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Comment by Ladyjd721 on December 2, 2008 at 9:21am

VERSE:
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
-- Romans 12:2
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Romans+12:2&translation=kjv

THOUGHT:
Sooner or later we all have to make a decision: Will I be a
nonconformist? Will I refuse to be squeezed into the mold of the
world? (J.B. Phillips terminology.) Will I be part of a Christian
counter-culture? (John R.W. Stott terminology.) Will I be God's own
person, an alien and an exile in the world, put here to have a
redemptive influence? (The apostle Peter's terminology.) Jesus
simply calls us his disciples. Bottom line: until we are really
ready to cross the line and live totally for the Lord, we're not
going to be able to fully recognize God's will for us. There are no
arm-chair quarterback Christians. There are no sideline disciples.
There are no back-seat driver Christians. We either chose the
Lordship of Jesus, or else we reject it. So what's your decision?

PRAYER:
Holy God, I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. I
believe that he came to earth as a human, lived an exemplary life
of grace and power, and died for my sins so I could live for you,
and with you, forever. Please forgive me, O God, for the times that
I have hedged on my commitment to you and flirted with the
darkness. I want to live for you with passion, joy, and
fulfillment. I want to be transformed to be like Christ. In his
name, Jesus the Lord, I pray. Amen.

Comment by Ladyjd721 on December 2, 2008 at 6:23am

ALL THINGS THROUGH GOD

Philippians 4:11-13
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Philippians+4:11-13

Sovereign Lord of all things, dear Father,

How aware I am of my mortality! All flesh is like grass, and all
its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the
flower fades . . . but your word, O God, will stand forever! I will
not say that my way is hidden from the Lord, or that you, my God,
have disregarded my rights.

Don't I know? Haven't I heard? You, Lord, are the everlasting God,
the Creator of the most distant parts of earth. You do not grow
faint or get tired and your understanding is unsearchable.

You give power to me when I faint. When I feel I have no energy,
you increase my strength. Because I wait on you, Lord, you shall
renew my strength. I shall mount up with the wings of eagles. I
shall run and not be weary, I shall walk and not faint.

In the name of Jesus, for whom you were everything, and who taught
me also to let you be my everything! Amen.

Comment by Ladyjd721 on December 2, 2008 at 5:31am

Time For a Check Up?
Alan Riley
Can you believe it is already December? This year has gone by in a blur! It seems like just yesterday we were ringing in 2008, and now there are just four weeks left in the year!
Our awareness of the passing of time provides us with an strong incentive to look back and evaluate where we are. Have I reached my personal, professional and spiritual goals for the year? Where am I in my development in those areas? What do I need to do differently to see more progress in these areas between now and the end of the year?
A few weeks ago I had my annual medical checkup. It's not a pleasant experience, especially for someone who just plain doesn't like going to the doctor. But I have seen the sometimes tragic results of NOT catching a medical problem early, so I choose to subject myself to the inconvenience and the discomfort of a medical examination because it is ultimately very important to my health.
Likewise, it is often not a pleasant experience to go through a spiritual checkup, either. None of us likes to take a critical look at ourselves, much less to ask trusted friends or accountability partners to tell us what they see. But I have seen far too many times the tragic results of NOT catching a spiritual problem early, so I choose to subject myself to the inconvenience and the discomfort of a "spiritual examination" because it is ultimately very important to my spiritual health and to my effectiveness as a leader.
In both of Paul's letters to the church at Corinth - a church that had its share of problems and challenges - he stresses the need for an honest self examination. In 1 Corinthians 11:28, the Apostle says that we should carefully examine our lives before we partake of the Lord's supper to be sure that we do not sin against the body and the blood of Christ and bring condemnation upon ourselves. Then in 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul says: "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test." (NIV)
Have you had a spiritual check up lately?

Comment by Ladyjd721 on December 1, 2008 at 7:56am

My Comforter

When the storms of life prevail
My anchor holds against the gale
Jesus my Savior calms the days
As He lifts me from the angry waves

When in times of grief
And on my knees I pray
I hear my Savior's tender voice
"Rise up my child, I'll show the way"

Should sickness overtake me
The Great Physician is there
To place on me His Healing Hand
As I feel His loving care

And if those I love should cause me pain
When it seems they've lost their way
Jesus the Comforter is theirs to gain
As He guides them through the day

And when in death I close my eyes
And go to realms unknown
I'll see my Savior's smiling face
And know at last I'm Home
Written by Granville (Bud) Kelley

Stay Focused
and
Blessed.........................
Jan

Comment by Ladyjd721 on December 1, 2008 at 7:05am

PREPARING FOR THE END

Philippians 4:7-11
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Philippians+4:7-11

Dear Father, victorious deliverer,

May I be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based
on rule-keeping but that which is through trust in Christ, the
righteousness of God that depends on trust, that I may know him and
the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings,
becoming like him in his death, that if possible, I might attain
the resurrection of the dead.

