Growing in Christ

[Pseud]

Hello, happy new year, blessings to all!

I have only a short post to share with you, but I'm hoping it will be beneficial.

We have an obligation as Christians to repent. It's also probably the quickest way to growing spiritually as a child of God. But it seems the more we turn away from sin, the harder the enemy comes at us with temptations. Over time, this can eventually wear us down until we cave in and succumb to sin.

One of the biggest lies is: 'just this once'. Never let yourself be convinced that it will be just this once, because it wont be! Instead, listen to the truth which is 'never again'. If this is not enough, then you should submerge yourself in the Word. There are books/passages which are the key to your spiritual vitality, you should find which keys are fit for you. (Ephesians and James are food for my soul). And of course, Prayer. This then, should be enough to bring you close to the Lord.

 

[BibleMinnie]

Tahnk you so much for this topic. I really needed to hear what God has been saying to you,because I have been struggling with getting closer to God, even though I am trying. It just seems so hard for me to get into his word. But my heart longs to know him more. I have had alot going on and the devil knows it, but through it all I know that I still need and long to be closer to God. well I just had a baby so I havent been to church in a few weeks and I need to get into a bible study. What I am really saying is thank you for letting God speak through you and touch our hearts.

 

[chris42]

Your words are truly spirit driven words. Knowing Jesus, is not something that you learn overnight, but instead it is like a lifestyle. We begin to grow, and as we grow we learn to trust him more, and become more like Jesus. Your thread really shows the important things that we should be doing to become better disciples for Jesus, for which I thankyou.

God has recently shared something with me, in growing better with Christ which I would like to share here. I have always struggled in getting into a homegroup or bible study and having a chance to talk about real God issues with people.

It was this year that God has said to me to step out and to start going and taking deeper relationships with friends, so it's more than just "what's the stock like today", and such. He's just put it to me that in order to grow you need just as much christian fellowship with your other brothers and sisters in christ as well as talking to God in order for you to grow abundently in Christ Jeus our Lord.

 

[FaithinJesus]

That was really good, I am so glad that you posted that! Thoes are some really good guide lines.

 

[NoneyaBiznezz]

You are all an inspiration!!

 

[Perk]

Someone above mentioned that it takes time to know Jesus, as a lifestyle.

I wanted to add an amen to that. I was a Christian, a missionary, and a full-time Pastor for years before someone finally introduced me to Jesus, and I finally knew what it was to have an intimate, personal relationship with Him.

Great thread!

-Perry
PerryPerkinsBooks (dot com!)

 

[Pseud]

The past 4 weeks have been particularly trying for me, going through great many things and several MAJOR changes in my life. It's through the guidance of our almighty King that I am able to find enough peace and love to keep it together!

Now that one of these events has come to pass, I share with you my experience with it.

I work as a care assistant for the elderly in a residential home. My general duties involve rousing the residents, washing and dressing, preparing their breakfast and feeding those who require feeding, then lunch, then dinner, then the washing/bathing, preparing for bed of those who require it. Inbetween those times I toilet the residents, maintain the upkeep of the home, and care/entertain the residents (not all by myself mind!).

One of our ladies is 103 years old! She can still walk with the aid of a frame, but needs somebody to walk beside her incase she falls. (which she's done in the past and fractured her hip, only to come out of hospital and continued to walk). Mentally, she has no problems aside from slight memory loss (naturally). She'd often recall her time spent as a youngster working on a farm, milking the cows at 5:30 am, and was also very easy to have a laugh with. I recall a regular occurance of her toilet escapades and passing wind loudly. "Let the wind go free, where'er you be", she would recite! at 103! :o

On December 26th she became very ill or rather, it was soon apparent that she was reaching the final stages of her life. This was the first time caring for someone who was at this stage, and it's been quite an experience. I found a forte of mine here, in which I have infinite patience, focus, attention, devotion and love.

I'd sit in her room beside her bed whilst she lay there, stroking her hair or holding her hand. Feeding her fluids with a teaspoon. She was so tired, but could rarely sleep. And then I'd go home after my shift, and return in the evening to spend an hour or two beside her bed. When I worked at our second home, I'd stop by in the morning and then again on my way home, and then again in the evening. None of this was too much trouble because she needed someone. On December 31st I left her bedside at around 8pm and she passed away peacefully at 11pm. Following is an excerpt from the words I spoke at her funeral:

And what has changed in our hearts is 'love'. We have loved more, and were shown more love, because of her. We should act accordingly to this change; because love alone is worth more than anything.


