POWERFUL ONE....

One brother in christ share this video and I want to share it back to all my friends, visitors, and readers of this blog..BE BLESSED.... PLEASE SPENT TIME TO WATCH THIS VIDEO,,,,,PLS......

HELP FROM ABOVE

Have you been seeking help but keep coming up empty handed? I asked this question because I've been in that situation once in a while. I forgot that the true help we need is not found in a man. Our helper himself says in his word"Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man. My friend, our true help from our trouble is our LORD himself. Every time we have looked to man or the system we probably worst before we began to look. Now we have to believe and and accept that fact that the Lord loves us no matter what, it is because of sin which the Lords hates, he sent his son. But God demonstrated his own love for us that while we were sinners Christ died for us. Sin, which is the devils tools, creates trouble for us and make us feel trapped. Sin separates us from our loving GOD. I can say this because I experienced this in my life. I trust a man , I trust i had, everything about me, and when I needed help I beg him to helped me. I forgot to ask God for help and that omy Lord is my true helper whatever circumstances I had. With my true helper (JESUS) I can start my life all over again. With him I am starting picking up the pieces of my life which is being destroyed in trusting a man. With Christ I am a new creation. So friends if you need help trust on HIM..

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

GOD'S PROVISION AND PROTECTION

Isn’t it amazing to know that God is so aware of every part of your life — that even the hairs on your head are numbered? The Bible tells us that the Lord delights in the details of your life. It gives Him great pleasure to look after every circumstance and concern you encounter. His promise to you, His child, is to protect you and provide for your every need. As you come to God in prayer, it is important to remember that you are coming to a heavenly Father who is rich in mercy. If you have been born again through belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the payment for your sin — then you are God’s treasured child and nothing in heaven or on earth can separate you from His love.

REMEMBER.

GOD IS OUR PROTECTION

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.  The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed. Psalm 28:7-8 (KJV)

GOD IS OUR PROVIDER

And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day:

And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. Isaiah 58:10-11(KJV)

HAPPY WEEKENDS EVERYBODY

THE CROSS WALK

Every once in a while, a seemingly-simple email comes around that ends up being quite profound. And i was so touch with this one because I am one of them but thank God I never cut my cross.

We complain about the cross we bear but don't realize it is preparing us for the dip in the road that God can see and we cannot. Whatever your cross, Whatever your pain, There will always be sunshine, after the rain.... Perhaps you may stumble, perhaps even fall; But God's always ready, to answer your call.... He knows every heartache, sees every tear, A word from His lips, can calm every fear... Your sorrows may linger, throughout the night, But suddenly vanish, by dawn's early light... The Savior is waiting, somewhere above, To give you His grace, and send you His love. May God fill your everyday walk with blessings.

And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

Deuteronomy 31:8 (KJV)

IF GOD IS LOVING, WHY IS THERE SO MUCH PAIN IN THIS LIFE?

No answer seems to completely satisfy when it comes to why God allows pain. Since the dawn of history, mankind has wrestled with this question, only to come up with answers that scarcely fill the soul’s void. While God grows our faith through pain, it is not His foremost reason for allowing us to hurt. Paradoxically, love is the greater reason, and God will allow His creation to go through anything in the name of love. Anything at all. For God, love is a higher priority than comfort, enjoyment, and even happiness. Pain was not part of God’s original design. Love, on the other hand, was, and God knew that in order for love to exist, free will would also have to exist. In a world where He gave humans the choice to love or hate, He knew some would choose the latter and pain would inevitably be the price. But, God apparently thought that this was preferable to taking away His creation’s humanity, even though He knew rape, murder, disease, and tragedy would plague our world. Yet pain breaks God’s heart, and so God has taken man’s misuse and abuse of free will and redeemed it. God isn’t about righting all the wrongs on Earth. But, He is big on taking the wrongs and making something beautiful of them. And so He constantly offers opportunities for His children to exercise that free will in love towards one another, so that some of what has been broken can be remade. Pain offers opportunity for growth in love. Also, pain is a unique opportunity for humanity to choose whether it will love God for who He is, rather than for the gifts that He bestows upon His creation. Granted, God loves to give to His children. But in a life void of suffering, there would also be little need to love God for any reason beyond his role as Santa Claus. God wants to be loved for who He is -- for His mercy, grace, kindness, compassion, and other attributes -- and not because He makes life easy for us. Finally, God allows pain to remind us that our home is not in this world, that our real life begins in the afterlife, in Heaven. He wishes for us to long for that place. And pain has a way of keeping our hope there, rather than on Earth. This is a good thing, for Heaven promises more wonderful, beautiful things than those which are found here. Earth is for deciding whether we will love one another as well as our Creator; Heaven is where our experience of life will find its fruition.

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Genesis 50:20

THE UNTOUCHABLES

Every generation has its "untouchables." In Jesus' day it included the lepers, the prostitutes and the tax collectors. These were people to be avoided at all costs: they were spiritual outcasts. Tonight, sleep may be evading you because you are unsure how to react to our society's list of "untouchables"...a neighbor's son with AIDS...a girl suffering side-effects from an abortion...a co-worker who admits his homosexuality...a friend's father on death row. Your first reaction may be extreme aversion: You many tend to avoid these troubled people and walk on. They are, after all, the "untouchables"...yet, deep within you, God's Word is stirring. Jesus mingled often with "untouchables" in order to demonstrate God's mercy and love. He supped with "undesirables": "And as he sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples" (Matthew 9:10, RSV). It was in the home of a leper, Simon, that He was anointed with oil. Offering to let the sinless in the crowd cast the first stones at the adulteress and finding none willing to condemn her, Jesus said, "Neither do I. Go and sin no more" (John 8:11, TLB). He admonished His disciples then, as He is admonishing us today, to ‘Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure the lepers and cast out demons" (Matthew 10:8, TLB). Look tonight on society's "hopeless cases" as opportunities to prove God's love, authority and power...follow His lead and reach out in love tomorrow...

DIVORCE-UNACCEPTABLE ALTERNATIVES

By Pastor DAN ROTEN

"And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him."

