Answers to Prayers

1 John 5:14-15: "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him" (NIV).

Parenting tests this passage like few other experiences. Because we love our children, we assume we know what is best for them. We pray for God to honor our plans and are shocked when God sometimes leads us down a more difficult path, with testing and pain.

For me, the turning point came when I realized I was looking at God as a "cosmic vending machine". When I prayed, I somehow felt He was obligated to comply. Then, a colleague gave me a simple guide that changed my perspective on prayer. He said, "Prayer is asking God to align you with His will, rather than asking Him to be aligned with yours."

God knows what you and your children really need. When we pray, He is at work answering those prayers, but in a way that suits Him and His Kingdom. Faith trusts the wisdom of His answer, even when His answer is different than what we expect.

Pray for God's will to be done and your prayers will be answered.



COURTESY: DAILY PARENTING DEVOTIONAL

Back to Basics

I recently read an excerpt from a book by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons called "UnChristian." Loaded to the hilt with statistics and survey results with regard to the current perceptions and thoughts of twenty-somethings when it comes to the Church, the results indicate that the vast majority of twenty-somethings, when asked whether or not the Church today reflects the Person of Jesus Christ, answer "no." The surveys span a time frame of around three years of research. The following words describe present-day Christianity:

* judgmental 87%
* hypocritical 85%
* old-fashioned 78%
* too political 75%
* out of touch with reality 72%
* insensitive to others 70%
* boring 68%

Why these negative characterizations flourish, the extent to which they are deserved, or whether they are even accurate, are all interesting and complex questions. But at least we can say this much — the emergent community of those who had followed Jesus gained a different reputation; they "enjoyed the favor of all the people" (Acts 2:47). Why the contrast between then and now?

After a period of confusion, doubt and disbelief following the gruesome execution of Jesus, and despite threats from the religious and government authorities, his followers became convinced that "God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 2:32, 4:20).

To the shock of most everyone, these unschooled and ordinary Jesus followers proclaimed their message with courage and boldness. In Jerusalem, converts joined the movement en masse, first 3,000 people, then increasing to 5,000 (2:41, 4:4). Luke gives us a snapshot of this vibrant Jesus-community that helps to explain the appeal of their message, its consequent expansion, and their local reception:
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was with them all. There were no needy persons among them. From time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need (Acts 4:32–35).

Luke's depiction of the Jerusalem believers identifies a signature characteristic of their movement — in a word, generosity. Their social generosity expressed itself in community, and their financial generosity expressed itself in compassion.

Following the example of Jesus, the first Christians broke down social barriers and disregarded religious taboos that distinguished between the ritually clean and the unclean, the worthy and the unworthy, the respectable and the unrespectable. They were "one in heart and mind," writes Luke. They subverted normal social hierarchies of wealth, ethnicity, religion, and gender in favor of a radical ONENESS before God and with each other: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28).

About a century after Luke wrote, the early Christians had a well-known and well-deserved reputation for social generosity that built bridges of community rather than walls of separation.

Luke also says that the selling of property occurred "from time to time," which is to say that it was sporadic and based upon a person's sense of God's call rather than compulsory or systematic. None of these caveats, though, diminish the revolutionary impact of financial generosity expressed in compassion for the needy.

Luke concludes his general description of the believer’s social and financial generosity with a specific example: "Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet" (Acts 4:36–37). Luke describes Barnabas as "a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith" (Acts 11:24), and even as an "apostle" (Acts 14:14).

I get discouraged when I read studies like UnChristian, partly because I think they have a point. I wish that we Christians could somehow recapture the witness of those first believers who, because "great grace was with them all," demonstrated overflowing generosity to their neighbors, and who consequently "enjoyed the favor of all the people."

How open are you to change?

