Author: SPARKS FROM THE ANVIL OF LIFE

God invites each of us to enter into the Secret Place of the Most High, which can only happen as we enter by FAITH, by way of the propitious work and shed blood of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s Cross…

Even though the faith choice is much harder to make, it is the ONLY choice that will align us with God’s will.

“But he who listens to Me shall live securely, and shall be at ease from the dread of evil.”
— Proverbs 1:33

So what is faith?

Hebrews 11:1
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

1 Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].

In 2 Corinthians 1:20 we read, “For all the promises of God in Him (Jesus) are yea, and in Him Amen unto the glory of God by us.”

We as God’s covenant children (as Christians) are to live by faith, and we know that faith plays the staring role (from our end) in salvation… so what is it exactly?

The Greek word for faith is pistis.

When doing apologetics, you will find that many non-believers do not know that to really grasp some of the scripture, you need to return to the original language in which they were written.

This is one reason why the concept of faith is misunderstood amongst non-believers; they try to use a modern English definition for “faith.”

When we go to the Greek, the word takes on different meaning, it is an action word and is not passive.

Pistis is a noun, it means to trust something/someone with great confidence.

One of the problems in our Bibles is that the translators used the word “believe” for a derivative of pistis; Pisteuo.

Everyone should be able to see the same root there; Pistis is faith, and Pisteuo should be the verb form of faith; to faithe, faithes, faithing, etc… Instead, the translators rightly chose a word in English that actually existed; however, in English “believe” does not get the point across as “faithe” would.

So, sometimes we can mentally “correct” the translations as we read.

In John 6:29, “Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe (Pisteuo; that ye faithe) on Him (Jesus) whom He hath sent.”

Having faith means that we learn to cast the WHOLE of our trust and reliance upon the reliability and trustworthiness of God and His Word, and that we do so in spite of what we see and feel; and in spite of all contradictory feelings and evidence.

Unless we’re willing to do this, in Hebrews 11:6, we are told that without faith it’s IMPOSSIBLE for us to please God.

Having absolute trust and reliance in God means that we consciously begin to doubt our doubts and doubt our fears, and that we willingly take the risk of stepping out in faith, in obedience to God’s and His Word.

That we learn to trust God with all of our heart, and not rely on our own understanding; and as a way of life, in practicing the presence of God everyday, that we learn to acknowledge Him in all of our ways (that we walk before Him in humility and obedience), knowing that when we do His promise is that He is directing our steps (see Proverbs 3:5-6).

It means that we overcome our fears by taking the risk by stepping out in faith, in obedience to God’s Word (read the entire chapter of Hebrews 11).

Notice, it isn’t just to “believe” something, as in head knowledge only – in our giving intellectual assent to something (which is a decision made in our head that lacks the commitment of our heart), but rather it is the commitment of our absolute and total trust, along with the confidence, that whenever God promises something in His Word, He is well able to perform and do exactly what He says – and also in the knowledge that God is not a man that He should lie.

1 John 5:14-15

Confidence and Compassion in Prayer
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask ANYTHING according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, WHATEVER we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

It means that we all must learn to take risks, casting the whole of our trust and confidence upon God; and after having done so, that we recognize the value of our gaining experiential knowledge over mere head knowledge.

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As we are passing through this life, there are often times when we go through dry seasons and wonder if God even knows where we are…

David often experienced times like this.

Psalm 22:1-5
New Living Translation

1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?

2 Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.

3 YET YOU ARE HOLY,
ENTHRONED ON THE PRAISES OF ISRAEL.

4 Our ancestors trusted in you,
and you rescued them.

5 They cried out to you and were saved.
They trusted in you and were never disgraced.

Sometimes God appears to be distant from us, but as David said in Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

The instructions are to keep walking through and not to camp out in that valley; and know this, that because there’s a shadow being cast across your path it’s a sure sign that the Light is still there behind the shadow.

This is a test to make you stronger, not to defeat you.

