The Evil Within My Mind

                                                 When The Door Slams 

For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but it is the sin that lives in me. So I discover this principle: When I want to do what is good, evil is with me. For in my inner self I joyfully agree with God's law. But I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this dying body? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh, to the law of sin.             Romans 7:19-25 HCSB   

            All of the "roaring and groaning" of my spiritual desire to overcome evil in my heart--this reached your ears [O Lord]...Now I see that I was searching for the answer outwardly--trying to reason with my mind the best way to escape temptation--when the freeing knowledge I sought could only come by the Holy Spirit as it brings inner light. As long as I kept struggling in this way, I was unable to return to the place where my soul might receive fullness and well-being and rest and joy.

            But you, O Lord, who abides forever--you are not angry with us in our fumbling blindness. You are so merciful to "dust." It was pleasing to you to reshape the deformity that was causing my blindness. You kept stirring me with the sense that I was missing some secret goodness that is in you. O Lord, you kept me in a state of restlessness. Finally, I saw, inwardly, the truth about the origin of evil! 

            I saw how superior I felt, in my striving for spiritual well-being and sufficiency--but in all this striving I was still totally inferior to you. I had been so blind to what I was doing, because pride is like a spiritual wound to the face, swelling shut the inner eyes of understanding. And through this swollenness of pride and disobedient, I was fumbling in the darkness of my mind separated from you. But your healing hand applied to my eyes a stinging ointment that caused repentance and my pride and self-sufficiency to subside. 

            I was given a true understanding for my sinful condition. And at the same moment I saw myself in this way, I looked upon you and your mercy for me...From that day to this, I have kept this stinging ointment for my sins--the pain that causes me to run to you for the healing of my soul, and not away from you but in my pride, mistakenly thinking that I can somehow prove my worthiness. For I see now that this pride--self-sufficiency before you--is the source of the evil within my mind. 

            Affirmation: The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. He lets me lie down in green pasture; He leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life; He leads me along the right paths for His name's sake. Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff--they comfort me (Psalm 23:1-4 HCSB).     

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                                Never Rest Ministries

The Biblical Answers Have To Be Lived And Not Just A Thought

                                                  When The Door Slams

Until we all reach unity in the faith and in  the knowledge of God's Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ's fullness. Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head--Christ. From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.                            (Ephesians 4:13-16 HCSB)                                                

            I firmly believe in acquainting children with God's judgment and wrath while they are young. Nowhere in the Bible are we instructed to skip over the unpleasant scriptures in our teaching. The wages of sin is death, and children have a right to understand that fact.  

            When we accept Christ as Savior, we must also acknowledge and then act upon the fact that if He is our Savior, He is also our Lord in all life. He is Lord not just in religious things and not just in cultural things such as art and music, but in our intellectual lives and in business and in our attitude toward the devaluation of people's humanness in our culture. 

            Acknowledging Christ's Lordship and placing ourselves under what is taught in the whole Bible includes thinking and acting as citizens in relation to our government and its laws. We must know what those laws are and act responsibly to help to change them if they do not square with the Bible's concepts of justice and humanness. The biblical answers have to be lived and not just a thought.

            We must live under the Lordship of Christ in all areas of life--at great cost, If need be. It is a faithful life to think of the Christians in China, paying a great price for their loyalty to Christ, but that does not relieve each of us from being under the Lordship of Christ in regard to our own country. 

            Think about this: With Christ as Savior and Lord, we must do all that we can to lead others to Christ. And simultaneously we must use every constitutional practice to offset the rise of authoritarian governments and the loss of humanness in society. But there is no use in talking of offsetting the loss humanness in society if we do not act humanly to all people about us in the contacts of our individual lives.

            Affirmation: We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure that He planned in Him for the administration of the days fulfillment--to bring everything together in the Messiah, both things in heaven and things on earth in Him (Ephesians 1:7-10). 

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness 

                                               Never Rest Ministries                  

              

                

The First Fruit Of Our Justification Is Peace With God

                                                 When the Door Slams

All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.            John 14:25-27 NIV

            The struggle we have with a holy God is rooted in the conflict between God's righteousness and our unrighteousness. He is just and we are unjust. This tension creates fear, hostility, and anger within us toward God. The unjust person does not desire the company of a just judge. We become fugitives fleeing from the presence of One whose glory can blind us and whose justice can condemn us. We are at war with Him unless or until we are justified. Only the justified person can be comfortable in the presence of a holy God.

            The Apostle Paul set forth immediate benefits--fruits of justification. In...Romans he explains what happens to us when we are justified, when we are covered by the righteousness of Christ that is by faith: "Since we have been made right with God by our faith, we have peace with God. This happened through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has brought us into that blessing of God's grace that we now enjoy. And we are happy because of the hope we have of sharing God's glory" (Romans 5:1-2). 

            Think about this: The first fruit of our justification is peace with God. To the ancient Jew peace was a precious, but elusive commodity. The present-day turmoil in the Mid-East seems like a replay...The Jew longed for peace. He yearned for the day when swords would be beaten into plowshares. He waited for the time  when the Prince of Peace would come to end  the incessant hostilities. So important to the Jew was this quest for peace that the very word peace became a daily greeting. Where we say "hello" or "good-bye," the Jew said, "Shalom." 

            Renewal: Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:15-17 NIV)        

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                            Never Rest Ministries

               

Fear Is Not Your Master

                                                 When The Door Slams

The LORD is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.                                                                                          Psalm 27:1-3 NIV 

             Are you afraid? Does it bother you and lower your self-esteem? Do you try to deny it? Well, don't. Because the truth is, you are not alone in your fears. We are all afraid. My fears may not be the same as yours, but they are there nonetheless. 

            You may be afraid of the dark, whereas I am afraid to speak in front of a large group.... Fear is not my master....You may be afraid that you are going to come down with an incurable disease, and I may worry that I am going to be involved in an automobile accident....Fear is not my master. But one way or another, we all have our doubts about the future, our worries, and our fears....Fear is not your LORD. 

            If you tell yourself you should not be afraid, or to fear something that makes you a coward, then it is time for you to lower your expectations in that regard, fear has a price to high and it will take you to a place you don't want to go. 

            Very often, the person who has tendencies in the direction of defeated perfectionism has a problem with his fears. He tries to deny them and fight against them, which don't usually do any good at all, and then he berates himself for being a coward. He don't realize that courage really has nothing to do with the absence of fear.

            Think about this: If you tense up and fight it, chances are that it is really going to grab ahold of you. If you tell yourself things like, Stop being afraid, stop having butterflies in the stomach and you probably going to aggravate things. But, if you learn to admit that you are afraid, just go with it and accept it, you can overcome it. 

            This great law briefly and simply stated is that if you think in negative terms you will get negative results. If you think in positive terms you will achieve positive results. That is the simple fact which is at the basis of an astonishing law of prosperity and success. Believe and succeed that fear is not your master.

            Intercession: Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, "LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. LORD, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you  (2 Chronicles 14:11 NIV).

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                        Never Rest Ministries                       

                   

              

How Can We Carry The Burden Of Reality As Christians

                                                 When The Door Slams

Where there is no [wise, intelligent] guidance, the people fall [and go off course like a ship without a helm], But in the abundance of [wise and godly] counselors there is victory. He who puts up security and guarantees a debt for an outsider will surely suffer[for his foolishness], But he who hates (declines) being a guarantor is secure [from its penalties]. A gracious and good woman attains honor, And ruthless men attain riches [but not respect]. The merciful and generous man benefits his soul [for his behavior returns to bless him], But the cruel and callous man does himself harm. The wicked man earns deceptive wages But he who sows righteousness and lives his life with integrity will have a true reward [that is both permanent and satisfying].                      Proverbs 11: 14-18 AMP

            How can we remain open to all human tragedies and aware of the vast ocean of human suffering without becoming mentally paralyzed and depressed? How can we live a healthy and creative life when we are constantly reminded of the fate of the millions who are poor, sick, hungry and persecuted? How can we even smile when we keep being confronted by pictures of tortures and executions?  

            Maybe, for the time being, we have to accept the many fluctuations between knowing and not knowing, seeing and not seeing, feeling and not feeling, between days in which the whole world seems like a rose garden and days in which our hearts seem tied to a signpost between moments of ecstatic joy and moments of gloom depression, between the humble confession that the world wide web holds more than our souls can bear and the realization that it is only through facing up to reality of our world that we can grow into our own responsibility.

            Maybe we have to be tolerant toward our own avoidances and denials in the conviction that we cannot force ourselves to face what we are not ready to respond to and in the hope that in one future day we will have the courage and strength to open our eyes fully and see without being destroyed. All this might be the case as long as we remember that there is no hope in denial or avoidance, neither for ourselves nor for anyone else, and that new life can only be born out of the seed planted in crushed soil.

            Think about this: Because of this I do not hesitate to say the person who has learned to live in an "attitude of gratitude" for all God's benefits has found one of the great secrets to successful spiritual living. Nothing pleases God more than our deep appreciation for all that he has done and all that he is. We soon discover that just as there is great tranquility in a human family where appreciation is frequently expressed, so the same is true in the family of God. Try it and you will find your days are full of delight in the power of the Holy Spirit in Jesus name.

            Confession: "When my soul was fainting within me, I remembered the LORD, And my prayer came to You, Into Your holy temple. "Those who regard and follow worthless idols turn away from their [living source of] mercy and lovingkindness. "But [as for me], I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I shall pay that which I have vowed. Salvation is from the LORD  (Jonah 3:7-9 AMP).  

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

                                                            Never Rest Ministries         

                                                                                                                              

When The Storms come And They Will

                                                 When The Door Slams

So that whoever believes will on Him have eternal life [after physical death, and will actually live forever]. "For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [one and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.                John 3:15-16 AMP 

           When you recognize God as Creator, you will admire Him. When you recognize His wisdom, you will learn from Him. When you discover His strength, you will rely on Him. But only when He saves you will you worship Him.

            It is a "before and after" scenario. Before your rescue, you could easily keep God at a distance. Comfortably dismissed. Neatly shelved. Sure He was important, but so was your career. your status. Your salary. He was high on your priority list, but He shared the spot light with others. 

            Then came the storm...the rage ...the fight...the ripped mooring...the lies of politicians... the starless night. Despair fell like you had lost your only friend; your bearing were gone...what am I going to do now. In your heart, you knew there was no exit.

            Turn to your career to help? Only if you want to hide from the storm...not escape it. Lean on your status for strength? A storm is not impressed with your title. Rely on the government for rescue? Many try....many fail. 

            Suddenly you are left with one option: Lord God Jesus Christ. And when you ask...genuinely ask...He will come. And from that moment on He is not just a deity to admire, a teacher to serve, or a master to obey. He is the Savior. Our Lord and Savior to be worshiped    

            Think about this: The world of Jesus' day was filled with fear. The Romans feared rebellion, and their subjects feared Rome's power. The Sadducees feared the Pharisees, and both were suspicious of the publicans. The hearts of people everywhere were filled with fear and distrust. Life was uncertain, and above all, people feared death. 

            The world lives with fear even today. What is your fear? Do you fear the future? Do you fear life's burdens that sometimes seem almost overwhelming? Do you fear death? Most of us fear everything except God--yet it is God whom we should fear most of all!

            Affirmation: Jesus can put an end to fear for all who trust in Him. "Do not be afraid, Jesus is the answer to any fear you have. After all, God's power is greater than the powers of evil, and "neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future...nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).  

