Dealing With Disappointment

Have you experienced any disappointments lately?

What a dumb question, huh? Life is full of disappointments. But,
it’s not so much what happens to us, but how we handle it. When
you receive dashed expectations, it will be at that moment when
you decide how to react.

When things don’t prosper or succeed according to our plan, the
first thing we feel is disappointment. This is normal. There is
nothing wrong with feeling disappointed. But, we must know what
to do with that feeling, or it will move into something more
serious.

The devil would like for nothing more than for you to lie in the
pit of disappointment for as long as possible. This way he can
cause the seed of discouragement to grow. From there, he will
plant seeds of depression, and so on.

Here are the progressive evil D’s in order:

1. Disappointment
2. Discouragement
3. Depression
4. Despondency
5. Despair

Disappointment, if left undelt with, will inevitably lead to
discouragement, then to depression, then to despondency, and then
on to despair. It’s in despair where people have lost all hope
and could eventually commit suicide.

Friends, if you are still feeling disappointed, or even
discouraged from dashed expectations in 2004, let me encourage
you. God is in complete control and He knows right where you are.

If you have been born again you are a child of the Most High God
and He wants to take care of you. Jesus said, “Take no thought
for your life.” (Matthew 6:25) and “Be anxious for nothing.”
(Philippians 4:6)

God doesn’t want you to worry. He wants you to trust Him because
He has a perfect plan for your life. (Jeremiah 29:11) Yes, we are
to plan our way but the outcome is totally in God’s hands.
(Proverbs 16:9)

Remember, discouragement is nothing more than dashed
expectations. Don’t put too much expectation on anything or
anyone. People and things are fallible. Only God is infallible.
Trust Him with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding for He makes all things work together for your good
according to His purpose for your life. (Proverbs 3:5, Romans
8:28)

About the Author

Daniel N. Brown is the publisher of the “Living the Abundant and Prosperous Christian Life” Newsletter. A free weekly publication that teaches people how to live the abundant and prosperous Christian life. Receieve a free copy of Dan’s 14 page report entitled, “5 Biblical Keys to Outrageous Prosperity,” when you sign up.
www.secretplaceonline.com

The Sabbath Blessing

In Christian circles, even among those who do believe in keeping the ten commandments, there has still been confusion over the fourth commandment and whether we should be keeping the Sabbath on the seventh day that was ordained, sanctified and made Holy by God at the time of creation.

To be able to develop a close relationship with God, we need to spend quality time with Him. He set aside this day as a special time of communion with Him. It is a time where we can study His Word, and let His Holy Spirit speak to us through it. A time that we can spend in earnest prayer, talking to Him, praising and worshiping Him.

It is also a time that we can look at nature and reflect on all the wonderful creations that He has made. And finally, it is a time that we can spend with fellow believers, to worship together in song and have fellowship with each other, encouraging one another and building up each other’s faith by our testimonies.

God also gave us this special day as a day of rest. In this hectic world with our busy lifestyles it is so easy to get so engrossed in other things that we never have time for God and never have time to just stop all our work and let our bodies recuperate.

Some Christians spend a couple of hours of a Sunday morning attending church, but then the hum drum of the rat race catches up with them and they start doing household chores like mowing lawns. Others go to the footy, or do other secular activities where God is just not a part of it.

With stress related diseases like cancer and heart attacks on the increase every year, the necessity to take a days break, and bask in the presence of our all mighty father in Heaven, has never been so important. We need to spend time with Him to be replenished and rested.

God gave us His Sabbath day as a blessing to all mankind. A day on which we could spend time with Him to get to truly know Him and fellowship with Him. A day on which we do not have to do any work or labour. A day to rest, away from the worries and cares of this world.

God also ordained the seventh day Sabbath as a day in remembrance that He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth. The Bible says, Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work…”.

The scriptures also show us the true spirit of the Sabbath. Isaiah 58:13-14 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight..”

This shows that the Sabbath is a delight and a blessing. It is a wonderful day and something to look forward to each week.

All Bible references are from the King James Version.

Debra Lohrere is the author of books on property investment, creating financial security and spiritual encouragement. Please visit her homepage http://www.debra.lohrere.com/home.shtml or storefront at http://www.lulu.com/DebraLohrere

For more information on this subject please visit http://www.Sabbath-Day.net

JINN - The Invisible Trap

JINN - THE INVISIBLE TRAP

Sir - Apropos the report ‘Beaten to Death’ available on your
website (Ref: Crime Watch, SG, 13 July 2005) was a lamentable
incident. I appreciate your publishing this report in Crime
Watch column, perceiving that such insane acts are to be
categorized as criminal and not religious. The sheikh claiming
to free the old woman from Jinn, not only killed her but also
made us realize that the whole mankind still has not been able
to rise up to a better level since dark ages. I am not aware
whether this crook was able to liberate the old woman from Jinn
or not, but he surely liberated the innocent soul from the
precious gift of God - Life.

