TODAY'S MEDITATION FROM DARIA: CHOOSE LIFE

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Choose life … (Deuteronomy 30:19)

The Israelites were just about to enter the Promised Land. Forty years of waiting and wandering had finally come to an end, and Moses was preparing the people for the next phase of their history: the time when God would bring them into a land flowing with milk and honey.

So standing before the Israelites, Moses issued them the most important challenge they would ever hear. Would they choose life by following Yahweh’s commands? Or would they choose death by following their own ways and the ways of the nations around them?

This challenge didn’t come out of nowhere. Moses had already spent much time reminding them of all the Lord had done. He reminded them how God had delivered them from Egypt and continued to offer them his protection. He spoke of how manna showed up every morning, and quail every evening. He told them that even their clothes did not wear out as they wandered in the desert. But now the time had come for the people to decide for themselves to live under God’s protection. The manna would stop, and so would the quail. God’s miraculous provision would end so that they could choose the way of life, the way of faithful obedience.

Today the Lord stands before us and offers us the same call and promise. He is asking us to choose life, not death. He is asking us to follow his commands and share his love with one another. And he is promising that if we do, he will be with us to strengthen us and lift us into his presence.

Our God has already performed so many miracles for us: he has risen from the dead; he has opened heaven to us; he has filled us with his Holy Spirit; he has given us every gift and blessing we need for our everyday lives.

Now the choice is ours. Will we choose life and live in his presence and know his love? Or will we choose death and live a life of isolation and loneliness?

“Father, you are the author of life. I choose to follow you and heed your voice. Thank you for calling me and filling me with your infinite love.”

GARDEN PRAYING WITH JESUS

THE ACTUAL GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE, JERUSALEM

GUEST ARTICLE BY TIM CARTER (GUTSISTHEKEY.COM)

When Jesus prayed alone in the Garden, it was a difficult place, even for Him.People love to talk about the shallow aspects of prayer & to be told about the shallow aspects of prayer.

Prayer is like a great pilgrimage that requires a great journey to a far off place. The travel is full of joys & sorrows.We love to hear about the water into wine prayers but not the help me carry my cross prayers.

The deep spiritual union that can be found with Jesus has a joy deeper than temporal pleasure but it takes a great price to get there.

I am not willing. You are not willing. None of us are by nature to go to the deep hallowed places of prayer. It takes a deep work of God.

Christ #Jesus, who died—more than tat, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God & is also interceding for us. Romans 8:34 (from  @Godinthewhisper  )

Yes, it would be easier for me to shut up about this prayer thing. But I can not. I must go there and I must tell others.

No one wants to talk about the evil that surrounds us but if we engage in real, prayer we will be confronted with opposition.

There is great power in prayer to help people with the evil that besets them but it costs the prayer to engage in this kind of prayer.

In a way prayer is a lonely road that no one can trod but you but also in a way it is the only road of highest Divine comfort.

You can get to a place with Jesus that nothing else will do. You long for more of His presence and more of His touch in other people’s lives

Great leaders appeal to the #hearts of the people, not the minds.  From: @managementbrad 

The journey of prayer is like responding to the call of the whippoorwill in the woods. It is such a beautiful sound. It calls you there.

Sometimes prayer is soft & soothing-Sometimes it’s brooding & deep & requires God’s help 2 go there-We can not go without Jesus 2 this place

If I love Jesus truly, I must go to this deeper place of prayer. If I want to love Jesus truly, I must go to this deeper place of prayer.

If I love u,I must go to this place of prayer. It is easy to say I love u. Not so easy 2 labor in the Spirit-But the fruit is worth the toil

The deep places of prayer have nothing to do with religion. They are about an all encompassing relationship with the real and living God!

I wish I did not have to tell you-I know many do not want to hear. It is hard to bring a word people need but do not like. Takes prayer 2 do

I have had to learn to get past seeing God’s word as something I want to share and be willing for Him & You to share what is hard to share.

These words I speak are not for everyone. If you are young in faith; God will nurture and hold you close to protect you.

As you grow up, God still nurtures and protects but leads you into a spiritual maturity that can not be found without embracing the cross.

