Everyday Walk
Every writer in this magazine deserves the highest award, because they are giving their time for God and You. Please take the time to read these awesome articles!
Article Publisher and Editor – Faye Hanshew
Co-Publisher & Co-editor – Dr. Bill Hanshew
ARTICLES Dr. Bill Hanshew Can you Hear God Now Pastor Alice Bennett Just Do It! Dr. Dan L. Corse Where’s the Beef? Matthew Deves What’s That Sound? Bishop Frank Dupree Not Many Fathers Dave Kachele What God Sees in You Rev. Melissa Smith-Shephgerd Like a Good Neighbor – Jesus is Therre! Author/Speaker Larry Thompson More on Grace Tom Tompkins, Jr Comparing Assets & Liabilities to Blessings & Miracles TEEN WARRIORS Share God with a Friend Be All You Can Be God Girl INTERNATIONAL SECTION The Love of God GOD – Go Further Do You Believe Jesus? Do Christians REALLY Believe?
Stuart E. Smith Mikea Fulton Grace Meier
Ernest Nelson K. Nanor Leon Gosiewski
The articles in the magazine this month go along with commercials. See if you can match them up…then ask yourself, “DOES YOUR
EVERYDAY WALK INCLUDE GOD?” All of us need help from time to time with our Christian walk. Never have too much pride to ask someone to help you when you need it.
The writers of these articles have their contact information in the back part of the magazine. If you have questions about one of their articles, please feel free to contact them. In our teen section, we have some younger writers. If you enjoy their articles, please send me an email, so I can encourage them with your words! God Bless You!
Faye Hanshew
CAN YOU HEAR GOD NOW? by: Dr. Bill Hanshew Acts 13:2-4 says, “2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. 4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.” The Verizon Wireless cell phone company has an advertisement which asks the question, “Can you hear me now?” Many Christians have said that they are not aware of God having ever spoken to them. Some even say that they have never heard the voice of God. So, I am writing this article as if God were asking this question to you, “Can you hear Me now?” I believe that God wants you to know how to listen and hear His voice speaking to you. In
John 10:27, Jesus was not speaking to Christians yet He said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” The Pew Research Center (www.pewresearch.org) states that “fifty-five percent of Americans pray.” “According to the Gallup polls, roughly 95 percent of Americans say they believe in the existence of God or a higher power” (Stanford Report, April 12, 2012 – (www.news.stanford.edu). Ho wever, there seems to be little to no statistics about people who can hear God’s voice. However, in the passage found in Acts 13:2-4, as this group was praying and ministering to the Lord, the Bible says, “the Holy Spirit said.” In other words, God spoke. The congregation in Antioch was blessed with a number of prophets, preachers and teachers according to the information found in the
Message Bible of which verse 2 says, “One day as they were worshiping God – they were also fasting as they waited for guidance – the Holy Spirit spoke: “Take Barnabas and Saul and commission them for the work I have called them to do.” They heard God’s voice by way of another person speaking. Now, there are many ways to hear God speak to you. It can be through reading a book, listening to a CD or audio
download, through watching a YouTube video or even being in prayer, communicating with God. Then all of a sudden; in your silence, God speaks. God can speak to you through just about anything and at any place, event or situation you are in. And He is wanting you to hear His voice. But you might be saying, “how can I hear God?” There is a principle in the New Testament from Hebrews 2:1 (TLB) which says, “So we must listen very carefully to the truths we have heard, or we may drift away from them.” The idea here is that we need to pay attention. Also, I believe that the first rule of the Kingdom of God is exactly that, “Pay Attention.” So, when we talk to God, God always speaks to us. And sometimes, He will speak even when we are not speaking to Him. But in each scenario, it is important to listen. 1 Samuel 3:10 says, “Now the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.” This shows us that we can be positioned to hear God’s voice at all times. And John 8:32 says, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” This is one of the greatest reasons why we need to hear God’s voice. He will speak to you from the
scriptures. But He will also speak to you directly, whether through the gifts of the Spirit and using someone to speak God’s message to you. God can and will speak to you personally. In another place, we see how God says to talk to Him and He will speak. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Once again, we see how that God desires to speak to us. We can clearly see how that God wants to show us “great and mighty things” that we did not even know about before. That is the nature of our God. He loves to interact with His creation. Finally, in John 16:13 we see the relationship between Holy Spirit and you. This says, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He {Holy Spirit} will guide you into all truth; for He {Holy Spirit} will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and
He will tell you things to come.” Notice that Holy Spirit is not self–centered and is not out to promote Himself. Whatever Holy Spirit hears from the Father, He will tell you. He “will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” If there is one thing I have learned as a Christian, it is that God does not want to keep secrets from you. So, the way to hear God’s voice is to first, read the Word of God so you can gain an understanding of what His voice sounds like. Second, practice talking to Him and then third, practice being silent in a listening posture. By knowing the sound of His voice, you will begin to hear Him now. And you will never again deal with the question, “Can You Hear God Now?” …Think about it!
THE WORD
THE WORD
Just Do It.
Through “The Word,” I encourage people to exercise and practice these gifts even as they are learning about them. Waiting until you have sufficient education is like waiting to go to the gym until you are muscular
JUST DO IT.
enough. Just get in the Word, and “Just Do it!” ~The Word “JUST DO IT! There are so many times when we need to “just do it.” When you fall in love and your beloved proposes you just say, “Yes I will!” You have decided to just do it. Jesus loves us so very much. He longs to open our hearts to his love and care. Jesus says accept my love, my beloved, and trust me that I died on the cross for you. All you have to do is receive what I did for you and you will live forever with me in heaven. Sometimes that seems too easy to grasp. How could it be that easy to be saved from sin and damnation? We can feel so guilty, so dirty, and so undeserving. How could it be so simple to be washed clean? We feel we must earn our way. However, earning our way takes out our
by: Pastor Alice Bennett utter dependence on Him. Just take Him at His word. He died and shed his blood so you could be cleansed and made completely whole. Receive His love and forgiveness today. It is a free to you as a gift. “Just do it!” So many people say, when I have had my fun, then I will come to Jesus. Or they think after I overcome this habit, I will come to Jesus. These are delays that the mind comes up with to defeat us. We need Jesus as our dear friend and the lover of our soul in order to succeed in this life. No argument about the timing should stop us or delay the process by one more moment. They need to get Jesus now, “just do it.”
