For The Christian Heart, Life & Living Victoriously

A Book For The Christian Heart & Life

Spiritual Nutrition

Healthy Eating for the Christian Heart, Spiritual Nutrition focuses on the development of healthy spiritual habits by identifying five core spiritual nutrients and comparing them to their physical counterparts:

•Prayer is like water-vital for life and essential for survival.
•Bible study is like protein necessary for growth.
•Christian fellowship is like carbohydrates-gives us energy.
•Worship is like healthy fats-helps keep our hearts healthy.
•Thinking on good things is like vitamins-necessary for helping the other nutrients work effectively.

"Ask ... Seek ... Knock ..."

Luke 11:1-13
"Ask ... seek ... knock ... " (Luke 11:9) - Jesus is calling us to pray. " ... how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him" (Luke 11:13) God answers prayer. The Holy Spirit is God's answer. God is good. God is love. This is Jesus' teaching. This is the teaching which encourages us to ask, seek and knock. God is good. God is love. This is the teaching which gives us the assurance that God is waiting for us to come to Him. God is good. God is love. This is the teaching that assures us that God wants to bless us. God is good. God is love. This is the teaching that calls us to prayer. We ask the Lord to reveal Himself to us. He is the God who loves us. We seek the Lord's presence. We pray that He will come to us with His blessing. We knock on the door of God's heart. We pray that He will open His heart to us. We pray the He will pour upon us a superabundant blessing. The Lord loves to hear and answer the prayers of those who long to know Him and serve Him. He answers our prayers by pointing us to Jesus, His Son, our Saviour.

"You May Not Be A Moses Or A Joshua ... "

Worldly people create problems (Exodus 17:3). Moses asks, ‘What shall I do...?’ (Exodus 17:4). Indecision asks, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’ (Exodus 17:7). He gives victory (Exodus 17:8-9, 13). Joshua is being equipped for special service - ‘in the ears of Joshua’ (Exodus 17:14). God’s great concern is that His people move forward together. The work is not to be left to the few (Exodus 18:18). God is looking to faithful servants who will ‘bear the burden’ together (Exodus 18:21-22). There is much to be done, but we must never forget this: ‘prayer and the ministry of the Word’ (Acts 6:1-4). You may not be a Moses or a Joshua, but you can play your part. We rejoice in who God is and what He has done for us. Assured of His presence with us, let us worship Him: ‘Blessed be the Lord...’ (Exodus 18:10-11).

"Look to the Lord ... "

Look to the Lord for help. Pray that the Lord's Name will be glorified.

Preaching, Prayer And The Power Of The Holy Spirit

'Pray ... for me, that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel' (Eph. 6:18-19). There is no true boldness in preaching without the prayers of faithful man and women who call upon God on behalf of the preacher. With the supporting prayers of God’s people, the preacher goes into the pulpit. Through the continuing witness of God’s people, the preached word goes beyond the pulpit into the world. The preacher is one among many within the fellowship of the Lord’s people. His minstry is significant, but so also is the ministry exercised by others. As we consider the relationship between the pastor and the people we must never forget that the spark which gets the fire going is the power of the Holy Spirit. If there is to be a fire lit in our day, it will not be the work of man but the mighty working of the Spirit. In all the works of ministry - the ministry of the preacher and the ministry of the people - there is something we must never forget: 'We are servants of the word and not its masters ... Not only are we servants of the word ... we are unprofitable servants.'
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This post is an excerpt from my article on The Use of the Bible in Evangelical Preaching Today.

May Our Preaching Be The Spark Which Sets The Church On Fire For Christ.

The method of preaching will vary from sermon to sermon, from one series of sermons to another. The manner in which we preach remains constant. It is to be preaching grounded in the Scriptures, centred on Christ and empowered by the Spirit. Such preaching has relevance, not only for the Church but also for the world. The gospel cannot be kept within the ‘four walls’ of the Church. Paul described the gospel in this way - ‘The gospel for which I am suffering and wearing chains like a criminal’. He then went on to say, ‘But the word of God is not fettered’ (2 Tim. 2:9). Sometimes, the preacher will feel like Paul - imprisoned within his circumstances. He may feel imprisoned within a clerical strait-jacket. He may feel imprisoned within the limitations of being only one man, able to do so much and no more. Like Paul, however, the preacher can lift up his eyes to the Word of God which is able to break free from such imprisoning limitations. When the Word of God is preached, it is not simply a proclamation by one man within the ‘four walls’ of the Church. It is a proclamation which reaches out into the world. It is carried by the hearers into their life-situations. This fact encourages the preacher to believe that his message preached may be just the spark which gets a fire going. His preaching may be just the spark which sets the Church on fire with a real desire to pass on the good news of Christ’s love to the needy world. The possibility of being the spark which lights a fire gives the preacher greater boldness. It assures him that his preaching is not as insignificant and ineffective as he may sometimes feel. There is, however, a humbling factor here. The preacher receives boldness in answer to the prayers of God’s people. 'Pray ... for me, that utterance may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel' (Eph. 6:18-19).

