A DATE WITH DESTINY

THE DEPTH OF GOD'S LOVE

2012-02-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

By Cindy Beall

Do you have any idea how much God loves you? I don’t think I do either. I’m trying to “grasp” this love as Paul exhorts us to do. But, it’s not an easy task, is it?

The other day I was at the Pharmacy picking up a prescription. My youngest son was with me and was actually just sitting on a bench waiting for me instead of rearranging all of the pain relievers and laxatives.

While I was waiting, I looked over at him. He wasn’t doing anything but just sitting and waiting while I waited. He was not quoting a scripture that he memorized. He was putting away the dishes without being asked. He was showing love and kindness toward his brother. He was just there. And the love I had for him welled up inside of me and I had to fight back the tears.

Because who wants to see a grown woman cry in the Wal-Mart Pharmacy?

That is how God loves us. Just for who we are. Yes, a life of obedience to Him and being in fellowship with Him throughout the day gives Him joy, but He loves us because that is just who He is. He is love and He loved us enough to sacrifice His only son for us.

If you are a parent, do you love anyone enough to sacrifice your child for? Yeah, me neither. When I think about the love I have for my own sons, I think I get a glimpse of just how much God loves me.

Friend, rest today in the fact that our God, the Great I Am, the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last…loves you completely and without reservation. And our only reasonable response to Him should be giving Him our complete lives.

In this bold act of faith, I believe true joy and contentment resides.

TURNING WHAT IS UPSIDE DOWN RIGHTSIDE UP

2011-12-22T18:45:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS PARADOX - Potential Church, Cooper City, FL

CHRISTIANS CELEBRATING HANUKKAH

2011-12-20T07:43:00.000-08:00

Chanukkah (or Hanukkah) is the Jewish Festival/Feast of Dedication, also known as the "Festival of Lights.” It is an eight-day festival beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev, which typically falls in November or December on our calendar. Although this Jewish festival in not mentioned in the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible), it is referenced in the Talmud: “On the 25th of Kislev are the days of Chanukkah, which are eight... these were appointed a Festival with Hallel [prayers of praise] and thanksgiving”.

The holiday of Chanukkah celebrates the events which took place over 2,300 years ago in the land of Judea, which is now Israel. It begins in the reign of Alexander the Great, who conquered Syria, Egypt, and Palestine, but allowed the lands under his control to continue observing their own religions and retain a certain degree of autonomy. Under this relatively benevolent rule, many Jews assimilated much of Hellenistic culture, adopting the language, the customs, and the dress of the Greeks, in much the same way that Jews in America today blend into the secular American society.

More than 100 years after Alexander, Antiochus IV rose to power in the region. He began to oppress the Jews severely, placing a Hellenistic priest in the Temple, massacring Jews, prohibiting the practice of the Jewish religion, and desecrating the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of pigs (a non-kosher animal) on the altar. One of the groups which opposed Antiochus was led by Mattathias (Matitiyahu) the Hasmonean and his son Judah Maccabee (“The Hammer”).

This small band of pious Jews led guerrilla warfare against the Syrian army. Antiochus sent thousands of well-armed troops to crush the rebellion, but the Maccabees succeeded in driving the foreigners from their land. According to historical accounts, Jewish fighters entered Jerusalem in December 164 BC. The Holy Temple, the Jewish religious center, was in shambles, defiled and desecrated by foreign soldiers.

The Maccabees cleansed the Temple and re-dedicated it on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev. When it came time to re-light the Menorah (the multi-branched lampstand), they searched the entire Temple, but only one small jar of oil bearing the pure seal of the High Priest could be found. Miraculously, the small jar of oil burned for eight days, until a new supply of oil could be brought. From then on, Jews everywhere have observed a holiday for eight days in honor of this historic victory and the miracle of the oil. The observance of Chanukah features the lighting of a special Chanukkah menorah with eight branches (plus a helper candle), adding one new candle each night.

In the The New Covenant in the Gospel of John, we learn that Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, was at the Holy Temple during the “feast of dedication” or Chanukkah: “At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon” (John 10:22-23).

During this great season of remembering miracles, Jesus pointed out to His listeners that the miracles He had done authenticated His claim that He was, indeed, the long-awaited Jewish Messiah (see John 10:37-38). His works and His true character clearly demonstrated who He was.

Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life” (John 8:12). The Lord Jesus gives all of us, Jew and Gentile, the “light of life.” And He commanded us to “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

As Christians, we can celebrate the “Festival of Lights” as we rededicate our lives to Christ and acknowledge Him as the perfect and true light of this world. As believers, when we celebrate Chanukkah it reminds us of God's wonderful miracles on our behalf. It reminds us of God's protection throughout our lives. It reminds us to remain true to God even when the world around us tries to force us into assimilation.

Jesus told us that whoever follows Him will not have darkness, but the Light of Life. What a wonderful time of the year to remember and commemorate the great miracle that God has done for us, by giving us new light and new life.

GRACE AND MERCY

2011-12-05T15:35:00.001-08:00

By Dr. Marvin Moss

Every day we thank the Lord for something that He has done. We thank Him for His blessings and we thank Him for who He is. We thank Him for the blood running warm in our veins, the activity of our limbs, having the opportunity to be clothed and be in our right minds. Today He would have us to consider that we also give thanks for His grace and His mercy.

It is His grace and mercy that keep us receiving blessings even when we don’t deserve them. It is His grace and mercy that keep us from day to day. When we give up, He’s still holding on. When we quit, He’s still going. When we’ve had enough, He is just starting.

In Isaiah 6:1-11, Isaiah declares that his destruction is sealed. He is a sinful man and a member of a sinful race. Isaiah has been called by God to declare His word to a people who didn’t want to receive God’s word. Isaiah declared that he was not fit to do God’s work. But God had chosen him.

It is recorded that Isaiah’s service spanned the time of the reign of king Uzziah, King Jotham, King Ahaz, and King Hezekiah. As a prophet, Isaiah’s responsibility to declare what thus saith the Lord was not only to the people, but to the kings as well. The book of II Kings 15 tells us that King Uzziah did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, but he did not destroy the pagan shrines where the people offered their sacrifices and burned their incense. As a result of this, the Lord struck Uzziah with leprosy which lasted until the day of his death. God could have just totally removed Uzziah, but he didn’t. Grace and mercy.

How many times could God have just taken away all of the blessing because of our disobedience? But He didn’t. He just slowed it up; delayed it. God said, I still want you to have it, but it’s going to take you a little longer because you need to recognize how much I love you.
How many times could God have just done away with us, but He didn’t. And the blessings just kept coming. We count ourselves out, when God is lining us up to have His way.
Isaiah thought he was through, but God said you’ve only just begun.

Isaiah threw in the towel, but God threw in a life line.

Isaiah saw the end, but God saw the beginning.

Isaiah started counting himself out, but God starting counting over.

When we’ve given up, God is saying no, now I can use you.

After all of the mess, I can use you.

After all of the shame, I can use you.

After all of the pain, I can use you.

After all of the disappointment, I can still use you.

No matter what the challenge might be, His grace is sufficient, and His mercy endures forever. God’s grace has brought us this far, and His mercy has kept us. Thank you God for your grace and mercy!

A HOLY EXPERIENCE

2011-11-15T09:35:00.001-08:00

BECAUSE GOD REALLY KNOWS HOW TO MEET NEEDS

SPIRITUAL SOLDIERS

2011-10-29T08:04:00.000-07:00

By Jothany Blackwood

One of the realities we all come to is that sometimes we are in the right fight but with the wrong people. We believe we are really at odds with a co-worker, another church member, or even the person we are in a relationship with. But when we come to the realization that it's not the individual we struggle against, but the spirit that is controlling them we can shift our approach.

When we focus on it being the person, then we fight them in the flesh where we can never have victory. Because the enemy is masterful at things of the flesh it's an uneven match. You can't bring a knife to a gunfight and that's what you do when you think you'll give that person back what they are giving to you.

But when you understand that you are dealing with the rulers of darkness that are strategic in their assignments to destroy and kill you, then we have to know what weapons to fight with and protect ourselves. The fact that they rule in darkness indicates that they cannot handle the light. And the light is the Word of God, which is why Psalm 119:105 says "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

When the Scripture acknowledges that there is wickedness in high places that tells you that the enemy does have power. So it would be unwise to believe you can face such a formidable foe on your own strength. Your strength will come from the Word of God and He prepares us strategically for being spiritual soldiers.

God clearly directs us on how to protect ourselves, yet rather than put on the belt of truth, many of us are spiritually sagging. You can't be prepared to defend yourself from the world when everything about you reflects the world. And as we guard our chest, we are really being protective of what is placed in our hearts for there we find the seat of our conduct and character. And character is simply what you will do when you believe no one is watching.

Then He tells us that our feet should be fitted in Christian cleats so we can hold our ground, despite the elements that seek to make us lose our footing. And that shield of defense against the advances of others is surely made from the promises of God.

The enemy is relentless and if he can defeat us on the battlefield of our minds, our flesh will easily follow. But we must be clear that the fight is not physical, it's not against the person in front of us; it's one of spirit and in that we have the confidence that we have already been given victory. But we can delay or forfeit the promised end when we do not rely on God's strength.

We have all been prepared for these ceaseless battles and as spiritual soldiers, we should be tireless in working towards hearing "'Well done, good and faithful servant!"

Scripture Of The Day: "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes..." - Ephesians 6:11 (NIV)

DON'T TELL......

2011-10-23T07:20:00.000-07:00

WE MUST EXPECT GOD TO ANSWER WHEN WE ASK

2011-10-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

by Rick Warren

“If you want to know what God really wants you to do, ask him . . . but if you don’t ask in faith, don’t expect the Lord to give you any solid answer.” James 1:5-6 (LB)

God wants to direct you in life, but two things need to line up:

1 - You have to ask the right person—God.
2 - You have to ask with the right attitude. We must ask in faith, expecting that God will answer.

Have you ever asked God for something and didn’t expect to get it? That's may be why you didn’t get it!

God works in our lives according to faith. So many times we say, “God, please guide me!” But then, we walk away not even waiting for guidance. We just immediately start to work. We say, “God, I want you to give me wisdom, help me make the right decision.” But we don’t really expect Him to do that. We still think it all depends on us.

God promises to give us wisdom, if we will ask. Wisdom is seeing life from God’s point of view. Wisdom is the ability to make decisions the way God makes decisions.

Think about this: God never makes a bad decision. He never makes a mistake. He says if we trust him and listen to Him, he will guide us to make the right decisions. The key is asking in faith.

HIGH POSITIONS

2011-09-09T05:15:00.000-07:00

by Os Hillman

"The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position" (James 1:9).

Whenever God takes a saint to a very lowly state it is designed to accomplish something only that process can do. Job learned that "He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into the light" (Job 12:22). Job's trials allowed him to learn things about God, himself and his friends that we all needed to know as well. He assumed things about God that he had to recant: "Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know" (Job 42:3).

God reveals things in the dark places of circumstances that will be used to reveal something He wants you and others to know. He has sent you ahead to learn these things so that you and others will benefit from your unique experience. God views this place where you receive these truths as a high position. The world views it as a place to be despised.

"He called down a famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food; and he sent a man before them - Joseph, sold as a slave. They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true" (Psalms 105:16-19). Joseph was also led to this high position. It was here he was prepared to be the most powerful man in the world as a thirty-year old. He learned many things about God during his captivity that was used later as a ruler over a nation.

So, if you find yourself in a lowly state, realize your lowly state is considered a high position by God that is preparation soil for revealing deep things from the dark places that God desires you to learn.

GRACE

2011-08-16T06:21:00.000-07:00

by Sandi Patty

It was an interesting day. I hadn’t felt “on my game” if you know what I mean; I felt clumsy and out of sorts.

I left home in Oklahoma City to travel to Women of Faith. It seems like wherever I am traveling I have to go through Atlanta. Bill Gaither used to tell this joke: “When you die and go to heaven, you’ll have to go through Atlanta first.”

I arrived at the Atlanta airport and searched the screens for my next flight’s gate. Realizing I had a bit of extra time, I decided to stop and get some coffee at Seattle’s Best. Perhaps this would wake me up and help me feel a little less “off.”

I placed my order and as I waited, I reached for a coffee cup sleeve only to knock all 100+ of them onto the airport floor. I bent over to begin to gather them up. The nice lady handed me my coffee―at which time I dropped it and it exploded all over the same floor. I felt horrible and began to get napkins to sop up the mess. One of the workers came out with a mop and bucket and began to clean up BOTH my messes.

I quietly slithered away and began to head to my gate thinking to myself, “Just get to the gate and sit down. Just don’t touch anything else”.

As I was trying to sneak away, I heard a voice behind me saying, “Ma’am? Ma’am?” I didn’t want to think he was talking to me because honestly, I thought if he was talking to me he would probably scold me for being so careless. Finally I couldn’t ignore him any longer since he was right behind me.

He was out of breath from running and said to me, “Ma’am? Why don’t you come on back . . . come back and have one on us.” I almost cried right there in Atlanta airport. I followed him back and they fixed me another mocha “on them” and he quietly said to me, “Ma’am, believe me, this happens all the time. It’s no problem. Just enjoy your drink and have a nice day.”

I’ve been thinking all day about that phrase “Come on back and have one on us.” That’s really how grace should feel. When we mess up and make mistakes, when we are having an off day, God isn’t standing by ready to shake his finger at us in rebuke. He chases after us and probably says, “Believe me; I see this all the time. Come on back and have one on me.”

I love that about our God.

Come to me, all who are weary (and having a bad day) and rest….on me! —Matthew 11:28

DEFINING YOUR SELF-WORTH

2011-07-26T06:59:00.000-07:00

by Os Hillman

What measurements do you use to define your self-worth? Do you define it based on your financial assets? Is it based on what you have achieved professionally? Perhaps you define your value based on the number of children you have.

There are many things we can use to define our self-worth. However, the scriptures tell us there is only one measure for our self-worth. Each of us has self-worth because we are made in the image of God. And because we are made in the image of God, we are valuable. Whenever you and I place a value in ourselves that is based on some other performance criteria, we have moved beyond God's view of our worth as human beings. You are never more valuable to God than you were the day you were born.

Many of us have sought to determine our self-worth based on the amount of money we have. This is a dangerous trap. Paul warns us against seeking to build wealth in order to gain greater value. Paul came to understand that the greatest riches could not compare with knowing Christ. In fact, he considered all other material things to be mere rubbish in comparison: "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (Philippians 3:7-8).

Basing our self-worth on how much money we have or our achievements is an easy trap. We are bombarded with messages that say we are defined by what we drive, where we live, how many toys we own, and the size of our investment account. The media message is designed to create dissatisfaction and lust for what we don't have.

Paul said the purpose for his existence was......"to know Christ, and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death" (Philippians 3:10).

In what terms do you define yourself?

WHAT GOD EXPECTS

2011-07-24T17:20:00.000-07:00

By BGEA

What God expects, and all God expects, is that we dedicate completely all of our talents and gifts to Him. That is the meaning of the parable of the talents in Matthew, chapter 25. Read this parable, and you will see that we are always rewarded because of our faithfulness. You can be just as faithful as anyone and have the commendation of the Lord. Take the one talent you have and invest it in eternal things. Some talented people lose their reward because they do things to be seen of men. Some untalented people lose their reward because they fail to dedicate what they have, because it is not noticed by men. Both have sinned equally.

Prayer for the day

Let me not be concerned with the praise of men, but may my talent be completely yielded to You, Lord Jesus.

TRAINING UP A CHILD

2011-07-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

By Pastor Andre Butler

Let’s say that you are training your body to run in a marathon, or maybe you’re training yourself to play well on the basketball court. Well first, you have a goal that you’re trying to accomplish. There’s some result that you want, whether it’s being able to make a jump shot every time or being able to run a mile in five minutes.

Second, you have some type of training curriculum. In other words, you have a plan that you’re following to reach that goal. This of course then involves repetition. You have to do it over and over again so that you’re trained to do it. So now let’s apply this to what the scripture is saying. Well, there’s obviously a goal you’re trying to reach with your children. There’s a result that you want, which is for them to be Godly, mighty, and blessed seed in the earth. And the curriculum that you need to use in training them is the Word of God.

This of course involves the need for repetition.

I’ve learned with my own daughters that what this scripture is really talking about is similar to programming a computer. What you’re doing is programming their spirits. You’re teaching them the Word of God so that this becomes a part of their own spiritual programming. As a parent you need to keep giving the Word of God to your children so that the Word abides on the inside of them, becomes a part of their programming, and eventually they can automatically make the right decisions.

You have to keep teaching them the Word of God and making sure that they understand the boundaries that the Word has given them. If you don’t give your children boundaries, they will absolutely ruin their lives. They have to learn about boundaries in the home before they’ll really be able to stay within the boundaries outside of the home. You have to teach them about things that they can and cannot do, and then you have to repeat it over and over.

Training requires constant attention. Sometimes we can get so caught up in regular life—and in many cases just surviving--that we forget about training. And before you know it, your child’s all grown up and you never really trained them, and then you wonder about the result that you see. One of the most important things that you will ever do on this planet is train up your own children.

Doing that should be a high priority in your life. So ask yourself: what kind of job am I doing in training my children so that they can be the type of person that God wants them to be and therefore a person that will be blessed?

Scripture Of The Day: "Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it." - Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV)

SHATTERED DREAMS

2011-06-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

by Os Hillman

Naomi's life was going well. A great husband. Two fine sons who had two wonderful wives. Then the unthinkable happened. Her husband died. A little time later both her sons die. Her and her daughter-in-laws find themselves in the midst of shattered dreams. This isn't how life was supposed to be.

How did Naomi react to her situation? "...for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord has gone out against me!" (Ruth 1:13). Ah, we see her true feelings about the situation. "How could a loving God let this happen?!" "Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?" (Ruth 1:20-21).

Mara means bitter. She knew where she was. She was bitter toward this so called God of love. "How can I possibly reconcile this?!" No life insurance. No widow's fund. "What is going to happen to me and my daughters?"

The Bible says the rain falls on the righteous and the unrighteous. Naomi and Ruth move to a community where some of her relatives lived. Ruth goes out to work in the fields to put food on the table. She just so happens to work in the field of a wealthy farmer named Boaz. When Ruth tells her this the first ray of hope penetrates her bitter heart. Even she can recognize the hand of God.

So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, "The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz. Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, "Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!?" (Ruth 2:19-20).

Hebrew custom was for the next in kin to care for the widow in the family. Boaz was to be this man. He would eventually marry Ruth. She would bare a son, Obed. He would be the father of Jesse, the father of David. Jesus would come from the same lineage.

Shattered dreams often lead to a world-impacting destiny. But getting there is often a process where we must work through honest feelings before we can see the God who redeems even the most devastating shattered dream.

ANSWERS TO UNPRAYED PRAYERS

2011-05-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

By Brenda J. Davis

Several years ago, God sent me a special friend—even before I asked for one. When we first became acquainted, Roz and I were attending the same church in Virginia.
Roz is not only a fierce intercessor and one of the godliest women I’ve ever met, she is also a professional Christian counselor. She was the answer to one of my unspoken prayers for a number of reasons.

I was in my early 40s, coping with seminary and graduate school demands and battling chronic illness. I was hundreds of miles away from my family, facing major surgery.

Roz, who barely knew me at the time, opened her home to me while I was recuperating. Her incredible family surrounded me, prayed for me, fed me and saw me restored to health—and hope.

Both Roz and I have long since moved away from Virginia. I miss the closeness we shared when she was just a few blocks away. But in 2004 when I needed her, the Lord sent her halfway across the country for a different purpose, just so she could stop by and set me straight on her way back home.

Five minutes into our talk she strongly suggested that I read Bruce Wilkinson’s The Dream Giver (Multnomah). A modern parable, the book tells the story of Ordinary, who leaves the land of Familiar in order to pursue his Big Dream. Reading it according to Roz’s careful instructions gave me a new perspective on how God uses us to answer the prayers of others.

Various passages in the Bible refer to the fact that God responded to mankind’s need for deliverance by sending a human deliverer (see Judges 3:9).

Some cries for help are never uttered aloud. They are too desperate for words, but God hears and answers them in spite of that fact.

An example of this is the work done by Heidi and Rolland Baker among the children of Mozambique. It is a striking demonstration of the fact that God visits the hearts of His people with big dreams in order to reach those who are crying out in their need.

Vision is about more than personal success. Purpose is more than individual fulfillment. God’s dreams, when embraced by His people and allowed to flow out through their lives, will bring both, but more importantly, they will express His desire for oppressed people everywhere to know love, freedom and deliverance.

This is what Ordinary discovered in The Dream Giver. His Big Dream was directly connected to the needs of others.

God will manifest His dream through your life by making you the answer to someone’s prayers. Allowing Him to do so is a costly way to live, but it is clearly the pathway to reaching Moses’ loftiest goal (see Exodus 33:18) and our own—experiencing the fullness of His glory.

FOLLOWING GOD'S SCHEDULE

2011-05-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

By Dr. Charles F. Stanley

Waiting on God so we can discover His will is an essential discipline of the Christian life. Once we learn His plan, we must be careful to implement it in His time frame.

Following the Lord's schedule is always to our benefit because of His . . .

• All-encompassing knowledge. Unlike us, the Father has complete awareness about our world and the details of every individual life—past, present, and future. (Acts 17:26).

• Complete wisdom. The Lord understands man's every motive (1 Chron. 28:9) and acts accordingly. Our decision making is flawed since we cannot clearly discern people's intentions. We make choices based on partial information, but God has the wisdom to properly interpret the facts and then take action based on truth (Rom. 11:33). He never makes a mistake.

• Unending love. Through His Son, the Father offers us unconditional love. By sending Jesus to die in our place, God proved the depth of His everlasting love (1 John 4:10). He always has our best interest at heart.

• Perfect sufficiency. The Lord offers us all the resources we need to carry out His plan—wisdom, strength, and skill (2 Peter 1:3).

Adhering to God's timetable requires both faith and courage. We must believe that He knows how we should live, trust that His plan is right, and have the determination to wait until He gives a signal to proceed. Those who follow the Lord's schedule will experience the blessing of watching Him work things together for their gain and His glory.

Scripture Of The Day: "Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day." - Psalm 25:4-5 (NKJV)

2011-03-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

Is Japan Disaster Another Apocalyptic Sign?
Thursday, 17 March 2011 10:01 AM EDT Jennifer LeClaire News - Featured News

The crisis in Japan is worsening. At the same time, the situation in the Middle East is volatile. And let’s not forget last month’s seismic shock in New Zealand, Sumatra 9.1, Katrina, Rita, massive flooding in Australia, birds and fish dying around the world, and bees disappearing.

Even the secular media is using phrases like “of biblical proportions” to describe current events. Believers who recognize the signs of the times aren’t surprised, and high-profile evangelists are proclaiming that the end is near.

Jesus issued an ominous warning more than 2,000 year ago: “There shall be signs, and great earthquakes in various places...the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear and for the expectation of those things that are coming upon the earth” (see Luke 21:11,25,26).

Does such an idea reflect merely the hardhearted ravings of religious fanatics bent on making a buck from humanity’s misery, or is it possible that planet earth is indeed approaching the biblical “end of days”?

