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The beautiful rays of the sunset dimmed and darkness began to blacken the night sky. Clouds crept slowly in blocking the moon and the stars. All at once what once was filled with beautiful light was now animated with the expectancy of a fierce storm.

It was as if the night had a plan to go on the hunt for those who were carefree and secure in their worldly life. Unsuspecting people who thought they were safe and secure in the lives they created for themselves. People who lived for pleasure and did what was necessary to get what they wanted no matter who it might hurt.

A shutter of dread crept into my mind as I realized I was seeing a vision more horrible than any one person could imagine. An image of how Satan comes into a person’s life and takes away their faith in God.

God used the night as an illustration of how Satan comes into a persons life and little by little dims the truth given by the Spirit that was once so bright. He does this by pulling that person into living in the world for what it has to offer. Using people to give them what they want. And taking what they want from others through deceit and manipulation.

I am an upholster by trade. I have done this for over thirty years, but it is only my form of work. It is not my life! My true identity is my faith in a living God. A God of supernatural ability. A God who defines me from the Spirit of good He placed in my heart that leads me down paths of light.

A God of truth that parts the darkness of clouds that surrounds most people’s lives and sets my mind to understanding so I won’t fall into the traps that are set to devour the simple minded of the world. Temptations that pull at every person who doesn’t hold onto the teachings of Christ found in the Bible and the inner voice of the Holy Spirit.

Because of the Spirit, God placed in me, I am different from the people of the world. I am easily taken advantage of because I give generously. I love freely, but most of the time the love I give is not returned. I give away my upholstery work to help others live more comfortably, but I am seldom repaid for the good I give. Yet I never give up no matter what others do to me, because I am a soldier of Christ.

Galatians 5:16&17, “What I say is this: let the Spirit direct your lives, and you will not satisfy the desires of the human nature. For what our human nature wants is opposed to what the Spirit wants, and what the Spirit wants is opposed to what our human nature wants. These two are enemies, and this means that you cannot do what you want to do.”

This is the reason so many people of the world are darkened in their minds over right and wrong. When God is not holding your hand and leading you through the world then you are being led by your human nature.

Human nature desires for us to take care of ourselves. It fights for what we want others to give us without us having to do the work. It deceives us with desires that are greater than integrity and honesty. We covet; and greed becomes so great that love becomes useless and dead.

Galatians 5:19-21, “What human nature does is quite plain. It shows itself in immoral, filthy, and indecent actions; in worship of idols and witchcraft. People become enemies and they fight; they become jealous, angry, and ambitious. They separate into parties and groups; they are envious, get drunk, have orgies, and do other things like these. I warn you now as I have before: those who do these things will not possess the Kingdom of God”

The biggest pull that Satan has in a person’s life is how he can manipulate a person into going out and partying for the sake of having fun. Fun that makes drinking a game of how much you can hold without throwing up. And once drunk, how free you become with what is acceptable like smoking, taking drugs or having sex with multiple people.

Satan uses medications and drugs in order to pull at our desires and take away our ability to exercise self control. This is the reason that many young women and men have accidental children. Children who are born of lust and not into a loving strong household built with God’s protection of marriage. Children are born, who are destined to follow in the footsteps of their adulterous parents.

It is as if a tiny cloud that was once insignificant suddenly became engorged and spread like a gigantic earth scattering storm. Weather that was created from one small step in the wrong direction and then another step was taken and another until that person’s life was so totally caught up in the world that his soul was lost to God forever.

A child born out of wed lock tests the parents. It reveals to all people what kind of heart they have. If the parents are good then they take the challenge of the child and change their lives in order to provide a good life for their child. But if the heart of the parents are about their human desires and how they just want to have fun, then the child is not important and others are placed in charge.

A Grandmother becomes responsible for the child that was born of their son’s desires, because she won’t allow her child to take responsibility for his mistakes. As a result the child becomes a pond in the hands of parents who use the child as leverage to get what they want from the grandmother. Once Satan has a firm hold in the care of the child all people involved, stop loving each other, because of the cruelty involved with taking care of the unwanted birth.

