GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

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~Daily Inspirational~      SUSTAINED              JANUARY 31, 2007


SUSTAINED
By M. Stanford

"Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee" (Ps. 55:22).

Our Father's living waters flow both in summer and winter (Zech. 14:8). He provides the barrenness of winter in order to cut us off from every other supply, and teach us to draw from His ever-flowing water of life.

"The Father passes us through all the seasons here; and the winter, the most trying one, is the most helpful, if we are really cast on Him in it. Then the real measure of our dependence on Him is ascertained, and also the extent of our resources in Him; and we make acquisitions in Him which we never make at any other time. All our growth and fruit depend on our winters, or rather on how we pass through them.

"The more we can rest in Him the more we are independent of everything outside of Him at such a time, the more vigor we really possess; and the better we get over the winter, be it ever so severe. If I am independent of the winter, it is evident that I have mastered it, and not it me; and if I have done so, through the strength of the Lord Jesus, I am relieved though in no human way. Peter is delivered from prison in a superhuman way; but first he, though enduring a very trying winter, could lay him down and sleep - take his rest, because the Lord sustained him." -J.B.S.

"It is a wonderful thing to be so satisfied with the Lord Jesus' company, that we can be tranquil about everything. I remember when I used to think that I should be happy beyond conception if I were able to say, 'I will fear no evil; my heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.' In order to reach this, you must find Him enough, with-out anything else. You can never prove the worth of anyone, until you are absolutely dependent upon him." --J.B.S.

"I laid down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me" (Ps. 3:5).

___________________________________
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~  Grace Walkers New Year's Resolutions  FEB. 2, 2007


Grace Walkers New Year's Resolutions
by Steve McVey


I was recently asked about the place for New Year's Resolutions from a grace perspective. The question has caused me to think about how I view both the word and the concept. For many years I made resolutions at the beginning of each year, which were in essence demands I placed upon myself. All of my resolutions expressed my determination to better myself in various ways during the coming year. I made these resolutions every year, despite the fact that I never could make myself one bit better. Eventually, I would set the resolutions I had so zealously made in January aside and simply stop thinking about them ... until the next January, when I would make many of the same resolutions again.

Since coming to understand the grace walk, I still identify areas of my life in which I want to see the Holy Spirit work during the coming year. Each of my "resolutions" are intended to be an expression of trust in my heavenly Father. The following are some I have identified for the coming year.

       I resolve that during 2007 I won't try to change anything about myself. As I become aware of any deficiencies in myself (real or imagined), I will lay them at the feet of my Father and trust Him to do as He will with them. I will submit myself to Him in those areas and do whatever He leads me to do regarding them, but I will not sign myself up for another self-improvement program of my own making.

       I resolve that during 2007 I will commit those things that concern me and mine into the hands of my Father. I will not attempt to seize control of my circumstances, but will yield every situation of life to Him and will choose to believe that His sovereignty and love will faithfully dictate the outcome of those situations.

       I resolve that during 2007 I will open my heart and mind to experience my Father's love in deeper ways. I will meditate upon His goodness and grace in my life in order to better know the height and depth and breadth of His love for me, knowing that by growing in an understanding of His love for me, I will grow in my love for Him.

       I resolve that during 2007 I will trust Christ to express love toward others through me. I will depend on Him to teach me to more effectively show love to those I already value and to love those who have nothing to offer me in return.

       I resolve that during 2007 I will be open to God working in me to bring about new ways of seeing things or doing things. I will submit myself to Him to experience growth and correction concerning the plausibility structure within which I now live.

These things I will do, not by self determination, but by His power which works in me mightily through the union I share with Him.

Does your heart resonate with these resolutions? I think a resolution is fine if, by that word, we mean that we are resolved by the grace of God to trust Him in various areas of our lives. May your new year be filled with a growing awareness of who He is in you and who you are in Him.

___________________________________
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~   RELIANT REST   FEBRUARY 2, 2007


RELIANT REST
By Miles Stanford




"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" (Ps.37:7).

Those who rest in Him are often accused of passivity. But the Lord Jesus, who is our life, never was, nor ever is, passive.

"Do you suppose that the Father ever doubts the victory that has been won by His beloved Son? Do you believe that He has a single cloud as to the result? And faith looks at things as the Father looks at them. That is the secret of all strength and courage.

