The Long Walk is Part of the Gift

By Jim Liebelt

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:4-6

There is a Native American story about a schoolboy who appreciated his teacher and wanted to give her a gift she would enjoy. He knew that his teacher loved seashells. One weekend, the boy walked to the ocean—a twenty-mile distance—found a beautiful shell and walked back home. Monday morning, the boy gave his teacher the shell. She thought it was beautiful. It took a moment, but then it dawned on her what the boy had gone through in order to give her the gift. She asked the boy, “You mean you walked all that way to the ocean and back just to give me this shell?” The boy looked at his teacher, and with a tear in his eye, he said, “The long walk is part of the gift.”

The Best for Last

"So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the LORD enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son." — Ruth 4:13

You’ve heard it said in a variety of contexts about saving your best for last. Sometimes it’s said when a basketball player hits a clutch shot at the buzzer to win the game. Or an actor gives a standing-ovation performance in the final show before closing. Or a student aces the final exam. In each case, they saved their best effort for the last possible moment – and it helped win the championship, earn accolades, or pass the course!

In a way, I think that God saved his best blessing for last in the story of Ruth. As we come to the final chapter in this short book, Ruth and Naomi’s situation has changed dramatically from one of hardship and a bleak future to one of restoration and healing, and a bright future.

CHRISTMAS DEPORTATION MIRACLE

“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know…” Acts 2:22

In late 1992, “Wally” Magdangal, a Filipino Christian who for years had pastored a clandestine house church in Saudi Arabia, was arrested. His secret house church was unexpectedly penetrated by the “mutawwa”, the Saudi Arabian religious police.

Wally remembers reading in an Open Doors magazine about a small group in China that gathered weekly in the back room of a small store to worship together. It was the era of the infamous Cultural Revolution. Since the believers could easily be overheard by anyone entering the store, they “sang” hymns together without words or music. Someone whispered the name of the song and they would silently move their lips and simply think of the words and music.

God Restores Order to Our Lives

Mel Lawrenz in “Everything New”: God Restores Order to Our Lives

I’ve been giving Mel Lawrenz’s most recent Everything New devotional some thought this week. In “Putting the Pieces Back Together,” Mel provides a powerful description of the order with which God originally imbued Creation—and the subsequent loss it suffered as a result of the Fall.

Eden was a place of perfect harmony. But as soon as we—in the persons of Adam and Eve—took our lives into our own hands, that harmony was disrupted and we were plunged into a new reality of brokenness:

Life would be easier, wouldn’t it, if all its pieces held together. If they always made sense. If nothing ever broke off. If no part were ever lost, or twisted, or detached….

Imagine life in Paradise. Eden was the wonderful opening chord of life, complete harmony with nothing in excess, nothing missing, nothing broken. But when that break did happen (and what an awful shattering sound it made), when human beings said, “we think we can do this on our own,” all creation shuddered and cracks spread throughout.

Our only hope from then on was that someone, somewhere would help us put the pieces back together.

God’s Power Never Goes Out

Ruth Gulbranson

The diagnosis was grim: stage three ovarian cancer. My friend, Joyce, had no forewarning of a serious illness. Her regular check-ups brought no indication of a problem, and now she faced a major surgery and an uncertain road toward what we all hoped would be recovery.

In Pain and in Prayer

Within a matter of days, surgery was scheduled, and Joyce and her husband, Michael, called for a group of friends and elders from church to pray for them. We gathered with hearts sobered by the frailty of life and tender with gratitude for Michael and Joyce. We were serious—knowing the gravity of the prognosis—but hopeful that God would be pleased to grant healing and restoration.

Strong winds had blown all day, and when we met at Michael and Joyce’s condo, their electricity had gone out because of the storm. The dim, overcast evening left the home in shadows. With a lone camping lantern on the table, our group of fifteen or so crowded into the living room.

Soul Therapy

Creflo Dollar

Have you ever felt as though your problem, circumstance or personal pain, although a big deal to you, seemed too small for God to be concerned about? Quite the contrary is true. God is not only your Creator and Father, but He is also your Provider. He cares about every detail of your life. It is important that you believe that God wants only the best for your life. When you put your trust in Him you will find that no matter what kind of sickness you may be dealing with—spirit, mind or body—He is an expert at healing your hurts and pains and providing restoration.

