Jeremiah 9:23-24 (Amplified Bible)

Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise and skillful person glory and boast in his wisdom and skill; let not the mighty and powerful person glory and boast in his strength and power; let not the person who is rich [in physical gratification and earthly wealth] glory and boast in his [temporal satisfactions and earthly] riches;

But let him who glories glory in this: that he understands and knows Me [personally and practically, directly discerning and recognizing My character], that I am the Lord, Who practices loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord.

Matthew 16:26

A reaction to recent events:

Pedophile yesterday.
Pop music icon today.
Eternal judgment --> ongoing. forever.

Make sure you escape hell. Clicking HERE might help.

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? - JESUS (Matthew 16:26)

Psalm 51:16-19

For You delight not in sacrifice, or else would I give it; You find no pleasure in burnt offering.

My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.

Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

Then will You delight in the sacrifices of righteousness, justice, and right, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then bullocks will be offered upon Your altar.

Embracing the Cross

Galatians 2:20 (Amplified Bible)

I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Embrace the Cross

I am crucified with Christ
Therefore I no longer live
Jesus Christ now lives in me
(Repeat twice)

Embrace the cross
Where Jesus suffered
Though it will cost
All you claim as yours
Your sacrifice will seem small
Beside the treasure
Eternity can't measure
What Jesus holds in store

Embrace the love
The cross requires
Cling to the one
Whose heart knew every pain
Receive from Jesus
Fountains of compassion
Only He can fashion
Your heart to move as His

Oh, wondrous cross our desires rest in you
Lord Jesus make us bolder
To face with courage the shame and disgrace
You bore upon Your shoulder

Embrace the life
That comes from dying
Come trace the steps
The Savior walked for you
An empty tomb
Concludes Golgotha's sorrow
Endure then till tomorrow
Your cross of suffering
Embrace the cross
Embrace the cross
The cross of Jesus

Words and music by John G. Elliott. Copyright 1989 LCS Songs (a div. of Lorenz Creative Services)/Charlie Monk Music/Pamela Kay Music. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Steve Green.

Time to Learn Righteousness

by Francis Frangipane

“At night my soul longs for You,
Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently;
For when the earth experiences Your judgments
The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness” (Isa. 26:9).

Fear Among the Nations
There is trepidation among the nations, and indeed there should be. Political leaders strike poses of confidence, yet express anxious whispers and dread when they are alone:

What is happening in our world? Will it get worse?

No one really knows the outcome of this time. But here is what is occurring worldwide: Over the past year the veil of deceit and subterfuge that hid the corruption in many nations is being lifted. God is exposing corruption, whether it is rooted in Wall Street or among politicians or leaders in the church.

The sense of privilege, that one can live without accountability either to God or to the law of man, is being judged by the Lord. There are no special people who are exempt.

One should not assume that things are worse today than ever before. I don’t believe so. There have always been corrupt leaders whose practices were masked with deceit. It is in this season that the Lord is peeling off the mask.

This is not a bad thing, although it will be very bad if leaders do not embrace righteousness as the way out. The fact that these things are being exposed is a good thing. If we respond correctly, it means that a more honest set of leaders will arise to replace those who were corrupted. It means that, if we submit to God, our economy and culture will turn a corner into a time of renewed blessing.

However, if we resist, if we persist in deceitful ways, we should not expect God to bless us.

Thus, it is imperative to discern this season. We are in a time of increasing judgment. The world and its structures are in a collision course with the Kingdom of God.

We have underestimated the authority and function of the Holy Spirit; we have assumed He has come only to inspire or comfort. Yet, Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit comes into the world, He comes also to confront and convict the world “concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8)

You see, God has an agenda, a grand plan, and it is not just to bless and prosper us as we live mostly self-centered lives. His ultimate goal is to see the kingdoms of this world become the “kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ” (Rev. 11:15). Thus, Jesus commands us to pray, "Thy kingdom come. . . . on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).

Remember, Jesus’ message was “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). We are in the season of the kingdom. We either repent and change our ways so they conform to righteousness, or we face the consequences.