Such an event is not new to Muslims. They have been always
haunted by sui-generic explained Jinn. Dichotomy exists
pertaining to this term within the rational and the rest. I am
gratified to bring to your kind notice the definition of the
term ‘Jinn’ mentioned in ‘Lughatul Quran(Glossary of Quran)’ by
Late Allama G.A.Parwez, which is as follows: Jinn -
(Jeem-Noon-Noon). Janna means hidden. According to Raghib, it
means not only hidden from the eyes but also from senses.”
Jananun means grave, as it hides the dead body. Janeen is an
embryo (foetus) in mother’s womb. Junnatun is the shield or any
weapon with which a person protects himself (58/16). Jinnatun
means madness (23/25). The Arabs thought that Majnoon was a
person who was afflicted by a Jinn. The earth in the beginning
was in the form of molten matter, and took billions of years to
cool down to a tolerable temperature, suitable for the
habitation of mankind. Prior to this, there existed a creation,
which originated from steaming fire (15/27). It is now extinct
and is therefore referred to as “Al-Jaann.” The Quran has
referred to, and addressed “Jinn and Ins” together in many
verses. Ins, (as explained under heading “Ins”) means tribes
which used to settle down at one place, and Jinn means those
bedouins, nomadic tribes or gypsies who kept on wandering and
remained in deserts or forests, away from cities. In Arabia such
people were in great numbers. Since the message of the Quran was
for both of them, it has pointedly addressed both of them. For
instance:- In verse (6/131), “Oh Ye, assembly of ‘Jinn and Ins,’
don’t you know that a Rasool came to you from amongst you.”
There is no evidence in the Quran to show that at any time a
Jinn was also a Rasool; on the contrary, it is further clarified
in verse (7/35) that the Rusul were from Bani-Adam and were sent
towards them.(This makes clear that Jinn belongs to Bani-Adam)
…The above narration clearly explains that Jinn means nomadic
tribes which keep on wandering and Ins were those who were
social and remained settled. (For detailed study, kindly refer
Lughatul Quran) My experience in India amongst the Muslim
community regarding this concept has been very pathetic; few
religious-inspectors are misemploying this concept for their
bread and butter. Considering the current scenario, a
responsibility rests on the shoulders of the Islamic scholars
and fourth estate (especially Saudi Gazette) to enlighten
Muslims with the true etymology of the term ‘Jinn’ before this
invisible muddled approach swallows numerous lives of innocents.

(This letter to editor was published in Saudi Arabia’s leading
daily SAUDI GAZETTE)

Majid Saleem Siddiqi Lucknow, India majidsaleem85@hotmail.com

How to Have Assurance in Your Relationship

Do you realize that God teaches us through Jesus Christ’s personal experiences how to have a fabulous, long lasting, and loving relationship? All we have to do is compare the personal experiences that we have with those of Jesus Christ and ask ourselves, “What would Jesus do?” The personal experiences we have with God in our life helps us learn and grow into love. After all, love is what makes and breaks relationships. 1 John Chapter 3 verse reads “11″: For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

We often have conversations with people we befriend or associates who deal with ethics: right and wrong or good and evil. People often categorize themselves with good or evil based on their belief system and the circumstances at that moment. Each person, depending on their belief system, has the ability to rationalize his or her actions or reactions based on the way they view the world at a specific time. Hence we have the moving target of right and wrong, good and evil and what is ethical. This is why it is necessary to have immutable laws, laws given by God, to give humans the truth to think and live by.

I thought about how this affects us in our relationships and I discovered that God’s laws affect humans by giving us assurance of what is right and wrong and His Holy Spirit leads and guides us into righteousness and truth. However, it is up to us to receive what God has for us. We, as individuals, can choose to ignore Gods influence in our life. Those of us, who seek peace and love with others, would be well served to pay close attention to what God’s laws have taught us through the writings in the Bible and specifically the words of Jesus Christ. Because it is Gods laws that give us assurance in our relationships.

What You Need

The definition of “Assurance” is: Inspires confidence; guarantee or pledge; Free from doubt; Self Confidence; Presumption.

We all need to understand the simple examples that God gives us in regards to establishing and maintaining relationships via Bible illustration in the old and New Testament teachings. We must keep in mind that there are many types of relationships: working relationships, dating relationships, husband and wife relationships, church relationships, spiritual relationships, lustful relationships, love relationships, etc.

The Bible talks about all types of relationships and we need to understand what these relationships are for. For instance, God established the Church (we are the Church collectively; each person whom the Holy Spirit dwells in is part of the church. Some get this confused with the church building) to be his bride because he loves each and everyone person, whether or not, if they love Him. God is a jealous God. This is why he sent his Son, the bridegroom, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for the sins of the world.

Only through reading and studying the Bible, particularly the words of Jesus, will you get a full understanding of what you need from God. 2 Timothy Chapter 2 verse 15 says: “15″: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. This becomes the assurance we have for our relationships.

When You Need It

Now that we know that God’s word gives us instruction and assurance in relationships, it is just as important that we understand God’s word, we need to know when we need to use it. God’s word is not something that you read and intellectualize. God’s word is truth and life. We need Gods word all of the time, in every situation, in every relationship, in every trial or tribulation, in every celebration and every occasion. John chapter 1, verse 17 states: “17″: For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. God’s words are for every situation in our lives, all of the time. This assurance gives us the confidence we need to respond and act like Jesus Christ in every relationship that we have.

Why You Need It

We humans have a tendency get into relationships and rationalize what’s right and wrong, good and evil based on how we feel at the moment, we need God’s word to help us find our way back to the truth. Have you ever noticed anyone who does something bad to someone and then tells him or her that they love them? Makes you wonder doesn’t it? To do what is good, is synonymous with having love. 1 Peter Chapter 3 talks about the way people should act toward each other.

