Know The Truth

Then you will experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you (John 8:32).

Have you experienced the Truth today? In the natural, we dont normally think of truth as something we experience, but Jesus said, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Truth is the very essence of who God is. Its empowering. It will make you free! Truth comes from the Word of God. When you accept and believe Gods Word, something liberating happens on the inside of you. The lies of the enemy are broken in your life. You begin to experience freedom you never thought was possible!

And there is a difference between Truth and facts. The facts are what you see and the Truth is what God sees. If you are feeling burdened and heavy about something today, ask God to show you His Truth about that situation.

Study His Word until you find His promise for that area of your life. Meditate on His promises and declare His Truth in your life. As you declare Gods Truth, you will experience the freedom He promised and live in victory all the days of your life!

A Prayer for Today
God, thank You for Your Truth which sets me free. Open my understanding to Your Word today so I may experience Your liberty in every area of my life. I bless Your holy Name and love You today. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Reborn to a Life with God

Reborn to a Life with God
Dan Gilmore

I am Divorced with two Sons. The failure of my marriage and loss of day to day life with my children was hard to accept. I stuggled for many years with this loss. I regret that part of the time I distanced myself from my boys in an effort to spare myself the pain of loss. I in the end found myself sinking deeper and deeper in solitude and self absorbed sorrow. The world has many distractions for those who have lost thier way. Sex, drugs, persuit of wealth, and alcohol are just a few of the distractions. My distraction of choice became alcohol. I had aquired a quart a day addiction to drinking away my disatisfaction with the path my life had taken. Toward the end I discovered drinking could no longer numb the pain or fill the emptiness in felt in my heart. I spiraled further down into dispair. I cannot say what was the catalyst that born the thought that life had to have more to offer than this. Thoughts began to emerge that life should not feel this empty, and I should not feel this lost. I was fast approaching the bottom of dispair in my life. Words cannot properly discribe how sad and alone I felt inside. It was a dead hollow feeling of nothingness and emptiness. I no longer cared for myself which in turn meant, I cared less for others around me, others who did love me. Somewhere along the way I no longer loved myself, or the life I was living.

One day I awoke with the resolve to quit drinking. I went all out and went to meatings and gave it my best effort. It was with great difficulty at first, I had the shakes from the abstenece of alcohol. There were days I felt like giving in the the temptation to drink again. The day I found the answer is when my life turned around. I remebered being raised as a Catholic and about God the Father but I did not speak to him thease days. I was ashamed of what and who I had become.

The day I finaly had the courage to ask for God's help with my addiction is the day I was reborn. Life for me now began to have hope. Then one day a friend gave me a book to read. " The Purpose Driven Life." Wow!! did I need to read the message in this book. My hope began to grow by leaps and bounds. I have passed this books message to others in hopes that thier life would be changed as mine had. I no longer have this hole in my heart, a hole that God was meant to fill.

I now know that God had never given up on me, I had given up on myself when I turned my back on Him. I cannot begin to tell you how I feel him alive and working in my life today.
The postcard I recently recieved from my 27 year old Son on my 2 year anniversary of sobriety says it all.

Dad sorry I missed your 2 yr birthday. I am so proud of you. You have come back from the worst. You are my Hero. Love your Son!!

My anniversary date was September 9 th 2004 The most gratefull thing I have in my life today is not that I no longer drink, it is that God walks with me today as he always had even during the days I ignored the blessings he was willing to bestow in my life.
Thank you God! And thank you Rick Warren for your God given message!!
May God Bless all who read this. And may he change your life as well Amen!!

Eager to Do Good

Eager to Do Good
By John Fischer

My neighbor was dying of cancer. He had less than six months to live. What do you do for someone in his situation? What could I possibly give him that would mean anything in light of his terminal state? All I seemed to be able to do was listen to him complain, and when it came to God, he had a lot to complaining to do.

Then I noticed Willie Nelson was doing a concert in my town at a small intimate club. I knew my friend was a big Willie Nelson fan, and it seemed like the perfect thing. I know the Holy Spirit planted the idea in my head but I didn’t act on it in time and the date passed before I had a chance to get tickets. Then, lo and behold, God gave me a second opportunity when Willie returned two months later and my neighbor was still alive. This time I got the tickets immediately and announced we were going. His wife later told me that this concert was such a big deal to him she actually thought he kept himself alive for it. As it turned out, God used the concert to help turn my neighbor back to Christ, spurred on by a gospel set Willie sang that was all about eternity.

1 Peter 3:13 tells us to be eager to do good even when people are hostile towards us or the gospel. It doesn’t say to do good, it specifically says to be eager to do good. That means to always be looking for opportunities to do something nice for someone and when the opportunity presents itself, take it. I almost missed my opportunity with my neighbor. Thank God he brought me another chance.

Be on the lookout for ways you can do something good for others. Doesn’t have to be anything spiritual (what could be spiritual about a Willie Nelson concert?), just something that’s right for the person. Pray: “Father, open my eyes to opportunities to serve those around me in practical and personal ways. Make me in tune with your Spirit so I can hear you when you point something out to me.”

And then take action!

You are not an accident
By Rick Warren

"Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love." (Eph. 1:4a, Msg)

Your birth was no mistake or mishap. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. He was not at all surprised by your birth. In fact, he expected it. He expected you – and he designed you with a purpose in mind.

God's motive for creating you was his love. The Bible says, "Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love."

Dr. Michael Denton, senior research fellow in human molecular genetics at the University of Otago in New Zealand, has concluded, "All the evidence available in the biological sciences supports the core proposition … that the cosmos is a specially designed whole with life and mankind as its fundamental goal and purpose, a whole in which all facets of reality have their meaning and explanation in this central fact."

The Bible said the same thing thousands of years earlier: "God formed the earth … He did not create it to be empty but formed it to be inhabited." (Isa. 45:18, GWT)

Why did God bother to go to all the trouble of creating a universe for us?

Because he is a God of love.

This kind of love is difficult to fathom, but it's fundamentally reliable.

You were created as a special object of God's love! God made you so he could love you. This is a truth to build your life on.

Point to ponder: The universe was not complete, in God's eyes, until he had filled it with people to love. He planned from the beginning of time to make you!

Verse: "When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers - the moon and the stars you have set in place - what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us?" (Psalm 8:3-4, NLT)

What will you do about it: Take a look at the night sky and remind yourself that you are more important to God than all the stars combined. Let that motivate you to worship him.

Prayer: Thank God for planning your life and for loving you so much.

