Just sharing.

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12 Great Bible Verses


2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
If you have trusted in Christ, then you are a new creation in Christ and ready for anything that comes your way in the new year. The old things have passed away, like a sinful lifestyle and sexual immorality, and now the new has come and the Spirit of God has taken residence in us.

Isaiah 43:18-19 Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
If you try to forget something in the past, you can’t do it because you’re thinking of it, but Isaiah the Prophet tells us to not remember the former things of our past and dwell on the “new thing” that God has done in us and will yet do in the coming kingdom. He will always “make a way,” even if it’s “in the wilderness” or “the desert.”

Romans 13:11-12 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
The Apostle Paul and the rest of the early church lived with an expectation that Jesus’ return would be soon, so they always wrote with a sense of urgency, and why not? He could come back this year or even before you finish reading this. Either way, we know the day of salvation and the appearance of Christ is growing closer with each passing day. I hope that compels us to live a holier life, knowing He could appear at any moment, and none of us wants to shrink back in shame at His appearing (1 John 2:28), although I suspect many will.

Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
If you have one log in the fireplace, it will usually go out, but if you add another log or two, soon the fire starts to burn hot, so we too should stir up one another like stirring up a campfire. A single coal in a bar-b-que grill would quickly die out by itself, but if others are surrounding it, it glows red hot like the rest, and that’s why we must not neglect the assembling of ourselves. Even more so “as you see the Day drawing near.”

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Even though this was written about Israel and written to them to give them a hope for the future, the application for us is true too. God does have a plan for us and it is for us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Pet 3:18). That means grow in His Word. If we are in Christ, we most assuredly have “a future and a hope.”

Psalm 118:24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
One lady we see in the nursing home says this is her favorite verse. She tells me that it’s because at her age, every day is a gift. I love that! Rejoice that God has given us another day of His blessings and common grace, and let’s “be glad in it” this new day and new year.

Philippians 3:13-14 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Pressing forward means you’re not looking back at what’s behind but “straining forward to what lies ahead.” The goal for all of us is to press on “toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Even Paul didn’t rest on his laurels. He knew he had not yet arrived, as we all must admit.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
The straight and narrow path is through Christ alone (Acts 4:12), but that path’s degree of difficulty depends much upon whether we “acknowledge” God in all our ways. If we give God the glory and not lean upon our own human understanding, only then will God “make straight [our] paths.”

Ephesians 4:22-24 To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
This all sounds great, but we’ll need a little help to live in righteousness and holiness, but Jesus is just the One to help us! It is only through Him that can we do anything (John 15:5), because He alone can strengthen us (Phil 4:13), so we can do all things through Jesus’ strength, but we can nothing at all without Him, and “nothing” is not a little “something.” That’s a great lesson for us all.



Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
God’s purpose may not always look like things are working “together for our good,” but that’s why we need to see things through the eyes of faith. We know all things are working together and that all these things are for our ultimate good, but it may not always look like it. Trust Him anyway.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
Everything that is created is for God’s glory (Psalm 19:1-2, 115:1), including us! You and I were also created to glorify God. Or course we can’t know the end from the beginning, but at least we know the very end when we will finally see the face of God (Rev 21:3, 22:4). For now, it’s like trying to see through a dark glass (1 Cor 13:12).

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Anxiety is a destroyer of faith. It will consume our trust until we are anxious about everything. The solution is to bring “everything by prayer and supplication” to God and “let your requests be made known” to Him. If we don’t ask, we won’t receive (James 4:2-3). It’s as simple as that.

Conclusion
Proverbs 16:9 tells us that “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps,” so why not read more of the Word of God this year because those who are in the Word of God have their steps more firmly established. That’s because they see more of the path. I would rather have the Lord establish my steps than the ways that a “man plans.” I tried that. It doesn’t work well.

 

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Our Precious Reedemer! For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 1 Peter 1:18-20 NIV __________________ For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Leviticus 17:11 KJV __________________ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Romans 5:9,10 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“We will be glad and rejoice in thee.”

Song of Solomon 1:4

We will be glad and rejoice in thee. We will not open the gates of the year to the dolorous notes of the sackbut, but to the sweet strains of the harp of joy, and the high sounding cymbals of gladness. “O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise unto the rock of our salvation.” We, the called and faithful and chosen, we will drive away our griefs, and set up our banners of confidence in the name of God.

