Join Me In: A Call for Mercy!

From the Voice of the Martyrs, a petition calling on the release of Asia Bibi, a Christian wife and mother who has been held in a Pakistani jail cell for 6 years for her faith in Jesus Christ.

 

She has been confined to death row and condemned to death by hanging, but by you signing a petition calling for her release, it could make the difference between LIFE AND DEATH.

 

Please consider signing, passing along, posting on Face Book ect!

http://www.callformercy.com/  (Taken from http://www.persecution.com/)

God bless you!
Grace

Devot. Pre-Born Life

Dear Friends,

I hope you had a tremendous weekend! 

Today's political topic is on the sanctify of life, what does God's Word have to say about the unborn?

Psalm 139 in a nutshell states that God knew all about us-every single bone, limb we were supposed to have, every physical feature.  Verse 16 say that God saw our beings and every single part of us was written in a book and noted, even before we existed.

I have been studying this verse with some young ladies I mentor and I shared a book of 'in the womb' pictures to show them this verse  in action and what they looked like when only God knew about them.

 

The booklet gave some interesting facts about an unborn life and I wanted to share a few FYI's that caught my attention as a eye opener that this unborn little one is indeed a living being, same as you and I.

(Info. taken from The First 9 Months"-Focus on the Family, Copyright 1999, 2005, 2008- Focusonthefamily.org)

~Did you know that as soon as life is conceived, this little one- at this time he is "smaller than a grain of sand contains all the genetic information for every detail of the newly created life- the color of hair and eyes, the intricate fine lines of the fingerprint, the physical appearance, the gender, the height and the skin tone."

~Did you know that at 21 days after conception a baby's heart is the first organ to function?  It is the size of a poopy seed and yet it begins to beat! "The first signs of brain development are evident and the foundation for every organ system is already established and beginning to develop."

 

~At 4 weeks after conception, "the basic structure for the entire nervous system (brain and spinal cord) has formed.  The eyes are developing and arm and legs buds are visible.  The heart is beating about 80 times a minute."

 

~At 14 weeks a baby can find his thumb and suck.

 

~They can feel pain 18 weeks and more keenly at 22 weeks (partial birth abortion can take place up to 24 weeks).

These details and others caught the attention of young ladies I was speaking to.   It gave more meaning to the Scripture have added below and helped them see themselves as God saw them before anyone, except God, had seen them.  As you read the devot. and Scripture below, keep please these true facts in mind.

 

Lord bless you and yours this week!!

 

Devot. http://www.icr.org/article/working-no-ill-preborn    (Used by permission.   Taken from http://www.icr.org/

Scripture: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ps.+139%3A13-16&version=KJV

Devot. The Cost of Uncontrolled Anger (or any other emotion)

Dear Friends,

I hope you had a good week!

 

The devot. today is on anger, but could be applied to our emotions in general.

You may not be the type of person to get angered easily or it could be hard to control your feelings.  Either way, we all have emotions and feelings-some are good and some are not so good.

Emotions are given to us by God, but if we let them get out control they can start to control us. Proverbs 25:28 states, "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls."

I was reminded in my church's youth group last week (I'm one of the mentors for the girls), that feelings are feelings, they change from day to day and are not stable enough to 'hang your hat on.'  Scriptures says that "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8).

I needed a reminder this of how my feelings and emotions can control and rule my heart and life if I'm not bringing a situation before the Lord in prayer, handing it over to Him and asking Him to help me be Christlike.  

 

I hope you learn a valuable lesson  either for yourself or that you can store up to encourage someone else later.

Pray this blesses and helps you this weekend!

 

Devot. https://www.intouch.org/read/the-cost-of-uncontrolled-anger  (Used by permission.  Taken from https://www.intouch.org/)

Devot. Honest Work Honors God

Hi Folks,
I hope you had a refreshing weekend! 

The devot. today is on work.  When I was thinking of the title, on something that jumped out to me was the fact that the work we do must be 'honest' work. 
I had always thought it to mean 'hard work', working very diligently to provide for a family or yourself.   But then I realized that 'honest work' means work that is indeed honest- working a job that is honorable, upright, and that what we do is not offensive to the Lord in any way. 
Think of how things done in the working world can be done for selfish gain, done dishonestly or are not God honoring in actions or environment.

