I Have Called You To Pray My Word

Yes your Majesty Honour and Glory to you forever and ever!!  Amen

I Have Called You To Pray My Word


Madam Anastasia


One day as I sat in my living room reading the Word of God, I heard these words deep in my spirit. "I have called you to pray my Word." I had no doubt that this was God speaking to me. I was so excited. Almost immediately, I thought, "How can I do this? I’m a baby Christian, and my knowledge of the Word is very limited." So I answered God, and said, "I don’t think I can pray the Word because I don’t know the Word that well. How can I quote the Word if I do not know where to find the Word? Immediately, I heard these words, "Use the concordance." I answered Him and said, "But it will take me too long to look up the scripture when I need it right then." There was silence, and I heard no other words from the Lord. By that, I knew I had my answer, so I proceeded to follow in what He had told me. It was hard at first, but the more I applied myself to this new way of praying, (it was new for me), the easier it got. I memorized key passages, and all of a sudden, I was able to open up and pray without being nervous.

Rev. Eng. JK. Maragia

Instead of looking at my inadequacies, I started looking at God’s Word and concentrating on His greatness. I could feel myself rising up in the Lord. It was God’s anointing, but at that time I did not realize that it was. Little by little I became more God-centered and less self-centered.

My Prayer Walk Through Thick And Thin

Yes your Majesty Honour and Glory to you forever and ever !!! Amen

Madam Anastasia

My Prayer Walk Through Thick And Thin

Through the years, God taught me many things. I remember always wanting to pray, but when I started attending prayer meetings, I found myself absolutely tongue tied, and very nervous for fear that someone would ask me to pray out loud. In fact, I was asked to pray many times and because of the Lord, I made it through.
I didn’t know how to wait upon the Holy Spirit. I didn’t realize that He wanted to lead and direct me not only in my everyday life, but also in my prayer life. I didn’t recognize His voice when He was speaking to me. I later learned that some of my thoughts were, in fact, the voice of the Holy Spirit, and not just my own. I had never known that way of praying before. All I knew and understood was the memorized prayers that I had learned when I was very young. I became very frustrated. There were times when I would start to pray and right in the middle of my prayer I would totally lose my trend of what was in my heart to pray and was unable to finish. I had no alternative but to stop right in the middle of the sentence and say, "I can’t go on because I have this block." That was very embarrassing and frustrating for me. Needless to say, if I continued to take part in these meetings, things would have to change. I knew that I needed to deal with pride and overcome the fear of man, intimidation, inferiority, and more.

Can That phone reach the Heavens

My constant question to myself was, “Why are you at these prayer meetings when you’re so nervous and having such a hard time of it?" I know now that I was there at those meetings because it was God that had me there. Like everyone else, I had to start from the first step, before I could go to the next. It’s like our own natural growth in life. A baby cannot grow up to become an adult in the same day. It’s always a process. Isaiah 28:10 says it this way, "For precept must be upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little." We all must be patient and wait upon the Lord. He has the right timing for everything.
Well, this went on week after week. But amazingly, as the days drew closer to the time of each meeting,excitement would start to well up in me. One day as I sat at my dressing table getting ready for the meeting, I heard the Lord speak to me and tell me to read Psalms 32:8. My Bible was lying on the dressing table right next to me so I immediately opened it to that particular scripture that He had told me read. I was amazed at what it said, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you shall go and I will guide you with My eye." The anointing of that Word reached the depths of my heart and I felt the rush of joy fill my whole being. It was electrifying to say the least. God is so faithful. He knew that I needed that encouragement and He gave it to me at the very right time.

Madam Anastasia

It’s obvious that the enemy did not want me to attend these meetings, but by God’s grace and only by His grace, I finally broke through. However, this was not an overnight victory for me. Daily, I had to give God more of my time, I had to be patient with myself and also with the Lord as well. Discipline in every way was important. The Lord said, "Old things are passed away and now it was time to go on to the new." I had to be willing. I knew that the Lord’s way was the best and highest way. At times, I would get very tired; however, so to speak, I had to keep on rowing my boat, keeping focused on my destination. I was bound and determined, with God’s help, that I would get to the other side where He had told me to go. In spite of the fierce winds and the high waves that had threatened to capsize my boat, I kept on. I knew that Jesus was in the boat with me and He would keep me safe and protected from all harm. Even today these storms continue, not only for me, but for all those who choose to follow the Lord. We must stay focused and keep rowing. The more we row, the more spiritual muscles we develop. And the more we row, the more we grow.

