God is Faithful

Helen Grace Lescheid

Take today’s next step: Feeling harried? Take a deep breath and read.

“Because of the LORD’S great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22 – 23)

King David, who frequently found himself in deep trouble, wrote about God’s faithfulness often–sometimes from a cave. He fled to the wilderness trying to escape the jealous fury of King Saul. I can see him at the end of another harried day, sitting by a dying campfire writing on a tablet. His ragamuffin group of men had found a place to lie down and sleep. But David couldn’t sleep. With his reputation ruined and his life in danger, David poured out his heart to God in another psalm. Often he would conclude his writing with a joyful declaration of God’s faithfulness.

How bad can you be and still be a Christian?

Billy Graham's Answer 

Christians aren't perfect. Every Christian sins, and every day those of us who are Christians need God's forgiveness and grace. I often think of the Bible's words: "If we claim we have not sinned, we make him (God) out to be a liar" (1 John 1:10).

But when someone claims to be a follower of Jesus and yet makes no effort to obey God and shows no evidence of a changed life, they may be deceiving themselves. The Bible is clear: When we know God, our lives will be different. Yes, our old sinful nature still lives within us, but God also lives within us by His Holy Spirit, and we won't be content to live the way we once did. Jesus said, "Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them" (Matthew 7:20).

The Cross: Why We Believe

Written by Dr. Charles Stanley

Please open your Bible and read I Corinthians 1:26-31

The apostle Paul had impeccable credentials, education, background, and a position of authority. But when he encountered Christ on the road to Damascus, he discovered their absolute worthlessness. He learned that the only thing of eternal value on earth was that his Savior died on the cross for his sins. Paul understood this so well that he counted as loss all he had once seen as advantageous. (Philippians 3:8) 

Now his only boast was in the cross of Christ. (Galatians 6:14)

Paul attached importance, not to his own resume, but to a “criminal” on a cross and the blood He spilled there. Though this seemed foolish to many people, the apostle knew that the cross was where God kept His long-awaited promise: to provide a Savior. It was there that His Son stooped low and took on all the sins of the world’s past, present, and future. The cross marked the place and moment that God’s judgment was accomplished and His mercy was poured out. 

The Surprise Ending of Resurrection

By Brian Orme 

In some stories, hope is wrapped up in the obvious and tangible elements of the plot, but other times hope is revealed through a surprise ending or a twist — giving new life to the story in foreshadowed glory. The Easter story is a vivid example that things aren't always as they seem. In a way, Easter is a celebration of the greatest story twist in history, one that's so subversive it changes everything for all time.

It's easy to gloss over the Easter story — we've heard it so many times — and forget the surprise and shock of the resurrection. It’s easy to read through the Gospels without that “aha” moment it really delivers. We have the privilege of reading the resurrection into the teachings of Jesus — we know how the story ends — but for the disciples, the moments before the resurrection were steeped in fear, darkness and confusion. For the disciples, the resurrection provided an incredible twist — in Sixth Sense fashion — that made the story come alive in a new way … past experiences began to make clarion sense. It changed everything. 

Eugene Peterson explains it like this in his book Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places: “The Christian life begins as a community that is gathered at the place of impossibility, the tomb.”

Living Beyond Your Circumstances Through The Resurrection

A little boy named Philip with Down Syndrome attended a third-grade Sunday school class with several eight-year-old boys and girls. Typical of that age, the children did not readily accept Philip with his differences.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” — Matthew 28:5-6

On Easter Sunday, the teacher brought egg-shaped pantyhose containers for the students and told the children to go outside, find some symbol for new life, and put it in the egg-like container. Back in the classroom, they would share their new life symbols, opening the containers one by one. After running about the church property in wild confusion, the students returned to the classroom and placed the containers on the table.

Surrounded by the children, the teacher began to open them one by one. When one was opened, revealing nothing inside, the children exclaimed, “That’s not fair! Somebody didn’t do their assignment.”

