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Showing posts from March, 2016

We live as if we own tomorrow but we don't even own today.

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The time we have left on this fallen planet is ONLY for reaping those “ripe unto harvest,” the ones for whom Jesus prayed in John 17.9: “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.” Author Paul Washer has said, “ With one hand God is motioning man to come to Him. With the other hand He is holding back His wrath. Soon He is going to drop both hands. ” “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Yet despite God’s goodness and His desire that none should perish, Jesus exhorted in Mathew 7.13:  “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.” “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). As It

FAITH IT UP

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Restoring Your FAITH with God When people wander or gradually drift away from God, they often begin to feel that God is distant. God seems far away - and hard to reach. But the opposite is actually true: God is very near. In fact, He is standing at the door.  Sometimes when you are faced with difficult situations, you can lose your faith. It can feel like God is not listening or He simply doesn’t care. However, it’s important to remember that faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not yet seen. It’s also important to realize there’s a power working on your behalf, even when you can’t see it. But when you learn to trust, despite your circumstances, you will see that your faith is still intact – you just have to hold on. You just have to make the choice to believe. When you find yourself low on faith, here are five ways it can be restored. PRAY .....Prayer is the key that unlocks the door. Give God some one-on-one time. Have faith in wha

Always consider that God’s heart can be towards you even while his hand appears to be against you

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why God makes you wait! There are times in the Christian’s life where we wait upon God, where we wait for relief from some kind of affliction, and where we wait for a long time for God to answer prayer. I am certain that you have experienced times like these, and know that the temptation in such times is to despair and to demand, to grow angry and impatient. But in The Mystery of Providence John Flavel warns: Though God means to give you the comfort or mercy you long for, he usually first exercises your patience by making you wait.... Jesus could have come and healed Lazarus when he was still alive. Instead, He waited to raise him from the dead when he was already in his grave. God could have made David become king the day after he was anointed. Instead, He waited 15 years to rise to the throne, many of those years spent fearing for his life, hiding out and running away from his own father-in-law. God could have spoken to Moses in the desert about sending him to

Step Out By Faith Into Your Field Of Provision

Your Faithfulness To God Will Bring Your blessings . -Obed,  fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David. In the Old Testament story of Ruth, we see a beautiful picture of what it’s like to walk in God’s favor. Ruth, a Moabite widow, travels to Bethlehem with Naomi, her Jewish mother-in-law. Putting her faith in God’s favor, she sets out to find work gleaning in the wheat and barley fields. Because of her trust in the Lord’s favor, she ends up in the field of Boaz, a wealthy man of position in Bethlehem, and (unknown to her initially) a kinsman to Naomi. As Ruth works in Boaz’s field, she sees plenty of grain and just picks it all up. It is the much-needed provision for herself and her mother-in-law. What Ruth doesn’t know is that Boaz has actually commanded his men to “let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her” (Ruth 2:16), because she had found favor in his eyes. Isn’t it cool when Jesus, our heavenly Boaz, purposely commands the blessings on us, and tells His angels to

Confessions of a Modern Day Martha

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If I had to choose a character in the Bible that I am the most like it would be Martha. We read in Luke 10:38-42 that she invited Jesus into her home but soon became distracted with all the preparations that had to be made. Her sister, Mary, on the other hand sat at Jesus’ feet while He taught. This frustrated Martha. Here she was doing all the necessary work, so she thought, and Mary and Jesus are over here enjoying some small talk. Martha then approaches Jesus and points out that Mary is not helping her. She then takes it a step further and commands Jesus to tell Mary to help her. The funny thing is when I first read this text I was cheering Martha on. I completely understand where she was coming from and the resentment that builds as you work so hard while feeling like you have no help. So I’m wondering if Martha was just as surprised as I was at Jesus’ response. Jesus tells her: “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few thing

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS Isaiah 63:7-9!

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COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS …NAME THEM ONE BY ONE AND YOU WILL SEE WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR YOU! Counting our blessings suggests a certain way of looking at the world. When good things happen to us, how do we explain them? Some people chalk it up to luck, chance, fate, or the stars being in the proper alignment. Others give credit to their own hard work and effort. But as Christians, we should recognize these good things for what they are: blessings from God. They come, as Isaiah says, “ from the abundance of God’s steadfast love.”  Isaiah 63:7     Counting our blessings is always being humble and giving thanks for everything in life. We are thankful for Jesus Christ who is everything. We are thankful for food, friends, family, God’s Love. Appreciate everything in life because there are people who are starving and in a way harder situation than you. Your bad days are someones good days. We human beings have the tendency to grumble and complain too much. We are always complaining about so