When Did Satan Enter Judas?

Dr. Ray Pritchard

“Jesus replied, ‘Did I not choose you twelve—and one of you has the devil in his heart?’” (John 6:70 Phillips).
Jesus always knew the truth about Judas.
We know that because Jesus told his disciples in John 6 that one of them was “a devil” or “the devil” or as J. B. Phillips renders it, has “the devil in his heart.” Two things are noteworthy about that revelation. First, it takes place six months before the cross, and second, when he says it, the other apostles have no idea he’s talking about Judas.
We don’t know everything we would like to know about Judas and his motives. We don’t know if he signed up with bad intentions. Or did he become disillusioned along the way? Did he expect Jesus to overthrow Rome and liberate the Jews? We don’t have to assume that Judas signed up with the intention of betraying Jesus. We only know that he never truly believed in Jesus the way the others did, and yet he managed to hide his true feelings for all those long weeks and months and years the apostles spent together.
On two separate occasions we read that Satan “entered” Judas. Luke 22:3 says that Satan entered Judas just before he approached the chief priests to offer to betray Jesus. John 13:27 says that Satan entered Judas just after he took the bread at the Last Supper and just before he left to lead the chief priests to find Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
What can we conclude from this? First, his heart was never right. He never truly believed. Whatever his original motives for following Jesus, his heart grew hard and dark and cold. Second, his unbelief made him a prime target for Satan. Unbelief opens the door to all manner of sin. First we question, then we doubt, then we choose not to believe, and then we find ourselves falling into deep sin. I heard Chuck Swindoll quote these words:
“Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.”
On the day Judas signed up, he would have bristled at the suggestion that one day he would betray Jesus with a kiss. But that’s where he ended up, which makes his story all the more tragic.
It didn’t have to end that way. It never does.
Satan could not “enter” him unless Judas had left the door wide open. His anger, his greed, and his disillusionment all conspired to make him an easy target for the devil. It’s not like Satan is omnipotent. He’s not. He’s more like a burglar prowling through a neighborhood, trying one door after another until he finds one that the owner forgot to lock. Why break in the back door when you can stroll in through the front door?
I started by asking the question, When did Satan enter Judas? Certainly the devil entered him twice near the end to provoke him to betray the Lord. But in a deeper sense, Satan had his man all along.
Judas was the easiest target he ever had.
We should all take a solemn lesson from Judas. Don’t leave the door open for Satan to enter your heart. Please don’t say it could never happen to you. We all say that just before we fall.
Search me and try me, O Lord. Set my heart aflame with true love for you. I pray for your Spirit to burn away the smallest traces of unbelief. Amen.

When a Good Man Falls

Dr. Ray Pritchard

“Even if they all fall away, I will not!” (Mark 14:29).
Peter meant every word.
He really believed it.
That’s where we have to begin.
It’s easy to make him look bad because we know how this story ends, but give Peter his due. He really meant what he said.
He was boasting . . .
He was overly-optimistic about himself . . .
He was too dismissive of the other disciples . . .
He had no sense of the danger he was in . . .
That’s all very true.
But that’s not where we start. Say what you want about Peter (and there’s a lot to be said), but he was no coward. When trouble came, Peter’s first instinct was to run toward the battle and not away from it. Yes, his big mouth got him in trouble, but he’s also the only guy with the courage to get out of the boat. That’s why we don’t talk about “Bartholomew walking on water.” Only Peter was willing to risk it all.
How, then, should we understand his boastful words?
If you had asked Peter six hours earlier to name his strong points, no doubt he would have listed boldness and courage right at the top. He would have said, “Sometimes I put my foot in my mouth, but at least I’m not afraid to speak up. Jesus knows I’ll always be there when he needs me.”
But when Satan attacked, it came so suddenly, so swiftly, so unexpectedly that the “bold apostle turned to butter.” By himself Peter is helpless. In the moment of crisis, Peter failed at the very point where he pledged to be eternally faithful.
Should this surprise us? After all, why should Satan attack only at the point of your self-perceived weakness? If you know you have a weakness, that’s the very area you will guard most carefully. If you know you have a problem with anger or with laziness or with lust or with gluttony, will you not be on your guard lest you fall?
But it is not so with your strengths. You tend to take those areas for granted. You say, “That’s not a problem for me. I have other problems, but that area is not really a temptation at all.”
Watch out! Put up the red flag! There is danger ahead. When a person takes any area of life for granted, that’s the one area Satan is most likely to attack.
It happened to Peter. It will happen to you and to me sooner or later.
Never again would Peter brag on himself like he did that night. Never again would he presume to be better than his brothers. Never again would he be so cocky and self-confident. All that was gone forever, part of the price Peter paid for his failure in the moment of crisis.
It is a good thing the Lord allows this to happen to us. By falling flat on our faces we are forced to admit that without the Lord we can do nothing but fail. The quicker we learn that (and we never learn it completely), the better off we will be. Failure never seems to be a good thing when it happens, but if failure strips away our cocky self-confidence, then failure is ultimately a gift from God.
For Peter, the worst and the best is yet to come. For today, let’s remind ourselves not to boast. You’re not as strong as you think you are, and neither am I. Peter was a good man who thought too highly of himself, and under pressure he denied the Lord.
Don’t let that happen to you.
Lord Jesus, when I tempted to boast, remind me again of how weak I am. Without you I can do nothing. Amen.  
You can reach the author at ray@keepbelieving.com. Click here to sign up for the free email sermon.

