~He Holds My Hand~

 The Armor of God

Put on the armor of Almighty God,
so you can withstand Satan’s schemes.
Our battle is not against flesh and blood;
no, things are not as they seem.

Our fight is against the powers of darkness,
with the forces of evil on high.
But He gave us His armor so we can stand firm,
on the Earth and in the sky.

Gird your loins with truth, which will always bear out,
the breastplate of righteousness wear.
Shod your feet with preparation of the gospel of peace;
take the shield of faith everywhere.

Take the helmet of salvation to wear on your head,
and the Spirit’s sword in your hand.
And pray in the Spirit all of the time so
against Satan’s plots you can stand.

©Peggy McIlveene
April 24, 2002

Is There Such a Thing As Love at First Sight?
By James C. Dobson, Ph.D

Sex Before Marriage?
Consider the Consequences

IF YOU WAIT UNTIL MARRIAGE, YOU CAN:

• Know that a person likes you because of who you are and not because you will “go all the way”
  
• Have self-respect and respect from others because of standing firm and accomplishing a goal
  
• Know trust, honesty and patience
  
• Experience peace of mind
  
• Develop true intimacy
  
• Have a clear conscience
  
• Have healthy relationships
  
• Discover the true meaning of love
  
• Share a bond with your spouse that no one else has shared
  
• Focus on communication skills and develop non-sexual relationships
  
• Have a solid foundation as you enter marriage
  
• Look forward to a very special honeymoon!

Adapted from Choices/Teen Awareness, Inc.

IF YOU DON’T WAIT, ARE YOU READY FOR:

EMOTIONAL HEARTACHES

• Guilt
  
• Regrets
  
• Loss of self-respect
  
• Depression
  
• Suicidal thoughts
  
• Ruined relationships
  
• Anger

PREGNANCY

• Immediate marriage
  
• Adoption (to give your baby to another family)
  
• Single parenthood
  
• Abortion’s consequences (read stories about dangerous and deadly abortions – pgs. 16-19)

STDS AND OTHER HEALTH PROBLEMS

• AIDS
  
• Syphilis
  
• Gonorrhea
  
• Herpes
  
• Chlamydia
  
• Genital warts
  
• Vaginal infections
  
• Sterility risks
  
• Cervical cancer
  
• Breast cancer

(WARNING! Even if you use contraceptives, you’re still at risk for heartaches, pregnancy and STDs.)

Hmmmm...and another thing:

 

“Prove You Love Me ”

Self-respect feels good

    As two people grow in love, it’s natural to want to express that love physically.

    Hundreds of thousands of men and women are committed to saving sex for marriage, but challenges can be very difficult if the boy or girl pressures the other to “prove” their love. One panicky girl wrote: “I’m 19 and am going with a guy who’s the same age. I’m in another country right now and the distance has brought us closer. He says that he loves me, and I love him, too. In one of his letters he wrote, ‘I believe that you can write ‘I love you,’ but what I’d like to see is proof of it when you get back.’”

    This guy used the oldest line in the book: “Prove your love by going to bed with me.” And she was scared to death! Why? Because she didn’t want to lose his love. She was terrified of his demand, but she couldn’t imagine how she’d survive if he didn’t like her response.

    She needs self-respect – enough so she’ll demand respect from others. She needs enough confidence to gladly tell such a guy to get lost. What makes him so wonderful that she should have to “prove her love” to him? Let him prove his love by showing respect to her.

    There’s no store where you can buy self-respect. You can’t order it from a catalog. No magic formula will give it to you. You give it to yourself. You do that because you know you deserve it, because God made you and loves you and intends to give you more goodness than you can handle! 

 

**This article came from www.lovematters.com 
 

This is an AWESOME article, guys! Tell me what u think!!

Luv,  Heather

---

Kiss Me Now

by Bethany Torode

"When my husband kisses me, I know it will be praise that goes straight to heaven." With those words I snagged a husband. In August of 1999, Boundless published my first article, entitled "(Don’t) Kiss Me." The gist of it was that Christians need to take kissing more seriously, and I shared my own personal vow to save my first kiss for my wedding day. But as Sam Torode rightly accused me of in his rejoinder, "There’s More Than One Kind of Kiss," I was not entirely innocent in my musings — I see in retrospect that, unconsciously, I was taking slight advantage of the opportunity to broadcast my availability. I was indeed employing reverse psychology — to pique Sam Torode’s interest, though I had never met him, did not yet know his name, and did not expect my future husband to write a critical response in return.

I am happy to say that it worked like a charm. On January 14th, 2000, Sam and I met face-to-face for the first time, went out to dinner, and talked for three hours. When I returned from the evening, my 12-year-old brother Micah said to me, "He’s older than you, he’s taller than you, he opened the door for you, and he’s a Christian — he’s the one!" He was right: on May 28th, Sam asked me to marry him.

***

Over the course of our engagement we received frequent e-mail messages from Boundless readers mistakenly assuming that our opinions on kissing were in direct opposition to each other — asking, "So, have you kissed yet?" or "Who won?" Sam usually replied by writing, "My friends often ask similar questions, and I refuse to satisfy their curiosity. I will say only: a vow is a vow, Bethany’s principles are my principles, and a kiss is a mystery that cannot be defined."

They were usually frustrated with his response, because a vast majority of the inquirers were young women, and young women want details — preferably in romance-novel or how-to form (I can say that because I am the same way). They wanted to know if we hugged, if we kissed on the cheek, how much we touched.

Writing about kissing in theory is quite a different thing than writing about kissing a particular person. Not only are such details very private and sacred between Sam and me, they are also not things that any one couple should publish as suggested guidelines for thousands of readers, because while certain principles are universal, the specifics will vary with each couple’s situation.

Though I said in my first article that there is no perfect blueprint for every couple, by the undertone of the piece I implied otherwise. I have since learned that couples who save their first kiss for the altar are not necessarily any purer than those who save it for engagement. "The more you save before marriage, the more enjoyment you have afterwards" is not in and of itself a true statement. If that were entirely the case, then we should return to the days of arranged marriages, so that everything about our spouse would remain hidden until the day of the wedding.

When evaluating physical guidelines between yourself and your fiancé, the two most important factors to look at are family history and previous physical experience. For example, a woman who feels abandoned by her father as a result of divorce or absence could have a lot of insecurity that will cloud her understanding of selfless, loving physical expression. She will need to be on guard against using touch to assure herself of her worth, or that her boyfriend/fiancé will not leave her. In the same way, someone who has awakened his desires prematurely by taking touch out of the context of commitment will need to take greater measures to restore his purity when he does pledge himself to someone.

I’m not a relationship expert and, although this is my second article about kissing, I don’t want to become one. I don’t want to set Sam and myself up as the ideal. No couple has the perfect love story. The perfect love story is the marriage of Christ and the Church, which is yet to come — all of our human experiences are but dim reflections of that glorious event.

Christ is the only example of ideal purity and we should all be on guard against lifting others to that place, especially writers and speakers who choose to share their stories with us. No one is a virgin in heart, whether they’ve kissed or not. The Bible is very clear about that. We are all failures (be prepared to realize that in a painful way when you someday join your life with another’s).

