God Keeps His Promises

  

Get This Scripture On A Long-Sleeve T-Shirt



By: Brenda Gittens

From :  http://www.streamingfaith.com/index.php/prayer/devotionals/god-keeps-his-promises/

There are many definitions of the word promise.  A verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future.  Word of honor.  Indication of something favorable to come; expectation.  How many times have someone made one to you and didn’t keep it?  How many times have you done the same?  Now, being real – I’m sure we all have experienced this.  If you haven’t, I would like to meet you!  A promise sometimes is hard to keep.  We even make promises to the Lord and still struggle, not keeping them at times.  To trust, obey, and depend on Him, to show Him love every day, to disciple and lead others to Him, to praise and worship Him with our total being, giving Him all of the glory and not letting our flesh be glorified.  But He still loves us and gives us chance after chance.  One thing we can be sure of is that we can always count on Him.

There are many that God made in His word too, and you can be guaranteed that He will come through for you.  He keeps His word!  A few of them are the promise of Blessing (Ezekiel 34:26, Malachi 3:10), Comfort (Isaiah 40:1, 51:3, Matthew 5:4), Deliverance (Joel 2:32, Daniel 3:17, 2 Peter 2:9,), Healing (Isaiah 53:5, Matthew 4:23-24), Help (Psalm 46:1, Isaiah 41:10), The Holy Spirit (John 14:16-26, Acts 1:4-8), Joy (Nehemiah 8:10, Psalm 30:5, Psalm 126:1-3, John 15:11), Peace (Isaiah 26:3, John 16:33), Sanctification (1 Corinthians 6:11), Victory (1 Corinthians 15:55-58), to Never Leave nor Forsake Us (Hebrews 13:5), and the one with much power - The Rain, The Harvest, The Years that the various Locusts has eaten, and the Spirit of the Lord! (Joel 2:21-29).

The only way we are going to fully experience and walk in the promises of God is if we continue to love Him, keep ours that we’ve made and continue to make to Him, don’t give up, wait on Him, and believe and trust that every word He says is true.  He has also declared individual promises to each of us and they will come according to His will.  Just hold on, it will be fulfilled.  Lord, you are my God.  I honor you and praise you, because you have done amazing things.  You have always done what you said you would do; you have done what you planned long ago.

Scripture of the Day: "Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago." - Isaiah 25:1

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Brenda Gittens is a worship evangelist, singer and writer who ministers in word and song at churches, prisons, outreaches, and other events throughout California and other states. Her latest CD is entitled, Real Praise/True Worship. Brenda is also a devoted wife and mother of one son. You can reach her at: http://www.brendagittensministries.com.…

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Time For a Check Up?

Time For a Check Up?
Alan Riley

Can you believe it? This year has gone by in a blur! It seems like just yesterday we were ringing in 2009, and now there are just nine weeks left in the year!

Our awareness of the passing of time provides us with an strong incentive to look back and evaluate where we are. Have I reached my personal, professional and spiritual goals for the year? Where am I in my development in those areas? What do I need to do differently to see more progress in these areas between now and the end of the year?

A few weeks ago I had my annual medical checkup. It's not a pleasant experience, especially for someone who just plain doesn't like going to the doctor. But I have seen the sometimes tragic results of NOT catching a medical problem early, so I choose to subject myself to the inconvenience and the discomfort of a medical examination because it is ultimately very important to my health.

Likewise, it is often not a pleasant experience to go through a spiritual checkup, either. None of us likes to take a critical look at ourselves, much less to ask trusted friends or accountability partners to tell us what they see. But I have seen far too many times the tragic results of NOT catching a spiritual problem early, so I choose to subject myself to the inconvenience and the discomfort of a "spiritual examination" because it is ultimately very important to my spiritual health and to my effectiveness as a leader.

In both of Paul's letters to the church at Corinth - a church that had its share of problems and challenges - he stresses the need for an honest self examination. In 1 Corinthians 11:28, the Apostle says that we should carefully examine our lives before we partake of the Lord's supper to be sure that we do not sin against the body and the blood of Christ and bring condemnation upon ourselves.

Then in 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul says: "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test." (NIV)

Have you had a spiritual check up lately?

Answering the Call to Holiness

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Dr. Betty R. Price

Many Christians do not take holiness seriously. They do not realize that to be holy is a commandment from God. Since God has called us to holiness, we have to will ourselves to live the holy life. In 1 Peter 1:13 -16, we see God's call to holiness: "Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy.'"

