Sunday 24 July 2011

Bringing Christ into our Crisis by David Wilkerson


In Daniel 3, King Nebuchadnezzar erected a huge, golden image ninety feet tall and summoned every leader from his far-flung empire to a dedication ceremony. Once they arrived, however, Nebuchadnezzar commanded that they all bow in worship before the image and if they defied the order, they were to die.

Three of Daniel’s friends—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—refused to bow. These men, along with Daniel, had been taken captive from Jerusalem. It was not unusual in those days to punish violators of the king’s decrees by casting them into a burning oven (see Jeremiah 29:22).

When the guards brought the three Hebrew men before the king, he bellowed at them, “So! You refused to bow before this image? I am going to give you one more chance. If you don’t bow this time, you’ll be thrown into a burning fiery furnace” (Daniel 3:14-15).

The three Hebrews were finally cast into the furnace. But the king was puzzled. There had been no sudden flash of roasting bodies, no smell of burning flesh. He peered into the fire—and was astonished at what he saw!

The three Hebrew men were walking about on top of the coals. The fire had only burned the ropes they had been tied with—and now their hands were raised, praising God. Nebuchadnezzar turned to one of his associates and said, “How many men did we throw in there?”

“Three, O king,” came the answer.


“But I see four! And none of them is burning. None is even hurt. And one of them has the appearance of the Son of God!” (See Daniel 3:24-25)

Jesus came into these men’s crisis for one reason—for their sake alone! He came to comfort and rescue them because he loved them. The Lord of glory committed himself to them in their hour of crisis—because they were totally committed to him!

Source : http://davidwilkersontoday.blogspot.com/

Saturday 2 July 2011

Peace, Where Did I Leave You? by Joyce Meyer

I lived a lot of years searching for peace.
I was frustrated, confused, aggravated, upset and in turmoil.
Now I enjoy peace. But I might never have found it if I'd stopped looking for it, because God wanted to teach me to pursue it.
Sometimes we wish for things to change but are unwilling to do what it takes to make things better.
I was always upset about my circumstances. I wanted God to change them for me, and I wanted Him to change the people around me too. I thought if those few things would change, I would be able to enjoy my life.
Until I looked at my life to see what I could do to make things different, I was really just wishing.

Does Your Inside Match Your Outside?

Matthew 6:33 says, Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.
So what is God's kingdom?
It may sound real deep and religious. But, really, it's not that mysterious.
If you've accepted Christ, that means He's living in you—and He wants to live in a peaceful house. That's why your inner life is so important to God.
We can be phony and act like everything's fine on the outside when we're really unhappy on the inside. But God wants us to have authentic peace, where our inner life matches our outer life.

Are You Seeking the Right Stuff?

Romans 14:17 defines the kingdom of God as a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
A lot of people spend their life seeking all kinds of other stuff. But when it comes to righteousness, peace and joy, they don't have any because they're chasing after things.
I used to think that if I had all kinds of worldly stuff, I'd have no worries and my life would be peaceful. But true peace comes from being one with God.
It's important for us to understand this because I think a large majority of Christians spend their whole life searching for the wrong things, when our real treasure is in Jesus.

How I Went from Pathetic to Peaceful

For a while I was seeking a big ministry but living under guilt and condemnation. So every time someone criticized me, I fell apart. I would be a basket case for days because I didn't know my identity in Christ and I didn't like myself.
Outwardly, people probably couldn't tell I was falling apart, but inside I was worried, overly concerned, and a people pleaser.
Many of us go through these things privately but never tell anyone because we want to act like everything is okay. We'll wear our church face, smile at everyone and say, "Praise the Lord!” when on the inside we're dealing with secret fears, worries and concerns.
The Bible says the truth sets us free. We need to be honest with others about what's going on inside us.
Honestly, a large majority of us never get still enough to even ask ourselves the question, What is going on in me?
Here are two questions you can ask yourself to help you find peace.
  • Do I know who I am in Christ?
  • Am I walking in righteousness?
If you know who you are in Christ, it won't matter so much to you what other people think. You'll just get up every day and do your best to love God.

Putting On the Gift of God's Righteousness

The moment we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior, the Bible says God takes away our sin and gives us His righteousness. It's a gift, and we don't need to earn it. But we do need to put it on, and every time we do, we receive His peace.
If you are ever feeling bad about yourself, feeling ashamed, guilty or condemned, I encourage you to ask yourself, Do I know who I am in Christ? Am I walking in righteousness?
When you are pursuing God's will for your life, He will give you peace.

This article is taken from Joyce's audio teaching, Calm, Cool and Collected.