Let others lament over their troubles, we who have the sweetening tree to cast into Marah's bitter pool, with joy will magnify the Lord. Eternal Spirit, our effectual Comforter, we who are the temples in which thou dwellest, will never cease from adoring and blessing the name of Jesus. We will, we are resolved about it, Jesus must have the crown of our heart's delight; we will not dishonour our Bridegroom by mourning in his presence. We are ordained to be the minstrels of the skies, let us rehearse our everlasting anthem before we sing it in the halls of the New Jerusalem. We will be glad and rejoice: two words with one sense, double joy, blessedness upon blessedness.

Need there be any limit to our rejoicing in the Lord even now? Do not men of grace find their Lord to be camphire and spikenard, calamus and cinnamon even now, and what better fragrance have they in heaven itself? We will be glad and rejoice in Thee. That last word is the meat in the dish, the kernel of the nut, the soul of the text. What heavens are laid up in Jesus! What rivers of infinite bliss have their source, aye, and every drop of their fulness in him! Since, O sweet Lord Jesus, thou art the present portion of thy people, favour us this year with such a sense of thy preciousness, that from its first to its last day we may be glad and rejoice in thee. Let January open with joy in the Lord, and December close with gladness in Jesus.

 

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Women In Proverbs



The Book of Proverbs and women.
What it says about and by women surprises.
Many miss this; but not Glenn Pemberton in his excellent new book, A Life That Is Good.
What do we learn?
First, let’s call it a strategy — Pemberton thinks the audience is largely young men and women are used to speak to get their attention?
Agree?

If we were the writers and our audience consisted of young men, naive and inexperienced as they stepped out to face new decisions, what would we use to haul the freight? What set of images would be most effective in convincing the youth to accept wisdom? What will best hold his attention? The editors/writers of Proverbs 1-9 do not hesitate to lay all their cards on the table in the first chapter. They choose the object of fascination, mystery, and desire for young men: women.

But, second, notice the substance of the women’s speaking in these chapters:

Women do carry a load in Proverbs 1-9: twice the young man’s mother speaks alongside his father (1:8-9; 6:20); five lectures extensively develop one or more female figures (2:16-19; 4:5-9; 5:3-23; 6:20-35; 7:1-27); the first three interludes feature Woman Wisdom (1:20-33; 3:13-20, 8:1-36); and the conclusion sets Woman Wisdom against Woman Folly (9:1-18).

This surprises many:

Over half of Proverbs 1-9 is placed in the mouths or hands of women.

Pemberton thinks this is the strategy.

The strategy is logical: in a culture lacking movies, magazines, and photographs, the next best thing for anyone trying to get young men’s attention is to speak to them about women. Describe various kinds of women and encourage them to pursue one kind of woman and stay away from others. In simple terms, use their raging hormones to help them make a wise decision.

Not all positive, but what about balance? Pemberton suggests:

When compared, the positive roles of women in chapters 1-9 outpace the negative type casting at the rate of sixty percent to forty percent. ‘

He considers his and our locations:

First to men: I do not believe it is possible for us to fully realize the burden imposed on women by misogynistic type casting. … Second to women: I can never fully understand the struggles and feelings created by these texts, and too many others.

Another surprise, our third point: what women say in chps 1-9 and the woman of Proverbs 31:

The parallels between Woman Wisdom in chapters 1-9 and the worthy woman in chapter 31 are striking. At points the similarity is uncanny (e.g., #3), and in other points the similarity bears a family-like resemblance (e.g., #2). This mirror-like image is no accident or happenstance, but the very reason the sages employ this poem to conclude the book: to make one final appeal for accepting Woman Wisdom because of what she will do for our lives.

What the women teach — fourth point — is the heart of the whole book of Proverbs and thus the wisdom tradition of Israel.

The speeches about and from women establish the primary themes of Proverbs 1-9, identified in chapter 1: the importance of wisdom for genuine life; wisdom as a path or way of life, a journey, not a destination; and the necessity of a firm decision and commitment to a wise lifestyle. Each of the speeches, as we’ve pointed out above, speaks to these themes-and even more, the speeches also expose cultural values that stand behind the attitudes and actions mentioned in the speeches.

And it all comes down to a decision: to be wise or not. Or, as Pemberton likes to frame it — the good life or the life that is good.

