2 Chronicles 7:14, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
Technorati Tags: Scripture
Psalms 139
1
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
19 Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.
20 For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.
21 Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Technorati Tags: Bible
1 Corinthians 15:19, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."
Scripture says in Ecclesiastes 3:2 that there is “a time to be born, and a time to die.” So, each of us comes into this world leaving. We don’t know when nor where it will happen. We are just encouraged to live for the Lord, endure in this life, and one day we will go home to meet the Lord.
This past week has been one of home-going for several people we know. First, it was a cousin of my Mother’s. He left us at the age of 86. Then came my Daddy’s niece who was also 86. Both of these had lived a long and full life. One had cancer for many years and the other had gotten to the point she was only here, didn’t know anyone. But, still her sister told me tonight that she would be missed because ‘although she wasn’t herself, she was with us’.
And, last night we learned of my husband’s niece dying in the nursing home where she had been the last 6 years after a tragic accident that left her paralyzed and unable to speak. But, she had her right mind and knew you, just unable to communicate except with her eyes and moving her head for yes or no. And, what hurt is the fact she was the young age of 60. At the age of 54 her expected life came to a halt. She had been the manager of the local branch bank in her hometown. But, that faithful day, she and a friend had gone out to lunch. They had started across the highway to the cleaners and were hit broadside by a drunk driver that ran a red light. Life went on for 6 years, but not in the expected way. That day will never leave my mind, considering it was on my granddaughter’s 12th birthday. Bill’s niece died exactly 1 day after the 6th anniversary of that accident.
Death will come to each of us sooner or later. But, we are encouraged to live our lives as though today would be our last. Always be ready to face God regardless of the day or time. Live for him fully, place your trust in Him and His promises to us. He will never leave nor forsake us. No matter what we got through in our lives, He is to help us overcome. And, when death comes calling, He is ready to give us comfort and the peace that passes all understanding.
Technorati Tags: Death, Scripture, God
Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him master.
Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.
Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.
Had no army, yet kings feared Him.
He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.
He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.
He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.
Feel honored to serve such a Leader who loves us.
Technorati Tags: Jesus, Master, Teacher, Healer, Crucified
Prayer is our communion with God, whether it be a petition made to God, worship, repentance, praise, or thanksgiving. It doesn't have to be a laid-out patent prayer, but words from the heart. God wants all of us, he knows our minds and hearts, so why not talk to him as if he already knows the situation.
James 5:16 Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
The effectual fervent prayer is one with power behind it, one that produces results. We have to believe what we pray, not just 'mouth' words. Sometimes we go blindly into our prayers, not knowing in which direction to go.
Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you , What things soever ye desire, when ye pray , believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them].
Desires of the heart should be those that will glorify God, not necessarily the human desires we have to make our life better.
Matthew 6:7 But when ye pray , use not vain repetitions, as the heathen [do]: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
God knows each thought we have, so why not go to HIM and talk with him as you would if you were to meet him on the street. Prayers do not have to be long, drawn out affairs, but we need to be precise in what we are asking, and ask according to the bible rather than asking blindly for what we want. If it glorifies the Lord, then it will be something good for us. If it does not, then we shouldn't be asking for it in our prayers.
Taken from Barbara's Entourage Power of Prayer
Linked at Pursuing Holiness
Cao's Blog Sunday Open Trackbacks
Church and State
Technorati Tags: Prayer, Power, God, Communion, Repetition
This post is not about jam that you put on your peanut butter sandwich. And, I am not in any jam (traffic jam, etc.) I’m actually speaking about Jesus and Me. However, I have been known to pray to Jesus when I’ve been in a traffic jam. I want to know the easiest way out possible (get me to the nearest exit).
Last night, my 13 year old grandson brought up Jesus. He had seen a small magnet on my refrigerator that says ‘God couldn’t be everywhere, so he made grandmothers’. He took the magnet and came in the Den where I was and asked, “Do you believe God can be everywhere?” Of course, I answered “yes, he’s everywhere – in your heart, if you believe in him.” So, we got into this long conversation on Jesus and God.
The conversation went to what he believed and his misconceptions. We got into evolution and I find science has made an impression on him – too much of one! He got onto the subject of man evolving from monkeys. I explained to him that it did not matter what science said; it matters what God says in His Word. And, Genesis 1:26 says “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”. I dare say God is not a monkey. In the passages before, he talked about bringing forth every living creature after ‘their kind’. It is hard to explain away scientists’ ‘findings’ to an impressionable child, but hopefully, I made a better impression on him. A child’s mind is so bendable when they are young, and hopefully I have nipped in the bud the wrong impression of where we came from.
