Monday, December 24, 2012

WELCOME TO BETHLEHEM

I have grown accustomed to my American view of the birth of Christ.  Pictures of a magical star hovering above a stable while shepherd's tend their flocks in a quiet meadow were my idea of our saviors birth. Yet in the aftermath of the massacre in a Connecticut elementary school, our sons and daughters away at war, the homeless population increasing and unrest in our world, I began to look beyond the idyllic Christmas cards with their hollow words and trite greetings into something more to the point.

Bethlehem, 2000 years ago, was not a little peaceful town in the suburbs of Palestine. The world Jesus was born into was dominated by one military dictatorship, and a mad man (Herod the Great) was in command. The population was ethnically and economically diverse. You could not find much "comfort and joy," unless you were a high government official or rich and famous.  Jesus' parables were the breaking news of his day.

RACHEL WEEPS FOR HER CHILDREN WHO ARE NO MORE,  ABSENTEE LANDLORDS FORCE TENANT REVOLTS,  WOMAN BEGS JUSTICE FROM CORRUPT JUDGE,  DAY LABORERS WAIT FOR EMPLOYMENT, BEGGARS STARVING IN THE STREETS, SAMARITAN BEATEN AND LEFT TO DIE...debts and debtors, slavery, extortion, corruption.- Jesus walked the streets with the needy and suffering.

So what's my point?

Christmas will go on like always and for some like never before.  Lets stop playing Santa and give as Jesus gave....
To give consolation to those who mourn, to give them beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of tears, the expression of praise instead of a heavy, burdened spirit..(Isaiah 64:3).

                                                        WELCOME TO BETHLEHEM
    

Thursday, October 11, 2012

FLIRTING WITH DEMONS


According to folklore, the black rose represents the dark side of the soul. The beauty of the flower is the deception of it's color. It's unnatural hue is said to open our imagination to the forbidden playground of incantations, ritual magic, and mysticism.  The lure of hidden pleasure draws us like insects into a spiders web.  Foolishly, we think we can flirt with evil without falling under the influence and control of the powers of darkness. 

In the past decade our culture embraced immorality and is now dripping with lust for the occult.  The American quest for all things paranormal has become the new normal. Books, movies, and role playing games feed our hunger for the Black Arts bringing ancient secrets to life, wetting our appetite for more. Illusion is shaping our perception of good and evil, enticing us into Satan's trap.

73% of us read our horoscopes, participate in seances, call the psychic hot line, and visit hauntings, never realizing we're dealing with demons. The Holy Spirit distinctly declares that in latter times some will turn away from the faith, giving attention to deluding and seducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach. (1 Timothy 4:1)

Like the serpent in the garden, evil is seductive.  He leads us away from solid teaching while promising to gratify our senses with knowledge of forbidden fruit.  If the New Age practices are all fun and games why does God take such a hard stand against these supernatural pursuits? 

"There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, or who uses divination, or is a fortuneteller  or an augur, or a sorcerer.  Or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer.  All of these things are an abomination to the Lord.....  
(Deuteronomy: 10-12)

There is an eternal price to pay when we continue to be influenced by his charms. We will turn aside from hearing the truth, and wander off into myths and man-made fiction. (11 Tim. 4:4)  It is in the realm of deception that Satan operates.  He wants us to innocently "sell our souls" for a bite of the apple. For the acts of the flesh are obvious; sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft.....for those who live like that will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5: 19-20a)

If you want to see your future, read the Bible.  The word of God is what we need to live power filled lives.  Jesus is the answer we seek.



Thursday, September 27, 2012

LIFE IS A HIGHWAY

Many of us like to drive the fast lanes of life. Accelerating across the interstate of our immediate lifespans, we deliberately test our boundaries and mindlessly speed through the years eager to fulfill our dreams. Then there are those who prefer the scenic route. We are the folks who meander through time enjoying everything this world has to offer. While cruising the endless coastlines, we stop long enough to get our fill before we move on to greener pastures.

The funny thing is, everyone must hit their breaks and stop at the big toll booth in the sky we call death. You can try to ignore the destination, switch lanes, or get another GPS...but this is one stop we all have to make sooner or later. "And just as it is appointed for all men to die once, and after that we face judgement. (Hebrews 9:27) It's at this moment our driving record will make all the difference for our future.

Solomon, the wise king who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes in the bible, had the money and the power to do it all. In his lifetime, he indulged in every whim and fantasy that crossed his mind. In the end, he called his earthly pursuits "living under the sun", and summarized the pleasures of self fulfillment as "chasing the wind." (Ecclesiastes 1:14)

So whats my point? Is enjoying life wrong? No way! Jesus came to offer us abundant life- now- in the land of the living. (John 10:10)

The problem is, sometimes we grovel in the dirt, confining ourselves to vanishing pleasures, and momentary satisfaction. God wants us to live above all the glitz and glamour that turns out to be futile, empty, and disappointing. Our Creator placed eternity in our hearts. He asks us to see life from an elevated vantage point, "above the sun." When we begin to see our future through the lens of eternity, our choices, decisions, values, and priorities will line up with God's Word and His plan for our lives.

