Freedom

This brought me to tears when I saw it. It's a powerful reminder that no matter how bad/unfair you think "life" has been to you, God is always in control and loves you enough to sustain you even when you can't see His hand moving in your life.

Please take a minute to watch it entirely and I pray that it ministers to you. It did to me.

A Decision Changes Everything

Sometimes I sit and ponder
How our lives would be today
If old Adam had not fallen
And sweet Eve had walked away

Everything would be perfection
With no sickness, sin or pain
With no death or resurrection
Nothing done would be in vain

Every person would be happy
As they lived from day to day
Never angry, sad or snappy
Souls would never pass away

Tribes from every tongue and nation
Would be nice and get along
Just one lovely congregation
Always ready with a song

There would be no wars and fighting
Strife and danger would be gone
Laughter, joy and things exciting
Would pervade and carry on

But this world can never happen
For when Adam took the fall
He destroyed what once was perfect
And his sin affects us all

When that couple in the Garden
Took the fruit and sinned that day
God devised a precious pardon
To restore what went away

Jesus came to make The Difference
Shed His blood for every sin
Opens up the Gates of Heaven
Welcomes all to enter in

If you take His invitation
And respond in one accord
You are made a New Creation
In The Family Of The Lord

Just remember Eve and Adam
God has standards still today
At each level, height and stratum
Jesus Is The Only Way!!!

by Jim Lake

My Turning Point

A friend of mine came by one day
And shared an old, old story.
He spoke to me of God's great love.
He spoke of heaven's glory.

He spoke to me of man's great need -
Forgiveness for our sin.
But if we'd open wide our heart,
Then Jesus would come in.

I thought about what this friend said;
Won'dring - could this be true?
Then, on my knees, I prayed, "Dear God,
I want this life brand new."

And in that instant Jesus came,
Right straight into my heart.
There, in His presence oh so real,
I knew He'd not depart.

My sins, completely washed away,
My step, a whole lot lighter,
A wave of love washed over me,
And ev'rything seemed brighter.

In that one eternal instant,
My life forever changed;
Priorities turned upside down;
Desires were rearranged.

Now ev'ry day I realize,
When life seems out of joint,
I can concentrate on Jesus -
He is my Turning Point!


[ by Neil G. Thompson, copyright 2/15/94 -- from 'Themestream' ]

Satan's Garage Sale

Once upon a time, Satan was having a garage sale. There, standing in little groups were all of his bright, shiny trinkets.

Here were tools that make it easy to tear others down for use as stepping stones. And over there were some lenses for magnifying ones own importance, which, if you looked through them the other way, you could also use to belittle others, or even one's self. Against the wall was the usual assortment of gardening implements guaranteed to help your pride grow by leaps and bounds: the rake of scorn, the shovel of jealousy for digging a pit for your neighbor, the tools of gossip and backstabbing, of selfishness and apathy.

All of these were pleasing to the eye and came complete with fabulous promises and guarantees of prosperity. Prices, of course, were steep; but not to worry! Free credit was extended to one and all.

"Take it home, use it, and you won't have to pay until later!" old Satan cried, as he hawked his wares.

The visitor, as he browsed, noticed two well worn, non-descript tools standing in one corner. Not being nearly as tempting as the other items, he found it curious that these two tools had price tags higher than any other.

When he asked why, Satan just laughed and said, "Well, that's because I use them so much. If they weren't so plain looking, people might see them for what they were." Satan pointed to the two tools, saying, "You see, that one's Doubt and that one's Discouragement -- and those will work when nothing else will."

=========================================

The devil tries to equip us with so many tools; tools that encourage descruction or separation from God.

Just because we can buy it does not mean we should try it!

But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin. Romans 14: 23

The Lord tells us not to be discouraged...

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40: 29 -31

Barbers and God

This is a good analogy explaining why God allows pain and suffering:

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed.

As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation.

They talked about so many things and various subjects.

When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: "I don't believe that God exists."

"Why do you say that?" asked the customer. "Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things."

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument.

The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.

Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt.

The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist."

"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber.

"I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"

"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."

"Ah, but barbers DO exist! That's what happens when people do not come to me."

"Exactly!" affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! That's what happens when people do not go to Him and don't look to Him for help. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

===============================================
James 4:8

Hebrews 11:6
Proverbs 4:20-23
Psalm 107:20
Exodus 15:26

1 Corinthians 2:14

Selfishness and Love

Selfishness and love. Not too often does someone speak of these two words jointly. In many cases in life, although they are opposites, selfishness and love go hand in hand.

