activated september 2011

8/4/2019 Activated September 2011

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Vol 12 Issue

change your l i fe . change your world

THE ANCHORHolding on through the storms

of life

How Much Does God Care?Involved or aloof?

The Trinity Conundrum1+1+1=1


2/16

Vol 12, Issue 9

P E R S O N A L L Y S P E A K I N G

Long beore a giant shark attacked its frst victim in

Jaws, beore Indiana Jones stumbled onto his frstbooby trap, and beore computer graphics breathed

new lie into zombies, one o the most terriying

scenes on the big screen was when someone stepped

into quicksand. No Tarzan movie was complete until he had rescued some

innocent soul rom certain death in that awul ooze or the villains fnal breath

had gurgled to the surace.

Like that quicksand, problems sometimes threaten to suck us under. eharder we struggle, the deeper we sink. But things are rarely as bad as they

seem. Laws o physics make it nearly impossible or a person to sink more than

about waist deep in real-lie quicksand. It may be dicult and take awhile to

get unstuck, but the person wont go all the way under. Likewise, those who

have a working aith in God can only sink so low or stay so long entangled in

their problems.

Google how to escape rom quicksand, and you will fnd a ew pointers

that together orm a basic plan. Adapted to the aith approach to problems in

general, those points go something like this:

Dont panic. at will cause you to sink deeper. Try to relax. Control yourspirit, and trust that God is in control o the rest.

Pray. God always has a better plan than you can come up with on your

own.

Shed unnecessary weights. Problems have a way o putting lesser things in

perspective.

Spread your weight. Lean on God. Underneath are the everlasting arms.1

Be patient. Slow, deliberate actions produce better results than rantic

activity.

Rest periodically. Clear your mind and reresh your spirit by meditating on

positive, aith-building thoughts rom Gods Word.I the articles in this issue help you apply those principles, then weve

accomplished one o the main aims oActivatedactivating and strengtheningyour aith so youre better prepared to handle whatever lie sends your way.

Keith Phillips

ForActivated

Browse our website or contact one of the

distributors below to enjoy the inspiration

motivational, and practical help offered in

books and audiovisual material.

www.activated.orgActivated Ministries

P.O. Box 462805Escondido, CA 920462805, USA

Toll-free: 18778623228Email: [email protected]

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Activated Australia

+61 2 8005 1938Email: [email protected]

E Keith Phillips

D Gentian Sui

P Samuel Keating

www.auroraproduction.com

2011 Aurora Production AG. All RightsReserved. Printed in Taiwan by Ji Yi Co., Lt

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise

indicated, are taken from the New King

James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thom

Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights

reserved. Other Bible references are from t

following sources: New International Vers

(NIV). Copyright 1978, 1984 by Internati

Bible Society. Used by permission. New Liv

Translation (NLT). Copyright 1978, 1996

Tyndale House Publishers. Used by permis1. Deuteronomy 33:27

2


3/16

The day dawned fine as I set out to walkup the Great Orme, a limestone headland on thenorth coast o Wales. I walked along cheerully in glorious

sunshine, map in hand. e Great Orme stood frm,

unchanged.

e road upon which I walked led me around the

edge o the headland. e gentle sea breeze was invigorat-

ing at frst, but soon a wind blew up over the sea andstorm clouds gathered overhead. In minutes my coat was

becoming heavy with rain. e Great Orme stood frm,

unchanged.

A little less cheerul now but hopeul that the weather

would improve, I continued my walk. Optimism was

rewarded; the sun came out, and soon I was carrying my

coat over my arm, basking once more in warm sunshine.

e Great Orme stood frm, unchanged.

e map directed me o the road and onto a narrow

track that wended through felds and bushes. I made myway up stony stretches, my legs beginning to ache as the

climb grew steeper. Sheep grazed on stubbly grass. Seagulls

gathered on the rocks below beore soaring high on gentle

updrats. e Great Orme stood frm, unchanged.

e time passed pleasantly until at last I reached the

summit. e view was magnifcentthe mountains o

Wales to one side, the open sea to the other. e Great

Orme stood frm, unchanged.

Heaven and earth will pass away

but My words will by no mean

pass away.Luke 21:33

Walking on theGreat Orme

By Abi F. May

My return route was by a dierent path. Despite

studying the map, ater some time I was dismayed to

realize that I was going around in circles rather than

descending. I was also getting weary and starting to wo

whether I was going to make it back to my hotel beor

the sun set. e Great Orme stood frm, unchanged.

