HOW TO SPEND TIME WITH GOD

Christian life is nothing but friendship with Christ. Before Christ came, there were only a few who were called the friends of God. But the coming of Christ has opened a new era of man’s relationship with God. Jesus came to make God and man friends. The very first thing Jesus did when He began His work in public was to recruit a handful of men from all walks of life to whom He could demonstrate the friendliness of God. these men, called disciples (followers), addressed Jesus as Lord and Master, He said, "I will not call you servants. You are My friends!" (Jn 15:15). Blessed privilege!

Everyone who has repented of his sin, turned to God, and believed on Christ the Mediator, has been reconciled to God. He has become a friend of God. Any friendship must be nurtured. It cannot develop of its own. The most important requirement to grow deep in friendship is spending of time. Unless we spend quality time with God, we cannot enjoy His friendly character. This article explains how to spend time with God.

SET A TIME

Choose a fresh hour. King David was a busy ruler. But he had set aside the early hours of the day to meet with God. "O Lord, in the morning my prayer comes before You" (Psa 88:13). Both in the Bible times and throughout history, men and women mightily used of God had been early risers. They met God before meeting men. John Bunyan said, "He who runs from God in the morning will scarcely find Him the rest of the day!"

It’s important that you stick to this time whatever the reason. You must take this seriously as an appointment with the King of Heaven. Daniel was a young man taken captive to Babylon. Folks there were hostile to his religious beliefs. There was even a civil law which banned prayer to any god. But Daniel cared the less for all these. Nothing could stop his holy habit. "He knelt down on his knees three times and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his CUSTOM since early days" (Dan 6:10).

We see another example in the Book of Acts. The Church had experienced a bursting growth following Pentecost. Three thousand people were baptized on a single day. This suddenly multiplied the pastoral responsibility of leaders. But they never became too busy to go apart to commune with God. "The hour of prayer" was too precious for them to be sacrificed for anything sacred or secular (Acts 3:1). This they had learnt from their Master who often withdrew Himself into lonely places to pray when great crowds had come to Him for hearing and healing (Lk 5:15,16). Aren’t you strict with your class hours or meal-times? So should you be with your time with God. It honors Him.

LISTEN AND SPEAK

The time with God is usually called the Quiet Time. But this is not a "silent" time! Noise there is not, but voice there is. We listen to God, which means we meditate the Bible. We speak to Him, which means we pray.

It’s fitting to begin with Bible meditation. We must hear God speak to us before we speak to Him. The preacher son of David spoke these words of wisdom: "Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to HEAR rather than to GIVE the sacrifice of fools... Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart say anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few" (Eccl 5:1,2). The saintly F.B. Meyer pointed out, "It’s more needful for you to hear God’s words than that God should hear yours, though the one will always lead to the other." Yes, prayer or praise is actually our response to God’s revelation.

PRAISE

The model prayer Jesus taught begins with the praise: "Hallowed be Your Name!" We are commanded to "enter into God’s gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise" (Psa 100:4). You may sing a song of praise (v 2). We have so many worship songs and choruses these days. You will experience a new release as you lift up your voice to bless the Lord. The presence of God will be real because He inhabits the praises of His people (Psa 22:3).

Praise can take two forms: worship and thanksgiving. When you praise God for who He is, that’s worship. Praising God for what He has done or is doing is thanksgiving. Do both. The first two verses of Psalm 103 are memorized by most Christians from childhood. Verse 1 is a call to worship: "Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name." Verse 2 is a call to thanksgiving: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits." It’s said, "The pulse of prayer is praise and the heart of prayer is gratitude."

God reveals Himself primarily through the pages of the Scripture. Let what you learnt about God from your passage of meditation be turned into praise. You might have read in that portion about God’s Omnipresence, Omnipotence or Omniscience. Praise Him for that. Or you might have met Him in that passage as a Creator, Savior, Restorer, Lover, Keeper or Giver. Exalt Him in praise with appropriate words.

What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!

When you kneel before God in the morning, you can stand up to anything during the day!

Jump Frog Jump! The Slow Fade of Sin.

I Found this article on net, thought you might like it...

