“This life’s dim windows of the soul
Distorts the heavens from pole to pole
And leads you to believe a lie
When you see with, not through, the eye.”
William Blake
Tag Archives: Christianity
Dim Windows Of The Soul
May 4, 2014 
8 Comments
My Mother’s Prayers
April 30, 2014 1 Comment
I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.
Abraham Lincoln
✞ Music “Wasteland” by NEEDTOBREATHE
April 30, 2014 0 Comments
“Wasteland”
I am the first one in line to die
When the cavalry comes
Yeah it feels like the great divide
has already come
Yeah im wastin’ my way through days
losing youth along the way
Oh if God, is on my side
Oh if God, is on my side
Oh if God, is on my side
Who could be against me?
There was a greatness I felt for a while
But somehow it changed
Some kind of blindness I used to protect me
From all of my stains
Yeah I wish this was vertigo
It just feels like I’m fallin’ slow
Oh if God, is on my side
Then who can be against me?
Yeah in this wasteland
Where I’m livin’
There is a crack in the door filled with light
And it’s all that
I need to get by
Yeah in this wasteland
Where I’m livin’
There is a crack in the door filled with light
And it’s all that
I need to shine
All of these people I meet
It seems like they’re fine
Yeah in some ways I hope that they’re not
And their hearts are like mine
Yeah its wrong when it seems like work
To belong, All I feel is hurt
Oh if God, is on my side
Yeah if God, is on my side
Oh if God, is on my side
Who could be against me?
Yeah in this wasteland
Where I’m livin’
There is a crack in the door filled with light
And its all that
I need to get by
Yeah in this wasteland
Where I’m livin’
There is a crack in the door filled with light
And it’s all that
I need to shine
Oh if God, is on my side
Yeah if God, is on my side
Oh if God, is on my side
Then who could be against me?
I Wouldn’t Do That For A Million Dollars!
April 29, 2014 10 Comments
An American tourist in India stood by in awe as he watched Mother Teresa lovingly clean the infected wounds of a horribly disfigured leper, “Sister,” he commented, “I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars!” Her response, “Neither would I, brother. Neither would I.”
Mother Teresa
We Are His Temple
April 23, 2014 2 Comments
“We are his temple. We do not turn in a certain directlon to pray. We are not bound by having to go into a building so that we can commune with God. There are no unique postures and times and limitations that restrict our access to God. My relationship with God is intimate and personal. The Christian does not go to the temple to worship. The Christian takes the temple with him or her. Jesus lifts us beyond the building and pays the human body the highest compliment by making it His dwelling place, the place where He meets with us. Even today He would overturn the tables of those who make it a marketplace for their own lust, greed, and wealth.”
Ravi Zacharias
We Are Loved As We Are
April 21, 2014 3 Comments
Risen God, we come to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, yet we do not share the love that Christ offers. Forgive us when we forget his gift of sacrificial love.
Risen God, sometimes we look and do not recognise you because we have already decided what you will look like. Forgive us when we do not see you in people we meet.
Risen God, sometimes we would rather not hear the weeping of others because we cannot cope with what it will mean to care for them. Forgive us when we are deaf to the cries of the world.
Risen God, sometimes we choose to stay at the tomb rather than join the women in rushing to spread the Good News. Forgive us when we chose to mourn instead of live.
The grace of God is for us through Christ’s death and Resurrection.
We are loved as we are, not as we believe we should be.
We are given forgiveness as a gift beyond anything we have deserved or earned.
We lift up our hearts and receive our freedom, Amen.
He Has Risen!
April 20, 2014 4 Comments
Matthew 28:6-7 Amplified Bible
He is not here; He has risen, as He said [He would do]. Come, see the place where He lay.
Then go quickly and tell His disciples, He has risen from the dead, and behold, He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.
