GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

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~Daily Inspirational~      SET FREE TO LIVE IN 2007      DECEMBER 30, 2006


SET FREE TO LIVE IN 2007


The greatest gift you ever have or ever will receive is the life you have been given in Jesus Christ. Receiving forgiveness for our sins is the secondary issue in the life of a Christian. God's purpose in forgiving us was so that He could give us His life. Divine life resides within you - think about that for a moment. Divine life resides inside you!

Do you see the possibilities that fact opens up for you? Paul wrote, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." He got the point. Do we? Do we really understand the truth that God places desires in our hearts and then empowers us to see those desires realized?

I challenge you to make only one New Year's resolution each year. Resolve to experience life in Christ to the fullest. After all, that's exactly why He came. (See John 10:10)

Charge into this New Year of 2007 with a new boldness that you've not appropriated before now. Determine to identify the God-given dreams that may be buried in your heart and bring them back out into the light of day. Jesus wants to do some unique things through you in this world. Submit yourself to Him and cooperate with His Spirit and watch miracles unfold in your life!

Cast off old mind sets that hold you back in life. Renounce the lies that bind you. Ask your Father to stretch you in your ability to see things that are not visible in your life yet as though they are real. After all, "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1) I don't mean empty positive thinking. I'm talking about breaking free from a negative mind set about God, about yourself and about life.

Let your assumptions about 2007 be based on the viewpoint that your Heavenly Father gushes with love for you. He "longs to be gracious to you" and is just waiting for the chance to "have compassion on you." (See Isaiah 30:18) It thrills Him to pour out His goodness on you!

Let's stop waiting "for the other shoe to drop." Don't appropriate bad things. Life is full of disappointment and heartache, but you have divine life residing in you! The life of Christ will overshadow anything that may strike you in 2007.

Don't limp through life. Instead, run or skip. For that matter, dance your way through the coming months! God's kingdom really is a party. It's all about "righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17). Laugh with Jesus this year.

You have been set free to live. The world is full of dead men walking, but you don't fit that category. You have been made alive with Christ (see Ephesians 2:5) and now have the ability to live in His resurrection power.

What are you going to do with this new year? Your Father invites you to join Him on a days journey where He intends to show you some things you don't expect. He plans to work in you and through you. He plans to reveal more about Himself to you and to show you every day how much He loves you.

Relax. Be yourself. You have nothing to prove. Just live. Know that you are accepted by God and that, with that truth in mind, there's nothing left to prove. Enjoy this new year 2007 by letting Jesus live through you each day. That's all He wants and all we need.

By Steve McVey
www.gracewalk.org ·

Phi 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Phi 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

Should this Inspirational be a blessing and encouragement to you, why not send to a friend, coworker or, to your loved one who maybe defending the USA. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.  It is our heart at GRACE AND THE TRUTH and mission to reach as many people as we possibly can TO SHARE with them the Word of God and all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for members of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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~Daily Inspirational~     TWO APPEARINGS     DECEMBER 31,  2006


TWO APPEARINGS
By Pastor Bob Hanna


A common misunderstanding of Scriptural revelation is the difference between the catching away of the church (the Body of Christ) and the coming of Jesus Christ to establish His promised millennial kingdom according to Israel's prophetic program.

The Dispensation of the grace of God is the present era in which we live today. This is the age of the church the body of Christ which was formed under the ministry of the apostle Paul "according to the revelation of the mystery." This dispensation interrupted the prophetic program of the nation of Israel and will end when God has completed His plan and purpose prior to Israel's restoration. Paul, addressing Gentile believers, writes, "Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in" (Romans 11:25). The event that will bring about this occurrence ("the fulness of the Gentiles") we call "the rapture."

The other happening under consideration is the second advent - the return to earth of Jesus Christ to reign as Israel's king. Contrasts between these two appearings are clear. The rapture is thus described by Paul: "The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thessalonians 4:16,17).

By contrast the second advent brings Christ physically to earth. "His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east and the mount of olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west" (Zechariah 14:4): When the Lord ascended to heaven, the apostles were watching. Two angels appeared to them and explained, "This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11).

Those who are saved in this present dispensation of the Grace of God are assured by our apostle, "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (Colossians 3:4). Blessed assurance!

