"DESPISED BY OUR INIQUITIES"

"He was despised and shunned by men; a man 
of pains, and acquainted with disease; and as 
one who hid his face from us was despised, and
we esteemed him not. But only our diseases did
he beat himself, and our pains be carried; while
we indeed esteemed him strickens, smitten of  
God, and afflicted. Yet he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our 
iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was 
upon him; and through his bruises was healing
 granted to us.
                                                    ISAIAH 53:3-5

     I want to boldly state that it is not the will of
God our Father that we should suffer from cancer
and other dread diseases that bring pain and
anguish. It is God's will that we healed!
     How do I know? Because healing is provided
for us under the New Covenant.
     Isaiah chapter 53 gives us a graphic picture of
the coming Messiah. This chapter deals with the
disease problem which confronts the Church
today, as well as the sin problem.
     God dealt with man's body, as well as with his
spirit and soul. God laid out iniquities and our sins
upon Jesus and Jesus bore them. God laid our
diseases and our sickness on Jesus and Jesus bore
them. Why? So that we might be free!
Blessed yourself of truth, and speak to yourself
"Jesus Christ," the Lamb of God, bore my sin and
Iniquities, So I don't  have to beat them. He also
bore my diseases and pains. So I don't have to 
bear them. Because of Jesus, I am free. By His 
stripes, I am healed!

"MINISTERING WHERE SATAN DWELL"

"And to angel of the church in Pergamum, write:
The One who has the sharp two-edged sword
says this: . . .                                    Rev.2:12-17
                                                       
Porno theaters. Plush offices paneled with
cutthroat greed. Abortion clinics. Slums. Prison
of the deformed, the damned, the forgotten. . .
Satan has many strongholds. He has many
places of retreat where the cacophony of human
suffering soothes his twisted soul.
    We cannot see Satan, yet his dwelling places
carry the unmistakable marks of human
 suffering and moral perversion. Consider
Nicolae Ceausescu's orphanages. Khmer Rouge
 killing fields. Russian gulags. Nazi
concentration camps. The Spanish Insuistion.
 The chambers and instruments of torture
throughout the Middle Ages. And going all the
way back to the first century--Roman's brutal
slaughter of Christians Even today!
      One of Satan's favorite place in the Roman
Empire was Pergamum. With its temples to Dea
Roma, the goddess Rome, the spirit of Rome, it
was home to Satan. A place of Roman imperial
power backed by the Prince of the powers of
darkness. Yet even there, in the Evil One's own
backyard. Christians dared to play out their
 lives. Theirs was a courageous faith, a daring
stronghold in the heart of enemy territory. Every
day Satan pitched his forces against them in a
frontal attacked of persecution. And though he
managed to kill and imprison a few individual
Christians, he could not conquer  the church.
      At least not that way. In a clever change of
tactics, he went gently knocking on the back
door with gift. a Trojan Horse called
compromise.
      The same knock can be heard in the life of
every believer in every church and every century.
 You hear it in that "little white lie," that
rationalization for materialism, that indifference
toward the poor, that excuse for not getting
involved.
      Do you hear knocking? Before you open the
door, let's look through the window of Christ's
letter to the church at Pergamum and see if it's a
gift horse disguised as compromise. Read (v.12)
William Barclay gives us some historical insight
into the significance of this image.
     Roman governors were divided into two
classes  those who had the ius gladii, the right
of the sword, and those who had not. Those who
had the right of the sword had the power of life
and death; on their word a man could be execute
on the spot. Humanly proconsul, who had his
headquarters at Pergamum, had the. . . right of
the sword, and at any moment he might use it
against any Christians; but the letter bids the
Christian not to forget that the last word is still
with the Risen Christ, who had the sharp two
edged sword. The power of Rome might be
satanically powerful; the power of the Risen
Lord is greater yet.

"AGING GRACEFULLY"

"I will praise You, for I am fearfully and 
  wonderfully made." 
                                         Psalm 139:14


Many people try to reverse the aging process.
Those with wrinkles get facelift so, while other
have injections to remove unwanted facial lines.
Behind this current trend is the notion that an
aging face is unacceptable.
     But not everyone feels that way. An elderly
woman being interviewed on television was
asked, "Do you like your face?" She responded
with conviction, "I love my face! It's the face
God gave me, and I accept it happily."
     In Psalm 139, David express the conviction
that his being was fashioned by God and
therefore is worthy of acceptance. He prayed, "I
will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully
made" (v.14). He also believed that God fashioned
all the days of his life (v.16).
    Instead of fighting a losing battle against our
waning youthful appearance, we should
concentrate on cultivating inner qualities that last
forever. One key attribute is a lifelong faith in God,
who reassures His people: "Even to your old age.
and even to gray hairs I will carry you! Isaiah 46:4
   Myron Taylor wrote: "Time may wrinkle the
skin, but worry, doubt, hate, and the loss of ideals
wrinkle the soul." As we gracefully accept the
passing of years God will smooth out the wrinkles
 of our souls.
     The wrinkles on a time-worn face can be 
      Symbols of God's grace, If  through our 
      laughter and our tears His love has freed
       us from our fears.

"AT WAR WITH SPIRIT"

"Put on the full armor if God do that you can
take your stand against the devil's schemes. For
our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but
against the rulers, against the authorities, against
the powers of this dark world and against the
spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."


The problem with superstition in our age is not
force but it's perceived folly. There are too many
who laugh at the thought of evil spirits and
demon in the air. Faith is meant for faith in
things that are good like Jesus, heaven, the
Holy Spirit, and miracle. Rarely do they consider
believing in the existence of satan and his hosts
was having any practical impact.
      Paul did not even argue the point of existence
of evil and evil spirit. His Focus of attention was
on what we do about them. What should our
response be to such reality? Since the calendar
says that today is Midsummer's Eve, should we
hang herbs of St. John before dawn on the door
as they used to do in New England?
    No. That may be fine for pagans or New Agers,
but Paul tells Christian to put on armor that,
like the power of God and the schemes of the
Devil, is unseen. No dried herbs on the door
today. No dried plants burned on the fire on
June 24 or other day. No Paul tells us to put
on armor that, like the power of God and the
schemes of satan, is unseen. Put on truth,
righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith,
salvation the Holy Spirit. This is the only way to
defeat the attack of satan.
     Emotional fervor and tirades against the kingdom
of satan will not protect you. You would be talking
to the wrong people. Talk instead with God.
Listen to God. Demons scattered at such
Conversation.
      Lord, my eyes cannot see the evil kingdom, so
grant me your vision to know that evil are real.
Equip me with your armor.at

" STARTED IN YOUR MIND"

"Be of sober spirit, be on alert. Your adversary,
 the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion,
 seeking someone to devour."