We also find in II Timothy 1:8-9, "...share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began."

Everything that refers to God is holy. Holiness is the very essence of who He is. Our lives should always exemplify what Jesus' life was like when He lived on earth, because He exemplified what God's life is-a life of holiness. This was evident when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness. No matter what Satan tempted Jesus with, or how often Satan tempted Him, Jesus never yielded to him.

Holiness is the quality of life. It should not be confused with two similar terms such as sanctification, which means to be set apart, and righteousness, which means right standing with God. When you were born again, you were made the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ.

Paul tells us this in II Corinthians 5:21, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." He also writes in 1 Corinthians 1:2, "... to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints..."

God makes us righteous and sanctifies us through Jesus Christ; those are things that He does. But it is up to us to be obedient to His call to holiness. We do not have to do anything to be sanctified, other than to live a sanctified life. Living the sanctified life is called holiness. This is how our character gets established. So Christians can't do anything to be righteous or sanctified, but everything to be holy.

It may seem difficult, but you can be holy, just as God the Father and Jesus are holy. It will take effort because it does not come overnight. You have to train yourself and remove yourself from unholy people, places, things and actions. You have to will yourself to do it. You have to go in the opposite direction of where your flesh or your mind may want to take you. You must remember that God cannot be involved in any kind of sin or immorality. When you get into sin or immorality, you park His power at the door and enter at your own risk.

Christians should desire to be pleasing to God instead of compromising their standards to please others. They must tell themselves, "I can abstain from fornication; I will not commit adultery; I will not worry; I will not overeat; I will not be jealous; I will not be envious; I will not be full of strife; I will not lie; I will not do anything that Jesus wouldn't do because I am holy."

To be victorious in living a life of holiness, you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. You need the Holy Spirit, the power of God, to help you because Satan will oppose you when you commit to obeying the Word of God. You need the supernatural power of God because Satan is a supernatural enemy. It is a supernatural life that God has called you to. It is a life of joy, peace and fulfillment.

The act of holiness is not an impossible task. God would never tell us to do something or be something that is impossible to accomplish. You can be holy; you can count yourself as dead to sin; you can overcome those temptations just as Jesus did because God has already made a way of escape.

Paul tells us this in 1 Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."

So, whatever challenge you're faced with, don't give up. It's a fight all your life. It doesn't matter how many times you fall; get up because one of these times, you're going to get the victory over that temptation so you can be right for God and live the life of holiness as you were called to do.

This devotional was excerpted from Dr. Betty's audio series, "The Character of Christ: Holiness." Please call us at (800) 927-3436 for a complete list of her products.

Keeping Yourself Holy and Pure

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Bishop Keith Butler

But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 1 Corinthians 6:17-18 (KJV)

There are many traps set for the single individual who is living holy. The Bible tells you what to do in a dating relationship that begins to develop into ungodly behavior. 1 Cor. 6:17 says to flee fornication. What does "flee" mean? Flee doesn't mean, "I can deal with it." Flee means get on your running shoes and run. In other words, when you come into a scenario and sense that there is ungodly potential there, don't hang around. Get out of Dodge. That is how you keep yourself holy.

Prayer is essential for the single individual. You have to be prayed up so that you can see trouble coming, and so that you will have strength to flee. Proverbs 6:27 says, "Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?" Flee that situation.

This is one reason why a born again brother may end a relationship with a born again sister. Men know that they cannot deal with holding on to a woman and stay holy. So, if he dates a single woman a couple of times, and she jumps all on him, he is going to cut it short. He is trying to be saved. If this woman keeps on messing with him he knows he is going to get in trouble. So he decides he cannot see her anymore, and ends it.

That goes the other way too. Here is a single woman living holy before God. She is dating this guy. They have only been out once or twice, and he has his paws all over her. Here is what to do with him: "Sorry Charlie." I'm looking for a holy man. She will not deal with him any further. She is looking for somebody who can exhibit control.

Holiness is self-control. The way to get a godly mate is to exhibit self-control in your life. Nothing is worth losing your testimony over. So, stay in prayer and in the Word. It is there that you will be strengthened to keep yourself holy and pure, and to live a life pleasing to God.

