August 2017 – Voice of the dying Church

Steve Hammer

The Be-attitudes are set forth by Christ in a

divinely designed and interrelated order; the

first being, “Blessed are the poor in spirit…”

To be poor in spirit is to have the personal

revelation that we are utterly bankrupt of any

virtue, knowledge or ability to produce

anything of spiritual value in and of

ourselves. I am nothing, I know nothing and I

can do nothing apart from Him. Moreover,

those who are cognizant of this truth are

afraid of themselves because they are

poignantly aware that apart from Christ they

are not only spiritually impotent but

dangerous.

This essential revelation is THE gate and

road to spiritual fruitfulness and if you do not

see this about yourself at this moment it is

impossible that you are spiritual.

Moreover, although one may agree with this

spiritual assessment of being poor in spirit in

theory, how does one know if they truly

believe this about themselves?

This revelation will always produce in the

believer the second Be-attitude, that of

mourning, in which there will be actual

spiritual pain in their heart and a conscious

burden to lay hold of God for the needed

spiritual power and resources to be all that

He has called them to be. Mourning here is

not regarding personal loss, but in seeing

ones spiritual poverty in light of their

spiritual responsibility to others and the

Kingdom, thus producing a deep and sincere

spiritual burden upon them. All who are truly

poor in spirit mourn their personal lack of

Christlikeness and inwardly long and even

groan for full conformity to Him that they

may be all God has called them to be.

This is the path to personal revival.

Charlie Kennon

Tropical Storm Irma “rapidly” intensified Thursday, strengthening into a Category 2 hurricane with 100 mph sustained winds and is forecast to be an “extremely dangerous” storm for the next several days, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm is located over the Atlantic Ocean, about 650 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands, moving west-northwest at 10 mph.

#Irma is now a category 2 #hurricane & is forecast to become a category 4 east of the Leeward Islands next week

hurricanes.gov

5:16 PM – Aug 31, 2017

40 900 475 NHC Atlantic Ops

@NHC_Atlantic

Irma is forecast to become a major hurricane, a Category 3 with sustained winds between 111 to 129 mph, by Thursday night.

The National Hurricane Center said Irma is expected to be “an extremely dangerous hurricane for the next several days,” and is forecast to become a category 4 storm east of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean by next week.

Fox News Senior Meterologist Janice Dean said Thursday it’s still too early to tell whether Irma will pass well north of the Lesser Antilles and Puerto Rico, or have direct impacts there by next Wednesday or Thursday.

TROPICAL STORM HARVEY REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: EERIE SILENCE, NEIGHBORS PITCHING IN

“What we do know is that it will be an exceptionally strong hurricane, and all interest across the Lesser Antilles/Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba and the U.S — both Atlantic Coast and Gulf Coast — need to monitor Irma’s path,” Dean said.

#HurricaneIrma #Cat2 This will be a very dangerous storm in the days ahead. Lesser Antilles, Caribbean, U.S. all need to monitor. @FoxNews

4:54 PM – Aug 31, 2017

10 79 61 Janice Dean

@JaniceDean

Any impacts to the U.S., if any, would be a full 10 to 11 days away, according to Dean. Forecaster should have a better idea by next week where the storm is going, once Irma moves father across the Atlantic.

The storm does not pose an immediate threat to land and there are no coastal watches or warnings in effect, the hurricane center said.

HARVEY HEROISM: CITIZENS STEP UP TO HELP OTHERS DURING DEADLY STORM

Irma is the ninth named storm of the year, and comes a week after Harvey devastated Texas with record amounts of rain.

Earlier this month, forecasters said the Atlantic hurricane season would be “above-normal,” with 14 to 19 named storms ahead of the peak season.

An average Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, produces 12 named storms, of which six become hurricanes, including three major hurricanes, according to the NOAA.

J.C. Ryle

Oh, To Be Pardoned!

“Where must a man go for pardon? Where is forgiveness to be found? There is a way both sure and plain and that way is simply to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. It is to cast your soul, with all its sins, unreservedly on Christ,

– to cease completely from any dependence on your own works or doings, either in whole or in part – and to rest on no other work but Christ’s work, no other merit but Christ’s merit, as your ground of hope. Take this course and you are a pardoned soul.” ~ J.C. Ryle

Romeo Ben

“Fear Him after your body has

been destroyed that can still

throw you into hell.”

Stephen ThomasWords to Ponder

Stephen Thomas

Words to Ponder

“We may speak about a place where there are no tears, no death, no fear, no night; but those are just the benefits of heaven. The beauty of heaven is seeing God.” ― Max Lucado

J.C. Ryle

The Reality of Eternity

The state of things after the judgment is changeless and without end. The misery of the lost, and the blessedness of the saved, are both alike forever.

Let no person deceive us on this point. It is clearly revealed in Scripture. The eternity of God, and heaven, and hell, all stand on the same foundation. As surely as God is eternal, so surely is heaven an endless day without night, and hell an endless night without day. ~ J.C. Ryle

J.C. Ryle

The Contrast of Christ’s Comings

“The second coming of Christ shall be utterly unlike the first. He came the first time in weakness, a tender infant, born of a poor woman in the manger at Bethlehem, unnoticed, unhonored, and scarcely known. He shall come the second time in royal dignity, with the armies of heaven around Him, to be known, recognized and feared, by all the tribes of the earth.

“He came the first time to suffer – to bear our sins, to be reckoned a curse, to be despised, rejected, unjustly condemned and slain. He shall come the second time to reign:

– to put down every enemy beneath His feet, to take the kingdom of this world for His inheritance, to rule them with

righteousness, to judge all men and to live forevermore.

“How vast the difference! How mighty the contrast!”

~ J.C. Ryle

Stephen ThomasWords to Ponder

Stephen Thomas

Words to Ponder

It is impossible to comprehend the mysteries and wonders contained within eternity, as the word of Almighty God says:- “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” If we contemplate how breathtaking the universe is and the awesomeness of planet earth … as I ponder with much curiosity and expectation my only conclusion, in a word, is that when we step into eternity we will all be absolutely “gobsmacked”. Blessings saints.

August 29 at 5:47am · Public

Mavis McDonald and 6 others

Allison Olivier

A Big Amen to that my Brother

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A. W. Tozer

“The Christian is a man

of Heaven living

temporarily

on earth.”

A. W. Tozer

Oswald Chambers

My Joy…Your Joy”
August 31, 2017
These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. —John 15:11

What was the joy that Jesus had? Joy should not be confused with happiness. In fact, it is an insult to Jesus Christ to use the wordhappiness in connection with Him. The joy of Jesus was His absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice to His Father— the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do— “…who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross…” (Hebrews 12:2). “I delight to do Your will, O my God…” (Psalm 40:8). Jesus prayed that our joy might continue fulfilling itself until it becomes the same joy as His. Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me?
Living a full and overflowing life does not rest in bodily health, in circumstances, nor even in seeing God’s work succeed, but in the perfect understanding of God, and in the same fellowship and oneness with Him that Jesus Himself enjoyed. But the first thing that will hinder this joy is the subtle irritability caused by giving too much thought to our circumstances. Jesus said, “…the cares of this world,…choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful” (Mark 4:19). And before we even realize what has happened, we are caught up in our cares. All that God has done for us is merely the threshold— He wants us to come to the place where we will be His witnesses and proclaim who Jesus is.
Have the right relationship with God, finding your joy there, and out of you “will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). Be a fountain through which Jesus can pour His “living water.” Stop being hypocritical and proud, aware only of yourself, and live “your life…hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). A person who has the right relationship with God lives a life as natural as breathing wherever he goes. The lives that have been the greatest blessing to you are the lives of those people who themselves were unaware of having been a blessing.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Is He going to help Himself to your life, or are you taken up with your conception of what you are going to do? God is responsible for our lives, and the one great keynote is reckless reliance upon Him. Approved Unto God, 10 R

God’s Full Armour

GLOBAL GRACE – August 2017

Do You Know The Secret?

30. The Rapture is Part of the Secret

1 Corinthians 15:51-52, “Listen very carefully, I tell you a mystery [a secret truth decreed by God and previously hidden, but now revealed]; we will not all sleep [in death], but we will all be [completely] changed [wondrously transformed], in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at [the sound of] the last trumpet call. For a trumpet will sound, and the dead [who believed in Christ] will be raised imperishable, and we will be [completely] changed [wondrously transformed].”

Here it is specifically mentioned that our meeting with the Lord was a secret – so it is a new truth that was not known until the day Paul began to proclaim it. Nor can it be otherwise, because if the church itself as the body of Christ was a secret, then the church’s hope or destination at the rapture was also a secret.

It is not easy being a Christian in our everyday lives. People do not believe us and they do not really like us. ISIS even cuts off believers’ heads. In schools and universities, evolution is openly taught in order to represent the Bible, our faith, and Christ as foolish and unscientific. Media and most major churches agree with them. All of this should remind believers to keep in mind that this world is not our home, not our hope.

Our hope is not to cherish the things of this world and not to think that everyone will think and believe the same as us. It will never happen. Yes, we testify that some will be saved, and in heaven, there is great joy for everyone who is saved, but this world remains in the grip of evil. Our hope is found in the verses above. It is to be taken away from this and then to stand before our Lord. And this can happen any day!

Yesterday at 1:00am

Streams in the Desert – August 312017Aug 31

Streams in the Desert – August 31
2017Aug 31
Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed (John 20:29).
How strong is the snare of the things that are seen, and how necessary for God to keep us in the things that axe unseen! If Peter is to walk on the water he must walk; if he is going to swim, he must swim, but he cannot do both. If the bird is going to fly it must keep away from fences and the trees, and trust to its buoyant wings. But if it tries to keep within easy reach of the ground, it will make poor work of flying.
God had to bring Abraham to the end of his own strength, and to let him see that in his own body he could do nothing. He had to consider his own body as good as dead, and then take God for the whole work; and when he looked away from himself, and trusted God alone, then he became fully persuaded that what He had promised, He was able to perform.
That is what God is teaching us, and He has to keep away encouraging results until we learn to trust without them, and then He loves to make His Word real in fact as well asfaith.

–A. B. Simpson
I do not ask that He must prove

His Word is true to me,

And that before I can believe

He first must let me see.

It is enough for me to know

‘Tis true because He says ’tis so;

On His unchanging Word I’ll stand

And trust till I can understand.

–E. M. Winter

Joseph Morris

“I heard one famous preacher say, ‘Well, if you talk about this you’ll get people’s hopes up.’ It’s not a hope. It’s The Hope. The hope that purifies even as you are pure (1John 3:3). The purpose on the preaching of the coming of the Lord is to accelerate, to do more in a shorter period of time. It’s to get a lazy mentality off of us and to get a complaining mentality off of us. Because we have to do the will of God in such a short period of time. So we’re blessed, we’re privileged. The whole thing about it is so that you’ll have radical, wild joy. Because the joy of the Lord is your strength. Daniel already saw and said, ‘If you knew your God you’d be strong.’ So the teaching of the coming of the Lord is to make you happy and hopeful.”

—Joseph Morris

Rapture Watchers

He is standing at the door.

One day soon we will be CAUGHT UP unto God to be with him FOREVER!

Let that sink in!

No more pain, no more sorrow, no more fear, no more sin nature.

An immortal body that will never experience death or aging.

We have so much to be thankful for.

We are the generation that will see the return of Christ.

Keep sounding the alarm and proclaiming the gospel!

