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Jesus–the One Who Always BelievesJesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Mark 9:23Mark 9:23 has been traditionally taught to mean that you can have your miracles if YOU can believe. If you can’t believe, then Jesus isn’t going to give you your miracle.But if you study the Greek structure of the verse, it’s actually saying, “Can you believe that all things are possible to Him (Jesus) Who is always believing?”That makes a world of difference! It’s not about how well or how much you can believe, but WHO you believe. Jesus is the only one whose faith is always constant and never wavers. His faith never fails! And if you can believe that all things are possible for Jesus who never doubts, never wavers, then you are on your way to receiving your miracle!Beloved, have faith not in your faith, but in HIM Who always believes and always wants to do good to you!Joseph PrinceHOW DO MIRACLES HAPPEN?Many people prevent the miraculous from happening in their lives because they believe a miracle is earned or a reward for godly behavior. Paul answered this question in his letter to the Galatioans.“Was it because of their self-effort and obeying the law? Or did they happen because of what they heard that gave them faith?” (Galatians 3:5)“Judaizers” came to town and convinced the followers of Jesus that trusting in Him wasn’t enough if they wanted to stay saved and be blessed by God. So these new believers took their eyes off Jesus and started keeping the old covenant law. As a result, the miraculous they had been experiencing went away, and so did the peace of God that comforted them…They had convinced the Galatians to mix law with grace, which produces a false gospel. Legalism always nullifies the power of God’s grace.“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” Galatians 3:1-3The miracle of the new birth was by faith, and every miracle we will ever get again from God will be received the same way. Miracles don’t come as rewards for good behavior. They come because Jesus bought and paid for them in His death, burial, and resurrection.Don’t lose your focus; keep your eyes on Him. He is the source of all we will ever need.Ed & Laura ElliotSong to all our mothers in heaven: by Lona WalkerVerse one:Your flowers bloomed todayTo drink the dew that came with dawnThey act as though they just don’t knowHow long you’ve been goneThen a golden evenin’ sun beganTo paint a portrait viewAnd I can’t believe I’ve seenAnother day pass without you.Verse two:I can almost smell the coffeeThat you’d serve me when I’d comeI’d have so much to tell you nowIf you could only brew me someThere’ve been changes in my life that’s comeAs time has past on byYou’ve been missin’ out on all that’s come aboutBut on second thought….Have I?Chorus:Cause I’ve been missin’ all the beautyThat you’ve seen since you’ve been thereAll of heaven splendorThe Father carefully preparedAnd I’ve not yet stood in amazementTo watch as angels prostrate fallOn second thought….you’ve really notBeen missin’ anything at all–DID YOU KNOW- The full Bible has been translated into 532 languages. It has been partially translated into 2,883 languages The King James Bible contains 788,258 words, 31,102 verses, 1,189 chapters, and 66 books.The longest book in the Bible is Psalm 119.The shortest book in the Bible is Psalm 117, with just 2 verses.How many verses are there in the Bible? In the Old Testament, there are 23,145 verses. In the New Testament, there are 7, 957, for a total of 31,102 versus.Who was the first author of the Bible? Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible.How many Bibles have been sold? The Bible is the best selling book in history, with over 5 billion copies sold.What is the most common word mentioned in the Bible? The most commonly used word in the Bible is “Lord,” followed by God, Man, Israel, and People.He is still the same!Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.Hebrews 13:8Jesus had prioritized divine healing during His earthly ministry. The Bible tells us that He went about “doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil” (Acts 10:38). In fact, anyone and everyone who came to Him for healing–whether it was for their children, servants, friends or for themselves–received their healing. Not a single one who had come to Him went away without receiving healing from Him.And Jesus, who is “the same yesterday, today, and forever”, will do the same for you today. His heart still beats with compassion for you. He will never miss an opportunity to do good to you–to heal you or your broken body, emotional scars and weary spirit–and to bless you!Joseph PrinceYou are Priceless in God’s Eyes!The Bible teaches that all people are unworthy, but being unworthy does not mean you are “worthless.” God paid a great price to redeem mankind. The value of something is always determined by the price one is willing to pay.We use the term “priceless” today to illustrate that there is no amount of money on the earth that could buy or purchase what one considers priceless. All the gold, diamonds, and wealth of the earth could not purchase man’s redemption. It took something of far greater value to pay the price. All the gold, precious stones, and the pearly gates in heaven could not pay what was required. Something of far greater value was needed, so God sent the most valuable and precious gift He had to pay the price for man’s salvation: His dear son, Jesus. Therefore, in God’s eyes, we are “priceless.” Nothing on the earth could purchase us, but the value God saw in His son is the value He sees in us.