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From out of your Mess, is there a Messiah?

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2015 Reading through the Bible Devotion. Day 12

From out of your Mess, is there a Messiah?

Gen 29:22-25 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her. And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an handmaid. And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me?

Mat 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Have you ever felt you were at the wrong place at the wrong time and the circumstances were out of your control? Take Leah for example, she had no intention of marrying Jacob. Jacob had no intention to marry her and was in love with Rachel. Laban however, had other plans. He switched Leah for Rachel and since Jacob was drunk he had no idea who he was with until morning. What is surprising here is how angry Jacob was. Wasn’t he there at Laban’s in the first place because he switched himself for Esau and stole his blessing?

Laban tells Jacob that the firstborn is married first and then gives Jacob Rachel also. Wow, I would imagine that Leah like a normal girl would have hoped that her marriage would be to someone who loves her and wants to be with her. What happens is exactly the opposite. He never wanted to be with her and didn’t love her. Now how is that for a beginning to a hopeless relationship? Jacob agrees to fulfill her ceremonial week in order to get what he really want’s from Leah’s family, which is Rachel.

Leah is now stuck. She is in a hopeless marriage with a man that never had any intention of falling in love with her. What he wanted from her family is Rachel not her. God opens Leah’s womb and she winds up having 6 boys and 1 girl. She also has two other sons from her handmaid Zilpah.   After Leah conceives and gives birth to her fourth son, in spite of all that she is going through she decides that “Now will I praise the Lord: therefore she called his name Judah.”

Deciding to praise the Lord in the midst of her circumstance speaks very highly of Leah. Leah served God and relied on him to fulfill her dreams. It was obvious that Jacob was going to do the least amount of charity for Leah since he really loved Rachel and never intended on marrying Leah in the first place. Can’t really blame him, what do you do in that situation? Divorce was not an option and it wasn’t Leah’s fault she was forced into a situation she never wanted either. You just do what you gotta do to survive.

In the book of Matthew, Jesus is now calling his 12 Apostles and getting ready to send them out. He gives them specific directions. They are not to go to the Gentiles; they are to go minister to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.   Through Leah’s son Judah, (The son she named after praising the Lord) down the generational lines comes Jesus.   Out of her mess would later on come a Messiah that would send his 12 Apostles to the lost sheep of the 12 tribes of Israel. He gave them power against unclean spirits, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

There is an old praise chorus that says “It’s amazing what praising can do, Hallelujah, Hallelujah. I don’t worry when things go wrong. Jesus turns them into a song. It’s amazing what praises can do, Hallelujah.” (Not sure who wrote this song)

Let’s just say for Leah, deciding to praise in her mess did later turn out to have amazing results for all of us. We all are at times thrown into situations that we didn’t expect or can control. Deciding to Praise the Lord in the middle of our Mess just might bring us a way of salvation from numerous circumstances too.

Let’s Pray: Dear God, help us to look to you and Jesus for our salvation in situations that we never intended to be in. Give us the strength to Praise you in the middle of our mess. Let us look to you instead of at our situation. Grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference. In Jesus name, Amen (so be it.)

Daily Scripture Reading: Genesis 29-30, Matthew 10: 1-23

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Bible Study, Devotional

Stripping Strife from our Life

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ID-100114874 Businessman Cover His Head with bag by pakorn www.freedigitalphotos.net

Gen 13:8  And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. Mat 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Stripping Strife from our Life.

Let there be no strife between us for we are brethren. Abram and Lot are living in the land south of Egypt and between Bethel and Hai.  Both of them together have too much for that area to support.  Those responsible for the herds of cattle are fussing and fighting over the water, places to graze the cattle and numerous other issues.  At this point, Abram makes a decision and gives Lot an opportunity.

