FIRST LOVE RECOVERY MINISTRIES

The precious coin
Rom.1:15(KJV)
“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”
Jude 1:3(KJV)
“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”
2 Peter 1:1(KJV)
“Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:”

In the kingdom of God on earth,the common unit of currency that is spent to fulfill God’s purposes in and through mankind is ‘the precious coin’.
‘The precious coin’ is faith in God and his word.
‘The precious coin’ is available to every member of God’s kingdom from the least to the greatest:
Rom.12:5(KJV)
“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”
The importance of real faith and the prominence of the heroes of faith have been discussed in ‘Rhema Island’.
Real faith is ‘the precious coin’ which has two sides.
The side known as ‘the head’ is ‘the sunny side’ of real Christianity described below:-
Heb.11:33-35a(KJV)
“Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.
Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
Women received their dead raised to life again:…”
The side known as ‘the tail’ is ‘the cloudy side’ of real Christianity described below:-
Heb.11:35b-38(KJV)
“…and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.”
This second side of ‘the precious coin’ certainly excludes any wrong kind of suffering for Christians as clearly commanded below:-
1 Peter 4:15(KJV)
“But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.”

While the first side appears to be attractive,the second seems to be repulsive!
In the history of the church,many saints have camped on ‘the sunny side’;while others have lodged on ‘the cloudy side’.
Each ‘camp’ has despised the other due to one or more theological reasons.
Yet in the sacred records of the bible,one will clearly see that both Jesus Christ,and the early church embraced both sides of true Christianity!
The Lord Jesus Christ both had the company of great multitudes(Matt.4:25),and suffered desertion of his closest associates(Matt.26:56b).
All believers in Christ are called ‘to walk in his steps’ on both sides of ‘the precious coin’(1 Peter 2:21).
The early church experienced both ‘gathering’(Acts 2:41) and ’scattering’(Acts 8:1) in fulfilling God’s purposes for her(Acts 1:8).

What is the assessment of the Lord for believers on both sides of the precious coin?
Heb.11:39(KJV)
“And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:”
The crystal-clear answer is ‘a good report’!
Saints on both sides of ‘the precious coin’ form God’s winning team as portrayed in ‘The ultimate game’
In this dispensation of grace,the chief motivating force for these ‘winners’ is God’s love in the regenerate human heart:-
Gal. 5:6(Amplified Bible)
“For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love.”
This brand of love is poured into the regenerate human heart by the Holy Spirit:-
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.”
Without love, anyone(on the sunny side) who has faith that moves mountains is nothing(1 Cor.13:2).
And if anyone(on the cloudy side) gives his/her body to be burnt without love,the martyrdom is unprofitable(1 Cor.13:3).
Every member of God’s kingdom has a regenerate heart.
A regenerate heart is only possible through the new birth(John 3:3-8).
Before the new birth,every human heart is unregenerate:-
Jer.17:9-10(KJV)
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”
The new birth takes place when any person has a personal encounter with Jesus Christ ;and humbly and sincerely receives him as Lord and Saviour(Rom.10:9-13).
When this happens(either dramatically or quietly),the person becomes a member of God’s kingdom(Col.1:13).

The testimonies(Heb.11) of these heroes of faith inspire,encourage,and comfort everyone currently in ‘the good fight of faith’(1 Tim.6:12)to singly focus on the author and finisher of ‘the precious coin’ so as to fulfill God’s purposes:-
Heb.12:1-2(KJV)
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

About the Author

British-born Nigerian Christian writer living and working in London,UK with website:www.firstloveministries.org.uk

Something’s missing. Rome is synonymous with the Vatican, Mecca with the Kaaba, and Jerusalem’s known for its Western Wall. But WHY should we stand before the wall, letting it obstruct our vision, when we could be praying in a Temple? Why should Jews continue to bow before an illegitimate Gentile decree that tells them where to pray? (Isa. 10:1).