Scripture References: 1 Corinthians 6:19; 1 Peter 2:9

Gifts Of The Spirit

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Dr. Frederick K.C. Price



Many people make the mistake of lumping together speaking with tongues with the gift of divers kinds of tongues, one of the nine gifts of the Spirit recorded in 1 Corinthians 12. They are not the same manifestation; yet some people and churches say that speaking with tongues and the gift of tongues are one and the same, and use that as an excuse to get out of doing what the Word of God declares.

You need to be careful about what translation of the Bible you read, because many versions of the Bible were translated by people who do not believe in speaking with tongues, or that speaking with tongues is for every Believer. For example, here is how 1 Corinthians 14:2 is translated in The Living Bible:

But if your gift is that of being able to "speak in tongues"....

The way this verse is translated is incorrect, because when you are filled with the Spirit and speak with other tongues, it is not the gift of tongues. The translator is injecting a theological point of view to show that since not everyone has the same gift, not everyone has to speak with tongues. It can seem like a very clever argument to people who are not well-versed in the Word of God.

Let me show you where all the confusion has come from on this point. In 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, Paul writes:

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

Paul is talking here about the gift of different or divers kinds of tongues. The gift of tongues is for public assembly, and should always be accompanied by the companion gift of interpretation of tongues. The rare exception to this is when God speaks to an individual through the person doing the speaking. In other words, one person will speak with the gift of tongues, but to the person to whom the message is addressed, it will be in a language he or she will understand.

Notice also that Paul says, "To one is given the word of wisdom." That means the word of wisdom is not given to everyone. Neither is any of the other gifts of the Spirit, including the gift of divers kinds of tongues.

Now read 1 Corinthians 12:28:

And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.

What Paul is describing in this verse are the ministry gifts. There is another rendering of these gifts in the fourth chapter of Ephesians, and if you compare the lists in both of these scriptures, you will find they are the same, with one notable exception.

Notice, Paul starts out by saying apostles. Apostles are people, and they are a ministry gift. Then he says prophets. Prophets are people. Next, he says teachers, and teachers are people. But then Paul says miracles, gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. These are not people. However, they are tools that equip the people to stand in the offices of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher.

The gifts of the Spirit are not for everyone in the Body of Christ. They are actually for the ministry gifts God places in the Church. Nevertheless, every person in the Body of Christ who is filled with the Spirit may on occasion be used by the Spirit in any one of the manifestations of these nine gifts.

Speaking with tongues, on the other hand, is for your personal spiritual enrichment. It does not need an interpretation like the gift of tongues does, because it is simply you speaking to God. An easy way to remember the difference between speaking with tongues and the gift of tongues is that speaking with tongues is man talking to God; it goes from earth to heaven. The gift of tongues, on the other hand, comes from heaven to earth, because it is God speaking through man to other men.

The Best Gift

Alan Riley

If you travel in the mountains of North Georgia, you might pass by a church with the unusual name of Dewberry Baptist Church #2. If you drive on a little while longer, you will come upon another church called Dewberry Baptist Church. When I first encountered these two churches years ago, I asked a friend of mine who was the resident Baptist historian for North Georgia about it. His face lit up. "Oh, that's a great story. That church split over a chicken leg."

Well, now I was hooked. I had to hear the rest of the story. It is, as they say, a doozy! It seems that in the mid-1800s a controversy arose in the congregation of Dewberry Baptist Church about the doctrine of predestination. About half of the congregation had strong feelings about pro-predestination and the other half had very strong anti-predestination beliefs. At the height of the controversy, the two chief proponents - or antagonists might be a better description - of the two points of view were sitting across from each other at a covered dish dinner. At some point in the meal the non-predestination ringleader turned to the predestination ringleader and said, "You mean to tell me that before the beginning of time I it was predetermined that I was to eat this drumstick?" "Yes, brother, you were" replied the other.

The non-predestination leader then said, "HA!", threw the chicken leg across the room and walked out. About half of the church walked out with him. They started a new church, but did not want to give up the church name to "those people," so they named their new church Dewberry Baptist Church #2.

Today, many years later, the controversy is long forgotten, and the two churches get along wonderfully.

Have you ever noticed how easy it is for us to allow ourselves to get sidetracked by things that aren't even a blip on the radar in the grand scheme of eternal consequences? We all can tell horror stories that we have either experienced personally or have heard from someone who was there about churches splitting apart over the color of carpet, the shape of the chandeliers, the style of music, the pastor's salary, building programs, or any number of things that in the context of eternity are utterly meaningless.

