Christian - forgiven - grateful

Welcome. My name is Richard Templin Hancock and I’m here to encourage you to have faith in Jesus Christ and follow Him daily. I'm glad you're here—let's walk this path together.

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Standing Firm in Spiritual Warfare

Standing Firm in Spiritual Warfare.

Let’s start with a powerful truth from Romans 8:38-39: 

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Look, when life gets heavy and the enemy throws everything he has at you, it can feel completely overwhelming. But the Apostle Paul’s confidence here is a massive reminder for us: no force—spiritual or earthly—can tear you away from God.

In spiritual warfare, your strongest defense is simply knowing who you are in Jesus. The enemy loves to attack with fear, doubt, and temptation. But you aren’t defenseless. You are chosen, redeemed, and equipped with God’s own weapons: truth, faith, and His Word.

When the fight intensifies, don't back down. James 4:7 gives us the exact game plan: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” When you align your heart with God, the enemy has to run.

Here is our battle plan for today:

First, speak the truth. When fear creeps in, declare Romans 8 out loud and anchor yourself in God’s love.

Second, guard your mind. Take every negative thought captive and replace it with Scripture.

And third, stay connected. Keep praying, reading your Bible, and stay close to your church community. 

Remember, you are more than a conqueror through Him who loves you. Stand firm today. If God is for us, who can really be against us?

Kept By The Power Of God

Kept By The Power Of God

1 Peter 1:5 "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

I was thinking about the fact that is good to be kept by the power of God. 

It says in Psalms 37:23-24 
"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand."

Even though we may fall, we shall not be utterly cast down because we are kept by the power of God! Not only does God order and direct our steps and our path, but that path is the Jesus path—the "Follow Jesus" path. And God delights as we walk in it!

Plus we have the promise God will not forsake believers in Jesus. 

Psalms 37:28 assures us:
"For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off."

Are you trusting in the LORD this hour? Then be comforted by the words of Psalms 125:1-2:
"They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever."

God's power keeps you today. Be blessed today as you walk with your God—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God who sent Messiah, Jesus.

I Will Come Again

I Will Come Again

John 14:3 KJV

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

Fellow follower of Jesus, we have much to be happy about this hour. Just think of it: Jesus has promised to come back for us and take us to be with Him in Heaven. Listen to what Jesus tells us in John 14:18-20:

“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.”

No matter what we are facing this hour, Jesus promises us a brighter day, a brighter hope, and a brighter future.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 assures us:

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

Jesus says in Revelation 3:21:

“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.”

Let’s encourage each other to press on and seek God’s grace to overcome. There will be a brighter day.

His Own Purpose And Grace

His Own Purpose And Grace

2 Timothy 1:9 NIV

“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.”

Just think about it. Before the beginning of time, God established His own purpose and grace for your life. And that life is lived out by faith in Jesus the Messiah and by following Him.

This is confirmed by what we are told in 1 Corinthians 1:9:

“God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

God has called us into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ. What an incredible thought! Our salvation and calling are not based upon anything we have done, but upon God’s own purpose and grace given to us in Christ Jesus.

And now that you have been called by God, you have the assurance given to us in Romans 11:29:

“For God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.”

Think about that. God’s call is irrevocable. You can rest in the assurance that God has a purpose for your life, and His grace is sufficient to accomplish what He has called you to do.

Knowing all this, we can rest in God’s will and trust Him, even when we cannot see what He is doing.

As we are told in Romans 8:28:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Fellow follower of Jesus, your life is not an accident. God has called you according to His purpose and grace, and that purpose is found in Jesus Christ. So keep following Jesus, trust His purpose, and rest in His grace.