— Genesis 2:18

From the beginning God saw that companionship was necessary. He accordingly instituted marriage to be a source of blessing to man. And it has been just that for countless multitudes. But many others, whose number is rapidly growing, have seen their marriage turn disaster. Sadly for all, they have turned to divorce for relief. This trend is both heart-breaking and frightening. Everyone realizes that divorce is common today, but perhaps few realize just how common. In 1890, one out of every 1,000 people participated in a divorce. But in 1978, a shocking one out of every 97 people in the U.S. participated in a divorce! In the 12 month period ending in June 1979, the ratio of marriages to divorces was not even 2 to 1. Dare we ask why this could be? Certainly no thinking person would try to give a simple answer to that question, for the problem is obviously very complex. But I think we must confess that one of the reasons for the sky-rocketing rate of divorce is that the preachers of God’s Word are no longer preaching God’s hatred of this sin. Their silence has given tacit approval. And now many preachers, who have studied more psychology and counseling techniques than they have Bible, are "re-evaluating traditional prejudices" (old Bible convictions) and are seeking to "develop a spiritually healthy attitude toward divorce" (high sounding words to disguise their own compromise and situation ethics). Thus, they cover up their won participation in the tragedy and piously declare, "Let’s not impose a rigid set of legalistic standards, but rather minister grace." All the while they are ministering Antinomianism (an ancient heresy of lawlessness), rather than Biblical grace, in absolute disobedience to Romans 6:1-2,15. Citing Romans 6:14 they cry, "We’re under grace, not law!" Yet they ignore the first half of the same verse which declares, "For sin shall not have dominion over you." Grace does not destroy or annul the moral law and absolute divine standards of God. Rather, it gives a new motivation (love to Christ) and ability (by regeneration and the indwelling Holy Spirit) so that we might walk "being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ" 1st Corinthians 9:21. Jesus preached grace and truth in contrast to the Mosaic law (John 1:17), but He never sought to set aside the moral law of God. To the contrary, He often expounded upon it. In doing so He was not preaching some new "kingdom law," but was clarifying the divine standard of God’s law against which men transgress when they sin (1st John 3:4). That standard is absolute and unchanging, regardless of the dispensation of time, since it is determined by the unchanging holiness of God. My purpose in writing this article is to lead anyone who reads it to the conviction that divorce is not an acceptable alternative. To resolve any problem, a person must weigh the alternatives, then discard the unacceptable and pursue the acceptable. Likewise, couples with serious marital problems are finally faced with only two alternatives–resolution of the problems, or else divorce. If Christians will come to unanimous agreement that divorce is not an acceptable alternative, then they can give themselves wholeheartedly to resolving the problems that they are faced with. My earnest prayer and desire is that broken homes might be rebuilt and strengthened, rather than divided and destroyed by divorce. That must begin with the firm conviction that divorce is not an acceptable alternative, especially for Christians. To begin our Scripture study of this subject, let us go to the Sermon on the Mount which our Lord preached early in His ministry. In Matthew 5:17-20, the Lord begins speaking of the law. In verses 21-32, He takes two examples from the moral law of God, as found in the Ten Commandments, and comments upon them. In verses 21-26, He is speaking of the practical applications of the prohibition against murder, and in verses 27-32 He is giving practical applications of the seventh commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." Our Lord’s first words concerning divorce are found in that last division that I mentioned, where His subject is adultery. In verse 28, He shows that adultery is a sin of the heart. In verses 29-30 he gives a physical illustration to emphasize man’s need of a changed heart. Then, still dealing with adultery, the Lord brings up divorce in verses 31-32. "It hath been said, whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery." Here the Lord lays great guilt upon the shoulders of the man who divorces his wife. Such a man causes his wife to commit adultery. He bears a large part of the responsibility for her sin of adultery that she will be committing when she remarries, as she most likely will. Also, the man who marries her is committing adultery. Thus, two very important truths come out of this verse. (1) The man who divorces his wife causes her to commit adultery. (2) The man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. I am sure that you notice above that our Lord included an exception, "saving for the cause of fornication." That exception will be reviewed in detail later on in this study. For the moment, please notice that He did not make an exception for adultery. Fornication and adultery are two different things. The next recorded words of Christ dealing with divorce appear in Luke 16:18. This is more toward the end of Christ’s earthly ministry, and He is continually forced to confront the hypocritical Pharisees and Saducees. In the entire chapter 16 of Luke, the Lord is showing them that they themselves are sinners. Divorce and remarriage were common and acceptable among the majority of them. So after stating, "and it is easier for heaven and earth to pass than one tittle of the law to fail," He shows how that man who thought they were righteous were breaking the law. They were committing or condoning adultery. "Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery." In these words, the Lord has brought out a third point to add to our list. (3) The man who divorces his wife and remarries is committing adultery. The next words of Christ on our subject appear to have been spoken just a few days later, but in a different location. Our verses are found in the parallel passages of Matthew 19:1-12 and Mark 10:1-12. Here, the Pharisee bring up the issue, although their purpose is to tempt our Lord. they ask, "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?" (Matthew 19:3). They appeal to the civil temporal law that the Lord permitted through Moses. But Christ appeals to the higher, moral law that was established on eternal principles back in the Garden of Eden. The Lord points out that the divine order, from creation until today is that one man should take one woman to be his wife, and cleave to her, for they are one flesh. Then He states very clearly, "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." Observe that this is the first time that the Lord is not speaking of remarriage or adultery. He is speaking only of divorce, and He expressly forbids it. In public discussions and studies such as this, I am generally reluctant to discuss technicalities from the Greek text. But in this passage I find an extremely important note which should be pointed out. When the Lord spoke the words, "let not man put asunder," He used a present imperative prohibition. But there are two types of prohibitions found in the Greek language. The aorist subjunctive prohibition would be used to forbid a thing beforehand. The present imperative prohibition forbids the continuance of an act already in progress. Since it is this second class of prohibition found in our verse, we can see that the Lord was not merely stating beforehand to some individual, "Don’t you ever get a divorce." He was saying that man, the human race, should stop getting divorces! Let the progress cease from this time on! Our Lord at that point was terminating a temporal, civil precept that had existed under the Old Testament dispensation (Deuteronomy 24:1), but was not to continue in the New . Here is our fourth main point. (4) Man must discontinue putting asunder by divorce that which God has joined by marriage. As we compare Mark 10, in verse 12 our Lord adds our fifth main point. "And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery." This is stated from the woman’s standpoint, and shows that all of these truths apply to both the man and the woman. (5) The woman who divorces her husband and remarries is committing adultery. Next, we come to Paul’s first epistle to the church at Corinth. They wrote to him asking specific questions concerning our subject, which he answers in chapter 7. In verses 10-11, Paul says "Let not the wife depart from her husband" and "let not the husband put away his wife." These words just reinforce the sense of our fourth point listed above, and add nothing new. But he also states, "But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband." Here we find the first and only guidelines expressed in the Bible for someone who has been married and then divorced. (6) If divorce should occur, the divorcees should remain unmarried or be reconciled to one another. These steps are essential to prevent adding sin to sin. We should here insert that verses 8-9 in no way imply that divorcees may remarry. The "unmarried" of verse 8 is contrasted to "widows" and is simply referring to widowers. In the same sense, verse 28 does not imply that divorcees may remarry, for he is speaking of virgins, both men and women, in verses 25-28. Also, according to verse 15, if an unbeliever divorces a believer, the believer would have no way to stop the divorce, and should not feel guilty in such a case. But this does not imply permission for remarriage, since the guidelines of verse 11 would immediately come into effect. But if possible, the believer should remain with the unbelieving spouse, with the hopes of winning such a one to Christ, verse 16. One last verse in this chapter stands out as being very important to our subject. Verse 39 reads, "The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will, only in the Lord." The same truths are taught in Romans 7:1-3. (7) Husband and wife are joined together for life, and only when God puts them asunder by the death of one, is the other at liberty to remarry. This is the only Biblical condition wherein remarriage is permitted, and even then it should be "only in the Lord." Now let us deal with that perplexing exception that our Lord mentioned twice in the book of Matthew, "except for the cause of fornication." Many say that "fornication" is a synonym for "adultery" and that the two are used interchangeably. Hence, they say Christ meant to say in Matthew 19:9, "Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for adultery, and shall marry another, does not commit adultery." or restated, "Whosoever shall put away his wife for adultery, and shall marry another, does not commit adultery." Therefore based on this interpretation, they permit divorce and remarriage in those cases where one’s spouse has committed adultery. Permit me to show three reasons why that interpretation is erroneous. First, this interpretation means that the real marriage was put asunder, even in God’s eyes, by