Four Simple Actions that Bring Happiness

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” – Dalai Lama

Autumn is here.

The cooler temperatures and turning leaves is a reminder that change is in the air. As each autumn day passes, the sun sets a little sooner. Before slipping into the western sky, the sun reveals the beautiful world that has been created for you.

Like the autumnal equinox, our time here gets a little shorter each day, too. But rather than reacting in fear we are given the opportunity to see the wonderful things we have been given and then be perfectly happy in knowing that it doesn’t matter how short the days are becoming; what matters is how we are living in those days.

If you want to replace fear with courage or replace anxiety with happiness, make a commitment to do these four simple actions every day. When you do, your beautiful world will shine brighter – no matter what season it is.

Live
Live today. Today is about savoring every moment; it’s about appreciating exactly what you have. Today is about owning your life and being excited about what will happen next. Don’t wait until tomorrow to begin living.

Live right now.

Love
Love today. Tell or show the people who you truly love and cherish how much you love them. Do so with heartfelt sincerity. Love them as if this were their last day on earth. Don’t wait until tomorrow to begin loving.

Love right now.

Laugh
Laugh today. Our lives can be stressful and complicated at times, but that doesn’t mean laughter can’t fill the gaps in between. Perhaps if we can think of more reasons to laugh, the gaps might become further apart. Don’t wait until tomorrow to begin laughing.

Laugh right now.

Bloom
Bloom today. Open your mind to the possibilities that are waiting. Open your heart to whatever it desires. Open your soul to its purpose. Open up and bloom gloriously today. Don’t wait until tomorrow to begin blooming.

Bloom right now.

                          ....... That I may know Him and the power of his resurrection... Philippians 3:10 

The Prodigal Son: 12 Things You Didn’t Know (Continuation)

Lesson 5: God's grace is not in addition to anything, writes Dasher. “The reason that man misses salvation is not because he fails to keep a specific list of rules and laws, but because he fails to see God as a loving and forgiving God who expressed (with the ultimate gift) His love for us (II Thess. 1:5-9; Rom 5:6-8). Man is lost because he fails to see his complete spiritual poverty, and so refuses to turn to his loving God.”
Lesson 6: God wants you to wake up! “The young man in the parable experienced a spiritual awakening that was the beginning of his salvation,” writes Dasher. “When he saw his condition, that he had fallen from great heights to the ultimate bottom, ‘he came to his senses’ and decided to humble himself before his father and accept whatever status his father was willing to give him. There is no negotiation for position or rationalization of his stupidity to be found in this young man.” No, God just wanted him to wake up!
Lesson 7: You are worthy! “He knew that he had nothing to offer his father with which to redeem himself, writes Dasher. ”He expressed to his father his total unworthiness. The young man may have felt ‘unworthy’ but he missed one very important point. While he may have ‘felt’ unworthy, his father considered him to be of great worth.” God feels the same way about you!
Lesson 8: Beware religious jealousy.“Legalists always become angry, whenever grace is extended to another,” writes Dasher. “The reason is because they like to think that there is some merit in what they do. Legalists always ignore their own poverty. Legalists usually perform well and, in the eyes of the world, measure up quite well. In fact, they are the ones who set the rules (ones that are easy for them and hard for others to keep). They like to look at the sin-infested world and click their tongues.”
Lesson 9: Don’t ever think you have God figured out.  “The maturation process of our faith takes a lifetime,” writes Bunch. “Even if you understand everything in the entire Bible (and you don’t, but let’s imagine), all that is God is not even in there. The Bible is what God chose to reveal to us, but our mind is not capable of understanding the mind and being of God.”
Lesson 10: Be teachable!“Never get to a point of arrogance that you cannot be taught by the lessons and instruction of Jesus,” writes Bunch. The Pharisees of Christ’s day “were so blinded, they couldn’t see God standing right in front of them.”
Lesson 11: Maybe you’re the older son. “This son represents God’s chosen people,” writes Bunch. In our day, that could be “anyone who is jealous that another is offered forgiveness. Have you ever felt jealousy over someone being offered forgiveness after committing way more sins than yourself? Ever felt like you’ve been in church obeying all the rules your whole life, and other people get blessed that shouldn’t be? Then perhaps you’re the older son in the parable.”
Lesson 12: God has taken your shame. “The amazing application for our own lives is crystal clear,” writes Williams. “Our heavenly Father has taken our shame through his Son, Jesus, who willingly endured the cross on our behalf. He took our sins’ shame so that we would not have to.”