1 Peter 5:8

Here's the ice breaker of the story.
The young lieutenant was putting his company
through its paces and was none too sure of
himself. To his horror, he suddenly realized the
men were marching solidly toward a fence.
   "Company-y-y halt!" he called out, voice
cracking. Then, "At ease." Now came the hard
part. How was he to order them across the fence. in proper military fashion?
He studied the fence and then said,
"Company-y-y, fall out!" The men promptly broke
formation.The lieutenant then said, "Company-y-y, fall in on
the other side of the fence."
The Schemes of Satan
The warning Peter gives us concerning Satan
reveals something of this enemy's strategy. satan
 is both relentless and ruthless. He not only prowls;
he also devours. Consequently, you should keep
your eyes peeled to his wandering and your ears
perked to his roarings Once he is sighted, you
should brace yourself for an attack.
     Put on the full armor of God, that 
     you may be able to stand firm against
     the schemes of the devil. (Eph. 6:11).
The word schemes in verse 11 is transliterated
 methodeia in the  Greek. From this. We get our
word method. If the devil is our adversary as
1Peter5:8 says, it stand to reason he will attack
 us. If he will attack us, it further stand to reason that he will have  a plan of attack a scheme, strategy. And the strategy is not always a frontal assault, direct and easy to recognize; most often
it's subtle, infiltrating another  realm entirely, 
The apostle Paul revealed. Read (Verse 12).
Whether between nation or neighbor, battled on
earth are only muted shadow cast from a larger
spiritual battlefield, "the spiritual forces of
wickedness in the heavenly places." The spiritual
battle is our real struggle. However, because the spiritual battle is invisible and, therefore, often
inconspicuous, we are sometimes ignorant of it
altogether. It is for this reason that in
2 Corinthians 2, Paul frankly warns us to forgive
and repentant sinner and reaffirm our love, "in
order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan;
for we are not ignorant of his schemes." This
word schemes differs from the one used in
Ephesians 6:11. Here it mean "thought" or "mind"
   His strategy, then, is to get to our minds. . to
lull us into mediocrity . . . to blunt the edges iof our thinking. . .to cloud our reasoning. He knows the truth of the proverb "as [a man] thinks within himself, so he is" (Prov.23:7a).

"PRAYER TAKE US TO GOD"

"Yet now, if You will forgive their sin--but if not,
I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have
written.  
                                               EXODUS 32 : 32


Prayer is not designed to change God; it is
designed to change us. Prayer is not calling God
in to bless our activity. Rather, prayer takes us
into God's presence, shows us His will, and
prepare us to obey Him.
     Moses climbed mount Sinai and spent forty
days communing with God. God showed him
the wickedness of the people (Exod.32:7).
Moses had not known their desperate condition;
nor had he realized the imminence of God's
judgment upon them until God revealed  it to
him. As God made Moses aware of all that was
at stake, Moses felt same compassion for the
people that God felt. Moses became willing to
sacrifice his own life for his obstinate people.
In a compelling and selfless prayer of
intercession, Moses offered to have his own
name blotted out of the book of life if God
would spare the people. In Moses time  with
Him, God had formed a mighty intercessor
for His people.
     God will use your prayer times to soften
your heart and change your focus. As you pray
for others, the Holy Spirit will work in your
heart so that you have the same compassion for
them that God does (Rom. 8;26-27). If you do
not love people as you should, pray for them.
If you are not active in God's service as you
know He wants you to be, begin praying. You
cannot be intimately exposed to God's heart
and remain complacent. The time spent with
God will change you and make you move like
Christ.

"PRAYER IS TALKING GOD"

"Yet now, if You will forgive their sin--but if not,
I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have
written.  
                                               EXODUS 32 : 32


Prayer is not designed to change God; it is
designed to change us. Prayer is not calling God
in to bless our activity. Rather, prayer takes us
into God's presence, shows us His will, and
prepare us to obey Him.
     Moses climbed mount Sinai and spent forty
days communing with God. God showed him
the wickedness of the people (Exod.32:7).
Moses had not known their desperate condition;
nor had he realized the imminence of God's
judgment upon them until God revealed  it to
him. As God made Moses aware of all that was
at stake, Moses felt same compassion for the
people that God felt. Moses became willing to
sacrifice his own life for his obstinate people.
In a compelling and selfless prayer of
intercession, Moses offered to have his own
name blotted out of the book of life if God
would spare the people. In Moses time  with
Him, God had formed a mighty intercessor
for His people.
     God will use your prayer times to soften
your heart and change your focus. As you pray
for others, the Holy Spirit will work in your
heart so that you have the same compassion for
them that God does (Rom. 8;26-27). If you do
not love people as you should, pray for them.
If you are not active in God's service as you
know He wants you to be, begin praying. You
cannot be intimately exposed to God's heart
and remain complacent. The time spent with
God will change you and make you move like
Christ.

"FOR A WHILE"

"We send Timothy, who is our brother and God's
 fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ,
 to  strengthen and encourage you in your faith,
 so that no one would be unsettled by these trials.
 You know quite well that we were destined for
  them."                          ---1 Thessalonians 3:2-3      


Sometimes life seems to be one long, unending
string of trials. What words of encouragement
does the apostle have for them. "But HR doesn't
stop on that morbid note. He adds: Be
strengthened. Be encourage in your faith. And
don't let trials unsettle you.
      We are destined for trials. In others words,
life is supposed to be difficult. Yet it's amazing
how many people believe that life should be easy.
They bemoan the enormity of their problems,
feeling as though their difficulties are a unique
kind of affliction that should not be. They feel
that affliction has somehow been especially
visited upon them, or else upon their families
and not upon others.
      Life is a series of problems to be solved.
Yes, solving problem is a painful process, but
it is this whole process that gives our life
meaning. Benjamin Franklin said, "Those things
that hurt, instruct." And the psalmist said long
before him, "It was good for me to be afflicted so
that I might learn your decrees" (Pdalm 119:71).
    So he strengthened and encouraged in your
faith. Don't be unsettled by your trials. You know
quite well you are destined for them. And for
good reason.
    Trials are not for our pleasure, they are for
our profit. Once you accept this truth, you
transcend it. Once you truly know that life is
difficult no longer.
     Lord, you have not redeemed me to make
my life happy, healthy, or free of trouble. You've
redeemed me to become more like Christ....
and this is why I'm destined for trials.
   

"He that believeth"

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth
  on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and
   greater works than these shall he do; because I
   go into my Father."
                                                            John 15:12


    Dr. John Alexander Dowie (1847-1907) was
used by God to reintroduce divine healing to
the modern church.
     Dr. P. C. Nelson, founder of southwestern
Assemblies of God College, said, "You can't
follow Dowie's doctrine, but you can follow
his faith."
    I heard Dr. Nelson tell about how when he
himself Was a young Baptist minister, he sa
 Dowie minister to a woman with a purplish
blue cancerous growth that covered most of
her face. Nelson said, I saw Dowie, in the
presence of us six denominational minister
and three medical  doctors, just reach out and
 take hold of that cancer, saying,
     In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!" and
then strip it off that woman's face. The doctors
 present Examined her immediately, and said
 the skin on her face was like the skin of a
newborn baby."
     The reason Jesus gave, was so those who
believe on Him would be able to do the works
 He did was . . . because I go into my Father,"
 It's because of Jesus' seating at the right hand
if the Father on High in the place of authority
that believes can do these same works.
   