Never underestimate what a small magnet on your refrigerator can do. And, never underestimate the thoughts of a child (teenager in my case). J.A.M can help both of us out of a difficult situation. And, Jesus can help you and I explain to these thinking teenagers (and children) what His Word really means and how it contradicts what man has to offer us from ‘his way of thinking’ or perhaps even ‘his findings’ (evolution, for example).
Linked at Don Surber
Third World County
Conservative Cat
Technorati Tags: JAM, God, Jesus, Teenagers, Youth, Truth, Bible
Vernon Henson, now 71, had never read the Bible through when he joined the Army. He had been taught to not engage in dances and movies, so he kept himself busy studying the Bible. He began to use a fountain pen to script the NT on lined notebook paper, along with the Psalms and Proverbs. As he studied, he wrote and memorized passages. It took him 11 years to accomplish that. He had the NT bound for $4.50.
Thirty years later, at midnight, he finished the OT and had it bound in 5 volumes. It was truly a 40 year 'labor of love' for Henson.
He was working in a Funeral home, and singing with a quartet and making pies to stay busy. His close friend, Della Nelson, and her husband,said she never knew about the handwritten King James version until he brought the volumes to church. She and her husband had befriended him as a teenager and had been friends ever since.
Linked at Conservative Cat
Church and State
Pursuing Holiness
Technorati Tag: Bible, Hand-written, Vernon Henson, King James,
Jeff Monestime, 23, a luggage attendant at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airport, was fired for playing a Bible verse on his cell phone. He said it was a prank,but a homosexual couple sitting in the airport didn't think so. They considered it a 'death threat'.Monestime said he used his cell phone to play a recording that said, "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, they should be put to death." The announcement came from Leviticus 20:13.
Technorati Tags: Bible, Offense, Homosexual, Leviticus
A representative from the Gideons' organization visited our church again today. We were so happy to welcome him. When he spoke, you knew he was very compassionate about his work to get a Bible into the hands of those less fortunate that those of us who can buy one.
And, Dan Harrison, father of a student at Sisters, Oregon school where the teacher taught, asked, "How many minds did he pollute?" Helphinstine said he did not teach the idea that God created the world. "I never taught creationism," he said. "I know what it is, and I went out of my way not to teach it."
Chris Helpinstine, 27, was a part-time high school biology teacher. He had included Biblical reference material in their study in order to show bias in study material. He was teaching them critical thinking."Critical thinking is vital to scientific inquiry," said Helphinstine, who has a master's degree in science from Oregon State. "My whole purpose was to give accurate information and to get them thinking."
John Rahm, parent of a freshman, said he daughter had come home, saying she was confused with the supplemental material Helpenstine had provided in their class. He said the "Biblical references prevented her from learning what she needed to learn."
Linked at Conservative Cat
Perri Nelson's Website Midweek Open Trackbacks
Technorati Tags: Oregon, Teacher, Bible, Biology, Critical Thinking, Sisters, Oregon
Two men from the Gideons were handing out Bibles on a public sidewalk outside the Key Largo School in Key Largo, Florida. They were reported by the principal of the school. And, the Monroe County's Sheriff, after asking the guys to move or be charged with trespassing, decided to arrest the two men. "Officials cannot use fear of arrest as a means of bullying law-abiding Christians into silence," Cortman said. "These men broke no laws when they decided to communicate their message on a public sidewalk."
Tedesco noted that sometimes school officials have a misconception about whether they can control activities on school grounds and adjacent public sidewalks. But the First Amendment does provide a protection for speech on those parcels of ground that are public, he said.
"There's no reason why they should be put in jail," he said.
Betty Herrin, speaking for the Monroe County Sheriff's department, stated a fact that the defendants are clearly disputing. The report sent to WND states their truck was parked in a No Parking area, on school property.
The Gideons are a non-profit organization that distributes Bibles to hotels, motels, hospitals, and nursing homes, schools, colleges, universities and the military. They pay their own expenses, and 100% of donations go towards purchasing Bibles to distribute to those who want them.
Linked at Conservative Cat
Don Surber
Pursuing Holiness
Technorati Tags: Gideons, Bible, Arrest, Key Largo, Florida
But it is not the kind of challenge you would think. In fact, it is not a good challenge at all. It's a challenge from an atheist for them to come out from under what they have been taught about God and deny His existence.
I had never heard of this until we were just watching John Kasich's show on Fox News, "Heartland". He had the owner of the blog "The Blasphemy Challenge", Brian Flemming, on his show, speaking about his reason for doing this. He says the kids were made to listen to all that untruth when they were young, and he wanted to let them know it was all a lie.