Instead, the voices in Proverbs 1-9 urge us, “Make a decision for wisdom and a life that is good.” A life in which we are committed to walking with wisdom and doing what is right, just, and equitable. A life in which we are married to wisdom, trusting that the Lord and Woman Wisdom will bring more blessing than we will ever find in “the good life.” That life begins with a proper relationship with the Lord. All that comes in Proverbs 10-31 depends on this prior decision, and if we refuse to make it, we have little sense to continue. The sages have pushed us to the edge; now it’s up to us to decide which life we will pursue: “the good life” or “the life that is good.

 

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He Is our Righteousness and our Peace! "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness. Jeremiah 26:5,6 NIV __________________ If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea. "There is no peace," says the LORD, "for the wicked." Isaiah 48:18 & 22 NIV __________________ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 KJV __________________ He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Let the people renew their strength.”

Isaiah 41:1

All things on earth need to be renewed. No created thing continueth by itself. “Thou renewest the face of the year,” was the Psalmist's utterance. Even the trees, which wear not themselves with care, nor shorten their lives with labour, must drink of the rain of heaven and suck from the hidden treasures of the soil. The cedars of Lebanon, which God has planted, only live because day by day they are full of sap fresh drawn from the earth.

Neither can man's life be sustained without renewal from God. As it is necessary to repair the waste of the body by the frequent meal, so we must repair the waste of the soul by feeding upon the Book of God, or by listening to the preached Word, or by the soul-fattening table of the ordinances. How depressed are our graces when means are neglected! What poor starvelings some saints are who live without the diligent use of the Word of God and secret prayer! If our piety can live without God it is not of divine creating; it is but a dream; for if God had begotten it, it would wait upon him as the flowers wait upon the dew. Without constant restoration we are not ready for the perpetual assaults of hell, or the stern afflictions of heaven, or even for the strifes within.

When the whirlwind shall be loosed, woe to the tree that hath not sucked up fresh sap, and grasped the rock with many intertwisted roots. When tempests arise, woe to the mariners that have not strengthened their mast, nor cast their anchor, nor sought the haven. If we suffer the good to grow weaker, the evil will surely gather strength and struggle desperately for the mastery over us; and so, perhaps, a painful desolation, and a lamentable disgrace may follow. Let us draw near to the footstool of divine mercy in humble entreaty, and we shall realize the fulfilment of the promise, “They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.”

 

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The Enduring Word’s For Unbearable Times
J


A lot of people are living through hard times right now…maybe even you, so to help you (or them) get through this crisis, lay hold of these enduring Bible verses.

Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
I’m not sure I could finish what God has started in me because I keep falling, however, this promise of God (Phil 1:6) tells me that it is God Who began the good work in me…and it is God Who “will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” What God begins, God completes. He sought me, He bought me, and then He taught me. I’d hate to think that God started it in me, only to have me finish it, however, it’s somewhat like I did years ago when I walked my son across the street to school. I never told him, “I’ll take your hand but you have to hold on as best as you can,” but rather it was, “I’ve got a firm grip on your hand and I’ll make sure you make it to the other side.” God began it…God will finish it.

Second Timothy 1:12 But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.
Many who profess Christ may be ashamed to do it in public, but not the Apostle Paul or most of the early believers, but in this last letter of Paul’s, we see that He still has the same confidence that he had years before (Phil 1:6). He still knows the enduring Word and that all the precious promises of God will never fail. Knowing whom He has believed in (Jesus Christ), He is utterly convinced that God “is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.” There are no surprise endings to God. God is sovereign over all and where man rules…God overrules.

1 Peter 1:6-7 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

What was it that the Apostle Peter said that they were rejoicing over? It was that God “has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pet 1:3), and it is “to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Pet 1:4). If it’s kept in heaven for you, it’s not possible it can be lost. Remember, it’s “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,” and it’s being held “in heaven for you who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet 1:4c-5). If we understand that we are being kept by God in heaven, and guarded by God’s power, we can better endure the present times. A faith that’s not tested cannot be trusted, and trials test our faith. James wrote, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).

Psalm 34:17 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.
When there is nothing more you can do, all you can do is cry out to God, and maybe that’s what God was waiting for in the first place. That takes humility and an admission that we cannot solve this on our own (whatever “this” is). Those who are righteous are made righteous only through Christ Who became sin for us so that we might receive the necessary righteous to be saved (2 Cor 5:21), and the right to “cry for help,” but the righteous also know that “the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.”

