Chew on this

I read this and had to share it with you

David Wilkerson Today

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2010

THE FOUNDATION OF TRUE FAITH

The only time God’s patience runs out with us is when we refuse again and
again to accept how much he loves us.

Many Christians today have been turned back into a wilderness of their own
making. They have no joy, no victory. To look at them, you’d think God had
forsaken them years ago. No—he has simply turned them over to their own
complaining and murmuring.

Thank God, Joshua and Caleb entered into the Promised Land. And they stood as
green trees in God’ house until their dying days. They were men of power and
vision because they know they were precious to God.

You also are precious to the Lord, in spite of your problems and failures. You
can be a green tree in God’s house just as Joshua and Caleb were.

Simply stand on what God’s Word promises: “He brought me forth also into a
large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me” (Psalm 18:19).

That is the foundation of true faith!

Who's bugging you

“For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.”- 1 Peter 2:15-16a

It's interesting that I would stumble upon this today...recently I have been pondering these exact thoughts. Not necessarily this particular verse, however this is what I was thinking about on my way to work a couple of weeks ago. There has been a lot of talk in the media recently about bullying gays, is it wrong YES!, however nobody ever talks about the harassment that we as Christians receive. Which is nothing in comparison to what Christians in the middle east receive.

Working in the trades your going to be harassed regardless of who you are or what you do. It just happens, its part of the initiation with working in construction. How do you as a christian handle the harassment, whether you work in construction, computer programing, or just everyday life. I think the bible is pretty clear on how we're supposed to handle harassment...Jesus said "love your enemy's, pray for those who persecute you." I think that Paul is echoing what is written in Proverbs if you love your enemy's you will heap burning coals upon their heads. HUH??? Look its easy others are going to look more closely at you not just because your a christian, but especially because your a christian. They are going to make fun of you, they will hate you, they will be mean to you, and your response is everything.

I have often said that when someone harasses you or is annoying you, pray for them, is it easy no, will you see change in them, not always. But you will see change in yourself and others will to, sometimes the one who is doing the evil, will get called out because of your response. Others will see that you've been the righteous one and acted like Christ, they just look stupid for the way that they are acting.

Church for the poor

This is something that I have been talking about for some time...I really hope that the church will step up and get involved and not let the government continue to run one of the greatest things we can do as a church...serve the poor. I admonish you get your church involved, call your local congressman and tell them what your doing, tell them you don't want the government to have to take care of the poor any more.

Entering into Your Priesthood

In the sixteenth century, Martin Luther formulated the concept of the priesthood of all believers. Contrary to widespread misconceptions of this doctrine, Luther did not mean to reduce the supernatural concern of personal redemption to a core or essence of social concern.

In reaction to the modernist-fundamentalist controversy, many evangelicals, zealous to retain the biblical concern for personal redemption, began to minimize or even reject the social agenda of the New Testament. Social concern and relief ministry became identified with liberalism. Ministry to the poor, the homeless, the hungry, and the imprisoned was often all-too-willingly surrendered to the state or the liberal church.

This reaction was utterly foreign to and in violation of the clear mandate of Scripture. James wrote concerning the essence of pure religion: "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27, NIV).

Coram Deo: Living in the Presence of God

What are you doing to help those around you who are in distress? Are you keeping yourself clean from the world's pollution,, as James admonishes?

For Further Study

Matthew 5:16: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

James 1:27: "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world."

Micah 6:8: "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"

The mission, passion and purpose of Ligonier Ministries and Dr. R.C. Sproul is to help people grow in their knowledge of God and His holiness. For more information, please visit www.ligonier.org or call them at 800-435-4343.
© R.C. Sproul. All rights reserved.

Pray and your gonna get???

Recently I watched a short video on Troy Polamalu and his christian faith...He said something that struck me, the reason that it struck me so much is I have recently over time forgotten how much God wants to have that relationship with us...He wants to talk to us...He wants us to talk with Him. If I'm constantly pushing God to the back burner then, guess what Satan has an open door and we left it open.

Prayer is worship just as singing is worship and reading Gods word is worship...Where is your prayer life headed is it one of those things that you only do when you really need God...you wouldn't do that to your friends or your spouse or girl/boy friend. Really the ultimate goal of prayer is that you would spend time with Jesus...He must be your desire. If He is that He will speak to you in unimaginable ways. Know that Jesus wants to bless you but more than anything He wants to have that relationship with you. I'm not saying that you shouldn't ask God to take care of you, that you should do, because God wants to bless you...BUT more than anything Jesus wants you to have that relationship with Him, He doesn't want to be used like the Heavenly ATM Machine...I have to confess that I forget that from time to time and need to be reminded that I need to just talk with Him like he's my Friend, Father, and King

There is something to be said of enduring trials. There is also something to be said of falling flat on your face and getting right back up. Both happen, both will happen to you at one time or another, how you choose to respond is the key. Am I perfect will I fail sure but when I fail the after is really going to determine a lot.