“If you go to the Left I’ll go to the right, if you go to the right I’ll go to the left.” Lot looks out at the land and chooses the plain of Jordan for in his eyes the land was well watered everywhere.  Basically he chose the best and left the rest.   Before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah it was a lovely place.   Later in the story we see God tell Abram of his plan for him and gives him some directions and promises.  All the land is for him and his seed forever plus his seed will be as numerous as the dust of the earth.  Abram made the right decision to remove strife at all costs.

Jesus said in Matt 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers:  for they shall be called the children of God.  Making peace and removing strife is very important.  Many businesses, churches, communities, homes, the news, and the list goes on of places that are plagued with strife.  It isn’t seen as the destructive force it is.  We all know or have seen how a person under the influence of strife and an instigator of negativity can tarnish the workplace, church, home or a nation as we have seen of late.   Abram and Jesus both knew the importance of peace and to remove strife.

We may not be able to change the world, but how about our area of influence.  I have a friend that is an author and she is a genuine gift.  The only thing I’ve ever heard said about her is “You know she is the nicest person I know. She hasn’t let her success go to her head and I don’t think I’ve ever heard her say a bad word about anyone and she absolutely loves the Lord.”    Yep…she’s known as a child of God.  She works very hard at keeping the peace and she’s been very successful and blessed.  To know her she is a peaceful person and has a soft presence.  It’s really odd…you would never know the success she has had or the trials she has faced.  She is just a normal every day kind of godly person living life at its best with God in the center and peace at her side.  You know those people that have been through so much and survived by the grace of God that they just can’t help but be happy? They are choosing a life of gratitude instead of having an attitude.

Let’s Pray:  Dear God, help us to be mindful of our words and actions. Let us be peacemakers among our friends and family.  Where there is strife, give us direction on how to bring peace. Help us be a light in our area of influence and give us wisdom on how to strip strife from our life.    In Jesus name, Amen (so be it.)

Daily Scripture Reading:  Genesis 12- 14, Matthew 5: 1-26

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Bible Study, Devotional

Dealing with Temptation

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ID-100142970Stones

Reading through the Bible in a Year Devotion 2015.    They say it’s progress and not perfection and you can’t improve if you don’t start.    I’m starting and I hope you’ll join me on this journey in 2015.   I’m sharing my daily inspiration throughout the year and I hope to inspire others.    It’s just me hanging with Jesus so I have no idea what topic or subject matter will come up over the year.

Mat 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Mat 4:2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. Mat 4:3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

After Noah and his family have left the ark and are working the land, they have a vineyard. Noah celebrates a little too much with his new wine and is passed out in his tent. His son Ham the father of Canaan for some reason decides to go his father’s tent and see what the old drunk man is up to.   Well he finds his father who in a drunken stupor has left himself uncovered.   Apparently, Ham looks on the old man with disgust and maybe a little pride wells up inside him to see the one who has maybe scolded him for drinking too much is passed out from his own overindulgence.   He wants to tell of his discovery. Maybe he wants to make himself look better or just to embarrass his old man. Who knows?

When he tells his brothers, I think he is a little surprised. The juicy gossip that was to make him look good has backfired and his brothers do not join in with his delight of seeing their father’s error. They do the honorable thing and find a blanket. They walk in backwards to not see their father and drop the blanket over him covering him.

Jesus goes through a round of temptation also in Matthew 4.   He has fasted for 40 days and nights and is a hungry man.   It seems the tempter comes when we are at a certain point in our life just to kick us when we’re down.  Or to rub whatever challenge we are going through in our face.   Similar to Ham he waits for the right moment to find joy in another’s failure. He taunts Jesus about his hunger. Oh poor baby are you hungry? Well here, IF you are the Son of God turn these stones into bread and eat.   Jesus answers him with the written Word of God.

Jesus shows us right here how to deal with temptation.   However you are tempted; use the written word to fight back.   If it’s an overindulgence of food use the word. “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Matt 4:4 KJV) Man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. ( Deu 8:3b KJV)

If you’re tempted to gossip or as Zig Ziglar has said “Some people find fault like there’s a reward for it.”  Fight back with Phillipians 4:8. If it’s not of good report then don’t report it. Ham, his family, and generations were made servants to the honorable brothers due to his actions. Dealing with this can be tough. In a society that gets great entertainment out of gossip and belittling those around them, it’s easy to forget and fail.