Let God Have You

by Max Lucado How long has it been since you let God have you? I mean really have you? How long since you gave him a portion of undiluted, uninterrupted time listening for his voice? Apparently, Jesus did. He made a deliberate effort to spend time with God. Spend much time reading about the listening life of Jesus and a distinct pattern emerges. He spent regular time with God, praying and listening. Mark 1:35 says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Luke tells us, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Let me ask the obvious. If Jesus, the Son of God, the sinless Savior of humankind, thought it worthwhile to clear his calendar to pray, wouldn’t we be wise to do the same?

Was He Really a Doubting Thomas?

Greg Laurie

Thomas, one of Jesus' disciples, had the nickname Doubting Thomas, but I think that is a bit unfair. I have always thought of Thomas as more of a skeptic than a doubter. After all, Thomas did not ask for a special revelation from Jesus. He simply asked for the same proof the other disciples had (see John 20:25). Thomas was the kind of guy who wanted to know for himself. He was his own man. He would not let others do his thinking for him.

What did Jesus do with such a man? He made a special resurrection appearance for him. He condescended to Thomas and his desire to know for himself. What amazes me about this is that Jesus came to Thomas on his level. He didn't rebuke him. He didn't humiliate him. He could see that deep down in Thomas's heart, he really wanted to know God. Jesus came to him and said, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing" (John 20:27).

I like Thomas, because by nature I, too, am a skeptical person. I have never been one to believe something just because someone says it is true.

You might be someone who is a bit skeptical, a bit unsure of your faith. You may have a lot of questions. Deep down inside, you want to know God. You want to know for yourself. The risen Lord has something for you. He can turn your skepticism into belief.

Just come to Him with your questions. Come to Him with your doubts. You, too, will be able to say, "My Lord and my God!"

Taken from "New Knowledge for the Skeptic" by Harvest Ministries (used by permission).

A Servant, not a Superstar - 03/01/16

by Chuck Swindoll

Matthew 11:28-30

"I like that, Dad." I remember those words. It's like they were said to me yesterday.

Actually, they take me all the way back to the late 1970s. In '71, Cynthia and I moved our family (four children, ages 1 through 10) from a sleepy, casual bedroom community outside Dallas, Texas, to rapidly growing Orange County in Southern California. Almost before we knew it, we had entered the fast-lane life of the West Coast, doing our best to keep up. As time passed, we found ourselves doing double-time driving freeways, leading an expanding church with a multi-person staff, hauling busy kids to and from school, mixed with holidays and birthday celebrations, sleepovers, and endless ball games. My publishing world had suddenly exploded, which resulted in too many trips around the country and not enough down time to rest my spirit and calm my nerves and be with those I loved the most.