So let everything we say, and everything we do, be said and done with love and in kindness.

So the message I bring is that these things I did out of love.... But easily, I could have given another 3 hours, another 2 hours, another 1 hours, another 30 minutes, another 5 minutes. That 5 minutes spent given would have meant so much more than it did to me when I got home and sat down doing nothing for 5 minutes.

I urge us all now to think about how we can spend an extra 5 minutes today, doing or saying something(s) with love and in kindness and then put those thoughts into action.

5 minutes of your time, might be worth the world to someone else.

In Christ,
Andy

The sheep and the goats

 

[mrversatile48]

While it is still January sales, ask your local Christian bookstore for recommendations

I got the NIV Life Application Study Bible @ 75% of normal price, @ 2 weeks ago, & have read an amazing amount since!

In UK, if you type STL Publishers to a search, (or Wesley Owen &/or Good News Bookstores), they'll probably be the best help

In USA, I hear it is:-

www.christianbooks.com

Ian

 

[leastone]

Hi Saints:

Luke 10:22 - All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

In the training of both men and animals there are commands of action ("Go") and there are commands of non-action ("Stay"). Each of these commands require obedience, but quite often to obey the non-action commands is by far the most difficult. To do nothing when you can see there is so much to do, to say nothing when you are filled up with words, to sit quietly when you are itching to run: this is a certain test of truly submitted obedience. But as King Saul learned the hard way, a partial obedience is worth nothing at all.

John the Baptist said, "He must increase, but I must decrease." And so it is with each of us as the Life of Christ grows in us. As His Kingdom of Light increases within our lives, as our eyes open and we begin to "see" what is true Reality in life, the greater He becomes and the smaller we become.

This process is a discipline of learning obedience through suffering; it is the Way of the Cross, a Road that leads us through death to the Tree of Life. And it is absolutely the only way to ever know God. He disciplines us in order that He may "increase" in us; and this increase only occurs to the degree that we decrease.

In our spiritual growth we move from accepting Jesus as Saviour, to recognizing Him as Lord and finally to embracing Him in our heart of hearts as Master. In 1 John 2:12-14 the Apostle indicates this same truth: As "little children" we know Jesus as our Saviour in receiving forgiveness for our sins; as "young men" we know Jesus as Lord in our overcoming the enemy; and as "fathers" we know Jesus as Master when we fully realize that all things in our lives come from God's Hand, and further, that it is all for our good and to His Glory.

John 14:9 - He who has seen Me has seen the Father...

My prayer today is that we all who are called by His Name come to truly see Jesus, and in that vision receive "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ".

LeastOne

 

[mrversatile48]

OR..MARCHING INTO LEARNING 'NET OUTREACH IN MARCH - by permission
___________________________________________________________

::: WEBLITE :::
::: learning from each other :::
W-E-B Issue 89 ~ February (ii) 2004
Every 2 weeks ISSN 471-0323

The latest full Web Evangelism Bulletin is now online at
http://www.gospelcom.net/guide/resources/webull04feb2.php
This is the shortened summary version.
___________________________________________________________

"The wolf will hire himself out very cheaply as a shepherd."
- Russian Proverb

"Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward
together in the same direction."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
_____________________________________________________________

TOUCHING THE WORLD - NEW OUTREACH SITES

YOUR DESTINY YOUR CHOICE
YPrayer Australia who produced this new site, says, "Our goal is to help
ordinary people share the gospel through their every-day contacts with
schools mates, work colleagues, friends and family. Often, people are not
sure what to say and they fear rejection if they share their faith, but
with
'Your Destiny Your Choice' they can just email a link or give someone a
card, and the person can view the presentation in their own time, with no
pressure. It's a non-threatening experience for both the Christian and the
non-Christian."
Presentations are in the form of cartoons. There's an initial download time
on dialup connections.
http://www.ydyc.org/