Back in the days when you could dissect a frog in science class without causing a protest on the front lawn, there was an experiment we did that showed how slow changes to an animal's environment could prevent the animal from noticing that it was in fact heading toward death. Mr. Yodelheimer (name changed to protect the innocent) took an unsuspecting bullfrog from a glass jar and placed him in a large, shallow pot of cool water. There was a ledge that the frog could hop onto if he so chose but he seemed content to sit in the water. Seemed logical since he was indeed a frog. Under the pot was a small electric burner that was turned on and the water was heated very slowly; one degree every five minutes. The water started at about 60 degrees and over the next hour the temperature rose to eighty degrees. Mr. Frog was as happy as a clam, "Ah, what a life!" At the end of the next hour the temperature was one hundred degrees and Mr. Frog continued to sit there not attempting to jump to the safety of the ledge and when the temperature was at one hundred fifteen degrees he rolled over and died.

Mr. Yodelheimer then took a second frog and held him over the water as the kids stood in horror. Could he possibly be doing what they thought he was going to do? Yep! Plop! Frog hits water, frog feels the heat, frog hops to ledge, frog is safe, and kids breathe a sigh of relief.

There is a powerful song written and performed by the band "Casting Crowns" called "Slow Fade". I want to share a chorus of the song with you, have you watch the video, and then get into God's Word.

"It's a slow fade when you give yourself away. It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray. Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid when you give yourself away. People never crumble in a day. Daddies never crumble in a day. Families never crumble in a day." If you have time please watch the music video: Slow Fade Video

Last week we talked about vices and, as Ivor and I discussed this, we both felt God was asking us to address holiness and the subject of sin. "Holiness and sin!" you exclaim. "Sounds so religious and churchy!" Well, yeah they are but they are also very real, very important, and very, very different. Hang with me here. You'll be OK.

What is "holiness"? It means to be "separate" and "set apart" but it can also mean "pure". God commands us to "Be holy because I am holy". He wants us to be separate from the world even as we live in the world. Why, to keep us from having fun and joy? No! To protect us from the destruction, devastation, pain, guilt, and ultimate death that comes from sin. So what is "sin"? It's anything that falls short of God's holiness. It's missing the mark.

But here is one of the points I want to get across today: Sin isn't just the final ugly act, it's the slow fade. It isn't just the one hundred fifteen degree, frog killing moment. It stems from the first thought of turning on the burner. It grows with each moment you stay in the water when God's Spirit is telling you to hop to the ledge. It's seen in individuals and in societies. It's a person or a people being desensitized to moral decay. It's a man addicted to crack ten years after he and his brothers snuck behind the shed to smoke the Marlboro they stole from their dad. It's a society not phased by commercials during prime time TV that show a man stroking the leg of a thin blond woman in her tight, white T-shirt and underwear or the multitude of commercials for male enhancement drugs. I'm not quite sure how to explain to my seven year old why the naked man and woman in the bathtub are there at halftime of the Bills football game. Friend, I'm speaking not out of judgment but out of personal experience. I've been the frog and I can tell you that the water didn't feel that warm. It apparently doesn't feel too hot for our society either but I promise you that it's not just warm but close to the boiling point.

James, the brother of Jesus said it this way, "but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."

The bible is clear that we aren't just a little messed up but "totally depraved". I know you're saying, "Not me!" but there is a bent in each of us away from God and toward sin. It is because of that very thing that Jesus came into the world. It is for that very thing that He died and rose again on the third day. It is for that reason God sent his Holy Spirit to live within those who have come by faith. So, that those of us who have been in hot water can find the ledge. So, that when we find ourselves back in the water we will be sensitive to even a one degree rise in the heat! The bible calls that sensitivity to sin, "conviction" and it is a really good thing!

If you are in the warming water or even in the boiling water it's not too late. God already knows where you are. I promise he has enough grace for you regardless of the magnitude of your failings. But you have to come HUMBLY to him with a "broken and contrite" heart and ask him to forgive you. Trust that Jesus paid the price for your sin. Find healing in him because sometimes the burns you got in the water may still be there for a while and the consequences of the sin may linger but the condemnation will be gone forever!

"Be careful little eyes what you see. It's the second glance that ties your hands and darkness pulls the strings . . . " It's a slow fade.

Peace friend,

David.