A New Beginning

Written by Carol Van Atta

A woman gives birth…to twins. An alcoholic pours his bottle of booze down the drain. An abused wife chooses to seek help. A convict is released from jail. A worker becomes the supervisor. A daughter loses her mother to a car accident. A mother survives cancer and chooses a new, healthier lifestyle.

New beginnings can happen any day at any time. A new beginning always involves leaving one thing behind and embracing something new and different. However, sometimes, new beginnings may not be of our own choosing or liking. Maybe the worker didn’t expect or want the promotion; yet, a new beginning has been thrust upon her. The alcoholic, on the other hand, has clearly made a choice to try a different path evidenced by the dumping of his precious liquor. Both have entered a time of new beginnings. And although the birth of a child and the death of a loved one appear very different, they both have two things in common: an end and a beginning.

Jesus in Creation

Rev. Daniel Forster

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”(John 1:1-4, ESV)

Jesus is life and in and through Him all things were made. We read John 1 and we are shown in this first chapter part of the mystery of the Old Testament. God allows us to see how He works in a very deep and intimate way. What had remained hidden and a mystery in the Old Testament is now revealed to us so our eyes may be opened to His glory.

Praise be to God, it is no longer a mystery! We know it is Jesus, the breath of life. This knowledge allows us to see and understand Jesus on a much deeper level. He gave us life from the beginning and through Him we are re-born to a new life by the blood shed by paying the price of death for our sins.

Fully Restored

Written by James Yorke

I was born in Mullingar and I’m the eldest of four children. Our parents were good Catholics who believed in the power of prayer and gave us a good upbringing.

By the time I received my First Holy Communion I was serious about God. In fact, I had a spiritual experience that day but there was nobody to explain it to me. Not too long afterwards I began to show symptoms of a sickness that caused me to stop walking and have great pain in various parts of my body.

A miraculous healing

Praying The Names Of God : Bright Morning Star

The Name
In the last chapter of the book of Revelation, Jesus calls himself the "bright Morning Star." In ancient times, the morning star was thought of as a herald of the new day, signaling the dawn of hope and joy. The brightest object in the sky aside from the sun and moon, it is a fitting type for Christ, who ushers in a new day for the entire world. When you call on Jesus, the Bright Morning Star, you are calling on the One from whom all darkness flees.

Key Scripture
"I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." Revelation 22:16

***

Praying the Name

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." Matthew 2:1 - 2

Arise My Daughter

Written by Barbara Alpert

Is it time to take a step of faith?

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. (Isaiah 60:1)  

My beloved daughter, it is time for you to arise and take your stance in the light of my Son. I, your heavenly Father, am calling you out of darkness. Arise from your affliction for my power within you is greater than your despondency. Healing, restoration, and freedom await but you must have faith. I beckon you to arise to the new things I seek to do within, for, and through you.    

Cleary, you do not perceive that your prison sentence, inner turmoil and suffering, is over. I, the Lord, have removed the chains that bound you. Your shackles are loose, and your prison doors are open. In your darkness, I heard your weeping and now I offer you my joy. Freedom and new life awaits but you must choose to come out of captivity. My precious one, it is time for you to step forward and partake in the new things I set before you. 

Is there an afterlife?

The book of Job asks the question about an afterlife very simply: “If a man dies, will he live again?” (Job 14:14). Asking the question is easy, but the difficult part is finding someone to answer the question with authority and experience. “Death and taxes” have said to be the two universals that everyone living can expect to deal with. But while everyone is handled somewhat differently by government taxation, death is the great equalizer that treats everyone the same.

Because of this, it’s not uncommon for people to be afraid of death.

The ancient philosopher Epicurus (341–270 BC) recognized that the fear of death was present in everybody and therefore he sought a way to remove that fear. Epicurus taught that humanity not need fear death because human beings are nothing more than a composition of atoms which at death simply disperse and that is the end of things. Epicurus didn’t believe there were any gods tofear or anything to face once a person breathed their last. His teaching of maximum pleasure in this life with minimum pain and suffering dictated that everything ends when death occurred.

