Focus

Happy Sunday!

"Yes, everything else is WORTHLESS when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my LORD. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could GAIN Christ and become ONE with him. I no longer count on my OWN righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through FAITH in Christ."

"For God’s way of making us RIGHT with himself depends on FAITH. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty POWER that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will EXPERIENCE the resurrection from the dead!"

"I don’t mean to say that I have ALREADY achieved these things or that I have already REACHED perfection. But I PRESS on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. NO, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved IT, but I FOCUS on this one thing: Forgetting the PAST and looking forward to what lies AHEAD, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us."(Philippians 3:8-14 NLT).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Rehearse, Repeat, and Memorize the Promises of God

 Happy Sunday!

"I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart, so I won’t sin myself bankrupt." (Psalm 119:11 Message Translation).

It is so beneficial to Rehearse, Repeat, and Memorize the Promises of God. 

So often we can be blinded by our personal needs, our personal problems, and the trials of our life.  All the while there are others in the world who would love to have the blessings and opportunities that we enjoy. There are others that could use what we have been given to excel and succeed. Luke 12:48 says, "The servant who knows what his master wants and ignores it, or insolently does whatever he pleases, will be thoroughly thrashed. But if he does a poor job through IGNORANCE, he’ll get off with a slap on the hand. Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities!" (Message Translation).  Don't miss this!  The KJV version says it this way, "For unto whomsoever much is GIVEN, of him shall be much REQUIRED: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more."

The Apostle Peter wrote, "His divine power has given us EVERYTHING we need to experience life and to reflect God’s true nature through the knowledge of the One who called us by His glory and virtue. Through these things, we have received God’s great and valuable promises, so we might escape the corruption of worldly desires and share in the divine nature." 2 Peter 1:3-4 (Voice Translation). God has given us GREAT and VALUABLE PROMISES! 

Romans 8:16-17 says, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ." (King James Version).  When we accepted Jesus as our Personal Savior we became the children of God, and joint heirs with Christ. All of the PROMISES and blessings given to Christ are now available to us. We accept all of this by Faith. SEARCH the Word for yourself, FIND those promises and STAND on them by Faith. Remember, "God is not a man—He doesn’t lie. God isn’t the son of a man to want to take back what He’s said, or say something and not follow through, or speak and not act on it." Numbers 23:19 (Voice Translation).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

How To Be Happy and Enjoy Life

 Happy Sunday!

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:"(1 Peter 3:18 KJV).

The Word of God is more than enough!  Any circumstance or situation has already been addressed in the Bible!  When you have questions, God has answers.

1 Peter 3:8-17 says, "FINALLY, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted and keep a humble attitude. Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a BLESSING. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant YOU his blessing. 

For the Scriptures say,

“If you want to ENJOY life

    and see many HAPPY days,

keep your tongue from speaking evil

    and your lips from telling lies.

Turn away from evil and do good.

    Search for peace and work to maintain it.

The EYES of the Lord watch over those who do RIGHT,

    and his EARS are open to their PRAYERS.

But the Lord turns his face

    AGAINST those who do EVIL."

NOW, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good?

BUT even if you suffer for doing what is RIGHT, God will REWARD you for it. 

So don’t WORRY or be afraid of their threats. 

Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your HOPE as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way.

Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a GOOD LIFE you live because you belong to Christ.  REMEMBER, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!

Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit."(NLT).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Do you really believe? - by Barry Bennett

Happy Sunday! 

It's a good day to have a good day!   Hope you are well and enjoying life.  You know I love to share lessons from Barry Bennett.  He always blesses me and gets me thinking.  What we BELIEVE and what we SAY are the foundation of our lives.  The Bible says, " DEATH and LIFE are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof."(Proverbs 18:21 KJV).   Hope this encourages you too!

Do you really believe? - by Barry Bennett

Do you really believe that God wants you to have an abundant life? (John 10:10)

Do you really believe that God rejoices in your prosperity? (Ps. 35:27)

Do you really believe that God wants you to have enough to provide for your family? (1 Tim. 5:8)

Do you really believe that you should have more than enough to send missionaries around the world? (Rom. 10:15)

Do you really believe that God has enough for you to pay your taxes? (Mt. 22:21)

Do you really believe that God wants to give you good things? (Mt. 7:11)

Do you really believe that God wants you to help the poor? (Prov. 19:17)

Do you really believe that righteousness brings increase to your life? (Ps. 84:11)

Do you really believe that God loves a cheerful giver and will multiply his seed sown? (2 Cor. 9:6-11)

Do you really believe that God wants your needs to be met? (Mt. 6:33)

Do you really believe that God wants to do exceeding, abundantly more than you ask or think according to the power that works in you? (Eph. 3:20)

Many MISS OUT on God’s abundance because they simply don’t believe that He is THAT GOOD! Rather than concentrating on the evil, lack and pain in the world, focus on God and His LIMITLESS provision. There is seed in your life that is waiting to multiply. Will you sow it? If Christians would sow God’s grace into the world there would be less evil, lack and pain.

Your words, thoughts, actions, talents and resources are seeds that can transform lives. Do you really believe it? - by Barry Bennett

Love and prayers, Cynthia

No Excuses

Happy Sunday!

"Since earliest times men have seen the earth and sky and all God made and have known of his existence and great eternal power. So, they will have NO EXCUSE when they stand before God at Judgment Day.  Yes, they KNEW about him all right, but they wouldn’t ADMIT it or WORSHIP him or even THANK him for all his daily care.  And after a while they began to think up silly ideas of what God was like and what he wanted them to do. The result was that their FOOLISH minds became dark and confused. Claiming themselves to be wise without God, they became utter fools instead. And then, instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they took wood and stone and made idols for themselves, carving them to look like mere birds and animals and snakes and puny men."(Romans 1:20-23, Living Bible).

