This is the First Time They Are Away From Home, and They

Need to Hear, Read and Digest the Word of God Which

 Will Help Them In This Time of Change

 In Their Life.

1 Timothy 6 : 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

Paul is telling Timothy to "Fight the good fight of faith." In other words, don't look to the left nor the right, look ahead and see the path to Heaven never getting distracted. Today are we "Fighting the good fight of faith?" Are we letting the little distractions of our lives get us down or are we holding on to our faith? What is faith? one might ask.

Romans 10 : 17.  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Hebrews 11 :   Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Excercising our faith i ssomething we must do everyday. We do this first by reading the Word of God. We must hold on to our eternal life and be a witness to our testimony. This is what all Christians are called to do: to go our and always be redy to give our testimony and let Jesus Christ work though us to receive the Glory. We must hide behind the cross and let the world see Him and not us.

By applying yourself in these areas, your life will tremendously change. Read the Word of God daily. Let your faith be built up so when you do cross that bridge in your life where you seem like you are alone, you can apply the Word of God to your situation and have the peace that only God can supply. Remember, it all starts with you. Don't make God wait on  you!!!

James 3 : 8.  But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
 9.  Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

There are many different cultures that are represented here at Mid-Continent Bible College, as adults (many being away from home for the first time), We have to lean and control what we say or speak through discipline that comes from reading the Word.

Paul in many of his writings tells us that we must press toward the "mark," the finish line, and have the mind of Christ.

One way of showing that we are Christians and representatives of this college not only here on campus or in the public, or in school sponsored events is to control our tongue.As children we are told "sticks" and stones will hurt my bones but words will never hurt me."

Words are what can and will hurt the most and can cause the most damage whether it be spoken straight to a person or if they hear through gossip. Temember how can we

praise God and yet curse man whch is created in God's image with the same tongue? Not only is it not right in God's eyes but the  secular world is watching "us" the Christians and are also watching this college as we grow!!!!!

Proverbs 22 : 29. Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

A few short weeks ago we watched men and women--Jimmy Shea, sarah Hughus and others--compete in Olympic events, and, in a matter of minutes, receive international acclaim. We witness the glory they receive for their efforts.

What we don't see, except in brief media biographies are the years of commitment, sacrifice, pain, failure and daily routine that preceded their moment on the Olympic platform. We live in an age that wants immediat results and instant gratification, but the real rewards of life are earned over time.

Take heart! Persevere in your work, striving for excellence in the little things. Serve others well, even if it goes unnoticed. Hold fast to the vision of your dreams and keep putting one foot in front of the other to make them happen. Stay connected with the Lord of the universe, and all resources are yours. But remember always give thanks for what He has done for you.

And if you do not yet have a vision or dream of what the Lord has put you on this earth to do be encouraged. Ask, God, and he is sure to give you the answer, only if you truly desire to do the work of the kingdom.

Mathew 6: 6.  But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Jesus Tells us in this verse that when we need to pray we should not run to the first person who goes to church or is a Christian. We are to seek wise counsel and pray one for another but we have to realize there is a right way and a wrong way.

He is telling us we need that personal relationship with Him. this personal relationship with Jesus only comes by finding our special room and shutting the door and the whole world out while we pray to the Father. By praying to the Father in our "secret place," He says, "Your father who see in secret will reward you openly."

With this in mind, we do not need to pray secretly so that we can be awarded, but rather to humble ourselves in private in order to grow n that special relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus Knows the desires of our hearths and He wil answer that prayer only though our humility and building that special relationship with Him. This is where it begins.

Here on campus we have a special prayer room. It is located on the northern side of the main class room building. This door is always open, never locked. I encourage students who live on campus to use this "secret place" and build that special relationship with Jesus Christ that He is longing for. If you need someone to pray with youin the "secret" place find a Christian and ask him orher to pray with you. God wants to move in a mighty way on campus but we have to draw a circle around ourselves and take that step of faith to build that relationship with Jesus.