I crossed paths with an experienced walkera local

man out with his dogs. He showed me a short, directroute. I was still tired, but invigorated by the expectati

o arriving back beore dark. e Great Orme stood fr

unchanged.

e highs and lows o the walk o aith are much lik

my day on the Great Orme. Our aith may reach high

ground or descend into valleys, and sometimes we are

bueted by the storms o lie or wearied by the journey

but no matter how we eel, Gods Word, the oundatio

upon which our aith is built, stands frm, unchanged.

Abi F. May is an English educator and writer ba

in Great Britain, and an Activated staff writer.


4/16

Within the span of a week,I heard three people say three di-

erent things that got me thinking

about Gods involvement in my

lie.

Person one said that he didnt

know i God actually cares about

what we do, and that He may not be

particularly interested in the choiceswe make beyond accepting salvation,

especially the less important ones.

Person two said that he believed

that God only intervenes in our lives

ater we have done all we can to

fnd His willthat He expects us to

exhaust all available means beore He

will intervene.

Person three expressed the point

o view that when God made theworld, He was like a clockmaker who

assembled and wound up the clock

and then let it to run on its own.

God designed the laws o nature that

would govern and perpetuate His

creation, but rom that point on, He

has let things run themselves without

His intervention.

Each o these outlooks disturbedme, and in the days that ollowed, I

reected on them. Something inside

me rebelled against the thought that

either God didnt care enough to be

involved in my lie, or I had to work

as hard as I possibly could beore He

would give me His attention.

I any o those three concepts were

true, what could I count on God or,

besides orgiveness or my mistakesand sins? What good was He? In

times o tumult, I need help and

direction, not to be worried about

whether He cares enough to help

or whether things have gotten bad

enough or Him to get involved.

When I mulled over those three

points o view, I was reminded o

three proos that stood in direct

contradiction to them.

1. Personal experience

God has intervened in my lie on

several occasions in ways that made

it clear He wasinterested in thedecisions I made.

Once, years ago, I had a dream

that gave me an answerbeore I even

How MuchDoes God Care?By Peter Amsterdam

knew the question. A ew days atethe dream, I was oered two jobs.

e dream had made it very clear

which oer to take, and doing so

put me on the path that led me tothe work I have been doing or th

past 15 years as one o the directo

o the Family International. I hadn

done anything to fnd that answer

let alone exhausted all the means a

my disposal.

On numerous occasions when

have sought the Lords guidance in

4


5/16

prayer and have received direction

rom Him. Ive asked Him to give me

answers and He hasin meditation,by speaking to my heart, through my

reading His Word, by relaying His

wisdom through others, and through

circumstances. Hes given me clear

counsel and direction that, when

ollowed, has worked. I know rom

personal experience that God cares, is

interested in me, and will participate

in my lie when I am open to Him.

2. Gods Word

In both the Old Testament and

the New, there are many examples

1. Acts 16:610 NIV

2. Proverbs 3:6

3. Psalm 32:8

4. Psalm 143:8

God clearly had preerences as

where they should and shouldnt g

and He made those known to them

e Bible explicitly states that w

should look to God or guidance a

part o our decision-making proce

and that i we do, He will give us

direction: In all your ways acknowedge Him, and He shall direct your

paths.2 I will instruct you and teayou in the way you should go; I willguide you with My eye.3

In the book o Psalms, David

clearly showed that he believed in

Gods guidance when he prayed,

Cause me to know the way in wh

I should walk, or I lit up my sou

to You.4

o Gods interaction with manHis

intervention in events, and His

giving guidance or warning.

ere are also plenty o

examples o Gods involvement in

the decision-making process o Hisollowers, but there is an especially

good one in the book o Acts:

Paul and his companions traveledthroughout the region of Phrygia andGalatia, having been kept by the HolySpirit from preaching the word in theprovince of Asia. When they came tothe border of Mysia, they tried to enterBithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would

not allow them to. So they passed byMysia and went down to Troas. Duringthe night Paul had a vision of a man ofMacedonia standing and begging him,Come over to Macedonia and help us.After Paul had seen the vision, we gotready at once to leave for Macedonia,concluding that God had called us topreach the gospel to them.1


6/16

Jesus said that when we have

needs, we should look to God and

expect Him to meet those needs.