I don't know about you, but when my life comes to a screeching halt, and I'm driving up to that Pearly tool booth that opens the way to heaven, I want to have an E-Zpass and roll right into the streets of gold.
Jesus assures us...."The person whose ears are open to My words, and believes and trusts in Me has eternal life. and he does not come into judgement but he has already passed over out of death to life. (John 5:24)











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Saturday, July 14, 2012

LIVING WATER

Next to oxygen, water is the most important element to human life.  Without this valuable resource our bodies can't survive longer then a week.  Emerging water shortages, and contaminated wells, present an alarming prognosis for our planet. Yet, just as clean, fresh drinking water is necessary for our physical health, "Living Water" is essential for our spiritual state of being. Jesus offered this amazing formula to a woman he met drawing water from a well in Sychar over 2,000 years ago.

In her day, this Samaritan woman was an outcast, living far beyond the cultural norms of society.  She was accustomed to the local community treating her like she was contaminated and dirty.  They whispered and judged her publicly, deliberately humiliating her, so she chose to draw water when she was sure to be alone.  This day of destiny, she arrived at the well and met Jesus. She was surprised to see him resting by the well, since Jews did not associate with Samaritans.  Instead of the jeers of hostility she was used to receiving He spoke to her with respect; a scandalous action between a Rabbi and a woman of her character.  As the conversation progressed the woman realized this man knew everything about her life; the good, the bad, and the ugly.  In spite of this, his words were never harsh or demeaning.

Aren't we all a little bit like the woman at the well?  If we admit it, our lives are full of secret sins we try to cover up and hide.  When we encounter Jesus, he knows who we are, where we've been, and what we've done.  The deep wells of our lives can't conceal our brokenness or failures.  He died to reach backsliders, atheists, homosexuals, drug addicts, murders, and floundering Christians.  His eye is still on the person living outside the code of acceptable conduct.

Jesus meets us right where we are, crossing the lines of hatred, prejudice, and contempt.  He offers Living Water (eternal life) to anyone who chooses to accept the cup he presents.  If you are drawing pleasure from this world's well you will always come up empty. Jesus says to you,"the water I give will become in you a flowing stream that will bring you eternal life." John 4:13  Whoever drinks Living Water will find fulfillment, purpose, and pleasure that never dries up.  You are not too dirty, contaminated by sin, or messed up to ask God for a drink.

Are you thirsty?

Prayer for Eternal Life
Thank You God that you sent Jesus, Your Son, to die for my sins.  The bible says whoever calls upon the name of Jesus will be saved.  I call upon His name and ask Him to forgive me for all my sins.  I believe I'm forgiven because Jesus payed the price by dying on a cross for me. I receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and accept the Living Water (eternal life) that he offers me.


CBN/PrayerAndCounseling

Joyce Meyer Devotional














Monday, January 23, 2012

IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES



Like a seasoned race horse, most of us burst through the "New Year's Starting Gate" galloping for the finish line full of anticipation and energy.  We wear our colorful list of resolutions proudly as we jockey for position eager to make 2012 our most successful year ever.  With the heart of a thoroughbred we thunder through the year determined to realize our dreams.

Then it happens.  The smooth track gets long and hard.  The turf becomes littered with economic set backs, family problems, illness, and any number of stumbling blocks.  It's usually in the middle of the race we start to get bogged down and sucked into the miry clay of everyday life.  So what should we do when we nose dive into sudden disaster?

When Jesus encountered a crippled man at the pool of Bethesda who was waiting for a miracle, He asked the man how long he had been in that condition.  The cripple replied, "Thirty-eight years."  Jesus didn't stand with the spectators having a pity party because of the man's terrible quality of life.  He gave the guy one set of simple instructions.  "Get up."

Discouragement is an enemy that will keep us lying by the Pool of Bethesda, so to speak, just like the crippled man, waiting year after year for something good to happen.  To get up is a decision we need to intentionally make, not something that automatically happens.  When I'm bogged down and feeling trapped by life's many 'unfortunate events' I cling to this bible verse:

Arise [from the depression in which circumstances have kept you-rise to a new life]!  Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! - Isaiah 60:1

There are awesome promises in the above verse.  Yet we ( you and I) need to arise.  We have to get up if we expect God to act.  I'm not talking about our outward condition as much as our emotions.  We need to 'get up' on the inside.  Look at the world,and our problems, from a new perspective.  As children of God, we might have lots of hurdles to overcome, but God deliverers us from them all. When we do our part, God is faithful to do the rest
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The good news is the crippled man obeyed Jesus and 'got up'.  He walked into a new life.  Maybe the reason such a dramatic healing was recorded in the bible is to remind us that nothing is impossible with God.

Imagine the possibilities in your life!