Charisma magazine sat down with Steve Wohlberg, director of White Horse Media and author of 25 books, including Surviving Toxic Terrorism and End Time Delusions, to talk about why things will grow worse before they get better—and the eminent return of Jesus.

Charisma: What’s going on, Steve? Nobody knows the day or the hour of Jesus’ return, but the signs of the times appear evident.

Wohlberg: When you look at the trend of natural disasters—and many other types of disasters and other things that are happening in the world—it seems pretty clear to me that we are seeing an escalation of large-scale problems on the planet. To me, these are indicators that we are getting closer to the return of Jesus Christ. As you mentioned, nobody knows the day or the hour so I’m very careful not to set any kind of dates.

Charisma: Are tsunamis mentioned in the Bible as part of the end times?

Wohlberg: I used to consider the end of Luke 21:25—“the sea and the waves roaring”—as the sea of humanity being full of turmoil. But then when the big tsunami rolled across the ocean after the Sumatra earthquake, I relooked at this verse and I think it certainly applies to a big wave rolling across the ocean. When the Japanese earthquake hit, it actually moved the whole island of eight feet, and then the tsunami occurred right away.

Charisma: The sweeping fear in the hearts of men is also telling. Japan’s emperor is deeply concerned and praying.

Wohlberg: In Luke 21:26, Jesus said, “Men’s hearts will be failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming upon the earth, for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” That sure sounds like what’s happening now. People are afraid. They are concerned. In the next verse, verse 27, Jesus says, “Then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption is drawing near.”

Jesus talks about earthquakes, pestilences, famines, fearful sights from heaven, all kinds of different things. When you look at what’s happening on earth right now, it sure seems to me that things are lining up with what Jesus predicted. So I believe that we are getting closer to the return of the Lord.

Charisma: I’ve never seen anything like this in my life—the convergence of events. Between Christian persecution, terrorism threats, the earthquakes and tsunamis, the revolution in the Middle East, and a number of other events over the past few years…

Wohlberg: On Friday when the earthquake hit Japan and the tsunami was rolling across the ocean, I was watching Shepard Smith on Fox News. He was covering the quake, covering the tsunami, then he bounced over to Khadafy and what’s going on in Libya, and then he bounced over to Saudi Arabia and the “Day of Rage.”

Smith interviewed somebody that said that if Saudi Arabia is wracked with civil war like Egypt and like Libya it has the potential to bring down the economy of America because we are totally dependent upon oil. Saudi is the main place where we get our oil. Smith made a comment right on the air. He said, “I’ve been covering the news for a long time and this is a new day in news. We’ve never seen all of these things of such magnitude happening at the same time.” When I heard him say that, I just had this apocalyptic sense that this is what’s going on.

Charisma: So what’s the bottom line?

Wohlberg: It’s going to get worse before it gets better. But the good news is that when it’s all over, it’s going to get really good. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. The Bible says that Jesus is going to come and He is going to get rid of sin. Satan is not going to have the upper hand like he does right now. God is going to put down evil.

Revelation Chapter 21 says that eventually there will be a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and first earth will pass away. There will be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former things have passed away.

I’m not a doom-and-gloomer. I certainly don’t consider myself to be a far-right religious fanatic that’s raising the sign saying, “The end is near.” I have a wife. I have two little kids. I’m a student of prophecy. The indicators are all flashing right now that we are getting closer to the coming of Jesus. When things really get bad, the difference will be apparent between those that are genuine Christians that are trusting in Jesus and the rest of the world.

Charisma: In what ways do you expect it to grow worse?

Wohlberg: In Revelation 16, we have the seven last plagues described. Those are going to devastate the planet. That’s right before the Second Coming of Christ. Those plagues haven’t started yet but they are coming at some point. And in Revelation Chapter 16, verses 18 and 19, it describes a “great earthquake such as was not since men where upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great.” And as a result of that quake, it says that the cities of the nations fell. That’s the final spasm right before the Second Coming.

The Haiti quake, the Japan quake, the Pakistan quake, and other things like this, are indicators of a much larger catastrophe that is coming. I wish it wasn’t the case but that’s what I see. All of this is the tragic outworking of sin. When Adam and Eve chose to follow Satan that brought sin into the world. The sin is here. The planet is suffering. People are suffering. And a loving God is allowing these catastrophes and the demonstration of the consequences of human sin so that when He finally intervenes and ends it that He can end it permanently and it will be over forever. That’s why He’s allowing this.

GRACE MEETS YOU WHERE YOU ARE

2011-02-11T19:19:00.000-08:00

by Mike Adkins

It was a Saturday afternoon I'll never forget. I was 17 years old and hanging out at a friend's house when I found myself kneeling next to an old Jeep, my trembling hands clasped together as I cried out to God. It was more out of sheer exhaustion and desperation than any religious formality.

At that point I realized my life was killing me—from my very own choices. I was living from moment to moment, crisis to crisis, looking for the next experience—drinking, stealing, sex, anything—that would make me feel alive inside again. For years, I had been trying to escape from the pain of life's circumstances.

As I knelt there, alone, I didn't realize what I was doing and didn't really care. But I knew I was giving up—and that's all that mattered to God.

Before that afternoon in my friend's garage, I had felt so disconnected from God, from myself and from those around me that I had escaped into a world of distractions. Alcohol, stealing and promiscuity were not the problem; they were my feeble attempts to solve the problem.

The real dilemma? I didn't know who I was. I didn't know who God thought I was. In other words, I didn't understand grace.

The Distractions of Life

When I look back at that pivotal time in my life, I am amazed at how far God has brought me. I now understand more about grace than I did then—mostly from asking some soul-searching questions that I'd like to share with you now.

Do you really know who you are? Do you see yourself as God sees you? Are you living the dream that you and only you were meant to live? Do you imagine a future that releases you to be what He made you to be? Or are you too distracted by a sinful life or religious roles to even think about it at all?

Our attempts to clothe ourselves in the distractions of life—both the sinful and the spiritual—are open betrayals of the fact that we have forgotten we are sons and daughters created by almighty God. Stripped of our royal robes and noble purposes, we live our lives trying to clothe a cold and embarrassing nakedness with the skimpiness of possessions or position.

John Eldredge and the late Brent Curtis, in their book The Sacred Romance, put it this way: "Very seldom are we ever invited to live out of our heart. If we are wanted, we are often wanted for what we can offer functionally. If rich, we are honored for our wealth; if beautiful, for our looks; if intelligent, for our brains. So we learn to offer only those parts of us that are approved, living out a carefully crafted performance to gain acceptance from those who represent life to us."

The heart that truly understands grace relates to God not through obedience and duty as much as desire and gratefulness. But to move from mere obedience to gratefulness requires us to have our identity rooted in who Christ has made us to be.

The Power of Weakness

I recently counseled a married couple who began to argue loudly during the session, ignoring me in an angry exchange that revealed each spouse's exceptional skill at the art of wounding the other. As the verbal combat escalated, something strange happened. They suddenly became aware that I was still in the room. You could see the shock all over their faces. They were horrified that I, their pastor, had seen this side of them.

Immediately they became pleasant again, and even exchanged some mild compliments with each other. I addressed their obvious discomfort by asking them if they were more comfortable before or after they let me see the dark side of their marriage.

It was clear they regretted embarrassing themselves in front of me. It wasn't until I told them that I liked them better and could help them more when they weren't concerned with what I was thinking about them that they felt free to be themselves again.

But notice that, for them, to feel free wasn't the same as feeling good about their marriage—at least not for a long time. For them, freedom meant having the permission to feel bad about their marriage and about themselves, and to not be afraid to show it.

As Christians, we are not called to be without weakness. We are called to understand our weakness so we can exchange it for the strength of the cross—itself a picture of great power clothed in the ultimate weakness of death.

With His sacrifice, Jesus became the original Wounded Healer. Jesus calls all those who come after Him to heal His broken world, not through their own strength, but through the redemption of their broken lives.

God chose us because we were broken, not because we were whole. He picked us out of the crowd because we were falling apart, not because we had it together. He came to heal those of us who were sick, not those who have no need of a physician. As Paul wrote, "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong" (1 Cor. 1:27, NIV).

So if God has chosen us not because of our strength but because of our weakness, why are we trying to hide our broken lives instead of being comfortable with who we really are?

Forgotten Beginnings

Why are so many of us uncomfortable with who we are or where we are in life? Because we are not firmly convinced that we bear the image of the One who made us.

Genesis paints an amazing picture of our creation: "God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Gen. 1:27, NKJV).

In this incredible passage, God has just finished creating the world. He looks at it and is pleased. He says that it is good. From God, this is high praise indeed. And yet, it is not complete. He sees nothing that is truly a reflection of Himself.

As He turns to make man, He creates him in a way that does not reflect any other part of creation. God doesn't model man after the most glorious mountain. He doesn't model him after the vast seas of the earth. He doesn't turn His attention to His creation but to Himself.

He paints a self-portrait. He designs us to be a likeness of Himself. We became the pinnacle of all creation. We became image-bearers of the Most High God. And for a while, it worked out great.

You know the story. Adam and Eve were given the choice to continue being exact likenesses of God or to roll the dice and choose their own image. They gambled and lost, big time. They traded the glory of God for the glory of man—earning for themselves the sin nature that we, as their descendants, still carry today.

In that instant, we became something less than what we were meant to be. Like a mirror that no longer reflects anything, we became altogether worthless. Our self-image, which was designed to grow from the image of God in us, withered in the tragic soil of the fall.

New Beginnings

It's no wonder so many of us struggle to know who we really are. Even though we know in our heads Christ died and rose again for us, our self-image is rooted in the fall and not the resurrection. We have accepted an image of loss instead of redemption. We will not recover our identity until we understand the true power of grace. So, what exactly is grace?

Grace is God's desire to be in relationship with you regardless of your circumstances. That includes everything you have done or had done to you in the past, present and future. God's love is not based upon how you relate to Him through mere obedience. God's love for you is based upon His inexhaustible desire to be close to you. His grace offers several benefits.

Grace allows the believer to live free. I can remember living apart from Christ, and it was anything but free. I was constantly plagued by a sense that I had to create a good life. "You only go around once," was my motto. It was up to me to make it a good trip.

I no longer believe it's up to me to make my own success or happiness. My responsibility is to respond to what God puts in front of me, and through my response, His Spirit will continue to unveil the person God has created me to be. As Paul says, "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18). It's His job, not mine. I no longer have to perform for God or myself.

Grace allows us to move beyond the past. After counseling people for more than a decade, I can say with conviction that everyone I've ever met has a history he or she is running from. The good news of God's grace is that the past can remain where it is—in the past! We deny the power of the resurrection when we allow the past to decide who we are.

The idea conveyed in Scripture is that we are new creations. The old life has died and lives only to the degree that we give it life. The Bible says, "A new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining" (1 John 2:8).

Before grace, all we knew was darkness. Now it is our choice to let it pass and embrace the true light that is already shining in us.

Grace allows us to help redeem the world. We live in a time in which it is not enough to share the message of the gospel. We must share ourselves along with the words. In order for the world to be transformed it needs our stories of brokenness.

It was not a coincidence that Jesus came into this world as a helpless baby. It was no coincidence that He lived as a servant. If He wanted, Jesus could have lived like a king. But He knew that was not our experience. He knew that we were hurting and that we were confused and in need of someone who could identify with us. Jesus didn't come into this world to save us from brokenness but from the illusion of wholeness.

That's our mission in today's world. We aren't called to live as plaster saints. We are to live as wounded healers. Our stories, especially the ones filled with anguish, are the bridges God uses to walk into the lives of others. "They overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony" (Rev. 12:11).

True Grace vs. Tolerance

If grace is the tool God uses to transform the world, then tolerance is the tool Satan uses to usher in hell on earth.

Tolerance is certainly the buzzword of the day. And at first glance, it looks a lot like grace. It's nice. It seems forgiving, patient and kind. But tolerance is a road that leads to death.

Dorothy Sayers once said: "In this world it's called tolerance, but in hell it is called despair. The sin that believes in nothing, cares for nothing, seeks to know nothing, enjoys nothing, finds purpose in nothing, lives for nothing but remains alive because there is nothing which it would die for."

Despair is the natural conclusion of a life lived in tolerance. Grace finds its roots in the cross and the resurrection. Tolerance finds its roots in apathy and fear.

Christ's offer of grace to us through His death on the cross demonstrated His convictions, His belief that mankind needed a rescuer and His determination not to leave us to our own devices. He was bruised, He was cut, He was nailed, and He was pierced so that we could have a relationship with God.

Tolerance allows others to continue in sin because it is too afraid to offer help. Our world is full of people who are watching in silence as those around them perish apart from Christ because they value other people's freedom to choose their own way more than they value the people themselves.

When my son was a toddler, he darted out into the street in front of a car. I had a choice at that moment. I could sit in silence embracing my son's choice and allow him to be killed, or I could help him.

Obviously, I reached out and jerked him back to safety. It would have been monstrous for me to be apathetic in a moment like that. Nevertheless, the cardinal rule of tolerance is no interference even though interference is actually the most compassionate act.

What true grace offers us is the opportunity to be a friend of God, and we are closest to God when we are most aware of our need for grace—when we are most aware of our own brokenness. It is this brokenness that creates the space for God, and it is through the embracing of our weakness that His sacrifice is made real to us.

BEGIN AGAIN

2011-01-13T05:35:00.000-08:00

By Sharon Frame

The desperate father refused to eat or drink. For days he laid prostrate on the floor of his house and wept. He begged God to heal his sick child. After all, it was HIS sin of adultery that had angered the Almighty. The child was innocent. But heaven showed no mercy. The baby boy died seven days later.

It was a most scandalous crime. King David had an alliance with a married woman. The bewitching Bathsheba got pregnant. David had her husband killed to cover up his tracks and claim her as his new wife. But then the word of God came and convicted him.

King David agonized over his son while the child was alive. But when he drew his last breath, David stopped mourning. He got up from the floor, washed his face and went to the temple to worship God. He then went home and ate a big meal. His quick recovery shocked his servants. How could he shut the door to his loss so fast? But what was done was done. David would waste no more time living in regret. It was time to begin again. Some people choose to pitch a tent around their failures and camp out.

David wasn’t having that. He decided to accept God’s forgiveness, and release his guilt and emotional baggage. That’s the only way he could move forward.

What is it that you insist on holding on to that God has instructed you to let go? Is it a destructive relationship? a bad habit? No amount of prayer or fasting will make it good. God says release it. It stands in the way of your new beginning.

This New Year doesn’t need to be saddled with old baggage. Take a cue from King David. He took three key steps to begin again.

First, the moment his son died, David released his guilt and grief. Suddenly, he saw clearly enough to reconnect to his true purpose. And that was simply to serve God.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 says: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

David’s sin had severed his fellowship with God and blocked his vision. Once he fully released it, he went straight to “church” to worship.

That was the second step David took. He got refreshed.

Each new day, God gives us 86,400 seconds to refresh, to begin again. Unlike your vacation days or cell phone minutes, these seconds don’t roll over. You can’t accumulate time. Spend it living your purpose not regretting your past.

The day you release and refresh, is the day you begin to reclaim right-standing with God. This third step is the only way to true peace and prosperity. Reclaiming right-standing simply means to accept God’s forgiveness, and forgive yourself! This was key to David’s deliverance.

No matter how shameful our past failures, God urges us to begin again. Here is an amazing irony: From the ashes of our “mess,” God can create something marvelous.

David didn’t want to lose his child, even though it symbolized his “mess.” God replaced him with Solomon, the second child born to David and Bathsheba. Solomon would rise to become one of the greatest rulers of ancient Israel and the wisest man in the world during his time.

What personal greatness might you be holding up because you won’t release old hurts and failures? The birth of your “Solomon” cannot occur while you linger in the grave yard of your past mistakes. The Lord said in Isaiah 43:19, “Behold I do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

God has made a way for us to release, refresh and reclaim our rightful place in Him. Now is the time to begin again.

Scripture Of The Day: "Behold I do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” - Isaiah 43:19

YOUR POSITIONING

2011-01-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

by Os Hillman

Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips. - Proverbs 27:2

Many years of owning and operating an ad agency taught me that positioning was defined as a place or position that a product, service, or person held in the mind of the audience. We knew that often perception was reality for people, regardless of the truth. For years, I spent time and money seeking to position our company in the minds of our prospective clients. Although it would seem that is a natural and logical marketing function, I later discovered there is a dangerous flaw when we attempt to position ourselves by promoting our own attributes. I discovered that positioning is a by-product of who we are and what we do, not an end in itself.

King David was my first biblical lesson in coming to understand the difference. Here was a man who had committed adultery and murder, and failed many times in his family life. Yet, God describes David as a "man after God's own heart." Isn't that interesting? Why would God describe someone who had obviously failed in many areas as one who was after God's own heart? Throughout David's life, we find frequent descriptions made by God: "So David's fame spread throughout every land..." (1 Chron. 14:17). Although David did make many mistakes, his heart was soft toward God and sought to praise Him. David wrote the majority of the Psalms. God honored what was in David's heart, not his perfection. I believe that God's strategic placement of David was so that we may learn from and be drawn to the attribute of David that God primarily wanted him known for -- a heart bent toward Him. His positioning was a by-product of who he was, not an end in itself. In our business and personal life, our positioning among those who will know us should be a by-product of our life and service, not an end itself.

What is your "position" today among your peers? I once asked my Bible study group to ask others, "What do you think of when someone mentions my name?" This exercise can bring some interesting revelations. It might motivate us to make some changes, or it might confirm that God is doing a great work in you.

ILLUSION?

2010-12-27T13:35:00.000-08:00

by Leonard Davidson

Recently, my wife, Tammi, and I were with a small group of friends. Brock Gill, an amazing Christian illusionist, was a part of the group. Someone asked him to do a couple of “tricks” for us. He had been traveling all day with his wife, and was obviously very tired, but graciously agreed to entertain us (for free … which was really cool).

He had us gather in a half-circle and Tammi sat on the floor in front of me and directly in front of Brock. Of course Tammi’s first question was if he could make me disappear (there is a comedian in every group). He laughed and took out a deck of cards.

All the cards had blue backs. At his request, someone picked a card and showed it to all of us (four of clubs), without Brock seeing it. The card was placed back in the deck. As he fanned out the deck of blue cards, one of them had a red back. The card was revealed and it was the four of clubs. Pretty neat.

Then he knelt down in front of Tammi and said it was her turn. He laid the red four of clubs face down on the floor beside him. He fanned out the remaining cards (all still blue) and had Tammi pick one. She chose the queen of hearts, again showing all of us, but not Brock. The card was placed back in the deck. Just as he did before, Brock fanned out the cards. But this time they all remained blue. There was no red card. He shuffled them together again, fanned them out, and still no red card. Shuffled again, fanned them out and still no red card.

Looking rather perplexed, Brock reached beside him and turned over the red card on the floor, which had been the four of clubs when he laid it down a few seconds before. Amazingly, as he turned it over, it was the queen of hearts! Tammi was (and still is) flabbergasted. She exclaimed: “That is impossible. I watched that card the whole time. It never moved!”

The next day I told Brock that Tammi just could not get over the fact that she somehow missed the illusion. Brock smiled and told me something profound. He said, “There is a dual reality. What your eyes and mind focus on is not what is really happening.” Wow!

We all live in a dual reality and because of that Paul commanded, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:2). This world we live in and the things in it, are in many ways, an illusion. While we live life here on earth, there is another reality. There’s a spiritual battle going on all around us, a struggle that is against rulers, against authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12).

But what do we do? We get so consumed with the temporal things on earth—jobs, houses, cars, salaries, sports, clothes—the illusions of what is important, that we miss what is really going on–the spiritual warfare and the intense battle. Forces of evil are desperately and diligently seeking to destroy our homes, our children, our marriages even our lives, and sadly, too often, with great success. Because we are focused on a fleeting illusion, we are missing the reality. Our affections in this dual reality have been fixed on all the things that simply do not matter.

Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:34). Where is your treasure? What do you read? What do you watch? Where do you spend your time? That is a very good gauge as to which of the dual realities you focus upon.

This week in your Christ walk journey and as you move toward the New Year, take inventory of where you have fixed your affections. Which reality do you live in? Are you focused on stuff that makes no difference to eternity? Set your mind, your affections and your heart on the things above. Set them on God things. Your life will change as you realize what is real and worth your focus and what is but a fleeting illusion.

PRAYER POWER WEEK OF 12/27/2010

This week ask God to help you take inventory of where you have fixed your emotions. Take what He shows you and pray for His help to set your mind and affections on what matters for eternity. Ask Him to show you what’s important to Him and pray what’s on His heart. Pray for a new vision and determination to do your part in winning the lost and expanding His kingdom. Pray that He show you what He wants you to accomplish each day so that yours days would be full, but not overwhelming. Pray that revival would spread across our nation and around the world. Continue to remember Israel, our military and our leaders. Luke 12:34; Col 3:2; Eph. 6:12

A CHRISTMAS TO DO LIST

2010-12-08T14:20:00.000-08:00

Many times in the story of Christmas, the center of attraction is on the main characters: Mary, Joseph, and surely, Jesus. But through the brief account or narrative in Luke 2:8-20, we learn from the shepherds four things that should be at the top of our to-do list this Christmas.

BELIEVE

The angels announced in a breathtaking fashion that the Messiah had been born. As soon as the angels departed, the shepherds looked at each other and said: What are we waiting for? Let's go straight to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened.

There is no debate. There is no procrastination. They don't decide to sleep on it. They don't go to the local library for research. They just believe it. That's faith. Scripture says that without faith it's impossible to please God. The angel said, "Peace on earth among people with whom He is pleased." Who is that? It's those who respond to God's gift through faith. Scripture says, "For by grace you are saved, through faith …."

Faith means you say yes to all that God did through Christ. Yes, He is the Savior of the world. Yes, He came to die for my sins. Yes, through Him I find forgiveness and new life. Yes, I want to follow Christ as Lord. Faith is not a spectator sport; it is an active embracing of everything that God has promised in Christ.

OBEY

The shepherds did exactly as they were told. Sometimes we think of Christmas as a routine or monotonous holiday. We think of sweet little baby Jesus asleep on a bed of hay. Everyone loves that because it's so innocent and safe. But Christmas isn't safe! That baby is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He has come to usher in a kingdom that rivals the kingdom of self. That's threatening. He bids those who would follow him to take up their cross daily—to lay aside our own right to rule ourselves, to surrender to his rule.

The world loves to celebrate the birth of Christ, but they hate to obey Him as the Lord of their lives. Everyone wants to keep Christ in the manger. But the manger is meaningless apart from the Cross. As one writer put it many years ago: "This little babe, so few days old, is come to rifle Satan's fold; all hell doth at his presence quake, though he himself for cold does shake." Christmas is a time for obedience.

TELL

When the shepherds arrived in Bethlehem and saw the child lying in the feeding trough, "they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child." They weren't preachers; they weren't missionaries, but that didn't matter. They had heard and seen something that meant salvation for the whole world.

Christmas trees, eggnog, and exchanging of gifts are fine, but if we do all that stuff but don't talk about Jesus—if we fail to speak of the real meaning of it all; if we neglect to tell someone that this child was born as Savior and Lord, that he was sent by God to die on the Cross to purchase with royal blood our own deliverance from sin, death, and the devil; if we neglect to publish that elsewhere, we've failed to do Christmas right. The angel said that this is good news of great joy which shall be for all the people. Share the joy.

