Words...Word

Have you ever read a Christian biography that ravished your soul? I cannot over emphasize how encouraging Christian biographies can be! My favorites include HEAVENLY MAN (about Brother Yun), THE LIFE OF A.W. TOZER: IN PURSUIT OF GOD (by Snyder)and DESTINED FOR A MISSION: The Life Journey of Herman Neusch by Kathy Glover. And a new favorite is GEORGE WHITEFIELD by Dallimore. I am reading it for the second time!!! Did I say that Christian biographies can be SO encouraging?


Here's the line that has literally changed my life: "Finally comes his unique practice of 'praying over every line and word' in both English and Greek, feasting his mind and his heart upon it till its essential meaning has become a part of his very person."

Wow...try that...praying over the Word...every line and word! It will become a part of your very person!

25 Reasons I Am Thankful For our Wreck 25 Years Ago

1. I understand pain is God’s megaphone to wake a sleeping world
2. I know the grueling struggle of persevering in suffering
3. I see that God shapes character through our patient endurance
4. I am glad that God sets the limits to every trial
5. I am thankful that with each trial God provides the grace to overcome
6. I perceive that we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us
7. I experienced the love & prayers of family & friends at unprecedented levels
8. I have been comforted by God in my affliction
9. I can now comfort others in any affliction with the comfort I received
10. I have a marriage that was forged in the depths of pain and founded on Christ
11. I have a best friend in Mary Anne that was formed in the early days
12. I have a theology of suffering
13. I don’t see God and hardship as antithetical
14. I love God more because of the wreck
15. I rejoice looking back because I have been changed by the affliction
16. I have experienced real loss, grief and now know God better because of it
17. I saw and heard amazing miracles associated with the wreck
18. I have the joy of sharing the miracles God did and thus encourage others
19. I know God’s love does not disappoint, even when it looks like it will
20. I have scars that show I have suffered and healed
21. I offer the scars as a reminder we are all wounded healers
22. I see what could have been used for evil has been turned for good
23. I know God gives and takes away
24. I know God makes all things work together for my good
25. I would do it again…it’s been worth all the pain

Loved

When you stop and think of the innumerable things that try to set the agenda for our day it is indeed a miracle when we live to love. Isn't that why were created...to love and be loved? FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON (John 3:16) and WE LOVE BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US (1 John 4:19)...these simple texts are explaining that we have been loved infinitely by God!

A basic psychological theory of self-esteem (stick with me here) is called the LOOKING GLASS SELF THEORY. It states that each individual sees themselves as a reflection of how the most important person in their life sees them. Do you see how this works in our favor? God now sees all believers in His Son (2 Cor. 5:21) and that will never change. Is He the most important person in your life?

Celebrate...

*God love for you is constant--even on your worst day
*Nothing you do can change the way He feels about you
*Embracing His amazing love will free you to be who HE made you to be

And the best part is we get to live a life for the ONE AGENDA--Loving God! We exist now and forever for love.

We have been loved fully...we are loved fully...we will be loved fully!

Now and forever...focus on loving God and receiving His constant love for you.

It makes life!

The Most All Encompassing Promise

People...seriously...wow...take a few minutes to look at the most unbelievable, shocking and all encompassing promise from God I know. It's found in Psalm 1:1-2...


Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.


There are three conditions to walking in this promise:

First--Do not listen to the counsel of the wicked!

Second--Delight in God's Word!

Third--Meditate on God's word day and night!


If you meet these three conditions--and this is only possible by the power of the Holy Spirit--you will be the heir of sucess (the text says you will prosper) IN ALL YOU DO!


DO YOU SEE IT? Obeying the Word of God makes you a success in all circumstances regardless of the outcome in your eyes or anyone elses for that matter.


WOW...Join me in turning off the counsel of the wicked...delighting in God's Word...and in meditating day and night on HIS WORD!

How To P.R.A.Y. for Your Child

P-ray they will love Jesus with all their heart, soul, mind and strength (Mt. 22:37)

R-equest of God that they will grow deeper, wider, longer and higher into the love God has for them (Eph. 3:18-19)

A-sk God to show them why He made them (Rom. 12:4-8)

Y-earn of God for your child to learn to hear and obey God's voice (John 10:27-28)

Where Are The Prophets?

I don't mean those who can foretell the future...I mean men and women of God who have a NOW Word from God for the wayward church of today. A.W. Tozer often said we need prophets in pulpit, not promoters! If you listen today they are hard to find. Men of old...men sent from God (like John the Baptist) came with a Word of truth in love for the body. Oh how the church of today needs men and women who love enough to tell the truth. I don't think it's a matter of when there will be a great falling away, I believe the church in America is currently in the backsliden state desperately in need of men and women of God who have met with God and have a Bible based remedy for our current cancer of self-focused religion.

Pray...it's so easy to fall into pride at this point. That's enemy #1. We must know that judgment begins with the house of God...and God is currently exposing our darkness in order to send us out as lights in a dark world. What can we do if the light has turned to darkness?

Pray...I believe the true church's best days lie ahead...even in the midst of great persecution that is coming soon. The last days church will rise up in the Spirit's power in the midst of great opposition. Great ready, it's here. But our greatest worry is not the oppositon, but self-focused religion where satan comes as an angel of light to deceive even the elect if that were possible.

Pray...We must once again see that our relationship with Jesus is first and foremost. The church must again pursue with reckless abondon the first and greatest commandment of LOVING GOD WITH ALL OUR HEART, SOUL, MIND AND STRENGTH. This is the only remedy to the grave danger facing us. It's not a new program we need, but a new passion for God alone!

Pray...the devil is raging for he knows his time is short (see Rev. 12) and we overcome him in the same simple way that all saints have and will--by the blood of the Lamb, by the Word of our testimony and by not loving our lives even to shrink back from death. These are exciting days. Ask God to overwhelm you with Himself and to send you out with fire in your bones!