People are often unreasonable, self-centred: Forgive them anyway. If you are honest, people may cheat you, but be honest anyway. What you spend years to build, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow. Do good anyway. You see, in the final analysis it is between you and God; it never was between you and them anyway.
“I will be glad and rejoice in Your unfailing love, for You have seen my troubles, and You care about the anguish of my soul”
(Psalm 31:7, NLT) God sees and cares about everything that happens in your life. He’s seen every wrong that’s been done to you. He’s seen every unfair situation. He told the people of Israel, “I have seen your affliction. I have seen how badly you were treated those 430 years that you were in slavery.” Then He went on to say, “I have come down to deliver you.” When God brought them out, they didn’t come out empty-handed. God made their enemies hand over their gold and silver. God vindicated His people, and He will vindicate you! Maybe someone has wronged you today. You could easily become bitter and angry and spend your life trying to pay them back. However, if you will give it to God and let Him do it His way, scripture says He’ll pay you double for your trouble! Today, know that He sees where you are, He sees where you’ve been and He sees the struggles of your heart. Release the struggle to Him and let Him reward you with His everlasting promises. Father God, today I choose to release the struggles in my heart. I release the offenses and wrongs done to me. I choose forgiveness. I choose peace. I choose to let You be my vindicator knowing that You love me and care for me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen A Sunday School teacher asked her class why Joseph and Mary took Jesus with them to Jerusalem. A small child replied, 'The couldn't get a babysitter.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to 'Honour thy father and thy mother,' she asked, 'Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?' Without missing a beat, one little boy answered, 'Thou shall not kill.' ~~~~~~~~~~~~ At Sunday School they were teaching how God created everything, including human beings. Little Johnny seemed especially intent when they told him how Eve was created out of one of Adam's ribs. Later in the week his mother noticed him lying down as though he were ill, and she said, 'Johnny, what is the matter?' Little Johnny responded, 'I have pain in my side. I think I'm going to have a wife.' Don't be afraid of people, who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. The only one you should fear is the one who can destroy the soul and the body in hell. Mat 10:28
Hell's misery is deep, but not as deep as God's love. So how do we apply this [truth]? If you are saved, it should cause you to rejoice. You've been rescued. A glance into hell leads the believer to rejoice. But it also leads the believer to redouble his efforts to reach the lost. To understand hell is to pray more earnestly and to serve more diligently. Ours is a high-stakes mission. And the lost? What is the meaning of this message for the unprepared? Heed the warnings and get ready. This plane won't fly forever. "Death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart" (Ecc 7:2 NIV). When Christ Comes (Max Lucado) I'm not perfect. I have all kinds of problems. I don't know the Bible well enough. I have no ability. I don't have any gifts. I'm limited. I'm just not worthy...
Well, did you know that.... Moses stuttered. David's armor didn't fit. John Mark deserted Paul. Timothy had ulcers. Hosea's wife was a prostitute. Amos' only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning. Jacob was a liar. David had an affair. Solomon was too rich. Abraham was too old. David was too young. Peter was afraid of death. Lazarus was dead. John was self-righteous. Naomi was a widow. Paul was a persecutor of the church. Moses was a murderer. Jonah ran from God's will. Miriam was a gossip. Gideon and Thomas both doubted. Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal. Elijah was burned out. Martha was a worry-wart. Did I mention that Moses had a short fuse? So did Peter, Paul - well, lots of folks did. God doesn't require a job interview for salvation. He's our Heavenly Father. He doesn't look at financial gain or loss. He knows who we are and what we are and loves us in spite of ourselves. SATAN SAYS, "YOU'RE NOT WORTHY." JESUS SAYS, "SO WHAT? I AM." SATAN LOOKS BACK AND SEES OUR MISTAKES. GOD LOOKS BACK AND SEES THE CROSS. There are lots of reasons why God shouldn't call us. But if we are in love with Him, if we hunger for Him, He'll use us in spite of who we are, where we've been, what we have done, or the fact that we are not perfect! When the Word is heard faith is imparted to believe it Rom 10:17 once we have heard the word and believed it we should continue believing. Jesus said believe and rely on Me and you will see the Glory of God John 11:40
As children of God we have the authority to decree Gods plan into our lives. Job 22:28 You shall also decide and decree a thing and it shall be established for you; and the light of God's favor shall shine upon your ways. Walk in Victory knowing that no matter what the enemy brings just stay with Gods plan and decree it into being in Jesus Name
A pastor had been on a long flight between conferences. The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on: Fasten Your Seat Belts. Then, after a while, a calm voice said, "We will not be serving the beverages at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence. Please be sure your seat belt is fastened."
