Marriage

Intermarrying with pagan nations often lead to the downfall of God’s people. Some may question why God would require families to separate, but even Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, was lured away from God by his many wives to worship worthless idols (see 1 Kings 11:1–8 and Neh.13:26 for details). God wants His people to be faithful to Him and not be enticed to commit spiritual adultery. James 4:4 warns us, “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

Ezra 10:10 Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have transgressed and have taken pagan wives, adding to the guilt of Israel.

A Study in Job part five

 

So the supernatural Book of Job is entirely in keeping with the rest of the supernatural Word of God. Like many other strange instances in Holy Scripture, the four men coming to Job with the exact same account may be hard to swallow, but gnat-straining thoughts of doubt will only keep us from the comforting truths of Holy Scripture. It is a freeing thing to be able to let go of doubt and rest in knowledge-based trust. It’s like a man who has never flown in a plane, letting go of his natural reasoning. He could sit in his seat indignantly mumbling that it is impossible for human beings to fly at 35,000 feet in the air in a massive steal can with wings, at 500 miles per hour. Then again, he may say that it’s a reality that he can’t deny and relax, or he can reason a little and consider how gravity can be superseded by the law of aerodynamics, and a steal can, can be airtight and filled with renewable air to keep human beings alive at that height. So you and I can rest in the fact that all of us that believe in a Creator of creation believe in the supernatural, or we can have a knowledge-based trust that works things out a little by realizing that God has deliberately placed strange and hard-to-believe instances in the Scriptures, to humble the proud. All who trust that the Bible is the Word of God are forced to humble themselves and become as a little child, much to the scorn of a proud and godless world. But that is the way of salvation. The door has been made low to exclude those who are wise in their own conceits. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.

So how did Job handle the fourfold and terrible news? He didn’t hold his fist to the heavens and accuse God of some sort of wrong. The man tore his robe, shaved his head and fell onto the ground and worshipped God. He was a godly man and he therefore knew that He is the giver of life, and ultimately He’s the One that takes it away. That was his fortification. Every blessing and every good gift comes from above.

But this isn’t how the ungodly think. God isn’t in their thoughts (see Psalm 10:4). Millions don’t attribute the blessings of loved ones, food, light, the seasons, color, beauty, fruits, eyesight, hearing and their own lives to God. They think that they are the mere product of change. There was a big bang, and there you have it, we are here. No one is to be thanked for anything. Others believe in the existence of God, but never even think to bow their heads in prayer and thank Him for His amazing kindness. Even though their very ability to breathe comes from their Creator, if you ask what God has done for them, they will shake their heads and say, “I can’t think of anything.” I know because I have asked many people that question. I also know because I was once in darkness, alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that was in me because of the blindness of my heart.

Continued Monday...

When the flood came

“I have no doubt that those who would not pray when the ark was being built, prayed when the Flood came; but their prayer was not answered. I have no doubt that when Lot went out of Sodom, Sodom cried to God; but it was too late, and God’s judgment swept them from the earth. My friend, it is not too late now, but it may be at twelve o’clock tonight. I cannot find any place in the Bible where it says you may call tomorrow. I am not justified in saying that. ‘Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.’” D. L. Moody

Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all tthe fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.

Eternity in our hearts

The only reason that men and women can be saved is the fact that God has put eternity in our hearts!

Man is fallen—yes! Man is lost, a sinner and needs to be born again—yes!

But God made man in His own image and He keeps the longing after eternity and a desire after everlasting life there within the hearts of men.

What, then, is the matter with man? Like the lion in the cage, he paces back and forth and roars to the heavens before he dies.

I think this is the truth—we are disturbed because God has put everlastingness in our hearts. He has put a longing for immortality in our beings, something that demands God and heaven. Yet, we are too blind and sinful to find Him or even to look for Him!

As Christian witnesses, we must be faithful and timely in our preaching and teaching. There is a note of warning in this—telling men and women why they are lost and that if they will not repent they will certainly perish!

Lord, at times I have felt that this world is not my real home. I have a longing for things eternal. Yet, Lord, there are still so many people whose hearts are stone cold and who need to be told about Your free gift of eternal life.

A Study in Job part four

 

If you have never been born again (see John chapter 3) you are a natural man or woman. You therefore have a few intellectual problems that make you gasp a little when it comes to the subject of God and the supernatural. Let me ask you some questions to see if I can pin-point it for you. What was in the beginning? What produced this huge, incredible natural world in which we live? If you say it was the “big bang,” then where did the materials come from to make the big bang? If the Big Bang was the product, who or what was the producer?

Sound travels in waves as does light and heat, but unlike light and heat, sound moves by making molecules vibrate. So, for sound to travel anywhere there must be molecules for it to travel. Sound travels on earth to our ears by vibrating air molecules, but there are no molecules in space. Therefore there was no bang in space, because there are no molecules to vibrate. So if the Big Bang happened, it was more of a Big Silence. So what was it the caused this Big Silence to explode? You can’t say that it caused itself, because to do so it would have had to pre-exist itself to cause itself to explode. If it pre-existed itself, then it wasn’t the beginning, because it already existed. It’s not only scientifically impossible for something to create itself, it’s common sense.

The only rational explanation is that something immaterial, eternal, and unspeakably powerful created this world. It had to be something supernatural. So you are forced to fall back on a belief in the supernatural, and you are therefore saying that the impossible happened--something supernatural created everything, from nothing. That’s a belief in something that’s much bigger than a mere belief in flying pigs. So, if the supernatural had a hand in making birds, flower, trees, fruit, horses, cows, elephants, milk, cheese, eggs and butter, it’s only natural to believe in the supernatural as portrayed to us in the Bible.

Chapter one of Job necessitates the supernatural. Whoever penned its 42 chapters was either supernaturally lifted into Heaven to witness and record the dialogue between God and Satan and then Job and his three friends, or it was supernaturally given to him by divine revelation.

Continued tomorrow...

A broken spirit

God made the horse like no other animal. It is clothed with a courageous “thunder”—an incredibly brave spirit, an amazing energy that can be harnessed by man and taken into the very heat of battle unafraid. After David sinned with Bathsheba, he cried, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise” (Psa. 51:17).

To understand what is meant by “a broken spirit,” think of a wild horse. Although beautiful, it is useless to man. So man takes that wild animal and “breaks” its spirit. He does not take away its beauty or its character; he just harnesses its incredible energy so he can turn it any way he wishes. James spoke of this: “Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body” (James 3:3).

That is what God wants from you and me. He wants to “break” our wild, rebellious spirit so He can take us into the heat of battle, and trust us to turn any way He wishes. You have never been more needed in the battle to reach the lost. Have you surrendered the reigns of your life to God? Do you have a “broken spirit”? Can He trust you to rush into the heat of the battle and share the gospel with those headed to hell? If not, why not?

