Thursday, July 21, 2016

When You Absolutely Cannot Hear God's Voice - JENNIFER ROTHSCHILD CHARISMA MAGAZINE



Join us on our new podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

"Are you there? Can you hear me? Can you hear me now?" How many times have you held your phone to your ear and asked—okay, shouted, "Can you hear me?" Then, you shift positions, you move to a window, put the phone up to the other ear, speak even louder, "Can you hear me now?"
If you're like me, you've done that too many times to count! In fact, so many of us have had this happen that Verizon Wireless featured an actor uttering those very words over and over in their famous cell phone commercials. Remember that?
It's frustrating to know you aren't being heard when you speak, isn't it? It drives me crazy when I'm talking to my husband just to hear him say, "Oh, what did you say?" Ugh. But, we are all guilty of that sometimes and it has nothing to do with phone reception. Lots of us hear but don't listen, and the person trying to get our attention is silently asking, "Can you hear me? Can you hear me now?"
Yes, it is just downright frustrating when you know someone can hear your voice, yet they just aren't listening. But even worse than feeling frustrated is feeling distant or alone.
That is how I feel when I can't hear or don't really listen to God. I can feel distant from Him. I feel alone. But, I am not the one asking,"Can you hear me? Can you hear me now?" God is. He is calling to me through His Word and I am not tuned in.
How about you? Do you think God is ever calling to you, "Can you hear me? Can you hear me now?"
God is constantly calling out to us. We can hear His voice through His Word, but we don't always listen to what He is saying to us.
Wouldn't you like to hear, I mean really hear, what God is saying? You can. I can. It comes from learning to listen to what you hear Him say. It's not really hard or intimidating to hear God. You don't need a spiritual bandwidth to download His voice. You don't need a seminary degree or clerical collar. You just need one verse.
You can hear God's voice through just one verse.
A few years ago, I was in a really stressful time waiting for final results after my lumpectomy. I was desperate to hear God's voice. I couldn't conjure up big fancy prayers. I couldn't really even think clearly! So, I found one verse. I kept it on my phone and read it all day long. I memorized it, I meditated on it. I constantly quoted Jesus words, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Heb. 13:5)
That Scripture became God's voice to me.
I didn't just hear it as a Bible verse; I listened to it as if my Father God was whispering it in my ear. "I will never leave you or forsake you even if you need chemo. I will never leave you or forsake you even if the doctors didn't get it all. I will never leave you or forsake you—absolutely never no matter what!" I constantly heard it in my head and felt it in my heart. (And, by the way, the doctors did get it all and I didn't need chemo.)
Today you can listen to God by finding one Scripture and let it be God's voice to you. Sister, you don't need a whole chapter and you don't need a commentary on that one verse. Just find one verse, jot it down and read it over and over, all day long. Think about it when you aren't reading it. Try to memorize it. Meditate on it. Really listen to what He is saying to you through that verse.
It's hard to hear just one voice calling out in a loud crowded room and that is often how we try to hear God. We try to hear Him above all the clutter of our lives and He ends up sounding more like Charlie Brown's teacher: wah, wah, wah.
But, when you pick one verse a day to be His voice, you can hear Him more clearly. You feel Him more closely. Let the one verse you choose sink deeply in your heart and listen to what His Holy Spirit is telling you. Ask Him to speak to you through His Word. He will, my friend. I know for certain, He will. 
Jennifer Rothschild is an author, speaker, Bible study teacher, wife and Mom. For the original article, visit jenniferrothschild.com.
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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?

True Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Israel! ✡ "Spread Out with Bounty" - ISRAEL365

Thus said the Lord, 'My cities will once again
spread out with bounty.'

כֹּה אָמַר יְ-הוָה צְבָאוֹת עוֹד תְּפוּצֶנָה עָרַי מִטּוֹב

זכריה א: יז

ko a-mar a-do-nai tz'-va-ot od t'-fu-tze-na a-ray mi-tov

Today's Israel Inspiration

The prophet Zecharia lived at a very exciting time, when Persian King Darius allowed his Jewish subjects to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. At times, Zecharia becomes frustrated that the people are not in fact returning with the proper enthusiasm and he often tries to encourage them, by reiterating God’s promises and blessings, as in today’s verse. In Hebrew, the prophet’s name means “God will remember” זכר י-ה / zachar ya. Learn the essence of your Hebrew name with our popular Hebrew Name Certificates.

