PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE SERIES: BOOK OF PHILIPPIANS #1

....WITH ALL JOY....

3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, 5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; 7 just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. (Philippians 1:3-7)

Keep in mind, as we read this prayer, that this man - the Apostle Paul - is in prison for preaching the Gospel of Christ! Still, note how he is praying for the saints:
- With all of His Heart (vs 7)
- With all Joy (vs 4)
- With Confidence (vs 7)

However the Confidence which he exudes is not for him but for encouragement of the church at Philippi. Thus, as Paul has written so many times, direct from the Oracles of Heaven - everything written in Scriptures are given as instructions for us NOW. That includes ALL Scripture, "Old and New" Testament.

It is my humble theory that this prayer can therefore be appropriated by us, in these last days, to pray for the encouragement for the hurting and hope for the hopeless. We should do this, even when we do not feel like it! What can be more challenging for a man than to be so confident of this positional salvation in the Kingdom so much so that he exhorts many to do the same. He proposes they also engage in Apologetics. 

The greatest impact we can have on the life of another is to love them to Jesus, when we are in the valley ourselves. By taking ourselves from under the circumstances and lifting another up to Him, in prayer, we exhibit a form of grace upon grace, which testifies to the Love He embedded in us at the point of conversion.

Many Christians have a problems in the recent past few decades with defending even what they claim they believe. We are specifically instructed, in the passage above, to engage in not just the "defense" (Apologetics) of the Christian Faith but to confirm the Good News of the Gospel. That is, we are to testify by a consistent daily lifestyle and by words, the truth of what Christ has done for us.....the Grace He has given us and the new life included, therein.

By this, we affirm, confirm and make firm the prescient precious words of the Great Apostle Peter "but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence (1 Peter 3:15).

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THIRTY ONE DAYS OF BIBLE TRUTHS - DAY 5 (FEARLESS)

BIBLE VERSE: "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7)

TRUTH: You know it’s easy to talk about being “fearless” or not afraid to promote the Cause of Christ and the Gospel.  Even the most battle-hardened Christian who can speak to both a drunk on skid row and a banker downtown about the need to “get right with God”,  gets nervous or doubtful at times. However there is a reason we see the following throughout the Bible “fear not”; “do not be afraid”; “have no fear” and many variations thereof.  These exhortations come either directly from The Father, the Lord Jesus or His selected Angels. Ultimately, we really have nothing to fear. As we lay on our deathbeds, knowing our eternal destiny is secure, we are the ONLY ones who have no fear. 

But the spirit of fearlessness is not given for that reason alone. God gave us the courage to be bold at the point of conversion.  It is so that we may bear fruit for the Kingdom. Not only are we to stand firm in the Faith and contend for it, but we must share the Gospel and its saving Power. Timidity implies cowardice. Jesus was/is not a coward. He is God. We are in His Image. He gave us Love. When we see others going to hell and can’t stand the thought of it, we love them to Jesus. In addition, He gave us self-control to control our hearts, minds, tongues, hands, eyes to align them ALL with His will to  put that Love into action.  
Bottom line – let’s all take a deep breath, dive in and Be Bold For Jesus.

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THIRTY ONE DAYS OF PRAYER AND THE WORD:JANUARY 1-31, 2015 THEME: "ABIDE"

DAY TWENTY SIX:
VERSES:

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me."....John 14:1

PRAYER:

Heavenly Father, we remain persuaded, convinced, sure, know that we know and are confirmed, affirmed and firm in our Belief, Trust and Faith in You as Sovereign God and Lord of our lives. We believe in You, trust in You and love, obey, honor, magnify, lift up and glorify the Name of King Jesus all the days of our lives, now and always.

Father my heart is not troubled.  My spirit is at peace. My trust is in You. My Hope is built on nothing less but Jesus' Blood and Righteousness and I bow before His Throne, as I dare not, could not, don't want to and will not see any other, any thing, any distraction, any philosophy or any ungodly perverted corrupt or evil thing which this world offers, than the sweet refrain of Jesus' Name and His Word. His Word, which is Thy Word, liveth in my heart, my mind, my body, my finger tips and go with me as I walk, talk, eat, sleep, and breathe.

