Sunday, December 29, 2013
Messages From Heaven: Is Love Enough to Make Marriage Succeed?
Messages From Heaven: Is Love Enough to Make Marriage Succeed?: If you and your spouse really love each other, won't that hold you steady when the storms come? Not necessarily--and certainly not ...
Is Love Enough to Make Marriage Succeed?
If you and your spouse really love each other, won't that hold you steady when the storms come?
Not necessarily--and certainly not if you are thinking of love as a
romantic feeling. Feeling wonderful about one another does not make two
people compatible over the long haul. Many couples assume that the
excitement of their courtship will continue for the rest of their lives.
That virtually never occurs! It is naive to expect two unique
individuals to mesh together like a couple of machines and to remain
exhilarated throughout life. Even gears have multiple cogs with rough
edges to be honed before they will work in concert.
That honing process usually occurs in the first year or two of marriage. The foundation for all that is to follow is laid in those critical months. What often occurs at this time is a dramatic struggle for power in the relationship. Who will lead? Who will follow? Who will determine how the money is spent? Who will get his or her way in times of disagreement? Everything is up for grabs in the beginning, and the way these early decisions are made will set the stage for the future. The apostle Paul gave us the divine perspective on human relationships--not only in marriage, but in every dimension of life. He wrote, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves" (Philippians 2:3).
That honing process usually occurs in the first year or two of marriage. The foundation for all that is to follow is laid in those critical months. What often occurs at this time is a dramatic struggle for power in the relationship. Who will lead? Who will follow? Who will determine how the money is spent? Who will get his or her way in times of disagreement? Everything is up for grabs in the beginning, and the way these early decisions are made will set the stage for the future. The apostle Paul gave us the divine perspective on human relationships--not only in marriage, but in every dimension of life. He wrote, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves" (Philippians 2:3).
That one verse contains more wisdom than most
marriage manuals combined. If heeded, it could virtually eliminate
divorce from the catalog of human experience. It will give you stability
when the storms begin to howl.
Messages From Heaven: How You Can Win Against Satan!
Messages From Heaven: How You Can Win Against Satan!: There is an important truth I want you to know to be spiritually victorious throughout your life. It is simply this: You are under spiri...
How You Can Win Against Satan!
There is an important truth I want you to know to be spiritually victorious throughout your life. It is simply this:
The Bible teaches that every Christian is under spiritual attack. Scripture tells us we are aliens in this world, and Satan, as the ruler of this world, is constantly seeking the spiritual demise of every Christian.
If you think you are at home in this world, you have been misled. Do you realize that to embrace the values of the world is to place yourself in hostility toward God (James 4:4)? The world's values are not eternal, but temporal. And to embrace those values aligns you with the values of Satan himself.
But, if you are walking with God, embracing eternal values, you are secure against Satan and his attacks because of your relationship with Christ. Christ has already won the victory and Satan knows that.
But there is a danger when you realize the position you have in Christ. It is easy to seem invincible. After all, when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you indeed are in Christ.
This may lead you to ask, "What else could I possibly need? He is my portion, isn't He? He has overcome the world, hasn't He?"
The answer is a resounding, "Yes!" I want to assure you, as long as you are walking with Christ, you have nothing to worry about. You indeed are secure in Him.
But this can create a complacency that is so dangerous. Here’s why:
Now, if Satan has declared war, then the sensible thing to do would be to find out just as much as we can about our enemy, how he is likely to attack us, and how we can overcome him.
The first place to start is with a right perspective. One big problem in the church today is that many get so worried about the devil that they see demons behind every bush. That is a wrong perspective.
"Oh, I have a spirit of lust, of greed, of desire. I'm being attacked by this and attacked by that." While the war Satan has declared is very real, not everything wrong in your life can be blamed on Satan.
So what is the right perspective? And how do we become victorious in our fight against Satan?
The right perspective is to understand you are indeed under spiritual attack…but you can be victorious!
That victory begins with what the Bible tells us in James 4:7: "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Too often as we find ourselves battling Satan, we simply fail to resist him. While he's always looking for the perfect opportunity to tempt you and me with something attractive, something seemingly irresistible, he only wins when we play his game.
So the first principle is this:
Submit to God…and resist the devil. Make that your habit.
You are under spiritual attack…in an all out spiritual war…as Satan does all he can to cause you spiritual defeat.Whether you realize it or not, you live in a spiritual war zone. It's a battle for your heart and soul.
The Bible teaches that every Christian is under spiritual attack. Scripture tells us we are aliens in this world, and Satan, as the ruler of this world, is constantly seeking the spiritual demise of every Christian.
If you think you are at home in this world, you have been misled. Do you realize that to embrace the values of the world is to place yourself in hostility toward God (James 4:4)? The world's values are not eternal, but temporal. And to embrace those values aligns you with the values of Satan himself.
