assurance

Find more new content from Pastor Hoot

I wrote in October that I was starting a new ministry venture into Tiktok, and I’m crossposting those videos to youTube for those who, like I was, refuse to use the TikTok app for various reasons.

Please like, follow, share, and repost the content you find edifying, challenging, or informative to help spread the message that God’s Word is life!

Visit

https://youtube.com/@godswordislifebypastorhoot3577?si=QUoMLfoXhLkEU_1S

And/or

@pastorjoehooten
https://www.tiktok.com/@pastorjoehooten?_t=8rwPyYh4YJj&_r=1

Leaving comments also helps me determine what kinds of content to post and topics to address. Please help shape the future of God’s Word is Life with your questions and comments.

May God bless you all.

PJ

New ministry venture

From the suggestion of friends and family, I am enbarking on a new ministry venture while continuing to provide for my family by driving semi trucks.

In addition to returning to a commitment to writing more, I am finally breaking down a personal barrier and embracing TikTok as a medium to carry the Good News.

Please consider visiting and supporting my new TikTok channel and submitting topics you may like to see addressed.

May God continue to bless you as you follow Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP88D7TBA/

Sincerely,

Pastor Hoot

Don’t forget!

Don’t forget to visit, like, share, and follow God’s Word is Life on Facebook! https://m.facebook.com/pastorhoot/?tsid=0.8345818494675541&source=result

I post much more encouragement, memes, and information to that page than the website.

Rejoice Always

There are a lot of places in Scripture where it specifically says, ‘this is the will of God”, although it is certainly implied in most places. And, definitely is in the commandments…

Yet, here is one where it’s absolutely clear. It was our kids memory and handwriting verse at school Monday and Tuesday. Originally, until I said something, they looked at three verses and saw them as separate.

I had they take a closer look then zoom back out again. Guys, it’s all one sentence, one thought, one instruction.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16‭-‬18 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/1th.5.16-18.ESV

New Messages Coming in March

Long awaited…!

We will be starting a new message series in March.

I have been commissioned to preach every Sunday in March at Boiling Springs Church of God in Decatur, IL. Stop by 10:45 if you’re available, or stay tuned to godswordislife.com for audio and video of the messages.

May God bless you all!

Pastor Joe

Back in the Saddle Again

Friends,
Life can be so crazy and overwhelming sometimes, we know the secret of contentment comes from God alone through His Son, Jesus the Messiah, the Christ, the Holy and Appointed One of God. Philippians 4:13 reveals that secret, “I”, Paul says, “can do all things through Him (Jesus) who gives me strength.”
I am praying for strength right now, going through the holidays, working both my full-time job, part-time substitute teaching, both volunteer ministry and occasional pulpit supply preaching plus of course, famil; in the meantime, neglecting to post and write.
I apologize once again for my negligence.
Getting back on the ball, so please like, share, follow, recommend on Facebook  and godswordislife.com
God’s Word is Life and we can have peace and contentment through Him who gives us strength!
Thanks!

Chaos, confusion, control, conflict, and peace!

2020 has been a year unlike any other for those of us alive today. Seems like an understatement, right?

I have spoken to people in their 90s who say the same… The world is in chaos, economies are collapsing, businesses are closing, there are peaceful protests, armed conflicts, destructive riots, shootings, bombings, a global pandemic, and fear mongering.

Government officials at all levels are trying to exercise control over individuals in ways our forefathers revolted against…and just wait until the American people have to pay back, through higher taxes, all the money our government has borrowed in order to pay out all those stimulus packages.

Borders have been closed, travel has been halted, states and cities are quarantining people who travel to and from hot spots, even when their spot is hotter than the ones they are so worried about…hello, Chicago??? In the meantime, here in the good old U S of A, you’ll get COVID at church, at school, a small business, a fitness center, or a restuarant; but not at a protest rally, Walmart, Menards (where I work), or a political rally. Go figure!

It all makes us wonder…is God still alive? Does God even care? Can we have peace, when the world has gone crazy?

YES, YES, and YES!!! The answers are YES!

YES, God is still alive! YES, God does still care! YES, we can have peace!

Jesus may have died on the cross and remained in the grave for 3 days two thousand years ago, but He was resurrected and He is still alive today at the Right Hand of the Father. He is still intervening on our behalf moment by moment. The Father is still offering forgiveness for all our imperfections through our faith in His Perfect Son. His Son is still bestowing Holy Spirit upon us believers to be our Indwelling Comforter and Teacher. The Church is still on Earth and in heaven to act as Christ’s Body and Bride. However, we need unity now, more than ever!

Only God can heal this world, only Jesus can unify our divided spirit, only Holy Spirit will convict us and call us to turn from our selfish desires and grow the Fruit of the Spirit within us. Do you want love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control to abound in the world? Let His Fruit grow in you, plant His Fruit in others, nurture His Fruit and watch it grow around the world!

In spite of the insanity in our world today, we can have peace… So, may the peace of God rest upon you. May the blessings of God live in you. And, may the love of God abound all around you.

What It Means to Be the Church: Churches Filling Needs as Lock-Down Continues

https://churchleaders.com/news/372794-be-the-church-filling-needs-lock-down.html

This is what the body of Christ should be doing…

Not closing our doors for public safety, but engaging the sick, hurting, and afraid with the love of Christ and meeting needs, just as our Lord and his disciples have always done!

You Cannot Serve Both God and Theology

Excellent and balanced article. Knowing God better and loving him more. So often, knowledge gets stuck in our heads but never travels to our hearts.

I have known people that could quote chapter and verse, talk about relationship, prayer, and grace; and yet miss the heart of God… Then, others who couldn’t even quote John 3:16, yet had a more profound faith and understanding of mercy, grace, forgiveness and love, than one with a PhD in Theology.

God promised to write his Word on our hearts, not just on the pages we can read.

https://churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/247944-cannot-serve-god-theology.html

Promises

As I have been reading through the Bible again this year, and teaching in our home church’s children’s ministry; today it hit once again,

Punishment and blessing, everything God promises comes true! He is faithful to keep his Word!!!

I am reading through Leviticus and today, we studied Obadiah… All the blessings and punishments God promised Israel in Leviticus, played out later in the story of Scripture.

God said it, and he kept his Word a thousand years later… he has made promises of both blessings and punishments for us today as well. We can choose to obey and be forgiven and blessed for eternity, or choose to deny him and be punished for eternity. The consequences of both are clear.

On this day, which will you choose? God will always keep his promises.