ESSAY GENERATOR
It is always exciting to find people using a creative evangelistic strategy
which no one has even dreamed of before! Essay Generator is zany approach
which is getting vast numbers of hits. You HAVE to try it! (And link to
it.)
Creator Dave Mullen writes:
"My philosophy is that in order to target those who have little experience
of Christianity, you have to make a site that will stand up without its
Christian content. Friends will often email me with a link to a funny site.
I wanted to make the kind of site that would appeal to them. I searched the
web for inspiration, seeing what had already been done and what could be
improved upon, and came up with the idea of the Essay Generator."
http://www.essaygenerator.com/

More on creative strategies with the 'Battle Star' concept of reaching
non-Christians:
http://www.gospelcom.net/guide/resources/creative.php
_____________________________________________________________

THE PASSION HITS THE SCREENS

The volume of Passion-related webpages is going up exponentially. But, as
ever, the overwhelming majority are Christians writing for other
Christians.
Happily, at least some of these are designed to help Christians use this
unique opportunity for outreach.

Full story with many new links:
http://www.gospelcom.net/guide/resources/webull04feb2.php
_____________________________________________________________

WRITING

WRITING WITH FEELING AND COLOR: very useful tips from Writer's Helper:
http://www.writershelper.com/writingtips.html
_____________________________________________________________

TIPS

OLD VERSION - you upgrade, and then find the old one was better! Downloads
of those previous issues:
http://www.oldversion.com/

BEGINNER TIP: Prelaunch Checklist - launching (or re-launching) a website
can be a complicated process and you shouldn't rush through it.
Netmechanics
list of 10 potential problem areas will help:
http://www.netmechanic.com/news/vol7/beginner_no4.htm

PC World's Reliability & Service Report Card - which brands come out best?
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,112915,pg,1,00.asp

IRFANVIEW: no-pay-ware image processing software does almost everything:
http://www.irfanview.com/

YOUR PERSONAL MEMO PAGE: You can store personal bookmarks and memos within
the Web Evangelism Guide. Every page carries filecard-index and memo-pad
icons. Keep track of pages you want to visit again, and note down comments,
ideas and reminders. Test it at any page, for instance this new one on
Jesus' methods - befriending and relationships:
http://www.gospelcom.net/guide/resources/relationships.php
If you want to install it on your own site, the scripts are available from:
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~thompp

EMAIL FORM: there are two very strong reasons for not using 'mailto' email
links on your site: harvesters will take the name and send you s--m, and
many people (those using web-based email, and those on computers not their
own) cannot click on a mailto link anyway. Here's a PHP email form which
offers a wide range of useful features. Please try it, and report anything
unclear in the instructions, or other problems:
http://www.gospelcom.net/guide/resources/makingforms.php
_____________________________________________________________

THE WORLD WE LIVE IN

THE BIBLE ONLINE: Bible translation status, often with online examples, in
2000+ languages:
http://www.worldscriptures.org/a-z-frameset.html

BREAKING NEWS AND CURRENT EVENTS. News-related stories, including those
about seasonal events during the year, are an opportunity for evangelistic
websites. We can use them as a 'bridge strategy' starting point:
http://www.gospelcom.net/guide/resources/breaking-news.php

KEY EVANGELIST SUFFERING. A man who is a key part of web outreach to a
particular unreached language group is suffering ill-health and
discouragement to the point of wishing to give up. Please pray for him.
_____________________________________________________________

DISABILITY AND RSI

Making webpages more accessible to those with disability need not be
complicated. And it helps the rest of us too.

Computers and the Web have empowered even seriously-disabled people to have
effective ministries. Read Mary Bilz-Cox's story.

Keyboard-related Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) is a pain. Learn ways to
overcome it.

All these topics covered at:
http://www.gospelcom.net/guide/resources/disablity.php

Another help for both RSI and computer-related back/shoulder pain is the
no-pay downloadable WORKRAVE. It prompts users to take a 30-second break
every 5 minutes, and a 15-minute break every hour. Some people find that
hand/arm exercises in the short break, and other activity in the long
break,
are helpful. It is so easy to sit down at the computer for a 5-minute task,
and find that 2 hours have passed!
http://www.workrave.com/
_____________________________________________________________

POPULAR CULTURE

Another film which relates to the Passion: "Man Dancin'", directed by
Norman
Stone (who won a BAFTA for his production of 'Shadowlands' in the 80s) and
starring Alex Ferns, aka Trevor from British TV soap EastEnders. Very
briefly, it's about an ex-gangster whose life chages dramatically when he
gets involved with a local church. In its own way, Man Dancin' is a passion
story with a powerful Christian message - and it's told in language
everyday
people can relate to (writes UK journalist George Luke):
http://www.mandancinthemovie.com/