"Why has the Father given us His revealed Word? That we may think the same thoughts, have the same feelings, in our measure, as Himself. There is not a thought or feeling that arises from the old man that is not false. But we have new life capable of receiving and delighting in the very thoughts of our Father."---J.C.B.

"How am I to know what is the Father's mind towards me? Is it by judging of it from what I find in myself? Surely not! Supposing that I even found good in myself, if I expected the Father to look at me on that account, would it be grace? There may be a measure of truth in this kind of reasoning; for, if there be life in my soul, fruit will be apparent; but this is not to give me peace any more than the evil that is in me is to hinder my having peace." ---J.N.D.

"The Lord Jesus 'has passed into the heavens,' 'now to appear in the presence of the Father for us.' It is the Lord Jesus who gives abiding rest to our souls, and not what our thoughts about ourselves may be. Faith never thinks about that which is in ourselves as its ground of rest; it receives, loves, and apprehends what the Father has revealed, and what are His thoughts about the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is His rest." ---J.N.D.

"Let us labor, therefore, to enter into that rest" (Heb. 4:11).

___________________________________
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~  SAFELY IN    FEBRUARY 3, 2007


SAFELY IN
By Miles Stanford

"You are made partakers of His resurrection, through the faith wrought in you by God, who raised Him from the dead" (Col. 2:12, Cony.).

All true believers are gratefully aware that they are not going to hell, but few realize that they are already in heaven.

"There is no question about there being a beautiful new position for the believer, but people limit it to its being theirs when they die. Scripture shows that it is ours now! People say, 'You get to heaven when you die.' No such thing. You have it now. It is not your death that entitles you to it, but the Lord Jesus' death. There is not a single shade that was between us and the Father, but the Lord Jesus has removed in His death." -J.B.S.

"The great work of the Lord Jesus was wrought on the Cross to bring us to the Father; His death and His Blood, His ascension and sitting on the Throne; all mean one thing - our being brought nigh to dwell in the Father's presence. And with what object? That the Father may have us, to mature us, to work in us that which is well-pleasing in His sight. Let no one think that the entrance into the Holiest is the end; it is only the beginning. It brings us into the right position, in which the Father in His divine power can work out His will and purpose in us conforming us to the image of His Son." -A.M.

"The Lord Jesus stood where I was, and now I stand where He is, and that is the only place I have before my Father. We may fail and grieve the Holy Spirit, but that is where we are set." -J.N.D.

"If there be progress upward there must be progress in life and ways down here; you cannot see the need for a change in your ways here until you are transformed by the influence of nearness to Him there. You thus gradually find things here are not suitable for the order and nature of the things which are so attractive to the renewed heart up there." -J.B.S.

"Your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3).

___________________________________
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~   AVOID AMBUSH      FEBRUARY 4, 2007


AVOID AMBUSH
BY Miles Stanford



"I find therefore the law of my nature to be that when I desire to do what is right, evil is lying in ambush for me" (Rom. 7:21, Wey.).

Struggle in yourself, and be trapped; rest in Him, and be free!

"Many Christians keep themselves in a perpetual foment through hoping they will get into a situation where they can enjoy a better (and easier) Christian life. They feel enclosed in a net of circumstances from which they cannot escape. They are so wearied and baffled and beaten by the continuous pressure about them that they wish and itch for things to be different, quite sure that if they were only different Christ would be more real. It has not dawned upon them that at the heart of these very circumstances they are to find the Lord Jesus, find His grace sufficient, find the life more abundant." -L.E..M.

"You might be secretly attempting to correct and improve yourself, and suffering a good deal of private vexation and disappointment on account of the futility of your struggles. It was at a moment when I was utterly discouraged, and ready to give up the whole thing in complete despair, that the Father showed me how I was attempting to work upon the old material which He could only condemn, and had, and that my disgust and despair as to myself were only a feeble echo of His.

"My Father was not looking for any good in me, and had the Lord Jesus Christ before Him, the perfect and infinitely acceptable Object of His heart. And I, in my nothingness, had ceased to look for good in myself, and began tasting the deep joy of being in Christ, and free to have Him as my Object; while as to life, I entered in some degree into the blessedness of knowing that it was 'not I, but Christ liveth in me.'" -C.A.C.