The Turks designated the Wall as an alternative “holy” site since Muslims had stolen the Temple Mount! If we rightly refused to accept Uganda as a Jewish “homeland,” why should Jews settle for anything less than a Temple for worship?

That basically, is the gist of the message our demonstrations seek to send. The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement doesn’t only protest the ongoing Muslim occupation of our Temple Mount, but proclaims that this unnatural set of circumstances will come to an end. We’re confident that Muslim rule on the Temple Mount will soon be history, just as surely as the Berlin Wall fell and Eastern Europe came out from under the Russian heel!

The restoration of Jews from all over the world to their ancient homeland is only the first step towards the redemption of our land and lives. Israel, for the most part, is an empty, secular state. It’s about as Jewish as America is Christian! THE FACT THAT THE TEMPLE MOUNT IS STILL WITHOUT A TEMPLE STANDS AS AN INDICTMENT AGAINST ISRAEL! God will hold Israel’s political and religious leaders responsible!

Jerusalem’s known as the heart of Israel, the crown of the “Jewish” State. The Temple Mount is the crown jewel. This historic Jewish treasure is a “diamond in the rough.” It awaits our craftsmen’s tender loving care to bring it to the brilliant perfection it deserves (Ps. 50:2). We protest that this responsibility hasn’t been fulfilled yet, but we proclaim that these things could change overnight. The world was caught off guard by the rapid succession of events that shook Europe and the former USSR. The “experts” exposed how ignorant they really are.

Nobody needs to be surprised when inevitable events ROCK JERUSALEM, and they feel its aftershocks worldwide. They’ve been foretold. What’s presently missing in Israel will be found when we’re filled with our historic mission and accomplish our intended purpose: the restoration of the sacrifices and the construction of the Third Temple!

Shamefully, today’s leaders reflect a GHETTO-MENTALITY and expose the sorry state of Israel and Jewish affairs! They’re starved for this world’s affection, afraid to be different, and too willing to sacrifice our unique identity! God condemns those KAPOS OF COMPROMISE who would rather sell-out than take an unpopular stand!

Whereas it’s not politically correct, and goes against our democratic grain, and could result in a backlash - Hanukkah represents those who are willing, if and when necessary, to risk the wrath of others to insure the triumph of good over evil, of light over darkness, and right over wrong.

In this particular case, the Light of what’s good and right was the brilliant example of those faithful few Jews who held their head high (sick and tired of being beaten down) and publicly chose to reject alien ideas and destroy imposed idols.

The Maccabees weren’t overly concerned with a suicidal fear of world opinion, but mightily expressed their faith in GOD. They didn’t flirt with “foreign affairs,” or engage in self-destructive interfaith orgies. They kept the faith and cleansed the Temple Mount of its spiritual filth.

World Jewry continues to celebrate Hanukkah to this day, but in the spirit of hypocrisy! We’re more like the COWERING HELLENISTS who assimilated, rather than the courageous Maccabees who fought to remain true to themselves!

Thank Heavens, there are a growing number in Israel who want to see Jerusalem restored as our spiritual center, and our lives rededicated to Biblical ideals, not humanist ideas. Pray for Jerusalem’s peace and the rekindling of Israel’s light!

About The Author

David Ben-Ariel, an American author who has travelled widely and who has lived throughout Israel, shares a special focus on the Middle East and great interest in Jerusalem, reflected in hard-hitting articles that help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out www.benariel.com.