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

Should this Inspirational be a blessing and encouragement to you, why not send to a friend, coworker or, to your loved one who maybe defending the USA. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.  It is our heart at GRACE AND THE TRUTH and mission to reach as many people as we possibly can TO SHARE with them the Word of God and all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for members of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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~Daily Inspirational~    THE SOURCE OF EVIL    JANUARY 1, 2007


THE SOURCE OF EVIL
By Pastor Bob Hanna

One of the most frequently misquoted passages of Scripture is I Timothy 6:1O. The phrase so often thus abused is quoted as saying, "Money is the root of all evil." The actual meaning of the verse is totally lost when so interpreted. Accurately read, the statement says, "The love of money is the root of all [manner of] evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

That it is the love of money, not money itself, that is the subject of this passage, becomes clear when we read on, as the apostle writes, "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good  works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life" (I Timothy 6:17-19). God doesn't decry material wealth per se. But He encourages generosity and spiritual investment on the part of those possessing physical treasure. God discourages the wealthy from pride in their wealth. God said, "Let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord" (Jeremiah 9:23,24).

The apostle Paul consistently endured poverty, for the sake of his ministry, though not shunning the advantages of physical prosperity. He didn't spurn the comforts provided by opulence, but they held second place to service to his Lord and Savior. He wrote, " I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need" (Philippians 4:11,12).

Paul had been a man of means in his career in the Sanhedrin. " profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation" (Galatians 1:14.) "I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ" (Philippians 3:8).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

Should this Inspirational be a blessing and encouragement to you, why not send to a friend, coworker or, to your loved one who maybe defending the USA. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.  It is our heart at GRACE AND THE TRUTH and mission to reach as many people as we possibly can TO SHARE with them the Word of God and all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for members of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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~Daily Inspirational~   SAVED TO, SAVED FROM     JANUARY 2, 2007


SAVED TO, SAVED FROM
By Pastor Bob Hanna

A doctrine known as "Annihilation" thrives among the members of a particular persuasion. The essence of this teaching is the claim that the death of an unregenerated individual is simply the end: no eternal punishment or afterlife at all. This position acknowledges that the saved pass on to eternal life in heaven when they die, thus having been saved to something, but not from anything. Scripture does not support this conclusion. In the Book of the Revelation, chapter twenty, verse four, the first resurrection is described. This is the resurrection of the righteous dead, who are qualified to enter the kingdom and "reign with Christ a thousand years" (Revelation 20:6). "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished" (Revelation 20:5). The rest of the dead are those with whom we are concerned in considering the doctrine of annihilation.

"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle the number of whom is as the sand of the sea" (Revelation 20:7,8). Satan attacks Jerusalem and is defeated. "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Revelation 20:10).

"And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them ... and the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works ... and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:11,13,15).

Speaking from His throne, the Lord says, "The fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

Should this Inspirational be a blessing and encouragement to you, why not send to a friend, coworker or, to your loved one who maybe defending the USA. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.  It is our heart at GRACE AND THE TRUTH and mission to reach as many people as we possibly can TO SHARE with them the Word of God and all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for members of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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~Daily Inspirational~     ACCEPTABLE CONSECRATION      JANUARY 3, 2007


ACCEPTABLE CONSECRATION
By Miles Stanford

"The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7).

If a Christian does not realize his identification with Christ in His death, he does not know true consecration. Crucifixion is the path to, and foundation of, consecration. The deeper truths are not entered into through consecration --- they are its basis. "The price of consecration is crucifixion."

" 'Present yourself unto God as alive from the dead' (Rom. 6:13 ).  This is the true ground of consecration. For believers to 'consecrate themselves to God' ere they have learnt their union with Christ in death and resurrection is only to present to God the members of the natural man, which He cannot use. Only those 'alive from the dead' --- that is, having appropriated their likeness with Him in death --- are bidden to present their members as instruments unto God."

"The modern teaching of consecration, which is tantamount to the consecration of the 'old man,' seeks to bypass the death sentence and therefore only leads to frustration and failure. When, however, you and I are prepared, in simple humility, to make the fact of our death with Christ our daily basis of life and service, there is nothing that can prevent the uprising and out-flow of new life, and meet the need of thirsty souls around us." - J.C.M.

