God's Breakthrough For You

"..And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it.." Matthew ch 11:12

I was watching a christian show last evening, and there were two prophets on the show prophesying good things for the people of God, and they said something that helped me to understand all of the chaos going on the world. God is pouring out His Spirit, to stir up the people in the world in their hearts, He is preparing us for the last Great Revival, and we should be prepared to see mighty and awesome miracles, signs and wonders. At the same time, we will see more chaos, upheavals, violence, wars and rumors of wars, political strife, fearful happenings and weird weather patterns on the earth, hate, evil, and demonic influences upon the hearts of the unbelievers, because the devil and his demons know that their time is short, and they want to cause as much damage and destruction as they can and take as many unbelievers and unrepentant rebels with them into hell as possible.

I was reminded that when Jesus came into the world and started His ministry with His disciples, there was also a breakout of miracles and healings, people's hearts were changed and demons were cast out of hopeless and hapless people, many were encouraged and restored by the power of the Holy Spirit. At the same time, there was also, jealousy, strife, violence and rejection of the Holy Spirit and Jesus's ministry by the religious right, who saw His ministry as a threat to their political power, and who were used by God for His glory when they crucified Jesus Christ on the cross. God can use anyone, whether believers or unbelievers for His purposes in the world.

Now I understand better what I am seeing the world - whenever there is a strong move of God and the Holy Spirit, the enemy always has to respond, he has no choice because if we win, he knows he will be destroyed. It was always God's plan to take him out and to put him and his demons permanently into the pit of hell, but the Lord also wanted to save as many of His children as possible. Because of His love for us and His mercy, He has allowed this time, this period of the dispensation of grace to occur, so that He could gather His Children, His little ones, from the 4 corners of the world. He knew about us, He saw us a long time ago, even before the foundation of the world, He knew exactly what to do to touch our hearts and to convince us to side with Him, against the temptations of the devil; He knows who are His and He has the power and the wisdom to keep them as His own.

That is why there is so much chaos and strife in the world, because the devil is fighting God's breakthrough; His breakthrough is for you and me and for everyone who will believe in Him - there is healing for your heart, mind, body and soul, there is victory for the hopeless and the hapless, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. For those who know Him, this is our time to be blessed and healed, for His providence and protection to guard against the attacks of the devil. We win and He loses, badly! So, be encouraged, my brothers and sisters in Christ, for His Holy Spirit will guide you and protect you, so allow yourself to be led by him. When you are faced with a serious problem, He will be there, He will stand in the gap and make a way out of no way.

The Lord says, "Be At Peace, My Little Ones Because I See You, I See Where You Are, I Know About The Pain In Your Heart, I Am There With You Right Now, I Feel Your Pain, And I Have Redeemed You For My Own, And Now I Will Save You From Your Circumstances, You Are Healed - Shout Right Now For The Victory And Praise My Holy Name, FOR YOU ARE HEALED!"

HALLELUJAH! PRAISE GOD, FOR HIS EVERLASTING MERCY AND GRACE, BECAUSE HE SEES ME, HE SEES ME IN MY DISTRESS AND HE HAS ANSWERED MY PRAYERS AND HE HAS BLESSED HIS PEOPLE, HIS LITTLE ONES FOREVER AND EVER - GLORY BE TO GOD!

You Can Be Bold When God Loves You

"How long, O Lord, will we have to deal with people in the world who refuse to love, how long will your world have to bear their pride, disregard, and hate?"

Why is it so hard for people, countries, and governments to cooperate with each other? Why are some people blind to the real suffering in the world, even the suffering going on in their own houses? The lies we tell ourselves to keep on going in life will eventually destroy us. It is one thing to be oblivious to what is going on in the world as a whole, but when you allow suffering in your own house and in your own heart, that is a clear sign that something is very wrong with the life you have chosen to live, and that it may be time to stop the lies and to start seeking the truth.

Search For The Truth So That You May Live - How many times have you told yourself you have to make a change in your life; you are noticing that you are making the same mistakes over and over, and you don't know why you can't do something different. You think that the hurts of the past can't hurt you anymore because you decided not to think about them and to ignore the pain that comes up in your heart when you think about it, but the truth is that you will not become a healthier person by ignoring your issues.

You have to decide to face your problems, be honest with yourself and embrace the changes that will be necessary to give you peace and hope. No amount of self medication (drugs, drinking, food, sex, etc...) is going to solve the problem or make it go away. You will know in that moment when you have gone too far, and I urge you to listen to what your heart, mind, and your body is trying to tell you at that time; you have people that love you, and they see what you are doing to yourself, but you have to believe in yourself as well, you have a responsibility to yourself, so don't disregard the signs in your life that tell you that you are falling apart.

Where Is The Answer For All Of Your Troubles? The answer is in Jesus Christ - He loves you............He Loves You.........HE LOVES YOU.........He created this world and He created mankind. We are the greatest of His creations in all the earth because He created us in the image of God; He gave us a mind, body, and a spirit, it was His spirit that He blew into the nostrils of adam to give him life, and it is that same life that is like God, eternal and true. When we die, that is the part of ourselves that still exists, and goes back to God or it begins to suffer in hell; we are given a choice in life to consider once and for all, do we live for God and choose eternal life, peace, and happiness, or do we live for ourselves, which ends in darkness, despair, and defeat?

It is your choice, and a merciful God is willing to bear rejection, cursing, and abuse from His ungrateful children if He knows that giving us the choice to live for Him or for ourselves means that He will be able to save some of us, His precious little ones that He adores. Even if no one else on this earth cares enough to love you, it is okay, because He will always love you, and He will never leave you or forsake you when you choose to live for Him, and if you choose to live for Him, His love will make you bold, bold enough to love others even when they will never love you back!

You can give of your heart and mind when He loves you; you can resist temptations when you lean into Him and meditate on His precious Word; keep the Lord in your heart and read the Word of God, and you will know true happiness, and your life will never be the same again. You can be bold in Jesus Christ, because you won't be solving your problems on your own, you will give all of your problems to Him, and He will solve them for you. He will change your heart and your mind, so that you can see the world through God's eyes, and you will give praise and honor to Him forever and ever, as you worship in His presence and bask in His love. No other 'god' will do, once you have a taste of His love and His presence in your life. Choose right now life, real life, and be made whole, don't wait for tommorow - why suffer another day of 'just getting by' when you can receive your healing today, and tommorow is not promised to any of us. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today!

Writing For Love

I woke up this morning and realized it would be a sunny day,
I heard the birds singing, and I heard the cars driving by,
I just had another dream about adventure, and I saw
what looked like a rock monument; it had stairs winding around
it, but there were no openings for caves, no entrances, and I
pondered how I would renovate it for a dwelling place.

I did not know that it was already a dwelling place; I looked
up from where I was on the ground, and the Lord showed me
that some animals lived there, and at a distance, they looked liked
small birds congregating with each other, moving almost like a single
organism, but as I walked closer to see them, I realized that
they were not birds, but small bats, and I even saw a larger one,
a big one, and I felt some fear and moved away from the place.


But the Lord spoke to me again, and said, "Do not worry, I am here
for you, I will protect you, no one will hurt you", and as I stood
there at the bottom of this rock monument, two people passed by me,
one didn't seem to notice me while He walked passed me, but one of
the guys looked straight at me as he passed by he smiled at me, a
really nice smile, and as I was waking up, I felt the Lord confirm
to me that he was an angel. Glory To God, He has me, He protects me,
He has my back!

True love can only be expressed by understanding how much a person cares
about you by what they do for you. Have you truly loved someone, and can you
say that someone has truly loved you? When you think about that someone,
does your heart start to sing? Do you anticipate their presence in your
life? When you ask them for a favor, do you feel comfortable doing so,
because you know that they will do it because they love you, because they care?
It is a wonderful feeling to place your heart in their hands, because
you know you are not bothering them and that you are not a burden to them.

Can anyone truly understand the depth, breadth, and width of God,s love for us?
Here is someone that loves me just as I am, knows and understands all of my
thoughts, deeds, and weaknesses, yet He still wants to be with me and live
in my heart. He is willing to share everything with me, even all of His kingdom
with me, and He encourages my heart every day. I am amazed by the stories in
the bible, about the saints, the people of God who have come before me, and
their trials and tribulations, their weaknesses and their mistakes, and how the Lord
saved them out of all of their troubles, just because they dared to love and
believe in the God of Heaven. They saw mighty miracles and the great feats of
the Lord - What A Mighty God That I Serve!

That is why I started this blog last year when He asked me to write it, because
what I wouldn't do for a God who loves me so well! I am writing from my heart, for my
love of a God who loves me with all of His heart and soul, for a God who will never
leave me or forsake me. I hope that everyone who reads this knows what I am talking about,
but if you do not, it is not too late to know Him; seek Him out with all of your heart,
give Him the praise, the honor and respect that He deserves, because He loves you, and
He will come to live inside of you if you ask Him to - Go On, Say Lord, Show Yourself
To Me, I Want To Know What True Love Is, I Want To Know Your Love and Your Presence In
My Life; Live In Me And I Will Let Myself Be Led By You - I LOVE YOU LORD JESUS, COME
LIVE WITH ME INSIDE MY HEART!

