DREAMS

My Question for God

 

How can I know if a dream is from God?

 

A moment in God's Word

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Never stop praying.

Jeremiah 23:25-28 "I have heard these prophets say, Listen to the dream I had from God last night. And then they proceed to tell lies in my name. How long will this go on? If they are prophets, they are prophets of deceit, inventing everything they say. By telling these false dreams, they are trying to get my people to forget me, just as their ancestors did by worshiping the idols of Baal. Let these false prophets tell their dreams, but let my true messengers faithfully proclaim my every word. There is a difference between straw and grain!


1 Samuel 28:6He asked the Lord what he should do, but the Lord refused to answer him, either by dreams or by sacred lots or by the prophets.

God speaks to us in a variety of ways: through His Word, through the wisdom of godly people, through nature, through our conscience, and sometimes through dreams and visions. If God speaks to us in a dream, His message will always be consistent with what He has all ready told us in His Word. He will never contradict His own commandments or ask us to do something immoral or illegal.
If a dream moves us to serve God with greater passion, do so; it may be God speaking to us in a new way!

Divine Promise

Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, He has spoken to us through His Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son He created the universe

Hebrews 1: 1-2

 

John 3:16-18

This is how much God loved the world: He gave His Son, His one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending His Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in Him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust Him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to Him.

John 3:16 -18 The Message

This is how much God loved the You: He gave His Son, His one and only Son. And this is why: so that You may not be destroyed; by believing in Him, You can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending His Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling You how bad You was. He came to help, to put You right again. You who trust in Him are acquitted; if You refuse to trust Him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of Your failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to Him.

Pastor Don’s way reading the verse….by doing this it makes it more personal. You may also replace the word “you”, with your name….Try it…it’s ok….next time you run across a verse or passage, put your name in the passage or the verse.

THIS ONE’S WITH ME by NEWSONG

I was thinking about going heaven, and at the same time I was going through some old files. And I found the lyrics to this song. It has been around a while, but thought someone out there just might enjoy it. I copied the words so you could sing along.

May you blessed today.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYp8bhI8Cvc

I was dreaming about heaven

I was standing at the pearly gates

We were all there and I was so scared in the presence of one so great

I felt so very unworthy I felt like running away.

I bowed my head and I turned to go,

When I heard someone say

Father this one’s with me

Part of the family

One of the reasons I died on Calvary

Father, welcome him in

I paid the price for him

Father, oh Father this one’s with me.

I was dreaming about heaven

When I looked up the gates were wide open and in the distance I saw Jesus

Our eyes met I began to cry

Angels robed in their beauty were there to show me the way and all of heaven sings

When I heard him say

Father this one’s with me

Part of the family

One of the reasons I died on Calvary

Father, welcome him in

I paid the price for him

Father, oh Father finally we were there face to face

He placed on me heavens crown

I fell down on my knees

Laid my crown down at His feet

And then He said

Father this one’s with me

Part of the family

One of the reasons I died on Calvary

Father, welcome him in

I paid the price for him

Father, oh Father this one’s with me.

God's Timing

Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.

James 5:7 (nlt)

One of the hardest aspects of being a Child of God is waiting patiently on Him. We know God and His character. We know that He is faithful to His servants, but waiting for His answer to our prayers or His blessings is often so difficult. We want it on our time. We want what we want when we want it. God’s plans are perfect, and we do not tend to doubt this fact. But, His timing is just as perfect also. For what is a perfect plan, if it takes place at the wrong time?

In the book of James, the author gives practical advice for Christian living. He tells us how to daily live for Christ. One of the facets of daily Christian living that James focuses on is being patient and waiting on the Lord. He compares the Christian life to that of a toiling farmer. A farmer waits on the rain. He has no control over when it rains or how much it rains. A Farmer recognizes this fact, and resigns himself to this. We as Christians should resign ourselves to the fact that we no longer control our lives.

