Every time without fail

Every time I open a bible and read; a little bit, a big chunk; reading for pleasure or reading for comfort or seeking an answer; even when I open this enduring Book just casually - 

the words on the page cease to be ink forming letters forming words forming sentences

and it becomes LIFE to me.

II Peter 1-3 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

ALL things pertaining to life ~ everything we NEED to know to live the abundant life Jesus came and sacrificed Himself to give us

ALL things pertaining to godliness ~ so we can fulfill our purpose, giving glory to the God who created us

The attitude I see portrayed around me, that of "why should I give glory to God?  What has He done for me?" saddens me so deeply, for that is an attitude that hurts no one quite so much as it hurts the person who is holding it in their hearts.

They THINK they are doing what "they" want to do!  They aren't!  They are pawns used by satan, the devil, the god of this world.  They are fulfilling his deceitful, selfish desires, having been deceived into thinking these are their own desires!

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is LIBERTY.  Through Christ we find our sufficiency, our hope, our very lives!  Going "our own way" or doing our own thing is a way that simply leads to destruction.  Proverbs tells us rightly when its words instruct us "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is a way of death."  This idea is so important it is repeated in Proverbs 14 and again in Proverbs 16.

Our hearts might think they know and understand what is best for us.  The truth is, God has plans and purposes for each and every one of us which ARE BEST FOR EACH OF US.

Reading His words on a regular basis, daily even, will give us the information we need to live lives that are full.  Full of joy, and blessing and purpose and happiness and peace and strength and overcoming power of the Holy Spirit.  Full of true worth, true value and true abundance that never fades away.

READ the words of life.  I dare you.  I double dare you to commit to just 30 days of daily reading.  Read along with us, read on your own schedule.  Read a paragraph, a chapter or a book.  Read from the Old Testament or read from the New Testament.

30 days is the challenge.  Read EVERY DAY without fail, and if you do not find that your life is changed for the better, I will be shocked for certain.  Because I know, if you do it, every day, for even 30 days, something in your life will change for the better.

Perhaps you will feel happier, calmer or stronger.  Perhaps you will forgive an old hurt.  Perhaps you will behave a little gentler and kinder with others.

We'd really LOVE to hear how reading the word of God daily changes your life!  Be sure to write and tell us!  
Meanwhile, we'll be praying for you!!

The Great HOPE

When I first began to listen, really listen to others teach the precepts and doctrine of the Bible, it inspired me and stirred such a passion in my heart!  How did these people KNOW these things?  How could they be so sure?

As a young child I began reading the Bible, and having no real life experience, most of what I read escaped my understanding completely.  BUT... a layer of wisdom was being sowed in my heart.  As I continued to read, and study, and listen to others, and study some more and read some more I discovered that a great deal of the Bible revealed itself, quite simply, within itself.

Take as an example the great problem of SIN.  Having listened to the teaching of man we come to understand that we each are sinners in need of a Savior, and God provided Jesus as our Savior.  We are blessed at the Great Salvation but are then deceived into condemnation, believing falsely that having once obtained the Great Salvation we are no longer worthy of it, can never be worthy of it and must pay a price, over and over again, in what appears to be a vain hope that we'll squeak by and sneak into heaven.

NAH... that just ain't the truth my friends!

Here's a simple truth in Gods Word taken from the Old Testament.

Jeremiah 3: 1 They say "If a man divorces his wife, and she goes from and becomes another man's, may he return to her again?  would not that land be greatly polluted? But you have played the harlot with many lovers; Yet return to Me" says the Lord.

If the "text" for the sermon were to stop there, we would only grasp how woefully we lack, how we fall so far short.  We might say we believe that God forgives us, certainly, but there would linger an edge of fear, a slice of doubt that could keep us enslaved to our sin as a burden that, though lifted, the shadow would remain to cloud our life still.

Continuing to read we will find within the same passage of scripture these words of truth:

Jeremiah 3: 12 -13  ...For I am merciful, says the Lord; I will not remain angry forever.  Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the Lord your God....

Forgiveness is a complete and utter thing with God.  He requires that we acknowledge our sin in order that we will take responsibility and turn away from sin.  He doesn't hold it over our heads, count it against us forever or bring it up to humiliate us.  He throws it in a sea of forgetfulness, He separates us from it as far as the east is from the west and He remembers it no more.  GRACE.

In His Word, the Bible, we find we can indeed have the Great Salvation.  In our human frailty we find in Him we have Great Hope of His strength being our strength.

Be encouraged today!