"Plead Your Case"

"Put me in remembrance; let us plead together;
declare thou, that thou latest be justified.
                                                   ISAIAH 43:26


"Put me in remembrance . . . "What does God
mean by that? It means that we are to remind
God of His promises about prayer.
    When you pray, stand before the throne of
God and remind Him of His promises. Lay
your case legally before Him, and plead t as a
lawyer. A lawyer is continually bringing up
law and precedent. You bring up God's Word.
Bring up His covenant promises.
      The margin of my King James reference 
Bible show "set forth thy cause" as another 
meaning of "declare thou" in this verse. God 
is asking you to bring His Word; to put Him
in remembrance, and to plead your covenant
rights. This is a challenge from God to lay
your case before Him!
      If your children are unsaved-- find
Scriptures which cover your case. Then lay
the matter before God. Be definite in your
requests. Find Scriptures that definitely
promises you those things you need. When
you come to God according to His Word, His
Word does not fail. There are two song is this
topic the song is remember me my Lord. The
second song like this.

Title: "Not one word has fail"

Chorus :

       Not one word had fail
      and you know in all your heart
      and in all your soul
      that not one thing has fail

1.    You are the author and finisher
        of our faith I'll trust in you..
        I will hold on at your promises
         Oh Lord and look back over
         and recount your many ways
        God is faithful because not
         one word has fail.

2.    Of all the Good things
        Which the Lord our spake
        Concerning all of us
       All things will come to pass
        for not one word of
         them has fail 

The Sky's the Limit'

 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is Light
                                       Matthew 11:30 KJV


People are often afraid that commitment to Jesus
Christ Mean's endless list OF "don't" and "thou"
shalt nots."
    Highlight motivated personalities are especially
Vulnerable to the lie that God's wayside Will
restrict their creativity and growth. They fear they
may never reach their full potential if they are
tied to a lot of religious restrictions.
   Sadly, some of the smartest people on earth will
never reach their full potenial because they aren't
tied to Jesus. The same holds for those who see
His commands as "taking away all their fun." The
fact is, true and lasting joy comes through
knowing Jesus and following Him.
    Consider this: You have watch a kite fly in the
wind. Would you say the string that hold it is
burdensome? No, it is to control the kite. The kite
will not fly unless it is in partnership with the
string. The string and the kite are yoked together.
You cannot cut the string and expect the kite to
soar right up into the heavens. When the
restrictive yoke of the string is cut, the kite may
seem to fly freely for a moment, but it will soon
crash to the ground.
     String gives the kite direction and purpose by
sustaining its position against the wind and using
the wind to its advantage. Without the string, The
kite would be at The mercy of every passing
influence and would doubtless end up being
trapped in a trees or falling to The ground. When
it is time for the kite to come to earth, The string
gently reels it In, safely missing tree limbs and
telephone poles.
      In like manner, our daily surrender to the Lord
Jesus is not burdensome, nor does it take away
enjoyment in life. Like the kite string. He makes
certain the wind is our favor and we are always in
position to get the most out of life.
       Let Jesus be your "kite string" today, and see
if you don't fly higher!

       

"A MIGHTY FRIEND IN YOUR SIDE"

"For I am convinced that (nothing) . .Will be able
  to separate  us from the love of God that is in
  Christ Jesus our Lord.
                                                    Roman 8 ;38-39


Let's pretend that I am not gifted with a great
amount of natural ability or physical strength.
Now, let's pretend that tight down The street
from me there live three other children. They
are big, and they ate strong. They have also told
 me that they ate not particularly fond of me. In
fact, they have told me that the next time they
see me downtown, they are going to pick a
fighting.
     Now let's pretend that one day my mother
asks me to go to The store for her. How would
I feel? Probably not very God right? I would
want to do what my mother asks, and yet I have
received. I am not sure if I can overcome that
problem by myself.
    But then, just when things seems to be at their
 worst, my uncle comes to visit. He is big, he is
strong. Nothing frightens him. He looks at me
and says, "Come on." I'll go along with you to
the store."How would I feel then? Not so
frightened anymore, right?
      Why not? Because wi have a big strong,
powerful friend right beside me. I know that as
long as he is there, none of the bullies will bother
me. So I walk down the street with a definite
feeling of security, with a newfound sense of
confidence. I have Nothing to fear. I a.m
convincing of that.
       Have you ever Feltre that way In the course
of your lifetime? Sometimes The problems,
The pains and the persecutions of this life seem
to Squeeze us so tightly. We seem si terribly
weak and Powerless. We are frightened. We don't
think we can Overcome those bullies by ourselves.
And we are Probably correct by ourselves we
cannot.7
        But fortunately for us as Christians we don't
have to overcome them by ourselves. We have a
big, strong, powerful ally and friend. He does the
fighting for us. And He is not just someone
who visits us every now and then. He is with us
every day of our lives. This is his promises.
We can now be secure with nothing to fear. We,
like Paul, ate convinced ofThe fact.

"Cost of Discipleship"

         EXACTING EXPECTATIONS
                    Luke 14:25-35
                            Part 1
Seeking solace and relief from pressures of his
Presidency, the great Abraham Lincoln was
often known to slip away to the  midweek
service at New York Avenue Presbyterian
 Church. So as not to be disruptive, he would
sit in the pastor's study to listen to the sermon,
usually in the company of a young aide. On
one particular night, the aide asked Lincoln
how he liked the sermon.
   "I thought it was well thought through,
powerfully delivered, and very eloquent,"
was the reply. "Then You thought it was a
great sermon?" the young man continued.
"No," said Lincoln, " it failed. It failed
because Dr. Gurley did not ask us to do
something great." When someone challenged
us to do something great, it nearly always
forces us to confront life-changing issues.
That may feel uncomfortable, even. agonizing.
 But it also feels invigorating, exciting, right.
We yearn to hear the voice of God in our lives,
 for He not only asks great things, He expects
great things. He told Noah, "Build an ark!"
 He said to Moses, "Rescue My people!"
To David he ordered, "Fight the giant";
to. Elijah, "prophesy a drought"; to Paul,
Come to Macedonia and preach."
    In our passage in Luke, Jesus speaks with
that same voice of authority, inspiring His
soldier to the highest level of devotion. Here
we find some of the most demanding words
in all the Bible. They're Penetrating, exacting,
and frankly tough. And they're for you, if you
desire to be a disciple of Christ.
Clarifying a Necessary Distinction
Jesus' words in this passage are not meant for
you, If you're never received His gift of
salvation. He doesn't expect people to follow
His commands if they have not been born again.
That would be like telling a dead person
stretched out in a casket, "Up and at 'em! Get
with it, soldier!" Christ has to breathe Spiritual
life into us before we have capacity to obey.
     Once we receive Christ gift, we begin to
understand that He gave us life, not so that we
might live for ourselves, but so that we might
live for Him
(see 2 Cor.4:15). Exactly what does it mean to
live forHim? Jesus followers were asking that
question too, we can listen in on His answer
in Luke 14 

