We Interrupt This Program

“We interrupt this program…” and then comes the latest news flash from a radio or television station. We may hear an important piece of information, but occasionally the bit of news affects our lives only minimally. After the news comes another announcement, “We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.”

In our relationship with God, too often we think He only breaks into our consciousness when He has some “news” of great importance. Life is too often regarded as “regular programming” with God bursting into our awareness only when He wants to halt us in our tracks or get our attention in a specific way.

Perhaps we are only aware of His presence Him when we intentionally call on Him. (Which usually only happens when we need His help!) Occasionally the sight of a snowcapped mountain will remind us to praise Him but when there are no visible mountains, we easily go on about our business. We return to our “regular programming.”

It seems that David got it right as recorded in the first words of the familiar Psalm 23.  “The Lord is my shepherd…” All the verbs in the psalm are present tense except for the final phrase when the Shepherd King contemplates his glorious and unending future.

In Grace: An Invitation to Life, the authors write, “it is possible to live in the unceasing care of arelentlessly attentive and gracious God” (emphasis mine). Living this way is true “regular programming” with the events of life breaking in only as minimal interruptions.

Dear God, Help me to focus first on you, and only after on my circumstances. Thank you that You are always enough. Amen

Question: Is God part of your “regular programming?”

Let us never be found guilty of not spending time with God and giving Him time to move in our behalf...

Get Up and Get to Work

Get Up and Go Back to Work

by Pamela Kay Stewart on Sunday, April 29, 2012 at 1:50am ·

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Depression is the common cold of our emotions. Eventually it touches everyone -- even God's people.

It would be nice to think we Christians didn't have dark days, that discouragement came only to those around us. But looking through the Bible at the great saints -- people we laud as heroes -- we find that they also had times of despair. If we are to experience victorious living we must, therefore, learn how to deal with depression.

The classic study of a depressed person in the Bible is the prophet Elijah, the iron man of the Old Testament. Elijah lived and served during the days of the wicked king Ahab and his sinister queen, Jezebel, who introduced Baal worship into Israel.

Elijah was the champion of orthodoxy, chosen by God to challenge the king and the prophets of Baal and to call the nation back from apostasy. In a contest on Mt. Carmel, he was God's instrument to prove to Israel that Jehovah was the Lord. But after that amazing victory Elijah sank into the depths of despair. He sat down under a juniper tree and asked God to take his life.
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Does that surprise you about a man of God? I hope not. Longfellow said, "Some must lead, and some must follow, but all have feet of clay." We sometimes look upon men like Elijah as super saints. In reality, he was, as the scriptures say, "A man of like passions even as we are." That means he was cut from the same bolt of human cloth as we. He had the same weaknesses, frailties, and emotions as the rest of us. Yes, even Elijah became depressed.

These two experiences, Elijah on Mt. Carmel and Elijah under the juniper tree, are set side by side in the scripture (1 Kings 18-19). In chapter 18, Elijah is at the height of success; in chapter 19 he is in the depths of despair. In chapter 18 he is on the mountain top of victory; in chapter 19 he is in the valley of defeat. In chapter 18 he is elated; in chapter 19 he is deflated. We are all capable of such roller-coaster emotions.

The 18th chapter of I Kings records the incredible story of Elijah on Mt. Carmel. He assembled Israel on the mountain and accused them of spiritual schizophrenia. They were "halting" -- literally "limping" between two opinions. They could not decide whether to worship God or to worship Baal.

So Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal -- 450 of them -- to a theological shoot-out. "I'll call on my God," he says, "you call on Baal, and let's see which one answers with fire from heaven. The one that does will be the God of Israel."
Unfortunately Elijah had arrived at the wrong conclusions. So at that point, the Lord chose to reveal just how warped and distorted his view of things had become.

Ultimately all depression can be traced back to some distorted view of life. In Elijah's case, he had a distorted view of himself and a distorted view of God. He needed to know that God was there and that there were others who had not bowed to Baal.

First, God reveals Himself to Elijah in a new and fresh way. He sent a tremendous wind, a cyclone, that ripped through the mountain. But God was not in the wind. Then God sent an earthquake that shook the whole mountain; but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, He sent fire and lightning, but God was not in the fire.
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Then there came a still small voice through which God spoke to Elijah. The Hebrew expression "still small voice" literally means "a voice of low whispers, a sound of gentle stillness."

Elsewhere in the Old Testament, wind and lightning and earthquakes are often associated with God. They are ways that He manifests Himself to us. Yet here God speaks to Elijah in a voice of low whispers.

It is as if God is saying, "Just because I have not spoken to you as I have to others in days gone by, doesn't mean I am not here." Though God was silent, He was not absent. Though Jezebel was thundering, she was not in control. God was quietly going about His work. We need to remember that.

