Tag Archives: Jesus

BreakPoint

BreakPoint –  The Indictment of David Daleiden: The Culture of Death Shoots the Messenger

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As you’ve probably heard, a grand jury in Houston Texas, originally tasked with investigating Planned Parenthood’s possible involvement in the sale of fetal tissue and body parts, has decided to instead to shoot the messenger.

Well, not exactly “shoot,” but something almost as inappropriate. The Harris County grand jury indicted both David R. Daleiden, the founder of the Center for Medical Progress, and his colleague Sandra Merritt, for “tampering with a government record.” Daleiden has also been charged with a misdemeanor related to the attempt to purchase human organs.

The first indictment is in connection with Daleiden’s and Merritt’s alleged use of fake California driver’s licenses to gain access to the various Planned Parenthood facilities. The second indictment is based on an email that Daleiden allegedly sent, offering to buy fetal tissue from Planned Parenthood.

To put it very mildly, what happened in Houston was ironic. While Daleiden’s actions amount to a prima facie – the legal phrase meaning “at first glance” – violation of Texas law, no one believes he intended to buy fetal tissue. His and Merritt’s goal was to expose those who profit from this gruesome practice.

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Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – SHUNNING SHAME

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Read Hebrews 11:39-12:6

Superheroes have never been more popular. Comic book sales are the highest they’ve been in decades; superhero movies make millions of dollars, and superhero television shows have millions of viewers. People love to imagine a character with extraordinary abilities who is not constrained by gravity or fire or limited strength like the rest of us mortals.

We might be tempted to think of the people listed in Hebrews 11 as superheroes of faith. But a closer look at their stories in other parts of Scripture reveals that they struggled with fear, doubt, and susceptibility to shame just as we do. They were human beings just like us, and they looked ahead to a reward so valuable that they persevered in focusing on and trusting God.

These individuals are included in this passage as examples of faith not because of their personal accomplishments but due to their belief in what God would accomplish for them. They fixed their eyes on that prize and ran for it, even as the world unleashed its abuse, degradation, mockery, and rejection. Their very refusal to succumb to shame put their enemies to shame. In God’s opinion, the world wasn’t worthy of them.

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – PRINCIPAL DIES SAVING THE CHILDREN SHE SERVED

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Susan Jordan was principal of an elementary school in Indianapolis for twenty-two years. Tuesday she was standing outside with her students when a stationary school bus inexplicably accelerated and jumped a curb. She pushed several students out of the way before the vehicle struck and killed her. A fire department spokeswoman said, “Up to the minute she was alive, she was helping the kids.”

Her superintendent said of her, “Quite frankly, ladies and gentlemen, we are talking about a legend.” He described Jordan as “a phenomenal individual that truly cared about children.” Last May, dozens of students, faculty, and staff made a video about her. The students called her “friendly, focused, smart, organized, inspirational, dependable, determined, positive, and awesome.” The district closed all schools yesterday in her memory.

When the bus careened toward her students, Susan Jordan didn’t have time to decide whether she would risk her life for them. In that moment, her reaction revealed the sacrificial commitment she had already made.

Like her, the time for us to decide our life priorities is before they are tested. Only then can we be ready for challenges when they come.

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John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Trusting in God’s Power

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“I pray that … you may know … the surpassing greatness of [God’s] power toward us who believe” (Eph. 1:18-19).

The same divine power that created, sustains, and controls the universe secures your salvation.

God’s power is awesome! David wrote, “Thine, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Thine is the dominion, O Lord, and Thou dost exalt Thyself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from Thee, and Thou dost rule over all, and in Thy hand is power and might; and it lies in Thy hand to make great, and to strengthen everyone. Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee, and praise Thy glorious name” (1 Chron.29:11-13).

In Ephesians 1:19 Paul focuses on one key feature of God’s power: His ability to secure the salvation of His people. And he prays for you to understand the surpassing greatness of that truth.

The Greek word translated “power” is dunamis, from which we get dynamite and dynamo. This power is active, dynamic, and compelling—and it is mightily at work on your behalf. You might not always sense it, but it’s there nonetheless.

