Breaking The Heart Of God

“I have sinned against the Lord…” - 2 Samuel 12:13a NIV

King David has always been a favorite of mine. He was always so open in his communication with God. When he felt betrayed or alone, he screamed out his pain and displeasure to God. Then, in the very next breath, he would take it back to the main thing with words of adoration and praise for His Heavenly Father. When he sinned against God (and believe me, David sinned - adultery, murder, abuse of power), he begged for forgiveness. He knew he had broken God's heart with his sin.

Surprisingly, the Bible shows us that King David was a man who found special favor with God, even though he was guilty of all those things. But, as mentioned above, the Bible also shows us that David recognized his mistakes and called them what they were - sins against God. He asked God's forgiveness and then committed himself to living God's way.

Even though we may not have done the same things that David did, we have all sinned. God's Word says, "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." He died to pay the penalty for our sins and to offer us forgiveness.

Goliath Must Fall When You Open Your Mouth

ALLEN GRIFFIN

I often meet people who tell me they are either atheists or agnostics. I love the challenge of sharing my faith with them. In the past I would get caught up in theological discussions, trying to convince them that I was on the right track in my faith. I’ve learned since that discussion alone is not enough. I began to get bolder in my approach and began to challenge them and promote the power of God to them. The kingdom of God is not just that of talk, but it’s power.

I asked one man, since he thought there was no God, if I could pray with him. I told him that he would feel the presence of God when we prayed. I prayed a simple prayer with passion and he began to cry and shake. He said, “I felt God! What did you do? I felt something! What is this? What did you do?” I told him that God is real. After we prayed for his salvation, I said, “Now, I dare you to go to a Bible-believing church in your hometown and experience all that God has in store for you! It’s going to be awesome!”

Mark 11:23 Works for the Devil Too!

For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 
-- Mark 11:2

The devil loves to make a playground out of people's minds and imaginations. He delights in filling their perceptions and senses with illusions that captivate them, paralyze them, and ultimately destroy them. How can believers avoid falling victim to the devil's attacks? They must make a spiritual and mental decision to take charge of every thought that enters their minds! 

Taking your thoughts captive is going to require determination and energy. Once you make the decision to do it, you still have to stick with that decision. If you're not really committed to seizing every thought the devil tries to inject into your mind and emotions, he'll be back to strike you again and again. And if you don't stop the enemy's thoughts from invading your mind, it won't be long until your faith begins to empower those thoughts and they become a bona fide reality in your life! 

Viruses and Worms

By Kelly McFadden
When tempted no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire he is dragged away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown gives birth to death. James 1:13-15

My computer died. One moment it was on and working fine, and the next moment nothing. A blank screen sat before me as I tried pushing every button and unplugged and re-plugged cords and cables. In the end, it seems that viruses and worms had infected my computer, leaving it utterly useless. After spending hours making phone calls to the manufacturer, it took weeks to fix my computer.

I am reminded that sin operates much like a computer virus. The Bible says sin is crouching at the door. Throughout the Bible, sin is not simply an inanimate object. It is personified and active. Sin seeks us out and waits for us to make a wrong move or decision. It is not God who sends temptation, it is the evil in this world that waits and pounces when we give it the chance.

Your heart determines your life.

Proverbs 4:23

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Your heart determines your life. This may be the most important proverb. The favor or grief in your life depends on ruling and training your heart. If you direct and instruct your heart with godly inputs, there is no limit to your potential success before God and men.

Every sin starts in your heart, and your character and speech reflect your heart. You can only pretend to be different than your heart for a short time, for it will quickly regain control and dictate your actions. Others know your heart by your words and choices.

Nehemiah’s Prayer

Written by Suzanne Benner

Take today’s next step:  Ask Jesus to be the center of your life.

“O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people Israel.”(Nehemiah 1:5-6a)

In these verses Nehemiah’s heart breaks over the state of his beloved people and homeland. In the first chapter of this book, we hear his heartfelt prayer; his words teach us about prayer.

In the verses above, Nehemiah acknowledges God’s greatness and asks for His help. Let’s listen to the rest of his prayer: “I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.” (Nehemiah 1:6b-7)

Creflo Dollar Guaranteed Success in the Kingdom of God

Author- Creflo Dollar

How bad do you want to succeed in life? Most people want to experience success in their endeavors but they are really unsure of how to achieve the success they desire. According to the world's system, success is achieved by how hard you work, whether you have the right connections and whether or not you are willing to compromise at times. But God's formula for success is different. In the kingdom of God system, success is determined by three things: 1) keeping the Word of God in your mouth, 2) meditating on it and 3) acting out on what He says. When you follow His three–part formula for success, you can't fail.