“8″: Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

“9″: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

“10″: For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:

“11″: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
As you can imagine, if we could take inventory of our own life, day by day, minute by minute, I dare say, daily each of us has fallen short of what Peter was saying. This is why you need Gods word and his holy spirit

Colossians Chapter 2 verse 2 speaks of getting assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ. “2″: That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ.

To have assurance is to have wisdom and understanding that goes beyond trusting in the things that you can get from someone or give to someone. To have assurance you must get the mind of Jesus Christ to do the things of God. This is what gives us the faith to receive those things which we cannot see and believe with confidence that what God has for us, no one can take away.

Faith Is Necessary To Have Assurance

We need to have faith to believe in God and faith comes by reading and hearing the word of God. Romans Chapter 10 verse 17 states,

“17″: So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

After we hear God’s word through the Bible, we must read it for ourselves to be able to meditate on it and allow the spirit of God to minister to our spirit. Through the Holy Spirit we can gain assurance in God.

Conclusion

To have assurance in your relationship, learn about what Jesus Christ says about relationships and follow Him.

Nevada York has based one of her characters: “Pastor Ethan”, in her book Mahogany’s Revelation on Ethan Berry, A.K.A. “Pastor Ethan.” He resides in the Bay Area of California. http://nevadayork.com

Making Merchandise of Christians - Prosperity Gospel Blight

And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make
merchandise of you: 2 Peter 2:3a. The Apostle Peter makes this
statement in his second epistle concerning those who will come
to rake and deceive the believers into giving up their wealth,
their goods and anything else they may possess. This warning is
available to Christians the world over in their own Bibles, so
why are so many of them still falling prey to the ravishes of
every charlatan and modern prosperity gospel preacher that pops
up on the circuit?

Anyone who has read their Bible would have to concede in
principle at least that it does say that God loves to bless his
children. It also does promise that if we are giving individuals
we should expect to have many wonderful blessings returned to us
as a result. These promises are unquestionable. Christ said that
if we gave that men would give to us good measure pressed down
and running over, Luke 6:38. The principle here is not in
question; it is the use, and or rather the misuse of this
principle that causes all the trouble. Anyone trying to prove
that the Bible does not promise God’s blessings to the generous
giver would come up woefully short. So how does this doctrinal
new kid on the block, the abundant life gospel, succeed in the
wake of its highly suspect proponents and their methods?

The first thing today’s prosperity gospel lacks is universality.
Can this gospel be preached to everyone in any place throughout
the world? The answer to this question is a simple, no. Other
than in the United States and Western Europe this gospel is
impossible to preach and in large part it is mocked. Americans
make up about one sixth of the entire worlds population yet they
consume almost fifty percent of the world’s food. Even in the
burgeoning economies of Europe, China, Japan and South Korea it
is common knowledge that America is still number one in wealth
and waste. Why has the country that already has the most, become
the birth place of a gospel that says we should be getting even
more? As two thirds of the world sends its children to bed each
night with hunger pains, we are asking God to give us the money
to go to an expensive spa to lose weight. One prosperity gospel
preacher was recently called out on the carpet for spending ten
thousand dollars a night for a lavish hotel suite in Indonesia.
By contrast a missionary magazine tells of the humble pastor in
some third world country who is rejoicing over a new bicycle he
has been given. Now he can pedal around to make his visitations
that cover an area of about twenty five square miles. Prosperity
then, is figuratively in the eye of the beholder. That the
prosperity gospel cannot be preached in every place is proof
that it is not the real gospel. The real gospel is that Jesus
Christ came into the world, spoke words that give life, died for
the sins of the world, rose from the dead and promised to return
to the earth and judge the living and the dead. This can be
preached everywhere, at anytime throughout the world and it will
produce the same effect that it has now for twenty centuries.

In seminary an old professor once told his class that his church
was praying for him that God would keep him humble while they
would help by keeping him poor. This is one extreme and another
is a new book offered by a TV evangelist entitled…How to be Rich
and Have Everything You Ever Wanted. What is wrong is that
something is missing. The missing element in the pop Christian
doctrine of the abundant life is…balance. It would be hard to
balance the book just mentioned against the well known saying of
Christ derived from the beatitudes…Blessed are the poor Mt 5:3.
Balance nevertheless is what this doctrine is calling for. That
God has not always promised a blessing in kind is balance John
14:27. That much of the promised blessings were not a material
blessing at all is balance Romans 14:7. Carefully checking the
motive of our giving is also balance. Are we giving to get? You
may as well keep it! God does care why you’re giving. He may
notice the figures scribbled on a check but He is still checking
the hearts and trying the motives of believers.

America is a success worshipping society that thinks that being
rich, powerful or famous is the sign that one has made the
heights. That this notion is so pervasive is reflected in our
preoccupation with those who have achieved these lofty goals. In
India a Guru is a Gandhi like figure, in America they could be a
Wall Street investor. Regardless of what they actually are is a
matter of perception which is often given precedence over
reality. What is clear is that we are continuously questioning,
prodding a probing our success icons for information about the
keys to their success. From late night television to the New
York Times Bestsellers list the line breaks forth replete with
all the memoirs, tips, secrets and how to manuals of the rich
and famous. Now Christianity has its own success gurus who seem
ready to tell us their secrets as well. Unfortunately that
secret usually comes in only one flavor. Send me, my ministry
and my programs your money to get God to bless you. Many of
these ministries are indeed doing wonderful things for the poor
and the promotion of the gospel so we can’t put them all in one
big heap. What we can do is be a lot more prayerful about where
we send our funds and why. While we are praying let us not
forget that someone as close as next door may need our help
right now.