Mother's Day was fast approaching, so my older son and I dropped into the local Hallmark store to find a nice card for Cynthia. As I thumbed through numerous Mother's Day cards, he wandered back to the section where the posters were displayed. Before long he asked me to join him. He was standing before a large poster portraying a serene scene. A well-worn fishing boat was out on a lake. It was early dawn, with the sun peeking over the horizon. Its warm rays reached across a deep blue-gray sky wrapped in lacy white clouds. Two thin lines were in the water—one hanging from a pole held by a father, sitting in the back by a little outboard motor, and the other held by his son, sitting at the other end. Their corks made gentle ripples on the water's glassy surface. You could feel the closeness. You could hear the easygoing conversation as father and son savored the morning together.

Two simple words appeared at the bottom of the poster. They stung as I read them:

TAKE TIME.

"I like that, Dad," said Curt. I reached an arm around the broadening shoulders of my growing-up teenaged son, looked at him, and then looked again at the poster. "I do, too, son . . . I do, too." He didn't want to buy it. I realized he simply wanted me to see it. To think about it. I did. In fact, it was a needed wake-up call to this too-busy dad, whose son had hurriedly come into the store looking for something to buy for his mother, but who left slowly, far more concerned about his dad.

How easy it is for you and me to get caught up in a "hurry-worry sindrome," doing too much, driving too fast, eating too quickly, juggling too many things. It all seems ultra-important at the moment—but later we realize much was done at the expense of cultivating deeper and more meaningful relationships with those we love the most. Being held hostage by the tyranny of the urgent is not how we were meant to live.

Knowing how prone we are to this, Jesus offered a very sincere and gracious invitation. You may have read it before . . . but this time, linger over it. Turn the words over in your mind; let them seep in.

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28–30)

I suggest you accept Jesus's invitation—today. Come to Him. Tell Him how weary and over-burdened you are. Pull that heavy backpack loaded with all your stuff off your shoulders and drop it at His feet. Do it now. Then enter into His rest. Relax for a change—take an extra several minutes to enjoy His presence . . . embrace His peace. Before you turn in tonight, curl up alongside those who mean the most to you and tell them how much you love them, how valuable they are to you.

TAKE TIME.

Copyright © 2006 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

A Servant, not a Superstar

by Charles R. Swindoll

Matthew 11:28–29

A familiar essay anonymously written many years ago says this about Jesus Christ:

Nineteen long centuries have come and gone and today he is the centerpiece of the human race and the leader of the column of progress. I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever were built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.

Impressive words regarding the most phenomenal Person who ever cast a shadow across earth's landscape. Without question, He is unique. He is awesome in the truest sense of the term.

But what was He like personally down inside His skin? Is there any place in Scripture, for example, where He described Himself? The answer is yes. Does that description fit the common idea of human greatness? The answer is no.

I remember my surprise some years back when I received a slick, multicolored brochure in my morning mail announcing a series of lectures to be delivered in Los Angeles by a man who was a well-known Christian "superstar" of the day. He was a popular speaker who traveled all over the country, and his name is still familiar to most folks in the family of God. But I confess, I lifted my eyebrows in astonishment when I read the words used to describe him in that advertisement:

A phenomenal individual . . .

In great demand around the world . . .

Today's most sought-after speaker!

That's a far cry from the way Jesus Christ described Himself:

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28–29)

Unlike most influential, celebrity types, Jesus's description of Himself doesn't sound like the popular hype we've grown accustomed to hearing. Jesus was a servant, not a superstar.

Adapted from Improving Your Serve: The Art of Unselfish Living, Copyright © 1981 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc.

Open my eyes:

Christine (Tina) Berglund

   Of all the daylilies in the garden, the prettiest are the ones that appear to have eyes!

   In a few days,I’ll be having a procedure done in an attemptto heal my eyes. If some of the biblical scholars are right, Paul suffered from eye troubles; and I would have to agree that eye pain is truly a “thorn in the flesh.” It is not only painful, but it is terribly inconvenient.

   One place that eye pain isn’t so noticeable is in the garden. The eye doctors explain that it is because of the combination of near and far vision, and the extra moisture of our humid outdoor climate. The relaxing nature of the tasks that cause normal blinking action could also help.

   My theory is that there is so much that is pleasing to the eyes that it just feels better!I guess you could say that a garden is literally “a sight for sore eyes.”

   Revelation 3:18 admonishes the church in Laodicea to “anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see” (NKJV). The odd thing was, Laodicea was a city known for its eye salve! This play on words showed the Laodiceans that they didn’t really see as well as they thought.

