Dec 29, 2015 by
Once again..Marcus J Rogers..always on fire for God!
Let’s not be complacent in life..let’s not let our problem or the enemy get in the way of us seeking God..continue to seek Him always..never give up..never look away..He is and always will be there for us no matter what.
Please enjoy his message….God Bless!!!
https://kingdomdaughterblog.wordpress.com/2015/12/29/watch-keep-your-eyes-on-jesus-on-youtube/
[The Lord says:] I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. Isaiah 38:5
For five years, an ancient clay seal remained in a closet in Jerusalem’s Institute of Archaeology. After the seal was dug up at the foot of the southern part of Jerusalem’s old city wall, initial examination failed to establish the significance of the nearly 3,000-year-old object. But then a researcher carefully scrutinized the letters on the seal, resulting in a major discovery. The inscription, written in ancient Hebrew, reads: “Belonging to Hezekiah [son of] Ahaz king of Judah.”
At the center of the seal is a two-winged sun surrounded by two images symbolizing life. The archaeologists who discovered the seal believe that King Hezekiah began using this seal as a symbol of God’s protection after the Lord healed him from a life-threatening illness (Isa. 38:1–8). Hezekiah had been pleading with the Lord to heal him. And God heard his prayer. He also gave Hezekiah a sign that He would indeed do what He had promised, saying, “I will cause the sun’s shadow to move ten steps backward” (v. 8 nlt).
The facts related to this archeological artifact give us an encouraging reminder that the people in the Bible were learning, as we are, to call on the Lord who hears us when we cry out to Him for help. And even when His answers are not what we want or expect, we can rest assured that He is compassionate and He is powerful. The One who orders the movement of the sun can certainly move in our hearts.
Dear God, You are great and powerful, yet You care for me. Help me to believe in Your power and love, and to seek Your help always.
Call out to God; He is wanting to hear from you.
Hezekiah, whose name means “whom Jehovah has strengthened,” was the son of Ahaz (2 Kings 18:1), one of the worst kings of ancient Judah. Hezekiah succeeded his father on the throne, reigning for twenty-nine years. Ignoring the disastrous example of his father, Hezekiah modeled himself after his great-grandfather, Uzziah. Hezekiah’s primary impact as king was in his role as a spiritual reformer. As part of this reform he destroyed the “bronze serpent” (see Num. 21:4–9). What was once a symbol of healing in Moses’s day had become an object of idolatrous worship. Hezekiah’s reign saw a season of spiritual renewal that had a profound impact on the kingdom (adapted from Easton’s Bible Dictionary).
God honored Hezekiah’s faithfulness and compassionately answered his prayer for healing. How have you seen God respond when you’ve cried out to Him?
Ephesians 4:30-32
A righteous life has no room for lingering anger, whether in the form of rage or resentment. Fury that hardens in our hearts becomes a stronghold for Satan.
The fleshly method for “curing” wrath is to either let it out or suppress it. Neither is effective for solving problems or relieving the anger. However, God’s way of dealing with this dangerous emotion dissolves it and sets the believer free. As today’s passage reminds us, we are to “let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from [us], along with all malice” (v. 31).
Whether we are annoyed at ourselves, another person, or God, we have to own that feeling. Pretending that the emotion doesn’t exist or that we’ve somehow risen above anger is useless. If you’re angry, admit it and then identify the source. Knowing who or what ignited the initial fury can prevent people from misdirecting irritation onto the innocent.
Here are some questions to help in identifying a source of anger:
• Why am I angry? At whom am I angry?
• What caused me to feel/act this way?
• Where or when did this feeling start?
• Have I been angry a long time?
Once we know the source of our anger, it’s time to forgive. Fury and unforgiveness often go together, and both will drag us down. God calls us to set them aside and take up love and kindness instead. Forsaking anger means walking in His will with a light step.
“Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” (1 Peter 2:10)
There are many wonderful things awaiting us in heaven if we have trusted Christ for our salvation. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
But there are also many wonderful gifts and privileges we have right now. In the first place, we already have eternal salvation. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). That means also that we are free from any condemnation at the judgment. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
We have already been justified—that is, declared righteous with the righteousness of Christ Himself. “Being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him” (Romans 5:9). “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested . . . Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ” (Romans 3:21-22). As our text says: we right “now have obtained mercy” and right now are “the people of God” (1 Peter 2:10).
