Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
The 140-foot cross stands at the entrance of a Christian cemetery in the center of the city. It's being built by Parvez Henry Gill, a Pakistani businessman who said the idea came to him in a dream.
"I want to show the world the Christian community in Pakistan has religious freedom," Gill said.
While some have criticized the cross, Gill said he "leaves that to God."
Pakistani Christians have faced church bombings and other attacks by Islamic terrorists.
In March, Taliban suicide bombers killed 15 people and injured nearly 80 others in the city of Lahore in eastern Pakistan. The group's spokesman vowed bombing attacks would continue until the government implements Sharia law.
In 2013, 80 people died when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives cache at the All Saints Church in the northern city of Peshwar.
The great need in America is not for a new organization. Our great need is not for more economic prosperity. Our great need is for a real spiritual awakening, a revival in which men and women will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways to the God of our fathers.
In my opinion we've had four major crisis periods in American history. The first was the Revolutionary War. We did not even know whether we could be born as a nation or not. It was my privilege to be at Valley Forge when President Eisenhower made this statement there: "This is where they got [our independence] for us.
In the midst of that winter, General Washington was seen time and again on his knees out in the snow calling upon God for victory. Out of that winter of prayer, George Washington led that little, beaten, discouraged, tattered army to a great victory that brought about the independence of the United States from Great Britain. I believe God helped that little army as it marched all the way to Yorktown.
The next great crisis in American history came when a Constitutional Convention was called in Philadelphia to ratify a Constitution for the new country that was being born. The delegates got angry with each other; they couldn't agree on a thing. Benjamin Franklin eloquently called on the Convention to pray for God's assistance: ["We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that 'except the Lord build the House they labour in vain that build it.' I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel."]
Out of that Convention came the Constitution of the United States.
The next great crisis came during the Civil War. Men on both sides were killing each other, brothers against brothers, and it seemed that our little country would be torn apart. It seemed that we would become two separate nations or that some European power would come and take us over because we had weakened each other. But thank God, on both sides we had some men and women who believed in God.
A man came to Abraham Lincoln one day and said, "Mr. Lincoln, don't you believe that God is with us?" Mr. Lincoln said, "I'm not interested as to whether God is with us; I'm interested as to whether we are on God's side." President Lincoln called the nation to a day of prayer, and in his call of prayer he recommended individual repentance. He called for a renewed faith in God. He said, "We are a nation of sinful people, and God has brought us to this point; let us pray to God."
The day that General Lee surrendered, President Lincoln called the Cabinet to prayer, and at the suggestion of the president the whole Cabinet dropped to its knees and offered thanks to Almighty God for the victory that preserved the Union.
Down in the South many people had also been praying. Robert E. Lee had been asked one day, "Aren't you praying for victory?" General Lee said, "No, I'm praying that the will of God be done." We believe that God's will was done. The shackles of slavery were thrown off. The Union was preserved and the nation reunited.
The fourth great crisis in American history was not World War I. We were never threatened in World War I. Nor was it World War II. We were really never threatened as a nation in World War II. The fourth great crisis in American history is the crisis of the present moment. Our nation at this moment is being threatened as it has not been threatened since the Civil War. We are being threatened by moral deterioration.
We have seen this country plunging deeper and deeper, at a rapidly gaining momentum, into moral deterioration. Honesty and truthfulness have been thrown out the window. The nation is on a mad pursuit of amusements, pleasure and immorality.
The same symptoms that were in Rome during its last days are now seen and felt in America. Walk down the streets of our cities and see the current names of today's films. Many are either psychopathic or centered on sex.
What is this country coming to?
We need a moral revival. We need a spiritual revival that will put a new moral fiber into our society, or we will have collapsed internally before any enemies even get here. We are being softened up right now by the devil for the kill.
We are also being threatened today by racial tension, strife that has at times brought us to the brink of cultural war between the great races in this country.
It is high time that we come to the foot of the cross. When you come to the foot of the cross and receive Christ as Savior, He gives you the capacity to love your neighbor.
There is no superior race in God's sight. God does not look upon the outward appearance. God looks upon the heart. God sees our pride. We are going to have to come to where we love each other as neighbors and to where we look through the eyes of Jesus at sin.
God is looking for real and genuine repentance. To whom much is given, much is required. Much is given to America, and much shall be required of America.
