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First and foremost I MUST give my Lord and Savior all honor and glory for he is so worthy of it. I have been through some hard times in my 48 years of life, but through it all Jesus was there for me even when I didn't know him for myself. I had the opportunity to spend the day with my sister inlaw who is struggling mentally due to the break down of her marriage, she is seriously going through in her mind, and as she was here at my home with my hubby, myself and my daughter and grand baby all I could do is thank God for waking me up in my right mind on a daily basis. It is a very hard and sad thing to see and deal with when you see someone you love going through in their mind. The devil has truly taken her will to live from her as well as her drive and determination for life. She walks around almost like a zombie so to speak she does ok when she's around family and people she knows but she is so terrified about going out alone. She can't even do her normal day to day duties in her home. My love, and prayers are with her, but she has to want to fight for her life. I take nothing in my life for granted nothing that I have ever been through or will ever go through I will always be thankful as well as grateful for all that God has done for me in my life. Sometimes we forget to even thank him fort he littliest things. I make it a chore to praise him daily for all that I have and for all that I've come through with his love and help, if he didn't give me his breathe of life I wouldn't be typing this right now. Hallelujah!!! So today my friends I say to you if you haven't done so already I challenge you from here on out begin to thank God for all that you have. Even for the couple of dollars you may have to put just a few gallons of gas in your car thank him for that! Thank him for the bread crumbs of life for it is still a blessing even if its not what you want its still something to sustain you until you can do better. To God be all the glory!!
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Cults: Seeking the Divine - July 23, 2008
The world was stunned when it learned of the tragic deaths of members of the Heaven's Gate cult. Memories of the Waco tragedy, and the mass murder/suicide deaths which were instigated by the authoritative command of Jim Jones, often came to mind as the media presented much needed insight into the group's philosophies, lifestyle, etc.
Most of us shake our heads and wonder why these "victims" followed their particular beliefs, not to mention, handed over their very lives to their "leader." Lives were lost, families were broken up, loved ones grieved over, and still we have no real answers.
Man's desire to quench his spiritual appetite is a result of how man is designed by the Creator. As a result of humankind inviting evil into the world, no longer are we complete in body, soul and spirit. As such, man is an incomplete creature without the intimate union God once bestowed upon all humans.
Many individuals spend a lifetime searching for God or some semblance of spirituality. But sadly, many also turn their backs when the one true God answers. Since these individuals have rejected Truth, often, they are left to stumble among fable and various deceptions. And still, these individuals are left feeling empty because they lack a relationship with the Divine.
Our Creator does not require of us a blood sacrifice or our very lives because His Son Jesus Christ already laid down His life so that we may have life eternal. Our God is a good and just God. Those who earnestly seek Him, will find Him because He is a faithful God.
"But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul." (Deuteronomy 4:29)
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Something Wrong Today by Eric Kreye What ever happened to family values? Good old-fashioned honesty, respect, purity, caring, and commitment? Today nearly half of the families in America have been shattered by divorce, children are home alone while parents work, guns are readily available, crime is commonplace, sex outside of marriage is accepted, truth is relative, and the focus is on "What's in it for me?" To add further confusion to our society, there are regular graphic descriptions of sex, crime, and killing on television and the printed page. A few years ago tough newscasters would have blushed to report such things. Add to this the strong popularity with our kids of video and computer games that glorify killing. Is it any wonder there is no respect for life anymore? The restraints on sex before marriage have almost disappeared today. In an effort to control the rampant number of teenage pregnancies, many schools are offering free condoms to any teen who wants them. The result of one survey shows that parents and students are more than 2-to-1 in favor of such distribution. According to one article more than half of high school teens are sexually active. In recent months and years there have been several nationally reported shootings in high school where teens have randomly killed other teens. What's happening? Who's to blame? Of course, ultimately Satan is to blame. It is his studied plan to bring everything possible to bear on the inhabitants of earth that will cause them to turn far away from God. Besides, this satanic power enjoys hurting, maiming, and killing humanity in the most degrading way, thereby bringing sorrow to the tender heart of the great God of love and compassion. Could it be that our families themselves must share responsibility for the woeful state of our society today? Have we as fathers and mothers in our homes allowed the society around us to dictate our values and standards? Our kids are depending on us to guide them in the right direction. It has been said that most homes are run on three shifts--father on the night shift, mother on the day shift, and the children shift for themselves! Recently Randy Maxwell wrote an "open letter to parents everywhere" that appeared in his local paper, in which he shared some thought-provoking comments. Here are a few excerpts: "As much as we want to blame Hollywood, the music industry, or whatever, we have to blame ourselves for allowing our culture--a culture that is drunk on violence and sex--to poison our children. We must protect our own children. Nobody else is going to do it.... "There's no mystery here, parents, we've systematically permitted our violence-addicted culture to program our children through the cartoons, movies, video games, and music we pay for and allow them to ingest.... "We've allowed strangers into our homes--strangers who have taught our children that killing is cool, that guns are power, that death is funny and to be watched with a Coke and a bag of popcorn.... "You and I are going to have to take action to protect our kids. You want to cut the violence in our culture? Stop buying it for your kids. "I'm calling on parents everywhere to go on a nationwide boycott of violent records, violent movies, violent video games, and violent cartoons. If your kids have slasher and shoot-'em-up video games, get rid of them. If they have posters on their walls of rock, rap, or metal groups that glorify rape, sodomy, suicide, and drugs, take them down....Turn the channel from cartoons or programs that feature violence as something to laugh at. "And by the way, parent, that means you will need to boycott the body-blasting features yourself too. Kids won't tolerate hypocrisy. If it's bad for them, it's bad for you. If you're going to boycott some of it, boycott all of it. "This