The Greatest Source Of Power

If you are a stranger to prayer, you are a stranger to the greatest source of power known to human beings.
Billy Sunday
Crafted By Human Hands

Psalm 115:1-8Β The Voice
Not for us, O Eternal One; this glory is not for usβbut for Your name
because of Your loyal love and truth.
Why should the nations ask,
βWhere is their God now?β
Our God is in heaven
doing whatever He chooses.
Those nations worship idols of silver and gold,
crafted by human hands:
They have given their gods mouths, but they cannot speak;
eyes, but they cannot see.
They have provided their idols with ears, but they cannot hear;
noses, but they cannot smell.
They have fashioned hands, but the idols cannot reach out and touch;
feet, but they cannot walk.
Their idols cannot make a sound in their finely crafted throats.
The people who make idols will become useless like them,
like all who trust in idols.
Immortal Flowers

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Moral Acts

The three hardest tasks in the world are neither physical feats nor intellectual achievements, but moral acts: to return love for hate, to include the excluded, and to say, βI was wrong.β
Sydney J. Harris
Through The Eyes Of God

The Struggle Within

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Wounds Of The Spirit

There are wounds of the spirit which never close and are intended in Godβs mercy to bring us nearer to Him, and to prevent us leaving Him by their very perpetuity. Such wounds then may almost be taken as a pledge, or at least as a ground for a humble trust, that God will give us the great gift of perseverance to the end. This is how I comfort myself in my own great bereavements.
John Henry Newman
Nothing Transcends The Power Of God

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β Music “Always Been About You” by Fellowship Creative
It’s just gone 2am here in the UK and i’ve just saved Sarah from another nasty hypo (yay, i didn’t need to call the ambulance out!). This song was playing on the radio and helping me stay awake. I’ve never heard this song before so i thought i would share it with you now all is well! π
The World’s Censure

Dig Deeply

Psalm 139:23-24Β The Voice
Explore me, O God, and know the real me. Dig deeply and discover who I am.Β Put me to the test and watch how I handle the strain.Β Examine me to see if there is an evil bone in me,Β and guide me down Your path forever.
Seek For No Other Footsteps

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The Means To New Life For Others

2 Corinthians 4:1-12Β The Voice
Drawing from Exodus 32β34, Paul uses Moses as a model of one who has been transformed by Godβs glory, but in a limited way. Moses encountered God (the Lord) through the Spirit on that mountain, but the Spirit nowβas a fulfillment of the new covenantβdwells in the hearts of believers and continually transforms them. This transformation is based on a new way of understanding Godβs revelation: Jesus Himself, the One who reveals Godβs glory, is the very image of God. Through this Spirit-enabled encounter, believers experience a new way of living and therefore come to resemble the Anointed One as they reflect His glory.
Since we are joined together in this ministry as a result of the mercy shown to all of us by God, we do not become discouraged. Instead, we have renounced all the things that hide in shame; we refuse to live deceptively or use trickery; we do not pollute Godβs Word with any other agenda. Instead, we aim to tell the truth plainly, appealing to the conscience of every person under Godβs watchful eye. Now if our gospel remains veiled, it is only veiled from those who are lost and dying, because the evil god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers. As a result the light of the good news, the radiant glory of the Anointedβwho is the very image of Godβcannot shine down on them. We do not preach about ourselves. The subject of all our sermons is Jesus, the Anointed One. He is Lord and Master of all. For Jesusβ sake we are here to serve you. The God who spoke light into existence, saying, βLet light shine from the darkness,β[a] is the very One who sets our hearts ablaze to shed light on the knowledge of Godβs glory revealed in the face of Jesus, the Anointed One.
But this beautiful treasure is contained in usβcracked pots made of earth and clayβso that the transcendent character of this power will be clearly seen as coming from God and not from us. We are cracked and chipped from our afflictions on all sides, but we are not crushed by them. We are bewildered at times, but we do not give in to despair. We are persecuted, but we have not been abandoned. We have been knocked down, but we are not destroyed. We always carry around in our bodies the reality of the brutal death and suffering of Jesus. As a result, His resurrection life rises and reveals its wondrous power in our bodies as well. For while we live, we are constantly handed over to death on account of Jesus so that His life may be revealed even in our mortal bodies of flesh. So death is constantly at work in us, but life is working in you.
Jesusβ death is the means to new life for others. Similarly when believers suffer for others as Jesus did, their suffering is an avenue for Godβs life to transform situations.
Lord Of Our Time

When we understand that He is Lord of our time, we realize that interruptions are of His planning.Β They become opportunities to serve rather than plagues to keep us from functioning.
Karen Mains
Find Rest For Your Soul

Matthew 11:28-29Β ~Β The Voice
Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Put My yoke upon your shouldersβit might appear heavy at first, but it is perfectly fitted to your curves. Learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. When you are yoked to Me, your weary souls will find rest.
Love Letters

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God’s Perfect Love

It would seem, after having been a Christian for almost 80 years, that I would no longer do ugly things that need forgiving.Β Yet I am constantly doing things to others that cause me to have to go back and ask their forgiveness.Β Sometimes these are things I actually do- other times they are simply attitudes I let creep in which break the circle of Godβs perfect love.
Corrie ten Boom
Hold On!