If that’s happened to you pray about it.   Confess it and take God’s forgiveness and do a 180. If you need to make amends then go ask for that person’s forgiveness and move on doing the right thing regardless of their actions.

Even though Ham was at a different time and a different covenant, his actions took away his blessing. His position of authority was removed and he was to serve after his Brothers who were promoted due to their actions.   In today’s terms, Noah said Happy, Happy, Happy is the Lord God of Shem and Japheth shall prosper.  Now that’s a compliment and a good goal.   Having someone come up and say.   “The rightness in you and your actions must make God Happy.”

We also need to remember to be cautious around people. Like Noah, people make mistakes and we have a choice to cover them or share their mistakes. God help us all to do the right thing.

Let’s pray. Dear God, bring to our remembrance your word when we are faced with temptation. Help us keep it in our mind and use it to fight off undesirable situations. Let us focus on true, honest, lovely and things of good report. Help us to share one another’s successes and not their failures. Where relationships have been damaged show us how to make peace. Keep a guard over our mouths and help us to do what’s right in your eyes. Amen.

Scripture Reading for the Day: Genesis 9-11 and Matthew 4.

an2g (c) 2015

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It’s up! You do NOT want to miss this message! #TakeYourSeat

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“Take your Seat”  with John Gray was an awesome message. I hope you were able to view the video online from Lakewood when it was still available.

If you’ve been struggling with anything this message is for you.  John Gray is a recent addition to the Lakewood Home.

His ministry fits uniquely well along with the Legacy of Lakewood Church.    Listen to it and enjoy.   Don’t be surprised if you find yourself encouraged and motivated to take on the things that have been hindering you from Taking your seat.    “Take Your Seat” is one of the best messages I’ve heard this year.     Reminds me of the days of “How Strong is your Want to”  one of my favorite series from the Lakewood library.

Also be sure not to miss the previous Wednesday’s service with Lisa Comes.  Tremendous teaching and the message John Gray refers to throughout his service.   Download and Print out the resources from “Developing a Powerful Prayer Life part II” at http://www.lisacomes.com in the Resources section under Downloads.

John Gray starts speaking at 38:48.  in the Wednesday night worship service.

Be encouraged and get ready to “Take Your Seat” in the life God has provided for you.

***********This video is no longer available on the online archive at Lakewood..  You might check John Gray’s website to see if the title “Take Your Seat” is available.*******

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The Devil is Bad and God is Good. Chrisitanity 101

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Check out this series from Charis Christian Center channel on YouTube.   “Secrets to Living Well”

When we have things upside down in our thinking it affects the way we live.   A lot of people today have things mixed up.   Instead of believing that the THIEF comes to kill, steal, and destroy they think it’s God.  That kind of thinking can make you and everyone around you miserable.

It’s time we give up old wives tales in Christianity and start reading and believing the Word of God.    Listen to Pastor Lawson clearly and simply teach the Word of God.

 

 

 

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This mornings reading, Ezekiel 45:9 It’s amazing how timely this scripture is.

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Ezekiel 45:9

Thus saith the Lord GOD; Let it (b) suffice you, O princes of Israel: remove violence and spoil, and execute judgment and justice, take away your exactions from my people, saith the Lord GOD.

(b) The prophet shows that the heads must be first reformed before any good order can be established among the people.

Things haven’t changed much since Ezekiel’s time.  The Heads must still be reformed before any good order can be established among the people.  So when there is disorder among the people the Heads should wake up and put their Heads together on how to fix a problem the Godly way.     If it’s not Godly the result is chaos.

Articles about Christianity

Coming out of the Closet???

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By David Castillo Dominici @Freedigitalphotos.net Wow… I know that probably gave some of you a jolt.