“The story tells us that we can be forgiven, restored — accepted,” writes Williams. “We do not have to fear going home to our Father and confessing our sins, no matter what we have done, or how many times we have done it (remember, Jesus taught his followers to forgive 70 times seven).” “In the parable,” writes Williams, “only the father could restore the son to full sonship in the family. In our case, we are sinners, and there is nothing that we can do to restore our lost relationship with the Holy God of the Universe. He calls us and waits. A single repentant step in his direction and He is off, running to welcome us back home!”







                         ....... That I may know Him and the power of his resurrection... Philippians 3:10 

The Prodigal Son: 12 Things You Didn’t Know

We’re all familiar with the story of the Prodigal Son – the rich man’s kid who demands his inheritance, then squanders it in wild living, ends up scrounging for food with the hogs, then returns home ashamed and in hopes of being a servant, but instead is welcomed home by his loving, forgiving dad.  What’s in this parable for us?
Dad ran for a very good reason! “In the first century, a Middle Eastern man never, never ran,” writes Matt Williams, of Biola’s Talbot School of Theology. “If he were to run, he would have to hitch up his tunic so he would not trip. If he did this, it would show his bare legs. In that culture, it was humiliating and shameful for a man to show his bare legs.”
“If a Jewish son lost his inheritance among Gentiles, and then returned home,” writes Williams, “the community would perform a ceremony, called the kezazah. They would break a large pot in front of him and yell, ‘You are now cut off from your people!’ The community would totally reject him. “So, why did the father run? He probably ran in order to get to his son before he entered the village.
Lesson 1: You are worth it! “The father runs — and shames himself — in an effort to get to his son before the community gets to him, so that his son does not experience the shame and humiliation of their taunting and rejection,” writes Williams. “The village would have followed the running father, would have witnessed what took place at the edge of the village between father and son. After this emotional reuniting of the prodigal son with his father, it was clear that their would be no kezazah ceremony; there would be no rejecting this son — despite what he has done. The son had repented and returned to the father.”
Lesson 2: God doesn't want to make deals. “The son decides what he will tell his father upon his return,” writes Clark Bunch for The Master’s Table website. “He is no longer worthy to be a son, but will work as a servant. He plans to earn his keep in his father’s house, possibly even to repay the wealth he has squandered. He has a plan all worked out in his head.” However, “the father doesn't even listen to it,” writes Bunch. “He cuts the son’s plan off in the middle, and calls for the robe, ring and shoes. Whatever we offer God in return for his blessing, or what we promise to do to earn our salvation, it will never be enough. God doesn't want to hear our plan, he wants us to admit we can’t do it on our own and depend on his mercy and grace.”
Lesson 3: God isn't keeping score. “What is it about God that is the most difficult for you to accept?” asks Gordon Dasher of The Examiner website. “Is it that He exists? Or that He punishes the disobedient? For most, it is probably that He loves us, that He is concerned with our welfare. The result of this is that many are frustrated, full of fear and guilt. Eventually, this distorted view of God is to be found as the root of all legalism.” “Just look at the ways that we view God,” writes Dasher. “We view Him as the heavenly record-keeper, in spite of the fact that Paul, in I Corinthians 13, said that love keeps no record of wrongs.” Jesus told the Apostle Peter that forgiveness is unlimited.
Lesson 4: Rethink poverty! “Jesus tells this story about a young man who went from riches to rags,” writes Dasher. “How many of us can relate to that? We have at least felt the magnetic pull of independence. We know what it feels like to think that we can make it on our own, that old Pop has lost touch with the modern world, that he doesn't really remember what it feels like to be young.” “Most of us look back on that time in our lives with shame,” writes Dasher. “We think about the money wasted, the time spent in pursuit of things that, when realized, were so empty and void. We cringe at the thought of our own little hog-pens and the slop meals of our youth.”
“The problem with some of us is that we do not have a realistic understanding of the spiritual poverty from which we have been saved,” writes Dasher. “Somehow, somewhere in our perverted thinking, we think that our salvation was no more than a ‘little help’ from God. We could have made it on our own, just not as well. This misses the point of what God's love and forgiveness is all about. “His love is ‘in spite of’ and not ‘because of’ ourselves,” writes Dasher. “And here is the root of all legalism. We just do not like to think of God's love in these terms. It is not complimentary to us. The thought that we are totally and completely impoverished does not appeal to us because it says something about us that we do not like to hear or think about. Our naturally legalistic minds begin to ‘reshape’ God and His grace to fit our thinking. His grace becomes that little extra ‘boost’ we needed to get us over the hump."