Lord, let me walk with Thee all the while, closer and closer, until I see the things You see, until I discern the matter such as You do, until I walk in the doctrines and manner of the Lord, according to His Great and Mighty Will. No one can know the Mind of the Lord, no one can know Your Ways, because they are so much more, well....amazing than ours. But Lord, when we ask, and we seek in fasting and prayer and with every fiber of our being, You reveal. You have revealed so many things which cannot be truly communicated as You meant them for Your Glory and my edification. 

So let me, this day and always, and not just me but all who call upon the Name of the Lord - and who declare Him as Lord of their lives - may we all see that bond. It is a bond way beyond the inseparable. It is a bond which Holy Spirit has sealed until the day of redemption as the guarantee, but it is also a bond which longs and yearns and desire and more intimate, a more dynamic, a more fluid and interactive relationship with You than even the close one we have right now. Draw me closer, Heavenly Father, as I seek Thy Holy Countenance moment by moment. So while my heart may be perturbed by the evil and things and concerns of this world for family and foundations falling apart, my spirit jumps for joy at the worship in Holy Heavenly Tabernacle as our prayers and praise rise up to the Temple and before Your Throne, this very hours...and this can only be done, through the Faith given to all of us, who believe in You, Lord Jesus, amen. 

A PLEA FROM THE HEART - A TEACHING FROM PSALM 119

Psalm 119:169-176New King James Version (NKJV)

ת Tau

169 Let my cry come before You, O Lord;
Give me understanding according to Your word.
170 Let my supplication come before You;
Deliver me according to Your word.
171 My lips shall utter praise,
For You teach me Your statutes.
172 My tongue shall speak of Your word,
For all Your commandments are righteousness.
173 Let Your hand become my help,
For I have chosen Your precepts.
174 I long for Your salvation, O Lord,
And Your law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live, and it shall praise You;
And let Your judgments help me.
176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep;
Seek Your servant,
For I do not forget Your commandments.

GUEST POET: CHERI MAJORS WRITES "A FATHER'S DAY LETTER OF LOVE"

A Father's Day greeting 

for the faithful!

A Father's Day greeting,

Straight from my heart,

And even though poetry,

Has become a lost art,

I just wanted to say,

On your special day,

How awesome you really are!

Our Heavenly Father's

Extended his hand,

Hoping to guide us,

Toward everything grand,

With free saving graces,

Throughout our land,

Eternity for us was always His plan!

READ MORE BY CHERI MAJORS HERE FROM

THE YAHOO CONTRIBUTOR NETWORK:

SEVEN THINGS GOD HATES - #4: A DEVIOUS HEART

This entire concept (of a "devious heart") goes completely against every western concept that we are really "good people". You would never hear about the "fallen nature" of man, or corruption of the human race; or even the word "sin". Nobody, in these days of extreme political correctness would even think they (you and I) were born with a devious heart.

Proverbs 6:16-19 New King James Version (NKJV)

These six things the Lord hates,

Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 

A proud look,

A lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,

A heart that devises wicked plans,

Feet that are swift in running to evil, 

A false witness who speaks lies,

And one who sows discord among brethren.

Yet, the Creator Who made us, recognizes every single one of us as not just capable of unimaginable evil, but possessing a bent towards it. Jesus Christ, God Who became Man said as much in Mark 7:21 "For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come--sexual immorality, theft, murder,"  This is the outflow of the Adamic or sinful nature which each human is born with.  

Mark is the first book of the New Testament ever written and it was dictated to him by the Apostle Peter himself - an eyewitness if there ever was one. Peter is an interesting study of a man who was sold out to Jesus, the Disciple of Disciples and all that. Yet, the same man who cut off Malchus' ear trying to defend Jesus from the Temple Guard was denying Jesus three times, outside that same temple as the religious leaders captured Him for their kangaroo court.