The Etiquette of Tithing

I once had a conversation with a subscriber about making a
mental shift in how we view tithes. Many people (and I’ve done
it myself!) view tithes as a handout or some sort of charity,
which we view negatively, as if needing something is a bad
thing. We all have needs, we all have desires. By judging our
needs as “bad” we subconsciously block our prosperity in subtle
ways.

Likewise we don’t quite know what to do if someone refuses a
tithe from us, or tithes back to us. This issue, rather than
share another success story from a subscriber (keep ‘em coming,
though — I enjoy reading about them and will share more in our
next issue!), I’m going to share with you a few tips on the
etiquette of tithing, that I’ve found helpful.

1: Be open and receptive to the gifts of time, talent and
treasures that are offered to you. Tithes, donations, charity,
whatever you call the blessings of your income, your time or
your unique abilities, are acts of good. Charity, being
benevolent, means doing good or causing good to be done. Our
history is filled with “benefactors” who created trust funds or
otherwise supported artists, musicians, composers, writers,
teachers, ministers, rabbis, etc. These acts of charity brought
attention to and provided support for the creative work they
were doing. Today, much of this benevolent work is done through
tax-deductible charities, but much is also still done through
individuals with no thought to the tax benefit. You participate
in this wondrous flow every time you tip a street performer, or
throw a house concert, or tithe to other creative individuals.

2: Don’t let others take your prosperity away by refusing your
tithe (and don’t refuse tithes that are offered you). I’m often
moved by incredible music. Several weeks ago I tithed directly
to the soloist and the pianist (I’m blessed to get to listen to
the incomparable Jazz pianist Stefan Scaggiari) at my home
church. They both attempted to turn down the tithe and I simply
said, “please don’t stand in the way of my prosperity. You fed
my soul and I feel compelled to give you this gift. Please
accept it graciously in the spirit in which it is being given.”
Simple words that carry a profound message.

I brought in some clothes to a fabulous secondhand store last
week and told them that I didn’t want to open up a consignment
account, I just wanted to give them the clothes. The woman was
at a loss as to how she could accept the clothes, until I
finally told her to take the proceeds and give them to a favored
charity. Often, people turn down tithes because they are afraid
of appearing needy, and because we’ve had it drummed into our
heads that you don’t accept charity, or money, for doing good
deeds. Doing the good deed is supposed to be reward enough. And
it is. Accepting a tithe is another good deed.

If someone is tithing to you and you’re worried that it’s too
much or it’s too big of an item, or it’s too much of their time
to expect them to give, simply ask: “Are you sure?” If they say
yes, then graciously accept their tithe so that all may prosper.

3: Tap into the circular flow of tithing energy. Energy must
flow, in and around and through us or it becomes stagnant. This
goes for money energy as well as any other kind of energy. We
must give freely and receive freely or we will put a bottleneck
in the universal flow of energy. We stop up our own prosperity
and that of those around us when we react in fear or shame
whether we’re giving or receiving.

I was part of an unusual tithing situation last Tuesday that
brought this home. I spent some time with my wonderful spiritual
mentor, Nellie, and tithed to her. Later than evening, I
received a tithe from Nellie and from my church. I was so
grateful for the unexpected tithe, and for how deeply I was
moved during that evening’s meditation, that I immediately
tithed 10% of what I’d just received back to Nellie. Sometimes,
you will find that you spiritually feed each other. Honor that
with your tithes. Don’t withhold them because you think it’s
“weird” to tithe back to someone who just tithed to you. For
tithing is what we all do, all day, whether we know it or not.

You tithe of your talents, even in your everyday work world. I
tithe of my talents, when I put words on paper. Give freely,
open and receptive to the good that will be coming to you. This
good may come in the form of a steady paycheck, or it make come
in the form of an occasional tithe. Be open and receptive to
letting Spirit decide how that good will come to you. Release
the fear and open your heart to give and receive your tithes.

From the Kingdom of Darkness.