The Carnal Christian. by Anthony Smith

Romans 8:35-8:35

The Carnal Christian. This Sermon deals with the Christian in peril and the Lazy Christian that is always complaining. Before we start, I would like to share a letter that I received today from one of My Associates in the Phillippiens. The words and spelling are His and I decided not to correct them. Dear Rev. Smith, Please help praise the Lord for me, I was at the point of dead, I met dead face to face on saturday night as I journeyed to be with a church at lagos our former capital.We ran into an armed robbery gang of about 42 in numbers with sophisticated riffle,our bus entered thier midst unknowingly.Several shots were fired into our bus,the bus conductor died instantly,tyre burst,radiator blast off,and the bus went into the bush,and they pursued us to a standstill.They ransacked all our luggages,took valuable items including cash. Finally the commander ordered that those that have paid their tithes for the last 3 months should stand one side,some thought it was a joke,i quickly obeyed and a sister join me.Those who were not on our side the gang leader said they have robbed God,and that there is only one sentence for robbers,dead sentence.It was at that point they fired everybody to dead,and they ordered 2 of us to go.we were helpless,we slept there till daybreak,about 6 buses were involved in the saga,at the same time they raped nearly all the women.My heart is very very sorrowful,this incident has been reported in our national news and newspapers.God kept me alive to write you this day,may His only name be blessed.
His Grace in Ecclesia, Bishop Dr.Joseph Rankin. Now lets look at Scripture. Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? The word of the Lord is true and eternal. Many are recieveing tribulation, distress, persecution and even the threat of death for their belief in the Gospel. But still they go on. They go on believing in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The problem today, as I have seen it, is that there are too many Christians that are sitting around waiting for the rapture to take place and not being concerned with the state of their other brothers and sisters in harms way, who are promoting the Gospel to the rest of the world. Being comfortable with one or two services a week, giving the church money when its convienuent for them, not really paying ties but expecting their say at business meetings. And the Church, not using the money for propagating the Gospel, but rather building on instead of building up. Where has the compassion of the Christian gone? Rom 15:27 It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things. Romans 15:27 is not just a passing thought by Paul, but a commandment from Christ, for the establishment of all the members of the body. 1Co 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 1Co 3:1 is a warning to Christians that there are times that the Church loses its way and becomes carnal, instead of Spiritual. Not being able to receive Spiritual insight into the Gospel because they have become carnal minded. 1Co 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 1Co 3:3 is stating that when members of the body become carnal minded, they start walking as man instead of as Christian, Christ like, in appearance, attitude and goal. We sometimes loose our way because of carnal mindness but are rebuked and reproved by the words of God. 1Co 15:1-2 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 1Co 15:1-2 teaches us that even thou we have been saved, we remain accountable for the word we have heard and as Paul stated; “By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you” The Church is a child, that is growing up each and every day, not old as some would have you to believe. So as a Child it needs to be nurtured, cared for, Loved and yes, sometimes punished because of disobedience to the word of God. The Church has become lax in its duty to God and man, by not standing up against hypocritical and false doctrine, written by man to appease the congregations. This is not getting people to heaven but on the contrary it is condemning others to hell or a loss of their rewards in Heavan.Lets read a little scripture and think on these things. 1Co 3:13-15 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 1Co 8:2 And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. 2Co 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Gal 6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. What does the Church think about itself? Does it think its secure in its works, does it think that building on instead of building up, is the way of Christ. Has the church lost its way, forgetting where it came from. And what about the individual Christian, have they also become satisfied with their works enough to stop being a Christian, do you think that being saved is enough to make God pleased with your Spirit? I have read many an artical concerning Pastors and Preachers retiring from this church and that church, but not one would ever give a single scripture passage where Jesus said that we could retire from the work that was appointed to us. Not one. “if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you” This is our work, this is our duty to Christ who appointed and ordained us to minister unto the Saints. To remind them of who they are and who they are supposed to be. When Christians as, Bishop Dr.Joseph Rankin, REV.PAUL JESUDOSS, Rev. Siani Harpal and Rev. Devanandam Junapudi among others are risking their lives daily to preach the Gospel, I wonder and am in awl of the Power of God to protect such men in dire situations. Its not the President, The King or the Pope of Rome that we should be concerned with but with our position with Christ and his commandments. Having compassion one with another, loving one another and getting closer to God and His word. Not giving up but getting on. Getting on with the work we were appointed to. Not being lax in our studies, prayer or giving, not just your part to the Home Church but giving to those in need, those in peril, those who are on the battle field, wealding the Sword of Righteousness, the Sword of Truth, The Word of the Lord.
1Co 9:11 If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?

