Unless the Lord Goes With Us....

Have you ever prepared yourself to travel and realized that something was missing?Nothing physical to touch.You couldn't put hands on it, but you knew something wasn't right, something was missing.

If you are a believer then you understand that God is always present, and we should never leave for any where without the presence of God. We must always pray without ceasing.

Moses was very adamant that he wanted God with them.

However, there was this one particular incident where Moses made it very clear that they were dependent on God.

"Then Moses said to him, 'If Your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.'" Exodus 33:15, it became clear that they were totally dependent on God.

Are you totally dependent on God? Do you invite Him in wherever you are? Do you realize how much you really need to be in his presence, to be in His way and not the way of the world? If not, please read what the author wrote below and then apply the word of God to you life.

Also, once you and I allow God to so fill us with Himself, our lives will no longer be the same. Please trust Him today with all that you have.

Happy reading...

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Unless the Lord Goes With Us
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Saturday, September 11 2010

"Then Moses said to him, 'If Your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.'" Exodus 33:15

Moses was in the middle of his journey through the wilderness, leading the people of Israel out of Egypt. The people had just sinned by worshiping the golden calf. Moses interceded for them and God spared them their lives. Moses then talked one on one with the Lord. He knew he could not lead this stubborn people without God's presence. He had come to realize that without God's presence, he could not do anything. How will anyone know that You are pleased with me and with Your people unless You go with us? What else will distinguish me and Your people from all the other people on the face of the earth? (Exodus 33:16)

Moses did not want to move farther without the assurance that God was moving with him. He knew it was a life-and-death situation. He sought the Lord with his whole heart on this one matter.

The question is a good one. If we are to be effective in anything we do for the Lord, the Lord must be in the midst of it. Unless the Lord's power is seen among us, we will be just another person who has religion. Unless we manifest His life to others, they will see only good behavior that is easily counterfeited by moral people. Moving out in presumption will end in failure and frustration. Ask the Lord today to assure you of His presence and power in your activities. Then you will be assured that you will be distinguished among all the other people on the face of the earth.

Jesus is Truly The Only Way.....Only...

I would like to pause here and ask you a few questions. If you were told today that you were going to die do you know where you would spend eternity? Have you ever invited Jesus to come into your heart and forgive you for your sins? If not I would like to lead you to My Savior today, because this is the only way to conquer sin in your life, and live victoriously.

Here is how:

Principle One: God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.

God created you. Not only that, he loves you so much that he wants you to know him now and spend eternity with him. Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."

Jesus came so that each of us could know and understand God in a personal way. Jesus alone can bring meaning and purpose to life.
What keeps us from knowing God? ...

Principle Two: All of us sin and our sin has separated us from God.

We sense that separation, that distance from God because of our sin. The Bible tells us that "All of us like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way.
Deep down, our attitude may be one of active rebellion or passive indifference toward God and his ways, but it's all evidence of what the Bible calls sin.
The result of sin in our lives is death -- spiritual separation from God.3 Although we may try to get close to God through our own effort, we inevitably fail.
Listen, good efforts are insufficient. No man is good, except Jesus Christ

Again, Sin separates us from God...

How can we bridge this gulf?...

Principle Three: Jesus Christ is God's only provision for our sin.

Through him we can know and experience God's love and plan for our life.
We deserve to pay for our own sin. The problem is, the payment is death. So that we would not have to die separated from God, out of his love for us, Jesus Christ died in our place. On the cross, Jesus took all of our sin on himself and completely, fully paid for it. "For Christ also died for sins...the just for the unjust, so that he might bring us to God."4 "...he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy."5 Because of Jesus' death on the cross, our sin doesn't have to separate us from God any longer.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."6

Jesus not only died for our sin, he rose from the dead.7 When he did, he proved beyond doubt that he can rightfully promise eternal life -- that he is the Son of God and the only means by which we can know God. That is why Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one can come to the Father except through me."8

Instead of trying harder to reach God, he tells us how we can begin a relationship with him right now. Jesus says, "Come to me." "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me... out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."9 It was Jesus' love for us that caused him to endure the cross. And he now invites us to come to him, that we might begin a personal relationship with God.
Just knowing what Jesus has done for us and what he is offering us is not enough. To have a relationship with God, we need to welcome him into our life...

