Saturday 25 January 2014

5 Surprising Facts About Poverty


Click here for more details.

Poverty is not evil in itself but it can be so limiting.  Ideas opens our world to opportunities and opportunities taken advantage of can lead to wealth.

PRAY FOR NATIONS

January 25 - Today we are praying for Asia:


Asia:
    Population: 4,166,741,314
    Largest religion: Muslim
    Percent Evangelical: 3.5%


    * Please remember to pray that knowledge of the LORD of Salvation will fill the nations in Asia.
    * Also pray for the revival of the small evangelical population in Asia and that the LORD will set them as great light in the nations of Asia.
    * And that the Christians being persecuted for their faith will stand firm and be courageous in the face of great trials .

Friday 24 January 2014

NO VENTURE NO GAIN

Ecclesiastes 11:4

"Whoever watches the wind will not plant;whoever looks at the clouds will not reap."

There is no certainty in life, you must venture to gain. Resist fear and put your foot forward.
Someone said,you don't have to be a genius,lucky or rich. You just need to believe it can happen.

ROUTE TO PROSPERITY

DAILY FEEDING FROM THE SHEPHERD

Joshua 1:8
"Do  not let this book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."

The wise follows this route- daily obedience  to God's commands. It certainly leads to godly success and prosperity.

Thursday 23 January 2014

SUCCESS




Your success in life will be in direct proportion to what you do after you do what you are expected to do.

~Brian T



DAILY FEEDING FROM THE SHEPHERD

Ezra 2:1-2
"Now these are the people of he province who came up from captivity of exiles,whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon(they returned to Jerusalem and Judah,each to his own town, in the company with Zerubbabel, Jeshua,Nehemiah,Seraiah,Reelaiah,Mordecai,Bilshan,Mispar,Bigvi,Rehum and Baanah)."

After seventy years(70years) as promised by he LORD through prophet Jeremiah(Jer.25:11-12), the Jewish exiles to Babylon were set to return to their own land as free men and women.

Lessons: 1. God is the God of Restoration. When we walk with Him in humility and obedience, whatever we may have lost to the kingdom of darkness, can be restored to us. He is the Almighty God.
               2.  He keeps His word. Exactly after seventy years, He commanded the emperor of the Medo-Persian empire,Cyrus, to release the exiles to return to Jerusalem and Judah.
               3. He preserves His own to fulfill His purpose. All may seem lost and hopeless but as long as you are part of His kingdom,you will be preserved by His power.

LIVING



What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.
~Nelson Mandela

Wednesday 22 January 2014

THOUGHTS FOR TODAY



.We are all faced with  series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations. (Charles R. Swindoll)

  *There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, learning from failure. (Colin Powell)

   *Failure is the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently. (Anon)

PLEASE JOIN IN


Mark 11:17 says: ‘Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? Let’s continue to make the global house of God a house of prayer for all nations.

(Operation World)

Tuesday 21 January 2014

POWER WITHIN


We have the power within, but the secret of success is to employ our power and talents and be prepared for opportunity when it comes.
~Walter Matthews

( Culled From Daily Insights)

DAILY FEEDING FROM THE SHEPHERD

2Kings24: 12b-14

" In the eighth year of the King of Babylon,he took Jehoiachin (king of Judah) prisoner. As the LORD had declared,Nebuchadnezzar removed all the treasures from the temple of the LORD and from the royal palace,and took away all the good articles that Solomon king of Israel had made for the temple of the LORD. He carried into exile all Jerusalem: all the officers and fighting men,and all the craftsmen and artisans-a total of ten thousand. Only the poorest people of the land were left."

Key Thought: Why were God's own people,Judah, so badly defeated,desecrated and devastated by another nation whose god is less powerful?

Lessons:  1. We open up ourselves for defeat and oppression when we take our eyes off the worship of the  
                      true God and place it on idols. It may take time but it will surely come.
               2.  If we relish our sins and do not seek for mercy and repent, a pre-ordained consequence will
                    no doubt follow.
               3.  God honors those who fear and honor Him.

Application: Put away your idols ( career,pleasures, wealth, man or woman etc) and God will deliver you from the hand of the destroyer.

