Blessed Master

" Let God Define You "

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12 NLT) Jesus faced constant demands, dangerous opposition and little privacy.  Yet he never allowed others to define him. What does that teach us? Know who you are (John 8:12) —  There was no doubt in Jesus’ mind as to who he was.  He knew he came from God, and he knew he had a unique mission to fulfill.  As believers, we can know we belong to God and that God defines who we are and what we are meant to do on this Earth.  Trying to be someone God never intended you to be causes stress! Know whom you want to please (John 5:30) —  esus never let the fear of rejection manipulate him.  No one can pressure you without your permission.  You can’t please everyone; even God can’t!  Know what goals you need to reach (John 8:14) —  Jesus said, “I know where I came from and where I am going.”  Preparation prevents pressure, but procrastination produces it.  You work by either priorities or pressures. Know how to maintain your priorities (Luke 4:42–44) —  Jesus knew how to handle interruptions without being  distracted from his primary goal. ============================================================ " Your Life is Like a Camera " Your life is like a camera; you have got to focus it right, to get the right results and right picture of your life. Having the right focus brings four results: (1)  It simplifies things.  When you’re not clear as to your purpose, you try to do too much-and that causes stress, inner conflict and confusion.  You have only enough time and energy to do God’s will.  Not getting everything done may be an indicator that you’re doing far more than God ever intended.  Focus leads to a simpler lifestyle and saner schedule.  Only when you keep your focus can you keep your peace: “You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm.” (2)  It gives you direction.  If you want your life to have impact, consult God, and then do what He tells you. Don’t confuse activity with productivity.  Diffused light has limited impact, but when light is focused like a laser it can cut through steel. (3)  It energizes you.  It’s meaningless work, not overwork, which wears you down.  George Bernard Shaw wrote: “This is the true joy of life: being used up for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being a force of nature instead of a selfish little clot of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.” (4)  It determines your legacy.  When people recall your name, what will they associate with it?  “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold” (Proverbs 22:1 NIV).  Ultimately, what matters isn’t what others say about you, but what God says.  So focus on the end result.

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                                              " Absolutely beautiful ! ENJOY !   "

 

Look back and thank God.Look forward and trust God.
Look around and serve God.
Look within and find God!

God closes doors no man can open and
God opens doors no man can close. If you need God to open some doors for you,

send this to people you like, and if you don't 
need God to open some doors for you, just delete it.

God bless you as you pass on this message.

 

BLESSED PERSPECTIVE

" Living without a long term perspective "

Luke 12:54-56  He said to the crowd: "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say,
 'It's going to rain,' and it does.  And when the south wind blows, you say, 'It's going to be hot,' and it is.
Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky.
How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time? (NIV)Everybody likes to be an expert in their own area.

The British seem to have an obsession with the weather, and enjoy finding ways of predicting what it will be.
The same was true for Jews in Jesus' day.

The signs of tomorrow's weather were easy to detect,
and brought satisfaction to the self-styled meteorological expert.

But Jesus turned to the religious experts and told them that they were play-actors.

They pretended to know God's mind and yet they totally failed to understand the significance of Jesus' arrival on earth,
and His ministry which would culminate in His death and resurrection -
even though it was all in their Bible (our Old Testament).

The implications were immense.
Not only did they fail to see the Messiah when He stood in front of them,
they had no idea of the consequences of rejecting the Saviour.

Less than 40 years after they crucified the Lamb of God, the Romans violently ransacked Jerusalem,
destroying the temple and removing the possibility of any further sacrifices.

Many Jews were scattered from their homeland and the dream of Israel has not been re-established to this day.
The temple has never been rebuilt; instead, another building now dominates the temple mount.

The long term perspective, for followers of Jesus,
is that He will return to judge the earth - a far more terrible prospect than even the destruction of Jerusalem.

But He will also gather all His own people for eternal safety and blessing.

The contrast of those destinies is extreme.
That is why it is essential not to reject Jesus now;
but to welcome Him in repentance and faith to be King over our lives.

And the most loving thing Christians can do is to help people to interpret the signs of the times
(and eternity) according to God's Word.

To leave our friends and colleagues in ignorance of what is clear to us from the Bible, should be unthinkable.

Prayer for the day : -

Dear Father.