Principle Four: We must individually accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

The Bible says, "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."10
We accept Jesus by faith. The Bible says, "God saved you by his special favour when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it."11
Accepting Jesus means believing that Jesus is the Son of God, who he claimed to be, then inviting him to guide and direct our lives.12 Jesus said, "I came that you might have life, and have it more abundantly."13
And here is Jesus' invitation. He said, "I'm standing at the door and I'm knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in."14
How will you respond to God's invitation?


Begin a relationship with Jesus...

You can receive Christ right now. Remember that Jesus says, "I'm standing at the door and I'm knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in."15 Would you like to respond to his invitation? Here's how.
The precise words you use to commit yourself to God are not important. He knows the intentions of your heart. If you are unsure of what to pray, this might help you put it into words:
"Jesus, I want to know you. I want you to come into my life. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin so that I could be fully accepted by you. Only you can give me the power to change and become the person you created me to be. Thank you for forgiving me and giving me eternal life with God. I give my life to you. Please do with it as you wish. Amen."
If you sincerely asked Jesus into your life just now, then he has come into your life as he promised. You have begun a personal relationship with God.
What follows is a lifelong journey of change and growth as you get to know God better through Bible reading, prayer and interaction with other Christians.

http://ijnministries.us.com/ Just click on the link or call the number shown for more information... or call 770-599-1068.

(1) John 3:16 (2) Isaiah 53:6 (3) Romans 6:23 (4) 1Peter 3:18 (5) Titus 3:5 (6) John 3:16 (7) 1 Corinthians 15:3-6 (8) John 14:6 (9) John 7:37,38 (10) John 1:12 (11) Ephesians 2:8,9 (12) John 3:1-8 (13) John 10:10 (14) Revelation 3:20 (15) Revelation 3:20.

Never....

This is a lesson to be learned and carried out...

As a writer once you compromise your thoughts, you become a candidate to mediocracy. In others words, never compromise your thoughts..

Another lesson learned...

Happy reading...,

Fear Not...

Most of us have been afraid at one time or another in our lives. We can always find the definition of fear, but do we really understand it? Many of us have fears that we don't know about and once discovered, it can seem so overwhelming.

The wonderful thing about God is this; He understands and knows all of our fears even though we don’t. And the more time we spend with Him the more he will reveal to us about us.

You see God always prepares His Children for the expected and the un-expected.

Below you will see a definition of fear and below that you will see another great reading by and from Os Hillman.

Today, have a closer walk with Jesus. Tell all about your fears and problems. Trust Him with every fiber of your being.

Happy reading,

From The Advisor,

Fear:
An aversion to a person, place, activity, event, or object that causes emotional distress and often avoidance behavior.
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Fear Not!TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman Monday, November 29 2010



"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7
God calls each of us to engage in spiritual warfare at times. Whenever satan wants to come against one of God's children, he does so by trying to intimidate through fear. Goliath's formidable size and arrogant boasting intimidated Saul and Israel's army. And because God's anointing had fallen from Saul, he was unable to respond with courage to Goliath's charge. Fear paralyzes and torments. That is why Saul could not respond.
The anointing had fallen on David, who was just a young boy, but mighty in spirit. David did not cower at the size or shouts of the giant Goliath. He saw Goliath through the eyes of God, who saw him as a mere speck. David had righteous indignation for an affront to the armies of the living God.
David did not weigh the risk of failure because his faith was resting totally in God. That is another important factor in overcoming fear-complete trust in God. When the Lord began training me to confront fear, the training grounds were a groundless lawsuit, intimidations, and calamity that confronted my very existence. Learning that these were merely tactics of the enemy, designed to instill fear, allowed me to stand firm in God's power to overcome.
Do not fear sudden calamity if you are walking uprightly before God. It may be setting the stage for a great victory that will bring praise and honor to your heavenly Father. These battles are training grounds for greater victories to come.