"Therefore, brethren, we are debtors bound not to the Flesh, that we should live after the Flesh [but to the Spirit)" (Rom. 8:12, Cony.).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

Should this Inspirational be a blessing and encouragement to you, why not send to a friend, coworker or, to your loved one who maybe defending the USA. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.  It is our heart at GRACE AND THE TRUTH and mission to reach as many people as we possibly can TO SHARE with them the Word of God and all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for members of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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~Daily Inspirational~    CANAAN CONFLICT       JANUARY 5, 2007


CANAAN CONFLICT
By Miles Stanford

"We will pass over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, that the possession of our inheritance ... may be ours" (Num. 32:32).

If our Lord were to give rest from the processing required for spiritual growth, by what means would He accomplish His work in us? True, the war has been won at Calvary, but there are many "mopping up" battles to be fought. Victory is ours, but we must learn how to wear our armor and handle our weapons. We must also come to know and appreciate our Captain as we enter into what He has accomplished an our behalf.

"The Christian who imagines that life in the Promised Land is one of rest from temptation and conflict, is due for a surprise. There is not less temptation, but more strong and subtle temptation. There is no less conflict, but more constant conflict. The difference lies in the fact that in Canaan the battle is not fought under our own leadership, but under that of the Victorious Man with the drawn sword, who has never suffered defeat. It is not rest from conflict, but rest in conflict. In Canaan, Israel lost only one battle in seven years, and that was because of culpable disobedience and sin." --- O..S.

"It has been well said that spiritual believers are honored with warfare in the front line areas. There the fiercest pressure of the enemy is known. But they are also privileged to witness the enemy's crushing defeat, so abundant is the power of God, and thus highly is the spiritual believer honored."--- L.S.C.

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper .... This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the Lord" (Isa. 54:17).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

Should this Inspirational be a blessing and encouragement to you, why not send to a friend, coworker or, to your loved one who maybe defending the USA. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.  It is our heart at GRACE AND THE TRUTH and mission to reach as many people as we possibly can TO SHARE with them the Word of God and all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for members of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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~Daily Inspirational~      ADMINISTRATION OF THE CROSS     JANUARY 6, 2007


ADMINISTRATION OF THE CROSS
By Miles Stanford

"For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3, ASV).

It is futile for us to attempt to curb our sins while we ignore their source, the indwelling principle of sin. In trimming the branches (sins), we strengthen the root (self). Rather, as we count upon the finished work of Calvary, the Holy Spirit will apply the Cross to the old life. And as that death cuts deeper and deeper into the root, the branches will wither and fall away.

"The Lord Jesus has been waiting for us to come to the end of our own efforts. He sends the call, 'Come back to the Cross.' At last we can see we have been standing and working on the wrong ground, and we hear Him say, 'It is you who are in My way. I can do My work myself. I simply need empty vessels. You parted with your sins, but you kept yourself. Come now, part with yourself, take your place where I put you. When I died you were in Me on that Cross..'  'Now I see! What next, Lord?' 'Now you pass to another sphere where you become aware that you are joined to Me as your life.' "

"Our identification with Christ in His death was a death unto Sin--- the principle of Sin as a master and a tyrant --- Sin, not sins. The Holy Spirit is ready to apply that finished work of death to the depth of our self-life, until Sin loses its mastery at point after point. It goes deeper than the cutting off of visible and external things. Cause, not symptoms."

"Christ, who is our life" (Col. 3:4).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

Should this Inspirational be a blessing and encouragement to you, why not send to a friend, coworker or, to your loved one who maybe defending the USA. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.  It is our heart at GRACE AND THE TRUTH and mission to reach as many people as we possibly can TO SHARE with them the Word of God and all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for members of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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~Daily Inspirational~    "KNOW YE NOT?"       JANUARY 7, 2007


"KNOW YE NOT?"
By Miles Stanford

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death" (Rom 8:2).

To deal directly with sin brings certain defeat to the Christian. Satan, sin, self, the world, and the law --- all have been fully dealt with by the Lord Jesus on the Cross. Our dealings with these enemies are to be through the finished work of Calvary, hence indirect. This can be wonderful news to us when we have had enough of the struggle and failure of Romans Seven.