EXPERIENCE

The shepherds were overwhelmed at the angel's announcement. They experienced holy wonder.

How can you partake in holy wonder? Maybe that means you stop in the middle of your shopping, sit down, and read the Christmas story. Maybe that means you gather your children around a nativity scene each night and unwrap a different piece and talk about the role it plays in the Christmas story. Maybe that means you wake up early one morning and find a place you can watch the sun rise as you meditate on Luke 1:79.

The work of holy wonder is treasuring and pondering the fact that God invaded planet Earth on a perilous rescue mission. Amidst all the activity, stop and treasure all these things. Meditate and reflect on them in your heart. Engage in some holy wonder.

JESUS SAVES

2010-11-08T18:24:00.000-08:00

LETTING GOD LOVE US

2010-11-07T13:33:00.000-08:00

by R.T Kendall

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." —Lamentations 3:22-24

Someone once told me that my main theme of my preaching could be summed up in one word—vindication. I didn't know what to think of that, but I think it could be summed up in the words "letting God do it." Then I realized something: I wished it could be said that my preaching was summed up in this phrase: "letting God love us."

There is a connection between the principle of vindication and the principle of letting God love us. "Vindication" means to have your name cleared. God alone wants to do that. The moment you and I start to clear our own names, God backs off and says, "OK! Now you do it!" Immediately we are in trouble, and we see the absurdity of trying to do it ourselves. So unless we let God do it, it won't really happen in the right way.

The same is true when it comes to this principle of letting God love us. In much the same way, we don't let God love us. Instead, we compete with Him by trying to perform for Him so that we feel worthy of that love. This message is intended for those who feel that God doesn't love them because they haven't matched His standards and feel, therefore, they don't have His approval.

You see, there is so much wrong with all of us, and if we knew just how much, we wouldn't hold our heads high. How is it that we manage to get through the day? How do we manage to come to the Lord's Table when we are all so unworthy? It's because Jesus shed His blood on the cross, and that means infinitely more to God than our getting it right. At the end of the day, despite all our obedience and our efforts to please God, nothing matches the blood that Jesus shed on the cross. Any one of us can hold our heads high in the presence of God, not because in ourselves we have come up to standard, but because of what God has done for us.

You see, that is what makes God, God. He's different. It's a wonderful thing when we come to the place where we just let God love us without our having to perform.

NEVER GIVE UP ON PRAYER

2010-11-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

by R.T. Kendall

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. —Luke 18:1

Did you ever let go when you had a struggle? Did you ever feel you were taking the right course of action, only to hear someone suggest otherwise, and so you gave up?

There comes a time when we all need to be confronted with the fact that we don't know God as well as we may think. God has a way of putting us in our place lest our preconceived ideas and our small way of thinking keep us from seeing Him when He comes.

Reading church history reveals that God turns up in different ways. Take, for example, Hebrews 11. Not one of the people described there—Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and Elijah—could have the luxury of seeing God as He had appeared in previous times. They each had to accept that which was different to them and be regarded as a fool. That is what made faith, faith.

We have to come to the place where we see when God is at work for ourselves, and if no one else believes it, we do. That is how real God must become to us. The difficulty is that in knowing Him a little, we assume we know God better than we really do.

Perhaps you are seeking God, and someone, perhaps a person whom you greatly respect, has persuaded you to give up. Perhaps you have prayed about something, and because God didn't answer you within a short time you gave up. Have you ever wondered what would have happened if you had held on?

The point Jesus made in the parable of the importunate widow was to keep praying and not to give up. Wrestling in prayer isn't all that much fun, and I wonder how many of us have given up too hastily, feeling God was not going to answer.

God graciously comes again. Seek God again with all your heart, and you will find Him.

ONE TICKET PLEASE

2010-11-02T12:05:00.000-07:00

By Pastor Marquis Boone

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 is so powerful and filled with nuggets to help us as we face this thing called spiritual warfare. See I have learned that when God is moving in your life, that’s an indication to get ready for the warfare. When things seem to be going great, that’s a representation to get ready for the warfare. Just ask Job. When you’re doing what God said, get ready for the warfare.

I don’t know about you but it seems like since the start of this year the warfare in the believers’ life has intensified. To intensify means to make something greater or stronger, or to increase in strength.

When you break the word warfare down it becomes two words. The first word is “WAR,” which means conflict, struggle and battle. The next word is “FARE,” which means charge, price, cost and ticket. Basically the amount charged for a journey. When you put the word back together it is the battle price, the struggle ticket. No matter how you say it or what you’re going through, you're a paying passenger.

This spiritual warfare is the amount you charged for your journey; your conflict is the amount you charged for a journey; your struggle is the amount you charged for a journey; your battle is the amount you charged for your journey.

You want to know why spiritual warfare is necessary. You pay a fare to ride a bus, plane or train with a destination in mind. After you have your ticket anything can happen. There could be a delay, a crash, or just a smooth ride, but at the end you still get to where you wanted to be.

I just want you to know that even though you are going through this spiritual warfare, trust God, and know that you are on your way to your destiny.

Spiritual warfare – the amount charged for a journey.

Scripture Of The Day: “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.” - 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (NKJV)

SPIRITUAL SOLDIERS

2010-10-28T16:50:00.000-07:00

By Jothany Blackwood

One of the realities we all come to is that sometimes we are in the right fight but with the wrong people. We believe we are really at odds with a co-worker, another church member, or even the person we are in a relationship with. But when we come to the realization that it’s not the individual we struggle against, but the spirit that is controlling them we can shift our approach.

When we focus on it being the person, then we fight them in the flesh where we can never have victory. Because the enemy is masterful at things of the flesh it’s an uneven match. You can’t bring a knife to a gunfight and that’s what you do when you think you’ll give that person back what they are giving to you.

But when you understand that you are dealing with the rulers of darkness that are strategic in their assignments to destroy and kill you, then we have to know what weapons to fight with and protect ourselves. The fact that they rule in darkness indicates that they cannot handle the light. And the light is the Word of God, which is why Psalm 119:105 says “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

When the Scripture acknowledges that there is wickedness in high places that tells you that the enemy does have power. So it would be unwise to believe you can face such a formidable foe on your own strength. Your strength will come from the Word of God and He prepares us strategically for being spiritual soldiers.

God clearly directs us on how to protect ourselves, yet rather than put on the belt of truth, many of us are spiritually sagging. You can’t be prepared to defend yourself from the world when everything about you reflects the world. And as we guard our chest, we are really being protective of what is placed in our hearts for there we find the seat of our conduct and character. And character is simply what you will do when you believe no one is watching.

Then He tells us that our feet should be fitted in Christian cleats so we can hold our ground, despite the elements that seek to make us lose our footing. And that shield of defense against the advances of others is surely made from the promises of God.

The enemy is relentless and if he can defeat us on the battlefield of our minds, our flesh will easily follow. But we must be clear that the fight is not physical, it’s not against the person in front of us; it’s one of spirit and in that we have the confidence that we have already been given victory. But we can delay or forfeit the promised end when we do not rely on God’s strength. We have all been prepared for these ceaseless battles and as spiritual soldiers, we should be tireless in working towards hearing “'Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Scripture Of The Day: "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes…" - Ephesians 6:11-17

THE ISOLATION CHAMBER

2010-10-27T14:42:00.000-07:00

by Os Hillman

"Be still and know that I am God...." Psalm 46:10

There is a time and place in our walk with God in which He sets us in a place of waiting. It is a place in which all past experiences are of no value. It is a time of such stillness that it can disturb the most faithful if we do not understand that He is the one who has brought us to this place for only a season. It is as if God has placed a wall around us. No new opportunities--simply inactivity.

During these times, God is calling us aside to fashion something new in us. It is an isolation chamber designed to call us to deeper roots of prayer and faith. It is not a comfortable place, especially for a task-driven workplace believer. Our nature cries out, "You must do something," while God is saying, "Be still and know that I am God." You know the signs that you have been brought into this chamber when He has removed many things from your life and you can't seem to change anything. Perhaps you are unemployed. Perhaps you are laid up with an illness.

Most religious people live a very planned and orchestrated life where they know almost everything that will happen. But for people in whom God is performing a deeper work, He brings them into a time of quietness that seems almost eerie. They cannot say what God is doing. They just know that He is doing a work that cannot be explained to themselves or to others.

Has God brought you to a place of being still? Be still and know that He really is God. When this happens, the chamber will open soon after.

STEP INTO DARKNESS

2010-10-06T14:26:00.000-07:00

By Christine Cain

God has a purpose and a destiny for our lives. Not so that we can reach a safe nirvana on here on earth but so that we could take risks and make a different in our generation. Let our light so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify our father that's in heaven (Matt. 5:16).

TEN BEFORE ELEVEN

2010-09-10T14:33:00.000-07:00

by Milan Ford

I made a startling discovery not too long ago. My oldest daughter, now four, asked me late one afternoon to read the brand new Dr. Seuss book her grandmother had just sent to her in the mail. Being a big fan of Dr. Seuss ever since I was a kid, and even a bigger fan of the sparkle in my daughter's eye whenever she would ask me to read to her, I quickly obliged.

So I sat my daughter next to me on the couch, opened the new book, and began to read. But just before I was about to turn over the first page of the book, it happened.

On page 4, it happened. On page 9, it happened.
And on page 14 and 15, it happened again.

I stopped reading and asked my daughter if it was okay if we could take a little break. Puzzled as to why I stopped so suddenly, she slowly and (as any four year-old would) reluctantly agreed. I put the book down and went into bedroom where my wife was sleeping, and frantically tried to wake her up, something I wouldn't normally do.

After she woke up and turned to me with that 'this-really-better-be-good' look on her face, she asked me what was wrong. I took a deep breath, and then told her...

"...I keep SKIPPING words."

I explained how while reading to my daughter, I kept skipping over certain adjectives and prepositions as if I had already read the book before, making many of the sentences I was reading to her incomplete and at times, confusing. It was though my eyes were in a race to the finish each page, which caused me to have to go back at times and reread certain words.

While my reaction to this newfound discovery was one of fright, my wife's reaction was totally different. She burst into laughter and told me in a very calm and reassuring tone...

"...I've known THIS (about you) for some time now."

Overjoyed that my wife was not going to send me to the local psychiatric ward, I began to wonder if I was the only one with this problem. But after flipping through a few religious television channels later that evening, I realized it wasn't me at all. This is a problem most in the Body of Christ have today.

I would argue that over the past five, perhaps even ten years, when it comes to providing the Body of Christ with a renewed hope and faith in God, no passage of scripture has been referenced and recited more than Jeremiah 29:11. I'm sure you've heard of it:

"For I know the plans that I have towards you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."

Sunday after Sunday, and at times, channel after channel, millions of believers all over the world are encouraged with the message of an all-knowing, all-powerful God who loves us and has plans to give us a successful and bright future in Him. To know that God, despite all of our shortcomings, would be mindful of us in such a way is truly incredible.

However, what is interesting about this particular passage of scripture is not the words that are found within it, but rather in the words that come BEFORE it.

Take a look now at VERSE 10: "For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place..."

Did you catch that? If not, allow me to help you.

The entire 29th chapter of Jeremiah consists of a letter that was delivered to the King of Judah by the prophet Jeremiah; a letter that prophesied that the land of Jerusalem (all 10,000 of its citizens) would be taking captive by the infamous tyrant and ruler of Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar. I dare you to do a background check on him; he's got quite the record.

Within this letter, God shares with Jerusalem that while He indeed has thoughts and plans to prosper them, their future successes will only come AFTER a period of great trial and pain.

A period that lasted seventy years.
(So why is that important to remember on today, you ask?)

Simply because I want you to know that SUCCESS, while something we all desire and often dream of, does not happen overnight. True success (in God) comes through process.

Now more than ever before, we as believers must exercise patience not only with the reading of God's word, but also when it comes to our personal lives and goals. Our desire to get to the end of our struggle must not be at the expense of truly appreciating our struggle.

You are in the middle of a great story. One that is marked for great success.
Just remember, as it is with math, or the pages of a children's book, so it is with scripture:

TEN always comes before ELEVEN.

Scripture Of The Day: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." - Galatians 6:9 (NIV)

THE PLACE OF TEARS

2010-09-08T17:53:00.000-07:00

by Os Hillman

"My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death" (Mt 26:38).

Often the place of our greatest pain becomes the place of our greatest triumph. Gethsemane was the place of Jesus' greatest trial. Three times He asked the Father to let this trial pass. It was not to be. The Father sent His Son to the cross to pay a debt owed by humanity.

Jesus was faced with His own temptation to quit, to not fulfill His destiny, to run from his assignment. It was a personal battle to persevere. Sometimes we face situations that cry out "Quit! I cannot endure anymore!" We want to throw in our towel of what little faith we have left. We conclude that this faith thing simply does not work.

"Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him"(Lk 22:43). After Jesus asked the Father if this cup could pass, an angel was sent to Him to comfort Jesus. The Father's answer to Jesus' prayer was "No." But, His compassion to His Son came in the form of an angel. Some temptations seem they are more than we can bare. However, God tells us: "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1 Cor 10:13).

If we persevere we often realize later the place of our greatest battle becomes the place of our greatest victory. It would be here, on the Mount of Olives, near the Garden Gethsemane where Jesus ascended and would return triumphantly, not as a sorrowful soul, but a triumphant Savior. The battle He won in Gethsemane would result in the triumphant entry to be Lord of the universe.

God will use your greatest failure or greatest sorrow to be a powerful force in your life and the lives of others. Your Valley of Baca (weeping) becomes springs for you and others. You will go from strength to strength (Ps 84:6). It is in the dying that the new springs are allowed to come forth and a new strength emerges.

If you find yourself in your Garden of Gethsemane, lay yourself at the feet of the only one who can sustain you. Entrust yourself to your Heavenly Father. Let Him determine your fate. It will ultimately become a place of victory.

CHANGING OUR PARADIGM

2010-09-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

by Os Hillman

"While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, 'Simon, three men are looking for you. So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.'" Acts 10:19-20

Peter had never preached to the Gentiles. In fact, he believed it was against Jewish law to associate with the Gentiles. God needed to change Peter's attitude about this, so during the night God gave Peter a vision that showed him it was permissible to preach to the Gentiles. The Spirit came to Peter and informed him that some men were about to come visit him, and he was to go with them. He went with them, and the Lord did great miracles in the lives of Gentiles through Peter.

Sometimes we are so bent on our particular belief that the Holy Spirit must do something miraculous to change our paradigm.

I was once asked to attend a conference overseas. At the time, finances were such that the very idea was ridiculous to me. The very next day a man I had met only once before informed me of this event and asked if I would come if my expenses were covered. I was dumbfounded! The Lord had sent a messenger to change my paradigm because He knew I didn't have the faith to think of the possibility. He knew I needed help.

Do you need a paradigm shift in some area of belief? The Lord still intervenes in the lives of His people every day. Don't be surprised when God begins to change your paradigm by giving you a vision or sending you a messenger of His choosing.

OUR PLANS AND GOD'S PLANS

2010-08-26T06:27:00.000-07:00

by Os Hillman

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21

Have you ever heard of someone who spent years of preparation for one vocation only to end up doing something completely different? Perhaps this could be said of you. Quite often we have in our minds what we believe we want to do only to have a course correction. Often the course correction comes through a major crisis that forces us into an area that we would never have considered.

Such was the case for Samuel Morse. Born in 1791, Morse grew up desiring to be an artist, and he eventually became very talented and internationally known. However, it was difficult to make a living as an artist in America during that time. A series of crises further complicated his vocational desire when his wife died; then his mother and father also died soon after. He went to Europe to paint and reflect on his life. On his return trip aboard a ship, he was captivated by discussions at dinner about new experiments in electromagnetism. During that important occasion, Morse made the following comment, "If the presence of electricity can be made visible in any part of the circuit, I see no reason why intelligence may not be transmitted by electricity." In the face of many difficulties and disappointments, he determinedly perfected a new invention, and, in 1837, applied for a patent that became what we know today as the telegraph. He also created Morse code. It was only later, after many more setbacks and disappointments, that his projects received funding.

Samuel Morse later commented, "The only gleam of hope, and I cannot underrate it, is from confidence in God. When I look upward it calms any apprehension for the future, and I seem to hear a voice saying: 'If I clothe the lilies of the field, shall I not also clothe you?' Here is my strong confidence, and I will wait patiently for the direction of Providence." Morse went on to create several other inventions and can be recognized today as the father of faxes, modems, e-mail, the internet and other electronic communication. ["Glimpses," Issue #99 (Worcester, Pennsylvania: Christian History Institute, 1998).]

God's plans may not always seem to follow our natural inclination. Perhaps God has you taking a path that may not lead to His ultimate destination for you. Trust in the Lord, lean not on your own understanding, acknowledge Him in all you do, and He shall direct your path (see Prov. 3:5-6).

GOOD CHOSE YOU LONG BEFORE YOU CHOSE HIM

2010-08-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

by Rick Warren

"Dear friends, God the Father chose you long ago and knew you would become His children." 1 Peter 1:2 (LB)

God says your salvation is no accident. He chose you long before you chose Him. He took the initiative. The Good News translation puts it this way: "You were chosen according to the purpose of God."

Why would God choose you, or me, to be a part of his family? Because he is a God of love. He is a God of grace. The more you understand grace, the more you're going to be amazed by it. God chose you. Did you deserve it? Not a chance. Do you deserve to go to Heaven? No way! Are you good enough to be in God's family? No. He just chose you. And that's good news.

On what basis did He chose you? First Peter 1:3 says, "For it is His boundless mercy that has given us the privilege of being born again so that now we are members of God's own family." God chose you based on his mercy, not your performance. You'll never earn it. You'll never deserve it. You couldn't work hard enough for it. You couldn't be perfect enough. It's only because of God's grace and mercy that the Creator of the universe says, "I want you in my family." If that doesn't encourage you, you'd better check your pulse.

YOUR SOURCE

2010-08-19T16:13:00.000-07:00

by Rod Parsley

And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. —Deuteronomy 8:17

When things are going well, it could be easy to take credit for your prosperity. You may think it is your job or your college education that has given you the ability to get wealth. Your intelligence and cunning are not the source of your supply: God is.

During times of great need, you can't depend on anything of this world, including your job or your education. People who hold several degrees and have worked for corporations for decades have been fired from their jobs, thrown into the workforce, and are finding that their age and experience are not a help, but a hindrance.

The woman sick with an issue of blood spent her

living—everything she had—on physicians, relying on their intelligence and education, but only grew worse (Matthew 9:20). We are warned not to forget God in our abundance, or we will eventually lose everything (v. 19).

Realize exactly how dependent you really are on God, for He alone is your true source.

Jesus, You are my source and my supply.
You are my resource and my resupply.
I need You over and over again to renew
and revive my life. Without You my life
loses its charge and vitality. Amen.

THE CAUSE FOR FAILURE

2010-08-10T12:03:00.000-07:00

by Os Hillman

"You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it." Joshua 7:13b

The first battle for the people of Israel traveling from Egypt was at Jericho, once they crossed the Jordan River. God had given them a great victory at Jericho, and Joshua was now ready to move to their next battle at Ai. After they spied out the enemy camp, they determined they needed only a few thousand men to gain victory.

They went up against Ai only to fail miserably. They lost 32 men in a battle that should have been an easy victory, but instead they were forced to retreat. Joshua was devastated. "Ah, Sovereign Lord, why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us?" (Josh. 7:7a) In this case, the people fell short because they failed to uphold the standard God had set for them. God had told them not to take any plunder from their first battle. However, Achan hid some forbidden treasures, and God was now judging the entire nation for one man's sin.

Whenever we act without God's complete blessing on our activity, we can expect God to thwart our plans. God's word to Joshua was that he could not stand against his enemies as long as there was disobedience among his troops.

Whenever we launch a business endeavor, we should make sure there are no unclean things in our dealings that would allow us to be vulnerable to a failed effort: unpaid vendors, disgruntled employees who were not treated fairly, lawsuits, dishonesty. Many of these things can hinder God from blessing our enterprises. These things can remove the shield of protection from our workplace, which God wants to bless, but cannot because He is committed to upholding righteousness. His name is blemished when unrighteousness is allowed to permeate our lives.

Is the Lord able to bless your enterprises today? If not, you may need to go back and clean up a few things before He can do so. Take whatever steps are needed to ensure the blessing of God today.

ANGELS OF MERCY

2010-08-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

by Kathy Duffy

Have you ever been in a predicament and someone appeared from out of nowhere to help you? That's happened to me more than once.

Years ago I took a trip from Oklahoma to Michigan driving an old, worn-out car. During the middle of the night somewhere in Missouri my car broke down. Here I was, a female with no credit cards, no AAA, no cellular phone and very limited cash, stranded in the middle of the night on the highway. I prayed and asked the Lord to help me.

Almost immediately from out of nowhere a man in a pick up truck appeared, fixed my car and made sure that I made it safely on my way. Whether he was human or an angel, heaven only knows. But of one thing I'm certain, he was sent by the Lord to help me out of a potentially dangerous situation.

Likewise, the Lord sends us out into a world that is engulfed in darkness, and to a people who are destitute and without hope, dying in their sin. Every day we meet them. They are headed down a road that leads to eternal destruction and they are all around us.

Jesus said, "broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matt.7:13-14, NIV).

As Christians, it is our God given responsibility to help people find the road that leads to life. How often does the Holy Spirit bring people across our path so we can help them find their way, but we're too busy to even notice, let alone help them find Christ?

Let me give you an example of one such divine appointment that I could have easily missed. One day I went to a lake to pray. While walking in the woods, I noticed a woman dressed in a business suit sitting on a bench. I remember thinking how peculiar it was for her to be at the lake in a business suit.

Suddenly, before I could even think about it, I found myself running over to the lady, throwing my arms around her and asking her what was wrong. She grabbed me and sobbed uncontrollably in my arms. I began to pray aloud. Between sobs, she eventually told me her story.

Sin had taken its toll in her life to the point that she was contemplating suicide. She had just cried out to God and pleaded that if He was really there and if He still loved her, to please send her an angel to let her know. It was at the precise moment that I ran over to her. She literally thought I was an angel when I put my arms around her and began to pray for her. The Lord intervened and changed her life that day, and ultimately the lives of her husband and children. To her, I was an "angel" sent by God.

What if I had been too busy to stop and talk with her? What if I had let my head get in the way instead of following my heart? I was His angel (messenger) that day. It was a simple act but the results were life changing.

I challenge you as I do myself to follow the gentle nudging of the Holy Spirit in your heart and avail yourself to be used by God however He wants to use you. Then, in utter amazement, watch Him work through you and see what He'll do!

YOUR SECURITY IS NOT IN YOUR BANK ACCOUNT

2010-08-08T07:19:00.000-07:00

by Rick Warren

"Your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well what you need and he will give it to you if you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to." Matthew 6:33 (LB)

Many of us act like spiritual orphans. We forget that we have a heavenly Father who already knows what we need. He's just waiting for us to ask. He will provide. Does God take care of little birds? They don't worry. Human beings are the only things in all creation that worry. Everything else trusts the heavenly Father and creator to care for their needs.

