PASTOR DISGUISES HIMSELF AS A DESTITUTE (Kevin K. Okwara)

This is very challenging from my friend and brother in Christ Kevin K. Okwara....

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Pastor Jeremiah Steepek transformed himself into a homeless person and went to the 10,000- member church that he was to be introduced as the head pastor that morning. He walked around the church for 30 minutes while it was filling with people for service in which only 3 people out of the about 10,000 people said hello to him.

He asked people for change to buy food – no one in the church gave him change.He went into the sanctuary to sit down in the front of the church and was asked by the ushers if he would please sit in the back. He greeted people only to be greeted back with stares and dirty looks, with people looking down on him and judging him.

As he sat in the back of the church, he listened to the church announcements and such.When all that was done, the elders went up and were excited to introduce the new pastor of the church to the congregation. “We would like to introduce to you Pastor Jeremiah Steepek.”

The congregation looked around clapping with joy and anticipation. The homeless man sitting in the back stood up and started walking down the aisle. The clapping stopped with all eyes on him. He walked up the altar and took the microphone from the elders (who were in on this) and paused for a moment then he recited: “Then the King will say to those on his right,‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him: ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’‘The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ After he recited this, he looked towards the congregation and told them all what he had experienced that morning. Many began to cry and many heads were bowed in shame.

He then said, “Today I see a gathering of people, not a church of Jesus Christ. The world has enough people, but not enough disciples. When will YOU decide to become disciples?”

Beating End Month Financial Blues

Towards the end of the month, most of us only have one thing common on our minds, money, either the lack of it, or how to get some more. It is my hope and desire that the following short piece will “humour” you and relief some end month related financial stress.

The ultimate trick in order to overcome end month financial blues is not to think of the money as your money. It is owned by your Central Bank or the issuing authority, so don't worry. What you spent was not yours.

If you hear them say that money talks do not worry, your money is still an infant learning to talk.

Being perennially broke will ensure that by the time you are old or retired; your children will have no motivation whatsoever to have you declared legally insane so that they can have control or total access of your property and estate.

Just imagine all those nagging family members and relatives enjoying your hard earned money after you are gone. Aren't you glad you spent and enjoyed it all while alive!

Unless you buy something, you actually have enough money to last you the rest of your life.

When your money runs out and are broke, take comfort in that you are talking a universal language understood world over, maybe beyond.

Even if all the rich and wealthy people in the world were forced to divide up all their money among themselves only, there would still not be enough to go around.

If money did not actually bring you total happiness as you spent it, at least it you were not miserable while you had it.

The best way for your growing children to learn more regarding money than getting your lectures is simply for you not to have enough.

Any amount of money can buy happiness if you simply know where to go for shopping or not go.

Keeping money is like keeping manure. For it not to stink, it has to be spread around quickly.

Never get alarmed that all the money is gone. After all, it was meant to be spent otherwise they wouldn’t have created it in the first place.

So the paycheck is gone? There will be another one and another one.

Lastly, always remember that the most important thing in life is not money or about money but love.

Money cannot buy real love, PARTICULARLY GOD'S LOVE

Enjoy your pay day memories!!

The Best Evangelism

The best evangelism in the world is laughter, a church laughing-not naive tittering, not sarcastic boisterousness, not angry irony, but deep, joyful laughter from the pit of our being…laughter which has suffered from the consequences of evil choices and found redemption and newness of life through the cross of Jesus Christ, laughter which remembers tears, yet knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are not to fear, for Jesus, God’s good-humored Christ, has overcome the world before us.

(Sylvia C. Guinn-Ammons)

Reading His Own Obituary

One morning while Alfred Nobel was reading the paper, he was shocked to discover his own obituary.

Someone at the newspaper had obviously made a great error and falsely reported that he had died. You might say that Nobel was given a luxury that few people will ever receive: a chance to see what's said about him after his death.

