by Dr. Henderson Ward
No one, in his right mind, will ever be able to accuse God of being unreasonable. True, the word unreasonable can be bandied about, it can be in some cases nothing more than one's subjective opinion, but rational people can determine when something is reasonable.
God created this world, put us here to live and set the standards that he wishes us to live by and observe. It is reasonable, therefore, that if we digress from his standards that He seeks to bring us back to the path of righteousness.
God, if He wanted to, could apply his laws without mercy; every wicked deed punished to the limit, and he would still be reasonable.
The Sovereign God cannot but be just and reasonable, for his very nature speaks to such, and his will that "none should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9) means that He will move heaven and earth to clear a path so that He can offer each fallen soul his salvation.
Obstacles are strewn all across people's path, but God is not asleep, and will do whatever it takes to reach us. Here are five more reasons God intervenes, and takes the first steps in the redemptive process.
1. Our absolute love of darkness and fear of light. This is like an alcoholic, brutalized and scarred by alcohol, yet clinging to the accursed drink as if his life depends on it. This is one of life's quirky ironies in that the very thing preventing us from attaining true enlightenment, we regard as the core of our existence. We know the reason for this because the Bible tells us this, "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). The plain truth is that we have so cultivated and adopted darkness and all its evil associations that we regard light as the enemy to be feared, and to be resisted by all means at our disposal. It is, to some extent, like some subterranean worms that have lived so long in the bowels of the earth, in the deep darkness, that they have lost entirely the faculty of sight.
2. The silence of The Holy Scriptures. The Bible tells us many things, and everything that is necessary for salvation, but it does not tell us everything we want to know. This is like a dear friend showing us around his house for the first time and choosing not to show us a certain room. Even if we knew of the existence of that room we would be wise to respect his wish not to show us that room at this time. With God, we should be even more respectful, for the Bible says this, "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." (Deuteronomy 29:29) There are lots of things God has not revealed to us and it is pure presumptuousness and prideful arrogance to demand that he does so. To defy God's silence on these matters some have even ventured to speculate, and some have gone even further, and teach their conjectures as if they are Bible doctrine.
3. Our partial knowledge of The Holy Scriptures. This is like being faced with an intricate jigsaw puzzle and having pieces missing, or trying to decipher an ancient manuscript and great swathes of the text are missing; lacunae as it is known. It is a very brave or very foolish person who would affirm that he has a perfect knowledge of the Bible. Even the Apostle Paul, who spent time with all the apostles and saw Jesus personally, said this, "For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." (1 Corinthians 13:9-10) The truth is, that at times we are not seeing what God is showing us, much less understanding the text, and in humility we plead like David, "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law" (Psalm 119:18)
4. Our primitive state of science and technology. It is very easy to be puffed up with our contemporary cutting-edge science and state-of-the-art technology, but should the world exists for, let us say, another six thousand years they would then look back at our science and technology and see them as pathetic and terribly laughable. God knows, and time will surely declare, that this generation that thinks it know it all is undergoing a dearth of true knowledge of historic proportion. If we were remotely as knowledgeable as we ought, we would be making routine intergalactic journeys by thought propulsion, mapping the flight paths of supernatural entities, performing remote internal surgery by brain waves, taking a ride to the edge of the universe and watching and reporting live on its expansion, and such like, and the list goes on. And all of this would not even be called "advanced" in God's eyes.
5. The creation and cultivation of the faith phobia. This is in large measure the result of atheist hostility and the pseudo-intellectuals wannabe who seek notoriety by attacking the community of faith, and publishing self serving books and articles. These people demonize and ostracize the very medium we need to access spiritual enlightenment. Many of our scholars and in academia and the professions now think it's "hip" and fraternal to heap derision on those who still have faith in the Almighty, and some see this attitude as helpful for advancing their careers. Alas, what it does is exclude them from receiving deep revelations of the Almighty; and the concomitant graces one normally gets so freely and abundantly.
God could, in good conscience, set harsh conditions for us to be reconciled to him, because it was us that went astray, we were the guilty ones, and like the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32, God could justifiably leave us to come to our senses, and make our way to him.
That would run the risk of all of us being lost, because unaided, we cannot make it to Almighty God, because the god of this world has blinded our eyes.
Instead, God came to us, will continue in mercy to come to us, and puts us on the spot in words like these, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20)
We are reminded how God takes the initiative, how he comes seeking us, so that we can have no excuses if we end up before him in the White Throne Judgment.
In Luke chapter 15, we are given three fine examples of God seeking the lost in three instances typical of the times. In the last one, we hear of the prodigal son mentioned above, but in the first we hear of the lost sheep and the second of the lost coin.
In the parable of the lost sheep, Luke 15: 3-7, we see a sheep, leaving the safety of the fold and going astray. The Bible makes it clear that we are all like sheep, going our own way, heedless of the dangers and getting hopelessly tangled up; and easy prey for any passing predator. Sheep are the most heedless animals, with a poor sense of direction and virtually no defense. The shepherd leaves the flock and go searching for that lost sheep until he finds it. Such is God's initiative towards us. We are destined to be found by God, and the path towards him is clearly visible. The rest is up to us.
The parable of the lost coin, Luke 15: 8-10, is an emblem of a sinner apart from God, lost in the iniquities of the world, and unable to emerge unaided. The longer a coin is lost, the more difficult it is to be found, because as time goes by it accumulates more and more dust, it loses it's luster, it may get worn by wear and tear, and lose its value.
God is gracious, and takes the first steps in finding us, because he knows how entangled we are by the inadequacies of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of the heart. But God does not overrule our free will, he will not save us against our wishes, he has given us the power of choice, hence the responsibility is on us to, "choose you this day whom ye will serve" as put to the Israelites in Joshua 24:15.
God will always take the first steps, but the first steps do not constitute the whole process, neither do they save you. God is not far from any of us, the only thing left to be done, the one thing that matters most we need to reach out and embrace God through Jesus Christ
Enough said.
Books by this author you may wish to read.
THINGS EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD KNOW (e-book)
Volume 1 Five tough facts to be faced
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004YX5NSI
STAND UP TO THE DEVIL (e-book)
Volume 1 You must first identify him
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005BQVLSS
BASTARD: A STORY OF REDEMPTION(e-book fiction)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006OF3SD6
ONE MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT ON GOD'S CLOCK (Hard copy)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002X78D16
ONE MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT ON GOD'S CLOCK (e-book)
http://tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-60799-630-9
Dr. Henderson Ward received his Doctor of Divinity in theology, with distinction, from Masters International School of Divinity, USA, where he is currently a post-doctoral fellow. Dr. Ward's career involved pastoring, evangelism, and teaching. Copyright 2016
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS
Friday, September 30, 2016
Thursday, September 29, 2016
The Word Of God
Isaiah 55:10-12
For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
So shall God’s word be that goes forth from...[my mouth]
It shall not return to...[me] void,
But it shall accomplish what He pleases,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which He sent it.
For I shall go out with joy,
And be led out with peace [completeness/shalom in spirit, soul and body].
This psalm is one of my favorite psalms, because it encourages me to speak the Word of God into my life and circumstances, and then I am encouraged by the Word to let God handle the situation and just believe. When you believe in the Providence of God, you can speak His Word into the atmosphere, for the atmosphere responds to His word, especially to words of love, confidence, and completeness (shalom). It is also true that negative words can affect your environment as well.
That is why the Lord directs us to be positive, and to trust in Him and His power, His ability to bring light into dark places, to heal wounds, to inspire loving gestures and situations of peace; to give birth to new revelations and boldness of heart. Everyone feels afraid sometimes, but it is our obligation not to allow those feelings of fear to overcome our belief in His Word.
We must become rooted and grounded in the Word of God, and that starts with acknowledging that we cannot live this life without Him. Some people rely on their own efforts, they believe they have plenty of money and power, and the world regards them because they also believe in money and power; but these things are just illusions, quickly snatched away when someone is faced with situation that renders them powerless.
What happens when people are exposed to a crisis that cannot be easily fixed with a few dollars and some flattering words? What do people do when there is a 'storm' outside their window and the wind and the rain and the hail is falling fiercely? Now, there are many different types of storms that blow into your life; it could be a financial 'storm', where you lose your job or all of your money, it could be a relationship 'storm', when you lose the love of your life by death or divorce, it could be a health issue, you or someone you know is ill or dying. You could be lonely, or depressed, feeling rejected by others who don't care about you or understand who you are and what you are going through.
What do people do when they find everything they have been working for cannot save them from the crazy and senseless issues of life? What if you are one of the lucky ones that has never suffered any serious losses; you have your family, and money in the bank, a good job, with houses and cars.., then you may not be able to relate to what everyone else is going through. What could possibly hurt you?
No one will be able to save themselves from the issues that are quickly manifesting into our world on a daily basis. We no longer have the option to just sit back and let the world's problems solve themselves, because the world's problems are knocking upon the door of our homes, and our lives are about to be changed forever.
When you stop trusting in your own resources, and begin to trust in God's favor and provision, you will begin to see the world's situation as it really is; we are on the brink of a revolution, a major change in our lives, that can bring revelation and peace, or fear and destruction. We don't have a choice in what is coming on the earth; we have been warned by God in His Word about these times, but we don't have to face them alone. We are not powerless, if we believe in the provision that God has supplied to protect us and to help us, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He has risen and is coming back soon to deal with the ravages and results of the world's sins; He is ready to lift the veil of darkness and evil that has always been a part of this world's atmosphere every since the fall of adam and eve. The devil's time of rule and reign on the earth is coming to a close, and he knows it. He is stirring up the bad elements in the world, 'to raise hell on earth', to cause death and destruction on a worldwide scale, to hurt as many people as he can, because he knows his time is almost up. Those who believe in Jesus Christ with all of their hearts and minds, will be preserved for Him for the coming manifestation of the kingdom of God. Those who do not believe, the god fakers and the god haters, will find that their empty religious rituals, and cold intellectualism will not save them from war, disease, famine, and death.
Please people, I do not make these statements lightly, for there is a reason why I am writing this, because the Lord wants you to know what is coming and that you have a way to avoid the judgment that is soon coming upon the earth. He loves you and cares about you; no one on earth or in heaven will ever love you more. He has shown His grace and mercy to mankind by allowing us to decide within our hearts who we will serve, Him or ourselves. He created us and He has always wanted us to be an important part of His creation. He wants a relationship with you, He wants to love you with a love that is beyond all human understanding. He gave His one and only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to die upon the cross at Calvary as a sacrifice for our sins, to redeem us with His Blood. No greater sacrifice has ever been made, and nothing else will ever take its place in regards to our salvation.
If you find yourself in a serious situation with no real resolution in sight, that is when it is time to start praying and reading the Word of God; let the Word of God become apart of your life and your consciousness, for it will save you in your time of need. Reading the word on a daily basis helps you to defeat those fearful thoughts and anxieties, releasing you into 'the faith zone'. When you are in the zone, every problem gets handled with peace and joy, and you have the patience to let the Lord take care of it according to His will.
His Word has mended broken hearts, healed bodies, inspired faith and joy, manifested in signs, miracles, and wonders, and has rendered the non believers into silence. If the Word of God can do all of that, than surely it can help you in your time of need. Just ask Him to help you to believe and understand His Word, and He will give you the revelation that you need to keep on believing and to persevere. There is no other gift I know to give anyone, than the gift of proclaiming His Love and Word to you, for I cannot solve all your problems, but He can.
If you would like to know what it is like to live in His love and abide in His word, then please repeat this prayer:
Prayer of Salvation
Lord,
I repent for trying to be master of my own life. I change my mind about who I want to be in charge of my life. I turn from my useless and unproductive thoughts that I am the center of my universe and choose to believe in the living God who created everything, including me (Acts 14:15). I have lived without a purpose but now I will live to hear and obey You, God (Jn. 5:19, 20,30).
I confess with my lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I believe that God so loved the world He sent His only Son Jesus to shed His blood to wash away the barrier of sin (Jn. 3:16)
I receive You, Jesus as MY Lord and Savior (Jn. 1:11,12).
I welcome You, Holy Spirit, into my life to rescue and empower me and to restore me to intimacy with my heavenly Father (Acts 2:38).
If you just confessed this prayer, you are saved! I welcome you into the family my (brother/sister) I pray for peace, joy, and happiness in your life as you allow the Lord to love you and bless you and give you assurance of everlasting life with Him forever and ever......PRAISE GOD!
May the Lord keep you and Bless you this day....Amen
For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
So shall God’s word be that goes forth from...[my mouth]
It shall not return to...[me] void,
But it shall accomplish what He pleases,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which He sent it.
For I shall go out with joy,
And be led out with peace [completeness/shalom in spirit, soul and body].
This psalm is one of my favorite psalms, because it encourages me to speak the Word of God into my life and circumstances, and then I am encouraged by the Word to let God handle the situation and just believe. When you believe in the Providence of God, you can speak His Word into the atmosphere, for the atmosphere responds to His word, especially to words of love, confidence, and completeness (shalom). It is also true that negative words can affect your environment as well.
That is why the Lord directs us to be positive, and to trust in Him and His power, His ability to bring light into dark places, to heal wounds, to inspire loving gestures and situations of peace; to give birth to new revelations and boldness of heart. Everyone feels afraid sometimes, but it is our obligation not to allow those feelings of fear to overcome our belief in His Word.
We must become rooted and grounded in the Word of God, and that starts with acknowledging that we cannot live this life without Him. Some people rely on their own efforts, they believe they have plenty of money and power, and the world regards them because they also believe in money and power; but these things are just illusions, quickly snatched away when someone is faced with situation that renders them powerless.
What happens when people are exposed to a crisis that cannot be easily fixed with a few dollars and some flattering words? What do people do when there is a 'storm' outside their window and the wind and the rain and the hail is falling fiercely? Now, there are many different types of storms that blow into your life; it could be a financial 'storm', where you lose your job or all of your money, it could be a relationship 'storm', when you lose the love of your life by death or divorce, it could be a health issue, you or someone you know is ill or dying. You could be lonely, or depressed, feeling rejected by others who don't care about you or understand who you are and what you are going through.
What do people do when they find everything they have been working for cannot save them from the crazy and senseless issues of life? What if you are one of the lucky ones that has never suffered any serious losses; you have your family, and money in the bank, a good job, with houses and cars.., then you may not be able to relate to what everyone else is going through. What could possibly hurt you?
No one will be able to save themselves from the issues that are quickly manifesting into our world on a daily basis. We no longer have the option to just sit back and let the world's problems solve themselves, because the world's problems are knocking upon the door of our homes, and our lives are about to be changed forever.
When you stop trusting in your own resources, and begin to trust in God's favor and provision, you will begin to see the world's situation as it really is; we are on the brink of a revolution, a major change in our lives, that can bring revelation and peace, or fear and destruction. We don't have a choice in what is coming on the earth; we have been warned by God in His Word about these times, but we don't have to face them alone. We are not powerless, if we believe in the provision that God has supplied to protect us and to help us, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He has risen and is coming back soon to deal with the ravages and results of the world's sins; He is ready to lift the veil of darkness and evil that has always been a part of this world's atmosphere every since the fall of adam and eve. The devil's time of rule and reign on the earth is coming to a close, and he knows it. He is stirring up the bad elements in the world, 'to raise hell on earth', to cause death and destruction on a worldwide scale, to hurt as many people as he can, because he knows his time is almost up. Those who believe in Jesus Christ with all of their hearts and minds, will be preserved for Him for the coming manifestation of the kingdom of God. Those who do not believe, the god fakers and the god haters, will find that their empty religious rituals, and cold intellectualism will not save them from war, disease, famine, and death.
