DEVOTIONAL: WRITTEN BY DEACONESS BONNIE, HILLTOP CHAPEL
“CLEAR OUT THE CLUTTER”
If someone asked you to define clutter, your thoughts would most likely go to the “catch all” room in your home. Or possibly the garage and/or shed that’s filled to capacity and stacked to the ceiling with this and thats. Things that possibly might be needed someday in the future, but currently just don’t have a place inside the home area. So, that” clutter” continues to accumulate and if not addressed becomes a virtual “nightmare”.
But have you ever considered that our hearts and minds are a lot like that. They can accumulate lots of clutter. Living in our wayward world today, it’s easy to unknowingly acquire ungodly thoughts and attitudes.
But as Christians and believers in God, our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19). Could God feel like He is living in our messy garage? Don’t let the Spirit reside in a cluttered heart.
Set aside some time today and with God’s help clear out all that clutter.
Discard all those things so displeasing to our Heavenly Father. Fill your Heart with the beauty of God’s Word. Make it clean and open the door of that uncluttered heart reflecting God’s light flowing through you to all those around you today.
YOU CAN BE THAT BRIGHT LIGHT GOD WANTS YOU TO BE!
DEACONESS BONNIE: HILLTOP CHAPEL
MAY GOD RICHLY BLESS YOU AND HOLD YOU IN IS LOVING ARMS
Devotional: From the book “40 Days of Prayer” by Will Stoll,
Presented by Deaconess Darlene, Hilltop Chapel
Day19:
Meeting God -Your Perspective Changes
Psalm 136:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast Love endures forever.
“We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet not really small) gifts. How can God entrust great things to one who will not thankfully receive from Him the little things?”
A thought from Dietrich Bonhoeffer-German, Theologian & Martyr.
Reverend Bonhoeffer was a brave man who rejected the philosophies of Hitler’s Nazi Party. He was a pastor, theologian, ecumenist and peace activist. He wrote profoundly, About “ What is Christ for us today.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born February 4th, 1906. He was arrested on April 5th, 1943 for acts against the Third Reiche and was imprisoned in Berlin for two years. Following the failure of the attempt on Hitler’s life on July 20, 1944 he was transferred to a prison camp and executed by hanging on April 9th, 1945.
He said “How can I be involved in the reconstruction of Christianity in Germany if I don’t stay here and share in this terrible sorrow”.
May God richly bless you, Deaconess Darlene, Hilltop Chapel
7/30/2025 A Devotional by “Women in Prayer1” Author unknown, Presented by Deacon Rick, Hilltop Chapel
EXODUS 14:14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still’
Everything is going to be alright, God knows you are tired and that you’ve done your best. He understands your worries about the future. Don’t be afraid—He’s always watching over you and sees your perseverance and refusal to give up.
God is making a way for you right now. Don’t give up! You are going to make it, no matter what it looks like right now. Remember: God is working behind the scenes for your good. He didn’t bring you this far to leave you.
Be ready---something you prayed for is about to happen. Have faith, and you won’t have to fight. God will move the wrong people out of your way. He’ll open the door you couldn’t open by yourself and turn the situation around.
Remember! “The Lord will fight for you; and you need only to be still”
God Bless you and be with you always
Hi my name is Dann and I am a Deacon at hilltop Chapel in Miramonte Ca. Over the last several years we have seen more natural disasters happening whether it be fires, earthquakes, flooding, hurricanes, and in some cases volcanoes, wars and rumors of wars, not only here in the USA but all over the world. The Bible says that in the last days these things will not only increase in number, but in severity as well. Not only that, but people will also come and say that they are Christ and will try to convince you of that. Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:4-7: 4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, “take heed that no man leads you astray. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and will deceive many, and will lead many astray 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass; but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. Most of the disasters happen so quickly that people have no time to get to safety. They are still searching for people in Texas, from the floods, some have made it out, and unfortunately others were not so lucky. I'm sure their day started just like any of our days start. They had things to do, just like we have things to do. No one ever thinks that their lives could change in just a few hours, minutes, or seconds. Just like ours lives right now we don't know what's going to happen in the next several hours, minutes, or seconds. If you were in Texas at the time of the flood, would you be ready to meet God? I pray that everyone that was affected had a relationship with Jesus or at least had a chance to ask for forgiveness before they died. Unfortunately, some died there without Jesus in their hearts and will spend eternity in Hell. Jesus also said in John 3: 16-18: 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world should be saved through him. 18 He that believeth on him is not judged: he that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God. If you found yourself in a situation as in Texas, do you know if you would you go to be with Jesus in Heaven? You might say why do I need Jesus, I am not a bad person. Well, Jesus said in Romans 3:23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; We all need Jesus in our lives, if you have not asked Jesus into your heart to be your Lord and Savor. Don’t let another second go by, that might be the last second you have. It’s not hard, just a short prayer, and be willing to have Jesus change you from the inside. You also might say, I can’t live up to the Bible, news break, no one can. That is why God sent His only Son to die in our place for our sins. Jesus paid the price you or I could not. Don’t wait. If you are feeling Jesus is speaking to you and you would like to be sure you will go to be with Jesus, just repeat this little prayer: Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I believe that you are the Son of God, and you died and rose for me so that only through you that I can have eternal life with you. Please forgive me for all of my sins and come into my heart and be my Lord and Savor. Please change me from the inside out into the person you want me to be.
