The price to pay for this particular gift is a price many people are unwilling to pay – that of spending much time alone with Him seeking Him for it; that is, for understanding.

When the Lord sees the hunger in a person, and He sees that they’ll do anything it takes to know Him intimately, He’ll bring the much-needed revelation to them. He’ll share His secrets with them of how to live a quality life, and He’ll rearrange everything else as they put Him first on a continual basis.

I once wrote that “God seekers are God’s speakers. The rest are on their own.”

Getting the words that are written on the pages of the Bible into our hearts, understood, and applied to our lives takes time and effort on the part of the individual. It’s more than mere memorization.

Through prayer and seeking the heart of the Father for our lives, He will bring us much revelation. Through diligent study with the purpose of understanding what is written so that it can be applied to our lives, it will come.

Some people want what another has, without having disciplined themselves and submitted themselves to do the will of the Father. They continue going about lacking adequate understanding all of their lives, staying spiritual infants, because of their refusal to accept the instruction of others who’ve gone before them.

After Jesus was resurrected from the dead, He then opened the minds of the disciples so that they could understand the scriptures (Luke 24:45). I do not believe that understanding of the scriptures is automatic. In other words, not everyone understands them. It’s only as, or when, Jesus opens their minds that they have this understanding.

I remember when it happened for me. At one moment, I didn’t understand. In the next moment, I did. It was while alone in prayer letting the Lord know that I wanted Him to do this for me.

Jesus is the same today as He was then. He never changes. If you’re having difficulty understanding the scriptures, let Him know in your own words that you want to understand them.

Know, however, that once this happens, there will be much more responsibility given to you. There will then be no excuses for not doing what is written once you have this understanding.

If you’re serious about this, ask Him for it. Expect it to happen and your life will change forever.

You’ll lose interest for many of the things that held your attention before and you’ll be blessed from the inside out. There’s no greater blessing, in my opinion, than knowing that you know.

Ann Doupont

Evangelist, Author and Teacher

http://www.anndoupont.org

Ann Doupont is the author of 4 books including “More, Lord,” “Surrendered,” “Irons in the Fire,” and “God Can Heal Anything!” Please visit her website at http://www.anndoupont.org to find out more about her writings and other ministries.
Article Source: Christian Articles Resource

Many of you would think this is not occurring in “my” church, but the “observable” signs which your church displays may be sending a subliminal message to the community. I think we would all agree that a fix for the above church would be hiring a youth pastor, or having a compassionate member, talk with the young nite-owls, to build relationships, with the community youth. Next, maybe building them a skateboard ramp would ignite a new ministry, or if there are people coming to the parking lot to drink, perhaps they might want to hear the good news of the Gospel, after someone builds a relationship with them. There’s a myriad of solutions, but let’s turn this fictitious story into a reflection. Perhaps your church parking lot could be turned into a culture-magnet, to draw unbelievers? Maybe utilizing it for a community pig-pickin’ or barbeque; our church parking lot draws in thousands of motorcycles each year for a community outreach during Bike Week.

However, let’s switch gears a little. What about the observable “subliminal” messages your church is sending? For instance, does your building have a plethora of potted plants, old-1970 gnome figurines, or a fake putting green carpet lining the walk-ways? Is the paint old and chipping, do the shingles need replacing? What does the outer exterior of your building look like—does it remind the community of the 1950’s—60’s, 70’s, 80’s, or even the 90’s (this is 2011)? Whether it is accepted or not, we live in a consumer driven world—where most Americans will update their kitchens, house exteriors, or yards, every four years, but when it comes to our churches, they look like something from Leave it to Beaver.

Don’t get me wrong, aesthetics is not the propelling force of the Gospel, but how do we reach a community of people, which understands the culture of DIY and HGTV. Let me clarify that I do not believe that appearance or consumer-driven aspects solely bring people into the church, take the place of good exegesis of the Word, or vibrant worship music. But, do we really think we will engage the 20-40 something age group, which is missing form the pews because we “opened the doors” of our antiquated building. What signals are we sending to the community—that everyone inside is over 70 or the church is “institutional”?

