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How Important is Knowing God’s Word?

How Important is Knowing God’s Word?
I have hidden Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Ps 119:11
I have hidden Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Ps 119:11

Daily Spirit & Word, 448: How Important is Knowing God’s Word?

Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You”

Good morning my friends, I’ve been reading a little book about getting God’s Word into our memory banks, the importance of knowing God’s Word. Today, I’ve copied a little story for you, it’s powerful and will encourage you in your walk with Jesus. The story will move you to tears and strengthen your resolve to get to know God’s Word better.
Psalm 40:8 “I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”
Taken from 100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know: “One night several years ago I sat up into the wee hours, engrossed in a book I’d picked up at a yard sale. ‘In the Presence of Mine Enemies’, it was the memoir of Vietnam POW Howard Rutledge, who was shot down over North Vietnam on November 28, 1965. When his plane was hit, Howard bailed out, but he descended into thick mud near a large village and was soon surrounded by a crowd welding knives, machetes, and sticks. Forming a ring around him, the townspeople blocked his escape and descended on him, pounding him with blows, stripping off his clothing, and dragging him into their little jail, half dead. Shortly thereafter, he was transported to the infamous Hanoi Hilton where he was brutally interrogated and tortured.
Howard described how, in an initial set of tortures, his legs were forced into rough shackles, with his arms hog-tied in an excruciating position. He was deprived of clothing, food, and sleep and forced to lie on a cold slab in a mucky cell. The walls, floors, and ceilings were caked with filth, and a large rat shared his space.
Until his incarceration Howard had felt little concern for spiritual things; but now he desperately tried to recall snatches of Bible verses, hymns, or sermons he had heard in his childhood. Fortunately as a youngster he had attended a church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a Sunday school that had stressed the importance of Scripture memory. There in the POW camp, he racked his brain for every single verse he could recall. During the rare moments when he could communicate with other POWs, he found them seeking to do the same.
“Everyone knew the Lord’s Prayer and the Twenty-third Psalm,” he said, “but the camp favorite verse that everyone recalled first and quoted most often is found in the Book of John, third chapter, sixteenth verse: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
With a friend’s help, Howard even managed to reconstruct verses 17 and 18.
Howard wrote, “How I struggled to recall those Scriptures and hymns! I had spent my first eighteen years in a Southern Baptist Sunday School, and I was amazed at how much I could recall; regrettably, I had not seen the importance of memorizing verses from the Bible…. Now, when I needed them, it was too late. I never dreamed that I would spend almost seven years (five of them in solitary confinement) in a prison in North Vietnam or that thinking about one memorized verse could have made a whole day bearable. One portion of a verse I did remember was, ‘Thy word have I hid in my heart.’ How often I wished I had really worked to hide God’s Word in my heart. I put my mind to work.”
In his memoirs Howard described days and nights of tortures that made my skin crawl as I read about them; but he also testified of being able, as time progressed, to recall more and more Bible verses from the recesses of his mind. His recollection wasn’t word perfect, but he was amazed at how many phrases and sentences from the Bible lay buried deep in his memory, waiting to be discovered.
Those Bible verses literally kept Howard Rutledge from losing his mind. The memorized snippets of Scripture in his brain were potent. They faced down death, rallied his spirits, steeled his nerves, and tapped into the deepest strength known in the universe. They beat back the torture, stifled the despair, subdued the terrors he felt, and maintained his sanity even when he was immobilized for days in a stifling hut, chained to a metal frame, lying in his own waste, and covered with ants, flies, and biting insects.
Those verses, long ago learned by heart, proved more restorative than any tonic. They dispensed strength and were sufficient to the pain; and they bolstered his mind and his mood with the strongest thoughts of an omniscient God in the midst of humanity’s most sadistic ravings. They were the reason he came home alive.
“That first New Year’s Eve in Heartbreak Hotel,” he wrote, “I had resolved never to be without a Bible again. Those verses of God’s Word that I had memorized or that I had scrounged from other prisoners’ memories had been a living source of strength in my life.”
Most of us will never be POWs in a concentration camp, but all of us occasionally find ourselves at Heartbreak Hotel. Life is hard, full of anguishing moments and dangerous temptations. We need strong minds – brains that think clearly, emotions that remain calm and steady.
Bible verses, committed to memory and applied by the Holy Spirit, are the most powerful medications in the whole world. They’re a balm for sore hearts, an elixir for low spirits, an immunization for bad habits, a booster shot of high spirits, a pick-me-up for dreary days, and a stimulant for positive nerves.
How many Bible verses could you reconstruct from your memory banks if push came to shove?
Here’s the little verse again, hopefully the importance of knowing God’s Word will sink down deep today and you’ll begin to hide God’s Word within your head and heart, then with the Holy Spirit’s help, they’ll surface just when you need them.
Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
God bless and have an awesome week.
Don.
P.S. We’ll be sending out links to a brand NEW Bible Memory Course coming very soon. If you want to know more, please let me know and I’ll add you to the list of those who want to learn; “HOW to Hide God’s Word in your Heart”.
Can also be read on St Luke’s Church Facebook Page.
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Behold The Lamb of God

Behold The Lamb of God.

John The Baptist's Powerful Testimony: The Water, the Lamb, the Dove and the Son of God.
John The Baptist’s Powerful Testimony: The Water, the Lamb, the Dove and the Son of God.

Daily Spirit & Word, 447: John’s Powerful Testimony.

Four Symbols

The Water, Lamb, Dove and the Son of God.

