If You Lay Hold of This Truth, It Will Set You Free - JOHN AND LISA BEVERE CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Only one person can derail you from your kingdom path, and that is you. (iStock photo )

If You Lay Hold of This Truth, It Will Set You Free

 7/24/2016 JOHN AND LISA BEVERE  CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Do you know that God holds your destiny? No matter what you may be facing now, He can work His will out in your life and direct your path toward its fulfillment.

When Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, it probably never crossed Joseph's mind that his suffering and hardship were part of God's preparation process. Joseph was learning obedience, and his brothers were skillfully wielded instruments in the hand of God.

Joseph may have regarded his dreams as a confirmation of God's favor upon his life. He had not yet learned that authority is given to serve, not to set an individual apart. Often in such periods of training we focus on the impossibility of our circumstances instead of the greatness of God. As a result, we get discouraged and feel the need to blame someone, so we look for the one we feel is responsible for our despair. When we face the fact that God could have prevented our entire mess—and didn't—we often blame Him.

This perhaps kept ringing through Joseph's mind: "I have lived according to what I know of God. I've not transgressed His statutes or nature. I was only repeating a dream God Himself gave me. And what's the result? My brothers betray me, and I'm sold as a slave!

My Dad thinks I am dead so he will never come to Egypt to find me."

To Joseph the bottom line was his brothers. They had thrown him into this dungeon. How often do we fall into the same trap of assigning blame? For example:

• "If it weren't for my wife, I would be in the ministry. She has hindered me and ruined so many of my dreams."
• "If it weren't for my parents, I would have had a normal life. They are to blame for where I am today. Why do others have normal parents and I don't?"
• "If my mom and dad hadn't gotten divorced, I would have been much better off in my own marriage."
• "If it weren't for my former husband, my kids and I wouldn't have had all this financial trouble."
• "If it weren't for that woman in the church, I would still be in favor with the leaders. With her gossip, she has destroyed me and any hope I had of being respected."

The list is endless. It is easy to blame everyone else for your problems. I want to emphasize the following point: absolutely no man, woman, child or devil can ever remove you from God's plan for your life! If you lay hold of this truth, it will set you free. Only one person can get you out of the will of God—and that is you!

God holds your destiny. Joseph's brothers tried hard to destroy the vision that God gave him. They thought they had ended it for Joseph and wanted no chance that he would ever succeed. But in God's plan, Joseph ruled Egypt. And the brothers?

Ironically Joseph's brothers became the patriarchs of Israel! God had promised Abraham that they would bring forth a nation. Through one of them the Lord Jesus would eventually come!

Joseph kept his heart free from offense, and the plans of God were established in his life and in the lives of his brothers as well. As we experience life and move along the pathway to His presence, we can rest in the assurance that God's plans for us are too numerous to mention. With this assurance, we can face the future and leave the past behind us.

Do you assign blame to others—or even God—for your present difficulties? How are you responsible for your own failures or actions in the past? How are you responsible for your future?

Make it a point of prayer to the Lord, who stands outside of time where there is no past, present or future, to take your experiences and use them in your life. Ask Him to help you take those experiences and mold and shape your life so you can become more like Him.

If you have been blaming your present circumstances on someone or some place or some situation, recognize this as a hindrance, and ask the Lord to reveal His plans for your life and give you the courage to follow His leading. Then thank Him for His guidance. 

Adapted from Pathway to His Presence by John and Lisa Bevere, copyright 2000, 2016, published by Charisma House. With refreshing honesty, and keen biblical insight the authors examine eight common barriers that can separate you from God's presence, and show you how to break through these barriers and enjoy greater spiritual intimacy with your heavenly Father.  To order your copy, click here.

Prayer Power for the Week of July 24, 2016

This week ask the Lord to take your past experiences and use them to make you more like Him. Ask Him to give you His perspective on things, help you trust Him as He leads you step-by-step, and thank Him for His guidance. Remember those affected by horrendous circumstances, either natural or man-made, and seek God for ways in which you can be a blessing to those suffering loss. Pray for the church to increase prayer and intercession for worldwide revival, the nation and the upcoming elections (Ps. 40:5).

Draw closer to God. Experience the presence of the Holy Spirit every month as you read Charisma magazine. Sign up now to get Charisma for as low as $1 per issue.

Dare to go deeper in your faith. Our "Life in the Spirit" devotional takes you on a journey to explore who the Holy Spirit is, how to interact with Him, and how He works in your life. Are you ready to go deeper?

Did you enjoy this blog? Click here to receive it by email.