Job 39:19 Have you given the horse strength? Have you clothed his neck with thunder?20 Can you frighten him like a locust? His majestic snorting strikes terror.21 He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; He gallops into the clash of arms.22 He mocks at fear, and is not frightened; Nor does he turn back from the sword.23 The quiver rattles against him, The glittering spear and javelin.24 He devours the distance with fierceness and rage; Nor does he come to a halt because the trumpet has sounded.25 At the blast ofthe trumpet he says, Aha! He smells the battle from afar, The thunder of captains and shouting.

I Found - Sevin (Purple Reign)

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Cardboard Testimony

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A Study in Job part three

The Scriptures speak of only two classes of people living on this massive earth—the natural man (or woman) and the spiritual man (or woman). If you are a natural person, you live and think in the realm of nature. You understand through your natural senses, and everything has a natural and rational explanation. For you, pigs don’t fly, and people don’t walk on water. Seas don’t open up and allow masses of human beings to walk through them. Snakes and donkeys don’t talk, walls don’t fall down when people shout, arks don’t carry animals two-by-two, the blind aren’t made to see with the touch of a hand, and the dead aren’t brought back to life with a spoken word.

But the spiritual man and woman see things very differently. For them, anything goes because they are dealing with the super-natural. With God anything is possible. Demon-possessed pigs can fly off cliffs, snakes and donkeys can talk, the deaf can hear, the blind can see, and what’s more, nothing needs to be explained. God created natural law, and He can suspend His own natural law any time He wishes.

As a Christian, I don’t wrestle with whether or not Jesus multiplied the bread and fish. I wonder how He did it. Were the fish cooked? Did the crowd of 5,000 plus people who ate it eat fish that was identical to the fish that He multiplied? How deep did the feet of Jesus go into the water upon which He walked? When the children of Israel walked through the Red Sea, could they see fish in the walls of water on each side?

There’s a reason that the person who is born again never doubts the miracles of God. They have had their own big miracle. The moment they repented they came to know God, their eyes and ears were opened, and faith came as a gift from God. It’s as though their lungs had been clogged with the filth of sin, and God had given them a heart/lung transplant. Believing the Bible came as naturally as breathing with a set of new and healthy lungs. A new life and “times of refreshing came from the presence of the Lord.”

Continued tomorrow...

Christ, The True Vine John 15 by Paul Washer

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A Study in Job part two

The book begins with the ultimate Foreword—an incredible character reference:

“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1).

Job was a sinner, and like the rest of us he battled against his sinful nature. However, he was “blameless” (no doubt through the sacrificial system), and he uniquely feared God and rejected evil. He wasn’t “born again” with a new nature, regenerated as the believer is in Christ, with the Holy Spirit helping him in his weaknesses. Yet in his unregenerate state, he shunned evil. That’s amazing for a human being, of whom Jesus testified that we love the darkness and hate light. We run at sin as a moth flies to a flame.

The cynic may look at Job and say that there was a reason he shunned evil. Poor people steal because they want to be rich. Job had no reason to steal because he was already rich. He was very rich. He had no reason to covet, be greedy or bitter at life’s realities, or be envious or jealous of others. So there go half of the seven deadly sins that poor people have to battle. Here’s how rich he was:

“And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East” (Job 1:2-3).

Job was rich, powerful, and he was blessed with ten healthy and happy kids. He had it made. However, the veil into the supernatural world is pulled back to give us a glimpse into the spiritual realm. Here we see God Himself speaking about Job to the ultimate cynic:

“Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?’ So Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!’ And the Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.’ So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord” (Job 1:8-12).

We are then told that Job’s children were celebrating in their oldest brother’s house, when a messenger came and told Job that thieves had stolen most of his animals and killed his servants. Then the messenger said, “…and I alone have escaped to tell you!” While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived and said that Job’s sheep and more of his servants had been struck by lightning and killed. Then he said, “…and I alone have escaped to tell you!” While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived, and said that Job’s camels had been stolen, more of his servants murdered, and then the messenger said, “…and I alone have escaped to tell you!” Then (believe it or not), while he was still speaking another messenger came and said that Job’s beloved children were partying when a tornado hit the house in which they were sitting. All four corners collapsed, and killed them. Then the messenger said (you guessed it) “…and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

The Bible is full of, well, things that are intellectually embarrassing, and this is one of them. The narrative sounds like some sort of four-men-came-into-a-bar joke or the beginning of a Grimm’s fairytale. There are four disasters, and with each disaster only one person was saved. Each one finds Job and parrots the exact same sentence. For two servants to show up and say the same thing would be an amazing coincidence. Three is a big stretch. But four is ridiculous….that’s unless it’s in the Bible. It’s because it is in Scripture that the dynamic radically changes. If it’s in the Bible we are no longer talking about a coincidence or a big stretch. We are talking about the Supernatural.

Continued tomorrow...

A Study in Job part one

Who was the greatest man who ever lived? Was it Socrates, Lincoln, Gandhi, Beethoven, Shakespeare or Leonardo da Vinci? These are all great men, but Jesus said number one was John the Baptist. He said that there was none born of woman who was greater than John. But he didn’t invent anything, or paint, or write astute plays. He did, however, stand against evil, and like Lincoln and Gandhi, he was murdered for what believed.

It seems strange that if John was the greatest, that God wouldn’t have allowed him to be cut off in his prime. He could have easily stayed the hand of the executioner, but He didn’t. He could have opened the prison doors as He did with Peter, but He didn’t. Why didn’t God do a miracle for his number one? One thing we do know is that we don’t know why. As far as from a human perspective, intervention was certainly warranted, but for some reason there wasn’t a peep from Heaven.

Perhaps coming in a close second on the list of greatness is a man of whom most of the world has never heard. His name was Job, and this man had a best-selling biography written about him, despite the fact that it’s a book about pain and suffering.

Even though we try and fortify ourselves against suffering, each of us eventually proves to be like an aged house in a heavy rainstorm of trials. The constant drips keep coming through no matter how much we try and patch things up.

Job’s ceiling caved in. Although few of us will suffer to the degree in which he suffered, his biography sets an example of how we can best handle it when our roof caves in because it gives us a perspective on God’s thinking.

Go, Stand, and Speak! (Open Air Preaching Film Trailer #1)

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You do not have to be a Christian to be a good person

A Christian is not a “good person.” How can anyone be called a good person when we have no clear definition of the word “good”? Is a rapist a good person because he no longer rapes? Or does a thief become a good person when he gives to charity? Some would say “Yes,” and others would say “No.”

The only way to define who is good and who isn’t is to define the word “good.” The dictionary lists 58 definitions, but the principle meaning is to be “morally excellent.” In God’s view, to be “good” means to be morally perfect, in thought, word, and deed. The Bible tells us that only God is good (see Mark 10:17). Even the word is derived from the word “God.” So, once we have a clear definition, it is obvious that a Christian is not a good person. Neither is a non-Christian.