***

In an otherwise excellent Christian relationship book I read recently, the author writes of "lusting" after his fiancée’s legs. After a war with his conscience, he tells her that he needs to be alone for awhile. I winced when I read this. Using "lust" in reference to desiring your intended is a depressing misuse of the word. Lust is the objectification of another human being, which happens when you remove the soul, spirit and mind of the other — the essence of them in all their profound individualness — and crave their body solely for your own satisfaction. I doubt the author was enjoying that leg as an object — he admired it because it was his fiancée’s. There is a beautiful flame of attraction that can be referred to as pure, holy desire, and it exists between all couples who are in healthy communion with each other, weaving their lives together within a covenant.

Many people, including myself, have said that there are only two states of romantic involvement outlined in the Bible — singleness and marriage — and that there is no room in-between for physical interaction. "Not married? Don’t touch. Married? Go hog wild!" But the engagement period is not a time to act like singles — never touching, never being alone together. It is a time when you learn how to channel your pure affections and passions to God through your intended, always with the thought of the other in mind. I would venture to say that touch is an important part of this. To self-disciplined, engaged couples, I would highly recommend admiring the beautiful gift of each other’s legs. In our culture, engaged couples desperately need to retreat from the world and redeem their Hollywood-polluted views of sex.

Of course not all desires, however good, can be acted upon before marriage. But when you’re struggling with them, don’t withdraw into yourself — share your burden. It takes away the secrecy and inner struggle, which Satan can use to blow things out of proportion. It was always very helpful for me to tell Sam, "Boy, I really feel like kissing you right now" — because then I was reminded of my commitment not to. God gives our fiancés to us for accountability and partnership.

The Bible does speak of an in-between period, a time when you are not single but not yet fully married. This is referred to in Matthew 1:18, where Joseph is called the husband of Mary, though he has not yet "taken her as his wife" or consummated the marriage. In traditional Hebrew practices, after a couple became betrothed they were considered legally bound to each other, so much that if the engagement were broken, one party would see the other in court.

We would do well to take our cues from the laws of God’s chosen people. Engagement should be binding, because you have given your word — and that should never be retracted, except under dire circumstances. Many parents and pastors do not stress this enough, and many young women do not take this into consideration when presented with that distracting diamond ring. We live in a society that treats commitment flippantly, but it is crucial that we understand how important it is to not promise things we cannot follow through on. (After engagement, I remember Sam pondering how connected we were, and commenting, "If we were to break up now it would be like a divorce.") At that point of "yes," you enter into something beyond a trial period.

***

Over the summer Newsweek ran a cover story on female sexuality. In the following issue a long-married couple wrote a letter to the editor pointing out something that Newsweek had missed: the greatest aphrodisiacs for a woman are her husband taking out the garbage and bathing the kids. This seems simple, but it strikes a very complex and important concept — that sex without deeds is dead; that when our romantic acts are separated from the rest of life — even menial tasks — passion evaporates and we are left with an empty shell of what love should be. We cannot divide our lives into compartments. We need to stop referring to our "spiritual life" and "sex life" as separate from "everyday life." All aspects of our nature are connected in such a way that everything that goes on in the kitchen, dining room and church impacts the bedroom — and vice-versa.

And just as we should not draw hard lines between sexuality, spirituality and real life, we cannot separate the mind, soul and body. Our soul doesn’t reside in some cavity in our chests, it is woven throughout our flesh. Because of this unity, when our spirit joins in prayer with another’s, an emotional bond is formed. In the same way, our lips cannot do something without it affecting our soul.

There are three main ways you weave your selves together in love in preparation for marriage: physical, mental and spiritual. It’s like three thermometers — the mercury in each should be rising as you approach your wedding day. And you’ll see that the closer you get spiritually and mentally, the closer you will desire to be physically. This is good and right, but it also means you need to be wise. It doesn’t take that long to prepare for marriage (Sam and I moved our wedding up a month and a half and completely switched plans in one weekend). A short engagement is a great aid to purity — and patience!

***

One large problem with much contemporary Christian teaching on sexuality is that the church has soaked up the culture’s over-sexualization of everything. (Perhaps if we would limit our movie and media intake we’d be better equipped to avoid this.) As a result, we often talk of ourselves as if we were hormone machines. This is a very animalistic view of what the Bible calls the image of God.

Until I met Sam, I didn’t realize that I had assumed this point of view, which implies that our passions are stronger than our wills. What I gleaned from the broad range of evangelical relationship books I read in my teens was that all passion leads to sex, and that a kiss was a surefire means of eventually going too far. What I’ve learned since then is that passion begins the minute you glance into each other’s eyes, and not kissing doesn’t prevent it from building. Our wills, when in submission to the Holy Spirit, are strong enough to make sure that we will not compromise our principles. We can’t blame blind passion when we fall short of our standards. We are never irrational to "the point of no return." We are not completely lost until we choose to lose ourselves. Hollywood pretends this isn’t so. We’ve all seen it — two characters are attracted to each other, and the minute they’re alone their lips are drawn together by a magnetic force they cannot resist — and then they just can’t help falling into bed. That is utter rubbish.

This over-sexualizing has also taken the form of over-romanticizing our expectations. I know I used to subconsciously believe that if I let God write my love story (by not participating in casual dating or kissing) then my romance would unfold like a novel. But just because you do all the "right things" according to the relationship experts doesn’t mean God is going to give you a purity trophy — that knockout Christian superstar who will make all your friends turn green with jealousy.

Our God delights in writing quirky stories using everyday materials — his own son was not a king but a carpenter, the son’s mother a poor Jewish girl. Don’t dismiss the young men and women that others seem to always overlook — they are often the ones who make the best husbands and wives. You might not be smitten with overwhelming tingles the first time your hand brushes the one you end up marrying, but don’t gauge your future by what happens in the movies. Quite a bit of love is quiet companionship and deep friendship.

On November 24th, I married my quiet companion and deep friend. When he kissed me, I did not feel pure because I was a virgin, or because I was wearing a white dress, or because I had saved my lips for him. I felt pure because I knew that it was a fresh beginning (as is every morning) — that Jesus gave me to him to continue making us both holy through the perpetual confession and forgiveness that comes in married life. I pray that when I am 60 and he kisses me, my lips will be more pure than they were on my wedding day.

To read the earlier articles by Bethany and the email from Sam, click below.

(Don't) Kiss Me

There's More Than One Kind of Kiss

(Don't) Kiss Me Gets Engaged

 

Hey guys! This is a great article!! Lemmie know your thoughts!

Luv,

Heather:-)

---

The Blessing of Brokenness by: Lillian Baker

 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, it seemed good to the potter to make. Jeremiah 18:4 (NKJV).

   Collecting teapots is my pleasure. Anyone who knows me can attest to that. So when my friend began her spring cleaning and came across an old teapot, naturally she thought of me.

   "I'm embarrassed to offer you this broken teapot, but it's yours if you want it," she said.

   I didn't think about it twice. Though it was flawed I loved it. What a blessing! Adorned with a red rose pattern and golden spout, it looked nothing less than regal. I knew just the place for it. I decided not to mend the handle. Its beauty did not depend on it. Even though it was no longer functional for serving tea, I treasured it just the same.

   I transformed the teapot into a vase with a small bouquet of red and yellow roses. The teapot that was once damaged, deemed useless, destined for the trash is now wonderfully adorning a shelf in my home -- a valued gift in my eyes.

   Certain circumstances in life have jarred us, causing cracks and mars. The enemy of our soul loves to remind us of our flaws, our failures, our shortcomings. If we allow God to shape us and make us into the people He wants us to be and allow Him to complete His work in us, beauty and blessing will over shadow brokenness.

