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"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." (1 Peter 1:23)

You won't really get excited about the Word of God until you realize that it's more than just a collection of divinely-inspired promises. It's a living force that literally carries within it the power to make those promises become a reality in your life.

Is it tough for you to believe such a thing is possible?

It shouldn't be. You see it happen in the natural world all the time.

Bringing home a porn star

Sleeping with my favorite male performer gave me new appreciation for the difference between fantasy and reality

BY TRACY CLARK-FLORY

(Credit: Wallenrock via Shutterstock/Salon)

I was at a neighborhood bar when in walked a man that I’d slept with before — virtually speaking. We had traded intimacies without ever having met.

I grabbed my friend’s arm and whispered, “My favorite male porn star just walked in the door.” She looked at me dumbfounded: “You have a favorite male porn star?” OK, so the competition isn’t steep and, yes, I’m one of those mythic women who actually like porn (but for the record, we make up an estimated one-third of visits to adult sites). When I first clicked across this man — with his smoldering eyes, strong nose and athletic body — it allowed me to forget for a moment that porn is largely made by and for men. He’s a rare male performer who is charismatic, young and handsome — everything the infamous Ron Jeremy is not.
Seeing him in person, there was one thought on my mind: I need to sleep with him.

SABBATH : A Sign Forever

Signs are important. We could hardly get along without them. We have signs for road safety, for identifying stores, indicating dangers like poison, radiation or high voltage wires, for finding geographic destinations, or merely navigating our way through an airport or sports stadium.

Signs were also important in the ancient world, including the ancient nation of Israel. The God of Israel gave signs to his people and used them for their benefit. One of the most notable was, of course, the rainbow after Noah’s flood. Another was the Sabbath rest on the seventh day of the week. This sign was given to Israel “forever” (Exodus 31:17).

From The Eyes of God

Written by Rev. Daniel Forster

Are you feeling overwhelmed by guilt? Let’s work through it together.

“When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.”  But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’” (1 Samuel 16:6-7, ESV)

Have you heard the saying “perception is reality”? I used to believe that but praise God, He has taught me otherwise. All throughout the Bible we are taught that God does not see the same way that we do.

In 1 Samuel, the king Saul has lost the favor and spirit of the Lord our God because of his disobedience and his lack of repentance in his heart. God instructs Samuel the prophet to go to Bethlehem and seek a son of Jesse there. Samuel does not know his name. He has all of Jesse’s sons brought before him as the Lord directs him in which God will anoint as King of Israel. Today’s passage picks up the story when Samuel is looking on the sons of Jesse.

Abiding in the Presence of the Lord

Rick Joyner

We discussed in a previous Word for the Week how discernment may operate through impressions, which is where we start to feel in ourselves what someone else is dealing with. One reason many prophetic people suffer depression is because they pick up on so much spiritually around them that they think it is their problem and fail to distinguish this as the gift working. Just because we feel depression does not mean that we have depression, but we may be feeling what someone close to us is dealing with. If we inquire of the Lord about these feelings, He will lead us to the truth about them. As we mature, we will learn to distinguish what we are picking up from others, or other situations, and what is actually in our own hearts.

That being said, many prophetic people are of the melancholy temperament that can be prone to depression. This is something no child of God should be subject to, and we can be free of it. There are reasons for depression that we do not have to be subject to. All who know and serve the Lord should resolve to not be subject to depression. Of course, depression may be the result of chemical imbalances, but if this is the case, let’s get it right. We cannot see the world or people as they are if we are looking through the eyes of depression. This is a serious hindrance to prophetic revelation that we must overcome.

How is Jesus "The Truth"?

Randy Alcorn

Truth is rooted in the eternal God who’s all powerful and unchangeable. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is Truth” (John 17:17).

Truth is far more than facts. It’s not just something we act upon. It acts upon us. We can’t change the truth, but the truth can change us. It sanctifies (sets us apart) from the falsehoods woven into our sin natures.

As Christ the living Word is truth, so his written word is truth. Though heaven and earth will pass away, God’s truth never will.

Over half the New Testament uses of “truth” (aletheia) are in John’s gospel. Truth is reality. It’s the way things really are. What seems to be and what really is are often not the same. As I develop in my novel Deception, “Things are not as they appear.” To know the truth is to see accurately. To believe what isn’t true is to be blind.

Like Jumping off a Building: Gender and Moral Order

Chuck Colson

In his book, The Right Questions, former Berkeley law professor Phillip Johnson tells of a liberal professor at a very politically correct university. The professor and his wife considered themselves “feminists against homophobia,” and were quite willing to apply their views to their own family.

Had their son told them he was gay, they would have eagerly affirmed him. But they were shocked at what their son actually did tell them: That he was transgendered.

What did this mean? As Johnson recalls in his book, the son answered: “It means I’m a girl. I want to wear dresses and makeup and challenge the whole patriarchal, bourgeois idea of gender.”

The parents went into a panic because that very evening they were expecting prominent dinner guests, who “might think their son was making a fool of himself and his parents,” Johnson writes.