Following World War II there was found on the wall of a basement in Germany these words:

"I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining.

I believe in love, even when I can't feel it.

I believe in God, even when He is silent."

God is the God of wonders but He is also the God of whispers. Elijah not only needed a new perspective of God, he needed a new perspective of himself. He thought he was the only one who was still faithful to God. God had to remind him that He had seven thousand prophets who had not yet bowed their knee to Baal. In fact, God had already chosen Elijah's successor and He commanded him to go and anoint Elisha for this work.

Elijah thought he was more important than he really was. He thought everything depended on him. We sometimes feel the same way. Listen, if God's work depends solely on you and me, God is in serious trouble.

When I become overly impressed with my own importance I remember what I read recently: "If all the preachers and all the garbage collectors quit at once, which would you miss first?"

Then I try to remember what would happen if a group of women were playing bridge one afternoon, and the phone rang, and the lady of the house was told, "Have you heard the news, Paul Powell just died." When she broke the news to her bridge partners one of them would probably say, "Oh, that's a shame. He was such a nice man. I really liked him ... whose bid is it?"

Keep life in perspective. We can't take God's work too seriously, but we sure can take ourselves too seriously. None of us is indispensible. The workmen die but the work goes on.

Get Back In The Mainstream

Fourth, Elijah got back into the mainstream of life and went to work again. God allowed Elijah to sit in the dark cave of self-pity just so long. Then He told him to get up and get busy again. There was a new king of Israel and a new prophet to be anointed. The time for complaints and self-pity were over; Elijah now needed to get back to work. He needed the tonic of a new task.

With us, as with Elijah, the best way to quit feeling sorry for ourselves is to start feeling compassion for somebody else.

The great psychiatrist Dr. Karl Menninger was once asked by a Tucson, Arizona newspaper reporter, "Suppose you think you're heading for a nervous breakdown. What should you do?"

Most of us would have expected the great psychiatrist to say, "See a psychiatrist." But he didn't. Instead, his reply was, "Go straight to the front door, turn the knob, cross the tracks and find somebody who needs you."

Don't sit around in isolation. Don't get all wrapped up in yourself. Don't have your own pity party for too long. Get up and get back in the mainstream of life working for God and His kingdom. In helping others we help ourselves.

By these means Elijah whipped his depression and went on to the lifetime of useful service. In fact, he ultimately closed out his ministry in a blaze of glory as God swept down on him and carried him into heaven in a whirlwind and a chariot of fire. Thank God we can do the same.

Despair need not be the doxology of life. It might be the invocation. It was for me. "May those dark days make us tender enough to keep focusing on Him."
Pamela Stewart
April 28th...2012...

Get Your Lamps Lit

John 8:12 Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world: he that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life."

During the feast of Tabernacles in Yeshua's (Jesus') day, the temple priests would set up four great lampstands with golden lampholders, which they would light with the aid of enormous ladders in the Temple courtyard. The lighting of these lamps began the celebration of the "Great Hosannah" (Hoshannah Rabbah, in Hebrew). The celebration went on in to the wee hours — with music and dancing and rejoicing, while the beautiful lights lit up the night. Jerusalem was a breathtaking, illuminated city on a hill.

The following morning the Jewish people would recite the prayer for the eighth day of the feast — "Be thou praised, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who makest light and causes darkness, who makest peace and createst all: the light of the world as the treasure of life…"

Some of us have been walking in darkness recently — maybe for a long time now. This is, by no means, God's calling on our lives. Our Redeemer, Yeshua, is the light of the world. We, who follow Him should never be walking in darkness but have the light of life! We should be set apart — a city on a hill, illuminated beautifully for all the world to see!

It's time to get our lamps lit. No more excuses! Let’s give our hearts to Him once again today and get His victory in our lives! There’s so much work to be done!

Get your lights lit and keep them burning for Jesus...

There is a deep thirst in our heart for God. David used the analogy of a deer that has been walking in rough terrain, foraging for food only to build an incredible need for water. Driven by thirst, the deer longs to drink from a stream. In the same way David says that he had a thirst for God. Brennan Manning writes in his book, “Abba’s Child”, “The deepest desire of our hearts is for union with God. From the first moment of our existence our most powerful yearning is to fulfill the original purpose of our lives – We are made for God, and nothing less will really satisfy us.” The meadows, though lush with grass, could not give the deer what it needed. The deer longed for water. Likewise, we can try everything imaginable to satisfy our needs but only God can fill the void in our heart. Have you come to that realization yet? Have you satisfied your soul with the love of Jesus? If not, why not turn to Him today. He will hear you. He will quench your soul’s deepest thirst.

Psalm 42:1-2  "¹As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
 ²My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?


