Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 14 – No. 1512 April 14, 2012
Thought for the week: "America is like a healthy body and its resistance is threefold: Its patriotism, its morality, and its spiritual life. If we can undermine these three areas, America will collapse from within." – Joseph Stalin
"A pessimist finds difficulties in every opportunity; an optimist finds opportunities in every difficulty." – Harry Truman
"Education is of no value and talent is worthless—unless you have an unwavering aim. Never find yourself without a compass." – Condoleezza Rice
"Again and again God has shown that the influence of a very average life, when once really consecrated to Him, may outweigh that of almost any number of merely professing Christians." – Frances Ridley Havergal
"The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger." – Job 17:9 (KJV)
"When the devil tries to remind you of your past, just turn around and remind him of his future." – Anonymous
A doctor and a lawyer were talking at a party. Their conversation was constantly interrupted by people describing their ailments and asking the doctor for free medical advice.
After an hour of this, the exasperated doctor asked the lawyer, "What do you do to stop people from asking you for legal advice when you're out of the office?"
"I give it to them," replied the lawyer, "and then I send them a bill."
The doctor was shocked, but agreed to give it a try. The next day, still feeling slightly guilty, the doctor prepared the bills.
When he went to place them in his mailbox, he found a bill from the lawyer.
3. It's Happening in Britain; It Could Happen Here
"It's happening in Britain; it could happen here. A recent study from Great Britain shows that thousands of native-born Britishers are converting to Islam, while membership in the Anglican church continues to decline. Alan Wisdom, vice president for research at The Institute on Religion and Democracy, is not surprised by the report: 'When you have a spiritual vacuum, something is going to fill it. And the Church of England and Christianity in Great Britain in general has become very weak in its proclamation of the gospel ... It may be now that the numbers of Muslims who worship every week are greater than the numbers of people worshipping in the Church of England.' Studies show that while 30 Anglican parishes close every year, 70 new mosques appear across Great Britain."1
And yes, this could happen here in the U.S. and other countries around the world. Muslims are on the March! They are already anti-the-Christ. That is, to them, Jesus is not the Son of God, nor is he the Savior of the world, and he did not die to pay the penalty for the sins of mankind. According to the teachings of Islam, Jesus is only a prophet, and that below Mohammed.
Have you heard about the greyhound races? Those dogs are fast! They run so fast because they're chasing a mechanical rabbit. A friend told me that one day on a racetrack in Florida an interesting thing happened: the rabbit broke so the dogs caught it!
Now you might think that it would make the dogs happy to finally catch the rabbit after all those races in which they couldn't quite get a bite out of him. But actually when they caught the mechanical rabbit, they didn't know what to do! They became confused and depressed—they lost their purpose. They never recovered and were ruined as race dogs. (Maybe it's because mechanical rabbits don't taste very good!)
5. Replacement Theology: Is Israel Still the Promised Land?
Is Israel Still the Promised Land—promised by God to Israel in perpetuity?
There is a doctrine today called "Replacement Theology" that states that the nation of Israel is no longer God's chosen people; that Israel has been replaced by the Christian Church. If this is true, how do you explain the miraculous re-birth of the nation of Israel after some 1,900 years—and its survival against overwhelming odds?
As God's Word promised the nation of Israel: "I will bring my exiled people of Israel back from distant lands, and they will rebuild their ruined cities and live in them again. They will plant vineyards and gardens; they will eat their crops and drink their wine" (Amos 9:14NLT). Israel has been back in their land as a nation since 1948—the land promised to them by God.
As the Apostle Paul wrote in the New Testament, "I ask then, 'Did God reject his people [Israel]? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham ... God did not reject his people.... [for] God's gifts and his call are irrevocable'" (Romans 11:1-2; 29NIV).
While the nation of Israel rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah, God has not done away with his chosen people. As God's Word also says, "Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of Gentiles [non-Jews] has come in. And so all Israel will be saved" (Romans 11:25-26, NIV).
A Warning: God also promised the nation of Israel: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse..." (Genesis 12:3, NIV).
Bad stuff happens. People get sick, lose a loved one, get fired, and make mistakes.
Though these events are facts that become a permanent part of our history, the quality of our lives is not determined by the number or nature of our bad experiences, but how we interpret and react to them. Most of us have a default position in our response to painful and disappointing experiences that is either positive-oriented or negative-oriented.
Pessimists explain adverse events to themselves in ways that perpetuate negative feelings about the past and generate fear and anxiety about the future.
Optimists see positive aspects of most situations and they expect people to be good and things to work out. The good news is that negative thinking is not a permanent attribute; it's just a bad habit.
Here are three strategies to transform Gloomy Gus into Cheerful Charlie, or at least move Gus from negative to neutral: diversion, distraction and disputation.
Diversion consists of consciously re-directing your thoughts every time negative explanations and predictions emerge: "She hates me, it's my fault, I can't win." Don't allow yourself to dwell on feelings of hopelessness or helplessness. Negativity may come uninvited, but you don't have to let it stay. Think about good things, your successes and all you have to be grateful for.
Distraction involves actions that take your mind off whatever is making you sad or anxious. Read a book, play a game, watch a movie, surf the Net. Don't let negative thoughts take root.
The most potent strategy, however, is disputation. Put your pessimism on trial. Aggressively challenge negative explanations and assumptions. Convince the jury in your mind that pessimism is a lie and argue for positive interpretations.
Try it. It really works.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."1
Terry tells how she "was in the habit of praying very specifically for what she wanted. She told God in great detail about the kind of job, the kind of husband, the kind of life that she envisioned for herself. And Terry was frequently frustrated. But one day, Terry's friend suggested that she try a different tack. 'Give God a blank sheet of paper,' the friend suggested, 'and let God give you his list for your life.'
"Not long afterwards, Terry went back to school—something she hadn't anticipated doing. And she met a wonderful new man, whom she eventually married. He didn't fit the criteria of her earlier lists, but he was everything she wanted in a husband. When Terry turned her life over to God's will, God provided for her needs in ways she couldn't have imagined."2
Another excellent way to pray is—taking off on the famous quote by JFK—"Ask not what God can do for you, but rather, what can you do for God—today?"
Suggested Prayer: "Dear God, in light of all that you have done for me, what can I do for you today? Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."
1. Philippians 4:6 (NKJV). 2. Terry Fitzgerald Sieck, found in Stories of God's Abundance for a More Joyful Life (Lancaster, PA: Starburst Publishers, 1999), pp. 196-198.
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