IF you have confessed your sin to God, and turned away, repented of it, He has forgiven you and you walk, not burdened or shadowed, but FREE indeed as Christ Jesus declared!  Truly free to live in newness of heart, strength of purpose and JOY as you fulfill the great and mighty plan God has for your life!

IF you have not yet taken this step yet, today can be the day of your rebirth as a new creation in Christ, set free from enslaving sin and moving forward in the Grace of the Lord our God.

This is our Great Hope, to live eternally through Christ in God.  Allelujah!

Want to know more, understand more, gain more and receive all that God has for you?  Read, dear friend, His matchless wonderful words of life and love and hope and joy found in His book that we call the Bible.

It isn't just "a" book, it is THE BOOK.
Through it for centuries God speaks to those
who will LISTEN.

DECEPTION

In the garden called Eden where God had placed the man and woman He had created, they enjoyed incredible FREEDOM.  Not simply the freedom to do as they chose to do; but a freedom from certain things.

•         They were free from worry
•         They were free from adversity
•         They were free from shame
•         They were free from strife
•         They were free from horror
•         They were free from tragedy
•         They were free from SIN and its cost of DEATH and                                 DESTRUCTION

Then along came a serpent.  A slithering, slimy snake bent on just that, both Death and Destruction.  With one action, that of deceiving the woman, which caused the man to join her, this serpent brought down every ounce of freedom the man and woman had enjoyed.  

Suddenly they found themselves confronted with their own nakedness, and with that discovery came worse.

•         They began to worry about being naked
•         They tensed with the idea of being confronted by God
•         They tried to hide from their shame
•         They realized too late the horror of the consequences of what              they had done
•         They understood the tragic loss of freedom they had suffered
•         SIN and its darkness entered their hearts, their minds and their         souls and as a direct result, their fellowship with God was                   destroyed and they suffered immediate spiritual death and                 eventual physical death

This same deceit occurs today with the same consequences of death and destruction still accompanying it everywhere it finds a soul who falls prey to its lie.

Ephesians 6:12

¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Satan has no need to wreak havoc in the lives of some.  He is content to leave them alone in the quietness of their own sad desperation.  Because they are no threat to him.  A great deceit has taken place and many are only too happy to accept it. 

It is the deceit that there is no enemy.   No devil, no hell and no spiritual wickedness existing on this earth preying on the hearts of men and women.  We have no need to guard our hearts against an adversary who we have been convinced does not exist. It isn't that we don't "believe in" God.

It is more that if there is no enemy, there is no need of a deliverer.  In this way then, many live in apathy toward the truth God has given us.  After all, if we have no devil, we have no need of a Savior.  This is one of the deceitful ways satan has kept many who live otherwise “good” and “decent” lives from receiving Christ and living the truly ABUNDANT lives of JOY and PEACE and RIGHTEOUSNESS that God actually intends for us.

What then are we to do? 

I can tell you truly that it is not Gods intention that we sit passively and complacently while He spoon feeds truth and deliverance to us.

We are to take action!  

FOLLOW AFTER

DILIGENTLY SEEK

ZEALOUSLY PURSUE

EARNESTLY DESIRE

1 Corinthians 6:9

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites...

2 Corinthians 11:3

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Consider this:  

If I am wrong, if the Bible is a book of fairy tales and there is no God, I've lost nothing by living as if every word is true and absolute.  I'll die when my time comes, and whatever there is, will be.  Meanwhile, I can tell you truthfully that my life has been filled with meaning and purpose beyond myself, and I have personally witnessed  and been the recipient of miraculous things that defy description.

If you who insist there is no truth, no God and no need of a Savior named Jesus; if you have been deceived and are wrong, you will die when your time comes, and you will face unspeakable regret that you did not receive the truth when it was presented to you.  Meanwhile, where do you turn when life is difficult?  Where do you find peace and comfort?  When this world has no answers and you NEED answers, where do you turn?  

God's greatest desire is that ALL THE MEN AND WOMEN HE CREATED will turn to Him, trust Him and receive the forgiveness of sin and deliverance he made available through the sacrificial death on a cross of His only begotten son, Jesus.

WHY?  That's an easy question to answer.

  

John 3:16:  for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever will believe on Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.

Isn't that what all the popular songs we sing tell us? 

THAT LOVE IS THE ANSWER!  :O) 

If you need help, there is a loving answer for your situation.  Please fill out the prayer request form in the upper left.  We'll pray.  You pray.  And watch God come to rescue the child He loves unconditionally!

WAITING

Waiting is a tough thing to do.  I know I find it exceedingly difficult to  wait.  The way our current systems are set up we are encouraged to expect everything NOW! 