Good morning my friends, today we’re gathering on the first Sunday of March to worship the Lord with an truly amazing focus on Jesus, looking at Him through the Magnifying Glass of John the Baptist. Let’s jump right in and read God’s Word;
  • John 1:29-34
  • 29  The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
  • 30  This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’
  • 31  I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptising with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
  • 32  Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.
  • 33  I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.’
  • 34  I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”
As a Magnifying Glass makes things BIGGER: So John’s Witness about Jesus makes Him much BIGGER for each and every one of us today. Here’s HOW!
You know my friends, there is nothing more powerful to lead others to Jesus Christ than by our own witness or testimony of who Jesus Christ is: both to us and to the world. That’s what John the Baptist revealed in his own life and it’s what Christians can reveal to the world today.
We’ve observed the POWER of this fact in the face of debate and doubt: Whilst out on the streets witnessing, we’ll come accross many people who’ve got strong arguments and reasons for not believing in God or Jesus, but after trying to debate them on an intellectual level for a while, we’ve seen how just one or two words brings those strong defences, (These are the Castles they built to hide from God) intellectual and moral doubts come crashing down. When we say, “I know God because I’ve met God personally through Jesus” there’s absolutely nothing they can say. Apart from thinking, either we’re mad or deluded or we’re telling the truth. There is POWER in personal testimony, that’s what John the Baptist brings us today.
John gives us FOUR vary powerful symbols;

1) The Water:

John’s message was: “Repent and Be Baptised for the forgiveness of Sins.” (Baptism means to submerse, to sink to go under, to go down underneath and into the water).
Baptism was something people always did to themselves, but this was very strange, now a man came calling people to come to him to be washed in running water, to be cleansed of their sins. But first John said that people must REPENT.
The people at the time knew what John meant, but we’ve don’t have the same understanding of God’s Word, the Old Testament. He was calling the people to come back to God’s ways, God’s will revealed in the Law and the Commandments. Repenting is simply acknowledging we’ve failed and fallen short of them, turning away from sin and desiring God’s cleansing from Sin. (Sin is the Transgression of the Law of God).
Washing in Water was always a symbol of RITUAL CLEANSING. Baptism = Repentance and Forgiveness / Cleansing from Sin.

2) The Lamb of God: “Behold the Lamb of God”

John was saying, “Behold” which means LOOK PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT I’M POINTING OUT.
Who takes away the sin of the world.
In Israel: The Jews sacrificed pure, innocent and spotless lambs, this was God’s given symbol of purification. The blood of the lamb was to show that their sins had been washed away, but that sin has a price, “The wages of sin is death”… The Lamb died in the place of the people, because sin must be paid for.
Imagine that, an innocent, pure little lamb: The people would most surely have the same feelings for little lambs that we have today. They are cute, lovely, innocent, spotless and cuddly: But they needed to die to pay the price for their sins. seems cruel and barbaric to us today, but God was showing the people something about SIN. How much it hurt him and how serious sin was to him.
Now John was saying something awesome: Just like people would wash themselves to purify themselves, so Israelite People would bring their own lambs to be slaughtered. It was their identifying with their own sin. It’s like saying to God, “It was me, I did it, now I bring this little lamb to suffer in my place”… Now John is telling the people, God is Himself providing the Lamb for Sacrifice: Jesus would be God’s Lamb who would be sacrificed to take away the sins of the whole world. His precious blood would pay the price for the sins of everyone. He was God’s pure, spotless and sinless Lamb.

Why? The Bible tells us why: John 3:14-18
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 

3) The Dove:

For many thousands of years, since the time of Noah, the Dove has been well known as the international symbol of PEACE. Often depicted carrying a leaf in it’s mouth.
After the flood, that destroyed every sinful human being apart from Noah and his family, when the waters receeded Noah sent out some birds to find land, the dove finally returned to Noah carrying an Olive branch in it’s mouth. This meant the end of God’s wrath, the flood abated and PEACE with God was restored. He’d finished his work of cleansing / PURIFYING the earth from Sin. Water: Now the earth was appearing again and the Dove brought the symbol of God’s Peace.
My friends, when the Holy Spirit came down from Heaven and entered Jesus, He came in the form of a Dove. Notice what John said though, The Dove came down and rested on him and remained upon Him. The Holy Spirit NEVER left Jesus again.
John said about Jesus; “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus was and is the one who sends the Holy Spirit into the hearts of everyone who comes to Him in Repentance seeking the forgiveness of their sins. He died upon the Cross as God’s Lamb to take away those sins. He now gives the Holy Spirit to each and every person who TRUSTS in His death upon the cross, that it was for their sins. His precious, spotless, innocent and holy life-blood poured out on the cross for your sins.
Jest like the Holy Spirit remained upon Jesus, so the Holy Spirit will be with the New Believer forever. He’ll fill you and give you what John said here, “FIRE”… Fire = Zeal for God. Love for God, Devotion to God, Dedication to God’s ways. That’s the FIRE it means the ability to live in such a way, that your life will be pleasing to God.
The Holy Spirit really is a symbol of PEACE between mankind and God. That God was finished with the punishment Jesus had taken all the punishment necessary for SIN and now God was sending the Holy Spirit to reveal the True PEACE between the believer and God. The PEACE in your heart is a fruit of the Holy Spirit.

4) Testimony (Witness).

John the Baptist said, “I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”
WOWzer! What a powerful witness. “I’ve seen” and “I testify”…
My friends, John saw the DOVE (He’d been given a message and a method of getting people ready for Jesus coming: Repent = turn back to God away from sin. AND be baptised to be PURIFIED from those sins) NOW after years of getting people ready, he finally saw what God had told him from Heaven. “When you see the Spirit come down and remain upon him, he is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit and fire”…. I’ve seen Him, this is the one, this is the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ is the SON of God.
And as I said at the beginning, there is nothing more powerful than personal testimony, personal witness, personal knowledge: “I’ve seen Jesus, I know Jesus, I’ve been with Jesus” What has Jesus done for you?