There are several reasons why God has spared us this long. First is the very nature of God. Psalm 130:3 says, "If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?" The Bible teaches that God is a God of mercy, long-suffering and love. And God loves you as an individual. He is a God of mercy. He gave His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die on the cross, to shed His blood for your sins, to rise again for your justification. He loves us, and every time I look at the cross I see written over it in letters of fire, "God is love, God is love, God is love. He loves you, He loves you."
Second, He is not willing that any should perish. God does not want you to go to hell. He does not want you to be lost. He loves you so much that He sent His Son to die for you. But God gave you a will of your own. You can say "no" to God or you can say "yes" to God.
Third, God has spared America because of the great number of born-again Christians in America.
Isaiah 1:9 says, "Unless the Lord of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah." If it were not for God's people in this country, it would have been destroyed long ago. Don't despise that godly Christian who lives next door to you. Don't laugh at that Christian student you go to school with. I tell you, he or she is one of the reasons that this nation has the blessings and prosperity that it has.
But unless the Lord's people discipline themselves to prayer, unless the Lord's people discipline themselves to Bible study, unless the Lord's people discipline themselves to living a Spirit-filled, Christ-honoring life, that blessing will not last very long.
There was a time when Christians would not dare to look at some of the things we are now seeing every day. We are gradually taking in the amusements and the pleasures until our spiritual life is being dulled and the Bible no longer has the glow to it. The time of prayer no longer has the desire that it used to have. You know that is true. We need to repent of our sins.
I am convinced that our nation is in peril. The handwriting is on the wall. The signs of the times are everywhere. American people cannot long continue in their moral degeneracy. A cancer is eating at the heart and core of the American way of life.
The Bible says that we are to humble ourselves. No man or woman can come to the kingdom of God proudly. You must come in humility.
The only prayer that you can pray if you have never come to Christ is, "God, be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13). Have you prayed that prayer?
I'm not asking if you have partaken of the sacraments. I'm not asking if you belong to a church. I'm asking you, have you said, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner"? Have you come to the foot of the cross in humility and received Him as your Savior and Lord, and asked Him to cover your sins with His blood? If you haven't, you can right now. Your life can be changed and transformed.
The only way that we can have our lives changed and find peace, joy and the fulfillment of life; the only way to have sin forgiven; the only way to know that you are going to heaven, is to receive Christ as your Lord, Savior and Master. "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12). "If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Rom. 10:9).
The place where we belong is at the foot of the cross. The great need in America is not for more guns or more smart bombs—it is for more men and women who have been transformed by the power of Christ and are living dedicated lives for Christ in the office, on the production line and in the school. The great need is for men and women who will take their stand for the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter what the cost may be.
Pockets of true revival are breaking out across America. Want to know more about the next great move of God? Click here to see Jennifer LeClaire's new book, featuring Dutch Sheets, Reinhard Bonnke, Jonathan Cahn, Billy Graham and others.
Defending the Cross in China will get you jail time.
Just ask Pastor Huang Yizi. He spoke out publicly against government removal of crosses from churches in Zhejiang Province. This week a court in Pingyang city sentenced him to one year in prison. He's been jailed since last August.
Huang was found guilty of gathering crowds to disrupt social order.Huang's lawyers say he only encouraged church members to oppose the illegal action of government authorities by restoring church crosses to their rightful places.
The Zhejiang government removed 400 rooftop crosses throughout the province last year, maintaining they had violated building codes. But Christians say in reality, the communists didn't want daily reminders of Christianity's rapid growth throughout China; they detested crosses becoming a regular fixture of Zhejiang's city skylines.
Huang's case will be appealed.
Pray that he will remain strong in his faith and that he will be reunited soon with his family and friends.
Find out more about Huang at the China Aid web site.
And it's not just Christians who have been targeted by government officials. A human rights organization was raided this week because its workers have been speaking out against the groping of women on public transportation.
Israeli journalists and other Jewish activists made headlines last month after they walked the streets of Paris, London and other European cities while wearing a kippah (Jewish head covering).
In every instance, the Jewish man was insulted, harassed and even threatened numerous times.
A young Arabic-speaking Israeli Christian decided recently to do something similar by walking the streets of a major Israeli city while wearing a large, conspicuous cross around his neck.
The results were very telling. See below:
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2015 Presents Startling Alignment of Prophetic Events
The blood moons are only part of the incredible prophecy ahead for 2015. (Reuters file photo)
This year brings amazing signs in skies and Scriptures. Blood moons, solar eclipses, Jewish festivals and a Sabbath year align in startling ways for anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear.
