10. July 2010 by admin.

Imagine the privilege of being one of Jesus’ disciples. Being able to spend all that time with Him. Yet when Jesus was leaving He said, “It is for your good that I am going away.” What could be better than being with Jesus 24/7? The indwelling Holy Spirit. We can see the truth of this in how the disciples acted in the four Gospels compared to how they lived in the book of Acts. What made the difference was the Holy Spirit. This truth becomes real to me every morning when on my knees the presence of the Holy Spirit fills my soul. Sometimes all I can do is kneel in awe because words are lost. Other times I can only offer up thanksgiving. His presence is overwhelming, divine, heavenly and extraordinary. In His presence the flesh is eclipsed, the world fades, concerns disappear and all that is left is Him. There must of been moments when the disciples just stared at Jesus in wonder, pinching themselves that they were in the company of God. Now it’s true for us. This is why prayer is so vital, don’t avoid it, don’t put it off, don’t get caught up in the rut of reciting roat prayer. Just seek Him, worship Him, concentrate on Him, make Him the goal of your prayers, not your need, and you will begin to experience the beauty of  His presence in your prayer life.

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9. July 2010 by admin.

God appeared to Gideon and said, “you are a mighty man of God.”  Gideon was shocked and couldn’t believe God. Why? Because Gideon allowed his circumstances and his family history to form his self-image. Gideon thought he was insignificant, a nobody. Even when God personal appeared and spoke to him, it still was not enough to change his thinking about himself. And this is what we do also, week after week we hear sermons, read our Bibles, sing worship songs all telling us how God loves us and has freed us, yet we continue to live with low self-esteem. The words of God just roll of our minds. What can change this? When we start believing God’s word more than our circumstances and our own thinking about ourselves. Make up your mind today to stop believing the lies your were taught and chose to believe God’s word whether you feel like it or not. It will change your life as it did for Gideon.

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8. July 2010 by admin.

So often we think that God is displeased with us, or that He is thinking negatively about us. It’s not that were conscious of it, but somehow it’s part of our religious culture that we have picked up throughout life. Yet listen to this amazing verse in Hebrews 2:11, “So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.” Jesus is calling us family, brothers and spirit-blood relatives, but even more amazing is that Jesus is not ashamed of us. That’s so often our fear, but the love of God comes shining through again. He is proud to call us family, as a matter of fact verse 13 tells us that Jesus is presenting us to His Father as a proud Elder Brother. God is not thinking negatively about us, He is thinking love thoughts, good thoughts, and He is thinking that right now. As David said, “For the Lord takes delight in his people.” Let this bring you joy today as you see God in a new light.

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7. July 2010 by admin.

We often think we know  what God is thinking about us, which is why He says to us in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you…” We tend to project our negative feelings on to Him, and therefore think He is thinking negativity about us. But this verse goes on to say, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Even when Israel was in full rebellion, God’s love came shining through. And it’s the same for us, God is thinking love thoughts about us. This is the good news Jesus came to tell us.

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6. July 2010 by admin.

It’s not only a question of what we think God is thinking, but also, what are we thinking. Proverbs says, “As a man thinks, so is he.” My father use to call me , “Dummy”, when I was young. Over time I came to believe that I was a dummy, and when I brought my grades home from school I proved that I was a dummy. Even when I was in graduate school earning top grades I still believed I was a dummy. It wasn’t until God revealed to me that I have the mind of Christ, that I realized I was no longer a dummy. It forever changed by attitude about myself, it set me free from insecurity and gave me confidence in what God had called me to do. I was able to receive compliments from people rather then reject them. Think God thoughts and it will also forever change your life and outlook.

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5. July 2010 by admin.

The story of the prodigal son is a good reminder of God’s grace in our lives. After he had wasted all his wealth and had to take a job as a pig farmer, he began to see himself as an unworthy person. His circumstances had a devastating effect on his self-image. When he came to his father he said, “Father, I am unworthy to be called your son, make me a servant.” But his father said, “Son.” The father did not consider him unworthy, and our Heavenly Father never sees us as unworthy also, even though we allow circumstances or people to make us feel less than human. We are what God has made us to be through the new birth, and our job is to believe it regardless of what the devil says, what people say or what our circumstances are. Your are His child!

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4. July 2010 by admin.

In 2 Samuel chapter 22 David recalls all the blessings of the Lord, and one of them is His protection. Is it not amazing that after all of the battles David had in his life that he never received one wound. He was in hundreds of battles over a period of 30 years and yet he never suffered a single scratch. No wonder David said God was His rock, His fortress, His deliverer. We have experienced the same protection over our 25 years of ministry. We have traveled millions of miles on planes, in cars, on boats, in taxi’s, riding bicycles, walking, on trains, subways and rickshaws, and yet have never had a single accident. This is the goodness of the Lord. We have always prayed the 91 Psalms over our lives and believe that He does bless our going out and our coming in. We need to have faith in God for protection as well as for healing, finances or any other area of life.

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3. July 2010 by admin.

Whatever happened to Saul? He started out with such great promise as the first King of Israel, but it wasn’t long before God was displeased with him. His decline started with how he saw himself, a victim. 1 Samuel 22:8, “Is that why you have all conspired against me? No one tells me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is concerned about me to tells me that my son has incited my servant to lie in wait for me as he does today.” This is a typical Saul statement, blaming everybody else for his problems and accusing them of not being loyal to him as their king. These kind of statements are designed to make everybody feel guilty for not doing something or not loving  enough. This is how a victim thinks. They are never at fault, everybody else is. But Jesus came to give us a victor mindset, a mentality that believes we are loved and we don’t have to manipulate others to express feelings of loyalty. A mindset that takes responsibility and is willing to repent when wrong. A victor attitude that trusts God to supply all our needs rather then believing the world owns us a living. A victim uses self pity to get what they want, a victor uses faith to receive what God wants to give. Don’t give in to feeling sorry for yourself, it kills faith and robs joy. Rather, take responsibility and choose to believe that God will supply the answer.

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2. July 2010 by admin.

There is a framed postcard sitting on my bookshelves that has challenged me many times. It reads, “One individual life may be of priceless value to God’s purposes, and you may be that life.” (O. Chambers.)We often forget the price Jesus paid for us on the cross and the significances we have in God’s redemptive plan. The mundane of life saps the vitality of our faith and we no longer see the value in our life. Let these words wake you up to the value God has in you and the lives He wants to change through you. Not only is Jesus priceless, but you are too in His eyes and plan. Go make a difference today!

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1. July 2010 by admin.

The whole world is crying out for love, real love. And there are book, courses, seminars, hosts for TV shows that all say they have the answer. But today I discovered the secret to how a person can have true love. I was wrting my book on being married and this was it, 1 John 2:5,”But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him.” WOW, who would have thought obedience was the key.

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