I love to write for Him and with Him, because He has given me a chance to show how much I love
Him, to express my gratitude for what He is doing for me, and to be apart of His plan to save
you and to transform you into a citizen of the Kingdom of God - what a privileged to know Him
and to be guided my His gentle Spirit, and now, you will know Him as well - Hallelujah!!

A Faithful Saying

by Jerry Smith

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15, KJV).

Can it be any clearer than this?

What was the reason Jesus Christ came?

To save sinners...

If you are a sinner, then Christ died for you and me - it is that simple (1 Corinthians 11:3).

However, because it is so simple, people don't see it (1 Corinthians 1:22). People seem to want formulas and steps to salvation, and procedures. As modern people, we want the information, the Greek, the details, the hidden meanings, etc.

If we could save ourselves through our own efforts then why did Christ even come (Galatians 2:21)?

BUT, the message of salvation is clear and it is simple:

I know that I am an unredeemable sinner, lost, if by my own efforts I try to make myself good enough. I am a sinner of myself, and the only way I can be saved is by faith trusting that Jesus Christ came to save sinners - HE came to save ME!

That is the simple message Paul gave us. The apostle (messenger) who was entrusted with the Gospel to the Gentiles.

Jerry is a bi-vocational, helping pastor-teacher, Christian life coach, TESOL trainer & manager, author, and freelance writer, with degrees in Christian education, teaching-English, business, theology, and divinity, currently residing in the Philippines. His interests include practical theology.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

How To Become Whole In Jesus Christ

When you are a teenager, everything is very simple; you go to school, you come home, you do your homework, you eat supper, you do some chores and/or watch tv, play games etc.. you go to sleep and you repeat the process the next day. On the weekends, you hope to go out with your friends, shop at the mall, and have fun, and if you were brought up in a christian family, you would go to church on sunday. You may not have known it at the time, but life was good and measured. You were protected by your parents, they went out and worked out in the world, they earned the money to keep you in that lifestyle, so it is not surprizing that you were somemewhat oblivious to how the world really worked, and what everyone eventually has to do to survive in it.

As a child in that family, you had certain rights and priviledges, but you were limited in certain situations because you were still a child. These restrictios are often a little tough for teenagers to bear, because even though they are still growing and maturing, they are aware enough about the world to feel independent, and they often resent restrictions on their freedoms. They believe that they dont need parental supervision anymore, and they could not wait until they could leave home and do what they wanted to do. Eventually, your parents gave you more freedom, and you were trusted to do for yourself. It wasn't until you were truly on your own and working for a living and dealing with all types of people and handling life's problems that you realized what your parents did for you. At sixteen, you thought you knew everything you needed to know about life; what you knew then helped you to live your life as a teenager, sheltered by the loving providence of your parents.

Now, just imagine what living life is like without God in it, in fact I am sure that you do know what that is like. You try so hard to be a 'good' person, because that is what you were taught you should be. You were told to follow the rules, don't cheat or steal, don't lie, be respectful of your elders, get a job and pay your bills on time, and if you had really thoughtful parents, you learned that you need to give to the poor. You may have been brought up in a 'christian' family, so you probably went to church on sunday, put in your tithe or your offering in the offering plate, did some activities at the church; this was your definition of being a 'good' person, or what it means to be a christian.

It is good to have moral principles, but they have no value if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Without Jesus in your heart, you will die a 'good' person or a 'functional' christian, on your way to darkness, despair, and separation. We all need that loving and powerful presence in our hearts to live an abudant life. We function as a society because everyone mutally agrees to abide by our laws, but without God, our motivation to continue doing so is the fear of the consequences of breaking the law, and without the careful teaching and nurturing of our parents, even the fear of going to jail would not be enough for some. How many times have you heard it said that a proper upbringing produces good results, while a child with no real supervision or nurturing will probably make all the wrong mistakes in their life?

We are God's children, His creation, and He knows what we need to live a good abundant life, and also what we need to be whole,the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. You could go through your whole life being a 'good' person and never know Him, and it would be a life lived in vain. You could attend every church service, give all of the money you have to charity, do all the good deeds that you can think of, but if you never really believed in Jesus Christ in your heart, and never surrendered your life to Him, you will be counted as a fraud, and a sinner in God's eyes, and sinners do not go to heaven.

We dont always know what is best for ourselves and our lives, but if we choose to listen to Jesus, and be led by Him, after all is said and done, we will realize just how much we needed Him in our lives, and what a pleasure and a priviledge it is to be His child and a citizen of the Kingdom of God. If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I urge you to do so right now, while he may yet be found. He is the source for every solution that you are seeking for in your life, so trust Him, give your life to Him, and then your real life will begin!

My Happiest Times Have Also Been My Saddest Times

by Sue Darling

Some people will say it is impossible to have the happiest times in your life admist crisis, but it has happened to me and I believe it is common among Christians. Many times during our trials God will step in and peform the most amazing and beautiful miracles. Many times that is when we will have major breakthroughs and life changing conversions.

We grow because God is truly with us. We need trials because it can purify us and bring us much closer to God. It matures us if we keep relying on God for our strength.

Prayer is so powerful and we need to pray for everybody not just our family.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

Grace For The Despised

by Jeffrey Hagan

Scripture: Luke 19:1-6

Introduction:

I'm sure most of you are familiar with the biblical account of a tiny little guy by the name of Zacchaeus. Well, far from just an entertaining story popular among Sunday School children, the incident with Zacchaeus gives us an incredible example of God's grace and love. We see in this story not only a glimpse of the love Christ has for sinners, but also the results that can come from such love. We see from the example of Zacchaeus the fruit it can produce in a life, and also the resistance it finds among those who witness it.

Some Background:

To provide some context it must be mentioned that Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector. Because of this, the Jewish community would have hated him as it meant he collected taxes for Rome. Collecting taxes for the Romans caused Zacchaeus to be viewed not only as a traitor but as a wicked sinner as well. And because he was a Jew, his employer (the Romans) would have also had a great disdain for him. Most likely his co-workers would have despised him too because as chief tax collector he would have been ripping them off; he would have been skimming off the top of their ill-gotten gains. I imagine he may have got into this work to feel a sense of power. Being just a little guy, I imagine he had a Napoleon complex and this “power” probably gave him somewhat of a bolstering of his ego. So, virtually what we have in this little man is nothing short of a despised thief, a kind of loan shark, who used his authority to extort his own people in order to gain wealth for himself and for the government at odds with his people. His horrible reputation would have actually been accurate, which makes what Jesus did even more notable and shocking.

A Seemingly Simple Act:

“[Jesus] entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, 'Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.' So he hurried down and came down and received him joyfully” (Luke 19:1-6, ESV).

Jesus singled out Zacchaeus regardless of the fact that he did absolutely nothing to deserve or attract His attention. All Zacchaeus was doing was trying to get a better look at the guy causing all of the commotion. He simply climbed a tree to see what was happening. There was no prayers, no crying, no acts of repentance, not even any words. Just as is always the case, the initiative belonged to Jesus. It's interesting to take note of what Jesus did NOT say. He didn't say, “I WANT to stay at your house,” or “WOULD YOU be a sport and have me over for some coffee?” What He said was, “I MUST stay at your house” (emphasis added). The request, if you will, was more of a command than an actual request.

Reaction:

I don't think it's a stretch to say that Zacchaeus must have been absolutely shocked by the fact that Jesus actually wanted to spend time with him. But even so, how did he react? What was Zacchaeus response to this unmerited act of grace? He came down from his perch and received Jesus, and he was very happy to do so. He didn't hesitate to respond to Jesus. In fact, the passage says he “hurried” to Him. Not only did he “hurry” to Jesus, he also did something remarkable which I'm sure astonished those who knew him or knew of him. We read in Luke 19:8, “And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, 'Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”

In this particular case we see the fruit of grace produced instantly. It was so immediate it almost appears as a knee-jerk reaction bordering on generosity most would identify today as bad financial stewardship. Jesus came to Zacchaeus before he had a chance to display any kind of receptive attitude, not to mention remorse or desire. The charity displayed by Zacchaeus was not some kind of condition for grace – it was the result of grace.

We don't see Jesus requiring anything of Zacchaeus. The passage does not give us any sort of sermon Jesus gave to inspire such an act; we don't even see any suggestions from Jesus, no urging; and we don't see Jesus attempting to guilt Zacchaeus into returning what he had stolen. All we see is a response to grace that is more sacrificial than anything Jesus may have suggested. What Zacchaeus did surpasses mere obedience as nowhere in the Law is there a demand for a person to give half of what they own to the poor. In like fashion, paying back someone you have defrauded four times the amount is going far “above and beyond.” Zacchaeus really proves himself here. Saying he did the right thing sounds too weak because he did that and more. And, he did it immediately, joyfully, and generously.

