Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you…
John 14 : 27 In Israel, Jews greet each other with the words “shalom, shalom”. Unlike the English word “peace”, “shalom” does not just mean peace of mind, but also wholeness for your entire being — spirit, soul and body. It means having a sense of completeness and soundness. In other words, shalom encompasses your prosperity, health and total well-being. When Jesus spoke to His disciples in John 14:27, He did not use the English word “peace”. He would have used the Hebrew word “shalom”, saying, “Shalom I leave with you, My shalom I give to you…” Interestingly, the word “leave” here actually means “bequeath”, the way a rich man bequeaths his estate to his beneficiary. The disciples must have been excited when they heard that Jesus was bequeathing them His shalom. They must have known that to receive His shalom was to have His health because they had never seen Him sick. To have His shalom also meant never being in lack because He was never broke. Whenever He needed money, money was there. Once, money to pay the temple tax came in the mouth of a fish! (Matthew 17:24–27) The disciples also understood that having Jesus’ shalom meant having His abundance because they had seen Him meeting the needs of thousands with plenty of leftovers. They saw him feeding 5,000 men (not counting the women and children) with 12 baskets full of leftovers! (Mark 6:34–44) Jesus wanted His disciples to know that His peace was different from the peace that the world offers. His peace would change whatever trying circumstances that beset them. Even if it was a mega storm, it would have to bow to His peace. The Prince of Peace merely spoke, “Peace, be still!” and the winds and the sea obeyed Him. (Mark 4:39) His peace changed the mega storm into a perfect calm. Beloved, that is the kind of peace that Jesus has bequeathed to you. Therefore, believe that His shalom which He has left with you will change all your difficult situations, bringing you from sickness, lack and mental anguish to health, prosperity and total wellness! God's LOVE is: JESUS, and JESUS is LORD ! 1 SAMUEL 16:7 …For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Picture David when he was a shepherd boy. Many who knew him in his pre-Goliath days would very likely have seen just an ordinary youth—one who lived at home with his parents and siblings, enjoyed the outdoors and loved music. But where others saw a typical teenager, God saw a king in young David. He saw David’s name being uttered in honor forever for even the Lord Jesus is called the Son of David! Picture Moses after he had settled down comfortably in the desert with a beautiful wife, lovely children and good in-laws. He might have seen himself happily retiring in the near future. But God had bigger plans for him. God had big dreams for him. God saw the Red Sea opening up before him and an entire Egyptian army being wiped out in his presence. God saw in Moses the deliverer of His people. Now, step back a little less far in time with me. See a little boy standing alone during playtime. Nobody wants him on their team because he is scrawny and seen as a weakling. As he grows into his teens, he suffers from an inferiority complex. He stammers and stutters so much that all his classmates laugh at him. But today, he is the senior pastor of New Creation Church. Each week, he stands in front of a crowd of more than 30,000 people to preach. And he receives invitations to speak in churches and pastors’ conferences worldwide. In those early years, there was no way I could have ever conceived in my mind what God saw in me and the dreams that He had for me. Beloved, God does not see as man sees. God saw in fearful Gideon a mighty man of valor and called him so even when he was hiding from his enemies in fear. (Judges 6:12) God saw in young David a king and anointed him as one. (1 Samuel 16:10–13) God saw in meek Moses a deliverer and drew him out from obscurity. (Exodus 3) Today, God looks beyond what man sees and says about you, and He has dreams for you that are bigger than you can imagine! LUKE 2:10–11
Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. My friend, if all is silent and dark in your life now, and you feel like you have been left out in the cold, just know that Jesus came to be your Savior at such a time as this. He was not born in the comfort of a warm, cozy room, but in a cold manger. There was no room for Him in the inn (Luke 2:7), so that there will always be room at the cross for your healing, deliverance, wholeness and provision, and a mansion in heaven waiting for you! Jesus was born very quietly, so quietly that the Bible says that only a group of shepherds came to Him, while the rest of Bethlehem slept. (Luke 2:8–9) Like manna falling quietly from heaven in the Old Testament, the true bread from heaven came quietly. It was a silent night, but that was not all. Jesus was also born during the darkest time in Israel’s history. Israel was under the tyrannical rule of the Romans. It was during this time, when everything was so dark, that Jesus was born. Beloved, He will come to you in the darkest period of your life. On that cold and silent night, the shepherds were afraid when the angel of the Lord stood before them. But the angel said, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David aSavior, who is Christ the Lord.” Beloved, it was not a judge or lawgiver who was born. It was a mighty Savior. He came to save His people. He came to save you and me. So even if you are in a cold, dark period of your life, don’t be afraid—the Savior has come and He will save you to the uttermost! “A CYNIC ONCE SAID, ‘Marriage is like a hot bath. Once you get used to