The ability to see 'echoes of eternity' - parallels of truth in
contemporary
culture - is a God-given gift. See it applied to Disney - the 'gospel
according to Pinocchio':
http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/pinocchio.htm

THE AMAZING CONNECTION - Christianity and contemporary culture. Various
ministries are digging deep into the culture and finding gold mines of
meaning for the pre-Christian and the Christian, while affirming and
defending the true Gospel of Jesus Christ:
http://ifc.gospelcom.net/society/466/
_____________________________________________________________

MEGA-CHURCH PASTOR USED 'WORLDLY' METHODS

His church was the largest in the world at that time, with 5284 members in
1871. By age 30 his sermons had been translated into many of the major
languages of the world. He was strongly anti-slavery even though this
reduced sales of his literature. He used methods which were frowned on by
other evangelicals at the time as being worldly compromises - the printing
of handbills for publicity, and the use of secular buildings for meetings!
His ministry impacted not just his own country, but the whole world. Can we
learn anything today from his leadership style?

Larry Michael's valuable new book SPURGEON ON LEADERSHIP (Kregel ISBN
0-8254-3344-4) analyzes the life of Spurgeon from this perspective. Read
some adapted extracts from his book:
http://www.gospelcom.net/guide/resources/medicine.php
_____________________________________________________________

PAGE PROMOTION

YAHOO search results are shortly to be based on their own database gathered
by their spider YahooSlurp. Your page rankings are sure to change:
http://www.webproworld.com/viewtopic.php?t=14270

Some webmasters think Web promotion is simple: just submit the site to
search engines and wait for the customers to visit. But that approach
considers promotion at the end of the Web design process, instead where it
belongs - at the beginning. A successful search engine promotion strategy
begins with your source code:
http://www.netmechanic.com/news/vol7/promo_no4.htm

Submitting sites to directories is very different than search engine
submission:
http://www.gospelcom.net/guide/rd?bull0402directories

PUBLICITY INSIDER, although primarily for business, also offers insights
appropriate to Christian communication:
http://www.publicityinsider.com/
_____________________________________________________________

WEBSITE USABILITY

The 11th issue of Usability News includes:
- evaluating three popular weight-loss websites
- use of breadcrumb trails for site navigation
- "senior-friendly" compliance of websites for older adults
http://www.usabilitynews.org/

There may soon be a new international standard on site usability -
certainly
a desperate need:
http://www.userfocus.co.uk/articles/ISO23973.html
_____________________________________________________________

IF ONLY . . .
- a Christian had thought of that and built a Bridge Strategy site on it:

How to clean anything. A ready-made bridge application too!
http://www.howtocleananything.com/

Growing bonsai trees: http://www.hav.com/bonsai

And here's a potential topic for a website which could be a sensitive
caring
outreach: one that covers the pain of losing your job, with support and
advice. I can find nothing like this produced by Christians, and even very
little from a secular viewpoint either. It's a niche waiting to be filled.
Could you do it?
_____________________________________________________________

PERSONAL

My mother, after a period of precarious but stable health, is not doing so
well again, and her mobility is going down. Please pray that this will be
reversed, and for my dad, the main carer.
_____________________________________________________________

TAILEND ô¿ô

A woman walked into the kitchen to find her husband stalking around with a
fly swatter.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Hunting Flies" he responded.
"Oh!, Killing any?" she asked.
"Yep, 3 males and 2 females", he replied.
Intrigued, she asked. "How can you tell?"
He responded, "3 were on TV remote and 2 were on the phone."
[Source: Pastor Tim - http://www.cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh ]
_____________________________________________________________

 

[princess heart]

TAILEND ô¿ô

A woman walked into the kitchen to find her husband stalking around with a
fly swatter.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Hunting Flies" he responded.
"Oh!, Killing any?" she asked.
"Yep, 3 males and 2 females", he replied.
Intrigued, she asked. "How can you tell?"
He responded, "3 were on TV remote and 2 were on the phone."
[Source: Pastor Tim - http://www.cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh ]

Just for that YOU get the phone and I get to drive the remote... LOL... (actually I think there will be more competition for the MOUSE! )

 

[New_Hope]

I praise God for leading me here today.I have been struggling in my walk with the Lord,and am now coming back to him and trusting him in the mist of all in my life.I asked him to show me the way to his word today,and he brought me here.Thank you father!
I really got alot out of what you had to say in this thread ,and will apply these teachings to my life.
God is showing me no matter what pain I am felling in my life give it to him and he will heal all.
God Bless you all,
New Hope

 

[mrversatile48]

Praise God, New Hope!

