Behind Enemy Lines

I watched the movie "Behind Enemy Lines" last night and the title makes me think about how when as Christians we go where we shouldn't go. For instance, when we sin, no matter how big or how small, we are in enemy territory and subject to his (the enemy, Satan's) rule. Do we as blood bought believers, ever need to be in that position? No, we don't and the atonement made for us by Christ Jesus should be the reminder, ever present on our hearts and minds not to enter into enemy territory. If you trust in your salvation and truly believe you have the victory, then don't go trampling on enemy territory again (don't go back to sin), move forward with confidence as a well equipped warrior prepared for battle! The bible says resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7). We're not running from the devil, he's running from us! Stand firm on the ground you have gained through your faith in Jesus Christ and do not be moved by evil. Trust in the wisdom and knowledge of God. Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live. (Amos 5:14)

Cherokee Legend

A good friend sent me this in an email and I had to share it!


Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of Passage?

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him an leaves him alone.  He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it.  He cannot cry out for help to anyone.



Once he survives the night, he is a MAN..

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him . Maybe even some human might do him
harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could  become a man!
Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold.

It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him.  
He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

 
We, too, are never alone.  
 Even when we don't know it, God is watching over  us, Sitting on the stump beside us.  
When trouble comes, all we have to do  is reach out to Him.


If you liked this story, pass it on.  
 If not, you took off your blindfold  before dawn.

Moral of the story:
Just because you can't see God,
Doesn't mean He is not there.
"For we walk by faith, not by sight."

 

 

 

Mighty is the God I serve.  I trust Him and know that all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. The Lord is good and His mercy endures forever. Sweet is the loving God I serve and His burden is easy and His yoke is light, I will delight in His ways forever and serve Him with a grateful heart and a cheerful countenance all the days of my life.

 

Prayer Directives From the Word

1. Pray for the harvest.

Matthew 9:38 (NIV) Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

Luke 10:2 (Amplified Bible) And He said to them, The harvest indeed is abundant [there is much ripe grain], but the farmhands are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

2. Pray for National and local leaders of government.

1 Timothy 2:1-3 (The Message) The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.

3. Pray for the church, that God will make it a praise in the earth.

Isaiah 62:7 (Amplified Bible) And give Him no rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes her a praise in the earth.

4. Pray that God will open doors for ministry of the Word.

Colossians 4:3 (Contemporary English Version) Be sure to pray that God will make a way for us to spread his message and explain the
mystery about Christ, even though I am in jail for doing this.

5. Pray for those who have mistreated you.

Luke 6:28 (Amplified Bible) Invoke blessings upon and pray for the happiness of those who curse you, implore God's blessing (favor) upon
those who abuse you [who revile, reproach, disparage, and high-handedly misuse you].

6. Pray that you enter not into temptation.

Luke 22:40 (King James Version) And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.

7. Pray that you may do no evil.

2 Corinthians 13:7 (New International Version) Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. Not that people will see that we have stood the test but that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed.

8. Pray that your love may abound toward all people.

Philippians 1:9 (Amplified Bible) And this I pray: that your love may abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight [that your love may display itself in greater depth of acquaintance and more comprehensive discernment],

9. Pray that your whole spirit, mind and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (New American Standard Bible) Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

10. Pray for the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Luke 11:13 (New King James Version) If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

11. Pray that you may be able to interpret what you speak in tongues.

1 Corinthians 14:13 (Amplified Bible) Therefore, the person who speaks in an [unknown] tongue should pray [for the power] to interpret and explain what he says.

12. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Psalm 122:6 (New Living Translation) Pray for peace in Jerusalem. May all who love this city prosper.

13. Pray that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life.

1 Timothy 2:2 (New King James Version) for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

14. Pray to have the desires that God wants you to have.

Psalm 37:4 (Amplified Bible) Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart.

Mark 11:24 (New International Version) Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

“These things are the will of God for you.”


I found this today while I was going through some old ministry materials and thought it would be a good time to share it.

Jesus sat down with His disciples when they had asked Him, what would be the sign of His coming? And here is some of what He said:

 

Matthew 24:11-12 (The Message)

 In the confusion, lying preachers will come forward and deceive a lot of people. For many others, the overwhelming spread of evil will do them in—nothing left of their love but a mound of ashes.