   God sees our limitations, but knows our potential even more. He knows exactly where we belong. He has placed us on a high place. He loves us just the same -- a valued gift in His eyes.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I have been jarred by life and sometimes feel like shards of china. As I give you my brokenness, I believe you will raise me up for a higher purpose. Amen.

---

   Lillian Baker live in New Jersey with her husband and children. She is the editor of the King's Pages a quarterly newsletter put out by the New Jersey Society of Christian Writers. For more info. www.njscw.com

 

 

Here we are reminded that we are fearfully and
wonderfully made and God has something definite planned for usto do while we are here.  We display His craftsmanship and
skill when we intentionally live for Him and not like the rest
of the world. Dare to be different!

<><  <><  <><  ><>  <><  <><  <><

Go AGAINST the flow!!

Have a great weekend ya'll! BTW Remember those who are having to endure Hurricane Charly. This storm is going through Florida and the Carolinas! Let's keep them in prayer!!

Your Sis in Christ,

Heather:)

 

    1 Corinthians 6:19-20

 

We are God's temple!  He lives in us and what we do in our
bodies is part of our worship to him.  We are called to not
only abstain from impurity, but we are called to glorify God in
our bodies.

God Bless you all! Hope you guys have an amazing day!

BTW...what's the Lord been speaking to you all lately? Is there something that you'd like to share? Anywayz take care!

 

Your Sister in Christ,

 

Heather:)

 

 

Wow! Jesus reminds us that our
significance is great -- not because we are so important but
because we are known personally by God.  We don't have to be
afraid, we are known and loved by the One who is and was and is to come!

God Bless you all! Hope U have a wonderful wonderful day!

Your Sis in Christ,

Heather

 

My Heavenly Friend
by George Muller

The precious Lord Jesus Christ is our friend. Oh, let us seek to realize this! It is not merely a religious phrase or statement, but truly He is our friend. He is the Brother " born for adversity," the one who "sticks closer than a brother." Who will never leave and never forsake us.

How precious even on earth to have a heavenly friend, for this brings the joys of heaven in a little degree into our hearts now. This is just what our heavenly Father desires regarding His children, that they might be as happy as they are capable of being while here in the body. Have we entered into this, that the One who is "altogether lovely " is ready hour by hour, to be our Friend?

When we cannot sleep at night, say to Christ, " My precious heavenly Friend, wilt Thou give me a little sleep?" When in pain, say, " My precious heavenly Friend, if it may please Thee, wilt Thou take away this pain? But if not, if Thou sees better that it should continue, sustain, help, and strengthen me, my precious heavenly friend!" When we feel lonely and tired, turn to the precious Lord Jesus; He is willing to be our friend in our loneliness. For sixty-two years and five months I had a beloved wife, and now in my ninety-second year I am left alone. But I turn to my precious Lord Jesus as I walk up and down in my room, and say, " My precious Lord Jesus, I am alone, and yet not alone, Thou art with me; Thou art my friend; now Lord, comfort me and strengthen me, give to Thy poor servant everything Thou sees he needs."

Oh, this is a reality, not a fable, that the Lord Jesus Christ is our friend. We should not be satisfied till we are brought to this, that we know the Lord Jesus Christ experientially to be our friend and habitually to be our friend. Just ponder this. Habitually, never leaving, never forsaking us, at all times and under all circumstances ready to prove Himself to be our friend.

He is willing not merely to grant this for a few months, or a year or two, but to the very end of our earthly pilgrimage. David, in Psalm 23 says: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me." Oh, how precious this is. For this "Lovely One" is coming again, and soon. Soon He will come again; and then He will take us home and there we shall be forever with Him. Oh, how precious is that bright and glorious prospect. Here again the practical point is to appropriate this to ourselves. "He is coming to take me-poor, guilty, worthless, hell-deserving me-He is coming to take me to Himself." And to the degree in which we enter into these glorious things, the joys of heaven have already commenced!

Reference: Extract from an address given at the Clifton Conference, 1896

---

 

Hey guys! Did you know that you can register to vote..ONLINE?? Yep, so why not? It's so important for us to stand up for what we believe in and VOTE!!

CLICK HERE 2 REGISTER!!!

Consider this:

2004 Elections - The Future of America
Things To Consider From A Biblical Perspective

• 
  

  "But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain…"
  Exodus 18:21
  

  
  
• 
  

  "When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers just men who will rule in the fear of God. The preservation of a republican government depends on the faithful discharge of this duty; if the citizens neglect this duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted.  
  --Noah Webster, Founding Father
  

  
  
• 
  

  That government is the strongest of which every man feels himself a part.
  --Thomas Jefferson
  

  
  
• 
  

  Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual--or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.
  -- Samuel Adams
  

  
  
• 
  

  Those people who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants.
  --William Penn
  

  
  
• 
  

  I think it is a disgrace that half the Christians in America aren’t even registered to vote, and of those who are, only half go to the polls. . . . When we withhold our influence and participation, we yield by default to those who promote immoral and destructive policies.
  --James Dobson
  

---

SCRIPTURES On the Sovereignty of Public Officials

• 
  

  When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked
  are in power, they groan.
  --Proverbs 29:2
  

  
  
• 
  

  Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
  --Romans 13:1
  (God has given us as Americans the ability to be in this process with HIM).
  

On the Responsibility to Vote

• 
  

  Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly.
  --Deuteronomy 16:18

 

    & nbsp;   (These quotes were taken from http://www.firststone.org/" title="http://www.firststone.org/" target="_blank"http://www.firststone.org/ )

 

 

But I Can't Forgive Myself
By Melody Green

We've all done things we regret. Sometimes, once we recognize our mistakes, we can go back and correct them. Other times we can't. The damage has been done. Memories and accusations flood our minds and we go through mental gymnastics with all the "if onlys." Sometimes we plunge into a pit of despair and the weight of our sin seems to literally crush the breath out of us. Christians know the forgiveness of Jesus, but sometimes we've only accepted that truth in our minds - deep inside there's a nagging doubt that it really applies to our situation.

What can you do with those feelings of guilt? Are they from God or the devil? Are you forgiven or just fooling yourself? Perhaps your struggles are with ongoing failures in your attitudes or actions. Or maybe your situation is so terribly painful you've thought, "Even if God has forgiven me - I'll never forgive myself!"

The following letter, sent to me anonymously, tells a familiar story.

"In June of 1982 I found out 1 was pregnant. I was 18 years old and two months away from college. My boyfriend was a backslidden Christian like me and we chose abortion because we didn't want to face our family and friends. We took the "easy" way out.

After my abortion I faced mental heartaches, shed many tears, and regretted the whole decision. To this day I still get on my knees and cry - asking the Lord for His loving forgiveness because I know I was so wrong!

I struggle a lot, wondering if God will ever give me a second chance. He is such a loving God and I believe with all my heart that He is God, and yet I always carry a conscience full of guilt. I feel like God has abandoned me and I get so discouraged because of the nightmare of my past. Does God forgive me? I believe He does, yet I feel this sin was just too great."

The Weight Of Guilt

You may think your sins are too big and too terrible for God's forgiveness - that there's no hope for you. I'm not talking about abortion only. There are many things that leave guilty scars upon our hearts.