High speed internet = everything at our fingertips.  Instant messaging, texting, email all fast efficient communication methods, though they do lack some of the finer points of communication.  Fast food, and even that wasn’t quick enough so first they gave us the microwave and then they gave us the drive thru. (or maybe it was the other way around?)  Drive thru banking, pharmacies and even liquor stores in some areas of this country!

Is it any wonder we have such a hard time waiting on God?   Our desire for speedy results results in terrible decisions, which we then bemoan to the Lord and wonder why our lives aren’t the way we would like them to be?  Where is the peace? The Joy?  The time for quiet reflection and growth and planning?  In business and in our personal lives the push is on for now, now, NOW!

Our religious activities have taken on the same mentality.  Radio, television and the internet means we can “reach” millions of people all at once and evangelize the world NOW.  No time for discipleship, here’s a personal bible study online and good luck to you.

This just isn’t the way of the Lord.  Abrams friend took time to visit with him, eat with him and talk with him.  Moses’ Lord took 40 years to prepare him for ministry, was patient for 40 more years while disciplining and preparing the people.  David was anointed King and God worked with him for many, many years before he actually took the throne.  Saul spent about 17 years being prepared before he was released into his ministry as Paul the Apostle.  Jesus developed His disciples at close range 24/7 for 3 years – and there is no better teacher!

We don’t grow in the Spirit by consuming Bible classes and programs and ministry activity.

Not the growth God desires for us anyway.  We might get big and fat in head knowledge (puffed up the Bible calls it) but heart growth takes place at a God pace.  

Drop by drop, precept upon precept, word upon word, God opens wisdom and understanding in our hearts.  Daily.  We don’t run to church, get a “good word!” and BAM! We grow that week and don’t need to think about it again for awhile.

We get a step, a bit, a deepening grasp and growing wisdom jot by jot as the Lord directs our steps and leads us.  It isn’t in our great rushing movements we gain spiritual understanding.

"Be Still and know that I am the Lord."  Why must we be still?

It is when we are STILL and listening that the whispers of the Rock of Ages instills Eternal secrets in our souls.

Silently

Taking

In

LifeGiving

Love

WAIT upon the Lord, for His plans for you are designed by Him to last your whole lifetime through.  There is no hurry.  There is only eternity with our Creator, who holds all time in His Hands. 

Join in the Daily Bible Reading with Turn the Tide Ministry.  

Print out the schedules provided under the Daily Reading tab, enjoy growing in spiritual wisdom and understanding daily, consuming the words of LIFE that will transform your life.  

Then SHARE with us what God is doing in your lives, so we can all encourage one another as ONE BODY IN CHRIST.  

Those who have been sharing – THANK YOU!  Your words and stories encourage us GREATLY and we pray for you!

We welcome the Church in Kenya, affiliating with us for Gods Glory!  We will meet face to face - either here or in Eternity!

God bless your journey.

Definitive TRUTH

I have a confession to make.  I am not a Bible scholar.  Oh, I've been reading the Good Book for 47 years now.  I have attended bible classes, completed the ministerial program for credentialing and participated in and taught Bible studies for over 30 years.  I spent three years learning the Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew of the Bible, studied the cultural influences at work in those who wrote the words inspired by the Holy Spirit and prayed for wisdom and understanding from God through all of it.  But I'm no scholar.  I would never profess to be an expert or pretend I understand or can explain every verse, every seeming contradiction and I would never declare that I know it so well that I would unequivocally state I know the TRUTH it expounds without doubt of any kind.

I know a few things unequivocally.  I know that in the beginning, God, who already existed and will always exist, created the heavens and the earth.  I know He is Love and in expressing that Love He created Man and made them male and female in His own image.  I know He gave free will to both the Angels and the Man He created in order that we could freely choose to worship and obey Him.  I know Lucifer, created to be the Angel of Light, and 1/3 of all the Angels chose not to worship or obey and were cast out of Heaven.

I know that Man sinned and every man since has been born into sin.  I know God cast Himself in human form and came to earth to redeem Man from sin.  I know that if any living person confesses Jesus as Lord, believes in his heart that God raised Jesus from the dead after He was crucified to pay the penalty for our sin and repents of their sin, God forgives and washes us clean.  I know we become new creatures in Christ when that occurs and that Heaven rejoices over all who do.

I know that when we pray, God hears and responds.  The response isn't always the one we were hoping for, or it doesn't come as quickly or in the form we desired, but there is always a response from God, even if we fail to recognize it.

