Quote's R us!

I am starting a series of post with Quotes that I love and that have had an impact on my life! So are you ready for Quotes R US 5 day series!.....The true follower of Christ will not ask, "If I embrace this truth, what will it cost me?" Rather he will say, "This is truth. God help me to walk in it, let come what may!"

What women WANT!

I Corinthians 13 4-7 says “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.5 It is not rude, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs.6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” That is the true definition of Love! I would like to speak to just the women today! Men you can also learn some things from these verses and hopefully from this posts! Women you are beautiful, you were made by God and everything he makes is beautiful! Women you do not have to settle for a self righteous, egotistical, disrespectful man who just wants to get in your pants! Yes I went there so get over it!! Women REAL MEN are hard to find however they are out their! I know you think I want a man who will just treat me with respect and LISTEN for a change! That is what most woman want but you also need to look for qualities and integrity! He should be patient with you, kind to you, not proud of himself! (More than likely if he is all about him you want be able to change that!) He should never be rude or easily lose his temper with you! (If you notice this kind of behavior run at first sight and never look back!) You should feel protected, trusted, and pursued by him! If he says he’s going to do something and does it that is what I call great integrity! Ok now that most men are pissed at me I will just keep writing! Women do not settle for just any man God has created a special man for you! I want you to know you are BEAUTIFUL! The world will tell you many lies and that you’re ugly may be one of them! Or maybe you feel fat and the world tells you if you look like the AIRBRUSHED FAKE MODELS you see on the cover of magazines and on TV with 20 pounds of make up on and fake lips, breast, etc…. The list could go on and on! Just know you were created by a PERFECT GOD and he makes no mistakes! Be yourself and Love will be closer than you think!!! Remember Men are Jerks! Ok not all but in my opinion most! No APOLOGIES Jason!!!

Shocked but Blessed!

Hello and I hope your morning is going great! I had a heck of a day yesterday and I want to talk about it this morning! I work in Manufacturing at Bosch which supplies parts for the big 3... yeah you automatically think slow work because their aren't anyone buying cars! Yesterday I went in to work and as soon as I clocked in my boss walked up with a sad look on his face and said walk with me! He then went on to tell me everything about the business and then he said today will be your last day! So it hit hard, I'm let go without any warning as so many have been all over this nation! I have to admit walking around and saying my good bye's was very hard! Then the ride home was full of weeping! It happened so fast! I have 2 kids and a wife and now no job! But I am in peace about the whole situation! On the way home I was listening to Hillsong "fall at your feet" and it was so awesome the peace that came over me! Then I began to inform my family and group of friends about my job loss and the support I have is unbelievable! Then last night a lady I love so much as a friend and one of my leaders in the children's ministry at church reminded me of Philippians 4:6 and wow that rocked me to the core! You know I realize times are tough for everyone and I pray that Jesus comforts those who have lost jobs! You see Jesus Christ said he would never leave nor forsake those who trust and believe in him! To all those out there wondering where to find answers JESUS. To those out there who are hurting and depressed you will find healing in JESUS. For all those out there jobless and fill like giving up turn to the one that created you JESUS. For all those out there looking for Love, Trust, Hope, and most of all a relationship that will never die turn to JESUS! Now for a prayer in closing "Dear Lord Jesus first I say Thank You for being my lord and my saviour. Father I pray for those who have lost jobs, I pray for those folks out there who feel like giving up on life that you would reach down and draw them to you. Jesus thank you for everything you have did for me and everything you are going to do. Give me wisdom and knowledge to continue to minister to the lost! Draw people to you and use your people to reach those who feel unreachable! Thank You for giving me life. In the name of Jesus I ask all things AMEN!

