March 30, 2008

I'm Not Who I Was

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vO8l3zEVV8
(embedding disabled by request)


Brandon Heath
I'm Not Who I Was
From the album Don't Get Comfortable



I wish you could see me now
I wish I could show you how
I'm not who I was
I used to be mad at you
A little on the hurt side too
But I'm not who I was

I found my way around
To forgiving you
Some time ago
But I never got to tell you so

I found us in a photograph
I saw me and I had to laugh
You know, I'm not who I was
You were there, you were right above me
And I wonder if you ever loved me
Just for who I was

When the pain came back again
Like a bitter friend
It was all that I could do
To keep myself from blaming you

I reckon it's a funny thing
I figured out I can sing
Now I'm not who I was
I write about love and such
Maybe 'cause I want it so much
I'm not who I was

I was thinking maybe I
I should let you know
I am not the same
But I never did forget your name
Hello

Well the thing I find most amazing
In amazing grace
Is the chance to give it out
Maybe that's what love is all about

I wish you could see me now
I wish I could show you how
I'm not who I was

Give Me Words to Speak



Aaron Shust
Give Me Words to Speak



Calloused and bruised
dazed and confused
My Spirit is left wanting something more
Than my selfish hopes
and my selfish dreams
I’m lying with my face down to the floor
I’m crying out for more
Give me Words to speak
Don’t let my Spirit sleep
Cause I can’t think of anything worth saying
But I know that I owe You my life
So give me Words to speak
Don’t let my Spirit sleep
Every night, every day
I find that I have nothing I can say
So I stand here in silence awaiting Your guidance
I’m wanting only Your voice to be heard
Let them be Your Words
I just don’t understand this life that I’ve been living
I just don’t understand (x2)
I just don’t understand these lies I’ve been believing
I just don’t understand (x2)

Awesome God



Awesome God
Rich Mullins

When He rolls up His sleeves
He ain't just putting on the ritz
(Our God is an awesome God)
There's thunder in His footsteps
And lightning in His fists
(Our God is an awesome God)
And the Lord wasn't joking when He kicked 'em out of Eden
It wasn't for no reason that He she'd His blood
His return is very close and so you better be believing that
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God
And when the sky was starless
In the void of the night
(Our God is an awesome God)
He spoke into the darkness
And created the light
(Our God is an awesome God)
Judgement and wrath He poured out on Sodom
Mercy and grace He gave us at the cross
I hope that we have not too quickly forgotten that
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power, and love
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God (Our God is an awesome God)
He reigns from heaven above (He reigns from heaven above)
With wisdom, power, and love (With wisdom, power, and love)
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God

Jesus, Bring the Rain



MERCYME LYRICS
Bring The Rain

Holy, holy, holy
I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You
Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray
Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain
I am Yours regardless of
The dark clouds that may loom above
Because You are much greater than my pain
You who made a way for me
By suffering Your destiny
So tell me what's a little rain
So I pray
Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain
Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Is the Lord God Almighty
Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Is the Lord God Almighty

March 29, 2008

Harry Potter fan?

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March 27, 2008

Quote of the Day March 27

"If you do not change direction, you may
end up where you are heading."

~ Lao-Tzu ~

March 23, 2008

Ah, Memories :)

I visited (was summoned to clean out) Mom & Dad's out-building yesterday to get some of my old belongings out of the rat-chewed boxes that had been stored there since around the late 80's, early 90's. Umm... silverfish. Have you ever had silverfish run up your arms like cockroaches? Ugh. I don't think I've ever jumped so high, lol. Anyway, this is an out-building, not a storage facility, so it is a welcome shelter for rats/mice, spiders, bats, birds, silverfish, roaches, snakes, and whatever else can squeeze through the slats. Oh, and dust! Old, swirling, scattering dust; which is what I inhaled for at least 20 straight minutes when I got excited about one particular box of porcelin (sp?) kitties and such. Hense, why I am sick as a dog this morning! I am missing church. I am missing an awesome sermon about Jesus Christ. And I am mad about it. And another thing: Mom, Dad, the Kid and I are all supposed to be leaving tomorrow for Edisto Island. - sniff - I don't think I am able to go. But on the other hand, I found some really cool memories I'd forgotten about. You know the kind of things I'm talking about; old letters from friends, graduation invitations, photos of friends, picture spreads I took back during my Black-N-White Photography phase, my bag of really cool marbles, drawings I did when I was bored in classes (they're pretty good! I can't draw like that anymore! LOL), a cast iron cooking pan, unbroken dishes(!), old Avon purfume (I'm not opening that! LOL), and sooo much more. Memories are so cool. Go dust of your old memories. I guarantee you'll smile at least once :)
Have a beautiful day!

