Tag Archives: New King James Version

Only God Has The Power To Lift The Pressure From Within You

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Sex and Drugs and Jesus Christ

Only God has the power to lift the pressure from within you

 

 

 

 

God Lifts the Pressure

 

 

 

 

The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.

Psalm 29:11, NKJV

Do you feel overwhelmed and smothered by pressure?  Are you desperate for “breathing room”?  Do you try to escape the stress through . . .

an extended vacation,

therapeutic counselling,

alcohol,

drugs,

entertainment, or

a romantic liaison . . .

only to find when you stop to assess your condition you are no better than you were before, because the pressure is from within?

Only God has the power to lift the pressure from within you.  Your circumstances may remain the same, but He has the power to give you breathing room.  He can give your spirit peace and rest, even as He gives your life a new dimension.  Just ask Him.

Blessings

 

 

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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Only God Has The Power To Lift The Pressure From Within You

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Sex and Drugs and Jesus Christ

Only God has the power to lift the pressure from within you

 

 

 

 

God Lifts the Pressure

 

 

 

 

The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.

Psalm 29:11, NKJV

Do you feel overwhelmed and smothered by pressure?  Are you desperate for “breathing room”?  Do you try to escape the stress through . . .

an extended vacation,

therapeutic counselling,

alcohol,

drugs,

entertainment, or

a romantic liaison . . .

only to find when you stop to assess your condition you are no better than you were before, because the pressure is from within?

Only God has the power to lift the pressure from within you.  Your circumstances may remain the same, but He has the power to give you breathing room.  He can give your spirit peace and rest, even as He gives your life a new dimension.  Just ask Him.

 

 

 

Blessings

 

 

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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Change is coming

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Forgiveness lesson from flowers

Change is coming

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 Corinthians 13:10

“But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away with.”
NKJV

Most all of us hate change. We like our routines and desire to walk through life not having to change it up too often. Maybe this is because we like to feel we are in control and anything we are not ready for frightens us. Well friend, there is something coming that I pray you are ready for. This change will affect you, me and everyone on the face of our planet. It’s something far more powerful than a war or natural disaster, in fact, it’s not a something at all – it’s a someone.

Revelation 21:4 “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” NKJV

In the blink of an eye, every follower of Christ on earth will be made new. The old will pass and the new will come. We will see our Lord face to face and our lives will never be the same. Yes, this change is the greatest change of all, but we must be ready or we’ll miss it. You see, we do not know the day or hour of this change, but we do know how we can prepare. God’s Word is clear. We have a choice here on earth to follow Him and find forgiveness of sin and hope of heaven or reject Him and find judgment. If you have never asked God to forgive you of your sins and trusted in Jesus as your Saviour, then today is the day. There are many promises in the Bible, but tomorrow is not one of them. Pray to Him today and you’ll be ready for the day when everything changes for eternity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life Lesson: One day everything will change – everything.

Dear God,
I know that I have done wrong things. I pray that You would forgive me of my sins. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and that He was raised from the dead. Today, I trust in Him and ask that You fill me with Your Spirit so that I can share this wonderful news with a lost and hurting world. In Jesus Christ  Name, Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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The Look of Jesus

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The capture of Christ (detail)

The capture of Christ (detail) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Look of Jesus

 

While [Peter] was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. . . . So Peter went out and wept bitterly.

Luke 22:60-62, NKJV

The night Jesus was betrayed, a man stepped up to Peter in the courtyard of the temple compound and challenged him: “Didn’t I see you with [Jesus] in the olive grove?” (John 18:26, NIV). All the tension and anger of the past hours exploded in Peter and tumbled out in a stream of curses as he insisted, “I don’t know the man!” Yet as he spoke, he heard the unmistakable sound of a rooster crowing in the distance. At that very moment, a commotion in the breezeway got everyone’s attention. With the denial still burning his lips, Peter looked into the eyes of Jesus!

The look of Jesus was like a flaming fire, burning away Peter’s hypocrisy and sin. Then as the entourage around Jesus roughly pushed and shoved Him forward, the moment passed. Peter, shaken to the core of his being, went out into the night, where he “wept bitterly,” sobbing out his confession to God.