God Bless

PamzSpamz

I Still Deliver

I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.”
Jeremiah 1:8


God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally - "Thy life will I give unto thee for a prey." That is all God promises His children. Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are a matter of indifference, we have to sit loosely to all those things; if we do not, there will be panic and heartbreak and distress. That is the inwardness of the overshadowing of personal deliverance.

The Sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on Jesus Christ's errands, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus says, in effect, Do not be bothered with whether you are being justly dealt with or not. To look for justice is a sign of deflection from devotion to Him. Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will begin to grouse and to indulge in the discontent of self-pity - Why should I be treated like this? If we are devoted to Jesus Christ we have nothing to do with what we meet, whether it is just or unjust. Jesus says - Go steadily on with what I have told you to do and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance. The most devout among us become atheistic in this connection; we do not believe God, we enthrone common sense and tack the name of God on to it. We do lean to our own understanding, instead of trusting God with all our hearts.

If you are in a situation where God seems for away...He isn't...Who moved??? We did...get back to the first love that God gave you...Just as He delivered great men and women of the Bible...He is still God and deliverance is waiting for you...

God Bless,

---PKS---

If You Died Tonight

I know that you are busy with work and kids and home,
But please just take a moment and read this little poem.

I wrote it just to ask you, if tonight you were to die?
What do you think would happen, what is it you’d reply?

I know that you are thinking, well I’ve always been so good.
I gave money to the poor and helped my neighbors when I could.

I wouldn’t ever hurt a soul; I never cheated on my wife.
I worked real hard every day and led a real good life.

You’d probably say, I hope to go to heaven when I die.
I never did a real bad thing except maybe tell a little lie.

But just being good is not enough to get you through heaven’s door.
There’s someone that you have to know, please let me tell you more.

His name is Jesus Christ, He’s the Savior of us all.
He died one day on Calvary – He had to take the fall.

Two thousand years ago, God sent His Son to save the lost.
I’m sure you heard His story – He’s the one who died upon the cross.

See God could not look at sin – He needed a sacrifice.
He needed someone who never sinned to set the whole world right.

I know it’s hard to understand, but His shed blood saved us from sin.
And what He did opened up the door for us to let Him in.

I promise if you just get to know Him, you two will never part.
Please take a minute and say this prayer; He’ll come to live inside your heart.

Lord, please forgive me for all my sins; please make my life anew.
I never realized God couldn’t see me, except to look through you.

On the third day you rose up and opened heaven’s door.
Thank you that you died for me and all my sins you bore.

Please live in me and help me see the world the way you do.
So when I die, I can spend eternity with you.

Now if someone were to ask you, if tonight you were to die?
I’m on my way to heaven, is what you will reply!

Important Women in the Bible

Have you ever really sit and thought about the women of the Bible??? 

Have you thought about the important facts and the history around them???

I am gonna list a few...then you look up some women of the Bible and learn about them...and by the way...WOMEN are just as important today, as they were then..
Ladies, we have a great role to play in winning our homes to the Lord, our friends, our co-workers, each one that we come in contact with...

Hope you enjoy...

1.  Eve---Genesis 1-3---Mother of ALL LIVING!!!  Equal responsibility and  
                                   accountability to God...She was profound with influence over
                                   man...We sometimes will blame others for our actions, yes even
                                   satan, when in fact we are drawn away from God by our own
                                   lust...

2.  Sarah---Genesis 11-23---Went through some difficult times while following Abram
                                   as he followed the leading of God...
               Genesis 12:10-20---God protected her when Abram made a mistake with
                                   Pharoah...
                                          Sarah even led her husband to another, Hagar to bear him
                                    a son, then her feelings became tainted...
                                   Sarah, Mother of All Nations...

3.  Rebakah---Hebrews 24-26---Her passion to have her own way turned bitter...

4.  Rahab---Joshua 2:6---Please read up on Rahab...

5.  Ruth---A committed heart, loyal, and stickability...

6.  Abigail---1 Samuel 25---A capable woman and uses wisdom...

7.  Esther---Very wise and poise with her wisdom...

8.  Mary---Mother of Jesus...living and watching her Son, the Messiah being brought
                 into this world to carry our sins...Not only was Christ burdened, she also
                burdened for her Son...

My how many times have we tried to find excuses, because we were too comfortable...Well, it is way past time to get out of your ZONED LAND!!!  And become the STRONG, COURAGEOUS WOMAN OF GOD...

---PKS---

Hope of Eternity...

Jesus says the disciples were betrayed by parents, brothers, relatives, friends, and some disciples were even put to death. Yet, the amazing statement of Christ is that not a hair of their head will perish. The context of this statement speaks of some of the disciples dying, so this is not a promise that no physical harm will ever come. This could only refer to the resurrection.

