EVERYTHING GRACE

2011-12-19T11:38:00.001+08:00

Love not the world by Gary Carpenter

2011-10-27T12:14:00.002+08:00

1 John 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

The reason we have trouble understanding what John meant by these words is because we have so little revelation of who we truly are. For the most part, we still see ourselves as creatures of this world, even though the bible says we are not of the world. Our day-by-day identification is still more with the world than with heaven.

As I continue meditating the Word of God and spending many hours praying in the Spirit, my comprehension of the fact that we are "born from above" is increasing. I find myself saying things like, "I am not on earth for the purpose of receiving from the world. I am on earth for the purpose that the world may receive from my heavenly Father." Progressively, I am identifying more with heaven than with earth.

All of those old sayings that used to just sound like religious jargon to me are starting to become "Who I am." Sayings like, "This world is not my home. Heaven is where my possessions lie." I find that my affections are truly becoming set on things above, not on things on the earth:

Col 3:2-3 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

We are simply "on assignment" from heaven to earth in order that the will of our Father may be done through the life of Christ in us while we live in these mortal bodies. We only need the "material things of the earth" as they are required to fulfill our assignment. We don't identify with the earth. We are from above. We have no covetous lust for the things of the earth. If we have lust at all, it is this intense desire to complete the work our Master has given us to do. We don't feel at home on the earth anymore. This environment of sin, sickness and poverty does not seem "natural" anymore. Neither does the all-pervading "deceitfulness of riches and the lust of other things" seem "natural" to us anymore.

To spend our lives on a quest to satisfy the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life seems totally foreign to us now. These things are just simply no longer part of our nature. They are not "of the Father." They have nothing to do with our assignment from heaven. To give our affection to them is to abandon our assignment from heaven and divert us from the Father's will for our lives. To set our affection on them would be no less than treason. Are we, freeborn citizens of heaven, now to become citizens of this fallen world? I trow not! Our nature is to please the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. That's the motivational, driving force that gives us pleasure now.

2 Tim 2:4 No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer. NIV

We don't have too much trouble identifying the "lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes," but exactly what is this "pride of life?" The Greek word translated "life" in that verse is "bios."

From Strong's Dictionary: LIFE
979. bios, bee'-os; a prim. word; life, i.e. (lit.) the present state of existence; by impl. the means of livelihood:--good, life, living.

It is from the word "bios" that we get our modern word "biological." This is not referring to the "life of God" within us. The word "bios" refers to our physical, biological life, including the means of livelihood by which that life is sustained on earth. It is the same Greek word translated "living" when Jesus spoke of the Widow's Mite:

Mark 12:44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living [bios].

She had cast in the last of the resources to sustain her physical, biological life on earth. With that connotation of the word bios, then John's statement could be translated "the pride of how well you make a living" is not of the Father. Or, "the pride of your standard of living" is not of the Father. It is the cares of our "bios," the sustaining of our physical life on this earth and the pursuit of the "pleasures of this life" that choke the word and make us unfruitful for the Kingdom of God:

Luke 8:14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life [bios], and bring no fruit to perfection.

Concerning the pride of our physical life, the Greek word translated "pride" in 1 John 2:16 is "alazoneia." From Strong's Dictionary:

PRIDE - 212. alazoneia, al-ad-zon-i'-a; from G213; braggadocio, i.e. (by impl.) self-confidence:--boasting, pride.

From the New American Standard Dictionary:
Braggadocios:

A braggart.
Empty or pretentious bragging.
Swaggering manner; cockiness.
The personification of vainglory.

Sad to say, this phrase "the pride of life" seems to be the "norm" for the majority of Christian Americans who devote most of their life to "keeping up with the Jones's." This same attitude runs rampant among many Christian ministries. It is at the heart of competition and "one-upmanship." It comes from the deep-rooted desire to be thought "better" than others. This motivational, driving force is "not of the Father." Paul said,

2 Cor 10:12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

Needless to say, it is now more clear why John said that this sort of "pride of life" is not of the Father. This is the motivational, driving force of the world system, not the Kingdom of God. The safeguard against spending our lives floundering in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is to LOVE NOT THE WORLD, NEITHER THE THINGS THAT ARE IN THE WORLD! Rather than setting our love on the world and the things that are in the world, we are admonished to set our affection on the things which are above:

Col 3:2-3 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

The following verses also apply to this same principle. As stewards of the Kingdom of God, we must never bow the knee to the world, nor the things in the world. Our allegiance is to "Him who bought us" … our Lord Jesus Christ alone! We are not hirelings. We are not employees. We are "owned." We are bondslaves who are single minded. We know WHO WE ARE, WHERE WE ARE FROM, AND WHY WE ARE HERE!

1 Tim 6:5-11 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. BUT GODLINESS WITH CONTENTMENT IS GREAT GAIN [Emphasis Added]. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. AND HAVING FOOD AND RAIMENT LET US BE THEREWITH CONTENT [Emphasis Added]. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

Phil 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

2 Tim 3:1-5 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, TRAITORS, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

2 Tim 4:10 For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.

Demas "loved this present world." The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life caused him to turn traitor to his assignment from the King. He chose to forsake his "mission from heaven" to spend his short life on earth pursuing the pleasures of the world instead.

From such … "TURN AWAY!"

Source : http://www.garycarpenter.org/SI4.html

I lift my hands - Chris Tomlin

2011-10-03T10:45:00.001+08:00

Let Faith ARISE, OPEN my eyes Lord!

Christian Jokes

2011-09-30T19:03:00.002+08:00

A 6-year-old was overheard reciting the Lord's Prayer at a church service, "And forgive us our trash passes, as we forgive those who passed trash against us."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A boy was watching his father, a pastor, write a sermon.

"How do you know what to say?" he asked.

"Why, God tells me."

"Oh, then why do you keep crossing things out?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the dedication of his baby brother in church, little Johnny sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father asked him three times what was wrong.

Finally, the boy replied, "That pastor said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, and I want to stay with you guys!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Terri asked her Sunday School class to draw pictures of their favorite Bible stories. She was puzzled by Kyle's picture, which showed four people on an airplane, so she asked him which story it was meant to represent.

"The Flight to Egypt," was his reply.

Pointing at each figure, Ms. Terri said, "That must be Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus.
But who's the fourth person?"

"Oh, that's Pontius - the pilot!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Six-year old Angie , and her four-year old brother, Joel , were sitting together in church.
Joel giggled, sang and talked out loud.
Finally, his big sister had had enough.
"You're not supposed to talk out loud in church."
"Why? Who's going to stop me?" Joel asked.
Angie pointed to the back of the church and said,
"See those two men standing by the door?
They're hushers."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.thoughts-about-god.com/fun/children1.htm

The Master's Hand

2011-09-03T21:54:00.000+08:00

Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the piano, a mother took the small boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE."

When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that her son was missing. Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit, keep playing."

Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obligatio. Together, the old master and the young novice transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was mesmerized.

That's the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren't exactly graceful flowing music. But with the hand of the Master, our life's work truly can be beautiful. Next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, "Don't quit, keep playing." Feel His loving arms around you. Know that His strong hands are playing the concerto of your life. Remember, God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called.

- AUTHOR UNKNOWN -

Source : http://godslittleacre.net/inspirationalstories/

The Big Question: Why Does God Allow Evil to Exist? by Sy Rogers

2011-08-14T12:47:00.008+08:00

All over the world people ponder this question. It's been called the 'Theologians Dilemma'that is, how can Christian people defend, let alone believe in and trust a God who allows such terrible evil and suffering on earth?

While touring around the world in 1998/99 as a singer with the euro rock band NoLongerMusic, this issue of God's character in a world of hardship was probably the number one challenge we had to address when interacting with patrons in the clubs and discos where we performed.
Whether in clubs or churches, I've heard this issue raised over and over again by Christians & non Christians alike: "how could God be good when He allowed this tragedy to happen to my child?" or "how could God really be loving if He didn't intervene to prevent such a terrible accident? Or plane crash?, or earthquake?" or "Why would God allow Satan, or Hitler, for that matter?"

The list of questions like this is almost endless. People have an expectation of God that IF He's so good and loving and involved, THEN He shouldn't allow evil or bad things to happen.
Ultimately the real issue being addressed isn't 'why does God allow evil'. Here's the real question: "Is God as good as He says He is?"
The evidence around us in a troubled world makes us wonder -- even the people of faith must wrestle through doubts and fears, which if we don't face up to them, can hinder our experience with God and life. After all, you don't build a relationship with someone you don't fully trust. While I don't know all, and I'm not going to try to defend God whose ways are above and beyond my limited view & experience, I can offer at least 3 understandable reasons explaining WHY the Good Creator, Loving Father, Powerful Lord allows such awfulness on earth: … Earth is under a curse and separated from God.

Many people somehow seem to think that life is supposed to be wonderful and convenient -- especially first world developed countries where we are able to exert some control over our environment for our comfort and convenience. When suffering in it's various forms happens, people act as if this is something strange and undeserved. Frankly, God talks pretty straight to us in the Bible: Everything is cursed and out of balance: Even the very planet -- so there are violent storms and earthquakes and floods and plagues and predators, all of which induce suffering.
Humanity is cursed: We suffer Psychological imbalances such as fear, hatred, greed, lust -- all of which produce forms of suffering. Biology is cursed too: you will suffer the indignity of aging and then you dieoften not very nicely either, because we are fragile and subject to a host of terrifying diseases and system breakdownsthere will be suffering, and why would you think that you would be spared?

Add to this Satan is lord over earth for the time being.

The Biblical Worldview states quite factually that Evil exists and has it's origins in disobedience to God, demonstrated first by that fallen angel Lucifer, renamed Satan (Hebrew for 'the one who slanders &amp;amp;amp; accuses'--who does Satan accuse? God &amp;amp;amp; His character).
Christians sing in church that 'Jesus is Lord'---and yes, He is indeed, but not on earth yet! God is purposely unfolding His zillion year cosmic plan according to His timing and strategy therefore, the inferior but still destructive devil has his season of influence for a time.
Meanwhile, Jesus is only Lord on earth right now thru the lives of those choosing Him -- and even then for believers it's a battle over just who will be Lord in your life today! In our raping, warring, molesting, greedy world, it's pretty obvious just who owns the system for now and man, do we humans suffer as a result!
The New Testament writings give evidence that one day Jesus WILL come back and rule the earth as the rightful prince. But for now, even Jesus called the devil the Prince of this World. Why? Satan has temporarily seized Lordship over earth thanks to Adam and Eve's disloyalty to God -- thus forfeiting their 'right to rule' over the earth. So not only are we fallen creatures on a fallen, cursed world--we also suffer even more thanks to the evil influences of Satanic lordship.

But wait--there's more: Humans have the freedom of choice for good or bad.
As if the first two reasons weren't enough, another major source of suffering inspite of God's goodness, is our own personal choices which affect us and others. Choice is sacred territory -- and God will let you and I hurt ourselves and others based on our freedom to make our own choices. In fact, God will let us choose to go to Hell before He'll force us into Heaven.
My biological mom died in a car wreck due to drink driving. She was only 28.
Not only did she end her own life due to her tragic choice to drive while intoxicated she also seriously injured someone else in another vehicle.
A sad illustration that God will allow us to make our choices, even though the outcome is so painful. God is willing to forgive, but the consequences are not so forgiving. It's no wonder that God asks us to choose to obey him--even if we don't want to. Obeying God may not solve all our problems, but it doesn't create the kind of suffering that disobedient choices eventually will. At the end of the day, the real issue for those who follow Christ, is will we trust God even if we don't understand or appreciate the decisions He makes and the things He allows? Is He good only when things are going well for you, or is He good all the time, even if your blessings are stolen, or destroyed by some disaster? That famous survivor of the Nazi concentration camps, Corrie Ten Boom once said that 'faith is simply trusting God's character, even when life gives you reasons not to'. Considering that all of Corrie's Christian family perished in the concentration camps, she would have an understanding of suffering and the reality of evil. At times, Corrie &amp;amp;amp; her sister Betsy, who died in the camps, were mocked for their faith by the other prisoners--who would say 'how can there be a God who allows such a nightmare! Betsy replied: 'This camp is not God's doing. I don't know why He allows this place, but if you knew Him you would know that He is love.' She went on to say, 'Perhaps He brought us here to show you that there is no pit so deep, that He is not deeper still'. In my opinion, our purpose on earth is not to have a happy life untouched by evil and the suffering it imposes. Our purpose is to know God and then, having experienced His love, to make Him known in loving service to others. The reality of evil on earth can fill one with dread over the possibilities but if that dread drives you to God, and if from Him you obtain comfort and peace then even evil has been exploited by God. Evil and the pain that it imposes matters very much to God, and He has sent a massive remedy in the form of Christ.

The creator Himself has been victimized by evil and He has shared our suffering -- He knows evil and it's price firsthand. He sees, and He knows and He cares about your suffering.
One day the issue of evil will be permanently and absolutely resolved. And we who have suffered because of it, will be compensated forever, if we are reconciled to God. Until then, let us follow Him faithfully, not because we know or understand everything, but because we know Him and believe He is good!

http://www.syrogers.com/media/bigquestion.php

Bringing Christ into our Crisis by David Wilkerson

2011-07-24T12:19:00.002+08:00

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/

Peace, Where Did I Leave You? by Joyce Meyer

2011-07-02T12:24:00.001+08:00

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.