I know that God exists as One unified God manifesting in three persons, as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  I know that the spirit realm is as real and has more powerful effect upon us as this physical realm we live in until our physical bodies die.  I know that God created Man to be Eternal, and our confession of Him as Lord determines our Eternal place either in darkness, separate from Him or in His Presence for Eternity.

All the other stuff?  Some of it I'm not so sure of.  Some I'm fairly sure is rules and regulations man made up to make himself feel better about himself, or make himself feel like he's in control of things he has no control over at all.  Some of it I think has great significance to us, and some I don't think is very important in the scheme of Eternity at all.  Some is designed to help us move closer to the Lord.  Some has been twisted to trick us into moving farther away from God.

I know that we argue the details and meaning of scripture as if we actually have a say in what is TRUTH, and that doesn't glorify God, who called us before the foundations of the world were laid in place to walk with Him in Unity and know the Joy of Salvation. The truth is simply that we are subject to the Living God who created us and all that is surrounding us.  The TRUTH is Jesus, according to what He Himself declared.

I am 100% certain the TRUTH is not for us to choose for ourselves what it is or isn't truth, just as I am 100% certain we are subject to the TRUTH as God presents it.  It is for us to discover His truth, not our own version of truth.  Because one day, each of us will stand on our own before Him with no way to hide anything of our hearts and be judged by the Only Wise God Who is TRUTH.

The only covering allowed is Jesus.  Nothing and no one else.  He Who is TRUTH will speak on our behalf.
The only true choice in life, death and Eternity any of us has for 100% certainty is the choice to choose Jesus or reject Him.The truth is we have no real way to say we "know" the truth for certain, all we can do is be clothed in Him.

I choose Jesus.  What about you?

Bible "hero's"?

As we read about "hero's" in the Bible, those giants of FAITH, do you - like me, think about how wonderful it would be if we could only figure out how to live like that?  Actually putting FAITH into action seemingly without any effort on our part,totally trusting God for our daily sustenance, for everything we need from the least to the greatest?  Imagine speaking out with great boldness about the wonders of God and then BABAM! they come to pass?  Who wouldn't want to follow your God if they were seeing in your life the miracles and signs and wonders happening, right?

What I'm learning as I continue to study Gods Word and seek wisdom through prayer, is that the men and women of the Bible were regular folks like you and me.  They had no more faith, no more insight, no more ability than any of the rest of us.  They wrestled with their feelings, they had failures as deep and wide as we experience.  In researching their lives, however, I've discovered one thing they all had in common.  In spite of it all - in spite of every failure, every shortcoming, every sin, every mistake, every fear - they had a WILLING HEART.

faith + a willing heart = a life balanced by wonder and joy!


Romans 12:3 tells us we all have a measure of faith.  So our lack isn't in faith.  God has given each of us faith.  So we've got it, even during those times we aren't trusting, or operating in faith.  Over and over in the New Testament letters believers are encouraged to "LET" certain things occur, let them happen or be in their hearts, their minds or their actions.

Romans 6:12

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body

Romans 13:12

The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

Ephesians 4:31

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

Philippians 2:5

[ The Humbled and Exalted Christ ] Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

Colossians 3:15

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts

Colossians 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, 

1 Thessalonians 5:8

But let us who are of the day be sober,

This "letting" comes out of our free will.  It comes about through a heart WILLING to be obedient, willing to be submissive, willing to yield itself to the work and leading of the Holy Spirit.  It is glorious when it all comes together and that is when we see God do the most amazing things! A willing heart is patient and holds steadfast.  It steadily remains true to the truth God has spoken when things are not so great.  When bad things are all that seem to be happening.  When sad or hurtful or confusing things occur.

With a willing heart, though, even when we are standing on the thin wire of our faith, waiting to see what God will do, there is such a sense of excitement and anticipation.  Like Abram, packing up his family and simply heading out, going where God would send him, without knowing before hand what he would encounter or even what his destination was.  Like Joseph, holding fast to the vision of his life God had given as he sat in prison for all those years, holding on and trusting that God would do what He said He would do.  Like Samuel, so young when he answered Gods call!! It is exciting being in constant contact through prayer with the Father, for even the simplest decision!  When we put it in His hands and walk by faith, amazing wonders occur!

Read about Abram, who would be renamed Abraham.  Read the story of Joseph, of Samuel, and you will discover that every moment of their lives were not just about signs and miracles and wonders.  They had struggles in life, trials to overcome, tough situations to deal with.  There were plenty of opportunities for them to turn away from the Lord, to "let" sadness or depression or despair to rule their lives.  But you will find that their faith, faith like the faith you have in your life, was accompanied by a willing heart, willing to obey, to surrender to the Lord, and the results were miraculous.

