SB SALT AND LIGHT MINISTRIES

The Risen Christ… our Faith’s Reality!

1 Corinthians 15

In this chapter Paul dealt with another problem in the Corinthian church.

He affirmed that the Christian faith rests upon the resurrection of Christ and has a sure conviction of the resurrection on the final day of all who believe in him.

Having dealt with a number of problems related to worship in the church at Corinth, Paul turned to a doctrinal controversy over resurrection.

Some teachers had entered the church at Corinth, denying the possibility of bodily resurrection.

They did not deny the fact of life after death, but probably suggested that we would simply be spirit beings and not have literal bodies.

The apostle here gives his classic answer to these denials.

Paul reminds them of the good news which he had preached to them, which they had received, and in which they now stood.

This was not a new doctrine for the Corinthians, but it was necessary that they should be reminded of it at this critical time.

It was this gospel by which the Corinthians had been saved.

It was by the gospel of the resurrection that they had been saved—unless, of course, there was no such thing as resurrection, in which case they could not have been saved at all.

The “if” in this passage does not express any doubt as to their salvation, nor does it teach that they were saved by holding fast.

Rather, Paul is simply stating that if there is no such thing as resurrection, then they weren’t saved at all.

In other words, those who denied bodily resurrection were launching a frontal attack on the whole truth of the gospel.

To Paul, the resurrection was fundamental.

Without it there was no Christianity.

Truly Christians are to be pitied more than anyone if our hope in Christ ends in death.

Especially given all the hardships endured for the sake of faith, a resurrection-less end would be a disaster.

Have you ever been offered a guarantee on something which you have committed – either with money or talents?

You commit to something on the promise that the guarantee is true. For example:

Buy this car, then you will receive free oil changes for two years.

Take this pill and you will be guaranteed to lose weight.

Do what we ask and we can guarantee your safety.

There are all kinds of offers which people will pitch to you.

But if you notice what works the most in the guarantee is personal testimonies.

People will claim that these offers have worked for them, so it will work for you.

I can trust the eternal lifetime guarantee of Jesus because He proved it.

Jesus is the only One to raise from the dead.

You know that you trust the mechanic who has repaired and replaced many parts before.

You trust the doctor who has successfully completed many surgeries.

You can trust Jesus who has the eternal experience that is necessary for overcoming death.

You know death is a frightening prospect.

Like a surgery, or some other traumatic broken experience that you and I may go through, we don’t look forward to the prospect of dying.

It’s frightening in a way to think that when your heart stops beating, that you will stop existing.

I can’t make myself come back to life. I can’t see what is beyond death.

Even Jesus needed God’s help in being resurrected.

But now that Jesus is resurrected, He can help me.

“In Christ, all will be made alive.”

That is not a spiritual, allegorical interpretation.

I will be made alive. But that can only happen because Jesus was made alive.

He was given the keys to death. He knows how to unlock it.

Like a locksmith who comes when the doors are locked and you can’t get your keys, God made Christ exclusive keys over death.

When you come to death and you wonder how the afterlife will be unlocked for you, you just need to trust Christ.

He will unlock the keys of death for you.

“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

In view of all of this, let us be confident today in our faith because of what Jesus has done.

He broke the power of death so that we might have eternal life with Him.

SELAH (let us pause and calmly think about these things)
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Thursday, Dec 08
God Calling
by Two Listeners

MY KINGDOM

“But now it is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the Resurrection of the dead.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:20-21

And greater works than these shall ye do, because I go unto My Father.

While I was on earth, to the great number of those with whom I came in contact, Mine was a lost cause.

Even My disciples only believed, half-doubting, half-wondering.

When they all forsook Me and fled it was not so much fear of My enemies as the certainty that My Mission, however beautiful they thought it, had failed.

In spite of all I had taught them, in spite of the revelation of the Last Supper, they had secretly felt sure that when the final moment came, and the hatred of the Pharisees was declared against Me I should sound some call to action, and that I should lead My many followers, and found My earthly kingdom.

Even the disciples who had eyes to see My Spiritual Kingdom had thought material forces had proved too strong for Me.

But with My Resurrection came hope. Faith revived.