"He gives food to those who trust Him. He never forgets His promises." (Psalm 111:5 LB) How much do you trust God? Worry is really just a form of atheism. Every time you worry, you're saying, "It all depends on me." That's just not in the Bible.

You must trust God with your life. Today's verse says, "If you give him first place." Why? Because as long as you love anything more than God that thing or person or item will become a source of anxiety.

"Don't put your hope in wealth which is so uncertain. But put your hope in God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." (1 Timothy 6:17)

You must always remember -- your security is not in your bank account; your security is in the Lord. If God turns off one faucet, he can turn on another. If he turns off one job, he can turn on another. You must seek the Lord.
The book of Romans says God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for you to pay for your salvation. If God loves you enough to send His own son to die for you, don't you think He loves you enough to take care of your bills? Don't you realize that any other problem is minor by comparison? He solved your biggest problem when he saved you. The bottom line is this: Are you going to believe God to do what He says He will do? And are you going to believe him enough to do what he tells you to do?

TWO BY TWO

2010-08-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

by Os Hillman
08-05-2010

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work." Ecclesiastes 4:9

Have you discovered yet that you are incomplete by yourself? During my "warrior" stage of life you would have been hard-pressed to convince me that I needed you or anyone else. I know few people willing to admit their need for others, but many who live according to this principle. However, sooner or later we discover God's truth regarding our need for others.

God made us to need others. We may not discover this until we fail - fail in a business, a marriage, a close friendship, or in a client relationship. We are incomplete without the ongoing input from others into our lives. An independent spirit is one of the most detestable sins from God's viewpoint. It is the highest form of pride. "Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice" (Prov. 13:10).

God has made each of us so that we have only so many gifts. He did not give any of us all the available gifts. Hence, we learn to depend on others and to humbly trust others to complete us where we are deficient.

David had Jonathan. Paul had Silas. John Wesley had George Whitefield. Martin Luther had Philip Melanchthon, who was 14 years younger. Martin Luther learned that he needed someone in his life to complete the work God called him to do. Luther had the greatest respect for this friend who helped him reform the Church of their day, and the Church as we know it at present. Luther learned a great deal from Melanchthon, who was a great scholar at a young age. He could speak several languages, and he became Professor of Greek at the new University of Wittenberg at 21 years of age. This was ten months after Luther posted his famous theses on the church door in Wittenberg. Melanchthon helped shape the Protestant movement of the sixteenth century through his research, writings, moral purpose, and religious conscience. Luther and Melanchthon became inseparable, and when they died, they were buried next to each other.

Who has God placed in your life to complete you? Perhaps it is a mate. Perhaps it is a close friend. Perhaps it is a business partner. If you lack this in your life, I encourage you to seek someone out who can speak into your life. If you have someone like this, tell him or her how much you appreciate the role he or she plays in your life.

TRUST YOUR FINANCES TO GOD'S PROVISION

2010-08-04T06:02:00.000-07:00

by Rick Warren

God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 (NIV)

Everybody has financial fears. You don't have to be poor to get anxious about money. You don't have to be on welfare to have financial fears. In fact, it seems the more you have the more you have to maintain, to insure, to protect, to worry over.

But God gives us a guarantee regarding our finances. Philippians 4:19 says, "God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." This verse is so packed! I want you to notice several words.

First it says, "God will..." It doesn't say, "He might meet your needs" it says "He will." It's a fact. He's staking His character and His reputation on it. "I will meet your needs."

Then it says, "God will meet all..." It doesn't say "I'll meet some of your needs" He says all. Does that include car payments? Braces? Home? Yes. All your needs.

It doesn't say "I'll meet all your greeds." There's a difference between needs and wants. God's not going to give you everything you want; you'd be spoiled to death.

But it says, "I will meet all your needs" according to His wealth, His riches. It's not based on your assets. It's based on what God has and He doesn't run out of resources.

Finally he says "... for you in Christ Jesus." This is not a promise for everybody. God has not promised to meet the needs of people who reject His Son. This is a promise only for believers. He says, "If you're one of my children, in my family, I promise to meet all your needs."

Then how come you have financial needs? Did God fail? Did He lie? Exaggerate? No. With every promise there are conditions or requirements. There are things God says, "I'll do my part and you do your part."

God says if you meet the following five conditions, then he will meet your financial needs -

If I ask for his help.
If I learn to be content.
If I practice giving in faith.
If I maintain financial integrity.
If I trust him with my life -- completely.

BEING A VESSEL TO BLESS OTHERS

2010-08-02T06:09:00.000-07:00

by Os Hillman
08-01-2010

"One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." Proverbs 11:24-25

One of the reasons God entrusts money to us is to bless other Christians by meeting their needs. God uses the transfer of money within the Body of Christ to build unity among Christians. Sometimes we withhold money that God has designated for someone else. He wants to bless through us, but His will cannot be accomplished through us if we are disobedient.

This was the case for a business owner who tells of the time when God told him to forego a company bonus one year. God directed him to share his year-end bonus with an employee to show his appreciation for him. He wrestled with God for three full days before obeying the Lord on the matter. When he finally met with the employee to give him his check, the man said he had been praying about a financial need he had three days earlier. He had decided to borrow the money to meet his need. The amount of money he borrowed was the exact amount the business owner gave him.

God had already planned to provide for the employee through the business owner, but because he was hesitant, he almost missed the opportunity to be an instrument of God in this man's life. Even so, he could have prevented the man from having to borrow money. It was an important lesson for the business owner.

How many people do we let down because we feel the "harvest" God provides is all ours? In America, the pressure is always on to move up the ladder of material accumulation. Jesus warned us about this. If our focus is on accumulation, we will not look for opportunities to be God's vessels of financial blessing to others. Ask the Lord if you have an open hand when it comes to finances.

SIX WOMEN LEADERS TO AVOID

2010-07-29T15:31:00.000-07:00

by J.Lee Grady

A popular female evangelist arrived at an airport and was escorted to the baggage claim area. After she retrieved her luggage she was taken to the passenger pickup lounge where she met her hosts from a local church, who planned to take her in a comfortable van to a nearby hotel so she could rest before speaking at an evening service.

The members of the welcoming team were not prepared for this woman's icy response to their greeting. When they opened the door to the van, she told them bluntly: "I will not ride in that." Then she stormed back into the airport with her entourage. After making inquiries, one of the church staff was informed by the woman's assistant that Her Highness must be transported in a certain type of vehicle.

The stated choices were a Bentley, a Mercedes-Benz or a Lincoln Town Car! Nevermind that Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. This regal woman of God insisted on arriving in luxury.

When I heard this story I didn't know whether to start a petition drive or just vomit on the spot. I was outraged, bewildered and nauseated.

For the last seven years I have given my life to help empower and release women leaders in the church. I have dedicated my life to ending gender discrimination-especially when it limits women's spiritual gifts and callings.

Yet when I hear of poor examples of women pastors and preachers, I must confess I fight discouragement. Yes, we need many more trained women church leaders-but we don't need any more bad examples!

In my travels I have observed all kinds of women leaders, some who are stellar role models and others who would do us all a favor if they pursued different careers. If you have aspirations to pursue leadership in ministry at any level, I pray you will avoid becoming like the ones I am about to describe.

1. THE DIVA To this woman, ministry is all about her. She is the star. Surely she started out with genuine passion for God, but today her message is not defined by her unseen prayer life but by what people see on stage. Greed and pride have deceptively lured her into compromise.

She knows how to move a crowd. There is obviously a strong anointing on her life, but it has been subtly fused with a carnal agenda. She can inspire people to success and wow them with her own accomplishments, but there is nothing in her sermon that brings true repentance or brokenness. Her message may be loud, and it can elicit shouts at the altar. But the people don't realize they've been drugged with a spiritual form of cocaine that triggers a religious high but can't bring them closer to Jesus.

The diva is known for her demands. Someone must carry her Bible, her water bottle, her purse and her cell phone. Those who ask her to preach in their church soon learn that she is "high maintenance." She will require the priciest hotel rooms and the biggest offerings-which she will collect with plenty of manipulative arm-twisting.

Her Christian values were once admirable. But the holy fire that burned in her heart a few years ago has been quenched by greed and an addiction to the crowd's approval. She stopped studying the Bible and now focuses more on what she plans to wear at her conferences. She stopped spending time in God's presence and began craving the glow of television lights.

The diva loves grand entrances. She comes into the meeting late and is whisked off the stage as soon as she has delivered her sermon. She doesn't associate with common folks or spend too much time praying for them. A strange atmosphere surrounds her: A mixture of the Holy Spirit's irrevocable gifting and a disturbing aura of self-importance. Only those who are discerning can recognize the difference.

2. THE CONTROL FREAK If you saw the movie The Devil Wears Prada you know the type of leader I am talking about. Unfortunately the main character of that film, the fearsome fashion publisher Miranda Priestly, has a few counterparts in the religious world.

Beware of this woman if she is in any church leadership position. She rules with an iron fist and leaves a trail of wounded bodies behind her. Somehow she missed the elementary Leadership 101 class, which teaches that every Christian leader must learn to serve. To her, authority is about dominating people.

This woman does not know how to delegate. She is not a team player. The control freak believes she knows all the answers, and therefore she must sign off on all decisions, no matter how petty. People line up outside her door night and day to get her approval, and anyone who needs an appointment is first advised to obtain a "weather report" on her shifting moods.

Somehow this woman never took care of her anger issues when she was a young Christian. Now that she has a position of power, no one is brave enough to challenge her ungodly behavior. She surrounds herself with yes-men and yes-women who dislike her authoritarianism but are too intimidated to admit that her ruthless temper is a sin.

The control freak has no peers and doesn't have a relational style. She may claim to have an older mentor (who usually lives in a distant city) but she doesn't open up her life to those who work with her. They are her subjects, and she demands obedience and long hours of work to prove loyalty. Her employees usually resign on a regular basis because of her harsh criticism and abusive words.

3. THE FLIRT I recently took a pastor friend of mine to a conference to hear a visiting woman preacher from another state. Imagine my horror when this lady walked to the podium wearing a dress that looked like it had been sprayed on.

Every curve and crevice on this woman's body was visible to the ogling eyes in the audience. Some of the guys, to their credit, began looking at the floor toward the end of her sermon so they would not commit adultery in their thoughts. I wanted to run to the podium, grab one of those "modesty cloths" they use during prayer times and wrap it around Sister Shapely before anyone else stumbled.

This woman obviously missed the memo about adopting a "professional and sensible dress code" for ministry. Or perhaps she simply ignored the memo because of her own unresolved sexual issues. Somebody should have yanked her off the platform and sent her back to the new believer's class, where godly women teach other women why it's wrong to use their femininity as a sexual weapon.

The flirt disregards sexual boundaries. She hangs around with men alone in the church office, and might even counsel men alone. She may even use sexually charged language or veiled vulgarity in her sermons. (Note: Just because male leaders engage in this behavior does not make it acceptable.)

Women in ministry do not have to wear their hair in a bun or don ankle-length flannel dresses in order to be modest. There's nothing wrong with looking your best. My favorite women leaders usually wear smart pantsuits, tasteful jewelry and comfortable shoes when they preach. They dress like respectable businesswomen-and they command respect from their churches because of it.

4. THE FLAKE God knows we need leaders today who understand the gifts of the Holy Spirit. But whenever there are revivals of Pentecostal power, the devil always lures some people to unbalanced and unhealthy extremes. In the modern charismatic movement, leaders who misuse the gifts of prophecy or other supernatural phenomena have deceived or irreparably wounded many people.

The flake may have had a legitimate experience with God, but because of pride she begins to believe that her gift is unique. She may even claim special access to God and have frequent visions or dreams that bolster her claims. These experiences might be from God. But if she does not stay grounded in biblical truth and seek accountability in healthy ministry relationships, she may elevate herself to a point where no one can challenge her revelations.

No one who steps out in the supernatural is going to get it right 100 percent of the time. We prophesy in part, and those who use the gift of prophecy are likely to "miss it" from time to time. But the flake will rarely admit to missing it. She will stubbornly contend that she heard from God, even if all the evidence proves otherwise.

It's bad enough when flakes are in the pews because they can cause divisive splits in congregations. But when a flake is elevated to a leadership position, an even bigger disaster looms. That person may veer into extrabiblical methods or outright heresy because she cannot receive correction.

The flake usually has serious unresolved emotional issues. She may be prone to depression, and she might seek unusual spiritual experiences to soothe her damaged emotions. She is always in superspiritual mode and rarely enjoys the normal routines of life. My advice to the flake: Come down to earth!

5. THE FEMINIST I don't believe all forms of feminism are wrong. In the early years of the 20th century, many brave Christian men and women worked tirelessly to win women the right to vote. Gender equality is a human right, and it is something that God set down in the first chapters of Genesis. Because both male and female are created in His image, we should work to correct the injustices of gender inequality and abuse.

But there is another more sinister form of feminism that has no support in Scripture. It is a bitter, vengeful attitude that places women against men, and often elevates women to a superior position. Sadly, this worldly spirit has invaded the church.

The feminist church leader has a man-hating spirit. She may be a gifted communicator, but if you listen closely you will hear the sound of a grinding axe when she speaks. She has not forgiven the men who hurt her in the past, and she intends to punish those men who get in her way today. Her unresolved issues are transferred to her audience. Her poison is injected into everyone who hears her.

She may claim that she believes in gender equality, but she will often surround herself only with women and refuses to put men in certain positions. Oftentimes the feminist has experienced at least one failed marriage and does not have any healthy relationships with men. Because she is unhealed, she cannot be an effective healer.

6. THE VICTIM This is the most pitiful of all the bad examples I've listed. She is guaranteed to make you feel sorry for her. And she might use a full box of Kleenex to help you understand her pain.

What the victim lacks in leadership skills she will make up for in sob stories.

Everyone is against her. She is suspicious of her own congregation. Other churches, she says, are maligning her. The devil, she insists, has targeted her ministry for destruction. Every trial that comes her way confirms that she is the focus of a demonic conspiracy.

Chaos surrounds this woman. Her ministry is always in turmoil. The victim moves from crisis to crisis, always anticipating another tragedy around the next corner. True joy has been replaced by a constant religious anxiety that repels people-thus making sure that her ministry will always be composed of a small "remnant" of people who have similar emotional baggage.

Of course if you suggest that this woman's misfortune might be the result of her negative outlook on life, she won't listen. That's because the victim has found a bizarre form of pleasure in her dysfunction. She's become quite comfortable at the center of her painful universe.

DON'T SETTLE FOR LESS
All these bad examples are in the church today-and each has her male counterpart. But I am not giving up in my resolve to see an army of gifted, trained women who will serve as pastors, missionaries, evangelists, CEOs, government leaders and social reformers. This is the hour for women to arise.

Instead of divas, we need humble women who are willing to serve even if they receive no public recognition. Instead of control freaks, we need leaders who wash the feet of their disciples and push them to greatness while modeling sacrifice. Instead of flirts, we need mature, dignified mothers of faith who have crucified their adolescent fantasies.

Rather than flakes who are tossed around by spiritual fads, we need discerning women who love biblical truth more than charismatic goose bumps. Rather than feminists, we need women who have resolved their issues with men and are willing to partner with them on equal footing. Rather than victims, we need women in ministry who are emotionally healthy.

Don't be discouraged if you see yourself in any of these negative examples. There is probably a little bit of diva in all of us! And all of us have resisted the urge to become control freaks.

If you are called to leadership, God will guide the preparation process-and He will bring mentors and positive role models in your life to challenge and encourage you. If you allow the Holy Spirit to shape your character, you may end up being the good example the church is waiting for.

MAKING THE LORD OUR BANNER

2010-07-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

by Os Hillman

"Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner." Exodus 17:15

The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. God instructed Moses to stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in his hand. Moses' staff represented something that God said He would use to bring glory to Himself. The staff represented what Moses had done for most of his life - shepherding. It was his vocation. When God first called Moses at the burning bush, He told him to pick up the staff; He would perform miracles through it.

God wants to perform miracles through each of our vocations. At Rephidim, God defeated the Amalekites only when Moses held his staff to Heaven. It was a symbol of dependence and acknowledgment that Heaven was the source of the Israelites' power. When he dropped his hand, the power was removed and they began to lose the battle. Each day we are challenged to reach toward Heaven and allow God to be the source of victory in the workplace or be defeated. God calls us to let His banner reign over the workplace so that others may know the source of our victory. "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven' " (Ex. 17:14). The Lord wants those behind us and around us to know that He is the source of our power and success. With each victory is a testimony that is to be shared with our children and our associates.

Is the Lord your banner today? Reach toward Heaven today and let His banner wave over your work so that He might receive glory from your life.

AT MIDNIGHT

2010-07-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

By Pastor Marquis Boone

People of God, adversity comes in many shapes forms and fashions. These perplexing, confusing, and mystifying predicaments show up at the most inconvenient and awkward times in our lives, and the frustrating thing is that adversity does not need an invitation to enter your home.

One moment life appears to be serene, calm, peaceful and quiet; then the next moment we find ourselves caught in the middle of the storm. For some of us life is just one storm after another.

One of the strange things about this season is that it seems like it is lasting forever. One of the purposes God has for our lives is that we grow to maturity in our faith in Him and not in stuff or in people. You know your faith is maturing by what you do and how you act during your storm and in your problem.

"And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” Acts 16:23-28 (NKJV)

Here in the book of Acts we find a story about the Apostle Paul and Silas who find themselves in what seems to be a storm. Paul & Silas were called by God to take the gospel into the region of Macedonia. However, when they got there, instead of wide open doors, like they might have expected, they ran into a season of opposition!

They are locked up and in chains because they were at the place God wanted them to be, doing the very thing God told them to do. What I love about Paul and Silas is that they still had faith in God. The text does not say they were crying and angry but that they were praying and singing praises.

This is my favorite part of the text, it says “but at midnight”. I know you have heard people say that midnight is the darkest hour and it’s when you’re at your lowest, but what I want to point out here is that midnight is also a transition period. It is the transition from an old day to a new day. It can confuse you because when you think of transition you think of a sudden, rapid change.

Midnight transition is very minute because nothing really changes but the time. I want you today to put all your faith in God no matter how it looks my sister and no matter what they say my brother. Don’t allow the code red to detour you because there is a transition about to take place in your life but you have to trust God.

Remember you are where He wants you to be. It’s not time to put your faith in the things you see but put to your faith in the God who holds you in His hand.

Scripture Of The Day: "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible." - Hebrews 11:3 (NKJV)

TIME AT THE MASTER'S FEET

2010-07-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

by Gloria Copeland

If you were to ask me to name the most important principle of Christian living I've ever learned, I would answer you without hesitation. It is the secret of daily communion with God. That is, without question, the No. 1 priority of the Christian life. It is the key that opens every door.

Yet it is the one thing many Christians can't seem to find time for.

When you think about it, that's astonishing. No other group of people since Adam and Eve has had the opportunity to fellowship with God the way we can. The Creator and Ruler of the entire universe has made Himself available to meet with us as believers every day. He sent Jesus to the cross to shed His blood so that we could enter into the holy of holies and draw near to Him any time we desire.

God Himself has flung open to us the door of fellowship and said, "I'm here for you. Just draw near to Me and I'll draw near to you. Spend time with Me and I'll give you the wisdom you need. I'll strengthen you and equip you and help you in every area of your life."

But for the most part, Christians have been too busy to take Him up on it.

"Well, Gloria," you might say, "considering how much we have to do these days, that's understandable."

Is it? Suppose you woke up one morning, walked into your kitchen and found Jesus Himself sitting at your table. Would you be too busy to stop and talk with Him? Would you leave Him sitting there alone while you rushed through the business of the day, talked on the phone, watched television and then fell, exhausted, into bed? No! That would be unthinkable!

Yet that is what we do, day after day, when we let the busyness of living crowd out our time with the Master. That is what we do when we neglect our fellowship with Him. We miss the counsel He wants to give us.

Like Martha, we become "worried and troubled about many things" (Luke 10:41, NKJV). Yet all those things would be taken care of if we would stop and spend time with the Lord. All would be well if we would follow Mary's example and do the one thing that is needful--spend time at Jesus' feet.

DISCOVERING GOD'S PLAN
Why is that time so important? Because in those precious hours and moments alone in God's presence, we truly get to know the Lord. We discover His plan for our lives, and we lay hold of the wisdom and grace to carry it out. As we fellowship with the Lord, we receive His direction and His power to do what we are divinely designed to do.

I know that from experience. The time I've spent with the Lord in the Word and in prayer has literally shaped my life. I shudder to think where I would be today without it.

When I was growing up, my world was so small I could hardly think beyond the little Arkansas town where I lived. The only dream I had back then was to hold a simple job. I had no sense of purpose or divine destiny. I couldn't begin to imagine the life I have now. I certainly couldn't have asked God for it because I didn't know this kind of life was available!

Even after Ken and I answered God's call to the ministry, we had no idea what God's plan for us was. We were living in a tiny house in Tulsa while Ken attended Oral Roberts University. One day Ken went down to the riverbed to pray about the future and God spoke to his heart, telling him that he was going to preach to nations.

We couldn't imagine going to nations. We hardly had enough money to drive from Oklahoma to Texas to visit Ken's family. How were we ever going to travel to nations?

It didn't seem possible. But now, more than 35 years later, not only have we traveled to nations but also we reach out to people worldwide almost every day of the week through our ministry offices and TV broadcasts.

How have we done it? By staying in constant fellowship with God--by spending time with Him daily through His Word and through prayer, by hearing His voice and following His guidance one step at a time.

DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT
Frankly, I have had to do it that way because I don't have the natural ability or resources to do what God instructed us to do. I know what Jesus said of Himself is also true of me--I can of myself do nothing (see John 5:30). If I'm going to do anything worthwhile, I have to abide in Jesus and be obedient to Him.

That's why I rarely do anything in the mornings before I pray. My time with the Lord is so vital, I don't leave home without it! I make a connection with God the very first thing and talk to Him with my understanding, and in the Spirit with other tongues.

If I have a business meeting, I want to know what He has to say about the issues we'll be discussing at that meeting. I believe for the wisdom of God. I don't want to go in there and be dependent on natural knowledge.

If I am ministering, I have to be anointed by His Spirit, or I might as well stay home. God's wisdom--His way of doing things--is available in every area of our lives, and I know I need it. I can't afford to engage in activity before I've spent time with God.

"That's necessary for you," someone might say. "You and Kenneth are preachers. It takes the supernatural power of God to do what you do."

Whether you know it or not, it takes the supernatural power of God for you to do what you're called to do, too! Even if you're not in the fivefold ministry, God has a divine calling and purpose for you to fulfill. Ephesians 2:10 says that He has predestined, or planned beforehand, good paths for all of us to walk in and good works for us to do.

But there is only one way we'll ever be able to do them--by abiding in Jesus and communing continually with Him.

Jesus left no doubt about that. He said: "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:4-5).

The word abide Jesus used has a sense of permanency about it. It doesn't mean "to come in and go out." It refers to the place where you remain and dwell continually.

When Ken and I travel, we might stay in a hotel for a week. We live there temporarily, but we don't abide there. We abide in our home in Fort Worth, Texas. That's where our belongings are. That's the place we continually return to. That's where we live.