"PRAYER OF FAITH"

"A CALM, SCRIPTURAL  ANALYSIS OF
HEALING."
                                          JAMES 5 : 13-16


Ferling Luke a prisoner In hepe own body, Rita
longed to be Fred form The iron gains OF her
Cerebral palsy. One night, her Christian friends
gathered around her, saying. "If you have faith,
Rita, Gid will enable you to walk."
  "If you have faith"---the words echoed in her
mind. If I just have faith. She shut her eyes
 tightly, and the small group prayed with all
their might.
    When the praying ceased, all eyes focused on
Rita. She grasped the armrest of the wheelchair
and slowly lifted herself up. Her heart bursting
with hope, she took one step, then two, three,
 four,...Twenty steps before stumbling. The
group cheered and promised her that if she
continued to believe God, her healing would
soon be complete.
     She did believe God in the days that
 followed. But her healing never came.
Desperately, she tried and tried, but she couldn't
even repeat her triumphant steps from that first
hopeful night.
     Had God forsaken her? Did He want her to
remain chained to her wheelchair? Was her
disease a result of some sin in her life? Was her
faith just not strong enough?
     Every person, healthy or sick, has asked
similar question, question that well up when
diseases go unchecked and prayers seem to go
unanswered. There is a place, though, where
we can bring them: The Word OF God. Let's
open up this Guide and examine its answers
 about two pertinent spirituality gift, working
miracle and healing.
The gift of working Miracle
In NewcTestament times, the gift working
miracle was God's seal of approval on a
person's ministry, proving that His presence
and authority rested on that person's words
and actions (see 2 Cor.12:12). To see this gift
 of miracle at work, we need only to turn to
Paul Barnabas. On their first missionary
journey.
The Gift of Performing Healings
This gift we'll look at is healing, which is the
superhuman  ability to restore health
immediately and completely for the purpose
of displaying God's power and presence.
     As with miracle, healing should emphasize
divine power, not human expertise. Paul and
Barnabas again provide a good example.
While ministering in Lystra, they encountered
a man who had been lame from birth. So Paul
healed him, and immediately "he leaped up
and began to walk" (Acts 14:8-10). As a result
of the miracle,

"The Son OF Man"

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you
  say I am?'"  Simon Peter answered , '"You are
  the Christ, the Son of the living God.'"
                                            Matthew 16: 15-16


      Jesus, walking down a dusty road with His
evangelistic team of twelve apostles, arrived at
the city of Cesarea-Philippi at mouth of the
Jordan River. He paused for a moment and
said: Whom do men say that I the Son of man 
am? (Matt. 16:13).
     I like the designation by which our Lord
identified Himself--the Son man to make us
the Son of God! Seventy-nine times
throughout the Gospels, Jesus declared
Himself to be the Son of man, thereby
identifying with the problem of mankind.
     As the Son of man, He healed the sick,
He fed the hungry, He wept with the
 bereaved. He understands our weaknesses
and our frailties, In all points tempted like 
as we are (Heb. 4:15).
He is the true Son of man. He is the acme
of manhood. He is the apex of manliness
 the highest, the tallest, the noblest of men.
 He is the perfect example of what God
ordained man to be.
     Jesus knew Himself to be Son of God,
but humbly identified Himself as the
Son of man in order to lead and guide
humanity by His example. He also realized
that the Jews did not know that He was the
fulfillment of prophecy the promised
Messiah of Israel. He did not ask what the
Scribe and Pharisees were saying about Him.
He wanted to know what the Common
people though about the miracle that follow
Him wherever He went. Therefore, He said:
  Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
  (VS.13).
     And they said, Some say that thou art John 
the Baptist: some, and others Jeremias or one 
 or one of the prophets. (vs 14).
     Everywhere they went, the disciple heard
the subject discussed, and has often question
among themselves, "Who is He?"
      Some believed Hin to be ghost of John
the Baptist, who had been beheaded by
Herod Antipas for preaching repentance.
    Others thought the prophecy in Malachi 4:5,
that God would send the Prophet Elijah back
 to them, was fulfilled in this man.
    Peter's confession is the greatest single
declaration ever made by man throughout
history. Forever identified Jesus OF Nazareth
sa The Christ OF God Somewhere In The
throne of eternity, Elohin conceived a Son and
cried, Thou at The Christ, The Son of the
living God.

"The Turning Point"

"Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of
  Jonah,for this was not revealed to by man, but
  by my Father in heaven."
                                                   Matthew 16:17


This is the turning point of the Synoptic Gospels.
from this moment on, Jesus begins to fulfill the
Prophecies of His death. Our devotion above.
   Peter had not come to this decision  by study
or by instruction, not by nature or education,
neither by wit nor by human wisdom. Flesh and
Blood had not revealed  it to him. God the Father
in heaven revealed it to him by His Spirit. It was
revelation knowledge, and Peter, therefore, was
blessed because of it.
The Apostle Paul also confessed that he
conferred not with flesh and blood (Gal 1:16),
but receive revelation knowledge of the gospel
directly from God.
   There are things we learn from heaven that we
can never learn here on earth. There are truths
from heaven that are not taught in school. If we
were to learn them, we must receive them
straight from God.
   When we speak by divine revelation, we are all
blessed. Any time we can tell. What God is
thinking, what God is doing, what God is going
to do, we are blessed by bringing forth revelation
Knowledge from God to the people.
   No one truly knows Christ except by divine
revelation. We do not get to know Him through
a sermon or by studying a book. True, we can
get to know about Him that way, but we come to
know Him in a personal way only when the
Holy Spirit reveals Him to us as the unique
Son of God.

"Running with the Wolves"

"Demolish arguments and every pretensions that
sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and
take captive every thought to make it obedient to
Christ.
                                                     2 Cor.10:5 NIV


A few years ago, professor Martin Marty, always
a shrewd observer of the Anerican church, said in
a magazine interview that, in his judgment,
evangelicals eould be "the most worldly people
in America" by the of the century. Marty's
observation are not always right, in my opinion,
but in this case he is on target. Evangelicals have
embraced worldliness in same ways that it was
embrace by the liberal churches. Like those
liberals of past years
Evangelical today:
 Embrace the world's theology. Like the liberals
before us, evangelical use the Bible's words but
give them new meanings, Sin become
"dysfunctional behavior. "Salvation becomes
"Self-esteem" or "wholeness." Faith becomes
"Possibility thinking" Jesus becomes more of
an Example for right living than our Savior from
sin. People are told how to succeed in business, 
have happy marriages, and raise nice children,? 
but not how to get right with offended God. How?
Brave, new audience- driven preaching" of our
day. "The preacher, instead of looking out upon
the world, looks out upon public opinion, trying
to find out what the public would like to hear.
Then he tries his best to duplicate that and brings
his finish product into a marketplace in which
others are trying to do the same. The public
turning from our culture to find out about the
world, discovers nothing but its own reflection.
Then I examined World, meanwhile, drifts blindly
into the future,"
If the Bible is neglected, liberalism will come 
In, because liberalism is merely men and 
women thinking as men and women always 
think apart revelation.
Error will never be defeated by mere rhetoric or
even by burning heretics at the stakes. It is only
by the sword of the spirit that we are able to
"demolish argument and every pretension that
 sets itself up against the knowledge of God,
and. . .take captive every thought to make it
obedient to Christ.'
How is liberalism In the church to be defeated?
only by the true Christian Gospel. And that can
be recovered only through the sword of the spirit
Which is the Word of God. Apart from receiving
the voice of God in Scripture, we always minimize
Our sin, exalt our natural abilities, and invent
endless plans for our own moral and political
salvation. The Bible expose our sin for what it is,
 reveals our utter incapacity for self-help, and
Throws us on the mercy of God who has revealed
the sole way of salvation through faith in Jesus
Christ,