I would admit that if your seeking a more radical or apostolic vision for “church,” read Halter and Smay’s And: The Gathered and Scattered Church, or Timmis and Chester’s Total Church—but if you’re looking to assimilate the unchurched from your community, into your existing church family, take an honest look at your community’s culture: how it works, what is drives, what it wears, where it lives, and be a missionary. The building is only a catalyst, to house the body, within the community, for the purposes of reaching the lost and congregating for fellowship. We are not to idolize the building. Remember, the church is an organism (it’s alive), not an organization (business).

Article Source: Christian Articles Resource

The Bible talks a lot about protection and warfare. Also, the Bible compares the functions of the body of Christ to the functions of the human body, so I’m doing that too.

Kidneys are the body’s filtering system. They prevent the bad stuff from infiltrating the body functions where they would cause harm. The kidneys also filter the good stuff sending it on its way to maintain the body functions.

The body of Christ and the individual Christian can only keep healthy by following the same defensive tactics.

The issue I am addressing is that Christians and churches are not filtering what they ingest and are therefore polluted.

The Bible has been established by God as spiritual food. The pollution I am referring to is found in what Christians listen to, what they watch, what they read, and what they participate in.

It’s all about influence and conditioning. REMEMBER THOSE WORDS: INFLUENCE AND CONDITIONING, they have a lot to do with what kind of a Christian you are and whether you will overcome the enemy or not.

Matt: 24:43: But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

I use this verse to show that your house or in this case your mind must be guarded so the thief cannot steal, kill, and destroy.

Mk 3:24:-29: If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 24: And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. 25: For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. 26: And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; 27: And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. 28: For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. 29: But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.

I use these verses to show that Jesus did teach His church to spend time and effort to plant the right seeds, to keep the weeds and thorns out, and to be looking for a good crop.

Lk:21:34: And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

In this verse Jesus tells us what the enemy is going to use to defeat Christians. Get people to spend too much time on entertainment and indulgences and get people too wrapped up in living the life of the day and age.

Jas: 1:21-22: Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 22: But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

These are a few of the good reasons to protect your soul. Did you know that James said being a doer of the word will save your soul. I know you thought that your soul was saved when you asked to be washed in the blood of the lamb, but that was when you were restored to the fold. Remember that Adam and Eve were God’s children, but they opted to do what their soul wanted to do instead of what their spiritual nature told them to do, which was to trust and obey God, and they lost their souls.

That’s what we’re talking about here: laying aside all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receiving with meekness the engrafted word.

Rom:12:1-2: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2: And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

In order to obey these scriptures and heed the wisdom in them, we must filter what goes into our heart and mind and we must spend quality time planting the seed of God’s word and in engrafting God’s teachings and precepts into our soul.

When you do things for entertainment and/or amusement, ask yourself what influence this is having on you. Ask yourself what conditioning is the enemy doing with the things you allow yourself to be exposed to over and over.

Are the things you watch, read, and listen to getting you used to carnal thinking and sinful ways? Carnal thinking is thinking that comes out of the soul and is influenced by the experiences of the soul. When you are called by God to stand against worldly thinking and behavior, you will not even hear the call, because you are so used to worldliness that sin doesn’t seem like that big a deal.

When you listen to worldly music and watch worldly entertainment, you are fortifying your carnal nature. When you have an important decision to make or a temptation to resist, or stinking thinking to put down, you will not have the strength to do it, because you fed your soul stinking thinking, lust, greed, getting even, whining, sinful ways, and selfishness.

You will wonder why you can’t get close to God. It is because He said:

2Cor: 6:14-18: Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15: And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16: And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17: Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18: And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Or are the things you spend time doing fortifying your spiritual nature–feeding your spirit and separating you from worldly ways and thinking? That’s called sanctifying you unto the Lord. God want to transform you into the image of His Son through the renewing of your mind with what the Bible teaches.