The Bible says the kingdom of God is in us.

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.

Source ; http://www.joycemeyer.org

Daddy is Driving

2011-06-19T12:09:00.002+08:00

A speaker (Dr. Wan) has once shared his experience:

While his family and he were in Europe, there was once that they need to drive 3 days continuously, day and night, to get to Germany. So, they all got into the car -- he, his wife, and his 3 years old daughter.

His little daughter has never traveled at night before. She was scared the first night in the car, with deep darkness outside.

"Where are we going, Daddy?" "To your uncle's house, in Germany."
"Have you been to his house before?" "No."
"Then, do you know the way?" "Maybe, we can read the map."
Short pause. "Do you know how to read the map?" "Yes, we will get there safely."
Another pause. "Where are we going to eat if we get hungry before arriving?" "We can stop by restuarants if we are hungry."
"Do you know if there are restaurants on the way?" "Yes, there are."
"Do you know where?" "No, but we will be able to find some."

The same dialogue repeated a few times within the first night, and also the second night. But on the third night, his daughter was quiet. The speaker thought that she might have fallen asleep, but when he looked into the mirror, he saw that she was awake and was just looking around calmly. He couldn't help wondering why she was not asking the questions anymore --
"Dear, do you know where we are going?" "Germany, Uncle's house."
"Do you know how we are getting there?" "No."
"Then why aren't you asking anymore?" "Because Daddy is driving."
Because Daddy is driving.

This answer from a 3 years' old girl has then become the strength and help for this speaker for the many years follow whenever he has questions and fears on his journey with the Lord. Yes, our Father is driving. We may know the destination (and sometimes we may just know it like the little girl -- "Germany", without understanding where or what it really is).

We do not know the way, we do not know how to read the map, we do not know if we can find restaurants along the way. But the little girl knew the most important thing -- Daddy is driving -- and so she is safe and secure. She knows that her Daddy will provide all that she needs.

Do you know your Daddy, the Great Shepherd, is driving today? What are your behavior and response as a passenger, His child?

You may have asked many questions before, but can you like the little girl, start to realize the most important focus should be "Daddy is driving?"

Author Unknown

Source : http://www.inspirationalstories.com/0/36.html

God and the Spider Web

2011-06-01T17:11:00.000+08:00

During World War II, a US marine was separated from his unit on a Pacific Island. The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire he had lost touch with his comrades.

Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock. Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves. Although safe for the moment, he realized that once the enemy soldiers looking for him swept up the ridge, they would quickly search all the caves and he would be killed.

As he waited, he prayed, "Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love you and trust you. Amen."

After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy begin to draw close. He thought, "Well, I guess the Lord isn't going to help me out of this one.." Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave.

As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave.
"Ha, he thought. "What I need is a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web. God does have a sense of humor."

As the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another. As they came to his, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on. Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while. "Lord, forgive me," prayed the young man. "I had forgotten that in you a spider's web is stronger than a brick wall."

We all face times of great trouble. When we do, it is so easy to forget the victories that God would work in our lives, sometimes in the most surprising ways. As the great leader, Nehemiah, reminded the people of Israel when they faced the task of rebuilding Jerusalem, "In God we will have success!" [Nehemiah 2:20]

Remember: Whatever is happening in your life, with God, a mere spider's web can become a brick wall of protection. Believe He is with you always. Just speak His name through Jesus His son, and you will see His great power and love for you.

Author Unknown

Source : http://www.creativebiblestudy.com/Christian-stories.html

Hold On

2011-05-14T11:11:00.003+08:00

Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.

His mother in the house was looking out the window saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him.

From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.

Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal, and on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.

The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, 'But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn't let go.'

You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, or anything quite so dramatic, but the scars of painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you. The Scripture teaches that God loves you.

You are a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way. But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril - and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That's when the tug-of-war begins - and if you have the scars of His love on your arms be very, very grateful. He did not and will not - let you go.

Source : http://www.inspirationalprayer.com/hold-on.html

The Thief on the Other Cross: A Good Friday Monologue by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson

2011-04-21T11:30:00.003+08:00

I don't belong here. I really don't. Paradise is the last place I expected to end up after all I've done. Let me tell you my story.

I am -- I was -- an armed robber, I guess you'd call it. Me and Jake and the others would live in caves in the Judean hills near the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. We made our living by violence. We wouldn't take on people in the big groups that passed. They traveled together for safety. But a family alone would be an easy mark, as well as anyone fool enough to travel by himself.

Brandishing a strong staff would usually do the trick. Threaten them with a beating and they'd give up without much of a fight. But I've been known to break a few bones in my day, God forgive me. I don't think I actually killed anyone, but then I never stayed around long enough to find out.

The first time I meet Jesus is when I am invited to a party in his honor in Jericho at the home of a rich tax collector named Zacchaeus. I am introduced, we shake hands, and Jesus looks me in the eye for a long moment. He can see right into me, who I am, every crime I have ever committed. Then he smiles this big friendly smile. "You know," he says, "there's forgiveness for you in my Kingdom. How about it?"

I drop my eyes, say something non-committal, and shuffle away. The next day I'm in the crowd, hanging on every word he says. Jesus is talking about his Kingdom, comparing it to a mustard seed, calling it the Kingdom of Heaven. I want so much to go up to him after he has finished and take him up on that forgiveness thing, but I just can't bring myself to do it.

I wish I had. It isn't much later when me and my friend Jake -- the guy on the third cross -- get caught by a Roman patrol. The others run off, but they catch us, beat us silly, drag us into Jerusalem, and throw us in prison. No mercy for the likes of us.

And so it happens that on the same day that they crucify Jesus, they crucify me and Jake -- one of us on his left, the other on his right. This ain't no normal crucifixion. Mobs of people are there just because of Jesus. Self-righteous Pharisees are swaggering and mocking. "If you're some kind of messiah," one sneers, "come on down from that cross. If you're a savior, save yourself -- if you can!"

Jake begins cat-calling, too, if you can imagine that. I yell over at him, "You miserable thug, don't you have any fear of God? Can't you see that we're going to die just like he is? Show a little decency! We're getting exactly what we deserve, but he ain't done nothing wrong."

Jake quiets down and the Pharisees lose interest. But I can't get Jericho out of my mind. I can't forget Jesus' eyes, his words, his invitation. And so I call over to him, though it's getting hard to breathe and talking makes it that much harder.

"Jesus!" I say. He turns his head towards me. "Jesus, I was there in Jericho. I met you at a party at Zacchaeus' house. Remember?"

He looks at me for a moment and then nods his head just a little. He doesremember.

"I never forgot what you said. I wanted to say yes, but just couldn't. And now look at me -- look at us!"

He is in bad shape -- exhausted, in excruciating pain, back oozing, breath labored. He isn't going to last long. I can see that. But somehow I can see beyond all that. He was the Messiah, is the Messiah, no matter what those priests and Romans and Pharisees have done to him. And when he dies, he will be with God. In a few hours, maybe less, he will be vindicated. He will reign in that Kingdom he told us about.

"Jesus," I call again, quieter now.

He opens his eyes. They are the same eyes, the same piercing, loving, honest eyes.

"Jesus," I say, "when you come into your Kingdom, would you remember me?"

His words are labored, his lips parched, but I can still hear him pretty well. "Truly, I say to you...." His voice cracks, then is stronger for a moment. "Truly, this very day you will be with me in Paradise."

His eyes droop. He is fading quickly now. But I believe him. I do! That's what gets me through those next few hours until they break my legs to kill me. I do believe him!

And then I find myself here in heaven, in Paradise. I sure don't deserve to be here, but here I am anyway. I guess that's what a man like me gets when the King himself grants a pardon. Full forgiveness. Pretty amazing, don't you think?

This story is fictional, of course, though it is based on the account in Luke 23:32-43. The criminals described by the Greek word lestes, "robber, highwayman, bandit." Since Josephus used this as a derisive term to refer to the Zealots, some have thought that it might mean "revolutionary, insurrectionist, guerrilla" here. (lestes, BDAG 594; K.H. Rengstorf, lestes, TDNT 4:257-262). However, in this story I take the thief as a highwayman or bandit, like the one who had robbed the man in Jesus' Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37).

Source : http://www.joyfulheart.com/easter/thief.htm

Impossible Situations

2011-03-28T00:08:00.001+08:00

The day was almost over. As I cleaned the room in preparation for the next patient, I heard the intercom blare my name announcing a call waiting for me at the nurses’ station.

I maneuvered my way through the crowded hospital corridor and picked up the first free phone I could find. The grim tone of my brother’s voice caused my heart to leap into my throat.

“They found a large tumor on Mom’s liver.” This was not the first time we had heard the words “tumor” or “cancer.”

Six years earlier, she had fought a hard fight against colon cancer and won. However, we felt the winds of change after a kidney infection landed her in the emergency room earlier that month. Her doctor performed a blood test that indicated her cancer might have returned. The CAT scan confirmed our worst fears. The cancer had spread, or metastasized, to her liver.

“What are we going to do?” Alan’s voice broke through my stunned silence.

After asking a few more questions about my mother’s test results, all I could say was, “I’ll call you back.”

I left the desk and found my husband in another area of the emergency room where we both worked as nurses. I shared the news with him and other co-workers who were standing by. Concerned looks and pats on the shoulder were all they could offer in the way of a solution. My husband turned to me. “What about Rhonda?”

Spurred on by a glimmer of hope, I grabbed the phone. My hands shook as I dialed the number. The din of the emergency room grew faint as I waited for the familiar voice to answer.

“Hey, Rhon. It’s Pam. Can you talk for a minute?”

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

I launched into the story without taking a breath. “Mom has a tumor on her liver. Alan told me her doctor said he can’t operate because it is wrapped around a major blood vessel. What can I do? Who can I take her to?”

Then came the inevitable question, “What kind of insurance does she have?”

I took a deep breath “She doesn’t have any."

The silence that followed was shattered by my friend’s determined voice, “Pam, give me a minute and I will call you back.” The phone went dead.

As I waited, my heart began to sink. How would my mother get the care she needed? Mom had survived two major surgeries, six weeks of radiation, and eighteen months of chemotherapy. After she went into remission, my parents tried to obtain some sort of health coverage for her. All of these efforts were fruitless. Because of her history, no conventional insurance company would touch her. She was too young for Medicare, and when she tried applying for Medicaid, she was told she would have to divorce my father in order to qualify for benefits. After fifty years of marriage, this was not an option. Furthermore, even if we had the funds, where would she get a doctor? Few surgeons in the state would call themselves qualified to tackle such a case, and, if they did, it could take months to get an appointment. Our chances seemed bleak. It was an impossible situation.

Throughout the Bible, we find story after story of men and women surrounded by circumstances that had no viable solution. In the Old Testament, we read about a couple of senior citizens waiting for a promised child to be born. Let us not forget the runaway murderer commissioned by God to lead Israel out of centuries of slavery against the super power of his day. How about the Israeli leader who needed more hours of daylight in order to defeat the enemy? All of these were impossible situations.

In the New Testament, we can feel the anxiety of the disciples as five thousand hungry people waited for the meal Jesus announced that He would provide. Ponder this: Lazarus was dead. Mary and Martha were racked with grief when Jesus finally arrived three days later. “Where were you?” they cried. More impossible situations.

The list goes on and on, but with every insurmountable obstacle, God comes through. Abraham and Sarah have a healthy baby boy. Moses brings the children of Israel out of bondage after four hundred years of oppression while being chased by the entire Egyptian army. Joshua defeated the enemy when God made the sun stand still. Jesus not only fed five thousand men, but also all the women and children who were there with food to spare. Much to the delight of Mary and Martha, Jesus brought Lazarus back to life. When the world shakes its head and announces there is no way, God flexes His muscles on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him, (2 Chronicles 16:9).

Replaying the events of that day, I feel humbled and honored at the evidence of God’s hand at work in Mom’s life. Little did I know that God would use an old friendship to bring about a new solution. When the call finally came, Rhonda’s voice rang full of confidence.

“Pam, the doctor I work for has agreed to see your Mom. He is one of the best trauma surgeons in Florida. And, because of where her tumor is located, we are going to enroll her in the teaching program so all her hospital costs will be covered. She won’t have to pay for a thing.”

Friend, are you facing an impossible situation? Perhaps a loved one has been touched by an unexpected illness like my mother, or your checkbook shows more withdrawals than deposits. If so, just remember what God asked Jeremiah in chapter 32, verse 27: “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything too difficult for me?” When we see obstacles, God sees opportunities. God is ready, willing, and able to do all that we need. Turn the burden over to Him, ignite your faith, and watch the hand of God turn your situation around.

“Heavenly Father, thank you for working all things for my good. Give me a loyal heart so that you can ‘show Yourself strong’ in my life. Bring to my mind how You have rescued me in the past. Increase my faith so I can see Your solution to my impossible situation. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

About the Author

Pamela Rosario lives and works in sunny Florida. She is a wife, and the mother of two daughters. She gives all glory and praise to her Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for every good thing in her life.

Article Source: Faith Writers

WHO WILL TAKE THE SON?

2011-03-20T22:29:00.002+08:00

wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.

