ctivated
CHANGE YOUR LIFE. CHANGE YOUR WORLD.
CHANGE THE WORLD It can start with you
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS Whose side are you on?
THE MARK OF THE BEAST Watch out for 666!
Activated Ministries P.O. Box 462805 Escondido, CA 92046-2805 USA info@activatedministries.org (1–877) 862–3228 (toll-free) Activated Europe Bramingham Pk. Business Ctr. Enterprise Way Luton, Beds. LU3 4BU England activatedEurope@activated.org (07801) 442–317 Activated Africa P.O. Box 2150 Westville 3630 South Africa ActivatedAfrica@activated.org 083 55 68 213 Activated India P.O. Box 5215 G.P.O. Bangalore – 560 001 India activatedIndia@activated.org EDITOR Keith Phillips DESIGN Giselle LeFavre
personally speaking
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If you discovered a cure for loneliness, anxiety, fear and personal and social ills, and if you could package that cure in a single neat little pill, wouldn’t you prescribe it to everyone, everywhere? If you happened upon the fountain of youth, wouldn’t you give its waters freely to others, so they also could live forever? If you found paradise on earth, wouldn’t you want to take your loved ones there? Well, you have discovered those things and more! When you found Jesus, you found it all!—Heaven in your heart now, by being filled with His love and peace, and Heaven forever, in the life to come! There’s a lost and lonely world that’s crying out for the answers and the love you now have access to because of knowing Jesus personally. Jesus wants you to share your discovery with others. He could solve anyone’s problems if they would only ask Him to, but how will they ever ask Him if they’ve never even heard of Him—or heard how real He is? And how are they going to hear that unless someone tells them?—Someone like you. “Love wasn’t put in your heart to stay. Love isn’t love till you give it away!” Share the good news of Jesus’ love and salvation with others, and you’ll be amazed to find what wonders His love can do—through you—and the happiness you’ll find as you try to make others happy.
ILLUSTRATIONS Max Belmont, Ana Fields PRODUCTION Francisco Lopez
Keith Phillips For your Activated family
VOL 1, ISSUE 5 © 2002 Aurora Production AG All Rights Reserved Printed in Thailand www.auroraproduction.com Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations in Activated are from the New King James Version of the Bible © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2
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SMALL WORLD,
BIG GOD Michael Lanagan, Australia
AS I WAS ABOUT TO PASS an elderly gentleman on the street, I felt a sudden urge from the Lord to speak with him. “Hello, I’m Michael,” I said as our eyes met. “Hi, Michael. I’m Joe. Pleased to meet you,” he replied in a strong Italian accent. Afer a little small talk, I explained that I am a Christian volunteer and the streets of our city are my workplace. “It’s amazing how many people need help with one problem or another these days,” I said. He nodded. Something was really worrying him, he said. He had developed a heart problem from years of heavy smoking and had had activated issue 5
an operation, after which his doctors had given him five years to live. That was 17 years ago. “My heart’s been acting up since this morning,” Joe went on to say. “I think this might be it.” I offered him some encouragement from the Bible, and he thanked me profusely. Then Joe asked how I’d ended up in a wheelchair. “I broke my neck in a diving accident,” I explained. “Australia Day, 1985, at the local river.” Joe stared at me in disbelief. “What hospital did they take you to?” he asked. Then he told me that he distinctly remembered sitting outside the casualty ward at the same hospital that day, when a young man was rushed past him on a trolley. He had asked the hospital staff what had happened, and their brief account of a diving accident fit my own. He had felt
so bad for the man on the trolley, he said, and had wondered how such a horrible thing could have happened to such a young person with so much to live for. What he meant, of course, was how could God have let something so horrible happen. “At the time it did seem to me and everyone else like the worst thing that ever could have happened to me,” I said, “but out of it came so much good. The best thing was that it was the beginning of a real and deep relationship with Jesus. Whatever God does, He does in love.” Joe wasn’t religious or anything, he said, but he did believe in Jesus. I then asked him if he would like to ask Jesus into his heart. He said that he would, and sincerely prayed with me to receive Jesus and His free gift of everlasting life. Good things are still coming out of my accident. • 3