to be cont'd... 

      





                           ....... That I may know Him and the power of his resurrection... Philippians 3:10 

The More We Know Christ, the More We Love Him

Col 2:2  That their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love and unto all the riches of the full assurance 
of understanding, unto the full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ, (3)  In whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.
Eph. 4:13  Until we all arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

All Christians love the Lord Jesus. The only difference among them in this matter is the degree of their love for Him. Even a backsliding believer loves the Lord to a certain extent. How much we love the Lord depends on how much we know Him and how much we realize concerning Him. For example, a child may appreciate a little box made to contain a diamond ring more than the ring itself. This shows that the degree of love is determined by the degree of appreciation. The more we know the Lord Jesus and appreciate Him, the more we shall love Him. Hence, we need to go on to know the Lord Jesus not only as our Savior and Lord, but also as the mystery of God.

The Colossians did not have the full assurance concerning Christ. Otherwise, they would not have turned to the worship of angels or taken in such things as observances, ordinances, and philosophies. On the one hand, they had received Christ and knew something about Him. On the other hand, their knowledge of Christ was not with the full assurance of understanding. The Colossians definitely believed in the Lord Jesus and held to the faith. But they did not have all the riches of the full assurance of understanding. 

The benefits are in the knowing... the more we know the more we begin to enjoy. "Owning is contingent on knowing"





  



                         ....... That I may know Him and the power of his resurrection... Philippians 3:10 

Faith Triumphs

"Under hopeless circumstances he hopefully believed" (Rom. 4:18). (Weymouth)

 

Abraham's faith seemed to be in a thorough correspondence with the power and constant faithfulness of Jehovah. In the outward circumstances in which he was placed, he had not the greatest cause to expect the fulfillment of the promise. Yet he believed the Word of the Lord, and looked forward to the time when his seed should be as the stars of heaven for multitude.

 

O my soul, thou hast not one single promise only, like Abraham, but a thousand promises, and many patterns of faithful believers before thee: it behooves thee, therefore, to rely with confidence upon the Word of God. And though He delayeth His help, and the evil seemeth to grow worse and worse, be not weak, but rather strong, and rejoice, since the most glorious promises of God are generally fulfilled in such a wondrous manner that He steps forth to save us at a time when there is the least appearance of it.

 

 

He commonly brings His help in our greatest extremity, that His finger may plainly appear in our deliverance. And this method He chooses that we may not trust upon anything that we see or feel, as we are always apt to do, but only upon His bare Word, which we may depend upon in every state. --C. H. Von Bogatzky

 

 

Remember it is the very time for faith to work when sight ceases. The greater the difficulties, the easier for faith; as long as there remain certain natural prospects, faith does not get on even as easily as where natural prospects fail. --George Mueller

Abraham being fully convinced that what He had promised he was also able to perform did not stagger through unbelief but stayed through. Know this, God will never delay. He will definitely be on time and in time. Release your full faith and enjoy the unleashing of the Supernatural!