Thank You for this reminder that You do not act without warning and that You always
give the opportunity for people to repent and turn to You.

However I know that many of my friends and colleagues only live for what they can see or imagine,
and not for what You have already revealed in Your Word.

So please help me to live with an eternal perspective, anticipating the return of Christ;
and give me the courage to explain why I live like that,
so that they too might seek after the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ.

In His Name. Amen.

================================================

" The Courage to Go On "

So are you going to give in? Give up? 

Wave the white flag of surrender? 

Throw in the towel? Call it quits? 

Are you going to lay down and let the Devil have his way with you? 

David goes to his God and it’s in God’s presence where his spirit is revived. 

He receives comfort and encouragement from his God. 

Literally, in the Hebrew, he gets his strength back. 

Weakened by his loss, he finds strength in his God. 

Brethren, the Devil wants you to be all wrapped up in your troubles because he wants you to stay sorrowful. 

He’s hoping that if you stay focused on your troubles long enough you’ll lose faith and hope. 

You’ll be demoralized so that you can’t fight him, chase him, and recover everything he’s taken from you. 

He’s hoping you’ll remain in the dumps and be depressed because he knows that the joy of the Lord is your strength, Nehemiah 8:10.

Brethren, when bad news comes, don’t let your bad news end with bad news. 

Go to God in prayer. 

You’ll find the comfort, courage, and strength you need. 

Let God speak to you. 

Let His words fill you with hope, peace, and rejoicing. '

May your bad news end with good news from the Lord ! 

That’s my prayer for you. May God bless you. 

Dear God, When I am lonely and, Perhaps I feel despair. 

Let not my ailing heart forget, That YOU hear every prayer. 

Remind me that no matter what, I do or fail to do, 

There still is hope for as long, As I have FAITH in YOU. 

Let not my eyes be blinded by Some folly I commit. 

But help me to regret my wrong, And to make up for it. Inspire me to put my fears, 

Upon a hidden shelf, And in the future never to be sorry for myself. 

Give me the restful sleep I need, Before another dawn, 

And bless me in the morning with The Courage To Go On.

  

BLESSED WORK FOR GOD & MAN.

Why Should You Work With All Your Heart ?

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people. (Colossians 3:23 TEV) No matter what you do — sweeping the streets, running a corporation, or the work of a stay-at-home mom — your job is more than a job.  The Bible says that while you are here on earth, you should use your work as an act of worship.  This means that whatever you do, you are to do it with enthusiasm.  If your heart is not in it, you are in the wrong job.  If you are not working with all your heart, you are sinning.  I didn't say that; the Bible says it. Why work with all your heart? Because you are working “as though you were working for the Lord and not for people.” No matter what I do, if it is to prepare a meal, sign an invoice, do an analysis, close a deal, make a sale, make a delivery —  whatever it is, I am to do it as if I'm doing it for God, and so it becomes an act of worship. How will the way you work change now that you know it is an act of worship? =============================================================                   " Please don't miss this message "

A RESOUNDING AMEN TO THIS ONE!!! 

 Please read as the message applies to all mankind

A PASTOR and his SON

 

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 like the one below. 

 

This particular Sunday afternoon, as the time came for them to go to the streets with their tracts; 
they found it was very cold outside, as well as pouring 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 with 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 asks, '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 and 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 broken-hearted 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 louder 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 an eternity in hell.' 

There was not a dry eye in the church. 
And as shouts of praise and honour 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 and honour for his son, Except for One. 

 

Blessed are your eyes for reading this message.

Don't let this message die, read it again and pass it to others.

Heaven is for God's people! 

Remember, God's message CAN make the difference in the lives of people.

Please share this wonderful message...

If you love JESUS, please forward this message.

 

Spread His word, and share His goodness and faithfulness.

BLESSED FORGIVENESS

" Forgive "

           

    

I was reading an article in the Believers Voice of Victory by Kenneth Copeland that I found very timely. 

It was about forgiveness and the importance of removing all un forgiveness from your life. 

He talked about a time when he asked God why he wasn't walking in power the Lord showed him that faith works by love. 

God went on to tell him that it was like a pipe, God was pouring the power in one end and it couldn't come out 

the other end in full force because the pipe was stopped up with little trespasses. 

