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Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Psalm 119 is a long prayer that celebrates God's law. Why would anyone rejoice over laws? Most of us find laws restricting. They tell us what we can't do. But the psalmist praised God's laws. He even committed himself to memorizing them and reciting them aloud. Why was he so eager to learn God's ways? Because he had discovered that in these laws there is life! Sin separates us from God and from the fullness of life God offers. Those who reject God's law are on a path that leads to self-destruction and death. Knowing what God's law says can keep us from sinning against him.
As you approach God in prayer, ask him to teach you his Word. Ask him to show you how you should apply it to your life.
Posted at 05:28 pm by sandsweet
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Tuesday, September 25, 2007
I was thinking how God in his infinite love for us is so full of mercy inspite of our shortcomings. In the Bible His word says that His mercies are new every morning. How loving, how kind He is towards us. Can we consider our acts as pleasing to God no matter how good they are. God is so Holy, even a smallest of lies is a sin infront of him, even a small act of diobedience cannot bring us in his presence. But through Jesus we are reconciled to God.
In our daily life He sees our efforts of obedience to His word. He sees our hearts.... He sees our humbleness towards Him. He sees when we acknowledge His sovereignty, just like He did to Nebuchadnezzar. His heart turns towards us and He reaches out to us and picks us up in our miry bog. He wants us to realize that He is the almighty God who is in control of everything. It is just our heart that matters to Him. He wants the humility in our hearts, our brokenness, our contrite spirit... which He will not despise and that is His promise for us. He does not count our iniquities and keep a record of them. God is so loving and so kind. Jesus intercedes for us to God. He is continually saving us from the accuser the devil. We have to be under His blood covering if we have to escape the wrath of God because God is a just God. God is a holy God... there is none like Him.
He longs to have a relationship with us.... do we measure up to him with our good deeds... no, not at all! It is only the blood of Jesus that has made us worthy of being in the presence of God. The sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross for us.... that has opened a way for us in front of the throne of God. His mercy is made available for us, His forgiveness is made available for us. So now because of Jesus we can approach God being confident through Jesus Christ, and stand on His promises for us not becuase of our deeds but only because of Jesus' sacrifice and the exchange that took place on the cross. His blood cleanses us from all sin and He makes us whole. Is there a better Love than this?
When we confess our sins and ask for His forgiveness and mercy... His promise for us is that He is Just and He forgives our sins. So great is His love towards us. Even though we walk in the newness of Life, we are bound to fall because of our 'old man'... that is our old selfish nature. We have to renew our minds according to His word, and be led by His Spirit. His Holy Spirit is there to lead us and teach us His ways and transform our minds and not be conformed to this world. We do not belong to this world but we are the citizens of heaven born from His Spriit. Our flesh availeth nothing as Jesus says. We are the amabassordors of Christ on earth. We are to stand as a witness to Him to everyone. We have to put on the mind of christ and and put on the full armour of God and walk in this world because the evil one is on the prowl of the believer who is slack in his walk with the Lord.
WE CAN DO ONE THING .... JUST BE LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT SO WE CANNOT DEVIATE FROM OUR PATH WHICH LEADS TO ETERNAL LIFE IN GOD.
Posted at 12:15 pm by sandsweet
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God has conquered all our enemies
Are you wearing the full armor of God?
Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all the strategies and tricks of the Devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.
Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.
Ephesians 6:10-18 NLT
About This Week's Promise
This is perhaps the Bible's most comprehensive teaching about the resources believers have to overcome evil. Spiritual forces lurk behind many of our conflicts. Therefore, you should not attack the people manipulated by evil but focus directly on the evil itself. Rely on truth, faith, the power of your testimony, the wisdom of God's word, and the power of prayer. When these are mobilized, evil succumbs, God wins, and you win.
Posted at 11:18 am by sandsweet
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"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight (or direct your paths)."1
I may not know how to spell it, but I sure know how to pray it! That is, "God, gi'me, gi'me, gi'me!"
It struck me recently how so many of my prayers are about me; that is about my asking God to gi'me (give me)—gi'me this, gi'me that, etc., etc., etc.
It reminded me of what John Powell wrote in one of his books: "Some people treat God like a Giant Bayer's Aspirin [pill]: 'Take God three times a day and you won't feel any pain.'"
Somebody else suggested that some of us treat God as if he were a giant vending machine. Put your money [prayer] in the slot, push the button for the product [whatever it is you want] and hey, presto, out it pops!
Others treat God as if he were an eternal Father-Christmas-God so that we can keep asking for and receiving personal gifts ... all the things we want ... all year long!
Others set God up as if he were co-dependent. That is, to do everything for us that we need to take care of ourselves but don't want to. The fact is that if God were to do anything for us that we can, should and need to do for ourselves, he would be keeping us over-dependent and immature—and we wouldn't be learning personal responsibility.
God will do anything for us that we can't do for ourselves. In fact he'll bend the heavens to touch the earth to do this for us—which he did when he sent Jesus, his Son, to die in our place to pay the penalty for our sins. But God won't do for us what we can and need to do for ourselves. He has promised to give us wisdom, guidance, and direction—but not to be our over-indulgent-vending-machine-sugar-daddy-god!
"Suggested prayer: "Dear God, today I am coming to you to listen. What can I do for you today? How can I be a part of your plans and what you are doing in the world today? Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."