As the pastor looked around the aircraft, it became obvious that many of the passengers were becoming apprehensive. Later, the voice on the intercom said, "We are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at this time. The turbulence is still ahead of us." And then the storm broke... The ominous cracks of thunder could be heard even above the roar of the engines. Lightning lit up the darkening skies, and within moments, that great plane was like a cork tossed around on a celestial ocean. One moment the airplane was lifted on terrific currents of air; the next, it dropped as if it were about to crash. The pastor confessed that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him. He said, "As I looked around the plane, I could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed. Some were praying. The future seemed ominous and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm. Then, I suddenly saw a little girl. Apparently the storm meant nothing to her. She had tucked her feet beneath her as she sat on her seat; she was reading a book and everything within her small world was calm and orderly. Sometimes she closed her eyes, then she would read again; then she would straighten her legs, but worry and fear were not in her world. When the plane was being buffeted by the terrible storm; when it lurched this way and that, as it rose and fell with frightening severity; when all the adults were scared half to death, that marvelous child was completely composed and unafraid." The minister could hardly believe his eyes. It was not surprising therefore, that when the plane finally reached its destination and all the passengers were hurrying to disembark, our pastor lingered to speak to the girl whom he had watched for such a long time. Having commented about the storm and the behavior of the plane, he asked why she had not been afraid. The child replied, "Cause my Daddy's the pilot, and he's taking me home." There are many kinds of storms that buffet us. Physical, mental, financial, domestic, and many other storms can easily and quickly darken our skies and throw our plane into apparently uncontrollable movement. We have all known such times, and let us be honest and confess, it is much easier to be at rest when our feet are on the ground than when we are being tossed about a darkened sky. Let us remember: Our Father is the Pilot. He is in control and taking us home. Don 't worry! By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge the rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. (Proverbs 24:3-4)
When we marry we believe that if we are both Believers in God that we will build a Godly marriage. Oh, if it were only this simple! Yes, the “chances” that we will have a Godly marriage are greater if both spouses are Godly themselves, but that’s not the only determining factor. Building a godly marriage takes more than saying wedding vows and then living together. It takes determination and intentionality to live out your wedding vows and also it takes actually living them out. The Bible says in James 1:22: “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” The principles for building and living out a Godly marriage are the principles for loving as it talks about all throughout the Bible. But you have to actually apply what God says in His Word for them to work.God, whose very name means LOVE, can teach you how to love each other and build a Godly marriage but you need to call upon Him to help you and then apply what He tells you to do. Then, your house WILL be filled with “knowledge” and “rare and beautiful treasures” as it tells us in Proverbs 24. But it won’t be easy – especially in the same way we thought it would be before we married. For some reason so many of us think that we will glide into marriage with ease. (Sadly Steve and I fell into this same trap.) After-all, if we love each other, and we’re both Christians before we marry—won’t our love just grow stronger as the years progress? That would make sense in theory—sure! But in reality it’s much more difficult. It’s like what Dr. Ed Wheat spoke of in his book, Secret Choices: “It has been said that marriage presents one of the most difficult personal problems in life, because the most emotional and romantic of all human dreams has to be consolidated into an ordinary working relationship. Many of us would agree. And yet the statement is not precisely true, for marriage is no ordinary relationship. God designed it to be the ideal partnership in which each partner supports