PRAYER MINISTRY TESTIMONY

Yes your Majesty Honour and Glory to you forever and ever Amen


PRAYER MINISTRY TESTIMONY
By Rev. Eng. JK. Maragia

Rev Eng. JK. Maragia

The Purpose For Writing This Testimony
My purpose for writing this testimonial is so that it might be used as a help, and an encouragement to those who may be going through the same thing that I went through years ago. Even if this does not personally apply to you, it may apply to those you now have contact with, or might have contact with in the future. Perhaps someway, you can relate. Having said that, I will begin.

A Trying But Very Rewarding Prayer Journey

I have been in the prayer ministry over twenty years. It’s been a long but very rewarding journey for me. I remember always having a desire to know God, even before I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and my Savior. Before I came to the Lord, I went through a time of rebellion. I had seen, and also experienced things in the Christian community that had upset me and along with that I had some of my own issues that I was dealing with. All of this caused me to turn away from pursuing the things of God, and consequently, I strayed and went my own way.

Madam Anastasia

My life became very complicated, and pressure began to mount up in my life. I finally came to the conclusion that the only way out was to turn to God, and so I did. In God’s mercy and love, He reached out to me and met me just where I was at. The Lord gave me a hunger and a thirst for Him that I cannot put into words. I acquired a Bible, and began to read and soak in His Word. I remember thinking, "If it’s not in the Bible I do not need it." I did not want what man said, but I wanted only what God said. During the time of my search, I received Jesus Christ as My Lord and Savior. I was so thankful to Him for forgiving my sins and washing me clean. Through His word, I learned that because I now belonged to the Lord, I was assured of eternal life with Him forever. Praise God!

What is Intercessory Prayer?

Yes your Majesty Honour and Glory to you forever and ever Amen
 

What is Intercessory Prayer?
By Madam Anastasia Intercessory prayer is the act of praying for other people. The Lord instructed us to pray not only for our own personal needs but to reach out and pray for others as well. We find an example of this in 

1 Timothy 2:1-6.

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." 
In this verse, we are told to pray and to make intercession for all men. What is intercessory prayer? The Greek noun, "enteuxus" in the Bible is the word for "intercession." It primarily denotes a "meeting with," a conversation or petition rendered on the behalf of others. "Intercessory prayer," then, is seeking the presence and audience of God in another's stead. When we pray for the needs of others that is called "intercession" or we are said to be "interceding" for them.

Jesus was the greatest "intercessor" of all time.

 Isaiah 53:12 records the following prophecy about Jesus:

"Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

Hebrews 7:25 speaks of Him as a high priest that is still interceding on our behalf.

 "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the utter mosts that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." 
The Lord is looking for men and women today that are willing to enter into this ministry with Him. He has always sought people that would "stand in the gap" for others. Ezekiel 22:30-31 says,

"And I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God."

The Lord does not want judgment to fall upon people. He desires that they repent and return to Him. However, if they do not repent, judgment is inevitable. The fruit of sin always has penalty. Prayer for others causes them to repent and seek God. Therefore, the Lord is always looking for those who will take a burden of prayer for the wayward ones, so that they might come to Him. He needs spiritual warriors who will selflessly intercede on behalf of others. The ministry of intercessory prayer perennially stands open for volunteers who will join the Lord in this work. Through this ministry one can circle the entire world interposing for the multitudes who have no one else to "stand in the gap" for them. I personally do not believe the Lord will call anyone into a public ministry unless the ministry of intercession has first become a priority in his life.

There are many people eagerly wanting to do something for Jesus while this important field of work stands wide open. It is certainly not as glamorous as some other ministries, for no one is seen or applauded in their prayer closet, and perhaps that is exactly why there are so few volunteers. Even when people are interested in serving in this form of ministry, there is often a lack of knowledge as to the equipment and the keys needed to be effective and successful in it.