Please people, I do not make these statements lightly, for there is a reason why I am writing this, because the Lord wants you to know what is coming and that you have a way to avoid the judgment that is soon coming upon the earth. He loves you and cares about you; no one on earth or in heaven will ever love you more. He has shown His grace and mercy to mankind by allowing us to decide within our hearts who we will serve, Him or ourselves. He created us and He has always wanted us to be an important part of His creation. He wants a relationship with you, He wants to love you with a love that is beyond all human understanding. He gave His one and only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to die upon the cross at Calvary as a sacrifice for our sins, to redeem us with His Blood. No greater sacrifice has ever been made, and nothing else will ever take its place in regards to our salvation.
If you find yourself in a serious situation with no real resolution in sight, that is when it is time to start praying and reading the Word of God; let the Word of God become apart of your life and your consciousness, for it will save you in your time of need. Reading the word on a daily basis helps you to defeat those fearful thoughts and anxieties, releasing you into 'the faith zone'. When you are in the zone, every problem gets handled with peace and joy, and you have the patience to let the Lord take care of it according to His will.
His Word has mended broken hearts, healed bodies, inspired faith and joy, manifested in signs, miracles, and wonders, and has rendered the non believers into silence. If the Word of God can do all of that, than surely it can help you in your time of need. Just ask Him to help you to believe and understand His Word, and He will give you the revelation that you need to keep on believing and to persevere. There is no other gift I know to give anyone, than the gift of proclaiming His Love and Word to you, for I cannot solve all your problems, but He can.
If you would like to know what it is like to live in His love and abide in His word, then please repeat this prayer:
Prayer of Salvation
Lord,
I repent for trying to be master of my own life. I change my mind about who I want to be in charge of my life. I turn from my useless and unproductive thoughts that I am the center of my universe and choose to believe in the living God who created everything, including me (Acts 14:15). I have lived without a purpose but now I will live to hear and obey You, God (Jn. 5:19, 20,30).
I confess with my lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I believe that God so loved the world He sent His only Son Jesus to shed His blood to wash away the barrier of sin (Jn. 3:16)
I receive You, Jesus as MY Lord and Savior (Jn. 1:11,12).
I welcome You, Holy Spirit, into my life to rescue and empower me and to restore me to intimacy with my heavenly Father (Acts 2:38).
If you just confessed this prayer, you are saved! I welcome you into the family my (brother/sister) I pray for peace, joy, and happiness in your life as you allow the Lord to love you and bless you and give you assurance of everlasting life with Him forever and ever......PRAISE GOD!
May the Lord keep you and Bless you this day....Amen
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
I am LORD of the Sabbath
by Jacky Julyan
Find solace my children in the finished work of Jesus, my Son. It is done. It is finished. Wilt though believe it? Then enter. Then rest in God.
Wilt though believe it not? Then weary yourselves and toil in your sin and yourself. Cease from your own confidence and rest in My finished work.
There is only now peace, peace through Christ Jesus, your Saviour.
He is your portion, I am the portion of Jacob, through him the promised seed born. My God is your God the same God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
O little Israel! Wilt though not come upon the waters as Peter? He stepped out falteringly, yet despite his unbelief I saved him.
Come to Jesus for I am the 'I am'.
I am the God of the present, past and future. Before Abraham was I am.
Cast upon the waters your bread of affliction, your salty tears of failures.
Come, He waits, patiently, lovingly to pull you into His arms for He will anchor your soul for your heart has eternity within it.
In Him is peace, true peace that passes all understanding.
Why do you stand on the rim of your own confidence? Why do you hold onto another, yet is the arm of the flesh? For in a whisper, a breath of a word you will topple for your efforts are born of man.
Stand on Him
Stand in Him
The Rock of Ages
Know this, the Sabbath is but a time, not a day, a time to walk in belief, not unbelief, a time to walk into My promised land for I am the capstone the builders rejected. Wilt though reject My Sabbath? For I am LORD of the Sabbath, I made it for man and not man for Sabbath.
As I rested, how much more so you, yet it is only to those who believe
This time, This Sabbath is here right now. The hour of Grace is here, right now, for the Kingdom of God has come.
Now Christ, your Redeemer, your mercy unto Salvation has come.
Soon He will come again to claim His Bride, to claim those who are resting in Him, resting in His Sabbath.
This Sabbath is not from the earth it is from heaven itself, it was created in the Heavens before you were born. This Sabbath is now come and has come brought through the blood of Jesus.
As wheat is crushed to release life and health to your body, so too was Jesus crushed for your iniquities to release you into a new life born of God. For I am the Bread of Life, this Life you need for all eternity, it is wrought from Heaven.
The Work is finished. It is done!
Beloved, rest, Rest in Him
For this is the inheritance for the people of God!
For those who are born of God, are children of God. They have seen, they have heard and have entered into the Kingdom of God. For they have seen the glory of God, the glory of the LORD and to Him we sing and praise Glory!
Come then, My children, labour in earnest to enter My Rest
https://calledtowriteweb.wordpress.com/
email: julygirl1962@yahoo.co.uk
Called to Write for Jesus since 2006 ... jacky julyan
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS
Find solace my children in the finished work of Jesus, my Son. It is done. It is finished. Wilt though believe it? Then enter. Then rest in God.
Wilt though believe it not? Then weary yourselves and toil in your sin and yourself. Cease from your own confidence and rest in My finished work.
There is only now peace, peace through Christ Jesus, your Saviour.
He is your portion, I am the portion of Jacob, through him the promised seed born. My God is your God the same God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
O little Israel! Wilt though not come upon the waters as Peter? He stepped out falteringly, yet despite his unbelief I saved him.
Come to Jesus for I am the 'I am'.
I am the God of the present, past and future. Before Abraham was I am.
Cast upon the waters your bread of affliction, your salty tears of failures.
Come, He waits, patiently, lovingly to pull you into His arms for He will anchor your soul for your heart has eternity within it.
In Him is peace, true peace that passes all understanding.
Why do you stand on the rim of your own confidence? Why do you hold onto another, yet is the arm of the flesh? For in a whisper, a breath of a word you will topple for your efforts are born of man.
Stand on Him
Stand in Him
The Rock of Ages
Know this, the Sabbath is but a time, not a day, a time to walk in belief, not unbelief, a time to walk into My promised land for I am the capstone the builders rejected. Wilt though reject My Sabbath? For I am LORD of the Sabbath, I made it for man and not man for Sabbath.
As I rested, how much more so you, yet it is only to those who believe
This time, This Sabbath is here right now. The hour of Grace is here, right now, for the Kingdom of God has come.
Now Christ, your Redeemer, your mercy unto Salvation has come.
Soon He will come again to claim His Bride, to claim those who are resting in Him, resting in His Sabbath.
This Sabbath is not from the earth it is from heaven itself, it was created in the Heavens before you were born. This Sabbath is now come and has come brought through the blood of Jesus.
As wheat is crushed to release life and health to your body, so too was Jesus crushed for your iniquities to release you into a new life born of God. For I am the Bread of Life, this Life you need for all eternity, it is wrought from Heaven.
The Work is finished. It is done!
Beloved, rest, Rest in Him
For this is the inheritance for the people of God!
For those who are born of God, are children of God. They have seen, they have heard and have entered into the Kingdom of God. For they have seen the glory of God, the glory of the LORD and to Him we sing and praise Glory!
Come then, My children, labour in earnest to enter My Rest
https://calledtowriteweb.wordpress.com/
email: julygirl1962@yahoo.co.uk
Called to Write for Jesus since 2006 ... jacky julyan
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
The Sweetness Of God
When looking for a definition of love, I found this: an intense feeling of deep affection, a feeling of deep romantic or sexual attachment to (someone)(or for some people something!). This is a very basic and simplistic explanation, and many people are thrown off
by the feeling of love, because they often confuse like with love, or lust with love.
Everyone has the ability to be kind to others, and you may even say that you like a person, or that you like to do a certain activity, but love is in a category of its own. Love inspires people, transforms their hearts and minds, and gives a feeling of deep euphoria and pleasure. Everyone loves to 'fall in love', and when the right person comes along, that is usually what you feel, but this is only one dimension of love; in fact, God's kind of love, agape love, brings love to its highest level of achievement.
Agape love is a selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love and the highest form of love. Agape is the term that defines God's immeasurable, incomparable love for humankind. It is His ongoing, outgoing, self-sacrificing concern for lost and fallen people. God gives this love without condition, unreservedly to those who are undeserving and inferior to Himself. When you are loved by God, you know it because it changes your life.
You see things from His point of view. You have peace in your heart, and you have rest in His presence and in His arms. No one will ever be able to love you the way that God does, because He is love, the highest and purest form of love, and He will give you His love, His heart, and His mind. His thoughts are not like our thoughts, for He sees everything that goes on in the universe, and our vision is limited. But He has never made me feel small or insignificant; contrary to popular belief, God didn't just make the universe and then went on His merry way, leaving mankind to fend for itself. He is deeply ingrained into everything that goes on in this world, and He loves to be apart of His children's lives as well.
One of the things that a child of God has to learn is to trust Him; let yourself be led by His Holy Spirit. It is never easy, for we have a selfish streak in our hearts, and we desire things, circumstances, and people that should never be allowed into our lives. It was hard for me to comprehend how much He loved me, the depth of His feeling and passion for me. Yes, I knew Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins, and I was grateful that He came to save me and I loved Him for it, but I never knew how deeply He cared for me, that He actually wanted to be involved in my every day life. I found out that He had a destiny for me, a plan to save me, love me and do wonderful things through me for His Name and Glory's sake.
The Sweetness Of God is this: that He cared enough to provide a solution to my sin problem long before I was born and even before the world was formed; that He gave His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for my sins, and the sins of the whole world, that He gave our ancestors, adam and eve a choice to live for Him or for themselves, and they chose to go their own way and worship themselves. They believed the devil's lies that they could be just like God, that they didn't need Him; they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and this corrupted their minds and hearts, for knowing good and evil gives you the ability to be either good or bad; that is why God cannot bear to have evil in his presence; He is only good, and this is the reason we must be redeemed by accepting Jesus Christ as our savior, for His Blood washes away all our sins, and now when God sees us, He doesn't see our corrupted nature, but He sees His son's Blood, and we are declared righteous when we move into His presence.
He is so tender with His little ones, because He knows that we can't help being the way that we are; He is not asking us to be perfect, because that is not possible. While we live on the earth on this side of kingdom come, we must depend on Him to give us the ability to live as Christ's disciples, to be led by His Holy Spirit, and read His word, allow the Word and the Holy Spirit to change our hearts and minds; choose to follow Him and trust His wisdom and guidance, and give our lives to Him as shining examples of citizens of the kingdom of God.
We won't always do what is right, we fight our own selfish natures, but we don't fight alone; once we surrender our will, and seek first to do His will, He will enable us to resist those selfish desires, as well as the devil, who is always around suggesting evil thoughts and desires. If you have never felt His presence in your life, or the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and you believe that you are a christian, then you are missing out on a key element of chirstian life. You need to ask yourself, have I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior?, did I ask Him to come into my life and did I invite the Holy Spirit into my heart and mind? Some people believe they are christians just because they were born into a christian family, or because they were raised in a church, and they go to church every Sunday, listen to a sermon, put money into the offering plate, sing on the choir, and they are listed as a member on the church membership roll.
All of that is nice, but when you leave the service, get into your car, walk home, have your Sunday dinner, go to bed, and get up the next morning to go to work, can you honestly say you behave the same as you do when you are in church? Can the people in your lives say truthfully that you are a christian, can they say that everything you see and hear in church impacts your daily life? If not, I encourage you to come clean with yourself and with God, for the times are getting darker and harder, and only those who abide in Jesus Christ will survive what is about to come on the earth.
Seek His face, and repent of your sins, allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in you, and give you the ability to live righteous lives in His presence. If you have never confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, do so now:
Prayer of Salvation
Lord,
I repent for trying to be master of my own life. I change my mind about who I want to be in charge of my life. I turn from my useless and unproductive thoughts that I am the center of my universe and choose to believe in the living God who created everything, including me (Acts 14:15). I have lived without a purpose but now I will live to hear and obey You, God (Jn. 5:19, 20,30).
I confess with my lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I believe that God so loved the world He sent His only Son Jesus to shed His blood to wash away the barrier of sin (Jn. 3:16)
I receive You, Jesus as MY Lord and Savior (Jn. 1:11,12).
I welcome You, Holy Spirit, into my life to rescue and empower me and to restore me to intimacy with my heavenly Father (Acts 2:38).
If you just confessed this prayer, you are saved! I welcome you into the family my (brother/sister) I pray for peace, joy, and happiness in your life as you allow the Lord to love you and bless you and give you assurance of everlasting life with Him forever and ever......PRAISE GOD!
May the Lord keep you and Bless you this day....Amen
Everyone has the ability to be kind to others, and you may even say that you like a person, or that you like to do a certain activity, but love is in a category of its own. Love inspires people, transforms their hearts and minds, and gives a feeling of deep euphoria and pleasure. Everyone loves to 'fall in love', and when the right person comes along, that is usually what you feel, but this is only one dimension of love; in fact, God's kind of love, agape love, brings love to its highest level of achievement.
Agape love is a selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love and the highest form of love. Agape is the term that defines God's immeasurable, incomparable love for humankind. It is His ongoing, outgoing, self-sacrificing concern for lost and fallen people. God gives this love without condition, unreservedly to those who are undeserving and inferior to Himself. When you are loved by God, you know it because it changes your life.
You see things from His point of view. You have peace in your heart, and you have rest in His presence and in His arms. No one will ever be able to love you the way that God does, because He is love, the highest and purest form of love, and He will give you His love, His heart, and His mind. His thoughts are not like our thoughts, for He sees everything that goes on in the universe, and our vision is limited. But He has never made me feel small or insignificant; contrary to popular belief, God didn't just make the universe and then went on His merry way, leaving mankind to fend for itself. He is deeply ingrained into everything that goes on in this world, and He loves to be apart of His children's lives as well.
One of the things that a child of God has to learn is to trust Him; let yourself be led by His Holy Spirit. It is never easy, for we have a selfish streak in our hearts, and we desire things, circumstances, and people that should never be allowed into our lives. It was hard for me to comprehend how much He loved me, the depth of His feeling and passion for me. Yes, I knew Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins, and I was grateful that He came to save me and I loved Him for it, but I never knew how deeply He cared for me, that He actually wanted to be involved in my every day life. I found out that He had a destiny for me, a plan to save me, love me and do wonderful things through me for His Name and Glory's sake.
The Sweetness Of God is this: that He cared enough to provide a solution to my sin problem long before I was born and even before the world was formed; that He gave His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for my sins, and the sins of the whole world, that He gave our ancestors, adam and eve a choice to live for Him or for themselves, and they chose to go their own way and worship themselves. They believed the devil's lies that they could be just like God, that they didn't need Him; they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and this corrupted their minds and hearts, for knowing good and evil gives you the ability to be either good or bad; that is why God cannot bear to have evil in his presence; He is only good, and this is the reason we must be redeemed by accepting Jesus Christ as our savior, for His Blood washes away all our sins, and now when God sees us, He doesn't see our corrupted nature, but He sees His son's Blood, and we are declared righteous when we move into His presence.
He is so tender with His little ones, because He knows that we can't help being the way that we are; He is not asking us to be perfect, because that is not possible. While we live on the earth on this side of kingdom come, we must depend on Him to give us the ability to live as Christ's disciples, to be led by His Holy Spirit, and read His word, allow the Word and the Holy Spirit to change our hearts and minds; choose to follow Him and trust His wisdom and guidance, and give our lives to Him as shining examples of citizens of the kingdom of God.
We won't always do what is right, we fight our own selfish natures, but we don't fight alone; once we surrender our will, and seek first to do His will, He will enable us to resist those selfish desires, as well as the devil, who is always around suggesting evil thoughts and desires. If you have never felt His presence in your life, or the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and you believe that you are a christian, then you are missing out on a key element of chirstian life. You need to ask yourself, have I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior?, did I ask Him to come into my life and did I invite the Holy Spirit into my heart and mind? Some people believe they are christians just because they were born into a christian family, or because they were raised in a church, and they go to church every Sunday, listen to a sermon, put money into the offering plate, sing on the choir, and they are listed as a member on the church membership roll.
