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Comment by Ladyjd721 on September 29, 2008 at 4:42am

Those people who keep their faith until the end will be saved.
Matthew 24:13 (NCV)

In Portuguese, a person who has the ability to hang in and not give up
has garra. Garra means "claws."

What imagery! A person with garra has claws which burrow in the side
of the cliff and keep him from falling.

So do the saved. They may get close to the edge, they may even stumble and
slide. But they will dig their nails into the rock of God and hang on.


From: Everyday Blessings
Copyright (J. Countryman, 2004)
Max Lucado

Comment by Ladyjd721 on September 29, 2008 at 4:42am

Hanging On

Comment by Ladyjd721 on September 27, 2008 at 3:10pm

Steps Out of Anger
by Dr. David C. Cooper
We all have to deal with anger. So, how can we resolve anger? Here are five important steps to get out of the anger trap:
Step 1: SORT IT OUT
Try to understand why you are angry. Remember, there is a difference between the normal irritations in life and a persistent state of anger.
Step 2: COUNT THE COST
One of the predominant causes of divorce today is negative behavior such as unkind words, abuse and constant fighting. One psychologist says that an angry confrontation can erase 20 acts of kindness. The point is, anger can cost us dearly if we do not keep it in check.
Step 3: LET IT OUT
Release your anger to God in prayer. Tell God how you feel. He can handle it. Then go talk about it with a friend. Or, even the person you're angry at, if you can do it constructively. Whatever you do, don't keep your anger locked up in your heart. Repressed anger visits in a host of emotional and relational problems.
Step 4: SET LIMITS
That means to control your words and behavior. God tells us to get a grip on our tongues: "When words are many, sin is not absent. But he who keeps a tight rein on his tongue is wise" (Proverbs 10:19). Don't cross the line of verbal or physical abuse no matter how frustrated you get. Don't justify or excuse such abusive behaviors.
Step 5: GIVE IT UP
As Christians, we do not have the right to remain angry. In Christ, we have given up that right. We surrender our anger to Him and forgive others as He has forgiven us. When we forgive, we are free indeed. Free from resentment, bitterness, and anger.
So, as we walk today through the mine field of relationships replete with misunderstandings, remember the word of God: "Be angry and sin not. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry (Ephesians 4:26).




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

Comment by Ladyjd721 on September 27, 2008 at 5:46am

Repentance Is a Decision

Perhaps you do not understand that God is kind to you so you will change
your hearts and lives.
Romans 2:4 (NCV)

No one is happier than the one who has sincerely repented of wrong.
Repentance is the decision to turn from selfish desires and seek God. It is
a genuine, sincere regret that creates sorrow and moves us to admit wrong
and desire to do better.


It's an inward conviction that expresses itself in outward actions.


You look at the love of God and you can't believe he's loved you like he has
and this realization motivates you to change your life. That is the nature
of repentance.


From: Walking with the Savior
Copyright (Tyndale House, 1993)
Max Lucado

Comment by Ladyjd721 on September 26, 2008 at 6:59am

What Your Speech Says About You
Bishop E. Earl Jenkins
"You are one of them... Your speech shows it!" Mark 14:70 (NKJV)
You can try to disguise your identity by changing your looks, your social circle and your address - but how you speak will give you away every time.
It happened to Peter. When a servant girl saw him warming himself by the fire, she said, "'You...were with Jesus of Nazareth.' But he denied it...And the...girl saw him again and began to say to those who stood by, 'This is one of them.' But he denied it again...later those who stood by said to Peter again...'you are one of them...your speech shows it'" (Mk 14:67-70 NKJV). So in order to convince his accusers that he wasn't a friend of Jesus, Peter "began to curse and swear, 'I do not know this Man of whom you speak'" (Mk 14:71 NKJV).
It worked! After that nobody else accused him of knowing Jesus. Isn't it interesting how public profanity in any language, has a way of making others question the quality of your relationship with Christ?
Paul says, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up...that it may benefit those who listen" (Eph 4:29 NIV). If you want to win people to Jesus, start with how you talk. Paul said, "Let your speech always be with grace...that you may know how you ought to answer each one" (Col 4:6 NKJV). Words are powerful things. They either build up or tear down, add to or take from.
It's not important that people can tell from your accent where you're from, but when they can't tell by the way you talk that you're Christ's disciple, something's seriously wrong.