They would remind each other of all I had said. They would have the assurance of My Divinity,

Messiahship, the lack of which had hindered My work on earth, and they would have all My Power in the unseen – the Holy Spirit – to help them.

Remember, I came to found a Kingdom – the Kingdom.

Those who lived in the Kingdom were to do the work — greater works than I was able to do.

Not a greater Power shown, not a greater Life lived, but, as men recognized My Godhead, opportunities for works in My Name would increase.

My work on earth was to gather around Me the nucleus of My Kingdom, and to teach the Truths of My Kingdom to them.

In those Truths they were to live and work.

Now unto Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
(Jude 1:24-25)
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“Come join the Adventure!

Skip 🕊️

Only Jesus knows how to calm and guide you through the storms in your life…

The Sea of Galilee is noted for sudden, violent storms that whip it into a churning froth.

Winds sweep down the valley of the Jordan from the north, picking up speed in the narrow gorge.

When they hit the Sea, it becomes extremely unsafe for navigation.

On this occasion, Jesus was crossing from the west side to the east.

When the storm broke, He was asleep in the boat.

The terrified disciples awoke Him with frantic pleas for help.

It is to their credit that they went to the right Person.

After rebuking the winds and the waves, Jesus rebuked His disciples for their puny faith.

When a great calm descended, the men marveled that even the elements obeyed their humble Passenger.

How little they comprehended that the Creator and Sustainer of the universe was in the ship that day!

All disciples encounter storms sooner or later. At times it seems we are going to be swamped by the waves.

What a comfort to know that Jesus is in the boat with us.

“No water can swallow the ship where lies the Master of ocean and earth and skies.”

The thrashing sea became like glass.

Anyone would be afraid in a similar situation.

Yet, after Jesus commanded the storm to cease, He asked the disciples why they feared, why they failed to trust Him to care for them.

No one can quell life’s storms like the Lord Jesus.

Jesus also has the power to calm the storms in your life.

So whatever you’re going through in life, just remember that God is always there with you, to guide you through it, and bring you to the other side.

SELAH (let us pause and calmly think about these things)
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Wednesday, Dec 07
Faith it Daily

“LORD, JUST GET ME THROUGH THIS STORM.”

“He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.”
— Matthew 8:26

You know, there’s a story in Scripture about a storm.

A time when a boat was rocking amidst the wind and waves, and a begging question was asked to the Savior.

“Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.

The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’ ”

The thing that sticks out to me here is that the Savior was right there.

He was there with the others while the storm was taking place.

He was not ignorant to the wind and the waves. He was present.

Still it stormed.

Since He was God in flesh, I have to believe He knew the storm was coming—yet He did not exercise his miraculous powers to prevent it.

Still—He was present—there as the storm began to rage.

As the waves threatened to overtake the boat, His disciples seemed to release a desperate plea a lot like mine— “Lord, save us!” And the Savior did. Because that’s what He does.

As we face the hard storms of life, the cloudy dark moments—the times when we think we won’t possibly make it through—we are tempted to think He has forgotten us, left us all alone here–BUT He hasn’t.

As the storm rages around you, remember God is there, too.

Pray with Us
Dear God, thank you for being with me even when the storm is raging. In Jesus’ name. Amen
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Come join the Adventure!

Skip 🕊️

We know from the Bible that Sickness and disease are a result of our fallen condition, separated from God and is also the work of Satan…

How does Satan Brings Sickness and Suffering?

I believe that Satan works in three major ways to bring sickness and suffering on people:

1. Satan causes sickness directly.

An obvious tactic is demonization. For example, approximately 25 percent of Jesus’ healings as recorded in the Gospel of Mark involve demons.

The direct influence of the devil is explicitly demonstrated when Jesus healed a crippled woman and was scolded by a synagogue leader for doing it on the Sabbath.

Jesus said, “Ought not this woman being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” (Luke 13:16).

Satan’s direct role is also explicit in the case of Job.

What percentage of sickness is directly caused by Satan we do not know, but unquestionably much is.