 

Does this sound like the days we are living in? It will make you think. And then Jesus went on to say:

 

Matthew 24:13-14 (Amplified Bible)

But he who endures to the end will be saved.

And this good news of the kingdom (the Gospel) will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then will come the end.

 

The word “end” in Matthew 24:14 comes from the Greek word “telos” which Strong’s describes like this;

 teloV telos tel'-os

from a primary tello (to set out for a definite point or goal); properly, the point aimed at as a limit, i.e. (by implication) the conclusion of an act or state (termination (literally, figuratively or indefinitely), result (immediate, ultimate or prophetic), purpose); specially, an impost or levy (as paid):--+ continual, custom, end(-ing), finally, uttermost.

 

Notice how the Greek definition is more than the way we might think of the word “end” in English.

The English word “end” defined is:

1 a:the part of an area that lies at the boundary b: a point that marks the extent of something (2) : the point where something ceases to exist <world without end>

 

The two definitions are similar yet the Greek uses the word “prophetic”, as to imply that the end has been foretold as most believers would agree with, but the English oddly refers to the end where something ceases to exist and  quotes the Bible when it says, “<world without end>”.

 

So what can we discern from all this? Maybe we need to press in to God and pray about it. I know that it causes me to feel like the end is merely a new beginning, but that new beginning could vary greatly depending on where you are with the Lord. If you are lost in sin and haven’t accepted Jesus as your Lord and savior then your end is not going to be the same as someone who has salvation through the remission of sin that comes only through the blood of Jesus Christ.

 

Maybe now is a good time to consider what your end would look like, you are not reading this by accident. There is a reason you are alive at this exact point in time. However it makes you feel, stop and give it some thought today.

 

 

God is able! This is a true statement found in several places in the bible. Here are a few examples:
Daniel 3:17, If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

If you believe the bible to be the Word of God as mentioned in:
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Then take hold of what the Word of God is saying to you! Take time to get in that quiet place today and meditate on the truth of the Word. No one can make it alone in in this world. We need each other and we need God's Word deeply planted in our spirit. When you stay in the Word you can overcome many obstacles that the enemy would try and put in your path. The key to successful Christian living is to be filled with the Joy of the Lord always. That Joy comes from being in His presence. Stay in His presence and rejoice and praise Him every chance you get. Pray about everything and resist the devil and he will flee from you. There is a great awakening coming to this earth and we will see Gods glory manifested in these latter days. Rejoice for your King is coming! Prepare to teach and help others understand the truth and lets get it together as the Body of Christ and be that victorious overcoming army of believers born for such a time as this!

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur (Hebrew: יוֹם כִּפּוּר‎, IPA: [ˈjɔm kiˈpur]), also known as the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the year for religious Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with an approximately 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services. Yom Kippur completes the annual period known in Judaism as the High Holy Days.
Yom Kippur is the tenth day of the month of Tishrei. According to Jewish tradition, God inscribes each person's fate for the coming year into a "book" on Rosh Hashanah and waits until Yom Kippur to "seal" the verdict. During the Days of Awe, a Jew tries to amend his or her behavior and seek forgiveness for wrongs done against God (bein adam leMakom) and against other human beings (bein adam lechavero). The evening and day of Yom Kippur are set aside for public and private petitions and confessions of guilt (Vidui). At the end of Yom Kippur, one considers one's self absolved by God.
The Yom Kippur prayer service includes several unique aspects. One is the actual number of prayer services. Unlike a regular day, which has three prayer services (Ma'ariv, the evening prayer; Shacharit, the morning prayer; and Mincha, the afternoon prayer), or a Shabbat or Yom Tov, which have four prayer services (Ma'ariv; Shacharit; Musaf, the additional prayer; and Mincha), Yom Kippur has five prayer services (Ma'ariv; Shacharit; Musaf; Mincha; and Ne'ilah, the closing prayer). The prayer services also include a public confession of sins (Vidui) and a unique prayer dedicated to the special Yom Kippur avodah (service) of the Kohen Gadol in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
Yom Kippur is considered one of the holiest of Jewish holidays and it is observed by many secular Jews who may not observe other holidays. Many secular Jews fast and attend synagogue on Yom Kippur, where the number of worshippers attending is often double or triple the normal attendance. Many other Jews choose not to fast.
Source:
Yom Kippur. (n.d.). Retrieved September 28, 2009, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur