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It’s No Less A Miracle!

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  The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way! The water of the Jordan River turned away. Psalm 114:3, NLT It’s No Less a Miracle When Moses held up his rod at the Red Sea, God pushed back the waters with a strong east wind, and it parted. Two million Israelites walked through this dry path, with walls of water on each side. The hand of God supernaturally made a way. Fast forward forty years to when Joshua sent the priests into the Jordan River with the promise that God would cut off the waters. I’m sure he was expecting a supernatural wind to instantly push the water back. Instead, there was no wind, the water kept flowing, nothing changed visibly. But just because God did it one way doesn’t mean He’s going to do it that way every time. The miracle took place, but it happened upstream where they couldn’t see it. It was no less a miracle. Eventually the waters receded, and the people passed through on dry ground. It’s easy to have faith when you can see and feel the an...
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Will You Forfeit Your Future for Today?

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  Will You Forfeit Your Future for Today? Scripture: Jonah 2:8, NIV84 “ Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. ” (Jonah 2:8, NIV84) When we decide to cling to worthless idols instead of following God-given directives, our lives can be shortened or destroyed. A self-driven life forfeits what possibly could have been a great future for the rubble of temporary pleasures. This principle is demonstrated over and over in the Bible: Esau  traded his birthright for a bowl of stew. Cain  failed to conquer sin crouching at his door, killing Abel, and was “marked” for life. Achan  and his entire family were stoned to death because Achan disobeyed the Lord by taking and hiding silver in his tent when the Hebrews attacked the city of Ai as they entered the Promised Land. Absalom  shortened his life by rebelling against his father, King David, when he attempted to usurp the kingdom from David. King Belshazzar , the last king of Babylon, had...
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How You See Yourself!

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  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10, ESV How You See Yourself When you face unfair difficulties, the enemy will not just try to hinder your destiny, he’ll try to steal your identity. He’ll try to deceive you into letting your environment—how people treat you, disappointments, delays—dictate who you are. If they cause you to see yourself as limited, not valuable, unworthy, that will keep you from your purpose. He’s not after your possessions; he’s after your identity. If he can control how you see yourself, he’ll limit your future. When you’re in a negative environment, don’t let the environment get in you. You’re not defined by your environment.  Sometimes God leads us into difficulties, allowing bad breaks or people to do us wrong. You know that God has a great dream for your life, but how you see yourself will determine whether you stay in the difficulty or come out better. Don’t take on a v...
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Three Objectives to Help Us Make the Most Of Our Lives!

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  Three Objectives to Help Us Make the Most of Our Lives Scripture: Colossians 4:5, NIV “ Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. ” (Colossians 4:5, NIV) For the person practicing  Kingdom  of God , redeeming the time we have been given is extremely important. We often hear in the world that “time is money.” Colossians 4:5 counsels us to make the most of every opportunity and to be wise in the way we act toward those who are outside of the faith. We must act on this challenge because our  loaf of time  grows shorter by the day. We must redeem our time since our time will run out. What objectives should we implement on a consistent basis if we want to make the most of our lives? First,  the Word of God needs to become personally operative in our lives. We should heed the popular saying that we need to “walk the talk, if we are going to talk the talk.” Another way to put it is we need to “practice what we preach.” We c...
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The Shadow of the Almighty!

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  He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty….He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge. Psalm 91:1, 4, NKJV The Shadow of the Almighty Sometimes it feels like we’re surrounded by trouble, surrounded by evil, surrounded by sickness. A lot may be happening on the outside, things that could have you upset, worried, or afraid, but you can’t let that get inside. What you may not realize is there’s something else surrounding you, a secret place where you can rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Your job is to stay in that secret place, to stay close to God, to keep Him first place in your life. The secret place is a place of peace, a place of trust. In that secret place, there’s a calmness, a rest. You know the Most High God is watching after you. You know you’re covered under His wings, that He has you hidden in a safe place. When you’re in that secret place, for calamity to get to you, it has to ...
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Do Paul’s Life and Writing Support a Prosperity Gospel?

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  Do Paul’s Life and Writings Support a Prosperity Gospel? Scripture: 2 Corinthians 11:23–27, ESV “ Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. ” (2 Corinthians 11:23-27, ESV) Some teachers promote the “prosperity gospel,” the idea that you will prosper in this world if you believe the “right” way. But do the life and writings of the apostle Paul ...
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Haggai 2:1-23!

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  Introduction Haggai 2:1–23: The LORD instructs Haggai to encourage the people by telling them how splendid the new Temple will be and that nations will bring their treasures to the Temple. The LORD promises to bless the people; and Zerubbabel, a descendant of David, will rule as governor in God’s name and with God’s authority. Today’s Key Verse: Haggai 2:4 GNT [The LORD said]: “But now don’t be discouraged, any of you. Do the work, for I am with you.” Read 2 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month of that same year, the Lord spoke again through the prophet Haggai.  2  He told Haggai to speak to Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, to Joshua, the High Priest, and to the people, and to say to them,  3  “Is there anyone among you who can still remember how splendid the Temple used to be? How does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all.  4  But now don’t be discouraged, any of you. Do the work, for I am with you.  5  When ...
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