Asking for Directions
by Steve Arterburn
“I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.” - Psalm 18:3
God has a way of showing us that we don’t know as much as we think we do. And He will certainly act when we need to be shown that we don’t know better than He does.
That’s what happened to King Nebuchadnezzar who had to learn a serious lesson in humility. Talk about a severe act of mercy. This once proud king was struck with a mental illness for seven years. His mental illness caused him to roam the pastures outside the palace and chew grass like a cow. After paying the price for his pride, the once self-sufficient and self-centered king said, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything He does is right and all His ways are just. And those who walk in pride He is able to humble.” (Daniel 4:37) In this confession, three things are important, the words: “everything,” and “all,” and the phrase “His ways.”
These words speak to the king’s new understanding of God’s control and to the choice He wants each of us to make: God’s way or my way? Too often we neglect to ask God, “How do you want me to handle this?” or “How should I respond to this situation in a manner consistent with God’s word?”
The reasons for not asking these questions boil down to one of two issues: ignorance or arrogance. I don’t recommend either. Neither will benefit you, and both carry very high price tags.
“No time is so well spent in every day as that which we spend upon our knees.”
J.C. Ryle (1816-1900)
Prayer Request
This is a special prayer request for a friend who has been absent from my life for awhile and has been greatly missed. Please keep her and her son in your prayers. Our God is an awesome God and He can work miracles.
Hi Loopy, what a beautiful site to add a prayer request. Please add my son Jordan and I. The burden is so heavy. as my heart lies troubled. I do not except lies and deceit any longer.
b/c they are the works of the Devil himself.
Pray for us to reject the enemy, as he is working overtime in our lives. Please, pray for wisdom and self esteem for my son.
That he may grow in God’s unconditional Love for His Children.
Pray that God grants me serenity and peace in my soul.God Bless this request.
In His Name, Glory and Honor.spellbound84
I am God’s child. I resist the devil and declare that No weapon formed against me shall prosper.
“I put on the whole armour of God (my loins girt about with truth; and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and my feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; taking the shield of faith, with which I shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked; the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching with all perseverance and supplication for all saints) and declare it is an armour of light. I take authority over this day, Let it be prosperous for me Lord and let me walk in your love.” He is Able
Look, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:19
Psalm 34
King James Version (KJV)
4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
Lawless
English: Jesus Christ – detail from Deesis mosaic, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
We are living in perilous times where it is becoming apparent that those who are currently in power seem to have an almost visceral hatred of people who believe in God and follow Christ. We see that hatred coming to the surface in so many different ways, from a disregard to the founders intentions to establish a country where freedom to practice our religion was the force and pursuit of the founding, to actually promoting the idea that government should have the right to decide who is appropriate to minister to people of faith.
We are beginning to see laws being made to trap believers into disobeying those very laws in order to both persecute them for breaking the law, and to hold them up as examples of lawbreakers. We are in a place where the laws of the country themselves are against sound doctrine. Where murder is justified, fornication is encouraged, and sodomy is promoted and if you are against any of these, you are labeled as the one who is wrong. Our leaders lie with straight faces and perjure themselves without regard to the law or the cost to the people.
If one takes time to keep up with some of the news, we find that killing of babies is okay, hurting the feelings of a homosexual is not. Using drones to kill children in foreign lands is acceptable, catching rainwater is a crime. Our schools promote all kinds of perversion and start as early as their beginning school, and yet we as parents and grandparents are told that our morals are the ones that are bad, because God is the one who leads children astray in their minds.
We are living in the same kind of time as Lot, where perversion is becoming the standard practice and children are only worth what the government can get out of them. We are selling ourselves and our children back into slavehood with the masters those who are the worst of the lawless. We have naively trusted those in power believing that they shared our values and wanted what was best for them. To our horror we have discovered that we have opened the door wide and let evil enter in.
Romans 1
King James Version (KJV)
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Our only hope lies in the Lord God and His Son Jesus Christ who sacrificed in order that we do not have to forever be part of this evil but instead with our acceptance of Him have the promise of a different future. Our hope lies in the return of Jesus and the judgment of the wicked and evil.