The apostle John confirms this glorious truth in a beautiful passage. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him” (1 John 3:2).
Finally, we have the wonderful assurance that our Lord Jesus right now is praying for us. For Christ is entered into heaven itself, “now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Hebrews 9:24) and there He “ever liveth to make intercession” (Hebrews 7:25) for all those who have placed their faith in Him as their Savior and Lord. HMM
Before we proceed to the reign of Solomon, we must read two or three of David’s choicest Psalms, regretting that we have not time to read them all in our family worship. We must not however omit to study every one of them in private, for they are all more precious than fine gold. One of the sweetest and most notable is—Psalm 103.
Psalm 103:1
Soul music is the soul of music; when we praise the Lord it should be with every faculty we possess.
Psalm 103:2
Our memories are frail towards good things: let us stir them up while we bless the Lord.
Psalm 103:3-5
The sweet singer threads a few of the choicest pearls of mercy upon the string of memory, and casts them around the neck of gratitude, to glitter there while she sings the joyful praises of her God.
Psalm 103:6
No downtrodden one shall ever appeal to him in vain. Woe to those who deal tyrannically with the poor.
Psalm 103:9
He must in very love to us chasten us at times, but his hand is soon stayed.
Psalm 103:10-12
What a glorious fact: for the east is infinitely distant from the west, and so to an infinite length is sin removed; yea, it is blotted out, made an end of, and for ever forgotten.
Psalm 103:13
At their best they want his pity, for they are poor, frail things.
Psalm 103:14
We are not iron, and not even clay, but dust held together by daily miracle.
Psalm 103:15-18
Children who forsake the Lord will derive no benefit from their parentage. It will increase their condemnation, but it cannot remove their guilt; they must remember his covenant for themselves personally, or they will have no share in it.
Psalm 103:19-22
The psalmist was so full of praise that he desired the aid of all creation to assist him in glorifying the Lord; but he did not forget that still the main matter is for our own soul to adore the Lord. He concludes on his keynote, as good composers do; let it be our motto all the day, “Bless the Lord, O my soul.”
O bless the Lord, my soul!
Let all within me join,
And aid my tongue to bless his name,
Whose favours are divine.
O bless the Lord, my soul,
Nor let his mercies lie
Forgotten in unthankfulness,
And without praises die.
1 Peter 3:8
It doesn’t take too long for a newly married couple to start discovering the differences between the way a man and a woman think and feel. But the husband and wife just need to stay committed to their marriage and seriously work at learning to understand one another. Then as they grow together through the years, they will eventually start to think the same and see things from the same perspective.
When this level of unity is finally achieved, it brings power to a marriage. This is exactly the reason Peter exhorted husbands and wives, telling them, “Finally, be ye all of one mind….”
Notice Peter begins by saying, “Finally….” In Greek, this is the phrase to telos, which lets us know that he is coming to the final conclusion of what he has been saying to husbands and wives. The words to telos serve as an exclamation mark, letting the reader know that Peter is wrapping up and concluding this subject with some very important final remarks.
Then Peter tells the husbands and wives to be of “one mind.” This is the challenge that has been set before husbands and wives since the beginning of time! The words “one mind” come from the Greek word homophron. The first part of the word is the Greek word homos, which means one of the very same kind. The second part of the word comes from the Greek word phren, which refers to the mind or the intelligence.
When these two words are compounded into one, forming the word homophron, it means to be similarly minded. It could be translated of the same mind. It is the idea of two people who think the same, feel the same, and view things in life the same way. They are similar in their thinking, reasoning, and conclusions.
Commitment is required in order for two people to become of one mind. These two people must want to understand each other, want to see things the same way, want to think the same way, and want to have the same vision, goal, and purpose in life.
Because my wife and I love each other, we work very hard to understand one another. When we don’t understand what the other is projecting or saying, we stop and work on it until we do understand.