From the Kingdom of Darkness. Col 1:12-14; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Many things have happened in this world, death comes to those who wait, unknowing when nor where nor even how it comes, but it comes to all. Many Ministers, of Gods Testimony, of His Son Jesus, are crying with bitter tears for the dead and the loss of many who have died without any hope of Salvation thru the rejection of the Blood of the Lamb. Atonement for them is far gone and is no longer available to them, whom have made their decision to follow false gods into eternity. These Ministers of the truth are not at fault for the lost that have died, but the fault lyes with those that chose darkness rather than light. Those who have died in sin must also be raised in sin to be partaker of the judgment of man. There is no fault in the ministers of truth, they have done their duty to God and man to deliver the truth.
2Co 4:5 (Wesley) For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. The fault is not in us, neither in the doctrine they hear from us. We preach not ourselves - As able either to enlighten, or pardon, or sanctify you. But Jesus Christ - As your only wisdom, righteousness, sanctification. And ourselves your servants - Ready to do the meanest offices. For Jesus’ sake - Not for honor, interest, or pleasure. The Father hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son. The word “translated” has two specific meanings, 1.The translation of the body, as noted in scripture. To bear, carry or remove from one place to another. To remove or convey to heaven, as a human being, without death.
“By faith Enoch was translated, that he should not see death. Heb 16.”
2. Translated as of the spirit.
Those thus translated as to state, are also transformed as to character. This is a change from the carnal mind to the mind of Christ. A change of attitude a change in your thought processes a change in heart.
There are many that believe Col 1:12-14, is stating that Christians, who have been translated, are immune to attack by Satan and the forces of Darkness, this is a misconception and dangerous belief. The translation mentioned here is translation of the dead spirit to a live spirit and not the death of the body. A translation from a kingdom of lies and deception to the Kingdom of Light and Truth. From being a servant to Satan to the Servant of the Lord God Almighty. From being a slave to sin to being the Sons of God. So long as the Body is alive, it is a target for Satan and the kingdom of Darkness. Still don’t believe? Look at Paul for example; 2Co 12:7-10; And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. Paul was a preacher to the gentiles, of which we all are. “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations” this passage is stating that Paul, to be kept Humble, as we are, was given a pest, to keep Him in Humbleness. The Word “revelations” was not the Book of Revelations, but spiritual insight into the truth of the Gospel. Paul states this twice, “lest I should be exalted above measure.” Thou we have all wisdom and knowledge into the scriptures we are all still living in this kingdom of darkness. John 17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 2Co 4:3-4 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. I wish to look at, 2Co 4:3-4, for a moment, especially the words,”In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not” “the god of this world,” “ is Satan.” If we look in the book of Revelations, after the letters to the churches we see a pattern that is very troubling. Starting with chapter 6 there is no mention of the Church until later in the prophecy’s. This is troubling because if you noticed, even thou the prophecy’s of revelations are still accessible to all, no one pays any attention to them. The Bible is still accessible but man, different from today, who are obsessed with prophecy, refuses to hear anymore of Scripture, or ignores it. Why? 1. The Church is Gone. The preaching of the gospel has changed course from the gentiles to the Jews, ergo the 144,000 sealed Jews. The times of the gentiles has been fulfilled. Which isn’t to say that the gentiles cannot still repent but that prophecy must be fulfilled as it is written. Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
2. The kingdom of darkness has taken hold world wide. Rev 11:10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
3. Everyone is preoccupied with self preservation. Rev 6:15-17, And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
4. Since man has rejected the truth, God has blinded them, so that they cannot see. 2Th 2:11-12 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Rev 16:9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
In this statement,”Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness”, the word “power” is not in the Greek language but rather signifies, the ability of, Faculty of the mind, as manifested by a particular mode of operation; as the power of thinking, comparing and judging; the reasoning powers. “give commission” That is to mean, the ability to control our thinking, our mind and spirit. We have been translated from the control of the ways of darkness to the ways of Jesus Christ and His thinking. Righteousness and Goodness and Truth is the Kingdom of God. We have been delivered from the prince of darkness, [Satan] who, by means of sin and un-belief, keeps men in ignorance, vice, and misery. Has mankind become so blind that they cannot see? Have you also become blinded by the death and destruction of the past few years that Satan has also blinded your eyes to the truth of Biblical Prophecy? What are you seeking that Jesus cannot supply? Think about it. ars.

Temple of Spirit & Truth Ministries
A.R.Smith Sermons International
www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/

A Powerful Word For Those Who Have Lost Loved Ones

For what it is worth, I’d thought I’d pass this on to the rest of you. I wrote this article a few years ago. On TBN, they had a middle-aged couple on one of their talk shows that were really anointed. They had their own church and ministry - I can’t recall where it was at. But part of their testimony was on the death of their young daughter.

Here they were - serving God full time with their church and ministry and their daughter dies at a fairly young age. I came in on the story right as they were talking about it. I didn’t catch the age of the daughter or what the cause of her death was.

The wife was really wrestling with God. How could You take her, how could You allow this to happen, why didn’t You heal her, why didn’t You protect her, etc. Both the wife and husband were having a hard time “getting over” this death with God. They couldn’t understand or get a direct answer from God as to why He allowed their daughter to be brought home at such a young age and rob the both of them the joy of seeing their daughter grow up.

Then the wife said that she received a direct word from the Holy Spirit that immediately set her free from her “mental captivity.” And boy did I get a whopper witness off of this Word!

I’ll give you what the Word was and an additional revelation that God gave the both of them on the death of their daughter. For those of you who have lost loved ones in your past - grab a hold of this direct Word from God. This Word from God has been used by this couple to set a lot of other people free from the depression and anger that others have slipped into as a result of not being able to deal with the death of a close loved one.

The wife said she was in the kitchen when she heard the Holy Spirit speak directly to her. The words were: “Your daughter is no longer in the past - she is now in the future.” Think about those words! The wife said as soon as she heard the words - she immediately knew what God was trying to tell her and it immediately set both her and her husband free of the mental torment they were still going through with the death of their daughter.

God was telling them that their daughter was no longer in the past. She had died and she was now in heaven with God! God was telling them that they had to move on with their lives, to let the past go, including the death of their daughter and to continue to press onward into the call that God had placed on both of their lives.

Their daughter is now in their future! When they both die, they will both cross over into heaven and be immediately reunited with their daughter. God was telling them to change the “angle” with which they were looking at their daughter’s death. Instead of seeing her as being “dead in the past” - start seeing her as being “alive in heaven” - and understand that you will be reunited with her in a very short period of time. Our time on earth is not even a blink of an eye compared to the eternal time frame that operates in heaven.