68 Facts You Probably Didn't Know About Israel

You'll LOVE this video of inspiring, TRUE facts about the wonderful State of Israel!

The Final War is On Its Way

One Rabbinic scholar, best known for connecting current events to the End of Days, has come out with a new proclamation that the final war of Gog and Magog is on its way.

Today's Israel Photo

Igor Farberov's incredible shot of Jerusalem's iconic outdoor market, Machane Yehuda (the "Shuk"). The lively atmosphere of vendors calling out prices for their fresh fruits and vegetables, fish, cheese, spices and baked goods is especially abuzz on Friday afternoon as residents and tourists alike stock up for Shabbat.

Thank You

Please help us continue to spread the beauty and significance of the Land of Israel!

“We Look Forward to Your Photos that Give Us Daily Visual Reminders”

It’s great to hear from so many of you - stay in touch and let us know where in the world you are enjoying Israel365!

We do enjoy your daily. We are from Charleston, South Carolina. Pray for us too. Blessings, Rick & Marsha Gueringer, Katherine Colon

We live in Wisconsin, USA. After having lived in Israel for 6 weeks while harvesting grapes in Samaria, we look forward to your photos that give us daily visual reminders of all that G-d is doing and restoring. We miss Israel immensely and can't wait to return. Shalom, Becki
Shalom,
Rabbi Tuly Weisz
RabbiTuly@Israel365.com
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ISRAEL TODAY TV: Knesset Protects Christian Soldiers, Honors Messianic Group - Israel Today

TV: Knesset Protects Christian Soldiers, Honors Messianic Group

Thursday, July 21, 2016 |  Israel Today Staff
Recently a prominent Palestinian Christian leader castigated Israel and Zionist Christians for supporting Israel to the detriment of "Christians in Palestine". The point of his argument was that the Palestinian entity is not supported and that Arab Christians are by default mistreated by Israel.
There is strong move by Arab Christian Israelis that are in favor of serving Israel to the fullest, including serving in the IDF. Many of these Arab Christians have experienced threats to their lives, even death threats, as well as actual violent attacks.
The Israel Knesset recently passed a bill designed to protect Arab Christians who enlist in the IDF. The law, which includes an extended prison sentence for anyone who tries to dissuade a Christian Arab from serving in the IDF, became necessary in the face of the above-mentioned threats and attacks.
Does this sound like mistreatment of Arab Christians? Of course not!
A news source must be objective and balanced with the correct perspective.
That is Israel Today Magazine! We bring you what others omit!

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Exclusive Report from Republican National Convention from Maj. (Ret.) James Linzey in Cleveland - STEVE STRANG CHARISMA MAGAZINE

The Republican National Convention is taking place in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Republican National Convention is taking place in Cleveland, Ohio. (Reuters)

Exclusive Report from Republican National Convention from Maj. (Ret.) James Linzey in Cleveland