Jesus Christ IS coming soon!

Jesus Christ is THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE! NO ONE gets to the FATHER but by HIM!

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Revelation 3:10

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.

1 Corinthians 15: 1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Stephen ThomasWords to Ponder

Stephen Thomas

Words to Ponder

A single day in hell … will be worse than a whole life spent carrying the cross. – J.C. RYLE

Steve Hammer

Can you take the time in prayer to answer

these?

Steve Hammer

Here’s a great way to ‘examine and exercise’

our faith!

Meditate upon these ‘Questions from the

Answer’!

‘Do you understand what I have done for

you?’ (John 13:12)

“Can all your worries add a single moment

to your life?” (Matt. 6:27)

‘Why are you fearful, O you of little

faith?’ (Matt. 8:26)

‘Do you believe that I am able to do

this?’ (Matthew 9:28)

‘What good will it do for you to gain the

whole world, yet forfeit your soul? Or what

can you give in exchange for your

soul?’ (Matthew 16:26)

‘Could you not keep watch with me for one

hour?’ (Matthew 26:40)

‘He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said,

“Why do you seek a sign?’ (Mark 8:12)

‘Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not

do what I say?’ (Luke 6:46)

‘Don’t you know me, even after I have been

among you such a long time?’ (John 14:9)

‘Why are you talking about having no bread?

Do you still not see or understand? Are your

hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to

see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you

remember?’ (Mark 8:17-18)

‘Do you want to get well?’ (John 5:6)

‘If I am telling the truth, why don’t you

believe me?’ (John 8:46)

‘Do you love me?’ (John 21:17)

“If you love those who love you, what reward

will you get? What are you doing more than

others?’ (Matthew 5:47)

‘Why is my language not clear to you?’ (John

8:43)

‘Does this offend you?’ (John 6:61)

‘You do not want to leave me, too; do

you?” (John 6:67)

“I have spoken to you of earthly things and

you do not believe; how then will you believe

if I speak of heavenly things?’ (John 3:12)

‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts

rise in your minds?’ (Luke 24:38)

‘Why don’t you judge for yourself what is

right?’ (Luke 12:57)

‘Have I not chosen you?’ (John 6:70)

‘For if you do these things when the tree is

green, what will you do happen when the tree

is dry?’ (Luke 23:31)

‘Why are you thinking these things in your

hearts?’ (Luke 5:22)

‘Why all this commotion and wailing?’ (Mark

5:39)

‘Who do you say I am?’ (Matthew 16:15)

‘Where is your faith?’ (Luke 8:25)

Stephen Trussell

New Age Occult Christianity Exposed

I’m sorry to say this but Joel Osteen, if he

does not repent, will be in one of the hottest

most torturous places in hell once he passes

to eternity. To call yourself a pastor of God..

A lot of people are upset he didn’t open his

doors to the people of Houston after a

devastating hurricane. That’s the least of his

transgressions. How about his occult

teachings in making God to be a genie in a

bottle where if you say it or believe it, God

will do it? Is God our servant that he does

whatever we will him to? This is the gospel of

Joel Osteen. It’s not the true gospel.

We shouldn’t be surprised. He lives in a 10.5

million dollar mansion. I understand he is

taking people into the church now. That’s

great, a little too late but still great. How

about opening up your mansion now to the

flood victims Joel? Surely you have a lot of

square footage there that could help several

people be housed. I guarantee you he would

NEVER agree to that.

I don’t know why people are surprised he

didn’t open his church. He’s a fraud. I don’t

hate the man. I wish he would repent. I just

hate to see when the world sees Christianity,

they think Joel Osteen, and then they confirm

in their head that Christians are hypocrites

because of Joel Osteens actions. I know it’s

sad but the world does do that.

Henok Esayas Grace

# Progressive Revelation

Doesn’t mean the late will correct the

previous mistake # Revelation. It is

# building upon what has been revealed in

the past.

Lyndia Tate

Hope In God! Suffering and stress, loss and

lack, problems and persecution, illness and

weakness, trials and tribulations, at one time

or another we will all experience these

apparent setbacks. However, it is precisely at

these times we must remember that all of

these are but tools in the hand of the Master

Potter used to skillfully mold us into vessels

He can use for His glory and our eventual

good. Job said it best. Though he slay me, I

will hope in him (Job 13:15). David

concluded, for what do I wait? My hope is in

you (Psa. 39:7). Jeremiah remembered, I call

to mind and therefore I have hope (Lam.

3:21). Paul reminded us that hope does not

put us to shame (Rom. 5:5). He prayed that

The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father

of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom

and of revelation, having the eyes of your

hearts enlightened, that you may know what

is the hope to which he has called you, what

are the riches of his glorious inheritance in

the saints, and what is the immeasurable

greatness of his power toward us who believe

(Eph. 1:17-19). James put it this way, count

it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials

of various kinds, for you know that the testing

of your faith produces steadfastness (James

1:2-3). Blessed is the man who remains

steadfast under trial, for when he has stood

the test he will receive the crown of life,

which God has promised to those who love

him (1:12). Peter boldly declares, if you call

on him as Father who judges impartially

according to each one’s deeds, conduct

yourselves with fear throughout the time of

your exile, knowing that you were ransomed

from the futile ways inherited from your

forefathers, not with perishable things such

as silver and gold, but with the precious

blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without

blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the

foundation of the world but was made

manifest in the last times for the sake of you,

who through him are believers in God, who

raised him from the dead and gave him glory,

so that your faith and hope are in God (1 Pet.

1:17-21). Blessings, Randy.

The tennants of the early church

1) sola Scriptura (human reasoning and tradition should never supercede Scripture and therefore no dreams, visions or any prophetic revelation)

2) faith alone in Christ alone (no works based salvation)

3) priesthood of ALL believers (every believer has a ministry, purpose and calling. Not a select few. Every believer is a priest to God.

4) Christ and Him crucified sola Christos (focus must be on why Christ died, Christ risen and Christ coming again. Any other focus diverts from Him and is not the gospel.

5) repentance (without repentance no true gospel is preached)

Bill Marshall

Sometimes your joy is the source of your

smile, but sometimes your smile can be

the source of your joy.

“If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will

put off my sad face, and be of good

cheer,’”

Job 9:27

Lone Ranger

Bible Prophecy WatcherProclaiming Bible Prophecy, Biblical Truth, and the Second Coming of Yeshua HaMashiach
Hurricane Harvey – God’s Warning to an Unrepentant Nation?
Posted by Lone Ranger
“Hurricane Harvey Has Dumped 15 Trillion Gallons Of Water On Texas And May Be The Most Expensive Natural Disaster In U.S. History “, The Economic Collapse Blog – 8/28/2017
“Thousands driven from homes, seven dead, as Harvey hammers Houstont “,Reuters – 8/27/2017
“Texas has never seen an event like this, could be the worst flooding disaster in US history “, The Watchers – 8/28/2017
Bible Prophecy Commentary: More Warnings …
Many in Texas have experienced unprecedented and overwhelming catastrophe and it goes without saying that we should pray for them. But what if it is God warning this nation to return to Him in sincere repentance and holiness through this tremendous flooding event? If you know your Bible, He has done things like this in the past to ancient Judah and Israel to get their attention. Even Nineveh experienced several disasters before Jonah showed up to preach repentance. Then from the king on down they repented in sackcloth and ashes. And God’s judgment was adverted for a season.
Please do not think lightly of this event as it is being too extreme or unnatural. God uses His creation to speak His will whether for correction or mercy – Job 37:13. He has done it in the past and will do it in the future. Please pray for those thousands affected by this terrible and terrifying weather event, that they would be comforted, helped and most of all that they would find the Lord out of all this. This is so important. (Note: Texas has the most mega-churches in the nation at 174).
We remember the Flood in Noah’s day – he preached righteousness for 120 years yet only 8 were saved out of it. We remember Lot of Sodom and Gomorrah, only 4 saved from its total destruction. Folks, God is serious about sin and just as serious about repentance. Read Luke 13:1-5 and see just how serious He is.
“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” -Luke 21:25-26 (KJV)
We just had a total solar eclipse that sliced America in half in its path. And there is to be another in 2024. It’s time we stopped and carefully weighed how God speaks to us. And the weather is a big sign that speaks of His remedial judgments to get us to return to Him. Signs in the heavens – sun, moon and stars are other means He speaks to us. So if He says these things in His word – the Bible – why do most Christians scoff and mock that these could actually be signs from the hand of God? Great question for our illustrious pastors and church clergy of this post modern period.
Friends, it’s time to wake up and observe what Almighty God is trying to tell us. It’s time to seek His face. Not tomorrow or next week or at another time when things seem better in our lives – now’s the time. Are you saved?
“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh … Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” -Luke 21:28, 36 (KJV)
__________________________________________________
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem – Psa 122:6 (KJV)
Coram Deo (living in the presence of Almighty God 24×7)
-BPWatcher, Internet Preacher and Bible Prophecy Watchman
CALAMITIES INCREASE!
“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. ” -Matt 24:7 (KJV)
“And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.” -Luke 21:11 (KJV)

Hurricane Harvey – God’s Warning to an Unrepentant Nation?

False prophet

Joel Olsteen has never preached a sermon

from the holy word of God…Because God’s

Holy Word exposes sin and he doesn’t like to

offend anyone.Joel’s message is about self

esteem and motivation,has nothing to do

with Jesus and why He died on the

cross.This is why Joey Olsteen is a false

“prophet”… You can never enter heaven with

a message like Joel’s,because it take JESUS

OUT,and replaces it with feel good Ear

tickling Prosperity Motivation Self esteem

WOLF IN SHEEP’s CLOTHING.

Paul Washer on Pride

Paul Washer on Pride….. “Pride is a terrible

and dangerous thing. It can take so many

forms; it can even assume the appearance of

humility. Pride can lead not only to self-

exaltation, but also to self-abasement. It is

a dangerous worm of many disguises. The

key to battling pride is not found in

struggling against thinking too highly of

ourselves or in striving to think of ourselves

as lowly. The key is found in simply not

thinking about ourselves at all, but setting

our minds on Christ and the needs of

others.” –

Paul Washer on Pride

Paul Washer on Pride….. “Pride is a terrible

and dangerous thing. It can take so many

forms; it can even assume the appearance of

humility. Pride can lead not only to self-

exaltation, but also to self-abasement. It is

a dangerous worm of many disguises. The

key to battling pride is not found in

struggling against thinking too highly of

ourselves or in striving to think of ourselves

as lowly. The key is found in simply not

thinking about ourselves at all, but setting

our minds on Christ and the needs of

others.” –

Steven Lawson

“Holiness is not the

way to Jesus. Jesus is

the way to holiness.”

Steven Lawson

Streams in the Desert – August 30

Streams in the Desert – August 30
2017Aug 30

They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep (Ps. 107:23-24).
He is but an apprentice and no master in the art, who has not learned that every wind that blows is fair for Heaven. The only thing that helps nobody, is a dead calm. North or south, cast or west, it matters not, every wind may help towards that blessed port. Seek one thing only: keep well out to sea, and then have no fear of stormy winds. Let our prayerbe that of an old Cornishman: “O Lord, send us out to sea–out in the deep water. Here we are so close to the rocks that the first bit of breeze with the devil, we are all knocked to pieces. Lord, send us out to sea–out in the deep water, where we shall have room enough to get a glorious victory.”