Possess Your Promised Land

"When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you...and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it." (Numbers 33:51-53)

God has given you a Promised Land. It's a place flowing with milk and honey, where your every need can be met. A place where you can keep sin underfoot as you rule and reign with Christ. A place where no weapon formed against you will prosper. A place where you are seated with Christ in heavenly places, far above principalities and powers--far from oppression.

As you study the Word of God, you'll find that's an accurate description of the kind of victory you should be experiencing in Christ--not in the sweet by-and-by--but right here, right now.

You may say, "Yes, that sounds nice in theory, but I'm dealing with reality here. The rent is due, and all I see is sickness, oppression and fear. This doesn't look like much of a Promised Land to me."

Being a Godly Example to the Next Generation of Women

Some of my fondest memories of childhood were when my sister and I would play dress-up. We loved adorning ourselves with my mother’s dresses and clunking around the house in high heels. I always imagined myself as a movie star or Miss America, gracefully walking the runway while my loyal fans cheered and cameras flashed.

Yet, childish dreams melt away as we grow older. Oh, there are the movie stars and the girls who become Miss America. But most of our paths don’t take that turn.

The harsh reality of life begins to raise its ugly head when we realize that those high heels are uncomfortable! And when that reality hits, many women are left living the life they’d always dreamed in their minds while the life God has given them flies by unnoticed.

Yes, women today are desperately in need of role models who stand firm in their faith and embrace the life God has for them. But where can you find those strong feminine models of faith? Well, the place I continue to look is in the Scriptures.

Women today are desperately in need of role models who stand firm in their faith and embrace the life God has for them.

Now the most familiar passage is of course the Proverbs 31 woman. But there are so many more. We can read about Ruth’s faithfulness, Esther’s bravery, and Mary’s devotion, just to name a few. I love reading these passages and learning what it means to be a woman devoted to God!

Who are our little girls pretending to be today? Who are their models? It’s my prayer that God would give women today the strength to provide the next generation with a strong and loving model of God’s greatest creation—a godly woman!

http://www.lightsource.com/ministry/powerpoint-with-jack-graham/articles/being-a-godly-example-to-the-next-generation-of-women-12942.html 

Why Suicide Rates Increase in the Spring

Written by

Deborah Gray

2020

Mon, March 24, 2008

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We often hear that suicide rates are highest during the holidays. I even heard a character in a Christmas TV movie warn about the risk during the last holiday season. Seems to make sense, in a way. After all, the holiday season even has its own syndrome - the holiday blues. Many people are stressed out, and for anyone who's alone and depressed, the contrast between the ideal of the holidays and reality can be hard to take.

Here's the problem - the prevailing wisdom is wrong. In fact, we're not heading away from the most dangerous time of the year for suicide, we're heading towards it. Suicide rates are actually at their highest during late spring and early summer, and at their lowest around the holidays. There does appear to be a jump on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, which is thought to be due to the holiday season ending and harsh reality settling in.

So why, despite all the stress (even Jimmy Stewart tried to throw himself off of a bridge), does the holiday season seem to damp down suicide attempts? First, the increased socializing and contact with that many people do during the holidays may actually keep those suicidal thoughts at bay. The support of family and friends is one thing that keeps people from utter despair. Second, there are plenty of distractions. You're busy, busy, busy. This may be a source of stress, but it also can keep your mind from focusing on your depression. Also, even if someone's depressed, the beauty and joy of the holiday season can provide a temporary lift.

But why the heck does one of the most wonderful times of the year spur people to take their lives? Part of the reason is definitely that the contrast between a depressed person's inner world and the outer world is just too painful. In winter, the whole world, including nature, seems to match your dark mood.

Also, you begin to realize that if you don't feel good during this season, when the world is renewing itself, you're never going to. One of my lowest points, right at the time that I decided to try antidepressants, was in May. I remember sitting on the floor of my room on a lovely warm day. Spring had always been my favorite season, and I had the summer to look forward to, with weekends lying on the beach, one of my favorite things. But I felt like I could barely get through the next day. I had assumed that the winter had something to do with my depression, but when spring didn't cause my mood to lift, I knew it was time to get help.

In addition, there's a paradoxical response to the increase in sunshine that is thought to contribute to suicides in the spring. The sunshine can actually give people who have been feeling fatigued by the lack of sunlight during the winter enough energy to plan and carry out a suicide, yet not enough to give them an emotional lift. This is similar to the risk that can occur when someone starts on an antidepressant. In the beginning, the antidepressant may work enough to lift the fog that's been preventing them from accomplishing anything (like suicide) but not good enough (yet) to have hope.

For information on suicide prevention, please see the links below. I'll be writing a SharePost shortly about what to do if you think someone you know is depressed.

Links

True or False: Depression and Suicide Rates Rise During the Holiday Season?
Suicide: Holiday's Darkest Myth
Study finds suicide rates fall during holidays

Sunny May the Month for Suicides

Understanding and Helping the Suicidal Person

Samaritans 
Know Suicide's Warning Signs

http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/18/22771/rates-spring