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Comment by ALCEDES JONES on March 10, 2011 at 12:52pm

	Earnest Prayers TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]” (James 5:16b, AMP) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria God loves it when you come boldly to Him! When we pray with an attitude of faith and expectancy, it shows that we believe God and His Word and that opens the door for Him to move on our behalf. Today’s verse tells us that when we pray earnestly and continually that it makes tremendous power available. Think about a little child asking his mother for something he really wants. That child doesn’t just ask once. Or twice. He asks continually! He doesn’t just walk away if he doesn’t get an answer right away. That child builds his case and gives every reason he should get what he is asking for! Scripture tells us to come to God with the faith of a child. It’s not that we have to beg Him, but our determination is an expression of our faith in His goodness. When we build our case with the Word of God, we are setting ourselves up to partake of His divine blessing. Today, whatever you need, make your requests known to God. Come to Him with the faith of child. Pray earnestly and continually and watch His power work on your behalf! A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father God, today I come boldly thanking You for Your goodness and faithfulness in my life. I lift up my heart in faith to You knowing that my earnest prayers open the door for Your power to move on my behalf! In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Comment by ALCEDES JONES on March 9, 2011 at 10:07pm

THOUGHS TO PONDER TAKEN FROM MATTHEW HENRY COMMENTARY OF MATTEW 3:7-12

. Here is a word of caution, not to trust in outward privileges. There is a great deal which carnal hearts are apt to say within themselves, to put aside the convincing, commanding power of the word of God. Multitudes, by resting in the honours and mere advantages of their being members of an outward church, come short of heaven. Here is a word of terror to the careless and secure. Our corrupt hearts cannot be made to produce good fruit, unless the regenerating Spirit of Christ graft the good word of God upon them. And every tree, however high in gifts and honours, however green in outward professions and performances, if it bring not forth good fruit, the fruits meet for repentance, is hewn down and cast into the fire of God's wrath, the fittest place for barren trees: what else are they good for? If not fit for fruit, they are fit for fuel. John shows the design and intention of Christ's appearing, which they were now speedily to expect. No outward forms can make us clean. No ordinances, by whomsoever administered, or after whatever mode, can supply the want of the baptism of the Holy Ghost and of fire. The purifying and cleansing power of the Holy Spirit alone can produce that purity of heart, and those holy affections, which accompany salvation. It is Christ who baptizes with the Holy Ghost. This he did in the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit sent upon the apostles, ( Acts 2:4 ) . This he does in the graces and comforts of the Spirit, given to those that ask him, Lu 11:13; Joh 7:38,39|; see ( Acts 11:16 ) . Observe here, the outward church is Christ's floor, ( Isaiah 21:10 ) . True believers are as wheat, substantial, useful, and valuable; hypocrites are as chaff, light and empty, useless and worthless, carried about with every wind; these are mixed, good and bad, in the same outward communion. There is a day coming when the wheat and chaff shall be separated. The last judgment will be the distinguishing day, when saints and sinners shall be parted for ever. In heaven the saints are brought together, and no longer scattered; they are safe, and no longer exposed; separated from corrupt neighbours without, and corrupt affections within, and there is no chaff among them. Hell is the unquenchable fire, which will certainly be the portion and punishment of hypocrites and unbelievers. Here life and death, good and evil, are set before us: according as we now are in the field, we shall be then in the floor.

Comment by ALCEDES JONES on March 9, 2011 at 5:06am

	God Works for Your Good TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria God has a plan to take every adversity and every hardship you go through and use it. He’s not going to beat you down and make your life miserable. No, God’s dream is to take that difficulty and supernaturally turn it around and use it to bring you good. He will use those tough times to bring you out stronger, more mature and prepared for promotion! Goodness, mercy and unfailing love are God’s plan for you! You may not understand everything that’s going on in your life right now, but I encourage you to keep your head held high. Know that God is working in your life. Keep being faithful. Keep doing the right thing, knowing that in the end God is going to turn things around in your favor. If God is for you, who can be against you? No one. Greater is the One who is in you than anyone who can be against you. No matter what’s going on around you today, you can put your shoulders back and put a smile on your face because God is working things together for your good because He loves you! A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father in heaven, thank You for Your goodness and faithfulness in my life. Thank You for all You’ve done for me in my past and for what You are preparing for my future. Help me keep my eyes on You and stand strong as I look for Your goodness all the days of my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Comment by ALCEDES JONES on March 8, 2011 at 6:48am

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

 

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Comment by ALCEDES JONES on March 8, 2011 at 2:21am