Some of you are haunted by things in your past like fornication, adultery, homosexuality, pimping, prostitution, or perversion. Maybe you've committed crimes like rape, molestation, or incest. Some of you have been thieves, gang members, drug addicts, or even murderers. Many of you have caused, or been the victims of, painful divorces. Some of you have emotionally tormented others through verbal abuse, or injured them through physical abuse - maybe your marriage partner or your children. And some of you carry false feelings of guilt and condemnation because you were on the receiving end of the wrong choices of others.

Some of you have been careless, selfish, disobedient, or missed God altogether, and now irreparable damage has been done. A tragedy might have been averted had you acted differently. But now you or someone else has been hurt or left handicapped... maybe a life was lost. Perhaps your problems aren't as devastating as those mentioned, but all the same you live with continual feelings of discouragement and failure. Whatever your situation may be, if you are feeling the weight of guilt, the forgiveness of Jesus can be known.

Amazing Grace

The act of "forgiving ourselves" has value only after we have obtained God's forgiveness. One reason some of you can't forgive yourself is because God hasn't forgiven you. And if God hasn't forgiven you, it's because you haven't ever taken your guilt and shame to Him. Jesus Christ is the only One who can truly cleanse your heart from guilt. "For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."¹ The Bible is full of this truth.

Approaching God's throne of grace in sincere humility is your first step in receiving forgiveness. Not just "going forward and saying a prayer," but admitting your own guilt, making no excuses, and wholeheartedly turning away from the things that have broken God's heart. It's giving Him full control of your life. You can no longer be your own boss - your own god. Jesus longs for an intimate relationship with you. He is waiting for you to come. You may find a temporary "cure" for your guilt, but there will be no lasting inner peace or healing apart from Jesus Christ.

When we see our sins through the eyes of God, we don't see how we could ever be forgiven. But that's the wonder and the miracle of His grace. We receive what we don't deserve - forgiveness. We owe Him everything. He owes us nothing - yet gives us all. That's what makes His grace truly amazing.

Loving Relationship

Many of you may already have a fairly good knowledge of the Lord. You may even go to church regularly - but for you it's "religion" not relationship. Jesus doesn't honor outward forms of godliness. He sees our hearts. Don't try to seek forgiveness for specific areas of your life without yielding your whole life to Him. We can't send just our sin to the foot of the cross - we need to take ourselves there as well. God's grace is not a bandage to slap over an unclean life. A complete cleansing is needed first, and it can only come through totally giving your life to Jesus.

Is there any sin too terrible for God to forgive? There's only one that I know of - the ultimate rejection of God's Son, Jesus. Our refusal to live in loving relationship with Him blocks us not only from entering into God's forgiveness, but from entering into eternity with Him as well. Anything and everything else committed against God and man, once put under the precious blood of Jesus, can be forgiven.

God Or the Devil?

But for many of you, your problem isn't that you don't know God. You do know Him. You love Him and you're making a consistent effort to be more like Him. Even though you know King David was probably referring to his sin of adultery and murder when he said, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us,"² it doesn't help you feel forgiven in some areas.

If you have gone to the cross, but still feel guilty, it's probably Satan who is accusing you. One of his favorite tactics is to bring up your past sins and failures. Things he knows you feel bad about. Actually, he talks to you in a religious tone of voice making you wonder if it could be God. He brings up your past as "evidence" that you are not totally forgiven. He tells you you're a second-class Christian - that you should be content with just being saved because you're unworthy of being used by God in any significant way.

Of course, we all do well to remember that not one of us is worthy of God's grace. We need to continually guard our hearts against pride and walking in our own strength. But I'm not talking here about our need to acknowledge God's awesome greatness and our bankruptcy before Him. I am talking about an attack of the enemy that keeps us looking inward instead of upward, full of guilt instead of full of peace, bound instead of free.

Conviction vs. Condemnation

Sometimes we aren't sure just who is talking to us. If it's God, we certainly don't want to rebuke Him. But we need to be equally careful not to confuse the attack of the enemy with the voice of God. Let's look at who is speaking, what is being said, and the motive behind it. WHO: First, clarify your exact feelings. Take a moment, condense them into a few sentences and say them out loud to yourself or a friend. Does it sound like God? Does it fit His character? Is it an area of sin? Does it line up with the Bible? WHAT: God's conviction is usually specific. He will let you know, "You just told a lie," or "Fred, I want you to take more responsibility at home." Specific. On the other hand, condemnation is usually more general in nature. The enemy says things like, "You're a lousy Christian," "Why don't you just give up?" or "God could never forgive you for that."

It could be a vague feeling that everything is wrong, but you can't put your finger on anything. For example, you may get the feeling that you're a hypocrite. If so, just say, "Lord, if that's You, please show me exactly what I've said or done so I can get it right." If it's the Lord, and if you are open to being corrected, guaranteed He will tell you. WHY: When I discipline my children I'm specific because I'm training them. I want them to learn - to do better next time. I want them to grow into healthy maturity, not lose heart in defeat. If I spank my daughter I may say, "Mommy is spanking you because you just hit your sister." I would never grab her and say, "You're getting this spanking because you're not gonna make it as my daughter. You're a wreck. You may never grow up right!"

Many times God speaks a hard word to us. His discipline may hurt for a time, but His motive is always love. The surgeon carefully cuts out the cancer, but the robber slashes us in the alleyway. One uses a knife for healing purposes, the other for destruction. Look at the desired outcome. The goal of God's conviction is to draw us closer to Him - our lives bearing good fruit. The devil's condemnation is designed to drive us away from God into a fruitless, hopeless existence.

Satan wants us to give up - God just wants us to shape-up!

A Double Standard?

This is a test: If someone else with a situation just like yours came to you for counsel, what advice would you give them? Is it easier for you to grab onto God's forgiveness for someone else than it is to believe it for yourself? Perhaps you are harder on yourself than you are on others.

Remember that God is no respecter of persons. To believe one thing for someone else, and another thing for yourself is inconsistent. Beliefs like that are based on feelings not on truth. Sometimes when I "blow it" I feel so hurt and disappointed in myself that it's hard to receive forgiveness, yet I would firmly tell someone else in my position to stand on the truth of the Bible. It's humbling to receive God's forgiveness, but James reminds us that, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."³ Pride must take a back seat when it comes to receiving something we know we don't deserve. If God has forgiven us, we set ourselves above Him when we reject His gift. I must learn to minister the same truth and compassion to myself that I so freely give to others.

Receiving Forgiveness

Here's an example of someone who is forgiven, but doesn't believe it. Three-year-old Billy has just flushed his mommy's pearl earrings down the toilet, along with his pet frog. Billy cried out a tearful repentance and mommy assured him he was forgiven. But Billy felt so bad about what he had done that he wouldn't eat dinner and the next morning said, "Mommy, I'm not gonna eat today because I think you're still mad at me." Now, what if his parents couldn't convince him they weren't angry with him? What if they couldn't get him to eat at all!

If Billy was your son, you'd do anything to convince him he was forgiven. You'd tell him that he was more important to you than a pair of earrings, or any other possession for that matter. You would be hurt and desperate as you begged him to please, please eat before he got sick!

Just like Billy, if you don't receive God's forgiveness, you will get sick spiritually. Your whole Christian life will suffer. Your lack of confidence before the Lord does not change the fact that you are forgiven, but it hinders you from achieving the freedom and victory that is yours in Jesus.

Present Ongoing Failures

You've repented time and time again for your temper, selfishness, pride, irresponsibility, impatience, immaturity, insecurities, and fears, etc. Once again you slink into God's presence expecting to hear Him say, "You again? Another bad attitude? You said you'd change but you haven't. That's it - no more forgiveness for you!" Perhaps you've had other people treat you that way when you've humbled yourself - but God won't.

