Two Gates-Two Paths

Many look at life and exclaim “Life is Good!” as if their existence is simply about having a good time. They go on living each day without any concern for their eternal destination as they engage themselves in the world’s current affairs. Throwing themselves into the pleasures of the world has become their reason for living. Their only gratification comes from their weekend leisure. Conviction is thrown by the wayside and they lash out at anyone who disapproves of their immoral choices.

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How to Gain Victory Over the Flesh

The Bible says that they that are in the flesh cannot please God. It also says that there is none that doeth good and sinneth not. First, what is meant by the word “flesh”? Often we use the word to mean our body. We need to understand that we are a threefold being. We are a fleshly body; we have a mind, which is our will, emotions, and intellect; and we are a spirit.

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I know what FLUFF is…and I Know What Fluff Isn’t!

I grew up very typical, in a typical town, typical church, no need to get into what religion, that is not the important thing here. I know there are a gazillion girls out there just like me, brought up like me, who may have been happy to let the family bible collect dust. This didn’t make me a bad person. I suspect many with a similar upbringing are good people, well meaning, thoughtful most of the time, sort of living in the moment, happy to float through life. But, I never considered that God might have more and want more for me than just floating.

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Water for the parched and weary land

By Kathleen D. Angell
I was in a circumstance today that I realized how much the Body of Christ can be thirsty for Love.
I’m often not attentive to others needs. Maybe it is a child’s or a teens needs, or just someone there in my day, that they just needed to know a touch of Jesus’ [...]

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You Made Me Lord ~ Psalm 139, Part 3

By Lauryn Abbott
“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marveloushow well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark [...]

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You’re With Me Lord – Psalm 139, Part 2

Have you ever felt as if God has abandoned you, that when you reach out to Him, He’s just not there? I have. There are times when the darkness is so dark and the storm is so violent that you feel you’ll never make it out, you feel like you won’t survive. You even wonder, where is God in the midst of it all? But we can’t rely on or trust our feelings. They are fluid, constantly changing, and influenced by our own limited and faulty perceptions. Feelings waver, truth does not!

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You Know Me Lord ~ Psalm 139, Part 1

This Psalm (139) is probably my most favorite of all the Psalms. I have read it many times throughout my Christian journey. It has given me comfort and assurance in ways that are both deep and profound. It is Rhema to me, life-giving words to live by. Just today I read it again. Once more, it has jumped out at me, specifically the part posted above.

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The Tolerance of Evil

We seem to always want know how to harmonize God’s justice, holiness and truth with His “love, mercy and compassion”[2] (i.e., if God is so good, why does he allow injustice and evil?). Though, we seldom reverse the terms and want to know how to harmonize his “love, mercy and compassion” with His justice, holiness and truth.[3] (i.e., if God is so just, why does He bear with rebellious and sinful people so long and why especially was He willing to put our sins on His Son, Jesus, that they who believe on Him might be completely pardoned of all wrongdoing?)

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One True God

Jer. 10:1-16 The gods that men create from wood or gold or silver are just that; dead wood, shiny gold, or polished silver. No matter how fancy or breath taking beautiful, they are dead, they cannot speak, they cannot walk, they have to be carried, in judgments fire, they become nothing but ashes. You cannot mix their teachings with those of Christ and think it is Christian; it is nothing but nonsense, a bunch of lies.

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I Need to Trust Myself Trusting in God

Help me to live out what you mean when you say that you desire mercy and not perfect sacrifices. Help me to place my hope in you by hoping in the rightness and goodness of whatever you direct me to do.

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Loneliness

By Stanley Hasegawa

Loneliness is about alien-ness, distance, disconnectedness, helplessness, forsakenness all shot through with a painful sense of not being valued or loved.

Loneliness can happen to us when we are aliens, strangers.

“He was in the world, and the world was created by him, but the world did not recognize him.” (John 1:10)

If Jesus our Lord was treated as a stranger by the world, we will be too.

We may experience a season of loneliness because of the loss of a loved one. This is especially true of widows and orphans because they often become simultaneously alien (they need to relate to others differently from before), disconnected, helpless (financially insecure) and in a sense forsaken.

We may experience a season of loneliness because of betrayal or abandonment.

“But this has happened so that the scriptures of the prophets would be fulfilled. Then all the disciples left him and fled.” (Matthew 26:56)

We may experience a season of loneliness because of illness or criminal punishment.

“Around three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Mark 15:34)

We may experience loneliness because abuse and/or neglect have profoundly altered how we think of ourselves and the people around us. As children, it is too threatening for us to acknowledge that our parents truly reject us and abuse/neglect us. If this is true, our normal, everyday life becomes impossible to live into.

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Change Is A Choice!

Everyone in the place was sick or suffering from something. If we are honest about it we are just like those people. We are all suffering from something ourselves. Maybe it is something we can talk about, maybe it is something we keep hidden in our secret closet. The only difference between some of us and some of them is that we have made a decision to put our faith in Jesus and we have been healed. We have made a decision that no matter what it cost we are not going to stay in this same spot another year, two or even another day.

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Why is God Silent When You Need Him Most to Speak?

They reveal themselves by admitting they pray, plead, thank God for everything He has done. But SELDOM do I hear “I just get quiet and sit with Him.” They don’t understand…that is WHEN you HEAR from Him. In YOUR silence. In your quiet time…He will speak. Sometimes, He whispers.

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A Vibrant Whispering Voice

Barbara Weber is a single mother of four children living in Springfield Mo. Called to the ministry of evangelism she is currently working on her first book of poems designed to help the believer see their intimate need for Christ.

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Stepping out of the boat!

This story is an illustration of major problems that occur in the life of a believer and how to over come them. When you look at the boat it represents our faith in our safe place. Keeping us afloat. Just the same in our life. Which is our faith in Christ. But out of the blue we are stricken with a strong storm that brings forth problems that tend to beat upon our vessel. Leaving us fearful, worried and afraid. Not knowing how to escape the present situation.

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