Some of these keys are presented here in hopes that if you have a heart toward God and are willing to become an intercessor, you will know how to obtain many victories. Intercessory prayer, being a ministry to others, is not something that directly benefits us. It is essentially an outreach ministry. Through it we can truly lay down our lives for others. As we are faithful by sacrificing our time on the behalf of others, the Lord then takes care of our needs. As we minister to others, the Lord ministers to us. While praying for others, we cannot neglect mentioning the added blessing of being in fellowship with the Lord. As the Holy Spirit directs us in the ways we are to pray for others, we need to keep in mind that He will always have us pray according to His Word.

Negative prayers and judgment prayed down on people are not in harmony with the Spirit of the Lord. God is continually extending mercy and help. Some people in ignorance pray for God to do whatever it takes to save someone. They pray such prayers as, "Lord, if you have to break their back to get them to come to you, break their back Jesus, take their business away from them, but save them. God, if it takes a car wreck to save them, do it Lord. Show them, even if they have to get cancer." These are examples of the way some ignorant Christians pray. They are truly crimes against the heart of Christ. He came to save, not to destroy and kill.

Luke 9:53-56, "And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village."
No one gets saved just because he gets cancer. If that were true, then every one that had cancer would automatically come to God. Getting cancer, or being in a car wreck, never saved anyone. On the other hand, many people have died and gone to hell in these ways. Granted, some do come to the Lord when tragedy strikes, but it was the strength of someone praying for them and the mercy of the Holy Spirit that caused them to come to God, not the tragedy. Without the conviction of the Holy Spirit, their thoughts would never have gone out to God even in their crisis.

God does not send calamities in order to bring people to Himself. He tells us in His word that it is the Spirit of God that "woos" and "draws" people to Himself. This is hastened as Christians pray. John 6:44says,

 "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."

 Praise God for intercessors that stand against the enemy and keep him from destroying the souls and lives of men, women and children who need the Lord. The ministry of intercession is a vital part of our Christian walk and we can never attain to maturity and become overcomers by slighting it. I often use the words "task" and "work" in reference to prayer because it is never easy nor convenient to pray with any discipline or consistency. We must remember that we have an enemy (the devil) who is constantly trying to keep us from our prayer life because he knows (better than most Christians) the damage done to his kingdom through it. Let us never cease to pray for others and thereby be those "intercessors" that God is looking for.  

---

Most Phenomenal Human Who Ever Lived

Jesus Christ
Most Phenomenal Human Who Ever Lived
By Jimmy Kephas Maragia

 

Compare Jesus Christ to any person who ever lived. What is the conclusion? There is no comparison. Consider these facts.
Jesus rose from the dead.
There is not any other single fact in the history of man more profound than that fact.

Is there any man in all the history of the world that has been the subject of more conversations than Jesus Christ? Skim the horizon for a more notable man. Where would we look?

Among all the Kings and Conquerors of all the ages, no single name stands out above the name of Jesus Christ.

From the most ancient times, came the Pharaohs of Egypt, and Hammurabi of Mesopotamia, or Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. No other single figure in Africa or the Near East comes close.

Muhammad has certainly influenced hundreds of millions, but far less than Jesus' billions.

In the Far East, there were the sages: Buddha, Tao and Confucius. But these are scarcely known in the Western world.

How about the great conquerors of the middle ages: Alexander the Great or the Mongols. Napoleon.

How about the thinkers: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle? Or the scientists: Newton the theoretician, or Archimedes the physicist, or Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison or Ben Franklin?

Not even the infamous despots as Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Mussolini or Hitler have affected so many as Jesus.

There has been no Caesar, or Czar, or Emperor, King or President who has influenced the world as profoundly as the simple man from Nazareth.
And no wonder. There was never a man who was like him.
He was more than just a man. He was God manifest in the flesh. For the skeptic and doubter, there are the empirical facts which demand a verdict.

According to the observations and testimonies of thousands of eye witnesses, and hundreds of personal disciples and scores of writers and historians, Jesus Christ was the most remarkable person to ever walk on this planet, before or since.