   We sing the children’s song, “Be Careful Little Eyes What You See,” but maybe we miss the point. We are concerned, and rightly so, of guarding our eyes against the things we should not see.

“I will set no worthless thing before my eyes” (Psalm 101:3, NASB).

   We post sticky notes of this or similar verses on our televisions. We put filters on our computers so that pornography doesn’t pop up and assault our eyes, nor our children’s eyes.

But what do we TRY to see?

   Do we see the good in people, especially those with whom we don’t get along? Do we see the best in humanity, even when it’s almost invisible? The famous children’s television personality, Fred Rogers, recalls the advice of his mother whenever a terrible tragedy strikes. “Look for the helpers.”

   The key is to “look.” If we don’t make the attempt to look for it, immeasurable good and so much beauty will be overlooked!

Did you see your 3-year-old sharing his last cookie with his brother? Did you see the young mother smiling through the hymns Sunday morning as she wrestled her toddlers and quieted them with a prepared snack or book? Did you see the older man shuffle over to the table where the correspondence courses are kept, so he could send the next one to his eager student on another continent?

   Yes, there are beautiful moments that surround us in the garden of our everyday lives. God’s protection surrounds us, too; although we cannot see it with our human eyes. Elisha’s servant had to be shown.

   “Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, ‘Alas, my master! What shall we do?’ So he answered, ‘Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:15-17, NASB).

Our eyes are so very important to us, but we must not only see, but also LOOK.

Thou Hast Made Me Glad

“For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.” (Psalm 92:4)

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High” (Psalm 92:1). So begins this “Song for the Sabbath day” (heading), the psalmist extolling the virtues of praising God both day and night (v. 2). The true believer, with a proper understanding of God’s majesty, can see, in every situation, His lovingkindness and faithfulness. There is no better way to begin and end the day than to rehearse manifestations of His loving control over each event and circumstance and express confidence in His ability to handle new situations. “O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep” (v. 5).

Vexation over the seeming prosperity of the enemies of God is understandable, but we must rest in the fact that God will act justly at the proper time, when it best suits His purpose. “The wicked . . . shall be destroyed for ever: But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore. For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, . . . shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered” (vv. 7-9).

Conversely, the righteous will ultimately flourish. Whether in this lifetime or in the next, God’s justice will prevail. “Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God” (v. 13).

The claim of ultimate victory must not be considered as vague, insufficient, and improbable, as skeptics have always claimed. The reputation of God Himself is on the line. He will not allow His name to be tarnished. He must act “to shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him” (v. 15). As in our text, we can even now be “glad” and “triumph” in His works, whether we see them in this life or in the life to come. “O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep” (v. 5). JDM 

Showing Genuine Love for Others

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation: and Thy right hand hath holden me up, and Thy gentleness hath made me great.” Psalm 18:35

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Can a person donate to the poor and not have love? Can a person work in a soup kitchen for the homeless and not have love? Yes. You say, “A person wouldn’t do that!” Oh yes, they would…if they had a guilty conscience. Sometimes it is neater to write a check or donate some used things than to give of our time.

Do you know what the world needs? Not more money, though I’m sure they’d be glad to take it. First Corinthians 13:3 says, “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving of yourself to others.

ACTION POINT:
Ask God to show you the ways you can show His genuine love to others.

Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.

Quotation

Bad situations don't have to make us bitter-they can make us better! God can use the good, the bad, the happy, the sad to mold us into the people He wants us to be. Our goal should be to focus not on what man does to us but what God will do through us. Rest assured, what man may intend for evil, God will use for good.

Skip Heitzig

Choose To Not Be Easily Offended

Ephesians 4:32 And be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.

Do you walk in forgiveness or offense? Does every little thing someone else says or does bother you? Do you have a tendency to allow things to just roll off or do you hang on to offenses? Don’t be easily offended! We need to have our focus on God and not on every little thing others say and do. Now the really tough thing is to not allow yourself to get offended when someone else gets offended with you over something you said or did with a heart that was never intending to offend! Did you follow that? We could just keep the ball rolling with one offense after the next and one more person being rolled up in it all if we don’t just get a grip!