I also want to apply this devot. to another political issue we look at-the welfare system.   1 Thessalonians 3:10 says,   "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you,  that if any would not work, neither should he eat."  
This is a strong admonition.   The Apostle Paul was saying that when he was at the Thessalonica church, he instructed the members  who were idle and not working at all that they should get an honest job. 

Think of our welfare system today.   We pay the taxes and benefits for folks who do not work.    Now, I'm sure there are exceptions and there are folks who cannot work due to health/disability or folks who have retired after working hard for years.  I'm not referring to that.   But if a person who is fit and able and can do some kind of honest job, then he should.   Ecclesiastes 2:23 says, "There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God." 
It is a gift from God to be able to enjoy a good meal and take satisfaction in a job well done.


The devot. for today encourages 'honest work'.   Think of how it can be applied to your life and what it means to our welfare system in light of the Word of God.

 Lord bless you and yours this week!  

Devot. https://www.intouch.org/read/blog/honest-work-honors-god  (Used by permission.  Taken from https://www.intouch.org/

Devot. Live Honestly/Petition to Free Pakistani Christian

Dear Friends,

I hope you had a relaxing weekend!  I hope you enjoyed the devots. on growing spiritually and learned something by them that can  be applied to your life. 

 

As the US election season draws very near I want to share devots. that describe what to look for in a leader. Now, I'm not going to get political and say Who to vote for, (that's not my business), but What to vote for.  What character traits should a wise leader have and do we know what the Bible says about jobs, finances, the right to life etc. so we can make wise and Bible based decisions in general?   

I'm going to share what God's Word says, not what my personal opinion is.      My opinion doesn't matter.  But God's Word does:)

 

No matter what political persuasion you are, if you are one of God's kids through faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:26), then God's Word should  be applied even to what we choose to bring into any office.   

Also I hope the devots. can be applied to our personal lives.  I pray that I/we learn more from God's Word and see areas where I/we need to grow in everyday life.

Lastly, I have an urgent petition for Sister in Christ Asia Bibli who could be hanged in 3 days for her faith in Jesus,  if folks do not stand up for her.  Hebrews 13:13 says to remember those who are imporisioned as being bound with them.  Please consider signing and passing along. https://aclj.org/persecuted-church/save-christian-mom-asia-bibi-from-execution utm_medium=Email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=d-10102016_top-PC_seg-RE_typ-PT

 

Lord bless your week!   

 

Remember the expression, "Honesty is the best policy?"  Where do we see it in Scripture?

 

Devot. http://www.icr.org/article/21283/316  (Used by permission.  Taken from http://www.icr.org/)

Help Hurricane Matthew Victims!

This is from GrassRoots Action, a conservative organization that brings attention to persecution of believers in the US and overseas, key issues effecting the and needs around the world.  This is one of those needs, helping the victims of
Hurricane Matthew.  Please pray for these folks and help as you are led.
Sincerely, Grace



This is urgent, so I'll keep it brief. The following is an emergency text I received a short time ago from Gary LeBlanc of Mercy Chefs, Grassfire's disaster-relief partner:

"Just heard. Water in town will be undrinkable for 2-3 weeks."
 

Gary and his team are on the ground in Lumberton, North Carolina. Heavy rains from Hurricane Matthew caused two levees there to breach and flood the entire city, killing a currently unknown number of people. Thousands of residents have been forced from their homes, and the entire surrounding county is without power.

We spoke to Gary earlier today, and he urgently needs Grassfire Nation's help. He stepped out in faith today to order a water-purification unit, so it can be in Lumberton tomorrow. Mercy Chefs needs fresh water for cooking, cleaning and drinking.

The water purifier costs $10,000 and can process 120 gallons per hour. This unit isn't a luxury item. It's a requirement for him to feed thousands of daily meals to flood victims and first responders in Lumberton.

I told Gary that I'd send a special, urgent appeal to Grassfire members, asking them to contribute whatever they can to purchasing this unit. Even $25 or $50 will help get fresh water to thousands of flood victims in Lumberton. Can they count on your support today?

