Wednesday, February 3, 2010

ClassicWorship: Breathe by Michael W. Smith

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Last Call Digest

This material was brought to you by Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity. Last Call Digest, is a ministry of Michael James Stone, volunteers, and people dedicated to the Love of God and Salvation of Souls. It is an aggragate of Christian Material selected to Bless you and Prepare you for each and every day you read them. May God Bless You as You Do!! Reading these Devotions will help you to prepare daily for life, living, and your Lord. You will hear God Speak To You thru them.  Jesus  is Coming Very Soon.

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Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity, operates by you, with you, and for you. “Freely you have received, freely give”  Pass this on, everywhere you can, anytime you can, anyway you can. You will be blessed if you do.LastCallDigest@michaeljamesstone.com

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In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work herein is archived under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in reviewing the included information for personal use, non-profit research and educational purposes only.

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.
The material is being made available in an effort to understand scripture, news, technology and society especially as it relates to God and Jesus. It is specifically for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. This is a completely non-commercial site for private personal use. No fee is charged, and no money is made off of the operation of this site. Nor is any implied reciprocal gratuities implied or construed.

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LastCall: Has your leadership drifted by subtle compromises? (105-1) -Barry Werner

Has your leadership drifted by subtle compromises? (105-1)

A Christian leader’s life is evaluated not only by how they start but by how they finish.

Read 2 Kings 9:1-10:36.

Jehu was a man with a mission. Jehu led brilliantly in fulfilling God’s commands. No sooner was he anointed king than he gathered his troops and set out to obey God’s command (9:7). Quickly and efficiently he embraced divine instructions to destroy the house of Ahab and the worship of Baal. He even laid waste to Baal’s temple and everything in it. The Bible tells us that God commended Jehu for carrying out His mission.

Jehu started out well, but he went too far. Not only did he destroy the house of Ahab, but he also killed Ahab’s “Chief men, his close friends and his priests, leaving him no survivor” (10:11). Political self-interest took over his desire and prompted the last killings.

God praised Jehu’s obedience in carrying out His judgment on the house of Ahab but condemned Jehu’s refusal to turn away from the sins of a former leader, Jeroboam (10:30-31), and condemned Jehu for his ruthless killings beyond His instruction: “I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel” (Hosea 1:4).

Jehu accomplished great things for the Lord and the kingdom of Israel but his compromise destroyed his legacy. In the end his disobedience, self-centeredness, and lust for personal power overshadowed his accomplishment as a leader.

Has your leadership drifted from striving to obey God’s every word to subtle compromises that benefit you personally? Do you have an accountability group that will help you keep your focus by holding you accountable to scriptural principles and pure motives? Leaders will be remembered for how they start their leadership life but they will best be remembered for how well they finish.

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« How do you make sure you hear God’s specific instructions to you? (104-5)

Does fear or courage control your leadership decisions? (105-2) »

Last Call Digest

This material was brought to you by Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity. Last Call Digest, is a ministry of Michael James Stone, volunteers, and people dedicated to the Love of God and Salvation of Souls. It is an aggragate of Christian Material selected to Bless you and Prepare you for each and every day you read them. May God Bless You as You Do!! Reading these Devotions will help you to prepare daily for life, living, and your Lord. You will hear God Speak To You thru them.  Jesus  is Coming Very Soon.

Last Call        

Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity, operates by you, with you, and for you. “Freely you have received, freely give”  Pass this on, everywhere you can, anytime you can, anyway you can. You will be blessed if you do.LastCallDigest@michaeljamesstone.com

Last Call Journal

Fair Use Notice

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work herein is archived under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in reviewing the included information for personal use, non-profit research and educational purposes only.

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.
The material is being made available in an effort to understand scripture, news, technology and society especially as it relates to God and Jesus. It is specifically for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. This is a completely non-commercial site for private personal use. No fee is charged, and no money is made off of the operation of this site. Nor is any implied reciprocal gratuities implied or construed.

Posted via email from The Last Call Digest

Last Call: Daniel (2) "I Have Spoken To You" -Kay Arthur

PRECEPTS FOR LIFE

a Production of

Precept Ministries International

P.O. Box 182218, Chattanooga, TN 37422-7218

1-888-734-7707/ www.preceptsforlife.com

 

The following is an actual transcript of the PRECEPTS FOR LIFE Broadcast. For the purpose of filling transcript requests quickly, they have received only light editing. If you have questions concerning the material covered in this broadcast, Kay has published a number of books explaining the Scripture in depth. These books may be ordered by contacting the telephone number or address printed above.

TITLE: Program 2 – “I Have Spoken To You”

         

OPEN 

Has there ever been a time when you want to throw your hands over your ears and say, shut up, shut up: I don’t know what to do; quit telling me what to do? I want to do what’s right. I want to know what’s right and I am so confused. Or are there times when you take your fingers and put your fingers in your ears and say I’m not going to listen? What are the consequences of that? We’ll talk about it today. 

 

PART ONE

There are lots of voices aren’t there? And they’re all vying for our attention. And they’re all trying to tell us what we ought to do, how we ought to live, how we ought to think, how we ought to behave, what is right and what is wrong, or there is no right and there is no wrong. And then there’s another voice and that’s the voice of God and it’s found my friend, in the Word of God.