Ask, and it will be given to you;

seek, and you will fnd; knock, and it

will be opened to you. For everyone

who asks receives, and he who seeks

fnds, and to him who knocks it will

be opened.5

Jesus believed His Father would

guide Him in making decisions,

as evidenced when He selected theapostles rom among His disciples:

He went out to the mountain to

pray, and continued all night in

prayer to God. And when it was day,

He called His disciples to Himsel;and rom them He chose twelve

whom He also named apostles.6

Its evident rom Scripture that

God wants to and will interact with

us i we want Him to.

3. The Holy Spirit

Along with personal experience

and examples ound within the

Word, I thought about how Jesus

promised that once He physically let

our world, the Father would send the

Holy Spirit to dwell in believers. He

said that the Holy Spirit would live

in us.I will ask the Father, and He will

give you another Counselor to be withyou foreverthe Spirit of truth. e

If you havent connected

with the interactive God,

you can right now by

receiving His Son, Jesus, as

your Savior. Simply pray aprayer like the following:

Jesus, I want to experience

Gods love and care, which

is promised through You,

the way, the truth, and the

life.8 I open my heart and

invite You in. Amen.

world cannot accept Him, because itneither sees Him nor knows Him. Butyou know Him, for He lives with youand will be in you. On that day youwill realize that I am in My Father,and you are in Me, and I am in you.7

I God was going to send His

Spirit to dwell within me orever,

then it stands to reason that He

is interested not only in me as an

individual, but also in what I do and

the decisions I make. I would evenmake the case that Hes not merely

interested, but involved.In various English translations

the Greek wordparakletos, whichis used to describe the Holy Spirit,

is rendered Counselor, Helper,

Intercessor, Comorter or

Advocate. I like those images

Gods Spirit being all those things to

me. I love it that God is active in mylie, that He is interested in me, in

who I am and what I do.

I see plenty o evidence that God

wants to be part o my lie, to play

an interactive role. He and I are

working together. His Spiritdwell-

ing within me, guiding my decision

makinghelps me in my journey

through lie. Im so grateul that He

didnt just wind me up and walkaway, but instead gave me the means

to interact with Him through His

Word and His Spirit.

Peter Amsterdam and his wife,

Maria Fontaine, are directors

of the Family International, a

Christian community of faith.

5. Matthew 7:78

6. Luke 6:1213

7. John 14:1617, 20 NIV

8. John 14:6

6


7/16

is hope we have as an anchor othe soul, both sure and steadast.

Hebrews 6:19

We have someone in whom we can

rest assured, eternally secure. We

know that God is watching out or

us wherever we are and whatever

were doing. We have that anchor. It

hardly matters what happens around

us on the constantly changing sea olie. We can survive it and surmount

it, because we have Him.

David Brandt Berg

To realize the worth o the anchor,

we need to eel the storm.

Author unknown

e act that the early Christians

oten used the symbol o the fsh tosignal their aith to ellow-believers

is common knowledge; their use o

an anchor is less well known. From

ancient times, the anchor was viewed

1. My Hope Is Built, Edward Mote, 1834

as a symbol o saety. For Christians,

the anchor symbolized their hope

in Christ, who would bring them

to the sae harbor o His heavenly

kingdom. Anchors adorn numerous

tombs o early Christians buried in

the catacombs beneath Rome.

Christine Hunt

We do not steady the ship by fxing

the anchor on anything that is inside

the vessel. e anchorage must be

outside o the ship. And so the soul

does not rest on what it sees in itsel,

but on what it sees in the character

o God, the certainty o his truth, the

impossibility o his alsehood.

Adapted from Dr. omas Chalmers

(17801847)

Jesus Christ is the anchor o your

soul. Dont needlessly ret about the

details o lie. You belong to God and

there is nothing that can orce you

to crash on the rocks. You are secure

because He is secure. Trust Christ i

every circumstance. en relax. En

the sunset. Savor the avor o lie.

Rest, knowing that in every high

stormy gale, my anchor holds with

the veil.1

Steve McVey (b.1954)

Ive an anchor sae and sure, that c

evermore endure.

[I withstand] the tempests shock,

my anchor grips the rock.

rough the storm I saely ride, til

the turning o the tide.

For in Christ I can be bold, Ive an

anchor that shall hold.

