There are our ways of doing things in life, and then there is God’s way. We should follow God’s plan; it is always better. Psalm 1:1-3 (AMP) “BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans, and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather. 2 But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night. 3 And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither, and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity]. “This is God’s plan. Another word for blessed is contentment. We have joy when we follow God’s plan.
The man following God’s plan does not do certain things. People in the world think and behave differently. We cannot follow the world’s purposes or objectives. We also need to release the sin is a progression. If we act by bad influence or counsel, it may soon lead us to do wrong actions. We always need to consider is this godly or ungodly influence. Sometimes if we are not continually seeking the Lord, studying His Word, and praying, our thoughts may be ungodly. We must ask ourselves does this line up with the Word of God. What is the Holy Spirit saying?
The direction of the ungodly is not the same direction that we are headed. The Holy Spirit will show us the path of life and in God’s presence is fullness of joy. As we follow the Holy Spirit, we will be blessed and have contentment.
Copyright @January 2021 Carol Wright/Oasis Worship Center
What do we envision for 2021? Often, what we expect or do not expect is what happens. Are we positive or negative? Do we expect the best for ourselves and others? What is it that we would like the Lord to do in our lives? Do we envision using our talents for the Lord? Do we imagine ourselves being able to give more? Are we expecting the Lord to change us?
Are we expecting family and friends to return to the Lord or come to know the Lord? Are we sharing the truth with them? Are we telling them what the Lord has done for us? Are we sharing His goodness, blessings, and the peace we have?
Are we expecting to see miracles, signs, and wonders? Are we expecting a revival? Philippians 1:19-20 (NKJV) “19 For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.” Paul was in prison, had adverse circumstances, yet he had expectations and hope. Having expectations and hope reveals faith or trust in the Lord God. Let us have great expectations for 2021!
Copyright @January 2021 Carol Wright/Oasis Worship Center
When the Lord God truly has our heart and is filled with His love, we will be a giving person. We will have a heart that is not selfish or self-centered but a heart that is giving and caring. The Lord has called us to be givers. Givers of our treasure (money, finances, and possessions), givers of our talents, and givers of our time. One of these does not substitute for the others. The Lord God desires us to give in all three areas. We will be an open-handed person. We will have a desire to give, and we will be willing to give.
The world teaches us to only care about ourselves and to be selfish and stingy. The devil causes us to be fearful to give because we might not have enough. When we give of our treasure, we take ourselves out of the world system and put ourselves into the hands of God. Our giving shows that we trust God’s provision. When we give of our time, He increases our time.
There are too many people who only expect others to give to them, takers. They want to be blessed but never want to be a blessing. Proverbs 11:25 (NIV) “The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” The Lord prospers us so we will be able to increase our giving. In the book of Acts, it said to remember the word of Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than receive.” When our heart is changed, we will love to give. People would not be able to stop us from giving, as it is our nature and brings us great joy to be a blessing.
Copyright @December 2020 Carol Wright/Oasis Worship Center
As we look at 2020 with the Covid-19 and perhaps our lives and world being turned upside down, some might find it hard to be thankful. We might believe we are in a wilderness of sorts. People too often imagine certain circumstances, and material things are the aspect of thanksgiving. Without having a grateful heart, we lose all perspective, and our focus becomes incorrect.
As believers, we always can be thankful. I Thessalonians 1:18, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Believers always want to know the will of God in their lives. In I Thessalonians 1:18, God tells us what His will is in simple, easy to understand terms. In everything, give thanks. Giving thanks is not His total will but a segment of His will. We are to give thanks in every situation and season we find ourselves in every circumstance of life. We are to give thanks when things are good and when we find ourselves in crisis. Give thanks when things look bleak or seem adverse. As we are thankful for everything, it shows that our heart is right with God. God is saying, be grateful for everything. We should always feel thankful. If we give thanks, we will not be discouraged or depressed. When we give thanks, it changes our focus. As we give thanks, our hearts begin to rejoice. We can be thankful for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. We can thank the Lord for His strength and grace. We can thank the Lord for working in our lives, showing us how-to walk-in love, giving us patience, helping us with forgiveness, showing us how to be kind.
People often choose to be thankful for something each day in November but we should be thankful 365 days of the year.
Copyright @December 2020 Carol Wright/Oasis Worship Center
Waiting seems hard for all ages and it is not our culture to wait on anything. Remember as child waiting for Christmas, it appeared to take forever to come, the days seemed to grow slow. In our society today, even believers, no one likes to wait. If that are traffic delays or it comes to a standstill, we are annoyed. If we must wait in line at the store, we are irritated either at the clerk for appearing slow or the customers ahead of us for fumbling or using coupons. We dislike waiting in any form. We desire everything quick and easy. Think of all the products that are instant; cereal, potatoes, etc. and the items that come ready to use like grated cheese and salad mix. It seems like we dislike anything that takes effort and time. We are impatient.