the act of adultery. Therefore, God accepts the divorce as a visible declaration of the non-visible reality, and so the remarriage is not adultery. But does our Lord imply such a thing to be true? To the contrary, He specifically states that he who remarries after a divorce "committeth adultery" (present indicative, linear action). Such a person is continuously committing adultery. That remarriage is a state of adultery. The first marriage continues on unbroken in God’s eyes, in spite of perpetual adultery. Clearly then we see that adultery does not put asunder a marriage. To further establish this truth we might point out that the initiation of a marriage, or the joining by God comes before the one flesh relationship. Joseph "took unto him his wife" (Matthew 1:24-25) long before he "knew her." Husband and wife are neither "joined together" in the bed of marriage, nor "put asunder" in the bed of adultery. Second, such and interpretation contradicts the clear teaching of Romans 7:1-3 and 1s Corinthians 7:39, that a husband and wife are bound by the law until death. Third, such an interpretation misses the fact that the Lord forbids putting asunder, but permits putting away for fornication. Does that sound illogical? Just as all roses are flowers, but not all flowers are roses, even so all putting asunder is putting away, but not all putting away is putting asunder. This brings us to the correct teaching of these verses. Under what circumstances could a man put away a wife, without putting asunder a marriage that was consummated before God? This was only possible in the Jewish custom of betrothal. When it was arranged for a Jewish couple to become husband and wife, partial vows were said. They were only betrothed or espoused, but they were officially referred to as husband and wife. This was the relationship between Joseph and Mary when she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. They were only espoused (Matthew 1:18), but Joseph is specifically called, "her husband" (Matthew 1:19) and Mary is called, "thy wife," (verse 20). Joseph thought he had discovered fornication on Mary’s part, and was minded to put her away privily. That would have required literally a putting away, or a type of divorce, because partial vows had already been said. But it would not have been a putting asunder, for they had not spoken the marriage covenant. We are grateful that the Lord intervened to show Joseph his misunderstanding. But the situation that Joseph thought existed is the type of situation that the Lord described when He said, "except it be for the cause of fornication." Such a putting away could only take place during betrothal. Those who participated in such a putting away would be free to marry another, without fear of causing or committing adultery, for they were as yet unmarried. Fornication should not be confused with adultery in this passage. Adultery is a sin of married people. Fornication is a sin of unmarried people. Such a marked distinction between fornication and adultery is not foreign to Scripture. The only other time that the Lord used those words is found in Matthew 15:19 and Mark 7:21, and there He is obviously thinking of them as two distinctly different sins. The same holds true in 1st Corinthians 6:9, Galatians 5:19, and Hebrews 13:4 where the sins, fornication and adultery, are shown to be different from one another. And perhaps clearest of all is 1st Corinthians 7:2 where Paul declares that a man should marry to avoid fornication. Try substituting the word "adultery" in the place of "fornication" in that verse, and you’ll see that it makes no sense. Why is the exception of fornication found only in Matthew? Matthew wrote his gospel account primarily for Jews who practiced the betrothal custom, and so the Holy Spirit led him to include those words. But it is generally accepted that Mark wrote for the Romans and Luke for the Greeks. If that be the case, then one can easily see why the Holy Spirit did not see fit to include that exception in those books, since those Gentiles did not commonly practice the betrothal custom. Therefore those words would not pertain to them at all. Just as in the United States, they could simply cancel the wedding plans, and "putting away" would never be involved at all. It is also notable that Paul failed to mention the fornication exception to the Corinthians. Corinth was a city of the lowest moral standards imaginable. It was a large port city, the Mediterranean center of trade and vice. The slum areas were full of professional prostitutes. Also Gnosticism was prominent there. The adherents to this doctrine were given to rash libertinism, knowing no bounds in this world, since truth and reality were found only in the spirit world. And even worse was the traditional religion of Corinth which was temple prostitution. There were over 1,000 temple prostitutes who served in the temple to Venus. Demosthenes said, "The professional prostitutes we have for our pleasure, the concubines for the daily care of our bodies, and our wives so that we can have legitimate children and a true guardian of the house." You can see that all forms of sexual immorality, both fornication and adultery would be commonly accepted in Corinthian life. This was a battle for Paul in the Corinthian church. This word group (fornication, porneo and derivatives) is used only 55 times in the entire New Testament, yet 14 of those are in 1st Corinthians alone. At the end of 2nd Corinthians, you can see that it was still a problem (2nd Corinthians 12:21). If anyone would need clear instructions in regard to these problems, it would be the Corinthian Christians. They wrote Paul specifically asking about marriage, divorce, and fornication. But nowhere does Paul mention that adultery would be grounds for divorce, even when he spoke about Christian women whose husbands were lost. And nowhere did he mention the exception of fornication, since betrothal would not be a common practice among the Corinthians. Apparently Paul and the Holy Spirit knew that Christ’s exception of fornication did not pertain to the Corinthian situation. Study Malachi 2:10-16. There you will find several sins that Judah and Israel committed. Among them were the sins of divorce and remarriage. There the Word declares in verse 16, "For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away." If He hates putting away, then divorce will never be acceptable to God. In verse 14 the Lord even went so far as to say "Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant." Even though men may divorce and remarry, God says that the first wife yet is their companion. Some men have strangely sought to use Mat. 19:6 to prove that not all married couples are indeed joined by God. They say that a legal union is meaningless if there is no "true spiritual union." for such couples divorce is acceptable, even good. Paul definitely had in mind that sort of error when he wrote 1st Corinthians 7:12-14. There he assured some brethren in Christ that they were legitimately married before God, although no spiritual union existed in their marriage. Who then is joined together by God? Observe again the last five words of Malachi 2:14. God Himself spoke saying that they were yet joined to "the wife of they covenant." It is through the marriage vows that God joins together a man and wife. It is with this in view that the preacher in a wedding ceremony, shortly after the repeating of the vows will state, "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." We dare not belittle the marriage covenant, for God certainly does not do so. It is interesting to study Jeremiah 3 and Ezekiel 16 and see how that when Israel, the wife of Jehovah committed adultery, He did not leave her for another. He remembered His covenant with her, Ezekiel 16:8,60. Either God’s judgment or His chastening is bound to come upon those covenant breakers who rebelliously follow the route of divorce (Romans 1:31-32). At this time let us summarize the main points that we established by Scripture. 1) The man who divorces his wife causes her to commit adultery. 2) The man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. 3) The man who divorces his wife and remarries is committing adultery. 4) Man must discontinue putting asunder by divorce, that which God has joined by marriage. 5) The woman who divorces her husband and remarries is committing adultery. 6) If divorce should occur, the divorcees should remain unmarried or be reconciled to one another. 7) Husband and wife are joined together for life, and only when God puts them asunder by the death of one is the other at liberty to remarry. These truths should lead us to the firm conviction that divorce is not an acceptable alternative. Especially is it not a Christian alternative. You may be thinking, "That’s too cold, hard, and narrow. Why, if that’s true, it would be better not to marry at all!" That’s what the 12 disciples first said when they finally understood the Lord’s teaching (Matthew 19:10). But the Lord had to tell them, "No, that’s not true. Few men could remain single." The words that our God spoke in the garden of Eden are still true today, "It is not good that the man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18). Some who read this may in anger or despair now be thinking, "Then there’s no hope for me. I’m already divorced and remarried." Let me assure you that there is hope, for "where sin abounded, grace did much more abound" (Romans 5:20). Your sins of divorce and remarriage is like every other sin. Honestly confess it to God, and you will be forgiven, and the relationship will be cleansed of all unrighteousness. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1st John 1:9) Through God’s forgiving grace you may be restored to full fellowship with Him. Then that second marriage can no longer be considered adulterous, for it is forgiven and cleansed. Although marriage is a blessed institution, problems are sure to come. To you that have not yet experienced the heartbreak and bitterness of divorce and remarriage let me say, every problem can be resolved. If divorce is resorted to, that is evidence of hardness of heart (Matthew 19:8). Such a condition need never be found in a child of God, for his stony heart has been changed to a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). God’s grace is sufficient through the greatest trial or problem imaginable (2nd Corinthians 12:9; Luke 18:27). Be not deceived by the humanistic psychologists that stand in many pulpits today. They may try many different tactics to deny the true Bible doctrine of divorce. But they do so in direct conflict with Jesus Christ, who dealt with divorce and remarriage on the basis of God’s moral law which is eternal, and applicable to believer and unbeliever alike. Woe to the unfaithful shepherds who would lead their flocks into sin. The main purpose of this study has been to proclaim Bible truth so that the break-up of another home might be averted. Is your home facing failure and disaster? If so, look up unto God and you will find that recovery lies ahead. Begin with personal confession (1st John 1:9), prayer (John 16:23), and forgiveness (Ephesians 4:32), and determine absolutely that divorce is not an acceptable alternative.