Jesus also spoke of the evil of the heart further in Matthew 13:15 and just about described every human being ever born, before the Spirit and Power of God delivered you and I from spiritual wickedness and eternal death! The Messiah said "For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'"

This is never more evident when you watch the filth and degradation coming out of American culture today. Take one look at any American TV award show to see the depths of depravity of western "humanity". The recently concluded 2014 Grammy Awards is Exhibit A. We saw everything God described in Ezekiel 16:48-50 as to WHY He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Read on:

"As I live," declares the Lord GOD, "Sodom, your sister and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done. Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it.…

America is modern day Sodom where its wealth, prosperity and power led to such easy living since World War II that we have gone slack in morality and cold in heart towards the Lord. The bad news is that God never changes and He has seen this before....thousands of years now. Man, in the wickedness and lust of everything ungodly, make the same mistakes over and over and over ahead.While these mistakes take several forms, which we can talk about for volumes, the underlying issue is Sin. While we are not allowed to talk about it in modern culture and even most modern churches, that too has never gone off the Lord's Radar....and He will punish it!

To help us avoid this trap of an evil and devious heart, which rebels against God, let us see briefly the sequence of events of Sin and how we can avoid it.

1. The world, the flesh and Satan throws temptation in our faces blatantly or subtly which triggers a thought and desire for that thing or person.

2.  Depending on the current condition of your walk with Jesus and where one is in the process of Sanctification, that thought or desire will trigger two things - either you will seek to gratify your own flesh no matter the cost OR you will be so disgusted that everything the Lord taught you will kick in and you will RUN away immediately (like Joseph and Potiphar's wife).

3.  If you choose the Biblical "RUN" option, you and I are in the clear. But here is what happens if you do NOT consider the cost of fulfilling that temporary lust of the flesh and discipline yourself - your heart will lie to you! YES! Your pride (sin #1 here) will like (sin#2)  and tell you that you "really deserve this. God is keeping him or her from you....or that new Mustang (which will put you $40,000 further in debt)....you deserve this....you work hard", And how about this one "you won't get caught"!!! DOES ANY OF THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?! THIS IS SATAN TEMPTING EVE IN THE GARDEN IN GENESIS 3!!

4.  Failure to run and instead listen to Satan and the flesh and your own wicked heart will result in death. If not immediate physical death, then death of purity...death of a clear conscience...death of a vibrant relationship with your spouse or the bank or worse - GOD!

This is where a prideful wickedly devious heart can lead a person. While God's grace extends to the Christian who sins and fall like this, there is a loss of eternal reward and the spiritual blessings in the eternal kingdom to come. This is the end result of the devious heart. This will work out in the end for the person who has been truly saved, but we should worry about those who walk in constant wickedness, such as we see on full display - not just out of Hollywood, but in our local schools; state capitols and all the way to the top of business and politics.

The only cure to make a heart right is to cry out to God, through Jesus Christ for Him to "open the eyes of your heart"! Great title for a song, as well as good theology like this will focus us on what is truly important - Salvation and getting your own heart, and mine, right with God. While Repentance may be a bad word today, it is still the only road to righteousness - from a Devious Heart! 

(MANY ASK: WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF THE SPIRITUAL HEART? 

ANSWER: Sue Bohlin of Probe Ministries has a great and concise definition for us here - In the Bible, the heart is shown to have three capacities: to think (or believe), to choose, and to feel. The heart is really the "innermost part" of us to which David refers in Ps. 51)

(MANY ASK: WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF THE SPIRITUAL HEART? 

ANSWER: Sue Bohlin of Probe Ministries has a great and concise definition for us here - In the Bible, the heart is shown to have three capacities: to think (or believe), to choose, and to feel. The heart is really the "innermost part" of us to which David refers in Ps. 51)

A LIFE WELL LIVED, Part 3 - UNDERSTANDING, DISCERNMENT

Wisdom is the best friend you will ever have in this life- Godly wisdom, that is.  Every decision, choice and more, comes out of process where at least some measure of wisdom has been applied to the decision. It all goes back to your Perception (as we saw in Part 2). Your perception is your worldview, and hopefully - for your own sake - it is a Biblical worldview. Now Wisdom is the outflow of that worldview. Therefore, again - for your own sake - it is preferably the Wisdom that comes from God!