By David Brandt Berg BACK IN 1913, A YOUNG MAN about 20 years of age took a walking tour in the rural province of Provence, in southern France. Provence was a rather barren and desolate area at the time, as it had been almost totally denuded of trees due to overcutting and too-intensive agriculture. The soil had then been washed away by the rains, as there were no trees to hold it in place. The whole region had become barren and dry. Little farming was being done now because of its poor condition. The villages were old and run-down, and most of the villagers had deserted the countryside. Even the wildlife had fled, as without trees the protective undergrowth had thinned, food was scarce, and few streams remained. The young hiker stopped one night at the humble cottage of a shepherd, who, although grayhaired and in his mid-fifties, was still very strong and stalwart. The young man spent the night there, enjoying the shepherd’s kind hospitality, and ended up staying several days with him. The visitor observed with some curiosity that the shepherd spent his
evening hours sorting nuts by lamplight—acorns, hazelnuts, chestnuts, and others. He very carefully examined them and culled out the bad ones, and when he finished his evening’s work, he put the good nuts in a knapsack. Then, as he led his sheep to graze the next day, he would plant the nuts along the way. While his sheep were pasturing in one area, the shepherd would take his staff, walk several paces, and then thrust the end of the staff into the ground, making a small hole. He would then drop in one of his nuts, and use his foot to cover it over with earth. Then he would walk several paces more, push his staff into the dry ground, and drop in another nut. He spent all his daylight hours walking over this region of Provence as he grazed his sheep, each day covering a different area where there were few trees, planting nuts. Watching this, the young man wondered what in the world this shepherd was trying to do, and he finally asked him. “Well, young man,” the shepherd replied, “I’m planting trees.” “But why?” the young visitor asked. “It will be years and years
Change your life, your home, your family, and you’ve changed a whole world— your world!
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before these trees ever get to where they could do you any good! You might not even live long enough to see them grow!” The shepherd replied, “Yes, but some day they’ll do somebody some good and they’ll help to restore this dry land. I may never see it, but perhaps my children will.” The young man marveled at the shepherd’s foresight, vision, and unselfishness, that he was willing to prepare the land for future generations, even though he might never see the results or reap the benefits himself. Twenty years later, when in his forties, the hiker once again visited this same area and was astounded at what he saw. One great valley was completely covered with a beautiful natural forest of all kinds of trees. They were young trees, of course, but trees nevertheless. Life had sprung forth all over the valley! The grass had grown much greener, the shrubbery and the wildlife had returned, the soil was moist again, and the farmers were again cultivating their crops. He wondered what had happened to the old shepherd, and to his amazement found that he was
THE
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still alive, hale and hearty, still living in his little cottage—and still sorting his nuts each evening. The visitor then learned that a delegation from the French Parliament had come down from Paris recently to see this new forest of trees, which to them looked like a miraculous new natural forest. They learned that it had, over the years, been planted by this one shepherd, who day by day as he was watching his sheep, diligently planted nuts. As a result, the whole valley was covered with beautiful young trees and underbrush. The delegation was so impressed and grateful to this shepherd for having reforested this entire area single-handedly, that they persuaded Parliament to give him a special pension. The visitor said he was amazed at the change, not only in the beautiful trees, but also in the revived agriculture, the renewed wildlife, and the beautiful lush grass and shrubbery. The little farms were thriving, and the villages seemed to have come to life again. What a contrast from when he had visited there 20 years before, when the villages had been run-down and abandoned!