A Christian’s Personal Testimony:

Witness about Jesus: What He’s done for you:
He’s forgiven my sins (How did that make you feel).
He died for me (How does it make you feel how Jesus died for your sins).
He came into my life: Now tell people what your life is now like with Jesus, in comparison to what life what like without Jesus.
He filled me with His Holy Spirit: Now tell people what it’s like being full of the Holy Spirit. How you know the PEACE of God.
Tell people: “Behold Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the SIN of the World.”
With this POWERFUL testimony, what Jesus came to do, what Jesus has done for you, you can go out and be confident that God will use it to bring others to the same faith and confidence that you have in Jesus Christ. Knowing Jesus Christ personally is all the training you need to become a powerful EVANGELIST to lead others to Him.

Today we’ve seen FOUR Powerful Symbols:

These Make for a VERY POWERFUL TESTIMONY.
  • The Water:
  • The Lamb:
  • The Dove:
  • The Son of God:
What’s the Water For? Repentance and Forgiveness (Cleansing & Pruification).
What’s the Lamb for? Paying the Price in Blood for Sins.
What’s the Dove for? Assurance of PEACE within each and every Repentant Sinner who receives Jesus as Lord.
What’s the Son of God for? He’s the Lamb, He’s the giver of the Holy Spirit, He’s the one who paid the price for sin.
Remember:

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

 Why do we need a Personal Testimony like John’s? Because God has revealed just how precious each soul is, that He doesn’t want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. So He’s given you a task of spreading this Good News of Jesus to everyone and He’s given you a personal encounter and filled you with His Spirit to accomplish the task. If you’ve not got this FIRE (Zeal) to share Jesus with others, then there’s something wrong with your faith. God’s LOVE compels us to share with others what He’s given to us: So share Jesus today.
Have an awesome Sunday my friends.
If you’ve never done so before, can I encourage you today to come to Jesus Christ; Repent and seek His forgiveness, know that He’s paid the price for all your sins upon the cross and turn to Him now. He’ll give you the gift of the Holy Spirit as a way that you can know that you’ve been forgiven, your place in Heaven is secure and you are living a PEACE with God forever. Come NOW is the Day to be SAVED from Sin. Come today is the day of Salvation from sin.
Don.

Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

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Behold The New Has Come

Behold the NEW has come.

Daily Spirit & Word, 446: New Man in Old Clothes.

Behold The New Has Come.

Behold The NEW has Come
Behold The NEW has Come
Good morning my friends, I’ll never forget the day that a man who’d been searching for Jesus for some time, finally gave his life to the Lord and came into church the next Sunday, he looked physically different, everybody noticed it, it was like he’d come alive and was shining with the Glory that Moses had when he came down the mountain. One of the men in our fellowship nic-named him “Shiny Man”…. But there is a truth in what happened to him for all of us, we can all get that Glory Glow ourselves, by coming to Christ and being converted from a sinner into a saint. Or if you’ve become like a smoldering wick, your faith has grown weak, it can become be set ablaze with the LOVE of the Lord and you’ll get a NEW FIRE in your heart again.
2 Corinthians 5:14-17
14  For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.
15  And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
16  So from now on we regard no-one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
Notice that; “If you are IN CHRIST” then you are a NEW CREATION, the old has gone and the new has come.
What is the ‘OLD’ That is gone? The old nature; the sinful natural nature that you’re born with, you are no longer a slave to sin, but that doesn’t mean you wont sin anymore, you’r just not governed, ruled or dominated by it. It’s like Jesus promised, “You shall know the TRUTH and the truth shall set you FREE”. You’re set free from sin and given a new SPIRITUAL nature, one that has the power to resist sin, to say “NO” to ungodly desires.
What is the ‘NEW’ that has come? The NEW NATURE. The Bible has many words to help us understand what happens at Conversion to Christ. The word Conversion is one of them: We’re converted from a Sinner into a Saint when we put our trust in Jesus. Being ‘Born Again’ is another; we’re born anew, born from above. We’re born again from the human family into God’s Holy Family forever.
D L Moody tells this story;
“A man got up in one of our meetings in New York some years ago, who had been pretty far down; but a wonderful change had taken place, and he said he hardly knew himself. He said the fact was, he was a new man in his old clothes.
That was just it. Not a man in new clothes, but a new man in old clothes.
I saw an advertisement which read like this: “If you want people to respect you, wear good clothes.” That is the world’s idea of getting the world’s respect. Why, a leper might put on good clothes, but he would be a leper still! Mere profession does not transform a man. It is the new nature spoken of in 2 Corinthians v. 17: “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” D. L. Moody “Anecdotes, Incidents and Illustrations.”
Behold ALL Things Are Become NEW: Asesome!
You’ve been transformed my friends, the world looks at how good you look on the outside, but the LORD looks upon the heart. (Remember how he chose King David, by looking into their hearts the LORD refused his brothers, but David’s heart was different according to God).
When you come to Christ, it’s like a complete transformation has taken place over-night. Jesus gives a a whole list of new things;
New Heart,
New Desires,
New Nature,
New Family,
New Name,
New Beginning,
New Joy,
New Reality.
The OLD has gone, BEHOLD THE NEW HAS COME.  the new nature within desires different things from the old nature, this is how you can tell if you’ve been born again or not, because you’ll no longer desire the same old things. Old things with pass away and new things, the things of God will become increasingly part of your new nature.
Have an AWESOME Saturday with Jesus today.
Live your new life in the old body, but know that one day, you’ll receive your eternal clothing soon.
Don.
Can Also Be Read At:
BEHOLD THE NEW HAS COME
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Grandmother and Mother’s Sincere Faith

Grandmother and Mother’s Sincere Faith.