The obituary primarily remembered him as the man who had invented dynamite, which had been used as a weapon of warfare, killing thousands. It turned his blood to ice to think that above all his other accomplishments in life, he would be remembered as the man who gave the world its most destructive weapon. Then and there, he determined that he would make some changes in his life. Nobel made a personal vow: "From this day forward, I will dedicate my life to the pursuit of peace." Creator of the Nobel Peace Prize, today when we hear of Alfred Nobel, we no longer think of dynamite, but of peace.

THOUGHT: As you examine your spiritual life, how would you describe it? Would you describe yourself as strong? Weak? About to give up? Before you become discouraged and fall out of the race entirely, give it one more shot. Put everything you have into it. Give it your all, or one day you may wake up and realize that you wasted and squandered the resources and potential God placed within you.

- By Greg Laurie.

I Am Forgiveness

My Lord, forgive me I pray. Could I withhold forgiveness? I, who live ever to plead for My children, who told them that always when they pray they must forgive in their hearts? I am God but I became man. Perfect God and perfect man. So human and yet so Divine. Because I am Eternal -- that I must ever be. So see in Me all I enjoined My followers they must ever be and do. Could I withhold forgiveness?

BeELEVATED: FIVE ADVANTAGES OF HAVING PURPOSE

BeELEVATED: FIVE ADVANTAGES OF HAVING PURPOSE: "The PURPOSE of life is not to be happy; it is to be useful, to be honourable, to be compassionate. To have it makes some difference ...

Is Your Hut Burning? 
 The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and everyday he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. BUT then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "God, how could you do this to me!" he cried. 



 Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied. 



 It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad. But we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground - it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God. 



 For all of the negative things we have to say to ourselves, God has a positive answer for it: 



 You say: "It's impossible" 
God says: All things are possible because God can do all things.....



 You say: "I'm too tired" 
God says: I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30) 



 You say: "Nobody really loves me" 
God says: I love you.......



 You say: "I can't go on" 
God says: My grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9 and Psalm 91:15) 



 You say: "I can't do it" 
God says: You can do all things through Christ 



 You say: "I can't figure things out" 
God says: I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-6) 



 You say: "I'm not able" 
God says: I am able (2 Corinthians 9:8) 



 You say: "It's not worth it" 
God says: It will be worth it 



 You say: "I can't forgive myself" 
God says: I FORGIVE YOU (l John 1:9 and Romans 8:1) 



 You say: "I can't manage" 
God says: I will supply all your needs 


 You say: "I'm afraid" 
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7) 



 You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated" 
God says: Cast all your cares on ME (1 Peter 5:7) 



 You say: "I don't have enough faith" 
God says: I've given everyone a measure of faith (Romans 12:3) 



 You say: "I'm not smart enough" 
God says: I give you wisdom 



 You say: "I feel all alone" 
God says: I will NEVER leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5) 

GRACE

It is grace at the beginning, and grace at the end.  So that when you and I come to lie upon our death beds,  the one thing that should comfort and help and strengthen us there is the thing that helped us in the beginning.  Not what we have been, not what we have done, but the grace of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.  The Christian life starts with grace, it must continue with grace, it ends with grace.  Grace wondrous grace.  By the grace of God I am what I am.  Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

(D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

THE TEST

THE TEST

John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't--the girl with the rose. His interest in her began thirteen months before in a Florida library.



Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner's name, Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he located her address. She lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II.



During the next year and one month, the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A romance was budding. Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn't matter what she looked like. When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting--7 pm at the Grand Central Station in New York.



"You'll recognize me," she wrote, "by the red rose I'll be wearing on my lapel."



So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he'd never seen. I'll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened:



A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit, she was like springtime come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips.



"Going my way, sailor?" she murmured.



Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl. A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own. And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her. This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful.



I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment.



"I'm Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?" The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile.



"I don't know what this is about, son," she answered, "but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!"

BIBLE AND PRAYING FOR THE DEAD

Praying for the dead is not a biblical concept. Our praying for the dead has no bearing on someone once he or she has died. The reality is that at the point of death, one’s eternal destiny is confirmed.

