Thought for the day

dems4me · Apr 20, 2005

If we are sharing... here's just some of my devotionals for the day :clap:

The Names of Christ* ~ T.C. Horton & Charles E. Hurlburt (Moody)
THE HOLY ONE OF GOD

I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. (Mark 1:24)

What a testimony coming from the lips of one possessed of an unclean spirit, Satan's tool, under his power. But the presence of Christ overawed him. "I know You who You are, the Holy One of God." This was not a willing testimony, but it was forced from him. Many men are devil-possessed, and the devil has powers accorded him, but Christ can hinder his followers, can cast out his demons and forbid their speaking (v. 34). How lovingly we should bow at the feet of the Holy One of God! May we fix our thoughts upon Him and say many times today as we walk and talk with Him,
"O Holy One of God, glorify Yourself through us and cleanse any impurities from us that we too may be made holy." Amen.

http://www.intouch.org/myintouch/devotional/index_76096.html (Expressions of God's Goodness)
http://www.kcm.org/studycenter/devotional/f2f/index.php (Be Supernatural God's Way)
http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/odb/odb.shtml (A God of Absolutes)
http://www.coralridge.org/nem/NEMdevotional.asp (Apostasy)
http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/utmost/ (Can a Saint Falsely Accuse God?)
http://www.bobgass.com/word/default.aspx (Money Matters)
Today's Promise: http://promises.blueletterbible.org/

FAITH AND TRUST
April 20, 2005
Casting All Your Cares
Therefore humble yourselves...casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. —1 Peter 5:6,7
Worry, anxiety, and care have no positive effect on our lives. They do not bring a solution to problems. They do not help us achieve good health, and they prevent our growth in the Word of God.

One of the ways that Satan steals the Word of God from our heart is through cares. The Bible says we are to cast our cares onto God, which is done by prayer. We cannot handle our own problems; we are not built for it. We are created by God to be dependent upon Him, to bring Him our challenges and to allow Him to help us with them.

We must not take the care upon ourselves. Keeping our cares is a manifestation of pride. It shows that we think we can solve our own problems and that we don't need the Lord.

We show our humility by leaning on God. Worry, anxiety, and care are not manifestations of leaning on God, but they clearly state by their mere existence that we are attempting to take care of ourselves.

Pray about everything and worry about nothing. You will enjoy life much more.
Pray This: "Father, show me each time I take a care instead of casting it. Then I will immediately cast it on You. In Jesus' name, amen."
Copyright ©1998-2003 Joyce Meyer Ministries. All rights reserved.

GOD'S WORD FOR GROWING IN PRAYER/Devotional Thoughts on Talking with God ~ Andrew Murray compilation (HumbleCreek)

DIFFICULT PRAYER
He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat
fell to the ground like great drops of blood. Luke 22:44

Have you ever noticed how much difficulties play a part in our life? They call forth our power as nothing else can. They strengthen character.

All nature has been so arranged by God that nothing is found without work and effort. Education is developing and disciplining the mind by new difficulties which the student must overcome. The moment a lesson has become easy, the student is advanced to one that is more difficult. It is in confronting and mastering difficulties that our highest accomplishments are found.

It is the same in our relationship with God. Imagine what the result would be if the child of God had only to kneel down, ask, get, and go away. Loss to the spiritual life would result. Through difficulties we discover how little we have of God's Holy Spirit. There we learn our own weakness and yield to the Holy Spirit to pray in us. There we take our place in Christ Jesus and abide in Him as our only plea with the Father. There our own will and strength are crucified. There we rise in Christ to newness of life. Praise God for the need and the difficulty of persistent prayer as one of His choice means of grace.

Think what Jesus owed to the difficulties in His path. He persevered in prayer in Gethsemane, and the prince of this world with all his temptation was overcome.

Lord Jesus, in persevering prayer may I walk with You and learn of crucifixion. May I share in the fellowship of Your cross. Amen
< < < + > > >

*They will call on My name and I will answer them. (Zech. 13:9) ...this glorious and awesome name... (Deut.28:58) Excellent is Your name! (Ps. 8:1) Hallowed be Your name. (Matt.6:9) For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them. (Matt. 18:20) Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:20) ...the name which is above every name. (Phil. 2:9) —
:cartwheel

BTW 2A I've been praying for you... unfortunatley as a democrat, I've been praying for the 2ndAmendment... :banghead:

I've been tricked

2ndAmendment · Apr 25, 2005

Which world do you live in?

Which world do you live in?