–Mark Guy Pearse
Remember that we have no more faith at any time than we have in the hour of trial. All that will not bear to be tested is mere carnal confidence. Fair-weather faith is no faith.

–C. H. Spurgeon

Oswald Chambers

Usefulness or Relationship?
August 30, 2017
Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. —Luke 10:20

Jesus Christ is saying here, “Don’t rejoice in your successful service for Me, but rejoice because of your right relationship with Me.” The trap you may fall into in Christian work is to rejoice in successful service— rejoicing in the fact that God has used you. Yet you will never be able to measure fully what God will do through you if you do not have a right-standing relationship with Jesus Christ. If you keep your relationship right with Him, then regardless of your circumstances or whoever you encounter each day, He will continue to pour “rivers of living water” through you (John 7:38). And it is actually by His mercy that He does not let you know it. Once you have the right relationship with God through salvation and sanctification, remember that whatever your circumstances may be, you have been placed in them by God. And God uses the reaction of your life to your circumstances to fulfill His purpose, as long as you continue to “walk in the light as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7).
Our tendency today is to put the emphasis on service. Beware of the people who make their request for help on the basis of someone’s usefulness. If you make usefulness the test, then Jesus Christ was the greatest failure who ever lived. For the saint, direction and guidance come from God Himself, not some measure of that saint’s usefulness. It is the work that God does through us that counts, not what we do for Him. All that our Lord gives His attention to in a person’s life is that person’s relationship with God— something of great value to His Father. Jesus is “bringing many sons to glory…” (Hebrews 2:10).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
There is no condition of life in which we cannot abide in Jesus. We have to learn to abide in Him wherever we are placed.Our Brilliant Heritage
Bible in O

Stephen Thomas

The Bible is where you find truth .. it’s where you find life. it’s is where you find the way, it’s where you find hope and it is where you find Jesus the Christ. Blessings saints.

Berean CallCan Children Understand Religion?

Berean Call

Can Children Understand Religion?

It is a masterpiece of the devil to make us believe that children cannot understand religion. Would Christ have made a child the standard of faith if He had known that it was not capable of understanding His words?

–Dwight L. Moody (February 5, 1837 –

Prophecy, News and Updates Happening Now .

JOEL OSTEEN ORDERS LAKEWOOD CHURCH CLOSED TO FLOOD VICTIMS: With all the tens of millions of dollars his followers give Lakewood Church every year, and because of it’s massive sports stadium size, it would be only natural to think that Joel Osteen would order his hugh building to be a receiving zone for the many thousands of displaced people in Hurricane Harvey. Lakewood Church has 16,000 seats in it’s main arena. So why did Osteen order the doors to his millionaires monastery shut to the public? That’s what I would like to know. After a public outcry, he begrudgedly opened the church to the public late today. But please, don’t stop sending in your money to fund his lavish lifestyle, he counts on suckers like you to pay his bills.

Mega-Rich Pastor Joel Osteen Orders Doors Of Lakewood Church Shut To Public At Height Of Hurricane Harvey • Now The End Begins

Stephen ThomasWords to Ponder

Stephen Thomas

Words to Ponder

“The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, ‘O God, forgive me,’ or ‘Help me.’” –Billy Graham

Words to Ponder

“We may speak about a place where there are no tears, no death, no fear, no night; but those are just the benefits of heaven. The beauty of heaven is seeing God.” ― Max Lucado

Johnny Farina

This is a warning going out to all my friends,

but especially my born again Christian

friends…….I will make enemies, I am sure,

but I am more than used to that……this is

the truth and this is a huge warning to all of

you…..

Yoga should not be practiced by anyone,

Christian or not, in any way, shape, or form,

for ANY reason……

I can hear some of you now….you do it

because it’s popular, it’s just ‘breathing and

stretching’, you ignore the spiritual parts and

just focus on the physical parts, it helps you

relax, it helps you in other ways, everyone is

doing it, etc, etc, etc……I stand by my

statement above…..Yoga, is ANY form, it

dangerous to your soul…….

Many of my friends here run fitness clinics or

companies and you may be offering yoga to

sincerely help people…..you are being

deceived…..yoga is everywhere now, in gyms,

in schools, at your jobs, even in your

churches…….that is terrifying….and no, I am

NOT exaggerating……some think that are

safe because they practice yoga to become

better Christians, meditating on Scripture or

praying…….they are wrong, it is still

dangerous…..

I challenge (and yes, even beg) each of you

to do research on your own……you will find

good and bad on yoga…..I am sure it does

help many people feel better, more relaxed,

healthier, stronger, etc, but the real question

is: is it truly safe or is it Satanic in origin? I

cannot provide a book’s worth of reasons

here, you must research this on your own,

but ALL yoga can be traced back to the

Serpent’s lie to Eve, you shall be as

gods…..you might not even be aware of this,

but when you practice yoga, you are opening

yourself up to serious danger and deception,

even possession……if you think I am going a

little overboard with this, I again BEG you to

research it as I did…..it is NOT harmless in

any form…..it is spiritually dangerous and

you need to stop, repent, and let the Lord

deliver you from this…..Satan can and does

appear as an angel of light….that is where

the benefits of yoga come from……do you

want to feel better at the expense of your

soul? the source of ALL of these benefits is

the ENEMY…….and that should concern

you…….

Comment, ask questions, discuss this, but

there is no doubt in my mind that this

practice, no matter how innocent is seems, is

dangerous……..please learn for yourself, I

beg you……….

PLEASE SHARE THIS!!!!!

Much love in Christ,

Johnny

Dennis Nyaga

UNBELIEF IS POISONOUS AND

DANGEROUS…MANY BELIEVERS WILL BE

LEFT BEHIND BY THE CATCHING AWAY….

NOT BECAUSE THEY DID NOT SEE THE

SIGNS.

ACTUALLY MOST OF THOSE WHO EVEN

KNOW AND HAVE HEARD OF THE SIGNS IN

THE HEAVENS WILL MISS THE KING JUST

BECAUSE OF THE UNBELIEF SPOKEN IN

HEBREWS 3.

REMEMBER THE WIFE OF LOT…..!!!!!!

REPENT OF THE SIN OF UNBELEIF.

Stephen ThomasWords to Ponder

Stephen Thomas

Words to Ponder

An invitation to a royal wedding would be among the highest honors a king could bestow on one of his subjects. While this may be beyond all our expectations, this is exactly what God has done for us! His calling of people into the church, the Body of Christ, is an invitation, not just to eternal life, but also to the marriage of His Son to His Bride (Revelation 19:7-9). Blessings saints.

Streams in the Desert – August 29

Streams in the Desert – August 29
2017Aug 29
And he went out carrying his own cross (John 19:17).
There is a poem called “The Changed Cross.” It represents a weary one who thought that her cross was surely heavier than those of others whom she saw about her, and she wished that she might choose an other instead of her own. She slept, and in her dream she was led to a place where many crosses lay, crosses of different shapes and sizes. There was a little one most beauteous to behold, set in jewels and gold. “Ah, this I can wear with comfort,” she said. So she took it up, but her weak form shook beneath it. The jewels and the gold were beautiful, but they were far too heavy for her.
Next she saw a lovely cross with fair flowers entwined around its sculptured form. Surely that was the one for her. She lifted it, but beneath the flowers were piercing thorns which tore her flesh.
At last, as she went on, she came to a plain cross, without jewels, without carvings, with only a few words of love inscribed upon it. This she took up and it proved the best of all, the easiest to be borne. And as she looked upon it, bathed in the radiance that fell from Heaven, she recognized her own old cross. She had found it again, and it was the best of all and lightest for her.
God knows best what cross we need to bear. We do not know how heavy other people’s crosses are. We envy someone who is rich; his is a golden cross set with jewels, but we do not know how heavy it is. Here is another whose life seems very lovely. She bears a cross twined with flowers. If we could try all the other crosses that we think lighter than our own, we would at last find that not one of them suited us so well as our own.

–Glimpses through Life’s Windows
If thou, impatient, dost let slip thy cross,

Thou wilt not find it in this world again;

Nor in another: here and here alone

Is given thee to suffer for God’s sake.

In other worlds we may more perfectly

Love Him and serve Him, praise Him,

Grow nearer and nearer to Him with delight.

But then we shall not any more

Be called to suffer, which is our appointment here.

Canst thou not suffer, then, one hour or two?

If He should call thee from thy cross today,

Saying: “It is finished-that hard cross of thine

From which thou prayest for deliverance,

“Thinkest thou not some passion of regret

Would overcome thee? Thou would’st say,

“So soon? Let me go back and suffer yet awhile

More patiently. I have not yet praised God.”

Whensoe’er it comes, that summons that we look for,

It will seem soon, too soon. Let us take heed in time

That God may now be glorified in us.

–Ugo Bassi’s Sermon in a Hospital

The Unsurpassed Intimacy of Tested Faith

The Unsurpassed Intimacy of Tested Faith
August 29, 2017
Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” —John 11:40

Every time you venture out in your life of faith, you will find something in your circumstances that, from a commonsense standpoint, will flatly contradict your faith. But common sense is not faith, and faith is not common sense. In fact, they are as different as the natural life and the spiritual. Can you trust Jesus Christ where your common sense cannot trust Him? Can you venture out with courage on the words of Jesus Christ, while the realities of your commonsense life continue to shout, “It’s all a lie”? When you are on the mountaintop, it’s easy to say, “Oh yes, I believe God can do it,” but you have to come down from the mountain to the demon-possessed valley and face the realities that scoff at your Mount-of-Transfiguration belief (see Luke 9:28-42). Every time my theology becomes clear to my own mind, I encounter something that contradicts it. As soon as I say, “I believe ‘God shall supply all [my] need,’ ” the testing of my faith begins (Philippians 4:19). When my strength runs dry and my vision is blinded, will I endure this trial of my faith victoriously or will I turn back in defeat?
Faith must be tested, because it can only become your intimate possession through conflict. What is challenging your faith right now? The test will either prove your faith right, or it will kill it. Jesus said, “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me” Matthew 11:6). The ultimate thing is confidence in Jesus. “We have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end…” (Hebrews 3:14). Believe steadfastly on Him and everything that challenges you will strengthen your faith. There is continual testing in the life of faith up to the point of our physical death, which is the last great test. Faith is absolute trust in God— trust that could never imagine that He would forsake us (see Hebrews 13:5-6).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
God does not further our spiritual life in spite of our circumstances, but in and by our circumstances. Not Knowing Whither, 900 L

John Hannan

I do believe we slander Christ when we

think we are to draw the people by

something else but the preaching of Christ

crucified.

C.H .SPURGEON

Michael HuntWHY I COME TO THE LORD’s TABLE

Michael Hunt

WHY I COME TO THE LORD’s TABLE

“For as oft as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do shew the LORD’s death till he come.” I Corinthians 11: 26

I COME NOT BECAUSE I am worthy; nor for any righteousness of mine. For I have sinned and fallen short of what, by God’s help, I might have been.

I COME, NOT THAT THERE is any magic in partaking of the symbols for Christ’s body and blood.

BUT, I COME BECAUSE Christ bids me come. It is His table, and He invites me.

I COME, BECAUSE it is a memorial to Him – as oft as it is done in remembrance of Him. And when I remember Him – His life, His presence, His sufferings and death, I find myself humbling myself in His presence and bowing before Him in worship.

I COME, BECAUSE HERE IS PORTRAYED Christian self-denial, and I am taught very forcibly the virtue of sacrifice on behalf of another, sacrifice which has salvation in it.