When Jesus said, "Abide in Me," He wasn't saying, "Visit Me when you go to church on Sundays and whenever you have a big problem." He wasn't talking about a sporadic or temporary arrangement. He was instructing us to make that place of dependency on Him and communion with Him the place we continually remain. He was telling us to make it our permanent dwelling place.

And He immediately told us why we must do that. It's because if we don't, we won't be able to produce the proper fruit in our lives. If we're not continually walking with Him and talking with Him--continually spending time in His Word and listening for His direction on the inside--spiritually we won't be able to accomplish anything.

LAMINATED TO THE LORD
Once we experience the divine power that comes to us as we abide in Jesus, it is easy to see that if we want to live victoriously, we must first and foremost maintain our daily union and communion with Him. That is our most important responsibility.

If we will maintain that union, God will take care of everything else.

Unfortunately, however, many Christians do just the opposite. They become so busy maintaining the other things in their lives that they don't take any time to spend with God. They spend their lives maintaining their houses, their lawns, their cars and their jobs. They even find time to maintain their hair and their fingernails. Yet they neglect the one thing that is vital to their lives and well-being: They neglect their union with God.

To be in union means to be joined together with something or someone. When two things are united with each other, they are joined so tightly together that they become like one substance. You might say they are laminated to each other!

"But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit" (1 Cor. 6:17). According to Strong's Concordance, the Greek word translated joined comes from the word meaning "to glue."

When we don't take time to fellowship regularly with the Lord, we don't live as though we're united with Him. Despite our best efforts, we end up doing things He wouldn't do. When we say things He would never say, our actions reveal that we definitely aren't laminated to Him.

That's why spending time with God each day is so vital. It's during this time that we become unified with Him--not just in our spirits but in our souls. As we read and meditate on His Word or fellowship with Him in prayer, we begin to think as He thinks. We begin to act as He acts and talk as He talks.

As we spend more time with God, we become more familiar with His direction and instruction. We're better able to distinguish His guidance moment by moment so that we can walk out His perfect will for our lives every day.

By spending time in fellowship with the Lord, we become so in tune with Him that when He tells us to do something, we hear Him and obey. We become so closely joined to Him that our desires, thoughts, words and actions become a reflection of the One with whom we are united.

A TITHE OF YOUR TIME
How much time should we set apart to spend with the Lord each day to cultivate the kind of union I've described?

The Bible gives us no hard and fast rule. We must each be led by the Holy Spirit. There may be seasons in our lives when He draws us into extended hours of fellowship with Him. There may be seasons when our daily times with Him, while consistent, are not as long.

In a meeting I attended more than 20 years ago, a prophecy given by a minister I highly respect echoed that thought. He said by the Holy Spirit that if we would just take a tithe of our time--an hour or two out of every day--and spend it with God, our lives would be changed and empowered, all would be well, and we would be a mighty force for God.

When I heard that, I took God at His word. I decided to get up an hour earlier every morning so I could spend time with Him before I began my day.

That decision has proved to be one of the most important decisions of my life. It changed my life and me. Now, spending the first part of my day in prayer and the Word is such a habit for me that even when Ken and I are traveling and I have to get up at 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning, I do it because I am addicted. I must have my time with God!

Just as the Lord promised through the word of prophecy I heard more than 20 years ago, the hour or two a day I've spent with God has continually changed and empowered me. Instead of burning out due to the demands of ministry, my fire for the Lord gets even stronger as the years go by.

Everything is good in my life and the lives of my family. My children and grandchildren are healthy, blessed and serving the Lord. All is well, as He said it would be.

I've discovered for myself that what Jesus said to Martha is eternally true. The best part of the Christian life, the one thing that is truly needful, is time spent with Him. We can be assured of victory in every area of our lives if, through the Word and prayer, we'll draw near every day and sit at the Master's feet.

LIVING AN OBEDIENCE-BASED LIFE

2010-06-24T10:44:00.000-07:00

by Os Hillman

"They trusted in Him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God." - Daniel 3:28b

Have you ever known someone who lived an outcome-based Christian experience? This means that their decisions are made based on the positive or negative outcome, not on absolute obedience.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were three men who lived an obedience-based life. When King Nebuchadnezzar passed a law that said all were to worship his idol, these young men determined they would not worship anything other than God. You can be sure these men did not make this decision at the time of the decree. Their decision actually had been made years earlier. Their convictions were already in their hearts.

Each of us must come to a place of knowing what our boundaries are in given situations. What will you tolerate from your employer? What situation crosses the line for you? Where are the boundaries for questionable practices in your life? If these are not worked out ahead, you will live a life of situational ethics, determining what decision to make based on the merits of the situation.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were willing to die for what they believed. In this case, they were delivered from the fiery furnace. God used their faithfulness to impact a king, and they were promoted to higher positions.

Are you an obedienced-based Christian? Or are there situations that can move you based on the outcome? God wants to know that we will stand firm on the issues that are important to Him, no matter what the outcome may be. God is looking for those who are radical in their obedience. Does this describe your commitment to Christ? If not, pray for this kind of conviction. The Lord will honor you for this.

WHO GIVES THIS WOMAN?

2010-06-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

By Leonard R. Davidson

"Who gives this woman to be wed to this man?" Even though I was expecting this question, hearing it asked by the minister (who is my other son-in-law, Evan) caused a bit of pause. Keep in mind that other than writing a bunch of checks, this was my only real part in the ceremony. I was being asked to give my daughter to the man standing beside Evan. Not to go on a date. Not for a weeklong vacation. But forever!

This beautiful bride-to-be, standing beside me and holding my hand was my daughter.

When she was born I cut the umbilical cord. My wife and I stood beside her hospital bed at 1 year of age as she fought an unexplainable blood infection. I taught her to ride a bike. To swim. To drive a car (hence much of my gray hair). Much of the money I have made in my life somehow poured through her hands.

Megan (or "Boo" as she will forever be to me) is our daughter. Daddy's girl. My blood runs through her veins. I would, without hesitation, give my life for hers. I love her. Period. With all my heart. And I was being asked to give her away.

Jared (her fiancé) is an amazing man. He loves God, not just as talk, he walks it. He can pray. I know; I have prayed with him. Worship is a lifestyle to him. He has incredible talent as a musician and a voice that surprised me the first time I heard it. But, like my friend Charles Billingsley, he does more than sing. He worships. And he leads others to also worship.

God's divine providence brought him into Megan's life. He loves her. I mean really adores her. He has adopted baby Elijah and cherishes the idea of being his daddy. Their story is a miracle. Even with all of this, I still took pause in answering the question. And then, this is how I answered, "Her Heavenly Father, her mother and I." And I did it with a willing, joyous, proud heart.

However, if Jared had not been the man he is, if he hadn't loved her with his whole heart, if he was abusive or rude, if he treated her with disdain and disregard, I promise you, the answer would have been very different. In fact, we would not have even been to this point. Because with all that is within me I would have tried to stop the relationship. Megan is my daughter and I would never give her to a man who was not worthy.

But God shows us a different kind of love. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son." Gave Him. Simply because He loves the world. Love so powerful, so intense, so pure that He gave His only Son. And here is what totally blows me away about that kind of love. God gave His Son to a world that hated Him. He gave His Son to a world that would not even acknowledge that He was His Son. He gave to a world that totally and completely rejected Him. He gave His Son to a world that He knew would mock Him, brutally beat Him (to the point that He no longer even looked like a human being), strip Him totally naked, make Him carry His own instrument of death, spit on Him, whip Him, and ultimately kill Him in the most degrading and inhumane way possible.

God, the Father, knew this. And yet He gave. At exactly the right time, when humanity was helpless, and being good enough to get to heaven was hopeless, God gave. Maybe if it was for good people, friends, people who loved Him, it could possibly be understood. But for sinners? Amazing. Amazing grace and mercy.

This week, as you journey in this walk we call Christianity, think about this kind of love. Love that gave. A gift you do not have to earn, and no payment is necessary on our part because the debt was paid in full by the very Son of God. A God who gave freely and unconditionally. Take some time to thank your Father. Thank Him that He loved. Thank Him that He cared. Thank Him that He gave.

The She Papers Newsletter » The Master Gardener - Super Slogan

2010-06-13T08:21:00.000-07:00

The She Papers Newsletter » The Master Gardener - Super Slogan

ARE YOU A THREAT?

2010-06-10T18:01:00.000-07:00

by Os Hillman

"One day the evil spirit answered them, 'Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?'" - Acts 19:15

Are you a threat to the kingdom of darkness? If Satan and his demons had a board meeting and your name came before the board, what would they say? Would they say that you are one of their most feared enemies and they needed to keep many demons harassing and opposing you? Or would they say, "Gentlemen, this person poses no threat to our activities. Leave him alone. He needs no help from us." There are millions of church-going believers sitting in pews Sunday after Sunday who pose little threat to the kingdom of darkness.

If we truly believe that we war against rulers and principalities that cannot be seen, then we must realize that their mandate is to hinder any believer who is seeking to walk in the fullness of God. However, "greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world" (1 Jn. 4:4b KJV).

If you are seeking to fully follow the Lord, you can expect harassment from the enemy. God permits temptation because it drives us deeper into the soil of God. These times reveal God's power to keep us and walk us through the temptations. Our message becomes fruitful when it is born out of obedience and suffering for His name. Do not consider it strange if you find yourself fighting major battles the more obedient you become to the Master. God desires each of us to become a feared enemy of hell in order to affect Satan's domain. When you begin to feel harassed, chances are you are beginning to affect the kingdom of darkness, and Satan doesn't like this.

So, how many demons do you think are assigned to you?

ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB

2010-05-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

by Os Hillman

"Then Joseph said to his brothers, 'I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.'" - Genesis 50:24

I was boarding the airplane in Frankfurt, Germany, when a mentor of mine asked me this question, "Would you consider why God referred to Himself as the 'God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob'? Why didn't He simply say, 'the God of Jacob'?" What a strange question, I thought to myself.

For the next hour I racked my brain trying to discover the meaning to this question. I had never read it in a commentary, and the Scriptures do not really say why this is so. It became a good exercise with the Holy Spirit that led to some interesting observations - one from my mentor, one from my own insight.

First, could it be that the Lord has given us a "type of trinity" in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Abraham was considered a father figure to the nation of Israel. Isaac was the son who had to be sacrificed on the altar. Jacob was the man who had to learn to walk according to the Holy Spirit instead of his flesh. Each of these patriarchs had a particular relationship with God to fulfill.
My friend asked about an hour into the flight, "So, what did you discover?"
I told him of my observation.

"Hmm...that is interesting. I believe that what we also see in the patriarchs are examples of three distinct types of personalities. If the Lord had cited only one of the patriarchs, we would tend to seek to model that leader. However, the Lord has given us three distinct personalities in whom He performed His work. Abraham was the pioneer who ventured out into unknown territory and was considered righteous for his faith. Isaac was faithful to follow in his inheritance with few ups and downs in his life. He had the fewest calamities among the three. He was called simply to be faithful to what had been already given. Jacob had extreme conflict in his life. He suffered more pit experiences than either of his predecessors. He had much conflict in relationships that became the source of his inheritance. Each of us can identify with one of these men in how God has related to them."

God works in each person's life uniquely, and He has provided examples of lives for us to identify with from the Scriptures. Who do you identify with most in your Christian pilgrimage? Discover this for yourself. You will find encouragement as you seek to learn from someone who has gone before you.

GOD WILL NOT FULFILL YOUR DREAM IMMEDIATELY

2010-05-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

by Rick Warren

"But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!" Habakkuk 2:3 (LB)

"We all have to go through these waiting periods. Even Jesus waited for thirty years in the carpenter's shop before setting out on his public ministry. "
Even as you make a decision to follow the dream God places in your heart, you can expect a delay. God will not fulfill your dream immediately because this is another step toward building your faith.

In Habakkuk 2, God says, "These things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled."
In this step of faith-building you will most likely start asking the question, "When, Lord? When are you going to answer my prayer?"

And we hate to wait. We don't like to wait in a doctor's office, or in traffic jams, or at restaurants, or for Christmas presents, or for anything else. But what we hate worst of all is waiting on God.

Have you ever been in a hurry when God wasn't? It's so irritating! You're ready, but God isn't. God wants to work on you before he works on the project. Every believer must go through the University of Learning to Wait (ULW). Some of us are still working on our degrees from ULW!

- Noah waited 120 years from the time he started building the ark until it began to rain.

- Abraham was told he would be the father of a great nation and didn't have a child until he was ninety-nine.

- God told Moses he would be the leader to lead his people out of four hundred years of slavery, but then made him wait in the desert forty years.

- Joseph spent years in prison before God raised him up and he became the ruler God wanted him to be.

- God had David anointed as king, but then David waited for years until he actually got to be king.

We all have to go through these waiting periods. Even Jesus waited for thirty years in the carpenter's shop before setting out on his public ministry.
Why do we wait? It teaches us to trust in God. We learn that his timing is perfect. One of the facts we have to learn is this: God's delay never destroys his purpose.

A delay is not a denial. Children must learn the difference between "no" and "not yet," and so must we. Many times we think God is saying, "No," but he is saying, "Not yet."

GOD CARES FOR YOU

2010-05-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

by Joseph Prince

Do you know why there are many believers today who don't cast
their cares upon the Lord? It is because they don't have a
revelation that He cares for them. Look at what His Word says:
"[Cast] all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Pet. 5:7, NKJV). Unless you have absolute confidence that Jesus cares for you, you will not cast your cares upon Him.

Just think: Would you call upon the help of a relative or friend in your time of need if you were not confident that the person would respond to your call? Jesus cares for you! When you call upon Him, you can know that you have His fullest attention with all of heaven's resources backing you up.

Maybe you are thinking right now, "Well, I am sure that Jesus has more important things to do than to bother with my problems." Hang on! By saying that, you have just shown that you don't really believe that Jesus cares for you. Now, let's see what the Bible says: "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows" (Matt. 10:30).

I love and care for my sweet daughter, Jessica. But as much as I adore her and care for her well-being, I have never, not once, counted the number of strands of hair on her head! She does not know how great a blessing she has been to me. I love to kiss her, smell her hair and hug her tightly. Yet, in all my great love for her, I have never taken the time to count the hairs on her head.

But do you know that your heavenly Father numbers the hairs on your head? That's how much He cares for you! Not one strand can fall to the ground without His being aware of it.

I really hope you are beginning to catch the heart of Jesus and have stopped putting limits on His love. His love for you is all-encompassing. If He cares enough to keep track of the hairs on your head, is there anything so small or insignificant that you cannot talk to Him about it?

God's love for you is infinitely detailed. Jesus said that not one sparrow falls to the ground apart from the Father's will. Are you not of more value than a sparrow?

Is God a God who winds the clock and then leaves it alone to tick until Jesus comes back? Is He involved only with major events in the world? Is He involved only in significant events in our lives—such as our salvation—or is He vitally and intensely involved in the day-to-day minute details?

What do you think? The Bible says that He calls His own sheep by name (see John 10:3). My friend, His love for you is personal, detailed and in-depth!

Knowing this, you can begin to see the Lord in the midst of every situation and concern in your life. When you learn to bring Him into the picture, He makes everything beautiful.

I'm sure your life hasn't been perfect. The scars of yesterday may still be throbbing in your memory. Perhaps you were sexually abused as a child or emotionally hurt by someone you trusted.

As you look back now, you may still feel angry, frustrated and disappointed all at the same time, and the hurt may still pierce your heart. But in the midst of your pain, I want to challenge you to start involving Jesus. See the Lord holding you, gently healing your wounds. Jesus is right there restoring you, putting courage into your heart and taking away all sense of shame and guilt.

Beloved, He wants you to know that your past will not determine the future that He has for you. Once you involve the Lord and put Him into your bitter waters, He will turn the bitterness into sweetness.

That is what the Lord did for the children of Israel. When they came to a place called Marah, they could not drink its waters because they were bitter. Moses cried out to the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree, which Moses cast into the waters. When he did that, the Bible says that "the waters were made sweet" (Ex. 15:25).

Why did the foul-tasting, undrinkable waters become refreshing and sweet? The answer lies in the tree that was cast into them. The tree is a picture of the cross on which our Lord Jesus hung, bearing every broken heart and every sting of betrayal. When you bring Jesus into your situation, He can cause every bitter experience to become sweet! Cast your cares on Him and allow His presence to restore you today!

About the author: Joseph Prince is the senior pastor of New Creation Church (newcreation.org.sg), a vibrant, dynamic and fast-growing church in Singapore, which has a congregation of more than 19,000 members. He separately heads Joseph Prince Ministries, Inc. (josephprince.org), an international, non-profit organization that seeks to build, encourage and inspire people with the gospel of Jesus Christ through television broadcasting as well as new media technology. Prince is the author of several books, including his most recent, Unmerited Favor (Charisma House), from which this message is adapted. For information about resources by Joseph Prince, log on to destined2reign.com.

LORD, DISTURB ME

2010-05-22T05:36:00.000-07:00

by Pastor Marvin Williams

I follow the Radical Rabbi named Jesus, but I am too safe, too comfortable, too undisturbed.

I hang the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door of my life because I don't like my comfort, safety and status-quo living being interrupted by the turbulence of big dreams, the deep waters of radical obedience, the rough seas of suffering, and the dark nights of uncertain adventures.

The other day, I ran across a prayer, written by Sir Frances Drake (explorer and naval pioneer during the Elizabethan era), that disturbed me. This prayer affected my spiritual equilibrium so much, that I want to share it with you, in hopes that it will disturb you like it did me.

Don't just gloss over the words; sit with it for a minute and then spend some time, dissecting and parsing its content. Then ask God to help you identify "smooth sailing" areas of your life. Next, ask him to disturb the places in your life where you are safe, comfortable, undisturbed.

Here's the prayer:

Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the waters of life; having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity; and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas where storms will show your mastery; where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes; and to push us into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love.

I know I have been sailing too close to the shore lately and I am asking Jesus to disturb me to action.

In what areas have you become too comfortable and need to pray: "Lord, disturb me?" In what areas in your life have you been traveling too close to shore and need to pray: "Lord, disturb me?"

Scripture Of The Day: "You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him." - Deuteronomy 13:4

OVERCOMING OUR PAST

2010-05-16T15:26:00.000-07:00

by Os Hillman

"Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah." - Judges 11:29a

We've all heard stories of individuals who have overcome extreme hardship during their childhood years. Children of alcoholics, orphans who never have parents, loss of parents to a fatal crash, childhood disease - these are all difficult circumstances to overcome.

Jephthah was a man who overcame his obstacles and refused to allow his circumstances to prevent him from becoming great in God's sight. He was born to Gilead, a result of his father's adulterous encounter with a prostitute. Jephthah's half-brothers decided to reject Jephthah, and drove him away from their home saying, "You are not going to get any inheritance in our family because you are the son of another woman." Imagine the rejection this young man felt as he was cast away from his own family.

This experience taught Jephthah to become a hardened warrior. Today he probably would have been part of a street gang. As he got older, his reputation as a warrior became known to those in his country, so much so that when the Ammonites made war on Israel, the elders of Gilead went to Jephthah and asked him to be their commander. Jephthah had to fight off those feelings of rejection from previous years.

"Didn't you hate me and drive me from my father's house?" he responded. He overcame his hurt and pain, and responded to the call God had on his life.

It is said that if we were to help the butterfly remove itself from the cocoon, the butterfly would not be strong enough to survive. It is the struggle that prepares the butterfly to become strong enough to fly. Without the struggle in the cocoon, it could not survive as a butterfly.

The Lord prepares each of us in similar ways. Some of our childhoods seem to have been harsh and born from a seemingly unloving God. However, the Lord knows our struggle and will make our life an instrument in His hand if we will follow Him with an upright heart. He does make all things beautiful in His time if we are willing to be patient.

A MOTHER'S LETTER

2010-05-12T09:23:00.000-07:00

by Pastor Marquis Boone

Late one night my mother sent out an e-mail that captured my attention. In this email she began to pour out wisdom; and in the email I could hear and feel her heart. In this letter, she began by saying this:

"As a mother, sister, daughter, auntie, cousin, friend and woman, I'm asking and praying that you all find peace with any situation that is bringing unnecessary stress into your life. Sometimes the situation is just what it is. There is nothing you can do about it. Burger King's slogan doesn't work on everything -- you can't always "have it your way." You have to free your mind, heart and body, or you could internally cause your body to develop an illness you really don't want. I challenge you all to take better care of your bodies. Sit down, learn to do less and relax, or your body will shut you down and you will have no choice in the matter!"

My mother continued on in the email to say..."your job does not dictate your happiness. A failed relationship does not dictate your happiness. You have to make life what you want as God leads, but also remember nothing comes easy. Make the best of a situation, but if it becomes too much, it's time to let go."You solve nothing by sending yourself in circles for someone or something that is not reciprocating your worth. Something better is bound to happen, remember when you learn to close a door another one is ready to be opened. Be willing to open that door, it may be the one that sets everything in order!

There is nothing like a mother; wisdom drips from her lips, and kings and queens are birthed from her womb. Mothers are blessed by God and without them we would not be here. I challenge you today -- regardless of the problem or issue -- make an effort to call your mother and say thank you or I love you. Life is too short. Close a door and get ready to open a new one. I leave you with this poem:

My Tears Don't Come Cheap Anymore (By: C. `Tillery Banks)

I don't want to cry anymore about something that ain't nothing
The price of my tears comes high now;
They come from a deeper well than before.
A well filled with knowledge I didn't have before
Filled with visions I have never seen before
Filled with emotions I have never felt before
secrets I've never known before.
Filled with children I have yet to birth
Joys I have yet to live and give
Magic I have yet to perform
Dreams yet to dream
Songs to sing that have not been sung
Dances to danceAnd words to rhyme.
The well is deep.
No, my tears don't come cheap anymore

Scripture Of The Day: "And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her." - Genesis 17:16 (NJKV)

AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD

2010-05-11T06:04:00.000-07:00

by Os Hillman
05-11-2010

"So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision, I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless." - Daniel 10:8

Daniel received a vision that troubled him greatly. He wanted understanding of this vision. He set himself out to understand the vision by fasting for three weeks. Three days after his three weeks of fasting, a messenger of God appeared to Daniel. The messenger explained that Heaven had heard his prayer from the first day, but the angel was temporarily prevented from coming by the prince of Persia, a demon angel, who sought to thwart God's messenger from coming to Daniel.

There are times in our lives when we must set ourselves to seeking God with all our hearts. It is in these times that we hear from Heaven in ways we may never have experienced before. Daniel's perseverance in prayer was rewarded with a personal encounter with Heaven. However, in order to receive from God, Daniel had to be left alone, have his strength removed, and be placed in a helpless condition. When we have no ability in our own strength to move Heaven or the events around us, we are in position to hear from Heaven. It is the acknowledgment of our humanity and our frailness that places us in a position to have a personal encounter with the living God.

Do you need a personal encounter with God today? Do you need God to intervene on your behalf? Seek Him with all your heart. Demonstrate to Him you are serious. Get alone and acknowledge your helpless condition before Him. He will reward you with His presence.