There are gifts of the spirit that need to exercised, once you are a Christian. These gifts are full of power and are useful in everyday life to enable us to live the life of victory. There are nine spiritual gifts mentioned in I Corinthians 12:8-10. Isn't that wonderful that Jesus wants to give you gifts! However, often people say, “When I am more prepared I will lay hands on the sick.” Or they might say, “When I have enough training then I will prophesy.” Jesus said to prophesy to encourage one another with songs and hymns, but that can seem difficult when you are new to the faith. The word of God tells us to desire to prophesy, yet most feel they
must wait until they are better prepared. One of the tricks of the enemy, satan, is to get you to postpone every stage of your walk with Jesus. Education is essential and it is very good to be prepared, but I encourage people to exercise and practice these gifts even as they are learning about them. Waiting until you have sufficient education is like waiting to go to the gym until you are muscular enough.” He said the word is in your mouth. Just start speaking out with what God is telling you, and it will encourage someone today. Just do it! Speak the word over people, and it will encourage and bless them. Jesus is always encouraging you to, “Just do it!” You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. The bible tells us that greater works than Jesus did shall you do. We are told to lay our hands on the sick and they will recover. So next time someone near you is sick, practice laying your hands on them for a healing. Trust Jesus to perform His word as you just do it! Another area I see that people wait too long for is to hear the voice of the Lord. Many long to hear the voice of our savior once they have accepted him. They crave it and look to others who hear from him well. They need to understand the concept that they only have
to take that step of faith. They must believe that he speaks to us. The scripture says my sheep hear my voice. They have to “just do it” by actively listening with belief and hope, trusting that he will be true to his promise and that they will hear him. What a joy it is when someone first starts to jump out with faith and comes running up to tell me that they heard from the Lord. This is a beginning of a fresh new way of living. They at this point have their whole life changed to a life guided by His written and spoken word. They can get fresh direction for every situation. They can apply what they are hearing, compare it to their Bible and if it is scriptural they can know it is from Jesus. This brings intimacy with Jesus to a completely different level. This involves Jesus in every area of our life that we are willing to talk to him about, especially when we are willing to listen for the answers. He said he gave us the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. Let's not live our life without the guidance of His Spirit or His guidebook. Find out what He is saying and Do It! People always seem to wait on witnessing. It is another area often postponed. It can be easy to procrastinate because it can be frightening to tell others about your faith. One day I decided to “just do it” and talk about Jesus to my most
resistant uncle. I had been warned for years about his anger toward Christians and his intellectual argument against the faith. I was intimidated after decades of warnings, so I tried to be clever and talk to his wife in front of him, mentioning the love of Jesus and his care for all of us, going on and on about how much Jesus wants to be our friend and care for us. I assumed she was a Christian. Later when I received a phone call they were both shouting, “We got saved, Alice! We wanted to tell you first!” It was then that I found out that he and his wife both got saved. I was trying to reach my uncle not realizing that my aunt did not know Christ either! God honored my attempt to “just do it” even when my witnessing plan was not accurate. He can bless all of our efforts if we “just do it!”
JUST DO IT.
“For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly awaits for the revealing of the sons of God.” Romans 8:19
Flesh or by: Dr. Dan L. Corse “The reason the world is not seeing Jesus is that Christian people are not filled with Jesus. They are satisfied with attending meetings weekly, and reading the Bible occasionally, and praying sometimes. It is an awful thing for me to see people who profess to be Christians lifeless, powerless, and in a place where their lives are so parallel to unbelievers’ lives that it is difficult to tell which place they are in, whether in the flesh or in the Spirit.” – attributed to Smith Wigglesworth Over three decades ago, Wendy’s launched a television commercial that queried, “Where’s the beef?” The goal of the ad was to compare the ample beef serving provided on Wendy’s burgers with the lesser servings found on those of its competitors, McDonald’s and Burger King.
However, as they sometimes do, Wendy’s ad transcended the burger wars. “Where’s the beef?” became a catchphrase in the United States and Canada, used much in the same way that the older idiom, “put up or shut up,” had been used. Asking “Where’s the beef?” came to universally signify a desire for the proof of what was purported or supposed to be true. Fast forward to the second decade of the 21st century. Particularly, do so with a universal focus on the body of Christ, the Church, recognizing that the Church has been called, individually and corporately, to “love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind” (Mar. 12:30, NKJ) and to do be holy as He is holy (1 Pet. 1:15-16). Remaining focused on those two
admonitions as to what the contemporary Church is to be, let us ask the question, “Where’s the beef?” In answering the question let us first be fair, as there are upon this planet many individuals, local bodies, and ministries that are doing outstanding work for the kingdom of God. However, that cannot be universally said of the Church. In fact, Christ’s criticisms of two churches in the book of Revelation are quite evident in much of the Church today. Those critiques identified: the church at Ephesus to be a church that had lost its first love (Rev. 2:1-7) and Thyatira to be an immoral church (Rev. 2:1829). Let us first compare the modern Church to Ephesus. Ephesus was a very large body located in a principal port city on the coast of
Asia Minor. The Apostle Paul spent much time there, and his protégé, Timothy, there did pastoral work. Being well-taught, it was doctrinally sound. Believers in Ephesus labored and persevered. Evil was not tolerated. False leaders were rejected. Those were all very good things and can be said of some of the modern Church. However, like Ephesus, much of the contemporary Church has lost its first love. Rather than loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind, we sometimes merely go through the motions of doing so. Doctrinally, we may say the right things, but many of us have lost our fervency for Christ. Where so, like those at Ephesus, we need to heed Christ’s admonition, “Remember from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works” (Rev. 2:5, NKJ). From where we have fallen is a fervent love for our Savior. Repentance speaks of a change of mind followed by a change of direction or actions. Doing “the first works” speaks of the fruit that emanates from an ardent love for Christ. Let us next compare the modern Church to Thyatira. Like Thyatira, much of the contemporary Church embraces immorality. Many speak of how grace covers our sins, but fail to consider Paul’s response to the question, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” (Rom. 6:1, NKJ). His response was not tepid, but forceful,
“Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” Furthermore, Titus 2:11-12 (NKJ) says of His grace, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age.” Such grace does not instruct us that our sinning does not matter. The counsel of those who insist that our sinning is irrelevant related to grace, if followed, is yet one more reason the modern Church is deprived of spiritual vitality and lacks “the beef.” For those of us wanting to correct this being so, 2 Timothy 2:19-21 (NKJ) provides sound advice: “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal; ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.’ But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” It is our choice whether we depart from iniquity or not; it is our choice whether we are vessels for
honor or dishonor. Choosing to depart from iniquity, we insure that we are receptacles for distinction, “prepared for every good work.” Doing so, we assure that we are not salt which has lost it flavor and that our lives provide proof of “the beef” in the body of Christ, the Church. We have briefly considered two significant reasons for the modern Church often lacking “the beef,” a diminished love for Christ and immorality. A myriad of other determinants also exists, impetuses too numerous to consider within the confines of this study. However, the two we examined stand as great starting points for those of us who are troubled by the lack of “beef” currently found in the Church. Starting with and addressing them in a godly manner, the contemporary Church could be well on its way to greater spiritual vitality. Doing so, we will respond to the cry of Romans 8:19 (NKJ), “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly awaits for the revealing of the sons of God.” Doing so, we will provide a credible answer to the question of critics, querying related to the Church, “Where’s the beef?”