If we don’t repent, God renders a decision accordingly. He judges us. His motive is still to redeem, but He will not refrain from judging the sin that rules us. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. This is not the season to try to negotiate with the Almighty. The only option He gives us is to humble ourselves and pray. It is time to seek His face and aggressively turn from our evil ways. If we would have healing in our land, we must take the path the Lord provides.

The Consuming Fire
Thus, speaking of the last days, the Lord warns, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven” (Heb. 12:26). God is focused on more than blessing a few people here and there. He is coming to shake and subdue the cultures of man. Hebrews continues:

“This expression, ‘Yet once more,’ denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain” (v. 27).

Two things are occurring simultaneously: God is shaking what can be shaken, and He is establishing His kingdom, which cannot be shaken. We must migrate out of trusting in man and enter into the unshakeable life of the Kingdom of God.

Hebrews concludes:

“Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire” (vv. 28-29)

Let us focus on this reality: God is a consuming fire.

Not long ago a revival tried to emerge amidst great controversy. To the shock of many, God exposed the hidden sin in Lakeland’s leader. To what degree this revival itself was true or false is still debated, but one thing is true: millions of people nightly joined via Christian television praying and calling forth in unison, “Fire! Fire! God pour out your fire.” The ministry itself was called “Fresh Fire.”

What did we suppose, that “fire” in God’s dictionary means blessing? Or even healing? No. Fire means purification. It consumes and purifies the sacrifice – indeed, it consumes everything that can be burned. This one prayer was certainly answered: when the body of Christ prayed for God's fire, chaff in the church, starting with leadership was the first to ignite. And then the fire spread into the world systems, exposing the corruption and greed.

While many hope that the rapture will rescue them from tribulation, it will rescue no one from the fire of God. Recall, my friend, Paul’s word: the day of the Lord will be “revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work” (see 1 Cor. 3:13-15).

“For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Pet. 4:17).

Judgment begins first with the household of God. Fire came to the church first, and it has only just begun to burn.

My advice is that we stop judging others and take inventory of our own condition. Where we have sinned, we humble ourselves before the Almighty. By humbling ourselves, I mean that we confess our secret sins, the areas of our soul’s bondage – our fears, lusts and deceits, those things we are most ashamed of – and bring our sin to the cleansing light of God’s grace. My counsel is that we not put this off for another day, but we humble ourselves now, passionately and thoroughly.

Do not look for shortcuts; do not seek to justify yourself to God. The judgments of God are in the land. It is time to learn righteousness.

STARTING THE RACE WELL

These are based on my notes on Pastor Bailey’s sermon.

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us – Hebrews 12:1

Life is a race. And for every believer who has given his life under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, it is important to start it well and to end it well.

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses… let us run with patience the race that is set before us

There are “spectators” in this race. The Bible assures us that God has ordained angelic beings for every Christian. We are not alone.

But probably one more important thing to remember is that GOD HAS ORDAINED FOR EACH ONE OF US OUR SPECIAL RACE/SPECIAL COURSE. Each one of us HAS TO BE in this God-ordained course! And every child of God has a DIFFERENT course to take.

It’s like a family wherein the parents went over out of town, and leaving their two kids behind, they have given each one different tasks. One child is in charge of the lawn, while the other should clean up the kitchen. As they begin to do their chores, the one in charge of the kitchen gets tired, and seeing that the lawn needs to be improved, he goes out and helps his other sibling to mow the lawn. When the parents arrive, they commend the child in charge of the lawn, but become disappointed with the other one in charge of the kitchen.

We are not pleasing God if we are running a different course. That’s why we have to seek God earnestly for Him to reveal to us the course He has set for us because we cannot get our guidance by looking at somebody else and doing what they do. Be sure that you’re on the right course!

KEYS TO TRIUMPH ALONG OUR GOD ORDAINED COURSE

Just as child Jesus grew in stature, in knowledge, and in grace (Luke 2:52), so must we in our lives.