Three days later, Peter knew his sin had been forgiven when he met the risen Christ. Do you have the uneasy feeling that Jesus is “looking” at you? Is your heart burning with shame and guilt? Don’t shed tears, shed your pride and come to Him for cleansing and restoration.

Blessings

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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Bloom wherever God plants you

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Bloom wherever God plants you.

 

 

 

 

Acts 21:30

“And all the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut.”
NKJV

Although the door never really opened to the Jewish people, Paul continuously ministered to them. There was, however, an open door for Paul to minister to the Gentiles. Sometimes in ministry, you may want to do one thing but God wants you to do something else. Maybe you have a heart for a particular country, region or a specific people group, but God wants you to ‘bloom right where you are planted’. Perhaps God has given you a heart to pray for missions in an area but hasn’t asked you to do it yourself. Paul supported the church at Jerusalem, but he was never really part of the church there. Look for open doors where you are. If there is an opportunity to join a ministry team in church, go for it! Maybe your heart is in Children’s Ministry or Youth Ministry, but the open door is in another area of ministry.

“His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'” Matt 25:21 NKJV

Friend, go for the open door. Perhaps later, God will open the other door. It’s quite possible you are being tested whether you will be faithful in the small things.

 

 

Life Lesson: Bloom wherever God plants you.

Dear Father,
Thank You for giving me gifts that I can use to serve You and others. Please forgive me for times when I have not used them to serve. I ask You to show me the open door, even if it is not what I want, and give me the faith to go through it. I pray this in Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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When faced with a problem, seek God first before relying on your own wisdom or strength

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Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglica...

When faced with a problem, seek God first before relying on your own wisdom or strength.

 

 

 

 

 

The Greatest Resources

 

 

 

 

Nahum 2:1

“He who scatters has come up before your face. Man the fort! Watch the road! Strengthen your flanks! Fortify your power mightily.”
NKJV

Tests and trials are a part of life and often push us to our limits in many ways. During these times, what do you turn to? Do you first run to others seeking those who feel the same way you do? Do you find yourself to be anxious because you are constantly looking down the road of life waiting for the next attack? Maybe you run to your money or addiction to seek answers or comfort. Whatever the case may be, the truth is, when we do not run to God first, we will not last long.

As followers of Christ, we have the greatest resource of wisdom and power available to anyone. He is our Father God and He desires to help us in times of need. We may be able to hobble along on our own wisdom and strength for a time, but when we trust in the Lord’s strength and His infinite wisdom we will never grow weary. Friend, today you will encounter difficult situations. Don’t be surprised by them but simply use them as an excuse to draw closer to God. Need wisdom? Ask the Father. Desire strength? Find it in Jesus.

 

 

 

Life Lesson: When faced with a problem, seek God first before relying on your own wisdom or strength.

Dear God,
Thank You for the Your generous love for me. I am so grateful that I can run to You in times of need and You will hear my cry. Father I ask for Your strength and wisdom today. No matter where I find myself I ask that You would guide my steps and use me for Your purposes. In Jesus Christ Name, Amen!

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God

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4 days of Evangelism Training in Southern Cali...

4 days of Evangelism Training in Southern California provided by LivingWaters Ministry. Obeying the great commission of Jesus Christ. “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to everyone” Mark 16:15 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God.

Isaiah 61:10, NKJV

 

United in Praise

Who is praising Jesus because you are? If your praise – and mine – is interrupted by . . .

our circumstances or our complaints,

our selfishness or our suffering,

our desires or our depression,

our indifference or our insistence,

or by anything at all . . .

the light will grow dim in our lives as we sink into the mire of self, and instead of causing others to praise Him, we will drag them down into the darkness with us.

So would you praise Him? And keep on praising Him! Praise Him for __________. You fill in the blank with an attribute of Christ.

Blessings

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

 

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Free Gift Of God

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Cover of "The Gift of Forgiveness"

Free Gift Of God

 

 

 

 

Acts 21:21

 

 

“but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs.”
NKJV

What are some of the traditions you hold that keep others from Jesus? In the verse above, you see the Jewish and Gentile conflict within the church and the traditions that the Jews wanted the Gentile church to follow. Although they rejoiced that God was at work among the Gentiles, they slipped in the word ‘but’ revealing their ‘religiosity’. They were concerned for the traditions set within the church.

