Fasting

Received as a free book from the website booksneeze, in exchange for a review..

My eyes were opened to what a vast subject fasting really is. I plan on refering back to this book often. I Had heard many things about if one should fast and when and how.. This book gave me a great deal of background on fasting and in what way to go about doing it.. Definitely reccomend it to anyone contemplating fasting to grow closer to God.

Resting in the arms of God

Even when my feelings cause me to question, why things turn out the way that they do; I know deep within my soul, God is in control! I draw near to Him when the world becomes too much to bear. He is the reason I take my next breath. The reason, my heart beats another second.

We will all stand before God someday. Do u know without a doubt, that You’ll spend eternity with Jesus, when u die? You can know today! Don’t let another hour pass without knowing for sure. You don’t want to die tonight in your sins and spend eternity in hell; separated from the ONE who created you and LOVES you more then you could imagine!

There is a big difference between, “believing that Jesus exists” and having a relationship with Him. Having a relationship requires repenting of your sins, confessing that you are a sinner in need of His forgiveness…and asking Him to forgive you.. Confessing that you believe that He shed his blood upon the cross, was buried and rose again in three days..

Growing and maturing as a follower of Jesus requires yielding to God’s will for your life; spending time in the Word (bible), being in prayer constantly and turning your thoughts upon eternity. The worries of today fail in comparison to what life in Heaven will be like. No more tears or sorrow; once we’re home with the Lord!

John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”

John 5:24 “I assure you, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”

John 6:47 “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.”

John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John 11:25-26 “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

John 20:27-29 “Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!’ ‘My Lord and my God!’ Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, ‘You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven’t seen me and believe anyway.’

I don’t have a God I can put on a stand
Or a God I hold in the palm of my hand
I have a God that’s holding me
And I don’t have a God that I can create
In the place I live with the money I make
I have a God, He made everything
So I don’t need a temporary man made deity
When I got the real thing
I got the real thing

He’s the Lord of all the earth
The maker of all things
He alone is the one true God
Kingdoms rise and fall
But even through it all
He remains
The one true God

I don’t have a thing that I got on my own
I don’t have a care that I carry alone
But I have a God who’s carrying me
I don’t have sin that He doesn’t forgive
And I don’t have a heart that is worthy of His
But I have a God who still loves me
So I don’t need a temporary man made deity
When I got the real thing
I got the real thing

The Lord of all the earth
The maker of all things
He alone is the one true God
Kingdoms rise and fall
But even through it all
He remains
The one true God

Who is this King of Glory
The Lord strong and mighty
Who is this King of Glory
The Lord strong and mighty
Who is this King of Glory
Who is this King of Glory

He’s the Lord of all the earth
The maker of all things
He alone is the one true God
Kingdoms rise and fall
But even through it all
He remains
The one true God
{repeat}

Yeah, Yeah
He is He is the one true God
I don’t have a God I can put on a stand
Or a God I hold in the palm of my hand
I have a God that’s holding me – Mark Harris

Satan Tests Jesus’ Ultimate Allegiance

Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain.- Matthew 4:8

Satan’s final temptation was a last-ditch effort to corrupt and derail Christ and His saving mission. The greatest of all adversaries sought to complete a sinister bargain in which extremely attractive and enticing possessions were offered to Jesus in exchange for His subservience to Satan.

The location (“a very high mountain”) where Satan took Jesus no doubt allowed them to have a comprehensive view of the earth for hundreds of miles in every direction. But their vantage point was clearly spiritual and supernatural as well. They would have seen the power and dominance of Rome, the glories of Egypt, and the splendor of various Greek city-states. All the wonders of the ancient world, including the magnificence of Jerusalem, would have been included.

As the King of kings, Jesus already had the rights to own and govern all the world’s kingdoms, but Satan tried to twist that reality for his own purposes. He wanted Jesus to leap ahead of God’s promised plan and reign as a king before it was fully time to do so—and at the unthinkable cost of worshiping him. If our enemy can tempt Jesus to be impatient and impulsive and grasp things prematurely, that is all the more reason for us to be on guard against such attacks.

Ask Yourself

Timing is everything. And Jesus displayed an infallible sense of what to do—and when—in every situation. Is there anything in your own life that you’re trying to speed ahead with, whether God wants you slowing down or not? Find peace in His timing. It’s always perfect—more perfect than we think.

From Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, Vol. 1, John MacArthur. Copyright © 2008. Used by permission of Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL 60610, www.moodypublishers.com

Proclaiming God’s Preeminence

We were predestined “to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:12).

Preeminence implies supreme standing, picturing one who excels over all others in a particular quality or achievement. There is no one more preeminent than God.