Let faith mix with a willing heart in your life, and watch and see what wonders God will work!

Kicking against the goads and overcoming SIN

Once upon a time, Paul the Apostle was Saul.  Saul was a devout Jew, who was born into the religious elite, grew up scholarly under the much hailed Gamaliel and was zealous, scripture tells us, for the religious laws of God as they had been taught and exampled to him.

ZEALOUS: fervent,   ardent,  fervid,   fanatical,   passionate,   impassioned,   devout,  devoted.  committed,   dedicated,   hard-core,   enthusiastic, eager,   keen,  avid,    card-carrying,   vigorous,   energetic,   intense,   fierce;

Personally, I really like that last one.  Fierce - ferocious aggressiveness.

That really describes who and what Saul was as he pursued what he thought he knew about the things of God.

Then he went up against Jesus.  Can you even IMAGINE trying to go up against GOD?

Job 9:4  God is wise in heart and mighty in strength.  Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?

SHORT ANSWER:  NO  ONE !

Job 9 was part of our daily reading this week.  When you read that verse, did it give you reason to pause?  It did me.  I’ve been chewing on it, like Jack chews the bones I give him, all the rest of this week.  I found myself thinking “Now who would even try to go against God?” 

My own heart trusts and believes, so I cannot even conceive of one going against the Lord.

Then I thought of Lucifer, originally the angel of light.  He went against God and was cast out of heaven.  Now he is known as satan, the enemy of God, with a very bleak future, a very fiery eternity to look forward to.

And I thought of Saul who would later be renamed Paul.  He went against God, when he failed to recognize Jesus as the Messiah.  And then he began to persecute Gods people.  Jesus stopped him cold in his tracks when he was on his way to Damascus to kill more Christians.  Struck him blind – or rather, allowed Saul to experience in the flesh the blindness he already really had in the Spirit – and asked him plainly “why are you persecuting ME, Saul?  It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”  (you can look up what that means, it’s a great lesson in humility and discipline!)

I kept chewing, and then I REALLY answered the question of ‘who would go against God?’ 

The answer?  Me.  You.  All of us.  We all go against God each time we sin.  Sin is described as breaking Gods laws, or violating Gods will or missing the mark of the target He set for us, going outside the boundary or limits He gave us.  As Originator and Creator of all things He inherently has the right to set the standard.  So failing to meet that standard is sin.

And we surely do not prosper when that happens, do we?  

We do not reap joy or peace or righteousness.  Romans 14:17 (another of our daily readings this past week) tells us  for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 

I began to think about how easily we fall prey to the temptations of sin.  How easily we excuse our hearts when they covet, when they lust.  How quickly we excuse ourselves when we give in to sin. 

Romans 8:13  For if you live after the flesh you will die.  But if you through the spirit mortify the deeds of the body you shall live.

Colossians 3:5   Therefore mortify (put to death) your members which are upon the earth fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness which is idolatry.

The word mortify has several meanings.  To cause shame, humiliation or wounded pride.  To subdue, suppress, control.  It’s even been defined as to destroy, to blow up or blow apart.  King James translated it put to death.

Now let’s put this whole thing together and see where it leads us.  (isn’t bible study just the most fun, EVER?!?)

God created us, so we are subject to Him.  He gave us free will, so we can obey Him and reap all the wonderful benefits that come with that obedience.  Or we can disobey, do as we please and reap the consequences.

Even if we WANT to obey Him, this flesh trips us up and we sin anyway. (Consider Paul's plea to the Lord "who shall deliver me from the body of this death?  Romans 7:24) So God sent Jesus to pay the price of sin for us which we could NOT EVER have paid, and freed us from that burden giving us eternal life through Christ.  Yet we still have sin chasing us down and overcoming us, so how do we deal with it? 

I’m all for FEROCIOUS AGGRESSIVENESS -  both in receiving His forgiveness and in yielding to the Holy Spirit to controlling the flesh!  Who’s with me?