It is true that you don’t have to be a Christian to live a good life. Anyone can do the things that Christians do. They can open hospitals, establish schools, feed the poor, build houses, etc. But that won’t get anyone to heaven, nor will it save anyone from hell. This is because salvation has nothing to do with our “good” works. How could it? What could you and I ever do to “earn” everlasting life?

But add the fact that we are criminals, having violated the Law of a holy God a multitude of times, and it becomes clear that the only way any of us could ever be saved from hell and enter heaven is by the mercy of the Judge. And that is what the Bible teaches. A Christian is saved by the grace and mercy of God, without works: “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works lest any man boast” (Eph. 2:8,9).

So, stop pretending to be good, and realize that doing good will do you no good on Judgment Day. Instead, repent and trust the Savior, and then live a good life—not to impress anyone or bribe God, but out of gratitude to Him for His mercy.

Proverbs 20:9 Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?

Prayer of the Day

Lord, I have many family, friends, and coworkers who need You as their Savior. Will You receive them into Your family today?

The death of the wicked

God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He is not willing that any perish, but that all come to repentance (see 2 Pet. 3:9). This is why it is biblical to tell sinners that God does not want them to go to hell. It is not His will. He does not send anyone to hell, in the same way a righteous judge does not delight to send anyone to prison. The criminal’s crimes send him to prison; the judge merely executes justice. In the case of our salvation, God prefers mercy over judgment, but if we refuse His mercy shown in Jesus’ sacrifice for us, we will get exactly what we deserve.

Ezekiel 33:11 Say to them: As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?

Does Christianity Cause Wars?

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What is Truth?

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Why is there Evil in the World?

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Isn't Sin God's Fault?

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Why do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

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Is Reincarnation True?

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"I Would Murder for Free."

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Heavy Weight

As laborers, we are sent into the four corners of the earth. The vast sea of lost humanity weighs heavy upon us.

“Look! Don’t be deceived by appearances—men and things are not what they seem. All who are not on the rock are in the sea! Look at them from the standpoint of the great White Throne, and what a sight you have! Jesus Christ, the Son of God is, through His Spirit, in the midst of this dying multitude, struggling to save them. And He is calling on you to jump into the sea—to go right away to His side and help Him in the holy strife. Will you jump? That is, will you go to His feet and place yourself absolutely at His disposal?” William Booth

2 Chronicles 4:4 It stood on twelve oxen: three looking toward the north, three looking toward the west, three looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east; the Sea was set upon them, and all their back parts pointed inward.

Believing the wrong thing does not make it right

“The issue is not our emotions or our preferences. The issue is truth. Sincerity in religious matters is never enough. We do not doubt the sincerity of those who follow Islam or Hinduism. We admire them for their dedication to what they believe. But sincerity only matters when it is applied to the proper object. You can be sincerely wrong and you will still be wrong. You can sincerely drink rat poison and you will be sincerely dead. Believing the wrong thing doesn’t make it right. All truth is narrow. Years ago we all learned that 2 + 2 = 4. It doesn’t equal 5 or 3, no matter how sincere you are.” Ray Pritchard

1 Corinthians 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Our Sovereign Lord

The most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands. . . . Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool. Acts 7:48–49
How can you be a Christian and not be aware of the sovereignty of the God who has loved us to the death?

To be sovereign, God must be the absolute, infinite, unqualified ruler in all realms in heaven and earth and sea. To be Lord over all the creation, He must be omnipotent. He must be omniscient. He must be omnipresent.
With all that is within me, I believe that the crucified and risen and glorified Savior, Jesus Christ, is the sovereign Lord. He takes no orders from anyone. He has no counselors and no advisers. He has no secretary to the throne. He knows in the one effortless act all that can be known and He has already lived out our tomorrows and holds the world in the palm of His hand.

That is the Lord I serve! I gladly own that I am His; glory to God! The Christ we know and serve is infinitely beyond all men and all angels and all archangels, above all principalities and powers and dominions, visible and invisible—for He is the origin of them all!

Lord, to begin to understand Your attributes is totally overwhelming. That such an Almighty God would care so much for His creation is truly humbling

Fear in perspective

Always keep in mind that you will never be free from fear, especially just before you get up to open-air preach. Overcome it through thoughts of the fate of the ungodly, the sacrifice of the cross, and the fact that God is watching you. I have known men who said that it was less fearful for them to skydive for the first time than to open-air preach. So think of the worst-case scenario if something goes wrong with both. In skydiving, if the parachute fails to open or becomes twisted, you fall to an unspeakably terrifying death. In open-air preaching, you may make a fool of yourself and dent your ego. There is no comparison. So just do it, and God will be with you.

Haggai 2:5 According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!

Boko Haram's 'Holy War' on Nigeria

KANO, Nigeria-- A radical Muslim group is threatening to turn parts of Nigeria into an Islamic emirate.

For several years, the group Boko Haram has waged a violent campaign against the government and Nigerian Christians. The sophistication of some of their most recent attacks has many concerned about the group's possible links to international terrorists.

Epicenter of Holy War

About 215 miles from the Nigerian capital of Abuja sits the sprawling city of Kano. It is the epicenter of Boko Haram's "holy war" against the country.

"I would prefer not to talk about Boko Haram's activities here in Kano," said one frightened resident of Kano. "They just make me very uncomfortable, very uncomfortable. Everybody is afraid; we are all living in fear."

Kano on Edge

On Jan. 20, more than 100 Boko Haram militants launched their deadliest attack to date. Suicide bombers hit multiple locations in Kano, killing 185 people and injuring many others.

Kano is a city on edge. Police officers and the Nigerian Army are patrolling the streets, setting up numerous checkpoints to try and protect this vulnerable city from future attacks by Boko Haram.

"What this group is doing to our country is terrible," a young man, who asked to remain anonymous, said. "They are killing our people and they want to divide us."

'Faceless Enemy'

Boko Haram's official name in Arabic means the "People committed to Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad."

"This is a faceless enemy," a resident told CBN News. "They don't wear a uniform. They live among us and suddenly attack so we have to be very careful."

A spokesman for the Islamist group says the deadly attacks won't stop until Sharia law rules the country.

Walid Phares, terrorism expert and author of The Coming Revolution: Struggle for Freedom in the Middle East, worries that Nigeria could emerge as a new front for radical Islamists.

"Often in the mainstream media, Boko Haram is presented as a sect as if they had a theology of their own or a small extremist group. That is not the case," Phares told CBN News.

"Boko Haram is a jihadist movement that has the same ideology as all other Salafist jihadist movement as al Qaeda, the Taliban, as al-Shabab," he explained.

"What they want to do is to establish an emirate, an Islamist radical state -- first in the northern part of Nigeria and then push to the south and declare an emirate across Nigeria," Phares said.

Religious Divide

Boko Haram's task won't be easy. Nigeria is evenly split between Christians in the south and Muslims in North. Sharia law is already in place across 12 states in the Muslim-majority north.

And while Boko Haram wants to see the Islamic laws more strictly enforced, the group's radical theology has little traction in the south.

