picture

searchwarp.com

Thursday 25 July 2013

Women Show Off Cleavage in Church??

One of my FB friends posted this and the article discusses a question I also have - Why do Christian women of faith not serve Christ in the way they dress? Please read the following article written by Jennifer Leclaire. Feel free to leave a comment - lets talk about this.



Please also read the post I wrote on this same subject - Link to my post here - A Christian Woman's Dress



Link to the article site here:Watchman on The Wall

Why Do So Many 'Born-Again, Spirit-Filled' Women Show Off Cleavage in Church?






worship
Some women—and I am talking about mature believers, not lost souls or baby Christians—come into God’s sanctuary on Sunday morning dressed for clubbing. What gives?
“I know I’m inappropriate, but I’m trying to save time. I know I’m in the wrong. My mother would not approve. But would it be better that I not come?” Those were the words of a 30-year-old woman entering church in Maryland wearing a revealing tank top and tight pants.
God bless her, but that’s in the same spirit as saying, “I know it’s inappropriate to cuss in church, but I can’t think of any better way to say it,” or, “I know it’s inappropriate to smoke during praise and worship, but I didn’t have time to finish my Marlboro on the way here.”
Some women—and I am talking about so-called "mature believers," not lost souls or baby Christians—come into God’s sanctuary on Sunday morning wearing clothes you might rather expect to see them wearing at a dance club on Saturday night. Their blouses cling to their bodies, their necklines dip so low and stretch so wide that they reveal cleavage, and the slits up the sides of their skirts offer more than an innocent glimpse of their thighs. Again, I’m not talking about sinners seeking God or new believers who plain don’t know better. I’m talking about thsoe who claim to be "born-again, baptized, blood-bought" (even tongue-talking) members of the church!
Paul instructed Timothy that women should “adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation” (1 Tim. 2:9), and he told the church at Corinth that “our unpresentable parts have greater modesty” (1 Cor. 12:23). Regardless of how hot it is outside or how busy we are, there’s no justification for Spirit-filled women to come to church wearing clothes that cause some men to pay more attention to the things of the flesh than the things of the Spirit.
But rather than repenting, some of these progressive women are lashing out against campaigns likeModest Is Hottest, calling it sexist. In her critique of Modest Is Hottest, Sharon Hodde Miller, a doctoral student at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, argues, “A woman’s breasts and buttocks and thighs all proclaim the glory of the Lord.” Maybe, but I somehow doubt Jesus intended for this aspect of His glory to manifest in church.
Worship artist Jaime Jamgochian launched Modest Is Hottest to reach out to teen girls with the love of Christ. She says, “I feel like there’s always more to it when a girl is dressed inappropriately than ‘I just want to look cute.'”
I agree—and the same goes for older women who call Jesus Lord. I’m not suggesting that women subscribe to the Holiness Movement’s guidelines for women’s clothing and makeup. No, I’m not suggesting religious rules and regulations. But I don’t think Christian women should dress like the worldly women in church or anywhere else. It’s not about a shame-based approach to modesty that Miller opines about in her column. It’s about self-respect—and respect for others.
“I love what Jaime is doing; she is right on: Modest is hottest! I think this is such a good message to convey. Jaime is not being sexist but rather sharing that as beautiful women of God we can look so gorgeous without being revealing,” says Alyssa Shull, a youth pastor at Words of Life in North Miami and founder of The Pink Lid, a conference designed for girls between the ages of 12-18 where beauty and purity are key themes.
“You are respecting yourself and those around you when you are modest," Shull says. "Lust is very prevalent in our culture, but Jesus says in Matthew 5:28, even if you look at a woman with lust in your eyes it is adultery. So I believe that women can do their part and display themselves in a beautiful way without promoting lust. You can be stylish and modest!”
I agree with Shull and, as the mother of a 16-year-old girl, appreciate what she and Jamgochian are doing for young teens. I got more than 100 comments on my Facebook page in less than two hours this morning when I asked, “What’s your view on women coming to church in skimpy tank tops and tight pants? Shouldn’t we come to church dressed modestly?” In a testament to the division in the body of Christ, quite a number of them were offended that I asked the question and accused me of having a judgmental spirit for suggesting that it’s inappropriate to dress immodestly in church.
Again, it’s not about the sinner coming in to look for Jesus or the baby Christian still shaking off the dust of the world. We’re talking about tongue-talking women wearing clothes so tight they may as well have been spray-painted on and cleveage falling out of their blouses. That’s why Facebook comments like this one trouble me: “Get to where God sees and don’t worry about the wardrobe of another person unless you are inclined to buying them new clothes to wear.” And this one: “Even if they aren’t lost, they have an identity issue. Who are we to judge?”
If we can “judge” that they have an identity issue, can’t we judge that they shouldn’t be showing cleavage in church? And it’s not our responsibility to buy a woman new clothes just because she’s wearing seductive garb to church. But it is our responsibility to speak the truth in love to those who may not know better and to lead by example. In too many ways—including sometimes our wardrobe—Christians have conformed to the world. Paul warned us not to “be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Rom. 12:2).
It’s not about being the fashion police, and it's not about condemnation. If the Holy Spirit convicted your heart about the way you dress as you read this, don't let the devil beat you up. Just buy a few new outfits and keep praising God! It’s about not purposely opening the door to the spirit of immorality. Sure, as one Facebook commenter noted, a woman could wear a burlap sack to church and still find lustful eyes upon her. But does that mean we let it all hang out in the name of liberty? God forbid. 
Jennifer LeClaire is news editor at Charisma. She is also the author of several books, including The Spiritual Warrior's Guide to Defeating Jezebel. You can email Jennifer at  jennifer.leclaire@charismamedia.com or visit her website hereYou can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