"The believer who sees that self is incurably evil ('know'), and that it has been taken into death ('reckon'); who gives self utterly to that death as he sinks before God in dependence and surrender to His working ('yield'); who consents to death with Christ on the Cross as his position, and in faith accepts it as his only deliverance; he alone is prepared to be led by the Holy Spirit into the full enjoyment of the Christ-life. He will learn to understand how completely death makes an end of all self-effort, and now, as he lives in Christ to God, everything henceforth is to be the work of God Himself.." -- A.M.

"It is not by renunciation, or effort, that we are morally apart from sin and self and the world, but by our death on the Cross with the Lord Jesus Christ."

"Believers today seek the blessing and power of Pentecost apart from a personal crucifixion with Christ, and the result is a counterfeit experience. Calvary is always before Pentecost, historically and experientially. The only way into the riches of the fulness of Christ is through our acceptance of our crucifixion with Him." -- L.L.L.

"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal. 6:14).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

Should this Inspirational be a blessing and encouragement to you, why not send to a friend, coworker or, to your loved one who maybe defending the USA. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.  It is our heart at GRACE AND THE TRUTH and mission to reach as many people as we possibly can TO SHARE with them the Word of God and all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for members of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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~Daily Inspirational~     SUFFERING FOR CHRIST     JANUARY 8, 2007


SUFFERING FOR CHRIST
By Pastor Bob Hanna


Wishful thinkers contend that it is not in God's plan that the saints should suffer. Scripture teaches us otherwise. Part of our testimony for Christ is that we will suffer. It is difficult to understand this principle. In the scope of our human intellect it seems unjust, that God's most faithful servants should suffer in greater degree than those who show Him little or no respect.

This is where faith comes in. By faith we accept His own declaration that He is just. And by faith we accept our destiny as sufferers. "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake" (Philippians 1 :29). "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together" (Romans 8:16,17). "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (II Timothy 3:12).

In defending his firm stand against the teaching of circumcision, Paul writes to the Galatians, "And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution " (Galatians 5:11)? He is saying that the reason he is suffering is that he is faithfully preaching God's truth. Describing the rigors of his ministry Paul writes, "Even unto this present hour we both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place; and labor, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it" (I Corinthians 4:11,12).

Paul takes suffering in stride, knowing that, as a servant of Christ it is His portion. "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions in distresses for Christ's sake" (II Corinthians 12:10). When Paul asked the Lord to relieve him of the thorn in the flesh that Satan had afflicted him with, the Lord refused. Paul's response was, "I will rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (II Corinthians 12:9).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

Should this Inspirational be a blessing and encouragement to you, why not send to a friend, coworker or, to your loved one who maybe defending the USA. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.  It is our heart at GRACE AND THE TRUTH and mission to reach as many people as we possibly can TO SHARE with them the Word of God and all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for members of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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~Daily Inspirational~     LEGAL CONFLICT      JANUARY 9, 2007


LEGAL CONFLICT
By Miles Stanford


"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1).

If we are weak in understanding the principle of complete justification by faith, we will be strong in seeking to produce our own sanctification.

"In Romans Seven Paul is describing the inevitable conflict that every believer knows when he undertakes to lead a holy life on the principle of legality. He feels instinctively that the law is spiritual, but that he himself, for some unexplained reason, is fleshly, carnal, and in bondage to sin. This discovery is one of the most heart-breaking a Christian ever made. Yet each one must and does make it for himself at some time in his pilgrimage.

The believer finds himself doing things he knows to be wrong, and which his inmost desires are opposed to; while what he yearns to do he fails to accomplish, and does, instead, what he hates. But this is the first part of a great lesson which all must learn who would matriculate in God's school. It is the lesson of no confidence in 'the flesh'; and until it is learned there can be no true progress in growth. The incorrigibility of the flesh must be realized before one is ready to turn altogether from self to Christ for sanctification, as he has already done for justification." - H.A.I.

"As conviction of guilt goes before known justification, so the experiential knowledge of self before sanctification. No effort clears the guilt; no effort effects the growth."

"That they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith" (Acts 26:18).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

Should this Inspirational be a blessing and encouragement to you, why not send to a friend, coworker or, to your loved one who maybe defending the USA. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.  It is our heart at GRACE AND THE TRUTH and mission to reach as many people as we possibly can TO SHARE with them the Word of God and all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for members of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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~Daily Inspirational~     HIGHLY PLACED     JANUARY 10, 2007


HIGHLY PLACED
By  the Late Pastor Bob Hanna


"0 our God ... we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon Thee" (II Chron. 20:12).