Ten Guidelines from God

1. QUIT WORRYING:
Life has dealt you a blow and all you do is sit and worry. Have you forgotten that I am here to take all your burdens and carry them for you? Or do you just enjoy fretting over every little thing that comes your way?

2. PUT IT ON THE LIST:
Something needs done or taken care of. Put it on the list. No, not YOUR list. Put it on MY to-do-list. Let ME be the one to take care of the problem. I can't help you until you turn it over to Me. And although My to-do-list is long, I am after all...God. I can take care of anything you put into My hands. In fact, if the truth were ever really known, I take care of a lot of things for you that you never even realize.

3. TRUST ME:
Once you've given your burdens to Me, quit trying to take them back. Trust in Me. Have the faith that I will take care of all your needs, your problems and your trials. Problems with the kids? Put them on My list. Problem with finances? Put it on My list. Problems with your emotional roller coaster? For My sake, put it on My list. I want to help you. All you have to do is ask.

4. LEAVE IT ALONE:
Don't wake up one morning and say, "Well, I'm feeling much stronger now, I think I can handle it from here." Why do you think you are feeling stronger now? It's simple. You gave Me your burdens and I'm taking care of them. I also renew your strength and cover you in my peace. Don't you know that if I give you these problems back, you will be right back where you started? Leave them with Me and forget about them. Just let Me do my job.

5. TALK TO ME:
I want you to forget a lot of things. Forget what was making you crazy. Forget the worry and the fretting because you know I'm in control. But there's one thing I pray you never forget. Please, don't forget to talk to Me - OFTEN! I love YOU! I want to hear your voice. I want you to include Me in on the things going on in your life. I want to hear you talk about your friends and family. Prayer is simply you having a conversation with Me. I want to be your dearest friend.

6. HAVE FAITH:
I see a lot of things from up here that you can't see from where you are. Have faith in Me that I know what I'm doing. Trust Me; you wouldn't want the view from My eyes. I will continue to care for you, watch over you, and meet your needs. You only have to trust Me. Although I have a much bigger task than you, it seems as if you have so much trouble just doing your simple part. How hard can trust be?

7. SHARE:
You were taught to share when you were only two years old. When did you forget? That rule still applies. Share with those who are less fortunate than you. Share your joy with those who need encouragement. Share your laughter with those who haven't heard any in such a long time. Share your tears with those who have forgotten how to cry. Share your faith with those who have none.

8. BE PATIENT:
I managed to fix it so in just one lifetime you could have so many diverse experiences. You grow from a child to an adult, have children, change jobs many times, learn many trades, travel to so many places, meet thousands of people, and experience so much. How can you be so impatient then when it takes Me a little longer than you expect to handle something on My to-do-list? Trust in My timing, for My timing is perfect. Just because I created the entire universe in only six days, everyone thinks I should always rush, rush, rush.

9. BE KIND:
Be kind to others, for I love them just as much as I love you. They may not dress like you, or talk like you, or live the same way you do, but I still love you all. Please try to get along, for My sake. I created each of you different in some way. It would be too boring if you were all identical. Please, know I love each of your differences.

10. LOVE YOURSELF:
As much as I love you, how can you not love yourself? You were created by me for one reason only -- to be loved, and to love in return. I am a God of Love. Love Me. Love your neighbors. But also love yourself. It makes My heart ache when I see you so angry with yourself when things go wrong. You are very precious to me.

What's Going on in your Quiet Time?

You are probably familiar with most of the traditional methods of having a successful quiet time. But the what you do is not the only important part of today's question. That would make this exercise too easy. The tougher and more important question is this: How have you been doing lately in your times with the Lord? God is extremely interested in the heart you bring into the experience. Do you invite the Lord into your quiet time and allow Him to determine what each encounter becomes? If so, these will be some of the most treasured times of your life - when God reveals more of Himself and His plans to you.

Private Meetings with Jesus
There are many ways to enhance your quiet time: writing in a journal; confessing a sin; memorizing Scripture; singing; working through a devotional guide; practicing silence; enjoying God's "outdoor artwork"; or praying with praise, confession, gratitude, and requests. Are you dragging yourself into Jesus' presence and enduring a legalistic obligation? Or are you ecstatic to have the privilege of visiting with Him to praise Him, learn more about Him, and see what assignments He as for you? Is your heart cold or on fire for your Savior?

Scripture to Ponder: "[Jesus said,] "Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense His grace." Matthew 6:6 (MSG)

Do you regularly spend a "quiet time" with God? If so, how do you spend that time?


From Katie Brazelton's "Praying for Purpose" pg 118-121.

Opened & Closed Doors

Opened & Closed Doors

We need to learn to thank the Lord for closed doors just as much as we do for open doors. The reason God closes doors is because He has not prepared anything behind that door for us. If He didn't close the wrong door we would never find our way to the right door.

Even when we don't realize it, God directs our paths through the closing and opening of doors. When one door closes, it forces us to change our course. Another door closes; it forces us to change our course yet again.

Then finally, we find the open door and walk right into our blessing.

But instead of praising God for the closed door (which kept us out of trouble), we get upset because we "judge by the appearances." And in our own arrogance, or ignorance, we insist that we know what is right.

We have a very present help in the time of need who is always standing guard. Because He walks ahead of us, He can see trouble down the road. And He sets up roadblocks and detours accordingly. But through our lack of wisdom we try to tear down the roadblocks or push aside the detour signs. Then the minute we get into trouble, we start crying "Lord how could This happen to me?"

We have got to realize that the closed door was a blessing. Didn't He say that "No good thing will He withhold from them that love Him?"

If you get terminated from your job - don't be down, instead thank God for the new opportunities that will manifest themselves - it might be a better job, or an opportunity to go to school.

If that man or woman won't return your call - it might not be them, it might be the Lord setting up a roadblock (just let it go). I'm so grateful, for the many times God has closed doors to me, just to open them in the most unexpected places.

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way." (Psalms 37:23) The Mountain top is glorious, but it is in the Valley that I will grow!

Always remember God gives you...

Enough Happiness to keep you sweet
Enough Trials to keep you strong
Enough Sorrows to keep you human
Enough Hope to keep you happy
Enough Failure to keep you humble
Enough Success to keep you eager
Enough Friends to give you comfort
Enough Wealth to meet your needs
Enough Enthusiasm to make you look forward
Enough Faith to banish depression, and
Enough Determination to make each day a better day than the last.

Life must be lived forward but can only be understood backwards.

