Got Faith?

Mary Southerland

Today's Truth
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." (Psalm 23:4 NKJV)

Friend to Friend

The greenest grass is always found in the valley. Shepherds and sheep are well acquainted with the fact that both mountains and valleys are an inevitable part of life. Again, the shepherd is the one who has to figure out a way over the mountain and through the valley. If a sheep is injured, the shepherd must carry his sheep and tend to its wounds until they are healed and the sheep is ready to return to the fold. The shepherd's whole world revolves around the safety and comfort of his sheep, even in the deepest valley.

Valleys are a certainty of life. Your job is eliminated. Your husband is having an affair, or your teenage daughter is pregnant. Financial pressure suffocates dreams, or the betrayal of a trusted friend inflicts a wound so deep and painful that you long for that valley of death. Each day is thick with fear, and your heart is filled with disbelief. The valley may suddenly be before you in a time of loneliness or in the shock of a dire medical diagnosis.

“From Empty to Full” – Part 4 “Nothing – Except”

“As a deer longs for a stream of cool water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for you, the living God.” Psalm 42:1
The Good News Bible

EXPLORATION: “From Empty to Full” – Part 4

“Nothing – Except”

“Fullness” – Containing all that is possible. Complete in every detail.

If I feel like I have nothing in my life, what is the “except” I can bring to Jesus?

“She said, ‘your handmaid has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.’” 2 Kings 4:2 Amplified Bible

The Brightest Colors

"It is good for me that I have been afflicted" (Ps. 119:71).

It is a remarkable circumstance that the most brilliant colors of plants are to be seen on the highest mountains, in spots that are most exposed to the wildest weather. The brightest lichens and mosses, the loveliest gems of wild flowers, abound far up on the bleak, storm-scalped peak.

One of the richest displays of organic coloring I ever beheld was near the summit of Mount Chenebettaz, a hill about 10,000 feet high, immediately above the great St. Bernard Hospice. The whole face of an extensive rock was covered with a most vivid yellow lichen which shone in the sunshine like the golden battlement of an enchanted castle.

There, in that lofty region, amid the most frowning desolation, exposed to the fiercest tempest of the sky, this lichen exhibited a glory of color such as it never showed in the sheltered valley. I have two specimens of the same lichen before me while I write these lines, one from the great St. Bernard, and the other from the wall of a Scottish castle, deeply embossed among sycamore trees; and the difference in point of form and coloring between them is most striking.

Why the Tears?

"Jesus said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping?'"  John 20:15

When Mary Magdalene came to the tomb on Easter Sunday morning, she met the resurrected Christ in the garden.  She did not know it was Jesus because her eyes were filled with tears, and she was preoccupied with her deep hurt and utter despair.

Her hopes and dreams had crashed and burned as she saw Jesus beaten and crucified.  Her Lord and Savior was now dead.  How could that be?  Wasn’t He the Messiah?  And to add insult to injury, someone had even taken His body from the tomb.  It couldn’t get any more heartbreaking for Mary.     

And in her profound state of grief, Jesus asks her this simple but probing question, “Why are you weeping?”       

Prophetic Word: "I Am Calling My Generals Out of the Wilderness"

EILEEN FISHER

 

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(Istockphoto-kryczka)

The Lord said, “I am calling My generals out of the wilderness. I am calling My officers out of the wilderness. I am calling My leaders out of the wilderness. For in the wilderness, many, many lessons have been taught. And they were lessons that could not be taught in the mountains, but they had to be taught in the wilderness.

“You are about to witness a moving of My Spirit. And you will see Him hover over all four corners of your nation. But you will see Him come, and come and stand in the midst of your nation. And you will feel the ripple effects. The ripple of the wind will come as He comes, and He touches down, for I’m about to burst forth on all sides in your nation.

“For I have sanctuaries that have been in the making. And people have been looking and looking for My Presence." He said “come to the sanctuary and bring a sacrifice of praise. And know that I wait, and I bid you to come to the sanctuary.

A Stone in my Shoe

Written by Linda McCutcheon

Are you facing a disappointment? In this study of Ruth we’ll look at how to find the grace to start over

”Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” (Ephesians 4:31)

Recently I was hiking in the mountains. Somehow a little stone got into my shoe. I knew it was there and quite aggravating, but I never stopped to take it out. The views were so breath taking, I got distracted. Can you believe it, the next day I felt that same stone which I had not taken the time to remove.

Isn’t that just like bitterness? It begins small. It is irritating and it affects what we are doing. If not dealt with it begins to gnaw at our life. Each step I took, I knew the stone was there. When bitterness is harbored in our lives, it stays with us throughout the day. It controls our thought life, marriage, home life, our day to day relationships and our work suffers.

Help, or Harmonic Convergence?

I will lift up my eyes to the hills -- from whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.  
Psalm 121:1-2

Recommended Reading Psalm 121

What did the psalmist mean when he said he was looking to the hills for help? He certainly didn't mean that the hills themselves provided help. He wasn't like the New Age thinkers in Arizona who suggest that the red hills around Sedona emit a "harmonic convergence" that gives healing and strength to visitors. Nor was he expecting the cavalry to come charging over the hills like in a TV Western.
Though various commentators of Psalm 121 offer different suggestions, perhaps the simplest explanation is the best. The psalmist, in facing great difficulty, looked up and saw the hills that God had made. And he said to himself: "The Creator of heaven and earth is my Lord, and if He can create all things, He can surely take care of me."

