The Rain

Mercy Said NO!!

I'm not gonna let you go;

I'm not gonna let you slip away;

You don't have to be afraid.

Mercy Said NO!!

Sin will never take control;

Life and Death stood face to face;

Darkness tried to steal my heart away;

Thank You Jesus;

Mercy Said No.

Good morning to you all my brothers and sisters. It is truly a great pleasure to minister to you (and myself) of God's Goodness and Mercy which flows like a river wide. I can boldly say that none of us is worthy of God's Mercy yet because of his LOVE for us, he freely gives.

Below is a story which touched me deeply when I heard it. I trust that it does the same for you. God Bless and Keep you.

One rainy afternoon I was driving along one of the main streets of town, taking those extra precautions necessary when the roads are wet and slick. Suddenly, my daughter, Aspen, spoke up from her relaxed position in her seat.

"Dad, I'm thinking of something." This announcement usually meant she had been pondering some fact for a while, and was now ready to expound all that her six-year-old mind had discovered. I was eager to hear. "What are you thinking?" I asked. "The rain!" she began, "is like sin, and the windshield wipers are like God wiping our sins away." After the chill bumps raced up my arms I was able to respond. "That's really good, Aspen."

Then my curiosity broke in. How far would this little girl take this revelation? So I asked... "Do you notice how the rain keeps on coming? What does that tell you?" Aspen didn't hesitate one moment with her answer: "We keep on sinning, and God just keeps on forgiving us." I will always remember this whenever I turn my wipers on.

In order to see the Rainbow, you must first endure some Rain.

If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.
Every moment, thank God.

Thanks Garvin

Victory in Prayer

I will stay in theme of using prayer as a weapon or shield and recommend another Psalm for you.
This Psalm is one that is special to my family and given to me as a child by my Aunt. It is intended to off you protection from your 'enemies'.

Enemy is word that is alien to most people's vocabulary because it is associated with wars and motion pictures and the like. But in my mind, an enemy is anyone or anything that retards your progress, directly or indirectly.

Remember, your goal is always spiritual growth. Mind you, I am not yet at that point, nor do I fully comprehend the true meaning of spiritual growth. But I am aware that I am incomplete and that spirituality is a large part of what I am missing to be whole.

We'll discuss that in the future...but for now, let's read these words from Psalm 35. It's much more in depth, but for the purpose of protection you need only repeat these words in the morning and at night.

Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me

Take hold of my shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help.

Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation...

May God bless you.

Use prayer as a weapon

Many of us do not know the power of prayer and the infinite power of consistent prayer.
Recently I was awash in stress and overwhelmed by work and I didn't know why.

Normally, no matter how burdensome the weight, I always had this honest belief that God had given me a cross I could bear. So why was it different this time?

I stopped praying!

I allowed the enemy to get near me and penetrate my mind because I had not summoned my shield. My shield is prayer.

The removal of prayer from your life is the first stage of attack and you must be aware of that. Keep praying, continue to use your weapon against evil, against wickedness, against spite and envy.
Your prayer is your prayer; said from your mouth and thought in your mind it is a unique defence.
Use it and learn its strength.

My prayer, which I will share with you; is Psalm 20...make it your prayer too.

The lord hear thee in the day of trouble;
The name of the God of Jacob defend thee;
Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;
Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.

God bless

The Devil's Future

"Resist the devil and he will flee from you."1

A friend shared with me her way of handling the deceiver-tempter: "When Satan comes to remind me about my past, I remind him about his future."

One thing Satan does is continually accuse us before God.2 Knowing that he does this, we can remind him not only about his future in hell but also that Christ shed his blood on the cross and gave his life to pay for our sins and has washed them all away. So what's there to accuse us of if we have confessed our sins to Christ and asked for and accepted his forgiveness?

Furthermore, because Christ died for us and cleansed us from our sins, we can, in Jesus' name resist the devil and, as James said, he will flee from us. Satan hates the name of Jesus. Be sure to mention it when he comes to tempt you.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that you forgive all who confess their sins and ask for your forgiveness. Help me always to resist the devil in Jesus' name, knowing that he will flee from me and has no power over me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."1. James 4:7.2. Rev. 12:10.

Source: Daily Encounter

GOD'S VALENTINE'S GREETING

Good morning to all of God's beautiful creation. Today is February 14th. Its a day when people all around the world show that special "someone" in their lives a little more appreciation.

As the world celebrates Valentine's day, let us not forget the one who has shown us True Love.

God Bless.

For God so loVed the world,
That He gAve
his onLy
BegottEn
SoN
That whosoever
Believeth In Him
Should Not perish,
But have Everlasting life."

John 3:16

Little Foxes

"Catch the foxes for us, The little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, While our vineyards are in blossom."1

Today in the Word shared how "researchers who had made repeated dives to the wreckage of the Titanic challenged the accepted theory that an iceberg tore a 300-foot gash in the side of the ship.

The ship's bow is mired in mud, but the team 'looked' at the hull using sound waves. They concluded that the damage is 'astonishingly small,' just six small gashes along the starboard hull.

Unfortunately, the openings were made at the worst possible place, along six watertight holds."

Little things can do great damage: a little lie here, a little cheating there, a little stealing, a little gossip, and/or a little unresolved conflict—like a little gash in a mighty ship—can open a floodgate of damage somewhere down the track.

Any holes in your life? Any in mine? Let's not neglect them. Let's get smart and, with God's help, take care of them today—before they sink us.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to see the 'little' things in my life that, if I fail to resolve them now, they may 'burn out of control' farther down the line. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Song of Solomon 2:15 (NASB).

Credit: Daily Encounter

The King and his four wives

Once upon a time there was a rich King who had four wives.

He loved the 4th wife the most and adored her with rich robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best.

He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was always showing her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day she would leave him for another.

He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confidant and was always kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever the King faced a problem, he could confide in her, and she would help him get through the difficult times.

The King's 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the first wife. Although she loved him deeply,he hardly took notice of her!

One day, the King fell ill and he knew his time was short. He thought of his luxurious life and wondered, I now have four wives with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone.

"Thus, he asked the 4th wife , "I loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!", replied the 4th wife, and she walked away without another word. Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart.

The sad King then asked the 3rd wife, "I loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!", replied the 3rd wife. "Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to remarry!" His heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the 2nd wife, "I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?"

"I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!", replied the 2nd wife. " At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave."

Her answer struck him like a bolt of lightning, and the King was devastated.

Then a voice called out: "I'll go with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go". he King looked up, and there was his first wife. She was very skinny as she suffered from malnutrition and neglect. Greatly grieved, the King said, "I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance"!

In truth, we all have the 4 wives in our lives:

Our 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it will leave us when we die.

Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, it will all go to others.

Our 2nd wife is our family and friends . No matter how much they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

And our 1st wife is our Soul. Often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world. However, our Soul is the only thing that will follow us wherever we go.

Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of us that will follow us to the throne of God and continue with us throughout Eternity.

Thought for the day: Remember, when the world pushes you to your knees, you're in the perfect position to pray.

Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect. It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections.

Thanks Garvin