I can’t count the number of times when I or someone else I know had their backs against the wall, but in time, looking back, we see that God was faithful and delivered us out of it all. It wasn’t always immediate, and sometimes it was painful, but all of that’s turned out for the good. I know this was for the glory of God because when deliverance came, God received the glory by our praising Him with our lips! We glorify Jesus’ Name when our prayers are answered. His Name is glorified because that is the Name by which we pray, so again, God says, “call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me” (Psalm 50:15). Call upon God. He delivers you. You glorify Him. This is how we can “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces
steadfastness” (James 1:2-3).
Conclusion
It’s easy so just give up, but God never gives up on us so we must remain faithful, even in hard times, so I hope these Bible verses have helped solidify your faith, and if so, why not share these with someone else who might need a spiritual boost from the Word of God. We should thank God that “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:13-14). Notice that the deliverance from the dark domain is past tense (“He has”), but also praise Him that “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones” (1 Sam 2:9a).

We can rest in the knowledge “that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations” (Deut 7:9). As we live our life through various struggles, we must take the eternal perspective “that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom 8:28). Are you in trouble? God says, “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me” (Psalm 50:15), because you know that God “will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 1:8). He’s got your hand…not the other way around (John 10:28-29).

 

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This is the Moment for the Church at Antioch to Rise Up



In Acts 8, a massive disruption upset the Christian world. Led by Saul of Tarsus, massive persecution drove Christians from their home base of Jerusalem. Up to that time the new Christian movement was centered in Jerusalem and was confined to Jews. By the end of the book of Acts the church was more Gentile than Jewish and the church at Jerusalem was a side note. What made the difference? During the disruption, one church used it as an opportunity to innovate, and innovation changes the world.

In Acts 11:19 we see the Jewish Christians scattering from Jerusalem, telling only other Jews about Jesus. But in Antioch it was different. The Christians there spread the gospel and opened their doors to both Jews and Greeks (innovation #1, Acts 11:20-21). Not only was this church open to non-Jews, they sought out Jews with scandalous pasts, creating an opportunity for the same Saul of Tarsus to provide leadership now that he had become a follower of Jesus (innovation #2, Acts 11:25-26). When a famine struck Judea, the church at Antioch is the first church recorded in Scripture to voluntarily collect resources and intentionally send it off to assist another church (innovation #3, Acts 11:27-30).

So it should be no surprise that the church at Antioch, not the church at Jerusalem, was the one the Holy Spirit directed to change the world through intentional gospel-spreading, church-planting mission trips (innovation #4, Acts 13:1-3). What was the church at Jerusalem doing during that time? Forcing Peter to defend his actions of entering a Gentile’s home (Acts 10-11) and trying to get the Gentile Christians to become Jewish (Acts 15).


Admittedly painting with a broad brush here, the church at Jerusalem treated the dispersion of their people as an interruption. They kept waiting for things to go back to ‘normal’ and the way things were (centered in Jerusalem and around the Jews). The church at Antioch correctly saw the persecution as a massive disruption. Disruption leads to innovation. Innovation changes the world, and that’s exactly what the church at Antioch did almost 2000 years ago.

The COVID-19 crisis is another massive disruption (not interruption). This is the moment for the church at Antioch to rise up, to blaze boldly into the hybrid digital world we all now live in and spread the gospel in new and powerful ways. As church thought leader Carey Nieuwhof accurately questioned, “are churches behaving like malls in the age of Amazon?” I believe that churches that treat the COVID-19 crisis like a minor interruption are like malls, like the church at Jerusalem. If your church is waiting for this crisis to pass so that things can go back to normal, you might be waiting awhile. There will be a new normal we will eventually settle into, but it won’t be the old normal. A worldwide pandemic disrupts the world in ways that will forever change us. I believe that churches that leverage the massive disruption of the COVID-19 crisis are innovating in the age of Amazon, like the church of Antioch.
Where are the churches at Antioch? Rise up, innovate, and change our world with the gospel!

 

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We are to bear fruit for Him! Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:4,5 NIV __________________ Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. Zechariah 6:12,13 KJV __________________ THEN a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. Isaiah 11:1,2 NASB __________________ In that day the branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land shall be the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel. Isaiah 4:2 RSV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”

Luke 3:4

The voice crying in the wilderness demanded a way for the Lord, a way prepared, and a way prepared in the wilderness. I would be attentive to the Master's proclamation, and give him a road into my heart, cast up by gracious operations, through the desert of my nature. The four directions in the text must have my serious attention.