Original Source - The I-61 project

ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER

"Not my will, but yours be done."(Luke 22:42)

Mrs.Nathaniel Hawthorne, wife of the famous American author, wrestled in prayer on a February day in 1860. Her daughter Una was dying of a virulent form of malaria. Her doctor warned her that unless the young girl's fever abated before morning, she would die.

As Mrs. Hawthorne sat by Una's bed she recollected what her husband had told earlier that day. "I have settled with myself not to hope at all." But, the mother would not do so. She was repeating, "Una could not, must not die." As the night deepened the girl lay so sick that she looked almost dead. Her mother was repeating, "Lord, I cannot bear this loss."

Suddenly, unaccountably another thought took over. "Why should I doubt the goodness of God? Let Him take Una, if He sees best I can give her to Him. No, I won't fight against Him anymore".

A strange thing happened then. Having made the great sacrifice, Mrs. Hawthorne strangely felt lighter and happier, than anytime since Una's long illness had begun. She reached for her daughter's forehead, it was moist and cool. Una was sleeping naturally. Una was healed and indeed a miracle happened as Mrs. Hawthorne yielded to God's will!

Dear friends, Catherine Marshall writes, A demanding spirit with self-will blocks prayer. Therefore unless self will is voluntarily given up, God cannot move to answer prayer. This is prayer of relinquishment. It says, 'This is my situation at the moment. I'll face the reality of it. But I'll also accept willingly whatever my loving Father sends."

When we submit totally to His will, we will see the closed doors open and power released.

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, when I pray help me pray within the center of Your will, not holding to my own ideas and plans. You are the one who always plan everything for my good, and so let me let go my desires and wants and pray a prayer of submission to Your will. Teach me to pray the right prayer every time.. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

HOW TO FIGHT BACK TEMPTATION

The first step in fighting temptation is to be totally honest. John wrote, “And this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the Light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). In other words, because of sinful behavior people will not listen to the truth—they deceive themselves with all sorts of rationale that amounts to no more than excuses—and so will be destroyed in the end. If you not listen to the truth about yourself, You cannot change. So You must be totally honest with yourself about your sinful habits. you have to recognize my problem. Otherwise, you will never be able to overcome temptation to do those things, and You will remain enslaved.

Secondly, You need to, and must be open to, godly guidance. Paul wrote regarding the people of the Church, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word…” (Ephesians 5:26). Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, And a light for my path.” And in Proverbs, “Listen to counsel and receive instruction, That you may be wise in your latter end” (Proverbs 19:20 ). If you truly want to combat the yearnings of temptation, and even escape sinful habits that have developed in you, You have to wash your mind with Scripture, seek godly counsel, and willingly heed correction. And what will go a long way in receiving helpful correction is honesty and humility. you got to be honest about yourself, and you have to accept correction without excuses or defensiveness.

Finally, you have to depend on the Holy Spirit for conviction and strength to resist the temptation. Jesus said, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13). Paul wrote, “I say, then, Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh” (Galatians 6:1). Proverbs states, “With all your heart you must trust the LORD and not your own judgment. Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow. Don't ever think that you are wise enough, but respect the LORD and stay away from evil. This will make you healthy, and you will feel strong” (Proverbs 3:5-8).

Paul wrote, “In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don't know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can't be uttered. He who searches the hearts knows what is on the Spirit's mind, because he makes intercession for the saints according to God.” (Romans 8:26-27). The point of these Scriptures is as follows: You must trust in God’s Spirit to help you, guide you, and give you strength. He will deal with you in areas of your life that need correction or change. He will always guide you toward what is true, and it will ultimately benefit you. And you must make intercession—pray. He will help you in your prayers.

Throughout our lifetimes, we are bombarded with temptations to sin. And the pulling—the enticement—can be very strong. It tugs at the heart and seduces the will into sinning. It captures the heart and mind, and results in sinful habits that enslave the soul. But giving in to temptation is destructive, both to the tempted, and to others. It not only wrecks lives, but has an eternal cost as well. The only remedy is to fight back and struggle to overcome temptation, you and I must be completely honest with our selves about weaknesses. We must turn to God’s Word, and depend upon the Holy Spirit for help.