Springtime Holy Days
God designed the Jewish year's seven special festivals around His prophetic calendar. Best- known is Passover, announcing Spring, promising new life and harvest.
At Passover, a spotless lamb was slain to apply its blood on the door of the home and to be roasted for a festal meal, picturing Calvary: "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us" (1 Cor. 5:7). The Jewish people celebrate exodus from slavery, and Christians find liberation from sin and death through the cross. We are redeemed by the "precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish" (1 Peter 1:19-20).
The feast of unleavened bread follows, as the observant Jewish family removes all leaven from their household and diet for seven days. Leaven symbolizes sin, spreading secretly, puffing up with pride. "Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Cor. 5:8).
On the cross Christ forever put away our sins: "now, once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Hebrews 9:27). As leaven was put out of the house, our record of sin has been forever removed. "My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part, but the whole, Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, It is well, praise the Lord, oh my soul!"
Removing leaven calls every believer in Christ to diligently search and remove sin from his life. Christ has removed the guilt of our sins, now let us remove their reality and practice: "let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness" (2 Cor. 7:1).
Within the week comes the feast of firstfruits, the first day after the Sabbath, which foretells the resurrection of Jesus: "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept" (1 Cor. 15:20). As the Jewish worshipper came before the Lord to wave the first stalks of planting, so Jesus was the first to rise from the dead never to die again! His first fruit offering anticipates an abundant harvest, and His resurrection is the pledge of many more on that day when He returns (1 Thess. 4:16-17).
Signs in the Heavens
The Jewish festivals of 2014-2015 are bounded by four "blood moons" (total lunar eclipses, with reddish tinge). Eight times since Christ a series of four eclipses (called a tetrad) have landed on God's holy days. The current tetrad began with Passover last year, continued through the Fall Feast of Tabernacles, marks this year's Passover (April 4), and concludes on this year's Feast of Tabernacles (September 28).
Previous tetrads coincided with world events affecting Israel. In 1493-94, Jews were expelled from Spain, a pattern Europe followed. In that time, an Italian Christian of Jewish descent, Christopher Columbus, navigated back from the "New World" of America. In a few hundred years, the United States rose to be a safe haven for Jewish immigrants from all over the world.
In 1949-50, the tetrad followed Israel's official rebirth as a nation (May 1948). After two world wars, God's ancient people were allowed access to their ancient homeland. The Israeli government was installed in 1949 and regional peace treaties signed by 1950.
In 1967-68, four blood moons heralded the "Six-Day War," when Israel was attacked by Arab neighbors seeking to annihilate her. God gave a mighty deliverance that astonished the world and stunned her enemies. Israel captured additional lands and took back the ancient city of Jerusalem.
And now come the blood moons of 2014-15. The Islamic State (ISIS) marches through Syria and Iraq, seeks to take Jordan and maybe Saudi Arabia, killing Christians and some Shiite Muslims. They intend total obliteration of Israel. Terrorist groups Hezbollah, Hamas, and al-Quaedi are renewing attacks. Iran presses to gain the nuclear bomb. Once radical Islamic states and terrorists have nuclear weapons, everything destabilizes.
Elsewhere, Egypt and Turkey turn a cold shoulder to Israel. Fearful Europe has backed away from support, now accusing Israel of war crimes. The once-reliable United States has taken a long step back from helping. Dangerous days for Israel are here. We may soon witness a Mideast war unlike any recently seen. Joel prophesied and Peter proclaimed, "I will shew wonders in heaven above...the sun shall be turned into darkness [solar eclipse] and the moon into blood [lunar eclipse], before that great and notable day of the Lord come" (Acts 2:19-20).
Spring arrives this year on March 20 with a total solar eclipse, visible in Europe, North Africa, North Asia, and Iceland. A partial solar eclipse happens this September 13 to South Africa, South India, and Antarctica. That last date holds considerable interest.
Sabbath-Year Economic Reset
Those familiar with Jonathan Cahn's works—The Harbinger and The Mystery of the Shemitah—will know 2015 also marks the end of the Sabbath year, or shemittah (Hebrew "release" of debts, Deut. 15:1-3). Many of the biggest U.S. stock market corrections landed on these seven-year cycles of God's calendar, always in September or October. The last one was the largest single-day point drop of the Dow Jones index ever, October 1, 2008. Seven years prior, on September 18, 2001, the stock market steeply fell due to the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center.