Thursday 18 July 2013

Isaac - Hero of the Bible

We are in our summer sermon series at church on Heroes of the Bible. This Sunday Pastor Ben spoke about Isaac. He told stories from the life of Isaac. The question of why Isaac is a hero in the Bible was not answered though.
 I would say that Isaac was a hero in how he demonstrated his faith in God. He was willing to trust God for His choice of wife for him and when the servant came back with Rebekah he took her as wife and loved her. He had no complaints - she was the one for him and he loved her. Secondly we see that time passed and no children were born to Isaac and Rebekah. Now Isaac goes to God and prays sincerely for a child. He puts his faith and trust in God - and God blesses them with twin sons. In Hebrews 11:20  we read  20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. Here again we see the faith of Isaac. He believed God for the future. This is the lesson for all of us today. Isaac teaches us to 
1) Believe God to provide and then be content and thankful for His provisions
2) Pray to God, tell Him what is on your heart. God hears and answers the prayers of His children
3) Believe God concerning things to come. God knows the future. He will carry us through. We can depend on Him and trust His promises!

I would encourage you to study the Bible study below on the life of Isaac. It is quite thorough. I have highlighted a few important points. 

This Bible Study on Isaac is written by the good folks at  http://www.wenstrom.org/downloads/written/people/old/isaac.pdf