The Church, as we have seen from a lot of my earlier posts, is a movement.
It is not a machine.It’s a cycle of progress that we have been observing: Man- Movement- Machine- Monument- Museum.
As long as you are open to progress, you will still be in The Movement phase.
The Apostles were open to progress. In Acts 10, we see Peter has a transviion. This was 13 years after he began professing and preaching to the Jews. At his transvision he realized that he had to open up to the Gentiles. They were as worthy of the Gospel as the Jews. And if he had a problem, deal with it. Peter realized delayed obedience is still disobedience.
Thus 13 years after the Day of Pentecost, began the evangelisation of the Gentiles.
So remain open to change always. The Bible may have been written 2000 years back and it more than relevant even today. Read it for relevation rather than information because revelation takes you to Salvation.

In His Time

Peter wrote, "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" 1 Pet.4:17.

The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos and kairos. Chronos refers to chronological or sequential time. Chronos time is measured by the clock and calendar. It is orderly, rhythmic, and predictable. It is what we moderns typically think of as time. Kairos time, on the other hand, refers to “God’s time.” It is a time, not measured by the clock, where God has chosen “the right moment” or the “opportune” time. Kairos time usually involves a period of disruption to the normal flow of things.

In the New Testament kairos means "the appointed time in the purpose of God", the time when God acts (e.g. Mark 1.15, the kairos is fulfilled). It differs from the more usual word for time which is chronos (kronos). Kairos time is usually perceived as a time of crisis. The Chinese word for “crisis” is a picogram of the two words “danger” and “opportunity.” With this in mind, one has a possibility of participating in a “new creation.” One has the choice of danger or opportunity, a chance to build something new out of the old. Kairos time bridges the tearing down of the “old way” with the building of a “new way.”

In Daniel Ch 9, one of the most amazing prophetic passages in the Bible, it’s said that the Antichrist will definitely try to change Kairos.

What Our Father desires from us is that we are so close to his heart that we are able to discern the times and seasons of His Work. When Jesus has purified His church and she is without spot and wrinkle He will return for her. This is our blessed hope.

Apostolic Governance

A sequel to my earlier blog that tells you more about the present Wave of Christainity﷓ Apostolic Governance.

As we look through the first few verses in each epistle as they generally begin with the writer identifying himself as an apostle: “Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ. . . “ (Col.1:1).

We know from reading the gospels that it was God’s plan to call and prepare apostles to work with Jesus to transition the people from the faith of Moses to the faith of Jesus Christ, from the First Covenant Faith to the Second Covenant Faith. After Jesus prayed all night to God He called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles (Lk. 6:12-13).

It was these men that Jesus prepared to be His voice to lead His people after He had completed His mission to establish Himself as the New Covenant.

Reading from the gospels, the book of Acts, and the epistles we observe that God planned for apostles to direct the church in doctrine and function. The church, after Jesus’ resurrection, did not disband and each believer go their separate way to devise a faith independent of the apostolic stewardship. That being true, we learn God’s mind:

• That God had not intended that prophets, evangelists, pastors, or teachers to act independent of Apostolic Stewardship.

• That God had not intended each individual to decide how their faith should be expressed.

• That after Jesus ascended into heaven, His apostles were His ambassadors; they represented Him.

As Apostles, we have to be discerning enough to know the times and seasons of God’s work.

We are called of God to bring the church into the unity of the faith. Through the Apostolic Governance, our Lord is now transitioning the church back to her first love.

The Progress of Christianity

If you look back into the history of Christianity, all you would notice is a lot of misunderstanding.

For one, Jesus isn’t ,wasn’t, and never will be the founder of Christianity.

The Religion of Christianity, in fact has nothing to do with neither the crucification, resurrection of Christ nor the fire that fell on those in the Upper room.

It all began with a dream of an emperor who had turned a blind eye to persecutions within his empire and needled unnecessarily launches war against his unfaithful aide.

The night before Emperor Constantine I dreamt of winning battles upon the strength of the insignia of the Cross. Promptly, he added the new insignia to his coat o farms and gave his subjects a choice-Either follow me and I follow Christianity or die.
He was a very persuasive man, ably aided by his sword and thus a majority of today’s populations were born to parents of Christian origin.