"Commit to the Lord in whatever you do and your plans will succeed."
Proverbs 16:3

Source : http://bloomingwithpurpose.blogspot.com/

I, the Lord ....

I, the Lord, have looked throughout the earth to find people dedicated to Me. People that would completely sell out to Me, people who would not play the game of the world, but rather they would look to Me for a guidance of their ways and of their decisions. Such people I would make My top officials in this world, but I have found few, says the Lord, I have found very few.

If I could just find one percent of My people dedicated to total commitment, I could use this huge army to turn this world around and shake it for the Kingdom of God, and many, many, many would not only be saved, but also would move into this high calling of the work of the Lord. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, I have shown you, My people, My ways. Why are you not obeying them? Why are you not following what I have revealed to you? Why have you forsaken the ways of God for the ways of the world? If you get sick, can the world totally heal you? Can they bless you with all manner of blessings, including eternal life and many other blessings of the spiritual realm? Can they? How can they when they have no knowledge of this! If only they would listen to My voice. Listen to My voice, My people. Those of you who claim to know the things of God and the ways of God, listen to My voice and turn from your worldly ways; and say I have no time for the things of the world, I must move on with the things of the Lord.

This is the way of God, to turn from the worldly things, and move on toward spiritual maturity in the Lord. For by this method I can find apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists, to go forward with My Gospel which will renew this earth to My glory that was taken from it when Adam sinned his great sin!


Thomas S. Gibson
Source : http://prophetic-word.org

Obedience and Faith

The Lord is looking for obedience and faith in Him. Listen, says God, I desire that you walk in the faith of the Lord Jesus' Blood bought salvation, His death, and resurrection, rather than to be concerned about vain theologies which you will not truly understand on this earth.

Look unto Jesus. Be filled with the Spirit. Submit to His will, and be a witness wherever you go and you will do the will of God thoroughly. Stand and believe the simplicity of salvation; for vain theologies divide those who do not understand the simplicity and the pureness of the gospel.

Therefore, go throughout the world and believe the resurrection of the Messiah and preach it to all you come into contact with.

Christian story : Worship Walk

Worship Walk
The missing ingredient in my diet was God, and once I put my life in his hands everything became easier.
By Jaye Lewis

It's been two years, and I can't believe that I've stayed on my low-carb diet. I say "low-carb" because I know that my body needs some carbs. Otherwise, I'd fall off my treadmill. That's another thing that amazes me - that I've stuck with my motorized treadmill. It's just not like me to stick to something hard without losing my way. No sugar. No honey. And no molasses. None of my favorite foods - like Krispy Kreme doughnuts, brownies, fluffy biscuits and sweet corn bread - are on my diet. I miss them nearly every day. Every muffin I bake is from scratch, and not quite the same with Splenda and soy flour, but it's livable, and I have lost over forty pounds.

As a diabetic, not only is my glucose level under control, but my hemoglobin levels have dropped from a poor reading of 7.5 down to a nearly normal 6.3. The lower my score is, the less likely I am to lose a foot or kidney function or my life! So my diet is not only life-changing, but it is life saving. And frankly, I could not have done this without the grace of God. I just don't have that kind of willpower. That is why I call every day, on or off of my treadmill, eating only foods that are good for my body, my worship walk.

My goal is simple. I am never ahead of my present meal or snack. This is a walk that I take moment by moment, always remembering what doughnuts taste like. If I plan ahead, or if I look toward tomorrow, I know that I'll fail.

There are two pictures of me that I like to compare. One is of me holding my birthday balloons, two years ago. I'm laughing at my family, and you can tell that I have a happy life. The other picture is more recent. It's of me sitting on my husband's lap, as we smile into the camera. The difference in me is not only that I'm slimmer, but that I can actually fit on my husband's lap! For me, that says everything.

This has not been easy. I am not a woman who heads for the dieting magazine. I'm the one who's drooling over the chocolate cake. Strangely enough, I still bake for my family. In fact, I do more baking for them since I know I'm not going to eat it. I do, however, get to take that first sniff, if there is a bag of doughnuts around. "Wait! Don't open it! Let me!" Mmmmmhhh! What a wonderful smell! Then I move on to my high-protein blueberry muffin and thank God there is such a thing as toasted soy flour and Splenda.

When I met my husband, I was 120 pounds. On the outside I looked confidant, but inside I was a mess. I believed that if I lost my youth and my perfect figure, my husband could not love me. Why? Because I did not love myself. Now, at sixty, I realize that my view of myself and of my husband's love was shallow. My husband and I will soon be married for twenty-five years. During our marriage, he has told me every day how beautiful I am to him. His love, support and faithfulness have been constant, yet only now do I believe him. Only now, at sixty, and a mere 160 pounds, do I believe that I'm beautiful.

There are diet books enough, and the Internet is full of diets, but it was not the diet that was my problem. It was the reflection that I saw of myself, not in the mirror, but in my heart. So today is a good day. It's a day that begins anew, in a walk that is both physical and spiritual, a worship walk that I can only take from moment to moment, as I place my hand in the hand of God.

Success Story : Warren Buffet

There was a one hour interview on CNBC with Warren Buffet, the second richest man who has donated $31 billion to charity. Here are some very interesting aspects of his life:

1. He bought his first share at age 11 and he now regrets that he started too late!

2. He bought a small farm at age 14 with savings from delivering newspapers.

3. He still lives in the same small 3-bedroom house in mid-town Omaha , which he bought after he got married 50 years ago. He says that he has everything he needs in that house. His house does not have a wall or a fence.

4. He drives his own car everywhere and does not have a driver or security people around him.

5. He never travels by private jet, although he owns the world ' s largest private jet company.

6. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns 63 companies. He writes only one letter each year to the CEOs of these companies, giving them goals for the year. He never holds meetings or calls them on a regular basis. He has given his CEO ' s only two rules. Rule number 1: do not lose any of your share holder ' s money. Rule number 2: Do not forget rule number 1.

7. He does not socialize with the high society crowd. His past time after he gets home is to make himself some pop corn and watch Television.

8. Bill Gates, the world's richest man met him for the first time only 5 years ago. Bill Gates did not think he had anything in common with Warren Buffet. So he had scheduled his meeting only for half hour. But when Gates met him, the meeting lasted for ten hours and Bill Gates became a devotee of Warren Buffet.