Don't miss this!  Even the earth and sky declare that God is real, and that He should be given our worship and praise.  I love to attend worship services in person, and I know the Word instructs us "not forgetting to gather as a community, as some have forgotten, but encouraging each other, especially as the day of His return approaches."(Hebrews 10:25, Voice).  But I'm also so thankful that I can get the Word on radio, television, YouTube, Facebook, podcasts, CDs, DVDs, and so many other ways.  If I have question, I can Google it.  Everything we read on the Internet is not true, but so very much is.  If I'm reading something and don't understand a word, I can look it up.  I can also read another Bible translation to get a better understanding. 

Jesus described the Kingdom of Heaven as, "a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey."(Matthew 25:14-15, KJV).  Another translation says it this way, "It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left."(Message).  The first two servants were conscientious and managed the master's money well.  But the last servant, "the man who received the $1,000 dug a hole in the ground and hid the money for safekeeping."(Living Bible).  

You've heard the story before, the master rebuked the last servant and said, "You wicked and LAZY and idle servant! Then you should have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received what was my own with interest."(vs 26-27, Amplified). 

Don't be like that lazy servant.  Take advantage of every opportunity you have to manage, steward, and increase what God has given you.

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Worry Is Always Future

Happy Sunday!

I love to share messages from ministers that bless me.  The message is from Brother Bob Yandian and it's entitled, Worry Is Always Future".  I first heard Brother Bob in the 1990's.  A dear friend, Pat Smith shared a box of ministry cassette tapes with me.  Those tapes encouraged, strengthened, and exposed me to some of the greatest bible teachers past, and present. Of course, in our technological world you don't have to rely on cassette tapes.  You have the privilege of YouTube, Podcasts, Blogs, and so many other ways of getting the Word.  I hope you enjoy this one.

Worry is Always Future by Brother Bob Yandian

"And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?"(Exodus 17:3, NKJV).

The children of Israel had only been in the wilderness a few days when they came to a place where there was no water to drink. They began to complain to Moses, blaming the situation on him. They also decided that they had God’s plan all figured out. God had brought them to this spot to kill them!

Let’s examine the stupidity of this argument. The Israelites had been in captivity for four hundred years in Egypt. Despite the oppression, their population continued to increase. When Moses returned to Egypt to deliver the children of Israel, God protected them from ten plagues and death while the Egyptians suffered, and many died. God parted the Red Sea for them to travel across safely and even drowned the Egyptian army behind them. And God did all this to bring them to this one spot and kill them?

You have probably done the same thing. You have looked at your bills, your lack of food in the cupboard, and your overdue mortgage bill and cried, “I’m going to die right here!” Stop and think about what you have just said. God saved you many years ago, filled you with His Holy Spirit, healed your body, performed miracles for you and your family many times, and supplied all of your needs on more than one occasion. Has God done all these wonderful things in your life to bring you to this spot and watch you die?

When facing a tragedy or trial, it is easy to lose sight of all of God’s blessings that have brought us to this point. WORRY is always future. When you worry, you are saying that even though God has taken care of you every moment of every day, somehow tomorrow He will fail because His grace ran out today. But the truth is that the God Who has always taken care of you will not fail you tomorrow, next week, or next year. He will continue to walk with you and provide until Jesus comes.

David said, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Psalm 37:25). Why wait until you are old to look at God’s faithfulness in hindsight? Look forward now in faith and expectancy knowing that God will continue to provide for you and will never fail.

Yours in Jesus Christ, 

Brother Bob Yandian

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Don't Be Scared!

 Happy Sunday!

"They hated the heavenly Light because they wanted to sin in the darkness. They stayed away from that Light for fear their sins would be exposed and they would be punished. BUT those doing RIGHT come gladly to the Light to let everyone see that they are doing what God wants them to.”(John 3:20-21, Living Bible).

Even though I don't do scary movies, when I read this scripture I thought of the movie, Poltergeist and the phrase, "Carol Ann come to the light".  LOL!  I must have heard it somewhere, because I have never seen the movie.  I watched the clip from this portion of the movie today, and it was actually comical.  In the shadows, and in darkness there is fear and uncertainty.  But in the light there is understanding and clarity.  Have you ever laid in bed and thought you saw a figure in the room with you?  Then you turn on the light to see that it was just your coat hanging on the door.  I have.  I felt really silly for laying there in the dark contemplating what I would use to defend myself from the imagined intruder.

2 Timothy 1:7 tells us, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."(KJV).  God doesn't want us to live in fear.  No fear of the past, present, or future.  He wants us to know who we are in Christ, and that we have authority in the Name of Jesus. 

Hebrew 2:14-15 says, "Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it’s logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and FREED all who COWER through life, SCARED to death of death."(Message).  Don't miss this!  Jesus' perfect work fixed things!  We don't have to worry!  We don't have to fear!

OK, so you don't think this applies to you?  I know it does!  You don't have to fear starting your own business.  You don't have to fear moving to another city.    Your don't have to fear telling the truth.  You don't have to fear making a mistake.  Life goes on even after mistakes.  Each day comes with new mercies, and fresh opportunities.  Pastor Randy Morrison always says, "If you don't die, you are going to live".  Sounds so simple, and it is.  Decide to live.  Decide to make each day count.  Decide to live fearlessly.

Love and prayers, Cynthia