Daily Promise – September 15 – God will keep us from evil

2 Thessalonians 3:3 KJV

But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

Promise #258: I will be faithful to give you My strength and protection.

God is faithful. He will never leave you or forsake you and He has promised to protect you from the evil one. In a world that is full of broken promises, this is something that we can know and rely on. The NIV Bible says 2 Thessalonians 3:3 this way… But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. NIV

You can rest in the fact that you are safe and secure in your heavenly Father’s love. His Word is His bond and He is completely faithful to do all that He promises. May faith rise up in our hearts today to believe that God is who He says He is and that we are who He says we are!

We don’t have to defend ourselves from the onslaughts of an orphan world system because He has promised to defend and protect us! …After all, He is our Dad and that is what fathers do!
Photo by Martin Smith

Verse of the Day – Show respect for the elderly and revere your God

VERSE:
Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly
and revere your God. I am the LORD.
— Leviticus 19:32
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Leviticus+19:32

THOUGHT:
In an age where respect is little known and even less practiced,
showing honor for those who are older is often overlooked. Yet in
this place, by the LORD’s own word, showing respect for the elderly
ranks right up there with reverencing God. But then we shouldn’t be
surprised, since God made honoring parents the very first
commandment (in the Ten Commandments — Exodus 20) directed at our
relationship with others — the first four commandments were
directed at our relationship with him!

PRAYER:
Holy and Eternal God, thank you for my parents in the flesh and
in the faith. Please give those who have been my spiritual mentors
a special blessing. Without their guidance, I’m not sure where I
would have ended up. Help me as I grow older to not only mature,
but to also gain the character that will be needed by those whom
you have placed before me to influence. May we, young and old
alike, restore dignity and respect to our relationships before you
in our generation. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Reach out and touch someone’s life today

Wanted to share some input that a neighbor gave me today. A few days ago we were talking and she was all upset and depressed because she has lost her house, her wealth, her friends, her community activities from the old neighborhood, and has had two divorces, and is now living in an apartment.

The Holy Spirit prompted me to say to her, “God had you where He wanted you in the past, but He has you right where he wants you, now”.

She gave me this big hug and stood holding my hand, and said, “You don’t know how much that statement meant to me. My therapist doesn’t understand at all how I feel, but the way you said it made me know that you knew what to say in that moment.”

I told her, “I know it was the Holy Spirit prompting me as to what to say to you, ’cause in myself, I wouldn’t have known what to say.”

Just knowing that we minister to others and are being used by God to touch someone else’s life, is such a rewarding and warm, humbling feeling.

So I encourage all of us, to reach out with the Holy Spirit’s guiding, and touch someone today.

YSIC,

Sharon

God loves to decorate

“Do good to me, your servant, so I can live, so I can obey your word.”

Psalm 119:17

God loves to decorate.

God has to decorate.

Let Him live long enough in a heart, and that heart will begin to change.

Portraits of hurt will be replaced by landscapes of grace.

Walls of anger will be demolished and shaky foundations restored.

God can no more leave a life unchanged

than a mother can leave her child’s tear untouched.

~ Max Lucado

Where would we be without Jesus?

By Roy Lessin

Without Jesus’ words we would be witnesses with nothing to say;

without Jesus’ authority we would be ambassadors with nothing to do;

without Jesus’ love we would be servants with nothing to give.

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches.

Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.

For apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:5 NLT

Daily Promises – September 14 – God stoops down to make us great

Psalm 18:34-35 KJV

34 He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. 35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.

Promise #257: I will train you for battle with My shield of salvation.

The Bible says that we are to fight the good fight of faith and to put on the full armor of God so that we can stand against the enemy. It also says that the kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent take it by force. There is no question that there is a battle going on in the spiritual realm and we are called to take our stand and resist the enemy.

In today’s promise, King David paints an intimate picture of how God Himself trains him for battle. I really like the NIV Bible translation of Psalm 18:34-35…³⁴ He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.³⁵ You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. NIV

What a picture of intimacy! Even in the midst of preparations for battle, David speaks of God that gently trains him and sustains him and even stoops down from heaven to make him great. No matter what battle you are facing today, be comforted in knowing that it is God Himself that will equip you to fight the good fight, for the battle belongs to the Lord. He will stoop down beside you, give you His shield of victory and His gentleness will make you great!

~ Barry Adams

Photo by James Jordan

Verse of the Day – Be of one in spirit and mind with Jesus

Philippians 2:1-2

[Imitating Christ’s Humility] Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

Read at Bible Gateway

Read all of Philippians 2

Where is your ministry? « Factum non iustus lacuna…

Where is your ministry? « Factum non iustus lacuna….

Thank you, Jason, for sharing this wonderful message. It challenges me, once again, to reflect on my motives for what I do daily.

FOUR REASONS WHY GOD IS SHAKING AMERICA & THE WORLD: Text of “Wake Up Call” sermon

Posted: September 13, 2011 by joelcrosenberg in Uncategorized

http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/

The following is the text of the sermon I delivered Sunday night, September 11th during the “Wake Up Call.” The video will soon be posted online, and I’ll let you know where and when as soon as possible.

“FOUR REASONS WHY GOD IS SHAKING AMERICA AND THE WORLD”

The Wake Up Call Event

Joel C. Rosenberg

September 11, 2011

Thank you. It is an honor to be here tonight — especially at this critical moment in American history, and in the history of the world.

Thousands of years ago, through the Hebrew Prophet Haggai, God told us what He was going to do — that He was going to shake us. “For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. I will shake all the nations…. I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations.’” (Haggai 2:6-7, 21-22)

That’s what Bible prophecy is – an intercept from the mind of the all-knowing, all-seeing God of the universe….a weather report from the future….a storm warning from the future — not so that we will be afraid, but so that we will be awake and ready and faithful and walking close to Jesus when the storms come.

Do you remember where you were on September 11^th, 2001?
Do you remember how you felt when you saw the Pentagon burning, the smoldering wreckage in Pennsylvania, the two towers imploding?
Not since Pearl Harbor had so many Americans been killed in a single attack – more than 3,000 that day.

None of us will ever forget that day — nor should we.

God didn’t cause 9/11 to happen….fanatics devoted to the false teachings of Radical Islam caused 9/11 to happen….but the True and Living God — the God of the Bible — let it happen to shake America….to get our attention….to wake us up.

I want to ask you some questions tonight as we reflect on 9/11, as we reflect on the state of our union, and the state of the Church, both here and around the world: On this anniversary of 9/11, are you morally and spiritually better off ten years ago? Is your family? Is your church?

Now is an appropriate time to take a spiritual audit — to assess how you’re doing morally and spiritually, how your family is doing, how your congregation is doing. Ten years ago, God shook us – the question is: Were we listening?

In the Book of Hebrews we read: “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” Hebrews 12:25-26)

Our Lord Jesus Christ — sitting with His disciples on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem — also warned in Matthew 24 that we would be shaken in the last days, those days leading up to Jesus’ return. “The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the power of the heavens will be shaken,” Jesus said. And then, when men least expect it, Jesus said, “the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:29-30)

America was shaken on 9/11. Today, God is shaking us again.

Nine of the ten costliest – most expensive – hurricanes in American history have happened since 9/11. The worst was Hurricane Katrina which nearly wiped out an American city and ended up costing $108 billion.[i]
Hurricane Irene will likely rank in the top five and has made 2011 the worst year in American history for natural disasters, with ten separate catastrophes costing $1 billion or more.[ii]
This year, we’ve seen the worst outbreak of tornadoes in nearly half a century.[iii]
The worst fires in the history of Texas – amidst the worst drought in the history of the state.[iv]
The biggest earthquake on the East Coast since 1875.[v]
The biggest earthquake in Colorado since 1882.

At the same time, our economy is being shaken to its core.

42,000 American factories have shut down since 9/11.[vi]
Fourteen million Americans have lost their jobs just in the past few years.
Millions of families have lost their homes.
Washington is running up the national credit card to jump start our economy, but it’s not working.
Our federal debt is now more than $14 trillion – that’s trillion with a “t.” It’s hard to imagine so much money. But put it this way: if we were to pay one dollar per second every hour of every day of every month to pay down our national debt, it would take us more than 32,000 years just to pay off $1 trillion – but we have more than $14 trillion of debt.[vii]
No wonder nearly eight-in-ten say America is on the “wrong track.”[viii]
No wonder nearly half of all Americans fear we’re heading for another Great Depression.[ix]

People are beginning to wonder if we can turn this thing around, or whether we’re heading towards an economic collapse, an economic implosion. Sometimes, it feels like we’re out on the middle of a frozen lake and suddenly we begin to hear the ice cracking under our feet. We haven’t plunged down into the icy waters yet, but we’re not sure where to step, or whether we can get back to the safety of the shore.

That’s the economy. But what of the state of our culture?

Since 1973, more than 53 million abortions. More than 53 million children murdered, and there is no end in sight.[x]
Pornography revenues today exceed the revenues of ABC, CBS and NBC – combined.[xi]
Today the pornography industry is larger than the revenues of Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo!, Apple, Netflix and EarthLink – combined.[xii]

Where are the Christians? What difference are we making? The answer is painful too hear. Too many people who say they are Christians are asleep, or distracted, or intoxicated by the world. Like the old country and western song, “Looking for love in all the wrong places,” too many people who say they are Christians have been looking love and meaning and purpose outside of Christ and His love.

George Barna, the Christian pollster and researcher, has just released a fascinating but sobering book entitled, Futurecast, Which I commend to your attention. In it, he devotes consider time to analyzing the state of Christianity in America today, and it is revealing:

85 percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians.[xiii]
“84 percent consider it a holy or sacred book” and “the typical American household owns four Bibles” [xiv]
Yet only 56 percent believe that “the Bible is accurate and without error.”[xv]

Clearly, there’s a disconnect between who we say we are, and what we say we believe, and how we’re living. Barna offers many examples. Let me share just two.

First, there is no statistical difference between the percentage of non-Christians who get divorced (33 percent) and the percentage of “born-again Christians” who get divorced (32 percent).[xvi]

Second, only half of all born again Christians say they even try to share the Gospel with even one unsaved person one time – one time – a year.[xvii]

How is this possible? How can we be salt and light to the lost world around us if we are no different than that lost world? How can possibly hope for a spiritual revival or a Third Great Awakening in this land if we are barely all sharing our faith in Jesus Christ with one person a year? Jesus said in Luke 6:46, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” This is an important question for us tonight.

Yet God isn’t merely shaking America — the Lord said through the prophet Haggai, “I will shake all the nations.”