“A grateful heart is a generous heart, and a generous heart is a liberated heart. It is no coincidence that the very thing to which Zacchaeus was most enslaved – money – is the very thing that he was inspired to give away so freely” (Tchividjian, Tullian. “One Way Love,” p.128).

Sadly, far too often Christians talk about grace using countless conditions or qualifiers. They add all kinds of “ifs,” “ands,” “buts,” clauses and pauses. Just pay attention for yourself. When the topic of grace is brought up keep your eyes and ears open and you'll see, or hear, them. In fact, if people take the time to read this, depending on which forum they come across it in, look at the comments that will follow. If history is any indication, many comments will carry the theme of “Yes, of course grace, but...,” most likely accompanied by much harsher comments adhering to the same line of reasoning. It seems their greatest concern is that people will take advantage of grace and use it as an excuse to live a life full of sin. They seem to think people will take grace and use it as a ticket to live life any way they see fit.

I disagree. Where disobedience runs rampant, it is not the result of too much grace but instead it is a result of a failure to grasp how deep God's love for us flows even in the midst of our sin and selfishness. Grace and obedience aren't enemies, they are not at odds with each other as those quick to shout “Antinomians!” claim. In fact, they are allies, just look at Zacchaeus for an example.

It's not just nowadays that we often see a negative reaction to grace. The very incident we are discussing records the reactions of the people who witnessed it. We see in Luke 19:7 that “when they saw it, they all grumbled, 'He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.'” If tabloids would have been invented back then, this incident would have made for a great story. The crowd was all bent out of shape because Jesus chose to associate with not only a sinner, but perhaps the most despised man in the region at the time. Their focus turned to Jesus, but not in a positive way. This is what is commonly called “guilt by association” and it runs rampant in the Church today. It's a sad thing, very unfortunate. So much inaccurate, judgmental assumption exists in this realm of “guilt by association.”

Conclusion:

At any rate, Jesus left no room for guessing when it came to what his mission was. Our example of Zacchaeus ends with these words from Jesus, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:9-10). This is a pretty clear proclamation. This is Jesus relating with the sinner and showing His love to those who deserve it the least. Shortly before Jesus spoke the above words he said, “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:25). Then what does He go and do? He brings a rich person into the kingdom.

Like it or not God pours His grace out on the foolish, weak, despised, and “nobody's” so that only He gets the glory that is due Him. What would our impression of grace be if God only pursued those with perfect Sunday School attendance? An endorsement like that would only reinforce our all too natural instinct for law-propelled conditions. But, what He does do instead is go after those who have no question in their mind that they are in need. This is incredible news! For those of us that realize our lives have been lived in such a way that there's more evidence of failures than successes it's GREAT news!

1 Corinthians 1:27-29, “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”

One last thing - when you start being honest about who you are, when you realize there is no good in you apart from God's grace and there never will be, when you understand the freedom found in the Gospel is the freedom to stop striving and to stop pretending that you are anything more than a sinner in constant need of a Savior, that's when you are finally starting to get an idea of what true grace really is.*

*Article inspired by, and adapted from, the source cited within.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

Dangers Of Purposeless Living

by Katopeka Nkhoma

Welcome back to our journey on purpose. Last time we came to the realisation that purpose is the meaning of life. Conversely, a life without purpose is a meaningless life. Give your life a meaning, discover your purpose,

Many people struggle in life because they are living a wrong life. Strange I know, but its true! As long As you are not living in your purpose, you are living a wrong life, and this has severe consequences. This is what I want to share with you today, the consequences of living out of your purpose. Let me share a short story I got from Shanna Shuttte. I think it helps put things in perspective.

There once was a man who netted three trout from a mountain stream and carefully placed them side-by-side on a thick patch of grass. Before he removed them from the water, they were like a liquid ballet in motion. Fluid. Graceful. Vibrant. Alive. After he netted them, it was another story.

As the trout lay on the grass, they were motionless. Their eyes were fixed. They gasped for air, and they looked — and acted — stupid.

The man noticed they seemed unhappy, so he talked to them, hoping that his encouragement would change them.

“Little fish, don’t be sad. You’ll like the grass. Just try it out for a while.”

No movement. No response. No change.

A few more seconds passed. The man’s neighbor walked by. “Hey, Bob! Come and check out these fish!”

Bob sauntered over and the man explained that he was certain the fish could adjust. “I’m sure they could prosper here on the grass. Don't you agree?”

“Why not?” Bob replied. So he also tried to tell the fish it would be good if they learned to like the grass. After all, he liked the grass. Why shouldn’t they?

Still, the fish didn’t blink. They just lay there looking dumber by the second.

Finally, a little boy approached exclaimed, “What are you doing? Put them back! They can’t be all they’ve been created to be when they are out of the water.”

Finally convinced, the man carefully placed each fish back in the stream. After splashing for a split second, all three swam away effortlessly. Again, it was like a liquid ballet. What ease! What grace! What beauty! In that moment, the man realized that no matter how long the fish lay there they would never adjust to the grass, and would never be satisfied — no matter how much he (or anyone else) told them otherwise. Even if the fish tried to convince themselves they could learn to like the grass, they never would, and they would never prosper. In fact, they would eventually die.”

Do you feel like a fish out of water? Your prolonged dissatisfaction, God-given gifts, passions and the voices of others could be telling you that you were created for another purpose. And like these fish, if you feel like you are dying inside, listen up. It could be just what you need to push you into another, more satisfying ocean.

So what are the consequences of living out of your purpose?

1. EVERYTHING IN LIFE BECOMES A STRUGGLE
Like the fish that were struggling to survive out of water, so is a person living outside their purpose. Your purpose is actually the environment you thrive in. It is the environment for your success.

When you are out of your purpose life becomes a daily struggle. Do you feel like lifeisjust one big never ending battle? It could be you are a fish out of water. It could be you are not in your purpose. When in water, fish move with ease and elegance. Out of the water movement becomes near impossible, a struggle. Are you struggling to make progress in life? It could be you are not in your purpose.

2. DISSATISFACTION
This is another result of living out of your purpose. No matter how much you try, you just can’t find satisfaction in life. No matter how much “success” you seem to be achieving, there will still be an emptiness within you. Success does not lie in material things. Success lies in fulfilling your purpose.

We are often amazed when we hear of a “successful” person confesses to being dissatisfied with life. “What’s wrong with him/her?” Purpose! As long as you are not living in your purpose, you can never find satisfaction in life. There will always be something missing.

3. PRODIGAL LIVING
The word prodigal actually means wasteful. Lack of purpose breeds waste, which in turn breeds poverty.

We are all familiar with the story of the prodigal son so I won’t go into great detail. But I would like to believe that the reason that young man wasted his inheritance was his lack of purpose in life. The late great Myles Munroe used to like saying, “Where purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable”. We tend to abuse resources when we have no idea of our purpose. Worse still, we end up abusing ourselves. The prodigal son abused himself by joining himself to pigs. He lowered himself to the level of a pig! Many people are abusing resources, relationships, talents and even themselves because they don’t know their purpose. Check your life! Are you abusing yourself?

4. YOU DON’T EXPERIENCE THE BEST YOU
You are your best when you live in your purpose. It is within your purpose that all that locked up potential in you is unleashed! Many people, sadly, go to their graves without ever experiencing the greatness within them. There is a superman hidden within you! There is a hero inside you and he can only come out when you are living in your purpose.

Samson's supernatural strength always came when he was in a moment of purpose. I believe there are gifts, talents and wisdom in you that will only be unleashed when you step out into your purpose. There is a better you that you and the world are waiting for. Discover your purpose and become a better you, an upgraded version.

Kato Nkhoma is a seasoned Pastor with circa 15 years under his belt. He is also a prolific teacher of the word, author and freelance writer. A husband to 1wife and father of 2 amazing children makes him a happy family man.

http://katonkhoma@wordpress.com
ktpknkhoma@yahoo.co.uk

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

He Knew That You Could Handle It

There was never a time that God didn't know what you were going through. He had you on His mind every moment of your existence, before you were born, before the foundation of the world, so He it not surprised by all things that have happened to you. He gave you all your gifts and your talents; you love music and write music, you dance like you are walking on air, you draw and the picture seems to come alive.

You open your mouth to speak, and you speak words of encouragement, you are kind and considerate of others. you have great faith. Whatever it is that you can do, it was not by accident and your heavenly father is pleased when you excerise those gifts. No gift or talent is small or insignificant in God's eyes, and it was never meant for your honor, but for His, so don't be afraid to use them because they were meant to be used.