Spring Photos





March 22, 2008

Me?

Little, tiny, insignificant me? Me?! Me who is so needy, so greedy, so... so plain, and nothing, and is just a bug crawling on this planet of dirt, day by day, waiting for whatever comes. Me, who is so not worthy of any riches. Me, who is just... me?


YOU died for ME?!

Thank you, Jesus Christ.

Phyllis Adelle Sherer

Quote of the Day March 22

The one true way of dying to self is the way of patience,
meekness, humility, and resignation to God.

-- Andrew Murray

March 20, 2008

Why EASTER falls on certain dates

Easter is an annual festival observed throughout the Christian world. The date for Easter shifts every year within the Gregorian Calendar. The Gregorian Calendar is the standard international calendar for civil use. In addition, it regulates the ceremonial cycle of the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches. The current Gregorian ecclesiastical rules that determine the date of Easter trace back to 325 CE at the First Council of Nicaea convened by the Roman Emperor Constantine. At that time the Roman world used the Julian Calendar (put in place by Julius Caesar).

The Council decided to keep Easter on a Sunday, the same Sunday throughout the world. To fix incontrovertibly the date for Easter, and to make it determinable indefinitely in advance, the Council constructed special tables to compute the date. These tables were revised in the following few centuries resulting eventually in the tables constructed by the 6th century Abbot of Scythia, Dionysis Exiguus. Nonetheless, different means of calculations continued in use throughout the Christian world.

In 1582 Gregory XIII (Pope of the Roman Catholic Church) completed a reconstruction of the Julian calendar and produced new Easter tables. One major difference between the Julian and Gregorian Calendar is the "leap year rule". See our FAQ on Calendars for a description of the difference. Universal adoption of this Gregorian calendar occurred slowly. By the 1700's, though, most of western Europe had adopted the Gregorian Calendar. The Eastern Christian churches still determine the Easter dates using the older Julian Calendar method.

The usual statement, that Easter Day is the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs next after the vernal equinox, is not a precise statement of the actual ecclesiastical rules. The full moon involved is not the astronomical Full Moon but an ecclesiastical moon (determined from tables) that keeps, more or less, in step with the astronomical Moon.

The ecclesiastical rules are:

Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or after the day of the vernal equinox;
this particular ecclesiastical full moon is the 14th day of a tabular lunation (new moon); and
the vernal equinox is fixed as March 21.
resulting in that Easter can never occur before March 22 or later than April 25. The Gregorian dates for the ecclesiastical full moon come from the Gregorian tables. Therefore, the civil date of Easter depends upon which tables - Gregorian or pre-Gregorian - are used. The western (Roman Catholic and Protestant) Christian churches use the Gregorian tables; many eastern (Orthodox) Christian churches use the older tables based on the Julian Calendar.

In a congress held in 1923, the eastern churches adopted a modified Gregorian Calendar and decided to set the date of Easter according to the astronomical Full Moon for the meridian of Jerusalem. However, a variety of practices remain among the eastern churches.

There are three major differences between the ecclesiastical system and the astronomical system.

The times of the ecclesiastical full moons are not necessarily identical to the times of astronomical Full Moons. The ecclesiastical tables did not account for the full complexity of the lunar motion.
The vernal equinox has a precise astronomical definition determined by the actual apparent motion of the Sun as seen from the Earth. It is the precise time at which the apparent ecliptic longitude of the Sun is zero. (Yes, the Sun's ecliptic longitude, not its declination, is used for the astronomical definition.) This precise time shifts within the civil calendar very slightly from year to year. In the ecclesiastical system the vernal equinox does not shift; it is fixed at March 21 regardless of the actual motion of the Sun.
The date of Easter is a specific calendar date. Easter starts when that date starts for your local time zone. The vernal equinox occurs at a specific date and time all over the Earth at once.
Inevitably, then, the date of Easter occasionally differs from a date that depends on the astronomical Full Moon and vernal equinox. In some cases this difference may occur in some parts of the world and not in others because two dates separated by the International Date Line are always simultaneously in progress on the Earth.

For example, take the year 1962. In 1962, the astronomical Full Moon occurred on March 21, UT=7h 55m - about six hours after astronomical equinox. The ecclesiastical full moon (taken from the tables), however, occurred on March 20, before the fixed ecclesiastical equinox at March 21. In the astronomical case, the Full Moon followed its equinox; in the ecclesiastical case, it preceded its equinox. Following the rules, Easter, therefore, was not until the Sunday that followed the next ecclesiastical full moon (Wednesday, April 18) making Easter Sunday, April 22.

