05/27/13

Hebrews 10: Christ’s Sacrifice Once For All

 

Hebrews 10: Christ’s Sacrifice Once For All

 

          Sacrifice is hard, and it is not a part of the natural ways of mankind. As people, we tend to prefer the easier roads to travel, and sacrifice involves traveling the hardest roads without knowing where they may lead, just having a surety that the way will be hard. So how do we obtain the surety that our sacrifice is not in vain? We find it in clinging to Christ, the ultimate Gift of Sacrifice, where we find our joy and stability. It is through His Holy Spirit that we find the key to happiness–living for Him as our sole source of hope and strength. GOD the Father knew before the beginning of time that we would need a Savior, and Jesus, the son of GOD, volunteered to become the sacrificial lamb. Our sins can be forgiven; our hope can be restored.

Is life easy. Absolutely not. People often envy those who appear to have it all, but this is appearance only. Happiness evades those who are dependent upon the world for their identity and substance. Let us cling therefore to Him who is our everything, our identity, and our substance.

 

Praise Ye The LORD.     Charlene

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05/27/13

Romans 3:23 Falling Short

“For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of GOD.” Romans 3:23

All of us have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of GOD. His Grace is what is extended to us and what makes us able to live to be repentant and to ask forgiveness for our sins. What is remarkable is the fact that GOD uses us in our sinful state. Yes, we are saved; yes, we are saints; but we are also human beings who do not always make the wisest choices. Jesus came to make a bridge between GOD and mankind so that despite our faults we could have help and intercession in our goal of making it to the Heavenly Throne of GOD. The Holy Spirit dwells in all His saints making intercession for us daily. He directs our paths, comforts us as we live this earthly life, and will be there for us in Heaven.

Praise Ye The LORD!!! Charlene

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05/23/13

Demolishing Doubt by Randy Robison

We all doubt God at some point. In his brilliant apologetic book How Can I Know? Dr. Robert Jeffress tackles the five basic forms of doubt: natural, philosophical, experiential, spiritual, and empirical. He exposes the most common reasons for doubt, including suffering, betrayal, human intellect, and fear, then offers evidence that God exists and that Jesus Christ is who He claimed to be.

 

It’s easy to condemn the doubt of others or feel guilt about our own questions. But the Bible offers some encouragement on these two points. First, in the brief epistle of Jude, it says “have mercy on some, who are doubting” (verse 22). There is a difference between those who are hostile towards God and those who are struggling to believe. Certainly there are those who will never believe, but part of discipleship is encouraging those who are weak in their faith. We do not determine who will and will not come to Christ, so we should all maintain the attitude of 2 Peter 3:9, “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” This is not a position of passivity or weakness. It is a reminder that people are to be saved while ungodly ideas are to be demolished. Paul said, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God” (2 Corinthians 10:5a). We rescue the lost by shining the light of God’s truth through our words and actions.

 

 

When it comes to our own doubt, we must realize that it does take some faith on our part to really know God. It may be as tiny as a “mustard seed,” but at some point we must make the choice to believe the fundamental truths in Scripture. One such truth is this: “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind” (James 1:5-6).

 

 

This is not a contradiction. We don’t overcome our doubt by pretending it does not exist. Instead, this is a promise. When we take the initiative to believe God’s word and ask Him for wisdom, He promises to show up in our lives. It’s a bit like stepping onto a frozen pond, believing that it will hold you. Until you actually do it, you will never believe that you can skate.

 

So if you are struggling with doubt, ask God to show up in your life. Pester Him to show you His will. Read the Bible and implore the Holy Spirit to make it come alive. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Then your doubts will fade away as your faith becomes strong.

 

 

Dr. Robert Jeffress appears on LIFE TODAY May, 23, 2013, with Randy and James Robison.

 

Charlene’s Source:

LIFE Outreach International | P.O. Box 982000 | Fort Worth, TX 76182-8000

1-800-947-LIFE (5433) | WWW.LIFETODAY.ORG

05/23/13

Psalm 4 NIV


For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.

 

 

1 Answer me when I call to you,
my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

2 How long will you people turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods[b]?[c]
3 Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.

4 Tremble and[d] do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
5 Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
and trust in the Lord.