Gratitude Unlocks The Fullness Of Life
April 16, 2014 3 Comments
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
Melody Beattie
We Aren’t Here By Accident
March 25, 2014 3 Comments
God leaves us here because He has a mission for us to fulfill. We aren’t here by accident; neither are we here simply to enjoy the good things life has to offer. We are here because God put us here, and He has a sovereign purpose in keeping us here. It’s true for us as individuals, and it’s true for His body, the Church, in all of its fullness. As Jesus prayed just before His arrest and trial, “I am not praying that You take them out of the world…As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” (John 17:15,18)
Billy Graham
✞ Promise: He Has Removed Our Transgressions
March 23, 2014 1 Comment
Psalm 103:12 Amplified Bible
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Be Joyful & Do Good
March 21, 2014 2 Comments
Ecclesiastes 3:9-15 The Voice
What good comes to anyone who works so hard, all to gain a few possessions? I have seen the kinds of tasks God has given each of us to do to keep one busy, and I know God has made everything beautiful for its time. God has also placed in our minds a sense of eternity; we look back on the past and ponder over the future, yet we cannot understand the doings of God. I know there is nothing better for us than to be joyful and to do good throughout our lives; to eat and drink and see the good in all of our hard work is a gift from God. I know everything God does endures for all time. Nothing can be added to it; nothing can be taken away from it. We humans can only stand in awe of all God has done. What has been and what is to be—already is. And God holds accountable all the pursuits of humanity.
The contrast between God and humanity could not be starker. The teacher drives this point home by reminding his reader that human lives and earthly accomplishments are fleeting. Nothing tangible is permanent. No work lasts. It all slips away and vanishes into thin air. Compare that to God. Everything God does is substantial. Everything God accomplishes lasts forever. Every word God speaks makes a difference. And so, God places within every person a sense of eternity to know yet not understand Him. This world with all its goodness and beauty is not as good as it gets. There is more, so much more, and we are made for that reality too. But not now, not yet.
Overflowing With Hope
March 20, 2014 6 Comments
“The Samaritan woman grasped what He said with fervor that came from an awareness of her real need. The transaction was fascinating. She has come with a bucket. He sent her back with a spring of living water. She had come as a reject. He sent her back being accepted by God Himself. She came wounded. He sent her back whole. She came laden with questions. He sent her back as a source for answers. She came living a life of quiet desperation. She ran back overflowing with hope. The disciples missed it all. It was lunchtime for them.”
Ravi Zacharias
A Fresh New You
March 18, 2014 1 Comment
Colossians 3:5-10 The Voice
So kill your earthly impulses: loose sex, impure actions, unbridled sensuality, wicked thoughts, and greed (which is essentially idolatry). It’s because of these that God’s wrath is coming [upon the sons and daughters of disobedience], so avoid them at all costs. These are the same things you once pursued, and together you spawned a life of evil. But now make sure you shed such things: anger, rage, spite, slander, and abusive language. And don’t go on lying to each other since you have sloughed away your old skin along with its evil practices for a fresh new you, which is continually renewed in knowledge according to the image of the One who created you.
✞ Music “Dry Bones” by Worship Central
March 16, 2014 1 Comment
“Dry Bones”
God is here, moving in our hearts
Looking to pour out His love
Abundantly in us
We are here, longing to be changed
Breathe into our lives again
Don’t let us leave the same
Spirit of God, Fire of love
Come have Your way in us
[Your] glory and power awaken us now
Lord, have Your way in us
You are here making all things new
Jesus, light the fire in us
[and] we will burn for You
Spirit of God, Fire of love
Come have Your way in us
[Your] glory and power awaken us now
Lord, have Your way in us
Have Your way
These dry bones will live again
We’re nothing without You, nothing without You!
Spirit of God, Fire of love
Come have Your way in us
[Your] glory and power awaken us now
Lord, have Your way in us
[speak to the dry bones]
[speak to the dry bones and they will live again]
[You breathe Your life upon us all]
[we will know that You alive]
[there is no one else]
[we couldn’t do nothing without You, Jesus, nothing!]
These dry bones will live again
We’re nothing without You, nothing without You!
Living & Active Sword
March 11, 2014 3 Comments
Holy Spirit, unless You move in my heart and in my mind, the Bible will be little more than words on a page. Guide my thoughts, lead me in my prayers, so that these words might become Your living and active sword in my hand. Amen.