 

The Church Today NEEDS faithful, Praying, Grandmothers, Mums, Dads and Granddads.
The Church Today NEEDS faithful, Praying, Grandmothers, Mums, Dads and Granddads.

Daily Spirit & Word, 445: Grandmother and Mother’s Sincere Faith.

The Church today needs more faithful Grandmothers and Mothers, who’ll be able to ignite the faith of Jesus Christ in their children and grandchildren.

Good morning my friends, I was really encouraged this morning reading through 2 Timothy, by Paul’s devotion to praying for him and the way that Paul was encouraging Timothy in so many ways. The things that jumped out at me were having people in our lives who are inspirations to keep us going, examples that we can follow and emulate and encouragements to know that because God was active in their lives, He’ll also be with us on the journey too.

2 Timothy 1:3-7

“I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

 Faithful In Prayer:

When children observe a Mother praying at home regularly. When she has a sincere faith it will leave a life-long impression upon her children and even her grandchildren.

 Firstly notice Paul’s own Faithfulness in Prayer:

“I thank God, who I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.”
Paul’s remembering back to his faithful praying ancestors: It’s good for us as Christians to have heroes of the faith, men and women of prayer who’ve served the Lord Jesus Christ faithfully in all kinds of circumstances. When I was a young Christian some old saint gave me a book and said, “Read this, pray about it and ask God to help you to be a Christian like some of these were”. I took that book with me to sea and read it upon my bunk on the Submarine hundreds of feet below the surface of the icy cold waters of the North Atlantic. I was, as far as I knew, the only Christian aboard. It soon became known that I was using a room on the Boat for prayers, for months no one joined me. Then a young man, Shawn Frow, gave his life to the Lord and we began to meet almost every day; to pray, read the Bible and sing and praise the Lord. Me upon my guitar and he with faltering voice because he’d never sang hymns of praise in his life before. I shared the contents of the book with Sean and together we marvelled at the old saints. We were encouraged aboard a boat full of unrepentant sinners to be faithful to the Lord in all things and to be His witnesses. People began to be interested and requested the Bibles that took up half my bunk. I’d intended to give them away to folks, but it didn’t’ begin happening until young Shawn became a believer and we prayed together about it.

 

When you think about FAITHFUL Christians and how they served the Lord and what the Lord did through their lives, you too will be encouraged in your own situations, you’ll be enthused to walk as Jesus did, in faith and power of the Holy Spirit. So I would encourage you to get to know the Saints of the past as Paul did, his “faithful praying ancestor”s. Even if you don’t have any in your own immediate family who love the Lord, then you have them in abundance in the Lord’s Family of believers. Read, study and meditate upon the lives of people like: George Muller, Isobel Khun, Billy Bray, David Brainerd, Robert Annan, David Wilkerson and Jackie Pullinger. Faithful saints who gave up the world to follow Jesus and it’ll blow-your-socks-off what Jesus did in and through their lives; but what was it that made them so great, such heroes of the faith? PRAYER and BEING WITH JESUS REGULARLY.

 

Heroes of the Fath: Susanna Wesley:

Here’s a little account of Susanna Wesley (The Mother of John and Charles Wesley, the Great Methodist Preachers and Hymn Writers).
“Since there were no afternoon church services, Susanna began an evening family gathering where they sang psalms, prayed and Susanna read a short sermon from her husband’s library. It began with the family and the servants but soon word spread and others neighbors appeared, and soon there were too many for the parsonage. Susanna had written her husband of what she was doing, but then in his own letter when he perhaps saw the services as competition, Mr. Inman complained to Samuel. His claim to Samuel was that such irregular services could cause criticism or even scandal for the church. For while women have been ordained in many Methodist churches for more than 50 years at that time the idea of a woman having any part in a worship service – even in her own home – was unheard of. Samuel suggested to Susanna that she have someone else read the sermons, but still Mr. Inman complained and finally Samuel told Susanna to discontinue the meetings. However, she declined as she described how the meetings were a genuine and effective ministry to those who attended and that Mr. Inman was about the only one who‘d objected. The services continued.” Taken from the site History’s Women Read more about Susanna by clicking the link.

 

NEXT Timothy is encouraged to do the same thing too: To remember the faithfulness of his own Grandmother and Mother. In an ideal world there would be generations of faithful relatives who loved the Lord Jesus, but I know that most people today, who come to faith, have very few of the Lord’s anointed in our families. My own mother became a Christian on her death-bed, my father became a Christian whilst in a coma; both of whom had been witnessed to by my brother Paul and I for years. We’d shared the Gospel, read the Bible, prayed for them, but they stubbornly refused to trust in Jesus, until they were in a desperate situation.

 

However, Timothy had that witness. I’ve found as I’ve studied Timothy that Paul must have regarded him as a bit timid a bit weak in his faith and frightened to carry out his commission. His letters to Timothy are so full of encouragement to be faithful, to keep going, to be prepared to suffer for the Gospel.