“For you are bought with a great price. Glorify and bear God in your body” (I Corinthians 6:20).Ed ElliotGod of the Valleys TooThen the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they…Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because the Syrians have said, “the Lord is God of the hills but He is not God of the valleys,” therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’” I Kings 20:23,28In the darkest moments of our lives, we often feel like God is a thousand miles away. God is with us on the mountaintops, we think, but in the valleys, we’re all alone.Nothing could be further from the truth. In I Kings 20, the Syrian King was told that Syria had fought Israel on the hills and lost because Israel’s God was the God of the hills. So if they fought the Israelites in the valley, they would win. Of course, the misinformed Syrians lost again because God is a God of the valleys, too!My friend, there;s nowhere you can go where you’re not covered by God’s mercy and grace. Whether you are in the pink of health or terribly ill in the valley of the shadow of death, He is with you and will never leave you nor forsake you. So don’t lose hope. The God of the valleys is your strength. He will uphold you with His righteous right hand and deliver you from your enemies! Joseph PrinceKNOWING HIS NAME“I will protect those who trust in my name.” Psalm 91:14Our Lord Jesus came to reveal the name, “Father.” Father speaks of family and of closeness and intimacy. You can know God as Elyon, the Most High. As El Shaddai, God Almighty. As Yehovah, the Lord, the covenant-keeping God. As Elohim, mighty Creator of the heavens and the earth. Every name is so significant as each one reveals a wonderful aspect of our God. But when you know God as Father, all His virtues, attributes, and power work for you to set you on high and deliver you.Our Lord Jesus prayed, “Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You, Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are” (John 17:11). The Greek word for “keep” here is the word tereo, which means to attend carefully, to take care of, to guard, to watch, and to preserve. What is the name through which you will be kept guarded and protected? FATHER. Beloved, I want you to know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have a heavenly Father who loves you, who gave up His all for you, and who is vigilantly watching over you!That is the n;ame by which He wants you to call HIm. When my son, Justin, has a nightmare, he doesn’t call out, “Pastor Prince!” He just cries out, “Abba!” and I am there, ready to take on any monsters hiding under his bed. In the same way, you can have complete assurance that when you call upon your Father, He will answer you. You can have full confidence in your Father’s protection and deliverance for you and your family, not because of your love for Him, but because of His love for you. Joseph PrinceNOTHING CAN STAND AGAINST OUR GOD!Whatever you face in life, if you will just hold your peace and remain at rest, God promises He will fight your battles. He will make a way even when you do not see a way.If God could close the lions’ mouths for Daniel,Part the Red Sea for Moses,Make the sun stand still for Joshua,Open the prison for Peter,Put a baby Isaac in Sarah’s arm andRaised Lazarus from the dead,Then He can certainly take care of you.Have FAITH in Him in Jesus’ mighty name, Amen!Step back! I have a mustard seed and I am not afraid to use it.It is a good feeling when God shows up just in time, but the best feeling is when you realize He has never left you!A bottle of water can be $1 at the supermarket, $3 at a restaurant, $4 at the movies and $6 in an airport. It is the same exact water. The only thing that changed its value was the place. So, the next time you feel like you have no value, maybe you are in the wrong place.Bishop O.C.The Danger of Seeing Yourself as a VictimMost, if not all people, have had to face difficulties in life. Some have been mistreated; others have experienced tragic situations. Though we can do nothing about our past, how we view it can determine our future.The Bible says much about who we are to God and who He is to us. One of the many beautiful things about faith is how it turns hopeless situations into hopeful events. Faith also helps us embrace our true identity in Christ. This one fact alone can change almost everything about us and our destinies.It is very important how we see ourselves and how we hear what others have to say about us or to us. If our ears have a victim filter on them, then we will hear things that support our belief we are victims when, in fact, we are not hearing the truth at all. Rather, we are hearing a version based on being overly sensitive or having offended hearts.