Many of us have deep needs and we are looking everywhere for the solution. It can be found in prayer but it is a deeper kind of prayer.

There is prayer like the foothills that everybody can climb. And there is prayer on the high mountains that requires patience and practice.

God’s Spirit wants 2 take control of our lives but we must earnestly seek for this 2 happen in prayer-He will not cross the line of our will

Who wants to join Jesus in the garden. No one. None of His disciples did. None of us do. Can we not watch with Him one hour?

To join Jesus n the garden was a privilege only attained by the disciples, when they became apostles-It cost them their lives.

I know I am called 2 touch some of u with a word u have not heard before-A call 2 a spiritual life that u can not imagine. #FollowJesus

2 Chronicles 32:8 With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.” From: @100prayingwomen 

"The Lord has given me his words of wisdom, so that I KNOW WHAT TO SAY to all these weary ones.” Isaiah 50:4  

REPOSTED BY PERMISSION OF TIM CARTER:

www.timgcarter.com

THIRTY DAY PRAYER CHALLENGE - DAY 27

PRAY THE NAMES OF GOD

DAY 27
GOD IS ABBA (FATHER)



A childless couple adopts a baby, let us say, around 1960. Then the baby grows up to be a great kid, with straight A's in school and plays shortstop on the Varsity baseball team. His name is Scott.


After graduating, he goes to the local Junior college where he excels both in math, chemistry and still plays baseball for their team. After transferring his credits to the big four year state college, he graduates Magna Cum Laude and decides to accept a job offer with a local bank, whose manager has seen his name in the town weekly, ever since he played High School baseball. 


This young man then falls in love and marries the boss' daughter, around say 1985. They have three kids, buy a home in a new subdivision and live happily ever after!


Now, Scott was adopted. The first thing his permanently new parents did was give Scott THEIR last name, because he belongs to them as a member of their family. Scott has all the rights, privileges and yes, responsibilities of being a legitimate member of that family. He is no less loved by Jack and Diane Smith, than if they had their own biological twins. 


Scott is no less a member of the Smith family than Kristen, their miracle daughter who was born five years after Scott was adopted. In fact, no one would have ever known Scott was adopted until he himself mentioned it, when he became Mayor of his little town in 2010 and was honoring his dear parents!


Scott is us. His natural born sister, Kristen, is the Jewish people whom God called His chosen people. We are now all the same family in God. When God sent Jesus Christ to be the Jewish Messiah and they rejected Him, the second part of God's plan was revealed - save the rest of the world.  Jesus sent one of His disciples biggest persecutors - Saul - to accomplish that job. Christ did that when He knocked him blind, off his horse when Saul was heading to Damascus to kill more Christians.


Saul met the Living Jesus in the Third Heaven, as he said, and promptly became Paul - the greatest evangelist the world has ever seen. Here is what Paul wrote about his OWN adoption (and ours) into God's family, as a result of his Conversion on the Road to Damascus:
"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:15-17 ESV)


That is correct - we are adopted sons and daughters of God and He is our Abba - our Daddy! The word Abba represents the father side of the equation of the father-child relationship in a family. It literally means just that - Dad! This Spirit of adoption which Paul talks about is the Holy Spirit - the Comforter - Who descends into us. The Spirit does that once we are saved and moved from a child of hell, to being a child of the Real God, sealed with the Blood of Christ, Which washed us clean!


Only the Christian, born-again through the Lord Jesus Christ, can legitimately claim to be an Adopted Daughter or Son of the Living God! Only we have the right to cry out to Him "Abba, Father"...and know He will hear us! Now, aren't you glad you are His?!


So Father, in the Name of Jesus, YOU are my Father in Heaven! You are my Daddy! You are my Creator; Provider; Protector; Nourisher; Healer; Banner...in fact I can go on and on until the end of time and still find amazing names to call You! You, oh God, are my All in All!


My Father in Heaven, hallowed, holy, righteous, pure and GREAT is Your Name! I thank You Lord for calling me out of the darkness which the Power of Sin had me living in, into the Kingdom of Your Marvelous Light.

I thank You, Lord, that You sent that Light, Jesus Christ, to be Savior of the World, because YOU, Oh God, are the Father of Lights Who giveth all good things to all Your people.


