VEM Resources
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
As we reflect back on the year 2011, we can certainly concur that the hand of the Lord has been gracious to us all. As we look ahead and prepare to launch forward into this up and coming year, we pray that His grace, mercy and divine providence will carry you through all that life brings.
On behalf of Veronica Evans Ministries, we would like to thank each of you for your prayers, acts of kindness, financial support and partnership in 2011. We wish you every happiness this Holiday Season may bring and prosperity in the New Year. We look forward with great anticipation to what the Lord has in store in the coming year.
All the best to you and your family,
Veronica Evans
Veronica Evans Ministries
Happy Thanksgiving!
Greetings in the awesome name of God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! We are so excited to bring you another edition of the Veronica Evans Ministries Newsletter.
As we joyfully embrace the holiday seasons ahead and reflect on the months past, VEM would like to personally thank you for your words of encouragement, donations, prayers, concerns, support and partnership during this past year. We are so grateful for your outward display of love and inward concern for this ministry and the body of Christ at-large.
As we approach this year's Thanksgiving Holiday, please don't forget to acknowledge and thank our Heavenly Father for His goodness and kindness towards us. Lamentations 3:22-23 says, "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."
While we all should be thankful for our homes, families, places of employment, etc., let's give thanks to the One who's responsible for our well being, the breath we breathe, our protection, etc. It should be our utmost desire and priority to worship the Creator rather than His creations. The love of God has been clearly displayed for all of us to see in the sacrifice of His Son Yeshua! So as we sit down on tomorrow to dine with those we love from far and near, remember that everyday is a day of Thanksgiving.
Now, in preparation for tomorrow's feast and reflections, please join me in a simple Thanksgiving prayer to the Giver and Sustainer of life.
"Dear Heavenly Father, We come to you in the matchless name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We publicly confess that you and you alone are God. We thank you for your outward display of love in giving your Son as a ransom for our sins. Please forgive me for any selfish ambitions or intents or motives that have been contrary to your way and your word. Please forgive me Father for every negative and hurtful word spoken and every evil deed done. Thank you that the blood of Christ has been poured upon your mercy seat as a means of atonement for my sin.
Now Father, I would like to personally thank you for life. Thank you for the beautiful family you have bestowed upon me. Thank you for family far and near. Thank you for blessing and protecting us. Thank you for meeting all of our needs as you said you would. Thank you for hearing the prayers of the righteous. Thank you for being a Father to the fatherless and a mother to the motherless and a comfort to the widow and brokenhearted.
We come with grateful hearts just to say that we love you more than life itself and that we are so grateful for your kindness towards us. Teach us Father how to love others as you have loved us. Teach us how to give and be concerned about the needs of others above our own needs. Thank you for being my salvation, my portion, my strength, my breath, my healer, my confidente, my shield. In Jesus' Name. Amen."
From all of us here at Veronica Evans Ministries, we wish you a Happy, Happy Thanksgiving!
~Veronica
Previous Quarter Newsletters
Qtr 4 Newsletter Topic - "God's Proceeding Word"
As I pondered about what to write for this month's newsletter, the Lord laid upon my heart one of my favorite scriptures. It comes from Matthew 4:4 regarding the temptation of Jesus by Satan in the wilderness. It reads, "But He answered and said, It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"
Now, when Jesus stated that it is written, He was referring to Deuteronomy 8:3 which reads, "So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every [word] that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD."
In an effort to bring proper, relevant and practical application of this word for today, let me first begin by supplying the historical account of Deuteronomy. The Lord Yahweh had led the children of Israel on the entire 40-year wilderness journey. He did this through visible manifestations of His glory via cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He fed them with heavenly manna or angel's food (Psalm 78:25) from on high and provided water from the rock in Horeb (Ex. 17:6). The Lord had even preserved their clothing so that none were tattered or worn-out neither were their feet swollen. The children of Israel were the first to experience God's divine guidance, protection, and provision and He did this to prove that He, and He alone, was their sustainer.