The Greek word for "resurrection" means "a standing or rising up." The resurrection is a major theme of New Testament teaching. Out of the 13 sermons in the book of Acts, 11 stress or imply the resurrection.

The hope of the believer is the resurrection. The natural, earthly, terrestrial, corrupt, weak, mortal, vile body is said to be raised, changed and fashioned into a spiritual, heavenly, celestial, incorrupt, glorious, powerful, and immortal body. This is the completeness that has been purchased for all of us in Christ.

The Lord views everything in the light of eternity. Man tends to view things in the context of his brief life on earth. From man's perspective, a person who dies for his faith in Jesus has lost a great deal. From Jesus' viewpoint, a martyr hasn't lost a thing. Even the very hairs on our head are numbered.

The patience that Jesus is speaking of here is the calm assurance that God knows every hurt that we feel and He will abundantly recompense us in the resurrection. This knowledge enables us to control our emotions in the face of persecution (i.e. possess our souls) instead of letting our emotions of fear dominate us.

Be A Beacon

B    Battle.    Remember what you are battling against.

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" 1 Peter 5:8

E    Endure.    Keep pressing on.

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians. 3:13,14

A    Abstain.    Don't get caught up in the world.

"Abstain from all appearance of evil." 1 Thessalonians 5:22

C    Consecrate.    Live a holy life.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Romans 12:1

O    Obey.    Be obedient to Christ.

"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;" 2 Corinthians 10:5

N    Nurture.    Stay in the Word.

"Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

So, how bright is your light?

Daddy's Day at School

If you haven't read this, please do so: Her hair was up in a pony tail, Her favorite dress tied with a bow. Today was Daddy's Day at school, And she couldn't wait to go. But her mummy tried to tell her, That she probably should stay home. Why the kids might not understand, If she went to school alone. But she was not afraid; She knew just what to say. What to tell her classmates Of why he wasn't there today. But still her mother worried, For her to face this day alone. And that was why once again, She tried to keep her daughter home. But the little girl went to school Eager to tell them all. About a dad she never sees A dad who never calls. There were daddies along the wall in back, For everyone to meet. Children squirming impatiently, Anxious in their seats One by one the teacher called A student from the class. To introduce their daddy, As seconds slowly passed. At last the teacher called her name, Every child turned to stare. Each of them was searching, A man who wasn't there. 'Where's her daddy at?' She heard a boy call out. 'She probably doesn't have one,' Another student dared to shout. And from somewhere near the back, She heard a daddy say, 'Looks like another deadbeat dad, Too busy to waste his day.' The words did not offend her, As she smiled up at her Mom. And looked back at her teacher, Who told her to go on. And with hands behind her back, Slowly she began to speak. And out from the mouth of a child, Came words incredibly unique. 'My Daddy couldn't be here, Because he lives so far away. But I know he wishes he could be, Since this is such a special day. And though you cannot meet him, I wanted you to know. All about my daddy, And how much he loves me so. He loved to tell me stories He taught me to ride my bike. He surprised me with pink roses, And taught me to fly a kite. We used to share fudge sundaes, And ice cream in a cone. And though you cannot see him. I'm not standing here alone. 'Cause my daddy's al ways with me, Even though we are apart I know because he told me, He'll forever be in my heart' With that, her little hand reached up, And lay across her chest. Feeling her own heartbeat, Beneath her favorite dress. And from somewhere here in the crowd of dads, Her mother stood in tears. Proudly watching her daughter, Who was wise beyond her years. For she stood up for the love Of a man not in her life. Doing what was best for her, Doing what was right. And when she dropped her hand back down, Staring straight into the crowd. She finished with a voice so soft, But its message clear and loud. 'I love my daddy very much, he's my shining star. And if he could, he'd be here, But heaven's just too far. You see he is a u.k soldier And died just this past year When a roadside bomb hit his convoy And taught britts to fear. But sometimes when I close my eyes, it's like he never went away.' And then she closed her eyes, And saw him there that day. And to her mothers amazement, She witnessed with surprise. A room full of daddies and children, All starting to close their eyes. Who knows what they saw before them, Who knows what they felt inside. Perhaps for merely a second, They saw him at her side. 'I know you're with me Daddy,' To the silence she called out. And what happened next made believers, Of those once filled with doubt. Not one in that room could explain it, For each of their eyes had been closed. But there on the desk beside her, Was a fragrant long-stemmed rose. And a child was blessed, if only for a moment, By the love of her shining star. And given the gift of believing, That heaven is never too far. Send this to the people you'll never forget and Remember to send it also to the person that sent It to you. It's a short message to let them know That you'll never forget them. If you don't send it to anyone, it means you're in a hurry and that you've forgotten your friends. Take the time...to live and love. Until eternity..