The Gladness Of The Man Of Sorrows
March 8, 2014 1 Comment
As he sees us day by day more conformed to his image, he rejoices in us. Just as you see the sculptor with his chisel fetching out the statue which lies hidden in the block of marble, taking off a corner here, and a chip there, and a piece here—see how he smiles when he brings out the features of the form divine—so our Saviour, as he proceeds with his graving tool, working through the operation of the Spirit, and making us like unto himself, finds much delight in us. The painter makes rough drafts at first, and lays on the colours roughly; some do not understand what he is doing, and for three or four sittings the portrait is much unlike the man it aims at representing; but the painter can discern the features in the canvas; he sees it looming through that mist and haze of colour; he knows that beauty will yet beam forth from yonder daubs and blotches. So Jesus, though we are yet but mere outlines of his image, can discover his own perfection in us where no eye but his own, as the Mighty Artist, can perceive it. Dear friends, it is for this reason, because we are the work of his hands, that he takes delight in us. We are his brethren—and brothers should delight in brothers. We are his spouse—and where should the husband find his comfort but in his bride? We are his body—shall not the head be content with the members? We are one with him, vitally, personally, everlastingly one; and it is little marvel, therefore, if we have a mutual joy in each other, so that his garments smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces of his church, wherein he has been made glad.
As yet we do not see The Lord Jesus Christ or what we will be as the finished product of his work for us and in us, but that fact should not lessen our joy Our Saviour is totally satisfied with the fruit of his work for sinners.
✞ Music “Believe” by Forthangel
March 8, 2014 0 Comments
“Believe”
He’s waiting patiently on a hospital bed
he’s waiting for the doctor to come back in
by then he falls asleep wishing he was
just as strong as everybody else
he just wants to live like everybody else
[Chorus:]
what if I believed
what if I prayed
if I did what it make all this go away
where did I go wrong
what didn’t I do right
cuz I don’t wanna have to say goodbye
cuz I still believe
The doctor takes a breath and he opens the door
his face said everything they all had feared
then the boy began to cry just like he had a thousand times
he never thought that life could hurt like this
so he prayed with all the faith that he had left
[Chorus]
In the pouring rain somewhere far away
there’s someone that hurts just like I do and
In the pouring rain somewhere far away
there’s someone that hurts just like you do
but I still believe I’m still gonna pray
I’m gonna thank the Lord for every day
I’m still holding on I’m still gonna fight
cuz I don’t wanna have to say goodbye
no I don’t wanna have to say goodbye
From Death To Life
March 7, 2014 0 Comments
Ephesians 2:1-10 Easy-to-Read Version
From Death to Life
In the past you were spiritually dead because of your sins and the things you did against God. Yes, in the past your lives were full of those sins. You lived the way the world lives, following the ruler of the evil powers that are above the earth. That same spirit is now working in those who refuse to obey God. In the past all of us lived like that, trying to please our sinful selves. We did all the things our bodies and minds wanted. Like everyone else in the world, we deserved to suffer God’s anger just because of the way we were.
But God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much. We were spiritually dead because of all we had done against him. But he gave us new life together with Christ. (You have been saved by God’s grace.) Yes, it is because we are a part of Christ Jesus that God raised us from death and seated us together with him in the heavenly places. God did this so that his kindness to us who belong to Christ Jesus would clearly show for all time to come the amazing richness of his grace.
I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about. God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.
We Need To Let Go
March 6, 2014 1 Comment
We need to let go of who we think we ought to be, in order to be who we really are.
Lasting Pleasures
March 5, 2014 3 Comments
One of the most lasting pleasures you can experience is the feeling that comes over you when you genuinely forgive an enemy- whether he knows it or not.
O. A. Battista
The Way You Should Live
March 5, 2014 1 Comment
Ephesians 4:17-32 Easy-to-Read Version
The Way You Should Live
17 I have something from the Lord to tell you. I warn you: Don’t continue living like those who don’t believe. Their thoughts are worth nothing. 18 They have no understanding, and they know nothing because they refuse to listen. So they cannot have the life that God gives. 19 They have lost their feeling of shame and use their lives to do what is morally wrong. More and more they want to do all kinds of evil. 20 But that way of life is nothing like what you learned when you came to know Christ. 21 I know that you heard about him, and in him you were taught the truth. Yes, the truth is in Jesus. 22 You were taught to leave your old self. This means that you must stop living the evil way you lived before. That old self gets worse and worse, because people are fooled by the evil they want to do. 23 You must be made new in your hearts and in your thinking. 24 Be that new person who was made to be like God, truly good and pleasing to him.