	Handpicked by God TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “[In His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy...” (Ephesians 1:4 AMP) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Before you were ever born, before the very foundation of the earth, God knew you, planned for you and chose you! He approved you and called you His own. You may have been overlooked by people in your life; maybe you were passed up for a job or overlooked by someone whose opinion you valued. But remember, God won’t ever overlook you! In fact, He handpicked you. He chose you to be holy, or set apart, for Himself. Meditate on this truth today: You are God’s most valued possession. You are special. You are the apple of His eye. He knows everything about you; He even knows the number of hairs you have on your head. He has given you the gifts and abilities that you have for a purpose. You carry great value and significance. Don’t ever lose sight of the treasure He’s placed within you. Remember, you are handpicked by God. Meditate on His goodness today knowing that nothing can change His love for you! A PRAYER FOR TODAY Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me today. Help me to understand Your love so that I can extend that love to those around me. Let me see others as valuable the way You see me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen

Comment by ALCEDES JONES on March 7, 2011 at 2:22pm

	Take Your Life Back TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “...take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Everyone has days when they feel like life is out of control. This usually happens when we allow our circumstances to dictate our thoughts and attitudes. You might say, “Well, Joel, the economy is wreaking havoc on my business.” Or “This relationship is just too far gone.” But I say, today is the day to take your life back! You can take your life back by choosing to take your thoughts back. Even though we live in this natural realm, as believers, we are not limited by this natural realm. We can tap into God’s power by making every thought line up with the Word of God. Don’t allow your circumstances to control you; instead, meditate on His Word and let His truth set you free! Today, as you take captive every thought and boldly declare His promises over your life, you are setting yourself up for victory. You are positioning yourself to partake of His blessing. You are taking your life back, and you will live the destiny He has prepared for you! A PRAYER FOR TODAY Heavenly Father, thank You for empowering me to live in victory today. I choose to take my life back by taking captive every thought and submitting it to You. Help me live a life that is pleasing to You, Jesus, today and every day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. — Joel & Victoria Osteen

Comment by ALCEDES JONES on March 7, 2011 at 6:29am

MEAT TO CHEW ON IN OUR STORMS . Let us not be discouraged at the slowness of the proceedings towards the accomplishment of God’s promises; God knows how to redeem the time that seems to have been lost, and, when the year of the redeemed is at hand, can do a double work in a single day.

Comment by ALCEDES JONES on March 7, 2011 at 2:56am

Thankful for the Bedbugs?

Inspiration   >  Bible   >  Thankful for the Bedbugs?

Thankful for the Bedbugs?

 

In 1944, Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsie were sentenced to a Nazi concentration camp for their role in hiding Jews in their Netherlands home. In the midst of those horrible conditions, the sisters clung to their one treasure: a Bible they had been able to smuggle in with them.

One night, they read 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “In everything give thanks….” The straw mattresses where the women slept were infested with bedbugs—a fact both disgusting and painful. Betsie asked, “Does that mean we should be thankful for the bedbugs?” But, as dire as their situation was, they tried to be faithful to Scripture. So they finished their prayer time together with the words, “And thank you, Lord, for the bedbugs.”

The sisters soon noticed that the Nazi guards did not check their barracks as they did the other prisoners.  In the evenings, Corrie and Betsie were able to read aloud from the Bible and to witness about their faith to a growing number of listeners. It took them a while to realize that the reason the guards stayed away was simple—they did not want to be infected with the bedbugs! So a horrible situation was transformed into a blessing for many, through the power of giving thanks.

If you’re facing some “buggy” situations of your own, remember:

1.     Whatever happens, God has a hand in it. “For of him and through him and to him are all things” (Romans 11:36).

2.     It is darkest just before the dawn. When things seem hopeless, hold on: God is working behind the scenes.

3.     When you trust God, help often arises from unexpected sources. Remember the bedbugs!

4.     The right attitude is everything. Don’t complain. Instead, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this” (Psalm 37:5). Offer thanks in every situation.

Comment by ALCEDES JONES on March 5, 2011 at 4:32am

WOW HAD A ISSUE AT WORK YESTERDAY,HAVE TO COME AND GRAB THIS SO I WANT TO SHARE HOW WE SHOULD TREAT OUR WEAKER SISTERS AND BROTHERS,WOW THANK YOU O HEAVENLY FATHER FOR YOUR WORDS  Chapter 15The apostle, in this chapter, continues the discourse of the former, concerning mutual forbearance in indifferent things; and so draws towards a conclusion of the epistle. Where such differences of apprehension, and consequently distances of affection, are among Christians, there is need of precept upon precept, line upon line, to allay the heat, and to beget a better temper. The apostle, being desirous to drive the nail home, as a nail in a sure place, follows his blow, unwilling to leave the subject till he has some hopes of prevailing, to which end he orders the cause before them and fills his mouth with the most pressing arguments. We may observe, in this chapter, I. His precepts to them. II. His prayers for them. III. His apology for writing to them. IV. His account of himself and his own affairs. V. His declaration of his purpose to come and see them. VI. His desire of a share in their prayers.