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

Comment by Ladyjd721 on September 25, 2008 at 6:53am

THE PROMISE

SOME THINGS IN THIS LIFE
WE'LL NEVER UNDERSTAND
AT THOSE TIMES REMEMBER
IT'S ALL PART OF GOD'S PLAN

GOD WILL NEVER GIVE YOU
MORE THAN YOU CAN BEAR
HE IS ALWAYS WITH YOU
TO CARRY HIS FAIR SHARE

IN THOSE TIMES OF TROUBLE
YOU CAN REST ASSURED
GOD IS ALWAYS WITH YOU
IT IS PROMISED IN HIS WORD

SO CAST YOUR CARES UPON HIM
AND DO NOT WORRY SO
GOD IS RIGHT THERE WAITING
FOR YOU TO LET THEM GO

Copyright: Jeffrey Paul Guest

Comment by Ladyjd721 on September 25, 2008 at 6:11am

Keep God's Word in Your Mouth
Bishop Keith Butler
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Hebrews 3:1 (KJV)
God's word is what you need to cause healing to manifest in your body. That is why you must keep God's word in your mouth.
The word profession is a term that means confession or words of your mouth. So that means then there is a high priest that comes for our words. And Jesus is the High Priest of our words. The high priest in the Old Testament a lamb or the blood or whatever it was, and offered it up on a sacrifice before God. There's a high priest over your words. His name is Jesus, or the anointed Jesus. He's come for your words -- words that will stir up the gift that's in you.
The Scripture says to consider the High Priest of our profession, the anointed one Jesus. Your words stir up the gift of healing on the inside of you. The words you should speak are the Gospel? For example, your doctor tells you to take some pills three times a day. So you do it faithfully. Well, there's another kind of pill you ought to take along with the doctor's prescription. You need to take the Gos-pill - the good news pill.
You take Gos-pills by speaking God's word out of your mouth. Every morning I get up and I say what God says about my life and family. I say, thank you Father, I'm redeemed from the curse of the law, from poverty, sickness and spiritual death because Jesus has set me free. For sickness I have health, for poverty I have wealth, for eternal death I have eternal life. And he whom the Son sets free is free indeed. I am indeed free in Jesus' name, etc.
Somebody may say, "you're talking about mind over matter." This is not mind over matter, even though your mind will begin to think the way God says to think when you meditate the word of God. I'm talking about stirring up the healing power on the inside of you. The word of God says in Proverbs 18:21, "death and life are in the power of the tongue." So keep the word of God on your tongue. Stir up the gift in you by speaking the word of God. Then Jesus, our Great High Priest will take your words before God and cause healing to manifest in your body.
Scripture References: Proverbs 18:21; Hebrews 4:14; 10:23



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

Comment by Ladyjd721 on September 24, 2008 at 5:44am

The Heart - Mouth Connection
Dr. Creflo A. Dollar
Many Christians wonder how they can operate in the same kind of "say and see" power that God does. There is nothing magical about the process. The Bible is not a book of spells. It is simply a matter of meditating on the Word of God until it becomes so rooted in your heart that it becomes more real to you than your present circumstances. When a person reaches this point, his or her faith is ready to be activated by words.
Establishing your heart in the Word of God is essential if you want to see the physical manifestation of God's promises. Because Scripture is infallible, whatever God says must come to pass. God's Word is full of faith. The way a believer begins to establish his or her faith is to hear the Word of God preached (Romans 10:17) in addition to reading, studying, meditating on and speaking it. If you make this your lifestyle, you will be walking by faith and experience the promises of God come to pass in your life.
Your heart is your epicenter of faith in God's Word. Many people mistakenly make confessions when their heart is not grounded on the Word of God. They are actually only mentally assenting to the words they speak. They don't really believe the words they are saying; they are only hoping that what they say will come to pass. Consequently, they get frustrated when they don't see the manifestation of what they are speaking.
Romans 10:10 says, "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." You must believe in the integrity of the Word before you speak it. Otherwise, your confessions are in vain. Second Corinthians 4:13 says, "We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak." Joshua 1:8 stresses the importance of meditating on the Word day and night. In doing so, we make our way prosperous.
Jesus is our ultimate example of operating the principle of faith. He knew that whatever He spoke would come to pass. Why? Because He had meditated on the Word to such a point that it regulated His life (Psalm 119:97-104). When He cursed the fig tree in Mark 11:12-24, the results came immediately. What He had spoken had no choice but to come to pass because they overflowed with the faith of God. The same results can be yours when you don't doubt in your heart (Matthew 21:21). Jesus said that whosoever shall say, or speak, to something in faith will see it changed.
Settle the Issue
Walking by faith, or walking by the Word of God, must become a settled issue in your life before you can experience God's abundance. For you to experience divine health and healing, financial prosperity, deliverance and the numerous other benefits of God's covenant, it will depend on whether you choose to accept the world's opinions and reports over the integrity of God's Word. I don't know about you, but I'm not going to put my trust in a system that is falling apart and is unreliable. If you put the principles of the Word to work while pursuing a life of love and holiness, you can prove God for yourself. Give His Word a chance