That is soooooo encouraging to evangelists

I was thrilled last night, @ Southport's 18 evangelical youth groups' monthly multimedia get-together

It was on the theme of "Standing on the shoulders of giants"

It focussed on Jeremiah, who'd felt he was too young to speak for God to the rulers of his nation

Rick Warren's classic, "The Purpose-Driven Life", emphasises that all the people that the Bible calls "friend of God" were weak people

As in Hebrews 11 list of heroes of the faith

The real hero is God

He deliberately puts the treasure of His Holy Spirit into us earthen vessels, so that the power & the glory is clearly His, not ours

The essential encouragement, last night, was to give God glory in all we do

"Whether we eat..sleep...whatever your hand finds to do..do your best..as serving God..to bring much thanks, praise, glory & honour to God"

Thaks again & God bless!

Ian

 

[New_Hope]

Praise God, New Hope!

That is soooooo encouraging to evangelists

I was thrilled last night, @ Southport's 18 evangelical youth groups' monthly multimedia get-together

It was on the theme of "Standing on the shoulders of giants"

It focussed on Jeremiah, who'd felt he was too young to speak for God to the rulers of his nation

Rick Warren's classic, "The Purpose-Driven Life", emphasises that all the people that the Bible calls "friend of God" were weak people

As in Hebrews 11 list of heroes of the faith

The real hero is God

He deliberately puts the treasure of His Holy Spirit into us earthen vessels, so that the power & the glory is clearly His, not ours

The essential encouragement, last night, was to give God glory in all we do

"Whether we eat..sleep...whatever your hand finds to do..do your best..as serving God..to bring much thanks, praise, glory & honour to God"

Thaks again & God bless!

Ian

Hi Ian,
God bless you!! Our God is a good God in whom we give praise glory and honor in the mist of all things.

I have so many things in my life changing right now,some good and some not so good.But,one thing God is showing me is to praise him no matter how hard it is to Praise Him in the mist of it all!! As we praise him we shall see God move in such a mighty way,on our behalf.

You are an inspiration to me and a blessing! Praise you Father for your child,I pray you will bless him in a mighty way.Thank you Jesus!

Thank you for sharing the evangelical youth groups' with me,what a moving and blessed thing God is doing in the mist of his people.God is Good!
I asked God to show me his word today,and as always he showed me what he wanted me to see.Thank you Jesus!

Psalm 18:1-2 I will love thee,O Lord,my strength.
The Lord is my rock,and my fortress,and my deliverer;my God,my strength,in whom I will trust;my buckler,and the 'horn of my salvation,and my high tower.

Father we praise you in the mist of all things,we give it all to you.You are worthy to be praised.

I pray God bless's you and shows you many things today.May this find you in pease.
God Bless you,
New Hope

 

[Tandiwe]

I thank you very much for sharing what the Lord is doing in your life. I found your posting very helpful especially as I struggle to draw closer to God and need to hear him. May the Lord continue to reveal himself and to guide you.

 

[TherapyDogLove]

To All:

My reasons for starting this thread are out of obedience to the Lord and because so many of us seem to be struggling to grow in Him. While I in no way know all there is to know of Him, and seek daily to learn from Him - both directly through His Word and His Spirit and from others who sit at His feet in Love - He continues to prompt me to take the risk and share what I have learned.

After He led me to share the following in another thread, He is now telling me to put this here. (In fact, in His gentle way, He will not leave me alone about it!) My constant prayer is to be pleasing to Him always, and be a blessing in some small way to others. And so it is with humility before Him that I offer this.

All I ask is that others will also post here what they have learned and are learning, that we may all grow in Him and come to the unity of faith, bonded together with Him in the Spirit of His great Love.