When the Viet Nam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said,"Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.

The young man held out his package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this"

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture.

"Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?" There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted. "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one."

But the auctioneer persisted. "Will someone bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?" Another voice shouted angrily "We didn't come to see this painting.. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!" But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting."

Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. "We have $10, who will bid $20?" "Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters." "$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?" The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"

A man sitting on the second row shouted. "Now let's get on with the collection!" The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over." "What about the paintings?" "I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time.

Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets every thing!"

God gave His Son 2,000 years ago to die on a cruel Cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is, "The Son, the Son, who'll take the Son?" Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

author unknown

"But as many as received Him, to them gave He Power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name" (John 1:12).

What You Need to Know About Being Bold and Fearless by Joyce Meyer

2011-03-03T06:04:00.001+08:00

Bold: to be brave, daring, courageous, intrepid, valiant.

God is calling us to be bold. If you have the tendency to not take chances in life because you’re afraid of making mistakes, God wants you to know He’s pleased with you when you try. It doesn’t matter if you don’t do everything exactly right. What matters is that you step out in faith, believing God will help you!

Second Timothy 1:7 says that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power—and He wants us to use it! It doesn’t take courage to do what we already know we can do. True courage is displayed when you’re afraid to do something but you go ahead and do it anyway. The truth is, we don’t ever have to fear because we can ask God for His help anytime we need it.

Taking the Focus Off of Performance
There are so many people who are so afraid of making a mistake that they don’t do anything. Instead, they sit around saying, “What if I’m wrong?” Well, we’re human. We’re going to make mistakes and look silly from time to time.

We can be so afraid of being judged or criticized or getting laughed at. But the only thing fear does in our lives is stop our progress.

What matters to God is relationship…not performance. God knows we aren’t perfect, and He’s totally okay with it. The problem is, the devil knows it too, and he does his best to tell us every step of the way!

We can be going along, serving God, doing good, stepping out in faith and then all of a sudden, without there being any justification for it, we’ll have a day or week when we have an attack on our mind about fear. That’s when we need to say what God’s Word tells us:

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. — 2 Corinthians 10:4,5 NIV

Honesty Outweighs Perfection
We can care too much about what people think of us to the point where it totally immobilizes us and we are petrified about looking wrong. But do you know what? I think if we are more truthful, we will actually get more respect than we do by trying to hide everything, pretending we’re perfect.

I believe one of the main reasons people like to listen to me is that I tell all my junk. It helps them to relax, to relate to me, and offers them hope that if I can do some of the things I’ve done and make it, so can they.

We need to stop living in fear of making mistakes, because we will make mistakes—period. God is not asking us to not make any mistakes. He’s calling us to be bold—fearless in approaching Him, in stepping out in faith, and in trusting Him to lead us.

Source : http://www.joycemeyer.org/

Choose Your Friends Carefully

2011-02-21T06:04:00.002+08:00

or those of you who have really entered into a true Spirit-filled, full-surrendered walk with the Lord where He is now leading your life in the direction that He will want it to go in – one of the first things that you will find happening is that God will start to prune out the people that He does not want in your life and start to bring in the people that He does want in your life.

As you will see in the Scripture verses I will list below, the Bible tells us to choose our friends very carefully in this life. These verses will tell us that he who walks with wise people will become wise himself, but that he who keeps company with fools will be destroyed. The Bible tells us that we are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers, that we are to stay away from people who cause divisions and offenses, and to withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly.

This does not mean that we cannot work with the lost, the downtrodden and the people who need to find God and His message of eternal salvation. When Jesus came to our earth in the flesh, He always went after the sinners and the outcasts. But when Jesus went after these sinners, it was always for the express purpose of getting them saved and cleaned up.

Jesus did not chase after everyone. He ripped on the Pharisees and many of the high-ranking Jewish leaders. Some people are open to be helped, others are not. The Bible tells us to stay away from people who are considered to be “dogs” and to beware of people who are “evil workers.”

One of the first things that God will do with your life once you come into a full surrender with Him is to start to set some boundary lines. He will now decide the path that you will now follow in Him. He will now be leading you into the specific jobs that He will want you to have in this life. If you are single and have not married yet, He will lead you to the mate that He will want you to marry if it is in His perfect will that you get married in this life.

And once those boundary lines start to go up – one of the first things that God will do is decide who is going to be coming into those boundary lines and who will be going out. In other words, God will be deciding who your true friends are going to be in this life and who will not.
The main reason God will be helping you to choose who your true friends are going to be in this life is because His ultimate and highest aim for you is to transform and sanctify you. In other words – He wants you to spiritually grow and mature in your walk with Him.

The Bible tells us that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. God’s ultimate aim for us is our sanctification – where He starts to begin to mold and transform us into the express image of His Son Jesus Christ.

The main reason that God will start to take out the friends in your life that He does not want you to have is because some of these people may be negative influences in your life. They may not be open to growing and maturing in the Lord like you will be, and all they will do is try and hold you back when you start your own spiritual journey and growth in the Lord. They will start criticizing and making fun of you and all they will end up doing is stunting your growth in the Lord.

God will not be putting up with this, and He will thus be taking all of these bad and negative influences out of your life very early on once you enter into this full surrendered walk with Him. For those of you who are married and have children – it is the same thing when you do not want your children hanging out with other children who you know would be a bad and negative influence on your child.

You know that if your children start hanging out with the wrong type of crowd, they can become very easily corrupted in a very short period of time. As a result, you will become very protective with your children and you will watch them very closely when they are old enough to start choosing who their friends are going to be.

It is the exact same way with God the Father! This is why God will be moving very early on to take out these negative influences in your life. Once this starts to happen, you have to go with the program or you could cause God to start pulling back on you. And once that starts to happen, you could then start to backslide and everything could then start to shut down.

If you will allow God to prune out the people that He does not want you to have in your life – then what He will start to do is to bring in the people that He will want to have in your life. I call these types of friends “God-friends.” These people will be other good, godly, Spirit-filled Christians who are truly walking in good stead with the Lord and they will now be the people that He will want you to share your walk with!

As you will see in the Scripture verses listed below – you will need other good, solid Christian friends in your life to help you grow in the Lord. The Bible tells us that we can only “know in part.” No one has all of the answers to everything. By sharing your walk with other good, solid, Christian friends, you can each help each other out in your pursuit of the knowledge and ways of God.

You will know some things about God they may not know and they will know some things that you may not know. You thus are able to help contribute to each other’s storehouse of knowledge in the Lord.

One of the verses listed below state that two friends can help sharpen each other up like“iron sharpens iron.” Just like one piece of iron can make the other piece of iron extremely sharp by rubbing up against it – two solid Christian friends can also have the same type of positive effect on one another by sharing their own personal walks in the Lord with one other.

By having other good, solid, Christian friends to share your journey with – you will literally accelerate your spiritual growth and development in the Lord because you will have more than one source in which to feed and learn from. You will be learning about God from all of your own personal adventures and experiences with Him – but you will also be learning more about God from all of your other friend’s personal journey and experiences with Him.

How many of these types of God-friends can you expect God to bring in? Only God will be able to answer that for each and every one of you. Some may only get one or two to start off with, others may get 5 or 10. Let God make the decision as to how many and when they will be brought into your life.

What I have learned is that it is not the quantity or amount that comes in – it is the quality. You are much better off having just one or two good, solid, quality friends as versus 10 or 15 that are not as good, quality friends as the one or two may be.
Every Christian is operating at different levels of spiritual development with the Lord. God knows best as to who would be best suited for you at the level of spiritual development that you are currently operating at with Him. When God does bring in these types of special God-friends to share your journey with – they will be real treasures! These God-friendships will be anointed by God Himself due to the quality feedings and interaction that will occur in them.

Sadly, what you will find out very early on, is just because someone may be a saved and born again Christian does not mean this person has their act together in the Lord. Some people have become too judgmental and too critical in their walks with the Lord. Some have become too arrogant and pompous, thinking that they have all the answers to everything. They will tend to look down on anyone else who is not operating at the knowledge levels they are operating at.

Some have become so flaky in their walks with the Lord, that they have lost touch with reality and you won’t be able to connect with any of them. God knows best as to who will be best suited for you at your current level of spiritual development with Him – so let Him guide you to the ones that He will want you to connect with.

I have seen God do this so many times for others, that I literally consider it a miraculous piece of work – especially as to how He gets you to meet some of these people in the first place. Some of these chess moves are quite incredible, as most of these people will be total strangers to you until God moves in to match the two of you up.

The other thing that could occur besides God matching you up with total strangers is that He may move on someone else you may know, but that you are not particular good friends with. That person then gets saved and plugged in, and then they find out that you too are saved and plugged in – and now a good God-friendship can start to build up as you now have something in common with one another to start to build a good, solid friendship with.

This could be another member in your family, someone that you may work with, a friend who you may have known from your past, or someone you may see at church from time to time but never really talked with. The possibilities are endless as to where these people may come from. These God-friends can come from anywhere and at anytime – so keep your radars up – as you never know when God may move to bring one of them into your life.

Now I will go to the actual Scripture verses confirming all of the above for you.

1. Choose Your Friends Carefully

This first verse is the one that will tell us to choose our friends very carefully in this life. This verse should literally be burned into your memory banks so that you never, ever forget this basic, fundamental command from the Lord! Here it is:

“The righteous should CHOOSE HIS FRIENDS CAREFULLY, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.” (Proverbs 12:26)

Notice this verse is specifically telling us that if we do not choose our friends very carefully in this life, that we could end up choosing the wrong type of people to become friends with and they can then end up leading us astray from God and with what He wants to do with our lives. Many of God’s people have lost their calls in Him because they chose to hang out with the wrong type of people or the wrong crowd.

2. Benefits of Choosing Good God-Friends

Here are six very interesting verses showing you why God does want you to have other good, solid Christian friends to share your walk with.

These six verses will show you that there is safety in the multitude of counselors, that plans can go awry without having other people to hash things out with, that war is waged by having wise counsel with others, that learning is increased by listening to wise counsel, and that if you cease to listen to wise counsel – that you will start to stray from being able to acquire more knowledge in God.

“Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14)
“A wise man is strong, yes, a man of knowledge increases strength; for by wise counsel you will wage your own war, and in a multitude of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 24:5)
“Every purpose is established by counsel; by wise counsel wage war.” (Proverbs 20:18)
“Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.” (Proverbs 15:22)
“Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days.” (Proverbs 19:20)
“Cease listening to instruction, my son, and you will stray from the words of knowledge.” (Proverbs 19:27)

Once you turn the reigns of your life over to God for Him to fully handle, He will now make sure that you get matched up with the right kind of people that you can become true God-friends with.

3. As Iron Sharpens Iron

This next verse is extremely fascinating as it tells us that two friends can help sharpen each other up as iron sharpens iron. A true God-friend can help keep you sharp in the Spirit, let you know when you are getting too far off track, help you get through and make sense of some of the downswings that can occur in your walk, confirm and help bear witness when you are on the right track, give you pep talks when needed, and help keep you in the game when you start to get too mad and too frustrated when things do not go your way.

You each serve to help keep each other up in the Lord so that you both can continue to stay on the straight and narrow road that God now has you set up on. You can also help each other out if one starts to be tempted to do something they should not be engaging in. Here is the verse:

“As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” (Proverbs 27:17)

A true God-friend will always be honest and straight forward with you. You cannot help keep each other up and sharp in the Lord unless you are both willing to be totally honest with one another.

4. Do Not Be Unequally Yoked With Unbelievers

These next seven verses will tell us not to be yoked together with unbelievers, foolish men, dogs, evil workers, those who are disorderly, reckless, contentious and always causing trouble and strife.

There is one verse in particular that tells us that “evil company corrupts good habits.” This verse perfectly shows us what can happen to any of your children if they start hanging out with the wrong type of people.

Here are 7 good verses telling us to stay on our side of the fence, and to stay away from all of the bad apples who have no desire for God or anything that He stands for.

“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.” (2 Corinthians 6:14)
“He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.” (Proverbs 13:20)
“A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it, but knowledge is easy to him who understands. Go from the presence of a foolish man, when you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.” (Proverbs 14:6)
“Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers …” (Philippians 3:2)
“But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.” (2 Thessalonians 3:6)
“Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you have learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.” (Romans 16:17)
“Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God.” (1 Corinthians 15:33)

All of these verses are giving us major warnings that we are to stay away from all of the bad apples in this life who will do nothing but try and bring us down to their lower way of living in this life. Many Christians have had their lives totally ruined and destroyed as a result of marrying the wrong people or choosing the wrong kinds of friends to hang out with.

CONCLUSION

Just as God saw fit to create Eve for Adam in the Garden of Eden when He first created the first man – God still places an extremely high value on personal friendships, and He will make sure to bring the right people and the right number of people in your life so you can each help each other out to go farther and fly higher in the Lord.

When Jesus first started to send the 12 apostles out to walk with His anointing, He would always send them out two-by-two.

Once you enter into a real supernatural walk with the Lord, you will go nuts if you do not have someone to share your walk with. There are simply too many good God things that will start to happen in your life and you will need others to talk with, to vent with, to share with, to learn from one another, and to help keep each other on track.

I believe Jesus was giving us a major piece of revelation when He started sending the apostles out two-by-two instead of by themselves.