Comment by Ladyjd721 on September 23, 2008 at 9:16am

The Sideshow
Milan Ford
As a 32-year old, some may find it strange that I happen to be a big fan of 70's music.
Not exactly sure how I actually became one. I used to think it was because of all those crazy space outfits the bands back then would wear. Or maybe it was because that (arguably) was the last decade real instruments were used or played by artists on stage. You can blame my generation for that.
One thing is for certain: the artists back then were great at telling stories through their music.

A great example of that talent was the 1974 classic hit, Sideshow. By far, one of my favorites. Who can ever forget that famous circus melody and barker announcement, followed by the legendary falsetto voice of Ted Mills, who sung these words ever so softly:
Step right up, hurry, hurry before the show begins, my friends
Stand in line, get your tickets, I hope you will attend
It'll only cost you fifty cents to see
What life has done to those like you and me
When I first heard those words as a child, I (in ignorance) got excited. An avid fan of the circus, I just knew the singer would begin to talk about some of the trademark attractions I had come to expect and enjoy every time I went to "the big top."
But then came these words:
See the man who's been cryin' for a million years, so many tears (So many tears)
See the girl who's collected broken hearts for souvenirs
It's more exciting than a one man band
The saddest little show in all the land
What? Did I miss something here? What happened to the human cannonball? The tightrope walkers?
And of course, those incredible tiger-tamers? What kind of circus act could have caused all this pain?
It took me a while, but I think I found one.
"For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.
Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?" (James 3:7-10v)
God has given us all a unique commission to bring forth fresh water to a world dying of thirst.
But in a lot of respects, the water our tongues produce has a tendency to become bitter at times.

As believers, we all have been guilty of using our tongues to lift up prayers and songs of worship to a loving God, while often at the same time, using them to attack fellow family members, church leaders, co-workers, and yes, even politicians. Our tongues (my friends) can create quite a sideshow.
Like never before, our nation is looking for men and women of wisdom. They're looking for people whose tongues are so fixated on the love and kindness of our God that no matter the circus act, we are always able to give the world a better show.

The power our tongues have can change the very course of someone's life.
I challenge us all today to examine the words we speak. The jokes we share. The emails we receive. And the ones we decide to forward. The world is taking notes on the kind of acts we are producing.

Don't miss an opportunity to show the world what life in Christ had done for you and me.
Step right up. Hurry, hurry!


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

Comment by Ladyjd721 on September 23, 2008 at 3:19am

Daily Devotional by Max Lucado
“the One who came still comes and the One who spoke still speaks”

September 23
The Proper View of Self

To him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or
think….be glory.
Ephesians 3:20-21 (NKJV)

There are two extremes of poor I-sight.

Self-loving and self-loathing. We swing from one side to the other.
Promotions and demotions bump us back and forth. One day too high on self,
the next too hard on self. Neither is correct. Self-elevation and
self-deprecation are equally inaccurate. Where is the truth?

Smack-dab in the middle. Dead center between “I can do anything” and “I
can’t do anything” lies “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens
me” (Phil. 4:13).

Neither omnipotent nor impotent, neither God’s MVP nor God’s mistake. Not
self-secure or insecure, but God-secure—a self-worth based in our identity
as children of God. The proper view of self is in the middle.


From: Cure for the Common Life
Copyright (W Publishing Group, 2005)
Max Lucado


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

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