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Now all was thriving, just because of one man’s foresight, one man’s diligence, one man’s patience, one man’s sacrifice, one man’s faithfulness just to do what one man could do, day by day, day in and day out for a number of years. So if you’re sometimes discouraged with the world the way it is, don’t give up! We read that great empires and governments, armies and wars change the course of history and the face of the earth, so sometimes we’re discouraged and think, “Well, who am I? What can I do? It all seems so hopeless and impossible! It looks like there’s nothing that one person can do to change things for the better, so what’s the use of trying?” But as proven by this humble shepherd, over a period of years one man can change the world! You may not be able to change the whole world, but you can change your part of the world. You can start with your own heart, your own mind, your own spirit, your own life, through receiving Jesus into your life and reading His Word and putting its principles into practice in your life. Change your life, your home, your family, and you’ve changed a whole world—your world! Then you and your little family can start trying to change your neighbors and friends and the people you come in contact with from day to day. You can make a special effort to reach lonely, hungry, needy hearts who are seeking love, seeking truth, seeking they know not what, but seeking happiness—desperately seeking to satisfy their yearning hearts that are so empty and barren and desolate for lack of the water of the Word and the warm love of God. You can start individually, personally, just you or your little family, 6
planting seeds, one by one, in heart after heart, day by day, by doing loving deeds for others, as well as telling them about Jesus. You could also give or recommend Christian materials to those you meet, to help them understand God’s Word. Patiently plant the seeds of the truth of God’s Word into that empty hole of an empty heart, then cover it with God’s love, and trust the great, warm, loving sunshine of His Spirit and the water of His Word to bring forth the miracle of new life. It may seem only a tiny little bud at first, just a little sprig, just one insignificant little green shoot. What is that to the forest that’s needed? Well, it’s a beginning. It’s the beginning of the miracle of new life, and it will thrive and grow and flourish and become great and strong, a whole new “tree,” a whole new life, and maybe a whole new world! So why not try it? If you’re faithful to plant seeds of God’s love, like the old shepherd that the government rewarded for his efforts, God is going to reward you one of these days when you finally come to your reward! He’s going to say, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25:21). You can change the world! Start today! Change your own life, change your family, change your home, change your neighbors, change your town, change your country. Change the world! •
Our main purpose in life, as Martin Luther said, is to love God and enjoy Him forever! And I might add, to help others to do the same by telling them of God’s love.
(Excerpted from David Brandt Berg’s original article by the same title. The full article, along with others on a variety of themes, are published in a book titled Dare to be Different. See enclosure for details.) activated issue 5
your new life of love
SHARING GOD’S LOVE WITH OTHERS!
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REGARDLESS OF NATIONALITY, COUNTRY, COLOR, OR CREED, the heart of mankind is the same the world over, and his heartaches, sorrows, sins, pains, and fear of death are the same. His longings, loves and hunger for God and His truth, for joy and happiness and peace of mind, are God-created and the same in men the world over. Even though many folks are seeking genuine love, they seldom, if ever, find it—for there are so few of God’s people who are willing to show them His real love. As Jesus said, “The harvest [those who need God’s love] truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:37–38). Will you heed His call to labor in His harvest? Will you give people a chance to know Jesus in a personal way and to obtain free passage to Heaven in the afterlife through accepting Him into their hearts? Telling others about Jesus, explaining God’s plan of salvation to them, is known as “witnessing.” Just as children grow up and have children of their own, the born-again child of God should grow up to bear spiritual children—more saved souls for God’s Kingdom. This is the most important and satisfying job in the whole world—helping others find God’s love and salvation in Jesus! (See Mark 16:15.) You can start by telling your friends and family about the change that has taken place in your life since you asked Jesus into your heart and started reading His Word. Encourage them to receive Him too, and help them discover the wonderful truths in His Word. And don’t forget to be an example of God’s love by being understanding, loving, and giving to others—those you know, and those you don’t! God will greatly bless, inspire, and reward you as you step out and share His love with others and tell them how they can find a happy new life in Jesus! •
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EACH OF US WHO HAS ANSWERED Jesus’ call to follow His example and bring His light to others is engaged in a war of the worlds. We are fighting together for our faith, for truth, and for freedom. Freedom from want, freedom from bondage, freedom from pain, free-
dom from evil and freedom from fear—these are some of our common goals. Mankind cannot be happy when suffering from hunger, malnutrition, disease and ill health. Mankind cannot be fulfilled when enslaved by oppression and tyranny, or overworked and exploited. Mankind cannot be satisfied when suffering from the horrors of war and constant strife and the nightmares of perpetual fearful insecurity. We believe that all of these evils are caused by people’s lack of love for God and each other, and their 8
By David Brandt Berg
A call to action for all those who truly wish to change the world!