There was a time in my life when I did not think God liked me very much, when my whole life seemed to go from misery to misery. Yet, I believed; I knew the Bible very well; and I knew there was a love in me for Him. But I could never seem to get close to Him, and never really saw any specific answers to my prayers. I always felt as if I was following Jesus from way back in the crowd; as if I was climbing hills, only to catch a glimpse of Him going over another hill far in front of me. Finally, I just got fed up and told Him, "Lord. I don't care if You like me or not! I am still going to love You!" And right then, I made up my mind to know Him personally.

So what I would like to offer you are some practical steps that He led me to take (although at the time, I did not realize it was Him leading me) that He used to grow me and teach me and help me find Him. And what a difference this has made in my own prayer life.

1) Guard your tongue. Become aware of what you say out loud, for your words can rob you of any blessings He has for you. No matter how you feel, how depressed you get, etc., don't allow yourself to start speaking from those feelings. There are a multitude of scripture in the both the OT and NT which teach this.

2) Praise God. This truly helps in guarding the words of your mouth as well as overcoming negative feelings. You don't have to try to conjure up reasons for praising Him for the situation, just make up your mind to praise Him in the situation. He lead me (and I still do this at times when necessary) to say out loud: "I praise you Father that I am not moved by my feelings, but only by your Word. I praise you Father that I am not moved by what others say about me, but only by your Word." And so on. Truly, praise works!

3) Get His Word from your mind to your spirit. Two ways to help with this are (a) to never read the Bible without praying first, asking the Holy Spirit to guide you in it; to open your heart to receive what He is teaching you; to open your understanding to grasp it. Etc. And (b) go through the NT finding every passage where it talks about who we are in Christ and who He is in us. In other words, everything positive that applies to us being new creatures in Him. Make a tape recording of your own voice saying these passages, applying them to yourself. Our spirits pay attention to what we say, and since it is with our hearts that we believe - not our minds - by saying His Word aloud we can re-program our inner man according to that Word. Example: "I am the Righteousness of God in Christ." Then, play that tape! I would put on headphones at night and play it as I went to sleep, night after night for weeks.

4) Don't try to believe for more than you have faith to believe. Faith is like a muscle; it must be exercised in order to grow. Just as you would not begin lifting weights with the maximum amount - the goal you want to reach - until you built up to it, so don't try to believe too far beyond what you know you can believe for. Judging this is tricky, I agree. But you have to start somewhere and I believe the Lord will guide you. Many, many times I have wanted to believe, but had to admit I really did not have that big of faith. Don't set yourself up to fail; but don't set your sights too low either. Exercise your faith and it will grow, until you can believe for big miracles.

5) Make it your primary goal to know Christ Jesus. More than anything else, seek to know the Giver rather than the gift. Humble yourself - in your attitude especially - before Him and trust Him to guide you. Remember that love is not a feeling, rather love causes feelings. We know He loves us - just like we know anyone loves us - because He says He does. His love for us is not dependent upon our feelings about it, anymore than our parents love for us was dependent upon our feelings. Realizing this is extremely important in our being able to trust Him, for our trust - our faith - is very much dependent upon our knowing and believing in His love for us in Christ. And we know He loves us because His Word says He does, and God does not lie.

6) Remember we have an enemy and he is a liar! Daniel prayed and even though the Lord heard his prayer the first day, it took 21 days for the answer to come. Pray, believe (because of His Word) that in the Name of Jesus we can be sure that the Father hears and answers our prayers, and then persevere in thanking Him for answering our prayer. The enemy delights in robbing of us of our joy, faith, confidence, peace, etc., as well as the answers to our prayers. Stay the course!

7) Practice listening. Set some time (20-30 minutes) aside each day to sit quietly before the Lord. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Get a notebook and write what you hear inside. Don't worry about getting big revelations - because you probably won't; and don't worry if you don't get anything - because you may not for awhile. Consider it as you would any conversation: both sides talk in a conversation, not just one. So you are allowing the Lord His opportunity to speak to you and not you just talking to Him. And write down what comes to you. And even when you do begin to hear from Him, don't expect some earth-shattering revelations. For a long time the Lord had me practice this, just to learn how to hear Him no matter what was going on around me. And I am still learning. But measure everything you hear against His Word! And seek to be obedient to what He tells you. It is when we are faithful on the little things that He will trust us with bigger things.