O God, let me obtain it! Let me be awake! Let me put on the armor
of light! Let me put on the Lord Jesus and his righteousness, and
be found in him! Let me trust, obey, even suffer, in order to have
the victory!

In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Comment by Ladyjd721 on December 1, 2008 at 6:02am

The Spiritual Test
Dr. Michael Youssef
We can all remember our school days when we were faced with exams. We spent all day in school-and still we panicked when it came to test time.
Why? Perhaps it's because our time in the classroom was only one part of the learning process. The other part was time at home engaging with the material through homework, worksheets, and flashcards-all designed to prepare us for exams and to make sure we had a grasp of the material and were headed in the right direction.
The exam brought panic because it was the culmination of all of our hard work and the measure of our direction and mastery of the material.
These exams and tests were for our benefit. They measured our growth, highlighted our strengths and weaknesses, and guided us to the paths we should take. The same is true of our spiritual lives. We face tests and exams on a spiritual level, but they count for greater consequences because the results of these tests are indicators of our eternal future.
We must examine ourselves with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and always be ready to be tested. Always being ready for exams is foundational to a positive life in Christ. Throughout 2 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul wrote about all that God taught him and what gave him power to live positively in Christ in the midst of fear, trepidation, imprisonment, and flogging.
In his conclusion to this letter he says, "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves!" (2 Corinthians 13:5, NASB).
The Corinthians of old fell into the trap that some of our modern educators have fallen into today. If students are not keeping up and succeeding in school, some believe that the standards must be too high-so they lower the standards. The problem is that lowering the standards and changing the curriculum doesn't insist on accountability.
When we refuse to examine ourselves on a regular basis we are taking God's grace and salvation for granted. But don't miss the fabulous news: In this test that the Bible talks about, we can be always a success. Even those who fail the test can succeed.
If you examine yourself on a daily basis and find that you are in the faith, then you will be overjoyed by His grace and mercy and will give God the glory. But if you examine yourself and find that you have moved away from the truth, then God has given you an engraved invitation to repent and to return to the truth.
God promised in His Word to receive anyone who turns to Him. The moment you come face to face with the reality that you have departed from the faith by sinning gravely and you repent, God in His grace and mercy receives you. He embraces you. He forgives you. He restores you. You are, again, overjoyed by His grace and mercy and give God the glory.
Either way, God is glorified. Examine yourself.

Comment by Ladyjd721 on November 30, 2008 at 11:31am

THE END IS NEAR

Philippians 4:5
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Philippians+4:5

Dear Father, victorious deliverer,

Everything points to the fact that we live in the last days, so
let me not waste time sleeping.

Salvation is nearer now than when I first believed. The night is
far gone. The day is at hand.

Help me cast off all the works of darkness and put on the armor of
light.

Let me conduct myself as becomes one of your people, not in
reveling or drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not
in quarreling or jealousy.

Rather let me put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provisions
for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Comment by Ladyjd721 on November 30, 2008 at 10:17am

