May 1

The Source of Our Sufficiency


Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God . . . [We] have no confidence in the flesh . . . I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (2Co_3:5-6; Phi_3:3; and Phi_4:13)


We have been considering how God's grace develops traits of godliness in our lives. Such studies are related to finding the source of our sufficiency. Where are believers in Jesus Christ supposed to find adequate resources for living godly lives? The scriptures answer this question in a two-fold manner. First, God wants us to realize that we are not the source of anything that is needed. Second, God wants us to understand that He is the source of everything that is needed.


Our inadequacy is the first matter the Lord desires to clarify for us. "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves." Our own personal inadequacy is so comprehensive that we cannot expect that anything godly or eternal will source from us. We do not have any resources that can save a soul, transform a life, or cause the Lord's church to be edified. This is a drastically different perspective on life than what we initially held. Man's natural mind assumes that we must be the source of all that is needed for daily living. God's word repeatedly warns us not to adopt this viewpoint. The Psalmists proclaimed such. "Vain is the help of man . . . Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help" (Psa_108:12; Psa_146:3). Jesus elaborated on this theme. "Without Me you can do nothing" (Joh_15:5). Paul taught the same. " [We] have no confidence in the flesh (that is, in human resources) ."


God's adequacy is the second matter that He wants to clarify for us. "Our sufficiency is from God." As surely as we are totally inadequate to supply what we need for life, God is fully adequate to be our comprehensive source for living. The Psalmist understood this corollary truth as well. "Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies . . . Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them" (Psa_108:13; Psa_146:5-6). Jesus offered the same sufficient provisions. "He who abides in Me . . . bears much fruit" (Joh_15:5). Paul testified of the same reality. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." God is the source of our sufficiency in all that pertains to developing godly characteristics.


Dear Lord, my sufficiency, I repent of my frequent tendency to look to myself to find personal adequacy. How vain and hopeless that is. Lord, teach me to hope in You for everything I need for godly living, in Jesus name, Amen.

How the Characteristics of Grace Appear


And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant. (2Co_ 3:4-6)


We have been considering some characteristics that God wants to develop in our lives by His grace: namely, triumphant living, a fragrance of Christ, godly sincerity, and becoming living letters of Christ. How do these appear in our lives in an ever-increasing manner? As Paul wrote on these wonderful descriptions of godly living, his heart was stirred to ask, "And who is sufficient for these things? " (2Co_2:16). Paul fully realized that man cannot produce these realities. Human resources are inadequate.
These heavenly traits grow in those who are living by the terms of the new covenant (humbly trusting in God, not in ourselves). " And we have such trust through Christ toward God." Paul's confidence in exhibiting these spiritual qualities of life was directed toward God, based upon the relationship that is available in Jesus Christ. This is not self-confidence; it is God-confidence. God must produce these characteristics.


There is no room for believers to trust in themselves. "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves," We are not the source of any of these wonderful traits of godly living. They must all come from God at work in us. "Our sufficiency is from God." When we live in humble dependency, the Lord's supply becomes our needed sufficiency. "Our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant."


Yes, new covenant servants live by the grace of God. Consequently, their sufficiency is what the Lord Himself supplies! This is precisely what God promised of old through His prophets. "I will make a new covenant . . . I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts" (Jer_31:31, Jer_31:33). God inscribes these spiritual traits upon the inner man (the heart and the mind) by His grace. The results are these characteristics of godliness develop in our lives.
Again, we are looking at living by humility and faith. "God . . . gives grace to the humble" (Jam_4:6). Also, faith accesses grace: "through whom [that is, the Lord Jesus Christ] also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand" (Rom_5:2).



O Holy Father, I long to grow in these godly traits. I am not sufficient to produce them by my resources. My only hope is to be changed by You from the inside out. I humbly bow before You. With confidence in You, I ask that You unleash Your grace upon my heart and mind, as I seek You in Your word. Through Christ my Lord, I pray, Amen.