Strang Report, by Steve Strang, Founder of Charisma magazineThe whole country is buzzing about the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, which has nominated Donald Trump as its presidential candidate. I have endorsed Trump and I am hoping to interview him in person soon.
When I found out that Major (Ret.) James Linzey, a surrogate for Donald Trump, would be in Cleveland, I arranged to interview him for my Strang Report podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network. It was a lively discussion as he explained what a surrogate does, the enthusiasm being received for the nominee and key points to consider when voting.
This is a live report from the convention itself. I know you'll want to listen to it here.
Instead of actually writing a column as I often do, I invite you to read the commentary by Linzey that we posted on our website a couple of days ago, in which Linzey discusses foreign policy, national defense/security, Veteran's Affairs and more.
For those of you who may not be familiar with Linzey, he is the chaplain who headed up the translation team for the Modern English Version. He was also one of the first evangelicals to publicly back Donald Trump during the primaries.
Previous podcasts and columns about Trump have gone viral. I hope you like this and will share it on social media and also leave your comments. Thursday is the last day of the convention, and we will email some other interesting podcast interviews from Cleveland, so stay tuned.
Key Points to Consider This Presidential Election
By Maj. (Ret.) James Linzey, Trump Convention Surrogate
As a retired military chaplain I was an early supporter of Donald Trump. I made the long trip from California to Cleveland to be a convention surrogate for Trump to the media.  As I meet with them this week, here are the points I'm making. They are points all Americans should consider when deciding to vote this fall.
FOREIGN POLICY
  • As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton supported the overthrow of the democratically elected president of Syria to make room for ISIS to become an international threat.
  • Clinton's policies toppled the legitimate government in Egypt to allow the Muslim Brotherhood to take over.
  • Donald Trump will prevent the passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in order to promote fair international trade agreements that would pave the way for American products to sell internationally and bring millions of jobs back to America where they belong.
NATIONAL DEFENSE/SECURITY
  • Marine Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, who President Obama nominated to command U.S. forces in Africa, stated that the refusal to strike ISIS in Libya "makes no sense." He also stated that he knew of no overall strategy in dealing with ISIS.
  • Trump will be quick to use U.S. military might only in America's best interest, while pursuing a policy of peace and prosperity for America. His main focus in on securing America's borders, not the borders of other countries.
VETERANS
  • Donald Trump is committed to providing premier healthcare for American veterans to honor their service to America.
  • He is also committed to providing outstanding healthcare to women. Many have been neglected and not given access to doctors.
HEALTHCARE
  • Donald Trump wants to ensure that Americans can use their health care savings account for family members under no threat of penalty.
  • He also plans to empower States to manage Medicaid within their own borders with block grants.
TAX REFORM
  • Hillary Clinton's plans for tax reform will take away jobs and lower wages across the nation.
  • Donald Trump's tax reform proposals will bring relief to over 73 million American citizens.
  • He will also propose a corporate tax cut to empower American businesses to remain in the U.S., hire more American citizens, and raise wages.
ECONOMY
  • Donald Trump's economic policies will repair the infrastructure in America's inner cities, create jobs and increase wages. He is committed to paying the national debt, keeping America economically steady and spending no more than revenue allows.
ABORTION
  • Most crucial to evangelicals, Donald Trump is pro-life.
GOVERNOR PENCE
  • I believe Donald Trump was wise to select Governor Pence as his running mate due to the governor's outstanding record of job creation, fiscally conservative policies and impeccable reputation as a Christian and man of integrity. These attributes will enable him to help the GOP defeat Hillary Clinton.
  • His leadership produced the longest growth of job creation in Indiana's history. Under a Trump/Pence ticket, America will thrive economically and the U.S. Constitution will no longer be threatened.
PENCE RECORD ON VETERANS
  • One of the first states to allow the National Guard to carry firearms at recruiting stations was Indiana. This enables soldiers to defend themselves, something nearly unheard of while Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State.
  • Governor Pence is focused on creating jobs for veterans. Under his leadership, Indiana as become the second leading state in employment for veterans, up from the 31st from the top.
PENCE RECORD ON PROTECTING OUR BORDERS
  • Governor Pence supports measures to makes sure existing immigrations laws are enforced, which would keep terrorists from entering our borders. He has a track record of voting for measures to make businesses hire Americans first, not foreigners.
PENCE'S AWARDS, SCORES, AND RATINGS
  • Among Governor Pence's awards, he has received the following:
  • The "Taxpayers' Friend Award" by the National Taxpayers' Union
  • 100% lifetime score from National Right to Life Committee
  • "A" rating from the National Rifle Association 
Steve Strang is the founder of Charisma and CEO of Charisma Media. Follow him onTwitter or Facebook.
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?
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Ten Things I Wished I'd Known When I Was 30 - J. LEE GRADY CHARISMA NEWS

What do you wish you knew when you were 30?
What do you wish you knew when you were 30? (© Istockphoto/Martin Dimitrov)