The writer to the Hebrews tells us, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Here we understand that no change in one’s spiritual condition can be made following his death—either by himself or through the efforts of others. If it is useless to pray for the living, who are committing “a sin that leads to death” (1 John 5:16), i.e., continual sin without seeking relief in conformity to God’s law of pardon, how could prayer for those who are already dead benefit them since there is no post-mortem plan of salvation?

The point is that each one of us has but one life, and we are responsible for how we live that life. Others may influence our choices, but ultimately we must give an account for the choices we make. Once life is over, there are no more choices to be made; we have no choice but to face judgment. The prayers of others may express their desires, but they won’t change the outcome. The time to pray for a person is while he or she lives and there is still the possibility of his or her heart, attitudes, and behavior being changed (Romans 2:3-9).

What need, then, do they have for the prayers of people on the earth? The bottom line is that while we sympathize with those who have lost dear ones, we must bear in mind that “now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).Death is final, and after that, no amount of praying will avail a person of the salvation he or she has rejected in life.

So think twice again as you tell/pray, "Rest In Peace" or "Mweke Pahala Pema Peponi".

Its really beyond you. RATHER pray for and comfort the bereaved. THEY NEED YOU MORE THAN THE DEAD

The Lesson from Jonah

But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

– Jonah 1:3 (NIV)

Jonah was running from the call from God to preach to Ninevah, so he tried to get as far as possible from that city. But Jonah made a common mistake; he felt that if he avoided Ninevah, he could avoid God. 

The story of Jonah reminds all of us that there is nowhere that we can go to escape His presence. 

How about you? 

Are you trying to escape God’s call on your life? 

No matter where you go, God is there waiting.

A Charles Swindoll Quote

As difficult as it may be for you to believe this today, the Master knows what He’s doing. Your Savior knows your  breaking point. The bruising and crushing and melting  process is designed to reshape you, not ruin you. Your value is increasing the longer He lingers over you. 

WORRY

"So, at least for today, I'm not going to worry that roses have thorns; I'll rejoice that thorns have roses." -- Michael Josephson

Living in Harmony with Your "Bumper Sticker"

"By their fruits [actions] you will know them." – Matthew 7:20 NKJV).

The story is told how a driver was being tailgated by a stressed-out driver on a busy boulevard. Suddenly the light turns yellow just in front of her. She does the right thing and stops even though she could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating driver hits the roof, and the horn, and yells in frustration as he misses the chance to get through the intersection. As he is still in mid-rant, he hears a tap on his window and looks up into the face of a police officer.

The officer orders him to exit his car with his hands up. He takes him to the police station where he is searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman opens the cell door, and escorts him back to the booking desk where the arresting officer is waiting with his personal effects.

The officer says, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, shaking your fist and yelling at the driver in front of you. I noticed the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the 'What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the 'Follow Me to Sunday School' bumper sticker, and the chrome plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally I assumed you had stolen the car."

(Author Unknown)

Suggested Prayer: "Dear God, please help me always to so live that my life and actions will always bring glory to Your name—and not ridicule. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

 

A William MacDonald Quote

"Common sense tells us that if we want victory in our thought life, we must exercise discipline over what we read, what we see, and those with whom we fraternise. Spicy books and magazines, Hollywood films, the average TV show offer instant pollution. And there are material objects that awakens lust in people's lives. A good bonfire will help considerably." - William MacDonald in his book "The Forgotten Command: BE HOLY" 

Questions to Ask Yourself Daily

Each member of John Wesley's Holy Club asked himself these twenty-two questions every day during his private devotions. Are YOU up for it?? 
 1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite? 
2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate? 
3. Do I confidently pass on to another what I was told in confidence? 
4. Can I be trusted? 
5. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits? 
6. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying? 
7. Did the Bible live in me today? 
8. Do I give it time to speak to me every day? 
9. Am I enjoying prayer? 
10. When did I last speak to someone else of my faith? 
11. Do I pray about the money I spend? 
12. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time? 
13. Do I disobey God in anything? 
14. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy? 
15. Am I defeated in any part of my life? 
16. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, or distrustful? 
17. How do I spend my spare time? 
18. Am I proud? 
19. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican? 
20. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it? 
21. Do I grumble or complain constantly? 
22. Is Christ real to me?