I thank You, Lord, that You sent the Spirit of that significant event of my salvation through the Cross. That Spirit is not only purely God, but wholly and Holy You! He not only testifies to the Truth of the Gospel and the Full Counsel of Your Word, He has sealed me until the Day of Redemption, when Jesus my Advocate stands before You as my Kinsman Redeemer and says "this one's Mine"! WOW!! PRAISE YOU, PRAISE YOUR HOLY NAME!! WOOHOO!! AMEN!


I thank You, Lord, that this same Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Adoption as well as my Teacher and Guide because He testifies daily that I am truly a member of YOUR family...of YOUR Kingdom...and that I  am truly saved by YOUR Son - Jesus, the King!


I thank You, Lord, that because of that Adoption, You have made me a joint Heir with Christ in the Eternal Kingdom where we will live together, learning and rejoicing and worshiping and thanking You forever and ever!  Amen!

Thank You, Father, for just being You and loving me, even when I am at my most unlovable as Your adopted son, according to the Love and Works and Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, in Whom all perfection and glory resides...and it is in His Name I pray, amen.

TOMORROW: GOD IS, WELL, EVERYTHING!

(image by google images)

THIRTY DAY PRAYER CHALLENGE - DAY 25

PRAY THE NAMES OF GOD

DAY 25
GOD IS COMFORTER


A comforter is a person or thing which provides consolation. A comforter is also an encourager or even, a counselor! A comforter is one who runs to our side and picks us up when we are down. 


In this life, you and I may have such a person in our lives - a spouse; a mentor; a brother or sister in the Lord; a sibling and more. You can call that person in the middle of the night, when things are down....when tears are in your eyes...and you need a friend...you can count on them to be your friend, your sounding board, your bridge over troubled waters!


Do you have such a friend? Do you have someone who would fight for you...and advocate, if you will? Every man or woman should have a trusted friend of a mature age, on whom we can count. If you do not, I pray the Lord sends you one!

Jesus is such a friend. When He went back to heaven, Hebrews 7:25b says "He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf (our behalf...we who are saved)" It says Jesus "intercedes" for us. That means He is our Advocate! He stands up for us and pleads our case in Heaven before Father God...even now!


However, He did something more and this is the mystery of our Faith which no other cult or religion can come close to matching...because those other things do not exist! Jesus sent His Personal Representative be His Liaison from us, to Him!


The Holy Spirit - the actual Spirit of God - when He comes to reside in the live and spirit of the Believer, is in us for several reasons...and number one is Comforter.


In John 16:7, Jesus says "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you".


Jesus knew His saints, His true saints, will face persecution and hard times all through Christian history. Being God Who became man, He also knew the human condition and our tendency to drift away or say and do stupid things. The Apostle Peter is a prime example! Peter was bombastic and boastful. He walked on water with Jesus....then sank when he took his eyes off him. Peter boasted he will not allow Jesus to go to the Cross. Jesus told him "Get thee behind me Satan". Peter cursed and denied Jesus three times. Yet Jesus chose Peter to be the Rock and the Head of His church!


So we have not been through things which others have not endured before. This is why the Holy Spirit - the Comforter - was sent to us. Jesus called Him our "Helper" because Jesus knew, man, these people are going to need so much help that only God Himself could help them!

Jesus said the Holy Spirit is our Counselor. The Lord Jesus Himself spoke Aramaic and this verse from Jesus in John 14:26 is from the Aramaic Bible itself as it perfectly translate what the Lord actually said....as opposed to our modern English Bibles "But He, The Redeemer of the accursed, The Spirit of Holiness, whom my Father sends in My name, He will teach you all things and He will remind you of everything whatsoever I have told you.”


That is powerful, my friends! When we don't know where to turn - Holy Spirit knows. When we don't know what to do - Holy Spirit knows. When we don't know whom to trust - Holy Spirit knows. When we don't know what His Will is - Holy Spirit does. When we don't know how to pray - Holy Spirit does. He just does...this and more.