All of that is nice, but when you leave the service, get into your car, walk home, have your Sunday dinner, go to bed, and get up the next morning to go to work, can you honestly say you behave the same as you do when you are in church? Can the people in your lives say truthfully that you are a christian, can they say that everything you see and hear in church impacts your daily life? If not, I encourage you to come clean with yourself and with God, for the times are getting darker and harder, and only those who abide in Jesus Christ will survive what is about to come on the earth.
Seek His face, and repent of your sins, allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in you, and give you the ability to live righteous lives in His presence. If you have never confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, do so now:
Prayer of Salvation
Lord,
I repent for trying to be master of my own life. I change my mind about who I want to be in charge of my life. I turn from my useless and unproductive thoughts that I am the center of my universe and choose to believe in the living God who created everything, including me (Acts 14:15). I have lived without a purpose but now I will live to hear and obey You, God (Jn. 5:19, 20,30).
I confess with my lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I believe that God so loved the world He sent His only Son Jesus to shed His blood to wash away the barrier of sin (Jn. 3:16)
I receive You, Jesus as MY Lord and Savior (Jn. 1:11,12).
I welcome You, Holy Spirit, into my life to rescue and empower me and to restore me to intimacy with my heavenly Father (Acts 2:38).
If you just confessed this prayer, you are saved! I welcome you into the family my (brother/sister) I pray for peace, joy, and happiness in your life as you allow the Lord to love you and bless you and give you assurance of everlasting life with Him forever and ever......PRAISE GOD!
May the Lord keep you and Bless you this day....Amen
Monday, September 26, 2016
What Is the Christian Faith Really All About?
by Max Aplin
In the United Kingdom where I live, there are a great many people who don't know what the Christian faith is really all about.
One reason for this is that most of the prominent Christian leaders who appear in the media here present a very distorted version of our faith. Instead of teaching what the Bible teaches, they teach a man-made version of the faith that fits in with modern Western values so as to avoid offending people.
Another reason for people's misunderstanding about Christianity is that the media itself tends to be very selective in what it reports. It chooses to focus on aspects of the Christian faith that mainstream Western culture is most sympathetic to, although these things are in reality much less central to our faith than most people think.
For these two reasons, large numbers of people in the UK seem to think that the Christian faith is essentially about treating people well, motivated in part by the fact that Jesus treated people well.
In fact, this is a caricature of our faith. And it bears little resemblance to the Christian faith that is found in the Bible and that has been believed down through the centuries. Of course, it is very important for Christians to treat people well. And the desire to follow Jesus' example should be some of our motivation for this. But doing good to people is only a small part of what Christianity is all about.
The heart of the Christian faith
In reality, the heart of the Christian faith is about being saved from sin and hell by what Jesus accomplished on the cross:
First, we human beings have all done things that are morally wrong, what the Bible refers to as sinning. The seriousness of sinning cannot be overstated. It basically involves rejecting the created order of almighty God to do things in a different way. And this is a kind of infinite insult to him.
Second, the fact that we have sinned means that we deserve punishment. This punishment will be enacted by God after death, and it will involve everlasting torment in hell.
Third, in some mysterious way that we can't properly understand, God clothed himself in humanity to become the God-Man, Jesus Christ. Motivated by his great love for us, Christ then died on the cross to pay the price for our sins. And he confirmed that he had succeeded in doing this by rising from the dead. The crucifixion and resurrection therefore made it possible for us to be saved from going to hell.
Fourth, to take advantage of this salvation, people need to personally accept it by faith in Christ. Only a minority of people actually do this.
Fifth, those who accept salvation come immediately into a relationship with God. This involves, among many other things, living much more uprightly than previously and doing good to people.
I think these five points form a reasonable summary of what the core of the Christian faith is all about, except that the fifth point would really need to be expanded at length in many important ways. However, many people in the UK seem to think that being a Christian is just about part of the fifth point. And I am sure that this misconception is common in many other countries too.
Biblical Christianity and modern impressions compared
When the apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, he said:
'When I came to you, brothers . . . I resolved to know nothing when I was with you except Jesus Christ, that is, Jesus Christ crucified.' (1 Corinthians 2:1-2)
Of course, this shouldn't be taken strictly literally. When Paul was with the Corinthians, he surely thought and spoke about a great many issues. But his point is clear. His thinking and teaching were full of the cross of Jesus.
The contrast between Paul's outlook and the impression given of Christianity by the media in the UK really is remarkable.
For example, every Easter Sunday news networks here spend a little time covering what some prominent Christian leaders have said in their Easter messages. The messages of the archbishop of Canterbury and the pope are usually referred to.
However, year after year the networks never report that either of these men's Easter messages said anything about what the cross of Christ accomplished. Likewise, there is never any reference to the need of people to be saved from hell, despite the fact that the New Testament is full of teaching on this.
In fact, I cannot ever recall even hearing a news item say that the archbishop or pope mentioned the crucifixion or resurrection of Jesus at all in their Easter messages. Yet the whole point of Easter is to celebrate these events.
The truth of the matter is that in order to fit in with modern Western values and so as not to offend people, the archbishop and pope always present a terribly distorted version of the Christian faith in their Easter messages. And, even if they do say anything about what the cross accomplished, the news networks never report this in their summaries anyway.
The result is that the impression given of Christianity in the media is a grossly disfigured one. And people watching or reading the news come away with a very faulty view of what our faith is all about. The same thing happens at Christmas and at almost any other time that the Christian faith is referred to by news networks.
Preferring a biblical understanding
If you are a non-Christian reading this, I would encourage you not to simply assume that what you see and hear about Christianity in the mainstream media is an accurate portrait. Read the Bible yourself. Go to the source documents of the Christian faith so that you are not so reliant on what other people think.
If you are a Christian reading this, make sure that you follow the example of Paul in letting the cross of Christ fill your vision day after day. Nothing has ever happened in our universe that was more significant than Jesus' crucifixion.
I have been a Christian for over 30 years. I have a Ph.D. in New Testament from the University of Edinburgh. I am a UK national and I currently live in the south of Scotland. Check out my blog, Dropping the Traditions, at droppingthetraditions.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS
In the United Kingdom where I live, there are a great many people who don't know what the Christian faith is really all about.
One reason for this is that most of the prominent Christian leaders who appear in the media here present a very distorted version of our faith. Instead of teaching what the Bible teaches, they teach a man-made version of the faith that fits in with modern Western values so as to avoid offending people.
Another reason for people's misunderstanding about Christianity is that the media itself tends to be very selective in what it reports. It chooses to focus on aspects of the Christian faith that mainstream Western culture is most sympathetic to, although these things are in reality much less central to our faith than most people think.
For these two reasons, large numbers of people in the UK seem to think that the Christian faith is essentially about treating people well, motivated in part by the fact that Jesus treated people well.
In fact, this is a caricature of our faith. And it bears little resemblance to the Christian faith that is found in the Bible and that has been believed down through the centuries. Of course, it is very important for Christians to treat people well. And the desire to follow Jesus' example should be some of our motivation for this. But doing good to people is only a small part of what Christianity is all about.
The heart of the Christian faith
In reality, the heart of the Christian faith is about being saved from sin and hell by what Jesus accomplished on the cross:
First, we human beings have all done things that are morally wrong, what the Bible refers to as sinning. The seriousness of sinning cannot be overstated. It basically involves rejecting the created order of almighty God to do things in a different way. And this is a kind of infinite insult to him.
Second, the fact that we have sinned means that we deserve punishment. This punishment will be enacted by God after death, and it will involve everlasting torment in hell.
Third, in some mysterious way that we can't properly understand, God clothed himself in humanity to become the God-Man, Jesus Christ. Motivated by his great love for us, Christ then died on the cross to pay the price for our sins. And he confirmed that he had succeeded in doing this by rising from the dead. The crucifixion and resurrection therefore made it possible for us to be saved from going to hell.
Fourth, to take advantage of this salvation, people need to personally accept it by faith in Christ. Only a minority of people actually do this.
Fifth, those who accept salvation come immediately into a relationship with God. This involves, among many other things, living much more uprightly than previously and doing good to people.
I think these five points form a reasonable summary of what the core of the Christian faith is all about, except that the fifth point would really need to be expanded at length in many important ways. However, many people in the UK seem to think that being a Christian is just about part of the fifth point. And I am sure that this misconception is common in many other countries too.
Biblical Christianity and modern impressions compared
When the apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, he said:
'When I came to you, brothers . . . I resolved to know nothing when I was with you except Jesus Christ, that is, Jesus Christ crucified.' (1 Corinthians 2:1-2)
Of course, this shouldn't be taken strictly literally. When Paul was with the Corinthians, he surely thought and spoke about a great many issues. But his point is clear. His thinking and teaching were full of the cross of Jesus.
The contrast between Paul's outlook and the impression given of Christianity by the media in the UK really is remarkable.
For example, every Easter Sunday news networks here spend a little time covering what some prominent Christian leaders have said in their Easter messages. The messages of the archbishop of Canterbury and the pope are usually referred to.
However, year after year the networks never report that either of these men's Easter messages said anything about what the cross of Christ accomplished. Likewise, there is never any reference to the need of people to be saved from hell, despite the fact that the New Testament is full of teaching on this.
In fact, I cannot ever recall even hearing a news item say that the archbishop or pope mentioned the crucifixion or resurrection of Jesus at all in their Easter messages. Yet the whole point of Easter is to celebrate these events.
The truth of the matter is that in order to fit in with modern Western values and so as not to offend people, the archbishop and pope always present a terribly distorted version of the Christian faith in their Easter messages. And, even if they do say anything about what the cross accomplished, the news networks never report this in their summaries anyway.
The result is that the impression given of Christianity in the media is a grossly disfigured one. And people watching or reading the news come away with a very faulty view of what our faith is all about. The same thing happens at Christmas and at almost any other time that the Christian faith is referred to by news networks.
Preferring a biblical understanding
If you are a non-Christian reading this, I would encourage you not to simply assume that what you see and hear about Christianity in the mainstream media is an accurate portrait. Read the Bible yourself. Go to the source documents of the Christian faith so that you are not so reliant on what other people think.
If you are a Christian reading this, make sure that you follow the example of Paul in letting the cross of Christ fill your vision day after day. Nothing has ever happened in our universe that was more significant than Jesus' crucifixion.
I have been a Christian for over 30 years. I have a Ph.D. in New Testament from the University of Edinburgh. I am a UK national and I currently live in the south of Scotland. Check out my blog, Dropping the Traditions, at droppingthetraditions.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS
Sunday, September 25, 2016
My People, God Fakers, God Haters, Which One Are You?
The story of the tower of babel always puzzled me; in the bible it says that at one point in time, all the people of the earth lived in one place and had the same language. They were ruled by one person, whose name was Nimrod. I guess He would count as the first emperor ruler after the flood. The bible states that they all came together and decided to build a tower that would reach up into the heavens. It also says that God saw what they were doing and He he said, "..."If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” (Genesis ch 11 vs 6-7) I never understood why God did this, and that's because it is mentioned very briefly in the bible, but there is more information about God's reason for doing this in the book of Jasher.
Book of Jasher chapter 9
25 And the building of the tower was unto them a transgression and a sin, and they began to build it, and whilst they were building against the Lord God of heaven, they imagined in their hearts to war against him and to ascend into heaven.
26 And all these people and all the families divided themselves in three parts; the first said We will ascend into heaven and fight against him; the second said, We will ascend to heaven and place our own gods there and serve them; and the third part said, We will ascend to heaven and smite him with bows and spears; and God knew all their works and all their evil thoughts, and he saw the city and the tower which they were building........
32 And God said to the seventy angels who stood foremost before him, to those who were near to him, saying, Come let us descend and confuse their tongues, that one man shall not understand the language of his neighbor, and they did so unto them..........
35 And the Lord smote the three divisions that were there, and he punished them according to their works and designs; those who said, We will ascend to heaven and serve our gods, became like apes and elephants; and those who said, We will smite the heaven with arrows, the Lord killed them, one man through the hand of his neighbor; and the third division of those who said, We will ascend to heaven and fight against him, the Lord scattered them throughout the earth.
And so, now we see the reason behind the destruction of the tower of babel and the destruction of the first dynasty upon the earth after the flood. These people knew the God of Heaven. They had the knowledge of what happened to their ancestors before the flood, they knew that God sent the flood to destroy the evil and corruption on the face of the earth, and they knew that God wanted them to worship him, be fruitful and multiply, spread out and inhabit the earth. They decided to worship their own gods, and organize themselves into one nation, and they decided they didn't want or need the Lord, the Creator of the universe and the earth; they actually thought they could build a tower into the heavens to destroy God and set up their own gods.
The truth is, God would have been within his rights to destroy them all, because they intended to destroy God and set up the universe in their own image; but God is merciful and gracious, and He had other intentions for mankind, because He knew that He would eventually receive a return on His investment, the children of God that had yet to be born. He has been patient and has not allowed the complete destruction of mankind, despite our best efforts to destroy ourselves. It has been many thousands of years since the people of babel were scattered throughout the earth, and over 2000 years since the birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ, His Son, and in all that time, our Lord has been patient and kind to us all, with gentleness in His heart to his children, His little ones.
I must declare that this time of grace and dispensation is coming to a close; we are living in the last days of this age, and the Lord is coming to take His children away, before the coming of the last judgments against the devil and his worshipers. He shall not allow this age to continue much further, because humanity has decided that they don't want or need God in their lives; they are ready to worship their own gods, or worship themselves. They believe their intellect and scientific advances will usher in an age of peace; even now there are countries all over the world threatening war against each other, and arming themselves with weapons of mass destruction. No one seems to be in the mood to negotiate for peace.
This morning, the Lord woke me up with this message: the world is divided into three camps, My people, god fakers, and god haters; which one best fits you? He told me He is coming to take away His people before the times of the coming tribulations, and what will be left on the earth are the god fakers, and the god haters.
Who are His people? These are the true worshipers of God, those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, and who have a relationship with Him; they believe in His word, and they have faith in Jesus Christ. They believe in the Blood Of The Lamb, and its power to redeem them from the curse of sin and death, and they are indwelt with The Holy Spirit and imbued with His power. They are led by Him, through the Holy Spirit's influence, and they read and understand the Word Of God; they worship and obey Him, and they are not afraid to call Him Father and Savior. These are those who have accepted Him from their hearts and have made the decision no matter what to believe in The Lamb of God.
Who are the God fakers? These are those who profess to believe in God and in Jesus Christ; they may go to church, and sing in the choir. They may be pastors, and evangelists, doctors and dentists, the casual believer that may say to their friends that they believe, but they do the same things that everything else does in their peer group. They could have all the trappings of religion, wear the right clothes, spout the correct bible verses, and serve on the best church committees, but the day will come when the trumpet will sound and the Lord calls His people up to heaven, and in that second, they may find themselves all alone in the church with a few other people, while everyone else has disappeared. These people know how to walk the walk, and talk the talk, but the Word of God was actually foreign to them, they never really believed with all of their hearts. They could believe, but they never changed their lifestyles; they never allowed the Word to change their hearts. Every Sunday, they have a good time in the service, but as soon as they leave the church, they live and act just like everyone else.
Who are the God haters? These are those that believe that there is no God; it doesn't matter how much evidence you present to them or what testimony you give, they will never listen or believe. Many people hate Jesus Christ because of what He stands for, and His standards don't meet up with theirs. They live to worship themselves, or they will worship money, other people, or their own gods. All of these people look upon The Lamb of God with dissatisfaction, and hate. They love their own standards, and they will defend their point of view to the end, and many will defend them violently. You cannot say anything that will persuade them otherwise, but be prepared for them to try to persuade you to their own way of thinking, even up to persuading you with violence.