may all sound rather simplistic and naive, but listen: Filmmakers and record producers and Game Boy execs rush violent products to market for only one reason--because people buy them. People like us.... "...Though we can't stop people from producing garbage, we can stop our children from eating it. "And if enough children stop eating it, there won't be any whatever." According to the December 9, 1991, issue of U.S. News and World Report, "since the late 1970s, Americans have been gradually rediscovering the importance of family values....New polls show that this yearning for the stability of the past is at least partly driven by a growing belief among Americans that they have less control over their lives and those of their loved ones. About 8 in 10 Americans say they acquired their core values from the family, according to a new survey....But two thirds say, unhappily, that today's children are getting their values from television, movies, musicians or music videos." This seems to confirm the old saying, Garbage in, garbage out. What our minds feed on is what will influence our actions sooner or later. What can be done to change all this? Perhaps if we each determine to make a difference in our own lives, our own homes, a positive change will come in our society. A change for the better. Some of the good old-fashioned values of the past can be recaptured. Here are some suggestions that will help bring about some much-needed change in our families: Spend time together. Love and time is what a child wants most today from mom and dad. Even doing routine tasks together will never be forgotten. Such as doing dishes together, working in the garden, cutting firewood, going camping or doing some biking. You don't have to do a lot of talking, but just being together. Set definite limits. It may mean some tough love and discipline at times. Did you know that kids dislike teachers who can't keep order? I'm sure they feel the same way about how things go in their homes. Someone said, "Discipline is a risky form of love because the child often rejects the one administering it, however, when discipline is given fairly and in love, kids do fine." It has also been said that discipline is one of the most durable gifts we can give our children. God spoke through the wise King Solomon. This is what he wrote: "He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly." --Proverbs 13:24Be the right model. Live what you believe and say. Be genuine. Kids have a way of spotting hypocrisy immediately, and they don't like it. It has often been said that the best thing fathers can do for their kids is to truly love their mother--and don't be afraid to show it. Show your kids how much you value them. Consistently demonstrate love and respect. This involves being a good listener, speaking in respectful tones, expressing appreciation for something well done, showing affection (appropriate touching on a regular basis). Resist the temptation to "preach" to your kids. Think of what it takes to make you feel valued and do the same to your kids. When appropriate, let the kids choose--but make sure they understand that each choice has consequences, good or bad. They must learn to accept the responsibility for their choices. It is not always the loving thing to shield them from suffering brought on by their own choices. Often this is the best way to learn--child or adult. Pray! Pray! Pray! Pray for your kids and for yourself. You need God's help to make sure you do and say the right thing at the right time. And your kids need God's protection from the temptations that Satan puts in their way constantly. Someone has said that the most lasting gift we can offer our children is the gift of our prayers. It is a gift of tremendous power and will have definite eternal consequences, but costs nothing but our time. May God grant that true family values will return to the families in our society.
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Use your words as building blocks not battering rams.Every word you say will have an affect on others. Positive words will encourage and strengthen other people, but negative words will tear down and harm them. You must decide whether to speak positively or negatively. Please understand that speaking positively requires a deliberate decision, whereas speaking negatively comes easily—for it is human nature. Therefore, actively strive to speak positive and encouraging words to others. It is no surprise that the Bible instructs us to say beneficial things about others: "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen" (Ephesians 4:29). Furthermore, Colossians 4:6 says, "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt ..." Speaking positive, uplifting words is extremely important. Indeed, Proverbs 25:11 says, "A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver." In Psalm 19:14, David prays, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." David clearly knew the importance of words, and so he prayed that he would speak words that were pleasing to God. We must deliberately choose to speak positive words; otherwise, we will instinctively complain and be negative—for that is human nature. Thus, it is no surprise that Ecclesiastes 5:2 tells us, "Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few." Similarly, Proverbs 10:19 says, "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." Usually when you "hold" your tongue, you'll catch yourself before you say nasty things about others and cut them down with your words. Lastly, it is important to understand that whatever you say is a reflection of your heart attitude. Matthew 12:34 says, "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks" (also see Luke 6:45). In other words, your words are simply an overflow of what's in your heart. If you think poorly about others, you'll speak poorly about them. On the other hand, if you think positively about others, as the Bible instructs us to, then you'll speak positively about them. Since words carry power, make a decision to use your words as building blocks not battering rams. A breakthrough requires a trial to break through.It would be nice to simply wake up one day and suddenly be a mature Christian, but in order to grow up in God, we will have to go through trials. There is no other way to grow strong spiritually than to go through trials. 1 Peter 5:10 says, And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. You may not like trials, but this verse says that when you are going through trials after you have suffered a little while, you will grow to be firmly rooted and grounded (strong, firm and steadfast) in God. Similarly, James 1:12 says, Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. Here again, you don't get the rewards (the crown of life) until you have persevered under trial and stood the test. So, learn to be thankful in your trials, because in order to get your breakthrough, you need a trial to break through. Therefore, don't be discouraged during times of suffering. Know that after you have suffered a little while, God himself will make you strong firm and steadfast.
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HOW? THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!
“…with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
“…with men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” Mark 10:27
“For with God nothing shall be impossible.” Luke 1:37
“And He said, ‘the things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Luke 18:27
ANY QUESTIONS?
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