God told him it wasn't the big things that were stopping the power but it was the little things that he wouldn't let go of.

            God told him just a little discord here and a little grudge there was causing the stuff to pile up and stopping the flow of power. 

God then told him to purge the pipe. 2 Corinthians 7:1 tells us to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness, 

forgiveness and strife and judging definitely fit in that category.

            I can tell you from recent experience that when you cleanse your heart the power of God 

will begin to flow in a way it wasn't flowing before. 

Just this past week God showed me some things in my heart, some against others, some against myself and some against Him. 

I dealt with them as soon as He showed me and I have seen a drastic change in the power of God in my life - 

it is just as Kenneth Copeland said - I purged the pipe and the power flowed once again...immediately. 

That is reason enough to cleanse our pipes don't you think?

            Most Christians think they have no unforgiveness. 

Or they think they have no hard feeling but the truth will come out when you run across that person at Wal-Mart of hear their name. 

If you hear their name and get a little 'icky' in your gut, then you are still carrying something that you need to get rid of.

            Another thing Christians often think is that they can get rid of those feelings and forgive, like God forgives, totally on their own.

That is usually not the case. Normally it will take God's help. 

I don't know how many times I have prayed 1 John 1:9 when dealing with bitterness or anger. 

It says when we confess our sins that God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins AND cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

As I pray for carrying a grudge or having hard feelings I ask God to not only forgive my sins 

but to also cleanse me from all unrighteousness. 

He does it, every single time. Every time it amazes me at how he removes all the bad feelings from my heart. 

It doesn't happen immediately but each time I have a bad thought about that person, 

I will again say 'God you have forgiven me of that and I thank you that you are cleansing me of all unrighteousness.' 

And He does.

            If you have been hurt or disappointed you will probably need God's help to get rid of the feelings 

from the hurt and disappointment. You may not be able to do it on your own. 

Seek God for help in getting rid of all bitterness, anger and unforgiveness.

            As I said earlier, once you get rid of all those things that are stopping up the well of God's power, 

the power of God will begin to flow in your life once again.

            You may think 'but you don't know what has happened to me.' 

I can confidently say no matter what it is it is not worth walking in unforgiveness another day, 

because the word of God says if we don't forgive others then God won't forgive us - 

that is a price that is simply too high to pay, don't you think?

            I have a sign on my desk that people often comment on; it says FORGIVE EVERYONE EVERYTHING. 

Most comment that this is a hard thing - perhaps, but it is not as hard as knowing God won't forgive me if I don't forgive them,

nor is it as hard as knowing the power of God is available to me but can't work because I have my pipe stopped up with un forgiveness. 

Forgive Everyone Everything...and do it today.

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" Confessions for Husbands "

      

 As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:15 

Love and faithfulness will never leave me, I bind them around my neck and I write them on the tablets of my heart.

 Proverbs 3:3 

I will live joyfully with my wife whom I love all the days of my life which He has given me under the sun. 