God has allowed the world to continue as it has knowing that many will not accept or believe in Him, and that many will go their own way. He is now preparing to show humanity just how wrong they are, and once the devil, the enemy of God and humanity, asserts himself on the earth, it will be too late to change their minds and receive redemption for their sins. So, the conclusion will be, His people will be raptured and saved to live with him and love him for all eternity. The god fakers will be left to face the tribulation period with fear and trepidation in their hearts; if they start truly believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, and decide to reject the anti christ and not worship at his altar, and remain true to that belief, even on pain of death, their names will not be blotted out of the Book of Life. The god haters will curse the name of god, will refuse to accept Him even after all the events that will happen on the earth,(read the book of revelation), and they will worship at the anti christ's altar, because the anti christ will insist that they do if they want to eat and not die, and their names will be blotted out of the Book of Life, and they will be banished from God's presence forever to be punished in eternal flames.
If any of what I have just written has touched your heart, come to Him now while there is still time; He loves you and does not want you die a sinner's death please repeat this prayer:
Prayer of Salvation
Lord,
I repent for trying to be master of my own life. I change my mind about who I want to be in charge of my life. I turn from my useless and unproductive thoughts that I am the center of my universe and choose to believe in the living God who created everything, including me (Acts 14:15). I have lived without a purpose but now I will live to hear and obey You, God (Jn. 5:19, 20,30).
I confess with my lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I believe that God so loved the world He sent His only Son Jesus to shed His blood to wash away the barrier of sin (Jn. 3:16)
I receive You, Jesus as MY Lord and Savior (Jn. 1:11,12).
I welcome You, Holy Spirit, into my life to rescue and empower me and to restore me to intimacy with my heavenly Father (Acts 2:38).
If you just confessed this prayer, you are saved! I welcome you into the family my (brother/sister) I pray for peace, joy, and happiness in your life as you allow the Lord to love you and bless you and give you assurance of everlasting life with Him forever and ever......PRAISE GOD!
May the Lord keep you and Bless you this day....Amen
Book of Jasher chapter 9
25 And the building of the tower was unto them a transgression and a sin, and they began to build it, and whilst they were building against the Lord God of heaven, they imagined in their hearts to war against him and to ascend into heaven.
26 And all these people and all the families divided themselves in three parts; the first said We will ascend into heaven and fight against him; the second said, We will ascend to heaven and place our own gods there and serve them; and the third part said, We will ascend to heaven and smite him with bows and spears; and God knew all their works and all their evil thoughts, and he saw the city and the tower which they were building........
32 And God said to the seventy angels who stood foremost before him, to those who were near to him, saying, Come let us descend and confuse their tongues, that one man shall not understand the language of his neighbor, and they did so unto them..........
35 And the Lord smote the three divisions that were there, and he punished them according to their works and designs; those who said, We will ascend to heaven and serve our gods, became like apes and elephants; and those who said, We will smite the heaven with arrows, the Lord killed them, one man through the hand of his neighbor; and the third division of those who said, We will ascend to heaven and fight against him, the Lord scattered them throughout the earth.
And so, now we see the reason behind the destruction of the tower of babel and the destruction of the first dynasty upon the earth after the flood. These people knew the God of Heaven. They had the knowledge of what happened to their ancestors before the flood, they knew that God sent the flood to destroy the evil and corruption on the face of the earth, and they knew that God wanted them to worship him, be fruitful and multiply, spread out and inhabit the earth. They decided to worship their own gods, and organize themselves into one nation, and they decided they didn't want or need the Lord, the Creator of the universe and the earth; they actually thought they could build a tower into the heavens to destroy God and set up their own gods.
The truth is, God would have been within his rights to destroy them all, because they intended to destroy God and set up the universe in their own image; but God is merciful and gracious, and He had other intentions for mankind, because He knew that He would eventually receive a return on His investment, the children of God that had yet to be born. He has been patient and has not allowed the complete destruction of mankind, despite our best efforts to destroy ourselves. It has been many thousands of years since the people of babel were scattered throughout the earth, and over 2000 years since the birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ, His Son, and in all that time, our Lord has been patient and kind to us all, with gentleness in His heart to his children, His little ones.
I must declare that this time of grace and dispensation is coming to a close; we are living in the last days of this age, and the Lord is coming to take His children away, before the coming of the last judgments against the devil and his worshipers. He shall not allow this age to continue much further, because humanity has decided that they don't want or need God in their lives; they are ready to worship their own gods, or worship themselves. They believe their intellect and scientific advances will usher in an age of peace; even now there are countries all over the world threatening war against each other, and arming themselves with weapons of mass destruction. No one seems to be in the mood to negotiate for peace.
This morning, the Lord woke me up with this message: the world is divided into three camps, My people, god fakers, and god haters; which one best fits you? He told me He is coming to take away His people before the times of the coming tribulations, and what will be left on the earth are the god fakers, and the god haters.
Who are His people? These are the true worshipers of God, those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, and who have a relationship with Him; they believe in His word, and they have faith in Jesus Christ. They believe in the Blood Of The Lamb, and its power to redeem them from the curse of sin and death, and they are indwelt with The Holy Spirit and imbued with His power. They are led by Him, through the Holy Spirit's influence, and they read and understand the Word Of God; they worship and obey Him, and they are not afraid to call Him Father and Savior. These are those who have accepted Him from their hearts and have made the decision no matter what to believe in The Lamb of God.
Who are the God fakers? These are those who profess to believe in God and in Jesus Christ; they may go to church, and sing in the choir. They may be pastors, and evangelists, doctors and dentists, the casual believer that may say to their friends that they believe, but they do the same things that everything else does in their peer group. They could have all the trappings of religion, wear the right clothes, spout the correct bible verses, and serve on the best church committees, but the day will come when the trumpet will sound and the Lord calls His people up to heaven, and in that second, they may find themselves all alone in the church with a few other people, while everyone else has disappeared. These people know how to walk the walk, and talk the talk, but the Word of God was actually foreign to them, they never really believed with all of their hearts. They could believe, but they never changed their lifestyles; they never allowed the Word to change their hearts. Every Sunday, they have a good time in the service, but as soon as they leave the church, they live and act just like everyone else.
Who are the God haters? These are those that believe that there is no God; it doesn't matter how much evidence you present to them or what testimony you give, they will never listen or believe. Many people hate Jesus Christ because of what He stands for, and His standards don't meet up with theirs. They live to worship themselves, or they will worship money, other people, or their own gods. All of these people look upon The Lamb of God with dissatisfaction, and hate. They love their own standards, and they will defend their point of view to the end, and many will defend them violently. You cannot say anything that will persuade them otherwise, but be prepared for them to try to persuade you to their own way of thinking, even up to persuading you with violence.
God has allowed the world to continue as it has knowing that many will not accept or believe in Him, and that many will go their own way. He is now preparing to show humanity just how wrong they are, and once the devil, the enemy of God and humanity, asserts himself on the earth, it will be too late to change their minds and receive redemption for their sins. So, the conclusion will be, His people will be raptured and saved to live with him and love him for all eternity. The god fakers will be left to face the tribulation period with fear and trepidation in their hearts; if they start truly believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, and decide to reject the anti christ and not worship at his altar, and remain true to that belief, even on pain of death, their names will not be blotted out of the Book of Life. The god haters will curse the name of god, will refuse to accept Him even after all the events that will happen on the earth,(read the book of revelation), and they will worship at the anti christ's altar, because the anti christ will insist that they do if they want to eat and not die, and their names will be blotted out of the Book of Life, and they will be banished from God's presence forever to be punished in eternal flames.
If any of what I have just written has touched your heart, come to Him now while there is still time; He loves you and does not want you die a sinner's death please repeat this prayer:
Prayer of Salvation
Lord,
I repent for trying to be master of my own life. I change my mind about who I want to be in charge of my life. I turn from my useless and unproductive thoughts that I am the center of my universe and choose to believe in the living God who created everything, including me (Acts 14:15). I have lived without a purpose but now I will live to hear and obey You, God (Jn. 5:19, 20,30).
I confess with my lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I believe that God so loved the world He sent His only Son Jesus to shed His blood to wash away the barrier of sin (Jn. 3:16)
I receive You, Jesus as MY Lord and Savior (Jn. 1:11,12).
I welcome You, Holy Spirit, into my life to rescue and empower me and to restore me to intimacy with my heavenly Father (Acts 2:38).
If you just confessed this prayer, you are saved! I welcome you into the family my (brother/sister) I pray for peace, joy, and happiness in your life as you allow the Lord to love you and bless you and give you assurance of everlasting life with Him forever and ever......PRAISE GOD!
May the Lord keep you and Bless you this day....Amen
Saturday, September 24, 2016
As It Was In The Days Of Noah....................
Matthew chapter 24
Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”.....
"......As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man...."
We are coming into an age of great discovery and revelation, but it will also be an age of rebellion, apostasy, and destruction. The two will exist side by side, because there will be some people who will accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and will trust in God and be led by the Holy Spirit, while everyone else will believe the lies of satan and his demons, and will rebel against God, worship other 'gods' and themselves, and they will try to destroy the people of God.
Now, many people are unaware or do not believe that there is a war going on between God and the devil; they will see its effects on the world, but will not understand its source. They won't realize that by rejecting Jesus, The Word of God, they have surrendered their heart and minds to the enemy, the devil, and He will be able to warp their realities so that they worship at his altar; they will call the good things in life bad, and they will praise the bad things in life as good.
Jesus told His disciples what would happen in the last days, and in Matthew chapter 24, He gave details of what would happen to the world and how it would end. As bible readers and churchgoers, we hear preaching about the details of this chapter, but there is one part of these verses that I always glossed over.......
"......As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man...."
....mostly because I did not know what it meant, and no one at the time talked about or preached about it. Now, as all of the strange things happening in the earth are becoming more pronounced, the Lord has prompted me to seek more information about what is going on in the world and follow after those who have been led to preach about the end times.
What I have learned is this: the phrase "there is nothing new under the sun" is correct, because what we are seeing in the world right now actually happened before. In the days of Noah, man decided to rebel against God. They knew about God, they had teachers of His wisdom, men who feared God and lived upright in his presence (enoch, methuselah, noah), but there came a moment in time, when most of the people on earth went their own way, they decided to reject the Word of God, and began to make idols; they worshipped other 'gods', and violence ran rampant. They murdered, and stole from each other, they began to do things that were abominations in the sight of the Lord.
They began to focus on themselves, and how could they acquire more things. Women were given potions to make them barren, because their husbands wanted to keep them young and youthful, They had knowledge on how to mix animals species into new species; men would steal women from their husbands for themselves, and every thought of man was evil. No one was willing to live by God's standards. And so, God decided to kill all of mankind from the face of the earth, because the people, animals, the whole earth had been corrupted because of these evil acts. (The Book of Jasher)
Now, it is clear to me that man had knowledge about how to change their environment that was lost after the flood, but has now been regained in these times. We are beginning the see the cost of unlocking the secrets of the universe; there are scientists all over the world in public and secret labs, making huge discoveries that will shape the mindset of the future in a way that will cause more people to drift away from God. If we search the scriptures and history, we will see that every time knowledge increases, man has a tendency to focus on his 'accomplishments' and believe that he is the center of the universe; he tries to push away or ignore the facts that he is a created being, not at all perfect or omnipotent.
'You Can't Put Out A Fire That The Lord Begins...............'
For 120 years, God's prophets, noah and methuselah, preached to the world's inhabitants, tried to show them the error of their ways, and they would not listen; in fact they ignored them and mocked them. The Lord is a gracious God, and He gives us all a grace period, so that we may hear or be touched by His word and His Spirit, so that we may make the choice to go with Him, or to go our own way. God waited until all of His righteous ones had died and there was no one righteous left expect Noah and His family; he told noah and his sons to build the ark, and they received the animals into the ark, and God shut them in, and seven days later, the flood began.
Even as the world changed and the rains began, there was no repentance from humanity until it became clear that they would die, but it was too late. God destroyed them, not because He was a wrathful or unforgiving God; He tried to get them to repent and to live righteous lives, but they refused. He is a righteous and holy god, and He could not allow their sinful ways to continue in His presence. Everyone knows within the core of their being what is right and what is wrong; the difference between a sinner and a saint, is the saint knows the truth about themselves and decides to live for good instead of for evil.
What is the difference between good and bad, good religion and bad religion
Good Religion
people come to God and His Word
people live by God's rules
people find peace in God
people worship the true God
God says what is right and wrong, and people obey Him and become righteous
Bad Religion
people come to the world and its gods
people want money and goods
people study for war
people make their own 'gods'
people decide what is right and wrong, so that God can't forgive them for they have become evildoers
The sequence of events is clear in the last days,(read Matthew chapter 24); there will be signs in the earth and the sky; wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes in various places in abundance, persecution of the people of God, and people will do hateful and wicked things, and then the real trials and tribulations of the world will begin.
But just like in the days of noah, there will be an increase of the knowledge of God, the prophecies in the scriptures will come to life, and be understood, and that knowledge will be preached to every corner of the earth, because the Lord is gracious and He does not want to see any of His little ones to suffer and be judged and to experience eternal separation from Him into the pits of hell. After this knowledge has saturated the earth, and every person has the chance to chose Him, He will act and take his beloved ones from the earth before the coming judgement.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 New International Version (NIV)
According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
Once we who are His children are gone from the world, the chaos will begin, the antichrist will take control, and all hope will be lost. Men will look for peace, and will not find it. Those who thought they were christians and were left behind, will find themselves in a landscape full of hatred and violence, and they will despair. There will be some hope for them, as the Lord will send messengers to the earth to preach the gospel so that the last great harvest of Christ will occur. Those who choose to reject the antichrist will be saved; they may lose their life, but God will take them as His own.
Are we living in the last day's?
Is there an increase of signs in the earth and in the sky? Is there an increase in earthquakes and famines in the earth? Are there wars and rumors of wars? Are nations preparing themselves for wars and building weapons of mass destruction? Has science become so sophisticated, that we are able to alter our genetic structure, to mix animals species, to prevent women from becoming pregnant or cause abortions? Is there a rise of violence in the world and does hatred abound?
People are abandoning churches and rejecting the Word of God. They live for themselves, and worship money, power, and fame. They make their own god, and make war with other people who don't believe in their god. They force other people to respect their warped views of life and pass laws to make it legal. It's coming to a point now when anything will be respected no matter how deviant or evil.
But just like in the days of Noah, God will bring the final solution to the problem of sin. He will defeat satan and his demons, and bring peace and prosperity to the earth once again. People will respect and honor the word of God, and we will worship Him as one heart and one body in Christ.
If you know who you are in Christ, this message will bring you hope, as you will know that it has to get worse before it gets better, but if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, I urge you to reconsider and believe in Him. Read the Word of God and seek Him while you can, for there is no other way to survive the coming tribulations except through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.
If you wish to accept Him, repeat this prayer:
Prayer of Salvation
Lord,
I repent for trying to be master of my own life. I change my mind about who I want to be in charge of my life. I turn from my useless and unproductive thoughts that I am the center of my universe and choose to believe in the living God who created everything, including me (Acts 14:15). I have lived without a purpose but now I will live to hear and obey You, God (Jn. 5:19, 20,30).
I confess with my lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I believe that God so loved the world He sent His only Son Jesus to shed His blood to wash away the barrier of sin (Jn. 3:16)
I receive You, Jesus as MY Lord and Savior (Jn. 1:11,12).
I welcome You, Holy Spirit, into my life to rescue and empower me and to restore me to intimacy with my heavenly Father (Acts 2:38).
If you just confessed this prayer, you are saved! I welcome you into the family my (brother/sister) I pray for peace, joy, and happiness in your life as you allow the Lord to love you and bless you and give you assurance of everlasting life with Him forever and ever......PRAISE GOD!
May the Lord keep you and Bless you this day....Amen
Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”.....
"......As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man...."