2. Satan indirectly uses the natural results of the Fall to cause sickness and suffering.

He uses bacteria, viruses, malnutrition, accidents, fights, poison, old age, rapists, murderers and on and on.

In all probability most sickness falls into this category.

3. Satan tempts people to fall into sin, and God at times uses sickness to punish them for it.

There are many examples in the Old Testament of plagues, which God sent on His own people to punish them for sin.

When some Israelites rebelled against Moses and Aaron, God sent a plague and killed 14,700 (see Num. 16:45-50).

Then God killed another 50,070 Israelites at Beth Shemesh when they disobeyed Him by looking into the ark of the Lord (see 1 Sam. 6:19), just to cite two examples.

In the New Testament, God made Elymas the sorcerer blind as part of a power encounter (see Acts 13:6-12).

In Corinth some believers were sick and some had died as a result of abusing the Lord’s supper (see I Cor. 11:30), by not Discerning the body in the blood of our Lord.

In 1 Corinthians 11:29, Paul tells us,

“For he who eats and DRINKS in an UNWORTHY manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.”

Unworthy is an advert modifying the action which is DRINKS.

By failing to discern the reason for the stripes and the cross they fail to receive the benefits of it, and so some were still sick and some have died.

The Bible tells us that the Devil Comes to Steal, Kill, and Destroy!

And so no matter what the immediate cause, the usual outcomes of sickness are pain, suffering and death, all of which are the works of Satan.

What Jesus did for us on the cross is absolutely incredible.

Isaiah 53:5 says,

“But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes we are healed.”
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What does “by His stripes” mean exactly?

This verse prophetically looked forward hundreds of years into what was then yet future to a day when Jesus Christ would literally become the suffering servant Isaiah talked about.

We know that Jesus Christ before He was put upon a cross received stripes upon His back.

Those stripes were a result of a cat of nine tails.

Those stripes were administered by a Roman Soldier who literally took that whip and beat Jesus back with it until stripes appeared.

Those stripes were severe — 39 times the whip came down.

If we believe that Jesus death on the cross provides us with forgiveness from transgressions,

And if we believe His death provides atonement for our iniquities,

And if we believe that His death was the chastisement of God upon Him for our peace with God.

Then we have to believe the last phrase of this verse that says, “BY HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED.”

In fact, Peter writes and sees what Jesus did on the whipping post as a finished work.

Jesus said, “It is finished” before He died.

He completed what was necessary on the cross for divine healing to be administered in the world.

1 Peter 2:24 puts it this way, “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you WERE healed.”

Not are healed, but WERE healed!

In other words, the work for your healing has already been finished. Your healing is available.

Many times we have to contend for that healing though because the enemy will resist.

Our part is to continue praying and believing, hanging on to the trustworthiness and reliability of both God in His Word, that would he promises you He’ll bring the past.

SELAH (let us pause and calmly think about these things)

Come join the Adventure!

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“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6)…

Mary Did You Know?

The child born of a human virgin is Immanuel, which means “God with us” (Isa. 7:14; 9:6a).

He was a human child born of a human virgin, yet He was also the very God.

Isaiah was written about seven hundred years before Christ’s incarnation, yet it speaks of a child born who would be the very God.

Gabriel Visits Mary

“Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”
(Luke 1:38)

Mary responded submissively to God’s will, as Hannah had (1 Sam. 1:11, where the same Greek word, doule, “servant,” or “slave-girl,” occurs in the Septuagint).

Even though Gabriel’s announcement was good news, it was also bad news.

Mary would bear the Messiah, but her premarital pregnancy would bring misunderstanding and undeserved shame on her for the rest of her life (cf. Deut. 22:23-24).

Therefore her humble attitude is especially admirable (cf. Gen. 21:1, 7, 12; 30:34).

“There were three miracles of the Nativity [according to Martin Luther]:

1. That God became man,

2. That a virgin conceived, and

3. That Mary believed.

And the greatest of these was the last.”

In humble submission, Mary was now ready to serve God and follow His will.

As pregnancy had lifted Elizabeth’s disgrace it would soon bring the virgin Mary disgrace.

Both agreed to do what God required (see v. 25).

A young unmarried girl who became pregnant risked disaster.