If the Lord is judging America by toppling our false gods and idols, money would head the list. Seeing no significant signs yet of national repentance and turning back to the God of our fathers, we expect the economy may well take another big hit in 2015. The Jewish new year's eve, when debts are recalibrated, falls on September 13, as a solar eclipse darkens the southern hemisphere, and two weeks before the final blood moon of this tetrad comes on September 28.
Putting it all together, we have an incredible convergence of events beyond manipulation by man. A cycle of four blood moons over two consecutive years ... each total lunar eclipse falling upon a Jewish holy day ... with total solar eclipses between the blood moons ... landing in the Jewish seventh-year of debt release ... leading past 2015-2016 into the next Jubilee Year (when God sets captives free, restores property, and proclaims liberty in the land). Is the Lord shouting at those with ears to hear and eyes to see?
The 2nd annual Prophecy in the News summit will be held March 5-7 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando Hotel in Orlando, Florida. The summit, featuring 26 speakers such as Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, Paul McGuire, Jerome Corsi, Joseph Farah, Dr. Kevin Clarkson, Thomas Ice, Bob Cornuke and many others, starts on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. and ends on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. Call the office 1-800-475-1111 to register or go online at prophecyinthenews.com. The cost is $90 per person for all three days.
Dr. Kevin Clarksonis the host of Prophecy in the News and the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Moore, Oklahoma. He has pastored four churches during the last 30 years. Clarkson has a deep love for the nation and people of Israel, and a love of all things related to Bible prophecy.
There are many myths about the devil, including one that he has horns. (iStock photo)
Americans can't seem to get enough of horror movies. Every October, in time for Halloween, Hollywood releases a creepy new crop of films about masked serial killers, flesh-eating zombies, crazed vampires and demon-possessed children who crawl out of television sets to attack us.
This year's horror fare includes Annabelle (about a red-haired doll possessed by an evil spirit), Devil's Due (about a demonic pregnancy resulting from a voodoo ritual),Ouija (about teenagers who conjure ghosts by playing a board game) and Horns, (about a murder suspect who begins growing horns and taking on other devilish characteristics).
No thanks. The world is scary enough—I don't need a horror movie soundtrack to go with it.
Many horror movies are quite religious (last year's The Conjuring was about a Christian couple who did exorcisms), but Hollywood rarely gets it right when it comes to the devil, demons and the spiritual realm. The result is that many people today have wrong ideas about Satan—and Christians often subscribe to these kooky concepts because we haven't studied God's Word carefully. Here are six of the most common myths about the devil:
Myth No. 1: The devil is everywhere. God is omnipresent, but the devil doesn't have that kind of power or influence. Jesus said He saw Satan fall from heaven like lightening (Luke 10:18)—referring to the moment when our enemy was cast out of the highest heaven. Satan posts his demons in various regions, but the devil is not watching you 24 hours a day. And if you are in Christ, you are hidden in Him (see Col. 3:3) and the devil cannot detect you on his radar.
Myth No. 2: The devil has horns. Hollywood has perpetrated the idea that Satan has horns, a red cape and a pitchfork, but this is based on medieval folklore, not the Bible. In fact, the Bible says the devil is a master of clever disguises, and that he prefers to appear as "an angel of light" (see 2 Cor. 11:14). Without spiritual discernment, most people don't even recognize that the devil is working because he is so cunning and attractive. The devil often shows up in religious meetings, and he even deceives Christians. He also loves to work through charlatans who steal money and live in immorality but know how to quote Scripture.
Myth No. 3: The devil is afraid of crosses, holy water and religious icons. In the typical Hollywood vampire film, Count Dracula is repelled by a crucifix and demons scream in torment when a priest utters a Latin phrase. Don't be fooled. Satan is not afraid of religious people. Satan is quite comfortable hanging around religious buildings as long as the people inside are not preaching the true gospel. That's why Paul the apostle warned us that in the last days people who at one time followed God would fall away from the faith, "paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1). Some of the most demonic heresies were hatched in church buildings when Christians turned away from the truth to follow the devil, the father of lies.
Myth No. 4: The devil is to blame for all the evil in the world. A lot of Christians have the idea that the devil caused them to sin. "The devil made me do it!" No, the devil was probably nowhere near. The Book of James says we must own the responsibility of our sin. "Each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust" (James 1:14). Don't blame the devil for what you did. Take responsibility and repent.
