Comment

Comment by akua akuamoah-boateng on May 6, 2011 at 4:05am

How much time do we spend wallowing in our own self pity, groaning about things with which we struggle daily...so much so that it becomes who we are! The enemy would love nothing more than to keep us focused on our disabilities so that we are distracted from the calling of God on our lives. He wants us to have a "victim mentality". But let's not lose focus of the reality of who we are. In Jesus we are a chosen generation, part of a royal priesthood, and the King has offered us a place at His table! We are heirs of His great throne!!
Folks, in Him, we should have a victor mentality! Press forward -- know who you are in Him and take your rightful seat at the King's Table.
God bless us all !

Comment by ALCEDES JONES on May 4, 2011 at 11:59am

	The Greatness of His Favor TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us...raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4–7, NKJ) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Oftentimes, people set their focus on what God has done in the past — how He parted the Red Sea, or stopped the sun for Joshua, or fed thousands of people with just a little boy’s small lunch. Yes, God has performed many amazing miracles throughout history, and it’s important that we give Him praise and glory. But at the same time, we also have to look forward to what God wants to do in our lives today. In this verse, Paul says that “in the ages to come” God would do things that far supersede anything He’s ever done before. I believe that the “ages to come” that he’s talking about is this day and time we’re living in right now. God wants to outdo Himself in our generation! Remember, God is a God of increase. Where you are today is not where you are supposed to stay. He has greater levels of His favor and blessing in store for you. Dare to dream big! Dare to keep a God-sized vision in front of you! Dare to take hold of every blessing that the Lord has in store for you! A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father in heaven, thank You for Your faithfulness in my life. Today I open my heart and mind to You so that I can see the greatness of what You want to do in my life. Use me for Your glory. Thank You for Your favor. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Comment by ALCEDES JONES on April 27, 2011 at 9:37pm

ANOTHER PLATE FULL FOR THE SOUL

Is God Sending You a Wake-up Call?
Understanding Why Bad Things Happen to Good People

From Jack Zavada

"Is God Sending You a Wake-up Call?" Photo: © Getty Images / Leukos
Sponsored Links

Bad things happen to good people, and most of the time we can't figure out why.

Once we understand that as believers, we have been saved from our sins through the death of Jesus Christ, we can rule out the possibility that God is punishing us. We are his redeemed children now and no longer subject to his punishment.

However, there's another possibility we rarely consider. Maybe God is sending us a wake-up call.
"Why did God allow this?"
When personal tragedy hits, we can be sure a good God doesn't cause it, but he does allow it to happen. We wonder, "Why did God allow this?"

That's exactly the question God wants us to ask.

After our salvation, God's second goal for our life is to conform us to the character of his son, Jesus Christ. We all stray off that path sometimes.

We can stray through complacency, through busyness, or simply because we believe we're already "good enough." After all, we're saved. We know we can't get to heaven by doing good works, so nothing more is required of us, we reason.

As a human rationalization, that seems to make sense, but it doesn't satisfy God. God has higher standards for us as Christians. He wants us to be like Jesus.
"But I wasn't sinning ..."
When something bad happens, our gut reaction is to protest the unfairness of it. We can't think of anything we did to deserve it, and doesn't the Bible say God protects believers?

Certainly our salvation is secure, but we see from Bible figures like Job and Paul that our health or finances may not be, and we learn from Stephen and the other martyrs that our life may not be safe either.

We need to dig deeper. Were we engaging in a reckless, unhealthy lifestyle, even if what we were doing wasn't technically sinful? Were we being unwise stewards with our money or talents? Have we been excusing wrong behavior because everybody else is doing it?

Had we let Jesus Christ become an afterthought, something we attended to on Sunday morning but pushed down on our priority list the rest of the week, behind our job, our recreation or even our family?

These are hard questions to ask because we thought we were doing fine. We thought we were obeying God to the best of our ability. Wouldn't a simple tap on the shoulder have been sufficient, instead of the pain we're going through?

Except we tend to shrug off taps on the shoulder. It's likely we received several and ignored them. Most of the time it takes something truly miserable to get our attention and wake us up.
"I'm awake! I'm awake!"

Nothing makes us ask questions like suffering. When we're finally humble enough for honest introspection, the answers come.

To get those answers, we pray. We read the Bible. We meditate on our wake-up call. We have long, thoughtful conversations with our godly friends. God rewards our sincerity by giving us wisdom and understanding.