The most overwhelming factor in Jesus' universal appeal is that He had incomprehensible power and authority. While there have been thousands of significant people who have dotted the landscape of civilization, the most that can be said about them is that they were brilliant, or charismatic, or possessed above average talents or skills in their professions. Great conquerors and military giants notwithstanding, Jesus Christ showed Himself to possess supernatural powers never witnessed on the same scale in any other man.

From the very first miracle at Cana of Galilee, where he quietly transformed vessels of water into vessels of wine, to the moment of His mysterious ascension into the clouds of the sky, replete with angelic escorts, it can be declared with the utmost certainty, that there never was a man like this man.

More prophecy foretold Him than any other man
Inexplicable circumstances led to His virgin birth. Hundreds of years and scores of ancient prophets had forecast His appearance. Suffice it to say that virtually everything we know about Him was paranormal.

His town of birth was foretold to be Bethlehem.
His childhood home was foretold to be Nazareth.
His fugitive hiding place was prophesied to be Egypt.
His birth was prophesied to be by a virgin.
The year of His birth was calculated from Daniel's day.
His lineage was announced 2500 years earlier.
He was to be Abraham, Isaac and Jacob's seed.
He would be heir to David's throne.

He was likened to a shepherd and a lamb, a Father and a Son, the water and the bread of life, a prophet like Moses, a priest like Aaron, a king like David.

He was anciently prefigured to be betrayed by a friend, sold for thirty pieces of silver, led like a lamb to the slaughter, beaten with stripes, and spend three days in the grave, and rise from the dead.
Jesus was a man of unprecedented miracles
But those are only a few of the supernatural things that etched Jesus so indelibly in the minds of millions upon millions of men who came after Him.

Jesus could and did cleanse lepers of their diseases. He caused blinded eyes to see. He opened up ears that could not hear, and raised the lame, the cripple and the infirm by the multitudes. He drove out their insanities, and filled their hearts with comfort and peace and love like no one had ever known.

We owe it to ourselves to take the time today to contemplate the awesomeness of Jesus Christ. We do ourselves a tragic injustice when we allow our hearts to be turned away from Him in disbelief.

It is certainly a misfortunate quirk of human nature that moves us to close our minds to the profound truths that demand our consideration. It could take the rest of our lives to merely meditate for a while on each and every notable thing we know about Jesus, and try to put it in its worthy perspective. Take for instance, any one of the miracles or phenomenon we know about Him.
Jesus' very existence was miraculous.

His virgin birth -- we amplify that story a thousand times over every Christmas. Do we subconsciously disregard the miracle of the virgin birth? Do we legitimize Santa Claus and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer more than Jesus Christ? I think we do.

Or how about Jesus' miraculous resurrection from the dead -- we spend time every Easter, every year, making mention of His return from the dead. But do we really let our hearts contemplate the magnificent truth that Jesus is God? Do we give more attention to the Easter Bunny and hunting eggs? I think we do.

Think about this for a few moments with me. Think about the virgin birth. Jesus' mother had never known a man. Think about turning water into wine. How do you do that? How did he cleanse the lepers? How did He make blind eyes see? How did He stretch the man's withered arm? How did He make the palsied man walk? How did He stop the issue of blood? How did He bring back Jairus' daughter from the dead? Or the centurion's servant? Or Lazarus?
His resurrection is incomprehensible.
Why don't we just go sit down in the garden tomb with His corpse for three days? Let us look at the lifeless form lying on a stone shelf. Look at the ants and the bugs as they crawl around on the grave clothes. Think about the cold stiffness of this dead man. No blood is flowing through His veins because His heart is not beating. No thoughts are going through His mind because His brain is dead. His hands and feet are motionless because He is dead. His eyes see nothing. His ears hear nothing. He is dead, For the first evening and night, For the second evening and night and For the third evening and night.

But on the fourth morning, as the sun comes up in the East, the most unbelievable thing happens. He begins to move. His toes and feet begin to move. His head raises up from the stone. The grave clothes begin to stretch and loosen. His shoulders lift, his knees bend. His legs slide over and his feet stand on the floor. He rises from the stone ledge, and amazingly begins to free himself.

