Mokuaikaua Church
Hawaii Ohana Service Nov 16, 2025
  • Hawaiian Doxology
  • He Is Exalted
  • Holy Spirit
  • Living Hope
  • Our Father's House
  • Blessed Assurance
  • Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

  • Managing your Mist

    Practical Faith 7
    Managing your Mist or Vapor
    We are in the middle of a series entitled Practical Faith 
    Most scholars believe that this letter was written by James our Lords younger brother.
     the theme of the book of James is Grow up
    A practical book
    Pointing out that genuine faith, produces fruit.
    We are at the end of  James 4
    Managing your mist
    What is the most important thing in your life?
    How would you answer this question?
    The top answers for this question was relationships, health and purpose.
     Let’s pray
    1 What is the most important thing in your life?
    Jas 4:13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—
    Sounds like a good business plan
    Jas 4:14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
    James is just pointing out to a reality that we often forget, we are just a mist, we are here today but we have no idea about the next hour or tomorrow.
    We can not guarantee anything, James is reminding us, to always have a contingency plan.
    We are good in making plans, some of us better than others, some are more organized, detailed, and some are better problem solvers but at the end is the Lord who has the final word, and directs our steps.    
    Pro 20:24 A man's steps are from the LORD; how then can man understand his way?
    Pro 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
    Is not wrong to make plans, just make sure God is right in the center of it, that you are hearing from Him and putting him first.
    Mat 6:31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
    Food, water, clothing.
     Mat 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
    Mat 6:34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
    Don’t be caught without a plan,
     make sure you know exactly where you are going when your number is called up in Heaven.
    I remember on my first year here at Mokuaikaua, 2 days after Christmas this man came by the office to see me, I immediately recognize  him, it was my neighbor,  he lived in the same road of Kalahikiola, my old church, I would stop often and talk to him, he never came to church but would help us with plumbing when we need it.
     We Had just returned from Switzerland, had been 6 and half years since the last time I saw him.
    He was very distressed, he told me that Christmas eve he and his wife went to bed together and the next morning Christmas day he woke up and his wife didn’t, he said we loved each other but we never talked about God, death or a future without each other, you are the only minister I know so I was looking for you and found out that you were here in Kona, can you please help me?      
    Yes I helped him with a memorial for his wife and led him to Jesus.
    Answer this question “what is the most important thing to you?” and include Jesus in this process be ready to submit all to Him. Is all about giving Him glory.
    Let’s go back to James
     2 Let God direct your plans  
    Jas 4:15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
    Jas 4:16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
    So what is the difference between boasting in your arrogance, in your pride
    Boasting excessively proud and self-satisfied talk about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities
    And being confident in your ambitions?
    There is a fine line, If my life, my plans are designed to please me and my desires, my fleshly desires, is sinful and evil. That’s how we end up in addictions and bondage, we need to learn how to live a life that is pleasing to God. Yes takes courage and trust, because God becomes the one in charge.
    A Christian, is someone who has surrendered their lives to Christ, like James, he introduced himself as a bond servant of Jesus Christ,
    James was Jesus younger brother, I would add that to my resume, he gave up all his rights, his whole life to follow Jesus, and we Christians, are to do the same way.
    How is arrogance different from a life of ambition and making the most of your time?
    Arrogance the quality of having an exaggerated sense of one's own importance or abilities.
    When we live for ourselves, when we have complete control of our lives, and we are proud of it, that’s arrogance an exaggerated sense of ones’s own importance. Evil.
    Ambition if guided by God can be your life pursuit.
    a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work.
     
    When does planning turn into boastful pride? What plans are you making right now?
    When is all about me, myself, and I, is boastful pride and it is evil
    Again there is Nothing wrong in making plans for your life, just make sure Jesus is the center of every decision you make, our time on earth is short let's please Him
    Paul
    Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
    Jas 4:17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
    Back in 2020/21 the Lord aloud the church  to learn a big lesson, He is Lord.
     without any major warning the world was brought to a sudden stop, people could not open their businesses to work, go to their church to worship, construction had to stop they could not walk on the streets, travel anywhere, some got stuck in different countries, many people dying everywhere, you couldn’t even go to the doctors, or have surgeries, the only safe places were the big department stores, here in Kona we had, Safeway, Target, Walmart and Costco you couldn’t get covid there everything else including the beach you had to stay way.
      Around the world things were different, everything shut down but by the grace of God we saw families coming together, provision of many things, yes most of us had to cry out to the Lord for our personal finances and the finances of the church.
     Many people lost their businesses and livelihood, but we had one thing in common only God could help us and He did. There were many miracles’ people surviving Covid, I was one of them, again thank you for all your prayers, Steve Fouth who just helped us with our sound system, he was in the hospital for more than 150 days.   
    During Covid many became aware of how weak and vulnerable we are, how much we depend on Him, we are a mist and what really matters in life is our relationship with our Heavenly Father, to listen and to obey him.
    We had a clear call to walk in dependence of him and many responded to that call
    I had a very strong encounter with the Lord during that time
    I end up coming down with covid and my wife drove me to the hospital, I had a double pneumonia and took me a couple of days to realize that this could be it, I was not improving, the medication was not working, no one could even come to say bye.
    On the fourth day my son David showed up and they allowed him in because he is a paramedic for the fire department, they did not allow any other visitors at the time. what a great blessing that visit was.
    Later the doctor came to let me know that I would be intubated if I would get worse
    By now my wife had asked all of our friends church and family to pray for me
    That night I received a-text message from a friend in Norway , he said we just finished a time of prayer and worship for you and the Lord ask me to write this song for you, and play this other song over you
    I was awake so I played the songs
    As I was playing this light filled the room, waves of electricity went up and down my body as I was crying.
    When the music stop one thing I was certain off God touched me I was healed.
    6 in the morning,
    3 Let God bless you don’t defraud anyone.
    Jas 5:1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.
    Jas 5:2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.
    Jas 5:3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.
    James has nothing against the rich, he is calling attention of those who are selfish by defrauding others 
    Jas 5:4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
    The Lord is just and faithful, He listen to the cry of his people
    Jas 5:5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
    Jas 5:6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.
    We  are just a mist a vapor, manage your life well
    Let Jesus be the center of our lives
    Let God bless you don’t defraud anyone
    To have a Practical faith, we need to make Jesus the Lord of our lives
      "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
     Joh 3:16 
    To receive Jesus, we need to accept Him as God’s son, repent from our sins and a life of selfishness, and ask Him to be your Lord and savior, not that you deserve it, but is a gift from God. 
    If this is your desire today, please repeat this prayer after me?
     Heavenly Father I’m sinner,
     I’m sorry for my sins,
     I’m willing to turn away from my sins.
     I receive Christ as my savior,
     I confess him as Lord
     from this moment on I want to follow and serve him,
    in the fellowship of his church,
     In Jesus name. Amen!
    1Co 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;
    1Co 11:24 and when He had given thanks, He broke itand said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
    1Co 11:25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."
    1Co 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.
    1Co 11:27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks thiscup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
     Heb 9:14 dead works, acts, sins
    E mau aku ka loko maika’i o ka Haku, Iesu Kristo; me ke aloha a ke Akua, a me ka launa pu ‘ana mai o ka Uhane Hemolele ia ‘olua, a me makou apau.  Amene.

      • Mark 10:17ESV

      • Mark 10:19–20ESV

      • Mark 10:21ESV

      • John 21:20–22ESV

      • 2 Corinthians 5:14–15ESV

      • John 3:16ESV

      • Mark 10:17ESV

Mokuaikaua Church
808-329-0655
http://mokuaikaua.com
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