Similarly, in 1954 the first ecclesiastical full moon after March 21 fell on Saturday, April 17. Thus, Easter was Sunday, April 18. The astronomical equinox also occurred on March 21. The next astronomical Full Moon occurred on April 18 at UT=5h. So in some places in the world Easter was on the same Sunday as the astronomical Full Moon.

The following are dates of Easter from 1980 to 2024:


1980 April 6 1995 April 16 2010 April 4

1981 April 19 1996 April 7 2011 April 24

1982 April 11 1997 March 30 2012 April 8

1983 April 3 1998 April 12 2013 March 31

1984 April 22 1999 April 4 2014 April 20

1985 April 7 2000 April 23 2015 April 5

1986 March 30 2001 April 15 2016 March 27

1987 April 19 2002 March 31 2017 April 16

1988 April 3 2003 April 20 2018 April 1

1989 March 26 2004 April 11 2019 April 21

1990 April 15 2005 March 27 2020 April 12

1991 March 31 2006 April 16 2021 April 4

1992 April 19 2007 April 8 2022 April 17

1993 April 11 2008 March 23 2023 April 9

1994 April 3 2009 April 12 2024 March 31

For other years, there is a date of Easter program in Data Services.

Computing the Date of Easter
The rule is that Easter is the first Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or after March 21. The lunar cycles used by the ecclesiastical system are simple to program. The following algorithm will compute the date of Easter in the Gregorian Calendar system.

The algorithm uses the year, y, to give the month, m, and day, d, of Easter. The symbol * means multiply.

Please note the following: This is an integer calculation. All variables are integers and all remainders from division are dropped. For example, 7 divided by 3 is equal to 2 in integer arithmetic.


c = y / 100
n = y - 19 * ( y / 19 )
k = ( c - 17 ) / 25
i = c - c / 4 - ( c - k ) / 3 + 19 * n + 15
i = i - 30 * ( i / 30 )
i = i - ( i / 28 ) * ( 1 - ( i / 28 ) * ( 29 / ( i + 1 ) )
* ( ( 21 - n ) / 11 ) )
j = y + y / 4 + i + 2 - c + c / 4
j = j - 7 * ( j / 7 )
l = i - j
m = 3 + ( l + 40 ) / 44
d = l + 28 - 31 * ( m / 4 )

For example, using the year 2010,
y=2010,
c=2010/100=20,
n=2010 - 19 x (2010/19) = 2010 - 19 x (105) = 15, [see note above regarding integer calculations]
etc. resulting in Easter on April 4, 2010.

The algorithm is due to J.-M. Oudin (1940) and is reprinted in the Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Almanac, ed. P. K. Seidelmann (1992). See Chapter 12, "Calendars", by L. E. Doggett.

FACTS about HONEY and CINNAMON

Facts about honey and cinnamon:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is found that a mixture of Honey and Cinnamon cures most of the diseases. Honey is produced in most of the countries of the world.

Ayurvedic as well as Yunani medicine have been using honey as a vital medicine for centuries.

Scientists of today also accept honey as a "Ram Ban" (very effective) medicine for all kinds of diseases. Honey can be used without any side effects for any kind of diseases.

Today's science says that even though honey is sweet, if taken in the right dosage as a medicine, it does not harm diabetic patients.

Weekly World News, a magazine in Canada, on its issue dated 17 January, 1995 has given the following list of diseases that can be cured by Honey and Cinnamon as researched by western scientists.

HEART DISEASES: Make a paste of honey and cinnamon powder, apply on bread, chappati, or other bread, instead of jelly and jam and eat it regularly for breakfast. It reduces the cholesterol in the arteries and saves the patient from heart attack. Also those who already had an attack, if they do this process daily, they are kept miles away from the next attack.

Regular use of the above process relieves loss of breath and strengthens the heartbeat. In America and Canada, various nursing homes have treated patients successfully and have found that as age the arteries and veins lose their flexibility and get clogged; honey and cinnamon revitalizes the arteries and veins.

INSECT BITES: Take one part honey to two parts of lukewarm water and add a small teaspoon of cinnamon powder, make a paste and massage it on the itching part of the body slowly. It is noticed that the pain recedes within a minute or two.

ARTHRITIS: Arthritis patients may take daily, morning and night, one cup of hot water with two spoons of honey and one small teaspoon of cinnamon powder. If taken regularly even chronic arthritis can be cured.