I have watched as some people seem to get offended over the silliest of things and then they hold onto it until the grudge is so overwhelming they can hardly stand to be in the other persons presence. We are talking silly things here, like: “have you noticed she had to ‘one up’ my story?” “I put my daughter in that dance class and now she has to put her daughter in it, why can’t she find her own” “Did you hear what she just said to me? I am sure she said she liked my outfit just to be spiteful!”

Give others the benefit of the doubt and stop taking what they say and adding an attitude to it that you don’t even really know exists! What purpose does it serve to make more out of something than is really there. Life on earth is too short to allow every little thing to offend you, seriously move on!

When you feel as though someone else is doing something or saying something just to be hateful, ask God to help you show them the love of Christ! Ask God to show you how to be kind to them and forgive them. If you deal with someone who is just incredibly spiteful and mean, ask God to give you a tender heart toward them so you can be who you need to be! We are called to forgive ladies and we are called to be kind, we all wish some people didn’t make those callings so difficult at times but that’s life. There are too many really important things to dwell on without making something out of nothing or taking things to heart that are better allowed to just roll of your back! If you find you are easily offended ask God to show you what insecurities or hurts you have buried in your heart that are causing you to feel that way. Ask Him to heal your pain and to help you forgive! Don’t waste another moment allowing the emotions of offense and unforgiveness to rule your day! Take control of those emotions and focus on God!

Quote:
“A person is not defeated by their opponents but by themselves.”
Jan Christiaan Smuts

Gathering in His Name

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
There is something wonderful about unity.

I heard about a fellow who courted a girl by writing her a beautiful love letter every day for two years. He thought that would be a wonderful way to court her. Do you know what happened? She married the mail carrier!

There is nothing like being there. There is nothing like personal contact. There is a sense in which Jesus Christ is present when His people gather that’s not in any other sense. You cannot get it the same way at home.

ACTION POINT:
Do you have a church home? If not, I encourage you to find one today. If church attendance isn’t important, I wonder why Satan works so hard to keep folks away. If you do have a church home, make a special effort this week to meet a new friend and find a need they have which you can meet. Discover Jesus

Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.

Five Things to Do While You Wait

By Rick Warren

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” ( Matthew 7:7 NLT, second edition)

When God has you in a waiting period, don’t put your life on hold. Instead, imitate the habits that grow strong faith.

The Bible says there are five things you should keep on doing even in the waiting period.

1. Keep on praying.

The Bible says, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7 NLT, second edition). Keep on praying, and you will get your answer.

2. Keep on serving.

Romans 12:11 says, “Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.” Don’t worry about having a significant ministry. Just make your ministry significant.

3. Keep on going to small group.

The Bible says in Hebrews 10:25, “Let us not give up the habit of meeting together …. Instead, let us encourage one another all the more, since you see that the Day of the Lord is coming nearer” (TEV).

4. Keep on sowing.

Ecclesiastes 11:6 says, “Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which will grow —perhaps it all will” (TLB).

5. Keep on believing.

The Bible says, “You must keep on believing the things you have been taught. You know they are true” (2 Timothy 3:14).

The point is this: Stay active. Don’t be passive. God cannot steer a parked car! Don’t tell God you’re waiting on him. Turn on the ignition, and just start driving. Where? Anywhere! Get involved in a ministry. Get involved in service. Get involved with small group. Do the things you know you could be doing to develop your skills and habits and become more like Jesus. 

Talk It Over

• How do you tend to react when God has you in a waiting period? 
• In what ways does a small group help you become more like Jesus, especially in the waiting periods of life? 
• What steps can you take today to be more active about your faith?

SEX

Proverbs 6:32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.
 

Many people have had their reputation, their career, and even their lives destroyed by sex outside of marriage. God's word is true, “ he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.”

 

We all know of circumstances and people so selfish that they want what others have. They envy and desire what ever others have, and, many times it is their good friend's.

 

In today's culture, we are overwhelmed by sex. It's on most every commercial, bill board, and printed matter. Sex is used to sell every thing from cars, to furniture, to even young children's clothes. Those advertising executives and Holly wood types know that the naked body will get the attention for their product. They know this and still disregard any sense of morality. In the eye of this world any thing goes as long as you can get away with it.