25 So you must stop telling lies. “You must always speak the truth to each other,”[a] because we all belong to each other in the same body. 26 “When you are angry, don’t let that anger make you sin,”[b] and don’t stay angry all day. 27 Don’t give the devil a way to defeat you. 28 Whoever has been stealing must stop it and start working. They must use their hands for doing something good. Then they will have something to share with those who are poor.
29 When you talk, don’t say anything bad. But say the good things that people need—whatever will help them grow stronger. Then what you say will be a blessing to those who hear you. 30 And don’t make the Holy Spirit sad. God gave you his Spirit as proof that you belong to him and that he will keep you safe until the day he makes you free. 31 Never be bitter, angry, or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil. 32 Be kind and loving to each other. Forgive each other the same as God forgave you through Christ.
✞ Music “Love Came Down” by Brian Johnson
March 4, 2014 1 Comment
“Love Came Down”
If my heart is overwhelmed and I cannot hear Your voice
I’ll hold on to what is true though I cannot see
If the storms of life they come and the road ahead gets steep
I will lift these hands in faith
I will believe
I remind myself of all that You’ve done
And the life I have because Your Son
Love came down and rescued me
Love came down and set me free
I am Yours I am forever Yours
Mountain high or valley low
I sing out remind my soul
That I am Yours I am forever Yours
When my heart is filled with hope
and every promise comes my way
When I feel Your hands of grace rest upon me
Staying desperate for You God
Staying humbled at Your feet
I will lift these hands and praise
I will believe
I remind myself of all that You’ve done
And the life I have because Your Son
Love came down and rescued me
Love came down and set me free
I am Yours I am forever Yours
Mountain high or valley low
I sing out remind my soul
That I am Yours I am forever Yours
I am Yours
I am Yours
All my days
I am Yours
I am Yours, I’m Yours forever
I am Yours, I’m Yours forever
I am Yours, I’m Yours forever Lord
Love came down and rescued me
Love came down and set me free
I am Yours I am forever Yours
Mountain high or valley low
I sing out remind my soul
That I am Yours I am forever Yours
Fewer Takers
March 4, 2014 1 Comment
Sin would have fewer takers if the consequences were immediate.
Charles Spurgeon
✞ Music “Forgive Me” by John Waller
March 3, 2014 0 Comments
“Forgive Me”
I’ve been raised in the perfect surroundings
Go to church once a week sometimes two
Lord I wanna be what You want me to be
Often sin represents all I do
Forgive me
Once again cleanse me
Forgive me
Once again cover me
I don’t even know why Your mercy never dies
But I’m glad
Your Spirit always seems to grab me
Just before I go over the edge
What I can’t understand is why you’re even here
When I’ve trashed my oath and my pledge
Forgive me
Once again cleanse me
Forgive me
Once again cover me
I don’t even know why Your mercy never dies
But I’m glad
Jesus I’m glad
The True Way To Worship God
March 3, 2014 0 Comments
James 1:26-27 Easy-to-Read Version
The True Way to Worship God
You might think you are a very religious person. But if your tongue is out of control, you are fooling yourself. Your careless talk makes your offerings to God worthless. The worship that God wants is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help and keeping yourself free from the world’s evil influence. This is the kind of worship that God accepts as pure and good.
Work & Fruit
March 2, 2014 2 Comments
Have you ever noticed the difference in the Christian life between work and fruit? A machine can do work; only life can bear fruit.
Andrew Murray
Reflect Upon Your Present Blessings
February 27, 2014 2 Comments
Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.
Charles Dickens
Steady Perseverance In Holiness
February 26, 2014 2 Comments
The lives of some professing Christians are a series of stumbles; they are never quite down and yet they are seldom on their feet. This is not a fit thing for a believer. He is invited to walk with God; by faith he can attain steady perseverance in holiness, and he should do so.
Charles H. Spurgeon
Within A Yard Of Hell
February 24, 2014 0 Comments
Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.