 

Sometimes, having faithful relatives and strong Christians in our family is NO guarantee that the faith they have will be shared by every member of the family. We meet people out on the streets of London every week who’ll say, “My grandmother was a woman of prayer”. As if that faithful old saint was enough, they didn’t need to do it themselves, because she did it for the whole family. I aways respond with “What about you?” Paul said, “I’m persuaded is in you”. He needed to be persuaded, to be convinced, to have it certified that Timothy really did have that same faith as his grandmother and mother. But he’d become convinced of it. Notice too that Paul was praying for Him day and night. I pray for my friends and some of you I pray for every single day, but I don’t pray for you DAY & NIGHT like Paul did for Timothy. He must have thought that Timothy needed his prayers, that something was lacking in his walk with Jesus.

 

There’s NO Second-Hand Faith in God’s Family.
I’ve found that when there’s been a very strong person of faith in a family, the rest of the family are not very fire-filled, they are like the Laodican Church in the book of Revelation; Luke Warm Believers. They don’t have the same kind of compulsion, zeal, commitment and drive to serve the Lord wholeheartedly. I’m not sure why that is, but it seems that a totally surrendered life and a faithful life to members of ones own family is a hindrance to those who live with them and know them personally. It’s like they depend upon the faith of the faith-filled rather than cultivate their own faith. I’ve known many Preachers children, great preachers and wonderful men and women of God, who’s own children’s faith is almost non-existent. I know they must be praying for them, witnessing to them and sharing Jesus with them constantly. But we must always bear in mind: “Remember there are no second-hand Christians in God’s Family.” We must all come to Saviour for ourselves. We are not Christians because our Grandmother or Mother was a believer. Perhaps Paul was wondering if Timothy really had been born-again of the Holy Spirit, he’d laid hands upon him to receive the gift, but wasn’t convinced it was a genuine conversion, because he’d not seen the evidence of it, but now he’s writing and he’s been persuaded and convinced (we don’t know how).

 

We do need faithful Mothers, Grandmothers, Brothers, Fathers, Sisters of the faith today; who’ll encourage family members, who’ll pray for their children and grandchildren, but who’ll also lead them to the Lord so that the children will be set on fire with love for Jesus too. 

 

My four year old granddaughter Leila is a natural evangelist. She lives in South London, in Thornton Heath, which is an area full of Muslims. She can identify a Muslim and said to me the other day, “That lady is a Muslim grandpa, but we’re Christians”. She was out shopping with her mother in Tesco and at the check-out asked the Teller “Are you a Muslim? I’m a Christian, I love Jesus. You should love Jesus too”… She’s only FOUR and is a bold as a lion. Her mother, my daughter, apologised for her and said to her, “You don’t ask people that!”. There’s NO second-hand faith in the family of God. Each and every individual needs to come on their own to Jesus Christ, in faith, in repentance and to take Him as their own Master, Lord and King.
 
I hope and pray that Timothy was faithful and continued in the faith, we just don’t know. Paul wanted him to “fan into flames” that gift of the Spirit. My friends, I want every Christian to be FULL OF FIRE OF THE LORD JESUS, AND FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

 

READ REVELATIONS:

No Second-Hand Faith in the Family of God.

Revelation 3:14-22 

14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15  I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16  So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17  You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18  I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so that you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so that you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so that you can see. 19  Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20  Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21  To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

 

As Paul said, “God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

 

My friends, the weekend is coming, keep going with Jesus, gather with the saints on Sunday, worship Him, Love Him, Serve Him. He’s with you, in you and will encourage you to keep going in the strength that He provides. Mothers, keep praying for your children, but lead them to the Saviour for themselves. Grandmothers, pray for your grand-kids that they’ll get the FIRE for themselves. The Church today desperately needs faithful, fire-filled Grandmothers and mums, dads and granddads.
 
Don.
 

Can also be read at St Luke’s Church Facebook Page.

 

Post by St Luke’s Church, West Norwood, London.

 

The Church Today Needs The Sincere Faith and Prayers of Grandmothers and Mothers. Dads and Granddads.

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As A Man Thinketh

Daily Spirit & Word, 444: “As A Man Thinketh”

As A Man Thinketh; So IS he. Prov 23:7
As A Man Thinketh; So IS he. Prov 23:7

Daily Spirit & Word, 444: “As a Man Thinks in His Heart, So IS He”

Principles and Precepts to Live By.

Good morning my friends, I was preparing my message from Daniel this morning and fell down a rabbit hole, not literally, but I was sidetracked by my study. Praise the LORD! I was thinking about the consequences of Nebuchadnezzar’s delusion; how he thought that by his own strength and will power he’s achieved the success and admiration of the whole world at the time. His foolish thinking led him to believe that he’d become a god, then God Almighty stepped in and revealed Himself to him. Finally Nebuchadnezzar repented and acknowledged God for who He is. That’s an awesome story from Daniel 4, read it again.
But then I was led to Proverbs and a little verse popped up in a side note; Proverbs 23:7 “For as the thoughts of his heart are, so is he: Take food and drink, he says to you; but his heart is not with you.” But it was only the words, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (KJV)
This little part of a Proverb has been used and abused for over a hundred years now, because from this verse sprang up the “Positive Thinking” movement. It was popularised in a little book by a man called James Alen, but the full effect of his writings didn’t even happen in his own lifetime, he died young. He wrote the little book “As A Man Thinketh” and it took off in the 20th Century. His main thesis was, “What you think about, so you are or become” Also that man (human beings) are the directors of their destiny. He called it a ‘Divine Law’. Was he right? Well we’ll look at that in a bit, but from his writings and the Positive Thinking Movement, it has infiltrated the church and so many are duped by the ‘spirit’ behind the movement. “You can have what you want if you just think the right way”…The POWER of Positive Thinking.
Many Pentecostal and even mainstream ministries are founded upon these principles: “Name it Claim it”, “Sow your seed, reap your harvest”, “Faith / Word Ministries” and most fully perverted in the false teaching behind the “Prosperity Gospel” in the messages of many prominent preachers today. Countless Millions of poor and foolish believers have poured their life savings into these ministries in the hope that if they just “sow their seeds”, they’ll become very rich indeed. Their conferences a full because there is such desperation, depravity and need in the world today and many want to become wealthy. You’ll also get others from this school of thinking that proclaim, through the power of positive thinking you can become “Healthy”, “Wealthy” and “Wise” of course they couch it in different terms and label it ‘Biblical’ to give it an authenticity, but the teaching has it’s roots, not in the Bible, but firmly and deeply embedded in the Positive Thinking Movement.
There IS and ARE Principles within God’s Word that we can live by, but you’ll normally see them in different places in God’s Word:
They’ll be illustrated in the Old Testament and Explained and Applied in the New.
Biblical Principles and Precepts will be Illustrated in the Old Testament and Applied and Explained more fully in the New Testament.
So is the precept / principle; “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”, revealed in the lives of Old Testament Characters? Yes it is, obviously and many times too: Just think about Nebuchadnezzar. Did Jesus teach about this Divine Principle and Precept? Oh yes he did, He said, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45