Link here to get to their site   Wenstrom



Outline
I. Who was Isaac?
II. Abraham and Isaac
III. Isaac and Rebekah
IV. Jacob and Esau
V. Abraham Blesses Jacob
I. Who was Isaac?
A. Isaac was the son of Abraham!
B. God promised Abraham that He would give him a son (Gen. 17:19; 15:4).
C. His mother was Sarah!
D. Both, Abraham and Sarah were heroes because they trusted in God’s promises!
E. Isaac became a hero also!
F. Hebrews 11:20, “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.”
G. Isaac showed his faith in God by blessing Jacob and Esau!
H. He trusted that God would keep His promises.
II. Abraham and Isaac
A. One day God told Abraham to sacrifice his Isaac!
B. Genesis 22:1-2, “Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said
to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ And He (God) said, ‘Take now you son, you
only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a
burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.’”
C. This must have been hard for Abraham because he waited a long time for Isaac to be born.
D. Abraham loved his son Isaac very much.
E. But Abraham did what God told him to do and passed the test.
F. Hebrews 11:17, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac; and who
received the promises was offering up his only begotten son.’”
G. What Abraham did was a picture of what God the Father do when He would offered up His
only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ!
H. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He (God) gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him (the Lord Jesus Christ) should not perish, but have eternal life.”
I. God was really going to have Abraham kill Isaac.
J. God was just testing Abraham’s doctrine in his soul.
K. God wanted to show the angels (both elect and fallen) Abraham’s trust in Him!
L. Abraham and Isaac both showed their faith in God by going to Moriah!
M. Abraham was ready to kill Isaac but God stopped him (Gen. 22:9-14).
N. Isaac showed courage and faith in God by not crying or becoming afraid when his father
raised the knife to kill him.
O. Isaac went with his father and did what he was told just like the Lord Jesus Christ did what
His Father told Him to do!
P. Isaac obeyed his father.
Q. He was a good boy.
R. Isaac’s obedience to his father is a picture of God the Son’s obedience to His Father’s will!
S. We are to follow in their footsteps.
T. We should be obedient to our heavenly Father and our earthly father’s.
1 U. Isaac learned Bible Doctrine from his father and mother and became a hero also like his
parents did!
III. Isaac and Rebekah
A. Isaac was 40 years old and still hadn’t gotten married.
B. His mother had died a few years earlier.
C. He was spending too much time feeling sad over the death of his mother whom he loved
very much.
D. Isaac was also in the Negev which means that he was not into learning God’s Word at the
time.
E. Yet, God still blessed him because of his association with Abraham!
F. Abraham sent one of his trusted slaves to go and bring back a wife for Isaac from among his
people (Gen. 24).
G. Rebekah was the distant cousin of Abraham.
H. Rebekah lived in Mesopotamia in the city of Nahor.
I. Abraham wanted the slave to bring back a wife from among his relatives there.
J. The slave prayed to God to give him guidance in choosing the right women for Isaac and
granting him success (Gen. 24:12-14).
K. The servant met Rebekah at the well and she was the answer to the servant’s prayer (Gen.
24:15-26).
L. The servant told her parents about his mission to find a wife for his master’s son (Gen. 24:34-
51).
M. Rebekah’s parents let her go with the servant and marry Isaac.
N. The servant was very happy!
O. Rebekah was brought to Isaac while he was still feeling bad over his mother’s death.
P. When Isaac saw Rebekah he went “OH, BABY!”
Q. Isaac stop thinking about his dead mother and married Rebekah whom God had given to
him.
R. He loved Rebekah very much!
IV. Jacob and Esau
A. After 20 years of being married, Isaac and Sarah still had no children.
B. Back in the days when Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived that was not good.
C. This was a terrible thing for the wife to go through because she couldn’t bear a child for her
husband.
D. Isaac prayed that the Lord would open Rebekah’s womb (Gen. 25:21).
E. The Lord answered Isaac’s prayer and Rebekah became pregnant with twins (Gen. 25:22-23).
F. The Lord told Rebekah that she had two nations in her womb, Jew and Gentile (Gen. 25:23).
G. Rebekah gave birth to two twin boys, Jacob and Esau!
H. Esau was the oldest because he came out first.
I. Jacob came out second.
J. Jacob was grabbing onto Esau’s heel when he came out after Esau (Gen. 25:26).
K. Esau was a hairy person like a chimp (Gen. 25:25)!
L. Isaac was 60 years old when Rebekah gave birth to the twins (Gen. 25:26).
M. Esau grew up and became a great hunter (Gen. 25:27).
N. Jacob hung around the house with his mother!
O. Isaac loved Esau because he like to play outdoors and was rough and tough.
P. Rebekah loved Jacob because he hung around the house vacuuming and cooking brownies
with his mother!
Q. Jacob was wimpy because he always hung around his mother in the house!
2 3
R. Esau was rough and tough and like to go out and kill animals for food!
S. Esau was not God’s choice to receive the promise from God!
T. Jacob was!
U. Jacob was a liar and a deceiver!
V. Jacob deceived Esau into giving him his birthright!
W. Esau didn’t think to much of his birthright.
X. Jacob did!
Y. Isaac blessed Jacob instead of Esau because he was God’s choice!
V. Isaac blesses Jacob
A. Isaac got old and became blind.
B. Isaac thought he was going to die so therefore he wanted to passed down the blessing to his
son Esau!
C. Esau was his favorite but not God’s choice to receive the blessing from God!
D. Jacob was God’s choice even though he was a liar and deceiver.
E. One day Rebekah was listening to Isaac and heard him instruct Esau to go out and kill him
his favorite game and prepare him dinner.
F. After the dinner, Isaac was going to bless Esau!
G. Rebekah wanted her favorite son Jacob to receive the blessing instead.
H. She came up with a plan to deceive her husband into giving Jacob the blessing.
I. She told Jacob to go out and get a goat and she would prepare a savory dish for Isaac.
J. She then put animal’s hair on Jacob’s arms so that he would feel like Esau.
K. Remember, Isaac can’t see anymore.
L. Jacob went along with his mother’s plan and deceived his father Isaac into giving him the
blessing instead of Esau (Gen. 27)!
M. Even though Jacob was a jerk, God still blessed him, Grace!
N. Isaac was going to do the wrong thing by blessing Esau!
O. Esau was not God’s choice but Jacob was!
P. Isaac realized that Jacob was God’s choice!
Q. God used the deception of his wife and son to bring to pass His plan!
R. Isaac showed his greatness by remembering the prophecy and believing.
S. The prophecy in Genesis 25:23 said that Esau the oldest must serve Jacob the youngest!
T. This was God’s plan!
U. Isaac remembered this prophecy from God and understood that Jacob must receive the
blessing even though Jacob was a deceiver and not Isaac’s favorite son!
V. Isaac showed his faith in the Lord by blessing Jacob instead of Esau!
W. Hebrews 11:20, “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.”
X. Isaac became a hero by obeying God’s prophecy in Genesis 25:23!
Y. Isaac blessed Jacob with the promise and not Esau which was the according to God’s plan!

