SHARING THE WEALTH ... OF OTHERS!
I was going to share with you some of the incredible things the Lord has been teaching me since we moved to Follow Me Farm, but that will have to wait for another day. Let's just praise Him right now for Archie's super news, and thank Him for the gifted writers He has sent my way so that I can share their wealth with you (see below).
ARCHIE HAS BEEN PRONOUNCED CURED OF CANCER!!! He was told last Friday (September 27, 2002) by the head of oncology (cancer) at one of the largest cancer treatment facilities in Ontario, Canada, that HE IS CURED. HALLELUJAH!!! We praise You, Lord, and thank You for Your healing touch. May Archie's life from this day forward be a constant source of glory to You, dear Father, and of service to Your people. In Jesus' precious Name we ask it. Amen.
And now, without further ado, I invite you to share with me ... the wealth of others!
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Keep on raining --- I won't drown;
My feet are planted on higher ground.
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A special treat, courtesy of Bob Simenson's MORNING MANNA, and the gifted words of Wanda Snyder:
MORNING MANNA, Sept. 29, 2002
An occasional dispatch from Fair Haven, the Salt and Light House, home of CyberServant.
VICTORY IN SURRENDER
Each day I rise to fight the foe.
Onward I march to battle, against an enemy
I cannot see, and whose power I cannot match.
While a still, quiet voice inside me says - Take
My breastplate, take My sword - My armor I
freely give.
But no! I can fight my battle! I'll defeat my foe!
Over and over again I try - while pride,
it marches on. Oh! Foolish heart, will you let this
Offer slip away - Why do you fight alone?
Tired and weary, all strength gone,
In defeat and misery I say
"O Lord, I surrender all to Thee." and only
Then do I see -
My surrender is my victory.
Wanda Snyder
***THE WORD FOR TODAY***
"Without Me you can do nothing." John 15:5
Fair Haven (http://cyberservant.net)........... please Pass It On - Fair Haven is designed to strengthen the faint-hearted, encourage the down-hearted, amuse the light-hearted, heal the broken-hearted, and fill the empty-hearted. To subscribe or unsubscribe - just shoot me an e-mail...Copyright - I give you the right to copy any of this and send it
all over the world. Mizpah - "May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other." Genesis 31:49
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Keep on raining --- I won't drown;
My feet are planted on higher ground.
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Once upon a time...
I was addicted to watching the television drama (soap opera) The Young and The Restless, excusing my 'time out' as a justifiable break from serving the Lord. (Hmmm. That doesn't sound right, does it? Ouch!) Do you know what the Lord asked me one night? "How many coloured cast-members are there in Y&R?"
Before I could run a tally in my mind, He answered His own question: "Nine."
The next day I asked Archie (a much more discerning viewer and constant watcher of the show at the time) to come up with a figure for me. Sure enough, nine it was.
So why do I mention it now? BECAUSE TO GOD EACH ONE OF THOSE CAST-MEMBERS IS AN INDIVIDUAL - not a character in a play, but a living, breathing individual with likes and dislikes, needs and wants, fears and foibles, just like the rest of us. Dear hearts, never let anybody tell you God can't keep track of each one of us Himself, every minute of every day - because He not only can, He does! And He LOVES each one of us, with a love that is deeper than deep space and wider than the desert horizon. YOU MATTER!! YOU are important to God - and strange as it may seem, so too am I, even when I'm bogged down in a wallow of self-condemnation for whatever I've botched *this* time.
Thank You, God, for such unaccountable love!
Praise the Lord, ye saints, for Christ is KING!!!
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Keep on raining --- I won't drown;
My feet are planted on higher ground.
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FEATURED CHRISTIAN BOOKS:
Roaring Lambs by Bob Briner. Paperback. OUTSTANDING!!!