About the Author

Authour and Founder of A.R.Smith Sermons International.http://www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/

Revelations A Study. Section 12.
Each part of Revelations leads into the next section. Prophecy must be utilized to get the full meaning. In this section we will be useing many references and compairing scripture with scripture. I want to look at the Nations that Revelations speaks of; Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. Rev 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number,(454,900,000 (EU-25)) of whom is as the sand of the sea. Revelations speaks of a great number that will gather together as the sands of the sea. Today we find the European Union trying to ratify a compact with all members and prospective members. This would form a singel Nation larger and stronger than the United States.
There are currently 25 member states in the European Union. Together with their dates of accession, these are:
Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Solvakia, Solvinia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.
Acceding countries Bulgaria, Romania.
Candidate nations
Turkey, Norway, Switzerland, Croatia, Ukraine, & Republic of Macedonia. Probabel Members; China 1,306,313,812, Russia 143,420,309 Withholding Nation United States 295,734,134 Total 2,200,368,255. This does not include other non-aligned Nations nor will it ever include Israel
There are about 4-6 liters of blood in an average human body
Rev 16:16 And he gathered them together into a PLACE called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. Armageddon;
“Mount of Megiddo”: from a root gadad, “to cut off,” i.e. “slaughter” (Rev_16:16)). The plain of Esdraelon, “the valley of Jehoshaphat”, “the valley of Megiddo”:
Rev 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Rev 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Rev 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Frogs;The word is Egyptian; The three unclean spirits like frogs (Rev_16:13) symbolize
(1) “proud infidelity”, opposing Christ and God, “out of the dragon’s mouth”;
(2) “the spirit of the world”, whether lawless socialistic democracy or despotism, setting man above God, “out of the beast’s mouth”;
(3) “lying spiritualism”, superseding the harlot and proceeding “out of the false prophet’s mouth.” Lets compare Joel with Revelations.
Joe 2:1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
Joe 2:2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
Joe 2:3 A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
Joe 2:4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run.
Joe 2:5 Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.
Joe 2:6 Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.
Joe 2:7 They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks:
Joe 2:8 Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.
Joe 2:9 They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief.
Joe 2:10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
Joe 2:11 And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

The Armys of the East and The Assyrian.
Algeria,Bahrain,Egypt,Syria,Iran,Iraq,Jordan,Kuwait,Lebanon,
Libya,Morocco,Oman,Qatar,Saudi Arabia,Tunisia,United Arab Emirates & Yemen.
Chapter 15:1 thru 16:21, The seven vials. Rev 15:1 thru Rev 15:8 is self explanitory. These verses are literial.
Rev 16:1 thru 16:12 are literial and self explanitory.
Rev 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. Rev 16:12 is an extremely important verse . This verse is literial but many try to make it out to be a spiritual meaning. We know that this is literial if we look at the maps of the region and the combatents involved. The Euphraties river has allready been damned by The King of Iraq.
Rev 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Frogs;The word is Egyptian; The three unclean spirits like frogs (Rev_16:13) symbolize
(1) “proud infidelity”, opposing Christ and God, “out of the dragon’s mouth”;
(2) “the spirit of the world”, whether lawless socialistic democracy or despotism, setting man above God, “out of the beast’s mouth”;
(3) “lying spiritualism”, superseding the harlot and proceeding “out of the false prophet’s mouth.” Rev 16:14 explaines 16:13.
Rev 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Rev 16:15 is a warning from Christ.
In ,Rev 16:16, “And he gathered them together” “into a place” “called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” = The plain of Esdraelon, “the valley of Jehoshaphat”, “the valley of Megiddo”: There are many that mis-intrepret this verse. They are failing to see the key words, which are, 1.Gathered. 2. Into a Place. 3. Armageddon. Please take a little time and look up The plain of Esdraelon, “the valley of Jehoshaphat”, & “the valley of Megiddo”. Armageddon will be fought around these areas.
Rev 16:17 & Rev 16:18 are self explanitory and literial.
Rev 16:19 thru Rev 16:21 are literial.
Rev 16:19 And the great city[Jerusalem] was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
Rev 16:20 And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
Rev 16:21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great. [Ref; Isa_49:26, Isa_51:17-23; Jer_25:15, Jer_25:16, Jer_25:26] end section 12.