Unless the father of the child agreed to marry her, she would probably remain unmarried for life.

If her own father rejected her, she could be forced into begging or prostitution in order to earn her living.

And Mary, with her story about becoming pregnant by the Holy Spirit, risked being considered crazy as well.

Still Mary said, despite the possible risks,

“Let it be to me according to your word.”

When Mary said that, she didn’t know about the tremendous opportunity she would have.

She only knew that God was asking her to serve Him, and she willingly obeyed.

Don’t wait to see the bottom line before offering your life to God.

Offer yourself willingly, even when the outcome seems disastrous.

Mary gives us an example of total devotion to the Lord in her answer to the angel Gabriel: “I am the Lord’s servant.

Are you willing to entrust your future to God, whatever it might bring you, in the knowledge that God has only your best interest at heart, to give you thoughts of peace and not of evil, and also to give you a future and a hope.

This is true for all of Us, the Abundant Life that we all are seeking can only happen as we fulfill the destiny that God has planned for us.

Ephesians 1:3-6
New King James Version

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,

5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
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What are your greatest dreams?

The Abundant Life and the Fulfillment of your Dreams will only happen as you surrender your all to God!

Remember God can do anything and there’s NOTHING impossible with Him.

Ask God to show you what He wants you to do, and then ask Him for the power and courage to do it.

SELAH (let us pause and calmly think about these things)
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Saturday, Dec 03
Today in the Word

A MONUMENTAL MEETING
by Kelli Worrall

A friend of mine recently signed up for an overseas mission trip.

During the training, she was excited to participate with her team. But as the departure date approached, her anxiety grew until she wondered if she could even make the trip.

It’s one thing to accept God’s call on your life. It can be another thing to walk it out.

Mary wasted no time in following the angel’s lead.

She put feet to her faith and traveled for three days (80–100 miles) to visit her cousin Elizabeth and confirm Gabriel’s news.

The meeting of these two mothers was a monumental event. Both women were experiencing miraculous pregnancies with eternal implications.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s first “hello” and the baby John kicked in her womb, he was already pointing the way to Jesus.

Elizabeth’s loud exclamation was not a result of her own emotion alone. It was directed by the Holy Spirit and full of humility.

Her posture toward Mary foreshadowed her son’s ministry as he pointed to Jesus.

Elizabeth overflowed with joy and awe.

She graciously blessed Mary and expressed her honor at being a part of God’s new work.

Mary then voiced her psalm of thanksgiving.

Verses 46 to 55, called the Magnificat, are rich in theology.

The first half contains Mary’s praise for God’s blessing to her.

Like Elizabeth, she expressed humility and honor at being chosen by God.

Then Mary pronounced a general praise to God for His actions and His character, demonstrated to all people throughout time.

She worshiped God for His eternal mercy and sovereign power—a power that defied human hierarchies.

He had dethroned proud earthly rulers, elevated the humble, and provided for His people.

In both Elizabeth and Mary, we find examples of how to respond to God’s call on our life—even when that call might come with hardship and cause us fear.

May we, too, put feet to our faith and humbly praise the God who continues to call.

PRAY WITH US

We, too, have been chosen to carry out Your purposes. Like Mary and Elizabeth, we glorify You, Lord, and rejoice in You, our Savior! May our joy in serving You forever increase.
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‘Tis is the season to come join the Adventure!

Skip 🕊️

God the Holy Spirit will lead you and teach you, in the way you should go…

“God speaks to us Moment by Moment through the things that are going on in our life.”
— Richard Foster

There are at least three different ways that God speaks to us:

1. Through His Word,

2. Through the Holy Spirit, and

3. Through our life circumstances.

This is sometimes called the synchronicity of God in our lives.

Here are some examples, in the Bible, where people were able to discern the voice of God through the circumstances, moment by moment in their lives.

For example, in Acts 16:6-7, Paul was trying to travel to different places, but when his way was blocked they concluded that God was the one who had directed them not to go:

“And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.”
(Acts 16:6)

Another biblical example of God using the circumstances of life to direct us towards where He wants us to go is found when Jesus was sending out his disciples:

“And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.” (Matthew 10:11-14)

So how were the disciples to know which house they should stay at on their missionary journeys?