We give up control when we ask Christ to be our LORD. Therefore, why fret and worry about something that we have no control over? Why not let go and wait patiently for the Lord to answer and bless in His

perfect time? The same one who controls the rain controls every aspect of our lives. He has perfect timing for rain for the crops with which He has no personal relationship. How much more perfect will His timing be for us, with whom He has a deep and personal relationship?

Pray that God will help you to be patient and wait on Him. Pray that He will give you a peace that passes all understanding as you accept His timing.

As I put this post together, I was smacking myself upside my head. Because it is really getting hard to wait!!

Lord Jesus, Who went about doing good and healing all, I ask You to bless me today and tomorrow and those who are sick, like myself give them a rich blessing. Give me the strength in body, courage in spirit, and patience in pain. Let me recover my health, so that, I can be restored to the Christian community, to full time ministry and so that I may give You joyfully praise, In Your Name, for You live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

MY JESUS

I went the other day and started to pull out some of my old CD's. You see while in the youth ministry, I had a CD library and I signed up with a company that each month they would send a box of CD's. So I have hundreds of them. I found Todd Agnew http://toddagnew.com/ the CD I began to listen to was REFLECTION OF SOMETHING (2005) great stuff, great music!! The one song that I love and is a favorite of mine is

 My Jesus http://toddagnew.com/myspace-player/ You can listen to it and others.

This what Todd said about the song My Jesus - We have settled for an inaccurate and incomplete view of Christ. Look in the Bible. Don't just listen to sermons or CDs. Seek Him out. Find out who He really is. That's worth it. I guess the question is, "Have we made Christ a reflection of our dreams or have we sought Him and are trying to become a reflection of Him?"

Basically he went to the point and also in his song. 

I agree we need to "Be Christ Like", and asking this question. But which one? The one the world has made, or the one God sent to die for us?

 I would encourage you to listen to the song "My Jesus" two or three time and really listen to the words of the song.

Here are the lyrics

Which Jesus do you follow?

Which Jesus do you serve?

If Ephesians says to imitate Christ

Then why do you look so much like the world?

Cause my Jesus bled and died

He spent His time with thieves and liars

He loved the poor and accosted the arrogant

So which one do you want to be?

Blessed are the poor in spirit

Or do we pray to be blessed with the wealth of this land

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness

Or do we ache for another taste of this world of shifting sand

Cause my Jesus bled and died for my sins

He spent His time with thieves and sluts and liars

He loved the poor and accosted the rich

So which one do you want to be?

Who is this that you follow

This picture of the American dream

If Jesus was here would you walk right by on the other side or fall down and worship at His holy feet

Pretty blue eyes and curly brown hair and a clear complexion

Is how you see Him as He dies for Your sins

But the Word says He was battered and scarred

Or did you miss that part

Sometimes I doubt we'd recognize Him

Cause my Jesus bled and died

He spent His time with thieves and the least of these

He loved the poor and accosted the comfortable

So which one do you want to be?

Cause my Jesus would never be accepted in my church

The blood and dirt on His feet would stain the carpet

But He reaches for the hurting and despised the proud

I think He'd prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd

And I know that He can hear me if I cry out loud

I want to be like my Jesus!

I want to be like my Jesus!

Not a poster child for American prosperity, but like my Jesus

You see I'm tired of living for success and popularity

I want to be like my Jesus but I'm not sure what that means to be like You Jesus

Cause You said to live like You, love like You but then You died for me

Can I be like You Jesus?

I want to be like my Jesus

Praising God

I have been impressed recently by the fact that we should praise God often! Praising God is part of worshipping Him. I have heard it said that our work in Heaven will be worshipping God, and we should be doing that now, too! There is so much to praise Him for! Of course I can't touch on them all, but here are some things to think about:

We should praise Him simply for Who He is!

Deu 4:39 (NIV) Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.

We should praise Him for His Holiness:

Psa 29:2 (NIV) Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; worship the LORD in the splendor of His Holiness.

We should praise Him for providing for our salvation:

Eph 1:13-14 (NIV) And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of His glory.