Japan is suffering what her Prime Minister calls the worst disaster since World War II – a devastating earthquake, the resulting tsunami, and multiple nuclear meltdowns all at once.[xviii]
Australians have faced devastating flooding this year – one headline read: “Australia Faces Biblical Floods”[xix]
God is shaking the Arab world through revolutions and uprisings. The prophet Haggai said, “I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of the kingdoms of the nations.” And sure enough we have see rulers and regimes overthrown and destroyed in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, and Libya – and more may be coming.
Russia is suffering the worst drought in 100 years.[xx]
China is currently suffering its worst drought in 200 years.[xxi]
The earthquake in Christchurch last year was the worst in the history of New Zealand and left 1/3 of the city’s buildings facing demolition.[xxii]
Last year, God shook Haiti – the deadliest earthquake in nearly 500 years, and the second deadliest in all of human history.[xxiii]

The question is: Why is God shaking us?

The Bible teaches us that at this stage in history, God is shaking us not to punish us — though judgment will come.

There are, however, four reasons, I believe.

First, God is shaking us because He loves us and He wants us to repent – What is repentance? Some people think of it as a very heavy religious word. But my wife, Lynn, and I have tried to teach our four sons what repentance means in a very simple way. Our youngest is Noah, and so I’ll bring Noah over to my side and say, “Noah, start running away from me, out of the family room, through the kitchen and to the dinning room. Ready? Go!” So Noah starts running. Then suddenly I say, “Stop, Noah!” And he stops. And I say, “Repent, Noah.” And he turns around. And I say, “Come back to daddy!” And he comes running to me and jumps up in my arms and I hug him and kiss him. That’s repentance. God is telling to stop, because we’re running in the opposite direction, away from Him. He tells us to repent – to turn around – and to come running back to Him so that He can forgive us and dust us off and restore us. And that’s why He shakes us. He is trying to get us to let go of anything and everything we are holding – every form of ideology, or philosophy, or religious beliefs, or political beliefs, or material possessions – whatever we’re holding onto that we think will give us hope and peace and security other than Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son.

Second, God is shaking us because He wants us to realize there is no One else who can satisfy us or give us true peace and security except Jesus Christ – no other water that will quench our spiritual and emotional thirst except His living water, and He wants us to discover Him and draw near to Him and drink the water only Jesus Christ gives us.

Third, God is shaking us because He has a mission for His Church, a mission for each follower of His – good works that He prepared before the world began that we should walk in them – and He doesn’t want us to miss the blessing of serving Him and seeing Him bear fruit through our lives of obedience.

I’ve had the opportunity to travel into Iraq four times in recent years. Last year, we were invited to bring a team of pastors and staff from The Joshua Fund to do a pastors conference in northern Iraq, near the province of Ninevah. We have a son named Jonah, and he really wanted to go with me so he could see Ninevah. Lynn and I weren’t so sure about that, but we prayed, and felt God’s peace, so Jonah came with me. But as we were flying in, a big storm came up and prevented our flight from landing in northern Iraq. We were diverted back to Amman, Jordan. There, I texted Lynn and told her what happened and said Jonah and I were disappointed and weren’t sure what was going to happen next. She texted back to say, “Don’t worry. This would be the first time in history that a Jonah wanted to go to Ninevah and God prevented him from going. But I think God is going to actually let you and Jonah get to Ninevah after all.” And she was right.

Now, in the Bible, the Lord gave the Hebrew prophet Jonah a mission — to take a warning of judgment and the urgency of repentance to the people of Ninevah in modern day northern Iraq, but Jonah refused to listen to the word of the Lord, and tried to run away from the Lord by boarding a ship that was heading for Tarshish, which is modern day southern Spain.

What happened? God began to shake Jonah’s world. We pick up the story in Jonah 1:4-6. “The Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. Then the sailors became afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep. So the captain approached him and said, ‘How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish.’”

Jonah — a man of God, a prophet of God, a teacher of God’s Word — was on the run from God, and asleep to His voice.

How convicting is this: that a pagan ship captain had to shake a teacher of God’s word, and wake him up, and beg him to pray for his salvation?

What about you? What mission has God given you? Are you obeying, or are you on the run from the Lord and asleep to His voice?

There is a fourth reason, too — the Lord is shaking us because Jesus Christ is coming back soon, and the time to get right with the Lord is running out.

How do we know Christ is coming back? Because He said so.

Revelation 22:12 – Jesus said, “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”

John 14:1-6 – Jesus said, ^“‘Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.’ Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’”

When is Jesus coming back? We don’t know exactly, because He didn’t tell us. “But of that day and hour no one knows,” Christ said, “not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” (Matthew 24:36)

But our Lord Jesus did give us signs to watch for that would tell us when His return was near.

In Matthew 24, and Luke 21, and Mark 13, and throughout the Scriptures we find lists of signs:

wars and rumors of wars
uprisings and revolutions
earthquakes
natural disasters
lawlessness
false prophets
false teachers
false messiahs
the rise of evil in our cultures previously unimaginable
persecution of the believers
betrayal
apostasy
…..to name just a few.

Jesus said we will experience “birth pangs.” Are we not experiencing all these today?

But you say, Joel, when in history have we not had wars and revolutions and earthquakes and apostasy? What makes this period of time different from all others?

The answer is Israel. Bible prophecy makes it crystal clear that in the last days before the Second Coming, the world would witness the miraculous, prophetic rebirth of the State of Israel, Jews coming back to the Holy Land after centuries of exile, Jews rebuilding the ancient ruins, Israel becoming the epicenter of international attention, and growing international hostility and isolation — and we have seen all this happen in our lifetime.

The prophetic rebirth of Israel on May 14, 1948 — together with the reunification of Jerusalem under Jewish control in June 1967 — is what Bible scholars call the “super sign,” the definitive sign that we are truly in what the Bible calls the “last day” before the return of Christ. Throughout the Old Testament, Israel is symbolized as a “fig tree.” Jesus told us the “parable from the fig tree” in Matthew 24. Jesus said, “Now learn the parable from the fig tree; when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.” (Matthew 24:32-33)

We are seeing the signs that will precede Christ’s return.
We are experiencing the birth pangs that will come before Christ’s return.
We are being shaken, as prophecy warned, because Jesus wants to wake us up.

We don’t know the day or the hour, but Jesus said we would know the season, and we should be living as though His hand is on the door, ready to come back.

Matthew 24:42 — “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.”

Matthew 24:43 – Be “on the alert.”

Matthew 24:44 – “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”

Are you ready to see Jesus face to face? Have you given your life to Jesus Christ? Are you absolutely sure that if you were to die tonight that you would go to heaven? Tonight, you can be certain.

Maybe you are already believer — maybe you have given your life to the Lord….but in your heart you know you’re not walking faithfully with Him….you’re drifting….or far away….tonight, God is calling you back to Him….He’s calling you to repent, turn around, come running back into His arms, asking for His forgiveness – for a fresh start, for a righteous and willing spirit. And the Scriptures tell us, “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)

But to start, we need to wake up.

The Hebrew Prophet Joel wrote: “Wake up and weep, you drunkards!” Why? “For the Day of the Lord is coming; surely it is near.” (Joel 1:5, 2:1)

The Lord Jesus said in the Book of Revelation to the Church in Sardis: “I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.” (Revelation 3:1-3)

Is that you tonight? Is that your family? Is that your church? Perhaps you have a reputation that you’re spiritually alive — but maybe that’s not how Jesus sees you. Maybe He sees you as dead inside. Maybe you’re not obeying Him. Maybe you’re not worshipping Him — not really — not with your heart. Maybe you’re not sharing the gospel with family or friends. Maybe you’re not making any disciples. Maybe you’ve never made a single disciple. Maybe you don’t know what it means to make a disciple, even though Jesus commanded, “Go and make disciples of all nations.”

Where are you tonight? Are you awake, or asleep? Are you running with Jesus, or are you running from Him, and from the mission He has for your life — like Jonah?

Ten years ago, Americans got a wake up call. The 9/11 attacks stunned us, and they drove us back to church by the millions. But did it last? George Barna’s research shows that “after the 9/11 attacks, religious activity surged, but within two months, virtually every spiritual indicator available suggested that things were back to pre-attack levels.”[xxiv] In other words, the wake up call came and people jumped out of bed — but before long, they went back to sleep, back to business as usual.

But look at the list of signs that the Bible says we will see in the last days. Then look at what is happening in our world. Wouldn’t you say the list is being checked off, one by one? I would. Which is why I would this: if you consider yourself a follower of Jesus Christ and you’re planning any major sins in your life right now, can I urge you to postpone those plans, or better yet, cancel them outright. This is not a good time to be goofing around. This is not a good time to be doing something, watching something, listening to something, reading something, spending time with someone or something for which you would be ashamed when Jesus comes back.

The Apostle John put it this way: “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.” (1 John 2:28)

Let’s be clear: the Bible tells us that these shakings are going to continue, and get worse, like birth pangs, increasing in frequency and intensity — contraction and release, contraction and release. Our Father is trying to wake us up before it is too late. Our Lord Jesus Christ is giving us time…..

to rekindle our first love with Him
to embrace Him
to eat of the Bread of Life
to drink of the living water
to follow Him no matter what the journey
to serve Him no matter how high the cost
to discover His mercies afresh every morning
to discover that when the world is being shaken, you don’t have to be – not in your heart, not in your soul – because your hope and trust is fully in Him.

Hebrews 12:28 — When we give our lives to Christ, the Scriptures say we will “receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken”

The Psalmist wrote: “I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” (Psalm 16:8)

And, “Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” (Psalm 55:22).

Where are you tonight? Are you ready to meet Jesus face to face?

– End –

[i] Eric Blake, et al, “The Deadliest, Costliest, and Most Intense United States Tropical Cyclones From 1851 to 2010,” NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS NHC-6, National Weather Service/National Hurricane Center, August 2011, p. 9, http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/pdf/nws-nhc-6.pdf

[ii] “2011 Record Year For Weather Disasters,” UPI, August 19, 2011, http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/08/19/2011-record-year-for-weather-disasters/UPI-57581313783153/

[iii] Marty Roney and Carolyn Pesce, “Dozens of Tornadoes Kill At Least 297 People In South,” USA Today, April 29, 2011, http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/tornadoes/2011-04-28-deadly-tornado-south_n.htm?loc=interstitialskip.

[iv] See “Worst Fires On Record Ravage Texas,” Voice of America, http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/Worst-Fires-on-Record-Ravage-Texas-129366213.html; see also, “Worst Drought In Texas History Ravages Crops, Livestock,” PBS NewsHour, August 31, 2011, http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/weather/july-dec11/texasdrought_08-31.html,

[v] Katharine Q. Seeyle, “Above All, Eastern Quake Rattles Nerves,” New York Times, August 23, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/24/us/24quake.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all.

[vi] Richard McCormack, “The Plight of American Manufacturing,” American Prospect, December 29, 2009, http://prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_plight_of_american_manufacturing.