Whenever Israel was going into battle they would always put the tribe of Judah out in front, singing praises unto God.

This was the standard rule of engagement for them, and that’s how they went on the offensive, against the wiles of the enemy.

God is always testing and stretching us to make us stronger, and as we’re going through rough times, God is first looking at our attitude.

We’re always pleading with God to change our circumstances or our situation, but the Lord is always, first, interested in changing us and changing our attitude, while we’re under pressure and still in the valley of death, dealing with those negative circumstances.

In Hebrews 5:8, we’re told that Jesus learned obedience through the things He suffered, and so should we think it strange that we learn the same way?

We must keep in mind that God’s ultimate goal, in all of this, according to Romans 8: 29-30, is that we be conformed into the image of His Son.

And so as we travel along this path of life, we each have a choice, do we want to be a mighty oak or mushroom?

It takes about 60 years for an oak tree to grow to maturity, and during that time there are often seasons of dryness.

These are times when the water table is lower, and it’s during those times, if the oak tree is to survive, it must stretch its roots down deeper into the soil; and it’s through this process that the oak tree becomes stronger.

A mushroom on the other hand will mature in but a few hours, and then it withers and is gone forever.

So the question is do you want to be a mighty oak or mushroom?

If we’re going to be a mighty oak then we have to learn to stretch the roots of our faith down deep (into Jesus), during those dry periods of our life.

Psalm 100:1-4
A psalm of thanksgiving.

1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.

3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.

And as often happens, through the course of life, in times where you are being tested and have questions as to what God wants you to do, the following is a good verse to turn to.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in EVERYTHING give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Sat, August 14
Note from Jesus
Dear Beloved,

I love those times when you lose yourself in worshipful praise as you are filled with the Holy Spirit.

To see your heart moved in love to praise the Father for what I have done to save you is precious.

You can worship Me and praise Me anywhere you are. You can be in your car, at a park, on a hike, at a coffee shop, in town walking, or at home getting ready to begin or end the day.

Because of the Holy Spirit within you, you can always have access to the Father.

Because of the Holy Spirit’s presence, you can passionately worship Me in any place or at any time.

Because of the Holy Spirit’s dwelling within you, you can be blessed personally by your time of worship no matter where you are.

(From Heartlight – Daily Wisdom)
———

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Learning to commune with God 24/7 – 365…

As covenant children of God, God calls each of us to,

“Pray without ceasing.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:17

In The Passion Translation, it says,
“Make your life a prayer”

In other words, keep the lines of communications open always.

God is always speaking, but unfortunately we’re not always listening, hence we’re called, in Proverbs 3:5-6,

“To trust in the Lord with all our heart; to lean not on our own understanding; and In all our ways to acknowledge Him (by faith),
and He shall direct our paths.”

As Christians, these are our marching orders from the Lord and that, in everything we do in word and deed, that all things are to be done as unto the Lord (Col 3:23).

This requires our 24/7 – 365 fellowship and communion with God; and in fact, this is the reason why we were created, to have this kind of unceasing connection with the Source and Author of our life, as the Bible says we are created for His pleasure.

Ephesians 2:1-10
The Message

He Tore Down the Wall
2 1-6 It wasn’t so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin.

You let the world, which doesn’t know the first thing about living, tell you how to live.

You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience.

We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat.

It’s a wonder God didn’t lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us.

Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ.

He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.

7-10 Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus.

Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it.

It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role.

If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing!

No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving.

He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
———

This lifestyle, that each of us is called to live, is called “Practicing the Presence of God,” in our life everyday!

‌Fri, August 13
From Faith to Faith

HEART TO HEART
by Gloria Copeland

“For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart.”
— 1 Corinthians 2:16 (The Amplified Bible)

Isn’t it exciting to realize that you can hold the thoughts and feelings and purposes of God’s very own heart in your heart?

Isn’t it thrilling to know the Creator of heaven and earth wants to be one spirit with you and transmit His thoughts to your mind?