Every valley must be exalted. Low and grovelling thoughts of God must be given up; doubting and despairing must be removed; and self-seeking and carnal delights must be forsaken. Across these deep valleys a glorious causeway of grace must be raised.

Every mountain and hill shall be laid low. Proud creature-sufficiency, and boastful self-righteousness, must be levelled, to make a highway for the King of kings. Divine fellowship is never vouchsafed to haughty, highminded sinners. The Lord hath respect unto the lowly, and visits the contrite in heart, but the lofty are an abomination unto him. My soul, beseech the Holy Spirit to set thee right in this respect.

The crooked shall be made straight. The wavering heart must have a straight path of decision for God and holiness marked out for it. Double-minded men are strangers to the God of truth. My soul, take heed that thou be in all things honest and true, as in the sight of the heart-searching God.

The rough places shall be made smooth. Stumbling-blocks of sin must be removed, and thorns and briers of rebellion must be uprooted. So great a visitor must not find miry ways and stony places when he comes to honour his favoured ones with his company. Oh that this evening the Lord may find in my heart a highway made ready by his grace, that he may make a triumphal progress through the utmost bounds of my soul, from the beginning of this year even to the end of it.

 

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Thy Kingdom Come! The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. Isaiah 11:6 NIV __________________ And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely. Hosea 2:8 KJV __________________ "The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent's food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain," says the LORD. Isaiah 65:25 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.”

Genesis 42:8

This morning our desires went forth for growth in our acquaintance with the Lord Jesus; it may be well to-night to consider a kindred topic, namely, our heavenly Joseph's knowledge of us. This was most blessedly perfect long before we had the slightest knowledge of him. “His eyes beheld our substance, yet being imperfect, and in his book all our members were written, when as yet there was none of them.” Before we had a being in the world we had a being in his heart.

When we were enemies to him, he knew us, our misery, our madness, and our wickedness. When we wept bitterly in despairing repentance, and viewed him only as a judge and a ruler, he viewed us as his brethren well beloved, and his bowels yearned towards us. He never mistook his chosen, but always beheld them as objects of his infinite affection. “The Lord knoweth them that are his,” is as true of the prodigals who are feeding swine as of the children who sit at the table.

But, alas! we knew not our royal Brother, and out of this ignorance grew a host of sins. We withheld our hearts from him, and allowed him no entrance to our love. We mistrusted him, and gave no credit to his words. We rebelled against him, and paid him no loving homage. The Sun of Righteousness shone forth, and we could not see him. Heaven came down to earth, and earth perceived it not. Let God be praised, those days are over with us; yet even now it is but little that we know of Jesus compared with what he knows of us.

We have but begun to study him, but he knoweth us altogether. It is a blessed circumstance that the ignorance is not on his side, for then it would be a hopeless case for us. He will not say to us, “I never knew you,” but he will confess our names in the day of his appearing, and meanwhile will manifest himself to us as he doth not unto the world.

 

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6 Reasons Why the ‘Nones’ Are Walking Away From Church

A quarter of the US population now identify as ‘None’, those that check ‘None’ when asked to identify what religion they follow. What should be more alarming is that with those under 30, the percentage of Nones is 40%, almost half of the next two generations. Whatever our approach has been as a church isn’t working anymore. Here are six reasons why the Nones are walking away from church:
1. Moral Reason: People believe suffering disproves the existence of God. Renowned New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman says he lost his faith and embraced atheism because of suffering in the world. And he’s not the only one. But the foundation of our faith is not a world without suffering. Pain and suffering don’t disprove the existence of God. It only disproves the existence of a god who doesn’t allow pain and suffering. We can try and gloss over the rough edges of human experience, but there are still these existential questions about pain and suffering we have to deal with.

2. “Biblical” Reason: People believe the Bible is the basis of our religion, and people have questions about the Bible. “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” It’s a line that many who grow up in the church know by heart, and it reflects a problem in modern American Christianity: many of us believe that the Bible is the foundation of our religion. For instance: there’s a viral blog post by a former worship leader who left the faith after she read a book “proving” contradictions in the Bible. Apparently, she grew up believing the foundation of our faith is a non-contradicting book. My question is: are we founded on a book, or on an event in human history? There is a distinct difference.