Friday 12 July 2013

Heroes of the Bible - Ruth

My home church is doing a sermon series this summer on "Heroes of the Bible". Last Sunday we looked at Abraham - link to my blog post here>  Abraham Now this past Sunday we looked at Ruth as a hero of the Bible. Pastor Ben was our speaker and I thought he had a very good message and discussion about Ruth. 
I took notes as he spoke and so here is some of what he said:

When you plant a garden, you get what you plant. If you plant peas you will get peas. If you plant corn you will get corn and not lima beans. You get what you plant. This is also a Biblical concept that we see right through the Bible.
Galatians 6:7-8  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting

What you sow - you will reap - And what Ruth sows she ends up reaping. Ruth sowed kindness and that is what she ended up reaping.


Our text was Ruth 1 so please take the time to read it here below:
 Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehemjudah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.
And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons.
And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years.
And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.
Then she arose with her daughters in law, that she might return from the country of Moab: for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited his people in giving them bread.
Wherefore she went forth out of the place where she was, and her two daughters in law with her; and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah.
And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me.
The Lord grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them; and they lifted up their voice, and wept.
10 And they said unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people.
11 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters: why will ye go with me? are there yet any more sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands?
12 Turn again, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have an husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have an husband also to night, and should also bear sons;
13 Would ye tarry for them till they were grown? would ye stay for them from having husbands? nay, my daughters; for it grieveth me much for your sakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.
14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept again: and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her.
15 And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law.
16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:
17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.
18 When she saw that she was stedfastly minded to go with her, then she left speaking unto her.
19 So they two went until they came to Bethlehem. And it came to pass, when they were come to Bethlehem, that all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi?
20 And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.
21 I went out full and the Lord hath brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?
22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.