Jesus said try to find out who is ready to host you, enter their house with a greeting, and then see what happens.

If the household shows you they are ready to help, then stay there. If the household turns out to not be willing to help, then leave it.

Jesus didn’t say, fast and pray until you receive a dream about which house you should stay in.

He said let the circumstances that unfold in your life lead you.

I ran across this quote some years ago and I have found it to be quite helpful in trying to discern the will of God in my life.

Note that number 4 deals with the providential circumstances that are going on in our life, being an indication of God’s direction.

It’s important not to stretch this method of hearing God and knowing His will too far. God does speak through the circumstances of our lives, but we still have to be careful how we interpret “what” God is saying through the circumstances.

Everything centers around the Word of God, which is God’s plumbline for us to discern true for error.

God will never lead you to do anything that will contradict His Word.
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DISCERNING THE WILL OF GOD
by George Mueller

1. I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has not will of its own in regard to a given matter.

Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord’s will, whatever it may be.

When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.

2. Having done this, I do not leave the result to feeling or simple impressions.

If so, I make myself liable to great delusions.

3. I seek the will of the Spirit of God through or in connection with the Word of God.

The Spirit and the Word must be combined.

If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions also.

“4. Next I take into account providential circumstances.

These plainly indicate God’s will in connection with His Word and Spirit.

“5. I ask God in prayer to reveal His will to me aright.

“6. Thus through prayer to God, the study of the Word, and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment according to the best of my ability and knowledge, and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly.

In trivial matters and in transactions involving most important issues, I have found this method always effective.
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Isaiah 30:21

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’ ”

SELAH (let us pause and calmly think about these things)
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Sunday, Dec 03
DAILY MEDITATION
by Henri Nouwen

GOD IS A GOD OF THE PRESENT

The real enemies of our life are the “oughts” and the “ifs.”

They pull us backward into the unalterable past and forward into the unpredictable future.

But real life takes place in the here and the now.

God is a God of the present. God is always in the moment, be that moment hard or easy, joyful or painful.

When Jesus spoke about God, he always spoke about God as being where and when you are.

“When you see me, you see God.

When you hear me, you hear God.”

God is not someone who was or will be, but the One who is, and who is for me in the present moment.

That’s why Jesus came to wipe away the burden of the past and the worries of the future.

He wants us to discover God right where we are, here and now.
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Come join the Adventure!

Skip 🕊️

Sometimes things have to be believed before you can see them manifest in your life…

Remember that the definition of faith is it’s the SUBSTANCE of things you’re HOPING for that’s evidenced by things NOT SEEN in the natural (Heb 11:1).

Faith means that you begin to see things as real with your sanctified imagination and you began to speak of it as real, even in spite of every contradictory feeling or circumstance, all based on the trustworthiness and reliability of God and His Word, that when God gives you a promise He has the power to bring that to pass in your life, in the knowledge that His Word will NOT return to Him void.

Listen to what father Abraham said on this subject:

Romans 4:16-21
New Living Translation

16 So the promise is received by faith.

It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s.

For Abraham is the father of all who believe.

17 That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.”

This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

18 Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations.

For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”

19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.

20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise.

In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.

21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever He promises.
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Notice in verse 17 how God calls those things that do not exist as though they did.

He changed Abram (exalted father) to Abraham (father of a multitude). Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Everything exists in two realms; first the spiritual and then the natural.

God spoke the world into existence from things unseen with words.

And all through the creation account of Genesis, nothing came into existence until God said it!

With us being created in God’s image and after His likeness, our words that come out of our mouth, which are an expression of our faith, will produce either good or evil, life or death; and they have a creative force behind them (Prov 18:21).

Jesus tells us that you shall have WHATSOEVER YOU SAY.

Mark 11:22-25
New King James Version

22 So Jesus answered and said to them,

“Have faith in God!

23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
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Hebrews 11:3 (NLT) By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. (Hebrews 11:3-NLT).

To put this together, I must speak what God says about me and my life even when it doesn’t seem that it is true.