3. Experiential Reason: People had a bad church experience. Whether it was a church scandal, a church split or just mean church members, too many people have walked away from church because of a bad church experience. I had a friend years ago that was living proof of this. Born and raised in a small country church, he was forced to go every week by his parents. He thought church was boring and unengaging, and his particular church experience didn’t disabuse him of that notion. His parents said when he was 18 he could decide for himself, and he did just that, barely attending his entire adult life.

4. Lack of Comfort Reason: People feel out of place and unwelcome at church. Have you ever been to a place where you didn’t feel welcome? A place where people were talking over your head, no one was welcoming, where you felt insignificant and stupid? Like if you bought a ticket this past September and flew to Tokyo, Japan for the 16th World Medical Nanotechnology Congress and walked into this presentation: Protamine conjugated fluorochromes: A new photosensitizer for photodynamic tumor therapy. You probably wouldn’t have any fun, and you’d feel like an idiot, and do you suspect anyone would stop and try and explain anything to you? If you’re not a church person, all this spiritual mumbo-jumbo that’s thrown out from the stage is about as comprehensible as protamine conjugated fluorochromes.

5. Relational Reason: People come looking for community and we give them a program. We’ve turned the movement of Jesus into a monument. The word in Greek for ‘church’ literally means assembly, gathering, movement. Today it means a building, an address, a program. We “go” to church. Thank you for “coming” to church, like church is a location. People aren’t looking for programs, they’re looking for relationships. They’re looking for a family. If our church is merely a collection of programs and events with no real community, we can have the word “church” plastered on the side of the building at on the front of our website, but we’re not living like a church. I would argue that many people aren’t really rejecting the true church: they’re rejecting buildings and programs and events that just happen to have the name “church” attached to it.
6. Relevance Reason: People don’t see us as relevant or important. People see us as relevant in their everyday lives as I see a horse riding school: not very. I mean, we have cars now, why ride horses? In the same way, people can say: we have science and technology, we have sleep number beds, why do we still need religion? Some people aren’t hostile towards religion at all, they’re just uninterested.

 

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Let Us Grow in Him Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. Ephesians 4:15 NIV __________________ But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. 2 Peter 3:18 KJV __________________ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“And God saw the light.”

Genesis 1:4

This morning we noticed the goodness of the light, and the Lord's dividing it from the darkness, we now note the special eye which the Lord had for the light. “God saw the light” — he looked at it with complacency, gazed upon it with pleasure, saw that it “was good.” If the Lord has given you light, dear reader, he looks on that light with peculiar interest; for not only is it dear to him as his own handiwork, but because it is like himself, for “He is light.”

Pleasant it is to the believer to know that God's eye is thus tenderly observant of that work of grace which he has begun. He never loses sight of the treasure which he has placed in our earthen vessels. Sometimes we cannot see the light, but God always sees the light, and that is much better than our seeing it. Better for the judge to see my innocence than for me to think I see it. It is very comfortable for me to know that I am one of God's people — but whether I know it or not, if the Lord knows it, I am still safe. This is the foundation, “The Lord knoweth them that are his.”

You may be sighing and groaning because of inbred sin, and mourning over your darkness, yet the Lord sees “light” in your heart, for he has put it there, and all the cloudiness and gloom of your soul cannot conceal your light from his gracious eye. You may have sunk low in despondency, and even despair; but if your soul has any longing towards Christ, and if you are seeking to rest in his finished work, God sees the “light.” He not only sees it, but he also preserves it in you. “I, the Lord, do keep it.” This is a precious thought to those who, after anxious watching and guarding of themselves, feel their own powerlessness to do so. The light thus preserved by his grace, he will one day develop into the splendour of noonday, and the fulness of glory. The light within is the dawn of the eternal day.

 

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Be Anxious For Nothing, Pray About Everything



Here’s how you can kill the anxiety by praying about everything.

Anxiety
Anxiety is described as a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about things, situations, or relationships, typically about some imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. That sounds a lot like worry to me, and Jesus commanded us not to worry, saying, “do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing” (Matt 6:25)? This imperative command includes what we eat, what we wear, and what tomorrow may bring. I heard one man say that almost 90% of what we worry about never comes to pass, and the other 10% are things we cannot change.

Either way, having anxiety over these things is a great waste of energy. If you’re worried about tomorrow and it’s still today, you’re robbing the joy out of your day and wasting it on something that’s not even here yet. Again, Jesus commands us to “not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matt 6:34). Worrying about tomorrow is like borrowing trouble with interest, but paying the note today. It’s a joy-killer. It also robs us of peace of mind. We know that worry is not good for our health, and neither does it do any good for the mind, so what’s the solution? I don’t have it…rather, it’s found in the Bible.