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him fore His forgiveness. 

                                                            Never Rest Ministries 

                                  

The Humanitarian Theory Of Punishment

                                                 When The Door Slams

He went on: "What come out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come--sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person."                                    (Mark 7:20-23 NIV)

            As a Christian, I most certainly believe in punishment. Biblical justice demands that individuals be held accountable. Throughout the history of ancient Israel, to break God's law was to invite swift, specific, and certain punishment. When a law was broken, the resulting imbalance could be righted only when the transgressor was punished and thus made to "pay" for his wrong. 

            Though modern sociologists take offense at this elemental concept of retribution, it is essential: If justice means getting one's due, then justice is denied when deserved punishment is not received. And ultimately this undermines one's role as a moral, responsible human being.

            During the 1980's we saw the incredible prison population boom, crime consistently rose. In 1990 alone, violent crime rose 10 percent, and over twenty thousand people were slaughtered in the mean streets of our nation. During the hundred hours in  which the air and ground warfare of Desert Storm bombarded Iraq, more Americans died on the city streets of their own country than in the sands of the Middle East...

            A few years ago two Harvard scholars, criminologist James Wilson and psychologist Richard Herrnstein, undertook a ten-year study to determine the causes of crime. A landmark book was published, Crime and Human Nature, In which they challenged fifty years of conventional wisdom that crime was the result of race, poverty, and social oppression...          Although they determined that intellect and genetics had some effect on behavior, the primary cause of crime was simply individual choice. Those choices...were determined by one's moral conscience which is shaped early in life and most crucially by family and friends . 

            Think about this: It is in the circle of the home where children first learn the importance of individual responsibility. Until we reclaim our families and our children, we will never deal with the moral crisis in our society. 

            This is why the distinction between prison and punishment is so crucial. Prisons, though necessary to confine violent offenders, can hardly be considered redemptive. And while punishment is clearly Biblical, American penal philosophy is not based on the Biblical principle of just deserts that it is founded on a humanistic view that crime is an illness to be cured.

            Affirmation: I will give their wealth as plunder to foreigners and as loot to the wicked of the earth, who will defile it. I will turn my face away from the people, and robbers will desecrate the place I treasure. They will enter it and will defile it. Prepare chains! For the land is full of bloodshed, and the city is full of violence (Ezekiel 7:21-23 NIV). 

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.                         

                                                 Never Rest Ministries

Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do

                                                 When The Door Slams 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.                     (Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV)

            When the going gets tough, the tough get going." When the roads are rough, the tough rise to the occasion. They win. They survive. They come out on top! Life is a task. A tough one. Sometimes it is absolutely unbearable. Some days we do well just to survive...to say nothing of excelling. Therefore, persevering becomes essential to living--the only key that unlocks the door of hope. Through perseverance character is built, strong and solid character that brings about hope.

            Why keep persevering? Why continue standing against the strong currents of temptation, evil, fear, anger, loss, stress, impossibilities, misunderstanding, and mistakes? Why fight defection? Why overcome inferiority? Why keep on waiting? Why? Because it is the realistic arena that true character is forged out, shaped, tempered, and polished, Because it is there that the life of Jesus Christ is given the maximum opportunity to be reproduced in us, replacing a thin, fragile internal theology with a tough, reliable set of convictions that enable us to handle life rather than escape from it.

            Think about this: Because life is a task, we need strength to face it, not speed to run from it. When the foundation shakes, When Christian friends--even the leaders--are immoral and falling into apostasy, when the bottom drops out and brutal blows attempt to pound us into the corner of doubt and unbelief, we need what perseverance offers: willingness to accept whatever comes, strength to face it head on, determination to stand firm, and insight to see the Lord God hand in it all. Without it, we stumble and fall. And God is grieved. With it, we survive and conquer. And God is glorified.

