A Lesson in Faith

The amazing story of Charles Blondin, a famous French tightrope walker, is a wonderful illustration of what true faith is.

Blondin's greatest fame came on September 14, 1860, when he became the first person to cross a tightrope stretched 11,000 feet (over a quarter of a mile) across the mighty Niagara Falls. People from both Canada and America came from miles away to see this great feat.

God’s Sovereign will

For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. Deuteronomy 10:17. The article for today is all about the will of God through mankind, His supremacy and power and authority all over the universe.
We are created for purpose and God created us for His own profound reason. We are not here for the sake that this world be filled with people or we just puff up live and die. No, there is a reason why we are here it is not by our choice but God chosen us from the beginning of this world that is why we are here. He created us for divine purpose.

With God, Nothing Is Wasted

Gather up now the fragments (the broken pieces that are left over), so that nothing may be lost and wasted. —John 6:12

No experience in your life is ever wasted or in vain if you give all your cares to the Lord. Even if your fragmented life looks like an abandoned battlefield, Jesus can reshape all the pieces of your past into something beautiful.

After Jesus had fed five thousand people with just a few loaves of bread and two small fish, He told His disciples, Gather up now the fragments (the broken pieces that are left over), so that nothing may be lost and wasted (John 6:12). The disciples gathered up 12 baskets of food from the leftovers, still much more than the small offering of loaves and fishes that was made to Jesus in the first place.

Funny Letter (LoL)

Dear Sweetheart:

I can't send my salary this month, so I am sending 100
kisses.
You are my sweetheart

Your husband
Allen



His wife replied back after some days to her husband:


Dearest sweetheart,

Thanks for your 100 kisses, I am sending the expenses
details.

1.. The Milk man agreed on 2 kisses for one month's
milk.

2.. The electricity man only agreed after 7 kisses.

3.. Your house owner is coming every day and taking
two or three kisses instead of the rent.

4.. Supermarket owner did not accept kisses only, so
I have given him some other items....... ....

5.. Other expenses 40 kisses

Please don't worry for me, I have a remaining balance
of 35 kisses and I hope I can complete the month using
this balance.

Shall I plan same way for next months, Please Advise!!!

Your SweetHeart....... .......

Search Me Lord

By : Ricky Dillard

CHORUS
Search me Lord, search me Lord;
Turn a light from heaven on my soul.
If you find anything that shouldn't be,
Take it out and straighten me.
I want to be right, I want to saved, I want to be whole.

VERSES 1
You know when I'm right,
You know when I'm wrong.
You know where I go,
And you know where I belong.
You know all that I do,
You know all my secrets too.
Lord search me, touch me, clean me through and through.

Poor People

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.
They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?”
“It was great, Dad.”
“Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked.
“Oh yeah,” said the son.

MARRIAGE

To those who are married, .. Not married .. and soon to be married, I hope you will be touched with this story...

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.

Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce.. I raised the topic calmly.

She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why?

How Amazing and Powerful...

“Don’t be afraid of those Who Want to kill your Body; they cannot touch Your Soul. Fear only GOD, who can Destroy Both Soul and Body in Hell... Matthew 10:28… New Living Translation…

Bless GOD Always and Forever…Amen!

PEACE FOR EVERYONE?

  

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!'" (Luke 2:13-14.)

In the birth of Christ, could we expect peace for everyone?

Notice what the verse stated, "... on earth peace among those with whom he (God) is pleased!"

"ROOM" FOR JESUS

As part of the sermon of our pastor, he told a story related to the last part of Luke 2:7, "And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn" (ESV).

There was no available room for Jesus when He was about to be born. Towards the end of the sermon, we were asked: "Do you have also a room in your heart for Jesus?"

And we could also extend it further: Do we have just a "manger-kind" of time, attention, or interest for our Savior this season?

While others gave more "rooms" for material pleasure, some were more interested on human and "sugar coated" version of the gospel that everyone is saved or reconciled to God, yet could still suffer in hell!

3 things you must overcome to make heaven!

Many christians are tired of the race, journey and some don't even know where to start from. But for us as a christian, endurance and improvement in the grace of christ Jesus is the key.
Endurance is the key when trials, persecution, tribulation and temptaion comes hitting hard on you. And improvement on your zeal and time you have for christ. Do not be stagnant, never allow trials, tribulation, persecution, temptation to stop your growth!