Ephesians 5:15-17
King James Version (KJV)
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
Ephesians 6:10-12
King James Version (KJV)
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
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The Curse of Blindness
Julije Klovi? – Elymas Struck Blind by St Paul before the Proconsul Sergius Paulus – WGA05091 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
So many times we wonder how someone can not see the reality of a situation. We wonder how they miss the obvious and twist reality into something totally different. In this world of craziness it is as if a fellow blogger said the other day, we are living in an upside down world. As if the Mad Hatter is in charge of the world and whatever we view is in their eyes something totally different.
According to wiki.answers.com In the King James version
- the word – blind – appears 82 times
- the word – blinded – appears 5 times
- the word – blindeth – appears once
- the word – blindfolded – appears once
- the word – blindness – appears 7 times
There is a physical blindness, a mental blindness, and a spiritual blindness. We see Jesus use blindness in ways to get His message across, whether it is healing, as in:
And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them:
Matthew 15:14Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus:
7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.
8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.
9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him.
10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.
But one way that it is used is the way God uses a type of blindness in the days preceding the Day of the Lord:
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
King James Version (KJV)
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
God is not allowing some to see the truth and nothing we say or do will remove their blindness. At some point they made a deliberate decision to be unrighteous. To these whom the seed of faith and truth will never grow, they will only find the truth when it hits them in the face.
It is an object lesson to all of us to choose righteousness, if we willfully choose to do wrong, we will not be able to see the truth. My friends consider your actions carefully, understand that when you see someone who will not see the truth and takes reality and turns it into something totally different, that it is sometimes God’s will that they do not see. Prophecy has to be fulfilled in order for the Lord to return. What it shows us is that God’s word is true and that His will is being done!
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Update from Pastor Kerry Mauldin
| I am so thankful for the many hearts that are coming to Christ in the villages of India. Thank you all for praying and standing with us to strengthen the men and women’s hands that daily reach out to lives, by travelling rough roads and daily looking for hearts to share Christ’s love with those who have not heard.Below is a daily report from Govinda Reddy and Isaiah, sharing some of their daily journey for Christ. Several of these days we were walking beside them to plant churches, and lead people to Christ!! These are some of the 59 villages we gave new churches in Feb-March this year…That we would all have an urgency and share Christ with someone every day…
Thank you all each for praying…literally, God moves only when we pray… With love, thanks and prayers, Kerry and Melody PO Box 140402, Broken Arrow, Ok 74014
|
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Restraint
I have been praying very hard this past week on guidance on whether to move Loopyloo’s, keep blogging on it, or to concentrate on my other sites and the post that I do for Grumpy’s Opinions. While I have been praying, restraint is the message that I have been getting from the Lord. I have decided to let Loopyloo’s lie fallow for awhile and practice the restraint that the Lord is telling me that I need to do.
In the midst of this the Lord sent a friend with an offer my way as well! Marezilla offered me a chance to write for her. I truly appreciate the offer, she herself is suffering and is not able to do everything that she wants. She has several other writers as well, so there is no pressure to post all the time, which is a pressure that I am very bad about putting upon myself. It gives me the opportunity to practice restraint as well as the opportunity for something new.
I will continue my post on The Christian Gazette, A Needed Word, and Grumpy’s Opinions, and if would would like to read the posts that I put up at Zilla’s , here is the link to her site: Marezilla.com
House of the Stone Breakers
Stained glass at St John the Baptist’s Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus’ description of himself “I am the Good Shepherd” (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: “To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs.” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
First day in the villages!!
We went to Ramnagar to see construction on church by Fairlland
Assembly of God. Church is coming up well, and plaque looks nice, but
in Oct. when we shared and gave for church, a villager gave double the
land and so instead of a small church, this is coming up much
bigger–seat 150-200. Pray they have enough to complete it. A joy
was the woman, Elishamma that came to Christ and we were there when
she held hands with her husband and he also accepted Christ.
Both are in church and growing stronger!
Cherlagoraram Village- We sit in front of simple home of people who
break stones for 4 rs each and the whole village is stone breakers.