1. You have to step back and look at the “big picture.” We are all going to die and cross over - no exceptions! Some just go sooner than others. When you die is irrelevant. What you do with the time that you have down here is what really matters.
When you really grasp the meaning of the words that the Holy Spirit spoke to her - you understand that they should be rejoicing. Their daughter is now in the most perfect place imaginable and they are both guaranteed to be reunited with her once they die and cross over. They should keep the picture of their daughter in front of them - in their own personal futures - which will also be heaven for the both of them when they die and cross over.

God was also telling them that if they did not quit thinking about and wallowing in their past - that they would eventually “die” in their past - that they would no longer be able to move forward for God because they would end up staying “stuck” in their past.

Too many people are “bound up” with things that have happened in their past. They can’t “let go” of what has happened in their past. As a result, it slowly eats away at them until they get to a point where they no longer have any joy for living. They then start slipping into depressions and lose all of their will to even want to live anymore.

2. Shortly after receiving this revelation from God and being set free, they came across a woman who had lost her son. Her son had died about a year ago and the woman had slipped into a severe depression. She had literally boarded up her house, closed all the drapes and curtains and would no longer even go outside. She had completely shut down due to the pain and agony she was going through at losing her son at what apparently was also a fairly young age.

This couple gave their testimony on the above revelation to a church that this woman had been going to. The testimony was taped and one of the church members slipped the tape to this woman who had boarded herself up in her house. The woman took the tape in to her bedroom. She listened to it over and over again all night along - literally until the sun broke at dawn.

When the sun broke at dawn, she later testified that she knew God was speaking to her through this couple’s testimony on this tape. She said the message and revelation from this couple that was on this tape set her free from the “mental captivity” that she had placed herself under as a result of not being able to see the “truth” of her son’s death. The Bible says that the “truth will set you free” and this is a perfect example of that principle in operation!

Once she heard the revelation given by the Holy Spirit - she knew she had been looking at her son’s death from the “wrong angle.” Her son is now in heaven and she should be looking “forward” to being reunited with him in heaven once she crosses over - not dwelling on his death, which was now in her past.

Once she grasped what God was telling her - and it apparently took all night for the revelation to really sink into her mind - she was finally set free and was able to fully start living again.

This couple said that those specific words spoken by the Holy Spirit has helped a lot of other people deal with the death of loved ones.

Scripture Verses

1. Here are 3 good verses from Scripture that back up the words spoken by the Holy Spirit to this couple:

• “No one having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)

• “But one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)

Look at the words in that second verse - “forgetting those things which are behind” and “reaching forward for those things which are ahead.” That verse perfectly lines up with what the Holy Spirit was trying to tell this couple - to let the death of their daughter go, which was now in their past, and to look forward, to press forward for the things which are ahead for them in their futures. And one of the things ahead for this couple in their futures will be their own physical deaths, their own crossing over into heaven and being reunited with their daughter where they will never ever be separated from her again!!

2. This next verse talks about “plowing forward in hope.”

“… he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be a partaker of his hope.” (1 Corinthians 9:10)

This verse is telling us that each one of us should continue to “plow for God” with whatever time we have left here on this earth - with the understanding that we will eventually be reunited with all of our loved ones who have gone before us. Not only should we continue to plow with this hope in mind, but also to be a “partaker” of this hope. In other words - really grab onto and really believe that when you die, you will be reunited with your loved ones and this time it will be for good - for eternity!

Heaven is going to be the final and ultimate reward for all Christians. The Bible tells us that we cannot even begin to imagine all the good things that God will have in store for all of those who will be entering into His dwelling place.

But one thing we do know for sure - we will all be given the two greatest rewards any human can ever hope to receive once we cross over onto the other side.

1. We will forever be united with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. We will be able to see them “face to face” and we will be able to have direct contact and fellowship with the both of Them for eternity.

2. And to top it all off - we will forever be reunited with all of our loved ones who have made it into heaven and we will once more be able to enjoy the friendships that we had established with each one of them while down here on earth.

Now that’s an incredible one-two punch that can’t be beat. And to top it all off, there will be mansions and who knows what else from God the Father.

For all those who have lost very close loved ones, you have to step back and see the “real” big picture - the “real ending” to the story. So many people have “lost” the rest of their earthly lives because they could never “get over” the death of a loved one. And the reason they could not get over their deaths is due to the fact that they are looking at their deaths from the “wrong angle.”

The Holy Spirit gave this couple what I feel is a very powerful and liberating word on this subject. He gave them a word that was pure God-truth. And once you receive a truth from God the Father - it will set you free if you are willing to accept it and work with it.

The other thing that happened with this couple is that before they received this direct Word from God, they found themselves taking their daughter’s picture out of a lot of their family portraits because it was too painful for them to see her and be reminded of her death.

After receiving the above Word from God, God then told them to put her pictures back in with the rest of the family pictures. He told them that she was not “dead” - that she was fully alive in heaven - and that they should be rejoicing because their time would come when they would all be reunited with her. They were told not to try and put her out of their memory. They were to keep all of her photos and all of their memories intact of her. They were all to “look forward to the future” when they would all be reunited again with her in heaven.

When this couple received all of the above from God the Father through the Holy Spirit, they were all set free from the “mental captivity” that they had placed themselves under and were able to pick themselves back up and get back into the real game of life.

The other revelation that the wife received from God the Father was on the question of why - why did God allow her daughter to be taken home so early. God basically told her there will be times when He will not tell you why He allows something specific to happen in your life - like the early death of a loved one.

Sometimes it may be better that you not know why God brings someone home so early. Maybe that person was going to have something really bad happen to them somewhere down the road and God wanted to spare them the pain of having to go through it - so He arranges to have them brought home early. There could be a million different reasons as to why God may have brought that person home early, and maybe with half of those reasons you are better off not knowing.