[vii] 1 trillion seconds is 31,688 years; see http://www.defeatthedebt.com/understanding-the-national-debt/millions-billions-trillions/

[viii] A Reuters/Ipsos poll taken in August 2011 found 73 percent of Americans believing the country was on the “wrong track.” See Steve Holland, “Most Americans say U.S. on wrong track: poll,” Reuters, August 10, 2011.

[ix] Specifically, some 48 percent of Americans believe a Great Depression is coming, CNN poll released June 8, 2011.

[x] National Right To Life fact sheet, January 27, 2011, http://www.nrlc.org/Factsheets/FS03_AbortionInTheUS.pdf.

[xi] Jerry Ropelato, “Internet Pornography Statistics,” Internet Filter Software Reviews, http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-statistics-pg2.html.

[xii] Ibid.

[xiii] George Barna, Futurecast (Carol Stream, IL: Barna/Tyndale House Publishers, 2011), p. 124.

[xiv] Barna, p. 132-134.

[xv] Barna, p. 132-134.

[xvi] Barna, p. 35.

[xvii] Barna, p. 172.

[xviii] “Japan Quake Worst Crisis Since WWII, Says PM,” BBC, March 13, 2011.

[xix] Nick Meo, “Australia Faces Biblical Floods,” U.K. Telegraph, January 1, 2011, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/8235159/Australia-faces-biblical-floods.html.

[xx] “Russia Struck By Worst Drought In 100 Years,” Voice of Russia, July 18, 2010, http://english.ruvr.ru/2010/07/18/12667465.html.

[xxi] “East China wheat basket braces for worst drought in 200 years,” Xinhua news service, February 8, 2011.

[xxii] “Christchurch earthquake leaves third of city buildings facing demolition: New Zealand’s PM says quake is country’s worst-ever disaster as death toll climbs to 145 and much of business district in ruins,” The (U.K.) Guardian, February 26, 2011.

[xxiii] The deadliest quake in all of human history occurred in 1556 A.D. in China. See “Earthquakes With 50,000 Or More Deaths,” U.S. Geological Survey, http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/world/most_destructive.php, accessed September 2, 2011.

[xxiv] George Barna, “The Year’s Most Intriguing Findings, From Barna Research Studies,” Barna Update, December 17, 2011, http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/64-the-years-most-intriguing-findings-from-barna-research-studies.

Daily Promise – September 13 – He will be the voice behind us

Isaiah 30:21 KJV

And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying,
This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

Promise #256: I will be the voice behind you, guiding you in the way you should go.

Have you ever come to a fork in a road and not sure which road to take? I know that often when I have gone hiking, there inevitably comes a time on the trail where it splits off to the right and then left and I am not always sure which path to take. Wouldn’t it be nice if at that exact moment, you had a trail guide standing behind whispering in your ear what to do?

In today’s Bible promise, God is saying that He is right behind us and He will tell us the way we should go. What a comforting thought to know that we are not left on our own to figure things out. God has committed to walk with us and to at times carry us on our life’s journey. Sometimes when I struggle to hear my Father’s direction, I wonder if it is because there is so many other thoughts swirling around in my brain that I just fail to hear His still small voice?

Experts say that we all have tens of thousands of thoughts chattering in our brain on an average day. Perhaps all that noise is drowning out the gentle, quiet whisper of our heavenly Dad who is standing behind us, willing to tell us where we should go if we will only quiet our mind to listen? This is why I think it says in Psalm 46:10 to ‘be still and know that I am God’.

The next time you need to know what path to take, why not quiet yourself (to the best of your ability) from all the chattering and opinions that swirl in your thought life and listen for the still small voice behind you? God has promised to be there and He has promised to be the voice that will direct you in the way you should go.

~ Barry Adams

Photo by Barry Adams

Verse of the Day – First seek the counsel of the Lord

VERSE:
But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the
counsel of the LORD.”
— 1 Kings 22:5
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=1+Kings+22:5

THOUGHT:
This verse is from the wonderful story of Micaiah the prophet.
Jehoshaphat knew not to trust the counsel of false prophets. He was
adamant that before they went into battle with anyone, God’s people
needed to first seek the counsel of the Lord! This should also be
our approach to life. So often we ask God to bless what we’ve
already decided rather than spending time in prayer, fasting, and
Scripture seeking our Father’s will. Let’s not rush our decisions.
God has promised that he would lead us with his Spirit; let’s not
rush the Spirit’s input, or even worse, ignore it and then ask God
to bless us anyway!

PRAYER:
Holy and Almighty God, ruler of all nations and Sovereign over
all creation, please guide my decisions as I seek your will and
your glory. I want my life, my family, my work, and my ministry to
be lived in your will. I want to be your servant and not seek my
own way and my own glory. Thank you for sending your Spirit to help
illuminate your Word and lead me and to equip and empower me to
serve you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Giving a Gift can Change You!

Is there someone in your life you always seems to rub you the wrong way? Years ago a friend shared three ways to get past the tension and even become a friend to someone you have trouble with.

Pray for them, for God’s blessing and influence.
Do something nice for them.
Give them a gift. (Even better, do not tell them it is from you.)

There are many verses that speak to these truths;

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Romans 12:20 (the burning coals are a gift, a nice thing.)

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” Matthew 5:44

In stead of avoiding, we engage.

By faith we do the right thing, even if our “feelings” tell us not to and our heart is not in it.

As we invest in people, we begin to value them differently, and only good can come from that.

So take action and see what happens.

Think about it, pray and do something nice.

Bless someone who does not deserve it this week!

(This message is from Planet Ichthus Christian Gifts. I thought it was a great sentiment.)

Rainy Day People: Counseling Others in the Storm | BROKEN BELIEVERS

Rainy Day People: Counseling Others in the Storm | BROKEN BELIEVERS.

Thank you, Bryan. I really appreciated this message. You’re right. Those who do not suffer from depression or a mental disorder, don’t understand. No offense to them. It’s just not possible. They can sympathize, but can’t empathize. My husband and I are both bipolar, borderline personality, and PTSD, to name a few of our disorders. Even though we empathize with each other, so many times we have to pray, hold each other, and let the crisis pass. Lately, I’ve been extremely depressed, and for no apparent reasons. It’s rough. It is a little corner of hell, or maybe a big corner sometimes. I know it’s horrible, and I wouldn’t wish it on anybody. It’s especially hard when you know that you have absolutely everything in the world, and with God, that a person could ever hope for, and yet, the depression is there, eating your guts out. Thanks for sharing your heart and encouraging others to express and share from theirs.

You’ve Got Mail! « Women’s Window

You’ve Got Mail! « Women’s Window.

Very encouraging message.

Much Sin, Much Love: A Law of the Spirit | BROKEN BELIEVERS

Much Sin, Much Love: A Law of the Spirit | BROKEN BELIEVERS.

Fret buster #97

September 12, 2011

Fret buster #97

My son, My son, why are you striving
You can’t add one thing to what’s been done for you
I did it all while I was dying
Rest in your faith, my peace will come to you.

-Keith Green

“My peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you.” John 14:27

We do not fret about self-preservation, for we know “we are immortal until our work is done.” We may live from hand to mouth, but it is God’s hand…it is blessed so to live.” –Vance Havner

But none of these things move me; neither do I esteem my life dear to myself, if only I may finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have obtained from the Lord Jesus. Acts 20:24 AMP

Before you even call out to God, He will answer you

Isaiah 65:24 KJV

24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer;
and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.

Promise #255: Before you even call out to Me, I will answer you.

Have you ever felt that God seemed a million miles away sometimes when you prayed? I think all of us have struggled with the feeling that our prayers seemed like they were bouncing off the ceiling at one time or another. I am not sure why we sometimes struggle with these feelings of being distant to God when we pray. Whatever the reason, it is a time where we can exercise our faith and demonstrate that we believe God despite our perceptions (Hebrews 11:6).

Even though we go through these times of feeling isolated and distant, the truth is that God is not distant when we pray. God is closer to us than we could possibly imagine and today’s promise from Isaiah 65:24 is an encouragement that He will answer us even before we pray the prayer! In Matthew 6:8, Jesus affirms this promise by telling His disciples that their heavenly Father knows what they need before they even ask Him for it!

My prayer for each one of us today is that faith will rise up in our hearts when we pray to our heavenly Father because we know that He is fully engaged with us and is ready to answer even before we call out to Him!

~ Barry Adams
Photo by Martin Smith

Our God is an awesome God

VERSE:
Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all
blessing and praise.
— Nehemiah 9:5
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Nehemiah+9:5

THOUGHT:
God loves to hear our praises and songs of adoration. He longs
to hear us call him Abba Father and King of the Ages. But better
than all the praise we can muster and higher than the highest
sounds of angels is something higher still: the very name of God.
Let’s make a commitment to revere and hold as holy the name of our
glorious God!

PRAYER:
Almighty God, Father of compassion and Creator of the Universe,
I praise you for exerting your will on our world. Now, dear Father,
please make your will clearly demonstrable in my life as I seek to
live for you so that your name will be exalted. In the holy name of
Jesus I pray. Amen.

Daily Promise – September 11 – God is not far from you

Acts 17:27 KJV

That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him,
and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

Promise #254: Reach out and you will touch Me for I am not far from you.

The Apostle Paul was speaking to a bunch of philosphers on Mars Hill in Athens when he made this statement. This Bible verse is part of a discourse where Paul addresses a statue to an ‘unknown god’ and proceeds to tell all the listeners about who God really is. I really like this verse and the next verse in Paul’s proclamation of the gospel in the NIV Bible…

Acts 17:27-28
²⁷God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ²⁸‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

Paul tells these dear pagan folks that God is so close to them that they can actually just reach out and they can touch Him for ‘in Him we live and move and have our being’.

The truth is that the universe does not contain God,

God contains the universe!

In Colossians 1, the Bible says that Jesus is the glue that holds everything together. Every proton, every electron, every atom… all held together by the very presence of Jesus.

As you ponder this promise today, may God give you the awareness of the nearness of His presence to you. He is not far off in a distant land, but closer than you could possibly imagine for in Him we live and move and have our being. So reach out today and encounter the love of your Father that is with you wherever you go.

~ Barry Adams

Photo by Glen Bylsma

Verse of the Day – God sees trouble and grief

VERSE:
You, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it
in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of
the fatherless.
— Psalm 10:14
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Psalm+10:14

THOUGHT:
Those who take advantage of people who are powerless, who are
down on their luck, or who are in compromising situations, need to
know that God sees their actions and will hold them accountable.
Those who are in distress must keep their faith in God, trusting
that he sees, cares, and will send his help at the right time.
Those of us who fit neither category need to be working for the
deliverance and blessing of those who are facing difficulties and
hardships.

