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Faith

Eyes of the Lord

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The eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. (NIV) 2 Chronicles 16:9

Paul was led by the Spirit. His life stood out as he stayed in step with God’s Spirit. I am absolutely convinced that I can do nothing without God’s Spirit empowering me. I need His Spirit living and working in me and through me. I can do nothing without Him. BUT, with God’s strength nothing is impossible. . .NOTHING!

A Prayer to Pray: Father, I want to be more like Your Son. . . Strengthen me today. Fill me with Your Spirit. Have me walk in the newness of life. Lord, I want to be holy as You are holy. Fill me with Your gentleness and Your tenderness and Your love. Have all my words today be Yours. Have all that I say be a benefit to others. And Father, fill me with a tremendous desire to know You. . .to love You. . .to obey You. . .and to represent You to others. Lord I want to be one of those people that as Your eyes range throughout the earth that You see my heart fully committed to You!

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A Love Letter From God To You!

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My child,

As for you, you were spiritually dead, dead in your sins, in which you used to live when you were doing what you felt like doing, when you felt like doing it. You drifted along in the stream of this world’s ideas for living. But, in order to satisfy the great, wonderful and intense love with which I love you, I made you alive with Christ.

I raised you and seated you in Him, at my right hand…the right hand of God, Himself. And I would say to you now that I did that: so that I can always point to you as an example of the incomparable, limitless, surpassing riches of My grace; the incredible wealth of My favor and kindness toward you.

A relationship with you was all My idea, and all My work. It was nothing you could or did achieve. It is not a reward for the good things you have done. It was My gift from start to finish to you!

Because of our relationship may you be strengthened, may you have mighty inner strength through My Spirit living in you. May Christ settle down and make His permanent home in your heart through faith.

I desire that you are rooted…rooted deeply…and established…firmly fixed in My love. And that you will have the power, together with all Christians, to know and grasp how wide and long and high and deep is that love. May you really come to know this love that surpasses knowledge. It is so far beyond your comprehension. May My infinite love fill all your inner being with Me!

Signed,
God

(Compiled from and based on Ephesians 2 – 3)

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Back to School

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This week I had the chance to visit one of the schools that we will be providing school supplies to at the end of year. (To learn more visit us at http://Anchoryourlife.com/school-packs/) It was great to see all of the kids again, but each time I go I am astounded by their great need. Being able to see first hand the conditions that these students face makes me even more excited about the opportunity to help them. Looking forward to providing 1,000’s of school packs to these children and bringing a brighter future for their education!

Always enjoy seeing the smiles on these kids faces.

A small classroom, sometimes with as many as 100 students and no desks for the kids to write and study.

Watching the schools talented choir team.

 School girls playing outside the classroom.

Help African Children with School Packs

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Experiencing Jesus

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That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched– this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. (NIV) 1 John 1:1

John and the others had personally heard, seen and touched Christ. . .verified His humanity with their own hands. They had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, the Word of life. What did John see and hear and experience?

He was there when Jesus. . .

  • Called the first disciples – Andrew, Peter, Nathaniel
  • Turned water into wine
  • Cleansed the temple
  • Was interviewed by Nicodemus
  • Told the woman at the well: “…a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”
  • Healed the paralytic
  • Defended His Sonship – “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.
  • Fed the five thousand
  • Walked on the water
  • Was rejected by the religious leaders
  • Spoke to the woman caught in adultery
  • Taught in the temple area
  • Answered – “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
  • Healed the blind man
  • Said: “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me– just as the Father knows me and I know the Father– and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
  • Raised Lazarus from the dead
  • Feet were anointed by Mary
  • Triumphantly entered into Jerusalem
  • Washed the disciples’ feet
  • Served the Last Supper
  • Predicted His betrayal
  • Gave the new commandment
  • Was questioned by Peter (13:36-14:4)
  • Gave the promise of the Spirit
  • Said: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends…You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”
  • Prayed His final prayer
  • Was arrested in Gethsemane
  • Appeared before Annas
  • Was denied by Peter
  • Was on trial before Pilate
  • Asked John to take care of His mother, Mary after His death
  • Was crucified
  • Was buried
  • Appeared to the disciples
  • Had resurrected from the dead

John experienced Jesus Christ. . .have you?

