises, He cannot lie, He will not forget, and He does not fail. Here He promises to care for those who love Him. He will not leave us, He will answer when we call upon Him, He will protect us, He will deliver us, and He will show us His salvation. These are divine promises. He is faithful to do these things brethren, so… Believe!!
-Sister Hillary Boyd

2016, April 21

2 Corinthians 1:3-4
“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”

In this world we will face trials. It can be a temptation to pull away or draw back from God at these times. But, remember that He is the God of ALL comfort. There is no comfort, no peace, no hope outside of God. Do not be tempted to draw away when you face various afflictions, but draw in even closer to the only One who can give true comfort, peace that surpasses all understanding, and a hope of eternal life that is real. Also remember: Just as our afflictions are given to us as opportunities build our faith and the faith of others, the comfort that God gives us is for the benefit of not only ourselves, but also for the benefit of others.   We can comfort others with the very same comfort that we have received from God. His words are words of life. When offering words of comfort and hope to others who are hurting, use the words of life from the Giver of life.
– Sister Hillary Boyd

2016, April 7

“Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle forever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.” Psalm 61:1-4

We cannot handle this world on our own. If we try, we will surely find ourselves overwhelmed and eventually overcome. The good news is, that in Christ, we never have to face anything in this world alone. God is always with us. He will never leave us. He hears our cries in all circumstances. Call on His name. He will never let you down, He will provide a way out of temptation. He will protect you from evil. He will be your comfort in tribulation. He will be your strength in weakness. He will be your joy in sorrow. Stand up, confident on the Solid Rock that will not fall. Christ is the rock that is higher than us. He will never crumble. He will always be a firm foundation to build your faith upon. Abide in Him. He will bring you up higher. He will bring you to the Father.
– Sister Hillary Boyd