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Value Virtue 

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Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:13-14

Those who criticize the Christian ethos as outdated, narrow minded and meddling, forget that the virtues they seek to marginalize are a timeless value system that provides them the freedoms they enjoy. Yes, freedom of speech is a freedom only exercised where liberty has been bought by blood and retained by virtuous living. One generation can quickly forget past generational struggles and sacrifices that developed present day prosperity. Devalued virtue leads to decadence. But, a culture that values virtue expands liberty and creates opportunities for all.

Scripture identifies virtue as the very heart of God: patient forgiveness bound together by love’s unifying perfection. The Lord’s ultimate virtue was the payment of His son Jesus on the cross in exchange for the sins of the human race. Love gives. Love forgives. Love unifies. Voices that dismiss Christian virtues are not motivated by love, but by selfish agendas. A life behaving badly looks for ways to justify their disingenuous actions. However, a life that values virtue seeks to know God and grow in His heart of love. Virtue’s value is defined by the inordinate price paid by God.

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Stand Guard, Stand Firm

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So it was, from that time on, that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armor; and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah.

Nehemiah 4:16

Recommended Reading

Nehemiah 4:15-23

In September 2015, one of America’s largest evangelical seminaries refused future employment to a faculty member whose views on marriage and sexuality differed from Jesus’ teachings in Scripture. Imagine the months of research, deliberations, prayer, and counting of costs involved in such a decision. But in the end only one thing mattered: What saith the Lord?

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Retire from Self-Care

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. . . Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ [give yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust yourself into His keeping] and you will be saved. —Acts 16:31

God wants to take care of you, and He can do a much better job of it if you will avoid a problem called independence, which is really self-care.

The desire to take care of yourself is based on fear. You are afraid of what might happen if you entrust yourself totally to God and He doesn’t come through for you. The root problem of independence is, you trust yourself more than you trust God.

People love to have a backup plan. You may ask God to get involved in your life, but if He doesn’t respond as quickly as you’d like, you take control back into your own hands.

But God has a plan for you—and His plan is much better than yours. So give yourself to Him and see what happens.

From the book Ending Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – God’s Spirit Helps Us Speak His Truth

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“That we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” (1 Corinthians 2:12b-13)

When Peter had to prepare oral book reports for school, he always asked his dad for help. Peter thought every sentence his dad said sounded perfect for his report, and he knew that he would never have been smart enough to think of them on his own. It just seemed like his dad always knew just the right thing to say.

When it comes to speaking about God, the Holy Spirit gives us the perfect things to say. The Bible says we are supposed to be speaking about what God has “given to us.” But we are not supposed to speak with “man’s wisdom” – including our own wisdom and our parents’ wisdom. The Holy Spirit teaches us the wisdom that we need to use. He is our teacher.

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BreakPoint

BreakPoint –  Which Christianity: Following Scripture or the Huffington Post

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The big religion story of last year? Christianity is in decline in America. The sensational headlines were based on data from the Pew Research Center. But as Ed Stetzer of Lifeway Research observed in the USA Today, the folks writing the headlines must not have read the study.

It turns out that almost all of the reported decline took place not among evangelicals, but in mainline Protestant denominations, which have been in freefall spiritually and numerically for decades. And no wonder. The “Christianity” preached in many of them sounds more like the Huffington Post opinion pages than the Bible.

Take the Episcopal Church, which in 2003 began ordaining openly gay clergy, and in 2015 created a marriage ceremony to bless same-sex couples. Earlier this month, a majority of bishops from the worldwide Anglican Communion voted to suspend the at a meeting in Canterbury voted to suspend the Episcopal Church’s voting rights over its support for homosexuality.

This decision, along with the statement from the primates reaffirming one-man-one-woman marriage was due in large part to the leadership of the African bishops. As Archbishop Foley Beach of the Anglican Church in North America explained to me and Ed Stetzer on “BreakPoint This Week,” African Anglicans retain the traditional, biblical beliefs of the missionaries who planted their churches generations ago. And they feel abandoned by their American and European counterparts.

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Denison Forum

Denison Forum – GROUP IS ‘MUCH MORE DANGEROUS’ THAN ISIS

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A terrorist group you’ve probably never heard of may be the greatest threat America faces.

A new report on threats to America has been issued by the American Enterprise Institute and the Institute for the Study of War. It claims that Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al Qaeda, is “much more dangerous to the U.S. than the ISIS model in the long run.” Why?