defiance of His laws of love and faith and peace and harmony. These laws are basic to the faith of every true believer in God and His love. Ours is a war of the spirit, in faith and love, to win the minds and hearts and to save the souls of men. Ours is a war to free men from the evils of the spirit and mind and heart which cause them to be selfish, unloving and cruel to each other. Man has little knowledge of the love, faith and power of God, or of the loving laws that God designed for our eternal happiness. Ours is a war to free men’s minds and hearts and spirits from the bondage of evil and the soul-slavery of the Devil, which bring misery upon us. Ours is a war between good and evil, God and the Devil, goodness and wickedness, love and hate, life and death, joy and misery. Ours is a war of the universe between the good spirits of Heaven and the evil spirits of Hell, which are contending for our souls as well as our bodies, not only on this earth but also in the world of the spirit. We must free people from fear with faith; we must free them from
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hatred with love; we must free them from sorrow with joy; we must free them from war with peace; we must free them from poverty with plenty; and we must free them from death with eternal heavenly happiness! We must inspire people to believe in God and His love and His plan for the glorious future of mankind in the soon-to-come kingdom of God on earth, run by the righteous, in which there shall soon be no more sorrow nor crying nor pain nor death, but all shall be light and health and happiness and peace and plenty for everyone. (See Revelation 21:1–4.) We must teach people the loving, life-giving Word of God, the Bible, that they might have His life and love and happiness forever. Mighty empires of the sword have come and gone, but His words of love and life endure and continue to give joy and peace and love and life and hope to billions for generations. Alexander, Caesar, Genghis Khan, Napoleon and others like them have come and gone, but the words and ideas of the prophets of God live on forever. The Word of God knows no boundaries, no nation, no race, no empire. Neither is it bound by time or space, nor limited by people or war or force of arms. It embraces all mankind and unites their minds and hearts and spirits in faith and love of God and each other for the good of all. We cannot change the world without changing people’s minds,
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The Word of God knows no boundaries, no nation, no race, no empire. Neither is it bound by time or space, nor limited by people or war or force of arms.
and we cannot change their minds unless we change their hearts, and we cannot change their hearts without the inspiration of God’s Spirit to save them, body and soul. We must work to save the entire person, not merely their body and their environment. No one will ever be happy with a heavy heart, a troubled mind, a discouraged spirit and an unsaved soul. We must work to save the whole person, not just part of them. We must work to save the whole world, not just part of it. We must work to save people for eternity, not just for this present time. Only the power and life and light and love and Words of God can do this. We must tell everyone, even though not all will listen or respond nor be saved. We owe the message of God and His life of love to everybody. Feed the hungry, give sight to those who long for light, and love the unloved now. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but [God’s] Words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35 NIV).—So use them and spread them and His love in word and deed and by every means at your command, to give people light and hope and life and love and peace and plenty and contentment and heavenly happiness forever! You are no fool to give a life you cannot keep for a love you will never lose! • (The above was excerpted from David Brandt Berg’s article by the same title.)
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The “mark of the beast”! “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666” (Revelation 13:16–18).
THIS PROPHECY IS TRULY REMARKABLE.
