WELCOME THIS CHANGE

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WELCOME THIS CHANGE

• 18 September, 2018

'Things we cannot see will last forever.' 2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT

We enjoy the blessings of change, but not the process of change. We're creatures of habit. We form our habits, and our habits form us. Then we start to see things exclusively from our own perspective. And when that happens - we stagnate. The truth is, without change there is no growth. When you have the right attitude every experience - positive and negative - becomes an opportunity for progress. Think about it: trees need more than sunshine to produce fruit. Rainy seasons are productive seasons too, and they always precede the harvest. You don't have to like rain, you just have to understand its purpose and benefits.

The Bible says that every day 'the Lord...makes us more and more like him...we are changed into his glorious image' (2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT). But to become like Jesus you must follow wherever he leads. That means following him through the wilderness of temptation, the pain of rejection, the forfeiting your reputation, the surrendering your will, and being ready to go to the place of crucifixion where you die to all forms of self-centred living. Following Jesus may mean being in a different location tomorrow than you are today. Once you grasp this principle, you'll stop fearing and resisting the changes taking place in your life and start seeing God at work in them.

Paul says: 'Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day...things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever' (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT).

Soulfood: Neh 11-13 Lk 22:14-23 Ps 78:56-64 Pro 24:6-10,

#source word for today

IN HARNESS WITH JESUS

'You will find rest for your souls.' Matthew 11:29 NIV

One of the greatest promises Jesus ever gave us was, 'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls' (Matthew 11:28-29 NIV). How could Jesus talk about being yoked in a harness, which suggests hard work and about rest in the same breath?

To most of us, rest means kicking back in the recliner. That's not the kind of rest Jesus was thinking about. A yoke is a harness that goes around the necks of two oxen so they can pull a load. Accepting Jesus' yoke is a picture of submission. It's also a picture of help because you're not pulling the load alone. In each team of oxen, one is the leader and the other follows. Jesus will take the lead but you must be yoked to him to get the benefit.

So to enjoy intimacy with Christ, you have to bow before him and accept his will. Jesus promises that his yoke won't choke you, it won't be wearisome or confining; you won't chafe under it. In fact, the irony is, if you want to be truly free you must allow yourself to be yoked to Jesus by submitting your will to his. Now it's possible to accept Christ's yoke, then start pulling against it when life doesn't go the way you want it to. Peace and rest come only when you relax in the yoke, and let Christ lead the way.

Soulfood: Mic 1-4 Lk 22:24-38 Ps 78:65-72 Pro 24:11-14

#source word for today

THE COMPARISON TRAP 1

Don't compare yourself.' Galatians 6:4 CEV

Nothing will destroy your peace of mind faster than comparing. It shows a lack of understanding and makes you 'behave unwisely' (2 Corinthians 10:12 AMP). Cain measured himself against his brother Abel, and it ended in murder. When the disciples compared notes to see who among them would suffer and who would be spared, Jesus told them, 'That is not your business' (John 21:23 NCV).

Observe: (1) Comparisons can make you feel superior, which leads to pride. Remember the Pharisee who made a great show of thanking God because he was better than everybody else? (see Luke 18:11). Pride was Satan's downfall; that's why he loves it when you struggle in the same trap. (2) Comparisons can make you feel inferior, which leads to low self-esteem and keeps you focused on yourself. You overlook the truth that God doesn't play favourites (see Acts 10:34) and start believing he's withholding things that are rightfully yours. Society creates a sense of entitlement; then Satan reminds you of all the people who've already attained what you want, which propels you further down the road to discontentment. Anne Peterson says: 'Satan's lies have a little truth mixed in, which makes them harder to recognise. We need to refute them by saturating ourselves with the truth...it's only by learning the Scriptures that we can sort them out.' (3) We attempt to bring God down to our level by comparing how he's working now with how he worked in the past. Stop trying to figure God out, and trust him! 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts' (Isaiah 55:9 NIV).

Instead of comparing, start using and appreciating what God has blessed you with.

Soulfood: Col 1-2 Lk 20:41-47 Ps 78:1-8 Pro 23:19-21,

#source word for today

An unemployed God

Day 1: 2018 Campmeeting- 6:30am- Jesus on the job search!

The morning determines the success of the day.

