The world is perishing for lack of the knowledge of God and the Church is famishing for want of His Presence. The instant cure of most of our religious ills would be to enter the Presence in spiritual experience, to become suddenly aware that we are in God and that God is in us. This would lift us out of our pitiful narrowness and cause our hearts to be enlarged . These are penetrating words from the pen of Tozer. Does your heart agree with these words? Do you hunger and crave the Presence of God? This is the first of a two part post on this important aspect of life in the Spirit.
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Duck Dynasty’s Si Robertson Says There’s No Such Thing as an Atheist
‘Duck Dynasty’ star Si Robertson, who’s known for being an outspoken Christian, told CP Voice earlier this week that as a Vietnam veteran he knows there’s no such thing as an atheist because when people find themselves in a life-threatening situation they cry out to God, saying, “please help me.” Discussing his new film “Faith of Our Fathers,” which tells the story of two Vietnam veterans — one a devout Christian and the other a skeptic — Robertson explained that the bonds soldiers develop in wartime are “thicker than blood, because they’ve faced death together.”
In an interview with CP Voice on Wednesday, Robertson, along with the film’s lead actor Kevin Downes, commented on how the Gospel is presented in the letters between the two men. “One is a skeptic. And there’s a lot of skeptics,” said Robertson. “I dont believe there’s a such thing as an atheist. Because there’s too much documentation. Our calenders are based on Jesus Christ.”
“Whether you believe in Him or not, every time you write down the day’s date you’re saying He’s here,” continued Robertson, who reiterated his point that when it comes to circumstances of life and death, there aren’t any atheists. “Because if you get in a serious bind, the first thing you’ll do is say [God,] please help me.”
Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/duck-dynastys-si-robertson-says-theres-no-such-thing-as-an-atheist-talks-new-film-faith-of-our-fathers-141145/#RtSBcBdspckJdZLV.99
The world is a negative place. Just turn on the nightly news if you doubt it. I very rarely tune into the news because of this. You can protect yourself from all the gloominess but it takes some work. If you aren’t proactive, it’s easy to be swept away in the tidal wave of negativity around you. Jack Nicholson said, “In my last year of school, I was voted Class Optimist and Class Pessimist. Looking back, I realize I was only half right . No matter which half are you, you can grow. You can be an up person in a down world.
The great believers have been the unwearied waiters . They have stood in the face of delay and denial. They have stayed with their eyes fixed on Jesus. Their heart set on His mission. And, their faith grounded in His love. They have come forth as witnesses that you too can become a mature believer and inherit God’s promises (Heb. 6:12). In his letter, James gives us the secret to real growth in God (James 1:2-4).
The Bridge Commentary consists of four sections: Definitions, Background, Comments and Questions. The
Definitions section explains all significant Greek words found in all the verses of this passage. The
Background section contains material which will help to frame the passage in it’s 1st century setting. The
Questions section includes queries you may want to ask of the text. Finally, the
Comments section contains observations of the verses sorted in word or phrase order.
This is a revision of the original post published in April of last year. It was rewritten to make the writing clearer and the flow of the document smoother. It was sectioned off so you may skip a section, like Definitions, if you wish. A block flow diagram was (click on the link right below) also added to help give clarity to the thoughts expressed.
Click on this link for a flow diagram of this passage.
Angels are spectacular mysterious beings. In today’s age, there’s much conversation about them. This is nothing new. Paul speaking to the Colossian church warned them about worshiping angels (Col. 2:18). While we are not to worship angels or put them on pedestals, the Bible does speak much of them, 295 times to be exact. So, what can learn from them? What practical lessons can we learn about God from them?
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ISIS Trainer Turns to the Bible, ‘Sick of the Killing’
As Islamic State fighters continue to slaughter and behead Christians and others, some of its members 
are reportedly having encounters with Christ.
A Middle East missionary named “Julian” says a sheik who served as a jihadist teacher for ISIS has turned to the Bible because he became “sick of the killing.”
The Operation Mobilization missionary shared the story with Todd Nettleton on the Voice of the Martyrs radio show. Julian said the sheik was traveling home from Lebanon when he asked a taxi driver for a Bible.
“The taxi driver knew a Christian in Beirut who was very happy to give the guy with the beard a Bible and then, ‘Sir, would you like to tell us why you’re looking for a Bible?’ And his response was ‘I’m from Saudi. I’m a sheikh,’ which means a teacher of Islam,” Julian recounted the story. “‘I’ve been in Syria teaching the ISIS fighters jihad 101,’ the theology and the practice of jihad. ‘I’m sick of the killing. There must be something better than this.'”