Arab Man Attacked Over Pro-Israel Stance - Israel Today

Arab Man Attacked Over Pro-Israel Stance

Monday, July 25, 2016 |  Israel Today Staff

RELATED STORIES

• Jews and Arabs Living in Peace and Love
• Arabs urged to serve in Israeli army
• Galilee Sheikh Invites Besieged Israelis to His Home

Topics:

Israeli Arabs

Khaled Abu Mokh is an Israeli Arab Muslim who loves the Jewish state. He works at a hotel in Jerusalem, together with a number of other Israeli Arabs. Last week, one of those Arab co-workers violently attacked Abu Mokh over his pro-Israel stance.

The confrontation began when a fellow Arab co-worker used his coffee break to surf Facebook, where he saw that Khaled’s profile picture included an Israeli flag. The co-worker began to verbally abuse and threaten Khaled.

After work, Khaled headed home, but was chased down by the co-worker, who hurled a stone at his head. Khaled was taken to a local hospital with mild trauma and requiring several stitches.

Following his ordeal, Khaled told Israel’s Channel 20 News that he is used to such responses from “extremist” elements in the Arab community, but insisted that he will not be broken by them.

“We must not be afraid of them,” said the brave young Arab man. “I was raised [in Israel]. I open my eyes and see the flag of the nation where I was born. It is not the flag of Palestine. It is the Star of David. That is how my mother raised me.”

Khaled concluded by stating adamantly that the attack against him will only “strengthen my love for this amazing nation, and I am not alone. There are many Israeli Arabs who are no longer prepared to live in fear.”

Want more news from Israel?
Click Here to sign up for our FREE daily email updates

Credit Card Companies Specifically Target Less Educated And Less Sophisticated Americans - Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

Credit Card Companies Specifically Target Less Educated And Less Sophisticated Americans Posted: 24 Jul 2016   Michael Snyder  THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG The big credit card companies don’t make much money off of those that pay their bills on time, and so they often specifically target less educated and less sophisticated consumers that don’t really understand the dangers of credit card debt.  The goal is to find people that will carry credit card balances from month to month, because that is where the real money can be made.   The average U.S. household that carries balances from month to month has approximately $15,310 in credit card debt right now.  At an average interest rate of about 15 percent, the profits pile up very quickly for the big credit card companies.  After all these years, so many of us still have not learned the truth about credit cards, and so credit card debt is absolutely crippling tens of millions of American families. In 2015, the total amount of credit card debt in this country increased by a staggering 71 billion dollars.  In a previous article, I explained to my readers that American consumers accumulated more new credit card debt during the fourth quarter of 2015 than they did during the entire years of 2009, 2010 and 2011 combined. Many analysts are forecasting that the total amount of credit card debt will surpass a trillion dollars by the end of 2016.  This is why there is such a crying need for financial education in this nation.  Millions upon millions of us are being taken for a ride, and as I mentioned above, the big credit card companies often target those of us that are the least sophisticated about financial matters.  The following comes from Bloomberg… Credit-card companies need people to spend more than they can afford, but not so much that they default on their payments. So they could benefit from targeting individuals who are more likely to have cognitive failings. This is the dark side of behavioral finance. Some new research by economists Antoinette Schoar of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Hong Ru of Nanyang Technological University claims to find exactly such a result. The authors use data from a private company that tracks credit-card offers. They find that less educated consumers — who are likely to be less financially sophisticated — are more frequently given offers that include back-loaded costs. Those are plans that start with low rates, but increase later, with extra-high over-limit and late-payment fees. In other words, those are likely to be the borrowers who make bad financial decisions — racking up debt and eventually paying much more in interest. Meanwhile, more educated households tend not to be offered these plans. Do you understand what that is saying? The large credit card companies want to find those of us that are the most vulnerable, because that is where their biggest profits can be made. And of course most of us have gotten into trouble with credit card debt at some point.  They don’t teach us how to manage our finances in high school or in college, and so most of us are very financially naive when we first get out into the real world.  Card offers are being showered on our young people, and cash-strapped young adults can find it very easy to “buy now and pay later”… Psychologically, it can be easier for people to pay using a credit card because no paper money is involved, Danford said. A Dun & Bradstreet study found that people spend an average of 12 to 18 percent more when using a credit card instead of cash. “I think that’s one of the traps. It’s almost too easy to use a credit card,” Danford said. “You don’t have to think of the consequences.” According to 2015 data from Experian, the average American had 2.24 credit cards, up from 2.18 in 2014. Of all credit card users, what percentage do you think carries a balance from month to month? 30 percent? 40 percent? Well, according to Time Magazine only 35 percent of those that use credit cards completely pay them off every single month.  That means that 65 percent of those that use credit cards do carry a balance… Only 35% of credit card users don’t carry a balance–they pay off their bill every month, like you’re supposed to. They use credit cards for convenience, and perhaps to generate bonus points and rewards, not because they need to borrow. If you’re a member of this group, you’re known as a “convenience user.” (Go ahead and pat yourself on the back for not being on the hook for high interest rates, but don’t gloat.) The other, more typical credit card users are known as “revolvers” because they don’t pay off their bills in full so the debt revolves. To them, credit limit increases are essentially invitations to spend more. It’s unsettling: “for revolvers, a 10% increase in credit is followed by a 1.3 percent increase in debt within one quarter and a 9.99% increase in debt over the long term,” the study found. Unfortunately for the big credit card companies and the overall U.S. economy, it appears that U.S. consumers are starting to get tapped out. Retail sales fell 2.9 percent in April, and then they dropped by 3.9 percent in May.  As a result of these declining sales, corporate profits are suffering, and it is being projected that the final numbers for the second quarter of 2016 will show that corporate profits in the U.S. have now fallen for five quarters in a row. That is not an “economic recovery”.  Rather, that is what normally happens at the beginning of a major recession. And don’t expect this to turn around any time soon, because Americans just don’t have the kind of discretionary income that they once did.  The following comes from a New York Post article entitled “A staggering percentage of Americans are too poor to shop“… Retailers have blamed the weather, slow job growth and millennials for their poor results this past year, but a new study claims that more than 20 percent of Americans are simply too poor to shop. These 26 million Americans are juggling two to three jobs, earning just around $27,000 a year and supporting two to four children — and exist largely under the radar, according to America’s Research Group, which has been tracking consumer shopping trends since 1979. So much of what is happening right now is very reminiscent of 2008.  There was an explosion of credit card debt just before that crash as well. We should have learned some very hard lessons the last time around, but we didn’t, and so now the pain for American families will be even greater this time. If you are in credit card debt at this moment, it would be wise to try to eliminate it as soon as you can, because you definitely don’t want to be drowning in debt when times get really, really hard.