Courage comes and goes.Β Hold on for the next supply.
Thomas Merton
How Great Is The Contrast?
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Make An Enormous Difference

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The Honest Seeker

Love Them Anyway!

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βI am lovedβ

My Thoughts πΒ
Last night during the evening service at our church, Nik our Minister read the following and asked us to discuss which one from the bullet list really stood out to us, and why?:
βI am lovedβ
‘but what does this mean to you?‘
β’ The whole of me my body, mind heart and soul, that is my strength, my thoughts my deepest longings and all my emotions are loved by God.
β’ God knows me AND loves me (not God knows me but loves me)
β’ I am loved for who I am. Completely, Utterly, For Ever.
β’ Others may dislike me, but God loves me
β’ I may hate myself, but God continues to love me
β’ He loves me for what I am and what I will be.
β’ He loves me because he understands me.
it was really interesting hearing the different answers from the diverse brothers and sisters in our congragation.
So I wondered if you could comment with your answers/thoughts to the same question above?
β Music “One Thing Remains” by Passion
Be encouraged, and never forget that you are always loved! π
Because Of God’s Grace

The Most Beautiful Part

A traveler, as he passed through a forest, saw a part of a huge oak, which appeared misshapen, and almost seemed to spoil the scenery. “If,” sad he, “I was the owner of this forest, I would cut down that tree.” But when he had ascended the hill, and taken a full view of the forest, this same tree appeared the most beautiful part of the landscape. “How erroneously,” said he, “I judged when I saw only a part!” The full view, the harmony and proportion of things, are all necessary to clear up our judgment.
Unknown
Grace Is Power, Not Just Pardon

Grace is not simply leniency when we have sinned. Grace is the enabling gift of God not to sin. Grace is power, not just pardon. Therefore the effort we make to obey God is not an effort done in our own strength, but in the strength which God supplies.
John Piper
Come Together In Agreement

1 Corinthians 1:10-14Β (VOICE)
My brothers and sisters, I urge you by the name of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed, to come together in agreement. Do not allow anything or anyone to create division among you. Instead, be restored, completely fastened together with one mind and shared judgment. I have heard troubling reports from Chloeβs people that you, my siblings, are consumed by fighting and petty disagreements. What I have heard is that each of you is taking sides, saying, βI am with Paul,β or βI am with Apollos,β or βI am with Cephas,β or βI am with the Anointed One.β Has the Anointed One been split up into many small pieces? Do you think Paul was crucified for you? Were you ceremonially washed through baptism[a] into the name of Paul? Absolutely not!
Paul knows that if the work of Jesusβ gospel degenerates into a cult of personality, it will hardly resemble true Christianity. If the focus is on Paul, Cephas, Apollos, or any famous religious leader, then that distracts from the person and central message of Jesus. Any cult of personality is intoxicating, and it is often easier to claim to follow a person who can be seen and touched. But Christianity is founded upon the belief that Jesus is the head of the church and that all of His followers serve His will as a part of the royal priesthood.
See What He’s Been Looking At

You can’t tell what a man is like or what he is thinking when you are looking at him. You must get around behind him and see what he has been looking at.
Will Rogers
$5 Bill

A few years ago I had managed to screw up my life so badly that I found myself without a home and without hope. I’m ashamed to admit it, but even then I was so absorbed by my own self-pity that all I could think of was begging enough money to buy the cheapest drink I could find. One day I was sitting in front of a store panhandling when a woman walked by with a small boy in tow. She ignored my pitch and hurried away. As I watched them go down the sidewalk the small boy broke free and came running back. He stood in front of me, fumbling in his coat pocket; he pulled out a five-dollar bill that was almost certainly more money than he had ever held before, and handed it to me. I was completely dumbstruck and just sat there staring at him with the money in my hand. By then his mother had returned and with tears in her eyes gently led the boy away. He turned back once to wave and they were gone. I don’t know how long I sat there, but I have not had another drink since then.
Unknown
Humility