Living a life that honors God is not easy, but it is also not impossible.  Like Paul, we MUST forget the past which haunts us and press hard on to the future God has for us.  We cannot change what we've done, the sin we've committed, but having received Gods forgiveness we can submit to the work of the Holy Spirit and turn away from sin now and in the future.  If you have NOT ever asked God to forgive you of your sin and wash you clean as He has promised, RIGHT NOW is a perfect time to do so!  Repent  - turn away - from sin and ask God to cleanse you through the Blood of Jesus shed on a cross for YOU so long ago.  Believe that He has forgiven you and ask Him to live in your heart and guide you through this maze of life.  Prayer is our powerful weapon against all evil.  Lord,  I thank You that any and all who repent of sin, ask Your forgiveness and request the Holy Spirit to live in their hearts will RECEIVE what they ask and be transformed by Your spirit as they change their thinking and behavior to obey You.  I ask this in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

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Wrangling with faith

Have you ever noticed that in one situation you encounter, FAITH just seems to rise up from your heart and you suffer barely a moment of concern?   Then another situation appears, and FAITH seems to have deserted you entirely?

Why does this happen?  How do we overcome the barriers to unleashing our faith?

Walk with me through a little exercise that may not only help us understand this but may even lead us to the answer of how to overcome these seeming barriers to unleashing faith in every situation we encounter!

The original bathroom - YECH!!

Recently we were blessed to purchase a home.  When we first walked through the house, it looked like this: 

Knowing this wasn't acceptable, we set about doing what it took to change this room so it would meet our needs and be pleasant to be in.  Now, it looks like this:

New bathroom

Amazingly enough, we have completely forgotten what the room used to look like because we no longer see it the old way on a regular basis.  We see this new room, so when we imagine our bathroom, the new room is what we see in our minds eye.  FAITH works like that.  If you have been praying, reading your bible, spending time with likeminded believers and receiving constant reminders of Gods love, Gods grace and all the reasons you have faith in the Lord to begin with, when you are confronted with a situation, faith rises up in what seems almost a natural manner, since it has been constantly in the forefront of your thinking.  The old way of fear is replaced by the new way of faith.   So why is it that the next situation we encounter, faith seems but a distant memory?  The question to ask ourselves at that point is, what have we been keeping constantly in our hearts?  What thoughts are we harboring?  Is there unforgiveness or bitterness we've allowed to overshadow the trust in God we held?  Are we reading His word as a constant reminder of WHO He is and how much He loves and cares for us?  Usually when faith seems distant, we find that it isn't faith, but we who have grown distant.  Distant from the daily bread we truly cannot survive without.

This happens because everyday we go about our lives, listening to music or news casts or watching TV programs or being bombarded at work and other places with a constant stream of negatives and worldly viewpoints that begin to replace the picture we hold in our hearts of our place in the world, our place as a beloved child of God Almighty.  The truth actually begins to dim in our hearts, without the constant reminder of it through daily reading of Gods word, daily prayer and time with our God, and fellowship with others who believe and trust in the Lord.

This is why we read (eat) our Bible (bread of life) on a daily basis.  This is why we encourage others and list reading schedules and give away bibles and constantly go on about putting Gods Word into our heads and our hearts.  Without it, we FORGET.  When we forget, our faith falters.  We are less certain that God, who met our need last time, will indeed meet it this time. 

If you've been following us, you know that for the last 2 years, we've been harping on DAILY READING OF GODS WORD.  Now you know why.  Reading the bible reminds us of who we are - Ambassadors for Christ.  Otherwise, we forget.  We get caught up by the ways of the world, and then we struggle with things God didn't intend us to struggle with, like faith and trust in Him.  He never changes.  But we do.  In order to stay on a path of righteousness, we need daily reminder of what the path looks like, and where it is taking us.

So we encourage you to read, daily.  Our reading schedule is designed to follow our eating pattern, since Gods word is our daily bread.  A chapter in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening.  A well fed spirit will not find itself short on faith.  I can promise you that.  More importantly, God promises!

Psalms 34:8  Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!  Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!  

As you journey down this road of faith, we would be blessed if you shared your travel adventures with us!  How has reading Gods word changed your life?  What ways has reading strengthened you and helped you through difficult times?  Click on comments below, and encourage others with your testimony!

We're praying for you!  Prayer requests are at the top left.  Prayer changes things - let us pray for your specific needs!

The Planting of Seeds

The Daily Bread of Life - Gods Word

If you plant marigold seeds, what will spring up out of the ground?  Daffodils?  Roses? NO!  You planted a marigold seed and a marigold is what will grow.  There is a verse of scripture truth that tells us...God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.  Galatians 6:7  

The seeds planted will absolutely determine the harvest. Two weeks ago we began to share a testimony of one persons life change as the Word of God was planted in the heart.  Change such as this is not unusual or miraculous, but the result of planting the good seed of Gods word into your heart on a daily, regular basis. 

Listen in as the story continues....