This is the cloud of deception that comes in and blocks out any truth that God has to give a person who is in trouble. They begin to think only of themselves and give no thought of how to help others. This happens because Satan has made such a wreck out of their live that all hope has been diminished and dread has replaced long suffering with hate for what their lives have become.

When our minds have become completely clouded from the sin that surrounds our lives, then our existence becomes an acceptable norm. We begin to envy those who seem to be living good lives. And in our effort to survive our lives we take what is theirs. We don’t work for it ourselves! We use others for our own personal gain.

Galatians 5: 22-26, “But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control. There is no law against such things as these. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have put to death their human nature with all its passions and desires. The Spirit has given us life; he must also control our lives. We must not be proud or irritate one another or be jealous of one another.”

Wisdom comes to those who dedicate themselves to God and allow Him to influence their lives. They follow the teachings handed down in the Bible. They learn from their past mistakes. They let God help them to understand what they did wrong. And once God is completely back in control, He awakens their desire for their lost love and fills their hearts with hope giving them a way out of their present life.

Like I said I am defined by my faith. I am not defined by how much money I have. I am defined by how I forgive those who use me. I am defined by how I love no matter what people do to me. I am defined by the Holy Spirit who refuses to allow me to become darkened by the clouds of deception that make me hate those who use me for their own personal gain.

Jesus Christ came to bring light into the world. He suffered and died so we would have an easier path to forgiveness. He rose again so we would have hope that anything we do wrong in this world can be overcome if we will only place our faith in Him and trust Him with our life.

Linda C Dipman author of THE GAME OF LIFE IT’S ALMOST OVER http://outskirtspress.com/gameoflife presents: AND HIS LOVE SHONE DOWN my true life story! It describes all the persecutions I endured. Lovinghandsministry.com

Why aren’t you in heaven yet?

The only reason we remain on earth is to serve god
Ever wondered why, once you became a Christian, God has left you here? Why he hasn’t taken you to heaven?
The reason is clear. The Bible tells us we are left here for a reason. Knowing where we are going, knowing of our divine-set appointment in heaven, we are meantime to do God’s work down here.

Consider the story of a Christian woman named Rebecca O’Connor. When she first saw the horrific images of the 2005 Asian tsunami disaster, she was working the night shift at New York Presbyterian hospital, where she is a pediatric nurse. She said she felt compelled to do something.

And O’Connor did do something. She flew to Sri Lanka, along with eight other medical professionals, for a two-week medical-relief trip.

Arriving in Sri Lanka, they traveled through 150 miles of destruction before arriving in a downtown area that had been completely devastated. Setting up their clinic in a downtown Sri Lankan mosque, they saw 40 to 100 patients every shift. Respiratory problems and foot and leg wounds caused by stepping on debris when wading through water were the most common ailments treated.
O’Connor and the others soon discovered they were less than a mile away from a local hospital and another large clinic. She questioned a Sri Lankan friend, “Why are people coming to us?”

The friend said, “Because at the hospital someone asks, Name? Age? Complaint? and then gives them a sheet of paper and tells them to go wait somewhere. You sit them down, ask them what’s wrong and treat them. You listen to them.”

Rebecca O’Connor summed it up: “It seemed that the most valuable therapy we were providing had nothing to do with antibiotics or wound care. By listening to story after heartbreaking story, admiring pictures of families once happy and healthy, and playing soccer with children who lost everything, we were able to say, We care about you, and we share in your grief without speaking a word.”

See how this principle works?

Like Rebecca O’Connor, are you willing to risk everything, to live boldly as one privileged, charged and empowered to represent Jesus Christ, knowing you have a divine-set appointment?

When God keeps that divine set appointment with us in heaven, Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:10 that we will appear – that ALL MUST appear – before the judgment seat of Christ.