And it holds, my anchor holds;

Blow your wildest, then, O gale,

On my bark so small and rail;

By His grace I shall not ail;

For my anchor holds, my anchor

holds.William Clark Martin (1864191

Points to Ponder

teAnchor


8/16

In the middle of math class,one o mysecond graders made this startling declaration:

ere is no God!

Considering that this was a Christian school

and Martin was the son o a pastor, I had to won-

der how he had suddenly come to this conclusion

in my classroom. When asked, he proclaimed,

My dad says that theres God, Jesus, and the

Holy Spirit, but also that theres only one God. It

makes no sense.

What to do? I was sure that greater mindsthan Martins had contemplated the Holy

Trinity and run into the same problem, but

at the moment I really preerred to stick to

multiplication.

Martin, were in math class. We can talk

about that later.

It isa math problem, Martin replied. reeis not the same as one!

What parent or teacher hasnt been similarly

ambushed? From the lips o children come alot o tough questions. Ive learned that the

best thing I can do in such cases is ask God

or wisdom, because what I may interpret as

cockiness or contrariness on the part o the child

may in act be divinely instilled inquisitive-

ness and a great teaching opportunity. I didnt

1. Song of Solomon 2:1

The Trinity

ConundrumBy Jessica Roberts

eel suciently brushed up on my theology toexplain the concept o the Trinity to Martin and

his classmates. ...

Recess. Saved by the bell!

For the next ten minutes, while the children

played, I prayed. And an answer came to me. It

was a bit simplistic and probably not how St.

Augustine or other Christian thinkers would have

explained it, but it worked or Martin and the

others when math class resumed.

e Bible calls Jesus the Rose o Sharon,1 Itold them. God is like the root o the rose bush.

Hes hidden, but thats where the rose had its

beginning and grew rom. Jesus is like the rose

blossom. He is the showy part o Gods love that

we can see and sense. e Holy Spirit is like the

sap that ows through the bush, keeping it alive.

ree aspects, but the same rose bush. See?

I imagine Martin will have even tougher ques-

tions in the uture, and o course I have plenty o

questions mysel. ankully, God always answerswhen we ask sincerely. He may give a simple,

straightorward explanation like the one He

gave or Martin, or one thats more involved, or

He may simply give us peace to accept what we

cannot yet understand.

Jessica Roberts is a member of the Family

International in Mexico.

8


9/16

1. Acts 17:11

Crisis

ofFAITHBy Mari a Fontaine

Believing purely by faith,having notangible evidence, is not a natural approach or

everybody in all cases. Just as the Lord made people

very dierent in their personalities and physical

makeup, there are also dierent kinds o aith.

Whether you need time and study to reach a place

o belie, or whether you embrace concepts with

little questioning, the goal is what countsbuild-

ing a living aith.

Its not unusual to go through crises o aith and

to question points o doctrine or even oundationalChristian principles. e Lord oten works through

such battles o the mind and spirit and uses them

to strengthen us. He can use this process to help us

to go back to the oundation o our aith, to rea-

frm our belie system, and to gain greater clarity. It

can help us reach a better understanding as to why

we believe certain things to be truethe scriptural

oundation or our aith.

Many Christians have experienced crises o

aith or grappled with bouts o doubt. Some note-worthy examples come quickly to mindMartin

Luther, Mother Teresa, and the pioneer missionary

Adoniram Judson. eir crises o aith and the

battles they ought to reach a place o aith and

understanding have been documented. e result

o their experiences, however, was a stronger aith,

a deeper understanding o God and the intimate

relationship He seeks with each o us. eir

battles and victories have inspired many. I would

venture to say that their struggles also gave them

a deeper understanding o the battles people ace

in arming their aith and how these can be usedto ultimately strengthen their aith. You may have

had similar experiences.

Rather than looking at doubts and crises o aith

as a potential threat to our aith, to be resisted and

pushed out o mind and heart, we need to bear

in mind that questioning, doubt, and skepticism

can also be stepping stones to a strong and mature

Christian aith. ey can help us to reason and

understand our aith, to research and to determine

whether these things [are] so,1 and to reach aplace o personal and reasoned aith. A aith built

on these premises will not be easily swayed when

challenged by contrary arguments or belies,

or by the intellectual reasoning o unbelievers.

Ultimately, the result can be a stronger and more

seasoned aith.


10/16

When I first found my faith as a youngwoman, I was told that I should read the Bible, buthad no idea where to start. With other books, I was

in the habit o glancing at the last ew pages to fnd

out how the story would end, but skimming the last

pages othisbook meant plunging into Revelation.at book made no sense to me whatsoever!

Fortunately, some more experienced Christianscame to my aid and gave me some good advice on

Bible reading. e Gospels are written in straight-

orward language and will help you learn about the

lie and teachings o Jesus. To understand the heart

o Jesus message, they advised, the best place to

start is the Gospel o John. It was also interesting

to fnd out that the Gospel o John contains more

o the words o Jesus than any other book. Each

chapter reveals another aspect o His character,

message, and lie.

But soon I ran into a problem. When I read

through the our Gospels, it appeared there were

contradictions. I this was the inspired Word o God

why did the authors render certain stories or quotes

dierently? Someone helped me out. When youdescribe a flm to a riend, you dont tell the whole

story. You just tell the parts that stood out to you.

Another person would probably describe dierent

parts, what was most signifcant to him or her. at

how it was with the Gospel writers. ey each told

certain aspects and let out others. is made sense

e books o Psalms and Proverbs were the next

recommendations. Psalms is an inspired mix o

prayers, pleadings, praises, promises, and prophe-

cies. Proverbs contains a wealth o practical wisdom.Conveniently, there are 31 chapters in Proverbs, so it

easy to read through in a month, one chapter a day.

But i you want a blueprint or actioni you

want to not only grow in aith but to learn to share

it with othersturn to the book o Acts. is book

recounts the disciples activities during the frst 30 o

so years ollowing Jesus resurrection as they worked

together and spread the Good News.

O course, there is a lot more in the Bible than

the books Ive mentioned here, but this was a goodplace to start in my journey o aith, and these book

are still avorites to this day.

Chris Hunt lives in Great Britain and has

been reading Activated since it was first

published in 1999.

Whereto Start?A Rcti BiB RAdig

By Chris Hunt

10


11/16

Finding Jesus in theBook of JohnBy Gretchen Stein

A key Bible verse is John 20:31: ese [words]are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,

the Son o God, and that believing you may have lie in

His name. Jesus as the Son o God is one o the main

themes o the book o John, along with aith and eternal

lie. John recorded what Jesus saideven more than whatHe did.

In the frst ew chapters o the book o John, Jesus

gives the most complete picture o Himsel and God,

and in the fth and sixth chapters Jesus repeatedly

declares that He was sent rom God.

A quarter o the bookchapters 13 through 17is

devoted to Jesus fnal hours with His disciples the

evening beore His crucifxion, as He prepared them

(and us) to keep the aith and carry on without His

bodily presence.

Jesus used I am... to describe Himsel 14 dierent

ways in the Gospel o John.

I am the Messiah.John 4:26

I am the Bread of Life.John 6:35

I am from above.John 8:23

I am the Light of the World.John 9:5

I am the Door.John 10:9

I am the Good Shepherd.John 10:11I am the Son of God.John 10:36

I am the resurrection.John 11:25

I am teacher and Lord.John 13:13

I am theway, the truth, and the life.John 14:6

I am the true Vine.John 15:1

Gretchen Stein is a member of the Family

International in Europe.

dig RAdigthe gospel of John

Chapter 1: Christ, the Son of God

Chapter 2: Christ, the Son of Man

Chapter 3: Christ, the divine teacherChapter 4: Christ, the soul winner

Chapter 5: Christ, the Great Physician

Chapter 6: Christ, the Bread of Life

Chapter 7: Christ, the Water of Life

Chapter 8: Christ, the defender of the we

Chapter 9: Christ, the Light of the World

Chapter 10: Christ, the Good Shepherd

Chapter 11: Christ, the Prince of Life

Chapter 12: Christ, the King

Chapter 13: Christ, the servantChapter 14: Christ, the consoler

Chapter 15: Christ, the true Vine

Chapter 16: Christ, giver of the Holy Spiri

Chapter 17: Christ, the Intercessor

Chapter 18: Christ, the model suerer

Chapter 19: Christ, the uplifted Savior

Chapter 20: Christ, the conqueror of deat

Chapter 21: Christ, restorer of the peniten


12/16

One of the greatest

prayers ever taught goesback two thousand yearsand contains a simple point that

helps me ocus on living in the now:

Give us this day our daily bread.

For 25 years, my dependence on

alcohol and drugs took away my

ability to enjoy lie. I became so

remorseul o the past and so earul

o the uture that I was constantly

terrorized by the thought o whatanother day might bring. en,

in that single sentence rom the

Bible, I ound a whole new concept

or living. When I live in the day,

Im reed rom that lie o ear and

torment.