9. Warren Buffet does not carry a cell phone, nor has a computer on his desk.

His advice to young people: "Stay away from credit cards and invest in yourself and Remember:
A. Money doesn ' t create man but it is the man who created money.
B. Live your lives, as simple as you are.
C. Don ' t do what others say, just listen to them, but do what you feel good.
D. Don ' t go on brand name; just wear those things in which u feel comfortable.
E. Don ' t waste your money on unnecessary things; just spend on them who really in need rather.
F. After all it ' s your life then why gives chance to others to rule our life."

THE PRAYER THAT COOPERATES WITH GOD PART II

Prayer Being the Tracks of God's Will

Mr. Gordon Watts once said that God's will is like a locomotive, while our prayers are like the tracks. The locomotive is powerful, but it can only run on the tracks. God's will is powerful, but it needs our prayer as the tracks before His will can be done. God would not work alone; He has to wait for His children's will to agree with His will before He will work. There are three wills in the universe: God's will, man's will, and Satan's will. God does not remove Satan's will by Himself. He desires that man's will become one with His will, to deal with Satan's will. A spiritual prayer is an utterance of God's will. How useless is a prayer that merely utters one's own will! Our prayer cannot change God's will; it merely expresses His will. God is the initiator of everything; we are merely the channel through which His will can flow. God ordains, and we obey. He initiates, and we agree in prayer. We cannot force God to do what He does not want to do, but we can stop Him from doing what He does want to do. When God's will is turned into our prayer, He will begin working. Every revival comes from prayer. Our prayer cannot change God's will; it only speaks out His will. No one can direct God's will, and no one can make Him do what He does not want to do. However, what He does want to do can be limited by man's prayer. Although Pentecost was prophesied by God in the book of Joel, there had to be the prayer of the one hundred and twenty before He could accomplish this. God's will reaches only as far as our prayers have reached. Therefore, the more thorough our prayers are, the more the will of God will be accomplished, and Satan's deceptions will not be able to come in. We should cast a net of prayer “by means of all prayer and petition, praying at every time” (Eph. 6:18), so that God's will can prevail in all areas, and Satan will not find one crack through which to come in. In our prayer we should pay attention to three things: (1) to whom we are praying, (2) for whom we are praying, and (3) against whom we are praying. All our prayers should fulfil God's will, afford others a profit, and inflict Satan with a loss.

THE PRAYER THAT COOPERATES WITH GOD PART I

The Principle of God's Work

God works along certain lines and according to certain principles. He does not do things haphazardly or carelessly. He would rather not work than have work that is done contrary to His principle. If we want to receive His blessings, we have to fulfil the conditions for Him to bless.

God transcends all principles and rules. Yet He likes to lay down principles for His work so that both He and man would abide by these ordained principles. God's principle is God's will.

God never works by Himself. He always puts His desire in His children's heart so that they would pray for it. Mr. Evan Roberts said that the order of all God's works is:

(1) God has a desire.
(2) Through the Holy Spirit, He puts this desire within His children's hearts.
(3) God's children turn this desire back to God through prayer.
(4) God accomplishes this desire.

The whole thing begins with God's desire. Through the Holy Spirit, God puts this desire in the hearts of His children so that they will know what is His heart's desire. His children then turn this desire into prayer and send it back to God. As a result, He works to accomplish that which is according to His desire.

Ezekiel 36:37 says, “Thus says the Lord Jehovah, Moreover for this I will be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.”

(1) God ordained that the number in the house of Israel be increased. This is God's decision and what He will do. It is the first point and also the fourth point mentioned earlier.

(2) But God still has to be inquired of by the house of Israel. Although God made the decision to increase the number of the house of Israel, He could only accomplish it after He had been inquired of by the house of Israel. This is the principle of God's work. God only has His will; He does not work. He must wait until His children inquire of Him and then He will work. God is not trying to hold back on any of His work. He is waiting for His children to inquire of Him before He will work. He is willing to put Himself under the authority of and be limited by His children's prayer. If they do not pray, He cannot work. For over twenty-five hundred years, God has not increased the number of the house of Israel because no one has inquired this of Him.

Isaiah 62:6 says, “Upon Your walls, O Jerusalem, / I have appointed watchmen; / All day and all night / They will never keep silent. / You who remind Jehovah, / Do not be dumb.”

(1) God has ordained that Jerusalem would be a praise in the earth. This is God's desire.

(2) For this He has set watchmen to cry out to Him. He told them not to hold their peace and to give Him no rest. We should pray continually and not rest until God accomplishes what He has ordained. The carrying out of God's will is fully determined by our prayer.

Philemon 14 says, “But without your mind I did not want to do anything, that your goodness would not be as of necessity, but voluntary.”

Paul represents God, and Philemon represents us. Paul would not do anything without knowing Philemon's mind. God will not do anything without knowing our mind. His will is limited by us.

Christian ClipArt : Bible flower

source : www.christart.com

Says the Lord God

For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, the God of mighty men, the God of mighty prophets.

So says men: listen to what the world says, listen to what the ways are, listen to what is correct to say, listen to what is correct to do--and that follow!

But I am not like that, says the Lord, I am not like that. For there are ways of men and there are ways of God. And there are those that say, study and learn and use the wisdom of man to understand the truth of God. But no, you cannot understand the truth of God except from scripture, and the revelation of the Holy Spirit.

Listen and be careful that you haven't studied greatly the news of men and took it as the word of God. Study the Word, get into the Bible, study It from cover to cover, backwards and forwards; learn that Word, for it comes from the Throne of God.

Listen now, and beware, there are those that say there can be times ahead of great disaster. And true, there are times of great disaster to come. And after that more disaster. But, those who stand with Me, who walk with Me, who daily, daily, daily put their lives on the line in the will of God--for them, I shall carve a path through this that they can walk on. If they step off the path they will be in trouble! But if they stay on the path of the Lord, the prosperity of heaven, the glory of God, and the might of the spiritual forces which are the angels of Heaven, shall protect them, and protect them thoroughly through all this time.

There are those that are scared of what is to come. But the Word says fear God. For if you fear man, you will do what man says, lest you be criticised by men. But fear God so that you will do what God says, lest you be criticised by the Lord God of Heaven and earth.

Hear and know the times at hand. You stand on the precipice of the beginning of the times of wrath. Don't look forward or backward in the ways of this earth. But moment by moment listen to the Spirit of God which has been planted in you as a born again christian.

Stand and know that that Spirit will guide you moment by moment in everything and through everything. It is That that will reveal to you the path that you must walk through these times ahead.

So says the Lord God.