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This post is an excerpt from my article on The Use of the Bible in Evangelical Preaching Today.

May God Help Us To Follow Jesus.

Mark 14:26-52
After ‘they had sung a hymn’(26), Peter showed that there was a great deal of ‘self’ in him (29). All of us can be like this - ‘they all said the same’(31). We attend Communion (22-24), we sing hymns (26) - yet still the wrong attitudes persist! We ‘enjoy’ praise, prayer, and preaching - Remember: God is concerned with the whole of life, not just the ‘spiritual’ activities! Christ looked ahead to the Cross - ‘the hour’, ‘this cup’(35-36). He was far removed from an ‘enjoyable atmosphere’ within which prayer is ‘easy’. Sorely tempted, He prayed, ‘not what I will but what You will’(36). This was no easy road - the ‘betrayer’ was waiting for Him (42). It was a lonely road - ‘they all forsook Him, and fled’(50). ‘The gate is narrow, the way is hard’(Matthew 7:14). May God help us to follow Jesus.
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

We Can Exercise Christ's Authority - If We Are Learning To Love Him!

Mark 11:1-33
Here we learn of the authority of Christ. Calling the ‘colt’ into His service, He says, with authority, ‘The Lord has need of it’(3). With authority, He speaks to the fig tree (14) - a ‘visual aid’ of His teaching: ‘Every branch of Mine that bears no fruit, He takes away’(John 15:2). In the temple, He speaks with authority, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer...’(17). He speaks of authority in prayer: ‘whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours’(24). The religious leaders did not understand Jesus (27-33). Why? - They didn’t love Him. We can experience His authority: His Word spoken to us ‘in power...’(1 Thessalonians 1:5). We can exercise His authority: Through prayer, setting His Word free to do His mighty work (Ephesians 6: 18-20) - if we are learning to love Him!
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Less Self-Confidence And More Confidence In God

Mark 9:14-50
‘Our God is able’(Daniel 3:17). Do we believe this? There is no doubt about God’s power. What about our faith? We come to Jesus, saying, ‘If you can’. Jesus turns things around: ‘If you can! All things are possible to him who believes’(22-23). This is not so much an appeal for positive thinking. It is a call to prayer (29). Less self-confidence and more confidence in God - This is what we need. God’s greatness is more important than our ‘greatness’(33-35). Are there things that you don’t understand? Don’t be afraid to ask (32). You may even learn from those who ‘don’t belong to our group’(38-40). They don’t belong to our group? So what? Do they belong to Christ? That’s what matters. ‘It is better’(43,45,47) to be Christ’s - than anything else! May our faith, though ‘tested by fire’, grow strong - to God’s glory (49-50; 1 Peter 1: 6-7).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Prayer Time Is Not Wasted Time.

Mark 1:21-2:12
Great things were happening. God was moving in power. In all this, we could easily overlook something very important: Jesus prayed (35). He made time for prayer. This was not wasted time. This was time well spent. Jesus was mighty before men - the power of God was flowing freely. Jesus knew where the power comes from - He was humble before God. We long for this - ‘they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”’(12). We must pray in faith, bringing people before the Lord, convinced that such prayer ‘is powerful and effective’(2:5; James 5:16). “If my people... pray..., I will... forgive their sin and heal their land’(2 Chronicles 7:14). “O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee. Send a revival. Start the work in me. Thy Word declares Thou wilt supply our need. For blessing now, O Lord, I humbly plead' (Mission Praise, 587).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Let Us Go Up To God And Bring Down All That Is Needed To Build Up The Body Of Christ.

Exodus 32:15-33:23
In Moses, we see the holiness and love of God: a deep hatred of sin (32:19), an intense longing for sinners to be forgiven (32). Filled with ‘the fear of the Lord’, Moses was fearless before men. God’s Word to sinners is clear: He warns them (Proverbs 29:1); He calls them to repent (Acts 2:38); He invites them to return to Him (Hosea 6:1). Moses’ faithful and fearless preaching emerged from his closeness to God: ‘The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend’(11). Moses prayed; God heard; God answered (33:17). Moses prayed for a revelation of God’s glory (33:18). God revealed Himself as the good God, the God of grace and mercy (32:19). Let us go up to God and bring down all that is needed to build the Body of Christ that God may take pleasure in it and that He may appear in His glory (Haggai 1:8).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

May God Help Us To Say, ‘All That The Lord Has Spoken We Will Do.’