Let’s tone that down a little with Coming out of the Closet about Christ.  Today we’re thinking about our relationship with Christ.

Is the only place that you say “I love Jesus” is at church?   Or how about “Oh I love you Lord” do you ever say that when not at a Bible Study or Christian Fellowship?

If you’re having fellowship with other believers or non-believers can you be yourself?  If you Love the Lord then say so when you have an appropriate opportunity.   Keeping silent about your Love for the Lord will make others question whether you really do Love Him.

You know how things in Life make you think?   Well I had something happen to me the other day that made me start to think about our profession of Love for Christ.    We can easily profess our love for Chocolate, things we find on Pinterest and Facebook. But can we update our status or simply post for no reason that We Love God or We Love Jesus? Or are we too embarrassed?  Are we so concerned what others might think that we cannot give God even a little praise?

The world needs us.  Other Christians need us.    How will they ever know if we truly Love God when we are always silent. Only God knows the heart, the rest of us are just stuck with what we see and hear in others.   It’s time to come out of the Closet about Christ folks. Let others know that you Love God and profess your love for Him by your life and your mouth.

We do want to be wise around other people.  We don’t want to take advantage of a group of friends thinking they are a “captive” audience for your latest “message”.   Or spontaneously interrupt people with a “Jack-out-of-the-box” profession”

But, there is nothing wrong when someone asks  “What’s up with the smiles? Why are you so happy today?”  you could reply,

“Oh, I’m just thankful.  God Loves me and I decided to wear my Love for Him on my face today.”

Since we’re all big on challenges right now.  How about taking the  “Wearing of God’s love on your Face today” challenge?

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Articles about Christianity, Devotional, Divine Health, Marriage 101

Happy Anniversary to my best friend/spouse!

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Well tomorrow will mark 21 years of spending my life with my best friend. The nice thing about roller coaster rides is they keep you young and full of life.   There are ups and downs plus the times that take your breath away. A few of you have asked so here Is my top ten list for hitting that 20 year and more mark.

  1. Leave your spouse alone. What drew you to your spouse was their uniqueness. If you try to change them, then what you were attracted to in the first place gets lost in the shuffle.
  2. So you’re right… Does it matter?   Which is more important peace or putting one over on your spouse? Proving you’re right may win the skirmish but the battle you’re losing is lifelong happiness and friendship with your spouse. Forgiveness after a skirmish is a good thing.
  3. Take a nap. We all get tired and when you feel Mr. or Mrs. Cranky pants coming on just tick a lock and go take a nap.
  4. Take your solutions to your spouse and problems to God.   Sometimes there are just things you can’t talk about. Doesn’t mean you have a bad marriage it’s just wiser to take some things to God. It’s much more fun to see a situation change after you’ve prayed about it rather than put pressure on your spouse. Pray for solutions… listen… then do what God says. You might be surprised at the results from just hearing from God on a situation without talking to your spouse.
  5. Find out what makes your spouse feel accepted, affirmed, and appreciated.   It’s different for every person. Sometimes finding out is half of the fun as it changes over time.   My favorite thing to receive is something spontaneous that required a little thought and it doesn’t have to be expensive. Same thing with hubby he likes it when I’ve been paying attention and surprise him with something he’s talked about for this or that.
  6. Alone time… The one thing that gamers have over the rest of us is the ability to have fun alone.   Give your spouse some alone time to play games, go shopping, hunting and fishing, hiking, running, biking etc. Find something that you can do alone that makes you happy, reduces stress and let your spouse do the same.   Just because you think it’s a waste of time doesn’t mean you’re right. (refer to #2 above)
  7. Date Night.   Go out or stay in but have fun just the two of you. Sports games on the Wii can be fun and economical. Or bring home pizza and watch silly movies that make you laugh.   MST3K movies can be funny especially the older ones.   My favorite scene was when 2 Guys in Greek costumes rounded a corner and tapped their spears on the Ground. I think it was Crow who said “Pizza! Pizza!”   We laughed so hard.
  8. Say “no” to others.   With everyone pulling everyone in different directions sometimes you just have to say “no” so the two of you can rest, relax, and refresh.
  9. Be united:   Don’t let your kids or other family members divide you as a couple. Make a decision as a couple and stick with it.   Trying to be a best friend to your kids at your spouse’s expense probably isn’t the wisest decision as kids grow up and move away but your spouse is still there and may not be too happy with you. (refer to #3 above)
  10. Probably the biggest and most important thing is to spend “God Time” together. Praying, reading the Bible, Devotions. Whatever you two can do to grow in God together.    Along with that thought is remember who you committed to on your marriage day.   You committed to God and your spouse. Having faith in God to help when you don’t know what to do is critical. It is much better to turn to God and unload than to unload on your spouse.     People say dumb and mean things when they are mad. Refuse to allow yourself hurtful words that can scar a person for life just for a moment of selfish pleasure. It doesn’t mean you are weak or a pushover if you walk away to pray. It just means you are turning over your situation to a higher authority who really does know all the answers for your situation.