Shaking The Earth Terribly

by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

“And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth” (Isaiah 2:19).

Ever since the convulsions of the Flood, the earth’s crust has been in a state of instability, causing earthquakes from time to time all around the world.

But there are earthquakes yet to come which will exceed anything ever yet experienced. The earthquake prophesied in our text was also predicted in Revelation. “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; . . . and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And . . . (they) hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from . . . the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:12-16). 

Talk Like God!

"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 11:23)

Jesus didn't say, "Whosoever shall speak to God about this mountain." He said we should speak directly to the mountain the desired end result.

From a worldly point of view, that sounds foolish. But 1 Corinthians 1:27 explains that God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. It's always going to sound foolish to the world when a Christian talks as if what God has promised is reality, especially when those promises seem to contradict the natural evidence around us. But if you want to keep the enemy defeated, that's the kind of talking you'd better be doing.

The Kind Of Faith That Can Move Mountains

Hey it's Don here and I would like to share to you a true story. 

In one summer vacation we visited some friends in Los Angeles California. They have an outdoor swimming pool and my then 4 years old son Paulo had fun in their pool. 

I'm not sure what's special with that pool but my son love it. 

One afternoon after our vacation, my son and I were watching TV and I asked him, "Son, if we'll build a new house, how many swimming pools do you want to have?" 

"Daddy, I want two swimming pools." He replied and then paused for a second. 

"No, no, I want three swimming pools. One for you, for mommy, and one for me." He added. 

Immediately, I was reminded of a verse in the Bible about "Child Like Faith" in Mark 10:15 

Inspiration – Are Wives Moving Mountains?

Are wives moving mountains?

Are you actively throwing mountains into the sea or are you trying to climb over them?

Think of mountains as trials or barricades, standing in your way! They are huge, overwhelmingly huge, and it may even seem impossible to get past… but we have something bigger than the mountains in our life, we have Jesus! Our faith in Jesus can get us through any trial in our life. Jesus says we can basically pick it up and toss it to the side. He makes it sound so simple:)

A Brush With DEATH In The Mountains

A mountaineer’s true account of survival

It is a close encounter not only with nature but with the God of nature Himself.

Elwin Deo Arroyo 

The hut we’re in shook violently as the howling wind blew hard against it. Although the creaking noise was very annoying, I fell deaf to it. I could do nothing more but slump my body on the floor in utter tiredness.  The coldness of the dark night could render anyone helpless in its temptation to deep slumber.  Even as I closed my eyes to float away into oblivion, sights and picture of the day’s experience still overwhelmed my thoughts.

As I looked blankly at the flickering flame of the kerosene lamp struggling to stay alit against the tease of the wind, I reflected on how my companions, Allan, a fellow student and Jonas, a professional, and I fought hard to stay alive.  The three of us have found shelter at a shanty owned by a widow and her children who warmly welcomed us when we pleaded for help early afternoon.

Get a Move On!

JOYCE MEYER

We keep going around the same mountains instead of making progress. The Israelites wandered around in the wilderness for 40 years making what was actually an 11-day journey. Why? Was it their enemies, their circumstances, the trials along the way, or something else that prevented them from arriving at their destination?

Believe what the Word says; speak to the mountain

No matter what your situation in life may be God has a plan for your victory. Thank you for allowing us to minister the Living Word of God to you regarding your debt.

No matter what your situation in life may be, God has a plan for your victory. God has already made provision for your every need. He has made available to you all things that pertain to life and godliness through the exceeding great and precious promises in His Word (2 Peter 1:3-4). Through these promises, we are able to partake of His divine nature.

See yourself exactly as God sees you. Second Corinthians 5:17(KJV) states, Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things have passed away; behold, all things are become new. Agree with God’s Word, not with your position in the natural. See yourself as a mature, healthy, prosperous Christian, possessing all the blessings Jesus Christ Himself purchased for you on the cross of cavalry.

The Blessing of God has been released from heaven, and you have the God given right to use His authority and take dominion over all the circumstances Satan is trying to use against you. Satan’s authority has been broken.

Believe what the Word says; speak to the mountain. This mountain can be any kind of debt, lack, sickness and disease or even unemployment. Just know and understand that any situation you are facing today is under your feet, remember you are joint heirs with Jesus Christ. You are seated in heavenly places with Him. God is not holding back His blessings from you. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you can ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

The blessing of God is yours right NOW!

Mustard Seeds

The kingdom of God] is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade. Mark 4:31-32

When we were in Israel, one day we took a drive beyond the city of Jerusalem. Three miles later, down the back side of the Mount of Olives, we entered Bethany -- a little white-washed village that hadn't changed since the days of Lazarus, Mary and Martha. While I waited in the van, my friend Bunny spied an old, bearded Arab sitting at a table. "I'm going to go see what he's selling," she exclaimed. Moments later she returned holding out her hand to show me pea-sized brown dried seeds. "Would you look at these?! They're mustard seeds! If we have faith the size of one of these..." she said, picking one up, "we can move mountains."

"But they look kind of big," I frowned. "I thought the mustard seed was the smallest of all seeds." Bunny told me she said the same thing to the Arab vendor. "Let me show you what he did," she said. She then cracked one of the seeds open and gently spread its contents across her palm. Bunny cupped her hands so the breeze would not disturb the infinitesimally tiny black specks... mustard seeds. The pea-sized pod contained thousands of breathlessly small seeds. Bunny dusted off her hand and sealed the package of pods. "And we're going to scatter these wherever we pray on this trip!"