I COME, BECAUSE here I have the opportunity to acknowledge my unworthiness and to make a new start.

I COME, BECAUSE I find comfort and peace.

I COME, BECAUSE here I fond hope

I COME, BECAUSE I rise from this place with new strength, courage and power to live for Him who died for me.

—Selected

3 hrs · Public

Martin Luther

Let the man who would

hear God speak read

Holy Scripture.

Martin Luther

Voice of the dying Church

You have absolutely no

life (dead in sin) unless

Jesus Christ is living in

you: Eat His flesh and

drink His blood.

_John 6:54

Charles Spurgeon

Sin to a believer is

horrible, because it

crucified the Saviour;

he sees in every

iniquity the nails and

spear.

Charles Spurgeon

Oswald Chambers

The Purpose of Prayer
August 28, 2017
…one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray…” —Luke 11:1

Prayer is not a normal part of the life of the natural man. We hear it said that a person’s life will suffer if he doesn’t pray, but I question that. What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in him, which is nourished not by food, but by prayer. When a person is born again from above, the life of the Son of God is born in him, and he can either starve or nourish that life. Prayer is the way that the life of God in us is nourished. Our common ideas regarding prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer simply as a means of getting things for ourselves, but the biblical purpose of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.
“Ask, and you will receive…” (John 16:24). We complain before God, and sometimes we are apologetic or indifferent to Him, but we actually askHim for very few things. Yet a child exhibits a magnificent boldness to ask! Our Lord said, “…unless you…become as little children…” (Matthew 18:3). Ask and God will do. Give Jesus Christ the opportunity and the room to work. The problem is that no one will ever do this until he is at his wits’ end. When a person is at his wits’ end, it no longer seems to be a cowardly thing to pray; in fact, it is the only way he can get in touch with the truth and the reality of God Himself. Be yourself before God and present Him with your problems— the very things that have brought you to your wits’ end. But as long as you think you are self-sufficient, you do not need to ask God for anything.
To say that “prayer changes things” is not as close to the truth as saying, “Prayer changes me and then I change things.” God has established things so that prayer, on the basis of redemption, changes the way a person looks at things. Prayer is not a matter of changing things externally, but one of working miracles in a person’s inner nature.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
No one could have had a more sensitive love in human relationship than Jesus; and yet He says there are times when love to father and mother must be hatred in comparison to our love for Him. So Send I You, 1301 L
Bible in O

Living with Suffering – Streams in the Desert – August 28

Living with Suffering – Streams in the Desert – August 28
2017Aug 28
There he proved them (Exod. 15:25).
I stood once in the test room of a great steel mill. All around me were little partitions and compartments. Steel had been tested to the limit, and marked with figures that showed its breaking point. Some pieces had been twisted until they broke, and the strength of torsion was marked on them. Some had been stretched to the breaking point and their tensile strength indicated. Some had been compressed to the crushing point, and also marked. The master of the steel mill knew just what these pieces of steel would stand under strain. He knew just what they would bear if placed in the great ship, building, or bridge. He knew this because his testing room revealed it.
It is often so with God’s children. God does not want us to be like vases of glass or porcelain. He would have us like these toughened pieces of steel, able to bear twisting and crushing to the uttermost without collapse.
He wants us to be, not hothouse plants, but storm-beaten oaks; not sand dunes driven with every gust of wind, but granite rocks withstanding the fiercest storms. To make us such He must needs bring us into His testing room of suffering. Many of us need no other argument than our own experiences to prove that suffering is indeed God’s testing room offaith.

–J. H. McC
It is very easy for us to speak and theorize about faith, but God often casts us into crucibles to try our gold, and to separate it from the dross and alloy. Oh, happy are we if the hurricanes that ripple life’s unquiet sea have the effect of making Jesus more precious. Better the storm with Christ than smooth waters without Him.

–Macduff
What if God could not manage to ripen your life without suffering?

OLD JIM

Which one of us sometimes wonder how to pray? Here is a lesson about prayer:

OLD JIM
A Minister passing through his church in the middle of the day,
Decided to pause by the altar to see who’d come to pray.
Just then the back door opened and a man came down the aisle,
The minister frowned as he saw the man hadn’t shaved in a while.
His shirt was torn and shabby and his coat was worn and frayed,
The man knelt down and bowed his head, then rose and walked away.
In the days that followed at precisely noon, the preacher saw this chap,
Each time he knelt just for a moment, a lunch pail in his lap.
Well, the minister’s suspicions grew with robbery a main fear,
He decided to stop and ask the man,”What are you doing here?”
The old man said he was a factory worker and lunch was half an hour
Lunchtime was his prayer time for finding strength and power.
“I stay only a moment because the factory’s far away.
As I kneel here talking to the Lord, this is kinda what I say:
I just came by to tell you, Lord, how happy I have been,
Since we found each others friendship and you took away my sin.
Don’t know much of how to pray, but I think about you everyday.
So, Jesus, this is Jim, just checking in.”
The minister feeling foolish, told Jim that it was fine.
He told the man that he was welcome to pray there anytime.
“It’s time to go, and thanks,” Jim said, as he hurried to the door.
Then the minister knelt there at the altar, which he’d never done before.
His cold heart melted, warmed with love, as he met with Jesus there.
As the tears flowed down his cheeks, he repeated old Jim’s prayer:
“I just came by to tell you, Lord, how happy I have been,
Since we found each others friendship and you took away my sin.
I don’t know much of how to pray, but I think about you everyday.
So, Jesus, this is me, just checking in today.”
Past noon one day, the minister noticed that old Jim hadn’t come.
As more days passed and still no Jim, he began to worry some.
At the factory, he asked about him, learning he was ill.
The hospital staff was worried, but he’d given them a thrill.
The week that Jim was with them, brought changes in the ward.
His smiles and joy contagious – changed people were his reward.
The head nurse couldn’t understand why Jim could be so glad,
When no flowers, calls or cards came, not a visitor he had..
The minister stayed by his bed, he voiced the nurse’s concern:
No friends had come to show they cared. He had nowhere to turn.
Looking surprised, old Jim spoke up and with a winsome smile;
“The nurse is wrong, she couldn’t know, He’s been here all the while.
Everyday at noon He comes here, a dear Friend of mine, you see,
He sits right down and takes my hand, leans over and says to me:
‘I just came by to tell you, Jim, how happy I have been,
Since we found this friendship, and I took away your sin.
I think about you always, and I love to hear you pray,
And so Jim, this is Jesus, just checking in today.’
Amen

Lyndia Tate

Called And Qualified Into A Guaranteed

Eternal Inheritance! Many are called but few

are chosen (Matt. 22:14). Blessed be the God

and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

According to his great mercy, he has caused

us to be born again to a living hope through

the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the

dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable,

undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for

you, who by God’s power are being guarded

through faith for a salvation ready to be

revealed in the last time (1 Pet. 1:3-5). Be

imitators of God, as beloved children. And

walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave

himself up for us, a fragrant offering and

sacrifice to God (Eph. 5:1-2). He (Christ) is

the mediator of a new covenant, so that

those who are called may receive the

promised eternal inheritance (Heb. 9:15). In

Christ, we have obtained an inheritance,

having been predestinated according to the

purpose of him who works all things

according to the counsel of his will (Eph.

1:11). And those whom he predestinated he

also called, and those whom he called he

also justified, and those he justified he also

glorified (Rom. 8:30). May you be

strengthened with all power, according to his

glorious might, for all endurance and

patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father,

who has qualified you to share in the

inheritance of the saints in light (Col.

1:11-12). Whatever you do, work heartily, as

for the Lord and not for men, knowing that

from the Lord you will receive the inheritance

for your reward. You are serving the Lord

Christ (Col. 3:23-24). In Christ, you also,

when you heard the word of truth, the gospel

of your salvation, and believed in him, were

sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is

the guarantee of our inheritance until we

acquire possession of it, to the praise of his

glory (Eph. 1:13). Because I heard of your

faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward

all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks

for you, remembering you in my prayers, that

the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father

of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom

and of revelation in the knowledge of him,

having your hearts enlightened, that you may

know what is the hope to which he has called

you, what are the riches of his glorious

inheritance in the saints, and what is the

immeasurable greatness of his power toward

us who believe (Eph. 1:15-19). The Spirit

and the Bride say, Come. And let the one who

hears say, Come. And let the one who desires

take the water of life without price (Rev.

22:17). He who testifies to these things says,

Surely I am coming soon. Amen. Come Lord

Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with

you all. Amen (20-21). Blessings, Randy

Born Proud and Need Humility

The J.C. Ryle Archive at 4:43:00 AM We Are Born Proud and Need Humility

Humility like this is one of the strongest evidences of the indwelling of the Spirit of God. We know nothing of humility by nature, for we are all born proud.

To convince us of sin, to show us our own vileness and corruption, to put us in our right place, to make us lowly and self-abased–these are among the principal works which the Holy Spirit works in the soul of man. Few of our Lord’s sayings are so often repeated as the one which closes the parable of the Pharisee and Tax-collector– “Every one that exalts himself shall be abased, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.” (Luke 18:14.) To have great gifts, and do great works for God, is not given to all believers. But all believers ought to strive to be clothed with humility.

~ J.C. Ryle

Answers From the Book

THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE: 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

What does Christian gratitude look like?

It looks like humble worship. Psalms 29:2, “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.”

It looks like loving compassion to others. “Ephesians 4:32, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

It looks like dependence upon the Lord. Philippians 4:6, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

It looks like sharing the Gospel with the lost. Mark 16:15, “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

It looks like faithful attendance in the church meetings. Hebrews 10:25, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

It looks like faithful obedience to the Lord. Psalms 143:10, “Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.”

If we truly love the Lord and are thankful for “all his benefits” (Psalm 116:12), we will desire to learn more about Christ and to imitate His life of love and service to His Father.

Let us be sure that when others see us, they see a grateful Christian.

J.C. Ryle

Suffering Savior, Suffering Disciples

Suffering is a part of the process by which the children of God are made holy. They are chastened to wean them from the world, and make them partakers of God’s holiness. The Captain of their salvation was made “perfect through suffering,” and so are they (Hebrews 2:10; 12:10). There never was a great saint who had not experienced either great hardships, or great persecutions.

Let us try to settle this in our hearts also. The children of God all have a cross to bear. A suffering Savior generally has suffering disciples. The Bridegroom was a man of sorrows. Therefore, the Bride must not be a woman of pleasures and unacquainted with grief. Blessed are they that mourn! Let us not murmur at the cross. This also is a sign of sonship.

~ J.C. Ryle

Paula MailletAugust 28God Invests In You

Paula Maillet

August 28

God Invests In You

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country,

who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.

And to one he gave five talents,

to another two, and to another one,

to each according to his own ability;

and immediately he went on a journey.”

Matthew 25:14-15

God has invested in you. He has invested in each one of us, giving gifts and abilities to each -some more, some less.

“But one and the same Spirit works all these things,

distributing to each one individually as he wills.”

1 Corinthians 12:11

And he expects us to use them, to invest them in HIS work. Many ignore them. For whatever reason they bury them and set their minds and hearts on other things.

“And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground.

Look, there you have what is yours.”