Does the New Testament further teach or apply this principle?

The most explicit verse for the Principle of Positive Thinking is
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
If we take the teaching of the Proverb “what you think about you become” and Apply it to the Philippian reading we get;
  • When you think about TRUTH: You’ll become truthful.
  • When you think about Noble Things: You’ll become noble.
  • When you think about Right (Justice): You’ll become just yourself.
  • When you think about Purity: You’ll become pure.
  • When you think about Lovely things: You’ll become lovely.
  • When you think about Admirable Qualities in Others: You’ll become admirable too.
  • When you think about Excellence: You’ll become Excellent or you’ll excell in all you do.
  • When you think about what’s Praisworthy: You’ll become praiseworthy yourself.
Is this true? To see if these things are true, I encourage you to go back again to the Old Testament to see if these Principles based upon right thinking are true. Then when you’ve done that, go and look at what Jesus has said and then to the New Testament writings for application and teaching. You see what I’m saying, the Bible is consistent and if a principle or precept is from God it will be an ETERNAL principle throughout His Word.
Now we must look behind the motives and the teachings of those who tell us or encourage us to ‘Become Wealthy, Healthy and Wise.”… Also the more recent movements; “Success and Achievement”. They are all appealing to the FLESHLY side of Human Nature that’s within each and every one of us, it’s the spirit of the world, Satanic… Perhaps God does want you to become rich, but He never, ever tells us to have our thinking upon money or wealth, in fact the Bible teaches expressly the opposite. Think about what Jesus said in the parable of the man who wanted to build bigger barns to store his abundant grain. He also told us NOT TO WORRY about our life, “who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” He told us not to run after all these things, and He gave us the reason that answers the question; why? Because your Heavenly Father knows that you need them.
What should be our motivation and thinking then? To be with God. Our focus should be upon Jesus Christ and our Eternal Destiny.  When we get our focus and being right, we’ll soon notice false teaching. Most Christians KNOW; we shouldn’t store up things here on earth, but in heaven. We’ve got so much good we can do down here on earth every single day, that doesn’t cost a single penny to do. Are we living for God or are we living for ourselves. Be careful then, who you listen to and watch out when someone offers you and uncharacteristically generous gifts, because they may not be thinking at all about you, but about their own schemes and plans. I’ve had that myself and it does indeed, as the Proverb tells us, leave and very nasty taste in the mouth.
Here is the Proverb in full, look at the principle and the precept and live it, but beware of false teachers.
Proverbs 23:5-8
5  Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.
6  Do not eat the bread of a miser (literally; one who has an evil eye or is a known covetous person), Nor desire his delicacies;
7  For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.
8  The morsel you have eaten, you will vomit up, And waste your pleasant words.
Did you see it in context: He’s greedy, covetous, deceitful, miserly. When he’s offering you a gift that goes against his known character, you’ve got to ask yourself the question; “WHY?”… Don’t eat it or you’ll be sucked into his own, evil, plans for you.
Have an AWESOME Thursday my friends.
Stay close to Jesus and be filled with the Holy Spirit today.
From today’s message you’ll see why we need Jesus every day and the fullness of His Holy Spirit.
Repent and Confess ANY known sin in your own life.
If you’ve been duped by false teachers in the past, no matter how glossy and sparkly they looked, turn again to Jesus.
Trust ONLY Him and His Word.
Don.
Note: I’ve not named or shamed any false teachers here. Why? Because when your walking with Jesus every day you don’t need me to point them out to you, you’ll know in your Spirit that something is not right in what they are saying or doing. Get out of there quickly and follow the Spirit’s lead to a fellowship that follows Jesus and His Word and wants you to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Post by St Luke’s Church, West Norwood, London.
As A Man Thinketh: Was brought to you by Don Davis.
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Choose This Day Whom You Shall Sever

Daily Spirit & Word, 440: Choose This Day Whom You Shall Serve.

As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.

Choose this day whom you shall serve
Choose this day whom you shall serve

 

 Daily Spirit & Word, 440: Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve.

As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.

Good morning my friends, it was a wonderful Saturday which began with the Preacher’s Breakfast and ended with picking up the Grandchildren from Kids Space in Croydon. They enjoyed the whole day with their father, but by the time we got home they were all fast asleep in the car and it meant a tip-toe up to bed and gingerly getting them ready, trying not to rouse them from slumber.