Posted at 11:15 am by sandsweet
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Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. |
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--Matthew 28:19-20 |
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In order to take the gospel to the world, we must first remember several important factors about it.
One, the gospel is universal in its application. It is for all people, all cultures and all countries. All people need to know Jesus as Savior. In Luke 18:19, Jesus states, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone." As a result, there is no difference between the believer and non-believer. We all have a universal problem and that problem is the problem of sin. And the solution is Jesus.
Secondly, the gospel is universal in its invitation. John 3:16 says that whoever believes in Jesus should not perish but have eternal life. I believe that "whoever" or "whosoever" must be one of the favorite words of God. And the gospel is therefore universal because all people have the same need and all people need the same Savior. We've sung it since we were little children, "Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight." And the "whoever" is the invitation of the Church and the invitation of Christ.
Finally, the gospel is universal in its proclamation. We must go and be messengers. In Acts 1, verse 8, Jesus commands His apostles that they will be His witnesses, "…in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." You may ask, "What can I do about world missions?" Get available, get usable, and get expendable. The gospel cannot go from land to land until it goes from life to life and lip to lip. And you're not only to go into the world at large, but you are to go to the world nearby, and across the street with the message of Jesus Christ.
STEP INTO YOUR OWN MISSION FIELD AND SHARE THE STORY OF GOD'S WONDERFUL PLAN OF SALVATION |
Posted at 11:12 am by sandsweet
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People are taught from childhood to believe that the brain is essentially the "boss" of the body. While it is true that the brain is the centerpiece of our mental capacity and nervous system, it is also a fact that there are nearly one hundred million nerve cells in the gut alone — about the same number found in the spinal cord!
Because so many of your nerve cells are located in the gut, your capacity for feeling and for emotional expression is in large part dependant upon this sensitive area.depends primarily on the gut (and only to a lesser extent, on your brain). By the time you add together the number of nerve cells in the esophagus, stomach, and small and large intestines, there are more nerve cells in the overall digestive system than there are in the peripheral nervous system.
Most people would say the brain alone determines whether you are happy or sad, but they have their facts skewed. It seems the gut is more responsible than we ever imagined for how we feel.
Body Talk
Ever had butterflies before a major presentation or a stomachache after making a big decision? This is your body's way of responding to stressful situations. Notice that the action isn't happening between your ears. There's scientific evidence that the body may have two emotional centers — in the brain and in the gut. Next time your body talks, pay careful attention to what it's saying.
Posted at 11:11 am by sandsweet
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How well do you face temptation?
"Then the Devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, 'He orders his angels to protect you, and they will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your foot on the stone.'" Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also say, 'Do not test the Lord your God."
Matthew 4:5-7 NLT
Know this: you are not the first [to be tempted], nor will you be the last. And do not despair; it doesn't indicate that you are failing spiritually.
The fact is, it indicates that you are on the right track. You might be surprised to learn that it even happened to Jesus.
After the dove came the devil.
After the blessing came the trial.
Immediately following His baptism, Jesus marched into the wilderness to be tempted. Yet Jesus, as our champion and representative, met Satan face-to-face—and won. We can both share in His victory and follow His example. [See Matthew 4, Luke 4]
Posted at 11:09 am by sandsweet
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Saturday, September 22, 2007
What does Gods Word say to us?
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. |
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--Psalm 119:105 |
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In Psalm 16:11, the psalmist says, "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
When you and I get in the presence of God... when we open God's Word and let it speak to our hearts... when we gather as the people of God and He begins to revive our spirit and He begins moving through the proclamation and the revelation of His Word... then the joy that Jesus gives fills our lives.
God's Word is an amazing gift that He has given to each of us. Yet so many times, we don't study, read, meditate, and live out God's Word like we should. The Bible is the most important tool a believer can have on this earth and it serves specific and strategic purposes in every believer's life.
God's Word offers us spiritual communion with God. When we study the Word of God, we get to know God's character. It's not just an ancient book, irrelevant to today's culture. God's Word is alive and it is there to change your life!
Maybe today you'd admit that you're struggling with sin... that you're about ready to give in to temptation. If so, turn to God's Word. Read it... meditate on it... pray about the verses you read, and strive to live it out day by day.
FAITHFULLY GET INTO GOD'S WORD AND YOUR LIFE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME! |
Posted at 12:27 pm by sandsweet
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Have you said a prayer of thanksgiving today? We often say prayers of petition — when we ask God for help — and prayers of intercession — when we ask God to help our friends or loved ones. But a third kind of prayer — a prayer of thankfulness — is vital to our spiritual well-being. Take a moment to consider what you're thankful for today, whether it's a small victory over health symptoms, or a major life milestone. Thankfulness paves the way for blessings ahead. The Bible tells us:
"Praise the Lord, I tell myself; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, I tell myself, and never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He ransoms me from death and surrounds me with love and tender mercies." (Psalm 103:1–4)
Get Your Gratitude Down
A gratitude journal can be an invaluable resource, especially on days when you're feeling upset or unwell. Write down at least one thing you are thankful for each day. Your entry doesn't need to be complicated: A sunny day after a week of rain can be enough to inspire you. In difficult moments, you'll have a list to reflect upon and to share with friends.
Posted at 12:17 pm by sandsweet
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Friday, September 21, 2007
Hello Everyone,
I hope to say hi to some of the bloggers! How are all of you my friends! Take care ciao!
Posted at 03:38 pm by sandsweet
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