Selfishness is focused on satisfying its own flesh while Love is focused on pleasing others.

So is it possible for someone to be selfish and still love wholeheartedly? The answer is no. Here’s why…

The breakdown

LOVE: The bible explains different facets of love. The simplest of understandings (and most commonly known) is in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV), Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

SELFISHNESS: According to the gospel, selfishness (and pride… since they have similar traits) only causes trouble and dissonance. God sees this as sinful and those who partake in it will not inherit His Kingdom.

1 John 2:16 (CEV) Our foolish pride comes from this world, and so do our selfish desires and our desire to have everything we see. None of this comes from the Father.

Proverbs 13:10 (CEV)
Too much pride causes trouble.
Be sensible and take advice

Proverbs 18:1 (NIV)
An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; he defies all sound judgment.

So how does selfishness affect love?

In being selfish, people usually mistreat other people because of their own feelings. There is more emphasis on "me" or "my" or "I" as opposed to taking the other into consideration. With that as a foundation, they cannot really love… TRULY LOVE… someone else because of their over abundance of self-love. In other words, this "self love" doesn’t allow a person to love entirely because they’re feeding a selfish pride instead.

Solution or Resolution (if you will):

The bible tells us to love one another as God has loved us
(John 13:34).
The bible tells us to be devoted to and honor one another
(Romans 12:10).
The bible tells us to have concern for one another
(1 Corinthians 12:25).

We are instructed to humble ourselves before the Lord so that we may move in life with an abundance of humility, respect, love, and understanding towards one another. In order to achieve this, we must first be fair with ourselves… set our path on His ways, not the ways of the selfish and prideful. After all, if we are not fair to ourselves then we will have a hard time being fair to others.

Philippians 2:3 (NIV) Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

James 3:17 (NIV) But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere

We must all take the time to re-evaluate ourselves. Where do we fall short? What are our inequities? Do these shortcomings impact others? If so, how? And, most importantly, have we brought these to the Lord??

Find refuge in the Lord and He will bring you past these weaknesses. He will continue to transform you into a creature of light and wonderment; a child of God. Your growth, humility, respect, love, and understanding will pour out from within, embracing all whom you reach.

God versus Science

'Let me explain the problem science has with
religion.' The atheist professor of philosophy
pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students
to stand.

'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'
'Yes sir,' the student says.
'So you believe in God?'
'Absolutely.'

'Is God good?'
'Sure! God's good.'

'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'
'Yes'

'Are you good or evil?'
'The Bible says I'm evil.'

The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The
Bible!' He considers for a moment. 'Here's one for you.
Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can
cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'

'Yes sir, I would.'

'So you're good...!'
'I wouldn't say that.'

'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed
person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But
God doesn't.'

The student does not answer, so the professor continues.
'He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who
died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him.
How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?'

The student remains silent.

'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says.
He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to
give the student time to relax.

'Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?'
'Er..yes,' the student says.

'Is Satan good?'
The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.'

'Then where does Satan come from?'

The student falters. 'From God'

'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he?
Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did
make everything correct??'
'Yes'

'So who created evil?' The professor
continued, 'If God created everything, then God created evil,
since evil exists, and according to the principle that our
works define who we are, then God is evil.'

Again, the student has no answer.
'Is there sickness? Immorality?
Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible
things, do they exist in this world?'

The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.'

'So who created them?'

The student does not answer again, so the professor
repeats his question. 'Who created them?'

There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer
breaks away to pace in front of the classroom.

The class is mesmerized.

'Tell me,' he continues onto another student.

'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?

The student's voice betrays him and cracks.
'Yes, professor, I do.'

The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have
five senses you use to identify and observe the world
around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'

'No sir. I've never seen Him.'

'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'

'No, sir, I have not.'

'Have you ever felt your Jesus,
tasted your Jesus or smelled your Jesus?
Have you ever had any sensoryperception
of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?'

'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'

'Yet you still believe in him?'

'Yes'

'According to the rules of empirical, testable,
demonstrable protocol, science says your God
doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?'

'Nothing,' the student replies. 'I only have my faith.'

'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that
is the problem science has with God. There is no
evidence, only faith.'

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking
a question of His own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'

'Yes.'

'And is there such a thing as cold?'

'Yes, son, there's cold too.'

No sir, there isn't.'
The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested.

The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student
begins to explain.

'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat,
mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no
heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'.
We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no
heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is
no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder
than the lowest -458 degrees.'

'Every body or object is susceptible to study when it
has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body
or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F)
is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only
a word we use to describe the absence of
heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in
thermal units because heat is energy.
Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the
absence of it.'

Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the
classroom, sounding like a hammer.

'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a
thing as darkness?'

'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation.
'What is night if it isn't darkness?'

'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not
something; it is the absence of something. You can
have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but
if you have no light constantly you have nothing and
it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning
we use to define the word.'

'In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would
be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?'

The professor begins to smile at the student in front
of him. This will be a good semester.
'So what point are you making, young man?'

'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical
premise is flawed to start with, a nd so your
conclusion must also be flawed.'

The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this
time. 'Flawed? Can you explain how?'

'You are working on the premise of duality,' the
student explains.. 'You argue that there is life
and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You
are viewing the concept of God as something finite,
something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a
thought.'

'It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen,
much less fully understood either one. To view death
as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that
death cannot exist as a substantive thing.
Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.'

'Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students
that they evolved from a monkey?'

'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary
process, young man, yes, of course I do.'

'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling,
as a very good semester, indeed.

'Since no one has ever observed the process of
evolution at work and cannot even prove that this
process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your
opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'

The class is in uproar. The student remains silent
until the commotion has subsided.

'To continue the point you were making earlier to the
other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.'

The student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in
the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?'
The class breaks out into laughter.

'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the
professor's brain, felt the professor's brain,
touched or smelled the professor's brain? No one
appears to have done so. So, according to the established
rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says
that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir.'

'So if science says you have no brain, how can we
trust your lectures, sir?'

Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at
the student, his face unreadable.

Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man
answers.

'I guess you'll have to take them on faith.'
'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact,
faith exists with life,' the student continues.
'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?'

Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course,
there is. We see it everyday It is in the daily
example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude
of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These
manifestations are nothing else but evil.'

To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist
sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is
simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold,
a word that man has created to describe the absence of God.
God did not create evil.

Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have
God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold
that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that
comes when there is no light.'

The professor sat down.

The student was Albert Einstein. Albert Einstein did
write a book titled God vs. Science in 1921.


"For we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7)

Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord our Healer

My daughter has had 6 surgeries on her right ear in 4 years. Within the past year alone, she’s had 3 of them… in Aug, Nov & May. She’s been through a lot physically and yet she hasn’t lost faith. She continues to believe that God will heal her of her ear problems and she will live a joyous, healthy life. During these times, I’ve asked friends and family to pray for her, played a healing CD for her, and asked my church to pray for her as well. Her last surgery was a success!! For the first time ever, Veronica has normal hearing!! Thank you Jesus!!!

… 5 months later we encounter a problem… she has a bad infection in her left ear… in her “good” ear. So far she’s been every week to the doctors, 3 weeks in a row, ear drops and a change of antibiotics. We pray that this doesn’t turn into the trouble we had with her right ear. Although she is brave and full of faith and reassurance, it is very difficult to grasp the fact that she has fallen ill again. And so we continue to pray. And so this article is written.

We know our God to be merciful and compassionate. We’ve read countless stories of His healings and miracles. We know that God is Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord our Healer. So the big question that has been asked is, knowing that He heals, why are some still plagued with illness?

The first thing we have to acknowledge is that God can and does heal. “for I am the LORD, who heals you” (Exodus 15:26). God’s will is to heal our physical body. He doesn’t want us to suffer with sickness and disease. One thing He asks of us is faith… faith in Him; Jehovah-Rapha. We might try to understand why but we must always remember that His ways are higher than ours. And in understanding this, we accept that God has full authority over all sickness and can choose to heal whenever and whomever He chooses. We must also understand that sometimes God allows us to have sickness so that will we look to Him for His strength and power. The sickness can teach us a valuable lesson about our faith.

"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

Let’s read that again… "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Do you hear how divine that is?! Our Lord is His strongest in our weakest moments. He does not leave us to wallow in our pain. He does not leave us to cower in our affliction. Instead, the Lord says that His grace is sufficient and far more than we can ever hope or imagine. He will free us of our ailments if we fully surrender ourselves to Him.

"It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees." (Psalm 119:71)

"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us - they help us learn to endure." (Romans 5:3)

Why are some still plagued with illness? I know for my daughter it is because God uses these medical problems to strengthen her. It has drawn us closer not only to one another but also to God. We have experienced and learned so much in this time and one thing is for certain… we will only receive God’s mercy if we surrender to Him. We pray a little longer. Pray a little louder. Pray more often. We continuously thank God for all He’s given us and for being with us at all times, regardless of circumstance. We thank Him for bringing us through this storm, directing us to safety; steering my precious daughter to a healthier life.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
How beautiful these words are. How dear we hold them.