The Power of a Godly Life
By Greg Laurie
At this time Aramean raiders had invaded the land of Israel, and
among their captives was a young girl who had been given to Naaman's wife as a
maid. —2 Kings 5:2
In 2
Kings 5 we read of a young Israelite girl, whose name we don't even know, that
had been kidnapped and carried away to Syria. How easily she could have been
bitter against God for allowing this to happen. And certainly she could have
been angry with the people she was working for as a slave.
So when her master Naaman was stricken with leprosy, she could have
thought, He deserves it. But that isn't the way she felt at all. She was concerned for him.
Her heart went out to him. And she saw the opportunity to tell Naaman about a
prophet in Israel named Elisha who could pray for him. Elisha was Elijah's
successor. God was working through him and had used him to raise someone from
the dead. Like Elijah, he had miracle-working power.
This
girl had somehow heard about Elisha. So she said to Naaman's wife, "I wish
my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his
leprosy" (2 Kings 5:3).
It
reminds me of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, young Israelites who also were
taken captive. They were brought to Babylon, where the king changed their
names. But he couldn't change their hearts. They walked closely with God, as
did this young woman.
Imagine
how she felt when she heard how God had healed Naaman. I wonder if she ever
thought God would use someone like her to reach someone as significant as
Naaman. It's a wonderful thing when you have lived such a godly life that when
you speak to someone, they listen. This girl earned the right to bring the
message she did probably because she was such a great person and a hard worker.
She held fast to her faith, even in a foreign land.
GOD'S PLAN FOR THE YEAR 2016 - Video
By Paul Dhinkaran
And He
Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some
pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry,
for the edifying of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11,12)
- Edification of the body of Christ
- Equipping of the saints for the work of the Ministry
Prophecies
for the World
- China will lead the market
- Canada will play a greater role in world affairs to make peace between nations and it will be in forefront developing economies in various countries.
- There will be new alignment of stars in the sky ( As a star appeared when the Lord Jesus was born)
- New economies and new economic powers will emerge in the world
- There will be new trade avenues and new alignment of countries for trade
- 2014 – April 6th – Russia leading the way for Israel and its neighbouring enemy countries to make peace with each other to start business relations. This will begin. (Is 19: 23,24,25)
- There will be new commodities and currencies aligning for buying and selling in the world
- Through this there will be peace deals in the world between countries that were at war or against each other
- There will be new policies in the leadership of the economic powers
- The Lord will give new businesses and new technologies to His people who are led by the Spirit this year. Also their families will be blessed with new blessings this year.
- God’s ministries will enter into new projects which will be accomplished with God’s favour and bring great increase.
- World economic powers will come together to form a new front and a new conglomeration to fight terrorism. Nations will align together for the sake of peace. No peace until the Lord Jesus the Prince of peace returns
- The Justice system of the world will be shaken
- There will be breakthrough in the travel technology
- In the realm of medicine there will be new breakthrough in managing pain and pain relief. It will bring great advancements in the realm of healing wounds.
- Disintegration of existing political and business empires to form new conglomerates
Prophecies
for India
- Greater number of Jobs will be created in the realm of technologies.
- Interest rates will increase. Buying power will decrease. Deficiency in the availability of certain commodities relating to basic needs
- New deceptions to entice the youth to decay spiritually and morally shall rise thro' new technology. But there will be an army of youth to proclaim God's righteousness thro' their sacrifice and obedience. They shall shine being bold as a lion doing miracles.
- Those who obey my commands alone shall be exalted in the country. They will not be tail but the head. I will not rest until this is accomplished
- There will be overall peace across the land
- God's favour will come upon the land with His generosity and blessings showered wherever the gospel has been preached
Spiritual
Realm
- Year of making peace with God
- The Spirit of sanctification will set in. It will lead to growth in one's personal life. Rev. 22:11 & 12. God will show the difference between those who serve him and those who do not.
- There have been multitudes who have been prayerfully waiting for the Lord. Their hearts have been prepared to receive him. Blessings will come upon them this year in double measure.
- House of Prayer will become places of incense to God. They shall prosper and be in peace. They shall be a refuge to all people.
- Philanthropy will rise in the ministries
- The Holy Spirit will begin to be poured upon the people of Israel. There shall be repentance unto salvation
- As Holy Spirit is poured upon Israel. "I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath Blood and fire and vapor of smoke (Acts 2:19)" will be seen
A Prophet`s reward
Matthew
10:41
Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward
The Answered Prayer
John 14:12
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the
works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will
do, because I go to My Father.
John 15:7
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask
whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
Respect His Name
By Greg Laurie
"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,
for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain."
