The Lord's State of the Union Address

by Lonnie Lane 

What if the Lord gave a State of the Union address, to give an account of what is happening in the Kingdom of God presently. Can you picture it? From all over the world those who are the Lord's gather together in a huge chamber large enough for multitudes upon multitudes. Levels upon levels of balconies rise high into the heavens. As this is a governmental meeting, only those who have been elected – those who are of “the elect” (Matthew 24:31; Romans 8:33) may attend, except for the angels who stand in poised attention as aides along the walls. The place is alive with activity as we greet one another with rejoicing. Then suddenly, a trumpet is blown and Gabriel (Luke 1:19) comes through the enormous chamber doors that open automatically as he approaches them. All attention turns toward him as he steps into the chamber. Expectant silence fills the chamber. Then with a thunderous rumble that rolls up the balconies he announces, “THE LORD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH!” (Daniel 5:23; Matthew 11:25; Luke 10:21; Acts 17:24). All stand to their feet. 

Why Is Life So Much Harder for Some People Than Others?

CHRISTY FITZWATER

 

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Why does one woman suffer with diabetes her entire life while another is healthy?

Why does one woman lose her house in a fire while another woman’s house stands?

Why does one woman wait longingly to see one positive pregnancy strip while another woman drives a van full of kids?

I made a discovery in the Bible recently that helped to answer this question for me.

Under His Wings

Julie Cosgrove

Are you searching for a source of peace? We are here to listen.

“He will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you will find refuge.” (Psalm 91:4)

It’s a story that has been zipping through email boxes. A dove named Noah, once injured himself, took an affinity to three helpless newborn bunnies that were brought to the shelter.  Originally there had been five bunnies. The chances for the remaining three were considerably low at best.

The dove crouched at the door of their cage, cooing that soft lulling sound. One of the bunnies crawled through the bars and nestled under his wing for warmth and security. Eventually, the others followed. All three bunnies not only survived but also began to thrive. I am sure it was pure instinct on that little bunny’s part to go to the dove. But the fact that he was bold enough to leave his littermates and crawl through the bars to find shelter under the dove’s warm feathers- and then by his action enticed his littermates to do the same- provides a valuable lesson for us.

Unexpected Turns On Your Pathway

 Gail Rodgers

Are your days filled with loneliness?  Do you dread getting up and facing another day? We can help.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” (Proverbs 3: 5-6) 

Mom came for a visit. Family from overseas was going to arrive and we had our summer plans all in place. And then it happened. In a brief moment Mom fell on a bit of uneven ground. There was an ambulance, hip surgery and rehab for her and hospital visits, equipment gathering and rearranging of plans for me. The unexpected always takes us by surprise. And in it we have a choice to make.

How to Speak to the Storm in the Midst of Struggles

MARGARET ENGLISH

 

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Have you ever been in a stormy situation in which it seemed as if the devil was attempting to stir up everything in your life: strife, contention, hurt and wounds, anger, fear—the works?

I’m learning that in the midst of life’s storms the Lord has a powerful solution. We can speak peace to the storm, according to Mark 4:39.

This verse tells us that in the midst of a great windstorm, Jesus “arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still” (NKJ). Because Christ, the greater One, lives in us, we can take authority in a similar way over the rough places in our lives.

At times we can feel the spiritual storms beginning to blow around us. Tempers flare, fingers point, and confusion and hurt try to overwhelm us. How can we not only exist but also live happy lives in the midst of such spiritual warfare?

When Hurt Robs Us of Hope

By Renee Swope

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 (NIV)

How could this be happening? She had given up so much to be with him and now this?

My friend had left her very successful career and friends in Louisiana, uprooted her three kids and moved to North Carolina to get married and live in her new husband's hometown. And now, six years later, she answered the phone and was shocked by the confession of a woman who called to tell her that she'd been having an affair with my friend's second husband — for the past four years.

I held her as she sobbed. And I listened as she questioned everything about her husband. Every business trip, every late night at the office, everything she thought was true that was now laced with deceit.