April 29

Living Letters of Christ


You are manifestly an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. (2Co_ 3:3)


Another significant characteristic resulting from living by grace is that we become living letters of Christ. "You are manifestly an epistle of Christ." The Lord wants to turn our lives into a "walking and talking letter of Him." He wants to make us a living explanation of who Christ is and all that He offers. What a great opportunity this presents. As we go about our daily responsibilities, others are often "reading our lives." While they are observing us, they can actually be learning of the truth and love of our Lord Jesus, as He is working in and through our lives. Although this may sound like too much to hope for, the Lord declares in His word that this process can become very clear to those who are watching us: "You are manifestly [that is, "to be plainly recognized as"] an epistle of Christ."


Remember, this is what is available for "ministers [i.e., servants] of the new covenant" (2Co_3:6). This is what happens in those who live by the grace of God. This is something that God does in us, not something we manufacture for Him. Certainly, people are involved in the process. We become fully engaged by humbly and dependently seeking after the Lord who wants to work in us. Others also get involved by ministering to us. "You are manifestly an epistle of Christ, ministered by us." Paul had ministered God's truth to these saints at Corinth. Yet, these living letters of Christ were not being written by ink, as ordinary letters would be. "You are manifestly an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God." God's Holy Spirit was at work writing the letters that their lives were becoming.

Notice where the Lord was inscribing these living letters: "not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart." The old covenant message of law was written on stones. The new covenant message of grace is written on the hearts of all who will walk in humble dependence upon God. This heavenly work changes us from the inside out, making us living letters of Christ!



Dear God of all grace, I humbly admit that I need to be more and more changed into a living letter of Christ. So often, those who read me see only me. I ask You in faith to inscribe the character of Christ upon my heart, that others may see Him in my daily walk, Amen.

April 28

Godly Sincerity in General


We conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you. (2Co_1:12)


God not only wants our lives characterized with godly sincerity toward His word, He desires to mark our lives with godly sincerity in general. "We conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity . . . and more abundantly toward you." As the Apostle Paul and his missionary team evangelized throughout the known world, and as they ministered among the churches, they functioned in both arenas with simple, Christ-like genuineness.
The world is filled with pretense and attention to outward appearances. Many within the Lord's church have yielded to temptation in these directions. The flesh of each of us is enticed to develop an exterior image that does not match what is going on inside. Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of His day for such an attitude. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation" (Mat_23:14). These men were actually taking advantage of the helpless widows. Yet, they stood in public and made long prayers, hoping to be considered as godly in the eyes of the people.
Their hypocrisy was not only a matter of observable, contradictory behaviors, but the very core of their being was drastically different from what they appeared to be outwardly. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness" (Mat_23:26-27).
Our Lord loves sincerity and hates hypocrisy. However, it takes a working of God's grace to effect the sincerity that God desires. "We conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God." Human ingenuity cannot produce the genuineness that God wants to see in our lives. God's grace is the only sufficient resource to bring about this godly characteristic of life. God's grace works within our hearts, where true sincerity must be formed. "First cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also" (Mat_23:26).


Dear Lord, I humble myself before You. I do not want to be a hypocrite. Work in the depths of my heart by Your mighty grace to create in me godly sincerity, through Christ I pray, Amen.

My Message, Today

On this day of your life, D, we believe God wants you to know...
... that every little part of you is magical.

Yes, even the parts that hurt, even the ones that are feeling disease right now. It's alright to love what is in pain. More than alright, that's exactly where your love is needed the most. So why not touch that part that hurts and smile at it, at yourself through it, and whisper: 'I love you.'

Word today

On this day of your life, D, we believe God wants you to know...
... that it's time to STOP going through the motions of living, and START living.

Are you willing to do that now? Or are you going to wait until all life energy drains out of you and your loved ones who are trying to support you at this very moment? You were not born to follow rules and regulations. Living starts with dreaming. So dream, dream friend, and let dreams show you the path to your bliss.

Intimidation

Intimidation
Source: WordNet (r) 1.7

intimidation n 1: the act of intimidating a weaker person to make them do something [syn: bullying] 2: the feeling of discouragement in the face of someone's superior fame or wealth or status etc. 3: the feeling of being intimidated 4: a communication that makes you afraid to try something [syn: determent, deterrence]

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Intimidation ..In*tim..i*da"tion.., n. [Cf. F. intimidation.] The act of making timid or fearful or of deterring by threats; the state of being intimidated; as, the voters were kept from the polls by intimidation. The king carried his measures in Parliament by intimidation.