Receive the Holy Spirit

As His child, your loving heavenly Father wants to give you the supernatural power you need to live this new life.

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened... If ye...know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
LUKE 11:10,13

All you have to do is ask, believe, and receive! Pray, Father, I recognize my need for Your power to live this new life. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. By faith, I receive Him right now! Thank You for baptizing me. Holy Spirit, You are welcome in my life.


Congratulations! Now you’re filled with God’s supernatural power. Some syllables from a language you don’t recognize will rise up from your heart to your mouth. (See 1 Cor. 14:14.) As you speak them out loud by faith, you’re releasing God’s power from within and building yourself up in the Spirit. (See v. 4.) You can do this whenever and wherever you like.


It doesn’t really matter whether you felt anything or not when you prayed to receive the Lord and His Spirit. If you believed in your heart that you received, then God’s Word promises you did. “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:24). God always honors His Word; believe it!

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Please contact us and let us know that you’ve prayed to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We would like to rejoice with you and help you understand more fully what has taken place in your life. 


We have a Helpline staffed by mature Christians who will be glad to pray with you. Our Helpline is open from 4:00 A.M. to 9:30 P.M. (Mountain Time) each weekday. The number is (719) 635-1111. 


Give us a call — we’re here to help you understand and grow in your new relationship with the Lord.

http://www.awmi.net/receive_holy_spirit

A Mother’s Love

Written by Doris Beebe

Being rejected by the very one who gave birth to you is a hard thing to live with.

I can remember at the age of three or four, seeing my mother’s hard, cold face as she turned her cheek to me when I wanted to give her a good night kiss. Why doesn’t she love me? I wondered. I didn’t have an answer, but I knew that she just couldn’t.

I had many feelings growing up with my mother. She was a lot of things I did not ever want to be. She would sleep until noon and leave me to fend for myself. She frequently cheated on my father, who was suffering from schizophrenia.

Eventually, I got to live with my grandparents. Off and on, my mother would move in with my grandparents, my brother, sister and I. She and my father divorced, and when I was thirteen my father committed suicide.

Who did Jesus think he was? And why should I care?
Still have questions?Ask a mentor

My grandmother worked all the time and my mother had no control over me. In fact, we did not speak if we were in the same house. She would come and go with my brother and sister and I would be home alone with Grandma, who allowed me total freedom. With peer pressure and little guidance, I began to make some wrong choices in my search for the love that I had never received.

I got married at sixteen just to get out of the house and to have the family I never had. The relationship was abusive, and I was restless, so I ran away with another man and I became pregnant.

All the things I hated in my mother began to take place in my life. I tried so hard to avoid her mistakes, but I remained in a lifestyle of promiscuity and neglect of the little girl I gave birth to. My life was spinning out of control, and when the spinning stopped I landed back home without my child. She was two when I left.

One night, in a bar, I met a man named Joe. Three short weeks after I met him we were married.

It was then that I began to look for a way to turn my life around. I could feel something tugging at me, pulling me to leave the lifestyle I had been trapped in. I believe that “something” was God.

I began to seek Him out. I needed to know who God was, why He’d made me and what purpose there could be for my life. Fortunately, He promised us that if we seek Him, we will find Him. Jesus said, “Everyone who asks will receive, everyone who searches will find, and the door will be opened for everyone who knocks.” In 1993, I met God.

I learned that I could have a personal relationship with God, through His Son, Jesus Christ. He would love me and never leave me. He would forgive me for the things I had done and make me a new person. I could have the family and the love I had never known through Him. I invited Him into my life and I have been walking beside Him ever since.

