Mark 4:24 teach us that the more time we spent thinking about the Word we read and hear the more power and ability we have to obey it and the more revelation knowledge we will have about what we read or heard. We will get out of it what we put into it therefore we need to be diligent in applying and meditating on God’s Word.
The song "It Is Well with My Soul" was written by a successful Christian lawyer.
He had two girls and a wife and the family planned a summer trip to go overseas. Since he had a lot of work to do, he sent his family and decided to follow them later. He heard the news while on the following ship that another ship had capsized and he knew that his family was there since they mentioned the name of the ship. On His return home, his Law firm was burned down and the insurance refused to pay, they said "It's An Act Of God". He had no money to pay for his house and no work, he also lost his house. Then while sitting and thinking what's happening to him, being a spiritual person, he wrote a song - whatever my Lord, you have taught me to say - It is well, it is well with my soul. My dear friend, a good attitude will determine your altitude. When you look at your life, career, job or family life, what do you say? Do you praise God? Do you blame the devil? A good attitude towards God makes Him move on your behalf. Just sit down and say, Today God, it is well with my soul, I am thankful I had a peaceful sleep, I am thankful I am alive with possibilities, I am thankful I have a roof over me, I am thankful I have a job, I am thankful that I have Family and Friends. Above all, I am thankful that I have the Lord Jesus Christ on my side. Be blessed and don't be envious or shocked when others are prospering because you don't know what they have been through to get there (test, trials and tribulation) so thank God for what you have. "Little is much when God is in it. It Is Well With My Soul! Touch someone's life with this message if God is for us, who can be against us? One day, I grabbed a shovel and headed into my backyard so I could dig up old coins and things and maybe make some money selling them on e-bay. (like most great stories I started off looking for money but ended up getting much more out of my little adventure into the backyard.) I had been digging for about two hours and I started to get thirsty. I was going to quit when I saw something that caught my eye. When I looked closer I noticed that it was a wooden object and it was glowing. I started to carefully dig around with my hands and I soon noticed that it was a wooden cross about the size of a small tv. I thought this would sell good because it looked really old. I soon grabbed for it... right when I touched it I was transported to a mob scene. I started to get real scared because there were what looked like Roman Soldiers and they had huge swords and long ships. I was about to pee in my pants, and then I noticed a man carrying a cross and my first thought was that the man might be Jesus and that these really were Romans. I recognized the cross that the man had and I realized that it was the same cross I had found... but bigger. Then I looked closely and the man did kind of look like Jesus. I am a Christian and this is awesome to get to see Jesus. I started to get a little happier because I knew how this story went. I knew that Jesus would prevail in the end. All of a sudden Jesus fell to the ground and soldiers laughed at him and spit on him. I couldn't believe how real this was and how mean they were to Jesus. He could have stopped all of this, but he didn't. The Roman soldiers said they needed someone to carry the cross of Jesus and I got real nervous when they looked toward me. Then, I did pee in my pants I was so scared. The soldiers said that I looked like a fine lad and was not too weak to carry the cross. So now, I had to carry it. I will be honest with you, I didn't think I could. So as ordered, I lifted that giant cross on my back and walked ten feet and fell face first. They spit and laughed at me. I looked up to see the Roman soldiers. I closed my eyes to pray and I saw the sweet face of Jesus. I knew we could do this. I opened my eyes and realized that He was behind me, yet He was with me spiritually carrying His cross. I carried it for about two miles and then we stopped on a hill. I watched in horror as they slammed those rusted bloody nails into him. Then they forced the crown of thorns upon his head. I cried out when they stabbed him with a sword. He screamed with pain. I started crying, and I don't mean regular crying, I was balling a river. Then... I awoke from my dream. I was lying in my bunk bed and Jesus was sitting at the other end smiling. All that I managed to say was, "What's so funny?" He replied that he was just happy to see one of his children awake in the morning. He showed me a picture frame that he had been holding and it was glowing. It had me holding the Cross and he was behind me walking with soldiers all around us. He said," Thank you my child for helping me." I said, "You are welcome and thanks for the picture." He said that he will see me one day in Heaven after I have a long and wonderful life. Author Unknown Matthew 27:45-46
From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Christ cried out in a loud voice, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" - God was placing the sin of all mankind on His Son. - In that moment, He who couldn't tolerate sin, turned away. - To be 'forsaken' by God is the ultimate loss. - We need to deal with sin in our own lives and come to HIM. PRAYER: Lord, there are so many sinful things that I have done. There are so many good things that I haven't done. Please forgive me. Amen. “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” Romans 15:4