First Corinthians 6:17 says that when you were joined to the Lord you became one spirit with Him.

He came into union with you so that He can talk to you heart to heart.

God wants you in this harmony with Him so that His thoughts can become your actions.

He wants you to walk so closely with Him that you never lack power to overcome the evil of this world.

He wants you to be so in tune with His Spirit that you are able to feel His heart of compassion toward those around you who are hurting or bowed down with sickness and pain.

He wants to be one with you, so He can reach out through your hands and fulfill His purposes in the earth.

Make a fresh commitment today to walk in union with your God. Give your attention to His Spirit in your inner man.

Determine to yield to His voice and not to the voices of the world or the flesh!

Allow the mind of Christ to flow through you!
———

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Abraham, the father of faith, hoped against hope and staggered not at the promises of God, through unbelief; but he believed that whatever God promised he is well able to do…

Romans 4:16-25
The Message

16 This is why the fulfillment of God’s promise depends entirely on trusting God and his way, and then simply embracing him and what he does.

God’s promise arrives as pure gift. That’s the only way everyone can be sure to get in on it, those who keep the religious traditions and those who have never heard of them.

For Abraham is father of us all. He is not our racial father—that’s reading the story backward. He is our faith father.

17-18 We call Abraham “father” not because he got God’s attention by living like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobody.

Isn’t that what we’ve always read in Scripture, God saying to Abraham, “I set you up as father of many peoples”?

Abraham was first named “father” and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing.

When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn’t do but on what God said he would do.

And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples. God himself said to him, “You’re going to have a big family, Abraham!”

19-25 Abraham didn’t focus on his own impotence and say, “It’s hopeless.

This hundred-year-old body could never father a child.”

Nor did he survey Sarah’s decades of infertility and give up.

He didn’t tiptoe around God’s promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what he had said.

That’s why it is said, “Abraham was declared fit before God by trusting God to set him right.”

But it’s not just Abraham; it’s also us! The same thing gets said about us when we embrace and believe the One who brought Jesus to life when the conditions were equally hopeless.

The sacrificed Jesus made us fit for God, set us right with God.
———

‌Wed, Aug 11
From Faith to Faith

MEDITATE ON THE WORD
by Gloria Copeland

“And [God] brought [Abram] forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”
— Genesis 15:5-6

Do you ever have trouble believing the Word of God? Not just agreeing with it mentally, but really believing that what it says will work for you?

I do. There are times when the promises in the Word stagger my mind. There have been times when I’ve felt so defeated and the circumstances around me looked so bad that it was tough for me to believe I was “more than a conqueror” even though I knew God said I was.

What do you do when your mind staggers like that at the promise of God? You meditate on that promise.

Scriptural meditation simply means thinking about and reflecting on the Word of God. It means pondering a particular scripture and mentally applying it to your own circumstances again and again until that scripture permanently marks your consciousness.

That kind of meditation can affect your life in a way that almost nothing else can. It can, quite literally, alter your mind. That’s what happened to Abram.

When God first told him that he was going to father a nation, he was an old man. His wife, Sarai, was also old. What’s more, she had been barren all her life. How could an aging, childless couple have even one child—much less a nation full of them? Abram couldn’t even imagine such a thing. It contradicted his entire mindset.

But God knew the mental struggle Abram would have, so He didn’t just make him a verbal promise and leave it at that. He gave Abram a picture of that promise to meditate on. He took him out into the starry night, turned his eyes to the sky and said, “So shall thy seed be.”

Can’t you just see Abram staring out at the stars, trying to count them? Filling the eyes of his heart with the promise of God?

That’s what meditation is all about. Taking time to envision the promise of God until it becomes a reality inside you. It’s tremendously powerful, and by focusing on the scriptural promises God has given you, you can put it to work in your life just as Abram put it to work in his.

Don’t just read the Word. Meditate on it today.

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We must surrender our lives totally and completely to Jesus…

Revelation 2:11
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death.”