"For to me to live is Christ" (Phil 1:21).

___________________________________
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~     SPIRITUAL PROSPERITY     FEBRUARY 5, 2007


SPIRITUAL PROSPERITY
By Miles Stanford



"That you may be filled with a clear knowledge of His will accompanied by thorough wisdom and discernment in spiritual things" (Col. 1:9, Wey.).

Service does not come first; neither does life! The proper sequence for the believer is death to the old, from which emerges newness of life and fruitful service.

"It is a sad thing when service interferes with soul prosperity. It is possible to be so engrossed with service that one's meditations are colored by it, one's prayers are full of it, and the Word of God becomes simply a quarry out of which material for sermons can be dug up. This is a serious loss to the soul and many are thereby hindered from making spiritual progress.

"Very often new believers who have not even peace with God are encouraged to take up service, and they become so occupied with what they are doing that they are not at leisure to learn or to take their place in the favor of the Father. Hence, so long as the service prospers, and they get on pretty well with it, they are happy. The service is their life! But when there is no success, and the whole thing seems to be a failure, their joy collapses. They have to discover how little they have really got, and in many cases to find that they are perfect strangers to the liberty and joy of acceptance." -CA.C..

"There must be a profound and genuine experience of Divine things; a cultivation of the highest possibilities of godliness if the witness is to be really effective and fruitful. There must be a man behind the message - a saint behind the service. There must be the nameless effectiveness that comes from true fellowship with the Father." -A.T.P.

"So that your lives may be worthy of the Lord and perfectly pleasing to Him while you manifest the results of right action of every sort and grow into a fuller knowledge of God" (Col. 1:10, Wey.).

___________________________________
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~    HIGH-BORN     FEBRUARY 6, 2007


HIGH-BORN
By Miles Stanford


"Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith" (Heb. 10:22)..

The darkness of this place will in time turn us to the light of His face - "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6).

"When the believer has a real understanding that he belongs to that new place in glory, the Holy Spirit delights his heart with the things of that place.. 'Set your affection on things above.' I used to pity those who are alone in the world. I pity no one now who has a room where he can find himself isolated from everyone, to be with the Lord Jesus where He is; where he can have his feathers oiled, to come out and face all the roughness here." -J.B.S.

"May the Lord lead us into the shelter of His holy presence, that we may daily grow in the elevation to which He has raised us, and consequently into moral distance from the old man which is so entirely estranged from the light and perfection of the Father's presence."

"If I am risen with the Lord Jesus, I must occupy myself with Him where He is, or I shall fall back to the things out of which He has risen; and the very fact that I am in the scene where He is not makes it the more necessary that I should be fellowshipping with Him where He is."

"We are conversant with man in death and sin and distance from the Father, for that is our state by nature; but to know the Man in glory, One in acceptance with the Father according to all His moral greatness, is new to us and magnificent. And according as we know Him there we become not only superior to, but distanced from, our own state with which we are associated.-J.B.S.

"For ... your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3).

___________________________________
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~    COMBAT SOLDIERS   FEBRUARY 7, 2007


COMBAT SOLDIERS
By Miles Stanford



"Thou. therefore. endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2 Tim.. 2:3).

What if there were conscientious objectors in the Lord's army? Actually, our Lord does not have any non-combatant soldiers whatsoever in His service, since the battle line extends from the front all the way to the rear; to say nothing of the fact that we are all camped in enemy territory.

"Luther, speaking to the young preachers of his day, said: 'I did not learn to preach Christ all at once. The devil has been my best professor of exegetical and experiential theology. Before that great schoolmaster took me in hand, I was an unweaned child, not a grown man. It was my combats with sin and with Satan that made me a true minister of the New Testament. It is always a great grace to me, and to my people, for me to be able to say to them: "I know this text is true! I know it for certain to be true!" Without incessant combat, and pain, and sweat, and blood, no ignorant stripling of a student ever yet became an effective preacher."

"Every bit of truth we receive, if we receive it in faith, will take us into conflict and will be established through conflict. It will be worthless until there has been this process. Take any position the Lord calls you to take, and, if you are taking it with Him, you are going through things in it, and there will be an element added by reason of the pressure. You have taken a position, yes; but you have not really received as yet, the true value of it has not yet been established. You have not come into the real significance of the truth until there has been some sore conflict in relation to it." - T.A-S.