So there you have it- contrary to our textbooks, Emperor Constantine I, not Jesus, is the founder of Christianity.

Jesus never professed a religion. He talked about a way of life. He came here willingly on His Father’s orders to tell us of His Father’s likes and dislikes.

Constantine laid the foundation rules for his newfound religion and those that he subjugated added some more of their earlier traditions and beliefs and eventually we landed up with a set of beliefs that had nothing to do with what occurred in the Upper Room.

In the 16th century began the Protestant Reformation began when a Catholic monk rediscovered a Catholic doctrine in a Catholic book. The monk, of course, was Luther; the doctrine was justification by faith; and the book was the Bible. Some felt that the Reformation was progressing too slowly. And it was among these reformers that the Anabaptist movement formed its roots.
What characterized their faith more than anything else, clearly distinguishing Anabaptists from other religions, was the conviction that baptism was for adults and not for children.

Mid 17th century, the Anabaptists lost some of their rigidity (today’s Amish or Mennonites are common examples of what Anabaptists are) and thus became the Baptists. The one thing both movements had in common was baptism by immersion.

The Pentecostal movement had its origins in believers who intensely desired more of God in the late 19th century. People were getting interested in world evangelization and realized that they needed the original power of the Holy Spirit to do this. They sought God and prayed. Many Methodists and Salvation Army people were among those who were most hungry for God, and embraced the move of the Holy Spirit.

People had been thinking that God no longer spoke except through the Bible, and that speaking in tongues had ceased, but the early Pentecostal pioneers challenged that. Contrary to the then Baptist beliefs on the cessation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Pentecostals believed in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, evidenced by speaking in tongues.

On April 9, 1906, at a prayer meeting in a modest home, a few men and women spoke in tongues. They had been meeting to pray for "an outpouring" of the Holy Spirit. The tongues speech convinced them that they had "broken through."

Thus was the Azusa Street Revival. It shook the foundations of the church and changed the lives of six hundred million people forever! The faithful announced that this was a reenactment of the New Testament Day of Pentecost: "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them ability" (Acts 2:4). God was restoring New Testament experiences of the Holy Spirit -- or, as devotees of the movement put it, restoring the apostolic faith.

At the heart of this movement was William J. Seymour, a one-eyed black pastor from Louisiana, son of a slave, who preached the message of “Apolostic Faith.”
At Azusa Street, one could see and hear the "utterance gifts" listed in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. People interpreted tongues and prophesied -- phenomena with which few Christians had any direct experience. The sick came for healing. Global Pentecostalism has multiple origins, and the Azusa Street revival was one of several impulses that birthed a distinctly Pentecostal form of Christianity.

As the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements plateaud, up arose evangelists such as Billy Graham and Oral Roberts with Praise and worship and Healing revival, tele evangelism.

In the 1960s, came the Catholic Charismatic Renewal and in the 1990s, as church members in growth churches attribute their success to the movement of the Holy Spirit, strong church leadership, evangelical outreach came the New Generation Churches.

In the midst of all this change, the one thing that has withstood the test of time has been the persecution and ridicules each new revival faced at the hands of the earlier.

As each wave goes by, James 5:7,8 are quoted for the Latter Day rains. Christianity today is experiencing the Fourth Wave. If you are ready to UN-learn and be governed by the Holy Spirit, you can make progress.

It just isn't fair!!!

Is there someone in your life who has hurt you so badly, so deeply, whose sin is so great, that you find it difficult to forgive them? Perhaps it's good to remeber today the spectacular unfairnesss of God.....and that He offers garce to them just as he does to you - EVERY DAY!!
Do you think that you are any better than the unrepentant thief on the cross? He sure didnt deserve God's grace! None of us do......

That's why grace is Grace-unmerited favor. Thank God, His grace isn't FAIR!

Reach out and forgive-His Grace will see you through!