We should praise Him for His dependability -- His faithfulness:

Psa 40:10 (NIV) I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of Your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and Your truth from the great assembly.

We should praise Him for providing for our everyday material needs -- not always our wants, but our needs. : )

Luke 12:27 "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith!

I hope you will join with me in trying to remember to praise God every day, for both eternal and temporal benefits!

What is your idea of what God wants for us? What did you think about it when you were growing up?

All my life, I attended a rather legalistic church: No mixed swimming (boys /girls), no face card-playing. no shorts, to attend church girls had to wear a dress, boys, long sleeve shirt, dress pants. Older guys had to wear ties. My portrait of God was that of a menacing, colossal giant hovering over me, with a scowl on his face, just waiting for me to trip up, to do something wrong. I believed He was eager to find a reason to punish me. When something made me happy, I thought it was just a matter of time until God took it away from me. Some of us think of Him as a "Santa Claus; other hurting souls believe He has turned from them. But what does His word say?

Jeremiah 32:40-41 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me. I will find joy doing good for them and will faithfully and wholeheartedly replant them in this land.

Note the emotional word: God will "find joy" over us to do us good. It makes God exuberantly happy to do good for us. According to Strong's, that good is "delightful." Our Creator wants to delight us. And He is on our side, when no one else is (or when it feels that way). He wants "good" for us. He isn't sitting up there hoping we will slip up; God is rooting for us to live joyous lives. And even when we feel totally alone, we never are. God is always there. We cannot move beyond the reach of His love.

So what should we do when we don't see God as the Bible depicts Him?

1. we need to pray. Even though God knows what we are going through, He wants to hear it from us. He can help us to grasp His love for us.

2. we need to steep ourselves in Bible passages that show God's love and how much we mean to Him.

 

3. we all go through ups and downs in our faith walk. Fellowship with friends who are in stronger faith stages can be very helpful. Sometimes we literally need to cling to their faith, until ours is stronger.

Read literature that increases our awareness of what God wants to do for us.

Calling Plan....

God desires for us to call on Him anytime and anywhere. Jesus is the only way to God the Father; salvation is through Him. When was the last time you called on God?

Verses

Romans 10:9-13; John 14:6; Jeremiah 29:12

OK, as you began to read this devotion, take out your cell phone and look at it. Holding your cell phone; ask yourself if you know anyone who has never used one!! Then ask yourself about where and when you use your cell phone. Please go ahead and do this, I am sure no one is watching you!!

Your answers for where may include: in a car, outside, in the house, even on a boat. (water proof only)

Your answers for when may include: when I need information, when I need help, when I may be lost and not know directions, or when I just want to talk to someone. Or for texting!!

Well my cell phone sits on the table next to me, and it never rings or does much at all. The wife will call once in a while, a friend will text me once in a while.

Can you just call any number to reach my cell phone?

No, you must know my number right?

Did you know God wants us to call Him? He even gives us His number!

Read: Romans 10:12-13

12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

God's number is J-E-S-U-S.

Romans 10:9-10 tells us how -

"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."

We can't just call any number and reach God. Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." There is no other way to call on God except through Jesus Christ, His Son.

Once we know Jesus, we can call on God anytime and anywhere. He says in Jeremiah 29:12 -

"Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you."

We can have a phone, we can know someones number, but until we choose to actually dial the number, we'll never reach them. It's our choice to call on God; we must act upon our choice. He's there anytime, anywhere and for anyone.

“Pure in Heart”

1 Peter 1:13-16

We need to take up our cross every day and follow Christ. With that comes a price. We must rid our self’s of self and allow God to have control. There must be a funeral in our lives to walk the talk with a pure heart and be found blameless before Christ. One must be pure in mind, thought and heart.

I would like to encourage you to focus really hard on following Christ. For those of you who have said yes to Christ, let me encourage you to keep on running the race for Christ. I am sure that each one of you has faced the devil this week and may have even fallen down. Stand up and dust yourself off and keep on running for Jesus.