Do you consider yourself a Christian? Which world do you live in? Do you live in the Christian world or the worldly world? What is the difference? Do you cuss? Would you if Jesus was listening? Do you tell or post jokes you wouldn't want Jesus to listen to or read? Do you take something without paying for it? Would you if Jesus was watching? Is there anything you do in your life that you would not do if Jesus was next to you? Is there anything you think about that you would not if Jesus was reading your mind?

All people are sinners. God came as man to reconcile all of humanity to Him. As a Christian, you know that or should. Christians are sinners too. The differences between living in the worldly world and the Christian world are motive and attitude. Are you living to please God or living to fit in with those around you?

Christians should always live to please God. We don't, but we should. Real Christians hold the grace of Salvation as the most precious gift ever given. Real Christians will sin but strive (fight hard) not to sin. Real Christians don't sin because they can but because they made a mistake. Real Christians recognize sin in their lives and ask forgiveness and try to rectify any wrong committed. A real Christian strives to live life to obey God. That is living in the Christian world.

A person that calls themselves Christian but lives in the worldly world wants to fit in with everyone else. They figure that everyone sins, so it is no big deal if they sin too. They use the precious gift of Salvation as a license to sin. They choose to sin and then justify the sin because everyone sins and after all, they believe Jesus is real and go to church. They are choosing to live in the worldly world.

Satan knows Jesus is real. Belief in Jesus is more that just acknowledgment of His existence. It is yielding your own will to the will of God and accepting Jesus not only as Savior but as Lord. Being a true Christian means living your life like your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit ... because it is. Christians are instructed to live their lives differently from those of the world.

God does not want Christians to be lukewarm about loving and obeying Him.

Revelation 3

15'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 16'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.

17'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,

18I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.

19'Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.

I pray today that all who call themselves Christian will commit to living in the Christian world.

2ndAmendment · Apr 27, 2005

When God repeats Himself, it is important. I received this today. It is the same message that the Holy Spirit laid on my heart in my post about whether you live as a Christian in the Christian world or the worldly world.

posted with permission

If this devotional is a blessing to you, maybe you have a friend or family member that would like to start receiving this daily word. You can forward this to them, and they can use the following link to subscribe. www.liveprayer.com/signup.htm

DAILY DEVOTIONAL WEDNESDAY APRIL 27, 2005
(Romans 8:1, 5, 9, 13, Galatians 5:16-18, *Galatians 2:20)

***NEW WEBSITE! Liveprayer is excited to announce the launch a new website, www.prayerbyemail.com . This site is designed to be picked up in all of the search engines for people looking for prayer on the Internet. Prayer is a universally accepted concept people worldwide understand, and by being there to pray for people in their time of need, opens their life up to the Truth of God's Word and the hope we have in Christ. Please be praying that many people looking for prayer will find this new website.

Walking in the SPIRIT, not the flesh. A great historical event in 1918 was the Boston Red Sox winning baseball's World Series. After 86 years, last fall the Red Sox finally won the World Series again, sweeping the St.
Louis Cardinals 4 games to none. To even get to the World Series, Boston had to do something no team in the history of baseball had ever done, come back from an 0-3 deficit in a best of 7 series to win the American League Championship over their arch rival the New York Yankees.

After winning the 6th game of that historic series with the Yankees, Boston pitcher Curt Schilling who had been playing with an injured ankle gave an incredible testimony of Christ's strength. "Seven years ago I became a Christian, and tonight God did something amazing for me. I tried to be as tough as I could, and do it my way, Game 1, and I think we all saw how that turned out (Schilling was hit hard and lost the game). I knew that I wasn't going to be able to do this alone. And I prayed as hard as I could. I didn't pray to get a win or to make great pitches. I just prayed for the strength to go out there tonight and compete, and He gave me that. I can't explain to you what a feeling it was to be out there and to feel what I felt." What Curt was talking about was operating in God's strength, not his own. He was talking about what the Bible calls walking in the Sprit, not the flesh.

I am always amazed to find out who some of the 2 million people who subscribe to the Daily Devotional are. About a year ago I responded to an email from one subscriber who is a caddy on the PGA Tour. The PGA had a tournament in the Tampa area last October and I had a chance to spend some time over a few nights with Steve and several other caddies along with some of the players who are Christians and love the Lord. God has His people everywhere, and Jesus is WELL represented in professional golf. As we were talking about different issues during our time together, one of the men brought up Schilling's testimony and asked me what it really meant to allow God to have complete control over our life. He wanted to know how we do that in our day to day life.