For those of you who have not been matched up with a good God-friend at this time – just go to God the Father in prayer and ask Him to bring you the right friend that would be best suited for you at your present level of spiritual development in Him.

Unless God is keeping you all to Himself for a reason and a season, there is no reason that God will not want to move on this request to bring you a true, special God-friend in order to help accelerate your spiritual growth in Him. If God did it for Adam in the Garden of Eden, then there is no reason that He would not want to do it for you.

Source : http://www.bible-knowledge.com/bible-friends/

How to Love Like Jesus - Learn the Secret to Loving Like Jesus by Abiding in Him By Jack Zavada

2011-02-07T06:58:00.003+08:00

To love like Jesus, we need to understand a simple truth. We cannot live the Christian life on our own.

Sooner or later, in the midst of our frustration, we come to the conclusion that we're doing something wrong. It's not working. Our best efforts just don't cut it.

Discovering Why We Can't Love Like Jesus

All of us want to love like Jesus. We want to be generous, forgiving, and compassionate enough to love people unconditionally. But no matter how hard we try, it just doesn't work. Our humanness gets in the way.

Jesus was human too, but he was also God incarnate. He was able to see the people he created in a way that we can't. He personifiedlove. In fact, the Apostle John said, "God is love..." (1 John 4:16, ESV)

You and I are not love. We can love, but we can't do it perfectly. We see others' faults and stubbornness. When we remember the slights they have done to us, a small part of us can't forgive. We refuse to make ourselves as vulnerable as Jesus did because we know we'll get hurt again. We love and at the same time we hold back.

Yet Jesus tells us to love as he did: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." (John 13:34, ESV)

How do we do something we're incapable of doing? We turn to Scripture for the answer and it's there we learn the secret of how to love like Jesus.

Love Like Jesus Through Abiding

We don't get very far before we learn the Christian life is impossible. Jesus gave us the key, however: "With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God." (Mark 10:27, ESV)

He explained this truth in depth in the 15th chapter of the Gospel of John, with his parable of the vine and branches. The New International Version uses the word "remain", but I like the English Standard Version translation using "abide":

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.(John 15:1-10, ESV)

Did you catch that in verse 5? "Apart from me you can do nothing." We can't love like Jesus on our own. In fact, we can't do anything in the Christian life on our own.

The missionary James Hudson Taylor called it "the exchanged life." We surrender our life to Jesus to the extent that when we abide in Christ, he loves others through us. We can endure rejection because Jesus is the vine that sustains us. His love heals our hurts and supplies the strength we need to keep going.

Love Like Jesus by Trusting

Surrendering and abiding are things we can do only through the power of the Holy Spirit. He dwells in baptized believers, guiding us to the right decision and giving us the grace to trust God.

When we see a selfless Christian saint who can love like Jesus, we can be sure that person is abiding in Christ and he in her. What would be too hard on our own, we can do through this act of abiding. We continue to abide by reading the Bible, praying, and attending church with other believers. In this way our trust in God is built up.

Like branches on a vine, our Christian life is a growth process. We mature more every day. As we abide in Jesus, we learn to know him better and trust him more. Cautiously, we reach out to others. We love them. The greater our trust in Christ, the greater our compassion will be.

This is a lifelong challenge. When we are rebuffed, we have the choice to draw back or give our hurt to Christ and try again. Abiding is what matters. When we live that truth, we can begin to love like Jesus.

Source : http://christianity.about.com/od/topicaldevotions/a/Love-Like-Jesus.htm

WHY DO WE CELEBRATE CHINESE NEW YEAR

2011-01-24T06:39:00.000+08:00

The Chinese (Lunar) New Year is celebrated by many ethnic Chinese all over the world. What is the origin of this festival?

"The origin of the Chinese New Year Festival can be traced back thousands of years through a continually evolving series of colorful legends and traditions. One of the most famous legends is that of Nien 年, an extremely cruel and ferocious beast, which the Chinese believe, eats people on New Year's Eve. To keep Nien away, red-paper couplets are pasted on doors, torches are lit, and firecrackers are set off throughout the night, because Nien is said to fear the color red, the light of fire, and loud noises. Early the next morning, as feelings of triumph and renewal fill the air at successfully keeping Nien away for another year, the most popular greeting heard is kung-hsi 恭喜, or "congratulations." ( Source :http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/SpringFestival/200005.htm)

This Chinese legend is strongly reminiscent of the Passover story in the Bible. Exodus 12:12,13 tell us what happened during the Passover : "For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt."

We have a great reason to celebrate now because as believers, we are covered by the precious blood of our Saviour! His blood which was shed on the cross for the remission of all our sins has set us free from the law of sin and death. Because of Jesus' finished work on the cross, we need not be afraid of the "terror by night, nor for the arrow that flies by day; Nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noon day." (Psalm 91:5,6)

Praise God! Revelations 12:11 tells us that we have overcome the devil by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony! Hallelujah! Christ's precious shed blood on the cross has overcome the devil. Our adversary is nothing but a toothless foe, he has no more power over the believer. What a wonderful reason to celebrate!

Jesus is the Reason for the Season! Blessed Chinese (Lunar) New Year to all my Chinese friends :)

A Prophetic Word for Women and Church Leaders by Lisa Bevere

2011-01-10T11:03:00.001+08:00

I woke this morning with such an urgency to share the following excerpt from Lioness Arising. I believe it is an urgent and prophetic word for Church leaders and God’s women. I shared this portion with John and he said he wished EVERY church leader could hear it...so here is our attempt. Feel free to re-post and share as you feel led.

Then turning to the woman, but speaking to Simon, (Jesus) said, “Do you see this woman? I came to your home; you provided no water for my feet, but she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived she hasn’t quit kissing my feet. You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. Impressive, isn’t it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.”
(Luke 7:43–47)

When we imagine that we are above the need for heart grooming, we start judging others. In judgment we deny others what we ourselves need. This is what happened to Simon. He needed his feet washed. He needed the greeting of peace. He needed the healing of an anointing balm. But since he thought he was above needing these things, he did not offer any of these rituals of greeting and grooming to his guests.

I can’t help but wonder if Jesus has turned his face to the women as he poses a question to the legalistic leaders of our day, asking something like this: “You think the sin of the woman is too great for her to merit acknowledgment, so you ignore her. You imagine she is in some way less than in my charge to present the gospel, but I have highlighted the example of this woman—and thus exonerated women. You imagine Eve’s sin to be greater than Adam’s, and therefore you deny her daughters access to my table, but don’t forget that those who are forgiven much are all the more grateful. A place of honor will be found for these daughters, even if it is by way of washing and anointing my feet.”

Lovely lionesses, it is time we again give our glorious Lord something to brag about. To see this happen, I am willing to wash some feet and have mine washed. Let’s each be willing to do anything or go anywhere if it means Jesus will have reason to marvel when he looks our way. Simon thought this loose woman was falling all over Jesus, but Jesus called her awkward attempts lovely. Don’t worry if your attempts are awkward at first. Just commit to begin. I want us all to make this kind of impression on Jesus so that he would say of us, “I am impressed they have shown me so much love.”

Let’s do something wonderfully significant for our Lord. As we lavish kindness, grooming, and welcome on others, we pour out our adoration on him. Let’s anoint one another for his return and our resurrection. Let’s wash each others feet, even if it is with our tears. Let them fall unhindered until there is enough moisture to wash the dust and filth off the feet of the church. Let’s weep over our own sins and cry over the injustice levied on our sisters and children the world over. If the mercy that has been lavished on you is not enough to reduce you to tears, then allow the cruelty of the plight of captive daughters to move you. Your tears wash the feet of others and magnify our Lord.

(The above is an excerpt from “Lioness Arising: Wake Up and Change Your World,” Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group, 2010.)

Source : http://messengerinternational.blogspot.com/

Blessed 2011 :)

2011-01-01T11:22:00.000+08:00

I wish all my friends a very blessed 2011 filled with the Lord's love, joy, peace and divine wisdom :)

PSALM 103:1-5 (NKJ)

¹ Bless the LORD, O my soul;
         And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
² Bless the LORD, O my soul,
         And forget not all His benefits:
³ Who forgives all your iniquities,
         Who heals all your diseases,
⁴ Who redeems your life from destruction,
         Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
⁵ Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
         So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

2010-12-12T23:12:00.002+08:00

A very blessed Christmas to all my friends :) Rejoice, we are the reason that He has come to dwell among us :)

Partner Letter - March 2008 by Gary Carpenter

2010-11-25T11:31:00.000+08:00

Whose report will you believe? This is the question asked by the prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament. Will you believe the news reports of the world or will you believe the report of the Lord? I have never seen so much negative news being reported in all my life. On television news programs, the Internet, the newspapers … every single form of media seems to be proclaiming "doom and gloom." Don't misunderstand me, we cannot deny the facts and we have to make appropriate decisions. But at the same time … we have an information media stream that the world has no access to. We have the Word of God. Has God's Word changed? What does He say to us in His Word?

Psa 34:9-10 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want [lack] to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want [lack] any good thing.

Mat 6:31-34 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Phil 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

We are in the world, but we are not of the world. Being in the world means that the storms of life come upon us just like they come upon non-believers. But our lives do not have to crumble when the storms rage upon us. We can escape the devastation of the storms of life by being doers of Jesus' sayings:

Luke 6:47-49 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

What was Jesus saying in the passage from Matthew Chapter Six shown above? He was saying, "Don't WORRY!" He was telling us to trust our heavenly Father to make a way for us to prosper no matter what is going on in the world. Do you remember the Manna that Israel ate during their sojourn in the wilderness? There were no crops to harvest in the desert. There was no food to eat. There was no way to survive without God's intervention. So what did God do? He made a way where there was no way. He fed His people with Manna from heaven. He did something unique that had never before happened in all of history. God is your Father. He has not changed. He can still make a way for you to prosper even in the midst of all of these reports of doom and gloom. He only asks one thing of you … Don't worry! Fear is the opposite of faith. The New Testament defines what faith is:

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Based on that definition, fear could be defined this way:

"Fear is the substance of the things you do not want to happen. Worry is the evidence of things that may or may not even happen in the future."

Worry is the product of fear. Worry is the "evidence" that fear produces. It is the opposite of faith and it literally stops the power of God from flowing in your life. Over these many years of practice, I have developed trust in God to the point I seldom worry about anything. In fact, when circumstances are dire and I am not worrying, people could almost develop an accusing attitude toward me like, "What? You're not worried? Don't you even care?" In other words, if I am not worried about the negative situation, I am not being a responsible person. The truth is, I care enough about the situation NOT to worry about it. By standing in faith rather than worrying, I am releasing God's power to move in and change the circumstances.

Let me counsel you to be sure and load up on the "Report of the Lord" during these challenging times. Don't allow your soul to be constantly bombarded with negative news reports without also feeding the "Good Report of God's Word" into your soul as well. Fight the tendency to worry like you would fight a rattlesnake that crawled into your house. You wouldn't put up with that rattlesnake for a minute. You would kill it instantly. Fight worry the same way. Take God's Word and kill worry with it. Get it in your heart and in your mouth. Trust your Father to make a way where there is no way. Say, "I will believe the report of the Lord!"

Source : http://www.garycarpenter.org/l-mar09.html

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL MESSAGE by Joshua Lye

2010-10-28T11:13:00.002+08:00

What is the gospel message? Gospel means good news. What is this good news? Jesus has died for the sin of the world and He has given them His gift of righteousness. The gospel reveals the true righteousness of God that comes from Jesus. This is opposed to the righteousness of the law (Rom 3:21; Phil 3:9).

(Rom 1:16-17)
For I am not ashamed of the GOSPEL of Christ, for it is the power of God to SALVATION for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

The true gospel is also called the “gospel of the grace of Christ” (Gal 1:6-9) or “gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). There is no other gospel acceptable before God. When the Galatian Church was swayed towards the law, Paul said that they were turning to a “different gospel” (Gal 1:6). He said that those who preached the law “pervert the gospel of Christ” (Gal 1:7).

We have to be clear about this truth because if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain (Gal 2:21).

The Full Gospel of Christ

The good news of the gospel is holistic. It is not just forgiveness of sins, but it is the message of love, peace, joy, healing, wholeness, protection, deliverance, etc. The root word for salvation, “sozo” in Greek, is all encompassing. This is the full gospel. It is also consistent with what we shared earlier – that our covenant promises cover every aspect our lives. Let us look at the good news that Jesus proclaimed.

(Luke 4:18)
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the GOSPEL to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed…”

Jesus’ gospel message includes good news for the poor (financial), healing of the brokenhearted (soul), freedom for captives of sin and Satan (spiritual), recovery of sight for the blind (physical) and liberty for the oppressed (spiritual, soul). God cares for us holistically.

Posted by Joshua Lye on Daily Rhema

JESUS At A FUNERAL by Paul White

2010-10-12T15:10:00.002+08:00

Luke 7:11-18

Only Luke shares this remarkable story of the day that Jesus attended a funeral procession. This event takes place just outside the city gate of the little village of Nain, some 21 miles south of Capernaum. We do not know what other things that Jesus did in this village, or even whether He made it into the village, but this was a miracle that shook the countryside and caused stories to be told of Jesus that would carry all the way to John the Baptist in prison (Luke 7:18-19).