PRAYER:
Gracious God, please bless several people I know who are in
times of real distress and heartbreak. Please use me to minister to
them. But please, dear Father, fill them with your Spirit so they
will have the strength and courage necessary to endure. Bless them
with deliverance that is clearly from you, so that all will know
your grace and give glory to you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Daily Promise – September 10 – Your old life has ended

2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Promise #253: Your old life has ended and now everything is new in Christ.

Just think of this promise. Everything of your old life has ended and all things have become new. In this Bible passage, the Apostle Paul isn’t talking about our natural life but our spiritual life. When we received the free gift of Jesus Christ into our lives, there was a transformation that happened on the inside of each one of us.

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead gave new life to our spirit man and we became baptised into the body of Christ. At that very moment, everything of our ‘old nature’ died, and a new life began. While this is a wonderful picture of our salvation, many of us still struggle with remnants of our old ways seemingly still alive and well in our soul.

Old thought patterns, familiar false beliefs, etc. seem to dominate our minds. The truth is that while these struggles are real, in actual fact, they are but just residue from our former life. The only power that they continue to hold over us is the power that we give them by agreeing with these thoughts. That is why we are called to not be conformed to this world any longer but transformed by the renewing of the mind (Romans 12:1-2).

May today be the day when our inner man, a new creation in Christ, rises up and declares the truth of who we truly are! May God give us the courage today to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and rise up and receive our destiny as a joint-heir of Jesus. The truth really is that our old life has ended and all things have become new in Jesus Christ our Lord!

~ Barry Adams

Photo by Barry Adams

Verse of the Day – Fix our eyes on Jesus

VERSE:
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our
faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning
its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
— Hebrews 12:2
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Hebrews+12:2

THOUGHT:
Who is your hero? I’m not asking for the Sunday school class
answer, but the person you most actively admire! It is hard to “fix
our eyes on Jesus” because he is not here where we can see him like
other heroes. But he was the ultimate adventurer and trailblazer.
He faced the horrific penalty and shame of the cross, taking away
our sin! He did it so that we could have a hero that death and sin
could not destroy, mar, or taint. He did it so that we could be
confident that if we follow in his footsteps, the trail he blazed
wasn’t just for him, but for us, too!

PRAYER:
Holy God, forgive me when I chase what is false and let my focus
shift from Jesus as my ultimate hero. I want to honor and serve
him, having his life come alive in me, so that others may know the
confidence that comes in having Jesus as their Lord. Words cannot
express my gratitude to my Lord for his sacrifice and the horrible
price he paid for my sins. Neither can words express my jubilation
at his trailblazing victory that assures that I will someday be
with you forever! It is in his name, Jesus Christ, that I pray.
Amen.

Verse of the Day – Seek to Know Him

VERSE:
Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who
comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those
who earnestly seek him.
— Hebrews 11:6
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Hebrews+11:6

THOUGHT:
Our relationship with God is built on the atoning sacrifice of
Jesus and our acceptance of that sacrifice through obedient faith.
That faith trusts that God not only exists, but that he also
personally cares about us and our desire to know him. He eagerly
longs to bless those who seek him. What we find when we seek him,
however, is that all other blessings pale in comparison to knowing,
and being known by the eternal, immortal, and only true God!

PRAYER:
Holy God, I do seek to know you better. Please make your
presence known more powerfully in my life and in the life of your
Church. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Daily Promises – September 9 – God has a poor memory

Hebrews 8:12 KJV

12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness,
and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

Promise #252: I will forgive your sins and then forget them.

God is Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient. He is all powerful, He is everywhere and He is all knowing. Yet the God who created the heavens and the earth with just the sound of His voice has decided to have a poor memory when it comes to our sin. In today’s promise, God says that He will forgive all of our sin and then forget them.

The One who is limitless in every way, has chosen to intentionally forget every mistake, every failure, every time we have hurt Him and others because of the blood of Jesus Christ. Sometimes I wonder if I actually live each day in the knowledge that God has forgiven me so completely that He can’t even remember one time when I have sinned.

As Paul the Apostle said, “Do we keep on sinning that grace abound? God forbid!” However, if we allow the full weight of this promise to seep deep into our hearts, we won’t be continually re-counting our sin over and over in our own minds and perhaps in our prayers. Because of our Father’s great mercy, He chooses to forgive and then forget. Let us embrace the words of Paul in Philippians 3:12-14 today and choose to forget the things that God forgets…

¹²Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. NIV Bible

~ Barry Adams

Photo by Barry Adams

We can’t surprise God

“A person is made right with God not by following the law,

but by trusting in Jesus Christ.”

Galatians 2:16

God is not stumped by an evil world.

He doesn’t gasp in amazement at the depth of our faith or the depth of our failures.

We can’t surprise God with our cruelties.

He knows the condition of the world . . . and loves it just the same.

For just when we find a place where God would never be (like on a cross),

we look again and there he is, in the flesh.

~ Max Lucado

Daily Promise – September 8 – Simply because He loves us

Ephesians 2:4-5 KJV
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ,
(by grace ye are saved;)

Promise #251: I made you alive in Jesus simply because I love you.

Today’s promise is the very core of the gospel message. Because Father God is rich in mercy, He has loved us with a love that is immeasureable. He has set a value on each one of our lives that is beyond our comprehension. In His great kindness, God saw fit to make us alive in Jesus Christ even when we were His enemies, dead in our sin.

By the unmerited favor of our God and Father and by the sacrifice of our savior and Lord Jesus Christ, we are saved from eternal separation from the Godhead. The motivation for such a great salvation is simply the love that God has for us. We don’t know why He decided to love us and sacrifice all that He had to gain our love, we just know that He does.

My prayer is that not one of us would miss the incredible simplicity of God’s heart for humanity. His motivation to save us was rooted and grounded in His love and great mercy. Period. He is not looking for servants, but sons and daughters. That is why Jesus died for you and I. So that you could be part of His family. May we all be in awe today of the salvation that has been so freely given to each one of us.

~ Barry Adams

Photo by Glen Bylsma

God thinks about you all the time

To view the full message click on the following link:

http://ecards.dayspring.com/ecards/subcat.asp?CategoryID=6&SubCategoryID=47&CardID=401710&Widescreen=False&CurPage=1

https://sharinhislove.wordpress.com/2011/09/04/daily-promise-september-4-he-cant-stop-thinking-about-us/

Verse of the Day – Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists

(Note: The Bible is very clear in different passages warning us not to seek out mediums or spiritists. Even Astrology, Ouija boards, palm readers, ghost hunters are considered to be in those categories. So we should be aware of anything that would be in defiance of God’s Word.

Defile means:

1. to make foul, dirty, or unclean; pollute; taint; debase.

2. to violate the chastity of.)

VERSE:
Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be
defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
— Leviticus 19:31
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Leviticus+19:31

THOUGHT:
Our world has a re-emerging fascination with the occult and the
world of demons and witchcraft. It’s easy for us to react in one of
two dangerous ways: to downplay the reality of these things or to
dabble in them as matters of entertainment or amusement. God wants
us to know that these fascinations are dangerous because the evil
entities behind them are real and when we involve ourselves in
them, they defile us. God alone is God and is to be worshiped
without rival by his people.

PRAYER:
Holy and magnificent God, thank you for breaking the power and
hold of evil powers through Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.
Please deliver those whom I know and love that are entrapped in one
way or another with a fascination with false gods and deceiving and
destructive spirits. Empower your Church with your Spirit; please
cleanse us and make us a holy people, undefiled and ready for your
service. In the name of the Lord Jesus I pray. Amen.

Wonderful are Your works

What is right

Don’t ask God to do what you want.

Ask God to do what is right.

~ Max Lucado

The Crosswalk | ChristianBlessings

The Crosswalk | ChristianBlessings.

Wow!

Lead us not into temptation? The Lord’s Prayer « Anchor for the Soul

Lead us not into temptation? The Lord’s Prayer « Anchor for the Soul.

A new understanding of “The Lord’s Prayer.

Martyrs in America? Maybe | BROKEN BELIEVERS

Martyrs in America? Maybe | BROKEN BELIEVERS.

A very thought-provoking message. Life as a Christian isn’t challenged yet. But is it coming?

Overflowing

“My cup overflows with blessings.”

Psalm 23:5 NLT

Is an overflowing cup full?

Absolutely.

The wine reaches the rim and then tumbles over the edge.

The goblet is not large enough to contain the quantity.

According to David, our hearts are not large enough to contain the blessings that God wants to give.

He pours and pours until they literally flow over the edge and down on the table.

The last thing we need to worry about is not having enough.

Our cup overflows with blessings.

~ Max Lucado

Daily Promises – August 28 – My cup overflows (sharinhislove.wordpress.com)
Daily Promise – September 4 – He can’t stop thinking about us (sharinhislove.wordpress.com)

Daily Promise – September 7 – You will have everlasting joy

Isaiah 61:7
7 For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion:
therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.

Promise #250: I will give you a double portion of your inheritance in exchange for your shame.

In the Hebrew tradition, the eldest son of the family would receive a double portion of the family’s inheritance. So if I understand it correctly, if there were 5 heirs, the inheritance would be divided 6 ways and the eldest son would get 2/6, or double the inheritance that his brothers and/or sisters received.

Isaiah 61 is a prophetic declaration of freedom pointing to the day when Jesus would come to the world and be the fulfillment of all the promises made in this amazing chapter of the Bible. You can read more about this in Luke 4:14-20 if you like. Isaiah declares that the coming Messiah will bring freedom to the captives, comfort for the grieving and beauty for ashes. He always declares that we will exchange our shame for a double portion of our inheritance!

Since the double portion belongs to the eldest son, we know that this promise is referring to us sharing in the inheritance of our elder brother, Jesus Christ. No longer do we need to carry the stigma of shame! God has made us heirs of inheritance and joint heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:15-17). May the reality of all that is proclaimed in Isaiah 61 become a tangible benefit in your life today. Instead of shame, you will receive a DOUBLE PORTION of your inheritance!
Photo by Barry Adams

Verse of the Day – Seek the good of others

VERSE:
Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.
— 1 Corinthians 10:24
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=1+Corinthians+10:24

THOUGHT:
Isn’t it amazing how the more we try to fix things for
ourselves, the more we focus on “looking out for number 1,” and the
more we also find ourselves isolated from meaningful relationships
that make life worth living. “If you want to have a friend, then be
a friend,” the saying goes. You know what? It’s right! It’s easy to
seek what is only for our own good. That’s what most folks do as a
matter of course. But what makes Christians redemptive, what makes
them like God, is their willingness to think of others before
themselves!