A perfect example is a man who just became the head of a favored organization and was set to undertake one of the most amazing projects in History. All he had to do was follow his beloved late father's plans and execute. Being a very young man (he called himself a child), he needed guidance and in 1 Kings 3:5, God Himself appeared to Solomon in a vision and offered to give him ANYTHING he asked for! Here is the rest of how that conversation with God went: "7 Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” (1 Kings 3:7-9).

Two things from this prayer of Solomon, who is now the head of millions of God's people in Israel will guide us to a place where we ourselves can have the very SAME mind of Wisdom God gave to him. We would be wise to follow this same prescription for attaining true wisdom, the kind which made Solomon the wisest man in the world for a time. We condemn his lifestyle after he fell prey to sexual immorality and idolatry, but this is because of his own human foolishness. He did the same thing Adam did - walk away from the Wisdom of God and let his passivity take him down.

Verse 9 of 1 Kings here, has two very important criteria  (in bold red) for the kind of wisdom we need for the "Good Life":

1. An Understanding Heart -the words God uses in the Scriptures here for  is "Shama and Leb" They go together in this Hebraic context because the "Leb" or the "Heart" is the conscience, the inspiration. the imagination, the skill, the intelligence, the mind, the spirit and heart you need to do anything! 

The accompanying adjective - "Shama" - tells you how to use the heart effectively. God said in this word, pregnant with meaning, we are to have understanding in the sense of obedient, listening, truly listening, hearing, truly hearing, really obeying, witnessing, taking heed, processing, taking really good notes, comprehending and more!!

It is obvious here that, in our lives, we would be a lot smarter and function with clarity and power, if we listen more than we speak! A truly wise man is an understanding man whose conscience and spirit are focused on comprehending a situation before acting on it

2.Discern - the king wanted an "understanding heart" that he might be able to "DISCERN" and thus, make the right decision. We are to seek the same. The word God uses here in Hebrew is "BIN" -(pronounced 'bean'). This word, like EVERY word God uses, is FULL of all kinds of meaning from acting with care and caution to learning the full scope of a situation. Then you interpret the evidence correctly because you have an understanding heart full of "Bin", so you can observe, ponder, explain (to someone else if you have to), be prudent, clever and more to be just the smartest person in the room!

God, in His Magnificent Grace and Love, has given us the three simplest forms or elements we need to walk as the wise in this evil world - if only we would pay attention to Him! We do not need the systems devised by the corrupt minds of men and women, who are flooding the airwaves, bookstores and culture with their ungodly imaginations to follow and still think we will have a fully engaged life. Following those people will lead to despair, depression, confusion and one day - destruction.

Following the beautifully simple recipes of the Lord will lead to peace, love, joy, contentment and eventually eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

RELEASE, MY BOUND HEART

GUEST DEVOTION BY RICK STASSI 

9 How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!....from Psalm 119


O Father I give all of myself to You now to do with as You wish. Amen. 
Our heart was and is defiled. We have come from a place where our heart is putrefied in the ungodly ways of the world. All of us have been and are still sinners. We know that our journey is a constant one in His way. He is perfecting, ever-completing us until the day of the Return of Christ Jesus. Yet as we were defiled we need not lay claim and pay homage to that defilement now! We shall acknowledge our sin and make an oath of repentance. For in His way, we walk without a defiled heart. O our once contaminated heart! We believed the world. We were deceived because death has a deceiving sweet fragrance for which to lure the outwitted.


So how can I cleanse my heart? I was tasked with this endeavor recently. I searched my heart thoroughly. I took note of all things that currently and in the past, have bound my heart in sin. The list is long. Follow the Lords precepts and count your sins. Write them so you may see them. It serves you well, this exercise. We will see the clutter of the lack of forgiveness, lust, dislike, foul language, distrust, and more. Is this just me?