And this is the one true voice that you need to listen to. When we go to the book of Daniel and we open that first chapter and we begin to read those first verses, what we see is the consequences of listening to the voice of others, to listening to the voice of false prophets, rather than the true prophet, because the false prophets message was so much easier to take, in that it allowed us to live anyway we wanted to live, and get away with it. It allowed us to freely express ourselves and do whatever we wanted. And yet there was one lone voice in Israel at that time, in the land of Jerusalem and that was the voice of Jeremiah, speaking the word of the Lord.

And what did the people do? They didn’t put their hands over their ears and scream shut up to the false prophets. Rather, instead, they put their fingers in their ears, and they wouldn’t listen to the true prophet. Let’s go back to Daniel, chapter 1 and let me give you the introduction into this man by the name of Daniel and his three friends. You know them as Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.

Although those were their Babylonian names, rather than their Jewish names. Let’s read it. In Daniel, chapter 1, verse 1. And if you have your study guide, I would suggest that you just use your study guide unless you’re using a New American Standard, so you’re reading along with me and we’re reading from the same translation. It says in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god.

Now the land of Shinar is present day Iraq. So you see the connection. It’s a land that was still there. This was a real place. This was a real nation. And this is the nation of the future, because when you study the book of Revelation you see God talking about Babylon, that great city. So you’ve got to know that a lot of focus is going to be on that part of the world in the last days. And we’re in the last of the last days. In these last days a lot of the focus is going to be on that part of the world because that’s where the action is going to be, even as it was in the action of the days of Nebuchadnezzar and Jehoiakim and Daniel. And so it says verse 3:

Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles, youths in whom there was no defect, who were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding, and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for serving in the king’s court; and he ordered them to teach them the literature and the language of the Chaldeans. And the king appointed for them a daily ration from the king’s choice food and from the wine which he drank and appointed that they should be educated for three years, at the end of which they were to enter the king’s personal service. And among them from the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. Daniel, Daniel whose name means my judge is God.

So here is Daniel, being taken in to this Babylonian culture where he is going to be taught not only the wisdom of the Babylonians, but also the language of the Babylonians so that he might be indoctrinated, so that he might be carved and shaped and sculptured into a man who is fit to serve in the king’s court. Here is a young man that is taken from his culture, which is entirely different, which is a monotheistic culture, into a polytheistic culture: monotheistic; one God, polytheistic; many gods.

They are going to take this man and, and take him away, so to speak, from the wisdom that he has been taught as a Jewish lad, which is the Word of God and they’re going to put him in a culture that does not even acknowledge that God is God, that Yahweh is God. And they’re taking him into this culture and he is going as a captive.

Just imagine; he’s going in chains all the way up, so to speak, to Babylon as a conquered person to the country that has conquered him. Some of the vessels of the house of God are following him on that journey. They are going to be put into the house of Nebuchadnezzar’s gods. Now what does that say? Well in that culture this is what it said. In that culture it said, hey, listen, our god is stronger than your God; na, na, na, na, na, na, na. My god’s stronger than your God. You know, your God’s nothing. We conquered you. We conquered you by our gods. Your God could not defend you. And this is why you are captive.

This is why you are our slave. Now just imagine. Here is a youth being taken in his prime, into Babylon and in all probability being castrated, because he’s going to serve in the king’s court. And usually it was eunuchs that served in the king’s court. We’re going to look at that a little bit later. How old is this youth? Well, in Jewish reckoning, a youth was anywhere between 15 and 20 years of age. So let’s say he was 16. When you go through the book of Daniel, you’re going to see that Daniel lives to be an old, old man, a wise, wise, old man. And you’re going to see all of this as we study inductively. Remember we’re looking at the Bible inductively, we’re observing what it says.

And then we’re going to understand what does it mean? So we move from observation to interpretation and then application, okay, now how do I live in the light of this truth that I have just read. And believe me, the whole Bible is truth, but you see the personification of truth in the prophesies that are laid out years before they ever come to pass. And you see them in history come to pass in all of their accuracy. Well, now you’ve got the atmosphere. It’s the third year, according to the book of Daniel, of king Jehoiakim.

And it’s Nebuchadnezzar coming to Jerusalem and besieging it. Now when we get to Daniel, chapter 2, what we see in verse 1 it says: Now in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams. So this has to be in the first year of his reign because we find him in the second year of his reign having these dreams. So it is in Daniel, chapter 1. It is the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim. And Nebuchadnezzar is the king of Babylon.

Now what I want you to do is go to Jeremiah, chapter 25. All right, Jeremiah, chapter 25. And in Jeremiah, chapter 25, it says the word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying. You say, wait a minute; it was the first year of king Nebuchadnezzar, got that from Daniel. But this says it was the fourth year of Jehoiakim.

See the Bible can’t be trusted. Listen, the Bible can be trusted. The problem is, is we don’t know everything that we ought to know, okay. So when you go to Daniel and you look at the book of Daniel. He is writing from a Babylonian perspective, so to speak. So the Babylonians said that the first year that the king came to power was the year of his ascension and so he came to power and then the next year, when the calendar year turned and it didn’t turn in January like it turns today, but when the calendar year turned, then that would be called the first year.