Have there been tough times lately in your life? Did someone hurt you, are you suffering from an illness, did you lose your job or did you lose someone you that loved? Have you wondered why all of these things are happening to you? You know that everyone has problems, but it is always a different concept to you in your heart when these issues come up in your own life. Are you saying to yourself, "I can't handle this, why is God allowing this to happen to me?"

Trust Him and His plans for your life. There is peace in His presence, so seek Him out with all of your heart. The answer lies in the power, grace, and love of His Holy Spirit. Ask Him for the power to endure, for the strength to face every problem and circumstance. If you need healing, seek the scriptures for healing, study them, open your mouth and speak them over your situation, for it says in the bible, 'death and life are in the power of the tongue', Your words have tremendous power; if you declare peace and healing, you will find it if you believe in the power of His word and are persistent in declaring it over your illness until you see the results; don't give up and put the outcome in God's hands.

The answer is coming, the breakthrough is there in the horizon of your life, His solution may seem strange, and your fear may try to get the best of you; that is when you need to pray with persistent expectation. You need to focus on Him and ignore those fears, do not entertain them in your heart. Daily prayer and meditation on the word of God helps you to dispel those fears, and you will refuse to listen to the devil when he whispers words of fear, doubt, and despair to your heart. Remember God's love for you, how He has taken care of you in the past; worship Him and He will show up in your life and give you the victory.

Why did this happen to you? He knew that you could handle it. He knew that you would come to Him and seek His guidance and ask for the grace to endure. You life is a testimony to God's grace and power. He knew what you could endure, that is why this happened to you and not to your spouse or your friend, or to your neighbor next door. They might have failed this test, but He knew that you would not fail, that you would endure and allow His Holy Spirit to change you, to strengthen you, to give you the courage to dare to believe in His Word. You will come through this time of pain and sorrow, and you will be able to shout out to the world your victory and you will forever praise His name!

Not By My Strength Or My Power, But By Your Spirit

“What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’” Zechariah Chapter 4:7

His Spirit is the way, the truth, and the light;
we struggle to hold ground in the world,
to be noticed in the world, so that it can be said,
"They lived here in this place, and they mattered,
they made a difference."

We try to accomplish our goals with our own strength;
we give honor to those in high places of 'power',
but how many of these mighty people existed before
the foundation of the world? And, How many can
create stars in the heavens, or delicate
flower blossoms that appear for a few days
to brighten our hearts and minds?

God says, "You are my child, and I have put destiny
into your heart; whatever I speak into your heart, you
can do, not by your own power and might, but by the
power and majesty of my Holy Spirit. He is speaking to you now,
so don't ignore Him, He already knows your circumstances,
He knows every excuse that you could give. Trust Him, stand back
and watch Him work in your life, and be amazed as your heart is filled
with laughter and joy!"

It is His power, not our own that matters, and even if noone on the earth
will love you or notice you, even if they say you do not matter, know that
this is not true - YOU DO MATTER Jesus Christ died for you on the cross
YOU ARE PRECIOUS IN HIS EYES - let Him prove it to you
Accept Jesus Christ As Your Lord And Savior - you have tried everything else,
so you have nothing to lose!

"Give me your heart," says the Lord,"And you shall live with me in peace, love,
and fellowship forever and ever. I don't want you to do die alone, separated from me forever,
in darkness, despair, and pain; You will never regret your decision. Test me and see how much I will love you. I am not afraid to be tested by you, for I know who I am, and my love will never disappoint you."

"LIVE FOR ME, AND SEE HOW MUCH YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH WITH MY SPIRIT INSIDE YOUR HEART!"

Who Is On The Lord's Side?

by Ogaga Eruteya

Many of us are unaware, that what took place between Eve and the serpent, that fateful day, was not just a conversation; but also a confrontation. ‘He said unto the woman, yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely die. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.’1

The baffling question is, how will God say a thing and the serpent (a mere creation of God) come around and say it is not so? Let us look at it this way: a father, in the absence of his first son, instructs his children not to go out until he returns; then the first son comes around and asks: ‘why are you all indoors?’ ‘Daddy said we shouldn’t go out’, they chorus. Then he says, ‘why will dad tell you that! Don’t mind him, you guys can go out!’ Without hesitation, he flings the door open and gives the younger ones a leeway! Though the father is away, that action in itself is an affront to his person and authority. That act challenges the dad’s position as the superintendent over that small constituency. This is a similitude of what transpired in the Garden of Eden.

‘Hath God said?’ was the serpent’s question; and as soon as Eve ended her exegesis, he blurts out, ‘ye shall not surely die!’ Who should know better, God or the serpent? Indeed, Adam and Eve should have known better. What they did not know was that, by responding to the devil rather than upholding God’s word, they simply took sides with the devil. The devil was the first, in all of creation to confront God’s authority, winning a third of the angels in the process. By abandoning God’s instruction for the opinion of a stranger, the first couple, by implication were challenging God’s wisdom. They allowed the devil win them over to his side.

Down the years, men have continued to pitch their tent with the enemy and oppose the Lord. Scripture says, ‘whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning’2. By choosing to live habitually and continuously in sin, we take sides against our maker, our source and our sustainer. The truth is nothing breaks God’s heart as much as this - that the crown of His creation, the paradigm of His excellence, the epitome of His wisdom: mankind, will choose to contrive with the opposition to challenge His sovereign authority and pleasure.

Nevertheless, every day He still hopes people can switch allegiance from the camp of the old serpent to His. So He continuously asks, ‘who is on the Lord’s side?’ ‘Who wants to be on the Lord’s side?’ You know, after that event, His desire has always been that men will rise up and look the devil straight in the eye and say: ‘get lost! We have stayed too long with you; it is time to make progress; it is time to move on; it is time to join forces with the real guy. It is time to arise and march to the Lord’s side.’3

He has made the provision that makes that easy. ‘For this purpose the son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.’4 All we need to do is believe! He sent His son to deal with the power of sin and all the works of the devil. What we must ask ourselves, is if we are already on the Lord’s side. If not, do we desire to be on the lord’s side? Surely, we can tarry no more. Everyone can accept His provision by a simple expression of faith through humble supplication. He has been waiting and He is still waiting.

_________________________

1 Genesis 3:1b-5, the authorized King James version of the holy bible

2 1 John 3:8a, the English standard version of the holy bible

3 Matthew 11:28-30

4 1 John 3:8b, the authorized King James version of the holy bible

Ogaga Eruteya is a writer, poet and essayist. He writes mostly on christian, motivational and inspirational themes. He lives in Oyo, Nigeria.

All rights to this article are retained by Ogaga Eruteya. Article may be used for friendly, not-for-profit uses as long as author is given prior notification

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

Unstoppable Love

My heart is always filled with joy when I think about how much the Lord loves me. It is not a temporary or superficial kind of love, and our relationship has deepened and grown over the years. The difference between religion and relationship when it comes to God is quite easy to see when you take the time to compare them.

Religious practices honors the person doing them; the person believes that by doing certain rituals and good deeds that they will receive an eternal reward when they die. He or she keeps a mental scorecard that checks off everything good thing and ritual that they have ever done, and it seems to reassure them of the fact that they will go to heaven when they die.

A relationship with God honors God, for the person pursuing a relationship with Him is focused on loving and obeying the Lord, and they are not concerned with how many rituals or good deeds they do. They do the good deeds because of their love for God, and they are willing to express His love to the world by showing kindness and compassion, and they give from their hearts.

Why are you serving God? Do you believe that your tithes and offerings will score big on 'God's heavenly scorecard', or are you giving out of love and respect for God? Attending church every sunday is a good thing if you are focused on worshiping the Lord and receiving a fresh word from your pastor to strengthen and develop your relationship with God, but some people are going to church to keep up appearances. They want everyone in their community to believe that they are a good person, and nothing that they do in or with the church will ever reach their hearts.

It is time for everyone to stop relying on their religious practices, and to believe the word of God with all of their hearts. Life is not, nor has it ever been a game. We get one chance, one life, and we must use the time that is given to us by God to decide, will we live for Him, or will we live for ourselves? It is literally the choice between life and death. If you have been playing the game and coasting along in life by just being a 'good' person, I am writing this to warn you that you can no longer walk down that broad and wide road any longer, and I strongly suggest that you begin your walk down the long narrow road to salvation and freedom, towards the love of God.

When you make the choice to love and obey Him, He will give you the strength to live by His standards so that you can keep the covenant of love, freedom, and salvation that He freely gives to everyone who believes in His Son, Jesus Christ. His love will empower you to give of yourself freely and selflessly, with no expectation of anything in return. God shows His love and mercy everyday to us, whether we choose to believe in Him or not.

Now, that is the ultimate expression of true love, it is unstoppable love. He loved you when you didn't even know that He existed, even when you kept ignoring the promptings of the Holy Spirit tugging at your heart. He cares for you, so why are you wasting your time with empty rituals and a mental 'good deeds' scorecard? Just trust Him, Love Him, Obey Him, and believe in His Word, and as you begin to live for Him, you will know peace, joy, and rest in His arms.