8) Seek His will first and always. The Lord will never get in line with us; we must always get in line with Him. In all your prayers - for others as well as for yourself, seek His will.


May the Lord bless others through this, and continue to bless us all in the coming posts from His faithful ones.

LeastOne

Hello there! I totally agree with all of this. These are all of my beliefs too. I've read the bible cover to cover, but I realize that not everything stays at the top of my head. That's why we need to continue to study the bible. When Satan lies to you as you see bad stuff happening with your eyes, you forget the biblical messages. You forget that God is on your side and will not let unbearable stuff happen to you. You are to have Joy in all circumstances. I love going to the Christian bookstore to get books by Joyce Meyer and Max Lucado. Joyce's books have strengthened me and healed me. If it weren't for her books, I wouldn't have gotten through some of the trials I've had to go through. She reminds you in her words what God's word says about certain subjects. Even though I might know all of the bible stories, when something bad happens, one can easily forget about what God's message says about it and start to panic, worry and be full of fear. It doesn't occur to you that a certain verse that you might have read two months ago for instance would apply to you right here and now, since its not at the top of your head. Hence the need for bible study. I need to go to bible study or at least rehearse scripture.

 

[mrversatile48]

Oh my children, where are your hearts?

I am coming for the pure and spotless, the righteous, the lillies among the thorns. I will search the streets with lamps and and who shall I find?

Why are you so few? I am pleased with you, and yet I had hoped our banquet would seat many more.

Look here, the table is set. So many empty seats... look at all the unclaimed seats. How shall we enjoy a feast with so many empty seats?

Does no one wish to sup with us?

Say to my people, "If you are preaching a gospel of religion and not relationship, I am not among you. If you stand up for religion and not righteousness, I am not among you. If you have received religion and not redemption, I am not among you.

"Where there is religion reigning, I am not King. You have invited a prince to usurp my Kingly authority."

The man in sin (*Episcopal preist who justified his homosexuality*) replied to my word with: "God is doing a new thing." I tell you, I am, and it is NOT embracing sin and comprimise.

I do NOT have to compromise my statutes to see my word, my will, come to pass. I promise you in this day, the man who speaks falsely for me will be made an example. The man who brings shame to my house will see my wrath.

The man who defiles my Holy Name will see my indignation. No longer will the false bear witness among my people, I am making examples of them.

Stand aside and watch, says the Lord, see my judgement and tell the nations I am exhausted with their games.

The bride WILL be pure and spotless. I will take no harlots to my table. I will share my bed with no other. This is my word and it is set since the beginning of the ages.

You my precious, who have stood up for righteousness, who have taken assaults for defending the Name of your God, you will see my face, you will see the Glory of the Lord in your own house. I will not only visit, I will inhabit, dwell in your house with you. Because you have been like Zadok and NOT abandoned the King, you shall enter into my presence and remain there. Because you have not thought it robbery to serve me with dilligence and loyalty, I will honor you.

Your time has come.

 

[mrversatile48]

Anchor Your Life website: www.AnchorYourLife.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday & Sunday, March 20 & 21, 2004

Plate Spinners

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (NIV) Matthew 11:30

I may be dating myself with this, but I remember the Ed Sullivan Show.
Watching the weekly variety show was a family event in our house. One
of my favorite acts was the plate spinner.

The "plate spinner" would take a plate and put it on top of a thin pole and twist it a certain way so the plate would begin to spin on top of the pole.

As soon as he would get one plate spinning, he would start another, then another and many more until he had to quickly run back and get the first plate spinning before it fell. Back and forth he would go, frantically
working to keep all the plates spinning.

I remember a time in my life when I was much like the plate spinner.
Those were my rebellious days, when I was a free wheeling, single, career
woman ready to take on the world and do it "my way."

My god was my feelings and my bible was a zodiac guide to finding people who matched your zodiac sign so you would have successful relationships, and a "how to succeed in business" type book called "Looking Out for Number One."

My plates were really spinning nicely, career, bank account, travel, fun, friends, wardrobe - I was a success.

As I continued on my own, however, it got harder and harder to keep those plates spinning.

One by one they began to fall and I realized that I needed to give
the controls over to God.

It wasn't easy to think of surrendering my life to Christ; I was used to controlling things and I surely did not want to have someone or some religion tell me what to do.