"So now the group is trying to spark a religious war by getting Muslims and Christians to fight each other," a young Nigerian from Kano said.

Since 2002 when it was founded, Boko Haram has terrorized Nigerian Christians by attacking their homes, churches, and killing scores of believers.

Warning to Christians, Muslims

Bishop Ransom Bello is a prominent Christian leader in Kano. He's received several death threats from radical Muslims.

The most recent came from Boko Haram warning about an impending attack against churches here.

"My biggest worry is about the security of the Christians in Kano State. I am worried so much about that," Ransom Bello, with the Christian Association of Nigeria, said.

"Because every time they make such promises they fulfill it," he said. "So the apprehension is that one day they will come to attack the churches."

At one of Kano's largest mosques, Imam Abubakar Jibirin used a recent Friday noon gathering to urge followers to remain calm and seek peace.

But in an interview with CBN News following Friday prayers, Imam Jibirin refused to criticize directly or condemn the actions of Boko Haram.

The group has distributed leaflets warning anyone, including Muslims, not to criticize their actions.

"I don't know who these people are, so I can't judge them," Sheikh Jibirin, with Bayero University Mosque, told CBN News. 

"I can't tell you if Boko Haram is a Muslim group or not," he said. "I've been telling our people that we should live in peace with one another."

Links to Al Qaeda?

Boko Haram has killed more than 1,000 people in some 160 separate attacks since July 2009.

Many of the recent attacks, including the Jan. 20 incident, were far more complex and coordinated than anything linked to Boko Haram before.

"Their bombs are increasingly more sophisticated and more powerful, so this has gone beyond the sort of local radical group," Paul Marshall, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said.

That has Nigerian and Western security officials worrying about potential links to international terrorist groups like al Qaeda. 

A Nigerian newspaper investigation traced funding for the group's activities to the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia, as well as further plans to turn Nigeria into another Afghanistan. 

Members have also reportedly met and received training from senior al Qaeda figures in North Africa.

"We've had information and analysis and assessments for the last two to three years that Boko Haram has been in connection with al Qaeda -- al Qaeda mostly of the Maghreb, which is now operating in Mali, Mauritania, Niger, the area known as the Sahel," Phares said.

And now perhaps equally worrying are reports of Boko Haram sympathizers within Nigeria's police, intelligence services, army and judiciary.  That's leaving many to worry about the future of Africa's most populous country.

"I see this as a spiritual battle over Nigeria because these issues go beyond economic, beyond politics," Bello said. "Its goes beyond natural things. It's spiritual."

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Avenger of blood

“It was the avenger’s right and duty to slay the murderer (2 Sam. 14:7,11) if he found him outside of a city of refuge. In order that this law might be guarded against abuse, Moses appointed six cities of refuge (Ex. 21:13; Num. 35:13; Deut. 19:1,9). These were in different parts of the country, and every facility was afforded the manslayer that he might flee to the city that lay nearest him for safety.

The avenger was forbidden to follow him into the city of refuge. This arrangement applied only to cases where the death was not premeditated. The case had to be investigated by the authorities of the city, and the willful murderer was on no account to be spared. He was regarded as an impure and polluted person, and was delivered up to the [avenger] (Deut. 19:11–13).” Christiananswers.net

God is the ultimate Avenger of blood. He will see to it that every transgression against the moral Law will find just retribution. See Eccles. 12:14.

Joshua 20:9 These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel and for the stranger who dwelt among them, that whoever killed a person accidentally might flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stood before the congregation.

What is the True Saving Gospel of God? - Paul Washer

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I do not feel guilty

Some people don’t feel guilty when they sin because they have “seared” their conscience. Repeated sin sears the conscience until its muffled voice is no longer heard. This is a tragedy because the conscience in the voice of warning. Those who delight in sin, because they have dulled their conscience, are like a man who removes the batteries from his smoke detector because he doesn’t want to be bothered by its alarm.

To awaken a deadened conscience, simply take the person through the Law. Address the conscience directly by saying, “You know it’s wrong to lie, steal, commit adultery, etc.” As you do so, the conscience will confirm the truth of the Commandments. Always preach the Law along with future punishment, then pray that the Holy Spirit will come convict the person of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come.

Ephesians 4:19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

Horns of the altar

The horns of the altar were the place of mercy: “The laying hold upon the literal horns of an altar, which can be handled, availed not Joab. There are many—oh, how many still!—that are hoping to be saved, because they lay hold, as they think, upon the horns of the sacraments. Men of unhallowed life, nevertheless, come to the sacramental table, looking for a blessing. Do they not know that they pollute it? Do they not know that they are committing a high sin, and a great misdemeanor against God, by coming amongst his people, where they have no right to be? And yet they think that by committing this atrocity they are securing to themselves safety. How common it is to find in this city, when an irreligious man is dying, that someone will say, ‘Oh, he is all right; for a clergyman has been, and given him the sacrament.’ I often marvel how men calling themselves the servants of God can dare thus to profane the ordinance of the Lord. Did he ever intend the blessed memorial of the Lord's supper to be a kind of superstitious vialicum, a something upon which ungodly men may depend in their last hour, as if it could put away sin.” Charles Spurgeon

1 Kings 1:50 Now Adonijah was afraid of Solomon; so he arose, and went and took hold of the horns of the altar.51 And it was told Solomon, saying, Indeed Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon; for look, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.

Comfort in mourning

What a wonderful God we have . . . who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us . . .
–2 Corinthians 1:3,4 (TLB)

The Bible teaches unmistakably that we can triumph over bereavement. The Psalmist said, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Self-pity can bring no enduring comfort. The fact is, it will only add to your misery. And unremitting grief will give you little consolation in itself, for grief begets grief. Sorrow, or mourning, when it is borne in a Christian way, contains a built-in comfort. “Happy are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.” There is comfort in mourning, because we know that Christ is with us. He has said, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Suffering is endurable if we do not have to bear it alone; and the more compassionate the Presence, the less acute the pain.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Thank You, loving heavenly Father, for the promise that when we mourn You will comfort us. I have felt the healing of Your consolation in the past and know You will never fail me.

How Jewish people view Christianity

Many Jews understandably equate Christianity with Roman Catholicism. When they watch the news at Christmas or Easter, they see people kneeling and kissing the hand of a man in a white robe with a big white hat and a golden scepter—the pope. Then they see people bowing down to graven images of saints and praying to and worshiping Mary. To the Jews, Christianity is therefore a false religion because it directly violates the First and Second Commandments.