PRAYER:
Father, forgive me, because I know that I am often selfish and
seldom think through the implications of my decisions based on the
needs of others. I want to have the mind of Christ and be more
selfless and sacrificial with everyone who needs your grace and the
tenderness that you have placed within me to share with them.
Please bless me as I seek to be like your Son in this area of my
life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Verse of the Day – Live a quiet life (sharinhislove.wordpress.com)

Jesus proves God wants intimacy with us

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 12:00 AM PDT

By Jon Walker

— — —

“Christian prayer presupposes faith, that is, adherence to Christ. He is the one and only Mediator of our prayers. We pray at his command, and to that word Christian prayer is always bound.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

— — —

Bonhoeffer notes that Jesus is proof that God wants intimacy with us. Jesus came to create a bridge to God, and we become intimate with the Father through Jesus.

This is a problem when we pray in pride. Prideful prayers set us up to be false mediators between others and God. They slyly say, “Look at how I pray. Watch me and see how persuasive I can be with God.” They suggest we have a special connection with God independent of our connection through Christ. That encourages others to believe our prayers have more meaning before God than their prayers, when the truth of the Bible is that anyone connected to God through Jesus can approach the throne of grace boldly (Hebrews 4:16).

Bonhoeffer says, “[Jesus] is the one and only Mediator of our prayers. We pray at his command, and to that word Christian prayer is always bound.”

This is the reason we pray in the name of Jesus and why eliminating the name of Jesus from our prayers is a significant theological issue.

It is important to note, then, the distinct difference between being an intercessor for others and any arrogant attempt to be a mediator for them. We do not connect anyone to God; Jesus connects them to God. But Jesus calls us to intercede on behalf of others, standing beside them and sometimes instead of them as we fulfill the law of Christ by carrying the burdens of others to God in prayer (Galatians 6:2).

Becoming like Jesus in Prayer (sharinhislove.wordpress.com)
When Speculation Replaces Faith (sharinhislove.wordpress.com)

You are the light of the world

A sermon by Davon Huss

Matthew 5:14-5:15

Evening Service for 5/31/2009

There are all kinds of theories about how to motivate people. We can do it through guilt, fear or shame. But overall these were not Jesus’ methods. Jesus motivated through positive messages of hope and encouragement.

Jesus told those at the Sermon on the Mount. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. What kind of people did he say this to? Farmers, fishermen, tax collectors, housewives, all in a tiny remote village in an obscure part of the world. Talk about a statement of faith. It must have sounded absurd at the time even to them.

But so are we. Who are we? We might see ourselves that way but this is how God sees us. (Phil 2:15 NIV) children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe

Thesis: You and I are the light of the world. What does it mean?

For instances:
1. We have a responsibility for the world.
A. What does light do?
1. Light is used to signal.
2. Light is used to guide. (Psa 119:105 NIV) Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
3. Light is used to penetrate the darkness and expose evil and error. (John 3:19 NIV) This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. (John 3:20 NIV) Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.(John 3:21 NIV) But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”
4. Light is used to prevent sin (security lights in dark areas)
5. Light is used to produce growth (plants).
6. Light does not exist for its own glory but to brighten up the world.
B. There was a time when the pulpits of this nation sounded with the call for young men and women to go out as missionaries to be lights to a world of darkness. We don’t sounds that trumpet as we once did. Shaun and Mary Ann Cooper.
C. We don’t call people to really sacrifice all they have and all they are for the good of souls and the Gospel.

2. We have something that the world desperately needs.
A. Mother Teresa was speaking to persons who had come to meet her from all over the world. Among the groups to which she spoke was one of the sisters from many North American orders. After her talk she asked if there were any questions. “Yes, I have one,” a woman sitting near the front said. “As you know, most of the orders represented here have been losing members. It seems that more and more women are leaving all the time. And yet your order is attracting thousands upon thousands. What do you do?” Mother Teresa said, “I give them Jesus.” “Yes, I know,” said the woman, “but take habits, for example. Do your women object to wearing habits? And the rules of the order, how do you do it?” “I give them Jesus,” Mother Teresa replied. “Yes, I know Mother,” said the woman, “but can you be more specific?” “I give them Jesus,” Mother Teresa repeated again. “Mother,” said the woman, “we are all of us aware of your fine work. I want to know about something else.” Mother Teresa said sternly, “I give them Jesus. There is nothing else.”
B. Many times that is all that we have. Our faith like many others has rules and commandments that are to benefit society. Our faith like many others has role models to look up to. Today we are reminded that we live in a pluralistic world. Many religions here in US. Many people who do good for this cause or in that name. What do we have to offer? Give them Jesus. The greatest heresy current today is that all religions are the same. Jesus had no peer. There never has been nor ever be anyone like Jesus.

3. We are not the source of light; we are reflectors of a much greater source.
A. In John 8:12 Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.”
B. What does he mean when he says, “We are the light of the world.” We are like the moon. The moon gives off no light of its own. It just reflects the sun’s light.
C. There is One who has touched our lives and given us the power and authority to touch others.
D. Eric Butterworth once told about a college professor who had his sociology class go into the Baltimore slums to get case histories of 200 young boys. The students were asked to write an evaluation of each boy’s future. In every case the students wrote, “He hasn’t got a chance.” 25 years later another sociology professor came across the earlier study. He had his students follow up on the project to see what had happened to these boys. With the exception of 20 boys who had moved away or died, the students learned that 176 of the remaining 180 had achieved success as lawyers, doctors and businessmen. The professor was astounded about the results. The earlier study was so inaccurate. What had happened to change the futures of these young boys? Fortunately, all the men were in the area and he was able to ask each one, “How do you account for your success?” In each case the reply came back, “There was this teacher…” That teacher was still alive, so he sought her out and asked the elderly but still alert woman what magic formula she had used to pull these boys out of the slums into successful achievement. The teacher’s eyes sparkled and her lips broke into a smile. “It’s really very simple,” she said. “I loved those boys.”
E. This teacher saw possibilities in them that no one else saw. Tell someone long enough they begin to believe.
F. The love they received from Jesus they passed on to others. Today there is no place in this world that the light people have received from Jesus does not shine.

Conclusion and invitation:
A. To convince the people of Philadelphia of the advantage of street lighting, Benjamin Franklin decided to show his neighbors be placing one in front of his house. He purchased an attractive lantern, polished the glass, and placed it on an extended pole in front of his house. Each evening, he would light the wick and hang out the lantern. Before long all of his neighbors noticed the light and even those far up the street noticed the warm glow around his house. The people passing by his house were delighted because it made walking in the dark so much easier. Soon, other placed lanterns in front of their homes and eventually the city recognized the need for having well lighted streets.
B. This is what Jesus is talking about later in vs. 14- a CITY on a hill. From an airplane the first light is supported by all the others.
C. People in this world are lost in darkness and they’re looking for light to lead them to spiritual, emotional and mental safety. This next song is talking about vs. 15
D. There is a candle in every soul
Some brightly burning, some dark and cold
There is a Spirit who brings a fire
Ignites a candle and makes His home
Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the helpless, confused and torn
And hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
Frustrated brother, see how he’s tried to
Light his own candle some other way
See now your sister, she’s been robbed and lied to
Still holds a candle without a flame
So Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the lonely, the tired and worn
And hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world
We are a family whose hearts are blazing
So let’s raise our candles and light up the sky
Praying to our Father, in the name of Jesus
Make us a beacon in darkest times
Carry your candle, run to the darkness
Seek out the hopeless, deceived and poor
Hold out your candle for all to see it
Take your candle, and go light your world

Don Sutton, Pitcher (Hall of Fame)

Don Sutton 2008

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Sutton

(Note: I found the following story of great interest to me, personally, because I went to High School with Don. He graduated 2 years after I did. We were in Student Council together.)

An illustration for Encouragement in a sermon by Davon Huss

Matthew 5:14-5:15

Evening Service for 5/31/2009
Matthew 5:14-15

*You are the Light of the World

Introduction:
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Sutton hadn’t won a game in 8 weeks.

The press was suggesting that he be dropped from the starting lineup. The future looked bleak, and Sutton felt terrible.

Then, before a game, Dodgers manager Walter Alston tapped him on the shoulder. “I’d like to speak with you, Don,” he said. Sutton prepared for the worst.

“Don,” said Alston, “I know how the past couple of months have been for you. Everyone’s wondering whether we can make it to the play offs. You know there’s a lot of pressure. I’ve had to make a decision.”

Sutton had visions of being taken off the mound.

Alston continued, “If the Dodgers are going to win this year,” he said, looking Sutton in the eye, “they’re going to win with Don Sutton pitching. Come what may, you’re staying in the starting lineup. That’s all I wanted to say.”
Sutton’s losing streak lasted 2 more weeks, but because of his manager’s encouragement he felt different.

Something in him was turning around.

He found himself pitching the best ball of his career.

In the National League pennant drive, he won 13 games out of 14.

* For the conclusion of the sermon by Davon Huss, see the message:

You are the light of the world.

Daily Promise – September 6 – He will carry us in His arms

Deuteronomy 1:31
31 And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee,
as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.

Promise #249: I will carry you in My arms just like a father carries his child.

The NIV Bible says this verse this way… “There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.” This is one of those very clear pictures in the Old Testament of God’s Fatherheart for the nation of Israel. I find it interesting that from God’s perspective, He saw Himself as actually carrying each Israelite just like an earthly father would carry his son.

I wonder what that would have looked like in the eyes of God? Would God have been cradling Israel in His big strong arms? Would He have been lifting up Israel over His head so that the nation could sit on top of His shoulders? Perhaps there would be many ways for God to carry Israel, depending on their situation. When they were grieving… When they were taking new territory… When they were afraid… God was always there to hold them and carry them through each season, whether they were even aware that He was holding them or not.

The truth is that no matter how difficult life gets, it is God who is carrying us through every adversity. We might not be aware of how close He is always to us, but that does not change the reality that He is holding us very close all the days of our lives. May each one of us feel the warmth of His embrace today.

~ Barry Adams

Photo by Jeff Epp

Verse of the Day – Live a quiet life

VERSE:
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own
business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that
your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you
will not be dependent on anybody.
— 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=1+Thessalonians+4:11-12

THOUGHT:
What’s your ambition? I don’t know about you, but I’m not so
sure I could say my ambition is to “live a quiet life ….” But
when I hear the reason for that directive, I understand. So many
people I meet are frazzled, run down, and exhausted with all their
“busy-ness.” So let’s make a commitment to cycle down a little,
trust God more and more each day, and seek to live a life that wins
the respect of those around us!

PRAYER:
O precious and righteous Father, I need your help to learn to
slow down and tend to my own responsibilities instead of running
around out of control and without purpose. Please grant me not only
the wisdom that I have been praying for, but also the patience and
quietude that I need for that wisdom to change my heart and mind.
In Jesus’ name I ask it. Amen.

Daily Promise – Your life is written in God’s special book

Psalm 139:16
16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect;
and in thy book all my members were written,
which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

Promise #248: All the days of your life are written in My special book.

