Category: Encouragement

Daily Word: Reassurance

9/9/2014

ISAIAH 40:31

Welcome to the first installment of the Daily Word for encouragement, discernment, and enrichment through study of the Holy Bible.

Everyday, no matter what we're facing, God's promises are true and everlasting ... giving us the strength to carry on no matter what trials may come or what evil the enemy may intend ... God will provide us His strength, wisdom and power to carry us through it all.

Ch. 40:31 - But they that wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint

Ch. 41:10 - Fear you not; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness

If you know someone who needs to be reassured of God's awesome promises ... please share this with them.

Aloha & God Bless

Be Content With Such Things As Ye Have:

2/16/2014

Alexandra Chando

Be Content With Such Things As Ye Have:

Many verses in the Bible speak of contentment. Here are just a few:

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

1 Timothy 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Being 'content' with what you have is many times applied to our material possessions.

While true, it also applies to our most important personal possession: our own bodies.

Many times we may feel discontent with how we look, especially when we compare ourselves unfavorably with others.

But, we have each been made uniquely, and our own personal traits are what make us who we are.

Many of us, particularly females, may wish to be tall, blond, or perhaps more well endowed.

This has been held out to us in print media and television as the supposed 'ideal look'.

However, we aren't Barbie dolls, and we shouldn't have to feel pressured to all look a certain way.

Take the example of the lovely 27-yr. old actress Alexandra Chando, who is a very petite 5'3".

Not only would she be considered 'short, but she also has what some may call 'mousy' brown hair color.

Her nice eyes are also brown in color, and she has a smaller size 'chest', and even somewhat bowed legs.

However, as a 'whole package', this works extremely well for her, and it would be a shame to change it.

Her youthful good looks have enabled her to play a girl of high-school age, although she herself is 27.

Alexandro Chando is fashionable, beautiful, and - wait for it - famous to boot!

Please don't sell yourself short on your own personal good looks, or your self-esteem.

And, PLEASE don't go out there and get yourself colored contacts, breast implants, or highlights.

All of these things are detrimental to your health - and your finances - and simply aren't necessary.

(B.)

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

(Please read the rest of this article HERE.)

'Be Mine' - saith the Lord!

2/15/2014

Malachi 3:17

"BE MINE!"

The Lord God Almighty sends us his love in so many ways and he asks us to, 'Be Mine'.

The Bible itself is his 'love letter' to us, and he has written us in his 'book of remembrance'.

There is no better 'Valentine' than God himself, and no better Valentine gift than that of his son, Jesus Christ, and his gift of eternal life.

Malachi 3:16-17 "A book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts."

Isaiah 43:1 Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

TRUE LOVE: "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:10

God's Valentine to Us...

2/14/2014

Psalm 147:3

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Today is a day for joy, and for thinking of our blessings for all those we love, and who love us also.

We are also blessed to have a Lord who wishes for our hearts to be glad, as well as caring for our 'broken hearts'.

Psalm 4:7 "Thou hast put gladness in my heart..."

Psalm 147:3 "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

The greatest 'Valentine' gift ever given to us ...is from God, who loved us enough to give us his 'only begotten son' so that we could have 'everlasting life':

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Blessings to you today!

Guard Your Heart - Physically AND Spiritually!

2/6/2014

PROVERBS 4:23

Guard Your Heart! - February is Heart Health Month

God cares about our hearts on many levels! There are well over 800 references to the heart in the Bible.

Here are a few things you can do to keep your heart healthy - physically AND spiritually!

Eat a healthy diet. A plant-based diet is one of the best medicines for your heart. Eat those greens!
Exercise regularly. We know, seems simple. But there is a reason why exercise is always on the to-do list. Your body, especially your heart, needs it! Get out and take a brisk walk on a regular basis.

Find accountability. Accountability is crucial for physical and spiritual health. A little friendly encouragement can spur you on to go from sitting on the couch to sitting on the bike. Same goes for your spiritual heart health.

Spend time in the Word. Fill your heart up with the Gospel and the Gospel is what will flow out of it.

Pray. Without ceasing. We have a direct line to the Giver of Life. Talking to Him is key for living life to the fullest. Join your brothers and sisters in Christ in prayer. Share your prayer requests, and bless others by praying for theirs.

Proverbs 4:23 "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

Proverbs 17:22 " A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."

(Health information excerpted from Medishare Blog for Christian Health Care.)

Dealing With Habitual Sins

1/11/2014

That they may recover themselves. 2 Timothy 2:26

Habitual Sins:

1. Sin has great power over our flesh. 2. Sin easily entangles us because it is so close. 3. Sin does not remain separate but it mingles in all our motives and all our actions (and it will 'mingle' in among the Church).

Dealing With Habitual Sin:

1. Don't underestimate the seriousness of your sin. 2. Strongly purpose and promise God not to sin. 3. Be suspicious of your own spirituality. 4. Resist the first risings of the flesh and its pleasures. 5. Be immediately repentant over your lapses.

2 Corinthians 7:1 says, "Let us cleanse ourselves of all filthiness of the flesh.,,"

Ephesians 4:22 "That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;"

Romans 6:12 "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof."

1 Peter 2:1 commends, "Laying aside... all evil." Verse 11, "Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul."

Verses on how to deal with sin in the church (esp. OPEN sin) -

Matthew 18:15-17 "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican."

Verses on how the Church should be 'separate' from the world -

2 Corinthians 6:14-17 "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you."

The church should not be seen to support overt sin -

1 Thess. 5:21-23 "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

My blessings to all - we are all in this 'race' together:

James 1:2-3 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience."

2 Timothy 2:26 "And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will."

The Creator of All That Is...