Galatians 5 : 16.  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

If we have truly accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we will find that we still sin. Something inside of us tells us of this truth. The Bible says that this inner voice is not just our conscience or morality, but the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8 : 16. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

1 Corinthians 3 : 16.  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17.  If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

If we know that we have sinned, we must repent--truly ask God for forgiveness. If we do not do this, sin will continue and we will get further and further from God. During the college years many youg adults try to "sow their wild oats" either through drinking, cursing, or engaging in premaritial sex. Stand strong and do not fulfill the lust of flesh. We only have once chance here on earth. These things mentioned are sins, and these sins will draw you further away from Jesus.

Take a second and look around at how the world is changing more and more each day: from stem cell research to cloning, the world is trying to play God. Do not follow in their footsteps. God has given each of us today, but does not guarantee us tomorrow.

One day each of us will stand before God and then every knee shall bow before Jesus. We will be held accountable for what we have done here on this earth.

Mathew 6: 34.  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

As Both college students and Christians, we get overwhelmed in our everyday activities. It is so easy to put more on our plates even if it's just to help a friend out.

Friends should always help each other, but remember, do not take advangage of a friendship. Dwelling on something you can not change can cause high anxiety.

What would happen if we put God in control of everything? Would we not worry about tomorrow, but first think about today? Remember worry changes nothing. Leave tomorrow's trial to tomorrow's grace. Once we let God have control of our lives in everything we do, situations go better and we find God blesses us with Godly friends to help us face whatever happens in our lives.

Romans 12 : 21. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

In Webbster's Dictionar, the definition of "evil" is 1. morally bad or wrong (wicked). 2. harmful, injurious. 3. unlucky disastrous--wickedness, sin or anything that causes harm or pain.

The definition of "good" is 1. better. 2. honorable. 3. enjoyable. 4. able to endure or be used for a period of time. 5. considerable.

Paul basically is stating that two wrongs (evils), do not make it right  (good). If someone does something that hurts you don't try to get even. But do the good thing that God has called you to do instead. We have to overcome evil with good by doing right. As we are entering our last month at Mid-Continent before the summer break, let's go the extra mile, be helpful, do the right things for our fellow students, and benot be selfish. If you see a "brother" or "sister" in need, do the honorable thing, the better thing, and be considerate. Let's not cause pain by any means.

1 Timothy 2 : 8.  I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

In this letter, Paul writes to Timothy, pastor of the church at Ephesus. Timothy' Gentile heritage was sourc of some strife there. In this Pastoral letter, Paul sets some ground rules. If a church is in strife, he writes, then it's meembers are letting Satan get inside the church body.

Today one thing that casues strife in churches is how to worship God. David worshiped God with everthing that was in him, every way that he thought he could worship God, he did.

When you pray or when you worship, don't worry about the person around you. Lifting "holy hands" means that when you pray, you are actually surrendering to God Jesus says in John 4:23: " But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers whall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him."

Remember the hour is at hand. God is looking for people, including students and faculty, here at Mid-Continent, to worship Him in spirit and in truth. If you are truly worshiping God you should not worry about other people. God has spared evryone at this school in one way or another. All He is asking is that you think about what He has done for you and then apply that thanksgiving through worship. He is seeking such to worship Him. Remember, to experience something you have never experienced before you have to step out and do something you have never done before.

Matthew 11 : 28.  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
 29.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
 30.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

On word: "FINALS"

This word in itself can be both a burden and a victory. We are all looking forward to the summer, but first we have to get through finals week, which is right around the corner. There are some of us who will worry and some of us who will be less troubled.

As adults, we sometimes see unexpected situatons come our way and, by nature, we allow these situations to burden us. Most of the time our problems are separate from our school-work, yet the problems often are reflected in our grades.

In the above scripture, Jesus says to cast all our burdens on Him and let Him take care of our needs. Sometimes we want to do things our way. Many times when we do, we see that our own way is different that what the Bible teaches.

In these next few weeks and throughout our lives, let's learn to give our burdens to Jesus, not only in and around school but also in every aspect of our daily routine. Let us all concentrate and prepare as we should. Let us do well on our finals and give God the glory!!!