I like this Bible verse best from the NIV Bible which says… “your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” What an amazing promise! Before our body was even formed, the eyes of God were fixed upon us. Before we even breathed one breath, God had created a special book that contained each day of our lives.

In the ministry that God has called us to, we hear often that people struggle to feel like they belong in this world. If they were born out of an unplanned pregnancy, they might feel like their life was not intentionally planned. We have heard from some dear people that they felt they were a mistake!

If you struggle with any of these feelings, it is my hope and prayer that this promise would settle once and for all the irrevocable truth that it was God Himself who planned your life before the foundation of the world. It was not your parents that ultimately planned your existence, but your loving heavenly Father.

Every one of your days was written in His special book before one of them came to be! What attention to detail! What indescribable love! You were and are wanted by the Creator of the heavens and the earth. He has a plan to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a bright future (Jeremiah 29:11).

~ Barry Adams

Photo by Martin Smith

Relationships

Relationships.

What does that word mean? For a long time, when I saw that word I thought of relationships between a husband and a wife, a girlfriend and boyfriend, a parent and a child, a friend to a friend, and so on.

As I have been posting messages recently, I have started giving more thought as to what category or tag to attach to those messages. I’m finding that my mind gravitates to the category “Relationships”.

The reason: because so many messages fit into our Relationship with our Lord and Savior, our Father.

Messages that guide us to question:

Whether we are obeying Him.

Are we loving Him with all our heart, soul, strength and mind?

What about loving our neighbor as ourselves and as we love God?

Is our mind on Him constantly? or are we occupied with thoughts and priorities that allow Him to come only at the end of our day when we are too tired to think clearly?

Are we too busy with “good works” to realize that He just wants us to talk to Him?

Are we trying to be “good enough” to make Him happy?

Are we so wrapped up in the effects of the problems of the world that we forget Who is in charge?

Where does our Father, our partner in life, our first love, our All, where does He fit?

My prayer for today is that we all pause more and take an inventory of what our relationship is with the most important person in our lives and check out our motives for what, or Who, is guiding our thinking.

Blessings,

Sharon

Becoming like Jesus in Prayer

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 12:00 AM PDT

By Jon Walker

When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites! They love to stand up and pray in the houses of worship and on the street corners, so that everyone will see them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. But when you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you. (Matthew 6:5-6 TEV)

“True prayer does not depend either on the individual or the whole body of the faithful, but solely upon the knowledge that our heavenly Father knows our needs. That makes God the sole object of our prayers, and frees us from a false confidence in our own prayerful efforts.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

— — —

Prayer is an intimate conversation with your Heavenly Father.

When you try to impress others with your ability to pray, you mock that intimacy. You appear to be focusing on the Father when you’re actually focusing on yourself — your needs, your wants, your ability to persuade and bully God, and your desire to impress others with your knowledge of how to get God to give you what you want when you want it.

It’s absolutely no different from standing up and saying, “Look at me so you can be impressed with how connected I am with God!”

Eugene Peterson paraphrases Jesus’ comments this way: “The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need” (Matthew 6:7-8 MSG).

If your motivation in prayer is to impress people, then Jesus says you will get what you want: praise from other people. In truth, that is exactly what you are asking for when you pray to impress: “Give me the praise of others.” Since your behavior exposes your beliefs, the presumption with prayers like this must be that praise from people can be used to pay bills or get you out of a jam when you’re flat on your back in the middle of some mess.

Jesus indicates God sees no need to reward you for these self-promoting prayers. They represent worldly thinking. Why would God reward you for that when he wants you to pray like someone who is part of the kingdom of heaven?

Verse of the Day – Our days on earth are but a shadow

VERSE:
We were born only yesterday and know nothing, and our days on
earth are but a shadow.
— Job 8:9

THOUGHT:
While Job never learned why he suffered, he did learn his place
in the universe before the Almighty God (Job 38-41). When we are
young, time passes so very slowly — especially if we are waiting
for something special! But as we get older, the years fly by more
and more quickly. Yet despite all our learning, despite all our
experience, we come to two great awakenings: our knowledge compared
to what there is to know is so very small and our place in the
passage of time is so very short. Both of these awakenings prepare
us to turn our lives and future over to our God who longs to bring
us to himself.

PRAYER:
Holy and Almighty God, my Abba Father, thank you so much for
your overwhelming patience as you try to communicate your love to
people like me with my limited abilities to comprehend your
magnificence and glory. Please give me wisdom this week, to make
the decisions I need to make and to choose your way and not my own.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20110905

Walking Words « so beloved

Walking Words « so beloved.

Amazing, amazing message that will touch your heart hopefully as deeply as it did mine.

Encouragement to Grace

Encouragement to GRACE

You’ve got everlasting arms beneath you,
love all around you,
GRACE to see you through,
and enough strength to make it too.

You’re supported in ways you can’t see,
more than you know,
and the God whose heart beats with love for you
will never let you go.

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33:27

-Holley Gerth

Excerpt from one of Holley’s new cards, inspired by her new devotional book God’s Heart for You.

Encouragement to Hope

Encouragement to HOPE

You can hold on to HOPE-no matter what happens
because there’s One who’s holding on to YOU.
He’ll stop at nothing and do anything
to make sure you have everything you need.
I’m waiting in hope with you to see all God will do.

He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all-
how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32

-Holley Gerth

Excerpt from one of Holley’s new cards, inspired by her new devotional book God’s Heart for You.

Be The Lifter: A Challenge to Give Encouragement #inspireteach (coolcatteacher.blogspot.com)

God’s Grace is for Everyone

God’s Grace is for Everyone

Luke 17:15-16

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁵ And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, ¹⁶ and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

Jesus healed all ten lepers; but only one returned to thank him.

It is possible to receive God’s great gifts with an ungrateful spirit–nine of the lepers did so.

Only the thankful leper, however, learned that his faith had played a role in his healing, and only grateful Christians grow in understanding of God’s grace.

God does not demand that we thank him, but he is pleased when we do so, and he uses our spirit of thankfulness to teach us more about his Kingdom.

~ Life Application Bible

Gaining a heart of wisdom

VERSE:
Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of
wisdom.
— Psalm 90:12
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Psalm+90:12

THOUGHT:
When we lose our sense of urgency to live for God, we end up
wasting our time! God has a plan for us, for our world, and for his
church. Without God’s gift of “spiritual arithmetic” (numbering our
days aright), we will never gain a heart of wisdom. So how do we
get such a gift? Ask for it without doubting (James 1:5-7)!
Trusting the Lord for wisdom has a huge effect on us and the way we
conduct our lives. Rather than losing heart, God gives us a heart
of wisdom!

PRAYER:
Holy and Almighty God, King of the Ages, you alone live in
complete wisdom, justice, and grace. Please help me to know what
time it is in my life and the role you want me to play at this
stage of my journey. I want my life to be lived glorifying you. In
Jesus’ precious name I pray. Amen.

http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20110904

Exceptional Goodness Inside | BROKEN BELIEVERS

Exceptional Goodness Inside

via Exceptional Goodness Inside | BROKEN BELIEVERS

Psalm 139 « Ptl4’s Blog

Psalm 139 « Ptl4’s Blog.

Really touching and heart-rendering.

Daily Promise – September 3 – We don’t have to be afraid any longer

Zephaniah 3:17 KJV
17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice
over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

Promise #246: You can rest in My love, for I have power to save you.

I know that I say many of the promises are some of my most favorite, but this is really one of my favorite Old Testament Bible passages.

What a picture of God’s intimate heart for His kids! He says that He lives right in the midst of us, that He is mighty to save us and He rejoices over us with great joy and singing!

This is one of those amazing images in the Bible that speaks of a Father’s delight for His children. I believe that the connotation here is that God Himself is actually almost not able to contain Himself with the joy that He has for us.

My prayer today is that each and every one of us would be able to let this image go deeper into our hearts than it has ever gone before.

God is excited over your life! He is so happy that He sings His love songs over you and me.

Part of the promise of this one Bible verse is that because God really does love us and He has power to save us, we can rest in His love.

We don’t have to be afraid any longer.

He is big, He is strong and He is mighty to save us!

All we have to do is yield to His love today and rest.

~ Barry Adams

Photo by Glen Bylsma

Verse of the Day – Using the gifts you’ve already been given

2 Timothy 1:13-14

What you heard from me,

keep as the pattern of sound teaching,

with faith and love in Christ Jesus.

Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—

guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

Read at Bible Gateway

Read all of 2 Timothy 1

Timothy had been Paul’s young helper. But, now, he was about to go out on his own to be the leader of a church. Although his responsibilities were changing, Paul is telling him to continue patterning himself with the sound teaching, faith, and love in Christ Jesus. Timothy had all of the foundational teaching and the gifts he needed. He just needed to allow the Holy Spirit to guard him and guide him.

Verse of the Day – God will tell us great and unsearchable things

VERSE:
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and
unsearchable things you do not know.
— Jeremiah 33:3
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Jeremiah+33:3

THOUGHT:
God wants us to seek him and call out to him. He wants to answer
us and tell us about things beyond our human comprehension. He
longs to draw us close so that we can know him. Like a scared child
calls out to a loving father in the next room, we too can call on
him knowing that our Father will answer, protect, and comfort us.
Even more than that, our Father will reveal to us things that would
be impossible for us to know without his grace.

PRAYER:
Almighty God and Abba Father, I do want to know you and to be
known by you. Yes, there are things in my heart and my life that I
wish were not there. But I know your grace and I am confident that
you know my heart and its desire to reflect your glory, share your
grace, and display your character. Thank you for the gift of being
your child and having my future secured. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20110902

Daily Promises – September 2 – Every heart beat and every breath comes from the goodness of our heavenly Dad

Acts 17:24-25 KJV
24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

Promise #245: I give life and breath to all things.

In today’s promise, we read the Scripture passage where the Apostle Paul is speaking to some Greek philosophers on a place called Mars Hill. In this place of pagan worship, they have many false gods that they have erected statues and monuments to.

Paul, being the relevant kind of guy that he was, stopped at a simple monument created for ‘the unknown god’. It was there that Paul began to reveal some of the mysteries who the ‘unknown god’ actually was. Paul goes on to preach the good news to these philosophers and reveals that He is actually the only true God and that He does not need to be worshipped through statues and idols as He is the very one that gives life and breath to all things!

The reality is that our God and Father is not unknown and nameless. If we want to know what God is like, all we have to do is look at His Son, Jesus Christ. In John 14:9, Jesus says that anyone who has seen Jesus has seen the Father. Hebrews 1:3 says that Jesus is the exact representation of the Father’s being.

The wonderful news about today’s promise is that the God and Father of all creation (Ephesians 4:6) continues to be very involved in everything He created. He is not distant and unconcerned, for every heart beat and every breath comes from the goodness of our heavenly Dad.
Photo by Carl Dyck

Psalm 42, The Message for the Frazzled | BROKEN BELIEVERS

Psalm 42, The Message for the Frazzled | BROKEN BELIEVERS.