I Don’t Want To Be Alone

Life is so uncertain that makes me think what would lie ahead of me
Many times I’ve been thinking what would be my life after here
Will I be able to get the crown of glory or will I be in doomed?
The idea of being uncertain is frightful and dreadful
That makes me restless and weaker

Praise you in this storm

By Casting Crowns


I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

The Chains of Freedom

For freedom, I am free!
Yet, to freedom I am chained.
It's a contradiction, but --
It's a thought I can't explain.

For freedom, I am free!
To soar and fly away,
To explore, to taste great sights,
To touch the sky, to see the birds,
To see the rainbows, the different worlds,
The deepest seabed, I could now dive,
The softest cloud, I feel in mine.
To taste the air, and feel the wind,
To bask in the glory of the sun,
And when all of it I've seen,
I am free to fall down on the pastures
And stare at the sky.
And, to rest near still waters,
That wash away my worries and my pride.

For freedom, I've been set free.
Yet, now, to freedom I am chained.
So, from this freedom, I want to break free.
To see for myself, that I am set free, indeed.

IF YOU TURN

Walking onward, moving forward
Making steps to places where
Pleasure is our reward
And the pain we feel we disregard.

We're looking for more
Leaving the home we've found
To a place we explore
Searching for the right door

Into directions of liberty
In our sneakers, we move
This feeling of being free
In the darkness of subtlety

As we make a step to somewhere
With a smile, completeness we embrace.
To the shadows of sin we adhere
Saying, we're dull without it near.

With a soft voice, someone says,
"Am I not enough for you?
Quit over thinking and stay
I love you all of my days

"Turn around, I'm right behind you
Would it be that hard to do?
In me, you'll find what's true
And know that I'll always love you."

Your One Big Truth and the Wisdom of Puddleglum

What is the most important lesson you have learned in life?

Your answer to this question defines your One Big Truth. Your One Big Truth is the truth you cling to when all is lost. It’s the backbone that helps you stand and the keel that keeps you on course. It’s the spark in your imagination, the drive in your engine, and the peace in your sleep.

HOW GOD WORKS IN YOU

"And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD" (Ezekiel 11:19-21, ESV).

Those words are originally intended for the people of Israel, but do we believe if the Sovereign God could also do it when He declared:

"I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them"?

However, there are those who are teaching today that it's just because of the so-called human will that we are able to choose to walk in the path of God or to observe His rules. It's easy for them to have that kind of human reasoning than to accept the simple declaration of God:

"I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them."

In fact those words of God are repeated in Ezekiel 36:26-27 --

"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules."

Indeed, if ever we desire and do anything in accord with God's Will, it's because He Himself is working in us "both to will and to work for his good pleasure"(Phil. 2:13).

But, we read in verse 21 of Ezekiel 11: "But as for those whose heart goes after their detestable things and their abominations, I will bring their deeds upon their own heads, declares the Lord GOD" -- they are those who have the "heart of stone" -- new heart was not given to them. God's Spirit is not given in them.

For those who have His Spirit, we read, "cause you to walk in... (His) statutes and be careful to obey... (His) rules."

Is God at work in you?

God Loves Us Enough to Change Us

Who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. —Malachi 3:2

God uses His refining fire to change us and make us into the people He wants us to be. I realize that it isn't easy to change. I have been studying God's Word for more than thirty years, and I still have to work at many things and allow God to change me in certain ways.

I'm still not where I need to be, but I thank God I'm not where I used to be.

If we become stubborn or unwilling to repent when God's refining fire comes to reveal a behavior that needs to be changed in us, then love gets stubborn. Let me explain. We know that God is love, and He is a jealous God. He doesn't want anything in us to occupy the place that belongs to Him. And love, God Himself, will be jealous enough and stubborn enough to stick with us until He gets His way.

Love (God) will show us things we don't want to see in order to help us be what we need to be.

Fire devours all impurities and leaves all that remains ablaze for God's glory. A lot of the old Joyce Meyer has been burned up in God's refining fire over the years. It definitely has not been easy, but it definitely has been worth it.

God's refining fire may come to you in different ways. You may have a nudge in your heart to stop doing something and start doing something else; you may feel convicted as He speaks to you through His Word; or you may hear from His Spirit directly in your spirit.

However it comes, God will bring His refining fire to your life. When it comes, don't resist it, but trust God and let the fire work.