Danger

When things are going your way watch out! You may be living in the danger zone. For many churches and spiritual leaders when we live in comfort we may actually be in more danger than when we live in a time of crisis. Comfort subtly seeks up and robs churches and pastors of their vision and passion. When all the bills are paid, and the people are getting along it is easy to fall asleep at the wheel like a drowsy driver on a long straight stretch of “driving in place” across the Panhandle of Texas. Crisis creates urgency, passion and at times panic, but comfort lures people into complacency, simply going through the motions.
Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill in Seattle, warns about the dangers of comfort in his book Confessions of a Reformission Rev. He diagnoses the dangers of comfort in a very direct and disturbing way for many of us who find ourselves going through the motions in ministry.
“The comfort zone is the place a church commonly falls into once they learn how to survive…At this point, the propensity is for the church to settle in, accept its size, and slip into a mode of maintenance. At some point, the people will move away or die, others will get bored, and slowly the church will begin a cycle of decline unless it intentionally reinvents itself missionally to continue to grow by taking risks in an effort to reach lost people for Jesus.”
Sadly, this appears to be the place that most churches in America find themselves. Awash in a sea of people, churches have become closer to country clubs than hospitals, and slipped into the comfort zone. Statistics bear out this reality in harsh numbers that report that 70-90% of churches in America are either on a plateau or declining. Frank Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention, recently confessed he believed that most of the SBC church will die a slow death over the next twenty years—dying of “cancer of the comfort”.
Where did the fire go? Do we need a spiritual awakening in the pew or in the pulpit? Are we the proverbial frog in the kettle that has been slowly cooked by our changing culture environment?
Jesus and Paul stand out as clear biblical examples of leaders who had an unquenchable spirit about reaching people and changing the world. Even when Jesus had the “whole city at the door” he was not satisfied to stay put and establish his own version of a mega-church, but rather slipped away unannounced to touch the surrounding villages—because “that is why I have come.” In similar fashion Paul was relentless in his pursuit of people for the sake of the Kingdom. Paul noted to his friends in Corinth that “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Cor. 9:22b).
How often can we honestly say we have used “all possible means” to reach our community? Watch out when things are going good, you just might doze of and miss the next turn toward becoming all God wants you to be.

Prosperity or confusion!

Author Beth Jones.....The subject of prosperity has been controversial among believers of all denominations. This is so unfortunate, because something God meant to be a blessing to believers and to the kingdom of God has become a divisive issue. Those who embrace God's will to prosper have been called the "name-it-and-claim-it bunch," the "health-and-wealth believers" or the "hundredfold-heresy Christians." The result has been much misunderstanding and semantic wars about this issue. There has been confusion about several familiar verses of Scripture, as well as the prosperity message as a whole. For centuries, the religious traditions of men, as well as the devil's own lies, have kept Christians living below God's best for them. It takes time to renew your mind to the Word of God on this subject. So, is the prosperity message a false teaching, or is it God's will? Our doctrine should not be based upon traditions, excess, pious thinking or notions of false humility. Let's examine some relevant Scriptures to see what the Bible does, in fact, teach. Remember, it is important to rightly divide the Word of God. Anyone can take an isolated verse to make it say anything. So we want to look at several verses of Scripture and by the mouth of two or three witnesses let our doctrine be established. The best way to approach this study is much like the Bereans, as described in Acts 17:11:
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.In other words, the Bereans didn't just take at face value what the apostle Paul or any other disciple said was the truth. They studied the Scriptures themselves to be sure what Paul said was true. This is a good example to follow. Study your own Bible for yourself to be sure that what you hear is indeed the truth. We want you to become convinced of God's will on the subject of prosperity because you have searched the Scriptures in your own Bible! To do this objectively, you may have to take off your "traditional" ways of thinking. Remember, Jesus told His disciples that the "traditions of men" made the Word of God of no effect. (Matt. 15:6; Mark 7:13.) As you study God's Word, keep an open mind and heart and trust Him to lead you into all truth.

Be Offensive not defensive!