In a recent research conducted at the Copenhagen University, it was found that when the doctors treated their patients with a mixture of one tablespoon Honey and half teaspoon Cinnamon powder before breakfast, they found that within a week out of the 200 people so treated practically 73 patients were totally relieved of pain and within a month, mostly all the patients who could not walk or move around because of arthritis started walking without pain.

HAIR LOSS: Those suffering from hair loss or baldness, may apply a paste of hot olive oil, one tablespoon of honey, one teaspoon of cinnamon powder before bath and keep it for approx. 15 min. and then wash the hair. It was found to be effective even if kept on for 5 minutes.

BLADDER INFECTIONS: Take two tablespoons of cinnamon powder and one teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink it. It destroys the germs in the bladder.

TOOTHACHE: Make a paste of one teaspoon of cinnamon powder and five teaspoons of honey and apply on the aching tooth. This may be applied 3 times a day till the tooth stops aching.

CHOLESTEROL: Two tablespoons of honey and three teaspoons of Cinnamon Powder
mixed in 16 ounces of tea water, given to a cholesterol patient, was found to
reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood by 10% within 2 hours. As mentioned for arthritic patients, if taken 3 times a day, any Chronic cholesterol is cured. As per information received in the said journal, pure honey taken with food daily relieves complaints of cholesterol.

COLDS: Those suffering from common or severe colds should take one tablespoon lukewarm honey with 1/4 spoon cinnamon powder daily for 3 days. This process will cure most chronic cough, cold and clear the sinuses.

INFERTILITY: Yunani and Ayurvedic Medicine have been using honey for thousands of years to strengthen the semen of men. If impotent men regularly take two tablespoon of honey before going to sleep, their problem will be solved.

In China, Japan and Far-East countries, women, who do not conceive and need to strengthen the uterus, have been taking cinnamon powder for centuries. Women who
cannot conceive may take a pinch of cinnamon powder in half teaspoon of honey
and apply it on the gums frequently throughout the day, so that it slowly mixes with the saliva and enters the body.

A couple in Maryland, USA, had no children for 14 years and had lost hope of having a child of their own. When told about this process, husband and wife started taking honey and cinnamon as stated above; the wife conceived after a few months and had twins at full term.

UPSET STOMACH: Honey taken with cinnamon powder cures stomachache and also clears stomach ulcers from the root.

GAS: According to the studies done in India & Japan, it is revealed that if honey is taken with cinnamon powder the stomach is relieved of gas.

IMMUNE SYSTEM: Daily use of honey and cinnamon powder strengthens the immune system and protects the body from bacteria and viral attacks. Scientists have found that honey has various vitamins and iron in large amounts. Constant use of honey strengthens the white blood corpuscles to fight bacteria and viral diseases.

INDIGESTION: Cinnamon powder sprinkled on two tablespoons of honey taken before food, relieves acidity and digests the heaviest of meals.

INFLUENZA: A scientist in Spain has proved that honey contains a natural ingredient, which kills the influenza germs and saves the patient from flu.

LONGEVITY: Tea made with honey and cinnamon powder, when taken regularly arrests the ravages of old age. Take 4 spoons of honey, 1 spoon of cinnamon powder and 3 cups of water and boil to make like tea. Drink 1/4 cup, 3 to 4 times a day. It keeps the skin fresh and soft and arrests old age.

Life spans also increases and even a 100 year old, starts performing the chores of a 20-year-old.

PIMPLES: Three tablespoons of Honey and one teaspoon of cinnamon powder paste. Apply this paste on the pimples before sleeping and wash it next morning with warm water. If done daily for two weeks, it removes pimples from the root.

SKIN INFECTIONS: Applying honey and cinnamon powder in equal parts on the affected parts cures eczema, ringworm and all types of skin infections.

WEIGHT LOSS: Daily in the morning 1/2 hour before breakfast on an empty stomach and at night before sleeping, drink honey and cinnamon powder boiled in one-cup water. If taken regularly it reduces the weight of even the most obese person.

Also, drinking of this mixture regularly does not allow the fat to accumulate in the body even though the person may eat a high calorie diet.

CANCER: Recent research in Japan and Australia has revealed that advanced cancer of the stomach and bones have been cured successfully. Patients suffering from these kinds of cancer should daily take one tablespoon of honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder for one month 3 times a day.

FATIGUE: Recent studies have shown that the sugar content of honey is more helpful rather than being detrimental to the strength of the body. Senior citizens, who take honey and cinnamon power in equal parts, are more alert and flexible.

Dr. Milton who has done research says that a half tablespoon honey taken in a glass of water and sprinkled with cinnamon powder, taken daily after brushing and in the afternoon at about 3.00 p.m. when the vitality of the body starts to decrease, increases the vitality of the body within a week.