ISIS is alienating Muslims worldwide with its horrific executions, rapes, and forced allegiance to its ideology. Al-Nusra is following a more gradual strategy. It provides services to Syrians, builds strong relationships with local communities, and focuses primarily on fighting the al-Assad government.

According to Middle East expert Fred Kagan, the group is “quietly intertwining itself with the Syrian population and Syrian opposition. . . . They are waiting in the wings to pick up the mantle of global jihad once ISIS falls.”

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Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Landmine of Insecurity

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Psalms 40:1-5

Insecurity may not sound as explosive as landmines like pride or jealousy, but it, too, is a very dangerous pitfall. A great deal of damage can result in the life of a person who habitually feels insecure. Such feelings can develop from many different kinds of situations. We may experience tragedy, like the loss of a parent in our early life, or we may grow up in an environment that throws us off balance. Sometimes we feel insecure because of major failures we’ve experienced.

Whatever the root cause, the effects are often similar. We may be indecisive because our fear of making the wrong choice leads to avoid decisions altogether. Sometimes we have a difficult time establishing lasting relationships because we are afraid we won’t be a good friend. Or we might keep our distance from fear of rejection—people frequently perceive this as pride or snobbery.

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Living Risk

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Actuarial science is the discipline that applies statistical methods to assess risk of disability, morbidity, mortality, fertility, and other life-contingencies. Generally, actuaries are employed by insurance companies or risk management firms to calculate the ‘risks’ associated with insuring individuals against life’s catastrophes. Actuarial science offers accurate and razor-sharp predictive power in order to prevent capital loss for those very companies.

There are always exceptions, of course, that confound even actuaries. These ‘outlier’ events come unannounced. So rare are these exceptions that a theory was developed to explain their occurrence. The Black Swan Theory developed by Nassim Nicolas Taleb suggests that surprise events have major and long-lasting impact.(1) The 2001 terrorist attacks; the Pacific tsunami in 2004; the stock-market crash of 1987; not even a seasoned actuary could have predicted these events with any level of confidence.

The result of the unexpected can be a deep and pervading fear. In my own life, for example, I have come to fear airplane travel—particularly, I fear the worst possible scenarios regarding airplane travel—despite the fact that the odds are much higher for my getting in a car accident when I go to the grocery store. When I swim in the ocean, I fear a shark-attack more than I fear the more likely event of drowning. These are the ‘black swan’ events that haunt me. They are rare and infrequent outliers but their impact on me is as significant as the potential sighting of a real black swan in my front yard; an unlikely but extraordinary occurrence, indeed.

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John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Maintaining a Clear Perspective

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“I pray that . . . you may know . . . what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Eph. 1:18).

How you perceive your spiritual resources dictates how you live.

Throughout Ephesians 1 Paul is clearly struck with the magnificence of our inheritance in Christ. Here he prays that we will know the riches of its glory.

Some commentators see “His inheritance” as a reference to believers, who are God’s inheritance or special possession (v. 14). That view stresses the value God places on us as believers, as demonstrated in Christ’s death, the forgiveness of our sins, and the abundant grace that He lavishes on us (vv. 7-8).

Others see it as referring to the believer’s inheritance, which Paul calls “His inheritance” because God is its source. Just as “His calling” (v. 18) issued from Him and was received by believers, so His inheritance issues from Him.

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Maybe It’s Not a Good Idea to Post that Post

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Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” Colossians 4:6.

I enjoy social media because it’s a great way for me to keep in touch with family and friends. I like perusing the pictures they post and reading their reflections online. But sometimes social media is also grievous. Because—as perhaps you have also realized—there are few places where the condition of the human heart can be so obviously seen than online. Granted, I am often blown away by the kindness shown from one stranger to another through online platforms, but I am even more blown away by the human tendency to become quickly offended.

It seems that some folks are quick to jump to conclusions, rushing to judgment about a situation they know little of. They jump on the bandwagon of bad-mouthing someone they have never met because it feels safer to say mean things behind a screen than in person. But as Christians we are called to a higher standard. It takes care and wisdom to know when and how to insert one’s beliefs or opinions into an online conversation. We must remember that the most godly and loving thing to do may be to not say anything at all when online conversations get heated, and when we do speak, (or text, message, tweet, or post) to be kind.