WHAT’S THAT SOUND? ~ God FACE TO FACE WITH GOD
by: Matthew Deves What is the last song that got stuck in your head? How about that jingle from your favorite TV show opening? Why do those notes get trapped in your skull so easily?
result that it is in our mind’s eye, that which we gazed upon as a spectacle, and our hands handled with a view to investigation, that which is concerning the Word of the life…" Wuest Translation of First John 1:1
Jesus' friend, John, wrote about a sound that kept looping in his head for over six decades.
You are wired for sound. Your brain is keenly designed to respond to One Voice more than all the other noises. John called this Voice The "Word of Life."
He wrote, "That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard with the present result that it is ringing in our ears, that which we have discerningly seen with our eyes with the present
To go back to the very beginning is to find the Word already present there; face to face with God. The Word is I am; God’s eloquence echoes
and concludes in him. The Word equals God. Mirror Bible John 1:1 In his notes, Kenneth Wuest explains why our beloved John called Jesus by this name. "The word logos (word), is John’s particular designation of our Lord. Logos comes from legō, "to
speak," and refers to the total concept of something. Our Lord is the logos of God in the sense that He is the total concept of God seen through a human medium, His humanity consisting of His human body, His human limitations, and His human life lived on earth in the power of the Holy Spirit." Did you catch that? Jesus is the total concept of God in human form. John was reassuring the people of the first century that the Voice of Jesus was real and human. More than that, He was The Word of Life made flesh. Is the Voice of the Authentic getting louder in your ears? You might be tempted to say, "That's good for John but what about me?" Do these comments apply to 2017? Jesus, the Word of Life, reverberates through each century up to your current scene, and John was very careful to use the words that prove it. “We heard Him with our ears.” Wuest expounds on the fact that the word for the verb
"heard" is in the perfect tense, which tense, in Greek, refers to a process completed in past time having present results. He says, "...Had John desired merely to refer to the fact of hearing the Lord, he would have used the aorist tense in Greek, which tense refers to the fact of an action without referring to its details such as completeness or incompleteness, whether it was an instantaneous act or a process. John wanted YOU to know this. Wuest continues to clarify by saying, "The fact that he goes out of his way to use another tense than the aorist indicates that he wishes to stress the details of the action. The first thing he tells us by the use of this tense is that his hearing the Lord speak was not confined to one single occasion, but that he heard Him speak at repeated intervals and length. The impressions his auditory nerves received were correct, for he heard His voice over and over again." The Voice of Jesus, The Word, echoing throughout the centuries at repeated
intervals having present results of completeness. This loop of sound waves running in your head all originated when God spoke the universe into existence. You can hear it. Our ears are fine tuned to echo the voice of likeness that resonates within us. We are acquainted with the articulate detail of the authentic language of our origin. 2 Corinthians 10:6 Mirror Bible Your Genesis was literally on the tip of His tongue. His plan was for you was to hear this message continually. The sound of “completeness in Christ” should be ringing in your ears loud and clear today!
Your brain is keenly designed to respond to One Voice more than all the other noises
The Lord gave Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers – Ephesians 4:11-16
FATHER
KNOWS BEST
By: Apostle Frank Dupree
NOT MANY FATHERS In the Ezekiel chapter 37, the Prophet has a vision of a valley of dry bones. One of the outstanding verses is in this chapter is verse 11 “Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.” The sense of this verse is that the entire “House” of Israel is divided and all the parts are separated from each other. Just as Israel
was a “House” the Word of God calls the Body of Christ spiritual “House” also (1 Peter 2:5). I believe that the Word of the Lord to Ezekiel was not applicable to the “House” of the Lord in his day but that it is a prophetic word to the “House” of the Lord, the Body of Christ, today also. We are today, in many ways, in the same condition that Israel was in then. There is a great deal of
division and separation in the Church today. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit writes in Ephesians 4:11-16 that the Lord gave “Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the saints… for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure
of the stature of the fullness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” (italics mine). Paul tells us that the work of the Fivefold Ministry is to “perfect the saints” and then he tells us the result will be the body of Christ no longer blown around by every new doctrine or teaching that comes along but will be united in the faith and it will begin to finally measure up to the “full stature” of Jesus. He also informs us that this will result from the body being fitly framed and joined together just like the bones in Ezekiel’s vision were joined together forming a great army.