"Save me from all those who pursue me and deliver me" Psalm 7:1 - Richard and Carolyn Hyde from Heart of G-d Ministries

Website  |  About Us  |  Music  |  Yeshua Project  |  Living Stones  |   Partner With Us Click above to see photos When they began singing and praising, the L-rd set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mt. Seir who had come against Judah, so they were defeated.  2 Chron. 20:22 Shalom dear Friends and Prayer Partners, What a powerful time of worship last night in the Jerusalem Prayer Tower and what a privilege to have led the first worship watch.  A group of locals and a large group of Korean believers came to worship the King and intercede whileTomorrowland was going on.  I didn't even notice how quickly the two hour watch passed!  Then we received this update from Rick Ridings who was on site with a team while we worshipped the King over His city: "Tonight we had a small team during the actual event.  We played worship and sang in tongues for a long time.  Then the Lord helped us find a place overlooking their satellite and video transmission center.  We prayed and sang and saw them running around in confusion, turning the satellite dish to get connected for over two hours.  They still hadn't been able to get the mirror broadcast from Belgium when we left about 11PM.  Also there was a small crowd for the amount of publicity they had, perhaps about 1,000.  Thanks for your prayers!"   Hallelujah!  So be encouraged and know that G-d hears and answers your prayers!   And now we'd humbly like to offer another prayer request for tomorrow:  Richard and our sons Ariel and Avi are going out to the streets of a deeply religious city that we love and often visit. They hope to complete the final interviews for the upcoming Yeshua Project outreach video.  Avi will be their body guard just in case... For it is You who blesses the righteous, O L-rd.  Surround him with favor as with a shield.  Ps. 5:12 LIVING STONES EXPERIENCE Please come to our home for worship and Israeli folk dancing then hear how the Spirit of G-d is moving in the Land!  Then enjoy dinner up on our balcony with a magnificent view of the Kineret (Sea of Galilee), Golan and Jordan Valley! Thank you for your faithful prayers as we journey to Singapore and AmericaAug. 4 - Sept. 16.  Our website Schedule is being updated so please check if we're in your area and come join us! Outreach booklets and Worship CD's from Israel! Enjoy!  Download lead sheets here.   We truly thank you for your love, prayers and support!  You are all so precious to us.  We know that we can't do what we do without the hand of G-d and the prayers of the saints! Blessings from Zion in Yeshua's love, Richard & Carolyn Hyde Heart of G-d Ministries Israel: PO Box 112, Poriya Kfar Avoda   15220   USA:  PO Box 461546, San Antonio, TX 78246 Canada:  First Century Foundations  * Canadian charitable tax #10780-1771-RR0001 Box 234 * Milton, ON * L9T 4N9 * Canada 1-877-628-2800* www.firstcenturyfoundations.com     Correction from our previous update.  The ICEJ will be meeting in Pais Arena this Sukkot.  Please forgive us for this error. We write L-rd and G-d in this way because it's a Jewish custom that Carolyn grew up with and it's done only out of reverence and honor for the name of the L-rd.  Thanks for understanding.  Copyright © 20XX. All Rights Reserved.

Heart of G-d Ministries, PO Box 461546, San Antonio, TX 78246