and complements the other; a partnership which is continually renewed and refreshed by the presence and power of love.” Building a Godly marriage is about being partners and working through the many issues that come up with intentionality and Holy determination and perseverance — being dispensers of grace and mercy. It’s the same kind of grace and mercy we want from God, and we are to apply in our marital partnership. There’s one thing about marriage that’s for sure: “At prime moments, God will use your marriage to show you how to love the unlovely.” (Dennis Rainey) It’s amazing how “unlovely” your spouse can appear to be at times. It’s like what Bridgette Dunk, from GTO Ministries said, “Marriage is a union of two individuals who have come together from different families, each with a different set of expectations concerning marriage. For this reason, it has its challenges. Both spouses have been shaped by positive and negative experiences within their own childhood homes Because of this, each has a predetermined idea about how conflict should be handled, the value of money management, religion, children, and what it means to love someone.” Again, it will take applying the principles laid out in the Bible to learn how to do that in order to build a Godly marriage. And it will take hard work and determination.As Dr Steve Stephens said in his book, Marriage: Experiencing the Best: “Many of us grew up with Hollywood fantasy that once married you automatically live happily ever after. Wonderful relationships should just happen, shouldn’t they? If relating is too much work, it’s not worth it. Tony Campolo writes, “Love becomes nonexistent and marriages collapse primarily because most people don’t work hard enough to create love and build marital relationships.” We fail to realize that things of value cost us time and energy. Marriages are demanding and draining. Good marriages don’t come easily.” He also said, (with which we also whole-heartedly agree): “It’s a sad state of affairs when we take better care of our cars and houses than we do our marriages. We change the oil, fill the tank, check the tires, and periodically tune up our cars. We change light bulbs, wash windows, paint walls, unplug toilets, and re-roof our houses, but what do we do to maintain our marriage? The truth is, more damage is done than repairs are made. How important is your marriage? Is it more important to you than your car or your home? Are you willing to put in the time and energy and whatever else it takes to prove to your partner how valuable the relationship truly is to you?” So, what it comes to, if you want to build a Godly marriage is the following: 1. Read and apply the principles for loving, as outlined throughout the ible. 2. Ask God, whose very name means LOVE, to teach you how to truly love your spouse—not with human love, but with a Godly, Christ-honoring love (which won’t come naturally). 3. Live in partnership throughout your marriage with each other and with God. 4. Realize that you have entered into a union, blessed by God, with someone who is very different than you (and probably very different than you thought THEY were also) but still, you determine to persevere through whatever circumstances you find yourselves in. 5. Know that it will cost you time, energy and that it won’t come easily. 6. Come to terms with the fact that anything of value will take cost you something. And because marriage is something that God values and you should too (as you live in covenant with God and your spouse), it will be worth it all for your sakes and for the sake of God’s Kingdom work. 7. “Consider it pure joy, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4) “May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance” (2 Thessalonians 3:5) Our prayers are with you, Cindy and Steve Wright DECLARATION: TODAY I DECLARE THAT I AM VERY SPECIAL IN FATHERS' EYES, AND HE LOVES ME UNCONDITIONALLY. I HAVE AN AWESOME DESTINY BECAUSE I HAVE THE SEED OF GREATNESS IN ME. I HAVE RECEIVED THE ABUNDANCE OF GRACE AND THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND I REIGN IN LIFE. GOD,S FAVOUR SURROUNDS ME LIKE A SHIELD... BECAUSE OF JESUS I DO NOT SUFFER LACK, BUT AM SURROUNDED BY HIS ABUNDANCE, HIS WISDOM, PEACE AND HIS PROTECTION......HALLELUJAH!!!! .... Have a VICTORIOUS DAY as you DECLARE GOD'S GREATNESS IN YOU.......
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Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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