1 Peter 5:1-9Β (VOICE)
Now for the elders of the church. I want to encourage you. As you know, I am an elder, too, like you. I have witnessed firsthand the sufferings of the Anointed One as well as shared in the glories which are soon to be revealed. When you shepherd the flock God has given you, watch over them not because you have to but because you want to. For this is how God would want it not because youβre being compensated somehow but because you are eager to watch over them. Donβt lead them as if you were a dictator, but lead your flock by example; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will be crowned with honor that will shine brightly forever. You who are younger in the faith: do as your elders and leaders ask. All of you should treat each other with humility, for as it says in Proverbs,
God opposes the proud
but offers grace to the humble.
So bow down under Godβs strong hand; then when the time comes, God will lift you up. Since God cares for you, let Him carry all your burdens and worries.
Humility is rarely a virtue that our culture values. Weβre trained from an early age to show our strengths and hide our weaknesses. This type of thinking also spills over into our models of leadership, as we learn to dictate to others how they should perform. Peter, however, says that we should be humble in our relationships with one another and not lead as dictators. In fact, this humility before one another and God is actually the position of the greatest strength. Our enemy desires to consume us, but we find strength to resist him when we are dependent upon God for His strength.
Most importantly, be disciplined and stay on guard. Your enemy the devil is prowling around outside like a roaring lion, just waiting and hoping for the chance to devour someone. Resist him and be strong in your faith, knowing that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are fellow sufferers with you.
Lay A Firm Foundation

A wise person can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at them.
The Lives We Touch

If Christ lives in us, controlling our personalities, we will leave glorious marks on the lives we touch. Not because of our lovely characters, but because of his.
Eugenia Price
β Music “All In” by FLAME (feat KB)
One for the HIP-Hop fans! π
The Special Ox

There was a man who heard about a very special ox and determined to have it for his own. He traveled all over the world. He spent his entire fortune. He gave his whole life to the search for this ox. At last, just moments before he died, he realized he had been riding it all the time.
Thomas Aquinas
Don’t You Know, Havn’t You Heard?

Isaiah 40:21-31Β (VOICE)
Donβt you know, havenβt you heard or even been toldΒ from your earliest memories how the earth came to be?Β Who else could have done it except God, enthroned high above the earth?Β From such a vantage people seem like grasshoppers to Him.Β Who else but God could stretch out the skies as if they were a curtain,Β draw them tight, suspend them over our heads like the roof of a tent?Β
God reduces the rulers and judges,Β the rich and powerful of the earth, to nothing;Β They scarcely are planted, take root and start growing,Β before God blows a withering breath,Β And storm winds carry them away like chaff.Β The Holy One asks, βDo you really think you can findΒ someone or something to compare to Me? My equal?βΒ Look at the myriad of stars and constellations above you.Β Who set them to burning, each in its place?Β Who knows those countless lights each by name?Β They obediently shine, each in its place,Β because God has the great strength and strong power to make it so.
Why, then, do you, Jacob, inheritors of Godβs promise,Β you, Israel, chosen of GodβWhy do you say, βMy troubled path is hidden from the Eternal;Β God has lost all interest in My causeβ?Β Donβt you know? Havenβt you heard?Β The Eternal, the Everlasting God,Β The Creator of the whole world, never gets tired or weary.Β His wisdom is beyond understanding.Β God strengthens the wearyΒ and gives vitality to those worn down by age and care.Β Young people will get tired;Β strapping young men will stumble and fall.
But those who trust in the Eternal One will regain their strength.Β They will soar on wings as eagles.Β They will runβnever winded, never weary.
They will walkβnever tired, never faint.
Smile From The Heart Out

A smile creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in business and is the countersign of friends. It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and nature’s best antidote for trouble. Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is no earthly good to anybody until it is given away. Keep smiling- and let your smile be one of sincerity. Don’t just force it out to make a sale, to keep out of a fight, or for similar reasons. But smile from the heart out, making those who see you smile do likewise in a feeling of good fellowship.
James M. Tulloch
Loving Perfectly

Every single person in our lives will disappoint us at some level. Some days they’ll be busy when we need them to be still; other days they’ll be self-centered when we need them to concentrate on us. Sometimes they’ll bruise us with hard words aimed right for the soft places in our soul. They won’t meet all our emotional needs. They can’t; they have too many needs of their own. They’re sinners just like us. Only our Creator can love us perfectly, the way He created us to be loved. His love is the only thing that can define us without destroying us.
Lisa Harper
The Sermon Of Your Life

The sermon of your life in tough times ministers to people more powerfully than the most eloquent speaker.
Bill Bright

November 17, 2013 





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