            Petition: So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For, "In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay. And "but my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back." But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved (Hebrews 10:35-39 NIV).  

  Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin.   Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.    

                                                             Never Rest Ministries

                

                 

If You Think You Are Standing Firm, Be Careful That You Don't Fall

                                                 When The Door Slams    

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.                                                                                                               (1 Corinthians 10:11-13 NIV ) 

            When you are under pressure, are you a reactor or a responder? When you are face-to-face with the giant of lust or jealousy--when your emotions are redlined--do you find yourself thinking, Oh, God, I know what I should do. I know what I ought to do. I know I should just walk away. But I don't know if I can do it? If pressure or temptation automatically pushes you into the reaction mode, you are destined for failure most of the time. Why? It is a sure sign that you are trying to produce righteousness on your own.

            You may be tempted to argue that there is no time to exercise faith before exercising will. Not in the real world anyway. Things happen too fast. We are usually taken off guard. Weak minded Christians think there is no way to get a jump on temptation, rejection and jealousy...

            Yes we can get a jump on temptation, rejection and jealousy; we can make the first move. Let me ask you, how many days a week, on the average, are you tempted? How many days a week are you forced to deal with some inordinate emotion that has the potential of doing serious damage to your reputation and relationships if expressed? For me, it averages out to seven days a week. And I imagine the same is true for you. We know it's coming. Therefore, the wisest thing to do is to begin every day by exercising out faith against the anticipated onslaughts. 

            We don't need to wait until we are in the thick of the battle to claim the promises of God. By that time it's too late. Certainly there is time to express faith in the Holy Spirit when you see things buildings. But even better, go ahead and exercise your faith before the struggle begins. And when it does, you will think, I have already dealt with this in prayer.

            Think about this: A responder activates his faith before he activates his will. He believes before he behaves...The Holy Spirit dwells in you and is ready to go to work producing the character of Christ through you. All He needs is your faith. His green light is your willingness to say, "Holy Spirit, I cannot handle this. I am not even going to try. Respond through me. Give me Your perspective on all of this. I trust you my Lord God in Jesus name.

            Renewal: Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the the word of God (Ephesians 6:13-17 NIV).

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heard and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.                                    

                                                 Never Rest Ministries

Out Of The Darkness, A Bright Light Shone

                                                   When The Door Slams 

Why is life given to a man whose path is hidden, whom God has hedged in? I sigh when food is put before me, and my groans pour out like water. For the thing I feared has overtaken me, and what I dreaded has happened to me. I cannot relax or be still; I have no rest, for trouble comes.                      (Job 3:23-26 HCSB)

            No one exempt from tragedy or disappointment--God himself was not exempt. Jesus offered no immunity, no way out of the unfairness, but rather a way through it to the other side. Just as Good Friday demolished the instinctive belief that this life is supposed to be fair, Easter Sunday followed with its startling clue to the riddle of the universe. Out of the darkness, a bright light shone. 

            The primal desire for fairness dies hard, and it should. Who among us does not sometimes yearn for more justice in this world here and now? Secretly, I yearn for a world "fault-proof" against disappointments, a world where my blog articles will always find acceptance and my body does not grow old and weak...But if I stake my faith on such a fault-proof earth, my faith will let me down. Even the greatest of miracles do not resolve the problems of this earth: all people who find physical healing eventually die. 

            Think about this: We need more than miracles. We need a new heaven and a new earth, and until we have those, unfairness will not disappear.

            The Cross of Christ may have overcome evil, but it did not overcome unfairness. For that, Easter is required. Someday, God will restore all physical reality to its proper place under His reign. Until then, it is a good thing to remember that we live out our days on Easter Saturday.

            Affirmation: "Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever! I know than my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes--I, and not another (Job 19:23-27 NIV).