Divorce is a Sin!

DON'T WAIT...ANTICIPATE

There are times of waiting on God in every Christian's life – waiting that can sorely try the soul. A battle ensues between your desire for God's best and your natural impatience. The urge arises from within to cry out, "Now, God, now!"The circumstances may overwhelm you. You may think you need to see the solution to your problems now...the answers to your questions now...the manifestation of your prayer requests now. There is a time when God allows the immediate...when He moves quickly on your behalf in miraculous ways. But, there is also that season of waiting – that time when the heavens seem as brass, and your prayers seem unanswered. That's the season when the comfort of God must be to Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land (Psalm 37:34a). When you earnestly seek God's will over your own, a season of waiting can be transformed into an experience of exaltation. You can be lifted above your situation to a place of peace free of anxiety and impatience where you glimpse God's everlasting faithfulness. He has not forgotten you. He is there right by your side. Only then will you realize that your Heavenly Father sees what's ahead. He knows the successful end results of His careful planning on your behalf. Best of all, you will find that you are not really "waiting" at all – you are instead, anticipating!

HOW COULD YOU?

How could You, Lord?" This question come into my mind many times. I accept Jesus 2 years ago, I am a baby in christian faith and after I accepted Jesus as my saviour I was attacked by the devil through the most part of my life my marriage, especially my better half is an ordained minister so I ALWAYS ASK THIS... HOW COULD YOU LORD? But God is so good He always send people to me to remind me always How God Loves me so much inspite of the trials that I am goin through. How many times do we, as the Lord's children, find ourselves questioning unpleasant circumstances with those desperate words? Sometimes, it is when we've been hurt by careless words or actions of a loved one. Or, it may be when our burdens seem extra heavy, while those of even non-Christians around us look light as a feather. Or, it might be when the enemy has been zealously attacking our health, home, or finances. The hardest part to understand is that it usually happens when we are trying our hardest to live for the Lord. It helps me to realize that, while the Lord promises me eternal peace, comfort of the Holy Spirit, and never more that I can bear, He also has warned us that, in order to become "mature" Christians, we may need a little refining: Like a refiner of silver he will sit and closely watch as the dross is burned away. He will purify the Levites, the ministers of God, refining them like gold or silver, so that they will do their work for God with pure hearts" (Mal. 3:3, TLB). When I recognize that the answer to "how could You?" is simply that He cares enough for me to allow me to be perfected for His sake, my frustrations become like rewards...PLEASE PRAY FOR ME TO FIGHT THE SITUATION THAT I AM NOW...