Gradually we discover how we need to clean up our act. We realize where we were deficient or even dangerous and are shocked we didn't see it before. As bad as our wake-up call was, it still rescued us in time. With relief and thanksgiving, we sense that things could have turned out much worse if God had not allowed this event to bring us to a complete halt.

Then we ask God to help us put our life back together and learn the lesson he intended from the experience. Confessing our anger and hurt, we resolve to be more vigilant from now on so no more wake-up calls are needed.
Seeing Your Wake-Up Call Accurately
The Christian life isn't always pleasant, and anyone who has been at it for several decades can tell you that we learn the most about God and ourselves during our valley experiences, not on the mountaintops.

That's why it's important to recognize your wake-up call as a learning experience and not as punishment. That becomes clear when you remember that God is motivated by love and has tremendous concern for you.

Correction is needed when you get off course. A wake-up call forces you to rethink your priorities. It reminds you what really matters in life.

God loves you so much he takes a constant, personal interest in your life. He wants to keep you close to him, so close that you talk with him and depend on him all through your day, every day. And isn't that the kind of heavenly father you long for?

Jack Zavada, a career writer and guest contributor for About.com, is host to a Christian website for singles. Never married, Jack feels that the hard-won lessons he has learned may help other Christian singles make sense of their lives. His articles and ebooks offer great hope and encouragement. To contact him or for more information, visit Jack's Bio Page.

Comment by ALCEDES JONES on April 22, 2011 at 4:48pm

WOW JUST HAD TO SHARE THIS WOW GREAT FOOD FOR OUR SOUL



By Mary Fairchild, About.com Guide
How to Spring Clean Your Spirit
While you're cleaning out closets and sweeping under the furniture, think about this: Spring cleaning, while worth the effort, will only last for a season, but spiritual cleansing could have an eternal influence. So don't just dust behind those book shelves, dust off that favorite Bible and get ready for a spiritual spring cleaning.
1) Cleanse Your Heart - Get Spiritually Healthy:

The Bible encourages us to draw close to God and allow our hearts and bodies to be cleansed. This is the first step in our spring cleaning project. We can't clean ourselves. Instead we must draw near to God and ask Him to do the cleansing.
Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.(KJV)
Hebrews 10:22
Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.(NIV)
2) Clean Out Your Mouth - Deep Clean Inside and Out:

Spiritual cleansing requires deep cleaning -- it is housekeeping that goes beyond what others see and hear. It's a cleansing from within -- inside and out. As your heart gets clean, your language should follow. This is not just talking about bad language, but also negative talk and pessimistic thoughts that contradict the Word of God and faith. This includes the challenge to stop complaining.
Luke 6:45
The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.(NIV)
Philippians 2:14
Do everything without complaining or arguing...(NIV)
3) Renew Your Mind - Take Out the Garbage:

This is one of the biggest areas of struggle for most of us -- removing the garbage from our minds. Garbage in equals garbage out. We must feed our minds and spirits the Word of God instead of the garbage of this world.
Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.(NIV)
2 Corinthians 10:5
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.(NIV)
4) Repent from Hidden Sin - Clean Out Your Spiritual Closets:

Hidden sin will destroy your life, your peace, and even your health. The Bible says to confess your sin - tell someone, and reach out for help. When your spiritual closets are clean, the heaviness from hidden sin will lift.
Psalm 32:3-5
When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"—and you forgave the guilt of my sin. (NIV)
5) Release Unforgiveness and Bitterness - Get Rid of Old Baggage:

Any sin will weigh you down, but long kept unforgiveness and bitterness is like old baggage in the attic you just can't seem to part with. You are so familiar with it, you don't even realize how it is hindering your life.
Hebrews 12:1
Therefore ... let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress...(NLT)
Ephesians 4:31-32
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.(NIV)
6) Involve Jesus in Your Daily Life - Let the Son Shine In:

What God wants most from you is relationship - friendship. He wants to be involved in the big and small moments of your life. Open your life, let the light of God's presence shine into every part, and you'll have no need for a yearly spiritual cleaning. Instead experience daily, moment to moment refreshing of your spirit.
1 Corinthians 1:9
God ... is the one who invited you into this wonderful friendship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.(NLT)
Psalm 56:13
For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light.(NLT)
7) Learn to Laugh at Yourself and at Life:

Some of us take life too seriously, or we take ourselves too seriously. Jesus wants you to enjoy yourself, and learn to have some fun. God made you for His pleasure!
Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.(NIV)
Psalm 126:2
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."(NIV)