Freedom and Boundaries

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Friday, November 26 2010

"Now the serpent was craftier than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God really say, "You must not eat from any tree in the garden"?'" - Genesis 3:1

God is big on giving man freedom and boundaries-freedom to manage what He has entrusted to us, boundaries to protect us from evil. The boundaries in the Garden of Eden were not set for the purpose of limiting Adam. Man got into trouble when he questioned those boundaries. God had provided everything he would need for life. He also entrusted man with responsibility to manage and work the Garden. God gave him freedom in that responsibility. God knows we were made to express ourselves creatively through our work.

Each of us must have freedom and boundaries in our work life. Whenever you are hired for a job, you must have the freedom to make certain decisions. You must have the authority to manage things within your area of expertise. You must also have limits within your area of responsibility. You need to know where those limits are and stay within them. Both freedom and boundaries are always under the umbrella of God's authority and our authorities at work.

Jesus understood these boundaries. When He was tempted for 40 days by the devil after being baptized, He was challenged by Satan to go outside His freedom and boundaries. (See Matthew 4:1-11.) Satan said that He had the power to turn a stone into bread. Jesus was hungry and easily could have justified using His power to feed Himself. However, Jesus understood He could do nothing outside the boundaries of God's will for His life. It was God's will for Jesus to be tempted and to withstand the temptation. God was showing His Son that "man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Mt. 4:4b).

You and I are tempted every day to go beyond our God-ordained boundaries. Whether it is solving financial problems that have arisen through debt, making wrong decisions due to pressure, or manipulating someone in order to achieve our ends, it all represents rebellion toward God.

Ask God to show you His freedom and boundaries for your life. These are meant to enhance your life, not hinder it.

Being In Love…?

When you fall in love, it is like a temporary madness. It erupts like an Earth Quake and then it subsides.

And when it subsides you have to make a decision.

You have to work out whether your roots have become so Entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part, because this is what love is…

Love is not breathless; it is not Excitement; it is not a desire to mate every second of the day…

It is not lying awake at night imagining that he or she kisses every part of your body.

No. I tell you some truths.

Love is just being in love, which any of us can convince each of ourselves we are.

Love itself is left when being in love is over…When being in love has burned away.

Doesn’t sound very exciting does it…? But it is…

What do you think?

Happy reading....

paintful love

Check Under the Hood

TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Wednesday, November 24 2010

"But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips." - Colossians 3:8

"The root issue you are dealing with is fear. The physical symptom is control, and when you cannot control, you get angry because of unmet expectations." These were the words I spoke during a conversation in a restaurant to my friend who was separated from his wife. He described his anger and how he never saw some of these characteristics in his life until he entered this marriage.

A friend once said to me, "Anger is like the lights on a dashboard. They tell you something is going on under the hood. You must find out the source of the problem." Whenever we have expectations of another person and those expectations do not materialize, our tendency is to get angry. The source of the anger is often the fear that the unmet expectation will negatively impact us. We fear that our finances, our well-being, our image, or any number of things may be impacted by the unmet expectation. My friend's wife had not met his expectations in many areas of his life, so then, many times it resulted in harsh words that damaged his wife's self-esteem. Now, it was leading to a marriage crisis.

Jesus often spoke of living as though we were dead. How can you live as though you are dead? "In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 6:11). It is a choice each of us must make. Once you become dead to that which stirs an emotion in you, God is free to change that situation. Until then, you can expect God to allow that situation to remain until you reckon yourself dead to the effects of the issue that causes you to struggle.

Is there something that causes anger within you? Ask God what the source of that anger is. You might be surprised at what you find. Then ask God to give you the grace to reckon yourself dead to that issue. You will find new freedom in your relationships and your own peace of mind.

Happy Reading...

Don't be stressed...