Grace not shared is grace despaired

In the OT, believers of Yehovah were subject to the Law- we were bound by strict rules- dietary rules, spiritual rules etc etc. We were then broken free from these rules when Jesus died for us.
Jesus became the only way, the only truth and the only gate. It is because of God’s mercy, His favor, His kindness, His blessing and His compassion that He has provided mankind with a salvation plan! We are saved by God’s mercy. We do not deserve the blessings God has given us.

Ephesians 2:4-9
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.

Notice this passage says:

Ø God made us alive in Christ when we were dead—and this is God’s grace.
Ø God raised us up with Christ
Ø God expresses His grace to mankind by giving us Christ Jesus
Ø God’s grace is through faith.

God’s grace involves a bigger picture than we sometimes realize. At one point in our history, there was a rebellion in heaven in which some of the angels chose to follow Lucifer and abandoned their positions in heaven in rebellion against God. For these, God has provided no salvation plan. There is no hope for them, no chance of salvation. They will be eternally damned to hell when the Day of Judgment arrives. God has not provided a way for them to attain redemption. But for mankind, on the other hand, God in His mercy and grace has given us His Son and a way to be redeemed. He has given us a salvation plan! And this is by His grace. God did not give Jesus to the rebellious angels. He only gave Jesus to mankind. God had this salvation plan in mind from the very beginning.

You, who have been partakers of this grace, have been given the Great Commission.
And when we had sinned and were dead, and had received only what we deserved, God in His mercy and grace provided a way for us to be saved—He provided His Son, Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 1:8-11 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.

Obama's never ending promise list.......

As a campaigner, he promised to "change the world", to "transform this country" and even (in front of a church full of evangelicals) to "create a Kingdom right here on earth". As president, he keeps adding details to this ambitious wish-list. He vows to create millions of jobs, to cure cancer and to seek a world without nuclear weapons. On July 20th he promised something big (a complete overhaul of the health-care system), something improbable (to make America's college-graduation rate the highest in the world by 2020) and something no politician could plausibly accomplish (to make maths and science "cool again").

Matthew 5:37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
Many times promises involve sacrifices out of our comfort zones. If you promised something just by saying you would do it then God expects you to do it to the "best of your ability" as if you were doing it for the Lord Himself.

Be responsible with your words and vows!
Titus 2:7-8 In all things showing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.
God desires us to be moral witness in our daily walk and that includes our morals. The words that we speak and the promises that we make demonstrate our Christian values. This is because of the people around us watching. We must value our words as if they were gold. People might see Jesus through our eyes if we are honest with our words. Avoid criticism and hurt by listening before you speak and honoring what you commit to when you do. Be sound of speech and honest in your promises!

Words reveal to the world and to God how honest we are
James 3:9-10 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
Speak words that are pleasing to God and act with honor upon the promises made. If you have promised something and back out of it than deep hurt can be left behind. This grieves the Holy Spirit and can cause a wound that may last a lifetime.

The importance of keeping one's word is a matter of Integrity!
Psalms 25:20-21 O keep my soul, and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on thee.
Integrity and righteousness are the two most important things for a Christian to have. Uprightness and Integrity demonstrate what we believe, and how consistent of a walk we have with Jesus. Pray to the Lord to help you keep your promises and strive to be pure before the Lord. A man has real dignity of character when he has high integrity!

On Televisions and Mobiles......

James tell us, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one” (James 1:14). The Apostle Paul tells us that “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Cor 10:13).
That’s why our God, through the Law of Moses, treats his people as a tightly-governed child “under guardians and managers until the date set by his father” (Gal 4:2). He carefully works us toward maturity, seeing that we’re faithful in small things before putting us over many things. That’s what a good and loving Father does.

A pre-teen or a teenager with unrestricted cell-phone usage, Internet or television consumption is being placed in a very, very difficult place of temptation. The company of that young man or woman is now away from the scrutiny of parents, and is now left only to his or her discretion or conscience.

I wonder then, when it comes to cell phones and unrestricted TV viewing, how many parents do precisely what our Father never does, and never will do.

Are there some young Christians who can handle such? Of course. Should you assume your child is one of them? Your Father is more careful of you than that.