I cant expect to have my needs

guaranteed or the next week or

Today, positive signs o spiritua

rebirth are showing in my lie. Eacday I gain more spiritual energy an

zest or living. I fnd joy in others

and mysel. I have rediscovered the

pleasure o laughter.

I know that not every day will b

bed o roses, and I will always have

ace pain and disappointment. Free

rom the weight o past mistakes an

ear o the uture will not always sh

me rom the pain o the present or consequences o past actions. e b

thing I can do is pause, look deeply

within mysel, ace todays problem

with determination and honesty, an

make the choices the day demands,

knowing God is with me.

e burden o my yesterdays o

becomes too great or me to bear

ONEDAYAT

ATIMEBy Kevin Langam

month or year. All I really need is

what I need or today. at is why Imust strive to live my lie that way

one day at a time.

I have come to understand that

today is the only time I have. ere

is no guarantee o tomorrow; and

yesterday, with all its mistakes and

sorrows, is gone orever. Today, this

present moment, is precious.

Even though I know this now, I

can still waste my day by reliving thepast or worrying about the uture.

e eect addiction had on me

was that I took mysel and my sordid

circumstances very seriously, oten to

the point that I lost contact with real-

ity. ere was no joy or humor or real

satisaction in what I did. Everything

around me became grim and dark.

12


13/16

If faith no larger than a grain of

mustard seed can move an enti

mountain,1 then it shouldnt eve

take a microscopic speck of fait

to keep you doing all the things

that you need to do to make it

through a day. So dont worry.

God will help you when the hou

comes.David Brandt Berg

WHY WRRY?That is why I tell you not to wo

about everyday lifewhether y

have enough food and drink, or

enough clothes to wear. Isnt life

more than food, and your body

more than clothing? Look at the

birds. They dont plant or harves

or store food in barns, for your

heavenly Father feeds them. An

arent you far more valuable to

him than they are?

And why worry about your

clothing? Look at the lilies of the

eld and how they grow. They

dont work or make their clothinyet Solomon in all his glory was

not dressed as beautifully as the

are. And if God cares so wonder

fully for wildowers that are her

today and thrown into the re

tomorrow, he will certainly care

for you.

So dont worry about these

things, saying, What will we eat

What will we drink? What willwe wear? Your heavenly Father

already knows all your needs. Se

the Kingdom of God above all e

and live righteously, and he will

give you everything you need.

So dont worry about tomor

row. Todays trouble is enough f

today.Jesus 2

1. Matthew 17:20

2. Matthew 6:2526; 2834 NLT

alone. And i I think o my lie in

terms o all the things I must dotomorrow, next week, or next year,

the sheer weight o the resulting

worry overwhelms me. Whenever

I fnd mysel approaching either o

those states o mind, I must ask God

to bring me back to the now, where

the burdens are more manageable

and where I am able to either do

something about them i I can with

His help, or accept them i I cant.For most people, planning is a

normal, healthy unction; or me it

is a two-edged sword. A good plan

can keep my lie manageable and

help me get things done, but when

planning leads me to hinge my

happiness on the way I expect thingsto turn out, I am headed or trouble.

ats because, based on my past, I

am more likely to expect problems

than positive outcomes, tragedy

rather than triumph.

e present can be large and

interesting enough to occupy all my

attention i I can stay ocused on it.

By concentrating on the here and

now and opening mysel up to others,God, and the good around me, I can

live a happy lie, one day at a time.

Kevin Langam received a BA

(hons) in psychotherapy and is

now head therapist at an addic-

tion center in England. He has

been in recovery for 19 years.


14/16

Youre r eading theBible or an article thatincludes Scriptures,and averse seems to jump o the page; it

speaks to you in a special way, givingyou encouragement, inspiration, or

guidance. Sometimes, this realization

comes in a ash o understandinga

eureka moment. Other times you get

a sense that the verse you have just

read holds special meaning or you,

or that it applies to a specifc situa-

tion or problem you ace at the time.

God gives us these special passages to

increase our understanding o Himand His ways, and to provide a rock-

solid oundation or our aith. Faith

comes by hearing the word o God.1

e ollowing verses are some

that have strengthened the aith o

Christians throughout the ages. Start

by committing some or all o these to

memory, and then move on to other

scriptures that are special to you. Try

to memorize at least one verse each

week or the next month. It will geteasier with practice.