       

"FICKLE FOLLOWERS"

   "Behold, your king is coming, sitting on a 
    donkey's colt.
                                                   John 12: 15


How quickly public opinion can change! When
Jesus entered Jerusalem for the Passover feast.
He was welcomed by crowds cheering to have
Him made King (John 12:13). But by the end
of the week, the crowds were demanding that
He be crucified (19:15).
     I recognize myself in those fickle crowds. I
Love cheering for a team that's winning but my
interest wanes when they start losing. I love
being part of a movement that is new and
exciting, but when the energy moves to a new
part of town. I'm ready to move on. I love
following Jesus when He is doing the
impossible, but Islink away when He expect me
to do something difficult. It's exciting to follow
Jesus when I can do it as part of the "in" crowd.
It's easy to trust Hom when He outsmarts the
smart  people and outmaneuver do the people in
power (see Matt. 12 10; 22;15-40). But when
He begins to talk about suffering and sacrifice
and death. I hesitate.
     I like to think that I would have followed Jesus
all the way to the cross --but I have my doubts.
After all, if I don't speak up for Him in places
where it's safe, what makes me think I would
do so in a crowd of His opponents?
   How thankful I am that Jesus died for fickle
followers do that we can become devoted
follower.

"KEEP WATCH YOUR GATE"

And there came two angels to Sodom at even; 
and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing
them rose up meet them; and he bowed himself
with his face toward  the ground;
                                                        Genesis 19:1


   Why does Jesus speak of gated? Because it is
through the gates that people and power interact
With one another. It is through the gates of the
 city that the army pours forth to attack the
enemy, and It is back through the gates of the
city that conquering army comes to take a prey.
   Ancient cities invaruably had gates and walks
to protect  the citizens from intruders robbers,
Murders and enemy invaders. Through the
centuries, the strongest defense of many a
great city has been the strength of its gates.
The stronger the gates, the more secure the
states. City gates were made to withstand fire,
battering rams swords and spears, arrows
and catapulted rocks, and were often covered
with meal and garishly painted and engraved
wth grotesque heatthen deities, supposedly
guarding the city. Huge gates for horsemen
and chariots often framed smaller gates for
people on foot.
Political Gates
 Behind the gates of a city, politics and
policies are perform.
    In Bible times the city gates were often
used as the place for government transactions
and the seat power. In Genesis19:1, we find
Abraham's nephew Lot sitting as one of the
aldermen in the gates of Sodom. Occupying a
position of judical power. In the Book of Ruth,
when Boaz wanted Ruth for his wife, he went
 to the aldermen and rulers of the city who
were seated in conference at the gates.
   Gates were then and still are used as places
to transact business. Today, at the Danascus
Gates, the northern entrance to the Old City
of Jerusalem, there is always the chance for a
big business deal.
Mental illness, From the Gate of Hell
    In this late hour of world history, literally
millions of people need to be delivered from
mental stress, strain and breakdown. There are
more disturbed minds in the world today than
ever before in the history of mankind. Have
you not heard in the news, read newspaper,
 your favorite news, people Need psychiatric
help but are not getting it.
    The minds if these sick people, burdened
with trouble and sorrow, need miracle from
God. The same power is available to use today.
To speak to another of the crucified, risen
glorified,? returning savior is that the heater
may accept Christ and be born again that is a
demonstration of the awesome power of Christ,
power that sets people free (John 14:12).
keep watch your gate

"where Does The Time Go?"

"While it is daytime, I must continue doing the
work of the One  who sent me. Night is coming,
when no one can work.
                                                  JOHN 9:4 NCV


Most of us can look around and find reminders of
good intentions. We readily see areas where we
never followed through to reach a goal. The
seldom used exercise equipment  needs dusting.
A piano, intended to fulfill our dreams of happy
family sing-a-longs, sits silent.
The books piled on the nightstand remain to be
read. And the laptop computer we intended to take
 on vacation to write a novel is still in its original
packaging.
More importantly, there are the children in our
family who wait for our attention.  Every child has
gifts and abilities  waiting to be developed but that
takes times
To tap into potential takes intentional, concerted
effort. It doesn't just happen. Time for meaningful
Interaction and activity doesn't always "appear"
to us as we juggle a full day of appointments and
other commitments.
The time God gives to us is ours to spend--- we
determine how to use it. We can fill it with life-
building activities, or we can let it sift through our
fingers hour by hour, dat by day, week by week,
until before we know it, an entire year is gone and
very little accomplished.
 As long as you are alive, your time----24 hours,
1,440 minutes, 86,400 seconds a day will be
spend. It is up to you to decide how you are going
to spend it. Accept the challenge to make every
moment count!
When you take your child to the dentist, make
it an Adventure, a time to listen, learn, and share
 God's wisdom. Is there a free hour when you can
sit Quietly and read a chapter or two in one of
those books?
Look at what you have planned for today and
set your priorities according to the goals you
have set for your life. Do the same thing
tomorrow and the next day. It won't be long
before your life will begin to be more productive
and more fulfilling.