PRACTICING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

2010-05-02T07:31:00.000-07:00

by Mike Bickle

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. —Ephesians 2:6-7

Do you ever imagine standing in heaven's throne room as you worship and intercede? Picture a mighty throne, immersed in flames, standing in heaven. Imagine an indescribably glorious person with hair and garments as white as snow, seated upon that throne. Picture twenty-four lesser thrones surrounding the great thrones on the right and the left and twenty-four elders clothed in white and wearing golden crowns sitting upon those thrones. Listen to the mighty roar of praise ascending from the myriads and myriads of angels on every side of the throne. Jesus is there at the right hand of His Father. His loveliness and His splendor are beyond description. He is welcoming you to the throne of grace, smiling and bidding you to come. As we come there, day after day, year after year, our spiritual lives will surely be enriched. Our spirits will be invigorated, and our minds will be renewed.

THE POWER OF PRAISE

2010-04-26T18:54:00.000-07:00

by Maggie A. Escoto

A Warfare of the Unusual Kind

Who ever heard of a bunch of musicians and singers lead an army? If you read 2Chronicals 20, that is exactly what happened.

There were three kingdoms that had made alliance with each other to come against Judah. King Jehoshaphat received word of this plan of attack and knowing that his army was no match for theirs immediately turned to God for help. Jehoshaphat announced throughout the land a time of prayer and fasting and the people poured into the capital to take part in it.

Then in the midst of all the people while praying, the Spirit of the Lord came upon the son of Zachariah, Jahaziel, who prophesied and said, “"Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.' "

The next morning as they prepared for battle Jehoshaphat consulted some people and it was decided that there would be singers and musicians leading the troops into position. It was a step of faith which declared that they believed that God would keep His promise to them and fight the battle. Never was an army so defeated as that of the enemy. When the men of Judah arrived at their position, the only view was that of dead bodies. And not only was the enemy already defeated when they got there, but God blessed Jehosphathat’s army with all of their valuables. There was so much they could not carry them all alway!

What a powerful testimony to the power of praise, faith and prayer. In all threats or trials, public or personal, our first order of business should be to seek help from God. If we believe the word God has given us, with praise and thanksgiving in faith that you have won the victory, then He too will help us come up against the attacks that are formed against us and be able to proclaim triumph over them and be blessed in addition.

GOD LIKES YOUR COMPANY

2010-04-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

By R.T. Kendall

Evangelist J. John told me about a trip he made to India a few years ago. Shortly after he arrived, he heard about a saintly woman called Sister Theresa (not Mother Teresa) who had a powerful gift of the word of knowledge. J. John was able to meet her, and he said to her, "If you have a word for me, I would be so grateful."

He said she turned around and left. He feared he had offended her. But she came back to him an hour or so later with a list of 13 items (some of which almost bowled him over they were so accurate), ending with these words, which he will never forget: "God likes your company and asks that you give Him two hours of your time every day. That's all. Goodbye." Wow!

J. John took her seriously, and he has told me more than once that he was never to be the same again.

What does prayer do for God? For one thing, He likes your company. I can't imagine a greater motivation for me to pray than knowing that God enjoys having me in His presence. He enjoys my company. He delights in listening to me! He doesn't get bored with my repeated requests. He doesn't moralize me if I get it wrong with what I ask for. He doesn't laugh at me if I put out silly, even impertinent requests. He never makes me feel stupid. There is no rejection, only total acceptance.

It doesn't get better than that. David said: "How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you" (Ps. 139:17-18, NIV).

When God speaks to us face-to-face as He did with Moses, it is impossible to say who enjoys it most—God or us. I am moved to know that God spoke to Moses face to face, "as a man speaks with his friend" (Ex. 33:11). God loved Moses' company. He loved Abraham's company, also calling him His friend (see Is. 41:8; James 2:23). What a compliment to the disciples that Jesus would say, "I have called you friends" (John 15:15). Spending time with another person develops friendship.

The thought that God likes my company thrills me more than I can explain to you. And if He likes my company, He likes yours too—He is no respecter of persons (see Acts 10:34; 1 Pet. 1:17). The same blood that purchased Peter's and Paul's salvation bought yours and mine. Moreover, it is the blood that gives all of us equal access into God's presence (see Heb. 10:19). Therefore, I can put out of my mind the thought that some people are more acceptable to God than others. One's profile in church has nothing to do with being accepted by Him—or loved or enjoyed. We are all on level ground. No one is at the head of the line just because she has a higher profile in the church, has been a Christian a longer time, has been on a 40-day fast, or has fame in the world. Being a head of state gives you no leverage. As St. Augustine put it, "God loves every person as if there were no one else to love."

I hate the thought of being a bore. I hate wasting people's time. I can sometimes tell by the look on their faces if they are not happy to see me. I fear rejection. And if I'm not careful, I can carry this fear of rejection right into the presence of God, assuming I am boring to Him too. Why should God care about me? Why should He listen to what I have to say? And why should He like my company?

It is such a dazzling thought, that the same God who has countless billions of angels worshiping Him 60 seconds a minute, day and night, to whom the nations are but a drop in the bucket and who knows all about every leaf on every tree in the world, also welcomes my company—because I am important to Him.

Indeed, I can think of no more amazing thought than this: "God loves me as much as He loves Jesus." That's right! You and I are co-heirs with Jesus (see Rom. 8:17). Jesus even prayed that we would grasp the fact that the Father loves us just as much as He loves Jesus (see John 17:26).

If there's anything that will make us blush in heaven, it will be the realization of how much we were loved on this earth—but didn't appreciate it. And if we knew how much God welcomes us when we turn to Him, we would almost certainly pray more than we do. God loves our company.

LOSING YOUR LIFE FOR HIS PURPOSE

2010-04-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it." - Luke 9:24

When the time came for God to fulfill Joseph's dreams, Joseph himself had virtually no interest at all in it. Jesus said, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it" (Lk. 9:24). God wants to teach us a different set of values so that the kind of thing we start out wanting becomes secondary. God has something in mind for us that is far greater than the interest we began with.

Joseph's day of exaltation had arrived. Yet, through it all, a very real humiliation had to take place. We know about the humiliation Joseph had experienced for 13 years after being sold by his brothers into slavery, then taken to Egypt. We know how he was falsely accused and cast into prison.

Then came a different situation. Joseph had had a triumph and was given an exaltation, but the kind he really never asked for. He did not appear to be all that interested in what was about to happen. He watched as the Pharaoh took his ring off his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. Joseph never asked for that. All he wanted was to go home. He longed to go back to Canaan, to see his father, and to have his dreams fulfilled.

Therefore, here we find an extraordinary incongruity: a humiliation in the heart of vindication. A triumph that was the opposite of everything he, himself, could have envisaged. Joseph wanted to go home, but a one-way ticket to Canaan wasn't available. Before he knew it, he had Egypt in his hip pocket. He had never prayed for that. But God wanted Egypt. What God wanted is what Joseph got. Joseph was given something that he could be trusted with because it didn't mean that much to him.

POSSESSIONS OF THE KINGDOM

2010-04-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

by Os Hillman

"But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions." - Genesis 15:14

Whenever God brings you through a time of great adversity, you can expect to come out of that experience with great possessions, if you have been faithful through the trial. This is a universal truth. Wisdom comes from obedience, not knowledge. When we have been tested and proven, the reality of our faith results in possessions from God that we would never receive if we had not gone through those trials. These are precious in His sight and should be valued greatly. Those who know you will be amazed at the wisdom that comes from your mouth. It is one of those mysteries of the gospel that only those who experience incredible testing and hardship can explain.

God kept the people of Israel enslaved 400 years, but when the time came to free them from the bondage of slavery, they came out with great possessions. These physical possessions symbolize the spiritual possessions we receive when we come out of being enslaved to those things that have hindered us all our lives. These possessions are to be shared with others so that they also can know how they might become free.

What has God freed you from that allows you to share your possessions with others? Share what God has done in your life with someone you work with today. It may be the possession they need most in their life.

WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE!

2010-04-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

by Os Hillman

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Eph 6:12).

In the old west it was common to see a poster on the wall of the town jail or post office with a man's picture below the words: Wanted: Dead or Alive! These were the most notorious criminals who posed the greatest danger to society.

Let me ask you a personal question. Is there a "Wanted: Dead or Alive" poster in hell with your name on it? Are you a real danger to hell? Do you cause problems for Satan's legion of demons? Are you pushing back Satan's agenda on planet earth?

Are the unsaved in danger of receiving salvation through you? Will someone receive healing because you dared to pray for them? Will someone's life be impacted because you chose to pray for them in your workplace during a difficult time? Will a city be impacted for Jesus Christ because of you?

Millions of believers sit on the sidelines everyday having no impact on the Kingdom of darkness. Their names will never appear on a Wanted poster in hell because Satan sees that they are no threat. However, God wants you to be a threat to Satan's kingdom.

What are some things you can do that will pose a threat to Satan's agenda? Perhaps you can begin praying for one of Satan's most notorious talk show personalities. Or maybe you are called to visit an elderly home to bring the love of Christ into a lonely place. There are many ways you can earn a reputation in hell.

Are you willing to be a force to be reckoned with by Satan's legions?

THE SOURCE OF PURE DELIGHT

2010-04-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

By Brenda J. Davis

Several years ago I was introduced to the poignant Irish hymn "Be Thou My Vision" for the first time. It quickly became a favorite, especially the stanza that reads: "Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise / Thou mine inheritance, now and always / Thou and Thou only, first in my heart / High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

"Whenever I hear this verse—and I sing it often—I imagine the glorious, eternal riches of our inheritance in Christ. It is true that on Earth and in heaven, God has by His grace provided for us "one blessing after another" (John 1:16, NIV). Yet without eyes to see Christ as our inheritance and our chief aim, we don't recognize His blessings for what they are.

King David wrote: "Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance" (Ps. 16:5).

In His sovereign, loving, infinite wisdom, God apportions to each of us what is to be ours. And He chooses better for us than we would choose for ourselves.

God selected an inheritance for Abraham that was beyond anything he knew to ask for. But He also told him, "'I am your shield, your very great reward'" (Gen. 15:1). Seeing God Himself as his true reward moved Abraham to forfeit the earthly, temporal riches of Haran in order to claim the eternal wealth of Canaan and a heritage through which all the peoples of the earth would be blessed (see Gen. 12:2).

In The Pursuit of God renowned preacher and author A.W. Tozer wrote about the significance of making God our treasure: "The man who has God for His treasure has all things in One. Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness.

"Or if he must see them go, one after one, he will scarcely feel a sense of loss, for having the Source of all things he has in One all satisfaction, all pleasure, all delight. Whatever he may lose he has actually lost nothing, for he now has it all in One, and he has it purely, legitimately and forever.

"Although God deals with each of us in unique ways, His intentions toward us are the same as they were toward Abraham--to bless us and through us to bless others. The key to receiving His blessing is to see ourselves and our inheritance from heaven's perspective.

It will take this kind of spiritually enhanced vision to take our land, because in every case, there will most certainly be giants to conquer—enemies within and without. But we must believe that possessing our territory for ourselves and our descendants is worth the fight of faith we'll have to engage in.

Shake off any weariness or discouragement and take one faithful step at a time, boldly staking your claim: "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion [inheritance] forever" (Ps. 73:26).

PRAISE YOUR WAY TO A BREAKTHOUGH!

2010-03-26T06:03:00.000-07:00

Dr. Creflo A. Dollar

Do you need God to make a way out of no way? The swiftness and surety of your deliverance starts with how you respond to hard times and difficult situations. Hear me when I say that it is not just enough to thank God and honor Him only when you've received a blessing. God wants you to show the extent of your faithfulness and trust in Him even in the midst of going through a challenge. The power of your praise will determine the magnitude of your breakthrough.

Praise is not just clapping your hands or applauding God. It is showing respect, honor, and gratefulness using your whole heart, mind, spirit and body despite your circumstances. Paul and Silas didn't wait until they experienced a breakthrough to praise and thank God. In the midst of difficult circumstances, they praised God and received the breakthrough they desired.

Acts 16:25, 26 (New Living Translation) reveals, "Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!"

Paul and Silas praised God even when their backs were bleeding and their feet and hands were in chains. Despite the pain and suffering they were going through, they praised God anyway; and as a result, God shook the very foundations of the prison, setting them free. God will shake the foundation of your prison; your bondage, your problem...if you make a decision to praise and give Him thanks, no matter what.

Praising God should become second-nature for all Believers. "This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord" (Psalm 102:18). We were created to praise God, and it becomes a natural expression of your love for the Father when you spend time in the Word and meditate on His goodness.

When you have a heart for God and you know He loves you, your confidence in His ability to deliver you soars. You know help is on the way and you eagerly anticipate it. First Thessalonians 5:16-18 encourages, "Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus" (NLT). God doesn't tell you to thank Him for negative circumstances; He says to thank Him while you're in the midst of them. Doing this shows that you trust Him to bring you out.

The storms of life are going to come; but don't let them disturb your peace and affect your thoughts and emotions. This will only move you into self-pity and frustration. Instead, maintain an attitude of praise.

Your first line of defense is the Word of God. Meditate on it and give it life by speaking it over your circumstances. If you need healing meditate on scriptures that reveal God's ability to heal. Receive that Word in your spirit and begin praising God for your healing.

The Word of God declares, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:4-7, NIV).

When you are in a situation and there seems to be no way out, open your mouth and praise the Lord-and don't stop. Instead of crying and complaining, give God praise because you know He has a plan for you that includes deliverance, restoration and peace. Thank Him for His goodness because your praise will stop the enemy and move the hand of God

When your deliverance comes, continue to praise Him because He has more in store for you. Thank Him for breakthrough in your home, on your job and with your children. Through your authority in Jesus, place a demand on your breakthrough and watch God show up in your life in ways you would have never imagined.

HEALED BY HIS WORD

2010-03-23T05:36:00.000-07:00

He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. —Psalm 107:20

You can be healed if you will hear the Word. This Word says it is by faith, that it might be by grace. Grace is omnipotence. It is activity, benevolence, and mercy. It is truth, perfection, and God's inheritance in the soul that can believe.

Grace is God. You open the door by faith, and God comes in with all you want. It cannot be otherwise, for it is, "of faith that it might be by grace" (Rom. 4:16).

This is believing, and most people want healing by feeling. It cannot be.

By Thy Word, not my feelings,
I am healed. Hallelujah!

AN ANSWERED PRAYER

2010-03-23T05:29:00.000-07:00

by Bonnie St. John

And he said unto me, 'My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.' Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (KJV) In the church I attend, the pastor always stops at one point in the service to ask the congregation if we have praises or requests to share. It seems that every Sunday, there are people who ask us to join them in praying for a friend or family member struggling with some sort of physical ailment.

"Please pray for my Aunt Jenny who was in a car accident last week. Pray that she won't have to have her leg amputated."

"My friend at work, his son has cancer. Please pray for healing and courage."

"My wife has macular degeneration. Her eyesight is slowing fading. Pray that the doctors can stop the spread of the disease."

We all want these physical calamities to be healed so that our loved ones do not have to suffer the pain, the discomfort, and the long-term, day-to-day indignities of life with a disability. No one would wish a physical disability on anyone else. We pray that God could give our loved one an easier life.

My mother must have felt this way when the doctor told her, shortly after I was born, that my right leg would not grow normally.

"I recommend that you amputate the leg as soon as possible," he told her.

My mother prayed that there would be another solution besides disfiguring her baby--a baby who looked so fragile and so perfect. She actively searched for any alternatives. She fitted me with orthopedic braces and shoes. She consulted doctor after doctor. But most of all, she continued praying.

When I reached age five, she finally capitulated to the inevitable and agreed to let go of my emaciated limb.

Should she conclude that her prayers were not answered? Should all of us who pray every Sunday for healing, remission, and miracle cures be disappointed with God when things don't go the way we think they should?

If only my mother could have known how things would turn out! How could she have any idea that her one-legged daughter from San Diego would become the first African-American to win Olympic or Paralympic medals in ski racing, of all sports!?!

Yes, you heard that right: a black, one-legged girl who grew up in San Diego with no snow turned into a world class ski racer winning two bronze medals and the silver for overall performance in the 1984 Paralympics in Innsbruck, Austria - and made African-American history in the process. My "disability" has opened so many doors and created so many opportunities for me that I couldn't possibly describe them all here. As just one example, I have been invited to be a part of the official Presidential delegation to Vancouver for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Paralympics! I will once again have the honor of representing my country at the Olympics, 26 years after my performance as an athlete.

So many of us enjoyed watching the perfection of human physical performance in Winter Olympic competition in Canada, but fewer people are aware that the Paralympics are beginning, in the same Vancouver ice rinks, ski slopes and bobsled runs, on March 12th. While the athletes are far less perfect--missing arms and legs, paralyzed and blind--their performances are perhaps more astoundingly poignant and beautiful for that very reason.

At disabled sports competitions, I have always felt as though I have stumbled upon a place where Jesus has recently passed through. Looking around you, it seems that miraculous healing has occurred. Blind racers ski at 50 miles per hour around the red and blue gates, paralyzed men in low-profile sleds aggressively play hockey, and women with no arms speed by on Nordic skis. These extraordinary people have not just escaped their fate of disability, but stand as incredible examples of our ability, with faith, to transcend disability itself.

"My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."

If you want to see the hand of God at work, go online and watch the Paralympic events if you can't get them through your local TV provider. You will be amazed. And, you will be reminded of what God can do in your life, if you will give up your "brokenness" to Him.

Now, I work as a full time inspirational writer, speaker, and trainer...boasting of my disabilities and how God has shown his strength in my weakness. Indeed, "I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Every day, know that your prayers will be answered - even if that answer is sometimes not the answer you would have preferred. Perhaps you or a loved one may have to endure more than you think you can. But if you will put your suffering on the altar and let Him take control, conquering your challenges can be not only proof of His strength, but a shining light to others who stand in need.

IN THE SILENCE

2010-03-11T17:18:00.000-08:00

by John C. Richards Jr.

And he said, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life." - 1 Kings 19:10

Nothing.
Nada.
No answer.
Not even a hint.

What happens when God is silent? Many will not admit periods in their lives when it seems that God is not speaking. Often, this is driven by the fear that others will not see us as "spiritual" as they thought us to be. I'll be honest and tell you that there are times in my life when I feel that God is silent. Yes, even seminary-trained, Greek and Hebrew exegeting, theologically thinking men and women of faith have periods of silence in their lives.

Has there been a period of time in your life when it just felt like God wasn't speaking? You're in good company. The prophet Elijah went through a similar period. Like many Christians, he was very zealous for the Lord. He knew the word of God and had not abandoned his faith. But, he still had questions.

"God, others live their lives in ways that don't glorify you. Yet, they still prosper. Can you explain that to me? They have torn down the altars and refuse to worship you with all their heart, mind and soul. To make matters worse, they have killed your prophets with the sword."

The prophetic can symbolize dreams in our lives. Have you ever had your dreams slain by others? "You sure you want to do that?" "Did you pray about that?" Have you encountered any prophet killers (dream killers)?

Elijah was living in a cave.
He was isolated and alone.
And he sought God, fully expecting to hear an answer.

Silence...

How did God eventually respond? He told Elijah to "go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord" (1 Kings 19:11). I can imagine Elijah. "That's not what I asked you, Lord? Why do you have me doing this? I wanted an answer from you." What a wonderful revelation on how to operate in the silence. It's no surprise that Elijah was told to go stand on the mountain.

It reminds me of a tradition of early settlers in America. Many found that building their dwelling places on hills allowed them to avoid the dangers of poisonous snakes found in the valley. They called this, "living above the snake line". Their discovery? Once you go above that line certain animals,especially snakes, cannot comfortably live there. Do you live above the snake line? Does the enemy/devil still have access to you? If so, I encourage you to climb higher. Snakes (often symbolic of the devil) can't live up there. My greatest problem isn't with the enemy. Personally, I would say that I live above the snake line. My greatest enemy is found within. There are times when I feel like I have missed God. How do I overcome this in the silence?

And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks into pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a small still voice. (1 Kings 19:11-12).

How does God operate in the silence? In a small still voice. I often make the mistake of looking for wind, earthquakes, and fires from God. I want something huge to happen. Especially when it comes to making big decisions in my life.

But this passage teaches us that God comforts us in a small still voice. No wonder we are exhorted to "be still and know that He is God" (Psalm 46:10). If you are going through a period of silence I want to encourage you to celebrate your silence. Eliminate outside noise. Find a high place. Listen up!

For your answer is found in getting alone with God and listening for... His small still voice.

GOD DISTORTION

2010-03-04T11:05:00.000-08:00

Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. —Mark 4:15

Satan goes to great lengths to distort our concepts of God. But because such distortions can serve his "interests" in our lives, Satan is willing to invest as much time and work as it takes to secure those vulnerable areas of our minds for his own purposes. Those inaccurate, inadequate concepts place us in great peril. To the degree that our ideas about God are lower than the truth of God, to that degree we are surely weakened and defeated. In those places and upon the foundation of distorted truth Satan is able to gain ground and set up his strongholds in our lives.

{ PRAYER STARTER }
If there are inaccurate, distorted images of You within my life, Father, take them from me and reveal the truth of Your holiness. Satan will have no stronghold in my life.

by Mike Bickle

LIMITING LABELS

2010-03-03T12:12:00.000-08:00

by anthony fernando

Jacob sat in his chair quietly next to his mom and dad as his grade 3 teacher Mrs. Carter gave them an update on his progress at school.

“Jacob is what we call a slow learner” said Mrs. Carter quietly.

Jacob held his breath and sank a little lower into his chair. He looked up at his dad to see if he was in trouble. His father glanced down, smiled and gave him a quick wink.

In the car on the way home from the Parent-Teacher night, Jacob thought about what Mrs. Carter had called him – ‘Slow Learner’. Deep down Jacob knew that what she really meant was that he was dumb.

Later that evening, Jacob’s dad came into his room carrying a piece of paper and a pen.
He sat down on the side of the bed and said, “Hey Jake, I wanted to talk to you about what Mrs. Carter said today.”

Jacob thought he might still be in trouble for being a slow learner so he didn’t say anything.

“Mrs. Carter called you something today Jake, do you know what it was?”

“A Slow Learner” replied Jake who had already taken the words to heart.

“That’s right” said his dad as he wrote the words ‘Slow Learner’ on the piece of paper.

“Do you know what this says?”

“Slow Learner” replied Jacob nodding sadly.

Jacob’s dad then held up the piece of paper in front of his son and purposefully tore it into two.

Jacob’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Mrs. Carter was wrong Jake” said Jacob’s dad as he continued to tear the paper into smaller and smaller pieces.

“You’re not a slow learner.”

“I’m not?”

“No, and starting tomorrow, you and I are going to show that Mrs. Carter she was wrong, OK?”

“OK” Jacob hugged his dad, snuggled down into his pillow and fell asleep with a smile on his face and a warm glow in his heart.

From that day on, Jacob’s dad spent one hour per day helping Jacob with his reading and writing. By the end of the year, Jacob was doing much better at school and interestingly no-one ever labeled him a ‘Slow Learner’ again.

Jacob’s dad knew that when a child receives a label from a person in authority such as a teacher or parent, they often take that label to heart and it becomes a part of their self identity for the rest of their lives.

To avoid this from happening to his son, Jacob’s dad created a tangible representation of the ‘Slow Learner’ label and tore it up it in front of Jacob so that the label would not become a part of his child’s self concept.