There is strength to overcome the temptation by drawing close to God in this manner.t is important to remember that when temptation comes, anyone can fight back no matter how difficult it seems—and have God’s help to do it. As Scripture says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7). Successfully fighting temptation can be done. You and I can beat it with the help of God.

HOW TEMPTATION WORKS

Temptation pulls on the heart, seduces the will, and entices its victim into committing sin, developing a sin habit, and eventually leads to abandoning oneself to a sinful lifestyle. This can be a long, drawn out process,such as a person that drinks becoming an alcoholic over many years; or it can be an immediate change, such as a young woman abandoning herself to promiscuity after her first sexual encounter.

James wrote, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed” (James 1:14, KJV). (The writer is using the term lust in a broad sense that includes all illegitimate desire.) When a person has been successfully enticed, in attempting to fulfill that gratification, he sins. And sin is destructive behavior,whether lying, cheating, stealing, killing, engaging in sexual immorality, or whatever. Temptation is the vehicle that leads to sin. No matter what it is in any category of evil, temptation (the test of moral integrity) through enticement (seduction), leads a person into sin.

The actual mechanism of temptation is very simple: the tempted person develops a desire to think or do something that is unrighteous—sinful. And the various aspects of the soul are involved. Feelings fuel the desire. Memories of past experiences play a role in supporting the feelings. Many times the enticed person rationalizes excuses, often subtle, to justify gratifying the desire. And the will then chooses to follow through on gratification. That is how temptation works on the soul.


MOTIVATION TO FIGHT BACK


The primary motivation to fight temptation is two-fold.

(1) The immediate reason is to keep oneself from being hurt, or even destroyed. This can be easily observed in the ruined lives of alcoholics who have hid in the bottle for many years, and in the terminally diseased people who have engaged in sexual promiscuity, alcoholism, and abuse of drugs.
(2) The ultimate reason is personal destiny in eternity—Heaven or Hell.

Scripture teaches, “The soul that sins, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20, WEB). Jesus said, “…the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father...” (Matthew 13:43, WEB). And Paul wrote, “Or don't you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortioners, will inherit the Kingdom of God. Such were some of you, but you were washed. But you were sanctified. But you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, WEB). In other words, there is an eternal cost or reward for choices made in this life.

The secondary reason for fighting temptation concerns loved ones and friends. An alcoholic makes life miserable for other members of the family. For a drug addict, it is worse: usually long-term theft is involved to support the expensive habit. For those addicted to pornography or sexually immoral behavior, the addict often becomes a predator, or at the very least relates to others as sex objects, not human beings. In every case, sin habits become offensive, and eventually destroy a person’s ability to fully relate to others in a respectful manner.

The best time to begin fighting temptation, of course, is early in life—the sooner the better. When temptations first come to a person, no sin has been committed, no bad or evil habits have been developed—there are no experiences to support the desire. But after the memories of the experiences are present, it becomes more difficult to fight temptations in the area of the sin habit. It is easier, for example, for an inexperienced drinker to say no to getting drunk than one who has been drinking to escape life’s problems for many years.

A sin habit that is left unchecked will eventually bring a person to a point of no return, and from there on the addict is doomed to a miserable end. Even if the person does eventually come out of the addiction, all hope of a bright and successful future will have been dashed. Generally the person is consigned to a lonely life, and suffers a dramatic and permanent decrease in his or her health and ability to function. So, regardless of where a person is with regard to a sin habit, it is imperative to fight back. Otherwise, the habit will eventually take over the soul.

RELATED ARTICLE Methodology Of Satan

THE CAGE

THIS IS A TRUE STORY

There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak..."I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked, "What you got there, son?" "Just some old birds," came the reply.

"What are you gonna do with them?" I asked.

"Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. "I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time"

"But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do?"

"Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll take 'em to them."

The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?"

"Huh?? !!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing. They ain't even pretty!"

"How much?" the pastor asked again.

The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?"

The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone.

The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free.

Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story.

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. Set a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!"

"What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked.

Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!"

"And what will you do when you get done with them?" Jesus asked. "Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly.

"How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked

"Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you. You don't want those people!!"

"How much?" He asked again.

Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your blood, tears and your life."

Jesus said, "DONE!"

Then He paid the price.