The first key to supernatural success—keeping the Word in your mouth—is vital. People may call you "deep" or super–spiritual when they hear you constantly speaking the Word, but don't pay them any attention. Remind yourself and others that you are working on something and going somewhere! If you want success then you have to talk it, and the only way to talk up true success is to constantly confess the Word. It will take planning, scheduling and discipline, but when you consistently speak the Word, you create a successful life.

Everything is Possible for Her who Believes

Sharon Jaynes 

 

Everything is possible for him who believes, (Mark 9:23 NIV).

Once, a distraught father had an unruly son with multiple physical and emotional problems. Many people even said the boy was possessed by a demon. The dad had tried everything, but the boy continued to demonstrate anti-social behavior: throwing himself in the fire and then in water.

That sort of behavior, on top of frequent seizures, rolling on the ground, foaming at the mouth, and an inability to talk, made the dad desperate to find a solution. He even took the boy to some faith healers who were traveling through his hometown. But nothing seemed to work.

Hymn Hypocrisy

Do you ever feel like a total hypocrite when you realize what is coming out of your mouth at church?

I don’t mean the words of worship and praise for God—those always sound right. And I don’t mean the words of confession of sin or the words of prayer. I am referring to the words of hymns that describe our lives as Christians.

Take, for instance, Frances Havergal’s famous hymn of personal dedication, “Take My Life and Let It Be.” The fourth stanza always makes me feel kind of sheepish (we’d blush if that were possible in this age of no shame): “Take my silver and my gold; Not a mite would I withhold.” I think of my decades of selfishness. Can you sing that stanza with a straight face and mean it?

Stir Up the Power

"Greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears....I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you.... For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:4,6-7)

There are times when you know what God has called you to do, but you just don't feel you have the inner resources you need to do it. Somehow you've simply run dry. You know the Word says that "out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38). But, during those times, you can't even find the creek bank, much less the river.

The Word of God tells us how to handle those situations through a clear command: "Stir up the gift inside you." 

TEACHING KIDS TO PRAY: THE FIVE FINGER METHOD

By Sheila

When Katie was two, we were teaching her how to say grace. She had just finished up when Keith leaned over and whispered to her, “tell Mommy she’s pretty.” Katie promptly put both hands together again, closed her eyes, and said, “Dear God, please make Mommy pretty. Amen.”

But most of my girls’ prayers tend towards this: “Thank you that we had a good day today. Please help us to have fun tomorrow! Amen.”

Granted, it’s not that bad, but you know what I mean.

And I have decided this isn’t good enough. So here is our plan to really teach them to pray:

WILL CHRISTIANS WHO COMMIT SUICIDE GO TO HEAVEN?

Serge Roux-Levrat

As the number of suicide increases dramatically in the developed countries, both in the traditional sense, as well as in assisted suicide, many Christians are wondering what happens to believers who take their lives. As always, theologians are divided on this key question. However, if we look at it from the only angle we can – that of love and hope – we will find out that the answer is much more obvious than we think.

Do Priests Masturbate?

And more importantly, sin or not, does their job allow them to?
By Stacey Grenrock Woods

Giorgio Fochesato/iStock

Do priests masturbate?

Face Your Faults with Courage

by Rick Warren

“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.” (1 John 1:8 NLT)

Many of us wear masks of some sort. We don’t want anyone to see the real us; we don’t want anyone to see our faults. Often, we try to cover up our faults and mistakes in one of two ways:

·         We blame others. Adam did this after he ate from the tree. He blamed Eve (who blamed the snake). We’ve been blaming others ever since. We don’t want to admit our faults, so we turn the attention to someone else. We just want to get the focus off of us.

·         We also make excuses. We pretend nothing is wrong. Life is going great. We’ve got it all together. Unfortunately, pretending doesn’t work. The Bible says in I John 1:8, " If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth" (NLT).

You have to face your faults to be freed from them. Face it head on, and own it: “I did it. I’ve been arrogant in how I’ve treated people. I haven’t been a good father or a good husband. I’ve been a poor leader.” It’s time you just said it.

Don’t use the word but at the end of the confession. Don’t say, “It’s not a big deal.” Don’t try to tell people it’s really a strength. Just admit it, and be free.

