Month: April 2021

Weekly words of encouragement

God Will Bless The Disadvantaged – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,is God in his holy dwelling.God sets the lonely in families,he leads out the prisoners with singing Psalms 68:5-6 (NIV) God gives special attention to the disadvantaged. He has a heart for orphans, widows, the lonely and those who are unfairly imprisoned. He does not fully restore them in this age, but he does comfort them and hear them. He watches over them and offers his presence to those who will trust him. In the next age he will restore the needy and the deprived, even to the point of giving them preference, for Jesus said, “But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first” (Matt. 19:30, NIV). Those who are the least in our society but follow Jesus will be first in the new age of God’s kingdom. Sometimes just following Jesus makes us Continue Reading →

Garden of Eden

Focusing On The Restoration Of Eden

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The story of our destiny begins in the book of Genesis. There we learn that God originally placed humans in a garden in a land named Eden. In the Garden of Eden God told Adam and Eve “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals” (Gen. 1:28 NLT). He also “put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Gen. 2:15, ESV). Then God gave Adam and Eve to each other so Adam (and obviously Eve) would not be alone (Gen. 2:18); Adam was to “hold fast” to Eve and they would be “one flesh” (2:24) and she was to be his “helper” (2:20). Thus, God gave Adam and Eve eight callings (we count reigning over the animals as one calling.) Adam and Eve were to fulfill these Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

God Listens To Our Prayers – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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If I had cherished sin in my heart,the Lord would not have listened;but God has surely listenedand has heard my prayer. Psalms 66:18-19 (NIV) God does listen to our prayers when we abide in him. This doesn’t just mean that he is aware of what we prayed but that he gives weight to what we pray. He is our Father who listens and responds, even if sometimes the response is “no” or “wait” because he has another plan for our lives. And we do not have to be especially mature or advanced in our understanding before God will listen to us. If we are following him then he will listen. He only asks that we do not cherish sin in our hearts. If we intentionally harbor destructive attitudes and ways then he may wait for our repentance before he listens. “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” Continue Reading →

surrender

Raising The White Flag Of Surrender

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What life could be more blessed than one that fully submits to God’s will? The Christian life is a movement toward a complete penetration and flow of God’s will throughout the core of our being. We are like a log in the fire of God who burns away the impurities until his will permeates every part of us and we are glowing with the fire and light of God. Jesus used the violent image of the Roman executioner’s cross when he described our submission to God’s will: “Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it” (Matt. 10:38-39, NIV). There must be death to our ways and like Jesus’ death, this death is painful and sometimes dark and lonely. Johannes Tauler (c.1300-1361), taught that one should pray: Continue Reading →