"ERASMUS and LUTHER",

"For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 
not of works, lest anyone should boast."
                                                    Ephesians 2:8-9


Nearly 1,100 years after Augustine, Pelagius, and
Cassia  lived, another controversy over the issue
of free will arose during the Prostedant
Reformation. In 1524, a highly respected Roman
Catholic humanist scholar named Desiderius
Erasmus published his Diatribe Concerning Free 
Will, a critique of the Reformers, especially
Martin Luther.
     It was his position that the issue of free will
was more of an academic question than a matter
of concern for the church at large. He was
motivated to write his book by concern about the
practical Outworking of the Refomer's  teaching
on man's inability and God's sovereign grace. He
feared that reaching the inability of natural man to
please God would take away any motivation for
a people to place their faith in Christ and strive to
live righteously. He predicted the Reformers'
teaching would open "a floodgate of iniquity."
    Luther responded the following year with his
Monumental theological work The Bondage of 
the will. In it, he argued that the question of the
degree of power retained by human will after
the Fall is not just academic concern but crucial
question for every professed Christian, for the
answer determines his understanding and
appreciation of the grace of God and, therefore,
his posture before God. Does  God get all of the
glory in salvation or do people deserve some, too?
     In Luther's teaching, we hear strong echoed of
Augustine (Luther was, after all, a monk in the
Augustinians order ). While the central issue in
the Reformation was sola fide (the doctrine of
justification by faith alone). Luther believe that
another, more important issue lay beneath the
surface-- sola gratia, the doctrine of salvation by
grace alone. He said sola fide grows out of sola
 gratia and rests upon it, for without God's work
of grace no one would come to faith in Christ
and seek to live a life pleasing to Hom. No one
would for no one could, for all people are dead
in their sins, their wills bound by their evil desires.
Again agreeing with Augustine, Luther said the
question of desire is all-important, for it guides
 and directs the will to the choices it makes. If a
man rejects Christ, he said, it is because he want
 to reject Him. And if is God by grace who gives
 the desire for Christ,  "lest anyone should boast."
     Have you wondered why you came to Christ
while others  have not? Were you more righteous
 than they? Or were you smarter? We have seen
in previous studies that all natural men are dead
in sins with desperately wicked hearts. Only the
grace of God can deliver from such a condition.
Praise Him for His work in your life.

"THREE REACTIONS"

"And when they heard of the resurrection of the
dead, some mocked, while others said, "We will
hear you again on this matter". . . However, some
 men joined him and believed
                                                   ACTS 17:32-34a


When Paul proclaims the Resurrection to his
audience of Greek philosophers, the attitude of
many turns from interest to disdain. Luke tells
us that his mention of Jesus rising from the dead
prompts some to mock. Why is that? Dr. Simon
Kistemaker explain that Plato and other Greek
thinkers "had developed a doctrine of soul's
Immorality. They reasoned that the soul migrated
to another place, but that death terminated man's
physical existence." Indeed, to the Greeks' way
of thinking, spirit was good and matter evil, and
the soul was to dwell in the "prison house" of the
body receiving it's liberation" only at death. Given
such a view, it is hard to see why a Greek would
 struggle to understand why soul returning to
reanimated body could be good thing. Thus some
in the audience flatly rejected Paul's proclamation
of the Resurrection.
   Luke also tells us that some tells Paul, '"We will
 hear you again on this matter.'" These are at
least intrigued enough to want to know more
about his doctrine. However, it appears there are
not enough of them to sway the council. Paul's
abrupt abandonment of his oratory in the
marketplace and his departure from Athens,
apparently without waiting for Silas and Timonthy,
may indicate that the council bans his teaching in
the city. Still, his spirit-guided defense before the
Areopagus is not Without fruit. Luke tells us that
"some men join him and believed?" Including a
man named Dionysius who was member of the
ruling council a itself, as a women named Damaris.
    Kistemaker notes that neither the New
Testament nor the early church fathers mention a
church in Athens, reinforcing the idea that Paul
did not have A lengthy ministry there. But
Eusebius, a fourth century historian, provides a
tantalizing clue about the fruit of Paul's visits; he
quotes another Dionysius, living the second
century, as saying that the first bishop of the
church at Athens was that member of the
Areopagus, the other Dionysius, whose original
conversion after Paul's speech. . .in the Areopagus
Luke describe in Acts."
    In this passage we see three frequent reaction
to the Gospel:
ridicule (Jude 17-17),
Intellectual interest (2 Tim.3:7),
and acceptance. The very real harvest the 
Gospel reaped in pagan, hard-hearted Athens 
should reassure us that it can penetrate heart 
anywhere.

"FIVE HUNDRED BILL"

Let [the prisoner] give thanks to the Lord for his
unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men,
for he  breaks  down  gates  of bronze and cuts
through bars of Iron.
                                                 Psalm 107:15-16

I hope you never see the inside of a prison, but
imagine what it would be like. You've her a desire
to go see a movie. Nope, sorry. You're in prison.
Hungry for some pizza? Too bad, all they're
serving is soup. This is prison, remember?
When the U.S prisoners of war were released
from Vietnam and return to America, many of
them got off the plane and kissed the ground.
That is how thankful they were to be free. Prison
bars aren't the only things that can steal your
freedom. Anger, jealousy, worry, and fear will
wrap you in chains.
   The word of God is a hammer we can use it
to free ourselves look at your toolbox or n the
kitchen it is there hanging. Here's the industrial
joke maybe can make you laughted.
   The Gigantic generator had stopped working,
and the entire vast industrial plant which
depend on it ground to halt. Distraught engineer
did their best to start it again, but without
 success, and every minute of idleness that
passed cost the firm thousand of dollars.
    Finally, an expert generator Machinery was
brought in from outside. Coolly, he walked the
length of the generator, studied its dials, and
pondered. At last he said, "may I have a small
hammer." one was handed him, and walking up
to a certain pipe, he felt it delicately located a
particular point, and tapped that point sharply
with hammer.
    Instantly, the generator sprang into action.
"Your fee" asked the qualified  head of the firm.
"Five hundred-five dollars," said the expert,
The others eyes opened wide. "Five hundred-five
dollars  for just hitting the pipe with s hammer?
"for that, said the expert, "five dollars for
knowing where to hit. Five hundred dollar."
I want to free you from those negative emotions
that keeps you locked up. Give those felling to
Me, and then prepare to kiss the ground. I will
free you.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE JESUS MAKES!

"I give eternal life to then, and they shall never
perish; and no one shall snatch them out of my
hand."
                                                       JOHN 10:28


There is a simple wood carving that beautifully
depicts the hope of Christianity. It portrays Jesus'
hand, upright and cupped, with a person nestled
in His palm. The carving reminds us of our
security in Christ and His previous promise: let
is read (Luke 13:1-17).
Imagine, though, what life would be like without
Christ  to hold us. Without His assurance of
heaven. Without His comforting hand around our
lives.
   Suppose you've just had a tumor removed and
 the doctor is reading you the biopsy report. The
news isn't good. The most vicious type of cancer
has invaded your body. As the doctor describes
the tortuous road ahead for you, fear grips your
soul. Without Christ, who will soothe your inner
pain and walk with you through this cold dark
valley?
   Or let's say that, after twenty-five years of
marriage, your spouse announces, "I've been
seeing someone else. I don't love you anymore.
I want a divorce."An emotional hailstorm of
confusion, anger, grief, guilt crashes around you.
Who can run to for comfort during the long and
anguished nights to come? Without Christ, there
is no one.
   What a difference Jesus makes! It's not that He
shields our hearts from pain sorrow strikes
everyone. It's that gives us Himself through the
pain. And as we'll see in our passage, He brings
us three priceless treasures: His perspective
when tragedy strikes, His patience when we fail,
and His freedom when we're in bondage.
The Difference Jesus Makes

First, Jesus show us His unique perspective on
life's tragedies.