Widows were the most vulnerable people in that society. So Naomi and her two daughters-in-law found themselves in a desperate spot. ( All three of them were widows). They are in need of protection and provision. So Naomi wants to go back to Israel.

Ruth consistently does what is right with no regard for her own future. She wants to take care of the ageing Naomi. Naomi sees no hope for Ruth. Ruth ( as widow of Naomi's deceased son ) understands her responsibility to care for Naomi. That is how things worked in that culture. It was the adult children's duty to  provide for ageing parents - there were no retirement homes etc. So Ruth accepts the cultural responsibility to take care of Naomi.
Ruth is loyal - She demonstrates loyalty to Naomi. Ruth constantly chooses to do what is right.

Ruth goes to work in the fields. This is an extremely dangerous thing to do. She has no husband and no male protector. There were guys who would take advantage of her situation. She is a foreigner with no protector.

We see Ruth doing what is right, not worrying about the future. She is going to reap what she sows.

By Divine Providence she happens to end up working in the fields of Boaz. Boaz instructs his workers to leave extra grain for Ruth to pick up. He doesn't do this because she is pretty or trying to win her heart. Boaz shows kindness to Ruth because he has heard of her loyalty and kindness toward her mother-in-law Naomi. He has been told what she has done for Naomi - Boaz shows loyalty to Ruth because she has shown loyalty to Naomi.
We must remember that these circumstances began in tragedy - in the death of Naomi's husband and two sons Mahlon and Chilion. Tragedy and disasters strike because we live in a fallen and broken world.

The things we plant in our lives will grow and produce.

What are you sowing in your life? 
*honesty - develops character where you are trustworthy
*lies and gossip - no one will trust you

What are we hoping to reap and harvest in our lives?
* strong friendships, good family relationships, close walk with God
What are you planting in order to develop that?

This is not instant - a garden takes time to grow

We want something to grow - it takes faithfulness, steadfastness and perseverance.

If you plant bad things - it will take time to fix
*you may change but people will not instantly necessarily believe you have changed. People will watch and take a step back and wait to see if there is change.
But don't give up - show complete dedication!

Ruth kept on doing right, and did not worry about the future.
Keep working and planting!
We will reap what we sow!

Friday 5 July 2013

Abraham - Hero of the Bible

God wants you to worship Him, follow Him and thank Him!

James 2:22-23  Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.


Our church is starting a sermon series titled "Heroes of the Bible". We started with Abraham. Later on in this post I will share the sermon notes from my home church. But I must admit that the sermon really didn't answer the question I have about Abraham. The question I have is why is Abraham a hero? What character trait is it that God is looking for in us that He would call us "friend" as He did with Abraham?  Jesus says in John 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. So we see that obedience is part of it.

 I found the following article written by Jeff Strite. I think he makes a good point. You can read the entire article at  Abraham - Hero of the Faith   Mr Strite writes the following.

He was so significant, that in Genesis 12:2-3 we find that God sought Abraham out and gave him some very impressive promises. God said to Abraham:
"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

God promised he was going to make Abraham the father of a great nation and make his name would become great. Abraham would receive a special protection of God and not only was he to be blessed by God, but everybody on earth who would ever be blessed by God, was to blessed because of Abraham.

How did Abraham rate such an honor?
Because the eyes of the Lord had run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those who were loyal to Him.

God set Abraham up to be one of the major heroes in Scripture. And God made him a hero because God saw in him a special trait – Faith.

Romans 4:9 tells us that “… Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.”
So much so that Romans 4:12 tells us “he is the father of (those) who walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.”

Faith is a highly valued commodity to God.
Heb 11:6 “…without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently seek him.”

And Hebrews 10:38 says “… my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.”

God calls His people to LIVE by faith. That implies that not just any old faith is going to do. God wants a faith that changes how we live.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 So we can see that it is when we put our faith in God that He becomes pleased with us. A faith that changes how we live, a faith that produces obedience to the Word of God - The Bible.