Now let's fast forward to Jesus in the wilderness being tempted by Satan to turn stones into bread (temptation request number 1). Jesus had fasted for forty days and forty nights and was afterwards hungry, verse 2 of Matthew 4 says. Satan sought to take advantage of Jesus' physical circumstance by proposing that He turn stones to bread. It was no doubt that Jesus was and is the Son of God and Satan's subtle attempt was to distract Jesus from His purpose. I like how one Study Bible says that there was nothing morally wrong with turning stones to bread; Satan was tempting Jesus to do a miracle outside of the Father's will. Just like Jesus, we too will be tempted to do things that are not necessary wrong, they're just outside of the the will of God. This is why our constant fellowship with the Lord along with daily reading of His word and prayer are so vitally important.
Jesus looked beyond His present physical need and saw that of the Father's. He said that man, meaning us, shall not live by bread or food alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God! Because we live in a country that is over saturated with food, we become distressed when lean times come. Everything we do is governed, regulated or celebrated by or with food. Fasting has become a thing of the past for most of us. It is very sad to say that there are even some Christians who have never fasted or see no true relevance or purpose for fasting but that's another newsletter!!!
Bottom line.....God's word (spiritual food) is more important and needful over physical food. Although He provides the physical food, it should not control us. Nothing should control us more than Christ and our love for Him! Israel spent 40 years in the dessert, in the waste howling wilderness where there was no means of human subsistence, not starving, but divinely provided for and protected, so that God could prove to every age that human support depends not upon bread, but upon His unfailing word of promise and pledge of providential care!
Yes, the unemployment rate is increasing, yes we know that food in certain countries is scarce, yes we know that food prices are on the rise BUT we also know that we serve a God who is able to do all things but fail! Don't allow the enemy to tempt you with superficial, temporal things. Life depends on the will/word of God. Bread alone does not sustain life; ultimately it's God who sustains life.
Be diligent to growing closer to Christ in a love relationship with Him and obey His word. Stop running after things and people and run hard after God! Stop looking for your next "blessing!" You're already blessed! Ephesians 1:3 says, "Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [places] in Christ." Defeat the enemy of your soul by continuing to pursue the will of the Father, following His will for your life and striving to be a blessing to others! Feast on the spiritual food and experience the abundant life!
May the Lord of Heaven continue to smile graciously upon you!
~Veronica
Qtr 3 Newsletter Topic - "Dangers of Complacency"
We pray that this newsletter finds you walking in the faith of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and experiencing the perfect love of God on a daily basis!As I pondered about how to pen this newsletter, the Holy Spirit repeatedly referred me back to a sermon I preached a few years ago titled, "The Dangers of Complacency," taken from Amos 6:1-6.
According to historical data, Amos was an 8th Century prophet whose name meant "Burden Bearer." He prophesied to the Northern Kingdom during a time when externally this nation appeared to have it all. This kingdom had just experienced territorial expansion, political peace and were basking under national prosperity. Although on the surface this nation appeared to have it going on, internally they were spiritually corrupt due to hypocrisy and idolatrous religion, which seemed to be popular. They were also morally oppressive to the poor, extravagantly indulgent in their lifestyles, and corrupt in their government.
Isn't this the same picture we see among Christianity today? On the surface we appear to be religiously polished in our weekend ritualistic services. We appear to be more concerned over the needs of others, we appear to place God's agenda over ours, and we appear to be peacemakers & lovers of God. However; the sad reality is that this is far from the truth!
If we really stop to take a self analysis of our daily lives and weekly religious activities, we would instantly conclude that our lives are very selfcentered, self-indulgent, meaning that we are in a constant state of always begging or wanting more. Normalcy bias has almost crippled the church and caused many to become desensitized to the urgent things of God. We have become excessively obsessed with ourselves and less concerned about things happening around us. Now although I am not attempting to move you to reacting from a spirit of fear, I do want to quicken your spirit man to the urgent things and ways of God!
By definition, normalcy bias "refers to an extreme mental state people enter when facing a disaster." Most Christians know that the Bible assures us of Christ's return, but because He has not returned yet, they believe they have plenty of time to prepare or get ready or to witness to their unsaved loved ones. As one writer said, "Normalcy bias is that little voice inside that says, "nothing bad is happening here, proceed as normal."