When we look at the Church, the body of Christ we see an immature child who has not yet grown up. The Church today shows its immaturity through its “dis-unity”. With all the ministry that takes place in the world today why has the body of Christ not come into this unity? I believe that the answer is in the simple fact that we lack mature ministers in the Church today. We have plenty of Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers but they demonstrate their immaturity as they build up their ministries and popularity instead of working together to equip and edify the body of Christ. Paul also addressed this problem in 1 Corinthians 4:15, 16 “For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers… Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.” The Church does not need ministers who duplicate disciples who are just as immature and self-centered as they are! We need Fathers who care for the saints more than they do for their “ministry”. We need Fathers who fitly frame the saints together and lead them into the “unity of the faith” rather
than just cloning others and filling up their particular denomination, movement or stream. My heart is burning within me to raise up “Sons” who will “follow me” and build up others rather than their television, radio or book ministry! Will Ministers ever get it together so the Church can build itself up? Looking at the present set of circumstances the outlook is bleak. But, Jesus said that He would build His Church, not somebody’s church or Ministry, and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it. With faith in Him and in His Word I can boldly declare to you right now that there will arise out of this present day Church a people who will be united and not divided. As Daniel said in 11:32 there will arise a people who know their God and they shall be strong, and do exploits. How will this happen? God asked a similar question in verse 3 when he said: “can these bones live?” They did live because Ezekiel believed the Word of the Lord and prophesied to them! Therefore, I prophesy to you today that God will, through mature Fathers equip, edify and unite His Church. There
will be a lot of shaking in the body of Christ at bones begin to rattle all over searching another bone to be joined to and again, mature Fathers in the faith will find them and fitly frame them together! Many prominent ministries are going to go through a time of shaking but during these times bone will find bone. People will find out where they are supposed to be in order to start to fulfill their destinies. I also prophesy that once the Lord is satisfied that His people have come together in love, have been equipped and edified and are walking in unity He will begin to “blow upon them” with the breath of His Spirit and He will bring “new life” to this people. Many people today think that the “time of refreshing” we are experiencing will accomplish what I am talking about but it is just a prelude to
it. It is actually being used more to cause the discomfort necessary for the bones to start “shaking and rattling” and searching for their place in the body of Christ. It will not be long before there is a great army of people who are totally dissatisfied with the current status of the Church and they will be ready to leave their denominations, movements and streams in order to come into the “river” of God. When this happens there will arise a great army of believers who are sold out to the Lord and led by mature Fathers in ministry who help them find their place so they stand up ready to do the work of the Lord! We have in the Church today 10,000 instructors just like in the days of Paul. They teach and preach their favorite doctrines and build their little kingdoms. Fathers are few and hard to find but look up… you can hear the Voice of our
Heavenly Father resounding in the voices of those who He is raising up as true “Spiritual Fathers” in the land today. When you hear them, they speak of the unity of the faith. They do not bring messages that divide but words that cause their sons to “grow up into Him in all things, which is the Head, even Christ. From whom the whole body, fitly framed and joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” God will have a United Church. It is His Son’s Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it but of its increase there shall be no end.
What God Sees In YOU! Evangelist Dave Kachele
So, how do you fill in the blank? “In me, God sees _________________________________________.” Alright, who said, “EVERYTHING!”? No fair! In this short article, I want to get deeper than a pat answer. Most of us, if we were asked to list our qualities and our faults, would reach for a legal pad for our negatives, and a sticky note for our positives! After all, the Bible says to not think of ourselves more highly than we ought. (Romans 12:3) But the same passage says to think of ourselves with sound judgment. Can we read between the lines and say that we shouldn’t think of ourselves more lowly than we ought also? From what, who, and/or where do I get my value? What or who defines me? How do I measure up when I compare myself to _________? “I wish I could _______________________ like that!” We listen to voices from without and within and end up thinking of ourselves too highly, or more often, too lowly. But, what does God say? How does He feel about me? Friends, most of you, if
not all, doctrinally know the answer to that question. But do you know deep in your knower what He thinks? What messages are we accepting? “You need to get rid of wrinkles, age spots, acne, frizzy hair, straight hair, …. “How can I look taller, shorter, slimmer …?” “You need some meat on your bones!” “Well, you messed up again!” “You need this car, that house, this husband, that wife, that much money … fame ….” “Man, I keep committing the same sin over and over again!” “I’m not a very good Christian!” “If you were a real Christian, ______________________________.” “I’m so low that if I sat on a dime, my feet would dangle!” How about the flip side for the few of us that are there? “I’m better than she/he is!” “He/she is just a dumb liberal … conservative!” “I’ve been through the school of hard knocks! Let me tell you ____________________!” “You’re much prettier, smarter, stronger, better educated, … than _______________!” “Don’t worry about it! God will forgive you. Just do it!” “THINK WITH SOUND JUDGMENT.” Value: “You were not redeemed with perishable things like silver and gold, … but with the precious blood of Christ.” (1 Pt. 1:18-19) GOD SAYS YOU ARE VALUABLE BEYOND MEASURE! Sin: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.” (1 Jn. 1:9) “THERE IS THEREFORE NOW NO CONDEMNATION …” (Rom. 8:1) Comparisons: You all know what a dead end this is! “Thinking too highly of myself” leads to arrogance. “Thinking too lowly” is rebellion. If you accept a different voice, too high or too low, than God’s Voice, you are placing that voice above God’s! Here’s where I’ll land this plane: Thinking too highly of ourselves … too lowly? It’s all part of the old sin nature. Your enemy will do whatever it takes to render you ineffective and unfruitful in your life of following Jesus. He will pat you on the back one minute and body slam you the next! So, as I love to say, “IT’S TIME TO DO SOME DEVIL BUTT KICKIN’!”
“God Is Like Tide Soap; He Gets the Stains Out that the Others Leave Behind!”
“I urge you therefore, Brothers and Sisters, BY THE MERCIES OF GOD, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, ACCEPTABLE TO GOD, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom. 12:12) When you fully and deeply receive your value in Christ, there’s no need for comparisons, putting down or lifting up. So, if you are still with me, pause for a moment. Take a deep breath. Drink deeply of the Living Water. Calmly, deliberately, eat the Living Bread. Soak in the love of God. … Selah One more thing. If you are that precious to God, so is THAT gal; THAT guy. You are free to love like Jesus does. You are feeding the spring so that the Living Water can flow. The love of Jesus flows into you and overflows out to a dry, thirsty, and hungry world: you neighbor, relative, coworker, …. Do you want to be an effective and fruitful witness of Jesus? Would you like to win and grow a disciple this year? Begin by agreeing with God: You are PRECIOUS because He says so!
LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR JESUS IS
THERE
1-800-CALL-GOD by: Rev. Melissa Smith-Shepherd What is a good neighbor? A good neighbor is helpful, supportive and trustworthy. They are not seeking to harm you or your family. You have a feeling of comfort and stability knowing that you have a good person as a neighbor. In times of trouble or joy, they are there. When you want to be close or need your space, they are there. They help watch over your place and warn you if there are dangers or dangerous people nearby. When you spend time with them, or their family, they teach you about themselves and their ways or traditions. They see when things are becoming a struggle for you and offer their help. Sometimes they just pop in to say hello and that they care for
you. There are also times that they need to be with you, for your love and support, or perhaps to ask for a prayer. Jesus is just like that for us, his dear brethren, his followers. He is ever ready to help and support, to teach, and be there for us. Just like that good neighbor, Jesus is there! Yet Jesus is so much more than a neighbor to us. He loves and cares so deeply for each one of us. He is making intercession for us every day. He sent the Holy Spirit to do miracles in our lives and through our lives. He desires for us to be blessed, strong, healthy and full of His Holy Spirit. He gave his own life and blood for us to be able to come to the Father, and to be
able to have close relationship and fellowship with Him. Jesus wants to share Himself with us, to help us learn of the ways of God, and learn to walk in the Holy Spirit and be in unity with Him. John 17:11
Jesus taught us to love our neighbors as ourselves, or as much as we love and care for ourselves. God made us to be in communities with neighbors, because it is through people that God’s Spirit moves and lives. When we love our neighbors, family, church members, or others, we are allowing God to flow through us. It is His love that is being expressed through us, His children. The world does not love, it takes, it manipulates, it dominates, it uses and destroys. John 13:34-35 34 A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. In the Kingdom of God, we reap what we sow and it is important to sow love and kindness to those around us. Everything we do is a seed, and will produce after its kind. Every thought, prayer, word, deed or action is inspired by either the Lord or the enemy of the Lord. We can actively choose what we will do, think and say in this life, we have free will. We will be prompted to do good to others by the Lord, and it is important to do the things God prompts us to do because He is glorified when we do good and walk in love and help others.