You can have His revelation. You can also stifle and quench and shove Him in the background. Because He is a gentleman, He will not force Himself on you. However, if you wish to have the best life possible, free from chains, bondage and confusion, it is my joy to tell you -LET HOLY SPIRIT do it! Let Him have full reign of your life, because He knows you better than you know yourself and He knows what Father God has in mind for you. He knows as Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope". Amen


So let us pray:
Father, in the Name of Jesus, I come to You now in all sincerity and truth to express my wonder, amazement and complete gratitude that You, the Eternal God of Heaven, would even consider to allow Your Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Holiness and Truth, to descend from Heaven after Christ saved me, to live inside of me.


Father, we know all believers have the same Spirit of all Excellence, of all Truth, of all Majesty and of all Holiness. 


We know You sent Him to be our Counselor when we doubt. Our Comforter when we are without and our Advocate when useless prayers we spout.


We know we can shove Him aside so we can enjoy, no matter how temporary, the fleeting things of this world.


We know that many of Your people are not taught the true Attributes and Power of the Spirit because modern religion has become another business or means to empower a few.


We know because of that, many cannot access that dunamis, that Dynamic Power which You have given us in all Your Wisdom, Father.

So now, this day, in the Name of Jesus, I ask You activate my Spiritual Heart for Truth! By activating it, my spirit will be lined up with the Person and Power and Presence of Holy Spirit Who lives RIGHT NOW in me! By activating it, I can see the ways and wonders You have in store for me. By activating it, I can grow into the person YOU designed me to be. 


Lord and not just activate it, but set my spiritual heart on fire! Set it on fire for You! Let me burn with the Fire of Your Holiness to shine the Light of Christ all around me in a dark and evil world. Set it on fire that many may see and want to know the same God You sent to live in me Who represents You!

I am ready, Lord God. I am ready to be set on fire for You. I am ready to fight the good fight. I am ready to finish the race and bring glory to You, in Jesus' Name amen!

TOMORROW: GOD IS EL-SHADDAI

THE PILGRIMS OF DISPERSION

by RICK AND DANA STASSI

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1 (KJV)

We are a stranger in this land. We are on a new path and as we walk, one-by-one, we are joined by others who  are strangers too. We strangers are pilgrims on a sojourn through our time and place here to seek, to listen, and to emanate the truth of the Lord. We are in God’s image He had foreknowledge of. He sees before, during, and after. We are in awe of the Lord and walk upon this earth sojourning in reverence of Him. We rest in our reverence. It is the beginning of our wisdom.

The Lord authored our separation, the core of why we are strangers. We are set apart from this world as God does a work on us. We left our homes and our old selves, to walk where He guide us with hands of strength, a voice of wisdom, and a heart of love. Work on us! Mold our hearts! We know where we came from and dream of where we go for eternity, but what must we do now? God will show us. We are sanctified by our submission to Jesus, therefore, the Spirit is within.

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:8

We hold captive this message, Lord, we embrace the Spirit in us. He guides us in our sanctifying process. He does a good work each day. We rest in our sanctity. AMEN.

We are saved by the blood of the unblemished Lamb. Jesus Christ, the Alpha and Omega. We are cradled in time by the eternal endpoints of the Lord and we are safe. We rest in Him. We need not have angst over thing to come or things of the past, we must just be pilgrims sojourning in the Light. 

The sprinkled blood of Jesus, the Light, is salvation. It heals, protects, and fortifies. I plead it over us pilgrims now! We are His flock, both the Shepard and the unblemished Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. In Jesus is hope. He died and resurrected. There is rebirth and restoration in that. We are dispersed from Calvary in our many directions to show this image, to emanate Light, to be joyful in our hope of the Resurrection.  We rest in the Resurrection.

…and through His blood, we are incorruptible.  We cannot be defiled for what force shall overtake He who is infallible, omnipotent, and omniscient? We are pilgrims dispersed: equipped in His very nature and He nor His nature shall abandon us. We rest in His peace.

In the Lord, we shall not fade away but be a powerful presence and witness to Him. Our sojourn is not in vain, but with purpose. We await our inheritance reserved in heaven. We skip no steps in our journey. God sees and places us on our continuous path for His purpose, for our good.

All will see one day as true salvation is revealed and Jesus triumphs in His return. We are at rest in His arms, in His hope, and walking from Calvary to our place of Dispersion, the path God sets for each of us, and we are strangers in this land for the world is confounded. God thank You that the Light, Jesus, will penetrate confusion and bring Your children home .


