"When he [the devil] speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." (John 8:44)
Some people find it difficult to believe God's promises because they've seen so many things in the natural world that seem to contradict them. They've seen faithful tithers go broke. They've seen sick Christians fail to receive their healing.
In reality, it would be more accurate to say that they think they've seen those things. Because, you see, there's a deceiver at work in the world. A deceiver who's busily doing the same thing he's been doing ever since the Garden of Eden: tricking mankind into believing God's Word isn't true.
And, after working on it for thousands of years, he's a master at it. Think about that the next time he tries to make things look as though God's Word is not going to work for you, when he makes it look like all hope is lost. Say, "I don't care about appearances. I believe the Word and I refuse to doubt it."
Let me show you what I mean. Have you ever seen a magic show where someone crawls inside a box and then is sawn in half? You can see it with your own two eyes. The guy's feet are sticking out one end of the box and his head is poking out the other, and the box is plainly cut in two. Then the magician slides the two halves back together and the sawed-apart fellow jumps out of the box in one piece.
Now tell me, did you really believe, even for a moment, that fellow was truly cut in half? Of course not! You knew that you'd seen a trick, a deception, something that appeared one way when, in reality, it was a different way altogether. You may not have known how it was done. You may not have been able to explain it. But you knew a person couldn't be sawn in half, then put back together, so you refused to believe your eyes.
That's exactly the way you need to be where the Word of God is concerned. You need to learn to trust it and rely on it to such an extent that when Satan shows you something in the natural world that appears to contradict it, you just say, "Well, I saw that, but I'm not going to be gullible enough to believe it. I'm just going to stick with the Word."
If you'll do that, the father of lies will never be able to put one over on you.
(Psalm 119:89-104 )
-This message is received from Arthur Luke. Thanks Arthur!-
We have our difficult moments in life. Hardship, misery, suffering and loneliness... but life is also full of possibility. The beauty of it all is to be able to go through all that, and come out from the other end as a stronger individual with a renewed faith in God.
"As for me, then, I love life and cultivate it just as God has been pleased to grant it to us."
- Michel de Montaigne
Monday, April 30, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
Window of New Opportunity
Everyone of us has experience failure at different level. Some of us chose to stay down, but some see it as a window of new opportunity. Life is learning process, and a life spend making mistakes is more useful than doing nothing. We can't avoid failure, but we can surely choose to benefit from it. It is from failure that we base a new success and that is the beauty of life.
"Love the moment. Flowers grow out of dark moments. Therefore, each moment is vital. It affects the whole. Life is a succession of such moments and to live each, is to succeed." - Corita Kent
"Love the moment. Flowers grow out of dark moments. Therefore, each moment is vital. It affects the whole. Life is a succession of such moments and to live each, is to succeed." - Corita Kent
Friday, April 20, 2007
Be of Good Cheer
"And now I exhort you to be of good cheer." (Acts 27:22)
Dear lukearthur, What do you do when you're in a really perilous situation?
If you're like I used to be, you cry out to God in desperation. One afternoon when I was squalling to God about something, He interrupted me and said, "Kenneth, did you know I don't hear the cry of My children when they cry out in desperation?"
"What?" I said. "I thought you did."
He said, "No, I hear the desperation cry of a sinner because that's all he can cry about. But once you get born again, son, you ought to be crying out of faith. I hear the faith cry."
What is a faith cry? It's calling things that be not as though they were (Rom. 4:17). It's what the Bible means when it says, "Let the weak say, I am strong" (Joel 3:10).
The Apostle Paul knew how to use the faith cry. That's why in Acts 27 he exhorted the men on that battered, sinking ship to "be of good cheer." He was telling them to start acting by faith. Can't you imagine what those sailors thought when he said that? "Listen to that stupid preacher. We're sinking and he says be of good cheer. We've thrown everything we have overboard and he says be of good cheer."
You may feel just like those sailors did, right now. You may feel like your ship's going down. You may feel like crying out in desperation. But don't do it. Instead, do what Paul said and be of good cheer!
Cry out to God in faith and say, "Lord, I'm not going to panic. I'm not going to despair. I'm going to be of good cheer because Your Word says You'll deliver me from this situation" (Ps. 34:19).
Then start being cheerful. It may take more determination than anything you've ever done before, but God will give you the strength to do it. He'll give you the power to be cheerful in the middle of the most ungodly darkness the devil can bring up.
Instead of crying out in desperation, take a faith stand. Sing and rejoice and praise God for your deliverance. Be of good cheer and you can be sure God will bring you through the storm just fine!
Scripture Study: Philippians 4:4-9
Thanks Arthur for sharing this.
Dear lukearthur, What do you do when you're in a really perilous situation?
If you're like I used to be, you cry out to God in desperation. One afternoon when I was squalling to God about something, He interrupted me and said, "Kenneth, did you know I don't hear the cry of My children when they cry out in desperation?"
"What?" I said. "I thought you did."
He said, "No, I hear the desperation cry of a sinner because that's all he can cry about. But once you get born again, son, you ought to be crying out of faith. I hear the faith cry."
What is a faith cry? It's calling things that be not as though they were (Rom. 4:17). It's what the Bible means when it says, "Let the weak say, I am strong" (Joel 3:10).
The Apostle Paul knew how to use the faith cry. That's why in Acts 27 he exhorted the men on that battered, sinking ship to "be of good cheer." He was telling them to start acting by faith. Can't you imagine what those sailors thought when he said that? "Listen to that stupid preacher. We're sinking and he says be of good cheer. We've thrown everything we have overboard and he says be of good cheer."
You may feel just like those sailors did, right now. You may feel like your ship's going down. You may feel like crying out in desperation. But don't do it. Instead, do what Paul said and be of good cheer!
Cry out to God in faith and say, "Lord, I'm not going to panic. I'm not going to despair. I'm going to be of good cheer because Your Word says You'll deliver me from this situation" (Ps. 34:19).
Then start being cheerful. It may take more determination than anything you've ever done before, but God will give you the strength to do it. He'll give you the power to be cheerful in the middle of the most ungodly darkness the devil can bring up.
Instead of crying out in desperation, take a faith stand. Sing and rejoice and praise God for your deliverance. Be of good cheer and you can be sure God will bring you through the storm just fine!
Scripture Study: Philippians 4:4-9
Thanks Arthur for sharing this.
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Thursday, April 19, 2007
Celebrate The Earth, April 22.
With the Earth Day just around the corner, lets embrace our beautiful planet earth and protect our environment. Curious what you can do to help save our earth? Please visit the link below. http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/animal%5Fenviron/earthday/
Happy Green Day!!
Happy Green Day!!
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