"I bear willing witness that I owe more to the fire, and the hammer, and the file, than to anything else in my Lord's workshop. When my schoolroom is darkened, I see most."-C.H.S.

"We also exult in our sufferings, knowing as we do, that suffering produces fortitude; fortitude, ripeness of character" (Rom. 5:3, Wey.).

___________________________________
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~    PERSONAL ATTENTION    FEBRUARY 8, 2007


PERSONAL ATTENTION
By Miles Stanford



"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph. l:3a).


One's growth is gaged by one's gaze.

"The first impression on my heart when converted was, 'Enoch walked with God..' That was my start. Now then, I said, I will walk with God. Beautiful as far as it went; but I very soon found, as Luther said to Philip Melancthon, You will find old Melancthon stronger than young Philip!

"I came to my wit's end, for I wanted to find whence to draw so as to live it out. You are unable to live out of resources in your-self - you must not act as though your life is separate; the Lord Jesus must be the fountain. It is all very well to get the heavenly side of truth; but let me remind you that this alone will not do, for nothing will compensate for lack of walking in fellowship with the Father and the Son." ~G.V.W.

"It is one thing to drop off or renounce certain things, and quite another to be engrossed with the right thing. Monks renounce much, but they are not engrossed with the Lord Jesus Christ. It must be not only 'forgetting those things which are behind,' but also reaching out unto the things that are above. It is that which you give yourself to, not what you have abandoned, that colors you and which imparts character to you." ~J.B.S.

"Look at the Lord Jesus firmly and fixedly, never letting your gaze wander elsewhere; and whatever temporal objects come between you and your Lord, look right through them, as through a mist, and fix your eyes and heart upon Him and Him alone. Whatever condition you find yourself in, do not let either earth or heaven hide Him." ~J.H.

"Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Eph. l:3b).

___________________________________
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 Wisdom Of God     FEBRUARY 9, 2007


The Wisdom Of God
And the Wisdom
Of the World
by the late
Dr. Lloyd A. Peterson


Paul, in writing to the Church of Corinth, contrasts the wisdom of God with the wisdom of the world; There is much more to this than may appear on the surface. It is really the Kingdom of Light in contrast to the Kingdom of Darkness. It is Divine Wisdom contrasted with Satanic wisdom.

Most of us have a very poor conception or understanding of the authority, power and wisdom possessed by Satan. Ezekiel, the prophet, speaks of Satan's wisdom in chapter 28 and verse 12: 'Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.' Another translation is 'Thou art the finished pattern' and still another 'You complete the sum', that is of wisdom and beauty.

That the prophet is speaking of Satan is evident because verse 13 declares that he was 'in Eden the garden of God'. It also declares that he was created.. This could not be said of the King of Tyre, of whom Ezekiel had been speaking. It also speaks of him as 'the anointed cherub'. verse 14.

When God created Lucifer, He gave to him wisdom and beauty. He probably was the highest of God's creation. He must have had beauty, for Ezekiel's description of him is beyond our grasp. His covering was of beautiful stones, nine of which are found in the garment of the high priest. Compare Ezekiel 28:13 with Exodus 39:10-13. This latter suggests that he was a priest-king in God's original creation. He perhaps was at the very footstool of God, next to God, an intercessor for the then existing creation. He was given authority and power.

Little do Christians realize this. Acts 26:18 says 'To turn them from darkness to light, and from the power (authority) of Satan unto God'. Col.1:13 says 'who hath delivered us from the power (authority) of darkness'. When Scripture speaks of Satan as 'the God of this world' it means that God gave to him the authority, power and wisdom of rulership of this planet.

Job 1 shows him as the steward of this earth. The Savior acknowledged his authority and power. He, the blessed Son of God, did not contest with him but answered in the temptation by saying 'It is written'. Jesus at one occasion said to the disciples, 'the children of this age are in their generation wiser than the children of light'. Luke 16:8. We are told to be 'wise as serpents.'

Oh! that we as the children of God may fully realize the spiritual warfare that exists. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in high places.' Eph. 6:12. We could be so much more victorious in Christian experience. How dare we but flee to the Lord when the tempter strikes. Jude reminds us of this need when he said, 'Michael, the archangel, when contending with the Devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.' Jude 9.