Now there is a lot of confusion about that place.
Judgment seat translates into Greek as bema, which in its simplest definition means a raised platform reached by steps. In the Greek culture that Paul wrote from and to, bema referred to the elevated platform on which victorious athletes received their crowns even as we say today in the Olympic games.

In the New Testament, it was used as the judgment seat of Pilate – of Herod. There was even a bema in Corinth where unbelieving Jews unsuccessfully accused Paul before the Roman governor Gallio.

So a person brought before a bema was to have their deeds examined for the purpose of recognizing and punishing wrongdoing or rewarding some achievement.
And that’s what the Bible means, too.

Unbelievers, those who don’t follow Christ, will have their sins exposed and be punished before the judgment seat of Christ. The Bible clearly, all too clearly, tells us that.

There will be, it says, much wailing and gnashing of teeth at the bema for, says the Bible, the fate of non-believers is eternal damnation in hell – everlasting punishment for sins which will be exposed by God’s penetrating justice.

Now Christians will also go before the bema. But Christian believers will NOT be judged for sin at the judgment seat of Christ. Why? Because our sins were dealt with at the cross. Jesus, our very judge, paid for those sins with his blood. They are gone, Blotted out, Forgotten. Paid for.

So what will happen to us at that judgment seat?
The full truth about our lives, our character and actions as a Christian will be made clear to each believer. Each one of us will discover the real verdict on our ministry, our service, our motives. All hypocrisy and pretense will be stripped away.

As Samuel 16:7 says, “God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearances, but God looks at the heart.”

The writer of Hebrews put it this way: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

That’s another part of our divine appointment.
The things we did with shallow, self-serving motives will not please God. That’s the bad Paul refers to – stuff that means or counts for nothing, things which may not be sinful per se but things which had no eternal value, like working our way up the corporate ladder, earning all sorts of degrees, accumulating wealth, getting better at golf – morally neutral things. The things so many of us spend so much of our time pursing.

The things that are considered “good” at that bema, that judgment seat, are the things we do that DO HAVE eternal value, things done with a motive to glorify God. That’s the divine ordained allegiance we are to do to bring him glory by our lives.

At that judgment seat, we will be rewarded for those deeds – deeds good and pure and pleasing to God. We don’t know what those rewards may be… other than, glorious. But they await us.

That is a certainty.

The author is publisher of the Online Christian Shopper (http://www.onlinechristianshopper.com) Christian clothing and jewelry Web portal.

Even though I can remember talking to the Holy Spirit as a child, when I became older and thought about talking to God, what came to mind was: “Who am I to think that I can talk to God?” But the truth is, who was I not to? Who are YOU not to?

When we think, “Who am I to talk to God?” we deny ourselves a relationship with God and the Holy Spirit. Even though the thought may cross our minds, “who am I to think that I can talk to the Holy Spirit?” it is important to remember that it is just a thought. It’s just something that arises within your mind when you entertain the thought of connecting with God or the Holy Spirit.

There are lots of thoughts that arise just like that: “Talking to the Holy Spirit is impossible. Talking to the Holy Spirit is something that only special or very pious people can do. Talking to the Holy Spirit is something that takes years and years of hard work and devotion to accomplish.” All of these thoughts are untrue and keep you from connecting with the Holy Spirit in your life.

When you begin to think about talking to God and hearing His Voice, become aware of what thoughts come to mind. If you become afraid at the thought of talking to God, that just means that a thought has arisen within your mind that caused you to become fearful. A fear thought could be as simple as, “I’ll never be able to hear the Holy Spirit.” It could be a thought that says, “I’m not worthy of talking to God. God would never talk to me.” It could be, “Look at all the things that I have said and done. Why would God bother with me?”

Allow yourself to become aware of the thoughts that arise within you when you contemplate joining with God in dialogue. Do your best to notice those thoughts, emotions, or beliefs as lovingly and kindly as you can. They are just thoughts that arise. They are not the truth. They are not a reflection of you. They’re just thoughts that arise, these little flea bites that distract you for a moment. When you notice them for what they really are and respond to them with truth, love, and kindness, you are free to continue to focus on your connection with God instead.

