Friday, February 28, 2014

SUCCESSFUL PRAYER


Photo courtesy of: www.bigfoto.com


Kathryn Kuhlman's book
Never Too Late
Marion Burgio
Multiple sclerosis
+++++++

After reading Kathryn Kuhlman's book
Never Too Late something finally got my
attention.

The book largely was about the struggles of
Marion Burgio who had Multiple seclerosis for
seventeen years.  The pain and the agony that
these folks endure is almost beyond my imagination.

But when Marion was at one of the healing services,
in a wheel chair, just barely alive if I may say it that
way.  Marion, who did not really want to go to the
service, began to feel concern and compassion for
those around her who were suffering.  And she
began to forget herself and in her own way to pray
for those around her.

It was then, when she was not even thinking about it,
that her own instantaneous miraculous total healing took
place.

Is there not a clue here?
First, she prayed for someone else.
Then the Lord reminded me about Jobs recovery.

"Then after Job had prayed for his three
friends, the Lord made him prosperous
again and gave him twice as much as
he had had before."
(Job 42:10  GNT)

The Lord turned things around for Job,
after he prayed for his wayward friends.

In the closing section of the book Kathryn
broaches the subject again when she said,

"Often there are those who come praying
for physical healing and they get so 
caught up in the spiritual impact of the
miracle service that they forget about 
their own need.  They soon direct their 
prayers toward others and begin rejoicing
over the miracles that take place.
Oddly enough, it is often at this precise 
moment that God chooses to heal - when
self is forgotten and God and others come
first."
pp. 69, 70


Sunday, February 23, 2014

TRUE GIVING


"Jesus looked around and saw rich people
dropping their gifts in the Temple treasury,
and he also saw a very poor widow dropping
in two little copper coins.  He said, 'I tell you
that this poor widow put in more than all the 
others.  For the others offered their gifts from
what they had to spare of their riches; but she,
poor as she is, gave all she had to live on.'"
(Luke 21:1-4 TEV)




************************

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Go to the link below for a free
download of the
Updated King James Version.

Friday, February 21, 2014

INTERFERENCE


I know.
This is not a pretty picture.
You have seen prettier pictures.
You have seen better looking snow.
In fact, the snow gets much deeper where you live.

I live back in the hills.  Now the hills here are not very
high.  But the valleys are real deep.  So when a snow
storm hits, it can be a very serious thing.

The day I took this picture I had gone to a morning church
service almost 30 miles from my house.  I knew the storm was
coming.  But it was not supposed to be here until later in the day.
So I threw some weight (wood) in the back of my old work truck
and when to church.  But the storm hit hard while I was in church.

This first point about the storm is not the point of the post.
I just want to give God the thanks.  Then the point of the post.

This storm was one of those dry powdery type of snows.  It 
was slicker than grease.  And on the way back home, many a 
prayer was offered up when one wreck after another was passed.
While squirming up one hill after another.  And taking one detour
after another with the old truck.   But God answered 
every one of them.

When I was about seven miles from the house I finally decided
to give up, park the truck and call for help, knowing I could not get up
 our hill.  So while turning around to go back to an empty parking lot 
I had just passed, one of my grand kids spotted me.  He was in a 
vehicle that would take me anywhere.  I did not even have to get 
the cell phone out.  Isn't God good.

O.K.
The point of today's post.

I attempted to take a picture of the snow falling through the 
kitchen window.  But the storm was abating and the snow 
flakes very small.  However, my problem was I could not 
get on the internet, even to check the weather.

My internet service comes from a cell tower about two 
miles from the house.  Often when storms come I loose
 contact with the cell tower.  Electrical interference from 
thunder storms will do it.  Or as in this case, snow and
other times ice.  I do not know if the signal is lost because
 of all the snow in the air, or if something gets coated with
 snow, ice or a pollutant.  [Incidentally the correct spelling of 
"pollutant" is "politician".]  But ether way, the message does 
not get through because of the interference.  You could 
think of this as the material world interfering with the spiritual
world.