We are coming into an age of great discovery and revelation, but it will also be an age of rebellion, apostasy, and destruction. The two will exist side by side, because there will be some people who will accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and will trust in God and be led by the Holy Spirit, while everyone else will believe the lies of satan and his demons, and will rebel against God, worship other 'gods' and themselves, and they will try to destroy the people of God.
Now, many people are unaware or do not believe that there is a war going on between God and the devil; they will see its effects on the world, but will not understand its source. They won't realize that by rejecting Jesus, The Word of God, they have surrendered their heart and minds to the enemy, the devil, and He will be able to warp their realities so that they worship at his altar; they will call the good things in life bad, and they will praise the bad things in life as good.
Jesus told His disciples what would happen in the last days, and in Matthew chapter 24, He gave details of what would happen to the world and how it would end. As bible readers and churchgoers, we hear preaching about the details of this chapter, but there is one part of these verses that I always glossed over.......
"......As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man...."
....mostly because I did not know what it meant, and no one at the time talked about or preached about it. Now, as all of the strange things happening in the earth are becoming more pronounced, the Lord has prompted me to seek more information about what is going on in the world and follow after those who have been led to preach about the end times.
What I have learned is this: the phrase "there is nothing new under the sun" is correct, because what we are seeing in the world right now actually happened before. In the days of Noah, man decided to rebel against God. They knew about God, they had teachers of His wisdom, men who feared God and lived upright in his presence (enoch, methuselah, noah), but there came a moment in time, when most of the people on earth went their own way, they decided to reject the Word of God, and began to make idols; they worshipped other 'gods', and violence ran rampant. They murdered, and stole from each other, they began to do things that were abominations in the sight of the Lord.
They began to focus on themselves, and how could they acquire more things. Women were given potions to make them barren, because their husbands wanted to keep them young and youthful, They had knowledge on how to mix animals species into new species; men would steal women from their husbands for themselves, and every thought of man was evil. No one was willing to live by God's standards. And so, God decided to kill all of mankind from the face of the earth, because the people, animals, the whole earth had been corrupted because of these evil acts. (The Book of Jasher)
Now, it is clear to me that man had knowledge about how to change their environment that was lost after the flood, but has now been regained in these times. We are beginning the see the cost of unlocking the secrets of the universe; there are scientists all over the world in public and secret labs, making huge discoveries that will shape the mindset of the future in a way that will cause more people to drift away from God. If we search the scriptures and history, we will see that every time knowledge increases, man has a tendency to focus on his 'accomplishments' and believe that he is the center of the universe; he tries to push away or ignore the facts that he is a created being, not at all perfect or omnipotent.
'You Can't Put Out A Fire That The Lord Begins...............'
For 120 years, God's prophets, noah and methuselah, preached to the world's inhabitants, tried to show them the error of their ways, and they would not listen; in fact they ignored them and mocked them. The Lord is a gracious God, and He gives us all a grace period, so that we may hear or be touched by His word and His Spirit, so that we may make the choice to go with Him, or to go our own way. God waited until all of His righteous ones had died and there was no one righteous left expect Noah and His family; he told noah and his sons to build the ark, and they received the animals into the ark, and God shut them in, and seven days later, the flood began.
Even as the world changed and the rains began, there was no repentance from humanity until it became clear that they would die, but it was too late. God destroyed them, not because He was a wrathful or unforgiving God; He tried to get them to repent and to live righteous lives, but they refused. He is a righteous and holy god, and He could not allow their sinful ways to continue in His presence. Everyone knows within the core of their being what is right and what is wrong; the difference between a sinner and a saint, is the saint knows the truth about themselves and decides to live for good instead of for evil.
What is the difference between good and bad, good religion and bad religion
Good Religion
people come to God and His Word
people live by God's rules
people find peace in God
people worship the true God
God says what is right and wrong, and people obey Him and become righteous
Bad Religion
people come to the world and its gods
people want money and goods
people study for war
people make their own 'gods'
people decide what is right and wrong, so that God can't forgive them for they have become evildoers
The sequence of events is clear in the last days,(read Matthew chapter 24); there will be signs in the earth and the sky; wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes in various places in abundance, persecution of the people of God, and people will do hateful and wicked things, and then the real trials and tribulations of the world will begin.
But just like in the days of noah, there will be an increase of the knowledge of God, the prophecies in the scriptures will come to life, and be understood, and that knowledge will be preached to every corner of the earth, because the Lord is gracious and He does not want to see any of His little ones to suffer and be judged and to experience eternal separation from Him into the pits of hell. After this knowledge has saturated the earth, and every person has the chance to chose Him, He will act and take his beloved ones from the earth before the coming judgement.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 New International Version (NIV)
According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
Once we who are His children are gone from the world, the chaos will begin, the antichrist will take control, and all hope will be lost. Men will look for peace, and will not find it. Those who thought they were christians and were left behind, will find themselves in a landscape full of hatred and violence, and they will despair. There will be some hope for them, as the Lord will send messengers to the earth to preach the gospel so that the last great harvest of Christ will occur. Those who choose to reject the antichrist will be saved; they may lose their life, but God will take them as His own.
Are we living in the last day's?
Is there an increase of signs in the earth and in the sky? Is there an increase in earthquakes and famines in the earth? Are there wars and rumors of wars? Are nations preparing themselves for wars and building weapons of mass destruction? Has science become so sophisticated, that we are able to alter our genetic structure, to mix animals species, to prevent women from becoming pregnant or cause abortions? Is there a rise of violence in the world and does hatred abound?
People are abandoning churches and rejecting the Word of God. They live for themselves, and worship money, power, and fame. They make their own god, and make war with other people who don't believe in their god. They force other people to respect their warped views of life and pass laws to make it legal. It's coming to a point now when anything will be respected no matter how deviant or evil.
But just like in the days of Noah, God will bring the final solution to the problem of sin. He will defeat satan and his demons, and bring peace and prosperity to the earth once again. People will respect and honor the word of God, and we will worship Him as one heart and one body in Christ.
If you know who you are in Christ, this message will bring you hope, as you will know that it has to get worse before it gets better, but if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, I urge you to reconsider and believe in Him. Read the Word of God and seek Him while you can, for there is no other way to survive the coming tribulations except through Jesus Christ, Our Lord.
If you wish to accept Him, repeat this prayer:
Prayer of Salvation
Lord,
I repent for trying to be master of my own life. I change my mind about who I want to be in charge of my life. I turn from my useless and unproductive thoughts that I am the center of my universe and choose to believe in the living God who created everything, including me (Acts 14:15). I have lived without a purpose but now I will live to hear and obey You, God (Jn. 5:19, 20,30).
I confess with my lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I believe that God so loved the world He sent His only Son Jesus to shed His blood to wash away the barrier of sin (Jn. 3:16)
I receive You, Jesus as MY Lord and Savior (Jn. 1:11,12).
I welcome You, Holy Spirit, into my life to rescue and empower me and to restore me to intimacy with my heavenly Father (Acts 2:38).
If you just confessed this prayer, you are saved! I welcome you into the family my (brother/sister) I pray for peace, joy, and happiness in your life as you allow the Lord to love you and bless you and give you assurance of everlasting life with Him forever and ever......PRAISE GOD!
May the Lord keep you and Bless you this day....Amen
Friday, September 23, 2016
Poison or Peace?
by Brenda Emmons
"served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other. By the king's command each guest was allowed to drink in his own way, for he instructed to serve each man what he wished" Esther 1:8.
In my curio sits a collection of uniquely adorned wine glasses either given to me as gifts over the years or passed down to me from different family members. The stories the glasses could tell would range from embarrassing to celebratory I am certain. Most of them represent different times in the lives of different people who were as unique as the cut impressions on the glass.
While considering the verse above this morning I am blessed by the reality that we are the vessels of God, each uniquely created and adorned. We have the privilege of being filled with the Holy Spirit, 'being served with whatever amount we wish.' If we so desire, God will continue filling our cup with the abundant overflow of His riches. But what about those times when we cover the mouth of our cup and politely decline His plan, filling our cup with our own agenda and desires? Sometimes, God will allow us to drink in our own way, and to drink as much as we pour into our own lives, even if the drink is poison.
We consider the future and get intoxicated on our own fears not allowing the peace of God to quench our thirst. We forget to fill up our hearts with forgiveness and grace for others. We top off our spiritual drink with judgmental attitudes which spill over into other areas.
We have been given a golden spiritual goblet to bring to the banquet of Christ, an empty heart to be filled with the Holy Spirit. By the King's command we will all be allowed to drink in our own way and as much as we desire. We must pour out the things of this world so that our lives may be filled with things of the spiritual world. 'and each guest was allowed to drink in his own way.'
What is your drink of choice poison or peace?
My name is Brenda Emmons and I live with my husband in Charlotte, NC. I have 3 children and 3 grandchildren. Founder of Emerging Life Ministries, it is my hope for others to emerge in their faith.
www.emerginglifeministries.net
Copywrite property of Emerging Life Ministries, LLC
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS
"served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other. By the king's command each guest was allowed to drink in his own way, for he instructed to serve each man what he wished" Esther 1:8.
In my curio sits a collection of uniquely adorned wine glasses either given to me as gifts over the years or passed down to me from different family members. The stories the glasses could tell would range from embarrassing to celebratory I am certain. Most of them represent different times in the lives of different people who were as unique as the cut impressions on the glass.
While considering the verse above this morning I am blessed by the reality that we are the vessels of God, each uniquely created and adorned. We have the privilege of being filled with the Holy Spirit, 'being served with whatever amount we wish.' If we so desire, God will continue filling our cup with the abundant overflow of His riches. But what about those times when we cover the mouth of our cup and politely decline His plan, filling our cup with our own agenda and desires? Sometimes, God will allow us to drink in our own way, and to drink as much as we pour into our own lives, even if the drink is poison.
We consider the future and get intoxicated on our own fears not allowing the peace of God to quench our thirst. We forget to fill up our hearts with forgiveness and grace for others. We top off our spiritual drink with judgmental attitudes which spill over into other areas.
We have been given a golden spiritual goblet to bring to the banquet of Christ, an empty heart to be filled with the Holy Spirit. By the King's command we will all be allowed to drink in our own way and as much as we desire. We must pour out the things of this world so that our lives may be filled with things of the spiritual world. 'and each guest was allowed to drink in his own way.'
What is your drink of choice poison or peace?
My name is Brenda Emmons and I live with my husband in Charlotte, NC. I have 3 children and 3 grandchildren. Founder of Emerging Life Ministries, it is my hope for others to emerge in their faith.
www.emerginglifeministries.net
Copywrite property of Emerging Life Ministries, LLC
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS
Thursday, September 22, 2016
How To Live In The Presence Of God
Psalm 139 vs 1-6
You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
In today's world, there is a sense of fear and confusion in people's hearts and minds; they can sense something big is about to happen, and it is overwhelming their sense of safety and protection. In their minds, they still want to cling to the illusion that everything is going to be okay, as long as this or that law is passed, as long as they have the police and the military, as long as they have guns, alarm systems, and guard gods. After all, in America, we have never suffered many great losses, and if someone does suffer loss there are programs in place to help them. However, this big crisis that is on the horizon will not be solved by laws, politics, or security systems.
In the past, when people had problems, they would seek the guidance of God, ask for help from their family and friends, and take their next steps with a sense of humility and confidence with The God of Grace. That was how our families survived and thrived in tough situations. We must remember to continue in the Grace of God, for without His loving presence in our lives, we cannot hope to survive the coming crisis.
Psalm 139 vs 7-12
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
We have lost in society that sense of reverence and respect for the Word of God; we are not allowed to acknowledge His presence in the public arena. Every reference to God has been systematically erased from public view with the notion that all of the world's problems stems from the belief in God. Those who wish to make The God of Heaven vanish into a puff of smoke, believe that by erasing the thought of God from our general consciousness, that the true vision of humanity will come forth, and that peace and prosperity will flourish and cover the earth; all of man's problems will disappear.
Psalm 139 vs 13-18
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.
I just read recently in the news, that they have discovered a way to 'make a baby without an embryo'; they have made baby mice 'by tricking the sperm into considering that the eggs they were fertilizing were ‘real’ eggs.' So many 'wonderful' discoveries have been made in the last twenty years; cloning, genetic manipulation, stem cell research, and so on. We have taken away the wonder and beauty of life and creation. It is now only a strange but efficient biological function that must be studied and controlled. It is only a matter of time before they start trying to mass produce people in the lab without the benefit of a mother or a father (and they will only be able to so if the Lord permits them to!)
http://www.curejoy.com/content/fake-embryos-can-now-make-babies-without-womans-help
Psalm 139 vs 19-24
If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
As believers, we live and work in an environment of greed, oppression, selfishness, and skepticism. No one wants to live by any type of standards; we now live in an environment of 'anything goes'. Many want to be free to say and do anything that their minds can conceive, even at the expense of someone else's safety, security, and peace of mind. Welcome, to the new 'normal'. When we try to live by God's standards, we are seen as backwards, stupid, and prejudiced. It is these standards that they feel are judging them, but we did not create these standards; it is the Lord that created this universe, and this world, and He set those standards into its very existence.
God has placed certain standards into our physical, psychological, and spiritual makeups, and if we abide by those standards, we can thrive in this environment. But, if we ignore, or rebel against those standards, we will not survive in this environment. We have come to a critical stage of development, in which the knowledge that we have acquired can propel us to new heights, or cause us to self destruct. Do you get a sense yet that these are the last days and without the benefit of a compassionate and graceful God we cannot hope survive the coming age?
Let us continue to pursue the Presence of God, by thought, by faith, with trust and obedience in your heart. Treasure His presence, worship and praise Him, give serious thought to His Word, and meditate on it daily. When you walk out the door, to go to work, to do your chores, keep Psalm 91 in your mind and recite it to yourself often. By practicing the presence of God, we are connecting ourselves to the One who can guide us and protect us from the evil one, and his influence in this world. We cannot be guided by the Lord if we continue to believe that the world's problems will be solved by diplomacy, political correctness, or military might.
It has now come to the place where we cannot simply wait for things to get better, because if you are a bible reader, you know that things are going to get worse before they get better. We need to be rooted and grounded in God's Word and learn how to be in His presence every day. Trusting in His word and His Providence is the first step, because if we don't believe in His word, or in the power of God, we cannot walk around in this world with the confidence of His grace and mercy. Taking time every day to pray and worship, ushers in His presence. Seeking His guidance in your everyday decisions, asking for His will in your life brings peace and serenity when the rest of the world is feeling anxious, angry, or fearful of the future.
As children of God, we don't have to be anxious or fearful of the future, because everything that is going on is also nothing that Lord can't handle. He knew what would take place, and He knows how to get the best out of this situation; His will is to redeem His sons and daughters, those who decide to accept His gift of salvation and become citizens of the kingdom of God, and to show those who will refuse to live by his standards, that His standards are the best, and only way to live in peace, love, and harmony.
So, our only work in the world is to keep Him close to our hearts, and show the world the benefits of becoming a Christian, to be examples of love and faithfulness, wisdom and courage; it is never easy being a Christian and living by standards that everyone else wants to throw away in the trash. Seeking the best out of ourselves and the situations we find ourselves in through the love and providence of Christ is the best that we can hope for, and the best that the world will ever see of His kingdom.
So, I pray that you will pray for wisdom and guidance, and the power to love others with the love of Christ, and give Him your heart and mind, so that you will show the world how much Jesus Christ means to you. May the Lord keep you and Bless you this day....Amen
You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
In today's world, there is a sense of fear and confusion in people's hearts and minds; they can sense something big is about to happen, and it is overwhelming their sense of safety and protection. In their minds, they still want to cling to the illusion that everything is going to be okay, as long as this or that law is passed, as long as they have the police and the military, as long as they have guns, alarm systems, and guard gods. After all, in America, we have never suffered many great losses, and if someone does suffer loss there are programs in place to help them. However, this big crisis that is on the horizon will not be solved by laws, politics, or security systems.