© Sylvia Huffnagle

The Holy Bible and the Holy Spirit
Article Source: Christian Articles Resource

A discerning person keeps wisdom in view,
but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.
Proverbs 17:24

Here’s something amazing! We spend most of our lives harboring illusions that will never become reality and we forget to take the convenient and necessary time to cultivate wisdom. That puts us in the category of fools, that is, those who live immersed in dreams and fantasies. Dreams and fantasies are not bad in themselves and they are not the problem. The problem lies in the excessive time devoted to wander into them. Fantasies are necessary in the life of all human beings as an escape mechanism to lessen the impact of the rigors of some aspects of everyday life. The problem arises when the individual spends more time than necessary dwelling in the surreal world of illusions and gradually ends up losing all contact with reality. The use of fantasy and entertainment has been fully exploited by the film industry and the increasingly huge box office receipts are a testimonial to the popularity and prevalence of dreams as a means of escape from reality.

Wisdom, on the contrary, is easy to reach. In fact, wisdom is continually looking for us and all we have to do to get her is to heed to her warnings, advice and teachings. King Solomon said: “Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square; on top of the wall she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech” He also said: “For the LORD gives wisdom.” Long is the list of benefits that wisdom produces in the lives of those who seek her. Valuable things such as freedom, discipline, discernment, propriety, wisdom, righteousness, justice, knowledge and equity will be granted to those who respond positively to the call of wisdom. Let’s stop spending so much time dreaming horizons of illusion and let us put your feet on the ground to cultivate the profitable wisdom that comes from above. Let us devote adequate time to the study of God’s word and wisdom will flourish and bear fruit in our lives. To God alone be the glory!

Today’s word for June 17, 2011

Article Source: Christian Articles Resource

1. Trusting

But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. Deuteronomy 8:18

The enemy doesn’t want you to succeed and he knows the only way he can stop you is by attacking your faith in the promises of God. It will look sometimes as though there is no way your business can survive, but there is a way. Push through. Pray. Listen to the Holy Spirit as He guides your steps. Be obedient and trust. Hold fast to your faith.

2. Giving

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Acts 20:35

The whole point of getting wealth is to give it away. It can do you no good whatsoever as wealth. It cannot buy you security. Your very house could be taken away, in theory and this has happened in some parts of the world.. Inflation could erode it. Its not coming to heaven with you. Do you really want your legacy to your children to be idle wealth or happy,healthy productiveness? So as wealth it comes in, give as much to the poor as you can. Yes it may be a publicity opportunity from time to time, but that is a bonus sometimes, its never why we give.

3. Stewardship

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” Matthew 25:21

“Oh, but I am no one’s servant, I’m self employed” I hear you say. If you are a Christian you work for the Lord, and you have stewardship responsibilities. Your employees’ wages, corporation or other taxes, your have to account for every penny earned and spent and it is a solemn responsibility. Doing a few black market cash jobs may seem like its not hurting anyone, but it is stealing from your fellow citizens, tax payers. Your business will not thrive in this sin. Your sin allows the enemy a door into your business. Keep your business as sin free as your body, your marriage, your family and thrive.

4. Integrity

“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” Proverbs 11:3

Here’s some great advice I was given, whatever the date of the month is read the corresponding Proverb. Proverbs is brilliant and clear wisdom, and this verse is no exception. Be guided by the Holy Spirit in every business decision. The answer to every dilemma is in the heart of the believer.

5. Use

You don’t have to be a Christian to know that sitting on stock will kill your business. As will holding onto unproductive employees. Two pieces of advice from running successful businesses I would pass onto everyone are:

a) the best time to fire someone is the very moment it first crosses your mind (subject to your local labour law requirements)

b) if its not selling or helping to sell something else get rid of it!. Clearance sales, ebay it, give it away – anything! Turn assets that aren’t earning their keep into cash and put that cash into something useful and/or saleable. If it means admitting a mistake and swallowing your pride, good! Take a big gulp, you’re growing!