"Prior to giving my life over to Jesus I lived my life like most people, trying to fulfill the lust of my flesh, but the flesh is never satisfied.  It never has enough alcohol or drugs or sex.  No matter how hard I tried to live a “good” life (according to my own interpretation of morality) bad things kept happening.   I was going about my routines, sowing seeds of destruction without even realizing it, and then scratching my head and wondering why destructive things kept happening in every situation.

On my first encounter with Gods Word, as I read and believed what I was reading, I didn't know it then, but good seeds began to be planted into my thinking.  Those seeds then began growing and they were growing a good crop.   I did not understand that there is a law of sowing and reaping.  My actions were changing as my thinking was changing and the circumstances of my life began to change.  Prior to coming to understand spiritual things I went about my life sowing bad seeds and then reaping bad results and I was always left wondering why.

I thought about the parable Jesus spoke in Matthew 13:24 - 30   

Another parable He put forth to them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.  So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’

He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’

The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 

But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat 

with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of 

harvest I will say to the reapers,   First gather together the tares and bind 

them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.'

The pendulum had shifted in my favor as I was planting good seeds by reading the WORD.  The bad crop was still coming to harvest in between the good harvests and the Enemy, the devil,  was trying to fool me into thinking that I was wasting my time, that my daily dose of the WORD was not benefiting me.  But I had the testimony of the PEACE of God that passes all understanding in my heart."

ARE YOU TIRED OF LOSING THE SAME BATTLES

OVER AND OVER IN YOUR LIFE?

From our own experience we encourage you to TAKE UP THE SWORD OF SALVATION.  Gods precious Words of life found in the Bible.  Daily reading of His word will supply what you need to overcome the daily battles we find ourselves in the midst of.  We are in a spiritual war and only spiritual weapons will have the necessary affect to deliver us. Consider these words Jesus spoke in prayer as He taught His disciples while with them on this earth.  

OUR FATHER, WHO IS IN HEAVEN

HALLOWED BE THY NAME

THY KINGDOM COME

THY WILL BE DONE

ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

AND GIVE US THIS DAY

OUR DAILY BREAD

Join us as we daily read the Words of Life that heal, deliver and encourage!  A schedule will be posted in the left panel weekly, or follow us on Twitter @TTTMinistries for daily updates.

We would be so pleased to hear from you, answer questions, honor prayer requests or if you'd just like to share what God is doing in your life.

Our Daily Bread- A Personal Testimony

Why our Daily Bread?

I've heard it said that YOU don’t read God’s Word it reads you.  When we read those words of life, they remind us, exhort us, inspire us, convict us and encourage us, and we need that on a daily basis.  Why? Because we behold ourselves in the mirror then turn away and immediately forget what manner of man we are.

James 1:23-24 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

Here now for your encouragement, is the testimony of one such man in his own words.

“My testimony is simple – basically I picked up a Bible and began to read the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John – and somewhere in the book of Acts I looked up from the pages and realized that all the frustration, turmoil, doubts, fears and anxieties that had become resident inside of me was all gone.  That’s right!  Gone!  The Lord Jesus Christ had reached inside of me and removed all of these things and replaced it with peace; the peace that passes all understanding.

          I remember at that moment that if this was what it meant to be born again – that’s what I wanted. 

Philippians 4:7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Money, fortune and fame means nothing if one does not have peace inside.  I turned my life over to Jesus and began a new life.

          At that point I did what most Christians do; I read through the entire Bible cover to cover and then put it on the shelf and started going to church.  I read it.  I believed it.  I figured application I would learn from those inside the church buildings who had been doing it longer than me.

          Time passed and soon frustration, turmoil, doubt, fear and anxiety crept its way back inside of me.  What happened?  I was going to church faithfully every Sunday, trying to live out this Christian walk by trying as hard as I could to get my flesh under control.  After a few years of banging my head against the wall, at the end of my rope I had finally ran out of gas.

          I enrolled into a Bible course and was forced to read the Bible for class.  A few months into the course I realized that the frustration and chaos inside my heart was dissipating.  It was then I figured out what I had been doing wrong. 

          I put myself on a daily reading program.  I began by reading to my Mom every night before we went to sleep.  After a while I had found a rhythm in reading 3 chapters a day; 1 out of the Old Testament, 1 out of the New Testament and a Psalm or Proverb.  I looked at it as Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

          The peace that passes all understanding returned as I pressed into my daily reading.  In just a few short years I had made a wreck of my life and those bad seeds began to harvest into nightmares.  I kept reading.

          I had developed some very damaging and destructive habits that needed to be stopped.  I kept reading.