In His Teaching

The finest teacher who ever lived, Jesus clips 

two tragic stories from the local newspaper and 

uses them as illustrations to drive home an 

important point about repentance.
No other historian but Luke record the two
events Jesus describes here. Both stories
according to William Barclay, may be related to
well-documented.
In His Timing
Of course, many claim to have repented,
belong to Christ. But those who have genuinely
repented should, as  John Baptizer said "bear
fruit in keeping with repentance (Luke3:8).
Yet even in this issue Christ offers us grace upon
grace.(13:6-9).
In His Touch
The touch of Christ makes a difference in our
lives. (Luke 13:10-11). Jesus freeing a woman
from a crippling evil spirit. He called her over
and said to her, "Wonan, you are freed from
your sickness." And He laid His hands upon her.
And began glorifying God.

                                               
                                                       

                                

"CLEAN FROM THE INSIDE OUT"

"And there is no creature hidden from His sight,
but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of
Him with whom we have to do.
                                                           Hebrew 4:13


An Example of True Cleanliness
In contrast to the reams of rules of Pharises had
for achieving cleanliness, Jesus had only one
instruction:
        "But give that which is within as charity,
          and then all things are clean for you."
          Luke 11:41
Love, Jesus says, is the sign of a pure heart.
Remember His parable of the Good Samaritan,
who stopped and cared for the wounded man
while the sanctimonious priest and Levite skirted
by? In the story, as well as in real life, it's easy
to tell whose heart is clean your love shining
through the person's life.
When Putting This into Practice
  We marvel at the Pharises trying to atone for
their sins by washing their hands. Yet are we
much different? Wanting to look holy, we pour
water over our lives as we perform our Friday
morning routines. We try our best to hold our
hands properly. To say the right words. To wear
the right clothes. To do the right things. Us, lose
our tempers? Lust? Slander? Envy? Never! How
could you say such a thing when our Christian
smiles are so bright?
   Christ, however, isn't fooled by our appearance.
He wants us to stop pretending and start caring
about having a clean heart. Two principles from
His lesson can help us avoid the religious
hypocrisy of the Pharises.
    First, never try to cover wrong within by
cleaning up the externals of your life. Just as we
can't fix an engine by washing the car, so we
can't fix our sinfulness by sprinkling some
religion over the surface of our lives. To feels
truly clean, we must invite Christ into our inner
chambers.
     Second, always pay attention to the inside of
your life. Living in cosmetic world, we have at
our fingertips everything we could ever need to
look better than we are. But God sees behind our
masks. The writer of Hebrews say (Heb. 4:13).
Don't be afraid to lay your life bare before God.
He knows all about the dirt you've been sweeping
under the rug, and He won't be shocked. 
He wants to give you the wonderful feeling of
being clean . . . from the inside out.

"LET HIS GRACE IN"

"Here I am! Stand at the door and knock. If
   anyone hear my voice and opens the door,
  I will come in and eat with him, and he
  with me.
                                              Revelation 3;20


 In the galaxy of the Jewish universe,  Paul was
one of the brightest luminaries a star of the first
magnitude. But God looked at Paul's life then, all
He saw was a black hole. It is God estimation of
Paul's life that caused the apostle to reevaluate
 his credentials "But whatever things were gain
to me, those things I have counted as loss for the
sake of Christ" for year Paul had gone at warp
speed in his zeal of righteousness. Only problem
was, he traveled in the wrong direction, leaving
light years away from his destination. What
turned him around so that he could say,
"Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward
to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for
the price of the upward call of God in
Christ Jesus."
Grace is what Steered him in what direction by
enabling him to look at the map he was using in
an entirely different light. He was now able to say
that he "Put no confidence even in the flesh.
     This bring us to a fourth principle about grace:
We accept grace when we no longer put
confidence in the flesh By "flesh" we mean the
tendency to achieve something in our own
 strength apart from trusting in the empowerment
of  God. When we put those things behind us, as
Paul did then we will be able to forge ahead to
what lies before us through the magnificence of
the Lord Jesus Christ.
What it Takes to Let Grace In
No matter how hard Jesus knocks on the door of
our heart or how persistently, that door must be
opened from the inside (see Rev.3:20). For some,
that door has been closed for so long that the
hinges have been rusted tight.
   What can we do to oil those hinges and swing
open that door? Two things.
First, it takes an admission of humanity. We've
got to come to grips with the fact that we're only
human, that we all so and, sometimes, we sin
greatly (Rom. 3:23).
Second: it takes as attitude of humanity. Nothing
is so welcomed by grace as true humanity, which
is nothing more than a realization of one's true
standing before God that God is preeminent, that
He alone is worthy of glory and praise.
   A wonderful road lies ahead for those who really
accept grace a road that makes the yellow brick
road to the Emerald city look like a footpath to the
 hey barn. It almost seems too good to be true.
when George MacDonal the great Scottish
preacher, told one of his children about the glories
of the future, the child interrupted and said,  "It all
seems too good to be true!"
 A smile spread across MacDonald's  whispered
face as he answers back,  "Nay, it is just so good
it must be true! Amazing Love!

"GRACE FOR THE SINFUL"

"And you were dead in your trespasses and sin,
in which you formerly walked according to the
course of this world, according to the prince of
the power of the air, of the spirit that is now
working in the sons of disobedience. among
them we too all formerly lived in the lust of our
flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of
the mind, and were by nature children of wrath ,
even as the rest.                         Ephesians 2:1-3


The final passage we want to look at  today is
Ephesians 2, which both diagnosed our condition
and dispense a prescription.
If you embrace a humanistic philosophy of life,
Ephesians 2 will come as a bracing affront. Read
Our devotion verse.
Not a very flattering picture, is it? Skip down to
verse 12 and the picture gets even bleaker.
    Remember that you were at that time separated
from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of
Israel, and strangers to the covenant of promise,
having no hope and without God in the world.
Separated . . . excluded. . . Strangers. . . no hope.
What a desperate condition. Hardly something
you'd find in the Hunanist Manifesto.
God's Solution
Our condition is bad news, like doctor telling us
we have a terminal disease. But the gospel is good
News, and that's found beginning in verse 4.
    But God, being rich in mercy, because of His
great love with which He loved us, even when we
we're dead in our transgressions, made us alive
together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him,
in  the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, in order
that in the ages to come He might show the sue-
passing riches of His grace you have been saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the
gift of God: not as a result of works, that no one
should boast.(vv4-9)
     We are not invincible captain of our souls as
William Henley says. We cannot strut through the
"Invictus" with out heads held high. Our salvation
is a gift of God, not of works, and we have no room
to boast. Instead we should bow our heads in homage
to the One who is the true captain of our souls--
Jesus Christ.

