VIDEO Ronald Reagan, A Veteran’s Day prayer – GOD BLESS OUR HEROES

GOD BLESS OUR HEROES

“Saving Private Ryan,” dealt with the invasion of Normandy and visually shared the fear and anticipation of war. Young men huddled together, helmeted, bayonets fixed and a look of fear and terror written on their faces – sailing into certain death. As the doors came down, they swiftly spilled out in a stream of uncertainty . Bodies lined the beach and filled the water with blood. The movie graphically portrayed the gruesomeness of war, but it also showed the courage those boys enlisted into the core of their very being, to overcome an evil enemy.

More recently the movie “Fury” came out and I reluctantly joined my husband to see it. I felt not only a sense of pride for what our soldiers had to deal with in time of war, but was encouraged by the faith of the characters as they faced insurmountable odds and valiantly fought on. God does promise to be at our side in all adversity. Deuteronomy 31:6.

Men and women in the service of our country deserve special thanks today and everyday as they face fear, anxiety, apprehension and even death. The courage they exhibit is what constitutes a true hero – someone who is willing to lay down their life for their fellow man.

War is something our world will face until the end of time. When our young people set out on a career in the service of their country, they are giving up everything and many times return from war bruised emotionally as well. When we need protection – when we are in danger of terrorism – when our principles deem it necessary to intercede on behalf of others – we can depend on our Armed Forces to exhibit bravery and get the job done. Thank them today and every day for their service.

by atimetoshare.me 11/11/14 by Kathy Boecher

https://thei535project.wordpress.com/2015/11/11/god-bless-our-heroes/
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Ronald Reagan – A Veteran’s Day prayer
Happy Veteran’s Day to all who served!

“The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it.”

– Thucydides

BY THE ISAIAH 53:5 PROJECT on NOVEMBER 11, 2015

https://thei535project.wordpress.com/2015/11/11/ronald-reagan-a-veterans-day-prayer/

Jesus Calling

I am the firm foundation on which you can dance and sing and celebrate My Presence. This is My high and holy calling for you; receive it as a precious gift. Glorifying and enjoying Me is a higher priority than maintaining a tidy, structured life. Give up your striving to keep everything under control—an impossible task and a waste of precious energy.

My guidance for each of My children is unique. That’s why listening to Me is so vital for your well-being. Let me prepare you for the day that awaits you and point you in the right direction. I am with you continually, so don’t be intimidated by fear. Though it stalks you, it cannot harm you, as long as you cling to My hand. Keep your eyes on Me, enjoying Peace in My Presence.

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
Psalm 5:11

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20–21

To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
Jude 24–25

No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Joshua 1:5

~ Sarah Young ~

http://carlchewning.org/2014/06/19/jesus-calling-286/

When God Makes Us Wait

Psalms 25:4-5

On the road of life, crucial decisions are like intersections that call for us to choose which way to go. If we barrel through without seeking the mind of Christ, the road we pick may lead to regret and heartache. Although the Lord is ready and willing to offer clear direction, He doesn’t always give it quickly. Knowing that He has good reason for withholding immediate instruction can help us wait patiently at the intersection for His guidance.

At times, God leaves us in our confusion because He wants to get our attention. When everything is running smoothly, we tend to forget the Lord. But uncertainty draws us back to Him like a magnet. By aligning our steps with His and walking in submission to the Spirit, we open our ears to hear His voice.

Our waiting period is God’s preparation time. In bringing about His sovereign purposes, He may put us on hold while He coordinates events to line up with His will. Sometimes the Lord has work to accomplish in us before we are ready to handle what He’s planned for our future. Also, waiting helps strengthen us spiritually. If we instantly received His direction, we would rarely have the opportunity to exercise our faith. Christian maturity becomes evident in the ability to wait in peaceful confidence, trusting that in God’s time, we will know what to do.

If impatience tempts you to jump ahead of the Lord’s timing, you risk stepping outside of His will and missing His blessings. But by waiting until He gives clear direction, you will walk in His peace with certainty, instead of stumbling around in anxiety and confusion.