So when you look at it from the Babylonian perspective, the third year of Jehoiakim compared to the Jewish perspective, would be the fourth year of Jehoiakim. Okay. Now what’s the common denominator? The common denominator is this, that it’s the first year of Nebuchadnezzar.

And what’s happening in this first year of Nebuchadnezzar? Well, the prophet comes and he’s speaking to all the people of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And he’s saying from the thirteenth year of Josiah, the son of Ammon, king if Judah, even to this day, these twenty-three years the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken to you again and again, and you have not listened. You jammed your fingers in your ears and you would not listen to me. You didn’t want to hear what God had to say through me because I was calling you to righteousness.

I want to ask you a question just before we take this break. Do you not want to listen to the Word of God because it puts you on a straight and narrow path that’s so different from the rest of the world and it doesn’t give you the liberty to live as you want to live? Oh, beloved, listen, that straight and narrow path is a path of great security and a great blessing. And you don’t want to put your fingers in your ears; you want to listen. We’ll talk about it when we come back.

 

PART TWO

If God were to send a prophet today, what would that prophet say to us? That prophet would say to us, turn from your evil ways. Look at this society. Look at how it has broken My commandments. Look at how it has disregarded Me. Look at how it has tried to push Me into a corner and not acknowledge that I exist. Look at the things that it has tolerated that are direct contradictions to my Word when you take it literally. Look at this society and know this, that you are an evil and a wicked and an adulterous generation. And if you do not repent, if you don’t have a change of mind, I’m going to have to judge you. Now listen, that message is in the Old Testament prophets.

And you say, and why would God not send a prophet like He sent Jeremiah or like He sent Isaiah? Because in these last days God has spoken through His Son. He has said everything that He needs to say and it’s all here. The revelation is complete. It’s in the Word of God. We’re to listen. In the days of Daniel the revelation was not complete. But the revelation was being given ahead of time so that they, if they would listen to the prophet, they would know what was going to come to pass. Let’s go back to where we left off in Jeremiah, chapter 25, because when you read the Kings and the Chronicles you want to read the prophets.

When you read Daniel you want to understand what Jeremiah says because we’re going to see that Daniel read Jeremiah. If Daniel read Jeremiah, and that’s in Daniel, chapter 9, you and I ought to read Jeremiah also. So this is what he says. The word came and you didn’t listen. Verse 4: And the Lord has sent to you His servants the prophets, again and again, but you have not listened. You have not inclined your ear to hear. You’ve cupped your ears and you’ve said shut up, shut up, shut up. I don’t want to hear that. Get rid of him. Or you’ve put your fingers in your ears and you have leered at them and you have said I don’t believe that and I am not going to listen to you. He says the prophets came, you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear, saying, the prophets were saying: Turn now everyone from his evil way.

And they would look and say who are you to judge me; who are you to say this is evil? Who are you to say that homosexuality or adultery or pedophilia or immorality, having sex outside of marriage, is wrong? Who are you to say that it’s not all right for two people to live together, to cohabitate together, to have sex before they’re married? Who are you? I mean come on; get in this century, will you. Listen, they wouldn’t listen. They didn’t want to hear what the prophets said. They didn’t want to hear that their way was evil. And he says and from the evil of your deeds, what you are doing is wrong. Listen to me precious one, if you are having sex outside of marriage and marriage is a man and a woman, and you know that marriage is a man and a woman. If you’ll stop and just think about it, because two men cannot produce a child.

Two women cannot produce a child. God made us male and He made us female and He said marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled, but fornicators and adulterers God would judge. Israel was guilty of sexual immorality because listen, spiritual adultery leads to physical adultery. If you would read the first chapters of Jeremiah he would say you were like a horse, you know just naying after any other horse in heat. You were just running after them. You troop down to the harlot’s house. Ezekiel says you just laid down under every green tree. God was trying to speak to them because listen to me very carefully, when there’s spiritual adultery, when you start flirting with other gods, when you start flirting with the god of this world it leads to physical adultery. Physical adultery is just a sign of your relationship to God. It’s a bad sign.

And he says turn now, the prophets were saying everyone, from his evil way and from the evil of your deeds and dwell in the land which the Lord has given you and your forefathers forever and ever. If you will obey Me you will live in Israel forever and ever and ever and ever. They didn’t have to be in captivity. There didn’t have to be a holocaust. But it’s because they did not obey God. And He says and do not go after other gods to serve them and to worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands, and I will do you no harm. Yet you have not listened to Me. Every time I come to the word listened I draw a green ear over the word listened. If it’s not listened, then I put a slash through that ear to show that they haven’t listened. He says yet you have not listened, declares the Lord, in order that you might not provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm.

Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, because you have not obeyed My words. And I mark obey with a big red circle and I color it blue and if it’s not obeyed I put a slash through it. He says behold, because you have not obeyed, behold I will send and take all the families of the north, declares the Lord, and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants, and against all these nations round about; and I will utterly destroy them, and make them a horror, and a hissing, and an everlasting desolation.

Moreover, I will take from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, and the voice of a bridegroom and the voice of a bride, and the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. And this whole land; now listen very, very carefully, shall be a desolation and a horror, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years, seventy years. This is the prophecy that Jeremiah gave. He says you’re going to serve for seventy years, you’re going to be in captivity. You’re going to serve Babylon. Now listen, seventy years.