Sometimes you can become physically and emotionally drained because of your circumstances. We have all experienced times where there is such a burden on our hearts, that the emotions we incur from suffering or worry paralyze us. At times, even your soul—your mind, will and emotions—needs healing.

There Will Be Healing

 Today's Grace Moment: 

Every winter hordes of pale, half-frozen northerners flock to the south. One of their first rituals is to get rid of as much clothing as they can to allow that blessed sunshine to touch their skin again.

The prophet Malachi compares the presence of Jesus Christ to glorious sunshine. When he returns once and for all, everything will get better. "But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings" (Malachi 4:2). These wings are poetic references to the Son's rays.

May I say that I can't wait for that great day of healing? I long for the restoration of my body, and I long even more intensely for the healing of my soul and spirit. I will be glad in heaven that no one can hurt me anymore, but I am even gladder that I won't hurt anybody else. The blind will see, the mute will shout, and the disabled will dance. I will be well again, well in every way, and you will too. 

 http://www.timeofgrace.org/blog/anewviewontaxes

Since You Work on Sunday, When Is Your Sabbath?

Hemera/Thinkstock

Is your ministry anemic and terribly routine? Are you exhausted most of the time? Are there few items on tomorrow’s to-do list that excite or renew you? Then try these four regimens of rest.

By Cal LeMon

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. … For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:8–11).

So when is your Sabbath (not to be confused with “Sunday”), and how are you doing at keeping it holy?

You may be slightly indignant in response to that question. Of course you are holy because it is your job to be holy, especially on Sunday.

The Emmaus Syndrome

By John A. Wilson

This sermon is based on one of the events that took place between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. Its context is Luke 24:13–35, the event of Jesus’ meeting with two men on the road to Emmaus.

The Emmaus story, recorded only in Luke, has great universal appeal. Luke, the physician, seems to be concerned with Jesus’ healing and restoration ministry. In this story Jesus gave hope to two sad men.

The steps I follow in developing a sermon include these:

1. After reading the selected passage a number of times and working to understand the context and any textual problems, I try to develop the proposition which is a short sentence expressing the main point I believe God wants communicated to the people. The proposition should be a complete sentence, including a subject and object. The sermon should be a logical proof of the proposition. I like to think of myself as a trial lawyer working to convince a jury of the truth of the proposition.

The proposition I developed for the Emmaus Syndrome is: “Jesus Christ is the Healer of broken hearts.”

Bonnke, Hayford Call Benny Hinn Remarriage a Miracle

STEVE STRANG

 

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Benny Hinn said nothing until the end when he prayed over Suzanne as the visiting Christian leaders crowded around. (Charisma News)

Evangelist Benny Hinn and his ex-wife Suzanne were remarried on Sunday after being divorced since 2011.

The Hinns’ divorce was widely reported and represented the latest of several high-profile Christian leaders who have recently divorced. Pastor Jack Hayford, Suzanne's father Roy Harthern and evangelist Reinhard Bonnke repeatedly referred to the significance of the Hinns' remarriage, calling it miraculous.

Trusting God When Your Dreams Are Shattered

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(© Bright/StockFreeImages.com)

I recently had the incredible opportunity to go sailing with some dear friends in San Diego. We spent the afternoon on Terry and Connie’s 30-foot sailboat on an exquisite Southern California day. Beautiful sunshine, perfect temperatures, and ample wind moved us along at a spirited clip.

Sea lions, pelicans and blue skies greeted us as we cut a path effortlessly through the salty paradise. We ventured about five miles out into the ocean before the angle of the sun told us it was time to head back in (real sailors don’t wear a watch). Terry pointed to a red roof in the distance, which was the locator for our docking area.

Across The Street

Written by Eric Reynolds

A shiver runs slowly through my body – it doesn’t leave either. The rain is cold: late October in downtown Vancouver and I’m trying to stay positive.

I’m here to pray. What for? Hard to say. The rain falls on my spirit’s candle, weakening its flame.

Darkened windows conceal God knows what inside tall buildings that seem to lean ominously over me.

The need is so great I can hardly stand it. It’s like finding your way through a cavern with a match.

But I pray anyway. Both of us do. We signed up with Breakthrough Prayer and have come faithfully, if not joyfully, every week.

Conquer Your Mountain in 2013!

KIM CLEMENT

 

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(© Marrvin | Stock Free Images )

It's almost 2013! Many great things happened during 2012, and even though we faced hardships and trials, which are to be expected in life, we survived and even laughed a lot more than we had in previous years. How can we smile, have joy, and even get excited when we are faced with so much evil and darkness? Well, let's look at a few things before we travel together to the mountain in Israel and hear the Word of the Lord on Dec. 31.