No one is around but his angels. The garden keeper has not yet arrived for the day. The sun is scarcely in the sky. He loiters in the garden, standing in the cool, morning shadows of trees along the path till Mary and Martha arrive.
Eyewitnesses galore testify to His resurrection.
They see Him and mistake Him for the gardener, because they have no expectation of His return. But Jesus will speak first to Mary. They will testify later to the astonishing reality that Jesus has risen from the dead.

John and Mark will meet Him on the roadway later that day. He will appear at supper time in the room where the disciples are meeting. And for forty days, over 500 people will testify they have seen Him alive. Finally, the disciples will stand with Him on the Mount of Olives when the clouds begin to gather around Him and carry him upward into the presence of His angels. Speaking from the clouds, the angels tell them He will return in like manner.

The undeniable facts of Jesus' story drive stakes through the heart of unbelief. They defy every skeptic's arguments. They stand in the face of vehement denial from those who don't want to believe there really is a God.

For 4,000 years now, Abraham's God has directed a drama of unequaled proportion across the stage of history, proving again and again that nothing can stop Him.
He rules and reigns forever over all the affairs of men.
Someday soon, He will return to earth in the very same miraculous way that He departed. This time, there will be no escaping the fact that He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He will take control of Jerusalem and remove every opponent. Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord.

Thirsty for God‏

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.    (Psalm 42:1)___________

Daniel 10:12‏

God has heard everything that you said ever since the first day you 

decided to humble yourself in front of your God so that you could learn to understand things. I have come in response to your prayer.

........... 
If we just want the stuff in heaven- no more tears, streets of gold, and even those who have died and gone to heaven, then we don't really know what it is that will satisfy us.
 
But our Father is waking us up. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? (Psa 42:2)

The Lord is why heaven is heaven. What if we could go to hell and have all the 'good stuff'? Without God there is no way anything would be good. When will I get to see my Father in heaven?
 
My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me continually, "Where is your God?" (Psa 42:3)


Who are they?


They are the thirsty who do not hope for the perfect satisfaction as a child of God.
 
These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. (Psa 42:4) Through Jesus your Savior God has made adoption into his family a reality. And you will go with the many others in God's family who have been chosen individually because of his love for each one of us. Let's pray.
 
Father, thank you for sending Jesus and paying for our adoption into your family. Thank you for opening the door for all who will believe in your love that is ours in Christ. Help us to realize that the thirst in our soul is for you- to live in personal relationship with you. Amen.
 
Today's very great and precious promise
 
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
(Psa 42:5)
 
We have God's Word on it.
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Great Love‏

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which
he loved us... (Ephesians.2:4)_________ 
We are poor and dying souls in sin on our own- separated from God's life. But God is rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us by sending Jesus.
 
Even when we were dead in our sins, God made us alive together with Christ. He loves us because it is God's nature- not because we did anything to deserve it. By grace you have been saved. (See Eph. 2:5)
 
Believer you have a place where you are truly at home. He has raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.          (See Eph. 2:6)
 
God's love is forever with us... so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.    (Eph. 2:7)

Let's turn our hearts to our Lord.
 
Father, thank you for your love, Thank you that in Jesus we will grow forever in the riches of your love without measure, Help us to surrender our heart so that we walk with Jesus into the rest of your wonderful care. Amen.
 
Today's very great and precious promise
 
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8)
 
We have God's Word on it.
 
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Forsake Temporal Things

Philippians 3

our goal in life should be to forsake temporal things for the sake of the eternal.

INSIGHT

James Maragia once decided to become morally perfect. He chose 13 qualities he felt embodied moral perfection and tried to perfect one a week - at the end of 13 weeks he would be morally perfect. He failed, yet later wrote he had become a much better man for trying and failing than if he had never tried at all. Our situation with the Lord is similar. We will never become morally perfect, as Paul writes, but we can experience maturation as we grow into the image of Christ.

PRAYER

Because the Lord knows our weaknesses and loves us anyway, we can praise Him with enthusiasm: In as much as there is none like You, O Lord (You are great, and your name is great in might), who would not fear You, O King of the nations? For this is your rightful due, for among all the wise men of the nations, And in all their kingdoms, there is none like you. . . .

