Welcome to The Belonging! We are a Church that loves God and loves people. We are passionate about seeing people encounter God through worship, and experience the freedom that comes through knowing Jesus. Whoever you are, and wherever you come from, you are welcome!
The following article, containing dozens of spiritual quotes by our United States Presidents, is taken from Ed Moore's book, Prayer Force One: Across America. It is presented here in order to preserve the foundations of our nation's spiritual heritage. You may order Ed Moore's book by clicking on the book at the right.
A clarion call has been made to gather the saints for a grassroots effort across the state of Tennessee. We will serve those in authority from the Courthouse to the White House. We will serve through intercession for and interaction with governmental leaders in order to impact our cities, our state and nation. We will not only minister to those in the high place, but also those in the forgotten place. We will discern the heartbeat of cities and communities from mayors and city and county officials to determine how we can best serve those in authority. May we rise up rather than fall back in this hour and walk through the gates of government to serve with the heart and mind of Christ.
Each year, students gather around their school's flag pole for SYATP - the Global Day of Student Prayer. This year, SYATP is on September 25 and we want to show the power of prayer in the Nashville community.
The power of prayer is an incredible thing. At Philanthropy, we know that prayer is something important – but let us attempt to explain how much the Lord blesses us every day. About a year ago, Philanthropy started The Prayer Wall based on a story of a personal battle with cancer, and a mission set on our hearts from one of our customers. A random interaction turned into a very important day for all of us.Picking a Leader
There are a lot of picks in Nashville….guitar picks that is. Songwriters and singers pick away night and day around here, but this blog is not about picking guitars, this blog is about picking a leader.
We, the American people, pick the President of the United States of America (POTUS), one of the worlds most powerful and on January 20, 2017, they go to work leading our land. We pick them based on our political beliefs, which we will not go into here, but what we will go into here, is how we pick a leader for our hearts. Yes our hearts choose how they are led and it all depends on what we believe.
Jesus talked about picking what we will serve in life and how that is basically narrowed down to two, God or money. Here is what He had to say about that.
“Do not store up for yourselves [material] treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart [your wishes, your desires; that on which your life centers] will be also.
“The eye is the lamp of the body; so if your eye is clear [spiritually perceptive], your whole body will be full of light [benefiting from God’s precepts]. But if your eye is bad [spiritually blind], your whole body will be full of darkness [devoid of God’s precepts]. So if the [very] light inside you [your inner self, your heart, your conscience] is darkness, how great and terrible is that darkness!
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord]. Matthew 6:19-34 Amplified Bible
If we’re not careful in religious, personal and political arenas, we can be led away from what is true by fake narratives. We see this all the time.
If we believe God, we will be led by God; by His Spirit of love. If we believe money, we will be led by money; by the spirit of greed.
When we pick Jesus Christ to lead us, He will go to work leading our hearts and He will always lead us to what is true.
Jesus had something to say about the leaders back in the day and the hearts of people….
The scribes and Pharisees had gotten things backwards and they were more worried about clean hands than clean hearts.
Jesus said of them..
… they are blind guides [leading blind followers]. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.
He went on to explain…
…whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? But whatever [word] comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this is what defiles and dishonors the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts and plans, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slanders (verbal abuse, irreverent speech, blaspheming). These are the things which defile and dishonor the man; but eating with [ceremonially] unwashed hands does not defile the man.” Matthew 15 Amplified Bible
We see in the Old Testament some ways we are led….
in righteousness Psalms 5:8
beside still waters. Psalms 23:2
in truth Psalms 25:5
in a plain path Psalms 27:11
to the rock that is higher than I. Psalms 61:2
in the way everlasting. Psalms 139:24
into the land of uprightness. Psalms 143:10 We see in the New Testament some ways we are led…
not into temptation Matthew 6:13
unto life Matthew 7:14
to repentance Romans 2:4
The Lord’s prayer…
Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors [letting go of both the wrong and the resentment].
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’ Matthew 6:9-13 Amplified Bible
Pray this prayer to pick Jesus Christ as leader of our hearts
God in heaven, I pick You to be the leader of my heart. I repent of my sins and receive the everlasting life You have offered me through believing on what Jesus Christ has done to save me. I believe He died for my sins, was buried and resurrected. Forgive me of my sins and lead me nevermore into temptation. May Your will always be done in my life. Deliver me from evil. Thank you for leading me to Jesus, forever lead my heart in righteousness, in truth, in the right paths for my life, into the land of uprightness and into the way everlasting. I believe that Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray, amen