I shared with them that this is exactly what Paul was talking about in Galatians 2 when He spoke of dying to self daily. It is the conscious act of dying to self and allowing the power of the Holy Spirit that indwells every Believer to have control over you. It is NOT a natural act and is something you must consciously do every day. We have to practice every day following the Lord until it becomes part of our daily life and who we are. The fact is, we practice sin until it becomes natural. Nobody wakes up one morning and decides to be an alcoholic, or drug addict, or engage in sex outside of marriage. We make the choice to commit sin and we "practice" sinning over and over until it becomes almost instinctive and part of our life.

Walking in the Spirit, allowing God to have control over our life at all times is also something we have to practice. We have to wake up each morning and consciously yield our lives to Christ. We have to pray and read the Word, spend time each day building up our relationship with the Lord. Over time, it starts to become instinctive, natural to walk in the Sprit instead of in the flesh. We become used to allowing God to guide our choices throughout the day. *You see my friend, when it is us, it doesn't work. When it is God, it works!!!

I love you and care about you so much. I am praying for you today to make that conscious choice each day to follow Paul's admonition to walk after the Spirit and not the flesh. It is amazing how incredibly easy life can become when we are living each day in HIS strength and not our own. When we allow the Holy Sprit to guide us through the day, there is a peace and a calm regardless whatever problems may arise. When God is in control, at the end of the day you aren't physically drained like you have been up for 72 hours without any sleep. Again, when God is in control of our life, we are operating in His strength, not ours. May you walk each day not in the flesh, but IN THE SPIRIT!

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

If I can help you in any way you can contact me through my personal email at bkeller@liveprayer.com

***I am excited to let you know that the Liveprayer Daily Devotional is now available via AUDIO each day. Simply go to http://www.liveprayer.com/DailyDevotionalAudio.html

(C) Copyright 2005, Bill Keller Ministries. All rights reserved.

Railroad · Apr 27, 2005

Good on ya, 2A! I hear, loud and clear.

2ndAmendment · May 5, 2005

If you are a Christian, this message is for you. It also can give a little insight into why non-Christians who are "world successful", "world intelligent", or rely only on self have a hard time accepting God and His plan.

posted with permission

If this devotional is a blessing to you, maybe you have a friend or family member that would like to start receiving this daily word. You can forward this to them, and they can use the following link to subscribe. www.liveprayer.com/signup.htm

DAILY DEVOTIONAL THURSDAY MAY 5, 2005 (Psalm 44:4-8)

"You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob. Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever." (Psalm 44:4-8 NIV)

"Through your name we trample our foes." I have a special message for each person reading these words today. It doesn't matter how old you are, where you live, how much you have or don't have, or what you may be facing in your life today, JESUS IS GOING TO LEAD YOU TO VICTORY OVER YOUR FOES! If your foe is sickness, Jesus is going to heal you! If your foe is divorce, Jesus is going to restore your marriage! If your foe is a lack of finances, Jesus is going to open the windows of Heaven and pour out an abundance of resources!

If your foe is alcohol, drugs, gambling, food, smoking, sex, shopping, or any other bondage, Jesus is going to set your free! If your foe is not having a job, Jesus is going to get you working. If your foe is your schoolwork, Jesus is going to help you with your studies. If your foe is losing weight, Jesus is going to give you the discipline to lose those extra pounds. If your foe is at your job, Jesus is going to give you favor and bless you in the work you do. If your foe is transportation, Jesus is going to get you new transportation.

If your foe is fear, Jesus is going to give you courage. If your foe is despair, Jesus is going to give you hope. If your foe is anger, Jesus is going to give you peace. If your foe is depression, Jesus is going to give you joy. If your foe is hatred, Jesus is going to give you love. If your foe is unforgiveness, Jesus is going to give you a forgiving heart. If your foe is worry, Jesus is going to give you that calm assurance. If your foe is death, Jesus has come to give you life everlasting. My freind, whatever your foe may be, JESUS IS GOING TO LEAD YOU TO VICTORY OVER YOUR FOES!

I want to give you a word of encouragement today. You can either let the problems of life defeat you, or you can let the giver of life defeat your problems. I know too many of you missed that one so one more time. You can either let the problems of life defeat you, or you can let the giver of life defeat your problems. You see my friend, God's Word tells us that the "battle is the Lord's." God's Word promises us that at the name of Jesus our enemies will be defeated. It is time for you to quit going through life like you have are defeated when the Bible proclaims that because of Jesus you are the victor!

The problem for many of you however, especially those who by the world's standards are "successful," is that you put too much trust in yourself and not enough trust in the Lord. I am going to give you a glimpse into my past life for a minute. One of the things that led to my rebellion against God during the '80s was the fact He blessed me abundantly at a very young age and I used the wonderful gifts and talents God gave me to build my own kingdom instead of building His Kingdom. You see, I became dependent on MY wisdom and abilities to get things done and left God out of the picture. When you are successful in this world, it is easy to get to a place where you think you don't have to depend on God or anyone else but yourself. It is only a matter of time before your world begins to crumble when you are on the throne.