Every one of us can gain comfort from this beautiful message. It really uplifted me. I think as you read it, it will comfort you, also. Thanks, Bryan for sharing.

I choose gentleness

Nothing is won by force.

I choose to be gentle.

If I raise my voice ,may it be only in praise.

If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer.

If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

Max Lucado

Verse of the Day – My hope is in You, Lord, all day long

VERSE:
Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your
truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in
you all day long.
— Psalm 25:4-5
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Psalm+25:4-5

THOUGHT:
Life can be so confusing. There are so many choices for us as we
decide the values that will govern our lives. So how are we going
to find the best way, God’s way, to live? We will ask God to show
us! Our hope is in him. Our salvation is in him. So why not ask him
to guide us and teach us his truth? Why not expect that he will
make his will known for us? If our hearts are open to his truth and
we are seeking his path, he will make his will known.

PRAYER:
O mighty God, the only true guide to life, please help me to
know your will more completely. I want to live for you and to
please you. I want others to know of my allegiance to you — not
just because of the words I speak, but also through the character
of my conduct. In Jesus’ name I ask it. Amen.

http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20110901

No matter what the day brings, rest in His love

Genesis 1:1 KJV
In the beginning
God created the heaven and the earth.

Promise #244: I spoke the universe into existence.

Right at the beginning of the Book of all books, the Bible says… “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” This statement alone could be enough to bring peace to any unsettled heart. God is in control. And He has always been in control.

He is the One who spoke the entire universe into existence with just the sound of His voice. He is the Almighty God. He is the All Powerful God. He is the All Knowing God. Whenever you feel that your life is spinning off its axis, be comforted in knowing that our God and Father has always been and always will be.

This is the same Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent Creator who has decided to love you with all His heart (1 John 3:1). No matter what forces oppose you today, be comforted in knowing that the God who spoke the universe into existence is in your corner!

Text and Photo by Barry Adams

Me and My Shadow « Two Minutes of Grace

Me and My Shadow « Two Minutes of Grace.

Debbie, as usual, has done it again!

I wonder if Debbie’s blog and our blog should just merge. We are thinking along the same lines, often! 🙂

Ravished By The Beauty Of Christ « Samuel at Gilgal

Ravished By The Beauty Of Christ « Samuel at Gilgal.

A wonderful message that will challenge us, once again, to check our motives for service.

“What is grace?”

“What is grace?

I know until you ask me;

when you ask me,

I do not know.”

–Augustine

Grace is given to heal the spiritually sick

“Grace is given to heal the spiritually sick,

not to decorate spiritual heroes”

–Martin Luther

Verse of the Day – Your love has given me great joy and encouragement

VERSE:
Your love has given me great joy and encouragement,

because you, brother,

have refreshed the hearts of the saints.

Philemon 1:7

THOUGHT:

Wouldn’t this description of Philemon

be a great one to have said about you!

To be loved,

supported,

and encouraged by an encourager

is to have your heart refreshed

and your attitude lifted.

Let’s make a commitment to be an “encourager”

who refreshes the hearts of those around us this week.

PRAYER:
Tender and loving God,

thank you for leading the people into my

life who have encouraged me when I most needed it.

Please give me

the eyes to see and the heart to serve

those around me who desperately need my encouragement.

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20110831

Daily Promises – August 31 – You can look forward . . .

2 Peter 3:13 KJV
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise,
look for new heavens and a new earth,
wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Promise #243: You can look forward to the new heaven and earth that I have promised.

We have something really big to look forward to! … A new heaven and a new earth! If that is not cause for celebration, I don’t what is! All of the reminders of a fallen world will be gone and we will have the privilege of enjoying an untainted new residence for all of eternity! No matter how difficult our circumstances become, we all can hold onto the promise of eternal life.

In Jeremiah 29:11, God promises a hope and a future to all who belong to Him. The next time you turn on the television and watch the news, don’t lose heart! There is a time coming when our God and Father will make a new heaven and a new earth for us! How amazing will that day be for all those who are in Christ!

~ Barry Adams

Photo by Jeanne Costello

He chose to love you

You are loved by your Maker,

not because you try to please him and succeed,

or fail to please him and apologize,

but because he chose to love you.

– Max Lucado

Why we must depend on God’s Grace

Romans 2:1 (New King James Version)

¹ Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.

No one is good enough to save himself. We must depend totally on God’s grace, regardless of whether we have done horrible things, or have been full of good deeds and rarely do anything wrong. Any sin is enough to cause us to depend on Jesus Christ for salvation and eternal life.

Note: Dictionary.com defines salvation

sal·va·tion

[sal-vey-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of saving or protecting from harm, risk, loss, destruction, etc.

2. the state of being saved or protected from harm, risk, etc.

3. a source, cause, or means of being saved or protected from harm, risk, etc.

4. Theology . deliverance from the power and penalty of sin; redemption.

What is GRACE?

The Life Application Bible defines grace as: God’s voluntary and loving favor given to those he saves.

We can’t earn it, nor do we deserve it.

No religious or moral effort can gain it, for it comes from God’s mercy and love.

Without grace, no person can be saved.

Verse of the Day – We are members of His household

Ephesians 2:19

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers,

but fellow citizens with God’s people

and also members of his household,

Read at Bible Gateway

Read all of Ephesians 2

Daily Promises – August 30 – A Mansion for us

John 14:2 KJV
2 In my Father’s house are many mansions:
if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you.

Promise #242: There is a special room in My house prepared just for you.

This is part of Jesus’ last address to His disciples before He goes to the cross. It is interesting that Jesus actually assumes that the disciples already know that they have a place in His Father’s house because He says… “If it were not so, I would have told you”. The verse prior to this one, Jesus says to His disciples … “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. NIV Bible

The very foundation of believing the promise that we have a place in our Father’s house (& heart) is trust. Jesus’ heart’s cry is trust in My Father and trust in me too! It is amazing to think that each one of us who has called on the name of the Lord and received the free gift of eternal life, has a place already prepared for us in heaven.

No matter how unstable this world system gets, we already have a home prepared for us and Jesus promises to one day receive us back unto Himself so that we can be with Him where He lives for eternity (verse 3). Where is this special room located in heaven? In John 1:18 KJV, it says that Jesus declared the Father right from His bosom. If we are to be where Jesus lives, I believe that each one of the rooms in the Father’s house are located right in the center of His heart!

What a glorious promise! We will live forever with Jesus in the very bosom of the Father! May this promise bring comfort and hope to our hearts today no matter what trials we are facing.

~ Barry Adams

Photo by Carl Dyck

When Speculation Replaces Faith

By Jon Walker

That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crestfallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn’t bear to let go. (Matthew 19:22 MSG)

Jesus demands we drop the distractions and become single-minded in our obedience to his commands. In the case of the rich young man, this pulls him away from the romantic fantasy that Christ’s commands are what Bonhoeffer calls a mere “opportunity for moral adventure, a thrilling way of life, but one which might easily be abandoned for another if occasion arose.”

The young man is pulled into the reality of costly grace, where our only hope to enter the kingdom of heaven lies in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Jesus won’t allow him to see eternal life as a distant dream; he insists the young man follow him into that life now. Jesus consistently said, “The kingdom of heaven is upon you.”

Discipleship, Bonhoeffer says, is not the completion of an old life, doing that one final thing you have to do to enter the kingdom, like the capstone of a long and distinguished career ushers you into retirement. Discipleship is about irrevocably leaving your present life behind and entering a new life where Jesus is the center of significance.

It is a life in which Jesus is the only significance.

Bonhoeffer says, “Here is the sum of the commandments—to live in fellowship with Christ.” Jesus must bring us to the place where we abandon anything that holds us to the old life, anything other than Jesus to which we are attached.

The attachments may be different for different people. For the rich young man, the attachment was to his wealth. What are the attachments you have that keep you part-time in your pursuit of Christ?

When Speculation Replaces Faith is a post from: GraceCreates Jon Walker is the author of Costly Grace: A Contemporary View of Bonhoeffer’s ‘The Cost of Discipleship’ and Growing with Purpose. He has served on staff at Saddleback Church and Purpose Driven Ministries and is currently the managing editor of Rick Warren’s Daily Devotionals and the Ministry Toolbox. Contact him at questions@gracecreates.com. This article is copyrighted 2011 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.

Facebook: GraceCreates with Jon Walker. Twitter: http://twitter.com/Grace_Creates

Verse of the Day – How we treat others

Galatians 3:28

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Read at Bible Gateway

Read all of Galatians 3

This verse calls us to check our motives,

and our true Christian actions,

or reactions to people.

One of the main gauges of our spiritual growth

is how we treat others,

whether with prejudice,

or opened arms.

Your sister in Christ,

Sharon

Daily Promises – August 29 – You can Celebrate!

Luke 10:20 KJV
20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you;
but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Promise #241: You can celebrate because your name is written in heaven.

In this Scripture passage, Jesus is telling His disciples not to rejoice because the demons submit to their authority, but rather rejoice because their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. I believe the core of what Jesus is saying in this passage is simply this… relationship supercedes authority.

Though signs may follow us wherever we go on this side of heaven, the very reason for this demonstration of the authority that God has entrusted to us is because we belong to Him. The very fact that our names are written in heaven means that we will live with God Himself for all eternity and that is cause for lots of celebrating!

Though we may walk in the miraculous power of God, let us never forget that the very essence of why God saved us was not for works but for relationship. In Matthew 7:22-24 Jesus warns there will be some people who walked in miraculous signs and wonders in Jesus name who never knew Him. To ‘know’ Jesus is to be intimate with Him and that is the very reason why we were saved.

So no matter what amazing works God has you do today, do not rejoice because of the works themselves, but because your name is written in the halls of heaven where you will live with God forever!

~ Barry Adams

Photo by Barry Adams

Living Out Worship (more on the call to action) « so beloved

Living Out Worship (more on the call to action) « so beloved.

Such a heartfelt message challenging us to answer the call to LOVE.

Verse of the Day – Believe in the one He has sent

John 6:29

Jesus answered,

“The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

Read at Bible Gateway

Read all of John 6

A Sunday Song – Hold Me Jesus « Two Minutes of Grace

A Sunday Song – Hold Me Jesus « Two Minutes of Grace.

A great message for today. Thanks, Debbie.

Some of the most interesting Bible facts you’ll ever see. « Pastor Mike Says

Some of the most interesting Bible facts you’ll ever see. « Pastor Mike Says.

A still and quiet soul

By Jon Walker

My heart is not proud . . .

I do not concern myself with great matters

or things too wonderful for me.

But I have stilled and quieted my soul;

like a weaned child with its mother. . . .