Anxiety to Peace
You don’t overcome anxiety by sheer human will power or positive thinking. The best way to kill the anxiety is to pray. Not just pray about the problems, but pray about everything! Anything and everything that causes you to be anxious, send it up to God in prayer. Jesus knows we try to carry our own load far too often, and so He says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt 11:28-30).

The Greek word used for “souls” is not the living, breathing soul but our minds…Jesus wants us to rest in Him, therefore, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil 4:6). Everything that concerns you is a concern of the Father, so submit it all to God and do so with a thankful heart. Either way, make sure to at least make it “known to God” and not shoulder the load yourself. Only by turning it all over to prayer can you receive “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:7).

Peace through Christ
Jesus told Martha, who was anxious over the many things she had to do, that “you are anxious and troubled about many things but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42). Mary choose to focus on Christ and not on a “to do” list. The Apostle Paul tells us that “since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1). That means we should not be anxious about our salvation since we are now at peace with God through Jesus Christ. If you have made peace with God through Christ, that means “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1) anymore.

You can have peace of mind and peace of heart knowing God’s wrath was placed upon Christ and not upon you, but Jesus said we must repent and believe (Mark 1:15). When that happens, we become new creations in Christ (2 Cor 5:17), and now we are seen by God as having Jesus’ very own righteousness (2 Cor 5:21). Being born again, or born from above (John 3:3-7) doesn’t make us any better than others…only better off.

Supernatural Peace
Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to worry about nothing but pray about everything. That’s the way to destroy your anxiety. We know worry is sin but most of us do it anyway, so why not confess this and put your trust in the sovereignty of God (Rom 8:28). When you’re giving thanks to God, it’s difficult to be anxious. When you’re taking every heavy load of life to Christ (Matt 11:28-30), it’s hard to be anxious, and when you’re praying to God with a thankful heart, it’s hard to be anxious. Anxiety dissolves with trust, but trust gives you peace. This God-given peace surpasses human understanding because its source is not of human origin. This peace can give us confidence despite the problems that surround us. That’s why this godly peace guards our hearts. We can’t guard our own hearts so let God’s peace rule in your hearts.

Conclusion
Even if we pray about the things that produce anxiety in us, and the things don’t change, what does change is our hearts. Circumstances may have changed, but we have. We have peace because we trust God more than our anxieties. By the way, you cannot even have the peace of God until you’ve first made peace with God, and that comes through a saving relationship through Jesus Christ. He alone can bring us to the Father (John 6:44; Acts 4:12). He alone can bear every heavy burden we have. He alone can extinguish the anxiety and replace it with the peace of God. It really is a peace that surpasses human understanding.

 

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Advice for Fathers Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4 NIV __________________ You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me. Exodus 20:3-5 NASB __________________ "Yet you say, 'Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?' When the son has done what is lawful and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. The soul that sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. Ezekiel 18:19,20 RSV __________________ Jesus Christ! Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12 NIV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Now the hand of the Lord was upon me in the evening.”

Ezekiel 33:22

In the way of judgment this may be the case, and, if so, be it mine to consider the reason of such a visitation, and bear the rod and him that hath appointed it. I am not the only one who is chastened in the night season; let me cheerfully submit to the affliction, and carefully endeavour to be profited thereby. But the hand of the Lord may also be felt in another manner, strengthening the soul and lifting the spirit upward towards eternal things.

O that I may in this sense feel the Lord dealing with me! A sense of the divine presence and indwelling bears the soul towards heaven as upon the wings of eagles. At such times we are full to the brim with spiritual joy, and forget the cares and sorrows of earth; the invisible is near, and the visible loses its power over us; servant-body waits at the foot of the hill, and the master-spirit worships upon the summit in the presence of the Lord. O that a hallowed season of divine communion may be vouchsafed to me this evening! The Lord knows that I need it very greatly. My graces languish, my corruptions rage, my faith is weak, my devotion is cold; all these are reasons why his healing hand should be laid upon me.