Your World Is Not Falling Apart Its Falling Into Place

Here I stand wondering if anybody knows who I am,
if anybody cares about me,
if anybody knows what I have been through;
I look up to Heaven, and then I realize
that His eye is upon me.

The world seems darker and I am waiting
for the dawn, the sweetness of His love
lifts me up and carries me through
the day, and lights up my heart.

When I feel that my world is falling apart, I remember Him,
I remember His words to me, "I will never leave you
or forsake you; you are My child, and I love you";
and His word that I have hidden in my heart fills my mind,
'greater is He that is within me than he that is in the world',
and my heart begins to sing with love, joy, and gratitude.

Now I know without a shadow of a doubt, that when my life
seems to be failling apart that I should praise His name,
for just when things seem the darkest, here comes the dawn.
My life is not falling apart, its falling into place!

Can You Trust Your Conscience

by Charles Stanley
Intouch Ministries

1 Timothy 1:18-19

To enable us to distinguish between what is morally right and wrong, God has given us a conscience. It is His gift to help us avoid shipwreck in our lives. Your conscience serves as a kind of spiritual radar; the condition you keep it in will determine how much you can trust it.

The sacred conscience is one that has been kept spotless through confession of sin (1 John 1:9) and reflects a desire to know and follow God’s will. Once we are cleansed, we can live without guilt, walking openly and transparently before the Lord. When we do sin, we know immediately that we need to get right with God.

The struggling conscience is clogged with rules and regulations, and its spirit of legalism makes us critical of our performance. Having created our own radar system of “should, ought, and must,” we’ve used it to determine right or wrong. In doing so, we fail to understand God’s righteousness, which can never be replaced with self-righteousness.

The soiled conscience is stained from harboring sin. If we consistently choose our way over God’s, we lose sight of what’s suitable and true. Excuses like “I can’t help it” add to our lack of peace and the unreliability of our inner compass.

The seared conscience is insensitive to sin. When we continually resist and ignore its warnings, such a conscience will, over time, become numb to moral alarm.

Ask God to show you how well your internal conscience is operating, and then allow Him to restore it.

Intouch Ministries Devotions

The Faith To Handle All Of Your Needs

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me Phillipians ch 4:13

When I look at what is happening in the world today, I have confidence in what God can do for me. I would not be able to live with peace and joy if I did not believe that God is real and that He knows what is going on in the world, and that He has a plan for me and for all of His children. His plans are so much better than mine or yours; we cannot see the entire scope of the problem, and therefore, any solution that we could come up with would be lacking; we need a solution that will answer all of the world's problems. That is why our laws, partnerships, and solutions are never able to do the job. It is a good thing that God has the solution that will solve every problem.

His answer is in the love, the power, and in the Magesty of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He will come back to rule and reign on the earth. He will not let evil, selfishness, and pride hamper our development as a people, and as citizens of the Kingdom of God, we are to follow His example and we will be free to do so. When you get enough people in your community who are willing to live according to God's standards, wonderful and amazing things happen; people begin to live in peace, filled with love, joy, and contentment.

It is not a vision that many in the world aspire to; they want to believe that we can solve our own problems, that God and the devil, evil and good, angels and demons are just stories, delusions in people's minds. They are unaware of or do not care that there is a spiritual battle going on every day, and that this battle has a real impact on their everyday lives. There is growing evidence that something strange is going on in the world, and most of it doesn't make sense unless you are willing to see the truth about life. How do you get to the point in seeing the truth? First, you must believe that there is a God, and then you must have faith in His ability to take care of you and to handle all of your needs.

Our faith must be in Him and not in ourselves; we cannot see ourselves clearly enough to solve our own problems, much less the problems of the whole world. We cannot afford to live as if our life is just a coincidence, and that we should just eat, drink, and be merry until we die. That kind of thinking is deadly and leads to eternal judgment, darkness, and permanent separation from the God of this universe who created us. Living for Him, instead of for ourselves is the answer.

Give Him a chance to show you who He is and what He can do for you. He loves you, and He will never leave you or forsake you. No one will ever love you so deeply and passionately, and no one else ever will. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and you will see what believing in Him will do. It will give you peace and you will be at rest in His arms; your faith will give you the strength to face all of your problems, and your trust in Him will handle all of your needs.

Prayer Of Salvation

"God, I recognize that I have not lived my life for You up until now. I have been living for myself and that is wrong. I need You in my life; I want You in my life. I acknowledge the completed work of Your Son Jesus Christ in giving His life for me on the cross at Calvary, and I long to receive the forgiveness you have made freely available to me through this sacrifice. Come into my life now, Lord. Take up residence in my heart and be my king, my Lord, and my Savior. From this day forward, I will no longer be controlled by sin, or the desire to please myself, but I will follow You all the days of my life. Those days are in Your hands. I ask this in Jesus' precious and holy name. Amen."

' 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

Our Struggle With Guilt

by Charles Stanley
Intouch Ministries

1 John 1:5-9

For some of us, guilt is a steady companion. We live under the weight of past mistakes and the fear of future wrongdoing. Even if we try to move forward, self-reproach tags along.

Not all guilty emotions are based in fact, but those that result from breaking biblical or civil law are legitimate: When we transgress, the Holy Spirit points out what is wrong and how to correct it. Then, in response to our confession, God offers us forgiveness and cleansing from guilt every single time (Ps. 32:5).

Where does false guilt originate? There are several answers. For one thing, Satan uses it to harass believers. Through lies and accusations, the enemy seeks to replace inner peace with turmoil, and joy with discouragement.

Another source of guilt is legalism, the judging of conduct according to a precise standard. God’s Word establishes the way we are to live, but some Christians and churches impose additional rules. And failure to follow man-made regulations can produce shame. Childhood experiences can also bring out the negative emotion of guilt. Whether this stems from the aftermath of traumatic events or the feeling that we didn’t meet parental expectations, a memory can prompt us to judge ourselves harshly as adults. Living under severe criticism can have this effect, too, as can perfectionistic tendencies—which tell us we can always “do more” and “do better.”

Legalism, painful childhood experiences, perfectionism, and hurtful comments are fertile soil for guilt. If you struggle with self-condemnation, be sure to check the legitimacy of the source.

Intouch Ministries Devotions

Dealing With Guilt

by Charles Stanley
Intouch Ministries

Ephesians 1:3-14

Yesterday we saw that guilt can be false or legitimate. But in either case, its effect on us is the same.

Feeling ashamed can lead us to doubt God’s presence, provision, or promises. We might struggle to believe He loves us, and if the emotions are strong enough, we may even question our salvation. Guilt can cause us to forget we are free from condemnation (Rom. 8:1) and can make us fearful that God is judging us harshly.

Another response to self-reproach is to try and pay the Lord back for our real or imagined mistakes. To earn His approval, we get compulsively busy and stay that way. Then, there’s remorse over “shoulds,” “oughts,” and “musts”—guilt over unfinished tasks can rob us of pleasure in our relationships, as we question our use of time. Such self-condemnation can lead to discouragement and depression.

Because of guilt’s corrosive power, we need to take care of it quickly. When we have broken God’s commands, the solution is to repent and accept the Lord’s forgiveness. False guilt, on the other hand, is erased by embracing biblical truth:

I am special. God chose me and is transforming me into Christ’s image.

I am loved. God loves me unconditionally, unalterably, and continuously.

I am forgiven. Jesus paid the full price for my every sin. God has permanently forgiven me and adopted me into His family.

God has provided a way out from the burden of guilt you carry. Won’t you accept His offer?

Intouch Ministries Devotions

Grace Abounds

by Ken Barnes

But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’” (Mark 16:7 NASB)

Peter was the disciple that seemingly failed the Lord more than any of the other disciples at His death. The angel singled him out for the message of the Lord’s resurrection. Why? When sin abounds, more so does grace (Romans 5: 20 NASB).

Would it not have seemed right for Jesus, based on their conduct, to have singled out one of the other disciples, possibly James or John? How might Peter have been feeling? Possibly, like he was no longer was worthy to be called His disciple? How may the other disciples have been looking upon Peter? Perhaps, he had disqualified himself from being among their group. God, unlike us humans, always makes room for repentance. When Jesus first revealed Himself to Peter, it must have been somewhat traumatic. I can only imagine; he looked into the eyes of the one he had miserably failed, expecting an overwhelming sense of guilt. But Peter feels only loved and accepted. It is the first time in days that he has looked into someone’s face that knows everything about him and yet he felt no shame. He realizes that it is Christ first pursuing him instead of him pursuing Christ. Grace has swallowed up guilt, and once again mercy has triumphed over judgment.