                       ....... That I may know Him and the power of his resurrection... Philippians 3:10 

Biggest Questions Facing Science

I was struck recently by a news feature on National Public Radio (NPR), based on an article in The Guardian, regarding the most challenging questions facing science.  In other words, the biggest questions scientists are struggling to answer.

The reason I was struck was because so many of the questions begged the consideration of the existence of God.

For example, “How did life come about?”

Life appeared on Earth some 3.5 billion years ago.  “The mystery here,” notes NPR, “is how aggregates of nonliving atoms gathered into progressively more complex molecules that eventually became the first living entity, a chemical machine capable of metabolism and reproduction.”

Translation: how did life come from non-life?

How did something “dead” become “alive”?

There is no scientific answer.

There is, however, a theological one.

“In the beginning God created…” (Genesis 1:1, NIV).

A second question making the list is, “What makes us human?”

Again, from NPR:  “We have three times more neurons than a gorilla, but our DNAs are almost identical.  Many animals have a rudimentary language, can use tools and recognize themselves in mirrors.  So, what is it that differentiates us from them?  The thicker frontal cortex?  The opposing thumb?  The discovery of fire and the ability to cook?  Our culture?  When did language and toolmaking appear?”

Related to this is the question, “What is consciousness?”

“How is it that the brain generates the self of self, the unique experience that we have of being...unique?  Can the brain be reversed-engineered to be modeled by machines?  Or is this a losing proposition?  And why is there a consciousness at all?”

Science is baffled by these questions, but the Bible is not:

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them…the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Genesis 1:27; 2:7, NIV).

The Genesis narrative does not speak to how God created, of course, only that God created.  All true scientific discoveries simply illuminate the world God has made.

So why isn’t a “God” answer considered?

Because many scientists are not the objective evaluators of data they like to present themselves as being.  They follow a religion that refuses to include the existence of a God in regard to any and all scientific explanations.

It is to be granted that modern science is based on empirical evidence and testable explanation.  One cannot put God in a test-tube and determine His existence.  But there is more at hand here than science doing its job, and knowing its limitations in regard to matters of faith.

It is about limiting what religion can say about science.

The working idea is that we can maintain our religious faith and our scientific discoveries not by seeing both as operating in the realm of public truth – to be jointly engaged and interpreted accordingly – but by seeing them as separate categories altogether that should never be allowed to intertwine.

If you wish to believe in God, fine; just don’t posit that this God actually exists as Creator, or that He could actually be pulled out to explain anything.

In many ways, this is the new scientific project, and it’s called reductive naturalism.  “Naturalism” is the idea that nature is “all that is.”  "Reductive” naturalism is the value which states that all that can be known within nature is that which can be empirically verified.

So a reductive naturalism contends that what is real is only that which can be seen, tasted, heard, smelled or touched; then verified, meaning able to be replicated in a test-tube.  Knowledge is “reduced” to this level of knowing.  If it cannot be examined in a tangible, scientific manner, it is not simply unknowable; it is meaningless.

This has led to a “philosophical” naturalism, meaning the idea that all of existence consists of natural causes and laws.  Philosophical naturalism holds that life is accidental.  There is nothing beyond ourselves that will ever bring order, reason or explanation.  We must restrict what can be known to that which is immediately before us, to what is “given,” or “factual.”  This means what can be empirically, or scientifically, demonstrated.

As astronomer Carl Sagan argued in his final work, the goal is to rid ourselves of a “demon-haunted” world, meaning anything that would challenge the rule of science and technology as the ultimate arbiter of truth and reality, for there is no other truth or reality to embrace.  More to the point, Ronald Numbers has written, “Nothing has come to characterize modern science more than its rejection of appeals to God in explaining the workings of nature.”

The problem, of course, is what science itself is now having to acknowledge.  Namely, that science can’t answer the ultimate questions of science.

