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Thursday, April 26, 2018
Petition: Christian Mom on Death Row!
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Devot. Spring Forward Into Faith
HI Folks,
I hope you had a super weekend and are enjoying some nice spring weather in your area!
This devot. touches on spring, which is a renewal of life, but applies it to our spiritual lives
-how to spring into all God has planned for your life, not holding onto the past, and asking and
seeking what God has for you in the present.
The theme verse for the devot. is Isaiah 43:19, "Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert."
God's Word tells us in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (When we receive Jesus as our Savior, He gives us a brand new start in life, a fresh slate to work off of).
I pray the devot. is a blessing to your week! Lord bless you and yours.
Devot. https://www.dayspring.com/articles/spring-forward-in-faith?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NEBNANN20180408SundayDevoSpringForwardinFaith&utm_term=Most%20Engaged%20List%20Last%2045%20Days%20KEEP (Taken from https://www.dayspring.com/)
Devot. Learning Lessons on Faith
HI Folks,
I hope you had a very blessed weekend and had a good start to your week!
I found this devot. about 2 weeks ago and thought this should be the next one:)
In the midst of trials, troubles, difficulties', the times when our faith is tested, God's love for us is woven through each experience.
This passage:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+pet.+1%3A3-9&version=KJV explains that our risen Saviour has prepared a wonderful home in Heaven for us. And even though we go through trials and troubles, they are very spiritually precious times and we will be blessed for it enduring it when our Savior comes back for us. We also love the Lord, even if we haven't seen Him yet.
I pray the below devot. is a big blessing to your week. The song link below also ties in beautifully with the devot .
Lord bless you and yours this week!
Devot.
Go to this website: https://www.dayspring.com/
Scroll down to the bottom
Under More click on Stories
On this page, scroll down and bit and click on Circle 3-Our devot, "Learning Lesson On Faith: God's Love is the Common Thread" is the first devot. on the page.
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Free Pastor Andrew From Prision! Sign Petition and Spread the Word!
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Devot. Surrounded
Hi Folks,
I hope you and a safe and super week!
This devot. is on one of my favorite topics-Grace=God giving us unmerited favor.
It's not given as a reward, or because it was earned, but given in spite of the fact that we do not deserve it at all.
It's given to those who have trusted Jesus and even those who have yet to trust Him (Ephesians 2:8-9,
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.")
Grace is a word reminder to me that God offers me His undeserved favor at the times I need it the most and least deserve it.
(As a FYI and throwback to Tuesday devot on Peace, "Grace and Peace" are two popular salutations, endings in many of the smaller New Testament books (after you get past Romans). I remember one of our pastor's calling them "The Siamese Twins of the New Testament." How we need the Lord's grace coupled with His peace!)
I pray the devot and song link (from another one of my favorite Christian songwriters whose lyrics reflect the encouragement of the Bible) are a boost to your weekend.
Lord bless you and yours!
(These were sent to my inbox and labeled, Read and Share, so I think it is safe to send these without the usual round about way that I have shared Dayspring's devotionals.
Taken from https://www.dayspring.com/)
Monday, April 16, 2018
Devot. Experiencing God's Peace/Movie/Pastor Andrew Brunson
Hi Folks,
I hope you had a good week!
Our devot for today is on the Lord's peace. I'm sure we all need the Lord's peace in our lives.
Jesus said in John 14:27,"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
Jesus promises to leave and give to those who are His followers His peace. He says it's a type of peace that the world cannot give to us.
In the next verse, verse 28, Jesus says that even though He is going to Heaven to join His Father (Jesus was speaking ahead of His death, burial, resurrection and ascending back to Heaven-Acts 1:9-12), He will come back again. And according to other parts of Scripture, He will return for those who have put their faith and trust in Him and God never lies (Numbers 23:19).
God's Word promises us again in Philippians 4:7-8, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
I can take my worries, cares and concerns to the Lord in prayer, present my requests to Him, with thankfulness knowing that He wants me to come to Him. And His peace, which passes any understanding, He promises will "keep" (hold or retain in one's possession) my heart and mind through Jesus Himself.
This the verse I remind myself of on the days where peace is very much needed. God says His peace will "Keep" (word also means to do something as promised) my heart and mind though Jesus Himself.