Many believers have gone only as far as justification can take them --- spiritual birth, and a bit beyond. There they stagnate, in dire need of the fresh streams of living water that come from seeing their position in Christ. "God ... hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. 1:3). "Always begin with your position, where you are; and then think of your condition, what you are." - R.P.

"Christians are at their wits' end. Many have given up the fight. They still go to church; but secretly they feel that victory is out of the question. They have no weapons for such an hour. Frankly, they have capitulated to the prince of this world, for all their efforts to rout the foe have failed.

"But victory is the believer's right, as truly his as the air he breathes. However, he must understand the conditions. He must see himself enthroned with Christ. He must see himself according to God's own Holy Word, as crucified with the Lord Jesus, dead, buried, raised and made to sit in heavenly places with his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Without this he will go down in ignominious defeat in spite of all his strivings and his prayers. With this position he is more than conqueror through Him who loved him and gave Himself for him." --- F.J.H.

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (l John 5:4).

(My Note:  Many of us will miss Pastor Hanna. He is HOME with the LORD.)

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

Should this Inspirational be a blessing and encouragement to you, why not send to a friend, coworker or, to your loved one who maybe defending the USA. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.  It is our heart at GRACE AND THE TRUTH and mission to reach as many people as we possibly can TO SHARE with them the Word of God and all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for members of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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~Daily Inspirational~     THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT       JANUARY 11, 2007


THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
By the late Pastor Bob Hanna


The Holy Spirit of God has influenced lives in every dispensation, but not always in the same way. A great number of students of Scripture consider the Holy Spirit's appearance at Pentecost and His effect on those present on that occasion to be the beginning of a continuous influence, even to this present day. Such, however, is not the case.

At Pentecost the Holy Spirit appeared in fulfillment of prophecy - a promise made by Jesus Christ to His apostles. When He was preparing to ascend to heaven, He told them, "Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). He had already said to them, Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence" (Acts 1:5). Thus there was to be a twofold action: empowerment, and baptism. The promise of His coming as made by the Lord when the apostles were assembled at passover: "I will pray to the Father and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever" (John 14:16).

These conditions were exclusively related to Israel. "When the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind ... and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them" (Acts 2:1-3). They were filled with the Holy Ghost, they spoke in other (unknown) tongues.

In this present dispensation our relationship to the Holy Spirit is entirely different. The apostle Paul explains, "That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed (or, upon believing), ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1: 12,13). "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you" (I Corinthians 6:19)? "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free" (I Corinthians 12:13).
.....
God is looking for those with whom He can do the impossible - what a pity that we plan only the things that we can do by ourselves. -- A.. W. Tozer

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From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

Should this Inspirational be a blessing and encouragement to you, why not send to a friend, coworker or, to your loved one who maybe defending the USA. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.  It is our heart at GRACE AND THE TRUTH and mission to reach as many people as we possibly can TO SHARE with them the Word of God and all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for members of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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~Daily Inspirational~  MY FAITH? YOUR FAITH? THE FAITH       JANUARY 12, 2007


MY FAITH? YOUR FAITH? THE FAITH
By the late Pastor Bob Hanna


The word "Faith" has suffered untold distortion and misapplication over time. There are several proper definitions, but they have been shamefully misinterpreted. One accurate definition is "The Faith," referring to that which is believed. The apostle wrote; "He [Christ] gave some, apostles, and some, prophets, and some, evangelists: and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith" (Eph. 4: 11-13).

"And so were the churches established in the faith" (Acts 16:5). Faith, in these examples, is the common cause in which we believe. This definition is ordinarily not the victim of misinterpretation. The same can't be said, for example, of Paul's declaration, "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20), Most modern  translations erroneously render "His faith" to read, "my Faith". This, of course, is impossible. Human faith has no power to sustain one's spiritual preservation.

Another false impression popularly held, is that faith can be humanly generated which can attain one's personal desires. Such a one might be heard to say, "The reason the Lord didn't answer my prayer is that I didn't have enough faith." Our faith consists of believing and obeying God, not in producing desired results. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear" (Hebrews 11:1-3).

Strangely, it appears that people can more easily place their faith in matters of the secular world than in spiritual things. For example, when a person is presented a personal check in payment for a service or a purchase, the recipient is accepting it because he has faith that it will be honored by the bank. Yet when that same person is offered salvation by grace through faith, he resists.