The disciple that may have been viewed by himself and by others as disqualified rose to the top three in the Lord’s leadership team. The next time you are tempted to consider a person unqualified for leadership, be careful, God may be ready to show us again, where sin abounds, more so does grace.

I worked for seventeen years as a missionary with Youth With A Mission. My missionary work has taken me to Mexico, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Spain, and the Ukraine.I hold a Masters of Education in curriculum and instruction from Virginia Commonwealth University. kenbarnes737@gmail.com

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

Our Love And Hope In Christ

People have been suffering from the consequences of greed, pride, and hate for a long time now. Even from the beginning, wars, fights, disputes and murders occured on earth on a daily basis. If we could see the timeline of earth's history, from the moment adam and eve fled from the garden on eden until today, we would be appalled at the wars, violence, and hateful acts people were capable of doing that came straight from their hearts. In my opinion, it is only the grace of God that has shepherded the human race up to this point in time, and that without His grace and mercy, humanity would not have survived as long as it has.

We strive toward peace and cooperation, but it is not easy; it is impossible without stringent laws, forming allies and partnerships, and competent law enforement. The fear of being caught and paying a price in jail for breaking those laws keeps most of the population from doing things that they know deep in their hearts are not right. The point that God is trying to make with all of us is that we need to live from a perspective of kindness and consideration; if you love your neighbor, you will not steal from him, or hurt him, you will cherish him and help him. The example of God's great love for humanity is His Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins. Who could possibly say no to a God who loves us so much?

It is hard for unbelievers to conceive that anyone, that God himself, could love us that much. The level of selflessness, the forgiving spirit, the awesome compassion and kindness. expressed by Jesus Christ while He walked on the earth is beyond all human comprehension; that is why it can only be understood from our hearts.

We need to continue to believe in God and in His solution for the world's problems, Jesus Christ. Without His love for us and His sacrifice on the cross for our sins, we would be lost and without hope. No one will love us more than Our Savior and our God, and no one knows us better than He does. He lived among us, worked with us, healed us, cherished us, and died for us. He is our very best friend, our Savior, our Father, our provider. There is no other 'god' in the world that can compare to Him, and He is all the God you or I will ever need. Place your heart and hope in Him.

How God Reveals His Presence

by Charles Stanley
Intouch Ministries

Psalm 16:7-9

If you have never experienced the presence of God, you may wonder how He reveals Himself to believers. The Lord has many different ways of reaching out to His children, so the following is certainly not a complete list. But if you desire to know that the Father is always near, He will choose the best way to connect with you.

God speaks. I have never heard the Lord’s audible voice, but I have experienced Him speaking clearly and forcefully to my heart. His communication is so unmistakable that those who hear Him remember the message and the reverent excitement long after.

God sends a message. Sometimes the Lord lays on a person’s heart the need to get alone with Him. When this happens to me, God is usually saying He’s ready to give me Sunday’s sermon. It is unwise to ignore such urgings or even to delay until a more “convenient” time—I have made the mistake of putting off listening only to discover that when I finally did slow down, the message was harder to receive outside of the Father’s perfect timing.

God makes His presence known through His Word. I meditated for a month on a recent sermon’s Bible passage. Every day I wanted to go back to the same verses because God kept giving me new truths and insights. I knew I was in His presence because His Word was speaking specifically to my heart.

The Lord is real and present in this world. He wants to share Himself with us so we can draw contentment, courage, and joy from His presence. To know what He’s saying, we must be willing to slow down and listen.Psalm 16:7-9

If you have never experienced the presence of God, you may wonder how He reveals Himself to believers. The Lord has many different ways of reaching out to His children, so the following is certainly not a complete list. But if you desire to know that the Father is always near, He will choose the best way to connect with you.

God speaks. I have never heard the Lord’s audible voice, but I have experienced Him speaking clearly and forcefully to my heart. His communication is so unmistakable that those who hear Him remember the message and the reverent excitement long after.

God sends a message. Sometimes the Lord lays on a person’s heart the need to get alone with Him. When this happens to me, God is usually saying He’s ready to give me Sunday’s sermon. It is unwise to ignore such urgings or even to delay until a more “convenient” time—I have made the mistake of putting off listening only to discover that when I finally did slow down, the message was harder to receive outside of the Father’s perfect timing.

God makes His presence known through His Word. I meditated for a month on a recent sermon’s Bible passage. Every day I wanted to go back to the same verses because God kept giving me new truths and insights. I knew I was in His presence because His Word was speaking specifically to my heart.

The Lord is real and present in this world. He wants to share Himself with us so we can draw contentment, courage, and joy from His presence. To know what He’s saying, we must be willing to slow down and listen.

Intouch Ministries Devotions

The Effectiveness Of Prayer

by Charles Stanley
Intouch Ministries

James 5:16-18

When you face a problem, is prayer your first response, or do you spring into action mode? God works powerfully through prayer, yet too often we look at it as a last resort: After we are at the end of our rope, then we start praying.

Using the example of Elijah, James reminds us what the effective prayer of a righteous person can accomplish. In today’s passage, the subject is healing, but that’s not the only prayer God will answer. Every aspect of life can be impacted by the power of prayer.

Temptation. Jesus told His disciples, “Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation” (Mark 14:38).

Praise. After being beaten and thrown into prison, Paul and Silas prayed and praised God, even in the midst of their pain (Acts 16:25).

Spiritual Warfare. Paul teaches us to access God’s power by “pray[ing] without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17).

Anxiety. We aren’t at the mercy of fear if we pray about everything (Phil. 4:6).

Transformation. When we pray according to God’s desires, He transforms our mind, attitudes, character, and actions (Col. 1:9-12).

Witness. Through prayer, we ask that the Lord open doors for us to spread His Word (2 Thess. 3:1).

Protection. God is faithful to answer requests that He strengthen and protect us from the evil one (2 Thess. 3:2-3).

The next time you face a challenging situation, remember that prayer is more powerful than all your self-efforts. Pray, and watch God work.

Intouch Ministries Devotions

The Sky Is Red

The sky is red with the tears
of the fallen
people everywhere are listening to
the falling rain;
the dust and the clouds on the horizon
give no hope for survival.

The sky is red with the fires
raging in the streets
and the children are gone;
mothers crying for their little ones
because they don't know where they have gone.

The sky is red with the wrath of
judgement, rocks falling from the sky
the heat of falling rocks and the cries
of the birds as they fall to the ground
the day has come, and every man's heart
is broken.

Scores and scores of people are missing
and their loved ones cannot find them,
they are baffled by the loss;
churches are filling with the lost
and the bewildered, some are crying non stop
and others are too shaken to move or react.

The sky is red and the unbelievers,
the proud, the elites wait impatiently in
their shelters, in their safe places,
and in the mountains, their hearts now
fearful of the future, and in the back of their
minds the question looms, "Could it be possible
that there really is a God in Heaven"?

But, even while they ask the question, they will
never repent, because they never wanted God, and they
will never ask for His mercy.

The day has come, and the sky is red,
we were told that this day would come,
the prophets spoke of it, and they wrote it down
by the power and authority of the Holy Spirit;
those who were aware of this fate, made
their decision, to believe in God,
and to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.

Blessed are the Children of God, who believed His
testimony, who accepted His amnesty, The Blood Of The Lamb,
Our Savior, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross as our
substitute, as payment for our sins, for a fallen humanity,
who would have had no hope of justifying themselves before
a Holy God; His wisdom and mercy have saved us!

Speak softly about this day, and have pity for the lost
and the broken, for the day that the sky is red is not be taken lightly,
for those who believe, rejoice, because your Father in Heaven
loves you, and He will not see His little ones be judged with
the unbelievers, but also be sober and pray,
pray for the lost and the forsaken, so that there may yet be hope for them,
that their eyes will be opened and that their hearts will accept the truth
about life, and about our Savior, Jesus Christ!

The sky is red, and here I stand in the arms of My Father,
rejoicing in His Name, wishing that those below
could feel His love, grace. and mercy:
Don't be caught unaware on this day, accept Jesus Christ
as your Lord and Savior, while His love, grace, and mercy can still be found!

Living By Faith

by Charles Stanley
Intouch ministries

Genesis 15:6

Abraham is one of the people in the Old Testament who have had a great impact on my spiritual walk. In his life, I see the necessity of living by faith.

Separation is oftentimes a part of our development as Christians. Before we can take on something new, the Lord may ask us to let go of something we already have. In Genesis 12:1-3, God told Abraham he was going on a journey that would require leaving his country, his people, and his father’s household. Obedience meant saying goodbye to relationships and things dear to him. The only family members who traveled with him were his wife and nephew; the life he knew in his homeland was left behind. But this godly man did not hesitate. His strong faith enabled him to say yes to what the Lord commanded.

Moving ahead in the midst of uncertainty can be another aspect of following the Lord. Abraham was told to travel without knowing his destination. Try to imagine explaining to friends that you’re moving away but have no idea where you are going. This lack of detail did not stop Abraham. Unwavering trust in his heavenly Father enabled him to answer the divine call wholeheartedly—even though specific details were lacking. Abraham was spiritually ready to answer affirmatively when God called.