Think about it: Nearly 2,000 years ago the apostle John, who prior to meeting Jesus had been a simple fisherman, predicts that a global economic system will one day be instituted in which everyone will be forced to receive a number, without which they will not be able to buy or sell. It is only since the advent of computers and electronic banking that this prophecy could be fulfilled. There are currently a number of methods commonly used for purchasing items. You can use cash, you can write a check, or you can use a credit or debit card. Another means of transferring money that is already being used in various countries, and is being promoted in many others, is the smart card. These look like an ordinary credit card, but there’s a big difference: They have a tiny computer chip embedded in their plastic. These electronic marvels not only give you instant access to your bank account, but they can also contain all your passport information, your medical record, driver’s license, photographs, welfare eligibility, and all sorts of other data.
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Over 90 million health smart cards are in use in France, Canada, Germany and Britain today. We are well on the way to eliminating cash. Advocates of a cashless society have many compelling reasons why. A primary one is that cash is the mother’s milk of drug smugglers, who often deal in cash a suitcase-full at a time. With no cash, the sale of illegal drugs would be greatly hampered. In fact, law enforcement agencies say that to eliminate cash would eliminate most kinds of criminal activity.
Your Own Personal Microchip Implant Before cash, checks and credit cards can be phased out completely, an absolutely foolproof identification system must be developed and implemented. Retailers must be sure that the person presenting a card for a transaction is actually the owner of that card. A cheap and workable solution would be to take a chip similar to those used in smart cards and place it under your skin. Once the chip is implanted it could be read by an inexpensive scanner, much like the
A cheap and workable solution would be to take a chip similar to those used in smart cards and place it under your skin. activated issue 5
There will be more to accepting the "mark of the Beast" than merely an economic decision.
one that reads bar codes in your local grocery store. You would then become your own smart card—and the very [difficult and] expensive problem of making sure the owner of the card is who he says he is, has been solved! A global cashless society is in the making. Fiber optics, satellites and computer databases have the potential to control the world in a way that boggles the imagination. The governments of Australia, Israel, Singapore and Thailand are pursuing policies to eliminate cash and checks, while many other countries are testing various methods of doing business without currency. For the first time, the hi-tech means of fulfilling the chilling vision the apostle John received nearly two thousand years ago is here.
The Power Behind the Throne Remember, the coming world leader will demand the world’s worship not merely because he has a severe ego problem.—He will be possessed by Satan himself. “The dragon [Devil] gave the beast his power and throne and great authority” (Revelation 13:2 NIV). Satan has always wanted to be God. This is why he fell in the first place. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “How you are fallen from Heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! … For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to Heaven and rule the angels. I will take the highest throne. … I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’ But instead, you will be brought down to the pit of Hell, down to its lowest depths” (Isaiah 14:12–15 TLB).
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This is what Satan is really after when he causes his puppet, the Antichrist, to set up the coming oneworld credit system: to force the people of the world to bow down and worship him.
Watch Out for 666! So there will be more to accepting the “mark of the Beast” than merely an economic decision. Though disguised as a technological breakthrough for the betterment of society, voluntarily receiving it will primarily be a spiritual decision to accept and worship the demonic Antichrist. This is why the Bible warns, “If any man worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God. … And they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name” (Revelation 14:9–11 KJV). God would not mete out such stiff punishment for simply accepting an identification and credit mark that allows you to buy your groceries! So when you see a world government arise and its leader demands your allegiance, your loyalty and even your worship, don’t fall for it. Regardless of the economic incentives offered or the retribution that threatens those who refuse his mark and number, give your love and worship to the true God, your Creator, who loves and cares for you, and will see you through the days ahead if you put your trust in Him. • (Excerpted from The Future Foretold by Michael Roy.) 11
SREHTO DEGNAHC TAHT SEVIL lives that changed others
FOUR YEARS AFTER THE TITANIC
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went down, a young Scotsman rose in a meeting in Hamilton, Canada, and said, “I am a survivor of the Titanic. When I was drifting alone on a spar that awful night, the tide brought John Harper, also on a piece of wreck, near me. ‘Man,’ he said, ‘are you saved?’ (Meaning, ‘Do you have God’s gift of eternal salvation?’) ‘No,’ I said. ‘I am not.’ He replied, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.’ (See Acts 16:31.) The waves bore him away, but brought him back a little later. ‘Are you saved now?’ he asked. ‘No,’ I said, ‘I cannot honestly say that I am.’ He said again, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.’ A short while later he went down, and there, alone in the night with two miles of water under me, I believed. I am the last person John Harper led to receive Jesus.”