She finally came to the conclusion that if it was God’s will that she not know why He brought her daughter home so early - that she would simply have to trust God that He did have a good enough reason to bring her home early and to let it go at that!

The Bible says that we can “only know in part.” We will never get all the answers to all of life’s problems. God will answer a lot of questions that you may present to Him. The Bible says, “Ask and you will receive.” But when God does not want to tell you why or answer a certain question with a definite answer - then you have to accept the fact that He has a good enough reason not to give you the answer and just trust that He knows what He is doing - that He knows what is best for the situation at hand - and to move on with your life.

If you don’t, you run the risk of getting “stuck” in your misery or in your past and you thus may “lose” the chance to accomplish anything worthwhile with whatever allotted time you still have left down here on earth.

Conclusion

For those of you have had a difficult time either now or in your past on accepting the death of a loved one, really chew on the above Word given to this couple by the Holy Spirit.

For those of you who may know someone who is really having a hard time handling the death of a close loved one like a child, a spouse, a parent or a best friend, give them a copy of this article and/or sit down with them and give them the above Word from the Spirit of God. Share the above testimony with them on this couple and the other woman who had lost her son.

Pray that God will move on them with illumination and insight to fully grasp and understand that even though the death of a loved one is a very painful experience - that their loved one’s death is a new beginning for the one who has died. They are now in the most perfect place imaginable and you will be reunited with them in just a very short period of time. This life on earth is for just a moment - but the life to come where they are now at will be forever.

Remember what the Holy Spirit Himself has spoken - your loved one is no longer “dead in your past” - your loved one is now “fully alive in your future” - which is heaven.

Article written by Michael Bradley of Bible Knowledge Ministries. Their website is a resource of Bible Knowledge, articles, commentary and teaching. They currently have over 100
Bible
articles.

What is it if I Die?

What is it if I Die?
Psalms 88:10-88:11 What is it like to be dead? The Biblical Response. All scripture is good for instruction, the Bible says so. So lets talk about the thing that people fear most, death and the grave. Many people are so afraid of death, that they buy graves above the ground, Crypts. Death itself is a sting to the spirit and soul of a person, Jesus said so in scripture. I believe that it’s the unknown event that frightens most. We have no idea, when where or how we are to depart this life but we know that death is inevitable. We cannot run from it, hide from it, evade it or reason with it, it will come to all of us. I have found out, first hand, that we cannot control the time of our death nor the circumstances surrounding it. I found out that the old saying, “We are just a heart beat away from eternity.” Is true. But what does the Bible say about the grave? Psa 88:10 Wilt thou {God} shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead{Bodies} arise and praise thee? Selah. {Pause and reflect} Some times we make the mistake of not pausing in our studies to reflect on what we have read, for if we don’t we are sure to miss something that the Holy Ghost wanted us to see. We find here, that the Psalmist not only is questioning God on the state of his body after death but of all bodies after death. He basically asked, “Will you talk to the dead and show them wonders, and shall they rise up and Glorify you for the things they see?” Psa 88:11 Shall thy lovingkindness {Love and Mercy} be declared {Spoken of} in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?{will your promises be talked of} Psa 88:12 Shall thy wonders be known in the dark?{Death} and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?{Grave} Psa 88:18 Lover and friend hast thou put far from me {you have separated me from the ones that I’ve, known and loved while alive.}, and mine acquaintance {Knowledge of all I knew} into darkness. {No remembrance} The mention of lack of memory here only indicates that the righteous dead have no remembrance but the unrighteous will remember what they have done that caused them to perish. Many people will argue this point, saying that we will be able to reunite with family and friends in Heaven, but I have found no scripture to back up that claim. The verse most will try to use is, 1Co 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. Revelations read correctly explains that, we shall be known as over comers by the word and our testimonies. We shall be given a new name that no man knows. Ref: Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. So therefore Psa. 88:18, describes the dead {Righteous} as having no remembrance of any one individual. Can you imagine the tears of those who, if they remembered family and went on a search for them and didn’t find them, they would know that a loved one never made it right with God and was suffering in Hell? Our Father will not allow this to happen. Many say that they will reunite with their animals in Heaven, not likely, the Bible says, NO. Ecc 3:21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, {to judgment} and spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? {Back from where it was created} Ecc 9:2 All things come alike to all: there is one event {Death} to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. What he is speaking of here, is that no matter who you are, weather saint or sinner, good or bad, righteous or unrighteous, we all have one thing in common, Death. Ecc 9:3 This is an evil {an occurrence} among all things {living} that are done under the sun {things that are done on the earth}, that there is one event {Death} unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. Ecc 9:4 For to him that is joined to all the living {still alive} there is hope: for [a living dog {sometimes refers to gentiles} is better than a dead lion. {Sometimes refers to a King}] This is one of my favorite verses in scripture. Translated it means, so long as a person lives {in the Body}, there is hope for conversion to righteousness, but after the person has died there remaineth no more hope for change. The body is only alive if the spirit dwells within it. Many people believe that if a man dies unrighteous, he has a chance to be prayed out of purgatory and be renewed into the house of God. This assumption is wrong and unfounded in scripture. Jesus said that as a tree {man} falleth so shall it be raised. {Judged}. Ecc 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. After the spirit leaves the body at the moment of death, the works of that man has stopped. He can do no more evil or good. He cannot ask for forgiveness and his works on earth are then judged. Ecc 9:6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished {the earthly emotions of the individual is no longer, hatred, love, envy are all gone}; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. {The body nor spirit of man can never affect the world of the living} Many make saints of the dead but should rather make saints of the living, for God is the God of the living and not of the dead. Ref: Mat 22:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. Ecc 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might {What ever you start to do in this life, do it with all your heart}; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave {They say that the grave is cold and lonely, not so according to scripture. there is no actions of the body, no movement or feeling of any type}{It becomes only the shell of whom we were, nothing else.}, whither thou goest. {The body has no knowledge nor ever will, know the destiny of the soul of the man whom once dwelt within.} I pray that this lesson will be a help to those who still wonder about death and those who have already departed. This lesson by all means is not all conclusive, just a small portion to enlighten those with questions.