PRAYING FOR NATIONS

Hot Spots of the Americas

The Americas

Challenge for Prayer

Environmental degradation and exploitation will have a direct and tragic impact on Amerindian peoples and indirectly on the entire world. The disappearing Amazon rainforest is only the most prominent of such issues; the Central American forests and overuse of US aquifers are other serious issues. Short-term greed is doing long-term or even permanent damage. Unsustainable consumption and industrial pollution exacerbate the problem. Biblical stewardship of natural resources is a theological imperative.

( Culled from Operation World)

Monday 20 January 2014

JUST SAY ONE MINUTE OF PRAYER FOR GOD'S BATTLE AXE


Billy Graham Is Very Weak, Needs Prayers, Son Franklin Graham Says


  • Evangelical pastor Billy Graham gives possible his last national sermon in a recently released 30-
    (Photo: Screenshot/'The Cross')
    Evangelical pastor Billy Graham gives possible his last national sermon in a recently released 30-minute video entitled "The Cross."

By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor
January 20, 2014|9:02 am
Billy Graham is "doing OK, just OK," according to his son, Franklin Graham, who asked for prayers for his ailing father on the weekend, saying he's "ready to go to heaven" whenever that day comes.
Evangelist Graham was hospitalized after his 95th birthday celebration for observation and lung tests last November, and has been very weak since then, Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, told WBTV.
"My father is ready to go to heaven and whenever that day comes, he's ready," quoted Franklin Graham as saying Sunday. "He's worked hard all of his life and faithful to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ his entire life. And so he's ready to go home and I'm praying that the Lord will leave him a little longer. We need him."

Source: Christian Post 

WALKING IN THE DARK



Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.
~Martin Luther King, Jr.

(Culled from Daily Insights)

DAILY FEEDING FROM THE SHEPHERD

2Cor.5:15
" And he died for all,that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again"

My Take: True christian life is not about you but about the other person.
 For further deliberations ,read Luke10:29-35

Sunday 19 January 2014

PRAYING FOR THE AMERICAS

January 20 - Today we are praying for The Americas: North America, Caribbean, Latin America.

Please pray against growing level of nominalism and atheism.


 

Saturday 18 January 2014

Understanding God's Reward System

Reward is defined as benefits received for corresponding work done in God's kingdom.
Divine Reward is different from Divine favor.In favor,we receive what we do not deserve but in rewards, we receive benefits that correspond to the "investments" we have made.

Two Types of Rewards:
          * Temporal
          *  Eternal

In Temporal
          * God rewards those who serve Him on earth-Mark 10:23-30
          * God rewards those who obey Him while on earth-Joshua1:8
          * God rewards those who sow kingdom seeds-Luke 6:38

In Eternal
           * We pass from spiritual death(as a result of sin) to life eternal-John 5:24
           *  We escape God's judgement -Romans8:1
           *  We inherit mansions prepared by Christ in heaven-John 14:1

The benefits discussed above applies only to those who have come to the knowledge of the LORD and are walking with Him.    

THE RIGHT ATTITUDE



Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.
~Thomas Jefferson
 (Culled from Daily Insights)

DAILY FEEDING FROM THE SHEPHERD

2 Kings22:19-20
" Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people,that they would become accursed and laid waste,and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you,declares the LORD.
Therefore I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be buried in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place. So they took her answer back to the king."

Messengers of king Josiah were relaying  prophetess Huldah's words as given to her by the LORD to Josiah.

Key Lesson:  God is very rich in mercy and has deep tenderness of heart. Our plea for mercy will always avert His wrath and judgement (1Jn1:9).


PRAYING FOR AFRICA'S HOTSPOTS

January 18 - Today we are praying for Africa: Africa's Hot Spots


Africa:
    Population: 1,033,042,510
    Largest religion: Christian
    Percent Evangelical: 17.7%
For prayer information on Africa, visit the Operation World website and remember to:
Pray for the specific country needs: The mission force of African agencies and missionaries 

  • Please remember to pray specifically for South Sudan, Central African Republic and Somalia.

Thursday 16 January 2014

NEWS FROM CHRISTIAN POST

A police chief in Arkansas is refusing to remove a small white cross from the lawn of the local police department after an atheist group demanded he do so. The police chief has argued that residents do not find the cross offensive and therefore it will not be removed.
Small white cross in Searcy, Ark. that has drawn the ire of the Freedom From Religion (Photo: Screenshot via KARK-TV)
Small white cross in Searcy, Ark. that has drawn the ire of the Freedom From Religion Foundation.

