Pray with Kenneth Copeland about Severe Drought Across America

The drought across the country has taken its toll on crops, causing farmers to lose money. Grass that was once green has turned brown and resembles straw. There's a great need for rain. Many municipalities have limited the days in which residents can water their lawns. We need rain! The record-setting high temperatures have also caused many people to suffer heat-related illnesses. We need rain!

Let's join with Kenneth Copeland in praying for rain. To do so, click here:
Pray with Kenneth Copeland about Severe Drought Across America

Never Fear Another Day
By Steve Wickham

Everything lies ahead of us as opportunities to be conquered. When we know this, when we lock it into our consciousness through a sense of inspired habit, we never have to fear again.

Our sins and our brokenness are borne over the shoulders of Christ and we no longer have to carry that burden. But this knowledge must find its way into our relational worlds through the constant practice of letting go and living beyond the strains of the protected psyche - that place we go in order to protect ourselves from risk, usually through avoidance. This is the place we go to when we fly away from our darkness.

We have to accept our darkness.

Once we have accepted our darkness - that, we are all sinners - and, we can remain conscious of both our lack and the completeness of God's grace to completely meet that lack - we live free.

There is then the ability to never fear another day.

DISCIPLE OR 'LIVING HERESY'

There are many insufficient, inappropriate and inadequate theories advocating how to live the Christian life. There may be more misguided attempts to live the Christian life than well-advised endeavours to pick up one's cross and follow Jesus.

Any Christian life lived that minimises either the sinner's sinful nature, within that man or woman or boy or girl, or the grace of God to save them, is a heresy.

Both the truth of the sinful nature and the truth of the grace of God must be borne front and centre of mind. The more honestly we consciously admit and tackle our sinful natures, knowing they will remain with us throughout our lives until glory, the more we will marvel at and actively rely upon the grace of God.

The more we hold these two things in tension with each other, the better we will live the Christian life, and the less the probability we will be living heresies.

Added to this is the additional blessing; we never need fear another day.

THE IMPORTANCE OF REMINDERS

We are a forgetful people. We need to be reminded, or remind ourselves, of the need to be fearless. Being acknowledged sinners means guilt and shame can be disposed of. We loudly applaud the grace of God that sanctifies us. But we quickly forget how amazing grace is.

When the amazing reality of grace is realised, mindfully, it helps us live fearlessly.

With grace already behind us we have nothing to lose and nothing left to prove.

But again, we need practical ways of reminding ourselves of this urgent and important truth. We need to be reminded how well the grace of God covers our darkness.

� 2012 S. J. Wickham.

Steve Wickham is a Registered Safety Practitioner (BSc, FSIA, RSP[Australia]) and a qualified, unordained Christian minister (GradDipBib&Min). Steve writes at: http://epitemnein-epitomic.blogspot.com.au/ and http://tribework.blogspot.com.au/

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The Power of Praise & Worship

By Dr. Dale A. Robbins

Acts 16:23-26 “And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely:
(24) Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
(25) And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
(26) And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.”

This Bible story begins the unjust arrest of Paul and Silas. Because they had cast a spirit of divination out of a girl, the local Philippian authorities beat them and then threw them into a jail cell. Besides the trauma of the severe beating, they were fastened in stocks which clamped their arms and legs in an immobile position, causing cramps and loss of circulation. The atmosphere there was depressing. According to the standards of that day, a prison was more like the resemblance of a dungeon. A dark, damp, stench-ridden place, with no facility for waste or comforts of any kind.

Yet, in spite of the throbbing pain in their bodies and the disheartening atmosphere, at midnight Paul and Silas were heard praying and singing praises to God! What a strange sound this must have been to the other prisoners, who were used to only hearing the groans or cursings of those who had been beaten.

Then suddenly, there was an earthquake that shook the prison! The doors flung open, and amazingly, the bonds of Paul, Silas, and every other prisoner were released! What caused this mighty discharge of power?

Too Busy For Life?

By Darlene Bishop

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33).

A man I knew lost his daily planner a while back. It contained all his contact addressees, his calendar, to do list, and monthly reminders. It even held his personal credit card information and expenses for the past year. He was devastated. Not as much for the loss of his personal information, which was bad enough, but because he had appointments scheduled and notes to himself that he hadn't recorded anywhere else. He didn't know where he was supposed to be or when, and he didn't know what he needed to do!

In our society, many people greatly rely on planners, computers, wall calendars, or personal digital assistants (PDA's) to keep them on schedule and to help them accomplish all they need to do. I know...I'm one of them! Because our plates are too full of the smorgasbord of life - church, work, school, grocery shopping, errands, ball games, school plays, bowling leagues, doctor appointments, church dinners, club meetings, etc. - we must keep a written account of what we need to do and when. Without it, we're lost and unable to accomplish our desired, or even necessary, objectives.

Prayer Changed America's History and Can Do it Again!

History provides hope for another spiritual awakening in the U.S.
By Dr. Dale A. Robbins

Today we face what seems to be a hopeless condition in America. Gross immorality has engulfed the land. Crime has taken over the streets. Sexual promiscuity and perversion fills our society. Drunkenness and drug abuse is everywhere. God has been rejected by most of our citizens -- virtually kicked out of our government and our schools. A few years ago, Billy Graham issued a profound warning, that “If God doesn’t soon bring judgment upon America, He'll have to go back and apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!”

How far it seems that the United States has drifted from its rich religious heritage. But many may not realize, that despite our nation’s Christian beginnings, in only a few short years after it’s founding it had already declined to a level of moral decadence and depravity that would rival today’s sad condition.