Hebrews 11: 8-12
 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

It's pretty clear from the passage from Hebrews 11 that Abraham is a hero of the Bible because of the faith that he demonstrated as he lived his day to day life in faith - faith that influenced his decisions and choices every day.




Now to our sermon notes. 


The text is Genesis 12: 1-9 
Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto theLord, who appeared unto him.
And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord.
And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.

 Our speaker was Pastor Ben. Here is some of what he said:

Abraham is huge in the Bible. The Bible keeps referring back to Abraham.
God makes massive promises to Abraham in verses 2-3.
* I will make you a great nation 
* I will bless you and make your name great
* I will bless them that bless you and curse those who curse you
God promises to make Abraham a blessing to the entire world.
This seemed impossible to  Abraham - he was living in a tent in the middle east, doesn't even know that America exists. Abraham was about 75 years old when God called him. He is not a young man. Yet the promise of a great nation??

This shows us that you are never too old for God to work in your life. Abraham has no children, no power and no influence.

The question for us is "Is God Faithful and Can we trust Him?"
Can God be trusted to keep His Word?
God's promises are for abundant life to those who follow Him - Can He keep His Word?

Abraham demonstrates great faith when he packs up his family, his goods and possessions and goes as God commands him to do.
Abraham waits years and no child is born. Sarah and Abraham decide to "help" God with this so Hagar the slave is given to Abraham as wife in order to bear a child. Ishmael is born, but we soon learn that he is not the son that God has promised to Abraham and Sarah.
God reaffirms his promise to Abraham.

God is faithful and does keep His promises - Isaac is born.

It is our choice whether we want to keep walking with God or if we want to turn our back to God and walk away from Him. We can reject God's promises, but God does not give up on us nor does He forget His promises to us. God is faithful to His Word.

Abraham's name has become great.
Abraham has become a great nation - the nation of Israel.
God's promises have come to pass.
God is faithful to every one of His promises!!

Thursday 4 July 2013

The Work of Angels

Psalm 91:10-12 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.


Here are some notes I took from a sermon study on Angels by Erwin Lutzer. May you be encouraged as you read.

We can do nothing unless God gives us the ability to do it.

God's Word is powerful , God has adequate resources to meet your needs.

We are nothing unless it is given to us from above.

In the story of Elisha, God opened the eyes of his servant so he was able to see the angels protecting them. Prayer did not bring the angels , they were already there, prayer opened the eyes of the servant so that he was able to see.

Open your eyes and see what God has done.

Satan has been defeated -- thank God for it!!

We often pray asking God to bless us when in reality---- He has already blessed us, our prayer needs to include asking God to help us to know and recognize His care and His blessings.

Only God can open people's eyes.
Pray for your eyes to be opened to see spiritual truth.

Ephesians 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,


Pray for the eyes of your heart be enlightened - pray to see the eyes to be opened.

Do you get it? A practical test if people get it - Is your prayer a begging prayer - simply asking God or are you thanking God for stressful situations and thanking Him for battles that are being won.

It is not necessary for us to see angels to appreciate them - they are there anyway.
Angels are on call in case of need --they love to serve
God sometimes doesn't allow angels to protect us, He may or may not use them.
Angels rejoice when we repent.

Angels protect us in our lifetime.

Angels welcome us into heaven.
Angels carried the poor man Lazarus into Abrahams bosom. - When we die we will see Jesus but the angels carry us to him in time of death.

We are joint heirs with Jesus.
The unseen world is eternal--- everything we see here (our temporary things) will be burned up.

Jesus is the only way to be saved.



Happy July 4th USA

www.michellehenry.fr

America - It's time to repent and turn from evil. Come to Jesus today! Read the Bible, pray and seek God with all your heart! 



facebook.com

www.nowtheendbegins.com


www.facebook.com


First Obama Wanted Our Guns and Now He Can Legally Kill Americans on U.S. Soil
empowerworknet.com


America ......Come to Jesus before it's too late!!


watchmangospelsigns.com