VOM’s Nettleton explained, “He had come to see that the violence of ISIS was not the path to peace. He was tired of it; he wanted something else, and so he was interested in having a Bible. “
For more on this story see: ISIS Trainer Turns to the Bible ‘Sick of the Killing’
The French philosopher Pascal said there is a “God-shaped vacuum” inside every human heart. Since nature abhors a vacuum, if we don’t fill it with God, we will fill it with something else. So many of us have filled our hearts with the junk food of the world . Some have gone past junk food and gone chemical to the point of addiction. Chemical cravings are as old as time. The Bible gives ample proof that excessive drinking of intoxicants was a common vice among the Hebrews, as among other ancient peoples (Noah, Gen. 9:21; Lot, Gen. 19:33, 35; Nabal, 1 Samuel 25:30; Amnon 1 Samuel 13:28; Elah, 1 Kings 16:9) . Despite the long history, there is hope, help, and healing for those caught in the enslavement of substance abuse.
Somewhere between your skills, your joy, and your unique contribution is your job description.
—Michael Hyatt
Today’s post is in answer to the following question which came in. If you have a question you would like answered, please consider making contact. We would love to hear from you. Here is the question.
“Would you please answer this question for us or if you have something already written on this subject would you please send it to us. What happens when a person dies? If a Christian dies what happens after they die and when an unsaved person dies what happens? We know what the Bible says about death but some ministers teach that saved Christian’s when they die they lay in a state of unconsciousness until the rapture. While others teach that the saved Christians go immediately with the Lord and are rejoicing with Christ on the streets of gold and the unsaved are burning in hell.” – Cotia & Ford
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Get Ready to Be Shocked: The Church Divorce Rate
This is a game-changer. Talk about “an old wives’ tale.” You’ve heard it said that 1) 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce; 2) most marriages that do happen to make it are, nonetheless, unhappy, and 3) Christians are just as likely to divorce as non-believers. These claims, long understood to be research-based facts, never quite sat right with me. Still, admittedly, while these assertions do swim upstream against the flow of both our common sense and our common experience, we have, nevertheless, accepted them (present company included) as valid because – well, you know, because “social science …”
Here is the truth….
♥ The actual divorce rate has never gotten close to 50 percent.
♥ Those who attend church regularly have a significantly lower divorce rate than those who don’t.
♥ Most marriages are happy.
♥ Simple changes make a big difference in most marriage problems.
♥ Most remarriages succeed.
“‘But the divorce rate has been dropping,’ Feldhahn said. ‘We’ve never hit those numbers [the 50 percent figure]. We’ve never gotten close.’”
“And it’s even lower among churchgoers, where a couple’s chance of divorcing is more likely in the single digits or teens,” added CBN.
Additionally, the study determined that four-out-of-five marriages are happy. “That number flies in the face of the popular belief that only about 30 percent of marriages are happy.”
For more information on this story see: http://www.westernjournalism.com/flash-christians-actually-far-less-likely-divorce/
There’s always been much discussion in Christian circles on the subject of discipleship. And rightly so. Becoming a sold out disciple of Jesus is Christianity 101. Understand, though, the discipleship piece is a dependence piece. Dependence means a life of coming to Jesus and relying upon Him. In our day to day life, in our moment by moment walk with the Lord, should we not ‘come to Him?’ Why wouldn’t we? What is holding us back? This idea of coming to Him is featured in the gospels and in the entire Word of God for that matter. What can we learn about the potential benefits of living a life that involves a constant coming to Jesus?
Exercising Your Spiritual Senses
There was a man desperately wanting to hear from God. As he was listening he thought God said get rid of your garage. Wanting to respond in faith and obedience he immediately went out to his yard and tore down his garage. It was in need of repair anyway. The Lord was watching him and suddenly called all his angels the great cloud of witnesses and other heavenly beings to observe this act of faith and obedience. As the heavenly host watched, God explained, he thought I said get rid of your garage but I actually said get rid of your grudge. Though the man missed it, God was impressed with his faith. Don’t be afraid. to step out, God is cheering you on. you will become seasoned in hearing as you exercise your senses.
From the e-book: Developing your Five Spiritual Senses by Patricia King.
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