[I know.  You do not believe in "radio waves" because you
cannot see them, touch them, smell them or taste them.  So
they do not exist and never have existed.]

Our lives are the same way.  When they get all cluttered up
with visible things (stuff), cares about food, clothing, riches,
fame or just being "cool" and having fun - then the unseen 
signals sent by God (The cell tower) can not get to us, 
the receiver.

Jesus pointed this out when he said,
"Other people are like the seeds sown among the thorn
bushes.  These are the ones who hear the message, but
the worries about this life, the love for riches, and all
other kinds of desires crowd in and choke the message,
and they don't bear fruit."
(Mark 4:18,19 TEV)

Are "things" or "stuff" causing interference in
your life so God cannot communicate with you?





Wednesday, February 19, 2014

TODAY'S PROMISE


"Jesus looked straight at him with love and said,
'You need only one thing.  Go and sell all you have
and give the money to the poor, and you will have
riches in heaven; then come and follow me.'  When
the man heard this, gloom spread over his face, and 
he went away sad, because he was very rich.

   Jesus looked around at his disciples and said to them,
'How hard it will be for rich people to enter the kingdom
of God!'

   The disciples were shocked at these words, but
Jesus went on to say, 'My children, how hard it is
to enter the Kingdom of God!  It is much harder
for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God than
for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.'

At this the disciples were completely amazed and asked
one another, 'Who, then, can be saved?'

Jesus looked straight at them and answered, 'This
is impossible for humans beings but not for God;
everything is possible for God."
(Mark 10:21 - 27 GNT)


******************
"The promises of the Lord can be trusted;
they are as genuine as silver refined
seven times in the furnace."
(Psalms 12:6 GNT)

1. Meditate on God's Promises.
2. Plead the Promises at the throne of Grace.
3. Act in Faith that God Will Perform His Promises.
(William Gurnall) ]

Sunday, February 16, 2014

WARNING



"As all the people listened to him, Jesus said to his disciples,
'Be on your guard against the teachers of the Law, who like
to walk around in their long robes and love to be greeted with
respect in the marketplace; who choose the reserved seats in
the synagogues and the best places at feasts; who take advantage
of widows and rob them of their homes, and then make a show
of saying long prayers!  Their punishment will be all the worse!'"
(Luke 20:45-47 TEV)



************************

Would you like a free download of
THE HOLY BIBLE

Go to the link below for a free
download of the
Updated King James Version.


Friday, February 14, 2014

WHAT HAPPENED?

All photos courtesy of: www.bigfoto.com


WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY???????

What ever these are [We will call them sculptures.]
They have been there a long time.  Even before the 
photographer happened by.  Perhaps forever.



These "sculptures" obviously were not designed or created.
They just happened.  Let's face it.  There could not have been
any thought put into these "sculptures".


They could only be the product of, well, forces that
came from who knows where.  Then they evolved 
into what ever they are.



But do not worry about it.  They are being investigated 
by scientist.  There will some scientist theorizing about
there existence even now about how they just "happened".



The rest of the world don't not know it.  But you and 
I know that somebody put a lot of thought and effort
into whatever these things are.


Now, if something as simple as these "sculptures" did 
not just happen, but had a designer or creator.  What
on earth makes you think that something as complex
as you and me, just happened?



"Fools say to themselves,
'There is no God!'"
(Psalms 14:1 GNT)

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

TODAY'S PROMISE


"There will be strange things happing to the sun,
the moon, and the stars  On earth whole countries
will be in despair, afraid of the roar of the sea and
the raging tides.  People will faint from fear as they
wait for what is coming over the whole earth, for 
the powers in space will be driven from their courses.
Then the Son of Man will appear, coming in a cloud
with great power and glory.  When these things
begin to happen, stand up and raise your heads,
because your salvation is near." 
(Luke 21:25 - 28 GNT)