ANSWERED PRAYER

The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. (James 5:16) When a baby is born, there is a suspenseful moment when all those in attendance watch eagerly for the newborn baby to begin breathing. In the same way, when a person is born again, be begins to sustain a spiritual life through prayer. A wise man, Rowland Hill, once said, "Prayer is the breath of a newborn soul, and there can be no life without it." Accordingly, when people speak of having a "prayer life" they should realize that prayer is not just a feature of spiritual life, but the thing that keeps spiritual life going. In prayer, you are talking to your Father-God in heaven, thanking Him, praising Him, blessing Him, loving Him, and asking His help for others and yourself in times of need. Meanwhile, He desires to speak love and encouragement to you. But sometimes it's hard to know that God hears your prayers or that you can really hear His replies. The following keys to vital prayer will help you know that your prayers are heard and answered. What is prayer? Prayer is a two-way conversation with God. It is the most intimate relationship with the Creator you can have. In prayer, the depths of your spirit are in communion with the depths of the Spirit of God. Out of this can come instruction, guidance, and suggestions for new focal points in your prayers. How should I pray? When Jesus' disciples asked Him how to pray, He gave them what we know as "The Lord's Prayer" (Matthew 6:9-13). As you meditate on each phrase, you'll see how The Lord's Prayer touches on each facet of our lives and God's character. It is a wonderfully complete outline for our prayers and is a good model to build on. As we pray The Lord's Prayer, we begin by acknowledging God's sovereign fatherhood when we say, "Our Father, who art in heaven." Then we adore His name. Because His name represents His nature, we praise His very being when we say the next phrase, "Hallowed be Thy name." Next, we must be concerned about the extension of His kingdom. We must care that people should come to know Him and submit to Him, so we say, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." Then we turn to our personal concerns and ask God for our daily bread -- not only literal bread, but whatever we need to carry out His work. This prayer is for His daily provision for our immediate needs, and so we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." Next comes a prayer of release from sin and guilt, the prayer of confession, repentance, and forgiveness: "And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." Here we are asking God for His grace in our relationships with other people, because His forgiveness of us and our forgiveness of others go hand in hand. If we are going to expect answered prayer, we must be willing to forgive other people, even as God is willing to forgive us. Finally, we seek God's protection from temptation and evil: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." We ask Him to keep us walking in His way, so that we might be covered by His power and anointing and might not be susceptible to evil influences. Another way to pray is to organize your prayer time according to the different modes of prayer. The first part should be praise for our heavenly Father, followed by intercession for the needs of others. Then, in prayers of petition, you ask for your own needs to be met. All prayer should close with praise and thanksgiving to our Father, who out of His love for us provides answers to our prayers. Conclude prayer with praise, like Jesus concluded The Lord's Prayer, saying, "For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever, Amen." (Matthew 6:13b) How can I know that God will answer my prayers? The Bible overflows with God's repeated promises to hear and answer His children's appeals. "And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him." (John 5:14, 15) To pray according to God's will means to pray in a way that is consistent with the principles in His Word. The Bible shows us that a righteous person's prayers will be answered: "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much" (James 5:16). But righteousness means a lot more than "clean living." More than that, it means depending on Jesus Christ for answers to every problem you face. The Old Testament prophet Elijah was one such righteous man. "He prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the sky poured rain, and the earth produced its fruit" (James 5:17, 18). If you need to call forth showers of blessing in a dry and barren situation, remember that the key is righteousness -- your trust in God's promises. As you commit your requests to Him, believe that His will is being done according to the greatness of His power and wisdom. Don't underestimate God's ability to make a way for you when one doesn't seem possible. With our limited understanding and abilities, we often forget His boundless wisdom and power. Ask with faith, and be like Abraham when you pray. The Bible says of Abraham, "With respect to the promise of God, he (Abraham) did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what He had promised, He was able also to perform" (Romans 4:20, 21). Lastly, Jesus told us to pray according to His name (John 14: 13, 14). He is the Architect, Creator, and Sustainer of all that is, and He promises in His words to the disciples, "All things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you" (Mark 11:24). No obstacle is too great to withstand His power: "Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it shall be granted him" (Mark 11:23). Begin on a regular basis to pray about the biggest obstacle you face, and command that particular personal mountain to move by the power of the name of Jesus. How can I know God's will? God's will is best understood through a combination of different sources -- sources that balance and complement one another and protect the believer from errors. The first source is the Bible. If you are familiar with the Bible you will know the will of God, because He has laid it out for us there. The Bible says, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts..." (Colossians 3:15). That inner peace that you experience when you are in communion with Him (or the lack of it) can show you whether you are praying according to God's will. God also reveals His will for us through godly counselors, people whose wisdom and walk with the Lord you can trust. We may also, sometimes, discern His will through circumstances that seem to favor or hinder a course of action. But remember, in whatever way God reveals His will to you, it must agree with His Word, the Bible. He will not oppose Himself, "for He cannot deny Himself" (2 Timothy 2:13). Once we have learned God's will, we must stay in it, abiding in the Lord Jesus, who said, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you" (John 15:7). We cannot abide in Jesus and at the same time keep holding on to unbelief, unforgiveness, resentment, or bitterness. Such sins will keep us from that intimate relationship that He desires with us, and they will cloud our ability to know His will (Psalm 66:18). What about unanswered prayer? Nowhere in His Word does God promise that all of His answers will be instantaneous. Unfortunately, far too many people try to measure God's response by what they are immediately able to see with their natural capacities. We must wait on the Lord if need be. "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Many people have become disappointed and discouraged because they did not see the answers to their prayers at the time when they thought they should. If an answer is delayed, don't doubt. Doubting only undermines our ability to see any of our prayers answered. The Bible says of one who prays, "But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For let no man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord" (James 1:6,7). Many times we think that God has failed to answer a prayer and that He has not honored His Word, when He actually is working out something in our lives far greater than we had imagined possible. We must be patient and bear in mind that His ways are far beyond ours. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher that your ways" (Isaiah 55:9). Is it permissible to pray more than once for something? Jesus taught in Luke, chapter 18, that at all times we ought to pray and not lose heart. He used the parable of the unrighteous judge and the helpless widow who kept on pleading with him for legal protection. Because of her persistence, the judge granted her request. In the same way, Jesus taught that the constant cries of God's children are heard and their prayers are answered. Jesus also said, "Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened" (Matthew 7:7, 8). We are also told to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Rather than ask if it's alright to pray again and again about a thing, perhaps we should ask if it's right to ever stop praying about it until we receive an answer. Through our constant, believing prayer we not only receive answers, but we acquire a growing maturity in our life in Christ. You can breathe easier now that you understand God's desire for you to talk with Him constantly and His promise to answer your prayers, you can start praying with boldness and with the confidence that right now He is revealing answers to the dilemmas and uncertainties you face. Now your spirit will begin growing strong and vigorous with the deep, life-giving breath of prayer. God is supplying what you lack and honoring your petitions according to His will. So, as you praise Him in your time of prayer, remember to praise Him as the One who hears and answers. Remember to give thanks often that He is not far away but near you, providing for you, fighting your battles, and directing your choices. We know you want a better quaff

READ THIS MOST CHRISTIANS HATES DIVORCE

The wise-cracking Mae West was quoted as saying, "Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution." Sometimes it appears that most people share Mae's cynical view of marriage. Divorce is so common that hardly anyone thinks of it as a tragedy anymore -- except, perhaps, the ones experiencing it. Somewhere along the line the idea of permanence was thrown aside. "Till death do us part" is still part of most wedding ceremonies, but we wonder if the two people take the words seriously. The Bible has a high view of marriage. It is to be a lifetime plan, not a convenience that can be disposed of in a lawyer's office. The love of husband and wife is, at its best, a hint of the deeper love between a human being and God. Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery. Hebrews 13:4 Drink water from your own well -- share your love only with your wife. Why spill the water of your springs in public, having sex with just anyone? You should reserve it for yourselves. Don't share it with strangers. Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. May you always be captivated by her love. Proverbs 5:15-19 The man who finds a wife finds a treasure and receives favor from the LORD . Proverbs 18:22 The apostle Paul, who was single, recommended the single life for people like himself, dedicated to God's service. But Paul was realistic enough to know that most people, no matter how deep their faith, were better off married than facing the temptations of the single life: Because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband. The husband should not deprive his wife of sexual intimacy, which is her right as a married woman, nor should the wife deprive her husband. . . I wish everyone could get along without marrying, just as I do. But we are not all the same. God gives some the gift of marriage, and to others he gives the gift of singleness. Now I say to those who aren't married and to widows -- it's better to stay unmarried, just as I am. But if they can't control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It's better to marry than to burn with lust. 1 Corinthians 7:2-3, 7-9 Paul also addressed a ticklish situation: What if a Christian's spouse is not a Christian? Now, I will speak to the rest of you, though I do not have a direct command from the Lord. If a Christian man has a wife who is an unbeliever and she is willing to continue living with him, he must not leave her. And if a Christian woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he is willing to continue living with her, she must not leave him. For the Christian wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the Christian husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not have a godly influence, but now they are set apart for him. (But if the husband or wife who isn't a Christian insists on leaving, let them go. In such cases the Christian husband or wife is not required to stay with them, for God wants his children to live in peace.) You wives must remember that your husbands might be converted because of you. And you husbands must remember that your wives might be converted because of you. 1 Corinthians 7:12-16 Paul had much to say on the subject of marriage. He has been accused of being "anti-woman" because of his discussion of a wife's "submission." The passage here will show that he did not have in mind an abusive or dominating relationship, but one based on mutual love. You will submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. You wives will submit to your husbands as you do to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of his body, the church; he gave his life to be her Savior. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives must submit to your husbands in everything. And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God's word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man is actually loving himself when he loves his wife. No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it, just as Christ cares for his body, which is the church. And we are his body. As the Scriptures say, "A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one." This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Ephesians 5:21-33

PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE

(BY RICK WARREN) I got an email and after I read this I cried a lot. You will be inspired of the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having 'wealth' from the book sales. This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren, 'Purpose Driven Life ' author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California. In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said: "People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body -- but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act -- the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense. Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

(The part in red makes me really cry because I am in this situation of my life right now)

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys -- you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems: If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others, We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people. You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease. So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do,

II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases. Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation. Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free. We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)? When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings..

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.

Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.

Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.

Painful moments, TRUST GOD.

Every moment, THANK GOD.

After I read this I thank God because now I know how much he loves me because he's building my character by all the trials that I am into now..