About the Author

Temple of Spirit & Truth Ministries
http://www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/

She had seen all the best doctors. She had spent all her money. And she was still sick.

But Jesus was in town, and she had a believing heart working in conjunction with a sanctified mouth.

That’s always bad news for the devil.

And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, and who had endured much suffering under [the hands of] many physicians and had spent all that she had, and was no better but instead grew worse. She had heard the reports concerning Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the throng and touched His garment, For she kept saying, If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health. And immediately her flow of blood was dried up at the source, and suddenly she felt in her body that she was healed of her
distressing ailment (Mark 5: 25-29).
We’ve all read this story before, and we’ve marveled at her tenacity, her faith and the compassion of Jesus.

I want to focus on something very interesting that led up to her healing in this portion of scripture. I want to take a close look at what she said.

Twelve years is a long time to put up with anything undesirable, especially when you’ve poured everything you have into fixing the problem. You know this woman wanted to throw in the towel. In fact, she probably had given up years ago.

However, once she had Jesus in her sights, she didn’t worry about what her circumstances dictated. She could care less what the others in the crowd thought. Something was welling up within her. Somewhere, deep inside, a mustard-seed-sized faith was exploding, and where that type of faith leads, your words will follow.

There was no doubt in her mind…if she didn’t grab hold of his garment, she would suffer with this ailment until she died. But as she fought through the crowds to touch Christ, she knew exactly how to align her mouth with her faith. She hadn’t even touched him yet, but she was already claiming her victory.

“For she kept saying, ‘If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health.’”
Notice that she kept saying it. She said it once. She said it twice. She said it over and over because her faith was taking her to a place 12 years of suffering and frustration couldn’t take her. Jesus was going to make her whole, and her mouth was in line with the confidence God had placed in her heart.

That’s the kind of life we should live! Our words should reflect our trust in a God who delights in keeping his word. Since “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12: 34b), our words should be a direct reflection of our trust in God’s unshakable ability - and desire - to make good on the promises he made to his children.

Paul said it this way to the Corinthians: “It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ With the same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak” (2 Cor. 4: 13).

Can you worry about your sickness and praise God for your healing at the same time? It’s time to choose one or the other.

Can you thank God for your child’s salvation at the same time you’re worrying about the friends they’ve chosen? Nope, can’t pull that one off either!

Can you stress out about your financial situation while praising God for supplying all your needs? Those two feelings can’t co-exist, can they?

Similarly, this woman was on the verge of the greatest miracle of her life, and her words reflected that. While she was probably battling that stubborn voice of doubt inside that told her to go back home and get in bed, she had a faith that told her to press on through the crowd and declare God’s goodness no matter what doubt and fear said.

So today, no matter what you’re facing, you have a choice.

Will you chose to believe the lies assigned to keep you in a rut of mediocrity, lack or sickness? Will you give in to the thoughts that keep your God from moving in the area of your deepest need? Or, will you declare out loud, just like this woman did, that one touch of the Master will change your situation in a heartbeat.

Grab hold of his unchanging truth today. Ignore doubt and fear.

Open your mouth, and keep saying it!

About the Author

John Tyler, a Houston-based writer and public relations professional,
publishes an online column on Christian living. Be Transformed!
Visit http://www.JohnTylerMinistries.com

With Christmas coming soon, many around the world will begin the celebration of the birth of Christ, the one who brought the message of peace to the earth. The one who showed himself to be like us, yet who showed us we can be like the Father as well.