2 Timothy 2:14; 23-24 says,

“Warn them [the believers in Ephesus] before God against quarreling about words; it has no value and only ruins those who listen . . . Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.”

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Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – Hand It Over

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Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

Recommended Reading

Psalm 1

The neck of a guitar with steel strings has a natural tendency to bend in on itself because of the strong tension of the strings, stressing the instrument over time. Similarly, our natural tendency when faced with challenges and tension is to fold in on ourselves. Challenging situations often feel as though they are tearing us apart and we find ourselves spiraling into worry and fear.

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Be Positive

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. . . But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart.—1 Corinthians 2:16

Ever since I started keeping my mind in a positive pattern, I can’t stand the feeling of being negative. I’ve seen so many good changes in my life since I’ve been delivered from a negative mind that now I’m opposed to anything negative.

Here’s what I suggest if you’ve struggled with staying positive: Ask the Holy Spirit to convict you each time you start to get negative. This is part of His work. John 16:7-8 teaches us that the Holy Spirit will convict us of sin and convince us of righteousness. When the conviction comes, ask God to help you. Don’t think you can handle this yourself. Lean on Him.

Being positive does not mean that we don’t face reality. The Bible says to do all the crisis demands and then stand firmly in your place (see Ephesians 6:13). Our place is “in Christ,” and in Him we can always be hopeful and positive because nothing is too hard for Him. Jesus was always positive and full of faith. We have His mind in us, and with His help, we can do the same things.

Think like God thinks, so you can be the person He wants you to be and have all that He wants you to have.

From the book Closer to God Each Day by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – Choose Joy!

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“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

John 10:10

Friend to Friend

Jesus lived and died so that we can experience abundant life, a life exuding joy, and a life so full that others crave to know the source of that fullness. Jesus did not come so that we can merely survive life. Pagans can survive life. Jesus came to be our joy.

I came across this quote: “Joy is the flag that flies above the castle of our hearts indicating that the King reigns within.” If that is true, then why are so many women living lives with little or no joy? I’m afraid that we have bought the lies of the enemy, allowing him to steal our joy. Discouragement, weariness, disillusionment, shattered dreams, and unrealized goals are some of his favorite weapons, but the truth is that the enemy can only use what we allow him to use.

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Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – The Sound Mind Principle

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“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7, KJV).

Some years ago, a young college graduate came to me for counsel concerning God’s will for his life. “How can I know what God wants me to do?” he asked.

Briefly, I explained a helpful approach to knowing the will of God: following what I call the “sound mind principle” of Scripture.

In less than an hour, by following the suggestions contained in this principle, this young man discovered what he had been seeking for years. He discovered not only the work which God wanted him to do but also the organization and manner in which he was to serve our Lord. Today he is serving Christ as a missionary in Africa, where he and his wife are touching the lives of thousands throughout the entire continent.

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Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Jesus Is Lord

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Read: Romans 10:5-13

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (v. 9 NIV)

“Jesus is Lord.” With those three words, the early church changed the world. They were convinced that no one could say them except by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3) and that all who said them from the heart would be saved (Rom. 10:9). But as the church was being formed, Jesus uttered a strong warning about merely mouthing those three words. In a world full of false teachers and fair-weather believers, what is the proof that we really know Christ?

In Matthew 6-7 Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms what doesn’t prove it—being religious. Preaching great sermons or casting out demons or doing miracles in Jesus name is no proof that Jesus is really Lord of your life. You can be a successful spiritual leader who preaches Christ-centered sermons, but that’s no proof that you know Christ in a saving way.

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Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team; J.R. – Legacy of Lethargy

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Who was America’s laziest president? That’s a judgment call and highly subjective. But among the finalists, you would have to include Calvin Coolidge. His 1924 campaign slogan was “Keep Cool with Coolidge.” He was known as “Silent Cal.”

As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed.

Proverbs 26:14

If these monikers don’t hint at his lack of activity, perhaps these facts will: Coolidge typically worked four hours a day at the White House, and then went to play golf. He required 11 hours of sleep each night, plus daily naps. The writer H.L. Mencken characterized Coolidge’s work ethic by saying that an ideal day for him “would be one in which nothing happens.” And Gertrude Stein was said to have remarked, upon hearing of the president’s passing, “Coolidge dead? How can you tell?”

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