“The Word of God is not bound!” (2 Timothy 2:9, KJV)
IN 1986 WE TRAVELED to several cities in China. China’s policies toward foreigners and foreign influences were less relaxed then than they are today, so we had to be very careful when we talked to others about Jesus. One evening we saw five children performing acrobatics in the street. A family with five children is very rare in China, due to the severe penalties imposed on those who violate the country’s strict onechild-per-family policy. We sent our little girl over with a donation, and
when we saw them again the following evening, we did the same thing. A few days later, the authorities arrested us for our Christian activities. They searched our belongings, confiscated our Christian literature (except for one Gospel of John in Chinese, which they didn’t find), and told us we were under surveillance. We wanted to witness to the young acrobats and their mother, but talking openly to them would put them at risk. We prayed and the Lord showed us to write them a short letter in Chinese, saying we’d be leaving soon but hoped to see them again in Heaven. Then we explained that they could go to Heaven by praying a simple prayer, which we wrote out. Then we bought a bag of fresh crisp apples and slipped our note into it. That evening, under the watchful eye of the policeman assigned to us, we gave them the bag, along with our usual donation. The next day, as we passed the children’s mother on the street, she reached for Daniel’s hand and shook it. Concealed by that handshake was a carefully-folded note to us which went unnoticed by the policeman tailing us. We were moved to tears when we later read that the whole family had prayed the salvation prayer. Two days before we left China, we managed to give our tail the slip and met with the whole family in their one-room home to give them the Gospel of John which the authorities had missed the night we were arrested. “We have seen God’s love in your care for us,” they said. —Daniel and Joan, Taiwan activated issue 5
Here are some tips to help you get started as you witness, or talk to others about Jesus:
Ask questions! How are you going to find out who the person you’re witnessing to is, or anything about them at all, unless you ask questions? You’re like a soul doctor and therefore need to gently probe to find out what their problems are. Would you like to receive Jesus?
Wonder Working Witnessing ONE OF THE MOST SATISFYING EXPERIENCES you can ever have in life, after finding the love of Jesus, is to turn around and pass that same love on to your family, friends, loved ones, neighbors, business associates, and even strangers. Souls, not diamonds, are forever! Soul-winning (helping people to accept God’s eternal gift of salvation through Jesus) has the biggest payoffs and the highest profits of any business in the world—eternal dividends, eternal profits! Even if you never accomplished anything else but won one soul for the Lord, when you got to Heaven and saw that person there, you would be overjoyed and feel that it was worth it all. And they would be thankful to you for all eternity that you told them about Jesus’ love and encouraged them to receive Him. activated issue 5
Listen to the answers! The first and most important thing is to show them that you love them and are concerned and interested, and you can do this by taking time to listen. All some people need is for somebody to listen, somebody to pour their hearts out to, even if it takes an hour or all night. So that’s half the job of being a witness—being a good listener.
Give God’s answers! Let them do most of the talking until finally something is said that turns the knob that opens the door for you to witness and give them God’s answers to their problems—and the main one, of course, is accepting the Lord.