So how can I cleanse my heart? In this inventory we now have the chance to acknowledge past and present clutter held tightly against the walls of our heart. The very place we are promised the indwelling of the Spirit. The Light. The light and darkness – we cannot appease both simultaneously. We cannot straddle the fence of light and darkness. To cleanse our heart -to purge darkness, we acknowledge and cast off the darkness with an oath of repentance, a vow to cast burdens on the shoulder of Jesus.


We take heed according to Your word, Father. Cast our burden onto the shoulder of He whose burden is light. According to Your word Lord: Matthew 11:30


The cleansing of our heart is a special invitation to the Spirit who already works in us. Now with less clutter thus clearing a conduit between us and God! With the clutter in our heart, we walk on God’s path with ankles chained. Slow progress. With clutter cast off,  we have the brisk gait of a Spirit-filled life. Our one-on-One relationship with the Holy Spirit and the precepts of our Lord are now clear. Clarity brings growth. His commandments ring in all fullness. However, if we do not choose to do this inventory, the burdens from our past-our present, delay our walk into godly fruition and hold firmly against the walls of our heart like a plaque. We do not know the fullness of the Lord’s work. Our progress is slow but he will progress us. He is the Master surgeon Who will perform the work that is well required on our hearts.  We choose: Quick or drawn out.


With a cleansed heart and with clarity, we hear God. We see Him with a greater clarity. The Spirit moves in us with greater fluidity. We adhere closer to His commandments. His laws. His freedom for us. Chains are broken and we are restored in greater fullness today than yesterday. This process is giving ALL of ourselves to God. Not a portion. We already stated that oath! Yet, we see that all of our self isn’t necessarily all.  Acknowledge the past pain, hurt unto others, lusts of the flesh, hatred for man, gossip… Cleanse the past. Cast it away. We are saved to be sure and clear. But to see the fullness of God’s work today through His spirit, we clean house. With a clean heart, the Spirit is able to give His gifts, and we will see Him. Feel God. Know the perfect law of liberty as freedom – the response from God, as we first respond to Him with obedience.


Believe He does a great work in us. Even as we walk with chains. But also believe, we can loose these binding chains to walk with a brisk gait along His path.


For a new day dawns and we are thus refreshed. Release my heart that is bound, In Jesus’ Name...

Rick Stassi (CLICK FOR WEBSITE)

Image  Courtesy Google Images

ARE YOU READY? YES?...LIVE FOR HIM!!!

by Carla McDougal
Friend of This Ministry and Warrior for Christ
Help Support her worldwide outreach (below)
Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 
But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. 

'Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. 

'Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.' But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 1 Peter 3:13-17

Are you ready? What are you ready for... work, shopping, vacation, dinner or your everyday activities? Possibly you are anticipating a move, the birth of a child, the death of a loved one, the empty nest, or just a change in the weather. Life is constantly changing. Planning is a vital part of the process.

But, are you really ready... ready for the daily opportunities God gives to share the message of Christ? Are you prepared to love and serve Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, even when you don't feel like it? When someone recognizes your joy in the midst of a difficult situation, do you glorify Jesus with your answer? Asking God to prepare you is important to living every moment sold out to Jesus.

I love this verse...  But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. (1 Peter 3:15) A believer's answer to the question, "Are you ready?" should always be like this picture... YES! We are living, breathing testimonies of a new creation in Jesus. Reflecting Him to the world around us should be our hearts desire. Recognizing it is not about us, but all about Him changes us and in turn affects others around us. 

So, how do we live out this verse in our daily lives? Here are three suggestions:

·                     Pray... Prayer keeps us intimately connected to the Lord. It keeps our hearts tuned to Him. Learning to live in constant communication with God readies us for what lies ahead. 

·                     Observe... We need to open our eyes to the God-incidences throughout the day... those moments where God gives us the opportunity to share the truth and message of Jesus to others. 

·                     Act... Let's get going! After constant prayer and recognition of an opportunity, when God opens the door, step though to share the realness of Jesus with others.

______________________________________________________

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From My Heart to Yours,

Carla McDougal