it, it isn’t so hot’. I take exception to part of that sour skeptic’s point of view. Anyone knows if the bath water gets too cold, you merely add more hot water. Yet we often fail to use this same common sense in marriage. We think, perhaps subconsciously, that on our wedding day all we need is enough love for each other, and our marriage will last a lifetime, propelling us through all the marital storms that life might blow our way. Erroneously, we believe that after we ‘tie the knot,’ we will automatically, effortlessly live in marital bliss ’till death do us part.’” (Barbara Russell Chesser) Chesser also said, “One essential step in preventing marriage from cooling off is getting rid of unrealistic expectations for marriage.” In light of these statements, we want to share with you some common misconceptions we’ve encountered. They come from the book, “When the Glass Slipper Doesn’t Fit,” by Claire Cloninger and Karla Worley. (By the way, if you enjoy this article, we found it at www.newlife.com. If you go to their site and click on the “FREE STUFF” icon, you can then click on “Marriage” and you’ll find a lot of articles to help you in your marriage.) Misconception #1: The Degree-of Difficulty theory —I thought marriage would be easier. I thought we’d fit together more or less automatically. I thought love would glide us through the “bonding process” without a hitch. But I’ve found that very little seems to happen automatically in a marriage relationship. Marriage is work — sometimes sweaty, uncomfortable work. In fact, I figure that the degree of difficulty in combining two lives ranks somewhere between rerouting a hurricane and finding a parking place in downtown Manhattan. I am of the opinion that only God Himself can make a marriage happen really well. And when He does it His way, it’s one of His very best miracles. What God can create out of the combined ingredients of two surrendered lives is indeed “infinitely more than we ever dare to ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). Misconception #2: The “Clairvoyant” Spouse Theory —When I was a newlywed, thought that if Claire really loved me, he should automatically know what I was thinking and feeling and what I needed without my verbalizing a thing. If my needs weren’t being met exactly as I felt they should be, I would jump to the conclusion that he didn’t love me. It was an enormous breakthrough for me to realize that Claire really wanted to be there for me. He wanted to be able to meet my needs the best he could. But he wasn’t a mind-reader. He couldn’t know what I needed unless I told him! And so, over the years, we’ve gotten better and better at sharing our thoughts and feelings, clarifying our hopes, needs, and expectations for each other and our relationship. As a consequence, we’ve gotten better at meeting each other’s needs and helping each other realize some of those hopes and expectations. Misconception #3: The Key-to-Happiness Theory — Before I was married, I thought being happy meant getting what you want. I have learned, after thirty-seven years of marriage, that being happy means loving what you get. Misconception #4: The Beef-Stew Theory — In the early years of our marriage, when we were both in school and working a couple of jobs and not seeing nearly enough of each other, I had the misconception that a marriage can survive that kind of benign neglect. I’ve learned since then the truth of what my friend Chris Kelly always says: Making a marriage is a lot like making a stew. It will only be as good as the ingredients you put into it. If you aren’t taking time for long talks and long walks together, for special dinners and afternoons off, for laughter and romance and celebrating each other, your marriage is going to be a bland and watery dish indeed. Misconception #5: The Major Moments Theory — I somehow assumed early on that the most important days in a marriage would be the anniversaries, the weddings, the Christmases, and the family reunions. I have found instead that the most important day in any marriage is today . My friend Mr. George told me something when he was a very old man -- something I’ve never forgotten. “Claire,” he said, “Don’t wait to be happy. Don’t put it off. Martha Lee and I were always going to take a fancy trip out to California when Buddy was through with college. We never made it to California.” He chuckled a little, sadly shaking his head. I imagine he was remembering his Martha Lee. And then he said, “Call up Karla right now. You two ought to go out and do something wonderful together… tonight!” Misconception #6: The Grin-and-Bear-It Theory —I’ve got to confess that I used to have a major misconception about God and marriage. I thought that if we do get stuck in a lousy marriage, God wants us to hang on by the skin of our teeth and simply gut it out until the bitter end. I was wrong about this— terribly wrong. This is not what God wants at all. He wants us to stay together, all right. But it’s not enough just to gut it out. He wants us to stay and pray and work and keep loving. He wants us to give Him all the time and space He needs to make our lousy marriage into something not just tolerable, but beautiful and brave and strong — something that will witness to His mercy and His presence in this world. I think He’s saying something to married couples, if we will just hear Him: “Don’t settle for a bad marriage, or even a mediocre one. Don’t lower your expectations. Raise them! Trust Me! I’m still a God of miracles!” John 16:24 But now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy may be full and complete.