In the past, when people had problems, they would seek the guidance of God, ask for help from their family and friends, and take their next steps with a sense of humility and confidence with The God of Grace. That was how our families survived and thrived in tough situations. We must remember to continue in the Grace of God, for without His loving presence in our lives, we cannot hope to survive the coming crisis.
Psalm 139 vs 7-12
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
We have lost in society that sense of reverence and respect for the Word of God; we are not allowed to acknowledge His presence in the public arena. Every reference to God has been systematically erased from public view with the notion that all of the world's problems stems from the belief in God. Those who wish to make The God of Heaven vanish into a puff of smoke, believe that by erasing the thought of God from our general consciousness, that the true vision of humanity will come forth, and that peace and prosperity will flourish and cover the earth; all of man's problems will disappear.
Psalm 139 vs 13-18
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.
I just read recently in the news, that they have discovered a way to 'make a baby without an embryo'; they have made baby mice 'by tricking the sperm into considering that the eggs they were fertilizing were ‘real’ eggs.' So many 'wonderful' discoveries have been made in the last twenty years; cloning, genetic manipulation, stem cell research, and so on. We have taken away the wonder and beauty of life and creation. It is now only a strange but efficient biological function that must be studied and controlled. It is only a matter of time before they start trying to mass produce people in the lab without the benefit of a mother or a father (and they will only be able to so if the Lord permits them to!)
http://www.curejoy.com/content/fake-embryos-can-now-make-babies-without-womans-help
Psalm 139 vs 19-24
If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
As believers, we live and work in an environment of greed, oppression, selfishness, and skepticism. No one wants to live by any type of standards; we now live in an environment of 'anything goes'. Many want to be free to say and do anything that their minds can conceive, even at the expense of someone else's safety, security, and peace of mind. Welcome, to the new 'normal'. When we try to live by God's standards, we are seen as backwards, stupid, and prejudiced. It is these standards that they feel are judging them, but we did not create these standards; it is the Lord that created this universe, and this world, and He set those standards into its very existence.
God has placed certain standards into our physical, psychological, and spiritual makeups, and if we abide by those standards, we can thrive in this environment. But, if we ignore, or rebel against those standards, we will not survive in this environment. We have come to a critical stage of development, in which the knowledge that we have acquired can propel us to new heights, or cause us to self destruct. Do you get a sense yet that these are the last days and without the benefit of a compassionate and graceful God we cannot hope survive the coming age?
Let us continue to pursue the Presence of God, by thought, by faith, with trust and obedience in your heart. Treasure His presence, worship and praise Him, give serious thought to His Word, and meditate on it daily. When you walk out the door, to go to work, to do your chores, keep Psalm 91 in your mind and recite it to yourself often. By practicing the presence of God, we are connecting ourselves to the One who can guide us and protect us from the evil one, and his influence in this world. We cannot be guided by the Lord if we continue to believe that the world's problems will be solved by diplomacy, political correctness, or military might.
It has now come to the place where we cannot simply wait for things to get better, because if you are a bible reader, you know that things are going to get worse before they get better. We need to be rooted and grounded in God's Word and learn how to be in His presence every day. Trusting in His word and His Providence is the first step, because if we don't believe in His word, or in the power of God, we cannot walk around in this world with the confidence of His grace and mercy. Taking time every day to pray and worship, ushers in His presence. Seeking His guidance in your everyday decisions, asking for His will in your life brings peace and serenity when the rest of the world is feeling anxious, angry, or fearful of the future.
As children of God, we don't have to be anxious or fearful of the future, because everything that is going on is also nothing that Lord can't handle. He knew what would take place, and He knows how to get the best out of this situation; His will is to redeem His sons and daughters, those who decide to accept His gift of salvation and become citizens of the kingdom of God, and to show those who will refuse to live by his standards, that His standards are the best, and only way to live in peace, love, and harmony.
So, our only work in the world is to keep Him close to our hearts, and show the world the benefits of becoming a Christian, to be examples of love and faithfulness, wisdom and courage; it is never easy being a Christian and living by standards that everyone else wants to throw away in the trash. Seeking the best out of ourselves and the situations we find ourselves in through the love and providence of Christ is the best that we can hope for, and the best that the world will ever see of His kingdom.
So, I pray that you will pray for wisdom and guidance, and the power to love others with the love of Christ, and give Him your heart and mind, so that you will show the world how much Jesus Christ means to you. May the Lord keep you and Bless you this day....Amen
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
The Point of Breaking Forth
by Pastor Nyasha Tabaiwa
Just walking around in our country the words that are on almost everyone's lips are that things are hard. No one is still sure whether our country will come back again to its original position let alone the improvement of people's personal lives. One wise man once said a person is a sum total of their decisions. Why is it that our decisions are not determining our lives? Many have gone to school but still nothing changes, some have adequately planned for their lives but it seems as if everything continuously falls apart. In many people's lives most questions still remain unanswered.
In the pursuit of trying to understand the process of success I realised that success comes gradually and sometimes instantly in rare occasions. However there is a phase that success is highly noticeable and that is the point of Breaking Forth. This is the point where one begins to shift and realise their worth in material terms. These are the times where it seems as if the forces that were pulling you back have let go and you have been catapulted into success. You find yourself plunged into victory and usually it happens when you are least expecting, tired and about to give up.
One thing that I want us not to be ignorant of is that God is the author of our success. All the worries and challenges that we have are an opportunity for Him to demonstrate His power and being. As I sat down on a particular afternoon I began to realise that all life's questions and worries can be solved by a simple sense of understanding and a decision. Many times our problem is not asking questions but it is asking the wrong questions. We need to come to a point where we understand that there is no gain without pain. In real life there is no sweet thing that comes without sweat. In the Christian walk and even in the world at large for one to have a testimony they need to go through a test. Even for one to have a message to tell they need to go through some challenges.
The question that always crosses everyone's mind is "but why has this happened?" Instead we need to change it to the question "how can we overcome it?" Everyone has a creative force and power inside that is God breathed which most of the time is underutilised. The desire that God has is for man to realise his potential and fully exercise it. We have the chance of walking into our desires and dreams under the wings of God. No matter how hard the economy and surroundings are you and I can make it. Today make a decision to abide by God's word and change yourself into a person that all will marvel at.
The problem that today's generation has is that they want what they don't have and can't have. When you ask and not receive you ought not to curse the giver but figure out why it was so. The reason why one doesn't receive when they ask even after times of prayer and fasting or hardworking is because of a definite cause. Instead of cursing and giving up change your way of asking and your focus. Abide by the desires of the giver and always work hard. If your 'why' question keeps on giving you wrong results throw in the 'how' question. One once mentioned that "if you see your relationship with God no longer the same ask yourself who moved, for God doesn't change." The same applies if questions, objectives and prayers seem not to be fulfilled, it should cause one to ponder what the real problem is. If others are making it how can you fail to make it as well? In life there are three simple rules that ensure the principle of receiving;
First if one doesn't go after what they want they will never have it.
Secondly if we don't ask for something the answer will always be NO because nothing will come without asking for it.
Lastly if one doesn't take step forward they will always be in the same place and even end up being behind for everything will go ahead and leave them behind.
In order for one to go to the next level it's necessary to create momentum for themselves and push towards what they desire. One who needs to have change and experience elevation and transformation in his or her life should live by choice not by chance. Make changes not excuses, be motivated and be not manipulated.
It is up to you to make yourself useful and not used, choose to excel not compete, have high self-esteem not self-pity. Rather listen to the inner voice than to random opinions, the criticisms of others and the situations of the world. We all have the power of unleashing what lies inside us. However the power that lies inside one can only be exploited by its possessor. Therefore asking the right question will ensure getting the right answer. Unleashing a break forth in your life or breaking through is not just a constant thing but is a gradual change. Breaking forth needs one to be aware of the following steps if they need to succeed:
a. Believe in yourself
b. Prepare for the challenge and hardships
c. Plunge yourself into action
d. Never give up even if you fail at times
e. At times changing strategy is necessary
f. Always work hard
Why is it I am so confident that you and I can make it? This is all because of choosing to focus on God for He clearly says "enlarge the place of thy tent for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left" Isaiah 54:3 (NIV)
Written by Pastor Nyasha Tabaiwa, Harvest House International. This is an excerpt from the book Breaking Forth written by Nyasha Tabaiwa.
For more info visit https://www.facebook.com/revnyashatabaiwa/ , https://twitter.com/NashTob on twitter. Email nyashanash@gmail.com or call +263774771157
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS
Just walking around in our country the words that are on almost everyone's lips are that things are hard. No one is still sure whether our country will come back again to its original position let alone the improvement of people's personal lives. One wise man once said a person is a sum total of their decisions. Why is it that our decisions are not determining our lives? Many have gone to school but still nothing changes, some have adequately planned for their lives but it seems as if everything continuously falls apart. In many people's lives most questions still remain unanswered.
In the pursuit of trying to understand the process of success I realised that success comes gradually and sometimes instantly in rare occasions. However there is a phase that success is highly noticeable and that is the point of Breaking Forth. This is the point where one begins to shift and realise their worth in material terms. These are the times where it seems as if the forces that were pulling you back have let go and you have been catapulted into success. You find yourself plunged into victory and usually it happens when you are least expecting, tired and about to give up.
One thing that I want us not to be ignorant of is that God is the author of our success. All the worries and challenges that we have are an opportunity for Him to demonstrate His power and being. As I sat down on a particular afternoon I began to realise that all life's questions and worries can be solved by a simple sense of understanding and a decision. Many times our problem is not asking questions but it is asking the wrong questions. We need to come to a point where we understand that there is no gain without pain. In real life there is no sweet thing that comes without sweat. In the Christian walk and even in the world at large for one to have a testimony they need to go through a test. Even for one to have a message to tell they need to go through some challenges.
The question that always crosses everyone's mind is "but why has this happened?" Instead we need to change it to the question "how can we overcome it?" Everyone has a creative force and power inside that is God breathed which most of the time is underutilised. The desire that God has is for man to realise his potential and fully exercise it. We have the chance of walking into our desires and dreams under the wings of God. No matter how hard the economy and surroundings are you and I can make it. Today make a decision to abide by God's word and change yourself into a person that all will marvel at.
The problem that today's generation has is that they want what they don't have and can't have. When you ask and not receive you ought not to curse the giver but figure out why it was so. The reason why one doesn't receive when they ask even after times of prayer and fasting or hardworking is because of a definite cause. Instead of cursing and giving up change your way of asking and your focus. Abide by the desires of the giver and always work hard. If your 'why' question keeps on giving you wrong results throw in the 'how' question. One once mentioned that "if you see your relationship with God no longer the same ask yourself who moved, for God doesn't change." The same applies if questions, objectives and prayers seem not to be fulfilled, it should cause one to ponder what the real problem is. If others are making it how can you fail to make it as well? In life there are three simple rules that ensure the principle of receiving;
First if one doesn't go after what they want they will never have it.
Secondly if we don't ask for something the answer will always be NO because nothing will come without asking for it.
Lastly if one doesn't take step forward they will always be in the same place and even end up being behind for everything will go ahead and leave them behind.
In order for one to go to the next level it's necessary to create momentum for themselves and push towards what they desire. One who needs to have change and experience elevation and transformation in his or her life should live by choice not by chance. Make changes not excuses, be motivated and be not manipulated.
It is up to you to make yourself useful and not used, choose to excel not compete, have high self-esteem not self-pity. Rather listen to the inner voice than to random opinions, the criticisms of others and the situations of the world. We all have the power of unleashing what lies inside us. However the power that lies inside one can only be exploited by its possessor. Therefore asking the right question will ensure getting the right answer. Unleashing a break forth in your life or breaking through is not just a constant thing but is a gradual change. Breaking forth needs one to be aware of the following steps if they need to succeed:
a. Believe in yourself
b. Prepare for the challenge and hardships
c. Plunge yourself into action
d. Never give up even if you fail at times
e. At times changing strategy is necessary
f. Always work hard
Why is it I am so confident that you and I can make it? This is all because of choosing to focus on God for He clearly says "enlarge the place of thy tent for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left" Isaiah 54:3 (NIV)
Written by Pastor Nyasha Tabaiwa, Harvest House International. This is an excerpt from the book Breaking Forth written by Nyasha Tabaiwa.
For more info visit https://www.facebook.com/revnyashatabaiwa/ , https://twitter.com/NashTob on twitter. Email nyashanash@gmail.com or call +263774771157
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
How To Live In The Presence Of Evil
Psalm 23 King James Version (KJV)
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."
Yesterday, I saw the video of a woman over 100 years old. The interviewer said that the lady was somewhat senile and couldn't always answer the questions that she was asked coherently, so the relatives of the lady told the interviewer to ask her to recite her favorite verse from the bible. And suddenly, this sweet old lady began to recite the 23rd psalm, every word correctly, in the correct sequence, with her face toward the camera. She had an intense look upon her face as if to say 'yes, I am old, and I don't always know what is going on or what i am doing, but this I know, there is a God in heaven!'.
Unless you have an older relative that you visit or take care of, you could dismiss the elderly as people who are past their prime and are no longer significant, but sometimes the Lord keeps a person on the planet long enough to make a difference in the world, and I believe this was her moment, because the interviewer was moved, and it stirred praise and joy in my heart, and I believe it will stir something in other people's heart as well. I promise you that video will be passed around on the internet, and will start conversations, and some will ask "this lady is over 100 years old, has seen all kinds of things, she's old and senile, so where did she get the strength and the courage to say the 23rd psalm with such passion, why does she still believe in those words after everything she has gone through?" Would you like to know how she was able to believe in something greater than herself, even when she is clearly past the age to care for herself, or do the things we take for granted every single day?
The answer is, GOD. Yes, God makes it possible for any person to live in this world with peace and joy in their hearts. He gives His people strength to deal with all of life's problems, He calms our fears and gives boldness to the weak, He restores our souls, and heals our sicknesses, He brings righteous resolutions to impossible situations, and when the enemy comes into our lives like a storm, He speaks a word and calms that storm till it is no longer there. In one minute, you could have a serious problem and you don't know how you are going to survive, and in the next second when the Lord shows up, it is resolved, you have everything you need, and you are praising the God of Heaven!
You can't go through life without experiencing some tough situations, and every person's life trail is different, because we are all unique and precious in the sight of God. There are times when He will give us the strength to go through the crisis, and there are times when He will show up and solve the crisis, usually in a way that will give Him the Glory. We just need to seek His will in that situation, and to trust Him, no matter what He tell us to do. We all have different needs and talents, and so every person's life choices will be different; how God chooses to help one person will not be the same way He will help you. He knows our hearts and our minds, and He knows what we are capable of doing, and the situations that we can handle. He will never put us in a situation that will overwhelm us.
So, when you have that problem at work, or when you have to interact with people who judge you, embarrass you, or hurt you, or when that person walks out of your life, or when someone you love gets ill and dies, these situations were never meant to make you feel inadequate or unloved; trust in the Providence of God, focus on His love and His will for your life, ask Him what He wants you to do, ask Him for the strength to do His will, praise His Holy Name, as the pressure begins to mount and there doesn't seem to be any relief in sight. Why would you do that? Because, He's got you in the palm of His hand, and no one can take you out of His hand. You will not regret it, and you will come out at the other end of that situation, stronger, wiser, and happier than you've ever been! You've just been through hell and you survived it, and there is actually peace and joy in your heart! After that happens, you will know that you know there is a God in Heaven, and no one, no situation or problem will ever be able to shake your faith to its core again!
Just believe in His grace and good favor towards you, His wisdom and power to overcome the situation in a way that will make you the victor, and for you to give Him praise. Open your heart to Him, and let the peace of God saturate your mind, heart and soul. Rest in Him, and give Him control over your situation, your problems, and your life. There is nothing else quite like living in the presence of the Lord.