Misunderstanding through miscommunication is the door the devil likes to use to get in between spouses and divide them. But if a husband and wife will commit themselves to keeping the door shut to misunderstanding and miscommunication, this one factor alone can keep the devil from finding access into their relationship.
What are you doing to become of one mind with your spouse? Do you talk at length with each other? Do you pray and worship together? How often do you read the Bible together? Do you regularly devote time to one another that is free of the mobile telephone and the children crying out for your attention? Becoming of one mind takes focus and concentration. It doesn’t happen by accident. If you and your spouse are going to achieve this blessed state God wants you to have, it will take a deliberate decision and action on your part.
Then Peter says that husbands and wives are to have “… compassion one of another….” I think it is very significant that he placed this command right after telling us to be of one mind, because our attempts to understand each other can cause some definite moments of frustration! Nevertheless, instead of giving in to those feelings of exasperation, we are to put aside our frustration and let compassion start to operate.
Sometimes you may not understand a single thing your spouse is trying to say. Other times you may express yourself over and over again, and your spouse still won’t get it. But rather than get angry or frustrated when that happens, you can choose to let compassion flow!
What do I mean by “compassion”? The word “compassion” is the Greek word sumpathos, a compound of sun, describing something that is equally shared, and the Greek word pathos, meaning feelings, affection, or passion. When these two words are compounded together, they literally mean to share feelings and emotions. This refers to one who enters into someone else’s experience to share that experience and to be a partner who understands what that person is going through. The word sumpathos is where we get the English word sympathy. It means to be empathetic, kind, considerate, caring, and full of mercy.
When you take the meaning of these Greek words into consideration, the verse conveys the following idea:
“In conclusion, do everything you can to see and understand things the same way and to be sympathetic, kind, considerate, and caring of each other….”
By using the word sumpathos (“compassion”), Peter urges all of us to try to be sympathetic with each other. Rather than rush to judgment and get upset when we don’t understand what someone else is saying or doing, we need to reach out to that person and try to understand. This principle is especially true in marriage. It is absolutely essential that we learn to be sympathetic with our spouses.
When an opportunity arises that would normally cause us to get upset with our spouses, we need to instead reach out to them and ask how we can help. And when we see our spouses struggling in some area, that isn’t the time to preach at them or judge them for it. They need us to be their closest, most sympathetic friend.
So the next time you want to get upset with your mate, determine to have compassion instead. Reach out to him or her in love and say, “I see that you are struggling. Is there anything I can do to help?”
Lord, help me to put aside my fleshly pride and to do everything I can to understand my precious spouse. I confess that there are times when I just don’t understand what my spouse is trying to say or do. I often get frustrated and allow myself to get upset. Therefore, Holy Spirit, I am telling You right now that I need Your assistance to remain calm, to be at peace, and to let sympathy flow from my heart in place of the aggravation I have allowed to pester me. Today I want to turn a new page in my life. I want to be the best friend my spouse has ever had. Help me recognize where I need to change in order to be what I need to be in this marriage relationship.
I pray this in Jesus’ name!
I confess that I am an understanding and compassionate spouse. My mate feels no judgment or rejection from me. We are working on our relationship. We are becoming more understanding of one another. We are achieving more unity than we’ve ever known in our relationship. As a result, we are on our way to being happier than we’ve ever been at any other time in our marriage. The worst days are behind us, and the best days are before us. Because the Holy Spirit is helping us, we are overcoming every struggle and experiencing new realms of victory in our lives!
I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!
If you aspire to disciple or mentor others, then ask God to build these qualities into your life:
“Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding… The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just.” (Proverbs 4:7; Psalm 37:30; See Proverbs 8:33-36; Deuteronomy 4:6)
“As God‘s chosen people… clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you“. (Colossians 3:12, 1; See Matthew 9:13; 1 Corinthians 16:14)
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3, 4)
“A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.” (Proverbs 11:13)
“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” (James 5:16a; See Acts 19:18; Matthew 3:6)
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15; See Deuteronomy 6:4-7; Philippians 4:8)
“The purposes of a man‘s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding (literally: discernment) draws them out.” (Proverbs 20:5; See Proverbs 16:21)
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