But, if you are walking with God, embracing eternal values, you are secure against Satan and his attacks because of your relationship with Christ. Christ has already won the victory and Satan knows that.
But there is a danger when you realize the position you have in Christ. It is easy to seem invincible. After all, when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you indeed are in Christ.
This may lead you to ask, "What else could I possibly need? He is my portion, isn't He? He has overcome the world, hasn't He?"
The answer is a resounding, "Yes!" I want to assure you, as long as you are walking with Christ, you have nothing to worry about. You indeed are secure in Him.
But this can create a complacency that is so dangerous. Here’s why:
Too frequently we are lured, enticed, or dragged away from Christ through the deception of Satan. The devil bombards our thoughts, our desires, our emotions in almost imperceptible ways, and we get tricked or seduced into believing his lies.This is where the battle takes place. Satan will do all in his power to pull you away from walking in Christ and His victory. This battle is very real…and the reason why so many Christians today live in defeat and lack the joy God intends for them.
Now, if Satan has declared war, then the sensible thing to do would be to find out just as much as we can about our enemy, how he is likely to attack us, and how we can overcome him.
The first place to start is with a right perspective. One big problem in the church today is that many get so worried about the devil that they see demons behind every bush. That is a wrong perspective.
"Oh, I have a spirit of lust, of greed, of desire. I'm being attacked by this and attacked by that." While the war Satan has declared is very real, not everything wrong in your life can be blamed on Satan.
So what is the right perspective? And how do we become victorious in our fight against Satan?
The right perspective is to understand you are indeed under spiritual attack…but you can be victorious!
That victory begins with what the Bible tells us in James 4:7: "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Too often as we find ourselves battling Satan, we simply fail to resist him. While he's always looking for the perfect opportunity to tempt you and me with something attractive, something seemingly irresistible, he only wins when we play his game.
So the first principle is this:
We must submit to God, and we must resist the devil, or we are sure to fail.Satan has his eyes fixed squarely on you. He has you in his sights. In fact, you may feel that you're always under attack. And you may feel like you are constantly failing in the battle. Here is my challenge to you:
Submit to God…and resist the devil. Make that your habit.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Messages From Heaven: Pope Francis: Man of the Year or Leader of the Apo...
Messages From Heaven: Pope Francis: Man of the Year or Leader of the Apo...: Time Magazine’s announcement that Pope Francis is the ‘Man (or person) of the Year’ has created a buzz on all levels of news and media. It...
Pope Francis: Man of the Year or Leader of the Apostasy?
Time Magazine’s announcement that Pope
Francis is the ‘Man (or person) of the Year’ has created a buzz on all
levels of news and media. It’s too bad that we need a news magazine to
define for us who the great ones in our society are, but that is only
proof that man is constantly looking for saviors in all the wrong places.
Bible believers have a tendency to leap to conclusions that often prove premature. Examples abound, but in trying to decide who the antichrist may be everyone from Henry Kissinger in days past to Barack Obama in these days. Perhaps that’s why we are instructed to hold fast to our faith as God unravels the details of eschatological doctrine (second coming doctrine) in real time.
Special care has to be taken when dealing with the Pope, but not for the Pope’s sake, but for the millions of faithful Catholics who, after all, are brothers and sisters if they have genuinely responded to the promise of John 1: 12.
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name”
The Term ‘Leader’ is not Sacrosanct
The wheat and the tare grow together in the field, (Mt 13: 24f) but that doesn’t mean that those who are in leadership positions are exempt from being tares.
The sweep of apostasy is well underway in the church, both Protestant and Catholic, which means the day of withholding the truth about who is backsliding and who is towing the line has passed forever. Identify the falsehoods now, or become part of them – that’s the rule of the day.
In a world where apostasy and decline are reaching Mach speeds the Pope has to understand that regardless of what his intentions were in his statements about abortion and gays, in today’s climate, perception has become the better part of reality.
Already, atheists, agnostics and every sort of antichrist kind of person has welcomed the Pope’s words as proof that the Catholics are finally loosening up and coming into the twenty first century where tolerance and diversity are supposed to replace adherence to the moral laws and demands of the living God.
The moral teachings of the Bible are not to be ignored or set aside for overt acts of kindness, like the Pope’s washing the feet of prisoners, but they are conjoined forever with such acts. Being Christ like and holding to the truths of scripture are not to be separated, but they are to be practiced together until the end of time.
Here’s what we know. The Bible strictly condemns any and all homosexual practices and abortion is genocide. No one will escape. There is a reckoning day for both. Whether you are the Pope or some unknown and obscure person, the coming judgment will scrutinize your output without regard to your station in life. Pope or pauper the Word of God creates a level playing field. To wit:
“But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Mt 12: 36, 37)
Growing Accustomed to Hypocrisy and Double Standards?