But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation
(Jeremiah 10:6-7, 10)

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin: The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit
(Psalm 34:17-18).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord: The Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered.
(Romans 8:26)

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include: a stronger desire to be like Christ, churches across the nation, whatever else is on your heart.

Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord: To the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen

 (1Timothy 1:17).

Take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

(Ephesians 6:13) 

Ordinary People‏

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours... (see James 5:17)
____________
 
Elijah had morning breath just like the rest of us. The bible tells of ordinary people full of twists and character warts just like you. OK, me too. We're just people. But that's the point- Jesus calls us right where we are to be who we are.
 
"Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts." (Zech. 4:6)
 
We often get frustrated in our own fuss and tangles. Somehow by the grace of God we turn and surrender the struggle- and the Lord settles our soul in his peace once again.
 
We might put on a shine for other people but sooner or later the shine wears away. Better to just be ourselves and trust in the Lord. Let's pray.
 
Lord Jesus, thank you for loving us just the way we are. Thank you for your patience. When we surrender our struggles you are still here to bring us into your rest. Help us to look to you. Amen.
 
Today's very great and precious promise
 
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (From 2Cor 12:9)
 
We have God's Word on it. 
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SINNERS ONLY

Let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
(Heb 4:16)
_________
 
No appointment necessary, There is no line, you can come straight to the Lord. There is but one qualification:
 
It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. (1Tim 1:15)
 
Jesus says, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Mat 11:28) The King of Glory sends out his invitation.

Let's pray.
 
Lord Jesus, thank you for calling sinners. We are in need of your healing from our sin sick souls. Let us receive the cure- you are the cure. Help us trust in your love and receive the promise of your help.

Amen.
 
Today's very great and precious promise
 
"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:17)
 
We have God's Word on it.
 ============================================

Hope‏

"My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD."

(Lam 3:18)
__________
 
When sorrow and trouble drain us of strength, when we have nothing left the Lord understands. "Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me."

(Lam 3:19-20)
 
Crying out to God is not a lack of faith. "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end"

(Lam 3:21-22)
 
Remember the Lord's mercy, compassion, and kindness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."

(Lam 3:24)

Let's pray.
 
Heavenly Father, when we're discouraged and our soul is weary help us remember: Your loving kindness and mercy never end. Help us wait upon you- for your hand of mercy that never fails.

Amen.
 
Today's very great and precious promise 
The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

(Lam 3:25-26)
 
We have God's Word on it.
 

Come Home

He [Jesus] came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. (Eph 2:17)
__________
 
Whether we have been foolish or whether we are wearing the full armor of God, we are at home only with Jesus. Come home. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. (Eph 2:18)
 
Does backsliding bar the way? The Father runs to meet the prodigal who returns! Do days of well-doing grant us access? A thousand times no. How shall we boast? Through Jesus we have access in one Spirit.
 
So then... you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God (Eph 2:19) as we grow we set our heart more and more... at home with Jesus. Let's pray.
 
Lord Jesus, thank you for being the way. Help me to grow in you, to remain at home before you, to rest in you.
 
Thank you for giving us ability to repent- to change the way we have been thinking. Help us turn to you when we fall. When we walk in freedom it is with you. Amen.
 
Today's very great and precious promise
 
in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Eph 2:22)
 
We have God's Word on it.

First Class Living Todays' truth

"Jesus said, "My purpose is to give life in all its fullness."

Friend To Friend


I will never forget the first time I flew first class. Ann and I were on our way to North Coast for a few days of much needed vacation. We were both exhausted, having just returned from a wonderful but grueling mission trip to Mfangano Island. I couldn't wait to get on that plane, grab a pillow and blanket and sleep my way to North Coast. 

When I spotted an abnormally long line of people and realized it was the check-in line for our gate, my attitude took a nose dive. I was tired. I was hungry. We had missed both breakfast and lunch in order to make our flight and that tiny little pouch of honey roasted peanuts waiting for me on board the plane was just not going to cut it! Oh, and did I mention how much I hate to wait - for anyone or anything? Patience is definitely not one of my strongest qualities.