******************
"The promises of the Lord can be trusted;
they are as genuine as silver refined
seven times in the furnace."
(Psalms 12:6 GNT)

1. Meditate on God's Promises.
2. Plead the Promises at the throne of Grace.
3. Act in Faith that God Will Perform His Promises.
(William Gurnall) 

Sunday, February 9, 2014

TRUE LIFE



"But you do not live as your human 
nature tells you to; instead,you live 
as the Spirit tells you to - if, in fact,
 God's Spirit lives in you. Whoever 
does not have the Spirit of Christ,
 does not belong to him. But if Christ 
lives in you, the Spirit is life for you,
 because you have been put right with
 God, even though your bodies are 
going to die because of sin.  If the Spirit 
of God, who raised Jesus from death, 
lives in you, then he who raised Christ 
from death will also give life to your
 mortal bodies by the presence of his 
Spirit in you."
(Romans 8:9-11TEV)


************************

Would you like a free download of
THE HOLY BIBLE

Go to the link below for a free
download of the
Updated King James Version.




Friday, February 7, 2014

THEY ARE ALL WRONG


Confusion reigns.

Which is the correct method of Bible interpretation?

Grammatical
Dispensational
Covenantal
Literally
Historically
Midrash
Folklore

But us simple folks are not the only ones being confused.

G. Campbell Morgan, one of the greatest preachers of all time,
was all most ruined by too many books and too many of man's
ideas.  He was neglecting his Bible and learning the philosophies
of his day.  He was loosing his faith.

He said,

"In my despair I took all the books that I had, placed them in a cupboard, 
turned the key, and there they remained for seven years. I bought a new 
Bible, and began to read it with an open mind and a determined will. 
That Bible found me."

From there God begin to use him in a mighty way in England
and the United States.





The flyleaf of one of my old text books.
Just in case it makes any difference to you,
I am not a total stranger to this thing of Hermeneutics.


How about Bible study methods?

Devotionally
Summary
Character
Thematic
Biographically
Topical
Word study
Book background
Survey
Synthesis
Verse by verse
Allegorically
Analytically

I had a book one time entitled,
"Synthetic Bible Studies"
I never did find time to read it.
And, I have never regretted it.


I have quoted this before, 
but it bears repeating.

"We read the New Testament and we are so
intent on finding the hidden meanings behind
the facts that we forget to look at the facts
themselves!"

K.P. Yohannan
in his book
LIVING IN THE LIGHT OF ETERNITY
p.125



Is there a proper way to interpret the Bible.

You bet there is. 

The same way you would interpret a letter from 
your mother - or, any one else.  You take her at her word.  
If she includes a joke, you take it as a joke.  
If she includes a story, you read it as a story. 
 But you believe what she tells you.


NOW WHAT'S SO HARD ABOUT THAT?

Just pick up your Bible and read it like a letter.
Let it talk to you.  You will be better off for it.






Wednesday, February 5, 2014

TODAY'S PROMISE


"And so I say to you: Ask, and you will receive;
seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will
be opened to you.  For those who ask will receive,
and those who seek will find, and the door will
be opened to anyone who knocks.  Would any of
you who are fathers give your son a snake when 
he asks for fish?  Or would you give him a scorpion
when he asks for an egg?  As bad as you are,  you
know how to give good things to your children.
How much more, then, will the Father in heaven
give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
(Luke 11:9-13 TEV)


******************
"The promises of the Lord can be trusted;
they are as genuine as silver refined
seven times in the furnace."
(Psalms 12:6 GNT)

1. Meditate on God's Promises.
2. Plead the Promises at the throne of Grace.
3. Act in Faith that God Will Perform His Promises.
(William Gurnall) 


Sunday, February 2, 2014

JESUS IS MY;


Jesus,

"You are my shield,
my strength,
my portion,
my shelter,
my strong tower
and
my deliverer."


************************

Would you like a free download of
THE HOLY BIBLE

Go to the link below for a free
download of the
Updated King James Version.