Tuesday, September 20, 2016

TRADE ANXIETY FOR PEACE.

" Trade Anxiety for Peace "

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, 
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God… 
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, 
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 
(Philippians 4: 6 & 7)

God calls us to guard our hearts and minds carefully. (Proverbs 4:23

He also gives us amazing insight as He tells us 
how HE will also guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 
It isn’t all up to us. 
Yes, we make the choice to pay attention to what we allow to settle there. 

We need to choose wisely and bring our thoughts 
and concerns to Him for His help.

And then God does the amazing and gives us 
a peace in our hearts that is beyond understanding! 

This peace itself guards our hearts and minds from dangerous stress 
and hasty, unwise choices. Thanksgiving is a key.

Everyday there is much to be thankful for. 

There is also much to keep one feeling anxious and worried. 
Yet God calls you to live in thanksgiving and in peace. 

Worry only gives way to fear and fear 
will displace your faith causing anxiety to grow. 

" God tells us to let faith take the upper hand 
and cover over the fear that tries to slip in and rob you of peace ". 

Let the truth of His word change your anxious heart 
and mind and let worry be your call to prayer.

Prayer for the day !

Dear God, 

Fill my heart and mind with the recollection of all I have to say “thank you” for. 

Thank you that as I take responsibility 
for guarding my heart and bringing my fears to You, 
YOU also guard my heart and mind with Your amazing peace. 

What a wonderful exchange! 
Today I turn my worried thoughts over to you and ask You 
to preside over the details of my life.

 I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Fill My Cup LORD "

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"Focus on the Goal, not the Struggle" 
                    " Special Delivery " 
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VERY SPECIAL DELIVERY !



May the Lord open up 

The windows of heaven 

And pour you a blessing 

That you will not have room 

Enough to receive it all. 
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May the Lord bless 

You exceedingly and abundantly, 

Above all you could ever hope for. 

May the Lord bless you 

That you may walk in a 

Financial overflow. 


May you fall in love with Him 

For 

the rest of your days 

In the Name of Jesus

Amen! 


Let's just see Satan  stop this one. 

All you do is.. Send this on ! 

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" Confusion is not one of God's Characteristics " 

1 Corinthians 14:26-28.

  What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? 
When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction,
 a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. 
Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. 

If anyone speaks in a tongue, two – or at the most three – should speak, 
one at a time, and someone must interpret. 

If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church 
and speak to himself and to God. (NIVUK)

 
In the beginning, before God put order and meaning into the world, 
it was dark, shapeless and chaotic. It needed God's Word to bring it to life. 

And so God brought order out of chaos 
and provided His world with light and purpose  (Genesis 1:1-5). 
He continues to do that in the lives of His people and His church (John 10:10). 

Confusion and disorder are not in God's nature and should not be a feature of God's church. 
Yes, we live in a muddled and messy world where the stain of sin 
has spoiled everything and everybody; but God wants to bring peace to this restless world through His Body, the church  (2 Timothy 2:22).
 
Paul’s instruction in these verses has a simple purpose: 
to bring God's order and purpose into a dysfunctional church. 

In those early days there was no set church service, 
but believers came together to contribute a teaching, 
encourage the others to sing a hymn which was known, 
or express their hearts by speaking in tongues. 
It was expected that each believer would contribute and not be an onlooker.
 
However, it was senseless for more than one person to speak at the same time: 
the rest of the church would not receive a clear message. 

Contributions in an unknown language were not appropriate 
in the church meeting if nobody could understand. 
If a person with the spiritual gift of interpretation was present, 
the whole church could benefit; otherwise Paul advised the person to be silent in the meeting.
 
Some church meetings today may be more formal, 
but each of us should still be prepared to share what the Lord has said to us 
through His Word and Spirit, or what He has done for us (Malachi 3:16). 

We may not be able to say everything publically 
but we can share with someone in the fellowship. 

We are not spectators; as part of the Body of Christ we are all players. 

In churches where there is greater freedom, these apostolic instructions 
should encourage self-restraint in those who are more extrovert, 
and also be an encouragement to those who are more reserved.
 
Prayer for the day !  
Lord of the Church. Thank You for giving spiritual gifts to every believer, including me. 

I am sorry for thinking that I have nothing to contribute to the fellowship 
where You have placed me, or when my contributions have been more for my sake than Yours. 

Please help me to prepare my heart before I come to worship and receive Your Word, 
so that I will be a strength and encouragement to others, 
and learn from what You have given to them.

 In Jesus' Name. Amen.

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JESUS IS ALWAYS THERE.

" Jesus is Always There "


The eternal God is your refuge, 
and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Deuteronomy 33:27.

She walked into the office on Tuesday morning 
and the first thing she did was hand me her letter of resignation. 
She would be leaving in two weeks, she told me. She had another job. 

I had been expecting her resignation, but in two weeks? 
She had told me she would be leaving at the end of the year. 

To find a replacement before the New Year was almost impossible 
and there were so many things to learn before she left.

My heart and spirits went “thud” and I felt like escaping – maybe read a good book. 

But I recalled Elisabeth Elliott teaching,
 “When you are facing be big problem, do the next thing”, 
and so I kept working. I continued answering e-mails and 
but also listed all the things that needed to be done before she left. 

 E-mail addresses that needed to be changed, procedures to learn, 
but most importantly – find someone to replace her.

My spirits were very low. 
I told my husband I felt like I was at the bottom of a pit looking up. 

But I wasn’t there by myself. 
" Jesus was there with me – He kept whispering promises in my ear:
“I will never leave you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

“As your days, so shall your strength.” (Deuteronomy 33:25).

And my God shall supply all your need according 
to His riches in glory forever and forever.” Philippians 4:19).

Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
 I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, 
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

He kept whispering these and many other promises in my ear.

Well, we learned the procedures during the next two weeks 
while we searched for a new assistant. 

We were able to learn what we needed to keep functioning 
and less than a week later we were having dinner 
with our very capable new assistant and her husband.
 
She would begin working in two weeks. 
" The Lord provided what I thought was impossible, 
a new assistant at just the right time ! "

God is good. He does not abandon us. 
He is always there. He cares about us and His work.

Have you had a surprise problem lately? 

Don’t fret, listen to Him whisper promises in your ear. 

" God is there. 

He will take care of you ".

My prayer for the day !

Father God, you are so amazing. 
So tender and caring. 
Thank You for supplying all of our needs. Amen.

Thursday, September 1, 2016

THE WAR OF FLESH.

" The War of Flesh "
Galatians 5:19-21.
  The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 
idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, 
dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. 

I warn you, as I did before, that those who live 
like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (NIVUK)

In these verses, our ‘flesh’ is not the skin and muscle of our bodies, 
but the inner desire to please ourselves. 
That self-pleasure does not accept the authority of God over us 
or consider any responsibility to other people. 

So when we allow our ‘flesh’ to take control of our minds and body, 
our actions will display no regard for anybody else. 
Indeed, we will show that we are at war with God and other people.
Paul lists sexual sins, occult activity, angry reactions, social divisiveness, 
and uncontrolled behaviour including drunkenness. 
All of these would have been seen in the 1st century; 
and nothing has changed – they are still common today. 

Of course, many people who had received Christ would have been 
those who practiced such fleshly behaviour previously. 

But now they professed to believe in Jesus Christ, they had to change. 
Paul repeated his warning that unchanged behaviour meant that they had unchanged hearts: 
how could people who loved God also love what He hates?
The Christian life starts with a change of heart. 
As people welcome the gospel message, they receive Christ and His transforming power. 

Titus 2:11-12 says,
 “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 
It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, 
upright and godly lives in this present age …”

 In other words, if there is no change of lifestyle there is no evidence of a changed heart.
 That is a spiritually dangerous place because God will not welcome 
those who love what He hates, and refuse to submit to Him. 

So let us examine our lives and see how they reflect our hearts; 
then let us ask the Lord for the courage to repent and the grace to obey.
Prayer for the day ! 
Father God ! 
Thank You for changing my heart since I have trusted in Jesus Christ, 
giving me the desire to please You and reject a fleshly way of life. 

However I am sad and sorry for those times when I have made wrong choices 
and allowed my fleshly nature to take control. 

Thank You for the Apostle’s warning that I must not keep living in a way which displeases You; 
and help me to allow Your Holy Spirit to be in command of my heart, 
to motivate me into a lifestyle which pleases You. 

In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns. I am thankful that thorns have roses. ~ Anonymous



CHOOSE GRACE, Not BITTERNESS.


Choose GraceNot Bitterness "

“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” (Hebrews 12:15 NIV)

If you’re still holding on to resentment, then someone is controlling you. Have you ever said, “You make me so mad”? What you’re admitting at that point is, “You are controlling me.”

 The only way you get this person out of your mind and heart and not controlling you any more is you heal it with grace — God’s grace.

Hebrews 12:15 says, “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many” (NIV).

Have you ever known a family where a bitter mom poisoned the whole family? Have you ever known a family where a bitter dad poisoned the whole family? 

Bitterness is contagious, and it can actually become generational. Somebody has to break the chain, and it better be you. 

If your parents are bitter because their parents were bitter because their parents were bitter, you’re going to have to break the chain. 

And there’s only one way to break it: 
Heal it with His Grace.

Friends, if you don’t get God’s grace in your life, life will make you bitter. Because life isn’t fair. Why? Because sin is in the world. 

We live on a broken planet. This is not Heaven. Evil people get away with evil things all the time. Life is not fair.

And if you don’t get grace in your heart, it’s going to make you bitter.
Is forgiveness fair? Absolutely not.

But it is not about fairness. It is not about justice. It’s about grace. You don’t forgive a person because it’s the fair thing to do. 

You forgive a person because it’s the right thing to do, 
and you don’t want your heart full of poison. 
You don’t want your heart holding on to the hurt and the hate.

Forgiveness is free, but it is not cheap. 
It cost Jesus his life. It cost God his Son. 

And as Jesus was dying on the cross, with his arms outstretched and the blood dripping down, he said, “Father, forgive them! 
They don’t know what they’re doing.” 

He was saying, “I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.” 
He was saying, “They don’t deserve it. 

They don’t even know what they’re doing. 
But Father, forgive them.”

" Leave justice to God. 
Heal your bitterness with His Grace ".

Talk It Over!

  • Have you experienced bitterness toward someone? What has been the result in your life?
  • Why do you think it’s so important to us that everything is fair?

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" Failure " " Failure "
  
Failure doesn't mean - "You are a failure,"
It means - You have not succeeded.
 
Failure doesn't mean - "You accomplished nothing,"
It means - You have learned something.
 
Failure doesn't mean - "You have been a fool,"
It means - You had a lot of faith.
 
Failure doesn't mean - "You don't have it,"
It means - You were willing to try.
 
Failure doesn't mean - "You are inferior,"
It means - You are not perfect.
 
Failure doesn't mean - "You've wasted your life,"
It means - You have a reason to start afresh.
 
Failure doesn't mean - "You should give up,"
It means - "You must try harder.
 
Failure doesn't mean - "You'll never make it,"
It means - It will take a little longer.
 
Failure doesn't mean - "God has abandoned you,"
It means - God has a better way for you.


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In the day of prosperity be joyful and in the day of adversity consider,
 yes, God has made the one side by side with the other "