 

Christian friends, this should not be. We must keep our self respect, our honesty, our commit to our Lord. Remember, God made clothes for the first sinners

 

Clothes serve two purposes. First, clothes keep our body protected from the weather. Second, clothes cover up any imperfection of our body such as any blemish, mole, or defect we might have.

 

God created the human body in his own likeness. It is beautiful and to be appreciated. BUT, don't allow appreciation turn to lust!

 

Ain't God good?

 

God Bless;
Walter D. Hill D. Min.
e-mail= hill.walter19@yahoo.com

He Wants To Prove His Power In Your Life ~The Best Is Yet To Come

2 Corinthians 12:9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of God may rest upon me.

Have you done all you can, taken all you can and feel as though this morning you just can’t do it any more? Are you struggling in relationships or maybe with an addiction, what is it this morning that is just more than you handle?

Stop trying to “handle” it or fix it and let go, give it totally to God. God’s grace is sufficient! That means it is sufficient for all you have done right or all you have done wrong! Stop trying to handle everything on your own and allow God’s grace to fill you with His peace, grace and understanding. It is our areas of greatest weakness that God loves to show His power in our lives. If we never needed Him, how would the world see Him work in our lives. If we were just self sufficient instead of “grace sufficient” why would we need Him?

God’s grace covers more than just our sins it covers our hurts and our abilities to handle horrifying situations that we may face. Have you ever watched as someone else goes through something just awful and you wonder how on earth they can get through and yet there seems to be a strength about them that is beyond comprehension “my power is made perfect in weakness”. You don’t understand their strength because God hasn’t given you the grace He is giving them for their situation! God’s grace covers us where we are and how we need it - it isn’t just a blanket covering that smothers us all whether we need it or not and we don’t all just get the same dose, based on our weight or something. I have watched as friends and loved ones on Facebook have lost loved ones or one couple’s young son was hit by a car and some have had children drift from God and some have faced divorce, some have struggled and have been hurting from the rejection of Christian friends or the church because they made a sinful choice and through it all I have seen how when each one has turned to God and gave their situation to Him how He has moved in their lives and circumstances. Has it made every day great and easy through their situation? No, but it is more bearable and there is a strength that fills you as you give it all to Him that is beyond understanding!

I don’t know what you are facing this morning, I know I have a few Giants of my own today, but I do know this: I woke up this morning with God saying over and over, “my Grace is Sufficient Janet”, and I need them to know this morning that I am waiting to prove my power in their lives this morning just as I will yours! Give it to Him, don’t spend one more day fretting over it, give Him your struggle and allow Him to give you the grace and power you need for it all today! God’s love for you is beyond anything you can comprehend and He cares about everything you are faced with, nothing is too big for Him!

I am praying we will all find peace and grace as we face today and the days to come! Draw from His strength today and take one day at a time as He fills you with His grace and power!

Live In Christ

Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Have you ever asked yourself why I am here? Wouldn’t it be great that the Lord save us and take us on home with Him! What a thought. We would have no trouble, sorrow, aches and pains.

 

But, think of all the blessings we would miss. We would miss seeing our loved ones saved, our friends and their fellowship, and, yes, the Lord helping us thru hard times. So yes,”for me to live is Christ”.

 

Now it gets really good,

” and to die is gain”. Wow!!

 

What a blessed hope! This life is not all there is. We saved folks have something to look forward to.

 

How about you? Are you looking forward to heaven? I sure hope so. I would love to walk around heaven with you.

God Bless;

Walter D. Hill D. Min.

e-mail= hill.walter19@yahoo.com

It's a relationship that lasts forever

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5.

Do you share your innermost thoughts with anyone?

Who really knows you and the thoughts of your heart and the secret things you intentionally keep hidden from others?

Some may say it's their spouse or a best friend.
Yet, I suggest that even though you may think you know yourself well and that others see the real you, no one knows you more completely than the One who created you.

God says, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you."

It only makes sense that to know and understand ourselves-
- we need a personal relationship with the One who knows us best.

The good news is that God knows us best-
- and loves us more than anyone else.

He knows our failings and our shortcomings and loves us anyway.

Through Jesus Christ-
- we have the privilege of having a personal relationship with our Creator.

That relationship begins when we accept God's love through faith.
It's a relationship that lasts forever, and that's incredibly good news.