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Making Him Known

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Psalm 67:1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, Selah 2 that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.
3 May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth. Selah
5 May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.
6 Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us.
7 God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him. (NIV emphasis mine)

O Lord, the whole focus of You being gracious to us…blessing us…having Your face shine upon us is so that Your glory, Your ways and Your salvation will be known to the whole world…to all peoples. We get things so messed up at times. We receive Your blessings so arrogantly thinking we deserve to be blessed and we miss the point all together. None of this about us…none of this is about me. It’s all about You!

My prayer today Lord is that You will be gracious to us in Lesotho…that You will bless each of us as we journey to Lesotho. But, as You bless us, have us cast that reflection of You back to everyone we come in contact with. Have people leave our midst being amazed at You…seeing You in amazing ways…praising You for the work You have done and will do in our lives and the lives around us.

But, Lord may this not only be my prayer for the team and the trip…but may this be my prayer for my life. I want to receive all that You have for me today. And more than anything may all people praise You and come to know You!

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Forgiveness

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As Isaiah encountered the glory, majesty and holiness of the Almighty God, he immediately became aware of his own unworthiness, his own sinfulness. But, God offered atonement for Isaiah’s sins. “Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.'” (Isaiah 6:6-7)

Just as He offered forgiveness for Isaiah, God offers forgiveness to us through faith in Jesus Christ. But, we still need to confess our sins to Him. 1 John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” The result of confessing our sins to God is that God is faithful. He is true to His word and forgives us. He cleanses us of our own unrighteousness. Satan no longer has grounds to accuse us.

There’s another picture of God’s forgiveness found in Zechariah 3:1-7. Here’s my paraphrase of the passage: Joshua the high priest, has returned from captivity in Babylon. He stands before God and Satan in filthy garments. Joshua was there representing the sinful people. Satan was there to accuse him. God was there to judge him. Satan is the prosecuting attorney with a seemingly open and shut case, but Joshua had an advocate. The Advocate, Christ, stood at God’s right hand and silenced all the accusations of Satan. Instead of condemnation, God removed the filthy clothes, representing his sinful nature, and replaced them with clean rich garments. (7 “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements) This is what Jesus Christ does for us when we confess our sins.

Have you experienced Christ’s forgiveness? If not, why not today?

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The Race

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The analogy of running the race is used in many places throughout the New Testament. The people of that day understood the analogy. Races were conducted on days of national festivity. The emperor was in regal attire sitting within his purple curtained booth. There was row upon row reaching upward of a vast multitude of spectators. Every eye was fixed on the runners who were straining every muscle. The aim of athletes was nothing short of winning. To win the race demanded stamina, perseverance, dedication, and discipline. The runners were willing to give up everything to win the gold. Champions received the adulation and unlimited benefits from his city.

The Christian life is not a short sprint, but rather like a marathon for a runner. It is hard work. The word for race in the Greek is “agon.” It is the root word that we get our word “agony.” The race is an agonizing, tough marathon…26 miles, 385 yards.

The author of Hebrews tells you to run with perseverance the course marked out for you. Your own unique course planned out in advance by God for you. It is wonderfully reassuring that we only have to run our course. We do not have to run someone else’s race, only our own.

Paul writes:

  • For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).
  • Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind & straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14).

As you run, don’t look around, and don’t look back. Look straight ahead so that you stay on the right course. Keep your FOCUS! After all, you will have enough to handle on your own course!

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A God Who Draws Near

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The relationship between God and man is at the heart of the new covenant. God desires to have fellowship with men. The author of Hebrews writes, “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22) and that we “come to God through him (Christ)” (Hebrews 7:25). God desires to have a growing relationship with Christians. Believers are told that they can “approach the throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:16).

But, drawing near to God also brings obligations on our part. Christians are to “serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:14). . . and “throw off everything that hinders (us) and the sin that so easily entangles” (Hebrews 12:1) and persevere against sin (Hebrews 12:4). . .we are to “share in his (God’s) holiness” (Hebrews 12:10). . .and “imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised” (Hebrews 6:12).

Although man has chosen sin, God in His grace has not allowed sin to rule mankind’s destiny. He blesses man in spite of his sin, because of Jesus Christ, who as the High Priest offered up the perfect sacrifice to pay the price for man’s sin!

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