HOW DOES DEVIL ATTACKS US

HOW DOES DEVIL ATTACKS US

Probably, using the same three kind of temptations he used against Jesus in Mathew 4 and Luke 4, always using the weakness of our flesh and the offerings of the world:

1- Pleasures: First Temptation: "tell these stones to become Bread." (Mt.4:3)...

Jesus was hungry after 40 days of fasting!. The devil is going to tempt us using our honest needs of bread and sex and happiness, he is going to try to convert us into gluttons, alcoholics, drug-addicts, smokers, homosexuals, fornicators, adulterers, compulsion to pornography...and bring into our bodies all kind of sicknesses and diseases...

2- Pride: specially religious pride: The Second Temptation to Jesus was of pride: "Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "`He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' (Mt.4:5-6)...

Since Jesus fought back with a Bible quotation, now Satan tempted Jesus with a Bible quotation, Psalm 91. The devil is going to attack us using our natural pride and vanity, and knowledge, he is going to try to involve us in all kind or errors and idols and heresies (all heresies came from men using the Bible, thinking they knew about the Bible more than even the actual Church of Christ)... and he is going to try to create in us the compulsions of lies, stealing, anger, hate, ...

3- Power: specially religious power: The Third Temptation to Jesus was of power, "I will give you all the world... if you will bow down and worship me." (Mt.4:9) The devil is going to try to get us involved in the power and knowledge of the Occult: Horoscope, divination, witches, magic, spiritism... avarice, riches, political power, social power...

THE STORY OF SOUL

There once was a man named Soul who was walking in a garden. He was whistling a real sweet tune for he was saved and had the joy of the Lord, but he was a baby Christian.
As Soul was walking, a beautiful and seductive woman came out from behind a tree. Soul was very startled.

He said, "Hello, I'm Soul, what is your name?"
She replied, "I am Temptation, I have what you want."
"What do I want?" replied Soul.
"You want to do all things which are of the flesh," said Temptation.
Soul replied, "O.K., lead me."
So he and Temptation went off and fulfilled the desires of the flesh. When Soul returned to the garden, he met a man named Condemnation.

Condemnation said, "Hey, I see you have met my friend, Temptation."
Soul said, "Yes, who are you?"
"I am Condemnation, I come after Temptation. We work hand-in-hand." Then Condemnation jumped on Soul's back and began to beat him. He hit him in the face and kicked him when he was down. This went on for several days.

One day, a man named Mercy came running and said, "I command you, Condemnation, to stop beating Soul."
Condemnation snickered, "Make me."
So Mercy unsheathed his sword and cut Condemnation in two.
As Soul watched in astonished pain, he was overtaken by the power of Mercy.

Mercy walked up to Soul and said, "I have dealt with Condemnation before. He should not show up around you anymore."
Soul replied, "How can I ever thank you?"
"Well," replied Mercy, "I was sent here by God and He told me to introduce you to a dear friend of mine. His name is Redemption."
Redemption walked up and said, "Hello Soul, I see that you are not doing well."
Soul replied, "Not until Mercy came along. It is a pleasure to meet you Redemption."

"Well", said Redemption," I am glad to meet you. Are you ready to accept me?"
"What do you mean?" asked Soul
Redemption said, "Well, when you accepted Jesus and decided to walk with Him, then you chose to accept the things of Him and His love. I am a part of Jesus' love. I help you feel forgiven. You will never have to deal with Condemnation again. Temptation may come around, but I have someone I would like for you to meet who can help you with that. His name is Grace."

Grace walked up to Soul and said, "Hello Soul, I have been waiting for you. As a matter of fact all three of us have been waiting to meet you. I will help you take the way out of Temptation that God gives you as it comes up. The last person we want you to meet is Faith."

"Hi Soul, I am Faith, and I will help you stay strong and keep your beliefs strong," said Faith.
Soul began to cry. When he began to cry Redemption said, "This is what we were here for. Jesus redeemed you, saved you by Grace through Faith and gives you his Mercy. Jesus loves you Soul."
Soul said, "I love you, Jesus."

GETTING CLOSER WITH GOD

More of God means less of You, this is the challenge. To get closer to God we have to go His way. For example, we dont get saved our way we get saved His way by the cross. We don't pray our way, we pray His way; In the Name of Jesus. We don't get in His presence our way, He told us How to get into His presence through praising, clapping hands, making a joyous noise, and thanksgiving. Some say "Im just going to approach God my way", That won't work!