"If you find yourself loving any pleasure more than your prayers, any book better than the Bible, any house better than the house of the Lord, any table better than the Lord's table, any person better than Christ, or any indulgence better than the hope of heaven - be alarmed." - Thomas Guthrie

"If you find yourself loving any pleasure more than your prayers, any book better than the Bible, any house better than the house of the Lord, any table better than the Lord's table, any person better than Christ, or any indulgence better than the hope of heaven - be alarmed." - Thomas Guthrie 

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

There is not a spider hanging on the king's wall that does not have its errand; there is not a nettle that grows in the corner of the churchyard that does not have its purpose; there is not a single insect fluttering in the breeze that does not accomplish some divine decree; and I will never have it that God created any man, especially any Christian man, to be a blank and to be a nothing. He made you for an end. Find out what that end is. Find out your niche and fill it. If it is ever so little, if it is only to be a chopper of wood and a drawer of water, do something in this great battle for God and truth.

Politically Correct Little Red Riding Hood

There once was a young person named Little Red Riding Hood who lived on the edge of a large forest full of endangered owls and rare plants that would probably provide a cure for cancer if only someone took the time to study them. 

 Red Riding Hood lived with a nurture giver whom she sometimes referred to as "mother", although she didn't mean to imply by this term that she would have thought less of the person if a close biological link did not in fact exist. 

 Nor did she intend to denigrate the equal value of nontraditional households, although she was sorry if this was the impression conveyed. 

 One day her mother asked her to take a basket of organically grown fruit and mineral water to her grandmother's house. 

 "But mother, won't this be stealing work from the unionized people who have struggled for years to earn the right to carry all packages between various people in the woods?" 

 Red Riding Hood's mother assured her that she had called the union boss and gotten a special compassionate mission exemption form. 

 "But mother, aren't you oppressing me by ordering me to do this?" 

 Red Riding Hood's mother pointed out that it was impossible for womyn to oppress each other, since all womyn were equally oppressed until all womyn were free. 

 "But mother, then shouldn't you have my brother carry the basket, since he's an oppressor, and should learn what it's like to be oppressed?" 

 And Red Riding Hood's mother explained that her brother was attending a special rally for animal rights, and besides, this wasn't stereotypical womyn's work, but an empowering deed that would help engender a feeling of community. 

 "But won't I be oppressing Grandma, by implying that she's sick and hence unable to independently further her own selfhood?" 

 But Red Riding Hood's mother explained that her grandmother wasn't actually sick or incapacitated or mentally handicapped in any way, although that was not to imply that any of these conditions were inferior to what some people called "health". 

 Thus Red Riding Hood felt that she could get behind the idea of delivering the basket to her grandmother, and so she set off. 

 Many people believed that the forest was a foreboding and dangerous place, but Red Riding Hood knew that this was an irrational fear based on cultural paradigms instilled by a patriarchal society that regarded the natural world as an exploitable resource, and hence believed that natural predators were in fact intolerable competitors. 
 Other people avoided the woods for fear of thieves and deviants, but Red Riding Hood felt that in a truly classless society all marginalized peoples would be able to "come out" of the woods and be accepted as valid lifestyle role models. 
 

On her way to Grandma's house, Red Riding Hood passed a woodchopper, and wandered off the path, in order to examine some flowers. 
 

She was startled to find herself standing before a Wolf, who asked her what was in her basket. 

 Red Riding Hood's teacher had warned her never to talk to strangers, but she was confident in taking control of her own budding sexuality, and chose to dialogue with the Wolf. 
 She replied, "I am taking my Grandmother some healthful snacks in a gesture of solidarity." 
 The Wolf said, "You know, my dear, it isn't safe for a little girl to walk through these woods alone." 

 Red Riding Hood said, "I find your sexist remark offensive in the extreme, but I will ignore it because of your traditional status as an outcast from society, the stress of which has caused you to develop an alternative and yet entirely valid worldview. Now, if you'll excuse me, I would prefer to be on my way." 

 Red Riding Hood returned to the main path, and proceeded towards her Grandmother's house. 