Sometimes we have a misconception about Christianity. We think that once we gain some maturity in the Lord, all of our conflicts and struggles will end. But that happens in heaven, not here. God is fine-tuning us. He's sanding and shaping our characters into better images of Himself. Stop thinking there's an easier way and realize that life is often very difficult - even when we are walking with Jesus.

If you see your failures as opportunities to grow... you will! If you fall, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back on the horse. "A righteous man falls seven times, and rises again."⁴ You're afraid you'll fall again? Keep your eyes on Jesus, "who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy."⁵ You're in training, remember? If you fall, throw yourself on the mercy of God and try again with the strength He provides. That's what God's mercy is for.

Repentance is a change of heart. A change of mind concerning sin. It's more than just "being sorry." It's honestly saying, "If I could do it over, I'd do it differently. I would honor God." That's what repentance is all about. "If MY PEOPLE, which are called by my name, shall HUMBLE THEMSELVES, and PRAY, AND SEEK MY FACE, and TURN from their wicked ways; THEN will I hear from heaven, and WILL FORGIVE THEIR SIN…"⁶ Whether you're a mass-murderer or the "nice guy down the street," you need to come to God in the same way. But once you have given your life to God, and turned away from all ungodliness, you can be sure of His forgiveness whether you feel forgiven or not!⁷

If you're still having trouble feeling forgiven, ask God if there's something He wants you to do. Many times there's someone you need to forgive or ask forgiveness of. If you've stolen a book from the library, you won't have a peace while it's at home on your shelf. Do you need to repay someone? Ask Him to show you anything you've left undone.

Consequences And Compensation

Although many of our wrong choices leave us with unpleasant consequences, these things have nothing to do with the fact that we are forgiven. Some of you are in jail. If you've had an abortion you must deal with the death of your baby and sometimes sterility as well . The key is walking in gratitude. Be thankful for your salvation and for all the good things God has done for you. Jesus points to a former prostitute and tells us that those forgiven of the greatest debts will also have the greatest love for Him. A wonderful promise of hope!⁸

God is just. If you must live with difficult circumstances, He will compensate you in ways that the average person may never know. Our deepest times with God usually come while passing through the fire. We can get hard and bitter from our hurts, or we can draw closer to God and allow Him to break open a vial of compassion in our hearts . In our brokenness we can comfort others, maybe in similar situations, with the same comfort God has given to us.⁹ We have a new understanding of God's grace - a soothing ointment to apply to the wounds of others. God wants us to use it.

Renewing Your Mind

This is very important. Becoming a new creature isn't just a fairy tale that God made up to help us feel better about ourselves. It is a spiritual truth. The Bible doesn't lie.

Paul says, "Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."¹⁰ When you come to Jesus something supernatural happens. You become a new person. You have the same body, the same hands, and even some of the same clothes you had when you were sinning. But you are different. You are a NEW CREATION.

In Ezekiel, the Lord says, "I will sprinkle clean water on you and YOU WILL BE CLEAN." He doesn't say you might be clean or I hope you'll be clean, but you will be clean. "I will cleanse you from ALL your filthiness and from ALL your idols. Moreover, I WILL give you a NEW HEART and put a NEW SPIRIT within you; and I WILL REMOVE the heart of stone from your flesh and GIVE YOU a heart of flesh. And I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT WITHIN YOU and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe my ordinances." ¹¹

God has given us a new heart and a new spirit. We need to walk in the newness of that life. "Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE. Knowing this, that our OLD SELF WAS CRUCIFIED with Him, that our body of sin might be DONE AWAY WITH, that we should NO LONGER be slaves to sin; for He who has died is FREED FROM SIN."¹²

You Are A New Creature

Walking in the newness of life involves training our thinking to accept - not reject - that newness. I recently heard someone say, "I'm new in Christ. I've got a new heart and I've got a new spirit. My only problem is that I've got an old brain." There is a battle on for our mind and we need to continually feed it on the Truth of God - flushing out the junk. It's a process and you need to diligently apply yourself to it… lay aside the OLD SELF . . . BE RENEWED IN THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MIND."¹³

Now, gird your mind for action and discipline your thinking. "For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace."¹⁴ The following are a few practical steps towards renewing your mind. SPEAKING THE TRUTH: Self-esteem is a popular topic right now. The world says "take pride in yourself," a thought contrary to the Bible - and yet the Christlike response is not "belittle yourself." Many people continually downgrade themselves with their words and their thoughts believing it's biblical humility. It's not. We need to see ourselves through God's eyes and speak honestly about ourselves - acknowledging the good and the bad. When we are really honest, we can't help but be humble before God. THINKING THE TRUTH: "... whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things."¹⁵ Meditate on the special Scriptures the Lord gives you regarding your forgiveness, your strength in Jesus, your new heart, and all the riches of Christ. Tape them on your bathroom mirror, underline them in your Bible, memorize them. This is the truth, and "the truth will make you free."¹⁶ LIVING THE TRUTH: "But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves."¹⁷ Don't fan the flames of old feelings and desires. If you don't want to struggle with lust, don't go to enticing movies. Be careful about the influence you receive from television and books. Practice the simple things the Lord shows you in rebuilding your life and you won't hurt the Lord and come under the same guilt again. "Put on the NEW SELF, which in the likeness of God has been created in RIGHTEOUSNESS and HOLINESS OF THE TRUTH."¹⁸

Forgiving Yourself

After God has forgiven you, you have to forgive yourself. This will release you to walk in the fullness of Christ. Satan loves to tell you that you haven't changed. That the blood of Jesus is useless in the cleansing of sin. These are lies. Once you have given your life to God and placed your sins under His blood you are forgiven. Period! You must believe this truth if you're going to have any joy in your Christian life. You've been bound by the enemy's chains and Jesus wants to set you free right now. Cry out like David saying, "bring my soul out of prison, so that I may give thanks to Thy Name."¹⁹ The door is wide open. Walk through it in confidence! Get off alone somewhere and say this out loud. You are speaking to yourself, to God, and to the devil.

l AM NOT THE SAME as I used to be. I WOULD NOT DO the same things if I could do them over. I am more than sorry. I believe GOD HAS FORGIVEN ME and I'm going to live like it. I will SPEAK and THINK the truth about myself and God. I REJECT THE LIES of the enemy. And, I FORGIVE MYSELF. Say it louder, I FORGIVE MYSELF! Insert your name in here and say, " _____________ I FORGIVE YOU!!" Now spend some time thanking Jesus for the new start He's giving you.

There are some things that just have to be nailed to the cross once and for all. Don't take the list down and examine it anymore. Jesus wants to do a new thing in your life. You need to let Him. It's time to get on with your life and tackle the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. You'll miss them if you keep looking back over your shoulder. Jesus wants to use you. He loves you and He wants to see you released to be all He's made you to be. Forget what lies behind and look ahead, walking forward in the wisdom and power of God. Jesus has not only given you a future, He's given you a hope as well! "`For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, `plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.'" (Jeremiah 29:11)

1: Col. 1:13-14
2: Psalm 103:12
3: James 4:6
4: Proverbs 24:16
5: Jude 24
6: II Chron. 7:14
7: I John 1:9
8: Luke 7:42-48
9: II Cor. 1:4
10): II Cor. 5:17
11:  Ezek. 36:25-27
12: Rom. 6:4,6-7
13:  Eph. 4:22-23
14:  Rom 8:6
15) Phil. 4:8
16) John 8:32
17) James 1:22
18) Eph. 4:24
19) Psalm 142

---

God Bless you all! Feel free to comment!