Salvation

John 3:16: For God so loved the world

that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whoever believes in Him should

not perish but have everlasting lie.The Word

Psalm 119:11: Your word I have

hidden in my heart, that I might notsin against You.

Matthew 24:35: Heaven and earth

will pass away, but My words will by

no means pass away.

Prayer

Jeremiah 33:3: Call to Me, and I will

answer you, and show you great and

mighty things.1. Romans 10:17

You Are WhAt

You MeMorize

Forgiveness

Ephesians 4:32: Be kind to one

another, tenderhearted, orgiving

one another, even as God in Chris

orgave you.

Giving

Acts 20:35: It is more blessed to g

than to receive.Finding Gods will

Psalm 143:8: Cause me to know t

way in which I should walk, or I

up my soul to You.

Proverbs 3:6: In all your ways

acknowledge Him, and He shall

direct your paths.

Protection

Psalm 46:12: God is our reuge

and strength, a very present help itrouble. ereore we will not ear

even though the earth be removed

and though the mountains be carr

into the midst o the sea.

Supply

Philippians 4:19: My God shall

supply all your need.Comfort

John 14:18 (KJV): I will not leave

you comortless: I will come to yoHebrews 13:5: I will never leave y

nor orsake you.

Healing

Exodus 15:26: I am the Lord who

heals you.

Jeremiah 30:17: I will restore

health to you and heal you o you

wounds.

A spiritual exercise

14


15/16

Many books in my library are now behind and beneath

me. ey were good in their way once, and so were the

clothes I wore when I was ten years old; but I have out-

grown them. Nobody ever outgrows Scripture; the book

widens and deepens with our years.Charles HaddonSpurgeon (18341892), British preacher and writer

I have ound in the Bible words or my inmost thoughts,songs or my joy, utterances or my hidden gries, and

pleadings or my shame and eebleness.Samuel TaylorColeridge (17721834), British poet

ere is abundant evidence that the Bible, though

written by men, is not the product o the human mind.

By countless multitudes it has always been revered as a

communication to us rom the Creator o the universe.

We must not build on the sands o an uncertain and

ever-changing science but upon the rock o inspiredScriptures.Sir Ambrose Fleming (18491945), Britishelectrical engineer and inventor

e Bible is a rock o diamonds, a chain o pearls, the

sword o the Spirit; a chart by which the Christian sails

to eternity; the map by which he daily walks; the sundial

by which he sets his lie; the balance in which he weighs

his actions.omas Watson (c.16201686), Englishpreacher and author

For me, the Bible is the Book. I cannot see how anyb

can live without it.Gabriela Mistral (18891957),Chilean poetess and Nobel Prize winner

All human discoveries seem to be made only or the

purpose o confrming more and more strongly the

truth contained in the Sacred Scriptures.Sir William

Herschel (17381822), British astronomer

We must make a great dierence between Gods Word

and the word o man. A mans word is a little sound,

that ies into the air, and soon vanishes; but the Wor

o God is greater than heaven and earth, yea, greater

than death and hell, or it orms part o the power

o God, and endures everlastingly.Martin Luther(14831546), German reformer

is book [the Bible] had to be written by one o thrpeople: good men, bad men, or God. It couldnt have

been written by good men because they said it was

inspired by the revelation o God. Good men dont

lie and deceive. It couldnt have been written by bad

men because bad men would not write something tha

would condemn themselves. It leaves only one conclu

sion. It was given by divine inspiration o God.JohWesley (17031791), English theologian and founder ofMethodism

BIBLE FANS


16/16

From Jesus with Love

The lighThouse

1. Psalm 119:105

My Word is like the beacon o a lighthouse, shining in the darknessto guide vessels through the sometimes dark and stormy sea o lieand into My sae harbor. I placed it on the shore, acing the sea, sothat as many as possible will see its light and be drawn to Me.

You are like a sea captain piloting his ship through rough waters ona dark night. I you had no light, you could not see the shorelineand your ship could be dashed against the rocks and lost. Butbecause I love you, I send out My Words like the huge beam o alighthouse to help you fnd your bearings. My light illuminates thedangers and points the way home.

My Word is a lamp to your eet and a light to your path.1

Lookto it or light and guidance, so you can make it saely to port nomatter how dark the night or how intense the storm.

activated september 2011

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