 But because his status outside of society had freed him from slavish adherence to linear, Western-style thought, the Wolf knew of a quicker route to Grandma's house. 

 He burst into the house and ate Grandma, a course of action affirmative of his nature as predator. 

 Then, unhampered by rigid, traditionalist gender role notions, he put on Grandma's nightclothes, crawled under the bedclothes, and awaited developments. 
 Red Riding Hood entered the cottage and said, "Grandma, I have brought you some cruelty-free snacks to salute you in your role as wise and nurturing matriarch." 

 The Wolf said softly "Come closer, child, so that I might see you." 

 Red Riding Hood said, "Goodness! Grandma, what big eyes you have!" 

 "You forget that I am optically challenged." 

 "And Grandma, what an enormous and fine nose you have." 

 "Naturally, I could have had it fixed to help my acting career, but I didn't give in to such societal pressures, my child." 

 

"And Grandma, what very big, sharp teeth you have!" 
 The Wolf could not take any more of these specist slurs, and, in a reaction appropriate for his accustomed milieu, he leaped out of bed, grabbed Little Red Riding Hood, and opened his jaws so wide that she could see her poor Grandmother cowering in his belly. 

 "Aren't you forgetting something?" Red Riding Hood bravely shouted. "You must request my permission before proceeding in a new level of intimacy!" 

 The Wolf was so startled by this statement that he loosened his grasp on her. At the same time, the woodchopper burst into the cottage, brandishing an ax. 
 

"Hands off!" cried the woodchopper. 

 "And what do you think you're doing?" cried Little Red Riding Hood. "If I let you help me now, I would be expressing a lack of confidence in my own abilities, which would lead to poor self esteem and lower achievement scores on college entrance exams." 

 "Last chance, sister! Get your hands off that endangered species! This is an FBI sting!" screamed the woodchopper, and when Little Red Riding Hood nonetheless made a sudden motion, he sliced off her head. 

 "Thank goodness you got here in time," said the Wolf. "The brat and her grandmother lured me in here. I though I was a goner." 

 "No, I think I'm the real victim, here," said the woodchopper. "I've been dealing with my anger ever since I saw her picking those protected flowers earlier. And now I'm going to have such a trauma. Do you have any aspirin?" 
 "Sure" said the Wolf. 

 

"Thanks." 

 "I feel your pain," said the Wolf, giving a little belch, and said "Do you have any Maalox?"
~ Courtesy of Chris Long <chris@laughandlift.com>

Prosperity Gospel (Richard Innes, Daily Encounter)

"I [Jesus] have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble [tribulation]. But take heart! I have overcome the world."(John 16:33 NIV)

Daily Encounter reader from a much poorer country than North America asks, "Can you please write a message on prosperity teachings. [Some preachers have said or implied] … that it is a sin to be poor and when you are prosperous [have financial wealth] you are blessed."

Amazing isn't it?

If God has gifted me to be a good businessman and to make money, and I can do that honestly, then I'd say it would be my responsibility to make money … not for personal indulgences but so I would be able to give generously in supporting the Lord's work on earth.

I for one, however, don't have that gift or that calling. Neither am I a gifted fundraiser, so financing God's work for me has always been a challenge and probably will be until the day I retire or die … whichever comes first!

However, to some degree I have been gifted with an ability to communicate. Thus it is my responsibility to be trained in this area and communicate God's truth and the gospel to the best of my ability. Not to do so would be a sin for me as the Bible says, "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." (James 4:17 NIV)

To claim that everybody is gifted to make money or to communicate effectively is not true—and, if claiming this to be true, could lead many to doubt God's blessing on their lives. The same goes for those who are led to believe that it is God's will for every Christian to be financially prosperous.

Think of Jesus, for example. Was He prosperous? Not at all. Were the twelve disciples prosperous? Matthew, the tax collector, may have been at one time but through questionable methods. Peter and the other fishermen and disciples probably made just enough to make ends meet. True, Moses came from a well-to-do background, having grown up in Pharaoh's household, but he gave it all up to serve God and lead the people of Israel.