About the Author

Temple of Spirit & Truth Ministries
A.R.Smith Sermons International
http://www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/

The Temple of Love Unites Every Religion and Every Country as One

The Temple of Love unites every Religion and every Country as
One by tying us all together with our common threads and
resolving all of our differences once and for all. We have now
reached the point where we are too technologically advanced for
Nuclear World War, our present heading, because it will have
zero survivors. It is now time to change course, fast! By
definition, all of us united together towards a common goal can
create anything we like overnight, including World Peace, which
is our only hope for survival. Divided we are all powerless. The
million dollar question is how do we do this? Well, first of all
we tie everyone on Earth together with our common threads, and a
common goal: World Peace and the Survival of the human race and
all life on Earth. Imagine that our species Homo sapiens was
being attacked by snake like super advanced extra terrestrials
bent on wiping us out and colonizing our planet. In that case
like in the movie Independence Day every human being would come
together instantly to fight off our attackers. Today Nov. 14,
2005 we are all the attackers of each other. Our Religions and
our countries unite us, but they also divide us, by telling us
the lie that we are Angels going to Heaven, and all non group
members are Devils going to Hell. Our Religions also tell us
that God wants us to massacre every man woman and child outside
of our group for great eternal rewards. This is a childish and
deceitful way to unite people, although it is a big money maker.
Our religions provide us with man made licenses to murder and
free passes into Heaven, and they satisfy our blood lust. The
truth is that we are all combinations of good and evil. Our
present religions are a codification of it. Think of The Temple
of Love as the update to your operating system. So, what are the
common threads of every person on Earth? Well, first of all, we
are all Homo sapiens, human beings, with human DNA as opposed to
alien snake DNA. Secondly, we all share the same home, a tiny
ball named Earth. Thirdly, we all were Pagans with Pagan
grandparents and bloodlines for the past 5 million years, until
the invention of Judaism 4,000 years ago, Christianity 2,000
years ago, and Islam 1,400 years ago. So, do we do away with
Religion completely in order to save ourselves? No, actually we
are going to achieve Peace through Religion. Imagine this
picture in your mind or draw it on a piece of paper. On the top
place a group of people who believe in God. Underneath place a
group of people who believe that there is only one God. Now
underneath that picture a group of people who believe that this
one God is the God who gave the 2 tablets to Moses on Mount
Sinai 3,200 years ago. Underneath this, place a group of people
who all believe that the 10 commandments are the Divine
Constitution of the Universe. Now draw a line under this last
group. Voila, you now have every Christian Muslim and Jew united
together in the same group, The Temple of Love, loving each
other. So, what is it that is dividing them? The answer is their
3 Holy Bibles, with their countless commandments for them to
massacre each other, which caused the Muslim 911, the
retaliatory Christian Crusade, and the Middle East Crisis. Our 3
Holy Bibles are now leading us all against each other straight
into nuclear world war and the Apocalypse, the sudden violent
end of all life on Earth forever. So, what do we do with these 3
Holy Bibles? Well, Jesus Christ, the Jewish born Rabbi, the
Messiah of Christianity and Islam, says right in your Holy
Bibles that when he returns, he will order all of his angels to
gather them all up and burn them in the fire. He says that he
will order his angels to collect all of the people into God’s
Barn, God’s Temple, The Temple of Love, with their precious
families and their God of Mount Sinai’s 2 stone tablets. God of
Mount Sinai through every Biblical Prophet calls the Holy Bibles
“commandments of men signed ‘God’”. God calls the Bible Writers,
the scribes, “snakes, demons, and forgers of His Will”. God vows
through every prophet, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Malachi,
to do away with the Holy Bibles and those who hold them up as
His Word. God says that His Word is the 10 commandments. It is
written and so it is. See for yourself what is really written
with Biblical Citations. Now, how do we get the other 3 billion
people into The Temple of Love? Well, we borrow an idea from
golf. Belief in God is nice, but not required. Golfers from
every country play nicely together by the same rules because
they work. These 10 rules of God work, once you understand what
they actually mean. Your present rules are leading you all into
the Apocalypse, the sudden violent end of all life on Earth
forever at human hands. God said “Don’t Murder or else I will
punish you, your children, grandchildren, and great
grandchildren.” Would you call massacring all life on Earth
forever Murder? Ending Murder will end War, Crime, and Pollution
on Earth forever. So how do you get people to read this? Well,
you create a website, and you write a few educational and
entertaining words so that people will want to read them and
show them to their friends, and you tell people the truth.
Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad united 3 billion people with a few
words and they didn’t even have the net.
http://www.thetempleoflove.com