If you prayed that pray, we would like to know. We would love to connect with you and come along side of you as you start your new journey with Jesus. Give us a call at: (559) 336-2454 or come by on any Sunday at 11:00am.
A Devotional:
Guaranteed Peace
The word peace in various forms is contained in our King James version of the Bible over 400 times, starting with the Book of Genesis and scattered throughout. It is one of the nine fruits of The Spirit along with love, joy, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. (Galatians 5:22-23).
Webster has defined the word peace in numerous ways. It is a consistent leading headline across the many news outlets and social media platforms. And how often are we hearing protests/rallies being described as “peaceful” when they are anything but that.
I digressed!
Is there, or will there ever be such a condition as peace??
ABSOLUTELY—100%
Today, right now!
Even amidst the world’s turmoil. Ever lasting peace can never be bought or negotiated by world leaders.
IT IS FREE!! True peace, God’s peace isn’t defined by our circumstances but by our trust in Him. God’s peace is not an absence of conflict, but rather a profound sense of security even in times of distress.
It’s peace that surpasses human understanding and guards our hearts and minds in the midst of the most difficult circumstances. (Philippians 4:6-7)
Jesus doesn’t promise us a pain-free life.
But he does promise that as we trust and rest in Him, we can experience a peace that’s deeper and more satisfying knowing that He is always with us and will never, ever leave our side.
Father, thank you for the perfect peace and rest you give to those who choose to put their trust on You.
Bonnie Lamar
Hilltop Chapel Deaconess
Devotional Page for Deacons and Deconesses
Health Check: A Devotional by Deacon Rick McComb
I hope all of you are feeling well today. Good health is an important part of our lives. Somedays are difficult due to our health. Sitting in the Dr’s office the other day I reflected on all the time I spend in offices like this one. Waiting to see the Dr. to hear what he/she has to say about my latest health issues. As we age(and I’m going on 77) we find ourselves going to dr’s way to often. But to keep going in good health that is what it takes. How many of you today feel you are in reasonably good health? Most of us take pretty good care of ourselves, when we don’t feel well we go see the doctor and see what they can offer. We follow their advice in the hope that it will cure all that ails us. We ask ourselves will this prognosis make us feel better or not? What will be the eventual outcome. We all know how much happier we are when we feel good, the world seems somehow better . We spend a lot of our time taking care of our health and rightly so.
But let’s flip the topic and talk about our spiritual health, you knew I was headed here didn't you. Are we doing the things we should be doing to achieve eternal fellowship with God.
In John 14;6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one goes to the father except through me, if you knew me you would also know my Father, also from this day forward you have known him and seen him”. What Jesus is saying here is that your salvation, your redemption, your eternal future in Heaven depends on your personal relationship with Him. “no one goes to the father except through me”. We already talked about all the time we give to our personal health in this world, but what about the time we need to spend on our spiritual health in fellowship with Jesus? What about the time we need to spend in preparation for when Jesus comes again? This time He will come to judge us on what we have done in his name, saving those who have prepared themselves for his coming. Don’t let yourself be caught unprepared. No one knows when Jesus is coming, be prepared to receive him.
And no one at the end of this life wants to appear before God and Jesus and hear the words, “turn away and be gone, I have never known you”. What we want to hear is “Well done oh good and faithful servant”. Dedicate sometime every day in fellowship with Jesus. Your life will become more fruitful and meaningful. Don’t wait, don’t hesitate, your salvation is at hand, open your dialogue with Jesus today, He’s waiting for you, right now!
May God Bless You always and keep you safe from all harm,,,,,
Deacons' and Deaconesses' Ministry: Devotionals
Providing faithful service to the church with monthly meetings.
Contact: Pastor Rod Davison
DEACONS' AND DEACONESSES' MINISTRY
One of the goals of our church is to reach out to those the Lord brings to us by ministering to their needs. The purpose of each Deacon and Deaconess is to be a spiritual leader within the congregation and provide counsel to the Pastor.
Deacons and Deaconesses assist with Communion and prepare elements for communion. They serve on the Hilltop Chapel Official Board and attend monthly Deacon meetings and provide a Deacons' Report at the quarterly Official Board meetings. They are available to conduct worship services and adult Sunday School in the absence of the Pastor. Deacons and Deaconesses insure spiritual accountability within the body of Christ and encourage the congregation to participate in church activities. Deacons and Deaconesses assist the Pastor as necessary, and are available for visitations and to minister to the needs of the congregation while honoring confidentiality and discretion.
Paul called himself a servant, or "deacon", in 1 Corinthians 3:5 and Ephesians 3:7. Even Jesus was said to be a servant, or "deacon", according to Romans 15:8 and John 12:26, and Paul told Timothy to be a good servant, or "deacon" in 1 Timothy 4:6.
Our Deacons and Deaconesses are available and eager to serve our congregation and welcome the opportunity to assist you. Our current Deacons/Deaconesses are: Darlene Kenaston, Bonnie Lamar, Dann Derfelt and Rick McComb.
Feel free to contact any of them for more information.