When did that seventy start? It started in the third year of Jehoiakim when Nebuchadnezzar came up and besieged Babylon. It started in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, according to Jewish reckoning, when Nebuchadnezzar came up and besieged Jerusalem. In other words, it happened and that’s when the clock started ticking, 605 B.C. and they remain in captivity under the Babylonians until Cyrus the king of Persia sends a edict out saying you can return to your land. God wanted to get their attention.

Let me ask you a question beloved: Are you in trouble because you didn’t listen to God? I want to tell you something, God’s not through with you. God has you listening, because God wants to turn you around and turn you inside out. And you know what? God can take you and use you even as He took Daniel and used him. God is God and He can be trusted, but you have to listen to Him. You’ve got to listen so that you don’t have to suffer the judgment of God.

Daniel was a man who was blessed greatly. Because even though his circumstances were adverse he was a man who continued to listen to God. He was a man who continued to obey God in the most adverse circumstances a young man could find himself in and God honored him. And beloved, that’s an example to you and God saying I will honor you also if you’ll listen.

Last Call Digest

This material was brought to you by Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity. Last Call Digest, is a ministry of Michael James Stone, volunteers, and people dedicated to the Love of God and Salvation of Souls. It is an aggragate of Christian Material selected to Bless you and Prepare you for each and every day you read them. May God Bless You as You Do!! Reading these Devotions will help you to prepare daily for life, living, and your Lord. You will hear God Speak To You thru them.  Jesus  is Coming Very Soon.

Last Call        

Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity, operates by you, with you, and for you. “Freely you have received, freely give”  Pass this on, everywhere you can, anytime you can, anyway you can. You will be blessed if you do.LastCallDigest@michaeljamesstone.com

Last Call Journal

Fair Use Notice

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work herein is archived under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in reviewing the included information for personal use, non-profit research and educational purposes only.

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.
The material is being made available in an effort to understand scripture, news, technology and society especially as it relates to God and Jesus. It is specifically for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. This is a completely non-commercial site for private personal use. No fee is charged, and no money is made off of the operation of this site. Nor is any implied reciprocal gratuities implied or construed.

Posted via email from The Last Call Digest

LastCall: You Are A Dangerous Generation -Melody Green

You Are A Dangerous Generation

by Melody Green


Have you ever seen a movie where people keep trying to kill someone... only that person doesn't realize someone is after them? Strange things keep happening. Near misses, so-called accidents, explosions they barely escape, etc. The audience knows what's going on. They keep anxiously hoping that person will realize someone is trying to take them out. That they are a target. 

But it takes this "target" over half the movie to figure it out. When they finally do, they start fighting back. Getting smart. Avoiding danger. Dodging bullets. Planning counter attacks. Winning. 

But even after they figure out they're a target, it's usually near the end of the movie before they can figure out WHY someone is after them. WHY they are a target. Finally they realize it's something they have, or know... or perhaps just who they are... that makes them so important to destroy. 

So it is with your generation. 

Sometimes you have to recognize the intensity of the enemy's attack before you understand just how much of a threat your are... how dangerous you are. 

Your generation is a big threat to the enemy. Why? Because you have a huge call on your lives. A big, intense anointing that God is going to lay on you once you realize WHO you are in Him. You are like no other generation before you. It is the last days anointing—of healing the sick, raising the dead, and seeing multitudes come into the Kingdom through your witness and ministry. There is a powerful call on your whole generation. 

That is why the enemy wants to take you out. That is why he has laid so many traps for you. 

Think about it. 

First, there's drugs. Lots of them. A few generations ago there was pot and acid and some hard stuff. Now there are so many more kinds of drugs. And they are way stronger than they used to be—and lots easier to get, too. Who can fulfill their destiny with a foggy, confused mind? 

Then there's sex. Well, there's always been sex. But now with AIDS and various STD's you can die from having sex... even just once. Can't fulfill your destiny if you're sick... or dead. 

There's lots of sexual abuse, too. A huge percentage of you have been sexually abused, raped, molested. What used to happen once in awhile now happens all the time... and most of it happens right in your own homes by your parents, brothers, sisters, relatives... or someone else you should have been able to trust. There's a lot more physical and emotional abuse too... stuff that degrades you and makes you feel like you are nothing. Nobody. Like dying. Like giving up before you even begin. 

These are all things that hurt your heart and can ruin your life if you are left on your own and never turn to Jesus. It's hard to think about fulfilling your destiny when you are dealing with so much personal heartbreak. 

And to top it off, the enemy has made sure that your generation gets it daily dose of violence, evil doings, and callousness towards those who are smaller, weaker and not as good looking or smart. He says it's OK to snicker and not care when some someone else is hurt... or even when you are hurt. You just need to act like you don't care. Pretty soon you think you really don't. 

It's just one big ugly cycle. 

Today there's a lot more to be angry about, confused about, betrayed about.... and so many messages out there just tell you to harden your heart, join tougher gangs, get bigger guns, take harder drugs, have more sex... anything to make your mind and heart number than it's ever been because the pain is so great. Because reality is so unbearable. And he tells some of you to ease some of your emotional pain by hurting others, or even to cause yourselves some genuine physical pain. Some of you know exactly what I mean. 