The enemy of the Lord wants to operate through mankind also, and is the one who tries to prompt people to do harm to others, or to be selfish and resist the promptings of the Lord. The evil one is glorified when he can get people to do evil to others, especially if he can get Christians to do evil to others. We have to be wise and discerning and realize when the evil one is tempting us to go against God’s direction and Word. The evil one even tried to tempt Jesus to do his will instead of walking out God’s plan. Thank God, that Jesus stood strong and resisted and stayed faithful to God’s plans and God’s Word. Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit to help and strengthen us to walk with God and yield only to His Spirit. There is great reward when we yield to the Lord’s plans and allow Him to manifest the fruit of the Holy Spirit through us. If we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the works of the flesh. Galatians 5:19-23 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 idolatry, witchcraft (pharmakeia), hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, 21 seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of
God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. When we walk in the Spirit, or allow the fruit of the Spirit or the gifts of the Spirit to operate in us, it is evidence that we are God’s, that He is in us and that we are His joint heirs with Jesus. Romans 8:1-6,14-17 8 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, . 16 The
beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and jointheirs with Christ;
Learn to listen and yield to the love promptings of the Holy Spirit and you can learn to love your neighbor and be a good neighbor to all that are in your life or that cross your path. Be there for people, be a source of
life and help. Glorify God and Jesus by letting the Holy Spirit show you how to be like Jesus. Like a good neighbor, Jesus is there!
By: Author/Speaker Larry Thompson More on Grace‌ The Holy Spirit has revealed to us that all authority in heaven and earth have been given to Jesus. This authority has been given to us, but the wisdom of operating in that authority has not been completely understood as yet. We have the ability to practice working with the Holy Spirit's leading in our lives to engage this authority. We can prove the Spirit's wisdom being conveyed to us by the Heavenly Father. He does not allow anything to manifest around us, that He has not personally developed
and trained us already to walk in. You may recall the story of Jonah, how he was told to go preach the word to Nineveh. You should note that Jonah was not completely yielded to that idea of going to the city. However, God had already called him, and appointed him for this very specific task. We know the results, Jonah preached to the city and their impending doom quickly arrested their attention and the whole city
repented. That whole city was changed in a day. Some biblical scholars have
indicated that this city population was anywhere from 150,000 to possibly as much as 600,000 people. That working of the Spirit through the prophet Jonah, took place under the Old Covenant. We have a better covenant and better promises, operating with greater glory. Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights. This is exactly what Jesus declared about Himself, "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:40 NKJV). However, we know that the glory of the Father raised Jesus from the grave. It might get missed if we did not have any understanding over the significance when comparing this shadow or type—which was the glory raised Jonah out of the fish as well. Jesus was crowned with glory after being raised from the dead. One of the manifestations of the glory that we can recognize from Jonah, is that the whole city was transformed in a day by the glory of the Father. What is true with Jonah, is also true with Jesus. Can a nation be born in a day? We have more
evidence now, knowing what glory was manifested through Jonah, after being in the belly of the fish. The glory that is manifested through the body of Christ, being greater, can transform a nation in a day. Do you believe this? The Holy Spirit will place us in specific realms that we begin experiencing greater authority than we have ever known before, just from acting on His wisdom concerning His glory. You will note that Jesus is the Tree of Life, and spoke these words, "Either believe the words that I say, or believe the works I do." Those are the two branches coming from the Tree of Life. You will be able to track this in your own thinking, by understanding that this is what was described about the Father in Isaiah—His thoughts and His ways. And again, the comparison of Christ in the way He is manifested by what is written, "...Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (I Corinthians 1:24 NKJV). What insightful revelation do we get from Jesus when He declared the kind of conditions we would see in the last days? Most times I
think it is assumed that because Jesus spoke prophetically what would take place in these times that there is nothing we can do about it. If you will allow this image to capture your imagination, Jesus is stating clearly what He was picking up on His radar screen. No matter how many images that He was seeing on the horizon on that radar screen, He is still the Lord of glory having all authority in heaven and earth. It does not mean that the Captain of your ship can not do anything about the enemy. It is the Father's protection and desire to prepare us in advance, so that we have total confidence in His word, and in His glory within us. We should be much higher in our understanding of the Father's ways than the prophet from old in Nineveh. Jonah was being fine-tuned by the Father to declare His word. He was also aware of the tremendous effect that the word would have on all those citizens of that ancient city. Now with the words of Jesus in our mouth, and the wisdom of the Father, and the Spirit's leading we should expect greater works than this Old Covenant prophet. Our
imaginations should be totally set free to come into alignment with the Father's wisdom, "Can a nation be born in a day?" You are strictly His that have been bought with a price. The blood that was shed to pay a price that could not have been paid by any other; Jesus, willingly became your substitute. He prayed for you directly, so that you have received this wisdom of His glory restored now for all generations. This word which
is the very life of Christ filling your soul, has first become quickened by the Holy Spirit within your own spirit. You received a new nature, a new spirit, and you also received the Holy Spirit when you called on that Name, which has power above all other names. The name of Jesus gives you authority and power to become a child of the living God. The Father of glory empowered you with His life,
the very life of His glory, and now through you awakening His glory throughout the entire body of Christ. In the same way that Christ had been raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, you too, are being raised up to your rightful place in His kingdom. You were asleep, you were not yet activated and empowered by His living word. One word from the Father of glory gave you life. 'In Him was life, and the life was the light of men' as the Scripture has stated.