Luv,

Heather

 

 

"I wait quietly before God, for my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my Rock and my Salvation, my Fortress where I will never be shaken."

 

Psalm 62:1-2 NLT

 

This passage of scripture is so comforting to me! It reminds me that God is always here for me...He's my Rock...my Salvation...my Fortress...my Hiding Place...my Comforter..(and on and ON!!)  God wants us to wait on Him...on His perfect timing. He knows what's best for our lives.

 

Have you heard this quote from one of Third Day's songs, "When the Rain Comes":

 

"I can't stop the rain / From falling down on you again
I can't stop the rain / But I will hold you 'til it goes away"

 

I love that quote!! It's so comforting to think about God holding me during the storms in life. He knows that sometimes we must go through the storms to learn/ strengthen us/ bring us closer to Him. Anyway that's a great song and a great album! Anyway...what does this verse/ quote speak to you all? God Bless! Hope you guys have an awesome day!

 

<>< Heather

 

 

Becoming a Woman Who Listens to God
By: Sharon Jaynes

I don't know of any greater passion or purpose that has ever taken hold of my heart than becoming a woman who listens to God. It encapsulates my deepest longing. As I read the pages of my Bible, I see God speaking to Adam and Eve as they walked together in the cool of the evening, to Noah instructing him how to build the ark to save his family from destruction, to Moses calling him to lead the enslaved Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, to the prophet Samuel leading him to anoint a mere shepherd boy the next king of the Jews, and Jesus calling out to Saul from a blinding light saying, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
Tell me, haven't you longed for God to speak to you in the same way?

Admittedly, it is hard to hear anyone's voice surrounded by the cacophony of noises in our busy world. I've often thought, if I could just get away from the clamor of everyday life, perhaps I could hear that still small voice. But when I pored over the Scriptures, I discovered that some of God's most memorable messages weren't delivered while men and women were away at a spiritual retreat, but right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of life. He spoke to Moses while he was tending sheep, to Gideon while he was threshing wheat, to shepherds while they were watching their flocks by night, to the woman at the well while she was drawing water for her household chores, to Matthew while he was busy in his tax office, and to Martha while she was baking in the kitchen.

Does that mean that God could speak to you and to me in the midst of our ordinary days? I don't believe it's a question of whether or not He'll speak, but whether or not we'll listen.

There are some who say that God doesn't speak today, that the Bible is God's complete revelation to believers. Yes, it's true that the Bible tells us everything we need to know about God's character and His ways, and He will never tell us anything that contradicts His Word. But He will speak to us in a personal way to help us apply Scripture to our lives and move the truths from our heads to our hearts.

All through the New Testament Jesus taught the multitudes by telling them stories or parables to illustrate spiritual principles. He explained the unknown by using the known. Likewise, Jesus continues to illustrate spiritual principles through modern day parables. He shows up in our lives everyday, but we must turn aside and pay attention.
People often ask me how I come up with the stories that I write in books and in the "P31 Woman." I can honestly say they come from my communication with God. I see or hear the stories when I choose to "turn aside."

When Moses saw a burning bush in the desert that was not being consumed, he turned aside, stopped what he was doing, and went to investigate this amazing sight. "When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, 'Moses, Moses!' And he said, 'Here I am'" (NASB).

Ah, there's the key. Moses turned aside. God had his full attention. Could it be that we get so wrapped up in our daily activities and to-do lists that we don't take the time to turn aside when God speaks? I wonder how many burning bushes I've missed in my own backyard. I fear we have grown unaccustomed to listening, uninterested in what He has to say, or unbelieving that He will speak.

Does God still speak to us today? I'm absolutely sure He does. But don't take my word for it - take Jesus' word. He said, "I am the good shepherd…My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me" (John 10:14, 27). Since God continues to speak today, why do we have such difficulty recognizing His voice? Why don't we hear Him more often? Hearing God's voice should be part of the normal everyday experience for a child of God. It is God's silence that should give us reason for concern, for in times past, God's silence was a form of punishment for disobedience. Also, hearing God's voice is not only for the "super Christian," if there is such a person. It is for the uneducated fisherman, the woman in the kitchen, the leprous outcast, the tax collector in a tree, and for you and me.

I haven't heard God's audible voice, but He does speak to me on a regular basis. I've felt His nudge in the kitchen as I've mopped the linoleum floor, I've recognized His tug as I've pulled off the highway in an overheated car, I've sensed His peaceful wooing as I've struggled to weather tumultuous storms, I've heard echoes of His laughter as He's instructed me to learn from the children in my care, and I've sensed His presence as I've spent time meditating on the Scripture.

Earth is crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning

---

Delivered on Sabbath Morning, March 25th, 1860, by the
REV. Charles H. SPURGEON At Exeter Hall, Strand.

The following is an excerpt from a sermon preached by Charles Spurgeon on the separation of the church from the vile. I chose the sermon for the great need that faces the church today... the decision to take a stand against the ecumenical trends of our day and the watering down of the Truth to make is palatable to the world.  May it never be said of you that you compromised the Truth.