It’s all based on us receiving and believing the promise of His Word, in that God never tells us to ask Him for things He doesn’t want us to have (1 John 5:14-15).

I must say I believe I’m healed according to the Word while the symptoms get worse in my body.

I must say my God is meeting all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus while the bills are piling up.

I must say in all these things I am more than a conqueror through Him who loved me while I feel defeated.

I must say He promised to never leave me or forsake me even when I feel alone!

Faith receives before it sees the results.

It believes that it has something before there is any manifestation of the answer to prayer.

And it talks the way it wants things to be, not the way they are!

SELAH (let us pause and calmly think about these things)

Click on link below:

TAKE YOUR HEALING BY FAITH, by Gloria Copeland

Come join the Adventure!

Skip 🕊️

Jesus is my all in all…

Ephesians 1:15-23
Living Bible

15 That is why, ever since I heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and of the love you have for Christians everywhere,

16-17 I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you wisdom to see clearly and really understand who Christ is and all that he has done for you.

18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can see something of the future he has called you to share.

I want you to realize that God has been made rich because we who are Christ’s have been given to him!

19 I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great His power is to help those who believe Him.

It is that same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in heaven,

21 far, far above any other king or ruler or dictator or leader.

Yes, His honor is far more glorious than that of anyone else either in this world or in the world to come.

22 And God has put all things under His feet and made Him the supreme Head of the Church—

23 which is His body, filled with Himself, the Author and Giver of everything everywhere.
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Do you remember the story of the Transfiguration?

Jesus was up on the mountain with Peter, James and John.

All of a sudden Jesus became transfigured before their eyes. His face shone like the sun and his clothes as white as the light.

Then Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with Jesus.

Peter wanted to make this experience last forever by setting up a campsite.

But a cloud overshadowed them, and God spoke and said how pleased He was with His Son.

The disciples were so afraid they fell on their faces.

Jesus assured them that everything was okay. And when they lifted up their eyes they saw no one but Jesus only. (Mat 17:1-8)

It’s all about Jesus and our intimacy with Him, through the Holy Spirit who lives inside each one of us.

It’s All About us learning to let go and let God in our life.

Submitting all to God, even our very lives and making Him numeral uno in every area of our life!

SELAH (let us pause and calmly think about these things)
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Wednesday, Nov 30
My Utmost for His Highest
by Oswald Chambers

“BY THE GRACE OF GOD I AM WHAT I AM”

“By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain…”
—1 Corinthians 15:10

The way we continually talk about our own inabilities is an insult to our Creator.

To complain over our incompetence is to accuse God falsely of having overlooked us.

Get into the habit of examining from God’s perspective those things that sound so humble to men.

You will be amazed at how unbelievably inappropriate and disrespectful they are to Him.

We say things such as, “Oh, I shouldn’t claim to be sanctified; I’m not a saint.”

But to say that before God means, “No, Lord, it is impossible for You to save and sanctify me; there are opportunities I have not had and so many imperfections in my brain and body; no, Lord, it isn’t possible.”

That may sound wonderfully humble to others, but before God it is an attitude of defiance.

Conversely, the things that sound humble before God may sound exactly the opposite to people.

To say, “Thank God, I know I am saved and sanctified,” is in God’s eyes the purest expression of humility.

It means you have so completely surrendered yourself to God that you know He is true.

Never worry about whether what you say sounds humble before others or not.

But always be humble before God, and allow Him to be your all in all.

There is only one relationship that really matters, and that is your personal relationship to your personal Redeemer and Lord.

If you maintain that at all costs, letting everything else go, God will fulfill His purpose through your life.

One individual life may be of priceless value to God’s purposes, and yours may be that life.
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The hardest thing to do when you’re in a rut is to break free…

For sure it will take most of our energy to do this.

One of the ways that the enemy can gain power in a believer’s life is to have him or her believe that what he says is true.

Jesus called the “Snake,” this” “Turkey” the “Father of liars,” and so you NEVER want to believe anything he says!

But when push comes to shove, as it often does, and you’re faced with the hard realities of your life and the seeming contradiction that you see all around you that seems to go against God’s promises, that’s the time you draw the line in the sand and this is where the battle begins.