So once again we are reminded of the words of Robert Jastrow, for 20 years the Director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies:

"For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream.  He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries."

                                                                                                                ...Dr. James Emery White

                            ....... That I may know Him and the power of his resurrection... Philippians 3:10 

Christ’ Operation Operating in Us in Power (2)

Colossians 1:28 Whom we announce, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man full-grown in Christ; 29 For which also I labor, struggling according to His operation which operates in me in power.
Ephesians 3:20 But to Him who is able to do super abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power which operates in us.

I can testify that I am energized by Christ's operation. The more I pray, the more His operation energizes me. However, if I fail to pray, I would become cold and quiet. The reason you may sense little of Christ's operation within you is that you strive too much and pray too little to contact the Lord. By opening to the Lord in prayer, you give ground for Christ's operation to operate within you. Then you will be able to struggle according to this operation to present others mature in Christ.

Christ's operation operates in power. Paul refers to this power in Ephesians 3:7 and 20. In Ephesians 3:7 he speaks of "the operation of His power," and in 3:20, of the "power which operates in us." This power is the power of resurrection life (Phil. 3:10) within the believers (Eph. 1:19). It is the very power that operated in Christ to raise Him from the dead, to seat Him at God's right hand in the heavenlies, and to subject all things under His feet (Eph. 1:20-22). According to Christ's operation in such a power, we may struggle to present others full-grown in Christ.

What Paul did in struggling to present others full-grown in Christ is an example which serves for the perfecting of the saints for the building up of the Body of Christ. It is to struggle according to the operation of Christ that operates in us, that is, to labor by the resurrecting, transcending, and subduing power within us. £$Hpministries€#








                       ....... That I may know Him and the power of his resurrection... Philippians 3:10 

It Is For You Not To You

Job 7:20; 9:17
Why have You set me as Your target [God]?...For He [God] bruises me with a tempest, and multiplies my wounds without cause.

Job is in the middle of the suffering. He has no idea of the scenario being played out in heaven between God and Satan (described in Job 1-2). Job’s mind sought for a reason why he was suffering. Not finding an answer in his own reasoning, he assumed that there wasn’t a reason and stopped trusting God!

No wonder God’s response to Job later was to say, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge” (Job 38:2). Job didn’t know about the confrontation between God and Satan. He didn’t realize that he was not even the main character in the situation. He couldn’t see what God’s purpose and plan was. He didn’t know that God would restore and bless him at the end of the test. And he lost sight of the greatness of God.

As humans, we are capable of enduring almost any suffering, so long as we know there is a reason for it!

Are you facing suffering or pain today? God is reminding you to trust Him. Even when you can’t imagine a reason for your suffering, you can trust God that there is a reason (Romans 8:28).  He will bring good out of this for you.

Take some time to express your trust to God right now.




 ....... That I may know Him and the power of his resurrection... Philippians 3:10 

Christ’ Operation Operating in Us in Power (1)

Colossians 1: 29  For which also I labor, struggling according to His operation which operates in me in power.
Ephesians 3:7  Of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God which was given to me according to the operation of His power.

The operation of Christ operates in us in power. There is a difference between Christ operating in us and Christ's operation operating in us. Because Christ as the hope of glory operates in us, there is an operation which also operates in us. Christ Himself operates in us. But Christ operating in us causes an operation which also operates in us.

Every saved person has at least some experience of Christ's operation. To be saved is not merely to have our sins forgiven and to be justified by God. It is also to have Christ imparted into us. The Christ who dwells in us also operates in us. As we have pointed out, His operating becomes the operation that operates in us. Paul's struggling for the saints was according to this operation. He can't just be at ease, the power keeps on keeping him on, it keeps on moving and directing him to do more regardless. 