Are you down in the dumps? Need a mood elevator? Put down the piece of chocolate cake. Don’t have a pity party. Pick up your Bible instead. You need a Word break. God gave us the Bible to encourage us. One way you can think of the Bible is as a mood elevator. The Bible says in Romans 15:4, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope” (NIV). Everything in Scripture is written for our encouragement. That’s a big statement — but it’s true! Even the tough parts of God’s Word are there to ultimately encourage our lives in the right direction. That’s why we need to spend time alone with God every single day. Whether it’s your daily devotional, your quiet time, or your personal inspiration time, you need to be getting alone with God, reading his Word, and talking to him. The Bible says in Psalm 119:114: “You're my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me” (MSG). If you’re discouraged and have lost hope, I can tell you one thing about your life without ever meeting you: You’re not spending time in God’s Word. If you were, you wouldn’t be discouraged. The more you read God’s Word when you’re down, the more he lifts you up. So the next time you feel discouraged, don’t come home and turn on the television. Instead, open up your Bible and read it. Listen to Dr. Luke instead of Dr. Phil. God’s Word has the power to change your life. It has God’s power in it. Nothing else does. The Bible will give you the “real stuff” — true encouragement. Hier is 'n sleutel oor seën uit die Skrif: "Gelukkig is die mens wat nie loop volgens die raad van goddeloses... nie. Hy vind egter vreugde in die gebooie van die Here en oordink Sy voorskrifte dag en nag. Hy is soos 'n boom geplant langs waterstrome, wat vrugte dra op die regte tyd... in alles wat hy doen, is hy voorspoedig." (Psalms 1:1-3 NLV). 'n Geseënde man of vrou is geneig om uit te staan, omdat sulke mense 'n dieper karakter het, hul gees sagter is, hul moed groter is, hul leierskap beter is, hulle belange wyer is, hul deernis meer opreg is, en hul oortuigings meer tasbaar is. Hulle het vreugde ten spyte van moeilike omstandighede en toon wysheid wat baie meer is as hul jare. Hulle is ook vol verrassings: 'n mens dink jy kan 'n etiket om hul nekke hang en dan doen hulle iets onvoorspelbaar. Met verloop van tyd besef jy dat jy hulle idees en optrede kan vertrou. Hoekom? Hulle het 'n geestelike wortelstelsel wat afgroei na strome lewende water. As gevolg hiervan, is alles waaraan hulle raak voorspoedig. Jy kan ook so lewe. Hoe? Deur jou geestelike prioriteite ononderhandelbaar te maak. Die aartsvyand van geestelike groei is om heeltyd besig te wees, wat baie naby is aan iets wat die Bybel 'wêreldsheid' noem - 'n mens raak so betrokke by die samelewing se agenda dat jy jou reis saam met God afskeep. Hoe jy ook al daarna kyk, 'n sleutelbestanddeel van voorspoed is tyd. Nie oorskiettyd of weggooityd nie, maar kwaliteittyd. Tyd vir gebed; tyd vir kommunikasie. Rustige, ononderbroke tyd saam met God. Sielskos: Matt 21:1-16; Ps 118:19-29 The Lord is our God; and his commands are for all the world. Psalm 105:7 (GNB) Our gem for today is from a psalm praising the greatness of God. It recounts the story of the Israelites until their entry into the promised land. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the psalmist wrote better than he realised, for his psalm applies to everyone whom God has redeemed even to today. The truth of St Augustine’s saying – “The new is in the old concealed, the old is in the new revealed” – is very evident in the book of Psalms. Like Augustine, we too can, in the light of the New Testament, see that in our Lord Jesus Christ the full significance of the Old Testament is revealed. In our verse today, the psalmist tells us that the Lord is our God; and his commands are for all the world. The message is clear. He is our God and we are to proclaim his greatness to the world. That is a challenge to all Christians. How can we be part of our Lord’s great commission and be faithful to his command? “Go then, to all people everywhere and make them my disciples…” Matthew 28:19 God may not have called us to be full time missionaries, but we can still fulfil an indispensable role in reaching out to the nations. One method is through the Bible Society’s Bible-a-Month club. Through this outreach one ensures people throughout the world receive Bibles telling them of the greatness of God and what he has done through his son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. “It (my word) will not fail to do what I plan for it; it will do everything I send it to do.” Isaiah 55:11 Prayer: Almighty God, thank you for your great love for me. Show me how best I can share your love with others so that they too will turn to you and proclaim your greatness. This I ask in Jesus name who reigns with you in unity with the Holy Spirit. One God now and forever. Amen BE A "LIFE SPEAKER"- ENCOURAGE YOURSELF TODAY - DON'T SPEAK DEFEAT OVER YOUR LIFE... DECLARE "I AM STRONG IN THE LORD AND IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT. GOD IS RENEWING MY STRENGTH AND I CAN DO ALL THINGS..... I AM MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD. I AM BEAUTIFUL, BLESSED AND HIGHLY FAVOURED AND NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME....." THANK YOU JESUS! AMEN! (SO BE IT!)..... Have a WONDERFUL DAY as a "LIFE SPEAKER".......
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Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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