BAD BREATH: People of South America, first thing in the morning gargle with one teaspoon of honey and cinnamon powder mixed in hot water. So their breath stays fresh throughout the day.

HEARING LOSS: Daily morning and night honey and cinnamon powder taken in equal parts restore hearing.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month ... which we know today as the honeymoon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

March 18, 2008

BASIC TRUTHS ABOUT PRAYER

BASIC TRUTHS ABOUT PRAYER
by brother bob

Mat 6:5-15 (TLB)
EXAMINE YOUR MOTIVES WHEN YOU PRAY
{5}"And now about prayer.
When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites
who pretend piety by praying publicly on street corners
and in the synagogues where everyone can see them.
Truly, that is all the reward they will ever get.

EFFECTIVE PRAYER REQUIRES SOLITUDE AND SUFFICIENT TIME
{6} But when you pray, go away by yourself, all alone,
and shut the door behind you and pray to your Father secretly,
and your Father, who knows your secrets, will reward you.

GOD IS NOT IMPRESSED BY REPITITOUS PRAYER
{7} "Don't recite the same prayer over and over as the heathen do,
who think prayers are answered only by repeating them again and again.

REMEMBER THAT GOD KNOWS YOUR THOUGHTS AND NEEDS
{8} "Remember, your Father knows exactly what you need
even before you ask him!

IT'S O.K. TO USE A PRAYER LIST
{9a} "Pray along these lines:

RECOGNIZE GOD'S HOLINESS AND TRANSCENDANCE
{9b} 'Our Father in heaven, we honor your holy name.

SEEK THE FULFILLMENT OF GOD'S MASTER PLAN FIRST
{10a} We ask that your kingdom will come now.

SEEK HIS WILL FOR YOUR LIFE
{10b} May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven.

ACKNOWLEDGE GOD AS THE SOURCE OF YOUR PROVISION
{11} Give us our food again today, as usual,

CLEAR UP ANY UN-CONFESSED SINS
{12a} and forgive us our sins,

FORGIVE OTHERS SO YOU MAY BE FORGIVEN
{12b} just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.

ASK GOD TO KEEP YOU AWAY FROM TEMPTING CIRCUMSTANCES
{13a} Don't bring us into temptation,

ASK GOD FOR POWER TO RESIST SATAN'S TRICKERY
{13b} but deliver us from the Evil One.

REST IN THE ASSURANCE OF GOD'S ANSWER
{13c} Amen.'

YOUR FORGIVENESS DEPENDS ON YOUR WILLINGNESS TO FORGIVE OTHERS
{14} Your heavenly Father will forgive you
if you forgive those who sin against you;
{15} but if you refuse to forgive them, he will not forgive you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANSWERS TO PRAYER MAY INVOLVE SUFFERING, TRUST AND OBEDIENCE
Heb 5:7-8 (TLB)
{7} Yet while Christ was here on earth he pleaded with God,
praying with tears and agony of soul
to the only one who would save him from (premature) death.
And God heard his prayers
because of his strong desire to obey God at all times.
{8} And even though Jesus was God's Son,
he had to learn from experience what it was like
to obey when obeying meant suffering.


PRAY AND REJOICE AT ALL TIMES
1 Th 5:16-18 (KJV)
{16} Rejoice evermore.
{17} Pray without ceasing.
{18} In every thing give thanks:
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Tried 'N True Recipe! WW KEY LIME PIE!

Weight Watchers Key Lime Pie

1 small box Sugar-free Lime Jello
1/4 cup Lime juice, heated (if too strong for you, subst. water instead)
1 8-oz Sugar-free Cool Whip
2 6-oz Light Key Lime yogurt
Graham Cracker pie crust

Mix jello with hot juice and stir until melted. Blend yogurt and cool whip. Mix into jello and juice. Pour into pie crust. Cover & refrigerate.

March 17, 2008

Changing the World

Changing the World

by Brian Tracy

You cannot change the world,
but you can present the world with
one improved person, yourself.
You can go to work on yourself
to make yourself into the kind of person
you admire and respect.
You can become a role model
and set a standard for others.
You can control and discipline yourself
to resist acting or speaking in a negative way
toward anyone for any reason.
You can insist upon always doing things the loving way
rather than the hurtful way.
By doing these things each day, you can
continue on your journey toward becoming
an exceptional human being.~~

March 14, 2008

Are you filled with the Holy Spirit? Take the test!