This is the reason for the contrast of wisdom in I Cor. l. Christ is presented as the wisdom of God. 'For the preaching of the cross (the Word of the cross, or Christ of the cross) is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God'. Hebrews 4:12 says 'For the Word of God, (the logos of God, the Savior) is quick and powerful'. See the following verse where this word is personified and identified 'Neither is there any other creature that is not manifest in His sight'.

Again Paul, in Corinthians, says that Christ to the Jew is a stumblingblock and to the Greeks foolishness, 'but unto them which are called ..... the power of God and the wisdom of God'.

In the Proverbs the writer, divinely inspired, quoting the Savior says, 'counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength'. Provo 8:14. No little wonder then that the writer says, 'Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding ... Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not ... Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.' Prov. 4:1, 5, 6.

Have you ever wondered why God so honored Solomon in his choice for wisdom? (I Kings 3:5-12) Here is the answer: it was not general understanding that Solomon prayed but it was for the Wisdom of God, or as Paul states it in I Cor.2:15-16, 'He that is spiritual judgeth all things ..... For who hath known the mind of the Lord ... that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ'. Again, Paul says in Romans 8:7 'the carnal mind is enmity against God', therefore, 'Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.' Phil. 2:5.

Do you see, my friend, the contrast of the wisdom of this world and that of God? Christ is the Wisdom of God. In Him, with Him and through Him alone is there victory. No little wonder on the Mount of Ascension, after Satan's power was broken, He said to the beloved disciples, 'All power is given unto me, go ye therefore.'

Yes, we agree with Paul that Christ is 'the power of God, and the wisdom of God ..... of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord'. I Cor. 1:24, 30-31.
Amen and love, Pastor Peterson

___________________________________
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~  GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY AND PRAYER       FEBRUARY 10, 2007


GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY AND PRAYER
ROMANS 8:26-27; PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7; I JOHN 5: 14-15


'Prayer changes things.' You have heard this motto all your life perhaps. Does it? You reply, 'Why, of course, I've seen prayer change things.' Indeed, prayer does change things, but it does not always -- even when asked according to the Word of God and in much earnest sincerity. Why? Because God is sovereign, and He answers prayer 'according to His will.'

'The possibilities and necessity of prayer, its power and results, are manifested in arresting and changing the purposes of God and in relieving the stroke of His power.' This statement was made years ago in a periodical called 'The Christian Worker.' Do you think that your prayers and mine, or even all the prayers of all the true saints the world over together can change the purposes of God? Nay! Nay! What God has purposed, that He will perform! Yet God has purposed that we pray not to change His purposes but to bring His purposes about!  In other words, God moves on His people to pray to the end that certain things may take place: e.g., the outbreak of genuine spiritual revival. History records several such. Saints prayed and prayed. Finally God sent the long-awaited 'showers of blessing. ' Saints were refreshed and Sinners were added to Christ by the hundreds. How did it come about? Through prayer. Yes, but behind that was the sovereign pleasure of God to send such reviving at that time.

Why pray? We should do so regularly and constantly ('Pray without ceasing' -- I Thessalonians 5:17) in order to be totally dependent upon the Lord instead of upon ourselves and our maneuverings. We should pray so that we might be brought to the position of worship (an almost unheard of thing except for our so-called Sunday morning 'worship services', which are really preaching services) and honoring Him who is 'God over all, blessed forever.' Again we should pray because it has been ordained as one of the means of our growth in God's grace. Prayer is also a means for the exercising of our faith. Furthermore, prayer has been given so that we may share with our Father in Heaven those things we have need of as well as the needs of others. Therefore, pray, pray, and pray!

Let us rise up and accept the challenge to pray more for each other, for sinners to be saved, for your Pastor and staff, for your church and for our missionaries.
Grace, Peace and Love, Pastor Hume

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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~   FAITH'S FORTITUDE     FEBRUARY 11, 2007


FAITH'S FORTITUDE
By Miles Stanford



"Therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you" (Isa. 30:18).


Waiting upon the Father is not a matter of longsuffering, but of expectant faith - quiet, restful, confident dependence upon One who is fully trusted. Often the God of circumstances must teach this waiting by placing us in situations that offer no other alternative.