---

"...My first argument is this. Whenever the Church has been thoroughly distinct from the world, she has always prospered. During the first three centuries the world hated the Church. The prison, the stake, the heels of the wild horse, these were thought too good for the followers of Christ. When a man became a Christian, he gave up father and mother, house and lands, nay, his own life also. When they met together they must meet in the catacombs, burning candles at high noon, because there was darkness in the depths of the earth. They were despised and rejected of men. "They wandered about in sheeps' skins and goats' skins, destitute, afflicted, tormented." But then was the age of heroes; that was the time of giants. Never did the Church so much prosper and so truly thrive as when she was baptized in blood. The ship of the Church never sails so gloriously along as when the bloody spray of her martyrs falls upon her deck. We must suffer, and we must die, if we are ever to conquer this world for Christ. Was there ever such a surprising miracle as the spread of the gospel during the first two or three centuries? Within fifty years after Christ had ascended to heaven, the gospel was preached in every known part of the world, and there were converts to Christ in the most inhospitable regions. Further than the ships of Tarshish had the gospel flown; the pillars of Hercules had not bounded the industry of the apostles. To wild and uncivilized tribes, to Picts and Scots, and to fierce Britons, was the gospel proclaimed. Churches were founded, some of which have lasted in their purity to this day. And all this, I believe, was partly the result of that striking, that marked difference between the Church and the world. Certainly, during the period after Constantine professed to be a Christian, changing with the times, because he saw it would strengthen his empire—from the time when the Church began to be linked with the state—the Lord left her, and gave her up to barrenness, and Ichabod was written on her walls. It was a black day for Christendom when Constantine said, "I am a Christian." "By this sign I conquer," said he. Yes, it was the true reason of his pretended conversion, If he could conquer by the cross it was well enough; if he could have conquered by Jupiter he would have I liked it equally as well. From that time the Church began to degenerate. And coming down to the middle ages, when you could not tell a Christian from a worldling, where were you to find piety at all, or life or grace left in the lands Then came Luther, and with a rough grasp he rent away the Church from the world—pulled her away at the risk of rending her in pieces. He would not have her linked in affinity with the world, and then "The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers took counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed;" but he that sitteth in the heavens did laugh at them; Jehovah had them in derision. The Church went forth conquering and to conquer, and her main weapon was her non-conformity to the world, her coming out from among men. Put your finger on any prosperous page in the Church's history, and I will find a little marginal note reading thus: "In this age men could readily see where the Church began and where the world ended." Never were there good times when the Church and the world were joined in marriage with one another.
But though this were sufficient argument for keeping the Church and the world distinct, there are many others. The more the Church is distinct from the world in her acts and in her maxims, the more true is her testimony for Christ, and the more potent is her witness against sin. We are sent into this world to testify against evils; but if we dabble in them ourselves, where is our testimony? If we ourselves be found faulty, we are false witnesses; we are not sent of God, our testimony is of none effect. I do not hesitate to say there are tens of thousands of professing Christians, whose testimony before the world is rather injurious than beneficial. The world looks at them, and says, "Well, I see: you can be a Christian, and yet remain a rogue." "Ah!" says another, "you can be a Christian, I perceive; but then you will have to be doleful and miserable." "Ah!" cries another, "these Christians like to drink sin in secret behind the door. Their Christianity lies in not liking to sin openly; but they can devour a widow's house when nobody is looking on; they can be drunkards, only it must be in a very small party; they would not like to be discovered tipsy where there were a hundred eyes to look at them." Now, what is all that? It is just this,—that the world has found out that the Church visible is not the unmixed Church of Christ, since it is not true to its principles, anal does not stand up for the uprightness and integrity which are the marks of the genuine church of God. Many Christians forget that they are bearing a testimony: they do not think that anybody notices them. Ay, but they do. There are no people so much watched as Christians. The world reads us up, from the first letter of our lives to the end; and if they can find a flaw—and, God forgive us, they may find very many—they are sure to magnify the flaw as much as ever they can. Let us therefore be very watchful, that we live close to Christ, that we walk in his commandments always that the world may see that the Lord hath put a difference..
But now I have a very sad thing to say—I wish that I could withhold it, but I cannot. Unless, brothers and sisters, you make it your daily business to see that there is a difference between you and the world, you will do more hurt than you can possibly do good. The Church of Christ is at this day accountable for many fearful sins. Let me mention one which is but the type of others. By what means think you were the fetters rivetted on the wrist of our friend who sits there, a man like ourselves, though of a black skin? It is the Church of Christ that keeps his brethren under bondage; if it were not for that Church, the system of slavery would go back to the hell from which it sprung. If there were no slave floggers but men who are fit for so degrading an office; if there were not found Christian ministers (?) who can apologize for slavery from the pulpit, and church members who sell the children of nobler beings than themselves—if it were not for this, Africa would be free. Albert Barnes spoke right truly when he said slavery could not exist for an hour if it were not for the countenance of the Christian Church. But what does the slaveholder say when you tell him that to hold our fellow-creatures in bondage is a sin, and a damnable one, inconsistent with grace? He replies "I do not believe your slanders; look at the Bishop of So-and-so, or the minister of such-and-such a place, is not he a good man, and does not he whine out 'Cursed be Canaan?' Does not he quote Philemon and Onesimus? Does he not go and talk Bible, and tell his slaves that they ought to feel very grateful for being his slaves, for God Almighty made them on purpose that they might enjoy the rare privilege of being cowhided by a Christian master. Don't tell me," he says, "if the thing were wrong, it would not have the Church on its side." And so Christ's free Church bought with his blood, must bear the shame of cursing Africa, and keeping her sons in bondage. From this evil, good Lord deliver us. If Manchester merchants and Liverpool traders have a share in this guilt, at least let the Church be free of this hell-filling crime. Men have tried hard to make the Bible support this sum of all villanies, but slavery, the thing which defiles the Great Republic such slavery is quite unknown to the Word of God, and by the laws of the Jew; it was impossible that it ever could exist. I have known men quote texts as excuses for being damned, and I do not wonder that men can find Scripture to justify them in buying and selling the souls of men.
And what think you is it, to come home to our own land, that props up the system of trample that is carried on among us? You all know that there are businesses where it is not possible for a young man to be honest in the shop, where, if he spoke the downright truth, he would be discharged. Why is it, think you, that the system of ticketing goods in the window differently from what they are sold indoors, or exhibiting one thing and then giving another article, the system of telling white lies across the counter with the intention of getting a better price, is maintained? Why it would not stamp an hour if it were not for the professing Christians who practice it. They have not the moral courage to say once for all, "We will have nothing to do with these things." If they did, if the Church renounced these unholy customs, business could alter within the next twelve months. The props of felony, and the supports of roguery are these professing Christian men, who bend their backs to do as other men do; who, instead of stemming the torrent, give up, and swim along with it—the dead fish in our churches, that flow with the stream, unlike the living fish which always go against it, and swim upward to the river's source. I would not speak too severely of Christ's Church, for I love her; but because I love her I must therefore utter this. Our being so much like the world, our trading as the world trades, our talking as the world talks, our always insisting upon it that we must do as other people do, this is doing more mischief to the world, than all our preachers can hope to effect good. "Come ye out from among them, touch not the unclean thing, be ye separate, saith the Lord, and I will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters."
This surely, a stern rough argument, might move us to be separate from the world. But once again, how is it possible for us to honor Jesus Christ, while there is no difference between us and the world? I can imagine that a man may not profess to be a Christian, and yet he may honor his Master, that however is a matter of imagination. I do not know of an instance, but I cannot imagine a man professing to be a Christian, and then acting as the crowd acts, and yet honoring Christ.
Methinks I see my Master now he stands before me. He has more than those five blessed wounds. I see his hands running with blood. "My Master! my Master!" I cry, where didst thou get those wounds? those are not the piercings of the nails, nor the gash of the spear-thrust; whence come those wounds" I hear him mournfully reply, "These are the wounds which I have received in the house of my friends. such-and-such a Christian fell, such-and-such a disciple followed me afar off, and at last Peter-like denied me altogether. Such an one of my children is covetous, such another of them is proud, such another has taken his neighbor by the throat, and saith, 'Pay me what thou owest,' and I have been wounded in the house of my friends." O, blessed Jesus forgive us, forgive us, and give us thy grace that we may do so no more, for we would follow thee whithersoever thou goest; thou knowest Lord we would be thine, we would honor thee and not grieve thee. O give us now then of thine own Spirit, that we may come out from the world and be like thyself,—holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners.
I have but just these two things to say, and then I have done. To professors of religion this word. There are some of you professors of religion that are base coin. When you come to the Lord's table you lie, and when you say of yourself, "I am a member of such-and-such a church," you say what is a disgrace to you. Now let me remind you, sirs, that you may hold your profession here, but when you come before God's bar at last you will find it a terrible thing not to have had a reality in your profession. Tremble, sirs, at God's right hand. There hangs the scale and you must be put into it, and if you are found wanting, your portion must be among the deceivers, and you know where that is—it is in the lowest pit of hell. Tremble, Sir Deacon, tremble, Church-member, if you are not what you profess to be there is a doom awaiting you of a fiercer, a direr sort than even for the ungodly and the reprobate. From the height of your profession you shall be plucked down. You have built your nest among the stars, but you must make your bed in hell. You have decked your head with a crown, but you must wear a crown of fire, you must have those fine robes plucked off you, that tinsel and that paint must all be removed. and you, naked to your shame, the hooting-mark of devils, shall become a hissing even to the damned of hell, as they shall point to you and cry, "There goes the man who destroyed himself by deceiving others. There is the wretch who talked of God and talked of Christ, and did not think himself such an one as we are, and now he too is bound up in the bundle to be burnt."
The last word is to those who are not professors at all. God has made a difference between you and the righteous. Oh, my dear friends, I beseech you turn that thought over in your minds! There are no three characters, no intermediate links; there is no border-land between the righteous and the wicked. To-day you are either a friend to God or an enemy to him. You are at this hour either quickened or dead, and oh! remember, when death comes it is either heaven or hell with you,—either angels or fiends must be your companions, and either the flames must be your bed and fiery coverlet, or else the glories of eternity must be your perpetual inheritance. Remember, the way to heaven is open. "He that believeth in the Lord Jesus shall be saved." Believe on him, believe on him, and live. Trust him, and you are saved. Cast your soul's confidence on Jesus, and you are now delivered. God help you to do that now, and there shall be no difference any more between you and the righteous, but you shall be of them, and with them, in the day when Jesus cometh to sit upon the throne of his father David, and to reign among men." ---CHS