Following God requires living by faith. That means: trusting the Holy Spirit to guide us when we don’t see how all the pieces fit together (John 16:13); believing that God always works for our good and His glory (Rom. 8:28); and desiring to please our Father. Will you be ready when He calls?

Intouch Ministries Devotions

No Works Means Not Saved?

by Eugene Lopatynsky

Does a continued ABSENCE OF WORKS mean being unsaved? Does it mean ABSENCE OF REAL FAITH? By their fruits (works) you shall know them (1 John 3:6-10)? Can works SAVE anybody? If works cannot save, what are they for?

Smoke is the usual evidence of fire. Works are the evidence of your faith. By their fruit their works you shall know them, 1 John 3:6-10. You shall know a Christian by his works. For a Christian good works are a joy.

Christians are HUMBLE and GOOD PEOPLE. They say, anyone who is not a good person cannot be a Christian, no matter what he calls himself.

Only FAITH alone faith in Christ Jesus of the Bible saves. But the Faith that saves is never alone. It always has WORKS.

Now, how is that?

By comparison, a man is not a sinner because he sins; rather the opposite, he sins because he is a sinner. It's his nature. True Christians are not Christians because they have works; they have works because they are true Christians.

"You shall know them by their fruit", - you shall know Christians by their works, though works could never be sufficient for salvation.

Here is what no pagan can easily understand. To every Christian GOOD WORKS (obedience to God) is as JOY! Take a look.

"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." (John 14:23)

"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him". (John 14:21)

"Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." (John 15:8-11)

"IF YE LOVE ME, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS. (JOHN 14:15)

Of course, this is only for Christians. To those, who do not really know our Lord, may I add a few lines?

Our Lord Jesus will settle for nothing less than to be a ruler of our lives. Why? Because He IS the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. That's WHO He is. If you really want Him you must invite Him for who He is.

Men are not lost because they are sinners; they are lost because they have rejected the Lord Jesus who died for them. The ultimate treasure is not creation, it is the Creator. Any CONCEIVABLE sacrifice in this world is worthwhile just to find Christ Jesus and to belong to Him!

If you want Him, pray now with me, "DEAREST LORD JESUS, FORGIVE ME MY SINS; PLEASE BE THE LORD OF MY LIFE; INCREASE MY LOVE FOR YOU, AND MY OBEDIENCE; HELP ME TO READ YOUR BIBLE EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE".

If you do this, and mean it, with an open heart, this prayer will never fail. It will become the greatest thing you will ever have, and it will last forever. After this, check out the guide in "How to read the Bible and clean up your life" www.remnantonly.info (under "articles"). It's made for you.

Not the messenger, only the message is important. Please visit www.remnantonly.info for a surprise.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

Reverse The Curse

There are many times in life that we experience things that were never on our mind to experience, things that happened that was totally beyond our control, and if we had a choice, we would never go through again. God often uses these incidents to grow us up spiritually as christians, and to refine our character and integrity. It is never easy to admit to ourselves or to God that sometimes we need to go through some things so that we surrender to His will and allow His power to be manifested into our situations, so that we can be shining examples of love, compassion, and wisdom, so that others will be attracted to the gospel and the healing power of Jesus Christ.

God's goal is to save as many people as possible, to woo them into the kingdom of God; He sent His son, Jesus Christ, into the world to show the world who God is and what He is like, to die on the cross for our sins, the truest and highest expression of His love for the world, and to show His children how to live their lives, as followers of Christ, to become selfless servants, to proclaim the Word of God, and to express His love straight from our hearts. We have the most awesome responsibility to care for other people just by loving them, and only God can transform our hearts so that we can give of ourselves without expecting anything in return.

It is God's mission to reverse the curse that was proclaimed over this world when adam and eve rebelled so long ago in the garden of eden; they were kicked out of paradise because of sin, and the consequences of their actions has grown and increased over time. We now live in a world where anything and everthing happens on a daily basis. The standards of God are ignored, rebuked, chastised, and disregarded. People are out in the streets protesting their need to do whatever they want in life, regardless of the consequences to themselves or to the people in their lives.

When a child comes into this world, they are innocent; it is only later in life, as they begin to learn what is means to be human and to live in our societies, that they begin to see the cost of living in this world with a fallen human nature. Our choices are influenced by what we are taught as children, but ultimately we choose to live for good, or to live for evil by what we desire in our hearts. That is why you see incidents of people being born into poverty, strife, and abuse, yet they overcome the environment in which they lived to become good people, who want to live for God and for His standards, and they become shining examples of God's love and grace. Your environment can influence you to do good or bad things, but it is your heart that determines whether you will choose to love or to hate, to be good or to be bad, to choose to live for God or to live for satan.

That is why people are so astonished and amazed when someone who seems good turns out to be bad, the socialite who sells drugs, the 'honest man' who stole money from his job, the celebrity with the perfect family who turns out to be a chronic adulterer, the famous pastor who is so corrupt that even while he is saving countless lives, he is living a double live of illicit sex, porn, greed and idolatry. The list goes on and on. You see, we humans learn very quickly at an early age how to 'fake it to make it'. With a fallen human nature, it is not hard to learn how to sin.

God allowed His son, Jesus Christ, to come into this world and to die on a cross to pay the price for our sins, and to reverse the curse on our lives, because sin is a curse orchestrated from hell, and if you want to avoid the consequences of sin, hell, and eternal death, you must come to Jesus Christ. You must ask Him to forgive you and you must repent. You must choose to live for God, instead of for yourself. When you decide that you are the most important person in the universe, you are deluding yourself with visions of grandeur. You will find out sooner or later that you have very little power in this world, and that you cannot save yourself. I pray that you will realize this sooner than later, for once you leave this life without Jesus Christ in your heart, it will be too late. Seek Him now, while He may yet be found.

What God Does With Our Mistakes

How does God Deal With Our Mistakes? He uses them to make us better people and wiser christians. He shows us compassion, because He knows we can't fix our mistakes on our own; He is willing and ready to give us the power to deal with our weaknesses.

I can remember the times when I was sure that I knew who I was, and why my life was the way it was, only to find out later through the revelation of the Holy Spirit, that I was not seeing the whole picture. The reason we do things seem clear to us, but we often find ourselves doing the same things over and over again, showing that the real issues were never resolved.

The only way to resolve these issues to is ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth; you must be willing to surrender your heart and mind to Him. Your committment to the word of God, and to the promptings of the Holy Spirit are the only ways to fix these issues for good.

God is not standing over you with a rod of correction, seeking to smack you with it when you mess up. He already knows every single issue that you have; He is just waiting for you to decide that a change is needed in your life, and that He is the only one who can help you to fix them. God already has the answer, you need to believe that there is something in your life that needs to be fixed, and that He is able to supply the solution.

This is not an easy task if you have spent most of your life trying to function with a wounded heart; most of the time we are living as we were taught to live. Keeping everything inside is how we are able to get up in the morning, go to work, do our usual regular daily routines, because that is what is expected of us. We must take the time to slow down and deal with what is happening in our lives; that is why reading the bible, worshiping in His presence, and prayer should be a daily practice for every child of God.

He can heal you. He will comfort you. He will make a way out of no way. He will give you the power to overcome. He will get the glory out of your situation, and you will not be able to stop praising His name. Every situation you find yourself in is the next step or stage in your evolution, so, just sit back, relax, lean into the peace He will put in your heart, and be awed by the joy you will feel while you are dealing with these tough areas in your life.

Now, this will only work if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. If you are reading this and you feel the tug of the Holy Spirit at your heart, He is calling you to come to Him, so that He can heal you and change your circumstances. You have tried everything else, so why not give Jesus a chance. He will come into your heart and bring joy and peace into your life. Don't be afraid to lose what you have; the truth is that you don't have anything of real value withhout Him.

In fact, when you have Jesus in your heart, you have everything, because He will give everything to you! Trust in Him, be led by His Spirit, and then come into the presence of God with thanksgiving and praise! You will never regret your decision.

God Is Sovereign Over Delays

by Charles Stanley
Intouch Ministries

Proverbs 16:9

No one likes to wait, but have you ever wondered why? Perhaps it’s because delays show us that we are not in control. Someone or something else is calling the shots. Although we may be able to identify the immediate cause—like a traffic light or the long checkout line—ultimately the One who controls all our delays is the Lord. Since He is sovereign over everything in heaven and on earth, even our time and schedules are in His hands.

This means that in every delay, we are actually waiting for God in one way or another. You might have thought that the expression “waiting upon the Lord” applies only to seeking guidance from Him or an answer to prayer. But it can mean so much more when you remember that He controls all your day-to-day inconveniences and frustrations.