The Madison, Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation contacted Jeremy Clark, police chief of the Searcy Police Department, asking that he remove the small wooden cross from the front lawn of the department, arguing that its presence is a violation of Separation of Church and State. The FFRF claims it was contacted by a local resident who feels too intimidated to directly request the police department remove the cross.
Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, told the local KARK-TV that her organization has asked Clark to remove the cross from the property on multiple occasions. Clark told the local media outlet that he doesn't plan to remove the cross just because an organization from another state has told him to. Clark also added that the cross was already there when he took his position as police chief in February 2013.
"Someone put it there, I didn't put it there. I don't know who did," the police chief said. "I wasn't going to remove it just because this organization in another state told us that we should. We're here serving the citizens of Searcy and I don't feel like we've done anything to offend them."
Reader comments on the KARK-TV page and other articles seem to support Clark's stance on keeping the cross. "Thank you Chief Clark. Our community has the right to post the symbol. A great majority of citizens in Searcy and [White County] are Christian. If the person who wrote the 'complaint' is so 'offended,' please print their name. Chief and other city leaders are named, why not the complainant? Our community has the right to know who they are. Or even if there really was a complaint," Michael B. Wood, who is described on his Facebook as being an associate professor at Harding University in Searcy, commented on an article by The Daily Citizen.
The town's former Police Chief Kyle Osborne told The Daily Citizen that the crosses were placed sporadically throughout the town by members of St. Paul United Methodist Church in 2011.

Wednesday 15 January 2014

EXPANDING YOUR PRAYER HORIZON

January 16 - Today we are praying for Africa: The Unreached of Africa


Africa:
    Population: 1,033,042,510
    Largest religion: Christian
    Percent Evangelical: 17.7%
For prayer information on Africa, visit the Operation World website

STUBBORN SPIRITUALITY

DAILY FEEDING FROM THE SHEPHERD

The Message to King Hezekiah:
2Kings20:1
" In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, this is what the LORD says: Put your house in order,because you are going to die; you will not recover."

The Message from King Hezekiah:
 2Kings20:2-3
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with a wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes."

The Message for Us
2Kings20:5
"Go back and tell Hezekiah,the leader of my people,this is what the LORD says: I have heard your prayers and seen your tears;I will heal you."

MY TAKE: THE RIGHTEOUS IS AS BOLD AS A LION; EVEN BEFORE THE AWESOME GOD!!!

DREAMS 2014



Commitment leads to action. Action brings your dream closer.
~Marcia Wieder

As God reveals stuff through dreams to you, remember to ask for guidance and please act once guided. God honors faith. 

Saturday 11 January 2014

WHAT'S UP AMERICA: Belief in God, Heaven and Miracles Down; Belief in Evolution Up.

By Jeff Schapiro, Christian Post Reporter
 
December 19, 2013|9:40 am

The percentage of Americans who believe in God, heaven and miracles decreased in the last several years, according to poll results released Monday, while the percentage of people who believe in Darwin's theory of evolution is on the rise.

A new Harris Poll found that nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of American adults believe in God, though that number is down from 2005, 2007 and 2009, when 82 percent believed in Him. Sixty-eight percent of people now say they are absolutely or somewhat certain God exists, though that number has decreased by 11 percentage points since 2003.

Since 2005, belief in heaven has decreased from 75 percent to 68 percent and belief in miracles has dipped from 79 percent to 72 percent. Since 2009 the belief that Jesus is God or the Son of God also decreased (from 72 percent to 68 percent), as did belief in the resurrection (from 70 percent to 65 percent).
Belief in the theory of evolution, on the other hand, has risen from 42 percent to 47 percent in the last eight years. Since 2003, the percentage of adults who say there is no God has increased from nine percent to 16 percent, and uncertainty as to whether there is a God has risen from 12 percent to 16 percent.
Twenty-nine percent of Americans, including 60 percent of those who self-identify as being very religious and 56 percent of born-again Christians, believe God controls what happens on the Earth. Another 37 percent, including 52 percent of Catholics, say God only observes what happens on the planet.

The survey, in which 2,250 American adults participated, also found that the percentage of people who view all or most of the Old Testament (49 percent) as the "Word of God" has decreased by six percentage points since 2008. The same is true for the New Testament, which 48 percent of Americans say they view as God's Word

Thursday 9 January 2014

ALL THINGS FOR 2014 GOALS



To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.
~Anatole France


 

Wednesday 8 January 2014

DAILY FEEDING FROM THE SHEPHERD.