6 Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”
Let the light of your face shine on us.
7 Fill my heart with joy
when their grain and new wine abound.

8 In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, Lord,
make me dwell in safety.

Footnotes:

 

  1. Psalm 4:1 In Hebrew texts 4:1-8 is numbered 4:2-9.

  2. Psalm 4:2 Or seek lies

  3. Psalm 4:2 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 4.

  4. Psalm 4:4 Or In your anger (see Septuagint)

 

New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

05/21/13

May 21, 2013 Prayer For Oklahoma Victims and Victims World-wide

The tornadoes that have been devastating Oklahoma and surrounding states have caused immense devastation and loss of life. There are other places in the world that are also suffering. Many of the dead are innocent children. I ask for your prayers for all those  suffering and facing losses behind these natural disasters.  If possible, please find a charitable institution that will be a help in  giving aid to victims locally and worldwide.   Charlene

05/21/13

Massive Tornado in Oklahoma+Latest Developments

A massive tornado ripped through the Oklahoma City area on Monday, leaving behind a horrific path of destruction.

“It is a barren wasteland,” said Shannon Galarneau, of her hometown of Moore, Okla. Her 10-year-old neice is missing, she told Yahoo! News. “Everything is leveled.” This aerial photo shows the remains of homes hit by a massive tornado in Moore, Okla., Monday May 20, 2013. (AP Photo/Steve Gooch)
Charlene’s Source: yahoo news+AP
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(CNN) — Dozens of people — including several children — were killed when a massive tornado struck an area outside Oklahoma City on Monday afternoon, officials said.

At least seven of those children were killed at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Oklahoma, according to a police official.

Early Tuesday, emergency personnel continued to scour the school’s rubble — a scene of twisted I-beams and crumbled cinder blocks.The tornado was estimated to be at least two miles wide at one point as it moved through Moore, in the southern part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, KFOR reported.

The preliminary rating of the tornado was at least EF4 (166 to 200 mph), the National Weather Service said.

Latest updates:

— President Barack Obama said, “Oklahoma needs to get everything it needs right away” to recover from powerful tornado that ripped through the Oklahoma City region Monday.

— Flags are expected to be lowered at the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday morning in honor of the victims of a massive tornado that struck central Oklahoma the day before, House Speaker John Boehner said.

— Out of the 51 deaths initially reported in Monday’s powerful tornado in central Oklahoma, 24 bodies have been transferred to the Oklahoma City Medical Examiner’s Office, the agency said Tuesday. An update from the medical examiner was expected at 11 a.m. ET.

Previously reported:

— New York’s governor expressed his sympathy for Oklahomans in the aftermath of the “horrific tornado” that swept through the Oklahoma City region on Monday. “Here in New York we know firsthand the devastation and pain caused by natural disasters, and in difficult times like these we, more than ever, stand with our fellow Americans,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement Tuesday.

— The storm system behind Monday’s twister and several on Sunday is threatening a large swath of the United States on Tuesday, putting 53 million people at risk of severe weather. In the bull’s-eye Tuesday are parts of north-central Texas, southeastern Oklahoma, and northern Arkansas and Louisiana, according to the National Weather Service.

— Oklahoma first and foremost needs donations to rebuild after tornadoes slammed the state, Gov. Mary Fallin told CNN on Tuesday.

— More than 40,000 customers remain without power Tuesday after a powerful tornado slammed the Oklahoma City region, a utility spokesman said. More than half of those customers were in the heavily damaged suburb of Moore, according to Brian Alford, a spokesman for Oklahoma Gas & Electric.

— Glenn Lewis, the mayor of tornado-ravaged Moore, Oklahoma, told CNN on Tuesday the rescue effort is continuing and “we’re very optimistic we might find one or two people.”

— Personnel have rescued 101 people from rubble in metropolitan Oklahoma City after a tornado hit the area Monday, Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management representative Terri Watkins said Tuesday morning. Watkins cited an Oklahoma Highway Patrol tally of rescues from all agencies.