It is important as you walk in relationship with others to speak leaving out the ‘buts’. Often, you’ll hear that word come up as you talk to others. We all are in danger of saying it. Have you ever said.

“I like the way you did this ‘but’.”
“It’s a great church ‘but’.”
“I would show love to that other person ‘but’.”

Many times you can find yourself saying something and then filling in reasons why you don’t approve of something. Tragically, it’s the same thing that has put walls between the unbelieving world and personal relationships with Jesus Christ. On one occasion, I remember a guy who stopped by the parking lot of our church asking if it was okay for him to enter the church dressed as he was. The church down the road told him that he couldn’t come in unless he dressed more respectfully. This man was simply wearing a t-shirt and pair of jeans. It was okay to come to church ‘but’ he wasn’t dressed nicely enough to be welcomed in. When God forgives us, there are no ‘buts’. It is a free gift. When you are called to extend forgiveness to others, the Lord wants you to forgive them in the same way.

Maybe you are carrying around a number of reasons why you don’t want to show God’s love to someone else. If this is you, turn to the Lord right where you are and ask Him to help you purely embrace and show the gift of forgiveness to others as He has shown you.

 

 

Life Lesson: We do not earn forgiveness it is given to us, it is a gift.

Dear Father
Thank You for the free gift of Your forgiveness that You’ve shown to me by dying for my sins. Please give me the strength to extend the same gift of love and forgiveness to others. Keep me from putting up walls that hinder others in having a real relationship with You. In Jesus Christ  Name, Amen!

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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Listening carefully to what God says

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Česky: Kříže - symbol utrpení Ježíše Krista a ...

Listening carefully to what God says

I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure. . . . I love Your law.

Psalm 119:162-163, NKJV

When have you totally misunderstood God’s Word?

When He said, “Love one another,”

did you think He meant to tolerate sin? (1 John 4:7)

When He said, “in all things God works for the good,”

did you think that every story has a happy ending?

(Rom. 8:28)

When He said, “I will surely bless you,” did you think that He

would make you healthy, wealthy, happy, and problem free? (Heb. 6:14)

Isn’t it amazing how we can misinterpret what He says? Listening carefully to what God says is important, because if we misunderstand what He is saying, we set ourselves up for disappointment, discouragement, and disillusionment.

So . . . would you be quiet and listen with your eyes on the pages of your Bible? Listen for His still, small voice to whisper to your heart through His Word.

Blessings,

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves

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The Last Supper of Jesus Christ

The Last Supper of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.

 

Micah 3:1

And I said: “Hear now, O heads of Jacob, And you rulers of the house of Israel:
Is it not for you to know justice?”
NKJV

Today’s society is fast paced and full of busyness. But what are we busy doing? Is it trying to live life with a mission to better ourselves? Any of us who have tried to live this kind of life know that we are never satisfied even when we achieve our goals. Friend, if we have a relationship with Jesus, is it not for us to know justice? If we claim to be a follower of Jesus, we have a responsibility to live a Godly life everywhere we go. God has showed us that life is not about us, it’s about knowing Him, loving Him and loving others. If anyone should know that, it is the body of Christ–those who have been forgiven of their sins. Now that God has blessed us with His forgiveness, He desires that we share His love with others. The world needs us to be an example of living the Bible so that they too are drawn to Christ. They need answers, and for us to say we are “Christians” and live our life in pursuit of personal gain would only be a contradiction to who we say we follow.

2 Corinthians 13:5-6 “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you are disqualified.” NKJV

Friend, let’s stand before God often and ask Him to reveal things in our life that are not pleasing to Him. As we do that, the world will not have any stones to throw. They will be drawn to Jesus and living their life for Him just like we should.

 

Life Lesson: The world is looking for answers, not for hypocrites.

Dear Father:
Thank You for loving me. Thank You for forgiving me of my sins. Help me to live a disciple’s life wherever I go. Please remove those things that are not pleasing to You so others are not confused. Thank You Lord, for using me to change lives for eternity just like you changed mine. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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