“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.” Matthew 25:24-27

The parable of the talents was a bit of a mystery to me for years until I finally understood the law of use. Our Lord tells us that not using our talents is a sin.

6. Borrowing and lending

“The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.” Proverbs 22:7

“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” Luke 6.35

So the bible is clear. Don’t borrow unless you want to be in bondage. Bondage is the territory of the devil. And loan, yes by all means, but view your loans as gifts.

Grow your business slowly! Reinvest profit for growth. This will safeguard you, your family and your business.

7. Treating People Well

“It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!” Matthew 10:25

Being the head of the house is like being the head of the business. Everyone looks up to you and follows your example. Be the best. Be the best supplier, be a great customer. Pray for your competitors.

Mel Arden writes about the importance of walking with the Lord everyday, especially in business. Mel is an entrepreneur with lots of boring academic quals who specialises in inspiring others to Get Up & Stay up. But she also knows when to let go of your hand! The Lord showed her that although awesome at getting fledgling businesses up and running, she gets bored once they’re flying!
Mel can be found at:
cbcwales.wordpress.com and getupministry.wordpress.com, or by email: melaniearden@inbox.com

Article Source: Christian Articles Resource

If you’ve never witnessed to anyone before, you are sorely mistaken. As a Christian, your daily routines, your overall daily life has changed thus making it impossible to not have witnessed to someone or another. Just seeing the changes in you is enough to cause people to wonder, or at least sit-up and take notice. This, in it’s own, is a form of witnessing. But what about actually talking to someone you know or have just met about your walk with Jesus?

I know, it’s hard to do at first. It’s not something that comes naturally to most. For those of you who have verbally witnessed to someone, do you remember how unprepared you were for some of the excuses you were given? Did you seem to forget all the Bible passages you had memorized when they said no?

Witnessing is something we all, as Christians should be doing – sharing the Good News of God’s Love for His creation. But how do engage someone you know but have never  talked to before about your Faith in Christ? How do you talk to someone you’ve never met before about this subject?

Let me ask, “what is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear someone say, “Oh, that church stuff just isn’t for me.”?

Do you respond with a statement such as, “You don’t know what you’re missing”, or something similar? It’s a natural thing to go on the defensive when someone acts like they aren’t interested. Don’t let that get in your way of asking a simple question such as, “Why?”

You might be surprised at some of reasons you’re likely to hear. It could be anything from, “I had a bad experience” to something like, “I dunno”.  In any case, no matter what the reason or reasons might be, you are then provided with a real opportunity to witness. They’ve inadvertently expressed an interest in hearing more by providing you with reasons, or excuses.

When humans strike up a conversation with one another, the instinct is to become more involved in the discussion, especially if there is something to be said. Our natural instinct is to be curious, to want to know more. It’s really a rarity when you find someone who REALLY just doesn’t want to hear about it. Ask a question, get an answer, provide a solution. That’s the standard practice when selling anything. Of course, you aren’t selling the Bible, or God, or even Church. But you are building up a basis on which to continue speaking with the other person(s) without being preachy or pushy.

I’ve always found it easiest to talk to someone about Jesus if I’ve already started talking to them about something else altogether different. General conversation can lead you to learn a lot about a person, their method of thinking and the general tone of their willingness to continue talking, and listening.

Often times the person we are talking to will immediately go into a defensive mode when you bring up the subject of Christianity, or church. It’s a natural reaction that they’ve been accustomed to having over years of conditioning, either by parents, friends or their own previous experiences. Overcoming this possible scenario requires you to be somewhat of a conversationalist.

When you begin to witness, start with a personal story. Nothing detailed, but just enough to keep their interest in what you’re saying. Always let that story be a true story. How you came to accept Jesus yourself, what kind of life you led before becoming a Christian, or just circumstances you were in before turning your life over to Christ. Gradually bring in the subject of Christianity.  Slowly introduce Jesus into the conversation.

Whatever you do, don’t start out with someone you don’t know with a long explanation about how God so Loved the world that  He gave is only Son. If you don’t know their mindset, you could very well be getting ready to send them running away, not from just you, but also from God. Become their friend.  Give them reason to feel comfortable talking with you.