Ecclesiastes 9:9

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Attitude and Emotions - Powerful Lesson

~~~~~~~~~~~~

When someone is doing something or is about to do something, in a way we don't want it to be done and when we are not able to accept it, we become angry.

 

However, when someone is doing something or is about to do something, in a way we don't want it to be done – and we are able to accept it – We remain tolerant.

 

When someone has something which we don't have, or someone is able to produce the results which we are not able to produce – and we are not able to accept it – we become jealous.

 

When someone has something which we don't have or someone is able to produce the results which we are not able to produce and we are able to accept it we get inspired.

 

When Someone is present in our thoughts, but if not physically present and we are not able to accept it – We say 'I am missing you'.

 

When someone is present in our thoughts, but not physically present – and we are able to accept it – We say 'I am thinking of you'.

 

Then emotional equation is quite simple.

 

Something + Acceptance = Positive Emotion

Something + Non Acceptance = Negative Emotion

 

So, it is not 'Something' or 'someone' who is making us feel positive or negative, but it is our 'acceptance' or 'non acceptance' of something or someone, which is making us feel positive or negative.

 

It isn't the world but the quality of our response to the world (acceptance or non acceptance) that determines the quality of our emotions.

 

Next time we feel disturbed with a negative emotion, instead of asking who or what is disturbing us, we will examine who or what we are resisting (not accepting) that is causing this disturbance in us.

We will replace resistance (non acceptance) with acceptance, and the negative emotion will turn into a positive one.

 

Emotional management begins by stopping to blame that 'something' or 'someone' and starting

to take the responsibility to respond to life with 'acceptance'.

DEALING WITH DISAPPOINTMENT.

 " Dealing with Disappointment  "

           

   

There is no one I know of that has not experienced disappointment at one time or another - 

it is simply a part of life - however, disappointment if left unchecked is a dangerous thing.

            Disappointment breeds unbelief. 

Unbelief is a partnership with a demonic force - 

the spirit of unbelief is looking for a way in to the life of a believer and disappointment will give him that open door.

            Disappointment comes when things happen in your life that you simply can't understand - 

perhaps you were standing firm on the word of God, fasting and praying and 

still your prayers seem to go unanswered, this will cause disappointment.

            Disappointment is defined as defeat of expectation, to hinder from the possession 

or enjoyment of that which was intended, desired, hoped for or expected. 

We take the word of God and we apply it to a situation and expect it to bring change, 

our desired outcome, and when it doesn't happen the way or time we think it should, disappointment sets in.

            Proverbs 13:12 says hope deferred makes the heart sick. I love the way the Message Bible says it, 

it says unrelenting disappointment makes the heart sick.

            For most Christians it takes more than one attack from the enemy to bring the heart 

to a place of being vulnerable to sickness, it will take unrelenting attacks, attacks from every side.

          When unrelenting disappointments come we have to deal with disappointment, 

if we don't it will affect every single prayer we pray from that time forward. 

You will begin to see things through the eyes of disappointment instead of through the eyes of faith 

and when that happens, unbelief will become a part of your prayer life.

            I am talking to you from experience, I just walked through this time and God, 

amazingly healed my heart completely of all disappointment - every single one. 

I am amazed at how different I feel in just a few weeks and I want everyone who has ever 

experienced disappointment to receive the same healing in their heart.

            As the scripture says in Proverbs, disappointment makes you vulnerable to sickness and disease - 

in body and in spirit - I experienced that and found that we simply can't afford to carry around disappointment.   

            I believe one of the biggest hindrances to blessings and miracles in the life of an individual 

is the unresolved hurt and disappointment they continue to carry around. 

It affects your faith in God and opens the door to the enemy.

            The good news is that God will take your greatest disappointment, 

your greatest loss and turn it into your greatest strength if you allow Him to. 

All you have to do is seek His face and ask Him to remove all disappointment from you and 

to completely heal your heart of every hurt - He will do it for you - He did it for me.

            Remember, whatever the enemy means for harm, God means for good - 

allow God to turn every hurt and every disappointment for your good. 

Proverbs 13:12 says 

'Hope deferred makes the heart sick'...but it doesn't stop there

...it says 'but when the desire comes it is the tree of life.' 

Allow God to take your PAST disappointment and into life and life more abundantly.

           

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" Confessions for Faith "
      

Because I have a living faith, I say to the mountain move from here to there 

and it moves and nothing is impossible to me. 

Matthew 17:20

I am justified and made upright by faith, independent of and distinctly 

apart from good deeds and works of the law. 

Romans 3:28

Through Him I have access, entrance by faith into this grace, 

this state of God's favor, in which I firmly and safely stand. 

I rejoice and exult in hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God. 

Romans 5:2

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Jesus asked them, "Why are you so frightened?

What has happened to your faith?! "Mark 4:40.

My prayer for the day !

Dear Father, You are my Father of compassion and mercies.

You are my gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

You understand that how feeble I am.

You know that when the storms of issues and problems come raging in my life,

I tend to take my focus away from You and my faith begins to falter.

I forget that You are always near me to look after me not to sink.

You are always Mighty to save me.

You will never abandon me to be decimated.

You will never let me go.

Abba, in the midst of the storms, please make me more aware of Your presence and

Your ever enduring love than any of the tangible things in my life.

I want to experience You for real so that I may never lack in faith.

Show me that You favor me by not letting my enemies triumph over me.

Protect me from the scourge of tongues.

Let me be rooted and grounded in Your love. 

Let me be satisfied with Your favor.

Lord God, let Your presence bless my life abundantly today and forever

                                                   Through the grace of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.