Jesus in the Old Testament

Written by Rev. Daniel Forster

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14, ESV)

It is common today to think of Jesus only in conjunction with the New Testament. We look at Jesus as the baby in the manger as the place where the story begins and sadly miss what He fulfilled – the promises that came to pass. Jesus is mentioned and prophesied about all throughout the Old Testament. Jesus was with God before creation even began and was with God and His chosen people all throughout the Old Testament until it was time for Him to be revealed.

God sent prophetic words and promises about salvation to the prophets of the Old Testament – promises of freedom from sin and an eternal life with God. One of the most common of these scriptures is in Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Aaronic Benediction Explained

Dear Friends,

Myles & Katharine Weiss

Messianic Jews have consistently experienced a presence of peace with Arab, Egyptian, and Persian Believers. The continued failure of political peace efforts is underwhelming and completely predictable. Any of us who are involved with world ministry, especially those in Israel, can recount mountaintop experiences of supernatural fellowship that supersedes human failure and historical precedent.

This is based on the power of blessing that comes directly from the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is not merely a New Testament phenomenon. Blessing is a characteristic that winds throughout His-story including the Tanach (Old Testament). From the very time it was instituted in the Word, we see that Abraham could bless whomever he wanted. One of the most famous rabbis in Jewish history observes that if Abraham could bless whomever he wanted, doing so becomes a privilege that God gave to us as the children of Abraham. In fact, it is commanded. In Numbers chapter six, God told Moses to have Aaron and his sons stand before the people and “You will bless the Sons of Israel in this way….”

Count Your Blessings

"Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the LORD delivers them in times of trouble. The LORD protects and preserves them — they are counted among the blessed in the land — he does not give them over to the desire of their foes." — Psalm 41:1–2

The Bible is filled with countless verses about blessings and curses — blessings for obedience, and curses for disobedience. We all desire God's blessings; yet often times, we focus on material blessings — a surprise check in the mail, a bigger house, perhaps a nicer car.

And, of course, God may choose to bless us in this way. But His blessings may also come to us in healing, in peace that passes all understanding, in community among believers, forgiveness, mercy, companionship, love, and everlasting salvation. Truly, God's blessings are vast, at times even surprising, and nearly always undeserved!

THE SANDALS OF PEACE

…and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Ephesians 6:15

The cry for peace is as old as the dawn of history and as fresh as the morning newspaper. Several centuries before Christ, the prophet Isaiah said, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace….”(Isaiah 52:7)

When the Hebrew prophets foretold the coming of a divine deliverer, they said one of his names would be“Prince of Peace.” When the Savior was born, the note struck by the angelic chorus in the nativity story of the shepherds was “…and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:14)

When You Don’t Know What To Do

Written by Gail Rodgers

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (Colossians 3:12-15)

Life is not always easy. Everyday letters come to this website from those of you walking through complex, confusing, and even tragic things that have unexpectedly imposed themselves on lives with little or no warning. If you find yourself arising to a day that is in turmoil, consider getting dressed for your day according to scripture.

Which one are you feeding?

TWO WOLVES


One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. 

He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.

"One is Evil - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

Israelis You Should Know: Golda Meir

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IFCJ

     

Lived: 1898-1978

Occupation: Teacher, Politician, Author

Why she’s impressive: After immigrating to Israel from the U.S. with her husband Morris in 1921, Meir served Israel in many key positions, including Israel’s envoy to Moscow, Minister of Labor, and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

After World War II, she traveled around the world to rally support for the establishment of the Jewish state. When she was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1969, Meir became Israel’s first and the world’s third woman to hold such an office.

What Is Aliyah?

IFCJ

In its simplest sense, aliyah is when a Jewish person immigrates to Israel – but this is part of a larger movement, the return of the Jewish people from exile around the world back to the land promised to them by God.

The term is derived from a Hebrew word meaning “to go up” or “to ascend,” referring to the journey to a land with exalted meaning for the Jewish people – the land of their spiritual ancestors.