We are NOT going to enter 2013 with one negative word on our lips, but rather the word "CONQUER" will resonate and prepare our path to many victories. You may be saying, "Kim, you're just too positive! How can we truly believe this?"

Sir Winston Churchill was once asked to give the qualifications of a person needed in order to succeed in politics, and he replied: "It is the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn't happen." That is what is required for politicians, not God's prophets and messengers. Look at Isaiah as an example.

No More Secrets - Total Restoration From Pornography

Kirk Noonan 

Clay Crosse's battle with pornography almost ruined his marriage and career. But he found total restoration after honest confession.

CLAY CROSSE LIVED THE GOOD LIFE. He made big money as a Christian recording artist and climbed the charts with his signature song, “I Surrender All.” He had a beautiful family, a nice house, money to spend and a reputation as a stand-up guy. Plus, he had tens of thousands of adoring fans. He also had a dark secret-he struggled with porn.

A Letter To My Friend Whose Husband Is Cheating

Dear Charm,

I don’t know if you are a Christian, so I don’t think you will understand my perspective, but I thought you might appreciate it anyway because I know you are lost and hurting and you have a big decision to make and your mind is overwhelmed from shock and denial now. Let me just say, that you don’t have to make a decision at all right away, this is huge and it will effect so many people, you have the right to take as long as you want to make this decision, there is no rush, you can even take a year or two to make it if you want. For now, I advise you to wait and don’t decide. The main reason I’m saying that is because your brain is not working correctly, it is under a lot of stress, grief and shock and that is not the best situation to make a decision like divorce.

Shake Yourself Loose From Condemnation

FRANCIS FRANGIPANE


We tend to boast in the power of faith while minimizing the value of hope. Yet, “faith is the substance of things hoped for” (Heb. 11:1). Without first having a living hope in God, our faith is meaningless. Indeed, the first stage of transformation is the awakening of hope.

Yet, even after we come to Christ, we still fail. Often a downward spiral occurs when sin opens the door to condemnation, and condemnation smothers the voice of hope. Consider the story of Israel's conquest of Canaan. The Lord was about to prosper Israel with the wealth of the Canaanites, but only if the spoils of their first battle at Jericho were completely dedicated to God.

A New Song

Written by Barbara Alpert

Rediscover the heart of worship with today’s free lesson: Celebrating God

  “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to or God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.”(Psalm 40:1-3, emphasis mine)  

God seeks to put a new song in the mouths of many; a song of victory and praise in lieu of heartache. Out of love, God seeks to touch countless lives with mercy, grace, favor, restoration, and breakthroughs beyond reckon. It’s awesome when God steps in and does the seemingly impossible. Those touched by God’s abundant love cannot help but to sing praises unto Him, the maker of new songs.

FORGIVENESS CAN BRING HEALING AND RESTORATION

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matthew 5:43-45

The literal meaning of the word “forgiveness” in the New Testament is “to release; to hurl away; to free yourself.” The only way to break the chain or cycle of hurtfulness is to stop and ask forgiveness. This allows a relationship to start over and begin anew. The Russian writer, Solzhenitsyn, believed forgiveness is what truly makes us different from animals. Only humans can perform the most unnatural act of forgiveness that transcends the relentless law of nature.

A young Iranian lady, we’ll call Fatima, was full of hatred towards her mother-in-law. For fifteen years her mother-in law was her enemy and there was a great deal of enmity in the family.
Several times Fatima had even tried to kill her mother-in-law. Once she put poison in her soup hoping to kill her. The mother-in-law felt very sick after that and was taken to the hospital. The doctors took the poison out of her stomach and were able to save her life. 

A Bruised Reed He Will Not Break

Written by Paula Friedrichsen

Donned in her favorite nightgown Kimberly* slips under the covers anticipating a good night’s sleep. Patting her husband’s shoulder she says, Goodnight honey… Tentatively Ron reaches out for Kimberly and nuzzles her check giving her a tender kiss. With a familiar sick sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Kimberly wriggles away from Ron, while feigning tiredness and a backache. Although it’s been several weeks since they’ve made love, Kimberly can’t seem to stop herself from rebuffing Ron’s sexual advances.

But it wasn’t always this way…

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