Lesson at Church was about intimidation. I had never really thought about it before
especially when it was being done to me as an act of the enemy but it really is.
I always looked at what was being spoke to me as a power play from someone
higher up in the order of the hierchy we are supposedly formatted with.
I am at fault also for not following the leadership position I have been placed by not
following the expectations of what I am supposed to be doing as far as a papertrail of
disciplinary actions. I am one of those who says "don't do that again or I am going to do whatever"
I have been not doing my job on the disciplinary thing by being afraid of hurting someone's feelings or getting someone angry at me. If the person is not doing the job that they agreed to do when hired it is them that are doing the wrong thing not I by doing my job.
I will not be questioning myself any longer on the right or wrong thing to do.
I will not let the enemy intimidate me with any of his demeaning remarks about being
unfair and unjust about my performance at work as a leader.

I realize that now.
duhhhhhhhh, I have always known that anything negative is from the enemy
and anything good is from God.

By not stepping up with confidence as the leader I am, I am allowing the enemy to
get in God's Way in my growth,my progress, and my purpose.
This is another awareness of how I must constantly keep the enemy under my feet every morning I wake and Praise the Lord all day for helping me to be the woman
He desires me to be for Him.
Thank You Lord for putting that Word on Pastor T's heart and sharing with us

my message

I got a message that on this day, God wants me to Know...
... that faith is exactly what it takes to get through uncertainty.

Faith is not necessary when you know how things are going to work out, - that's knowledge. It's in the time of unknowing that having faith is what sees you through to the other side. Faith is what gives you strength. Faith is that light in your heart that keeps on shining even when it's all darkness outside. Now is the time to keep that faith alive!

Hmmmm, I'm over 40.. LOL wondering if I could get away w/this.. roflmbo

A mature (over 40) lady gets pulled over for speeding...

Older Woman: Is there a problem, Officer?


Officer: Ma'am, you were speeding.

Older Woman: Oh, I see.

Officer: Can I see your license please?

Older Woman: I'd give it to you but I don't have one.

Officer: Don't have one?

Older Woman: Lost it, 4 years ago for drunk driving.

Officer: I see...Can I see your vehicle registration papers please.

Older Woman: I can't do that.

Officer: Why not?

Older Woman: I stole this car.

Officer: Stole it?

Older Woman: Yes, and I killed and hacked up the owner.

Officer: You what?

Older Woman: His body parts are in plastic bags in the trunk if you want to see

The Officer looks at the woman and slowly backs away to his car and calls for back up. Within minutes 5 police cars circle the car. A senior officer slowly approaches the car, clasping his half drawn gun.

Officer 2: Ma'am, could you step out of your vehicle please!

The woman steps out of her vehicle.

Older woman: Is there a problem sir?

Officer 2: One of my officers told me that you have stolen this car and murdered the owner.

Older Woman: Murdered the owner?

Officer 2: Yes, could you please open the trunk of your car, please.

The woman opens the trunk, revealing nothing but an empty trunk.

Officer 2: Is this your car, ma'am?

Older Woman: Yes, here are the registration papers.
The officer is quite stunned.

Officer 2: One of my officers claims that you do not have a driving license.

The woman digs into her handbag and pulls out a clutch purse and hands it to the officer.

The officer examines the license. He looks quite puzzled.

Officer 2: Thank you ma'am, one of my officers told me you didn't have a license, that you stole this car, and that you murdered and hacked up the owner.

Older Woman: Bet the liar told you I was speeding, too.

Don't Mess With Mature Ladies
If you want to brighten someone's day, pass this on to someone you know.

What do you dabble in thought.

“How could a loving God allow suffering or evil to happen in my life or in the world?”

We’ve probably all dabbled in this way of thinking. It is a mentality that robs us of the sheer delight of enjoying the most beautiful being in the universe. Any doubts of His goodness will lead to low and negative expectations.

Let's change it TODAY:

1. Believe in the goodness of God. James 1:17 says, "Every GOOD and perfect gift comes from God." Anything that is not good or perfect, is not from God.

2. He is touched by our feelings and infirmities (Hebrews 4:15). No one is touched as deeply with humanity’s pain and anguish more than our Heavenly Father. Our sorrow and suffering, aches the heart of God. He weeps with us, and offers His mercy in grace in time of need—Hebrews 4:16.