Please click here or on the DONATE button below to make a tax-deductible gift, right now, to Mercy Chefs' relief effort in North Carolina:



Gary also told me that the water level in Lumberton and the surrounding communities is still rising, forcing even more residents out of their homes and into shelters. (Click here to watch a video update from North Carolina.)

Mercy Chefs urgently needs your support, right now, to help feed these people. Your tax-deductible gift of $25, $50 or more will bless flood victims who have lost everything in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. Please click here to give now.

Thanks in advance,

Steve

P.S. This is Mercy Chefs' tenth deployment of 2016. As a result, their resources are stretched extremely thin. Please consider supporting them prayerfully and/or financially today. Go here now to make a tax-deductible donation of any amount to help Mercy Chefs accomplish their mission of "feeding body and soul" in North Carolina, as they continue other vital outreaches:

Please Sign this Peition: Hanged for her Faith!

Take Action  |   Contribute

Like     f   Like this on Facebook   Grace, Christian mom Asia Bibi could be hanged for her faith. Her fate could be decided in 3 days. We're taking direct action today. Sign the Petition Now This Christian mother of five was convicted under Pakistan’s brutal blasphemy laws and sentenced to death. For over 5 years and 11 months, she has suffered on death row. Now the Supreme Court of Pakistan will hear her case in just 3 days. Her fate could literally be decided this week. This is her FINAL appeal. We're expanding our global advocacy campaign for her freedom. Today we are sending an emergency letter to Pakistan's Ambassador to the U.S., demanding her freedom. Add your name to more than 450,000 others who are joining our vital effort. Your voice could be the difference between life and death. We need to hear from each and every one of you, before it’s too late. Sign Our Petition: Save Christian Mom Asia Bibi from Death Now. Jay Sekulow ACLJ Chief Counsel Contribute Now

The Gideons International: Bibles Needed

I recently wrote faithful friends like you about young people all around the globe, torn by terrible turmoil, and who desperately need Jesus … That’s why I urged you to join the 2016 Campaign for Young Hearts to place 20 million Scriptures, at just $1.25 a copy, in the hands of boys and girls, young men and women who need the Good News. With support like yours, our prayerful goal is to receive $25 million by December 31 to provide God’s Word to these young people—for just $1.25 a copy. So please pray with me and give a Campaign for Young Hearts gift now, as God leads, to offer the hope of salvation by providing Scripture worldwide. Your participation is vital as we seek to win young lives for Christ with God’s Word—for just $1.25 a copy of Scripture. And your gift today will help reach our prayerful goal by the year-end. Thank you! Yours in Christ, Craig Warner P.S. In this time of turmoil we have the opportunity to win young lives to Christ as never before, so please let me hear back from you right away. God bless.

Young hearts need God's Word!

Devot. By Faith

Dear Friends,
I hope you had a nice week!  I found this devot. after searching some key words from Tuesday's devot.-Building Muscles of Faith.  So I picked the word "faith" as the topic for today. 
The devot. gives Hebrews 11:1 as the reference verse, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." 
My pastor used this verse as a illustration to the young folks in our youth group last Wed night.
He said that in the Bible terms the word "Hope" does not mean "I wish," but rather something that is "earnestly expected". 

Keep that in mind as you read this devot.  Pray it blesses you!  Lord bless you and yours this week!
Devot. http://www.icr.org/article/21259  (Used by permission.  Taken from http://www.icr.org/)

 

Devot. Building Muscles of Faith

Hi Folks,

 

I hope you had a great weekend!  Thanks for hanging on with me through this journey of spiritual growth.   I know it may not be easy to look inside and see what areas could or need to tweaked, but I'm sure you would agree that introspection is always worth it in the long run.    Hang in there with me, we are almost there!

 

Ok, so this week we are going to do some spiritual 'working out' and building up our spiritual muscles:)   The Lord reminded me very strongly  this past week as I worked with the teen girls in our youth group that just as Bible reading and prayer (what we call "Quiet Time") was important for their spiritual grounding and growth, it was just as important for me! !

 

This devot. will share how we can grow in spiritual strength. 

Pray you lean something new from Scripture that can be applied to life.

 

Lord bless you and yours this week!  

 

 Devot. https://www.intouch.org/read/magazine/daily-devotions/building-muscles-of-faith (Used by permission.   Taken from https://www.intouch.org/)