Today I’d like to invite you to do the same exercise. To begin, find a quiet spot where you won’t be disturbed and think about the labels that people have given to you in the past.

Perhaps you were given a label by one of your parents, your teacher or your spouse. What is the label that resonates in your mind? Is there a label that has become part of your self identity because it was given to you by a person in a position of authority?

If so, write this label down on a blank sheet of paper and hold it up to see it for what it really is – A Label.

It is a label – nothing more. It is not part of you and you do not have to accept it as part of your self identity any longer.

As you begin to see the label for what it really is – Rip it in half and enjoy the feeling of destroying the label once and for all.

When you do this exercise you will feel a surge of motivation to take action to ensure that no one attempts to give you this label again in the future.

Just as Jacob’s dad took action and helped his son with his school work, make sure you follow through and do whatever you need to do to eliminate the remnants of the label from your life forever.

Until next time,

Dare To Dream

Anthony
www.anthonyfernando.com

THE UNLIMITED PLAN

2010-03-03T10:57:00.000-08:00

Dr. Tara Jenkins

When I was dating the man who is now my husband of 12 years, I was in undergraduate school in Atlanta while he was in undergraduate school in Chicago. This would be classified as a long distance relationship. During this time (around 1996 to 1997) in order to talk on the phone, it required long distance telephone service.

These long distance calls costs amazing amounts of money. Thus, every time we talked, it would be in the back of our minds that we couldn't stay on the phone forever because the long distance rates were more than what we could afford as struggling college students. I had every calling card available at that time- MCI, Sprint and AT&T.

We had so many long distance calling card bills from the long distance courtship that we were paying them off during our first year of marriage in 1998!

After experiencing so many long distance bills in my past, I was so excited when times changed regarding long distance telephone service! Now, through cell phones and through newly introduced home phone rate plans, you can have a service package in which you can make unlimited 'long-distance' calls anywhere in the continental U.S. without minute by minute charges. What a difference an unlimited plan makes!

I can now call friends and family anywhere in the country without having to be mindful or fearful of an upcoming astronomical phone bill. I don't have to hang up when I have more to say because I can't afford it. That's the benefit of the unlimited plan...talking freely at length without minutes in mind!
Our father in heaven has gifted us with an amazing communication system with Him called prayer. It is an UNLIMITED PLAN! You can't run out of minutes. Your service can never be terminated or suspended. He's given us insurance and assurance that He will always be in the business of hearing and answering our prayers.

The Unlimited Plan that God has designed for us includes:

• Unlimited Communication (Talk Time): You will never run out of minutes.
• Unlimited Coverage: Where ever you are, He's with you!
• Unlimited (Direct) Contact: You can go directly to Him.

Unlimited Communication or Talk Time is a clear benefit according to 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 which states "Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Unlimited Coverage is a definite benefit according to Psalm 139:7-10 which exclaims, "... where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me."

Unlimited Direct Contact is another obvious benefit. We don't need another person to be our 'carrier.' Since Jesus shed His blood, we can pray to directly God for ourselves! Hebrews 10:19-22 states, "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith..."

*Warning: Even with the unlimited plan, your call may get dropped if you are praying with unforgiveness in your heart, head or hands. In Mark 11:25, Jesus says, "And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."

There is power in prayer because it is God's Unlimited Plan for communication with us. There is no need to rush off of the line when you have the unlimited plan! Today, take the time to take advantage of the fact that when talking to God you do not have to be mindful of your minutes!

GOD'S GIFTS AND CALLINGS ARE IRREVOCABLE

2010-02-28T09:44:00.000-08:00

by R.T. Kendall

For God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. —Romans 11:29

Because the gifts and calling of God are "irrevocable," a person who had a tremendous anointing yesterday can continue to see the momentum of that anointing continuing to manifest itself. He or she may hastily conclude that "the anointing is still with me" when it is but the momentum of yesterday's anointing.

This is sobering. I could be a hypocrite in my personal life, and yet my gift could continue to function. I could even deceive myself by telling myself, I must be right with God, or I couldn't preach. The truth is, God's calling and gifts are irrevocable. That means that God will not withdraw my preaching gift simply because I have not been a loyal, obedient son. He gave me certain abilities when He made me and called me into the ministry. By study and hard work I can improve upon those gifts—without a fresh anointing that comes only from continued intimacy with God. And when people say, "That was a good word," or "God spoke to me through you today," I could assume that God is very pleased with me indeed. One of the worst things we can do is to take compliments too seriously.

It is possible that there are those who sincerely don't know better. They are well equipped, high powered, eloquent, and charismatic; people are blessed by their ministries. These people who are thus used by God may sincerely believe they are pleasing God because their anointing is functioning so well. "I am under God's anointing," they may well say. True. But it could be yesterday's anointing. There may be nothing fresh about it.

The fresh anointing is the essential thing. It is what replenishes the irrevocable. If our irrevocable anointing is not replenished by a fresh touch of God, we are depending on yesterday's anointing.

Excerpted from The Anointing: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow (Charisma House, 2003).

I STILL LOVE THOSE FRIES

2010-02-24T05:53:00.000-08:00

by Milan Ford

In the fall of 2002, I was blessed with the unique opportunity to serve as the college ministry director for one of the largest and most influential churches in the country. For nearly four years, I had the opportunity to serve, counsel, lead, and learn from hundreds of college students who attended various schools within the city of Atlanta, Georgia.

During that span of time, I witnessed first hand what many ministry leaders throughout this country are experiencing today - a growing discontentment and apathy regarding the relevance of the local church in the eyes of today's generation of young people.

Despite all of the programs, events, concerts, scholarships, pizza nights, and other heart felt approaches our churches have tried to offer in order to reach this generation, what was once considered necessary, has now become optional.

And worse, what was once attractive... now repels.

And although many would like to attribute this pattern of apathy only to young people, there is alarming number of believers today (ages 30 and up) who now refuse to have anything to do with the local church because of either a prior unfavorable experience they had while apart of one, or perhaps being made aware of a considerable disparity between what a particular leader was saying or teaching in public, and what he or she was doing in private.

I am often asked by parents and ministry leaders alike what my response is when I encounter someone who has given up on God and their faith because of something that happened to them while attending a local church. My answer, although far from earth-shattering, is always the same. Feel free to borrow it whenever you like. Here it is:

I am in LOVE with McDonald's fries.
In my opinion, they are the best-tasting fries in the world.

Yet despite my unfailing adoration for them, I am not at all impressed with what I have to endure in order to get them. No matter the hour of the day, no matter which restaurant location I select, my experience at McDonald's has often been an awful one.

When going through the drive-thru, my order will always be missing something.
When inside, I always encounter that one cashier who clearly is upset that I choose her line.
And I won't even get started on having to pay an extra quarter for more barbecue sauce!

Yet, no matter the trial and obstacle, I still insist on returning. No bad experience I may have today can hinder me from expecting a better one tomorrow. Why?

Because I still LOVE those fries!

As believers, there must come a time when our love and commitment to the PRODUCT is no longer subject to the imperfections of a particular PROVIDER. Once we allow the SERVICE we have received from others to cast doubt on the SERVICE we have received from Him, we will become a great DISSERVICE to everyone we come in contact with.

On the night before He was to be crucified, Christ delivered perhaps His most important message to us all: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this ALL will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." - John 13:34-35.

It is literally impossible to truly love God without loving what (and whom) He loves. Despite its many challenges, I still believe the local church and the Body of Christ at large is by far one of the greatest ideas our God has ever had. Perhaps His finest. Imagine the impact we could have on this world if we as believers took the time to just believe the BEST of one another.

Let's face it; some of us (as Christians) can take ourselves way too SERIOUSLY. Once you and I make the decision to lighten up and embrace the fact that all of us have missed the mark from time to time, we will be able to extend the kind of grace and unconditional love that will bring glory to God.

And most importantly, draw others closer to Him.

Milan Ford

WHEN GOD SHOWS UP

2010-02-22T09:16:00.000-08:00

By R.T. Kendall

Perhaps God spoke to you at a particular time or was present on a particular occasion. At the time, it didn’t seem as if it was God who was doing the speaking or even if God was present at all. You underestimated, if not rejected, what He did or what He said. Only years later did it become clear to you that you had failed to recognize His presence.

I remember many years ago, when Louise and I had moved away from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for only 18 months, we came back and found that Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church had been started. Before we went away, it had been a vacant lot with a big sign on it that read, "Future home of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church." That sign just stayed there month after month for a couple years. We wondered: What is happening here? When will that church start?

When we came back, the church had started, and it was the talk of the town. D. James Kennedy, who was the architect of what is now known as Evangelism Explosion, was using this evangelism method in Fort Lauderdale.

I have to say I was one of Kennedy’s greatest critics. I thought that Evangelism Explosion (EE) was not of God. It took two to three years for me to climb down and see that EE really was of God. But I couldn’t see it at the time. I had theological biases; I had other instincts, and I went by them.

Perhaps you can think of a similar experience when something came up that at first you thought God simply wasn’t in. Then later, like Jacob, you had to say, "The Lord was in this place. I didn’t know it. I wasn’t aware of it." Let’s not think ourselves so spiritual that we are sure we couldn’t possibly miss the Lord’s presence. Our very biases may keep us from seeing the Lord when He appears.

Let’s reflect on the possibility that God has appeared and we don’t see Him, even though we may have been praying for Him to come. He answers our prayer but we can’t believe it, either because our unbelief is too great or because our prejudices overrule our faith. Maybe the Lord appeared yesterday and we didn’t realize it. Maybe He has answered prayer and we haven’t recognized it.

Here are a few examples of failure to recognize the Lord’s presence.

• When we miss what God is doing in another person. Eli misunderstood what was happening to Hannah (see 1 Sam. 1:12-13). It is possible for someone who ministers to you in an official capacity not to recognize what God is doing in your life.

• When we miss God’s answer to our prayer and only later recognize His presence. Peter was in prison and the church was earnestly praying, but when he appeared at the door they didn’t believe it (see Acts 12:13-17).

• When we are dominated by fear even though God is all around us. Elisha’s servant was terrified of the enemy chariots until he was able to see that the Lord’s hosts were far greater (see 2 Kings 6:15-17). Perhaps you too are dominated by fear when the truth is that God is with you.

• When we are disappointed by the word God gives us. Naaman, who suffered from leprosy, did not want to accept the word given by the prophet to wash in the Jordan seven times (see 2 Kings 5). It may be that God has given you a word and you don’t like it. Accept what God has given you and who knows what will happen in the end (see Luke 16:10).

• When we are blind to what God is doing strategically. Often when we see how things turn out, our immediate reaction is, "God can’t be in this." God’s Messiah—Isaiah’s "root out of a dry ground"—ended up hanging on a cross. There was no hint at the time that this was God in Christ reconciling the world.

Looking back at particular times in your life, you might say, "God was at work, and I was not aware of it." You may be going through a time of trial at this very moment. James says, "Consider it pure joy, my brethren, whenever you face trials of many kinds" (James 1:2, NIV). The trial you’re going through at this moment may be God’s hint that He’s there after all.

A JOSEPH CALLING

2010-02-15T13:44:00.000-08:00

by Os

"And he sent a man before them - Joseph, sold as a slave." - Psalm 105:17

God is doing a unique work around the world today. He is rising up Josephs throughout the world. Some are still in the "pit" stage of their pilgrimage, while others are heading toward fruitfulness. What does it take for a man to become a true Joseph? It takes years of preparation and testing to be a true Joseph. It takes what the psalmist says in Psalm 105:17. "He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food; and he sent a man before them - Joseph, sold as a slave. They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons, till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true. The king sent and released him, the ruler of peoples set him free" (Psalm 105:16-20).

A true Joseph is one who is a provider both spiritually and materially for those in the Body of Christ. It is a person who understands that he is simply a manager of all that God has entrusted to him. It is a person who has humility and a broken and contrite heart before God. But how does God prepare modern-day Josephs?

Modern-day Josephs are prepared through their own versions of bruised feet, with shackles and necks put in irons. It is often through the adversity of failed finances, failed marriages, failed relationships, and broken dreams. These are the things that try men the most. These are the things God uses to allow the Josephs of our day to be proven by the Word of the Lord. Once proven, God brings them out of their prisons and uses them mightily for His purposes. Joseph went through his own trials - not because of any failure, but because of an incredible calling: to save and provide for an entire nation. God had to prepare this man with 13 years of broken dreams and humble circumstances in order to break every ounce of pride and self-will. God could not afford to have a 30-year-old steeped in arrogance and pride running an entire nation.

When I attended a world conference on global evangelization in South Africa, I was privileged to sit among 45 other men from different parts of the world who had a Joseph calling on their lives. These men of means had humility of heart and a spirit unlike any others I have met in my country. Each one had his own Joseph story. It was an incredible scene that changed my life and my own view of business. This allowed me to see firsthand this phenomenon that is going on throughout the world. Many believe God is rising up these servants to prepare for a worldwide economic earthquake and to fund a global harvest of souls. Even since this conference, one nation is being dramatically affected because of a Joseph who has stepped forward to fulfill his calling for that nation. It is an awesome demonstration of God's power working today.

Are you willing to allow God to do whatever it takes for you to become a true Joseph? Ask the Lord today to do whatever is necessary to fully use your gifts and talents for His eternal Kingdom.

THE GREATEST LOVE STORY

2010-02-14T08:15:00.000-08:00

By Linda Sommer

Matthew 28:1-20 This is the day men give candy and roses to their wives or sweethearts. For me it usually means a dinner out or a weekend away. This day of celebration is in honor of the love between a man and a woman. It is interesting that the symbol of this day is a heart and the colors used to decorate are red and white. The greatest love story ever told also involves the heart and the colors red and white. On the cross Jesus died because the weight of our sin broke His heart, but because of His sacrifice, we now can have our broken hearts mended. The red blood of Jesus poured upon the ground and was offered as an atonement for all sins, which satisfied God's requirements for a penalty for sin. Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Though our sins were as scarlet, they became white as snow. On that day over two thousand years ago, the greatest love story was revealed to mankind. This story continues to unfold as we look forward to the day that we will sit at the table of the lover of our souls. There will be a marriage of the Bridegroom (Jesus) with the bride (the church), and the celebration will continue for all eternity.

In this passage today we see a portion of this great love story. First Mary Magdalene and Mary discover the empty tomb at dawn on the first day of the week. These women loved Jesus as both mother and friend, but soon this love would deepen into a supernatural love that would far exceed any human love. God was in Christ Jesus reconciling the world to Himself. God's love is inexpressible, but God's love found expression through Jesus Christ. The height of God's love is His grace, the depth of God's love is His forgiveness, the length of God's love is His mercy, and the width of God's love is His truth. All these four aspects of God's love were fully expressed in Jesus Christ, who is the express image of the invisible Father. When the angel appeared to the two Marys, they were first fearful. But then, when they heard the message, "He is not here, for He is risen, as He said," they were filled with great joy and ran to tell the disciples. This story of God's love expressed through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ had to be shared with others.

Whenever we experience a loving act in our lives, we like to share it with others. On this special dawn, the two Marys could not wait to tell their friends. Their response to this great news should be our response today. Later Jesus spoke to His disciples and said, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matt. 28:18-20, KJV).

Is there someone you need to tell the greatest love story to today?

READ: Exodus 37:1-38:31; Matthew 28:1-20; Psalm 34:11-22; Proverbs 9:9-1

WHEN DESIRES BECOME EXPECTATIONS

2010-02-12T16:08:00.000-08:00

by Milan Ford

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I thought I'd dedicate today's devotional to all of my fellow MARRIED believers out there. And for those of you who are still SINGLE, be sure to tuck this one away in a vault; you may need to read it again one day.

When I first got married, I like so many of you reading this today, had a box full of desires that I came to the wedding altar with.

Desires to one day purchase a new home.
Desires for when and how many children I wanted to have.
Desires as to how I would like to schedule quality time with my wife.
Desires for how I would like to save and spend our money.

And yes, I even had a desire as to what I ALWAYS wanted to see my wife wear to bed! I was convinced that Victoria Secret was going to be a staple in our marriage forever.

But after six years of marriage (our seventh anniversary is coming up this October), I found out something very interesting about many of the desires I had prior to getting married. All of them have one common denominator:

The letter "I"

Every desire that I had grown up thinking would be a core value of my marriage was rooted primarily in what "I" wanted and desired to see happen. And at first, nothing seemed to be wrong with that kind of value system.

Our wedding ceremony was incredible.
Our honeymoon was unforgettable.
Our first home purchase was essentially a snap.
And the birth of our first child was indeed nothing short of magnificent.

But over time, something significant happened. In fact, it happens to relationships all across this nation every single day. Perhaps it is happening to you right now.

The values I had coming in to my marriage, many of which I thought were great values to have, slowly became something they never should have.

They became EXPECTATIONS.

Somewhere along the way, the desires I had about what my marriage was going to be like became an expectation, and whenever a desire is confused with or transformed into an expectation, the dynamic of one's marriage will drastically change.

For example: When a husband no longer 'desires' for his wife to assist with the cleaning of the house, but rather 'expects' her to do so, he (over time) may no longer become a husband to her. But rather her master.

Or (as another example) when a man no longer 'desires' for his wife to wear romantic lingerie to bed, but rather 'expects' her to, he (over time) may no longer see her as his wife. But rather as his 'releaser.' (I'd use a different word there, but I think you get the point)

The following passage of scripture is one I had read several times before, but after reading it again this week, the words written here struck me like a ton of bricks.

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with washing of water by the word, and that He may present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish." - Ephesians 5:25-27

For six years, my wife has met, and more often than not, exceeding all of my desires and expectations as it relates what a good and loving wife should do. And yet, despite all of her attempts to make me happy, I realized that I tend to be entirely more focused on what she is doing, but not BECOMING.

I forgot that she also (prior to marrying me) had some desires as well. There were some lifelong dreams that she had that were not being fulfilled because her duties were confined to meeting someone else's expectations.

She was not being 'presented' as a glorious church BY her husband.
But rather busy 'building' a church and sanctuary for HER husband.

Friends, that is not why Christ came.
And that is not what His love is all about.

So before you head out to that department store to purchase some new perfume for your spouse or significant other, and just before you reserve that table for two at your favorite restaurant this weekend for Valentine's Day...

...be sure you carve time out to truly INSPECT what you EXPECT.

There perhaps may be no greater sign of God's love than to free those in our lives we have held captive to fulfilling our desires. Let's break this cycle once and for all.

MAKE ROOM FOR GOD-ENCOUNTERS

2010-02-10T20:46:00.000-08:00

Many of you who are avid watchers of Christian television have no doubt seen my friend, Alvin Slaughter. He's a singer of tremendous anointing and incredible good humor.

Alvin tells a story about a time when he was in one of those first class lounges in the airport, waiting to board his next flight. Wearing his ever-present Walkman, he settled back with a favorite music tape and became overwhelmed with the presence of the Lord.

He was so powerfully overtaken with a realization of God's faithfulness to him and his family that he began to weep—right there in public!

Not wanting to miss the moment but conscious that he was creating a scene, he got the bright notion that he could continue to worship the Lord privately if he just held up a magazine so no one would notice.

It was a great idea, but after several minutes of tearfully whispering his thanks and praises to the Lord, he noticed that no one in the room had been the least bit fooled. They knew he couldn't possibly be reading the magazine. It was upside down!

Maybe your spontaneous encounters with the Lord haven't been as humorous as Alvin's, but I hope you never lose the memories of those moments when, as Joy Strang puts it, "light came into the room."

I can remember an encounter of my own that occurred many years ago when I lived in New York City. I was taking the subway to work one morning, and like nearly everyone else who rides the trains there, I was reading.I was poring over "Hinds Feet on High Places" by Hannah Hurnard when I stumbled upon a precious heart-penetrating truth. It was as though Jesus whispered it in my ear.

There in the midst of that noisy subway car, filled with a mass of weary commuters, God opened the heavens to me. It was during rush hours, so the train was packed, but I was aware of no one's presence but His.Suddenly, that grimy, crowded train became totally quiet as God filled it with the light of His glory and ministered His love to my soul. How wonderfully surprising it was that He would do that for me!

Yes, I know He's always there, but if you've ever had an experience similar to Alvin's and mine—what Pat Chen refers to in her book "Intimacy With the Beloved" as a "holy visitation"—you know these special moments are charged with a greater awareness that the God of the universe has interrupted everything to communicate with YOU, He may have broken through to give you needed directions, to prompt you to intercede or simply to say, "I love you."

How much we miss when we bypass those whisperings of the Spirit of God that often come when we're too busy or too tired! Whatever we need to do, let's make room in our lives for more "God-encounters."

By Brenda J. Davis

"I CAN'T CHANGE"

2010-02-02T12:29:00.000-08:00

As we launch our all new Fast from Wrong Thinking, 2010, believe in the possibilities of what can happen in your life. Nothing is impossible to the man or woman who conquers their thought life. God is with you. God is for you, and the best news of all: God is working IN you!

Today we’re fasting from the thought that says:"I Can’t Change!"

We’ve all felt at times like we can’t change a certain habit, or a characteristic about ourselves. Perhaps you feel like you’ll always be easily angered, afraid or worried. Well, that’s what this fast from wrong thinking is all about. As we change our thought patterns and mindsets, ANYTHING can change. And changing our mindsets is simply a process of replacing defective thoughts with biblical mindsets. So, if you’ve felt like you can’t change, you CAN...

CHANGE IT TODAY:1. Believe that the power to change is a GIFT. 2 Timothy 2:25 says God grants ‘repentance’, or ‘the power to change’, as a gift. The ability to experience lasting change in any area of our life is a gift from God.

2. Receive the gift of repentance or “the gift to change”, by FAITH. Believe that every good gift comes from the Father (James 1:17).

3. All change begins by believing you are loved by God. Romans 2:4b says, "Don't you realize that it is God's lovingkindness that is trying to lead you to Him and change the way you think and act?" (God’s Word Translation).

4. Notice in that verse His love & kindness changes the way we think; THEN it changes the way we act. All lasting change begins by surrendering my thought life to the Word of God (Romans 12:2).

5. Believe in the process that leads to progress. Don’t worry if it doesn’t happen right away. Jesus touched the blind man once, than touched him again, before he was completely healed (Mark 8:22-26).

6. Re-define yourself ONLY as what God says about you. Disconnect from past definition of your habits, traits and limitations. You are being changed into His image. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

THINK IT & SAY IT:God has given me the gift to change. I can change my habits, emotions and life by changing the way I think. I submit to the process of renewing my mind, and I expect divine progress and supernatural change. I believe the love that God has for me, and that produces change in me. I refuse to accept past definitions and limitations of myself. As I embrace God’s view of me through the mirror of His Word, I am being changed into His image, in Jesus’ Name.

In His Great Love,

Gregory Dickow

GOD'S PROVISION: FAITHFUL GIVING

2010-01-29T10:56:00.000-08:00

by Rick Warren

Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Proverbs 3:9 (NLT)

God promises to meet all your financial needs, if you (1) ask him for help; (2) learn to be content; and (3) practice giving in faith --

There is a universal law called the principle of sowing and reaping. If I sow criticism, I'm going to reap criticism. If I sow generosity, it's going to come back to me, and I'm going to reap generosity.