Ten Things I Wished I'd Known When I Was 30

When you get to be my age, birthdays can be a bummer. I don't really want to be reminded that I'm old. So I discovered a way to ease the pain: I surround myself with younger people. At my birthday party last week were several young guys I am mentoring. They are 30, 27, 24, 23, 22 and 20—most of them younger than my own kids.
One of my greatest passions in life is discipling the younger generation. I love it partly because the young men I mentor are so hungry for spiritual direction they literally pull it out of me; I also love discipleship because it is indescribably fulfilling. It really is more blessed to give than to receive.
Discipleship is not just leading a Bible study or helping a person understand a dry spiritual truth. It is imparting your life—sharing the wisdom you've gained from years of personal experiences. That's what a father or mother does with their children; that's what Paul did for the Romans. He told them: "For I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, that you may be strengthened" (Rom. 1:11).
I often tell the guys I mentor: "I wish I had known this when I was your age." And they recognize the blessing of getting some wise counsel they can put into practice now. I'll share a few of those nuggets here. Feel free to pass them along to other young (or old) disciples who are eager to grow spiritually.
1. Never let your failures or flaws stop you from chasing your God-given dreams. The biggest obstacle between you and your dream is not the devil, demons, your past sins, your family dysfunction or your lack of money or opportunity. Your biggest enemy is you and the way you see yourself. You must come to see that your heavenly Father loves you (1 John 3:1) and that He wants to know you, bless you and use you.
2. Never, ever neglect the Bible. Jesus said His words provide a strong, secure foundation for life (Matt. 7:24-27). But you cannot experience that security if you treat God's Word flippantly. You need to feed on it daily. The loudest voices in our culture today tell us that the Bible is irrelevant; don't listen to them. Let God's Word become the steel framework of your life.
3. Relax! God wants you to enjoy the journey. When I was young I often got anxious about God's plans and I fretted too much. I finally learned to stop striving. I quit trying to make things happen—and I surrendered to God's timing, knowing that only He can bring about His will. This is true whether you are praying about marriage plans, your career, your ministry or any other desire. Don't let anxious thoughts steal your joy.
4. Saturate your life in prayer, and never make a decision without seeking God's guidance. Life is really a journey, and God wants to steer us every step of the way. The closer you are to the shepherd, the clearer you will hear His voice telling you to turn to the left or the right.
5. Stay filled up with the Holy Spirit. The biggest mistake we could ever make is to try to live our lives with an empty tank. Don't ever try to follow Christ in your own strength. Let the Holy Spirit empower you. Who wants dead, lifeless, boring Christianity? Seek close fellowship with the Spirit, pray in the Spirit and pursue spiritual gifts so you can experience the supernatural realm.
6. Life is supposed to be an adventure. Never play it safe. Every true follower of Christ will come to the place that Peter did when Jesus called him out of the boat. Peter left his comfort zone and stepped onto the water. You must do the same. My biggest mistakes in life happened when I let fear of the unknown choke my faith.
7. Relationships are the key to success. The world tells us that life is about chasing fame, money, cars, houses, toys or sex. But I've learned that God wants us investing in people—and that is where you will find the greatest satisfaction. Material possessions can't give lasting fulfillment, and pleasure only lasts for a moment. If you want the abundant life that Jesus promised (John 10:10), pour your life into others.
8. It's really okay to admit your weaknesses. Most of us come to Christ in a state of bondage; we struggle with all kinds of hurts and addictions. I finally learned that God never intended for me to deal with these issues alone. Just as we learned in the story of the Good Samaritan, we need someone else to bandage our wounds (Luke 10:30-37). True healing is found through the close friends God gives us. Open your heart to them.
9. Be as generous as possible so you can become a channel of financial blessing.When I was young I never imagined I could bless others financially. Yet even with my tiny ministry salary I began to tithe and bless people—and God multiplied my resources. Don't wait until you have lots of money to start sowing. Sow even in your season of famine and watch God release miraculous abundance.
10. Don't take your parents for granted. Because my father recently fell and incurred a serious brain injury, I'm relocating to Georgia to care for him and my mother. I'm grateful that I can spend these last years with them, but I'm wishing I had made the most of every moment we shared. You won't have your parents forever. Cherish your time with them and do everything you can to honor them as you honor Christ. 
J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. He is the author of several books including 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, 10 Lies Men Believe, Fearless Daughters of the Bible and The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale. You can learn more about his ministry, The Mordecai Project, atthemordecaiproject.org.
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?
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19.4 Trillion Dollars In Debt – We Have Added 1.1 Trillion Dollars A Year To The National Debt Under Obama - Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

Debt Debt And More Debt - Public Domain

Posted: 20 Jul 2016   Michael Snyder  THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

In 2006, U.S. Senator Barack Obama’s voice thundered across the Senate floor as he boldly declared that “increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren.”  That was one of the truest things that he ever said, but just a couple of years later he won the 2008 election and he turned his back on those principles. 

As I write this article, the U.S. national debt is sitting at a grand total of $19,402,361,890,929.46.  But when Barack Obama first entered the White House, our federal government was only 10.6 trillion dollars in debt.  That means that we have added an average of 1.1 trillion dollars a year to the national debt under Obama, and we still have about six more months to go.