PEDESTAL

Have you become disillusioned with someone you have put on a pedestal – that "perfect" one? Maybe it's your spouse, a dear friend, or possibly your pastor? It hurts when that "pedestal person" suddenly doesn't live up to your expectations. You run that painful gamut of feelings – rejection, embarrassment, anger, self pity – because they didn't live up to your expectations of their perfection. We live in a people-centered environment and try to put all our predetermined desires on the shoulders of someone we can see and touch. But, did you ever consider that you do them a great disservice by expecting infallibility? They are human and cannot possibly live up to your preconceived level of perfection. Suddenly, you discover your "perfect" person is human after all, leaving you hurt and disillusioned. Only One can and should have that place upon your pedestal, and His Name is Jesus. No weak human shoulders can carry your hopes and dreams. Jesus is faithful and must be that pedestal person in your life because it is only in Him that you can completely trust. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord"

(I Cor. 1:9, KJV).

THE LAW OF GOD

Do not commit murder.

The first murderer was Cain who killed his brother Abel. Perhaps Cain thought no one saw what happened, but God did. He said to Cain, "Why have you done this terrible thing? Your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground, like a voice calling for revenge" (Genesis 4:10). Murder is a sin with chain reactions--it hurts the families and friends of both the murderer and he who was murdered. It is also a grave offense against God who made man in His own image.

Do not commit adultery.

Adultery is the sin of breaking the marriage vow by having sexual relations with someone other than the marriage partner. Hebrews 13:4 says, "Marriage is to be honored by all, and husbands and wives must be faithful to each other. God will judge those who are immoral and those who commit adultery."

Do not steal.

It is wrong to take anything that doesn't belong to you, even if the person you took it from is rich and doesn't need it. "The man who used to rob must stop robbing and start working, in order to earn an honest living for himself and to be able to help the poor" (Ephesians 4:28).

Do not accuse anyone falsely.

The ninth commandment includes all lying in word or deed. God does not make a difference between "good" lies and "bad" lies--all false accusations are wrong. Psalm 101:7 says, "No liar will live in my palace; no hypocrite will remain in my presence." "But cowards, traitors, perverts, murderers, the immoral, those who practice magic, those who worship idols, and all liars--the place for them is the lake burning with fire and sulfur, which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8).

Do not desire anything another man owns.

To wrongly desire what belongs to another is often called coveting. Luke 12:15 puts it this way: "Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed; because a person's true life is not made up of the things he owns, no matter how rich he may be." God gave us these laws to teach us right from wrong, to guide us when we make decisions. "What, then was the purpose of the Law? It was added in order to show what wrongdoing is, and it was meant to last until the coming of Abraham's descendant, to whom the promise was made ... So the Law was in charge of us until Christ came, in order that we might then be put right with God through faith" (Galatians 3:19, 24).

MEMORY VERSE

What, then was the purpose of the Law? It was added in order to show what wrongdoing is, and it was meant to last until the coming of Abraham's descendant, to whom the promise was made ... So the Law was in charge of us until Christ came, in order that we might then be put right with God through faith.- Galatians 3:19, 24

HEARING GOD'S VOICE

There are many who think they are hearing from God when maybe they are not. How annoying are the superspiritual who always say, "God told me this -- God told me that -- God told me this other." It seems that their every thought is a revelation from God. God does not customarily operate that way. He speaks to us, but He does not chatter away, day in and day out, the way some people claim He does. This has been my experience, and it is the concept that is in accordance with the biblical record. The Bible says that we can tell if someone is a prophet by seeing if what he has said comes to pass (see Deuteronomy 18:22). That is a very pragmatic test, and it works. A friend who purported to hear from God told me, "My second child is going to be a boy. God told me." His second child was a girl. He said, "Well, God told me that it was not the second child who was going to be a boy, but the third child." His third child was a girl, too. At that point I determined, that brother isn't hearing from God. It was clear: He made a statement, supposedly from God, that did not come to pass. There is no shortcut to spiritual understanding. You have to learn to walk with God and to know His voice; otherwise, you will mistake your own voice for His. You even may be fooled by the voice of Satan, or you may hear the clamoring voice of the world. It is so easy to get these voices mixed up. Usually, God speaks to us in a still, small, quiet voice (see I Kings 19:11-13). It takes time, prayer, and waiting on God to hear His voice. Nor does God scatter His pearls around recklessly. He said, "You will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul" ( Deuteronomy 4:29). God does not reveal Himself to every casual onlooker who would take sacred things and play with them like toys. I have known some adults who treated the gifts of God as if they were just little baubles to play with. To please God and to receive counsel from Him, people must be both determined and serious. How do we succeed in hearing God's voice? By spending time with God. The ultimate is not merely to get direction from God; the ultimate is to know God. God can make it difficult for us to get into His presence because He wants to see if we truly will expend the spiritual energy and exercise necessary to do so. Will we stop certain sins? Will we get rid of things that hinder us? Will we truly seek Him with all of our hearts? Some people only want a quick fix -- "God, tell me how to make money on this business deal, please. See You next time!" And then that is the end of it. But God wants to be treated with reverence and deference that His nature warrants. He wants to change us, not merely give us quick answers to difficult problems. We will never be changed unless we come into His presence, spend time with Him, and allow Him to purify us from our sinful nature.

AN ANGEL

"What are angels, then? They are spirits who serve God and are sent by him to help those who are to receive salvation" (Hebrews 1:14). Have you heard about guardian angels? They are real. The Bible says, "His angel guards those who have reverence for the Lord and rescues them from danger" (Psalm 34:7). Angels have many functions, the first of which is to serve God, their Creator. Angels worship God at all times. Nehemiah 9:6 states, "The heavenly powers bow down and worship you." They do not act on their own, but are under Christ's authority. First Peter 3:22 tells us that Jesus "has gone to heaven and is at the right side of God, ruling over all angels and heavenly authorities and powers." Angels participated in the giving of the old law (Galatians 3:19) and later sang over the Judean hills, announcing the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:13-14). We have all heard their song, singing their words over every glad Christmas. They ministered to Jesus while He was here on earth. Luke 4:11 tells us that after His temptation in the wilderness, angels helped Him. When Jesus prayed in agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, an angel came to strengthen Him. The Bible tells us that angels minister to us as well. Though they aren't often seen, they watch over us--keeping us, and protecting us from danger. We have no way of knowing the accidents and other kinds of trouble that we have been spared because of their ministry in our behalf. Yet we know they have been sent to help us because the Bible says so. Examples also are given to encourage us to believe. When Daniel was kept in the lions' den, he testified to the king, "God sent his angel to shut the mouths of the lions so that they would not hurt me" (Daniel 6:22). 1 Kings 19:5 tells us that an angel brought food to the prophet Elijah when he was so tired he thought he would die. And an angel freed the apostle Peter from prison when he was being persecuted for the gospel's sake (Acts 12:7). Whether angels are seen or whether they are invisible, we know they are sent to minister to us. How comforting to know they are ready to do whatever God tells them. As we have already learned, they do not act except under divine authority. Nor do they accept praise. John the Beloved was so overwhelmed with a message given him by an angel that he fell down and began to worship him. But the angel stopped him. "'Don't do it!' he said, 'I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brothers, all those who hold to the truth that Jesus revealed. Worship God!'" (Revelation 19:10). You must not worship angels, but you can give them cause for rejoicing. If you have given your life to Christ, you have already given them joy. Jesus said, "I tell you, the angels of God rejoice over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10). As a child of God, you can count on their continued help. "God will put his angels in charge of you to protect you wherever you go" (Psalm 91:11).

What are angels, then? They are spirits who serve God and are sent by him to help those who are to receive salvation.