Are You Filled with the Holy Spirit?
take: The test!
by the late Dr. Bill Bright, Founder of Campus Crusade for Christ
http://www.ccci.org/

Acts 4:31 (KJV)
And when they had prayed,
the place was shaken where they were assembled together;
and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,
and they spake the word of God with boldness.

Dear friends:

Here is a real test that will help you determine if you are truly filled with the Holy Spirit.

Do you find that you have a greater love for Christ?
Are you more concerned for those who do not know His love and forgiveness?
Are you experiencing a greater faith, boldness, liberty,
and power in witnessing, and victory in your own life?
Do you enjoy reading God's Word, the Bible?

If you answer yes to these questions, you are filled with the Spirit. Jesus Christ is beginning to express His life and love through and in you.

Remember, Jesus promised that we would receive "power" after the Holy Spirit has come upon us. That power is to be his witnesses (Acts 1:8).

Acts 1:8 (KJV)
But ye shall receive power,
after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:
and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem,
and in all Judaea, and in Samaria,
and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Most Christian leaders agree with Dr. R. A. Torrey, who said: "I have gone through my Bible time and time again checking this subject and I make this statement without the slightest fear of successful contradiction that there is not one single passage in the Old Testament or the New Testament where the filling with the Holy Spirit is spoken of, where it is not connected with testimony for service."

When you are filled with the Holy Spirit you will have a greater love for Christ, for your fellow man, and for the Word of God, and you will want to share Christ with others. As Paul said in Romans 5:5,
Rom 5:5 (KJV)
And hope maketh not ashamed;
because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts
by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Also, the fruit of the Spirit -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22,23) -- will become more evident in your life.
Gal 5:22-25 (KJV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, longsuffering(forbearance or fortitude),
gentleness(usefulness, moral exellence),
goodness(inner beauty or virtue),
faith(constancy of religious conviction and profession),
{23} Meekness(humbleness), temperance(self-controlled in appetites):
against such there is no law.
{24} And they that are Christ's
have crucified the flesh with the affections(afflictions, emotions)
and lusts(longings for that whice is forbidden).
{25} If we live in the Spirit,
let us also walk(to conform in virtue and piety) in the Spirit.

As a Christian abides in Christ, living in the fullness of the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit is developed and the Christian becomes more mature spiritually. The maturing of the fruit of the Spirit is a lifetime process that goes on continually as Christ-like characteristics are being formed in the life of the Christian. Some Christians give greater evidence of the fruit of the Spirit than do others because of a greater degree of yielding to His working.

The more we acknowledge ourselves to be dead to sin and surrender to our Lord Jesus Christ and His life within us, and the more we allow Him through the power of the Holy Spirit to live out His life through us, the more evident will be the fruit of the Spirit.

Yours for fulfilling the Great Commission each year until our Lord returns,

Bill Bright

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Scriptures to Contemplate-

Rom 8:1-17 (KJV)
There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
{2} For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
{3} For what the law could not do,
in that it was weak through the flesh,
God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin,
condemned sin in the flesh{TLB:"destroyed sin's control over us"}
{4} That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us,
who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
{5} For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh;
but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
{6} For to be carnally minded is death;
but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
{7} Because the carnal mind is enmity against God:
for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
{8} So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
{9} But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit,
if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
{10} And if Christ be in you,
the body is dead because of sin;
but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
{11} But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you,
he that raised up Christ from the dead
shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
{12} Therefore, brethren, we are debtors,
not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
{13} For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die:
but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body,
ye shall live.
{14} For as many as are led by the Spirit of God,
they are the sons of God.
{15} For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear;
but ye have received the Spirit of adoption,
whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
{16} The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit,
that we are the children of God:
{17} And if children, then heirs; heirs of God,
and joint-heirs with Christ;
if so be that we suffer with him,
that we may be also glorified together.

Eph 5:8-21 (KJV)
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord:
walk as children of light:
{9} (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
{10} Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
{11} And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,
but rather reprove them.
{12} For it is a shame even to speak of those things
which are done of them in secret.

{13} But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light:
for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
{14} Wherefore he saith,
Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead,
and Christ shall give thee light.

{15} See then that ye walk circumspectly{Web=carefully attentive
to all circumstances which may realate to an action or judgement},
not as fools, but as wise,
{16} Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
{17} Wherefore be ye not unwise,
but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

{18} And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess;
but be filled with the Spirit;
{19} Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
{20} Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
{21} Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Acts 11:22-24 (KJV)
Then tidings of these things
came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem:
and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch.
{23} Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad,
and exhorted them all,
that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.
{24} For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith:
and much people was added unto the Lord.