These children who are denying God are to make a video and put it on Youtube.com. But, first, they have to be sure they say in the video "I deny the Holy Spirit", in order to damn their soul to hell. This is in challenge of the following verse of scripture:
John challenged Flemming to tell him the real reason he was trying to influence the kids that there is no God. He just kept saying they had been forced to believe in a non-existing God and he wanted give them the truth. Well, I have one thing to say: Fleming may wake up one day and realize he should have listened to the wise words of John Kasich, but it will probably be too late.There's only one catch: We want your soul.
It's simple. You record a short message damning yourself to Hell, you upload it to YouTube, and then the Rational Response Squad will send you a free The God Who Wasn't There DVD. It's that easy.
For someone who has been married for over forty two years, I think marriage is alive and well. But, as one looks around, you sometimes wonder if that is really so. There are so many divorces, even among Christians. "Until death do us part" has no meaning any longer, it seems. The attitude is 'if we don't jive,then we will just divorce. And, many never even legalize their union; they just merely co-habit. These are certainly not good for onlookers who question marriage for themselves.
Birds of the Air has a great blog on 'Marriage at it's end?'. He spoke about how many states have 'no-fault divorce' where it's easy to get out of an unwanted marriage. He also talks about Christians who do nothing to help the state of marriage. They will identify themselves as Christians, and still shack up and divorce, therefore, laying aside the Word of God on these matters. This is a bad message going to the secular public.
To me, marriage is a union between a man and woman, committed to each other. If they have children, they then set the example for those children to live by. It sends the message that marriage is a great thing to those children, and to be desired, rather than just shacking up. Too many have lost their focus in their marriages, getting divorces without realizing the after effects on the children, as well as the one left behind. If a marriage is interrupted when children are home, don't fool yourself and think your children won't be effected. Some will go through life wondering if they were the reason for the divorce. It is hard for children to comprehend about adult relationships, and see themselves as the cause, even though they are told it is not so.
I do not think that marriage is on the way out, because it is sanctioned by God. He tells us in His Word to marry and 'multiply'. And, multiplying can only be done through a man and woman. Marriage is also to be only between a man and woman, although society today is trying to change God's law, and say that marriage should not be seen as just between a man and woman. They find ways to have children - with man and man or woman and woman. This is not a healthy marriage, no matter what society says. There would never be any question in people's minds, if that were so, because we would have no reason to question it. But, I digress to the Word: Leviticus 20:13.
The world may look at things differently than Christians. Their definition of marriage can be different, as well as their belief that different ways are a sin. Cohabitation is shown on television, and homosexuality is flooding the mainstream, as well. As more and more 'come out of the closet', marriage will be more and more subjected to the ands, ifs, whys, and buts. But, that never will change the Word. It will never take away the right of a child to have both a father and mother. And, it most certainly will never change my thought on marriage, that it is sanctioned by God, and between a man and woman. And, I thank God for my husband who also thinks the way I do. We both came from a home where our parents were together as long as 56 & 67 years before the death of a spouse. May our marriage last as long!
Linked to Conservative Cat
Don Surber
Pirate's Cove Tuesday Linkfest
Technorati Tags: Marriage, Divorce, God
Christian Booksellers Association and Zondervan Publishers did a research where they found that Christians in the United States own, on an average, nine Bibles. Christian Resources International Executive Director Fred Palmerton's organization receives around 250 letters a month from ministers and workers in other countries that don't have one Bible. Most of these people are from Africa, Asia, and South America. And, this troubled him.
Palmerton and CRI put together a program called Operation Bare Your Bookshelf, a project which makes it easy for Christians to send Bibles and other Christian materials overseas. Anyone can visit their website, fill out the forms, and they will send you all the materials needed to send those books overseas. Volunteers and recepients are matched by denomination to insure the right books get to the right people. You can find out more details, when you visit their site.
Linked at Conservative Cat
Technorati Tags: Bibles, Books, Christian, Ministers
I have always been a reader of the KJV. In fact, it's the only copy of a Bible that was ever in my parents' home. Therefore, I got very comfortable with it at an early age. And, when I read a different translation, I am forever comparing it, since words are different. I enjoy using The Amplified Bible, which I have in a Parallel Bible with the KJV, for study. But, my memory will always bring back the scripture I learned from the KJV. That's because those troublesome verses about justice for the poor, responsibility for the rich to address their neighbors' needs, and all that talk about money, are gone. Not just edited out, cut out. A report from Assist News Service said the Western Bible Foundation published the book to meet the "growing wish of many churches to be market-oriented and more attractive."