— Some of the children killed at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Oklahoma, during Monday’s storm drowned in a basement area there, Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb told CNN Tuesday morning. “My understanding, this school … Plaza Towers, they had a basement. Quite frankly, don’t mean to be graphic, but that’s why some of the children drowned, because they were in the basement area,” he said. Officials have said the storm killed at least seven children at the school.

— The Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office has been told to expect about 40 additional bodies, including about 20 children, according spokeswoman Amy Elliott. The official death toll of 51 will not rise until the bodies are processed, she said earlier. The current toll already includes at least 20 children who were killed by the storm.

— At least 145 people have been hospitalized in the Oklahoma City, hospital officials said. The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center received 45 children for treatment on Monday, according Dr. Roxie Albrecht.

— President Barack Obama will make a statement at approximately 10 a.m. ET after he is briefed on the aftermath of the Oklahoma tornado devastation, a White House official told CNN. The statement will be delivered in the State Dining Room.

— Obama signed a disaster declaration for Oklahoma on Monday night, a White House statement said. The declaration means federal emergency aid will supplement local recovery efforts.

— The president told the Oklahoma governor that the federal government “stands ready to provide all available assistance” as part of the response to a series of deadly storms that have struck the Oklahoma City area, including Monday’s devastating tornado.

— Queen Elizabeth II sent her condolences to those affected by Monday’s massive deadly Oklahoma tornado, saying on Twitter: “Our deepest sympathies go out to all those whose lives have been affected, as well as the American people #Oklahoma #tornado.”

— Pope Francis urged people to join him in praying for the families of those who died in the massive tornado in central Oklahoma on Monday, “especially those who lost young children,” he said in a tweet Tuesday.

— French President Francois Hollande expressed his grief over the casualties caused by the ferocious Oklahoma tornado and saluted the “mobilization” of citizens who tackled “this exceptional situation with courage and determination.”

— German Chancellor Angela Merkel passed along her condolences to President Obama over the casualties and destruction caused by the mammoth tornado that tore through Oklahoma on Monday. “The pictures of this catastrophe render us speechless and can only hint at the scope of the hurt,” Merkel told the president Tuesday.

– Pakistan and Spain issued condolences to the people affected by the deadly Oklahoma tornado. “We are particularly grieved over the loss of innocent children and their teachers who were buried under the rubble,” the Pakistan government said. The Spanish government said “the Spanish people, at these tragic times, feel even closer to the American people, and share their pain.”

Charlene’s Source: CNN+yahoo news

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05/16/13

Zephaniah 3:14-17

The purpose of Holy Scripture is to inform, warn, convict, exhort, encourage,  and comfort. When it seems as if all is lost, and there appears to be no end to the sadness and hunger within you–depend on God’s Word to comfort you through His Holy Spirit. All knowledge is His, therefore depend on His wisdom to lead and deliver you.   Zephaniah 3:14-17

 

Charlene

 

 

Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.
16 On that day
they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.
17 The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”

 

 

Scripture retrieved  from www. Bible Gateway.com

04/29/13

For Love of the King

For Love of the King by Daniel Kolenda

 

God is not looking for spiritual “gold diggers” who use Him and His kingdom to get rich, or to become popular or powerful. On the contrary, God is looking for people whose eyes are so fastened on Him and Him alone that none of the peripheral attractions are even in view. It is those with consecrated hearts to whom He says, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything else you need.”

 

Although seeking God’s kingdom first will give us fulfillment and purpose in life, we do not seek God’s kingdom primarily for the sake of becoming self-actualized or having a sense of accomplishment. It’s true that as we seek God’s kingdom, our material and financial needs will be met, but we do not seek God’s kingdom primarily because of the monetary benefits. It is obvious that seeking God’s kingdom results in eternal rewards that are very literally “out of this world.” But we do not seek God’s kingdom primarily to win an eternal prize. We do not seek the kingdom because we love its benefits – we seek the kingdom because we love its King! When our love for the King becomes our paramount incentive, then and only then do we have things in the right order.

 

Building the kingdom of God must be our primary objective in life, but the underlying motivation must be love for the King. The only way a person can be truly committed to the kingdom of God is to be consumed with love for Christ. If we are driven by a philosophy or an ideology, a desire to make the world a better place or to see a new order established, then our ambition falls into the same category as communism, Marxism, socialism, and all the other “-isms.” Seeking the kingdom of God is in a category all by itself because it stems from a fountain deeper than any motive in this world – divine, supernatural love of the King. This love is the foundation and the driving force behind the kingdom that will endure long after all others have crumbled to dust.