God's word for you today: God is changing you daily and today you are better than you were yesterday.

I am not afraid anymore...

Here I am again finding myself in a familiar situation.
Standing beyond the line of comfort, and about to step out of the unknown..

I have always prayed to God for His Will to be done in my life,
but I have also been planning my life the way I want it to be..

I have often dreamed of having things,
and being surrounded by people who appreciate me for who I am..

To accord honesty to someone and be reciprocated with the same,
to trust and be trusted back…

To build a dream with someone for years,
only to realize that it could be broken in an instant..

To work wholeheartedly for something,
and later on see as I got closer that it was not leading to where I thought it was going..

All things are temporal in the world –
material things that people endeavor for the rest of their lives, ecstatic emotions that fluctuate through time, relationships we thought was perfect and could never end, position and influence that we pride ourselves with, a self serving cause we religiously give our lives into, and whatever things we pursue that is not in accordance with GOD’S WILL for us is going to crumble..

Only the TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD will remain permanent in heaven and on earth,
throughout time and eternity..

It is the WORD OF GOD revealed by the HOLY SPIRIT,
that should guide us in our journey through life like a compass..


But to continue on this journey,
I must again be willing to surrender more to God’s Will..

And it will require me,
to let go of the life I now have including my plans and my dreams..

But I am not afraid anymore,
to jump with a giant leap of faith..

For as I am falling,
I will be fully trusting…

That I am safe and secured in God’s hands,
for my life is not mine but HIS’..

My faith and hope rests on God’s Word alone.
For JESUS declared a promise,
THAT I WOULD FINISH WELL.

Hoping for a happy ending

Seven yearsago, a young girl wonder how God is writing our love stories. Then,oneday she was inspired by one of her churchmte on how to keep her youthful pure and waits for the right man that God has prepred for him. She was oly seventeen during that time. So, she made a covennant to the Lord that until she gets 25, she wil not entertain any suitors and even enter in any relationship and just focus more on serving Him.

Years passed by and it was not that easy for her to keep on that covenant. She was quiet pretty and intelligent girl. But thanks to her unique personalities, she was not that easily persuaded by anyone who attemts to court her.. Sometimes, she has been quoted to be "snobbish" by those who did'nt know her well.. And by the Grace of God, she was able to passed all those trials and test.. But sometimes, she's coming to a point that she already longs for someone..Seeing her friends, collegues, and former classmates making the love stories of their own, most of them are happy and contented, thats why sometimes, she cant help her self to feel a bit of envious.. Sometimes she was even pressured by her collegues on why until now she chosen to be single? Is she planning to be an old made? Funny but i guess, can be?..

Perfect Love

Everyone longs to give themselves completely to someone-
To have a deep soul relationship with another-
Be loved thoroughly, and exclusively.
But God, to a Christian, says:
I want you to be satisfied, fulfilled, and content
With being loved by Me alone-
With giving yourself totally and unreservedly to Me-
With having an intensely personal and unique relationship
With Me alone.
Discovering that only in Me is your satisfaction to be found,
Will you be capable of the best human relationship
That I have planned for you.

I want you to be united with another after you are united with Me
Exclusive of anyone or anything else,
Exclusive of any other desires or longings.
I want you to stop planning, stop wishing,
And allow Me to give you the most thrilling plan existing
One that you cannot imagine.
I want you to have the best-
Please allow Me to bring it to you.
You just keep watching Me, trusting Me-
Keep experiencing the satisfaction that I am.
Keep listening and learning the things I tell you.
You just wait.
That's all.

Don't be anxious.
Don't worry.
Don't look around at the things
Others have gotten or that I've given them.
Don't look at the things you think you want.
You just keep looking off and up to Me,
Or you'll miss what I want to show you.

And then, when you're ready, I'll surprise you with a love
Far more wonderful than any you would dream of.
You see, until you are ready and until the one I have for you is ready,
(I am working even at this moment to have both of you ready at the same time),
Until you are both satisfied exclusively with Me and the life I prepared for you,
You won't be able to experience the love that exemplifies your relationship with me.
And this is the perfect love.

And dear one, I want you to have the most wonderful love.
I want you to see in the flesh a picture of your relationship with Me,
And to enjoy materially and concretely the everlasting union of beauty, perfection, and love
That I offer you with Myself.
Know that I love you utterly.
I am God.
Believe and be satisfied.