And then there is the big one. The biggest attack on your generation ever. 

Do you know that the enemy thinks your generation is so dangerous that he probably tried to kill you before you were even born? If you are alive and reading this right now—and you are in your mid-twenties or younger—you are a survivor of the biggest war in human history. It's called abortion—and the enemy has already murdered over 20 million of your classmates before they even saw the light of day. And that's just in America. Think of the brothers, sisters, cousins, and good friends you might have had if abortion hadn't been legalized. The numbers are staggering and the abortion war rages on today. Some of you have even avoided being parents in this way—which has most likely plagued you with guilt. Who can fulfill their destiny when they are full of guilt? 

Do you think all of this would be happening if you were not such a threat to the enemy? There must be something about you that makes satan hate you so much... that makes him so afraid of you surviving, being of sound mind, and fulfilling your destiny in God. And it is simply this: 

You are a chosen generation. Chosen by God to do mighty exploits in His name. 

Satan knows if he can't get you into his clutches that you will turn against him with a vengeance. He knows you have within you a God given concern for the weak and the lost. That you have a strong sense of justice and fairness. That when you fully get ahold of God's heart you will be devastating to him. That is why he has tried to pervert the call on your lives, and stop you before you begin. That's why the enemy has tried to take you out at the earliest possible moment. And if he can't take you out, he wants to ruin you in some way... or cause you to do such horrible things that you will believe that God could never forgive you. Or use you. Or want you. Which is all one big fat LIE. 

It is never too late to turn to Jesus. Never too late to ask for forgivness. Never too late pay back the enemy for all he has done to you—and caused you to do to others. As long as you have a breath left in your body, you can use it to call on the name of the Lord. He WILL come and save you. 

In truth, the lies of the enemy have been exposed. You don't have to be destroyed. In fact, if you want to, you can do incredible things for God. And the hard things you have been through, and even the wrong or evil things you have done, are all going to give you a greater heart for those who are still trapped in satans web. You are going to understand why they have done some of things they have done. You are also going to be able to give them hope. You will have great faith that their lives can be turned around for God, because your life has been turned around for God. 

What satan planned for evil, God will use for good. If you will let Him. 

It is time for your generation to give satan his due. That's why it is imperative for you to walk with God. To be HIS servant, and not a servant of the enemy. When you walk with God, you will not only receive what He has for you, but an impartation of all He has allotted for your generation—in this time and this season. 

The world will be shaken when they see you move in Holy Spirit power. When they see your compassion and your love—and the favor God has given you. 

The anointing and the call on your generation is something satan does not want you to discover. But it is something we at Last Days Ministries are committed to showing you. To help you grow in. We want to see you thrive in Jesus. Find the answers and help you are looking for. To be all you can be for God. 

We at LDM believe in you. Some of you may feel unworthy. But aren't we all? It is only by the grace of God that anyone can do anything worth doing. If you aren't already walking with God, it is time to run into His arms. Do not take a shortcut. Just RUN to Him and let Him wash you and cleanse you. 

Jesus wants to see you walk in your destiny even more that you want it. He is committed to you. He will bring it to pass. He will heal you. Just hold onto His hand and ask Him for His grace, and mercy, and forgivness. 

It is time to leave the past behind. 
Realize you are a target. 
Get smart.
Dodge the bullets. 
Get a strategy. 
And get going. 

Quit playing into the enemy's hand. Turn the tables on him. You are dangerous. You are a threat to his evil plan. And with Jesus, you will win. You might lose a few battles along the way. But ultimately, in the end, you will win bigtime. 

LDM wants to help you—with the testimonies you will read and the encouragement you'll receive on this site. We believe you can do it. Just do what you need to do. You already know some of your first steps. God has already shown you. It is time to let go of the past and move forward into your future destiny. 

You are a dangerous generation.
God will help you outsmart the enemy.
You just have to decide you want to.

Melody Green, 2/22/2007

Last Call Digest

This material was brought to you by Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity. Last Call Digest, is a ministry of Michael James Stone, volunteers, and people dedicated to the Love of God and Salvation of Souls. It is an aggragate of Christian Material selected to Bless you and Prepare you for each and every day you read them. May God Bless You as You Do!! Reading these Devotions will help you to prepare daily for life, living, and your Lord. You will hear God Speak To You thru them.  Jesus  is Coming Very Soon.

Last Call        

Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity, operates by you, with you, and for you. “Freely you have received, freely give”  Pass this on, everywhere you can, anytime you can, anyway you can. You will be blessed if you do.LastCallDigest@michaeljamesstone.com

Last Call Journal

Fair Use Notice

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work herein is archived under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in reviewing the included information for personal use, non-profit research and educational purposes only.

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.
The material is being made available in an effort to understand scripture, news, technology and society especially as it relates to God and Jesus. It is specifically for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. This is a completely non-commercial site for private personal use. No fee is charged, and no money is made off of the operation of this site. Nor is any implied reciprocal gratuities implied or construed.

Posted via email from The Last Call Digest

40 Days: Day Fourteen -Rick Warren

When God Seems Distant

 

The LORD has hidden himself from his people, 

but I trust him and place my hope in him. 

