Editor: Richard (Dick) Innes
Published by: ACTS International
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Vol. 15 – No. 3013 July 27, 2013
Thought for the week: "There are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation; one is by sword, the other is by debt." – John Q. Adams 1826
There once was a rich man who was near death. He was very grieved because he had worked so hard for his money and he wanted to be able to take it with him to heaven. So he began to pray that he might be able to take some of his wealth with him.
An angel hears his plea and appears to him, "Sorry, but you can't take your wealth with you."
The man implores the angel to speak to God to see if He might bend the rules.
The man continues to pray that his wealth could follow him. The angel reappears and informs the man that God has decided to allow him to take one suitcase with him. Overjoyed, the man gathers his largest suitcase and fills it with pure gold bars and places it beside his bed.
Soon afterward the man dies and shows up at the Gates of Heaven to greet St. Peter. Seeing the suitcase, Peter says, "Hold on, you can't bring that in here!"
But the man explains to him that he has permission and asks him to verify his story with the Lord. Sure enough, Peter checks and comes back saying, "You're right. You are allowed one carry-on bag, but I'm supposed to check its contents before letting it through."
Peter opens the suitcase to inspect the worldly items that the man found too precious to leave behind and exclaims, "You brought pavement?!?!"
2. Prayer will still be the most powerful thing on Earth.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still honor the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost when they come to Him.
It is good to remember who is really in control and that "the Word of the Lord endures forever" (1 Peter 1:25 ).
"Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God?" – Thomas Jefferson
Corrupt the young. Get them away from religion. Encourage their interest in sex. Make them superficial by focusing their attention on sports, sensual entertainments and other trivialities. Always preach true democracy but seize power as fast and as ruthlessly as possible. Encourage government extravagance, destroy its credit. Produce fear with rising prices, inflation and general discontent. Encourage disorders and foster a lenient attitude towards disorders. By specious argument, cause the breakdown of the old moral virtues: honesty, sobriety, self-restraint. Cause registration of firearms (to) leave the population defenseless.
Years ago I heard Houston pastor, John Bisango, speak. He described a time when his daughter, Melodye Jan, age five, asked for a doll house. John nodded and promised to build her one, then returned to his book. But glancing out the window, he saw Melodye, arms crammed with dishes and dolls, making trip after trip until she had a great pile in the yard. He asked his wife what she was doing.
"Oh, you promised to build her a doll house, and she believes you. She's just getting ready for it."
"I tossed aside that book, raced to the lumberyard for supplies and quickly built that little girl a doll house," John said. "Why? It was her simple, childlike faith in his promise."1
1. Robert J. Morgan, The Red Sea Rules, 10 God-Given Strategies for Difficult Times, Thomas Nelson, Publishers (Nashville, 2001). Cited on www.sermons.com.
There's no doubt that our character has a profound effect on our future. What we must remember, however, is not merely how powerful character is in influencing our destiny, but how powerful we are in shaping our own character and, therefore, our own destiny. Character may determine our fate, but character is not determined by fate.
It's a common mistake to think of character as something that is fully formed and fixed very early in life. It calls to mind old maxims like "A leopard can't change its spots" and "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." This perspective that our character is "etched in stone" is supported by a great deal of modern psychology emphasizing self-acceptance. As Popeye says, "I am what I am." The hidden message is: Don't expect me to be more, better, or different.
Ultimately, these views of humanity totally undervalue the lifelong potential for growth that comes with the power of reflection and choice. How depressing it would be to believe that we can't choose to be better—more honest, more respectful, more responsible, and more caring. None of us should give up the personal quest to improve our character. Not because we're bad—we don't have to be sick to get better—but because we're not as good as we could be.
There are so many things in life we can't control—whether we're beautiful or smart, whether we had good parents or bad, whether we grew up with affirmation or negation—it's uplifting to remember that nothing but moral will power is needed to make us better.
No, it isn't easy. But if we strive to become more aware of the habits of heart and mind that drive our conduct, we can begin to place new emphasis on our higher values so that we become what we want our children to think we are.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
"So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lion's den. The king said to Daniel, 'May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!'"1
Most of us will be familiar with the story of how Daniel, supposedly because of his religious beliefs, was thrown into a den of hungry lions. No question, Daniel got a dirty deal. He was set up by jealous lesser men who wanted him out of the way. It seemed as if they were about to succeed, except for one thing: They overlooked Daniel's trust in God.
The interesting thing, however, about Daniel being thrown into the den of lions is that God didn't deliver him out of the den before Daniel first found deliverance in it.
Imagine if Daniel had fought against being thrown into the den (which he would have been justified in doing), and gone into the den fighting against it every inch of the way. Chances are that the lions would have torn him to pieces before he hit the floor of the den. But Daniel didn't struggle. He accepted his lot, and trusted his life to God who shut the lions' mouths.
On more than one occasion when, in a very frustrating situation, I have asked God that if I am not going to be delivered out of my "lion's den," would he please help me find deliverance in it.
Sometimes God has a lesson for us to learn through a difficult situation, and before he delivers us out of it; like Daniel, he delivers us in it. It is also important not to base our beliefs and actions on the way we feel. Keep in mind that it is the Word of God, the Bible, which is our final voice of authority—not the way that we feel. We need to find deliverance in it. The good news is that once we learn the needed lesson, we don't have to go through the same experience again.
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, regardless of my feelings and my circumstances, I choose to trust my life to you in the frustrating situation in which I find myself at this time. And like the father, whose child had a dumb spirit, said to you, I also say, 'Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief.' Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."
1. Daniel 6:16 (NIV).
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