RADICALLY SAVED

According to Webster: radical; of or pertaining to a root; exisiting inherently in a person;
forming the basis or foundation; going to the root or origin, or touching what is fundamental;
thorough; extreme, esp in the way of reform. In chemistry, radical refers to an atom or group of atoms which is regarded as an important constituent of the molecule of a given compound, and which remains unchanged during certain reactions.

According to John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Sounds pretty radical to me!

God loves us radically, it is fundamental and complete. Jesus must be the root of all that we believe, all of what is good and true in our life. The Holy Spirit, exisiting inherently in us, needs to the foundation of our walk in faith, in all that we think and do. The Word is that radical constituent ( the essential ingredient; that which establishes or determines; gives form to ) of our strength that keeps our faith unchanged during those certain reaction. Perhaps an extreme reform is in order.

Get radical !

Believe radically, live and love radically, and be radically saved!

WALKING IN THE SPIRIT

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Walking in the Spirit

Dr. Betty R. Price

Christians are in constant warfare with a tricky enemy who refuses to give up. It is a spiritual battle that gets hotter as time goes on. When we are living for God, we become target practice for the devil. It doesn't mean that we are necessarily doing anything wrong when things come against us; it is just the way Satan plays his game. If you are doing something you have no business doing and you know it, you need to stop whatever it is, because you are only opening yourself up to satanic attacks.

When cancer attacked my body, a lot of people who knew me wondered why. Some even said, "It is not fair; you live so pure." You don't get healed because you are good and live pure. You get healed because you believe and act on the Word-God honors His Word if we will believe it.

A lot of people don't understand how faith works. They take the faith message all out of proportion. They don't understand that when you say you believe something has taken place before you see it, healing for example, you are saying it by faith. They think that means you don't take medicine or you don't go to the doctor. On the contrary, you need to go to the doctor and take medicine while you make a stand to receive your healing.

When I found out I had cancer, we had just returned from a television crusade in Houston, Texas. A doctor referred to us by a member of our church came by our home; took a look at my leg and said to Fred, "Your wife needs to go to the hospital immediately." He called and made the necessary arrangements. We thought that it was just a sprain or a strained muscle, and I would be home within a day or so. I actually stayed a week in the hospital having tests done before they found out what was wrong with me. At any rate, I never did get anxious, worried, or fearful. I was at peace the whole time; I had learned to walk in the Spirit.

After several days of taking tests, (and some were very painful but God was with me all the way) the doctors came and told us the bad news. The MRI revealed a tumor in my pelvic area, but because of its location, major surgery would have to be done to get a biopsy of it. I was scheduled for surgery the next day-which was Monday. That Tuesday morning, Dr. Taylor came and gave us the really bad news. The tumor was a malignant cancer that had vital nerve endings and muscle attached to it, therefore, surgery to remove it was impossible. The recommended cure was chemotherapy and radiation. Fred, of course, was devastated. He could not believe it. Even with all of the pain I never felt any unrest or fear. I was always in peace. I said, "I have to trust God. I know He is with me in this, and nothing is too hard for Him.

The first night I was in the hospital, I felt the Lord's presence so strongly that I knew He had come into my room, and I heard in my spirit, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it (John 11:4)."

So, instead of dwelling on thoughts of death, I kept my thoughts on God's Word. That is why I want to exhort you not to take the Word for granted. If I had not had 20 years of Word in me at that time, I don't believe I would be here today. When you hear the word "cancer," fear will raise its ugly head (it's only natural), but you don't allow the fear to take hold. I believe fear a lot of times is what actually kills people, so I would not allow myself to be fearful.

Second Corinthians 10:5 tells us what to do with negative thoughts:
Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

So when Satan comes and tells you, "You are going to die," you have to know that the Bible says, "With Jesus stripes you were healed," so your confession is, "I believe I'm healed..."

Hebrews 11:1 says:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,

the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is the evidence that you have what you have prayed for. I would tell myself, "I don't see it now. But by faith I have it. Faith is the tangibility of my healing." Most people want to go by sight and by the way they feel. But I had the faith principles so ingrained in me that when the attack on my body came, I knew how to stand and not let fear come in. Now your situation may not be a healing one, maybe it's a financial problem or a husband or wife problem or children problems. Whatever the problem, you can apply the same faith principles and be victorious too!

GUIDANCE

Dancing With God

When I meditated on the word Guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.

When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music.

One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back or by pressing lightly in one direction or another. It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.

The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.

My eyes drew back to the word Guidance. When I saw "G" I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i". "God, "u" and "i" dance ". God, you, and I dance. As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would get guidance about my life.

Once again, I became willing to let God lead.

My prayer for you today is that God's blessings and mercies are upon you this day and everyday. May you abide in God, as God abides in you.

The Role of Spouses in Making Decisions
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman
07-01-2008

"The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice" (Proverbs 12:15).

