The question is NOT ~ Why did Whitney Houston go? - but rather ~ Why are you and I still here?

From a message posted today by Pastor Carlton Pearson,

"Jeremiah wrote ~ 

"Before I formed you I knew you, I called you" 

~ Our faith comes by hearing ~. 

What of ~ what we hear ~ inside and outside ~ is guiding us? 

What sounds are we tracking with, thinking about or listening to? 

What do we feel about our self? 

What do we believe about our self?

What do we think about our self?

What do we know about our self? 

What may we be unknowingly addicted to? 

How do we bridge the gap between God and our self? 

Why are we on this planet? 

And finally ~ 

The question is NOT ~ 

Why did Whitney Houston go? - 

but rather ~ 

Why are you and I still here? ~ 

The answer to these questions can simply be found here ~ 

What is your joy?"

and

It is going to be OK! Follow your Joy! ~ 
By Pastor Dale Swansen
The message at my church today 2/12/12 was on: 
Faith in Action. 
We are starting a study of James. 
Today Chap 1:1-18 
1) Choose Joy - a joyful attitude / mental approach
 2) Let perseverance / patience finish its work in you 
3) Anticipate the Fruit to come 
4) Believe and Trust in God 
5) Understand the nature of temptation 
6) Receive His promises for us. 
Amen! So be it!


Found this pamphlet in my Bible today - and it goes with the above message beautifully ~ 

II Peter 1:3 - 8
Reader's Version (NIRV)

Be Sure That God Has Chosen You

3 God's power has given us everything we need to lead a godly life. All of that has come to us because we know the One who chose us. He chose us because of his own glory and goodness.
4 He has also given us his very great and valuable promises. He did it so you could share in his nature. He also did it so you could escape from the evil in the world. That evil is caused by sinful longings.

5 So you should try very hard to add goodness to your faith. To goodness, add knowledge. 
6 To knowledge, add the ability to control yourselves. To the ability to control yourselves, add the strength to keep going. To the strength to keep going, add godliness. 
7 To godliness, add kindness to believers. And to kindness to believers, add love.
8 You should possess more and more of those good points. They will make you useful and fruitful as you get to know our Lord Jesus Christ better.



Remain Steadfast In The Faith
written by Joseph Prince 

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.⁹Resist him, steadfast in the faith….

1 Peter 5:8–9

When I was a teenager, I was taught that if I wanted to resist the devil, I had to rebuke him. So whenever an evil thought came to my mind or I was tempted, I found myself saying, “I resist you, devil, in Jesus’ name! I bind you, devil! Go away from me, devil! I rebuke you in Jesus’ name!”

This went on until God showed me one day that though I had “resisted” the devil, I had spent more time talking to him than to God! I was more conscious of the devil than of God throughout the day.

I checked the Word of God and realized that we resist the devil not by focusing on resisting him, but by being established in the faith that we are made right with God through Jesus’ blood, that we are the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Yes, the devil will continue to remind you of your mistakes, failures and sins. And he will tell you that because of these things, you cannot receive your healing, that you will have to pay for your mistakes or that something bad will happen to your family. He will accuse you, condemn you and try to persuade your heart to believe that he can do bad things to you.

But the truth is that the devil cannot enforce anything in your life if he cannot persuade your heart. And your heart cannot be persuaded if it is “steadfast in the faith”, if it is established in righteousness. God says that once you are established in righteousness, “You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you”. (Isaiah 54:14)

So now that my heart is established in righteousness, I can boldly declare, “Yes, I may have these problems in my life, but I am not guilty in God’s eyes. I am justified in God’s eyes by faith because of what Christ has done. I am righteous by Jesus’ blood!” My friend, that is how you resist the devil and become undevourable!

Thought For The Day

We resist the devil not by focusing on resisting him, but by being established in the faith that we are the righteousness of God in Christ.