Matthew 16:24-26
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
———

The first death is our death to self (death to our flesh), the result of overcoming, of self-conquest.

This is a gradual death that happens each day, over the span of our life, until we graduate to Glory; as Paul says, “we must die daily,” to our own will and to our own ways.

Luke 6:46
Jesus speaking: “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not practice what I tell you?

1 John 2:6
He who says he abides in Him (Jesus) ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Romans 12:2
And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].

It is one thing to read what Jesus tells us in His Word, but it is another thing to heed it—to take it to heart and act upon it.

James compares the person who is a hearer of the Word but not a doer of it to a man who looks at his face in a mirror and leaves, forgetting what he saw (James 1:23–24).

He adds: “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing” (James 1:25).

Jesus promises the believers of the church at Smyrna that the second death—the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14)—will not harm them.

God’s people’s final home is heaven (John 14:1–3).

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As God’s representatives in the Earth, we are to be the distributors of God’s LOVE and LIGHT into all the dark places of this world…

The love that’s talked about here is Agape love, which is the God kind of love, the same kind of love that God uses in His dealings with us. It’s a love that comes without any strings.

This is how the Bible defines it:

1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Living Bible

4 Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, 5 never haughty or selfish or rude.

Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong.

6 It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out.

7 If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost.

You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him.
———

Thu, Aug 6
The Cutting Edge

LOVE, THE VISIBLE ATTRIBUTE OF AN INVISIBLE GOD
by Larry Ollison

“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love”
— 1 John 4:8

E.W. Kenyon said that if a person walks in love, the devil cannot touch him.

The devil still comes against the Christian, but he cannot harm him if he is walking in love.

Love is the greatest power in the universe. Love will keep you in obedience and love will keep you from sin.

And according to Romans 13:10, love will never do harm to a neighbor and love is the fulfillment of the law.

Love is the law of liberty. Love will keep you from being self-centered and perfect love will cast out fear.

One thing that has always surprised me is the attitude of some Christians when they are in public places of business.

A few weeks ago I was having lunch with another minister. As the waitress was serving the food, he noticed that something on his plate was not exactly the way it was ordered.

To me, it was a very minor thing and most people would never have mentioned it. But this man started making it into a major complaint.

I was embarrassed and as we left the restaurant, I went back inside and apologized to the waitress for my friend’s rudeness and gave her an extra tip.

Jesus said that the world would know that we were Christians by the love that we have for each other.

But too many feel this scripture says they will know we are Christians because of the love we have in the church.

Romans 12:9 says let love be without hypocrisy. That means our love is not restricted to the church but is a way of life and is the essence of God that pours out of everything we do.

John 3:16 tells us that God loved the world so much that He sent His son, Jesus and He showed His love to the lost world through Jesus.

After Jesus ascended and took His place as the Head of the church, He now works through His body to show His love on this earth.

We are the body of Christ. And now God loves the world through us. Let’s live and show the true nature of God. God is love.

[From Larry Ollison Ministries]
———

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Proverbs 16:9 tells us, “A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps”…

The Bible also tells us that God’s ways and thoughts are far above ours, as far as the heavens are above the Earth are His ways and thoughts above ours (see Isaiah 55:9).

This is why we are instructed if we are to walk the Christian Life we must learn to trust God with all of our heart and not lean on our own understanding; and then we are told that if we acknowledge Him in all of our ways, by faith, that He is directing our steps (Proverbs 3:5-6).

This is the beginning of our Adventure!

Posted on May 11, 2018
Faithit

WHEN GOD DIDN’T GIVE YOU THE LIFE YOU DREAMED OF. NOT EVEN CLOSE.
by Vaneetha Risner

Cleaning out boxes from the attic has left me more unsettled and emotional than I ever anticipated.

As I open each crate, I vividly remember the way life used to be — the hobbies I used to love, the things I used to do.