Consider the Leviticus Priesthood and how strict God was in their approach in every little detail. The Ark of the Covenant where Uzzah didn't want the ark to stumble, and Uzzah was smitten. Simon the sorcerer who tried to buy Gods power and was rebuked -- are we buying Gods favor with our tithes? Annanais and Saphirra who lied to the Holy Spirit and they were smitten. Saul who was rejected as King because of his heart -- Clearly we can't do things as men see right! You should also ask yourself, I've made Jesus Savior of my life, but is He the Lord of it too? Do I allow Him to be the King of Kings over my circumstances, decisions and attitudes?

What if some of your dilemmas are gateways to glory but you keep going around the mountain? The Bible says in Proverbs 16:3, Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. But it also says that God weighs the motives of the heart, and if we pray for anything we will have it according to His will. God doesn't give all of us huge ministries because the majority of us would get greedy for fame or money and forget God. If your motive is to further glorify God then it is a good motive -- washing feet is of the same value as tithing a Thousand dollars if they are both done in cheerfull humility. Things get difficult when God wants us to let go of attitudes and things we cling on to, but we must be continually pruned to move glory to glory and bear more fruit.

Mark 12:43-44 says, [..] "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on." What a contrast! So many others gave a fraction out of their wealth and this woman gave the next to nothing she had and God said she contributed more than all of them, God does not see things as man does!

You should be hearing something in your heart from God often and go through seasons of breaking every so often. So examine yourself and ask: Why don't I feel the rivers of living water flowing in my life? Do you still talk to God all day? Do you have hidden sin? Is there something you refuse to give up you know is wrong? Do you just play the role of a Christian but your hearts not in it? Is their unforgiveness or bitterness somewhere? They are tough questions to examine in yourself and I don't like examining my heart and finding rotten apples. But it's better to let God prune the branch than allow a rotten apple to stink up the orchard.

MAIL FROM JESUS

My Dear Child, I am writing this letter to you because I want your help in this end time because you are precious to me same way everyone is precious to me so all I want you to do is to spread my word to this world by telling about me to them. Poor people they are not able to get the point I am thy Lord. Tell them that I Love them so much that I died on the cross for them and I have paid the penalty for their sins already.

I am not able to see the sins my children are doing it really hurts my feelings when I see my innocent children turning against me. I weep when I see all this that even after I shed my blood on the cross the result is such a way. But don’t fear I am not going to curse you for what you have done in your past I want you to BORN AGAIN and take up your cross and follow me. You are like a lost sheep for me I am ready to leave all the 99 sheep’s and for you. All they need to do is to accept me as your Savior. And I am giving this responsibility to spread the Gospel to the world. Remember before you preach my word I want you to confess all your sins and thy bad taught remember what I told you to 2000 years back; Love your neighbors as you Love yourself.

So see that thy soul is sin-free. Remember my Holy Spirit will be with you always in what ever you do for me. So my dear child the end-time is not so far. We are going to meet soon. Remember you can’t enter the kingdom but by me. From now onwards the responsibility is yours. I will keep in touch with you in prayer. If you can spare a couple of minutes for me can you forward my mail to you known ones………….

GOD AND ROPE

Once a mountain climber was caught in an avalanche and the ice caps on the mountain came crashing and sliding down and this mountaineer was also caught in it and being dragged downwards. To make the things worse it was at late at night. So, almost nothing was visible except for his short torch light. Suddenly as he was being carried down he suddenly felt a rope and caught it. By now he was hanging just by the rope at the end of something which he didn't know where he was hanging. The temperature was freezing cold and killing.

He cried out to God,” Lord why you put me in such a situation, save me".

God replied,” Yes, Leave your rope"

The man replied,” Lord I know you have a plan but I am sorry I cant do that, cos already after great difficulty i have got this chance to survive and you are asking me to leave this. Do you want me to fall down and die? Please tell me something else"

God replied,” Yes leave your rope"

The man was by now exhausted and said,” Lord I am sorry I don't want to take your suggestion"

The whole night passed and the next another team of mountaineers came and saw a scene- A man hanging just three feet above the ground frozen to death.