3. Change the way you look at love. LOVE gives free will. If God forced everyone to do right, it would be slavery. Life would become meaningless and there would be no virtue if it were forced virtue; no honor if it was forced honor. No love, if it were force love. (Deut. 30:19) Suffering was born when man choose to disbelieve and disobey God (Genesis 2:16-17).

4. Join Paul in believing that no evil can separate us from the love of God. (Romans 8:39) Though we don’t understand everything, our trust is in His love. “Knowing God” is better than “knowing why”. (Of course, that doesn’t mean that we just accept whatever happens in life. We have authority to make right choices, to exercise our God-given rights.)

5. Understand God’s patience. If God wiped out everyone who ever caused pain by selfishness, lying, hatred, anger, or cheating, who would be left? We would all be swept away. If we are sane, we don’t want justice. We want and need mercy! James 2:14—Mercy triumphs over judgment.

6. Believe that, though God doesn’t cause evil, He can still bring good in the midst of evil or suffering. (Genesis 50:20)

THINK IT & SAY IT:
I believe in the goodness of God. He is ALWAYS good. He feels AND bears my pain. His love gives me the power of choice, and I choose to believe Him and honor Him. And no matter what, nothing can separate me from His love. His mercy triumphs over evil and believe He can bring good in the midst of any bad situation, in Jesus’ Name!

Could this be Real???

from Johns-Hopkins





Bottled
water in your car is
very
dangerous!


On the Ellen show, Sheryl Crow said this is what caused her breast
cancer. It has been identified as the most common cause
of the high levels of dioxin in breast cancer
tissue.

Sheryl
Crow's oncologist told her:
women
should not drink bottled water that has been left in a car.
The
heat reacts with the chemicals in the plastic of the
bottle which releases dioxin into the water. Dioxin is
a toxin increasingly found in breast cancer tissue.
So please be careful and do not drink bottled water that has
been left in a car. Pass this on to all the women in your
life.


This
information is the kind we need to know that just might save
us! Use a stainless steel canteen or a glass bottle
instead of plastic!

LET EVERYONE WHO HAS A WIFE / GIRLFRIEND /
DAUGHTER KNOW PLEASE!

This
information is also being circulated at Walter Reed
Army Medical Center

No plastic
containers in
microwave.

No
water
bottles in freezer

No
plastic wrap
in microwave.

A dioxin
chemical causes cancer, especially breast
cancer.

Dioxins
are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic
bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Edward
Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV
program to explain this health
hazard.

He talked
about dioxins and how bad they are for
us.

He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using
plastic
containers...

This
especially applies as to foods that contain
fat.

He said that the
combination of fat, high heat,=2 0and plastic releases
dioxin

into the
food and ultimately into the cells of the
body...
Instead, he recommends using
glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex
or ceramic
containers
for heating food.. You get the same results, only without the
dioxin..
So
such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and
soups, etc.,


should be
removed from the container and heated in something
else.

Paper isn't bad but
you don't know what is in the
paper.


It's just safer to use tempered
glass, Corning Ware,
etc.
He
reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food
restaurants moved
Away
from the foam containers to
paper. The dioxin problem is one of the
reasons...


Also, he pointed out
that plastic wrap, such as Saran wrap,
is just as dangerous when
placed
over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the
high
heat
causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and
drip into the food.





Cover
food with a paper towel
instead.
This is an
article that should be sent
To anyone important in
Your
life!

My Saturday message

On this day of your life, D, we believe God wants you to know...
... that humans learn only by trial and error, and that includes you.

You've got to live life, not think about it. Step into the midst of things, try and fail and learn and stand up again. The question is not whether you will or will not make mistakes - you will. The question is do you want to learn and grow, or do you want to shrink back and be stuck? Take that step you've been avoiding. You can succeed, or you can get feedback that it didn't work, but in either case you are sure to feel alive.

Worry

Worry is the diseased child of fear and unbelief.

Let's change this today:

1. Expect healing from the DISEASE of worry. (Worry is a disease that spreads to physical and mental disorders. Proverbs 12:25) 1 Peter 2:24—With His stripes you were healed.

2. USE worry as a SIGNAL to pray. When your mind is telling you to worry, your spirit is telling you to pray! Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace...”