Matthew 25:25

What could be more important in life than discovering what one’s gifts and talents are, and then using them for the Kingdom of God? We’re on this earth for such a relatively short time, and then we go into eternity. What could be sadder for a believer than to arrive in heaven only to find that he had squandered his talents and left unfulfilled the use he might have made of them? How sad when he discovers “what could have been!”

Brothers and sisters, invest TIME kneeling before God and seeking to know what his plan is for your life according to what he has invested in you. This is perhaps one of the most important things you will do in life, because the use or neglect of your talents will have a great effect on others, one way or another, and will affect your rewards or lack thereof, in heaven.

Therefore it is crucial that you have this conversation with the Master, seeking direction from him as to what exactly he has invested in you, and how you are to use it. Don’t leave this undone, this conversation can change the course of your life. Don’t resist it, rejoice in it, for it is God who is at work in your life to bring your calling to the joy and satisfaction of success, and once you experience that, you’ll discover a joy that cannot be found in anything else.

Christianity vs. Churchianity

Christianity vs. ChurchianityFrom ZWT Reprints, page 533, September, 1883, by A. A. Phelps.
We are living in an age of shames and counterfeits. Satan seems to have abandoned the hope of crushing out the Christian Church by a process of undisguised hostility, and now seeks to destroy her efficiency by stealthily draining off her vitality, and robbing her of every supernatural element. He “transforms himself into an angel of light”, and often assumes to be the special friend and guardian of the Church. Craftily he infuses his deadly virus and inculcates his plausible philosophy, until the moral perception is obscured, the conscience is distorted, and policy runs nearly the whole ecclesiastical machinery. Thus a popularized religion — which costs nothing and is worth nothing — is readily accepted, while the old religion of the cross is utterly discarded. The consequence is, that there is religion enough, andChurchianity enough, but a great famine for real Christianity. We meet with thousands all over the land who, if catechized in regard to their spiritual condition, reply with much self- assurance that they are members of such a Church. They assume that the Church is an ark of safety; and, once ensconced within her enclosures, all further anxiety ends. Let us try to unmask this dreadful delusion of the devil.
There is a difference, we may premise, between the real and the nominal Church of Christ; The former is composed of all true Christians. Its boundaries are therefore invisible, as no man can tell exactly where to draw the lines. The latter is composed of those who assume the Christian name and practice the ordinances of God’s house. It is commonly called the visible Church, because its boundary lines are known. The epithet may apply to a single local society of a given denomination, or to the aggregate of local societies of all denominations. We use the term, in this paper, to designate the outward or visible Church.
1. Christ and the Church are not identical.
There may be ten thousand Churches, but there is only one Christ. Nor can all those Churches supply the place of our one, blessed all-sufficient Savior. A man may be saved without the Church, but he cannot be saved without Christ. A man may be in the Church and not be saved; but he cannot be inChrist without salvation. Sinners sometimes become members of the Church; but only saintsare members of Christ. A person may live in the Church for years, with the old heart of carnality and selfishness; but “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature”. The requirements of the Church are often wrong and ruinous; but the claims of Christ are always reasonable and right. The Church may become a sink of pollution; but Christ is ever the perfection of purity. The Church may be rent with divisions; but Jesus Christ is not divided. The Church may become terribly entangled in mysticism and error; but Christ is always the embodiment of light and truth. The Church may change her name and her nature; but Christ is “the same yesterday, today, and forever”. The Church may be a crutch to walk with, but she is a poor Christ to trust in for salvation and eternal life.
2. Christian worship and Church worship are not identical.
Vast multitudes cling to some Church establishment as a drowning man would cling to a life-boat. They bow obsequiously to her priestly and official mandates, and imagine that the blind servility which they tender to the Church will be accounted acceptable service offered to Christ. The simplicity of the Gospel is lost in the imposing forms and glittering accompaniments of modern churchism. Splendid church edifices attract the eye. Splendid music charms the ear. Splendid prayers are addressed to the CONGREGATION. Splendid sermons please the fancy, and leave deluded sinners to slumber on. Church rivalry has achieved a glorious success, if success thundering organs, ostentatious dressing, theatrical singing, pointless praying, rhetorical preaching, careless hearing, and unscriptural practicing!
Much of the current worship is done by proxy. Lazy religionists surrender their sacred rights to others. They take it for granted that the preacher is on the right track, and readily swallow whatever may be doled out from the pulpit, without using their own brains in searching for the hidden treasures of truth. Thus religious ideas are transmitted from generation to generation, until tradition exerts a more powerful influence than the Bible in molding the sentiments of men. There comes to be a fashionable faith, as well as a fashionable dress. To embrace a certain stereotyped circle of doctrinal views entitles a man to the claim of “orthodoxy”; but let him not venture one step out of the beaten track, if he would not be denounced as a deluded heretic! But few have the moral courage to question the decisions of the Church, much less to discard what she has labeled as “orthodox”. The verdict of a few leading denominations has thus grown up into a threatening tyranny; and the multitude cannot think of stemming the mighty tide. So they bow down in their narrow enslavement and worship this curiously- fashioned but pious-looking idol – the Church! Since all idolatry is an abomination to God, we have no more right to worship a church than we have to worship a golden calf! We rob the Lord of His rightful honor, and ourselves of the highest bliss of Christianity, by looking to the Church too much, and “looking unto Jesus” too little. What can be done to deal a staggering blow to this cruel church- worship of the day, and at the same time give us more exalted and ravishing views of Jesus Christ? There is a grand failure to carry out the ultimate design, when the appliances of the Gospel result only in the production of Churchianity. Our perception, our prayers, our faith and our adoration must overleap the narrow precincts of the outward Church, and rise up to the eternal throne! “Worship God!”
3. Christian fellowship and Church fellowship are not identical.
The followers of Christ are called upon to “love one another with a pure heart fervently”. Indeed, this is one of the Scriptural tests of discipleship. “We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren”. All Christians constitute one family, and love is the golden tie designed to bind their hearts together around the common cross. But love is a tender plant that needs to be reared with a hand. Hence the many exhortations of Scripture to “consider one another” — to “be kindly affectioned one to another” — to esteem others better than ourselves — to “bear one another’s burdens” — to exercise a forgiving spirit — to “let brotherly love continue” — to “endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace”. All such injunctions point out the danger of alienated feelings and poisoned affections, and show the importance of making a special effort to promote Christian unity and love. How disastrous are the results of not regarding these Gospel precepts!

Catastrophic flooding ‘beyond anything experienced’ in Houston and ‘expected to worsen’]

Words cannot describe the catastrophic situation unfolding in Houston and Southeast Texas. As daylight dawned this morning, the scope of the devastation began to come into clearer focus, and it will probably take months, if not years, to fully recover from damage of this magnitude.
[Catastrophic flooding ‘beyond anything experienced’ in Houston and ‘expected to worsen’]
The total rainfall from the storm is likely to tally up to a widespread 15 to 30 inches, with a few localized spots picking up 50 inches or more. Many textbooks have the 60-inch mark as a once-in-a-million-year recurrence interval, meaning that if any spots had that amount of rainfall, they would essentially be dealing with a once-in-a-million-year event.

High-resolution NAM model projects an additional 15 to 30 inches of rain in Southeast Texas through Tuesday night. (Pivotal Weather.com)
Regardless of whether we reach that 60-inch benchmark, “it’s fair to say it will produce more rain than we have ever seen before in the U.S. from a tropical system and over the fourth-largest city in the country,” said Eric Fisher, chief meteorologist at WBZ-TV in Boston. “Looking at those two factors, it will likely be an unprecedented flooding disaster affecting a massive number of people. It’s hard, if not impossible, to compare this to any other storm. It may stand alone when all is said and done in terms of rainfall.

Steve Hammer

I wonder………..how would the tide of your

battle shift if you were to comprehend

that………maybe…….just maybe……..the

fierceness of your storm is not because God

has forgotten you………rather…….it is the

very fact that God has so definitively placed

His hand on you that has the enemy so

intimidated by you that he is coming after

you with everything he can to try to get you

to quit before you fulfill the purpose God has

ordained for you.

The question is……….why does the enemy

see what God has placed within you more

clearly than you do?

Jodi Cressler

Henok Esayas Grace

Gone

“Gone are the demons, gone are the gangs

No more mafia in their ranks.

Gone are the criminals, don’t need police.

Don’t need lawyers, those reformed make

peace.

Money is extinct, no more bankers or

casinos.

No more insurance or debts.

All illnesses healed, no more pain

No more hospitals, no more patients.

No more death, no more funerals

No more hearses, no more morticians.

No more war, no more weapons

No more armies, no more casualties.

No more porn, no more trafficking

No more dealers, no more slaves.

No more pollution, no more drought.

No more poverty, no more poor.

No more fear, no more hate,

No more heartaches, no more evil.

Love all around!

When the Prince of Peace rules the earth.”

Based on Revelation 21:3-5

Steve Hammer

“A sincere heart is a suspicious heart. The

hypocrite suspects others of sin but has

charitable thoughts of himself! The sincere

Christian has charitable thoughts of others

and suspects himself of sin. He calls himself

often to account: “O my soul, have you any

evidences for heaven? Is there no flaw in your

evidences? You may mistake common grace

for saving grace. Weeds in the cornfields look

like flowers. The foolish virgins’ lamps looked

as if they had oil in them. O my soul, is it not

so with you?” The man of sincere soul, being

ever jealous, plays the critic upon himself

and so traverses things in the court of

conscience as if he were presently to be cited

to God’s bar. This is to be pure in heart. A

pure heart breathes after purity.”

If God should stretch out the golden scepter

and say to him, “Ask, and it shall be given

you—up to half the kingdom,” he would say,

“Lord, give me a pure heart! Let my heart

have this inscription, Holiness to the Lord.

Let my heart be Your temple for You to dwell

in. Lord, what would I do in heaven with this

unholy heart? What converse could I have

with You?” A gracious soul is so in love with

purity that he prizes a pure heart above all

blessings.”

~Thomas Watson

Linda MacDonald

Taken Aside by Jesus – Streams in the Desert – August 27

Taken Aside by Jesus – Streams in the Desert – August 27
And he took him aside from the multitude(Mark 7:33).
Paul not only stood the tests in Christian activity, but in the solitude of captivity. You may stand the strain of the most intense labor, coupled with severe suffering, and yet break down utterly when laid aside from all religious activities; when forced into close confinement in some prison house.
That noble bird, soaring the highest above the clouds and enduring the longest flights, sinks into despair when in a cage where it is forced to beat its helpless wings against its prison bars. You have seen the great eagle languish in its narrow cell with bowed head and drooping wings. What a picture of the sorrow of inactivity.
Paul in prison. That was another side of life. Do you want to see how he takes it? I see him looking out over the top of his prison wall and over the heads of his enemies. I see him write a document and sign his name–not the prisoner of Festus, nor of Caesar; not the victim of the Sanhedrin; but the–“prisoner of the Lord.” He saw only the hand of God in it all. To him the prison becomes a palace. Its corridors ring with shouts of triumphant praise and joy.
Restrained from the missionary work he loved so well, he now built a new pulpit–a new witness stand–and from that place of bondage come some of the sweetest and most helpful ministries of Christian liberty. What precious messages of light come from those dark shadows of captivity.
Think of the long train of imprisoned saints who have followed in Paul’s wake. For twelve long years Bunyan’s lips were silenced in Bedford jail. It was there that he did the greatest and best work of his life. There he wrote the book that has been read next to the Bible. He says, “I was at home in prison and I sat me down and wrote, and wrote, for joy did make me write.” The wonderful dream of that long night has lighted the pathway of millions of weary pilgrims.
That sweet-spirited French lady, Madam Guyon, lay long between prison walls. Like some caged birds that sing the sweeter for their confinement, the music of her soul has gone out far beyond the dungeon walls and scattered the desolation of many drooping hearts.
Oh, the heavenly consolation that has poured forth from places of solitude!