O Israel, put your hope in the Lord

both now and forevermore.

(Psalm 131:1–3 NIV)

Psalm 131 teaches us to:

Keep our hearts humble. A humble heart means we know our position in Christ and stop being responsible for the things for which we were never responsible. This frees us to live like God intended and allows us to make uncluttered choices that will move us closer to God.

Show the maturity of a weaned child. We quietly center ourselves on God, peacefully, without agitation and anxiety, and trust God is actively supporting us. We trust God even when the answer to our prayers seems a long way off. The nursing child demands attention now, but the weaned child trusts and is content to wait.

Hope in the Lord with confident expectation. God’s Word says God will answer our prayers; he will respond to our needs; he will pave the path before us now and forever (Psalm 18:36).

Fruit that will last

“I gave you this work: to go and produce fruit, fruit that will last.”

John 15:16

A good gardener will do what it takes to help a vine bear fruit.

What fruit does God want?

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

These are fruits of the Spirit.

And this is what God longs to see in us.

And like a careful gardener,

he will clip and cut away anything that interferes.

~ Max Lucado

God Can, Even Though I Can’t

By Jon Walker

Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves,

but our competence comes from God.

(2 Corinthians 3:5 NIV)

The only way you will fulfill God’s destiny for you is to rely on God’s strength. And that means you have to confess, “I can’t,” before you can agree, “God can.”

Otherwise, we’ll just keep thinking there’s still some ability (competency, sufficiency) in us that will allow us — independent of God — to do the things he expects of us.

We’ll continue to believe, wrongly, that we can do some things, perhaps all things, apart from God. We’ll keep applying the pretzel logic that we can make decisions disconnected from God that somehow keep us connected to God’s plans for us.

And when we make choices disconnected and independent from God, there is little difference between the way we live our lives and the way non-believers live their lives.

“But people who aren’t Christians can’t understand these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means.” (1 Corinthians 2:14 NLT)

You have the Holy Spirit inside you. You have the ability to understand when God is telling you to take steps toward his goals for your life. Ask him to teach you to hear his still small voice and to help you take the steps he tells you to take. Then, look for the ways he guides you through the decisions and details of your life.

For the next few weeks, keep a list of all the times you sense God giving you direction. This will help you to see that he is at work in your life and that he has a constant interest in the details of your life.

Olly, Olly Oxen Free! « Two Minutes of Grace

Olly, Olly Oxen Free! « Two Minutes of Grace.

Debbie and I are kindred souls for sure. Lightning bugs, memories, hide and seek, learning to feel loved by God, so we feel love for ourselves. We can live and dwell in the Room of Grace rather than in the Room of Good Intentions. We are accepted for Who we are by God. After all, we are HIS handiwork, specially made for His good pleasure. Thanks, Debbie for sharing from your heart, as always.

Daily Promises – August 27 – He will shield us with His favor

Psalm 5:12 KJV
12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous;
with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

Promise #239: I will bless My righteous ones and shield them with My favor.

When someone has favor from the king, everyone in the kingdom knows it! Wherever they go, all of the royal subjects would recognize that this special person lives under the blessing of the king.

What do you think it would feel like to be shielded with favor from a king?

The truth is that we already have that kind of favor on our lives right now!

The King of kings is not only our king, but He is our elder brother too! We are part of His family and co-heirs with Him in His Father’s kingdom.

We are called to live a life where we look on the unseen and the eternal,

not the seen and the temporal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)

If we could see into the reality of the kingdom,

we would see the favor that God has already placed on us,

that encompasses us wherever we go!

Angels who are ministering servants to the heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14), going before us and behind us…

Just because we are God’s kids and part of His amazing family.

May our God and Father open up our eyes today to begin to see into the unseen realm so that we can experience the tangible sense of His blessings and favor that surround us like a shield.

~ Barry Adams

Photo by Eric Boldt

Verse of the Day – Be like-minded toward one another

⁵ Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,

⁶ that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 15:5-6

Chew on Scripture

“You thrill to God’s Word, you chew on Scripture day and night.”

Psalm 1:2 The Message

The Bible is not a newspaper to be skimmed

but rather a mine to be quarried.

Here is a practical point.

Study the Bible a little at a time.

God seems to send messages as did his manna:

one day’s portion at a time.

He provides ” a command here, a command there.

A rule here, a rule there.

A little lesson here, a little lesson there” (Isa. 28:10).

Choose depth over quantity.

~ Max Lucado

Hurricane Irene

Irene is of particular interest to us, because we lived on the North Carolina coast for 1 1/2 years. We can empathize with those along the entire coast and those inland who are going through this storm and its effects. The floods and tornadoes are of great concern.

We are praying that you will all be safe and ready for any emergency.

God is our strength. Lean into Him.

Blessings,

Sharon & Erick

Daily Promises – August 26 – You shall obtain mercy if . . .

Matthew 5:7 KJV
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Promise #238: I will show mercy to those who are merciful to others.Even in secular surroundings, there is an often quoted verse from Jesus that we call the ‘golden rule’.

Do unto others as you would like others to do unto you.

Even the world recognizes that this is a universal principle.

Mercy works the same way. There is a promise for mercy for those who are merciful to others.

It is that simple.

How much mercy do I need in my life?

Do I need just a little, or a lot?

And of course my answer is always…

“I need as much mercy as I can get!”The way that I can walk in mercy (for myself) every day is by simply extending mercy to those around me.

The person who cuts me off when I am driving,

the miserable store clerk,

the friend who might have offended me in some way.

If I forget that I need mercy myself,

I may forget that I need to extend mercy to others. Think of the areas that you need mercy in your own life.

For your shortcomings, for your failures, etc.

Do you want mercy to cover every area where you fall short?

Then shower mercy on others on every occasion

because mercy is receiving something we don’t deserve.We know that God’s love for us is unconditional and we can’t do anything to earn or deserve it.

However, there is a principle in God’s kingdom that is at work

everytime we sow something…

because what we sow, we will eventually reap.

I know that I need mercy today,

so I pray that I will have the wisdom to sow mercy wherever I go!

~ Barry Adams

Photo by Eric Boldt

Verse of the Day – Each member does not have the same function

Romans 12:4-5

For just as each of us has one body with many members,

and these members do not all have the same function,

so in Christ we, though many, form one body,

and each member belongs to all the others.

Read at Bible Gateway

Read all of Romans 12

The Whole Basket « Two Minutes of Grace

The Whole Basket « Two Minutes of Grace.

As usual, Debbie is in tune with the Holy Spirit to offer a new perspective of how to interpret the scripture. I, for one, really look forward to her messages because they make me think through a lot of my own “misunderstood meanings within the scripture that has haunted me all of my Christian life”. It’s time to open up to a more positive, loving meaning from our Lord. Thanks, Debbie, for your dependence on God to give all of us new insight.

Will You Live? Or Simply Exist.. | God’s Grace, ftw.

Will You Live? Or Simply Exist.. | God’s Grace, ftw..

Katherine has shared a message with us that is truly inspiring. Please read and absorb her writing about living life to the fullest.

What kind of life works?

The God-centered life works.

And it rescues us from a life that doesn’t.

-Max Lucado

#LiveLoved

. . . Change Your Life

Posted: 23 Aug 2011 12:00 AM PDT

By Jon Walker

I do not condemn you either. Go, but do not sin again. (John 8:11 TEV)

Grace is meant to justify the sinner — “Go and sin no more.” Grace is never meant to justify our sins — “Everything is forgiven, so you can stay as you are.”

In other words, the grace of God is not a cosmic “get out of jail free” card.

Grace is given freely, but it cost Jesus a bloody price to offer it to us: “Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13 NLT).

Grace is given freely, but to walk in grace with Jesus will cost us everything as we join Jesus in “the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing” (Ephesians 2:10 MSG).

Jesus rescued the woman caught in adultery from certain death, but his expectation was that her life would change immediately. To return to her old life would have mocked the very grace that Jesus offered her that day.

His expectation of a changed life is no different for us: “Go in my grace, and sin no more.”

IRANIAN AUTHOR: “WHY I RENOUNCE ISLAM AND CHOOSE CHRIST”

By Joel C. Rosenberg
(Washington, D.C, August 25, 2011) — Today, my friend Reza Kahlili, the former Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps officer, has posted an article on his blog telling the world that he has renounced Shia Islam and become a follower of Jesus Christ. The article is also running today on the WorldNet Daily website.

An excerpt: “Jesus came to me when I needed guidance. He came to me at a time when my faith in man and religion was totally shaken. His words and His love became the guiding light to set me free from sin and hopelessness. I found myself knowing there is goodness and kindness and that it comes from within us – that it is only through His love that we will find peace and eternal life….After a long journey, I have finally found my God. I feel at home now. And as I continue my fight against the evil in Iran, I know in my heart that the Lord will guide me in that fight because He loves the people of Iran even more than I do. The Iranian people are desperate for their freedom, and Jesus says, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free (John 8:31-32).”

Publicly professing one’s faith in Jesus Christ is a big step for anyone from Shia or Sunni Islam. This is no less true for Reza today. Please pray for him to be strong. Please pray for him to walk with Jesus every day. Please pray that the Lord would protect him and his family spiritually, emotionally and physically as Reza takes this important step in the life of all Christ followers. Pray, too, that many will be moved to read the New Testament and consider the claims of Jesus of Nazareth and come to realize that Jesus truly is the Messiah. Feel free to share Reza’s article with family, friends and colleagues who would

Daily Promises – August 25 – God will keep us safe from the evil one

1 John 5:18 KJV

18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not;
but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

Promise #237: I will keep you safe from the evil one.I really like the second part of the NIV Bible translation for this verse – the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. The NLT translation says it this way – for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.

When we are born of God, we are safe. We have no reason to fear because Jesus Himself is our protector. This Bible verse says that the evil one cannot touch us. What a promise! In the world we live in, there is much to be afraid of, so much uncertainty that can keep people living in a state of fear. But we are not of this world, we are born of God. In John 3:9, the Apostle John says that God’s seed remains in us, His very DNA.

So be of good courage today because you have nothing to fear. For God has promised to keep you safe and secure in His loving embrace.

~ Barry Adams

Photo by Jeff Epp

Verse of the Day – Nothing can make them stumble

Psalm 119:165

Great peace have those who love your law,

and nothing can make them stumble.

Read at Bible Gateway

Read all of Psalm 119

Hatch or Go Bad (revised) « Two Minutes of Grace

Hatch or Go Bad (revised) « Two Minutes of Grace.

Thought-provoking. Many times I just want to stay in my shell. It’s easier than breaking out of it, huh? And it feels safer at the time. I think that’s why we restarted our “site”. It’s safer, while still breaking through the shell, at least a little bit.

It’s hard to not “Hide our light under a bushel”.