Here five characteristics that you need to apply and live out in your everyday living.

“Pure Heart”

• Pure Mind v.13 = Cleansed / Sin Nature removed

• Prepare your mind for Action: v.13 = A willingness to go

• Obedience v.14 = Faith / Believing in what God has said

• Do not Conform to you evil desire: v.14=Complying to God's desires for yourself 

• Be Holy: v. 15 = Set Apart for God

• A Call to Holy Living: v.16 = giving yourself fully to God / 110%

So then if you decide to, apply and live out the list above which is the making of a “Pure Heart” What you really are doing is that which really equals Christ – Likeness. So then the next time someone ask you what is “Christ- Likeness?” How can one be like Christ? Well now you have the tools, go and be used! Don’t stay in the package like a new tool, but get out and let the Master Carpenter use you. If you are just lying around in tool box collecting rust, then stand up and get out of the box!!

I read the passage from the Message. And I thought I would share it with you…Please let me know what you think…..

A Future in God

1 Peter 1:13-16

So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, and be totally ready to receive the gift that's coming when Jesus arrives. Don't lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn't know any better than; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, "I am holy; you be holy."

The Message

Maybe If ...

 

Maybe if i stepped out on faith

There would be less hurt in the world.

Maybe if I was confident

I could be an example to others.

Maybe if I live a full life

I can inspire others too also.

Maybe if I never give up

I can create a movement of determination among people.

Maybe if I gossiped and hated less, but loved more

Others would follow and crash a wave of love on the world.

Maybe if I smiled more at strangers

They would too, until the whole universe is smiling.

Maybe if I really prayed for my enemies

They would change their ways.

Maybe if I lived what I spoke

Others would too.

Maybe if stood up for others

Then others wouldn’t commit suicide.

Maybe if I cared

I would start doing.

Maybe If…

It goes on and on

So maybe if we turned the “maybe if” into an “I did”,

We could save lives instead of taking them for a granted.

Who will tell you

Listening To God... Am I?

There will be episodes in our routine of living when difficult decisions must be made. It may be in moments that are extremely critical and time-sensitive and sometimes they are not. But one thing we want to be certain of is this: are we listening to God personally and correctly?

How can we know for sure that we are listening to God? The answer is actually quite simple: Just listen to what you are asking for. If you find yourself asking for the wisdom of God; you are hearing from God.

We have the confidence that whatever God says will always be consistent with His Word. Very importantly, when Christ speaks to you; you know that you are hearing Him when you find yourself compelled to be patient. Impatience is the path to our failures. We cannot afford to have a weak or wavering faith.

God through the person of the Holy Spirit is very eager to exact His wisdom in your life. It is a matter of biblical record... Churches with pastors that emphasize listening to God will grow in every way for the sake of the gospel of Christ. 

Determine now that you will spend time listening to the indwelling Holy Spirit. It will make all the difference as well as make you different in an indifferent world. 

Amen!

Gods Kind of Warfare

When standing for God, the “little guy” wins.

I Samuel 17:47

When Baalam tried to curse God’s chosen people, God used an anointed donkey to rebuke him; his curses changed to blessing (Numbers 22–24). Nabal made light of David’s protection and died of a stroke (I Samuel 25). King David, with Bathsheba, flaunted God’s laws and their baby boy died (II Samuel 11–12). Queen Jezebel killed Naboth to get his vineyard; she was thrown from a high window, died, and dogs fed on her bones (I Kings 21; II Kings 9). All of these “big” people defied God, lost their “bigness” and, some, their lives.

Goliath should have studied Israel’s history. His great size and wiliness in warfare was nothing when faced with a Holy Spirit-anointed boy who prophesied against him. God does not need “big,” powerful leaders to work on behalf of His people—He only needs one anointed man or woman.

 Prayer: Lord, I want to be Your one anointed person today.