"It's amazing how similar at times the voice of my wife is to the voice of the Holy Spirit," I said to the Christian audience.

When John Benson decided to make some financial investments in a new business venture, he was very excited about the possibilities for a handsome financial return. His business and financial background had served him well. John felt strongly that his wife Jenny would not understand the complexity of his investment, so he casually mentioned it to her. When she asked a few simple questions, John became defensive and justified his plans for investing in the venture.

A year later, after investing a large sum of money, John received a phone call from the investment company. All the investors who had put money in the company were going to lose their investment with no ability to recoup it.

This story could be retold repeatedly across the world. God's principles for making decisions require input from both spouses, regardless of their level of expertise. I learned this lesson the hard way after making many independent decisions outside the counsel of my wife. Today, whenever I am faced with a major decision, I first consult the Lord, and then I consult my wife. She may disagree totally with something that seems very straightforward to me, but I have learned not to move forward if we are not in agreement.

She does not need to know all the details, nor does she have to have expertise. God has placed in her a "chip" called "intuition." That intuition cannot explain why she feels the way she does, she just knows when something is not right. Conversely, husbands bring a totally different perspective that may give an alternative side to a situation that the wife has never considered. God has called married couples to be one. If we seek to make decisions independently, then we benefit from only 50% of the intended resource God has placed within our grasp. In marriage, this stewardship of decisions requires two people. God blesses this union by honoring the decisions made with the motive of glorifying God and relying on His Spirit to lead in our decision-making process.

Before you make a major decision, get confirmation for your decision from your spouse.

TYPICAL GOVERNMENT AGENT

Department of Agriculture representative stopped at a ranch in Texas and talked with an old rancher. He told the rancher, "I need to inspect your ranch for your water allocation."

The old rancher said, "Okay, but don't go in that field over there."

The representative said, "Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government with me. See this card? This card means I am allowed to go WHEREVER I WISH on any agricultural land. No questions asked or answered. Have I made myself clear? Do you understand?"

The old rancher nodded politely and went about his chores.

Later, the old rancher heard loud screams and saw the Rep running for the fence and close behind was the rancher's bull. The bull was gaining on the Rep with every step.

The Rep was clearly terrified, so the old rancher immediately threw down his tools, ran to the fence and shouted out......

* * *Your card! Show him your card!* * *

BOW BEFORE THE THRONE

May 22, 2008

Today's message is from Marcos Witt.

Revelation 4:10 says, “The twenty-four elders fall down before him” (NIV). Revelation 19:4 says, “The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God” (NIV). This is the key to the worshiper the Father is seeking. Everyone in heaven bows before the throne.

Besides the spiritual implication of prostration, I think it is important to learn to be physically prostrate as an outward sign of an inward decision. Many congregations don’t practice prostration, even though it is one of the most biblical forms of expressing worship. I believe it would be good to reinstate it into our worship services.

There is something that happens in our heart when we kneel and bow before His Majesty. It is a good exercise for our flesh, just to remind it who is in control of our body.

Occasionally, in a conference or other meeting, the Lord has led us to prostrate ourselves before Him. I cannot describe the feeling that comes over me when thousands of people bend their knees and bow before the great King as they pour out their hearts to Him. It is indescribable!

Looking upon that kind of scene, I can almost imagine how it is going to be in heaven when we are all around the great throne, from which emanates the wonderful light of His presence. There we will bow, receiving the warmth of His love, prostrate with our crowns thrown at His feet. Let us begin to learn, right now, to bend our knee in humility before Him, acknowledging His great power and glory.

TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, today I choose to bow before You in worship. As I kneel before Your throne, I acknowledge with all my heart that You are the only true God.

RECALIBRATE ROUTE!

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman
05-18-2008

"The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth" (Luke 3:5).

I love the Global Positioning Systems (GPS) in the new cars. A voice comes on and tells me how far I have to go and when to turn. However, sometimes I get off course and the voice says: "Recalculating route." The GPS is telling me I have gone off course and it is now recalculating the route based on my wrong turn. Sometimes we can make wrong turns in our spiritual lives. We think we are going the right direction only to discover it was never God's will to enter that relationship, make that business deal, hire that person - the examples are limitless.

There is an amazing thing about God. He can make our crooked places straight. He has an ability to make whatever blunder you make turn out right. It may mean there might be some consequences to those decisions, but He will always allow your actions to work together for good for those called according to His purposes if we repent and seek Him fully to make things right. These lessons can even contribute to greater wisdom in our lives if we learn from our mistakes.

God's omnipotence is always one step ahead of our incompetence. Do you think He knew you would make that misstep? Absolutely. Do you think your life was planned even with that misstep figured in? Absolutely.
Isn't it comforting to know you cannot plan God out of the equation no matter how bad you mess up? He will always turn crooked places into straight places for those who are humble and contrite.

Do you need a crooked place straightened out today? Ask Him to straighten the course so you can flow in His perfect will for your life.