In the Christian life, learning to wait is vitally important because until you do, you’ll never be able to walk in obedience to God, have an effective prayer life, or experience the peace of resting in His loving sovereignty. We must learn to trust His judgment—not just about the big events in our lives but also about trivial ones, which can cause us to become irritated, impatient, or even angry. If we are sensitive to His instruction, each delay has an important lesson.

The next time you face an unexpected or unwanted wait, remember that it comes as no surprise to God. He wants to teach you patience and increase your faith. He’s more interested in developing godly character than He is in making sure your schedule runs according to your plans.

Intouch Ministries Devotions

Stand And See The Strength Of The Lord

(Jesus Says) I Love You, I Will Always Love You,
That Is why I Am Coming Back,
To Give You A New Life, Peace, Hope, And Happiness,
To Express My Everlasting Love To You,
By Renewing The Earth,
And Fulfilling My Promises To You All.

Faith Is All I Ask Of You,
For When You Believe, You Can Conceive The Impossible,
MY Love Is Strongest In The Ones Who Love Me,
Who Belieive In Me,
And Who Never Give Up Hope.

Stretch Out Your Hand To Me, And Begin To Live For Me,
And I Will Show You How Much I Care;
I Care About Your Dreams,
I Sympathize With You About Your Hurts,
I Will Cleanse You Of Your Sins, If You Let Me.

If You Give Your Heart To Me, I Will Show The Way
To Live With Yourself And With Others; I Will
Show You How To Love Them, With My Love, And
You Will See Yourself As I See You. You
Will No Longer Fear The Darkness, For My Light
Will Be Inside You.

You Will Be The Little Light That Chases The Darkness
Away, And You Will Give Glory To My Name. So, Stand,
And See The Strength Of My Love For You. Its Strength
Will Shatter The Power Of The Enemy In Your Life,
You Will Declare My Love For You Everywhere,
And The Enemy Will Run Cowardly Into The Night.

Now Is The Time To Show The World How Much I Love You,
To Give My Little Ones Hope, And To Rally The Children Of Light
Unto Me, For The Final Battle Has Begun.

Sing Your Victory Songs, As Before The Battle,
Praise Me With All Your Heart,
Listen For my Battle Cry, And Then, Attack!
You Are The Army Of Light, And My Spirit Will
Show You The Way. My Father In Heaven Will
Dispatch Legions Of Angels To Help You Win The Battle
If You Don't Give Up And Just Believe!

Stand, My Sons And Daughters, Listen For The Battle Trump, STAND AND SEE THE STRENGTH OF THE LORD......

Preparation For Battle

by Jacky Julyan

Every watchman in his place, unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labour in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.

Every man to his knees, praying unto the LORD, the God of heaven and earth.

There is a battle to be won and the trumpet is sounding, a preparation for battle. Who has eyes to see? Who has ears to hear? For the LORD of Hosts, is His Name is calling every saint, every prophet, every watchman to their knees. Humble yourselves unto the Mighty Hand of God. Seek His Face at this time. Look to no man at this time. Now is not the time to follow anyone other than My Son. He is My Son, Listen to Him.

Be prepared, stand firm, seek My Face, kneel before Me, await My instructions. Put the trumpet to your lips! An eagle is over the house of the LORD because the people have broken My covenant and rebelled against My law.

Ruins …. It is all shambles, ruinous, the walls are collapsing, the pillars are cracked, it is fallen, fallen.

Blow the Shofar, warn the people for calamity of calamities is coming. Wake up! Wake up!

Depart ….. depart ….. Many are to depart the faith for they have been standing on quicksand. Their demise was known from the beginning of all creation.

Repent, repent you peoples. Repent for a fierce battle is upon you. It is coming as a thief in the night. It will overtake, suddenly.

My people, pray, seek My Face, wait for My Word, none other. Seek no flesh at this time for all are fallen. My Spirit is grieved, My Spirit has been rejected. Ichabod …. Ichabod …. Ichabod.

Pray, pray, pray without ceasing. Turn to no man. Turn to Jesus. Seek His Face, fast, pray, weep for a great calamity is coming of grande proportions. It is in the wings. A stampede of evil, a prideful march bringing the very demons from the Abyss.

The walls have fallen, the gaps are too wide.

Come now My Remnant, My Bride, keep close to Me. Seek me closer so you can hide under the shadow of My Wings. Do not look neither to the right nor the left. Keep your eyes upon Me. Open My Word, keep it open. Keep your hearts open to Me. Open your mouth for I shall fit it.

There is now no delay, time has run out. Seek Me this day. Choose this Day whom you shall serve. Obey My children unto the Gospel of My Son. Harken unto My voice of correction for those I chasten I love. Repent, repent I say before it is too late.

I say now, this hour, every watchman in his place. Every trumpet to your mouth. Open your mouths so I can fill it with words of life. Seek Me today, do not delay.

Kneel, fast and pray for a calamity is coming, a calamity among calamities.

Do not delay, time is running out.

I am the LORD

The LORD called me to write since 2006. The time is short and I delight to do Godïs will, although it can be tough!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXv_mnFHwuIZQImtApBHMnA

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

The Prayer For Peace In The Middle East

(Repeat This Prayer Many Times As Possible)

Lord, we thank you for your grace,
for your mercy, and for your providence,
as we live our lives for your sake;
your love cannot be measured,
your ovewhelming compassion for your
little ones gives us hope.

Keep us close to your heart, so
that we may please you with all of
our hearts, minds, and souls, and we
will always strive to live in your
presence forever and ever.

Lord, we pray for peace in the hearts of your
people who live in the Middle East. There is a
great battle Lord, being waged in this region
of the world. The forces of evil are coming
together for the last attack upon the
people of the light.

You knew this would happen, nothing that is
going on right now is a surprize to you; you
predicted its outcome through your holy prophets,
who wrote down your word to give to your people,
to the last generation of the people of God, before
the coming of your Son, and Our King, Jesus Christ.

So, now we ask that you prepare us to pray and to
intercede for the people in the Middle East, and to
give us a heart to pray for the peace of Jersualem, your
Holy City.

Give us new eyes of revelation and understanding, so that we
may assist you in this fight against the devil and his demons,
give us the boldness to stand for what is right, and to declare
the truth about this world and what is truly going on, the
spritual battle of evil versus good that is being fought right now
in our world.

Lord, we know the outcome of this battle, we know that satan is defeated,
and that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will come back to claim this
world for You, and for your children, the people of God. We just have to keep
on believing, and declare the word of God, and to hold on to what you have
given us; the road ahead seems dark and forbidding, just like the darkness
before the dawn. The good news is that your Holy Spirit will be there with us, strengthening us, guiding us, comforting us, and delivering us;

'We Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Us'

Lord, we pray that your people in the Middle East will be comforted as well, and that they hold fast to what they have always believed, we ask for blessings and unusual supernatural favor on their behalf, as they struggle to survive in a region extremely hostile to christians, and to your son, Jesus Christ. Grant them the ability to care for themselves and for each other, and to love their ememies with your love, the love that has been planted into their hearts by your Spirit, so that they can be awesome and shining examples of true disciples of Jesus Christ.

Give them our love God, as we pledge to keep on praying for them, and as we strive to give of our own resources, to help them in their time of need. Do your very best for them Lord, give them a new song of praise Holy Spirit, and, dear Jesus, show them how much you love them by showing yourself to them, those who believe and those who do not believe, so that more people should be won and ushered into the Kingdom of Light

Praise God For What He Is About To Do In The Middle East Right Now - He Shall Show His Power, His Magesty, And His Love To All Those Who Believe In Him, And To All Those Who Have Tried To Deny Him - Glory Be To His Name Forever And Ever!

AMEN

God's Words To Us

by Charles Stanley
Intouch Ministries

2 Timothy 4:1-5

Most everyone in our society has easy access to a Bible, yet far too often this book is left unopened. If only people grasped its true worth, they would prize God’s Word above every other possession.

All of Scripture was inspired by the Holy Spirit. While He used man to pen each line, every thought and word in the Bible originated with God Himself (2 Peter 1:20-21).

Consider how we treasure letters from people we love. Our response to Scripture should be even stronger. The Creator of the universe—the God who holds eternity in His hand—recorded all the truth that is necessary for His children to live fully and joyfully, both before and after death (2 Peter 1:3). God reveals Himself through His Word, which is alive and so powerful that it can transform our lives (Heb. 4:12).

What’s more, Romans 10:17 explains the great importance of our love for the Bible: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Scripture, then, is the very means by which saving faith is possible.

How could such a book become so commonplace in our heart? So taken for granted? It is vital that we realize the preeminence of its author—and Scripture’s potential impact on our life today.

Think about the last time you saw a Bible. What was your reaction? Did you finger the pages with awe, or did you pass it by with barely a glance? Next time you open this precious book, read the words, savor their meaning, and ask God to help you apply its lessons to your life.

Intouch Ministries Devotions