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                        Never Rest Ministries

                              

            

 

To See Such A Prisoner All You Have To Do Is Look In The Mirror

                                                 When The Door Slams

The highway of the upright avoids evil; the one who guards his way protects his life. Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly of spirit with the humble than to divide plunder with the proud. The one who understands a matter finds success, and the one who trust in the LORD will be happy (Proverbs 16:17-20 HCSB). 

            A prison of pride is filled with self-made men and women determined to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps even if they land on their rear ends. It doesn't matter what they did or to whom they did it with or where they will end up; it only matters that "I did it my way." 

            You have seen these prisoners, You have seen the disobedient children who are deceiving themselves. You have seen the alcoholic who won't admit his drinking and drug problem. You have seen the woman who refuses to talk to anyone about her fears and weak decision making. You have seen the businessman who adamantly rejects help even when his dreams are falling apart. To see such a prisoner all you have to do is look in the mirror.

            "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just..." The biggest word in Scripture might be two-letter one, if. For confessing sins--admitting failure--is exactly what prisoners of pride refuse to do. These are the tools of the jailbird. Comparison. Justification. Rationalization. They sound good. They sound familiar. But in the kingdom of God they are deception.

            Think about this: These sorts of hurts--pains of the heart and mind and spirit--create an emptiness, and seem to put us in a spiritual vacuum. We can describe physical pain to a doctor or nurse, but inside pain can only be known--really known--by God.

            I think God permits this kind of inner anguish for a good reason. Physical hurt is almost outside of us, something we can drive it from our thoughts. But inside pain is within our thoughts, and forces us to cope with the problem. God may allow it because He knows this kind of suffering can be more purifying than any other kind of pain. We are forced to face it and deal with the situation at hand.

            "Blessed are those who mourn..." To mourn for your sins is a natural outflow of poverty of spirit...But that's not always the case. Many deny their weakness. Many know they are wrong, yet pretend they are right. As a result, they never taste the faultless sorrow of repentance. 

            The Beatitudes: "The poor in spirit are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Those who mourn are blessed, for they will be comforted. The gentle are blessed, for they will inherit the earth. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed, for they will be filled. The merciful are blessed, for they will be shown mercy. The pure in heart are blessed, for they will see God. The peacemakers are blessed, for they will be called sons of God. Those who are persecuted for righteousness are blessed, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs (Matthew 5:3-10 HCSB).  

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.                        

                                                       Never Rest Ministries

 

"Love Your Neighbor As You Love Yourself"

                                                When The Door Slams

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good             (Romans 12:17-21 NIV).      

            Looking at hospitality as the creation of a free and friendly space where we can reach out to strangers and invite them to become our friends, it is clear that this can take place on many levels and in many relationships. Although the word stranger suggests someone who belongs to another world government than ours, speaks another language and has different customs, it is important, first of all, to recognize the stranger in our own familiar circle.

            When we are able to be good hosts for the strangers in our midst we may find also ways to expand our hospitality to broader horizons. Therefore, it might be worthwhile to look carefully at the four types of relationships that can be better understood from the perspective of hospitality: the relationship between parents and their children, the relationship between teachers and their students, and the relationship between professionals--such as doctors, social workers, psychologists, nurses, ministers and priests--and their patients, clients, counselees and parishioners. The relationship between government and their politics. 

            In all four types of relationships we become involved at some point in our own history. The complexity of life is exactly related to the fact that often we find ourselves involved in all four types of relationships at the same time and on both sides. While being a father to our children, a teacher to our students, a counselor to our counselees, and politician to their politics we also remain child, student and patient in other contexts. 

            Think about this: While trying to be a good mother, we often still have responsibilities as daughter; while teaching in the daytime, we might be sitting on the other side of the classroom in the evening; and while politician are giving advice to others, we realize at times how badly we need it ourselves. We all are children and parents, student and teachers, politicians and healers and in need of care. And so we move in and out of each others' worlds at different times and in different ways...They all stand together under the great commandment: "Love your neighbor as you love yourself " (Mark 12:31 NIV). 