 

Excerpted from Live Before You Die by Daniel Kolenda. Copyright © 2013 by Daniel Kolenda. Published by Passio (Charisma Media/Charisma House Book Group.) Used by permission

 

Charlene’s Source: LifeToday

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04/25/13

Woman Thou Art Loosed: Music and Message

We desire to worship You, O Lord. Let our praises be lifted high unto your throne room. May we be granted peace.     Charlene

 

WTAL Worship Part 1

The Sound of Worship Woman Thou Art Loosed 2012

Bishop T.D. Jakes Woman Thou Art Loosed

credit: Potters House+DES10ONE+kcmi89

Charlene’s Source: youtube

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04/17/13

Words of Life: Unresolved Disappointment

Unresolved Disappointment

by Linda Godsey

 

I remember a time when someone disappointed me so deeply that I didn’t believe that life could ever be the same again. My heart also broke for others involved who were hurting that caused another whole level of pain. When I finally realized that I couldn’t physically or emotionally carry it any longer, I gave it to the Lord to carry it for me.

 

I was driving my car when a wave of emotion came over me that was overwhelming. I pulled to the side of the road, my body fell across the steering wheel of my car as I wept and cried out, “Jesus, help me! I am so disappointed – I bring that disappointment to you. I can’t carry it anymore!” And He took it, just as I asked him to. I felt the emotional pain lift from me and my body relaxed for the first time in days.

 

I’m sure you have experienced disappointment – we all have! Just as we have all experienced regrets that we wish we had the power to change. We’ve all thought, “If only” or “What if”.
Disappointment has been called the twin-sibling to regret. Regrets stem from our human nature to question the path our lives have taken because of the decisions we’ve made. Here is a helpful way to distinguish between regret and disappointment.

 

Regret focuses on the personal choices that contributed to the poor outcome.
Disappointment focuses on the outcome itself: such as failure, non-fulfillment, defeat or setback.

 

I challenge you to consider the “what ifs” and “If onlys” in your life? They will keep you stuck in the past until you deal with them. Does anything come to mind? Have you grieved those losses? Have you asked God to carry the pain? Have you asked God to show you how he sees your regret and disappointment? Jeremiah 33:3 says,“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

 

Let God show you his heavenly panoramic perspective of what you are going through. I think you will be amazed!

 

Surely He has borne our grief and carried our sorrows (This represents both physical and emotional sickness and pain). Isaiah 53:4

 

Linda Godsey is the author of Letting Go

 

Charlene’s Source: LifeToday

 

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04/10/13

NC Man Says He Tried To Save Kids Buried in Dirt

North Carolina Man Says He Tried To Save Kids Buried In Dirt

 

STANLEY, N.C. (AP) — For Jordan Arwood, the images return in waves. A wall of dirt collapsing and burying his 6-year-old daughter and her 7-year-old cousin in a pit he was working on. Rescue workers frantically pulling the children from thick red clay. Their lifeless bodies placed in the back of an ambulance.

“When she came out of the hole she was so cold,” Arwood, of Stanley, N.C., told The Associated Press in his first news media interview. “I just wanted for her to be warm. I just wanted to put my arms around her and tell her she would be safe….I promised her I’d keep her safe. I promised them I’d keep them safe and warm. I broke that promise.”

The 31-year-old Arwood was operating a backhoe Sunday night in the pit when the walls caved in on the children. The bodies of the two young cousins, Chloe Jade Arwood and James Levi Caldwell, were dug out Monday morning.

Arwood is the girl’s father. His parents, Nancy and Ken Caldwell, had adopted the boy, his twin sister Jazmin and 9-year-old brother Josiah. Arwood lives next to his parents and the pit was on his property.

Arwood told the AP he reached out to save the children but they were just outside his grasp. He said he dug faster and faster trying to rescue them until he couldn’t breathe.