The first believer in the village is Inkula, now 60 and has 6
children. They have all come to Christ and are now about 30 believers
of 1000 in village, but growing and good spirit!!
They spoke up quickly that 1 of 10 stones broken belong to God. All
children have come and “Naga Raju”, “snake King, now called Daniel, 25
was the last to come 2 years ago.
It was blessing to hear and see a large family sitting on the mat in
front of the house sharing how God has changed their life since coming
to know Him. The debts and misery are gone since they have learned to
tithe and give… Daily, the whole family sits and reads the Word of
God together. The younger ones whoa can read, read to all.
We look where they have been building a stone church the past 5 years,
but have no more money. Publicly we stood and committed among
themselves, one by one to give 24,000Rupees, then we matched it and a
nice church will be complete.
The joy is this pastor, Paul, who came 9 years ago was only 20, but
has led them and 3 other villages to Christ. These are the only
churches in the villages.
Paul, we helped with his first village church in RA Nagar in 2011.
Dr. Mast and I pulled up early AM in Feb 2011 and no one met us and
small concrete stone church. Today, we visit and the church regularly
has 80 members that totally overflow the church and is growing so so
much!!
6 took baptism today. One woman who was Laxmmama and is now “Saramma”
stepped in for baptism. She is about 26 and the power of God hit her
and she shook and cried as she went under. Then she shared how 1
month ago, she worshipped hannamun, the monkey. She got a tumor and
had no hope, but a brilliant light filled the room she was in and a
man stood there that she came to know was Jesus. She said “all I
could do was shout HALLALEUJAH and shake”. Jesus healed her last
month and now she follows in baptism.
She stood with her 2 small 2 year old boys, tears streaming down her
face and thanking the Lord for all He is doing in her life!! We named
her Sarramma.
Christ is revealing himself to many in this way. Miracles are
happening and so many are coming to Christ!
Another man, Ramalu, 28, rode motorcycle, wanted baptism. After he
took baptism, his name is now Phillip. He shared this one year since
accepting Christ, everything he does is prospering, even as Phillip
kept being blessed and prospering everywhere he went…
We had an easier day today. JUst 4 villages after the drive from
Hyderabad.!! Our team of Jeff Oaks, Melody, “superwoman” Mauldin and
myself!! We are blessed and so so thankful for your prayers!!
With so much thanks, prayers and joy to serve the Lord,
Kerry, Melody and Jeff
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A.W. Tozer : Some Other Time
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. –John 14:12
“You will receive power” (Acts 1:8a). “Eagerly desire the greater gifts” (1 Corinthians 12:31a). Anything that God has ever done for a soul He will do for anyone else, if the conditions are met. The Lord who blessed these men that I spoke about, and the thousands who followed them but whose names are not known, is willing to do the same for us as He did for them.
Unbelief says: Some other time, but not now; some other place, but not here; some other people, but not us. Faith says: Anything He did anywhere else He will do here; anything He did any other time He is willing to do now; anything He ever did for other people He is willing to do for us! With our feet on the ground, and our head cool, but with our heart ablaze with the love of God, we walk out in this fullness of the Spirit, if we will yield and obey. God wants to work through you!
The Counselor has come, and He doesn’t care about the limits of locality, geography, time or nationality. The Body of Christ is bigger than all of these. The question is: Will you open your heart? The Counselor, 121.
“This thought is very convicting, Lord. I know I’ve been guilty of praising You for Your power and goodness, while secretly doubting that You were really going to work in my present situation. Forgive me that duplicity, Lord, and give me faith to believe You for Now, for Here, for Me. Amen.“
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Update from Pastor Kerry Mauldin
prayer.. (Photo credit: aronki)
|
Dear Kerry sir
These are the prayer shed requests from nandyal side
With Much of prayers and Regards
Harin
God is great all the time
|
Tozer on Christian Leadership
The Holy Spirit: Wild-eyed Fanatics
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good.—1 Thessalonians 5:19-21
This is a crude illustration, but let me tell you what we did after planting a field of corn when I was a young fellow in Pennsylvania. To save the field of corn from the crows, we would shoot an old crow and hang him by his heels in the middle of the field. This was supposed to scare off all of the crows for miles around. The crows would hold a conference and say, “Look, there is a field of corn but don’t go near it. I saw a dead crow over there!”