A widow woman had lost her only son, meaning that not only was the love of her life gone, but her entire means of income had died with him. It was not the dead boy that moved our Savior to perform a miracle, but rather it was the pain that He saw in the heart of the mother. When He saw her he said to her, “Weep not” (Luke 7:13).This seems like a bizarre thing to say to a mother who is attending the funeral of her son. Would you dare say this to someone who has lost a loved one at a funeral? Coming from Jesus, we know that it was not a reprimand against showing emotion, for Jesus shows as much Himself at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35). His instruction to the mother is a foreshadow that something awesome is about to happen. “Weep not” is Jesus’ way of introducing hope into a hopeless situation.

Jesus approached the “bier”, which was a funeral couch upon which Jews would carry their dead for burial. When Jesus touched the bier, the procession stopped. Touching a casket as it goes by in a funeral procession seems like a momentous gesture to us in the Western world but for a Jew, it represented something horrific. By touching the bier you were touching a dead person, thus you were ceremonially unclean. The party stopped because they were stunned that anyone would dare breach the laws of God’s cleanliness by such an act.

We know that Jesus completely fulfilled the law without ever sinning, so how could He commit such an act at the funeral in Nain without being considered ceremonially unclean? When Jesus touched the bier, it was Life touching Death. When the Life of God touched Death, Death cannot win, for the Life of Jesus Christ ensures that there can be no Death while He is around. The moment that Jesus made contact with the bier there was life that entered into the boy. The fact that he was now alive meant that Jesus had not touched a dead body at all, for no one could prove that there was anything that was dead!

No one ever died in the presence of Jesus. In fact, the criminals on the cross could not die until Jesus had given up His life first, for death has no place when Jesus is near. You cannot dwell for long in your dead ways when you look to Jesus as your hope and your life. His great hand touches the various areas of our life and we spring to life. He is the calmer of the storm and the bringer of streams in the desert. If He could visit a funeral in Nain and bring the boy to life, He can visit your life and bring you a life more abundant. Hallelujah!

Source : http://paulwhiteministries.com/site/

In Loving Memory of my dear friend, Ginger Pearce

2010-09-30T18:59:00.003+08:00

My dear friend and sister, Ginger, has gone home to be with her Beloved. I miss her uplifting and faith filled posts, her touching messages to me and most of all, her beautiful spirit. She was such a wonderful sister, filled with love for the Lord and for the Body of Christ. Even in her pain and sickness, she touched so many people on Facebook and left grace filled imprints on our lives. Ginger dear, you will continue to live on in our hearts forever. Till we meet again, we love you ♥

Here is one of Ginger's beautiful notes which she shared on Facebook :

Stop it! You are loved beyond any thing you can imagine.

by Ginger Pearce on Tuesday, August 3, 2010 at 10:41am

some times we get this thought that we are not important
well i use to be like
i was picked up by God at the good will
i wasn't good enough to the world to keep
but God in HIS mercy would have me
oh forget it
HE took the cross
He took the cross
i wonder why we think that God would take the cross and then get disgusted with us
i think it is because we don't get how insanely impossible it was
He sweat great drops of blood just thinking about it
He had to stop thinking about it or HE would have died
but HE went...
gladly, for joy...
YOU were that joy
yes HE was love sick
He was like if i cant have you then i don't want nobody
you know that is true
because HE gave up all HE had
HE had you in HIS mind
He thinks of you more in one day than all the grains of sand
because of Hubble we know HE is still making universes
but YOU are HIS thought
YOU are what fills HIS mind
and He knew when He cried out
IT IS FINISHED!
He knew you were HIS signed sealed delivered for eternity
and now He can live in you
and that rested HIM
and that is the only place HE dwells
in YOU HIS body
and that is just how HE likes it
the God of the Universe
having the time of HIS life in YOU!!!

WILL GOD SHOW UP TO HELP ME by Joyce Meyer

2010-09-15T10:50:00.005+08:00

Can you be in God’s will and be miserable?

Well, yes. But you can also be in tremendous peace.

For people who are saying, “I’m in a tough situation right now because I believe it’s where God wants me, but I’m miserable, frustrated and unhappy,” there’s good news.

When God asks us to stay in a difficult situation, He provides a special grace for us to get through it. It’s the kind of grace that leads others to look at us and think: Wow! I can’t believe they’re dealing with this and still have such peace! That’s faith.

When we say things like, “I just don’t think I can make it,” we’re essentially giving up, when we could just as easily trust God to help and sustain us.

Learning to trust God for His grace on a daily basis will help you keep your thoughts and words in line with His Word.

What Trusting God Can Do for You

I’ve heard grace defined as God’s riches at Christ’s expense, and that’s a good definition. But to be honest, it’s just a little bit too spiritual for me.

I like to define grace as God’s power to help us do whatever we need to do.

Grace is power. And it all comes to us through faith, which God also gives us. In fact, Romans 12:3 warns us not to think too highly of ourselves, because God is the one who gives us our faith.

You need to ask yourself: What am I doing with my faith?

Are you trying to change things that you have no ability to change? Are you trying to get yourself promoted instead of just doing your best to please God? If so, you’re probably burning out because you’re focusing on works.

When we simply do what God asks us to do, His grace flows through.

Faith Isn’t Just for the Finish Line
To learn how to trust God for His grace, I used to put up signs around my house that said things like, “Works of the flesh equal frustration.”

Every time I became frustrated, the signs helped me to remember God was with me.

One thing I learned is that His grace isn’t just for last minute miracles. God doesn’t just throw you a Hail Mary pass at the last minute when you’re all worn out and ready to give up, and then say, “Okay, now go make the touchdown.”

God’s grace is something on which you can constantly rely.

How to Have Peace in the Now
Because grace is available to you right now, there’s no reason to struggle with your circumstances, trying to figure them out—or even fight your way out.

Galatians 5:16 tells us to …walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit…then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh.
Notice how it doesn’t say “conquer the flesh so you can walk in the Spirit.”

When we concentrate on the Spirit, we won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh because we will be focused on our relationship with God and His love for us.

The same way we receive Christ is the same way we are supposed to live each day of our life—in total, complete dependence on Him.

Your circumstances don’t have to control you, because you have the power of God’s grace in your life. And it’s available to you in whatever amount you need, right now.

Source : http://www.joycemeyer.org/default.htm

A PERFECT MISTAKE

2010-08-26T10:28:00.002+08:00

My Mother's father worked as a carpenter. On this particular day, he was building some crates for the clothes his church was sending to orphanages in China. On his way home, he reached into his shirt pocket to find his glasses, but they were gone. When he mentally replayed his earlier actions, he realized what had happened; the glasses had slipped out of his pocket unnoticed and fallen into one of the crates, which he had nailed shut. His brand new glasses were heading for China!

The Great Depression was at it's height and Grandpa had six children. He had spent $20 for those glasses that very morning. He was upset by the thought of having to buy another pair. "It's not fair," he told God as he drove home in frustration. "I've been very faithful in giving of my time and money to Your work, and now this."

Months later, the director of the orphanage was on furlough in the United States. He wanted to visit all the churches that supported him in China, so he came to speak one Sunday at my grandfather's small church in Chicago.

The missionary began by thanking the people for their faithfulness in supporting the orphanage. "But most of all," he said, "I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year. You see, the Communists had just swept through the orphanage, destroying everything, including my glasses. I was desperate. Even if I had the money, there was simply no way of replacing those glasses. Along with not being able to see well, I experienced headaches every day, so my coworkers and I were much in prayer about this."

"Then your crates arrived. When my staff removed the covers, they found a pair of glasses lying on top." The missionary paused long enough to let his words sink in. Then, still gripped with the wonder of it all, he continued, "Folks, when I tried on the glasses, it was as though they had been custom made just for me! I want to thank you for being a part of that."

The people listened, happy for the miraculous glasses. But the missionary surely must have confused their church with another, they thought. There were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas. But sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face, an ordinary carpenter realized that the Master Carpenter had used him in an extraordinary way.

There are times we want to blame God instead of thanking him! Perhaps it is something we ought to try more often, "Thank you God for not allowing my car to start this morning." He may have been saving your life from a car accident. "Lord Jesus, thank you for letting me lose my glasses; I'm sure they'll be put to good use or there is a lesson to be learned."

It may sound like an oxymoron, but you will have an entirely different perspective on life if you are willing to look for the "perfect mistakes."

-Author Unknown

Source : http://www.christinyou.net/pages/perfectmistake.html

KEEP ON KEEPING ON BY JOYCE MEYER

2010-08-10T14:00:00.001+08:00

Various thoughts run through our minds every day—some good, some bad. Our natural temptation is to focus on the bad, so accepting them doesn’t take any effort. The effort comes in being determined to cast down the negative thoughts and take a firm grasp of the positive ones.

Positive minds full of faith and hope produce positive lives. The opposite is also true—negative minds full of fear and doubt produce negative lives, which can ultimately destroy your life. Some people have been hurt so many times that they don’t think they can face the pain of another letdown. Therefore, they refuse to hope so they won't be disappointed.

Battles are fought in our minds every day. When we begin to feel the battle is just too difficult and want to give up, we must choose to resist negative thoughts and be determined to rise above our problems. We must decide that we’re not going to quit. When we’re bombarded with doubts and fears, we must take a stand and say: "I’ll never give up! God’s on my side. He loves me, and He’s helping me! I’m going to make it!"

No matter how bad the battle rages in your mind, don't give up! Step out and regain the territory that’s been stolen from you. Even if it’s only an inch at a time, make sure you’re leaning on God's grace and not on your own ability. In Galatians 6:9 the apostle Paul simply encourages us to keep on keeping on! Don't be a quitter! Don't have that old "give up" spirit. God’s looking for people who will find the courage to rise above all the negative and pursue the positive.

Whatever you may be facing or experiencing in your life right now, I want to encourage you to stay positive and refuse to give up! God is with you, and He’ll help you make spiritual progress—strengthening and encouraging you to keep on keeping on during rough times. It's easy to quit, but it takes faith to press on to victory.

When the battle seems endless and you think you'll never make it, remember that you’re reprogramming a "worldly" mind to think as God thinks. In the same way that computers are programmed, our minds are programmed. From the time we’re born, our minds are like computers that have had a lifetime of garbage programmed into them. But God, who’s the best "computer programmer" around, is working on us every day to reprogram our minds as we cooperate with Him (see Romans 12:2).

This process of reprogramming or renewing our minds will take place little by little, so don't be discouraged if progress seems slow. Don't get down when you have setbacks or bad days. Just get back up, dust yourself off and start again. When a baby is learning to walk, he falls many, many times before he develops the ability to walk without falling; however, the baby is persistent. He may cry for a while after he falls down, but he always gets right back up and tries again.

Learning to change our thinking works the same way. There will be days when we don't do everything right—days when our thinking is negative. But never stop trying. God is gradually bringing us around to His way of thinking. Just don't give up!

Source : http://www.joycemeyer.org

FEASTING ON THE LAMB

2010-07-27T13:58:00.009+08:00

The same Passover lamb that was slain and its blood smeared on the doorpost and the lintel in the

Jewish home was the lamb that the people ate for the journey out of Egypt (Ex. 12:11, 46).

Everything the people needed for life that night was provided by the substitutionary lamb. The blood of the lamb covered their sins. The lamb gave his blood to redeem them, and he gave his life for them to eat and be nourished for the journey (Ex. 12:1-14). They lived their redeemed life out of the life of the lamb. They lived in the strength provided by the lamb. The Passover lamb became their nourishment for the journey in the night.

The Christian life is lived on the life of the Lamb of God.

We are never ready to start the journey in the Christian life until we feast upon the lamb God has provided. We go about trying to live the spiritual life in the energy of the flesh. It will not work; it never has worked. Life in the energy of the flesh will die. God puts His life in us, and we must feast upon the Lamb of God to sustain His life in us.

God imparts His life to us and He will live it through us (Rom. 5:10). Jesus said, “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life” (John 6:54). We have God’s life by appropriating the Lamb of God (John 6:27). Everything is centered on Jesus Christ. He is all we ever need for this new life in Christ. The only life that pleases God is His life and the life of His Son.

The Christian life is Jesus living His life in you, through you, and as you. It must always be His life flowing through us. “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” It is spiritual appropriation of Christ by faith. “I live, yet not I; Christ lives in me.” “Christ in you is the hope of glory.” “For me, to live is Christ.” Who is the one living? Christ. But whom do you see when you look at Him? You and me. He is in us living His life as us.

Just as Christ let the Father live His life through Him (John 4:34), so we too must allow Him permission to live His life in and through us. We must learn to live out of the resources of His life.

Jesus Christ has entered a vital union with us. His Spirit is joined to our spirit. In the spiritual reality He resides with us. We are vessels, clay pots made available to Him.

Jesus is the Bread of Life, and only He can satisfy the deepest needs of the soul. There is no need that you have that He cannot satisfy. He said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh" (John 6:51).

Jesus died for our sins as the Lamb of God, and in His resurrection life we now have His life. In His righteousness we are now reckoned righteous in the sight of a holy God.

Are you feeding on the Lamb of God? It must be personal. Only you can do it. Jesus is our daily bread and we must feast upon Him everyday. He alone satisfies. You must eat to live.