- Often we never bother to ask God for anything. - Sometimes we ask God for our desperate needs only. - God's desire is that our joy will be full and complete. - The issue is that now we must ask and keep on asking. PRAYER: Lord, it is wonderful to know that Your desire for me is that my joy would be full. I want to take this moment to bring my requests and petitions to You! I look forward to the day when my joy will be full because of the wonderful ways in which You have come through for me! Amen. Hebrews 11:40
For God had something better in mind for us! - Sometimes we do not understand why certain things happen. - But perhaps God has got something better in mind for you? - God always knows best and He has your best interests at heart. - Simply trust Him, Andre, even with the things you don't understand. PRAYER: Lord, I realise that You know best. Perhaps You have something better in mind for me, but I know that I can trust You, because You are MY Heavenly Father. Amen. Philippians 1:3-5
"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now." From the Bible we are being taught the sowing and reaping principle. God's Kingdom is based on seed time and harvest. Sowing positions you to receive the harvest God promises. Without sowing, there can be no harvest - ask any farmer. Good ground for your seed sets you up for increase in the Kingdom of God and it empowers us to get the gospel out to the world; to let God's blessing flow through us to the poor; and for God's love to be spread to the lost. We simply ask you today to seek God's direction for what He would want you to do. We declare that God will always remain our source of all supply and He uses His people to respond to Him as He directs their giving and participation into the activities of this ministry. Sowing details are at the end of today's message, so let's get right into it...... Remember what Amalek did to you on the way when you had come forth from Egypt. How he did not fear God, but when you were faint and weary he attacked you along the way and cut off all the stragglers at your rear. DEUTERONOMY 25 : 17 - 18 ARE YOU WEARY, EXHAUSTED, TIRED OF STRUGGLING AND AT THE POINT OF GIVING UP ? .. If you were going into battle, your victory would almost be a guarantee if you found yourself coming face to face with a tired, weak and weary opponent .. HOWEVER .. Things would not be quite as simple if your opponent was at full strength and fighting fit .. In the above Scripture, you see how the Israelites were attacked as they made their way out of Egypt .. Amalek waited and when he saw that the Israelites were tired and weak, he ambushed them. Today you can relate Amalek and the strategy he used to show the shadow of satan and the tactics he uses to attack, obstruct and wear down all those who believe in Jesus Christ. satan is making a desperate scramble to stop you from receiving the abundant spiritual harvest that God HAS prepared for you, so he is targeting you in every way, with everything, in every area of your life and his main objective is to make you tired, weak and weary. Your enemy wants you to lose your hope, your faith and your belief in God .. he wants you to feel isolated and alone .. he wants you to give up .. So if this is how you find yourself feeling at the moment, take heart in knowing that you are not alone .. satan is attacking all of God's children. DON'T YOU BE DEFEATED AND DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP !! .. Because .. God's great Kingdom is based on some very strict principles .. One of them being the principle of " Sowing and Reaping " .. " Seed Planting and Harvesting " In the natural world .. your earthly world .. when you take a seed and you plant it into the ground and cover it up with soil, there are many things that happen with that seed under the ground that you are not able to see. The seed is fed with minerals from the soil and once it has been nourished enough a root system begins to grow and become established .. All this below the surface before the little plant breaks through the soil for you to see. Now because God's Kingdom is based on the principle of " Sowing and Reaping ", just as with the natural seed that grows under the ground .. God is also doing many great works and miracles " underground ", " behind the scenes " and " out of sight ", and God is doing this so that He can bring your planted seeds through to the harvest time for you. It is most often in this " growing stage " .. your " growing stage " that you as God's child begin to feel tired, weak and weary, to the point of wanting to give up. If you have been doing everything that you know how to do in God and you are consistent by following God's instructions on a daily basis, but you have not experienced any fruitful outcomes in your life, this is when you may find yourself becoming tired and weary of doing good. Yes, you may be planting the seeds for God, in full obedience, diligence and with great faith .. but .. as you continue to sow have you remembered the method by which the Kingdom of God operates to make the fruit grow in your life .. And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint .. Galatians 6 : 9 .. This is a wonderful promise and one you need to make a point of remembering !! When satan sends a shadow over you .. when you are feeling vulnerable, weak and weary .. STAND TALL, stir up your courage, gather up all your strength, and rise up against him with the Truth of God's Word. When satan attacks .. It is a great time for you to be fighting fit .. An unbeatable opponent IN JESUS NAME !! THE GREATEST WEARINESS COMES FROM WORK NOT DONE When a believing person prays, great things happen. Jas 5:16 Prayer is the recognition that if God had not engaged himself in our problems, we would still be lost in the blackness. It is by his mercy that we have been lifted up. Prayer is that whole process that reminds us of who God is and who we are. I believe there's great power in prayer. I believe God heals the wounded, and that he can raise the dead. But I don't believe we tell God what to do and when to do it. God knows that we, with our limited vision, don't even know that for which we should pray. When we entrust our requests to him, we trust him to honour our prayers with holy judgment. Walking with the Savior (by: Max Lucado) To all who did accept him and believe in him he gave the right to become children of God. Joh 1:12 While we lived in Rio de Janeiro, we met several American families who came to Brazil to adopt children. They would spend days, sometimes weeks, immersed in a different language and a strange culture. They fought the red tape and paid the large fees, all with the hope of taking a child [home] to the United States… Hasn't God done the same for us? He entered our culture, battled the resistance, and paid the unspeakable price which adoption required. Legally we are his. He owns us. We have every legal privilege accorded to [his] child. We are just waiting for him to return. We are, as Paul said, "waiting for God to finish making us his own children" (Rom 8:23 ). When Christ Comes (by: Max Lucado) |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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