FROM BITTER TO SWEET"

"The Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it '
into the waters, the waters were made sweet.
                                                     Exodus 15: 25


Joy and sorrow are often close companions.
Just as the Israelites went from the thrill of
victory at the Red Sea to the bitter waters of
Marah just 3 days later (Exodus 15:22-23). Our
rejoicing can quickly turn into the water, which
made it "sweet" and Drinkable (v.25). Another
"tree," when "cast into" the bitter circumstances
of our lives, can make them sweet. It is the cross
of Jesus (1 Peter 2:24).
    Our outlook will be transformed as we
contemplate His sacrificial death and His
submission to the will of God (Luke 22-42).
Our pain may come from the ill-will of others, or
worse, from their neglect. Nevertheless, our Lord
has permitted it. We may not understand why, yet
it is the will of our Father and Friend, whose
wisdom and love are infinite.
  When we say yes to Hod as His Spirit reveals
His will to us through His Word, the bitter
circumstances of our lives can become sweet.
We must not do all that He asks us to do.
Jesus said that we are to take up out cross daily
and follow Him (Luke 9:23).
    When we remember Jesus' cross  and submit
to the Father as He did, bitter experiences can
become sweet.

"LET GO AND LET GOD?"

"Then the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you
  crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move
  on."

                                                --Exodus 14:15
Predicament. We all face them. And we all
 have ways of describing them. A cook, for
example, might describe herself as being
"in a pinch," "in a pickle," or "in a jam,"
whereas a basketball player might say he's
"in a tight squeeze." Whether someone's
"up a tree." "in a corner," "hard pressed,"
"between a rock and a hard place," or
"behind the eight ball," we understand the
situation. Whatever the expression, the
meaning is the same---someone is facing
trouble that cannot be easily escaped.
Predicament are uncomfortable, nerve-
racking, and often threaten to drive us into
despair.
    Predicament range from the personal to
the global. and also abound in the church
history. Martin Luther, for example, was
ordered to recant his teaching before the
council at Worms. . . or because the
established church's most hated enemy.
   The Bible, too, is brimming with
quandaries. Eve's moment of decision
when tempted by the serpent in the garden
. . . Jesus in Gethsemane, Wrestling with
the imminence of the Cross . . .and Moses
and the Isreaelites, caught between the Red
Sea and Pharaoh's pursuing army. What is
the Lord Plan! In (Exodus 14:15). "Then
the Lord said to Moses, "why are you
crying out to me? Tell the Isrealites to
move on." A praise like "Let it go and let
God" sounds good, but it raises questions.
Who does all the work as we grow in
Christ? Do we give in to God, making
certain that we put forth no energy on our
part? Or do we charge full steam ahead
and do our best to do what's right?
    If you've wrestle with that question,
you're in good company because Moses
struggle with the same thing. Moses led
the Israelites out of Egypt, but they
screeched to a halt at edge of the Red Sea.
Pharaoh's army was in hot pursuit and the
people we're panicking. So in the
(13 and 14 verse), Moses says, "Do not be
afraid. Stand firm and you will see the
deliverance the Lord will bring you today.
The Lord will fight for you; you need only
to be still," His way was a "Let go and let
God" way of looking at the problem. But
that was no time to yield passively, and
God says so in the next verse! Raise Your
staff and stretch out your hand over the sea
to divide the water so that the Israelites can
go through the sea on the dry ground."
    The Lotd is not about to let Moses or you
sit still, If danger is about, if temptation is
knocking, if a friend needs helps, if the Devil
 is gearing up for an attack, God does not want
His people to stand still.
"Letting go and letting God" speaks to only half the
battle. The other half involved you moving forward
in His power.

"YOU ARE MY ADVERTISEMENT"

"Because you are my help, I sing
 In the shadow of your wiing

 Psalm 63:7

If I have done anything good for
you, I want  you to tell others
about it. Don't keep it to yourself
Maybe I answers a prayer, or
maybe I protected you when you
needed Me. If I've been good to
you in any way, and you know it,
then write a song or poem about
Me.
Seeing a commercial for a new
movie is not nearly as good as
hearing your friend tell about it.
You are My advertisement. Tell
people about Me. Then they'll
want to see for themselves.
share what I've done for you.

Title: "In Jesus Name i am free"

Here I am
Longing for your presence
I'm here to stand and say
The promises of hope
I can overcome
And you give me
Your loving kindness
Everyday I live

Chorus:
Lord filled This Temple
In your Holy Presence
and washes me by your grace
This song I sang in reverence
Of Praise
My Lord heal me and save me
In Jesus name i'm free

Here I am
Praising in this temple
My Lord My King
You are more than
enough me.

"THE TRUTH HAS A GREAT PAYOFF"

"Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk
   in your truth; give me undivide heart, that I
   may fear your name.
                                                     Psalm 86:11


Sometimes it seems like the liars and crook
are the big winners while the people who do
right get the short end of the stick. Some don't
even care about right and wrong. They only
care about not getting caught.
   Today we are in the midst of a culture war
and the deception of pragmatism. We are
confronted with far more than software piracy
or the bending of truth when it suit us. Many
people say: "If it work, do it; if you can get
away with it, why not?" This kind of
reasoning has engulfed our generation like a
fog that gradually drifted in, obscuring our
vision and darkened our lives. They seek
Council of the wicked.
    Maybe some of your friends have that
attitude. They think you're a loser  if you try
to be truthful and do the right thing. If that's
what your friends are like, you might need
some new friends. You see, I'm going to ask
you to stand in a hard place to value the truth
to stand up for what's right even when it's
popular.
    I want you to know the payoff for living a
truthful life. It's an inner peace and happiness
that comes only from doing what's right in My
sight. It's a great way to live. You've got to
decide whether you will allow yourself to be
influenced by the moral deception. Let us read
again our devotion above,

"THE LORD JESUS IS YOUR DOOR"

"I am the door if anyone enters by Me, he will
 be save, and will go in and out and find
  pasture."
                                                         John 10: 9


       As a Christian, we talk about God
"opening doors" to us as a means of His
revealing His will what we are asking God to
do is engineer our circumstances to match
what we think would be best. The problem is
that we misunderstood what the door is. Jesus
said He is the door. Circumstances are
irrelevant, for no one can shut the door that
 Jesus opens (Rev. 3:8). If you have
substituted activity for your relationship with
Christ, then circumstances can disrupt your
activity. When the activity is hindered, you
may assume the door has been closed. Yet, if
Christ is the door in your life, He will guide
you into every experience of Him that He
wants, and there will be nothing that people
can do to stop Him.
     When Paul and Silas were thrown into
prison at Philippi, it appeared that the hour of
their ministry in Greece had been violently
and firmly closed (Act 16:32-34). The reality
of their situation, however, was that their
Lord had opened a door of ministry to a
previously in reached group of men in prison.
The Philippians jailer and his household
would be one a significant nucleus of the new
church in Philippi. From a human perspective,
 a door had been closed; from God's
perspective, Paul and Silas continue to
minister exactly where God wanted them to.
    When people oppose us, we can become
discouraged or worry about what others are
doing to us. We may even try to take matters
into our own hands to accomplish what we
think God wants. This reveals that we do not
really believe Jesus is the door for our lives.
If we did, we would be assured that through
Jesus Christ we have access to everything
He wants to go in and through us.