And, did I also mention PICTURES? ! “Mistakes” today can be so much bigger than when we were kids. A young person can make a bad judgment call with a text or picture, and when that relationship goes sour, that picture is all over the internet.

It doesn’t mean you have to turn your house into an Inquisition hall or the Jail.
It simply means your child knows that you love him or her enough to check in frequently to see what’s going on in life. It also means that you communicate clearly that the child doesn’t have a personal cellphone, autonomous of your authority.

The best solution I have come up with is for parents to own extra phones, and give them to the kids when I want them to have them. They don’t need to keep them all of the time. This way they do have access to a phone, but they don’t give out that number to everybody and constantly text friends. Checking up on your kids’ texts and things really can have a negative feel to them - that they’re not trusted and stuff. So keeping the phone does away with that, also.

All things can be used for God’s glory. The point is: Christian parents raising children according to God’s word. Cell phones,TV, the Net are not the enemy.

Communicating your love to your child means communicating your involvement. The gospel message is one of Fatherhood and sonship, of a Father who knows the hairs on our head (Luke 12:7), who fights for his children when they’re tested, tempted, or mistreated. Picture that kind of God to your children, even if they grumble and complain at first.

The Power Socket

2 Corinthians 1:21-22, Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (NIV)

What is the Holy Spirit?
God living inside of us. Our good conscious. A special power that we can use only to do good that comes directly from God.
Some characteristics of the Holy Spirit are: discernment, wisdom, knowledge, common sense, dependance on God, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Some of the things it does are: Illuminates, convicts, teaches, guides, assures, intercedes, directs, and warns.

Believe in yourself and what God can do through you. Remain constantly in prayer and allow the Spirit to give you guidance during various situations in the day. I have seen how being in prayer and allowing the Holy Spirit to work makes me very effective. Recognize negative feelings and deal with them daily, don’t ignore and stuff your feelings.
Phil 4:13, I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (NIV)
2Cor 10:5, We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (NIV)

I am strong when I am weak

OK, in spite of knowing better, I had lately been leaning more on everything else but God. And I wasn’t going anywhere. Today, however, I learnt:

Psalm 68:28a --"Thy God hath commanded thy strength."The Lord imparts to us that primary strength of character which makes everything in life work with intensity and decision. We are 'strengthened by might by His Spirit in the inner man'. And the strength is continuous; reserves of power come to us which we cannot exhaust.""That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man." (Ephesians 3:16)"As thy days, so shall thy strength be' -- strength of will, strength of affection, strength of judgment, strength of ideals and achievement.""As thy days, so shall thy strength be." (Deuteronomy 33:25b)"The Lord is my strength' to go on. He gives us power to tread the dead level, to walk the long lane that seems never to have a turning, to go through those long reaches of life which afford no pleasant surprise, and which depress the spirits in the sameness of a terrible drudgery.""The LORD is my strength and song, and has become my salvation." (Psalm 118:14)"The Lord is my strength' to go up. He is to me the power by which I can climb the Hill Difficulty and not be afraid."The Lord is my strength' to go down. It is when we leave the bracing heights, where the wind and the sun have been about us, and when we begin to come down the hill into closer and more sultry spheres, that the heart is apt to grow faint."The Lord is my strength' to sit still. And how difficult is the attainment! Do we not often say to one another, in seasons when we are compelled to be quiet, 'If only I could do something!'"Therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still." (Isaiah 30:7b)"When the child is ill, and the mother can do nothing but stand in comparative impotence, how severe is the test! But to do nothing, just to sit still and wait, requires tremendous strength. 'The Lord is my strength!' "Our sufficiency is of God!""My God shall be my strength." (Isaiah 49:5b)"Not that we are sufficient to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God." (2 Corinthians 3:5)2 Corinthians 12:9 -- "And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."God's power comes to its full strength or finds its full scope in our weakness. All that we are able to handle and endure is because of Him. Enduring and succeeding is all by and of His grace, His sufficiency, His strength, His power, which stands in remarkable contrast to our absolute weakness..."God's way is not always to take His children out of trials but instead to give them the strength to bear the trials. This needs to be our preferred condition because it allows God to be revealed and us to grow spiritually strong.