–S. G. Rees
Taken aside by Jesus,

To feel the touch of His hand;

To rest for a while in the shadow

Of the Rock in a weary land.

Taken aside by Jesus,

In the loneliness dark and drear,

Where no other comfort may reach me,

Than His voice to my heart so dear.

Taken aside by Jesus,

To be quite alone with Him,

To hear His wonderful tones of love

‘Mid the silence and shadows dim.

Taken aside by Jesus,

Shall I shrink from the desert place;

When I hear as I never heard before,

And see Him ‘face to face’?

Oswald Chambers

Living Your Theology
August 27, 2017
Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you… —John 12:35

Beware of not acting upon what you see in your moments on the mountaintop with God. If you do not obey the light, it will turn into darkness. “If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:23). The moment you forsake the matter of sanctification or neglect anything else on which God has given you His light, your spiritual life begins to disintegrate within you. Continually bring the truth out into your real life, working it out into every area, or else even the light that you possess will itself prove to be a curse.
The most difficult person to deal with is the one who has the prideful self-satisfaction of a past experience, but is not working that experience out in his everyday life. If you say you are sanctified, show it. The experience must be so genuine that it shows in your life. Beware of any belief that makes you self-indulgent or self-gratifying; that belief came from the pit of hell itself, regardless of how beautiful it may sound.
Your theology must work itself out, exhibiting itself in your most common everyday relationships. Our Lord said, “…unless your righteousness exceedsthe righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). In other words, you must be more moral than the most moral person you know. You may know all about the doctrine of sanctification, but are you working it out in the everyday issues of your life? Every detail of your life, whether physical, moral, or spiritual, is to be judged and measured by the standard of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
When you are joyful, be joyful; when you are sad, be sad. If God has given you a sweet cup, don’t make it bitter; and if He has given you a bitter cup, don’t try and make it sweet; take things as they come. Shade of His Hand, 1226 L

Glad Tidings Tabernacle

As i look down this mountain side

i can see where this road goes

the shepherd is leading me

to a place where i can grow

tho’ it seems to be a trying test

i have no doubt he knows what’s best

it just might be a place of perfect rest

this valley is for me

God’s Full ArmourGLOBAL GRACE – August 2017

God’s Full Armour

GLOBAL GRACE – August 2017

Do You Know The Secret?

27. Actively Pressing On

Philippians 3:12, “Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christ-like] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own.”

It is great to participate in a race if I know that I cannot lose. And I do not participate for my own honour, but for the praise of the Lord who saved me and lifted me from darkness. Jesus grabbed me when I was on my way to hell and now I’ll chase after that holiness and put everything in place to serve His interests.

No, I do not do this for my own fame, or to earn more from God or to become a better Christian. Jesus’ work on the cross was complete and perfect. There is nothing to add to it and I will not even try to do this. But let the praise and glory of Christ be served to the fullest extent in my life!

The more I learn about Him through the Word, the more His love inspires me to serve others humbly, kindly and with love, and to proclaim and tell of the gospel of God’s grace that changed my life irreversibly until the last breath I take.

Do you live for Jesus alone? Crucify your interests and ideals on earth as much as possible and let life for you be Jesus Christ first and foremost!

5 hrs · Public

J.C. RyleDon’t Be A Dim Lighthouse

J.C. Ryle

Don’t Be A Dim Lighthouse

Settle it down in your mind that you will aim at the highest degree of holiness, spiritual-minde

dness, and consecration to God—that you will not be content with any low degree of sanctification.

Resolve that, by the grace of God, you will make Christianity beautiful in the eyes of the world. Remember that the children of the world have but few patterns of true religion before them. Oh, that every true Christian would recollect that he is set as a lighthouse in the midst of a dark world, and would labor so to live that every part of him may reflect light, and no side be dim! ~ J.C. Ryle

JoAnn N Alan

“You may live without Christ now, but it will

be hard work to die without him. You may do

without this bridge here; but when you get to

the river you will think yourself a fool to have

laughed at the only bridge which can carry

you safely over. You may despise Christ now,

but what will you do then without a Saviour?

Ah! You will want him then.”

Charles Spurgeon

God’s Full ArmourPROPHETIC UPDATE

God’s Full Armour

PROPHETIC UPDATE

26 August 2017

Natanyahu and Putin

The simple fact that these two leaders have conducted talks in the past week is emphasising the Biblical truth that it is not the USA, but Russia who will set the tone in the Middle East in these last days. For many years – until eight years ago – the USA had the strongest voice in the Middle East by far. And yet we don’t read in the Bible about the USA’s involvement in conflict in the Middle East in the last days. It is only Rosh, Meshech and Tubal (Russia) in alliance with Iran who will be the main agents in Ezekiel 38’s war. Daniel also talks about the northern king and the “far north” (Russia is due north of Jerusalem).

The subject Netanyahu talked about with Putin again is, as can be expected, Iran’s growing power in Syria, which is a direct effect of their alliance with Russia. Right at the beginning of their meeting Netanyahu warned again about the fact that Iran has no other purpose in Syria than destroying Israel, as they are stating day by day. Netanyahu also pointed out Iran’s involvement with terrorism and that they are the actual power behind Hezbollah in Lebanon. The newspapers Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post reported in detail on Netanyahu’s visit to Putin, but the dis not say much about Putin”s reaction to Netanyahu’s concerns and warning. At the end Netanyahu repeated that Israel would do everything in its power to ensure its own safety. Israel cannot accept a situation where Iran and other countreis gain a permanent presence in Syria after the Syrian conflict.

These developments in Syria stress very strongly that the Russia-Iran alliance, which didn’t even exist ten years ago, has developed so far now that, together, Russia and Iran are the most powerful forces in Syria, and that Iran is purposely preparing themselves for a conflict with Israel. These developments are taking place so fast now that one is almost inclined to read the Bible to find out what will happen next. Putin may have got the messdage now. They won’t push Israel more than they already have. Russia and Iran have actually already overstepped the red line.

The very greatest dramatic events of the last days are around the corner. But, as always, we are not writing about it to prepare people for the war between Israel and Russia. Our Lord will come to fetch His children even before this will happen. How close the rapture has to be now!

5 hrs · Pu

Debbie Sims-Shoemaker > A Minute ToMidnite

Debbie Sims-Shoemaker > A Minute To

Midnite

Please everyone, PRAY for the people in

Africa! Because so many of them are

extremely poor, the people are being

approached in different ways to join

Satanic groups with the promises of

becoming rich. Little do they know what

they are getting into until it is too late.

Most people in villages eat every other day

if they are lucky. Too many of them are so

hungry and without anything that the

promise of money sounds good to them.

Pray PRAY AND PRAY!

Marc Roy

THE POPULAR “LOVE

GOSPEL” NEVER

WARNS ANYONE OF

GOD’S COMING

WRATH. NOR DOES IT

EXPOSE SIN. ITS

FALSE LOVE, & ITS

NOT THE GOSPEL.

Henok Esayas Grace

No one is saved by his personal obedience,

but that doesn’t mean we are not saved by

obedience, because we are saved by the

perfect obedience of Jesus Christ.

J.C. Ryle

Faithfully Waiting For Christ’s Return

“Those who denounce the doctrine of the second advent as speculative, fanciful and unpractical, would do well to reconsider the subject.

The doctrine was not so regarded in the days of the apostles. In their eyes, patience, hope, diligence, moderation, personal holiness, were inseparably connected with an expectation of the Lord’s return. Happy is the Christian who has learned to think with them! To be ever looking for the Lord’s appearing is one of the best helps to a close walk with God.” ~ J.C. Ryle

Paula MailletAugust 26

Paula Maillet

August 26

Are Pre-Trib Rapture Believers Escapists?

“Who then is a faithful and wise servant,

whom his master made ruler over his

household,

to give them food in due season?

Blessed is that servant whom his master,

when he comes, will find so doing.

Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him

ruler over all his goods.”

Matthew 24:45-47

People accuse pre-trib Rapture believers of

being “escapists.” They go on to say that if

so many are being persecuted and dying

because of their faith, who do we think we

are that we should not experience the same?

What they don’t “get,” is that the Rapture has

nothing to do with the persecution of the

saints. Persecution of the saints has been

taking place since the beginning. Some

believers have suffered for their faith while

others not so much, and that will continue to

the end. Concerning the Rapture, there is a

date and time set when Jesus will come for

his Bride, all born-again believers. That date

is set, period. Until then persecution will

continue and will be stronger in some

countries, weaker in others, just as it has

always been.

If we are escapists, we have good reason to

be, for it was Jesus himself who told us to

pray to be able to ESCAPE the events of the

great Tribulation. I repeat for emphasis, he

TOLD US TO PRAY TO ESCAPE. In his

discourse about the terrible events of “the

last days,” he said:

“Watch therefore, and pray always

that you may be counted worthy TO ESCAPE

all these things that will come to pass,

and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Luke 21:36

So if you’re not praying this, then you are

ignoring a COMMAND that Jesus gave. If

you’re not doing as Jesus said and praying

to be able to escape, then you have only

yourself to blame if you are left behind.

Friends, we need to take very seriously any

command that Jesus gives.

The effect the imminence of the Rapture has

on believers is just the opposite from what

they are accused of. People say they have an

attitude of just sitting back and relaxing,

knowing the Lord will just take us when

things get bad. That couldn’t be farther from

the truth. When one realizes that the Rapture

could take place at any time, the effect that

has on the believer is to bring into focus the

shortness of the time we have to get our

ministry and calling done. If I have only a

short time to serve the Lord, then I’m going

to double down my efforts, realizing that

what I do I have to do now.

Believers who know their time here might be

cut short will pray all the more earnestly, will

use every talent he has in every way he can

think of, to get the work done. Sit back and

relax? I don’t think so!

Are we escapists? Most definitely, yes! Jesus

TOLD us to be! And it is that knowledge that

propels us to serve the Lord in every way we

can think of… while there is still time. It

centralizes in our minds the seriousness of it

all, knowing it can all end tomorrow. And it

keeps us ever vigilant to be clean before the

Lord, always desiring to be purified from the

filth of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

“And everyone who has this hope in him

purifies himself, just as he is pure.”

1 John 3:3

If you’re not an escapist, you might want to

consider becoming one. Our “blessed hope” is

the greatest motivator for service and

personal holiness than any other thing in our

walk with the Lord.

Stephen ThomasWords to Ponder

Stephen Thomas

Words to Ponder

Where the foundation is laid, God will be sure to put up the roof. – Richard Sibbes (1577-1635)

Streams in the Desert – August 262017Aug 26

Streams in the Desert – August 26
2017Aug 26
The deep says, ‘It is not with me.’ And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ (Job 28:14)

I remember a summer in which I said, “It is the ocean I need,” and I went to the ocean; but it seemed to say, “It is not in me!” The ocean did not do for me what I thought it would. Then I said, “The mountains will rest me,” and I went to the mountains, and when I awoke in the morning there stood the grand mountain that I had wanted so much to see; but it said, “It is not in me!” It did not satisfy. Ah! I needed the ocean of His love, and the high mountains of His truth within. It was wisdom that the “depths” said they did not contain, and that could not be compared with jewels or gold or precious stones. Christ is wisdom and our deepest need. Our restlessness within can only be met by the revelation of His eternal friendship and love for us.