Verses 1-5

The apostle here lays down two precepts, with reasons to enforce them, showing the duty of the strong Christian to consider and condescend to the weakest.I. We must bear the infirmities of the weak, v. 1. We all have our infirmities; but the weak are more subject to them than others-the weak in knowledge or grace, the bruised reed and the smoking flax. We must consider these; not trample upon them, but encourage them, and bear with their infirmities. If through weakness they judge and censure us, and speak evil of us, we must bear with them, pity them, and not have our affections alienated from them. Alas! it is their weakness, they cannot help it. Thus Christ bore with his weak disciples, and apologised for them. But there is more in it; we must also bear their infirmities by sympathizing with them, concerning ourselves for them, ministering strength to them, as there is occasion. This is bearing one another’s burdens.II. We must not please ourselves, but our neighbour, v. 1, 2. We must deny our own humour, in consideration of our brethren’s weakness and infirmity.1. Christians must not please themselves. We must not make it our business to gratify all the little appetites and desires of our own heart; it is good for us to cross ourselves sometimes, and then we shall the better bear others crossing of us. We shall be spoiled (as Adonijah was) if we be always humoured. The first lesson we have to learn is to deny ourselves, Mt. 16:24.2. Christians must please their brethren. The design of Christianity is to soften and meeken the spirit, to teach us the art of obliging and true complaisance; not to be servants to the lust of any, but to the necessities and infirmities of our brethren-to comply with all that we have to do with as fare as we can with a good conscience. Christians should study to be pleasing. As we must not please ourselves in the use of our Christian liberty (which was allowed us, not for our own pleasure, but for the glory of God and the profit and edification of others), so we must please our neighbour. How amiable and comfortable a society would the church of Christ be if Christians would study to please one another, as now we see them commonly industrious to cross, and thwart, and contradict one another!—Please his neighbour, not in every thing, it is not an unlimited rule; but for his good, especially for the good of his soul: not please him by serving his wicked wills, and humouring him in a sinful way, or consenting to his enticements, or suffering sin upon him; this is a base way of pleasing our neighbour to the ruin of his soul: if we thus please men, we are not the servants of Christ; but please him for his good; not for our own secular good, or to make a prey of him, but for his spiritual good.—To edification, that is, not only for his profit, but for the profit of others, to edify the body of Christ, by studying to oblige one another. The closer the stones lie, and the better they are squared to fit one another, the stronger is the building. Now observe the reason why Christians must please one another: For even Christ pleased not himself. The self-denial of our Lord Jesus is the best argument against the selfishness of Christians. Observe,(1.) That Christ pleased not himself. He did not consult his own worldly credit, ease, safety, nor pleasure; he had not where to lay his head, lived upon alms, would not be made a king, detested no proposal with greater abhorrence than that, Master, spare thyself, did not seek his own will (Jn. 5:30), washed his disciples’ feet, endured the contradiction of sinners against himself, troubled himself (Jn. 11:33), did not consult his own honour, and, in a word, emptied himself, and made himself of no reputation: and all this for our sakes, to bring in a righteousness for us, and to set us an example. His whole life was a self-denying self-displeasing life. He bore the infirmities of the weak, Heb. 4:15.(2.) That herein the scripture was fulfilled: As it is written, The reproaches of those that reproached thee fell on me. This is quoted out of Ps. 69:9, the former part of which verse is applied to Christ (Jn. 2:17), The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the latter part here; for David was a type of Christ, and his sufferings of Christ’s sufferings. It is quoted to show that Christ was so far from pleasing himself that he did in the highest degree displease himself. Not as if his undertaking, considered on the whole, were a task and grievance to him, for he was very willing to it and very cheerful in it; but in his humiliation the content and satisfaction of natural inclination were altogether crossed and denied. He preferred our benefit before his own ease and pleasure. This the apostle chooses to express in scripture language; for how can the things of the Spirit of God be better spoken of than in the Spirit’s own words? And this scripture he alleges, The reproaches of those that reproached thee fell on me. [1.] The shame of those reproaches, which Christ underwent. Whatever dishonour was done to God was a trouble to the Lord Jesus. He was grieved for the hardness of people’s hearts, beheld a sinful place with sorrow and tears. When the saints were persecuted, Christ so far displeased himself as to take what was done to them as done against himself: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Christ also did himself endure the greatest indignities; there was much of reproach in his sufferings. [2.] The sin of those reproaches, for which Christ undertook to satisfy; so many understand it. Every sin is a kind of reproach to God, especially presumptuous sins; now the guilt of these fell upon Christ, when he was made sin, that is, a sacrifice, a sin-offering for us. When the Lord laid upon him the iniquities of us all, and he bore our sins in his own body upon the tree, they fell upon him as upon our surety. Upon me be the