How do you feed upon the Lamb of God? It means to believe on Jesus and commit your life to Him. By faith you take Jesus into yourself so that He becomes a part of you, and you of Him. To know Jesus Christ is to have eternal life. It is a relationship with a person, the Son of God.

Is Jesus Christ as real to you spiritually as something you can taste? Is He as much a part of you as the food you eat? Are you going to Jesus daily and drawing upon His abundance? He gives His food in abundance. He never stops giving until we stop asking. If we are poor, hungry, weak and tired spiritually it is because we do not go to the Lamb of God and feed upon Him daily. Have you asked Him to supply your every need? He will fill your empty vessel with Himself and His sustenance. He is the all-sufficient Lamb of God.

We eat Him daily by committing ourselves to Him a fresh each day. “Lord Jesus, this day belongs to you. Here is my life, Come live your life in and through me.” What began at conversion when we put our trust in Christ as our Savior continues throughout this life and in eternity.

Eternal life is God’s life, and it is without end because He is without end. We have entered into a life transforming union with Christ. “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in me, and I in him.” We are joined to Jesus and He to us spiritually. We have received His life and we are to keep on receiving it in increasing abundance throughout eternity. God has promised to keep on enlarging our spiritual life until Christ is reproduced in all His fullness in us.

As we feed upon Christ daily we receive strength for living the abundant life. The only way we can live is by feeding upon Him. We draw upon His power and nourishment. “I live by faith in the Son of God” (Gal. 2:20b).

Jesus imparts and sustains the kind of life that will continue forever. You will never exhaust Him in this life or in eternity. We grow spiritually in our living relationship with Christ by feeding upon Him day by day. He will satisfy all your spiritual needs if you will come to Him daily. Go ahead and ask Him, “Lord, give me your spiritual bread that comes down from heaven today.” That is the only way to grow spiritually. Draw from the fullness of His presence moment by moment.

Selah!

Source : http://www.abideinchrist.com

What A Faithful God Have I

2010-07-08T11:16:00.004+08:00

"Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds." Psalm 36:5

"Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness." Psalm 37:3

"I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations." Psalm 89:1

"Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides." Psalm 119:90

"... Great is Your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:23

"He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it." 1 Thessalonians 5:24

"But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one." 2 Thessalonians 3:3

"If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself." 2 Timothy 2:13

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU'RE WAITING ON GOD BY JOYCE MEYER

2010-07-04T12:05:00.001+08:00

Have you been praying about a situation in your life and found yourself waiting for a breakthrough? Are you wondering why the answer hasn't come yet? Do you feel as though victory is passing you by?

Sometimes when we pray long and hard about a situation in our life without receiving any answers, we just learn to live with it. We go on about our business, wondering if or when God will send the answer. But God does hear those prayers, and He’s working out the answers even though we may not know all the details. Our situation can change suddenly—quickly without warning!

But one thing is certain: Before God moves suddenly, we will wait. Waiting for answers is a fact of life—nobody gets out of it. So the question is not if we'll wait, but rather how we’ll wait. And I believe how will determine how long.

Two Ways to Wait
All of us will wait passively, or we'll wait expectantly. A passive person hopes something good will happen and is willing to sit around waiting to see if it does. After a short time, he gives up, saying, "That’s it! I've waited and waited and nothing's happened." The passive person has a lot of wishbone but not much backbone!

The expectant person, on the other hand, is hopeful, believing the answer is just around the corner, due to arrive any minute. His belief is not a passive thing. His heart is full of hope, expecting his problem to be solved at any moment. He wakes up every morning expecting to find his answer. He may wait and wait, but suddenly what he’s been waiting for happens.

Expect It to Happen
It’s just like when a woman is pregnant; it's said that she is expecting a baby. She carries inside her the promise of a baby, and even though she can’t see it, she knows it's there. The moment she learns of her pregnancy, she begins to plan for her baby's arrival. She starts collecting items she'll need and busily gets the nursery ready. She actively prepares for the arrival of the baby because she knows the promise will be fulfilled—it's just a matter of time. She is expectant and she'll wait as long as it takes.

We know the word wait means "to expect" or "to look for." But remember, it also means "to serve" — just like a waiter waits on your table at a restaurant. Our act of waiting isn’t supposed to be spent sitting around passively hoping that something will happen sometime soon.

Be Eager with Faith
Once we've asked God to answer a question or solve a problem, we need to be eagerly awaiting His answer. We need to be serving actively, aggressively and expectantly. When our hearts are eager to hear from God, He loves to rush in suddenly with His solution. In many cases this waiting period actually serves as a time of preparation for the answer. If God answered right away, many of us would be ill-prepared to handle His solution.

Sometimes we find ourselves in such horrible messes that it's hard to imagine waiting one more second. But we need to keep waiting on God and trusting Him with a sweet and simple faith. Then, in a way we never could've figured out—God moves suddenly!

Then All of a Sudden...
In the Bible Paul and Silas knew about waiting, and they waited well. Acts 16 tells the story of how they were attacked by a crowd, beaten and thrown in jail. Verse 24 says the jailer...put them into the inner prison (the dungeon) and fastened their feet in the stocks. He was making sure they couldn't escape. But about midnight, God showed up. Now it would have been nice if He'd come a little earlier, but Paul and Silas didn’t seem to mind—they just decided to start singing and began to worship the Lord. They began to wait on God.
Verses 25 & 26 say, But about midnight, as Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the [other] prisoners were listening to them, suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the very foundations of the prison were shaken; and at once all the doors were opened and everyone's shackles were unfastened. God answered them suddenly!

When people patiently and expectantly wait on God in the midst of horrible circumstances, suddenly God breaks through.

So don't give up! Don’t stop believing! Stay full of hope and expectation. God's power is limitless, and He'll break through for you.

Source : Joyce Meyer Ministries

THAT I MAY KNOW HIM BY PAUL WHITE

2010-06-28T16:55:00.004+08:00

Philippians 3:10

If there is any one that ever lived that could claim to know the character of the risen Christ, surely it was the Apostle Paul. Yet, when writing to the church at Philippi, he says, “That I may know him”, as if there is more for him to know. How telling is this? If Paul had more to learn of the glorious Savior, surely we have a world of knowledge awaiting us!

The context of Paul’s request is a recap of his life prior to meeting Jesus. He counts all previous knowledge and law keeping as “loss for Christ” (Phil. 3:7), and “dung” (Verse 8), willing to exchange them“for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord”. The thirst for knowledge is a recurring theme in Paul’s writings as he challenges believers to come to a fuller understanding of whom that they are in Christ. Notice his insistence:
“And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.” (Romans 15:14)
“That in everything ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge.” (1 Corinthians 1:5)
“Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.” (1 Corinthians 15:34)

These are just a few examples of Paul appealing to the knowledge of the believer. His belief was that there was no greater knowledge to be found than that which brings Christ into fuller light in your heart and mind. There was and still is, always something more to learn about our Savior.

The fullness of knowledge is linked to the fullness of spirit. Paul goes on to say, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12). The daily increase in his knowledge of who Jesus was led him to an apprehension of what it meant to be complete in Christ. The more that he learned of Christ, the more that he felt complete or “perfect”.

Jesus told us to “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me” (Matthew 11:29). Daily resting in Christ, whose yoke is “easy” and whose“burden is light” (Matt. 11:30), causes us to “learn” who He is. The more we rest in His finished work, the more that our awareness of His love and compassion is for us.

As you go about your day, take every available moment to dwell on the Father’s love for you. As you allow grace to wash over your soul, you place yourself beneath the yoke of Christ which is easy and light. Every moment that you rest under that yoke, you come into a fuller knowledge of who Christ is, which leads you one step further to living a perfect lifestyle. I do not insinuate that you will never fail again, but the goal in Christianity is to let Christ live His life through us, and that will be a life free from the stain and the failure of sin.

Source : Abundant Grace Daily Devotional

CHANGE YOUR MIND BY ANDREW WOMMACK

2010-06-23T10:54:00.003+08:00

Mark 7:21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,"

MARK 7:17-23

These verses (21-23) further establish the fact that our heart includes more than just our spirit. Even Christians still struggle with things like pride and foolishness, which Jesus said comes out of our heart. It's certain that our born again spirit is not the source of these sins; therefore, the heart encompasses more than our spirit.

The word "spirit" is used in different ways in scripture. The most frequent usage refers to either the Spirit of God or the spirit of man. In that context, it denotes the person of the Holy Spirit or identifies a part of our three-part being (1 Th. 5:23). But the word "spirit" can also describe a mental disposition (Strong).

In Ephesians 1:17, Paul is praying that what is already true in our spirit will become our "mental disposition." He's praying for a release into the physical of what is already present in our spiritual being.

The Christian life is not an attempt to get more faith, or more anointing, or to get closer to the Lord. We already have these things in their fullness. We just need a revelation of what is already ours. Understanding this takes a lot of frustration and doubt away. It's much easier to release something you already have than to try and get something that you don't have. And why would anyone doubt whether or not he could receive what he already has? Through Christ, we are already blessed with all spiritual blessings. All we have to do is appropriate what is already ours, through the renewing of our mind. If you will change your thinking to believe what God says in His Word about who you are and what you have, then this agreement between your spirit and soul forms a majority, and your flesh will experience the life of God that has been deposited in your spirit.

Source : http://www.awmi.net/devotion/jesus/may_22

How Great the Father's Love For His Children

2010-06-18T11:22:00.002+08:00

Father's Day is round the corner. As we take this time to remember our earthly fathers and celebrate this meaningful occasion, let's also revel in our Heavenly Daddy's amazing and unconditional love for us.

"See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! ..." 1 John 3:1 (NLT)

"God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him." 1 John 4:9

"This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." 1 John 4:10 (NLT)

"We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them." 1 John 4:16 (NLT)

"We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19 (NIV)

Sweetness Out of the Strong by Paul White

2010-06-13T12:13:00.001+08:00

Judges 14:5-14

Samson is one of my favorite Old Testament characters because if there is ever a living example of the wonders of covenant and grace it is found in this man. Covenant must be kept by God, and grace is His free gift, completely undeserved. Samson is a living, breathing example of both of these things as his life was sealed by the covenant that God had made with his parents (“Don’t cut his hair and I will use him to deliver Israel”), and Samson received all good while earning none of it.

When I heard the story of Samson as a child I always saw him as a hulk of a man, with bulging biceps and muscles on top of muscles, but as I began to understand God’s grace and favor I began to view him quite differently. I don’t believe that Samson was very big at all. In fact, I am quite sure that Samson looked rather puny. If he were a massive man, all of his exploits could be attributed to his own personal strength and size, but we see that his enemies spent much time trying to ascertain how he did what he did. His strength was God given as a token of grace and covenant.

Samson and his parents were journeying to Timnath to take a wife for Samson from among the Philistines, the sworn enemies of Israel. His parents were very disapproving of his choice in taking a Philistine for his wife, but Samson did it to gain advantage over the enemy. On the road to Timnath, while temporarily separated from his parents, Samson was confronted by a lion. He killed the beast with his bare hands and did not tell his parents about the incident.

Some days later Samson journeyed back to Timnath to meet the woman again, this time turning aside to see the carcass of the lion that he had killed. Bees were swarming all about the body of the lion and there was honey in its body. Samson reached in and took some of the honey and ate it and then gave some to his parents, not telling them where it came from. Being Jews, they would not have eaten anything that came from the carcass of a lion. By law, Samson was not supposed to eat from the lion either, but as we have seen, Samson was operating under covenant.

Honey was a sign of all things sweet and good in the Lord. It is the food that God mentioned would flow in the Promised Land when He spoke from the burning bush to Moses (Exodus 3:8). It was also the food that Jonathan ate when he had won a great battle over the Philistines, breaking his father’s order to fast (1 Samuel 14:27); and it was the choice food of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:4).

The lion is a symbol of strength and royalty, but can also be a sign of the aggressor. Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, but we also see Satan as our adversary, “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). It is a lion that attacks the flocks of the shepherd David, and he grabs it by the beard and kills it. In the case of Samson, it is symbolic of another attack against God’s people.

Out of the belly of the aggressor came the sweetness of God’s grace. In the midst of great attack was a wonderful blessing. The story of the lion and Samson is a type of the enemy coming in like a flood to roar and frighten, only to have God bring a mighty miracle out of the midst of it, so that the believer can find nourishment.

Are you facing a lion today? Remember, all things work together for our good, for we are His Covenant children!

Source : Abundant Grace Daily Devotional

VICTORY OVER DEPRESSION BY JOYCE MEYER

2010-06-02T16:22:00.001+08:00

Does your happiness depend on everything in your life being just right? If you think you can't be happy until all your circumstances are right, you will never be happy. We all experience times in life when we feel down for various reasons, but we can't allow our circumstances to control our emotions. Satan seeks to fill our minds with negative thoughts and emotions that cause us to feel down. He is a discourager, and he pulls us down emotionally, spiritually, financially, and in every way he can. But Jesus is our Encourager, and He came to lift us up. He came to give us righteousness, peace and joy, and all these things cause us to feel up!