Our assignment is to walk by faith and not by sight.

Faith is action, based upon belief in God and the truth of God’s Word, sustained by confidence that when God promises something God will keep that promise… our part is to believe and to give God the first fruits of every morning!

All of this underscores the importance of getting our head on right each morning…

The alarm clock sounds. It is time to get up quickly from bed.

The moment has arrived to offer the first sacrifice to our Lord.

The body says, “No, not yet!” but the soul says, “Yes! It is time!”

And the most important part, the soul, must conquer.

It is the first of the many affirmations of love that, with God’s help, are to come throughout the day.

It is not a matter of thinking that we are better than others, but of struggling with ourselves, aware that the sweetest victory is over ourselves, when it is offered to God.

Conquer yourself each day from the very first moment, get­ting up on the dot, at a set time, without granting a single minute to laziness.

If, with the help of God, you conquer yourself in that moment, you’ll have accomplished a great deal for the rest of the day.

It’s so discouraging to find yourself beaten in the first skirmish!

Mark tells us, “And in the morning, a great while before day, He [Jesus] rose and went out to a lonely place, and there He prayed” (1:35).

It is in this fashion that our Lord has taught us how to begin the day aright.

This is a good moment to say, “I shall serve!” in daring response to Satan’s suggestion: “I will not serve!”

Together with these first offerings, there could be the first prayer addressed to the entire “company of veiled spectators.”

First among them is the Triune God, to whom we will offer our entire day, each in our own fashion.

Let this be our focus at the start of each day, that… “All my thoughts, all my words, all the actions of this day, I offer to You, Lord, and all out of Love.”



This is all about our learning to start each day in the rhythm of the Holy Spirit; and to maintain that connection and follow His lead throughout the remainder of each day.

SELAH (let us pause and calmly think about these things)

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God gave His ALL, in Jesus Christ, to make all of this possible, and so in view of all that God has done for us, may the words of this song be our prayer…

Did you know that you are God’s treasure?

The parable of the treasure in the field appears in Matthew 13:44-45.

Who or what does it represent?

I used to think that the man who found the treasure in the field and the merchant who found the pearl of great value refer to believers.

When they found God (the treasure and the pearl), they give up everything to believe in and follow God.

After further study of these verses, it became very clear to me that It was actually God who bought us with Jesus.

He sent Jesus to be the atonement and sacrifice to reconcile us to Himself.

I realised that I can offer NOTHING to “buy” God. God cannot be BOUGHT!

The man and the merchant, referred to in this parable, refer to God Himself, He was the one who sold everything (Jesus) to obtain the field and therefore the right to the treasure.

And He was the merchant who sold EVERYTHING to buy the pearl of great value.

The value of anything is determined by what people are willing to pay for it.

As God began to open up the meaning of these verses to me, I began to realize that the greatest price ever paid for anything in the history of the world was the price that God the Father paid that our sins may be forgiven and that we could be reconciled back into His family.

That price was Jesus. God sold EVERYTHING in order to buy me.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER would believe in Him (was born-again and receive Him as both LORD and SAVIOR of their life), that they alone should have eternal life.

God paid the price, in full on Calvary’s Cross, that ONLY those people, who are born-again can be saved and reconciled back into God’s family!

The rhema revelation in the above scripture is that God is talking to each one of us, individually; and He would have given the life of His Son if we were the only one in the world to benefit from it.

Just as we read about Abraham, in Genesis 22, when he was asked to sacrifice Isaac.

Abraham and Sarah had waited all their life, until it was physically impossible, in the natural, for Sarah to bear children.

In Romans 4:16-22 we are told, speaking of Abraham the father of faith…

“That God’s blessings are given to us by faith, as a free gift; we are certain to get them whether or not we follow Jewish customs if we have faith like Abraham’s, for Abraham is the father of us all when it comes to these matters of faith.

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say that God made Abraham the father of many nations.

God will accept all people in every nation who trust God as Abraham did.

And this promise is from God himself, who makes the dead live again and speaks of future events with as much certainty as though they were already past.