How to Deal With Your Issues
Dr. Betty R. Price
Proverbs 4:20-27 gives us some very sound advice if we want to move ahead with God:
20 My son [that includes daughters], give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence [that is careful effort, perseverance], for out of it spring the issues of life.
24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead and your eyelids look right before you.
26 Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil.
According to these verses, how we deal with the issues or challenges that face us in life come from our hearts.
In Matthew 15:18-19 Jesus gives us more information about the issues that come from the heart:
18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.
Jesus is telling us that any time we are involved in fornication and adultery, and all the other things He listed in Matthew, they come out of the heart. That is why you have to protect your heart, in order to keep those things from getting in there.
Luke 6:45 says: For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. It is up to us as Christians to keep all the ugly things out of our hearts and to protect our hearts with all diligence by right thinking and right action. So many people bring the types of things listed in Matthew from the world right into their Christian life because they have never been told that they do not have to keep those things in their hearts and they don't have to do them. Many Believers don't really know how to take the Word and drive these things out of their hearts.
You might be wondering where the heart is. We know it is on the inside of us. There are many views about where the heart is. There are some who say the heart is where the spirit and the soul meet. This theory witnesses with my spirit. The Bible indicates that the spirit man is the heart of man. The heart and the soul go together. You can only separate them to talk about them, but they go together. When a person gets born again, he or she is supposed to take his or her born-again spirit--the new man--and renew the new man's mind by the Word of God. The renewed mind is a part of his heart and is the soul and spirit combined. It now exercises control over the old man--the soul that used to control the heart.
How do issues get into the heart?
These negative issues enter the heart through thoughts, ideas, and suggestions that are planted by Satan and also by the eye (what we see), the ear gates (what we hear), and by the mind (the things we experience and dwell on). Some of the other issues of the heart we also deal with, in addition to the ones Jesus talked about in Matthew are: sicknesses, bad relationships, rejection, promiscuity, hurts, depression, abuse, low self-esteem, loneliness, lying, jealousy, envy, gossip, bitterness, guilt, malice, lack of peace, lack of finances, worry, fear, overweight, racism, prejudices, and unforgiveness. The list goes on and on. We can't cover every issue, but there is a principle that leads to victory over every one of them: you cannot get victory over your issues or live the Christian life victoriously without the Word of God. You can take this same principle and deal with whatever issues you may be facing. There are still too many churches today that do not teach the uncompromising Word of God. Believers who attend these churches are usually up and down in their Christian walk. They may get emotionalized every week, but they are not taught to be overcomers. That is why they live in and out of sin, committing fornication and adultery, and doing all the other junk we covered earlier. Even when they are in church, they may be planning how they are going to meet their girlfriend or boyfriend and have sex that night. They may shout and fall out every Sunday morning in church, even after having a sexual affair that Saturday night before.
They are what we call carnal Christians, and basically they live that way because they don't know they can do better. They do not have enough Word in them. They will never have peace in their lives because they can't continue to live that kind of life and be prosperous or victorious in the kingdom of God. If you are caught in such a trap, the only way to escape and find peace is to find out what the Word says about your situation, and then do what it says. What does the Word say about fornication? What does it say about adultery? You are going to have to refuse to go down to the level of how you feel, and make up your mind that you are going to do what the Bible says to do.

Comment by Ladyjd721 on November 28, 2008 at 7:15am

REJOICE! AND PRAY!

Philippians 4:4-7
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Philippians+4:4-7

Dear Father, forbearing God,

Let me rejoice in the Lord always! Again I ask this from you: Let
me rejoice always!

Let me be gentle, open to reason, slow to make negative judgments.

Let this forbearing spirit be apparent to everyone.

I know the Lord Jesus is near, so I have no reason to be anxious
about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, let me present my requests to you.

I believe in you, Father, a God who transcends all human
understanding.

I believe that the peace which comes from you, which transcends
all understanding, will keep my heart and my mind in Christ Jesus.

In the name of the ever-near Jesus. Amen.

Comment by Ladyjd721 on November 28, 2008 at 6:10am

Living With Thanksgiving
Dr. Tony Beam
Believe it or not, not everyone is looking forward to Thanksgiving. My mother-in-law was in the Department of Motor Vehicles the other day and she overheard someone say they wished they had to work on Thanksgiving so they could avoid having to spend time with their in-laws.
Why do some people have such a negative feeling about such a positive holiday?
It would seem there are plenty of people who go through life looking only at the disappointments or the painful experiences refusing to see the blessings that surround many of life's challenges. I don't know who should receive the credit for the following witticism to but I agree with its underlying philosophy.
"As you travel down life's pathway, may this ever be your goal...keep you eye on the donut, and not on the hole."
The first Thanksgiving took place in the midst of some of the worst trials imaginable for those who braved the crossing of the Atlantic to begin a new life in the new world. One hundred and two pilgrims landed at Plymouth in December of 1620. Less than six months later only fifty-five were still alive. Their chances of survival rested fully upon the fruit of the fall harvest.
When that harvest was fully gathered Edward Winslow wrote these words, "...although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."
There in the middle of devastating circumstances with their very lives hanging on the quality of the harvest that small band of believers were able to praise God for what they believed were His abundant blessings.
King David understood this principle when he wrote Psalm 103. David begins by exalting the name of the Lord and by encouraging himself to remember who God is and what He has done. "Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless His holy name. Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all His benefits."
The key to an attitude of thanksgiving that transcends the season is our ability to remember the blessing of our God. David emphasizes the fact we must respond to God in a personal way. We must personally bless the Lord as we remember His goodness.
Jesus understood this principle well for John's Gospel records that before Jesus multiplied the loaves and the fish to feed the five thousand, He lifted his eyes toward heaven and gave thanks for what He had in His hand.
I am afraid if I had been holding nothing but a few loaves and a few small fish I would have been too focused on my lack of supply to be thankful for what God had already supplied.
When our praise becomes personal it does so because we are consumed with an attitude of thanksgiving for what we have rather than focusing on what we need.
Those blessings are profound, in that they are blessings that proceed from the soul. Being thankful for our blessings should proceed from the very fiber of our being. It isn't the mere material and temporary blessings that David is speaking about but rather the eternal blessings that flow from God who is eternal.
This week, as we sit around a bountiful table surrounded by the blessings of God, let us not forget all His benefits.

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