Then, I ran across this new Bible publication review. I was shocked! I remembered the tale of the young woman leaving church one day with a Bible missing many pages under her arm. The preacher noticed her Bible and asked what had happened. She told him that, everytime he said something didn't apply for today, she would tear the pages out of her Bible, and about all she had left was the covers.
It seems a Dutch organization wants to take the stress out of reading the Word for contemporary Christians. So, they are literally doing the same thing as the young woman did - removing those parts they feel doesn't apply to us today - or, better still, those parts that they might have a hard time applying to themselves.
The Bible is only available in Dutch for the time being. Hopefully, it will stay there. Parts of the Ten Commandments, Isaiah, Proverbs along with the Sermon on the Mount has been removed. After all, 'it isn't useful for today'. "After all, 'it isn't useful for today'.
I was sent the following article in my email this morning. I had never read it and perhaps others haven't. I found it on a web site, but there is not an author listed to whom I can give credit. Thought you might enjoy this today. It was quiet that day, the guns and the mortars, and land mines for some reason hadn't been heard. The young soldier knew it was Sunday. As he was sitting there, he got out an old deck of cards and laid them out across his bunk. Just then an army sergeant came in and said, "Why aren't you with the rest of the platoon?" The soldier replied, "I thought I would stay behind and spend some time with the Lord." The sergeant said, "Looks to me like you're going to play cards." The soldier sad , "No, sir. You see, since we are not allowed to have Bibles or other spiritual books in this country,I've decided to talk to the Lord by studying this deck of cards." The sergeant asked in disbelief, "How will you do that?" "You see the Ace, Sergeant? It reminds me that there is only one God. The Two represents the two parts of the Bible, Old and New Testaments. The Three represents the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. The Four stands for the Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Six is for the six days it took God to create the Heavens and Earth. The Seven is for the day God rested after making His Creation. The Eight is for the family of Noah and his wife, their three sons and their wives - the eight people God spared from the flood that destroyed the Earth. The Nine is for the lepers that Jesus cleansed of leprosy. He cleansed ten, but nine never thanked Him. The Ten represents the Ten Commandments that God handed down to Moses on tablets made of stone. The Jack is a reminder of Satan, one of God's first angels, but he got kicked out of heaven for his sly and wicked ways and is now the joker of eternal hell. The Queen stands for the Virgin Mary. The King stands for Jesus, for he is the King of all kings. When I count the dots on all the cards, I come up with 365 total, one for every day of the year. There are a total of 52 cards in a deck; each is a week - 52 weeks in a year. The four suits represent the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Each suit has thirteen cards - there are exactly thirteen weeks in a quarter. So when I want to talk to God and thank Him, I just pull out this old deck of cards and they remind me of all that I have to be thankful for." The sergeant just stood there. After a minute, with tears in his eyes and pain in his heart, he said, "Soldier, can I borrow that deck of cards?" Please let this be a reminder and take time to pray for all of our soldiers who are being sent away, putting their lives on the line fighting.
Linked at Conservative Cat
The Five is for the five virgins there were ten, but only five of them were glorified.
Mark My Words
Third World County
Technorati Tags: God, Bible, Jesus, King, Cards, Soldier, Prayer
Pastor Shahzad Rasheed is pastor of Gospel Pentecostal Church of Pakistan. He and his members are doing everything possible to spread the WORD in Pakistan. They are continually 'sowing the seed' and reaping a harvest. The 'harvest' is also helping them in working to get souls saved and into the Kingdom of God.
Pakistan is a fundamental Islamic nation. Pastor Rasheed says they are persecuted and deceived by the Muslims all the time. So, they cannot preach openly, and have to go underground.
The biggest problem they have is their ability to get Holy Bibles. And, they are in great need. Right now, they need 500 Bibles, or the cash to buy them. Please be in prayer for Pastor Rasheed and all the people in Pakistan who are standing for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that their needs will be met quickly.
Linked at Conservative Cat
Church And State
Technorati Tags: Bibles, Gospel, Pakistan,
Until recently, while reading blogs, I thought to ‘marinate’ meant to soak food (mainly meat) in a liquid mixture, in order to give it flavor when you cook it. To my surprise, Doug, over at CoffeeSwirls, mentioned that Christians should ‘marinate in the Word’ "'marinate in the Word'.... meaning the Bible. He mentioned staying on a passage until he feels he is ready to move on.
A former Sunday School teacher of mine always stressed the importance of studying the Word for ourselves. His favorite verse was:
2 Timothy 2:15, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