That’s the kind of conference that Satan calls, and that is exactly what he has done. He has taken some fanatical, weird, wild-eyed Christians who do things that they shouldn’t, and he has stationed them in the middle of God‘s cornfield, and warns, “Now, don’t you go near that doctrine about the Holy Spirit because if you do, you will act just like these wild-eyed fanatics.” The Counselor, 63.
“Keep us, Lord, from shying away from such valuable truth and experience as the ministry of the Holy Spirit because of the excesses of a few fanatics. We lose too much, and we can’t afford the loss. Amen.”
Bible Gateway
Building for Christ:Churches, Bore wells, Cycles and Talents
Just a note in case anyone would like to hear Pastor Mauldin and is in the Coal Hill, Ar. area on this coming Sunday, Feb. 10th, he will be giving us an update in person. God bless you!
Kerry Mauldin
Prayer Request from a Friend
Source: Uploaded by user via Megan on Pinterest
A friend of ours here on the blogs, Right Hook, is asking for prayer for her sister “My sister has been fighting breast cancer for about a year. She responded so well to treatment, and they thought they got it all after surgery. The last couple of months, she’s been having a lot of hip and back pain. She got some new scans today, and was devastated to learn that it is now in her bones, and all through her body. It has become very aggressive, and it is literally eating away at her bones. They are so fragile, the doctors said they could just snap. Her condition is “guarded”, and they are starting radiation tomorrow. This is in God’s hands. I would so appreciate your prayers.”
Please take time to pray for her! This is devastating news for all of them, but we know that our God can work miracles.
Psalm 6
King James Version (KJV)
6 O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
2 Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak: O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed.
3 My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O Lord, how long?
4 Return, O Lord, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies’ sake.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?
6 I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.
7 Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies.
8 Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.
9 The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.
10 Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly.
Oh Glorious Day
Do we deserve the sacrifice that Jesus made for us? No, nothing we have done or ever can do will justify that sacrifice. And yet He gave it for us! Oh just to have the faith of the woman who touched the robe of our Lord.
Casting Crowns - Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)
Lyrics:
One day when Heaven was filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a Virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is He
Word became flesh and the light shined among us
His glory revealed
Living He loved me, dying He saved me
And buried He carried my sins far away
Rising He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming, oh, glorious day, oh, glorious day
One day they led Him up Calvary‘s mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He
Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me
‘Cause living He loved me, dying He saved me
And buried He carried my sins far away
Rising He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming, oh, glorious day, oh, glorious day
One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now He’s ascended, my Lord evermore
Death could not hold Him
The grave could not keep Him from rising again
Living He loved me, dying He saved me
And buried He carried my sins far away
Rising He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming, oh, glorious day, oh, glorious day
Glorious day
One day the trumpet will sound for His coming
One day the skies with His glories will shine
Wonderful day, my beloved one bringing
My Savior Jesus is mine
Living He loved me, dying He saved me
And buried He carried my sins far away
Rising He justified freely forever
One day He’s coming, oh, glorious day, oh, glorious day
Glorious day, oh, glorious day
Accepting Christ Means Rejecting All Else— A.W. Tozer
A. W. Tozer (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A.W. Tozer:
The notion that we enter the Christian life by an act of acceptance is true, but that is not all the truth. There is
much more to it than that. Christianity involves an acceptance and a repudiation, an affirmation and a denial.
And this not only at the moment of conversion but continually thereafter day by day in all the battle of life till the
great conflict is over and the Christian is home from the wars. To live a life wholly positive is, fortunately,
impossible. Were any man able to do such a thing it could be only for a moment. Living positively would be like
inhaling continuously without exhaling. Aside from its being impossible, it would be fatal. Exhalation is as
necessary to life as inhalation. To accept Christ it is necessary that we reject whatever is contrary to Him. This
is a fact often overlooked by eager evangelists bent on getting results. Like the salesman who talks up the good
points of his product and conceals its disadvantages, the badly informed soulwinner stresses the positive side
of things at the expense of the negative.
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