Myth No. 5: The devil is all-powerful. We Christians ascribe to Satan way more power than he actually has. The Bible says in Colossians that when Jesus died on the cross, He disarmed satanic powers and made a public spectacle of them (see Col. 2:15). I love the way The Message translates this verse: "[Jesus] stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and marched them naked through the streets." Satan's authority has been taken from him, and all he can do now is lie, steal, kill and destroy—much like a renegade terrorist army—until the church finishes the job of preaching the gospel to the world. And Satan knows his end is near.
Myth No. 6: The devil lives in hell. Popular artwork often shows the devil running his diabolical operation from a headquarters in the midst of the flames of hell. But that is not a biblical concept. Ephesians 2:2 describes Satan as "the prince of the power of the air" because he runs his show from a remote heavenly location. The good news is that he won't be there for long. Jesus said hell has been prepared for the devil and his angels (see Matt. 25:41), and Rev. 20:10 says after the final judgment, God will throw Satan into the lake of fire and brimstone where he will be "tormented day and night forever and ever." That is the horror movie the devil fears most.
If you are a believer in Christ, you have no reason to fear the devil. We should not be ignorant of Satan's schemes, and you should develop discernment to know where he is working, but you do not have to be afraid of him. If you are strong in faith, aggressive in prayer and filled with the Holy Spirit, you are a threat to Satan's kingdom. The apostle Paul's words in Romans 16:20 remind us of our victory: "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet."
J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. You can learn more about his ministry, The Mordecai Project, atthemordecaiproject.org.
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Thank you for starting the ministry " Love For His People". This is good and means much!
Thank you for blessing Israel and the Jewish people!
I read the blog every day. There are many good things you put there and write! You put beautiful pictures from nature. I like to read prophetical things. You put several things as are encouraging there also.
Please pray for me. I pray for you and Laurie! I want to listen to you singing some this evening at YouTube. I like it very much!
Blessings!
Eva
THE DEEPEST LOVE
Sometimes people wonder if God loves them. There is no need to doubt that because God IS love and He made us because of love.
His love is not based what we do but because He choose to love us. In John 3:16 is written that SO loved God the world that He gave His Son, that whoever believe in Him will not perish but have eternal love.
We cannot do anything to be more loved. We are already loved by God.
Salvation is not given because we are working to be perfect. We can just be saved by grace because Jesus died for us for our sins and you receive Jesus.
Jesus, who was King in heaven, did not come as a hard leader. He came as a humble leader willing to serve as a servant. The purpose was not that He had to serve. He did it because He wanted to demonstrate His love. He showed us how to wash each other's feet. In the Body of Christ by showing care for each other much in friendship guided by God.
Jesus preached with His life the heart of God - a heart full of love and compassion and who cares. Jesus showed much life. He did not just talk beautiful words but showed love.
In James is it written, "What does it profit, brethren if someone says he has faith but does not have works?"
Jesus could have chosen to stay in heaven. It had been MUCH more comfortable. He did not have to come to the earth and suffer. But He CHOSE it because of His love. Abba - our heavenly Daddy could have closed His eyes when we fell in sin.
Instead our Daddy did everything He could for us. His heart was crushed by His love to us and He wanted to do everything for us. The most precious He had was His son. He know there were no other way for people to get saved than to send His Son. He had pain in His heart when He had to see His Son suffer like His precious Lamb.
Abraham did not have to sacrifice his son but Abba - our Daddy in heaven gave everything for us.It really showed a heart of a father - a daddy who loves. He loved us so much.
Jesus was led as a lamb to the slaughter Isaiah 53:7.He did not come to the earth to make a position. He did not come to be like a king in honor, ruling in a hard way.
He did not come to win honor. He did not choose to be popular and rich and people screaming on a scene when they saw Him. He came in humility like a servant can be or humble like a child depending on a parent.
In His love He chose to be badly treated if that was the cost to save and rescue others.
This was real love. Isaiah 53 showed the heart of the father. It is a beautiful scripture showing Jesus love to us. It gives us a picture of Jesus. I sometimes sing from this scripture because I think it is wonderful showing who Jesus really is, showing His love.
Who has suffered like Jesus? Many people suffer today.
The One who has suffered most is Jesus. Even before the cross He suffered very much. He was mocked as king of the Jews. He was mocked as prophet. His friends left Him and one betrayed Him just before the terrible suffering at the cross.
Jesus had so much agony in Gethsemane because He knew before that it was a terrible pain He had to suffer. That is why He had so much agony - the biggest agony but ANYWAY He chose to go this way of suffering.
He was scourged and people put a red robe and a crown of thorns to show their hate. People people shouted "Crucify". This was a price a prophet can have to pay - sufferings and to be rejected.