This may sound a little under-handed, like the only reason you’re talking to them is so you can witness to them. Sure, that is you goal, but also your goal is to do so in a manner that doesn’t alarm them or cause them to feel like they have to be defensive (or offensive).  As a Christian, you should be genuinely concerned for and about them. This will show in your conversation. By talking with you, they’ll slowly gain trust in your words. Once you feel as though you have that trust then is the time to begin telling them your story about your relationship with Jesus.

I assure you, if you take the time to show a genuine interest in not just the person, but who the person is your talking to, you’ll find it much easier and more natural to become an effective witness for Jesus Christ.

God ‘ s desire is for the two of you to share a deeper intimacy than you may have ever dreamed possible. But, like any relationship, developing this kind of oneness with God is not something that happens over night – It takes time and work.

And it ‘ s that four letter word – WORK – that keeps so many of us bound by the chains of religion instead of being free to experience the deeper relationship with God that He has waiting for us.

But, if the true desire of your heart is to take your Christian spiritual growth to the next level, you can start on that journey today right from where you are.

How do you begin? One Footstep at a time…
Footstep #1 – Develop An Understanding Of Who God Really Is.

The foundation for any relationship is truly knowing the other person. If you do not know them – their heart and their true character – then how can you ever really trust them? If you don ‘ t truly trust them, then what kind of relationship do you really have after all?

In order to connect with God, you have to understand the depths of who He is and who He wants to be in your life. You have to begin building a true friendship with your Heavenly Father.
Footstep #2 – Get Real With God…And With Yourself.

As Christians, it is easy to get in the habit of walking around in what I like to call our “Perfect Christian Mask.” We pretend that nothing gets to us. Nothing shakes our faith or breaks our heart. On the outside, we look tough as nails – But on the inside, we are not as strong as we would like others to think.

The danger of the “Perfect Christian Mask” is that you are not perfect. There are times when your faith IS shaky and your heart IS broken. But, having those moments does not make you a bad Christian any more than trying to ignore them makes you a good one.

A true sign of Christian Spiritual Growth is when you can go to God and say – I need help. I fear. I hurt. And, You are the only one I can tell because You are the only one who can help me.

That kind of nakedness before God is what will move you from religion to relationship and truly transform your life.
Do you really want to experience dynamic Christian spiritual growth?

Step out on faith. Begin your journey by taking these two footsteps. They may seem small, but you will be amazed at what God can do inside your heart when you truly know Him, and let down your guard enough to let Him truly know you too.

Ameerah Lewis is a passionate believer dedicated to helping other Christians develop a more intimate relationship with God.

Her first Bible study book, Becoming God ‘ s Masterpiece, has been called “a personal answer to a cry from the heart.” The unique 10 week experience combines powerful Bible lessons with daily scripture meditation and a special prayer journal to help you transform your Christian walk!
Article Source: Christian Articles Resource

There was a man named Ignaz Semmelweis who lived in the mid 1800’s. He was a young doctor who worked the maternity ward at the Vienna General Hospital in Hungary. He was distressed that so many young mothers died of an infection they labeled “childbed fever”. The young doctor had made a vital discovery. He observed a correlation between the occurrence of the infection and the frequency of hand-washing among the doctors and nurses. The older doctors ridiculed him and ignored his suggestions that hands should be washed after treating each patient. My mother was a surgical scrub nurse. She would often come home with stories of things that happened in surgery. Most of her job was making sure that all the instruments were sterilized. It is amazing to think of the ignorance that prevailed 160 years ago. Many young women lost their lives as a result of the blindness of their physicians regarding the dangers of bacteria. (1)

There is a blindness that prevails in America today in regard to sin and death. If we believe the lie and refuse the truth it will not lead only to death but to eternal death.

A man who hears the truth of Christ and puts that truth into practice is like a “man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.” Luke 6:48-49

A wise man builds his life on the rock of truth. A foolish man builds his life on the sands of pleasure and leisure and deception.