Finally, I surrendered and took on Christ's yoke. I gave Him the reins and let Him be my teacher, my guide, and my master.

Just as Christ promised, His yoke was easy and His burden was light.

Are you still frantically spinning plates? Is it wearing you down? Have
your plates begun to crash one by one? Would you like some help?

Listen to the words of Christ. He is talking to you:

"Come to me and I will give you rest--all of you who work so hard beneath a
heavy yoke. Wear my yoke--for it fits perfectly --and let me teach you; for
I am gentle and humble, and you shall find rest for your souls; for I give
you only light burdens." Matthew 11:28-30 (The Book)

Written by Sheree Motola used with permission

 

[mrversatile48]

Cross Training

Hi, SheepTrax!

SheepTrax Digest Undercover Investigations decided to look into the often-confusing world of Discipleship training.

Late night TV Christian infomercials promise everything from releasing to "faith partners only" God's 7 Keys to make me rich, to using the "secret codes" of the Bible to generate unimaginable wealth in the stock market, to How To Follow Jesus Without Pain, Sacrifice, or Inconvenience (they were selling a produced called Salvation Lite!).

Gotta wonder what the Apostle Paul would have penned in a hotly worded epistle to the aberrant, heresy hungry American church.

Anyway, let's start with a definition. A disciple is one who has disciplined themselves for a cause. Therefore, being a disciple of anything has its roots in discipline. So much for so-called "Salvation Lite."

Is Discipleship a 13-week course you take as part of Sunday school? Or is it an ongoing daily process of yielding to God the Holy Spirit who exposes the dead flesh within us all, points us to the Cross, and births Sweet Overcoming Life in those places of corruption he has exposed bringing us finally to liberty and freedom in Christ?

Among the myriad of infomercials competing for my love-offering dollar, one stood out. The trainer, who simply called himself Bill (as that was his name), was demoing a spiritual workout device that looked downright dangerous, even deadly.

He was preaching about the greatest Discipleship tool device ever devised: The Cross!

Bill said, "Sure, we admit it, the Cross is a dangerous workout tool, but I ask: How can you be an in-shape disciple without it?

"You see all sorts of discipleship toys on TV church and in your local Christian bookstore, but if you want to really be fit to flow Jesus, there is only one way, one Cross.

"It is the cost we pay daily to follow Jesus. It is the Cross that makes us fit for the King!"

Suddenly a PowerPoint popped on the TV screen. Bill had my attention as he narrated over this verse, Luke 14:27, "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple." No Cross, No Discipleship.

Bill continued, "The Cross is the only tool with Jesus' personal stamp of approval for Discipleship training. While it's not popular theology, God's operations are designed to kill the patient.

Kill, you ask?

Yes, the Cross is an instrument of death. Its sole purpose is to kill the wearer. Doesn't sound much like 'Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for you life,' does it?"

The scene cut to a group of people who were giving radiant testimonies of how embracing the Cross brought death to the god of self who really ruled in their lives. Surprisingly, all looked invigorated and seemed pulsing with divine Life.

Bill smiled gently as audience members begin asking questions about the Cross. One timid young man said, "But I might get… hurt."

Bill replied, "The Cross is not there to hurt you, son. It is there to bring death to that rebel you call your "self" in order that Christ might be formed in you. It is the most exquisite pain you can ever know. The Cross is about exposing our weakness for what it is: weakness."

More PowerPoint verses: 2 Corinthians 12:9, "And He (Jesus) said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Hebrews 10:36, "For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise." The Cross Gives Endurance Training!

2Timothy 4:7, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." The Cross is the Christian's Secret Weapon Against The World, The Flesh, And The Devil.

Bill looked right into the camera in an extreme close-up and began to close the sale.

"So what does the Cross cost you? You may have seen imitation Discipleship tools, toys really, selling on Christian TV for $299.99.

But isn't not $299.99, or even $199.99; no friends, not even $9.99.

Put your checkbooks away.

Operators aren't standing by, but Jesus is.

The Cross costs you …

everything."

Finally, a Christian product that actually works!


Bryan Hupperts © 2004
SheepTrax Media ™
PO Box 270256
St. Louis, MO 63127 USA
deepsheep@sheeptrax.com
www.SheepTrax.com
http://www.sheeptrax.injesus.com

 

[crydun]

very meaningful posts, mrv. thanks for the inspiration