Satan wants to get you to believe that your a failure and that when you fail your unworthy to approach the throne room, but did you know that your Heavenly Father desires that more than even when you fail...He wants you to come to Him to seek out His love, His comfort. When you fail I would seek after Jesus, He will comfort you, He will hold you, He will teach you how to defend against the temptation and how to either fight or run from that temptation. I can speak from experience that it's hard but if you ask Jesus will deliver you
Psalm 54:7 (NKJV)

⁷ For He has delivered me out of all trouble;
And my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies.

I must implore you though Jesus wants all of you and if your willing to give it all you need to do is ask and It will be given to you remember your not alone in this and every single christian has this same problem. King David dealt with some of the same stuff that we as christian's deal with today and yet God called him a man after His own heart. My encouragement is that you would relate to King David read the Psalms and remember that when you fall your not to stay down you are to get back up dust yourself off remind yourself and Satan that your a child of the Most High and you are worthy

From my daily devo

Know when your going through various trials you have an ABBA FATHER who loves your enjoy

David Wilkerson Today

MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 2010

“ABBA, FATHER”

The Holy Ghost has a way of simplifying our relationship with God the Father
and Jesus. He is the One who teaches us to say, "Abba, Father."

This phrase refers to an oriental custom of Bible days, regarding the adoption
of a child. Until the adopting papers were signed and sealed by the adopting
father, the child saw this man only as a father. He had no right to call him
Abba, meaning "my."

Yet, as soon as the papers were signed, registered and sealed, the child's
tutor presented him to the adopting father—and for the first time the child
could say, "Abba, Father!" As the father embraced him, the young one cried, "My
father! He's not just a father anymore. He's mine!"

This is the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit. He tutors you of Christ. He
presents you to the Father. And he keeps reminding you, "I have sealed the
papers. You are no longer an orphan—you are legally a son of God! You now
have a very loving, wealthy, powerful Father. Embrace him—call him 'my
Father.' I have come to show you how much you're loved by him! He loved and
wanted you!"

Our cry should be one of exceeding joy and thanksgiving. The Spirit in us
literally cries out, "You are an heir, an inheritor of all that Jesus won." And
what an inheritance you have, because your FATHER is the wealthiest in the whole
universe! Don't shy away from him, he's not mad at you. Stop acting like an
orphan who's poverty-stricken, lacking joy and spiritual victory. You are not
forsaken—so enjoy him!

Not only are we not forsaken but the Holy Spirit is there with us during
moments of confusion and suffering.

The Holy Spirit's mission is to comfort Christ's bride in the absence of the
Bridegroom. "He shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you
for ever" (John 14:16). "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost" (v. 26).

Comforter means "one who soothes in a time of pain or grief"—one who eases
pain and sorrow, brings relief, consoles and encourages. But I like this
definition from the Greek: "One who lays you down on a warm bed of safety."
During the cold, dark night of your soul, he lays you down on the soft bed of
his comfort, soothing you with his tender hand.

By calling the Holy Spirit the Comforter, Jesus made an infallible prediction.
He was predicting his people would be suffering discomfort, and would be in
need of comfort—that there would be a lot of pain and suffering among his
people in the last days.

The Holy Spirit brings comfort by reminding you that he lives in you with all
the power of God inherent in his being. And that's why you can say, "Greater is
he that is in me than all the world powers combined—greater than all demon
powers!" God sent the Spirit to use all his power to keep you out of the
clutches of Satan—to lift your spirit, drive away all depression and flood
your soul with the love of your Lord.

"We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience….
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us" (Romans 5:3, 5).

How are you sustained through trials

James 1:2-4 Count it ALL JOY, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, and lacking in nothing.

In this series I am going to be focusing on trials and how our God sustains us through them. Over the last almost 18 months my family has endured many trials everything from me losing a job and our daughter developing seizures. Thankfully I can say that those things are being rectified. When you are allowed to go through trials you must remember that God still loves you, as I write over these next few weeks know that my family is still enduring trials, a couple of weeks ago my dad was diagnosed with a rare type of thyroid cancer, I can't really say his chances of survival but I must trust that God knows what He is doing and I can say this He has us in the palm of His hand (testing of your faith produces steadfastness). I want to leave you today with one of my favorite poems

Footprints in the sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me?”

The Lord replied,
“The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand,

is when I carried you.”

Philippians 1:18-23