Charles Studd
✞ Music “Who You Are” by Unspoken
February 24, 2014 0 Comments
“Who You Are”
I know that look you’re giving,
Like you’ve got something to prove
‘Cause I have walked for miles and miles
In that same pair of shoes
You refuse forgiveness
Like it’s something to be earned
Sometimes pain’s the only way that we can learn
(Chorus)
You can never fall too hard,
So fast, so far
That you can’t get back
When you’re lost
Where you are is never too late,
So bad, so much
That you can’t change
Who you are, ooo-oooh
You can change who you are, ooo-oooh
You believe in freedom,
But you don’t know how to choose
You gotta step out of your feelings
That you’re so afraid to lose
And everyday
You put your feet on the floor, you gotta walk through the door
It’s never gonna be easy
But it’s all worth fighting for
(Chorus)
So let the ashes fall wherever they land
Come back from wherever you’ve been
To the foot of the cross
To the feet of Jesus,
The feet of Jesus
(Chorus)
Be Patient
February 22, 2014 7 Comments
Be patient with everyone, but above all with yourself.
Francis de Sales
Faith & Wisdom
February 20, 2014 8 Comments
James 1:2-8 Easy-to-Read Version
Faith and Wisdom
My brothers and sisters, you will have many kinds of trouble. But this gives you a reason to be very happy. You know that when your faith is tested, you learn to be patient in suffering. If you let that patience work in you, the end result will be good. You will be mature and complete. You will be all that God wants you to be.
Do any of you need wisdom? Ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys giving to everyone. So he will give you wisdom. But when you ask God, you must believe. Don’t doubt him. Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is blown up and down by the wind. People like that are thinking two different things at the same time. They can never decide what to do. So they should not think they will receive anything from the Lord.
✞ Music “Shadows” by David Crowder Band ft Lecrae
February 17, 2014 1 Comment
“Shadows”
When shadows fall on us
We will not fear
We will remember
When darkness falls on us
We will not fear
We will remember
When all seems lost
When we’re thrown and we’re tossed
We’ll remember the cost
We’re resting in the
Shadow of the cross
With every breath I take, every heart beat
Sunrise and the moon lights in the dark street
Every glance, every dance, every note of a song
All a gift undeserved that I shouldn’t have known
Every moment I lie, Every moment I covet
I’m deserving to die, I’m earning your judgment
I, without the cross there’s only condemnation
If Jesus wasn’t executed there’s no celebration
So in times that are good, in times that are bad
For any time I’ve had it all I will be glad
And I will boast in the cross, I boast in His name
I will boast in the sunshine, boast in His reign (rain)
What’s my life if it’s not praising You
Another dollar in my bank account of vain pursuit, I do
Not count my life as any value or precious at all
Let me finish my race, let me answer Your call
He Chose Us
February 16, 2014 2 Comments
I believe in the doctrine of election, because I am quite sure that if God had not chosen me I would never would have chosen him; and I am sure he chose me before I was born, or else he never would have chose me afterward.
C. H. SPURGEON
Are You Dying To Love?
February 14, 2014 1 Comment
Galatians 2:20 The Voice
I have been crucified with the Anointed One—I am no longer alive—but the Anointed is living in me; and whatever life I have left in this failing body I live by the faithfulness of God’s Son, the One who loves me and gave His body on the cross for me.
1 Corinthians 12:31 The Voice
Pursue the greater gifts, and let me tell you of a more excellent way—love.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
It’s a loving God who birthed creation and now pursues a broken people in the most spectacular way. That same love must guide believers.
Love is patient; love is kind. Love isn’t envious, doesn’t boast, brag, or strut about. There’s no arrogance in love; it’s never rude, crude, or indecent—it’s not self-absorbed. Love isn’t easily upset. Love doesn’t tally wrongs or celebrate injustice; but truth—yes, truth—is love’s delight! Love puts up with anything and everything that comes along; it trusts, hopes, and endures no matter what.
Matthew 10:38 The Voice
If you refuse to take up your cross and follow Me on the narrow road, then you are not worthy of Me.
♥ Love ♥
February 13, 2014 5 Comments
Ephesians 5:25 Easy-to-Read Version
Husbands, love your wives the same as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it.
My Thoughts 💭
This is one of my favourite Bible verses that i try desperately each day to live up to. As soon as i first read this verse it convicted me straight away and i knew i wanted to be a husband like that!
