Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Feb 21st, 2023 As the Lord Commanded Him, So Did He by Pastor Corey Woolner

Today’s Passage – Numbers 16 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Acts 22 – 24; Proverbs 21; Psalms 106 – 110)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 121

Read the “0221 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“11 And Moses did so: as the LORD commanded him, so did he.” (Numbers 17:11)

There are some verses in scripture that always grab your attention. One of those verses is found in Numbers chapter 17. The Bible says in Numbers 17:11 “And Moses did so: as the Lord commanded him, so did he.” 

I love reading about the men and women in the scriptures who obeyed God. The Bible says in Genesis 6:22 “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.” Noah & Moses are two wonderful examples of men who just obeyed God. Both of these good men are mentioned in Hebrews 11 which some call the “Hall of Faith.” These men were not perfect men and they did make their mistakes, but they were men of faith who did all that God asked of them. These men were not defined by their mistakes or shortcomings, but they were defined and remembered by their great faith. 

Think about Noah for a second. Here’s a man who is called upon to build this massive ark and he was told to warn of the rain and judgment to come. After 120 years of building & preaching, the ark was complete, but only Noah and his family entered and were saved. Noah’s success was not found in how many entered the ark, but his success was found in his obedience to God. You and I get too concerned with what will happen if we obey God and that holds us back at times. We need to obey God by faith. 

Friend, God is worthy of our obedience. It’s not unreasonable for us to obey Him. 

Not a super deep thought for us today, but a powerful remainder to just do what God says. 

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.”(Psalm 37:23)

Posted in Devotions by Corey Woolner with 3 comments.

Mar 19th, 2021 Leadership Lessons from Joshua … by Corey Woolner

Today’s Passage – Joshua 22 – 24 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Hebrews 5 – 8; Proverbs 19; Psalms 91 – 95)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Psalm 25

Read the “0319 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:15)

Joshua is nearing the end of his life during these last 3 chapters on this book. What a great man Joshua was! He was the minister of Moses which led him to become the leader of the Israelites.

Joshua 24:15 is a very well known verse. There are two thoughts on leadership I want to bring out of this verse today.

Leadership is setting the example. A real leader leads. A real leader doesn’t sit around and boss everyone around and tell everyone else what to do while he himself just sits idle.

By Joshua saying “..as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” he was setting another example for the people.
A real Christian leader will encourage others to serve the Lord.

The greatest form of leadership is to lead by example. This is how Jesus lead in John 13 with the washing of feet. Jesus said in John 13:15, “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.”

Leaders lead by example. In Joshua chapter 24, Joshua was continuing to set the example.

Joshua was not just setting the example for the Israelites, he was setting the example for his house. He was not just the leader of the nation, he was the leader of his home. God has ordained three things which are the home, government, and the church. Gods design & plan is for the man to be the head of the home. Joshua had for a long time served the Lord, and here in chapter 24 he declares again the stand his house will take. WE WILL SERVE THE LORD!

Men, set the example for the people God has given you to lead. If that’s a congregation, a bus route, or a Sunday school class, set the example when it comes to serving the Lord.
When it comes to your house, your family, set the example that your house will serve the Lord and be a Christian house.

Joshua was an old man the Bible tells us in chapter 23:1. Even in his old age, Joshua wanted to continue serving the Lord. Think about how long he had been serving the Lord, yet he had no quit in him. A real leader doesn’t quit. A real leader runs their race and finishes their course.

Posted in Devotions by Corey Woolner with 2 comments.

Aug 14th, 2020 God’s Presence and Provision … by Pastor Corey Woolner

“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

Today’s Passage – Jeremiah 1 – 3 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – John 21; Psalms 66 – 70; Proverbs 14)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 119:105

Read the “0814 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Here in chapter 1, we see that the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah as a young child. Jeremiah, the Weeping Prophet, heard the voice of the Lord in his younger years. In verse 5, we see a strong reference to life in the womb. God knew him when he was in the womb, proving that life begins at conception!  When a baby is in the womb, God knows that baby and that baby is a precious life! Abortion is the murder of that precious life and we as Christians need to speak up about that.

Continuing on, God tells Jeremiah that he was ordained a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah claims that his age and inexperience mean he cannot do and be what God wanted. The Lord gave Jeremiah assurances. In verse 7, the Lord tells Jeremiah that this calling was not about Jeremiah himself, but about his God. In the next verse, God told him to not be afraid of their faces, since that would be tempting because of his youth.

At times, I feel like Jeremiah. The Lord opened the door for me to become a Pastor back in October. After much prayer, we accepted the position. I’m 25, and trust me, my age was a great concern. “God is this too much for me? Am I too young?” These questions would run through my mind. One passage that helped me was in Joshua 1, where God told Joshua that just as He was with Moses, He would be with him. The assurance the Lord gave Joshua was His presence, and that’s the same assurance He gave Jeremiah. As a young Pastor, I am not to be afraid of their faces, but rather to preach the Bible as God commands.