Some saints may feel that they sense very little of Christ's operation within them. The reason for this lack is the shortage of prayer. We need to go to the Lord with a repentant heart and say, "…Lord, forgive me and cleanse me with Your precious blood. Lord, I desire to be enlightened, purified, and made transparent. I ask You to show me what You want of me. Expose me so that I may be filled with You." If we pray in this way, Christ's operation will have a way to operate within us. £$Hpministries€#






                           ....... That I may know Him and the power of his resurrection... Philippians 3:10 

Seek Communion

 "They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn and grow as the vine" (Hosea 14:7).

 

The day closed with heavy showers. The plants in my garden were beaten down before the pelting storm, and I saw one flower that I had admired for its beauty and loved for its fragrance exposed to the pitiless storm. The flower fell, shut up its petals, dropped its head; and I saw that all its glory was gone. "I must wait till next year," I said, "before I see that beautiful thing again."

 

That night passed, and morning came; the sun shone again, and the morning brought strength to the flower. The light looked at it, and the flower looked at the light. There was contact and communion, and power passed into the flower. It held up its head, opened its petals, regained its glory, and seemed fairer than before. I wonder how it took place--this feeble thing coming into contact with the strong thing, and gaining strength!

 

I cannot tell how it is that I should be able to receive into my being a power to do and to bear by communion with God, but I know It is a fact. Are you in peril through some crushing, heavy trial? Seek this communion with Christ, and you will receive strength and be able to conquer. "I will strengthen thee."  £$Hpministries€#

                           ....... That I may know Him and the power of his resurrection... Philippians 3:10 

Is God Good When Life Isn’t?

 Is God good when the outcome is not? During the famine as well as the feast? At some point we all stand at this intersection. The definitive answer comes in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the only picture of God ever taken. Do you want to know heaven’s clearest answer to the question of suffering? Look at Jesus.

He pressed his fingers into the sore of the leper. He felt the tears of the sinful woman who wept. He inclined his ear to the cry of the hungry. He wept at the death of a friend. He stopped his work to tend to the needs of a grieving mother. He doesn’t recoil, run, or retreat at the sight of pain. Just the opposite. He didn’t walk the earth in an insulated bubble or preach from an isolated, germfree, pain-free island. He took his own medicine. He played by his own rules. Trivial irritations of family life? Jesus felt them. Cruel accusations of jealous men? Jesus knew their sting. A seemingly senseless death? Just look at the cross. He exacts nothing from us that he did not experience himself.

Why? Because he is good. God owes us no more explanation than this. Besides, if he gave one, what makes us think we would understand it? Might the problem be less God’s plan and more our limited perspective? Out of all his creation, how much have we seen? And of all his work how much do we understand? Only a sliver. A doorway peephole. Is it possible that some explanation for suffering exists of which we know nothing at all

And is it possible that the wonder of heaven will make the most difficult life a good bargain? This was Paul’s opinion. “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Cor. 4:17 NIV).

Suppose I invited you to experience the day of your dreams. Twenty-four hours on an island paradise with your favorite people, food, and activities. The only stipulation: one millisecond of discomfort. For reasons I choose not to explain, you will need to begin the day with the millisecond of distress.

Would you accept my offer? I think you would. A split second is nothing compared to twenty-four hours. On God’s clock you’re in the middle of your millisecond. Compared to eternity, what is seventy, eighty, ninety years? Just a vapor. Just a finger snap compared to heaven.

Your pain won’t last forever, but you will. “Whatever we may have to go through now is less than nothing compared with the magnificent future God has in store for us” (Rom. 8:18, Phillips).

What is coming will make sense of what is happening now. Let God finish his work. Let the composer complete his symphony. The forecast is simple. Good days. Bad days. But God is in all days. He is the Lord of the famine and the feast, and he uses both to accomplish his will. £$Hpministries€#

  Excerpted from You'll Get Through This: Hope and Help for Your Turbulent Times by Max Lucado.


                     


                         ....... That I may know Him and the power of his resurrection... Philippians 3:10 

Do We Forget Our Larger Enemy?

“Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light…” (2 Corinthians 11:14)

Have you ever suffered a crushing loss, only to have someone tell you, “Well, it’s all part of God’s plan”? Have you ever projected pure hate or bitterness toward a fellow human being because of violence or deceit displayed by his or her actions? Have you ever watched the news as innocent children die in war, and wondered how God could allow such things to happen?

I’ve been there. I can hazard a guess that we’ve all been there. It’s only natural to lash out at each other during tough times, and we’re also very quick to give God the responsibility for bad things when they happen. But it’s crucial that, when such times come, we mustn’t forget our larger enemy: Satan.

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

It almost seems like a silly reminder, doesn’t it? So obvious! Of course Satan exists. References to him are peppered throughout Scripture, and in reading the Gospels we see Christ rise victorious over him once and for all. But unfortunately, Satan has a way of conning even the most steadfast Christians into temporarily forgetting about his existence. I believe we do this mainly in two ways.

Mistake #1: We direct our hate at suffering, injustice, and sorrow toward each other.

We are instruments in many ways, and many people choose to be instruments of darkness rather than of light. But should we truly speak curses on murderers, or should we pray for their repentance? Should we delight when a terrorist is given the death penalty, or should we hold firm in the faith that Christ’s love is strong enough to conquer any heart?

At the end of the day, we must remember that Satan and demonic forces are strong influences in this world, and we all fall prey to the temptation in different ways. The Bible verse that helps me remember not to direct my hate toward another person is Ephesians 6:12:

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Mistake #2: We direct our hate at suffering, injustice, and sorrow toward God himself.

Scripture tells us we are to praise God through all things. In no way does this signify that God is, himself, the cause of all things. This mindset can lead to dangerous and depressing ideas about our good Creator. Jesus told his followers,

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

In this, Jesus plainly rejects the notion that evil things (murder, destruction, and disorder) are not in his will. God’s will is for life, abundance, and wholeness. When chaos runs rampant, as it often will because of the freedom God gives us to make choices, we must remember that it’s a result of human choice and Satan’s influence – not the desires of God.

The grace and good news is that the Holy Spirit equips us, and we need have no mortal fear of Satan…so long as we remember that he’s still around! James writes,

“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

Intersecting Faith and Life: The next time you seek to place blame or anger at the doorstep of God or another person, remember the cosmic battle that even now God wages against the powers of darkness. Let us not forget our larger enemy! £$Hpministries€#

                                                                                    ...by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor





                       ....... That I may know Him and the power of his resurrection... Philippians 3:10 

A Healthy Mind from a Comforted Heart

That their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love and unto all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, unto the full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ. Col 2:2 

In this verse Paul deals with two crucial organs of our inner being: the heart and the mind. (The word understanding implies the mind.) Once the heart has been hurt and has become cold and divided, it is easy for the mind to be distracted or even attacked by the enemy. When the mind is in such a condition, it cannot understand the word that is ministered concerning Christ and God's economy.

Problems in the heart are often the cause of mental problems. Whenever the heart is wrong, it is easy for the mind to be in darkness or subject to attack. This is an important principle. Most cases of mental illness have their source in problems that exist in the heart. Perhaps someone has a certain ambition or desire in his heart. If this ambition or desire is not fulfilled and is not dealt with, the mind may be attacked.

Paul no doubt realized this; he knew that it was crucial for the hearts of the Colossians to be comforted and knit together in love. If their hearts were cared for in a proper way, the saints would have the riches of the full assurance of understanding. Their minds would once again function normally to understand spiritual things. When our hearts are comforted, our minds will function properly. But if there is a problem in our heart, there will be a problem in our mind also. The heart regulates the mind. Whether the mind is normal or abnormal depends on the condition of the heart.

Therefore, guard your heart with all diligence; for it is the dictator to whatever transpires in you, to you and for you!... Knowing the Truth, Becoming Free! £$Hpministries€#

                                                                                                        copied from Living Stream Ministry...



                       ....... That I may know Him and the power of his resurrection... Philippians 3:10