Thomas S. Gibson
Sumber : http://prophetic-word.org

Humor : God knows what i'm thingking

A grandfather overheard his granddaughter repeating the alphabet in reverent, hushed tones.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm praying, Grandpa," she said. "I can't think of the right words, so I just say all the letters. God will put them together for me, 'cause he knows what I'm thinking."

Humor : Where is God?

There were two brothers, 8 and 10 years old, who were exceedingly mischievous. Whatever went wrong in the neighborhood, it turned out they had had a hand in it. Their parents were at their wits' end trying to control them. Hearing about a priest nearby who worked with delinquent boys, the mother suggested to the father that they ask the priest to talk with the boys. The father agreed.

The mother went to the priest and made her request.

He agreed, but said he wanted to see the younger boy first and alone.

So the mother sent him to the priest.

The priest sat the boy down across from him at a huge impressive desk.

For about five minutes they just sat and stared at each other.

Finally, the priest pointed his forefinger at the boy and asked, "Where is God?"

The boy looked under the desk, in the corners of the room, all around, but said nothing.

Again, louder, the priest pointed at the boy and asked, "Where is God?"

Again the boy looked all around but said nothing.

A third time, in a louder, firmer voice, the priest leaned far across the desk and put his forefinger almost to the boy's nose, and asked, "Where is God?"

The boy panicked and ran all the way home.

Finding his older brother, he dragged him upstairs to their room and into the closet, where they usually plotted their mischief.

He finally said, "We are in BIG trouble."

The older boy asked, "What do you mean, 'BIG trouble'?"

His brother replied, "God is missing and they think we did it!"

Touched Story : Real Love

"Can I see my baby?" the happy new mother asked.
When the bundle was nestled in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears.
Time proved that the baby's hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was marred. When he rushed home from school one day and flung himself into his mother's arms, she sighed, knowing that his life was to be a succession of heartbreaks.
He blurted out the tragedy. "A boy, a big boy ... called me a freak."
He grew up, handsome for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music. "But you might mingle with other young people," his mother reproved him, but felt a kindness in her heart.
The boy's father had a session with the family physician. Could nothing be done? "I believe I could graft on a pair of outer ears, if they could be procured," the doctor decided.
Whereupon the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man. Two years went by.
Then, "You are going to the hospital, Son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it's a secret," said the father.
The operation was a brilliant success, and a new person emerged. His talents blossomed into genius, and school and college became a series of triumphs. Later he married and entered the diplomatic service.
"But I must know!" He urged his father, "Who gave so much for me? I could never do enough for him."
"I do not believe you could," said the father, "but the agreement was that you are not to know ... not yet."
The years kept their profound secret, but the day did come ... one of the darkest days that a son must endure. He stood with his father over his mother's casket.
Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish-brown hair to reveal that the mother had no outer ears.
"Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut," he whispered gently, "and nobody ever thought Mother less beautiful, did they?"
Real beauty lies not in the physical appearance, but in the heart. Real treasure lies not in what that can be seen, but what that cannot be seen. Real love lies not in what is done and known, but in what that is done but not known.

Don't Lose Sleep

Don't Lose Sleep

”In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety” Psalm 4:8 (ESV).

Sleep is critically important to not only our physical health, but also our spiritual wellbeing. That may sound a little simplistic, but sometimes lack of sleep can actually cause a spiritual problem. As a Christian, you should be able to sleep in peace at night knowing that God is in control. But when you lose sleep, not only are you physically unprepared, you become spiritually weak, because your mind is not sharp enough to be set on the things of God. Medically, lack of sleep can cause depression, irritability and a grumpy demeanor. Do
these sound like characteristics of a victorious Christian? Just the opposite. So get your proper sleep each night, and you'll have more energy, be in a better mood and even move closer to God!

A Prayer for Today
God, thank You for giving me the gift of sleep and confidence in Your Name. With Your help, I will make it a priority to get the sleep that I need and that You designed me to have. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

THE CRISIS OF A CHRISTLESS CHRISTIANITY

THE CRISIS OF A CHRISTLESS CHRISTIANITY
by Chip Brogden

"As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him… beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And you are complete in Him…" (Colossians 2:6,8,9a)

If by the end of today there is less of me and more of Jesus then I am growing. Otherwise I am not. Jesus must become greater and greater in my life, and I must become lesser and lesser. This is the Path. Along this Path towards apprehending Christ as all in all there are many pitfalls, snares, hindrances, and detours. Thus, Paul says we are to be on our guard and let no man spoil us. In this context, the word "spoil" means, "to destroy and strip of one's
possessions; to deprive of something valuable by force." Every spiritual blessing heaven has to offer is found in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Each believer has an incredible fullness and completeness in the Person of Jesus Christ. Christ is THE Gift of God, the ultimate Gift, and this Gift is precious, valuable, and of great worth.

How then can we be spoiled? According to Paul we are spoiled "through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments (elements) of the world, and not after Christ." It matters not if the philosophy is good, right, morally excellent, and praiseworthy. It matters not how well intentioned, meaningful, or helpful the tradition is. It matters not how necessary we think the worldly element to be, or how important it is to society in general. If none of these things are "after Christ", that is, if they are not of Him, through Him, and unto Him, then they are worthless insofar as God's Purpose is concerned and must be discarded.

Keep The Joy

Keep The Joy

”I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your” John 16:22

Your life is probably so fast paced that it seems to be swirling around you at times. In the midst of a hectic schedule, there are plenty of opportunities to lose your joy. But you don't have to let any circumstance rob you of the joy that is rightfully yours in Christ. Once you decide to follow God and listen to Him, alone, nothing can take away that joy that is within you. And when your heart is set on joy, no one can wrestle it away from you unless you allow it. Your enemy is roaming around like a lion - waiting to devour, destroy and rob you of joy (1 peter 5:8). But he can't steal what Jesus has given to you in the first place. Today's verse is a promise from Jesus, Himself - so hold on to the joy that He has put in your heart!

A Prayer for Today
God, thank You for giving me unspeakable joy in my life. Help me today to hold on to what You have given me and not allow anyone or anything to take it away. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

THE KINGDOM, THE POWER, AND THE GLORY

THE KINGDOM, THE POWER, AND THE GLORY
by Chip Brogden

"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, 'All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth'" (Matthew 28:18).

The only legitimate power in the universe belongs to the Lord Jesus - all other power is either illegitimate or temporal. If THE power belongs to Him, then it cannot belong to anyone else. Jesus says, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth." That is a very broad statement, is it not? Absolute power over all of creation!