This book is a must-read for all of us, setting forth as it does a clear challenge to live as salt IN OUR CULTURE - not simply bemoaning the shortcomings of the world around us, but actually rolling up our sleeves and doing something ***POSITIVE*** to change our world for the better... in the arts, in entertainment, in the media... using our God-given talents to His glory. :-) Briner has concrete examples of areas in which our talents are needed - outside the church, IN the world, where Christ has always been.
"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." Isn't that what He told those who criticized Him for fraternizing with sinners? C'mon, guys, it's time to come out of our closets and sing, dance, draw and WRITE, for Christ, right IN the main-stream world. Are you up for it? By the grace of God we can do anything, right? Let's go for it!!!
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Keep on raining --- I won't drown;
My feet are planted on higher ground.
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GUEST EDITORIAL
How You Can Make, Or Are Making The Almighty Lord God
Tired And Mad At You Or is He?
by Ben Lucas
For those who truly believe the Bible, the issue is clear, the
Lord God gave His Word to them and to us --- (Deu 30:15
KJV) SEE, I HAVE SET BEFORE THEE THIS DAY LIFE
AND GOOD, AND DEATH AND EVIL; --- The Almighty
God said here and in many other places and times, "It is either
life and good or evil and death!" There is no in between, it has
always been and always will be one or the other! The Lord
allows us to make and live out our choices and ALL eventually
receive life or death, the consequences, the natural result of
our choices.
(Mal 2:17 KJV) YE HAVE WEARIED THE LORD WITH
YOUR WORDS. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him?
WHEN YE SAY, EVERY ONE THAT DOETH EVIL IS
GOOD IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD, AND HE
DELIGHTETH IN THEM; or, Where is the God of
judgment? --- The priests of that time and place made God
tired because they just kept teaching the people that their evil
was accepted by the Lord. And they kept living one way or
another, the original attack upon the one True God who is
truth. HE said and says "SEE, I HAVE SET BEFORE THEE
THIS DAY LIFE AND GOOD, AND DEATH AND EVIL"
The devil began the temptation by doubting the Words of God
and he hasn't changed. The clergy then and now, who say in
whatever way, "people who continue to do evil are good in
the sight of the Lord because they are saved or because they
believe or because of their bloodline or membership" are
delighting the devil, not God.
The devil's children are like him and because they lie, they
believe everybody lies, including even or perhaps especially,
they believe God lies. --- (Rev 21:8 KJV) But the fearful,
and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, AND ALL
LIARS, SHALL HAVE THEIR PART IN THE LAKE WHICH
BURNETH WITH FIRE AND BRIMSTONE: which is the
second death. --- (Thank God ex-liars are not included!!) I
believe that the Lord is so strong against lying because as HE
said, the devil is the father of lies and liars.--- (John 8:44
KJV) YE ARE OF YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL, and the lusts
of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the
beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no
truth in him. WHEN HE SPEAKETH A LIE, HE SPEAKETH
OF HIS OWN: FOR HE IS A LIAR, AND THE FATHER OF
IT.
What is this horrible lie? It is, no matter how it is worded or
expressed or who says it, "Evil is good" (or if not good at
least acceptable to God) and so ALL believers even those who
continue to sin will go to heaven anyway just because they
believe. The next step in this lie is, "good is optional to the
believer," that is, whatever the believer believes is good, is
good and God will accept the believer even if what he actually
does is evil. This utterly irrational lie originated with the
devil. Some say it this way, "Good is evil and evil is good
because isn't any evil or good." Of course if the devil and his
disciples are telling the truth (It will be the first time in all of
recorded history) and we are just evolved animals this lie
almost makes sense.
But the Almighty defines and is THE definer of good and evil
and HE carefully explains the difference and the penalties for
obscuring the difference between good an evil. --- (Isa 5:20
KJV) WOE UNTO THEM THAT CALL EVIL GOOD, AND
GOOD EVIL; that put darkness for light, and light for
darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! ---
(Zep 1:12 KJV) And it shall come to pass at that time, that I
will search Jerusalem with candles, and PUNISH THE MEN
that are settled on their lees: THAT SAY IN THEIR HEART,
THE LORD WILL NOT DO GOOD, NEITHER WILL HE DO
EVIL.