Isaiah 8:17 (TEV) -

God is real, no matter how you feel.

It is easy to worship God when things are going great in your life-when he has provided food, friends, family, health, and happy situations. But circumstances are not always pleasant. How do you worship God then? What do you do when God seems a million miles away?

The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking God during a trial, trusting him when tempted, surrendering while suffering, and loving him when he seems distant.

Friendships are often tested by separation and silence; you are divided by physical distance or you are unable to talk. In your friendship with God, you won't always feel close to him. Philip Yancey has wisely noted, "Any relationship involves times of closeness and times of distance, and in a relationship with God, no matter how intimate, the pendulum will swing from one side to the other."' That's when worship gets difficult.

To mature your friendship, God will test it with periods of seeming separation-times when it feels as if he has abandoned or forgotten you. God feels a million miles away. St. John of the Cross referred to these days of spiritual dryness, doubt, and estrangement from God as "the dark night of the soul." Henri Nouwen called them "the ministry of absence." A. W. Tozer called them "the ministry of the night." Others refer to "the winter of the heart."

Besides Jesus, David probably had the closest friendship with God of anyone. God took pleasure in calling him "a man after my own heart."2 Yet David frequently complained of God's apparent absence: "Lord, why are you standing aloof and far away? Why do you hide when I need you the most?"3 "Why have you forsaken me? Why do you remain so distant? Why do you ignore my cries for help?"4 "Why have you abandoned me?"  

Of course, God hadn't really left David, and he doesn't leave you. He has promised repeatedly, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."6 But God has not promised "you will always feel my presence." In fact, God admits that sometimes he hides his face from us. There are times when he appears to be MIA, missing-in-action, in your life.

Floyd McClung describes it: "You wake up one morning and all your spiritual feelings are gone. You pray, but nothing happens. You rebuke the devil, but it doesn't change anything. You go through spiritual exercises ... you have your friends pray for you ... you confess every sin. you can imagine, then go around asking forgiveness of everyone you know. You fast ... still nothing. You begin to wonder how long this spiritual gloom might last. Days? Weeks? Months? Will it ever end? ... it feels as if your prayers simply bounce off the ceiling. In utter desperation, you cry out, `What's the matter with me?"'

The truth is, there's nothing wrong with you! This is a normal part of the testing and maturing of your friendship with God. Every Christian goes through it at least once, and usually several times. It is painful and disconcerting, but it is absolutely vital for the development of your faith.

Knowing this gave Job hope when he could not feel God's presence in his life. He said, "I go east, but he is not there. I go west, but I cannot find him. I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden. I turn to the south, but I cannot find him. But he knows where I am going. And when he has tested me like gold in afire, he will pronounce me innocent.'"

When God seems distant, you may feel that he is angry with you or is disciplining you for some sin. In fact, sin does disconnect us from intimate fellowship with God. We grieve God's Spirit and quench our fellowship with him by disobedience, conflict with others, busyness, friendship with the world, and other sins.

But often this feeling of abandonment or estrangement from God has nothing to do with sin. It is a test of faith-one we all must face: Will you continue to love, trust, obey, and worship God, even when you have no sense of his presence or visible evidence of his work in your life?

The most common mistake Christians make in worship today is seeking an experience rather than seeking God. They look for a feeling, and if it happens, they conclude that they have worshiped. Wrong! In fact, God often removes our feelings so we won't depend on them. Seeking a feeling, even the feeling of closeness to Christ, is not worship.

When you are a baby Christian, God gives you a lot of confirming emotions and often answers the most immature, self-centered prayers-so you'll know he exists. But as you grow in faith, he will wean you of these dependencies.

God's omnipresence and the manifestation of his presence are two different things. One is a fact; the other is often a feeling. God is always present, even when you are unaware of him, and his presence is too profound to be measured by mere emotion.

Yes, he wants you to sense his presence, but he's more concerned that you trust him than that you feel him. Faith, not feelings, pleases God.

The situations that will stretch your faith most will be those times when life falls apart and God is nowhere to be found. This happened to job. On a single day he lost everything-his family, his business, his health, and everything he owned. Most discouraging-for thirty-seven chapters, God said nothing!

How do you praise God when you don't understand what's happening in your life and God is silent? How do you stay connected in a crisis without communication? How do you keep your eyes on Jesus when they're full of tears? You do what Job did: "Then befell to the ground in worship and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."'

Tell God exactly how you feel. Pour out your heart to God. Unload every emotion that you're feeling. Job did this when he said, "I can't be quiet! I am angry and bitter. I have to speak!"  He cried out when God seemed distant: "Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God's intimate friendship blessed my house."' God can handle your doubt, anger, fear, grief, confusion, and questions.

Did you know that admitting your hopelessness to God can be a statement of faith? Trusting God but feeling despair at the same time, David wrote, "I believed, so I said, `I am completely ruined!" 14 This sounds like a contradiction: I trust God, but I'm wiped out! David's frankness actually reveals deep faith: First, he believed in God. Second, he believed God would listen to his prayer. Third, he believed God would let him say what he felt and still love him.

Focus on who God is-his unchanging nature. Regardless of circumstances and how you feel, hang on to God's unchanging character. Remind yourself what you know to be eternally true about God: He is good, he loves me, he is with me, he knows what I'm going through, he cares, and he has a good plan for my life. V. Raymond Edman said, "Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light."