3. Go deep with God. Worry will leave. In Matthew 6:33 the Message Translation: “Steep your life in God...Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday concerns will be met.

4. Meditate on Philippians 4:13—I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me—That includes the ability to stop worrying.

5. Realize worry CAN’T add to your life. (Luke 12:25) When you KNOW something is taking from your life, rather than adding, you stop it.

THINK IT & SAY IT:
I recognize worry as a disease that I AM healed from today! When worry comes to my mind, I will listen to my spirit telling me to pray. I steep my life deeply in God and I expect worry to leave. I refuse to let worry take from me another day in my life, in Jesus’ Name!

My Message Tueday

I got a message that on this day, God wants me to Know...
... that you can only give away what you already have inside yourself.

True giving happens when you are overflowing from the inside, and cannot help but share. When there is so much love within you that it has to flow to others or you would burst open. There is no thinking involved, no willpower in such sharing. It just flows out. If you have to force yourself to be kind, to love, to feel compassion, you've missed the first step of filling in your own Self with these emotions.

My Message Today

I got a message that on this day, God wanted me to Know...
... that every relationship rests on three legs: accepting, supporting and challenging.

That's really it, isn't it?
You want your relationships to be grounded on accepting each other as you are. On supporting each other through the inevitable ups and downs. On challenging each other to become more, to grow, to flourish. Which one of these is the more difficult one for you, and how are you going to practice it in the next 24 hours?

Ahhhhhhh

Uncertainty

"What's going to happen in the world?" "What’s going to happen in the economy?" "How's this going to affect my finances?" "I don't know what I'm going to do.”

These thoughts of uncertainty in an unstable world must be dealt with.

The devil wants you uncertain and afraid. The world’s system of news, government, and business wants people in uncertainty and fear to make us dependent upon it.

In Genesis 26, there arose a great famine in the land. The first thing that God told Isaac was: DO NOT GO DOWN TO EGYPT.

"Egypt" represents the world's system apart from God. As long as we depend on this world’s system, we will be uncertain and insecure in trying times.

Thinking that things will be ok if the “economy” turns around will breed uncertainty as well. We must not depend on this world’s “economy.” Listen to the original meaning of this word: “rules of the house.”

Well, we’re not playing by the rules of the world’s house.

We’re playing by the rules of God’s House!


When we do, we will have absolute certainty and assurance.


I can be certain in uncertain times. I am not connected the economy of this world—the rules of their house. I am connected to God’s economy—the rules of His house. I live by the system of sowing and reaping. I can be certain about the future by sowing the seeds of God’s Word.

I am led by the Spirit of God. He will reveal to me the things to come, so I can prepare accordingly; and be victorious no matter what comes. Just as He led men and women in Scripture, He will lead me, since He is no respecter of persons.

I am called and chosen by God and therefore I will not stumble. When I don’t know what to do, I will trust the Holy Spirit and allow Him to pray through me—bringing me into the perfect will of God no matter what is going on in this world, in Jesus’ Name!


God Bless;~)

The Window Through Which We Look

A young couple moved into a new neighborhood
The next morning while they were eating breakfast,
The young woman saw her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
'That laundry is not very clean,' she said.
'She doesn't know how to wash correctly.
Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.'

Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry,
The young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a
Nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:

'Look, she has learned how to wash correctly.
I wonder who taught her this.'

The husband said, 'I got up early this morning and
Cleaned our windows.'

And so it is with life. What we see when watching others
Depends on the purity of the window through which we look.

Clay Balls

A man was exploring caves by the Seashore. In one of the caves he found a
canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had
rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn't look
like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave
with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls
one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could.


He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it
cracked open on a rock . Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!


Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each
contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars worth of
jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left.


Then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown
maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean
waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken
home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away!


It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and
we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the
outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it.


We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or
stylish or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find
the treasure hidden inside that person.


There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to
get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person the way
He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem
begins to shine forth.
May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown
away a fortune in relationships because the gems were hidden in bits of
clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them.
I am so blessed by the gems of friendship I have with everyone.



APPRECIATE EVERY SINGLE
FAMILY MEMBER,FRIEND OR THING YOU HAVE!!!
LIFE IS TOO SHORT.
FAMILY AND FRIENDS ARE TOO FEW!