Acts 6:5-10 (KJV)
And the saying pleased the whole multitude:
and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost,
and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas,
and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
{6} Whom they set before the apostles:
and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.
{7} And the word of God increased;
and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly;
and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
{8} And Stephen, full of faith and power,
did great wonders and miracles among the people.
{9} Then there arose certain of the synagogue,
which is called the synagogue of the Libertines,
and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia,
disputing with Stephen.
{10} And they were not able to resist the wisdom
and the spirit by which he spake.

Luke 11:13 (KJV)
{13} If ye then, being evil,
know how to give good gifts unto your children:
how much more shall your heavenly Father
give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

March 08, 2008

Advice to a New Christian

Advice to a New Christian


My dear christian friend,
Likewise, I say unto you,
there is joy in the presence of the angels of God
over one sinner that repents.
Luke 15:10 (KJV)
If you will humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,
in His good time he will lift you up.
{7} Let him have all your worries and cares,
for he is always thinking about you
and watching everything that concerns you.
{8} Be careful--watch out for attacks from Satan,
your great enemy.
He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion,
looking for some victim to tear apart.
{9} Stand firm when he attacks. Trust the Lord;
and remember that other Christians all around the world
are going through these sufferings too.
{10} After you have suffered a little while,
our God, who is full of kindness through Christ,
will give you his eternal glory.
He personally will come and pick you up,
and set you firmly in place, and make you stronger than ever.
{11} To him be all power over all things, forever and ever. Amen.
1 Pet 5:6-11 (THE LIVING BIBLE)
---------------
WELCOME TO THE BODY OF CHRIST
Praise God that you have accepted His offer of forgiveness and salvation.
You have taken the first step in an eternal walk with Jesus Christ.
You have been "born from above", your past has been forgiven,
and Christ will never leave you nor forsake you.
KNOW YOUR ENEMY
However, there is something important you must know...
YOU HAVE A VICIOUS AND POWERFUL ENEMY
HIS NAME IS SATAN
He is not all-powerful, like God is.
He only is allowed to act by getting permission from God...
and God only gives this permission in a way that will ultimately benefit you .
You may undergo some suffering...all christians do ....
but God always gives you His strength to withstand it
in proportion to the severity of the testing,
and Christ always is in your heart to talk to and give you peace.
YOU ARE A PREFERRED TARGET
In your life before Christ, satan did everything he could
to bring you his brand of sinful pleasures and escapes from God.
He blinded your eyes and stole any Bible passages away from your mind
so that you would not come to Christ.
He filled your eyes with lusting after sinful pleasures and riches of this world,
lied to you that there was no God or afterlife or Hell.
and you and i were willing victims of his lies.
But now things are different.
You have been made into a new person by the Holy Spirit.
Christ has come to live in your heart,
and wants to live His Life out through you on earth.
Your old person, the one that had no power to resist sin, is dead.
You have a new start, a new future, a new source of strength,
because Jesus Christ lives in your heart.
And so Satan has changed his attitude and his tactics with you.
You used to be his slave,
but now you are his enemy.
Whereas, before you had no power to say "no" to sin... now you do.
Whereas, hopelessness, depression, guilt and sin were a way of life,
now you have inner joy, peace meaning and purpose.

Please understand that as a new Christian,
satan targets you for all kinds of discouragement and depression,
and temptations, and then comes around later
and accuses you of sinning and heaps guilt upon you.

Satan doesnt play fair.
he's like a lion thinning out the herd of antelope...
the lion seeks out the weakest one to attack and kill.
he doesnt go after the strong leader of the pack,
he attacks the young and defenseless and lame.
that is where you are now...
relatively young, defenseless and unable to walk strongly in the faith.
HOW DO YOU GAIN STRENGTH IN THE FAITH?
Satan cannot take away your salvation
it is too late for that.
The best he can do is make you discouraged, lie to you,
fill your life with confusing and untrue information about your faith,
and get you to draw into your shell,
and become a non-witness for Christ...
I've seen it many times,
and it also happened to me when I was a young christian.