Every farmer knows this. A farmer has four sacks of seed in his barn and he looks at his empty field. He doesn't complain, "There's no crop! I wish there was a crop!" He just goes out and starts planting seed. When you have a need, plant a seed.

It seems illogical that when I have a need, I should give. That's why it requires faith. God says, "My ways are not your ways."

Why did God set it up that way? Because God is a giver. He is the most generous giver in the universe, and God wants you to learn to be like him. He wants to build character in you.
The Bible says, "Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce." (Proverbs 3:9, NLT) This is the principle of tithing. It's the principle that says every time I make $100 -- the first $10 goes back to God.

Tithing is an act of worship. We're giving to God. We're saying, "All of it came from you anyway." God says, "Put me first in your life and watch what I do." You may think you can't afford to tithe, but the reality is, you can't afford not to.

CONFESSIONS OF AN APATHETIC PASTOR'S WIFE

2010-01-26T16:44:00.000-08:00

by Sandi Brown

What happens when you no longer care about serving God?

Have you ever felt like skipping your daily devotional or prayer time? Have you ever wanted to stay home instead of going to church? Have you ever felt numb during worship, almost as if you weren’t actually there? If you have, then you have had apathy knocking at your door.

Apathy is defined as “the absence or suppression of passion, emotion or excitement.” In our spiritual lives, it refers to a lack of emotion and passion for God.

So what happens when a pastor’s wife becomes apathetic about serving God? I have always known that my actions are an example for the people in our congregation. I am the one they turn to for advice and an example of a godly life. I have always looked at my spiritual life as the “perfect example” for them.

However, this so-called perfect example slowly morphed into the epitome of spiritual apathy. I started to read my Bible less and less. I prayed less and less. The things of this world and the busyness of life consumed my entire being.

The change occurred so slowly I didn’t realize just how apathetic toward God I was becoming. I never noticed that my apathy had increased to the danger point and my passion for God had completely evaporated.

For those of us in ministry, it is vital to combat apathy head-on and prevent it from gaining a foothold in our lives. This indifference toward God can seem at first to be innocuous but will slowly become a destructive force.

Apathy often sneaks into our lives without our realizing it is there. But the signs of its presence are unmistakable: a lack of motivation and emotion, sometimes accompanied by the sense that we are spiritually drained and have no energy to renew our passion for God.

Though we may not want to believe that anyone in ministry could struggle with this condition, it is a common problem. Being in the ministry does not shield us from the attacks of the enemy. In fact, our position makes us more vulnerable to them.

If the enemy can get the leader down, he will have greater access to the rest of the body. That’s one reason we must guard our passion for God so carefully.

Those who are in leadership positions in the church or in a ministry are generally the ones teaching or ministering to others. Because we are usually giving out, we do not get “fed” as much. We don’t have as many opportunities to soak in a sermon or other teaching or to be prayed for at the altar.

Because the potential for an attack of apathy against leadership is so great, we must take steps to prevent falling prey to one. First, we must find additional ways to be fed. We must make an extra effort to read the Bible and pray regularly. We must avail ourselves of other great materials such as recorded sermons from different pastors and worship CDs. We need to be sure to educate and enrich our lives with as many spiritual resources as we can.

Second, we must be humble enough to go to the altar ourselves. The fact that we are in ministry doesn’t preclude our seeking out prayer ministry from someone else.

As women in ministry, we must resolve to be the spiritual example for the people around us. The level of spiritual maturity our church body attains depends on the level of spiritual maturity of the leadership. If the leaders are apathetic about God, the church body will be also—so don’t let your apathy affect the place of ministry God has put you in!

DIARY OF A SNOW SHOVELER

2010-01-25T12:18:00.000-08:00

December 8 - 6:00 PM It started to snow. The first snow of the season and the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses Print. So romantic we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!

December 9 - We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the whole world? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had! Shovelled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snowplough came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again. What a perfect life!

December 12 - The sun has melted all our lovely snow.. Such a disappointment! My neighbour tells me not to worry- we'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again. I don't think that's possible. Bob is such a nice man, I'm glad he's our neighbour.

December 14 - Snow, lovely snow! 8 inches last night. The temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shovelling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life! The snowplough came back this afternoon and buried everything again. I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shovelling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish I wouldn't huff and puff so.

December 15 - 20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that's silly. We aren't in Alaska , after all.

December 16 - Ice storm this morning. Fell on my ass on the ice in the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like hell. The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel.December 17 Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her. God I hate it when she's right. I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room.

December 20 - Electricity' s back on, but had another 14 inches of the damn stuff last night. More shovelling! Took all day. The dam snowplough came by twice. Tried to find a neighbour kid to shovel, but they said they're too busy playing hockey. I think they're lying. Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me. I think he's lying.

December 22 - Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white crap fell today, and it's so cold, it probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to pee. By the time I got undressed, peed and dressed again, I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plough on his truck for the rest of the winter, but he says he's too busy.. I think the butthole is lying.

December 23 - Only 2 inches of snow today. And it warmed up to 0. The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What is she, nuts?!! Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did but I think she's lying.

December 24 - 6 inches - Snow packed so hard by snowplough, I broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the son of a bitch who drives that snow plough, I'll drag him through the snow by his balls and beat him to death with my broken shovel. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shovelling and then he comes down the street at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was too busy watching for the damn snowplough.

December 25 - Merry fricking Christmas! 20 more inches of the damn slop tonight - Snowed in. The idea of shovelling makes my blood boil. God, I hate the snow! Then the snowplough driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I think she's a fricking idiot. If I have to watch "It's A Wonderful Life" one more time, I'm going to stuff her into the microwave.

December 26 - Still snowed in. Why the hell did I ever move here? It was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves.

December 27 - Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze; plumber came after 14 hours of waiting for him, he only charged me $1,400 to replace all my pipes.

December 28 - Warmed up to above -20. Still snowed in. My WIFE is driving me crazy!!!

December 29 - 10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?

December 30 - Roof caved in. I beat up the snow plough driver, and now he is suing me for a million dollars, not only the beating I gave him, but also for trying to shove the broken snow shovel up his BUTT. The wife went home to her mother. Nine more inches predicted.

December 31 - I set fire to what's left of the house. No more shovelling.

January 8 - Feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?

THE SUPERNATURAL YOU

2010-01-25T05:57:00.000-08:00

By Brenda Kunneman

"What a mess!" my husband and I both kept saying again and again as we threw our hands in the air. We spent the entire day going through old boxes of things we had collected over the years. We had set aside several days to clean out closets and storage spaces. We found countless things we forgot we owned. Do you have some boxes like that—the ones where you sort of know what is in them, but then again, not really?

Most of us have scores of them.In those boxes we found old magazines, yearbooks, old cassette tapes, pictures and keepsakes. Many had developed a musty smell that comes from years of storage. Then we came to the boxes of things we had saved from our early years together of marriage and ministry. After hours of sorting, I found it. It was a piece of paper from a time in our lives when it seemed that our dreams for the future were crumbling one by one.

It was a prayer list we had made, much of which seemed so far-fetched. Some of the items on the list were immediate needs that existed at the time, while others were larger dreams and things we were asking God to do in the years to come, much of which would take an absolute miracle to accomplish.The day we wrote it out years before, we had hung that long list of seemingly impossible requests on our refrigerator. Every day we walked by it, and we would place our hands on it and pray. We spoke aloud each time, reminding the Lord we were expecting miracles. We quoted the Scripture verses we were trusting in regard to it. We declared that each item would come to pass and we would see the hand of God move. We spoke over the list believing for God's intervention, even when it felt like we weren't seeing it.

Shortly thereafter, we moved to a different house and, along with the rest of our household items, packed up that list of prayer requests. Well, you know how it goes. You don't always unpack all those boxes. Actually, a few moves later and nearly two decades of marriage later, the number of unpacked boxes in the garage and basement grew.

Then finally on a clean-out day, I read that list again written almost 20 years ago. My eyes filled with tears as I read it. I suddenly realized that God has not only answered the seemingly small things, but over the years He had also answered every item on the list, way beyond even what we wrote down. He even answered the things that seemed impossible. Again, in a flash, I was reminded of all the miracles that we had seen during the last several years. We had seen the power of God revealed from heaven again and again. The things we had seen God do were nothing short of miraculous and it was mostly all related to what was on the list!

At that moment, we were not only reminded of God's enduring faithfulness (and we apologized to the Lord for not acknowledging His answers to these prayers sooner), but we also realized something else. It was that every time we were putting our hand on the list taped to the fridge we were releasing the power of God to work on our behalf. The supernatural God inside us was releasing miracles; a river was flowing and bringing the answer, and it didn't stop flowing until every request was answered, even though we didn't realize it was happening at the time.

I have learned from this experience not only that God lives in us, but also that the supernatural God lives in us. He wants His supernatural power to flow through us to accomplish the miraculous and do the impossible in our circumstances.

I was talking with a woman who was struggling through a series of trials in her life. Her take on her situation was that she was powerless to do anything but wait and see what God would do. I knew she was committed to trust God, even if the outcome was not what she hoped; however, let's face it, she wanted the same outcome we all want—the same outcome we wanted when we made our prayer list. She wanted her trial to result in a miracle. She wanted a supernatural intervention of God to turn her situation around.

If we are honest with ourselves, that is really what we all want when we come to God, isn't it? We want the power of God to rescue us from the pain today so we can rise up and be a new person tomorrow. Maybe what we have yet to realize is that the power of God is already there. It's in you in the person of the Holy Spirit ready to work and ready to flow (see Acts 1:8). When the fullness of God's Spirit is in you, there is power, and it's the same power that performed the miracle of raising Jesus Christ from the dead (see Rom. 8:11). Tap into that power and watch Him do the miraculous for and through you.

Adapted from The Supernatural You by Brenda Kunneman, copyright 2009, published by Charisma House. This book will show you how to tap into the river of the Holy Spirit within you to experience the supernatural power of God working in and through you. To order a copy click on this link:

IT'S ALL IN YOUR MIND

2010-01-23T20:12:00.000-08:00

Your mind holds tremendous creative ability. That's why God gave you an imagination--so that you could create mental pictures, add faith to them and see those pictures manifest in your life.

Once you have an image in your mind of something you want to do or become, nothing can stop that image from coming to pass. Whatever you meditate on will become the blueprint for your reality. Too often, though, Christians suffer from "stinking thinking." They give the devil control of their minds by meditating on thoughts that do not line up with the Word of God. Then they reap the results of the curse because their carnal mindset produces the fruit of the flesh described in Galatians 5:19-21.

To keep the devil from gaining a foothold in your life, you must develop a sound mind that is completely controlled and directed by the Holy Spirit. In other words, you must renew your mind with the Word of God. Romans 12:2 says, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." When you become born again, your spirit instantly changes; you are recreated in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Yet your mind is not recreated. You must conform your thinking continually and on purpose; it is not an overnight, one-time event. Renewing your mind to God's Word every day is vital. By reading the Scriptures and meditating on them thoroughly, your thinking will be transformed to line up with the mind of Christ. And when you have the mind of Christ, you can do anything!

When you set your mind on the Word of God, you'll also experience soul prosperity and peace (3 John 2). The Bible says that the issues of life flow out of the heart (Proverbs 4:23). The word heart in this scripture actually refers to your soul--your mind, your will and your emotions. If you can control your mind, you can control your destiny. But it will take a quality decision on your part to dedicate your life to changing the way you think.
First Thessalonians 5:23 says, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." It is God's will that your mind, will and emotions be whole, with nothing missing or broken. As a Believer, you can receive a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). It is then up to you to enforce and maintain soundness of mind by keeping your thoughts and imaginations in line with God and His Word (Isaiah 26:3).

When your mind is focused and directed by the Word, you will position yourself for success. You'll have wisdom, discernment, insight and the ability to accomplish anything. A renewed, Word-controlled mind guarantees abundance and prosperity in every area of your life. Don't let another day go by without a daily dose of meditation. Set your mind on the Word of God and let it become the focal point of your life and purpose!

by Dr. Creflo A. Dollar

WHEN THE FUTURE SEEM UNCERTAIN

2010-01-22T07:24:00.000-08:00

by Rick Warren

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans ... to give you a future and a hope ... You will find me when you seek me, if you look for me in earnest." Jeremiah 29:11, 13 (LB)

No matter what the pollsters, pundits, and prognosticators claim, no one can accurately predict all that is going to happen this year, let alone in the next few weeks. Our best forecasts are just educated guesses.

Change is not only increasing in speed and intensity, but also in unpredictability.
The Bible suggests three timeless principles for facing an uncertain future:

Set goals according to God's directionIt's foolish to make plans without first consulting God. He's the only one who DOES know the future - and he's eager to guide you through it.
The Bible says, "We may make our plans, but God has the last word." (Proverbs 16:1) In other words, planning without praying is presumption. Start by praying, "God, what do YOU want me to do in 2010?"

Live one day at a time -- While you can plan for tomorrow, you can't live it until it arrives. Most people spend so much time regretting the past and worrying about the future, they have no time to enjoy today!

John Lennon once wrote, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." Decide to make the most of each moment this year. Jesus said, "Don't be anxious about tomorrow - God will take care of your tomorrows. Live one day at a time." (Matthew 6:34)
Don't procrtatsinate - DO IT NOW! - "Don't boast about what you're going to do tomorrow, for you don't know what a day may bring forth." (Proverbs 27:1)

Procrastinating is a subtle trap. It wastes today by postponing things until tomorrow. You promise yourself that you'll do it "one of these days." But "one of these days" is usually "none of these days."

What did you plan to get done last year that you didn't do? When do you intend to start working on it?

THE BATTLE OF THE MIND

2010-01-22T07:11:00.000-08:00

Everyone has to fight the battle that goes on in the mind. Our thought life determines where we are in the things of God. When people meditate on what is wrong or the negative side of a situation, they become blinded by the problem and never see the escape available to them. Our Heavenly Father has given us a way to bring forth light, and that is through diligent study and meditation of the Word of God. In Hosea 4:6 God tells us, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."

As Christians we are going to have to learn how to apply Bible knowledge to our lives, if we want to win the battles of life. God instructs the Believer on how to control their thought life by utilizing His whole armor. Ephesians 6:10-17 says, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;"

The Apostle Paul uses armor, the battle dress of the first-century Roman soldier, as a metaphor for God's spiritual armor. Clearly, the military metaphor is intended to show that we are engaged in an active battle. Therefore, Believers must recognize that they are in warfare everyday, and that the battlefield is our minds. The whole armor of God has been provided to help us guard against the enemy of our mind--Satan. Satan's only weapon against us is through the mind. If he can put thoughts, ideas and suggestions in our minds, then he can control our actions. We must come to understand that ignorance of the Word and victory over life's battles are impossible roommates.

If we desire the overcoming life of Jesus then we will need to "take up the whole armor of God." We are not to focus in on only part of the armor to the neglect of the other combat coverings, if we do so we will find ourselves defeated. It is the whole armor-knowledge of the Word of God-that gives us the victory. We need to take each piece of the armor as illustrated by Paul and apply them to our life so that we can benefit from its protection.

Family, it is critical that we acknowledge that the warfare is not against physical forces but against powers that have authority in the spirit realm. Paul not only warns the Believer of a clearly defined demonic structure, but also instructs us to take up the whole armor of God in order to maintain a battle stance against these unseen forces.

Satan's mode of operation has not changed. He continues to use the same mind game that he used on Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1). We are going to have to recognize his deceptive ways and stand against them with the Word of God.

Our battle is clearly spiritual. Satan launches assaults on the mind in order to affect the spiritual aspect of our lives. The mind is like the door through which the enemy has access. If Satan can influence our thoughts, he can control every aspect of our lives. Therefore, we must examine every thought that comes to our minds. Are they the fiery darts, the evil day and or the wiles of the devil? Every thought has either a life or death component attached to it. Once a thought is allowed to have access in our lives, it begins its subtle work.

This is the reason God tells us in Romans 12:1-2: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

by Frederick K.C. Price

THE GREATEST GIANT IN THE LAND

2010-01-18T19:55:00.000-08:00

If you want to be used—really picked up and significantly utilized—by the living God, you're going to have to fight the giants. If you think that sounds simplistic, you're right. It is simple. But it is also the truth.

Joshua and Caleb were used by God. They didn't squander or waste their lives. They were used, made a difference, contributed, gave more than they took, and, consequently, their lives are remembered and valued to this day. Why?

Because they were willing to fight the giants.

You probably know the story. Joshua and Caleb were part of a 12-man team sent out by Moses to do some advance reconnaissance work in the land of Canaan. The children of Israel had just left behind hundreds of years of slavery in Egypt and were headed to the Promised Land, the land of Canaan. In Numbers 13, God told Moses to pick a leader from each of the 12 tribes to do special ops in Canaan.

The 12 completed the mission and returned to give their report to Moses and the people of Israel. They reported that it was a fabulous land of "milk and honey." They even brought back a cluster of grapes with them—a bunch so heavy it took two men to carry it.

But then they got down to the nitty-gritty. They told Moses and the Israelites that the people in the land were strong, and their cities were fortified and very large. This news evidently created a stir among the people because Caleb had to quiet them before he could say to Moses, "‘Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it’" (v. 30, NKJV).

Then the men (except for Caleb) who had gone with him to recon the land said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are" (v. 31). These 10 spies are quaking in their boots. All those different people-groups they saw have given them the heebie-jeebies. The battle hasn't even begun, and these guys are already looking for the locker room.
But they hadn't finished with their cowardly report. The King James Version does the best job of capturing the trembling in their hearts and the shaking of their voices:

"But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight" (vv. 31–33).

Did these 10 men go on to be used by God? Did they ever inspire anyone with their example? Did they ever lead men into battle? Were they remembered as men of honor and courage?
Are you kidding me?

These men were scared of the giants in the land. But what type of giants do we face today? Heart attack, loss of job, a wife with cancer, a son in jail, fighting off a foreclosure—those all are legitimate giants.

But what is the greatest giant of all?

I teach a men's study in Dallas on Wednesday evenings, and I recently asked that question of the men: "What is the greatest giant of them all?"

When I asked for verbal feedback, it came fast and furious. The answers ricocheted from every corner of the room:

"Pride!"
"Pornography!"
"Lust!"
"Guilt!"
"Regret!"
"Failure!"
"Betrayal!"

I interrupted the responses and said: "Those are very good answers—very wise answers—but they are all wrong. What else have you got? What is the greatest giant of them all?"

"Selfish ambition!"
"Greed!"
"The love of money!"
"Multiple divorces!"
"Growing up without a father!"
"An ex-wife who degrades you before the children!"
"Failing as a father!"
"Lying!"
"Breaking a trust!"
"Fear!"

I broke in and said: "I want to commend you for those answers. They aren't superficial, and they are gut-level honest. And those are all big giants. But once again they're all wrong. Let me give you the answer. The biggest giant of them all is … God."

And just that quickly, the room of several hundred men grew very quiet. In fact, you could have heard a pin drop as the reality of the answer penetrated the mind of every man in the room.
Every man has fought—and is fighting—giants. And make no mistake, these giants are huge. Sometimes, however, in the process of grappling with these intimidating, overwhelming giants, we forget the greatest giant. God is the greatest of all the giants.

Joshua and Caleb knew that, and that's why they stood up and spoke against the panic of the other 10 spies. In our own history, colonial leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock knew it as well, and that's why they stood and spoke against tyranny in the name of almighty God.
God is the trump card of your life. It doesn't matter what giant you may be facing—booze, porn, guilt, lying, cocaine, failure, invading armies, whatever—God trumps your giant. He will always trump the giants—every single one of them. But we can so quickly forget that He is there.

Taken from Battle Ready by Steve Farrar, copyright 2009 David C. Cook.

WORK IN PROGRESS

2010-01-18T06:52:00.000-08:00

by Lisa Crum

A few years ago while I was still newly-employed at my last secular job, I kept hearing my boss refer to the "year-end WIP reports" (I thought he was saying "whip!"), and I didn't have a clue what he was talking about until I saw it in writing. W-I-P. Being new to all those accounting office buzz words, and wanting so to make a good impression, I privately asked a co-worker what WIP stands for. She kindly replied, "work in progress."

OK, I now had what the letters stand for, but I still didn't grasp what the term really means. Next stop--internet dictionary. Hmmm...a piece of work that's not yet finished. How interesting. Self-explanatory, actually.

Unfinished stuff. I can totally relate to that, can't you? My stack tray is full of it, and so is my house! But on a deeper level, let's talk about us. I heard the Holy Spirit whisper, "work in progress" in my prayer time this morning. Not having heard that term in months, I had to just sit and mull it over before getting ready for work.

You and I are God's work in progress. As new Christians, we begin as a rough draft (a really rough draft!). In the course of our lifetimes, God has to do a lot of revising, adding, subtracting, changing our thinking, changing our attitudes, undoing what we've done to ourselves and what other people have spoken over us.

That stack of papers on my desk hasn't got a will; the time it takes for completion is entirely up to me and my willingness to whittle it down. However, with God's work in progress, the "worked on" items--we-- have a free will! For that reason, it takes Him all our lives to work out the "bugs." Sometimes we catch on quickly; other times He has to delete the same things from our mindset over and over.

But He's patient. He envisions the finished product and He's so willing to see us through to the end. As long as it takes, as a matter of fact. If you struggle with frustration over your failures, as I often do, know that God's grace is sufficient. No matter how often you've fallen flat on your face, or "almost but not quite" succeeded in fulfilling your destiny, it's not so late in the game that God can't redeem the time for you.

He's an expert at implementing "Plan B" for all of us who didn't get it right the first (or second, or third!) time. Hop back up onto Father God's worktable today and allow Him to do a new thing in your life. He's got plans for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future...you're His very valuable work in progress.

"...he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

WHEN YOUR SAILS NO LONGER HAVE WIND

2010-01-09T22:15:00.000-08:00

by Os Hillman

He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven (Ps 107:29-30).

Imagine for a moment you began an exciting sailing adventure. You've been trained to navigate and sail on the ocean and be ready should trouble arise. You are confident you can handle the challenge. However, midway in the journey your resources have dried up. It almost seems God has intentionally destroyed all the skills you have to deal with the weather and the obstacles and your sails are now damaged. Even your engine has broken down. And to make matters even worse, your oars were lost overboard. You are stuck in the middle of the ocean and there is no wind to propel your boat. You are, as they say, "up the creek without a paddle."

All of this leads you to the end of yourself and you say, "Lord, I don't know why you brought me out here only to die." The silence is deafening.
Finally, the Lord speaks, "Yes, you are right. I did bring you out here. I did destroy your sails. I did break your engine. And yes, I do want you dead. Not in a physical sense, mind you, but in a spiritual sense. In order that you may LIVE."

"You see my child, you are nothing without Me. You cannot do anything without my grace and power in your life." The sailor quietly yields. Suddenly, a gentle wave lifts the front of the boat. An easterly wind blows through the broken sail moving the boat in the right direction. You realize God is moving your boat! Your role now is to steer it.

Do your sails no longer have wind to move you? Is your engine broken? Does it feel like God has propelled you into the open sea only to stop midway with no options? Perhaps He is saying it is time to die in order that He might live through you. Give the Lord total control today and you will see His wind moving through your tattered sails.