There are many questions and assumptions about his life and what he did and what it all meant. Because man has the acquired talent to embellish any story given him, it’s difficult to say that any particular story is totally correct to the degree in which it is written.

With this in mind, then we can instead, look at the spirit of the message and not just the message itself, but to see the spirit of the message and to deduce those stories that don’t fit well, we need to create a base upon which to believe.

I have chosen the base upon which God the Father is all loving, all peaceful and all creating. Any other version or description of God that I come across is simply viewed as an error in perception. Any view that does not share these truths about God can only be an error of man. There is no other alternative.

With God being viewed as perfect love and perfect peace, many of the manmade versions of him simply have to go. The concepts that God can be angry, jealous, fearful, paranoid, unsure, debatable or dissatisfied, are all versions of God that man created, because a God who is perfect love and perfect peace, can’t have those other traits. It’s not possible.

In one respect, you have to consider that much of what you have been taught about God, is in error to some degree. If you believe there is any reason at all to fear God or if you view him as a being that is looking for opportunities to test you and wager your actions with the devil, you really need to take a closer look at what having a God of love really means. The God man envisions, is not a God of love, but a God of punishment and oppression. It’s mans own reflection…not Gods face.

A God of love can only look at you with an amazing light and warmth that can never be subdued. He can only ever want to help you and aid you. He can only ever want to keep you close and spend eternity with you…so what went wrong? Why do these things not occur? Why doesn’t he step down from heaven and help us if we’re not supposed to be fearful? If he is so loving, why are all things as they are?

There was an eternity where we knew we were with the Father and then we made another choice. We made an error and chose to try to do something apart from him. Since it is not possible to do anything apart from the Father, this totally confused and upside down version of a reality came into being. This universe, this physical thing we call “real” is really just a lonely shadow of what our true spirts are. Because we think we are physical and because we think God is angry at us for trying to create apart from him, we have evaded him for millennia on end, but he has never lost site of us.

God wants us all back, but we were created with free will and it is this free will that God will not circumvent, so it’s not that he has chosen to stay away, but he is respecting our desire to want to be in this reality. It’s all about choice. You can choose to accept this world as man has made it, or you can do as Jesus did and choose to see things differently. Having chosen to see things differently, God was able to help Jesus grow spiritually to a level never seen before, and not seen again…but in time, we will see this again in all of us. None of us are excluded from some day remembering our true selves and returning to the Father.

When man writes down the events of history, he can only write things in the best way in which he understands it. That is why the Bible shows a consistent angry God that requires sacrifice. It was the only way that God could be imagined to be, and so no matter what occurred, they wrote him in to fit the outcome. If they were having problems, then God is punishing them. If they were having good times, then God must be rewarding them. If something was totally not understood, they made God the architect of some event to explain it away. The bottom line is that whenever you do better things, better things then happen. When you do poor things, poor things happen. It’s a consistent cycle of cause and effect. Punch him and get punched back. Love him and get love back. It’s always a choice. It’s never God punishing us.

I remember a moment where a comedian made a joke about the Passover with respect to how the Jewish people celebrate the day that their God didn’t kill them. It sounded so strange to hear it that way, but how else would you say it? When you come right down to it, why would you even want to be with a God who would just as soon kill you if you look the wrong way? Why would a God that created all that exists, use such odd and strange methods to kill and destroy? Why do we not continue to see these things in the post Old Testament world? Has the unchangeable God changed? Has God gotten over his anger? Has God undergone rehabilitation? No, God hasn’t changed…we just stopped writing these kinds of stories about him.

Jesus’s purpose on earth was to show that you we can live differently. His love for all men is what enabled him to heal and feed the thousands. His total love of all of us was a testimony of how to live. His trial and crucifixion was a message to us that no matter what any man does to you, your true you, the spirit that is you, cannot be touched. He proved this as he rose again.