Peace is only found in our Savior, my friends. No one or nothing else can even begin to give us the same peace.
Below is a link to our devot., which I hope, encourages you this week.
I also have a update on Pastor Andrew's trial today. It's not good news right now, so please keep praying, sign the petition, and spread the word along any way you can (recopy the link onto a separate email, get others to pray and sign).
I have also included one other link.
I know that I have mentioned Voice of the Martyr's a ministry started by a Romanian pastor who was imprisoned for his faith for 14 years. He started VOW as a ministry to help other persecuted
believers overseas and his work is still going strong today.
VOM produced a movie about his imprisonment, courage and faith and it came out in theaters 2 months ago. It was such a success that it is back in theaters for an encore. My family and I went to see it and it was powerful! Encourage you to look into it and see if a theater near you is hosting it. https://www.onbuzz.com/new-releases/tortured-for-Christ
Lord bless you and yours this week!
Devot.
https://www.dayspring.com/articles/experiencing-gods-peace?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NEBANN20180415SundayDevoExperiencingGodsPeace&utm_term=Most%20Engaged%20List%20Last%2045%20Days%20KEEP (Taken from https://www.dayspring.com/)
Holocaust Remembrance Day/Corrie Ten Boom/Pastor Andrew Brunson-Trial is Today!
Hi Folks,
I hope you had a good weekend!
I'm going to do something a bit differently today. Today's devot is going to be more educational and informative in nature.
Thursday, 4/13 was Holocaust Remembrance Day and I wish to shed some light on one special lady who was involved in saving Jewish people.
Many people are skeptical that the Jewish Holocaust even happened. It surprises me because of all the evidence-the concentration camps whose structures still exist as a way of giving credence and remembering to those whose lives were brutally extinguished.
Those who have survived and are brave enough to continue to tell their stories, lest we forgot that the Holocaust really happened.
These folks still bear the ugly marks on their arms of their time in prison (identification numbers that were tattooed into their arms as they entered the camps).
The homes or offices that were used to hide Jewish people still exist and are used as places of remembrance (the attic where Anne Frank's family hide, now the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam; the bedroom in Holland, now a museum, where Corrie Ten Boom's family hide Jewish people).
I have been the privileged to meet and speak to a gentleman, Leo Bretholtz, who survived the Holocaust, but his family did not.
One of the heroines in our household is a Christian lady from Holland, Corrie Ten Boom, whose family hid Jewish people in their home, risked their lives for them and ended up in prison for their courageous actions. Her father and sister and other family members died in a concentration camp, but Corrie survived.
The film, The Hiding Place was made on her story and based on her books (the movie is true to book form compared to some movies). It is a powerful film that details the lengths the family went to protect the Jewish people, what they endured in prison, and how in in the midst of their prison time, God worked miracles on their behalf, and used Corrie and her sister Betsy, to share the love of Jesus to inmates and prison guards alike and how lives were eternally changed because they shared Jesus.
In place of a devot. today I have included two clips of her sharing her personal testimony. One is on forgiving the man who turned her family into the Gestapo (German police). It is an extremely powerful testimony of forgiveness!!!! Please listen to it.
The clip also includes pictures of Corrie and her family, and a beautiful song, taken from parts of Scripture, entitled The Hiding Place and real video/photo footage from those in the concentration camps (it's powerful). But if you don't have time for the whole clip, please esp. listen to her story.
The second short clip is Corrie sharing how she came face to face with one of the guards in the prison camp after her release from prison and the story of how she forgave him. VERY powerful also!!!!
In these clips, Corrie shares how her forgives parallels how Christ has forgiven us. We hurt the Lord though our sin every day and yet Christ willingly died on the cross to forgive us of our sins and is still daily willing to forgive us.
1 John 1:7-9, 2:1-2, says, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation (an atoning sacrifice for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
I would encourage you to try and watch The Hiding Place (can be found on youtube) or find some books that Corrie wrote (there are several). MUCH can be learned from this hero of the faith through her own journey of faith.
We will be re-visiting this topic along some different lines in the future. I wish to give you some biblical background on why people would risk their lies lives to save Jewish people and what God has to say about the nation of Israel today. I will not be getting political, but I will be getting Biblical.