            Affirmation: Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering (Hebrews 13:1-3 NIV).     

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.  

                                                        Never Rest Ministries                           

God Has Only Called You To Be Faithful, God Did Not Call You To Be Crazy!

                                       When The Door Slams  

            Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kind, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you (James 1:2-5). Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:6-7). 

            God can take your trouble and change it into treasure. Your sorrow can be exchanged for joy, not just a momentary smile, but a deep new joy. It will be a spiritual experience of new hope that brings brightness to your eyes and a song to  your heart. In the midst of the darkness, you will learn lessons you might never have learned in the day. We all have seen dreams turn to ashes--they are ugly things, hopeless and heartbreaking.

            Tears and sorrow come, but each time God will be there to remind you that He cares. Romans 8:28 means that God causes all things in our lives to work together for His good. Flowers can even grow on dung hills, and compost makes great gardens. God is offering Himself to you daily, and the rate of exchange is fixed. It is your sins for His forgiveness, your tragedy and hurt for His merciful healing, and Your sorrow for His joy. 

            Give God your pain and sorrow; give Him the guilt you feel. Tears and heartaches come to us all. Leaning on your own understanding is crazy. Remember, you are not alone; many are in God's waiting room for what seems like forever, learning lessons, suffering pain and growing. But the fertilizer that helps us grow is in those valleys of darkness and pain, not on the mountaintops.

            Think about this: The painful crown of suffering precedes the golden crown of glory...So keep this in mind that you are not responsible for what you cannot control and that God has only called you to be faithful. He did not call you to be crazy.

            Real genuine spiritual healing is a process. It takes a long, long time for the deep hurts to be resolved. Sometimes it seems that they will be with us forever, but understanding them helps dissipate their pain. Life isn't always what you want, but it is what you got; so, with God's help, choose to be happy in faith--and God will see you and your loved ones home self.

            Renewal: Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil (Proverbs 3:3-7 NIV).

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                                Never Rest Ministries 

                    

             

The Mission Of The Government's Power, To Serve All People

                                                 When The Door Slams

Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble. Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people. A tyrannical ruler practices extortion, but one who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long reign.                                                             Proverbs 28:14-16 NIV 

            Government is given to us not as an idea or task to be fulfilled, but as a reality and as something which "is" (Romans 13:1-4). It exist as a divine office. The existing of government is linked with a divine commission. Its existing is fulfilled only in the fulfillment of the commission...Consequently, whether or not government is aware of its own true basis, its task consists in maintaining by the power of the sword an outward justice in which life is preserved and thus held open for Christ.  

            The mission of government to serve Christ no matter whether it is conscious or unconscious of this mission which, cannot destroy the close relation of government to Christ. It cannot in either case evade it task of serving Christ people. It will serves Christ by its very existence. 

            There are very few Christians in America who have an intelligent concept of citizenship or of the way that God would have us interrelate to the body of politic. So we have allowed politician ideologies to fill the vacuum in America, so much so that Christian values have virtually been crowded out.

            Think about this: The reason why God wanted to have government: that life in the world might go on in an orderly manner. A government is controlled either by a few or by many; and yet if God does not control it, it is not administered well either by a few or by many. Government is instituted, not in order to seek its own profit at the expense of the people and to exercise its self-will on them but in order to provide for the best interests of its people. 

            Affirmation: Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not covet," and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:8-10 NIV). 

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.    

                                                      Never Rest Ministries

 

Is Man Making Himself God.

                                                  When The Door Slam

The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.                                                                 (Genesis 6:5-6 NIV)

            What an incredible temptation: to be like God, to enjoy God power--man making himself God. It is explicit in everything our culture take seriously. Whether the power is technological, social, political, military, financial, administrative, religious, or personal, it is assumed to be the key, one way or another, to achievement, fulfillment, human destiny.