Grandchildren at McDonalds Purley Way
Grandchildren at McDonalds Purley Way

If that is how we love our children and grandchildren, then as Christians we need to know our Heavenly Father loves us even more. We get warm-fuzzy-feelings when we see them happy, imagine Father’s joy when He knows we’re thrilled with His company and blessings?

Joshua 24:14-15
14 “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshipped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.
15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

My grandchildren have been staying with us over the last few days whilst their bathroom is being re-decorated and walls in the hallway and one bedroom being re-plastered, by the time they get out of bed I’ve been up praying and studying the Bible, but they come into my study and want to know everything. They’ll say, “Papa, what are you doing?” I’ll tell them, “Why are you doing that Papa?” they are naturally full of questions and interested in what Papa is doing, but what are they really doing? They are trying to get Papa’s full attention. Because I love them, I can’t deny them my heart, they win and we end up eating breakfast together.

For us, Christians, our FATHER is longing for us to wake up and be with Him. To ask Him the question, “What are you doing Abba?” (Daddy, Father) Knowing the Father’s will and what He wants us to do is critical to our walk and witness in the world. When you wake up in the morning you are faced with the same choice Joshua put before the People of Israel: to cast aside all other worldly desires, all those things that would tug your heart and devotion away from your Heavenly Father and to choose each and every morning “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve”.

Joshua brought them to this point after leading the people for many years. What was it that Joshua had discovered in all that time? He’d been selected by the LORD as Israel’s leader, but before he took the reigns the Lord said to him; take time to read this for it’s very important in answering that question:

Joshua 1:1-9

After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant:  “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea on the west. No-one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Now can you see why Joshua would say, “Choose this day whom you will serve” and “But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD”.

  • That LORD has been with Joshua.
  • The LORD had given him victory.
  • The LORD had given him the land of promise.
  • The LORD had defeated and driven out the enemy before them.
  • The LORD was with them all they way.

His repeated promise to Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Choosing the LORD over the Promises and Pull of the world 
Guarantees SUCCESS and VICTORY in the Christian life.

Jesus gave the same kind of invitation many times and in different ways; “Take up your cross daily”. “Follow me and I will make you …”, “Take my yoke…” “Learn from me….” “Come to me…”

My friends, when we choose each day to be with our Father, the same God as Joshua’s, offering the same promises to you and me, we’re choosing VICTORY, we’re choosing SUCCESS, we’re choosing Divine COMPANIONSHIP and we’re choosing BLESSINGS beyond belief.

 

Joshua was reflecting back in chapter 14 what the LORD had done and decided he and his family were going to continue with the LORD. As you reflect back over your Spiritual Walk with Jesus, can you see that choosing Him over the world and it’s powerful pull has been better by far?

 

I know that I can, because each time, as a Christian, I’ve wandered away from Jesus will for my life, when I’ve neglected being with Him, when I’ve left off reading His Word, my life would become darkness, the Lord would seem distant and every decision I made whilst not being with Him was doubtful. However, when I’m with Jesus, being in His presence daily; in prayer, worship, study, desiring His will and way in my life, there’s everything He promised Joshua and more. My heart cries out to Him right now; “Oh to be in your Presence LORD! To sit at Your feet… this is my desire”

 

Just as my grandchildren know they can get Papa’s attention, you too will be assured of Father God’s Holy attention and He’ll be with you; BUT you’ve got a solemn choice to make each day.

 

The pull of the world, it’s false promises of delight, joy, happiness, success, prosperity, fulfilment and prestige in the eyes of others is POWERFUL. There’s no doubt about that, but when you weigh it up, all of that, against the overwhelming JOY in being with, walking with, talking with and enjoying FATHER’S presence with you all through the day, we can easily say to the world with all it’s glittering glow, “No, as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD”.Come AND be in your Heavenly Father’s will today.

 

Come AND be in your Heavenly Father’s presence today.

Come AND be and He’ll be, as He promised, with you everywhere your feet touch and you’ll know true VICTORY in life.

Have and AWESOME Sunday with your Heavenly Father.

Don.

Song of Praise.
To be in Your presence,
to sit at Your feet.
Where Your love surrounds me,
And makes me complete.

This is my desire,
Oh LORD,
This is my desire.
This is my desire,
Oh LORD,
This is my desire.

Can also be read on St Luke’s Facebook Page.

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Day 3: CLEAN. 40 Acts of Generosity.

40 Acts of Generosity Clean
40 Acts of Generosity Cle

40 Acts of Generosity: Day 3: Clean.

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Genesis 2:15 (NIV)

What a brilliant opportunity to make God’s world a better place today.

What can you clean?

 

Jesus Cleans Your Heart.

Remember the Lord Jesus and what He did to make it possible for your heart to be cleansed from all Sin.

Thank the LORD for this beautiful world He’s given us to take care of.

Remember: Jesus told us in the Lord’s Prayer:

“Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done” Where? “On EARTH as it is in Heaven.

We only live here on Earth for a short time, and we’re expected to make it as much like Heaven as we can.

Have an awesome Day 3: Clean it up 🙂 For Jesus.

Let the light shine.

Don.

Clean UK

Links: 40 Acts Together.

Day 3 Clean.

Day 2 Chinwag, Chatter, Natter,

Day 1: Praying for Generosity.

Home:

Remember to have fun, praise the Lord!

Pray for your world, neighbourhood, city, community.

Be Jesus man, woman and child in the world today.

Clean for Jesus.

40acts-resources-live-copy

40 Acts Together. Day 3

 

 

 

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436 It is NO SECRET what God can do for you.

 

It is NO SECRET what God can do for you.
It is NO SECRET what God can do for you.