Thumbing through my mementos, I am reminded again that the life I’m living now isn’t what I signed up for.

Nothing has turned out as I planned.

While I am deeply convinced that I’m living out God’s best for me, there are days I mourn the loss of what used to be — particularly recently as I’ve been going through old tubs, each one filled with memories of a life that no longer exists.

Pictures of long-ago family vacations, Christmases past, recitals, and school plays.

Shoeboxes filled with letters from people I no longer know. Childhood photographs that make me laugh and at the same time cringe in horror.

All reminders of how my life has changed.

And then there are the art supplies. Fifteen years ago, my life was defined by projects I could do with my hands.

Painting, crafting, scrapbooking, embroidering, making jewelry, painting dishes.

Tubs, crates, and craft containers all crammed into the attic — each dedicated to a different artistic passion.

They all sparked my creativity. Relaxed me. Made me happy.

But my diagnosis of post-polio syndrome changed all that.

With my arms deteriorating, I couldn’t afford to waste my energy on crafts.

I boxed everything up (with help), labeled it, and shoved it in the attic. And I didn’t look at it again. Until now.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LIFE I DREAMED?
As a friend helps me rummage through these old boxes, looking at paintbrushes and canvas, rubber stamps and colored paper, a deep sadness settles over me.

I miss those things. But I know they are part of my past and I can’t dwell on what can’t be undone.

This grieving isn’t particular to me. A few weeks ago, I spoke with three friends, all of whom were facing significant disappointment.

One used to be an opera singer, but her vocal cords have changed and she can no longer sing as she once did.

Another friend was looking forward to her youngest child going to school so that she could pursue the ministry she felt called to.

But an unexpected pregnancy dramatically changed her plans and now her dreams feel beyond reach.

The third friend has a special needs child and constantly wonders about her child’s future. As well as her own.

Like my friends, all of us face disappointments. Our lives look vastly different than we imagined they would.

People dream of certain careers and accomplishments, but family issues or unexpected events make careers take a backseat.

Young lovers believe they will have the perfect family, yet somehow their family doesn’t even resemble their vision.

So, what do we do?

How do we get past this nagging feeling that there should be more to life?

Or that perhaps we are being denied the life that we should have? The life that, if we were completely honest, we believe we deserve.

WEEP DEEPLY
This counsel from John Piper has been immeasurably helpful to me:

“Occasionally, weep deeply over the life you hoped would be. Grieve the losses. Then wash your face. Trust God. And embrace the life you have.”

“Weep deeply over the life you hoped would be.”

Even as I write those words, I feel a sense of release. We who are sometimes too guarded about our pain, because it seems more spiritual, need to shed tears.

Acknowledge what is hard. Grieve the loss. Feel the sting of what will never be.

Weeping helps me heal. Since mourning is rarely a “one and done” event, I sometimes break down long after I think I have moved on.

Often unexpectedly. When tears well up, I have learned to acknowledge and even welcome them.

They frequently reveal something that is worth paying attention to.

I mourn the loss of what once was as well as the loss of what never was.

They are both losses of what I hoped would be.

Couples who have struggled with infertility, as well as those who have buried a child, or who are raising a special needs child or a wayward son or daughter, have all lost what they hoped would be.

Whatever the origin, they are losses nonetheless.

WASH YOUR FACE
After I have wept and grieved, I wash my face. I don’t just dry my tears. I take a warm cloth and wipe the salty streaks from my cheeks.

I let the soothing warmth move across my skin. Then I splash cool water on my face to refresh me, redirect my thoughts, and fix my eyes on the Lord.

Only then can I move on.

This is a deliberate act, a choice I make to refocus.

When I refocus, I take my eyes off my problems, and shift them onto the Lord — and I choose to trust him.

Trust him even when my situation looks black. Trust him that he is working for my good. Trust him that he knows what is best.

EMBRACE THE LIFE GOD’S GIVEN
Finally, I am called to embrace the life I have.

Embrace it as I would a beloved friend.