So, when God told Abraham that he would give him a son who would have many descendants and become a great nation, Abraham believed God even though such a promise just couldn’t come to pass!

And because his faith was strong, he didn’t worry about the fact that he was too old to be a father at the age of one hundred, and that Sarah his wife, at ninety, was also much too old to have a baby.

But Abraham never doubted. He believed God, for his faith and trust grew ever stronger, and he praised God for this blessing even before it happened.

He was completely sure that God was well able to do anything he promised.

And because of Abraham’s faith God forgave his sins and declared him “not guilty.”
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You have to know how precious Isaac was to both Abraham and Sarah, after so many years of waiting and then finally having God do this wonderful miracle, and do they impossible, in order to honor His promise that he had given to them 25 years ago, when Abraham was 75 years old.

The lesson here is that, whatever promise God has given us, though it may not come when we are expecting it, but nevertheless, it will eventually come to pass, if we keep our hope, trust and reliance upon Jesus, and hold on to our faith!

God was testing Abraham here, and another lesson that we can learn from these verses is that when God gives you a gift, it doesn’t really become yours to enjoy, until you give it back to Him.

As this story turned out, in Genesis 22, God’s spared Isaac, but 1800 years later was when God the Father offered His only begotten Son, for us on Calvary’s Cross.

This gift of salvation, so it comes to us free of charge, it did not come cheap!

So as it says in Romans 8:32,

“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”

God’s plan for us cost Him dearly.

He “did not spare His own Son” (cf. Gen. 22).

Having made the greatest possible sacrifice for us already, we can be assured that He will also do WHATEVER else may be necessary (“give us all things”) to conform us to the image of His Son (cf. 2 Pet. 1:3).

Do you ever think that because you aren’t good enough for God, He will not save you?

Do you ever feel as if salvation is for everyone else but you?

Then these verses are especially for you.

If God gave His Son for you, He isn’t going to hold back the gift of salvation!

If Jesus gave His life for you, why would He turn around and condemn you?

He will not withhold anything you need to live for Him.

The book of Romans is more than a theological explanation of God’s redeeming grace—it is a letter of comfort and confidence addressed to both you and me.

So with all of this in mind, let’s read the following scripture, taken from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus is instructing His disciples how to live a life that is dedicated to and pleasing to God, free from hypocrisy, full of love and grace, full of wisdom and discernment.

Matthew 6:6-15, 25-31
The Message Bible

6 “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God.

Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage.

The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.

7-13 “The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant.

They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God.

Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need.

With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.

Set the world right;
Do what’s best—
as above, so below.

Keep us alive with three square meals.

Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.

Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.

You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!

You’re ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.”

14-15 “In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do.

You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others.

If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part.

25-26 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion.

There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.

Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God.

And you count far more to him than birds.

27-29 “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch?

All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference?

Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers.

They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it?

The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?

What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving.

People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works.

Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions.

Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

SELAH (let us pause and calmly think about these things)

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A Call to Worship and Obedience…

Read Psalm 95

Everything that has been created gives glory to God.

The psalm writer encouraged the people to bring an offering of worship to God.

With dramatic beginning, the psalmist invites all God’s people,

“Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD!”

The entire congregation is called to sing for joy to God, who alone is worthy to be praised.

How celebrative and exuberant the saints should be in worshipping the Lord.

Inviting all believers, he says, let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation, a metaphor referring to the rock from which the water in the wilderness flowed (Exod.
17:1-7; Num. 20:1-13).

Ultimately, the rock is God Himself , the people’s steadfast sufficiency and security.

They should come before Him with thanksgiving and express humble gratitude for His abundant provision, while magnifying His name with music and song.

Singing expresses God’s truth in a way that stirs the soul of the worshipper.

True religion is not stoic, leaving worshippers emotionally flat, but it ignites the affections of the heart, especially with joy.

These introductory verses call on the congregation to glorify the Lord in song for His salvation.

The phrase “rock of our salvation” combines the ideas of security and deliverance.

God is One who gives security by providing deliverance from danger.

SELAH (let us pause and calmly think about these things)
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Saturday, Nov 26
Inspiration Ministries

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THANKFUL WORSHIP

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