In the Old Testament our Father gave this solemn warning and
statement of fact. It is important to notice that it wasn't that
knowledge was unavailable or too hard or too expensive for
the people. They, both people and priest, rejected at least
partly by neglect the knowledge that God Almighty had given
them to live by. ---(Hosea 4:6 KJV) MY PEOPLE ARE
DESTROYED FOR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE: BECAUSE
THOU HAST REJECTED KNOWLEDGE, I WILL ALSO
REJECT THEE, THAT THOU SHALT BE NO PRIEST TO
ME: SEEING THOU HAST FORGOTTEN THE LAW OF THY
GOD, I WILL ALSO FORGET THY CHILDREN. --- If there
ever was a country where the Lord God has forgotten the
children, it is America and the rejection is because godly and
good children can only BE if they are loved, raised, and taught
by godly and good parents. --- Thankfully even if we are not
privileged to be godly children HE has made a way for us to
be godly teens and adults. Just for comparison purposes please
notice how similar Sodom's sin then was to America's sin
today. --- (Ezek 16:49 KJV) Behold, THIS WAS THE
INIQUITY OF thy sister SODOM, PRIDE, FULNESS OF
BREAD, AND ABUNDANCE OF IDLENESS WAS IN
HER AND IN HER DAUGHTERS, NEITHER DID SHE
STRENGTHEN THE HAND OF THE POOR AND NEEDY. ---
Please understand, I believe that the main reason that America
has not been destroyed is because there are in the United
States still MANY good and godly parents and people,
perhaps not a large percentage but a very large number. The
Lord God told Abraham that HE would not destroy Sodom if
there were five righteous people there and then removed the
four people that had some claim to righteousness, before the
city was destroyed
And for those who will say, "Well that doesn't apply to us
because we are under grace," here is your New Testament
verse for confirmation. --- (2 Tim 2:15 KJV) STUDY TO
SHOW THYSELF APPROVED UNTO GOD, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth. --- Here Paul tells Timothy, one of his most loved
disciples and fellow ministers to study to be and to show that
he is approved. How can we not see that the person who is not
or will not study is rejecting available knowledge and will be
rejected? Those who reject the written Word of God reject the
Christ Himself. HE said: (Luke 21:33 KJV) HEAVEN AND
EARTH SHALL PASS AWAY: BUT MY WORDS SHALL NOT
PASS AWAY.
The Apostle Paul was concerned about the lie that we are
talking about. --- (Rom 3:8 KJV) AND NOT RATHER, (AS WE
BE SLANDEROUSLY REPORTED, AND AS SOME AFFIRM
THAT WE SAY,) LET US DO EVIL, THAT GOOD MAY
COME? WHOSE DAMNATION IS JUST. --- Notice those
who are spreading this slander and lie are believers and
preachers and Paul says their damnation is just. Are you saying
with the devil that because they are believers or saved that
they won't be damned?
The mark of Spiritual and Biblical maturity is that they have
learned to know and distinguish between good and evil, so
there is a difference. --- (Heb 5:14 KJV) But strong meat
belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by
reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both
good and evil.
John gives us a flat statement here and in many other places.
--- (3 John 1:11 KJV) Beloved, follow not that which is evil,
but that which is good. HE THAT DOETH GOOD IS OF
GOD: BUT HE THAT DOETH EVIL HATH NOT SEEN GOD.