Jesus’s death wasn’t a sacrifice. The only way it could have been a sacrifice would be if it was something he and God was not willing to do. It’s possible that Jesus did not like what was going to happen to him, but he chose to accept his path and accepted his role. How then can you say that he sacrificed? He chose to show you that no matter what man can do, it doesn’t matter. Man was the one who described the whole scenario as sacrifice, because they could only see the scenario as an extension of the Old Testament angry God, but it wasn’t a sacrifice, it was an act of unconditional love.

Perhaps you say then that God was the one who made the sacrifice by allowing his son to be beaten and die…but God is a spirit, as was Jesus and as are we all. Jesus’s spirit was never in danger, and that was the whole point…to prove that the real you can’t be hurt. How then could God have sacrificed his son when there was no way for Jesus’s spirit to die or be injured? The ancient writers of the Bible constantly confused this physical reality with Gods spiritual reality and treat them as the same, but they are not. God is spirit as are we. There is no physical thing that is required or can be done that can ever, ever, ever, ever have a spiritual effect…but spiritual things always make physical effects.

Besides, why would a loving God require blood sacrifices. These are physical things, and again, God is not physical. These concepts came from ancient and barbaric customs, practiced all over the world by all different cultures. God is spiritual and requires no physical sacrifice. The only thing you can do for God is to be open and be willing to let the Holy Spirit and Jesus work with you to open your eyes to the truth. God is love. God is the total absence of fear. God is peace. God is the total absence of anger. God is forever giving and sharing. God is the total absence of sacrifice.

Be open to hear him. Be willing to hear him. Choose to see differently…and you will. It’s all about choice. Choose to see. Choose to forgive. Choose to be peaceful. Choose to see your brothers in love. Choose to share the truth. Choose to be free from mans interpretations of God.

I choose to extend my love, peace, patience, wisdom and faith to all of you. Have a Joyous Christmas!

This article Copyright ©2004 David Nelmes - Reproduced with Permission.

*Compliments of:
Dreams Alive Magazine - http://www.dreamsalivemagazine.com
Being Willing - http://www.beingwilling.com

About the Author

David Nelmes provides opportunities for those around him to see things from perspectives they had not considered before. His desire is for himself and all men to pursue truth and be open and willing to see what God would have us see. His influences consist of being truly open and applying the truths in both “The Bible” and “A Course In Miracles”. See more at: - BeingWilling.com

I always had a picture in the recesses of my mind of the soldier dying for his country. I could see the fireman expiring in a blaze after saving others. Then I saw a banker who saved others and died right before my eyes.

On January 13th 1982 an Air Florida flight crashed off the 14th Street Bridge in Washington DC. It was a bridge I had traveled across many times before during the year I lived in DC. The entire event was being broadcast live and I sat glued to the TV as the big Boeing 737 slid ever so slowly into the swirling ice cold waters of the Potomac River. Only five people out of the 79 that were onboard that flight survived the crash.

Two of those who survived owe their lives to the heroism and selflessness of a 46 year old man named “Arland D. Williams Jr.” who was a bank examiner. I did not know his name for twenty years after the crash but it is a name I will probably never forget.

Because of the heavy traffic around DC and on the bridge that day, the emergency vehicles were seriously hindered from reaching the scene. In the interim two TV news copters did the best they could to pull the few people who had made it to the surface out of the water. It was noble effort on their part because the wind driven snow was a screaming polar bear closing in on the prey.

I watched in stark amazement as one copter lowered a small life ring to a white haired gentleman in the frozen raging soup. He grabbed the ring but then worked it over to another passenger who was then lifted to safety. The copter returned and once again lowered the ring to the gentleman who pushed it over to another passenger yet again. By the time the copter returned for the third time the distinguished gentleman was slipping beneath the stinging waters never to be seen again on that day.