I speak peace and love to His people, His little ones who love Him and call upon His name. If you have never felt the peace of God and would like to know what is means to have that kind of relationship with him, then please repeat this prayer:
Prayer of Salvation
Lord,
I repent for trying to be master of my own life. I change my mind about who I want to be in charge of my life. I turn from my useless and unproductive thoughts that I am the center of my universe and choose to believe in the living God who created everything, including me (Acts 14:15). I have lived without a purpose but now I will live to hear and obey You, God (Jn. 5:19, 20,30).
I confess with my lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I believe that God so loved the world He sent His only Son Jesus to shed His blood to wash away the barrier of sin (Jn. 3:16)
I receive You, Jesus as MY Lord and Savior (Jn. 1:11,12).
I welcome You, Holy Spirit, into my life to rescue and empower me and to restore me to intimacy with my heavenly Father (Acts 2:38).
If you just confessed this prayer, you are saved! I welcome you into the family my (brother/sister) I pray for peace, joy, and happiness in your life as you allow the Lord to love you and bless you and give you assurance of everlasting life with Him forever and ever......PRAISE GOD!
May the Lord keep you and Bless you this day....Amen
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."
Yesterday, I saw the video of a woman over 100 years old. The interviewer said that the lady was somewhat senile and couldn't always answer the questions that she was asked coherently, so the relatives of the lady told the interviewer to ask her to recite her favorite verse from the bible. And suddenly, this sweet old lady began to recite the 23rd psalm, every word correctly, in the correct sequence, with her face toward the camera. She had an intense look upon her face as if to say 'yes, I am old, and I don't always know what is going on or what i am doing, but this I know, there is a God in heaven!'.
Unless you have an older relative that you visit or take care of, you could dismiss the elderly as people who are past their prime and are no longer significant, but sometimes the Lord keeps a person on the planet long enough to make a difference in the world, and I believe this was her moment, because the interviewer was moved, and it stirred praise and joy in my heart, and I believe it will stir something in other people's heart as well. I promise you that video will be passed around on the internet, and will start conversations, and some will ask "this lady is over 100 years old, has seen all kinds of things, she's old and senile, so where did she get the strength and the courage to say the 23rd psalm with such passion, why does she still believe in those words after everything she has gone through?" Would you like to know how she was able to believe in something greater than herself, even when she is clearly past the age to care for herself, or do the things we take for granted every single day?
The answer is, GOD. Yes, God makes it possible for any person to live in this world with peace and joy in their hearts. He gives His people strength to deal with all of life's problems, He calms our fears and gives boldness to the weak, He restores our souls, and heals our sicknesses, He brings righteous resolutions to impossible situations, and when the enemy comes into our lives like a storm, He speaks a word and calms that storm till it is no longer there. In one minute, you could have a serious problem and you don't know how you are going to survive, and in the next second when the Lord shows up, it is resolved, you have everything you need, and you are praising the God of Heaven!
You can't go through life without experiencing some tough situations, and every person's life trail is different, because we are all unique and precious in the sight of God. There are times when He will give us the strength to go through the crisis, and there are times when He will show up and solve the crisis, usually in a way that will give Him the Glory. We just need to seek His will in that situation, and to trust Him, no matter what He tell us to do. We all have different needs and talents, and so every person's life choices will be different; how God chooses to help one person will not be the same way He will help you. He knows our hearts and our minds, and He knows what we are capable of doing, and the situations that we can handle. He will never put us in a situation that will overwhelm us.
So, when you have that problem at work, or when you have to interact with people who judge you, embarrass you, or hurt you, or when that person walks out of your life, or when someone you love gets ill and dies, these situations were never meant to make you feel inadequate or unloved; trust in the Providence of God, focus on His love and His will for your life, ask Him what He wants you to do, ask Him for the strength to do His will, praise His Holy Name, as the pressure begins to mount and there doesn't seem to be any relief in sight. Why would you do that? Because, He's got you in the palm of His hand, and no one can take you out of His hand. You will not regret it, and you will come out at the other end of that situation, stronger, wiser, and happier than you've ever been! You've just been through hell and you survived it, and there is actually peace and joy in your heart! After that happens, you will know that you know there is a God in Heaven, and no one, no situation or problem will ever be able to shake your faith to its core again!
Just believe in His grace and good favor towards you, His wisdom and power to overcome the situation in a way that will make you the victor, and for you to give Him praise. Open your heart to Him, and let the peace of God saturate your mind, heart and soul. Rest in Him, and give Him control over your situation, your problems, and your life. There is nothing else quite like living in the presence of the Lord.
I speak peace and love to His people, His little ones who love Him and call upon His name. If you have never felt the peace of God and would like to know what is means to have that kind of relationship with him, then please repeat this prayer:
Prayer of Salvation
Lord,
I repent for trying to be master of my own life. I change my mind about who I want to be in charge of my life. I turn from my useless and unproductive thoughts that I am the center of my universe and choose to believe in the living God who created everything, including me (Acts 14:15). I have lived without a purpose but now I will live to hear and obey You, God (Jn. 5:19, 20,30).
I confess with my lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I believe that God so loved the world He sent His only Son Jesus to shed His blood to wash away the barrier of sin (Jn. 3:16)
I receive You, Jesus as MY Lord and Savior (Jn. 1:11,12).
I welcome You, Holy Spirit, into my life to rescue and empower me and to restore me to intimacy with my heavenly Father (Acts 2:38).
If you just confessed this prayer, you are saved! I welcome you into the family my (brother/sister) I pray for peace, joy, and happiness in your life as you allow the Lord to love you and bless you and give you assurance of everlasting life with Him forever and ever......PRAISE GOD!
May the Lord keep you and Bless you this day....Amen
Monday, September 19, 2016
The Glory of God
The glory of God is the external manifestation of His being; it is something that appears ( Exod 16:10 ), is revealed ( Isa 40:5 ), or can be seen ( Num 14:22 ). It is also something that can be felt, from His spirit to your spirit. He has manifested Himself in various ways in the past, and is usually felt deepest in worship and prayer. When you usher in the Presence of God, His Glory fills the room and ultimately your heart.
Without the revelation of the Glory of God, there cannot be any peace in your heart; it is His presence that makes living as citizen of the Kingdom of God so meaningful and precious. When you spend time with Him, you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He exists and that He loves you. When you give your heart and mind to Him, and put His will above your own, there is reassurance of protection and providence. All your problems seem small and insignificant beside His grace and mercy.
When you acknowledge His Lordship over your life, He will manifest His Glory in your everyday life situations, and when you trust in Him and obey His will for your life, your example of love and obedience brings glory to Him. Everything that He has promised to do for you in your life will come to pass; we show the world that we trust Him as we wait patiently for His promises to be fulfilled.
Waiting is never easy; you may have feelings of doubt or fear; the pressures of trying to live a godly life while everyone else is doing their own thing can be uncomfortable. You often have to deal with negative criticisms from the people in your life, and there will be mockers who not only doubt or disbelieve the word of God, but also have no confidence in you.
That's okay, because even if everybody in the world doesn't believe in you, The God of Hosts, The King of Kings, and Lord of Lords believes in you; in fact He loved you so much that He sacrificed Himself on a cross to redeem you from your sins, and He took upon himself the sins of the whole world. Seek your comfort in the One who loves you beyond all human understanding.
Philippians ch 4 4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
When God manifests His Glory, He is projecting His nature and character into your situation, and He will give you a clear revelation of His thoughts and desires for your life. You can get everything you need by following His son, Jesus Christ, and by allowing the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to shape your thoughts, your feelings, and your heart.
Just trust His nature, and His words to conform you into His Son's image; allow the love of God to heal your bruises, and take away your sorrows, and you will receive joy, peace, and a positive outlook for today, for tomorrow, and for the future.
Peace and Joy is yours, if you believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. There is no other solution in the world that can compare to his mercy and grace. Keep seeking His Love, His Providence, His Glory in your life, and you will receive the healing, the answer, the manifestation of His Glory that will change the very atmosphere in your being and in that circumstance you find yourself in.
If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, please accept Him while you can and pray this simple prayer:
Prayer of Salvation
Lord,
I repent for trying to be master of my own life. I change my mind about who I want to be in charge of my life. I turn from my useless and unproductive thoughts that I am the center of my universe and choose to believe in the living God who created everything, including me (Acts 14:15). I have lived without a purpose but now I will live to hear and obey You, God (Jn. 5:19, 20,30).
I confess with my lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I believe that God so loved the world He sent His only Son Jesus to shed His blood to wash away the barrier of sin (Jn. 3:16)
I receive You, Jesus as MY Lord and Savior (Jn. 1:11,12).
I welcome You, Holy Spirit, into my life to rescue and empower me and to restore me to intimacy with my heavenly Father (Acts 2:38).
If you just confessed this prayer, you are saved! I welcome you into the family my (brother/sister) I pray for peace, joy, and happiness in your life as you allow the Lord to love you and bless you and give you assurance of everlasting life with Him forever and ever......PRAISE GOD!
May the Lord keep you and Bless you this day....Amen
Without the revelation of the Glory of God, there cannot be any peace in your heart; it is His presence that makes living as citizen of the Kingdom of God so meaningful and precious. When you spend time with Him, you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He exists and that He loves you. When you give your heart and mind to Him, and put His will above your own, there is reassurance of protection and providence. All your problems seem small and insignificant beside His grace and mercy.
When you acknowledge His Lordship over your life, He will manifest His Glory in your everyday life situations, and when you trust in Him and obey His will for your life, your example of love and obedience brings glory to Him. Everything that He has promised to do for you in your life will come to pass; we show the world that we trust Him as we wait patiently for His promises to be fulfilled.
Waiting is never easy; you may have feelings of doubt or fear; the pressures of trying to live a godly life while everyone else is doing their own thing can be uncomfortable. You often have to deal with negative criticisms from the people in your life, and there will be mockers who not only doubt or disbelieve the word of God, but also have no confidence in you.
That's okay, because even if everybody in the world doesn't believe in you, The God of Hosts, The King of Kings, and Lord of Lords believes in you; in fact He loved you so much that He sacrificed Himself on a cross to redeem you from your sins, and He took upon himself the sins of the whole world. Seek your comfort in the One who loves you beyond all human understanding.
Philippians ch 4 4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
When God manifests His Glory, He is projecting His nature and character into your situation, and He will give you a clear revelation of His thoughts and desires for your life. You can get everything you need by following His son, Jesus Christ, and by allowing the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to shape your thoughts, your feelings, and your heart.
Just trust His nature, and His words to conform you into His Son's image; allow the love of God to heal your bruises, and take away your sorrows, and you will receive joy, peace, and a positive outlook for today, for tomorrow, and for the future.
Peace and Joy is yours, if you believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. There is no other solution in the world that can compare to his mercy and grace. Keep seeking His Love, His Providence, His Glory in your life, and you will receive the healing, the answer, the manifestation of His Glory that will change the very atmosphere in your being and in that circumstance you find yourself in.
If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, please accept Him while you can and pray this simple prayer:
Prayer of Salvation
Lord,
I repent for trying to be master of my own life. I change my mind about who I want to be in charge of my life. I turn from my useless and unproductive thoughts that I am the center of my universe and choose to believe in the living God who created everything, including me (Acts 14:15). I have lived without a purpose but now I will live to hear and obey You, God (Jn. 5:19, 20,30).
I confess with my lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I believe that God so loved the world He sent His only Son Jesus to shed His blood to wash away the barrier of sin (Jn. 3:16)
I receive You, Jesus as MY Lord and Savior (Jn. 1:11,12).
I welcome You, Holy Spirit, into my life to rescue and empower me and to restore me to intimacy with my heavenly Father (Acts 2:38).
If you just confessed this prayer, you are saved! I welcome you into the family my (brother/sister) I pray for peace, joy, and happiness in your life as you allow the Lord to love you and bless you and give you assurance of everlasting life with Him forever and ever......PRAISE GOD!
May the Lord keep you and Bless you this day....Amen
Sunday, September 18, 2016
The Providence of God
'The Providence of God is the sovereign, divine superintendence of all things, guiding them toward their divinely predetermined end in a way that is consistent with their created nature, all to the glory and praise of God.'
Just recently, I came across an article that said scientists are baffled about the existence of the universe, because according to their calculations and observations, this universe should not exist at all. The main theory about the universe is that it was created by a big bang, and tremendous energy was unleashed and spread out into space and ultimately into infinity, because they say the universe is expanding constantly.
According to their findings, when the 'big bang' happened, it should have collapsed upon itself, and the universe should not have formed, and they just don't know why the universe exists. Every day, I wake up in the morning, and look out the window, and see a nice clear blue sky, maybe with some puffy white clouds, I hear the birds singing and the noise of children playing and cars driving by. I feel the warmth of the sun on my back as I walk down the street, I admire the trees and the flowers and the squirrels moving by me as they play in the trees.
I look up in the sky and I say hello to Him, I thank Him for another day, and I tell Him how much I love Him; and I am filled with joy as He answers me in my spirit "I love you too, sweetie". All around me is the grace and providence of God, and I sometimes wonder how did the form of this world take shape as He spoke it into existence, and what did the first day on earth look like, and how did the first tree come out of the ground and lean up into the sky. What did the first bird look like and what was it's first song? And on the seventh day, when He rested from all creation, where did He rest and did He smile as He thought upon me as I am now walking down this street? (God's telling me right now "yes")
Everything that we have, everything that we see, everything that we can do, is all in the providence of God, for He made this universe and set the foundations of the world. He knew what types of birds and animals, and plants that would grow here and He made them all unique. He put the sun, moon, the planets, and the stars in the sky, and He made them subject to the forces of nature. He created man, and He saw you and me. He knew that you would be reading this article right now, and so His question is, "Do you know how the universe was created? Could you create you own universe instead of mine? And if you could, Do you think you could have created anything better than this? Do you know why I love you? It's because I can; I am love, and I cannot do anything greater than to love you". (NOW THAT'S LOVE!)
So, with everything you are going through, with everything the world is going through right now, everything that puts fear in your heart, and makes you doubt the Love and Providence of God, it is temporary and false. Jesus Christ is coming back to save this world and it's people from destruction, and no man alive can stop Him from doing so. Yes, there will be trials and tribulations, and the Lord has allowed mankind to rebel and to go their own way to defeat and despair, but He has also made Providence in the Name Of Jesus Christ, to save mankind from its troubles, to give peace, everlasting life and joy, and to give hope for the future. If you believe in Him, and put your trust in Him, He will never leave you or forsake you, and He will give you rest in your time of need.
1 Chronicles 29:11-12
'Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all'.
Have faith in His Providence, because He loves you and cares for you. All the things that have happened in your life He allowed to happen, and it may have been wonderful, or it could have been painful, but He knew you could handle it, you are still here and by the grace of God, you will continue to go on. It is God's right to be the Sovereign Lord of the universe; and He has the right to expect praise and worship from the ones that He created. We can expect Him to love us and to take care of us; it is our obligation to accept His Providence for salvation, His son Jesus Christ.
If you believe that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, praise God! you will know His presence in your heart when you seek Him out every day in thought, in prayer,in worship, in love. If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, please let me encourage you to do so right now, He has been waiting for you:
Prayer of Salvation
Lord,
I repent for trying to be master of my own life. I change my mind about who I want to be in charge of my life. I turn from my useless and unproductive thoughts that I am the center of my universe and choose to believe in the living God who created everything, including me (Acts 14:15). I have lived without a purpose but now I will live to hear and obey You, God (Jn. 5:19, 20,30).
I confess with my lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I believe that God so loved the world He sent His only Son Jesus to shed His blood to wash away the barrier of sin (Jn. 3:16)
I receive You, Jesus as MY Lord and Savior (Jn. 1:11,12).
I welcome You, Holy Spirit, into my life to rescue and empower me and to restore me to intimacy with my heavenly Father (Acts 2:38).
If you just confessed this prayer, you are saved! I welcome you into the family my (brother/sister) I pray for peace, joy, and happiness in your life as you allow the Lord to love you and bless you and give you assurance of everlasting life with Him forever and ever......PRAISE GOD!