An example is given of job application whereby your CV document provides information about the job applicant and attributes of the individual. Similary as we get to know about the individual from ones CV, we need to know our God's CV for better enabling our relating with Him. 

The centurion knew Jesus' CV and needed Him not to be on site for healing to occur, for among His(Jesus') special skills was healing by mere utterances. 

Jesus is applying for a job a job to help carry your load, to bring you clarity, bring you salvation. Will you take time to study His CV? Will you let Him in? Or will He be a jobless saviour always knocking at the door of your heart?

Why God Allows Trials And Tribulations

We always hear Christians say things like “I have been doing everything right. I have been fasting and praying, giving, loving my neighbor, obeying the Lord,reading Scripture daily, and walking faithfully with the Lord. What did I do wrong? Why has God allowed me to go through such hard times? Does He not care about me? Am I saved?” To be honest we have all felt a little something like this.

Here is what I have learned on my walk of faith. Be on guard because when you’re asking all these questions and questioning God, Satan will try to attack. He will say, “no he doesn’t love you. Look at those unbelievers who are not going through adversity, but you say Jesus Christ died for you, and yet you are going through the worst troubles of your life.” Don’t let the devil give you fear.

Trials can lead into atheism. When your faith is small the devil can rip it out. Don’t let him put you in despair and bitterness towards God. Don’t ever forget the other times God has delivered you because He will do it again. The devil will try to say it was a coincidence, but with God there is no coincidence. Cry out to God. Block Satan off and always remember that we have victory in Christ.

James 1:12 “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

Galatians 6:9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Hebrews 10:35-36 “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

Trials and tribulations quotes

• “Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of.” – Charles Spurgeon

• “Prayer is the best armor against all trials.

• “A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.”

• Being on a spiritual path does not prevent you from facing the darkness, but it teaches you how to use the darkness as a tool to grow

If anyone is thinking about dating did you talk to God first?

If you haven’t consulted God about it that means that you haven’t asked Him if the person you have met is the person He wants you to marry. Christian dating does not consist of casual dating, which is unbiblical. This type of dating will leave you broken and all over the place and I’m not even talking about sex. Non believers date for fun, for the moment, for a good time, for sex, to not be lonely, to impress people, etc.

If you don’t think that you are going to marry this person and if you don’t feel like God has possibly brought this person into your life for marriage, then stop wasting each other’s time. A relationship is not something to take lightly. Casual dating is a form of lust. It doesn’t always have to be sexual. Lust is always selfish. It is always about I. Lust never seeks the Lord for His will.

Many people think they are in love for reasons such as the person’s looks, communication skills, etc. No, did God send you the person? Do you believe God has called you to commit your life to this person in marriage? Falling in love is not in the Bible. True love is built on actions, choices, etc. It proves itself over time.

Many people get into relationships and when they break up they find out that they were not really in love. There are so many things in this world that help you deceive yourself. For example, sex, physical attraction, looking at other couples, constantly listening to love music, fear, constantly watching love movies, etc.

6. 1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

7. Galatians 5:16 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

8. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 “Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not conceited, does not act improperly, is not selfish, is not provoked, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

The Enemy's Perfect Plan

Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels, he said, "We can't keep Christians from going to church. We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from conservative values. But we can do something else. We can keep them from forming an intimate, abiding relationship experience in Christ. If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to church, let them have their conservative lifestyles, but steal their time, so they can't gain that experience in Jesus Christ. This is what I want you to do, angels. Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!" 

"How shall we do this?" shouted his angels. 

"Keep them busy in the nonessentials of life and invent unnumbered schemes to occupy their minds" he answered. "Tempt them to spend, spend, spend then borrow, borrow, borrow. Convince the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work six or seven days a week, ten to twelve hours a day so they can afford their lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their family fragments, soon their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work." 

"Overstimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still small voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive, to keep the TV, VCR, CD's and their PC's going constantly in their homes. And see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ." 

Fill their coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, sweepstakes, mail order catalogues, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering, free products, services and false hopes." 

"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted, disquieted, and unprepared for the coming week. Don't let them go out in nature to reflect on God's wonders. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts and movies instead. And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotion." 

"Let them be involved in soul-winning. But crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family unity for the good of the cause." 

It was quite a convention in the end. And the evil angels went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busy, busy, busy and rush here and there. 

Has the devil been successful at his schemes? You be the judge.