News anchor and host of the Kelly Files, Megyn Kelly, has announced that Politifact is now calling Barack Obama’s promise that American’s could keep their health care plans if they liked them the ‘lie of the year.’
Just when you think you have had enough hypocrisy the same man who stood before the media and repeatedly lied about healthcare stood up in South Africa, weeping, and praising Nelson Mandela, a man who is known for devising the torture (necklacing) which places burning fueled filled tires over the heads of people and burning them to death in front of their families. Hypocrisy now has a new champion and record breaker.
The security breach at the Mandela memorial has created uproar in the media. The interpreter at the memorial was a total fake, but the fact that millions of Americans feel Barack Obama is himself, the biggest fake to come down the pike in presidential history - is largely ignored, squashed or dismissed.
One conservative website now favors a graphic that shows Mandela and Obama side by side with a caption that says, “Hey, if you’re going to compare Obama to Mandela…can we at least throw him in jail for 27 years first?”
No, Time Magazine does not do covers for ‘Liar of the Year.’
It isn’t about scolding the Pope or dissing the president, in fact it is about you. Regardless of what voices you listen to or what church you attend, if they are leading you away from the revealed word of God you are in serious danger. The call to remove yourself from those influences, find another church, or simply get out - are of divine origin.
God expects you to take it very seriously.
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Co 6: 17, 18)
Bible believers have a tendency to leap to conclusions that often prove premature. Examples abound, but in trying to decide who the antichrist may be everyone from Henry Kissinger in days past to Barack Obama in these days. Perhaps that’s why we are instructed to hold fast to our faith as God unravels the details of eschatological doctrine (second coming doctrine) in real time.
Special care has to be taken when dealing with the Pope, but not for the Pope’s sake, but for the millions of faithful Catholics who, after all, are brothers and sisters if they have genuinely responded to the promise of John 1: 12.
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name”
The Term ‘Leader’ is not Sacrosanct
The wheat and the tare grow together in the field, (Mt 13: 24f) but that doesn’t mean that those who are in leadership positions are exempt from being tares.
The sweep of apostasy is well underway in the church, both Protestant and Catholic, which means the day of withholding the truth about who is backsliding and who is towing the line has passed forever. Identify the falsehoods now, or become part of them – that’s the rule of the day.
In a world where apostasy and decline are reaching Mach speeds the Pope has to understand that regardless of what his intentions were in his statements about abortion and gays, in today’s climate, perception has become the better part of reality.
Already, atheists, agnostics and every sort of antichrist kind of person has welcomed the Pope’s words as proof that the Catholics are finally loosening up and coming into the twenty first century where tolerance and diversity are supposed to replace adherence to the moral laws and demands of the living God.
The moral teachings of the Bible are not to be ignored or set aside for overt acts of kindness, like the Pope’s washing the feet of prisoners, but they are conjoined forever with such acts. Being Christ like and holding to the truths of scripture are not to be separated, but they are to be practiced together until the end of time.
Here’s what we know. The Bible strictly condemns any and all homosexual practices and abortion is genocide. No one will escape. There is a reckoning day for both. Whether you are the Pope or some unknown and obscure person, the coming judgment will scrutinize your output without regard to your station in life. Pope or pauper the Word of God creates a level playing field. To wit:
“But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Mt 12: 36, 37)
Growing Accustomed to Hypocrisy and Double Standards?
News anchor and host of the Kelly Files, Megyn Kelly, has announced that Politifact is now calling Barack Obama’s promise that American’s could keep their health care plans if they liked them the ‘lie of the year.’
Just when you think you have had enough hypocrisy the same man who stood before the media and repeatedly lied about healthcare stood up in South Africa, weeping, and praising Nelson Mandela, a man who is known for devising the torture (necklacing) which places burning fueled filled tires over the heads of people and burning them to death in front of their families. Hypocrisy now has a new champion and record breaker.
The security breach at the Mandela memorial has created uproar in the media. The interpreter at the memorial was a total fake, but the fact that millions of Americans feel Barack Obama is himself, the biggest fake to come down the pike in presidential history - is largely ignored, squashed or dismissed.
One conservative website now favors a graphic that shows Mandela and Obama side by side with a caption that says, “Hey, if you’re going to compare Obama to Mandela…can we at least throw him in jail for 27 years first?”
No, Time Magazine does not do covers for ‘Liar of the Year.’
It isn’t about scolding the Pope or dissing the president, in fact it is about you. Regardless of what voices you listen to or what church you attend, if they are leading you away from the revealed word of God you are in serious danger. The call to remove yourself from those influences, find another church, or simply get out - are of divine origin.
God expects you to take it very seriously.
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Co 6: 17, 18)
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Messages From Heaven: The Gift for the Person Who Has Everything!
Messages From Heaven: The Gift for the Person Who Has Everything!: In our pocket of society where pampered affluence is rampant, we are often at a loss to know what kind of gifts to buy our friends and love...
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