Many Jews even equate Christianity with Adolf Hitler—despite the fact that biblical Christianity is soaked in love of humanity, while Hitler’s philosophy was saturated in the blood of pure hatred. Hitler infiltrated the church by installing his own leaders and Nazi “pastors,” then used the church structure to mock the Bible and teach that Jews were “children of the devil.” The Nazi army even had belt buckles engraved with “Gott mit uns” (“God with us”). So in the eyes of many Jews, the evil of Nazism came directly through the Christian church. That is why, when we approach a Jewish person with a New Testament in our hand or a cross around our neck, and sweetly say, “I would like to talk with you about Jesus,” to them we might as well be saying, “Hi, I represent an institution that is filled with pedophiles, bows down to idols, worships false gods, and was responsible for the murder of six million of your Jewish brothers and sisters.”

No wonder they are reluctant to talk with us. That is why it is important to learn to go through Moses to get to Jesus. Take Jewish people (as you should anyone who is self-righteous) through the Law before you tell them about grace.

Leviticus 19:4 Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves molded gods: I am the Lord your God.

Fully Surrender

Those who still reject me are like the restless sea. . . . There is no peace, says my God, for them!
–Isaiah 57:20,21 (TLB)

Faith has legs . . . I heard about a man some years ago who was rolling a wheelbarrow back and forth on a tightrope across Niagara River. Thousands of people were shouting him on. He put a 200-pound sack of dirt in the wheelbarrow and rolled it over, and then he rolled it back. He turned to the crowd and asked, “How many of you believe that I can roll a man across?” Everybody shouted! One man in the front row was very excited in his professed belief. The man pointed to this excited professor and said, “You’re next!” You couldn’t see that man for dust! He didn’t actually believe it. He thought he believed it—but he was not willing to get in the wheelbarrow. Just so with Christ. Many people say they believe on Him, they say they follow Him. But they never have stepped into the wheelbarrow. They actually never have committed and surrendered themselves wholly, 100 percent to Christ.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Loving Lord Jesus, it was only when I surrendered everything to You that I knew the ultimate joy and peace that had always escaped me.

Christians are raving lunatics

A woman’s car broke down late one moonless night in an unfamiliar area. She was afraid, so she wound the vehicle’s windows up tight, locked the doors, and turned on the car radio to keep her company. She decided that it would be wise to wait until the morning light before going for help.

A short time later a frantic man appeared at her window and began to yell at her. Frightened, she gestured for him to go away. He left and then returned seconds later with a rock in his hand, smashed the window of her car, and pulled her out, much to the woman’s horrified protests.

As they fell to the ground a massive train slammed into her car, causing it to burst into flames.

You may consider Christians to be raving lunatics, but all we are frantically trying to do is warn you that you are in terrible danger. The train of God’s moral Law is merciless. Your ignorance of the imminent peril doesn’t make it disappear. Please, soften your heart and listen to us before it is too late.

Ezekiel 33:5 He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life.

Ascription of Glory

Yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.1 Peter 1:8
I am discovering that many Christians are not really comfortable with the holy attributes of God. In such cases, I am forced to wonder about the quality of their worship.

The word holy is much more than an adjective saying that God is a holy God. It is an ecstatic ascription of glory to the triune God. Everything that appears to be good among men and women must be discounted, for we are humans. Abraham, David and Elijah, Moses, Peter and Paul—all were good men, but each had his human flaws and weaknesses as members of Adam’s race. Each had to find his own place of humble repentance. Because God knows our hearts and our intentions, He is able to restore His believing children in the faith!

So, we should be honest and confess that much of our problem in continuing fellowship with a holy God is that many Christians only repent for what they do, rather than for what they are!

Lord, I confess before You now that at my very core I am a sinner—but one who has been saved by Your grace. I desire to please You, Father, as a child adopted into Your family.

Prophesies

While prophetic interpretations are fascinating, don’t let them become a distraction from your commission—to preach the gospel to every creature (see Mark 16:15). We have too many who run from conference to conference, filling their minds with theories to a point where they have neither time nor concern for those who could be snatched any moment into eternal damnation.

Daniel 9:27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.

No one changes His Law

I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. Psalm 40:8
Because we live in a period known as the age of God’s grace, it has become a popular thing to declare that the Ten Commandments are no longer valid, no longer relevant in our society.

With that context it has become apparent that Christian churches are not paying attention to the Ten Commandments.

But Dwight L. Moody preached often on the commandments. John Wesley said he preached the commands of the Law to prepare the way for the gospel. R.A. Torrey told ministers if they did not preach the Law, they would have no response to the preaching of the gospel. It is the Law that shows us our need for the gospel of salvation and forgiveness!

It is accurate to say that our binding obligation is not to the Old Testament Law. As sincere Christians we are under Christ’s higher law—that which is represented in His love and grace. But everything that is morally commanded in the Ten Commandments still comprises the moral principles that are the will of God for His people. God’s basic moral will for His people has not changed!

Lord, I pray that in my own life I will not bristle at the idea of following Your law. The deceit of my own heart is enough evidence to suggest that Your moral law is for my own good.

If hell exist, where in the universe is this huge place

Do you know where the city of Invercargill is located? More than likely you don’t (it is at the bottom of the South Island of New Zealand). So, does the city not exist because you cannot identify where it is? We know hell exists because we have the greatest authority on this earth stating that it does—the Word of God. We also have reason on our side. If God is good, He will see to it that murderers and rapists get justice. However, He will be so thorough in His justice, He will see that thieves, liars, adulterers, fornicators, etc., are punished, and God’s “prison” is a place called hell. While the Bible says that heaven is “up” and hell is “down,” I don’t need to know any more than that to know I don’t want to go to a horrible place of eternal torment.

Deuteronomy 32:22 For a fire is kindled in My anger, And shall burn to the lowest hell; It shall consume the earth with her increase, And set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

Who is He

. . . for they have rejected the word of the Lord . . .
–Jeremiah 8:9 (TLB)

The Apostle Paul once asked, “Who art thou, Lord?” That is a question each of us has to face. If Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, knowing He was not, then He was a deceiver, the greatest liar the world has ever known. If He thought He was God and didn’t know the difference, then He was a mental case. But if He was who He claimed to be, then He is rightfully the Lord of our lives. What keeps us from acknowledging this Christ, if He is what the Bible tells us He is?

Each of us has to face the question that Pilate asked, “What shall I do then with Jesus which is called the Christ?” Pilate washed his hands and said he would have nothing to do with Jesus, but God does not let us off that way. We must say “yes” or “no.” We can make fun of Jesus, we can reject Him, we can neglect Him—or we can receive Him.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Lord Jesus, with so many still rejecting You, take away everything within me that would stop another receiving You as Savior and Lord.

Are You Saved? Take The Test by Shane Idleman

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Believe in the Holy Spirit

. . . I [have] raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee . . .
–Romans 9:17

Walter Knight tells the story about a little boy who had recently received Christ. “Daddy, how can I believe in the Holy Spirit when I have never seen Him?” asked Jim. “I’ll show you how,” said his father, who was an electrician. Later Jim went with his father to the power plant where he was shown the generators. “This is where the power comes from to heat our stove and to give us light. We cannot see the power, but it is in that machine and in the power lines,” said the father. “I believe in electricity,” said Jim. “Of course you do,” said his father, “but you don’t believe in it because you see it. You believe in it because you see what it can do. Likewise, you can believe in the Holy Spirit because you can see what He does in people’s lives when they are surrendered to Christ and possess His power.”

PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Make my heart completely devoid of self so that it can be filled with Your Spirit, Lord.

Seek My Face - Richard Owen Roberts

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Wretched: New Apostolic Nuttiness.

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"Why would a God of LOVE send Someone to Hell?"

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All about Him

Most non-Christians have no idea that the entire Bible is about one Person, Jesus of Nazareth. It speaks of Him from the Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation. It tells us that He created all things, including the eyes you are using to see these words, the lungs that are breathing in the oxygen He created, to feed the brain that He made so you can process them (see John 1:1–3).

Of course, His name hasn’t always been Jesus of Nazareth. The Bible tells us that He is God the Son, eternally preexistent before the incarnation, and is “the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15). He created a body for Himself and became a Man to suffer and die for the sin of the world.

Consider how the New Testament exalts Jesus of Nazareth. It calls Him “Lord” nearly 250 times. He is the One to whom all humanity will one day bow the knee. He is also called the “Christ” well over 500 times. This is because “Christ” (“Messiah,” or anointed One) is a title rather than a name.

He is called “Son of Man” over 80 times, because He truly was a Man who had the ability to feel pain, experience thirst, and know the torment of fear. He is called “Son of God” more than 40 times, because He was truly God is human form, manifesting His authority over His creation by walking on water, stilling storms, healing disease, and conquering death.

There has never been anyone like Jesus of Nazareth. Take the time to open the New Testament and read about Him—who He was, and what He did for you. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. If in this life you refuse to humble yourself and bow the knee to Him as Savior so that your sins can be forgiven, you will bow the knee to Him as Lord on Judgment Day so that justice will be done. That will be a fearful thing...with terrible eternal consequences.

Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?

"I Believe in Total Oblivion."

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Pray for His rich blessings

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.Psalm 23:6

The devil never stops tormenting believers. On the inside, he afflicts them with fears. On the outside, he torments them with the tricks of false teachers and the power of tyrants. So at the conclusion of this psalm, David earnestly prayed that God, who had given him rich blessings, would continue to take care of him until the end. He was asking God to grant him favor so that "goodness and love will follow" him all the days of his life. Then David explained how God would show his goodness and love: "I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." He was saying, "Lord, you are the one who started all this. You gave me your holy Word and made me one of your people who know, honor, and praise you. Continue to show me your favor so that I may stay close to your Word and never be separated from your holy kingdom."

David asked for the same in Psalm 27. He said, "One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple" (v. 4).

By his example, David teaches all believers that they should not become overconfident, proud, or presumptuous. Instead, they should be afraid and pray that they don't lose God's rich blessings. David's example should wake us up so that we will pray diligently.

Compromise is Costly

I pray . . . that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. John 17:15
Christianity today is so entangled with this present world that millions never guess how radically they have missed the New Testament pattern.

Compromise is everywhere—but actually no real union between the world and the Church is possible. When the Church joins up with the world, it is the true Church no longer but only a pitiful hybrid thing, an object of smiling contempt to the world, and an abomination to the Lord!

Nothing could be clearer than the pronouncements of the Scriptures on the Christian’s relation to the world. The confusion which gathers around this matter results from the unwillingness of professing Christians to take the Word of the Lord seriously.

This whole thing is spiritual in its essence. A Christian is what he is not by ecclesiastical manipulation but by the new birth. He is a Christian because of a Spirit which dwells in him. Only that which is born by the Spirit is spirit, no matter how many church dignitaries work on it!

Lord, I pray that the leaders in my church will stand firmly on biblical principles when faced with social and political issues of moral importance.

Cast your cares

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the [children] of God . . .
–1 John 3:1

As God’s children, we are His dependents. The Bible says, “Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him.” Dependent children spend little time worrying about meals, clothing, and shelter. They assume, and they have a right to, that all will be provided by their parents. Because God is responsible for our welfare, we are told to cast all our care upon Him, for He careth for us.

Because we are dependent upon God, Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled.” God says, “I’ll take care of the burden—don’t give it a thought—leave it to me.” Dependent children are not backward about asking for favors. They would not be normal if they did not boldly make their needs known. God is keenly aware that we are dependent upon Him for life’s necessities. It was for that reason that He said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

PRAYER FOR THE DAY
How magnificent, almighty Father, that I, dependently, can rely on You to take the burden of my heart!

The Missing Presence of God by Martyn Lloyd Jones

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All Loving

The world often gravitates to the concept of a god who is “all loving.” Such a loving god would never judge people and damn their souls to hell. However, it is more biblical to say that God is love, but He is also the essence of truth, judgment, and righteousness. Therefore, God is bound by His own character to do what is true, just, and right.

“If we exalt one of God’s qualities over another, we can get a distorted view of God’s character. In fact, overemphasizing any one of God’s attributes to the exclusion of others can lead to heresy. For example, teaching only about God’s mercy and neglecting His role as a judge will prevent people from understanding God’s hatred of sin and the future punishment for wrongdoing.” Bill Bright

Jeremiah 4: 2 And you shall swear, The Lord lives, In truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; The nations shall bless themselves in Him, And in Him they shall glory.

A Prayer

Lord, make me sensitive to those within my sphere of influence whose goals for success and happiness are based on a faulty foundation. I pray for these people, Lord, that their eyes may be opened to the truth and that they will fully repent.

Jesus is NOT Your Homeboy - Matt Haney

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Gladness on Sunday

I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.
–Psalm 122:1

A lot of people get what I call “Sunday-itis” on Sunday mornings. Do you know what Sunday-itis is? It attacks the victim shortly before breakfast on Sunday morning. It is accompanied by a feeling of weakness and lethargy. Sometimes the victim has a slight headache which is aggravated by the ringing of the church bells in the community. But the disease is of short duration, usually disappearing about noon, when the victim is able to eat a full dinner and play golf in the afternoon. But the symptoms usually appear again about 7:30 Sunday evening, and then disappear until the next Sunday morning.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY
May I always have the gladness that David had, as each Sunday I prepare to worship You in Your house, heavenly Father.

Make His will our will

And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Acts 9:6

The mystery of man’s free will is far too great for us! God said to Adam and Eve: “Thou shalt not eat from this tree” (see Genesis 2:16–17). Here was a divine requirement calling for obedience on the part of those who had the power of choice and will. When they disobeyed, they usurped the right that was not theirs!

The poet Tennyson must have thought about this, for he wrote in his “In Memoriam”: “Our wills are ours, we know not how; our wills are ours to make them Thine!”

“We know not how;” then Tennyson girds himself and continues, “Our wills are ours to make them Thine!” As created beings, that is our only right—to make our wills the will of God, to make the will of God our will! God is sovereign, and we are the creatures. He is the Creator and has the right to command us with the obligation that we should obey.