Comment by rosary flasius on April 21, 2011 at 1:54am

"You are already clean because of the word(BIBLE) which i have spoken to you. john 15:3

my brothers and sisters you are already clean when you hear bible, what a simple way to cleane, this only need for us to take paradise by Him, so if any one of you did't get salvation, READ BIBLE EVERY DAY AND GO SPRITUAL CHURCH TO HEAR LORD'S WORDS and get clean, we will be in paradise one day and will meet each other VERY sure., because that is the promise for Us from lord. we praise our loving lord for precious sanctification without money or something. golry to our loving lord, amen

your younger brother
rosary plasius

Comment by Annette Jernigan on April 19, 2011 at 7:52am

I love the Lord and look to Him for the grace required to get through each day and I enjoy the comments of others but it's exhausting to find comments that are so lengthy that it doesn't leave room for comments by others because of the monopoly of a group by some. I chose to stop following comments by email because of this.

Comment by ALCEDES JONES on April 19, 2011 at 4:24am

Christianity for Realists
The Myth of a Problem-free Life

From Jack Zavada
See More About:



Everyone has different expectations from Christianity, but one thing we should not expect is a problem-free life.

It just isn't realistic, and you won't find one verse in the Bible to support that idea. Jesus is blunt when he tells his followers:

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33 NIV)

Trouble! Now there's an understatement. If you're a Christian and you haven't been ridiculed, discriminated against, insulted or mistreated, you're doing something wrong. Our trouble also includes accidents, illness, job layoffs, broken relationships, financial setbacks, family strife, the deaths of loved ones, and every kind of nastiness that unbelievers suffer as well.

What gives? If God loves us, why doesn't he take better care of us? Why doesn't he make Christians immune from all the pains of life?

Only God knows the answer to that, but we can find our solution in the last part of Jesus' statement: "I have overcome the world."
The Major Cause of Trouble
Many of the world's problems come from Satan, that Father of Lies and Dealer in Destruction. In the past couple decades, it's become fashionable to treat that fallen angel like a mythological character, implying that we are too sophisticated now to believe in such nonsense.

But Jesus never spoke of Satan as a symbol. Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert. He constantly warned his disciples to beware of Satan's traps. As God, Jesus is the supreme realist, and he recognized the existence of Satan.

Using us to cause our own problems is Satan's oldest ploy. Eve was the first person to fall for it and the rest of us have been doing it ever since. Self-destruction has to start somewhere, and Satan is often the small voice that assures us our dangerous acts are all right.

There's no doubt: Sin can be enjoyable. Satan is doing everything he can to make sin socially acceptable in our world. But Jesus said, "I have overcome the world." What did he mean?
Exchanging His Power for Our Own
Sooner or later, every Christian realizes that their own power is pretty puny. As hard as we try to be good all the time, we just can't make it. But the good news is that if we allow him, Jesus will live the Christian life through us. That means his power to overcome sin and the problems of this world is ours for the asking.

No matter whether our problems are caused by ourselves (sin), others (crime, cruelty, selfishness) or circumstances (illness, traffic accidents, job loss, fire, disaster), Jesus is always where we turn. Because Christ has overcome the world, we can overcome it through his strength, not our own. He is the answer to the problem-filled life.

That doesn't mean our problems will end as soon as we surrender control to him. It does mean, however, that our unbeatable ally will bring us through everything that happens to us: "A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all ..." (Psalm 34:19 NIV)

He doesn't spare us from them all, he doesn't shield us from them all, but he does deliver us. We may come out the other side with scars and losses, but we will come out the other side. Even if our suffering results in death, we will be delivered into the hands of God.
Confidence During Our Problems
Each new problem calls for renewed trust, but if we think back on how God has delivered us in the past, we see that unmistakable pattern of delivery in our lives. Knowing God is on our side and supporting us through our troubles can give us a sense of peace and confidence.

Once we understand that trouble is normal and to be expected in this life, it will not catch us off-guard as much when it comes. We don't have to like it, we certainly can't enjoy it, but we can always count on God's help to get us through it.

A problem-free life is a myth here on earth but a reality in heaven. Realistic Christians see that. We don't view heaven as pie-in-the-sky but rather our reward for trusting Jesus Christ as our Savior. It's a place where all will be made right, because the God of Righteousness lives there.

Until we reach that place, we can take heart, as Jesus commanded us. He has overcome the world, and as his followers, his victory is also ours.