Our lord can lead us in unthinkable ways just we have to listen to what he speaks to us.

When God says YES, don’t say NO.

IN YOUR ANGER DONOT SIN

Ephesians 4:26-27 In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

Some people are angry all the time and say that Jesus was angry when He drove people out of the temple, it's kind of like saying, "lets get drunk every night because Jesus drank wine" - taking things way too extreme! We are sensitive little people. The smallest thing can tip the scale and cause us to explode, but that shouldn't be. In this case, from a small plate of food came raging insults and all kinds of evil accusations to purposely try and hurt the other person. When someone is angry they often feel justified by their anger to say anything they want.

Luke 6:45 "The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart."

The verse above is a little frightening to me where it says: for his mouth speaks that which fills his heart. As nice of a front someone can put on to be kind and caring, their character is really revealed in moments of confrontation. What they say and how they react reveals what fills their heart. In this case it seems like its unforgiveness. Love builds up but anger pulls down.

Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Unforgiveness can cause so many problems in our hearts that it's very important we resolve the issue in our heart by faith. This is a very silly example about the food, but considering this example I had to examine myself. Even if I don't give the person a piece of my mind, thinking the thoughts can affect my heart and attitude towards them. So whether or not anger rears its face at a person, if it's in my heart I have to get it out before it becomes posionous and forms a bitter root. Bigger things may take time to forgive, and we have to put faith in Jesus to heal those wounds and not dwell on how we feel we were cheated.

The smallest foxes can spoil the vineyard.

ANSWERED PRAYERS

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island.

The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.

After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing.

Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes and more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.

Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife would leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island.

The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered. As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming, “Why are you leaving your companion on the island?”

“My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them,” the first man answered. “His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything.”

“You are mistaken!” the voice rebuked him. “He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings.”

“Tell me,” The first man asked the voice, “What did he pray for that I should owe him anything?”

“He prayed that all your prayers be answered.”


It is a great privilege to be an intercessor on behalf of someone else. There are many moments when we think our prayers don't make a difference and so we become lazy in praying for others. Only by praying for one another can we truly be called the Children of God. We are to lift one another up before the Lord and ask for God's blessings and protection to be with those that we love and care for.

GOD DOES EXIST

This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and suffering that I have seen.

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation.

They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: "I don't believe that God exists."

"Why do you say that?" asked the customer. "

Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving a God who would allow all of these things."

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and un-kept.

The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber:

"You know what? Barbers do not exist." "How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber.

"I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"

"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."

"Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me."

"Exactly!"- affirmed the customer.
"That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

DO YOU KNOW HOW THE APOSTLES DIED

Matthew, Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, killed by a sword wound.

Mark, Died in Alexandria , Egypt , after being dragged by horses through the streets until he was dead.

Luke was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous preaching to the lost.

John, Faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution in Rome . However, he was miraculously delivered from death. John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison island of Patmos . He wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation on Patmos . The apostle John was later freed and returned to serve as Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey . He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully.

Peter was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross. According to church tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die in the same way that Jesus Christ had died.

James, Just The leader of the church in Jerusalem , was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fuller's club. This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation.

James the Great, son of Zebedee, was a fisherman by trade when Jesus called him to a lifetime of ministry. As a strong leader of the church, James was ultimately beheaded at Jerusalem . The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial. Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.

Bartholomew also known as Nathaniel Was a missionary to Asia . He witnessed for our Lord in present day Turkey . Bartholomew was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip.

Andrew was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras ,Greece .After being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: "I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it." He continued to preach to his tormentors for two days until he expired.

Thomas Was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the sub-continent.

Jude, Was killed with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.

Matthias the apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded.

Barnabas, One of the group of seventy disciples, wrote the Epistle of Barnabas. He preached throughout Italy and Cyprus . Barnabas was stoned to death at Salonica.


Paul, Was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. Paul endured a lengthy imprisonment which allowed him to write his many epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire . These letters, which taught many of the foundational doctrines of Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament.

Perhaps this is a reminder to us that our sufferings here are indeed minor compared to the intense persecution and cold cruelty faced by the apostles disciples during their times for the sake of the Faith. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake:

But he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Matthew 10:22

WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING

Proverbs 4:7
Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.
Though it cost all you have, get understanding.