Even though Barack Obama is on track to be the first president in all of U.S. history to not have a single year when the U.S. economy grew by 3 percent or better, many have still been mystified by the fact that the economy has been relatively stable in recent years.

But the explanation is rather simple, actually.  Anyone can live like a millionaire if the credit card companies will lend them enough money.  You could even do it yourself.  Just go out and apply for as many credit cards as possible and then spend money like there is no tomorrow.  In no time at all, you will be living the high life.

Of course many of you would immediately object that a day of reckoning would come eventually, and you would be right.  Just like for those that abuse credit cards, a financial day of reckoning is coming for America too.

In the United States today, our standard of living is being massively inflated by taking trillions of dollars of future consumption and moving it into the present.  The politicians love to do this because it makes them look good and they can take credit for an “economic recovery”, but what we are doing to our children and our grandchildren is beyond criminal.
On average, we are stealing more than 100 million dollars from future generations of Americans every single hour of every single day.  We are complete and utter pigs, and yet most Americans don’t see anything wrong with what we are doing.

At this point, our national debt is more than 30 times larger than it was just 40 years ago, and many (including myself) have argued that it is now mathematically impossible for the U.S. government to ever pay off all of this debt.

The only thing that we can do now is to keep the party going for as long as possible until the day of reckoning inevitably comes.

Under Obama, our national debt will come close to doubling.  What that means is that during Obama’s eight years we will accumulate almost as much debt as we did under all of the other presidents in U.S. history combined.

Right now, the U.S. government is responsible for about a third of all the government debt in the entire world.  Fortunately the financial world continues to lend us gigantic mountains of money at ridiculously low interest rates, but if that were to ever change we would be in an enormous amount of trouble very rapidly.

For instance, if the average rate of interest on U.S. government debt simply returns to the long-term average, we would very quickly find ourselves spending more than a trillion dollars a year just in interest on the national debt.

And as the Baby Boomers age, our “unfunded liabilities” threaten to absolutely swamp us.  By the year 2025, it is being projected that “mandatory” federal spending on “unfunded liabilities” such as Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare plus interest on the national debt will exceed total federal revenue.  What that means is that we will spend every penny we bring in before a single dollar is spent on the military, homeland security, paying federal workers, building roads and bridges, etc.

In recent years the Federal Reserve has also had a “buy now, pay later” mentality.

While Obama has been in the White House, the size of the Fed balance sheet has grown by about two and a half trillion dollars.  The goal has been to artificially pump up the economy, but when the Federal Reserve creates money out of thin air it is actually a tax on all of us.  The purchasing power of every dollar that we will spend in the future has been diminished thanks to the Fed, but most Americans don’t understand this.

What most Americans want is for someone to “fix things” in the short-term, and not much consideration is ever given to the long-term damage that is being done.

I know that the phrase “trillion dollars” is thrown around a lot these days, and to a lot of people it doesn’t have a whole lot of meaning anymore.  But the truth is that it is an absolutely enormous amount of money.  In fact, if you went out right this moment and started spending one dollar every single second, it would take you more than 31,000 years to spend one trillion dollars.

A final example of our “buy now, pay later” mentality can be seen in our ridiculously bloated trade deficit.  We consume far more than we produce as a nation, and we buy far more from the rest of the world than they buy from us.  As a result, tens of thousands of businesses and millions of good paying jobs have gone overseas, and many of our formerly great manufacturing cities are now vast industrial wastelands.  Our economic infrastructure has been gutted at a pace that is staggering, and yet most Americans still don’t understand what has been done to them.

If you visit your typical “big box” retail store today, where is most of the stuff made?
 
Instinctively, most of you would answer “China”, and that is not too far from the truth.

We buy far, far more stuff from China then they buy from us.  This makes them steadily wealthier, and it makes us steadily poorer.  Unfortunately, our trade deficit with China has gotten much, much worse while Barack Obama has been in the White House.
At the end of Barack Obama’s first year in office, our yearly trade deficit with China was 226 billion dollars.  Last year, it was more than 367 billion dollars.

Are you starting to see a trend?

Our long-term economic and financial problems have greatly accelerated under Barack Obama, but our leaders feverishly work to make things look okay in the short-term and so most Americans don’t notice what is happening.

Unfortunately, this Ponzi scheme cannot go on forever and a day of reckoning is coming.  And when it arrives, the pain that it is going to cause for ordinary Americans is going to be far greater than most of us would dare to imagine.