When Job's life fell apart, and God was silent, Job still found things he could praise God for:

That he is good and loving.

That he is all-powerful.

That he notices every detail of my life.

That he is in control.

That he has a plan for my life.

That he will save me.

Trust God to keep his promises. During times of spiritual dryness you must patiently rely on the promises of God, not your emotions, and realize that he is taking you to a deeper level of maturity. A friendship based on emotion is shallow indeed.

So don't be troubled by trouble. Circumstances cannot change the character of God. God's grace is still in full force; he is still for you, even when you don't feel it. In the absence of confirming circumstances, job held on to God's Word. He said, "I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread "

This trust in God's Word caused Job to remain faithful even though nothing made sense. His faith was strong in the midst of pain: "God may kill me, but still I will trust him.”

When you feel abandoned by God yet continue to trust him in spite of your feelings, you worship him in the deepest way.

Remember what God has already done for you.

If God never did anything else for you, he would still deserve your continual praise for the rest of your life because of what Jesus did for you on the cross. God's Son died for you! This is the greatest reason for worship.

Unfortunately, we forget the cruel details of the agonizing sacrifice God made on our behalf. Familiarity breeds complacency. Even before his crucifixion, the Son of God was stripped naked, beaten until almost unrecognizable, whipped, scorned and mocked, crowned with thorns, and spit on contemptuously.

Abused and ridiculed by heartless men, he was treated worse than an animal.

Then, nearly unconscious fromblood loss, he was forced to drag a cumbersome cross up a hill, was nailed to it, and was left to die the slow, excruciating torture of death by crucifixion. While his lifeblood drained out, hecklers stood by and shouted insults, making fun of his pain and challenging his claim to be God.

Next, as Jesus took all of mankind's sin and guilt on himself, God looked away from that ugly sight, and Jesus cried out in total desperation, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus could have saved himself-but then he could not have saved you.

Words cannot describe the darkness of that moment. Why did God allow and endure such ghastly, evil mistreatment? Why? So you could be spared from eternity in hell, and so you could share in his glory forever! The Bible says, "Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made him share our sin in order that in union with him we might share the righteousness of God."

Jesus gave up everything so you could have everything. He died so you could live forever. That alone is worthy of your continual thanks and praise. Never again should you wonder what you have to be thankful for.

DAY FOURTEEN THINKING ABOUT MY PURPOSE

Point to Ponder: God is real, no matter how I feel.

Verse to Remember: "For God has said, `I will never leave you; I will never abandon you."' Hebrews 13:5 (TEV)

Question to Consider: How can I stay focused on God's presence, especially when he feels distant?

When you feel abandoned by God yet continue to trust him, you worship him in the deepest way.

Last Call Digest

This material was brought to you by Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity. Last Call Digest, is a ministry of Michael James Stone, volunteers, and people dedicated to the Love of God and Salvation of Souls. It is an aggragate of Christian Material selected to Bless you and Prepare you for each and every day you read them. May God Bless You as You Do!! Reading these Devotions will help you to prepare daily for life, living, and your Lord. You will hear God Speak To You thru them.  Jesus  is Coming Very Soon.

Last Call        

Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity, operates by you, with you, and for you. “Freely you have received, freely give”  Pass this on, everywhere you can, anytime you can, anyway you can. You will be blessed if you do.LastCallDigest@michaeljamesstone.com

Last Call Journal

Fair Use Notice

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work herein is archived under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in reviewing the included information for personal use, non-profit research and educational purposes only.

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.
The material is being made available in an effort to understand scripture, news, technology and society especially as it relates to God and Jesus. It is specifically for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. This is a completely non-commercial site for private personal use. No fee is charged, and no money is made off of the operation of this site. Nor is any implied reciprocal gratuities implied or construed.

Posted via email from The Last Call Digest

LastCall: Abraham's fear -Bob Caldwell

Unbelief Yet to be Uprooted

 “Then Abimelech said to Abraham, ‘What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?’” - Genesis 20:10

Abraham’s fear that God will not protect him resurfaces in this chapter. Years earlier, when Abraham first arrived in this land of promise, he had shown this same fear. When famine had hit Canaan, he left the land of promise, making himself vulnerable to those he feared would take his life and then take his wife (Gen. 12:1-20).

Abraham repeats this same lapse of faith even after God had shown Himself to be faithful in keeping and prospering Abraham time and time again. He gives us three excuses for his actions in verses 9-12. None of them, however, justify his actions. In fact, all they really reveal is God’s amazing grace to protect Sarah from being forced into the harem of this Egyptian ruler.

This teaches us first that God’s promises are as sure as God Himself. To have put Sarah into such a dangerous situation was completely unnecessary. God is not limited by anything or anyone in keeping the promises He has given His people. We should fear no one but God. And if we do fail in our faith, God will still be faithful to what He has promised to do in and through us.

I tend to think Abraham learned his lesson. In the next two chapters, he shows a new and deeper level of faith than ever before.

Genesis 20:1-18

Abraham and Abimelech

1 And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. 2 Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.

3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”

4 But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also? 5 Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she, even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.”