Everyone experiences times of frustration and distress over unfulfilled hopes and dreams. When things don't go according to our plans, it is normal to feel disappointment. But we must be careful how we deal with that feeling, because disappointment is the beginning stage of depression. If we remain in a state of disappointment for too long, it can turn into discouragement, despair, and finally depression. Psalm 30:5 tells us that ...Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Things may make us feel sad temporarily, but we must not stay sad. Just as we cannot afford to stay mad very long, neither can we stay sad very long. If we do, Satan takes advantage of the open door and pushes his way further into our lives, bringing more serious problems with him.

DON'T TRUST YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS

Our number one enemy is emotions. We tend to be led by how we feel, but we must realize that feelings are fickle; they change from day to day! We should be careful not to follow every thought that comes to our mind because our thoughts and feelings don't dictate truth to us. For many years of my life, I experienced regular depression. I would awaken many mornings with a little voice in my head saying, "I feel depressed." I believed this was my own thought, not realizing that it was Satan making suggestions to me through my mind. Later, when God drew me into a closer walk with Him and I began seriously studying His Word, I learned that I didn't have to follow every feeling and thought that I had. I began to speak aloud and say, "I will not be depressed." I learned to put on the garment of praise spoken of in Isaiah 61:3. We may not always feel like praising, but a victorious person does not have the luxury of living by feelings.

I've learned that staying disappointed can cause me to start feeling discouraged, which is a deeper problem than disappointment. But I've also learned that you can't be hopeful and discouraged at the same time. So as soon as the devil attacks us with disappointment and we start feeling discouraged, we need to turn to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to fill us with hope. A brief period of discouragement may not have a devastating effect, but long-term discouragement can lead to depression—a very serious problem.

RESIST THE DEVIL AND REJOICE IN THE LORD!

Depression is defined in part as "a hollow; being in a low state; a state of sadness; dejection." The real cause of depression is not where we are, but our attitude about where we find ourselves. It is possible to learn to live on the other side of your feelings. We will always have feelings; they will never go away, but we can make our feelings line up with our decisions. That's why God gives us the fruit of self-control. James 4:7 tells us to resist the devil, and we must also resist depression, and anything that resembles it, because it is of the devil. Philippians 4:4 says, Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, gladden yourselves in Him]; again I say, Rejoice! If we stay filled with the right thing, the wrong thing has no place.

If you don't let the devil impress you with what he does, then he can't oppress you; and if he can't oppress you, then he can't depress you. So choose to be led by the Holy Spirit and you can have victory over depression. We can choose to keep a hopeful attitude by renewing our minds with the promises found in God's Word. We can claim the promises as our own and stand in faith, believing God to help us overcome our feelings and move forward into better things. We can't control all of our circumstances, but we don't have to let what happens today ruin tomorrow. We can actually turn things around by making a decision to let go of the situations that caused the disappointment and discouragement, and move toward the good things God has planned for our future.

Many people are depressed because they can't face truth, but the Holy Spirit came to reveal truth to us. We can't get past depression until we quit making excuses and blaming everyone else. We must face the truth and take responsibility for our actions. When we do that and ask God to help us, the spirit of heaviness leaves us and we feel light and free. Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:30, ...My burden is light and easy to be borne. Being depressed about circumstances does not change them, and it is a total waste of time and a thief of joy. So we must stop letting our feelings, mind, body, and past experiences rule us and allow God to give us a fresh plan, a new idea, a new goal! You can experience victory over your emotions by being led, guided, controlled, and ruled by the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sent to us as our Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener and Standby to remain with us forever (see John 14:16). Thank God, we don't have to be disappointed, discouraged, despondent, depressed, or in despair. Jesus is not only the Way, but He is also the way out! Jesus is our healer, our glory, and the lifter of our heads.

Healing Testimonies

2010-05-28T12:30:00.007+08:00

Amazing testimonies of God's healing from Andrew Wommack's Healing Journeys

The Valley of Decision By Paul White

2010-05-21T12:30:00.001+08:00

Joel 3:14

This scripture is actually a prophetic one, dealing with the condition of the world when Jesus returns to the battle of Armageddon, but I think that we can see a modern application as well. The Hebrew word used for “decision” is “kharuts” and it is often rendered “trench, mote, or ditch”. The valley that God is inviting the heathen into will ultimately be their doom, or literally the ditch that buries them in the Day of the Lord.

In our day and time, prior to the great battle that is to come, there are still multitudes in the valley of decision. Life has thrown them more than one curve, and they find themselves wondering what to do next and where to turn. In these moments of decision, it is important to remember a few key things about valleys.

First, valleys come between mountains. On each side of a valley is a mountain, and these can represent very difficult times in our lives as well as high points of success. You have already been through an enormous amount with your previous mountains, but there are more to come. Think back on what you have come through and what it taught you. How might yesterday's mountain help you in today’s valley?

Secondly, valleys are fertile ground, good for growing a harvest. No crop grows on the mountain, but the best of the best find root in the rich valley. The greatness that takes us up the next mountain was birthed in the soil of the previous valley. We know that the rain falls on the just and the unjust alike (Matthew 5:45), so we cannot assume that valleys are all bad or are all from God. We go through them, and we are better on the other side.

Finally, the valley is always temporary, and you are never alone. Remember that the Shepherd’s Psalm (Psalm 23) shows the shepherd leading the sheep beside green grass and still waters, but then suddenly we are in the valley of the shadow of death. The shepherd did not lead us there, but we are there anyhow. Sometimes we find ourselves in a tough spot, but our shepherd is always somewhere nearby, keeping a close watch on us.

There was once a little boy who lived deep in the forest with only his father. When it came time for the boy to begin school, he begged his father not to make him go, for he had to walk several miles one way through the forest, and he was terrified that bears were going to hunt him. The father forced the boy to go, telling him that he would be just fine and not to worry. That didn’t help the boy at all as he set out for school shaking with terror.

Every day as he walked along the path, the boy heard sounds in the brush that sounded like footsteps. One day, while heading home from school, his worst nightmare came true. Standing in front of him was a huge bear with teeth bared. The boy closed his eyes and prepared to be dinner for the bear when he heard a shot ring out in the woods. The big bear crashed to the ground just feet in front of the boy, sparing him from certain death. The boy began to cry big tears as his father came running out of the woods carrying a rifle. “I told you there were bears in these woods and you wouldn’t listen! It’s a good thing you were out here hunting or that bear would have killed me” he yelled at his father. Embracing the boy, the father reassured him, “Son, I wasn’t out hunting. I watch you from the woods every day to see that you get to and from school safely. The sounds that you hear in the brush are always me, just making sure that you are okay”.

Taken from: Abundant Grace Daily Devotional by Paul White

The Sovereignty of God by Andrew Wommack

2010-05-15T11:54:00.003+08:00

Andrew Wommack kills a precious, sacred cow prevalent in the church today.

Deserving or Believing

2010-05-07T06:54:00.005+08:00

Deserving or Believing by Dr James Richards

http://www.impactministries.com/

How to Get Comfortable with God

2010-04-19T22:49:00.006+08:00

by Joyce Meyer

Do you know how much God loves you?

God proved His love for us through His Son, Jesus, who died for our sins. But, for some reason, it’s hard to carry on a conversation with Him. We can be so distant.

I bet God really gets a kick out of how some of us talk to Him. We can be so serious and formal. “Oh, Lord Most Higheth! Howeth my heart doth longest for Thee!”

We need to get comfortable with God. I don’t mean disrespectful, but we should know that He loves us and that we don’t have to be afraid of Him.

The Importance of Spending Time with God

First Corinthians 8:6 says that God created us to live for Him He’s given us the gift of life and He wants us to enjoy it!

You can have a joyful, fulfilling life by living in close, personal relationship with God. But in order to get there, you have to spend time with Him. God doesn’t want to just be the button we push when we have an emergency.

Whether we know it or not, without God, we are always in an emergency. Without Him operating in our lives, helping and protecting us, there isn’t one of us who knows one iota about anything we’re doing!

Unlimited Time, Unlimited Blessings

You and I can spend as much time as we want with God. We have an open invitation to invite the Creator of the universe into our life each day. We get to speak to Him personally and read the book of instruction that holds the answers to everything in life.

The devil doesn’t like that. That’s why he works so hard to tell us that God doesn’t want to be around us if we’re not perfect. I’ve got a news flash: We aren’t ever going to be perfect. That’s why Jesus went to the cross for us!

We can go to our heavenly Father as often as we like and He will never get tired of us coming. The Bible says we can come boldly before God fellowship with Him, and have our needs met.

James 4:8 says, Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (NASB) God the Father longs to fellowship with you. The moment you accepted Christ into your heart, God made His home in you. So kick up your feet, get cozy and enjoy the company.

Another wonderful Psalm - Psalm 139

2010-04-09T11:20:00.008+08:00

Psalm 139 (Contemporary English Version)

¹You have looked deep
into my heart, LORD,
and you know all about me.
²You know when I am resting
or when I am working,
and from heaven
you discover my thoughts.
³You notice everything I do
and everywhere I go.
⁴Before I even speak a word,
you know what I will say,
⁵and with your powerful arm
you protect me
from every side.
⁶I can't understand all of this!
Such wonderful knowledge
is far above me.
⁷Where could I go to escape
from your Spirit
or from your sight?
⁸If I were to climb up
to the highest heavens,
you would be there.
If I were to dig down
to the world of the dead
you would also be there.
⁹Suppose I had wings
like the dawning day
and flew across the ocean.
¹⁰Even then your powerful arm
would guide and protect me.
¹¹Or suppose I said, "I'll hide
in the dark
until night comes
to cover me over."
¹²But you see in the dark
because daylight and dark
are all the same to you.
¹³You are the one
who put me together
inside my mother's body,
¹⁴and I praise you
because of
the wonderful way
you created me.
Everything you do is marvelous!
Of this I have no doubt.
¹⁵Nothing about me
is hidden from you!
I was secretly woven together
deep in the earth below,
¹⁶but with your own eyes
you saw
my body being formed.
Even before I was born,
you had written in your book
everything I would do.
¹⁷Your thoughts are far beyond
my understanding,
much more than I
could ever imagine.
¹⁸I try to count your thoughts,
but they outnumber the grains
of sand on the beach.
And when I awake,
I will find you nearby.
¹⁹How I wish that you would kill
all cruel and heartless people
and protect me from them!
²⁰They are always rebelling
and speaking evil of you.
²¹You know I hate anyone
who hates you, LORD,
and refuses to obey.
²²They are my enemies too,
and I truly hate them.
²³Look deep into my heart, God,
and find out everything
I am thinking.
²⁴Don't let me follow evil ways,
but lead me in the way
that time has proven true.

WORTHY IS THE LAMB

2010-03-30T22:29:00.006+08:00

John 1:29
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Revelation 7:9,10

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Revelation 7:17

for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

JESUS' DEATH

2010-03-28T12:25:00.009+08:00

Good Friday is around the corner. I am taking this time to reflect from God's Word what Jesus' death on the cross means for me as a child of God. I am quoting all the verses from The Message bible as I love how the Holy Spirit brings the truth so clearly across and I find that it really speaks to my heart. Let us take time to reflect on these verses and ask the Holy Spirit to give us a greater revelation of what Jesus' death on the cross has achieved for us.

Romans 5: 8

" We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him."

Romans 6:8-11

"Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's what Jesus did."

Romans 8:31-39

"So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We're sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us."

Romans 14:9

"That's why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other."

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

"Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own."

Galatians 2:19-21

"What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work. So I quit being a "law man" so that I could be God's man. Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.

Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God's grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily."

1 Thessalonians 5:9-10
"God didn't set us up for an angry rejection but for salvation by our Master, Jesus Christ. He died for us, a death that triggered life. Whether we're awake with the living or asleep with the dead, we're alive with him!"

1 Peter 2:21-25
"This is the kind of life you've been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step.

He never did one thing wrong,
Not once said anything amiss.
They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became your healing. You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you're named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls."

AMEN!

Galatians 2:17-21 (The Message)

2010-03-22T10:22:00.002+08:00

I love The Message version of Galatians 2:17-21.

"^17-18Have some of you noticed that we are not yet perfect? (No great surprise, right?) And are you ready to make the accusation that since people like me, who go through Christ in order to get things right with God, aren't perfectly virtuous, Christ must therefore be an accessory to sin? The accusation is frivolous. If I was "trying to be good," I would be rebuilding the same old barn that I tore down. I would be acting as a charlatan.

^19-21What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work. So I quit being a "law man" so that I could be God's man. Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.

God's Kind Of Love In Marriage By Andrew Wommack

2010-03-14T14:09:00.000+08:00

God's Kind Of Love In Marriage
By Andrew Wommack

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There are very few things in our world today that were ever a part of God's perfect plan for mankind. The elaborate government systems, with all their checks and balances and laws, would not be necessary if it were not for the corruption that sin produced. The monetary system, with all the buying and selling, would not be necessary in a sinless world that did unto others as they would have others do unto them. And many other things that we consider institutions in our society were never intended by God, but simply are ways of trying to cope with and control the perversion that entered the world through sin.

But one thing that God established while man was still in a sinless condition and said that it was not good for man to do without was marriage. Genesis 2:18 says, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet [or sufficient] for him." A perfect man who had none of the pressures or problems that we know of today still was not complete without a mate. And it was not Adam who approached God about the situation and asked for a companion. Adam didn't know what he was missing! It was God who initiated the whole thing because that was His perfect plan. This all emphasizes the high priority that marriage should have in our lives. However, it has not usually held that position.