by John Mason.....Never try to defend your present position and situation. Choose to be a person who is on the offensive, not the defensive. People who live defensively never rise above being average. We're called, as Christians, to be on the offensive - to take the initiative. A lukewarm, indecisive person is never secure regardless of his wealth, education, or position. Don't ever let your quest for balance become an excuse for not taking the unique, radical, invading move that God has directed you to take. Many times the attempt to maintain balance in life is really just an excuse for being lukewarm. In Joshua 1:6-7,9 the Lord says three times to Joshua, "Be strong and courageous." I believe that he is saying the same thing to all believers today. When you choose to be on the offensive, the atmosphere of your life will begin to change. So if you don't like the atmosphere of your life, choose to take the offensive position. Taking the offensive is not just an action taken outside a person; it is always a decision made within. When you do choose to be on the offensive, keep all your conflicts impersonal. Fight the issue, not the person. Speak about what God in you can do, not what others cannot do. You will find that when all of your reasons are defensive, your cause almost never succeeds. Being on the offensive and taking the initiative is a master key which opens the door to opportunity in your life. Learn to create a habit of taking the initiative and don't ever start your day in neutral. Every morning when your feet hit the floor, you should be thinking on the offensive, reacting like an invader, taking control of your day and your life. By pulling back and being defensive usually you enhance the problem. Intimidation always precedes defeat. If you are not sure which way to go, pray and move towards the situation in confident trust. Be like the two fishermen who got trapped in a storm in the middle of the lake. One turned to the other and asked, "Should we pray, or should we row." His wise companion responded, "Let's do both!" That's taking the offensive.

WOW GOD IS GOOD!!

Had to share this story God is so POWERFUL enjoy!By: Anita Martinez
I am only 27 years old, but I have been through some of the most traumatizing events for an average person of this age. It started when I was 19 years old and married my first husband. I can't put my finger on what went wrong, or what I did wrong, per say, but the marriage was never a healthy one. My ex-husband drank heavily and stayed out many nights, sometimes never coming home without so much as a phone call. I can recall being hysterical (and pregnant), calling friend's houses, hospitals, jails, etc...looking for him. I knew one day I would hear a knock at the door, or a phone call to confirm my worst nightmare - that he was involved in a drinking and driving accident, or worse, that he had injured or killed an innocent person. I was at the point where I just lost all respect for him and my marriage. I started going out to bars, and meeting all kinds of men...married men too. The first affair I had was with a married man, and we continued to see each other just about every other weekend after that. Not once did I have any remorse for what I was doing to his wife, my husband, or anybody. The affairs didn't end with this person, but a total of ten affairs with different men. I thought I was in love with one of these men, and became pregnant with his child. He didn't want anything to do with me after that, much less a child. So, what does any ignorant, selfish woman in my situation do? She takes the cowardly way out - and has an abortion. I'll tell you, the devil was on a role now. What was going through my mind at the time - I'll give you one guess. The devil was controlling my mind, body and soul and had me convinced that this was the only way to get even. Who was having the last laugh now???? HE WAS! Not me!!! While all this was going on, my ex and I finally decided to separate. I packed a few things that night and headed toward the front door, with bags in hand. That would be the last time I would ever see my husband carrying my baby girl in his arms...at least standing. The next morning, I received word that he had been in a car accident and that he was in the hospital. I rushed to the hospital, and when I finally got there, about 20 pairs of eyes were glaring my way....as if to say, "What kind of wife/mother are you!!!" That's when I heard the news that he had been thrown from his vehicle and could not feel his legs! It actually turned out that he became paralyzed from the chest down, which made it even more difficult. I left the room because I thought I was gonna pass out, and at the same time, they were wheeling him out of the ER room. He looked up at me, and I at him, and all I could say was..."Don't worry, baby, everything is gonna be OK." He never replied, but just looked away from me. You can imagine all the guilt, and pain I was suffering from. However, none of it amounted to the pain and suffering he was about to face for the rest of his life. Since then, my ex and I have divorced, and are living better lives. I will not make excuses for either of us, we simply weren't strong enough in the Lord to fight our demons at the time. Through the grace of God, I have been forgiven of my past, and cleansed of all my sins. I felt for a long time that I was not worthy of forgiveness and that I should accept my fate. I know now who was lying to me that whole time. I can feel God's peace in my heart and not a day goes by that I don't thank him for that.
To YOU Lord: Thank you, Lord, for rescuing me. I promise to serve you, and to do your bidding. I know I am not worthy of your mercy, but you gave it to me anyway. I will love you and no other, and none equal to you. Educate me to teach others your way according to your Word. Help me to understand your teachings, and to pass that on to people who need your guidance as I did and still do! I know that I will never be PERFECT for there was only one perfect person in this world and that was our Lord Jesus Christ, but I will try my best. Also, I pray for my ex-husband who will ALWAYS have a place in my heart, that he will someday be healed and "walk" with YOU in this life and the next. In Jesus name, Amen and Amen.