Strike It Rich

"And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:29)

One of the problems that hung around me for years was poverty. But I remember the day I decided I wasn't going to be poor anymore. I was reading in the Word where it says that the blessing of Abraham has come upon the Gentiles by Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:14). Then I got down to the twenty-ninth verse where it says, "If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and HEIRS ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE." 

Suddenly the truth hit me. I got so excited I could hardly stand myself.

I turned back over to Deuteronomy 28 and--line by line--I read those promised blessings. "Blessed in the city, blessed in the country. Blessed going out, blessed coming in. Blessed in your barns, blessed in your fields, blessed in all the works of your hands." Man, I had struck it rich!

Develop the Love

"And what this love consists in is this, that we live and walk in accordance with and guided by His commandments His orders, ordinances, precepts, teaching. This is the commandment, as you have heard from the beginning, that you continue to walk in love guided by it and following it." (2 John 1:6, The Amplified Bible)

Quite simply, God says love is keeping His commandments. That brings love out of the indefinite into something explicit. But God has done more than define love for you. He's given you instructions so that you can know how to love as He loves. By giving you His Word, God has given you His love manual in black and white. All you have to do is follow it and you'll be walking in love.

If you've made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, you've already taken the first step of obedience. The love of God has been born within you. But, unless you take steps to develop it, that love will remain hidden within you. Love works in much the same way as the force of faith. Like faith, love becomes active through knowledge of the Word.

What makes prayer pure?

Job 16:17

Pure motives. Job said his prayers were sincere: He was honestly seeking answers from God without ulterior motives. He was not lying to God; his heart was clean (see Job 6:28).

One of the temptations of prayer is self-gratification. We are inclined to ask repeatedly for things we want, not just things we need. The line between selfish and unselfish prayer is often fuzzy. Scrutinizing our motives can help sort through self-deceit.

Confession is a prerequisite to sincere prayers. Jesus taught us not to pray if we are carrying a grudge. The psalmist wrote that if there is sin in our hearts, God will not hear us (see Ps 66:18). Cleaning up unfinished business involving offenses against family or fellow workers clears the conscience so we can pray with purer motives.

Open to the Savior

If you would like to welcome Jesus Christ into your life, you can do so at any time, anywhere. Consider these important facts:

God loves you and seeks a personal relationship with you! "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." (Rev. 3:20)

The problem is: everyone has been born into this world spiritually dead because of sin. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. 6:23)

Jesus will forgive us of all sin, assuring us of eternity in Heaven! "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

To receive Jesus, pray in this manner: Lord Jesus, I'm a sinner. Please come into my life and forgive me of all sin. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. Now, fill me with Your Holy Spirit and guide me from this day forward. Thank You, Lord, for loving me! Amen.

http://www.jackhayford.org/articles1-443/OpentotheSavior

My Powerful Judge

I had sinned. Despite my efforts to convince myself that I hadn't really failed God, guilt whispered quietly, and then more loudly when I ignored its protests. It didn't matter if anyone else was aware. I knew. That self-knowledge made it terrible to bear. 

During that period, I read every day from the Psalms. Although I didn't speak quite as dramatically as the poet, I understood his words on an emotional level: "When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever-heat of summer" (Ps 32:3-4, NAS).

I had sinned. 

To make it worse, it wasn't what the Old Testament refers to as a sin of ignorance. I had deliberately gone astray. Before I sinned, I told myself that I was protecting my rights, standing up for myself and being faithful to my convictions. At other times, I've told myself that I had technically sinned, but I had really been overwhelmed by temptation (as though that made it a lesser offense).

Don't Forget the Joy

"Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice." (Philippians 4:4)

Years ago, I decided I was going to walk by the Word of God. I told God that, as far as I was concerned, His Word was final and I'd confess it the rest of my life no matter what. That was the most important decision I've ever made.

Not too long after that, I decided that no matter what happened, whether I felt like it or not, I'd walk in love. Because the Bible clearly says "faith worketh by love." It won't work any other way.

Those two decisions--to operate by faith in the Word of God and to walk in love--are the two most important decisions I've ever made in my life.

Recently, though, God pointed out to me that there was something I'd been leaving out. The force of joy. He told me I have no right to walk by faith and love and just leave joy dormant in my spirit. It's too important. As He taught me about it, I soon came to realize that joy is an essential part of a life of victory. Without it, I might have an occasional triumph now and then, but I wouldn't be able to sustain them. They'd quickly slip away.