What is it about this man that makes him a fool?

He is hasty, always in a hurry. The father gave advice to his son in Proverbs 1 when he said a fool’s feet “rush into sin.” The fool is in a hurry. The fool always looks for the shortcut.

My father always told me, “A job done right is a job well done.” He used to say, “If you do it right the first time you don’t have to do it again.” And then he would send me back to the same row of strawberries to pull all the weeds I’d missed.

False and foolish Christians don’t want to take time to dig a foundation for their spiritual lives. They want a quick-fix relationship with Christ. A shallow relationship with Jesus Christ is no relationship with Jesus Christ. He despises such half-heartedness and he used strong words to express it in Revelation 3:16 “So, because you are lukewarm–neither hot nor cold–I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

We have become accustomed to having everything quick: instant breakfast, fast food, lighting speed internet. Cell phones companies compete by claiming they can provide a faster download service.

We want to evangelize the same way. It requires too much effort to build on the rock. We want to employ shortcuts and cut corners and build a quick house on the sands of modern methods of commercialism and recent strategies of pleasing the consumer. In our efforts to evangelize we pander to the wants of the sinner rather than to his needs. What kind of music does he want? What kind of counseling? What kind of entertainment will lure the sinner to our church? Meanwhile, the sheep are starving.

Jesus didn’t try to lure the sheep into the fold. He left the fold and went out looking for the lost sheep. The apostolic church model was not created for sinners, it was created for believers. It’s strange how we pander to sinners instead of disciple Christians in the modern church.

We have no time for careful sermon preparation so we borrow from someone more industrious. We are too impatient to allow the Holy Spirit to bring conviction to lost souls. We want quick and instant conversions. We certainly have no time to meet together to pray for the lost. We are in too much of a hurry to build a deep sense of the holiness of God for our congregations and our families. We would rather entertain and tickle the ears of the masses with entertaining stories and shallow truths that do not offend rather than teach and preach the deep, meaningful doctrines of God’s word.

I grew up in a household of all brothers. We detested the Saturday morning assignment to do housework. We were typical young boys who hated sweeping and mopping floors, doing dishes and dusting furniture. The yard and garden work were far more appealing. In our haste to finish a hated job we often would sweep up a pile of dust and instead of grabbing the dust pan one would lift the corner of the rug while another would sweep the dust under it.

Some seek a quick conversion by sweeping their sins under the rug. They try to do Christianity in a half-hearted way. Don’t come to Christ if you are not going to come all the way. No man builds a tower until he counts the cost. If you are going to become a follower of Christ count the cost. What will it cost? It will cost you everything. Building the house on the rock, digging the foundation, carefully laying out plans and protecting your structure from the deception of the enemy will require not only a great amount of faith but also a great amount of effort. It’s not something that can be done halfway.

Accepting Christ should not be a hasty thing. Artificial Christians are the result of artificial conversions. A quick prayer and a quick baptism and you’re on your way. It seems some people are converted before they even realize they are lost. What is very rare today but what Christ wants most is broken-heartedness for sin. He wants a true, deep, and heartfelt repentance. A man may not fully realize the depth of his own depravity in an instant. We often don’t know how deeply rotted the meat is until we cut deeply into it. A man must have his heart cut deeply by the Holy Spirit of God before he realizes how putrid with sin his soul really is.

Centers for Disease Control(http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol7no2/cover.htm)
http://www.kpprobst.blogspot.com
Article Source: Christian Articles Resource

Humanity is fascinated with spirits, ghosts, ghouls, and the mystery of the unseen. This is evident by the enormous amount of time and money, invested in psychics and the supernatural realm. People will religiously read horoscopes and attempt to decipher their astrological “signs,” to no end. The Word of God informs believers to separate themselves from divination and astrologers (i.e. Deut. 18:10; Lev. 19:31; Gal. 5:20-21), but many “Christians” still want to straddle the fence of living in the world and living in obedience to the Gospel of Christ. I thought (1) it would be wise to reflect on the reality of these dark spiritual forces, which are affecting people’s lives and (2) examine some Scripture to illuminate believers to this reality.