Suddenly, a man dressed in a pilot's uniform stepped up to the ticket counter. "He looks familiar," I thought to myself, but since Ann was a teacher of a large school in town, we often ran into people who attended one of the five weekend services. My Wife is great at remembering names and faces, but me - not so much. The fact that the pilot looked familiar did not register as pertinent information - until he waved in our direction and said, "Please step forward."

Wait! Was he talking to us?

"Pastor  and Ann, will you please step up to the counter?" the pilot repeated. Ann immediately recognized him as Elvis Masika, a new believer who was attending the church.

"I knew you were a pilot, Elvis, but I didn't realize that you worked for this airline," Ann said. Things were definitely looking up. Maybe I could score two pouches of honey roasted peanuts.   

"Where are you headed?" my new best friend asked. When we told him, Elvis promptly moved us from coach to first class and escorted us past all of the other waiting - and now glaring - passengers. I was a little uncomfortable "cutting" in line, but any hesitation on my part quickly faded as Elvis showed us to our seats and instructed the stewardess to take good care of his "pastors." I love that man!

I soon discovered that I was a real person in first class, assigned to a spacious and extremely comfortable leather recliner where I actually had room to move and breathe without assaulting the person next to me. My meal was not wrapped in paper and they actually trusted me with real eating utensils. I was presented with cloth napkins, hot food, good movies, current magazines and a stewardess who seemed totally committed to my comfort.

I immediately decided that I was born to fly first class! The only problem with that decision is that I simply cannot afford to purchase a first class airline ticket. Someone will have to buy it for me.

You and I were created to live a full and abundant life - a first class kind of life. In John 10:10, Jesus said, "My purpose is to give life in all its fullness."  

The good news is that Jesus has already paid the price, not only for our "ticket" to heaven, but for a life of purpose and power here on earth. We cannot begin to understand all that God's "fullness" holds but I do know that what He wants for me far exceeds anything I could possibly imagine. And I can imagine a lot.

God is calling you to follow Him. He is asking for 100% commitment and, in return, He will fill your life, now and eternally, with the fullness that only comes through knowing and serving the Master. Don't settle for anything less than living life - first class.

Let's Pray Father, my heart hungers for your power to flow through my life. I choose to obey you. I will seek you with my whole heart and I will follow you wherever you lead me. I know that your plan for my life is amazing and I don't want to miss any of it. Today, I choose to set aside my agenda and rest in the abundant life only you can give.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Now its Your Turn If you could choose one word to describe your life journey so far, what would it be?  Explain.

Explain the statement that God is your source. What does that really mean in your life? What other "sources" have you counted on? Did they lead to success or failure?

What "wants" have been a hindrance to the abundant and full life God has for you?  What steps of obedience are you willing to take in order to control those "wants"? 

More From The friends It is easy to live an entire life - just doing the next thing on the list. God has so much more for you! Surrender! Give Him permission to capture your heart. Yield to God's abundant plan and experience what it is like to live - first class.

If you or someone you love struggles with depression, I encourage you to read the book, Hope in the Midst of Depression. I have been in that dark pit and know what it is like to long for just a sliver of light. The good news is that there really is hope and a way out of that pit.

Check out My FREE MPs or visit me online store for great deals on books, CDs,

E-Bible Studies and her DVD, Strength for the Storm.

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John 10:10 (NLT)

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Completely Improbable, Imminently Possible

And he said to [the angel of the LORD],

"Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house."

(Judges 6:15, ESV)

The Old Testament judge Gideon asked an angel of the Lord how he could possibly take on the mighty Midianites, being a wimp as he was, and God answered every request the man put forth—almost to the point of being ridiculous. On the other hand, Zechariah, a faithful Levite serving the Lord and John the Baptist's father, asked only once how he could possibly have a son in his old age, and an angel told him he'd be unable to speak until it came to pass.

That hardly seems fair—harsh even. Why would God punish one and let the other get away with so much? We might think there's a discrepancy in the treatment—until we examine the differences between the two men's responses.

Let's look at what's the same first. Both of them were dedicated to God—Gideon seems to have been seeking God as he beat out the wheat and he later tore down an altar to Baal, while Zechariah served faithfully in the temple. In fact, you could say that Zechariah had the greater claim to being godly. Both men received shocking, seemingly impossible news from an angel. Both asked very similar questions.