If, however, prosperity is God's will for everyone, then let's take this message to the poverty-stricken parts of the world where untold thousands of people are dying of malnutrition. We all know the fallacy of this suggestion.

For the rest of us less prosperous ordinary folks, let's do the best we can with the gifts God has given to us to help make our world a better place in which to live.

~ Richard Innes, Daily Encounter

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Dear God, please grant that I will always be a messenger of truth and never be misled by false promises from false prophets who claim to be speaking in God's name. If ever I teach a false message, please reveal that to me so it can be corrected immediately. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name. Amen.

BREAKING INVISIBLE BARRIERS (PASTOR NYAMBU, GOSPEL ASSEMBLY CHURCH DAR ES SALAAM)

If we are overcomers in Christ, why are we still struggling?

1.      You must identify the barriers you face.

2.      These are spiritual barriers not physical.

3.      Such barriers include ignorance, neglect and busyness etc.

4.      These are the kinds of barriers that separate you from keeping close to the Word of God.

5.      The light to your power, to overcoming is hidden in the Word

6.      The secret is in meditating on the Word and tapping into its power.

7.      Hear the Word

8.      Keep the Word

9.      Abide in the Word

10.   When you hide within the Word, nobody can touch you for you become anointed!

Isaiah 51:1 “Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.”

Joshua 1:8 ”This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

Rev 2:7 “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”

Zach 1:16 “Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.” 

(Pastor Nyambu was preaching on 18^th June 2015 at Gospel Assembly, Mombasa)

Life's Furnace

Life has its furnace for My children, into which they are plunged for the molding.

At their request I watch and watch until I can see them reflect My Glory. Then comes the further shaping into My Likeness. But the metal from which that Likeness is fashioned must be indeed pure.

So often My children are impatient for the molding, never thinking that the refining must come first.

To do My work there must be much refining.

You're in Good Company.

There are many reasons why God would not want you. But don't worry. You're in good company. 

- Moses stuttered. 
-- David's armor didn't fit. 
--- John Mark was rejected by Paul. 
---- Hosea's wife was a prostitute. 
----- Amos' only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning. 
------ Jacob was a liar. 
------- David had an affair. 
-------- Solomon was too rich. 
--------- Abraham was too old. 
---------- David was too young. 
----------- Timothy had ulcers. 
------------ Peter was afraid of death. 
------------- Lazarus was dead. 
-------------- John was self-righteous. 
--------------- Jesus was too poor. 
-------------- Naomi was a widow. 
------------- Paul was a murderer. So was Moses. 
------------ Jonah ran from God. 
----------- Miriam was a gossip. 
---------- Gideon and Thomas both doubted. 
--------- Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal. 
-------- Elijah was burned out. 
------- John the Baptist was a loudmouth. 
------ Martha was a worry-wart. 
----- Mary was lazy. 
---- Samson had long hair. 
--- Noah got drunk. 
-- Did I mention that Moses had a short fuse? 
- So did Peter, Paul - well, lots of folks did. 

-- But God doesn't require a job interview. 
-- He doesn't hire and fire like most bosses, 
-- Because He's more our Dad than our Boss. 
-- He doesn't look at financial gain or loss. 
-- He's not prejudiced or partial, 
-- Not sassy, or brassy, 
-- Not deaf to our cry, 
-- Not blind to our need. 

REMEMBER

Remember the day I borrowed your brand new car and I dented it? I thought you'd kill me, but you didn't.

And remember the time I dragged you to the beach, and you said it would rain, and it did. I thought you'd say, "I told you so," but you didn't.

Do you remember the time I flirted with all the guys to make you jealous, and you were? I thought you'd leave me, but you didn't.

Do you remember the time I spilled strawberry pie all over your car rug? I thought you'd hit me, but you didn't.

And remember the time I forgot to tell you the dance was formal, and you showed up in jeans? I thought you'd drop me, but you didn't.

Yes, there were lots of things you didn't do, but you put up with me, and you loved me, and you protected me.

There were lots of things I wanted to make up to you when you returned from Viet Nam.

But you didn't.

  -- Anonymous