His hand can cool the heat of my burning brow, and stay the tumult of my palpitating heart. That glorious right hand which moulded the world can new-create my mind; the unwearied hand which bears the earth's huge pillars up can sustain my spirit; the loving hand which incloses all the saints can cherish me; and the mighty hand which breaketh in pieces the enemy can subdue my sins. Why should I not feel that hand touching me this evening? Come, my soul, address thy God with the potent plea, that Jesus’ hands were pierced for thy redemption, and thou shalt surely feel that same hand upon thee which once touched Daniel and set him upon his knees that he might see visions of God.

 

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God@Work
God calls a Call Centre

Yesterday I had the privilege of meeting a good friend at her work place, a call centre.

I met her staff as well, and after work other ex-staff members started to drop in. One of them, Alisha, came in to say goodbye before heading off to her Muslim country for 8 weeks. My friend asked her if she wanted us to pray for her and before I knew it, we were passionately praying for this girl for protection and for God's spirit to guide her and help her. The other four staff and ex-staff members present joined us in prayer and stood around Alisha and laid their hands on her. For me it was a very special moment. The Lord was here, in the middle of the work place. It was so good to see how these people loved each other and cared for each other.

It has not always been like this. At the end of last year, my friend received a phone call from a distant friend, asking her to come and help and manage a team at the call centre, which was very difficult, over the past 12 months a number of managers had given up and left. Although my friend was not keen on this job, she felt an urge from the Lord to go there.

She started working in an office where there was chaos, where people hated each other, where people arrived in intoxicated state at work and where there was no respect for each other or the manager. However, slowly things started to turn around and the staff started to confide in her.

I remember about a month after she started working there, we had a coffee together and she told me, Martina, they all need the Lord, they are all depressed. They are so hurt and so abused, they have no self esteem. I have asked my mother and her friends to pray for all these people and for me , that they will get to know the Lord and receive healing and that I will be strong and know what the Lord wants from me.

The first one that came to her was Tom, he was addicted to drugs, and he poured out his heart on what had been happening to him in his life. Her simple answer was, I cannot help you, but I know the Lord can help you, would you like me to pray with you? And Tom agreed, so she prayed with him and handed Tom to the Lord. After that Tom was changed and the other staff noticed.

The second one came a week later, Sam, who had been abused as a child in Christian foster homes. He suffered from severe depression and alcohol abuse and he told her his life story. He told her several times before he was an atheist and did not want to have anything to do with Christianity. Now he came to her and admitted he tried to find peace at lunchtimes and went to the St Paul's Cathedral and would just sit there for a while. He asked her if she could come with him to the Cathedral and there pray with him. Together with another new staff member, who was a Christian as well, they went to the Cathedral and prayed with him. During this praying his face changed. All the anger and bitterness disappeared .

A few months later we met again and I asked her how it was. She replied that now five out of six had now surrendered themselves to the Lord. Praise God! He was indeed powerful at work in this office, and I believe the intercessory prayer of my friends' mother and her friends had a lot to do with that.

The third person that came to Christ was Anna, an orthodox lady, divorced with four children, and a single mum. She suffered from depression and was probably one of the most difficult ones to work with. She and Sam hated each other and verbal abuse and swearing during the day was not uncommon. However, after she had seen the change in Sam and in his behaviour, she also longed for this peace and surrendered.

Alisha, a Muslim girl was next. This girl had been sexually abused form the age of 2, by nine different men. She had no feeling of self worth, was probably the roughest girl in the office.

The next one who came to the Lord was John, a Hindu Indian student.

That was a couple of months ago. Yesterday afternoon, when I came to my friends' office, I heard about the last one, Nadia. She is a girl suffering from depression, was lost and had no guidance in her life. She came to the Lord and is now a true worshipper. "You are my hiding place" is her favourite song.

All these people still need ongoing healing. But thanks to God they now have a reason for living.

They come together on a Saturday afternoon at my friends' place to study the bible together, pray and worship.

Last night seeing them all after hearing the stories and seeing their love for each other and for God was an amazing experience. Our God does work in wonderful ways, he will search for the lost in places where we would not generally expect it.

This story has taught me so much. As Christians we are placed by our God in the positions we hold for a purpose, as messengers of the Good news. We all are called to be a living testimony of God's love for this world. Ongoing prayer is a key to a breakthrough of the Holy Spirit. And finally, we can never expect too much, God will exceed our expectations!

By Martina Sonneveld

 

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Well Done! "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' Matthew 25:21 NIV Well done! Pleasing the God who made us and loves us! __________________ Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 2 Corinthians 5:9 KJV __________________ Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. 2 Timothy 2:3,4 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.