My hatred for my mother caused me a lot of years of pain, but I finally realized that I was not hurting her. I was hurting myself and I was in bondage to her because I held her in my heart full of hate. God released me from this when I forgave her. A couple of years ago I came face to face with my mother at my grandmother’s funeral. I told her about the changes in my life and I told her that I forgave her. I was able to tell her that I loved her.

I am still separated from my oldest daughter, but she knows that I love her and that I made some wrong choices. I am now raising three of my own children and my sister’s child. When I look into the eyes of my sister’s baby–who is now the same age as my oldest child was when I left her–I can see myself at that age. I know that Jesus forgives, as I am allowed to be the mother I never knew.

Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?

Living with hope

If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.

Is this the life for you?

If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.

If you have a question first, click here.

gotquestions  http://powertochange.com/discover/faith/amotherslove/

8 Responses to “A Mother’s Love”

Sort by: Oldest

• Doris says:

  April 11, 2012 at 1:55 pm

  I am the Author of this article and want to say to Belinda that the gift of forgiveness is the best gift you can give to yourself… It is about freedom !!
  I am Proud of you … hopenotwasted@yahoo.com is my contact …

  Blessings,

  Doris
• Brenda Millersays:

  March 6, 2012 at 6:37 am

  HI Belinda,

  I am so sorry for your pain. The rejection you experienced is heart-wrenching, and the sorrow you continue to undergo is palpable.

  Belinda, it is wonderful that you forgave your mother on her deathbed, and I believe that if you continue to claim that forgiveness daily you will find healing. The enemy wants to remind you of the pain, of the rejection, but Jesus wants to remind you of His amazing love and healing that He has for you. It is so important that you believe in the Hope that can be found in Christ, Belinda. I want to give you a couple of links to encourage you. The first one is on hope, and the second is on overcoming bitterness. I pray they are a blessing to you:

  http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2012/03/01/rebuilding-old-ruins-in-christ/

  http://www.gfa.ca/resource/audio/

  Look at the bottom of the page under the mp3 downloads for the second link, Belinda, for KP Yohannan’s message on bitterness. It is tremendous, and has blessed me greatly, as I was also rejected by both of my parents when I was a child right through until my adulthood, when my mother and father and I were able to reconcile.

  I am thankful that you have been able to share so honestly with us your pain, Belinda, and I will be praying for you. May God richly bless you in every area of your life as you turn to Him for your healing.
• BELINDA says:

  March 4, 2012 at 12:12 pm

  Thank you for sharing your story. I’m fighting the same rejection. My mother did everything she could to destroy me. I living in hell right now with no direction.
  Before she passed, she turned everyone against me. I have no self purpose and everyone is in denial about her abuse to me. She had a nervous breakdown after she gave birth to me. I think she blamed me and and tried to destroy my life. She secretly abused me, by pushing me down in extreme hot water burning my back, slapping me when no one was looking, pulling my finger back. I grew up very angery and was confused that no one would help me. When I told on her she told them I was crazy. That label has destroyed my life!

  I have no relationships with my siblings,due to her lying and making them look at me as the worst person in the world. I have prayed and ask god to take this pain from my heart. I wont go away, I told her when she was on her death bed I forgive you and I love you. I told her I just wanted her to love me and hold me. I didn’t know what her touch felt like.
• Juliana Kratman says:

  September 5, 2011 at 12:17 pm

  Doris, you are a wonderful person to be able to accept god as your personal savior and be able to forgive your mother. You are a true amazing person.
• Juliana Kratman says:

  September 5, 2011 at 12:15 pm

  Steve, is it true that your relationship with Doris was abusive? And Doris, that was beautifal.
• Doris says:

  January 24, 2010 at 10:03 pm

  I am Doris and want to say thank you to Steve and Sarah.
• Sarah says:

  January 19, 2010 at 7:26 pm

  great testimony
• Steve Cimerhanzel says:

  June 12, 2009 at 5:52 am

  I’m the 1st husband that married Doris at 16 years old. I’m happy to see she has accepted the lord as her personal savior.