-author and original title unknown

Walk with God

Psalm 23:3-4
3 He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.

These verses are a wonderful promise of God to those walk with Him.

1. He renews their strength.
- Walking is an exercise. Therefore, there are times we may lose strength and give up. But God himself promised those who walk with Him that He will renew their strength. In other translation, He will restore their soul.

There are times that it seems we lose all strength in walking with God. I have found out that it is the time that we must come to God and ask Him to renew our strength. God knows that we will feel tired and powerless and weak. That's why, He gave us this promise, "I will renew your strength". As a matter of fact, it's not a future tense! It's a present tense. The Bible says, "He renews my strength". Therefore, God is already renewing our strength as we walk closely to Him day by day. As we seek Him through prayer and His Word, He also is starting to empower us on the inside.

That's why, daily devotions is very essential in our Christian life since through it we are empowered by God. And if we miss our quite time with God, we also miss the empowerment of God in our lives.

2. He guides me along the right paths.
- The promise in this verse is totally different from the other one. If God renews us when we seek Him in our daily quiet time. There is another thing God does when we seek Him. He guides us!

The Lord guides us to the path of righteousness. He guides us to the right path! As we seek God and walk with Him, Satan may try to give wrong road signs and there are a lot of times that we follow the signs that Satan is giving us.

Like for example, Satan tries to teach us that it is OK not to pray on a specific time since we can pray anytime. Such lie causes us not to set a specific time with the Lord. It causes us also to devalue our spending time with the Lord. It is very essential to set a specific time with the Lord as we walk with Him in our daily lives.

Guidance is the promise of God when we seek Him and as we walk with Him. Therefore, we will not be lost because our God is the one who guides us as long as we ask Him. And when the Lord guides us, the result of our every work will bring honor to His Name.

3. God is close beside us.
- In verse 4 the bible says,
"Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me."

There are times that the road seems so dark and we can't see where we are going. But the Lord promised us that even when we walk through the darkest valley or of the valley of death, we will not be afraid for God is with us. After of all the promise of renewing our strength and guiding us to the right path, the third promise He made is very personal and powerful. He promised us His very presence that He will be with us when life seems so dark and hopeless. He promised us that when you can't see any light around you; don't be afraid for I am just beside you. Even if you can't see, just take heart! For I am right beside you.

Such promise is very powerful and assuring that no one will ever separate us from God's love. When we seek Him even if our life seems so dark and the path that we are taking grows dim, still we must hold on to the promise of God that He will be right beside us during our darkest moments in life.

How wonderful it is to know the promises of God. How comforting it is and how assuring that we are loved by God and He wants us to walk closely with Him. He is our Hiding place! He is our good shepherd and in Him we have everything we need. We are so special for Him that He takes care of us everyday.

Walk with God and Let us stay close to Him!

HIS PEOPLE

Matthew 1:21 --
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins (NIV).

Luke 1:68 --
Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come and has redeemed his people.

Luke 1:76-77 --
And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins...

Luke 7:16-17 --
16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people." This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

Do you belong to "His people"?

If so, then Jesus came to save you from your sins. He has come to redeem you. You'll be given the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of your sins. He has come to help you!

Finally, we read in Revelation 21:3-4 --
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

STILL HE WALKED

He could hear the crowds screaming "crucify" "crucify"...
He could hear the hatred in their voices,
These were his chosen people.
He loved them,
And they were going to crucify him.
He was beaten, bleeding and weakened... his heart was broken,
But still He walked.

He could see the crowd as he came from the palace.
He knew each of the faces so well.
He had created them.
He knew every smile, laugh, and shed tear,
But now they were contorted with rage and anger...his heart broke,
But still He walked.

Was he scared?
You and I would have been
So his humanness would have mandated that he was. He felt alone.
His disciples had left, denied, and even betrayed him.
He searched the crowd for a loving face and he saw very few.
Then he turned his eyes to the only one that mattered
And he knew that he would never be alone.
He looked back at the crowd, at the people who were spitting
At him, throwing rocks at him and mocking him and he knew
That because of him, they would never be alone.
So for them, He walked.

The sounds of the hammer striking the spikes echoed through
The crowd. The sounds of his cries echoed even louder,
The cheers of the crowd, as his hands and feet
Were nailed to the cross, intensified with each blow.
Loudest of all was the still small voice inside his
Heart that whispered "I am with you, my son",
And God's heart broke.
He had let his son walk.