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

Should this Inspirational be a blessing and encouragement to you, why not send to a friend, coworker or, to your loved one who maybe defending the USA. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.  It is our heart at GRACE AND THE TRUTH and mission to reach as many people as we possibly can TO SHARE with them the Word of God and all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for members of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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~Daily Inspirational~  JUDGMENT IN THE KINGDOM CHURCH   JANUARY 13, 2007


JUDGMENT IN THE KINGDOM CHURCH
By the late Pastor Bob Hanna


Scripture Reading: Acts 5: 1-11

We who are saved and are living in the age of the dispensation of the grace of God - we who are sons and heirs of God, secure and heaven-bound - can hardly conceive the magnitude of our liberty and blessings. As members of the Church which is the Body of Christ we will never experience those things identified with the kingdom church. But we are shown a foretaste of the form of judgment to be rendered in the Messianic kingdom - swift and sure, irreversible and final.

Ananias and Sapphira desired the best of two worlds, to "have their cake and eat it." Peter's declaration that, "Thou conceived this thing in thine heart" leaves no doubt that the offense was a deliberately planned plot to become respected and admired for their philanthropy while partaking of the apparently idyllic way of life enjoyed by the communal church.

The temptation of material gain is the undoing of many a mortal soul. But in the case of these two deceivers it brought on a dramatic demonstration of kingdom judgment, which deals neither with hesitation or indecision. Ananias and Sapphira were guilty of sin and were therefore immediately punished for commission of that sin.

You and I, as members of the Church which is the Body of Christ, are not under this economy of kingdom judgment but under grace. Kingdom judgment is according to prophecy: "And He shall rule them with a rod of iron ..." (Revelation 19:15.) But our church "was kept secret since the world began" (Rom. 16:25).

..........

Not until we have become humble and teachable, standing in awe of God's      holiness and sovereignty....acknowledging our own littleness, distrusting our own thoughts, and willing to have our minds turned upside  down, can divine wisdom become ours.
                              J. I. Packer

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

Should this Inspirational be a blessing and encouragement to you, why not send to a friend, coworker or, to your loved one who maybe defending the USA. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.  It is our heart at GRACE AND THE TRUTH and mission to reach as many people as we possibly can TO SHARE with them the Word of God and all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for members of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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~Daily Inspirational~   THE CHURCH WHICH IS HIS BODY     JANUARY 14, 2007


THE CHURCH WHICH IS HIS BODY
By Pastor Ivan Burgener


Scripture Reading: Ephesians 1:22, 23;
Colossians 1 :24

"The God of our Lord Jesus Christ...hath put all things under His [Christ's] feet and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the Church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all" (Eph. I:17, 22, 23).

In His exalted place in glory, Christ has been made Head over all! God raised Him from the dead and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenlies, far above all created beings and authorities, and in that exalted place gave Him the Name above every other, hence He is above "every name that is named," in this and coming ages! And in that place of exalted headship, God has made Christ Head of the Church which is His Body. This "Body-church" is to be distinguished from churches in past ages.

Stephen called Israel under Moses' leadership the "church in the wilderness" (Acts 7:38). David called that same nation in the land under his kingship the "church" in whose midst he would declare God's name and sing praise (Psalm 22:22, Heb. 2:12). Our Lord told Peter and the Twelve to tell to "the church" the case of a disobedient Israelite who would not come to terms and to treat him as a "Gentile"! Clearly none of these "Bible Churches" could be the same as the Church which the Lord from heaven calls His own "Body." His own place in glory and His headship over this new Body-church were part of God's sacred secret which none on earth ever mentioned a whisper before the Apostle Paul. This is not a church of one special nation. This church is made up of both Jews and Gentiles who through faith have been reconciled to God in "one Body." And, this is not a church we join, but one to which believers in this dispensation of grace are joined by God's Holy Spirit in that one baptism (I Cor. 12:13).

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

Should this Inspirational be a blessing and encouragement to you, why not send to a friend, coworker or, to your loved one who maybe defending the USA. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.  It is our heart at GRACE AND THE TRUTH and mission to reach as many people as we possibly can TO SHARE with them the Word of God and all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for members of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

Click Below For FREE Email Subscription:
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/pop_up.htm
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