May the Lord keep you and Bless you this day....Amen
Just recently, I came across an article that said scientists are baffled about the existence of the universe, because according to their calculations and observations, this universe should not exist at all. The main theory about the universe is that it was created by a big bang, and tremendous energy was unleashed and spread out into space and ultimately into infinity, because they say the universe is expanding constantly.
According to their findings, when the 'big bang' happened, it should have collapsed upon itself, and the universe should not have formed, and they just don't know why the universe exists. Every day, I wake up in the morning, and look out the window, and see a nice clear blue sky, maybe with some puffy white clouds, I hear the birds singing and the noise of children playing and cars driving by. I feel the warmth of the sun on my back as I walk down the street, I admire the trees and the flowers and the squirrels moving by me as they play in the trees.
I look up in the sky and I say hello to Him, I thank Him for another day, and I tell Him how much I love Him; and I am filled with joy as He answers me in my spirit "I love you too, sweetie". All around me is the grace and providence of God, and I sometimes wonder how did the form of this world take shape as He spoke it into existence, and what did the first day on earth look like, and how did the first tree come out of the ground and lean up into the sky. What did the first bird look like and what was it's first song? And on the seventh day, when He rested from all creation, where did He rest and did He smile as He thought upon me as I am now walking down this street? (God's telling me right now "yes")
Everything that we have, everything that we see, everything that we can do, is all in the providence of God, for He made this universe and set the foundations of the world. He knew what types of birds and animals, and plants that would grow here and He made them all unique. He put the sun, moon, the planets, and the stars in the sky, and He made them subject to the forces of nature. He created man, and He saw you and me. He knew that you would be reading this article right now, and so His question is, "Do you know how the universe was created? Could you create you own universe instead of mine? And if you could, Do you think you could have created anything better than this? Do you know why I love you? It's because I can; I am love, and I cannot do anything greater than to love you". (NOW THAT'S LOVE!)
So, with everything you are going through, with everything the world is going through right now, everything that puts fear in your heart, and makes you doubt the Love and Providence of God, it is temporary and false. Jesus Christ is coming back to save this world and it's people from destruction, and no man alive can stop Him from doing so. Yes, there will be trials and tribulations, and the Lord has allowed mankind to rebel and to go their own way to defeat and despair, but He has also made Providence in the Name Of Jesus Christ, to save mankind from its troubles, to give peace, everlasting life and joy, and to give hope for the future. If you believe in Him, and put your trust in Him, He will never leave you or forsake you, and He will give you rest in your time of need.
1 Chronicles 29:11-12
'Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all'.
Have faith in His Providence, because He loves you and cares for you. All the things that have happened in your life He allowed to happen, and it may have been wonderful, or it could have been painful, but He knew you could handle it, you are still here and by the grace of God, you will continue to go on. It is God's right to be the Sovereign Lord of the universe; and He has the right to expect praise and worship from the ones that He created. We can expect Him to love us and to take care of us; it is our obligation to accept His Providence for salvation, His son Jesus Christ.
If you believe that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, praise God! you will know His presence in your heart when you seek Him out every day in thought, in prayer,in worship, in love. If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, please let me encourage you to do so right now, He has been waiting for you:
Prayer of Salvation
Lord,
I repent for trying to be master of my own life. I change my mind about who I want to be in charge of my life. I turn from my useless and unproductive thoughts that I am the center of my universe and choose to believe in the living God who created everything, including me (Acts 14:15). I have lived without a purpose but now I will live to hear and obey You, God (Jn. 5:19, 20,30).
I confess with my lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I believe that God so loved the world He sent His only Son Jesus to shed His blood to wash away the barrier of sin (Jn. 3:16)
I receive You, Jesus as MY Lord and Savior (Jn. 1:11,12).
I welcome You, Holy Spirit, into my life to rescue and empower me and to restore me to intimacy with my heavenly Father (Acts 2:38).
If you just confessed this prayer, you are saved! I welcome you into the family my (brother/sister) I pray for peace, joy, and happiness in your life as you allow the Lord to love you and bless you and give you assurance of everlasting life with Him forever and ever......PRAISE GOD!
May the Lord keep you and Bless you this day....Amen
Saturday, September 17, 2016
Don't Wait to Get Caught
by Beth Nyhart
8/10/2016 / Testimonies
In today's world, we see Christian leaders fall into sexual sin all the time. Each time a name comes to light, it becomes more and more obvious that Satan has a huge foothold in this area. And if sexual sin is this common in our leadership, it has to be rampant throughout churches everywhere.
What I believe is at the root of this problem is a fear of confession and a lack of trust that God's way is better than our own way. I believe this is the root of the problem because it was the root of the problem for me. I also believe that the church needs examples of confession and accountability. We need stories of people who choose God over their temptations on a regular basis. We need to be reminded of what we believe and why we follow Christ. And so, to that end, I'd like to tell you my story.
I was introduced to pornography at a young age and instantly, something inside of me woke up that I have not been able to put back to sleep. You may have heard of people who take one drink and are addicted to alcohol, well, I took one look and I was addicted to sex. My addiction went unchecked for almost 10 years, escalating to include masturbation and cybersex.
At the same time, I was growing up in a Christian home and building a relationship with God. I desperately hated these urges that I was not able to control. I was disgusted at my body's reaction to things that my heart knew were damaging, both to me and to the other people involved. I educated myself about the realities of the sexual exploitation industry, trying to convince my mind that this was a horrible thing. I wanted God to magically heal me and take the temptation away, and I prayed for that constantly.
When I read verses like Colossians 1:22 "..to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.." those words made me cringe. I related to passages like Isaiah 2, Ezekiel 16 and Hosea. I was the child bride who rejected her husband and went out to seek sex like a whore.
But that was all on the inside. That happened in the dark and behind closed doors and in my cleared browser history. In my visible life, I held a position as youth representative on the church board. I was a trusted member of the youth group leadership team. I led the drama team in our church and started a worship band. I led two lives, and I had conditioned my heart and mind to accept this. Sin had an iron grip on my heart, and Satan whispered to me that only men struggled with porn, that I would be humiliated if I ever was found out. It was only when the Holy Spirit got through my defenses that I cried out to God.
When I was 17, I gave myself the ultimatum to either get help or get out of leadership in my church. That fall, I entered an intensive discipleship program where I confessed my secret sin issues and got the accountability that I needed. I hoped that after the big confession that I would be healed, but that isn't the way God worked for me.
Even with the help of my advisers and close friends, I had a decade of sin with roots that had grown deep into my life and habits that had to be unlearned. I needed regular and intrusive accountability to maintain a clear conscience for years, but the peace of living without the fear of exposure over my head, of knowing that I am forgiven and that my life is open to God's prompting and plan, it is the best feeling I have ever experienced.
It has been another decade since I finally confessed and got help. There have been times when I failed, times when I backed away from accountability and ended up justifying small indulgences. But God used the decision that I made in my junior year of high school to build a foundation for repentance and pave the way back to a clean conscience. Just as it is easier to continue in sin after you have done it once, it is easier to confess and repent once you build that pattern into your life.
My prayers for miraculous healing were not answered. Instead, I was given enough grace to take each step that was put before me. God's way has drawn me ever slowly closer to his heart through the years. And because of this decade of learning to discipline my mind, I am softer when he convicts me.. I am stronger when he challenges me.. I am braver when he asks me to change. It is both the mystery of his grace and the daily walk in his will that have worked the miracle in my life.
As a body of believers, many of us have lost the discipline of confession. We are so afraid that we are alone in these temptations, and so afraid of the disgust that we see slung around on social media when a sinner is caught. But if we confess our sins he is faithful and just. He will forgive us from our sins. Don't wait to be caught; give yourself up. Turn yourself in. You have the choice of wallowing in your invisible dirt or walking into glorious freedom. I bet you would be surprised who all has been wallowing beside you.
I was meant to be holy in his sight. Without blemish. Free from accusation. Should someone point the finger at me and name my sins, I do not need to cringe. Satan doesn't hold anything over me that has not already been confessed and forgiven. As the song says, sin's curse has lost its grip on me.
If you are reading this, please do one of three things:
If the Holy Spirit is convicting you of sin right now, tell a trusted friend that you need to talk to them. Even just setting the appointment is a huge step on the road to confession and freedom.
If you have dealt with secret sin in your past and are now experiencing freedom in Christ, share your story with someone. The church needs examples of how to deal with their sin, and you can contribute to that cause.
And if you are not in a place that you feel able to do either of those things, please pray. Pray for yourself and for others to have the courage to give themselves up and finally be free. Pray for God to give us all the grace to triumph over seemingly impossible trials and that we would trust that his way is truly better than our way.
If you are suffering from the ravages of sin and would like to be free from its grasp, just ask for God's grace and mercy, and He will provide a way out of your situation, if you have never confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then this will not work for you. Does that mean there is no hope for you? NO, certainly not, just say this prayer:
Prayer of Salvation
Lord,
I repent for trying to be master of my own life. I change my mind about who I want to be in charge of my life. I turn from my useless and unproductive thoughts that I am the center of my universe and choose to believe in the living God who created everything, including me (Acts 14:15). I have lived without a purpose but now I will live to hear and obey You, God (Jn. 5:19, 20,30).
I confess with my lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I believe that God so loved the world He sent His only Son Jesus to shed His blood to wash away the barrier of sin (Jn. 3:16)
I receive You, Jesus as MY Lord and Savior (Jn. 1:11,12).
I welcome You, Holy Spirit, into my life to rescue and empower me and to restore me to intimacy with my heavenly Father (Acts 2:38).
If you just confessed this prayer, you are saved! I welcome you into the family my (brother/sister) I pray for peace, joy, and happiness in your life as you allow the Lord to love you and bless you and give you assurance of everlasting life with Him forever and ever......PRAISE GOD!
May the Lord keep you and Bless you this day....Amen
Beth Nyhart has her heart set on being a godly wife & mother, and being as close to God as possible. She dabbles in all things creative, from DIY home improvement to Bible Journaling, and is often swept into a new obsession with making stuff look cool.
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS
8/10/2016 / Testimonies
In today's world, we see Christian leaders fall into sexual sin all the time. Each time a name comes to light, it becomes more and more obvious that Satan has a huge foothold in this area. And if sexual sin is this common in our leadership, it has to be rampant throughout churches everywhere.
What I believe is at the root of this problem is a fear of confession and a lack of trust that God's way is better than our own way. I believe this is the root of the problem because it was the root of the problem for me. I also believe that the church needs examples of confession and accountability. We need stories of people who choose God over their temptations on a regular basis. We need to be reminded of what we believe and why we follow Christ. And so, to that end, I'd like to tell you my story.
I was introduced to pornography at a young age and instantly, something inside of me woke up that I have not been able to put back to sleep. You may have heard of people who take one drink and are addicted to alcohol, well, I took one look and I was addicted to sex. My addiction went unchecked for almost 10 years, escalating to include masturbation and cybersex.
At the same time, I was growing up in a Christian home and building a relationship with God. I desperately hated these urges that I was not able to control. I was disgusted at my body's reaction to things that my heart knew were damaging, both to me and to the other people involved. I educated myself about the realities of the sexual exploitation industry, trying to convince my mind that this was a horrible thing. I wanted God to magically heal me and take the temptation away, and I prayed for that constantly.
When I read verses like Colossians 1:22 "..to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.." those words made me cringe. I related to passages like Isaiah 2, Ezekiel 16 and Hosea. I was the child bride who rejected her husband and went out to seek sex like a whore.
But that was all on the inside. That happened in the dark and behind closed doors and in my cleared browser history. In my visible life, I held a position as youth representative on the church board. I was a trusted member of the youth group leadership team. I led the drama team in our church and started a worship band. I led two lives, and I had conditioned my heart and mind to accept this. Sin had an iron grip on my heart, and Satan whispered to me that only men struggled with porn, that I would be humiliated if I ever was found out. It was only when the Holy Spirit got through my defenses that I cried out to God.
When I was 17, I gave myself the ultimatum to either get help or get out of leadership in my church. That fall, I entered an intensive discipleship program where I confessed my secret sin issues and got the accountability that I needed. I hoped that after the big confession that I would be healed, but that isn't the way God worked for me.
Even with the help of my advisers and close friends, I had a decade of sin with roots that had grown deep into my life and habits that had to be unlearned. I needed regular and intrusive accountability to maintain a clear conscience for years, but the peace of living without the fear of exposure over my head, of knowing that I am forgiven and that my life is open to God's prompting and plan, it is the best feeling I have ever experienced.
It has been another decade since I finally confessed and got help. There have been times when I failed, times when I backed away from accountability and ended up justifying small indulgences. But God used the decision that I made in my junior year of high school to build a foundation for repentance and pave the way back to a clean conscience. Just as it is easier to continue in sin after you have done it once, it is easier to confess and repent once you build that pattern into your life.
My prayers for miraculous healing were not answered. Instead, I was given enough grace to take each step that was put before me. God's way has drawn me ever slowly closer to his heart through the years. And because of this decade of learning to discipline my mind, I am softer when he convicts me.. I am stronger when he challenges me.. I am braver when he asks me to change. It is both the mystery of his grace and the daily walk in his will that have worked the miracle in my life.
As a body of believers, many of us have lost the discipline of confession. We are so afraid that we are alone in these temptations, and so afraid of the disgust that we see slung around on social media when a sinner is caught. But if we confess our sins he is faithful and just. He will forgive us from our sins. Don't wait to be caught; give yourself up. Turn yourself in. You have the choice of wallowing in your invisible dirt or walking into glorious freedom. I bet you would be surprised who all has been wallowing beside you.
I was meant to be holy in his sight. Without blemish. Free from accusation. Should someone point the finger at me and name my sins, I do not need to cringe. Satan doesn't hold anything over me that has not already been confessed and forgiven. As the song says, sin's curse has lost its grip on me.
If you are reading this, please do one of three things:
If the Holy Spirit is convicting you of sin right now, tell a trusted friend that you need to talk to them. Even just setting the appointment is a huge step on the road to confession and freedom.
If you have dealt with secret sin in your past and are now experiencing freedom in Christ, share your story with someone. The church needs examples of how to deal with their sin, and you can contribute to that cause.
And if you are not in a place that you feel able to do either of those things, please pray. Pray for yourself and for others to have the courage to give themselves up and finally be free. Pray for God to give us all the grace to triumph over seemingly impossible trials and that we would trust that his way is truly better than our way.
If you are suffering from the ravages of sin and would like to be free from its grasp, just ask for God's grace and mercy, and He will provide a way out of your situation, if you have never confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then this will not work for you. Does that mean there is no hope for you? NO, certainly not, just say this prayer:
Prayer of Salvation
Lord,
I repent for trying to be master of my own life. I change my mind about who I want to be in charge of my life. I turn from my useless and unproductive thoughts that I am the center of my universe and choose to believe in the living God who created everything, including me (Acts 14:15). I have lived without a purpose but now I will live to hear and obey You, God (Jn. 5:19, 20,30).
I confess with my lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. I believe that God so loved the world He sent His only Son Jesus to shed His blood to wash away the barrier of sin (Jn. 3:16)
I receive You, Jesus as MY Lord and Savior (Jn. 1:11,12).
I welcome You, Holy Spirit, into my life to rescue and empower me and to restore me to intimacy with my heavenly Father (Acts 2:38).
If you just confessed this prayer, you are saved! I welcome you into the family my (brother/sister) I pray for peace, joy, and happiness in your life as you allow the Lord to love you and bless you and give you assurance of everlasting life with Him forever and ever......PRAISE GOD!
May the Lord keep you and Bless you this day....Amen
Beth Nyhart has her heart set on being a godly wife & mother, and being as close to God as possible. She dabbles in all things creative, from DIY home improvement to Bible Journaling, and is often swept into a new obsession with making stuff look cool.
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS
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