It is a happy obligation, I might say, for “His yoke is easy and His burden is light!” It is important to agree that true salvation restores the right of a Creator-creature relationship, acknowledging God’s right to our fellowship and communion!

Heavenly Father, intellectually it is easy to say that I want to do Your will, but to really do so I need Your Spirit’s help. Strengthen me, Lord. I am Yours.

Truth is not text

“No one can know truth except the one who obeys truth. You think you know truth. People memorize the Scriptures by the yard, but that is not a guarantee of knowing the truth. Truth is not a text. Truth is in the text, but it takes the text plus the Holy Spirit to bring truth to a human soul....” A. W. Tozer

1 Thesallonians 2:13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomedit not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

Using Possessions Wisely

Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.Genesis 13:2

No good philosopher or theologian would find fault with what God has created and given to his people. Instead, they would condemn the misuse of God's gifts. David says, "Though your riches increase, do not set your heart on them" (Psalm 62:10). It's as if he meant to say, "Riches are good, but be careful that you don't use them in the wrong way." Similarly, it isn't necessarily wrong to admire a woman. After all, she is one of God's beautiful creatures. But desiring someone you're not supposed to desire is sinful. In order to remain pure, monks shut themselves up in monasteries to avoid seeing any women. But even when they were alone, they would burn with desire for women because they had sinful hearts. Refusing to look at women can't stop these improper thoughts, just as abstaining from certain things doesn't put an end to sinful longings. Rather, we learn how to control ourselves by interacting with people and actually using our possessions.

Your primary goal in life should be devotion to God. After that, strive to make use of what you own with a pure heart. Keep in mind that material possessions aren't evil in and of themselves. Those who use their possessions wrongly are like fools who slouch when they stand in the sunlight and then become upset because their shadows are crooked. These people don't realize that the problem is inside of them.

Courage to Stand

It is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being in Christ’s family and being called by
his wonderful name!
–1 Peter 4:16 (TLB)

A great problem in America is that we have an anemic and watered-down Christianity that has produced an anemic, watered-down, and spineless Christian who is not willing to stand up and be counted on every issue. We must have a virile, dynamic, aggressive Christian who lives Christ seven days a week, who is ready to die, if necessary, for his faith. We need Christians who are ethical, honest, gracious, bold, strong, and devoted followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY
I realize how spineless and pampered my Christian walk is. Give me Your courage, Lord Jesus, to follow You more devotedly.

Wretched: How do you feeeel?

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Slaves to righteousness

It is said that when Abraham Lincoln told a young slave girl he had just purchased that he was setting her free, she asked, “To go anywhere I want to go?” Lincoln said, “Yes.” The girl replied, “Then I’m going with you!” Such is our attitude toward Christ. We were slaves of sin until we surrendered to Jesus Christ; now we are slaves of righteousness (see Rom. 6:19). With grateful hearts, we love our Master and delight to do His will.

Deuteronomy 15:16 And if it happens that he says to you, I will not go away from you, because he loves you and your house, since he prospers with you,17 then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your female servant you shall do likewise.

Reconciliation

For if, when we were enemies, we were
reconciled to God by the death of his Son . . .
–Romans 5:10

The word “reconcile” means literally “bring into a changed relationship.” It means to bring together two parties who should have been together all along. The Bible speaks of the human race as enemies of God. You may say that you are no “enemy” of God, but according to Scripture we are either passive or active enemies of God, apart from Christ. Reconciliation means “brought back into full relationship and fellowship with God.” This is what Christ accomplished on the cross. What a thrilling thought!

PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Your cross, dear Savior, brings me to my knees in humble gratitude. Thank You, for forgiving all the past and giving me strength to live each day in Your power.

Adam did not die the day God said he would

Skeptics point to the fact that Adam lived until he was 930 years old (see Gen. 5:5) and claim that he did not die “the day” he ate the forbidden fruit. Just as physical death occurs when our soul separates from our body, spiritual death occurs when our soul is separated from God. Adam was unique in that when he was created, God breathed His Spirit into him, giving Adam spiritual life—so he could know and relate to His Creator. But Ezek. 18:4 tells us, “The soul that sins shall die.” Because God is so holy that He cannot abide with sin (Psa. 5:4; Hab. 1:13), He withdrew His Holy Spirit from Adam when he disobeyed, and Adam died spiritually at that very moment.

Genesis 2:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.

Without Feelings

Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.Ephesians 5:19
I do know something of the emotional life that goes along with conversion to Jesus Christ. I came into the kingdom of God with joy, knowing that I had been forgiven.

I have had people tell me very dogmatically that they will never allow “feeling” to have any part in their spiritual life and experience.

“Too bad for you!” is my reply.

I say that because I have voiced a very real definition of what I believe true worship to be: “Worship is to feel in the heart!”

In the Christian faith, we should be able to use the word feel boldly and without apology. What worse thing could be said of us as the Christian Church if it can be said of us that we are a feelingless people?

I think we must agree that those of us who have been blessed within our own beings would not join in any crusade to “follow your feelings.” But if there is no feeling at all in our hearts, then we are dead!

Lord, if we didn’t have feelings, we’d all be like robots. Thank You for creating us as whole people—intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. It is a joy to worship You with feeling!

REPENTANCE! by Leonard Ravenhill (FULL)

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"As an atheist, I Refuse to Believe in the Invisible Sky Daddy"

Make sure to 'like' us on Facebook, and become a 'Follower' here, or sign up for email notifications on the bottom right of this page. As always, thanks for stopping by, and may God bless you!-Walking In The Way

Set on a hill

Lift up your voice like a trumpet and show this people their transgression. Open up the moral Law to bring the knowledge of sin (see Rom. 3:19,20; 7:7; 7:13), then preach that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us, and that God commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness (see Acts 17:30,31).

Matthew 5:14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Light and Shadow

Stand steady, and don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Bring others to Christ . . .
–2 Timothy 4:5 (TLB)

All the masterpieces of art contain both light and shadow. A happy life is one filled not only with sunshine, but one which uses both light and shadow to produce beauty. The greatest musicians, as a rule, are those who know how to bring song out of sadness. Fanny Crosby, her spirit aglow with faith in Christ, saw more with her sightless eyes than most of us do with normal vision. She has given us some of the great gospel songs which cheer our hearts and lives. In a rat-infested jail in Philippi, Paul and Silas sang their song of praise at midnight to the accompaniment of the jailer’s whip. But their patience in suffering and persecution led to the heathen warden’s conviction.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Let my heart learn to sing when everything around me seems so dark. Give me Your grace to praise You, Lord Jesus.

Do things posses you

Nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. 1 Timothy 6:17

I think a lot of people in our congregations get confused when some learned brother advises us that we must all join in a fervent fight against “materialism.”

If men and women do not know what materialism is, how can they be expected to join the battle?