For weeks I could not get that picture out of my mind, but I didn’t want to get it out of my mind. I felt I had witnessed the best example I had seen in my lifetime of perfect and selfless love. I have told this story countless times in my messages as a preacher of the gospel. I still get choked up with emotion and with the same feelings I had when I watched the events unfold before me. There is an inestimable sense of admiration and respect I feel for Mr. Williams. I often see myself looking and calling for friends and loved ones when I get to heaven. I also see myself asking the Lord for an introduction to Mr. Williams so I can see and embrace one of the bravest men and best examples I ever hope to know in this life.

Mr. Williams gave a living and lasting example to me of just what Jesus was talking about when he said…”Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,” John 15:13 KJV. Thank you for this example Mr. Williams.

The 14th Street Bridge has been renamed the “Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge.” Several memorials to Mr. Williams have been placed at “The Citadel” in South Carolina which he graduated from in 1957. In His hometown of Mattoon, Illinois the elementary school was named after Mr. Williams in 2003.

About the Author

Rev Bresciani is from New Orleans La and the author of…Hook Line and Sinker or What Has Your Church Been Teaching You, PublishAmerica 2005 and…An American Prophet and His Message, Questions and Answers on the Second Coming of Christ, Xulon Press 2005. His website is,
http://americanprophet.org

There is nothing too hard for God to do
What he has done in the past he will do for you
He gave Abraham and Sarah a child in their old age
“Impossible” acts are recorded in the Bible, page after page

Lions’ mouths were closed and prison doors flew open
Large armies were defeated with just a few men
When men called out to God in their distress
He did more than they asked for and not less

My situation is impossible I can hear you say
There is no hope why should I pray
My answer to you is to have faith and don’t doubt
Trust in the Lord and he will surely bring you out

Is the obstacle you are facing solid as a brick wall
It will crumble to dust if upon Him you will call
Nothing is too hard for God and his mighty power
God changed languages when men built the Babel tower

Copyright 2005 Irvin L. Rozier

About the Author

Author of My Walk with the Lord, www.selahbooks.com, various other articles and poems (do a google or yahoo search on my name), preacher, retired military, Chaplain of American Legion Post 181

Male and Female ~ Created Equal

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.

Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.

I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

Glimpses of God © by Joyce C. Lock
http://our.homewithgod.com/heavenlyinspirations/
This writing may be used in its entirety, with credits in tact,
for non-profit ministering purposes.

About the Author

Joyce C. Lock is a published author, poet, and columnist. In addition, she founded and maintains the e-mail ministries “Heavenly Inspirations” http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HeavenlyInspirations/ and “Share a Smile” http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smilesharing/. Joyce’s writings encourage us in our relationship with God and each other.

Looking for Perfection?

In your quest for the perfect graduation gown, graduation cap or your graduation cap and gown we are here to help you! Our company has been in the graduation cap and gown business since 1960 and we are professionals at what we do. Our graduation gown and graduation cap sets are number one in quality and construction. You will be happy to wear such excellence on your special day.

Graduation cap and gown

We use only the finest materials for the manufacture of our graduation cap and gowns. Satin Polyester, for a sheen unequalled anywhere. Our trained representatives will help you through the process of measuring for sizes to get a proper fit and they are available 24/7 to answer your concerns. When your order arrives at your door, you will be pleasantly surprised when you get a feel of the material and see how good it really is.

Graduation gown, graduation cap

Every effort is made to assure your order is processed with care and it is done correctly and most importantly on time! We take pride in our assembly process and watch it carefully to make sure all that is made are quality items. Come check out the website and see all the choices that are available for colors and sizes. It will only take a few minutes to set up your order and get in touch with a professional representative who will take care of your concerns through the entire process. We aim high for customer satisfaction and cost effective clothing. Ordering from us will save you hundreds over any other company you can find.

Personal Opinion

The service and dedication Gordon Int’l supplies along with their fine graduation caps and gowns are only surpassed by the cost effectiveness of ordering online through them for all your graduation needs. You will be glad that you came to Gordon International!