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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gospelfromindia

SEEK THE LORD NOT RELIGIOUS PLACES

“This is what the Lord says to the house of Israel: ‘Seek me and live; do not seek Bethel, do not go to Gilgal, do not journey to Beersheba. For Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.’ Seek the Lord and live, or he will sweep through the house of Joseph like a fire; it will devour, and Bethel will have no one to quench it” (Amos 5: 4-6 NIV).

The Israelites loved religious activities. They had many places consecrated for religious services (places like Bethel, Gilgal, Beersheba, not to talk of Jerusalem), and they were ready to travel many kilometers to these places to perform religious activities in these consecrated places. However, they were not ready to be in right standing with God. They were not really seeking Him. Therefore, God warned them not to rely on their religious activities or religious places, but that they should rather seek Him if they want to live. He promised to destroy all the religious places and even send them to exile if they do not repent.

It is interesting that there are many religious places today – prayer mountains, camp grounds, churches, mosques, and the likes. These places of worship are full to the brim on Sundays and other worship times with many so-called men of God leading them, but the religious activities of most of these people do not correspond to their right standing with God they claim they are serving. Many of these people are just paying lip service to God. They are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. They are only going to these religious places for their ulterior selfish motives. In fact, our society is getting worse every day. While the Samaritan woman was trying to argue about the right religious place with Jesus Christ, He declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.... Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:21-24 NIV).

Why are you going to religious places? Are you really seeking God there or you are just performing religious activities probably because of what you can get from God? Genuinely seek God if you want Him to really bless you.

In His service,

Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).

 

Prayer Point: Lord, help me to genuinely seek you, and not religious places.

Sin in general

"It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins . . . He was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him." John 9:3.
The Tsunami that hit Southeast Asia on December 26, 2004 is-
- one of the most horrific natural disasters in recorded history.

In times like these, the question often asked isL
"Why?" More specifically, "Why did God let this happen?"

The disciples asked Jesus a similar question in John 9.

After seeing a man who had been blind from birth, the disciples asked one of the big questions in life, "Why?" They asked, " 'Why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sins or those of his parents?' " v. 2.

But Jesus dismissed the idea out of hand, saying, " 'It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins . . . He was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him' " v. 3.

So why was this man in the condition that he was in?

Even more so, why is there suffering and natural disasters like the tsunami that killed over 150,000 people in at least 11 countries in Southeast Asia?

Why do we have war, and terrorism, and tragedy?

First of all, this man's blindness was not a result of personal sin.
His blindness was the result of sin in general.

For that matter, natural disasters, disease, and suffering are the result of sin in general.

God told our first parents, Adam and Eve, that if they eat of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden they would surely die. Genesis 2:17.

Despite God's warnings, they ate of it.

Since that moment-
- death has spread through the human race like wildfire.

But God has offered a solution to death through His Son Jesus Christ.

God loves us so much that-
He reached out to us by sending His own son, Jesus Christ,
- to this earth to die for our sins. 

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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gospelfromindia

HE WALKS ON WATER

Isaiah 55:8

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD."

 

Whenever water is in contact with air, one of the most delicate structures in the universe is created. That structure is called surface tension. Surface tension is created because water molecules touching the air move just a little bit closer to one another, forming a delicate "skin" on the water.

The water strider is one of the very few insects that can actually walk upon this delicate and extremely thin "skin" formed by surface tension. However, should he need to, he can dive right through it. Each of his six legs ends in a foot looking something like a snowshoe that spreads his weight on the water surface. The bottom of each foot is covered with sensitive hairs and a tiny oil gland to prevent the hairs from getting wet. Those hairs are also very sensitive to vibrations so that the water strider knows who is beneath him as he skates across the surface. Unlike most other insects, the strider is actually covered with hairs, and these provide for flotation when he dives for food.

Only the Creator of all things could have known about surface tension and design a creature that can literally walk on water. Doesn't He deserve our worship and praise, especially since He did not even spare the life of His only Son to save us when we were lost to Him?

Dear Father in heaven, You can do all things, and with You nothing in or out of this world is impossible. Help me to remember that Your thoughts are far above ours, and that with Your unlimited creativity, power, and wisdom, You also love me and will take care of me, for my Savior's sake. Amen.

Michael Ford <jonsquillministries@yahoo.com>