Jesus was a REAL prophet and God's Son. He payed the price. He was willing to suffer for truth and loves sake. Jesus chose to show love when it was very difficult. He chose to suffer when it was necessary for the sheep.
It is written in 1 Cor 13 that "love does not seek it's own."
We can have suffered much but compared with Jesus sufferings it is just a glimpse because His suffering for us was so big. We do not understand how big it was.
He really was ready to suffer because of His love.
The greatest love was shown at Calvary when Jesus had so much pain for us nailed at His hands and feet. The greatest suffering preached the greatest love anyone has showed.
Yeshua gave everything for us at the cross because He LOVES us so much!
The COST for the sheep was the CROSS - His deepest love.
“I don’t understand my own behavior — I don’t do what I
want to do; instead, I do the very thing I hate!” Romans 7:15
Complete Jewish Bible
I
certainly can relate to Paul at times. When I think I have mastered something
in my spiritual walk, then, boom, I react the same way as before. And here I had
thought I had checked that one off the “Got It Mastered” list.
Someone
at work gets a big pat on the back during the company staff meeting. My
response at times? “Well, what about that great job I did last week?” Instead
of being congratulatory for them, I am asking myself, “Why didn’t I get acknowledged?”
Or the
emotion that arises when driving down the highway and a young kid races by,
obviously going beyond the suggested speed limit. My response has been, “I hope
he gets caught. I want to get to my destination just as fast. But no one is
catching him now are they?"
At other moments
I find myself having high expectations, believing that a person is thinking the
same way I am, and then finding out later that that wasn’t even on their mind
at all. And then the big disappointment sets in, as I fall to the ground with
the thought, “Another hope dashed.” At least it doesn’t take me days to get
over it like it used to. Now it is down to a few hours. (At least most of the
time.)
Paul got
it right when he said, using the same verse as above, but as translated in the
New American Standard Version, “For what I am
doing,I do not understand; for I am not practicingwhat Iwould like todo, but I am doing the very thing I hate.”
Weariness sets in when you think you have overcome a sinful
act, and yet when the opportunity arises to show that what you had desired to
be the true colors by now - well, it just isn’t quite yet, but the same old
same old had just come back. Why is this so?
We need to continue to practice repentance; to keep looking
to the Lord to help us overcome those things that just seem to hang on and not
go away. Attitudes, behaviors, wrong directions we tend to take, in our natural
and spiritual walks, that we thought we had dealt with already, are going to
take more practice. Our dependence on the Lord should never go away, where we
think we have accomplished “it” and can walk on our own. Sure, we are to be mature.
It will certainly come as our acknowledgement of Him is kept forefront in our
minds, wills and emotions.
David is another person given in Scripture as an example for
us to imitate. I can certainly relate to David, as He called upon the Name of
the Lord. As a shepherd, and then as king of Israel, his dependence on the Lord
is evident in his words I believe he continually prayed, “Let
the words of my mouth andthe meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight,
OLord,my rock and myRedeemer.” (Psalm
19:14 NAS) He knew that only in His Lord would he be able to maintain a proper
attitude towards people and situations that came his way.
Paul
encourages us with his inspired words, giving us further hope that what we
experience isn’t just us going through it, but that our fellow ones also
struggle with this. “Notemptationhas overtaken you but such as is
common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond
what you are able, but with thetemptationwill provide the way of escape also,
so that you will be able to endure it.” (1
Corinthians 10:13 NAS)
Bob Mumford, a popular Bible teacher whom I enjoyed hearing and
reading his books in the 1970’s and 1980’s, liked to share experiences about how
we get caught up “going around the mountain” – getting in that mode where we
just can’t seem to conquer, or finish the test, but have to keep repeating it
over and over again. But someday we do! Someday we will have gotten that last mountain
test passed, and be promoted to the next grade, with bigger challenges.
My hope is that as I continually give myself to desiring the Lord’s
cross in my life, allowing it to work the eternal effect it is to have in my
heart and spirit, that the things I hate to do, will in time no longer have its
hold on me.
I know you desire that too. Aren’t you glad we are not alone, that
along with the Holy Spirit we will be overcomers. That is my hope. I know that He
Who is Faithful and True also desires that for us too.
Now think
on this,
Steve Martin
Love For His People. Inc.
Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization
started in 2010 to share the love of the Father in the nations.
If these messages minister to you, please consider sending
a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless
families we know in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian
ministry. Your tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each
donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.
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