by: Tom Tompkins, Jr. If I were to ask you if you wanted to live a life that is dependent upon blessings or miracles, which would you choose? Would you choose both blessings and miracles? Do you know that there is a difference between a blessing and a miracle? What if I were to ask you about the difference between an asset and a liability? How would you answer? Can you point out the things you possess that are assets or liabilities? First, let’s look at blessings and miracles. Did you know that it is impossible to have a miracle without first experiencing a
crisis? This may come as a surprise to many but stop and think about it. What is a miracle? A miracle involves something out of the ordinary that takes place in order to bring about an end to a given struggle, stress or strain. Examples include financial crisis, physical crisis and emotional crisis. Merriam-Webster defines the word, miracle, as meaning: an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs. On the other hand, a blessing is something that prevents the need for a miracle to take place. If you are walking in the blessing of God in the area of
health, you are not sick nor do you need healing. If you are walking in God’s blessing in the area of finances, you do not need financial miracles to pay your bills or live your daily life. Knowing the difference between assets and liabilities will aid in knowing how to walk
in the blessing of God as opposed to living from miracle to miracle which means living from crisis to crisis or with constant liability. You may have read my article about assets and liabilities and know that an asset is anything that puts money into your pocket while a liability is anything that takes money out of your pocket. The blessing of God is manifested via assets whether related to finances, health or relationships. To need a miracle, there must be some sort of crisis in areas such as finances, health or relationships.
practices going to produce? Do you want to deal with the negative side-effects of a pill? Do you want to deal with the struggles that come with being an employee? You must answer such questions for yourself; but, as is the case with many, you may know there is more available for a better quality of life, but are not sure how to get there. This is where asking God what it is that He has for you is of utmost importance, allowing Him to place His desires into your soft and pliable heart (Psalm 37:4).
Think of your current situation. Are you living in the blessings of God or are you living in crisis, needing one miracle after another? It is not wrong to need a miracle as each of us have struggled through difficult times and experiences at different points in our lives.
What if the positive change you seek were easier to obtain than you may currently know? Yes, the majority takes pills, work a job they hate, struggle financially and need a miracle on a regular basis. Many work hard but struggle to keep their head above water. However, God has a plan for your life that involves not only keeping your head above water, but allowing you to walk on the water.
If you find yourself needing one miracle after another, what are you doing to avert such experiences? Some may advise those living in crisis to go to the doctor and begin taking a certain pill or advise those struggling financially to get a job. However, in the long term, what are such decisions and
If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired, you need to ask yourself what it is that you need to do differently. The answer may require wholesale changes but what is the end result worth? Even if seeing positive change in your life and situations takes a year or two, what else are you going to do
for the next year or two? No matter the time it takes to change the way you see yourself and ultimately change the world around you, it will be worth the time and effort! You will not look back when your life has dramatically improved and say, “I am happy to be in great health and out of debt but I wish I had not made all of those sacrifices to get to this point.� Instead, you will jump for joy! No matter what your current experiences may be, it is not too late to see your dreams and desires come to pass. In fact, God has greater plans than you have for yourself. Why not take the steps to empower God to have His way in your life?
TEEN WARRIORS SECTION
Share God with a Friend
Share God with a Friend
by: Stuart E Smith
There is always this question in the back of many Christians mind of ‘How do I share God with__________?” I was preaching a message earlier this month in regard to that very question. ‘How do I?” Sounds like a great question, right? The reality is that you as a believer do not have to fear the action of sharing. Our question “How” then leads to the question “who am I?” When, we should be saying to the Lord, ‘Here am I.” The Christian idea of sharing is simple and if we can grasp it, we can turn this world upside down. Can you remember that day when you
first accepted Jesus Christ that enthusiasm you had? How excited you were to tell anyone about this wonderful event that had taken place in your life. When we try to measure up to who we think is worthy to carry the message of the Gospel to the world we completely miss the point. It is Christ in us the hope of glory that should reach through and advertise to a blessed life. We may or may not have taken evangelistic classes. However, if we remember the hope that we have in our Salvation then the likelihood of us testifying of God’s mercy increases. You see when the Coca Cola Company came up with the
slogan, ‘Share a Coke with a Friend” they were tapping into the nature of friendship and sharing deep inside all of us. Sharing works both in a good way and in a bad way. Gossip is often disguised as sharing information with a friend. You and I know that it is usually scandalous information that
may or not be true in the first place. There is this movement known as ‘Pay it Forward”. There was a movie by the same name that showed us how a little boy doing kind acts toward others started a trend that changed a community. In other words, we don’t deserve the grace the Lord has extended us yet we receive it with a thankful heart. It is in mirroring that grace toward others that we reflect the presence of God in our lives. Sharing God is so much more about obeying His commission for us to, ‘Go and Tell.’ In the Book of Revelation, it talks about ‘Come and See.’ We live in a time now that our orders from Glory are, ‘Go and Tell.’ There is a lovely evangelistic song that sings, ‘Look what the Lord has done, look what the Lord has done. He healed my body, He touched my mind, He saved me yes just in time.” Sharing is another way to say ‘Testify’. When we tell others what the Lord has done in our lives, we are that walking talking billboard for faith in Jesus Christ. When someone hands you a business card, they are sharing information about themselves. When
someone puts a commercial on television or radio, they are sharing about their product. When the believer shares what God has done in their lives, they are changing a life for the good. How? Because indirectly they introducing that recipient to the most powerful truth ever to be revealed to humanity. God, the Creator of all things wants to have a personal relationship with them. Just over 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ volunteered to be the supreme sacrifice needed so that that would be possible. We live in a world that had put God in a box. At first they said ‘God is dead’. Now they say God isn’t relevant or Christianity is just one of many ways to Him. In reading the scripture I have discovered that God is more than relevant and He is very much alive. The wonders of His majesty are revealed in nature and in the unseen world. The entire creation declares that there is a designer. We as believers know that He is the most loving engineer of all, our Father God. I would like to challenge you the reader to begin the practice
of sharing your faith in Him to others on a daily basis. It can be done both with words and with actions. You have heard of taste tests and smell tests. I am asking you to live the life of a follower of Jesus Christ in everything you do. Then you will be able to pass the faith test. In the book of Acts it states that ‘In Him we live, we move and we have our being. So, we should share daily in word and deed our devotion to the Almighty God. A Cola might quench someone’s thirst in that very moment. But our Lord Jesus gives a drink where the soul’s unquenchable thirst for the truth and a relationship with God is refreshed with the living water. We the Sons and Daughters of God who have been redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb of God have the answer to that dry and thirsty spirit that is in all mankind. His name is Jesus, the only begotten Son of God also known as the King of kings and Lord of Lords. So, go forth dear friends and share God with a friend, then another and well, even those you do not call friend yet. It will be a wonderful journey indeed.