Materialism in its crisis form occurs when men and women created in the image of God accept and look upon matter as “the ultimate”—the only reality.
The advice, “We must fight materialism,” does not mean that everyone should get a sword and run after a fellow named Material and cut him down.

What it does mean is that we should start believing in the fact of God’s Creation and that matter is only a creature of the all-wise and ever-loving God! The believer is not deceived into believing that the physical things we know and enjoy are the ultimate end in themselves.

Dear Lord, You are the reality that so many people today fail to see. Make me more sensitive to Your spiritual realm all around me.

He will take care of you

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.Deuteronomy 8:3

How does providing manna show that people should live on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord? Is this manna God's Word? No, but God uses this example to explain what he said about hunger: "He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna." He did this to show you that even if you don't have manna, God's Word can keep you alive. God's Word promises that he will never leave you and he will always take care of you. For even in times of hunger, faith in what God says nourishes, not only the soul, but also the body—the whole person. God will never abandon you. In his own time, he will provide food for your body the same way he used ravens and the widow of Zarephath to feed Elijah, and manna to feed the Israelites.

When Moses says that a person can't live on bread alone, he isn't only talking about manna. These words apply both to times when you're hungry and to times when you have plenty of food. The point is that God wants to show you his goodness through all your experiences. When you're hungry, you should learn to trust God's Word. God promises to take care of you and not let you die of hunger. When you trust in him, he will provide nourishment to your body because of your faith. He does all this to prevent you from worshiping your appetites and to teach you that life doesn't depend on a full stomach. God sustains both the body and the soul. You never would have learned this truth if your stomach had always been full. This is how you learn to trust in God.

Mormons Believe

Mormons believe the oldest lie in the Book: that man can be like God. To them, God is just a flesh-and-bones man who was exalted to godhood: “As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become.”

Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Salvation through Trust

Thus did Noah according to all that God commanded him . . .
–Genesis 6:22

One day God spoke to Noah about the wickedness of the human race. The actions of men and women grieved Him to the heart. God said that He intended to send a flood that would destroy mankind, and He told Noah to build an ark to save his household and the animals. The Bible says that Noah believed God. Now Noah had never seen a flood. He had never seen a 40-day rain. He had no weather map, no satellite photograph or meteorologist to tell him that a big storm was coming. All he had to go on was the Word of God. But when the flood came, Noah was spared and saved with his family, and the rest of the generation was swept away. Noah was saved because he put his trust in God. The days of Noah are returning to earth, and a catastrophe as great as the flood awaits those who refuse to enter into the ark of salvation, which is Jesus Christ.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Forgive me, Father—so often I question, when I should be trusting You, like Noah.

Being Rich

Real life and real living are not related to how rich we are.
–Luke 12:15 (TLB)

There are two ways of being rich—have a lot, or want very little. The latter way is the easier for most of us. Many people make themselves miserable by wanting more than they can ever have. They suffer from “thing-itis,” the insatiable desire for more, better, and newer things. Jesus was the most satisfied man that ever lived, and He had less than most of us. “The foxes have their holes, and the birds their nests, but the Son of man has no place to lay His head.” He had learned the secret of adjusting His wants to His needs.

E. Stanley Jones tells about a poor man who had an overnight guest, and as he showed him to his humble bedroom in the hayloft he said, “If there is anything you want, let us know, and we’ll come and show you how to get along without it.” We don’t need to learn how to get more, but how to get along with what we’ve got, and get on with the business of living.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Father, You have given me so much more than I deserve. May I always show a grateful and contented heart.

His cross is my cross

The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. Matthew 10:24
To take Jesus Christ into your life without reservation is to accept His friends as your friends and to know that His enemies will be your enemies! It means that we accept His rejection as our rejection. We knowingly accept His cross as our cross.

If you then find yourself in an area where Christ has no friends, you will be friendless—except for the one Friend who will stick closer than a brother. I made up my mind a long time ago. Those who declare themselves enemies of Jesus Christ must look upon me as their enemy, and I ask no quarter from them! And if they are friends of Christ, they are my friends— and I do not care what color they are or what denomination they belong to.

If the preachers would faithfully tell the people what it actually means to receive Christ and obey Him and live for Him, we would have fewer converts backsliding and foundering. Preachers who are not faithful one day will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and answer to a faithful Savior why they betrayed His people in this way!

Lord, I pray that You will send encouragement to Your children today who live and/or serve in an area where Christ is not formally welcome.

Why we say amen

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.2 Corinthians 1:20
The little word Amen indicates strong affirmation and means "Let it be so." It expresses the faith we should have when we pray. Christ said, "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" (Matthew 21:22). He also said, "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Mark 11:24). The Samaritan woman received what she asked for because she didn't stop asking and firmly believed. In response, the Lord said to her, "You have great faith! Your request is granted" (Matthew 15:28). James also said, "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind" (James 1:6).

So as the author of Ecclesiastes said, "The end of a matter is better than its beginning" (Ecclesiastes 7:8). For at the end of your prayers, you say, "Amen," with heartfelt confidence and faith. When you say, "Amen," the prayer is sealed, and it certainly will be heard. Without this ending, neither the beginning nor the middle of the prayer will be of any benefit.

No Regrets

If we are living now by the Holy Spirit’s power, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
–Galatians 5:25 (TLB)

When Bill Borden, son of the wealthy Bordens, went out to China as a missionary, many of his friends thought he was foolish to “waste his life,” as they put it, trying to convert a few heathens to Christianity. But Bill loved Christ and he loved men! He hadn’t been out there very long before he contracted an oriental disease and died. At his bedside they found a note that he had written while he was dying. It read, “No reserve, no retreat, and no regrets.” Bill had found more happiness in his few years of sacrificial service than most people find in a lifetime.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Help me not to count the cost of serving You, Lord Jesus, but let me be completely yielded to Your leading.

His Command

God gives a similar commission to the Christian. We are to prepare ourselves, then arise and speak to this lost and dying world. Sharing the gospel is not an option; it is God’s command.

“The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed.” Hudson Taylor

Jeremiah 1:17 Therefore prepare yourself and arise, And speak to them all that I command you. Do not be dismayed before their faces, Lest I dismay you before them.

Where is your Hope

This certain hope of being saved is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls, connecting us with God himself . . .
–Hebrews 6:19 (TLB)

What are you placing your hope in for the future? Your country’s government, educational system, some plan or organization? My hope is in a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, who sits at the right hand of God. I have hope and know that I’m going to heaven. And, right here and now in this present life, I have God’s presence to help me.

Suppose we had no Bible. Suppose there were no cross, no salvation, no empty tomb. Suppose we had nothing to hang on except, “Do your best, try to patch it up, do what you can.” Oh, but we have a hope. There is a plan of redemption, a plan for the future. The New Testament is an exciting Book to read, it is so full of hope and expectancy. And God is interested in you!

PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Reading Your Word, my heavenly Father, makes me realize that the world and all its heartaches are so transitory. Inspire me to reach others with Your message of hope.