1. GROW IN STATURE. Keep your body fit – you may not know it, but your physical body affects the spiritual too. Exercise improves blood circulation, including brain perfusion, so that one tends to think more clearly. We have to be physically strong and fit, as some ministries entail a lot of work and muscle. You cannot be a couch potato. Also some food that we take can influence our mood and emotions (like, ahem… chocolates! It containes endorphin-like molecules which can psychiatrically alter one’s thinking and behavior)

2. GROW IN KNOWLEDGE. This is a very important point. In the book of Daniel, it says “knowledge shall increase”, and it is increasing! But to grow in knowledge, we have to prepare ourselves for Bible STUDY. Not just a devotional soiree with God, but an in-depth STUDY of the Word of God. To help us understand more the importance of knowledge, read :

2 Peter 3:15-16 : As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

It tells us two things to avoid in life because they would eventually be destroyed.

A. the Unlearned. In the book of Hosea, it says that the “people are destroyed because of lack of knowledge.”

B. the Unstable. The Bible tells us in Genesis 49:3-4 that Reuben is as unstable as water because of his immorality.

3. GROW IN GRACE. Grace can be thought of as divine enablement and divine strength. We are told in 2 Corinthians 12 that the Lord’s grace is sufficient. Grace is given to fulfill the will of God, and ONLY the will of God.

-------------------

let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us.

There are also obstacles in this race. It is described in Scriptures as “the sin which doth so easily beset us” or what we will term as the BESETTING SIN. Everyone has besetting sins! Everyone has his/her own weakness. It could be laziness, lust, dishonesty, greed, or pride, etc. Our main frailty will bring us down if not dealt with under the mercy and grace of God.

Realizing what your besetting sin is VERY IMPORTANT. If you still don’t know what you have to overcome, ASK GOD!

Some important points:

• 1. Are you on the right path?
• 2. Are you STUDYING the Word of God? It’s more than just READING. You have to make a commitment to STUDY the Word of God. That will keep you from being unlearned, and unstable. In James, it says “For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”. If you have wavering faith, don’t think you shall receive anything from God!
• 3. In KNOWing the will of God, STAY on the path, and FINISH the course. But you need God’s grace! If we do not stay on the path, our wicked works weaken our minds and turns us against God.
• 4. Realize and triumph (by God’s grace) over your besetting sin.

God bless us all!

Found this recently on the internet. Speaking of "God causes all things to grow...".
Somebody help me have a copy of this DVD!

UPDATE : (5/17) - Had the DVD Already! It was on sale on Astrovision, and costs only Php 249.75 (US$ 5.55)!!! Yahoo!

Faith Like Potatoes

from Wikipedia

Faith Like Potatoes is a 2006 South African drama film directed by Regardt van den Bergh. It is based on a book written by Angus Buchan of the same title which was published in 1988. It is based on the true story and life of Angus Buchan and the Buchan family.

Set in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, this story is about a Zambian farmer who leaves his farm in the midst of political unrest and racially charged land reclaims and travels south with his family to start a better life in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. With nothing more than a caravan on a patch of land, and help from his foreman, Simeon Bhengu, the Buchan family struggle to settle in a new country. Faced with ever mounting challenges, hardships and personal turmoil, Angus quickly spirals down into a life consumed by anger, fear and destruction. Based on events in the life of Angus Buchan, the book was adapted for the big screen by award-winning actor and director, Regardt van den Bergh, and weaves together the moving journey of a man who, like his potatoes, grows his faith, unseen until the harvest.

It premiered on October 15, 2006 and opened in cinemas in South Africa on October 27th, 2006.[1] It was acclaimed and has been recognised in numerous International Film Festivals including the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival and the Australian International Film Festival. It was awarded the Audience Choice award at The 2006 Sabaoth International Film Festival (Milan, Italy), and won Best Feature at the 2006 Mumbai International FICTS Festival.^{[citation needed]}

Reception

Ted Baehr said, "...Faith Like Potatoes... is like Fireproof on steroids."^[1]

References

1. ^ Martin, Allie (April 2, 2009). "Family-friendly movies get Hollywood's attention". OneNewsNow. http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=473676. Retrieved on April 4, 2009.

External links

• Official movie website