1/7/2014

WORSHIP THE CREATOR OF ALL:

Scientists would say it’s a myth that God created the world in six days. It is indeed NO myth. The problem is that humans try to measure God with their human standards. The truth is that God will never fit man’s measuring tape because God’s measurement is different from ours.

It was written, “And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.” (Matt. 17:2). God’s essence is like light. The Bible said that there is no darkness in God. So if God is light, God must also travel as fast as light does. Light travels 186,000 miles per second, 700 miles per hour. When men take two days to travel around the globe once, God would have traveled around the globe 309 times in only one second.

So when we equate this into days, one day of man’s time is already 27 million days for God. God’s speed is a lot faster than ours. Nothing can match up if we use our speed to measure God’s as God’s is different from ours. You might still wonder about the dinosaurs and a lot of other things. I am just looking forward to asking God about all those when I am in Heaven because we are going to have a lot of time there and I will have plenty of time to find out everything from God in Heaven.

But you have to make sure you will get to Heaven first, otherwise you won’t be able to ask how He created everything else. You might wonder why God didn’t put everything in the Bible about everything else. If He did, the Bible would be tremendously huge. It was written, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” (John 21:25).

The Bible we were given is small enough that we can carry it with our hands, as it was written that, “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” (John 20:30-31).

The purpose of the Bible is for us to know enough to believe in Jesus and be able to have a life in Him, so that we can live a life that is eternal and abundant in God. The purpose of the word of God is not to tell us everything, such as how the dinosaurs were created, but to give us examples to follow, lessons to learn, and eternal life to be gained. If you miss all these, you are basically missing life. And you will end up living without hope, not knowing what the next turn is.

The word of God is very precious and I encourage you to read the word of God every day and have your hearts constantly renewed. The Bible has enough for you as a guide book for here and now on earth. When you get to the Heaven, you will get to sit in a 'theater' to see how everything was created by God. But you have to make sure that you can get to Heaven first. Otherwise, everything you are doing under the sun without God is in vain.

If you haven’t accepted Jesus yet, I invite you to accept Him today. You don’t have to be perfect to accept Jesus. All you need to do is to submit your heart to Him and accept Him into your life. When you believe by faith, you have eternal life in His name. It required of you to take action to accept Jesus. It’s Him who can change you from the inside out.

Transformation will only begin by receiving Jesus. Amen.

The Message of the Emergent Churches

1/6/2014

Hello Friends,

These verses from Isaiah 30, really nail the trend of the emergent movement to adopt the Eastern mysticism (the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt).

And to "soften" the message (smooth things) of the Bible until it speaks no truth at all (prophesy deceits ... The Message, The New World Translation, etc ...).

It's just another amazing example, that for over 6,000 years ... we're (man) struggling with the same sinful nature that has been contrary to God from the beginning ... and the only redemption is through Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 30:

1 Woe to the rebellious children, said the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin …

2 That walk to go down into Egypt … to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!

3 Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion …

9 That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:

10 Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits.

Romans Road of Salvation

1/5/2014

THE ROMANS ROAD TO SALVATION:

God in His infinite mercy and love has provided a way of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. He did this because He loves you and me.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

What must you do to receive Christ as your Savior?

First, you must admit that you are a sinner and need to be saved.
Second, you must repent and be willing to turn from your sin.
Third, you must believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross.
Fourth, you must receive through prayer, Jesus Christ into your heart and life.

The greatest road anyone will ever travel:

"Romans Road of Salvation"

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The Gideons Are Not King James Only

1/3/2014

Open Letter Submitted from a Reader about the Gideons: (Used by permission)

I have always felt that there was something just not right about the Gideons, but upon seeing their website (and having attended a meeting in the past), even more so.

Thanks to your insight about different Bible versions, I see now more clearly what Gideons is about. I had seen a presentation about the Gideons that mentioned a member who had been both a Gideon and a Mason.

In the small WV town where my wife's parents live, many who are in the Gideons are also in Masonry and/or Rotary, etc. I had attended one of the Gideon meetings with my father-in-law when we were visiting, and thought it was a little strange at the time.

My wife was talking to her mother a while back, and was told that she was doing a Gideon's International Bible Study Plan. (Her Father is in Gideons, and her mother is in the Gideons Women's Auxiliary.)

Her mother mentioned that she goes through the Bible every year, but uses a different version each year - to get a 'well rounded' view. She is following the Bible reading plan put out by the Gideons to read the Bible in a different version every year.

(I had always thought that the Gideons only placed the KJV, but apparently that isn't true.) I found this quote on the Gideons Website:

"We are often asked if the Gideons use a specific Gideon translation. The answer is No.

The most common version we distribute in English is the New American Standard Bible (NASB), but ...which version of the Bible should I read?"

There have been many translations (or versions) of the Bible over the years.

Which version of the Bible is the best version? It varies from person to person.

Each has its advantages, but the most important thing is that they are all God’s Word. Since every person is unique in what communicates best to them, we do not have one translation we recommend for you to buy.

(See rest of quote HERE.)

http://www.gideons.ca/AbouttheBible/AboutGideonsBibles.aspx http://www.gideons.ca/AbouttheBible/Aguideforyourjourney.aspx

Pastor's Note: As you can clearly see, the Gideons do not hold to the same beliefs as true Bible-believing Christians that God's word as expressed in the King James Bible is infallible and unchangeable.

While I commend their efforts to get the Bible into the hands of many all over the world, it is sad to think that the Bible many are being given is not the true word of God.

Gods' word is pure, and does not exist in 'many different versions' nor does it 'vary from person to person' according to their interpretation.

Jesus is the Word made flesh, and He does not change 'over the years':

Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."

Malachi 3:6 "For I am the Lord, I change not."

Psalm 12:6 "The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times."

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