Singleness of heart

In 2 Chronicles 30:12, we see a very, very unusual occurence in Israel.
The OT is chockablok of instances where Israelites have lack of purpose and constantly follow their own whims. That resulted in most of them "doin' their own thang!" Lotsa interpersonal conflict and division...in fact all the makings of a Dynasty like soap opera..
That's why it is surprising and unbelivable when we read the people of Judah had a singleness of heart.
The best part is...their secret formula for this "singleness of heart" is given as well-The hand of God." The reason and source of their unity was none other than the Lord himself. The joy of the Lord was their strength.

What was the result of their singleness of heart? Obedience to authority. At the word of the Lord, they obeyed the command of their King and their leaders.

How many of you are going thru' some sort of disagreement at home, church or in office? Father and son not seeing eye to eye? Don't agree with some of Pastor's teachings? Boss not seeing the merits of your proposal? Mother in law being a stick in the mud? Not talking to your dearest friend over a minor skirmish?

Pray that the hand of God is on you and yours to bring in that singleness of heart. Authentic spiritual unity flows from the presence of God in the person of the Holy Spirit

#2 Let the Praises Flow

Appreciate your daughter. Girls primarily need love and security. A critical spirit destroys their fat and prospering souls. The aim is to build up rather than destroy.
Be diligent in praising your daughter. For what, you ask?

Not for her achievements…for just being her.

Girls are not naturally competitive like boys. But women that we are, we are more competitive with our own kind. Be it Mother or sister or friend, girls compete among themselves. Only Mother can nurture acceptance and security and confidence. Identify her particular gift and encourage using it instead of imposing your unfulfilled dreams on her.

Daughters, being women ourselves, are quite easy to read and therefore we are harder on them. But a lot of love and patience does go along way. Look back and see that all you had to is to find your particular trigger to success (read that as doing what your mom wanted happily.)

#1 Don’t Criticize Or Compare!

This one’s got such long lasting effects that you have no idea when it’s gonna rear its ugly head up again. A critical spirit is a destructive thing and you must remember to cloak yourselves in tender mercies. Don’t attribute motives, or take offense or lose patience. (I hear some of you asking, “Do you want a tall order of fries with that?”)

Children look at us and learn. If we expect of them to be meek, respectful, submissive, loving, organized, make sure we model that. Are we willingly submissive?

Be a primary example of their future calling!

Mothers And Daughters

In Job 42:15, we see that Job’s daughters were the fairest in the land- not just in beauty and brains but in temperament as well. Now how would we who strive to be good Christian mothers make our daughters beautiful in temperament, attitude and behavior?

I recently found myself being asked this by women I consider my closest sisters in Christ. The first time it happened, I gave in my bit of understanding and left it at that. Then it happened again—not once, not twice, but five different times. Literally, God has been asking me to post on this! How do we live in Christ as mothers to future Women of God? How do we bring our daughters up?

It’s hard for me to accept I’m having difficulty getting thru to my daughter in spite of being a woman myself. But haven’t we all heard of familiarity breeding contempt?

Instead of giving y’all a list of what to do, upcoming is a list of what we must take care not to do: spoken from experience (mine and others).

Prayer ain't Good Enuff!

"Prayer is good and necessary but it will NOT take the place of authority. I give you authority over all of the ability of the enemy and I expect you to use it"
........and I understood what it all meant. Jesus gave us authority.. It is up to us to use it..

When the temptation came.. Eve yielded to it and it says.. she gave to the man to eat.. So Adam was standing by whilst all this was going on.. He should have done something! He had the legal right and the dominion/power to act and get rid of that serpent! He should have said.. "It is said by God.. You shall not eat of that tree, now get out of our garden! NOW!" When he failed to do this, the authority given to him, passed to satan who according to 1Cor 2.. says.. became 'the god of this world.' When Jesus was tempted by the devil.. satan said.. "If you will bow down and worship me, I will give you all this, for it was given me".. So who gave it to him? ~ Adam did... Jesus is called.. the second Adam.. This one didn't fail and broke satan's rightful hold over mankind..