Exodus 17:1-18:27
Worldly people create problems (17:3). Moses asks, ‘What shall I do...?’(17:4). Indecision asks, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’(17:7). He gives victory (17:8-9,13). Joshua is being equipped for special service - ‘in the ears of Joshua’(17:14). God’s great concern is that His people move forward together. The work is not to be left to the few (18). God is looking to faithful servants who will ‘bear the burden’ together (21-22). There is much to be done, but we must never forget this: ‘prayer and the ministry of the Word’(Acts 6:1-4). You may not be a Moses or a Joshua, but you can play your part. We rejoice in who God is and what He has done for us. Assured of His presence with us, let us worship Him: ‘Blessed be the Lord...’(18:10-11).

Exodus 19:1-25
Before law, there is Gospel - what God has done for us (4). We are to obey in the Spirit of grace, as those who have been redeemed by His mercy (5-6; 1 Peter 2:9-10). God’s Word is not only for the leader. It is for the whole people of God (3,7,9,11). God speaks to us concerning possession, consecration and reverence. Possession- We are His 'own possession' (5). In love, He has claimed us for Himself. We belong to Him. Consecration- God is holy. We are to be holy (10,14; 1 Peter 1:15-16). Reverence- Don’t rush into God’s presence, presuming on His blessing. We must not take God’s blessing for granted. That would be arrogance (21-22). We must come to Him with this humble confidence: God will bless those who truly call upon Him (2 Chronicles 7:14-16). May God help us to say, ‘All that the Lord has spoken we will do’(8).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Don't Forget God’s Love - He Is Faithful: ‘He Didn’t Bring Us This Far To Leave Us.’

Exodus 15:1-21
This is a song of redemption- God has redeemed His people; a song of thanksgiving- we give thanks for God's redemption; and a song of hope- we look forward to the complete fulfilment of God's redemption. This is not only a ‘song of God’s people’. It is also the song of Moses, a personal song. This is worship - not a mere formality, but worship which arises from the depths of Moses’ heart. Deeply moved by the grace and glory of God, Moses pours his heart out to God in worship: (i) He praises the God of grace - ‘my strength... my song... my salvation’(2). (ii) He praises the God of glory - God triumphs ‘gloriously’(1). His ‘glorious’ power is demonstrated in His ‘glorious’ deeds (6,11). (iii) Worshipping this God of grace - the redeeming God (13) - and glory - the reigning God (18) - , we say, ‘You are my God, and I will praise You’(Psalm 118:28). Let us worship God - personally as well as publicly.

Exodus 15:22-16:36
God allows His people to suffer difficulties. Why? - To strengthen our faith (15:25; 16:4; Deuteronomy 8:2,16; 1 Peter 1:6-7). He chastens us, to teach us repentance (Revelation 3:19). Don't forget God’s love. He is faithful: ‘He didn’t bring us this far to leave us’. He shows us His glory (7). He assures us that He is God (12). He provides us with ‘daily bread’(4). Yesterday’s ‘bread’ is insufficient for today’s challenges (19-20). ‘Morning by morning’, the ‘bread’ is to be gathered (21; Lamentations 3:22-23). Jesus is the Living Bread (John 6:32-35,48-51). Feed on Him each day. Don’t invite spiritual starvation by missing days. If you miss some days, don’t let it continue. Remember: ‘Seven days without prayer makes one weak’! ‘How long has it been since you talked with the Lord?’Too long? It is time to pray and feed on Jesus!
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

House Of Prayer

Come visit The Prayer Ministry, pray for the needs of others around the world, or post your own prayer requests.

The Prayer Ministry

"Believe In The Lord Jesus, And You Will Be Saved."

2 Thessalonians 1:1-2:12
For ‘all those who have believed’, ‘the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ’ will be a great Day, the Day of celebration, the Day of our salvation, the Day of ‘our being gathered to Him’(2:1; 1:10). ‘When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven’, it will be a Day of judgment for ‘those who do not know God and do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus’(1:7-8). The Word of God is very clear about God’s purpose of salvation: ‘God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him’. ‘The Lord does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance’. ‘God wants all people to be saved’(John 3:17; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4). You can say ‘No’ to Christ - and perish. Say “Yes’to Him - ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved’(2:10; John 3:18; Acts 16:31).