© sgan2g2014cwp

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Articles about Christianity

Have you read God’s Voters Guide?

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Many of us will be going to the polls next Tuesday.  There are quite a few issues out there and I would like to encourage a Godly Vote.

Let’s Vote Bible….  Ahhh yes many of you may not know how to do that.  Well look it up on Google “What does the Bible say about _______ ?” and start studying the word so you can know What the Bible says about certain issues.      Here is a weekly 28min broadcast from a ministry that has spent the last 3 weeks discussing this.  Starting on July 14 there are  3 weeks of broadcasts called. “Observing All Things.” after watching this you will know what the Bible says about…

Observing All Things (week one)

Observing All Things (week two)

Observing All Things (week Three)

Now it’s not an endorsement for any political party it’s just a minister plainly explaining what the Bible says without a lot of hoopla and a very dry humor.  He doesn’t dance around, shout, and sell you the latest miracle drug or con you into a “If You will  donate x amount of dollars God will….  He knows God has already done through Jesus Christ everything there is to do.  It doesn’t matter if you send a penny or a million dollars. Jesus has already paid for your miracle, your blessing etc.

We really don’t have a Bible political party because people would have to read it first.

We can either vote for the Bible or against it.  While we are still One Nation Under God it would be nice to vote that way.  God tells us how He would vote in his Voters Guide called “The Bible”

Time to come out of the prayer closet, crawl out from under the prayer shawl and put your praying hands to use at the polls.   The separation of Church and State was not set up so the Church could abandon the Country.  The separation of Church and State was set up to prevent the State from telling the Church what they can or cannot do.  If I hear one more negligent Christian tell me “Oh it’s all in God’s hands I don’t need to vote.”   Hello… Genius  we are His hands and feet here on the earth.   Use your feet to get to the polls and your hands to vote.

Seriously…. please be a good steward in your area and go vote Bible in your neck of the woods.

an2g

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Are We Headed For A Crash? Reflections On The Current State of Evangelical Worship

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This is Excellent!

Jamie Brown's avatarWorthily Magnify

1Last week I spent a couple of days attending the National Worship Leader Conference, hosted by Worship Leader Magazine, featuring many well-known speakers and worship leaders. The conference was held about 15 minutes down the road from me, so it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. I’m glad I went.

I met some new people, heard some thought-provoking teaching, enjoyed some good meals and conversations with worship leader friends, and experienced in-person some of the modern worship trends that are becoming the norm in evangelicalism. It was eye-opening in many ways.

Over the last few days I’ve been processing some of what I saw and heard.

Worship Leader Magazine does a fantastic job of putting on a worship conference that will expose the attendees to a wide variety of resources, techniques, workshops, songs, new artists, approaches, teachings, and perspectives. I thought of Mark Twain’s famous quote…

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Through Him we have access into this grace