Life is too short to stress yourself with anyone who don't even deserve to be an issue in your life...

We must learn how to say enough and move on without feeling guilty.


Happy reading...

Remember this...Never let this escape...

Someone who doesn't except you at your worst, has no right to be with you at your best...


Happy reading...

Very True.........

Courage ~n~ Fear

Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the presence of fear, yet the will to go on.

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Have you ever wondered why?

Have you ever wondered why some women dress a certain way to attract men?

"Some dress a certain way to flaunt this to hide that. They bleed because they are desperarte to sell what men buy, desperate to be what they are not just to be loved or noticed.

Sometimes our focus on others is a distraction from our own fear of abandonment, our own emptiness, loneness, our own life. If you want to be a healer, then heal yourself first".

This is just a thought......Now what do you think?


Happy reading...

Four things you cannot recover!!!

1 - The Stone .....................After it is thrown

2 - The Word .....................After it is spoken

3 - The Occasion .............After it's missed

4 - The Time .....................After it's gone


Always be careful what you throw, what you say.
Guard your occasions, and watch you time.

Love you,

A letter to a friend...

Somewhere Within




Somewhere Within we all have closets where we hide our most intimate thoughts, wishes and desires. And also in these closets we hide our greatest nightmares as a result of our past.

Somewhere within we become embarrassed of our past because of the decisions we’ve made. We sit in silence, reminiscing, visualizing with an aching heart wishing we could change some of the things we have done.

We punish ourselves by looking back grimacing with hurt. However we fail to realize that the past we cannot change, and yes many times our past will sometimes come back to haunt us, but when we realize what God has done through his son Jesus, then we will understand the true meaning of forgiveness. {However there is a process to understand this}.

There are so many reasons why individuals commit adultery, {have affairs}, {Cheat} etc.

One reason is because of insecurity, the need to be loved, the need to feel important, low self-esteem, confused, loneliness, desire and lust. Only you know your reason, or maybe what you thought your reasons were, are not those reasons at all.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof can sometimes end in death of life, death of relationships, and death of hope. But God has always been a forgiving God. Once we come to him in a sincere manner and ask for forgiveness, then we are forgiven. Any guilt remaining comes from the devil, and you. Again {there is a process to understand this}.

Before you were ever conceived God knew the type of person {you} would be.

Have you ever looked Somewhere Within? Deeply within! Have you ever wondered why {you} make the decisions you make and have made? Have {you} ever wondered why {you} continue to invite or allow the same types of people into your life? Have {you} ever wondered why after a period we seek change, and grow tire of certain people {you} allow to come in? Have you? Do you find yourself going back to the types of individuals? Have you asked yourself why?

Somewhere Within there is the real you crying to be unveiled, desiring to be Awaken by the Dawn. Wanting to come home to reality, by removing all of the dead skeletons in our closets!

Somewhere Within we cry and no one sees, Somewhere Within we hurt and no one feels the pain except {you}, Somewhere Within we yell out for help, but no one hears. But wait – God does. His hand is extended towards you. Reach out and grabs His hand and let Him lead you to his secret place, so that there you can dwell, and hide under the shadow of The Almighty. {There is a process to understand this}

Somewhere Within we must clean out our closets and let God have His way, where we no longer hold our heads down because of shame, but we can lift our heads up because God has forgiven us.

Forget those things which are behind and reach forth to those things which are before, and press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Lastly {There is a process to understand this} If you really want to know… ask.

So often we live in a fake status. We try so hard to present ourselves as someone we are not. However, when it is all said and done, and when we peel back the banana then and only then do we see the real person that we really are. Aren’t you tired of pretending, are you sick and tired of being sick and tired, do you not desire to be real and honest with yourself? Then search somewhere deep within and be open and honest with yourself and let God help you to be the person He desires.

Somewhere within let today be the last walk with the old you, and let the new you come out.


Sincerely,

Happy reading…

"Your Time" by Joe Bongiorno

"The Subtle Touch" by Joe Bongiorno