BE ALL YOU CAN BE. ~ God by: Mikea Fulton:
Photography • Pianist • Drummer • Author • All Things Guns • Rabbit Rancher • Nature Dweller • Redheaded Indian • Sharpshooter • Rifleman
God has made it his special mission to recruit His people to be an Army empowered by Him. He equips us with a world class weapon. And that weapon, the unbeatable power source that shook satan in his boots: The Bible, the Word of God. God is the creator of everything good. You and I are His creations. What does that tell you? When you fully accept Jesus into your heart, you are now a part of God's Army. You now have that unbeatable power source, 'The Weapon.' I know every day and every hour, people experience mental arguments with what is right or wrong. That there is a battle between your flesh (your own thoughts, and opinions) and The Holy Spirit (God speaking to you.) It seems like it would be really easy to follow God. But, let’s break this down and say it like this: Suppose you already had two cookies. But you really want another one. And someone comes and gets an extra cookie for themselves. Would you take the extra one? Or leave it there. Seems hard right? We all like sweets! But it is exactly like choosing whether you should hit your sibling back, or yell at your spouse for yelling at you. A soft answer turns away wrath (discontinues anger). A whole lot of the time, soft answers and conversations keep everything together.
God wants you to listen to Him, and to do what is right. He loves you more than you could ever imagine. And that is the truth.
by: Grace Meier Hey there Whiz Kids!!!! This month I am going to tell you about how God looks at you. The makeup brand Covergirl has a slogan that says, “Easy Breezy Beautiful Covergirl.” But exactly how is it that God sees you? After I explain what I think it means, I’m going to do a little funny thing and explain what I believe each word means. Covergirl’s slogan is “Easy – Breezy - Beautiful Covergirl.” Have you ever thought about why? I think the slogan means to be confident. Is that how you see yourself? Are you confident in how God sees you? Easy- it's easy to put on – Is it easy to become a new person in God? "For we are his workmanship, having
been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them." (Ephesians 2:10 NET Bible) – God has made me righteous because He gave me Christ, and took all that I was. Breezy- it’s fast too – When you become a Christian is it easy to live for God? "But of Him are you in Christ
Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." 1 Corinthians 1:30. Christ Himself is my righteousness!
Beautiful- it makes you look beautiful – But God already sees you as beautiful. - I am complete in Him Who is the Head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:10 – We are his children and He loves us more than we could ever know. Covergirl- no it’s not called Covergirl so you can cover up your face lol…. I actually don’t know why. But I do know that you are all Godgirls and God loves you very much! So, remember, see yourself how GOD see’s you! I hope you guys enjoyed and have a fabulous month. Remember be CONFIDENT with who you are and love yourself.
Writers for International Section:
By: Evangelist Ernest Nelson K. Nanor WHAT WE MEAN BY GOD LOVES YOU For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) Too often during my outreach programs I have encountered some categories of people, who after having heard the words, “God loves you,� will keep quiet and smile back as they have heard this message. Yet others will shed tears after hearing the same message. Some do not even smile or shed tears, but they say, Yes, I know. They say, I that know God loves me, and had it not been for His love, I would not be alive. Some ask questions like, how did you
know that? How can I know that God loves me?
short of the Glory of God in the Garden of Eden.
It is obvious since the bible is clear in its pronouncements that the Creator of the universe, our Father God who created Adam and his wife, Eve. The first couple created in our world, after God had created everything in the world for them, including the heavens and the earth, the seas, rivers, the trees and the animals. He also gave commands to this man and his wife, yet they rebelled as illustrated in chapters one, two and three of Genesis of the Jewish Old Testament of the Bible. When Adam and his wife rebelled against God, they fell
These instances in the book of Genesis illustrates that the pair of them showed neither signs of remorse or a sign of regret after having committed the offense. But they decided to hide from the Lord, just as Judas Iscariot did in the gospels of the Christian New Testament. He hanged himself after having betrayed his Master, Jesus Christ, the incarnate God and the central author, editor, and writer for both New and Old Testament writings of the Bible. And it is this Bible which serves as a guide to everyone who is born into this world, through
faith in the same Author and all His written words. The bible indicates that after having broken the Creator’s commands in the Garden of Eden, that now the pair two of them refused to accept the fact that they had gone contrary to the Creator’s commands. God created Adam and Eve and were very close in relationship with them. They easily forgot that regardless of how closely related they were the Father, that they still needed to reverence Him as their Creator. This relationship was for their good, however they shifted the blames on God. Adam pointed out that the sinning came from the woman that God has given him. Then the woman also began to shift the blame on the serpent, who was more subtle and cunning than any beast of the field according to the writers illustration. And this attitude brought displeasure to them regarding their Maker. In Romans 5:8, the bible declares that God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. In Genesis 3:21, the Bible reveals that after God demonstrated His displeasure on the two of them. To Adam and his wife, the LORD God made coats of skins, and clothed them. He made skin coats and clothed them which continues to reveal the Father’s love as a
way of drawing them back to God. Whenever we hear the word about God’s loves for us,” it is to bring our minds and hearts back to our Maker, Father God who created our first parents in Adam and his wife Eve. God has recreated us through the regeneration of His own heart from the time the world began, and brought into this world through our immediate families. When we hear the message of God’s loves, it means that the Creator of this world wants to be closer to us. And since God is a Spirit, and it takes a Spirit to get close to one who is created in the image and likeness of God, as a spirit. We can also obey His voice, unlike the pair who heard His voice in the garden and decided to hide. The Garden of Eden, formerly known as the presence of God, now is His love which is shed abroad on humanity. The gate into the Garden of God’s love is God Himself. And Jesus Christ who is revealed as the Son of God, is also the head of the body of God, which is the Church. Now, unlike the Old Testament presentation, the Gospels and the New Covenant writings reveal the church, not only known as a building that we go there to worship God in, but even more so, we as a people are
the church that God lives in. Therefore, God speaks to us through each other, the church. He does that so we can enter the knowledge of His love, and so that He can also enter our hearts, without excuses, and without any shifting of blame. We do not live under any curse, but He has revealed Himself to us and His love has shown us the blessedness we can have in Him. And once we have been translated into His Divine Kingdom through faith, we enter into His gate of love, which is the person of Christ. We have understood all these things so that we might also be used by Him to reach others who have not heard the message of His love. We are persuaded by the message of His love through the Good News of Jesus Christ. One of the scribes came to Jesus, and having heard them reasoning together and perceiving that He had answered them well, they asked Him, which is the first commandment of all? Matthew 22:37-39 (KJV) says, “37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.