One of the passages (there are many), which tells of the power of darkness, is 2 Kings 3. In this chapter, Jehoram (wicked king of Israel) and Jehoshaphat (good king of Judah) join forces to defeat the Moabites. The end of the chapter is where I would like to focus, it says:

“[The armies of Israel and Judah] went forward, striking the Moabites as they went. And they overthrew the cities…When the king of Moab saw that the battle was going against him… he took his oldest son who was to reign in his place and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel. And they withdrew from him and returned to their own land.” (3:24-27)

I have italicized the parts which need emphasis. I found it amazing how an actual demonic sacrifice could impact an outcome. The text tells us that “great wrath” came against Israel. Needless to mention the atrocity and abomination which the Moabite king committed by sacrificing his son; however, the reality that actual evil spiritual forces caused Israel to flee, and not human strength, should be eye-opening, making us ponder the warnings of Paul.

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul writes, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (6:12). Any believer of Christ who honestly thinks that he or she is not affected and effected by the demonic forces of evil, when delving into witchcraft, astrology, divination, psychics, mediums, and the like, is awfully confused. On the other hand, we need to realize the reality of these forces, even if we do not engage in these activities. Just because we do not practice witchcraft or sorcery, does not mean that these spiritual forces of evil are leaving us alone; to the contrary, they are actively engaged in attempting to ruin your eternal relationship with Christ. As we read in 2 Kings, the Israelite army was defeating the enemy in battle. Christians are called into battle each day and so, how you respond to that battle is imperative.

The rest of Ephesians 6 (verses 13-18) provides for us, ample instruction concerning how to employ the weapons of righteousness, to guard against such attacks. My question to you is this: do you believe that evil forces are attempting to confuse, distract, or destroy you and how do you deal with it?

Article Source: Christian Articles Resource

Sometimes people in church need to lighten up, we are so caught up with being too serious being all too perfect bible scholars it puts new people off, doing things as we have always done, having the wrong image of God etc. Sound familiar?

When I was at Hillsong Church in Australia I remember a service in the church where in front of 2000 people there was a bouncy castle, balloons, lively music, face painting, fair and street amusements in the main street outside the church. The atmosphere was electric, fun and frantic. Certainly not your usual service it could be said!!!.

• When was the last time you had a laugh in church or outside with your Christian friends?

• Are Christian people far too serious for their own likening?

• If non-believers came into your church would they be put off by you all?

• Do you have such high moral standards you expect of each other that in reality you are on such a podium now one can reach it unless you’re in the colicky few?

• When was the last time you chilled out, heard the voice of God and felt refreshed in HIM?

Here are a few things I recommend in trying collectively as a body of Christ: Picnic in the park, day out to theme park, weekend away to a Christian conference, day to comedy club (Christian or non Christian), bowling, laser quest, cinema, be creative and imaginative as you can periodically to add humour into the church and brush off the odd cobweb here and there.

If we do not lighten up, be ourselves as the question posed by Lowell B Yoder may become a reality:

“Do you know the three times that most people are in church? When they are hatched, matched and dispatched”

Amusing though the answer to the question is quite often being too serious and set in our ways can drive people away from church. Surely church we can do better than doing this to folks.

It’s hard to get the balance right of being serious and fun but take advice from more experienced people and things will work out if numbers are dropping in your congregation.

Lord Jesus, I pray for my friends in the church there would be a spirit of laughter and joy that would come out of people’s hearts and mouths. Let us lighten up, be real and worship you with our lives.

Lord let something from these scriptures touch our hearts I pray in Jesus name as you continue with church in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

Firstly found in Genesis “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me”.

Secondly found in Job “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy”

Thirdly found in Psalms “Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy”.

Be encouraged, smile, have fun and do Gods work today in church. Bless you all.

Article Source: Christian Articles Resource