God also gave Jeremiah the assurance of provision. He said in verse 8 “…for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.” God is able to deliver us from anything we face! There is nothing too hard for Him! The God we serve is the God of Jeremiah and the other prophets. As Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said “…our God whom we serve is able to deliver us…” Christian, you have nothing to fear. You have been promised His presence and His provision. God will take care of you!

Posted in Devotions by Corey Woolner with 3 comments.

May 26th, 2020 Do Right … by Pastor Corey Woolner

Today’s Reading – 2 Chronicles 34 – 36 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers Read – Romans 5 – 8; Psalms 120 – 125; Proverbs 26)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Ephesians 4:32

Read the “0526 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left.” (2 Chronicles 34:1-2)

Hello everyone! 

I’m honored Pastor Erickson asked me to do this. We are good friends and I greatly appreciate his friendship and love for the Lord. I hope this can be a blessing to someone today! 

When we read through I & II Kings and I & II Chronicles, it seems like we often read about how certain people did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, while others did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. I always enjoy reading about when a king did right in the sight of the Lord, even if his father and grandfather were known for evil. This shows us that even if previous generations did not serve the Lord and do right, that doesn’t have to define the following generation. Even if people in your family chose not to  live for God, YOU CAN change that. Every person has to decide for themselves to do right and to serve the Lord, regardless of what others have done. 

Here in our passage, beginning in II Chronicles 34, we see Josiah becoming king at eight years old. That’s scary! The Bible tells us Josiah made a good decision at a young age, by seeking after God. 

Plain and simple thought here today: Josiah did right. He chose to do that which is right in the eyes of God. There is something to be said for just doing right. At our church last night, I preached about doing right, and staying away from sin. We briefly looked at the life of Daniel, who had purposed in his heart to do right by God. Although he was in a different land, with different people, he was controlled by his convictions and his character. He chose to do right.

We have too many people doing things that grieve the Spirit of our God. There are too many making excuses on why they can’t do right and please the Lord. As Christians, we should have a burning desire to do right by our God. Dump the excuses!

There is never a good time to sin or to do wrong. All the time, do right; and do right, all the time. 

“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 2 Timothy‬ ‭2:19‬ ‬‬

Posted in Devotions by Corey Woolner with 4 comments.

Mar 31st, 2020 Don’t Forsake the Way … by Pastor Corey Woolner

Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 8 – 11 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here  to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Revelation 16 – 19, Revelation 20 – 22; Proverbs 31)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Proverbs 3:5 & 6

Read the “0331 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.” (1 Samuel 8:3)

The Bible is alive! It is truly a living book! Hebrews 4:12 says “For the word of God is quick…”. This has probably happened to you before, where you read a passage over and over and you read it again and the Holy Spirit highlights something in the passage. 

I have read these chapters many times like you probably have as well, but as I was reading for this devotion, I was thinking about Samuel and his sons. First Samuel chapter 8 and verse 3 is the thought today, “And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment”. They totally went in the opposite direction that their father, Samuel, had raised them in. 

Samuel was God’s man. One of his sons was named Joel – meaning “Jehovah is God!” The other named Abiah meaning “God is my Father!” Samuel knew God and he was close to the Lord God. 

Samuel served the Lord from his youth. He had a godly and a praying mom named Hannah who lent him unto the Lord not long after his birth. Samuel began serving the Lord and hearing the voice of God at a young age (1 Samuel 3). 

He was now an old man according to chapter 8 and verse 1. I admire Samuel’s faithfulness. I have the highest respect for men of God and women of God who are just faithful for the long haul. In the last 8 weeks at our church we’ve had the honor of having Dr. Paul Fedena, Pastor Charles Clark, Jr., and Missionary Jeff Bassett in to preach. All 3 of these men have been saved and serving God for over 40 years. Their faithfulness to our Lord inspires me and encourages me to keep my eyes on the Lord and keep serving Him in truth. 

Samuel wasn’t one of these fire cracker servants of the Lord – in it for a little while and made an impact, and then vanish away. Instead, he stayed faithful. 

His sons on the other hand made up their mind that they were going to go a different path. They would have grown up seeing their dad serving the Lord and seeing their dad praying. God was real to Samuel and his sons would have seen that. How sad that they didn’t walk in their fathers ways. 

Just like Joel and Abiah had a spiritual influence in their life, you do as well. There have been people that have influenced your life spiritually and you ought to thank God for those people. I think about in my life how I’ve had pastors, my parents, teachers, coaches, and friends influence me for the Lord. I don’t want to let them down. I don’t serve God for them, but one of the reasons I serve God is because of them. God uses people to encourage us and help us along the way. 

People have invested in you. People have influenced you in your Christian walk. Don’t turn aside and start following false doctrine, don’t turn aside and start following the latest trends in the world, don’t turn aside and start forsaking church and spiritual things. 

Don’t let it be that the “Samuels” in your life find out that you forsook the ways of the Lord God. Maybe you’ve been thinking about walking away, let me ask you to consider two things: Jesus Christ and the people that have spiritually influenced your life. 

Posted in Devotions by Corey Woolner with 3 comments.