As believers, we carry our dislike for waiting over into our relationship with the Lord. We are constantly trying to hurry things up in our own ability. The Word of God informs us that we must wait on the Lord. Psalms 130:5 “I wait for the Lord, I expectantly wait, and in His word do I hope.” We must wait on the Lord to move on our behalf. We must wait on the promises of His Word, because His Word cannot fail. We must wait on the answers to pray. Waiting on the Lord means we are trusting the Lord. When we fail to wait on the Lord on we are attempting things in our own ability we are indicating we do not trust the Lord that He is not able, and He does not have the power and resources to take care of us. We need to wait with expectation. We need to wait with all that is in us. Trust the Lord and wait on Him to work on your behalf.
Copyright @December 2020 Carol Wright/Oasis Worship Center
Philippians 1:20 “This is in keeping with my own eager desire and persistent expectation and hope, that I shall not disgrace myself nor be put to shame in anything; but that with the utmost freedom of speech and unfailing courage, now as always heretofore, Christ (the Messiah) will be magnified and get glory and praise in this body of mine and be boldly exalted in my person, whether through (by) life or through (by) death.”
Can we as mere humans ever magnify the Son of God? Think about this, the stars are much bigger than the telescope, and yet the telescope magnifies them and brings them closer.
Does Christ need to be magnified? The answer is yes. We as believers should be like a telescope that brings Jesus Christ closer to people. To many people, Jesus Christ is maybe a figure in history that lived centuries ago, they are unsure. But as the unsaved watch us go through a crisis, circumstance, or situations, they can see Jesus magnified and brought so much closer. To us, Jesus is with us here and now and we are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
The telescope brings distant things closer, and the microscope makes tiny things look big. To the unbeliever, Jesus Christ is not very big, not visible in their lives. Other people and other things are far more important. But as the unbelievers, watch us the Christians go through a crisis experience, they ought to be able to see how big Jesus Christ really is. We should think of our life as a “lens” that makes an “invisible Christ” look very big, and a “distant Christ” come very close. What is our life revealing to others?
Copyright @November 2020 Carol Wright/Oasis Worship Center
Too often, as believers, we think circumstances give us the right to grumble, complain, and moan. Are we any different then than the children of Israel in the desert? Was that not the reason the Lord God was upset with them? Undoubtedly, life is uncertain and never far from circumstances, situations, or problems. In all events, we can grow in the Lord.
I Thessalonians 5:18 (AMP) “Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].” Often, we are only thankful for things that please our fleshly desires. We would term that as a selfish heart. Without genuine gratefulness, we become self-center and self-important. Sometimes, we focus on what we do not have instead of what we have. Other times we take things for granted instead of being thankful. As believers, we need to remember everything we have comes from the Lord.
Believers always want to know the will of God; being thankful in every circumstance is the will of God. We are enabled by the Holy Spirit to do the will of God, so we can be grateful. In thankfulness, our attitude can change. For example, our car breaks down. We are not thankful that our car breaks down, but we can be grateful that we have a car. We can be thankful that it did not break when we are driving and cause an accident. We could be thankful our car is paid for etc.
Copyright @November 2020 Carol Wright/Oasis Worship Center
What is the proof of a changed heart as a believer? Romans 5:5 (NKJV) “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” As a believer, love will indicate a changed heart. John 13:34-35 (NKJV) “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.” The Holy Spirit enables us to walk in love or to have a life of love. Love by the enabling of the Holy Spirit should be a natural response. We will respond to the needs of others. We will see them as valuable and precious. A life of love is a choice. We choose to obey the Holy Spirit.
A song that should remind us that we need to walk in love by the Holy Spirit.
Let’s make a difference in our world by walking in love all of the time. Choose Today to obey the Holy Spirit.
Copyright @November 2020 Carol Wright/Oasis Worship Center
With all that is happening in our world, we might feel we are in a desert. Let's look at scripture to learn about a desert. Deuteronomy 8:2 “And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. “ What is a desert? It is a wilderness or uninhabited land—a place where most people do not want to stay. A desert is a place to meet with God and hear His word to us. It should be a place of hunger for the things of God. A place where we seek God. When the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to fast and pray, what was the first thing that the devil tempted Him with? The devil tempted with natural food to take the place of what God had to impart to Him. Why? The devil wanted to manipulate Jesus from the things above, the things of God, to look to earthy things. In the desert, the devil will offer us hundreds of solutions and alternatives except one to seek the face of God earnestly. When you are in a desert, seek God, hunger for Him. All solutions to any problem must come from above. God is the only one who knows the answer or solution that will bring joy, peace, and blessing.