- Hebrews 1:14

THANKSGIVING -THE FORGOTTEN HOLIDAY

Sandwiched somewhere between Halloween and Christmas is a Thursday holiday that is slowly becoming more miniscule in the minds of millions of Americans – Thanksgiving. If you search hard, you might find one small section of Thanksgiving cards, autumn decorations, and a turkey platter amid the aisles and miles of Halloween costumes, Christmas decorations, and toys. For some, Thanksgiving is a day to get a list together prior to a day of marathon Christmas shopping. Somehow our perception of Thanksgiving Day has gone askew. We've forgotten the reason for celebration that first Thanksgiving. Gratitude for survival! Historically we think of Thanksgiving as a time of feasting for the Pilgrims and Indians. In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims had been in America less than a year. During those months, over half their original population died from disease or starvation. The Pilgrims hosted the first feast not to try out their latest recipes, but to celebrate life with their Indian friends and give thanks to God for His provision in difficult circumstances. Perhaps you'd like to redirect your family toward gratitude this year. Just as many enlist the help of an advent wreath to prepare for the celebration of Jesus' birth in December, focus on thanks-giving this November by doing the following: Week 1 – Write Bible verses that name the attributes of God on fruit-shaped cut-outs. Place them in a basket or cornucopia. During a time of family devotions or at a meal, have each family member select a fruit from the basket and read the verse aloud. Then discuss ways your family has experienced each of God's qualities. Week 2 – Think about reasons for ingratitude. Most of us are incredibly blessed, yet we find reasons to complain. This week, any time family members complain about something, have them place money in a jar. Your family can decide the amount. Then at the end of the week, donate the money to the soup kitchen or mobile meals to help with Thanksgiving meals. Week 3 – Think of someone you love and appreciate, but rarely see. Make plans to call, send a card, or visit that person. Find out if there is a special need, pray with the person, and provide materially or with an act of service. Week 4 – Focus on praising God. Let each family member select a praise chorus or hymn. Sing a different one at each meal instead of saying a blessing. Thank God for material provision, physical health, spiritual blessings, our country, our church, and family.

GOD'S PURPOSE..PEACE AND LIFE

THE PAGAN ROOTS OF HALLOWEEN

(Excerpts from 700 Club Spiritual Bulletin)
Since Halloween itself originated in paganism, it is not surprising that its customs are related to pagan belief. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica,

In ancient Britain and Ireland, the Celtic Festival of Samhain was observed on October 31, at the end of summer…. The souls of the dead were supposed to revisit their homes on this day and the autumnal festival acquired sinister significance, with ghosts, witches, goblins, black cats, fairies and demons of all kinds said to be roaming about. It was the time to placate the supernatural powers controlling the processes of nature. In addition, Halloween was thought to be the most favorable time for divinations concerning marriage, luck, health, and death. It was the only day on which the help of the devil was invoked for such purposes.

Halloween symbols, customs, and practices undoubtedly have had a variety of influences upon Western culture throughout history. However, in early American history, Halloween was not celebrated due to America’s strong Christian heritage. It was not widely observed until the twentieth century. Initially, it was practiced only in small Irish Catholic settlements, until thousands of Irish migrated to America during the great potato famine and brought their customs with them. To some degree, our modern Halloween is an Irish holiday with early origins in the Celtic winter festival. Interestingly, in American culture, the rise in popularity of Halloween also coincides roughly with the national rise in spiritism that began in 1848.

Irish Holiday
Ireland is the only place in the world where Halloween is actually a national holiday (celebrated with fireworks); children are even released from school for the week.
Among the modern customs and practices of Halloween, we can note numerous probable or possible influences, some of which follow.

Where did the jack-o’-lantern originate?
The carved pumpkin may have originated with the witches’ use of a collection of skulls with a candle in each to light the way to coven meetings. But among the Irish, who, as noted, prompted the popularization of Halloween in America, the legend of “Irish Jack” explains the jack-o’-lantern. According to the legend, a stingy drunk named Jack tricked the devil into climbing an apple tree for an apple, but then cut the sign of a cross into the trunk of the tree to prevent the devil from coming down. Jack then forced the devil to swear he would never come after Jack’s soul. The devil reluctantly agreed.
Jack eventually died, but he was turned away at the gates of heaven because of his drunkenness and life of selfishness. He was sent to the devil, who also rejected him, keeping his promise. Since Jack had no place to go, he was condemned to wander the earth. As he was leaving hell (he happened to be eating a turnip), the devil threw a live coal at him. He put the coal inside the turnip and has since forever been roaming the earth with his “jack-o’-lantern” in search of a place to rest. Eventually, pumpkins replaced turnips since it was much easier to symbolize the devil’s coal inside a pumpkin.

How did the tradition of trick-or-treating begin?
There are several ancient practices that point to this tradition. One possibility is from the notion that ancient witches had to steal the materials needed for their festivals. The Druids may have believed that witches held this day to be special, something clearly true for modern witches.
The idea of trick-or-treating is further related to the ghosts of the dead in pagan, and even Catholic, history. For example, among the ancient Druids, “The ghosts that were thought to throng about the houses of the living were greeted with a banquet-laden table. At the end of the feast, masked and costumed villagers representing the souls of the dead paraded to the outskirts of town leading the ghosts away.”
As already noted, Halloween was thought to be a night when mischievous and evil spirits roamed freely. As in modern poltergeist lore, mischievous spirits could play tricks on the living—so it was advantageous to “hide” from them by wearing costumes. Masks and costumes were worn to either scare away the ghosts or to keep from being recognized by them:
In Ireland especially, people thought that ghosts and spirits roamed after dark on Halloween. They lit candles or lanterns to keep the spirits away, and if they had to go outside, they wore costumes and masks to frighten the spirits or to keep from being recognized by these unearthly beings.

Where did Halloween costumes originate?
Besides the reasons given above, Halloween masks and costumes were used to hide one’s attendance at pagan festivals or—as in traditional shamanism (mediated by a witch doctor or pagan priest) and other forms of animism—to change the personality of the wearer to allow for communication with the spirit world. Here, costumes could be worn to ward off evil spirits. On the other hand, the costume wearer might use a mask to try to attract and absorb the power of the animal represented by the mask and costume worn. According to this scenario, Halloween costumes may have originated with the Celtic Druid ceremonial participants, who wore animal heads and skins to acquire the strength of a particular animal.
An additional layer of tradition explaining the origin of Halloween costumes comes from the medieval Catholic practice of displaying the relics of saints on All Saints’ Day: “The poorer churches could not afford relics and so instituted a procession with parishioners dressed as the patron saints; the extras dressed as angels or devils and everyone paraded around the churchyard.”
Going from door to door seeking treats may result from the Druidic practice of begging material for the great bonfires. As we will see later, it is also related to the Catholic concept of purgatory and the custom of begging for a “soul cake.”
As for the “trick” custom of Halloween, this is related to the idea that ghosts and witches created mischief on this particular night. For example, if the living did not provide food, or “treats,” for the spirits, then the spirits would “trick” the living. People feared terrible things might happen to them if they did not honor the spirits. The Druids also believed that failure to worship their gods would bring dire consequences. If the gods were not treated properly in ritual, they would seek vengeance. This was therefore a day of fear. Further, some people soon realized that a mischievous sense of humor, or even malevolence, could be camouflaged—that they could perform practical jokes on or do harm to others and blame it on the ghosts or witches roaming about.

