Pastor Jacob Franklin

God loved the world this way: He gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not die but will have eternal life! (John 3:16 GWT) For many people, Christmas is one of the most exciting yet stressful times of the year—shopping in long lines, traveling, cooking, wrapping gifts, bills, visiting family and for some—family drama. Society has failed to really focus on the true meaning of this season—the birth of Jesus Christ! It’s all about Jesus! Christmas is not about spending ourselves into the poor house—we give gifts not to receive a gift, but we give as a reminder of the gift of Jesus Christ! (Matthew 1:23) I encourage you as you go throughout this week, to keep Christ first by reflecting and celebrating the miracle of Jesus’ Holy birth—our King of kings, Lord of lords and Prince of peace! I am the living bread that came from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever! (John 6:51) ~God Pray This Prayer With Me : Father, I thank You for this wonderful season to...

God has a plan for your life and His plans are always for the welfare and future of those who are His. The Hebrew translation for welfare is shalom, meaning “complete state of well-being; fulfillment, peace and prosperity.” Even in the midst of sadness and disappointment, God always has plans to give His children hope. His designs for you are not for evil. The plan for your life and the circumstances you’re dealing with at this very moment are designed for you to call on Him and seek Him. When you seek Him, you will find Him. (Matthew 7:7) Absolutely nothing that is happening in your life is a surprise to God. His plan is to use everything for your good and His glory. (Romans 8:28) I encourage you to trust God and believe He is at work in your life and greater is coming! “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future!” (Jeremiah 29:11) ~ God Pray This Prayer With Me: Father, however I may feel and whatever I may face ...

Today is a day of new grace, mercy and love from our heavenly Father, so we have nothing to fret or dread about this day. (Lamentations 3:22-23) Whether you’re reading this at the start of your day, the middle or the end, God is with you, God is going before you and God is faithful to keep His promises! (Matthew 1:23, Deuteronomy 31:8, 2 Corinthians 1:20) I encourage you to celebrate what an incredible life you’ve had so far: the many blessings, the accomplishments, and yes, even the difficulties and delays, because they have served their purpose and every trial you face was allowed by God for your ultimate good and His glory! (Romans 8:28) God has a reason and by faith, you will see it, but for now—take a moment and truly think about who created this day and everything in this day, and rejoice and be glad in God’s wonderful gift to you! “Every valley will be raised. Every mountain and hill will be lowered. Steep places will be made level. Rough places will be made smooth. Then my gl...

Patient Endurance Is What You Need Now , so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that He has promised! (Hebrews 10:36) Waiting for God’s timing is never wasted time, it’s important to strengthen us and mature our faith! (Philippians 4:13) Those who seek the LORD know that God’s resources for us are unlimited! (Ephesians 3:20)  The scripture tells us, “after you have done what God wants you to do, you can receive all He has promised you!” (Hebrews 10:36) Not some, but all! If you wait on God, don’t quit, don’t run away from the problem, pace yourself—you will receive what God promised in abundance physically, financially, relationally, emotionally, according to His perfect will! (Isaiah 40:31, Galatians 6:9) I encourage you while waiting, to remain positive, keep your expectations high and let your dreams be bigger than your fears and your actions louder than your words! (James 2:14) “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to ha...

Jeremiah 17:8 goes on to say, “They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green and they never stop producing fruit.” When the heat of battle or impossible circumstances arise, even a child of God can easily become tempted to be worried. Trusting God doesn’t prevent us from feeling discomfort or being uncomfortable in a situation; however it does allow us to be placed in a position where we seek the Lord’s presence, provisions, guidance and promises. There we find—there is none greater than our Lord! (1 Samuel 2:2) With one spoken word—God can instantly align all! (Genesis 1) God has conquered all and rules over all, for all eternity! (John 16:33) You can trust God has everything under control and He will work it out for your good! (Romans 8:28) I encourage you to pray without ceasing and continue seeking His Kingdom, no matter how you feel—God ...

“ The Vision Will Still Happen At The Appointed Time ! It hurries toward its goal. It won't be a lie. If it's delayed, wait for it. It will certainly happen. It Won't Be Late !” (Habakkuk 2:3) Ecclesiastes 5:3 teaches us, “A dream comes with much business and painful effort.” In pursuit of our dreams, we can expect it can become more costly, uncomfortable and we’ll experience pain and delay. You may experience delayed healing, before healing, financial difficulty, before abundance, loneliness, before happily married, renting longer than expected, before owning your own home, however faithfulness starts small. (Matthew 25:21) Just because things aren’t exactly as you desire them to be at this moment or everything hasn’t unfolded as you would have desired—doesn’t mean God Almighty isn’t able to reach down and work through broken and imperfect vessels like us! (Jeremiah 18:6, Matthew 9:17) We’re God’s workmanship and before God built the dream, He built the dreamer. (Ephesians...

All Of Your Help Comes From The Lord — The Maker Of Heaven And Earth ! (Psalm 121:1-2) It’s easy to allow feelings to take control of our lives, when life is hard, when we’re weary and we feel like we’re in a valley. During those moments, we must always remember we have promises from God that doesn’t change like the weather. Promises that are true no matter how we feel, no matter what we’re experiencing, no matter the struggle we face—God is our place of safety! He gives us strength! He is always there to help us in times of trouble! (Psalm 46:1) If we’re walking by faith and resting in the promises of God, satan can’t easily distract us. We remain confident in what God has promised—He is able! (Romans 4:21) We’re not failures, we’re never quitters—we’re victors, trophies of God’s grace, set on display as a fragrant and an everyday reminder to satan of God's goodness! (2 Corinthians 2:14) I encourage you to remain confident in God who has begun a good work within you—He will contin...