The pursuit of wisdom and understanding has been the goal of philosophers, teachers, scientists and other religions since the fall of man. As Christians who seek to make a difference to the world around us, wisdom and understanding are supreme. We cannot walk blindly in the world we live in so therefore we need the Lord to give us the wisdom. Without this wisdom, things go wrong. Read any of the books of Wisdom in the bible (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes) and you will see just how important it is to be wise. This isn’t intelligence, or even knowledge – wisdom is knowing what to do with what you have. It could be a witnessing opportunity, it could be a short term mission trip, or maybe just the right words to speak to someone whilst sharing the gospel. All situations in life requires wisdom and understanding. The good news is we don’t
not have to strive for it. We just need to ask the Lord and he will give us the wisdom we need. Wisdom and Understanding also comes from applying the Word into our lives and having a global perspective.


It is good to understand the cultures of the world, including our own. We need to know where the people are ‘at’. The Apostle Paul spent a whole year in Athens using wisdom to debate with Greek scholars and philosophers about the Gospel. Wisdom can also be applied in the small things of life. In every day conversation – knowing what to say and what not to say. How do we receive this divine wisdom? by prayer and studying His Word

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving,
considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. James 3:17.

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
James 1:5.

CONVERSATION WITH GOD

I said, "God, I hurt".

And God said, "I know".

I said, " God I cry a lot".

And God said, " That is why I gave you tears".

I Said, "God I am so depressed".

And God said, "That is why I gave you sunshine".

I said, "God life is so hard".

And God said, "That is why I gave you loved ones".

I said, "God my loved one died".

And God said, "so did mine".

I said, "God it is such a loss".

And God said, "I saw mine nailed to a cross".

I said, God your loved one lives".

And God said, "So does yours".

I said, "God where are they now"?

And God said, "Mine is on my right and yours is in the light".

I said, "God it hurts".

And God said, "I know".

Real LOve

There was once a big turntable bridge spanning a large river. Most of the time, the bridge sat with its length running parallel to the river so ships could pass freely on both sides of it. Whenever a train was expected, the bridge was turned to cross the river, then locked securely in position to allow the train safe passage.

A switchman sat in a little shack on one side of the river. From there he could operate the controls.

One evening the switchman turned to the controls to allow the last train of the day to cross. He got the bridge into position without difficulty. But, to his horror, the locking mechanism wouldn’t work. Unless the tracks locked securely, the train would surely jump the track and go crashing into the river with its cargo of human passengers. For just such an emergency there was a manual locking lever on the far side of the river.

Knowing there was no time to waste, he hurried to it. But to get it to work, he had to hold the lever firmly in position as the train roared on.Then he heard a sound that made his blood run cold: “Daddy, where are you?” His four-year-old son was crossing the bridge to look for him.

The father’s first impulse was to call to the child, “Run! Run!” But the train was too close, the tiny legs would never get the child across the bridge in time.Oh, how he wanted to let go the lever, snatch the child into his arms and carry him to safety. But he’d never make it back to the lever on time. Either the people in the train or his little son must die.

His heart breaking, he held the lever in position until the train passed safely. No one aboard was aware of the tiny, broken body thrown mercilessly into the river by the rushing train. Nor were they aware of the pitiful figure of the sobbing man still clinging tightly to the lever. They didn’t see the grief-stricken father dragging himself home to tell his wife he had sacrificed their son to save the train load of passengers he didn’t even know..

Now, imagine what our loving heavenly Father must have felt when he sacrificed his perfect Son to save even those who reject Him and His love?
Love indeed.
Love beyond comprehension.

Can you be so wickedly ungrateful as to continue rejecting Him who has done so much for you?
To do so is to invite the eternal displeasure of the Almighty God who longs to be your loving Father.

Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us. . . . In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation (sacrifice) for our sins. . . .

We love him because he first loved us. (I John 3:1; 4:9-11,19).

Paid In Full

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box.

Curious, and somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angry, he rose his voice to his father and said "with all your money, you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

When he arrived at his father's house, a sudden feeling of sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still gift-wrapped Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matt.7:11, "And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in Heaven, give to those who ask Him?"

As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss God's blessings because we can't see past our own desires?