For many Jews living outside Israel, making aliyah is a lifelong dream with deep spiritual motivation. As Rabbi Eckstein writes in his book How Firm a Foundation:

A Prescription For Peace

Tracie Miles

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)

Despite attempts for more than a year to figure out what was wrong with me, doctors could not identify a serious medical condition. It's not that I wanted something to be wrong. I certainly didn't need anything else to stress about.

I was desperately seeking a prescription for peace.

Looking back I can see the main culprit for my stress was my job. Overwhelming expectations and the impossible perfectionism my supervisor demanded took their toll on me physically, emotionally and spiritually.

His harsh criticisms and comments made me feel inadequate, and my self-esteem plunged to an all-time low. Chaos swirled around me, stress raged within me, and my health continued to decline. But I didn't recognize the cause.

When a medical diagnosis continued to elude doctors, I believed the lie that excessive stress was normal and I needed to learn how to live with it.

The God of Hope

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

I was on the phone an hour with Ray. His wife had contacted me, distraught that he was depressed and had been lying in bed since he broke his neck. Ray was a former pastor and probably knew more scripture than I did. When he didn't respond after an hour, I took a different tact. "Did you see the movie The Shawshank Redemption?" 

Jesus becomes so personal while remaining so very practical

Word from Scotland: 

Notice how John is so Christ centred, in these closing verses of John Chapter 14. This passage is focusing upon Jesus Christ, and how Jesus Christ cares for, and is concerned about, those whom He calls.

No matter what you are going through or experiencing in these present days, know that the risen living Jesus cares for you and that He is concerned about every detail.

Jesus has been speaking about peace, and peace can be vague and illusive and many strive for peace, and march for peace, and hold ‘Peace Rallies’, but peace like Jesus Himself is unique and uniquely flows from Him and from Him alone.

Now, that is a lesson the world finds hard to accept, but it happens to be true. Peace is a gift of God and we so need that gift in these troubled times.

I will lie down and sleep in peace

"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." -

Psalm 4:8

We hope you had a great, blessed, and safe weekend.  Get yourself off to the right start this week by checking out the uplifting videos and story below.  Keeping God in your life and in your mind will get you through anything. Have a great day! GodVine.com Small Boy is Found Lifeless in a Bathtub - But What Happens Next is Amazing and Moving Bronson was found completely lifeless in the bathtub after his mother turned away just for a brief second. Doctors gave him almost no hope, but with the power of prayer and God, he miraculously pulled through. This video shows the beautiful, touching story. http://www.godvine.com/Bronson-s-Miracle-a-Small-Boy-Overcomes-a-Near-Tragedy-677.html

When God's Timing Is Taking Too Long

by Joyce Meyer

We all want good things to happen in our lives, but too often we want it now...not later. When it doesn't happen that way, we are tempted to ask, "When, God, when?" Most of us need to grow in the area of trusting God instead of focusing on the "when" question. If you're missing joy and peace, you're not trusting God. If your mind feels worn out all the time, you're not trusting God.

The tendency to want to know about everything that's going on can be detrimental to your Christian walk. Sometimes knowing everything can be uncomfortable and can even hurt you. I spent a large part of my life being impatient, frustrated and disappointed because there were things I didn't know. God had to teach me to leave things alone and quit feeling that I needed to know everything. I finally learned to trust the One who knows all things and accept that some questions may never be answered. We prove that we trust God when we refuse to worry. 

Mystery - “Christ in you, the hope of glory”

Written by Eric Reynolds

Is hope just something you used to have a long time ago? Come talk to a mentor.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

“There is nothing mysterious about Jesus.” That’s what most people would say. Even Christians don’t often think of Jesus as a mysterious guy. But should we? Is there anything mysterious about Him? Colossians says that God’s people are supposed to reveal the mystery, but what is the mystery? (Col 1:24-27)

As we see in verse 27, the mystery is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Every single word in that sentence has astronomical implications.