—Margaret Bottome

“My heart is there!
’Where, on eternal hills, my loved one dwells
Among the lilies and asphodels;
Clad in the brightness of the Great White Throne,
Glad in the smile of Him who sits thereon,
The glory gilding all His wealth of hair
And making His immortal face more fair
THERE IS MY TREASURE and my heart is there.

“My heart is there!
’With Him who made all earthly life so sweet,
So fit to live, and yet to die so meet;
So mild, so grand, so gentle and so brave,
So ready to forgive, so strong to save.
His fair, pure Spirit makes the Heavens more fair,
And thither rises all my longing prayer
THERE IS MY TREASURE and my heart is there.”
—Favorite poem of the late Chas. E. Cowman

You cannot detain the eagle in the forest. You may gather around him a chorus of the choicest birds; you may give him a perch on the goodliest pine; you may charge winged messengers to bring him choicest dainties; but he will spurn them all. Spreading his lofty wings, and with his eye on the Alpine cliff, he will soar away to his own ancestral halls amid the munition of rocks and the wild music of tempest and waterfall.

The soul of man, in its eagle soarings, will rest with nothing short of the Rock of Ages. Its ancestral halls are the halls of Heaven. Its munitions of rocks are the attributes of God. The sweep of its majestic flight is Eternity! “Lord, THOU hast been our dwelling place in all generations.”

—Macduff

“My Home is God Himself”; Christ brought me there.
I laid me down within His mighty arms;
He took me up, and safe from all alarms
He bore me “where no foot but His hath trod,”
Within the holiest at Home with God,
And bade me dwell in Him, rejoicing there.
O Holy Place! O Home divinely fair!
And we, God’s little ones, abiding there.

“My Home is God Himself”; it was not so!
A long, long road I traveled night and day,
And sought to find within myself some way,
Aught I could do, or feel to bring me near;
Self effort failed, and I was filled with fear,
And then I found Christ was the only way,
That I must come to Him and in Him stay,
And God had told me so.

And now “my Home is God,” and sheltered there,
God meets the trials of my earthly life,
God compasses me round from storm and strife,
God takes the burden of my daily care.
O Wondrous Place! O Home divinely fair!
And I, God’s little one, safe hidden there.
Lord, as I dwell in Thee and Thou in me,
So make me dead to everything but Thee;
That as I rest within my Home most fair,
My soul may evermore and only see
My God in everything and everywhere;
My Home is God.
—Author Unknown

Oswald Chambers

Are You Ever Troubled?
August 26, 2017
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you… —John 14:27

There are times in our lives when our peace is based simply on our own ignorance. But when we are awakened to the realities of life, true inner peace is impossible unless it is received from Jesus. When our Lord speaks peace, He creates peace, because the words that He speaks are always “spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). Have I ever received what Jesus speaks? “…My peace I give to you…”— a peace that comes from looking into His face and fully understanding and receiving His quiet contentment.
Are you severely troubled right now? Are you afraid and confused by the waves and the turbulence God sovereignly allows to enter your life? Have you left no stone of your faith unturned, yet still not found any well of peace, joy, or comfort? Does your life seem completely barren to you? Then look up and receive the quiet contentment of the Lord Jesus. Reflecting His peace is proof that you are right with God, because you are exhibiting the freedom to turn your mind to Him. If you are not right with God, you can never turn your mind anywhere but on yourself. Allowing anything to hide the face of Jesus Christ from you either causes you to become troubled or gives you a false sense of security.
With regard to the problem that is pressing in on you right now, are you “looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2) and receiving peace from Him? If so, He will be a gracious blessing of peace exhibited in and through you. But if you only try to worry your way out of the problem, you destroy His effectiveness in you, and you deserve whatever you get. We become troubled because we have not been taking Him into account. When a person confers with Jesus Christ, the confusion stops, because there is no confusion in Him. Lay everything out before Him, and when you are faced with difficulty, bereavement, and sorrow, listen to Him say, “Let not your heart be troubled…” (John 14:27).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We are not fundamentally free; external circumstances are not in our hands, they are in God’s hands, the one thing in which we are free is in our personal relationship to God. We are not responsible for the circumstances we are in, but we are responsible for the way we allow those circumstances to affect us; we can either allow them to get on top of us, or we can allow them to transform us into what God wants us to be. Conformed to His Image, 354 L

J.C. Ryle

Applying Doctrine To Head and Heart

Let us beware of resting our hopes of salvation on mere intellectual knowledge. We live in days when there is great danger of doing so.

Education makes children acquainted with many things in religion, of which their parents were once utterly ignorant. But education alone will never make a Christian in the sight of God. We must not only know the leading doctrines of the Gospel with our heads, but receive them into our hearts, and be guided by them in our lives. May we never rest until we are inside the kingdom of God, until we have truly repented, really believed, and have been made new creatures in Christ Jesus.

~ J.C. Ryle

Paula Maillet

August 25

RUN!

“Then if anyone says to you,

‘Look, here is the Christ!’or ‘There!’

do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets

will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive,

if possible, EVEN THE ELECT.

See, I have told you beforehand.'”

Matthew 24:23-25

Great signs and wonders…

Believers have a tendency to associate signs, wonders and miracles with the power of God. And surely, believers will see the power of God as they walk with the Lord. But not all signs and wonders are from God.

There are two sources of supernatural power, God and also Satan. Satan is the great counterfeiter. And it’s crucial to know this because as we move into the time of the end, we’re going to begin seeing a lot of false signs, false wonders, and false prophecies. Jesus said that they will be so spectacular that it will nearly deceive even believers. When he was asked what the signs of his coming will be, the FIRST thing he said was, “Take heed that no one deceives you!” He was solemnly warning that in the days preceding his coming believers need to take heed, to pay strict attention, to discerning any supernatural power at work, whether it be of God or of the enemy. We MUST be on guard, because it’s going to be in our face.

When you see false signs, RUN! If you see people barking like dogs, or splitting their sides in laughter, try to picture the Lord Jesus doing these things. Try to picture the apostle Paul doing these things. Friends, this is deception. RUN! There ARE true signs, wonders, and prophecies, but they don’t come as entertainment and they don’t make people make fools out of themselves. God is a holy God.

“But,” you may say, “some people were healed in those meetings.” I repeat, when you see people being given over to craziness, RUN! Leave the subject of healings in the Lord’s hands. You don’t need to judge that. What you need is to be able to discern what’s going on in that place and if the people are being given over to frenzy, RUN! Better to miss a “healing” than to take part in something false. If God means to heal you, he will. He doesn’t have to do it there. If the “healer” has a manicured hairdo, arrives in a jet, and puts on a greatly entertaining show, RUN!

It’s going to be very, very difficult to discern what’s false as the power of the enemy is ramped up to great heights. You must know the Word of God thoroughly to be able to spot what’s false. If you’re not grounded in the Word, see to this matter immediately because it’s crucial; if you don’t know the Word of God -without question you will be deceived.

Always, always, when you see something questionable, try to picture Jesus or the apostle doing these things, and if just the thought of it makes you shudder, you’ll know you need to get out of this place.

Jesus did true healings, but he didn’t go into a frenzy, he didn’t put on a show. Likewise the apostles. When a meeting becomes entertainment, RUN!

Politics, Signs In The Heavens, Weather & Disasters

1st Judgment Falls: On SAME DAY Trump Renews Israeli-Palestinian Peace Push, U.S. Hurricane FORMS

Posted on August 25, 2017 by MichaEL Sawdy in Biblical Teaching, Israel, Opinion,

Politics, Signs In The Heavens, Weather & Disasters

On Thursday, a U.S. delegation led by Jared Kushner, President Trump’s adviser and son-in-law, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to renew the stalled Israeli-Palestinian “Peace Process”. Kushner reiterated Trump’s commitment to finding a lasting solution to the conflict though an “ultimate deal”. The White House said in a statement released on Thursday night that the meetings were “productive”. In the SAME DAY, even during the SAME HOURS of Trump’s team meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, the first major hurricane to hit the “Lone Star State” of Texas in 12 years was officially formed.

Coincidentally, there is another place on earth known as a Lone State State, bearing the Star of David on it’s Country’s Flag, and that of course is the Jewish State of ISRAEL. Read my two recent articles about the recent Total Solar Eclipse , in which I explained why I believed that the Eclipse was a Divine warning to America concerning Israeli-Palestinian “Peace”.

In my most recent article, I documented numerous connections between the Eclipse and Israel’s Capital City, JERUSALEM. I warned that if Trump continues to try to force Israel back into “Peace Talks” (which includes dividing Jerusalem on the negotiating table), Almighty God would judge and DIVIDE America. The Holy Bible is crystal clear that the division of Israel’s Land is what the LORD prophesies will bring His Wrath upon the nations.

It is certainly no coincidence that in the SAME WEEK of the “Warning Sign” Eclipse, Trump’s “Middle East Peace” team is attempting to force Israel back into negotiations. It is also no coincidence, that in the same exact day that Trump’s Administration does so, a historic hurricane forms to threaten America. If y’all can’t see the writing on the wall, I don’t know how else I could show you. Everything could not be more CONNECTED.

“Harvey” was just a tropical storm Thursday morning, but quickly intensified throughout the day, becoming a powerful hurricane which has the potential to bring 125 mph winds, up to 3 feet of rain, and 12-foot storm surges. Forecasters said Harvey gathered strength faster than predicted and they labeled it a “life-threatening storm” that posed a “grave risk”. It’s no coincidence that in the same hours Trump’s team was trying to force Israel back into the “Land-for-Peace” process with the Palestinians, that this storm strengthened dramatically.

This hurricane is forecast to be the most powerful to strike the United States in more than a decade. Historically, a majority of America’s top 10 disasters over the past 3 decades have all come immediately following, or during, calls by United States Presidents for Israel to give up some of their God-given Land for “Peace”. Thursday afternoon Harvey became a Category 1 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, by Thursday night the storm became a Category 2, and forecasters say it could strike southeast Texas on Friday or early Saturday as a devastating Category 3 storm.

As of the publication of this article on Friday morning, Hurricane Harvey has maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service. At this point, all models and forecasters agree, Harvey will make landfall as a “major hurricane”, and the direct impact should be felt along the Texas coast Friday night and into Saturday morning.

After landfall, the moisture from Harvey is expected to bring widespread heavy rain and flooding to southeast Texas starting Friday and continuing throughout the weekend. Over 25-35″ of rain is possible across parts of southeast Texas. Major flooding is likely. The National Hurricane Center is expecting ocean levels to rise over 12 feet in some places where Harvey makes landfall.

One forecaster described the storm surge as “having a tsunami arrive in the middle of a hurricane.” This hurricane isn’t expected to strike quickly and move out either. An extreme hazard of the storm will be the torrential rain. After Harvey makes landfall, the storm is expected to “STALL” over the state, all the while dumping up to 35-40 inches of rain, according to federal forecasters. If the rainfall forecast actually materializes, it would be a HISTORIC storm for Texas.

Isolated tornadoes are also possible with this storm in the outer bands of the hurricane. This would be the first hurricane to make landfall in the United States during this hurricane season, and it is considered the most “major” U.S. storm since 2005. Texas Governor, Greg Abbott, has declared a state of disaster for 30 Counties along the coastline. The state also announced a mandatory evacuation for residents of 7 Counties.