Jesus could have asked God to end his suffering,
But instead he asked God to forgive.
Not to forgive him, but to forgive the ones who were persecuting him.
As he hung on that cross, dying an unimaginable death,
He looked out and saw, not only the faces in the crowd,
But also, the face of every person yet to be,
And his heart filled with love.
As his body was dying, his heart was alive.
Alive with the limitless, unconditional love he feels for each of us.
That is why He walked.

When I forget how much My God loves me,
I remember his walk.
When I wonder if I can be forgiven,
I remember his walk.
When I need reminded of how to live like Christ,
I think of his walk.
And to show him how much I love him,
I wake up each morning, turn my eyes to him,
And I walk.

WALKING IN THE LIGHT

"God said, Let there be Light; and there was Light."--- Gen_1:3.

"Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: Walk as children of Light."-- Eph_5:8.
ST. PAUL makes use of this passage in Genesis, when He says, that "God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." He seems to go back in his experience to that remarkable vision on the road to Damascus, when the light shone, and he saw the face of the Lord Jesus. It was as though he had passed through the experience of chaos, while kicking against the goad of conviction, and at that moment, which he could never forget, God said: "Let there be light." Looking up, he saw the light of the glory of God reflected in that dear Face that looked down on him with ineffable love. It was life out of death; light replaced darkness, and peace chased away the last vestige of storm.

This is ever the result and climax of the work in our hearts wrought by the Holy Spirit. He leads us out of darkness; He takes of the things of Christ and shows them unto us. His one aim is to glorify our Saviour, and to make Him the Alpha and Omega of our faith, as we walk in the light.

When I was in Tasmania, I was shown a great mountain range on which was a vast lake, fifty-two miles in circumference. The overflow yielded a perennial waterfall of a thousand feet, the force of which was translated into electricity which made light and power cheap for great factories and for domestic needs. It seemed to me, as I thought about it, that the great sheet of water resembled the Love of God, in its longing to help mankind; that the descending waterfall might be taken to illustrate the Incarnation of our Saviour, who was the Sent-One of the Eternal Trinity; and that the electric current, invisible but mighty, was typical of the Holy Spirit, who brings to our hearts the Light and Power of the Divine Nature. The lesson is obvious, that as the manufacturer or the scientist invents machinery to meet the conditions on which alone the electric current can do its work, so must we learn to adapt ourselves to receive and transmit the power and light of God, which comes to us through our union with Jesus.



PRAYER
May the Holy Spirit keep us ever walking in the light of Thy countenance. May He fill our hearts with the sense of Thy nearness and loving fellowship. Order our steps in Thy way, and then walk with us, for in Thee is no darkness at all. AMEN.

Angels In The Alley

Diane, a young Christian University student, was home for the summer. She had gone to visit some friends one evening and time passed quickly as each shared their various experiences of the past year.

She ended up staying longer than planned, and had to walk home alone. She wasn't afraid, because it was a small town and she lived only a few blocks away.

As she walked along under the tall elm trees, Diane asked "God" to keep her safe from harm and danger. When she reached the alley, which was a short cut to her house, she decided to take it, however, halfway down the alley she noticed a man standing at the end as though he were waiting for her. She became uneasy and began to pray, asking for "God's" protection. Instantly a comforting feeling of quietness and security wrapped around her, she felt as though someone was walking with her.

When she reached the end of the alley, she walked right past the man and arrived home safely.

The following day, she read in the newspaper that a young girl had been raped in the same alley, just twenty minutes after she had been there. Feeling overwhelmed by this tragedy and the fact that it could have been her, she began to weep.

Thanking the Lord for her safety and to help this young woman, she decided to go to the police station. She felt she could recognize the man, so she told them her story. The police asked her if she would be willing to look at a lineup to see if she could identify him. She agreed and immediately pointed out the man she had seen in the alley the night before. When the man was told he had been identified, he immediately broke down and confessed.

The officer thanked Diane for her bravery and asked if there was anything they could do for her. She asked if they would ask the man one question. Diane was curious as to why he had not attacked her. When the policeman asked him, he answered, "Because she wasn't alone. She had two tall men walking on either side of her."

Moral of the story? Never underestimate the power of Prayer.