God, however, didn't just look at the questions. He looked at the reason for asking. Obviously, we don't know what Gideon or Zechariah was thinking, but God did. Notice, for example, that Gideon's fleecing of God reads much like Abraham's petition for Sodom. Just as Gideon asks God not to be angry with him as he asks for more proof, Abraham asked God not to be angry as he begged for the lives in Sodom (see Genesis 18).

On the other hand, Zechariah simply doubts. And that's why the angel zings the old priest. He's not asking God for proof. He's not begging for evidence. He's not amazed that something like this could really happen (as Mary was). He just doesn't believe it can happen.

Gideon believed God could do what He said He would do. And that's the key—he believed God to perform something amazing. What the man wasn't sure about was his own ability and his calling. He believed God for the outcome; he questioned the agent, the catalyst. God graciously proved the calling by many unimpeachable signs. 

I'm certainly not suggesting we test God's patience—or test God at all. But God knows humans. He knows our doubts and our fears and our feelings of inadequacy. He's been there and done that—all without sin.

Gideon doubted himself, and God patiently showed the seeming wimp that he was, in fact, a mighty man of valor. If God has given you a calling that seems improbable because of your failings, remember that what God purposes to do is imminently possible. In other words, He doesn't pick the wrong person or give the wrong vision.

Whatever you do, don't doubt the power of God to do whatever it is He's given you. That's where we get into trouble

The Living Christ

Trust amid the Silence

"He answered her not a word" (Matt. 15:23).

"He will be silent in his love" (Zeph. 3:17).

It may be a child of God is reading these words that have had some great crushing sorrow, some bitter disappointment, and some heart-breaking blow from a totally unexpected quarter. You are longing for your Master's voice bidding you "Be of good cheer," but only silence and a sense of mystery and misery meet you --"He answered her not a word."

God's tender heart must often ache listening to all the sad, complaining cries which arise from our weak, impatient hearts, because we do not see that for our own sakes He answers not at all or otherwise than seems best to our tear-blinded, short-sighted eyes.

The silences of Jesus are as eloquent as His speech and may be a sign, not of His disapproval, but of His approval and of a deep purpose of blessing for you.

"Why art thou cast down, O...soul?" Thou shalt yet praise Him, yes, even for His silence. Listen to an old and beautiful story of how one Christian dreamed that she saw three others at prayer. As they knelt the Master drew near to them.

As He approached the first of the three, He bent over her in tenderness and grace, with smiles full of radiant love and spoke to her in accents of purest, sweetest music.

Leaving her, He came to the next, but only placed His hand upon her bowed head, and gave her one look of loving approval.

The third woman He passed almost abruptly without stopping for a word or glance. The woman in her dream said to herself, "How greatly He must love the first one, to the second He gave His approval, but none of the special demonstrations of love He gave the first; and the third must have grieved Him deeply, for He gave her no word at all and not even a passing look.

"I wonder what she has done, and why He made so much difference between them." As she tried to account for the action of her Lord, He Himself stood by her and said:

 "O woman! How wrongly hast thou interpreted me? The first kneeling woman needs all the weight of my tenderness and care to keep her feet in my narrow way. She needs my love, thought and help every moment of the day. Without it she would fail and fall.

"The second has stronger faith and deeper love, and I can trust her to trust me however things may go and whatever people do.

"The third, which I seemed not to notice, and even to neglect, has faith and love of the finest quality, and her I am training by quick and drastic processes for the highest and holiest service.

"She knows me so intimately, and trusts me so utterly, that she is independent of words or looks or any outward intimation of my approval. She is not dismayed nor discouraged by any circumstances through which I arrange that she shall pass; she trusts Me when sense and reason and every finer instinct of the natural heart would rebel;--because she knows that I am working in her for eternity, and that what I do, though she knows not the explanation now, she will understand hereafter.

"I am silent in my love because I love beyond the power of words to express, or of human hearts to understand, and also for your sakes that you may learn to love and trust me in Spirit-taught, spontaneous response to my love, without the spur of anything outward to call it forth."

He "will do marvels" if you will learn the mystery of His silence, and praise Him, for every time He withdraws His gifts that you may better know and love the Giver.