No Secret

Daily Spirit & Word, 436: It is NO secret what God can do for you.

What He’s done for others, He’ll do for you.

Good morning my friends and oh what a beautiful morning it is; today I want to focus upon just one verse of the Bible, it was a command by the Lord Jesus given to a man whom He’d just healed, but the man completely disobeyed the Lord Jesus Christ. Who was he and why did he do it?

Mark 1:44 “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”

 Well you need to know all about that man don’t you? He was a Leper. I don’t think there is any disease that’s more terrible than Leprosy for it cuts you off from everyone and everything that you hold dear in life. A Leper had to live away from other people and when they tried to enter a town, they had to wear a bell so other’s even blind people would know that a Leper was passing by. Nobody was allowed to touch a Leper, or they’d become unclean (possibly contaminated) and restricted too.

Can you imagine not being able to touch others, no kissing your wife, kids, grandchildren. No hugging your friends, no meals together, no time spent sitting around chatting with the family. People were afraid of Lepers; so they’d shout at them when they were near, “Unclean, Unclean, Unclean” and “Get away, get away”… What a dreadful life it must have been for them, year after year, feeling in fingers, toes and extremities going, not being able to feel even when you’ve hurt yourself.

This leper had been HEALED by our Loving Lord Jesus Christ. Can you now imagine what that must have been like for the Leper? He’d be instantly welcomed back into society right? NO my friends, the Leper first needed to have his healing confirmed by the Priests in order to be welcomed back into general public places again. For no one who’d been struck down with Leprosy had been healed. It’s NOT normal, it was a miracle.

But why did Jesus say to the man, “See that you don’t tell anyone about this healing”? If we keep reading the story the answer is there right in front of us. It was because Jesus knew that once news got out that there was a man in Israel who could heal, the un-healable, He’d be thronged by thousands, and He was. It made it almost impossible then for people to hear the message Jesus came to deliver, because all they were coming to him for was what they could get out of Him: HEALING. When people are desperate they’re soul focus is upon relieving the despair. They’ll nod their heads at anything to get what they want. Now Jesus mission from the Father was made much harder, because of the Leper’s disobedience.

He was not only healed from the disease, but told to go and get healed from his separation and welcome back into society by going to the authority who could sanction his welcome back, but the poor man just couldn’t contain his JOY at being set free and healed.

Would you have obeyed Jesus? 

I know some people who’ve said, “When I win the lottery, I’m not going to tell anyone about it”… Hahahahah, but after they’ve won, they shout it from the rooftops; “I’ve WON, I’ve Won the Lottery”… Good News, Great News is very difficult for the human soul to contain, to keep to yourself.

You know something, when we hear the GREAT NEWS of the Healing of a Leper, it births HOPE in every single soul. When Jesus can do the impossible for someone else, hope tells us, “If He can do it for them, He can do it for me”… And that’s so true my friends, Jesus can do the impossible, He can heal what cannot be healed by human doctors. He can help and relieve and deliver what no other human being could ever do.

Something else, Jesus is the SAME Today. He can still HEAL. Jesus can STILL deliver you from darkness into the Light. I love the old song; “It is no secret what God can do for you, what He’s done for others, He’ll do for you”… (Words in full below). Here’s the story behind the song, please take time to read it, because I believe some MIRACLES are coming your way today. God’s going to do something marvellous in your life this morning my friends.

 The Story of the SONG / Hymn: “It is NO secret what God can do”

When Stuart Hamblen quit drinking thanks to Billy Graham he began to lose favour with Hollywood. He was ultimately fired by the radio station when he refused to accept a beer company as a sponsor. Hard times were upon him. During his struggle, the famous Movie Star John Wayne took him aside and told him “all your troubles started when you ‘got religion'” and John asked if it was worth it all. Hamblen answered simply, “Yes”. Then he said, “You liked your booze so much. Don’t you ever miss it?” And the answer was, “No”. John then said, “I don’t understand how you could give it up so easily.’ And Hamblin response was, ‘It’s no big secret. All things are possible with God.’ To this John Wayne said, ‘That’s a catchy phrase. You should write a song about it.'” Stuart Hamblen did just that and wrote a song that’s been recorded by many famous people since: Elvis Presley, Jim Reeves,

Elvis Sings “It is no secret” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqS3opuRFLY
Jim Reeves “It is no secret” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGsn8qI0mIg

My friends, it is NO SECRET what Jesus Christ can do for you.
What He’s done for others, He WILL do for you too.
Trust Jesus, come to Jesus, He won’t just heal your life’s problems, but He’ll take you all the way to Heaven too.
Jesus is full of LOVE and you can be too.
Come to Jesus and be renewed and refreshed today.
God bless and keep you today.
Don.
Gospel Song by Stuart Hamblen,
“It is no secret what God can do for you”
The chimes of time ring out the news,
Another day is through.
Someone slipped and fell.
Was that someone you?
You may have longed for added strength,
Your courage to renew.
Do not be disheartened,
For I have news for you.
It is no secret what God can do for you.
What He’s done for others, He’ll do for you.
With arms wide open, He’ll pardon you.
It is no secret what God can do.
There is no night for in His light
You never walk alone.
Always feel at home,
Wherever you may go.
There is no power can conquer you
While God is on your side.
Take Him at His promise,
Don’t run away and hide.
It is no secret what God can do.
What He’s done for others, He’ll do for you.
With arms wide open, He’ll pardon you.
It is no secret what God can do.
Biography of Stuart Hamblen: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Hamblen
The Healing of the Leper:
Mark 1:40-45
40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”
41  Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”
42  Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.
43  Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning:
44  “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”
45  Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.