Ephesians 1:12 underscores that truth. You were redeemed and granted an eternal inheritance that God might be glorified. Certainly you benefit greatly from salvation, but God’s glory is the primary issue.

Our man-centered culture doesn’t share that perspective. Sadly, its self-seeking and self-glorifying mentality has crept into the church, and even the gospel itself has been subjected to its influence. For example sin is often defined by how it affects man, not how it dishonors God. Salvation is often presented as a means of receiving what Christ offers, not a mandate to obey what He commands. Many modern-day evangelists have reduced the gospel to little more than a formula by which people can live a happy and more fulfilling life. The focus has shifted from God’s glory to man’s benefit.

Such a convoluted gospel fuels the fire of self-love and self-exaltation.

As believers we know better than that. We know that the purpose of life is to glorify God. That means living to His glory is to govern everything we do.

What higher or more noble purpose could life afford? “Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,” Paul said he pressed “on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14). Keep that goal clearly in mind in all you do today. By doing so your day will be to the praise of God’s glory!

Suggestions for Prayer:

* Praise God for His preeminence in all things.
* Pray for opportunities to speak of His preeminence to others, remembering that they will see Him in your actions as well as your words.

For Further Study:

Read Job 38:42:6

* How did God convince Job of His surpassing knowledge and power?
* What was Job’s response?

From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.

Christian Prophecy: The Genesis of Real Revelation – National Christian Prophetic | Examiner.com

Christian Prophecy: The Genesis of Real Revelation – National Christian Prophetic | Examiner.com.

Living to the Glory of God

From Drawing Near by John MacArthur

God chose us “to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in [His beloved Son]” (Eph. 1:6).

Englishman Henry Martyn served as a missionary in India and Persia in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Upon his arrival in Calcutta, he cried out “Let me burn out for God.” As he watched the people prostrating themselves before their pagan idols and heard blasphemy uttered against Christ, he wrote, “This excited more horror in me than I can well express. . . . I could not endure existence if Jesus was not glorified; it would be hell to me, if He were to be always thus dishonored” (John Stott, Our Guilty Silence [InterVarsity, 1967], pp. 21-22).

Martyn had a passion for God’s glory–and he was in good company. Angels glorify God (Luke 2:14), as do the heavens (Ps. 19:1) and even animals (Isa. 43:20). But as a believer, you glorify God in a unique way because you are a testimony to His redeeming grace.

You were created for the purpose of glorifying God–even in the most mundane activities of life, such as eating and drinking (1 Cor. 10:31). You are to flee immorality so you can glorify God in your body (1 Cor. 6:19- 20). You are to walk worthy of your calling “that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified” (2 Thess. 1:12).

Glorifying God is an enormous privilege and an awesome responsibility. When others see His character on display in your life, it reminds them of His power, goodness, and grace. But when they don’t, it dishonors God and calls His character into question.

Aim your life at God’s glory and make it the standard by which you evaluate everything you do.

Suggestions for Prayer:

* Thank the Lord for the privilege of glorifying Him.
* Ask Him to show you any areas of your life that do not honor Him.
* Find a trusted Christian friend who will pray with you and hold you accountable for the areas you know need to change.

For Further Study:

Read Exodus 33:12-34:8

* What did Moses request?
* What was God’s response and what does it teach us about His glory?

From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.

The Beauty of Life

Living and learning, Laughing and loving, Hoping and growing, Sharing and caring, making the most of the days of our lives, getting in touch with the beauty inside, the journey of life has much in store, there’s many challenges to endure, let not a second be taken away, keep nothing unspoken that you meant to say   Holly Smith copyright 2007

The Way Home (DVD) Review

” The Way Home” is based on a true inspirational story. Dean Cain stars as Randy Simpkins, a father and husband. He is having a hard time trying to keep up with both his commitment to his family, and the endless demands of his job. Randy, his wife and son have planned to go on vacation. He makes plans to leave early from work. He arrives home and his wife goes to finish gathering their things from the house. Before she leaves, she asks him to watch their 2 yr old son Joe. Randy still distracted by thinking about work, does not realize his son has wandered off.

His wife Christal comes back to find that Joe is gone and Randy has no idea where he is. They beginning calling Joe’s name and do not hear him respond. When unable to find him, they call 911 and the search for their missing son begins. The local church and the members of their community come to their aid giving them emotional support. They join in looking for Joe as well.

Christian and Randy’s marriage is tested, since they are having to face the potential loss of their only child. Randy comes to realize that he has been neglecting the two most important people in his life. At the end of the movie, Randy’s faith in God is restored and he commits to making his family a top priority. I would definitely recommend this movie to everyone. It has a great plot and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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