Wholeheartedly. With joyful acceptance, not grudging obedience.

Embracing means gladly receiving and even welcoming whatever the Lord gives me, even when it wasn’t in my plans.

It means being fully present, living in the now, finding joy in the moment, and not longing for what’s past.

So today, if you are feeling weary and disappointed about your life, allow yourself to grieve.

To weep deeply. To mourn the loss of what you hoped for. But then after you have lamented, wash your face, trust God, and embrace the life he’s given you.

Into a world of great sadness and loss, God told his people,

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert”
(Isaiah 43:18–19).

The Lord is indeed doing a new thing in my life. And yours as well. He is making a way in the wilderness and forging streams in the wasteland.

Lean into it, and embrace it. God is doing something beautiful.
———

Let go of the past, shun your fears and doubts, and quit wasting your energy on trying to unspill the milk of yesterday; rather instead face your future by faith, in the strength and the power that God gives you.

Trust Him to make a way, even when there doesn’t seem to be one.

Come join the Adventure!

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The darker it gets in the world, the brighter all of us, who carry the light of God within by faith, will shine…

Matthew 5:14-16
The Message (MSG)

14-16 “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world.

God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.

If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you?

I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine!

Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.”

Sat, July 3
The Cutting Edge

THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
by Larry Ollison

We are living in difficult times. Unemployment is near an all time high, foreclosures are driving families out of their homes, and because of financial pressures, many marriages are at the breaking point.

Today I talked with two pastors who were ready to leave the ministry because of pressure. This should not be.

In times of trouble, faith people should be standing stronger than ever. Let me explain.

During the day, it might be impossible to tell if a lamp is turned on or not.

But in the darkness a lamp, regardless of its brightness, is easily seen.

In these times of great darkness our light should actually seem brighter to the world than ever before, even if our light is of no greater intensity than it’s ever been.

In times of darkness, many are crying, “Lord, increase my faith.”

Faith, standing in a world of doubt, should be easily seen. Our light should look brighter than ever.

As darkness tries to come over the world, we should remember that our faith has already overcome it.

1 John 5:4
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

However, the darkness should make our faith look brighter, even if we have no more faith than before.

I encourage you to stand in faith and I admonish you to not focus on the doubt and darkness around you.

Remember this. Light always overpowers darkness. Darkness is governed by the light.

Darkness only prevails when the light is extinguished and your light cannot be extinguished unless you allow it.

You are the one who determines the intensity of your faith.

You are the one who has access to the fuel (the Word of God) that feeds the faith in your life.

There may be reasons why some doubt, but we have no excuses for allowing that doubt to overtake us.

So, mighty men and women of God, I want to encourage you with these words.

GREATER IS HE (THE LIGHT) THAT IS IN YOU, THAN HE (THE DARKNESS) THAT IS IN THE WORLD.

No weapon (of darkness) formed against you can prosper. You can do all things through Christ (the Light) who strengthens you. With God (the Light), nothing is impossible.

And because you are the light of the world, you are victorious and darkness cannot rule over you.
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No matter how dark it gets, the light ALWAYS extinguishes the darkness; so our job, in these times, is to just let our light shine!

GOD HAS ALREADY GIVEN US THE VICTORY, IN CHRIST, SO LET’S STAND IN THAT KNOWLEDGE – TRUSTING IN GOD’S WORD!

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Our trials and tribulations in life come not to destroy us, but to make us strong…

James 1:2-8

J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)

The Christian can even welcome trouble
2-8 When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends!

Realise that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance.

But let the process go on until that endurance is fully developed, and you will find you have become men of mature character with the right sort of independence.

And if, in the process, any of you does not know how to meet any particular problem he has only to ask God—who gives generously to all men without making them feel foolish or guilty—and he may be quite sure that the necessary wisdom will be given him.

But he must ask in sincere faith without secret doubts as to whether he really wants God’s help or not.