That is one reason why I refuse to take advantage of all the existing business opportunities that would generate over $15 million annually for Liveprayer. While it would take all of the daily financial pressures off of me, would allow the ministry to expand at an incredible rate, it would change Liveprayer from a pure evangelistic ministry into just another business that happened to use ministry as its product. It would also make me dependant on the wisdom of man instead of having to trust the Lord each and every day.

That is why God's Word tells us over and over to not trust in our own understanding, to not trust in man, but to trust in the Lord. Joshua was a mighty military man. He understood the art of war. I have no doubt that he had a great plan for taking down the walls of Jericho. But when it came time to take that city, it was NOT the wisdom of Joshua that took down the walls of Jericho, it was the plan of God! It is not your bow or your sword that is going to give you victory over your enemies, it is the name of the LORD!

I love you and care about you so much. I pray today that you will be encouraged by this message and realize that Jesus has already defeated your foes, whoever and whatever they may be. The reality is, today, this very moment, you are in the middle of whatever battles you are fighting in your life. You are probably weary of fighting, wondering where God is, and can't see how you will ever get victory. THAT IS WHY GOD IS SENDING THIS MESSAGE TO YOU TODAY! It is like the cavalry coming over the hill with their trumpets blasting!

God wants you to know that He has not forsaken you and that if you will simply trust in the name of the Lord, it is the name of JESUS that is going to give you victory over your enemies and put our adversaries to shame!!!

Together, we are making a difference for the Kingdom of God. The exciting thing is that we are just scratching the surface of those we can reach. The time is now, the hour has come, and we are here to be a bold and visible voice to this lost and hurting world that Jesus Christ is the Lord of Lords, and King of Kings!!!

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

If I can help you in any way you can contact me through my personal email at bkeller@liveprayer.com

(C) Copyright 2005, Bill Keller Ministries. All rights reserved

2ndAmendment · Sep 19, 2005

1 John 1:9

9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

2ndAmendment · Jan 11, 2009

Consider this from the writings of the preacher and theologian from the 1800's Charles Spurgeon

Spurgeon writes: "Perseverance is the badge of true saints. The Christian life is not a beginning only in the ways of God, but also a continuance in the same as long as life lasts. It is with a Christian as it was with the great Napoleon: he said, "Conquest has made me what I am, and conquest must maintain me." So, under God, dear brother in the Lord, conquest has made you what you are, and conquest must sustain you. Your motto must be, "Excelsior." He only is a true conqueror, and shall be crowned at the last, who continueth till war's trumpet is blown no more. Perseverance is, therefore, the target of all our spiritual enemies. The world does not object to your being a Christian for a time, if she can but tempt you to cease your pilgrimage, and settle down to buy and sell with her in Vanity Fair. The flesh will seek to ensnare you, and to prevent your pressing on to glory. "It is weary work being a pilgrim; come, give it up. Am I always to be mortified? Am I never to be indulged? Give me at least a furlough from
this constant warfare." Satan will make many a fierce attack on your perseverance; it will be the mark for all his arrows. He will strive to hinder you in service: he will insinuate that you are doing no good; and that you want rest. He will endeavour to make you weary of suffering, he will whisper, "Curse God, and die." Or he will attack your steadfastness: "What is the good of being so zealous? Be quiet like the rest; sleep as do others, and let your lamp go out as the other virgins do." Or he will assail your doctrinal sentiments: "Why do you hold to these denominational creeds? Sensible men are getting more liberal; they are removing the old landmarks: fall in with the times." Wear your shield, Christian, therefore, close upon your armour, and cry mightily unto God, that by His Spirit you may endure to the end."

msqtech · Jan 14, 2009

Mark 11:24-25

24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any one; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your trespasses"

I believe in prayer and the answers I receive...though the answers are not always what I think I am searching for.

Forgiveness is the hardest thing.
I keep a list of all the things I am trying to forgive. I think if we do this we can learn compassion and keep grace in our hearts.

In this day with so much going wrong and so many things in the World so out of place and against peace we need to be non-judgmental and let God do the sorting.

Sometimes I think we need to awaken each day with Joy and give a prayer for forgiveness.

Thought for the day

dems4me

Guest

2ndAmendment

Just a forgiven sinner

2ndAmendment

Just a forgiven sinner

Railroad

Routinely Derailed

2ndAmendment

Just a forgiven sinner

2ndAmendment

Just a forgiven sinner

2ndAmendment

Just a forgiven sinner

msqtech

Citizen