Let’s say you have the thought: “Who am I to think that I can talk to God?” You can then remember: “Oh yeah, who am I NOT to? It’s my job to be connected with God and the Holy Spirit. That is my job. That is all God and the Holy Spirit would ask of me. Who am I not to?”
Or you have the thought: “Why would God want to talk to me?” You can respond, “Because God created me and God only sees my perfection. God wants nothing more than to talk with me through the Holy Spirit.”

“I’m not worthy. I’ve done these things, said these things, or thought these things. I’m not worthy to talk to God,” and you remind yourself, “God just loves. God wants to be in communication with me.”

Whatever thoughts arise, allow yourself to respond to them with Love and Truth. You know the truth in your heart. You know that God only loves you and wants to be in communication with you. So when you have the thought: “Oh, I’ve done these things or said these things. God does not want to communicate with me” you can remember, “Actually, God only loves me,” and continue to move past that thought or move on from that bug bite. Allow yourself to continue to move in the direction of connecting with God in the Holy Spirit. It’s as if you are maneuvering your way around these little distractions or obstacles, the little thoughts that arise, but you respond lovingly to them and remain on the pathway to God.

There is nothing that can stop you from connecting with God. There is nothing that can keep you from your Creator. Even if you’re not sure how to respond with the truth to a thought that arises, just remind yourself, “Nothing can keep me from God,” and continue to move along on that path.

Since it is only a thought that can keep you from hearing God’s Voice, let yourself notice what thoughts have arisen in the past few minutes. Make note of the thoughts that sound familiar or the thoughts that have come to your mind and allow yourself in the next few days to continue to become more and more aware of what thoughts come up when you think about talking with God and the Holy Spirit. Really look at each thought and allow a truthful response to each one to come to you so that you know no matter what thought arises, there is nothing that can keep you from having a relationship with God and God’s Voice in your life. Focus on this in the next few days and find out how much more connected you feel to God and the Holy Spirit in doing so.

DavidPaul Doyle has been sharing the Holy Spirit for the past 12 years. Watch his inspiring flash movie at http://www.thevoiceforgod.com to learn how to access your God’s voice within you with confidence and clarity. For more info, visit http://www.thevoiceforlove.com.

By now, you’ve probably heard about the best-selling book called “The Secret.” This book is also in a DVD and Audio CD format… It’s huge right now!

The concept is, by using this “secret,” which is “The Law of Attraction,” you can create anything you want in your life: more money, a bigger house, more business, a new mate, literally anything you want!

While “The Secret” has many truths in it, I personally disagree with the notion that a person can have just anything. The reason is… because we were born with different strengths skills, talents, and abilities.

God made us all unique, with a purpose, and with a certain mission. It really isn’t “all about us!”

There are a few major things I certainly disagree with concerning “The Secret” but, I do believe in the “Law of Attraction!” Here’s why… Jesus said, “All things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23)!

What is “believing?” It’s a manner of thought!

The “Law of Attraction” basically says, “What you think about the most becomes your reality” or, “Thoughts become things!”

Here is another biblical reference pointing to this fact: “As a man Thinks, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7)!

If you read my newsletter every week (and I’m sure you do, right?), you know that I write a lot about how important our thinking is!

What we think about most flows out of our lives! Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart with all diligence for out of it flow the issues of life.”

While the teachers of “The Secret” have some contradictory ideas to the Word of God, there is some good that can be used. It’s just like life, there’s good and bad. We must guard our hearts and choose the GOOD!

The Law of Attraction is good and bad! It depends on how we use it. But, how can we use it unless we know how it works?

This universal law is one of the laws we really need to understand!

Scientists have proven over and over that universal laws are always working!