"When the testing comes, does our faith prove true? Does our confidence in the Father become shaken and our hope prove uncertain? When the clouds have gathered and the thunder rolls and the lightning stabs the darkness and the roar of the storm is in our ears, can we keep our eyes and thoughts off the tempest and continue in the quiet and peace of the Father's presence?

"When the enemy of right and wrong has thrown down the gauntlet and is trampling ruthlessly upon that which affects the honor of our Lord, and when he seems about to bring ruin upon that which our Father has purposed, can we refrain from rushing in to strive with him, and wait for Him 'in quietness and confidence,' with a true sense both of our weakness and of His faithfulness and strength? When we have no word from the Lord except to wait and everything seems to be at a standstill, does the certainty of hope remain undimmed?" ~A.H.

"When you are in faith you will find that the Lord Jesus does not remove the pressure from off you until you are asleep in it, until you are able to take it quietly. You learn His grace first, and then His mercy."

"Faith possesses all things, and hope stretches on to the fulness of the possession, yet in no restless mood, for patience sits by the side of hope in the believer's soul, and teaches him to wait for the glory of his Father. 'If we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.' (Rom. 8:25)." ~H.F.W.

"I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined unto me" (Ps. 40:1).

___________________________________
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~  WHEN TROUBLE COMES - PART 1    FEBRUARY 12, 2007


WHEN TROUBLE COMES - Part One
BY RICHARD JORDAN


   The first word of Romans 5 is "therefore." It has often been said that "therefore" is always "there for a purpose." This occurrence is no exception, for it opens the door from the past into the wonderful present and glorious future given to us in Christ.

   "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:"
   "By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Rom. 5:1,2).

   Notice the formula: "being ... we have." It is because of who we are in Christ that we possess wonderful assets. In Christ we have a new identity, a new standing which has provided us a whole sheaf of spiritual blessings: justification, peace with God, access into grace, the hope of the glory of God--to mention just a few. To demonstrate that these blessings are more than theological rhetoric with no impact on the daily details of our lives, Paul goes on to declare:

   "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
   "And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
   "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us" (vs.3-5).

Because we have been given eternal life we look forward even now to its glories--we "rejoice in hope of the glory of God." But this is not simply "pie in the sky by-and-by." No. We have eternal life as a present possession--we do not have to wait until we die to obtain it. It is a present reality in our lives and enables us to "glory in tribulations also." In other words, the life we have in Christ is also adequate for the "nasty now."

   In Christ we have been made part of a total victory program. We are "more than conquerors through him that loved us" (Rom. 8:37) and are made to always "triumph in Christ" (II Cor. 2:14). This is the reality of our new standing in Christ. Yet too often we look about us and wonder if this victory program has really penetrated our lives; has it reached as far as us?

   We need to understand that the victory program of which members of the Body of Christ are a part is not the Pentecostal program of time past. Our program is not the deliverance program God gave the nation Israel in the past nor is it the program He will have for Israel when Christ comes back to restore His authority over this planet through the kingdom promised to that favored nation.

In that long-awaited kingdom, God will deliver His chosen people from their enemies and establish them in their land. Jerusalem will be "the city of the great King" (Matt. 5:35) and the whole "creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God" (Rom. 8:21).

Continued 2/13

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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~  WHEN TROUBLE COMES--PART 2    FEBRUARY 13, 2007


WHEN TROUBLE COMES - Part Two
BY RICHARD JORDAN



The deliverance awaiting Israel--and, through her, the world-- in her kingdom is not the same ministry and victory that God has for members of the Body of Christ. If we do not rightly divide the Word of truth at this point, we are going to be brought into despair. God's Word is going to become a burden rather than the blessing it is designed to be. It is going to actually become destructive rather than constructive in our lives because we are trying to claim promises and blessings God never made to us.

The old adage, "all the promises in the Book are mine," is simply not true. To base our lives on such an unscriptural viewpoint is not only wrong; it is absolutely dangerous. Not one of us--nor all of us together--is, or ever will be, able to force Almighty God to do something He has not promised us He will do. To claim promises made to others is to invite discouragement and disaster into our lives.