🙏 Prayer
Spirit, thanks for being a constant guiding presence in my life. Give me the faith to take practical and radical action to keep in step with You, so that You can love my spouse through me in a way that will sustain a fun, loving & trusting relationship. Amen.
To All The Churches #7
February 13, 2014 0 Comments
Revelation 3:14-22 The Voice
Letter to Laodicea
Write down My words, and send them to the messenger of the church in Laodicea. “These are the words of the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of God’s creation:
“I know your works. You are neither cold with apathy nor hot with passion. It would be better if you were one or the other, but you are neither. So because you are lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. You claim, ‘I am rich, I have accumulated riches, and I need nothing’; but you do not realize that you are miserable, pathetic, poor, blind, and naked. So here is what I suggest you do: buy true gold from Me (gold refined by fire so that you can be truly rich), white garments (to cover you so that you can keep the shame of your nakedness from showing), and eye ointment (to treat your eyes so that you may see clearly).
“Those I love I also correct and discipline. Therefore, be shamelessly committed to Me, and turn back.[a] Now pay attention; I am standing at the door and knocking. If any of you hear My voice and open the door, then I will come in to visit with you and to share a meal at your table, and you will be with Me.
“The one who conquers through faithfulness even unto death I will place next to Me on My throne, just as I Myself conquered and took a place of honor with My Father on His throne.
“Let the person who is able to hear, listen to and follow what the Spirit proclaims to all the churches.”
It’s Too Bad
February 12, 2014 4 Comments
It’s too bad I’m not as wonderful a person as people say I am, because the world could use a few people like that.
Alan Alda
✞ Music “Blessings” by Laura Story
February 12, 2014 2 Comments
“Blessings”
We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things
(chorus)
‘Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we’d have faith to believe
(chorus)
When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not,
This is not our home
It’s not our home
(chorus)
What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise
We Want The Crown Without The Cross.
February 12, 2014 4 Comments
Mankind wants glory. We want health. We want wealth. We want happiness. We want all our felt needs met, all our little human itches scratched. We want a painless life. We want the crown without the cross. We want the gain without the pain. We want the words of Christ’s salvation to be easy.
John MacArthur
To All The Churches #5
February 11, 2014 4 Comments
Revelation 3:1-6 The Voice
For centuries many Jews had been scattered throughout the known world, exiled to the lands east of the Jordan River from the promised land by powerful invading nations. After Jerusalem fell in a.d. 70, even more Jews left Judea, this time crossing the Mediterranean looking for some place far from Roman cruelty. That’s why, as John writes these letters to churches in Asia Minor, he recalls some of the most infamous characters from Israel’s past—Balaam, Balak, and Jezebel. The ordeals facing John’s churches are not all that different from those Israel faced hundreds of years before. Many of the same struggles plague churches in the West to this day. The names may change, but the problems confronting God’s faithful do not.
Letter to Sardis
The One: Write down My words, and send them to the messenger of the church in Sardis. “These are the words of the One who has the seven Spirits of God, the Perfect Spirit, and the One who holds the seven stars:
“I know the things you do—you’ve claimed a reputation of life, but you are actually dead. Wake up from your death-sleep, and strengthen what remains of the life you have been given that is in danger of death. I have judged your deeds as far from complete in the sight of My God. Therefore, remember what you have received and heard; it’s time to keep these instructions and turn back from your ways. If you do not wake up from this sleep, I will come in judgment. I will creep up on you like a thief—you will have no way of knowing when I will come. But there are a few in Sardis who don’t have the stain of evil works on their clothes. They will walk alongside Me in white, spotless garments because they have been proven worthy.
“The one who conquers through faithfulness even unto death will be clothed in white garments, and I will certainly not erase that person’s name from the book of life. I will acknowledge this person’s name before My Father and before His heavenly messengers.
“Let the person who is able to hear, listen to and follow what the Spirit proclaims to all the churches.”
✞ Music “NY2LA” by Press Play
February 11, 2014 1 Comment
Was nicely surprised to find an even greater message in the middle of this song! 🙂
My Worth To God
February 11, 2014 1 Comment
My worth to God in public is what I am in private.