The man who trusts God, but with inward reservations, is like a wave of the sea, carried forward by the wind one moment and driven back the next. That sort of man cannot hope to receive anything from God, and the life of a man of divided loyalty will reveal instability at every turn.

“I’ve had many tears and sorrows,
I’ve had questions for tomorrow,
there’s been times I didn’t know right from wrong.
But in every situation,
God gave me blessed consolation,
that my trials come to only make me strong.” (by Andre Crouch)

Click on link below to listen to song:

Monday, July 26
The Winning Walk
by Dr Ed Young

A GREEN LEAF IN DROUGHT TIME

In the book A Green Leaf in Drought Time, Andrew Murray had some fine advice for those undergoing persecution.

He gave them four words of counsel.

First, he said, “You are in this straight place by Divine appointment.”

Second, he said, “You are here in His keeping.

He will keep you by His grace and love in this situation.”

Third, Murray said,

“You are here for His training and discipline. God wants to stretch you, to build you up, and He has brought you to this trial to test you by fire.”

Finally, he said,

“You are here in His time. You don’t know how long you’ll be here, or what your future will hold, but this is where God wants you now.”

What if you and I approached every trial we face with these precepts in mind?

What if we viewed every hardship as His perfect plan for us?

Murray also said,

“If there were any circumstance better for you than the one in which you find yourself, Divine Love would have placed you there.”

That gives our trials a whole new meaning, doesn’t it? If you are experiencing a time of difficulty right now, ask God to give you wisdom to see your situation the way He sees it.

His aim is that you and I grow up.

Trials are our ticket out of complacency and mediocrity.

When we struggle, we grow. Like Job, we can be certain that the outcome of our pain will be a stronger, purer faith.

Memory Verse

JOB 23:10
But He knows the way I take; when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
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God’s power trumps every power and principality of the enemy, in every circumstance of life…

God’s Word promises that no weapon (no strategy or plan) that’s formed against us (who are His covenant children) will prosper (see Isaiah 54:17)!

Jesus in Matthew 28:18-19 tells us that ALL authority (all power) in heaven and earth has been granted to Him so that we can go out, in His name, and do the job He is calling us to do, which is to preach the gospel and disciple nations.
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Fri, June 4
Today in the Word

THE POWER OF GOD
By Dr Ryan Cook

Investment advisors often use the phrase “Past performance is no guarantee of future result.”

The phrase serves as a kind of disclaimer. Just because a particular company has performed well in the past, there is no guarantee it will do so in the future.

While it may not be a sound way to make financial investments, it is a good way to judge someone’s character.

It is why we ask for references on job applications or ask about their work history.

In today’s reading, the Psalmist applies this logic to his relationship with God.

He celebrates God as awesome and powerful. God has taken up His residence in Jerusalem and from there He has defended it by breaking “shields and the swords, the weapons of war” (v. 3).

We do not know what specific victory is being celebrated, but the point is powerfully made.

At God’s rebuke, “both horse and chariot lie still” (v. 6).

The horse and chariot were the most feared weapons of the ancient world. It would be like saying: “At God’s rebuke, aircraft carriers and nuclear warheads are powerless.”

God’s power is endless.

The Psalmist asks in awestruck wonder, “Who can stand before you when you are angry?” (v. 7).

God’s ability to defeat His enemies in the past serves as the basis of hope for the future.

This psalm looks forward to the day when people from all nations will pay homage to God (v. 11).

This theme comes to its fulfillment in the book of Revelation where rebellious powers and nations are decisively defeated (Rev. 19:11–21).

The New Jerusalem descends from heaven, and “God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them” (Rev 21:3).

As believers, you and I can know our future is secure because we serve an all-powerful God who has pledged Himself to it.

No earthly ruler can stand against God who offers us endless security and certain hope.

PRAY WITH US
We rejoice in the security of knowing that You are with us now and forever! We extol You, our all-powerful God. Your wisdom knows no bounds and Your mercy is everlasting. Amen
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