“A brother offended is harder to win over than a fortified city. And contentions (separating families) are like the bars of a castle.” Proverbs 18:19)Seeing yourself as a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) is the only cure for our past. Why? Because being in Christ gives us a new future that is ordained by God. Add in the fact that God Himself tells us He is for us. Therefore, nothing or no one can be against us (Romans 8:31).We all come with scars, bruises, and flaws, but the wonderful news is that they don’t define who we are. Our identity is defined by who God created us to be in His Son. Ed ElliotUNCOMPLICATED LOVE!Religion and performance-based Christianity complicate what it means to love God. They add rules and commandments that need to be obeyed to love God. This is why so many people are confused and even lack assurance of their own salvation. They struggle with having confidence in God because that confidence comes from their own efforts and self-righteousness.When we understand our confidence in God comes from what He did for us and not what we do, our hearts will be at peace.Loving God is so easy when you realize how much God loves you! Our lives are a reflection and response to the love He has for us. Stop trusting in your performance and start trusting in the love God has for you.“We love God because He loved us first(I John 4:19).“Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (I John 4:7-8).The only way we can walk with God is to walk in the love He has for us. Ed ElliotThe Gift of a New Heart Changed EVERYTHING!Jesus didn’t come to Earth so we could give Him our hearts. He came to give us His heart. Religion teaches people to give their hearts to the Lord but nowhere in the New Testament do we read that people gave their hearts to the Lord. What we do read over and over is they received the Lord or the Word. Salvation isn’t based on what you give to God but on what you receive from Him.“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart” (Ezekiel 35:26). Ed ElliotThe Local Church is a Place of Refuge The Old Testament cities of refuge reveal a beautiful picture of Christ as our protection. Now let me show you another type hidden in the teaching of the cities of refuge, and that is the picture of the local church. The six cities are scattered across the land so a person can flee to the nearest one to take refuge. It is a picture of local churches scattered all around the world. The local church, my friend, is a place of refuge. The church is not man’s idea; it is God’s idea. It is a place where all the guilty. Where all who are suffering from condemnation, and where those who are being pursued can come and take refuge. You see, it is not God’s heart for you to take this journey of faith on your own. Certainly, you can learn a lot by reading books or watching sermons online, but God’s heart is for you to be part of a community of faith. In the Father’s house, people experience healing, breakthroughs, protection, and other blessings. God the Father raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, “far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named” (Eph. 1:21). This means that Jesus is far above all sicknesses, all diseases, all terror, all snares, all cancers, all depression, and all addictions. AMEN! We all agree that our Lord is above every name, but on this earth, where does this power and dominion reside? The apostle Paul declares, “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Eph. 1:22-23). Where is this power today in our broken and fallen world? It is found in the CHURCH! His power, His authority, and His fullness are all found in the church–our city of refuge where we can run to and find divine protection! Joseph Prince “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20 JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD IS THE GREATEST!Jesus Christ our Lord is the greatest man in history.He had no servants, yet they called Him Master.He had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher.He had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer.He had no army, yet kings feared Him.He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.JESUS IS MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR YOU!Keep on believing, Jesus is nearby;Keep on believing, there is nothing to fear but fear itself.Keep on believing, for Jesus Christ, Adonai Yeshua is on the way;Faith in the night as well as the day for victory assured. Bishop OCBLESSED TO BE A BLESSING“I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.” Gen. 12:2Listen to the words that God pronounced over Abraham: “I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.”Myfriend, as your trust God to walk more and more in the fullness of Abraham’s blessing, have a revelation that He blesses you because He loves you, and gives to you the privilege of being a practical extension of His love to your community, your country and beyond,God’s financial provision is for a divine purpose. Don’t use people and love money. Instead, use money to love people! When it comes to our relationship with people, it is always more blessed to give than to receive. Have an abundant eye and heart, look around for people in need and bless them. Let your light so shine before all men for the glory of the name of Jesus Christ!Today, see His abundant grace abounding toward you and your family so that you will have an abundance for every good work!Joseph PrinceBarna’s 7 cornerstones of a Biblical Worldview:–God is eternal, omniscient, omnipotent and just Creator.
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