Here are some scriptures for you to read:

 I Samuel 17:1-18:4; John 8:21-30; Psalm 111:1-10; Proverbs 15:11

TARGET....YOU HAVE BEEN TAGED!

When Satan has targeted you for attack, you are spiritually oppressed. To defeat you, he focuses on your weak spots, those areas you refuse to give over to God's control. The areas in which you compromise your convictions are joints in your spiritual armor at which the evil one takes aim. You cannot fight Satan alone. You must use the armor God has given you. You must resist and fight, for you are in the middle of spiritual warfare, and the battle is over your very soul. Like a tug a war, the evil one on on side and God on the other side.So you must use every weapon God provides for you. Remember that God is a warrior. He is always ready to fight on your behalf, always ready to come to your defense. Join God in the battle; if you do not, you will be vulnerable and helpless to withstand the enemy.No guarantee of victory, but good guarantee death. If you take up your armor and stand up with God, you are guaranteed victory. Eternal life!!

HE WILL RESCUE YOU....HE WILL KEEP YOU FROM EVIL.  Job 5:19

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.

For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.             Ephesians 6:10-15 NLT

How Should Christians....

respond to the following argument?

What makes the Bible so different from any other "holy" book? The Talmud (a holy book of Judaism written by many rabbis) is very similar to the Old Testament - why not obey it just as we do the Bible? Millions of people base their lives on the Book of Mormon. And even the Quran (the holy book of Islam, written by Mohammed) includes many truths from the Bible. It seems that all great religions of the world support the same truths. So why should we follow just what the Bible says and ignore all the other books?

• 
  
  Do you think it's possible that all truth is God's truth, no matter where it's found? Explain.
• 
  
  Would it be valuable to study "holy" books from other religions?
• 
  
  If a Christian friend told you that he or she was going to begin studying the Koran or the Talmud, what would you say to him or her?
• 
  
  Do you agree or disagree that all great religions support the same truths?
• 
  
  Read John 20:30-31 & 2 Peter 2:1-3 How can you tell difference between a false teaching and a teaching that is from God?
• 
  
  Read Jeremiah 6:10. How have other religions done what this Scripture reflects? What aspect of Christianity is offensive to them? 

I wonder.....

can being good get you into heaven?

Teachers have developed two systems for grading their stundent's performance. First, there is the "curve." Put simply, in a particular class 50 precent of the students will score above the average, 50 precent will score below. Often those who score below the average still have a chance to pass. That's why students seem to like this system best.

Then there is the "set" scale. With this system, a certain percentage determines your grade. If you get below a 75 percent grade, for example, you fail.

Most people would like to believe that God grades on a curve. In other words , if they're better than others, it will be all right with God. All they have to do to pass is not kill anyone or steal, mind their own business, and wait heaven.

Unfortunately, God doesn't grade that way. Psalm 14:1-3 is clear. There isn't anyone who is good. Not One! All of us have strayed away. This doesn't mean we're all murderers, it means our heart is stained with the sin of Adam - the desire to be god of our life and run it ourself. No one has a pure heart. (See Luke 18:18-27 for a great illustration.)

God has one method of salvation. In His wisdom, He gave everyone the opportunity to go to heaven by faith, not just our good works. All a person has to do to be saved is believe that Christ paid the penalty for our sin and rose from the dead: "God saved you by His special favor when you believed. And you can not take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we done, so none of us can boast about it."

(Ephesians 2:8-9).

Most people say this is too simple. But that's the whole idea! God isn't trying to make it tough on us. He wants us to be with Him forever!

Throughout your life you will run into people who believe that simply living a good life means heaven awaits. A good life is important to point people to a Holy God, but it will not buy you a ticket to heaven. Your ticket as all ready been paid for by Jesus Christ! You must come to Him to recive it.

Once again, it is simple, believe in your heart, and have a personal relationship with Him. Also remind yourselves of this: There are going to be a lot of good people in hell, and hopefully more good people in heaven. Put that really depends on us, reaching out to the lost.