In a world in which men (and devils) wrestle for dominion, joust for position, seek the preeminence for themselves, strive to exert their influence over others, and lust for more and more control over one another, we as the Church may simply raise our hands to heaven and lift up our eyes to the One in Whom God has vested all of His omnipotence and declare to the universe, "THINE IS THE POWER, and apart from You, we can do nothing."

THE WAY OF THE DISCIPLE

THE WAY OF THE DISCIPLE
by Chip Brogden

"And [Jesus] ordained twelve, that they should BE with Him, and that He MIGHT send them forth to preach" (Mark 3:14).

God does not want ministers or workers to begin with. We think these things are very important, for how can the Church get along without ministers and workers? What else does God want if not ministers and workers? Quite simply, He wants disciples first and foremost. There are many ministers and workers today and very few disciples. Everyone either has a ministry or wants a ministry. Everyone is expected to be a minister or a worker. We do not hear too much about being a disciple, yet this is what God must have before He can have anything in the Church.

Jesus said go into all the world and make disciples. It is not that ministers and workers are unimportant; indeed they are. But what is the priority? Can a man or a woman truly be a minister or worker on behalf of the Kingdom if they are not a disciple first? Of course not. They can minister and work themselves to death and still be in the flesh, doing many mighty works in the name of Jesus and not know Him at all.

REVELATION IS SUFFICIENT

REVELATION IS SUFFICIENT
by Chip Brogden

"In [Christ] are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3).

It is not that God gives us revelation into five, ten, one hundred, or one thousand things. None of these "things" by themselves really matter. Rather, He has placed all those "things" within Christ, and reveals Christ to us. He will not reveal anything to us apart from the Revelation of Jesus Christ. To possess the Son is to possess all that pertains to the Son, for the Scriptures declare, "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32). Christ is the sum of all spiritual things, the fullness of God in a bodily form (Colossians 2:9).

Again, it is not that God desires to give us revelation into these many things, but for us to have the Revelation of Jesus Christ. By apprehending Him we will subsequently gain insight in those "things". To seek revelation into the "things" apart from the Revelation of Christ fails to give Christ the preeminence. We dare not circumvent the knowledge of Him in the pursuit of
"things", even spiritual things, for they are all summed up into Him.

Christian ClipArt : Transformer by God

Source : www.christart.com

THE WORK OF THE LORD

THE WORK OF THE LORD
by Chip Brogden

"Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Genesis 6:8).

It took five hundred years of walking with God, but Noah found grace, and that made it all worthwhile. Let us learn to do nothing apart from this amazing grace. It is better to wait five hundred years for grace than to work for five minutes without it.

What is grace? I teach people that Grace is a Man. Amazing Grace is simply Jesus living in me, doing what I cannot do. It does not matter if "what I cannot do" is save myself, overcome sin, love my neighbor, or build an ark. "For by Grace (Jesus) are you saved through faith (trusting Jesus to do what you cannot do); and that not of yourselves: it (He) is the Gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). I am insufficient; but His Grace (Jesus) is sufficient. His Grace (Jesus) is more than enough. His Grace (Jesus) is Infinite Supply! But "without Me you can do nothing" (cf. John 15:5b).

VICTORY IS A MAN

VICTORY IS A MAN
by Chip Brogden

"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).

Everyone who looks does not see. Everyone who hears does not listen. What are we looking for? What is it that we need to see? What would God reveal to us? There is but one desire of God for us, and that is that we may see Christ. God does not reveal one hundred, one thousand, or one million things to us. He is pleased to give us His Son, and He delights for us to look only to Him. Not even the things He gives, but to Him who is the Gift. We may pray for revelation into a great many matters, but only one thing is important to God, that is, that we may have revelation into the Son.

If we know the Son, if we possess the Son, if we see the Son, we know and possess and see all that God has and is, for He has deposited all of Himself into His Son, and all of His Son He deposited into us.

Humor : I didn't recognize you

A middle aged woman had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. While on the operating table she had a near death experience. Seeing God, she asked "Is my time up?"

God said, "No, you have another 43 years, 2 months and 8 days to live."

Upon recovery, the woman decided to stay in the hospital and have a facelift, liposuction and a tummy tuck. She even had someone come in and change her hair color. Since she had so much more time to live, she figured she might as well make the most of it.

After her last operation, she was released from the hospital. While crossing the street on her way home, she was killed by an ambulance.

Arriving in front of God, she demanded, "I though you said I had another 40 years?"

God replied, "I didn't recognize you."

A PLACE FOR THE LORD

A PLACE FOR THE LORD
by Chip Brogden

"As Jesus was reclining at the table, a woman came to Him with a jar of expensive perfume and poured it on His head" (Matthew 26:7).

"Unto you who believe He is precious" (I Peter 2:7). To those who appreciate the exceeding preciousness of the Lord nothing is too much for Him. Nothing poured out upon Him is a waste. Whether He is anointed with tears, or with perfume – He is worthy of all. Now when Christ is revealed to us and we begin to grow up into Him, our hearts are illuminated and we begin to grasp something of the preciousness of the Lord. The natural response is spirit-and-truth worship. This cannot be achieved with better music or dynamic worship leaders. Apart from revelation, apart from seeing, we cannot value Him in any deep sense. Worship is our response to revelation.

We want to appear to be busy doing for God, busy at our "ministry". But there is a place where we simply "waste" ourselves on Him, and outwardly we appear to be doing nothing. Would that more believers would "waste" themselves more often, ministering to the Lord, sitting at His feet, hearing His word, ministering to Him in secret prayer and fasting! Then when they do rise up to work, how much more fruitful they will be!

Christian ClipArt : Bible burn in heart

Source : www.christart.com

LETTER FROMJESUS

Dear Friend,

I just had to write to tell you how much I love you and care for you.

Yesterday, I saw you walking and laughing with your friends; I hoped that soon you'd want Me to walk along with you, too. So, I painted you a sunset to close your day and whispered a cool breeze to refresh you. I waited; you never called. I just kept on loving you.

As I watched you fall asleep last night, I wanted so much to touch you. I spilled moonlight onto your face trickling down your cheeks as so many tears have. You didn't even think of me; I wanted so much to comfort you.

The next day I exploded a brilliant sunrise into a glorious morning for you. But you woke up late and rushed off to work-you didn't evennotice.

My sky became cloudy and Mytears were the rain.

I love you! Oh, if you'd only listen. I really love you! I try to say it in the quiet of the green meadow and in the blue sky. The wind whispers My love throughout the treetops and spills it into the vibrant colors of the flowers.