Good Fight

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7)

The beautiful National World War II Memorial in the nation’s capital was dedicated in 2004, honoring the more than 400,000 who gave their lives in that conflict (including the writer’s younger brother). This particular holiday, of course, originally known as Armistice Day, had been established many years before to commemorate the end of World War I and to honor the veterans of that war.

There have been many other wars in our nation’s history and many who have served and many who have died. They all “have fought a good fight” and “kept the faith” of our nation’s commitment to establish “liberty and justice for all” and to maintain this ideal in every generation. They fully merit our honor and heartfelt gratitude.

There is another good fight going on, of course, every day in the life of each believing Christian. The apostle Paul never served as a soldier in any human army, but he was often called on to “endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3). As a matter of fact, each of us must remember that “unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake” (Philippians 1:29).

That suffering may be actual persecution, or even injury or death on a battlefield, but it could also be poverty or sickness or some other “messenger of Satan” (2 Corinthians 12:7) sent to test us and alienate us from the Lord. But then we can hear the Lord say, as with Paul: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Whatever comes, may God help us to be able to say in that day: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” HMM

Fight or Die

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. —1 John 2:16-17

Someday the church can relax her guard, call her watchmen down from the wall and live in safety and peace; but not yet, not yet….

The healthiest man has enough lethal bacteria in him to kill him within twenty-four hours except for one thing—the amazing power of the human organism to resist bacterial attack. Every mortal body must fight its internal enemies day and night. Once it surrenders its hours are numbered. Quite literally it must fight or die….

The church lives in a hostile world. Within and around her are enemies that not only could destroy her, but are meant to and will unless she resists force with yet greater force. The Christian would collapse from sheer external pressure were there not within him a counterpressure sufficiently great to prevent it. The power of the Holy Spirit is, therefore, not optional but necessary. Without it the children of God simply cannot live the life of heaven on earth. The hindrances are too many and too effective.

Thank You for the power of the Holy Spirit within me to wage this constant warfare for me. Give Your strength today. Amen.

Conversion: Beginning of a Journey

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. Acts 2:42

Conversion for the early New Testament Christians was not a destination; it was the beginning of a journey. And right there is where the biblical emphasis differs from ours. Today, all is made to depend upon the initial act of believing. At a given moment a “decision” is made for Christ, and after that everything is “automatic.” Such is the impression inadvertently created by our failure to lay a scriptural emphasis in our evangelistic preaching. We of the evangelical churches are almost all guilty of this lopsided view of the Christian life.

In our eagerness to make converts we allow our hearers to absorb the idea that they can deal with their entire responsibility once and for all by an act of believing. This is in some vague way supposed to honor grace and glorify God, whereas actually it is to make Christ the author of a grotesque, unworkable system that has no counterpart in the Scriptures of truth.

In the Book of Acts, faith was for each believer a beginning, not an end; it was a journey, not a bed in which to lie while waiting for the day of our Lord’s triumph. Believing was not a once-done act; it was more than an act, it was an attitude of heart and mind which inspired and enabled the believer to take up his cross and follow the Lamb whithersoever He went.

“They continued,” says Luke, and is it not plain that it was only by continuing that they could confirm their faith?

God’s Place as Creator

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things. REVELATION 4:11

We make a mistake if we do not learn to admire God in all things, great and small; for a new rich mine would be opened in our consciousness if we could learn to recognize God in nature as well as in grace!

We do acknowledge that the God of nature is also the God of grace; and it is true that we glorify God’s redeeming grace no less when we glorify His creating and sustaining power. When Christ came to redeem us, He stepped into the framework of an already existent nature.

If we will obey and believe, we can go on pushing back the narrow borders of our spiritual world until it takes in the whole creation of God!

At one time, an English merchant and the renowned poet William Blake stood watching the sun come up out of the sea. The bright yellow disk of the sun emerged, gilding the water and painting the sky with a thousand colors. “Ah! I see gold!” the merchant said.

Blake answered, “I see the glory of God! And I hear a multitude of the heavenly host crying, ‘The whole earth is full of His glory.'”

Heavenly Father, every time I am captivated by a beautiful nature scene—the pounding waves of the ocean or the rugged peaks of the Rocky Mountains or a crystal clear, star-filled sky—I am reminded of Your awesome creative power. I worship You, Almighty God!