---

It's like that song by Steven Curtis Chapman.. "What about the change? What about the difference?..." Dare to be different..DARE to live for the Lord!

Comments are weclome!!

Love,

Heather

[b]A Couple Things God Would Like You to Remember...[/b]

1. If you feel far away from God, guess who moved?

2. Fear knocked. Faith answered. No one was there.

3. What you are is God's gift to you. What you become is your gift to God.

4. I am God's melody of life and He sings His song through me.

5. We can never really go where God is not, and where He is, all is well.

6. No matter what is happening in your life, know that God is waiting for you with open arms.

7. God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

8. Do your best and then sleep in peace. God is awake.

9. God has a purpose and plan for me that no one else can fulfill.

10. The will of God will never take you to where the grace of God will not protect you.

11. We are responsible for the effort, not the outcome.

12. We set the sail; God makes the wind.

13. Begin to weave and God will give you the thread.

14. Sometimes when God says "no", it's because He has something better in store for you.

15. The task ahead of us is never as great as the power behind us.

16. Prayer: don't bother to give God instructions, just report for duty.

17. It's my business to do God's business and it's His business to take care of my business.

18. Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm.

19. How come you're always running around looking for God? He's not lost.

20. God put me on earth to accomplish a number of things; right now I'm so far behind I will live forever.






God Bless you all!

YSIC

Heather

[b]OK..guys, that's all of the Courtship Series from TheSongofSolomon.com...but here's a great article I found about the media. God Bless you all! Feel free to comment!

< Heather[/b]>
_________________________ _____

The New Sexual Temptation
by Camerin Courtney
September 3, 2003

[i]Sexual temptation ain't what it used to be.[/i]

When I was a kid, Three's Company was a controversial TV show for us younger viewers. For about half my friends and classmates, this "risqué" program, in which two women and one guy shared an apartment strictly for financial reasons, was off-limits.

Flash forward a couple decades, and it's difficult to find a TV show without at least one cohabiting couple, who are sharing living quarters for reasons that are far from fiscal. And on the commercial breaks during these shows, sex is used to sell everything from organic shampoo to health club memberships.

For these reasons and many more, if you gathered ten typical Christians in a room and asked them what they think the biggest struggle is for their single sisters and brothers, I bet a majority of them would mention sexual temptation.

It's a good guess. But it's wrong. When we posed this question to you single readers, sexual temptation ranked third (with 15 percent of the vote), behind loneliness (32 percent) and trying to be content in my current life stage (24 percent).

I have a pretty good idea why this issue didn't rank any higher: It's difficult to be tempted sexually when you haven't been on a date in a couple years!

Over the past many months we've also conducted polls and asked for feedback that's revealed a trend of Christian singles dating less and less. So, it's perfectly logical that sexual temptation is taking a back seat to other more pressing and relevant issues.

However, the many e-mails I received last week in response to my admission that I've watched a few episodes of that new TV show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy reminded me of a more subtle form of sexual temptation I think we singles in particular need to guard against: In today's entertainment culture, it's easy to get desensitized to sexual ethics and practices that are contrary to our Christian beliefs. In other words, the new battleground for sexual temptation isn't the bedroom, but our brains.

I'm startled every now and then when watching Friends or Alias or the latest blockbuster flick to find myself not at all fazed when a couple winds up in bed together on the first date, or when I find myself even rooting for the consummation of a long-awaited romance or the breakup of a marriage so a third party can enter the scene.

I'm not proud of these things, but they're true. And I know from a few candid conversations with friends that there are many of us desperately trying to keep from being products of our over-sexualized culture.

So how do we do that?

If you think I'm going to suggest tossing your TV or watching only PAX programming and reading only the Left Behind series, you're wrong (unless you feel called by God to do so). Not only would that lead to a dreadfully narrow intake of artistic stimuli, it would make us woefully irrelevant to peers outside the Christian subculture. In fact, one of the most effective outreaches my church has staged recently is a film festival, in which we showed some strategically selected movies and then discussed the spiritual and ethical themes therein.

But on the other hand, there have been times when I've opted out of a movie outing, quit reading a novel, or decided to stop watching certain TV shows altogether, such as Queer Eye or Will and Grace, because, though popular and often well-written, they've had me laughing at or rooting for things that are quite contrary to my beliefs. And, let's face it, as single people, when we get aroused by certain scenes in movies or in books, there's not much that's healthy we can do with those feelings.

Sometimes I'm even more concerned about the subtle ways "reality" dating shows, romantic comedies, and the new genre of "chick lit" can shape our expectations for the opposite sex and for romantic relationships. Drawing from these sources, it's easy to believe singles are always buff, shallow, witty, catty, and drawn to hot tubs. But even a cursory glance around your local singles group, mall, or crowded movie theater will reveal that reality is so much less "glamorous" and so much more refreshingly diverse.

There are times I feel a bit prudish by deeming certain shows a no-go for myself or drawing other lines. But when I remember that God's just as concerned about our thoughts and motives as our actions (Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28), I know this is the right thing to do. And when I'm spared that niggling feeling of guilt when finishing a novel or walking out of a movie theater, I experience a refreshing peace of mind.

This whole topic seems to me just another reason our relationship with God needs to be daily and active, and why we need to allow him into the messier parts of our life. I need his guidance to know how to make these seemingly minor decisions that help form my paradigm about major issues. He knows my weaknesses and areas in which I'm especially susceptible and can help me make wise choices that will protect me from unhealthy thoughts or actions.

This is also a reason we need to allow others who share our faith into the messier parts of our lives as well. I need the loving accountability of friends who will call me on certain decisions when I'm perhaps tuning out God's voice or having a difficult time hearing it. What a vital role we can play in each other's lives, drawing us closer to each other and to God, as we take the risk to be real with one another.

And hopefully, when those few coveted dates do finally happen in our lives, we'll be well equipped to draw lines and make decisions that, though they may seem boring by entertainment media standards, will lead to the kind of fulfilling happy endings that only the best Author and Director could create.

Blessings!
Camerin Courtney

[i]Camerin welcomes your feedback and brainstorms at: SinglesNewsletter@Christi anityToday.com

Sign up for the Singles Newsletter and receive a new article plus community updates in your inbox every week!

Copyright © 2003 ChristianityToday.com[/i]