I shout it to you in the thunder of the great waterfalls and composed love songs for birds to sing for you. I warm you with the clothing of My sunshine and perfume the air with nature's sweet scent.

My love for you is deeper than the ocean and greaterthan any need in your heart. If you'd only realize how I care. I died just for you. My Dad sends His love. I want you to meet Him. He cares, too. Fathers are just that way.

So please call Me soon. No matter how long it takes, I'll wait because I love you.

Your Friend,
Jesus

TILL WE ALL COME

"TILL WE ALL COME"
by Chip Brogden

"And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-13).

According to God's thought, those who are called to serve the Body in these functions are supposed to be part of the SOME who have already entered into the unity of the faith, the full-knowledge of the Son of God, the fullness of Christ. Who is qualified to function as an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher? It should be those who have walked with the Lord Jesus for some length of time and know Him to such a degree that they are more conformed to the image of Christ than their less experienced brothers and sisters. Having established a mature relationship with Christ, they can now turn their attention to serving and helping others to come to that same maturity.

I have qualified my words by saying "should be" and "supposed to be". I am expressing the ideal. We know that everyone who uses these functions as a title or office for lording over others are not who they claim to be. They can be quite gifted but remain spiritually immature and completely ignorant of what it means to bring people into the depths of Christ if they have yet to experience those depths for themselves. If a so-called ministry does nothing to bring
people deeper into Christ then it really is not a ministry at all, and it is worthless insofar as the Kingdom of God is concerned. We might as well lay the axe to the root, chop that tree down and throw it into the fire. It is wood, hay, and stubble. Go ahead and kill it right now because it is dead already.

Humor : Little sister prayer

"Dear God, please take care of my daddy and my mommy and my sister and my brother and my doggy and me.

Oh, please take care of yourself, God. If anything happens to you, we're gonna be in a big mess."

Should we Divorce?

Nice story..

Very inspiring...try to read this up to the last paragraph...
To All Married Couples and Singles Who Intend To Get Married.

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly.

Again I observed the hurt in her eyes. Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly.

She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to a lovely girl called Dew. I did'nt love her anymore.I just pitied her!

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which statedthat she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Dew so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I did'nt have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Dew. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions:
she didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a months time and she did'nt want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that everyday for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.

I told Dew about my wife s divorce conditions. She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.

My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mummy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realised she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Dew about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily. Suddenly it hit me. She had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart.
Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.

Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mum out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly, it was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I had'nt noticed that our life lacked intimacy.

I drove to office... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind... I walked upstairs. Dew opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Dew, I do not want the divorce anymore.

She looked at me, astonished. Then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Dew, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other any more. Now I realise that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart. Dew seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away.

At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property , the money in the bank, blah..blah..blah. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

If you don't share this, nothing will happen to you, but if you do, you just might save a marriage. ^_^

THE MINISTRY OF ONE-ANOTHERING

THE MINISTRY OF ONE-ANOTHERING
by Chip Brogden

"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:32).

Every Christian is called to the ministry of One-Anothering. We are to love one another, serve one another, submit to one another, instruct one another, encourage one another, help one another, forgive one another, and so forth. This is our spiritual service. This is your ministry to the Body of Christ and the basis from which every spiritual gift should operate. People ask me all the time, "How do I know if I'm called to the ministry?" I answer by saying you are definitely called to the ministry. They think perhaps I am a prophet or I can see something that they cannot. Then I have to clarify it by explaining that all of us are called to the ministry of One-Anothering. No one is exempt. How that will eventually work itself out in your life is a wonderful mystery that you will have to discover for yourself. Only don't look to do some great thing to begin with, just find some brothers and sisters and begin your practice of One-Anothering.

Others will ask, "But how do I know if God is calling me to a full-time ministry?" My response is that He is calling all of us to the full-time ministry of One-Anothering. I'm missing the page in my Bible that talks about a part-time commitment. There's no such thing as a part-time ministry, a part-time minister, or a part-time Christian. It is either all the time or none of the time.

THE NEED FOR BROKENNESS

THE NEED FOR BROKENNESS
by Chip Brogden

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O
God, thou wilt not despise" (Psalms 51:17).

We must never seek the power of Pentecost without first tasting the suffering of the Cross. The Cross is Power disguised in Weakness. There is a saying, "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." We can just as well say that spiritual power obtained apart from the weakness of the Cross will corrupt also. This is
why the Lord leads us first to Calvary, then on to Pentecost. We dare not bypass Calvary in our haste to experience Pentecost.

In spite of this spiritual truth, observe how little attention is paid to the necessity of brokenness among those who so eagerly speak of the power of God. We should be afraid of listening to anyone who teaches us about the power of God but does not teach us about the necessity of brokenness. Invariably the power, once received, will pollute the spirit and pride will set in. Weakness, humility, brokenness, suffering, pouring out our lives, taking up the Cross - this language seems to be lost among the seekers of power. How tragic that is!

JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU

Every Sunday afternoon, after the morning service at the church, the Pastor and his eleven year old son would go out into their town and hand out Gospel Tracts.

This particular Sunday afternoon, as it came time for the Pastor and his son to go to the streets with their tracts, it was very cold outside, as well as pouring down rain.
The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes and said; "OK dad, I'm ready." His Pastor dad asked, "Ready for what?" "Dad, it's time we gather our tracts together and go out." Dad responds, "Son, it's very cold outside and it's pouring down rain."
The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking "But Dad aren't people still going to Hell, even though it's raining?" Dad answers, "Son, I am not going out in this weather."

Despondently, the boy ask, "Dad, can I go? Please?" His father hesitated for a moment then said, "Son, you can go. Here are the tracts, be careful son." "Thanks Dad!" And with that, he was off and out into the rain. This eleven year old boy walked the streets of the town going door to door and handing everybody he met in the street a Gospel Tract.

After two hours of walking in the rain, he was soaking,bone-chilled wet and down to his VERY LAST TRACT. He stopped on a corner and looked for someone to hand a tract to, but the streets were totally deserted.

Then he turned toward the first home he saw and started up the sidewalk to the front door and rang the door bell. He rang the bell, but nobody answered. He rang it again and again, but still no one answered. He waited but still no answer.

Finally, this eleven year old trooper turned to leave,but something stopped him. Again, he turned to the door and rang the bell and knocked loudly on the door with his fist.

He waited, something holding him there on the front porch. He rang again and this time the door slowly opened. Standing in the doorway was a very sad-looking elderly lady.

She softly asked "What can I do for you son?" With radiant eyes and a smile that lit up her world, this little boy said: "Ma'am,I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but I just want to tell you that *JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU* and I came to give you my very last Gospel Tract which will tell you all about JESUS and His great LOVE." With that, he handed her his last tract and turned to leave.

She called to him as he departed. "Thank you, son! And God Bless You!"

Well, the following Sunday morning in church Pastor Dad was in the pulpit. As the service began, he asked,"Does anybody have testimony or want to say anything?"

Slowly, in the back row of the church, an elderly lady stood to her feet. As she began to speak, a look of glorious radiance came from her face, "No one in this church knows me.

I've never been here before. You see, before last Sunday I was not a Christian. My husband passed on some time ago, leaving me totally alone in this world.

Last Sunday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, it was even more so in my heart that I came to the end of the line where I no longer had any hope or will to live. So I took a rope and a chair an ascended the stairway into the attic of my home. I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof, then stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my neck..

Standing on that chair, so lonely and brokenhearted I was about to leap off,when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs startled me. I thought, "I'll wait a minute, and whoever it is will go away."

I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get loud er and more insistent, and then the person ringing also started knocking loudly. I thought to myself again, "Who on earth could this be? Nobody ever rings my bell or comes to see me."

I loosened the rope from my neck and started for the front door, all the while the bell rang louder and louder. When I opened the door and looked I could hardly believe my eyes, for there on my front porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy I had ever seen in my life.

His SMILE,oh, I could never describe it to you! The words that came from his mouth caused my heart that had long been dead, TO LEAP TO LIFE as he exclaimed with a cherub-like voice, "Ma'am, I just came to tell you that JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU."

Then he gave me this Gospel Tract that I now hold in my hand. As the little angel disappeared back out into the cold and rain, I closed my door and read slowly every word of this Gospel Tract.

Then I went up to my attic to get my rope and chair. I wouldn't be needing them any more. You see- "I am now a Happy Child of the KING. Since the address of your church was on the back of this Gospel Tract; I have come here to personally say THANK YOU TO God's little angel who came just in the nick of time and by so doing, spared my soul from eternity in hell.

"There was not a dry eye in the church. And as shouts of praise and honor to THE KING resounded off the very rafters of the building.

Pastor Dad descended from the pulpit to the front pew where the little angel was seated.

He took his son in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably. Probably no church has had a more glorious moment, and probably this universe has never seen a Papa that was more filled with love & honor for his son... Except for One.

This Father also allowed His Son to go out into a cold and dark world.

He received His Son back with joy unspeakable, and as all of heaven Shouted praises and honor to The King, the Father sat His beloved Son on a throne far above all principality and power and every name that is named.
Blessed are your eyes for reading this message. Don't let this message die, read it again and pass it to others. Thanks.

We will meet in heaven!

THE PRISONERS OF THE LORD

THE PRISONERS OF THE LORD
by Chip Brogden

"I, Paul, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you..." (Ephesians 4:1a).

To be the prisoner of the Lord means that we accept the sentence of death and are resigned to our fate. We are not the Lord's prisoner if we are still protesting our innocence. If we do not agree with the Lord that Self is worthy of death then we unnecessarily delay the inevitable. If we must take up the
Cross and be crucified, it is better to submit ourselves to it as Christ did, giving up our spirit into the Father's hands, and bowing our head in peace. So let us drink the Cup that the Father gives us. If we struggle and protest, like the two thieves, then we only prolong our agony, and the soldiers must come and break our legs. Either way, the Cross means death. The sooner we surrender to it the sooner we find Resurrection.

It is a glorious thing to be the prisoner of the Lord, for in our bonds we find liberty. In our weakness we find strength. In our foolishness we find wisdom. In our poverty we find prosperity. By losing everything we find everything. By giving up all things we inherit all things. By accepting the sentence of death
we find the Life of the Lord. Let us stretch forth our hands and allow Him to dress us and lead us where He wishes us to go, in the way we would not choose for ourselves, for that is the Narrow Way, and it is the path of blessing, though it be disguised.

LONELY, BUT NEVER ALONE

LONELY, BUT NEVER ALONE
by Chip Brogden

"I am with you always, even until the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).

It is true that "whenever two or three are gathered in My Name, there I am." Praise God for such truth. It is equally true that, "I am with YOU always (singular)." We do not want to be lone ranger Christians who do not seek fellowship with other members of Christ's Body. At the same time, we cannot allow the absence of such fellowship to make us despondent or depressed, should we be deprived of it. If it causes us to fall away, then perhaps this is the reason God allows us to go through periods of solitude, that we may be reduced to CHRIST as our Fellowship.

When we find ourselves in such a place, let us not be too quick to seek out others until we have reaped the benefits of being alone with God. Let us remember that Christ's Body is a spiritual Body. Being in the physical presence of other members does not make us more of a member, and being removed from the physical presence of other members does not make us any less a member. Of course the exact opposite is true for those meeting together as an institution; without their physical presence and support they lose place as a member. But not Christ's Body, the Church. We are not more or less of a member by reason of our physical contact or lack of physical contact with one another.

THE LAW OF LIFE

THE LAW OF LIFE
by Chip Brogden

"I am the Vine, and you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, will produce much fruit: for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

It is amazing the number of Christians who believe it is up to them to produce fruit. This teaching is, to them, like trying to force a square peg through a round hole. They become obsessed with making something happen, thinking it is all up to their effort, their willpower, their determination, to grow up into Christ. To suggest that they cease from their labor is to make light of all their hard work up until now, and this offends them! They begin in the Spirit,
but look to the flesh (self-effort) to complete the work. That is not the Christ-Life! The fruit will come of its own accord, provided we abide in Him.

Are we making a case for idle passivity? By no means. We are not suggesting that Christians cease all effort, only that Christians cease all SELF-effort. The Law of Life is more powerful and active than anything generated or maintained by self-effort. With self-effort I am always at the mercy of how I feel. If I feel spiritual then I can pray for hours at a time. But if I do not feel spiritual then I cannot even pray five minutes. This is why so many believers live their lives like a roller-coaster. They do not live according to principle, according to the Law of Life. Thinking it is up to them to become Christlike, they turn an easy yoke and a light burden into a difficult yoke and a heavy burden - difficult and heavy for themselves, and for those who must live and work around them. The one who rests in Christ will produce more fruit than the one who strives with self-effort.