Mark 12:28-31 tells us to go into all the world, and prea
Where is your faith? (Luke 8: 25) By: Leon Gosiewski One of everyday life’s wonders and beauties is that the birth of a baby usually means that there will be growth, and development from a newborn, through childhood and on to adulthood. Of course, we all know that there are many factors that may either stop the normal growth cycle of life, or hinder it, but these hindrances are not those that are intended in God’s creative plan. Life is supposed to move forward from one stage of maturity to another. So by way of example, if we take a moment to think about the newborn baby, we know that its progress will soon see the
relative constraints of crawling developing to the free movement of walking. The developmental process is true in all aspects of our human make-up. In other words, we as human beings are specifically designed to push our physical, cognitive and spiritual boundaries, and go further toward achieving our full potential. Our progress through life is positively aided by a balanced and nutritious diet, exercise and positive psychological, learning and spiritual development. All of which help us to mature with vitality and strength. Life nonetheless produces its roller-coaster challenges to
our progress, and two basic types of people meet these. Those that see themselves as victims of life, lose hope and easily give in, and those that refuse to see themselves as victims, have a focus and fight on. To illustrate the point I am trying to make, when reading the accounts of people who survived the extreme and
harsh realities of Gulags and Concentration camps of the Second World War, we hear them saying that you could look into the eyes of a person and know if they would still be alive in the morning. The tragedy of the people described here, are those that saw themselves as victims of their circumstances, and had lost hope, purpose and faith. They became pessimistic, and physically, mentally and spiritually weary, to the point that they gave up. Thankfully most of us will not face the extremes of forced labour and death camps, but these same reactions are indicative of those that face far less challenges in everyday life. A victim attitude will always lead to loss of fight and determination to conquer. Conversely, survival and higher-level success comes to those with a purpose, immoveable vision, focus, hard work and strength of mind to keep going against the odds. These people do not see themselves as a helpless victim of circumstance; even when things get tough, look bleak and impossible. It is during these times that those with a focus and belief, think
positively, speak positively, and act positively so that they get what they are seeking. Just as human life is about growth, progress and maturity in the face of challenges, so, whatever our chronological age when we come to the Lord; our newborn spiritual lives are still about growth, progress and maturity in the face of challenges that should drive us to go deeper and further with God (see Ephesians 4: 13 – 15 and James 1: 2 – 8). The truth is, there is no standing still in Kingdom living, and if we are going to succeed, the spiritual journey will have its battles, difficulties, tests and trials, but if we uphold our faith, and our focus on God, and strive with gritted determination to keep going through the ups and downs, the fruits of our sacrifice will bear in abundance. In facing the spiritual battlefield there are two basic types of Christians that I call the victim doubters who see little progress, few prayers answered, and become a lethargic procrastinator who easily give up (see James 1: 6, 7). The other types of Christian are the victorious
believers, who believe and having done all, believe that with God nothing is impossible (see Mark 9: 23). A balanced and nutritious diet of Scripture and prayer; mixed with the constant exercise of faith in God and immoveable belief, along with the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit help us to succeed where many others fall by the wayside. The point I am trying to make is that being born into spiritual life is not supposed to mean that we just make it to, and through the narrow gate and along the rocky path to heaven by the skin of our teeth. There is nowhere in Scripture that tells us that our newborn spiritual lives should stay baby-like and static. True Kingdom believers have a divine purpose, vision and goal to strive toward. The divine possibilities of life that are available to us are fathomless. But if our faith and belief are in any way lacking or stunted in growth we will see ourselves as victims, become lackluster, put off taking actions to change and not move further.
In fact we may even give up altogether and spiritually die. Giving up can never be an option, so if we, in an attitude of repentant submission and trust allow God to move on, through and in our life, we will grow, progress, mature and go further into greater depths with God. The key word in this statement, and particularly relevant is trust. The question is, ‘how much do we really trust God?’ The sort of trust that I am talking about here is a relational conviction, confidence, reliance and faith in God. It is a faith that is actively growing, and constantly developing in all situations and circumstances of our lives. It is a trusting faith that knows the presence and safety of the Lord. It is a trust that knows God hears our prayer, and answers (see 1 John 5: 15).
Trust and faith was something that the disciples in Luke 8: 22 - 25 were faced with. They were with Jesus and they were highly experienced fishermen. Storms at sea were part of their life, but the one they faced in Luke’s account was particularly severe. Everything looked as if they were disaster-prone as they negatively fixed their focus on the winds and waves. They saw themselves as hopeless victims of stormy circumstances beyond their control. In their panic the disciples thought that they were going no further and they woke Jesus saying, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ (Luke 8: 24). The one positive act the disciples took was to awaken Jesus who immediately calmed the wind and waves. This is a lesson for us, to awaken our trust of Jesus in our lives.
Jesus was the focal point, but listen to what He said to the disciples, ‘Where is your faith?’ (Luke 8: 25). In truth, their faith in this situation was not in God (see Mark 11: 22), and they did not believe (see Mark 9: 23 & 11: 23). Their thinking was that the situation was hopeless; and they were going no further. The point Jesus was making is that neither the disciples, nor any of us need get stuck on the negative roundabout of life, or live with spiritually immature and powerless lives. All that is actually needed is maturity of faith the size of a mustard seed. With this we can go further, far further than anyone else (see Matthew 17: 20). None of us become disabled by what we can’t do. We are instead enabled by what we believe we can do through faith in God. (Leon Gosiewski Dunamis Fire Ministries Quotation)
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If you are not a Christian , and would like to be, all you have to do is repent of your sins and invite Jesus into your heart. Say the prayer below, and mean it from your heart. If you decide to make Jesus Lord of your life, we would LOVE to hear from you. Please go to: https://www.facebook.com/faithunlimitedemagazine and leave us a note. God Bless you for this life changing decision!
Dear Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I thank you for dying on the cross for me. I confess with my mouth. I believe in my heart that you are the Son of God. I believe you are the Lord and that God raised you from the dead. Please, forgive me of my sins. Wash my heart clean. Come live in my life. Be the Lord of my life. Fill me with your Holy Spirit. Teach me to walk with you and live for you the rest of my life. Thank you for saving me and for giving me the gift of eternal life in Heaven with you. Amen.
Larry Thompson, Author/Speaker Streams of Glory Ministries PO Box 12 Tahoe City, CA 96145 Email: timebytez@me.com Call: 307 413-2894
Tom Tompkins Lifetime Visionary Creating a Legacy of Leadership WEB - lifetimevisionary.com PH - 318.202.9564 LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomtompkinsjr
Rev Kathy Weddle Email: keyboard77@comcast.net Or Facebook messenger under her name
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