curse. This was the greatest piece of self-displacency that could be: considering his infinite spotless purity and holiness, the infinite love of the Father to him, and his eternal concern for his Father’s glory, nothing could be more contrary to him, nor more against him, than to be made sin and a curse for us, and to have the reproaches of God fall upon him, especially considering for whom he thus displeased himself, for strangers, enemies, and traitors, the just for the unjust, 1 Pt. 3:18. This seems to come in as a reason why we should bear the infirmities of the weak. We must not please ourselves, for Christ pleased not himself; we must bear the infirmities of the weak, for Christ bore the reproaches of those that reproached God. He bore the guilt of sin and the curse for it; we are only called to bear a little of the trouble of it. he bore the presumptuous sins of the wicked; we are called only to bear the infirmities of the weak.—Even Christ; kai gar ho Christos. Even he who was infinitely happy in the enjoyment of himself, who needed not us nor our services,—even he who thought it no robbery to be equal with God, who had reason enough to pleas himself, and no reason to be concerned, much less to be crossed, for us,—even he pleased not himself, even he bore our sins. And should not we be humble, and self-denying, and ready to consider one another, who are members one of another?(3.) That therefore we must go and do likewise: For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning. [1.] That which is written of Christ, concerning his self-denial and sufferings, is written for our learning; he hath left us an example. If Christ denied himself, surely we should deny ourselves, from a principle of ingenuousness and of gratitude, and especially of conformity to his image. The example of Christ, in what he did and said, is recorded for our imitation. [2.] That which is written in the scriptures of the Old Testament in the general is written for our learning. What David had said in his own person Paul had just now applied to Christ. Now lest this should look like a straining of the scripture, he gives us this excellent rule in general, that all the scriptures of the Old Testament (much more those of the New) were written for our learning, and are not to be looked upon as of private interpretation. What happened to the Old-Testament saint happened to them for ensample; and the scriptures of the Old Testament have many fulfillings. The scriptures are left for a standing rule to us: they are written, that they might remain for our use and benefit. First, For our learning. There are many things to be learned out of the scriptures; and that is the best learning which is drawn from these fountains. Those are the most learned that are most mighty in the scriptures. We must therefore labour, not only to understand the literal meaning of the scripture, but to learn out of it that which will do us good; and we have need of help therefore not only to roll away the stone, but to draw out the water, for in many places the well is deep. Practical observations are more necessary than critical expositions. Secondly, That we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. That hope which hath eternal life for its object is here proposed as the end of scripture-learning. The scripture was written that we might know what to hope for from God, and upon what grounds, and in what way. This should recommend the scripture to us that it is a special friend to Christian hope. Now the way of attaining this hope is through patience and comfort of the scripture. Patience and comfort suppose trouble and sorrow; such is the lot of the saints in this world; and, were it not so, we should have no occasion for patience and comfort. But both these befriend that hope which is the life of our souls. Patience works experience, and experience hope, which maketh not ashamed, ch. 5:3 endash 5. The more patience we exercise under troubles the more hopefully we may look through our troubles; nothing more destructive to hope than impatience. And the comfort of the scriptures, that comfort which springs from the word of God (that is the surest and sweetest comfort) is likewise a great stay to hope, as it is an earnest in hand of the good hoped for. The Spirit, as a comforter, is the earnest of our inheritance.

Comment by ALCEDES JONES on March 4, 2011 at 6:14pm

	You Have the Advantage TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “...His favor is for a lifetime...” (Psalm 30:5, AMP) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria One definition of the word “favor” is an advantage for success. When you put God first, when you obey His commands, you open the door for His favor — you have the advantage for success! Even if someone has wronged you and it looks like they have the upper hand, even if it looks like things are never going to change, you need to keep reminding yourself, “I have an advantage. God is in control of my destiny. He’s fighting my battles for me. He is my vindicator, and it’s just a matter of time before things change in my favor.”   I love the scripture in Hebrews that says, “Don’t cast away your confidence.” One translation says, “...for payday is coming.” In the difficult times, you have to remind yourself that payday is on its way! God is a faithful God. If you’ll keep doing the right thing, honoring Him and expecting His favor, God has promised He will pay you back. He will restore everything in your life that the enemy has stolen so you can live the abundant life He has promised to you. A PRAYER FOR TODAY Father in heaven, thank You for Your grace, mercy and everlasting favor. I open my heart and mind to You and receive everything You have for me. Thank You for restoring and healing every area of my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

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