Get a decision! No matter how good or poor your witness was, or how receptive you think they’ve been or haven’t been, you should always ask them to receive Jesus as their Savior. Sometimes you’ve got to take a chance, because you may never see them again and they may never get another chance. Pop the question: “Would you like to receive Jesus?” You may get a “yes” or “no” or “maybe later,” but get a decision. • Would you like to find out more about how to witness? Order “One Heart at a Time” from the Get Activated! series today! Happy witnessing! 13
Answers to your questions Q: Is there anything we can do to put the “magic” back in our marriage? FIRST OF ALL, YOU TWO ARE NOT ALONE. Many couples are head over heels in love before their wedding, but it usually isn’t long before reality sets in. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing! It’s all part of the growing process. God is drawing two lives together as one. What counts is how quickly and well you learn to work out— with love and understanding—the little problems that threaten to take the luster out of your marriage. It’s important to realize that as a marriage relationship matures, highly
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charged emotional and sexual feelings naturally give way to a calmer, more steady love that allows each partner time and space to do other things with other people, while remaining firmly attached to each other. The magic is still there, but it’s a deeper magic. It takes time, effort, and self-sacrifice to keep any marriage alive and exciting, but it’s worth it! Here are some tried and proven tips that should help put the spark back into your marriage: h Invest time, attention, and love in making your relationship work. “Let all that you do be done with love” (1 Corinthians 16:14). h Start each day with a kiss and cuddle. “Love one another fervently” (1 Peter 1:22). h Say “I love you!” often throughout the day. Put your feelings into words. h Compliment each other. Constantly tell your mate how thankful you are for them and how wonderful they are. h Set aside special times when you can be alone—just the two of you— with no work, no problems, and no kids to tend to. “That their hearts might be … knit together in love” (Colossians 2:2). h Show love and affection even when you don’t feel like it. “Love suffers long and is [still] kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4). activated issue 5
h Be sensitive to each other’s desires and needs, and try to fulfill them as much as you can. “Do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12 NIV). h Treat all disasters as incidents, and none of the incidents as disasters. “[Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7). h Share your innermost feelings with each other, but temper your honesty with wisdom to avoid hurting each other’s feelings. “Speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). h Set aside regular times to discuss your children and their upbringing, and to pray for them. “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). h Take everything—your dreams, problems, needs, and worries—to the Lord together. Pray and ask Him to work them out, according to what’s best for you. “In all your ways acknowledge Him [Jesus], and He will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:6). h Be quick to apologize and make up after arguments. “Do not let the sun go down on your wrath” (Ephesians 4:26). h Pray, read the Word, and enjoy the Lord together. God is love and the source of all love. (See 1 John 4:8.) He sees how wonderful your marriage can be, and He wants to take you there! •
Feeding Reading The Book of Acts The book of Acts chronicles the fiery witnessing, amazing miracles, and daring exploits of Jesus’ disciples after His ascension to Heaven. Following are some of the key chapters of this powerful book: The promise of the Holy Spirit Chapter 1 The miracle of Pentecost—3,000 converts! Chapter 2 The lame man healed Chapter 3 Arrested! Chapter 4 Crime and punishment Chapter 5 The first Christian martyr Chapter 7 Saul sees the light! Chapter 9 A world-changing vision Chapter 10 Jailbreak! Chapter 12 Prison shake-up sets Paul free Chapter 16 Shipwreck! Chapter 27
Coming next… The final and most mysterious book of the Bible, the book of Revelation, describes in fascinating detail soon-coming events that will lead to the end of the world as we know it—the period known as the “Last Days” or the “Endtime.” The principal characters of the Endtime drama are depicted in Revelation as a Lion, a Dragon, and a Beast. To learn more about who these three are and what changes they will bring with them, don’t miss the next issue of Activated. • activated issue 5
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Let Me love others through you Let Me use your eyes to see the needs of others. Let Me use your ears to hear the heartcries of the lost. Let Me use your tongue to pour forth My Words of love and encouragement to one who is downcast. Let Me break your heart for the multitudes of people who have not yet heard of My love. Let Me use your hands to dry the tears of those who cry, to give a pat on the back to those who are discouraged, to be a helping hand to someone who is falling by the way. Let My Word fill you to overflowing, so that you exude its warmth, its cheerfulness, its love, and its positiveness. As you let it fill your heart and mind and spirit, it will provide an aura of love around you that others will want to partake of. Give and it shall be given to you. I will pour My love upon you as you go forth to preach My Gospel, My Word, My love. Thus you will heal their hearts.
FROM JESUS WITH LOVE