“When the wall came down, I kept grabbing what was in front of me — grabbing enough dirt, grabbing boulders. … I wasn’t going to stop until I pulled them out. But I couldn’t save them,” he said, sobbing.

He paused for a moment.

“I wish it was me,’ he said.

Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Detective Lt. Tim Johnson said investigators were interviewing family members and neighbors about the case. When they finished, they planned to present their findings to the district attorney’s office.

Investigators described the pit as 20 feet by 20 feet, with a sloped entrance leading down to the 24-foot bottom. The children were at the bottom of the pit retrieving a child-sized pickaxe when the walls fell in on them. No permits had been issued for Arwood to dig on the site.

Johnson said investigators still don’t know why Arwood was digging the hole and that people have speculated that the pit was everything from a “doomsday bunker” to an underground structure for “illegal activity,” such as growing marijuana.

But Arwood said he was building a rammed earth home, an ancient building method where dirt is used to shape the foundation. Arwood said he had been digging for three months.

Sheriff’s deputies on Monday removed guns and a marijuana plant from Arwood’s mobile home. Arwood is a felon who is not allowed to have guns. He was convicted in 2003 for possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell.

Dion Burleson, spokesman for the Denver Fire Department, which responded to collapse, said crews filled in the pit Monday.

Arwood said he didn’t expect the walls to collapse. And late Tuesday afternoon, Arwood walked to the site of the pit and pointed to the spot where his daughter and James had been buried under the dirt.

He reached down and sifted the dirt between the fingers of his right hand. Then he punched the soil in frustration.

As the walls fell in, he recalled, the children were running to get away. He was within inches of grabbing his daughter’s hand. But she disappeared under a surge of dirt. Now he’s haunted by the memories.

“I want to wake up. I just want to wake up,” he said.

Recalling the children, his eyes brighten. They were always running around together — the best of friends.

And his parents’ house was filled with laughter. He taught his daughter and James how to ride four-wheelers in the backyard.

Arwood was like a big brother to James.

“How many times did I have to tell him to brush his teeth? I’ll never be able to tell him again, ‘Go brush your teeth, brush your hair.’ That was the first thing he did in the morning,” he said.

On Tuesday, friends and family in this tight-knit rural community came by to offer their condolences. They brought food to the family.

Ken Caldwell sat on a couch, surrounded by photos of his grandchildren. Nearby was a white karate suit. James is going to be buried in it. He was just a few days shy of taking a test for his orange belt.

Caldwell, who worked 34 years in a steel fabrication plant, recalled reading Tom Swift books every night to James, a bright, energetic first-grader with a big smile.

He loved his grandmother, who would tuck him in every night. “After she tucked him in, he would stick out his leg out of the covers and say, “Grandma, my foot’s not covered.'”

Chloe was always running around the house and jumping in his lap.

“She’s so beautiful,” he said.

When he saw the children’s bodies in the ambulance, he said he placed his hands on them and asked God to “bring them back.”

While his prayers went unanswered, his faith is still strong — and he’s going to use it to carry him through the tough times.

“You have to trust the Lord,” he said. “I’m just grateful I had time to spend with my grandkids.”

Charlene’s Source: AP Press+yahoo news

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04/8/13

Psalm 40 A Psalm of David

My Help and My Deliverer

 

Psalm 40

 

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

 

1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the LORD.
4 Blessed is the man who makes
the LORD his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
to those who go astray after a lie!
5 You have multiplied, O LORD my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
yet they are more than can be told.
6 In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
but you have given me an open ear.1
Burnt offering and sin offering
you have not required.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
8 I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”
9 I have told the glad news of deliverance2
in the great congregation;
behold, I have not restrained my lips,
as you know, O LORD.
10 I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;
I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
from the great congregation.
11 As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain
your mercy from me;
your steadfast love and your faithfulness will
ever preserve me!
12 For evils have encompassed me
beyond number;
my iniquities have overtaken me,
and I cannot see;
they are more than the hairs of my head;
my heart fails me.
13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me!
O LORD, make haste to help me!
14 Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether
who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt!
15 Let those be appalled because of their shame
who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”
16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, “Great is the LORD!”
17 As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!

 

 

Charlene’s Source: The Word/WLC Word Bible Software Vs 3.2.1

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