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CHRISTELW's Recent Blog Entries
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Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Tell The Truth
The Word for Today, Tuesday, 20th October 2009
Put off falsehood and speak truthfully…
Ephesians 4:25 NIV
Jude Werra documents r�sum� fraud for a living. His 'Liar's Index' just hit a 5-year high. It includes the Dean of a prestigious college who failed to graduate from any of the three institutions where she claimed to have earned degrees. Solomon said, "Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel" (Proverbs 20:17 NKJV). Paul warns about people who've "lied so well and for so long… they've lost their capacity for truth" (1 Timothy 4:2 TM).
Dr. Harold Sala writes: "Some people are so good at distorting the truth that they convince themselves… The chronic liar has made lying so much a lifestyle, they have a hard time perceiving reality… Not only does God disdain it, but the liar is destroying their own credibility… To turn a lifestyle of dishonesty around you must recognise you have a problem: not an incurable one but a persistent one, and acknowledge it, even if it means going public."
If you have a problem telling the truth you must take these four steps:
1) Repent. "If we confess our sins, he… will forgive us… (1 John 1:9 NIV). And with God's forgiveness comes His help.
2) Become accountable. Find somebody who's not afraid to ask you tough questions. Remember, the truth usually makes you miserable before it sets you free.
3) Drop the attitude. It's not okay to lie because God will forgive you. That cheapens His grace. "Shall we go on sinning… that grace may increase? By no means!" (Romans 6:1-2 NIV).
4) Keep short accounts with God. When you blow it (and we all do) 'fess up' and make it right with God and the people you've misled.
Daily Bible Reading:
2 Samuel 17:14-19:43, John 5:1-15, Psalm 15, Proverbs 24:7
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
When You Feel Anxious (3)
Do not be anxious about anything…
Philippians 4:6 NIV
John writes: "I pray that… you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers" (3 John 2 NAS). Why would he say that? Because your physical body thrives in relationship to how well you're doing spiritually. Doctors say anxiety suppresses your immune system, elevates your blood pressure and increases the risk of cholesterol blockages in your arteries. It creates the very condition you dread! Did you know that a percentage of all first year medical students assume the very symptoms of whatever disease they're studying? Some even faint when first exposed to them.
Job said, 'The thing which I greatly fear comes upon me' (Job 3:25 AMP). Anxiety is one of Satan's most effective weapons. Your ignorance of his anxiety-inducing schemes is what enables him to gain a foothold in your thinking and rob you of the blessings that are rightfully yours, including your health.
Are you anxious about your health? Write these Scriptures down on a card and carry it with you:
1) "Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you… I will give you a full life span" (Exodus 23:25-26 NIV).
2) "I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord… (Jeremiah 30:17 NIV).
3) "Listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body" (Proverbs 4:20-22 NIV).
4) "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (Mark 11:24 NIV).
Daily Bible Reading:
2 Samuel 1:1-3:21, John 3:22-36, Psalm 89:38-52, Proverbs 23:19-21
To find your passages easy, here is the bible on one page:
www.jrsbible.info/bible.htm
Monday, October 12, 2009
When You Feel Anxious (2)
Do not be anxious about anything…
Philippians 4:6 NIV
We all face times when we must choose between faith and anxiety. A woman trapped in an abusive relationship must choose between getting help, getting out or staying stuck. A young person being pressured to do drugs can choose to give in, or say, 'no' and walk away. A person anxious about death can read God's Word, talk to a friend or counsellor, or continue to be anxious.
The Bible says: "The righteous are bold as a lion" (Proverbs 28:1 NKJV). You say, "Right now I don't feel too bold." Courage doesn't eliminate anxiety, it rises above it! David said, "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart… (Psalm 27:14 NKJV). When your cause is right and you're committed to God, He gives you the courage needed to act. But you must learn to face the thing you fear. This can mean standing up for what you believe, making a phone call you've been putting off, expressing your opinion, acknowledging some character flaw and asking God to help you change.
What you must remember is, doing always comes before the feeling of increased confidence. Each time you confront your anxieties you take a step forward. But when you allow anxiety to control you, you retreat into your 'safe zone' and start seeing yourself as somebody who can't handle life. Here's some great advice for living: analyse the situation fearlessly, figure out the worst that can happen. Once you've accepted that, you experience a release of energy and you can begin doing something about it, even if all you can do is - leave it in the capable and loving hands of God.
Daily Bible Reading:
Ephesians 4:17-6:24, John 3:1-21, Psalm 89:15-37, Proverbs 23:15-18
www.biblica.com/bibles/dailyreading/
list.php
To find your passages easy, here is the bible on one page:
www.jrsbible.info/bible.htm
Monday, October 12, 2009
James 1:22-27 NIV
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does. If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
www.biblica.com/bibles/dailyreading/
list.php
To find your passages easy, here is the bible on one page:
www.jrsbible.info/bible.htm
Sunday, October 11, 2009
 Romans 4:13-16 NIV
It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring--not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
www.biblica.com/
www.jrsbible.info/bible.htm The bible on one page
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