Even we Christians today have put very little effort into our marriages, and therefore, we have gotten very little out of them. We have had our vision of what a blessing God intended marriage to be, dulled by the sorry examples of marriage we see around us today. Second Corinthians 10:12 says, "But they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." This is what has happened over the years. Most couples have no idea of what God intended marriage to be, so they settle for the same substandard relations that they see others experiencing. They think conflict is just a part of marriage; and a couple that simply coexists without outward battles is considered to be an ideal couple, although that couple may have a cold war raging. After all, everybody is having trouble with their marriages today.

Well, I am pleased to announce that not everybody is having trouble with their marriages today! The Lord is moving mightily in this area, and regardless of what the rest of the world experiences, Christians can have God's best in their homes. God instituted marriage, so He certainly knows how to make it work properly. The only reason two out of three marriages in America end up in divorce is because the people involved don't follow the instructions God gave concerning marriage. It is that simple. The solution is not easy, but it is that simple.

What does God say about marriage? From Ephesians 5:22-33, we get quite a bit of instruction. This article doesn't allow us enough space to deal with everything these scriptures minister concerning marriage, but certainly one principle that is interwoven throughout them all is love: God's kind of love. It is important that you realize that God's institution of marriage will only work with God's kind of love.

In counseling hundreds of couples, I have found that many Christians, even those baptized with the Holy Ghost, are still operating toward each other with the same carnal love they had before they were Christians. In many cases, they have started trying to apply God's love to their brothers and sisters in the body and have developed a "burden for the lost," but are virtually the same in their relationships with their mates. God's kind of love has to be applied to our marriages too.

One of the most striking differences to me between the world's love and God's kind of love is that you can teach yourself to operate in God's love. Titus 2:4 says that the older women are to teach the younger women "to love their husbands, to love their children." Carnal love is completely motivated by the emotions or senses, but God's love comes from the heart, and although the feelings are definitely affected, they don't motivate or deter God's love.

Carnal love is characterized by a naked, little, fat boy who goes around shooting people with arrows to cause them to "fall" in love or to "fall" out of love. That simply is not true love. God's love is the same yesterday, today, and forever. That is the way God is (Heb. 13:8) and God is love (1 John 4:8). People who love one minute and then their mood changes and they act the opposite way the next minute, simply don't operate in God's love. You may feel like reacting in anger, but you can choose to operate in love.

Many people are confused about this and think, I can't act like I love them when I don't feel it. Oh, yes you can! God's Word tells us to even love our enemies (Matt. 5:44). It is a command. He didn't say to do it if you felt like it. If you will choose to do what God tells you to, your feelings will follow. You can teach yourself to love with God's kind of love.

A person who is truly born again desires to do what God says but doesn't always feel like it. Our feelings have been corrupted by our old lives before we came to Christ. Now that we are in Christ, we have His promise that our spirits have been totally changed (2 Cor. 5:17) and have become like Him. Galatians 5:22 says that love is a part of the fruit of the Spirit. This is specifically speaking of the Holy Spirit; but our new man was born of the Spirit, so it has to be true that God's love has been shed abroad in our spirits too. We do have God's love in our new man. Our feelings are not automatically changed, however. Our feelings will continue to act like they were taught to act until we subdue them and bring them under the control of our spirit man. It is not hypocritical to act in love when you don't feel it. It is actually hypocritical to act on what you feel instead of who you really are in Christ Jesus.

God's kind of love is a choice that you make on the basis of what God said, and then act on it in faith until it becomes a reality in your spirit, soul, and body.

If you can receive this basic truth about God's love, then you can begin to be consistent in your love to your mate because your love is based on a choice that you have made, not on the way they act. This is the root cause of nearly all strife in marriage. Everything is fine until one partner does something wrong to the other, and then the feathers fly. Aren't you glad that God doesn't treat us that way? Romans 5:8 says, "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Praise God! God's love wasn't based upon what we had done for Him or what we deserved but upon His choice to love us. That is all! We didn't do anything to merit God's love. He just chose to give it. We can choose to receive that kind of love and then give it to others in the same way.

Another way to say this is that God's love is unconditional. Jesus didn't wait until we were worth it or had repented before He gave Himself for our sins. He gave Himself for us while we were yet sinners and living a life of rebellion against Him (Rom. 5:8). His love was extended toward Hitler just as much as it was toward us. The difference is our acceptance or rejection of it not His offer of love. God's love is unconditional.

We have to put this unconditional love of God to work in our marriages. If you live with a person for any length of time at all, you are going to find fault with them. If your love isn't unconditional, then you will begin to give them what they deserve, which is trouble. And you can rest assured that when you make a mistake, you will reap what you have sown.

I used to work in a dark room in a photography studio. We had a joke about these ladies who would come in to see their proofs and just throw a fit about how bad their pictures looked. They would say, "This picture doesn't do me justice!" Our answer would be, "Lady, you don't need justice, you need mercy." That's the way it is in marriage. Our mates, who see us at our worst, have to give us mercy, not justice. Failure in this area is the root of most marriage problems. Many couples actually use their conditional love as a weapon to try and motivate their mates to do things. That will destroy a marriage. If the thing that keeps your mate in line is a fear of your exploding if they mess up, then you are tormenting them. That's what 1 John 4:18 says, "Fear hath torment." You may see some results through that method, but it's a fact that you are building resentment and rejection in them, and sooner or later, it will explode. God's love is unconditional.

Revelation: God's Way of Knowing By: Dan Stone

2010-03-11T06:52:00.005+08:00

Revelation: God's Way of Knowing
By: Dan Stone

The Holy Spirit teaches both by revelation and experience. The revelation can be instant and direct, without being transmitted by any formal "teaching." We say, "Oh, I see." The Spirit then uses seen and temporal experiences to work that revelation into us. The revelation gets established in us through personal experience.

Some people have a hard time relating to that, because they associate the word teacher with a schoolroom, where we just impart knowledge. But the Holy Spirit's teaching is experiential teaching. Of course, we do learn facts, but I'm talking about the process whereby we become one with what we are taught. We become one with the truth through experiential teaching.

This experiential knowing is indicated in the biblical words for know. Both the Greek and Hebrew words for know that I am referring to indicate experiential understanding of and oneness with. When "Adam knew his wife...", it wasn't an intellectual thing. Adam experienced oneness with his wife. That's exactly what knowing is. There is no anxiety about those things that you know, because you become mixed with them. You and what you know are one.

On the natural level, I remember experiencing such knowing with high school algebra. When it came to algebra, I didn't have a clue. I'd work those silly problems, then I'd look up the answers in the back of the book. I'd get some answers right, but I didn't know how or why. None of it made sense. But one day the scales fell off my algebra eyes and it all made sense. I said,

"Oh, I see! I see why you put this here and that here, change this sign, etc." Then I could do it. I was relaxed about it. Until then I was striving and trying and working. Now I was at rest. I was one with algebra. Of course, we don't need the Spirit's revelation to do algebra. But it works the same in the spiritual realm.

When God gives you a flash of insight, that's it. "Oh, I see!" Everything else, from then on, is just an elaboration on that flash. When you know, you are forever changed in that area. You'd have to make a conscious effort to go back on what the Holy Spirit showed you. That's why it's hard to sin in an area when the Holy Spirit truly shows you something. It's hard to go back on truth. Truth liberates.

I've always liked the word awareness more than the word growth. Because what really happens in each of us? Our awareness simply expands. We become more aware of Who already was. "Oh, I see more and more of Him." We're not seeing more and more about Him. We're seeing more and more of Him. He is the peace. He is the joy. He is the life. He is the love.

Until we see that, we are always saying to God, "Give me something. Gimme. Gimme. Gimme." But when that insight comes (and I'm not saying it has to be sudden, although it was with me), we say, "Oh, I see. I already have life. I already have Him."

When God gives your spirit a revelation, often your soul responds with, "That can't be. That can't be." But your spirit is saying, "It is. It is." Revelation doesn't take place in your brain. God reveals Himself in our spirit. He says, "Yes, the absolutes are true. When you begin to live in My reality, you'll begin to say, 'I am.' Until you live in My reality, you'll say, 'I am becoming' or 'I want to be' or 'I hope I am."'

How many times have I said, "I'd like to be. I wish I were. Maybe someday." And God was on His throne saying, "You are! You are!" When you truly see that Christ is your life, time ceases to be a decisive factor in your life. Everything is just now. You live in the present tense of God. He is not becoming. He is. You are not becoming. You are. You operate from "I am," not "I will become."

The unique thing about the Spirit of God as our teacher is that He has time to be an individual instructor to each one of us. He doesn't have a single lesson plan that fits everybody. He has tailor-made lesson plans based on our individual experiences, needs, and desires. So it's of little value for me to say to you, "This is the way He taught me." Because in all probability He never has taught you that way. He has taught you in His way for you, and it's just as real and valid as His way for me. The life experiences that we have in the seen and temporal realm are the milieu out of which He does the teaching.

The encouraging news to us is that God is in control of this whole process: both when it will happen and to whom it will happen. He has chosen to reveal Himself, not to the chief muckety-mucks of the world system, but to us simple folk:

At that time Jesus said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight." (Matthew 11:25-26)

That seems a strange thing for God to do, but Paul understood it. He told the Corinthians that God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. And look at you, Paul said. You're not much, by the world's standards. You're not the wisest in the world. You're not the cleverest. You're not looked upon as people of power, but God has chosen you.

Every revelation is according to God's good pleasure and His own timing. Timing is so important. You might get the itch before God wants to scratch. You think that you're ready to stop the itch, but God may say, "You're not itching enough yet. If I were to meet you right now, it would be like harvesting something before its time. You wouldn't grow to full maturity." In His own way, in His own time, God reveals.

What is it that the Holy Spirit primarily reveals to us? Jesus told us:

[The Holy Spirit] will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me; for He will take of Mine, and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you. (John 16:13-15)

The work of the Holy Spirit is declaring to us the Father and the Son within us. The Spirit makes no declaration about Himself. He attempts no glorification of Himself. He doesn't point to the fruit or the gifts. The Holy Spirit does not single Himself out because nothing originates with Him. The Spirit is the means by which the life of the Father and the Son comes forth. He wants us to know that we manifest the life of the Father and the Son. That is His revelation.

From: Stone, Dan, The Rest of the Gospel: When the partial Gospel has worn you out. Dallas: One Press. 2000. pgs. 126-129.

God's Promises and Facts

2010-03-01T13:07:00.011+08:00

I am currently reading "The New Covenant" by Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. The first chapter of the book talks about God's promises and facts. The authors say that "God's Word in the aspect of grace may be summed up into three categories : 1) the promises of God to us, 2) the facts which God has accomplished for us, and 3) the covenants which God has made with man which He Himself will definitely fulfill.

There are four principles concerning God's promises and I quote from the book : " 1) God's promises require our prayer that it may be fulfilled; 2) If God's promise is conditional, man must fulfill His condition in order to obtain the promise; otherwise, the promise may be revoked; 3) If, apart from God's promise, man uses the strength of his flesh to act or to add something, the promise may become of none effect; 4) God's promises are fulfilled in God's time." (Pg 16 of "The New Covenant" by Watchman Nee and Witness Lee)

On the other hand, God's facts are His accomplished work. The principles concerning God's facts are and I quote from pg 23 and 24 of the book : " 1) We need to discover what God's fact is. For this, revelation from the Holy Spirit is necessary. 2) Once we see what God's fact is, we need to hold on to God's Word and believe that just as God's face says, so are we. 3) We need by faith on one hand to praise God that we are this way; on the other hand we need to act and manifest that we are such. 4) Whenever temptation or trial comes to us, we must believe that God's Word and His fact are more dependable than our feelings. We need only to fully believe God's Word; then God will be responsible to give us the experience. Our responsibility is to believe God's fact; God's responsibility is to grant us the experience. If we believe God's fact, our spiritual life will grow every day. 5) Fact requires our faith, for faith is the only way by which the fact may be realized in our experience. God's fact is in Christ; therefore, we must be in Christ in order to enjoy the fact which God has accomplished in Christ."

I was reflecting on this and the Holy Spirit brought to my attention a few examples of God's promises which have not materialised in the past but praise God that through Jesus' finished work on the cross, they are now facts!

John proclaims in Luke 3:16 :"John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." This promise of God has become a fact after Jesus' death and resurrection. "For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 1:5)

Isaiah 42:9 tells us "Behold, the former things have come to pass,And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.” It is now a fact! "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Isaiah 58:8 promises us : " Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard." After Jesus' finished work on the cross, the fact is : " who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness— BY WHOSE STRIPES YOU WERE HEALED. " (1 Peter 2:24) Thank you Jesus!

I like what the authors emphasize in the book " concerning God's fact, we do not need to ask God to do that thing again; we need only ask God to show us that He has already done that thing. 2 Corinthians 1:20 sums it up very well : "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God." God's promises through Christ's finished work on the cross are all Yes and in Him Amen! Hallelujah!

Let us delve into His Word and discover for ourselves what God's facts are. We can then hold fast to His Word and exercise our faith to believe God's facts and He will grant us the experience. Amen!