VISIT RICK'S BLOG: EMANATING JOY

MORE CHRISTMAS INSPIRATION from DIANE M. LANDRY

Giving of thanks can help psychological well-being

Christmas can be a very depressing time for a considerable amount of people, and for many different reasons. It seems the most joyful time of year, can become a time of great sadness for some. Could it be that a change in focus, an attitude of gratitude could help?

Recent studies indicate that an attitude of gratitude helps the emotional well-being of human beings. For some time now, psychologists rarely delved into the science of giving thanks.

The University of Miami psychology professor, Michael McCullough studied people who were asked to be regularly thankful, stated, “"When you are stopping and counting your blessings, you are sort of hijacking your emotional system."

He noted that some psychologists underestimate the power of simple gratitude. “It does make people happier….It’s that incredible feeling.” The Bible exhorts in many places that it is a good thing to give thanks.

Some psychologists are encouraging their patients to keep a journal writing three things they are thankful for, or that went well during the day. The benefits are evident and long lasting.

“It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy Name, O Most High.” Psalms 92:1 (KJV)

Previously, science found what the Bible stated many years ago, that a merry heart has healing properties, while harboring bitterness, anger or resentment can cause problems in the body. “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” Proverbs 17:22

Diane Landry, a Christian writer/author of "Granny's Gift," and frequent contributor to Yahoo's AC, has overcome through faith in Christ Jesus, many obstacles in her life. She was abused, divorced and became a singe mother of five, after her husband abused her children. Diane hopes that through her writing, she can bring hope and inspiration to her readers. 
Click here to Contact Diane.
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THINK ON THESE THINGS - MONDAY

   HOPE FOR THE FUTURE - THE 9/11 GENERATION

                   With Faith, they will succeed!

There is an entire generation of young people who were either toddlers, pre-teens or early teens when the sons of satan attacked the Twin Towers/Pentagon/Flight 93 on that awful day, ten years ago. The past decade has been hard on them growing up.

The culture is foul and unwholesome; the educational system is run by people who care more about indoctrination than instruction and the church has left them open to falling prey to other religions. It is so bad that we now have the following:

- Ken Ham's book "Already Gone" has exposed the failure of ALL churches where he proved, after exhaustive research, that we lost this generation to the world, pagan religions and eternity by 8th Grade Sunday school!

- Barna's great and amazing surveys proved the lost nature of our young people where he found 57% of so-called Christians, IN OUR OWN CHURCHES, think there is another way to heaven than Jesus! They have bought the lie of the world, hook, line and sinker.

- We have the new phenomenon of Boomerang kids....where youngsters either never leave home or grow up, graduate and have families...then boomerang back to live with their parents due to the horrible cost of living and the bad economy.

- Our kids face a terrible future because the "greatest generation" and the baby boomers sold our kids birthright for a pot of stew to the demons of endless debt, big government and useless college degrees, for far into the foreseeable future!

In all of this, is there any hope at all? Can our children still have a bright life, full of joy, service and faith ahead of them?! Yes they can...and they will - IF WE DON'T LET THE SYSTEM HAVE THEM.

It seems we cannot get past the first five verses of Hebrews 11 over the past 5-7 days! But in light of the Anniversary of 9/11, I chose the day after to look at what it means for our kids' future....and it has to do with Faith!

Hebrews 11:1 NLT says "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see."


If you read through the entire Bible, and know anything about God, He has His people everywhere. It's called the Remnant. Our families are the remnant...and we can make sure that many in the next generation are as well. More can be said about this in the coming weeks and months ahead. 


But as we start a new week, please take a look at this video and be encouraged! The beautiful people, mostly young, are hopeful and full of Joy! You and I can teach our kids to teach others this kind of joy and hope...which can only be found in Faith, in the Bible and in Jesus. There is NO OTHER WAY. They can't wish themselves into heaven. They can't meditate with unfamiliar spirits into nirvana and they can't and will never please a Holy God with unholy man-made philosophies.


There is hope! There is Hope in the Name of the Lord...and His Name is Jesus!