Jack Zavada, a career writer and guest contributor for About.com, is host to a Christian lessons h lives. His articles and ebooks offer great hope and encouragement. To contact him or for more information, visit Jack's Bio Page

Comment by ALCEDES JONES on April 8, 2011 at 4:39am

	Nothing Wasted TODAY’S SCRIPTURE "After everyone was full, Jesus told His disciples, "Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted" (John 6:12, NLT). TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria The Bible tells of a time when Jesus fed a crowd of five thousand with only five loaves and two fish. That day, everyone had more than enough to eat, and there were still twelve baskets full of bread and fish leftover—more than what they started with! We serve a God of abundance! I love that Jesus told the disciples to collect all the leftovers "so that nothing is wasted." With God, nothing is ever wasted. He'll never waste an experience, He'll never waste a hurt, He'll never waste a dream, He'll never waste even a single piece of bread. If you've felt like you've wasted years of your life in the wrong job, hanging around the wrong people, doing the wrong things, God will gather those years and restore them back to you. He'll take those experiences that the enemy meant for your harm and turn them around for your good. He'll make you stronger, wiser and better off than you were before. He can launch you further into your destiny than before. Be encouraged today because with God all things are possible and nothing is ever wasted! A PRAYER FOR TODAY Heavenly Father, I give You every bit of my life, my past, my present and my future. Thank You for taking every experience in my life and turning it around for my good. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Comment by ALCEDES JONES on April 4, 2011 at 7:22am

	Hold On to Your Peace TODAY’S SCRIPTURE "Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you" (Luke 6:28, NIV). TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria I've learned that some people are peace stealers. They feel like it's their calling in life to aggravate you, try to make you look bad, and tell you what you can't do. They'll try to bait you into an argument to get you upset, annoyed and frustrated. But don't take the bait! Nothing is worth losing your peace over. They may think they're getting the best of you, but in the end, God can use that to take you higher. When people come against you, choose to keep your peace. Choose to forgive. Pray for that person because that's how you disarm the enemy against you. Scripture says your battle isn't against flesh and blood. In others words, that person isn't your enemy; the accuser—Satan—is your enemy. He's trying to bring division and get you upset. But when you choose to keep peace, when you keep walking in love and keep a smile on your face, you are overcoming his tactics. That's how you win. Today, choose peace, choose to walk in love, and choose the victory God has prepared for you! A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father, thank You for giving me Your peace and strength today. I choose to hold my peace and bless those who come against me. I choose to walk in love and forgiveness so that I can honor You in all that I do. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Comment by ALCEDES JONES on April 1, 2011 at 10:34am

		Serenity Prayer	- Surrender

		You are here: Prayer >> Serenity Prayer Serenity Prayer: What are the words? The Serenity Prayer goes like this -- God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen. Serenity Prayer: What does it mean? This beautiful prayer was written by a man named Reinhold Niebuhr in 1943. The words have special meaning to those who are often “looking for peace” at a time of turmoil, despair, or uncertainty in their lives. This prayer has become closely associated with 12 Step programs, offering strength and calm in pursuit of a more stable life. First, through uttering these words, we are acknowledging God’s existence and recognizing that He is truly the only one who can bring us inner peace regardless of chaotic circumstances. His wonderful presence in our lives brings ‘serenity’ that can be found nowhere else. There is a Bible verse that says the peace of God is beyond all human understanding. “His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). Until we allow the ‘peace of God’ to enter into our mind, heart, and soul, we will never experience that ultimate peace that defies the most severe circumstances in life. The prayer goes on to speak of accepting, courage, and wisdom. It all comes down to asking and allowing God to give us these things. In other words, it is surrendering to Him. The second part reminds us that our trust needs to be in God to work things out and recognizing that we usually don’t have any real control over hardships in this sinful world or the actions of others. Trust Him and live one day at a time, enjoying each moment. Serenity Prayer: How do I put this into practice? Perseverance and successes aren’t born out of good times. They are born out of trials. 1 Peter 4:12 says “. . .don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.” The Bible tells us that we will go through trials and going through them makes us stronger. In our times of weakness, we learn to rely on God’s strength and He takes great delight when we trust in Him. We all desire to be needed and wanted; God wants this from us as well. He wants for us to turn to Him and trust Him. Be encouraged -- Christ Jesus is faithful; we can rest on Him, trusting Him always for the outcome. We don’t always understand the “why” of things that happen and we don’t always need to. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” And in Hebrew 13:5, God says He will never leave us or forsake us. Never is long time. . .He is always there for us if we come to Him. Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I carry is light” (Matthew 11:29-30). In these Scriptures, we can see the relevance of the last phrase in the Serenity Prayer. If we surrender to Him, we can be supremely happy in Him, in this life and forever after. Learn More About Surrendering to God

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• …
• 34
• Next ›
• Page