This is exactly what motivated the Apostle Paul to write one of the most, if not the most beautiful passages in the entire Bible: I Corinthians 13. We know these four paragraphs of Paul's letter as "the love chapter," but many people don't realize the context in which it is placed. The gist of I Corinthians 13 is that if we as followers of Jesus Christ do not have love as our overarching goal, aim and passion, then we are worthless to the world and to the Kingdom.

The Corinthian Church had many problems, and one of them was that people were using the gifts of the Spirit, and tongues in particular as some sort of spiritual merit badge. Those who exercised the gift of tongues felt they were more spiritual than others, which apparently caused other people to seek earnestly after that gift so they, too would be considered spiritual. In chapter 12, Paul states clearly that God gives a variety of spiritual gifts to people so the church can function well. Just as the eye can't say to the hand, "I don't need you" we cannot say that one gift is more important, or spiritual than another.

At the end of chapter 12, Paul says, "I will show you a more excellent way." His next paragraph (what we know as Chapter 13) begins with, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal..."

Here is what Paul is saying to you and me in those four brief paragraphs: All of the things that we would use to boast of our spirituality or advance the Kingdom are meaningless and worthless unless love rules our lives and our actions!

Want to be a spiritual giant? Let God's love consume you and guide everything that you do. See the world - and the church - through the eyes of Jesus and with the heart of God the Father. Love others as you are loved.

That is the most excellent way.

Celebrating The Gift Of The Spirit

Bishop Jim Swilley


But to each one is given the manifestation of the [Holy] Spirit [the evidence, the spiritual illumination of the Spirit] for good and profit. To one is given in and through the [Holy] Spirit [the power to speak] a message of wisdom, and to another [the power to express] a word of knowledge and understanding according to the same [Holy] Spirit; to another [wonder-working] faith by the same [Holy] Spirit, to another the extraordinary powers of healing by the one Spirit; to another the working of miracles, to another prophetic insight (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose); to another the ability to discern and distinguish between [the utterances of true] spirits [and false ones], to another various kinds of [unknown] tongues, to another the ability to interpret [such] tongues. All these [gifts, achievements, abilities] are inspired and brought to pass by one and the same [Holy] Spirit, Who apportions to each person individually [exactly] as He chooses. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11, AMP)

The Gifts of the Spirit are:

G – od’s grace… the Gifts or Graces of the Holy Spirit…the “Charismata”…are available to us…

I – nfinite inspiration… the God-breathed unction inspires us to action and to good works…

F – ree flow… the Wind blows where it wills…in Him we live, and in Him we MOVE!...

T – imeless treasures… the Spiritual Gifts reveal the “I AM”…the God Who is in the NOW…

S – upernatural signs... “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord”…


O – mnipresent opportunity… God’s enabling Spirit can go anywhere…do anything…

F – irst fruits... Oh, what a foretaste of Glory Divine!...the Former and Latter Rain together…

T – ranscendant talents… we accomplish more in the Spirit than we ever could in the flesh…

H – eavenly help… “But you shall receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you”…

E – cclesiastical equipping… the Gifts bring life and give effectiveness to the Church…


S – pecial services… unique abilities… the Working of Miracles, Gifts of Healing, Gift of Faith…

P – entecostal power… “you shall be My witness…to the uttermost parts of the earth”…

I – nsightful information… Speaking with Tongues, Interpretation of Tongues, Prophecy…

R – eal revelation… the Word of Knowledge, the Word of Wisdom, the Discerning of Spirits…

I – nvaluable instruction… Helper/Teacher…the Spirit of Truth will lead you into all truth…

T – ransformational truth… Man cannot live by bread alone, but by every word that PROCEEDS (present tense) out of the mouth of God. The Gifts of the Spirit connect us with the “proceeding” Word of God.

A loose definition of the Greek word for “word” reveals that the Logos is what God has said, the Rhema is what God is saying. God is speaking IN THE NOW through the Gifts of the Spirit, and those gifts are available to every believer!

The Spiritual Gifts are for you!

Six Words

Milan Ford

The following SIX WORDS are some of the greatest ever written:


And.

Such.

Were.

Some.

Of.

You.


While many believers search aimlessly day after day for the complex, the magnificence of our God can often be discovered through the simple. For as we see in 1 Corinthians 6:11, it is upon these SIX SIMPLE WORDS that the wonderful mysteries of God's grace towards us stand firm.

"...but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by The Spirit of God." - 1 Corinthians 6:11v.

Six Words. May we never forget them.
For within them lies the humility necessary to reach and change the world.