Oswald Chambers
To All The Churches #4
February 10, 2014 0 Comments
Revelation 2:18-29 The Voice
Letter to Thyatira
Write down My words, and send them to the messenger of the church in Thyatira. “These are the words of the Son of God, the One whose eyes blaze like flames of fire and whose feet gleam like brightly polished bronze:
“I know your deeds, love, faithfulness, service, and endurance. Your labors greatly increase in quality as you travel along this journey.
“However, I have this against you: you have tolerated that woman Jezebel, who is a self-anointed prophetess and who misleads My followers to commit immoral sexual acts and to eat food prepared for idol worship. I have provided her enough time to turn away from her indecency, but she refuses to turn from these immoral acts. Watch; I will throw her back into her sickbed with those who committed adultery with her, and I will make them a bed of great affliction if they do not abandon her indiscretions and turn to follow Me. I will punish her by striking her children dead. Through this all the churches will know I am the One who relentlessly explores the mind and heart, and I will deal with each of you as you deserve according to your acts.
“I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, those who have not held to the teachings of Jezebel and who remain ignorant of the real meaning of what is called the deep things of Satan, I will not burden you with anything more. Just keep on task, and keep the faith until I return.
“And as for those who conquer through faithfulness even unto death and continue to labor with Me until the close of the final curtain,
I will give them authority over the nations.
And they will rule the nations with an iron scepter,
as fragile clay jars are shattered to pieces.
As I received this authority from My Father, I will bestow the morning star to the victor.
“Let the person who is able to hear, listen to and follow what the Spirit proclaims to all the churches.”
To All The Churches #3
February 8, 2014 1 Comment
Revelation 2:12-17 The Voice
Letter to Pergamum
Write down My words, and send them to the messenger of the church in Pergamum. “These are the words of the One with the sharp double-edged sword:
“I know [your deeds and] where you live. It is where Satan, the adversary, has established his throne. You have stayed true to My name, and you did not deny your trust in Me even in the eventful days of My faithful witness, Antipas. He was killed among you in that place where Satan dwells.
“However, I have a few matters against you: some who live among you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who instructed Balak to set up a stumbling block before the people of Israel. As a result, some among you are eating food prepared for idol worship and committing immoral sexual acts. You have others who are holding firm to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore, change your ways and turn to Me. If you do not, I will quickly come to where you live and will battle them with the sword of My mouth.
“Let the person who is able to hear, listen to and follow what the Spirit proclaims to all the churches. To the one who conquers through faithfulness even unto death, I will feed you with hidden manna and give you a white stone. Upon this stone, a new name is engraved. No one knows this name except for its recipient.”
Related Posts:
Sometimes I’d Like To Ask God…..
February 8, 2014 4 Comments
“Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty, suffering, and injustice when He could do something about it.”
“Well, why don’t you ask Him?”
“Because I’m afraid He would ask me the same question.”
Unknown
You’re Blessed
February 7, 2014 2 Comments
Matthew 5:1-12 The Message
You’re Blessed
When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:
“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
“You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
“You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
“You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
“You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
“You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.
“Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.”
Cut Out & Stitch Up
February 7, 2014 3 Comments
I believe now that God is kind enough not only to work in our present and future, but He’s also able to reach into the past and cut out the wasted years and stitch up our lives in such a way that even the scars eventually are removed.
Jeannie C. Riley
✞ Music “Need You Now (acoustic)” by Plumb
February 6, 2014 1 Comment
“Need You Now”
Well, everybody’s got a story to tell
And everybody’s got a wound to be healed
I want to believe there’s beauty here
‘Cause oh, I get so tired of holding on
I can’t let go, I can’t move on
I want to believe there’s meaning here
(Chorus)
How many times have you heard me cry out
“God please take this”?
How many times have you given me strength to
Just keep breathing?
Oh I need you
God, I need you now.
Standing on a road I didn’t plan
Wondering how I got to where I am
I’m trying to hear that still small voice
I’m trying to hear above the noise
(Chorus)
Though I walk,
Though I walk through the shadows
And I, I am so afraid
Please stay, please stay right beside me
With every single step I take
How many times have you heard me cry out?
And how many times have you given me strength?
(Chorus)
I need you now
Oh I need you
God, I need you now.
I need you now
I need you now
iChristian 
Recent Comments