What was the purpose of the desert? First, it was a place of humbling. Humbling is yielding. The deserts of our life are a place of submission to the Lord. A desert is a proving place. It proves our hearts. In the desert places, we find out what is truly in our heart. Or what indeed occupies our heart. We might think we know what occupies our hearts, but we do not. In the desert, God deals with our character. He wants to bring us to a place of maturity.
In the desert, God was to be the children of Israel's source and reliance. They need to obey what He had to say. God wants to be our foundation and source. He wants us to rely on Him for our daily provisions.
Copyright @November 2020 Carol Wright/Oasis Worship Center
Ephesians 4:30—32 “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. “ What grieves the Holy Spirit? First, bitterness. Bitterness is often displayed in resentment, anger, unpleasantness, animosity, and hostility. There are many bitter people in the world, including the church. Bitterness and other similar attitudes and behavior grieve or offend the Holy Spirit. These types of actions stop Him from flowing. Wrath causes the Holy Spirit grief. Wrath is displayed by indignation or anger the boils up. In other words, it is rage or fury. It goes on to say the Spirit of God is offended by anger. Angry people like to punish others. Angry people throw temper tantrums. People who clamor cause the Holy Spirit to grieve. Clamor means that they complain loudly, shout, and demand. There is too much complaining in the body of Christ. They have so many demands; no wonder the Spirit of God does not move.
People who speak evil is a source of the Holy Spirit's grief. They slander. Their speech is injurious to a person's name. There are even people who speak evil of God. There are too many people in the body of Christ that do character assassination. The Spirit of God can not work in this atmosphere. The other thing that grieves the Spirit of God is malice. It is ill- will towards others. It is the desire to see other injured; it does not want the best in others' lives. It is hatred or spite.
The Word of God tells us the kind of people that the Holy Spirit rest upon or can work in. When nothing grieves the Holy Spirit, He can flow and move as He desires. We will see freedom, the anointing, signs, wonders and miracles, the gifts, and the fruit. We need to be kind one to another. We do not have to agree with everyone, but we still can be kind. In other words, we do good things; we want good things to happen in their lives. The Holy Spirit is with those who are tenderhearted. Those who have compassion. The Holy Spirit is with those who walk in forgiveness. So what if someone offends you do not enter in. In the first part of Ephesians 4:1-3, it talks about forbearing one another in love. Love unites and keeps the unity of the Spirit; then, the Spirit can flow. His anointing can flow.
Copyright @November 2020 Carol Wright/Oasis Worship Center
Often, we need to be reminded of all that God is. Jeremiah 32:17 (AMP) “Alas, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! There is nothing too hard or too wonderful for You—.” With the Lord God, nothing is impossible. We limit the Lord God by our thinking. Nothing is beyond the power of the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Nothing is too difficult for Him. No matter how overwhelming or grave things are we need to look to the Lord and trust Him.
The way we need to handle anxiety, doubt is to go to the Lord in prayer and wait for Him to give us a Rhema word. The more we focus on the greatness of God the less overwhelming our problems will become. We should continually remember what the Lord God has done for us, the great things He has done, the promises He has kept and how He has met our needs. We just need to put all our issues in the hands of the Lord God. Nothing is too hard for Him.
We need to confess all that God is all- powerful and that nothing is too hard for Him. Instead of talking about our problems and the issues in life. His promises should aid our faith in His ability to deal with our situations.
Copyright @October 2020 Carol Wright/Oasis Worship Center
The Holy Spirit desires to guide our life, or we could say steer our life. The question is are we listening. Too often, we attempt to guide ourselves. Proverbs 3:6 (AMP) “In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.” The Holy Spirit desires to direct our lives daily, not just in a crisis. He desires to help us in all our undertakings and with whatever we are dealing with.
Jeremiah 10:23 (NKJV) “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.” We truly cannot direct our own steps, although we certainly try. As believers, we have the Holy Spirit to help us.
Isaiah 30:21 (AMP) “And your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left.” Too often, we ignore what the Holy Spirit is saying. We always hear what we are tuned in to. Are we tuned in to the Holy Spirit? When I worked in a bank in Tulsa, I was the supervisor of sixteen young women. There were machines running, phones ringing and a lot of chatter. I learned to tune it out. I used to tell the young women to make sure they had my attention when they asked me a question, or I wouldn’t say anything. The point is it is very easy to tune out the voice of the Holy Spirit. Are we walking in the way He tells us to go?
Copyright @October 2020 Carol Wright/Oasis Worship Center
Copyright © 2019 Oasis Worship & Food Center - All Rights Reserved.
Please contact for mailing address.