            Even when power's capacity to corrupt and destroy is acknowledged, the acceptable remedy is power that can control power which only compounds and complicates the syndrome. This is not a new phenomenon peculiar to the twentieth century. Throughout history, the ways of change have been the ways of power, violent or nonviolent. Kingdoms have risen and fallen, national boundaries have been altered or obliterated, races expanded or extinguished, cultures and societies built up or destroyed...by power.

            Think about this: The unique Christian insight comes at the point of the definition and understanding of power. The world pictures force, brute strength, money, muscle, tanks, bombs, tyranny, monopolies the list goes on and on. The Christian pictures the cross. In the "foolishness" of this symbol of power the Christian senses a radically different kind of power. It is a new way of being "capable." A picture of this different definition would be Jesus standing in front of Pilate. Pilate represents all the power of the great empire of Rome. Jesus appears to be one lonely, solitary, impotent man. It is clear through the eyes of faith, however, that the real power is incarnate in the solitary figure.

            The consequences of that transaction in Eden: all subsequent evil, with it destructive power visited upon humanity generation by generation, century by century, millennium by millennium. The process is described in detail in Romans 1:18-32. Continually since his original test, man keeps attempting to be his own god, deciding what is good or evil, generally determining both to be relative, and not uncommonly inverting both. 

            Petition: Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived (Colossians 3:5-7). You are the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is Your flesh, which You have given for the life of the world (John 6:51). You are the light of the world. He who follows You will not walk in the darkness but will have the light of life (John 8:12).  

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.                                  

                              Never Rest Ministries  

When Life's Not Fair, Try Prayer.

                                         When The Door Slams 

"For the Bread of God is He who comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." Then they said to Him, "Lord, always give us this bread." Jesus replied to them, "I am the Bread of Life. The one who comes to Me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in Me [as Savior] will never be thirsty [for that one will be sustained spiritually]. "But as I told you, you have seen Me and still you do not believe. "All that My Father gives Me will come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out [I will never, never reject anyone who follows Me].                                                                          John 6:33-37 AMP 

            When life's not fair, which way do you turn? try prayer. Prayer is a universal practice. The human being is by nature a spirit. We all yearn to reach out with our souls. We all attempt to transcend our humanity through prayer. The human being was created in the image of God. We are, therefore, innately, instinctively, incurably spiritual. Even those who have had no exposure to religious philosophy or doctrine or teaching whatever still feel that natural impulse within the breast which calls them to communicate with their Creator.

            So no matter what your religious background, when life's not fair, turn to prayer. It can be the key to unlocking a tremendous healing force in yourself and in others. I've seen it happen, time after time, people healed--some physically, some spiritually, all emotionally. As a minister I have prayed with hundreds of people, from CEO's to peasants, from saints to professed atheists. No matter whom I prayed with, I have never failed to see the power of Positive prayer. I cannot say the same about negative prayer. 

            There is a difference between negative prayer and positive prayer. Negative praying is akin to complaining. Positive prayer is akin to Faith! The Bible substantiates this, "Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who truly want to find him" (Hebrews 11:6). 

            Think about this: I am only one of so many millions of millions of people who for two thousand years claim to know and to have met, and claim to have a positive relationship through faith and prayer with [the] living human/divine person, name Jesus Christ. He is alive. He's the same, yesterday, today, and forever. Occasionally my LORD breaks through dramatically and crunches and crashes into people's lives and performs dramatic miracles. Other times my LORD supports quietly, leading, walking silently along, giving the courage to carve a new life. 

            Renewal: He who heeds the word prospers, And blessed is he who trusts in the Lord (Proverbs 16:20). With regard to my former way of life, may I put off my old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of my mind; and may I put on the new self, which was created according to God in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:22-24). May I be diligent to add to my faith, virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are mine in increasing measure, they will keep me from being barren and unfruitful in the full knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5-8). 

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for his forgiveness.

                                        Never Rest Ministries