God is showing us now more than ever that His eminent return is upon us! Just look at the degradation and rise of immorality, not only here in the US, but throughout the entire world. And what has our response been? I'll answer that for you.....business as usual! We have witnessed the recent rampant destructions caused by hurricanes and tornadoes, heard of the recent immoral laws passed in New York, have seen the enormous increase of child murders and witnessed Christianity, through it's false leaders, become a mockery to non-believers. We have seen and witnessed countless leaders and false prophets misleading the flock of God due to their own pride, greed, selfish gain and self-gratification. And again I ask...What has your response been? How have you defended the sacredness of God's Word? How have you contended for the faith?
Complacency, according to Webster, means "self-satisfaction,
ease of mind; contentment." Complacency
sets in when people are at ease or have no concern about
threatened judgments. It also sets in when people have no genuine
or deep concern for the salvation of their souls
or the souls of others. Many of us have failed to step
out of our spiritual stupor and get back on course with God. We cannot
become so relaxed in our
own lives that we fail to help those in both physical and spiritual
need. Scripture
has made it clear that the Lord will return at a time we least
expect (Matthew 24:36-44). As a matter of fact, we are cautioned
to
remain in a state of readiness in order to avoid being caught off
guard.
What are these dangers that accompany complacency.
While you do bear in
mind that this list is not exhaustive, I ask that you review it as
a means of enlightenment, conviction and as a much-needed
turning point. Although the Lord gave me this message a few years ago,
I find myself going
back to it constantly in an effort to keep myself in a state of
readiness and progression.
DANGER #1 Complacency gives way to compromise and
rebellion
against God.
A. It caused Israel to look for ease and self-indulgence
B. You can become addicted to luxury
C. You begin to despise productive people
D. You begin to compromise your integrity
E. You begin to hate and reject correction
DANGER # 2 Complacency gives a false sense of security.
You lose sight of God and His divine providence.
A. You trust in your own knowledge verses God's
B. You trust in the work of your own hands rather than God's
C. You trust more in your wealth than God's
D. You trust more in others than God
DANGER #3 Complacency causes one to become desensitized and disengaged to the world around them.
A. We begin to neglect the needs of the poor, widows, children, sick, etc.
B. We are more concerned about our own houses, jobs and families rather than the concerns of others
DANGER #4 Complacency brings about social, political and religious corruption.
A. Israel used her wealth to pamper herself rather than assist those in need
B. Complacency causes us to tolerate social injustices and immorality within the church, our communities, within government, etc.
C. Complacency causes us to become religious and ritualistic in our
worship to God.
In Amos 5:21-22 God despised and would not regard Israel's feasts, assemblies and their noisy songs. He would not listen to their music
and would not accept their offerings because of the pride of their hearts.
DANGER #5 Complacency will cause you to neglect or
deny the sin in your life, therefore causing you to ignore the judgment of sin.
A. You blatantly ignore or make excuses for sin in your life and encourage or approve of others who do the same
B. You think that failure to repent of personal sin(s) does not apply to you
I am challenging you today to awake out of your spiritual slumber, for God has need of you! Only what you do for Christ will last! Don't allow your quest for prosperity and status and fame to become your destruction. Don't fall in love with luxury or boast in your own strength and wealth. The needs of others must out-weigh your own needs. When God blesses us, it is so we can become blessings to others. Don't be deceived by false securities! The only thing sure is Jesus and His eminent return! God does not want religion....He wants relationship. Examine your heart today. Desire to please God more than yourself or man.
If you have found yourself in a state of complacency, get up, dust yourself off and get back on track. Preach the Gospel. Sing the Gospel! Evangelize to your family! Repent and turn back to God! Help those in need! "But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt 6:33).
In His Love,
Veronica Evans
Veronica Evans Ministries
Newsletters for download...
(links forthcoming)2011 Quarter 1 | 2011 Quarter 2 | 2011 Quarter 3 | 2011 Quarter 4