          The Enemy of our souls kept coming at me and accusing me and condemning me for all the things I had done wrong to myself and all those around me.  I kept reading.

          It took some time; in fact years before I had stopped planting bad seeds and started planting good seeds and when those good seeds came to harvest joy followed.  It took some time to have more good seeds than bad but eventually the good overtook the bad and I had found the straight and narrow road that Jesus talked about.

          What is it then?  This daily reading?  What does it all mean?  Here’s my philosophy on it.

          Jesus said, “I Am the Bread of Life” (John 6:48) and in teaching us how to pray said, “Give us this day our DAILY bread” (Matthew 6:11); in the Gospel of John it begins with “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

          Inside of us there is a war going on, a Spiritual war between the Flesh-man and the Spirit-man.  The Flesh-man gets fed all day long through the lust of the eyes and the hunger pangs of the stomach, however, the Spirit-man’s food is the WORD OF GOD.

          When you’ve got two dogs battling it out inside of you the one that will win is the one you feed the most.  If you want the Spirit-man to control you – then you have got to feed him.  His food is the WORD.  If you will begin to feed your Spirit-man on a daily basis he will rise up inside of you and allow you to become strong; stronger than your Flesh-man, and indeed, will over-power him and put him in submission.

          Then, and only then, will the peace that passes all understanding guard your heart and mind.  This state of being is worth all the gold on earth.  I wouldn’t trade what I have now for any amount of fame, wealth or health.  I know who I am and where I’m going and nothing this earth offers can compare to that."

The mission of this ministry is to humbly obey the commands of our Lord Jesus Christ, reach out in His love with the Gospel truth of Salvation to the lost, work across denominational lines to inspire Unity in the Body of Christ and impact this world by CHANGING LIVES ONE AT A TIME.  That directive started with our own lives.  We yielded, submitted and surrendered to the Lord and He has done and continues to do a great work of gracious change in our hearts and minds.  Do you have a testimony of how Gods Word has changed your life?  Share it here and encourage others to receive the blessing of Gods grace in their lives!   Just click on Comment below this post.

GOD BLESS YOU EACH DAY AS YOU READ HIS MATCHLESS LIVING WORD!

There are too many instances, I believe, when we as individuals for whatever our reasons may be, look to someone else to direct us, someone else to validate us, someone else to tell us what is the right thing to do. And there are some very few times when that is exactly the right thing to do - seek counsel from others, and yet to not make our own choices, our own decisions gives us a false sense of freedom.  I say a false sense of freedom, because we ultimately have the idea that we are not accountable since we followed someone else's dictates and I say false, because we each will give an account of ourselves before the Lord one day and no matter where the decision came from we will be held accountable for our actions.

With that in mind, and since we must in fact live with the consequences of every decision and action we take, it makes far more sense to actually hold ourselves accountable to think through and then make as wise a decision in all instances as our hearts can manage.  Right or even if it turns out wrong, God will be pleased that we have held ourselves in account - AS LONG AS OUR INTENTION HAS NOT BEEN EVIL.

This is a hard thought and concept for most to grasp, for we cannot help but look at the actual behavior of the flesh.  Intentions are difficult to discern due to our own set of experiences and emotions and thoughts.  God looks on the heart, not the flesh.  God is the discerner of our hearts, and the bible tells us that even if our own hearts condemn us God is greater than our hearts!

For this very reason we are warned NOT TO JUDGE OTHERS.  The criteria which we utilize to judge is so flawed that any and all judgments we make will of course, be terribly flawed, especially as we judge according to the flesh and not the intentions of the heart.  FRUIT in a life we are to look at and consider, but not to judge the individual actions on their own merits because there is so much we do not know, so much we do not understand and so much more we are simply ignorant of!

We must each, however, judge our own hearts, examine them and assure ourselves that we are obedient to our Lord.  For this reason, the Apostle Paul exhorts us all in II Timothy 2:15 to "Study to show yourself approved before God, a workman who needs NOT be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth!"

Careful reading and study of Gods word for OURSELVES and not just accepting any and everything others say about Gods Word is an action we will be held accountable for, as our understanding of Gods word will influence all our decisions and actions.  Pick up that book of all books TODAY, ask God for wisdom and begin reading.  May I suggest beginning in the Book of Acts, as it so wonderfully portrays the First Century Church in all its glory prior to any interference of mans rules and religiosity?

Blessings as you walk your walk of Fellowship with the Heavenly Father this week.  Our prayer for each of you is that you will recognize how much God loves you and fulfill your role in the Body of Christ!