2Kgs.13:1-3
" In the twenty-third year of Joash son of Ahaziah king of Judah,Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king in Samaria,and he reigned seventeen years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord by following the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he caused Israel to commit,and he did not turn away from them. So the LORD's anger burned against Israel,and for a long time he kept them under the power of Hazael king of Aram and Ben-Hadad his son."

Key Lessons:
1. When we worship gods our hands have made (materialism,humanism, idols of demons etc) other than the true God,Jehovah,we break the first commandment of God (you must have no other gods but me) and must be ready for the incidental judgement.
2. Jehoahaz had a bad model,Jeroboam son of Nebat. He was the first king of the Northern kingdom,Israel. Bible records that he legitimized and proliferated the worship of idols in Isarel. We must be careful in whose steps we walk. Jesus Christ is our perfect model.
3. Disobedience of God's commandments open the door for torment and subjugation of the person concerned by satanic forces.

FAITH WALK IN 2014




"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy."
~Dale Carnegie

 James 2:26
"As the body without the spirit is dead,so faith without deeds is dead."

Tuesday 7 January 2014

DAILY FEEDING FROM THE SHEPHERD.




VICTORY SECURED BY THE HAND OF THE LORD-2Kgs. 13:16-17

" Take the bow in your hands,he said to the king of Israel. When he had taken it, Elisha put his hands on the kings hands. Open the east window, he said.and he opened it. Shoot! Elisha said, and he shot. The LORD's arrow of victory,the arrow of victory over Aram! Elisha declares. You will completely destroy the Arameans at Aphek."
  •  Place your hands in the hands of the LORD for an assured victory.
  •  The LORD gains victory for those who will depend and obey Him.
  •   Like David in 1Kgs.17, you have a role to play in this victory. Shoot an arrow, throw a sling etc. Faith never fails and God honors faith. 

SERVICE IN 2014



"If you want the best the world has to offer, offer the world your best."
~Neale Donald Walsch

Mark 10:45
     "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served,but to serve,and to give his life as a ransom for many."
 

Monday 6 January 2014

DAILY FEEDING FROM THE SHEPHERD

2014-A New dawn of Righteousness.

Isaiah 45:8
" You heavens above,rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide,let salvation spring up,let righteousness grow with it; I, the LORD,have created it."

My Prayer:
  •    O Lord send fresh revival of genuine faith to the ends of the earth.
  •     Let the gate of salvation be opened that many nations may find their way into it.
  •     Let the resultant righteous living be the hallmark of 2014 in the nations

WHO AM I?

" I AM NOT A PRODUCT OF MY CIRCUMSTANCES. I AM A PRODUCT OF MY DECISIONS."

                                                                                         -   Stephen Covey

This thought is in line with scripture: "According to your faith will it be done to you" -Matthew 9:29

Sunday 5 January 2014

STEPPING INTO YOUR PROPHETIC FUTURE IN 2014


Is.43: 18-19
THREE THINGS YOU MUST DO!

  1.Vs.18: Forget the Former Things-Don’t dwell on the Past.

“Our future is anchored in our past but not determined by our past.”-Anon

*The LORD said, stop looking back but look up-IT IS A NEW DAY!

*Phil.3:13 …Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead; I press on…towards the goal.

*Forget the past? God wants us to walk in faith.. 2Cor.5:7 " We live by faith, not by sight." 
2. Vs.19a:  Perceive What God is Doing.

" Life is the movie you see through your own eyes.  It makes little difference what's happening out there. It's how you take it that counts." (Denis Waitley)

*2Kgs 4:23 The woman said “It is well..”. She was in a precarious situation with the death of her only son but chose to see through the eyes of the LORD.

* There is certainty in God’s voice. “Now it springs up,,”

*  Psalm 119;140 “Your promises have been thoroughly tested,and your servant loves them. 

      3. Vs.19b: Believe What You Perceive God is Doing.
       * What? I am making a way in the desert and providing 
             streams in the desert.

        *Jer.32:17 “Ah Sovereign Lord…nothing is too hard for you."

        *  Jer.32:27 “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is   anything too hard for me?”

     “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination.” (Tommy Lasorda)

CHANGE 2014

"There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist,or accept the responsibility for changing them."  -Denis Waitley

"Progress is impossible without change...." -George Bernard Shaw