Other interesting tidbits are that the eclipse occurred at the very end of the Hebrew Calendar month of Av, and we are now in the month of Elul, known as the month of “repentance”. More importantly, all of this is occurring in the Biblically significant year known as 5777. In 5777, we celebrated the “JERUSALEM Jubilee”, the 50th Anniversary of Israel’s reunification of the Jewish State’s Holy Capital.

We witnessed the largest Supermoon of the Century at the beginning of this Hebrew Year AND the most visible total solar eclipse of the CENTURY towards the close of the year. The number 777 represents our GOD and Father in Heaven (YaHWeH). You can learn why in my article 5777: Year Of The RAPTURE?

In regards to the importance of the Holy Land of Israel to Almighty God, and why His Wrath flares up when nations attempt to divide it, God has deeded the Land to the Jews through an ETERNAL Covenant, and for an EVERLASTING Possession. Eternal and Everlasting mean FOREVER. The United Nations, world leaders, and the mainstream liberal media refer to some of Israel’s most treasured ancient cities as the “West Bank” or “settlements” in order to DENY Israel’s 4,000 year old Biblical claim to the Land.

As I have stated in many articles that NOT ONE IOTA of the Holy Land of Israel belongs to the Palestinians. The Israelis are not “occupying” anything, as the Palestinians erroneously claim, rather they are exactly where God has always determined them to be. In God’s Eyes, those living in modern-day Palestine, Egypt, Sudan, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Turkey and other Islamic lands are all “occupying” Land that God says belongs to ISRAEL.

The LORD has said that He will pour out fierce Judgments upon ALL the Nations that have a hand in taking Land away from Israel (JOEL 3:2). It is also prophesied, that not long thereafter, ARMAGEDDON (World War 3) will begin, and EVERY Nation that comes against Israel, and those who took part in dividing the Jewish Homeland, will be DESTROYED. Regardless of how many Christians think that Donald Trump is “God’s anointed leader”, which I strongly disagree with, God does not belong to a political party.

The LORD judges Democrats and Republicans alike who disobey His Word of Truth. So, just as America was judged numerous times under Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Hussein Obama, for attempting to force Israel into “Land-for-Peace” deals with the murderous Palestinians, the consequences will be NO DIFFERENT under a President Donald Trump. America will be judged just the same.

The President needs to stop with his fantasy of making the “ultimate deal” between Israel and Palestine, and just let it go. If he continues to push for renewed negotiations, this coming hurricane will later be viewed as a minor judgment compared to what is to come. As for me and my house, I pray for REAL Peace (of the LORD) upon Israel, upon their Eternal Capital Jerusalem, and for the Jewish State to NEVER AGAIN be divided.

“Thus saith The LORD; I will also gather ALL NATIONS, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat (Judgment), and will JUDGE them there on behalf of MY people and on behalf of My Heritage ISRAEL.. for the nations have DIVIDED MY LAND.” – Joel 3:2

“For the day of The LORD is near upon all the heathen: as (the NATIONS) have done (unto ISRAEL), it shall be DONE unto (the NATIONS)…” – Obadiah 1:15

“Thus saith the LORD, In that day will I make JERUSALEM a burdensome stone for all people: ALL that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces (DIVIDED)…” – Zechariah 12:3

“It SHALL come to pass in that day, that I will seek to DESTROY ALL the nations that come against JERUSALEM, saith The LORD God.” – Zechariah 12:9

“And JESUS said.. upon the earth shall be distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the WAVES ROARING; Men’s hearts failing them for FEAR, and for looking after those things which are COMING on the earth.. And then shall they see ME (Jesus Christ) COMING in a cloud with Power and great Glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then LOOK UP, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth NEAR.” – Luke 21:25-28

“Behold, a WHIRLWIND of The LORD is gone forth in FURY, even a GRIEVOUS whirlwind: it shall FALL grievously upon the head of the wicked. The ANGER of The LORD shall not return, until He has EXECUTED, and till He has PERFORMED the thoughts of His Heart: in the LATTER DAYS you shall consider it perfectly.” – Jeremiah 23:19-20 & 25:32/Nahum 1:3

Sharon Moles

This is going to be a major disaster of Biblical Proportions: THOUSANDS of Texans evacuate amid warnings of ‘immense human suffering’ from Hurricane Harvey as 35 inches of rain expected to leave areas ‘uninhabitable for months’

Final preparations made for landfall Friday morning, as winds rise and window for evacuation quickly closes

Hurricane Harvey now has maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour, on the cusp of Category 3

Flooding predicted up to 100 miles inland, with ‘devastating’ floods predicted for coastal cities and towns

Officials urge anyone who has not evacuated to get out now, predicting ‘immense human suffering’

All flights out of Corpus Christi airport cancelled for the remainder of the day on Friday morning

Harvey is predicted to become the strongest hurricane to hit the US since devastating Katrina in 2005

Looming disaster in Texas could prove a major new test for President Trump’s administration

THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT GOOD! PRAY LIKE YOU’VE NEVER PRAYED BEFORE!

Henok Esayas Grace

“Faithful preachers are among God’s best

gifts. Cherish them, and be obedient to their

admonitions”.

Steve Hammer

Deuteronomy 6:5 KJV – 5 And thou shalt

love the LORD thy God with all thine heart,

and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Mt 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt

love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and

with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Mk 12:30And thou shalt love the Lord thy

God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,

and with all thy mind, and with all thy

strength: this is the first commandment.

Lk 10:26 He said unto him, What is written in

the law? how readest thou?

27And he answering said, Thou shalt love the

Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all

thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with

all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

28And he said unto him, Thou hast answered

right: this do, and thou shalt live.

The above scriptures are impossible to live

without the Holy Spirit. The realization of our

great lack of obedience to the above, should

be a driving force in our walk of bended

knees. Most who are content in their place of

arrival, in their walk, have a definite need of

conviction.

It is easier to become a Rev 3:17 man, as the

road is wide, convictions few to none,

tolerance with acceptance is the norm.

Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and

increased with goods, and have need of

nothing; and knowest not that thou art

wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind,

and naked:

Don’t just read this,

Think on it,

Pray about it,

LIVE IT

Steve Hammer

It is entirely possible to address your words

to God, but actually be praying to yourself,

because your focus is on yourself, not on

God. Your passion is for your agenda, not

God’s. Your attitude is mine will be done

not Thy will be done.

Oswald Chambers

Sacrifice and Friendship
August 25, 2017
I have called you friends… —John 15:15

We will never know the joy of self-sacrifice until we surrender in every detail of our lives. Yet self-surrender is the most difficult thing for us to do. We make it conditional by saying, “I’ll surrender if…!” Or we approach it by saying, “I suppose I have to devote my life to God.” We will never find the joy of self-sacrifice in either of these ways.
But as soon as we do totally surrender, abandoning ourselves to Jesus, the Holy Spirit gives us a taste of His joy. The ultimate goal of self-sacrifice is to lay down our lives for our Friend (see John 15:13-14). When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, our greatest desire is to lay down our lives for Jesus. Yet the thought of self-sacrifice never even crosses our minds, because sacrifice is the Holy Spirit’s ultimate expression of love.
Our Lord is our example of a life of self-sacrifice, and He perfectly exemplified Psalm 40:8, “I delight to do Your will, O my God….” He endured tremendous personal sacrifice, yet with overflowing joy. Have I ever yielded myself in absolute submission to Jesus Christ? If He is not the One to whom I am looking for direction and guidance, then there is no benefit in my sacrifice. But when my sacrifice is made with my eyes focused on Him, slowly but surely His molding influence becomes evident in my life (see Hebrews 12:1-2).
Beware of letting your natural desires hinder your walk in love before God. One of the cruelest ways to kill natural love is through the rejection that results from having built the love on natural desires. But the one true desire of a saint is the Lord Jesus. Love for God is not something sentimental or emotional— for a saint to love as God loves is the most practical thing imaginable.
“I have called you friends….” Our friendship with Jesus is based on the new life He created in us, which has no resemblance or attraction to our old life but only to the life of God. It is a life that is completely humble, pure, and devoted to God.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
God does not further our spiritual life in spite of our circumstances, but in and by our circumstances. Not Knowing Whither, 900 L

Streams in the Desert – August 25

<< Streams in the Desert, with Mrs. Charles Cowman
Streams in the Desert – August 25
2017Aug 25
Shut up to faith (Gal. 3:23).
God, in olden time suffered man to be kept in ward by the law that he might learn the more excellent way of faith. For by the law he would see God’s holy standard and by the law he would see his own utter helplessness; then he would be glad to learn God’s way of faith.
God still shuts us up to faith. Our natures, our circumstances, trials, disappointments, all serve to shut us up and keep us in ward till we see that the only way out is God’s way of faith. Moses tried by self-effort, by personal influence, even by violence, to bring about the deliverance of his people. God had to shut him up forty years in the wilderness before he was prepared for God’s work.
Paul and Silas were bidden of God to preach the Gospel in Europe. They landed and proceeded to Philippi. They were flogged, they were shut up in prison, their feet were put fast in the stocks. They were shut up to faith. They trusted God. They sang praises to Him in the darkest hour, and God wrought deliverance and salvation.
John was banished to the Isle of Patmos. He was shut up to faith. Had he not been so shut up, he would never have seen such glorious visions of God.
Dear reader, are you in some great trouble? Have you had some great disappointment, have you met some sorrow, some unspeakable loss? Are you in a hard place? Cheer up! You are shut up to faith. Take your trouble the right way. Commit it to God. Praise Him that He maketh “all things work together for good,” and that “God worketh for him that waiteth for him.” There will be blessings, help and revelations of God that will come to you that never could otherwise have come; and many besides yourself will receive great light and blessing because you were shut up to faith.

–C. H. P
Great things are done when men and mountains meet,

These are not done by jostling in the street.

JoAnn N Alan

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is

the

kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3

“Blessed are the poor in spirit;” that is—the

broken and

humble in heart, who has no high thoughts or

conceits of

himself—but is lowly in his own eyes, like a

young child.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit;” that is—he

who has no lofty

or puffed up spirit. The poor in spirit are

those who are lowly,

being truly conscious of their own

unworthiness. None are

poor in spirit—but the humble.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit;” that is—

blessed are those

whose spirits are brought into such a humble

gracious

frame, as willingly, quietly, and contentedly to

lie down

in a poor low condition—when it is the

pleasure of the

Lord to bring them into such a condition.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit;” that is—

blessed are those

who are truly and sincerely sensible of their

spiritual

needs, poverty, and misery. They see an utter

inability

and insufficiency in themselves, and in all

other creatures

—to deliver them out of their sinful and

miserable estate.

They see nothing in themselves upon which

they dare

venture their everlasting estates—and

therefore fly to the

free, rich, sovereign, and glorious grace of

God in Christ,

as to their sure and only sanctuary!

They see their need of God’s free grace to

pardon them.

They see their need of Christ’s righteousness

to clothe them.

They see their need of the Spirit of Christ to

purge, change, and sanctify them.

They see their need of more heavenly wisdom

to counsel them.

They see their need of more . . .

of the power of God—to support them,

of the goodness of God—to supply them,

of the mercy of God—to comfort them,

of the presence of God—to refresh them,

of the patience of God—to bear with them,

etc.