2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:18
Paul prayed for the Thessalonians and he asked them to pray for him. He prayed that God would ‘comfort their hearts and establish them in every good work and word’(2:16-17). He prayed that they would enjoy peace: ‘Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in all ways’(3:16). He asked them to pray for his ministry - ‘pray for us, that the Word of the Lord may speed on and triumph among you’(1). Paul was writing to the Thessalonians, ‘You keep on praying for us and we’ll keep on praying for you’. We must not forget each other. We must remember each other - in prayer. Far too often, we forget. It becomes a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. We’re not to live in the past. We are to keep on praying for those who belong to our past. Don’t forget to remember!

Thought For The Day - "God Is Able ... "

God is able to do so much more than we can ask for. Be bold. Pray that God will send revival in our time.

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This thought is taken from

Isaiah 24:1-23

'They raise their voices, they shout for joy; from the west they acclaim the Lord's majesty. Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord, exalt the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea. From the ends of the earth we hear singing: "Glory to the Righteous One"' (14-16). What a beautiful picture of a land that is enjoying God's blessing, praising Him and giving glory to Him! Looking around us, we see a very different picture - 'The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws... therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt' (5-6). Can the dark picture of sin and guilt be turned into the brighter picture of salvation and rejoicing? God 'is able to do so much more than we can ask for, or even imagine' (Ephesians 3:20). Be bold. Pray that God will send revival in our time.

Wait For God

Worshipping God and working for Him, we await the Day of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 2:2). We wait upon the Lord and we renew our strength (Isaiah 40:31).
Paul prayed for the Thessalonians and he asked them to pray for him. He prayed that God would ‘comfort their hearts and establish them in every good work and word’(2 Thessalonians 2:16-17). He prayed that they would enjoy peace: ‘Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in all ways’(2 Thessalonians 3:16). He asked them to pray for his ministry: ‘pray for us, that the Word of the Lord may speed on and triumph among you’(2 Thessalonians 3:1). Paul was writing to the Thessalonians, ‘You keep on praying for us and we’ll keep on praying for you’.
Far too often, we forget. It becomes a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. We must not forget each other. We are to keep on praying for those who belong to our past. We must remember each other - in prayer. Don’t forget to remember!We’re not to live in the past. We are travelling towards the future – God’s future. God’s future: That’s the reason we keep on praying for those who belong to our past. We pray that their future will be filled with His blessing- filled with the comfort of the Gospel, filled with the peace of God and filled with the triumph of His grace.
We await the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him (2 Thessalonians 2:1). As we await the of God’s eternal Kingdom, may we grow strong in the firm conviction that He is not the God of the dead, but of the living (Luke 20:38).

Living In God's Favor

It's that time! A time where I just give Glory to God, and give witness to His favor and blessings. You see times are hard. In fact for many around the world and yes even here in the US, times are hard. We have also encounter the financial crunch, high utility bills, high pump prices, layoffs and all those economic things that can make life difficult.

However I must share that in the midst of some potential great storms. God has covered us with His love, His faithfulness, His favor, His blessings and with loving and wonderful friends in Christ. We are blessed, thankful and yes, even in awe.

May the love and favor of God be poured out upon your life as you seek Him, worship Him, and lift your needs up to Him in prayer.

Blessings, in Christ
In His Glorious Name Ministries Online

Christ Continually Makes Intercession For Us

Be Secure Knowing
We can live secure, trusting in faith, and knowing that we have a Great High Priest that makes continual intercession for us
Christ's priestly office consists of these two parts
(1) the offering up of himself as a sacrifice, and
(2) making continual intercession for us.
When on earth he made intercession for his people (Luk 23:34; Jhn 17:20; Hbr 5:7); but now he exercises this function of his priesthood in heaven, where he is said to appear in the presence of God for us (Hbr 9:12,24).

His advocacy with the Father for his people rests on the basis of his own all-perfect sacrifice. Thus he pleads for and obtains the fulfilment of all the promises of the everlasting covenant (1Jo 2:1; Jhn 17:24; Hbr 7:25). He can be "touched with the feeling of our infirmities," and is both a merciful and a faithful high priest (Hbr 2:17,18; 4:15,16). This intercession is an essential part of his mediatorial work. Through him we have "access" to the Father (Jhn 14:6; Eph 2:18; 3:12).

"The communion of his people with the Father will ever be sustained through him as mediatorial Priest" (Psa 110:4; Rev 7:17).

Blessings, in Christ
In His Glorious Name Ministries