What’s the significance of fruits and nuts at Halloween?
Halloween traditions often involve fruit centerpieces, apples, and nuts. Three of the sacred fruits of the Celts were acorns, apples, and nuts, especially the hazelnut, considered a god, and the acorn, sacred from its association to the oak. Fruits and nuts also seem to be related to the Roman harvest feast of Pomona, apparently the goddess of fruit. For example, in ancient Rome, cider was drawn and the Romans bobbed for apples, which was part of a divination that supposedly helped a person discover their future marriage partner.


How did we get the tradition of telling ghost stories?
It became a natural expression of Halloween to tell ghost stories when dead souls were believed to be everywhere, and good, mischievous, and evil spirits roamed freely. These stories further originated as a personal expression of these beliefs.

THE FACT OF HALLOWEEN

(FROM CBN-700 CLUB post)
In ad 835, Pope Gregory IV designated November 1 as All Saints’ Day, or All Hallows’ Day (the term hallow refers to saints). The night before November 1, October 31, was known as All Hallows’ Evening. How did we get the term Halloween? Look at the name “All Hallows’ Evening.” If we drop the word “all,” the “s” on Hallows’, and the “v” and “ing” on evening, the result spells Halloween.


Long before the church gave this name to the evening before All Saints’ Day (a celebration in remembrance of saints and martyred saints), it had been celebrated in various ways in many places around the world. The book Every Day’s a Holiday accurately observes that Halloween “probably combines more folk customs the world around than will ever be sorted out, catalogued and traced to their sources.”

The Druids
It is generally agreed by historians that Halloween came to take the place of a special day celebrated by the ancient Druids. The Druids were the educated or priestly class of the Celtic religion. The Celts themselves were the first Aryan people who came from Asia to settle in Europe. In fact, we can see certain similarities between Druidism and the religion of India:
Celtic religion, presided over by the Druids (the priestly order) presents beliefs in various nature deities and certain ceremonies and practices that are similar to those in Indian religion. The insular Celts and the people of India also shared certain similarities of language and culture, thus indicating a common heritage.
For example, the Indian pagan gods Siva Pasupati (“lord of the animals”) and Savitr (“god of the sun”) are similar to the Celtic gods Cernunnos, a horned god who appears in the yoga position, and the god Lug, or Lugus (perhaps originally a sun god). “As in Hinduism, the Druids also believed in reincarnation, specifically in the transmigration of the soul, which teaches that people may be reborn as animals.”
The Celtic peoples lived in northern France, throughout the United Kingdom, and in Ireland. They engaged in occult arts, worshiped nature, and gave nature supernatural, animistic qualities. Certain trees or plants, such as oak trees and mistletoe, were given great spiritual significance. (According to Celtic authority Lewis Spence, the original meaning of the term Druid implies a priest of the oak cult.) Interestingly, it has been claimed that 90 percent of the world’s sometimes mysterious “crop circles” lie within the geographical proximity of the ancient and possibly Druidic ruins of Stonehenge. At least some of these phenomena may be considered supernatural.

What is the Occult?

Religious writers often use the word occult, but what does it mean? According to the Oxford American Dictionary, occult can be defined as:

1. secret, hidden except from those with more than ordinary knowledge.
2. involving the supernatural, occult powers. The occult [involves] the world of the supernatural, mystical or magical.

In everyday usage, occult usually is used to refer to spiritual practices that focus on secret knowledge gained through personal experience or attempts to communicate with spirits. The term is used in reference to everything from ancient earth religions to modern conversations about ghosts and hauntings.

The Celts worshiped the sun god Belenus, especially on Beltane, May 1, and they worshiped another god, apparently the lord of death, or the lord of the dead, on Samhain (pronounced “SOW-wen” by Wiccans), October 31. Beltane (“Fire of Bel”) was the time of the summer festival, while Samhain was the time of the winter festival. Human sacrifice was offered during both occasions. According to Julius Caesar in his Commentaries and other sources, the Celts believed they were descended from the god Dis, a tradition handed down from the Druids. Dis was the Roman name for the god of the dead.

Of the 400 names of Celtic gods known, Belenus is mentioned most often. Samhain as the specific name of the lord of death is uncertain, but it is possible that the lord of death was the chief Druid deity. We’ll follow the common practice of other authors on this issue and refer to this deity by the name Samhain.

Druidic festivals

The Celts and their Druid priests began their New Year on November 1, which marked the beginning of winter. They apparently believed that on October 31, the night before their New Year and the last day of the old year, Samhain gathered the souls of the evil dead who had been condemned to enter the bodies of animals. He then decided what animal form they would take for the next year. (The souls of the good dead were reincarnated as humans.) The Druids also believed that the punishment of the evil dead could be lightened by sacrifices, prayers, and gifts to Samhain.

Druid worshipers attempted to satisfy and please this deity because of his power over the souls of the dead, whether these souls were good or evil. For those who had died during the preceding 12 months, Samhain allowed their spirits to return to earth to their former places of habitation for a few hours to associate once again with their families.

As a result of this belief, the Celts taught that on their New Year’s Eve (our Halloween) ghosts, evil spirits, and witches roamed the earth. In order to honor the sun god (Belenus) and to frighten away evil spirits who allegedly feared fire, large bonfires were lit on hilltops. In Lewis Spence’s The History and Origins of Druidism we read,

The outstanding feature of Samhain was the burning of a great fire.…Samhain was also a festival of the dead, whose spirits at this season were thought of as scouring the countryside, causing dread to the folk at large. To expel them from the fields and the precincts of villages, lighted brands from the bonfire were carried around the district…Divinations for the fate of the individual throughout the new year were engaged in.

For several days before New Year’s Eve (October 31), young boys would travel the neighborhood begging for material to build these massive bonfires. The fires were believed to not only banish evil spirits but rejuvenate the sun. Until fairly recent times, the hilltop Halloween fires of the Scots were called Samhnagan, indicating the lingering influence of the ancient Celtic festival.

On this night, evil or frustrated ghosts were also believed to play tricks on humans and cause supernatural manifestations, just like poltergeists today. As part of the celebration, people dressed in grotesque masks and danced around the great bonfires, often pretending they were being pursued by evil spirits. In addition, food was put out to make the ghosts or souls of the good dead Samhain had released feel welcomed and at home. Because Samhain marked the beginning of a new year, an interest in divination (the magic art of interpreting the unknown by interpreting random patterns or symbols) and fortune-telling became an important part of this holiday.

For example, the Druids believed that the particular shape of various fruits and vegetables could help predict, or divine, the future. Victims of human sacrifice were used for the same purpose. When the Romans conquered Britain, some of their customs were added to the traditions of the Druids, while others, such as human sacrifice, were banned.

The Samhain celebration was not unique to the Druids. Many festivals worldwide celebrate a time when the dead return to mingle with the living. The Hindus call it a night of Holi. The Iroquois Native Americans celebrate a feast of the dead every 12 years, when all those who have died during the preceding 12 years are honored with prayers. A national holiday in Mexico, the Day of the Dead, begins on November 2 and lasts several days. In this gruesome festival, death becomes a kind of neighborly figure, appearing on candy, jewelry, toys, bread, cakes, and so on. This is the time when the souls of the dead return and when the living are to honor them. For example, doors are decorated with flowers to welcome the angelitos, the souls of dead children