So when you pray, do not ask,"Why doesn't God do something!" .. When He created man, He gave him the right, power and legal authority to 'subdue the Earth' This was his commission in Genesis.. Once given, He couldn't take it back. If I give you something, it is yours to do with as you will. It is no longer mine.. Jesus gave us authority.. What we do with it, is up to us..

Favor ain't fair!!

If God were "Fair", I would get what I deserve from Him. But since He is "Merciful", and not "Fair", I am the recipient of his "Grace", which means I get so much more than what I deserve.

I am certainly NOT a Bible Scholar, but I am confident that God always keeps His promises, and His promise is that if we accept that we all have sinned and fallen short of His Glory, and accept that when Jesus died at Calvary we died with Him and had our sins paid for with His blood, and trust Him as our own personal Savior, then we have eternal life.

We can do nothing to save ourselves, hence we can do nothing to "un-save" ourselves.
God Bless!

When you've reached the edge of all reason....

Are you tired of it all? Find yourself in a circumstance without hope? Feel all doors and windows are shut and you're getting claustrophobic?

Do you think no one else understands what you are facing? That's probably true, you know.

When viewed through human eyes, no can usually empathize that well with a desperate situation. Even though we've all been there,done that; a desperate situation is still just that- desperate and without hope.

Let me tell you about a woman I know. She found herself in a frightening, pathetic, painful situation just as you are right now. Where, how and who are not important- it can be anyone, anyplace in a desperate situation. But this woman, who was in a situation so hopeless that death was certain, dared to risk enough that she stepped out in faith and obeyed in spite of the obvious.

Because she was obedient, a ray of hope came into her life.Read up more on this woman in 1 Kings 17:8-16. Obedience is the key;when you are at the edge of all reason to hope, obedience unlocks the door for blessing and hope to follow.

Perhaps right now, your life's hurtling at breakneck speed to a dead end wall. Do you want to just get off this particular journey and end it all? but Your God has a message for you," I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too difficult for me?" Jer 32:27.

If you are thinking,"Yea right! My situation is different,nobody can help me out here." know that God is God and nothing is too difficult for Him. Look back to the woman in the story- she obeyed faithfully in a situation where sucide was the only answer and God supplied! Ask yourself today,"Is my __________ too difficult for God? (fill in with your own burden.)
No matter how impossible it seems to you, the answer is always the same from God," Nothing is too difficult for me!!"

Is it wrong for a Christian to want to be rich?

A lot of people I know criticize new generation churches for proclaiming the prosperity gospel. But, in actuality, what's the prosperity gospel all about? Jesus has promised each of us peace and prosperity. As the children of the King of Kings, are we not prince and princess who can lay claim to their Heavenly Fathers ' bountiful riches? We are! So can we actively pursue money generating works? But isn't money the root of all evil?

Let's take it from 1 Timothy6:6-10.

6But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.
7For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.
8If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.
9But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.
10For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Our MAIN AIM is to pursue Godliness. The way to that is CONTENTMENT or gratefulness. If you are grateful , truly grateful for what you have, then it's hard to want anything more. Once we are thus able to control our wants, we are no longer vulnerable to the trickery of our desires. Those who "want to get rich" precariously perch themselves at the edge of a BIG fall. By focusing on what money can buy us, we are taking our eyes off what is really important.

So, is it wrong to be rich? Well, the world in general considers you rich by the number of material blessings you possess. Our desire to meet this standard is what makes it so wrong. By wanting what we don't have, we express a lack of contentment.We are in fact proclaiming,"God hasn't done this right!"

The Scripture commands us on this accord to flee from our lusts for things and to seek the kingdom of God. Pursue godliness. Don't put your hope and security on a fickle master like money.Our Ever Dependable God is more than capable of richly supplying us with things to enjoy!