s t e P s ~
- LCharmaine
- Damansara, Selangor, Malaysia
- "Before I formed you in the womb I knew" you, before you were born I set you apart; ..... ( Jeremiah 1:5 ) I'm just an ordinary girl bt is special in God's eyes!!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
P . U . S. H
P.U.S.H. = Pray Until Something Happens
The way to get real-life results in prayer is to seek God with an attitude that says, “No matter how long it takes, or whatever I have to do, I will not be denied”. This is not arrogance, it’s Godly hunger. It is not about pushing God, but about pushing yourself into God. This is not praying for the sake of praying. This is praying to see the hand of God move. This is desperate hungry praying. This is the type of prayer that gets answers.
Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, (Luke 18:1 NKJV)
The way to get real-life results in prayer is to seek God with an attitude that says, “No matter how long it takes, or whatever I have to do, I will not be denied”. This is not arrogance, it’s Godly hunger. It is not about pushing God, but about pushing yourself into God. This is not praying for the sake of praying. This is praying to see the hand of God move. This is desperate hungry praying. This is the type of prayer that gets answers.
Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, (Luke 18:1 NKJV)
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Making Music — by Julie Ackerman Link
On a lovely summer evening, a capacity crowd gathered in a beautiful outdoor venue for a concert by one of my college friends. It happened to be his birthday, so the emcee hinted that we might want to sing “Happy Birthday” to him. One by one, people started singing, each in a different key, each at a different tempo. As the jumble of notes and words joined together, the result was, well, less than harmonic. It wasn’t even melodious. It was in fact downright pitiful. When my friend took the stage, he gave us another chance. He didn’t give us the pitch, but he did give us a downbeat, so at least we were singing together. By the end of the song most people were somewhat close to the same key.
The noise that was supposed to be a song reminded me of a problem in a first-century church. They couldn’t agree on their leader. Some followed Paul; others Apollos (1 Cor. 3:4). The result was conflict and division (v.3). Instead of music, they were making noise. When people don’t agree on a leader, they all “sing” (I’m speaking metaphorically here) at the pace and pitch most comfortable for them.
To make beautiful music that will attract unbelievers to Jesus, all believers must follow the same leader, and that leader must be Christ.
Lord, give us wisdom. We know it’s good to follow
the example of our godly leaders, but help us not to
think so highly of them that we worship them
instead of You. Amen.
Keeping in tune with Christ keeps harmony in the church.
The noise that was supposed to be a song reminded me of a problem in a first-century church. They couldn’t agree on their leader. Some followed Paul; others Apollos (1 Cor. 3:4). The result was conflict and division (v.3). Instead of music, they were making noise. When people don’t agree on a leader, they all “sing” (I’m speaking metaphorically here) at the pace and pitch most comfortable for them.
To make beautiful music that will attract unbelievers to Jesus, all believers must follow the same leader, and that leader must be Christ.
Lord, give us wisdom. We know it’s good to follow
the example of our godly leaders, but help us not to
think so highly of them that we worship them
instead of You. Amen.
Keeping in tune with Christ keeps harmony in the church.
In the dessert =)
In the Desert
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Matthew 4:1
There is no victory without a struggle. There is no breakthrough without opposition. There is no God’s way without the devil’s alternatives. It was the Spirit who led Jesus into the desert to be tested for forty days. Moses spent forty years in the desert for having murdered an Egyptian. Not until then was he mature and ready for his task.
Jesus fasted and prayed for forty days. Then Satan came forth. He came when Jesus was at His weakest. The Bible says Satan came when Jesus was hungry. To be hungry means to be weakened to the point of starvation. Yet His Spirit was strong. Jesus was tempted in spirit, soul and body. The first temptation concerned food—“Command these stones to become bread.” This was the temptation of the physical body. The second temptation concerned the will—“Throw Yourself down from the pinnacle of the temple.” This was the temptation of the soul, the temptation to take the easy way out, to work out a strategy without involving God and to stiff-necked yet claim to follow God. The third temptation concerned inner loyalty—the temptation of the spirit, the heart, to stop living for God, to swap lords along the way and to compromise in order to gain power and influence. On each of these occasions, Jesus answered Satan with a Bible verse. The only begotten Son of God responded to Satan by quoting Scripture. And Satan backed off.
There is an enormous power in the Word of God. If Jesus Himself used it, we, too, must use it. Jesus was filled with God’s Word, and whenever it was needed, the Word sprang up from His inner man. God’s Word is the sword of the Spirit, and a sword is necessary to fight off the attacks of Satan. Where Adam failed, Jesus succeeded. Where Jesus succeeded, you, too, can succeed because you are in Him and His victory is for you. The way through the desert is not the way of defeat but a journey of trials, which results in your becoming stronger than ever before. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit.
PRAYER
Thank You, God, that You are in every desert and that Your grace is sufficient in every wilderness. In You I have everything I need, and Your weapons enable me to ward off every attack of the enemy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Matthew 4:1
There is no victory without a struggle. There is no breakthrough without opposition. There is no God’s way without the devil’s alternatives. It was the Spirit who led Jesus into the desert to be tested for forty days. Moses spent forty years in the desert for having murdered an Egyptian. Not until then was he mature and ready for his task.
Jesus fasted and prayed for forty days. Then Satan came forth. He came when Jesus was at His weakest. The Bible says Satan came when Jesus was hungry. To be hungry means to be weakened to the point of starvation. Yet His Spirit was strong. Jesus was tempted in spirit, soul and body. The first temptation concerned food—“Command these stones to become bread.” This was the temptation of the physical body. The second temptation concerned the will—“Throw Yourself down from the pinnacle of the temple.” This was the temptation of the soul, the temptation to take the easy way out, to work out a strategy without involving God and to stiff-necked yet claim to follow God. The third temptation concerned inner loyalty—the temptation of the spirit, the heart, to stop living for God, to swap lords along the way and to compromise in order to gain power and influence. On each of these occasions, Jesus answered Satan with a Bible verse. The only begotten Son of God responded to Satan by quoting Scripture. And Satan backed off.
There is an enormous power in the Word of God. If Jesus Himself used it, we, too, must use it. Jesus was filled with God’s Word, and whenever it was needed, the Word sprang up from His inner man. God’s Word is the sword of the Spirit, and a sword is necessary to fight off the attacks of Satan. Where Adam failed, Jesus succeeded. Where Jesus succeeded, you, too, can succeed because you are in Him and His victory is for you. The way through the desert is not the way of defeat but a journey of trials, which results in your becoming stronger than ever before. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit.
PRAYER
Thank You, God, that You are in every desert and that Your grace is sufficient in every wilderness. In You I have everything I need, and Your weapons enable me to ward off every attack of the enemy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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