—Exodus 20:7
Do you
care about your name? Do you like it when people slander you or say things that
aren't true about you? Have you ever had that happen? I have. No one enjoys
that. We want to protect our name. The Bible says that "a good name is to
be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and
gold" (Proverbs 22:1).
God cares about His name, too. And He tells us, "You shall not
take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him
guiltless who takes His name in vain" (Exodus 20:7). The words in vain literally
could be translated "in an empty, idle, insincere, frivolous way."
So how
do people take the Lord's name in vain? One obvious way is profanity. Isn't it
interesting how people use the name of Jesus Christ so often? Even
nonbelievers, in their spiritually deadened state, know there is something
different about the name of Jesus. We don't hear people exclaiming,
"Buddha!" or "Hare Krishna!" In a backhanded way,
nonbelievers acknowledge the power of Jesus even when they're misusing His
name.
Another way people take His name in vain is by saying "I swear
to God." Jesus said, "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,'
'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one" (Matthew 5:37). Your word should be enough.
Let me add another way that people take God's name in vain that's
important for us to be aware of: Saying "Oh my God" a lot. That seems
to be a popular phrase now. But it's taking God's name in vain. The same goes
for texting OMG. Don't do that.
Don't use God's name in an empty way.
God
cares about His name, and so should we.
Just Another Night in Bethlehem
By Greg Laurie
Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the
Lord has done marvelous things! —Joel 2:21
On the
first Christmas Eve, there were no brightly colored lights on anyone's homes.
There were no stockings that had been hung with care or any visions of
sugarplums dancing in children's heads. It was just another night in Bethlehem.
The census had gone out—that command by Caesar that everyone was to be taxed.
But history was about to change in Bethlehem.
All of
Israel was living in a very frightening time historically. They lived under the
tyrant King Herod who would execute people at will. In addition, the Jews were
living in occupied territory. The Romans had taken control of their country.
They were no longer free to do what they wanted and live as they wanted. They
wondered if Rome would ever leave. Would the violent rule ever cease? Would
their world ever change?
Then
suddenly angels appeared to the shepherds and told them not to be afraid; the
Messiah had been born.
There is
a lot to be afraid of in our unstable, volatile world today. It seems that at
every turn, we hear about another horrific tragedy happening in our world. It
can cause us to be terrified.
Then there are the personal fears: What if I lose my health? What if I lose a member of my
family? What if this happens? What if that happens? A
lot of things run through our minds.
Here is the message of the first Christmas—and the message for us this Christmas: Don't be afraid. . . . I bring you good
tidings of great joy.
Ray
Stedman wrote, "The chief mark of the Christian ought to be the absence of
fear and the presence of joy."
Does that describe you? Fear is what Christmas came to remove—and now we can have joy in its place.
Avalon - Everything To Me w/ lyrics
I grew up in Sunday
school
I memorized the
Golden Rule
And how Jesus came
to set the sinner free
I know the story
inside out
I can tell you all
about
The path that led
Him up to Calvary
But ask me why He
loves me
And I don't know
what to say
But I'll never be
the same
Because He changed
my life when He became...
Everything to me
He's more than a
story
More than words on a
page of history
He's the air that I
breathe
The water I thirst
for
And the ground
beneath my feet
He's everything,
everything to me
We're living in
uncertain times
And more and more I
find that I'm aware
Of just how fragile
life can be
I want to tell the
world I found
A love that turned
my life around
They need to know
that they can taste and see
Now every day I'm
praying
Just to give my
heart away
I want to live for
Jesus
So that someone else
might see that He is...
Everything to me
He's more than a
story
More than words on a
page of history
He's the air that I
breathe
The water I thirst
for
And the ground
beneath my feet
He's everything
And looking back
over my life at the end
I'll go to meet You
saying You've been
You're everything to
me
You're more than a
story
More than words on a
page of history You're everything to me
You're more than a
story
More than words on a
page of history
You're the air that
I breathe
The water I thirst
for
And the ground
beneath my feet
You're everything
Lord, You're
everything to me
What Jesus Wants for Christmas
by Billy Graham
This
Christmas season you can be assured that Jesus Christ is here. He is here to
give us hope, to forgive our sins, to give us a new song, to impart faith and
to heal our spiritual wounds—if only we will let Him.
The
Christmas message has not changed in more than 2,000 years. Christmas still
reminds us that God is with us.
In
spite of all the pessimism and cynicism, in spite of all the headlines about
murders, assassinations, riots, demonstrations and war, Jesus Christ is alive.
He is alive to conquer despair, to impart hope, to forgive sins and to take
away our loneliness. He is alive to reconcile us to God.
This
Christmas, accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. Give Him the gift that
He wants—your heart, your soul, your life.
(Adapted from Billy Graham's article, "Christmas—a Time of Renewed Hope")
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