Take a test for yourself: look at Gal. 5:22,23, where Paul lists the "fruit of the Spirit" in the dispensation of grace. The life that comes from the Spirit of God produces fruit in the believer. Paul lists those nine fruit--love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. Notice that there is no "deliverance" in the list. There is no "I will deliver you from your problems;" no "I will perform a miracle and you will have no more difficulties in your life." There is none of this In fact, there is just the opposite.

One of the Spirit's fruit is longsuffering--the capacity to endure, to "suffer long." In the present dispensation God makes no promise to miraculously eliminate our problems. There is no promise that He will manipulate circumstances so things will be easier for us. Rather, His promise is that we will be "strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man" (Eph. 3:16) and thus enabled to cope with any extremity of life. Patience and endurance are hallmarks of the Spirit's empowering under grace. Col. 1:11 puts it this way:

"Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness."

It is not "strengthened with might unto signs, wonders and mighty deliverances." We could quote verses all day long about the delivering power of God and how He promised to do things for Israel in her program. But what God promises members of the Body of Christ is quite different. Our promises are just as real, just as dynamic, just as victorious--they are just different.

When we take verses out of the Bible that are not directed to us, that are not about us; when we begin to read someone else's mail and claim someone else's promises, do we not commit spiritual larceny? The better course--the proper course--would simply be to take what God has given to us in Christ and let that be what is real in our lives.

Now when Paul says we can "glory in tribulation also " it is because we know some things .. "knowing that tribulation worketh patience." Tribulations--the troubles, pressures and difficulties that come our way--are actually productive in our lives. As we have "access by faith into this grace wherein we stand," the problems of life become productive .. rather than destructive--by providing a context for our spiritual growth and maturity in the application of grace to the details of life. Thus these spiritual qualities become active realities in our lives as we face problems by faith in God's provisions for us in Christ.

___________________________________
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~  WHEN TROUBLE COMES--PART 3    FEBRUARY 14, 2007


WHEN TROUBLE COMES - Part Three
BY RICHARD JORDAN



THE TRUE SOURCE OF TROUBLE

   It is important to understand where tribulations come from and why they find their way into our lives. The problem can be a seeming blessing or an apparent threat. Whatever the difficulty--pain or prosperity, poverty or abundance, whether we "abase or abound."-- we must learn to respond properly. If we are to do so, understanding their true source is essential.

   There are basically three sources from which troubles arise. We need to be clear about these things so as to be in the "know" in this important area of life. First, however, we need to establish a basic truth:

   "THERE HATH NO TEMPTATION TAKEN YOU BUT SUCH AS IS COMMON TO MAN ... " (I Cor. 10:13).

   Think about this. No trouble comes into our lives except that which is "common to man." Thus we know something: there are no "special testings" from God going on in our lives. God has not singled us out for some special trial (or punishment) in order to teach us lessons which we would not learn unless He inflicted those things on us.

   While the idea of "special testing" is often used to make believers feel "special" to God in the midst of trials, the Bible is very clear that this is simply not correct. We are very special to God and that fact has been abundantly demonstrated in tangible terms at Calvary. Reread Rom. 5:8 and see where it is that God demonstrated His great love for us. He points to the cross of Christ--not to our troubles--as proof of His love and care for us.

   When we consider the problems we face, we must remember that God says what is happening in our lives is the common lot of all mankind. What is happening has happened (and no doubt is happening) to countless others.

   One other point: We have all experienced the phenomenon of trouble causing things to look really big in our perception. When we are having a wonderful time, time passes quickly. On the other hand, if we are having problems, time seems to pass ever so slowly. Trouble has the effect of magnifying events and making things seem large--thus making our perception of them go in slow motion.

   This can be an advantage. If we have sound doctrine in our heart, that doctrine gets magnified too! So if we put in our heart an understanding of trouble's source and how we have been equipped to deal with it in a way that builds us up, then that knowledge is also enhanced when trouble comes. Thus what human viewpoint sees as destructive turns into something that becomes productive. Then,

   "... OUR LIGHT AFFLICTION, WHICH IS BUT FOR A MOMENT, WORKETH FOR US A FAR MORE EXCEEDING AND ETERNAL WEIGHT OF GLORY" (II Cor. 4:17).

   With this in mind, lets look briefly at the three sources of trouble in our lives.

Continued 2/15/07

___________________________________
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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