For example, the universal Law of Gravity is always working. You drop a brick… It hits the ground very quickly (watch out for your foot)! It doesn’t matter if you believe in the Law of Gravity, it still applies!

Just like the Law of Gravity is always working, so is the Law of Attraction! The Law of Attraction largely determines what we get out of life. It has been working for, or against us since we were born.

If you are, or are not getting the things you really and truly desire out of life, I challenge you to consider what you are thinking about most of the time!

Daniel N. Brown is an entrepreneur and teacher of biblical success principles. Get his FREE Report, “Christian Prosperity Secrets” when you sign up for his FREE weekly newsletter. http://www.SecretPlaceOnline.com

“To have it all, first you have to lose it all,” says best-selling author Steve Bonenberger. “When your current life is no longer possible, then you’re ready for the Daily Code, the new road map that takes your feet off the path of less onto the road to more.

The new Daily Code is one of the five life-changing lessons Bonenberger teaches in his powerful new book Through the Gates of Fire. Readers who start to add these lessons in their lives will soon leave failure in the dust.

Failure is no mystery. Failure is known by many of us. For some, it leads to a downward spiral. “Why me?” is the cry of our troubled minds. Faith has vanished; hopelessness has come to visit, and for some, to stay.

But others, though equally troubled, know in their hearts that there’s help waiting. For them, failure can be a starting point. Through the Gates of Fire is the must-read book for each of us who has ever asked, “Why me?” This book is the “What’s Next.”

The Daily Code

None of us enter this life with the intention of hurting others. Nor do we expect do be hurt by others. But surely this happens. In our business world, in our personal life. Learning the Five Lessons in Through the Gates of Fire heals the hurts.

Practicing the Daily Code changes this hurt cycle forever. “Even if every penny and every relationship is gone,” states author Bonenberger, “when we practice the Daily Code, God will send the people to help you. The gates to our personal garden begin to open.”

Best of all, we learn how to be the answer to problems in our own lives; and in other people’s lives, too. It’s very powerful to changing from no longer being the wind sock, but instead the propeller. A driving force for good instead of being blown every which way by evil winds.

When we try to fix our own lives, we soon discover that we’re dealing with inadequate resources. Broken lives take a Master Mechanic, and that mechanic is God. When we accept this, God will take us into God’s “repairatory.”

The New Ten Commandments

Northing’s wrong with the original Ten Commandments. But are they working? Maybe it’s time to add something new. Think about the old commandments. Kind of negative, aren’t they? Each begins with a “Thou shall not…” They tell us what not to do, but don’t tell us what to do.

What if there were new commandments that start with “Thou shalt…?” Much more proactive, and more practical to practice. Especially when the underlying fabric of these new commandments is a rich tapestry woven from a cloth called “kindness.” Opening ourselves to the New Ten Commandments lifts our hearts and works wonders in our lives.

Stream of Mercy

Reaching the surface after drowning in failure takes a Leap of Faith. We must jump into the Stream of Mercy, another of the Five lessons in Through the Gates of Fire. And what a life-giving stream this is, waiting to take us out of our pain and mind traps. This lesson is rich with hope and action.

These are only three of the Five Lessons that will change our lives. It’s sad that some will spend their one precious life crying in the wilderness of “Why Me?” while others will refuse to live and failure and will take action. Can one small book or CD make such a change? Quite simply, yes. Yes it can and yes it will. The atom is tiny, but look at its power.

But first we have to look up from the bottom and accept the lifeline held out to us. Through this book who is the strong hand waiting to take ours. Who will take it?

If you’ve known failure, and you’re asking Why Me, then The Daily Code’s for You. This is the What’s Next that you need.

Dr. Proactive Randy Gilbert enjoys producing InsideSuccessRadio.com where he recently interviewed Steve Bonenberger, author of “Through the Gates of Fire,” a life-changing new Christian series. Listen to Steve’s interview for free:

http://www.InsideSuccessRadio.com/Guests/Steve-Bonenberger.