Abraham Leaves To Gerar (Verses 1-2)

v. 1 Journeyed – Abraham left the area that had been devastated by God’s judgment and went to an area that he believed would be a sufficient market for his extensive livestock, a business that employed hundreds of people (Gen. 14:14).

Stayed – “Ghur” Literally means “to turn aside.” This word was used to refer to people who lived among those who were not blood relatives.

Gerar – This was the capital city of the Philistines, near the border of Egypt.

v. 2 She Is My Sister – In fear of being killed and his wife taken from him, Abraham lies. He had left the place of fellowship with God at Hebron in the plain of Mamre to a place where he feared the loss of God’s protection and blessing. How much better it is to remain within the boundary of God’s will than leave it for “greener” pastures that in the end expose us to our lack of strength and potential defeat when we seek to live life without God. It seems Abraham fell back into a lapse of faith similar to what is recorded in Genesis 12:10-20. It therefore becomes obvious that he had never truly repented and rooted out this fear and unbelief.

Abimelech – This was a title for a ruler, not a personal name.

Took Sarah – Likely she was added to the king’s harem because of the wealth and position she represented, being a “sister” of this wealthy businessman Abraham.

God Intervenes (Verses 3-7)

v. 3 Dream – God often uses the subconscious state of dreams to speak with humanity. God is seen here as faithful to intervene in not allowing Abraham’s lying and fear to hinder His own sovereign plans.

Dead Man – Here we see God’s strong view about maintaining fidelity in marriage.

v. 4 Lord – “Adonai” This is a Hebrew term for God that means “Lord of All.” It reveals that this King had a true understanding of God in the midst of an idolatrous world that, by and large, worshipped many gods.

Righteous Nation – Abimelech had sought to lead his nation with respect to what he knew to be God’s will. At this time there were no scriptures to refer to, but he was led by what Paul would later refer to as God’s law written upon the heart (Rom. 2:15).

6 And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. 7 Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

8 So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid. 9 And Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.” 10 Then Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?”11 And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife. 12 But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. 13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”

v. 5 Integrity“Tom” (Heb.) Refers to a moral virtue that is one of innocence, simplicity, and uprightness.

Innocence“Niqqayon” (Heb.) Refers to being free of blame for what had happened.

v. 6 I Also Withheld – God reveals His sovereign power to control what appear to be natural circumstances.

v. 7 Prophet“Havi” (Heb.) Means speaker of oracles. This is the first time this term is used in the Bible. Such a person was set apart by God to speak words that were not his own, but God’s (1 Peter 1:20-21).

Pray – Even though Abraham had lied and put his wife in a potentially adulterous situation, God still maintained His commitment to the call and relationship He had with Abraham.

Sarah Is Restored To Abraham (Verses 8-18)

v. 9 What Have – A man Abraham had thought did not fear God rebukes him. It is often the case that the “world” can see the hypocrisy and sin of believers before believers can see it themselves.

v. 11 Because – Abraham gives the first of three excuses for his sin: “God is not in this place.” This, of course, is not true, but it reveals that Abraham still had a limited understanding of God.

Kill Me – Abraham’s second excuse for his sin was that he needed to protect himself from harm. This becomes an obvious proof that he had lapsed into unbelief rather than by faith believing that God would have protected both him and his wife if he had simply been honest with this king.

v. 12 She is My Sister – Abraham’s third reason for his sin is to excuse it by telling a half-truth rather than face the cold facts of his deeds. She was a half sister, but, more importantly, she was his wife.

14 Then Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him. 15 And Abimelech said, “See, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” 16 Then to Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; indeed this vindicates you before all who are with you and before everybody.” Thus she was rebuked.

17 So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children; 18 for the LORD had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

v. 16 This Vindicates You – The gifts Abimelech had given (v. 14-15) were understood to atone, to “cover over,” so as to forget any wrong that may have been done. “Justice has been done” on the part of Abimelech.

v. 17 God“Elohim” (Heb.) This word refers to God as the One Supreme Being and the source of the healing.

v. 18 The Lord“Yahweh” (Heb.) This is the personal term for God used by the Jews to distinguish Him from all the other concepts of God among pagans who believed in many gods.

Last Call Digest

This material was brought to you by Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity. Last Call Digest, is a ministry of Michael James Stone, volunteers, and people dedicated to the Love of God and Salvation of Souls. It is an aggragate of Christian Material selected to Bless you and Prepare you for each and every day you read them. May God Bless You as You Do!! Reading these Devotions will help you to prepare daily for life, living, and your Lord. You will hear God Speak To You thru them.  Jesus  is Coming Very Soon.

Last Call        

Broadcast(B.C.)Christianity, operates by you, with you, and for you. “Freely you have received, freely give”  Pass this on, everywhere you can, anytime you can, anyway you can. You will be blessed if you do.LastCallDigest@michaeljamesstone.com

Last Call Journal

Fair Use Notice

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work herein is archived under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in reviewing the included information for personal use, non-profit research and educational purposes only.

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.
The material is being made available in an effort to understand scripture, news, technology and society especially as it relates to God and Jesus. It is specifically for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. This is a completely non-commercial site for private personal use. No fee is charged, and no money is made off of the operation of this site. Nor is any implied reciprocal gratuities implied or construed.

Posted via email from The Last Call Digest