I know, if anyone knows that the Lord is gracious, loving,
forgiving and GOOD. I am so thankful! I also know that the
Lord knows the thoughts, intents, and motives of our deepest
mind/soul/spirit. But eventually love does what love does, just
as hate, indifference, and greed continue to do what the devil
does. Jesus said --- (Mat 7:20 KJV) Wherefore by their fruits
ye shall know them. ---
The Lord calls all to repentance and true holiness and to
encourage folks in this direction, let me mention that in every
Judgment Day scenario in the entire Bible, everyone is judged
by his works, that is, by the way he lived. Jesus said in one of
those scenarios --- (Mat 25:40 KJV) And the King shall
answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you,
INASMUCH AS YE HAVE DONE IT UNTO ONE OF THE
LEAST OF THESE MY BRETHREN, YE HAVE DONE IT
UNTO ME. --- And He continued --- (Mat 25:45 KJV) Then
shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you,
INASMUCH AS YE DID IT NOT TO ONE OF THE LEAST OF
THESE, YE DID IT NOT TO ME. (Mat 25:46 KJV) And these
shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous
into life eternal. --- There is no mention of what anyone
believed in any judgment day scenario.
Organized religion of whatever name has always made a way
to include everyone or almost everyone. And of course --- (2
Pet 3:9 KJV) THE LORD IS not slack concerning his
promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering
to us-ward, NOT WILLING THAT ANY SHOULD PERISH,
BUT THAT ALL SHOULD COME TO REPENTANCE. --- And
while HE is not willing for any to perish, HE is even less
willing to over ride any one's will and make them into puppets
or slaves. But if everyone is going to heaven, it won't be
heaven it will be only another version of this world system. It
is interesting to note that even after the 1000 years of peace on
earth under Jesus Christ as Lord of lords and King of kings,
when the devil is released for a final purging he finds enough
people to believe him instead of God to mount a major war
against Christ and His kingdom on earth. The devil loses of
course and so, as always, do the people who believed him.
Coming back to organized religion has always found a way to
include almost everyone, Jesus said --- (Mat 22:14 KJV) FOR
MANY ARE CALLED, BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN. --- But if few
are chosen, then obviously many are rejected. How does that
set with your theology?
(Mat 7:14 KJV) BECAUSE STRAIT IS THE GATE, AND
NARROW IS THE WAY, WHICH LEADETH UNTO LIFE,
AND FEW THERE BE THAT FIND IT. --- Pardon me, but if
few even find the way that leads to life and fewer still walk
that way, how can organized religion teach that everyone will
be included? Or at least that ALL the members, believers, or
whatever are going to heaven?
(John 14:6 KJV) Jesus saith unto him, I AM THE WAY, THE
TRUTH, AND THE LIFE: NO MAN COMETH UNTO THE
FATHER, BUT BY ME. --- And Jesus is coming for a glorious
church --- (Eph 5:27 KJV) That he might present it to
himself A GLORIOUS CHURCH, NOT HAVING SPOT, OR
WRINKLE, OR ANY SUCH THING; BUT THAT IT SHOULD
BE HOLY AND WITHOUT BLEMISH. --- This is a glorious
church because they are walking/living in genuine love and
concern for others. That is, they are consistently doing what
love does. Be assured Jesus is not looking for and won't be
picking up a foxy chick or a soiled and spoiled baby! (James
4:4 KJV) Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that
the FRIENDSHIP OF THE WORLD IS ENMITY WITH GOD?
WHOSOEVER THEREFORE WILL BE A FRIEND OF THE
WORLD IS THE ENEMY OF GOD.
Well, who are you going to believe? Is evil, evil or good?
More importantly what are you going to do?
By Ben Lucas
For how to information, please write.
The International College of Practical Christianity
210-674-6340
P.O. Box 760506
San Antonio, Tx. 78245-0506
E-mail:colprez@earthlink.net
Thank you for reading and sharing The Practical Christian
Ezine, we are so thankful to be a blessing to you. Ben Lucas
The International College of Practical Christianity
210-674-6340
P.O. Box 760506
San Antonio, Tx. 78245-0506
E-mail: colprez@juno.com.
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