COOPERATE WITH GOD
Becoming closer to the Lord
is a co-operative effort between you and God.
It happens on the inside...in your soul.
God wants to make you a special project for spiritual growth,
but you have to do your part to take advantage of what He provides.
OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW
Start filling your eyes and mind with the Word of God.
Carry your Bible with you at all times,
and make use of any spare moments in the day to read it.
Even if it is 5 minutes while sitting and waiting for something.
Remember and inwardly digest God's word.
Pray for wisdom from the Holy Spirit to apply it to your life.
Memorize it by hand-copying Bible verses into a notebook.
Then the Holy Spirit can bring it to your rememberance at a later time,
and you can apply it to specific situations.
As you read the Word of God,
you will become aware of conflicts
between what you believed in the past,
and what God's Word is telling you now.
This is the time to decide to believe and follow God's Word,
and throw your old ideas from the world overboard.
Even if it means throwing overboard some religious teachings
that you believed were true,
but now find that God's Word does not agree with them.
Use as many Bible helps as you need
to clarify what the Word is really saying.
This includes using other translations, Greek and Hebrew dictionaries,
topical Bibles, concordances, study Bible cross references...
but stay away from using just one author's commentary..
some author's have a particular viewpoint to promote,
and it becomes subtly interwoven into their writings.
"in the multitude of counsellors there is safety" (Prov 11:14)
In this regard, you must be ready
to go against the grain of the society that you are in,
and be different.
because the world will not welcome you..
it will try to bring you down, and make you forget about God.
Your old friends will not want to be with you.
You will be ignored, insulted, falsely accused, misunderstood, isolated...
but in the midst of all of that, you must focus your attention on Jesus Christ,
who lives inside you now and will never leave you or forsake you.

Getting closer to the Lord takes
setting aside some time every day to talk to Him in prayer,
as He talks to you through the Bible.
Dont be in a hurry...
the time you invest in getting to know Christ personally
will come back to you as increased maturity, and stength and wisdom,
just what you need to fend off the attacks of satan.
Although it may sound simple,
there is no substitute for time alone with Jesus in prayer and worship.

THE PRESENCE OF UNCONFESSED SIN
Another common problem for christians of all ages is unconfessed sin.
and if there is unconfessed sin in your life...
name it, confess it to Him , and resist doing it any more,
and allow Christ to cleanse your inner self.
1 John 1:8-9 (KJV)
If we say that we have no sin,
we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
{9} If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
And dont worry if you keep on sinning the same sin....
the Lord told Peter that he should forgive his brother 70 times 7 times...
a very large number for a Jewish fisherman....
and the Lord is prepared to forgive us when we confess
even more times than that.
What will happen is that when you confess and ask forgiveness,
then re-sin, then confess and ask forgiveness,
and re-sin, again and again....
eventually The Holy Spirit puts the conviction into you that..
"this is something i need to totally stop doing."
And the Holy Sprirt has done His cleansing work in your heart.


THE NEED FOR CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
Also, start praying that God would bring you into contact
with a christian friend that you can fellowship and confide in.
Gen 2:18a (KJV)
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone...
and this applies to fellowship as well as marriage.
this is true whether you are married or not.
for a married person, your spouse, if saved,
should be the primary choice for this intimate confidence.
If you are not married,
if you pray and ask the Lord to send someone to fellowship with in this way,
He will do it..
because He knows the power of good fellowship
to encourage and strengthen you in times of hardship and struggle.

Be aware of one of the greatest unrecognized mysteries of the Christian life:
The indwelling presence of Jesus Christ in your heart
in the person of the Holy Spirit.
If you then be risen with Christ,
seek those things which are above,
where Christ sits on the right hand of God.
for you are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
(Col 3:1-3)

..and as Paul said...
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live;
yet not I, but Christ lives in me:
and the life which I now live in the flesh
I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me, and gave himself for me.
(Gal 2:20)

and as Jesus said...
Abide in me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine;
no more can you, except ye abide in me.

I am the vine, you are the branches:
He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit:
for without me you can do nothing.
If a man abide not in me,
he is cast out as a branch, and is withered;
and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you,
ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
(John 15:4-7)

(NOTE: that in other places in scripture, the word "abide" also means
"-- continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand.")
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
I hope that this helps you along the way
in your eternal walk with Christ.
and remember, the christrian life IS a walk,
and not a 40 yard dash.

(From Bro. Bob, Ixtheus Christian Growth Devotionals)
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DRINK, STEAL, SWEAR & LIE

DRINK, STEAL, SWEAR & LIE

I met this guy while I was in Albuquerque and he has
A motto he lives by everyday. He said listen carefully and
Live by these 4 rules : Drink, Steal, Swear, & Lie.

I was shaking my head 'no', but he then told me to listen
While he explained his four rules. So here they are :

1.. "Drink" from the "everlasting cup" every day.

2.. "Steal" a moment to help someone that is in worse shape
Than you are.

3.. "Swear" that you will be a better person today than
Yesterday.

4.. And last, but not least, when you "lie" down at night
Thank God you live in America and have freedom.


I am not as good as I should be, I am not as good
As I could be . But THANK GOD I am better than I used to be !