Lastly, you may remember me sharing petitions on behalf of Pastor Andrew Brunson, American citizen and pastor falsely imprisoned in Iran for a year and a half. He is being placed on trial in Turkey today Monday, 4/16, and is looks like Turkey is pushing for a life sentence for him. Please read the following info. below, prayerfully consider signing and passing on the petition for his release and pray for him and his family on Monday.
Lord bless you and yours this week!
Info. on Pastor Andrew: https://aclj.org/persecuted-church/16-facts-about-pastor-andrew-brunson
Petition: https://aclj.org/
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
RELEASE PASTOR ANDREW BRUNSON!
Hi Folks,
This is an update on Pastor Andrew Brunson. An American citizen and pastor who has been falsely and wrongly imprisoned in a Turkish prison for over a year. His health is deteriorating and he is about to go to court in Turkey on April 16th.
Please read his story below, sign the petition and pass the word along in any way you can and via social media.
You can keep up to date on Pastor Andrew's case at the American Center for Law and Justice's Website here: https://aclj.org/
And read "16 Facts About Pastor Andrew" that the ACLJ just published here: https://aclj.org/persecuted-church/16-facts-about-pastor-andrew-brunson
Thank you!
Grace
This is an update on Pastor Andrew Brunson. An American citizen and pastor who has been falsely and wrongly imprisoned in a Turkish prison for over a year. His health is deteriorating and he is about to go to court in Turkey on April 16th.
Please read his story below, sign the petition and pass the word along in any way you can and via social media.
You can keep up to date on Pastor Andrew's case at the American Center for Law and Justice's Website here: https://aclj.org/
And read "16 Facts About Pastor Andrew" that the ACLJ just published here: https://aclj.org/persecuted-church/16-facts-about-pastor-andrew-brunson
Thank you!
Grace
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Thursday, April 5, 2018
Devot. The Tomb is Empty, Our Hearts Are Full
Hi Folks,
I hope you had a super week!
Below is a devot. on rejoicing that the tomb is empty and Jesus is risen!
1 Corinthians 15 says that if Jesus had not risen, then our faith would be usefulness and vain.
We would be hopeless and without hope of going to Heaven! But because Jesus did rise from the dead and is waiting for us in Heaven, we are HOPEFUL of spending an eternity in Haven with Him, because we have put our faith and trust in Him.
I pray the devot. below is a boost of encouragement to your weekend. I have also included a beautiful and powerful song I recently found that should help us to direct our praise to the One who has risen!
Lord bless you and yours this weekend!
Devot.
Go to this website: https://www.dayspring.com/
Scroll down to the bottom
Under More click on Stories
On this page, scroll down and bit and click on Circle 2-Our devot. "The Tomb is Empty, Our Hearts Are Full" is the first on one this page.
Song:
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
Devot. When Jesus Said "It Is Finished" He Was Talking About You
Hi Folks,
I hope you had a wonderful, Resurrection weekend!
We are gong to continue with Resurrection devots. for a little while. I found some neat ones:)
This devot. focuses on the last moment's of Jesus life, His final words, "It is Finished."
Isaiah 53:10 says," Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin,..."
When Jesus said this words moments before His death, what He was saying was that His death paid the price of the sins of mankind and was God's way of paying for our way to Heaven.
There was nothing else that needed to be done to pay for our way to Heaven. IT IS FINISHED!
I also have a note in my Bible from an Easter sermon I heard saying that when Jesus cried out the words, "It Is Finished," 'It was a victory cry from the cross. A message for Satan and his ears. Satan had lost and his future was doomed. He must have shuttered when he heard Jesus' cry!'
1 Corinthians 15:64-67 shows us that Jesus' death proved He had power and victory over sin, hell and the grave. The previous verses to the passage below explain that some day, when we get to Heaven, our mortal bodies will be changed to immortal-we will get a new, and perfect body in Heaven!
"So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Our passage below is the one used for the devot. and I have also included a neat song link called Mercy Tree. I have also included simple directions for finding our devot. Lord bless you and yours this week!
John 19:28-30, "After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."
Devot.
Go to this website: https://www.dayspring.com/
Scroll down to the bottom
Under More click on Stories
On this page, scroll down and bit and click on Circle 2-Our devot, "When Jesus said 'It is Finished' He Was Talking About You" is the first devot. on the page.
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